AN: I get all of the in-game dialogue from a GameFAQS.com script. Unfortunately, it did not contain the dialogue that occurred when the party tries to leave without their wepons. To say I adlibbed a bit would be a severe understatement. Forgive me! Oh, and please... Contact me, either via e-mail or review, if you want me to continue this story. I'll only coninue if my fans wish it to be so. Anyway, enjoy the fic! *disappears in a puff of smoke*
"KOS-MOS?!" Jr. gasped, his face alight. Shion nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes. KOS-MOS' database has a recording of the battle against the Gnosis onboard the Woglinde. If we enter that as evidence..." she began. Allen interrupted her abruptly.
"Yeah, but in order to copy the record, we need the keys from both the Federation government and Headquarters," he interjected. Shion had an answer.
"By diving into the Encephalon and experiencing the record ourselves, we can make a copy through the Connection Gear," she looked to Allen, as if expecting him to find a way to rebut her statement. He did.
"B...But...that's impossible without the dive equipment," he stammered. Shion answered quickly.
"How about the Service Module's Simple Dive Unit?" she asked. I could have rolled my eyes. They sounded like a bickering couple, arguing back and forth like that.
"You've got to be kidding!" Allen shouted, making Shion flinch. He calmed down a notch, looking to his feet, "besides, that's a violation of protocol!" Shion's eyes grew unexpectedly fierce then, her glare the same as it had been given to me earlier that day at the beach.
"We don't have any other choice, do we?" She turned away, her face turning red, "Oh, I'm so sick and tired of protocol..." Jr. looked like he was going to say something, but Shion beat him to the punch, "The real question is, how do we get to KOS-MOS?" Captain Lapis Roman looked as if she were contemplating something, her eyes going from the floor to me. Her face set, she stood from her seat, a portable U.M.N. module in her hand. To my surprise, she aimed it at me. Her finger came down on the button deftly, and I felt my hands unlock from behind my back with the welcome release of pressure. Utterly relieved, I brought my hands around to the front of me and tried to get the circulation running again in my right hand. Lapis Roman handed the module to Shion, who took it apprehensively.
"That'll open any locked doors you come across. I'll just saw that we were careless. But," she walked from where she stood next to Shion to where I still stood. She stared me straight in the eyes, unmoving, "to make it look legitimate, you'll need to knock me out." I was silent for only a second, then I stopped rubbing the circulation back into my hand.
"You sure? I asked, checking her face. She didn't flinch.
"Otherwise, no one would believe it, right?" There was a gleam in her eyes that was just like the one she had seen her give me back on the bridge. I glanced up at everyone, meeting their eyes in turn. Each and every pair of eyes stared back at me, telling me silently that I didn't have to worry, that all would be fine. Only one pair of eyes was hesitant. MOMO's eyes were frightened. She didn't want to see anyone get hurt. But... this was what I had to do. I looked back to Lapis Roman, cracking the knuckles in my right hand faintly.
"You've got a point," I said, trying to tell MOMO with the tone of my voice that I didn't want to hurt her either. Captain Lapis Roman squeezed her eyes shut, ready for the blow. I could see her whole body go tense.
"Go easy on me, okay?" she asked. It was a soldier's request. I didn't deny it. MOMO pulled her face into Shion's uniform, hiding her eyes from the damage that was about to be done. I took Lapis Roman's shoulder in my left hand, and I felt her jump, tensing before the blow. Holding back slightly, I threw a punch squarely into the woman's abdomen with my other hand. It sunk in nearly to my knuckles, and her whole body buckled forwards with the pain. Her eyes shot open, mostly because of the shock, then closed again as she lost consciousness in my hands. I gently lay her down on the floor. Before I moved on, I saluted her with a tiny motion of my hand. Captain Lapis Roman... She really was one of a kind. I realized then that the other soldier needed to be dealt with as well. He bared himself for my attack, and I felt a short pang of guilt.
"Forgive me, I said quietly as I sunk my fist into his stomach. He made a slight gurgle of pain, then fell to the floor. I stepped over his body, and MOMO followed quietly. I turned just in time to see Jr. pass Lapis Roman's still from. He beamed.
"Thanks," he whispered, even though she couldn't hear, "You're pretty cool!"
I remembered then that two soldiers lay in wait just outside the door, just in case anything like this were to happen. When I thought about disposing of them, I felt close to no guilt. They had shown us no mercy, so why should I show them any now? MOMO must have read my thoughts, for she touched my arm lightly, causing me to turn. Her eyes, pleading, told me no to go all out. It hit me then, with the force of a speeding bullet. Jr. was right. I was just a bodyguard to her. My only purpose was to protect her, and I was nothing more. I was only needed for my strength to ensure her safety. I felt a pain in my heart then. I turned back to the door with more swiftness than MOMO suspected, for she started slightly. Ready to open the door, I spoke softly to her.
"You might want to stand back, MOMO," I told the Realian. She nodded, and stepped back to where Jr. and the others stood. As soon as the door slid open, my battle reflexes came into effect, and I extended my arm blade and held it up to the throat of the soldier standing to the left of the door, grabbing the throat of the other soldier with my free hand. The tip of the blade playing at his throat, the soldier gasped and moved for his communicator. I shoved the tip of the blade closer to his neck. He got the idea. I motioned for the others to move out of the door, and, one by one, they filed past me. I dropped the soldier from the grip of my right hand, and he collapsed, gasping for air. I retracted the blade from the soldier's neck area and punched him roughly in the chest while he was distracted. Before I followed the others, I took both their communicators and crushed them under my foot.
My footsteps echoed loudly in the once again empty halls as I caught up with those trooping on ahead of me. They were standing next to the door that led out of the area we were being contained in. Shion had an unnatural urgency in her voice as I approached. MOMO looked up at me as I neared.
"I think we should find our weapons before we leave," she said to everyone in a hushed tone. Everyone seemed to agree with this. The shimmering gaze that MOMO had given me before still hung on me. I made cautious eye contact, unsure of what she would say. But the look in her eyes was softer than it had been only minutes before. She didn't blink, holding eye contact with me. As the others made their way down the hall, our gaze wasn't shifted.
"Is something wrong?" I asked quietly. She looked down the hall to where the two Federation soldiers sat incapacitated and Captain Lapis Roman lay curled on the floor. Her eyes then flicked back to mine.
"Do you think they'll be okay?" she asked, then she blushed slightly, looking to her feet, "I mean, Lapis Roman and that other soldier?" It was hard to believe how compassionate this little Realian could be. At every new turn, she seemed to surprise me. She cared so much about everyone, even those that were our enemies. I realized then that such kindness had most likely left my heart years ago. Except when it came to her. I looked back down the hall as well, then nodded.
"I didn't hit them too hard," I assured her. I could have used much more force if I didn't have so much respect for that young Captain, "They should be fine." I saw her smile then, and, to me, it felt like the much welcome dawn after a frigidly cold night. For a moment, it seemed like I couldn't breathe, then I heard chaos' warm voice call back to us.
"Ziggy, MOMO! Aren't you coming with us?" he asked. I looked up suddenly and nodded. MOMO must have though the suddenness of my reaction quite humorous, for I heard her playful giggle by my side. The chiming of her laughter was a sound most welcome at a time such as we were facing. As I looked back to her again, the radiant smile still hung on her face, and I felt the beginnings of a smirk tugging on my features. With that, we set off after the others.
The room holding our weapons was relatively easy to access, particularly thanks to the device Lapis Roman had given to Shion. It was dodging the sporadically placed guards that was difficult. Six people, including Allen, weren't hard to spot in those small halls. So it was up to chaos and myself to distract and dispose of said guards. It was relatively easy; they seemed a tad overworked. As everyone shuffled into the room, I remained outside the door, my eyes in constant search of any movement. After a few minutes of awkward shuffling, Shion emerged, her face expressing her thanks. I nodded in silence, heading in to take back my own beam pod. Passing MOMO on my way in, I ruffled her hair lightly. Once inside, I took my weapon gruffly in my hand, pressing the cold metal into the warm flesh of my palm. I turned back, seeing now that everyone but Jr. had moved on, both of his guns cocked and at the ready, standing guard. I could have laughed. How it felt to see someone else playing the bodyguard...
The rest of the journey to the dock was reasonably easy, mostly due to the fact that that it wasn't just chaos and me accosting the guards. As we moved amongst the soldiers, either knocking them out cold or locking them in some room sans communicators, I realized how difficult it would be to access the Elsa. As we moved to get on the train to take us to the dock, I gently grabbed Shion's shoulder. She turned.
"Shion," I calmly whispered, "I feel that we may not be able to get to the Elsa through her main doors. They'll most likely be heavily guarded." The idea seemed to dawn in her mind as well. "Do you know any alternative routes onto the ship?" I asked. She looked down, as if trying to remember. I saw chaos approach slowly.
"What about the cargo elevator?" he suggested.
"If we can find a way to get to it without being seen..." she muttered. We all stepped onto the train, and Jr. stuck his guns into their holsters.
"Not to mention that if one guard sees us, they'll all see us..." Jr. interjected. MOMO, her hands now clasped together, closed her eyes. Only a few moments spanned until she spoke again, without opening her eyes.
"There's a ladder leading to the level of the cargo elevator on the far east side of the dock," she informed us. Opening her eyes, she looked to Jr. A short fit of what felt like jealousy grabbed at my heart, but I dismissed it huffily. "If there were some sort of distraction, we would be able to get to the elevator unnoticed!" A smirk was now forming on Jr.'s childish face, and he took only one of his ancient guns out of its holster.
"No problem," he muttered. As the train slowed toward its eventual stop, we al moved to the sides of the doors, so as to stay hidden. The doors slid open noiselessly. I dared a peek outside. Just as I'd thought: Crawling with soldiers. How would he pull off such an elaborate distraction...?
I was answered swiftly. Jr. fired his single gun a total of four times at a gas tank sitting near the shuttle that lead from the Durandal. It exploded with a loud report, catching the attention of all the soldiers. All but those guarding the doors to the Elsa. As swiftly and as quietly as possible, we made our way to the ladder.
Once at the opening to the cargo elevator, chaos punched in a few codes, and the elevator came rumbling up to meet us. Undoubtedly, this would have caught the attention of Captain Matthews, if not Hammer and Tony as well. The cargo elevator, when it finally arrived, seemed only large enough to fit five people with moderate comfort. This being said, I glanced at MOMO and, without a second thought, scooped her up into my arms and stepped onto the platform. It was indeed a tight fit, but, with provocation from chaos, our mode of transportation slowly made its way downward. It started off with a jolt, and I felt MOMO's arms fly up and land around my neck for support. For some unapparent reason, I felt blood rush up to my face. After a while, the elevator ended its journey with yet another jarring jolt. I set MOMO down, her face gleeful once more. Had I known how long it would be until I saw her smile like that, I would have cherished the moment more.
"Thank you, Ziggy," she told me. I must have muttered something along the lines of, "It's nothing," for she giggled lightly again. Shion emerged from the elevator beside us.
"There's no time to loose," she told everyone, "We have to hurry to the maintenance lab," her voice was full of caution. It was the fastest trip I had ever taken through the innards of the Elsa. We may have been running, but I can't fully remember. Only when the door to the maintenance lab slid open and we saw the black apparatus in which KOS-MOS "slept" did I become fully aware of everything going on around me again. Shion picked up the red-tinted dive unit and sat directly across from KOS-MOS' module. Allen brought out his portable U.M.N. screen. Shion breathed deeply.
"Here we go," she said, almost to herself. "Allen," he jumped to attention, "handle backup for me, all right?"
"Roger. Opening Interconnection," he told her. I glanced over at the red-head as he seemed to be gathering the courage to say something. "Don't worry. I'll back you up no matter what happens." Shion smiled at his comment.
"Thanks," she said, almost in a whisper. She turned to KOS-MOS' module and took another deep breath. "Ready, KOS-MOS?"
I had never witnessed a "dive" before, but I knew that whatever was happening was not natural. It felt as if Shion's dive unit was pulling on my entire body. I looked around to see that I was not the only person experiencing this phenomenon. Jr. was the only one of us who could express anything in words, and even they weren't all that germane to the fact that we were all being affected by this anomaly.
"What the...?!" he yelled. His words and the look of pure terror on MOMO's pale face were the last I remembered.
Then there was darkness.
"KOS-MOS?!" Jr. gasped, his face alight. Shion nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes. KOS-MOS' database has a recording of the battle against the Gnosis onboard the Woglinde. If we enter that as evidence..." she began. Allen interrupted her abruptly.
"Yeah, but in order to copy the record, we need the keys from both the Federation government and Headquarters," he interjected. Shion had an answer.
"By diving into the Encephalon and experiencing the record ourselves, we can make a copy through the Connection Gear," she looked to Allen, as if expecting him to find a way to rebut her statement. He did.
"B...But...that's impossible without the dive equipment," he stammered. Shion answered quickly.
"How about the Service Module's Simple Dive Unit?" she asked. I could have rolled my eyes. They sounded like a bickering couple, arguing back and forth like that.
"You've got to be kidding!" Allen shouted, making Shion flinch. He calmed down a notch, looking to his feet, "besides, that's a violation of protocol!" Shion's eyes grew unexpectedly fierce then, her glare the same as it had been given to me earlier that day at the beach.
"We don't have any other choice, do we?" She turned away, her face turning red, "Oh, I'm so sick and tired of protocol..." Jr. looked like he was going to say something, but Shion beat him to the punch, "The real question is, how do we get to KOS-MOS?" Captain Lapis Roman looked as if she were contemplating something, her eyes going from the floor to me. Her face set, she stood from her seat, a portable U.M.N. module in her hand. To my surprise, she aimed it at me. Her finger came down on the button deftly, and I felt my hands unlock from behind my back with the welcome release of pressure. Utterly relieved, I brought my hands around to the front of me and tried to get the circulation running again in my right hand. Lapis Roman handed the module to Shion, who took it apprehensively.
"That'll open any locked doors you come across. I'll just saw that we were careless. But," she walked from where she stood next to Shion to where I still stood. She stared me straight in the eyes, unmoving, "to make it look legitimate, you'll need to knock me out." I was silent for only a second, then I stopped rubbing the circulation back into my hand.
"You sure? I asked, checking her face. She didn't flinch.
"Otherwise, no one would believe it, right?" There was a gleam in her eyes that was just like the one she had seen her give me back on the bridge. I glanced up at everyone, meeting their eyes in turn. Each and every pair of eyes stared back at me, telling me silently that I didn't have to worry, that all would be fine. Only one pair of eyes was hesitant. MOMO's eyes were frightened. She didn't want to see anyone get hurt. But... this was what I had to do. I looked back to Lapis Roman, cracking the knuckles in my right hand faintly.
"You've got a point," I said, trying to tell MOMO with the tone of my voice that I didn't want to hurt her either. Captain Lapis Roman squeezed her eyes shut, ready for the blow. I could see her whole body go tense.
"Go easy on me, okay?" she asked. It was a soldier's request. I didn't deny it. MOMO pulled her face into Shion's uniform, hiding her eyes from the damage that was about to be done. I took Lapis Roman's shoulder in my left hand, and I felt her jump, tensing before the blow. Holding back slightly, I threw a punch squarely into the woman's abdomen with my other hand. It sunk in nearly to my knuckles, and her whole body buckled forwards with the pain. Her eyes shot open, mostly because of the shock, then closed again as she lost consciousness in my hands. I gently lay her down on the floor. Before I moved on, I saluted her with a tiny motion of my hand. Captain Lapis Roman... She really was one of a kind. I realized then that the other soldier needed to be dealt with as well. He bared himself for my attack, and I felt a short pang of guilt.
"Forgive me, I said quietly as I sunk my fist into his stomach. He made a slight gurgle of pain, then fell to the floor. I stepped over his body, and MOMO followed quietly. I turned just in time to see Jr. pass Lapis Roman's still from. He beamed.
"Thanks," he whispered, even though she couldn't hear, "You're pretty cool!"
I remembered then that two soldiers lay in wait just outside the door, just in case anything like this were to happen. When I thought about disposing of them, I felt close to no guilt. They had shown us no mercy, so why should I show them any now? MOMO must have read my thoughts, for she touched my arm lightly, causing me to turn. Her eyes, pleading, told me no to go all out. It hit me then, with the force of a speeding bullet. Jr. was right. I was just a bodyguard to her. My only purpose was to protect her, and I was nothing more. I was only needed for my strength to ensure her safety. I felt a pain in my heart then. I turned back to the door with more swiftness than MOMO suspected, for she started slightly. Ready to open the door, I spoke softly to her.
"You might want to stand back, MOMO," I told the Realian. She nodded, and stepped back to where Jr. and the others stood. As soon as the door slid open, my battle reflexes came into effect, and I extended my arm blade and held it up to the throat of the soldier standing to the left of the door, grabbing the throat of the other soldier with my free hand. The tip of the blade playing at his throat, the soldier gasped and moved for his communicator. I shoved the tip of the blade closer to his neck. He got the idea. I motioned for the others to move out of the door, and, one by one, they filed past me. I dropped the soldier from the grip of my right hand, and he collapsed, gasping for air. I retracted the blade from the soldier's neck area and punched him roughly in the chest while he was distracted. Before I followed the others, I took both their communicators and crushed them under my foot.
My footsteps echoed loudly in the once again empty halls as I caught up with those trooping on ahead of me. They were standing next to the door that led out of the area we were being contained in. Shion had an unnatural urgency in her voice as I approached. MOMO looked up at me as I neared.
"I think we should find our weapons before we leave," she said to everyone in a hushed tone. Everyone seemed to agree with this. The shimmering gaze that MOMO had given me before still hung on me. I made cautious eye contact, unsure of what she would say. But the look in her eyes was softer than it had been only minutes before. She didn't blink, holding eye contact with me. As the others made their way down the hall, our gaze wasn't shifted.
"Is something wrong?" I asked quietly. She looked down the hall to where the two Federation soldiers sat incapacitated and Captain Lapis Roman lay curled on the floor. Her eyes then flicked back to mine.
"Do you think they'll be okay?" she asked, then she blushed slightly, looking to her feet, "I mean, Lapis Roman and that other soldier?" It was hard to believe how compassionate this little Realian could be. At every new turn, she seemed to surprise me. She cared so much about everyone, even those that were our enemies. I realized then that such kindness had most likely left my heart years ago. Except when it came to her. I looked back down the hall as well, then nodded.
"I didn't hit them too hard," I assured her. I could have used much more force if I didn't have so much respect for that young Captain, "They should be fine." I saw her smile then, and, to me, it felt like the much welcome dawn after a frigidly cold night. For a moment, it seemed like I couldn't breathe, then I heard chaos' warm voice call back to us.
"Ziggy, MOMO! Aren't you coming with us?" he asked. I looked up suddenly and nodded. MOMO must have though the suddenness of my reaction quite humorous, for I heard her playful giggle by my side. The chiming of her laughter was a sound most welcome at a time such as we were facing. As I looked back to her again, the radiant smile still hung on her face, and I felt the beginnings of a smirk tugging on my features. With that, we set off after the others.
The room holding our weapons was relatively easy to access, particularly thanks to the device Lapis Roman had given to Shion. It was dodging the sporadically placed guards that was difficult. Six people, including Allen, weren't hard to spot in those small halls. So it was up to chaos and myself to distract and dispose of said guards. It was relatively easy; they seemed a tad overworked. As everyone shuffled into the room, I remained outside the door, my eyes in constant search of any movement. After a few minutes of awkward shuffling, Shion emerged, her face expressing her thanks. I nodded in silence, heading in to take back my own beam pod. Passing MOMO on my way in, I ruffled her hair lightly. Once inside, I took my weapon gruffly in my hand, pressing the cold metal into the warm flesh of my palm. I turned back, seeing now that everyone but Jr. had moved on, both of his guns cocked and at the ready, standing guard. I could have laughed. How it felt to see someone else playing the bodyguard...
The rest of the journey to the dock was reasonably easy, mostly due to the fact that that it wasn't just chaos and me accosting the guards. As we moved amongst the soldiers, either knocking them out cold or locking them in some room sans communicators, I realized how difficult it would be to access the Elsa. As we moved to get on the train to take us to the dock, I gently grabbed Shion's shoulder. She turned.
"Shion," I calmly whispered, "I feel that we may not be able to get to the Elsa through her main doors. They'll most likely be heavily guarded." The idea seemed to dawn in her mind as well. "Do you know any alternative routes onto the ship?" I asked. She looked down, as if trying to remember. I saw chaos approach slowly.
"What about the cargo elevator?" he suggested.
"If we can find a way to get to it without being seen..." she muttered. We all stepped onto the train, and Jr. stuck his guns into their holsters.
"Not to mention that if one guard sees us, they'll all see us..." Jr. interjected. MOMO, her hands now clasped together, closed her eyes. Only a few moments spanned until she spoke again, without opening her eyes.
"There's a ladder leading to the level of the cargo elevator on the far east side of the dock," she informed us. Opening her eyes, she looked to Jr. A short fit of what felt like jealousy grabbed at my heart, but I dismissed it huffily. "If there were some sort of distraction, we would be able to get to the elevator unnoticed!" A smirk was now forming on Jr.'s childish face, and he took only one of his ancient guns out of its holster.
"No problem," he muttered. As the train slowed toward its eventual stop, we al moved to the sides of the doors, so as to stay hidden. The doors slid open noiselessly. I dared a peek outside. Just as I'd thought: Crawling with soldiers. How would he pull off such an elaborate distraction...?
I was answered swiftly. Jr. fired his single gun a total of four times at a gas tank sitting near the shuttle that lead from the Durandal. It exploded with a loud report, catching the attention of all the soldiers. All but those guarding the doors to the Elsa. As swiftly and as quietly as possible, we made our way to the ladder.
Once at the opening to the cargo elevator, chaos punched in a few codes, and the elevator came rumbling up to meet us. Undoubtedly, this would have caught the attention of Captain Matthews, if not Hammer and Tony as well. The cargo elevator, when it finally arrived, seemed only large enough to fit five people with moderate comfort. This being said, I glanced at MOMO and, without a second thought, scooped her up into my arms and stepped onto the platform. It was indeed a tight fit, but, with provocation from chaos, our mode of transportation slowly made its way downward. It started off with a jolt, and I felt MOMO's arms fly up and land around my neck for support. For some unapparent reason, I felt blood rush up to my face. After a while, the elevator ended its journey with yet another jarring jolt. I set MOMO down, her face gleeful once more. Had I known how long it would be until I saw her smile like that, I would have cherished the moment more.
"Thank you, Ziggy," she told me. I must have muttered something along the lines of, "It's nothing," for she giggled lightly again. Shion emerged from the elevator beside us.
"There's no time to loose," she told everyone, "We have to hurry to the maintenance lab," her voice was full of caution. It was the fastest trip I had ever taken through the innards of the Elsa. We may have been running, but I can't fully remember. Only when the door to the maintenance lab slid open and we saw the black apparatus in which KOS-MOS "slept" did I become fully aware of everything going on around me again. Shion picked up the red-tinted dive unit and sat directly across from KOS-MOS' module. Allen brought out his portable U.M.N. screen. Shion breathed deeply.
"Here we go," she said, almost to herself. "Allen," he jumped to attention, "handle backup for me, all right?"
"Roger. Opening Interconnection," he told her. I glanced over at the red-head as he seemed to be gathering the courage to say something. "Don't worry. I'll back you up no matter what happens." Shion smiled at his comment.
"Thanks," she said, almost in a whisper. She turned to KOS-MOS' module and took another deep breath. "Ready, KOS-MOS?"
I had never witnessed a "dive" before, but I knew that whatever was happening was not natural. It felt as if Shion's dive unit was pulling on my entire body. I looked around to see that I was not the only person experiencing this phenomenon. Jr. was the only one of us who could express anything in words, and even they weren't all that germane to the fact that we were all being affected by this anomaly.
"What the...?!" he yelled. His words and the look of pure terror on MOMO's pale face were the last I remembered.
Then there was darkness.