Jackie; Well, I'm going to have to go a little out of order and go back to Vash again. I hope no one minds! Thanks again for all the great reviews. 20 reviews cheers four more and I will overtake Silver Wings.

Disclaimer; Use your popdown scrolling selection frame, select chapter one and refer to my original disclaimer.

Chapter Nine;

Vash growled to himself again, reminding himself for the fourth time in less than an hour to have STRONG words with Knives. The wind whipped by and sandblasted his face, and his long duster did little to keep the dust out of particularly grating areas. Just over the next rise was his destination: Eden.

Vash had never been there. He had only seen flashes of it in his mind whenever Knives let him. From what he had seen he knew it was a green place, and he was somewhat uncertain as to why Knives would want to destroy it. He climbed over the next rise and openly gaped at what he saw.

Humidity suddenly dampened the air, and as Vash descended the slope it got thicker. Though Knives had said that the area had been abandoned, Vash gripped his gun and readied himself for anything.

His feet fell softy on plush green grass, and all around him were fruit trees and shrubs. He could hear the trickle of a small stream and all around him were every manner of butterfly. He walked slower, taking it all in. I can't believe Knives did THIS. Knives hadn't lied about perfecting his powers while Vash ran from what he was.

Vash almost regretted arriving at the front entrance. He keyed in the access code that Knives had gave him and the door slid open. Vash froze and trembled with disgust. No wonder Knives hadn't wanted the girls to come here.

Lining the walls of the front hall were the withered corpses of several hundred humans. Men, women and children of all races nearly wallpapered the hall. They had all been cut into in some way and had been altered in some fashion. Apparently Knives thought it was fair game to experiment on humans to whatever ends he saw fit. Vash nearly turned around to leave, but he knew he had to go in.

Vash's gut churned as the smell of preserving fluids hit him. He tried not to look at the walls. He just had to keep moving. He had to get to the end of the hall. When Vash got there, a mere 20 eels, he opened the door and threw himself through it. With the door closed behind him he slid down against it and cried. Dear god, Knives, what were you thinking?

After a good long cry, Vash continued. He encountered no resistance as he made his way through the abandoned base. Finally he was there, standing at a console that blinked and flickered, waiting for the access code that would open the door to the plant room. Vash entered it.

Vash was nearly floored once again. He had seen pictures of the plant room, but pictures rarely grasped the magnitude of things. As high up and far down as he could see the cylindrical room was lined with plant bulbs. A small stair case led to a walkway extended out toward the middle of the room, hovering over empty air. He didn't need to go there. He needed what was on the doughnut shaped platform he was already standing on. To the far left in an empty space on the wall was a desk and…

A stasis tube?

A slight mist had covered the stasis tube, obscuring any view of who might be in there. Vash collected the brown envelope that was in the drawer where Knives said it was. He considered the tube for a long time. Something he took from me? Who might be in it? Several thousand friends had been taken by Knives; did Vash dare to hope that it was Rem?

Trembling slightly, Vash entered the proper sequence to stop hibernation and re-animate the person inside. Slowly the hatch swung open, and Vash nearly wept yet again.

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Jackie; you didn't really think I was going to tell you who was in there right away did you? 'Evil laugh'