Unraveling
two:
They are safe. He almost cannot believe their great good luck, but they are in one piece, alive and secure in a ship under the control of Vector Industries. Perhaps not the complete freedom he and his two brothers had wished for, but they are far from Militia with its horrors and that is what counts.
There is only one bleak spot in his relief. Nigredo will not waken.
Doctors and mechanics (though he believes adamantly that they should not be looked on as machines) scratch their heads in puzzlement over the dark-haired unit until Rubedo's glare convinces them that they should leave. He himself sleeps in the adjoining bed, unwilling to stir from the room as long as his brother lies under sheets of white surrounded by blipping equipment, still and silent.
Aloneness echoes continuously in his head – he knows Albedo is alive, and nothing more, for he is happy to keep it that way. The other U.R.T.Vs, the cicada cry underneath the minds that were his brothers of black and white, have long since faded into wintry death. And the scientists that made them, the only ones who might know how to bring their precious 669 back to the world of the living, are dead and dust on a world that is immeasurably far away.
(far away) (far away) (nigredo you are so very distant from me now)
He eats because his brother would want him to, but only enough to sustain himself; sleeps only when he can no longer stand the sight of that darkly childish face slack in something deeper than mere dreams. Other than that, he has not seen anything of the ship beyond the corridors to its medical chambers, and he has no wish to.
Oh, he is grateful, of course. But he is also broken inside, to the point where the death of the only one left who truly knows him will shatter him completely, mind body and soul.
And so, because he can do nothing else, he waits.
- - - - -
"He hasn't been out of there in five days, and the other one's as good as dead, if you ask me." The captain's voice is rough and uncompromising, that of a man with no patience for what he perceives as nothing more than overimportantly treated children on his ship. Not feeling like a confrontation, Jin nods politely and brushes by, wishing the man a good evening as he turns the corner.
He wonders why he waits until he's just outside their door to hesitate. It's not as if he has anything to fear from either of the URTVs he has successfully retrieved. Recovering and kept from leaving his bed unless absolutely necessary by ever-vigilant members of the crew who either had nothing else to do, or (as he suspects) had been bribed by his chance companions before they had left in their own vessel, he hasn't had a chance to speak much to Rubedo.
Besides, collapsing from blood loss in front of the very people he'd been sent to save was hardly a good first impression. Canaan's metaphorical 'tsk-tsk'ing hadn't helped much either. He hopes to remedy that with a second visit, one that doesn't consist of nine words and falling over flat.
He knocks lightly, and when there is a muffled "yeah, come in" from within, he enters.
The scene is exactly as he feared it would be: U.R.T.V. 669 Nigredo in the same state as he has been since the fall of Militia; minor cuts and bruises healed but about as responsive as a brick. Unit 666, Rubedo, the fallen leader, has a haunted cast to his features that Jin does not like. He sits by his brother's bed in a chair that someone has thoughtfully provided, massaging one limp hand between his fingers, dark circles under his eyes making it apparent that he has not rested awhile from this vigil.
He folds his hands comfortably within silken sleeves (eccentric he may be deemed for preferring an old-style robe over his captain's uniform, but it is far more comfortable), and waits to be acknowledged. It doesn't take long.
"You look…odd." He blinks and looks up from the floor panels to meet curious blue eyes. Rubedo reads his gaze and seems to find his manners with only a tiny shake of his head to betray discomfiture. "Sorry. I meant, are you feeling better? You didn't look so hot last time."
"Ah—well, it's prevented me from paying a visit, but I can assure you I'm quite all right." he says, while moving from his place near the doorway to stand to the opposite side of the bed. "No change?"
"None." The redhead's voice is pure misery, and Jin resists the urge to reach out and give him a hug, unsure of how such an action will be received. "D'you…d'you think he'll be okay?"
The swordsman cannot answer 'yes,' for it might mean giving false hope (he knows plenty about the working systems of an AGWS, but nothing whatsoever about the genetic genius that created 669 and the others like him.) Nor can he say 'no,' which would simply crush this boy even further. "I don't understand what the problem is, I'm afraid." Up close Nigredo looks less healthy than he should; there is a faint translucence to his pale-skinned face, enough so that Jin can make out the intricacy of tiny blue veins beneath, can almost imagine the contours of a corpse's skull…ah, stop these morbid thoughts! They are not helping anyone! "As I see it, there is nothing wrong with him physically, but…"
What secrets are being kept here, what missing links? Jin, without knowing why, touches gentle fingers to the part of the boy's forehead hidden under dark bangs. Behind him, there is a sudden, stifled gasp and a thud. Jin turns instantly, hand still touching flesh; Rubedo has fallen from his seat to the ground and is clutching desperately at his head. There is a pregnant pause, where one curls in on himself in seeming agony and one stares in blank incomprehension, and then a harsh, ragged scream.
The redhead jerks spasmodically for a moment after the outcry, then give voice to another appalling shriek. Finally jerking his body into action, Jin darts forward and kneels beside him, heart aching at the sight of someone in such obvious pain.
(He realizes later that there is a sound…no, not a sound, more of a feeling through the air of the room when he breaks contact with Nigredo's skin, a sort of 'twang' as though something has been pulled past its breaking point and snapped.)
Small hands claw at him, fisting themselves in the front of his kimono. Heeding the unspoken request, Jin pulls the boy up to lean against him. A glimpse of that pale face before it buries itself in his chest shocks him – there is blood mingling with the tears that flow from cobalt eyes, and Rubedo looks vulnerable—terribly so, for one who has held himself together this long.
Whatever it is that caused such violent actions, apparently the worst has subsided, for Rubedo no longer seems to be in pain. But he is shivering violently in Jin's arms, as though caught by some deathly chill, and with yet another sudden start the swordsman realizes that between hitching sobs, the URTV is speaking, soft and urgent.
"…it should be…broken, broken, I felt it, it hurt us all so much…they died because they couldn't hear me anymore…all except Nigredo, little brother…b-but why? Why did I hear him? So loud, so scared…like when they activated him, the first time…too strong, little brother, you already knew drawing us in was killing us, you have poison…ohhh, it hurts…" And Rubedo raises himself to look Jin in the eyes, and Jin is drawn and held paralyzed by the chilling fear in them. "And you, you feel like a normal guy, but you touched him and I could hear him…lost, and he couldn't reach out until now…what did you do?" He shakes his head furiously, fiery hair dipping into the damp trails down his cheeks, the tips suddenly dyed a deeper crimson. "What are you?"
Jin, lost, finds his throat locked by confusion and can only shake his head, unable to answer…not knowing if there even is one.
Were his efforts for naught, and has the only functional URTV that remains to them gone mad? Or is this something else entirely?
- - - - -
Many hours later, after Rubedo has fallen into a fitful rest, Jin places a call directly to the office of none other than Wilhelm, Vector CEO and the man who is responsible for sending him to Militia in the first place.
Despite all the running bets that the youthful-looking blonde is psychic, he seems surprised enough as he comes up on screen, though, as usual, his hair is perfectly smooth and his clothes show not even the slightest wrinkle. Briefly, Jin entertains the notion that all of it is glued in place.
Even facing something unexpected, the man exudes an aura of bland calm, only the slight lift of a pale eyebrow suggesting that this is anything other than what he expected. "Good afternoon, Captain Uzuki. To what do I owe the pleasure of hearing from you so soon?"
Again, Jin wonders if anything will ruffle those perfect feathers, before launching into a detailed telling of what just transpired so recently in the mediwing. He glosses over what caused Rubedo's fit, for the child-warrior's words have unnerved him more than he thought possible. What, indeed does it make him, that he can act as a conduit for a comatose being's thoughts? And without even realizing it? He is a fairly competent swordsman, and a mech pilot, not a Realian or anything else that might have this strange revealed ability of his. He is human, without any reason to doubt it!
So, says something small and wicked at the back of his mind, why can't you just drop the subject?
Wilhelm is silent for a long time, face drawn into a slightly more serious – yet equally unreadable – mask. "This is worrisome," he murmurs at last. "I will admit to being unaware that their engineering had that kind of result…they are meant for intelligence and physical ability, but not telepathy. Then again, such extreme mental power would answer quite a few questions…"
Jin would love to know just what these questions are (Shion has always said he is a bit too nosy for his own good), but knowing he is unlikely to receive an explanation, he holds his tongue.
"Anyway." Wilhelm leans back from the viewscreen, allowing a glimpse of the office around him. "Unit 669 is incapacitated, and 666 refuses to leave him. Yes?" Jin can only nod, and there is the faintest flicker of emotion on the CEO's ageless-seeming face. Triumph? Sympathy?
"Your arrival here is expected in no more than six hours, Captain Uzuki. The company researchers will be there to take charge and rectify any problems, so I wouldn't worry too much. A job well done, by the way." The blonde inclines his head in dismissal, just as Jin finds his voice again.
"Sir. Might I make a request?"
Something in the other man's tone tells him that Wilhelm is unused to subordinates adding their own terms. "Mm." Amazing how it conveys the message of Yes, I'll hear you out, but nobody said anything about my granting whatever you're going to ask, so don't get your hopes up.
He says it anyway, marveling at his own daring. "I would…appreciate it, if they could stay with me for awhile." When he receives a sharp look from red eyes, he gulps and tries to clarify. "I don't think they'll be good for much until they're both up and healthy, and you can see that his brother's still suffering from whatever happened to them on Militia, sir. I was scheduled to take leave after this mission, and it's no trouble to house two young boys—"
Wilhelm cuts in smoothly. "Captain Uzuki, surely you must know by now that the URTVs are not something to be handled lightly! And my staff is impatient to get them under observation right away."
"Sir, please. This is all I ask, and not on a permanent basis! Just until they've recovered – I honestly think as they are now, they'll be all but useless to you or Vector."
Wilhelm looks at him, calm as ever. "You've really grown attached to them, haven't you?" When there is no reply, he nods decisively. "I will consider your proposition, Captain Uzuki. And even if I can arrange for them to be released into your care, there will be conditions. Good day."
The screen blinks into darkness. Jin stares at it for a minute more, feeling numb. Suddenly, he really, really needs a good stiff drink…
- - - - -
Authoress-ramble: Oh, the joys of twisting the story around and tying sailor's knots in it XD So the random AUness begins! Thankies to Shanna and White Phoenix for the words of encouragement, you guys made me write up a chapter that is twice as long as it would normally be X3 Huge credit is also to be given to Mooncalf's fic The First Book Of The URTV, and The Tesseract Seraph's Lost Letters, both of which ended up becoming the basis for Rubedo, Albedo and Nigredo's characterizations, as well as a sort of timeline.
Next: Jin gets his drink and a talk, Nigredo begins his 'awakening,' (sort of) and everyone settles into a bit of R&R time—but what's this? Could it be…Shion? Oh dear…
