El chapio seven! Guess what? Today's my birthday! Happy birthday to me! Ya'll can give me the nice present of reviews, okay? In return, I will shortly post on my bio links to websites with VERY lovely C/c art. Yayness! Full details about the sites will be placed there as well. I is such a good person...
To my reviewers...
Deona Lindholm: Autism? Dang. I do like your writing suggestion though. Yes yes yes...I will use that indeed...
SephirothsGoddess: Eep! Pyromaniac! (You bring the matches. I'll bring the gasoline.) No fair! I want them booth! Whaaaaa!
Xeora: You poor thing! Here, may you be revitalized by this chapter! I don't need any of my reviewers dying on me...
Kyone: I thank thee for thou kind words. I knew Realians probably faced some sort of discrimination after that little incident, so I decided to go on that.
Ficcy ficcy now now.
I have...the worst luck...ever.
I was irritably stomping down the corridor to the bridge.
He could have at least said something. He just left me there without so much as a "sorry" or "excuse me." I thought we were making a connection, and he ditched me. Now I have to chase after him all the way down here.
Stupid faulty electric wiring.
I entered the bridge to find it in a state of…well…chaos. No pun intended. Matthews, Tony, Hammer, and he-who-had-bailed were busily trying to solve our little light problem.
"I want to know exactly what happened!" Matthews boomed from his perch, "We had this thing completely fixed! It cost a fortune, but this ship should be perfect! And now we can't even get the damn lights to work!"
"But Captain," pleaded Hammer, "the lights should be working. I've checked a thousand times and I can't find a thing wrong!"
Matthews kicked his chair. "Moron! If that's true, then why aren't they on? I can barley see my own hand in front of my face!"
"Hey Captain," said Tony, "We're getting a transmission from Little Master. Want me to patch him in?"
"Sure sure, whatever."
Tony punched a button and Jr.'s face appeared on the screen.
"Hey guys," he said, "what's going on over there? I just got a report that your main power went off line."
"That's what we're trying to figure out," said Hammer.
"Captain..."
"What is it chaos?"
"I think Hammer was right. Everything should be working."
"What?"
"I told you..."
"Shut up!"
"Captain," said chaos patiently, "this may sound strange, but it's like something's blocking the power flow."
"Blocking? Hmmm..."
The Captain slouched over and seemed to contemplate the issue. After a few moments of this, he shot straight up and I could practically see the light going on over his head.
"MITES!" He shouted triumphantly.
"Mites?" asked Tony.
"I can't believe we have mites on this ship!" The Captain bellowed, "We just got it fixed up with state of the art crap and everything! How could we have MITES?"
I had been standing quietly by watching the rather amusing scene unfurl. While observing the Captain rant and rave about these "mites," I leaned over to chaos.
"What are...mites?" I asked.
"Mites? They're parasites that feed off the energy in a ship's main circuit line. They normally hang around wreckages floating out in space, but once in a while they make their way onto a fully active ship. One or two are harmless, but they multiply quickly and can infest themselves into the electrical frame, in turn absorbing all the power and letting none get to the rest of the craft."
"So, we need to get rid of them quickly or else we'll be looking at a total power loss, correct?"
"Yes. Although it is still uncertain if mites are really the cause of this problem."
"Of course mites are the cause!" cut in Matthews. "What else would it be?"
"Well either way, you've got your work cut out for you." Jr. observed.
"Got that right..." mumbled Tony.
"Well good luck to all of you. Oh, and I'm declaring your ship quarantined until this mess is settled. I don't want those pests getting into my baby!"
"What! But Little Master..." pleaded Hammer.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get it figured out before you run out of supplies. Later!"
The screen went blank.
"That little..." Captain Matthews grumbled. He cleared his throat. "All right all right, I want this ship to be mite free by this evening! I've got a hot date with a bottle of burgundy back at the Durandel and I don't intend to miss it! chaos!"
"Yes sir?"
"I want you to get down to the power room and find out exactly where those bugs are! Get a move on now!"
He nodded and hurried out the door. Not wanting him to be out of my sight again, I followed.
"chaos," I called after him, "Will you need some help?"
"I don't think so," he said without turning around or slowing his pace, "I know this ship like the back of my hand. I don't think doing a little pest control will be difficult."
"Good. Then you shouldn't object to my coming, should you?"
He paused. "No, I guess I shouldn't." He turned around. "Actually, I think your presence would be…quite welcome."
My ego sky-rocketed.
We made our way to the engineer room. Noticing the absents of a large door or tunnel, I asked, "How exactly do we get to this power room?"
"There's a conduit that goes directly to it. It's pretty small, but big enough for a person to crawl through."
"Where is it? I've been down here several times and have never seen a tunnel of any kind."
"It's hidden," he explained, "The Captain is very finicky on who gets to see what makes his ship tick."
He started feeling along the walls, looking for what I assumed was the entrance to this "conduit."
"Why? Is it something stolen?"
"I'm sure parts of it very well may be. It's something he's spent years working on until he presumably "perfected" it. He doesn't want anyone stealing his ideas. In fact, I think I'm one of the only people he trusts to repair it."
"Really? Does that mean the Captain trusts me then?"
"I'm honestly not sure. But I trust you, and that's all that he cares about."
Again with the happy bubble feelings? Get a grip. You can't get all mushy every time he pays you a compliment.
His gliding hands stopped short. He paused and inspected the wall.
"Ah, here it is."
He gave the wall a sharp smack and a circular portion jutted out and fell away, revealing an extremely cramped and narrow passage. I glanced down into it. It was dark, and I couldn't see where it ended.
If it ended...I hope I can even fit in there.
"You'll probably want this," he said, handing me a small flashlight. He bent over to get into the tunnel.
"Stay close okay? We don't know exactly what's down there." He started crawling through.
I got on my hands and knees and followed him into the dark unknown. The dim light behind us disappeared quickly, leaving only shadows. I slightly shivered.
This is creepy. I can't hear a thing. I can't see a thing. I'm a Realian, not an android; I don't function well in the dark.
Thankfully, I remembered my flashlight, and I quickly switched it on. The sudden light strained my eyes, and I blinked a few times to get my bearings. I saw chaos a few feet in front of me, undisturbed by the bleak midnight.
Guess he has been down here before.
"Hey Canaan," he called back, "how are you holding up back there?"
"Never been better..." was my grim reply.
He chuckled.
"Don't worry, we only have about fifty more feet to go. Do you see that green cord running along the wall?"
"Yeah, so?"
"That's the main power connector right there. It goes straight to where we are headed. The thicker it gets, the closer we are."
It was a little comforting now that I had something to focus on. I set to work calculating.
Okay okay, get your mind off the scary tunnel for a while. The cord is about three inches thick right now. About every foot I crawl it gets another half-inch thicker, so fifty more feet the cord should be...
Hmm, fifty divided by 2...2 put down the four and the zero, 10 divided by two…twenty five plus three is twenty eight.
So that cord is going to be twenty-eight inches thick once I get there.
My mind wandered to more calculations to pass the time. Then it hit me. chaos had given me that knowledge just to get my mind of the dark. And it had worked flawlessly.
How can he read me so well? If that's the case, then why is it that the one thing I want him to figure out he remains completely oblivious to? I guess I need to try harder…
I was struck with a sudden sinking feeling.
Could it be...that he has figured it out? That he does realize my feelings? And he's disregarding it because he's…
...disgusted by it?
But, that, I know I'm a guy and a Realian, but, he isn't prejudice or anything, right?
Right?
My head clouded with doubt and worry as we crawled closer and closer toward our destination. I miserably glanced at the cord to see how much longer this expedition would last.
About, twenty six inches now. Almost there.
Sure enough, up ahead I spotted another door.
"Nearly there ..." I heard him say.
He reached the door and punched in some numbers on a keypad. It quickly swung open. We both climbed inside, and found...
"What the..." I barley managed to spurt out.
Everywhere around us were these masses of small worm-like creatures. They clung to every nook and cranny of the wires and circuits. Nothing to extraordinary, right?
Except, they were glowing.
Not just an ordinary soft light glow. An extremely rich and lush glow. They were emitting the color of deep azure, and it brightly lit up the dank and dreadfully cramped room. They were strung about on the wires, giving off a bit of a pattern. It looked like something you would find in an art gallery.
It was absolutely…lovely.
It took me a few seconds to realize that I was standing there with my mouth hanging open.
He must have noticed, for he said, "Beautiful things, aren't they? It's a shame they serve such a destructive purpose."
"Those are the mites? I expected them to be some creepy crawly unappealing little insect, but this…I wasn't expecting this."
"Yes. That was my reaction as well when I first had to deal with them. But it is a false beauty. They can render a ship powerless in a matter of days, leaving it stranded out in the middle of nowhere. Even if the mites are found, some people don't have the will to destroy something so grand. And that is why they can be so dangerous."
"I see…"
A false beauty hmm? Now who does that remind me of?
"But still, it's a shame we have to get rid of them…" I said a little sadly.
Don't get sappy over a bunch of bugs you twit. Don't act like a spineless pansy in front of him.
He cleared his throat; "Well…" he began.
He turned around and gave me one of his sweet smiles.
"I suppose, we don't have to get rid of them…yet."
"Meaning…?"
"Let's just enjoy the light show for a while, shall we? Our little secret. The Captain doesn't have to know."
My legs turned to mush. The only thing keeping the rest of me from melting into a huge pile of Canaan-goo was the fact that I now had the chance to be alone with him, undisturbed, uninterrupted.
It was the perfect setting for a "couple" as interesting as we were. A cozy room romantically lit by the blue-glow of space parasites secretly tucked away in the belly of a luxury ship…What more could I ask for?
You're not a "couple" yet. Don't get ahead of yourself. Focus on not messing this up, ok?
He had by that time sat down next to where I was standing, and was dreamily enjoying the display. I clumsily joined him, plopping a few feet away, and leaned up against the wall.
He turned towards me and grinned. "Hey, why are you sitting so far away? I'm not going to bite you know."
Face red hot, I scooted over another inch.
He sighed. "Stop being so silly Canaan. Come here."
I kept moving over until I was about two inches from him.
"There, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" He teased with a mirthful smile on his face.
I pretended not to listen.
His eyes turned upward, absorbing the sights, and said nothing more.
I tried to focus on the show as well, but I began to fidget and over-analyze the situation. I wanted this to be perfect. I needed to find how I could make it so.
Should I say something? Should I do something? Am I sitting to close? Can I sit closer? Should I pretend not to care? Should I ask him a question? No no no…that's not it…
He's probably getting bored of me already…
But he looked anything but bored. He was sitting there, just enjoying, completely oblivious to my dilemmas. I relaxed a bit, and grew accustomed to the quiet atmosphere. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence; it was just a pleasant sort of calm. One that I was quickly beginning to enjoy. I realized I didn't need to do anything.
I leaned further against the wall and became lost in the serenity.
The blue light danced away in front of my eyes. It was truly an exquisite setting, aided by the attractive being sitting just a few inches away.
If he really was ashamed and appalled by me, he wouldn't treat me so nice, right? He just can't tell. He hasn't figured it out. Yeah, that's what it is. And if I'm wrong…then I will just enjoy our time together.
But…I really really wish that I could just tell him. Then this setting could truly be perfect.
I began to day dream.
I fantasized what would be different it we were here as a "couple." We would probably be sitting like this, shyly, awkwardly, waiting for the other to make the first move. I would slowly inch my arm around him, being careful not to startle him, and bring him closely toward me. I would feel his body relax into my embrace. He would bury his face into my chest. I would run my fingers through his hair, soothing him, comforting him. We would lay there basking in the warmth of each other, and loose track of the hours.
Yes…that would be…perfect.
"Canaan?"
Absolutely perfect.
"Canaan?"
Who says I don't know anything about romance? That's a pretty darn lovey dovey situation I just concocted up.
"Canaan, are you okay? Hello?"
Still lost in my thoughts, I lazily opened my eyes. Wait, my eyes were closed?
Then, I noticed something.
While during my day dreaming, I had apparently been scooting closer and closer to chaos. Now, I was practically on top of him, squishing up against him, eyes closed, head nearly leaning on his shoulder.
That was the position I was in when I finally snapped back to reality.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? WAKE UP.
I leaped into a standing position, gracefully whacking my head against the ceiling, and began to blab out apology after apology.
"I'm so sorry…I can't…what was I thinking…so sorry…hope I haven't…done anything…um…I…"
He quickly stood up and put a finger to my lips, silencing me.
"Canaan, relax. It's all right. I don't mind."
I just looked at my feet, still horrified at my behavior.
"Hey…I know you had a tough day today, and yesterday. You're just a little out of it, right?"
Yes yes, go with that.
I nodded my head, relieved at his understanding.
"Or," he continued, "Did you just want a little attention? Hmm?"
Face hot with embarrassment, I stuttered out, "No no no, I…"
He laughed. "Easy now Canaan. I was just teasing."
Darn him and his mockery.
"Very funny…" I grumbled.
He continued his laughter.
"Listen Canaan, while I thoroughly enjoyed this little outing, I think it's about time we alert the Captain, don't you think?"
"Yeah…I suppose it is."
He pulled a communication device from his pocket and punched a button.
"Captain?" he said, speaking into it.
"chaos! What took you so long? Did you find them?"
"Sorry sir. I got a little…side tracked. You were right; we've got mites and lots of them. I recommend extermination immediately."
"Ah ha! See I'm never wrong! Good…Give me the signal once you get to a safe location and we'll flood the room with Nitromonixide. That should take care of the little buggers."
"Aye sir. Stand by."
He pocketed the device and said, "Come on Canaan, we better start heading back."
He climbed into the conduit and started crawling through. I couldn't help but glance back one last time, sadly looking at the lights. I shut the hatch door. I was once again in darkness.
We reached the outside shortly, and chaos again took the device from his pocket.
"Captain? We're out of the power room. You can begin."
"Good. Ya'll can head back to the Durandel, you've done plenty today. I don't think the Elsa will be up and running for a while. Oh, and we'll contact Little Master and tell him he can release us from that damn quarantine."
"Understood. Thank you Captain."
He sighed and stretched, obviously tired from the day's excitements.
"I don't know about you Canaan, but I'm beat. I didn't realize how late it had gotten. It's almost nighttime. I'm looking forward to a nice long rest."
"Agreed. Let's go back and get some sleep."
We headed for the exit, and chaos was about the open the hatch door, when it swung open on its own accord.
Standing on the other side was Jr., grinning happily.
"Hey guys. I got the call from Matthews and was coming to check up on you. How did the bug extermination go?"
"Fine. No thanks to you." I said rather bitterly.
"Yeah, sorry 'bout that, but listen, go back and get some good sleep tonight, okay? We've got a big day tomorrow."
"Really? How so?" asked chaos.
He smirked mischievously, "I'm taking everyone to the beach tomorrow, and you have to come whether you like it or not. Don't be late!"
I was stumped as Jr. flounced off.
The…beach?
Yay! I've been looking forward to el beach scene for a while now! Oh, please forgive my mathing skills during the "tunnel scene." I really stink at math, and I hope I did everything correctly and what not. You know, I technically haven't beaten Epi. II yet. SHAME ON ME! But I cheated and read a little summary of the ending. Yeshua, eh? Curious, I found out what it translates as. If you do not know, and want to know, check me bio. Nehehe.