Miltian Charter
Sophie Dawly / Koyoko Mei
Disclaimer: If I owned Xenosaga, Episode I, I wouldn't be writing a fan fic and posting it on the Internet. I would make it a nice pretty book and make a ton of money on it. But I don't own Xenosaga Episode I. Or a publishing company.
Author's Note: Thanks to everyone that reviewed! Oh, yeah, Momo and Jr. pairings. Just thought I ought to say something in case anyone gets extremely offended or something.
II: The Days to Come
When Momo woke up, she was in a hospital bed at the Realian Infirmary. At first, she couldn't remember how she got there.
"I was wondering how long you were going to sit there sleeping!" A Realian nurse standing next to the hospital bed announced. "You're free to go whenever you think you're feeling better. All of your nanorepair functions are operational. If you need anything, just push the call button." The nurse smiled, and attempted to leave.
"Wait! Was - it there a Shion Uzuki here that was brought in with me?" Momo asked.
"I could go check for you… That doesn't sound like a model number, though." The Realian nurse raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side to express confusion.
"Never mind." Momo sighed. She turned her head to look out the window. It must have been at least an hour before she got up.
Momo left the infirmary, making sure to smile at all of the Realian nurses as she left. Once outside, she waited at the bus stop. I have to go home and find Shion… Momo thought, twisting her fingers in her lap. How long was I there, at the infirmary? She asked herself. It looked to be early morning - it's possible she was only there for a few hours.
A blue and white painted bus lurched to a stop, and Momo hesitantly got on. Most of the other passengers were humans, and they were glaring at her. She looked down at her feet to avoid meeting their eyes, and quickly made her way to the back of the bus. An old woman made an effort to smile at her, but everyone else was not as friendly.
It was dark out by the time Momo got off the bus. She was sort of pushed off by two boys as they raced to get off the bus. As the bus sped away, Momo pushed herself up to a kneeling position and sat there for a few minutes, ignoring the confused looks of passerbys. Eventually, she got up, brushing off her clothes, and made her way down the street to the building where Shion's apartment was located.
"Hey! Watch it!" A man barked, shoving her against the side of the building, Momo rushed to get inside of the building. She flung herself against the door, pounding on it.
"Please let me in!" Momo begged.
"Momo!" Shion's voice came from the other side of the door. The door was flung open, and Momo began to pitch forward, only to be caught by Shion. "Momo! Oh thank god! I was so worried!" She said, propping Momo up. She knelt down and put a hand on her forehead, as if checking to see if she had a temperature. "You're not hurt are you! Oh, what happened?"
"I woke up… at the realian infirmary." Momo shook her head. "I think I got hit and blacked out, but that's all I can remember. How long was I gone?"
"Who brought you in?"
"I don't know. I blacked out." Momo shook her head. It was at this moment that she realized the room was very crowded. Tony and Chaos, along with Allen were in the room. "How long was I gone?" Momo asked again.
"About a day." Shion said.
"Really?" Momo asked. Shion nodded. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make everyone so worried! I just woke up this morning, and I didn't know where I was, and I took a bus, and then I came home and I-"
"It's alright. Calm down. I'm just glad that you're safe."
"But… what's wrong, Shion?" Momo asked, noticing that Shion still looked a little sad.
"I…uh… got fired."
"What?" Momo asked. "But why? When? It was because of A.H.E.T.R, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Vector started getting some calls concerning my involvement - someone wondered if I was messing around with the Realians neural network or something. They had to 'let me go' - for the company's reputation, you see." Even thought Shion sounded calm, Momo could tell that she was upset. "I don't know If we'll even be able to make the rent this month."
"Don't worry about it!" Chaos stood up. "You'll always have a place onboard the Elsa!" At this, Tony smacked his forehead.
"Really?" Shion asked.
"Are you sure?" Momo questioned. "I don't think Captain Matthews would like that very much…" She said, looking down at her feet. "I don't want to bother anyone."
"It's not a bother at all!" Chaos reassured her. "It would probably be better… for Momo, anyway. I heard from Little Master that the contact subcommittee is still looking for her - It's rumored that U-TIC may be involved as well."
"What?" Shion said. "After all that, and they can't just leave her alone?"
"Look, I'll talk to the Captain tonight, and come by tomorrow for you guys. Really, It's no problem."
Momo was half - wishing Jr. would be there, but he wasn't. She reached for the charm bracelet secured around her wrist
"What's happening?" She asked as Chaos and Tony left. Shion didn't answer.
"Shion… are you… leaving again?" Allen asked.
"I don't really think we have any other options."
"This is ridiculous, they can't just fire you for something you believe in…" Allen stood up. "I want to resign."
"No!" Shion shook her head. " I think it would be better if I stayed with my brother. Thank you, though, for all your help. But, Momo, maybe you should go with chaos."
Momo shook her head. "What about… A.H.E.T.R? Shion… I want to help, too!" She pleaded. Shion looked down.
"All right. But we know that the SOCE and U-TIC are looking for you, we're going to have to be really careful."
Shion and Momo boarded a train, they were each carrying black suitcases. Momo wore a plain dress with a hat, tilted forward so no one would be able to see her face.
Would Ziggy really make me go back? Momo asked herself. She didn't say anything, though. She looked out the window, but everything was black, they had entered the underground tunnel. A few stops later, they were alone in the car. "Shion?" Momo asked.
"Is something wrong?"
"It's just that… I saw Ziggy. I think mommy hired him to take me back to fifth Jerusalem." Momo twisted her hands together.
"That doesn't surprise me." Shion said. "Ziggy did rescue you from the asteroid on Pleroma - perhaps they figured he'd be able to find you on Second Miltia."
"I don't want to go back." Momo said.
"I know."
Jin Uzuki was there to meet them as they got off the train.
"Hi." Jin said to Shion.
"Hi." Shion responded.
"So… you came back."
"Yeah." Shion paused. "This is Momo. I told you about her." She gestured towards the little realian.
"It's nice to meet you Momo." Jin kneeled down so that he could see eye to eye with her and shake her hand.
"Nice to meet you, too." Momo responded politely.
"Come on." Jin got up, turning to Shion. "Let's go home." He picked up Momo's suitcase and carried it for her.
By the time they reached the Uzuki family home, it was dark outside. A pale sliver of a moon hung in the sky.
"I made the bed in your room, Shion." Jin explained, unlocking the door and bringing the bags inside. "But I didn't have enough time to clean up the loft for Momo yet. Your call was kind of short - notice."
"Sorry." Shion explained, stepping inside. She stood still for a moment, just taking everything in. The house was exactly as she had remembered it- Jin hadn't changed anything. "Wow…" She breathed.
"Welcome back." Jin nodded understandingly.
The next morning, Shion received an E-mail from Chaos saying that he had talked to Gainun and Jr. about the current situation involving Momo. Gainun had suggested that Momo avoid going out in public for a few days, just to make sure that no one recognized her.
Over those next few days, Shion became very worried for Momo. She ate very little and hardly slept at all. She became like a ghost, wearing a white dress, wandering outside, though only at night, she never went outside during the day.
One day, Chaos came to visit.
"You should let us know next time, so we can make a nice dinner." Shion told him. "This is my brother, Jin."
"Nice to meet you." Chaos said. "I'm afraid I'm not staying very long, Captain Matthews really wants to get back to the foundation - we're supposed to pick up Jr. - Gainun wanted him to come to keep an eye on things. How is Momo, anyway?" He asked.
"I'm not really sure…" Shion stood at the kitchen sink, drying dishes. "She's just been so sad lately… I can't really blame her."
That night, Shion took the train into the city for the AHETR meeting, Momo pleaded with Shion to let her come, but Shion had to refuse.
There were still Realians lining up at the stores every day, not just Cerriweden's Grocery, either, and every day, they would get dragged off to prison. Then another group would be waiting to take their place. They were kept for two days, then released, most of the time. The stores was losing an awfully large sum of money, though. They wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer.
When Shion got back, it was close to midnight. Momo was still awake, sitting on the couch in her pajamas watching UMN broadcasts.
"Momo? What are you still doing awake?" Shion asked, a little concerned.
"I couldn't sleep." Came the answer. Momo pressed a button, and the screen vanished. "How… did the meeting go?" She ventured.
"All right." Shion said, and then told her about the store. "They'll have to repeal the new legislation soon, the businesses are losing a lot of money." Both of them were silent for a while.
"After you left, Jin set up a tire swing for me in the yard." Momo volunteered, getting up and walking towards the window.
"You know, Jr.'s supposed to be getting in tomorrow." Shion said, studying Momo's face to see how she would react. Momo bit her lip, unsure of what she was supposed to do, and afraid of giving anything away.
"Okay." She said. Momo yawned involuntarily. As tired as she was, she could never sleep.
"You should go to bed Momo, I'll see you in the morning." Shion left the room.
Jr.'s really coming! The thought ran through Momo's mind. I really miss him… She thought, gently brushing her fingers across the glass.
"You're up early." Jin commented to Momo as he walked into the kitchen. The truth was that Momo had never actually slept.
"I'm making pancakes." Momo explained. "Is Shion up yet? She got in late last night." There was a knock at the door. It's him! It's him! It's really, really him! Her mind raced.
"I'll get it." Shion yawned, coming down the stairs.
"Shion?" Jr. said when Shion opened the door. "Where's Mo- Momo!" He pushed past Shion. Momo dropped the spatula she had been using to flip pancakes, and rushed forward. She threw her arms around Jr., who held her tightly. "Are you okay?" He asked. "I heard that you got hurt and I didn't know where you were and I couldn't find you and…" Up until then, they had both been completely oblivious to the two other people in the room.
"What's going on?" Jin asked Shion who shrugged.
"Didn't you guys have a fight?" Shion asked, though she couldn't help smiling at seeing Momo so happy.
"Nuh-uh." Jr. shook his head. "There wasn't any fight."
"How long has this been going on?" Shion asked, a little hurt that Momo hadn't trusted her enough to tell her about this earlier.
"Since the Federation showed up at that first protest a while ago." Jr. answered. There was a sizzling sound in the background accompanied with a nasty burnt smell.
"Oh, no! The pancakes!" Momo said, reluctant to leave Jr.
"I'll get it." Jin said, exiting the room, mumbling something along the lines of 'I'll leave the two of you alone'.
"Yeah… I'll uh… go help." Shion said, following Jin.
"I'm sorry, Momo… are you alright? I got so worried when I couldn't find you…" Jr. trailed off, bending his neck to press his forehead against Momo's.
"I'm okay… I really missed you." She said. "What happened?"
"The SOCE has been breathing down our necks, They know we know something, I couldn't really leave or even risk trying to communicate with you until now."
Momo buried her face in his chest happy that he was here with her, even if it could only be for a little while.
"Breakfast is ready!" Shion announced from the kitchen.
Shion stepped out onto the streets of the city. Today she wasn't here to protest fallacies in the government, only to do food shopping. The only places that served food to both humans and realians (and therefore the only places accessible) were the bars, so Shion decided to go there, even though it was obviously more expensive. Along the way, there were lines out the door comprised mostly of realians - the humans standing on line were most likely protesting with them, everyone else had given up on trying to get in.
There was a group of weapons- grade Realians standing around a sign clearly marked 'No Loitering'.
"Please return to your stations." A solider passing by had told them.
"Why?" One of the realians asked. The others in the group started laughing, and the soldier, flustered, ran off. The streets themselves were mostly empty, a rare sight. Shion waved to the realians and they all saluted in return. They all knew who she was.
Newspaper headlines were visible from store windows. Things like 'Second Miltia under Siege' and 'Realians have taken over Second Miltia'. Shion smiled a smile of accomplishment.
"I'm home!" Shion announced, entering through the door. "…Hello?" She asked, the house was quiet- too quiet. "Jin…?"
"Shion! Come here! Quick!" Momo called. Shion rushed through the kitchen, worried that something might be wrong, then into the living room, where Jin, Jr., and Momo were currently engrossed in a UMN news broadcast.
"What's going on?" Shion asked nervously.
"Shh!" Everyone whispered.
"The Federation Government has made the decision to repeal the acts recently passed due to the firm resistance it met on Second Miltia by the Realians. The newly formed Organization AHETR, Association for the Human and Equal treatment of Realians, headed by former Vector employee Shion Uzuki, has gained a surprisingly large amount of support from Realians on Second Miltia as they protest for equality and first - class citizenship status."
"Shion! Did you hear that?" Momo jumped up. "You did it!"
Shion stood still for a moment, unable to move. A huge grin spread across her face. "I can't believe it… It's really happening." She said. She hadn't expected things like this to happen so quickly. Her phone rang. She nearly jumped. "H - hello?" She picked up the phone.
"Shion did you see that! You're all over the news!"
"Allen?" She asked.
"This is incredible! You really did it!" Allen shouted.
"Calm down, you don't have to yell like that. I can hear you just fine."
"Sorry, I'm just glad that you could pull it off." Allen said, lowering his voice a little. "Yesterday, after everyone found out you got fired, a bunch of people went on strike. They said they wouldn't go back to work until you do. I think Miyuki had something to do with that, though."
"How many people went on strike?" Shion asked. "They didn't have to do that."
"A lot- more than half of Vector's staff."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Nothing to do but sit back, relax and watch the news…" Allen trailed off.
"Wait, you went on strike too?" Shion asked.
"Well… uh, yeah. I sort of needed a few days off anyway."
"Thanks, Allen." Shion said with a smile. "It means a lot to me."
"Please don't go." Momo begged Jr. She stood in the doorway of his room, watching him pack a black suitcase. Even after everything had happened - Momo knew she should feel happy, but she couldn't help but be a little sad knowing that Jr. had to leave.
"Momo…" Jr. stopped what he was doing, and looked at her. A pained expression spread over his face. "I wish I could stay… But it'll look suspicious if I'm gone too long."
"I know." Momo said quietly. "But what if something happens? What if I never see you again?"
"Momo…" Jr. took a few steps towards her, arms outstretched, and Momo let them wrap around her small frame.
Early the next morning, Jr. climbed the ladder up to Momo's bed in the loft. He could tell by her even breathing that she was still asleep. He placed his suitcase down before taking a few silent steps towards her. Jr. allowed himself to run his fingers through her hair- Momo didn't even stir. He brought his face close to hers and kissed her cheek. Jr. whispered some kind of farewell in her ear before picking up his suitcase. He lingered there for a moment before leaving.
The Elsa appeared in the sky, the tall grass blew wildly in all directions as the spacecraft lowered itself down to the ground. Jr. had to shade his eyes from the bright sun as it rose. Shion and Jin stood by the house, Jin gave him a half smile and Shion waved. Jr. acknowledged them with a nod before starting off for the Elsa, which was in the process of lowering the loading ramp so that he could board.
"Wait!" That voice stopped him cold. Momo ran out into the yard, still in her pink and white pajamas. She flung her arms around his neck, a few tears spilled from her eyes.
"Please don't cry." Jr. cupped her face in his hands and wiped away a stray tear with his thumb.
"I wish you didn't have to go." Momo said, her voice was pleading. "I love you." She said softly, her voice was no louder than a whisper. Jr. was silent for a moment- unsure of what to say.
"I will see you again." Jr. said reassuringly. "If anything happens, just call for me. I'll come running, I promise."
Momo managed to smile at him, somehow. Jr. brought her face a little closer to his and kissed her. One last embrace and he released Momo. He picked up his suitcase, and turned away. He headed once again for the Elsa, and Momo watched him leave.
She sat down on the grass, and watched the Elsa disappear in the sky. Momo couldn't explain this feeling she had- one of almost impending doom, something horrible was about to happen.
"Momo…?" Shion walked out to her. "Are you feeling alright? Want me to get you something to eat?"
"No, I'm okay. I'll come inside in a minute." She answered. Momo didn't see anyone, but she sensed another presence, somewhere far off. She got up quickly, and rushed inside the house after Shion.
"I want to come, too." Momo said when Shion tried to leave for the AHETR protest two days later.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea…." Shion said, looking down at her feet. She was halfway out the door. "They… people are looking for you"
"Please!" Momo begged. "I have as much a right to be there as everyone else!"
Against such an argument, Shion was powerless, and so, against her better judgement, Momo boarded the next train with her.
Another large - scale protest was planned, though this time with a grander goal in mind. It was mid afternoon when they finally arrived. Momo seemed so sad, but Shion could easily guess that it had something to do with Jr.
"Hey, Chief." Allen smiled, he was there to greet them when the got off the train. "How have you been?" Allen had dressed down for the occasion; he wasn't wearing his Vector Uniform. Shion assumed that the Vector strike was still going on.
"I'm alright, I guess." Shion said, looking back as the train sped away. She thought she head Allen sigh- though she wasn't really sure.
"Everyone's already lined up - It's kind of a big crowd." Allen shrugged. "Come on, we should hurry."
Momo gasped. It was a large crowd, comprised mostly of realians, though that wasn't exactly unusual. At least fifty reporters were present. Shion heard snippets of their broadcasts:
"The residents of Sceond Miltia in the last week alone have had their lives turned upside down by the organization known as AHETR…"
"On Second Miltia, the home of AHETR, headed by Shion Uzuki, a massive protest is underway…"
"The Realians in their highly controversial battle for equal rights…". .
The crowd broke out into loud bursts of cheers and applause when they saw Shion. Some of the reporters stopped what they were doing and just stared. Shion was relieved when she saw Momo smile, she had been looking so sad earlier.
It was almost as if something different was in the air. Government officials as well as Security Guards showed up after the first three hours to try and break it up, claming that they were blocking traffic and disrupting other daily activities. Everyone just lied down in the streets and refused to move. This went on for a while until some angry citizen decided to get out of his car with a baseball and start wailing on the nearest protestor, who just happened to be a human, which made the citizen even more angry.
"I thought you had more dignity. We made them, and now you're groveling like a goddammed dog!" He grabbed the protestor by his collar, the unfortunate victim was a eighteen year old boy, and slammed him up against the hood of his car. He hit him three times with the baseball bat before a voice rang out.
"Stop!" One of the realians pleaded. Then the streets became flooded with more angry citizens. The Officials did nothing to stop them, some of them even joined in the massacre. Momo got separated from Shion somehow, and was beginning to panic. The last time this had happened, Momo wound up in a hospital bed.
Her first impulse was to run away and hide, but something made her stay. Confused screams and shouts came from every direction- it was very much like a war zone. She was surrounded by hundreds of people, and yet she felt very much alone.
Momo ran through the crowds, trying to find Shion. She looked behind her once and found that a Government soldier was following her. Is he with the SOCE? Momo asked herself. In the midst of everything that was more important, she was still worrying about being sent back to Fifth Jerusalem.
She noticed a second soldier following her. Momo ran, quickly turning down the nearest corner, not realizing that it was a dead end. She stopped for a moment, pressing her hands against the wall, praying that it would move. The two soldiers entered the alleyway after her.
Momo closed her eyes and pressed her face against the wall, resigned. "Jr.…" She whispered. It was meant to be a call for help, but her voice wasn't working.
She felt a rough hand on her shoulder, and was pulled away from the wall, she screamed, and covered her face with her hands. The Soldier threw a well -aimed punch at Momo's face, and she reeled backwards, hitting the ground and sent sprawling. Before she could even attempt to get up, the second Soldier, laughing, kicked her in the stomach. Momo opened her mouth to scream in pain, but all that came out was blood.
"That's enough. The Observational unit is not to be harmed." The calm, familiar voice of the cyborg Ziggurat 8 commanded.
"Shion Uzuki, formerly of Vector third R&D division, You are hereby placed under arrest for crimes against Humanity…" Shion could barely hear the officers voice above all the screaming.
"I don't understand..." Shion began to protest, but the officer turned her around- twisting her arm behind her back. Shion let out a startled shout.
"Shion!" Allen said when he caught sight of her. "Shion!" He ran after her as she was being led away. Someone else, most likely a realian, collided with him, knocking him down. Allen's head hit the pavement pretty hard, and everything around him seemed to go into a blur and then fade.
"I demand that you let me out of here this instant!" Shion shouted from her cell. "I haven't committed any crime!"
"She's a loud one." One of the soldiers standing outside the cell commented. "We'll have to fix that, won't we? Let's see... shocks? Or maybe..."
Shion suddenly began to feel very nervous. The soldier standing outside her cell let out a kind of gurgled scream, and blood splattered through the bars of the cell. The lights went out.
"H- hello? I- is someone there?" Shion stuttered. It took just a moment for the wan blue glow of the reserve lights to illuminate the cell. The door slowly opened. A tall, thin figure strode into the cell. "What... who... are you?"
"Shion." Said a flat, monotone voice. "You are to accompany me to the Durandal."
"KOS-MOS?" Shion asked, recognizing the android. "But what are you... doing here?"
"We have approximately two minutes, forty eight seconds before this room becomes filled with over two hundred soldiers. I must insist that we leave at once."
"But... where's Momo?" Shion asked.
"The 100 - series observational Realian, Momo, was taken into custody by the contact subcommittee twenty four minutes ago." KOS-MOS said in her usual emotionless tone. "Strategically, it would be best to move you from your current location so that it is possible to plan the recovery of the prototype."
"I understand." Shion said, looking over at the body of the dead soldier. "But..." She shook her head.
"Please make haste." KOS-MOS said, exiting the cell. Shion followed her.
"Shion! Thank goodness you're alright!" Allen ran to greet Shion on the bridge of the Durandal.
"Allen? How did you get out?"
"One of my friends is a Weapons Grade realian onboard this ship. I was knocked unconscious, so she brought me here for Medical attention."
"She?" Shion asked.
"Yes, she-"
"Where's Momo!" Jr., noticeably worried, burst onto the scene. "What the hell happened?"
"I - I'm not sure. I was hoping you knew..." Shion said. "Everything just got so crazy and we were separated..."
"Why did you let her leave the house?" Jr. demanded.
"I tried, but she wanted to go..." Shion said.
"According to the information I have received, the Prototype Momo is in custody of the Subcommittee on Close Encounters, headed for Fifth Jerusalem." KOS-MOS informed them.
"I head her scream." Jr. said, clenching his fist. "They hurt her. Those bastards hurt her I swear I'll-"
The elevator platform rose again, this time with Mary, accompanied by Ziggy.
"You!" Jr. glared at Ziggy. "You damned traitor!" he quickly removed his gun from it's holster and aimed it at the cyborg.
"Little master!" Mary shouted. Shion gasped. Allen screamed and began to chew on his fingernails.
"I have an explanation." The cyborg, Ziggurat 8, or Ziggy, said calmly.
"It better be a damn good one." Jr. said, cocking back the gun.
"I was ordered by the SOCE to recover the Prototype Momo from her current location on Second Miltia. I did return the Prototype to the Contact Subcommittee, however, there was nothing in my original agreement that said anything about removing her from Fifth Jerusalem and returning her to Second Miltia."
"So... are you saying you're here to help us get Momo?" Allen asked. He was visibly a nervous wreck. His hands were shaking and his body was trembling.
"Yes." Ziggy nodded.
"How can you expect us to trust you, after everything you've done!" Jr. shouted at the cyborg.
Ziggy stood silently at gunpoint before he spoke. "I was the one that brought Momo to the realian infirmary when she was injured on second Miltia."
"Damned cyborg. ..." Jr. grumbled, returning his gun to its holster. Everyone seemed to relax a little. "Well?" Jr. said after a moment. "What's everyone standing around for? Plot the course for fifth Jerusalem! We'll take the Elsa."
"We can't just walk in and take Momo from the SOCE!" Mary protested. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Keeping a promise."
"Wha... where am I?" Momo sat up. She looked around, studying her surroundings. Everything was dark, a small bit of light came in through a glass window- thousands of stars were visible from the reaches of deep space.
"So, you're awake." Momo heard the familiar voice of her 'Mommy', Juli Mizrahi.
"Mommy?" Momo asked, still a little dazed. "Am I back in the lab...? What am I doing here? It's so dark... I can't see you."
"Be quiet!" Juli Mizrahi snapped suddenly. "That voice..."
"You mean... Sakura's voice, don't you?" Momo asked in a soft voice, referring to Sakura Mizrahi, the scientist's dead daughter who she had been modeled after. Juli Mizrahi seemed taken aback.
"Don't... don't say anything." She said slowly and evenly, as if trying to suppress some emotion, perhaps anger.
"I - I want to go home." Momo said weakly, suddenly very afraid.
"You are home." Juli said sharply.
"No... I want to go back to Second Miltia and see Jr. and Shion..." Momo hugged her knees to her chest, and began to rock back and forth on her knees. "I want to see Jr." She buried her face in her knees and began to cry.
"The... Kukai foundation Director?"
"You never wanted me anyway. You never look at me. That's why it's so dark in here, isn't it? So you don't have to look at me."
"No... that's not right. You can't feel... you're a realian..."
"But I can! I don't know why I feel this way, but I do." Momo's sobs became louder. "I want to go home..." She repeated. "Why did you bring me here?"
Momo picked up her head, and dried her face on her sleeve. She saw a glint of something shiny in Mizrahi's hand.
"Forgive me." She said, lunging at Momo with the needle. She didn't even have time to scream.
"Momo!" Jr. shouted.
"Jr...?" Shion asked, a little concerned by his sudden outburst.
"Please don't shoot me!" Allen ducked and covered his head.
"I - I can't sense her presence anymore. Something happened to her." Jr. said, failing miserably at trying not to sound worried.
Momo couldn't move, lost somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness. Everything was dark.
Little by little, she began to move forward, tentatively reaching out a hand to try and feel her surroundings. Wheat...?
It became a little brighter, and Momo could see that she was in a wheat field, nothing but wheat for miles and miles, as far as she could see. The dawn was breaking, casting ribbons of wan light over the field. She heard footsteps behind her. She was not alone.
"Jr.?" She turned around. The heavy footfalls behind her grew louder as who ever, or whatever it was came closer. It wasn't Jr. She broke out into a run. Somewhere along the way, her foot got stuck, and she pitched forward, flying headfirst into some sort of clearing.
Blood. The air was thick with it. Momo looked up. It was Jr., tied up to some sort of wooden pole, or cross, only he was hanging upside down, covered in his own blood. She gasped and covered her hands with her mouth.
She remembered standing up, and loosening the ties that bound him, as her hands and clothes became covered in blood. Jr. groaned.
"You're alive!" Momo said, laying him down on the ground. She could no longer hear the footsteps. "Oh, Jr. ... What happened to you?"
"Momo..." He said quickly, catching her hand. "Run."
Momo heard the maniac laughter of Albedo somewhere very close by.
"Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone." Albedo's voice rang out. Suddenly, he burst into the clearing and there was a bright light flash. Then everything went dark again.
"What's going on?" Juli Mizrahi demanded. There had been a series of loud explosions, and they had just lost all of their power.
"I'm not sure." A realian working at a console said. "The reserves should kick in shortly, at any rate."
"I don't like it." Mizrahi said. "With the power out we're vulnerable to attack..." She paused. "Double the guards down at the dock."
"Try and make this quick, alright? I want to be out of here before they notice us." Captain Matthews instructed Jr.
"I don't intend to take any longer than I have to." Jr. said.
"I'm coming with you." Shion folded her arms across her chest. "I feel responsible for what happened."
"I also request that I accompany you." KOS-MOS said in her usual monotone voice.
"Let me help you." Chaos took a step forward.
"Chaos..." Tony said, looking at him.
"I'll be alright." Chaos nodded to Tony understandingly.
"I am no longer under any obligation to the SOCE. I know the interior better than anyone else." Ziggy stated.
"Alright, fine. But I'm warning you, Cyborg..."
"We should leave immediately if you wish to retrieve the prototype. Please cease this banter." KOS-MOS said, stepping between Jr. and Ziggy.
"Okay, then. Let's go." Shion nodded, shocked by KOS-MOS's reaction.
"They're most likely keeping Momo at the lab." Ziggy said. "It's five floors down. There should be an elevator somewhere nearby."
"We should hurry, then, we don't have much time." Chaos commented.
The halls were almost eerie- they were completely empty. "Where is everyone?" Shion asked. "I thought that maybe they'd have security guards patrolling or something. What... is that smell?" As she took another step forward, her shoe made a strange sticky sound when it hit the floor. She looked down, and what she saw made her want to vomit.
All of the soldiers had been cut open and bleeding, whoever had killed them stacked the bodies in a neat little pile to one side of the hall.
"Who... did this?" Shion asked, looking away and covering her mouth and nose so that she wouldn't be able to smell the blood.
"It can't be." Jr. muttered, looking away.
"Come on Shion." Chaos said, leading her away
At the end of the hall was the elevator Ziggy had spoken of. "This will take you down to the lab." The cyborg informed them. Jr. examined the console before pressing one of the buttons. The elevator slowly began it's descent.
It was dark in the laboratory. Jr. pushed past everyone, his eyes scanning the room for any trace of Momo. Then he saw her, slumped against the floor. For a moment, he feared that she might be dead. "Momo!" He sank to his knees beside her, picking up her body gently. She was still alive, beads of moisture had formed at the corners of her eyes as if she had been crying.
"Jr.," Momo's voice was faint, no louder than a whisper. Slowly, she reached up with her hand to touch his face, as if to make sure he was real. Then her hand dropped as she faded back into that world of unconsciousness.
"How docile love makes you - it is very unfitting, Rubedo." Albedo's voice came from somewhere behind Jr. He stood up and whirled around to face him.
"Albedo!" Jr. said accusingly. "What are you doing here?"
"Ah, Rubedo, you almost seem noble - running off with no concern for life or limb, all to save this girl. But I know you - I know that you're a monster, a murderer, a consequence of disintegration of will." Albedo laughed as Jr. drew his gun and took several steps forward to face him. "But why am I here?" He repeated Jr.'s previous question. "I am here to finish what I started. I am here to take my revenge." Albedo became surrounded by a white aura, and began weaving white strands of light through his fingers.
"No!" Momo shouted, quickly getting up, and throwing herself into Jr.'s arms. There was a loud explosion, and a brilliant light flash, almost exactly like Momo's dream.
"Momo! Momo!" Jr. called out as Momo's body fell limp. Albedo was laughing again.
At this point, Jr. lost all control. His red aura flared, and encompassed Albedo, who stopped laughing just in time to convey an expression of bewilderment before his eyes exploded in his skull, and the red flames licked at his skin. In what couldn't have been more than a moment, Albedo exploded in a fantastic show of red and white light, gore and blood spilling out onto the floor.
Jr., exhausted, fell to the floor beside Momo, and slipped into unconsciousness.
It was early morning, though it was hard to tell from outer space. Momo and Jr. were both in the infirmary onboard the Durandal, Momo's condition had stabilized, Jr. was supposed to wake up soon. Shion watched them through the glass window.
"Here, Shion." Allen handed her a cup of coffee and sat down at a nearby table.
"Thank you." Shion stared down into the mug. "So... how is everyone else?" She asked.
"KOS-MOS is back at the Elsa for a Data Update, I think she's going to stay around for a while before heading back to HQ. Ziggy is wandering around somewhere and Chaos is still sleeping, I think. How are you doing?" Allen asked. "You couldn't sleep, could you?"
"No, I mean, there's just been so much going on. I'm still worried about... what will happen to Momo. The SOCE could still take her away again."
"You haven't seen the news?" Allen raised an eyebrow.
"What news?" Shion asked.
"Yeah, It's been broadcasted every ten minutes since about five thirty this morning. Here, I'll pull it up." Allen reached across the table and punched a button on the console.
"Second Miltia has added an amendment to it's constitution officially recognizing Realians and Life Recycling variants as Humans. This amendment passed unanimously late last night, other planetary members of the Galaxy federation have decided to reject the document, as well as the Federation government, however."
"But... this means..."
"Realians have attained first class citizenship on Second Miltia." Allen said, summing up the broadcast. "As long as Momo remains there, the SOCE can't force her to return to Fifth Jerusalem - She wouldn't be considered their property. Congratulations, Chief." Allen smiled at her. Shion smiled back, before turning her head to look back at Momo and Jr. through the glass.
Jr. opened his eyes slowly, it only took a moment for him to figure out where he was - the infirmary onboard the Durandal, he was lying in one of the hospital beds. Jr. turned his head to the side, and there was Momo, still asleep. He breathed a sigh of relief. Slowly, Jr. reached over towards Momo's bed and took her hand. Momo's grip tightened, and she turned her head and smiled at him.
Fin