Double Helix

chapter eight
~ confrontation ~

His head was throbbing, but at least his nose wasn't bleeding anymore. Little by little, the pressure in his sinuses were beginning to ease.

It had been years since he had last entered a plant bulb. Confronting an angel directly proved to be a difficult task after so long. Never mind that fact that she had been completely unwilling to cooperate. The action taxed his reserves and caused him to feel awash with guilt for invading his sister's domain, let alone her mind. Even so, it couldn't be helped. He was at the end of his rope and felt so desperate he could taste it.

Now he was floating in a sea of turmoil. He didn't know where to begin or how to react. The things he learned filled him with anger and grief.

Even those words: anger, grief... they were not enough. Nothing could describe the emotions filling his senses. His flesh itched with the need for a release. The more he ignored that need, the more demanding it became. So focused were his thoughts he barely noticed the feathers sprouting from his shoulders. They floated soundlessly in the darkness, their graceful fall in stark contrast to the rage building within.

The free-born plant felt a small comfort from the fact that the insurance agent was still alive. For now.

He still had a chance to save her, to stop Knives. A chance he never had with Rem. He couldn't bear the thought of letting another woman die because of his inability to stop his twin. If he could save her, perhaps it would make up for him not being able to save Rem.

Perhaps he could save his brother as well.

Vash grimaced and dug his fingers into his knee. The anger was still too tangible. Saving Knives almost seemed laughable at this point, but the memory of Rem refused to let the concept go. Normally, Vash's emotions were manageable when he was Knives' only target...

...but now that his twin had involved Meryl...

The free-born plant squeezed his eyes tightly shut and felt his flesh ripple. Teeth bit into his lip until he tasted blood, but still his wings threatened to explode out of his back. The urge to reveal his true nature felt overwhelming.

Vash sucked in a deep breath and held it, forcing himself to relax and regain his poise. Fingers rubbed the blackened hair on the back of his head as he slowly exhaled. He could not afford to lose control. He could not give Knives more of an advantage than he already had. He had to be smart. He had to play the game as Knives would play it.

There could be no mistakes. Knives would not win this time.

Knives had always been good at manipulating others. Vash had never developed such a skill. Knives was proactive, Vash was reactive. Clearly, Knives held all the cards... or at least he thought he did.

It was time to change that. It was time to take a lesson out the playbook that Knives used and be proactive. That was the reason why he went to his sister today. That was his rationale for forcing her to tell him everything she knew. He was justified because people were counting on him. People who cared about him... and he couldn't let them down.

Vash clenched and unclenched his jaw angrily as he stared holes into the door, waiting for Wolfwood to return.

• • •

"We'll find her, Milly," Wolfwood said, smiling at his companion tenderly. "I don't believe she's dead. Don't lose hope."

Milly offered the priest a small smile and let her eyes drift down to the half eaten pudding before her. Everything tasted bland to her now, even pudding. It was nice of the priest to buy her some. It was obvious that he was doing his best to cheer her up, but nothing could ease her heart. She was sick with worry and regret.

Her eldest brother told her once that it was pointless to live in the past. "Don't waste your time with regret," he told her once, "What's done is done. All you can do now is learn from your mistakes."

He was right of course. You can't go back and rewrite history... but her regrets kept piling up within her heart. She felt responsible. Guilty. All Milly could think about were the "if only's." 'If only I tried a little harder... I might have been able to convince Meryl to stay,' or 'If only I asked Meryl what was wrong the night she talked to Mr. Bernardelli... she would be safe now.'

Milly felt powerless. It was bad enough that she didn't listen to her intuition and stop Meryl from going, but now that same intuition told her that her friend was in grave danger. She didn't believe Meryl was dead, but the possibility gnawed at her. If Meryl sill lived then there was something to hope for. That hope was a small spark, but Milly felt it. She clung to it as though she were about to drown and nurtured it as much as she could... but waves of doubt still washed over her.

What would she do if Meryl was dead? How could she face her family and explain that to them? She was her partner, her best friend... Meryl's mother would be heartbroken. If Meryl was never found, Milly doubted she could ever forgive herself. As Meryl's partner, it was her job to look out for her. They looked out for each other. They were a team. Even if their assignment had been a sham from the beginning, that didn't belittle the fact that they were a team.

Milly had failed her.

The insurance agent felt her throat tighten and tried hard not to cry. She turned her face down and away from Wolfwood, hoping he wouldn't notice her trying to compose herself. Milly didn't want to cry again. Too many tears had been shed already and tears wouldn't bring Meryl back any sooner.

She had to be strong. Like Meryl.

A napkin was placed in her palm and she felt the priest wrap his hand around hers, closing her fist around the napkin. His display of compassion brought her over the edge and the tears came unbidden.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" The priest asked.

Milly sniffled and nodded, grateful for the excuse to leave the café.

The suns had already set when they exited, making the air feel crisp and cool. Milly breathed deeply and cleared her throat, earning a glance from the priest beside her. He waited for her to speak, but the silence remained. Normally cheerful eyes now distant and thoughtful, they walked together in a dejected silence. Wolfwood wanted to comfort the woman, but felt unable to do so when he couldn't even comfort himself.

Meryl was as good as dead and he knew it.

"There's our hotel," Milly whispered. She offered a strained smile, "I didn't realize the café was so close. I must not have been paying very close attention earlier."

Wolfwood nodded, feeling strangely uneasy around the girl. "Tongari wants to leave town early tomorrow, so we should probably turn in."

"Do you think Mr. Vash learned anything today?" Milly asked.

Wolfwood paused, considering. "I don't know. I hope so. Lord knows we could use some direction."

"I hope so, too," the girl murmured, her eyes reflecting her sadness. Catching herself, Milly smiled, "Well, good night! I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Milly."

Wolfwood gave her a brief wave as she started to head into the hotel. She paused, and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she turned toward him.

"Thank you for the pudding, Mr. Priest," she called to him.

He nodded. "You're welcome."

As soon as she disappeared, Wolfwood pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. It was difficult to relish his addiction under the cloud of despair that hung over them. Tomorrow they were supposed to go to Red Dune. Tomorrow they would probably learn the truth.

Wolfwood sighed as he watched the second moon peek over the horizon. Vash had been doing his research and putting two and two together.

The priest wondered if Vash knew the true significance of the Red Dune Laboratory. On the surface, it wasn't unique. It was one of three such genetics labs known to exist on the planet. Everyone knew someone who was a "test tube" baby from one of those three labs. With so many people killed in the Great Fall, it was necessary to keep the genetic pool "fresh" by introducing new chromosomes into the mix.

The loss of the Red Dune Laboratory was a huge blow to the SEEDs Foundation. Because of the nature of the destruction, and the fact that there were no surviving eyewitnesses, Vash the Stampede had been blamed for the loss and his bounty was increased by another five billion double dollars. Knives most certainly had a hand in the increase in Vash's bounty. It wouldn't be long before they were plagued by vigilantes, federal marshals and various bounty hunters once more. Vash would never know peace as long as Knives lived.

Dropping the finished cigarette to the ground, Wolfwood stamped it out and slowly made his way into the hotel.

Vash would be back by now and most likely he would be extremely frustrated and worried. He was having an even more difficult time dealing with Meryl's disappearance than Milly was, and that was saying something. Wolfwood always suspected that Vash felt more of an attachment for the petite agent than he let on, but now he was certain.

Still, it didn't help that Vash was unable to sleep and barely ate. His body was showing signs of obvious stress and fatigue and that was very worrying. Wolfwood didn't quite know how to handle a severely stressed Humanoid Typhoon, so he did his best to stay out of his way. Even so, Vash was quick to anger and even quicker to react. And that was bordering on becoming dangerous.

A self-defeated sigh escaped the priest's lips as he climbed the stairs leading to the room he shared with Vash. Wolfwood doubted the angel had been very helpful today. Knives said that none of the plant angels would talk to Vash, and so far, none have. It was a trend that was only serving to make the outlaw even more stressed out and anxious. Stepping inside the darkened hotel room, the priest fumbled a bit as he looked for a light. The sudden slam of the door behind him caused him to almost jump out of his skin as he whirled around to see what happened.

"Welcome back."

Wolfwood turned toward the strangely familiar voice, a sense of fear and alarm edging into his consciousness.

'Knives?'

Two glowing eyes peered back at him through the darkness and he knew at once that it wasn't Knives he was looking at, but Vash.

"How was your day, Nicholas D. Wolfwood?" the free-born plant asked.

Wolfwood's mouth hung slightly agape as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Vash was sitting on the floor with one leg drawn up to his chest and one arm dangling over his knee. Feathers surrounded him, each in its own stage of decomposition. To his right lay his gun.

He knows!

Wolfwood felt his mouth go dry. He swallowed hard, praying that his voice would remain steady when he spoke. "I had a fine day," the priest said carefully, "How was yours?"

"Interesting." Vash paused, tilting his head to one side. "Disturbing."

Wolfwood said nothing as he moved to turn on a light, feeling the need to see Vash more clearly.

"Leave it off," Vash ordered.

The priest slowly pulled his hand from the lamp, "Oookay..."

An uneasy silence filled the room. Wolfwood stood awkwardly for a moment before deciding to sit. An interrogation was coming, he could feel it. The few moments he had to prepare himself for what was coming was best not wasted.

"You haven't asked me if I learned anything from my sister today," Vash said. "That's rather rude of you."

Wolfwood pulled a chair out and frowned, "I'm sorry. Did you learn anything?"

"Yes, I did. I had to enter the plant chamber to do it. I had to force myself into her mind to get the answers I wanted, but I got those answers."

"I... see," Wolfwood said uneasily.

"Do you?" Vash asked, his voice cold. "Tell me what you see. I'd love to hear it."

A stoic expression was the only reply Vash received. The free-born plant smirked and rubbed his nose, but the strained silence continued. With every frigid word that dripped from Vash's lips, Wolfwood's heart pounded harder as adrenaline began to flood his system. Only his white-knuckle grip on the seat of his chair belayed the priest's inner turmoil. Vash's eyes still glowed. Feathers still rose from his flesh.

The plant was agitated, and therefore, extremely dangerous.

"I've always known who you are, Wolfwood." Vash stated simply, bright eyes blinking. "Or should I say Chapel the Evergreen? Which do you prefer? Chapel or Wolfwood?"

The priest moistened his lips. "Knives calls me Chapel."

Vash smiled lazily, "Then I will call you Chapel, too. Tell me, Chapel, what are my brother's orders for you?"

"To safely deliver you to Knives."

"Is that all?" Vash asked.

"Yes."

"You had nothing to do with the Insurance Girl's disappearance?" the free-born plant regarded the priest skeptically, "No prior knowledge? You played no part in her reassignment?"

Wolfwood remained silent, the words failing at his throat.

"Does your silence condemn you?" Vash asked.

"N-no..." Wolfwood stumbled, "I didn't know they were actually going to use Meryl. I knew she was being considered, but I didn't know that they decided to actually do it. I heard other women were being considered... Milly was even considered... but, Doc-"

"But you knew about the seedling?"

The priest blinked. "Y-yes."

"At what point did you know they were going to use her?"

Wolfwood sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I figured it out the day she announced that she was going to go to Tober to meet with Kevin Millio."

"I see," Vash rubbed his knee absently, "And you didn't stop her, you just let her go knowing what they were going to do to her."

"I didn't-"

"You let her go." Vash interrupted, "You knew."

"She's still alive."

A loud crash filled the room and Wolfwood suppressed a cringe. Vash had knocked over the night table beside him and sent it flying toward the priest, showering the human with bits of debris.

"She's still alive?" Vash shouted, "She's a bloody guinea pig! They're using her to put a thing inside of her that my own people won't even take! It will kill her!"

Wolfwood oozed silence, his sense of guilt preventing him from defending himself. Vash had every right to be angry. Wolfwood knew about the trap Meryl was walking into from the very beginning and he let her go. He could have encouraged Vash to stop her from going, he could have told her not to go himself... but he did neither of those things. He deserved everything Vash dealt him and more.

Vash ran his hand through his hair and groaned pathetically. "Where is she?"

"I don't know."

"Don't... don't lie to me," the free-born plant growled, "I have reached my limits, Chapel. Don't fucking lie to me."

"I'm not lying," Wolfwood said quickly, "I don't know where she is. I have an idea of where she could be, but I don't know if she's actually there or not. I'm out of the loop on this one. Knives made sure of that. You probably know as much as I do now... maybe more."

Vash sucked in a deep breath and rubbed his brow. "Then tell me everything you know."

Wolfwood sighed, resigning himself to his fate. "Knives learned of the seedling's existence a few years ago and sent Legato to recover it. He thinks the seedling is more advanced. He says that it is further up the evolutionary ladder than both you and himself. He thinks that if it survives, it will ensure the survival of all the plants.

"None of the plant angels would take it, they were all afraid of it. They were afraid that the gestation and birth would kill them. Without a surrogate, the seedling was starting to die. Knives was becoming desperate because of the Hair Darkening Effect, so he convinced one of the plant angels to take it. Her body rejected it. Then Dr. Conrad told Knives his theory. He claims that about 30% of the human population have genetic mutations caused by the plants. Because of Rem's prolonged exposure to you and Knives, the nature of her job on the ship and the timing of her contribution to the genetic banks, her ovum were considered to be very mutated. That meant that her offspring would be the most 'mutated' of all. In theory."

The priest watched Vash carefully, expecting him to say something. When he didn't, Wolfwood took a deep breath and continued, "Knives sent Midvalley and Legato to the Red Dune Labs to get Rem's DNA samples and medical files. From there, they traced down the best viable surrogate and Meryl was it. She was one of their top choices even before they had confirmation about her ancestry. Her exposure to you is probably the reason for that, I don't know. Her being a descendant of Rem was the icing on the cake."

Seconds ticked by and Wolfwood felt himself begin to relax, just enough to relieve the pain in the back of his neck. Vash was still behaving abnormally and Wolfwood knew better than to let his guard down completely.

"What is this Hair Darkening Effect?" Vash asked in a near whisper.

"When the angels have exhausted their power, their hair starts to turn black and eventually they die," Wolfwood explained, "They consume themselves."

Vash unconsciously rubbed the back of his hair, his eyes becoming distant. "Has Knives' hair started to go dark?"

"A tiny bit, yes," Wolfwood nodded.

"Good."

Wolfwood raised an eyebrow at Vash, but the plant remained quiet as he contemplated. Green eyes stared the floor for several long minutes, only the sound of Vash's soft breathing could be heard. Finally the free-born plant spoke, his voice returning to its normal tone for the first time since Wolfwood walked into the room.

"I want you to take us to this place where you think Meryl could be." Vash's eyes lifted to peer at Wolfwood intently, "You're going to help us get her back."