Borne Up on Angel Wings
Chapter Four
---
"We will be gating out of hyperspace in approximately ten minutes. Please return to your seats and make sure your seat belts are securely fastened. We will begin docking into the Dammerung's main terminus as soon as our signal is registered by Vector's Control Center. Once again, we understand that there are a number of space-travel couriers to choose from , and we thank for flying Kukai Spaceways. We look forward to seeing you on your travels in the very near future."
Shion groaned. The automated, electronic voice that blared through the shuttle she was traveling in had just informed her she didn't have enough time to make herself look important. She had boarded the Kukai's commercial shuttle only two hours ago, and it was already preparing to dock. Apparently the congestion in the U.M.N. had lightened up significantly. That the congestion cleared was a good sign, no doubt. It meant Jr. and the others must be well on their way to Old Militia. Shion had simply overestimated the amount of time she had to prepare for the war she would have to wage just to keep her job.
"Shion!" A loud knock echoed around the small bathroom Shion was currently occupying, "The flight attendant has just informed us the shuttle will be docking soon. Since I am responsible for your safety, I strongly suggest you return to your seat, seeing as that will be the safest location for you in the event of an accident-"
"Ok, KOS-MOS." Shion smiled. The android certainly followed her prime directives down to a "t." The perfect logic that governed KOS-MOS's brain often made her difficult to deal with; ironic, since logic had been programmed into her for the sole purpose of facilitating her interaction with humans. Still, deep down Shion hated the thought of returning KOS-MOS to the Director, but in light of the current mess she was in, she really had no choice.
"I'll be out in a minute."
Another knock resounded around the bathroom, louder than the first. "Yes, hurry up please. I've been holding it since the in-flight movie."
Shion laughed.. "Well, chaos, if you would have convinced Jr. not to give us such a cheap shuttle to escort us to the Dammerung, we could be sitting in a luxurious space-cruiser with lots of bathrooms right now!" Maybe it was her imagination, but she noticed chaos had become much more...playful. She unlocked her door, letting it slide open, and walked out. KOS-MOS and chaos stood in the shuttle's hallway facing her, and the latter's expression changed substantially once he saw her.
"Whoa, Shion. It's like you're a completely different person with your uniform on."
Shion had emerged from the bathroom in a freshly pressed Vector uniform. All accessories were gone from her hair. She hadn't even bothered to braid it. A single clip kept her locks out of her eyes, and the rest of her shining, brown hair had been combed straight down, framing her face.
"Thanks chaos," she smiled, "but you said that already three weeks ago the morning after you slept over at my and Jin's house." She paused a minute, surprised at her own memory. It was amazing the things she remembered, considering she had no idea what she had eaten for breakfast a few hours ago.
"Sorry if I can't be beautiful for everybody mow," she said sarcastically without feeling as she walked towards her seat, "but today I have to be the bitchy businesswoman."
She slumped into the uncomfortable Kukai Spaceways shuttle's chair and sighed. "You're right chaos. I am a different person in uniform: stressed, emotionless, and ruthless."
He sat on her left as KOS-MOS flanked her right, "it seems like you have a busy schedule ahead of you."
Shion glared at him, "I've never done anything like what I'm about to do in a few hours. I have to kiss the Director's ass first, and then immediately kick Arnold's ass just to save my job. I have to make sure the mental-midgets at Second Division know what to do with KOS-MOS. I need to brief my team on KOS-MOS's behavior since her autonomous activation on the Woglinde..." She threw her hands up in the air, "I mean, can they think of anything else for me to do? I could scrub all the toilets on the Dammerung for fun. Before I get fired, naturally."
"Actually Shion," KOS-MOS interjected, "I believe you need to deliver the E.S. Asher's mainframe to the Federation Department on the Dammerung as well."
Shion rolled her eyes. She had almost forgotten. Before Jr. departed for Old Miltia he had given her the disk which contained a documented recording of the events in the Ormus Stronghold. She had to show it to a member of the Federation quickly before the Elsa's crew got sued for flying through restricted space. Luckily for her, since Vector worked closely with the Federation, a few government offices dotted the Dammerung. This spared her a costly trip to Fifth Jerusalem.
"Alright, well, I need a minute to gather my thoughts." She muttered, "Let me fasten my seatbelt first though, because in case an accident occurs and this shuttle slams into the Dammerung at hypersonic speeds and explodes in a giant fireball, the seatbelt will surely save my life." She buckled herself angrily and turned on her Communicator. She needed to go over her report for the twentieth time to make sure it was absolutely flawless.
"You know," chaos grinned, elbowing Shion gently, "you're kind of cute when you act like the spunky, Vector businesswoman who pretends she's always stressed."
She turned to him with a cold, unblinking stare, "call me that one more time, and I'll toss you're adorable butt off of this flying turd of a shuttle."
—
By the time the Kukai Spaceways shuttle docked into the Dammerung and all its passengers had gone through customs, Shion's nerves were already frayed (her day hadn't even begun yet).
"Ok, my uniform is clean and neat." She, chaos, and KOS-MOS walked swiftly through the Dammerung's main terminus. She was leading the group in what appeared to be a convoluted and well thought-out circle to nowhere as she took stock on inventory, "my report is uploaded on my Communicator, I wrote the apology, I wrote down the briefing, and...wait. Where's my Communicator? Oh my God! Did I leave it on the shuttle? chaos we have to go back, I–"
chaos calmly pointed to Shion's belt. Her Communicator rested there, where she had clipped it only five minutes ago.
"Oh, right." She sighed, "good, so that's all set." She checked her watch, "the Director should be in right now...oh shoot, what am I supposed to give him? The report! That's right. And what else? Damn, what the heck do I have to give–"
chaos took KOS-MOS by the arm and gently placed her in front of Shion, who almost tripped over herself.
"Oh yeah." She smiled weakly, then covered her face, "I'm not going make it, chaos. I swear, today's the day I'm going to have a nervous breakdown. How can I forget about KOS-MOS? I mean, that's like a plumber forgetting his toilet plunger! "
He put his arm around her reassuringly, "relax, you're just a little nervous. You're doing everything the Director told you to do, so what could go wrong? He can't fire you for following orders."
She peered out at him through the slits between her fingers, "If I die–or worse, if I get fired–tell my brother I love him."
"You're going to be fine, Shion."
She gripped him dramatically, but he could tell she was joking around, "Don't leave me chaos!" She put her hand over her forehead in what she thought was an excellent soap opera pose, "I need you here for moral support!"
"Ok! Just calm down. Look at you, you're practically shaking! Where do we have to go anyway, the Dammerung is kind of big." Vector's headquarters measured 1000 meters from nose to tail; the Dammerung was more of a small planet than a space colony.
"I have absolutely no idea..." She bowed her head and pouted.
"Don't you live here?"
"Shut up! I'm a little anxious!"
"Excuse me for interrupting," KOS-MOS said pointing towards a shuttle, "but I believe that transport will take us to our destination."
Shion looked in the direction KOS-MOS had pointed. A sleek, transport shuttle lay docked at one of the main terminus's many spacecraft ports. She read the neon sign flashing from the shuttle (which was ostentatiously elaborate and colorful, in true Vector fashion):
BOARD HERE FOR
1ST RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT DIVISION
stops include
OFFICES
LABORATORIES
RESIDENCES
ENCEPHALON DIVE TERMINAL
"I work there, right?" Shion asked, needling chaos. KOS-MOS had a very strange my-creator-just-drank-her-brain look on her face.
He sighed, "Yes, Shion. By some twist of fate you actually managed to become Chief Engineer of that division. Now let's hurry, the shuttle is departing.
—
Once Shion found herself standing in front of her director's office, all her previous playfulness was gone. She had made a brief pit stop in her living quarters to print out a copy of her report, and now she was ready to...she wasn't quite sure what she was going to do, but she learned from battle that the best defense was a good offense.
"Ok," she said to herself, "this is it." She grabbed KOS-MOS's hand and led her through the office's sliding door. Shion had forced chaos to stay behind. There were some things she had to do on her own.
"Good morning Director!" She chirped, and burst into her boss's view like a living dynamo. He seemed shocked to see her, as if he weren't expecting for her to come at all. Such was his surprise he nearly toppled out of his chair.
"Ch-chief Uzuki?" He babbled, "what are you–"
She had no intention of letting him get a word in edgewise, "Please accept my sincerest apologies for my delay, but the U.M.N. columns have been blocked for the past two days. I flew here on the earliest shuttle I could find." She walked over to his desk and handed him a thick binder, "This is my report on KOS-MOS's behavior thus far. It explains the events we've encountered since the attack on the Woglinde, and I've included an apology on my behalf. Consider the conventional format of my report a thank you for your patience, since I do take my job very seriously."
The Director looked at the pile of papers in his hands. He held at least a hundred pages. Even if she had done a sloppy job on her report (which was most definitely not the case), the quantity certainly spoke for itself.
"Well, thank you Chief Uzuki, but–"
Shion gently nudged KOS-MOS to the Director's desk, "Here she is!" She announced happily in a sing-song voice, "my experience with her has been wonderful, to say the least. KOS-MOS has never malfunctioned, and she proved herself a vital asset in dire circumstances. I am confident that she will fulfill all the goals set forth by the Federation. She is my life's greatest achievement, and I'm proud to say I have not failed with her."
The Director blinked, but Shion didn't stop,
"I will keep in touch with my colleagues at Second Division as they upgrade KOS-MOS's Weapons System. I presume I'm leaving her in good hands?"
Her boss's mouth gaped. Wasn't he supposed to be asking the questions!
"Er, yes Chief Uzuki, I assure you the members of Second Division will treat KOS-MOS with the same care and attentiveness as you did–"
"I highly doubt that." She snapped. Whoa, too aggressive, Shion, she scolded herself. Tone it down, it's the boss you're talking to, "What I mean to say is I have poured every ounce of energy I have into my work over the past months to ensure KOS-MOS is functioning not only properly, but flawlessly. I crafted her, I programmed her, and finally, I fought Gnosis with her, both in the Encephalon as well as in real space. She is, in every sense, like a daughter to me. You must give me your word that absolutely nothing will happen to KOS-MOS's programming other than an upgrade of her battle features."
"Uh, well, yes. Of course. KOS-MOS is as precious to the Second Division as she is to you. I promise you no change will be made to her mainframe." The Director blinked again. His Chief Engineer had just acted tactfully, responsibly, and without a hint of disrespect or lack of work ethic. Why had he believed so strongly that she would have botched her report, or that she would have run off with KOS-MOS?
Shion nodded, "Thank you, sir." She turned to leave. Could she really be this lucky? After the scathing letter he had sent her she was about to skip out of the Director's office without so much as a slap on the wrist!
"Just a minute, Chief Uzuki."
Or not. A little voice rang through Shion's head at that moment. It said something like 'oh...crap.'
She faced her boss, "Yes, Director?" Here it comes. She was going to get sacked.
"I must say, I've been led to believe by a third party that you are not as responsible as you proved yourself to be. To be completely frank, I wasn't expecting you to show up with KOS-MOS at all, let alone compile such an excellent report in such short notice. I thought your intentions with the android were selfish and self-serving, but I understand now that your only concern is KOS-MOS's well-being. I feel I should apologize. I underestimated you."
She ignored the party she had thrown for herself inside her head, "thank you Director. I've recently been informed that one of my colleagues has been spreading slanderous information about me." She folded her arms, "I gather you've dismissed his accusations?"
Her boss blushed a deep and shameful red, "Um," he coughed, "yes, absolutely. I pay no attention to the false gossip that circulates in my division."
Shion had to bite her lower lip hard to keep from smirking, "I see. That's very good to hear, because I was quite worried after that last letter you sent me. I feared that on top of all the other work I had to do for Vector, I'd also have to defend my reputation. Such stress would be...undesirable."
She could hardly believe herself. She had diplomatically if not subtly reprimanded her boss for giving credence to Harold's blatant lies. A few months ago she wouldn't have dared challenge her superior for any reason, even if she were in the right. Her adventures since the Woglinde had changed her significantly.
The Director smiled but said nothing. Shion excused herself, but felt a sharp lump in her throat as she realized KOS-MOS would not be following her. She hadn't prepared for the next part. Spinning on her heel, she ran back and hugged KOS-MOS.
"Take good care of her, alright?" She commanded more forcefully than she intended. The Director nodded.
Shion smiled at KOS-MOS and held her soldiers, "Goodbye, KOS-MOS. I'll see you soon." Shion started blinking, quite frequently, "take care."
"Farewell, Shion. It was a pleasure to be of service."
—
Shion was crying when she emerged from the Director's office. She flung herself into chaos's arms and buried her face in his neck.
"I thought convincing my boss not to fire me was going to be the hard part," she muttered softly, "I was wrong. I spent too much time writing the report, when I really should have prepared myself for a painful goodbye."
chaos held her for a moment. He felt tears drip down to his collar as Shion's eyelashes lightly fluttered against his neck. He caressed her back gently until the tears stopped, and in doing so he felt the strangest sensation of tranquility wash over him in warm waves. He felt he could hold her like this forever, because despite his name, she made him feel at peace.
"Hey," he whispered and kissed her cheek, "do you want to just call it a day?"
"No!" She tensed up, "there's someone I need to talk to!"
chaos grinned. Her resolve had returned, stronger than before. This was the Shion he adored, energy surging through her, as if she were made of live electricity. He felt her fists clench tightly as she thought about how to deal with a certain colleague of hers.
"I'm ready." She stated, and gave chaos one last hug, "let's go." She grinned mischievously.
chaos felt attracted to her most when she was in this energized state. She became the moth and he the flame, except he didn't burn when he touched her.
—
"Hey, Shion? If you don't mind I'd like to check something out here on the Dammerung. Could I leave you at First Division for just a few minutes while I go find it?"
"Sure." Shion barely registered chaos's words. All the sadness and apprehension she felt earlier had given way to blind, unrelenting rage. Her blood boiled every time she thought of Harold, and now she was prepared to teach the power-hungry lying jerk a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. "Go ahead chaos. This is going to get ugly anyway."
He nodded and began walking away from Vector's First R&D Division offices, but he stopped as images of Shion pummeling Harold's face appeared in his mind. "On a second thought," he said to himself, "I think I'd like to see this..."
Shion burst into First Division offices with so much force that most heads turned to look at her right away as she charged up to Harold's desk. All the curses she knew came tumbling out of her mouth in a low mumble once she spotted the pudgy little man who had tried so hard to ruin her. Heh, heh, he was even balding.
Harold didn't notice Shion's entrance, however, since he had his Unus Mundus Phone plastered against his ear and was speaking frantically with whomever was on the other line.
"Yes. Yes sir! I plan to have her awaken soon. No I've taken care of all other obstacles–"
Shion heard nothing as she had marched right up to his desk. chaos thought he saw fire ignite in her pupils.
"HEY!" Her voice shook the office as if a grenade had been lobbed into Harold's lap. It had the desired effect too.
"Huh? Ah, eek!" Harold let out an embarrassing squeal once his eyes locked with Shion's. He collapsed from his chair and scrambled back up to his feet again, banging his head on the desk.
"Sh-Sh-Shion Uzuki! Wha-what a surprise!" The man seemed sincerely frightened for his life.
"That's CHIEF Uzuki to you!" She growled.
chaos had wisely left Shion and Harold alone for fear that Shion would suddenly turn into a fire-spewing demon. He slowly tip-toed to the opposite wall of the First Division offices so that he had a clear view of the...upcoming event.
"Oh, of-of-of course, Chief! Ho-how may I help you?" Harold stuttered.
"I'm going to be very blunt with you Mr. Assfa–ah–Asters." Nice save. 'Calm down!' She told herself. She needed to focus since this situation required a lot of tact and finesse.
"Why the hell are you blackmailing me!"
"Huh, what?" The little man's terror seemed to subside just a bit. He seemed indignant, "who told you?"
Shion fought the urge to slug him, "I believe that is irrelevant now. You've been soiling my reputation–"
"I've done no such thing! You're making blind accusations."
Had this little twerp just interrupted her? Did he value his life at all?
"Don't you dare play dumb with me Mr... Mr." crap, what's his name? "Asters! You have been deliberately spreading lies about me and kissing up to the Director with the intention of getting me fired! Your goal is to have my job, no?"
Harold's mouth opened but no words came out.
"I have reason to believe that you wish to have me sacked so that you can have control of KOS-MOS. Is that correct?"
"Well, I–"
"Yes. That is correct. And your hidden agenda is to change all of KOS-MOS's programming. Isn't that right Mr. Assfa–Assf–Ass, grr! Harold!" Shion glared at him. If looks could kill, Harold would be already rotting.
He unexpectedly became defensive, though, "Yes, Chief Uzuki. I usually don't resort to blackmail unless I think there is no hope for the company's survival. I believe the KOS-MOS project has been grossly mismanaged from the start. If my ideas for KOS-MOS's programming would have been implemented from the very beginning, we wouldn't be dealing with the setbacks, delays, and other undesirable situations we have now under the current engineer–"
"WHAT!" Shion took an intimidating step forward, while Harold almost jumped under his desk. By now everybody in the office was staring at them. Myuki even waved a banner over her head that read: Go Shion!
"Are you saying your programming would have better suited KOS-MOS?" Shion seethed. "Let's see, you wanted no emotional drives, no logical processors, a limited A.I., and an enhanced and very dangerous aggressive neural processor–which, by the way, is a real pain in the ass to debug. If my memory serves my correctly, KOS-MOS was programmed exactly as you wanted two years ago. What was it that happened again? Oh yeah, she went haywire and slaughtered many of our colleagues!"
A collective gasp froze everybody in the office. KOS-MOS's malfunction had become a taboo topic in First Division. Most people had forced that tragedy out of their minds.
Harold, however, seemed unfazed, "If KOS-MOS still had an enhanced aggressive neural processor, she'd be in much better condition than she is now. Especially since now she's under your care."
"Are you serious!" She seemed more shocked than upset now, "Do you even remember that horrifying day. My boyfriend was murdered. He died in my lap." More groans echoed around the office, "KOS-MOS turned into a monster that day because of your programming, Mr. As-Asters, so don't even think about saying that an enhanced neural processor is better suited for KOS-MOS–not after all those people were killed–because that, and pardon my French, is a load of bullshit and you know it!"
Harold blinked, and shot a worried glance around the room. He could tell most of his colleagues were taking her side. He mustered some resolve, "Don't throw that incident in my face! As if I willed it to happen! I only have KOS-MOS's best interest at heart, and you, Chief," he sneered that last word, "came up appallingly short on your responsibilities regarding the android. It amazes me you allowed KOS-MOS to act autonomously on the Woglinde, and your failure to file a single report on that crucial phenomenon is nothing short of shocking."
Shion, who had already been having a terribly hard time keeping her emotions in check, exploded, "You better stop talking right now, Assface! You're lucky I haven't kicked your sorry ass up and down the Dammerung yet!" She took another step forward and Harold fell over his desk, knocking over a paperweight and a cup of boiling hot coffee. Seeing Harold scared out of his mind on the floor caused her to calm down slightly. She reminded herself that a bitch was unprofessional.
"Yes," she began, "I admit I erred from protocol when I allowed KOS-MOS to act autonomously on the Woglinde. However, I do believe there were some extenuating circumstances. What were they again? Oh yes–we got attacked by the Gnosis! It was just a tad bit difficult for me to compile a report when a Gnosis hurled me against the wall. It's kind of annoying trying to write as blood gushes from your head! Don't you think?"
Harold tried to respond, but she almost slapped him, "And another thing. You, Mr. Assface–ah!–Asters! It's Asters! You are a rotten jerk and a liar. How dare you go around spreading dirt about me, tarnishing my reputation, and flapping your big mouth about how I'm an irresponsible engineer?" She was furious, "You better take back all the crap you said about me because I have sacrificed EVERYTHING for that android. Every moment of my existence has gone to making sure KOS-MOS is the most sophisticated and efficient weapon of her kind. I have dedicated my life to the KOS-MOS project, and for you to say otherwise is slanderous!"
The other colleagues in the office began rooting for her. Harold could tell he was fighting a losing battle, and he began to sink deeper and deeper into the floor. If Myuki had pom-poms, she'd be cart-wheeling into the First Division laboratories right about now.
Shion became so emotional in her speech that her eyes began to tear:
"I don't appreciate the implication that I am irresponsible, or lazy, or that I'm late with my reports or sloppy with my programming, because Mr. Asters–and I do always try to be modest–but I am the best damn Chief Engineer this team has ever seen! And I have worked hard and killed my social life and made sacrifices and busted my ass to get where I am today! You, sir, are a little man with a dirty agenda, and you will not bring me down! If it's true you have KOS-MOS's best interest at heart, then you should thank the stars that I'm in charge of her development!"
She spun around and made for the exit, but halfway to the door she changed her mind and waltzed back up to Harold, who was crouching under his desk. Her eyes flared, "And don't you EVER try to spread lies about my conduct at work again, because I swear Mr Assfa–Asters, I will smear your ass from here all the way up to the Public Relations Offices!"
Shion turned to leave, and the office erupted into an explosion of cheers, whistles, and applause for her. Her colleagues' reaction touched her deeply. For two scary days she thought the people who worked under her had mutinied and accepted Harold's bull as fact. Now she knew they had always been loyal, and she could walk away confident in the fact that despite all her mistakes, she had done something meaningful at Vector's First R&D Division.
As she left the office, one of Vector's youngest employees turned to chaos with a wide-eyed stare and gushed with admiration, "That's our Chief Engineer, you know? Isn't she totally awesome?"
chaos nodded, grinning smugly at the pile of jell-o on the floor that used to be Harold Asters, "yeah. I love that girl."
After Shion left and the atmosphere in the First Division office settled back to normal, Myuki began singing to herself as she typed away on her computer:
"R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me, R-E-S-P-E-C-T, yeah! Sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me..."
—
"I can't believe I said that!" Shion began wandering one of the Dammerung's many promenades, holding her head and catching her breath after her little chat with Harold. She could barely walk straight.
"Don't feel bad. You were amazing in there!" chaos followed her and held her shoulders every once in a while to prevent her from walking into a tree.
"I usually never explode like that," she blurted, "my behavior wasn't very professional. I'm kind of ashamed." She giggled nervously.
"What do you mean? Everyone was cheering for you. I'd never seen you angry like that before." He paused a minute and grinned in the most intriguing way, "you kind of turned me on."
Shion tripped and nearly hit the floor. Did chaos just say that! chaos–the mysterious, taciturn boy whose feelings one could only guess at and who never displayed emotion unless his cabin was on fire–had just uttered a statement like that! At first she thought it was her imagination, since she always behaved like a hopeless romantic. She had pretended that after their first kiss, chaos had changed dramatically, but now it seemed to be true. Did she really have that effect on him?
"chaos!" She cried, almost shocked, and shoved him playfully against a tree, "in that case...you better watch out, or else I'll smear your ass from...wah! I can't believe I said that!" She shielded her face in embarrassment and collapsed in a nearby bench. chaos joined her, and they sat in silence watching the residents of the Dammerung scamper off to work.
"This ship is pretty impressive." He remarked after a while.
"Yeah, well, Vector Industries is pretty impressive." She chuckled, "our CEO pulls out all the stops when it comes to the company headquarters."
She allowed her gaze to drift from the Dammerung's massive office buildings (which she had seen so many times before) to chaos's face. She still had a passion for his eyes. She felt they still hid something from her, but that only made her stare at them more intently. She loved the feeling she got of sinking into an emerald pool every time their gazes met.
"So," she said after staring at him in a way most young ladies would have found improper, "aren't you going to tell me your name?"
He turned to face her with a puzzled look, but inside he just realized how perceptive she truly was, "what are you talking about. You already know my name."
She giggled a bit, "Come on, do you expect me to believe 'chaos' is your real name? You, the most un-chaotic person in the cosmos. The whole thing you do by not capitalizing your name is cute and everything, but honestly. Aren't you going to open up to me?"
chaos raised an eyebrow, but he was doing a terrible job of pretending to be nonchalant, "Open up to you?"
"You know, like telling me where you're from, or where you grew up, or...something! My feelings for you grow stronger every day, but I hardly know anything about you or your past!" Her fist flew to her mouth once she realized what she just blurted out. Had she said too much?
He didn't seem to mind though. In fact, he smiled, "the past is irrelevant. It's over and done with."
She rolled her eyes, "Don't give me that! Look, I'm not stupid chaos, I understand there are things you'd rather keep to yourself. We all have our secrets. The past can be painful. Very painful, believe me, I know. But I'm not asking you to recite your entire autobiography right here on the Dammerung's promenade. I just wanna know your name."
He blinked. She was so sweet. But still...
"You know," she suddenly felt terribly shy, "I'd like to know you better."
chaos stared at her. She was amazing. He actually found himself resisting the urge to jump on her. She was too kind, too compassionate, too adorable to be real. He flashed her a heart-melting grin and got up from the bench.
"Huh?" she reeled from his smile, "Oh! Ok, fine. Walk away from me!" She pouted.
chaos laughed, "I'm not walking away from you." In reality he needed to put some physical space between them to cool off his urges; urges he'd rarely had before and that he'd never had a problem suppressing. He felt...strangely happy.
As he gazed affectionately at Shion, who sat with an adorable, perplexed expression on her face, his eye caught an insignia on a building behind her and he groaned.
"Don't you need to give the E.S. Asher's mainframe to the Federation."
She sighed, "Oh yeah. That's going to be loads of fun. So much red tape..." She fished around in her pocket and pulled out a small disk, disappointed that this brief, intimate moment had just evaporated.
"You don't have to come." She grumbled, "I like you too much to subject you to that kind of bureaucratic torture. Plus you're not a Vector employee, so they'll give you a tough time. Even though they're government officials and therefore have no connection to Vector. Don't ask." She got up from the bench, "It's probably going to take a while. You can explore the place for a bit." She had to suppress laughter. There were fewer places in the universe more boring than Vector's headquarters. It was like exploring the interior of a gigantic cardboard box.
"Ok. See ya." He watched her leave the grassy promenade and disappear behind a tall glass building. Her hair fluttered behind her. Her Vector skirt bounced with every step she took. She certainly was the flame. A very, very bright flame...
"Excuse me, sir."
Shaken from his thoughts, chaos turned around and found a Realian motioning to him. She looked very anxious, "you must come with me right away!"
He frowned, "Um. I'm sorry, but I think you made a mistake. I don't work here."
"No, no. The president was pretty adamant. He wishes to see you immediately!"
—
The office of Vector's CEO–despite all the technological revolutions the company spear-headed every day–was very conservative. chaos would have been surprised to find dim, almost spooky lighting, no Unus Mundus Terminal, and no sophisticated gadgets of any kind. He would have been surprised to see only a desk, two chairs, a couch, and an old-fashioned world compass in the middle of the office, which was strategically located in the Dammerung's tallest skyscraper, overlooking the thousands of buildings below. chaos would have been surprised, that is, if he had never seen the office before.
"Ah, welcome." chaos's blood chilled. Wilhelm, the President and CEO of Vector Industries, got up from his desk and walked over to his visitor. Although Wilhelm wasn't very tall, he stood straight, dressed elegantly, and carried about him a manor of unparalleled poise. His eyes were cool, sharp, and ruthless. As the most powerful business tycoon of his time (or any time, for that matter) Wilhelm knew how to bargain, make deals that favored his company, drive his competitors into the ground, and swoon his clients. The Vector employees who have been graced by Wilhelm's presence always comment on his politeness, his charm, and his smooth way of making anyone around him feel comfortable. He has never lost his cool, never buckled under pressure, and certainly never made a deal or signed a contract that hasn't graciously favored both him and his company. Rumor circulated around the top echelons of Vector that he could smooth-talk his way into anything. His enemies wished he would soon drop dead, but he was so young, and he strangely seemed to have been around forever. His clients adored doing business with him. Most women found him irresistible. His employees elevated him to a godlike status, and those who've met him became almost obsessed with his cool, unflinching eyes. In short, most everybody was terrified of him.
Wilhelm led chaos into his office with all the grace and coolness of manner in the world. He thanked the Realian for "fetching" chaos for him and dismissed her. Once the Realian left, however, something peculiar happened. All the dignity and calm flew out of Wilhelm's body, and his fist slammed against his desk in a fit of rage.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He barked. His voice sliced through the air like a blade, unaccustomed to yelling.
chaos folded his arms and eyed Wilhelm cooly, "I'm sorry?"
"Have you completely lost track of your...duties, Yeshua?" He seethed.
"I have no duties. I told you before, I'm not getting involved." chaos's voice was icy.
Wilhelm found his answer amusing, "Don't kid yourself. You know as well as I that your destiny is already written. Whether you wish to accept that now or later is completely up to you."
"You presume too much."
"I'm merely stating the inevitable." His gaze hardened, "What I'd like to know is why you're seducing the Chief Engineer of my company's First Research & Development Division."
chaos's brow furrowed, "I see that your choice of words distorts reality, as usual. Either way, my personal life is certainly none of your business–much to your displeasure, I suppose."
For one of the rare moments in Wilhelm's life, he found himself losing the upper-hand in an argument. He merely glared. chaos continued, "I've washed my hands of the situation. You don't have to worry about your engineer; I'd wager I care more for her than you do."
Wilhelm let out a deep sigh. He slowly walked over to his desk and slid his hand gently across its edge. His gaze was fixed upon chaos. His demeanor colder than ice. "Very well Yeshua, you can turn the tables however you like. Put whatever spin you want on the truth. Make me out to be the villain. Go ahead. Pretend you have the freedom not to get involved. After all, we all know that when push comes to shove–and the shove most definitely will come, I can guarantee that–you will carry out your destiny. You know that, but you can deny it all you want if it makes you happy. I'm simply concerned about the safety of one of my employees."
chaos suddenly found it difficult to breathe. He felt the office closing in on him.
Wilhelm cooly continued to stare him down, "Let me just ask you this–when the time comes for you to fulfill your purpose, are you really going to risk endangering Shion's life?"
chaos's hands balled up into tight fists, "You're assuming something that won't happen!"
The CEO rapped his desk, annoyed, "I'm not going to play this game, Yeshua. Defiance never suited you. I'm merely warning you, if you carry on like this her blood will be on your hands. It would be a terrible sacrifice–one that could be avoided so easily, especially because she is so innocent."
"What would you know of innocense?" chaos's voice left his lips in a low whisper.
Wilhelm sighed, "It's bad enough you've pursued a relationship with her, or anyone for that matter, but you also managed to pick someone who works for me." He strode with frightful swiftness up to chaos, like a shadow, "If you really do care about her, you should end it now. For her sake."
"Your lies and empty threats don't scare me." chaos replied defiantly, but he felt a paralyzing weakness grip his spine.
Wilhelm laughed, it made chaos's skin crawl, "Lies? You think I'm lying to you, Yeshua? You of all people should be able to tell if I'm being truthful or not. Tell me to my face then, tell me that I'm being dishonest when I say unless you sever contact with Shion Uzuki, she will suffer a most gruesome death."
chaos said nothing. He bowed his head and allowed his bangs to fall and cover his face.
"Well? Am I lying when I say she will suffer greatly?"
"No." Tears welled up in his eyes, "no, you're not."
—
"Shion! Shion Uzuki! How can my name not be in your database?" Vector's young Chief Engineer was losing her patience. She knew that Federation employees were slow, but the current attendant she was talking to seemed less active than a soap dish.
"Hm." The attendant scratched her head and pondered her monitor. She wore a face of enormous puzzlement, which clashed terribly with her Barbie-doll complexion. Her head was so caked with hair spray that it wouldn't have been surprising if some of it had seeped into her brain, which would explain her shockingly low IQ.
"Um, well, there is a Sharon Uzuki."
"No." Shion gave an exasperated sigh, "no, that's not me. It's Shion. S-H-I-O-N."
"Tsuzuki? I found a Shion Tsuzuki here."
"No! That's not it either!" She felt like strangling the little air-head.
"Well, I'm confused. I've searched all the names in Marketing & Licensing! Are you sure you work for Vector?" Her voice resembled Minnie Mouse on helium.
"Of course I'm sure I work for Vector! What kind of a stupid question is that! Wait, did you say Marketing & Licensing? No, no, no, you mor–eh! I work in R&D."
"Oh!" The attendant giggled. She sounded eerily like a poodle in heat, "I guess that's why I couldn't find you in the Federation's database! Just a moment." Her hands flew across her keyboard. Shion waited: a minute, five minutes, a quarter of an hour.
"Excuse me!" Shion growled, trying hard not to foam at the mouth, "what's taking so long?"
The girl looked up from her computer with a placid look on her face, "Uh. What exactly does R&D stand for?"
Shion felt a vessel pop in her head. "Research & Development." She spat through gritted teeth. "I work in the First Division."
More typing, then, "I'm sorry Miss Uzuki. But you're name doesn't show up anywhere."
Shion's fists came down on the attendant's desk so hard it made the latter unleash a shrill scream. "That's impossible!" She howled, "I'm the Chief Engineer of Vector's First R&D Division! How can I not be in your database!"
"I-I'm sorry Miss. But it says here that Kevin Winnicot is Vector's Chief Engineer."
"Huh? Kevin Winnicot is dead!"
The poodle-girl looked baffled, "Oh dear. Our database may need to be updated then."
"He died two years ago!" Shion exploded, "I'd sure as hell say you need to update!"
"Look, Miss, there's no reason to get upset." The attendant pulled out a drawer and shuffled through its contents, "if you'll just fill out this form, I can–"
"NO! I had to fill out three forms just to get into the building!" She took three deep breaths to calm down, "Look, all I need is to speak with a Federation official who has some grey matter between his or her ears."
The attendant blinked, "and what is this regarding?"
"Violation of space restriction due to interrupted hyperspace drive and subsequent Gnosis encounters. I wish to validate my crew's innocense with the information stored on this E.S.'s mainframe."
"Uhh..."the poodle-girl's face portrayed an unbounded stupefaction, "could you repeat that."
Shion threw her hands in the air and walked away, "forget it!" She cried behind her, "I'm going to speak with your supervisor. Is everybody here so irreconcilably stupid?"
"Hey, Shion!"
Shion looked to her left and spotted Myuki bouncing up to her.
"Oh my gosh!" Myuki squealed. She pulled her Chief Engineer into a bone-crushing embrace. "Shion, you were incredible back there! You nailed that Harold's ass to the floor!"
"Uh, yeah. Thanks, Myuki. Listen, I'm a little busy now, but later–"
"Bah, you're always busy. We have to have lunch together and celebrate your victory!"
"I'd love to, but not now. I have to, ah-Myuki!"
Resistance was futile. Myuki shoved her out of the Federation building and dragged her off to the First Division food court.
—
Shion picked reluctantly at her meal. She'd been waiting anxiously for a call from Jr. since she arrived at the Dammerung. She needed to know if he and the others had arrived on Old Miltia safely, and if the situation was...stable. As worried as she was though, one couldn't remain in low spirits for long in Myuki's company.
"I still can't believe what you did in that office!" Myuki gushed, "You rocked! That jerk is going to be so afraid of you!"
Shion giggled. Myuki's enthusiasm was contagious. While she could grate on people's nerves sometimes, Myuki really was a valuable friend, and Shion was thankful for that.
"Did you see the little banner I made for you?"
Little? "Yes, Myuki. I think the whole Division saw it."
Myuki laughed and attacked her sandwich. In between mouthfuls she continued to praise Shion and congratulated her for putting Harold in his place. She totally agreed that after all Shion had sacrificed, she didn't deserve that kind of treatment. Plus Shion was vicious! Harold must have wet his pants!
"Uh, yeah. I guess so. But lets try not to make such a big deal about the way I ripped into him, ok? I mean, it was kind of shameful the way I lost my temper, but I really couldn't help it. I lash out when it comes to my work, especially when my life has been nothing but Vector for the past two years."
"Yeah, you're right." Myuki smiled. "At least I caught it all on tape."
"Myuki!"
"No, it's really cool! I zoomed in on you when you told him you'd smear his ass up to the Public Relations Offices, and your face had this real scary look. I can show it at this year's office party."
"Or not."
"Oh, come on! It's not like the worst thing you've ever done in that office."
"If you keep talking, I'm going to have to slap you." Shion threatened. When Myuki was on her down time, her maturity level crashed through the floor.
"Don't you remember? The Christmas party four years ago, the one where you ate half a turkey? You had four beers, a whole bottle of Vodka, ice-cream with rum, and like seven glasses of champagne."
Shion stabbed at her salad, "I was eighteen years old."
"But it doesn't finish there! Remember afterwards, when took off–"
"Shut up, Myuki!"
Myuki covered her mouth with her napkin as she burst into laughter. Memories of that famous party started flooding back. Shion looked like she was about to kill her.
"Look, I have a lot going on right now. Can we just sit here like mature adults and enjoy our lunch?"
Myuki rolled her eyes, "oh fine... I just–"
"Don't say it!
"–wanted to see if you remembered the party–"
"I'm warning you!"
"–when you got up on the Director's desk naked and started dancing!" She threw her head back and guffawed loudly.
"It's not funny." Shion mocked indignity but she couldn't suppress her giggles."
"I believe you were also wearing fluffy white bunny-ears?" Myuki's laughter intensified.
"Oh God," she groaned, "yeah, I was so wasted." A memory popped into Shion's mind and she had to cover her mouth to prevent a loud, boisterous giggle, "remember Allen?"
Myuki had to hold her sides, "Yes! He was staring at you so intently! I think he had an orgasm!"
"Please, I've tried to purge my memories of that night. All I remember is a turkey leg floating in the toilet." She laughed into her napkin.
"And you were doing all those crazy dances!" tears began streaming down Myuki's face, "You were butt naked!"
Shion covered her face in shame. People in the food court started peering at the two young girls in Vector uniforms laughing their heads off.
"And then!" Myuki said, a bit too loudly. She was laughing so hard she could barely speak, "you tried—to do the can-can—and—you fell off the desk!"
Shrill peels of laughter echoed loudly around the food court.
"I remember your left leg went up," Myuki chuckled, "and then you flipped over and just toppled off!" More laughter, and Shion began fearing the manager was going to kick them out of his restaurant for disturbing the peace. The girls needed a good five minutes to finally calm down.
"Ah, good times." Myuki sighed, drying her tears.
Shion nodded, a bit sadly, "yeah, they were good times. Just goes to show you how much has changed. Nothing's the way it used to be."
Myuki's brow wrinkled, "Well, not everything has changed. We're still friends right?"
Shion smiled, "Yeah. Our friendship is the longest lasting relationship of my life, believe it or not."
"Oh come on! Don't say that. I know your love life has been pretty–"
"Pathetic?"
"–I was going to say non-existent, but it's not like there's no hope for you."
Shion laughed, but it was cynical this time, "you don't have to make me feel better, Myuki. You certainly don't have to lie either."
A long silence ensued, but Myuki had never found herself in a situation where she couldn't find something to talk about.
"I was going to ask you," she began, "who was that cute boy who accompanied you to the office?"
Shion's eyes lit up, but her face remained stoic, "Hm? Oh, he's just a member of the Elsa's crew. He helped us out at Proto Merkhaba and stuff."
Myuki raised an eye-brow " 'just a crew member?' And he followed you all the way to the Dammerung?" She didn't look convinced, "Ok, I'll buy it. So, what's his name?"
Shion scoffed, "you're not the only one who wants to know."
Myuki looked at her quizzically for a moment, "come on, Shion. Nobody comes with you to the Dammerung–'where fun comes to die'–and is 'just a crew member.' I saw the way he was looking at you when you were reaming Harold a new rectum. Now you have to tell me, or I'll become dangerous. What's he like?"
Shion shrugged, "he's a very nice, very sweet boy. Kinda terse though."
Myuki studied her friend for a moment, then reeled back in shock, "Oh my God! You're in love!"
"What!" Shion gaped at her friend, "are you high, Myuki?
"Don't try to fool me, dear. I know you better than I know myself. You're in love!"
"No, I'm not!" She paused, then buried her face in her hands, "yes I am."
Myuki squealed, "Oh my God! This is unbelievable Shion, it's fantastic! This is the news of the century!"
Shion frowned, "You're saying it is if it were an impossibility. It's not like I've been a cold fish for two years."
Myuki waved her hand as if Shion's statement were insignificant, "don't kid yourself, sweetie. Start talking. You're required by law to spill your guts right now. Does he know?"
"Uh...no, I don't think so."
She waved her hand again, "doesn't matter. One shouldn't rush these things. Has he hugged you?"
"Er, yeah, but I hug many people, Myu–"
"Shh! Just answer my questions. Has he shared anything meaningful with you?"
"Y-yeah. I think."
"Did you stay up and watch the stars with him, or done something else of a romantic nature?"
"Yes."
"Does he blush when you're close to him?"
"Yeah."
"Has he comforted you when you constantly bitch about your life?"
"Yes–hey!"
"Has he ever expressed pride in you of any sort."
"Um, yeah."
Myuki's body bristled with excitement, "Has he kissed you?"
"...yes."
"WAHHH!" She screamed excitedly," Shion this is serious!" She started bouncing up and down in her chair.
"No, sweetie. It's not serious at all. And would you lay off the third degree, please? I'm starting to feel like I'm in the interrogation chair."
Myuki huffed, "I'm assessing the situation. You have to tell me everything. You have no choice. What does he kiss like?"
"Ah-that's none of your business!"
"Heh, heh, you're blushing, and you've just licked your lips unconsciously."
"What's that supposed to mean–"
"He must have had you in quite a lip lock. Have you two...you know."
Shion folded her arms. She was beginning to get annoyed, "have we what, Myuki?"
"You know...have you seen him naked?"
Shion blushed nervously, "well, actually yes, but–"
"Holy crap!" She grabbed Shion's hands and bounced some more, "This is incredible! I'm so happy for you, Shion!" A goofy grin spread across her face, "he looked delicious clothed. What's he like naked? Is he...well-endowed?"
Shion allowed her mind to wander. She felt a warmness ignite within her and began to drool.
"Ohh, Myuki, he's," she stopped herself and snapped her fingers, "hey! Back to reality here. Focus please!"
—
"What's this?" Myuki asked as Shion produced a small, white disk from her pocket.
"This is the E.S. Asher's mainframe. I need to show it to the Federation in order to prove that we were attacked by the Ormus Stronghold, and that we weren't purposefully flying in restricted space."
"Oh," Myuki nodded, "that's why you were in the Federation building. Don't worry." She took the disk, "I'll handle it. As if you don't have enough on your plate."
"Yeah." Shion sighed. Jr. still hadn't called, and where had chaos run off to?
"Speaking of which, how's that Aeon stuff going? I was doing some research before, and the stuff seems really interesting. Totally whacko, but it reeks of conspiracy!"
Shion sighed. Myuki didn't know the half of it.
"So what's it all about? It seems really important."
Shion averted Myuki's gaze. Should she tell her? She really didn't want to get Myuki involved, especially after Shion's newest revelation. Last night it had sort of come to her in her sleep: KOS-MOS is an Aeon. Not that it was ground-breaking or anything; her flesh was crafted by mankind, her apparent destiny was to defeat U-DO, she had been created with the sole purpose of exterminating the Gnosis, the word 'Aeon' was part of her encryption code, she acted autonomously on the Woglinde before that part of her had even been programmed, she had rescued Shion and chaos when Nephilim told them the Aeons would protect them; it didn't take a genius to figure it out! But what did it all mean? What were the implications of this discovery? And could Shion just drag other people into this mystery?
"Well," Myuki asked, "aren't you going to tell me?"
Shion looked uncomfortable, "It's kind of complicated. I'm not sure I understand it all myself."
"Then tell me what you know! I might be able to help you."
"Um..." If anyone had the right to know what Shion was going through, it was Myuki. They had known each other for ages, and Shion trusted her more than anybody. "I don't know."
Myuki stomped her foot, "Come on Shion! Who hacked into the Vector archives to get the information you needed? Who constantly defended you while Harold attacked your reputation? Who built that M.W.S. that saved your life countless times? Who held your forehead four years ago while you threw up the turkey for two hours after the Christmas party?"
"Ok!...here." Shion pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Myuki. She told her everything: the encounter with Nephilim on the Ormus Stronghold, Niphilim's strange revelation about the Aeons, Shion's nightmare, and now these weird messages, and Shion's suspicion that KOS-MOS was an Aeon.
Myuki read the messages, "these look like prophesies to me. They sound kind of religious."
"I know. I've been trying to make sense of them. I think that third one is an analogy. Lucifer is U-DO, and he's poisoning the Unus Mundus."
"Weird." Myuki tilted her head and read the messages one more time. "You know, it's a pity that the Ormus Stronghold is gone. Apparently Ormus is searching for the Aeon who will 'sacrifice himself to the Zohar.' I know that they have-er-had a bunch of information in their computer databases. We could have learned a lot."
"Yeah, it is a pity. And to think that I was there just a few days ago." Shion mumbled. Then, out of nowhere, an idea so brilliant came to her that she thought it could change the entire course of her adventure.
"Myuki, would it be possible to upload the information on the E.S. Asher's mainframe onto the Unus Mundus?"
"Uh, sure. Why?"
Shion grinned, "For the purposes of say, I don't know, an Encephalon Dive? "
Myuki's eyes widened, "You mean, would it be possible for you to Dive into the Ormus Stronghold via the Asher's mainframe? And therefore retrieve any information stored on the Ormus's computer database? Hm..."
"Well," Shion's face lit up, "could we do that?"
"I suppose, but it would be illegal, very dangerous, and an abysmal abuse of our rights as Vector employees to use the Dammerung's dive device for our own selfish motives...Let's do it!"
—
The Dammerung's Encephalon Dive terminal was about as sophisticated and safe as any devices of its kind could be. Its only rival was the one in the U.M.N. Center on Second Milita. Naturally, security and privilege of use for the Dammerung's Dive Terminal was extremely tight, so Shion had to use all her power as First Division's Chief Engineer to get everybody out of the Terminal and secure it privately for herself and Myuki.
"So, are you sure you want to do this?" Myuki asked as she activated the terminal, "It's going to be pretty dangerous."
"I've been through worse, Myuki. We just have to be quick. Brief me, what do I have to do in there, and what should I expect."
"Well," Myuki turned on her monitor, "there won't be any Gnosis in the stronghold. Just mechs. So..." She pulled out a small cartridge, "I've been meaning to test this out sooner, but now's as good a time as ever." She handed the cartridge to Shion.
"Is this another one of your inventions?" Shion said wearily.
"Yup! It's a peripheral for you're M.W.S. It'll give your attacks a piercing attribute, so they'll be more effective against the enemies you'll find in the stronghold."
Shion looked worried, "I don't know, Myuki. I mean, one never knows with your inventions."
"Oh, don't be silly! Just try it out."
"The last time you said that I woke up with a ripped blouse and vomit in my shoe!"
Myuki rolled her eyes, "That was just that one time! Besides, I created your weapon and its always worked out fine, hasn't it?"
Shion cautiously inserted the cartridge into her M.W.S., "I'm going to trust you, but if this thing blows up in my face..."
"Then I'll pull you out of the Encephalon immediately. There's no need to worry. The connection is safe."
"Are you absolutely sure?" Shion remembered the dive into MOMO's mainframe at the U.M.N. Center. Albedo had intercepted their connection. She certainly didn't want that to happen again.
"Yes. Nobody has access to this terminal, except maybe the Director or some other Vector big-wig, but I doubt he'll give us any problems."
Shion nodded, "good enough." She donned her Encephalon glasses and sat down in one of the terminal's sleek black chairs.
"I'll be monitoring you're dive." Myuki called to her from the terminal's central network, "once you're in I'll tell you which computers to look for and where to find them. The Asher's mainframe can reproduce anything within a hundred mile radius, so the entire stronghold is covered."
"Roger." Shion gripped the armrests of her chair, "I'm ready."
"Alright. Be careful."
A low hum resonated throughout the terminal, then Shion felt the familiar shove, as if she'd been thrown out of an aircraft. The Dammerung disappeared from her vision, and for a moment all she saw was the binary code and flashes of the Ormus Stronghold materialize in front of her. As she dove into the Encephalon, she prayed this small deviation from her ultimate goal (save Feb's sisters) would be a fruitful one. The fact that Jr. hadn't even contacted her yet could only mean one thing: the situation on Old Miltia was very, very bad. She'd managed to safeguard her job today, at least for a while. Now she hoped she could keep an eye on KOS-MOS, slowly unravel the mysteries that surrounded chaos, and crush the Ormus organization once and for all–ideally before dinner tonight. Most of all, she hoped to find some answers; answers that were only a dive away.
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Oh dear, I believe I've left another cliff-hanger! I actually wanted this chapter to be much longer (much, much longer) something like fifty pages, but then I reconsidered since it would have taken me forever to update, and then it becomes a tremendous pain to proofread. Anyway, bad news is, you only get a thirty page chapter. Good news is I'll be updating really soon.
It took me a while to update because I agonized over some parts of this chapter. Although the conversation between chaos and Wilhelm is short, I spent a lot of time going over every detail: trying to flesh out Wilhelm's character and making sure everything sounded natural. Since the conflict between those two is going to be a key part of the fic, you all have to tell me immediately what you think. I know exactly how this story is going to end, it's just a matter of getting there.
As always, tell me what you think and leave a review.