Hey, It's the Dark Phoenix coming at you all once again with another continuation of 'Human' - A Saber Marionette J AU.
In case any of you don't know, I am enlisted in the United States Navy. I ship for boot camp July 2nd 2002, [Note: It's October 12, I'm back and kicking ass!!] so right now I'm working on this Fan Fic at full steam. I want to finish up before I leave as to not leave those who are actively reading my ramblings hanging. Sorry Vik-man, Editing's a bitch, I know. Have fun...
All questions, comments, and other nonsense can be mailed to The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com
Even though I have this insatiable urge to babble non-sensically to my heart's desire during these periods of random writing action, I feel that today's discussion time should be about the names I gave all the women in their early years and addressing a few concerns people have let me on about.
[Warning: A white, American male (Southern Californian breed) is about to explain something. It is advised that all those who wish to retain sanity and logic now turn away.]
The names given to each of the women in the original series were extensions of their programs and personalities gifted to their maiden circuits. Their names worked because their creator didn't really seem to regard them as human. Instead they were merely a way to get [Censored for all those who have not seen SMJ yet. All those who watched know what goes here.]
However, a culture that is using them as the future for all of humanity would be much more intimate in their naming process. They would try and create what had been lost and make a suitable replacement. They weren't making machines with a purpose; they were re-making an entire aspect of a lifestyle lost hundreds of years ago. I figured they would give them more suitable names.
Another thing I've been trying to do was create a sense of how ignorant these people really are of what women are. Me, being white, single and a virgin, really wouldn't know much about the more intimate aspects of how the mind of the fairer sex works. So instead of making a Jackass of myself and take wild guesses I decided to really focus on their physical nature; about how the other men saw women for the first time and immediately compared that to themselves. That and the older stories and fears I've tried to hint at as well.
One more thing, some people seemed kinda disturbed at some of the references to homosexuality (OH MY GOD!!! THE "H" WORD!!! NOOOOOOOOO~) I've alluded to. #1, I am straight. I'm not 'in the closet', ;~; will some of you nut bags leave me alone! #2 (and more importantly) We're looking at a world where the only inhabitants are male. That means NO FEMALES! That means the only possible partners around would be male. Human instinct is still to bond, it can't be suppressed. It's logical to assume such things would be prominent in such a land as men...you know... bond... #3. HANAGATA IS ABOUT AS STRAIGHT AS A SPHERE!!! Quit whining peeps. My god men... I told you it was PG-13. Geeze...
Anyway I'll quit my trip into boredom land and move on with the story. YAAAAY!!! [children cheer]
[NOTE][NOTE][NOTE] Version 1.1.- Dated: 17 October 2002; I went through the whole 'fic and repaired some stupid problems that were made. The most noticeable mistakes were made at the start of Chap. 3 and the radio transmission in Chap. 4. Now I think you guys will be able to at least understand what was going on. On FF.net using "" "" to indicate actions makes the damn server think it's a set of link instructions and erases the whole line. I fixed most all of them so you can read them now. I'm sorry about the mix up. Take care and Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aisha sat in a small chair looking into a mirror. In her hand she held a brush that she pulled gently through her long, blue hair. The sunlight filtered in through the lace curtains and streamed along the wooden floor causing small shadows and shapes to dance and twirl along its polished surface. Outside, the birds sang happily, swaying gently in the breeze. Two little Warblers rested on the branch of a small tree just out side the second story window and were twittering away as if nothing in the world was as it shouldn't be.
Aisha smiled as she pulled the brush slowly through her hair. It felt so good. The ends of her mouth rose and her eyes seemed to shine. She was smiling. Aisha finally felt at peace. Her spirit seemed lifted that long morning while she was gently combing her long hair straight. Things were different. Things were going to change. Things were going to finish right where she sat and start right when the time was right. But the first thing she was going to do was sit there and smile. It just felt like just the right thing to do.
She came across a small tangle and began to tug it loose. Kisa... Nobleman Kisa... The source of all the wretchedness in her life. The evil that kept her from everything, that hid her away from everyone. The one that had stolen her innocence; and soon after, of her emotion. He beat her. Not a day passed that he didn't. He'd warned her that whenever she smiled, she would be beaten. Whenever she cried, she would be kicked. Whenever she showed anger, she would be tortured. Whenever who she had once been showed through, he would take her... He would take her and take her to bed...
She'd finally broken and succumbed to the man when she realized she had become nothing more than a source of pleasure. That she was destined to become nothing more than a doll, a cold and lifeless doll existing only to pleasure her master, the one who pulled all her strings, who held her leash tightly. That was his trick. That was what Kaiser did wrong when he first tried to break her. He beat her, and pummeled her and still she stood back up. But when someone turned the hand to a gentle caress, and used those fists in an opposite manner, with a more sinister intent behind it, her resolve broke. When pained turned to pleasure of the worst kind, her own guilt at having enjoyed those feelings, ate her up.
With a grunt Aisha pulled the tangle free and began stroking again in earnest. But things were different now. He'd come back to her. Kaiser. The one who'd tried to break her resolve and crush her spirit. The one who'd changed and shown her the world after she showed him her true self. The one who made her happy...
Happy.
He laid in the bed and watched her. She moved with grace that enraptured Kaiser. Every stroke, every pull, every swish, he was in love. He looked at her face and saw her smiling and beamed himself. He loved that smile. She seemed content for the first time since he'd returned. Kaiser wanted to see her smile. He wanted to see her laugh. He'd seen enough tears fall from her eyes. He'd seen them all too many times.
Kaiser's smile slowly began to fade. He'd seen far to many. Kisa... Kisa caused those tears. He'd forced her to cry and then beat her when she did. He reveled in her agony. He wanted a doll, a cold emotionless doll, and the best way to get that doll was by subjugating Aisha to bend to his will. He made her sad. He made her ashamed. He made her cry. And for that he would pay.
Oh would he pay...
Kaiser's eyes grew hard as he watched Aisha. She would never cry again.
Never.
He would never make her sad.
Ever.
This was his pormise to her. This was his sovereign word, and anyone who made her feel like that ever again would feel his wrath. God save the man who causes his love to shed another tear in sorrow. God save the repulsive creature. Kaiser'd beaten her before. He'd made her cry before. But he never made her sad, and for that he was glad. The wounds would heal, never to be inflicted again, and the tears would dry never to be shed again. But had he ever made her sad, Kaiser would have never been able to live with himself.
Slowly he rose from his bed and walked over to her. Aisha looked up at him and gifted him with yet another one of her smiles. He knelt down by her side and took her in his arms. She stopped brushing and leaned against him. She could hear him breathing slowly. He was so strong, and yet was so gentle. He'd made her smile by holding her so tightly yet so softly. He made her happy by being whom he was and sometimes by being someone he was not.
"Aisha."
She giggled. "Kaiser."
The morning wore on. The sun rose higher into the sky and the morning mist that had coated the streets faded away. Workers began to file along the streets, selling goods and carrying items. Children ran out to play and fathers went to their jobs. But the couple, still locked away in that one bedroom, stayed there, enjoying eachother's company. Enjoying the freshness of the new day. Enjoying the way the new life that both of them were about to lead was starting out.
Things were going to change. People were going to die. Empires would break. Love would spring anew. Fate would change the course of time and all around the face of Terra II lives would be touched. The individuals who would spark the fall of the greatest empire ever seen on the face of Terra II spent that one morning cradled in each other's arms in front of a mirror simply enjoying one another.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saber Marionette J
Dark's A.U. - Human
Eps. 4 - Satellite
"My love will carry you to the stars"
I let my dove go;
I'll never see her again.
The flowers have bloomed.
~Haiku
Satelliiiiiiiiiiiiiiite~
Satelliiiiiiiiiiiiiiite~
I wonder how clear it must look from there to here?
No obstruction, this selfish corruption,
All in this atmosphere!
No fear, less tears, only time to catch my breath!
I fail to inhale,
Your love constricts my chest!
Confusion blinded me, mental and physically...
And it's because of you that now I can see...
So now I can't run, I follow the sun and ride on to Zion
And dance this last song of freedom!
But only time will tell, if it's truly for real.
Can't change your mind, all I know this is what I feel...
Whether I'm wrong or right, please keep my life in sight,
And never take you eyes off me!!
As I look up to the sky today,
Well, I can see you looking down on me!
It brings a smile to my face again...
S-S-S-Satellite!
Satelliiiiiiiiiiiiiiite~
Satelliiiiiiiiiiiiiiite~
It's truly one of a kind, like starshine, beyond nighttime, are you there?
My eyes stare to find, just what's behind this blind notion of mine, is it genuine,
Cause sometimes, it plays tricks with my mind, some call it asinine...
But it's like love or hate, now is that real or fake?
Cause it's a real thin line, but that's your choice to make!
The question at hand, help me understand, is this your plan?
I think I can, can I think, then I think I can...
Because I won't break...
(nah)
and I won't shake...
(nah)
With lifted hands to this woman...
(Jah),
I'll stand in faith...
I'll make it through, my trust in you!
Close my eyes, make a wish, kiss the sky...
Hey there? -I see you!!
...Satellite, satellite...
...my guiding light, guiding light...
...Shining bright, shining bright...
...the guiding light...
S-S-S-Satellite!!
SATELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE~
SATELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE~
SATELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE~
(When I look up to the sky today, I can feel you looking down on me!!!)
SATELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE~
(It brings a smile to my face again!!! Satellite!!!)
...Satellite, satellite...
...my guiding light, guiding light...
...Shining bright, shining bright...
...the guiding light, guiding light...
...Satellite, satellite...
(As I look up into the sky today...)
...my guiding light, guiding light...
(It brings a smile to my face again...)
...Shining bright, shining bright...
...the guiding light, guiding light...
It's truly... One of a kind, like starshine, beyond nighttime, are you there?
...Are you there?
...Are you there?
~Satellite
P.O.D.
Questions, comments, flames for my barbecue can be sent to The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Kaiser-sama... What you are asking of me... I, I..."
"I understand how you feel Nansa, but I am not lying to you. We need your help."
Kaiser was seated at a low table. The room that he was sitting in had a distinct Japanese feel, like he was sitting in the middle of a dojo. The walls were lined with various bokken, jutte and the odd nunchaku. Along the wall directly in front of Kaiser were a pair of Tonfas and an old Yumi. The bamboo had been polished and smoothed allowing it to shimmer in the light while the string (which looked to be no more than silk and pine resin) had been carefully cut and strung so that each individual hair caught the light. There was one small door that had been slid partially open to let in the fresh air and some sunlight. The table was bare with the exception of one small bottle of drink and several smaller bowls. Kaiser picked up the bottle and filled his small bowl with some of the liquid from the bottle. Placing it down, he took a sip.
Seated across from him was a younger man wearing (what Kaiser identified as) a kimono of some sort. It was gray with dark shades of blue along the arms and down the pants. The younger man constantly barked at him for calling it that, but frankly Kaiser never paid much attention and never really picked up it's true name [Author's note: Me as well...]. His hair was totally black and tied into a short ponytail. He wore a small pair of spectacles that rested solely on the bridge of his nose in front of his thin, gray eyes. He was a retired Gray Eye vet specializing in a combat sensor.
Behind him sat Satomi.
"Kaiser, You're one of by best friends. We've known each other since our days in apprentice training. But what you're asking me..."
Kaiser nodded slowly. "The only reason I am asking you, is because you are my friend. There are only nine people on this world that I trust. The eight I told you about and yourself."
"Why do you want her so badly? I understand you trained her at birth but there has got to be more behind this than what you are telling me."
Kaiser smiled. "Yes, there is."
"Tell me then. What do you plan to do?"
"I'm taking her away. I'm taking all of them away. Someplace where they will be safe from Lord Ghenna."
"Lord Ghenna? Why do they need to be protected from him?"
"Just because! I'll tell a little later."
Nansa scoffed. "Ok...You're going to get all the other noblemen to release their women to your care because you ask them to and for no other reason than to protect them from our Lord?"
"No." Kaiser shook his head. "I'm not going to ask the others, I'm going to steal them away from them. They won't even know they will be missing until the morning and by then their girls will be long gone."
Nansa sat there with his chin resting on his hand looking at Kaiser with slightly surprised eyes. "But not me..."
"You're my friend Nansa. I'd never do anything like that to you. That's why I'm asking you."
Nansa still shook his head. Kaiser leaned forward and placed the palms of his hands flat on the table.
"Nansa you don't know the lives these women have been living. Satomi was fortunate. She had you as a master. The others... The others, their LIVES, Nansa, their pride, their dignity, everything about them has been stripped away. They have been reduced to sacks of flesh whose sole purpose is to pleasure their masters. You remember Aisha, right?"
"Yes," he said nodding. "She was the one you fell in love with."
"Yes! Do you know what it was like when I found her? Kisa purchased her."
"Ugh, that repulsive little pimple."
"Indeed! Do you know what he did to her? He broke her."
Behind Nansa, Satomi looked up.
'What...'
Kaiser turned to her as he spoke.
"He broke her. That pride that kept her on her feet, that determination that empowered her he'd destroyed. He crushed her will! She was like a robot when I found her. She wasn't allowed to smile, she wasn't allowed to speak unless ordered, a show of emotions would get her beaten, mistakes would gain her a horrible night alone with that fat little shit as he made her do, do..." Kaiser trailed off and shook his head.
"He stripped her of her humanity. She became nothing more than a pleasure slave. She was a puppet. A marionette. Kisa would clap his fat little hands and Aisha would dance for him... Turning and twirling to his own little sadistic music. He was the puppeteer- pulling her strings, twisting her mind and shattering her dreams. The Aisha I knew died."
Satomi shook her head in horror. "No... no, that can't be true. She was the strongest out of all of us. Not even you could break her!"
"Kisa did something to her that I avoided. I believe when he stripped her of her pride and dignity and eventually her virginity she fell into despair. She was alone for the first time in her life. Before she had you seven to give her strength. She had you guys there to make her happy, and comfort her when things went wrong. But with Kisa she had truly been alone. She'd truly been isolated for the first time.
"And even worse she wasn't allowed to let it show, or to release it. I think she kept it all within herself and it began to build up until it shattered what little resolve she had left. That was the difference Satomi. I always kept you guys together. I never... never touched her in that way before. I was too disgusted by you eight. ...But Kisa wasn't afraid. He knew exactly what he was doing."
Kaiser fell silent as he leaned forward and cupped his face in his hands. Nansa took a sip of his drink from the little bowl.
"I see..."
Satomi shuffled forward and bend close to Kaiser.
"Kaiser-sama?"
Slowly he slid his head up and met her eyes. "Yeah?"
"Where is Aisha now? You didn't leave her alone with that terrible man, did you?"
Kaiser smiled and shook his head. "No... I'm never going to leave her alone with that bastard ever again. He's gone for the rest of this week. I finished visiting her about five days ago."
"You went to see her?"
Kaiser chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I went late last Monday night."
Nansa smiled mischievously. "And you left only a few days ago?"
Kaiser broke out laughing. "Yes, Nansa. I see where you're headed."
"And?" he said leaning forward with a light in his eyes.
"Oh my god, Nansa. Even as a Nobleman, you're still nosy as hell." Kaiser was starting to blush a bit.
"Indeed Kaiser, but come on, you can tell me."
"Tell you what?"
"Was she any good?"
Satomi sat up in shock. "Lord Nansa!!" Pulling out a small fan she swatted him across the back of his head. Bringing the fan high up once more she began beating him repeatedly with the little wooden wind blower. Nansa fell over laughing trying his best (and failing) to bat Satomi away. Kaiser leaned back and laughed uproariously.
"Nansa, you fool!" he cried out through some tears. "Hit him harder for me Satomi! Give him something to really think about!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When everyone calmed down Kaiser wiped away a few last tears and shook his head.
"Satomi-chan," he said with a smile, "You've picked up some weird character traits since I've last seen you."
She blushed and stared into her lap. "Kaiser-sama! You're embarrassing me..."
Nansa rubbed the back of his head. "Good. That hurt, you little devil."
Kaiser laughed again and poured himself a little drink. "Satomi-chan, could I ask you something?"
"Of course Kaiser-sama."
"I wanted to know, this past year, have you been happy living here?"
Satomi turned her head back downward and blushed a little bit more. "Yes, yes I have. I still miss my sisters, but Lord Nansa has been most kind to me." She looked up at him and smiled shyly. "He's done so much for me, he's taught me many things."
"Like what?"
"Hmm, cooking. I've learned how to cook for the first time in my life. I've found I can make wonderful meals. It makes me proud that I can create such things that makes my lord smile."
Nansa coughed nervously into his small bowl. Satomi continued.
"He's also helped me learn about how to wash clothing and straightening up his home and keeping it clean..."
Kaiser cocked an eye over at Nansa who was 'conveniently' turning away to stare at some of the weapons on the wall.
"Well done, Nansa. You got such a happy little maid here, huh?"
Satomi stopped when Nansa coughed nervously.
"Well, one day she asked me if there was anything she could do to help me out here and I thought 'Well, maybe she can do a little laundry or...' " He trailed off.
"Is something the matter Kaiser-sama?"
Kaiser smiled and chuckled. "No, Satomi. Just so long as you are happy."
There was a moment of silence as Kaiser filled his bowl once more. Nansa's mood began to turn. He sat up and began to frown.
"Satomi..." He said, his tone decisively gloomier. "I believe we are out of drink. Would you please go out and pick up a bottle or two for us down at the market?"
She cocked her head curiously. "What? I'm sure we had four or five more bottles down in the storage area."
"Please, Satomi..." he said a little more sternly. "Just go and purchase a few more bottles." He gazed solemnly at Kaiser. "I have a feeling I am going to need them later on..."
"All right Lord Nansa..." she said becoming slightly worried. His mood had suddenly taken a very dramatic turn. "I will go get my mask and robe."
Kaiser looked up at her. "Mask and robe?"
"She can't walk around out there like a woman," Nansa replied. "We have to keep her a secret. She wears a mask and robe and poses like an old man when ever I send her out on an errand."
With that he shooed her off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After she left Nansa turned to Kaiser.
"All right friend..." He said slowly. "I want you to understand something. I care very much for Satomi. She's been kind to me this past year. You're asking me to simply give her up to an uncertain fate and into your hands for even more elusive reasons?"
"Nansa, please understand-"
He rose his hand and silenced Kaiser.
"I understand perfectly Kaiser. I understand that you have this cockeyed idea about sending these women to some deserted island and letting them live their own little lives out happily cut off from everybody. Keep them safe from Lord Ghenna and this world. I can DO that Kaiser! Satomi can be safe and happy HERE! In MY home! I can hide her from the world just as much as you would be able to!"
"Nansa!" Kaiser said dropping the tone of his voice. His face became stern. "You don't understand anything!" His friend went silent for a moment allowing Kaiser to continue. "You know why you were given Satomi. It's because she was considered infertile. She will not bear children! They said she was sterile. She was a broken device in Ghenna's eyes!"
"But not in my own!"
"I know that Nansa! I understand that! I feel the same way about Aisha. But there is something that Ghenna doesn't know about. Something that he missed. Something very important. That's why I want to hide them away from him"
Nansa went silent once more.
"Almost eleven months ago I was called to have a meeting with Lord Faust. You know who he is; He's the leader of the Gartlant Kingdom. He's a clone of one of the original six who's requested to have his memories transferred from clone to clone so that he could continue living. He remembers Earth better than any one else on Terra II.
"During that meeting I was to discuss the future of Gartlant and how the Gray Forces would be involved in such. It was really a worthless mission. Faust and I decided three minutes into it that for the next year things will stay as they have this past one. We swiftly concluded the business portion of the meeting afterward, but rather than leave he invited me into his study and we shared a drink. We discussed many things. He's actually a very wise man. He seemed to know more about everything than Lord Ghenna. I really enjoyed sitting and talking with him.
"To cut a long story short I brought up the subject of Eve. He wasn't alive when she had lived but still knew a great deal about her. We talked about her life and the accomplishments she blessed the world with and moved on to cloning. It was there I learned something that Ghenna was ignorant to.
"Lord Faust told me about the earliest cloning experiments done on Earth before they were banned. They learned about making clones in the adult form much the same way we did almost four years ago. They were able to imprint memories into them as well. But the practice of making men and women instead of children was halted for a very strange reason.
"Unlike us, when they imprinted memories of basic skills and other rudimentary tasks they also imprinted knowledge. I don't mean knowledge like in the sense of how to talk, I mean knowledge in the sense of algebra, and trigonometry and geography and history. It was to make the clones that were born up to date with another man whose body was in the same age range but was birthed the regular way. However there was a problem. The clones could talk and communicate and perform the rudimentary memories well enough but when it came to doing the advanced knowledge they seemed to break down.
"It was odd. They could tell you Pythagorean's Theorem word for word with the greatest of ease whenever you mentioned it, but when you asked him to put that information to practice and solve a problem it would look at it like it was written in Greek. Same with geography. It could tell you everything it had in its head about the longest river on the face of Earth, but when you asked it what it was it would have no idea.
"The information was stored up there, but it made no sense to them. They didn't know how to utilize it. It's like memorizing an advanced equation for something you've never seen before. Once you got it memorized you are then asked to solve a problem using it. Well, even though you remember what the equation is you still don't grasp the concept of what it means and how to apply it. The info was up there, but none of them knew how to use it. Shortly after this discovery they ceased male and female adult cloning."
Nansa shook his head. "Ok, but what does this have to do with Satomi?"
"I'm getting there." Kaiser said taking a long sip. "After he explained all that to me I mentioned that the fact that they cloned sterile was probably another reason. He sat up asked me what I meant. I told him how we tried cloning men ourselves but stopped and destroyed the clones when we found them to be sterile. Lord Faust frowned and said there was something wrong with our clones. He then related to me something amazing. The other adult clones, when they were first created, too seemed to be sterile. They were born that way, same as Satomi. But as the years began to progress things started to change."
Kaiser leaned forward. "A child born naturally or even cloned takes any where from nine to sixteen years to reach sexual maturity depending on the gender and the individual. This was because the body has a natural clock that counts down 'till when it is supposed to start to mature. This is true in any and all clones ever made."
He began to whisper. "The adults were no different! Nine to sixteen years after they were hatched they too started to become sexually mature. It wasn't because they were born as adults that they were sterile, it was because their natural clocks STARTED when they were born, born as adults.
"The eight women that were born four years ago are no different. Nansa, there is nothing wrong with them. They are just as capable of being sexually mature as much as anyone else on this planet, their time just hasn't come! It's like expecting a four year old boy to be able to submit seed to the gene pool."
Nansa sat stunned. Could it be true... Kaiser continued.
"Someday they will be able to bear children, Nansa. Those children will be the first naturally born beings on Terra II EVER! Five years from now. The earliest one will be able to bear a child will be in five years."
Kaiser took his friend by the collar of his 'kimono' and pulled him forward. "What do you think Ghenna will do once he finds out you own a sexually mature woman? One that will be able to bear children?!
Nansa shook his head in shock. "Kaiser...You are kidding, no? I can't believe it... My Satomi... She will be able to bear a child someday!" He shook his head and pulled himself free from Kaiser's grasp.
"Why doesn't Ghenna know about this? How did he miss this little tidbit of information?"
"I guess he was never told. Most records of Earth history were destroyed in the damaged data core. I guess Faust never got around to telling Ghenna about it."
"Lord Faust doesn't know about these women?"
"No." Kaiser shook his head. "There are only a few scientists, some guards and Lord Ghenna himself."
Nansa shook his head in amazement once more. "My Satomi! Some day she will be able to bear a child! A real child!!"
Kaiser was about to grab hold of his friend and remind him once more of what Lord Ghenna would do to once he found out when they heard a crash. They turned and saw Satomi standing in the half open doorway with a look of shock on her face. She was standing in the remains of what used to be a mask of a very old man. Nansa shot up.
"Satomi! What are you doing here?!"
Slowly her mouth moved and a few meek words tumbled out.
"I...the money...I, forgot it here and...and...."
Kaiser could see tears welling in her eyes. In a flash Nansa was on her and pressed her close to him with his arms. She broke down almost as soon as he touched her. He held her tightly and escorted her back to the table where they both sat. Kaiser sat by silently letting Nansa comfort the little woman. The Arch-Bishop poured himself a little bowl of the drink, thought the better of it, and began to drink straight from the bottle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eventually Satomi calmed herself down and was sitting silently once more at the table. They learned that she left and had forgotten the money. When she came back at around the time Kaiser was explaining the problems with the process of imprinting knowledge on adult clones, Satomi had stood by the door silently and decided to eavesdrop when she heard Nansa asking what she had to do with anything.
Kaiser sat there rubbing his face. What a mess... Nansa put his arm around Satomi and smiled to her.
"Satomi, isn't this great news? You can bear a real child someday!"
She looked up at him with sorrowful eyes and shook her head. "Lord Nansa... You don't understand, do you?"
He furrowed his eyebrows. "What? What don't I understand? This is great news! One day you can be a mother!"
Kaiser sighed. "That's what's wrong, Nansa."
He narrowed his eyes at Kaiser. "Why?"
"What do you think Lord Ghenna will do once he finds out that he sold seven perfectly fertile females to his nobles? He's going to get them back. If not by persuasion, then by force. He will take Satomi away from you, Nansa. He will steal her away and force her to bear young! I can tell you right now if you think what happened to Aisha was bad wait until you see what he's going to do to Satomi when he steals her away."
Nansa shook his head. "No, no way. Lord Ghenna would never do that! He wouldn't take her AWAY, would he?"
"For the sake of Satomi you had better believe it! You will lose her, Nansa! That's why I am taking them all and sending them away. I'll send them where Ghenna will never be able to find them!"
"Kaiser don't be a fool!" Nansa was becoming very distressed. "Even if you were able to hide them from Ghenna, how long do you think it will take him to find them again?! He has every surface of this planet mapped and under his control! Even IF you DID find an underground cave system are you to tell me that living blind in the dark is seriously a better alternative to-"
Kaiser raised his hand. "No, Nansa. It's not going to be a matter of WHERE I send them. It's going to be a matter of WHEN."
Simultaneously Satomi and Nansa sat up.
"One more time..." He said slowly.
"Like you said, Nansa, There is no where on the face of this planet where they can hide. But that still is a very large area for Ghenna to search thoroughly. It would take him years to scan every last crack and crevice well enough to determine that they are no longer there. But I plan to do something that would compound that problem one hundred fold. I will send them through time."
Kaiser's friend sat there a moment looking at him dumbfounded.
"You're joking, right?"
"Nope."
Satomi leaned forward put her hand on Kaiser's. "Kaiser-sama... How do you plan on doing this?"
Kaiser took her hand into his and squeezed gently. "You three were born and created in a lab out in the Deserts of Middle Terra. About sixty miles from that facility is the only rocket shot in all of Terra II."
"Rocket what?" she asked.
"Rocket shot. It's like a long rail out in the desert that slopes upwards into the sky. A transport ship engages its liquid fuel boosters and shoots down this rail. They hit the curve and suddenly find themselves blasting up that vertical slope and into the sky. The ships engage their solid fuel and burn their way straight to the stars. That whole device that flings the ships into the sky is called the Rocket Shot because that's what it does. It shoots rockets into the sky."
"Why would someone want to do that?"
The Arch-Bishop smiled. "Because Satomi, up amongst the stars are the only time labs in all of Terra II. Inside those labs you will fling yourselves into the future and to freedom."
Nansa sighed. "You are kidding me Kaiser..."
He shook his head. "It's the best thing for us to do. It's the best chance they have of escaping Ghenna."
"There's... No, there's got to be a better... KAISER HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?! Both, mind you, BOTH the Rocket Shot AND the test labs are MILITARY CONTROLLED INSTALLATIONS!! Even if you MAKE IT to the test labs, WHO would know how to run the time equipment? Huh?! The science team! Do you really think they are going to cooperate? You're going to fly up there and have no where to go! Who's going to run those machines?"
"The same one who's going to fly the rocket."
They fell silent for a moment. Satomi was still confused as to what was up there. They were talking so much about time and laboratories she was getting a headache. Now, it seemed, Kaiser was talking about flying a 'rocket'... She groaned and leaned against Nansa. What was happening?
The nobleman leaned forward and folded his hands. His voice became sarcastically calm. "You're going to get a rocket pilot to work the delicate machinery used to send human beings through time streams?"
Kaiser chuckled. "Something like that. I have a particular someone in mind."
"Who?"
"A psychic."
Nansa slowly reached up and rubbed his eyes. "Kaiser. You're telling me that you are going to use a psychic to pilot a rocket and operate time slips that will send my Satomi to safety away from Ghenna."
Kaiser nodded. "That's about the gist of it."
"Get out of my house Kaiser."
"Lord Nansa!!"
Kaiser leaned back and began laughing once more. Nansa looked up physically quivering. He was becoming very angry. Kaiser was talking about the life of one of the most important people in Nansa's world as if it were some sort of joke. The retired Gray Eye was not laughing. Bursting to his feet he swiped his arm through the air and began to yell.
"You think this is funny Kaiser?! Is this some kind of joke to you!? You're talking about Satomi's LIFE here!! What reason do you have to laugh?!"
Kaiser just let the chuckles roll on out and wiped his eyes. "Nansa, it's just the way you worded it. I never thought about it that way."
"How were you 'thinking about it'!?"
Kaiser leaned forward and finished up laughing as best he could.
"Remember when I said that eight were made, but only seven sold?"
Nansa narrowed his eyes and sat down once more. He felt like throttling his friend but decided to curb his anger for a moment.
"...Yes..."
"Well that eighth one was a black operation. She was born special from the rest." Kaiser turned to Satomi and smiled. "Remember who she was?"
She narrowed her eyes in thought for a moment before they shot back wide open.
"You don't mean Leska-chan, do you?!"
Kaiser nodded. "She was a natural born psychic. I'm not talking about all those tarot card readers either. I mean a real, live, honest to god, psycho-kinesis bearing goddess. She never really knew what it was until we confronted her about it. You see, she would often times look at people and memories or visions or thoughts the person would carry floated into her mind. She could read their thoughts. She didn't really know what to make of it until we started training her to hone in her power and energy.
"It's really quite fascinating to watch her. She can now read minds, search out thoughts and memories, throw switches across rooms, even run multiple machines in a singe area at the same time. It was incredible to watch a surveillance video of her knowing when her guard was coming to her cell knocking him out, reading his mind and learning not only all the pass codes to the doors but how to use, operate and maintain weapons, what was located on each floor of the lab and who was staffed there and even how to fly the I-GEA 9 located on the roof of the building."
Nansa raised his hand. "Wait a second Kaiser. I thought you said people who had knowledge implanted into their minds retained the information but had no idea what it meant? Isn't she implanting others thoughts into her head just like them?"
"Leska-chan is different. The way I told you was artificial. Those thoughts were put in there unnaturally. Leska uses her own body to pull information and store it and with that information comes the experience and the know how. She could read the mind of a pilot, pilot the rocket into space, read the minds of a few science team members and operate the equipment and send everyone safely to their destinies. Then she clears the data of where everyone went and escapes herself."
Kaiser leaned back and took a quaffed some of the drink in the bottle. "She's our key player. We can do this with her."
Satomi reached out and put her hand on his. "Kaiser, you still haven't answered my question."
"Hmm?"
"Why would anyone want to shoot themselves into the sky? I don't understand what is up there."
"Huh? You don't?"
Nansa slumped as he took over. "Up there, up in the sky, is a massive orbital station. It hovers in space free from the gravity of Terrra II. Up there they have machines that can send people into tomorrow."
"What?" Satomi furrowed her eyebrows. "Tomorrow? Why can't they just wait?"
"No, Satomi." Kaiser took her shoulder into his hand. "When he said tomorrow he meant the future. He meant far into the future. A great many days into tomorrow. Hundreds or years, Satomi, much longer than any person can live."
Understanding dawned in her eyes. "I see... But that means..."
Nansa nodded. "You and I will be apart forever..."
Her eyes went wide as understanding and shock came to them. She reached out and gripped Kaiser's arm. "Kaiser! Wait! Why..."
"Because when Lord Ghenna finds out you eight are fertile he's going to take you back..."
Tears began to well up in her eyes once again. "But do we have to leave so early? Why can't we wait? We still have years left until Ghenna can find out!"
Kaiser folded his hands. His eyes became sad as he spoke. "I know Satomi. You love it here. Of course you don't want to leave. I understand, child."
"Then why?"
"You can wait Satomi. We don't have to leave so early."
She brightened. "Really?"
Nansa sat up as well. "Kaiser, You mean that?"
He nodded. "Yup. We can wait... Let's ask Aisha, and see what she thinks about waiting."
Slowly the smile faded from Satomi's face.
"Let's all take a trip down there and ask her how she feels about spending another three of four years living under Kisa, waiting. Or how about Asuka? You know I went down to visit her as well before I came here. Her situation isn't much better than Aisha's!"
Nansa began to nod. "Who's her owner?"
"Lacan."
The nobleman cursed and turned away. Kaiser grunted. "You seem to understand her situation Nansa. The only thing that keeps her from losing it completely is that Lacan is rarely ever home. He's out on meetings and summits five or six days out of the week. Why don't we ask Nanaka too? The conditions she live under aren't much better than Aisha's. Or why not Krysta? Do you know what she is doing Satomi? Her owner shares her with almost seven other men and servants. SEVEN! Her nights are long and hard, Satomi. She has to sleep in the early morning hours and whatever other time in the day she's allowed to catnap. She's only got one purpose and she's reminded of it everyday for up to fourteen, fifteen times in the worst possible way! Do you want to ask her about waiting? Or maybe Aiko! What about Aiko, Satomi?! Do you know-"
Satomi by now had closed her eyes and finally reached her breaking point. Crying out she cut Kaiser off.
"NO!! No!! No, Kaiser, I understand!! I understand..." She clenched her small hands and sniffed. "We've got to go for their sake..."
She leaned against Nansa and held back her tears as best she could. He cradled her in his arms and fell silent. He thought, 'Why do things always have to be like this... You fall in love with someone and in the end, at the point where you're sure that everything's going to be all right and your lives will end happily ever after, you lose them. You always lose them...'
Kaiser leaned back and shook his head once more. "Satomi, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have exploded on you like that."
She didn't say anything. Kaiser lowered his head. "The only other one is Katsumi."
"Kaiser, please..."
He looked up and met her eyes. "She's living like you are. She's happy as well."
Satomi returned his gaze. "She is?"
"Yup...Nobleman Ellis."
Nansa smiled. "Indeed. He is a good man. I'm happy he purchased her. He should have been good to her. I really like that man."
Kaiser chuckled. "Me too. He was understanding about the whole issue."
"You asked him?"
"No, no, not me. I told Katsumi and she went ahead and told him without asking me. I suppose she trusted him. Well, he came back to me the next morning and approached me about what I had said. He was understanding about everything. He agreed. He thought my plan was sound and would work, that it was the only way to safely send our women off."
"It's still not much of a plan..."
"I know Nansa. But it's the only chance we have of getting them all out."
"You still haven't told us how you are getting Leska free."
Kaiser smiled. "Let me worry about that. She's not really in custody. She's in a camp not far from the Rocket Shot. They're testing her destructive powers and the desert is the best place for that. Getting her out will not be a problem."
Satomi sniffed and once more placed her hand over Kaiser's. "Tell me, when do you plan on putting this plan into motion?"
"Nobleman Kisa is going to be out for at least five more days. He's taking a detour in his vacation. When he arrives back I will repay his kindness to Aisha and then we will start everything."
"...Five days..." Satomi began to breathe hard. "That's all we have left Lord Nansa, Five days!"
"What do you mean Satomi! I haven't agreed to anything!"
Kaiser sat up. "Nansa!"
"Lord Nansa!"
The nobleman turned to Satomi. "Are you really sure you want to go Satomi? Do you really want to leave me? Everything that Kaiser has told us could be a lie!"
"NANSA!!!"
"No, Kaiser. I mean you don't know for certain if what Lord Faust told you is correct. You don't know for certain if she will begin cycling one day!"
"I can't tell you that, Nansa! No one can! But that possibility exists! What if it does come to pass? What will you do with Satomi then?"
"Kaiser..."
Satomi put her arm around Nansa. When she spoke her tone was very sad, with a tone of something like resignation.
"Lord Nansa... Even if what Kaiser-sama says doesn't come to pass, my sisters will still be sent away. You don't understand the bond between us. Wherever they travel I will follow. We are blood, Lord. If they are leaving this place, then I will follow. They are my sisters, my only sisters on all of this planet. I love them. I cannot go on living like this when they are living in a hell of the most terrible sort. I'm sorry Lord. Whereever they go I will follow."
Nansa sat there with a quiet expression on his face. He didn't move, didn't stir. Kaiser sat silently on the other side. He'd never meant to bring all this pain to his friend. He hoped it would go by smoothly and that he would understand the gravity of the situation. He'd been a fool to hope such a thing, and he knew it, but even still...
Nansa exhaled slowly and turned to Satomi. She was still holding his arm. He met her eyes and stopped. Both of them gazed at one another. Satomi's sad eyes met Nansa's. Kaiser watched silently, unmoving. Satomi sniffed and Nansa finally moved. He bent his head down and nodded.
"...If you so wish it Satomi. Blood is thicker than water. You may depart whenever you wish."
Tears began to run down Satomi's cheeks as she nodded. "Not until the proper time, Lord Nansa. Not until then."
He reached over with his other arm and held Satomi. Kaiser nodded slowly as he watched the two embrace. It was set then. It was set...well almost...
Kaiser sat forward and knocked on the table. When the two of them turned to him he started again.
"Satomi, there's something I need to tell you before I forget. This is very important."
She nodded.
"What is it Kaiser-sama?"
"There's one thing about you that hasn't been revealed to anybody, not even myself until recently."
"Yes?"
"All eight of you have something deep inside your selves called a 'Maiden Circuit'."
She cocked her head. "Kaiser?"
"A Maiden Circuit, Satomi. That's a piece of circuitry hidden deep within your body." He leaned forward and placed his hand on her chest bone. "Right here."
Taking his hand off of her she looked back at him inquisitively. Nansa voiced her thought. "What does it do Kaiser?"
The Arch-Bishop leaned back and smiled. "It's the only record in all of Terra II of your own unique genetic code." He poured himself what was left of the drink in the bottle and continued. "Just before you were sold, Ghenna knocked you all out and installed the circuit into you. The socket for it connects into the small plug on the back of your neck."
With out really thinking Satomi reached back and passed her finger over it.
"Lord Ghenna," Kaiser said watching her. "uploaded your genetic code into that chipset and destroyed all other records of them, including those on the damaged Mesopotamian Data Core. He blamed a fire. It was obvious he wanted no one else to create woman. He hid those codes inside of you knowing that would be the safest place for them."
"Safest place? What do you mean by that?" Nansa asked.
"The plug in that back of Satomi and everyone else's neck was originally designed as a port for her to receive firmware data upgrades to her system and a place to monitor her status. It's perfectly normal for slots and plugs to be placed in there to access her data. But, if someone unauthorized who knows about the Maiden Circuit tries to access it, keep in mind, it IS hidden, even to system upgraders and firmware techs, the circuit activates a self defense mode... or a more suiting name, self destruct mode."
Satomi leaned forward becoming tense. "What do you mean by that?"
"It will explode. It will burn a hole through your heart and burst, instantly killing you."
She sat back shaking her head. "No... No, why would he do such a thing?"
"Security." Kaiser said almost indifferently. "It's the easiest way to keep someone else from accessing the data and retrieving female DNA."
"But to kill them?!"
Kaiser almost chuckled. "User death is actually a side effect. There's no other way to go about destroying the circuit totally and completely."
"Oh my god..." Nansa ran his fingers through his long hair. "Isn't... can't they just get the DNA by simply extracting blood from the women? Or hair maybe?"
Once more Kaiser shook his head. "The cells that compose her hair have broken down their nuclei. It's only a jumbled mass of bases, no more. Her blood does the exact same thing whenever it is extracted from her body. They have been engineered to die and break down the instant they are removed from her. It's another security protocol in your genes."
Nansa groaned and fell silent. Kaiser downed the last of the drink in his little bowl. Satomi simply sat there silently. A Maiden Circuit... that's what held the secret to her existence. That's what held who she truly was. And that secret, it seemed, could kill her. It could leave her dead...
Wasn't there anything on this whole god-forsaken planet that didn't want her either bearing children or dead? Even Lord Nansa made her pause at times by his actions. She could tell that secretly he wanted a child of his own. She'd always known that. Sometimes she read it in his eyes. Sometimes in his actions, and others in his word. The only one who seemed to be truly on her side were her sisters and Kaiser...
She looked up at him. He had his eyes closed and he was sitting quietly.
Her sisters and Kaiser...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the end the Arch-Bishop went back to each of the women and revealed his plan to them. The hardest one to find had been Aiko. Her owner had fallen out of favor with Ghenna and had long since been exiled. He was living with Aiko in the badlands scraping together a life and taking out his frustrations on the woman. She, quicker than any of her sisters, agreed to go. It was time. They were going to leave. They were going to find a new life sometime in the future. The far future. The plan was far from perfect, but the only other option was to remain and pray they stay sterile. They were all unanimous in their decisions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser groaned as he walked up the steps to Nobleman Kisa's home. The little, fat, bastard was due home in about two days. He didn't need anymore time to plan, everything had been ironed out. All he had to do was get Leska. That would be the hardest part of the whole operation. Once they hit the Rocket Shot there would be no turning back. Despite the odds he was still confident. He was the Arch-Bishop of all Gray Eyes, there wasn't anyone under him who could possibly pose any threat what so ever to him. On top of that each and every one of the women, except Aisha, were at the level of a Gray Eye recruit. Aisha was the only one amongst them who passed the test for al qualifying Gray Eyes. Had she been a man, she would have been Gray Eye. Together the nine would be a force to be reckoned with. Kaiser smiled. He was very confident.
He knocked on the massive wooden doors and waited. He wanted to say good bye to Aisha one last time before he came back in two days to take her away for her final trip. He missed her again and was anxious to see her at least once more. Kaiser waited a minute before knocking again. No one was answering the door.
He knocked one last, solid time before deciding to force his way in. That little rat servant who scuttled around and always answered the door wasn't answering which was very, very odd. His room was right beside the doorway. Kaiser took a step or two back and positioned his arm. He could break through that wood, no problem. With a grunt he charged.
At the last second he caught the sound of a bolt being thrown on the other side of the door.
"Oh shit!"
The door opened and the small servant peered out. He found himself face to face with Kaiser's stomach. The Arch-Bishop had just barely halted himself in time to avoid breaking the door down and trampling over the man...
The man looked up to Kaiser's face with an expression of indifference.
"Kaiser-sama." he said almost disgusted. "It's you again... Here to see Aisha once more?"
The tall man took a step back and nodded. "Yes."
The servant seemed to sigh. "Well I am quite sorry but she is occupied at the moment."
"Occupied? Doing what?"
Kaiser couldn't believe what the man told him next.
"Lord Kisa arrived back early today and is having a little talk with her about some flowers he found in his room. You know how the Master hates flowers and Aisha wasn't able to come up with a good reason for why they were there. Master Kisa seemed so displeased when I told him about your little visits and the way she had been weeping when you were around. He is currently-"
He was cut off as Kaiser kicked the door fully open with one smooth blow and took off past the little servant bowling him over. Kaiser ignored its cries to cease and desist and took up off the stairs toward Kisa's bedroom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I don't believe you!"
[whump!]
"You little cheating, disgusting whore!"
[whump!]
"Who do you think you are messing with?! Didn't you think I would have found out about this?!
[whump!]
Aisha screamed in pain as Kisa gave her another hefty kick in the side. She rolled over onto her back and writhed in pain. The evil little man walked forward and, lifting his foot up high, stomped down as hard as he could on her soft belly. With a strangled, painful scream Aisha curled up and moaned in agony.
Kisa had found out about Kaiser. After he talked to his doorman about who came and who went it became clear. His own little doll was cheating on him! She was sleeping with another man.
With another scream Kisa lashed out at her once more. "Didn't you think I would have found out about this?!!"
Aisha tried her best to roll over, but found herself too dizzy. She couldn't tell which way was up...
Kisa strode over to her and kicked her down once more. Aisha fell face first flat onto the floor.
"You cheated on me! You CHEATED ON ME!!!"
Aisha seemed to smile from her prone position on the floor. "I never committed anything to you. You took me. I've NEVER loved you..."
Kisa exploded. "LIES!! LIIIIIEEES!!!"
In a frenzy he began savagely kicking her anew. Aisha cried out time and time again as the Nobleman raged above her.
"I'll teach you to respect me!! I'll teach you to love me !! I'll teach you to die for ME!!!"
He turned and left the woman bruised and bleeding on the ground. Walking over to the fireplace he grabbed one of the pokers and hefted it up. He smiled and turned to Aisha brandishing the weapon.
"I'll teach you..."
Aisha's mind began to clear up and through the haze she saw Kisa walking toward her. He was carrying something... Her brain slowly registered what it was and her eyes shot open. Aisha rolled over and tried her best to back away.
"No...no, Lord! Ungh! Please, Lord... That will kill me!! Please... Ahh!"
Her body hurt to move. She backed herself up into a wall and watched with horror as the fat, sadistic nobleman approached her.
"I will teach you a lesson you will never forget, Aisha... You will start obeying me from now on when I tell you something...yes...You will..."
Aisha could see something terrible burning in his bulging eyes. That insane light, that sadistic glow. She became terrified. She was going to die... She was so close to leaving everything behind and she was going to die. She was so close to being truly happy again. She'd been so close...
Tears traced her way down her cheeks as Kisa rose the poker above his head. He giggled.
"Now scream for me!!"
With a sob Aisha closed her eyes and waited for the final blow. She curled her body up as small as it would get and screwed her eyes as tightly shut as she could.
'Goodbye...'
"...K-Kaiser?!"
Aisha heard the name and opened one eye. Kisa wasn't looking at her anymore. He was turned to something else behind him. Aisha opened her other eye and gasped. It was him...
With one hand Kaiser held the Nobleman's arm and prevented it from descending onto it's victim. One hand was all he needed. Kisa wasn't that strong.
Kaiser had found the door to be locked. He overcame that problem by crushing the doorknob in his fist and walking in. He was just in time to see Kisa raise the poker above his head and Aisha sobbing in a little ball by his feet.
The fat man looked at him now incredulously.
"Kaiser! What are you doing-"
"Shut up." Kaiser's tone was even and menacing. Kisa began to scowl. His eyes had become like fire.
"Watch who you are talking to! You are the cause of all this!! You've been seeing my doll behind my back! You corrupted her!! Just you wait until I tell Lord Ghenna about thiiiiIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Kisa screamed in pain as Kaiser effortlessly crushed Kisa's fat wrist into over forty different pieces completely destroying the joint. The poker dropped out of his now lifeless hand and onto the floor with a clatter.
In one smooth motion Kaiser moved up behind Kisa and covered his mouth, stifling the scream.
"Shhhh..." He whispered into the fat, sweaty man's ear. "Quiet now... quiet now..."
Aisha slowly rose to her feet and watched knowing full well what was going to happen next. She cupped her hand over her mouth and did her best to look away.
"...Kaiser..."
The Arch-Bishop waited until Kisa had slowed down to a whimper before he continued. When he spoke, he spoke gently, slowly almost as if he was scolding a little child. But Kaiser's blood had been boiled. He'd almost seen his precious Aisha struck down and killed with a fireplace poker. If two things were guaranteed to Kisa they would be that the end was about to come and that it would not be painless.
"It came to my attention, Nobleman Kisa, that you struck my Aisha on more than one occasion." Kaiser slowly began to pull back on the Nobleman's arm... "And that you threatened her life, also on more than one occasion. You made her a slave..." Kisa began to wail in pain once more as he felt his arm twisting out of his socket. "You made her an object... You forced her into terrible things... You stole her humanity, robbed her of her pride, locked away her heart and forced her to shed her feelings..." Kisa began to wail again, twisting his body around, trying to get free of Kaiser's grip. His arm was now bend back the wrong way and parallel to the ground. One more push and...
"Nobleman Kisa, despite all of these I would have been able to forgive you. I would have been able to simply just take her away and leave you to live your life out in it's own miserable little way. But no... Not only did you do this daily to her, you did it in front of me... You did this when I was around, showing off like you always do. And when you did, I saw you doing the one thing that I could never forgive anyone for..."
Kaiser gripped the arm solidly and let his voice drop to a slow, sinuous whisper. The fat man's little eyes were hidden away by the wrinkles on his forehead and large tears were falling from the folds of his skull.
"You made my Aisha cry..."
With a heave Kaiser pushed with all his might. Despite being muffled, Lord Kisa was still able to get a decent sized scream out. For the first time in his life he knew what real pain meant. Kaiser figured he'd never know what true pain, emotional pain, would be like, so he would have to make due with the more physical nature of it. Kisa's arm, now twisted entirely around, hung limply at his side. His shoulder had been shattered and broken. The joint had been not only twisted in it's own socket, it had broken. Every muscle that had not torn itself in half had been twisted viciously around. Every tendon that had helped to attach the arm to the body was now snapped. The nerves running up the arm were now twisted and tight, amplifying the signal to the fat man's little brain.
Kaiser frowned and turned Kisa's head to Aisha. She was standing there watching the horrible scene unfold in front of her unable to look away...
"Look at her Kisa... Look at the woman whose life you tore apart. Look at the life you tried to shatter. Look at her. I want you to know, that from this moment on, she's free. She's free Kisa... She'll never be a slave again. Her life is her own..."
He whispered once more harshly into his ear.
"Her life is her own..."
Aisha, at the last moment, managed to turn away just as Kaiser finished off the large Nobleman. She heard a sickening crunch and then the sound of a body falling to the floor. Turning back slowly she saw Kisa was dead on the ground, his head twisted at an odd angle, murdered in cold blood...
Slowly she rose her eyes up to Kaiser. His eyes were loosing the fire that had once burned in them. He stood with his shoulders slightly slumped and arms hanging at his sides. His breath came out slowly and at regular intervals. He swallowed once and looked up at her. His flat gray ones seemed to come alive once more when they met those soft, green ones.
"...Aisha."
Her eyes began to well up with tears once more. She shook her head.
"...Kaiser."
Kaiser felt his face flush and his eyes began to water. "Aisha, please, don't... Don't, I..."
"You killed him..." Her voice had become small and timid. "You murdered him..."
"He was going to murder you Aisha."
Slowly she rose her eyes up to Kaiser. His eyes were loosing the fire that had once burned in them. He stood with his shoulders slightly slumped and arms hanging at his sides. His breath came out slowly and at regular intervals. He swallowed once and looked up at her. His flat gray ones seemed to come alive once more when they met those soft, green ones.
"...Aisha."
Her eyes began to well up with tears once more. She shook her head.
"...Kaiser."
Kaiser felt his face flush and his eyes began to water. "Aisha, please, don't... Don't, I..."
"You killed him..." Her voice had become small and timid. "You murdered him..."
"He was going to murder you Aisha."
Her pretty, jade eye looked up from the body on the floor and met with Kaiser's.
"K-Kaiser..."
The Arch-Bishop strode forward and took the woman into his arms. "Aisha... Shhh, Aisha. It's ok, it's ok..."
He could feel the woman trembling in his arms. Her breathing picked up and her head began to spin. He was dead. Kisa was dead. The horrid man that had beaten and tormented the young woman lay at her feet, his neck snapped like a twig by the man holding her in his arms. Her mind began to swirl. Should she feel happy? Her nightmare was over and in her arms she held her savior. Or should she feel disgusted and repulsed. The hands that now held her were stained with the blood of a man who lived on the pain and sorrow of others...
As her mind began to spin a shuffle to their left caused Aisha to turn. He saw, running down the hallway, the little doorman. He'd seen everything...
"MURDER!! MUUUURDEEEER!!! THEY'VE SLAIN THE MASTER!!!"
Kaiser scowled and let go of Aisha. In a single bound he was clear of the door. He saw the man running down the stairwell still yelling at the top of his lungs. In one smooth motion Kaiser pulled out his sidearm he'd kept at his side since starting this endeavor and took aim.
"MURDER!! HELP ANYONE!! THEY'VE MURD-" [Thhhhhpbt!] In a low moan the little man fell dead at the base of the stairs, a cauterized hole in his chest. Kaiser holstered the weapon and Aisha came running out. She turned away as soon as she saw the doorman lying dead on the floor down below.
"No! KAISER!" she was almost screaming.
He turned. "Aisha-"
Whirling on him she beat at his chest. "KAISER!! PLEASE! Stop killing them!! Stop killing people!! Don't kill anyone else!!"
He took a step back. "Aisha I had no choice! He saw us!"
"B-but, Kaiser..."
Kaiser frowned and took hold of her shoulders. "Aisha this isn't the time for morals or second thoughts! We are going to do something totally unheard of. Something never before done! We can't stop and think before we act!"
"But...but why not?! Why can't we think before we kill?" her eyes were brimming once more.
"Because, Aisha, They won't! They will not think twice! They will pull that trigger and kill you without even thinking! They are the enemy! They will do anything to stop you!"
"But he wasn't going to kill anybody..." She said motioning to the corpse at the base of the stairs.
"He was going to kill YOU!" Aisha stopped and fell silent. Kaiser continued. "I've murdered someone. The two of us will be executed if the finger is ever pointed at us. He was going to alert the authorities!"
Aisha swallowed and gazed back at him with her sad eyes. Kaiser did his best to stare back into them. Why were they always sad? Why were they always filled with tears?
"We are at war Aisha. Those not with us are against us. I want to see you off. I want to see you all go on to a better place! To move on into the future where you will be happy! I want you happy Aisha! I've revoked my future here. By helping you I've forfeited my future. I've given up the life I had. I've got nothing more to look forward to. You are looking at the face of a man who has nothing more to lose except you."
He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm living for you now. I can't risk letting you fail. I'm letting go, Aisha. You're the last thing keeping me here. Anyone that threatens you will be destroyed. I'm fighting anything and everything no matter the cost to see you to safety..."
She sniffed and stared back at him. Her fist seemed to tighten up for a moment before she sighed and slumped up against him.
"Do you want me to be happy?"
"Aisha, that's the only reason why I'm here."
She leaned up and glared sadly into his eyes. "Then don't you ever kill anyone ever again! Don't even squish an insect. Please Kaiser... I don't like this feeling inside me... I don't care if this is all you've ever been trained to do. Don't... Please Kaiser. Stop. For me, just... just stop..."
The man looked into his maiden's eyes and swallowed. All his life he killed. He'd killed more men than he could remember, that was his job and duty. Aisha was asking him to forsake that.
Kaiser almost chuckled. He shook his head slowly. What the hell, he'd forsaken everything else in his life. For Aisha he would do anything. If she so wished it...
"...Fine, I'll curb my gun for you..."
Smiling she leaned forward and took hold of him. She was starting to feel weak and quite nearly collapsed into his arms. Once more tears fell from her face. Kaiser began to choke as he felt her weep onto him. He held her close and did his best to hold back his own tears.
"...Aisha..." He gasped out. "Aisha... I told you... please... don't..."
She looked up at him. "Kaiser... w-what are you talking ab-bout?"
The man reached down and cupped her face in his hand. "Crying... please. I hate seeing you cry..."
Weakly Aisha smiled and slowly nodded. Narrowing her eyes and gripping him tightly she held him with out saying a word. She decided that she would try to stay happy. The time had finally come. The devil lay at her feet, dead. The dragon had been slain and in her arms was her knight. Her world restored, she'd awoken from her terrible dream. Her nightmare was almost over. Her adventure was almost complete; despite the deaths that heralded it, it was almost done.
......her nightmare was over..................
............her nightmare was over............
..................her nightmare was over......
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leska sat back in her little cell. It wasn't very big, only seven feet by ten, but the walls were made of metal. They were three feet of solid steel on all the sides. It was the only thing that could keep her contained. Along the opposite wall there was a small rectangular slot on the door where the sunlight streamed in. Her cell was smack dab in middle desert in a small demolition ground Lord Ghenna had arranged.
She wiped a trail of sweat off her nose and rolled over. There was nothing to do when she was locked up in there. Every once and a while someone walked past her cell door and his thoughts filtered through the little slot and she could tell what he was thinking. Once and a while they let her out to hone her destructive capabilities. Once and a while she was fed...
Leska rolled back onto her back and crossed her arms behind her head. She was getting tired of this. Same gruel everyday, same time for psycho-kinesis practice, same little box, same four walls, same little slot in the door...
Groaning she rolled over once more.
"...This sucks..."
At least it was nice and cool inside her cell. The heat of the desert wasn't able to pierce through the thick walls. It wasn't until sunset when the walls finally began to grow warm. Nights were usually cool, but not terribly cold as the walls retained the heat gathered during the day.
Her ears pricked up as she heard someone pass by her cell door. She sat up and looked up toward the slot. It was a guard. Smiling and narrowing her eyes she began to read his thoughts.
'God dammed heat... I hate this place. Nothing to do here-'
His thoughts were cut off when she heard a too familiar voice.
"Soldier! What do you think you are doing?!"
Leska shot up to her feet and ran to the peephole. She looked out and saw Kaiser standing there, his back to the door.
"Do you call that a march? You are on guard duty! Stand up straight, now! NOW SOLDIER!!"
She grinned. It was Kaiser! He'd come back! She narrowed her eyes and began to read his thoughts.
'-hear me Leska? Are you there? Leska, can you hear me?'
She blinked. He was talking to her?! Wow, he was able to scream at that soldier and still be able to form totally separate thoughts. That was quite a trick!
'Kaiser! Hi! Kaiser, It's me!'
'Good! Leska! Hello! It's been a while.'
'Yeah! How'd you know I was in here? What's going on Kaiser? How's everyone else doing?'
'Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down girl.' He was almost chuckling. 'Read my mind and find out. Hurry now.'
She narrowed her eyes and began to concentrate. His thoughts flowed in through the peephole and she began to search through them.
'Oh my god! Kaiser this is terrible!! Poor Aisha!!'
'Yeah, dig a little bit deeper. There's more.'
'...'
'...Well?' he asked. 'Did you find it?'
'...Kaiser! You slept with Aisha!!!'
The sentry who was being yelled at did his best to straighten himself up. The Arch-Bishop wasn't just angry, he was pissed! What the hell happened to him? What on earth did he do to deserve this berating?
Kaiser suddenly stopped in mid-sentence. The guard suddenly came to attention again. What... Kaiser shook his head and resumed the ass chewing. The soldier was becoming confused now. It was almost as if Kaiser had face faulted or something...
'...Here we go...'
Kaiser groaned in his mind and let her absorb the details of the plan. When she finished she shook her head in amazement.
'That is one bold plan, Kaiser. You seem to think we can pull it off.'
'The whole thing hinges on whether or not you can pilot that rocket and work that equipment.'
'Let me at some people who how to do it and I'll have no problem.'
'Good. I'll be back here again at three tonight to get you out. We're going to hit that rocket shot at sun up tomorrow morning!'
'Wait a second, I haven't seen any of my sisters in over a year now, or even you for that matter. Aren't you kind of rushing things?'
'I have to. The plan hinges on you and once you're gone we'll have every unit on the planet looking for you. I'm sorry but you won't have very much time to reminisce.'
'Aww... Ok then... I'll see you tonight, Kaiser.'
'Sit tight, Leska. I'll be around.'
'Hai, Hai! I'll be waiting. Oh, Kaiser! One more thing...'
'Yeah?'
'...Thanks for coming back. This is all very, very sudden, but thanks anyway.'
The Arch-Bishop finished screaming at the sentry and turned. The man watched his leader stomp away in a state of semi-shock. What the hell had been up his ass? Wasn't Kaiser known for being a tad more lenient than most other Gray Eyes. The sentry sniffed and wiped his nose. Fear was staring down the long nose of a pissed off Arch-Bishop. Weren't they all on the same side?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aisha smiled as she dozed in the arms of Satomi. They all were there, all seven of them. Kaiser had helped each and everyone of them escape their masters and for the first time in over a year they were all united. After the auction they'd lost contact with each other. When they finally met again for the first time in over a year there were tears, more tears than could be counted. Long-lasting bitter tears, sorrowful tears and happy tears. To Aisha they all felt good. They meant that she was losing something inside of her she just didn't want. She was losing her past and healing the scars that had been inflicted. The same was true for all of them. For the first time in an eternity for them they were all happy, truly happy and for Aisha that was all that mattered.
Holding her lost sisters in her arms she was in that happy place, that home that they all lost. Once again she was swinging through the vines, once again they were all bathing in that pool, playing and splashing around, laughing and smiling. She was smiling broadly, cheering loudly, once again she was carefree. The world seemed to have floated away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hip, hip
Hip, hip
Hip, hip
Hip, hip
When you're on a holiday,
You can't find the words to say.
All the things that come to you
And I wanna feel it too.
On an island in the sun
We'll be playing and having fun...
And it makes me feel so fine
I can't control my brain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While all the women slept soundly in each other's arms on the warm desert sand, Kaiser sat some distance away, a cigarette held loosely between his fingers. He was letting the night wear itself slowly away, letting the stars overhead slowly travel their course across the sky. This was it. He'd taken each and every one of the women and escaped their homes. Now they were going to try and pull off the largest act of defiance ever seen against Mesopotamia. They were going to break into two military installations, take control of their most secret technologies and send eight women through time.
...Only eight Woman...
He looked over to Aisha sleeping peacefully. Poor child... He'd gotten her this far. Luck... All that had taken him this far was luck. His training helped only to keep them alive before fate took control of their actions. He had gotten lucky with Kisa. Five seconds later... five seconds later, and Aisha might have died.
He took a pull and watched the horizon. Suddenly a pin point of light lit up in the sky and expanded to cover the entire northern horizon line. Kaiser watched this glow that lit the skies up rise into the inky blackness above. It was a rocket taking off from the shot. It was headed for the stars. The next rocket up there would have the women on it.
Sticking the cigarette butt into the sand he extinguished it. With a small groan Kaiser reached around and pulled a small box of more cigs out of his pocket. Opening he looked inside.
"Shit..." Only one left. He'd have to save it. Maybe for when they all reach the space station.
Kaiser looked back up into the sky. The goddess of luck continued to smile down upon them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hip, hip
Hip, hip
When you're on a golden sea
You don't need no memory...
Just a place to call your own,
As we drift into the zone...
On an island in the sun,
We'll be playing and having fun.
And it makes me feel so fine
I can't control my brain.
We'll run away, together!
We'll spend some time, forever!
We'll never feel bad anymore!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leska yawned and stretched some. Kaiser would come soon. She looked out the small hole in the metal door and blinked drowsily. Despite the hell they were going to raise in the morning she couldn't help but feel tired. Sleep had always been very restless for her. Her dreams circulated from her sisters and better times to the more recent events with Lord Ghenna.
She'd come to find that the visions she saw in her mind were only a small fraction of the power she could have potentially wielded. Ghenna had shown her that she was capable of awesome destructive powers. Whole buildings had been leveled just this morning during her test run.
Ghenna had told her that her body was like a magnet for psionic energy. That the more she practiced the stronger her magnet would become. She was worried about to her actual practice routine though. Why would Ghenna have her practice destroying homes and abandoned buildings out in the desert? The more she was forced to practice the more apprehensive she became about using her powers. She could have practiced in more non-volatile methods. Something told her it was only matter of time before she was firing upon live targets.
She had to escape. Leska had always been in the mind of others. She, more than anyone on the planet, knew that every person was a man who led a life. This man touched many, many others in his life. He had a father. Many had children of their own. They all had loved ones. They all had homes. They all had hopes and dreams. They all were fighting to live in a world where life was a chance rather than a blessing.
That was why she never attacked anyone. She never struck out to hurt or kill someone. She never said hard words or complained at others work. She loved all of man. They all were just like her- clones; reconstructions of other people. They were all humans. She knew the hearts of men, and thus understood them. This was why she hated to scorn or hurt them.
This was why she had to escape. The time would most definitely come where she would have to hurt her fellow man. God save her lest she kills someone. She had a terrible feeling about that. It would be a step in a direction, down a path, from which she would not be able to return.
Looking up to her window she watched what few stars she could see. Things were going to change. She would finally be able to live happily again. When they all took that jump and sent themselves away from this terrible place, they would all be happy. Things were going to get better. Things were going to turn out all right. She had a feeling, deep inside herself. They were going to ride that rocket all the way to the gates of hell, right into the maw of the beast. But at the end of the tunnel... That light they were going to see...
She closed her eyes. They were going to make it...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hip, hip
Hip, hip
Hip, hip
On an island in the sun.
We'll be playing and having fun.
And it makes me feel so fine,
I can't control my brain.
We'll run away, together!
We'll spend some time, forever!
We'll never feel bad anymore!!
Hip, hip
Hip, hip
We'll never feel bad anymore!!
No, no!
We'll never feel bad anymore!!
No, no!
No, no.
No, no..
~Island in the Sun
Weezer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser came when he promised. At one hour past midnight Leska heard a scuffle out side her door. There was a short grunt and then silence. She waited in the dark a moment. Everything went quiet...
Suddenly she heard a bolt slide on her door and with a slow creak the whole thing opened outwards. The large man stood framed in the doorway. He said one thing and a moment later they were escaping into the desert, her in his arms. It was all quick and efficient wasting no time.
"Let's go."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser ran silently, talking to her through his thoughts. She leaned up against his body in his arms and let his warmth spread into her. The desert nights had been cool and relaxed for her inside her steel prison. The heat from the sun kept her little place warm and comfortable during the nights and somewhat cool during the day. The nights outside were bitterly cold but she'd never known just how much so until then. The air bit into her exposed skin like a thousand icy pinpricks.
'Brr... Kaiser, it's so cold out here. How are my sisters getting through this?'
' 'Doesn't bug me any.' He thought calmly. 'I'm doing all the moving about. Stay close to me, I'll try and run faster for you. There's a...'
'...Camp fire back at our camp, Ok.'
Kaiser chuckled. She never ceased to amaze him. She began to laugh as well.
"I know I do, Kaiser."
He began to blush. "Stay outta my head, will you?"
She nodded slowly. "Mind if I ask you something then?"
'Sure, what is it?'
'Why did you steal all those explosives?"
'What!?'
"Those explosives from that camp I was in. I can see it in your mind. You took a large sack of them. Why? It looks like you took enough to level an entire city. Where are we going to be using them?"
'God-dammit! You can't hide anything from a psychic!'
"Hehe, Kaiser, it's your own fault. When you try to hide things you bring it the surface. You unbury it to try to re-bury it."
'Yeah, whatever. I thought you weren't going to read my mind no more.'
"I can't help it when you think all your answers instead of saying them!"
Kaiser grunted. Damn child was too nosy...
"I am not! Now why DID you steal those things Kaiser?"
'When you girls get up to the station you'll have to blow up everything before the last group leaves. We have to remove all traces of our passing. I think, more than likely, Ghenna will have recording devices set up to monitor where the science teams are sending themselves. We'll have to blow up the whole lab to get to them all and cover our trails.'
"We don't want them to follow us, huh?"
'Exactly...'
Leska nodded and leaned back up against Kaiser. This was a bold plan they were going to carry out. As she checked his mind she felt an overwhelming feeling about him. It was worry. Kaiser was scared about something. He seemed afraid that something was going to happen. Leska frowned a bit. Kaiser was never afraid. She thought about reading further to catch what it was but decided against it. He wasn't actively thinking about it and she didn't want to dig too deep into his thoughts to retrieve it. But the fact still remained he was worried. There was no doubt about it...
Leska closed her eyes. She couldn't help but feel her previous feeling of confidence dampened...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you all ready?"
"Hai..."
"Here goes nothing Kaiser-sama."
"No, Satomi, here goes everything."
"Aisha's right. This is the end of everything for us."
"We're leaving this world behind."
"We're leaving..."
"Then let's show them what us women are capable of!"
"Let's show them what we're all capable of!"
Kaiser nodded. All eight of them were gathered in the early morning twilight. Two miles away stood the rocket shot. Kaiser figured they had less than an hour before the next rocket would lift off. They would have to move fast. The trick was getting there in time for the ship to finish fueling but before the pilots board her.
All eight of the women wore a black nylon single piece jump suit. A few had a rather tight fit (none of the suits were built with a woman's physique in mind.) but they, for the most part, fit into them well. Kaiser had made them change their clothes earlier, telling them to shed what they took from their previous owner's home. He didn't want any loose sleeves or corners getting caught on something while they were moving through the complex.
Over his shoulder he had the bag filled with explosives. There were eight bricks each with a timer and a small charge. He wasn't worried about them going off while they were on his back; All the explosives were designed to only go off when the small charge went off. Each brick had enough power to destroy the primary testing lab up in the station three times over. The whole case would make the entire station disappear. They were going to set them back so far that time travel would be an impossible platform for them to once again gain a foothold on. It was said Mesopotamia would disappear in less than fifty years from now. If played out properly, it would take them at least 75 to recover their lost technology.
"All right you all. This is it! We have to move fast and hard. I made a big fucking mistake last night. I left Leska's cell door wide open. That means that if they don't already know she's gone, they will in a very short period of time."
All of them looked to each other and at Leska. There was no going back for her now...
"We move swiftly and we move silently. I don't want them to know we're in that rocket shot to steal one of their birds until we've taken it and cleared that tower." He said pointing to the large steel rail tower in the not-too-far distance.
"We are going to do this. We are going to succeed. There is nothing that can stop us. We are a team. We are companions. We are all friends. We haven't seen each other in a very long time, and I'm sorry we haven't had any real time to reminisce and catch up, but we are now in a hurry. We are in a rush.
"None of you deserve this more than anyone else on the planet. I've forsaken my future. I've lost my destiny-giving aide to you eight. But you all are different. The future still shines in your eyes. The future still rests in your hearts. We're going to take each other there. We're going to reach that future together."
He held out his hand.
"Are we one on this? The future or bust?"
Aisha nodded and put her hand on his.
"No Kaiser. There is no bust. To the future. We're all going to the future. There is no other way."
Leska stepped forward and placed her hand on Aisha's. "Then let's do it. I want to see us all together in a place free of Ghenna"
Aiko stepped forward and did the same. "We're going to. Nothing can stop us."
Asuka followed. "Nothing."
Kaiser smiled as each of them came forward and added their hands to his. They were going to do this. They were a team. When they all had their hands in he nodded.
"Despite what happens, I want to let you all know, I'm proud to be here with you all. You've come far. I was there not six hours after you all were born watching you sleeping. I watched you grow and develop with disgust. I was ashamed to be part of the creation of such seemingly filthy creatures.
"But you eight did something few other men have ever done. You changed me. I'm grateful for being here. I'm grateful for knowing all of you. I'm grateful for what you all did to me, how you changed my life. I'm proud to be here at your side doing this. Despite everything that may go wrong I want you all to know that I am doing this because I love each and every one of you. You've become like my daughters. You've made me proud. Now we go. Let nothing on this planet keep you from your happiness.
"...Let's move."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Kaiser-sama! I am very sorry but even you do not have authority here!"
The Arch-Bishop scowled down to the guard. Behind him the eight women stood in two lines of four. All around men stared at the women curiously. A few pointed and while others gawked. Leska began to blush slightly as their thoughts floated into her mind.
'What on earth were those?!'
'Those are men?'
'W-what the?'
'Psh... what's with the long hair?'
'Who the hell are those guys?'
Kaiser leaned forward and brought his face close to the guard's own. When it came to being imposing Kaiser was second to none.
"Let me in."
The guard timidly shook his head.
"N-no sir! None of you have any passes or identification! I can't allow you to pass. Lockers and master control are through here. You'll have to take them through processing and get them some I.D. there... Now please don't hurt me Kaiser-sama~"
With a snort Kaiser rose and turned. Leska was at the very front of the line behind Kaiser. He turned to her and began to whisper to her. The guard began to exhale. He wasn't going to get mauled!
"Leska... Will this man let me through?"
She narrowed her eyes and read the man's thoughts. 'No, Kaiser. He's steadfast. I don't think you'll be able to convince him.'
"Well, what's behind the door? Does he know?"
'Yes...' she nodded slowly. 'There's a locker room directly behind that gateway. At the far end he remembers another door. Behind that there's a tunnel that goes both straight ahead and cuts to the left. The left entrance leads into a room with many monitors and controls and such. There's a large glass window that peers into darkness beyond that.
'The other way leads into a huge cavern like place. To the left there's a massive tunnel that leads into darkness. I can see two tracks leading out from the darkness. Above the roof seems to end and there will be nothing but sky above. Each of the tracks seems to slope upwards here and reach into the sky.'
"This sounds like the main launching chamber. That's your destination. But to get there we'll have to get through this guy..."
The guard was becoming curious. What was Kaiser doing. It seemed like he was talking to that man with the shifty eyes, but the man never responded back. He shuddered as Leska's gazed passed over him again.
"That man has the oddest eyes I have ever seen..." he said to himself.
'You'll need to get the passcode from him.' Leska thought calmly.
"All right, how do I do that?"
'Ask him for it.'
"What?"
'Ask him for it. Even if he doesn't tell you it'll surface the memory in his mind. I'll be able to retrieve it then."
The Guard walked up behind Kaiser.
"Err... Kaiser-sama?"
Slowly the Arch-Bishop turned around and faced him once more. Smiling he spoke to the smaller man.
"Would you mind telling me the passcode for the door?"
The guard was shocked.
"What?! Kaiser-sama! I told you before, I can't let you through. These eight don't have I.D. You'll need to take them to processing!"
Kaiser nodded and turned back to Leska.
"Got it?"
'Yes. 15637.'
"Good. Here's the plan. I'm going to rush this idiot. When I do so your cover will be blown so you'll have to work fast. Get to the key pad and-"
'Wait a second Kaiser. I'm getting something else.' she interrupted him. 'There are men in that control room. Men that his guard is afraid of. Two of them...They have gray eyes...
Kaiser cursed as silently as he could. Things just went bad. "Shit! Two of them? Are you sure?"
'Yes, this man is distinctly afraid of them. There's two back there.'
Kaiser closed his eyes and groaned. "Dammit! We need that control room. I can't launch unless we gain control of that room."
'Will they be a problem Kaiser?'
He stood there a moment and thought. Only two? "Well...No. No, we can handle them. With me at your side they won't be a problem.'
'All right Kaiser. If you say so.'
A tall, lanky man wandered up from down the hallway chewing on some food. He saw the eight men lined up in two neat rows in front of the primary gateway and headed over to check it out. This looked unusual. The guard saw the man and came quickly to attention saluting.
"Bishop Segas! Sir!"
The man saluted back and smiled. "What's the problem, Cheikonov?"
"Bishop sir, Kaiser-sama requests that himself and these eight be allowed to enter the hangar bay, but they have no identification, sir!"
"Kaiser?" the bishop walked forward. "Kaiser! Is that you?"
The Arch-Bishop froze... Oh no... Slowly he turned. The man was about six foot five, His hair had been cut close to his head and his body seemed thin and gaunt. His arms and legs seemed to be made of nothing but skin and bone. These, however, hid their true power and strength...
"Kaiser! Welcome here! It's been a while!"
Naturally born into speed, this man worked his way up to master his combat system and his strength. He'd become one of the most powerful Bishops in all Mesopotamia. His eye set him apart from the others. They were such a light shade of gray they made them look entirely white except for the little black pupil in the center. This man was Bishop Segas.
Kaiser swallowed. "B-bishop! What are you..."
The Bishop laughed and went over to clap him on the back. "Don't look so shocked Kaiser! They needed a few Gray Eyes to take charge of this place and I just so happened to make the cut."
"But, but..." Kaiser stammered. He wasn't supposed to be here!
"Ain't nothing happens out here though! It's all rest and relaxation! Buahahahaa!"
Kaiser just nodded dumbly. This was not good at all. They were going to have to go through that guard one way or another and the Bishop in the way was going to complicate things. Kaiser wasn't afraid of loosing to him, (he was, after all, the Arch-Bishop of Mesopotamia.) but the man could delay them just enough for the other two Gray Eye to catch wind of what was going on and join the fray...
Segas smiled. "At least I'm not alone in this place. There's two Black Legionnaires behind that door." He said pointing to the door they were trying to get through.
Kaiser blanched. "Buh-Black Legionnaires?!"
"Yep. Both of them are I believe."
'Fuck...' Things had just gone from bad to worse. The Black Legion was composed of Gray Eye who, unlike the Bishops, centered them selves around their only skill. They practiced and refined their skill until they had come to master it totally and completely. They were the elite of the Gray Eye. They were the best of the best...
Segas smiled over to the Guard. "So what's the problem here?"
"Sir!" the guard said smartly. "Kaiser-sama wishes to proceed forward with these eight recruits, but none of them have any ID. They all need to head down to processing, sir!"
"That so?" The Bishop walked over to Katsumi at the head of her line and bent down to examine her. "Heh, These are some funny looking recruits Kaiser! Hah! If I didn't know any better I'd say these were all women!" he added with a laugh.
Kaiser merely smiled weakly. Leska began to frantically call out to him with her mind.
'Kaiser! Kaiser!! It's Nanaka! There's something wrong!'
Kaiser turned and met Leska's eyes. She continued.
'She knows this man. This is Bishop Segas! He was an old friend of her master! She's SLEPT with him before!! He's going to recognize her!!'
Kaiser swallowed and turned back to the Bishop. He was poking at Aiko's chest and commentating on how she put too much safety foam into her suit.
'What are we going to do, Kaiser?'
'We can't do anything! Tell her to sit tight and try her best to look like a man.'
'What!? K-Kaiser? You're kidding!'
'No I'm not! Do it!'
Bishop Segas laughed and walked around to Nanaka's line. "Well, despite their odd appearances and the fact that a few seemed to have put a little too much safety foam into their suits they seem to check out. I think they are legitimate."
He walked up right past Nanaka, not noticing who she was. Visibly she relaxed.
"Cheikonov, open the door and let these men through!"
Kaiser turned flabbergasted. What?!
The guard looked indecisive for a moment. "Bishop sir? These men do not have IDs yet!"
"I understand, but you can open this door." He turned to Kaiser who was simply dumbfounded.
"This is the great Kaiser! Our Lord Ghenna's number one man! If we can't trust him, then who can we trust, ne Kaiser?"
Kaiser nodded slowly. Holy shit this was incredible! Lady luck was still shinning on him! They still had a chance at this! The guard walked over to the control panel on the wall and typed in the series of numbers Leska picked up from him. With a slow hiss the large door began to open.
"Go on Kaiser. In the hangar you can take the tram down to the Khalis. She's pumped and fueled and ready for flight! The Valkyrie is sitting right next her. She's almost finished herself. She just needs a few more tons liquid booster."
Kaiser nodded. "Thank you Bishop Segas!"
"Don't mention it Arch-Bishop." He replied with a smile.
Kaiser nodded once more and turned to his eight.
"All right! Flight, forward...March!"
Bishop Segas smiled as the women began to walk by. He always loved new recruits. They were always so lively, so energetic. They had a vivacity that always inspired him. They-
He stopped.
The blonde one walking past him was turning his head away. What... The bishop cocked his head. He seemed familiar... From where...
He called out. "Flight...HALT!!"
As the women came to a halt they almost fell over one another. They'd been caught entirely by surprise. The Bishop walked up to the one who had been looking away and took her face and pointed it straight ahead.
Now why did this guy look familiar? Who was she...
...she?!
His eyes lit up, suddenly in understanding. She was-
"You..." he said softly. "What the hell" He turned to Kaiser. "Kaiser! KAISER!! Do you know who this is?! Hey, Hey Kaiser-"
A fifty pound bag of plastic explosives slammed itself into the Bishop's head. With a cry of dismay and shock he fell to the floor. The Guard who stood to the side looked up at Kaiser with surprise.
"Kaiser-sama?!" In one fell swoop he too was knocked out. Kaiser slung the sack over his shoulder again and turned to the women.
"All right! Move it now! Run, run, run, run! Our game is up!!"
All eight of them charged through the door and into the locker room. Kaiser made sure they were all through before turning himself to the small control panel. With a quick grunt he lifted his elbow and slammed it into it. The panel exploded shooting loose buttons and broken glass from the wall. An alarm went off some where and emergency lights that had been installed along the walls began to shine and spin. The large door Kaiser stood in front of began to close. He slipped through just as it was becoming too narrow for his body.
Their game was up! It was time to move! As he started forward he felt something begin to tug on the sack on his shoulder. Turning he saw Segas, his arm though the crack in the door, holding tightly onto the satchel. Rage was stamped across his face.
"Kaiser!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nanaka ran ahead of the rest through the lockers and came to the door at the far end. To her dismay she found it locked. There was no keypad or numerical lock anywhere nearby.
"Dammit!!" she cried out. "Open up! Open up Dammit!!"
The rest came up behind her and came to realize just what she had.
"Oh no! It's closed!"
"We can't get it open!!"
"The door's locked?!"
"We're trapped! We can't get out!!"
As Nanaka beat frantically on the door Katsumi pushed her self to the front.
"Please, please everyone! Let me through!!"
Satomi moved out of the way as her sister approached. That's right! She was the hacker! If anyone could get this door open it would be her.
"There's no control panel, Katsumi!" Nanaka cried out. "How are we going to get through?"
The hacker smiled sweetly. "All locked doors are designed to open, the trick is finding where they hid the door knob..." She leaned against the wall beside the door and began to listen. After a moment she pointed to a spot.
"Someone remove the panel right here!"
Aiko moved forward and grinned devilishly. "With pleasure!" Throwing her body weight into her fist she drove it into the panel in the wall. The entire panel crumpled up in her punch and wrapped itself around her hand. Pulling it free she showed everyone the thin piece of metal that was now twisted around her fist with a wide, victorious grin.
Katsumi stared with shock at the hole in the wall. All the electronics and machinery that had been in there was all but destroyed. Aiko'd smashed everything in there.
"AIKO! You were supposed to REMOVE the panel, not DESTROY everything behind it!!"
Aiko looked dumbly from her sister to the metal panel wrapped around her fist-o-death and blushed.
"Oops..."
As Katsumi fumed Asuka burst out laughing. She clapped her sister on the shoulder.
"Well destroyed Aiko! You killed it!"
Suddenly the door began to move. With a slow hiss the locks unbolted themselves from the wall and the door slid open.
"Wow," Aisha said to Katsumi. "You ARE good at getting these things open!"
Before she had a chance to answer and arm shot out of the darkness. Grabbing her by her throat, Katsumi felt herself lifted from the floor. From the darkness behind the door two men, dressed totally in black, stepped out...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser held the sack as hard as he could and pulled. Segas held as tightly as he could himself. He was in extreme pain. The door was trying to close on his arm. It was being crushed. With a grunt of pain he began to tug.
"What are you doing Kaiser!? What do you think you are doing?!"
Kaiser grunted himself. "I'm doing what I have to do Bishop. Just like you have things to do that must be done as well."
"You're forfeiting your life! You're forfeiting your future!!" He spat back. "You are betraying your kingdom Kaiser! You are betraying our father!!"
Kaiser's grip loosened at bit. "I'm following my heart, Segas. I'm listening to my soul for the first time in my life! I'm freeing my self from bondage! I'm saving my daughters!!"
Segas screamed in pain once more. "Listen to yourself Kaiser! Listen to what you are saying!! They are women!! They are flesh and no more! You have no daughters!! You're throwing your life away to garbage!!"
Kaiser met Segas' gaze and his grip began to tighten once more. "No, Segas. NO! I'm not throwing my life away to garbage! I'm making up for my sins against them!! I'm giving my LIFE for them! I love them Segas!! They are my children, and not you, or the Black Legion, or even our Lord Ghenna will stop me!! I'm protecting them the only way I know how!!"
"Kaiser, you are a fool!!"
"So be IT!" With a scream he pulled with all his might. The sack tore itself from Segas' grip with an audible tear. Kaiser fell backward and landed hard. Segas cried out and using what little strength he had left in his arm pulled it free. With a dull thud the blast door came to a close. Segas brought his face up to the small window and watched as Kaiser stood up. He slung the sack over his shoulder and turned to the Bishop for the last time. He called out loud enough for him to hear through the glass.
"They are my daughters, Segas. I lost them once because I would not stand for them. I destroyed their innocence because I would not defend them. Now I'll fight to take them to their happiness, wherever that lies, whenever that lies. I can't give them back what's been taken, but I can sure as, God may will, try. I guess I'm a fool, Segas. But if fate decides that I should die protecting them, sending them to their happiness, then I will stay a fool and I will die that fool."
He turned and walked away. "A father must protect his own..."
Segas said nothing as the Arch-Bishop walked away from him. He was damned idiot... He was a fool that was going to kill everyone...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Katsumi began to choke in the tall man's grip. He'd lifted her clear of the ground and was now staring intently at the woman. His friend was of smaller stature. His eyes glittered at the seven other women.
"Well, well Kamidake. What do we have here? These wouldn't be those missing women everyone was talking about now, would they?"
He jeered and pulled his face close to Satomi's. She screamed and took a stop back. The man looked like a gargoyle...
"I've heard the rumors, but I never thought I would actually see one!"
Kamidake took a close look at Katsumi. "They look soft to me Azaka..."
Azaka giggled maliciously licking his lips. "I know. But don't they look tasty as well. Such beautiful little dears..."
Everyone took a full step back, Krysta and Satomi two. Their combat sensors were screaming at them. These men were dangerous, almost as dangerous as Kaiser. Kamidake was strength, while his smaller partner Azaka had another combat sensor like theirs. Only thing was these men seemed to have developed their strengths to the hundredth degree. Their potential power was driving the combat sensor in the two insane.
Kamidake, peered at Katsumi once more and threw her to the ground. He began wiping his hand on his uniform. "They seem dirty..."
Azaka nodded. "But oh so pretty..."
On the ground Katsumi was gasping for breath. Her head felt as if it had been caught in a vice. Her temples beat and her lungs burned as she greedily gasped for new, fresh air. Asuka knelt to her side and supported her up so she could breathe better.
"You all right, sis?"
Weakly she nodded.
"I'll be fine..."
Aisha turned to the men and scowled. "Let us through."
The Gray Eye looked taken back for a moment. They turned to each other and began laughing. Aisha began to scowl even more.
"I said let us through!!"
As the men continued to laugh Aiko stepped forward. "She said let us pass!"
Azaka seemed to gather himself together first and pointed at them.
"You're asking us to move? Dear you are mistaken. It is you who will move, not us."
Kamidake smiled. "Move onto the next plane that is!"
Everyone kind of fell silent and turned to him. Azaka slapped his forehead.
"That didn't even make any sense!"
"But, but you know about the different levels of living and moving on to the next plane and, you know. The whole moving on thing and all. Dying... you know..."
"N-no... no just, just shut up. Just shut your mouth!"
Aisha shook her head. "W-what ever! Move out of our way!"
Azaka walked forward and narrowed his eyes. "No."
The legionnaire met her eyes and become surprised. Despite the obvious mortal danger she was in she still glared back at him defiantly. Aiko stepped forward to her sister's side.
"Get out of our way, or face the consequences."
Kamidake smiled down to the bold redhead.
"You're going to hurt us?" He broke out laughing. "I doubt it! Come and try, baby!!"
Both the girls bristled under the taunts of the men. They were being made fun of, being jeered at. Aiko moved to lunge when she felt a hand at her shoulder. She turned and met the flat eyes of Leska.
"Move aside Aiko."
The red head furrowed her eyebrows. "Leska?"
The psychic stepped in front of both the women and stood boldly before the Gray Eye. She called to Aisha and Aiko behind her.
"You two take care of the stupid one. I got the runt." She pointed to Azaka. Both the legionnaires scowled.
"You're cocky girl!" Azaka said slowly. "Do you really think you can harm me all alone? I'm a Black legionnaire. I'm the best of all Gray Eye. I am an elite! You don't stand a chance. You're waaay out of your league little girly!"
Aisha calmly raised her hand and pointed her palm to him.
"You talk too much."
Suddenly her body seemed to explode. With a flash she was consumed in flames. Her seven sisters jumped back in utter shock. What was happening?!
"Leska!!"
"Onee-Sama!!"
Azaka jumped backward in shock and tripped. He hit the ground hard and began to back away.
"What the hell?!"
Leska had changed. Her entire body began to glow. She was being enveloped with fire! The clothing she wore seemed to disappear off her body. Her slim figure was enveloped in the light as Azaka watched all the details and features vanish off of her. Her face seemed to dissapear into her skin. Her entire body turned fiery red and slowly rose up from the floor.
Azaka's combat system went into a tailspin inside his body. It had never seen anything like this before. Her lethality potentiality had gone from almost zero to that of an Isis Cruiser. What had happened to this woman?! What the hell was she?!
Leska's body rose high from the ground. Her eyes, the only feature on her entire body that had not been wiped clean, were burning. They focused themselves onto the little Gray Eye who now cowered on the floor. Leska pointed her arm to him and spoke. When she did so, it reverberated through the minds of everyone present. Her voice was loud, booming and terrifying.
"NOW...GET OUT OF OUR WAY!"
Azaka cried out as he felt his body lifted from the floor. With a quick jerk of her hand she tossed his body. The Gray Eye screamed as he felt himself flung across the hallway. It was cut short as his body collided into the far wall. With a low moan he slipped into unconsciousness.
Leska's body shone brighter than before for a moment and then winked out. She fell to the floor and landed smoothly. She stood back up and smiled. Her clothing and face were restored. She was exactly like she was before. Her transformation had been so sudden that everyone stood there speechless for a moment. Aisha stared at her sister a moment in utter shock. What the hell...
As Kamidake gawked at the psychic Aiko turned. In one swift movement she brought her foot up solidly between his legs. Despite all his strength and power she still hit the same weak point present in all men. With a cry he grabbed at his aching unit and crossed his eyes in pain. Aiko grinned as she swung her fist through the air and connected it with the man's lower jaw. With an audible 'ping!' he flew from the ground and landed a few feet away. Aiko brushed her hands clean and put her nose up at the fallen man.
"Hmph. What a waste of time."
The others gathered around Leska.
"Leska, are you all right?!"
"What happened Onee-sama?!"
"Leska-chan! What was that?!"
"Oh my lord, Leska! What happened?"
"Leska! What did you do!?"
She smiled coyly at them and merely shook her head. Her only response was "I've been busy this past year." and refused to answer anymore questions. The two Gray Eyes were taken care of, that was all that mattered.
She broke off from the rest of them and headed through the open door way.
"Come on, sisters! We're in a hurry. We need to get moving here!"
As they started to press forward Aisha looked around and stopped.
"Wait! Where's Kaiser?"
He came walking up swiftly behind them. "Right here. What happened? Where-" He paused as he saw the Gray Eyes laying unconscious on the floor ways. "You eight took out two Black Legionnaires?!"
Aisha smiled over to Leska. "She helped some."
Kaiser turned to her and smiled. She blushed back at him. "It was nothing, Kaiser. I just did what anyone would have done in my spot."
The Arch-Bishop laughed. "I guess! Well done Leska. Let's get going. I want to be out of here before they get a chance to warn the orbital station up above!"
The eight nodded. "Hai!" They said in unison.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leska let go of the trembling flight technician. He fell back to the floor and scooted away. They were all gathered in the control room. Kaiser closed the door behind them and destroyed the controls on their side, effectively sealing it. Aiko had destroyed the control area on the other side, so they needn't worry about someone opening it that way. Katsumi assured him the only way they were going to get through was by cutting the door down. Leska rose and turned.
"Kaiser! One of the shuttles is ready to fly. She's fully fueled and ready to launch."
"Good." He nodded. "Do you know how to set up everything on this end?"
"Yes, I'll be able to tell you once we're in the ship, but there's something else."
Kaiser groaned. "Of course there is. What is it?"
"Well... Actually there's two things?"
"Yes?" Krysta asked impatiently.
"First thing. There must be someone here to prep and give the OK for the launch. One of us has to stay behind inside this control room and make sure everything is set and ready to launch."
"We can't just set up everything in here before we leave?" Aisha asked.
Leska shook her head. "No. There are several things a pilot must confirm and Ok with the personnel inside here. Attaching the catapult to the ship for example. There must be a man in here giving the thumbs up to the pilot in the ship to attach the thing.
Kaiser nodded. "I can get started now. You all get everything set up while I set up the proper order of things up here. I know how to work this machinery, I've seen this done enough in my lifetime.
Leska turned her head back to the technician and scanned his mind once more.
"No... No you haven't seen enough then. There's also a launch order must be given here and an OK signal sent by the ship in order to clear a launch. They have to be within twenty seconds of one another."
"Well, I can run ahead and get everything set up in the ship. I'm the fastest!" Nanaka said piping up.
Leska shook her head. "You wouldn't know how to send the signal. Apparently the tech here thinks that main console on the ship is a maze of buttons, levers and dials. You'd never know which one to push and what to type. No, I have to go..."
"Well, Leska-chan, Let's get you going! The sooner you get there the sooner we can launch and get clear of this place."
"No, Satomi we don't have the time to do that. It's a twenty minute tram ride to the ship and another twenty minutes back then a third twenty minutes going back with the one who stays behind. That's an hour we won't have. We'll be lucky to have half an hour."
The rest cursed under their breath. That would mean that unless someone stayed behind they were going to have to figure out some other way to launch. Leska continued.
"The second problem isn't quite as bad as the first."
Kaiser looked up. "What is it?"
"Follow me." She said leaving the control room. Kaiser turned to their hostages and made sure they were secured tightly and wouldn't escape before leaving with the rest. Leska walked into the main hangar along the side of the massive cavern and pointed out onto the ground out in the middle. The largest portion of the cavern floor was a massive pit, which was about five feet deep. From one end of the pit to the other the length measured to be almost two hundred feet. About a third of the way through a very large track ran its way through. Another ran its way parallel to the first at the two-thirds mark. The ceiling over head ended abruptly and each of the rails sloped up far into the sky. Leska pointed to the far one.
"I think that rail has our bird on it. We're going to have to-"
Aiko cut her off. "Leska, wait. Bird?"
"Heh, sorry. I'm picking up on their lingo." She said rubbing the back of her head. "Our 'ship' is sitting on that rail. Down that tunnel..." She pointed into the inky blackness which the rails disappeared into. "...about three miles they sit. We'll be able to ride a tram to get down there."
Kaiser nodded. "So what's the problem?"
"There are two birds down on that end. One's being fueled while the other is ready to go. The one being fueled will take another half an hour to prep itself, but once it's ready to fly she'll be hot on our tails."
Each of the women glanced at each other. This was getting better and better. Leska continued.
"But I don't think that will be too big of a problem..." She turned around and pointed to the wall. In front of it was a massive storage drum. Out of the top a pipe ran its way up the wall and then along the ceiling and down into the darkness. The letters XYLICN were marked across drum. "This is a big drum of coolant. I'm not sure who the fool was who put this stupid thing here but it will solve our problem right quick."
Aisha smiled. "All right... go on!"
"This isn't ship coolant. It's reactor coolant! Deep below this installation is a fission reactor. In this drum is coolant that flows right up into it. Now if we ignite this all the coolant in this drum will explode... Violently! This entire hangar will be destroyed! Even more incredibly is the coolant in those pipes above us will also light up. The fire will travel down them right into the reactor. The following explosion will be of thermonuclear proportions. Everything in this area will cease to exist. The rocket shot will be gone!"
Kaiser nodded impressed. Most of her sisters agreed in turn, most except Satomi.
"Leska... Wouldn't that...wouldn't that kill everyone here?"
Leska paused. Her face began to fall. She'd forgotten about all the people who would still be caught in the blast. Satomi was right... Aisha, Aiko, Nanaka, Krysta and Katsumi fell silent.
"Oh no... We'd kill everyone."
"Ahh...shit!"
"Damn."
Kaiser was unmoved. "It's a sound plan. We're going to go through with it."
Aisha looked up shocked . "Kaiser! You can't be serious."
"I am Aisha. We're here to get you out alive and safe. This is the only choice we have. We don't have any time to think about any other options."
"Kaiser!! No!! No, we will not kill everyone here. There are innocents! Remember you promised!"
"No, Aisha! There are no innocents. Everyone here is gunning for you. They will kill you if given half the chance! I'm not killing anyone in cold blood, I'm doing what must be done!! There is no other way."
Everyone else spoke up.
"So why must we fall to their level Kaiser?!"
"No Kaiser, We can't do this!"
"We're going to murder everyone here!"
"We can't! There's no way!"
"Kaiser! No! No!"
He whirled on them. His face began to contort in rage. Each one saw him and fell silent.
"NO! NO, NO, NO, NO!!! We are HERE to get YOU EIGHT OUT OF THIS HELL!! We're here to send you all to someplace BETTER!! EVERYONE who WORKS in this station SEEKS TO DESTROY YOU!! Don't you women get it!? Don't you fucking SEE this?! We have NO other choice! There's no other way to take out that other rocket! NONE!! We don't have TIME to argue about this!! In less than thirty minutes some very, VERY angry men are going to come through here and are going to KILL YOU! We don't have time! We just don't have time..."
Aisha stood stead fast. "I'm not going to participate in the deaths of everyone here in this base."
Behind her everyone of her sisters followed in suit. They all crossed her arms and put their foot down.
"Besides," Katsumi said softly. "How would we be able to get clear of the explosion in time? I got the impression that once you light the coolant everything will go up in flames instantly."
Leska nodded in agreement. Kaiser turned to her. "Well how did you plan on getting past that in the first place?"
Leska looked taken back for a moment. "Well... I was planning on using one of those timed explosives..."
Kaiser shook his head and sighed. "We can't." He let the pack slide off his shoulder and reached in. He pulled out a single brick. "I think this is all we have left."
Aisha blinked. "What? Just one?! I thought you brought a full load?"
Kaiser knelt down, flipped the pack over and stuck his arm in through the bottom. To everyone's utter shock his hand came out the top. "A hole was torn in this thing when Segas grabbed it. I lost almost all of them in the locker area. I was in such a rush I didn't even notice them falling out. This one brick is all we have. You'll have to save this for the lab."
Aiko groaned and sat down. Krysta shook her head sadly and leaned up against the wall. Aisha just smiled slightly.
"See? You can't blow up this facility. We'll just have to think of something else as we head down to the ship."
They all sat silently a moment. Slowly an idea found its way into Kaiser's head and began to worm around. Looking up he stared at each of the women there. He was there to make sure that each one of them escapes into the future no matter what the cost. Looking from Aisha to Leska to Aiko to Krysta he suddenly made up his mind. The answer...
Kaiser stood. "No... no we're still going to blow this place up..."
"What?! Kaiser there's no way we'll be able to!"
He shook his head anyway. His voice suddenly dropped and he seemed to calm. "...In fact... I know how we're going to be able to solve both of our problems in on fell swoop."
Everyone looked up to him. Aisha walked up to him. "...How?"
Kaiser turned and began to walk back to the control room. He slumped his shoulders some and exhaled loudly. "God, I wished Lady Luck would have smiled onto me just a little bit longer. Just a few more hours, we're so close..."
Aisha walked up to him and grabbed his arm. "Kaiser! How are we going to be able solve this?"
He turned to her and smiled slightly. "I'm going to do everything."
Aisha looked up at him confused. "What? What do you mean by that?"
"Aisha... I'm going to give you all the OK for launch and then I'm going to blow up the coolant."
Satomi stepped forward. "But Kaiser! How are you going to come up with us if you do that?!"
The Arch-Bishop smiled sadly and turned around back to the control room. Leska narrowed her eyes at him a moment and then when completely white.
"...Oh my God... He's not coming with us..."
Aisha whirled upon her. "WHAT!?" She swallowed when she saw the expression Leska's face wore. She spun back around and grabbed Kaiser by his arm.
"Kaiser!! Kaiser turn around!!" Once again he stopped and turned to her. Her previous concern about the safety of everyone else on the base evaporated. "Kaiser, You're coming with us, right? You're coming with us!! You're not- We're not letting you stay behind like that! You're going to come with me and Leska and Satomi and Krysta and Nanaka and..."
He swallowed and put his hands on hers.
"...and Katsumi and Aiko and we're going to live together, We're going to LIVE together, right?! We're going to go and we're going to live together, right Kaiser!? You are coming with us!! Get this notion out of your head right now because I will not accept it!!"
Tears began to fill her eyes again. She looked into his eyes and saw exactly what she didn't want to see there.
He shook his head. "No, Aisha. It's... Shit, it's time for us to go our separate ways... It's time for us to-"
"NO!!" She broke free from his grip and backed away. "No, NoNoNoNo!!! I said NO!! NO!! I just got you BACK Kaiser!! I just got you back... We haven't even been together for three weeks!! You're not going to leave me again. You're not going to go away and leave me alone again!!"
Behind her the others moved up.
"Kaiser-sama... no..."
"No! No, she's right Kaiser! You can't go!"
"Kaiser don't you even think of leaving us!"
"We're not going anywhere unless you're there with us!"
"Kaiser, don't be stupid!! Don't do this!!"
"Kaiser-sama...please..."
Aisha began to tremble as she stood there. Kaiser felt a lump grow in his throat.
"No, Aisha. No, you guys. I'm not leaving you all alone like I did before. This time it's different. You each have each other. You each have one another. You'll always have one another! Even when I... when I..." He swallowed with great difficulty and turned away.
Aisha shook her head. "No, Kaiser! NO! NO! You're coming with us!! You're going to be there with us!! We were going to make a family Kaiser!! We were going to have children! We're going to live out our lives and grow old together! We were supposed to be happy Kaiser! You were supposed to STAY WITH ME!!!"
The Arch-Bishop started to walk away slowly. Aisha's face grew angry. She ran up to him and spun him around.
"...Oh no you don't!"
She reached back with everything she had and swung with all her might. Her fist connected solidly with Kaiser. She watched him drop to one knee. Shaking his head he looked up at her in shock. Deep inside of Aisha's mind some little perverse voice was chanting.
"...that's two...that's twice...I've struck down the arch-bishop twice!!..."
Aisha met his eyes and everything inside of her seemed to shatter. His eyes... He couldn't be this resolute, could he?
Slowly Kaiser rose back up. Everyone stood by silently and watched him take Aisha into his arms.
"Aisha... I love you..."
Tears started to run thick down the woman's face as she looked back up into the sad eyes of her lover. She shook her head and smiled weakly back.
"I love you too Kaiser..."
He smiled down to her. She continued weakly.
"That's why I'm not leaving your side...That's why you and I are going to die together... If you're going to do this I want to be by your side when you do. I'm not going to let you die alone."
His expression fell. Aiko, who had also started to cry stepped forward.
"Me too, Kaiser. I'm not leaving your side."
Krysta followed. "I'm not going to let you die alone either."
Satomi walked up level with her two sisters and put her hand on Krys' shoulder.
"I'm not leaving with out you."
Nanaka strode up and cupped her arms around her body.
"None of us are going to leave you Kaiser."
Katsumi came up last. Her tears were running almost as freely as Aisha's.
"None of us are going on with out you."
The Arch-Bishop looked behind the group to Leska who was standing silently. He could see two drops trace themselves down her cheek. She nodded to him.
'You're the only father we ever had. We're not going to leave you here to die.'
Kaiser nodded slowly. He looked back down to Aisha... beautiful Aisha... and gazed into her eyes. Despite the tears that stained them they still glittered as green as the day when he first saw them. They still caught the light in that special way. The jade was still shining bright...
Tears fell from his eyes and fell onto her clothes. They became as rain, dripping and falling steadily, tracing themselves down his face and falling onto his only one and true love. He held her tightly, savoring her warmth, the gentle touch of her skin, Her hair that fell like precious silk down her back...
She watched him bend his head down close to hers. Their lips brushed momentarily before... before...
Aisha closed her eyes and savored the moment in his arms. Gently they kissed. Gently their lips pressed against one another's. Gently they tasted each other. Gently they held each other. Gently she ran her hands up his back. Gently he ran his down her spine. Gently he supported her as she leaned against him. Gently...
Gently they broke their kiss.
Kaiser leaned back up once again gazed into her eyes. Her tears had stopped. She sniffed and smiled weakly back up at him. He slowly began to tremble in her arms and nodded. It was decided then... Gently he loosened himself from her arms and took a step back. He smiled to her and began to turn back to the control center.
Behind Aisha every one of the seven began to smile. He wasn't going to stay. He was still going to come with them. He wasn't leaving-
Faster than Aisha could follow Kaiser whirled around and brought his fist to bear. In one smooth motion he crashed it into her head. With an audible smack the other seven gasped in surprise as Aisha wordlessly fell to the floor.
"Kaiser!" Satomi called out.
The Arch-Bishop bent down and examined her. She was out cold. He'd knocked Aisha senseless.
Aiko strode forward as Kaiser picked Aisha up in his arms. He brought her head up close to his and gently kissed her cheek, whispering softly in her ear...
"Eye for an eye, Aisha...eye for an eye..."
"Kaiser!! Kaiser what are you doing?!"
He looked up and faced Aiko, the sadness in his eyes fully restored.
"Take her Aiko..."
The woman paused, a look of shock was stamped on her face. "W-what?"
He held Aisha's limp form out to her.
"I said take her Aiko. You're the strongest out of all of you women. I want you to take care of her. I want you to guard her, Aiko. Protect her. I won't be around to do it, and she needs someone to watch over her."
Gently he deposited the woman in her arms. Aiko looked at Aisha's face, now expressionless.
"N-no Kaiser..."
"Please Aiko..." He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I know I can trust you. I know you'll take good care of her. I believe in you."
Aiko's breathing began to sob and tears came back to her eyes...
"Kaiser... Kaiser no... please..."
He shook his head. "I'm here to send you all away. I'm here to make sure you all will die happy and blessed. I'm letting you all go. You all will be fine after I'm gone. It is here that we shall part. There is no other way. It has to end like this for me.
"You're strong Aiko, you've got a brave heart. That's why I named you Bloodberry. You're heart burns. It shines stronger and braver than anyone else's I know. I know you won't let me down..."
The remaining six walked up close.
"Kaiser... no please. You won't leave us! You can't..."
He smiled and stroked Satomi's cheek.
"We don't have a choice Satomi...This is just the way things are going to have to be..."
Krysta approached him and took his hand.
"Kaiser... You can't... You..."
He squeezed gently. She held his hand back a moment longer before turning away and breaking out into fresh tears.
Kaiser looked at each and every one of them. His vision began to haze once more as new tears filled his eyes. He nodded once...slowly... and turned to walk back into the control room. Leska's voice stopped him.
"Kaiser..."
He paused and glanced at her over his shoulder. Through her tears she smiled at him.
"Thank you Kaiser..."
He did his best to swallow the lump that had re-grown in his throat and nodded.
"I love you all... When Aisha wakes up... tell her, I'm sorry I lied to her."
Asuka sniffed back as best she could. "K-Kaiser?"
He met her eyes for the last time.
"I promised her I'd never make her cry again."
He turned back and disappeared into the corridor in the wall. That was the last thing he ever said to any of them. It wasn't until they were half way through the tram ride to the ship that Satomi finally and completely broke down. He leaned against Nanaka and wept everything inside of her out. It was contagious and soon all eight of them were weeping.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leska took the pilot's seat with her eyes as dry as she could have made them. She needed to pull herself together for her sisters. The pilot had been bound and brought with them just in case there was something she needed help with. It took Leska only a minute to gather enough information on what to do. They ended up stashing the man in a locker in the back of the starcraft. Painted along the nose in big bold cursive lettering was the word 'Khalis'. It was the name of the ship. Leska couldn't help but smile when she read it. It was old language for 'change'.
Turning to the control panel she flipped a number of switches and felt the ship begin to warm up under her. Swallowing once more she flipped the lever activating the main compressor. Behind the ship the liquid fuel boosters began to glow. Satomi took a seat next to her in the co-pilot's seat.
"Feeling better?" Leska asked her.
Satomi shook her head. "No... but we've got to do this anyway. Even if everyone in this place will die because of us. I don't want Kaiser-sama to kill himself in vain. I don't want his death to be wasted."
Leska shook her head once. "All right, Satomi. Let's get this show on the road then."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser sat in one of the scientist's seat and was typing commands into the control panel. This was it. This was the climax to his life. This was why he was still here on this dammed, mortal coil. This was why his friend had leaped between that one mortar and sacrificed himself to save Kaiser's life. This was why he'd never sustained a lethal injury. This was why Aisha had changed him so...
He began to smile weakly. So this is what it felt like to give one's life up for another...This wass what his old, old companion had felt...
He hit the return button and the rail began to prep itself for launch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leska looked out the window and saw a trail of steam move itself up the center of her tracks. Satomi saw it as well.
"Leska?"
"That's the catapult charging itself. When we see the steam go away we'll be ready to link up with it and launch."
She looked over to her sister and pointed to her control panel.
"I need you to do something. When I tell you to, after we've blasted ourselves clear of the tower, I want you to push this button."
Satomi nodded slowly as Leska continued. "This will switch us from our liquid fuel engines over to our solid fuel boosters."
"Why do we need to do that?" The smaller woman asked.
"Because liquid fuel wont get us clear of Terra II's gravity and sold fuel burns way too hot. If we started with our solid fuel boosters we would blast ourselves free of the catapult and shoot ourselves right up the towers, melting it right under us. No, we have to use the liquid fuel to get us clear of the tower. The solid fuel will push us outside the... the, the blast zone this station will make..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser watched as the steam dissipated along the track. The catapult was charged. He examined the screen before him and waited for Leska to send him the OK to dock the ship with the launcher. A moment later he received it. He pushed a single button.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beneath the Khalis a small cart pulled up. Several rungs attached themselves to the underside of the ship locking it into place. Leska felt a small tug in the ship as the machinery below made sure the launcher was secured tightly. Across her panels she received green lights. There was one last red light. Launch Authorization.
"You ready Satomi?"
She nodded slowly. "Yes."
Leska turned around and faced the rear cabin. "Are you all locked in? We're about ready to leave this place. Everyone buckled up?"
Aiko finished buckling Aisha into her seat and sat down herself. Everyone else was ready and waiting. She could see Krysta and Asuka holding hands tightly. This was it, even without Kaiser...
"We're clear!" she shouted. She was afraid to actually say they were 'ready'. Truth be told none of them were. It was all they could do to sit in these seats and simply sit the ride out. None of them were ready to leave Kaiser behind. None of them were ready to do this without their Arch-Bishop. She looked behind her out the small window in the back of the cabin. She could see the wall of the hangar behind them. It was softly lit from the booster's warm up sequence. The lights from the small fires in each of the boosters gave the wall an eerie, soft golden yellow glow...
She turned around and took a deep breath. Here went nothing... no... Here went everything...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser received the OK inside the control room. He smiled and nodded. Down the hallway he thought he heard a muffled boom.
'They're through the first door...'
He saw the command to give full launch control to Leska. He put his finger over the button. This was truly it. Everything he ever lived for amounted to this moment, one of his last, one of his greatest. A lifetime of happiness and sadness, of killing and murder, of pain and pleasure, all amounting to a single push of a single button.
Kaiser smiled. It was time.
All it took to give the order was one quick tap of his finger. The little button depressed easily under it, almost as if it was as anxious as he was to see the rocket underway.
A moment later he'd left the control room and was moving as quickly as he could to the launch chamber. He wanted to see them off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inside the cabin Leska saw the last light go green on her console. She nodded slowly.
"Here we go Satomi... Here we go. Watch the track. The jet of steam that's going to shoot away from us that you're going to see is the catapult launching. Brace yourself when you see it! We're going to be following right behind it!"
Leska flipped up the last switch cover. Taking a deep breath she pushed the final button.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Out side, the ship lifted itself up from the ground engaging it's anti-gravity nodes. As it rose off the platform the rear boosters burst to life spraying fire and energy everywhere. Satomi watched the tracks as the ship began to move forward slowly. Suddenly a jet of steam burst out from under the ship and shot forward along the center of the track at incredible speed. A moment later the launcher caught the cart and the ship began to be pulled down the tunnel quickly matching the catapult's speed.
Satomi felt herself smashed against her seat as the ship went from almost zero to nearly two hundred and seventy miles an hour in the space of five seconds; there was no friction holding the ship back, no friction slowing it down. She closed her eyes and began to scream as the ship blasted it self down the rail. Everything shook violently as the catapult increased in speed. Leska could barely keep her eyes open as she watched the tunnel shoot past her. Her arms were pinned to her seat, as were her legs. She heard someone scream in the cockpit and found it to be herself.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser ran onto the platform where he had held Aisha for the last time and waited, expectantly looking down the tunnel. At first he didn't see anything. The tunnel was still pitch black. But rapidly a light began to appear. His heart skipped a beat in his chest. They launched! They launched! He stepped back and sat down bracing himself for their passing. They were going to make it! As the jet of steam shot by him he found the tears running down his face again. A moment later the rocket blasted past. With a scream louder than anything Kaiser had ever heard the ship hit the slope and tore up it at full speed passing the Arch-Bishop by almost before he knew it. With a smile he watched them scale up the vertical track.
"I know you'll do it..." he said to himself. "I know you guys are going to be ok..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With a deafening squeal the Khalis was flung clear of the edge of the rail. The ship continued to sail up into the air, but it was becoming obvious their speed was decreasing fast. Leska watched the tower fall away from them.
"Satomiii!! Hit that button now!!"
Her sister was almost too ill to comply. Weakly she reached out while her head spun and pushed the small button Leska showed her before. There was a sudden increase of acceleration as the rocket switched fuel loads. The entire craft shook violently as it pushed it self up into the air. It began to accelerate once more and a moment later was flying past the clouds in the sky...
They made it. They left Terra II. They had all done it...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The former Arch-Bishop turned and slowly began to walk to the large coolant barrel. The thrill of the moment past was quickly leaving him. They were all up there on their way and he was still down here, left behind to secure their safety. As he walked he began to wonder. What were their new lives going to be like? Where would it take them? Would they always remember him... especially Aisha?
From his belt he pulled out a long knife. It was the same kind as the one the given to all Gray Eye apprentices when they finally completed their rite of passage and entered the force as a full fledged warrior. He stared at the blade for a short moment letting it shine across his eyes. This little weapon was going to be part of the greatest act of killing ever done by a single Gray Eye...
He swallowed once more. He remembered what he had promised to Aisha in Kisa's home.
"That's twice Aisha... Twice I've lied to you..."
Kaiser hefted the blade and in one smooth motion drove it into the side of the coolant tank. The sharp edge cut through the metal and almost immediately a thick blue liquid began to run out of the hole. Kaiser left the blade where it was in the side of the tank and slowly sat down next to the growing puddle of coolant on the floor. With a sigh he leaned up against the tank and let his eyes close.
"Forgive me..."
Down the tunnel to his left he could hear a high pitched squeal. They had finally started burning through the last door. Maybe five minutes...
Kaiser shifted uncomfortably. He was sitting on something. He reached down and felt a bulge in his back pocket. He reached in and pulled out a small box. Popping the lid open he saw one cigarette. It was his last one. He smiled and pulled it out. Lighting a small match from a box in his other pocket he lit the small white cig. Mindful of the rapidly growing pool of coolant he put the match out and flung it away. Closing his eyes once more he took a long pull.
He didn't always smoke. A few years ago he wouldn't touch one of them. They had a tendency to kill people. But over the course of the last year he turned to them to help calm his frayed nerves. They gave him an excuse to step outside and give his body a moment to rest. Flicking the ashes away he let his breath out. He started to chuckle a bit. 'They had a tendency to kill people...'
So this was truly it. The last moments of a man about to die. A man about to kill himself. A man about to leave the world behind, about to commit suicide. He looked down with a frown and rubbed his stomach. He had butterflies.
He leaned back and began to chuckle even more. Of course he did! If he didn't, then he should have been really worried. Above him a soft breeze came down from the opening to the sky. He looked up and saw the heavens. The sun had, by now, cleared well of the horizon and was tracking it's course up into the heavens. The entire hangar was quiet except for the sound of the far door being cut through down the hall. He took another puff and smiled. This wasn't too bad.
Looking back up into the sky he could dimly see the rocket. It turned into a shining star rapidly receding into the vast, azure sky. He would give them a few more minutes to get well clear of the blast zone.
He looked down the tunnel and let the breeze play with his hair once more. No, this wasn't bad at all. He didn't mind going like this. His only regret was Aisha.
"God damn you lady luck..." he said softly. Why couldn't she have had stayed with him just for one more hour. He wanted to have at least seen Aisha off. To have at least seen her leave with his very own eyes. Poor girl... He hoped and prayed she would forgive him. Kaiser hoped she would find it in her to move on with her life and get over his loss. He knew that someday she would be happy once more. Someday she would find peace.
He smiled and took another puff. Suddenly he begun to chuckle.
"...Aisha."
His mind wandered to their first trip into the desert when she showed her the world for the first time. The cave they stayed in was still very vivid in his mind. And that Lime Rose...
"...I wonder what will happen to it?" He said softly thinking of that flower. "Nah, It's going to be well out of the blast radius." He smiled even wider. That Lime Rose was going to be O.K. It was going to go on living long after he finished. It was still going to see the sun set tonight. And it was going to see the sun rise the next morning. The wind was still going to gently blow through its leaves and make them flutter and tremble. It was going to bloom and show the sun it's bright, luxurious petals long after Kaiser'd gone. Right outside that little cave, out in the desert, in all the silence and peace of nature, that little flower was going to continue on.
"...It's going to be all right..." He said softly. Taking another puff he began to hear something. It was soft and seemed to flowing in on the breeze... It was music. Sweet music... He closed his eyes. Once again it was the music... It seemed to fill the entire hangar. It reverberated out of the tunnel and off the walls. He smiled and let the tune begin to carry him away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...Desperate for changing...
...Starving for truth...
I'm closer where I Started,
Chasing after you...
I'm falling even more in love with you...
Letting go of all I've held onto...
I'm standing here until you make me move...
I'm hanging by a moment here with you...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inside the Khalis, Aisha slowly came awake. Aiko looked over and saw her start to move.
"Aisha?"
Slowly the woman came around. She was muttering below her breath.
"...Kaiser...Kaiser...please...Kaiser..."
Suddenly her eyes shot wide open and she jerked up.
"KAISER!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forgetting all I'm lacking,
Completely incomplete...
I'll take your invitation,
You take all of me!
Now, I'm falling even more in love with you,
Letting go of all I've held onto!
I'm standing here until you make me move!
I'm hanging by a moment here with you!
I'm living for the only thing I know!
I'm running and not quite sure where to go!
And I don't know what I'm diving into,
Just hanging by a moment here with you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the music continued Kaiser grinned and let his mind wander. He began to remember Aisha and all the times he shared with her. He began to remember her face, her kiss, her touch... He began to remember their arguments, their fights, and their reconciliation's. He remembered everything since he'd first laid eyes on her...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...There's nothing left to lose!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I say you kill them all..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...There's nothing left to find!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'd sooner die..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...There's nothing in the world,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I want to show you the world."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...That could change my mind!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I love you..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is nothing eeeeeelse~!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Aisha..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is nothing eeeeeelse~!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Kaiser..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is nothing else!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the Khalis, Aisha tore her self free from the restraints and burst from her chair. In a flash she ran up to the window in the back of the ship and saw the surface of Terra II rapidly disappearing. A moment later Aiko was up and behind her pulling her body back. Aisha screamed into the window and began to struggle, beating at the bulkheads and holding on as tightly as she could.
"KAISER!! KAAAAISEEER!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Down below Kaiser looked up and opened his eyes. Someone was coming... He looked straight ahead and the entire hangar seemed to disappear. He was sitting out in the desert at that cave once more. To his left, the Lime Rose was in full bloom. Someone was walking toward him, her body glowed brightly with a soft, white light. He focused his eyes and recognized her.
It was Aisha. She was smiling to him. Taking one foot in front of the other she slowly walked up to him. Her eyes were bright and her smile wide. Slowly she reached out her hand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Desperate for changing...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser smiled. "Aisha..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Starving for truth...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"KAAAAISEEEEEER!!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm closer to where I started...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser reached out and took her hand. Gently her palm closed over his and they both smiled as tears began to slowly fall from Kaiser's cool, gray eyes. His smile filled his face...
"...Aisha..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...Chasing after you...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With a gentle motion, Kaiser flicked the cigarette away. In a graceful arc the burning embers sailed away from him and landed dead center in the pool of reactor coolant. A moment later the entire hangar had become an inferno.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm falling even more in love with you!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The fire raced up the coolant tubes...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Letting go of all I've held onto!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...and down the reactor pipes...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm standing here until you make me move!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...And straight into the reactor itself...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm Hanging By A Moment Here With You!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With wide eyes, Aisha saw the terrible blinding flash from the surface. Instantly she knew what had happened.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm LIVING for the only thing I know!!!
I'm RUNNING and not quite sure where to go!!!
And I don't know what I'm DIVING into!!!
JUST HANGING BY A MOMENT HERE WITH YOU!!!
JUST HANGING BY A MOMENT~!!!
(...here with you...)
HANGING BY A MOMENT~!!!
(...here with you...)
Hanging By A Moment~!!!
(...Here with you...)
Hanging by a moment here with you...
~Hanging By a Moment.
Life house
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aiko's grip around Aisha loosened as she stared in shock out the window. Aisha had gone silent and still... Everyone had. There wasn't a single woman in the entire ship who didn't hear the explosion, or see the flash of light, or feel the ship jump from the shock wave. Aisha began to tremble and slipped out of Aiko's hold. She fell her knees and began to slump over.
Everyone in the cabin heard her sobs start. Digging her fingers into the bottom of the starcraft she slowly began to wail, she didn't hold back anything at all. Aiko clutched her arms and turned away silently, letting a pair of tears fall down her face as well. Asuka held Krysta as she cried onto her. Katsumi and Nanaka wept as well, in each other's arms. Up front Leska closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Satomi began to sniff and tremble, barely managing her keep her self together.
Aisha, on the other hand, fell completely apart. She dug her fingers in the cold, metallic floor and scratched deep marks into the metal, nearly screaming at the top of her lungs. Her entire frame was wracked with sobs. She cried as violently as she did loudly. Her wails and cries filled the entire ship. There wasn't anyone on board who didn't hear them. Aiko did her best just to stand there and not join her sister. At the other end she could hear both Nanaka and Katsumi weeping softly onto each other.
He'd finally done it. The ultimate sacrifice. The ultimate act of devotion.
Kaiser, Arch-Bishop of the Gray Eye, second under Lord Ghenna, father to eight, friend to many and love of one, was dead. All that marked his grave was the largest crater caused by man on the face of Terra II.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finally her moans became softer, and she stopped ripping her fingers up on the floor of the cabin. As her tears began to recede, Aiko knelt down beside her sister. Aisha was on her knees hunched over the ground. Her legs tucked up underneath her and her arms spread on the ground her body still shook softly from her sobs. Taking a seat, Aiko reached out and gently began to rub her sister's back. She slowly and silently ran her hand up and down, trying her best to comfort her. She sniffed and began to call her gently.
"Aisha...Aisha...Aisha..."
The rest finally began to calm themselves down. As their tears dried they turned to Aisha. Everyone there knew the relationship Aisha had with Kaiser. They had been in love. They'd been closer than anyone else. Their hearts, for both the longest and shortest period of time, touched. It had been Aisha who had opened up his eyes to them. It had been Aisha whom Kaiser fell in love with. Aisha had been the reason he'd come back to them. It had been Aisha for whom he'd given his life.
As Aiko continued to call her name and rub her back in comfort Aisha began to move. She began to clench her fist and curl them up around her head. Her breathing picked up and her body began to tense up. Aiko stopped when she heard her whisper some thing.
"Aisha? What did you say?"
Her sister's eyes opened. She spoke very softly.
"I said don't call me that name..."
Aiko sat up in surprise. "A-Aisha, what, what do-"
Aisha threw her body up and slammed her fist in the floor. She began to scream.
"DON'T CALL ME THAT NAME!! DON'T!! Don't, Aiko... Don't call me that!!"
She turned to her and began to weep once more.
"I don't want that name. A terrible man gave it to me. He didn't love me! He didn't love any of us!! That old BASTARD!! That old heartless man... I hate him!! I HATE HIM!!"
Once more she slammed her fist into the floor.
"I hate him...Aisha was his name. I don't want that name. I don't want anything to do with him. Nothing..."
Aiko leaned over and put her arm around her sister. "But, but... What do you want us to call you?"
The crying woman sniffed and looked up to her sister. Though her eyes were sad there was still the slightest hint of a smile on her lips.
"Lime... Kaiser called me Lime once. My name is Lime...Bloodberry-chan."
Aiko looked taken back for a moment. But a moment later her face softened and she smiled.
"Ok... Lime."
Bloodberry turned to Asuka and nodded.
"How about you... Tiger?"
Tiger sniffed and nodded, starting to chuckle. "How about you Rose?"
Katsumi looked up. "And you Panta?"
Nanaka smiled. "What do you say Luchs?"
Krysta wiped her tears away and smiled herself. She called to up front where Leska and Satomi listening to what they were saying.
"How about you Cherry?"
She smiled and let out a short laugh wiping her own eyes dry.
"Well, Jade?"
Leska narrowed her eyes and nodded. "So this is what we're going to do then. We'll take the names Kaiser gave us at that Auction. We're going to carry a piece of him with us for the rest of our lives. We're going to take something that he gave us and hold it close to our hearts until the day we die." She leaned around the pilot's chair and smiled at Lime, still kneeling on the floor in Bloodberry's arms.
"So be it Lime!"
Lime smiled and wiped her face dry. They'd all lost someone important, someone who had touched each of them, someone who had been their only father, friend and love. They were going to carry him around in their hearts for the rest of their lives. They were going to take the names he had given them in the worst period of their lives. They were going to remember him forever by taking those names as their own. No longer were they Aisha, Satomi and Katsumi; names given to women by an old man who cared for nothing more than the offspring they would bear. They were now Lime, Cherry, Rose, Tiger, Bloodberry, Panta, Jade and Luchs; Names given to them by one of the only men who ever cared for any of them; For the only man that had been their father.
Jade turned forward once more and pointed. There was a bright star coming up in the distance.
"Do you see that everyone? Do you see that star? That's where Kaiser wanted us to go! That's where he took his own life for us to reach. That star right there!"
She turned her seat around and stood up. Emboldened by Lime she began to speak.
"Kaiser is gone! He'll never come back to us. But in his passing he has left us a window of opportunity. He has opened the last door we need to escape this hell. He died so that we all could live happily together one day. That station is our key.
"From the pilot I read I found they have a legion of Gray Eye stationed there. All their doors have security locks on them. There is an inner lab we need to break into. There are armed guards, gunpoints and passageways we will have to negotiate to reach those labs! Resistance will be thick and they will fight for every inch of ground they own.
"But they don't have something we have. They don't have our determination. They don't have our strength. They don't have our will. Over three years ago Lime fell! She dropped to the ground with a body broken by Kaiser. But every time she felt herself collapse she rose again. Like a phoenix she rose from her ashes and stood back up once more to defy him. She didn't lie down until she'd hit him that once. She was fighting in there not only for herself, but for everyone of us.
"Now we've got to stand! They've killed Kaiser and knocked our feet out from under us and now we risk not standing once more. But we won't let Kaiser's death be in vain! We won't allow what he did for us to go to waste.
"We are going to break into that station! We are going fight our way to the labs! We are going to send ourselves to a home outside of Ghenna's reach! We are going to do this together. Come hell or high water we are going to accomplish this, or we will die trying!"
She clenched her teeth and fist as she said this. Her, normally flat eyes alight with fire coming from deep in her soul.
"Are we in this?"
She said putting her hand forward. There wasn't anyone there who didn't join hers. They all looked from one another with a fresh new fire in their eyes. They were going to fight until the end to save their lives. Kaiser opened the door. Now they had to step through.
Lime's sad eyes had now grown fierce. "Let's get this done then! Let's give them a shock they won't ever forget!"
Everyone's eyes met and they all nodded. It was set!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[THE FOLLOWING TRANSCRIPTS ARE FROM THE MESSAGE RELAY CENTER, ISIS STAR STATION IN HIGH ORBIT AROUND TERRA II ]
][DATE: 12/23/223 TTDS][
]][TIME: 8:42 TTTS][[
"Alpha one this is HQ, do you copy, over?"
"HQ, this is Alpha leader. I read you over?"
"What is your current status Alpha One, over?"
"HQ, Area is clear over."
"Copy that. Beta Seven, this is HQ, over."
"Beta leader, I read, over."
"Beta leader what's your status, over?"
"Sector is clear, HQ. The Khalis is docking into air lock Nine and we are waiting for the pilots to emerge with their cargo, over."
"Roger that. Lambda five, This is HQ. Do you read, over?"
"This is Lambda leader. I read, over."
"Lambda leader, what's your status?"
"HQ, Sector is all clear, over."
"Roger Lambda Leader. Gamma team, do you-"
"Beta Leader to H.Q!! Beta Leader to H.Q!! Do you copy, over?!"
"Beta Leader, this is H.Q. We read, over."
"H.Q! The pilots from the Khalis have begun attacking us!!"
"What... Say again Beta Leader?"
[Sounds of shots being fired in background.]
"H.Q! Beta docks are under attack! I repeat Beta Docks are under fire from the Khalis! Her pilots have begun firing upon us! Over."
"Roger that Beta Leader, sit tight. Reinforcements are on their way. This is H.Q. to all available units, repeat all available units. Beta Docks have come under fire from the cargo ship Khalis! All units proceed to Beta Docks and give supporting fire. I repeat once more, every available unit proceed to Beta Docks and neutralize the threat. Over."
"Lambda Team, Aye."
"Alpha One, Aye."
"Gamma team, Aye."
"Delta Team, Aye."
"Gray Eyes, We will be there."
"Epsilon Team, Will do-"
"H.Q!! Beta Team to H.Q.!! They're engaging the weapon array on the Khalis! I repeat they are using the starship's weapon array on us! They've brought the main cannons online! Request- [SCREEEEEEEECHKA!!!]"
[Radio Silence from Beta Team.]
"Beta Team say again, Your transmission was cut off. Beta Team, repeat your last transmission, over! ...Beta Team, Respond!"
[Static]
"All right... All units, this is H.Q. We've lost all communication with Beta Team. All units stand by and wait for further orders. We have to assess this situation properly."
"Alpha, Aye."
"Epsilon, Aye."
"Gamma, Aye."
"Delta, Aye."
"Gray Eyes, we will comply."
"Lambda, Will do."
[There is radio silence for almost two minutes. Officials in security headquarters wait and discuss what the proper course of action would be now.]
"...H.Q.! H.Q. This is Lambda sector! Do you copy, over?"
"Roger, Lambda. What's your situation?"
"H.Q., a cargo elevator from Beta Docks is rising right up into our sector! We have a cargo elevator from Beta Docks inbound for our sector!"
"Roger Lambda team! All units proceed to Lambda elevator landing point! It looks like these are the rogue pilots! Let's take them down."
"Roger!"
"Copy that."
"In bound."
"We will move."
"Aye."
"Consider us there."
"Lambda team, this is H.Q. Reinforcements are on the way. Could you give us the E.T.A. for their arrival?"
"H.Q. you got ten seconds! They're right on top of us!"
"Roger that, Lambda team! Keep them pinned down in the elevator! Don't let them loose! Gray Eyes are on their way!"
"Copy, tell them to hurry up! ...Shit here they come! Lambda team, hold tight! When those doors open well let loose with everything we have!!"
[Radio Silence for a moment.]
"Doors are opening! FIRE!!"
[The sound of gunfire can be heard. It's almost deafening.]
"What...What the hell... Hold your fire! HOLD YOUR FIRE!! There's no one in there!! It's empty! W-where the hell did they... SHIT, GRENADES!!! Everyone duck and- [Lambda One's voice is drowned out by a massive explosion.]
[Momentary radio silence]
"God Dammit! H.Q., this is Epsilon team! What the hell was that!! It we felt it all the way down here in our sector!!!"
"Epsilon, We don't know. We felt it all the way up here though. Lambda Team called out a grenade alert just before the blast."
"H.Q., this is Delta Team. That's one hell of a grenade, we all felt it here in the labs!"
"Roger that."
"[cough] [cough] H.Q., [cough] H.Q. This is Lambda one... They took off right past us! They ran right through our forces after the blast. I just caught them out of the corner of my eyes! [cough]"
"Lambda, this is H.Q., What was that explosion?"
"H.Q., you guy's better get a fire fighting team down here, That grenade blew a gas line! Those of us who haven't been burned are getting fried now! We're pulling back and attempting pursuit, I think they've moved into the lounge and the recreation area."
"Roger Lambda. Did you get a clear view of them? Do you know their numbers?"
"[cough] [cough] At least four! I think I might have seen a few more, but I can't be sure."
"Copy, Proceed out! All other units, be advised. The intruders have made it past Lambda team and are proceeding into Gamma Sector. They have explosives most likely garnered from Beta Team. All units be aware these guys know what they are doing. They cleared through two security divisions and are proceeding to a third! They are to be regarded as hostile and extremely dangerous. All caution and force should be used to when containing them."
"Headquarters, this is the Gray Eyes."
"Aye Gray Eye, what is it?"
"We have a problem here. The way into Lambda sector no longer exists."
"What? Say again Gray Eyes."
"The corridor into Lambda Sector is blocked by debris. The tunnel ahead has collapsed. We can smell gas in the air. We are proceeding out and trying the exit in Alpha Sector."
"Gray Eyes, that is a ten minute run. Proceed quickly!"
"Worry about containing them in Gamma. If they escape into the labs we'll be held up for another fifteen while we make our way through them."
"Roger. Alert to all, Gray Eyes are en route to through Alpha Sector. Let's contain them until they arrive!"
"H.Q. this is Delta. What the hell do you mean through Alpha Sector? That's a fifteen minute march!"
"Ten, Delta one. Apparently the Lambda exit collapsed in the explosion. Rotten luck I guess. They smelled gas and decided to deploy through Alpha sector."
"Roger, H.Q. We'll wait."
"H.Q.! Gamma Team here! We've encountered the intruders! They're in Rec. Lounge 5! Jesus Christ, they're fast! Two of them were upon us in a flash and the rest slipped by while we were busy with them. God damn, they move like Gray Eye!"
"Gamma one, did you get a count of how many there was?"
"I saw at least seven or eight, maybe nine!"
"Lambda, this is the Gray Eyes. You said they move like us?"
"Oh hell, they did! I almost thought it were you guys attacking!"
"Did you get a good look at them?"
"Negative. They were in full capsule suits. Their helmets were pulled down."
"Bahakana!"
"All right you two, concentrate on the objective at hand. Gamma team follow the intruders as well as you can. Gray Eyes, hurry to Gamma Sector. We don't know how long Gamma and Lambda will be able to hold them down."
"H.Q., they have nowhere to go from Gamma sector."
"Gamma team this is Delta. Negative, They can move right into our sector."
"I doubt it, They don't have the pass codes to the door locks."
"Regardless, there's still that chance! H.Q. to all units, hurry up to Gamma Sector! We need to contain them there!"
"Roger H.Q."
"H.Q., this is Gamma one! We turned the first corner we came to and ran right into them! They've holed themselves right up in the Rec. Room. They've barricaded the way and are holding their positions!!"
"Roger, Gamma one! H.Q. to all units, you know where to proceed to. Delta team hold fast. We believe you might be seeing some action soon. Gamma one, can you rush them and break through?"
"Negative, they've set up defenses and fortified them. They're shooting at us through them. Duran and Freeman reported seeing hostages behind those barricades. They were Delta Sector science teams on break apparently."
"Copy. All units proceed to Gamma's containment point. Alpha team can you make it to Gamma Science Sector entrance?"
"H.Q. this is Alpha One. Consider us there."
[Radio Silence ensues for the next ten minutes as all units proceed to Gamma Sector. Apart from standard reporting in, there are no relevant transmissions.]
"H.Q., This is the Gray Eyes. We've reached Gamma sector. We are at the entrance to Recreation Room one."
"H.Q. to Gray Eyes, we copy. Can you move in?"
"They'll never know what hit them. Gray Eye moving out."
"H.Q. to all units at Gamma point, prepare to back up The Gray Eyes as they move."
"Aye."
"Roger that."
[there is a moment of silence once more.]
"H.Q. this is Gray Eyes. We have a situation."
"H.Q. here, proceed?"
"We've cleared their barricade and found the science team, they were Delta Sector, but the intruders are missing."
"Repeat again? They're missing?"
"They are not here. The intruders seemed to have vanished. We are pulling out to search for them."
"Roger that Gray Eyes. Any idea how they got out?"
"Negative. It's like they upped and vanished..."
"Allright, all squads disperse from Gamma zone. Find those intruders!!"
"Roger H.Q."
"Aye, aye."
"Copy tha-."
"[Sounds of strong gunfire in the background.] H.Q., H.Q., this is Epsilon team!! Jesus, they're right on top of us! They came right out of the fucking ventilation system!! I repeat they came straight through the air vents!"
"Epsilon team, where are you?! Give us your location, now!"
"Oh, my god! They came right through the fucking vents!! They're all over us, we can't hold them back!! They're breaking through, they're breaking through!! Oh shit!! Oh Shiiiiit!! Game over man!! Game ove- AAAAGH!!" [static]
"Epsilon Team, do you copy, over? Epsilon team respond! Dammit! H.Q. to all units, does anyone know where Epsilon team was last located?"
"Lambda One to H.Q., If Epsilon was heading for Gamma, they would have had to travel through Alpha Territory."
"Gamma one to all, What the hell is in Alpha territory? Why the hell would the intruders move there?"
"Alpha One to Gamma One, Just the fucking Alpha entrance to the Science Labs!! They're heading for that entrance! All teams pull out and get over there! They want to get into the science labs!!"
"H.Q. to all, All units move to Alpha Science Sector Air Lock! Delta Team, move yourselves down to there now! It appears they want something in the labs!! Everyone Move!!"
"God almighty, This is Alpha One to Gamma One. Gamma are you sure you didn't see any of Beta Sectors technicians tagging along with them?"
"No, I'm positive, over."
"Well how the hell do they know where to go? I mean the fucking vent system?! How in hell did they manage to navigate that space?!"
"To H.Q., this is the Gray Eyes. We are coming together and rendezvousing at The Alpha Lock. Give us three minutes."
"H.Q. to Gray Eye, you have less time than that. Someone's typing in a password at the lock. It's checking the password now!"
"They are already at the lock? Bloody hell, they do move like us! Can you keep them occupied?"
"Negative, the computer just gave them clearance!! They're getting through!!"
"Alpha One to H.Q., who the hell gave them the clearance codes?!"
"Hell if we know, Alpha One! Delta Team, are you in position?"
"Negative! We're en route still!"
"God Dammit!! They've got access to the labs!! They're in, I repeat they are in the Labs! Every available unit get into those Labs from whichever entrance is closest! We must dispose of them! Delta Team, hunt them down and find them!"
"H.Q.! Can you track them through the lab with the monitoring equipment? We need to know where to block them off!"
"Roger, We can. The monitors set up in there will give us the edge."
"Copy, then move it! Start tracking!"
"All right Delta, We're getting our signals... now! ...Ok, H.Q to Delta, they're heading through the research area. Delta, follow your corridor to your left and you should run into them. They're heading that way."
"Roger. [in background] All right team, to the left!"
"All right Delta... They're heading right for you..."
"H.Q. this is The Gray Eyes. We're entering the Lab now. We'll follow close behind and track them."
"Roger that, Gray Eyes... D-Delta Team! They're turning around!"
"H.Q., What?! Say again?"
"Delta team the intruders have turned around they're heading back up the corridor!"
"What?! Why?!"
"We don't know, we're tracking movement back up the corridor. They're no longer heading in your direction! They're heading back to the junction."
"Roger, We're in pursuit!"
"Delta team, it is us. We'll be moving in on their position momentarily. If we pinch them in prepare for a fire fight."
"Roger, Gray Eyes. Hurry up. They run faster than us!"
"Delta this is H.Q. They've reached the junction, they're turning up the west path."
"That'll take them to the experimentation labs. That's over by Gamma sector."
"Everyone, this is Lambda Team. We're still up here by Gamma entrance. We'll head in and move through to intercept them. We got a score to settle."
"Don't let it get in the way of your judgment. Just kill them. All teams have been authorized to use lethal force. Shoot to kill!"
"Roger."
"Copy."
"With pleasure."
"We will comply."
"All right. Gray Eyes, when you reach the junction ahead follow the west tunnel. You'll be hot on their tails."
"Where will this take us, headquarters?"
"That'll take you past Lambda's position and into the prototype lab."
"Sheikana! Lambda will not be able to keep them back! These intruders, they are swift of feet. We won't be able to catch up to them."
"Lambda's team should be able to slow them up enough for you to meet up with them."
"Negative headquarters. They will be no more than a light distraction. All of us can tell. These people have to have our training and our skeletons. They move far too fast for normal men."
"Are you sure of this Gray Eyes?"
"We don't have a doubt."
"This is Delta, you got that right! They're like fucking ghosts!"
"Headquarters? Isn't there a large blast door that will seal prototype off from us?"
"...Shit! There is. It's designed to seal the lab from the outside world. When the time equipment is activated the door will close and seal itself. No one and nothing will be able to enter it."
"So they will be free to move and use the equipment as they see fit."
"Yes, there's no way to open that door from the outside. Arch-Bishop Kaiser designed the system. If he and the best hacking elite's weren't able to break in then no one will be able to. You can't even cut through the door unless you have a high yield Ticyium laser. The door's made of a much stronger and more durable version of the same material used in your skeletons."
"Will we be able to cut their power?"
"Yes and no. Yes it is possible. The lab is powered by its own reactor that's sealed in with the equipment. But the coolant lines run outside that sealed zone. If you wanted to cut them you could. The reactor would realize it was over heating and automatically shut itself down. However we'll loose any and all data in those equipment. It's a safety protocol. The science teams, as well as Lord Ghenna, will crucify us for proceeding with that action. We'll lose all the data stored in those labs! Lambda team, ready yourself. They're almost on you!"
"Lambda team to H.Q. Rest easy, we got them. Ready troops!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
[for less than a minute there is radio silence. Headquarters breaks it.]
"Dammit, Lambda team's down! Everyone head for the prototype lab! It looks like they're going to secure themselves in there!"
"Gray Eyes to all units. There is a large blast door that will seal off the prototype lab. When the equipment inside is activated that door will seal itself locking us out. We have to break through and take them before they get their chance to activate the equipment."
"This is Delta One. What makes you so sure they're going to be able to activate that equipment. Only science personnel are be able to."
"Delta one, they knew the pass codes to the security doors. I strongly doubt anyone this good and anyone with this kind of classified information would know every single detail about the station and the labs only to reach their goals in the lab and not know how to use the equipment."
"To all units, this is H.Q. ...They've infiltrated the labs. We've lost all contact with them. It's only a matter of time now. The Gray Eyes are correct. We need to take our labs back before they get a chance to activate the machinery. The Head of the Science department tells us it takes ten minutes to power and prime the equipment. Keep in mind, none of the machinery in there is cold, so it will probably take them even less. We need to hurry.
"One last thing all units. You will be firing into a sensitive equipment lab. There is a large steel wall inside the door forming the hallway between the inner lab and the outer hull of the lab. However it is not advised that units use any laser weapons. Those may burn through that shield and destroy some of the equipment. Use only small to medium arms. We want bullets not blasts. All units copy?"
"Alpha team, roger."
"Delta team, copy."
"Gamma team, roger that."
"Gray eyes, We will comply."
"Good, now everyone take that lab back! Time is very limited! Be careful! H.Q. out!"
][[END TRANSMISSION]][
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lime spat as she took aim down the dark corridor and fired. The enemy was using bullets instead of laser fire, and for that she was thankful. Laser blasts would have killed them long since. Along the right side of her head was a shallow furrow where a bullet had grazed her. It was bleeding openly down the side of her face, getting in her eyes causing them to burn. Had that been a laser bolt the heat would have scrambled her brains instantly. They'd removed their helmets upon entering the labs. They were becoming too much of a burden to carry around.
Lime sat back beside the gaping entrance to the lab while Bloodberry, on the other side of the door, took over firing down the hallway. Neither of them were shooting to kill. There was no need to. They just needed to hold the whole of the forces back until Jade could activate the door and close it. Lime pulled out a yellow bandanna she'd stolen from one of the tech workers when they first landed. It was the kind that was stain proof, used to wipe hands free from grease and oil. All you had to do was wash it out and it was like new. With a small grunt she wrapped the thing around her head tightly.
"Hey Jade!" She yelled into the lab. "Get these doors closed! Do what ever it takes, but shut them! We're running out of ammunition!"
She hoisted her rifle once more and peeked out the side of the door. It's design was very similar to that of an M16, except the bullets it fired were sliced on their tips to shatter upon impact and the barrel had been shortened slightly. Raising it and taking aim she fired. This would keep them down...
Bloodberry ducked back undercover and reloaded. The damn arms locker in the Khalis didn't have very many bullets. They'd grabbed what they could from the various squads they ran into as they moved along. Jade always knew when they were going to run into one and when they weren't. They never saw the guards unless they wanted to run into them except the last time when they had no choice. Jade had done a wonderful job of getting them this far. It was incredible they had gotten to this point. Bloodberry hoped that she would continue and get the last blast door closed before they were overrun.
Behind the blast shield, in the lab, Cherry rubbed her hand painfully. When they'd surprised the one squad after they traveled through the air ducts she come down near a man screaming wildly into a radio and firing almost blindly. She'd given him a quick chop to knock him out, but didn't expect his head to be as hard as it had been. While she'd knocked him clean out she'd also hurt her hand. Grimacing slightly she set back to work.
"Ok, Jade, this system's telling me it's ready."
Jade nodded quickly as she moved from control panel to control panel.
"All right, when we get the main cylinders on-line that door will close and we can slow down some. They aren't going to pull the plug on us, the information contained in these machines will die if they do. Once that door is closed..." she ran to the far panel and flipped a few more switches. "...We'll be safe."
Tiger, Luchs, Panta, Cherry, and Rose all stood by their respective stations. Jade quickly showed them what to do in order to get the machinery fully up and running. Each of them eyed their gauges and switches intently. In front of them was a platform behind a large glass shield. Encircling it was a massive glass tube up near the top of the shield. At each of the corners were four Tesla coils standing almost seven feet tall. At intervals around the circular platform were small, thin, triangular nodes that seemed to reach up and curl inwards to the platform like fingers starting to close around the platform. This was the main launching pad. It was here they were going to stand and be flung through time.
Jade smiled as she began to hear something start to hum. She'd restored power to the main system. All she had to do now was take all the equipment out of standby and power it up. All she needed was one cylinder out of the five charged and primed in order for the blast door to close. The lovely scientists in the lounge had known everything there was to know about running the machinery in the lab. Tiger looked up.
"Jade, this system's powering up. My meter is starting to rise."
Luchs looked up and nodded. "Me too. This system's charging itself as well."
Jade laughed. "Sounds good. Panta, Rose, tell me when you guys have power as well. As soon as you do we can start one of the cylinders and close that door!"
"Aye!"
"All right Onee-sama."
Lime ducked back into cover and began to reload once more. Shit! Three clips left...
"HURRY UP JADE!! WE DON'T HAVE TIME!!"
Jade moved swiftly from console to console flipping a switch here and turning a knob there moving with grace and fluidity. Rose began to smile.
"I'm getting power."
One more...
Bloodberry slumped back down and slipped the clip free from her rifle. Firefights with the Gray Eye were no fun. She looked up and saw bullets scoring themselves into the metallic shield. Well, it looks like this is it. Either this door closes soon or they'll be overrun and stopped right in front of their goal. Slapping another clip into place she turned around and peeked out to fire.
Jade went to the last control panel and flipped a small red switch. Turning a knob to its max she grinned and looked over to Cherry. Cherry began to smile as well.
"We've got power over here! My meter is moving! It's moving!!"
With a small laugh Jade spun back around to the control panel and typed in a single command into the screen. With a rumble and a slight shaking of the floor she powered up the first cylinder.
Lime felt the ground start to shake a bit and looked up. The large blast door was starting lower itself. She smiled and sat up turning around.
"Jade! You did it!! The door's closing! We've done-" [zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzTHPBT]
Bloodberry saw Lime fall to the ground out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see her lying with her eyes closed in a pool of blood rapidly pooling under her head. Instantly she remembered her promise to Kaiser.
"Oh shit, LIME!!" Heedless of the bullets she dashed out and in one quick motion lifted her body from the floor and ran back under the cover. The large blast door was about halfway closed by now. Bloodberry turned her sister over and began to examine here.
"Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit..." She repeated. Lime was unconscious... unconscious or dead...
Suddenly a noise caused her to look up. A soldier grinning evilly was lying flat on his stomach looking at her just below where the door had yet to descend. In his hand was a pistol.
In one smooth motion Bloodberry kicked out violently and caught the man right in the face. With a cry of pain his head and most of his upper body were lifted from the floor. He lost his aim and fired the gun once wildly.
"BakaYERO!!" She screamed as he brought her foot around and second time and once more caught the man full in the face. This time she sent him flying. Ducking back under cover just in time to avoid the hell storm of bullets, she went back to Lime.
Within moments the door closed completely and all eight women were sealed into the testing chamber. There was no longer any going back. There were no more chances for surrender. The road lay open for them. They were going to make it.
The six behind the blast shield stopped cheering and celebrating when the heard Bloodberry screaming out to them. They ran to the front and saw her cradling her sister in her arms and crying loudly.
"They killed her!! They killed Lime!! They shot her!! She's DEAD!!"
Tiger went pale. Luchs and Panta looked dumbly at her in obvious shock. Rose clasped her hand over her mouth and Jade took a step back...
...no...
Cherry rushed forward and knelt by Bloodberry. No, it couldn't be possible! Lime had gotten them this far. It was for her Kaiser had sacrificed himself. She'd been the reason he'd come back to all of them. Lime had been the one to touch Kaiser's heart when no one else could. She'd been the only one to defy him and rise again on her own two feet. She'd helped earn Jade's trust and bring all the women together. She was the first person Cherry had ever met.
...And now she was gone?
No, it couldn't be true! Not this close to their goal, not this close to the happiness and safety they were seeking!! She couldn't be dead! She just couldn't!! This was all for her!
Cherry gently took Lime from Bloodberry's trembling hands and rested her on her own lap. There was no way... there was no way... there was no way... there was...
Cherry narrowed her eyes...
...There was no way...
Bloodberry was surprised when Cherry began to laugh. She looked up to find her sister cradling Aisha's body and smiling widely. Everyone else stopped and looked up as well. Cherry grinned and held Lime up. There were tears of relief coming from her eyes.
"Lime's ok! She going to be Ok!!"
Bloodberry sat up. "What?! She's not..."
"No, look!" she said holding her sister up to Bloodberry. "It was a bullet. It grazed her skull. She's unconscious, that's all! Oh, lord this is her second wound! Look, here's an older one." She looked up and smiled to everyone.
"They can't kill our Lime, try as they might! Twice they nicked her, both in the head no less!"
Bloodberry sat back and nearly collapsed.
"Oh my god... I thought... I thought.... I, I saw all that blood and saw she wasn't moving and, and I thought... that..."
She swallowed nervously and rubbed a hand across her face.
Cherry smiled. "No, This cut's deep but it's nothing serious! She's going to be all right!"
As Luchs collapsed against the wall and slowly slid to her feet in relief, Jade looked down and smiled.
"Then we're just about ready to launch."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Panta, Luchs and Tiger held their sisters for the last time. There were a few tears as they said their final good-byes. It was decided that Panta and Luchs would stay together, they were closest to each other after all. Cherry and Lime along with Jade and Rose would also share the same decision. However Bloodberry and Tiger had to be broken up. Bloodberry told her sister that she had vowed to Kaiser that she would keep and protect Lime. She had that obligation to keep up, it was his dying wish. Tiger understood.
They held each other tightly for the last time. Jade told them that the science team thought it would be unsafe to send to send anymore than three people at a time. Tiger would ride along with Panta and Luchs and it so happened they were the first ones to leave.
Bloodberry let go of her sister and they stood apart from one another wiping their eyes.
"I'm going to miss you Onee-chan..."
"Heh, Bloodberry... I'm sure our paths will cross again someday."
"I know they will..." she said smiling. "Goodbye Tiger."
"Goodbye Bloodberry." Tiger turned and began to walk onto the platform where Luchs and Panta were waiting. She stopped and looked over her shoulder to Bloodberry once more.
"Hey, keep your nose clean, all right? I don't want to come back and see you ten, twenty years down the line like I did when Kaiser dragged your skanky ass back to us in the desert!"
Bloodberry chuckled and shook her head. "Sayonara, Onee-chan. Stay good."
Tiger smiled and climbed the platform. Each of them took the other's hand and formed a ring. Tiger smiled to each of them.
"We ready?" Panta and Luchs returned the smiles and nodded. They turned to Bloodberry and Cherry standing by watching them.
"Bye bye you two! I want you to take care of Lime! Nurse her back to full health!"
"Sayonara, Bloodberry, Cherry! Hopefully we'll see you soon!! Stay healthy!!"
Both of the women standing by smiled.
"We will!"
"So long you three! Be happy where ever you are!"
Jade and Rose worked the controls for the final stage of the trip. With a low groan the last of the cylinders began to come online. Turning, they watched the time machine power up. Each of the five triangles that circled the plat form began to slowly rotate around it. The four Tesla Coils began to charge as well. They were beginning to spark and shock. With amazement, the three women on the platform watched the machinery power up around them. This was really and truly it! This was what they had come here to do! They were going away. They weren't sure where, but were glad to be heading there any way. With a smile they watched the machinery charge. To the future!
The finger-like triangles began to spin around the platform faster and faster. Soon they were moving so fast it was like staring into the blades of a fan turned on full. They went by in a faded blur. A strong wind began to circulate around the lab as the machinery stirred and kicked the air around. The Tesla Coils suddenly lit up and sparks jumped up into the tube above. Everyone watched in amazement as a giant bolt of electricity filled the tube. The entire tube that ringed the whole platform above lit up brightly casting a light blue light across the entire lab.
As the 'fingers' finally reached their max rotation speed, lightning began to jump from the tube above and the coils below into them. Slowly they began to emit an even stronger, darker blue light. Cherry squinted as the stronger light began to shine even brighter. The lights had become a circular blur around the three women encasing them on the platform. It was like they were surrounded by a large, glowing ring. Bloodberry watched them on the platform through her fingers and, for the last time, briefly met eyes with Tiger.
'...So long Onee-sama..."
Finally four massive lighting bolts rose from the Tesla Coils and into the tube above, then, in an explosion of energy, the tube shot a massive sheet of electricity cascading straight down onto the rotating 'fingers'. In a flash of light and deafening sound there was an explosion. Bloodberry turned her head and looked away and felt a force hit her and caused her to stumble back a bit.
A second later the light was gone as was the noise. Bloodberry looked up to see the 'fingers' slowly begin to wind themselves down. The Tesla Coils were silent and the tube above filled with nothing at all. The platform, where three women had been standing not a moment earlier, was empty. The machinery had worked. They'd been sent into the future...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jade smiled softly as she held her sisters.
"I'm going to miss you guys."
Their turn had finally come. Bloodberry nodded. "We know. Wherever you end up, be sure to try and look us up, all right?"
Rose giggled. "Whatever you say Bloodberry!"
Cherry smiled as well. "I know our paths will meet again some time. I don't think this is the end."
Jade nodded. "I know this isn't the end. We're going to be with each other once again someday."
Rose sniffed and nodded. "You three please take care of yourselves. Don't get yourselves hurt, or even worse, killed."
"Ha!" Bloodberry smiled foolishly. "Me? Get in trouble? Where do you get this nonsense! Everyone knows Cherry's the real trouble maker here, eh?"
Cherry frowned and shot an evil eye up to her sister. "Whatever you say, Bloodberry..."
Jade closed her eyes and began to laugh. "Just be careful with yourself, you two. Don't get yourselves hurt! I wanna see you three again sometime."
She walked over to Lime cradled in Bloodberry's arms and kissed her softly on the cheek.
"Thank you Lime. You pulled us through all this. We would have been lost without you. Wake up happy, Onee-chan. Wake up happy and embrace your new world."
Rose walked up and did the same to her.
"Goodbye, Lime-chan. I want to see you again someday, smiling widely. Be safe, wherever you go..."
They separated and each moved to their respective posts. Cherry, Bloodberry and Lime all were on the platform. Jade and Rose took their stations at the console of the time machine. Jade looked over at the three and smiled.
"Don't ever forget about us, you two! Don't ever forget who you really are and what happened to all of us. We're sisters, we're the only sisters this planet has ever seen. Blood is thicker than water. Goodbye...Sayonara..."
Bloodberry and Cherry, holding Lime sandwiched between their bodies, hugged each other tightly. They turned to Jade and nodded.
"Let's get this show on the road! We've all got a future to live!"
Rose smiled at Bloodberry and began to work her controls. Slowly the fingers began to turn and rotate once more. As they started to spin round the platform faster and faster the Tesla Coils began to spark and charge. Bloodberry met Cherry's eyes over Limes' head.
"Are you ready for this?"
Cherry nodded.
"I hope we love where we're going!!"
Bloodberry laughed over the loud din that was beginning.
"I know we will, Cherry! Life owes us all one! Hahaha!"
Cherry giggled and held her sister tighter. The tube above them began to spark and fill with electricity. Cherry looked down at Lime in between the two of them. She looked so peaceful. Cherry giggled as she saw her sleeping with a small, happy smile on her face. They were doing this because of her. She hoped fervently that Lime would be happy wherever they landed.
She looked up into the tube above and grinned into the almost blinding light. The 'fingers' shone a dark blue and now spun fast enough to create the 'ring of light' illusion.
'I don't know who's out there...' she thought to herself, '...But who ever it is, thanks for letting us keep Lime... Thanks for getting us through this...'
Bloodberry turned her face upwards into the light and with a large smile, began to cheer.
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!!!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At that very moment Lord Ghenna received word of what happened at the Rocket Shot and the Space Station. It was said his eyes glittered like fire for months afterwards....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At that very moment Nansa rose his small cup into the sky in his little garden and smiled.
"Sayonara, Satomi-chan."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At that very moment a young Gray Eye by the name of Keinaro awoke from his fitful sleep with a sudden start, and spend the rest of the night wide awake wondering what had happened.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At that very moment, in a place far, far away; on another plane; in another universe, Kaiser watched with eager eyes and began to laugh out loud with joy. His little girls had done it, They'd pulled through...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At that very moment an explosion electricity cascaded down from the tube above onto the 'ring of light' and a second later all three of the women, smiling, sleeping and laughing were cast off the platform and sent screaming and cheering straight into a whirlwind of chaos and sound.
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!!!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everything's so blurry,
and everyone's so fake...
And everybody's empty,
and everything is so messed up...
Pre-occupied without you,
I cannot live at all...
My whole world surrounds you,
I stumble then I crawl...
But you could be my someone!
You could be my scene!
You know that I'll protect you
from all of the obscene!
I wonder what you're doing,
Imagine where you are...
There's oceans in between us
but that's not very far!!
Can you take it all away?!
Can you take it all away?!
Well ya shoved it in my face!
This pain you gave to me!
Can you take it all away?!
Can you take it all away?!
Well ya shoved it my face!!
Everyone is changing,
there's no one left that's real...
To make up your own ending,
let me know just how you feel...
'Cause I am lost without you,
I cannot live at all!
My whole world surrounds you,
I stumble then I crawl...
And you could be my someone!
You could be my scene!
You know that I will save you
from all of the unclean!
I wonder what you're doing,
I wonder where you are!
There's oceans in between us
but that's not very far!!
Can you take it all away?!
Can you take it all away?!
Well ya shoved it in my face!
This pain you gave to me!
Can you take it all away?!
Can you take it all away?!
Well ya shoved it my face!!
This pain you gave to me!!!
Oooooooohhh...
Nobody told me what you thought...
Nobody told me what to say...
Everyone showed you where to turn...
Told you when to runaway....
Nobody told you where to hide...
Nobody told you what to say...
Everyone showed you where to turn...
Showed you when to runaway!!
Can you take it all away?!
Can you take it all away?!
Well ya shoved it in my face!
This pain you gave to me!
Can you take it all away?!
Can you take it all away?!
Well ya shoved it my face!!
This pain you gave to me!!
Noooooooooooooooooooooooo~
This pain you gave to meeeeee!!~
This pain you gave to meeeeee!!~
...Can you take it all...
...Can you take it all away...
...This pain you gave to me...
...Can you take it all away...
...This pain you gave to me...
...Can you take it all away...
...This pain you gave to me...
...This pain you gave to me...
...This pain you gave to me...
...This pain you gave to me...
~Blurry
Puddle of Mudd
[To be continued]
E-mail to: The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com
In case any of you don't know, I am enlisted in the United States Navy. I ship for boot camp July 2nd 2002, [Note: It's October 12, I'm back and kicking ass!!] so right now I'm working on this Fan Fic at full steam. I want to finish up before I leave as to not leave those who are actively reading my ramblings hanging. Sorry Vik-man, Editing's a bitch, I know. Have fun...
All questions, comments, and other nonsense can be mailed to The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com
Even though I have this insatiable urge to babble non-sensically to my heart's desire during these periods of random writing action, I feel that today's discussion time should be about the names I gave all the women in their early years and addressing a few concerns people have let me on about.
[Warning: A white, American male (Southern Californian breed) is about to explain something. It is advised that all those who wish to retain sanity and logic now turn away.]
The names given to each of the women in the original series were extensions of their programs and personalities gifted to their maiden circuits. Their names worked because their creator didn't really seem to regard them as human. Instead they were merely a way to get [Censored for all those who have not seen SMJ yet. All those who watched know what goes here.]
However, a culture that is using them as the future for all of humanity would be much more intimate in their naming process. They would try and create what had been lost and make a suitable replacement. They weren't making machines with a purpose; they were re-making an entire aspect of a lifestyle lost hundreds of years ago. I figured they would give them more suitable names.
Another thing I've been trying to do was create a sense of how ignorant these people really are of what women are. Me, being white, single and a virgin, really wouldn't know much about the more intimate aspects of how the mind of the fairer sex works. So instead of making a Jackass of myself and take wild guesses I decided to really focus on their physical nature; about how the other men saw women for the first time and immediately compared that to themselves. That and the older stories and fears I've tried to hint at as well.
One more thing, some people seemed kinda disturbed at some of the references to homosexuality (OH MY GOD!!! THE "H" WORD!!! NOOOOOOOOO~) I've alluded to. #1, I am straight. I'm not 'in the closet', ;~; will some of you nut bags leave me alone! #2 (and more importantly) We're looking at a world where the only inhabitants are male. That means NO FEMALES! That means the only possible partners around would be male. Human instinct is still to bond, it can't be suppressed. It's logical to assume such things would be prominent in such a land as men...you know... bond... #3. HANAGATA IS ABOUT AS STRAIGHT AS A SPHERE!!! Quit whining peeps. My god men... I told you it was PG-13. Geeze...
Anyway I'll quit my trip into boredom land and move on with the story. YAAAAY!!! [children cheer]
[NOTE][NOTE][NOTE] Version 1.1.- Dated: 17 October 2002; I went through the whole 'fic and repaired some stupid problems that were made. The most noticeable mistakes were made at the start of Chap. 3 and the radio transmission in Chap. 4. Now I think you guys will be able to at least understand what was going on. On FF.net using "" "" to indicate actions makes the damn server think it's a set of link instructions and erases the whole line. I fixed most all of them so you can read them now. I'm sorry about the mix up. Take care and Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aisha sat in a small chair looking into a mirror. In her hand she held a brush that she pulled gently through her long, blue hair. The sunlight filtered in through the lace curtains and streamed along the wooden floor causing small shadows and shapes to dance and twirl along its polished surface. Outside, the birds sang happily, swaying gently in the breeze. Two little Warblers rested on the branch of a small tree just out side the second story window and were twittering away as if nothing in the world was as it shouldn't be.
Aisha smiled as she pulled the brush slowly through her hair. It felt so good. The ends of her mouth rose and her eyes seemed to shine. She was smiling. Aisha finally felt at peace. Her spirit seemed lifted that long morning while she was gently combing her long hair straight. Things were different. Things were going to change. Things were going to finish right where she sat and start right when the time was right. But the first thing she was going to do was sit there and smile. It just felt like just the right thing to do.
She came across a small tangle and began to tug it loose. Kisa... Nobleman Kisa... The source of all the wretchedness in her life. The evil that kept her from everything, that hid her away from everyone. The one that had stolen her innocence; and soon after, of her emotion. He beat her. Not a day passed that he didn't. He'd warned her that whenever she smiled, she would be beaten. Whenever she cried, she would be kicked. Whenever she showed anger, she would be tortured. Whenever who she had once been showed through, he would take her... He would take her and take her to bed...
She'd finally broken and succumbed to the man when she realized she had become nothing more than a source of pleasure. That she was destined to become nothing more than a doll, a cold and lifeless doll existing only to pleasure her master, the one who pulled all her strings, who held her leash tightly. That was his trick. That was what Kaiser did wrong when he first tried to break her. He beat her, and pummeled her and still she stood back up. But when someone turned the hand to a gentle caress, and used those fists in an opposite manner, with a more sinister intent behind it, her resolve broke. When pained turned to pleasure of the worst kind, her own guilt at having enjoyed those feelings, ate her up.
With a grunt Aisha pulled the tangle free and began stroking again in earnest. But things were different now. He'd come back to her. Kaiser. The one who'd tried to break her resolve and crush her spirit. The one who'd changed and shown her the world after she showed him her true self. The one who made her happy...
Happy.
He laid in the bed and watched her. She moved with grace that enraptured Kaiser. Every stroke, every pull, every swish, he was in love. He looked at her face and saw her smiling and beamed himself. He loved that smile. She seemed content for the first time since he'd returned. Kaiser wanted to see her smile. He wanted to see her laugh. He'd seen enough tears fall from her eyes. He'd seen them all too many times.
Kaiser's smile slowly began to fade. He'd seen far to many. Kisa... Kisa caused those tears. He'd forced her to cry and then beat her when she did. He reveled in her agony. He wanted a doll, a cold emotionless doll, and the best way to get that doll was by subjugating Aisha to bend to his will. He made her sad. He made her ashamed. He made her cry. And for that he would pay.
Oh would he pay...
Kaiser's eyes grew hard as he watched Aisha. She would never cry again.
Never.
He would never make her sad.
Ever.
This was his pormise to her. This was his sovereign word, and anyone who made her feel like that ever again would feel his wrath. God save the man who causes his love to shed another tear in sorrow. God save the repulsive creature. Kaiser'd beaten her before. He'd made her cry before. But he never made her sad, and for that he was glad. The wounds would heal, never to be inflicted again, and the tears would dry never to be shed again. But had he ever made her sad, Kaiser would have never been able to live with himself.
Slowly he rose from his bed and walked over to her. Aisha looked up at him and gifted him with yet another one of her smiles. He knelt down by her side and took her in his arms. She stopped brushing and leaned against him. She could hear him breathing slowly. He was so strong, and yet was so gentle. He'd made her smile by holding her so tightly yet so softly. He made her happy by being whom he was and sometimes by being someone he was not.
"Aisha."
She giggled. "Kaiser."
The morning wore on. The sun rose higher into the sky and the morning mist that had coated the streets faded away. Workers began to file along the streets, selling goods and carrying items. Children ran out to play and fathers went to their jobs. But the couple, still locked away in that one bedroom, stayed there, enjoying eachother's company. Enjoying the freshness of the new day. Enjoying the way the new life that both of them were about to lead was starting out.
Things were going to change. People were going to die. Empires would break. Love would spring anew. Fate would change the course of time and all around the face of Terra II lives would be touched. The individuals who would spark the fall of the greatest empire ever seen on the face of Terra II spent that one morning cradled in each other's arms in front of a mirror simply enjoying one another.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saber Marionette J
Dark's A.U. - Human
Eps. 4 - Satellite
"My love will carry you to the stars"
I let my dove go;
I'll never see her again.
The flowers have bloomed.
~Haiku
Satelliiiiiiiiiiiiiiite~
Satelliiiiiiiiiiiiiiite~
I wonder how clear it must look from there to here?
No obstruction, this selfish corruption,
All in this atmosphere!
No fear, less tears, only time to catch my breath!
I fail to inhale,
Your love constricts my chest!
Confusion blinded me, mental and physically...
And it's because of you that now I can see...
So now I can't run, I follow the sun and ride on to Zion
And dance this last song of freedom!
But only time will tell, if it's truly for real.
Can't change your mind, all I know this is what I feel...
Whether I'm wrong or right, please keep my life in sight,
And never take you eyes off me!!
As I look up to the sky today,
Well, I can see you looking down on me!
It brings a smile to my face again...
S-S-S-Satellite!
Satelliiiiiiiiiiiiiiite~
Satelliiiiiiiiiiiiiiite~
It's truly one of a kind, like starshine, beyond nighttime, are you there?
My eyes stare to find, just what's behind this blind notion of mine, is it genuine,
Cause sometimes, it plays tricks with my mind, some call it asinine...
But it's like love or hate, now is that real or fake?
Cause it's a real thin line, but that's your choice to make!
The question at hand, help me understand, is this your plan?
I think I can, can I think, then I think I can...
Because I won't break...
(nah)
and I won't shake...
(nah)
With lifted hands to this woman...
(Jah),
I'll stand in faith...
I'll make it through, my trust in you!
Close my eyes, make a wish, kiss the sky...
Hey there? -I see you!!
...Satellite, satellite...
...my guiding light, guiding light...
...Shining bright, shining bright...
...the guiding light...
S-S-S-Satellite!!
SATELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE~
SATELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE~
SATELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE~
(When I look up to the sky today, I can feel you looking down on me!!!)
SATELIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE~
(It brings a smile to my face again!!! Satellite!!!)
...Satellite, satellite...
...my guiding light, guiding light...
...Shining bright, shining bright...
...the guiding light, guiding light...
...Satellite, satellite...
(As I look up into the sky today...)
...my guiding light, guiding light...
(It brings a smile to my face again...)
...Shining bright, shining bright...
...the guiding light, guiding light...
It's truly... One of a kind, like starshine, beyond nighttime, are you there?
...Are you there?
...Are you there?
~Satellite
P.O.D.
Questions, comments, flames for my barbecue can be sent to The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Kaiser-sama... What you are asking of me... I, I..."
"I understand how you feel Nansa, but I am not lying to you. We need your help."
Kaiser was seated at a low table. The room that he was sitting in had a distinct Japanese feel, like he was sitting in the middle of a dojo. The walls were lined with various bokken, jutte and the odd nunchaku. Along the wall directly in front of Kaiser were a pair of Tonfas and an old Yumi. The bamboo had been polished and smoothed allowing it to shimmer in the light while the string (which looked to be no more than silk and pine resin) had been carefully cut and strung so that each individual hair caught the light. There was one small door that had been slid partially open to let in the fresh air and some sunlight. The table was bare with the exception of one small bottle of drink and several smaller bowls. Kaiser picked up the bottle and filled his small bowl with some of the liquid from the bottle. Placing it down, he took a sip.
Seated across from him was a younger man wearing (what Kaiser identified as) a kimono of some sort. It was gray with dark shades of blue along the arms and down the pants. The younger man constantly barked at him for calling it that, but frankly Kaiser never paid much attention and never really picked up it's true name [Author's note: Me as well...]. His hair was totally black and tied into a short ponytail. He wore a small pair of spectacles that rested solely on the bridge of his nose in front of his thin, gray eyes. He was a retired Gray Eye vet specializing in a combat sensor.
Behind him sat Satomi.
"Kaiser, You're one of by best friends. We've known each other since our days in apprentice training. But what you're asking me..."
Kaiser nodded slowly. "The only reason I am asking you, is because you are my friend. There are only nine people on this world that I trust. The eight I told you about and yourself."
"Why do you want her so badly? I understand you trained her at birth but there has got to be more behind this than what you are telling me."
Kaiser smiled. "Yes, there is."
"Tell me then. What do you plan to do?"
"I'm taking her away. I'm taking all of them away. Someplace where they will be safe from Lord Ghenna."
"Lord Ghenna? Why do they need to be protected from him?"
"Just because! I'll tell a little later."
Nansa scoffed. "Ok...You're going to get all the other noblemen to release their women to your care because you ask them to and for no other reason than to protect them from our Lord?"
"No." Kaiser shook his head. "I'm not going to ask the others, I'm going to steal them away from them. They won't even know they will be missing until the morning and by then their girls will be long gone."
Nansa sat there with his chin resting on his hand looking at Kaiser with slightly surprised eyes. "But not me..."
"You're my friend Nansa. I'd never do anything like that to you. That's why I'm asking you."
Nansa still shook his head. Kaiser leaned forward and placed the palms of his hands flat on the table.
"Nansa you don't know the lives these women have been living. Satomi was fortunate. She had you as a master. The others... The others, their LIVES, Nansa, their pride, their dignity, everything about them has been stripped away. They have been reduced to sacks of flesh whose sole purpose is to pleasure their masters. You remember Aisha, right?"
"Yes," he said nodding. "She was the one you fell in love with."
"Yes! Do you know what it was like when I found her? Kisa purchased her."
"Ugh, that repulsive little pimple."
"Indeed! Do you know what he did to her? He broke her."
Behind Nansa, Satomi looked up.
'What...'
Kaiser turned to her as he spoke.
"He broke her. That pride that kept her on her feet, that determination that empowered her he'd destroyed. He crushed her will! She was like a robot when I found her. She wasn't allowed to smile, she wasn't allowed to speak unless ordered, a show of emotions would get her beaten, mistakes would gain her a horrible night alone with that fat little shit as he made her do, do..." Kaiser trailed off and shook his head.
"He stripped her of her humanity. She became nothing more than a pleasure slave. She was a puppet. A marionette. Kisa would clap his fat little hands and Aisha would dance for him... Turning and twirling to his own little sadistic music. He was the puppeteer- pulling her strings, twisting her mind and shattering her dreams. The Aisha I knew died."
Satomi shook her head in horror. "No... no, that can't be true. She was the strongest out of all of us. Not even you could break her!"
"Kisa did something to her that I avoided. I believe when he stripped her of her pride and dignity and eventually her virginity she fell into despair. She was alone for the first time in her life. Before she had you seven to give her strength. She had you guys there to make her happy, and comfort her when things went wrong. But with Kisa she had truly been alone. She'd truly been isolated for the first time.
"And even worse she wasn't allowed to let it show, or to release it. I think she kept it all within herself and it began to build up until it shattered what little resolve she had left. That was the difference Satomi. I always kept you guys together. I never... never touched her in that way before. I was too disgusted by you eight. ...But Kisa wasn't afraid. He knew exactly what he was doing."
Kaiser fell silent as he leaned forward and cupped his face in his hands. Nansa took a sip of his drink from the little bowl.
"I see..."
Satomi shuffled forward and bend close to Kaiser.
"Kaiser-sama?"
Slowly he slid his head up and met her eyes. "Yeah?"
"Where is Aisha now? You didn't leave her alone with that terrible man, did you?"
Kaiser smiled and shook his head. "No... I'm never going to leave her alone with that bastard ever again. He's gone for the rest of this week. I finished visiting her about five days ago."
"You went to see her?"
Kaiser chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I went late last Monday night."
Nansa smiled mischievously. "And you left only a few days ago?"
Kaiser broke out laughing. "Yes, Nansa. I see where you're headed."
"And?" he said leaning forward with a light in his eyes.
"Oh my god, Nansa. Even as a Nobleman, you're still nosy as hell." Kaiser was starting to blush a bit.
"Indeed Kaiser, but come on, you can tell me."
"Tell you what?"
"Was she any good?"
Satomi sat up in shock. "Lord Nansa!!" Pulling out a small fan she swatted him across the back of his head. Bringing the fan high up once more she began beating him repeatedly with the little wooden wind blower. Nansa fell over laughing trying his best (and failing) to bat Satomi away. Kaiser leaned back and laughed uproariously.
"Nansa, you fool!" he cried out through some tears. "Hit him harder for me Satomi! Give him something to really think about!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When everyone calmed down Kaiser wiped away a few last tears and shook his head.
"Satomi-chan," he said with a smile, "You've picked up some weird character traits since I've last seen you."
She blushed and stared into her lap. "Kaiser-sama! You're embarrassing me..."
Nansa rubbed the back of his head. "Good. That hurt, you little devil."
Kaiser laughed again and poured himself a little drink. "Satomi-chan, could I ask you something?"
"Of course Kaiser-sama."
"I wanted to know, this past year, have you been happy living here?"
Satomi turned her head back downward and blushed a little bit more. "Yes, yes I have. I still miss my sisters, but Lord Nansa has been most kind to me." She looked up at him and smiled shyly. "He's done so much for me, he's taught me many things."
"Like what?"
"Hmm, cooking. I've learned how to cook for the first time in my life. I've found I can make wonderful meals. It makes me proud that I can create such things that makes my lord smile."
Nansa coughed nervously into his small bowl. Satomi continued.
"He's also helped me learn about how to wash clothing and straightening up his home and keeping it clean..."
Kaiser cocked an eye over at Nansa who was 'conveniently' turning away to stare at some of the weapons on the wall.
"Well done, Nansa. You got such a happy little maid here, huh?"
Satomi stopped when Nansa coughed nervously.
"Well, one day she asked me if there was anything she could do to help me out here and I thought 'Well, maybe she can do a little laundry or...' " He trailed off.
"Is something the matter Kaiser-sama?"
Kaiser smiled and chuckled. "No, Satomi. Just so long as you are happy."
There was a moment of silence as Kaiser filled his bowl once more. Nansa's mood began to turn. He sat up and began to frown.
"Satomi..." He said, his tone decisively gloomier. "I believe we are out of drink. Would you please go out and pick up a bottle or two for us down at the market?"
She cocked her head curiously. "What? I'm sure we had four or five more bottles down in the storage area."
"Please, Satomi..." he said a little more sternly. "Just go and purchase a few more bottles." He gazed solemnly at Kaiser. "I have a feeling I am going to need them later on..."
"All right Lord Nansa..." she said becoming slightly worried. His mood had suddenly taken a very dramatic turn. "I will go get my mask and robe."
Kaiser looked up at her. "Mask and robe?"
"She can't walk around out there like a woman," Nansa replied. "We have to keep her a secret. She wears a mask and robe and poses like an old man when ever I send her out on an errand."
With that he shooed her off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After she left Nansa turned to Kaiser.
"All right friend..." He said slowly. "I want you to understand something. I care very much for Satomi. She's been kind to me this past year. You're asking me to simply give her up to an uncertain fate and into your hands for even more elusive reasons?"
"Nansa, please understand-"
He rose his hand and silenced Kaiser.
"I understand perfectly Kaiser. I understand that you have this cockeyed idea about sending these women to some deserted island and letting them live their own little lives out happily cut off from everybody. Keep them safe from Lord Ghenna and this world. I can DO that Kaiser! Satomi can be safe and happy HERE! In MY home! I can hide her from the world just as much as you would be able to!"
"Nansa!" Kaiser said dropping the tone of his voice. His face became stern. "You don't understand anything!" His friend went silent for a moment allowing Kaiser to continue. "You know why you were given Satomi. It's because she was considered infertile. She will not bear children! They said she was sterile. She was a broken device in Ghenna's eyes!"
"But not in my own!"
"I know that Nansa! I understand that! I feel the same way about Aisha. But there is something that Ghenna doesn't know about. Something that he missed. Something very important. That's why I want to hide them away from him"
Nansa went silent once more.
"Almost eleven months ago I was called to have a meeting with Lord Faust. You know who he is; He's the leader of the Gartlant Kingdom. He's a clone of one of the original six who's requested to have his memories transferred from clone to clone so that he could continue living. He remembers Earth better than any one else on Terra II.
"During that meeting I was to discuss the future of Gartlant and how the Gray Forces would be involved in such. It was really a worthless mission. Faust and I decided three minutes into it that for the next year things will stay as they have this past one. We swiftly concluded the business portion of the meeting afterward, but rather than leave he invited me into his study and we shared a drink. We discussed many things. He's actually a very wise man. He seemed to know more about everything than Lord Ghenna. I really enjoyed sitting and talking with him.
"To cut a long story short I brought up the subject of Eve. He wasn't alive when she had lived but still knew a great deal about her. We talked about her life and the accomplishments she blessed the world with and moved on to cloning. It was there I learned something that Ghenna was ignorant to.
"Lord Faust told me about the earliest cloning experiments done on Earth before they were banned. They learned about making clones in the adult form much the same way we did almost four years ago. They were able to imprint memories into them as well. But the practice of making men and women instead of children was halted for a very strange reason.
"Unlike us, when they imprinted memories of basic skills and other rudimentary tasks they also imprinted knowledge. I don't mean knowledge like in the sense of how to talk, I mean knowledge in the sense of algebra, and trigonometry and geography and history. It was to make the clones that were born up to date with another man whose body was in the same age range but was birthed the regular way. However there was a problem. The clones could talk and communicate and perform the rudimentary memories well enough but when it came to doing the advanced knowledge they seemed to break down.
"It was odd. They could tell you Pythagorean's Theorem word for word with the greatest of ease whenever you mentioned it, but when you asked him to put that information to practice and solve a problem it would look at it like it was written in Greek. Same with geography. It could tell you everything it had in its head about the longest river on the face of Earth, but when you asked it what it was it would have no idea.
"The information was stored up there, but it made no sense to them. They didn't know how to utilize it. It's like memorizing an advanced equation for something you've never seen before. Once you got it memorized you are then asked to solve a problem using it. Well, even though you remember what the equation is you still don't grasp the concept of what it means and how to apply it. The info was up there, but none of them knew how to use it. Shortly after this discovery they ceased male and female adult cloning."
Nansa shook his head. "Ok, but what does this have to do with Satomi?"
"I'm getting there." Kaiser said taking a long sip. "After he explained all that to me I mentioned that the fact that they cloned sterile was probably another reason. He sat up asked me what I meant. I told him how we tried cloning men ourselves but stopped and destroyed the clones when we found them to be sterile. Lord Faust frowned and said there was something wrong with our clones. He then related to me something amazing. The other adult clones, when they were first created, too seemed to be sterile. They were born that way, same as Satomi. But as the years began to progress things started to change."
Kaiser leaned forward. "A child born naturally or even cloned takes any where from nine to sixteen years to reach sexual maturity depending on the gender and the individual. This was because the body has a natural clock that counts down 'till when it is supposed to start to mature. This is true in any and all clones ever made."
He began to whisper. "The adults were no different! Nine to sixteen years after they were hatched they too started to become sexually mature. It wasn't because they were born as adults that they were sterile, it was because their natural clocks STARTED when they were born, born as adults.
"The eight women that were born four years ago are no different. Nansa, there is nothing wrong with them. They are just as capable of being sexually mature as much as anyone else on this planet, their time just hasn't come! It's like expecting a four year old boy to be able to submit seed to the gene pool."
Nansa sat stunned. Could it be true... Kaiser continued.
"Someday they will be able to bear children, Nansa. Those children will be the first naturally born beings on Terra II EVER! Five years from now. The earliest one will be able to bear a child will be in five years."
Kaiser took his friend by the collar of his 'kimono' and pulled him forward. "What do you think Ghenna will do once he finds out you own a sexually mature woman? One that will be able to bear children?!
Nansa shook his head in shock. "Kaiser...You are kidding, no? I can't believe it... My Satomi... She will be able to bear a child someday!" He shook his head and pulled himself free from Kaiser's grasp.
"Why doesn't Ghenna know about this? How did he miss this little tidbit of information?"
"I guess he was never told. Most records of Earth history were destroyed in the damaged data core. I guess Faust never got around to telling Ghenna about it."
"Lord Faust doesn't know about these women?"
"No." Kaiser shook his head. "There are only a few scientists, some guards and Lord Ghenna himself."
Nansa shook his head in amazement once more. "My Satomi! Some day she will be able to bear a child! A real child!!"
Kaiser was about to grab hold of his friend and remind him once more of what Lord Ghenna would do to once he found out when they heard a crash. They turned and saw Satomi standing in the half open doorway with a look of shock on her face. She was standing in the remains of what used to be a mask of a very old man. Nansa shot up.
"Satomi! What are you doing here?!"
Slowly her mouth moved and a few meek words tumbled out.
"I...the money...I, forgot it here and...and...."
Kaiser could see tears welling in her eyes. In a flash Nansa was on her and pressed her close to him with his arms. She broke down almost as soon as he touched her. He held her tightly and escorted her back to the table where they both sat. Kaiser sat by silently letting Nansa comfort the little woman. The Arch-Bishop poured himself a little bowl of the drink, thought the better of it, and began to drink straight from the bottle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eventually Satomi calmed herself down and was sitting silently once more at the table. They learned that she left and had forgotten the money. When she came back at around the time Kaiser was explaining the problems with the process of imprinting knowledge on adult clones, Satomi had stood by the door silently and decided to eavesdrop when she heard Nansa asking what she had to do with anything.
Kaiser sat there rubbing his face. What a mess... Nansa put his arm around Satomi and smiled to her.
"Satomi, isn't this great news? You can bear a real child someday!"
She looked up at him with sorrowful eyes and shook her head. "Lord Nansa... You don't understand, do you?"
He furrowed his eyebrows. "What? What don't I understand? This is great news! One day you can be a mother!"
Kaiser sighed. "That's what's wrong, Nansa."
He narrowed his eyes at Kaiser. "Why?"
"What do you think Lord Ghenna will do once he finds out that he sold seven perfectly fertile females to his nobles? He's going to get them back. If not by persuasion, then by force. He will take Satomi away from you, Nansa. He will steal her away and force her to bear young! I can tell you right now if you think what happened to Aisha was bad wait until you see what he's going to do to Satomi when he steals her away."
Nansa shook his head. "No, no way. Lord Ghenna would never do that! He wouldn't take her AWAY, would he?"
"For the sake of Satomi you had better believe it! You will lose her, Nansa! That's why I am taking them all and sending them away. I'll send them where Ghenna will never be able to find them!"
"Kaiser don't be a fool!" Nansa was becoming very distressed. "Even if you were able to hide them from Ghenna, how long do you think it will take him to find them again?! He has every surface of this planet mapped and under his control! Even IF you DID find an underground cave system are you to tell me that living blind in the dark is seriously a better alternative to-"
Kaiser raised his hand. "No, Nansa. It's not going to be a matter of WHERE I send them. It's going to be a matter of WHEN."
Simultaneously Satomi and Nansa sat up.
"One more time..." He said slowly.
"Like you said, Nansa, There is no where on the face of this planet where they can hide. But that still is a very large area for Ghenna to search thoroughly. It would take him years to scan every last crack and crevice well enough to determine that they are no longer there. But I plan to do something that would compound that problem one hundred fold. I will send them through time."
Kaiser's friend sat there a moment looking at him dumbfounded.
"You're joking, right?"
"Nope."
Satomi leaned forward put her hand on Kaiser's. "Kaiser-sama... How do you plan on doing this?"
Kaiser took her hand into his and squeezed gently. "You three were born and created in a lab out in the Deserts of Middle Terra. About sixty miles from that facility is the only rocket shot in all of Terra II."
"Rocket what?" she asked.
"Rocket shot. It's like a long rail out in the desert that slopes upwards into the sky. A transport ship engages its liquid fuel boosters and shoots down this rail. They hit the curve and suddenly find themselves blasting up that vertical slope and into the sky. The ships engage their solid fuel and burn their way straight to the stars. That whole device that flings the ships into the sky is called the Rocket Shot because that's what it does. It shoots rockets into the sky."
"Why would someone want to do that?"
The Arch-Bishop smiled. "Because Satomi, up amongst the stars are the only time labs in all of Terra II. Inside those labs you will fling yourselves into the future and to freedom."
Nansa sighed. "You are kidding me Kaiser..."
He shook his head. "It's the best thing for us to do. It's the best chance they have of escaping Ghenna."
"There's... No, there's got to be a better... KAISER HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?! Both, mind you, BOTH the Rocket Shot AND the test labs are MILITARY CONTROLLED INSTALLATIONS!! Even if you MAKE IT to the test labs, WHO would know how to run the time equipment? Huh?! The science team! Do you really think they are going to cooperate? You're going to fly up there and have no where to go! Who's going to run those machines?"
"The same one who's going to fly the rocket."
They fell silent for a moment. Satomi was still confused as to what was up there. They were talking so much about time and laboratories she was getting a headache. Now, it seemed, Kaiser was talking about flying a 'rocket'... She groaned and leaned against Nansa. What was happening?
The nobleman leaned forward and folded his hands. His voice became sarcastically calm. "You're going to get a rocket pilot to work the delicate machinery used to send human beings through time streams?"
Kaiser chuckled. "Something like that. I have a particular someone in mind."
"Who?"
"A psychic."
Nansa slowly reached up and rubbed his eyes. "Kaiser. You're telling me that you are going to use a psychic to pilot a rocket and operate time slips that will send my Satomi to safety away from Ghenna."
Kaiser nodded. "That's about the gist of it."
"Get out of my house Kaiser."
"Lord Nansa!!"
Kaiser leaned back and began laughing once more. Nansa looked up physically quivering. He was becoming very angry. Kaiser was talking about the life of one of the most important people in Nansa's world as if it were some sort of joke. The retired Gray Eye was not laughing. Bursting to his feet he swiped his arm through the air and began to yell.
"You think this is funny Kaiser?! Is this some kind of joke to you!? You're talking about Satomi's LIFE here!! What reason do you have to laugh?!"
Kaiser just let the chuckles roll on out and wiped his eyes. "Nansa, it's just the way you worded it. I never thought about it that way."
"How were you 'thinking about it'!?"
Kaiser leaned forward and finished up laughing as best he could.
"Remember when I said that eight were made, but only seven sold?"
Nansa narrowed his eyes and sat down once more. He felt like throttling his friend but decided to curb his anger for a moment.
"...Yes..."
"Well that eighth one was a black operation. She was born special from the rest." Kaiser turned to Satomi and smiled. "Remember who she was?"
She narrowed her eyes in thought for a moment before they shot back wide open.
"You don't mean Leska-chan, do you?!"
Kaiser nodded. "She was a natural born psychic. I'm not talking about all those tarot card readers either. I mean a real, live, honest to god, psycho-kinesis bearing goddess. She never really knew what it was until we confronted her about it. You see, she would often times look at people and memories or visions or thoughts the person would carry floated into her mind. She could read their thoughts. She didn't really know what to make of it until we started training her to hone in her power and energy.
"It's really quite fascinating to watch her. She can now read minds, search out thoughts and memories, throw switches across rooms, even run multiple machines in a singe area at the same time. It was incredible to watch a surveillance video of her knowing when her guard was coming to her cell knocking him out, reading his mind and learning not only all the pass codes to the doors but how to use, operate and maintain weapons, what was located on each floor of the lab and who was staffed there and even how to fly the I-GEA 9 located on the roof of the building."
Nansa raised his hand. "Wait a second Kaiser. I thought you said people who had knowledge implanted into their minds retained the information but had no idea what it meant? Isn't she implanting others thoughts into her head just like them?"
"Leska-chan is different. The way I told you was artificial. Those thoughts were put in there unnaturally. Leska uses her own body to pull information and store it and with that information comes the experience and the know how. She could read the mind of a pilot, pilot the rocket into space, read the minds of a few science team members and operate the equipment and send everyone safely to their destinies. Then she clears the data of where everyone went and escapes herself."
Kaiser leaned back and took a quaffed some of the drink in the bottle. "She's our key player. We can do this with her."
Satomi reached out and put her hand on his. "Kaiser, you still haven't answered my question."
"Hmm?"
"Why would anyone want to shoot themselves into the sky? I don't understand what is up there."
"Huh? You don't?"
Nansa slumped as he took over. "Up there, up in the sky, is a massive orbital station. It hovers in space free from the gravity of Terrra II. Up there they have machines that can send people into tomorrow."
"What?" Satomi furrowed her eyebrows. "Tomorrow? Why can't they just wait?"
"No, Satomi." Kaiser took her shoulder into his hand. "When he said tomorrow he meant the future. He meant far into the future. A great many days into tomorrow. Hundreds or years, Satomi, much longer than any person can live."
Understanding dawned in her eyes. "I see... But that means..."
Nansa nodded. "You and I will be apart forever..."
Her eyes went wide as understanding and shock came to them. She reached out and gripped Kaiser's arm. "Kaiser! Wait! Why..."
"Because when Lord Ghenna finds out you eight are fertile he's going to take you back..."
Tears began to well up in her eyes once again. "But do we have to leave so early? Why can't we wait? We still have years left until Ghenna can find out!"
Kaiser folded his hands. His eyes became sad as he spoke. "I know Satomi. You love it here. Of course you don't want to leave. I understand, child."
"Then why?"
"You can wait Satomi. We don't have to leave so early."
She brightened. "Really?"
Nansa sat up as well. "Kaiser, You mean that?"
He nodded. "Yup. We can wait... Let's ask Aisha, and see what she thinks about waiting."
Slowly the smile faded from Satomi's face.
"Let's all take a trip down there and ask her how she feels about spending another three of four years living under Kisa, waiting. Or how about Asuka? You know I went down to visit her as well before I came here. Her situation isn't much better than Aisha's!"
Nansa began to nod. "Who's her owner?"
"Lacan."
The nobleman cursed and turned away. Kaiser grunted. "You seem to understand her situation Nansa. The only thing that keeps her from losing it completely is that Lacan is rarely ever home. He's out on meetings and summits five or six days out of the week. Why don't we ask Nanaka too? The conditions she live under aren't much better than Aisha's. Or why not Krysta? Do you know what she is doing Satomi? Her owner shares her with almost seven other men and servants. SEVEN! Her nights are long and hard, Satomi. She has to sleep in the early morning hours and whatever other time in the day she's allowed to catnap. She's only got one purpose and she's reminded of it everyday for up to fourteen, fifteen times in the worst possible way! Do you want to ask her about waiting? Or maybe Aiko! What about Aiko, Satomi?! Do you know-"
Satomi by now had closed her eyes and finally reached her breaking point. Crying out she cut Kaiser off.
"NO!! No!! No, Kaiser, I understand!! I understand..." She clenched her small hands and sniffed. "We've got to go for their sake..."
She leaned against Nansa and held back her tears as best she could. He cradled her in his arms and fell silent. He thought, 'Why do things always have to be like this... You fall in love with someone and in the end, at the point where you're sure that everything's going to be all right and your lives will end happily ever after, you lose them. You always lose them...'
Kaiser leaned back and shook his head once more. "Satomi, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have exploded on you like that."
She didn't say anything. Kaiser lowered his head. "The only other one is Katsumi."
"Kaiser, please..."
He looked up and met her eyes. "She's living like you are. She's happy as well."
Satomi returned his gaze. "She is?"
"Yup...Nobleman Ellis."
Nansa smiled. "Indeed. He is a good man. I'm happy he purchased her. He should have been good to her. I really like that man."
Kaiser chuckled. "Me too. He was understanding about the whole issue."
"You asked him?"
"No, no, not me. I told Katsumi and she went ahead and told him without asking me. I suppose she trusted him. Well, he came back to me the next morning and approached me about what I had said. He was understanding about everything. He agreed. He thought my plan was sound and would work, that it was the only way to safely send our women off."
"It's still not much of a plan..."
"I know Nansa. But it's the only chance we have of getting them all out."
"You still haven't told us how you are getting Leska free."
Kaiser smiled. "Let me worry about that. She's not really in custody. She's in a camp not far from the Rocket Shot. They're testing her destructive powers and the desert is the best place for that. Getting her out will not be a problem."
Satomi sniffed and once more placed her hand over Kaiser's. "Tell me, when do you plan on putting this plan into motion?"
"Nobleman Kisa is going to be out for at least five more days. He's taking a detour in his vacation. When he arrives back I will repay his kindness to Aisha and then we will start everything."
"...Five days..." Satomi began to breathe hard. "That's all we have left Lord Nansa, Five days!"
"What do you mean Satomi! I haven't agreed to anything!"
Kaiser sat up. "Nansa!"
"Lord Nansa!"
The nobleman turned to Satomi. "Are you really sure you want to go Satomi? Do you really want to leave me? Everything that Kaiser has told us could be a lie!"
"NANSA!!!"
"No, Kaiser. I mean you don't know for certain if what Lord Faust told you is correct. You don't know for certain if she will begin cycling one day!"
"I can't tell you that, Nansa! No one can! But that possibility exists! What if it does come to pass? What will you do with Satomi then?"
"Kaiser..."
Satomi put her arm around Nansa. When she spoke her tone was very sad, with a tone of something like resignation.
"Lord Nansa... Even if what Kaiser-sama says doesn't come to pass, my sisters will still be sent away. You don't understand the bond between us. Wherever they travel I will follow. We are blood, Lord. If they are leaving this place, then I will follow. They are my sisters, my only sisters on all of this planet. I love them. I cannot go on living like this when they are living in a hell of the most terrible sort. I'm sorry Lord. Whereever they go I will follow."
Nansa sat there with a quiet expression on his face. He didn't move, didn't stir. Kaiser sat silently on the other side. He'd never meant to bring all this pain to his friend. He hoped it would go by smoothly and that he would understand the gravity of the situation. He'd been a fool to hope such a thing, and he knew it, but even still...
Nansa exhaled slowly and turned to Satomi. She was still holding his arm. He met her eyes and stopped. Both of them gazed at one another. Satomi's sad eyes met Nansa's. Kaiser watched silently, unmoving. Satomi sniffed and Nansa finally moved. He bent his head down and nodded.
"...If you so wish it Satomi. Blood is thicker than water. You may depart whenever you wish."
Tears began to run down Satomi's cheeks as she nodded. "Not until the proper time, Lord Nansa. Not until then."
He reached over with his other arm and held Satomi. Kaiser nodded slowly as he watched the two embrace. It was set then. It was set...well almost...
Kaiser sat forward and knocked on the table. When the two of them turned to him he started again.
"Satomi, there's something I need to tell you before I forget. This is very important."
She nodded.
"What is it Kaiser-sama?"
"There's one thing about you that hasn't been revealed to anybody, not even myself until recently."
"Yes?"
"All eight of you have something deep inside your selves called a 'Maiden Circuit'."
She cocked her head. "Kaiser?"
"A Maiden Circuit, Satomi. That's a piece of circuitry hidden deep within your body." He leaned forward and placed his hand on her chest bone. "Right here."
Taking his hand off of her she looked back at him inquisitively. Nansa voiced her thought. "What does it do Kaiser?"
The Arch-Bishop leaned back and smiled. "It's the only record in all of Terra II of your own unique genetic code." He poured himself what was left of the drink in the bottle and continued. "Just before you were sold, Ghenna knocked you all out and installed the circuit into you. The socket for it connects into the small plug on the back of your neck."
With out really thinking Satomi reached back and passed her finger over it.
"Lord Ghenna," Kaiser said watching her. "uploaded your genetic code into that chipset and destroyed all other records of them, including those on the damaged Mesopotamian Data Core. He blamed a fire. It was obvious he wanted no one else to create woman. He hid those codes inside of you knowing that would be the safest place for them."
"Safest place? What do you mean by that?" Nansa asked.
"The plug in that back of Satomi and everyone else's neck was originally designed as a port for her to receive firmware data upgrades to her system and a place to monitor her status. It's perfectly normal for slots and plugs to be placed in there to access her data. But, if someone unauthorized who knows about the Maiden Circuit tries to access it, keep in mind, it IS hidden, even to system upgraders and firmware techs, the circuit activates a self defense mode... or a more suiting name, self destruct mode."
Satomi leaned forward becoming tense. "What do you mean by that?"
"It will explode. It will burn a hole through your heart and burst, instantly killing you."
She sat back shaking her head. "No... No, why would he do such a thing?"
"Security." Kaiser said almost indifferently. "It's the easiest way to keep someone else from accessing the data and retrieving female DNA."
"But to kill them?!"
Kaiser almost chuckled. "User death is actually a side effect. There's no other way to go about destroying the circuit totally and completely."
"Oh my god..." Nansa ran his fingers through his long hair. "Isn't... can't they just get the DNA by simply extracting blood from the women? Or hair maybe?"
Once more Kaiser shook his head. "The cells that compose her hair have broken down their nuclei. It's only a jumbled mass of bases, no more. Her blood does the exact same thing whenever it is extracted from her body. They have been engineered to die and break down the instant they are removed from her. It's another security protocol in your genes."
Nansa groaned and fell silent. Kaiser downed the last of the drink in his little bowl. Satomi simply sat there silently. A Maiden Circuit... that's what held the secret to her existence. That's what held who she truly was. And that secret, it seemed, could kill her. It could leave her dead...
Wasn't there anything on this whole god-forsaken planet that didn't want her either bearing children or dead? Even Lord Nansa made her pause at times by his actions. She could tell that secretly he wanted a child of his own. She'd always known that. Sometimes she read it in his eyes. Sometimes in his actions, and others in his word. The only one who seemed to be truly on her side were her sisters and Kaiser...
She looked up at him. He had his eyes closed and he was sitting quietly.
Her sisters and Kaiser...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the end the Arch-Bishop went back to each of the women and revealed his plan to them. The hardest one to find had been Aiko. Her owner had fallen out of favor with Ghenna and had long since been exiled. He was living with Aiko in the badlands scraping together a life and taking out his frustrations on the woman. She, quicker than any of her sisters, agreed to go. It was time. They were going to leave. They were going to find a new life sometime in the future. The far future. The plan was far from perfect, but the only other option was to remain and pray they stay sterile. They were all unanimous in their decisions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser groaned as he walked up the steps to Nobleman Kisa's home. The little, fat, bastard was due home in about two days. He didn't need anymore time to plan, everything had been ironed out. All he had to do was get Leska. That would be the hardest part of the whole operation. Once they hit the Rocket Shot there would be no turning back. Despite the odds he was still confident. He was the Arch-Bishop of all Gray Eyes, there wasn't anyone under him who could possibly pose any threat what so ever to him. On top of that each and every one of the women, except Aisha, were at the level of a Gray Eye recruit. Aisha was the only one amongst them who passed the test for al qualifying Gray Eyes. Had she been a man, she would have been Gray Eye. Together the nine would be a force to be reckoned with. Kaiser smiled. He was very confident.
He knocked on the massive wooden doors and waited. He wanted to say good bye to Aisha one last time before he came back in two days to take her away for her final trip. He missed her again and was anxious to see her at least once more. Kaiser waited a minute before knocking again. No one was answering the door.
He knocked one last, solid time before deciding to force his way in. That little rat servant who scuttled around and always answered the door wasn't answering which was very, very odd. His room was right beside the doorway. Kaiser took a step or two back and positioned his arm. He could break through that wood, no problem. With a grunt he charged.
At the last second he caught the sound of a bolt being thrown on the other side of the door.
"Oh shit!"
The door opened and the small servant peered out. He found himself face to face with Kaiser's stomach. The Arch-Bishop had just barely halted himself in time to avoid breaking the door down and trampling over the man...
The man looked up to Kaiser's face with an expression of indifference.
"Kaiser-sama." he said almost disgusted. "It's you again... Here to see Aisha once more?"
The tall man took a step back and nodded. "Yes."
The servant seemed to sigh. "Well I am quite sorry but she is occupied at the moment."
"Occupied? Doing what?"
Kaiser couldn't believe what the man told him next.
"Lord Kisa arrived back early today and is having a little talk with her about some flowers he found in his room. You know how the Master hates flowers and Aisha wasn't able to come up with a good reason for why they were there. Master Kisa seemed so displeased when I told him about your little visits and the way she had been weeping when you were around. He is currently-"
He was cut off as Kaiser kicked the door fully open with one smooth blow and took off past the little servant bowling him over. Kaiser ignored its cries to cease and desist and took up off the stairs toward Kisa's bedroom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I don't believe you!"
[whump!]
"You little cheating, disgusting whore!"
[whump!]
"Who do you think you are messing with?! Didn't you think I would have found out about this?!
[whump!]
Aisha screamed in pain as Kisa gave her another hefty kick in the side. She rolled over onto her back and writhed in pain. The evil little man walked forward and, lifting his foot up high, stomped down as hard as he could on her soft belly. With a strangled, painful scream Aisha curled up and moaned in agony.
Kisa had found out about Kaiser. After he talked to his doorman about who came and who went it became clear. His own little doll was cheating on him! She was sleeping with another man.
With another scream Kisa lashed out at her once more. "Didn't you think I would have found out about this?!!"
Aisha tried her best to roll over, but found herself too dizzy. She couldn't tell which way was up...
Kisa strode over to her and kicked her down once more. Aisha fell face first flat onto the floor.
"You cheated on me! You CHEATED ON ME!!!"
Aisha seemed to smile from her prone position on the floor. "I never committed anything to you. You took me. I've NEVER loved you..."
Kisa exploded. "LIES!! LIIIIIEEES!!!"
In a frenzy he began savagely kicking her anew. Aisha cried out time and time again as the Nobleman raged above her.
"I'll teach you to respect me!! I'll teach you to love me !! I'll teach you to die for ME!!!"
He turned and left the woman bruised and bleeding on the ground. Walking over to the fireplace he grabbed one of the pokers and hefted it up. He smiled and turned to Aisha brandishing the weapon.
"I'll teach you..."
Aisha's mind began to clear up and through the haze she saw Kisa walking toward her. He was carrying something... Her brain slowly registered what it was and her eyes shot open. Aisha rolled over and tried her best to back away.
"No...no, Lord! Ungh! Please, Lord... That will kill me!! Please... Ahh!"
Her body hurt to move. She backed herself up into a wall and watched with horror as the fat, sadistic nobleman approached her.
"I will teach you a lesson you will never forget, Aisha... You will start obeying me from now on when I tell you something...yes...You will..."
Aisha could see something terrible burning in his bulging eyes. That insane light, that sadistic glow. She became terrified. She was going to die... She was so close to leaving everything behind and she was going to die. She was so close to being truly happy again. She'd been so close...
Tears traced her way down her cheeks as Kisa rose the poker above his head. He giggled.
"Now scream for me!!"
With a sob Aisha closed her eyes and waited for the final blow. She curled her body up as small as it would get and screwed her eyes as tightly shut as she could.
'Goodbye...'
"...K-Kaiser?!"
Aisha heard the name and opened one eye. Kisa wasn't looking at her anymore. He was turned to something else behind him. Aisha opened her other eye and gasped. It was him...
With one hand Kaiser held the Nobleman's arm and prevented it from descending onto it's victim. One hand was all he needed. Kisa wasn't that strong.
Kaiser had found the door to be locked. He overcame that problem by crushing the doorknob in his fist and walking in. He was just in time to see Kisa raise the poker above his head and Aisha sobbing in a little ball by his feet.
The fat man looked at him now incredulously.
"Kaiser! What are you doing-"
"Shut up." Kaiser's tone was even and menacing. Kisa began to scowl. His eyes had become like fire.
"Watch who you are talking to! You are the cause of all this!! You've been seeing my doll behind my back! You corrupted her!! Just you wait until I tell Lord Ghenna about thiiiiIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Kisa screamed in pain as Kaiser effortlessly crushed Kisa's fat wrist into over forty different pieces completely destroying the joint. The poker dropped out of his now lifeless hand and onto the floor with a clatter.
In one smooth motion Kaiser moved up behind Kisa and covered his mouth, stifling the scream.
"Shhhh..." He whispered into the fat, sweaty man's ear. "Quiet now... quiet now..."
Aisha slowly rose to her feet and watched knowing full well what was going to happen next. She cupped her hand over her mouth and did her best to look away.
"...Kaiser..."
The Arch-Bishop waited until Kisa had slowed down to a whimper before he continued. When he spoke, he spoke gently, slowly almost as if he was scolding a little child. But Kaiser's blood had been boiled. He'd almost seen his precious Aisha struck down and killed with a fireplace poker. If two things were guaranteed to Kisa they would be that the end was about to come and that it would not be painless.
"It came to my attention, Nobleman Kisa, that you struck my Aisha on more than one occasion." Kaiser slowly began to pull back on the Nobleman's arm... "And that you threatened her life, also on more than one occasion. You made her a slave..." Kisa began to wail in pain once more as he felt his arm twisting out of his socket. "You made her an object... You forced her into terrible things... You stole her humanity, robbed her of her pride, locked away her heart and forced her to shed her feelings..." Kisa began to wail again, twisting his body around, trying to get free of Kaiser's grip. His arm was now bend back the wrong way and parallel to the ground. One more push and...
"Nobleman Kisa, despite all of these I would have been able to forgive you. I would have been able to simply just take her away and leave you to live your life out in it's own miserable little way. But no... Not only did you do this daily to her, you did it in front of me... You did this when I was around, showing off like you always do. And when you did, I saw you doing the one thing that I could never forgive anyone for..."
Kaiser gripped the arm solidly and let his voice drop to a slow, sinuous whisper. The fat man's little eyes were hidden away by the wrinkles on his forehead and large tears were falling from the folds of his skull.
"You made my Aisha cry..."
With a heave Kaiser pushed with all his might. Despite being muffled, Lord Kisa was still able to get a decent sized scream out. For the first time in his life he knew what real pain meant. Kaiser figured he'd never know what true pain, emotional pain, would be like, so he would have to make due with the more physical nature of it. Kisa's arm, now twisted entirely around, hung limply at his side. His shoulder had been shattered and broken. The joint had been not only twisted in it's own socket, it had broken. Every muscle that had not torn itself in half had been twisted viciously around. Every tendon that had helped to attach the arm to the body was now snapped. The nerves running up the arm were now twisted and tight, amplifying the signal to the fat man's little brain.
Kaiser frowned and turned Kisa's head to Aisha. She was standing there watching the horrible scene unfold in front of her unable to look away...
"Look at her Kisa... Look at the woman whose life you tore apart. Look at the life you tried to shatter. Look at her. I want you to know, that from this moment on, she's free. She's free Kisa... She'll never be a slave again. Her life is her own..."
He whispered once more harshly into his ear.
"Her life is her own..."
Aisha, at the last moment, managed to turn away just as Kaiser finished off the large Nobleman. She heard a sickening crunch and then the sound of a body falling to the floor. Turning back slowly she saw Kisa was dead on the ground, his head twisted at an odd angle, murdered in cold blood...
Slowly she rose her eyes up to Kaiser. His eyes were loosing the fire that had once burned in them. He stood with his shoulders slightly slumped and arms hanging at his sides. His breath came out slowly and at regular intervals. He swallowed once and looked up at her. His flat gray ones seemed to come alive once more when they met those soft, green ones.
"...Aisha."
Her eyes began to well up with tears once more. She shook her head.
"...Kaiser."
Kaiser felt his face flush and his eyes began to water. "Aisha, please, don't... Don't, I..."
"You killed him..." Her voice had become small and timid. "You murdered him..."
"He was going to murder you Aisha."
Slowly she rose her eyes up to Kaiser. His eyes were loosing the fire that had once burned in them. He stood with his shoulders slightly slumped and arms hanging at his sides. His breath came out slowly and at regular intervals. He swallowed once and looked up at her. His flat gray ones seemed to come alive once more when they met those soft, green ones.
"...Aisha."
Her eyes began to well up with tears once more. She shook her head.
"...Kaiser."
Kaiser felt his face flush and his eyes began to water. "Aisha, please, don't... Don't, I..."
"You killed him..." Her voice had become small and timid. "You murdered him..."
"He was going to murder you Aisha."
Her pretty, jade eye looked up from the body on the floor and met with Kaiser's.
"K-Kaiser..."
The Arch-Bishop strode forward and took the woman into his arms. "Aisha... Shhh, Aisha. It's ok, it's ok..."
He could feel the woman trembling in his arms. Her breathing picked up and her head began to spin. He was dead. Kisa was dead. The horrid man that had beaten and tormented the young woman lay at her feet, his neck snapped like a twig by the man holding her in his arms. Her mind began to swirl. Should she feel happy? Her nightmare was over and in her arms she held her savior. Or should she feel disgusted and repulsed. The hands that now held her were stained with the blood of a man who lived on the pain and sorrow of others...
As her mind began to spin a shuffle to their left caused Aisha to turn. He saw, running down the hallway, the little doorman. He'd seen everything...
"MURDER!! MUUUURDEEEER!!! THEY'VE SLAIN THE MASTER!!!"
Kaiser scowled and let go of Aisha. In a single bound he was clear of the door. He saw the man running down the stairwell still yelling at the top of his lungs. In one smooth motion Kaiser pulled out his sidearm he'd kept at his side since starting this endeavor and took aim.
"MURDER!! HELP ANYONE!! THEY'VE MURD-" [Thhhhhpbt!] In a low moan the little man fell dead at the base of the stairs, a cauterized hole in his chest. Kaiser holstered the weapon and Aisha came running out. She turned away as soon as she saw the doorman lying dead on the floor down below.
"No! KAISER!" she was almost screaming.
He turned. "Aisha-"
Whirling on him she beat at his chest. "KAISER!! PLEASE! Stop killing them!! Stop killing people!! Don't kill anyone else!!"
He took a step back. "Aisha I had no choice! He saw us!"
"B-but, Kaiser..."
Kaiser frowned and took hold of her shoulders. "Aisha this isn't the time for morals or second thoughts! We are going to do something totally unheard of. Something never before done! We can't stop and think before we act!"
"But...but why not?! Why can't we think before we kill?" her eyes were brimming once more.
"Because, Aisha, They won't! They will not think twice! They will pull that trigger and kill you without even thinking! They are the enemy! They will do anything to stop you!"
"But he wasn't going to kill anybody..." She said motioning to the corpse at the base of the stairs.
"He was going to kill YOU!" Aisha stopped and fell silent. Kaiser continued. "I've murdered someone. The two of us will be executed if the finger is ever pointed at us. He was going to alert the authorities!"
Aisha swallowed and gazed back at him with her sad eyes. Kaiser did his best to stare back into them. Why were they always sad? Why were they always filled with tears?
"We are at war Aisha. Those not with us are against us. I want to see you off. I want to see you all go on to a better place! To move on into the future where you will be happy! I want you happy Aisha! I've revoked my future here. By helping you I've forfeited my future. I've given up the life I had. I've got nothing more to look forward to. You are looking at the face of a man who has nothing more to lose except you."
He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm living for you now. I can't risk letting you fail. I'm letting go, Aisha. You're the last thing keeping me here. Anyone that threatens you will be destroyed. I'm fighting anything and everything no matter the cost to see you to safety..."
She sniffed and stared back at him. Her fist seemed to tighten up for a moment before she sighed and slumped up against him.
"Do you want me to be happy?"
"Aisha, that's the only reason why I'm here."
She leaned up and glared sadly into his eyes. "Then don't you ever kill anyone ever again! Don't even squish an insect. Please Kaiser... I don't like this feeling inside me... I don't care if this is all you've ever been trained to do. Don't... Please Kaiser. Stop. For me, just... just stop..."
The man looked into his maiden's eyes and swallowed. All his life he killed. He'd killed more men than he could remember, that was his job and duty. Aisha was asking him to forsake that.
Kaiser almost chuckled. He shook his head slowly. What the hell, he'd forsaken everything else in his life. For Aisha he would do anything. If she so wished it...
"...Fine, I'll curb my gun for you..."
Smiling she leaned forward and took hold of him. She was starting to feel weak and quite nearly collapsed into his arms. Once more tears fell from her face. Kaiser began to choke as he felt her weep onto him. He held her close and did his best to hold back his own tears.
"...Aisha..." He gasped out. "Aisha... I told you... please... don't..."
She looked up at him. "Kaiser... w-what are you talking ab-bout?"
The man reached down and cupped her face in his hand. "Crying... please. I hate seeing you cry..."
Weakly Aisha smiled and slowly nodded. Narrowing her eyes and gripping him tightly she held him with out saying a word. She decided that she would try to stay happy. The time had finally come. The devil lay at her feet, dead. The dragon had been slain and in her arms was her knight. Her world restored, she'd awoken from her terrible dream. Her nightmare was almost over. Her adventure was almost complete; despite the deaths that heralded it, it was almost done.
......her nightmare was over..................
............her nightmare was over............
..................her nightmare was over......
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leska sat back in her little cell. It wasn't very big, only seven feet by ten, but the walls were made of metal. They were three feet of solid steel on all the sides. It was the only thing that could keep her contained. Along the opposite wall there was a small rectangular slot on the door where the sunlight streamed in. Her cell was smack dab in middle desert in a small demolition ground Lord Ghenna had arranged.
She wiped a trail of sweat off her nose and rolled over. There was nothing to do when she was locked up in there. Every once and a while someone walked past her cell door and his thoughts filtered through the little slot and she could tell what he was thinking. Once and a while they let her out to hone her destructive capabilities. Once and a while she was fed...
Leska rolled back onto her back and crossed her arms behind her head. She was getting tired of this. Same gruel everyday, same time for psycho-kinesis practice, same little box, same four walls, same little slot in the door...
Groaning she rolled over once more.
"...This sucks..."
At least it was nice and cool inside her cell. The heat of the desert wasn't able to pierce through the thick walls. It wasn't until sunset when the walls finally began to grow warm. Nights were usually cool, but not terribly cold as the walls retained the heat gathered during the day.
Her ears pricked up as she heard someone pass by her cell door. She sat up and looked up toward the slot. It was a guard. Smiling and narrowing her eyes she began to read his thoughts.
'God dammed heat... I hate this place. Nothing to do here-'
His thoughts were cut off when she heard a too familiar voice.
"Soldier! What do you think you are doing?!"
Leska shot up to her feet and ran to the peephole. She looked out and saw Kaiser standing there, his back to the door.
"Do you call that a march? You are on guard duty! Stand up straight, now! NOW SOLDIER!!"
She grinned. It was Kaiser! He'd come back! She narrowed her eyes and began to read his thoughts.
'-hear me Leska? Are you there? Leska, can you hear me?'
She blinked. He was talking to her?! Wow, he was able to scream at that soldier and still be able to form totally separate thoughts. That was quite a trick!
'Kaiser! Hi! Kaiser, It's me!'
'Good! Leska! Hello! It's been a while.'
'Yeah! How'd you know I was in here? What's going on Kaiser? How's everyone else doing?'
'Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down girl.' He was almost chuckling. 'Read my mind and find out. Hurry now.'
She narrowed her eyes and began to concentrate. His thoughts flowed in through the peephole and she began to search through them.
'Oh my god! Kaiser this is terrible!! Poor Aisha!!'
'Yeah, dig a little bit deeper. There's more.'
'...'
'...Well?' he asked. 'Did you find it?'
'...Kaiser! You slept with Aisha!!!'
The sentry who was being yelled at did his best to straighten himself up. The Arch-Bishop wasn't just angry, he was pissed! What the hell happened to him? What on earth did he do to deserve this berating?
Kaiser suddenly stopped in mid-sentence. The guard suddenly came to attention again. What... Kaiser shook his head and resumed the ass chewing. The soldier was becoming confused now. It was almost as if Kaiser had face faulted or something...
'...Here we go...'
Kaiser groaned in his mind and let her absorb the details of the plan. When she finished she shook her head in amazement.
'That is one bold plan, Kaiser. You seem to think we can pull it off.'
'The whole thing hinges on whether or not you can pilot that rocket and work that equipment.'
'Let me at some people who how to do it and I'll have no problem.'
'Good. I'll be back here again at three tonight to get you out. We're going to hit that rocket shot at sun up tomorrow morning!'
'Wait a second, I haven't seen any of my sisters in over a year now, or even you for that matter. Aren't you kind of rushing things?'
'I have to. The plan hinges on you and once you're gone we'll have every unit on the planet looking for you. I'm sorry but you won't have very much time to reminisce.'
'Aww... Ok then... I'll see you tonight, Kaiser.'
'Sit tight, Leska. I'll be around.'
'Hai, Hai! I'll be waiting. Oh, Kaiser! One more thing...'
'Yeah?'
'...Thanks for coming back. This is all very, very sudden, but thanks anyway.'
The Arch-Bishop finished screaming at the sentry and turned. The man watched his leader stomp away in a state of semi-shock. What the hell had been up his ass? Wasn't Kaiser known for being a tad more lenient than most other Gray Eyes. The sentry sniffed and wiped his nose. Fear was staring down the long nose of a pissed off Arch-Bishop. Weren't they all on the same side?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aisha smiled as she dozed in the arms of Satomi. They all were there, all seven of them. Kaiser had helped each and everyone of them escape their masters and for the first time in over a year they were all united. After the auction they'd lost contact with each other. When they finally met again for the first time in over a year there were tears, more tears than could be counted. Long-lasting bitter tears, sorrowful tears and happy tears. To Aisha they all felt good. They meant that she was losing something inside of her she just didn't want. She was losing her past and healing the scars that had been inflicted. The same was true for all of them. For the first time in an eternity for them they were all happy, truly happy and for Aisha that was all that mattered.
Holding her lost sisters in her arms she was in that happy place, that home that they all lost. Once again she was swinging through the vines, once again they were all bathing in that pool, playing and splashing around, laughing and smiling. She was smiling broadly, cheering loudly, once again she was carefree. The world seemed to have floated away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hip, hip
Hip, hip
Hip, hip
Hip, hip
When you're on a holiday,
You can't find the words to say.
All the things that come to you
And I wanna feel it too.
On an island in the sun
We'll be playing and having fun...
And it makes me feel so fine
I can't control my brain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While all the women slept soundly in each other's arms on the warm desert sand, Kaiser sat some distance away, a cigarette held loosely between his fingers. He was letting the night wear itself slowly away, letting the stars overhead slowly travel their course across the sky. This was it. He'd taken each and every one of the women and escaped their homes. Now they were going to try and pull off the largest act of defiance ever seen against Mesopotamia. They were going to break into two military installations, take control of their most secret technologies and send eight women through time.
...Only eight Woman...
He looked over to Aisha sleeping peacefully. Poor child... He'd gotten her this far. Luck... All that had taken him this far was luck. His training helped only to keep them alive before fate took control of their actions. He had gotten lucky with Kisa. Five seconds later... five seconds later, and Aisha might have died.
He took a pull and watched the horizon. Suddenly a pin point of light lit up in the sky and expanded to cover the entire northern horizon line. Kaiser watched this glow that lit the skies up rise into the inky blackness above. It was a rocket taking off from the shot. It was headed for the stars. The next rocket up there would have the women on it.
Sticking the cigarette butt into the sand he extinguished it. With a small groan Kaiser reached around and pulled a small box of more cigs out of his pocket. Opening he looked inside.
"Shit..." Only one left. He'd have to save it. Maybe for when they all reach the space station.
Kaiser looked back up into the sky. The goddess of luck continued to smile down upon them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hip, hip
Hip, hip
When you're on a golden sea
You don't need no memory...
Just a place to call your own,
As we drift into the zone...
On an island in the sun,
We'll be playing and having fun.
And it makes me feel so fine
I can't control my brain.
We'll run away, together!
We'll spend some time, forever!
We'll never feel bad anymore!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leska yawned and stretched some. Kaiser would come soon. She looked out the small hole in the metal door and blinked drowsily. Despite the hell they were going to raise in the morning she couldn't help but feel tired. Sleep had always been very restless for her. Her dreams circulated from her sisters and better times to the more recent events with Lord Ghenna.
She'd come to find that the visions she saw in her mind were only a small fraction of the power she could have potentially wielded. Ghenna had shown her that she was capable of awesome destructive powers. Whole buildings had been leveled just this morning during her test run.
Ghenna had told her that her body was like a magnet for psionic energy. That the more she practiced the stronger her magnet would become. She was worried about to her actual practice routine though. Why would Ghenna have her practice destroying homes and abandoned buildings out in the desert? The more she was forced to practice the more apprehensive she became about using her powers. She could have practiced in more non-volatile methods. Something told her it was only matter of time before she was firing upon live targets.
She had to escape. Leska had always been in the mind of others. She, more than anyone on the planet, knew that every person was a man who led a life. This man touched many, many others in his life. He had a father. Many had children of their own. They all had loved ones. They all had homes. They all had hopes and dreams. They all were fighting to live in a world where life was a chance rather than a blessing.
That was why she never attacked anyone. She never struck out to hurt or kill someone. She never said hard words or complained at others work. She loved all of man. They all were just like her- clones; reconstructions of other people. They were all humans. She knew the hearts of men, and thus understood them. This was why she hated to scorn or hurt them.
This was why she had to escape. The time would most definitely come where she would have to hurt her fellow man. God save her lest she kills someone. She had a terrible feeling about that. It would be a step in a direction, down a path, from which she would not be able to return.
Looking up to her window she watched what few stars she could see. Things were going to change. She would finally be able to live happily again. When they all took that jump and sent themselves away from this terrible place, they would all be happy. Things were going to get better. Things were going to turn out all right. She had a feeling, deep inside herself. They were going to ride that rocket all the way to the gates of hell, right into the maw of the beast. But at the end of the tunnel... That light they were going to see...
She closed her eyes. They were going to make it...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hip, hip
Hip, hip
Hip, hip
On an island in the sun.
We'll be playing and having fun.
And it makes me feel so fine,
I can't control my brain.
We'll run away, together!
We'll spend some time, forever!
We'll never feel bad anymore!!
Hip, hip
Hip, hip
We'll never feel bad anymore!!
No, no!
We'll never feel bad anymore!!
No, no!
No, no.
No, no..
~Island in the Sun
Weezer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser came when he promised. At one hour past midnight Leska heard a scuffle out side her door. There was a short grunt and then silence. She waited in the dark a moment. Everything went quiet...
Suddenly she heard a bolt slide on her door and with a slow creak the whole thing opened outwards. The large man stood framed in the doorway. He said one thing and a moment later they were escaping into the desert, her in his arms. It was all quick and efficient wasting no time.
"Let's go."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser ran silently, talking to her through his thoughts. She leaned up against his body in his arms and let his warmth spread into her. The desert nights had been cool and relaxed for her inside her steel prison. The heat from the sun kept her little place warm and comfortable during the nights and somewhat cool during the day. The nights outside were bitterly cold but she'd never known just how much so until then. The air bit into her exposed skin like a thousand icy pinpricks.
'Brr... Kaiser, it's so cold out here. How are my sisters getting through this?'
' 'Doesn't bug me any.' He thought calmly. 'I'm doing all the moving about. Stay close to me, I'll try and run faster for you. There's a...'
'...Camp fire back at our camp, Ok.'
Kaiser chuckled. She never ceased to amaze him. She began to laugh as well.
"I know I do, Kaiser."
He began to blush. "Stay outta my head, will you?"
She nodded slowly. "Mind if I ask you something then?"
'Sure, what is it?'
'Why did you steal all those explosives?"
'What!?'
"Those explosives from that camp I was in. I can see it in your mind. You took a large sack of them. Why? It looks like you took enough to level an entire city. Where are we going to be using them?"
'God-dammit! You can't hide anything from a psychic!'
"Hehe, Kaiser, it's your own fault. When you try to hide things you bring it the surface. You unbury it to try to re-bury it."
'Yeah, whatever. I thought you weren't going to read my mind no more.'
"I can't help it when you think all your answers instead of saying them!"
Kaiser grunted. Damn child was too nosy...
"I am not! Now why DID you steal those things Kaiser?"
'When you girls get up to the station you'll have to blow up everything before the last group leaves. We have to remove all traces of our passing. I think, more than likely, Ghenna will have recording devices set up to monitor where the science teams are sending themselves. We'll have to blow up the whole lab to get to them all and cover our trails.'
"We don't want them to follow us, huh?"
'Exactly...'
Leska nodded and leaned back up against Kaiser. This was a bold plan they were going to carry out. As she checked his mind she felt an overwhelming feeling about him. It was worry. Kaiser was scared about something. He seemed afraid that something was going to happen. Leska frowned a bit. Kaiser was never afraid. She thought about reading further to catch what it was but decided against it. He wasn't actively thinking about it and she didn't want to dig too deep into his thoughts to retrieve it. But the fact still remained he was worried. There was no doubt about it...
Leska closed her eyes. She couldn't help but feel her previous feeling of confidence dampened...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you all ready?"
"Hai..."
"Here goes nothing Kaiser-sama."
"No, Satomi, here goes everything."
"Aisha's right. This is the end of everything for us."
"We're leaving this world behind."
"We're leaving..."
"Then let's show them what us women are capable of!"
"Let's show them what we're all capable of!"
Kaiser nodded. All eight of them were gathered in the early morning twilight. Two miles away stood the rocket shot. Kaiser figured they had less than an hour before the next rocket would lift off. They would have to move fast. The trick was getting there in time for the ship to finish fueling but before the pilots board her.
All eight of the women wore a black nylon single piece jump suit. A few had a rather tight fit (none of the suits were built with a woman's physique in mind.) but they, for the most part, fit into them well. Kaiser had made them change their clothes earlier, telling them to shed what they took from their previous owner's home. He didn't want any loose sleeves or corners getting caught on something while they were moving through the complex.
Over his shoulder he had the bag filled with explosives. There were eight bricks each with a timer and a small charge. He wasn't worried about them going off while they were on his back; All the explosives were designed to only go off when the small charge went off. Each brick had enough power to destroy the primary testing lab up in the station three times over. The whole case would make the entire station disappear. They were going to set them back so far that time travel would be an impossible platform for them to once again gain a foothold on. It was said Mesopotamia would disappear in less than fifty years from now. If played out properly, it would take them at least 75 to recover their lost technology.
"All right you all. This is it! We have to move fast and hard. I made a big fucking mistake last night. I left Leska's cell door wide open. That means that if they don't already know she's gone, they will in a very short period of time."
All of them looked to each other and at Leska. There was no going back for her now...
"We move swiftly and we move silently. I don't want them to know we're in that rocket shot to steal one of their birds until we've taken it and cleared that tower." He said pointing to the large steel rail tower in the not-too-far distance.
"We are going to do this. We are going to succeed. There is nothing that can stop us. We are a team. We are companions. We are all friends. We haven't seen each other in a very long time, and I'm sorry we haven't had any real time to reminisce and catch up, but we are now in a hurry. We are in a rush.
"None of you deserve this more than anyone else on the planet. I've forsaken my future. I've lost my destiny-giving aide to you eight. But you all are different. The future still shines in your eyes. The future still rests in your hearts. We're going to take each other there. We're going to reach that future together."
He held out his hand.
"Are we one on this? The future or bust?"
Aisha nodded and put her hand on his.
"No Kaiser. There is no bust. To the future. We're all going to the future. There is no other way."
Leska stepped forward and placed her hand on Aisha's. "Then let's do it. I want to see us all together in a place free of Ghenna"
Aiko stepped forward and did the same. "We're going to. Nothing can stop us."
Asuka followed. "Nothing."
Kaiser smiled as each of them came forward and added their hands to his. They were going to do this. They were a team. When they all had their hands in he nodded.
"Despite what happens, I want to let you all know, I'm proud to be here with you all. You've come far. I was there not six hours after you all were born watching you sleeping. I watched you grow and develop with disgust. I was ashamed to be part of the creation of such seemingly filthy creatures.
"But you eight did something few other men have ever done. You changed me. I'm grateful for being here. I'm grateful for knowing all of you. I'm grateful for what you all did to me, how you changed my life. I'm proud to be here at your side doing this. Despite everything that may go wrong I want you all to know that I am doing this because I love each and every one of you. You've become like my daughters. You've made me proud. Now we go. Let nothing on this planet keep you from your happiness.
"...Let's move."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Kaiser-sama! I am very sorry but even you do not have authority here!"
The Arch-Bishop scowled down to the guard. Behind him the eight women stood in two lines of four. All around men stared at the women curiously. A few pointed and while others gawked. Leska began to blush slightly as their thoughts floated into her mind.
'What on earth were those?!'
'Those are men?'
'W-what the?'
'Psh... what's with the long hair?'
'Who the hell are those guys?'
Kaiser leaned forward and brought his face close to the guard's own. When it came to being imposing Kaiser was second to none.
"Let me in."
The guard timidly shook his head.
"N-no sir! None of you have any passes or identification! I can't allow you to pass. Lockers and master control are through here. You'll have to take them through processing and get them some I.D. there... Now please don't hurt me Kaiser-sama~"
With a snort Kaiser rose and turned. Leska was at the very front of the line behind Kaiser. He turned to her and began to whisper to her. The guard began to exhale. He wasn't going to get mauled!
"Leska... Will this man let me through?"
She narrowed her eyes and read the man's thoughts. 'No, Kaiser. He's steadfast. I don't think you'll be able to convince him.'
"Well, what's behind the door? Does he know?"
'Yes...' she nodded slowly. 'There's a locker room directly behind that gateway. At the far end he remembers another door. Behind that there's a tunnel that goes both straight ahead and cuts to the left. The left entrance leads into a room with many monitors and controls and such. There's a large glass window that peers into darkness beyond that.
'The other way leads into a huge cavern like place. To the left there's a massive tunnel that leads into darkness. I can see two tracks leading out from the darkness. Above the roof seems to end and there will be nothing but sky above. Each of the tracks seems to slope upwards here and reach into the sky.'
"This sounds like the main launching chamber. That's your destination. But to get there we'll have to get through this guy..."
The guard was becoming curious. What was Kaiser doing. It seemed like he was talking to that man with the shifty eyes, but the man never responded back. He shuddered as Leska's gazed passed over him again.
"That man has the oddest eyes I have ever seen..." he said to himself.
'You'll need to get the passcode from him.' Leska thought calmly.
"All right, how do I do that?"
'Ask him for it.'
"What?"
'Ask him for it. Even if he doesn't tell you it'll surface the memory in his mind. I'll be able to retrieve it then."
The Guard walked up behind Kaiser.
"Err... Kaiser-sama?"
Slowly the Arch-Bishop turned around and faced him once more. Smiling he spoke to the smaller man.
"Would you mind telling me the passcode for the door?"
The guard was shocked.
"What?! Kaiser-sama! I told you before, I can't let you through. These eight don't have I.D. You'll need to take them to processing!"
Kaiser nodded and turned back to Leska.
"Got it?"
'Yes. 15637.'
"Good. Here's the plan. I'm going to rush this idiot. When I do so your cover will be blown so you'll have to work fast. Get to the key pad and-"
'Wait a second Kaiser. I'm getting something else.' she interrupted him. 'There are men in that control room. Men that his guard is afraid of. Two of them...They have gray eyes...
Kaiser cursed as silently as he could. Things just went bad. "Shit! Two of them? Are you sure?"
'Yes, this man is distinctly afraid of them. There's two back there.'
Kaiser closed his eyes and groaned. "Dammit! We need that control room. I can't launch unless we gain control of that room."
'Will they be a problem Kaiser?'
He stood there a moment and thought. Only two? "Well...No. No, we can handle them. With me at your side they won't be a problem.'
'All right Kaiser. If you say so.'
A tall, lanky man wandered up from down the hallway chewing on some food. He saw the eight men lined up in two neat rows in front of the primary gateway and headed over to check it out. This looked unusual. The guard saw the man and came quickly to attention saluting.
"Bishop Segas! Sir!"
The man saluted back and smiled. "What's the problem, Cheikonov?"
"Bishop sir, Kaiser-sama requests that himself and these eight be allowed to enter the hangar bay, but they have no identification, sir!"
"Kaiser?" the bishop walked forward. "Kaiser! Is that you?"
The Arch-Bishop froze... Oh no... Slowly he turned. The man was about six foot five, His hair had been cut close to his head and his body seemed thin and gaunt. His arms and legs seemed to be made of nothing but skin and bone. These, however, hid their true power and strength...
"Kaiser! Welcome here! It's been a while!"
Naturally born into speed, this man worked his way up to master his combat system and his strength. He'd become one of the most powerful Bishops in all Mesopotamia. His eye set him apart from the others. They were such a light shade of gray they made them look entirely white except for the little black pupil in the center. This man was Bishop Segas.
Kaiser swallowed. "B-bishop! What are you..."
The Bishop laughed and went over to clap him on the back. "Don't look so shocked Kaiser! They needed a few Gray Eyes to take charge of this place and I just so happened to make the cut."
"But, but..." Kaiser stammered. He wasn't supposed to be here!
"Ain't nothing happens out here though! It's all rest and relaxation! Buahahahaa!"
Kaiser just nodded dumbly. This was not good at all. They were going to have to go through that guard one way or another and the Bishop in the way was going to complicate things. Kaiser wasn't afraid of loosing to him, (he was, after all, the Arch-Bishop of Mesopotamia.) but the man could delay them just enough for the other two Gray Eye to catch wind of what was going on and join the fray...
Segas smiled. "At least I'm not alone in this place. There's two Black Legionnaires behind that door." He said pointing to the door they were trying to get through.
Kaiser blanched. "Buh-Black Legionnaires?!"
"Yep. Both of them are I believe."
'Fuck...' Things had just gone from bad to worse. The Black Legion was composed of Gray Eye who, unlike the Bishops, centered them selves around their only skill. They practiced and refined their skill until they had come to master it totally and completely. They were the elite of the Gray Eye. They were the best of the best...
Segas smiled over to the Guard. "So what's the problem here?"
"Sir!" the guard said smartly. "Kaiser-sama wishes to proceed forward with these eight recruits, but none of them have any ID. They all need to head down to processing, sir!"
"That so?" The Bishop walked over to Katsumi at the head of her line and bent down to examine her. "Heh, These are some funny looking recruits Kaiser! Hah! If I didn't know any better I'd say these were all women!" he added with a laugh.
Kaiser merely smiled weakly. Leska began to frantically call out to him with her mind.
'Kaiser! Kaiser!! It's Nanaka! There's something wrong!'
Kaiser turned and met Leska's eyes. She continued.
'She knows this man. This is Bishop Segas! He was an old friend of her master! She's SLEPT with him before!! He's going to recognize her!!'
Kaiser swallowed and turned back to the Bishop. He was poking at Aiko's chest and commentating on how she put too much safety foam into her suit.
'What are we going to do, Kaiser?'
'We can't do anything! Tell her to sit tight and try her best to look like a man.'
'What!? K-Kaiser? You're kidding!'
'No I'm not! Do it!'
Bishop Segas laughed and walked around to Nanaka's line. "Well, despite their odd appearances and the fact that a few seemed to have put a little too much safety foam into their suits they seem to check out. I think they are legitimate."
He walked up right past Nanaka, not noticing who she was. Visibly she relaxed.
"Cheikonov, open the door and let these men through!"
Kaiser turned flabbergasted. What?!
The guard looked indecisive for a moment. "Bishop sir? These men do not have IDs yet!"
"I understand, but you can open this door." He turned to Kaiser who was simply dumbfounded.
"This is the great Kaiser! Our Lord Ghenna's number one man! If we can't trust him, then who can we trust, ne Kaiser?"
Kaiser nodded slowly. Holy shit this was incredible! Lady luck was still shinning on him! They still had a chance at this! The guard walked over to the control panel on the wall and typed in the series of numbers Leska picked up from him. With a slow hiss the large door began to open.
"Go on Kaiser. In the hangar you can take the tram down to the Khalis. She's pumped and fueled and ready for flight! The Valkyrie is sitting right next her. She's almost finished herself. She just needs a few more tons liquid booster."
Kaiser nodded. "Thank you Bishop Segas!"
"Don't mention it Arch-Bishop." He replied with a smile.
Kaiser nodded once more and turned to his eight.
"All right! Flight, forward...March!"
Bishop Segas smiled as the women began to walk by. He always loved new recruits. They were always so lively, so energetic. They had a vivacity that always inspired him. They-
He stopped.
The blonde one walking past him was turning his head away. What... The bishop cocked his head. He seemed familiar... From where...
He called out. "Flight...HALT!!"
As the women came to a halt they almost fell over one another. They'd been caught entirely by surprise. The Bishop walked up to the one who had been looking away and took her face and pointed it straight ahead.
Now why did this guy look familiar? Who was she...
...she?!
His eyes lit up, suddenly in understanding. She was-
"You..." he said softly. "What the hell" He turned to Kaiser. "Kaiser! KAISER!! Do you know who this is?! Hey, Hey Kaiser-"
A fifty pound bag of plastic explosives slammed itself into the Bishop's head. With a cry of dismay and shock he fell to the floor. The Guard who stood to the side looked up at Kaiser with surprise.
"Kaiser-sama?!" In one fell swoop he too was knocked out. Kaiser slung the sack over his shoulder again and turned to the women.
"All right! Move it now! Run, run, run, run! Our game is up!!"
All eight of them charged through the door and into the locker room. Kaiser made sure they were all through before turning himself to the small control panel. With a quick grunt he lifted his elbow and slammed it into it. The panel exploded shooting loose buttons and broken glass from the wall. An alarm went off some where and emergency lights that had been installed along the walls began to shine and spin. The large door Kaiser stood in front of began to close. He slipped through just as it was becoming too narrow for his body.
Their game was up! It was time to move! As he started forward he felt something begin to tug on the sack on his shoulder. Turning he saw Segas, his arm though the crack in the door, holding tightly onto the satchel. Rage was stamped across his face.
"Kaiser!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nanaka ran ahead of the rest through the lockers and came to the door at the far end. To her dismay she found it locked. There was no keypad or numerical lock anywhere nearby.
"Dammit!!" she cried out. "Open up! Open up Dammit!!"
The rest came up behind her and came to realize just what she had.
"Oh no! It's closed!"
"We can't get it open!!"
"The door's locked?!"
"We're trapped! We can't get out!!"
As Nanaka beat frantically on the door Katsumi pushed her self to the front.
"Please, please everyone! Let me through!!"
Satomi moved out of the way as her sister approached. That's right! She was the hacker! If anyone could get this door open it would be her.
"There's no control panel, Katsumi!" Nanaka cried out. "How are we going to get through?"
The hacker smiled sweetly. "All locked doors are designed to open, the trick is finding where they hid the door knob..." She leaned against the wall beside the door and began to listen. After a moment she pointed to a spot.
"Someone remove the panel right here!"
Aiko moved forward and grinned devilishly. "With pleasure!" Throwing her body weight into her fist she drove it into the panel in the wall. The entire panel crumpled up in her punch and wrapped itself around her hand. Pulling it free she showed everyone the thin piece of metal that was now twisted around her fist with a wide, victorious grin.
Katsumi stared with shock at the hole in the wall. All the electronics and machinery that had been in there was all but destroyed. Aiko'd smashed everything in there.
"AIKO! You were supposed to REMOVE the panel, not DESTROY everything behind it!!"
Aiko looked dumbly from her sister to the metal panel wrapped around her fist-o-death and blushed.
"Oops..."
As Katsumi fumed Asuka burst out laughing. She clapped her sister on the shoulder.
"Well destroyed Aiko! You killed it!"
Suddenly the door began to move. With a slow hiss the locks unbolted themselves from the wall and the door slid open.
"Wow," Aisha said to Katsumi. "You ARE good at getting these things open!"
Before she had a chance to answer and arm shot out of the darkness. Grabbing her by her throat, Katsumi felt herself lifted from the floor. From the darkness behind the door two men, dressed totally in black, stepped out...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser held the sack as hard as he could and pulled. Segas held as tightly as he could himself. He was in extreme pain. The door was trying to close on his arm. It was being crushed. With a grunt of pain he began to tug.
"What are you doing Kaiser!? What do you think you are doing?!"
Kaiser grunted himself. "I'm doing what I have to do Bishop. Just like you have things to do that must be done as well."
"You're forfeiting your life! You're forfeiting your future!!" He spat back. "You are betraying your kingdom Kaiser! You are betraying our father!!"
Kaiser's grip loosened at bit. "I'm following my heart, Segas. I'm listening to my soul for the first time in my life! I'm freeing my self from bondage! I'm saving my daughters!!"
Segas screamed in pain once more. "Listen to yourself Kaiser! Listen to what you are saying!! They are women!! They are flesh and no more! You have no daughters!! You're throwing your life away to garbage!!"
Kaiser met Segas' gaze and his grip began to tighten once more. "No, Segas. NO! I'm not throwing my life away to garbage! I'm making up for my sins against them!! I'm giving my LIFE for them! I love them Segas!! They are my children, and not you, or the Black Legion, or even our Lord Ghenna will stop me!! I'm protecting them the only way I know how!!"
"Kaiser, you are a fool!!"
"So be IT!" With a scream he pulled with all his might. The sack tore itself from Segas' grip with an audible tear. Kaiser fell backward and landed hard. Segas cried out and using what little strength he had left in his arm pulled it free. With a dull thud the blast door came to a close. Segas brought his face up to the small window and watched as Kaiser stood up. He slung the sack over his shoulder and turned to the Bishop for the last time. He called out loud enough for him to hear through the glass.
"They are my daughters, Segas. I lost them once because I would not stand for them. I destroyed their innocence because I would not defend them. Now I'll fight to take them to their happiness, wherever that lies, whenever that lies. I can't give them back what's been taken, but I can sure as, God may will, try. I guess I'm a fool, Segas. But if fate decides that I should die protecting them, sending them to their happiness, then I will stay a fool and I will die that fool."
He turned and walked away. "A father must protect his own..."
Segas said nothing as the Arch-Bishop walked away from him. He was damned idiot... He was a fool that was going to kill everyone...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Katsumi began to choke in the tall man's grip. He'd lifted her clear of the ground and was now staring intently at the woman. His friend was of smaller stature. His eyes glittered at the seven other women.
"Well, well Kamidake. What do we have here? These wouldn't be those missing women everyone was talking about now, would they?"
He jeered and pulled his face close to Satomi's. She screamed and took a stop back. The man looked like a gargoyle...
"I've heard the rumors, but I never thought I would actually see one!"
Kamidake took a close look at Katsumi. "They look soft to me Azaka..."
Azaka giggled maliciously licking his lips. "I know. But don't they look tasty as well. Such beautiful little dears..."
Everyone took a full step back, Krysta and Satomi two. Their combat sensors were screaming at them. These men were dangerous, almost as dangerous as Kaiser. Kamidake was strength, while his smaller partner Azaka had another combat sensor like theirs. Only thing was these men seemed to have developed their strengths to the hundredth degree. Their potential power was driving the combat sensor in the two insane.
Kamidake, peered at Katsumi once more and threw her to the ground. He began wiping his hand on his uniform. "They seem dirty..."
Azaka nodded. "But oh so pretty..."
On the ground Katsumi was gasping for breath. Her head felt as if it had been caught in a vice. Her temples beat and her lungs burned as she greedily gasped for new, fresh air. Asuka knelt to her side and supported her up so she could breathe better.
"You all right, sis?"
Weakly she nodded.
"I'll be fine..."
Aisha turned to the men and scowled. "Let us through."
The Gray Eye looked taken back for a moment. They turned to each other and began laughing. Aisha began to scowl even more.
"I said let us through!!"
As the men continued to laugh Aiko stepped forward. "She said let us pass!"
Azaka seemed to gather himself together first and pointed at them.
"You're asking us to move? Dear you are mistaken. It is you who will move, not us."
Kamidake smiled. "Move onto the next plane that is!"
Everyone kind of fell silent and turned to him. Azaka slapped his forehead.
"That didn't even make any sense!"
"But, but you know about the different levels of living and moving on to the next plane and, you know. The whole moving on thing and all. Dying... you know..."
"N-no... no just, just shut up. Just shut your mouth!"
Aisha shook her head. "W-what ever! Move out of our way!"
Azaka walked forward and narrowed his eyes. "No."
The legionnaire met her eyes and become surprised. Despite the obvious mortal danger she was in she still glared back at him defiantly. Aiko stepped forward to her sister's side.
"Get out of our way, or face the consequences."
Kamidake smiled down to the bold redhead.
"You're going to hurt us?" He broke out laughing. "I doubt it! Come and try, baby!!"
Both the girls bristled under the taunts of the men. They were being made fun of, being jeered at. Aiko moved to lunge when she felt a hand at her shoulder. She turned and met the flat eyes of Leska.
"Move aside Aiko."
The red head furrowed her eyebrows. "Leska?"
The psychic stepped in front of both the women and stood boldly before the Gray Eye. She called to Aisha and Aiko behind her.
"You two take care of the stupid one. I got the runt." She pointed to Azaka. Both the legionnaires scowled.
"You're cocky girl!" Azaka said slowly. "Do you really think you can harm me all alone? I'm a Black legionnaire. I'm the best of all Gray Eye. I am an elite! You don't stand a chance. You're waaay out of your league little girly!"
Aisha calmly raised her hand and pointed her palm to him.
"You talk too much."
Suddenly her body seemed to explode. With a flash she was consumed in flames. Her seven sisters jumped back in utter shock. What was happening?!
"Leska!!"
"Onee-Sama!!"
Azaka jumped backward in shock and tripped. He hit the ground hard and began to back away.
"What the hell?!"
Leska had changed. Her entire body began to glow. She was being enveloped with fire! The clothing she wore seemed to disappear off her body. Her slim figure was enveloped in the light as Azaka watched all the details and features vanish off of her. Her face seemed to dissapear into her skin. Her entire body turned fiery red and slowly rose up from the floor.
Azaka's combat system went into a tailspin inside his body. It had never seen anything like this before. Her lethality potentiality had gone from almost zero to that of an Isis Cruiser. What had happened to this woman?! What the hell was she?!
Leska's body rose high from the ground. Her eyes, the only feature on her entire body that had not been wiped clean, were burning. They focused themselves onto the little Gray Eye who now cowered on the floor. Leska pointed her arm to him and spoke. When she did so, it reverberated through the minds of everyone present. Her voice was loud, booming and terrifying.
"NOW...GET OUT OF OUR WAY!"
Azaka cried out as he felt his body lifted from the floor. With a quick jerk of her hand she tossed his body. The Gray Eye screamed as he felt himself flung across the hallway. It was cut short as his body collided into the far wall. With a low moan he slipped into unconsciousness.
Leska's body shone brighter than before for a moment and then winked out. She fell to the floor and landed smoothly. She stood back up and smiled. Her clothing and face were restored. She was exactly like she was before. Her transformation had been so sudden that everyone stood there speechless for a moment. Aisha stared at her sister a moment in utter shock. What the hell...
As Kamidake gawked at the psychic Aiko turned. In one swift movement she brought her foot up solidly between his legs. Despite all his strength and power she still hit the same weak point present in all men. With a cry he grabbed at his aching unit and crossed his eyes in pain. Aiko grinned as she swung her fist through the air and connected it with the man's lower jaw. With an audible 'ping!' he flew from the ground and landed a few feet away. Aiko brushed her hands clean and put her nose up at the fallen man.
"Hmph. What a waste of time."
The others gathered around Leska.
"Leska, are you all right?!"
"What happened Onee-sama?!"
"Leska-chan! What was that?!"
"Oh my lord, Leska! What happened?"
"Leska! What did you do!?"
She smiled coyly at them and merely shook her head. Her only response was "I've been busy this past year." and refused to answer anymore questions. The two Gray Eyes were taken care of, that was all that mattered.
She broke off from the rest of them and headed through the open door way.
"Come on, sisters! We're in a hurry. We need to get moving here!"
As they started to press forward Aisha looked around and stopped.
"Wait! Where's Kaiser?"
He came walking up swiftly behind them. "Right here. What happened? Where-" He paused as he saw the Gray Eyes laying unconscious on the floor ways. "You eight took out two Black Legionnaires?!"
Aisha smiled over to Leska. "She helped some."
Kaiser turned to her and smiled. She blushed back at him. "It was nothing, Kaiser. I just did what anyone would have done in my spot."
The Arch-Bishop laughed. "I guess! Well done Leska. Let's get going. I want to be out of here before they get a chance to warn the orbital station up above!"
The eight nodded. "Hai!" They said in unison.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leska let go of the trembling flight technician. He fell back to the floor and scooted away. They were all gathered in the control room. Kaiser closed the door behind them and destroyed the controls on their side, effectively sealing it. Aiko had destroyed the control area on the other side, so they needn't worry about someone opening it that way. Katsumi assured him the only way they were going to get through was by cutting the door down. Leska rose and turned.
"Kaiser! One of the shuttles is ready to fly. She's fully fueled and ready to launch."
"Good." He nodded. "Do you know how to set up everything on this end?"
"Yes, I'll be able to tell you once we're in the ship, but there's something else."
Kaiser groaned. "Of course there is. What is it?"
"Well... Actually there's two things?"
"Yes?" Krysta asked impatiently.
"First thing. There must be someone here to prep and give the OK for the launch. One of us has to stay behind inside this control room and make sure everything is set and ready to launch."
"We can't just set up everything in here before we leave?" Aisha asked.
Leska shook her head. "No. There are several things a pilot must confirm and Ok with the personnel inside here. Attaching the catapult to the ship for example. There must be a man in here giving the thumbs up to the pilot in the ship to attach the thing.
Kaiser nodded. "I can get started now. You all get everything set up while I set up the proper order of things up here. I know how to work this machinery, I've seen this done enough in my lifetime.
Leska turned her head back to the technician and scanned his mind once more.
"No... No you haven't seen enough then. There's also a launch order must be given here and an OK signal sent by the ship in order to clear a launch. They have to be within twenty seconds of one another."
"Well, I can run ahead and get everything set up in the ship. I'm the fastest!" Nanaka said piping up.
Leska shook her head. "You wouldn't know how to send the signal. Apparently the tech here thinks that main console on the ship is a maze of buttons, levers and dials. You'd never know which one to push and what to type. No, I have to go..."
"Well, Leska-chan, Let's get you going! The sooner you get there the sooner we can launch and get clear of this place."
"No, Satomi we don't have the time to do that. It's a twenty minute tram ride to the ship and another twenty minutes back then a third twenty minutes going back with the one who stays behind. That's an hour we won't have. We'll be lucky to have half an hour."
The rest cursed under their breath. That would mean that unless someone stayed behind they were going to have to figure out some other way to launch. Leska continued.
"The second problem isn't quite as bad as the first."
Kaiser looked up. "What is it?"
"Follow me." She said leaving the control room. Kaiser turned to their hostages and made sure they were secured tightly and wouldn't escape before leaving with the rest. Leska walked into the main hangar along the side of the massive cavern and pointed out onto the ground out in the middle. The largest portion of the cavern floor was a massive pit, which was about five feet deep. From one end of the pit to the other the length measured to be almost two hundred feet. About a third of the way through a very large track ran its way through. Another ran its way parallel to the first at the two-thirds mark. The ceiling over head ended abruptly and each of the rails sloped up far into the sky. Leska pointed to the far one.
"I think that rail has our bird on it. We're going to have to-"
Aiko cut her off. "Leska, wait. Bird?"
"Heh, sorry. I'm picking up on their lingo." She said rubbing the back of her head. "Our 'ship' is sitting on that rail. Down that tunnel..." She pointed into the inky blackness which the rails disappeared into. "...about three miles they sit. We'll be able to ride a tram to get down there."
Kaiser nodded. "So what's the problem?"
"There are two birds down on that end. One's being fueled while the other is ready to go. The one being fueled will take another half an hour to prep itself, but once it's ready to fly she'll be hot on our tails."
Each of the women glanced at each other. This was getting better and better. Leska continued.
"But I don't think that will be too big of a problem..." She turned around and pointed to the wall. In front of it was a massive storage drum. Out of the top a pipe ran its way up the wall and then along the ceiling and down into the darkness. The letters XYLICN were marked across drum. "This is a big drum of coolant. I'm not sure who the fool was who put this stupid thing here but it will solve our problem right quick."
Aisha smiled. "All right... go on!"
"This isn't ship coolant. It's reactor coolant! Deep below this installation is a fission reactor. In this drum is coolant that flows right up into it. Now if we ignite this all the coolant in this drum will explode... Violently! This entire hangar will be destroyed! Even more incredibly is the coolant in those pipes above us will also light up. The fire will travel down them right into the reactor. The following explosion will be of thermonuclear proportions. Everything in this area will cease to exist. The rocket shot will be gone!"
Kaiser nodded impressed. Most of her sisters agreed in turn, most except Satomi.
"Leska... Wouldn't that...wouldn't that kill everyone here?"
Leska paused. Her face began to fall. She'd forgotten about all the people who would still be caught in the blast. Satomi was right... Aisha, Aiko, Nanaka, Krysta and Katsumi fell silent.
"Oh no... We'd kill everyone."
"Ahh...shit!"
"Damn."
Kaiser was unmoved. "It's a sound plan. We're going to go through with it."
Aisha looked up shocked . "Kaiser! You can't be serious."
"I am Aisha. We're here to get you out alive and safe. This is the only choice we have. We don't have any time to think about any other options."
"Kaiser!! No!! No, we will not kill everyone here. There are innocents! Remember you promised!"
"No, Aisha! There are no innocents. Everyone here is gunning for you. They will kill you if given half the chance! I'm not killing anyone in cold blood, I'm doing what must be done!! There is no other way."
Everyone else spoke up.
"So why must we fall to their level Kaiser?!"
"No Kaiser, We can't do this!"
"We're going to murder everyone here!"
"We can't! There's no way!"
"Kaiser! No! No!"
He whirled on them. His face began to contort in rage. Each one saw him and fell silent.
"NO! NO, NO, NO, NO!!! We are HERE to get YOU EIGHT OUT OF THIS HELL!! We're here to send you all to someplace BETTER!! EVERYONE who WORKS in this station SEEKS TO DESTROY YOU!! Don't you women get it!? Don't you fucking SEE this?! We have NO other choice! There's no other way to take out that other rocket! NONE!! We don't have TIME to argue about this!! In less than thirty minutes some very, VERY angry men are going to come through here and are going to KILL YOU! We don't have time! We just don't have time..."
Aisha stood stead fast. "I'm not going to participate in the deaths of everyone here in this base."
Behind her everyone of her sisters followed in suit. They all crossed her arms and put their foot down.
"Besides," Katsumi said softly. "How would we be able to get clear of the explosion in time? I got the impression that once you light the coolant everything will go up in flames instantly."
Leska nodded in agreement. Kaiser turned to her. "Well how did you plan on getting past that in the first place?"
Leska looked taken back for a moment. "Well... I was planning on using one of those timed explosives..."
Kaiser shook his head and sighed. "We can't." He let the pack slide off his shoulder and reached in. He pulled out a single brick. "I think this is all we have left."
Aisha blinked. "What? Just one?! I thought you brought a full load?"
Kaiser knelt down, flipped the pack over and stuck his arm in through the bottom. To everyone's utter shock his hand came out the top. "A hole was torn in this thing when Segas grabbed it. I lost almost all of them in the locker area. I was in such a rush I didn't even notice them falling out. This one brick is all we have. You'll have to save this for the lab."
Aiko groaned and sat down. Krysta shook her head sadly and leaned up against the wall. Aisha just smiled slightly.
"See? You can't blow up this facility. We'll just have to think of something else as we head down to the ship."
They all sat silently a moment. Slowly an idea found its way into Kaiser's head and began to worm around. Looking up he stared at each of the women there. He was there to make sure that each one of them escapes into the future no matter what the cost. Looking from Aisha to Leska to Aiko to Krysta he suddenly made up his mind. The answer...
Kaiser stood. "No... no we're still going to blow this place up..."
"What?! Kaiser there's no way we'll be able to!"
He shook his head anyway. His voice suddenly dropped and he seemed to calm. "...In fact... I know how we're going to be able to solve both of our problems in on fell swoop."
Everyone looked up to him. Aisha walked up to him. "...How?"
Kaiser turned and began to walk back to the control room. He slumped his shoulders some and exhaled loudly. "God, I wished Lady Luck would have smiled onto me just a little bit longer. Just a few more hours, we're so close..."
Aisha walked up to him and grabbed his arm. "Kaiser! How are we going to be able solve this?"
He turned to her and smiled slightly. "I'm going to do everything."
Aisha looked up at him confused. "What? What do you mean by that?"
"Aisha... I'm going to give you all the OK for launch and then I'm going to blow up the coolant."
Satomi stepped forward. "But Kaiser! How are you going to come up with us if you do that?!"
The Arch-Bishop smiled sadly and turned around back to the control room. Leska narrowed her eyes at him a moment and then when completely white.
"...Oh my God... He's not coming with us..."
Aisha whirled upon her. "WHAT!?" She swallowed when she saw the expression Leska's face wore. She spun back around and grabbed Kaiser by his arm.
"Kaiser!! Kaiser turn around!!" Once again he stopped and turned to her. Her previous concern about the safety of everyone else on the base evaporated. "Kaiser, You're coming with us, right? You're coming with us!! You're not- We're not letting you stay behind like that! You're going to come with me and Leska and Satomi and Krysta and Nanaka and..."
He swallowed and put his hands on hers.
"...and Katsumi and Aiko and we're going to live together, We're going to LIVE together, right?! We're going to go and we're going to live together, right Kaiser!? You are coming with us!! Get this notion out of your head right now because I will not accept it!!"
Tears began to fill her eyes again. She looked into his eyes and saw exactly what she didn't want to see there.
He shook his head. "No, Aisha. It's... Shit, it's time for us to go our separate ways... It's time for us to-"
"NO!!" She broke free from his grip and backed away. "No, NoNoNoNo!!! I said NO!! NO!! I just got you BACK Kaiser!! I just got you back... We haven't even been together for three weeks!! You're not going to leave me again. You're not going to go away and leave me alone again!!"
Behind her the others moved up.
"Kaiser-sama... no..."
"No! No, she's right Kaiser! You can't go!"
"Kaiser don't you even think of leaving us!"
"We're not going anywhere unless you're there with us!"
"Kaiser, don't be stupid!! Don't do this!!"
"Kaiser-sama...please..."
Aisha began to tremble as she stood there. Kaiser felt a lump grow in his throat.
"No, Aisha. No, you guys. I'm not leaving you all alone like I did before. This time it's different. You each have each other. You each have one another. You'll always have one another! Even when I... when I..." He swallowed with great difficulty and turned away.
Aisha shook her head. "No, Kaiser! NO! NO! You're coming with us!! You're going to be there with us!! We were going to make a family Kaiser!! We were going to have children! We're going to live out our lives and grow old together! We were supposed to be happy Kaiser! You were supposed to STAY WITH ME!!!"
The Arch-Bishop started to walk away slowly. Aisha's face grew angry. She ran up to him and spun him around.
"...Oh no you don't!"
She reached back with everything she had and swung with all her might. Her fist connected solidly with Kaiser. She watched him drop to one knee. Shaking his head he looked up at her in shock. Deep inside of Aisha's mind some little perverse voice was chanting.
"...that's two...that's twice...I've struck down the arch-bishop twice!!..."
Aisha met his eyes and everything inside of her seemed to shatter. His eyes... He couldn't be this resolute, could he?
Slowly Kaiser rose back up. Everyone stood by silently and watched him take Aisha into his arms.
"Aisha... I love you..."
Tears started to run thick down the woman's face as she looked back up into the sad eyes of her lover. She shook her head and smiled weakly back.
"I love you too Kaiser..."
He smiled down to her. She continued weakly.
"That's why I'm not leaving your side...That's why you and I are going to die together... If you're going to do this I want to be by your side when you do. I'm not going to let you die alone."
His expression fell. Aiko, who had also started to cry stepped forward.
"Me too, Kaiser. I'm not leaving your side."
Krysta followed. "I'm not going to let you die alone either."
Satomi walked up level with her two sisters and put her hand on Krys' shoulder.
"I'm not leaving with out you."
Nanaka strode up and cupped her arms around her body.
"None of us are going to leave you Kaiser."
Katsumi came up last. Her tears were running almost as freely as Aisha's.
"None of us are going on with out you."
The Arch-Bishop looked behind the group to Leska who was standing silently. He could see two drops trace themselves down her cheek. She nodded to him.
'You're the only father we ever had. We're not going to leave you here to die.'
Kaiser nodded slowly. He looked back down to Aisha... beautiful Aisha... and gazed into her eyes. Despite the tears that stained them they still glittered as green as the day when he first saw them. They still caught the light in that special way. The jade was still shining bright...
Tears fell from his eyes and fell onto her clothes. They became as rain, dripping and falling steadily, tracing themselves down his face and falling onto his only one and true love. He held her tightly, savoring her warmth, the gentle touch of her skin, Her hair that fell like precious silk down her back...
She watched him bend his head down close to hers. Their lips brushed momentarily before... before...
Aisha closed her eyes and savored the moment in his arms. Gently they kissed. Gently their lips pressed against one another's. Gently they tasted each other. Gently they held each other. Gently she ran her hands up his back. Gently he ran his down her spine. Gently he supported her as she leaned against him. Gently...
Gently they broke their kiss.
Kaiser leaned back up once again gazed into her eyes. Her tears had stopped. She sniffed and smiled weakly back up at him. He slowly began to tremble in her arms and nodded. It was decided then... Gently he loosened himself from her arms and took a step back. He smiled to her and began to turn back to the control center.
Behind Aisha every one of the seven began to smile. He wasn't going to stay. He was still going to come with them. He wasn't leaving-
Faster than Aisha could follow Kaiser whirled around and brought his fist to bear. In one smooth motion he crashed it into her head. With an audible smack the other seven gasped in surprise as Aisha wordlessly fell to the floor.
"Kaiser!" Satomi called out.
The Arch-Bishop bent down and examined her. She was out cold. He'd knocked Aisha senseless.
Aiko strode forward as Kaiser picked Aisha up in his arms. He brought her head up close to his and gently kissed her cheek, whispering softly in her ear...
"Eye for an eye, Aisha...eye for an eye..."
"Kaiser!! Kaiser what are you doing?!"
He looked up and faced Aiko, the sadness in his eyes fully restored.
"Take her Aiko..."
The woman paused, a look of shock was stamped on her face. "W-what?"
He held Aisha's limp form out to her.
"I said take her Aiko. You're the strongest out of all of you women. I want you to take care of her. I want you to guard her, Aiko. Protect her. I won't be around to do it, and she needs someone to watch over her."
Gently he deposited the woman in her arms. Aiko looked at Aisha's face, now expressionless.
"N-no Kaiser..."
"Please Aiko..." He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I know I can trust you. I know you'll take good care of her. I believe in you."
Aiko's breathing began to sob and tears came back to her eyes...
"Kaiser... Kaiser no... please..."
He shook his head. "I'm here to send you all away. I'm here to make sure you all will die happy and blessed. I'm letting you all go. You all will be fine after I'm gone. It is here that we shall part. There is no other way. It has to end like this for me.
"You're strong Aiko, you've got a brave heart. That's why I named you Bloodberry. You're heart burns. It shines stronger and braver than anyone else's I know. I know you won't let me down..."
The remaining six walked up close.
"Kaiser... no please. You won't leave us! You can't..."
He smiled and stroked Satomi's cheek.
"We don't have a choice Satomi...This is just the way things are going to have to be..."
Krysta approached him and took his hand.
"Kaiser... You can't... You..."
He squeezed gently. She held his hand back a moment longer before turning away and breaking out into fresh tears.
Kaiser looked at each and every one of them. His vision began to haze once more as new tears filled his eyes. He nodded once...slowly... and turned to walk back into the control room. Leska's voice stopped him.
"Kaiser..."
He paused and glanced at her over his shoulder. Through her tears she smiled at him.
"Thank you Kaiser..."
He did his best to swallow the lump that had re-grown in his throat and nodded.
"I love you all... When Aisha wakes up... tell her, I'm sorry I lied to her."
Asuka sniffed back as best she could. "K-Kaiser?"
He met her eyes for the last time.
"I promised her I'd never make her cry again."
He turned back and disappeared into the corridor in the wall. That was the last thing he ever said to any of them. It wasn't until they were half way through the tram ride to the ship that Satomi finally and completely broke down. He leaned against Nanaka and wept everything inside of her out. It was contagious and soon all eight of them were weeping.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leska took the pilot's seat with her eyes as dry as she could have made them. She needed to pull herself together for her sisters. The pilot had been bound and brought with them just in case there was something she needed help with. It took Leska only a minute to gather enough information on what to do. They ended up stashing the man in a locker in the back of the starcraft. Painted along the nose in big bold cursive lettering was the word 'Khalis'. It was the name of the ship. Leska couldn't help but smile when she read it. It was old language for 'change'.
Turning to the control panel she flipped a number of switches and felt the ship begin to warm up under her. Swallowing once more she flipped the lever activating the main compressor. Behind the ship the liquid fuel boosters began to glow. Satomi took a seat next to her in the co-pilot's seat.
"Feeling better?" Leska asked her.
Satomi shook her head. "No... but we've got to do this anyway. Even if everyone in this place will die because of us. I don't want Kaiser-sama to kill himself in vain. I don't want his death to be wasted."
Leska shook her head once. "All right, Satomi. Let's get this show on the road then."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser sat in one of the scientist's seat and was typing commands into the control panel. This was it. This was the climax to his life. This was why he was still here on this dammed, mortal coil. This was why his friend had leaped between that one mortar and sacrificed himself to save Kaiser's life. This was why he'd never sustained a lethal injury. This was why Aisha had changed him so...
He began to smile weakly. So this is what it felt like to give one's life up for another...This wass what his old, old companion had felt...
He hit the return button and the rail began to prep itself for launch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leska looked out the window and saw a trail of steam move itself up the center of her tracks. Satomi saw it as well.
"Leska?"
"That's the catapult charging itself. When we see the steam go away we'll be ready to link up with it and launch."
She looked over to her sister and pointed to her control panel.
"I need you to do something. When I tell you to, after we've blasted ourselves clear of the tower, I want you to push this button."
Satomi nodded slowly as Leska continued. "This will switch us from our liquid fuel engines over to our solid fuel boosters."
"Why do we need to do that?" The smaller woman asked.
"Because liquid fuel wont get us clear of Terra II's gravity and sold fuel burns way too hot. If we started with our solid fuel boosters we would blast ourselves free of the catapult and shoot ourselves right up the towers, melting it right under us. No, we have to use the liquid fuel to get us clear of the tower. The solid fuel will push us outside the... the, the blast zone this station will make..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser watched as the steam dissipated along the track. The catapult was charged. He examined the screen before him and waited for Leska to send him the OK to dock the ship with the launcher. A moment later he received it. He pushed a single button.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beneath the Khalis a small cart pulled up. Several rungs attached themselves to the underside of the ship locking it into place. Leska felt a small tug in the ship as the machinery below made sure the launcher was secured tightly. Across her panels she received green lights. There was one last red light. Launch Authorization.
"You ready Satomi?"
She nodded slowly. "Yes."
Leska turned around and faced the rear cabin. "Are you all locked in? We're about ready to leave this place. Everyone buckled up?"
Aiko finished buckling Aisha into her seat and sat down herself. Everyone else was ready and waiting. She could see Krysta and Asuka holding hands tightly. This was it, even without Kaiser...
"We're clear!" she shouted. She was afraid to actually say they were 'ready'. Truth be told none of them were. It was all they could do to sit in these seats and simply sit the ride out. None of them were ready to leave Kaiser behind. None of them were ready to do this without their Arch-Bishop. She looked behind her out the small window in the back of the cabin. She could see the wall of the hangar behind them. It was softly lit from the booster's warm up sequence. The lights from the small fires in each of the boosters gave the wall an eerie, soft golden yellow glow...
She turned around and took a deep breath. Here went nothing... no... Here went everything...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser received the OK inside the control room. He smiled and nodded. Down the hallway he thought he heard a muffled boom.
'They're through the first door...'
He saw the command to give full launch control to Leska. He put his finger over the button. This was truly it. Everything he ever lived for amounted to this moment, one of his last, one of his greatest. A lifetime of happiness and sadness, of killing and murder, of pain and pleasure, all amounting to a single push of a single button.
Kaiser smiled. It was time.
All it took to give the order was one quick tap of his finger. The little button depressed easily under it, almost as if it was as anxious as he was to see the rocket underway.
A moment later he'd left the control room and was moving as quickly as he could to the launch chamber. He wanted to see them off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inside the cabin Leska saw the last light go green on her console. She nodded slowly.
"Here we go Satomi... Here we go. Watch the track. The jet of steam that's going to shoot away from us that you're going to see is the catapult launching. Brace yourself when you see it! We're going to be following right behind it!"
Leska flipped up the last switch cover. Taking a deep breath she pushed the final button.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Out side, the ship lifted itself up from the ground engaging it's anti-gravity nodes. As it rose off the platform the rear boosters burst to life spraying fire and energy everywhere. Satomi watched the tracks as the ship began to move forward slowly. Suddenly a jet of steam burst out from under the ship and shot forward along the center of the track at incredible speed. A moment later the launcher caught the cart and the ship began to be pulled down the tunnel quickly matching the catapult's speed.
Satomi felt herself smashed against her seat as the ship went from almost zero to nearly two hundred and seventy miles an hour in the space of five seconds; there was no friction holding the ship back, no friction slowing it down. She closed her eyes and began to scream as the ship blasted it self down the rail. Everything shook violently as the catapult increased in speed. Leska could barely keep her eyes open as she watched the tunnel shoot past her. Her arms were pinned to her seat, as were her legs. She heard someone scream in the cockpit and found it to be herself.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser ran onto the platform where he had held Aisha for the last time and waited, expectantly looking down the tunnel. At first he didn't see anything. The tunnel was still pitch black. But rapidly a light began to appear. His heart skipped a beat in his chest. They launched! They launched! He stepped back and sat down bracing himself for their passing. They were going to make it! As the jet of steam shot by him he found the tears running down his face again. A moment later the rocket blasted past. With a scream louder than anything Kaiser had ever heard the ship hit the slope and tore up it at full speed passing the Arch-Bishop by almost before he knew it. With a smile he watched them scale up the vertical track.
"I know you'll do it..." he said to himself. "I know you guys are going to be ok..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With a deafening squeal the Khalis was flung clear of the edge of the rail. The ship continued to sail up into the air, but it was becoming obvious their speed was decreasing fast. Leska watched the tower fall away from them.
"Satomiii!! Hit that button now!!"
Her sister was almost too ill to comply. Weakly she reached out while her head spun and pushed the small button Leska showed her before. There was a sudden increase of acceleration as the rocket switched fuel loads. The entire craft shook violently as it pushed it self up into the air. It began to accelerate once more and a moment later was flying past the clouds in the sky...
They made it. They left Terra II. They had all done it...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The former Arch-Bishop turned and slowly began to walk to the large coolant barrel. The thrill of the moment past was quickly leaving him. They were all up there on their way and he was still down here, left behind to secure their safety. As he walked he began to wonder. What were their new lives going to be like? Where would it take them? Would they always remember him... especially Aisha?
From his belt he pulled out a long knife. It was the same kind as the one the given to all Gray Eye apprentices when they finally completed their rite of passage and entered the force as a full fledged warrior. He stared at the blade for a short moment letting it shine across his eyes. This little weapon was going to be part of the greatest act of killing ever done by a single Gray Eye...
He swallowed once more. He remembered what he had promised to Aisha in Kisa's home.
"That's twice Aisha... Twice I've lied to you..."
Kaiser hefted the blade and in one smooth motion drove it into the side of the coolant tank. The sharp edge cut through the metal and almost immediately a thick blue liquid began to run out of the hole. Kaiser left the blade where it was in the side of the tank and slowly sat down next to the growing puddle of coolant on the floor. With a sigh he leaned up against the tank and let his eyes close.
"Forgive me..."
Down the tunnel to his left he could hear a high pitched squeal. They had finally started burning through the last door. Maybe five minutes...
Kaiser shifted uncomfortably. He was sitting on something. He reached down and felt a bulge in his back pocket. He reached in and pulled out a small box. Popping the lid open he saw one cigarette. It was his last one. He smiled and pulled it out. Lighting a small match from a box in his other pocket he lit the small white cig. Mindful of the rapidly growing pool of coolant he put the match out and flung it away. Closing his eyes once more he took a long pull.
He didn't always smoke. A few years ago he wouldn't touch one of them. They had a tendency to kill people. But over the course of the last year he turned to them to help calm his frayed nerves. They gave him an excuse to step outside and give his body a moment to rest. Flicking the ashes away he let his breath out. He started to chuckle a bit. 'They had a tendency to kill people...'
So this was truly it. The last moments of a man about to die. A man about to kill himself. A man about to leave the world behind, about to commit suicide. He looked down with a frown and rubbed his stomach. He had butterflies.
He leaned back and began to chuckle even more. Of course he did! If he didn't, then he should have been really worried. Above him a soft breeze came down from the opening to the sky. He looked up and saw the heavens. The sun had, by now, cleared well of the horizon and was tracking it's course up into the heavens. The entire hangar was quiet except for the sound of the far door being cut through down the hall. He took another puff and smiled. This wasn't too bad.
Looking back up into the sky he could dimly see the rocket. It turned into a shining star rapidly receding into the vast, azure sky. He would give them a few more minutes to get well clear of the blast zone.
He looked down the tunnel and let the breeze play with his hair once more. No, this wasn't bad at all. He didn't mind going like this. His only regret was Aisha.
"God damn you lady luck..." he said softly. Why couldn't she have had stayed with him just for one more hour. He wanted to have at least seen Aisha off. To have at least seen her leave with his very own eyes. Poor girl... He hoped and prayed she would forgive him. Kaiser hoped she would find it in her to move on with her life and get over his loss. He knew that someday she would be happy once more. Someday she would find peace.
He smiled and took another puff. Suddenly he begun to chuckle.
"...Aisha."
His mind wandered to their first trip into the desert when she showed her the world for the first time. The cave they stayed in was still very vivid in his mind. And that Lime Rose...
"...I wonder what will happen to it?" He said softly thinking of that flower. "Nah, It's going to be well out of the blast radius." He smiled even wider. That Lime Rose was going to be O.K. It was going to go on living long after he finished. It was still going to see the sun set tonight. And it was going to see the sun rise the next morning. The wind was still going to gently blow through its leaves and make them flutter and tremble. It was going to bloom and show the sun it's bright, luxurious petals long after Kaiser'd gone. Right outside that little cave, out in the desert, in all the silence and peace of nature, that little flower was going to continue on.
"...It's going to be all right..." He said softly. Taking another puff he began to hear something. It was soft and seemed to flowing in on the breeze... It was music. Sweet music... He closed his eyes. Once again it was the music... It seemed to fill the entire hangar. It reverberated out of the tunnel and off the walls. He smiled and let the tune begin to carry him away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...Desperate for changing...
...Starving for truth...
I'm closer where I Started,
Chasing after you...
I'm falling even more in love with you...
Letting go of all I've held onto...
I'm standing here until you make me move...
I'm hanging by a moment here with you...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inside the Khalis, Aisha slowly came awake. Aiko looked over and saw her start to move.
"Aisha?"
Slowly the woman came around. She was muttering below her breath.
"...Kaiser...Kaiser...please...Kaiser..."
Suddenly her eyes shot wide open and she jerked up.
"KAISER!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forgetting all I'm lacking,
Completely incomplete...
I'll take your invitation,
You take all of me!
Now, I'm falling even more in love with you,
Letting go of all I've held onto!
I'm standing here until you make me move!
I'm hanging by a moment here with you!
I'm living for the only thing I know!
I'm running and not quite sure where to go!
And I don't know what I'm diving into,
Just hanging by a moment here with you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the music continued Kaiser grinned and let his mind wander. He began to remember Aisha and all the times he shared with her. He began to remember her face, her kiss, her touch... He began to remember their arguments, their fights, and their reconciliation's. He remembered everything since he'd first laid eyes on her...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...There's nothing left to lose!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I say you kill them all..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...There's nothing left to find!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'd sooner die..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...There's nothing in the world,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I want to show you the world."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...That could change my mind!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I love you..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is nothing eeeeeelse~!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Aisha..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is nothing eeeeeelse~!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Kaiser..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is nothing else!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the Khalis, Aisha tore her self free from the restraints and burst from her chair. In a flash she ran up to the window in the back of the ship and saw the surface of Terra II rapidly disappearing. A moment later Aiko was up and behind her pulling her body back. Aisha screamed into the window and began to struggle, beating at the bulkheads and holding on as tightly as she could.
"KAISER!! KAAAAISEEER!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Down below Kaiser looked up and opened his eyes. Someone was coming... He looked straight ahead and the entire hangar seemed to disappear. He was sitting out in the desert at that cave once more. To his left, the Lime Rose was in full bloom. Someone was walking toward him, her body glowed brightly with a soft, white light. He focused his eyes and recognized her.
It was Aisha. She was smiling to him. Taking one foot in front of the other she slowly walked up to him. Her eyes were bright and her smile wide. Slowly she reached out her hand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Desperate for changing...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser smiled. "Aisha..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Starving for truth...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"KAAAAISEEEEEER!!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm closer to where I started...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaiser reached out and took her hand. Gently her palm closed over his and they both smiled as tears began to slowly fall from Kaiser's cool, gray eyes. His smile filled his face...
"...Aisha..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...Chasing after you...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With a gentle motion, Kaiser flicked the cigarette away. In a graceful arc the burning embers sailed away from him and landed dead center in the pool of reactor coolant. A moment later the entire hangar had become an inferno.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm falling even more in love with you!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The fire raced up the coolant tubes...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Letting go of all I've held onto!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...and down the reactor pipes...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm standing here until you make me move!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...And straight into the reactor itself...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm Hanging By A Moment Here With You!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With wide eyes, Aisha saw the terrible blinding flash from the surface. Instantly she knew what had happened.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm LIVING for the only thing I know!!!
I'm RUNNING and not quite sure where to go!!!
And I don't know what I'm DIVING into!!!
JUST HANGING BY A MOMENT HERE WITH YOU!!!
JUST HANGING BY A MOMENT~!!!
(...here with you...)
HANGING BY A MOMENT~!!!
(...here with you...)
Hanging By A Moment~!!!
(...Here with you...)
Hanging by a moment here with you...
~Hanging By a Moment.
Life house
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aiko's grip around Aisha loosened as she stared in shock out the window. Aisha had gone silent and still... Everyone had. There wasn't a single woman in the entire ship who didn't hear the explosion, or see the flash of light, or feel the ship jump from the shock wave. Aisha began to tremble and slipped out of Aiko's hold. She fell her knees and began to slump over.
Everyone in the cabin heard her sobs start. Digging her fingers into the bottom of the starcraft she slowly began to wail, she didn't hold back anything at all. Aiko clutched her arms and turned away silently, letting a pair of tears fall down her face as well. Asuka held Krysta as she cried onto her. Katsumi and Nanaka wept as well, in each other's arms. Up front Leska closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Satomi began to sniff and tremble, barely managing her keep her self together.
Aisha, on the other hand, fell completely apart. She dug her fingers in the cold, metallic floor and scratched deep marks into the metal, nearly screaming at the top of her lungs. Her entire frame was wracked with sobs. She cried as violently as she did loudly. Her wails and cries filled the entire ship. There wasn't anyone on board who didn't hear them. Aiko did her best just to stand there and not join her sister. At the other end she could hear both Nanaka and Katsumi weeping softly onto each other.
He'd finally done it. The ultimate sacrifice. The ultimate act of devotion.
Kaiser, Arch-Bishop of the Gray Eye, second under Lord Ghenna, father to eight, friend to many and love of one, was dead. All that marked his grave was the largest crater caused by man on the face of Terra II.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finally her moans became softer, and she stopped ripping her fingers up on the floor of the cabin. As her tears began to recede, Aiko knelt down beside her sister. Aisha was on her knees hunched over the ground. Her legs tucked up underneath her and her arms spread on the ground her body still shook softly from her sobs. Taking a seat, Aiko reached out and gently began to rub her sister's back. She slowly and silently ran her hand up and down, trying her best to comfort her. She sniffed and began to call her gently.
"Aisha...Aisha...Aisha..."
The rest finally began to calm themselves down. As their tears dried they turned to Aisha. Everyone there knew the relationship Aisha had with Kaiser. They had been in love. They'd been closer than anyone else. Their hearts, for both the longest and shortest period of time, touched. It had been Aisha who had opened up his eyes to them. It had been Aisha whom Kaiser fell in love with. Aisha had been the reason he'd come back to them. It had been Aisha for whom he'd given his life.
As Aiko continued to call her name and rub her back in comfort Aisha began to move. She began to clench her fist and curl them up around her head. Her breathing picked up and her body began to tense up. Aiko stopped when she heard her whisper some thing.
"Aisha? What did you say?"
Her sister's eyes opened. She spoke very softly.
"I said don't call me that name..."
Aiko sat up in surprise. "A-Aisha, what, what do-"
Aisha threw her body up and slammed her fist in the floor. She began to scream.
"DON'T CALL ME THAT NAME!! DON'T!! Don't, Aiko... Don't call me that!!"
She turned to her and began to weep once more.
"I don't want that name. A terrible man gave it to me. He didn't love me! He didn't love any of us!! That old BASTARD!! That old heartless man... I hate him!! I HATE HIM!!"
Once more she slammed her fist into the floor.
"I hate him...Aisha was his name. I don't want that name. I don't want anything to do with him. Nothing..."
Aiko leaned over and put her arm around her sister. "But, but... What do you want us to call you?"
The crying woman sniffed and looked up to her sister. Though her eyes were sad there was still the slightest hint of a smile on her lips.
"Lime... Kaiser called me Lime once. My name is Lime...Bloodberry-chan."
Aiko looked taken back for a moment. But a moment later her face softened and she smiled.
"Ok... Lime."
Bloodberry turned to Asuka and nodded.
"How about you... Tiger?"
Tiger sniffed and nodded, starting to chuckle. "How about you Rose?"
Katsumi looked up. "And you Panta?"
Nanaka smiled. "What do you say Luchs?"
Krysta wiped her tears away and smiled herself. She called to up front where Leska and Satomi listening to what they were saying.
"How about you Cherry?"
She smiled and let out a short laugh wiping her own eyes dry.
"Well, Jade?"
Leska narrowed her eyes and nodded. "So this is what we're going to do then. We'll take the names Kaiser gave us at that Auction. We're going to carry a piece of him with us for the rest of our lives. We're going to take something that he gave us and hold it close to our hearts until the day we die." She leaned around the pilot's chair and smiled at Lime, still kneeling on the floor in Bloodberry's arms.
"So be it Lime!"
Lime smiled and wiped her face dry. They'd all lost someone important, someone who had touched each of them, someone who had been their only father, friend and love. They were going to carry him around in their hearts for the rest of their lives. They were going to take the names he had given them in the worst period of their lives. They were going to remember him forever by taking those names as their own. No longer were they Aisha, Satomi and Katsumi; names given to women by an old man who cared for nothing more than the offspring they would bear. They were now Lime, Cherry, Rose, Tiger, Bloodberry, Panta, Jade and Luchs; Names given to them by one of the only men who ever cared for any of them; For the only man that had been their father.
Jade turned forward once more and pointed. There was a bright star coming up in the distance.
"Do you see that everyone? Do you see that star? That's where Kaiser wanted us to go! That's where he took his own life for us to reach. That star right there!"
She turned her seat around and stood up. Emboldened by Lime she began to speak.
"Kaiser is gone! He'll never come back to us. But in his passing he has left us a window of opportunity. He has opened the last door we need to escape this hell. He died so that we all could live happily together one day. That station is our key.
"From the pilot I read I found they have a legion of Gray Eye stationed there. All their doors have security locks on them. There is an inner lab we need to break into. There are armed guards, gunpoints and passageways we will have to negotiate to reach those labs! Resistance will be thick and they will fight for every inch of ground they own.
"But they don't have something we have. They don't have our determination. They don't have our strength. They don't have our will. Over three years ago Lime fell! She dropped to the ground with a body broken by Kaiser. But every time she felt herself collapse she rose again. Like a phoenix she rose from her ashes and stood back up once more to defy him. She didn't lie down until she'd hit him that once. She was fighting in there not only for herself, but for everyone of us.
"Now we've got to stand! They've killed Kaiser and knocked our feet out from under us and now we risk not standing once more. But we won't let Kaiser's death be in vain! We won't allow what he did for us to go to waste.
"We are going to break into that station! We are going fight our way to the labs! We are going to send ourselves to a home outside of Ghenna's reach! We are going to do this together. Come hell or high water we are going to accomplish this, or we will die trying!"
She clenched her teeth and fist as she said this. Her, normally flat eyes alight with fire coming from deep in her soul.
"Are we in this?"
She said putting her hand forward. There wasn't anyone there who didn't join hers. They all looked from one another with a fresh new fire in their eyes. They were going to fight until the end to save their lives. Kaiser opened the door. Now they had to step through.
Lime's sad eyes had now grown fierce. "Let's get this done then! Let's give them a shock they won't ever forget!"
Everyone's eyes met and they all nodded. It was set!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[THE FOLLOWING TRANSCRIPTS ARE FROM THE MESSAGE RELAY CENTER, ISIS STAR STATION IN HIGH ORBIT AROUND TERRA II ]
][DATE: 12/23/223 TTDS][
]][TIME: 8:42 TTTS][[
"Alpha one this is HQ, do you copy, over?"
"HQ, this is Alpha leader. I read you over?"
"What is your current status Alpha One, over?"
"HQ, Area is clear over."
"Copy that. Beta Seven, this is HQ, over."
"Beta leader, I read, over."
"Beta leader what's your status, over?"
"Sector is clear, HQ. The Khalis is docking into air lock Nine and we are waiting for the pilots to emerge with their cargo, over."
"Roger that. Lambda five, This is HQ. Do you read, over?"
"This is Lambda leader. I read, over."
"Lambda leader, what's your status?"
"HQ, Sector is all clear, over."
"Roger Lambda Leader. Gamma team, do you-"
"Beta Leader to H.Q!! Beta Leader to H.Q!! Do you copy, over?!"
"Beta Leader, this is H.Q. We read, over."
"H.Q! The pilots from the Khalis have begun attacking us!!"
"What... Say again Beta Leader?"
[Sounds of shots being fired in background.]
"H.Q! Beta docks are under attack! I repeat Beta Docks are under fire from the Khalis! Her pilots have begun firing upon us! Over."
"Roger that Beta Leader, sit tight. Reinforcements are on their way. This is H.Q. to all available units, repeat all available units. Beta Docks have come under fire from the cargo ship Khalis! All units proceed to Beta Docks and give supporting fire. I repeat once more, every available unit proceed to Beta Docks and neutralize the threat. Over."
"Lambda Team, Aye."
"Alpha One, Aye."
"Gamma team, Aye."
"Delta Team, Aye."
"Gray Eyes, We will be there."
"Epsilon Team, Will do-"
"H.Q!! Beta Team to H.Q.!! They're engaging the weapon array on the Khalis! I repeat they are using the starship's weapon array on us! They've brought the main cannons online! Request- [SCREEEEEEEECHKA!!!]"
[Radio Silence from Beta Team.]
"Beta Team say again, Your transmission was cut off. Beta Team, repeat your last transmission, over! ...Beta Team, Respond!"
[Static]
"All right... All units, this is H.Q. We've lost all communication with Beta Team. All units stand by and wait for further orders. We have to assess this situation properly."
"Alpha, Aye."
"Epsilon, Aye."
"Gamma, Aye."
"Delta, Aye."
"Gray Eyes, we will comply."
"Lambda, Will do."
[There is radio silence for almost two minutes. Officials in security headquarters wait and discuss what the proper course of action would be now.]
"...H.Q.! H.Q. This is Lambda sector! Do you copy, over?"
"Roger, Lambda. What's your situation?"
"H.Q., a cargo elevator from Beta Docks is rising right up into our sector! We have a cargo elevator from Beta Docks inbound for our sector!"
"Roger Lambda team! All units proceed to Lambda elevator landing point! It looks like these are the rogue pilots! Let's take them down."
"Roger!"
"Copy that."
"In bound."
"We will move."
"Aye."
"Consider us there."
"Lambda team, this is H.Q. Reinforcements are on the way. Could you give us the E.T.A. for their arrival?"
"H.Q. you got ten seconds! They're right on top of us!"
"Roger that, Lambda team! Keep them pinned down in the elevator! Don't let them loose! Gray Eyes are on their way!"
"Copy, tell them to hurry up! ...Shit here they come! Lambda team, hold tight! When those doors open well let loose with everything we have!!"
[Radio Silence for a moment.]
"Doors are opening! FIRE!!"
[The sound of gunfire can be heard. It's almost deafening.]
"What...What the hell... Hold your fire! HOLD YOUR FIRE!! There's no one in there!! It's empty! W-where the hell did they... SHIT, GRENADES!!! Everyone duck and- [Lambda One's voice is drowned out by a massive explosion.]
[Momentary radio silence]
"God Dammit! H.Q., this is Epsilon team! What the hell was that!! It we felt it all the way down here in our sector!!!"
"Epsilon, We don't know. We felt it all the way up here though. Lambda Team called out a grenade alert just before the blast."
"H.Q., this is Delta Team. That's one hell of a grenade, we all felt it here in the labs!"
"Roger that."
"[cough] [cough] H.Q., [cough] H.Q. This is Lambda one... They took off right past us! They ran right through our forces after the blast. I just caught them out of the corner of my eyes! [cough]"
"Lambda, this is H.Q., What was that explosion?"
"H.Q., you guy's better get a fire fighting team down here, That grenade blew a gas line! Those of us who haven't been burned are getting fried now! We're pulling back and attempting pursuit, I think they've moved into the lounge and the recreation area."
"Roger Lambda. Did you get a clear view of them? Do you know their numbers?"
"[cough] [cough] At least four! I think I might have seen a few more, but I can't be sure."
"Copy, Proceed out! All other units, be advised. The intruders have made it past Lambda team and are proceeding into Gamma Sector. They have explosives most likely garnered from Beta Team. All units be aware these guys know what they are doing. They cleared through two security divisions and are proceeding to a third! They are to be regarded as hostile and extremely dangerous. All caution and force should be used to when containing them."
"Headquarters, this is the Gray Eyes."
"Aye Gray Eye, what is it?"
"We have a problem here. The way into Lambda sector no longer exists."
"What? Say again Gray Eyes."
"The corridor into Lambda Sector is blocked by debris. The tunnel ahead has collapsed. We can smell gas in the air. We are proceeding out and trying the exit in Alpha Sector."
"Gray Eyes, that is a ten minute run. Proceed quickly!"
"Worry about containing them in Gamma. If they escape into the labs we'll be held up for another fifteen while we make our way through them."
"Roger. Alert to all, Gray Eyes are en route to through Alpha Sector. Let's contain them until they arrive!"
"H.Q. this is Delta. What the hell do you mean through Alpha Sector? That's a fifteen minute march!"
"Ten, Delta one. Apparently the Lambda exit collapsed in the explosion. Rotten luck I guess. They smelled gas and decided to deploy through Alpha sector."
"Roger, H.Q. We'll wait."
"H.Q.! Gamma Team here! We've encountered the intruders! They're in Rec. Lounge 5! Jesus Christ, they're fast! Two of them were upon us in a flash and the rest slipped by while we were busy with them. God damn, they move like Gray Eye!"
"Gamma one, did you get a count of how many there was?"
"I saw at least seven or eight, maybe nine!"
"Lambda, this is the Gray Eyes. You said they move like us?"
"Oh hell, they did! I almost thought it were you guys attacking!"
"Did you get a good look at them?"
"Negative. They were in full capsule suits. Their helmets were pulled down."
"Bahakana!"
"All right you two, concentrate on the objective at hand. Gamma team follow the intruders as well as you can. Gray Eyes, hurry to Gamma Sector. We don't know how long Gamma and Lambda will be able to hold them down."
"H.Q., they have nowhere to go from Gamma sector."
"Gamma team this is Delta. Negative, They can move right into our sector."
"I doubt it, They don't have the pass codes to the door locks."
"Regardless, there's still that chance! H.Q. to all units, hurry up to Gamma Sector! We need to contain them there!"
"Roger H.Q."
"H.Q., this is Gamma one! We turned the first corner we came to and ran right into them! They've holed themselves right up in the Rec. Room. They've barricaded the way and are holding their positions!!"
"Roger, Gamma one! H.Q. to all units, you know where to proceed to. Delta team hold fast. We believe you might be seeing some action soon. Gamma one, can you rush them and break through?"
"Negative, they've set up defenses and fortified them. They're shooting at us through them. Duran and Freeman reported seeing hostages behind those barricades. They were Delta Sector science teams on break apparently."
"Copy. All units proceed to Gamma's containment point. Alpha team can you make it to Gamma Science Sector entrance?"
"H.Q. this is Alpha One. Consider us there."
[Radio Silence ensues for the next ten minutes as all units proceed to Gamma Sector. Apart from standard reporting in, there are no relevant transmissions.]
"H.Q., This is the Gray Eyes. We've reached Gamma sector. We are at the entrance to Recreation Room one."
"H.Q. to Gray Eyes, we copy. Can you move in?"
"They'll never know what hit them. Gray Eye moving out."
"H.Q. to all units at Gamma point, prepare to back up The Gray Eyes as they move."
"Aye."
"Roger that."
[there is a moment of silence once more.]
"H.Q. this is Gray Eyes. We have a situation."
"H.Q. here, proceed?"
"We've cleared their barricade and found the science team, they were Delta Sector, but the intruders are missing."
"Repeat again? They're missing?"
"They are not here. The intruders seemed to have vanished. We are pulling out to search for them."
"Roger that Gray Eyes. Any idea how they got out?"
"Negative. It's like they upped and vanished..."
"Allright, all squads disperse from Gamma zone. Find those intruders!!"
"Roger H.Q."
"Aye, aye."
"Copy tha-."
"[Sounds of strong gunfire in the background.] H.Q., H.Q., this is Epsilon team!! Jesus, they're right on top of us! They came right out of the fucking ventilation system!! I repeat they came straight through the air vents!"
"Epsilon team, where are you?! Give us your location, now!"
"Oh, my god! They came right through the fucking vents!! They're all over us, we can't hold them back!! They're breaking through, they're breaking through!! Oh shit!! Oh Shiiiiit!! Game over man!! Game ove- AAAAGH!!" [static]
"Epsilon Team, do you copy, over? Epsilon team respond! Dammit! H.Q. to all units, does anyone know where Epsilon team was last located?"
"Lambda One to H.Q., If Epsilon was heading for Gamma, they would have had to travel through Alpha Territory."
"Gamma one to all, What the hell is in Alpha territory? Why the hell would the intruders move there?"
"Alpha One to Gamma One, Just the fucking Alpha entrance to the Science Labs!! They're heading for that entrance! All teams pull out and get over there! They want to get into the science labs!!"
"H.Q. to all, All units move to Alpha Science Sector Air Lock! Delta Team, move yourselves down to there now! It appears they want something in the labs!! Everyone Move!!"
"God almighty, This is Alpha One to Gamma One. Gamma are you sure you didn't see any of Beta Sectors technicians tagging along with them?"
"No, I'm positive, over."
"Well how the hell do they know where to go? I mean the fucking vent system?! How in hell did they manage to navigate that space?!"
"To H.Q., this is the Gray Eyes. We are coming together and rendezvousing at The Alpha Lock. Give us three minutes."
"H.Q. to Gray Eye, you have less time than that. Someone's typing in a password at the lock. It's checking the password now!"
"They are already at the lock? Bloody hell, they do move like us! Can you keep them occupied?"
"Negative, the computer just gave them clearance!! They're getting through!!"
"Alpha One to H.Q., who the hell gave them the clearance codes?!"
"Hell if we know, Alpha One! Delta Team, are you in position?"
"Negative! We're en route still!"
"God Dammit!! They've got access to the labs!! They're in, I repeat they are in the Labs! Every available unit get into those Labs from whichever entrance is closest! We must dispose of them! Delta Team, hunt them down and find them!"
"H.Q.! Can you track them through the lab with the monitoring equipment? We need to know where to block them off!"
"Roger, We can. The monitors set up in there will give us the edge."
"Copy, then move it! Start tracking!"
"All right Delta, We're getting our signals... now! ...Ok, H.Q to Delta, they're heading through the research area. Delta, follow your corridor to your left and you should run into them. They're heading that way."
"Roger. [in background] All right team, to the left!"
"All right Delta... They're heading right for you..."
"H.Q. this is The Gray Eyes. We're entering the Lab now. We'll follow close behind and track them."
"Roger that, Gray Eyes... D-Delta Team! They're turning around!"
"H.Q., What?! Say again?"
"Delta team the intruders have turned around they're heading back up the corridor!"
"What?! Why?!"
"We don't know, we're tracking movement back up the corridor. They're no longer heading in your direction! They're heading back to the junction."
"Roger, We're in pursuit!"
"Delta team, it is us. We'll be moving in on their position momentarily. If we pinch them in prepare for a fire fight."
"Roger, Gray Eyes. Hurry up. They run faster than us!"
"Delta this is H.Q. They've reached the junction, they're turning up the west path."
"That'll take them to the experimentation labs. That's over by Gamma sector."
"Everyone, this is Lambda Team. We're still up here by Gamma entrance. We'll head in and move through to intercept them. We got a score to settle."
"Don't let it get in the way of your judgment. Just kill them. All teams have been authorized to use lethal force. Shoot to kill!"
"Roger."
"Copy."
"With pleasure."
"We will comply."
"All right. Gray Eyes, when you reach the junction ahead follow the west tunnel. You'll be hot on their tails."
"Where will this take us, headquarters?"
"That'll take you past Lambda's position and into the prototype lab."
"Sheikana! Lambda will not be able to keep them back! These intruders, they are swift of feet. We won't be able to catch up to them."
"Lambda's team should be able to slow them up enough for you to meet up with them."
"Negative headquarters. They will be no more than a light distraction. All of us can tell. These people have to have our training and our skeletons. They move far too fast for normal men."
"Are you sure of this Gray Eyes?"
"We don't have a doubt."
"This is Delta, you got that right! They're like fucking ghosts!"
"Headquarters? Isn't there a large blast door that will seal prototype off from us?"
"...Shit! There is. It's designed to seal the lab from the outside world. When the time equipment is activated the door will close and seal itself. No one and nothing will be able to enter it."
"So they will be free to move and use the equipment as they see fit."
"Yes, there's no way to open that door from the outside. Arch-Bishop Kaiser designed the system. If he and the best hacking elite's weren't able to break in then no one will be able to. You can't even cut through the door unless you have a high yield Ticyium laser. The door's made of a much stronger and more durable version of the same material used in your skeletons."
"Will we be able to cut their power?"
"Yes and no. Yes it is possible. The lab is powered by its own reactor that's sealed in with the equipment. But the coolant lines run outside that sealed zone. If you wanted to cut them you could. The reactor would realize it was over heating and automatically shut itself down. However we'll loose any and all data in those equipment. It's a safety protocol. The science teams, as well as Lord Ghenna, will crucify us for proceeding with that action. We'll lose all the data stored in those labs! Lambda team, ready yourself. They're almost on you!"
"Lambda team to H.Q. Rest easy, we got them. Ready troops!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
[for less than a minute there is radio silence. Headquarters breaks it.]
"Dammit, Lambda team's down! Everyone head for the prototype lab! It looks like they're going to secure themselves in there!"
"Gray Eyes to all units. There is a large blast door that will seal off the prototype lab. When the equipment inside is activated that door will seal itself locking us out. We have to break through and take them before they get their chance to activate the equipment."
"This is Delta One. What makes you so sure they're going to be able to activate that equipment. Only science personnel are be able to."
"Delta one, they knew the pass codes to the security doors. I strongly doubt anyone this good and anyone with this kind of classified information would know every single detail about the station and the labs only to reach their goals in the lab and not know how to use the equipment."
"To all units, this is H.Q. ...They've infiltrated the labs. We've lost all contact with them. It's only a matter of time now. The Gray Eyes are correct. We need to take our labs back before they get a chance to activate the machinery. The Head of the Science department tells us it takes ten minutes to power and prime the equipment. Keep in mind, none of the machinery in there is cold, so it will probably take them even less. We need to hurry.
"One last thing all units. You will be firing into a sensitive equipment lab. There is a large steel wall inside the door forming the hallway between the inner lab and the outer hull of the lab. However it is not advised that units use any laser weapons. Those may burn through that shield and destroy some of the equipment. Use only small to medium arms. We want bullets not blasts. All units copy?"
"Alpha team, roger."
"Delta team, copy."
"Gamma team, roger that."
"Gray eyes, We will comply."
"Good, now everyone take that lab back! Time is very limited! Be careful! H.Q. out!"
][[END TRANSMISSION]][
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lime spat as she took aim down the dark corridor and fired. The enemy was using bullets instead of laser fire, and for that she was thankful. Laser blasts would have killed them long since. Along the right side of her head was a shallow furrow where a bullet had grazed her. It was bleeding openly down the side of her face, getting in her eyes causing them to burn. Had that been a laser bolt the heat would have scrambled her brains instantly. They'd removed their helmets upon entering the labs. They were becoming too much of a burden to carry around.
Lime sat back beside the gaping entrance to the lab while Bloodberry, on the other side of the door, took over firing down the hallway. Neither of them were shooting to kill. There was no need to. They just needed to hold the whole of the forces back until Jade could activate the door and close it. Lime pulled out a yellow bandanna she'd stolen from one of the tech workers when they first landed. It was the kind that was stain proof, used to wipe hands free from grease and oil. All you had to do was wash it out and it was like new. With a small grunt she wrapped the thing around her head tightly.
"Hey Jade!" She yelled into the lab. "Get these doors closed! Do what ever it takes, but shut them! We're running out of ammunition!"
She hoisted her rifle once more and peeked out the side of the door. It's design was very similar to that of an M16, except the bullets it fired were sliced on their tips to shatter upon impact and the barrel had been shortened slightly. Raising it and taking aim she fired. This would keep them down...
Bloodberry ducked back undercover and reloaded. The damn arms locker in the Khalis didn't have very many bullets. They'd grabbed what they could from the various squads they ran into as they moved along. Jade always knew when they were going to run into one and when they weren't. They never saw the guards unless they wanted to run into them except the last time when they had no choice. Jade had done a wonderful job of getting them this far. It was incredible they had gotten to this point. Bloodberry hoped that she would continue and get the last blast door closed before they were overrun.
Behind the blast shield, in the lab, Cherry rubbed her hand painfully. When they'd surprised the one squad after they traveled through the air ducts she come down near a man screaming wildly into a radio and firing almost blindly. She'd given him a quick chop to knock him out, but didn't expect his head to be as hard as it had been. While she'd knocked him clean out she'd also hurt her hand. Grimacing slightly she set back to work.
"Ok, Jade, this system's telling me it's ready."
Jade nodded quickly as she moved from control panel to control panel.
"All right, when we get the main cylinders on-line that door will close and we can slow down some. They aren't going to pull the plug on us, the information contained in these machines will die if they do. Once that door is closed..." she ran to the far panel and flipped a few more switches. "...We'll be safe."
Tiger, Luchs, Panta, Cherry, and Rose all stood by their respective stations. Jade quickly showed them what to do in order to get the machinery fully up and running. Each of them eyed their gauges and switches intently. In front of them was a platform behind a large glass shield. Encircling it was a massive glass tube up near the top of the shield. At each of the corners were four Tesla coils standing almost seven feet tall. At intervals around the circular platform were small, thin, triangular nodes that seemed to reach up and curl inwards to the platform like fingers starting to close around the platform. This was the main launching pad. It was here they were going to stand and be flung through time.
Jade smiled as she began to hear something start to hum. She'd restored power to the main system. All she had to do now was take all the equipment out of standby and power it up. All she needed was one cylinder out of the five charged and primed in order for the blast door to close. The lovely scientists in the lounge had known everything there was to know about running the machinery in the lab. Tiger looked up.
"Jade, this system's powering up. My meter is starting to rise."
Luchs looked up and nodded. "Me too. This system's charging itself as well."
Jade laughed. "Sounds good. Panta, Rose, tell me when you guys have power as well. As soon as you do we can start one of the cylinders and close that door!"
"Aye!"
"All right Onee-sama."
Lime ducked back into cover and began to reload once more. Shit! Three clips left...
"HURRY UP JADE!! WE DON'T HAVE TIME!!"
Jade moved swiftly from console to console flipping a switch here and turning a knob there moving with grace and fluidity. Rose began to smile.
"I'm getting power."
One more...
Bloodberry slumped back down and slipped the clip free from her rifle. Firefights with the Gray Eye were no fun. She looked up and saw bullets scoring themselves into the metallic shield. Well, it looks like this is it. Either this door closes soon or they'll be overrun and stopped right in front of their goal. Slapping another clip into place she turned around and peeked out to fire.
Jade went to the last control panel and flipped a small red switch. Turning a knob to its max she grinned and looked over to Cherry. Cherry began to smile as well.
"We've got power over here! My meter is moving! It's moving!!"
With a small laugh Jade spun back around to the control panel and typed in a single command into the screen. With a rumble and a slight shaking of the floor she powered up the first cylinder.
Lime felt the ground start to shake a bit and looked up. The large blast door was starting lower itself. She smiled and sat up turning around.
"Jade! You did it!! The door's closing! We've done-" [zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzTHPBT]
Bloodberry saw Lime fall to the ground out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see her lying with her eyes closed in a pool of blood rapidly pooling under her head. Instantly she remembered her promise to Kaiser.
"Oh shit, LIME!!" Heedless of the bullets she dashed out and in one quick motion lifted her body from the floor and ran back under the cover. The large blast door was about halfway closed by now. Bloodberry turned her sister over and began to examine here.
"Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit..." She repeated. Lime was unconscious... unconscious or dead...
Suddenly a noise caused her to look up. A soldier grinning evilly was lying flat on his stomach looking at her just below where the door had yet to descend. In his hand was a pistol.
In one smooth motion Bloodberry kicked out violently and caught the man right in the face. With a cry of pain his head and most of his upper body were lifted from the floor. He lost his aim and fired the gun once wildly.
"BakaYERO!!" She screamed as he brought her foot around and second time and once more caught the man full in the face. This time she sent him flying. Ducking back under cover just in time to avoid the hell storm of bullets, she went back to Lime.
Within moments the door closed completely and all eight women were sealed into the testing chamber. There was no longer any going back. There were no more chances for surrender. The road lay open for them. They were going to make it.
The six behind the blast shield stopped cheering and celebrating when the heard Bloodberry screaming out to them. They ran to the front and saw her cradling her sister in her arms and crying loudly.
"They killed her!! They killed Lime!! They shot her!! She's DEAD!!"
Tiger went pale. Luchs and Panta looked dumbly at her in obvious shock. Rose clasped her hand over her mouth and Jade took a step back...
...no...
Cherry rushed forward and knelt by Bloodberry. No, it couldn't be possible! Lime had gotten them this far. It was for her Kaiser had sacrificed himself. She'd been the reason he'd come back to all of them. Lime had been the one to touch Kaiser's heart when no one else could. She'd been the only one to defy him and rise again on her own two feet. She'd helped earn Jade's trust and bring all the women together. She was the first person Cherry had ever met.
...And now she was gone?
No, it couldn't be true! Not this close to their goal, not this close to the happiness and safety they were seeking!! She couldn't be dead! She just couldn't!! This was all for her!
Cherry gently took Lime from Bloodberry's trembling hands and rested her on her own lap. There was no way... there was no way... there was no way... there was...
Cherry narrowed her eyes...
...There was no way...
Bloodberry was surprised when Cherry began to laugh. She looked up to find her sister cradling Aisha's body and smiling widely. Everyone else stopped and looked up as well. Cherry grinned and held Lime up. There were tears of relief coming from her eyes.
"Lime's ok! She going to be Ok!!"
Bloodberry sat up. "What?! She's not..."
"No, look!" she said holding her sister up to Bloodberry. "It was a bullet. It grazed her skull. She's unconscious, that's all! Oh, lord this is her second wound! Look, here's an older one." She looked up and smiled to everyone.
"They can't kill our Lime, try as they might! Twice they nicked her, both in the head no less!"
Bloodberry sat back and nearly collapsed.
"Oh my god... I thought... I thought.... I, I saw all that blood and saw she wasn't moving and, and I thought... that..."
She swallowed nervously and rubbed a hand across her face.
Cherry smiled. "No, This cut's deep but it's nothing serious! She's going to be all right!"
As Luchs collapsed against the wall and slowly slid to her feet in relief, Jade looked down and smiled.
"Then we're just about ready to launch."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Panta, Luchs and Tiger held their sisters for the last time. There were a few tears as they said their final good-byes. It was decided that Panta and Luchs would stay together, they were closest to each other after all. Cherry and Lime along with Jade and Rose would also share the same decision. However Bloodberry and Tiger had to be broken up. Bloodberry told her sister that she had vowed to Kaiser that she would keep and protect Lime. She had that obligation to keep up, it was his dying wish. Tiger understood.
They held each other tightly for the last time. Jade told them that the science team thought it would be unsafe to send to send anymore than three people at a time. Tiger would ride along with Panta and Luchs and it so happened they were the first ones to leave.
Bloodberry let go of her sister and they stood apart from one another wiping their eyes.
"I'm going to miss you Onee-chan..."
"Heh, Bloodberry... I'm sure our paths will cross again someday."
"I know they will..." she said smiling. "Goodbye Tiger."
"Goodbye Bloodberry." Tiger turned and began to walk onto the platform where Luchs and Panta were waiting. She stopped and looked over her shoulder to Bloodberry once more.
"Hey, keep your nose clean, all right? I don't want to come back and see you ten, twenty years down the line like I did when Kaiser dragged your skanky ass back to us in the desert!"
Bloodberry chuckled and shook her head. "Sayonara, Onee-chan. Stay good."
Tiger smiled and climbed the platform. Each of them took the other's hand and formed a ring. Tiger smiled to each of them.
"We ready?" Panta and Luchs returned the smiles and nodded. They turned to Bloodberry and Cherry standing by watching them.
"Bye bye you two! I want you to take care of Lime! Nurse her back to full health!"
"Sayonara, Bloodberry, Cherry! Hopefully we'll see you soon!! Stay healthy!!"
Both of the women standing by smiled.
"We will!"
"So long you three! Be happy where ever you are!"
Jade and Rose worked the controls for the final stage of the trip. With a low groan the last of the cylinders began to come online. Turning, they watched the time machine power up. Each of the five triangles that circled the plat form began to slowly rotate around it. The four Tesla Coils began to charge as well. They were beginning to spark and shock. With amazement, the three women on the platform watched the machinery power up around them. This was really and truly it! This was what they had come here to do! They were going away. They weren't sure where, but were glad to be heading there any way. With a smile they watched the machinery charge. To the future!
The finger-like triangles began to spin around the platform faster and faster. Soon they were moving so fast it was like staring into the blades of a fan turned on full. They went by in a faded blur. A strong wind began to circulate around the lab as the machinery stirred and kicked the air around. The Tesla Coils suddenly lit up and sparks jumped up into the tube above. Everyone watched in amazement as a giant bolt of electricity filled the tube. The entire tube that ringed the whole platform above lit up brightly casting a light blue light across the entire lab.
As the 'fingers' finally reached their max rotation speed, lightning began to jump from the tube above and the coils below into them. Slowly they began to emit an even stronger, darker blue light. Cherry squinted as the stronger light began to shine even brighter. The lights had become a circular blur around the three women encasing them on the platform. It was like they were surrounded by a large, glowing ring. Bloodberry watched them on the platform through her fingers and, for the last time, briefly met eyes with Tiger.
'...So long Onee-sama..."
Finally four massive lighting bolts rose from the Tesla Coils and into the tube above, then, in an explosion of energy, the tube shot a massive sheet of electricity cascading straight down onto the rotating 'fingers'. In a flash of light and deafening sound there was an explosion. Bloodberry turned her head and looked away and felt a force hit her and caused her to stumble back a bit.
A second later the light was gone as was the noise. Bloodberry looked up to see the 'fingers' slowly begin to wind themselves down. The Tesla Coils were silent and the tube above filled with nothing at all. The platform, where three women had been standing not a moment earlier, was empty. The machinery had worked. They'd been sent into the future...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jade smiled softly as she held her sisters.
"I'm going to miss you guys."
Their turn had finally come. Bloodberry nodded. "We know. Wherever you end up, be sure to try and look us up, all right?"
Rose giggled. "Whatever you say Bloodberry!"
Cherry smiled as well. "I know our paths will meet again some time. I don't think this is the end."
Jade nodded. "I know this isn't the end. We're going to be with each other once again someday."
Rose sniffed and nodded. "You three please take care of yourselves. Don't get yourselves hurt, or even worse, killed."
"Ha!" Bloodberry smiled foolishly. "Me? Get in trouble? Where do you get this nonsense! Everyone knows Cherry's the real trouble maker here, eh?"
Cherry frowned and shot an evil eye up to her sister. "Whatever you say, Bloodberry..."
Jade closed her eyes and began to laugh. "Just be careful with yourself, you two. Don't get yourselves hurt! I wanna see you three again sometime."
She walked over to Lime cradled in Bloodberry's arms and kissed her softly on the cheek.
"Thank you Lime. You pulled us through all this. We would have been lost without you. Wake up happy, Onee-chan. Wake up happy and embrace your new world."
Rose walked up and did the same to her.
"Goodbye, Lime-chan. I want to see you again someday, smiling widely. Be safe, wherever you go..."
They separated and each moved to their respective posts. Cherry, Bloodberry and Lime all were on the platform. Jade and Rose took their stations at the console of the time machine. Jade looked over at the three and smiled.
"Don't ever forget about us, you two! Don't ever forget who you really are and what happened to all of us. We're sisters, we're the only sisters this planet has ever seen. Blood is thicker than water. Goodbye...Sayonara..."
Bloodberry and Cherry, holding Lime sandwiched between their bodies, hugged each other tightly. They turned to Jade and nodded.
"Let's get this show on the road! We've all got a future to live!"
Rose smiled at Bloodberry and began to work her controls. Slowly the fingers began to turn and rotate once more. As they started to spin round the platform faster and faster the Tesla Coils began to spark and charge. Bloodberry met Cherry's eyes over Limes' head.
"Are you ready for this?"
Cherry nodded.
"I hope we love where we're going!!"
Bloodberry laughed over the loud din that was beginning.
"I know we will, Cherry! Life owes us all one! Hahaha!"
Cherry giggled and held her sister tighter. The tube above them began to spark and fill with electricity. Cherry looked down at Lime in between the two of them. She looked so peaceful. Cherry giggled as she saw her sleeping with a small, happy smile on her face. They were doing this because of her. She hoped fervently that Lime would be happy wherever they landed.
She looked up into the tube above and grinned into the almost blinding light. The 'fingers' shone a dark blue and now spun fast enough to create the 'ring of light' illusion.
'I don't know who's out there...' she thought to herself, '...But who ever it is, thanks for letting us keep Lime... Thanks for getting us through this...'
Bloodberry turned her face upwards into the light and with a large smile, began to cheer.
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!!!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At that very moment Lord Ghenna received word of what happened at the Rocket Shot and the Space Station. It was said his eyes glittered like fire for months afterwards....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At that very moment Nansa rose his small cup into the sky in his little garden and smiled.
"Sayonara, Satomi-chan."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At that very moment a young Gray Eye by the name of Keinaro awoke from his fitful sleep with a sudden start, and spend the rest of the night wide awake wondering what had happened.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At that very moment, in a place far, far away; on another plane; in another universe, Kaiser watched with eager eyes and began to laugh out loud with joy. His little girls had done it, They'd pulled through...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At that very moment an explosion electricity cascaded down from the tube above onto the 'ring of light' and a second later all three of the women, smiling, sleeping and laughing were cast off the platform and sent screaming and cheering straight into a whirlwind of chaos and sound.
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!!!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everything's so blurry,
and everyone's so fake...
And everybody's empty,
and everything is so messed up...
Pre-occupied without you,
I cannot live at all...
My whole world surrounds you,
I stumble then I crawl...
But you could be my someone!
You could be my scene!
You know that I'll protect you
from all of the obscene!
I wonder what you're doing,
Imagine where you are...
There's oceans in between us
but that's not very far!!
Can you take it all away?!
Can you take it all away?!
Well ya shoved it in my face!
This pain you gave to me!
Can you take it all away?!
Can you take it all away?!
Well ya shoved it my face!!
Everyone is changing,
there's no one left that's real...
To make up your own ending,
let me know just how you feel...
'Cause I am lost without you,
I cannot live at all!
My whole world surrounds you,
I stumble then I crawl...
And you could be my someone!
You could be my scene!
You know that I will save you
from all of the unclean!
I wonder what you're doing,
I wonder where you are!
There's oceans in between us
but that's not very far!!
Can you take it all away?!
Can you take it all away?!
Well ya shoved it in my face!
This pain you gave to me!
Can you take it all away?!
Can you take it all away?!
Well ya shoved it my face!!
This pain you gave to me!!!
Oooooooohhh...
Nobody told me what you thought...
Nobody told me what to say...
Everyone showed you where to turn...
Told you when to runaway....
Nobody told you where to hide...
Nobody told you what to say...
Everyone showed you where to turn...
Showed you when to runaway!!
Can you take it all away?!
Can you take it all away?!
Well ya shoved it in my face!
This pain you gave to me!
Can you take it all away?!
Can you take it all away?!
Well ya shoved it my face!!
This pain you gave to me!!
Noooooooooooooooooooooooo~
This pain you gave to meeeeee!!~
This pain you gave to meeeeee!!~
...Can you take it all...
...Can you take it all away...
...This pain you gave to me...
...Can you take it all away...
...This pain you gave to me...
...Can you take it all away...
...This pain you gave to me...
...This pain you gave to me...
...This pain you gave to me...
...This pain you gave to me...
~Blurry
Puddle of Mudd
[To be continued]
E-mail to: The_Dark_Phoenix@hotmail.com
