Eureka SeveN is owned by BONES and whoever else helped with its production.

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Chapter 2: Keeping Sane

Eureka looked up at Dominic as he continued to pace around.

Anemone was sitting on a small boulder nearer to the Scab Coral cliff, looking rather bored. She was watching Dominic with tired eyes, not really sure what he was trying to do.

The silence that hung in the air was extremely think. It was the kind of uncomfortable, unwelcome silence that accompanied something big.

Anemone switched her line of sight to rest on the two pilots. While she was glad they found their missing friends, she was also rather upset.

The fact that Renton was already seemingly down for the count didn't play well. She had expected to run into them at chance; a chance meeting that brought about a round of surprise and joy. She hadn't really expected anything like this.

Eureka looked extremely frail at that moment, and Anemone couldn't blame her. She had probably looked like that when she learned that Dominic had left Dewey's services.

Currently, they were all at a loss of what to do aside from wait. Dominic had placed the call to the Izumo only a few minutes ago, but it had seemed like an eternity.

Anemone turned her gaze back to her crush and sighed. He was still pacing.

"Dominic, doing that isn't going to help anything. Why don't you try to calm down before you end up having a conniption fit?"

Dominic looked over at the pink haired ex-pilot with a scowl. He didn't like her choice of words sometimes, but understood the meaning behind them.

He stopped moving and sighed. He knew he was only fooling himself; trying to keep busy until help arrived. He looked over at Eureka and closed his eyes.

He wasn't even the one in real pain here; Eureka, who was far closer to Renton than he was, was dealing with the situation while Renton himself suffered an immense amount of pain.

The entire situation just didn't seem fair to him. That could've been a part of why he felt so uncomfortable, but he really didn't know.

The fact that he and Anemone were able to be together for a year while Renton and Eureka mysteriously vanished, the fact that they were there and Eureka and Renton weren't, the fact that they didn't go through anything while Eureka and Renton had to suffer so much.

It all seemed incredibly unfair to Dominic. And once again, the situation was turned in his favor again. It was Renton who was lying on the ground while Eureka kept watch over him, while he and Anemone sat off to the side and watched.

Dominic opened his eyes and faltered slightly as he made his way over to Anemone. As he reached her side, the intense silence continued, as neither knew what to say to the other.

Each continued to sit in silence as they watched the couple in front of them.

Time continued to tick by and the only sounds that could be heard was the labored breathing of Renton, and an occasional groan.

Eureka slowly shifted positions from Renton's side to his head. She began to run her fingers through his hair as if to confirm that he was still there with her.

She pulled back slightly as Renton began to tremor and thrash about again. She quickly put her weight on him to try to hold him down, but it did little good. He continued to thrash about for a few moments before simply stopping and opening his eyes.

Eureka pulled back looking at Renton in concern. His blue eyes were unfocused, simply starting at what was in front of him. Eureka's brow furrowed as she look at Renton, not really expecting what would happen next.

Renton suddenly turned to look at her with a slight worried look.

"Are you ok, Eureka?" He asked in a soft voice.

Eureka couldn't help but smile slightly as the tears started to form.

"That's something I should be asking you. How are you feeling?"

Renton shook his head weakly and turned his gaze back toward the sky.

A sudden shadow that blocked the sun's light caught Renton's attention. He lifted his head slightly to see a figure he hadn't seen in quite a while.

The black haired military informant stood with a half smile on his face, which Renton tried to return with a weak smile of his own.

"Don't worry Renton. I've already placed a call to the Izumo. Yurgens is sending someone to our position."

The brown haired youth dipped his chin in order to simulate a nod. He laid his head back on the bundled blanket and seemed to zone out again. After a few minutes, he simply closed his eyes again and drifted back into the realm of slumber.

Dominic returned to his spot next to Anemone and sat in silence for a few moments. After what seemed like an eternity, he turned to Anemone.

"Do you think they'll be alright?"

The pink haired girl turned to look at him and nodded slightly.

"They've been put through so much already and have endured it all. This is simply another step they must take."

Dominic nodded and turned his gaze back to the scene in front of him. It took a few moments to realize something he didn't seem to notice before.

Eureka had a set of beautifully crafted wings. They were green and had a mysterious, yet friendly design set in the tips.

She had always been facing them when he'd had her under watch, but now that she was facing Renton, he could clearly see her new appendages.

He smiled as he gazed at her wings, wondering what Renton had said to her about them. Knowing him it was probably something along the lines of them adding to her beauty.

It was another form of proof that they were still together, despite what they had been put through.

Before Dominic had time to think any further, the sound of shuttle engines reached his ears.

He was immediately pulled from his thoughts and turned his eyes toward the sky to try to catch a glimpse of their rescuers.

After a few moments, a black square could be seen clearly on the horizon. It was moving steadily toward them, slowly growing larger after each moment passed.

After another minute or so, the machine was hovering above the clearing. It slowly began to descend into the largest spot of the clearing, making sure as to avoid all obstacles that could prove to be problems.

As soon as the shuttle was on the ground, Dominic was moving over to it. As soon as the hatch opened, Maria Schneider, XO of the Izumo, stepped out to talk to Dominic.

Eureka couldn't hear anything being said, but her attention was locked on the craft in front of all of them. For the first time in a few days, things were starting to look up.

After a few moments, Dominic was nodding as the woman in front of him kept talking. As soon as she finished, Dominic smiled and looked over to Eureka and Renton.

He could see that she had her attentions locked on him, and was probably curious about what was happening. He excused himself from the First Lieutenant and made his way at a quickened pace over to Eureka.

As soon as he was standing in front of her, Dominic began to explain what was going on.

"Captain Yurgens has agreed to take all of us back onto the Izumo. He knows of Renton's condition and will have a medical team standing by as soon as we land. Renton will be looked after properly and given the best medical treatment we can apply while on a military battle class cruiser. In addition to all of this, it seems that the Gekko-Go has been contacted." Eureka's eyes widened in surprise, and Dominic smiled. "They will be meeting up with the Izumo tomorrow above what used to be South Ailess. From there, both ships will fly south to Tresor and land for a slight reprieve. Renton will then be transferred into the capable hands of the research facilities medical team."

Eureka blinked a few times as she took everything in. It seemed almost too good to be true. She looked behind Dominic to see that a few hands were talking with 1st Lieutenant Schneider. After a few moments, three men broke off and headed their way. Maria noticed that Eureka was looking at them and smiled slightly before nodding.

Eureka turned her attention back to Dominic, who was looking down at Renton. He had a sad smile on his face as he looked down at the young man, but Eureka didn't know why.

"Everything will be fine soon enough. We need to get going."

Eureka nodded and slowly backed away from Renton as the three men took positions around him. They moved his arms so that they crossed each other over his midriff making sure that his left arm was secure on top.

After that, each man began to slowly lift the youth. One had his legs supported, the other his shoulders, and the last supported his back. They quickly shifted and made their way to the small drop ship.

They quickly moved inside and put him down on a cot that was set up in the middle of the main area floor. After Renton was lying down, they made sure to brace and secure the cot itself, as well as Renton to the cot, so that it didn't shift at all or disturb him.

Eureka was then escorted in by Dominic and Anemone. Eureka turned around and noticed that everyone else was getting ready to board the small ship and turned to Dominic.

"What about your possessions?"

Dominic looked back out the door at his motorcycle and shrugged.

"We can always come back for that later. Renton takes priority."

Anemone nodded in concordance with Dominic.

Eureka frowned slightly but nodded. She quickly took a seat next to the cot Renton was on and continued her worried watch over the young man.

Once everyone was settled in, Maria gave a nod to the pilot and they slowly began their take off procedures.

Just before the final checks were complete, a loud explosion could be heard.

Dominic rushed to the side window and looked out of the shuttle to see his motorcycle in flames. He sunk his head slightly before another explosion took place, this one much closer to the drop ship.

Dominic began scanning the fields near them and saw a few men running towards their current position. He cursed his luck as he looked toward the cockpit. It seemed that the flare had attracted more guests, but these ones weren't so friendly.

"Hurry up! We have two hostilities carrying anti-air RPG weapons!"

The XO peeked her head out of the small area in front and scowled at him.

"We can't just take off in something like this and you know it."

Dominic sighed, but the ship lurched slightly. The left side slowly began to rise, followed by the right. The ship itself seemed unstable for a second before evening out.

Shouts could be heard as the hostiles moved closer and closer. The shuttle gained altitude at a quick pace, leaving the two men on the ground. However, they didn't give up that easily.

Both men knelt and took aim with their two weapons and fired one after the other. There was a loud popping sound, then the distinct sounds of two RPGs approaching the vessel. The ship itself suddenly wheeling onto its left side to avoid getting hit, throwing everyone except for Renton into chaos.

The loud hissing sounds passed by both overhead and bellow the craft. After a few moments, the shuttle began to climb higher and higher at an increased rate of acceleration.

As Dominic righted himself in the cabin, he looked out the window to see they were now well above the ground. His wits were slowly coming back to him as he looked around the room to assess what was going on.

Eureka looked like she hadn't even budged, despite the numerous twists and jerks. Everyone else in the cabin still seemed to be slightly disarrayed.

Dominic looked at Renton to notice that the young man seemed to have calmed down slightly. His breathing wasn't as labored as before, and he didn't seem to be in as much pain.

Dominic looked out the window again to see a large red speck in the sky. He knew what it was and knew what it meant when they got there. They would have to prepare for the long haul, once again, to make sure that everything was ok.

Dominic felt a hand grab his, and looked to his left to see a smiling Anemone. He smiled back and looked back at the red dot, which was slowly becoming larger.

Soon enough, things would break out into chaos again. Only this time, Renton would be at the direct center of it.

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As the shuttle pulled into the docking bay, Eureka could see that things were already busy.

As soon as the shuttle doors open, several people immediately rushed into the cabin. They were dressed in medical uniforms, so she could only guess that it was the medical unit Dominic was talking about.

Renton was immediately removed from his cot and gently placed on what looked like a gurney. As soon as his back was against the table, they began to wheel him off into the unknown.

Eureka didn't know the massive interior of the Izumo at all. Despite having done battle with the Izumo in the past, it seemed to surprise her to see that some of the military still had strong ties with Holland. The Izumo itself being allied to Holland was a strange twist of fate, seeing as how they'd fought on three different occasions.

Eureka could only watch as the medical team wheeled Renton off into the bowels of the ship. She watched until the figures themselves were no longer visible.

Anemone and Dominic watched as Eureka's shoulders slumped forward slightly and the young girl sighed.

Anemone stepped up and put a supportive hand on Eureka's shoulder, which caused the teal haired youth to jump. She looked behind her and smiled at Anemone and Dominic, as if to thank them for their efforts.

"Why don't we stop and get something to eat in the cafeteria?" Dominic suggested as he looked at the two girls in front of him.

"Yeah! Getting a good meal should calm you down a little, Eureka. Let's go!"

Anemone suddenly took hold of Eureka's hand and began pulling her in the general direction of the cafeteria. At first, Eureka seemed kind of confused and was dragged along by the spirited pink haired Anemone, but soon came to an understanding and began to walk on her own.

Dominic followed at his own, slower pace while buried in his thoughts. He could hear idle chatter ahead of him and knew that Anemone was pestering Eureka for information.

He wasn't paying attention, though, and ran square into Eureka as she stopped in the hallway.

Dominic was about to apologize when he noticed that look on Eureka's face. It was a look of absolute shock.

"Is everything alright, Eureka?"

No response.

He looked over at Anemone with a raised eyebrow, "What did you say?"

Anemone shook her head, "I don't know. We were talking about what happened in the forest and then I asked her what she and Renton had been up to for the last year or so…"

Eureka seemed to react at the sentence again.

Both looked upon the girl with confusion, until she broke out of her daze and returned their looks.

"Has…has it really been…a whole year?"

Dominic nodded, "Yes. Many search parties were sent out looking for you when it was first discovered that you were missing, but none found a thing. It was presumed that you both were lost and possibly…deceased."

Anemone nodded, picking up where Dominic left off, "But we didn't give up. After the first few months, we decided to go on a small journey of sorts on the surface of Earth. It really is a beautiful place. We continued on with the search, as well as got to know each other better. It was about five days ago when Dominic was called back to the Izumo in order for him to help with the investigation and prosecution of anyone dealing with Dewey. He came back only a little before we saw your flare go up."

As Anemone finished, Eureka seemed to sink. Both could easily see the conflicting emotions on her face, but neither knew what to do or say to comfort her.

Silence hung in the air like stale wind. It was rather uncomfortable and something that people would just want to pass by.

After a moment of silence, Eureka looked at the both of them.

"A whole year…?"

Both nodded again. Eureka looked at the both of them for confirmation. She was praying that it was a joke, a hoax that the both of them had set up. She was hoping to feel the sudden change in atmosphere as the both of them reassured her that they were kidding.

No reassurances came. She could only see the truth embedded in each of their eyes.

She slowly sank to her knees, finally realizing that she'd been away from everyone she cared about for so long. It only seemed to make it worse that she didn't know about it.

Confusion, anxiety, hurt, loss…everything seemed to swim by her. She wondered if Renton knew the truth as well, but decided that it was unlikely, as he was as much in the dark as she was.

Eureka looked up at the both of them, tears starting to form in her eyes. It was then that they both realized something was terribly wrong. Something that seemed almost impossibly wrong.

Eureka and Renton had a year simply cut out of their lives without knowing it. And now the truth was simply being thrust upon them.

Anemone moved towards Eureka and slowly worked the girl to her feet.

"We'll talk about things more when we're in the cafeteria, ok?"

Eureka regained her footing and nodded meekly as Anemone continued to lead her through the vast metallic hallways of the Izumo.

Dominic still stood to his spot, completely froze.

Here it was again. Another obstacle that the two of them had to overcome. He hated whatever cursed them with such horrible luck, and cursed himself for not being able to do a thing about it.

He slowly began to follow the two girls again, this time thinking of ways to try to help both Renton and Eureka.

Lord knew they needed it. And Lord knew he needed to do it to keep his sanity about him.

Everything was just too unfair.

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Doctor Felther looked at the chart in front of him. From what he could see, the boy, Renton Thurston, was having an extremely hard time with the infection invading his body.

His immune system had already pressed everything it could into fighting the infection, but it was a losing battle.

To top it all off, it was an extremely rare and extremely old infection that required an antibiotic that was common 10,000 years ago, but almost impossible to find in this day and age.

The infection itself was already starting to inflame everything it touched in the arm. The circulatory system in the arm was slowly becoming more enflamed, making it so that the blood had to work much harder through those veins in order to achieve results.

Felther lowered the chart and looked at the boy lying on the medical table.

He was baffled as to how someone so young could've contracted such a rare bacteria strain that caused the infection.

From his readings, though, it seemed that Sepsis did seem to target younger, more vulnerable hosts. Though, it still didn't change the fact that young Renton would need to be treated with Benzylpenicillin within the next few days. Otherwise, the consequences of not receiving proper medical treatment would be dire.

The doctor looked at the scans and x-rays of the boy's arm and calculated that they had at best three days before the infection would spread to the point that it would be impossible for the arm to retain its functionality. And within five days before the infection itself would become lethal.

Felther put the chart on the table and simply turned to observing his patient. The brown haired youth's breath was still somewhat labored, but it was a massive improvement to his virtual gasps for air earlier.

The boy seemed to be in an uneasy state of rest. It was rather disconcerting that he could do nothing for the boy, but he had to accept it. Without the proper antibacterial agents, he was helpless.

The doctor was pulled from his thoughts as the medical bay doors slid open to reveal three figures. Two seemed slightly on edge while the last seemed on the verge of complete hysteria.

The teal haired girl that seemed to be near hysterics stepped forward first. She looked at him with pleading eyes as if seeking some kind of relief or possible good news.

The blonde haired man sighed and started rubbing the back of his neck. He wasn't sure on how he should break the news; that was until Dominic stepped up.

"How is he doc?"

The doctor looked at him and could see a hint of worry hidden in his eyes, but it was nothing compared to the emotion in the eyes of the teal haired girl next to him.

The doctor sighed again and looked at the chart.

"In all honesty, it isn't good." All three seemed to sink slightly when they heard how he began. "He has a very complicated and very old bacterial strain that's infecting his arm. As far as my knowledge goes, only certain military bases have access to the antibacterial agent needed for this boy's recovery. The military kept its medicine stores well in order in case one of its important members came down with an ancient form of infection or disease."

Felther looked at the three standing in front of him and continued on, "But it isn't that simple. He needs to receive the proper treatment within the next three days, or else things can become entirely more complicated. If no agent is found to be readily available, we will probably have to amputate from the shoulder down in order to save his life. The time frame is extremely small, and with each passing day the chance for success will dwindle."

The doctor looked for recognition on the faces of his audience, but simply got back horrified looks. From Eureka especially.

She moved quickly over to Renton's side and began to try to coax him out of his slumber.

The doctor took the opportunity to take his leave of the area for a short breather. He'd always hated delivering bad news, but there was no way around it.

As the doors slid closed behind him, he could hear someone beginning to break down. That was all the confirmation he needed to know that he had made the right decision in leaving.

Eureka had given up trying to wake Renton and simply started to cry. It was the first time that she had truly felt that the world was completely against whatever she did.

When the Nirvash had told them both to return and continue on, she hadn't expected so many different things to go so horribly wrong.

The first was simply being stranded, the second was learning that an entire year had passed, and the straw that seemingly broke the camel's back was that Renton might die unless he was treated.

It was the first time that she felt this horrible. The feeling that the one person who understood and cared for her might be gone tomorrow. She didn't know how to deal with it.

So she simply let it out.

Anemone and Dominic stood back as to give Eureka some semblance of privacy. Both seemed completely lost. Neither knew exactly how Eureka could possibly feel. Anemone had a least a little taste of what Eureka was feeling, but it was no where near the scale or seriousness of what was currently happening around her.

Dominic was running through every possibility he could think of to ensure that Renton would make a full recovery. He didn't know what military bases still carried the ancient agent, but he could always turn to the U.F.F. database. If anything, the database itself should hold every single record of what was stocked and stored; even medicine.

First, though, he would have to deliver the news to Yurgens. He put a hand on Anemone's shoulder and she looked back at him. He nodded slightly and turned toward the door without another word.

Anemone continued to watch the scene play out in front of her as Dominic left. After a few moments of silence, she simply moved next to Eureka and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Eureka was pulled out of her misery for a short time as she looked back at Anemone. The pink haired girl wore a gentle smile as she rubbed Eureka's back. Eureka sniffled slightly and then dove into Anemone and continued with her torrent of tears.

Anemone smiled and began to pat Eureka on the back. She was glad that she could at least do something in Eureka's time of need.

As Eureka continued to cry, Anemone turned her gaze to Renton. If things didn't turn out for the better…

Anemone shook her head to remove the negative thoughts. She needed to be strong.

For Eureka's sake.

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Dominic shifted uncomfortably as the silence on the bridge took hold. He'd just finished filling in the commanding officers of the Izumo, and the silence that followed was deafening.

From what he could tell, everyone was completely shocked. He had to admit that the news had shocked him as well.

After a few more moments of silence, Yurgens cleared his throat.

"Com, get the Gekko-Go. Now. They need to know what's going on."

The Com officer nodded and turned around to face his equipment. After taking note of the frequencies and vector codes, he spoke into his headset.

"Gekko-Go, this is the Izumo, do you read?" A few moments of silence passed. "Gekko-Go, do you read? This is the Izumo."

After a few more moments of silence, the curly haired man was about to repeat himself, but something came up.

"This is the Gekko-Go. Holland here."

The com officer redirected the transmission directly to Yurgens.

"This is Yurgens, Holland?"

After a slight pause, a small window opened in front of the captain.

"Yo, Yurgens."

"Spare me the greetings, we have a problem."

The gray haired figured raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"We're completely foregoing the meeting point at South Ailess and taking a direct course towards Tresor. We don't have the time to dally about."

Holland furrowed his eyebrows slightly, "What the hell is going on over there?"

"Thurston needs medical attention. Quite badly at that. It appears that if something isn't done within the next few days, this could become life threatening."

Holland, now leaning forward, spoke with a hint of worry in his voice, "What happened to him?"

"Apparently, he's contracted a rare infection due to his extended exposure to the habitat on Earth. The doctor on board says it's an infection that generally targets younger hosts, but can become fatal if it's left untreated."

Holland nodded, "We'll change our course to meet you at Tresor tomorrow. Take good care of the kid."

Yurgens nodded before the screen closed out in front of him. He looked over at Dominic who was already completely engrossed in his work. He'd told the captain that he'd begin a database sweep to reference what bases had access to the type of medication needed.

The brown haired captain turned back to his duties.

"You heard me. We're bypassing Ailess and making a straight shot for Tresor. Make it so."

"Aye sir!"

After a few moments, the front end of the massive ship slowly began to turn towards its new destination.

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Holland slumped back into the command chair and sighed. He was glad that he'd allowed the others to take a slight break. If everyone was still present on the bridge, he couldn't have guessed what could have happened.

At first, when he'd been told that Eureka and Renton had been found, he felt relieved. He knew they were both alive and well, and that was all that mattered. They would eventually make their way back to the Gekko-Go to be with familiar faces.

But as the conversation from the most recent communication with the Izumo played out in his mind again, he felt coldness spread over him.

Renton was in trouble. Not just a little bit either, a huge amount of trouble.

It seemed like the kid's style though. He always seemed to be getting himself into one tight spot or another. But this time, it was different.

This time, it could cost him his life.

Holland had already informed the crew of Renton and Eureka's return, but now he'd have to dash their hopes.

"Everyone, meet in the lounge." The message was short, sweet and simple.

He slowly stood and began to walk lazily to the lounge himself. After a minute or so, he stopped in front of the lounge door. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, preparing himself for what he was about to do.

He took another step forward and passed through the doors as the slid open. He moved directly to the front of the room without hesitation and stopped. He stood his ground, staring at the wall for a few moments before turning to face the crew.

"It appears that everyone is here." He paused as he let his eyes wander over the people gathered in front of him.

"What I have to say…many of you probably don't want to hear. However, this is something that can't be ignored."

Talho raised an eyebrow while everyone else seemed to move forward slightly.

"We're not going to rendezvous with the Super Izumo over South Ailess." A few groans could be heard and several other sounds of disapproval. Holland raised a hand to silence his audience before continuing.

"Something fairly serious has come to the attention of the crew on board the Izumo. As you know, Renton had a bit of a medical issue when they were in the middle of his and Eureka's extraction. They've had time to run various tests and go over results…and it appears that what Renton has contracted is a fairly serious infection. If it's left untreated, he could die within days."

The looks of shock were present on every face. A few slight whispers could be heard, but it was otherwise quiet.

Holland crossed his arms and leaned against the wall while he waited for things to sink in. After a few more moments, he looked directly at his crew again.

"That is why we're skipping over the rendezvous. We're going to meet with the Izumo tomorrow at Tresor. We're closer to the research facility anyway, so it won't take us long to get there. That's all I have. We're going to get moving as of this moment, so everyone get back to your positions!"

Talho, Gidget, Woz, Moondoggie and Hap all nodded and immediately left the room. Jobs seemed to wait for a few moments before exiting as well. Jobs usually waited so that he wasn't impeded, which made perfect sense.

That left Holland, Axel, Stoner and the kids. Maeter looked up at Holland with tears forming in her eyes.

"Barfie isn't going to go away is he?"

"He can't go away!" Linck added.

Holland bent down and patted each of them on the head with a slight grin.

"You know better than anyone what Renton is capable of. I'm sure he'll be fine."

Each of the children began to wipe away the tears forming and tried to smile. Holland stood and turned his attention to the other occupants of the room.

Axel seemed to be slumped against the chair. Holland was sure that the old man wasn't taking things too well. He'd been excited when he heard the news that Renton and Eureka had been found.

And now it looked as though everything he hoped for would be crushed in an instant.

Maurice was next to the old man, apparently lost in thought and his emotions. The young boy had a deep frown on his face and his eyes seemed to shimmer slightly.

Holland waved for Linck and Maeter to follow him so that the other two could have some time alone to think. The small children suddenly sprinted out of the room for unknown reasons, but Holland could guess that they were going to ask Talho to see the baby again.

Holland turned and looked one last time at the old man before he continued on his way out of the lounge.

Axel seemed lost. He couldn't even think straight after hearing that Renton might follow in the footsteps of his father and sister.

It seemed that his family had a complex of going off and dying on him to fulfill their dreams and protect others. And he was absolutely sick of it.

If Renton actually did pass on…then he would be the only one of his family still living. He didn't know if he could stand outliving 3 people who should've far outlived him.

Sure, he had his adoptive grandchildren…but none of the Thurston blood actually ran through their veins.

If Renton died, he would be the last one to possess that blood and carry on the Thurston legacy. Axel and Renton were the last of a dying breed on the planet.

The old man sighed as he looked at the room's sole other occupant. The young boy was lost in his thoughts, but Axel could tell he was thinking about most of the negative consequences that Renton's death would have.

Axel looked out the side window for a few moments before mumbling to himself.

"You better make it through this, boy."

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Dominic had little luck with most of his search. So far, he'd found most everything else any of the military personal could possibly need, but not medication.

Even using a few passwords and connections from his days in the Intelligence Bureau yielded nothing. He was on the verge of losing all hope before he rechecked his sources once more.

And finally, something went through.

As he looked through the massive list in front of him, one section caught his eye.

Military Safety and Health seemingly flashed before him. He quickly went into the subsection and found a complete list of every single ancient inoculation they had on record. He didn't remember the exact name of the medicine, but he remembered what it was supposed to treat.

Running a search for Sepsis in the massive database turned up three different names of medications. One, Dominic eliminated immediately, as it didn't even look like the other, longer names.

As he read through both of the other medications, the medical chart began to appear in his mind again. He closed his eyes to focus on what the report had said, but he couldn't really get anything out of it.

All he remembered was that the needed antibacterial agent's name started with the letter B.

As Dominic opened his eyes again, he could see the clear difference between the two. Benzylpenicillin was the only one of the two that started with the proper letter, so Dominic opened the data file.

He began to scan over the basic details of the medicine; how it was made, what year, its potency, uses, and finally the list of all active military facilities that had the treatment available.

Dominic read down the list; South Ailess, Koppel, Stroholn, Capital City…the list continued on, but each and every one of the bases listed was destroyed due to the Coralian attacks that Dewey had forced to occur.

Dominic was sinking further into a depression as the list continued on; feeling like that one chance to save Renton was slowly slipping away.

As he finished the list, he sighed. Not one. Not one of the bases listed was still active, or even half there. He was about to close out of the database without looking again, but decided to take one last glance. It was a sort of farewell to any hope he had.

He was just about to exit out of the system when he noticed the last name on the list. He seemed to pause and did a double take as he looked at the name again. He rubbed his eyes and looked again just to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

Printed last on the list of available active bases that had Benzylpenicillin…was a name that was strangely familiar. A name that he'd seen, spoke and heard many times.

He felt relieved and almost excited as he looked at the list again.

The name of a well known research facility was printed. The name of the facility that they were currently headed toward.

The name of Tresor.

-----------------

Eureka lifted her head off the table when she heard the door open behind her. She turned to look at the new arrivals to see Dominic smiling.

Anemone had left some time ago, claiming that she was going to go to her room to relax and to feed Gulliver. Eureka was sure that Dominic would realize that after not seeing her present, but it seemed that Anemone wasn't the one he wanted to see.

Dominic's smile didn't diminish as he walked farther into the room and stood next to her. He turned his gaze down to Renton, which caused his smile to wavering and soon disappear. He looked at the boy on the table with a look of sorrow and solemn-ness.

He shook his head slightly and turned his gaze back to Eureka, his smile slowly reappearing.

Eureka frowned at him, as she couldn't see a reason to smile. The current situation made sure of that. But she simply had to wait a few moments before Dominic began to talk.

"This may sound a bit unconvincing…but everything is going to be alright." Eureka's frown deepened as she looked at Dominic closely.

"We're not meeting with the Gekko-Go and going straight to Tresor. We should arrive somewhere around late afternoon tomorrow."

"How is that alright?"

Dominic picked up the medical chart still sitting on the table next to the bed. After looking it over, he found what he was looking for and pointed to the area.

"Do you see what the doctor wrote here?"

Eureka took the chart and looked over it a few moments before reading the area that Dominic had pointed out.

"Yes. It makes sense that he would need something to counter the infection."

Dominic nodded, "Exactly. I did some research on the agent we need…"

Eureka looked at Dominic, eyes wide. "And?"

"And they should have this…agent that is needed at Tresor. It may be a long shot, since it's been a while since they did a complete overhaul of the system and check its information, but it's something to hope for."

Eureka looked at Dominic in surprise and what seemed to be hope. "Are you sure?"

Dominic nodded, giving her all the confirmation that she needed. For the first time since she arrived on the Izumo, Eureka allowed herself to smile.

She looked over to Renton and gently took his hand. This was the first time hope had actually re-manifested itself since Renton became ill.

Dominic put a hand on her shoulder, "I think you should get some rest. It's getting late and I don't think Renton would want you to make yourself suffer over him."

Eureka nodded and slowly stood, allowing Dominic to guide her out of the room.

"I'll see you tomorrow Eureka."

She nodded and watched as Dominic walked down the corridor and vanished around one of the many corners. She the looked at the small data pad she'd been given by the brown haired XO and began to navigate through the massive and complex maze that was known as the Izumo.

After a few wrote routes, she made it to her temporary room and walked inside.

It was like any other standard military room; it only had the necessities. The room was bare, but Eureka really didn't care.

She moved over to the bed and laid down on the somewhat hard surface. After a few moments, she began to think of how things would get better when Renton made a recovery. She could imagine him right there next to her.

Soon, sleep took a hold of the young maiden.

-------------

"Any word from the Izumo yet?"

Gidget looked to Holland and shook her head.

Holland cursed and let out a violent sigh. He knew that they were closer to Tresor than the Izumo, but they'd been waiting for four hours already. And no contact had been made at all.

Holland's nerves were beginning to wear thin. He hated waiting for so long, especially like this.

He'd already told Moria about the situation and he agreed to have a medical team on standby until the Izumo arrived.

Holland tried to focus on what would happen when the Izumo arrived, but he couldn't ward off his irritation.

As time continued to tick by, radio silence was still maintained. As another hour passed, Holland was beginning to get fed up.

Time continued onwards, without end, and Holland looked toward Gidget.

"Get the Izumo. I want to know what's taking them so damn long."

Woz looked up, "Not necessary."

Holland turned his fiery gaze to the software genius, "And why not?"

"Because the radar has them at about 2,000 kilometers out. They should be here within ten minutes."

"It's about damn time. Gidget, tell Moria to have the med team ready."

The teenage communications officer nodded and turned back to her panel.

Holland began to scan the horizon until he spotted a very faint red dot in the scene of the setting sun.

He continued to watch the massive vessel until the huge red ship took its place next to the Gekko-Go on the runway.

As soon as the landing platform was down, a new medical team rushed towards the opening. They met with the team charged with Renton's care and relieved them of their duties before taking over.

Felther handed over his report to Sonia, who began to read through it while Renton was being prepped for immediate movement. Her eyes darted across the sheets of paper, one at a time, until she reached the part she deemed most important.

A look of interest and surprise was present on her features as she read about the infection itself and the remedy needed. She also seemed surprised that Renton hadn't regained consciousness in more than 24 hours.

Sonia was pulled from her thoughts as Eureka walked up to her. The blonde haired medical scientist smiled.

"It's been a while Eureka. Not exactly the best of circumstances, but I'm glad we can meet again."

Eureka nodded, "Can you do anything for him Sonia?"

Sonia nodded as she scanned over the report again, "All he needs is to be treated with Benzylpenicillin and he needs to have his body rest while the treatment is active. Otherwise, he should be fine in a few days."

Eureka began to tear up, "Thank goodness."

Sonia nodded and began to walk off, leaving Eureka to watch the lone figure that held the most significance in Renton's recovery.

After a few moments, everything began to settle down. Eureka turned to look up at the green and white ship that had been her home for so long. It seemed so foreign now. And she knew it would seem empty, despite carrying all its passengers.

The catapult ramp slowly lowered and connected with the ground. Eureka looked up expectantly, and she wasn't disappointed.

Three small figures immediately ran down the incline and directly to her side.

Eureka wrapped all three of them in a massive hug. She had missed them so much, and it was obvious that they had missed her too. All three were crying happily while clinging on to her. She had a few tears of joy running down her face as well.

After a minute or so, more figures began to descend the catapult ramp. Eureka looked over the children's heads so that she could see who was standing over them.

Matthieu, Hilda, Stoner, Talho, Gidget, Moondoggie, Hap, Jobs and Woz all stood with smiles on their faces. After a few moments, Holland pushed his way through the lot of them and stood in front of her with his arms crossed.

The only sound that could be heard were the quiet sobs of the children as Eureka looked up at the man responsible for changing her life.

He simply stared at her for a moment or two before a soft smile broke across his face.

He moved forward and put and hand on her head and ruffled her hair.

"Welcome home."

A/N: Took me a while. A little bit shorter than the first chapter, but that was all I really had to say. Reunited at last.

I'm going out of state for the weekend, but I'll probably try to pick up when I get back.

Sorry again if people think I'm stealing any of their ideas, but this is how I see things happening.