Final Edit. To all my readers: thank you for letting Vash you his story!
Reluctant Angel
The fires had burned themselves out in the last hours of the day. Fuel cells were exhausted, the ship's main engines had exploded upon impact, and only secondary cells had remained to burn. The majority of the ship had been made of metal, and many of the impact doors had remained closed to the fires that burned through the ship. Vash noted that the ship had been set up very similarly to his own. The plant chamber had been in the front of the ship just behind the bridge, followed by the cold sleep chamber, and the geo plant domes and engine room. The geo plants had been destroyed with the engines, the cold sleep chamber split open and scattered over the desert. The bridge and plant chamber remained fairly intact as they lay against the cliffs at a low angle.
He tried not to frown as Margaret led him up to the ship. He hadn't seen the plants since Rem had locked up the chamber nearly two months before. If it had been up to Vash, he never would have gone then either. Vash knew he couldn't take back the past, it was over, and as they came up to the monstrous broken vessel, he wondered how much he could help without giving away what he was.
Would they accept him if they knew he was a plant? What would they do if he talked to the plants as Knives' did? No... Vash bit his lip as they came to group of people milling about the base of the ship. He was human. He didn't know any more than a human would... The past was over. The future was ahead of him, and it meant finding someone to accept him as a human. Isn't that what you wanted me to do, Rem?
"Hey Aunt Margaret!" A man called from the ship. He waved a hand towards them as they walked up. The man wore a blue jump suit, scavenged most likely from the escape pods. "What are you doing away from the children? We haven't found anything new yet, most everything burned up in the fires."
"I figured it wasn't safe to come here until now. But I thought I would bring you a visitor, Jeremy," Margaret responded, nodding to Vash. "Although it would have been nice if you'd had news about the water generators."
Jeremy looked Vash over, nodded to him, and said, "Not until we get at least one plant functional. So, who's this visitor you've brought? What's your name, Kid?"
"Vash, sir."
The man laughed, "No 'sirs' here, Vash! Those of us survivors are family now, even if we don't all speak the same language." He nodded towards the various groups who sat around the base of the ship. Some of them sat in stunned silence, others in cheerful conversation, and each in different languages that drifted towards Vash. He could understand a few of them thanks to Rem, and he was grateful for such a good teacher.
"So, what can you do, kid?"
Vash turned towards Jeremy again and shrugged. "Not much I'm afraid."
"I had a feeling about him," Margaret said, winking at Jeremy.
He nodded, "Oh! Well then, you aren't telling me everything. Where did you come from? You weren't on our ship. I knew every face before we left. I have a memory like an elephant."
"Elephant?"
Jeremy shrugged, "I guess they might have been before your time. They went extinct, what would you say Margaret, 2240?"
"Maybe."
"So where did you come from, Vash?"
Vash looked up towards the ship. It was so huge. He'd lived in one his entire life, and Vash had never seen it from the outside. The word SEEDS was painted along its hull, still visible even after the crash. The suns were setting now, and the last rays of light fell upon the word as if they were spotlights. Lights came on as portable searchlights were found. The engineers situated them upon the escape pods scattered around the area. Over the back of the ship, two of the moons had risen. They were crescent shaped, late in the month no doubt. The two adults followed his gaze and Margaret said, "Wow, look at that, two moons!"
"There are five altogether," Vash murmured. He wasn't as interested in the moons as he was the ship. He'd seen the moons from space and they weren't all that spectacular. Moments went by as the two adults gazed at them in wonder, murmuring their amazement. Vash's gaze fell on Jeremy; his face was like a little child, although when the man lowered his eyes to Vash, he looked his age again.
"You don't look all that surprised by the moons," he remarked.
"I've seen them before, from up there." Vash pointed up towards the sky, and then continued to explain. "I was aboard the mother ship when the ships' guidance systems malfunctioned. There were three of us altogether... My brother and I... Rem... Only I escaped."
"Children? Awake?" Jeremy frowned, his expression hardening as he looked to Margaret. She shrugged. Just as Vash had supposed, she hadn't known the rules for the flight rotation. Unfortunately, it seemed that Jeremy did know the rules. Vash hurried to explain, wanting to alleviate the tension of the moment.
"My mother, Rem Saverem... She woke my brother and I... To keep her company during her five years awake." The words felt foreign on his tongue. Vash had lied more times in the last twelve hours than he had in his entire life. It felt wrong somehow, but under the circumstances... Rem had told him that when they arrived on the planet they would be human, and their past would be erased. Vash's past was what he made it now... They might not have believed him anyway.
Jeremy nodded, "A guidance system error eh? Our ship wasn't the only one that crashed, was it?" Vash nodded and the man closed his eyes a moment in a silent prayer and opened them again. "Well, while you were awake on the ship, did you ever learn about the plant systems?"
"Not really," Vash replied truthfully. "All I know is that they are living systems... If they don't have any energy input, there won't be output. Just like we need food to live." He grimaced. Why did I have to say that? But even though you knew what we were, you still wanted me to know, right Rem? Everything...except what they were exactly, what we were exactly. You should have left me in the dark, Rem. Then maybe I could have pretended to be human longer.
"Even that might be a help. Come with me I'll take you to see the other engineers," Jeremy said, waving his hand towards Vash. "Margaret, get back to your children. I'll bring him back when we're finished." Vash glanced towards Margaret as she turned and disappeared back towards the orphanage.
Vash followed Jeremy into the hull of the ship. It was oddly familiar, so similar to the ship he had just abandoned a day ago. He kept thinking that at any moment he would see Rem's smiling face around the corner... But he knew this wasn't the same ship, and it tilted at an angle as it lay on the cliffs where it had crashed. The walk wasn't a hard one, but they did have to hold onto the rails as they walked into the plant chamber.
Jeremy passed the first row of plants. The first five globes had shattered. Their contents had burned upon impact. Only two of the last set of five still remained intact. Vash looked up at the plants in sheltered disgust. They were still alive; he could sense them moving within the glass, even in the darkened room. Underneath the dark globes were men dressed similarly to Jeremy, pulling wires from the walls, trying to search for broken connections. "Hey guys, I've brought us a little whiz kid, his name's Vash."
The men turned to look at Vash. Their expressions were shadowed in the darkened room. Only a few lights lined the chamber, and most of them were aimed towards the wires. "Jeremy, I know we're desperate but, a kid?"
"He already knows about the energy exchange principle. He might notice something that will help us wake up our reluctant angels."
"How's that?" A man asked from the shadows.
"Vash was awake when the guidance systems malfunctioned... You were on the mother ship right?" He looked down at Vash who nodded. "Thought so. Only the crème de la crème were on that ship: the rich and the smart. Plus, Margaret had a feeling about him."
"I'll trust Margaret's word," another man said, and came into the light. He smiled at Vash. "I'm Gary Thompson, her husband. So, you know about the plants eh? How do we wake these girls up?"
Vash looked up at the nearest plant and a shiver went over his spine. "They're awake. But they won't move until they've been fed." He waved a hand at the plant, "They were made to survive just about anything as long as the glass remains unbroken. They give me the creeps. Man should not have made them to outlive... us..."
"They're an important source of power, however," another man interjected. He too stepped into the light, "Name's Bernard. If you know anything that will help us, it will save a lot of people. If we can't get them running again than we'll die on this planet, just like they are dying on Earth. What use was the SEEDS project then?" He tapped the glass of the plant, "You in there? We'll open this thing up and shake you awake..."
With a sigh, Vash walked the rest of the way up towards the men and came into the light. He looked at the wires. "Is there any power going into her?"
Bernard looked down at him and shook his head. "Don't you think we'd already thought of that?" The man's expression grew dark. "You think we're stupid or something, Mr. Whiz Kid?"
"No, I'm sorry," Vash said. "I told you I didn't know that much... I guess the emergency systems were destroyed too?"
"They were the first things we checked," Gary replied hastily before Bernard could open his mouth. Already the big man had his fists balled and his face was growing red. "We worked on the backup systems on the ship. None of it is functional... We thought the plants might give us enough power to charge them up again. If we can get even one of them to work we can get the backup systems online again. We wouldn't even need her for long."
"How long would you need her?" Vash's aqua eyes scanned the hazy globe as it hung five feet away from him. From this close he could feel the emotions broiling over the plant. She wasn't happy. Her food source had been cut off and she was dying. Fear and hatred seeped out of the glass and over Vash. It felt very similar to Knives, Vash realized. He suddenly wanted to get away from her, from the ship, and back out into the air and back to Helen. Her laughter had made him forget for a moment what he was. She had also brought on a small change to Knives. Now, the longer he stayed away from Knives, the longer his brother would have to think on how to destroy the survivors. Goosebumps rippled down Vash's spine and his arms started to shake again. He put his hands under his armpits again and looked towards the men, awaiting an answer.
"Five minutes, tops. The connections are already secure. We just need a jump start," Gary said. His brows furrowed, "Are you telling me you know how, Vash?"
Vash nodded slowly. At least he was pretty sure he did, even if he wasn't going to like it. He looked over Jeremy and the others. They were all in the light now, looking at him with curious expressions. These human beings needed his help. They were like him, trapped on this planet with the dead spread around on the ground. The survivors would number with them within a month's time if they didn't get the plants moving. But if they knew what he was... Knives had told him once that they would have to work at becoming their friends. It would take time, but Vash knew he had to try. Someone would have to know what he was someday. He wouldn't be able to hide it forever, not if he wanted to help them survive... His real mother had wanted it so.
"I can do it, but don't ask me how, okay?" Vash walked the final steps towards the plant, lifting one hand within inches of the smooth glass. He turned his head to look at the men, "It shouldn't take me long. Be ready when the lights come up, okay?" His eyes caught Bernard's for split second and Vash could remember another thing Knives had said to him, 'They aren't all like Rem.' This man... He hates me already, doesn't he Rem? It's because I know more than him, isn't it? Rem, help me.
The men stood without moving, but Jeremy clapped his hands together, drawing their attention away from the boy. "Come on men, get in positions." He waved his workers off to their places and turned to Vash. "Okay, Vash. Do whatever it is you're going to do..."
Vash nodded and set his fingertips against the cool glass. The plant's emotions rolled over him like a flood. If she had more power she would have screamed as her sisters had upon Vash's ship. Her silence was caused by her weakness. Slowly, Vash raised his other hand towards the glass as well; Knives would kill me if he knew what I was doing... He set his cheek up against the glass and whispered, "Wake up, Sister."
There was a flutter within the glass. Wings brushed the base of the globe. It sounded like the feather duster Rem used to clean the glass container she kept her geranium in. It was nearly too quiet to hear, a faint swishing sound. The men in the room closed their mouths in rapt attention. Vash doubted they knew what the plants looked like within the smoke-hazed globes. Rem has described them once when he was very young as angels. Their wings and appendages looked liked seraphim and cherubim had fallen from heaven in a twisted mess and men had shoved them within the globes like goldfish. Their bodies were vaguely feminine, but the extra appendages and feathers made them appear freakish.
No matter how many times Knives reminded him they were born from one of these creatures, Vash couldn't bring himself to accept it. But even as the plant within awoke, Vash knew it was because he was one of these creatures that he could talk her to life. This was the only thing that connected him to the plants. They were different in every other way. His eyes closed even as he felt the plant's hands upon the other side of the glass, making the connection. She was so hungry... He would have to give her his own energy, and he wasn't even sure how. Even Knives had never tapped into the energy they held within them as the other plants. There had been proof within Tessla's files that they had a power core... If Knives ever learned how to use that core...
Vash's eyes fluttered open. The lights had come on in the room. The entire chamber lit up, even to the farthest corners. Men scrambled past him yelling at one another, making the final connections, and starting the emergency back-up systems. "Whoa," Jeremy stood behind him in wonder for one last moment before running to his own tasks. Vash's aqua eyes looked up into the blank eyes of the plant angel. She was smiling. The emotions that came from her were now of contentment and satisfaction. He hadn't even done anything! At least... He didn't think he had...
"You're never going to believe this!" Bernard said as he ran past. "The ship's systems are all activated! There are emergency signals coming from all over the planet. I think we might have even found the plant ship." The men all clapped their hands, staring at Vash in rapt wonder, even as Bernard looked at him suspiciously.
With a sigh, Vash slipped his hands off of the glass and turned away from the plant. She slid back into the hazy globe, but did not shut down again. Her emotions woke the second plant and they chattered between each other indistinguishably. Vash closed his hands into fists and willed the sound to stop. He'd spoiled them... They were rotten spoiled children... The engineers would undoubtedly treat them with white gloves from then on. The plants would outlive them, and the next generation would do the same.
With a grim smile, Vash's eyes blurred. He turned to look at Jeremy and suddenly felt dizzy. Someone shouted, and Vash's world went dark.
Reluctant Angel
The fires had burned themselves out in the last hours of the day. Fuel cells were exhausted, the ship's main engines had exploded upon impact, and only secondary cells had remained to burn. The majority of the ship had been made of metal, and many of the impact doors had remained closed to the fires that burned through the ship. Vash noted that the ship had been set up very similarly to his own. The plant chamber had been in the front of the ship just behind the bridge, followed by the cold sleep chamber, and the geo plant domes and engine room. The geo plants had been destroyed with the engines, the cold sleep chamber split open and scattered over the desert. The bridge and plant chamber remained fairly intact as they lay against the cliffs at a low angle.
He tried not to frown as Margaret led him up to the ship. He hadn't seen the plants since Rem had locked up the chamber nearly two months before. If it had been up to Vash, he never would have gone then either. Vash knew he couldn't take back the past, it was over, and as they came up to the monstrous broken vessel, he wondered how much he could help without giving away what he was.
Would they accept him if they knew he was a plant? What would they do if he talked to the plants as Knives' did? No... Vash bit his lip as they came to group of people milling about the base of the ship. He was human. He didn't know any more than a human would... The past was over. The future was ahead of him, and it meant finding someone to accept him as a human. Isn't that what you wanted me to do, Rem?
"Hey Aunt Margaret!" A man called from the ship. He waved a hand towards them as they walked up. The man wore a blue jump suit, scavenged most likely from the escape pods. "What are you doing away from the children? We haven't found anything new yet, most everything burned up in the fires."
"I figured it wasn't safe to come here until now. But I thought I would bring you a visitor, Jeremy," Margaret responded, nodding to Vash. "Although it would have been nice if you'd had news about the water generators."
Jeremy looked Vash over, nodded to him, and said, "Not until we get at least one plant functional. So, who's this visitor you've brought? What's your name, Kid?"
"Vash, sir."
The man laughed, "No 'sirs' here, Vash! Those of us survivors are family now, even if we don't all speak the same language." He nodded towards the various groups who sat around the base of the ship. Some of them sat in stunned silence, others in cheerful conversation, and each in different languages that drifted towards Vash. He could understand a few of them thanks to Rem, and he was grateful for such a good teacher.
"So, what can you do, kid?"
Vash turned towards Jeremy again and shrugged. "Not much I'm afraid."
"I had a feeling about him," Margaret said, winking at Jeremy.
He nodded, "Oh! Well then, you aren't telling me everything. Where did you come from? You weren't on our ship. I knew every face before we left. I have a memory like an elephant."
"Elephant?"
Jeremy shrugged, "I guess they might have been before your time. They went extinct, what would you say Margaret, 2240?"
"Maybe."
"So where did you come from, Vash?"
Vash looked up towards the ship. It was so huge. He'd lived in one his entire life, and Vash had never seen it from the outside. The word SEEDS was painted along its hull, still visible even after the crash. The suns were setting now, and the last rays of light fell upon the word as if they were spotlights. Lights came on as portable searchlights were found. The engineers situated them upon the escape pods scattered around the area. Over the back of the ship, two of the moons had risen. They were crescent shaped, late in the month no doubt. The two adults followed his gaze and Margaret said, "Wow, look at that, two moons!"
"There are five altogether," Vash murmured. He wasn't as interested in the moons as he was the ship. He'd seen the moons from space and they weren't all that spectacular. Moments went by as the two adults gazed at them in wonder, murmuring their amazement. Vash's gaze fell on Jeremy; his face was like a little child, although when the man lowered his eyes to Vash, he looked his age again.
"You don't look all that surprised by the moons," he remarked.
"I've seen them before, from up there." Vash pointed up towards the sky, and then continued to explain. "I was aboard the mother ship when the ships' guidance systems malfunctioned. There were three of us altogether... My brother and I... Rem... Only I escaped."
"Children? Awake?" Jeremy frowned, his expression hardening as he looked to Margaret. She shrugged. Just as Vash had supposed, she hadn't known the rules for the flight rotation. Unfortunately, it seemed that Jeremy did know the rules. Vash hurried to explain, wanting to alleviate the tension of the moment.
"My mother, Rem Saverem... She woke my brother and I... To keep her company during her five years awake." The words felt foreign on his tongue. Vash had lied more times in the last twelve hours than he had in his entire life. It felt wrong somehow, but under the circumstances... Rem had told him that when they arrived on the planet they would be human, and their past would be erased. Vash's past was what he made it now... They might not have believed him anyway.
Jeremy nodded, "A guidance system error eh? Our ship wasn't the only one that crashed, was it?" Vash nodded and the man closed his eyes a moment in a silent prayer and opened them again. "Well, while you were awake on the ship, did you ever learn about the plant systems?"
"Not really," Vash replied truthfully. "All I know is that they are living systems... If they don't have any energy input, there won't be output. Just like we need food to live." He grimaced. Why did I have to say that? But even though you knew what we were, you still wanted me to know, right Rem? Everything...except what they were exactly, what we were exactly. You should have left me in the dark, Rem. Then maybe I could have pretended to be human longer.
"Even that might be a help. Come with me I'll take you to see the other engineers," Jeremy said, waving his hand towards Vash. "Margaret, get back to your children. I'll bring him back when we're finished." Vash glanced towards Margaret as she turned and disappeared back towards the orphanage.
Vash followed Jeremy into the hull of the ship. It was oddly familiar, so similar to the ship he had just abandoned a day ago. He kept thinking that at any moment he would see Rem's smiling face around the corner... But he knew this wasn't the same ship, and it tilted at an angle as it lay on the cliffs where it had crashed. The walk wasn't a hard one, but they did have to hold onto the rails as they walked into the plant chamber.
Jeremy passed the first row of plants. The first five globes had shattered. Their contents had burned upon impact. Only two of the last set of five still remained intact. Vash looked up at the plants in sheltered disgust. They were still alive; he could sense them moving within the glass, even in the darkened room. Underneath the dark globes were men dressed similarly to Jeremy, pulling wires from the walls, trying to search for broken connections. "Hey guys, I've brought us a little whiz kid, his name's Vash."
The men turned to look at Vash. Their expressions were shadowed in the darkened room. Only a few lights lined the chamber, and most of them were aimed towards the wires. "Jeremy, I know we're desperate but, a kid?"
"He already knows about the energy exchange principle. He might notice something that will help us wake up our reluctant angels."
"How's that?" A man asked from the shadows.
"Vash was awake when the guidance systems malfunctioned... You were on the mother ship right?" He looked down at Vash who nodded. "Thought so. Only the crème de la crème were on that ship: the rich and the smart. Plus, Margaret had a feeling about him."
"I'll trust Margaret's word," another man said, and came into the light. He smiled at Vash. "I'm Gary Thompson, her husband. So, you know about the plants eh? How do we wake these girls up?"
Vash looked up at the nearest plant and a shiver went over his spine. "They're awake. But they won't move until they've been fed." He waved a hand at the plant, "They were made to survive just about anything as long as the glass remains unbroken. They give me the creeps. Man should not have made them to outlive... us..."
"They're an important source of power, however," another man interjected. He too stepped into the light, "Name's Bernard. If you know anything that will help us, it will save a lot of people. If we can't get them running again than we'll die on this planet, just like they are dying on Earth. What use was the SEEDS project then?" He tapped the glass of the plant, "You in there? We'll open this thing up and shake you awake..."
With a sigh, Vash walked the rest of the way up towards the men and came into the light. He looked at the wires. "Is there any power going into her?"
Bernard looked down at him and shook his head. "Don't you think we'd already thought of that?" The man's expression grew dark. "You think we're stupid or something, Mr. Whiz Kid?"
"No, I'm sorry," Vash said. "I told you I didn't know that much... I guess the emergency systems were destroyed too?"
"They were the first things we checked," Gary replied hastily before Bernard could open his mouth. Already the big man had his fists balled and his face was growing red. "We worked on the backup systems on the ship. None of it is functional... We thought the plants might give us enough power to charge them up again. If we can get even one of them to work we can get the backup systems online again. We wouldn't even need her for long."
"How long would you need her?" Vash's aqua eyes scanned the hazy globe as it hung five feet away from him. From this close he could feel the emotions broiling over the plant. She wasn't happy. Her food source had been cut off and she was dying. Fear and hatred seeped out of the glass and over Vash. It felt very similar to Knives, Vash realized. He suddenly wanted to get away from her, from the ship, and back out into the air and back to Helen. Her laughter had made him forget for a moment what he was. She had also brought on a small change to Knives. Now, the longer he stayed away from Knives, the longer his brother would have to think on how to destroy the survivors. Goosebumps rippled down Vash's spine and his arms started to shake again. He put his hands under his armpits again and looked towards the men, awaiting an answer.
"Five minutes, tops. The connections are already secure. We just need a jump start," Gary said. His brows furrowed, "Are you telling me you know how, Vash?"
Vash nodded slowly. At least he was pretty sure he did, even if he wasn't going to like it. He looked over Jeremy and the others. They were all in the light now, looking at him with curious expressions. These human beings needed his help. They were like him, trapped on this planet with the dead spread around on the ground. The survivors would number with them within a month's time if they didn't get the plants moving. But if they knew what he was... Knives had told him once that they would have to work at becoming their friends. It would take time, but Vash knew he had to try. Someone would have to know what he was someday. He wouldn't be able to hide it forever, not if he wanted to help them survive... His real mother had wanted it so.
"I can do it, but don't ask me how, okay?" Vash walked the final steps towards the plant, lifting one hand within inches of the smooth glass. He turned his head to look at the men, "It shouldn't take me long. Be ready when the lights come up, okay?" His eyes caught Bernard's for split second and Vash could remember another thing Knives had said to him, 'They aren't all like Rem.' This man... He hates me already, doesn't he Rem? It's because I know more than him, isn't it? Rem, help me.
The men stood without moving, but Jeremy clapped his hands together, drawing their attention away from the boy. "Come on men, get in positions." He waved his workers off to their places and turned to Vash. "Okay, Vash. Do whatever it is you're going to do..."
Vash nodded and set his fingertips against the cool glass. The plant's emotions rolled over him like a flood. If she had more power she would have screamed as her sisters had upon Vash's ship. Her silence was caused by her weakness. Slowly, Vash raised his other hand towards the glass as well; Knives would kill me if he knew what I was doing... He set his cheek up against the glass and whispered, "Wake up, Sister."
There was a flutter within the glass. Wings brushed the base of the globe. It sounded like the feather duster Rem used to clean the glass container she kept her geranium in. It was nearly too quiet to hear, a faint swishing sound. The men in the room closed their mouths in rapt attention. Vash doubted they knew what the plants looked like within the smoke-hazed globes. Rem has described them once when he was very young as angels. Their wings and appendages looked liked seraphim and cherubim had fallen from heaven in a twisted mess and men had shoved them within the globes like goldfish. Their bodies were vaguely feminine, but the extra appendages and feathers made them appear freakish.
No matter how many times Knives reminded him they were born from one of these creatures, Vash couldn't bring himself to accept it. But even as the plant within awoke, Vash knew it was because he was one of these creatures that he could talk her to life. This was the only thing that connected him to the plants. They were different in every other way. His eyes closed even as he felt the plant's hands upon the other side of the glass, making the connection. She was so hungry... He would have to give her his own energy, and he wasn't even sure how. Even Knives had never tapped into the energy they held within them as the other plants. There had been proof within Tessla's files that they had a power core... If Knives ever learned how to use that core...
Vash's eyes fluttered open. The lights had come on in the room. The entire chamber lit up, even to the farthest corners. Men scrambled past him yelling at one another, making the final connections, and starting the emergency back-up systems. "Whoa," Jeremy stood behind him in wonder for one last moment before running to his own tasks. Vash's aqua eyes looked up into the blank eyes of the plant angel. She was smiling. The emotions that came from her were now of contentment and satisfaction. He hadn't even done anything! At least... He didn't think he had...
"You're never going to believe this!" Bernard said as he ran past. "The ship's systems are all activated! There are emergency signals coming from all over the planet. I think we might have even found the plant ship." The men all clapped their hands, staring at Vash in rapt wonder, even as Bernard looked at him suspiciously.
With a sigh, Vash slipped his hands off of the glass and turned away from the plant. She slid back into the hazy globe, but did not shut down again. Her emotions woke the second plant and they chattered between each other indistinguishably. Vash closed his hands into fists and willed the sound to stop. He'd spoiled them... They were rotten spoiled children... The engineers would undoubtedly treat them with white gloves from then on. The plants would outlive them, and the next generation would do the same.
With a grim smile, Vash's eyes blurred. He turned to look at Jeremy and suddenly felt dizzy. Someone shouted, and Vash's world went dark.
