Mother

Knives rolled over in the bed and opened his eyes. Rem lay asleep beside him still so he decided to rest a moment more, until he realized his brother had disappeared. Knives opened his eyes fully and scanned the bed. The oversized bed had been the only luxury given to the single person who watched over the fleet of ships during each five-year shift. Since they were babies, Knives and Vash slept curled up near Rem on the huge bed. But Vash was never awake before him. His brother suspected sometimes that Vash liked to have the bed to himself. But he had rolled off it before.
Moving over to the edge of the bed, Knives craned his head over the side and looked underneath. No, Vash wasn't there. So where was he? He got up again and looked back at Rem. She was still sound asleep. Sure, maybe Vash had never gotten up before Knives, but he'd definitely never gotten up before Rem, and now he was gone. Knives got up now, determined to find him.
Over the last few weeks Vash had spent much of his time alone. Although, Knives had to admit, Vash had always spent a lot of time alone. As he had followed Rem around every morning, learning about every inch of the ship, Vash spent hours alone in the observatory above the Cold Sleep Chamber just thinking. Lately, it had gotten worse. But he'd never gotten up early.
Knives glanced at the clock by the bed. It was 0500 hours. Where could Vash be? He never even got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom!
With a long look at Rem's sleeping figure, Knives headed down to the observatory. Vash wasn't there. He wasn't in the hanger, or by the windows in the anti-gravity room either. He wasn't even in the kitchen finishing off last night's salmon sandwiches. A curiosity swept over Knives. He didn't go to the plant chamber, did he? Vash told him the place gave him the shivers. He'd never understood Vash's reaction. Knives felt at home there, as if he were in a room of friends. Often he'd talk to them. The plants within would unravel and look at him with their blank eyes. They couldn't speak to him, but it was a comfort to know they heard him. They knew him for what he was and accepted him. Knives often wondered if the humans in their pods would ever do the same. If only they'd wake up.
He stumbled past the hallways towards the plants. Could Vash have finally accepted what he was? He contemplated this as he passed the computer room where Rem taught their lessons. And sitting at Knives' computer was Vash, alert and typing away at the keys. Knives' eyebrow raised, when had Vash learned to use the computer? He was typing with both hands, not even looking at the keys! How many times had Vash even touched those computers? Only during lessons, and most of the time they remained off while Rem taught them from the overhead. When had this happened? His brother was so simple.
Vash looked up as Knives came in. "I can't find anything about them." He said quietly. "I've been looking, but I think the files are locked. Why would they be locked, Knives? Shouldn't everyone have access to information about them?" He pushed the keyboard away from him disgusted. "Every single time I seem to be getting somewhere I run into some password!"
Knives looked at the computer screen and then back to Vash. The screen was full of password screens and flashing windows. He hadn't come that far after all, but still. His brother was trying to learn something more about them, and that was a start. "Do you really want to know, Vash? After what you said a few weeks ago."
"I want to know." Vash said stubbornly. "Show me." He stood for Knives to take his place. Knives nodded and took his seat. He easily opened the files and decrypted the security codes locking the information. Vash was over his shoulder; probably memorizing everything that Knives had taken so much time to learn from Rem. Vash was no doubt a quick learner, although he hadn't realized it until now.
After a moment he had brought up the files and stood up. "Here's all of it. I think there might be more. But the ship's computers are limited. We don't have access to the Earth's files." Vash sat down and started to read, and Knives took a seat nearby. He'd read it all dozens of times; knew every word by heart.
The Earth was dying. The humans had killed it with wars and nuclear weapons. The vast amount of energy had destroyed nearly a third of the world's population and the planet was in decline. A form of energy that could create was searched for. Anything and everything was accepted. Even to the point of creating artificial intelligence and creating artificial life.
The plants were a mixture of DNA of every life-giving organism on the planet. They were batteries. Creatures much like green plants who could form energy from sunlight at first, like powerhouses, like potatoes they could hook a clock to. But they weren't perfect. They were short-lived as many batteries were. So the scientists tampered with adding strands of human DNA. Vash looked up at Knives. His twin knew what he was thinking, but he knew Vash hadn't read far enough. "Keep reading Vash." Aqua eyes turned back to the screen. The human DNA didn't take. Nothing could change the imperfect batteries... And something happened, but it had been left out of the files. A gap had been left on purpose, perhaps to guard the secrets of the plants. But suddenly, the first plant as they knew it was born, unable to be exposed to oxygen, but she never dimmed; the energy was perfect.
Everyone on the planet rejoiced, plants were used as the first non- nuclear power sources for space-travel. They could create artificial gravity, oxygen, sunlight, and could be easily reproduced by grafting them. They collected the plants together and sent them off with the SEEDs into space as a hope for mankind in case the Earth couldn't be saved. They would create a second Earth, somewhere on a planet that could sustain life. But none had been found and that was where the files ended.
Knives wasn't really sure how many years the SEEDs project had taken to get off the ground, or how far they'd come. He was sure that Earth hadn't survived. The species had probably destroyed themselves a long time ago. It saddened him to think that Rem had lost everything she knew. But he was glad she was here with them. At least she still had a chance at paradise.
Vash had finished reading the files and he stared at the screen blankly. Knives knew what he was thinking. So many questions had been left unanswered. Maybe now that the two of them were together they could finally ask Rem about it and she would answer. At least he thought Vash was thinking this until he said, "I want to see her again."
Knives swallowed and looked at his brother, "Really?"
Vash nodded, "I think I need to know something for myself."
"Okay," Knives responded and stood. "Follow me then." He headed out the door and listened to Vash's footsteps behind him down the rest of the corridors to the plant room. It was quiet as always, the only sounds were the dull ringing of the metal walkways as they went past the silent orbs. Rem had told him once that the plants could produce sound, that they could scream, but he doubted it. Normally the plants remained curled upon themselves, performing their tasks within the glass.
But now, without Rem with them he could see the plants unraveling. Even if he had no other power, the plants could sense him. The creatures in the bulbs came up towards the glass, white eyes watching them without seeing. Knives felt Vash's hands cling to the back of his shirt. Those eyes, ten of those creatures peering through nearly opaque glass. Knives had been here so many times talking to them and he knew they recognized him now. Even if they weren't supposed to, according to the files, which meant it had something to do with what he was.
"They know we're here," Knives said to Vash as they finally came to the door. "You shouldn't be afraid of them. They're our sisters." He heard a snort behind him and Knives shrugged. Maybe Vash would never accept it; it didn't really matter to him, because at least he was doing his part. He looked up at the keypad and frowned. He'd forgotten to bring a stool this time to reach it. He looked back at Vash, "You'll have to help me reach it."
"I thought Rem changed the code." His aqua eyes were still locked on the plants behind them and their figures sweeping in and out of view. "I mean, she did, didn't she?"
"She always uses the same three sets of numbers," he said. Knives smiled to himself, the numbers were always the star-date when she had found the twins. He wondered if Vash even knew their birthday. "Come on Vash, give me a hand. You said you wanted to see her. You're chickening out now? We've come all this way!"
Vash glanced around and reluctantly helped Knives get onto his shoulders so he could reach the keypad. It was unfortunate that he knew so much but was still so short. Being older had its advantages. At least he could reach the computers, but not quite tall enough. Humans grew so slowly. They could already walk and talk and think for themselves. Humans would have barely taken their first steps by this time, and talking, ha! How in the world had Vash convinced himself he was like a slow growing human? He'd seen the videos, had taken the lessons that described every part of daily life that Rem had been so careful to cover. So why hadn't Vash known something was different? Knives rolled his eyes, his brother was obviously not that bright.
The door slid open and Knives jumped off Vash's shoulders. He grabbed his twin's arm and pulled him towards the open door. "Come on, I'll need you to reach the light switch too." Within moments they had the lights on and Vash went over to the edge of the walkway to set his hands upon the glass again.
"She's not moving," he said sadly. "I thought she'd come to the glass like the others." He traced one of the scratches on the glass with a finger before turning to look at Knives. "She woke up before."
Knives shrugged, "You've got to talk to her." He came to stand next to his brother and set his hand to the glass. "Mother, Vash is here."
The frail being on the other side of the glass began to move. The cherubic bodies at her back fluttered, legs moving as if trying to get free. Vash nearly stepped back, but Knives cast him a look and he stayed where he was. "Come now, you don't want to disappoint her do you?"
"I just." Vash trailed off as the plant moved closer and gently set her hands on the glass, one opposite Vash's hand, the other and Knives' hand. It was then a connection was established. Knives was never sure how it occurred but there was an exchange of energy and then the plant smiled. Her son smiled back and then glanced over to Vash, but Vash didn't have the same smile, he was frowning; deep furrows formed on his brow. Knives shook his head and looked back at his mother.
She was so beautiful, her feathered wings swept the bottom of the bulb, and her long legs ended in tiny toes that floated just barely above the glass. She was happy to see them. He looked deep into her eyes and felt a longing to be within the glass, with her. But he knew he couldn't. And his mother was dying. Rem had told him as much, and as he looked into those empty eyes he knew this was the last time that she would wake.
Vash breathed a sigh next to him. Knives looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "What is it, Vash?" Did he know the truth about her? Had he made as strong a connection?
"She's tired, Knives," Vash breathed. "I never knew. She's so beautiful."
Knives nodded. He'd felt it before; he'd known her exhaustion from his first meeting. Plants weren't meant to expel so much energy as she had in order to create them. He shook his head and stepped back from the glass. "Rem was right, she needs her rest." He set a hand on Vash's shoulder and looked at her, secretly grieving inside.
"Yes," Vash agreed. "I'm sorry we woke you," he said and pulled away as well. "She's done all she wanted to do. I think I'll let her rest." He turned and headed for the door. "I'm sorry Knives."
"For what?"
Vash shrugged, "I didn't understand what you saw. I didn't believe you. They're all so tired. Like they've never slept. I don't think I'll be able to sleep so much now either. If I'm like them. I think there's a lot more that we're supposed to do." He headed out without another word and Knives watched him.
He went back to the glass and watched his sleeping mother. She had made them free. What were they supposed to do with that freedom? Why were they born if they couldn't do anything more than a human could? Shouldn't freedom mean they didn't have any restrictions? He looked down at his hands. Why was he so human that he couldn't even do a fraction of what his mother could? What was freedom for if he'd been restricted to this?
Knives sighed. He wasn't good at this thinking thing. He glanced over to one of the desks and choked. It was nearly 0700 hours! Rem was sure to be up by now! And if she caught him. Knives dragged a chair over to the light switch, turned off the light and slid the chair off into the dark and ran out the door to catch up with Vash.