The Lotus of mercy, part nine.
~0~
"Well, that's... actually how I expected to see you again, X." Zero mumbled as he climbed up the stair to the temple proper.
A temple... a Hare Krishna Temple right by his favourite patrol route, just a stone trow away from where he would get his guilty pleasure (he had long hair... hair salon specialized in washing and caring for long reploid hair where far and in between...Oh, he hoped Jeremie was OK despite the attack, that man (woman?) was the only one who knew hoe to treat his hair right. So he had to survive.)
He looked around... it was a mess, plain and simple, and what was even more heartbreaking was that it was clear that they had tried to fix the place, had made a great headway too.
Thankfully the altar seemed untouched, save for one door, behind said door was a pair of...
No, those where not statues, those were Arch-Vigrahas, God and his energy playfully made manifest in a form those with Material eyes could see.
This was something Bahula had spoke at length and with all the enthusiasms of the world.
God never left the Planet, he was always present and manifested for those looking for Him.
And despite the terrible state of the temple room (and the dead woman surrounded my maddened mechaniloids and maverick. Her body smoking from ), he could still feel...
He could still feel that this place was not of this world despite its defilement... and deep anger.
How dare those shitty copy-cats dared to attack the city? And how dare they destroy the temple?
"hey, Krishna! Radha... Gaura-Nitai and Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra." he called out the numerous forms of Krishna...
and they realized that having him just call out to Krishna would have been more then enough since, well, God was one, and all of those personalities being worshipped around the globe like Ya, Jehovah and Allah were basically the Supreme personality of Godhead cosplaying.
God is Great, and all worship him, after all.
And Radha and Krishna's door were the one opened, meaning that Zero could talk to them without having to shout through a door.
"yeah... Er... Hi." He began awkwardly. This was so much more different then addressing a crowd of people, the Media or even another reploid. "It's me, Zero. Can't really pay you dandavat right now since I have to carry my bud to a recovery pod... which I hope this temple has, then, I'll be right with you." He spoke as he looked around the desolated temple room. The floor was broken and torn in different places, a few light fixtures had fallen or were about to fall, windows were broken and... a woman in a pink and purple sari laid lifeless on the floor.
Well, Lifeless, Zero's virus could barely recognize her as a person... a body. Instead, it kept sending back that this was a sword.
'Yeah... after this, I need to have my entire system check, this shit ain't normal... at all.'
Then he returned his attention to the absolutely gorgeous Deity-form of Radha-Krishna, the supreme couple. "Listen... I'm sorry about this mess. Let me just... let me just find a pod for my buddy here, He's ah... He ran out of juice after the fight. Once I find it and Stuff X in, I'll..." Zero raked his purple eyes across the room, once again finding the body of the fighting priestess.
Somehow, that was the feeling he got.
Zero let out a heavy sigh and sent his heartfelt prayer to the saintly warrior and left to find, X's room. The temple was awfully quiet now, but He knew full well that, soon enough, the rest of the Vaishnavas would come back.
Actually... Zero had expected more casualty, but it seemed that the woman had been the only one. 'I wonder about the other.' Then his eyes grew wide as he realized just who those were.
Bahula had spoken at length about them...
He had met Toramaru Shou, the divine demon sent by Lord Kuvera to assist her. She inhabited the body of his bassist depiction, Lord Bishamontent, and rumour has it that she weighs as much as it.
She would always lose things, only to find them again and she was a good friend with Nazrin, the great, great, great descendent of Sri-Ganesha's mouse, Kraunsha. She was one of the rare Vaishnava(i) required to eat meat, for the simple reason that this was her natural diet, and that her body could hardly process starches.
Bahula and A certain Kanako had managed to find a solution with the help of the mountain Kappa.
Lab-grown meat. Something that, while it had happened in the outside world, had been proven to be a waste of time, effort and resources.
And thus... it had been forgotten.
Meaning that it worked beautifully in Gensokyo, just like Fusion.
' And that cloud. That was definitely Unzan.' Zero thought as he entered the second floor, his feet following ... someone.
"Come here, Friend Zero." someone he kept forgetting, a hazy presence at the very edge of his mind spoke gently, and... he'd sworn up and down and to Radhe-Shyama that Mother Bahula had spoken at length about this person.
And yet... she could not be remembered.
"When Mister X came in, telling us that he wanted to join, none of us realized that being a reploid, he needed a pod to recharge better since all the smog floating in the sky makes it impossible for him to recharge. Thankfully, Krishna told me where his Pod was and then I took it and brought it here!"
Zero opened the room marked with an X and a Tilaka mark. It was definitely smaller then his flat, and yet, it still held this cozy and clean feeling.
There was a couch, a bookshelf already filled to the brim with Holy books. (Zero never had any interest in those desecrated tree crepes with ink, but now, after hearing Bahula lament about the lack of Holy scriptures and books, Zero began to change his tune. Since those books had a purpose other then simply wasting time and emulating emotions.) He had a window and under it was his pod and a red blanket.
But after closer inspection, Zero realized that this was Bahula's Cape.
'Oh, so that's where it went.' He tough as he reverentially touched the fabric to his head, praying that his Godmother was still well... and not worried about him.
After that, he gently placed X in his Pod and closed the Pyrex lid.
"Sleep well X, you deserve it." Yes, since it was clear X had been protecting something in the basement.
He knew X, and He knew he was not a coward and, despite his peace-loving nature, would not hesitate to fight for it.
Meaning, Protection!
A soft smile filled with pride and gratitude. X was safe... in more ways then one. 'All thank to Bahula and Krishna.'
Wow... was this how safety under God felt like?
...
'Alright Zero, enough procrastination, you have... an entire temple to clean and fix.' Zero thought with lowering shouldered, he was not looking forward to that.
He floated back to the main temple room, taking in all the damage done to the building.
It was... Bad but not catastrophic. The building's integrity was not threatened... except for this one wall where the mechaniloids had burst through.
'Ah... Alright, So Krishna wants me to convert my war frame to builder's frame... sure, why not.' Zero deadpanned as he looked at all the Damage.
Damn it! He wasn't a carpenter!
But... he did have a Protocol for dealing with the dead. And the freshly deceased Vaishnavi would definitely not want her corps to sully the temple room any longer.
With another sigh, Zero floated to the downed mechaniloids and the fearless woman to took him down.
Zero's face fell when he caught sight of the warrior swaddled in pink. The silky fabric is now ruined thanks to her blood.
"Huh... he blood is golden. She's not a human then.' The Heroic blond thought as he approached her. Keeping a wary eye on the mechaniloids.
Now fully awakened, checking out the metallic beast's current status was easy... it was out of commission, all of his circuit board had thoroughly fried.
With this out of the way, Zero Did what he should have done the first time he had seen this terrible sight.
Quite spontaneously, Zero touched the ground, laying on his front... just like the picture showed.
Of course, with how his breastplates were formed, he quickly realized that this was probably the last time he would do that.
When he returned to his knees, he took stock of the deceased.
She looked young, barely fifteen and yet... she felt much older.
It was probably the magic that still poured from her body... a body that Zero's system stubbornly kept referring to as a sword.
'Why is it doing that?' the magical robot wondered as he sat on his heel's feeling his hip joint protesting...
Ah, right... he'd figure out how to fly... found his partner again, and apparently X had chosen the same path as Zero. So there was plenty of reason to celebrate.
but it still didn't change the fact that someone dear to Bahula had died Protecting God.
...
Actually, the more he thought about it, the more Zero realized that this was probably the most awesome way to die.
Still... it's another person he would never get to meet. Another person Bahula had spoken about, a person the Saint had great affection too.
It was Prince Toyosatomimi no Miko, or Uma Devi dasi.
The rest of the world of Fantasy tough Reimu,(Revati devi dasi) had been the one who turned Gensokyo from the Shinto system of demigod worship (and Buddhism.) to Vaishnavism, the original religion. But the red and white Shrine Maiden had been but an instrument to awaken the real saint, the hidden corporal of a divine army.
Prince Toyosatomimi no Miko had not fallen asleep during her thousand-year-long slumber, and instead, had travelled the Universe in their Astral form.
She had seen many wonders, she spoke to a great, immortal stranger that, while he had been cursed by God, still had a bright future. They had seen the Golden Avatar and received his instruction to wait for his Senapathi-Bhakta, the Commander of his army of devotees.
And then, she met him as he left the Bay of Bengal on a trip that would change the face of the world.
The commander, the councillor predicted by John was a humble Bengali gentleman, a Vaishnava who, by any conventional logic, should have remained in Vrindavan to live out his sunset years in the holiest place on the planet. Not to start a worldwide spiritual revolution.
And Miko had seen it all. She had seen the saint; trouble, his begging to the American high-class populace seeing the powerful being as a mere short Bengali old man dressed in saffron trying to sell them boring books with his funny accent. Not a man sent by God, the next teacher of the world.
And Miko had seen the Hippy crowd pilling up the Matchless gift storefront, right beside the ice cream parlour the Hell's angels had appropriate, listening intently to he whom under his feet all Masters take shelters of.
A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
And this same Prabhupada, one night when he was completely alone, not a recorder insight, had spoken to Miko as if she was not in her astral body.
But then, The teacher of the universe was also known to be visited by numerous demi-gods and the eternal space-man, Narada Mahamuni.
One year later, after tolerating more than a man his stature would dare to and surviving as an old man with no money on the worst part of Boston, pious souls began to flock to Prabhupada in the form of the Hippy crowd and unhappy youth of the era. And one year later, Iskcon was born.
And eleven years later, he had founded a hundred and eight temples worldwide and written over seventy volumes of transcendental books on Bhakti and initiated millions in the sacred path of Bhakti.
And... He had given her his set of Tulasi beads (Or maybe it was a set he had gotten for her using his mystique powers.) but one thing was for sure. After Miko went to visit the ecstatic Revati, she returned with a set of beads and a new name.
Uma Devi Dasi... since she had told the eternal saint, the best of philanthropist past, present and future, that her name was Umayado, thinking he would wake up as a man once his seal would be broken... but since a sword is (somehow) female by nature...
Well, she was Uma now. And the first thing she did was to denounce the evil of voidism and impersonalism, destroying the Taoist faction, the Shintoist Faction and the Buddhist faction in one emergency symposium that had Yukari in stitches.
the gap youkai had hidden Miko's identity as Uma... for reason's known to her only.
Uma was to be known as a very plain woman with an amazing amount of power and the knowledge of God while Miko would be seen as a sore loser, locked away in shame in Senkai.
But it didn't end there.
And, as per the Gensokyen rules of religious conflict, all the losers had to follow the winner's way for the rest of their life.
At first, all had rented and rage, only for Uma to tell them that she didn't force them to do it since Bhakti was a purely spiritual path free from all religious trapping. And since real spirituality was based on the loving choice to serve via once sacred free will.
Needless to say, most had returned to listen to Uma's message after a week, willing to hear more about the path of Bhakti... and Bahula took to it with great joy, since, for her, the Illusion of complete oneness with everything and the void scared her to no end, having perceived the truth centuries ago.
The ancient and ever-youthful which relished in the concept of a personal God with an attractive form both relatable yet oh so far from one's mundane sense perception. A God... no, THE God who was the universe and the source of the universe, HE who was everything and on whom everything rested like pearls on a silken thread. The Supreme and absolute truth, the ocean of bliss who was accessible yet rare to achieve, who was in one's heart and yet so far in his home planet situated outside the universe.
His name Is Krishna, and he had sent Uma to save her and Revati from despair.
For the first time in her too long life, Byakuren felt happy and fulfilled in a way that one would be hard-pressed to describe.
But... one of her oldest followers saw this as a fall down, and thus, aimed at reminding her mother superior of the truth, that everything was suffering, that everything was an illusion, that the soul didn't exist and that consciousness of even was but a mere dream when the reality was light only... by once again sending her to Hokkai.
Thankfully, one of those whom Uma had attracted had been none-other the Goddess Shinki who, now back under the blissful service of her eternal master, had sent Bahula to... well, save Zero, for a lack of better word.
Meaning, that the only reason for Zero's continued survival and the positive change in his life had died before he got the chance to thank her.
Once again, the powerful reploid bowed at the feet of the departed saint.
"I'm... Thank you, Uma Devi Dasi, for everything."
Suddenly, there was a harsh intake of air and a very wet, blood-filled cough. Zero instinctually took to the air as he watched with unending horror as the bloodied body rose up!
~0~
Outside the temple, Acyuta-Gopi floated here and there, making a protected perimeter around the sacred place and Its surrounding with her numerous dolls. "Araaaaa... And I thought there was no Fairy to bug us here." She deadpanned.
For her part. Shou could only lick her wound as she healed. Sure, she may look fearsome but...
A tiger VS a crazy war machine of the same ilk as the one in Sanae's Gundam VHS. Or the Hisotensoku. Meant only one thing.
She would lose.
"Shou-san?" Acyuta broke the tiger youkai's self-deprecating thoughts. "Please, don't beat yourself up, you still destroyed plenty of those bee-bladders and other assorted dolls."
"yeah... but I lost to the small guy." She grumbled, her pride as a guardian deity having taken a hit.
Especially with how an entire wall was missing from the temple, and the sweet smell of Uma's blood filled the air.
No, Shou had no desire to enter this place yet. Not after another Vaishnava had lost their life...
"Oi! Shou-chan!" The Oni (Janavi Devi, not Yuugi) called out. Her expansive silk Kimono was but a memory at this point, and her scar-riddled body was for all to see.
Still had enough fabric to protect what was not meant for innocent eyes, tough.
"Why the long face, tiger? Somebody died?"
"Uma... Uma did..." She could not even finish her phrase, the whole thing left a vile taste in her mouth. It was worst then the sake Suika would drink.
Not only that, but their only clue to Mother Bahula's whereabout, the blond robot, was gone. And forget about trying to locate him vial smell, not when Uma's blood was clogging her nose.
The monstrous chief of old hell patted Shou on her head, cooing at the mythical big cat. "Aww, it's alright Shou-Shou. Knowing her, she returned to her Master-" But before Janavi could continue, a clearly electronic scream was heard from inside the temple.
The trio of blond shared a look before rushing into the half-collapsed building, only to have Janavi end up with an arm full of blond robot.
Of panicking blond robot that smelled like he had hugged Bahula for a few days.
The reason for it laid whit the very bloodied Uma.
Alive, of course.
~0~
As for Bahula, she was still following a path that lead to Krishna knows where.
"So, Krishna... where are we going?" She asked the Lord and, hopefully, the object of her pure affection.
Krishna remained silent, only for Bahula to hear an explosion in one of those terrible apartment complexes, rat traps built as so-called homes for the lowly and destitute. So far of the ground and lacking anything that resembled flowing water, proper windows or even a place to grow a few plants, let alone a garden.
"How are they supposed to grow their own food? Raise their children and visit temples?" She wondered out loud, her voice hidden under the cover of the raging wind. "Nevertheless, If I am here to fight, then I shall not let my Shishiya face this ordeal alone." And whit this resolution and a prayer to the Lord for Protection, Bahula drove off the highway and flew her bike to where a spider robot was tearing about the building.
"Well, this will not do." She murmured as she aimed her bike at the beast, hoping it would be enough to dislodge the thing from the tower of death.
Then she let go, watching as the magical construct crashed at high speed in the metallic exoskeleton.
For a moment, the mechanical beast scrambled for support, and Bahula prepared her Vajra weapon.
Only to have the demoniac spider loos its grip and plummet to the ground...
Not wanting the mechanical being to kill or destroy anything of importance, Bahula still rushed at the soon-to-be carcass, cutting it into tiny pieces she Hoped would not fall on anyone.
Once this was done, she be-spelled the toppling building with her Little Bother's spell, and cut down its support, safety releasing it.
From inside the structure, Bahula could hear people screaming in fear.
Who wouldn't, in this situation.
Still, better not let those poor souls suffer more then they had any rights to. And thus, the saint gently and carefully floated the structure down in a vacant plot, once it touched the ground, the saint kept her magic flowing while she upped the volume of her voice.
"Oh inhabitant of the tower, be at peace." She began, trying to remember not to dip in archaic words.
Zero may have helped her whit some slang but... well, you can't teach an old bitch new tricks.
"My name is Bahula Devi Dasi, a friend of Zero." she continued. "By my magic, I am holding this structure up, and I will do so until you have gathered whatever is necessary for you. Blankets, food, water containers, legal papers, any type of necessities and valuables you can use to restart life, when you have packed everything in a large furoshiki, please, calmly make your way to the exit... Ah, I will make one." She said as she located the end of the stair and pinched through the concrete wall, and dug up a ramp so that all, independent of their mobility, would be able to exit with the least amount of trouble. "Alright, you may proceed, I will hold up the building as long as needed." the saintly witch finished as she sat down, taking her Tulasi beads to chant a bit more.
'Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.'
In the end, it took all in all fifteen minutes for almost everyone to get out. Some have amassed their entire life in a box, or a table cloth, while others chose to just jump away with the clothes on their back and not look back.
But there seemed to be a straggler. A chubby man with four robotic limbs seemed rather... reluctant to leave.
'Oh my lord, perhaps he lost someone dear and does not desire to leave them behind?' In her long life, Bahula had seen the length people would go to preserve a useless dead body, either of a loved one or not.
Attachment to mater, Illusion and the grips of the mode of passion and ignorance was ineluctable, and only by the grace of God could one be freed from it.
Looking back at the medic and the forces of laws. (who did not dare to approach her, especially the ones with the metallic body and brains made out of motherboards and silicon.) seeing that they had everything under control, enter the wreck.
The damage done to the structure was clear as day, the plaster was cracked and broke, all light save for the emergency ones where off, and the smell of smoke and foam lingered in the air and in her nose.
The once straight hallway was now crooked, and the carpeted floor bumpy and covered with debris.
As Bahula floated to where she could feel the straggler... two of them at an apartment in the back, one that had been close to being destroyed by the demoniac spider.
"Hello? Can you hear me?" Bahula called out. "Do you need any assistance?"
"There were no awnseres, but she could practically feel his fear. "Do not fear, I'm a friend," she said as she opened the locked door.
Alright, so this was definitively some property damage on her part. But to be honest, with the way how things were, a mere door meant nothing but some comedic relief.
The room was cluttered and in shamble, as if a bomb had exploded there. And there were so many deceased dolls strew about, their souls out of their bodies, yet still in the clutch of their subtle body.
'it's a war zone.' Bahula thought with horror as she prayed for them, calling miss Shiki to notify her of some ghost needing to cross over. And for them to have a human life next time.
Now, usually, Bahula would stay away from the dead bodies, not because she didn't feel comfortable about them (she used to be the undertaker of Gensokyo, after all.) but because he mere presence was enough to ward off any Yamaduta's since Yamaraja had warned them not to approach anyone who chanted any names of God.
And since when wore her Tulasi necklace, and was initiated and chanted the required rounds...
Well, it was not that the mere presence of a devotee would stop death, but no Yamaduta's would dare approach a Devotee, for it only took a moment of association with those pure souls to free anyone from the Clutches of the Yamaduta's and, at the very least bring them to Vaikunta…
'I am such an idiot.' Bahula chided herself. 'Instead of feeling bad for the Yamadutas, I should be more concerned about the souls heading to hell!'
Well, now she knew, and the next time the Black and White saint would hear about a dying person, she would be at their side until they would leave behind their useless body.
'Never will I run away from my sacred duty. Those Yamaduta's can take other sinful souls, for all I care.'
Nevertheless, she had a straggler to evacuate before things could get out of hand.
she approached what could only be the bedroom door, the only door she heard close since she entered the flat.
Now standing in front, Bahula Devi Dasi gently rapped her knuckled against the rough, withe surface… or, what used to be a white surface.
it was clear that this was not a normal door, and that the owner of this flat had something to hide.
"Who is This!" a man spoke from the other side of the door. "Is this the Viral witch?"
"The Viral witch?" She asked as she cocked her head to the side. "I've been called many things, my son. Evil witch, baby-eater, man-eater, the devil and soulless monster, But I don't think anyone has ever called me a viral wish before."
The door opened slightly, before closing quickly with a yelp.
"Oh, God."
"Hare Krishna."
"It's you."
"Yes, it is I, Bahula Devi Dasi." The saint reflectively bowed shallowly to the man. "And you are?"
"..."
"You are not a Robot, not like Zero, by any chance."
"What have you done to him?" The man (?) asked with an astounding amount of Venom. "You glow with the Virus."
Bahula took a deep breath and released it, hearing the paranoid man gasp in Horror. "It's not the Maverick Virus, it's magic… the 'Virus' is Mana or magic, is by nature neutral. in high quantity, it can render a man mad but, it would affect what is not fragile." she explain. "it also has the effect of amplifying the greatest attribute one may have. either what is in front for all to see, or what has been hidden. For me, it was my fear of death and old age, but eventually, my piety also grew." Shockingly enough. "But I believe for mister Sigma, it was his obsession over the mistreatment of his brethren. a very valid feeling for a race of slaves."
"So… you are with him?"
"No, I'm a Hare Krishna. I serve my master and, while it pains me to see a race used as slaves as the reploids are. the best thing I can do for them is to offer those who are persecuted a safe haven to practice Bhakti in peace, and leave behind their dull and dead shell to return back home, back to Godhead."
The door opens, and she finally see whom she was talking to… despite it being the crack of the door.
He wore glasses and had brown eyes.
"You… you corrupted X." The man accused. "You turned him insane!"
"I beg you pardon?"
The door flew open, and Bahula was faced whit what could certainly be a death ray.
"You turned him mad, he was asking for his mother, then was talking to a nothing named Kokila and-" And the Divine comedy made by Bhagavan himself unfolded from the man in the room. and by the end of it, Bahula could not help but burst into laughter.
"What's so funny?!" The man asked with clear outrage.
Bahula Devi whipped her tears of divine joy. "Oh, Mister unknown. The only thing I did was to be in front of X while radiating something he recognized as the Virus while being human. it causes… glitching in his systems." She repeated the words Zero once told her. "I call him my son, because, as a nun, this is how I address younger man. and I call younger girls daughters also."
There was a pause.
"Oh…"
"Oh what? what happened to X pr… to mister X?"
"He… he got confused. like, his Logic board almost got friend since… well, you got him so paradoxes and plenty of contradicting data, poor man was so fried, he started hallucinating."
"Hallucinating, you say?" Bahula asked as she tried to figure out what could have caused Zero's friend to lose his Sanity.
"Yes," The man said as he opened the door a little. he was in his late thirties and wore a pair of glasses in dire need of repair. "Started getting frenzied and began sending me pictures of this weird girl with hearts in her eyes and… a third heart/eye thing floating in front"
"She had a black hat, curly hair the colour of wintergreen toothpaste and wore yellow and green?"
The door opened wider, and the man with the mechanized limbs stared at the Vaishnavi. "yes? how do you know?"
"Oh, I know her. She sued to be a visitor to the Myouren temple, and she was one of Uma's first disciples. We call he-"
"Kokila, X called her Kokila." The man leaned on the door. "Is she… but I never saw her!"
"You did. but she made you forget she existed." Bahula revealed. "She is a Satori, a Mindreader who closed her third eyes and mind. but instead of becoming a stone, Kokila met the Part of God in her heart, Paramatma."
The man stared at her.
"Yes. God does, exist, he is a Person, his name is Krishna and He will show himself to you when he will desire so. and since you won't accept Him as he is, then Krishna will let you be while he shares his love with those who love him… as every sane man would."
The man-machine opened his mouth, probably to deny this fact, but instead, his eyes reached the top of his head, before all previous tensions left his body. "You know what, after all this crazy thing that happens, I'll say I believe and wait for you guy to say hi. I reckon I've prayed for him on different occasions, and I have so many questions for him."
Bahula beamed in ecstasy. "Oh, how wonderful, my son." She collapsed her hand in front in pure delight. "Now please, you need to leave your home. while I can maintain the structure nearly indefinitely, I would rather find my Shishya, Zero then turn into a pillar."
"Wait, Zero's here?" Douglas asked with both hope and dread. "Since when, and why didn't he call? we all tough the guy was cooked!"
"Shame, mostly. and we came in Abel city only just today… and we have already been attacked by someone." She shamefully blushed. "I… most likely have killed him."
Douglas opened his mouth, let his brain work on what was about to exit his mouth, then spoke.
"I thought you people wouldn't kill, like, at all."
"Oh, I'm not a Buddhist, I am a Vaishnavi, and while we are careful not to kill even an ant, it is also our duty to protect those who can't fight…" She boldly declared as she began the Hinata finger thing of shame. "But… this person was an accident. I loathed having Zero, Who is sane and in need of…ah, medical attention, killed due to my inactions."
"But… I heard he was the one who led this charge! Zeros' back, and he's spreading the Virus, you know, the one that turns all reploid in murder machine!" Douglas exclaimed as he flailed his arms.
"Oh? But Zero and I were in transit before the attack began… and my Shishya, Zero cannot turn others into monsters, he has learned how to control his magic expertly, and the last thing he desires is to cause another war, he would rather be dead in merged in the Lord's effulgence then infect anyone, not that this was in his power anyway." Bahula began as she heard the police and other authorities arrive. "Listen, Phrabu-ji. I need you to vacate this place as soon as possible."
"I can't." The man said with great hapless worry. "I… Listen, if you know about Zero, you must also know about Iris."
"Yes, His deceased girlfriend," Bahula spoke without much emotions.
Once one learned about the eternal soul and the true nature of the material body, death and the departure of a loved one sort of lost some of its impact.
Yes, it was a departure, but all would meet again eventually.
The man (Douglas, Bahula's old memory reminded the nun.) cleared his throat. "Yeah, well… about that." He grabbed her wrist and gently, yet firmly pulled her into the room…
It was clear it used to be a bedroom, but the occupied reploid recovery pod (she had seen a few at the landing site.) had taken most of the space, the old bed had been pushed to the wall vertically, and a computer chair was in front of a makeshift desk with a monitor and a laptop connected to the hulking machine.
Inside, sleeping peacefully in a lilac gown, his brown hair braided was a young girl…
But… the energy that sluggish poured from her, the same that animated Zero and X, marked her as a shikigami.
'Or… perhaps a shikaisen, both are cousin species, after all.'
"So… basically the Hunters and human council were wrong about Iris, somehow, she managed to survive, she can boot is her root menu no problem, but because she's missing the second unit, she's as good as dead."
"A second unit?" Bahula parroted as she watched the cyborg mill around the room, plugging and unplugging things to the recovery pod.
"Yeah, it used to be her Brother, the second part of the original design. but-"
"Yes, Zero told me about this terrible tragedy…Oh, I cannot wait until he learns that his beloved is still alive despite it all." she gave a blinding smile as she sent prayers of gratitude to Gauranga, the most merciful avatar.
"yes, yes… but… Apparently, your student has started another maverick war." Douglas made a calming gesture. "Yes, I know, you have an alibi, but politicians are after his head… since there was another reploid that looked like him that was gallivanting around, spreading an actual malware."
"Oh my! that's terrible." Not that Bahula knew what a malware was, only that it sounded bad.
"Yeah…" Douglas huffed as he opened the pod and began to attach the sleeping beauty to an external power supply. "Anyway, if we ever find Zero… I ah… Need to talk to him about something…" Douglass spoke as he entered another prompt into the terminal, making the pod's near consent humming stop. "Alright… I need you to take and hide her. I'll deal with the authorities."
"Alright, we'll be as the Hare Krishna temple, it's the safest place I know," Bahula spoke as she took the external power supply and specialized medical computer (Thank you Zero for walking her through all the tech the outside world seemed to have) and the Sleeping beauty in her arms. "Oh my, she is definitely heavier then X and Zero."
"Yeah, Navigators need more hardware in, and being built in a compact manner, they have extras shock absorbers and author security features." Douglas babbled as he peered outside the window. "Alright, the course is clear. once I'm done with the hogs, I'll be joining you back at the temple."
"Wonderful." Bahula chirped. "I cannot wait to meet Mister X again. if what you've just told me is true, then he has also taken to the path of Bhakti. Hare Krishna, Douglas. By God's will, may we meet again." and with that, Bahula, casting an invisibility spell on herself and Iris, flew out the window and into the night.
But with her gone, the structure began to groan and complain. it was all Douglas needed to have him jump out the same window as the whole structure finally collapsed.
"Supper safe house, my shiny fake… hay wait a minute, how come she know my name?" Douglas wondered as he took his already packed essentials, looking to the unseen heaven's for a clue... "… right. She knows Zero." He mumbled as he resumed taking his few belonging. ready to start a new life.
After the shit he went trough, who wouldn't.
