I was the last to step on the shuttle back to the Durandal that day, the citizens of the Kukai Foundation staring at me as if I wasn't able to feel their gaze upon my back. I acted the same as I always had, disregarding their stares, and searched the shuttle for MOMO and the others. The first thing that caught my attention was MOMO's vibrant pink hair. She was standing with Jr., giggling. He had both of his index fingers pointed at her in a mime if the handguns he was so fond of. He acted as if he were shooting at some invisible enemy. I took a step forward just as the shuttle began its launch. At the sound of my audible footfall, MOMO turned, a smile glittering on her face like sunlight. She motioned for me to join her and the others. As I moved toward her, the citizens of the Foundation seemed to part around me, as if recoiling in fear. I could tell the feared me. I could sense it. But I let the feeling pass, and I nodded to Shion as I approached. She waved back politely.
The shuttle ride was unusually quiet, save for the story that Jr. was relating to MOMO, accompanied by her bright laughter. By the way he paused in the middle of his sentences, I could tell that he was fabricating every word, but it seemed to make MOMO happy, so I let it slide. Though, I had to admit, the boy was a good liar. I glanced up at Allen and Shion, who seemed not to be talking to each other, for some reason I did not know, and I noticed how chaos seemed to be watching the two of them in silence. With a jolt, the shuttle came to a complete stop. I made sure that MOMO would not fall by taking her hand as she started to fall. Jr. made a gruff sound in the back of his throat and looked to his feet, but MOMO thanked me. We stepped off the shuttle together, receiving more gawking looks. An outdated cyborg and a 100-Series Realian. What a pair we must have made.
The citizens moved around us as we waited for Jr., Shion, Allen and chaos to exit the shuttle. Although her jacket still dangled from her shoulders, I could tell that Shion's thermal pattern had decreased, and she seemed to have noticed this as well. She looked to Jr. and myself in turn.
"I think I'm going to go get dressed before dinner. I'll see you all there, then." she said. As she turned toward the train to leave, I could see Allen blush visibly, moving after her.
"Err... Me too... I mean! Not with the Chief! Of course not... I mean-" he moved away, still mumbling. chaos laughed, his hands on his hips, then turned to Jr.
"I suppose... Dinner then?" he asked. Jr. nodded.
"Yeah, in an hour or so. Don't be late!" As an afterthought, as chaos had already turned to go, "And tell Shion!" Jr. shrugged lightly, looked at MOMO over his shoulder as if he were going to say something to her. His face reddened, and instead, he waved to the both of us before he made is way to his own private room. MOMO watched him go intently. I noticed this, but didn't say anything. Shion, Allen and chaos' train had gone, and now another one had pulled in to take its place. I considered walking to the bridge, but MOMO tugged on my arm.
"Come with me, Ziggy! I want to show you something!" she told me. I hesitated for a moment, then thought that it would be courteous to at least escort her to her room. I nodded, and we both entered the newly arrived train. I asked to be transported to the Residential Area, and we were off. The ride took only seconds, but in those seconds, I did nothing but watch MOMO. The way her golden eyes swam in her head, the way she seemed to always be in motion, her gleeful smile. She was so different from me, but we were alike, as well... She was-
I was jarred from my thoughts when she moved to the door, seeing as the tram had stopped. I followed, slower than usual, thoughts still brewing in my mind. We traipsed through the halls until we arrived at MOMO's room. She dashed inside, then poked her head out, warning me not to come in just yet.
"I still have to get dressed first," she told me. She ducked back inside the room, the door closing after her, and random shuffling was all I could hear. I leaned against the wall next to her door, just as I had done earlier that day. So much had happened recently... Today had been the only time I could stop and think. Think about MOMO. I closed my eyes, thinking once more in silence. After a few minutes, the shuffling inside the room stopped, and I heard MOMO's voice called out to me.
"Okay, Ziggy, you can-"
She was interrupted as something made the entire ship jolt viciously. Taken by complete surprise, I was thrown to the floor, my head colliding with the metal floor painfully. I heard MOMO cry out from inside her room. The lights onboard flickered briefly. A shock was sent through my body at the sound of MOMO's scream. Forgetting my pain, I ran to MOMO's door and attempted to open it. Damn! It was locked. I pounded on the door until my hand ached.
"MOMO!" I cried, "MOMO! Are you hurt?" No answer. I yelled louder, banging on the door, "MOMO!!" Too scared to wait any longer, I grabbed the crack of the sliding door and, with all my strength, threw my weight into pulling it open. I could hear the grinding of metal on metal, and I felt the strain in my arms. I forced the door open just enough for me to fit through. Every possibility ran through my head as I shoved my way through the crack in the door, landing on a pile of sheets and blankets. I saw MOMO lying on the floor next to a wall... And her chest rose and fell with steady breaths.
Thank God...
I knelt next to her almost still form, touching her face.
"MOMO," I whispered, daring to caress her cheek gently. She stirred at my touch. "MOMO, are you hurt?" I asked. Her golden eyes fluttered open slowly, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I helped her to sit up, and she looked as if she were dizzy, as she held her head with one of her hands.
"I don't think I'm hurt," she told me, looking up to me. Not entirely convinced, I checked her arms and legs for breaks and, thankfully, found nothing. But it was fear I saw swimming in those eyes. I stared at her frightened eyes for only a second, then footsteps in the hall grabbed my attention. I turned to the door just as Jr. shoved his way in, breathless.
"Is MOMO all right?" he breathed. Both MOMO and I nodded, and she stood first. I was worried, because as she stood, she staggered a bit. But she managed to right herself. Jr. looked her over once to make sure she was telling the truth, then his eyes turned to me, a serious glint in his eyes. "We should get to the bridge." I whole-heartedly agreed.
"We need to find out what happened to cause all this," I suggested, looking at the mess that had once been MOMO's room. Jr. nodded, and the three of us left the room, an unnatural haste in our step.
As we walked onto the bridge, we walked into pandemonium. I could hear the 100-Series shouting out information, people running from place to place, Gaignun, Shion, and Allen standing as if helpless, in the middle of all the commotion. I looked behind me, seeing that MOMO and Jr. had seen me, and I made a miniscule motion with my head for them to follow me. MOMO grabbed my arm at the elbow as we walked forward. Jr. went to Gaignun's side. I approached Shion, but she failed to notice.
"Shion," I muttered, just loud enough to be heard over the turmoil. She turned. "What's happening?" I asked. She looked into my eyes, then shook her head.
"I'm not-"
She was cut short as a man's voice was projected onto the bridge, and I looked up to see that the whole Foundation was surrounded by Federation ships. I felt MOMO's grip on my arm tighten.
"In accordance with Federation law, we hereby place the Kukai Foundation under arrest for the suspicion of violating Article 798, Chapter 37: Collection and Concealment of Defense Information, and Article 2153, Chapter 105, Acts of Aggression against Federation Vessels, and hereby revoke all rights previous granted. Shut down your engines and relinquish your weapons..." the man's voice came. I glanced down to MOMO, her eyes wide, as if asking, "Can they do that?" I nodded gravely, signifying that they very well could. Jr. seemed puzzled by the same question.
"'Acts of Aggression against Federation Vessels'?!" his voice carried over the bridge. Before I could say anything to him, the man's voice continued.
"Furthermore, should the Miltian government allow the Kukai Foundation to dock the Durandal, we will issue a state of emergency notice under Article 2384, Chapter 115, Part 18..." Allen, his face pale, could barely form his words.
"W-what in the world is going on?" My thoughts exactly. chaos, who seemed to have appeared from nowhere, answered the question of both Allen and myself.
"It looks like they think the Durandal conspired with the Miltian government in an attack on the Federation fleet," he said in his quiet tone. I felt Shion jump by my side.
"Huh? What Federation fleet?" My eyes flicked to her face, which was now pale and frightened. She saw me staring at her concerned eyes, then turned her gaze to the ground. I looked back up to the surrounding Federation ships, not surprised at her reaction. Not many people would hold my gaze for too long. Mary's shrill voice punctuated the growing silence.
"Hey!" she shouted, "Check out the network news on the sub-monitor! You're not going to believe this!" A screen flashed on overhead, and it appeared to show the Durandal firing its guns at a Federation ship. I couldn't believe it. I turned my eyes this time to Jr. He, too, was staring at the visual feed with a look of horror plastered on his white face. Gaignun, who seemed unscathed, looked to his side as chaos walked up to him, staring with fear. A new voice, this one a woman's, washed over all of us, bringing with it a new wave of dread.
"On the morning of the 21st, it appears that the 177th Marine Division flagship Woglinde, of the Galaxy Federation's Tessodora division, came under attack by a heavily armed ship belonging to the Kukai Foundation," the voice came. My jaw fell. Woglinde? Wasn't that-
"The Woglinde?!" Shion gasped, confirming my thoughts, "What?! I thought the Gnosis attack had been reported already...?!" Her voice was thin and full of alarm, hate and disbelief. She had told me about what had happened to Allen and herself on that ship. Now I KNEW something was wrong. I looked back to the video feed, which was playing over and over continually. It looked so convincing... But how? The woman's voice continued to speak.
"The company has been identified as operating in conjunction with the Second Miltian government. And considerations for the possibility of treason have forced the Federation Parliament to dispatch a fleet..." Completely disregarding the voice overhead, I listened to what chaos had to interject, his voice thin.
"They did a good job doctoring that video... But how did they synchronize the battle coordinates as well?" chaos looked to Jr., whose face was now flushed with anger and hate. I knew that look. It was the same that had been on my own face, on that day... I felt pain etch its way onto my face. MOMO's gaze turned to me, and I could barely hear her over the din of the crowd.
"Ziggy," she sighed. It was not meant to catch my attention... It was more of a comforting whisper. I looked down to her, my eyebrows arched with the ache of past memories.... Even though I had promised myself I would try to forget. Looking into MOMO's concerned eyes was all I needed to make me forget. Her bright, golden eyes swam with fear and distress. I could feel a sad smile form at the corners of my mouth. I placed my cyborg hand of MOMO's head, wishing that I could feel the softness of her hair under my skin. Though her eyes still held their shimmering sadness, a smile started creeping over her lips. We both looked back to the screen overhead. Whatever would happen, we would overcome.
We would survive.
The shuttle ride was unusually quiet, save for the story that Jr. was relating to MOMO, accompanied by her bright laughter. By the way he paused in the middle of his sentences, I could tell that he was fabricating every word, but it seemed to make MOMO happy, so I let it slide. Though, I had to admit, the boy was a good liar. I glanced up at Allen and Shion, who seemed not to be talking to each other, for some reason I did not know, and I noticed how chaos seemed to be watching the two of them in silence. With a jolt, the shuttle came to a complete stop. I made sure that MOMO would not fall by taking her hand as she started to fall. Jr. made a gruff sound in the back of his throat and looked to his feet, but MOMO thanked me. We stepped off the shuttle together, receiving more gawking looks. An outdated cyborg and a 100-Series Realian. What a pair we must have made.
The citizens moved around us as we waited for Jr., Shion, Allen and chaos to exit the shuttle. Although her jacket still dangled from her shoulders, I could tell that Shion's thermal pattern had decreased, and she seemed to have noticed this as well. She looked to Jr. and myself in turn.
"I think I'm going to go get dressed before dinner. I'll see you all there, then." she said. As she turned toward the train to leave, I could see Allen blush visibly, moving after her.
"Err... Me too... I mean! Not with the Chief! Of course not... I mean-" he moved away, still mumbling. chaos laughed, his hands on his hips, then turned to Jr.
"I suppose... Dinner then?" he asked. Jr. nodded.
"Yeah, in an hour or so. Don't be late!" As an afterthought, as chaos had already turned to go, "And tell Shion!" Jr. shrugged lightly, looked at MOMO over his shoulder as if he were going to say something to her. His face reddened, and instead, he waved to the both of us before he made is way to his own private room. MOMO watched him go intently. I noticed this, but didn't say anything. Shion, Allen and chaos' train had gone, and now another one had pulled in to take its place. I considered walking to the bridge, but MOMO tugged on my arm.
"Come with me, Ziggy! I want to show you something!" she told me. I hesitated for a moment, then thought that it would be courteous to at least escort her to her room. I nodded, and we both entered the newly arrived train. I asked to be transported to the Residential Area, and we were off. The ride took only seconds, but in those seconds, I did nothing but watch MOMO. The way her golden eyes swam in her head, the way she seemed to always be in motion, her gleeful smile. She was so different from me, but we were alike, as well... She was-
I was jarred from my thoughts when she moved to the door, seeing as the tram had stopped. I followed, slower than usual, thoughts still brewing in my mind. We traipsed through the halls until we arrived at MOMO's room. She dashed inside, then poked her head out, warning me not to come in just yet.
"I still have to get dressed first," she told me. She ducked back inside the room, the door closing after her, and random shuffling was all I could hear. I leaned against the wall next to her door, just as I had done earlier that day. So much had happened recently... Today had been the only time I could stop and think. Think about MOMO. I closed my eyes, thinking once more in silence. After a few minutes, the shuffling inside the room stopped, and I heard MOMO's voice called out to me.
"Okay, Ziggy, you can-"
She was interrupted as something made the entire ship jolt viciously. Taken by complete surprise, I was thrown to the floor, my head colliding with the metal floor painfully. I heard MOMO cry out from inside her room. The lights onboard flickered briefly. A shock was sent through my body at the sound of MOMO's scream. Forgetting my pain, I ran to MOMO's door and attempted to open it. Damn! It was locked. I pounded on the door until my hand ached.
"MOMO!" I cried, "MOMO! Are you hurt?" No answer. I yelled louder, banging on the door, "MOMO!!" Too scared to wait any longer, I grabbed the crack of the sliding door and, with all my strength, threw my weight into pulling it open. I could hear the grinding of metal on metal, and I felt the strain in my arms. I forced the door open just enough for me to fit through. Every possibility ran through my head as I shoved my way through the crack in the door, landing on a pile of sheets and blankets. I saw MOMO lying on the floor next to a wall... And her chest rose and fell with steady breaths.
Thank God...
I knelt next to her almost still form, touching her face.
"MOMO," I whispered, daring to caress her cheek gently. She stirred at my touch. "MOMO, are you hurt?" I asked. Her golden eyes fluttered open slowly, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I helped her to sit up, and she looked as if she were dizzy, as she held her head with one of her hands.
"I don't think I'm hurt," she told me, looking up to me. Not entirely convinced, I checked her arms and legs for breaks and, thankfully, found nothing. But it was fear I saw swimming in those eyes. I stared at her frightened eyes for only a second, then footsteps in the hall grabbed my attention. I turned to the door just as Jr. shoved his way in, breathless.
"Is MOMO all right?" he breathed. Both MOMO and I nodded, and she stood first. I was worried, because as she stood, she staggered a bit. But she managed to right herself. Jr. looked her over once to make sure she was telling the truth, then his eyes turned to me, a serious glint in his eyes. "We should get to the bridge." I whole-heartedly agreed.
"We need to find out what happened to cause all this," I suggested, looking at the mess that had once been MOMO's room. Jr. nodded, and the three of us left the room, an unnatural haste in our step.
As we walked onto the bridge, we walked into pandemonium. I could hear the 100-Series shouting out information, people running from place to place, Gaignun, Shion, and Allen standing as if helpless, in the middle of all the commotion. I looked behind me, seeing that MOMO and Jr. had seen me, and I made a miniscule motion with my head for them to follow me. MOMO grabbed my arm at the elbow as we walked forward. Jr. went to Gaignun's side. I approached Shion, but she failed to notice.
"Shion," I muttered, just loud enough to be heard over the turmoil. She turned. "What's happening?" I asked. She looked into my eyes, then shook her head.
"I'm not-"
She was cut short as a man's voice was projected onto the bridge, and I looked up to see that the whole Foundation was surrounded by Federation ships. I felt MOMO's grip on my arm tighten.
"In accordance with Federation law, we hereby place the Kukai Foundation under arrest for the suspicion of violating Article 798, Chapter 37: Collection and Concealment of Defense Information, and Article 2153, Chapter 105, Acts of Aggression against Federation Vessels, and hereby revoke all rights previous granted. Shut down your engines and relinquish your weapons..." the man's voice came. I glanced down to MOMO, her eyes wide, as if asking, "Can they do that?" I nodded gravely, signifying that they very well could. Jr. seemed puzzled by the same question.
"'Acts of Aggression against Federation Vessels'?!" his voice carried over the bridge. Before I could say anything to him, the man's voice continued.
"Furthermore, should the Miltian government allow the Kukai Foundation to dock the Durandal, we will issue a state of emergency notice under Article 2384, Chapter 115, Part 18..." Allen, his face pale, could barely form his words.
"W-what in the world is going on?" My thoughts exactly. chaos, who seemed to have appeared from nowhere, answered the question of both Allen and myself.
"It looks like they think the Durandal conspired with the Miltian government in an attack on the Federation fleet," he said in his quiet tone. I felt Shion jump by my side.
"Huh? What Federation fleet?" My eyes flicked to her face, which was now pale and frightened. She saw me staring at her concerned eyes, then turned her gaze to the ground. I looked back up to the surrounding Federation ships, not surprised at her reaction. Not many people would hold my gaze for too long. Mary's shrill voice punctuated the growing silence.
"Hey!" she shouted, "Check out the network news on the sub-monitor! You're not going to believe this!" A screen flashed on overhead, and it appeared to show the Durandal firing its guns at a Federation ship. I couldn't believe it. I turned my eyes this time to Jr. He, too, was staring at the visual feed with a look of horror plastered on his white face. Gaignun, who seemed unscathed, looked to his side as chaos walked up to him, staring with fear. A new voice, this one a woman's, washed over all of us, bringing with it a new wave of dread.
"On the morning of the 21st, it appears that the 177th Marine Division flagship Woglinde, of the Galaxy Federation's Tessodora division, came under attack by a heavily armed ship belonging to the Kukai Foundation," the voice came. My jaw fell. Woglinde? Wasn't that-
"The Woglinde?!" Shion gasped, confirming my thoughts, "What?! I thought the Gnosis attack had been reported already...?!" Her voice was thin and full of alarm, hate and disbelief. She had told me about what had happened to Allen and herself on that ship. Now I KNEW something was wrong. I looked back to the video feed, which was playing over and over continually. It looked so convincing... But how? The woman's voice continued to speak.
"The company has been identified as operating in conjunction with the Second Miltian government. And considerations for the possibility of treason have forced the Federation Parliament to dispatch a fleet..." Completely disregarding the voice overhead, I listened to what chaos had to interject, his voice thin.
"They did a good job doctoring that video... But how did they synchronize the battle coordinates as well?" chaos looked to Jr., whose face was now flushed with anger and hate. I knew that look. It was the same that had been on my own face, on that day... I felt pain etch its way onto my face. MOMO's gaze turned to me, and I could barely hear her over the din of the crowd.
"Ziggy," she sighed. It was not meant to catch my attention... It was more of a comforting whisper. I looked down to her, my eyebrows arched with the ache of past memories.... Even though I had promised myself I would try to forget. Looking into MOMO's concerned eyes was all I needed to make me forget. Her bright, golden eyes swam with fear and distress. I could feel a sad smile form at the corners of my mouth. I placed my cyborg hand of MOMO's head, wishing that I could feel the softness of her hair under my skin. Though her eyes still held their shimmering sadness, a smile started creeping over her lips. We both looked back to the screen overhead. Whatever would happen, we would overcome.
We would survive.