Onegai, Megami-Sama!
Part 3-5: The End of the Matter
When the whiteness faded, Matagu opened his eyes and found himself on an alien ship.
It took him a second to fully comprehend. For all the time he'd spent thinking about what it would be like to meet an alien, for the hours he'd spent looking at the stars and wondering if there was anyone else out there, he was now somewhere that he'd never thought he would be.
To his surprise, he found that it didn't really matter. He had to find Peorth.
The ship looked sort of like something out of a sci-fi movie - the walls were smooth and metallic, there were panels with some kind of display on them, and the floor was vibrating just a little, like there was an engine running somewhere close. He glanced back and forth quickly, hoping that the agent hadn't already spotted them, but no one was in sight.
Next to him, Kei was looking around, a determined look in his face. "It's not that much different from Mizuho's," he said.
"Mizuho has a spaceship?" Matagu asked, blinking at his friend. "Where does she keep it?"
"Over the lake," Kei said. "Marie, where's Mizuho?"
"And Peorth," Matagu added.
The blue thing put its stubby hands to the sides of its head, and its large eyes started spinning back and forth. The bizarre green hair on its head stood up, then fell, then stood again. After a moment, it said "Nu!" and pointed in two different directions. Kei cried out and shook it a little, and its eyes spun around, but it still pointed the same.
"Take us to whoever's closer!" Matagu said. "It's . . . what was it?"
"Priority one!" Kei exclaimed.
"Nu!" Marie held its arms out, and the shimmering white glow surrounded them all. There was the familiar feeling of fading out, then back in. Matagu looked around, and saw that they hadn't moved at all.
"Nu. . . ." Marie slumped on Kei's shoulder, and its eyes closed.
"What does that mean?" Matagu asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking. If they couldn't get to Peorth and Mizuho, then. . . . He tried very, very hard not to think about that.
"I don't know, maybe he just can't take us somewhere in the ship," Kei said, then hurried over to one of the displays on the wall. "I might be able to find out where we are."
"You know how to use this?" Matagu asked, his eyes wide. He went to Kei's side, and looked over his shoulder. The display looked like something he'd seen in an astronomy book, full of ellipses and circles and what looked like some kind of path going through all of it. It reminded him of a comet's orbit, or. . . .
Matagu peered closer, and recognized the mark at one end of the path. The blue and green circle had to be Earth. And that meant . . . he followed the path, and watched it head right toward another part of the galaxy, off someplace with a name he didn't know.
"We need to find them, now!" Matagu said. "He's got what he came for, so he's going to get out of here!"
"I'm trying!" Kei yelled. He tapped at something that looked sort of like a keyboard, and the display changed to a hologram of a forest with a lake in it. Kei tapped again, and what looked like some kind of map came up. "That's it!" He nudged Marie. "Can you tell where they are on here?"
The small blue thing raised its head, and its eyes got bigger, then smaller, like it was trying to focus. "Nu . . . nu!" Two glowing dots appeared on the map, in two different places.
Matagu grimaced. Just what they needed . . . he didn't really think that the agent would have put his prisoners together, but sticking them so far away from each other was a problem. He looked over at Kei. "Should we split up?"
"No," Kei said, shaking his head. "Let's just get them out of here." He pointed to one of the dots on the map. "This one's closer, and we can take these halls," he said, running his finger along the way. "Let's go!"
Kei took off at a run, and Matagu hurried after him, stuffing the Skuld Bombs into his pockets and jamming the odd gun she'd given him behind his belt. He tried not to think too much as he and Kei ran through the spaceship's hallways. He had the feeling that if he started to wonder what might happen if this didn't work, he'd just end up getting scared, or he'd get distracted and the agent would catch them. Just focus on Peorth, he told himself, and everything would be all right.
After all, he'd made a wish, and she was a goddess. She was his girlfriend, and nobody could end that but him, right? Surely someone trying to steal her away from him went against that. It had to. Could someone from another part of the galaxy go against a goddess?
He remembered Peorth crumpled on the futon after the agent had shot her with that blowdryer-thing, and ran harder.
They made their way through the smooth-walled halls as quickly as they could, and Matagu started looking around for the agent to show up. With everything that had happened over the past two days, shouldn't the agent have expected them to try something like this? Then again, Skuld had altered the Marie thingy. Maybe the agent didn't even know they were there. Seizing that hope, Matagu grinned. They could make it.
When they reached another of the display things, Kei stopped, breathing hard, and tapped at the keyboard again. The map popped up, and Kei nodded. "Almost there!" he said, and ran off again. Matagu dashed after him.
The next hall led them into a square room, with a few doors on the walls. Kei started checking numbers on the doors, then stopped at one. "This is it!" he said, then looked at the keypad next to the door. He then looked over at Matagu, a sheepish expression on his face.
Matagu's face fell. "You don't know how to open it?"
"Mizuho's ship doesn't have these. . . ."
Victory.
It was such a sweet word, really, suggesting so many different kinds of success. At the moment, Agent #42 was only concerned with one kind - his own.
Despite a few unfortunate setbacks, his mission had gone off quite well. With Kazami in a holding cell, and the Peorth woman under his watch, the trip back to the Galaxy Federation would likely be uneventful but rather pleasant. Of course, he would have to keep Kazami locked up. And this Peorth would recover from the effects of his weapon if he didn't use it on her every few minutes. But the Mata system was calculating the most expedient route back to the Federation's headquarters, so it would be a short trip. Just as well. After taking a day longer than anticipated, he would be glad to return and report that he had accomplished his mission.
He looked over to the Peorth woman, wondering just what it was about her that made her so special. A scan had revealed nothing technologically relevant about her, only that she was in excellent health and fully functional, aside from being unconscious. Perhaps he could adjust the weapon, so that he'd be able to talk to her without her being a threat. Then, he could find out just how she had been able to change her outfit so quickly, to say nothing of pulling plant matter out of seemingly nowhere.
Agent #42 made a mental note not to accept any further missions to the Sol system. If the past day was any indication, things just got too strange out here.
"Mata, have you finished the calculations yet?" he asked, spinning in his chair to face the navigation system.
"MYAH," the system responded, and a display viewscreen popped up over the bridge controls. Agent #42 looked it over, and nodded. "Very well. Chart the vectors and scan the system logs for incidents. Estimated time until departure?"
"MYAH."
"Excellent." He swung back around in his chair, looking to where the Peorth woman lay, her arms and legs bound in bands of force that all agents used to keep control of their quarries. While the bands were usually enough to keep the subject subdued, Agent #42 had seen his quarry revive herself before, and was not about to take that chance again.
"MYAH!"
"What is it, Mata?" he asked without turning around.
"MYAH. MYAH!"
"You can't be serious." Agent #42 spun around again and peered at the screen Mata was pointing to, then frowned. "An unknown intrusion in the holding cell? Which one - Kazami's?"
"MYAH."
Agent #42 frowned. This wasn't supposed to be happening. The cells were supposed to be inescapable from the inside, and there wasn't anyone else on the ship besides himself and his prisoners. Kazami hadn't had anything on her that would have allowed her to attempt an escape. "Mata, bring up cell number seven and the holding cell area on-screen."
The viewscreen's display split. On one half, Kazami was in her holding cell, laying on the small room's bench, arms wrapped around herself, her shoulders shaking. She appeared to be crying. Agent #42 reflected on her unfortunate state for a moment, then looked to the other half of the screen. Under normal circumstances, he wasn't accustomed to frowning, but it seemed to be happening with great regularity since he'd come to this planet. Definitely, no further missions in the Sol system.
"Mata, take me to the holding cells immediately," he said. "It's a priority one."
"MYAH!"
"Hurry up, Marie!" Kei said, just short of pounding his fists on the door.
"Nu. . . ."
"You sure it can open this?" Matagu asked. He kept looking toward the hall where they'd come in, just in case.
When Kei had asked Marie to open the cell lock, it had seemed like a desperate leap more than anything else. But the blue thing had gotten to work, and rows of numbers were running down through its eyes. However, the door was still closed. And with every second that passed by, Matagu felt more nervous.
He pulled the strange gun that Skuld had given him from behind his belt, just in case. Part of him wondered what it did . . . the rest of him thought about who'd made it and decided it was better not to ask. He leaned against the wall next to the door where Marie worked, looking back and forth quickly.
"I hope so," Kei said. "If not. . . ." He trailed off, sounding like he didn't want to finish the sentence. Matagu knew the feeling.
"Nu!" There was a loud beep as Marie finished, and the cell door slid open.
Matagu and Kei both looked inside. Mizuho was there, curled up on a bench and crying. Matagu managed a smile as Kei called out her name. Mizuho looked up, her eyes wide, then leaped into Kei's arms. Matagu was about to ask if she was all right, then saw her and Kei kissing and figured she was fine. He chuckled.
There was a familiar faint humming, and the sound of applause. Matagu whipped around to see the agent standing at the room's entrance, clapping slowly.
"How very noble of you," he said, sounding like some old movie villain. "Sadly, your efforts have been wasted. In only a few of this planet's minutes, this ship will be leaving, and you will be on it. All of you. If you thought--"
Matagu yelled "Shut up!", then pointed the gun at him and pulled the trigger.
There was a burst of pink light and smoke, and when it cleared, the agent was encased in what looked like a giant bubble. The look of surprise on his face was almost enough to make Matagu laugh. The agent said something, but no sound came out of the bubble. Matagu ran up to him, his fist ready again, and when he punched the bubble it started rolling back down the hallway, carrying the agent with it.
Matagu watched the agent roll away, his mouth hanging halfway open. It was better that he hadn't asked Skuld what the gun did, he thought; he wouldn't have believed it if she'd told him.
He looked back to Kei and Mizuho to see that they both looked surprised, though he could see relief on Kei's face as well. "That was different," he said lamely, then managed a grin.
Mizuho nodded, still holding Kei close. "I can't believe . . . I thought he was going to take me back. I didn't think I'd see any of you again."
"I couldn't let him take you," Kei said, looking up at her. "I couldn't lose you again."
At that moment, Matagu realized something. He plucked Marie out of the air, and looked down at the small blue thing. "Marie, send Kei and Mizuho back to Belldandy and the others," he said.
"What!" Kei looked at him like he was crazy, and Mizuho looked shocked. "We still have to get Peorth, we can't leave yet!"
"I can't," Matagu corrected him. He looked his friend in the eye, and smiled a little. "If something happens, I don't want you to get caught again." He shook his head as Kei protested again. "Marie! Priority one!"
"Nu!"
Matagu closed his eyes as his friends faded away. He took a deep breath, and steeled himself. They were all right; now he had to rescue Peorth. He chuckled a little at the idea of rescuing a goddess, then looked down at Marie. "Can you get me to Peorth?" The blue thing shook its head, then turned in his hand and pointed. Matagu nodded, and took off running.
The halls around him blended together as Matagu sped through them, focusing only on reaching Peorth. Marie pointed him through round rooms with many doors, past halls that looked like they went on for miles, and eventually into a large domed room with a view of a forest. Matagu paused, breathing hard. The view looked like what he'd seen when Kei had first messed around with the display, so it was probably what was around the ship. The room was filled with what looked like control panels, and Matagu made a mental note to put some of Skuld's bombs in here. Once he found Peorth.
"Nu!"
Matagu looked where Marie was pointing. "Peorth!"
She was there, sprawled on the floor near a large chair, bound hand and foot in something that glowed an odd shade of orange. Matagu ran over to her, and knelt at her side. He put a hand on her shoulder, shook her a few times. She didn't move. He muttered under his breath, then looked to Marie.
"Can you get us both out of here?"
"Not a chance."
Matagu whipped around, pointing the gun toward the voice, and fired. The bizarre pink beam bounced off of a blue glowing shield in front of the agent, who was standing at the room's entrance with his hands on his hips. Strands and globs of what looked like bubblegum were hanging from his strange suit, but he didn't seem to notice.
"I must say, for an average male of your species, you've proven to be quite an annoyance," the agent said, walking toward Matagu slowly, the shield moving along with him. "Your primitive planet's ways have caught me off guard before, but not this time, not at all. As I believe the expression goes on your world, you have no more cards to play."
Matagu frowned. This guy really did sound like he was in an old movie. He shook Peorth again, hoping that she'd wake up in time. Even if the gun had knocked her out, she could get them out once she woke up. She had to. She'd thrown roses around just after waking up last night, so she'd be able to do it again, right?
Peorth didn't move, didn't wake up. Matagu grimaced, and reached for the bombs in his pockets.
"Oh, by all means, make another attempt," the agent said, then laughed out loud. "It'll make for a grand story to share with my fellows. Mata!"
There was a familiar white shimmering to the air, and the large green navigation system that Matagu had seen in the temple last night appeared next to the agent. "MYAH?"
"Send the boy to a holding cell, and make sure that he can't escape."
"MY--"
Matagu shot the green thing.
The pink light wrapped around the flat-faced humanoid, trapping it in a sphere and sending it to the floor, where it bounced and rolled away. Matagu yanked two of Skuld's bombs out of his pocket, and hurled them at the control panel, then yelled, "Marie, get us out of here! Priority one!"
He wrapped his arms around Peorth as the white aura surrounded them, and just as they faded away, he heard her murmur his name.
The boy disappeared, and the strange things he'd thrown exploded.
Agent #42 dove for cover, and smacked into the Mata system. The strange pink bubble that surrounded it stuck to him. A moment later, the entire ship began to glow white, as though it was being transported. He froze. That wasn't supposed to happen. The ship wasn't made to withstand teleportation, and sending something as large as the ship over a great distance would lead to-
The entire ship shook, and the white glow faded away. Slowly, Agent #42 stood, and looked to the control panel. More alarms than he'd known his ship had were going off, signaling that every single system down to the plumbing and air conditioning had failed, broken, or possibly exploded. He frowned. Mata could repair the ship, though with this many problems, it would take a very long time. He would have to send a message to the Galaxy Federation's headquarters, and inform that due to the planet's residents having access to greater technology than he'd been informed, there would be a small delay in the mission.
It was then that he looked up at the viewscreen and realized where he was.
The main docks of the Galaxy Federation's central headquarters stretched out before him. Smoke was rising from somewhere nearby, and the viewscreen was showing everything at an odd angle. A moment later, his ship started to shake, and an incoming communication popped up in a corner of the main screen.
Whoever it was, they were angry that he'd shown up directly on top of their ship. While Agent #42 could understand, it wasn't his fault; he hadn't decided to teleport. He ignored the message and headed out of his ship, then stopped.
His commander was there at the end of the ramp, a very angry look on his face. "You," the larger man growled, "have a lot of explaining to do."
Agent #42 looked down at the pink gunk on his suit and the Mata unit that was stuck to his shoulder. He then looked back to his damaged ship, which held neither of his quarries. He lowered his head and sighed. It seemed things had gone horribly, horribly wrong.
Matagu faded back into the Motor Club's tent, several feet above the ground. He crashed down onto the concrete, still holding Peorth in his arms, then let out a groan. The goddess stirred, then slowly opened her eyes and looked at him.
"Matagu . . . kun?"
He let his breath out all at once. She was all right. They were safe, the agent was gone, and she was back with him. Matagu pulled her as close as he could, holding her head to his chest, utterly relieved.
A moment later, Peorth nudged him gently, and he pulled back and looked at her. She was smiling, though she looked tired. "You came for me?" she asked, quieter than usual.
"I had to," Matagu said. "I couldn't let him take you. He got Mizuho too, so Kei and I had to get you both, and Skuld did something to that Marie thing, so it could get us onto the ship. We found Mizuho, then I made them go back, so they wouldn't get caught again." He smiled at her, hardly able to believe his own tale. It seemed like something he'd just dreamed up.
"How wonderfully noble of you," Peorth said, though she was starting to smirk. "But I'd be surprised if you'd done any less, for a goddess such as myself."
Matagu laughed, and pulled her close again. If she was talking like that, she was definitely okay. She then gave him even less reason to doubt by putting her hands over his head and pulling him close, drawing him into a kiss that made his head spin. How she managed to wedge her leg between his when hers were bound, he wasn't sure, but he didn't want to break the kiss to find out.
A moment later, the tent's opening flap was pushed aside, and a giant shadow filled the entrance. Matagu and Peorth looked up to see Tamiya standing there, his eyes wide, looking like he wasn't sure if he should cry or start breaking things.
"You . . . I outta. . . ." The large man pounded one fist into his palm. Just as he started to walk toward them and Matagu started to fear for his life, Belldandy and the others ran into the tent.
It took a moment to convince Tamiya not to tear Matagu into a few dozen small pieces, and explaining why Peorth was bound hand and foot took even more work, but they managed to calm him down and get him out of the tent. By the time that was done, Keiichi had arrived, with news that the Motor Club had won the day's races. They cheered at the news, Kei and Mizuho held each other close, and Matagu had the feeling that all was right with the world.
The Motor Club's celebration went on long into the night. Matagu and the others managed to get away near the end, and found their way to a small hill on the edge of campus, to watch the fireworks that were being shot into the sky. He hadn't let go of Peorth since their return; it seemed that she might disappear again if she did. But she had neither faded away or protested the constant contact, and leaned against him as they all lay out on the grass.
"I think I could get to like this place," Matagu said, watching the bursts of color shooting across the sky.
Keiichi chuckled. "After everything that's happened, you still want to come here?"
"Oh, it's not usually like that," Belldandy said, her voice bright. "Some strange things happen, but they usually turn out for the better. I'm sure you'd do well here, Shido-san."
"Just as long as I can survive Tamiya," Matagu said, and laughed a little. He put an arm around Peorth, and she drummed her fingers on his chest. Yeah, he could come back here. As long as she was with him, he could be just about anywhere, and it'd be all right.
"What about you, Kusanagi-san?" Belldandy asked, looking to Kei.
Kei glanced at Mizuho, then grinned sheepishly. "I really don't know," he said, sounding nervous.
"If I could teach here, perhaps," Mizuho said. "Would it be so strange, at a college, for a teacher to be married to one of her students?" She smiled a little, but it seemed that she was as nervous about it as Kei was.
"Weirder things have happened here," Keiichi said. "But you've got time, right?"
Kei and Mizuho nodded, as did Matagu. Exams were a few months away, but they did have time. And for right now, he had everything that he needed. Good friends at his side, and his girlfriend in his arms . . . there really wasn't more that he could ask for.
Peorth leaned closer to him and whispered, "Shall we find another hiding place, dear boy, since we were so rudely interrupted last time?" She nipped at his earlobe, and Matagu felt his face go red. Some things, he thought as he looked up to the fireworks, never changed. Not that he would have it any other way.