Author's Note: If you are offended by religious…stuff, such as the discussion between Shion and Azaria in a later part of the chapter, then you don't need to read this chapter. Nothing happens that won't be recapped in the LAST Chapter. This chapter took me three days to write and over 15 pages of paper to work on. This is the longest chapter ever written by me. People please…I know you have looked at this story…PLEASE REVIEW! I'm starving! On…with chapter 11.
Chapter 11: Role Reversal
The Durandal
1:13 A.M.
Azaria:
The screams of the dying filled my ears as I waited behind my locked door. Terror held me behind that door…terror that was absolute. Tears poured down my cheeks unbidden for Yeshua's brothers. They didn't deserve to die from U-DO. I wanted to help them…but Yeshua had blocked the door with his energy. The energy made it hard to focus on anything other than my fear.
"Were you enjoying the screams, guardian?"
I backed away from the door towards my bed.
"Yeshua…why?" I choked out.
The door swung open gently, followed by a wave of cold air. I backed up onto the bed with a sharp gasp. Yeshua stepped inside of the room slowly. His hair was sticking up slightly by itself…and his eyes…
Gods, his eyes were an icy shade of blue. Those beautiful tan lips of his were curled up in a gruesome smile.
"They deserved it. Besides, I've always wanted to do it."
What happened to the kind and gentle Yeshua I knew hours ago? If this kept up, I would have to defend myself.
"Yeshua, you know that isn't right. Murder is wrong."
Yeshua gave me a curious look.
"Is it really? The voice in my head…it grants the heart's desire."
"Heart's desire?"
"Isn't the heart's desire good? It gave me power. It can give you power too, Azaria."
Oh gods, I would have to defend myself.
"I don't need your power, Yeshua. Honestly, I'm fine."
Yeshua started towards my bed.
"You're lying."
My breath caught in my throat.
"No…Yeshua, I'm not lying."
He grabbed my arm. I flinched and pulled away.
"Don't worry. It won't hurt. Trust me."
Yeshua placed his hands on my face. Ice shot through my veins, paralyzing every pore. I couldn't move…
"Y-Yeshua…s-stop it!"
I shuddered with pain and tears. I had gotten used to crying uselessly. With today's recent tragedies, crying came easily. Our home was gone. The Zohar and U-DO were in Ormus's hands. Memories of Yeshua haunted me to no end. Like Shion, I was so very sick of all of this. I wanted nothing more than to plunge into a huge abyss somewhere. Yeshua's soul was crying…and I had no way to comfort it. Nothing I could say would take the sense of guilt away from him.
So what could I do now? Well, guardian, you have to do your job. I glanced out at the Foundation through the Park's observation deck.
"Azaria…"
It sounded a lot like Shion…the voice, I mean. I wasn't sure if I was ready to talk to Yeshua's allies. I knew they had a lot of questions for me. I gently wiped my tears away with the back of my hand.
"Yes, Shion?" I said softly.
The Vector Industries employee was looking as sad as the rest of us now. That couldn't possibly be good for her health.
"H-How are you feeling?"
"Not so good right now."
"Uh…that woman with Margulis—"
I looked her straight in the eyes.
"Yes, that was me. That was my transformed state."
"So…you're not human."
I shook my head.
"No…I'm not. chaos…I mean Yeshua's not either."
There was no use lying now. There were far worse demons out there.
"Yeshua?"
"You have to promise not to tell anyone, Shion. Please…for both of our sakes."
Shion nodded.
"I won't tell anyone, I swear. I owe it to chaos. He's saved my life many times."
That brought a small smile to my lips.
"It's good to hear that."
"So, you say that chaos isn't human? Well…ever since I met him…I had a hunch…"
"He was born with his powers…or should I say created."
"You said his name was Yeshua. What does that mean?"
"I'm not sure what language it came from…but it means 'Jesus'."
"Jesus?"
I nodded. Now I was waiting for her to piece things together. If Yeshua really was Jesus, then what was I? Or what would that make me?
"Yes…Jesus."
"That would make you…"
(A/N: Start flashback)
"Master Anima, why did you give Yeshua that name?"
"Because in a few years, someone is going to open Pandora's Box. People will need someone to deliver them."
"Deliver them?"
"Yeshua means Jesus, my dear."
"Jesus?"
"He will not be able to do it alone. He will need a guardian."
"Me…"
"And your real name is Megumi."
"Goddess?"
(A/N: End Flashback in the Middle of a Random, yet important conversation.)
I nodded. Shion merely nodded in return. Wow…she took that better than I thought.
"Will Yeshua save us? Will he make all of this stop?" She asked.
"I hope so. Losing Old Militia hurt him badly. I'm not sure if he has the will to carry on right now."
"I doubt this will stop him. chaos is strong."
Yeah…my charge was strong. Stronger than me.
"Yeah. Now…I'll have to ease my own pain."
"That's something all of us will have to do."
"I know."
"You should get some rest, Azaria. You'll gain some time to think."
3:23 A.M.
I took Shion's advice and went to bed. However, I couldn't rest for long. My memories made it hard to close my eyes. How would I come to terms with my past—Yeshua's mistake? I sat up and ran my hands through my hair. I was in Yeshua's private room on the Durandal. Yeshua, himself, was on the Elsa in his room. Every now and then, I checked his status. He was still upset…but not as much as he was before. By the time his allies gathered up the strength to go to Proto Omega, he would be recovered enough.
The question was whether I would be ready to go with them. I pulled the covers off of the rest of my body and moved my legs over to the side. Time for another walk. I stood up and stretched lightly. My body felt heavy from the transformation. I wasn't used to feeling so drained before. My normal transformation took nothing from me. Of course, this was the first time I used the hell Yeshua gave me. Does this mean Margulis would hunt after me?
Without me, Yeshua would lose direction. Ormus would use that to their advantage. I walked over to the mirror and sighed. My hair was a mess. But what truly caught my attention was the black line that wove itself into ivy on the right side of my face. That wasn't there before. I touched it gently with her fingertips. It felt warm and soft to the touch, much like normal skin…but in a way, it felt much different. A loud alarm sounded, shattering the peace in the room. I nearly jumped out of my skin with a yelp.
"Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!"
So…this is my luck. The intruders had to be U-TIC. Yay, and I was sitting in the room in front of the entrance to the second half of the residence hall. I glanced down at myself. Fortunately for me, I was still in the suit I wore to go to the park. Ok…let's get out of here. I pulled my soft shoes out from under the bed and slipped them on. Most likely, the U-TIC Organization had its soldiers combing the hall for me. I would have to take another route out.
An air vent, maybe? I glanced around the ceiling, looking for the tattletale iron bars of a medium-sized air vent. Ironically enough, there was one above the bed. I stepped up onto it and grabbed onto the bars. With a small huff, I pulled the bars off and dropped them off to the side. Ok…it's awfully dark up there. I tapped into my energies and made my hands into the shape of a circle. A small orb burst into existence in the middle of my hands and began giving off light. I released it and willed it to float up into the air duct. It looked safe enough.
I took a leap up and grabbed onto the edge of the inside of the duct. It didn't take much to pull me up into one of the most spacious air ducts ever. Wow…it's like Jr. expected me to escape in one of his air ducts. Maybe he does it for fun. I chuckled softly at that thought. Ok, Azaria…focus. Everyone's on the Elsa. If Margulis was smart, he would confine them there. I knew the ducts would not be directly connected to the Elsa.
Yeshua told me that when I first toured the Durandal. Therefore, my main destination was the Docks area. I started crawling along the ducts as carefully as I could. However, I couldn't just crawl to the Docks area from here. The Durandal was a huge ship, literally. That's why it had trains. Ok…let's try for something closer. When the first duct opening came up, I stopped and took a moment to peek. I was above the first part of the hall filled with soldiers.
"Did you see her yet?"
"No, sir. It doesn't seem like she's on the ship."
"She's on the ship. Master Margulis will not tolerate failure."
Ha. Good luck finding me.
"Hey, I just found something!"
No way. I might…have spoken too soon.
"What is it?"
"An open air duct! Target sighted!"
Damn! I took off crawling at a faster pace.
"Open fire!"
Bullets whizzed by my body, ricocheting off of the walls of the duct. Normally, I'm not scared of bullets…but I couldn't help it this time. Something hot hit my leg, dropping me to the bottom of the duct. Ok…I had to bail out. Do something, Azaria! Do something now! Power jumped to the palms of my hands…
Seconds later, I found myself falling onto the floor of what looked like the train stop for the Residence Hall. I hit the tile a little harder than what I was hoping for, jarring the air out of my lungs.
"Freeze!"
U-TIC soldiers surrounded me in a wide circle with guns pointed in my direction. I sucked in large gulps of air, trying to regain some kind of focus. Get up, Azaria. You've got to defend yourself. The pain in my leg was lessening, but it would be a hindrance. All right, next course of action. Let's see how my new form works. I tapped the corner of my mind where I forced U-DO to reside and drew it out. Warm velvety energy poured over my body, relaxing away the strain in my muscles.
I reveled in it…and at the same time…feared it. I lifted my right arm and flexed it gently. Black whip-like tendrils shot out of it and lashed out at the guards. With each lash, the guards turned to dust and blew off into the air. Within moments, I was alone in the train stop area. I sat up and glanced at my hand. It was glowing slightly and sported the same mark that was on my face.
Weird. Very weird. I stood up carefully, hating the dull ache in the back of my right leg. Ok…let's get to the Docks.
The Elsa
chaos:
I had to admit I was surprised that U-TIC would pull a stunt like this. I knew they were here for Azaria, but I had no idea why. I wasn't sure if they had gotten her. She was the only one asleep on the Durandal.
"I hope Azaria's ok. I don't think she would be able to fight all of them by herself," MOMO said softly.
Maybe she could…but there was still the matter of the guns. We may be angelic, but certain things can kill us. I wanted nothing more than to break out and retrieve her. However, I was too tired to do much fighting. Grief had torn me apart energy wise.
"I think she's ok," I said softly.
"Don't worry, I've got a plan," Jr. declared.
Wait…Little Master had a plan? Someone call Gaignun, hurry!
"What is it?" Shion asked.
"If you can get Azaria off to Second Militia, we can clear them out of here before they can catch wind of her departure."
Wow that was pretty vague. It could work. The question was how I was going to reach her. I couldn't sense her through the bracelet.
"It sounds crazy enough to work," Ziggy commented.
Exactly.
"Hey chaos, is there a way to display the outside of the Elsa?" Shion asked.
I nodded and settled into my favorite chair on the Bridge. I pressed a few keys in and watched as a large screen showing the Docks area came up. The train just happened to pull into the station too. Funny thing was, the soldiers were all over it, searching for something.
"You don't think she's on there, do you?" MOMO asked.
"I think they are trying to look for her. That means she must have gotten out of the Residence Hall," I said softly.
Where are you, Azaria? Where are you hiding? It took a while for the commotion to settle down outside. Apparently, she wasn't on the train.
"chaos, open the hatch."
Azaria? I punched in a few buttons and brought the view up to the overhead hatch. Sure enough, my love was kneeling down on the top of the spaceship.
"Ok. The hatch is unlocked."
Moments later, Azaria was standing in the middle of the bridge, looking slightly rattled.
"Azaria, thank goodness you're ok," MOMO said softly.
"What's going on? How in the world did U-TIC get on the Durandal?" Azaria asked.
Jr. shrugged.
"I'm not sure how they managed to get on the ship, but I imagine some people are going to get fired."
Heh.
"They're looking for you," I said softly.
Azaria frowned.
"I've got to get out of here. You're all in danger because of me."
Well, technically…I'm not in danger. Margulis wouldn't touch me with a ten foot pole (as much as he'd like to claim differently). As for my allies…
"You can take the shuttle out to Second Militia. We'll make sure you can get away without suspicion. We'll take care of the soldiers here and swing by to get you afterwards," Jr. offered.
"Sounds like a reasonable plan. Are you sure you'll be ok here?"
Did anyone notice the eager glow in Jr.'s eyes besides me? Jr. nodded.
"We'll be fine. Just take care of yourself."
Azaria nodded.
"Understood. Take care."
I stood up and motioned for her to follow me. I exited the Bridge and walked a small distance away from the doors.
"Azaria, I won't you to be careful. Please…"
My guardian gave me a pained look.
"Yeshua, you don't know why Margulis wants me."
"I don't need to know. Honestly, I don't want you to go out there. You don't have to follow Jr.'s plan."
"Yeshua, stop it. You know it's necessary for me to go. Your friends are destined to save the universe. They need to survive."
"We're destined to survive as well, guardian."
"Yeshua, I will be fine. I can handle myself. Please believe me."
"You are my guardian!" I snapped.
"Not anymore."
What?
"What are you saying?"
"Yeshua…just let me do this. Please. I will explain later."
Azaria:
I could see the shock in Yeshua's eyes. I knew what I said had to hurt him somehow. He was behaving somewhat irrationally with everything going on all at once. I couldn't explain to him about my situation until things had calmed down.
"Yeshua, I've got to go before they search the Elsa. I'll come back."
I reached in and kissed him on the lips. Yeshua pulled away a moment later and squeezed my hands.
"Don't die on me. Now go."
I nodded and headed up towards the airlock. On my way in, I noted that they didn't have a guard posted near the door. This would work to my advantage. I pressed the button to open the door and was met with…
"Freeze!"
…A gun pointed in my face. I was immediately snatched out onto the catwalk and dragged out onto the middle of the docks area.
"Azaria!"
Not in front of Yeshua…
"Let me go!" I snarled, trying to wrestle out of the soldier's grip.
"Wow, she's really cute. Too bad Margulis wants her."
All of a sudden, a hand squeezed one of my breasts roughly, followed by laughter. And I said to myself that I wouldn't kill after the Residence Hall. I guess I LIED. I pulled away from the soldier and sent a black tendril hurtling right for him. Several guns went off simultaneously, leaving me with no time to study my handiwork. I pulled my power up into a shield around me and watched as the bullets smacked into it harmlessly and vanished.
It wasn't long before they realized that shooting me was fruitless. I lowered by shield and smirked. More tendrils burst forth from the ground and turned the guards who didn't run into dust. Ok…get moving! I crossed the situation over to elevator and sighed. I hope U-TIC doesn't try to make it to Second Militia. The elevator doors in front of me slid open with a hiss. Let's go. I stepped into the elevator and waved.
The Durandal
6:57 A.M.
chaos:
I wasn't the only one who was enjoying righteous murder. It didn't take us long to dispatch all of Margulis's troops and set the ship back in order. I was still concerned about Azaria. I just wish I was there with her. And what did she mean by saying that she wasn't my guardian? Anima had appointed her as my guardian when I came of age. Maybe she was trying to point out that I had grown up. Had I grown up really? Maybe.
"Mary, Shelley, what's the status of the Durandal?" Jr. asked.
"It appears that the U-TIC Organization has withdrawn from space around the Federation," Shelley announced.
Hmm…they left too quickly. I doubt Margulis would let his prey go so easily.
"I don't think he let us go that easily," I said softly.
"You mean you don't think they let Azaria go easily," Ziggy commented.
That's exactly what I meant.
"Yeah…I think that. Jr., how soon can we depart for Second Militia?"
"Well…maybe in a day or two."
In a day or two?
"What do you mean…in a day or two?" Shion asked.
"U-TIC left us with a nice surprise in our Dock and Residence Hall areas. We will have to repair the air system there. Until that is fixed…the Elsa nor the Durandal can be launched," Jr. muttered.
"You've got to be kidding, Jr.! Proto Omega is wiping out hundreds of lives out in space!" I snapped.
"I know that! But there's not much I can do at this point."
I blew a heavy sigh.
"I…understand. Do what you can."
Second Militia
Azaria:
I walked out into the Space Port as calmly as I could. It was partially filled with people staring at the monitors filled with images of Proto Omega. Gods…Proto Omega. That's where I needed to be. Instead, I was running from the U-TIC Organization with no direction at all. I had to find some different clothes and a place to heal my wound. I had to find some different clothes and a place to heal my wound. Yeshua had a condo somewhere in the government district. Well…I was wasting time.
I started past the row of monitors showing the giant body of Proto Omega towards the exit.
"This just in…a dangerous byproduct made by the infamous scientist Anima has escaped from the Immigrant Fleet's labs…"
I stopped in my tracks. Margulis didn't…
I turned around…and saw my picture on the screen. He did. I couldn't believe he did it. Get out of here, Azaria! Hurry! Move! I turned back towards the exit and quickened my pace. Margulis portrayed me as a byproduct. I swear that when this is all over, I would put my foot so far up Margulis's ass…that he wouldn't be able to take a breath without feeling my wrath. Surprisingly, it was raining outside. I found that rather funny and rather suspicious. I scanned the crowd, looking for tattletale signs of guns. I didn't see anything…
"Freeze, monster!"
My luck sucks today. I turned in the direction of the voice and saw soldiers charging through the crowd for me. My powers would attract too much attention. I took off in the other direction, grinding my teeth to keep the pain away. If my leg hurt before, it hurt like hell now. I had no idea where I was going, but I think that didn't matter much.
"Stop that woman!"
The sound of gunfire made me speed up, which was rather hard to do when you're trying to weave through people. All of a sudden, a huge mechanical leg crashed down yards in front of me. I tried to slow down quickly…
And fell forward onto my face. I rolled over and glanced up into the cockpit of an A.W.M.S. owned by Ormus. I scrambled backwards on my hands and feet, paralyzed in fear.
"Surrender now, Azaria."
Ok…so they brought the mechs down. They really wanted me. A large robotic arm swooped down and grabbed me. I struggled against its grip with a loud snarl. Now I would have to consider what options I had against the U-TIC. I could destroy them and go on an unchecked rampage. Or I could just become a psychotic hunter. I liked the hunter option better.
"Aw…she's just a woman. Why does the boss want her so much?"
Oh…because I'm a huge flaw in their plan.
Durandal
chaos:
Jr. was right about the extent of the damage. It would set us back a few days. However, I was more or less concerned about Azaria. I kept sensing that something was going wrong on Second Militia. Call it a sixth sense…but I could feel death and destruction. I hated worrying. But there was so much going on that it was hard for me to keep up. I felt lost.
How do you feel lost? I mean, you're present in this reality, but in your mind, you're drowning in a deep, deep sea. I stretched my arms over my head gently. I wasn't wearing my bracelet anymore. I stopped wearing it after Azaria said she wasn't my guardian anymore. Besides, it stopped working after we came back from Old Militia. By running to Second Militia, was she trying to tell me something? Was she trying to tell me that I needed to grow up? But I am grown up…I think. Damn…she's trying to tell me something…
Second Militia: U.M.N. Center
10:57 A.M.
Azaria:
I had lost the soldiers hours ago, which allowed me to do a few tasks. One of which was to change into some different clothes. Second of which was to make sure Dr. Mizrahi was in the U.M.N. Center this morning. And lastly, to make it the center safely. All of which took me well over an hour. I walked into the main office room and behind many of the monitors that now displayed Proto Omega again. My destination was the analysis room, which was in the back of the office area. I entered the room without much suspicion…
"Dr. Mizrahi, it is good to see you," I said softly.
Juli Mizrahi turned around with a startled look on her face.
"Oh…may I help you?"
"Yes, you can. I'm Azaria, one of the people who used to help Jr. relate to Sakura."
"You're Anima's…protégé?"
"No, I'm the guardian he assigned to protect his protégé."
Dr. Mizrahi smiled.
"You've grown so much. I thought you were killed in the Conflict."
"It's natural for everyone to think that. I was snatched during that time."
"So why are you here?"
Ah…to the heart of the matter.
"I…know you specialize in cybernetics, but I need you to look over me. Please."
"Ok…go into that room."
Dr. Mizrahi was getting ready to ask me some personal questions…I just knew it. And yet, I walked through the door into the room she pointed out.
"Thank you, Juli. Truly."
"Stand in the center and relax."
"Ok."
I stood in the middle of the room and willed myself to relax. Relaxing didn't come easy after hours of looking over your shoulder. Dr. Mizrahi walked in and stood in the center of the platform that held a terminal.
"Normally, the U.M.N. Center isn't used for human analysis. So, far you to beg me to analyze you must mean something's wrong. So…please…tell me."
Do you want my entire life story?
"There's a lot to tell."
Dr. Mizrahi chuckled and tapped a few keys on the terminal. All of a sudden, I floated up off of the ground and was immediately surrounded by an orange field.
"It seems like your body is undergoing some kind of change…"
"As I thought," I muttered.
"What was that?"
"I was saying that I thought that might explain what's happening to me."
"The U-TIC Organization is trying to hunt you down. Why is that, Azaria?"
"You don't miss a beat, do you?"
"I try not to."
"Margulis wants me because of the power I hold. I am the only person who has been actively infected with U-DO's 'poison'. I am also one of the rare survivors of a direct gnosis attack. Basically, I was touched by a gnosis and lived to tell about it…plus I've gained some power from it."
"I see. Being close to the Zohar must have activated those energies."
"That's what bothers me, Dr. Mizrahi."
Juli frowned.
"Not that the powers aren't a blessing…but…"
"I'm not like Yeshua. I wasn't born with this power. I never wanted all of this!"
"Calm down. Now what do mean you weren't born with this power?"
That's exactly what I meant.
"I was born a normal human being. Anima handpicked me out of his many daughters to undergo experiments. He molded me into what he needed as a guardian."
"It sounds horrible."
It was.
"But it was worth it. I loved protecting Yeshua."
"You speak of this person in the past tense."
"That's because I'm not his guardian anymore."
"Did you give up on him? I don't understand…"
"Times are changing. I no longer feel like I can be his guardian anymore. Ever since Margulis forced my transformation back on Old Militia…I feel inadequate."
"You mean you feel afraid or you are afraid."
I gave her a strange look.
"I am not afraid."
"You're still human. You are afraid."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are, Azaria."
Am I really? Is that why I tore myself away? Is that why I'm starting to enjoy death?
"Maybe I am…ok? I'm scared that my powers would hurt Yeshua."
"Then maybe it's time for your roles to reverse. By the way, are you aware of the bullet lodged in your right leg?"
Yeah I hadn't forgotten about it.
"No, I'm aware. Say, do you have a car I can borrow?"
Dr. Mizrahi tapped a few keys on the terminal. The orange field around me disappeared, letting me back down onto the floor.
"Yeah, I do. I don't expect you to bring it back in good condition with U-TIC hunting you."
"Thank you so much, Dr. Mizrahi. Words cannot express my gratitude."
Durandal: A.M.W.S. Hanger
chaos:
The A.M.W.S. Hanger was just like I remembered it months ago. The only difference was that E.S.'s occupied the Hanger now. So…what was I doing down there? I was taking fate into my own hands. Jr. would chew me out in several different languages for this. Oh well. It's not like he held any dominion over me. One E.S. in particular held my attention: E.S. Dinah. I wanted to get KOS-MOS to pilot it for me, but that would take far too attention.
I climbed onto it and popped open the cockpit. It slid open with a hiss. I dropped down into the pilot's seat and pressed the close button. Machinery activated with the touch of my fingers upon the keyboard.
"Time to go."
Back to Second Militia
Azaria:
The ride in the car was doing well to settle my spirits. All paranoia had drained from my senses, making it easy to relax. The classical music helped as well. I was speedily heading towards Yeshua's condo, where I could take time to heal. Healing was very important, considering that I had lost a lot of blood. Maybe that was Margulis's tactic: to overwhelm me. He had the overwhelming part down, which made me wonder if he would try again.
A slight movement out of the corner of my left eye made me jump slightly. I just had to speak so soon. I sat up in the driver's seat fully and glanced around. I was the main highway that ran along the length of the massive city. All of a sudden, a mech crashed down yards in front of me. It took seconds for a horrific car accident to start. I grabbed the wheel and quickly pressed the button for manual drive. My reaction came far too late.
The car slammed into the car in front of it, instantly throwing my unrestrained body out of the windshield at 130+ mph. I flew through the air like a rocket. And for a while, I couldn't hear to see anything. Damn…was this the end? My body hit the ground violently and rolled over a few times. The pain was unbelievable…but I wasn't dead. Yet. Get up, Azaria! Get up! Just get up, please! The little voice in my head pleaded frantically.
"No…I c-can't…"
"Subject appears to be severely wounded. Send in a squad without guns!"
They are coming to get you. You will truly die if they get you!
"I…can't," I murmured.
Shut up! You can! Now sit up! My arms began the difficult process of lifting my torso up. My vision began to return slowly but surely. I could now see the pavement that I had crash-landed on. Blood splatters were all over the place. Nice. Get onto your feet, Azaria. Slowly now. Don't rush. I staggered slowly onto my feet and glanced around. Soldiers were in a tight ring around me, holding out swords. I was in bad shape. Bad shape doesn't begin to even cover it. I knew I was bleeding, I just didn't know how bad. It felt like a bone in my arm had been broken. That didn't matter much now. I needed to survive.
"Freeze!"
I hissed loudly and made a clawing motion with my hands. Come and get me. I dare you to. It was only one soldier that dashed out of the circle to come at me. He swung his blade down for my shoulder with a loud yell. I caught it with my right hand and yanked it away without a thought. I swiped at his face with my left hand, leaving behind deep gauges of blood. The man screamed in agony, hands frantically trying to cover his face.
Strike his heart! Go! You don't have much energy left. With unheard of precision, I plunged my hand into the man's chest and pulled his heart out. I threw the heart at the rest of the men and gathered up my energies. I sent the tendrils out to do my dirty work again. Blood and ashes flew onto my body. I imagine I must look like I've been to hell and back. Go…fly. Fly to safety. Wings unfurled from my back and I found myself flying…
12:37 P.M.
I was relieved when I finally walked into Yeshua's condo, bloody and broken. I was scared that the blasted corporation that drove me here would find me. But this place had the aura of Yeshua in here. I felt protected. Still, I hope the Gods protect me here…because nothing else will. The first order of business was to get clean. I felt so dirty. I limped into the bathroom as best as I could with two injured legs. I pushed the door closed behind me and pushed the shower curtain aside.
I fumbled with the knobs for the water almost mindlessly. The shower roared to life, sending warm streams of water into the bathtub. I peeled what was left my clothing off and stood up carefully. A wave of dizziness washed over me, making me stumble back onto the toilet. Standing wasn't a good idea. I climbed into the tub slowly, making an audible sigh as warm water washed over my figure. I weakly pulled the shower curtain back into place and curled up into a little ball.
Rivulets of blood streamed down my face, mingling with the fresh tears that poured freely from my eyes. I was so tired…so, so tired. Tears were the only thing that I could do that wouldn't involve blood. Well, not in the literal sense. The soft sensation of feathers danced among the length of my arms. A small glance downward told me that my wings had unfurled themselves. I had almost died hours ago. Death…it was getting closer and closer everyday. Sadly enough, I was human. Well…in some way…I was.
I stayed in the shower for what seemed like forever. (If forever meant the hot water ran out…) I sat up slowly and turned the knobs off. I would need plenty of rest to heal my injuries. Would…I have enough peace to heal? Maybe. I climbed out of the bathtub. There was a shelf full of towels just above me. I pulled one down and wrapped it around my body. I figured I could reach the bedroom by crawling…
Oh, have some dignity. I chuckled softly and climbed back to a standing position. My legs shook slightly, but managed to hold my weight. I limped to the bathroom door and opened it. Slightly warm air met my body like a blanket. Yeshua's bedroom was around the corner. It didn't take me long to reach it. I flicked on a light switch…
Yeshua's room was painted a midnight shade of blue with imprints of feathers contained within it. For such a small person, he had a huge bed and an elegant dresser in the corner. He was very much a bachelor. Very, very much. I limped over to the dresser and pulled open the first drawer. This must be where Yeshua kept his pj's, for his small shorts and long T-shirts were in abundance. There was no way in the world that I would ever fit into his tiny shorts.
I pulled out one of his T-shirts, which were surprisingly long. I dropped my towel and pulled my shirt over my head. Cotton felt so much better than blood. Honestly. I moved over to Yeshua's bed and collapsed down upon it. My eyes immediately fluttered closed as soon as my body made contact with the mattress.
"Yeshua…thank you…"
The Next Day
9:23 A.M.
chaos:
I guided the E.S. Dinah into Second Militia's atmosphere and brought up a communications screen.
"Dial Representative Helmer."
Almost instantly, Helmer's face appeared on the screen.
"Good Morning, Yeshua. Last time I checked, you were supposed to be angry with us."
You have an amazing sense of humor in the morning, Helmer.
"Well, I changed my mind. I am very twisted that way, you see."
"So, what's going on? I heard the Durandal took some damage and Azaria's on the run."
What?
"Azaria's in trouble?"
"I sent forces to retrieve her from the U-TIC, but they've been unsuccessful. No one knows where she is."
I knew something was wrong. I should have left sooner…
"I know she's alive."
"Maybe she made it to your apartment."
Maybe.
"Listen Helmer…call my apartment for me. Tell Azaria I will be waiting at the space port."
"I will."
I turned the communications screen off and cast my attention back to landing.
Azaria:
Loud ringing shook me out of my sleep. Maybe my wishes for peace weren't granted. My eyes shot open and darted across the room. Hovering above Yeshua's bedside table was a communications window that read: Call from Representative Helmer. Helmer! He knew I was alive. I scrambled across the bed and touched the screen. Helmer's face appeared on the screen instantly.
"Oh, Azaria, it seems like you're in one piece."
"Yeah…fortunately."
"Yeshua's worried about you."
I knew it was.
"Where is he?"
"Entering Second Militia's atmosphere. He told me tell to you to meet him at the Space Port."
"I'm not sure if I can make it to the Space Port without incident."
"I can send over a force to escort you."
"No…that will attract too much attention. How are the highways looking?"
I had to be crazy to think about jumping in another car, especially after yesterday. Maybe some part of me liked hurtling out of a hunk of metal at over a hundred miles-per-hour?
"They are fine, right now."
"Good. I need a vehicle and complete monitoring of the air around the highway and the Space Port. Can you do that?"
"Yes. I will have a car over at Yeshua's apartment in a few minutes. Be ready."
"Thank you, Helmer."
The screen winked off. Thanks the gods for Yeshua's political friends. Before I got going again, I would have to check the status of my body. I was supposed to have an automatic healing system much like Yeshua's. True to Anima's word, my injuries were gone. Even the broken ribs. Nice. Great, you've eluded death again. I slid off of the bed and back onto my feet. I had to admit I loved that my body was back in shape again. It really sucked having to crawl up those stairs to get here.
I walked over to the dresser and searched through the drawers for something that I could wear outside. Much to my surprise, Yeshua had one of his old skin tight space suits in there. What about the orange vest? Oh…just my luck! I fished both pieces out and changed into it quickly. I wondered back into the bathroom to take a glance at the mirror. My hair was slightly frizzy, but otherwise was fine.
My skin tone was actually back to normal, instead of the deathly pale shade it was for most of the day yesterday. The strange vine mark had actually spread down my neck. Interesting. Overall, I didn't look so bad. I ran a hand through my hair and walked out of the room. Boots…I need boots. I found Yeshua's shoes in a closet near the door. I quickly pulled on a pair of orange boots. Good. Very good. I would have to talk to Yeshua about his taste in clothes…maybe.
9:41 A.M.
Helmer had a rather luxurious car waiting for me downstairs. Wow, the special treatment. The moment I sat down in it, fear gripped my chest. I glanced around quickly and saw nothing. Ok…why am I scared? I entered a few keys in the keyboard next to the steering wheel and leaned back in the chair. The car pulled off and began following the predetermined route to the Space Port. Unlike before…I couldn't get myself to rest. Something just kept lingering in the back of my mind.
"I hope Helmer kept his promise…"
chaos:
"I can't believe you just took an E.S. like that."
Here goes Little Master's tirade. I had expected more of a screaming curse match. Oh well.
"It was going to take too long for me to wait for the Durandal to be repaired. Besides Azaria's had some trouble down here."
"She's ok, isn't she? Don't think that she will lessen my wrath, cuz I'll—"
"From what I heard from President Helmer, she's just fine. I am waiting to catch up with her."
"And when you do, we will have to talk about your recklessness."
"You of all people should know that I am not reckless. I'm just crazy."
Jr. laughed.
"Get back here safe, old friend. We're going to need you soon."
"I know."
I pressed a button on the keyboard in front of me and ran my hand through my white hair. He meant he would need me in regards to Proto Omega. I turned away from the wall filled with monitors. I had to admit I had the urge to kick Patriarch's ass.
"Yeshua!"
My gaze fixed in the direction of the voice. Of course, I knew who it was…but why would Azaria say my name out loud? The answer came in a line of U-TIC soldiers forming a line between me and her. Several loud clicks told me that they had grown beyond keeping her alive. Azaria skidded to a stop.
"…Oh…" was all that come out of her mouth before they opened fire.
"No!"
I forced power out towards Azaria to protect her from the bullets that would destroy her body. Light filled the port for a few moments and vanished. The line of guards that threatened her were no more and as for witnesses…let's just say there were none. (No, I didn't kill them.)
"Yeshua…you saved me," Azaria said tearfully.
I ran up to her and touched her face.
"I almost lost you. Gods, that was scary."
She smiled softly.
"I guess our roles have been reversed."
Huh?
"What do you mean?"
Azaria shook her head and fell forward. I caught her easily, but when I tried to get her to look at me again, I noticed that she had passed out. Did she pass out from exhaustion? And what did she mean, 'our roles have been reversed'? I had to get her back to the E.S. I scooped her up into my arms and started through the gate to the docks.
And then it dawned on me: I was now the guardian and she was my charge.
I had to protect her.
Gods, help me.