Two Years Later

"Are you ready?"

"As…ready…as…I…can…be."

"Alright…let's give it a shot."

With that, Shinza reached over and activated the prosthesis. A humming sound came from it, and soon it began to buzz and whir as it came to life. With this, she looked up to Bahamut again. He had changed now…and was a far cry from what he had been two years ago when they first pulled him from the void of space and revitalized him. He was still enclosed in a sac that kept his ravaged skin from being infected, as well as nourished him. However, the membrane was much closer to his body now, only rising six inches from it. What more, it had been cut short around his stubs for legs. Instead, his body was now mounted on a much smaller platform that was linked up to a small set of treads. This motorized array also held the devices for life support that reached up and covered his body. That wasn't all, however. It also held a large loudspeaker. The ship lacked the resources to make proper voice synthesizers, but they managed to give one to Bahamut that fixed into his mouth along with the breath mask. It only produced a monotone voice, but it worked. A red quartz visor was now placed over his formally destroyed eyes, feeding sensors into his brain to give him black and white images. Finally, the sac was cut short around his severed limbs…to which long, rod-like arms were now attached. Both had a ball and joint wrist on the end, and a three pronged claw or clasp on the end for gripping movements.

The professor leaned back now. Her assistants watched anxiously from behind. Shinza clasped her hands and watched. As she did, Bahamut's head slowly turned in the tank so that he was facing the longer of his severed limbs, and saw his new metal appendage. He hesitated for a moment. He focused on it all the while, and seemed to be forcing something. However, the neuron-connections were being made already. The signals from his mind were being rerouted into the device, and it was starting to click. At long last…with a slight grunt…Bahamut raised his new metal arm into the air. He opened the claws, flexed them in their joints, and then closed them again.

Shinza smiled. "Alright!" She cheered.

It had been a very eventful two years for the crew. They had found nothing else unfortunately, but they had more than enough time to work with Bahamut. By now, almost all of the morphology and biological tests were over. They had subjected him to every one they knew of, testing every aspect of his ability. Much of it was still being analyzed, but Shinza had collected enough to send not one, but two research papers back to the university for publication. Both had been published by now, and from what she was hearing they were being received well by the biology community.

Yet that now took a back seat to the new information that she was learning. Over the past two years, Bahamut had filled her ears with endless bits of information about his homeworld of Gaia. She learned about one new creature after another, strange patterns of geology, languages, cultures, types of life…endless amazing things. She pressed him for so many questions continuously that she could scarcely let him move forward each day in terms of time. As of currently, he was only beginning to describe a technical Out of Place Artifact on his world, the Oblivion Stone. However, that was only one of many devices she had heard described that made her marvel. Of primary greatness was the Crystal he kept mentioning. Every time she heard about it…she thought what she would give to be able to see that. Once of the people of Etteca heard about it, she wouldn't be alone either.

However, Bahamut had continued to make requests of her. He stopped her every now and then to devote hours to her talking about herself and her world. It wasn't too hard. Bahamut was eager to learn like her. And what was basic knowledge to her was an intricate detail to Bahamut. For most of the time, they got along well here. And yet…every once in a while, Bahamut would stop her and go into more detail that revealed her personal feelings. It almost always had to do with her world's myths or dead spirituality types. Every time…he wanted to analyze her feelings about this. And every time…she found herself growing a bit upset at some silly notion of religion. Yet at the same time…he also began to grow conscious that she would get angry as well, and would tense up before breaking it off. Aside from that…there was the fact that Bahamut kept asking her about her childhood. Shinza had little to say. She always gave the same brief overview story…but it was never enough. Bahamut always wanted to hear more. Sometimes…Shinza would clam up until he agreed to drop it. He had to admit that he didn't like that aspect of their relationship. But other than that…things were good.

Bahamut had become less and less some creature in a tank and more and more of an individual. Even if Shinza would have not done this for him, he would have made her eventually. He had a love for Ettecan music, and by now a controller had been placed inside Bahamut's tank for him to listen to it whenever he wished. That…plus a small keyboard. He used this to operate his own personal holographic screen display that put itself before him at night. Initially, he had only used this to play audio files for him to study off of. But now that he had visual sensors, he could read the contents of the screen so long as they were in a sharp enough contrast. And he had learned to read their language as well. It was an interesting experience, to say the least. It turned out he had brought Shinza before him and had her read the letters out loud to herself for three hours on end. As she did, she felt Bahamut dive into her mind and watch the associations and changes that accompanied it. By the end of the three hours, Bahamut was able to make out the gist of everything he saw, and after a week he was quite fluent.

Bahamut did something similar to learn how to speak. Until the recorder was installed, the creature could do nothing but talk mentally. But once the artificial speaker was installed and placed in his mask, he was able to produce a monotone, computerized voice. There were much better ones back home…but sadly they were still far from it, and this would have to do. Once he could use this, he once again read the minds of those present to get a grasp of their language. After a day or so of that, he was speaking to them fluently. It was a godsend, really. Now, Shinza's cramped hands were freed from typing, and the recording equipment could be used. That, coupled with Bahamut's new attachments, meant that the esper would be becoming more and more "normal" as time went on.

"How is it?" Shinza asked.

"Pretty…good." The voice responded. "But…a…little…strange. I…can't…feel…it…move."

Shinza looked a bit down at that. "Yeah…about that. We did mostly just cobble this together. If you agree to come with us back to Etteca, they'll be able to give you much better."

"Assuming…I…go."

Shinza hesitated at that, and swallowed a little. But then, she gave a nod. "Yes, assuming you go."

Both of them paused for a moment here, looking a bit uneasily to one another. However, that only lasted a moment. After a short break, Shinza leaned up and gave out an exhale. With that, she turned and began to make her way back over to the console. Her assistants, that had been fixing these new attachments to the esper, now turned and made for their own consoles once again. Once Shinza was back, she quickly sat down in the chair and began to fire up her recording devices.

"Oh, there is one thing I meant to tell you." Shinza started, much more cheerfully. "It has to do with what we found out after our caloric consumption per cell tests. I think it might also have something to do with how you managed to revive."

"What?"

"The data shows something very unusual. For an organism of your size, your energy requirements should be minimal at best. That's because you retain more heat as you get larger, and don't need to expend as much energy. However…we found just the opposite to be true. You seem to make energy more rapidly than the smallest warm blooded creature we have on record. You're storing incredible reserves of it inside your cells. In all likelihood, we could have left out ATP as one of the essential nutrients we gave you to revive you."

Bahamut hesitated after hearing this. "So…I'm…very…efficient?"

Shinza winced at that. "Just the opposite, actually. Because of your extra energy, as well as the countless other energy saving mechanisms we've discovered in your body, you are able to maximize all cell functions much faster and stronger than any of us have ever anticipated. And, from the looks of it, it's much faster and stronger than your body anticipated as well. At full strength, your body would literally start killing muscle cells from heat loss, and your body would be so strained I can't begin to imagine what the slightest stress would do to it."

"Believe…me…I…know." Bahamut answered. No longer did he convey any emotion in his tone, but Shinza could still pick up something through her own empathy. Some rueful memory was coming into play when she said this. At any rate, she continued.

"The bottom line seems to be that your body is too primitive to handle the level of power you currently possess. It's like trying to shove a mainframe program onto an archaic word processor. If your body was at the point where it could handle this level of energy…there's no telling how powerful you'd be. It would exceed all of our estimates. Let's just say that it's a good thing you are able to somehow consciously control your own energy output. If you weren't, your life expectancy would shrink to hours."

Bahamut didn't answer. He thought for a moment instead. His claws lowered to the ground slightly, beginning to supplement his other gestures. Shinza wasn't sure what he was thinking of, and this time her empathy didn't help. But in the end, the esper looked up once more.

"Shall…we…begin?"

Shinza looked to him a moment, wondering if he was still upset at all. However, she saw nothing to indicate it, and finally gave a nod. "Yeah." She answered, getting excited once again. She licked her lips, and reached over to switch the recording devices on. Once they were all running, she turned back to the esper. But not before calling out to the sound recorders as well.

"For those of you watching, you'll notice that Bahamut looks different today. We finished adding his prostheses, and he's moving again after 400 years. Bahamut, can you show them?"

Deciding to play along, although beneath his breath mask he grimaced a bit, Bahamut raised one of his claws, opened it, and waved at the camera. He quickly replaced it soon after.

"Ok. Bahamut, yesterday you began to talk about a new OVA, the Oblivion Stone. Was this at all similar to the Crystal?"

"It…wasn't…a…true…OVA. It…was…made…by…Hades. None…of…us…could…replicate…the…technology…yes, but…we…did…make…it. It…wasn't…of…the…same…nature…as…the…Crystal…although…it…was…built…to…counter…the…four…fragments. The…Oblivion…Stone…was…more…of…a…capacitor…of…energy."

Shinza leaned in at this. "What kind of energy did it collect?"

"Feelings…of…hate…despair…fear…anguish…anything…that…was…related…to…evil. It…literally…collected…evil…and…darkness."

At this, Shinza did something she frequently did since they began to record these conversations, seeing as she couldn't edit it while writing it. She called out to the camera.

"What Bahamut means by this is cast off energy and heat that was produced while a person was upset, angry, or depressed." After saying this, she turned back to the esper. "Now, you say that the Oblivion Stone was intended to counter the Crystal. How would it do that?"

Bahamut didn't answer right away. His visor stared silently at Shinza for a moment, in response to what she had just said. However, it was only for a moment. Then he spoke up again. "It…focused…the…energy…it…had…collected…to…turn…the…other…crystals…dark. It…countered…their…abilities…to…bring…life…and…made…them…kill…the…Planet…instead. It…made…them…things…of…evil."

Again, Shinza turned her head to the ceiling. "What Bahamut means by this is that somehow the catalytic properties of the OVAs were deactivated by this new one, somehow by focusing energy on them. The areas that had been benefited by the catalytic properties then began to die off, due to their source being cut off." Again, she turned back. "Now, Bahamut…"

"I…did…not…mean…that…drivel." Bahamut returned, suddenly glaring at Shinza and looking far less friendly than before. She could soon sense a growing amount of anger coming off of him.

Shinza looked to him a moment, and sighed. Here they went again. She turned over and shut off the recording devices before they wasted any good time, and then looked back to the esper. "Bahamut, what are you doing?" She asked him. "We're ruining the feed whenever we do this."

"It…needed…to…be…ruined…because…it…was…a…lie." Bahamut retorted, his anger growing. "Why…do…you…keep…editing…me?"

Shinza frowned a bit. "I told you this before. I'm putting it into terminology that researchers of my world will understand and accept."

"You…mean…secularizing…it."

The professor bowed her head a bit, and raised a hand to her nasal bridge. "Bahamut…again, I hate it when we have to have these talks, because I don't want to be insulting to you. But you have got to see where I am coming from. No one on my world except for a few sects of barbaric radicals believe in these concepts of good and evil. And if I was to put down in a report that some stone was made to channel the power of darkness to blot out good for the world or something, they'd think I was a fool, and you were stupid. I've been around with you long enough to know that you're an incredibly intelligent and sophisticated person. You have an intellect on par with some of the great minds of my world. It would be an insult to you if I put these terms in when I know that they would ridicule you and call you some prehistoric dinosaur. I respect you too much for that."

"If…you…respect…me…so…much, then…how…come…you…don't…believe…what…I…say?"

Shinza was caught again. Bahamut was very good at catching her off guard with questions like these. She hesitated at this, and didn't know what to reply. A few moments of silence went by between the two of them. Bahamut continued to float, while Shinza continued to look down and look a bit uncomfortable. She didn't want Bahamut to be insulted. She really didn't. Yet she couldn't fold into his old notions. That was the only part about him she couldn't stand. If only he would get rid of them…then she wouldn't feel so...uncomfortable...

"I'll…continue. But…only…if…I'm…unedited."

Shinza looked up at this, and saw Bahamut suddenly stiffening, becoming firm and irresolute. "Oh, come on, Bahamut. It's not like you have to care what we think anyway…"

"That's…my…condition. Obey…it…or…I…say…no…more."

The professor hesitated, and sighed slightly. The ball was still in Bahamut's court as far as information went. They couldn't afford to refuse him when he brought these things to mind. Shinza didn't want to bend…but in the end, she supposed she might as well. It didn't matter much anymore, anyway. All of the scientific data had been taken. From here on in, most of it was history unless they could find the objects he was talking about. She supposed they might be able to get by with this. They could always edit it later, after all. In the end, she gave a nod. "Fine."

"Alright…then. Now…for…the…other…effects."


"Well, it shouldn't be too much of a problem." Dr. Folle answered with a shrug from his side of the communicator. "I mean, technically we can't confirm that your scientific explanations are accurate either. He can say what he wants."

Shinza sighed a bit at this. It was later again that day, and once again Shinza was ready to turn in. However, she had decided to pay a visit to her old acquaintance back home via the communicator. Every week, she sent him her accumulated data. It was through this method that she was able to present her findings without actually being present. It was very unusual, but not entirely irregular. What more, Shinza was now trying her hand at something new. The historical accounts couldn't very well go into a research paper, but they could go into something else…

"It's just that I want to make sure this information I'm giving you won't be ridiculed. I don't want to just come out and spit in his face that he's believing a bunch of lies."

"Well, I'd say you were a fool and inconsiderate if you did." Dr. Folle answered. "Seriously…don't worry about it. You're in great shape even without this. Your papers are a sensation. They've made the cover of at least five different scientific periodicals. They've been included in more commercial magazines as well. And after this latest bit, we'll have enough of a draft to take to a publisher about this historical account that you've been wanting to see put out. It already has plenty of steam. Everyone is going to want to hear the memoirs from a living fossil come back to life. And this will actually have capital involved. You'll be making royalties."

Shinza smiled a bit uneasily at that, and winced slightly with a shrug. "Technically…those royalties belong to Bahamut. It's his story. He doesn't know about it yet, though. I'm hoping it will be a success. Then maybe people will start to respect him as more than just a new organism on our world."

"You think he'll change his mind?"

Shinza bowed her head and sighed a bit at that. "Oh…I don't know." She slowly answered. "Some days are better than others. I want to keep him talking. As long as he keeps talking, he has a reason to keep going every day. If he doesn't, then I'm not sure how long I can keep him. I mean…even with the prostheses we gave him, what kind of life is it to spend the rest of it in a fluid-filled sac, not able to see, eat, talk, or even move that well?"

Dr. Folle exhaled a bit as well at that. He couldn't very well say much to allay her fears. That was a big problem, after all. And there was no easy answer for it.

After saying this, the younger woman raised her head and formed a more inquisitive look.

"That was why I was wondering…about my proposal."

At this, Dr. Folle's face sank into a frown. He raised his hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "…I'm afraid you may be asking for too much there."

"It would really help me, and especially him. It would give him something to live for."

"I know…but I doubt many other people do. Seeing him alive is one thing. Seeing him fully functional is another. And if this latest report you sent to me is correct, you have no idea how strong he really is. They'll want to review the creature for themselves."

Shinza sighed and rolled her eyes. "That's five and a half years away…"

"That's the way it is."

"What can they possibly test him on that I haven't tested him on already a thousand times over?"

"It's basic scientific method, Shinza." Dr. Folle returned, quite calmly and somewhat sternly. "Results have to be repeatable by third parties. And so long as he's still with you on your craft, then no one can check him out directly. After all…your results are so incredible it's a little hard to believe some of them. There's actually an investigation committee inspecting the authenticity of your tapes of him."

The woman frowned and groaned again.

Dr. Folle shrugged. "I'm sorry, Shinza. That's how it goes."

The woman hesitated and clenched her hands for a moment. After a few seconds, she sighed and turned back up to the doctor on screen.

"Alright…but please keep pushing for this. It would mean a lot to him…and to me. I'm out."

Shinza pressed a button, and the doctor again vanished into a blip.


"Something…on…your…mind?"

"Hmm?" Shinza asked, raising her head from the console for a moment. It was the next day now. Shinza had been thinking about her proposal all night. In truth…it did sound a bit ridiculous. Unless you knew Bahamut personally, there was no way you'd agree to it. Now, she did, and she knew that Bahamut wouldn't willingly hurt anyone who wasn't a threat to him. But there would be a hard time of convincing others about that, especially since he was telepathic. She had been stewing over how to possibly do something about this, but had come up with nothing. Bahamut had just shaken her out of another period of being lost in thought about it.

The woman turned to Bahamut, and shook her head. "Oh no…it's nothing." She quickly pulled herself up once again. "So…are you ready to begin?"

Bahamut hesitated for a moment at that.

"Actually…I…would…like…to…question…you…again."

Shinza held for a moment. She knew what this meant. A bit nervously, she inhaled a little, and then eased back into her seat once again. There was a few moments of silence before she shrugged. "Alright. Go ahead."

"What…was…your…favorite…toy…as…a…child?"

Shinza hesitated after hearing that. That was an odd question…and it made her pause a moment. In the end, she gave a little shrug. "I don't know… I suppose it was some little stuffed Chubleepus I used to carry around. Those are some sort of large creature on our world, similar in size to your dogs but more like your rodents in appearance."

"How…long…did…you…have…it?"

Shinza paused again at that, and then cracked a small smile and shrugged. "I don't know…until I was about eight, I think. I took it everywhere with me. I couldn't sleep or play or do anything without my Chubleepus. I wanted to go to class with it, so I stuck it in my bookbag and cuddled with it whenever we went to the coatroom."

"Do…you…still…have…it?"

Shinza snickered a bit to herself, and shook her head. "Oh no…it's long gone. Probably a good thing too. It looked pretty ratty and diseased by that point…"

"Then…did…your…mother…throw…it…away?"

The professor paused here for a moment. Her smile disappeared. "…No."

"Did…you…throw…it…away?"

"…No."

"Did…you…lose…it?"

The woman stared straight ahead, unblinking. Her face was expressionless, not giving the slightest clue as to her private thoughts.

"…Yes."

"How?"

"I just did. I dropped it off in the woods one time."

"Why…didn't…you…go…back…for…it? It…was…your…favorite…toy…wasn't…it?"

"It was just a stuffed Chubleepus."

"But…it…had…significance…to…you. You…couldn't…go…anywhere…without…"

"It's gone! Alright!" Shinza suddenly snapped, coming out of her daze to look angrily at Bahamut. The shock was so much that Bahamut actually rolled back a little on his treads from her. Shinza's face was painted with anger for a moment…but then quickly calmed down again. She turned her head back down and she became looser and calmer again. She took a few deep breaths.

"Sorry." She finally said. "I'm just…a little tired, that's all."

"I…see." The monotone mechanical voice returned. It was silent for a moment afterward. But after a few minutes, it spoke again.

"You…really…became…interested…in…OPAs…in…high…school. What…about…elementary…school?"

Shinza hesitated a moment, still calming down. She shrugged. "Oh, I don't know… I didn't really think that much of it at the time. I studied a lot, just like when I got into high school."

"Did…you…make…many…friends?"

Shinza stopped again at this. "…No."

"Sorry…to…hear…that." Bahamut answered.

The woman sighed a bit, but shook her head. "Don't be. From what I hear, you were a loner yourself. I just always kept to myself. I was always shy. For some reason…I never liked hanging around kids that much. I never did play the games with the other children. They were always mean to me as a result, of course. You know…the one kid who stays out is the freak to be ridiculed. Most of the times I interacted with other people was to be teased or something. I never got along well with any of them. I got into a couple of fights, it turned out. Mostly, however, I just went off to some corner of the playground somewhere and played by myself. It was much better when I got into high school. More students there were actually specialized in things, and had my same interests…"

"So…" Bahamut continued. "You…made…friends…in…high…school?"

The woman hesitated again at this. A look of unease came over her face. She bowed her head slightly and did the nervous licking of her lips again. "…No…not really. I got along with people alright. I had acquaintances. We talked friendly-like every now and then when we ran into each other. And I wasn't harassed or bullied or anything. It was really a good time. Really. It gave me a chance to focus on my future major. And I liked to learn from all the teachers there…"

"But…you…never…made…any…friends." The esper interrupted.

Shinza swallowed again. A cold shiver rippled through her, and she straightened up in her chair. After a few moments, she gave a shrug to the esper and a somewhat feeble smile. "Well…you know some people. Sometimes a person just isn't that sociable. But like I said, I loved the teachers. There were so many fascinating things they taught me. I was an instant ace in Biology. Chemistry was a nightmare, though. And Physics drove me up the wall more than once. There are so many things to keep track of…"

Bahamut tuned out his attention as he listened to this. She had said it before…last time he had tried to pry into the subject of her more personal life and early childhood. Like a nervous witness in court…he noticed that she was answering every single thing in one dialogue save for the thing he wished to know. He could sense her growing anxiety as she sat there. He didn't mind read her anymore, but when he first had…whenever he brought this up…the images in her brain would turn vivid and red, before being blotched out like someone dumped ink on them. She was trying very, very hard to forget these memories…and they were no mere bits of information.

However, Bahamut didn't pry it now. After all…he needed some puzzle to keep himself entertained with. He merely leaned back and listened as Shinza continued her diversion of a story.


To be continued...