Double Helix

chapter twenty-three
~ waters ~

Curious eyes watched in silence as the free-born plant attended to the human woman. Zazie tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear as dexterous fingers unbuttoned Meryl's nightgown, exposing her tightly stretched skin. Hands pressed firmly against the human's swollen belly as Knives closed his eyes. A second later, Zazie sensed a subtle change in the air; a humming that she was certain only she and the free-born plant could detect. The sound began whisper-quiet in its intensity, but slowly grew more pronounced as the plant fed his energy into Meryl's body.

The human responded in kind. Immediately her breathing became deeper and her complexion more rosy. Seconds later, eyes began to dart about under closed lids. Finally, fingers twitched and limbs moved.

It was only during such treatments that Meryl showed any signs of life. Her comatose condition only worsened as the days passed More often than not, the young woman looked to be at death's door. Meryl's appearance had drastically changed over the last few days. She always had a very fair complexion, but now her skin contained a sickly grayish tinge. that caused her to appear much older than she actually was. It didn't help that she was losing weight, thus causing her appear very gaunt. Worse still was the fact that she was beginning to lose her hair. Small clumps of her dark hair was beginning to fall out, leaving behind small patches of baldness.

Conrad explained that the reason for her appearance was due to classic malnutrition. The seedling was taking what it needed to survive, leaving Meryl to essentially starve to death. The ever-present bruises and the yellowing of her finger nails were all symptoms of simple malnutrition.

Zazie frequently found herself wondering how much more her petite body could take. It was obvious to everyone that Meryl was dying. The seedling was consuming her and its demands only increased as the time to give birth drew near. The only reason Meryl still lived was not because of the constant medical attention she was receiving, but because of Knives. Twice a day Knives visited Meryl and fed the baby. Twice a day Meryl would awaken for a few hours as a direct result of Knives' intervention only to revert to her comatose state once more.

What surprised Zazie the most was Meryl's attitude upon waking, especially toward Knives. It was as though the little human had no fear. Without fail she would awaken from nearly twelve hours of coma and eventually say something to Knives with the clear intent to aggravate him.

It was strange to Zazie to see this little, sickly woman purposefully inciting an argument with one of the most powerful beings on the planet. What's more, Knives didn't seem to mind her behavior at all. In fact, he often dished out just as much as he took.

Zazie learned early on that it was best to sit back and observe such bantering than to try to stop Meryl from speaking out foolishly, but today was different. Today Meryl was asking about the seedling. She didn't seem to be interested in baiting Knives into a fight at all. She simply wanted to know how the seedling was fairing through the current situation.

The inquiries only further cemented what the hive already knew to be true. Meryl Strife had accepted her fate.

Silent minutes drifted by as painfully slender fingers stroked her belly. A wistful smile lifting her features, Meryl spoke, "I hope I live long enough to see my baby when she's born."

Her statement caught both Knives and Zazie by surprise and the room grew still. It was the first time Meryl ever referred to the seedling as her baby; it was always 'the baby' or 'she.' It was never something that Meryl took ownership of.

Zazie would be the first to admit that she didn't know a thing about human emotions. Since being assigned to Meryl as her baby sitter and bodyguard, Zazie had learned a lot about human behavior and emotions in a short amount of time. Even so, the hive still thought that Meryl's statement was rather strange. Especially considering the likelihood of her wish coming true.

When the hive stated that observation aloud, Meryl simply smiled at Zazie and said, "Who wouldn't want to see their baby?"

That was the crux of it. That was what Zazie did not understand in Meryl's reasoning. That was the attitude that was causing the hive to question Meryl's sanity.

"But it's not your baby."

Meryl smiled, a knowing look shining in her eyes. "Yes, she is."

Meryl was long into her daily bout of coma when Legato called for Zazie to come to him. The call was urgent in nature and the hive quickly left the pregnant woman to find the crippled psychic. Legato appeared troubled and deep in thought when Zazie entered the room. The cripple made no move of acknowledgement as the hive sat in a nearby chair. She waited quietly for the appropriate opportunity to announce her arrival. She had learned long ago not to interrupt Legato or Knives when they appeared to be 'internally occupied.'

Seconds flowed into several minutes before a pair of yellow eyes slowly blinked open to regard Zazie in silence. The hive asked, "You called for me?"

A slight nod and a tired sigh, "I can sense a large group of pilgrims heading toward us," Legato said quietly, "but I cannot discern one individual from another without seeing them."

Zazie's brows furled together and she glanced out the window in vain. "How far off are they?"

"A few more hours I believe. I'm not certain, but I know they're traveling on foot."

"I see. Do you sense any ill intent from them?"

"No... there are too many. I only sense that they are members of the Body and they have come to pay homage."

Zazie sat back and peered at Legato quizzically. "Their visit is a surprise to you?"

"Yes."

"But I thought you were in charge of that particular sect."

"I am," Legato said, "But I haven't been able to commune with them recently." The cripple closed his eyes and felt the humans trekking toward them.

"They're like children. They act out of innocence," he whispered. After several seconds, Legato lifted his head and opened his eyes to peer at Zazie. "I sense excitement and joy from them, but you should still watch them. I do not wish anything to upset our Lord or endanger the impending birth. Send your witnesses out to get a good look. See what you can see."

Zazie nodded and moved toward the window. She forced it open and leaned out. Wind wiped through her hair as she opened her mouth wide, allowing a small swarm of wasps to fly out and disperse into the distance.

Vash glared at his brother from only a few feet away. Aqua eyes locked with ice blue in a contest of wills, both too stiff necked to be the first to look away. Jaws clenched and hands curled into tight fists as the silence stretched out making the air around them feel energized with animosity.

'You have no right to make these kinds of decisions, Knives!'

A chuckle sounded in the stillness, low and amused. 'I have every right.'

'No! You had no right to kill Rem, to cause the Great Fall...'

"You can't live beyond Rem, can you Brother? You can't see her for what she was. You forget what she allowed to happen to Tessla."

Vash shook his head, "I haven't forgotten. That was an accident, Knives."

"An accident!? How can you call scientific experimentation and vivisection an accident?"

"They didn't mean for her to die."

"Of course, they never do. They never mean any harm, Vash." Knives spread his arms wide and leaned forward for emphasis, his sarcastic tone causing Vash to sigh irritably. "They never mean to exploit their natural resources or the life around them. They never mean to cause anyone any harm. It just happens, right?"

Knives crossed his arms over his chest and peered off to the side. "Tessla died because the experiments the humans performed on her were too much for her body to handle. She died because of their greed. They killed her."

"No, that's not—"

"Yes!" Knives insisted. "She didn't wake the crew when we were born because of guilt, Vash. She kept us and raised us out of guilt. She knew what she did to Tessla was wrong and she tried to make up for it through us. We were her vehicle for atonement."

"She loved us," Vash said.

"Guilt."

"Knives, she loved us! You know that. She loved you!"

Silence filled the room once more and Knives took a deep, calming breath as the contest of wills continued its oppressive march.

"I know she lied to us," he said. "To me."

"Why can't you admit it, Knives?" Vash asked in a soft voice. "Why does it bother you so much?"

"There may have been a time when I felt affection toward her," Knives admitted quietly, "but that was before my eyes were opened. Now I know what she is and why she did what she did and I no longer feel any affection toward her."

'You were scared,' Vash whispered into his mind.

Knives shook his head, "No."

'You caused the Great Fall because you were scared.'

"No."

'You were scared of humanity,' Vash insisted. 'You were frightened of them, you still are.'

"No!"

'Knives, there was a time when you wanted to live among humans, when you loved them—'

A rush of anger surged through him, 'That was before, Vash. I know the truth now.'

'You killed millions of humans, Knives, and hundreds of plants... all because you were afraid.'

Wolfwood kept Milly close to him, making sure everyone knew that to mess with her was to mess with him. So far, no one had said or done anything threatening to either of them since the incident at the general store. In fact, everyone was downright respectful of them, as though they were regular members.

It wasn't that surprising. The Body was a rather tight-knit group and word spread quickly. Milly was also naturally likeable anyway, which helped the situation greatly. When she offered to carry a small boy so the mother could get a break, everyone noticed. Right away Milly was seen more as a helpful friend rather than a suspicious outsider.

The boy fell asleep in Milly's arms and she giggled quietly when he started to drool on her shoulder. Wolfwood adjusted the cross punisher on his back and smiled at her, enjoying the sight of her behaving so naturally maternal. The sincerity of her grin felt like a cooling balm on his tired heart. It was nice, and he held onto the moment for as long as he could.

In another couple of hours, they would be in Canaan and there would be no time for smiles and laughter then. Wolfwood just hoped that the people traveling with them in their little caravan would not interfere once their intentions were made plain. He did not want to kill any of them, but he would if he had to.

The sight of Milly waving her hand in front of her face to shoo away a bothersome insect caught his eye, causing Wolfwood to pause in mid step.

It was a wasp, and a familiar one at that.

"I made a decision based on logic, Vash," Knives stated calmly, eyes hard. "I have sought forgiveness for my sins and I continue to do so to this day. I am making amends for the deaths that I have caused to our family. What I am doing through Meryl is proof of that."

"By implanting a seed within her that our own sisters won't even take?"

"They didn't take it because they're afraid," he said. "They won't be afraid for very long."

"What are they afraid of?" Vash asked.

"The same thing I think you are afraid of - the unknown."

Vash narrowed his eyes at his brother, "So you decided to force a human to take it."

"We've gone over this before," Knives sighed.

Vash clenched his jaw, "You can't force your will on others, Knives."

"I can if it is right, if it is for the best. They look up to me, Vash. Just because they are afraid doesn't mean they think I'm wrong. Have you even bothered to ask any of them if they think I am doing the wrong thing?" Knives smirked at Vash's failure to reply. "Of course you haven't Vash, you never speak to any of them."

Vash studied his twin for a long moment, frustrated at his arrogance and angry that some of the things he was saying rang true.

"You forget what you are Vash," Knives said quietly. "You have lived most of your life pretending to be something you're not. You've forgotten."

"I know what I am," he said.

"Do you?" Knives asked. "Then how can you ignore their cries? Their screams?"

"I don't-"

"Yes, you do!" Knives insisted. "They cry out in pain and torment and I am the one to comfort them. They beg for help, and I am the one seeking answers. What do you do Vash? When do you talk to them? When you need something from them? When you want them to calm down so they don't hurt the humans?"

Vash lowered his head for a moment and took a deep, calming breath.

"The only time you speak to your family is when you think your precious humans are threatened or when you need something. Then you open a channel of communication between us." Knives leaned forward, peering intently at his brother. "Why are they so much more important to you than us?"

Zazie called to her family, urging them to return to the hive. There was nothing menacing about the group heading toward them. Everyone appeared to be members of the Body and Zazie did not see anything out of the ordinary. Some of the pilgrims noticed Zazie's wasps and recognized them. They whispered among themselves as they eyed the flight of the insects and smiled carefree. A few of the young ones even waved.

'Meryl is right,' Zazie reflected, 'the members of the Body are all pretty freakish.'

Of course, Zazie felt that all humans fell into the freakish category. The more she learned about them and their history, the more she agreed with Knives. None of them made any sense. Zazie, and those like her, were natives of planet Gunsmoke. The humans and the plants were the aliens. When the humans first arrived and began to use some of the plants to change the land to fit their needs, it caused a bit of a problem for several of the native species on the planet.

Gunsmoke is desert and it is supposed to be a desert. To change the planet to be more tropic, more wet, would destroy the habitat of many of the creatures that already existed and thrived. By altering the natural habitat, native inhabitants would be killed off, including some of Zazie's own kind. The humans, however, were blissfully unaware of the plight of the native creatures. More than that, they didn't seem to care to discover their plight. Zazie did not particularly hate the humans, but she couldn't allow the survival of humanity to lead to the extinction of her kinsmen. So, she worked for Knives. After all, they had the same basic goal and the same basic enemy.

As far as Zazie and the rest of the other natives were concerned, all of the aliens were strange creatures, be they human or plant. However, the humans who proclaimed plants to be gods were the strangest of them all. The group heading their way now was only a few of iles from reaching Canaan. If there was a troublemaker in the bunch Eleandra would certainly be able to handle it with little fuss. The hive had been ordered by Knives to protect Meryl and the seedling at any cost, not defend the entire compound from a group of religious zealots.

As Zazie watched through the eyes of her scouts, a flash of familiarity caught her attention. Doubtful of what she thought she saw, Zazie willed the scout to round back to get another look. This time the hive caught sight of an unusually tall woman carrying a sleeping child in her arms and walking beside a very familiar rogue Gun-ho Gun.

Doubt was vanquished at once.

The hive willed the scout closer, trying to get a complete picture and determine how well armed the enemy was. A second later, the hand of the rogue Gun-ho Gun snapped up to squash the watchful insect, instantly sending a ripple of pain through the hive and ending Zazie's second sight.

Her lips formed a tight, thin line as the hive quickly left to find Legato and Eleandra. Chapel and his female friend were coming and preparations had to be made to welcome them both.

"Don't just sit there!" Knives yelled, "You know what I say is true, but you are so in love with humanity that you can't admit that they're wrong. You can't admit the truth of what they are!"

"They're just trying to live the only way they know how," Vash said.

"They're killing us!"

"You're killing them!"

"Damn it, Vash!" Knives said, his frustration beginning to boil over as feathers began to erupt from his back. "Why can't you understand that you can't save everyone. You can't save us both the humans and the plants? For one to live the other must suffer. I am simply choosing to protect our people!"

Vash opened his mouth to speak but fell silent at the sight of the familiar woman standing just a few yarz behind his brother. His eyes grew wide as he stared at her, hardly believing what he was seeing.

Knives took immediate notice of his brother's change in expression and turned around to see what caught Vash's attention.

"M- meryl?"

She looked at Knives with bleary eyes, her face pinched with pain. She stepped toward him weakly, her bare legs and oversized shirt wet from her water breaking. Knives caught her just as she stumbled and he felt the ripple of her contraction move through them both.

It was time.