"Oh? How interesting. This Commander is certainly not human... and she is the one we are looking for. Where is her rigging? Oh well. I'll give her some time to recover, then, when Purifier comes back, I'll put her to work again," an elated Observer Alpha proclaimed. Then a second thought crossed her mind and she furrowed her brow.
"Hopefully Observer Zero doesn't ask any questions of Purifier as to how she died. That little idiot can't lie to save her life," she lamented. Turning back to the video of the incident that was broadcast from Purifier until she died, she paused on the moment Nanami had lifted Purifier's head.
She shivered, a wave of ecstasy flowing over her as she saw the look on Nanami's face. This one would be easy to push over the edge, and it would be Observer Alpha's pleasure to do so.
Enterprise clutched Nanami tightly as she carried her back to base. The rest of the fleet was arrayed around her, ready for any potential Siren ambush. The remains of Nanami's destroyed rigging were towed back by Hood.
"You brave, dumb woman, why did you do that? Were you trying to live up to your family? You don't need to do that for us," Enterprise quietly chastised her charge.
The fleet arrived at the base to see the damage was already being repaired, the wounded had been gathered up, and Akagi was issuing orders to the cleanup crews. When she saw the fleet approaching, she turned with a smile on her face.
"Nanami," she began, then she saw the body in Enterprise's arms.
Her voice turned cold, "How did you let this happen Enterprise? You weren't strong enough to protect her?" Before Enterprise could respond, Amagi moved between her sister and the Eagle Union carrier.
"Stand down Akagi, none of us saw what was happening until it was too late. We will discuss it later, clear the way, she's still alive. Let Enterprise get to the infirmary so she stays that way," Amagi dealt with her younger sister swiftly.
Akagi backed down after a final moment of defiance. As Enterprise continued on, she saw Amagi take Akagi to the side, but she couldn't focus on that now. Enterprise with the escort of the rest of the fleet arrived at the infirmary in short order.
Inside the infirmary was packed with patients, the second wing had been opened to house all the wounded. Vestal was working on patching up a destroyer when they arrived.
"Vestal, please, the Commander" she cried in desperation to her friend. Vestal turned to see the Commander hanging limply from Enterprise's arms. Vestal turned to Choukai who had brought the destroyer in and taught her how to finish the bandages. Then she moved quickly, leading Enterprise to one of the only free beds in the room.
As Enterprise gently placed Nanami on the bed, the sheets immediately began to stain red and Nanami stirred. Her head hung to the right, looking towards the rest of the room.
"En..I failed them. This is my fault. Tell them I...I am sorry," Nanami gasped before passing out again.
"How did this happen Enterprise?" Vestal asked as she began to evaluate all of her wounds.
Enterprise explained, "She shouldn't be alive Vestal...she took a barrage point blank from a humanoid Siren." Vestal's head snapped up in surprise.
"Well, now it is our job to keep her alive. You're going to assist me Enterprise," Vestal ordered the carrier.
Nanami awoke on a familiar cliff on Puget Sound. She was asleep against Anne, the giant white and blue wolf.
"You're finally awake my other half. Where have you been as you dreamed?" Anne asked, licking Nanami's face. Nanami allowed her to clean her face before she answered.
"I was in a mock battle when the Sirens attacked. I think I may have died." Nanami stated, a tinge of sadness in her voice.
"Ah, you are in one of those worlds now, and I do not think you are dead yet. Which Siren did you face?"Anne asked in return.
Nanami described the siren, "Her rigging was like a hammerhead shark, and she was extremely aggressive,"
"That one's name is Purifier. She is an interesting one. Not very intelligent, and incredibly tenacious. Easy to manipulate," Anne explained for Nanami's benefit. Any intelligence would assist her.
Nanami scrunched up her face in thought, but before she could ask another question, her attention was taken away by the sound of a ship plowing through the water. She turned to see the twin prows of a ship break through the fog. She wasn't able to see anything more though, as suddenly a painful shock went through her body, and her vision whited out.
"It seems you are needed back now. Remember your goals. Remember who you are my Nagano. The next we talk, hopefully we will have reunited," Anne spoke a final time, wrapping Nanami up in her tails to comfort her as the pain overtook her and she sank into darkness.
Nanami's eyes eventually fluttered open to the soft sound of shuffling feet all around her. Her head lolled to the right, and she saw the rest of the infirmary, all of the wounded. In the bed next to her was a heavily-bandaged Cleveland.
Seeing Cleveland in this state reminded her of what had happened and how she had ended up here. She had done something dumb in her fury. Nanami tried to take a deep breath, but felt a lot of compression, so she looked down to see the extent of her injuries. Most of her torso and one of her arms were completely bandaged up. She had an IV in her other arm.
At the foot of her bed, a small gaggle of women was gathered, quietly whispering among themselves. Enterprise saw her move and ran off to get Vestal.
"Welcome back to the land of the living Nanami, " Amagi teased as she moved around from the foot of the bed towards Nanami's head.
Nanami gave her a weak smile and replied, "Glad to be back. How long was I away?"
"Two days...we thought we had lost you for a short time, but Vestal brought you back," Amagi explained, a pained look on her face. Hood came up next to Amagi, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"What is important is that she is still here with us," Hood comforted her fellow battlecruiser. Nanami suddenly remembered the promise she had made Hood.
"I am sorry I was unable to keep my promise Hood. Rain check?" Nanami apologized, and the Pride of the Royal navy smiled.
"Yes Nanami, I think a rain check is in order," she laughed softly. Enterprise returned at that moment with Vestal in tow.
"Commander...what were you thinking? No, don't answer, I don't want to know what kind of stupidity led you to your actions," Vestal tore into Nanami as she arrived.
She looked her over and asked, "How do you feel? Do you need more painkillers?" Nanami shook her head.
"I am fine with this level of painkillers. But, I do not care about myself at the moment. Give me a rundown of the casualties," Nanami ordered, and Vestal frowned.
"Commander, you are in no shape to demand such things of me, and I understand you don't care about yourself. That's clearly how you keep ending up in my infirmary," Vestal began scolding the Commander again, then sighed.
She continued, "However, I will entertain your request. 23 hospitalized, nearly twice that number treated for injuries. Of those 23, 3 with serious injuries, including yourself. All have been stabilized and are no longer critical." Her report was succinct, something Nanami was thankful for. She gazed around the room for a moment before asking her next question.
So, be honest with me Vestal, how bad am I?" Nanami finally asked. Vestal frowned at the blunt question, because she knew what Nanami's next question would be.
She still answered, "You are much better off than I would have thought for a woman who took a barrage from a Siren. Especially when you consider the state you were in when Enterprise carried you in here. Frankly your ability to heal is unnatural." Vestal had the amazing ability to make you feel scolded without outright scolding you. Nanami was pleasantly surprised by the response though, and her mind immediately turned to work.
"How long until you release me?" she asked the question everyone at the bed knew was coming.
"Stand up and show me you can walk without assistance," Vestal ordered, a sadistic look in her eyes. Enterprise began to protest, but Nanami waved her off then swung her legs over the side of the bed. With the eyes of Vestal, Enterprise, Amagi, Hood, Takao, and Shoukaku on her, Nanami slipped off the bed to the floor.
A small shock of pain went up her side, but she ignored it and took a step, then another, and a third. Remembering she was attached to an IV, she grabbed her IV rack and turned to Vestal.
"How far do you want me to walk?" she asked rather weakly.
Vestal smiled and answered, "End of the room and back. That's only 20 feet. " Nanami nodded, and began walking. The first few steps were a struggle, but she fell into a rhythm and before she knew it, she had traversed there and back. Vestal frowned, realizing her plan had failed.
"How...how can a human with your injuries walk that far with those injuries?" she pondered aloud. Nanmi gritted her teeth as she sat back down on the bed.
"I was told that when I was 10 I walked over half a mile to safety after the damage that caused the scarring on my side. I do not remember that, but I am told that is what happened," Nanami explained that she had always been this absurd.
"Tomorrow. I will release you tomorrow. But before you even think of that I want to talk to you about an x-ray we took, follow me. The rest of you, if you stay, make yourself useful and visit the other patients," Vestal issued her orders. Nanami nodded and followed, the breeze gently ruffling her hospital gown. They walked part way down a hall and ended up in a dark room with x-rays posted all around.
Vestal pulled a few down and put them up next to each other. Nanami could tell these weren't all of her, but she trusted Vestal had a reason.
"Look here Nanami, this is Enterprise, this is Amagi, this is Hood, all chest x-rays. Do you see a common thread between the three of them?" Vestal pointed to three prints in a row. Nanami wasn't particularly trained in reading x-rays, but knowing that they were of the chest helped her figure out where everything should be. In each she noticed one thing that a human wouldn't have.
"They have a cube in their heart..." Nanami pointed out.
Vestal smiled and praised her, "As expected of you Commander, you picked it out right away. That is a Wisdom Cube. It is what gave each of us life, and they are just as integral to us as our hearts. Now then...Commander can you tell me who this x-ray is from?"
In this x-ray, Nanami saw a lot more scar tissue, even some fragments of metal and bone where they should not be. This had to be her own x-ray, but in the heart, right where the others had one, there was a cube.
"That...that makes no sense. Vestal, what..." Nanami began to ask, but her brain simply couldn't process all the thoughts that hit it in rapid succession. Her breathing became shallow, and her heart pounded faster and faster until she felt faint, and began to collapse. Luckily Vestal caught her before she fell to the ground.
"Whoa there commander, let's not paint my floors again. Take your time, breathe. I imagine this is a lot to take in," Vestal empathized with her patient. Nanami focused on getting her breathing and heart-rate under control first. After a couple of moments, she separated herself from Vestal's comforting grasp and sat on the table in the room.
"Vestal...I...I am human. I know my parents. But...I also have these memories, dreams. Things that never happened to me, or are yet to come. A name, multiple names, Anne, Nagano, Nanami. I have been called them all, but I can only ever remember Nanami being used when I think back on my life," Nanami rambled as she tried to make sense of everything out loud. Vestal sighed.
"Commander..." She began, then stopped and started again, her tone softer, "Nanami. I honestly don't know exactly what this implies. Many of our Eagle Union girls complain of memories of past lives or past events they themselves didn't participate in, in their current forms at least," Vestal explained as she crossed the room. She took a long look at the x-ray again, something she had been doing frequently the past two days.
She continued, "What I do know is, you are, at least partly, one of us Commander. As to why you cannot summon your rigging, or why you have memories of a human, I don't know." Nanami took in what she said, processed it, and was suddenly calm. This did explain a few things. The dent she put in the warehouse, surviving the barrage, and being able to dismember a Siren.
"The warehouse..." Nanami muttered, realizing she needed to get in there. But it wouldn't be any time soon, especially if whatever was in there was dangerous. Vestal raised an eyebrow but didn't press for details. Then Nanami remembered something else from the rescue. The Siren had left behind a cube.
"Vestal, I need you to let me go today. Now. I have things to investigate...and if I am to be ready for the Admiral's visit in a month and a half, I need to start them now," Nanami requested an early release from her head nurse.
Vestal sighed, "No...Nanami, please. You need rest. You need to heal."
"Vestal...the admiral lied to me. They all lied to me. But his lies hurt...he is my adoptive uncle. The only thing I have left resembling family...and he still lied. I can not heal until I know the truth," Nanami pleaded. Her face distorted in mental anguish was a sight that Vestal was unfamiliar with.
"Stay," Vestal ordered before sweeping out of the room, leaving Nanami with her thoughts. She returned a couple of minutes later with Enterprise, a wheelchair, and a fresh uniform for Nanami. Then she moved to Nanami's side.
"You may leave Nanami. Find your answers," Vestal conceded as she removed the IV in Nanami's good arm. The Commander leaned over, wrapped Vestal in a weak hug, then kissed her on the cheek.
"Thank you so much Vestal," Nanami chimed before getting off the bed and undressing. She shamelessly allowed the gown to fall to the ground, and with Enterprise's blushing assistance, she got dressed in her uniform. Vestal recovered from the sudden kiss right around the time that Nanami finished getting dressed.
"Where will you start? It is afternoon on a Sunday..." Vestal asked cautiously. Nanami only had to think for a moment before answering.
"I will go meet with Akashi and Yuubari first," Nanami explained before turning to Enterprise and asking, "Enterprise, what happened to the cube that was left behind when Purifier died?"
"Purifier? The Siren you killed? I don't remember a cube, we'll have to ask the others. I had...other things on my mind," Enterprise admitted. Nanami accepted the answer, smiling at her adviser's honesty.
She reached up and cupped Enterprise's face. Then without warning she felt an overwhelming warmth flood her face, coupled by a feeling of intense embarrassment, something she wasn't familiar with.
She spun around to hide her face, and began to slowly walk out the door when she remembered the wheelchair. With a weak smile she gingerly sat down in the wheelchair. Once Enterprise had recovered from the sudden contact with Nanami, she pushed her out the door.
Once they were in the main wing, Nanami gathered the women who had been waiting for her to wake up. When she asked if any of them had seen the cube, Amagi smiled and pulled the cube from within one of her sleeves. A wave of relief hit Nanami, and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"What would I do without you Amagi?" Nanami asked in awe.
Amagi teased, "You would manage, but you would forget many things." Then she asked, "What do you want to do with the cube?"
"We are going to go see Akashi and Yuubari," Nanami explained, "They are the only ones on base that have the knowledge to analyze something like that." Amagi frowned, but ultimately agreed. They really were the only ones they could turn to.
With their destination decided, they left the infirmary and made their way across the base to the shop. Along the way, Nanami grew curious about Akagi.
"Amagi, where is Akagi, I would have thought she would be waiting with you," she asked her Sakuran strategist.
Amagi shook her head and answered, "She refuses to be in the same room as En, who she blames for your injuries." Nanami sighed and began thinking about how best to get Akagi to realize it wasn't Enterprise's fault.
However shortly thereafter, they arrived at Akashi's store.
"Welcome to Akashi's shop, nyaa!"
A/N: Well things seem to be picking up now. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope one particular hint I dropped this chapter gets picked up. Thanks for the reviews as always!
