Chapter 11: Life's a Killer

"I don't think we should've seen that," Taya said vacantly as she and Misha walked out of the theater.

"If Cloud liked it, we shouldn't have seen it," Misha said just as blankly. "If that's what adults like, then I don't want to grow up."

"What should we do now?" Taya asked.

"…The skate park?" Misha suggested.

"OK," Taya agreed.

"And Taya; let us never speak of that movie again."

"That…sucked," Xero groaned after getting ambushed by Wolves and Boomas. He had been in the Forest 2 doing a very mundane quest. He was supposed to collect raindrops from the seemingly perpetual rain. When the animals attacked, he dropped the test tube that collected the rain.

"That was close," Xero said, taking a Monomate after killing the last wolf. Too bad for him that a legion of animals showed up. All three types of Booma were there along with Wolves of both types and a Monest.

"Oh, come on!" Xero complained, getting into stance. He used Barta to slow down the approaching Boomas, but he couldn't focus on the buzzing Mothmants and stalking Wolves. Soon, one insect flew at his face. While he took a swing at it, a Barbarous Wolf snuck up from behind and pounced on him.

"Ah!" he shouted. He shook it off only to be pounced by another wolf. The Mothmants were starting to attack too. Xero smacked the wolf in the snout with his Saber to get it off. Then, he turned around to knock away another leaping wolf. After destroying some of the Mothmants, he made a run for the nearest gate. He couldn't get there with so many Boomas in front of him. Wolves were running after him from behind.

"Screw it!" he yelled, making wild slashes at the Boomas in front of him. One Gobooma was burned so badly from the Photon blade that it melted into the ground. Despite his best efforts, the animals were overwhelming him. His muscles were aching. The bites and clawing that he was sustaining were wearing him down. Soon, the device on his shield arm was beeping, warning him that his HP was getting dangerously low.

"Die, dammit!" he screamed, his excessive hacking causing more animals to melt into the ground. As another wolf melted into the ground, the device made a more positive sound. All of his strength had returned. Xero took it in stride, continuing to hack away at his enemies. At this point the only remaining threats were, 2 Savage Wolves, 1 limping Booma, 1 Gobooma, 2 Gigoboomas, and the Monest. The Monest had apparently run out of Mothmants and was completely defenseless. The HUmar tried to isolate each animal to make them easier to kill. After a few minutes of hit-and-runs, only the Monest remained. The moment he struck it, three Hildebears and 5 Gigoboomas came onto the scene.

"Bull!" Xero exclaimed. It seemed like everything in the Forest was…trying to kill him. This was his first time encountering Hildebears, although he had heard about them from T-65. What he heard was to avoid fighting them up close. Unfortunately, Xero didn't have a gun. But he did have Barta, so he used that to keep them at bay. That didn't work very long, as one Hildebear spat a fireball at him. He was forced to retreat when the others followed suit, occasionally hitting a Gigobooma. Then, one Hildebear leaped to the spot where Xero had just been. Xero responded by turning around and carrying out his combo onto the torso of the Hildebear. It seemed to work until it retaliated on his third slash.

"Ah!" he yelled, getting smacked to the ground. When he got up, a Gigobooma smacked him back down, putting a cut across his face. Now he was really hurting. Xero knew that something in his body was broken. He couldn't tell what because, frankly, he hurt all over. He knew that if he didn't get up, he would die. He glanced at the health monitor on his arm and saw that he was out of HP. That made sense, as he could barely move and he was starting to black out. He had enough energy to roll out of the way of the Hildebear's punches, however. When the Gigoboomas and other Hildebears started to surround him, he knew that there was nothing he could do.

Then, several gunshots could be heard. All three Hildebears immediately fell over with burning holes going through their heads. The Gigoboomas turned their attention away from Xero and towards the unseen threat. They were soon picked off as well. The Monest that remained had regained its energy and began spewing out its servants to seek out the attacker.

"Move in!" Xero heard a somewhat gravelly voice say. "Take care of the bugs!"

"Got ya covered, Seth!" yelled a female voice. Then more shots were fired.

"You want me to take care of this guy?" asked another voice, this one male.

"…No, he'll just get in the way," the first voice answered. "We'll get to him after this area is clear. Give Gun Snipe a hand." After this last statement, all Xero could hear were the sounds of a few gunshots, a zapping noise, and a single, but very distinct chopping sound. The Monest was obviously dead now, as the only sounds to be heard were light footsteps in the rain.

Then out of his half-opened eyes, Xero saw a man stand over him. His hair was similar to Xero's in color, but was in a more natural style. It just hung there, not quite reaching his shoulders. His hair was all that Xero could really see clearly. Xero's sight quickly faded, but he could still make out a little sound.

"He's got a Saber," said the female. "And take a look at all of these empty blood pools…tsk, tsk. Looks like he's not very good with it. He's a rookie." She was noting the spots where Xero had made some animals melt into the ground.

"He'd be better off at the ship…for now," the gravelly voiced man said. Then, Xero went completely unconscious.

The movie, Alisa III, ended with two former enemies, Orakio and Laya, joining forces to seal away the Dark Force on the ship. It was a bittersweet ending as not only did they die in the process, but also their families and descendants sparked a civil war against each other onboard the worldship. Of course, Cloud left in tears with Daniela trying to give him some comfort.

"What a sad story," Elenor said to T-65 as they left the theater. "It was certainly one of the darker moments in the history of Algol."

"Yep," T-65 agreed. "But don't you think that ship was huge? And Dark Force supposedly destroyed a whole bunch of other ships just like it."

"Yes, it was amazing," Elenor replied. "I wonder why the Pioneer ships were not built to be even ¼ the size?"

"They're probably still building them," T-65 joked. "It would probably take a while to make one."

"I want to thank you for treating me to a movie," Elenor smiled as they reached the entrance to the multiplex. "I have to go now. I don't want anyone to become too worried about me. Goodbye, T-65."

"See ya later, Elenor," T-65 said, watching her call a taxi. He didn't notice the person who had been waiting for him just outside of the multiplex's main entrance.

"Hello, T-65," Mina said, walking up from behind. She had her hair down just like she always had it in civilian areas. She was wearing a purple blouse and violet pants. She had a mischievous look on her face.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" T-65 asked, turning around quickly.

"Oh, nothing much," she answered innocently. "Just came here to see a movie. When I left, I noticed that you were in line."

"Uh…yeah," T-65 confirmed. "I just came here with a friend."

"What movie did you see?" Mina interrogated, still with that sneaky look on her face.

"…Alisa III," T-65 answered cautiously.

"Mmm hmm, and was that your friend's idea?" she asked, knowing that the RAcast wouldn't go to such a movie on his own.

"Yeah…so?" T-65 said, starting to perspire.

"Tell me, did she cry during the movie?" Mina asked, stepping closer. "It's only natural for such a sad movie."

"Yeah."

"It was Montague's Android, wasn't it?" Mina asked knowingly.

"How did you know?" T-65 asked, astonished.

"Because there are only five androids on this ship that can do something like that," Mina explained. "And only one out the five is pink."

"So, that's Elenor, GA…" T-65 thought out loud. "Who're the other two?"

"…You don't know them," Mina said, smiling. Then she cast Ryuker to open a portal similar to a Telepipe, frightening many people around them.

"What's that for?" T-65 asked.

"It's our ride home," Mina answered.

"Why didn't she do that back when we met Chronos and the others?" T-65 asked himself. "…And why didn't he do it either?"

"'So, tell me more about Elenor," Mina said, pulling T-65 into the portal.

Misha and Taya had arrived at the recreational area and had brought their skates along with them. The recreational area had many forms of entertainment, one of them being a skate park. At the moment they were in an arcade watching a certain pair of androids play a virtual fighting game.

"The purple lady is fast!" Taya commented, marveling at her dodging abilities.

"Yeah, but the blue guy is strong," Misha said, noting that his sword was pretty big. And when he did land a hit, it did a lot of damage. But the purple android was getting in longer combos with her knives. The match would be close. After the purple one finished another combo, both players used their special attacks. His sword became electrified and shot lightning everywhere while she started throwing dozens of knives. They killed each other, tying the game.

"Hey, Anne," Miguel said, taking off the cables linking him to the game. "I don't think we're ever going to beat each other at this game. This is the 5th time we've tied."

"How about we just go to the dance club?" Anne suggested. "Those kids have been watching us for a while."

"They just like the show we put on," Miguel assured. "Your blinding speed against my BONE-CRUSHING POWER!"

"You're too much," Anne laughed, as they went to an elevator. Misha and Taya quickly joined them. The skate park was near the top of the building.

"Are you stalking us or something?" Miguel asked them, pressing a button. "No, we're here to skate," Misha said, pointing out their roller blades. "The skate park's at the top. We walked all the way here and we're not taking the stairs there."

"You two were cool!" Taya said, pressing another button.

"Uh…thanks," Anne said. "Looks like they did like our show."

"I told you," Miguel said, flexing. "BONE-CRUSHING POWER!"

"You're funny," Taya laughed.

"And probably shorted out," Misha mumbled, getting a giggle out of Anne.

"I like your style, kid," Anne said, smirking. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"

"Misha Kuhra," the Newman replied. "This is my friend, Taya."

"Well, Taya, it's nice to see someone who has a good sense of humor," Miguel said approvingly.

"I'm Anne Yusta," the HUcaseal said, giving Misha her Guild Card.

"And I'm Miguel Azure," the HUcast said, giving Taya his Guild Card.

"You two are hunters?" Misha asked, looking at the cards. "How strong are you? What's it like on Ragol? Why won't anyone say anything about what's going on? Where's Pioneer 1?"

"Whoa, slow down!" Miguel said, waving his hands.

"They don't let us say much about Ragol," Anne explained, as they arrived on Miguel's and her floor. "You'd find some answers if you were hunters. Anyway, maybe we'll see you later." Miguel waved bye as well.

"Bye, bye Miguel, Kunoichi," Taya said. They looked back, confused.

"Sorry, she does that," Misha said as the door closed.

"Why Kunoichi?" she asked Taya.

"The Female Ninja," Taya said, going into a mock-ninja stance.

When they arrived on their floor they put on their roller blades. After skating in circles got boring, they went to the freestyle area. Once there they found something unexpected.

"Isn't that Miss Galactica?" Taya said, pointing to a black and orange RAcaseal.

"Yeah," Misha replied. The android was skating through half-pipes and grinding on rails effortlessly. The Newmans skated over to greet her.

"Hi, Miss Galactica," Taya said. Galactica slid backwards in circles around the two until she came to a stop.

"Hello, Taya, Misha," she greeted back. "This isn't school. There's no need to be so formal."

"What're you doing here?" Misha asked. "And how'd you learn to skate so well?"

"I just skate to relax," Galactica replied. "I've been doing it ever since I was built."

"I never would've thought that a teacher would like something like this," Misha said.

"Just because I'm a teacher," Galactica smiled, "doesn't mean that I can't have a little fun. Besides, I'm not much older than you."

"Can you teach us how to do some of those tricks?" Taya asked.

"I would, but many of them involve the risk of injury," Galactica said, starting to skate around them. "And you don't have any protective gear."

"Come on," Misha urged.

"I don't know," the android said, unsure.

"Please," Taya begged.

"Some other time," Galactica said. "Just be sure to bring a helmet or something."

"Come on, Taya," Misha said, turning around. "She probably can't teach us anything anyway."

"Huh?" Taya asked, confused by Misha's suddenness.

"Reverse-psychology won't work on me," Galactica said, stopping in front of Misha. "But I will show you what I can do. Follow me." She led them to a virtual machine. It had fantasy courses for experts to try out. Most of the courses had bizarre obstacles and challenges that required quick thinking. Galactica set it to roller blade courses and selected an advanced course called Highway in the Sky. The title was an understatement, as the preview images showed that this would mostly be about grinding on a series of railings through space, in a planet's outer atmosphere, directly underneath some sort of space station.

"That one's scary," Taya said, having prematurely tried that course before. She had fallen off the railing and plummeted toward the planet. Fortunately for her, it was only a game.

"I've never seen anyone beat this," Misha said, remembering countless failures by her and others.

"It's not an easy course," Galactica said confidently, putting on the virtual link cables. "However, it's not too hard either, just long. The most important thing is balance." Then she activated the machine, starting the game. The Newmans then turned their attention to the screen.

The level started with Galactica clutching to a miniature rocket as it flew some distance across space until it exploded. Galactica landed on neon colored rail with her feet side-by-side. She grinded along the rail and through several rings with sparks shooting away from her feet. All the while, she was quickly approaching the end of the rail. The on looking Newmans were not expecting her to go any further. The nearest two rails split away onto dead ends. There was also a platform and several rails ahead of her, but they were at least 50 yd. away. Yet, Galactica did not switch rails.

"There's no way she can make that jump," Misha said, surprised that the android had kept her balance thus far.

"So says the little girl," Galactica commented before leaping off the edge of the railing, somersaulting across the gap and onto the platform.

"Neat!" Taya cheered. "I get it now! She can jump higher with less gravity."

"Why didn't I think a' that?" Misha asked herself.

Unlike the last rail, the next one that Galactica went to had more twists. She maintained her balance even as she passed a small patch of falling meteors. Soon she was on another platform, reaching a checkpoint. The path ahead was steeply sloped, allowing Galactica to skate at a quick pace. Just before the platform abruptly ended, she leapt onto a short rail. Then she jumped onto another rail that descended through sections of the space station in circles. At the end of this spiraling rail was a ramp. She used it to jump through a ring suspended in the air and onto another platform. Then she jumped onto another descending rail.

Then a thought came to Misha. "Since you're going down there anyway, wouldn't it be faster to just jump down to the next platform?"

"Isn't that risky?" Taya said, noting that the platform wasn't directly below.

Galactica responded by leaping off the rail and towards the platform below. The girls doubted that she would make it, judging by how fast she was falling versus how far away the platform was. She compensated for her excessive velocity by spinning through the air, allowing her to land safely on the edge. She leapt across a short series of rails through a tunnel and into a room with three holes, passing another checkpoint. Choosing the middle hole, she fell onto another rail and grinded through a tunnel and onto a platform with no other rails connected to it.

"Where do you go now?" Taya asked, having never seen anyone get this far.

"Up," Galactica said, looking towards a floating rail that was curved upwards at a near ninety-degree angle.

"You're kidding…" Misha said disbelievingly. Without responding, Galactica built up some momentum and leapt onto the rail, which lead her to the next platform. "This is actually the most difficult part," she said. "And I've got a long way to go."

At the time, Cloud and Daniela had moved on to a restaurant. They were eating a light meal and making small talk. The date was going pretty well.

"So then, he decided to become a hunter," Cloud laughed. "He was like 'From now on you will call me Xero,' like he was some kind of force to be reckoned with."

"So did he become a Force?" Daniela asked, giggling a bit.

"Nah. He just became a HUmar."

"I guess he didn't have the mind strength," Daniela joked. "I'm a Force myself."

"Cool," he said, seeing his chance for a compliment. "So the rumor was true."

"What rumor?" Daniela asked.

"Well," he started coolly, "they say that FOnewearls are cute."

"You're not too bad yourself…for someone who isn't a hunter." She was referring to his noticeable muscles. He was no muscle man, but he was fit.

"Thanks," he smiled. "This date isn't turning out so bad after all."

"Not at all," she said dreamily, gazing at his uniquely grey eyes. The moment was broken by a strange noise.

"Dammit!" Cloud cursed, taking out his cell phone. "That's me. This'll only take a sec."

"Sure," Daniela said, allowing him to leave the table. He walked over to where there were payphones and answered his call.

"Whoever this is, make it quick," he said into the phone.

"Hey, Cloud," said a male voice. "It's Jay."

"I'm on a date, man!" Cloud said impatiently. "Can I get back to you later?"

"No," Jay said flatly. "I'm at the hospital, the one near the Ragol transporter."

"What's wrong?" Cloud asked, now concerned.

"X got his ass kicked by the natives of Ragol. Another group of hunters found him and brought him here."

"Is he okay?"

"Kinda," the caller said cryptically. "They did a number on him, but he should be all right. But we sorta need ya here…what with him being unconscious and all. Somebody has to fill out these insurance forms."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

"One more thing," Jay interrupted. "What the hell are you doing talking on a phone on a date? Don't you know how impolite that is? And one more thing: why a cell phone? No one uses cellular phones anymore, with their crappy reception! Spend some money on a videophone for crying out loud! And one more thing…"

At that point, Cloud hung up and walked back to Daniela.

"So, what's up?" Daniela asked.

"I've got bad news," Cloud sighed. "Xero, the guy we were just talking about, got hurt on Ragol. He's in the hospital and…"

"You have to go," Daniela concluded for him.

"Sorry… And things were going pretty good."

"It's okay. I understand," she said, sighing.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we'll just split the bill and I'll give you a ride to the hospital. It's the one near the Ragol transporter, right?"

"Yeah," Cloud replied. "Thanks, Daniela."

"…So, there's nothing to be ashamed of," Mina said to T-65 in their living room. "Only a handful of Androids have the gift that you and your sister have. I've met Elenor myself and she is a very nice girl. A bit shy, but very polite. I must admit, Montague did a very fine job."

"I don't know," T-65 said uncomfortably. "It just seems kind of weird."

"Everyone is weird in someway or another," Mina smiled. "It's what makes us unique and allows us to stand out from the crowd. All beings have something special about them. Otherwise, this universe would be really boring."

"What's special about you?" T-65 asked.

"I'm a 23 year old super genius who graduated college in her teens. I'm skilled in most things related to technology. I built both you and Galactica to be different from most Androids."

"Like how?"

"I already told you when we talked about Elenor," Mina laughed. "Okay, here's another example. Remember when Galactica started following around that Android waiter and how she was always talking about him and his articulate use of words."

"Yeah, she wouldn't shut up about the guy," T-65 said smugly.

"That's because she had a crush on him," Mina explained, giggling a bit. "He, on the other hand, was incapable of feeling the same way or even empathizing with her. That's why he thought she was malfunctioning. Your situation is a bit more positive though. Elenor has programming that can handle complex emotions like those. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

"…Yeah," T-65 said, still feeling awkward. "It still feels weird though."

"Don't worry about it," she said, standing up. "Even organics feel awkward when they get their first crush. Who knows? It may turn into something."

As soon as she finished that sentence, the phone began to sound. Since, the normal ring of a phone had become tiresome, Mina had replaced it with a robotic voice stating, "Caller waiting," in a tone that was persistent but not so tiresome.

"Moshi-moshi?" Mina greeted, resulting in a hologram screen to appear and show whom she was talking to. It was a young freckle-faced newman lady who was dressed in the clothing of a Force. She wore a purple and black jester's hat, the kind that splits into two segments with each ending in a puffball, and her long hair was light blue. She had some red face paint lightly placed around her purple eyes.

"Hi, Mina!" she greeted back. "It's me, Bea."

"Long time no see," Mina said. "How's the team?"

"Pretty good, actually," the FOnewearl said. "Hey, is T-65 there?"

"Yeah, I'm here," T-65 answered walking into her view. After looking at her, he noticed that she had an uncanny resemblance to the FOnewearl that he had helped find in the Forest a few days ago. "Wait a sec… You look familiar. Are you that FOnewearl that got messed up in the Forest?"

"I never got 'messed up' in the Forest," Bea said, not knowing what he was talking about. "The animals are no match for this Force."

"But I remember seeing someone just like you," T-65 insisted. "Just as short, with the makeup, and the clothes, and everything. Do you have a twin?"

"Not that I know of," Bea said, thinking. "Who knows? Maybe I have long, lost family… Anyway, I called to tell you that one of your friends got hurt on Ragol. It was the guy with the white ponytail… X or Zero… or something."

"Is he okay?" T-65 asked a little worriedly. Mina also showed a little concern.

"He's out cold and has lots of bruises, but the hospital staff said that he should be okay in a few hours."

"Sure, I'll be right there," T-65 said, heading out the door. "See ya later, Mom."

"I wasn't finished yet," Bea sighed after he left. "Cloud left before Jay could finish his message, too."

"What is it?" Mina asked. "Maybe I can help."

"Apparently," Bea started, "your…son's friend has a little sister named Taya. But she doesn't seem to be at home right now. We need to tell her about this so she doesn't freak out when it's too late."

"What does she look like?" Mina asked. "Does she have white hair too?"

"Nope," Bea said, now reading from something off-screen. "According to Jay, she's a blue haired Newman, not even a blood-relative of the guy…definitely adopted. She's short, has a small frame, light tan skin tone, and has blue eyes."

"You make it sound like she's on a warrant or something," Mina mused. "Looks like you did your homework."

"That's why Team ABC is the best there is," Bea said triumphantly. "By the way, you should know that she's usually with another Newman named Misha. She's not much taller than Taya, but she's got darker skin and has blonde hair. Tell me if you find anything. Most of the team is on the lookout for them."

"Aren't you all overdoing this a bit?"

"It's a slow day. Consider it public service. Bye." The screen then disappeared.

"Time to get busy."

Xero was able to hear again, but his vision hadn't quite returned yet. Either that, or he couldn't open his eyes. What he did know was that he was lying down on something soft and that the calm sound of rain had been replaced by the persistent beeping sound in the background, which was starting to get annoying. Soon his mind was occupied by one thought: stop the noise. He soon noticed that it was difficult to move. As he put more effort into sitting up, his vision began to return. First it started as a giant white blur. Soon enough, he noticed that there was a white bed sheet over his face.

The next thing he noticed was muffled yelling, probably from another room. He was able to make out some of the upset words.

"You told me he was okay!" a familiar voice yelled.

"He was when we got here," said another familiar, but calmer voice. "But you know what they say; shit happens."

"Dude, you think this is funny?!" the first voice said rather than asked. "Well I'm not laughing!"

"You don't need to get so upset," a new, more cheerful voice said. "We can still help him. I'll show you." Xero then noticed that they were walking his way.

He had managed to get the sheet off and with some effort, sit up in the bed he was in. It became obvious that he was in a hospital. He found the health monitor that was making so much noise and disconnected it from himself. The beeping immediately turned into one long beep, which was more aggravating. He got up and frantically searched for an "OFF" button. After flipping some switches and pressing a few buttons, the machine stopped completely. He sighed of relief just as several people came through the door.

"So what are you go…Xero!" Cloud exclaimed. "You're alive!"

"Huh?" Xero managed to say, turning towards the people entering. It was Cloud, Bea, and Jay. He had never seen Jay or Bea in their hunter outfits before. Along with her jester-like hat, Bea had a sleeveless black and purple top and a pair of matching sleeves. She was also wearing a funny-looking, curved, purple skirt with black shorts underneath.

She also had purple socks with black platform clogs to make her look less short. Jay, who was a HUmar somewhat shorter than Xero, was wearing an orange muscle shirt over a black T-shirt. He had black pants, which probably had padding underneath, and orange sneakers. Unlike Bea's long blue hair, Jay had short, tapered black hair.

"Thank you, thank you!" Cloud cheered, grasping Bea in a hug and kissing her on the cheek several times.

"Uh…Dude?" Jay said, bothered by the scene. "She didn't do anything."

"What?" Cloud asked, dropping Bea abruptly.

"I didn't get a chance to do anything yet," Bea explained, getting off of the floor. "He came back to life on his own."

"What!" Xero exclaimed. "I died?"

"Just for a little bit," Jay smiled light-heartedly.

"Dammit…" Xero cursed. "Well, who brought me here?"

"Some hunters that wish to remain anonymous," Jay said cryptically.

"You okay, man?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Xero said, stretching. "Just a little stiff is all." They all noticed that someone was entering the room, as the door slid open.

"I'm sorry," said the nurse, entering with T-65. "I'm afraid we couldn't…you're alive?"

"Well, he is now…" Jay smirked. "Apparently, X skipped a few beats and slipped away for a few minutes."

"You okay?" T-65 asked.

"I'm fine," Xero replied. "Now let's get out of here."

"You're healed already?" the nurse asked, surprised. "Humans usually take longer. Hmm… You look well enough. Just be more careful next time."

"That's it?" Bea asked, seeming disappointed. "You just get up out of bed and walk out the hospital. Isn't that too easy?"

"Meh," Xero shrugged, walking out the door followed by Cloud, T-65, and the nurse.

"Well, wasn't that just the damndest thing?" Jay said to his disillusioned partner.

"Humph!" Bea grunted. "Now I have to tell Mina to forget what I told her."

"Okay, Galactica!" Misha exclaimed. "You made your point!" Galactica had thoroughly proven that she was an expert at skating. She had made some huge jumps that made the first one look like a skip across a puddle.

"It's all too easy for me," Galactica posed after passing the goal.

"¡Excellente!" Anne called, approaching from behind them.

"Anne's never made it past the halfway point," Miguel said walking into view.

"How long have you been watching?" Galactica asked, not used to having an audience.

"Since the part when you made that first drop," Miguel said.

"What're you two doing here?" Misha asked. "I thought you were going to some dance club."

"We were…" Anne began.

"But," continued Miguel, "the girl in the skirt called Anne…whatever that name was…well, Anne got interested."

"Let me explain," Misha said, speaking for Taya. "Taya does this thing where she calls people by a nickname she makes up for them. She does that to lots a' people. Show 'em."

"Blue, Kunoichi, and Gally-san," Taya said, pointing to Miguel, Anne, and Galactica respectively.

"Gally-san?" Galactica questioned. "Taya, my preferred nickname is GA."

"Don't worry, Miss Galactica," Taya said in a different tone. "I'm outgrowing it."

"Sorry, but I have to butt in here," Anne said. "Where'd you get the name Kunoichi?"

"You just look like one," Taya smiled innocently.

"What is a kunoichi?" asked Galactica.

"Female ninja," answered Taya, Misha, and Anne.

"So that's what's been bothering you," Miguel said to Anne.

"What's wrong?" Galactica asked.

"Nada," Anne said defensively. "There's nothing wrong."

"There's obviously something bothering you," Galactica said. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, alright!" Anne snapped, her eyes flaring. "Drop it! Just leave me alone!"

"I'm only trying to help," Galactica said dejectedly.

"Galactica…I," Anne stuttered. "I didn't mean…I just need to go cool off. Excuse me," she said walking off.

"What's with her?" Misha asked.

"She just does that sometimes," Miguel said. "You know how women are… Whoops! Wrong audience. I'll see ya 'round. Exit stage right," he said, following Anne.

"It's not completely her fault," said a new female voice. It came from a somewhat tall white Android with a black torso and black lines going across her arms, others down her legs. Structurally, she looked like a taller, stronger version of Anne. Bright, red eyes pierced the black area beneath her white, metal bangs. Her white metallic ponytail, which was shorter than Anne's, was speckled with black dots. She also had black bracelets, disguising her dual ISL units.

"Excuse me?" Galactica inquired.

"Ana…" the stranger said thoughtfully, looking in the direction where the other Androids had just left. "Anne, as you call her, isn't wholly at fault for her outburst. It's hard for her to relay her emotions. She was never built to feel sadness, guilt, or sorrow. Instead, she displays the next closest thing… anger. It will take time for her to develop better emotions…We're all like that…"

"Who's 'we'?" Misha asked.

"And who are you?" Galactica asked.

"We? Me?" the stranger chuckled lightly. "I'm talking about Anne…myself…and the rest of our sisters." Then, she began to walk away.

"Sisters?" Galactica exclaimed. "Wait! Who are you? And what about...?"

"It's best not to pry," the stranger interrupted gently. "Just give her time…and she'll tell you when she is ready."

"But," Galactica said as the stranger left and it was too late. Suddenly, Galactica froze for a moment and reached for the orange appendage attached to her left armlet.

"What are you doing?" Misha asked.

"I'm getting a call," Galactica said, tapping a button on the object. "One moment."

"Hey, GA," the holographic screen of Mina said.

"Hello, Mother," Galactica said. "What do you need?"

"Hey, is that girl next to you named Taya?" Mina asked

"You're getting pretty popular," Misha noted to her friend.

"Yes, I'm Taya," the Newman spoke up. "I didn't know Androids had moms."

"Ha ha," Mina laughed. "How precious. I called to tell Galactica if she'd seen you, since she works at a school. I knew it was still a long shot, but it paid off. I was told to tell you something."

Before she could continue, the hologram blipped and buzzed.

"Hold on," Mina said, phasing out the image. "I've got another call."

"I wonder what the message is," Taya said. "I've never seen her before. Is she really your mom?"

"Yes," Galactica said. "She is the one who built me with her own hands."

"She seems like a nice mom to have," Taya said.

"I'm back," Mina said as her image returned.

"So, what was the message?" Misha asked.

"…What message?" Mina asked nervously, totally disorienting the listeners.

"Mother!" Galactica exclaimed. "You're a terrible liar. You had a message for Taya."

"Okay," Mina relented. "A friend of mine, who is a friend of a friend, who is a friend of Taya's brother told me to tell you something important. But, the information I got just became unnecessary. So uh… It was nice to meet you. Bye." Then the image disappeared.

"Okay," Taya said, not understanding anything that was just said.

"Moving on…" Misha said, changing the subject. "Taya, how much money do you have on you?"

"About 20 meseta," Taya answered. "Why?"

"Now seems like a good time to buy some new cards," Misha said.

"Trading cards?" Galactica asked.

"Do you play?" Misha asked.

"I don't know anyone who doesn't," Galacatica said jokingly, taking her deck from her right armlet appendage.

Notes: Can you say wild goose chase? So…how about that Xero? Interesting how I killed him in his second major chapter, huh? And apparently Anne has some issues that Miguel already knows about. I suppose she doesn't like to be called by anything other than her name…. Oh yeah, and Galactica is actually cool in some aspect. BTW, if you didn't understand the implications made in that "mother-son" talk about Elenor, please slam your head on the nearest hard surface. One last thing: Phantamon …ha!

On the next exciting episode of PSO Sidestory: It's time to investigate the Central Dome in the Forest. Let's find out what happened to Pioneer 1 and its crew. The Dome looks untouched, so there might have just been an EMP. Yeah right! Our heroes will take on the perils of the Forest and find more messages from Red Ring Rico. But which heroes? There is definitely something in the Forest that wasn't there before. Find out in "Growl From the Depths of the Earth." Bigger bark. Bigger bite… Only Toonami!