Notes: I know, about time I got this out, right? In my
defense, it's been a Hell of a year between losing my job, being unemployed,
getting a new job, settling in, yadda yadda yadda. A HUGE thanks goes
out to Jaina, Zanne, EG, Astra M., and Arafel for riding my ass about this
chapter over the last year. Another big thanks goes to everyone who's
reviewed this fic and encouraged me to keep going. This chapter was
very very hard for me, I had the final image in my head, but I had to go
through the tour before the last scene could be written. *sigh*
After all the fights with writer's block I had, I certainly hope you guys
enjoy it. Thanks again! Alyson M.
Chapter Five
The Tour
Wolfwood doubled over, wrapping his arms around his waist as he wheezed, trying to drag air into his starving lungs. The problem was, he couldn't stop laughing long enough to drag in a single breath of oxygen, and his face was beginning to turn an interesting shade of purplish red as tears began to stream down his cheeks. Lucy eyed him worriedly, but with the sound of a dying fish Wolfwood managed to suck in some air and wheezed a little more. The two objects of his amusement were currently facing each other and arguing over whether or not Milly's hearing was as perfect as she said it was.
"I did NOT scream Mommy!" Vash insisted for the fiftieth time, wishing once again that his gun arm was out of its sling so he could move his hands around.
"You did, Vash-san! Senpai and I heard you yell 'MOMMY!' as you jumped onto the other side of that hill," Milly replied. (See episode one of the anime and listen REAAAAAALLY closely)
Wolfwood managed to control his laughter enough to say shakily, "N-nice first i-impression you gave, Tongari! N-no wonder the Small Girl was convinced you weren't Vash the Stampede."
Having said that, Wolfwood snorted and began to laugh again, this time hitting the ground on his knees as his legs gave out beneath him. Vash glared at his currently incapacitated friend, then turned his attention back to Milly.
"I'm sure you misheard me. I probably yelled something like OH NO or WHOA! I was dodging an awful lot of bullets at the time."
"Oh no, it was Mommy."
"Is it always like this?" Lucy asked Wolfwood, who seemed to be getting himself under control once again.
"Most of the time? Yes. It gets even more interesting when your sister is with us," Wolfwood answered, climbing to his feet and dusting off his pants, being very careful not to glance in Vash or Milly's direction.
"I can imagine," Lucy said, humor lighting up her eyes and deepening her voice a bit. "Meryl-oneechan isn't your calm and demure type."
"Well, that's one way of explaining it," Wolfwood replied.
Lucy grinned at him, then turned her attention back to the blond and brunette. "Are you two finished?" she asked. "Now that Wolfwood-san has stopped trying to suffocate himself, I'd like to show you around the Forest and introduce you to some of the care takers if they're still around."
Vash grinned at Lucy sheepishly, while Milly smiled serenely, planning to get Meryl to tell her version of events and clear up Vash's cloudy memory. The group moved off at a leisurely pace, Vash, Milly and Wolfwood answering questions from Lucy and telling her stories from their travels together. As they got closer to the wooded area of the Geo Plant that Lucy called The Forest, the ground beneath their feet gradually changed from sand and rock to velvety grass. They paused as they reached the first shade tree, and Wolfwood gazed around him in awe.
"This is the first time I've ever seen a Geo Plant of this size," he remarked, staring at the tall oak tree and eyeing the tangled underbrush that covered the area beneath the tree.
"Then you're in for a real treat," Lucy said, smiling as she lead the group onto one of the many small trails that, as they continued to move deeper into the shade, crisscrossed with dozens of other foot paths, each one skewering off in a separate direction. "We have these footpaths so that we can move around and tend to the smaller details without having to remove too much of the underbrush."
"Why don't you clear it all out?" Wolfwood asked curiously as they passed a particularly thorny looking tangle.
"You'd be amazed at how that would effect the Plant as a whole," Lucy answered. "All of these plants work together as part of a larger whole, and if we took away the underbrush it would disrupt the balance we have going here. When parts of the underbrush and trees die, it falls to the ground and begins to decompose, providing nutrients for the root system of the entire area. The underbrush also helps to shield the roots and lower trunks of the trees from the intense cold of night, and it provides cover from the cold for the smaller seedlings."
As Lucy continued to answer questions from Wolfwood and occasionally Milly, Vash looked around, becoming more and more impressed with the level of care and attention that had enabled the trees to grow to their impressive height, and kept such a huge area green and healthy. He saw many of the trees that Rem had taught him the names of, and many others that he didn't recognize. His eyes widened as they turned a small bend and a small, bent and slightly twisted tree came into view crowned with hundreds of small, white flowers.
"What tree is that?" he asked.
"That's a Flowering Dogwood," Lucy answered. "There's a really cool legend that goes with it. I can't remember if I read it somewhere or heard it from someone else, but would you be interested in hearing it?"
"Sure!" the others responded, and Lucy stepped off the path and beckoned for them to follow her up to flowering tree.
"While I'm telling this story, you might want to take a closer look at the flowers," she said, and the group moved closer to the tree, and Vash found himself marveling at how the petals of the flower itself were solid white until the end of the petal, which had a small indent in it that looked almost like someone had punched a hole in the end of the petal. Here, the color changed from pure white to an almost rusty red, and Vash wished briefly that Rem were here to see it.
Lucy gazed up at the tree, and began, "An old and beautiful legend has it that, at the time of the Crucifixion, the dogwood was comparable in size to the oak tree and other monarchs of the forest. Because of its firmness and strength, it was selected as the timber for the cross, but to be put to such a cruel use greatly distressed the tree. Sensing this, the crucified Jesus in His gentle pity for the sorrow and suffering of all said to it: 'Because of your sorrow and pity for My sufferings, never again will the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used as a cross. Henceforth it will be slender, bent and twisted, and its blossoms will be in the form of a cross; two long and two short petals. In the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints; brown with rust and stained with red; and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all who see this will remember.' The author is either unknown, or has been lost over time, but I always thought it was a rather pretty story."
Milly and Wolfwood gazed at the tree in slight awe, Wolfwood especially thinking over the teachings he'd received at the orphanage where he was raised. A strange, gurgling whimpering sound abruptly broke the mood, and as one Wolfwood, Lucy and Milly turned their heads in Vash's direction to find his innocent aqua green eyes wide and water filled, tears streaming down his cheeks as his mouth distorted with the effort to contain his sobs. Wolfwood gave him an exasperated look, while Lucy felt a rather large drop of sweat roll down the back of her head.
"Geeez, Tongari, you're such a crybaby!" Wolfwood sighed as Vash finally burst into full fledged sobs.
"I can't help it! That story was so moving!" Vash wailed, earning him a whap across the head courtesy of Wolfwood.
"Is . . . is he . . . ," Lucy couldn't seem to gather her thoughts enough to finish, and Milly, sensing the young woman's unspoken question, nodded. "Yep, this is normal for him."
Lucy shook her head, and decided to just simply walk away from the sobbing blond and exasperated priest, trusting that they would follow her in their desire to tour the Plant. She smiled to herself as Vash and Wolfwood's bickering let her know that they had indeed followed her, Milly's occasional comments causing a now predictable reaction from the two men. Wolfwood would burst into laughter while Vash groaned in embarrassment, with Milly asking him why he was embarrassed, after all, it wasn't shameful that he had thrown up all over the place when Frank Marlon had asked his name. He had consumed a lot of booze that night.
"I've never seen someone get drunk as much as you do, and still be unable to hold the liquor," Wolfwood, for lack of a better word, cackled.
"One of these days Cross Punisher is going to be shoved down your throat," Vash promised darkly, "And I'll just sit back and laugh."
"Sure, Tongari, suuuuuuure," Wolfwood drawled, reaching into his shirt and pulling out yet another of his crumpled cigarettes.
Lucy shook her head in amusement, imagined Meryl traveling around with this particular group, and had to stifle her laughter. Knowing Meryl, she had probably gone rather loudly insane several times during their travels, and Lucy half heartedly wished she had been with them to see it. Though if she were honest with herself, she was thankful that she was home, helping with the Geo Plant and Thomas herd. She really was more of a homebody than Meryl had ever been. Especially after . . . . .
Lucy's thoughts trailed off when the sound of voices up ahead reached her, and she smiled. She had hoped they would find this particular group before heading over in the direction of the Thomas complex. She knew the exact moment the group ahead became aware that there were people heading towards them because all talk had ceased, and all heads were turned in their direction as they came out from under the canopy of trees and stepped onto one of several cleared areas. Five people were lounging around the meadow, half finished lunches hanging in their hands as they gazed at the new comers. One redheaded young man grinned, and got to his feet, walking over and sweeping Lucy up in a large hug before setting her back down.
"I'm guessing Meryl got your message," he grinned down at her, before turning his attention to the newcomers.
"This is my husband, Ryan O'Conner," Lucy said by way of introduction, and the large man gave them a friendly grin and extended a massive hand out.
"This is Vash," Lucy continued as the blond gunman had his hand grasped and firmly, but not uncomfortably, pumped in greeting. "And this is Nicholas D. Wolfwood."
Wolfwood eyed the large hand for a second, before gingerly extending his own and having it shaken in a similar manner to Vash's. The two men exchanged glances as Milly enthusiastically greeted the large man with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Ryan O'Conner stood a good three inches taller than Milly, and subsequently he dwarfed his wife. His face was lean and angular, but he wasn't scrawny or lanky. Instead he was built like one of those Earth bears they had studied about in school, all muscle and sinew with a winning smile and a shock of flaming red hair and vivid blue eyes. They weren't allowed to marvel for long, though, as they were taken around and introduced to everyone, the last two being a set of twins that were obviously Meryl and Lucy's younger brothers, Ron and Randy Stryfe. Their identical features were similar to Meryl's, only broader and more masculine, with light brown hair and the same crushed violet eyes. They took to Wolfwood and Vash immediately, sensing that in these two men dwelled the same mischievous spirit as their own.
"I'm really glad you came with Meryl-oneechan," Ron, or was it Randy, said.
"Yeah, we didn't know if she'd bring Vash the Stampede with her or not," the other one said.
"There's even a betting pool over in the bunk house about whether or not you were going to come."
"I guess we'll have to divvy out the winnings tonight then."
"Randy-niisan," Lucy said, sounding slightly exasperated. One of the twins looked at her and flushed a bit.
"We're not the ones that started the betting pool," Randy protested.
"It was Sean," Ron supplied, causing Lucy to sigh again.
"That's shameful and you know it," Lucy replied, but couldn't help laughing a bit. "You should finish up eating, lunch is only five more minutes and then it's back to work."
"Awww, Lucy-oneechan, can't we take the rest of the day off because of our guests?" Ron whined slightly, the small grin on his face saying that he didn't expect to get let off of duty.
"Of course not," Ryan said amiably, and clapped massive hands on each on the twins shoulders.
"You can bug our guests later tonight at dinner, boys," Lucy said firmly, and turned to her group with a smile as Ryan led the boys back to their lunches, where they finished their food in record time and then dispersed. Within seconds the clearing was empty with only a few shouted words back and forth between the workers letting the tour group know that they had even been there.
"They're one in a group of four Tree Caretakers," Lucy said, continuing their tour as she walked across the clearing and they were once again plunged into the shadowed canopy. "It's their job to check each and every tree in the Plant and record how it's doing, it's growth process, whether or not it needs treatment for disease, and whether or not the diseased trees are doing better. Every now and then we have to cut down one or two to make room for some of the smaller trees that are starting to grow in the underbrush."
"How often to you do the cutting?" Wolfwood asked, gazing around at the healthy plants in awe.
"Most of the time only twice a year, and then it's only diseased trees that we haven't been able to cure."
"Have you ever sold trees to craftsmen or wood workers?" Vash asked.
"I heard that our grandfather used to sell trees to wood workers, but our father put a stop to that when he came into control of caring for the Plant. He says there is no reason to cut down healthy trees, no matter how much money is offered, and we all agree with him. And they don't pay for diseased trees, so," Lucy shrugged.
"What do you do with the trees you do cut down?" Wolfwood asked.
"We have a machine that cuts them up into tiny chips, and we spread them around the area. When they break down they serve as fertilizer for the other plants and trees. It helps to keep the other trees healthy," she answered.
The rest of the Geo Plant tour was relatively silent, with Lucy occasionally pointing out a different tree species such as the White Birch, but for the most part everyone was left with their own thoughts as they enjoyed the cooler temperatures under the canopy. Milly especially delighted in holding her hands out and letting the patterned light play over her fingers. Wolfwood turned and caught her at it once, and she smiled shyly at him. Grinning back, Wolfwood held his own hands out, letting the light dapple his skin. He was amazed that he was even allowing himself to take such pleasure in such a simple action. He glanced over at Milly, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Vash was mimicking their actions, as well. Perhaps it was the peaceful setting that allowed them to relax in a way that they had never gotten a chance to before with all the traveling and running from bounty hunters and trying to track down Knives. Then something else caught his attention.
"Tongari, put your arm back in that sling."
"I don't like it!" the tall gunman pouted.
"Vash-san, you really should keep your arm in the sling so that it will heal," Milly commented, moving closer in an effort to help turn her words into action.
Vash sighed, and allowed the taller girl to help return his arm to it's sling. He had no doubt that if he had protested she would have told Meryl about it when they got back to the house, and he really didn't relish the idea of being on the business end of her glare yet again.
"She should try and package that glare," Vash thought to himself. "It's as effective as one of her Derringers shoved under your nose."
The group began walking again after Vash's arm was once again safely in its sling, and Vash noticed that the underbrush was getting thinner and the general area was starting to lose some of the protective shade they'd been walking under. He looked ahead and spotted a break in the trees. A few moments later they emerged from underneath the sheltering trees and once again stood on the desert soil with the twin suns blazing overhead. All four of them blinked rapidly, temporarily blind from the sudden change in light.
"Ready to check out the Thomas complex?" Lucy asked once everyone had stopped squinting at each other.
"Sure!" Milly replied, and Vash agreed with her. Wolfwood opened his mouth, an uncomfortable look flashing across his face. He knew Vash's reputation for disaster whenever a Thomas was around, but he closed it when he noticed Milly's excitement and Vash's enthusiasm. With a sigh, he nodded his agreement, and reached into his jacket to pull out his trademark crumpled cigarette.
They heard the Thomas complex before they saw it. There were some rhythmic thumping noises followed by the sounds of several men shouting encouragement or jeers. Vash and Wolfwood exchanged uneasy glances, both thinking the same thing. They never seemed to have any luck whenever they were around large groups of people, but especially large groups of men. Neither gunman was happy that they were handicapped. Wolfwood had left his cross back at the house, and Vash was hampered by his sling.
"You don't need to worry," Milly said, glancing at them and reading the uneasiness on their faces. "Everyone here is either family or friends."
"That's right," Lucy said over her shoulder. "You're quite safe here."
Vash wasn't really assured by that statement. Lucy didn't know about Knives, nor did she know that Knives could easily find Vash through their mental connection. No matter how hard he tried to block Knives from him, his twin always seemed to find a way around or through the mental barricades and pin point Vash's very location. Then he'd send one of his Gung-ho Guns after his brother, and the surrounding area would turn into a blood soaked battlefield, though if Vash could help it no one would be killed. That was one of the main reasons why he hadn't wanted to travel with Meryl and the rest to her family home, and had greatly welcomed the out that Meryl had given him . . . . until Wolfwood, and the image of strangely sad eyes the color of a bruised violet, had tugged on his conscious . . . and something else. Something that Vash wasn't ready to confront yet, so it went ignored.
Vash felt that it was only a matter of time before one of Knives selected psychopaths, maybe even Legato himself, would come hunting for him. He had to make sure that Meryl and everyone else would be all right here before he left. He didn't want to cause the smaller insurance girl anymore worry or stress than what she was already facing, though the truth of the matter was that Meryl seemed to thrive on stress. A small smile graced the Stampede's lips at that thought. Meryl fairly seemed to vibrate with energy when she got stressed, and more than once Vash had wondered if there was a way to harness that energy. He bet Meryl could run a small town in a way similar to a Plant if the right methods were utilized.
Vash was pulled away from his darkening thoughts by several yells, an inhuman screech, and a loud thud. These were followed by a lot of male voices whooping and hollering, along with several jeers tossed in for good measure.
"Oh, that had to hurt!" a voice said.
"Do you think he hit his head?" another asked.
"Naw, he's jest faking. Git him up on his feet, he'll be fine," a third said.
The trio of tour folks found themselves being led up to a large round wooden corral, with half a dozen men in large cowboy hats sitting on the top rail. As they got closer, they found that the object of their scorn was another man in the center of the corral bending over to pick up his hat, the left side of his body covered in dust and grime. He grinned sheepishly at the watching group as he limped over to a smaller, chute like area attached to the corral. As he disappeared into the chute, Vash and the others heard a strange grunting noise, followed by the inhuman scream that they'd heard before. The other men didn't notice the arrival of Lucy and her charges, their entire attention was focused on the gate that lead into the small chute the sounds were coming from.
A few seconds later the gate opened, and a very angry Tomas burst out of the chute, twisting its body around and around and violently shaking all over in an effort to dislodge the man that was now on its back. There were times it shook so violently, or moved its body in such a way that Vash wondered why it didn't lose its balance and fall over. They could tell that the man on its back was having a hard time hanging on, his legs were flailing around and the muscles in his arms bulged with the effort. But hang on he did, until the Tomas had exhausted itself and instead of moving violently it moved around the corral at a sedate walk, its sides heaving as it breathed in and out.
The group sitting on the fence let up a loud cheer of congratulations, and began to argue between each other about who would get the next Thomas. It was during that argument that a tall lanky man with strawberry blond hair and glasses perched on his nose looked over and spotted Lucy and her group. He gave a grin of greeting, nudged the man next to him, and then everyone became aware of their presence.
"Howdy there, Lucy-san!" the lanky man greeted. "I heard that Meryl-san had come home. Are these her friends?"
"Hey there, William," Lucy said warmly, giving the man a hug before turning to introduce him to her companions. "William Lackey, this is Vash, Milly Thompson, and Nicholas D. Wolfwood, friends of Meryl-oneechan. This is William Lackey, head of the Thomas complex and the top Thomas breeder on the planet."
"You flatter me, Lucy-san," William said with a grin. "It's a pleasure to meet ya'll. I can give you a quick tour of the complex and coops, if you like, once we're done with the preliminaries here."
"Pre-what?" Milly asked curiously. Wolfwood remained silent and eyed the corral and the animal that was in it distrustfully.
"It's the preliminary breaking process," William explained. "Kind of like the ground work, or the beginning of the training. The Thomas you see in the corral are all racing Thomas and are old enough now to be ridden, but they've never had anyone on their back and don't take kindly to the first go round, as Jim over there," he indicated the man whose left side was covered with grime, "demonstrated earlier. Now, we don't like to break their spirits, so we never use any other methods other than just simply throwing one of the men on their back and letting the Thomas exhaust itself. If we do this every day, eventually the Thomas gets used to us being on its back and comes to accept a rider peacefully. A good racing Thomas has to have more than strong legs and a strong back. He's gotta have a winning spirit, and you don't get that by starving them and not letting them come to terms with a rider in their own time."
"But wouldn't just throwing men on top of the Thomas until it was too tired to fight actually break their spirits?" Milly asked, confusion in her eyes. "I mean, you're still forcing the issue on them."
"No ma'am, it doesn't break their spirits," William said kindly. "Thomas are a tough, hardy bunch, and because we never slack in their feed or limit their access to water, they're able to meet us at full strength, instead of the harsher methods other racing Complexes use. One of our top competitors has been known to starve their Thomas for several days, and not allow them water for a week before climbing on their backs. That breaks the spirit faster than any of us hanging on for dear life does."
"That's horrible!" Milly cried, looking for all the world like she wanted to visit the other Complex and introduce them to her Stun Gun.
Vash agreed whole heartedly with her, but Wolfwood let out a violent sneeze before he could launch into his "Equality and Love for All Living Things" speech. Vash blinked in surprise as Wolfwood proceeded to double over, the sneezes coming so rapidly that he barely had time to catch is breath before the next one erupted out of him. After a few moments and several worried queries about whether or not he was all right, Wolfwood straightened up and caught his breath.
"I'm all right," he said, sniffling a bit as his nose began to tickle again. "Inhaled too much dust."
"That's easy to do out here, especially with the Thomas kicking up the sand," William said, indicating the corral behind him.
"Let's move a little ways away," Lucy suggested, and Milly instantly agreed, grabbing a hold of Wolfwood's elbow as he once again started to sneeze, and gave it a tug. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view) she tugged a bit more sharply than she had intended, and Wolfwood, already slightly off balance from the sneezing, was sent careening into her. The two collided, tripped, and then met the ground in a rather compromising position. Wolfwood would have laughed if it hadn't been for the fact that his face was buried in Milly's ample chest, and his legs being entangled with hers suggested that they wouldn't be able to move for at least a few seconds.
Milly had let out a startled squeak when Wolfwood had crashed into her, and now shock held her still as she tried to sort out the last few seconds. The fact that one of Wolfwood's thighs was wedged between her own was creating quite a distraction, causing her brain to melt as a fluttery sensation attacked her nerves. She was just beginning to enjoy the feeling when a laughing Vash leaned over and hauled Wolfwood off of her, then turned and helped her to her feet.
"Are you two all right?" Lucy asked, brushing the sand off Milly's clothing while Vash teased Wolfwood as the black clad priest dusted off his own clothing.
"Yes, yes, we're fine," Wolfwood said, embarrassment clouding his voice a bit. "Ah, sorry about that, Big Girl."
"It's all right, Bokushi-san!" Milly said cheerfully, giving him a wide grin, the incident seemingly pushed from her mind.
Wolfwood returned the insurance girl's smile, before turning and smacking Vash upside the head yet again when the blond had slyly asked if he had enjoyed his little trip. He dearly wished the grinning gunman would forget that little slip of the tongue back when they had first found out about Meryl's father, but it looked like Vash had the memory of one of Earth's elephants. Maybe if he conked the spiky haired idiot on the back of the head . . . No, that would most likely only cause a headache, and not the amnesia he would be aiming for. Besides, he didn't want to hear another one of the smaller insurance worker's blasting lectures.
Speaking Meryl's blistering lectures . . . "Tongari, you put your arm right back into that sling where it belongs!"
"But," Vash begin, a pout forming on his face as he gingerly returned his injured arm to its much hated resting place.
"Don't but me. You know the small girl is going to check your arm later, and if you've broken open that wound to even cause a trickle of blood to escape, it's going to be my head she rips off and bar-b-ques. Since I like my head where it is, I suggest you follow the doctor's orders," Wolfwood said. "And that means keeping your arm in that sling."
Vash's sigh of despair, and the few tears for effect as he complied with Wolfwood's orders, caused Milly to giggle and Lucy to grin. William gave the lanky gunman a funny look, then glanced at Lucy with one eyebrow raised in question.
"Yes," she said. "He's always like this."
"I knew a bit of what to expect from the letters that Meryl-san had sent, but you just never really expect the man with sixty-billion double dollars on his head to be such a . . . well, cry baby," the Thomas Wrangler said with a shake of his head.
"You're telling me," Lucy said, humor evident in her voice. "I suppose I should continue this tour if we're going to get to the Plant Center."
The younger Stryfe sister waited until there was a lull in the minor argument that had sprung up between the tall blond, the smoking priest, and the taller Claims Investigator that appeared to be revolving around pudding, and called them over.
"Would you like to see the rest of the Thomas Complex?" she asked when they reached her side. "We could go inside the coops and introduce you to the breeding program, or we could save that for another day and go straight to the Plant Control Center."
"Let's go ahead and go to the Control Center," Milly said cheerfully. "We can see the rest of the Complex at another time. We should be getting back to the house soon, anyway. Senpai will start to worry."
The two men nodded their agreement, and with a cheerful farewell in William's direction, the tour group began walking towards the focal point of everything they were seeing around them. As they headed towards the giant Plant bulb that stood in the distance, Lucy told them some of the back history of her family.
"According to the records, the Stryfe family has been in charge of this Geo Plant ever since the Great Fall. Great-great-great-great-grandfather Stryfe was a Plant Engineer, and when he woke from cryo-sleep to find that everyone had crashed on the planet, he immediately began setting up the main Control Area that we're heading towards now. He had a lot of help, several other Engineers were also with this particular Plant, and there were plenty of young men and women wanting to learn how set up and maintain a working Plant. The Geo Plant was up and running within a year of Planet Fall, and enough young men and women were trained to be able to traverse from one fallen ship to another and help set up the Plants there. A few of the other Engineers stayed in this area and married into the Stryfe family, and they're the ones that are responsible for all the cousins you see running around. Ahhhh, here we are."
The group halted in front of a building that was much larger than the one they'd seen in Inepril. Lucy reached out and punched in some numbers on the keypad, and the steel frame industrial strength door slid open with a nearly silent hiss. Cold air wafted out of the interior, and was a welcomed respite from heat of the twin suns outside. Once everyone was safely inside, the door slid shut with another light hiss, and for a moment no one moved as they allowed their eyes to adjust to the sudden half dark of the interior. Gradually the details began to come into focus, and they found themselves standing on the landing of a set of stairs. To their right the stairs descended down into the bowels of the building, and to their left the stairs ascended towards the Control Room, the area where all the computers and monitors were that maintained the health of the Plant. Lucy gestured for her guests to precede her up the stairs, and Vash began the climb first, placing his unbound hand on the railing to help him keep his balance. Wolfwood went next, then Milly, and finally Lucy, the only sounds the metallic clang of their footfalls on the metal stairs.
Vash was all eyes, glancing around curiously and trying to take in everything he was seeing. It had been a long time since he had been inside an actual Geo Plant, and never one the size of this one. He kept his mind partially unblocked, and again he felt the familiar sensation of a Plant Angel, and was again struck by the strange difference between her and other Plant Angels he had encountered. Most of the other Plant Angels he had met felt . . .younger, more innocent in their outlooks on what they were doing and why they were part of this world. This Angel felt older, more mature, and the fact that she hadn't already responded to the, questioning touch of his own mind roused his curiosity, as well.
As they continued the trek upwards, a low humming and clicking noise could be heard, lightly at first and then gaining strength as they began to reach the top of the stairs. The source of the sound was revealed when they reached the landing. Through an open doorway the tour group saw several people hunched over their computer terminals, the clicking noise being created as their fingers raced over the keyboard.
"Welcome to the brains of the Geo Plant," Lucy said stepping through the doorway and greeting the technicians with a cheerful hello. Most of the technicians looked up and gave the group the vague smile that all preoccupied people wore, before returning to their duties in Plant maintenance. As Lucy began to tell her audience about the general duties the technicians had, one of the older technicians got to her feet and made her way to the group, stopping at Lucy's side. Lucy broke off her speech and turned her attention to the lady standing next to her as she leaned down and whispered something in her ear.
Vash's brows drew together in concern as whatever the technician told their guide caused her to visibly pale. "Are you sure?" she asked, her voice shaking a bit as she paled further at the technician's nod. "SHIT!"
Without a word, Lucy pushed past her guests and bolted down the stairs at such a pace it was amazing she kept her footing. The group blinked at each other in confusion for a second, before quickly following after her. As they clanged their way down the stairs, Vash could dimly pick up on Lucy muttering, "She NEVER comes here unless something's wrong. I knew it, damnit, I knew it!"
What she knew Vash couldn't begin to guess. His entire concentration was taken up with keeping his footing on the narrow stairs that zigzagged their way into the darkness below. The group was so used to running down the stairs that they nearly did lose their balance when the last step gave way to flat metallic sheeting that extended the entire length and width of the building. They spotted Lucy moving at a fast clip towards another set of doors, and they quickly caught up with her.
"I'm so sorry," Lucy said when she realized that they were still behind her. "Something unexpected has come up, and I need to make sure that everything is all right."
"Does it have to do with the Plant proper?" Vash questioned, thinking that if it had to do with the Angel he'd be able to help out. But Lucy shook her head, saying that it didn't have to do with the Plant itself. They had reached the doors at this point, and after more key pad typing, it slid open to reveal an area that was suffused with light. Everyone blinked against the sudden glare, once again having to pause to let their eyes adjust to the change.
Lucy moved forward first, coming to halt at the landing of yet another staircase, and placed her hands on top of the railing, looking down in the bottom of the room they now found themselves in. Vash was the first to recover from the light change, and his eyes widened as he looked around, realizing that they were now inside the Plant proper, and hanging from the ceiling of the room was the glass housing that contained the Plant Angel. He took a step forward, and heard twin gasps from Milly and Wolfwood as they realized where they were. Here, the walls were completely bare of everything, no electronics, no computers, the only technology in the room was the Plant Bulb, and the small console down on the floor that was a direct connection to the computers upstairs that maintained the Plant's well being and power levels.
Vash took a deep breath and smiled slightly. Here was all that was familiar to him, the gentle feel of the Angel brushing his mind, the humming of the bulb, and the gentle light the Angel herself gave off. He stepped up beside Lucy, glanced at her, and gave a slight start. Her face was still pale, only now it was drawn tight against her bones, tension in every line of her body, and her eyes were full of a nameless fear. He opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, but Wolfwood, having stepped up to Lucy's other side, interrupted him.
"Look at that," he said softly.
Vash turned his eyes once again to the Plant chamber, and his eyes bugged to the size of his gun barrel as his jaw dropped so hard he got a metal splinter through his tongue. Standing at the bottom of the chamber was a small, extremely familiar figure dressed in white. Amazingly, the cause of Vash's surprise wasn't the fact that Meryl was standing in the Plant Chamber; after all, this was her home and Meryl had more of a right to be in the chamber then he did. No, what caused his eyes to bug was the fact that Meryl was standing next to the Plant Bulb, her arms raised and folded against the smooth glass and her head resting against them, her body tense and visibly, even from the distance he was viewing her from, trembling. His jaw had dropped when he saw what the Plant Angel was doing.
She had her hands pressed against the glass near Meryl's head, staring at the small woman intently, and to Vash's utter astonishment she was stroking her right hand against her side of the glass, right where Meryl's head was resting against her raised forearms. It was a gesture eerily similar to the gentle stroking of a hand over an injured child's head, one he had seen countless mother's bestow upon their children in an effort to sooth the hurt and pain. In all his dealings with the Plant Angels around the planet, Vash had never seen one initiate any kind of contact with their human counterparts. All of the previous Angels he'd encountered had been content to do their job and let the rest of the world pass by. They had never voluntarily approached the barrier that stood between their world and that of the humans unless either Vash or Knives had been present, and even then they had to be asked to come forward.
The Angel turned her strange, pupiless golden eyes up to the group just as Vash was collecting his jaw from the hole it had created in the metal landing. He nearly lost hold of it again when a warm, friendly brush touched his mind.
Hello, Vash the Freeborn.
He must have made a faint strangling sound (after all, none of the other Plant Angels had voluntarily contacted him first) because Wolfwood and Milly turned towards him. Milly looked slightly worried, and her eyes kept darting from Meryl's tense figure to Lucy, then back to Vash. It was as if she didn't know which person to place her full concentration on, so she tried to divide her attention equally between the three.
Wolfwood looked as stunned as Vash felt. He'd heard a few tales regarding Plant Angels himself during his wanderings, but never had he heard about one reacting to a human the way this one was to Meryl. It was strange, the way she gave the impression of trying to sooth the smaller insurance worker, despite the thick glass that separated the two. It was even stranger to find the Small Girl leaning against the bulb in such a way that it suggested she was actually seeking comfort from the being trapped inside.
Vash, finally finding his vocal cords again, turned to Lucy and stuttered, "Wha . . Where . .?"
Lucy didn't appear to be listening, as once again she muttered, "I knew it! I knew something had to be terribly wrong, and this confirms it!"
"Um, how does this confirm that something is wrong?" Vash asked, finally gaining Lucy's attention.
Lucy smiled mirthlessly. "Because Meryl-oneechan always comes here when something's wrong. She's been doing it ever since we were children."
"I don't understand," Vash said. "Why does she come here? Wouldn't she go to one of her friends or a family member? What about that friend of hers, um, Val?"
This time Lucy gave a short, harsh laugh that contained all the fear she was feeling at that moment, and waved a hand towards her sister and the Plant Angel.
"That is Val."
To Be Continued . . . .
Terms:
Tongari - Needle-noggin'
Oneechan - Big sister
Hai - Yes. ^_^
Bokushi-san - Mr. Priest
-san - An honorific title like Mr. and Miss I just think it sounds better sometimes. ^_^
Niichan/Niisan - Big brother. The reason for the difference is because Randy is slightly older than Ron (which he likes to remind Ron at times) and this is to differentiate between the two.
Senpai - Most people are familar with this term in it's usual school use, where it translates into Upper Classman. In Milly and Meryl's case, her use of "senpai" shows us that Meryl is actually the senior partner of the M & M duo. ^_^ If I left anything out in the terms, gomen (sorry).
Chapter Five
The Tour
Wolfwood doubled over, wrapping his arms around his waist as he wheezed, trying to drag air into his starving lungs. The problem was, he couldn't stop laughing long enough to drag in a single breath of oxygen, and his face was beginning to turn an interesting shade of purplish red as tears began to stream down his cheeks. Lucy eyed him worriedly, but with the sound of a dying fish Wolfwood managed to suck in some air and wheezed a little more. The two objects of his amusement were currently facing each other and arguing over whether or not Milly's hearing was as perfect as she said it was.
"I did NOT scream Mommy!" Vash insisted for the fiftieth time, wishing once again that his gun arm was out of its sling so he could move his hands around.
"You did, Vash-san! Senpai and I heard you yell 'MOMMY!' as you jumped onto the other side of that hill," Milly replied. (See episode one of the anime and listen REAAAAAALLY closely)
Wolfwood managed to control his laughter enough to say shakily, "N-nice first i-impression you gave, Tongari! N-no wonder the Small Girl was convinced you weren't Vash the Stampede."
Having said that, Wolfwood snorted and began to laugh again, this time hitting the ground on his knees as his legs gave out beneath him. Vash glared at his currently incapacitated friend, then turned his attention back to Milly.
"I'm sure you misheard me. I probably yelled something like OH NO or WHOA! I was dodging an awful lot of bullets at the time."
"Oh no, it was Mommy."
"Is it always like this?" Lucy asked Wolfwood, who seemed to be getting himself under control once again.
"Most of the time? Yes. It gets even more interesting when your sister is with us," Wolfwood answered, climbing to his feet and dusting off his pants, being very careful not to glance in Vash or Milly's direction.
"I can imagine," Lucy said, humor lighting up her eyes and deepening her voice a bit. "Meryl-oneechan isn't your calm and demure type."
"Well, that's one way of explaining it," Wolfwood replied.
Lucy grinned at him, then turned her attention back to the blond and brunette. "Are you two finished?" she asked. "Now that Wolfwood-san has stopped trying to suffocate himself, I'd like to show you around the Forest and introduce you to some of the care takers if they're still around."
Vash grinned at Lucy sheepishly, while Milly smiled serenely, planning to get Meryl to tell her version of events and clear up Vash's cloudy memory. The group moved off at a leisurely pace, Vash, Milly and Wolfwood answering questions from Lucy and telling her stories from their travels together. As they got closer to the wooded area of the Geo Plant that Lucy called The Forest, the ground beneath their feet gradually changed from sand and rock to velvety grass. They paused as they reached the first shade tree, and Wolfwood gazed around him in awe.
"This is the first time I've ever seen a Geo Plant of this size," he remarked, staring at the tall oak tree and eyeing the tangled underbrush that covered the area beneath the tree.
"Then you're in for a real treat," Lucy said, smiling as she lead the group onto one of the many small trails that, as they continued to move deeper into the shade, crisscrossed with dozens of other foot paths, each one skewering off in a separate direction. "We have these footpaths so that we can move around and tend to the smaller details without having to remove too much of the underbrush."
"Why don't you clear it all out?" Wolfwood asked curiously as they passed a particularly thorny looking tangle.
"You'd be amazed at how that would effect the Plant as a whole," Lucy answered. "All of these plants work together as part of a larger whole, and if we took away the underbrush it would disrupt the balance we have going here. When parts of the underbrush and trees die, it falls to the ground and begins to decompose, providing nutrients for the root system of the entire area. The underbrush also helps to shield the roots and lower trunks of the trees from the intense cold of night, and it provides cover from the cold for the smaller seedlings."
As Lucy continued to answer questions from Wolfwood and occasionally Milly, Vash looked around, becoming more and more impressed with the level of care and attention that had enabled the trees to grow to their impressive height, and kept such a huge area green and healthy. He saw many of the trees that Rem had taught him the names of, and many others that he didn't recognize. His eyes widened as they turned a small bend and a small, bent and slightly twisted tree came into view crowned with hundreds of small, white flowers.
"What tree is that?" he asked.
"That's a Flowering Dogwood," Lucy answered. "There's a really cool legend that goes with it. I can't remember if I read it somewhere or heard it from someone else, but would you be interested in hearing it?"
"Sure!" the others responded, and Lucy stepped off the path and beckoned for them to follow her up to flowering tree.
"While I'm telling this story, you might want to take a closer look at the flowers," she said, and the group moved closer to the tree, and Vash found himself marveling at how the petals of the flower itself were solid white until the end of the petal, which had a small indent in it that looked almost like someone had punched a hole in the end of the petal. Here, the color changed from pure white to an almost rusty red, and Vash wished briefly that Rem were here to see it.
Lucy gazed up at the tree, and began, "An old and beautiful legend has it that, at the time of the Crucifixion, the dogwood was comparable in size to the oak tree and other monarchs of the forest. Because of its firmness and strength, it was selected as the timber for the cross, but to be put to such a cruel use greatly distressed the tree. Sensing this, the crucified Jesus in His gentle pity for the sorrow and suffering of all said to it: 'Because of your sorrow and pity for My sufferings, never again will the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used as a cross. Henceforth it will be slender, bent and twisted, and its blossoms will be in the form of a cross; two long and two short petals. In the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints; brown with rust and stained with red; and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all who see this will remember.' The author is either unknown, or has been lost over time, but I always thought it was a rather pretty story."
Milly and Wolfwood gazed at the tree in slight awe, Wolfwood especially thinking over the teachings he'd received at the orphanage where he was raised. A strange, gurgling whimpering sound abruptly broke the mood, and as one Wolfwood, Lucy and Milly turned their heads in Vash's direction to find his innocent aqua green eyes wide and water filled, tears streaming down his cheeks as his mouth distorted with the effort to contain his sobs. Wolfwood gave him an exasperated look, while Lucy felt a rather large drop of sweat roll down the back of her head.
"Geeez, Tongari, you're such a crybaby!" Wolfwood sighed as Vash finally burst into full fledged sobs.
"I can't help it! That story was so moving!" Vash wailed, earning him a whap across the head courtesy of Wolfwood.
"Is . . . is he . . . ," Lucy couldn't seem to gather her thoughts enough to finish, and Milly, sensing the young woman's unspoken question, nodded. "Yep, this is normal for him."
Lucy shook her head, and decided to just simply walk away from the sobbing blond and exasperated priest, trusting that they would follow her in their desire to tour the Plant. She smiled to herself as Vash and Wolfwood's bickering let her know that they had indeed followed her, Milly's occasional comments causing a now predictable reaction from the two men. Wolfwood would burst into laughter while Vash groaned in embarrassment, with Milly asking him why he was embarrassed, after all, it wasn't shameful that he had thrown up all over the place when Frank Marlon had asked his name. He had consumed a lot of booze that night.
"I've never seen someone get drunk as much as you do, and still be unable to hold the liquor," Wolfwood, for lack of a better word, cackled.
"One of these days Cross Punisher is going to be shoved down your throat," Vash promised darkly, "And I'll just sit back and laugh."
"Sure, Tongari, suuuuuuure," Wolfwood drawled, reaching into his shirt and pulling out yet another of his crumpled cigarettes.
Lucy shook her head in amusement, imagined Meryl traveling around with this particular group, and had to stifle her laughter. Knowing Meryl, she had probably gone rather loudly insane several times during their travels, and Lucy half heartedly wished she had been with them to see it. Though if she were honest with herself, she was thankful that she was home, helping with the Geo Plant and Thomas herd. She really was more of a homebody than Meryl had ever been. Especially after . . . . .
Lucy's thoughts trailed off when the sound of voices up ahead reached her, and she smiled. She had hoped they would find this particular group before heading over in the direction of the Thomas complex. She knew the exact moment the group ahead became aware that there were people heading towards them because all talk had ceased, and all heads were turned in their direction as they came out from under the canopy of trees and stepped onto one of several cleared areas. Five people were lounging around the meadow, half finished lunches hanging in their hands as they gazed at the new comers. One redheaded young man grinned, and got to his feet, walking over and sweeping Lucy up in a large hug before setting her back down.
"I'm guessing Meryl got your message," he grinned down at her, before turning his attention to the newcomers.
"This is my husband, Ryan O'Conner," Lucy said by way of introduction, and the large man gave them a friendly grin and extended a massive hand out.
"This is Vash," Lucy continued as the blond gunman had his hand grasped and firmly, but not uncomfortably, pumped in greeting. "And this is Nicholas D. Wolfwood."
Wolfwood eyed the large hand for a second, before gingerly extending his own and having it shaken in a similar manner to Vash's. The two men exchanged glances as Milly enthusiastically greeted the large man with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Ryan O'Conner stood a good three inches taller than Milly, and subsequently he dwarfed his wife. His face was lean and angular, but he wasn't scrawny or lanky. Instead he was built like one of those Earth bears they had studied about in school, all muscle and sinew with a winning smile and a shock of flaming red hair and vivid blue eyes. They weren't allowed to marvel for long, though, as they were taken around and introduced to everyone, the last two being a set of twins that were obviously Meryl and Lucy's younger brothers, Ron and Randy Stryfe. Their identical features were similar to Meryl's, only broader and more masculine, with light brown hair and the same crushed violet eyes. They took to Wolfwood and Vash immediately, sensing that in these two men dwelled the same mischievous spirit as their own.
"I'm really glad you came with Meryl-oneechan," Ron, or was it Randy, said.
"Yeah, we didn't know if she'd bring Vash the Stampede with her or not," the other one said.
"There's even a betting pool over in the bunk house about whether or not you were going to come."
"I guess we'll have to divvy out the winnings tonight then."
"Randy-niisan," Lucy said, sounding slightly exasperated. One of the twins looked at her and flushed a bit.
"We're not the ones that started the betting pool," Randy protested.
"It was Sean," Ron supplied, causing Lucy to sigh again.
"That's shameful and you know it," Lucy replied, but couldn't help laughing a bit. "You should finish up eating, lunch is only five more minutes and then it's back to work."
"Awww, Lucy-oneechan, can't we take the rest of the day off because of our guests?" Ron whined slightly, the small grin on his face saying that he didn't expect to get let off of duty.
"Of course not," Ryan said amiably, and clapped massive hands on each on the twins shoulders.
"You can bug our guests later tonight at dinner, boys," Lucy said firmly, and turned to her group with a smile as Ryan led the boys back to their lunches, where they finished their food in record time and then dispersed. Within seconds the clearing was empty with only a few shouted words back and forth between the workers letting the tour group know that they had even been there.
"They're one in a group of four Tree Caretakers," Lucy said, continuing their tour as she walked across the clearing and they were once again plunged into the shadowed canopy. "It's their job to check each and every tree in the Plant and record how it's doing, it's growth process, whether or not it needs treatment for disease, and whether or not the diseased trees are doing better. Every now and then we have to cut down one or two to make room for some of the smaller trees that are starting to grow in the underbrush."
"How often to you do the cutting?" Wolfwood asked, gazing around at the healthy plants in awe.
"Most of the time only twice a year, and then it's only diseased trees that we haven't been able to cure."
"Have you ever sold trees to craftsmen or wood workers?" Vash asked.
"I heard that our grandfather used to sell trees to wood workers, but our father put a stop to that when he came into control of caring for the Plant. He says there is no reason to cut down healthy trees, no matter how much money is offered, and we all agree with him. And they don't pay for diseased trees, so," Lucy shrugged.
"What do you do with the trees you do cut down?" Wolfwood asked.
"We have a machine that cuts them up into tiny chips, and we spread them around the area. When they break down they serve as fertilizer for the other plants and trees. It helps to keep the other trees healthy," she answered.
The rest of the Geo Plant tour was relatively silent, with Lucy occasionally pointing out a different tree species such as the White Birch, but for the most part everyone was left with their own thoughts as they enjoyed the cooler temperatures under the canopy. Milly especially delighted in holding her hands out and letting the patterned light play over her fingers. Wolfwood turned and caught her at it once, and she smiled shyly at him. Grinning back, Wolfwood held his own hands out, letting the light dapple his skin. He was amazed that he was even allowing himself to take such pleasure in such a simple action. He glanced over at Milly, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Vash was mimicking their actions, as well. Perhaps it was the peaceful setting that allowed them to relax in a way that they had never gotten a chance to before with all the traveling and running from bounty hunters and trying to track down Knives. Then something else caught his attention.
"Tongari, put your arm back in that sling."
"I don't like it!" the tall gunman pouted.
"Vash-san, you really should keep your arm in the sling so that it will heal," Milly commented, moving closer in an effort to help turn her words into action.
Vash sighed, and allowed the taller girl to help return his arm to it's sling. He had no doubt that if he had protested she would have told Meryl about it when they got back to the house, and he really didn't relish the idea of being on the business end of her glare yet again.
"She should try and package that glare," Vash thought to himself. "It's as effective as one of her Derringers shoved under your nose."
The group began walking again after Vash's arm was once again safely in its sling, and Vash noticed that the underbrush was getting thinner and the general area was starting to lose some of the protective shade they'd been walking under. He looked ahead and spotted a break in the trees. A few moments later they emerged from underneath the sheltering trees and once again stood on the desert soil with the twin suns blazing overhead. All four of them blinked rapidly, temporarily blind from the sudden change in light.
"Ready to check out the Thomas complex?" Lucy asked once everyone had stopped squinting at each other.
"Sure!" Milly replied, and Vash agreed with her. Wolfwood opened his mouth, an uncomfortable look flashing across his face. He knew Vash's reputation for disaster whenever a Thomas was around, but he closed it when he noticed Milly's excitement and Vash's enthusiasm. With a sigh, he nodded his agreement, and reached into his jacket to pull out his trademark crumpled cigarette.
They heard the Thomas complex before they saw it. There were some rhythmic thumping noises followed by the sounds of several men shouting encouragement or jeers. Vash and Wolfwood exchanged uneasy glances, both thinking the same thing. They never seemed to have any luck whenever they were around large groups of people, but especially large groups of men. Neither gunman was happy that they were handicapped. Wolfwood had left his cross back at the house, and Vash was hampered by his sling.
"You don't need to worry," Milly said, glancing at them and reading the uneasiness on their faces. "Everyone here is either family or friends."
"That's right," Lucy said over her shoulder. "You're quite safe here."
Vash wasn't really assured by that statement. Lucy didn't know about Knives, nor did she know that Knives could easily find Vash through their mental connection. No matter how hard he tried to block Knives from him, his twin always seemed to find a way around or through the mental barricades and pin point Vash's very location. Then he'd send one of his Gung-ho Guns after his brother, and the surrounding area would turn into a blood soaked battlefield, though if Vash could help it no one would be killed. That was one of the main reasons why he hadn't wanted to travel with Meryl and the rest to her family home, and had greatly welcomed the out that Meryl had given him . . . . until Wolfwood, and the image of strangely sad eyes the color of a bruised violet, had tugged on his conscious . . . and something else. Something that Vash wasn't ready to confront yet, so it went ignored.
Vash felt that it was only a matter of time before one of Knives selected psychopaths, maybe even Legato himself, would come hunting for him. He had to make sure that Meryl and everyone else would be all right here before he left. He didn't want to cause the smaller insurance girl anymore worry or stress than what she was already facing, though the truth of the matter was that Meryl seemed to thrive on stress. A small smile graced the Stampede's lips at that thought. Meryl fairly seemed to vibrate with energy when she got stressed, and more than once Vash had wondered if there was a way to harness that energy. He bet Meryl could run a small town in a way similar to a Plant if the right methods were utilized.
Vash was pulled away from his darkening thoughts by several yells, an inhuman screech, and a loud thud. These were followed by a lot of male voices whooping and hollering, along with several jeers tossed in for good measure.
"Oh, that had to hurt!" a voice said.
"Do you think he hit his head?" another asked.
"Naw, he's jest faking. Git him up on his feet, he'll be fine," a third said.
The trio of tour folks found themselves being led up to a large round wooden corral, with half a dozen men in large cowboy hats sitting on the top rail. As they got closer, they found that the object of their scorn was another man in the center of the corral bending over to pick up his hat, the left side of his body covered in dust and grime. He grinned sheepishly at the watching group as he limped over to a smaller, chute like area attached to the corral. As he disappeared into the chute, Vash and the others heard a strange grunting noise, followed by the inhuman scream that they'd heard before. The other men didn't notice the arrival of Lucy and her charges, their entire attention was focused on the gate that lead into the small chute the sounds were coming from.
A few seconds later the gate opened, and a very angry Tomas burst out of the chute, twisting its body around and around and violently shaking all over in an effort to dislodge the man that was now on its back. There were times it shook so violently, or moved its body in such a way that Vash wondered why it didn't lose its balance and fall over. They could tell that the man on its back was having a hard time hanging on, his legs were flailing around and the muscles in his arms bulged with the effort. But hang on he did, until the Tomas had exhausted itself and instead of moving violently it moved around the corral at a sedate walk, its sides heaving as it breathed in and out.
The group sitting on the fence let up a loud cheer of congratulations, and began to argue between each other about who would get the next Thomas. It was during that argument that a tall lanky man with strawberry blond hair and glasses perched on his nose looked over and spotted Lucy and her group. He gave a grin of greeting, nudged the man next to him, and then everyone became aware of their presence.
"Howdy there, Lucy-san!" the lanky man greeted. "I heard that Meryl-san had come home. Are these her friends?"
"Hey there, William," Lucy said warmly, giving the man a hug before turning to introduce him to her companions. "William Lackey, this is Vash, Milly Thompson, and Nicholas D. Wolfwood, friends of Meryl-oneechan. This is William Lackey, head of the Thomas complex and the top Thomas breeder on the planet."
"You flatter me, Lucy-san," William said with a grin. "It's a pleasure to meet ya'll. I can give you a quick tour of the complex and coops, if you like, once we're done with the preliminaries here."
"Pre-what?" Milly asked curiously. Wolfwood remained silent and eyed the corral and the animal that was in it distrustfully.
"It's the preliminary breaking process," William explained. "Kind of like the ground work, or the beginning of the training. The Thomas you see in the corral are all racing Thomas and are old enough now to be ridden, but they've never had anyone on their back and don't take kindly to the first go round, as Jim over there," he indicated the man whose left side was covered with grime, "demonstrated earlier. Now, we don't like to break their spirits, so we never use any other methods other than just simply throwing one of the men on their back and letting the Thomas exhaust itself. If we do this every day, eventually the Thomas gets used to us being on its back and comes to accept a rider peacefully. A good racing Thomas has to have more than strong legs and a strong back. He's gotta have a winning spirit, and you don't get that by starving them and not letting them come to terms with a rider in their own time."
"But wouldn't just throwing men on top of the Thomas until it was too tired to fight actually break their spirits?" Milly asked, confusion in her eyes. "I mean, you're still forcing the issue on them."
"No ma'am, it doesn't break their spirits," William said kindly. "Thomas are a tough, hardy bunch, and because we never slack in their feed or limit their access to water, they're able to meet us at full strength, instead of the harsher methods other racing Complexes use. One of our top competitors has been known to starve their Thomas for several days, and not allow them water for a week before climbing on their backs. That breaks the spirit faster than any of us hanging on for dear life does."
"That's horrible!" Milly cried, looking for all the world like she wanted to visit the other Complex and introduce them to her Stun Gun.
Vash agreed whole heartedly with her, but Wolfwood let out a violent sneeze before he could launch into his "Equality and Love for All Living Things" speech. Vash blinked in surprise as Wolfwood proceeded to double over, the sneezes coming so rapidly that he barely had time to catch is breath before the next one erupted out of him. After a few moments and several worried queries about whether or not he was all right, Wolfwood straightened up and caught his breath.
"I'm all right," he said, sniffling a bit as his nose began to tickle again. "Inhaled too much dust."
"That's easy to do out here, especially with the Thomas kicking up the sand," William said, indicating the corral behind him.
"Let's move a little ways away," Lucy suggested, and Milly instantly agreed, grabbing a hold of Wolfwood's elbow as he once again started to sneeze, and gave it a tug. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view) she tugged a bit more sharply than she had intended, and Wolfwood, already slightly off balance from the sneezing, was sent careening into her. The two collided, tripped, and then met the ground in a rather compromising position. Wolfwood would have laughed if it hadn't been for the fact that his face was buried in Milly's ample chest, and his legs being entangled with hers suggested that they wouldn't be able to move for at least a few seconds.
Milly had let out a startled squeak when Wolfwood had crashed into her, and now shock held her still as she tried to sort out the last few seconds. The fact that one of Wolfwood's thighs was wedged between her own was creating quite a distraction, causing her brain to melt as a fluttery sensation attacked her nerves. She was just beginning to enjoy the feeling when a laughing Vash leaned over and hauled Wolfwood off of her, then turned and helped her to her feet.
"Are you two all right?" Lucy asked, brushing the sand off Milly's clothing while Vash teased Wolfwood as the black clad priest dusted off his own clothing.
"Yes, yes, we're fine," Wolfwood said, embarrassment clouding his voice a bit. "Ah, sorry about that, Big Girl."
"It's all right, Bokushi-san!" Milly said cheerfully, giving him a wide grin, the incident seemingly pushed from her mind.
Wolfwood returned the insurance girl's smile, before turning and smacking Vash upside the head yet again when the blond had slyly asked if he had enjoyed his little trip. He dearly wished the grinning gunman would forget that little slip of the tongue back when they had first found out about Meryl's father, but it looked like Vash had the memory of one of Earth's elephants. Maybe if he conked the spiky haired idiot on the back of the head . . . No, that would most likely only cause a headache, and not the amnesia he would be aiming for. Besides, he didn't want to hear another one of the smaller insurance worker's blasting lectures.
Speaking Meryl's blistering lectures . . . "Tongari, you put your arm right back into that sling where it belongs!"
"But," Vash begin, a pout forming on his face as he gingerly returned his injured arm to its much hated resting place.
"Don't but me. You know the small girl is going to check your arm later, and if you've broken open that wound to even cause a trickle of blood to escape, it's going to be my head she rips off and bar-b-ques. Since I like my head where it is, I suggest you follow the doctor's orders," Wolfwood said. "And that means keeping your arm in that sling."
Vash's sigh of despair, and the few tears for effect as he complied with Wolfwood's orders, caused Milly to giggle and Lucy to grin. William gave the lanky gunman a funny look, then glanced at Lucy with one eyebrow raised in question.
"Yes," she said. "He's always like this."
"I knew a bit of what to expect from the letters that Meryl-san had sent, but you just never really expect the man with sixty-billion double dollars on his head to be such a . . . well, cry baby," the Thomas Wrangler said with a shake of his head.
"You're telling me," Lucy said, humor evident in her voice. "I suppose I should continue this tour if we're going to get to the Plant Center."
The younger Stryfe sister waited until there was a lull in the minor argument that had sprung up between the tall blond, the smoking priest, and the taller Claims Investigator that appeared to be revolving around pudding, and called them over.
"Would you like to see the rest of the Thomas Complex?" she asked when they reached her side. "We could go inside the coops and introduce you to the breeding program, or we could save that for another day and go straight to the Plant Control Center."
"Let's go ahead and go to the Control Center," Milly said cheerfully. "We can see the rest of the Complex at another time. We should be getting back to the house soon, anyway. Senpai will start to worry."
The two men nodded their agreement, and with a cheerful farewell in William's direction, the tour group began walking towards the focal point of everything they were seeing around them. As they headed towards the giant Plant bulb that stood in the distance, Lucy told them some of the back history of her family.
"According to the records, the Stryfe family has been in charge of this Geo Plant ever since the Great Fall. Great-great-great-great-grandfather Stryfe was a Plant Engineer, and when he woke from cryo-sleep to find that everyone had crashed on the planet, he immediately began setting up the main Control Area that we're heading towards now. He had a lot of help, several other Engineers were also with this particular Plant, and there were plenty of young men and women wanting to learn how set up and maintain a working Plant. The Geo Plant was up and running within a year of Planet Fall, and enough young men and women were trained to be able to traverse from one fallen ship to another and help set up the Plants there. A few of the other Engineers stayed in this area and married into the Stryfe family, and they're the ones that are responsible for all the cousins you see running around. Ahhhh, here we are."
The group halted in front of a building that was much larger than the one they'd seen in Inepril. Lucy reached out and punched in some numbers on the keypad, and the steel frame industrial strength door slid open with a nearly silent hiss. Cold air wafted out of the interior, and was a welcomed respite from heat of the twin suns outside. Once everyone was safely inside, the door slid shut with another light hiss, and for a moment no one moved as they allowed their eyes to adjust to the sudden half dark of the interior. Gradually the details began to come into focus, and they found themselves standing on the landing of a set of stairs. To their right the stairs descended down into the bowels of the building, and to their left the stairs ascended towards the Control Room, the area where all the computers and monitors were that maintained the health of the Plant. Lucy gestured for her guests to precede her up the stairs, and Vash began the climb first, placing his unbound hand on the railing to help him keep his balance. Wolfwood went next, then Milly, and finally Lucy, the only sounds the metallic clang of their footfalls on the metal stairs.
Vash was all eyes, glancing around curiously and trying to take in everything he was seeing. It had been a long time since he had been inside an actual Geo Plant, and never one the size of this one. He kept his mind partially unblocked, and again he felt the familiar sensation of a Plant Angel, and was again struck by the strange difference between her and other Plant Angels he had encountered. Most of the other Plant Angels he had met felt . . .younger, more innocent in their outlooks on what they were doing and why they were part of this world. This Angel felt older, more mature, and the fact that she hadn't already responded to the, questioning touch of his own mind roused his curiosity, as well.
As they continued the trek upwards, a low humming and clicking noise could be heard, lightly at first and then gaining strength as they began to reach the top of the stairs. The source of the sound was revealed when they reached the landing. Through an open doorway the tour group saw several people hunched over their computer terminals, the clicking noise being created as their fingers raced over the keyboard.
"Welcome to the brains of the Geo Plant," Lucy said stepping through the doorway and greeting the technicians with a cheerful hello. Most of the technicians looked up and gave the group the vague smile that all preoccupied people wore, before returning to their duties in Plant maintenance. As Lucy began to tell her audience about the general duties the technicians had, one of the older technicians got to her feet and made her way to the group, stopping at Lucy's side. Lucy broke off her speech and turned her attention to the lady standing next to her as she leaned down and whispered something in her ear.
Vash's brows drew together in concern as whatever the technician told their guide caused her to visibly pale. "Are you sure?" she asked, her voice shaking a bit as she paled further at the technician's nod. "SHIT!"
Without a word, Lucy pushed past her guests and bolted down the stairs at such a pace it was amazing she kept her footing. The group blinked at each other in confusion for a second, before quickly following after her. As they clanged their way down the stairs, Vash could dimly pick up on Lucy muttering, "She NEVER comes here unless something's wrong. I knew it, damnit, I knew it!"
What she knew Vash couldn't begin to guess. His entire concentration was taken up with keeping his footing on the narrow stairs that zigzagged their way into the darkness below. The group was so used to running down the stairs that they nearly did lose their balance when the last step gave way to flat metallic sheeting that extended the entire length and width of the building. They spotted Lucy moving at a fast clip towards another set of doors, and they quickly caught up with her.
"I'm so sorry," Lucy said when she realized that they were still behind her. "Something unexpected has come up, and I need to make sure that everything is all right."
"Does it have to do with the Plant proper?" Vash questioned, thinking that if it had to do with the Angel he'd be able to help out. But Lucy shook her head, saying that it didn't have to do with the Plant itself. They had reached the doors at this point, and after more key pad typing, it slid open to reveal an area that was suffused with light. Everyone blinked against the sudden glare, once again having to pause to let their eyes adjust to the change.
Lucy moved forward first, coming to halt at the landing of yet another staircase, and placed her hands on top of the railing, looking down in the bottom of the room they now found themselves in. Vash was the first to recover from the light change, and his eyes widened as he looked around, realizing that they were now inside the Plant proper, and hanging from the ceiling of the room was the glass housing that contained the Plant Angel. He took a step forward, and heard twin gasps from Milly and Wolfwood as they realized where they were. Here, the walls were completely bare of everything, no electronics, no computers, the only technology in the room was the Plant Bulb, and the small console down on the floor that was a direct connection to the computers upstairs that maintained the Plant's well being and power levels.
Vash took a deep breath and smiled slightly. Here was all that was familiar to him, the gentle feel of the Angel brushing his mind, the humming of the bulb, and the gentle light the Angel herself gave off. He stepped up beside Lucy, glanced at her, and gave a slight start. Her face was still pale, only now it was drawn tight against her bones, tension in every line of her body, and her eyes were full of a nameless fear. He opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, but Wolfwood, having stepped up to Lucy's other side, interrupted him.
"Look at that," he said softly.
Vash turned his eyes once again to the Plant chamber, and his eyes bugged to the size of his gun barrel as his jaw dropped so hard he got a metal splinter through his tongue. Standing at the bottom of the chamber was a small, extremely familiar figure dressed in white. Amazingly, the cause of Vash's surprise wasn't the fact that Meryl was standing in the Plant Chamber; after all, this was her home and Meryl had more of a right to be in the chamber then he did. No, what caused his eyes to bug was the fact that Meryl was standing next to the Plant Bulb, her arms raised and folded against the smooth glass and her head resting against them, her body tense and visibly, even from the distance he was viewing her from, trembling. His jaw had dropped when he saw what the Plant Angel was doing.
She had her hands pressed against the glass near Meryl's head, staring at the small woman intently, and to Vash's utter astonishment she was stroking her right hand against her side of the glass, right where Meryl's head was resting against her raised forearms. It was a gesture eerily similar to the gentle stroking of a hand over an injured child's head, one he had seen countless mother's bestow upon their children in an effort to sooth the hurt and pain. In all his dealings with the Plant Angels around the planet, Vash had never seen one initiate any kind of contact with their human counterparts. All of the previous Angels he'd encountered had been content to do their job and let the rest of the world pass by. They had never voluntarily approached the barrier that stood between their world and that of the humans unless either Vash or Knives had been present, and even then they had to be asked to come forward.
The Angel turned her strange, pupiless golden eyes up to the group just as Vash was collecting his jaw from the hole it had created in the metal landing. He nearly lost hold of it again when a warm, friendly brush touched his mind.
Hello, Vash the Freeborn.
He must have made a faint strangling sound (after all, none of the other Plant Angels had voluntarily contacted him first) because Wolfwood and Milly turned towards him. Milly looked slightly worried, and her eyes kept darting from Meryl's tense figure to Lucy, then back to Vash. It was as if she didn't know which person to place her full concentration on, so she tried to divide her attention equally between the three.
Wolfwood looked as stunned as Vash felt. He'd heard a few tales regarding Plant Angels himself during his wanderings, but never had he heard about one reacting to a human the way this one was to Meryl. It was strange, the way she gave the impression of trying to sooth the smaller insurance worker, despite the thick glass that separated the two. It was even stranger to find the Small Girl leaning against the bulb in such a way that it suggested she was actually seeking comfort from the being trapped inside.
Vash, finally finding his vocal cords again, turned to Lucy and stuttered, "Wha . . Where . .?"
Lucy didn't appear to be listening, as once again she muttered, "I knew it! I knew something had to be terribly wrong, and this confirms it!"
"Um, how does this confirm that something is wrong?" Vash asked, finally gaining Lucy's attention.
Lucy smiled mirthlessly. "Because Meryl-oneechan always comes here when something's wrong. She's been doing it ever since we were children."
"I don't understand," Vash said. "Why does she come here? Wouldn't she go to one of her friends or a family member? What about that friend of hers, um, Val?"
This time Lucy gave a short, harsh laugh that contained all the fear she was feeling at that moment, and waved a hand towards her sister and the Plant Angel.
"That is Val."
To Be Continued . . . .
Terms:
Tongari - Needle-noggin'
Oneechan - Big sister
Hai - Yes. ^_^
Bokushi-san - Mr. Priest
-san - An honorific title like Mr. and Miss I just think it sounds better sometimes. ^_^
Niichan/Niisan - Big brother. The reason for the difference is because Randy is slightly older than Ron (which he likes to remind Ron at times) and this is to differentiate between the two.
Senpai - Most people are familar with this term in it's usual school use, where it translates into Upper Classman. In Milly and Meryl's case, her use of "senpai" shows us that Meryl is actually the senior partner of the M & M duo. ^_^ If I left anything out in the terms, gomen (sorry).