Chapter Ten: Dock Colony
(A/N: Whee, my 10th chapter! throws confetti up in the air Thanks goes out to Aerith the Evenstar and Gunz Ablaze for the awesome reviews. Please enjoy some Shane antics!)
Shane was in Hanger 1 of the Elsa, checking the mantainance of the A.G.W.S stored there. She waved at Shion who was escorting the new occupants, Ziggy and MOMO, around the ship. ''This is Hangar 1, a hangar exclusively for A.G.W.S. They let me store mine here too,'' Shion told them. MOMO looked at the red A.G.W.S and smiled. ''It's a beautiful A.G.W.S. I've never seen an A.G.W.S. like it before.'' She looked over at Shane, waving at her as the milky-haired girl waved back. ''It's one of our prototypes. It's supposed to be tested during Woglinde's trial run, but I never imagined it would actually come into use,'' Shion said.
''Whose A.G.W.S. is that one over there?'' The little girl Realian pointed to the white and lavender A.G.W.S closest to Shane. ''Oh, that's the Elsa's A.G.W.S. It seems chaos pilots it for the most part. I heard that Hammer put it together himself from junk parts salvaged from battlefields. I think he said he was going to make one for Shane, but I'm not sure...''
''Really? Hammer is very skilled,'' MOMO told her. ''I think he does all the repairs on the Elsa too. Someone like Hammer's a rare find. There aren't too many people like that, even in Vector Second R&D Division.'' Shion turned to the milky-haired girl who was popping her knuckles.
''Hey, Shane, I'll see you later okay?''
''Alright, see you.'' She sat back on the floor, rubbing the temples of her head lightly. It's been hours since I came here, she thought to herself. And I haven't made any REAL progress on going home...I still have to play along with the storyline of the game until the end. She stood up and sighed. ''And now, to check Shion's mecha.''
After 15 minutes in the hanger, Shane rode the elevator back up to the first floor as she stretched. She stepped out of the hanger, holding out her shirt with a grimace on her face. ''Ick, I probably smell worse than Dad when he comes back from fishing...'' She walked to the doorway that led to the bridge and stopped when she heard Commander Cherenkov's voice near the U.M.N.
''Commander…'' He said in a nervous yet calm voice. ''Cherenkov… What is it?'' Damn, it's Margulis... The milky-haired girl thought, seething at the name. Shane had her back against the wall as she listened in on their conversation. ''The Zohar was…taken by the Gnosis… B-but I managed to secure the 100-Series Realian and a young woman. They're currently onboard a cargo ship… …headed for the Miltian star system. I believe it is the same ones you had secured on Pleroma. What do you--''
''Just stick to your duties,'' Margulis coldly ordered.
''Wha…?''
''Don't do anything beyond the scope of your mission. We've already confirmed all the variables. The situation is proceeding according to plan.''
''B-but, Sir,'' Cherenkov started to protest.
''Return to Headquarters at once. I'll deal with you then. Understood?'' Commander Cherenkov nodded and broke contact. Shane peaked around the corner to see him with his head lowered and his hands at his sides, balling up into fists. I better get out of here before he goes berserk and ends up killing me... She turned, running to her cabin.
Later, the Elsa docked at the Dock Colony where everyone walked to the air lock and stretched from the long flight. ''Damns, I need to go to the clinic,'' Shane said as she looked at her arms and shoulder. ''Not to mention a change of clothes and a bath...blegh.'' Shion giggled at her remarks then looked around. ''...Oh? I thought Commander Cherenkov was here with you.'' The milky-haired girl looked at her. ''Eh, no he wasn't. I haven't seen him either.'' She lied.
''What's the matter?'' chaos asked, walking over to them.
''Well, he skipped dinner again, so I've been looking for him…''
''Did you check outside? He mentioned something about finding a charter flight.'' Hammer said, looking at Shion. The captain looked up at them as he smoked a cigarette. ''Wait a minute… Wearing that uniform?''
''Yeah.'' He shook his head. ''Ohh, that's bad…'' Shane looked at him. ''Whoa, how's that bad?'' ''Hmm?''
''This area was abandoned by the government and never properly restored after the war. The people here haven't forgotten how violent the military was, though. It's no place for a soldier to be wandering around.,'' Captain Matthews told the girls.
''Is it really that dangerous here?'' Shion asked. ''Well, it's fine if you're a civilian…'' Captain Matthews inhaled and exhaled his cigarette. The milky haired girl looked at them then gasped as she stumbed back. She looked down to the floor, her vision turning white. ''Oh god, what the fuck's happening?'' She looked to see that all time had stopped and she was looking at herself. ''Astral projection?'' she said outloud. ''Man, the cold's getting to me...'' She walked through the air lock door, opening her eyes to glance around the Dock Colony.
''Why did this just happened---wait, I think I know. Shane ran to the part where she remembered from the game and saw the missing commander who looked around. He was then surrounded suddenly by colony punks. Shane gasped again, looking up at everyone. '' Well, in that case, we'd better go find him before anything happens,'' chaos said. Apparently noone noticed, she thought as she straightened up. ''Yeah, you're right. I'll go get Ziggy. He'll probably come in handy at a time like this.'' Hammer nodded. ''All right, I'll go with Allen, then. He doesn't look very useful, though…so I'll go with Shane instead!''
''...What? I didn't agree to go search for him. I need a shower and someone to check my wounds.'' ''Oh, come on! I'm not like Tony! I'm the exact opposite,'' He told her. She folded her arms, narrowing her eyes. ''Uh-huh, sure. Try to grope me and you're dead.''
''Better be careful, Hammer. Shane's a fiery one,'' Captain Matthews said as he chuckled to himself. Hammer groaned, rubbing the back of his head.
''Well, let's start looking for the Commander. We should split up to look for him. I'll let you know as soon as we find him!'' Hammer and Shane ran off as Shion's group went the other way. ''Alright, where should we look first?'' She looked around then walked down the path to an alleyway. ''This way,'' she said. Hammer followed after her.
''You sure you're going the right way?''
''..Nope. Just trust me, ya?'' He tilted his head. ''...Ya?'' he asked. She stopped and kneeled down behind a pair of boxes. She pulled Hammer down next to her as he yelped in response. ''Ah! Shane, wha--?!'' ''Shh!'' She pointed at Commander Cherenkov who was getting beat up by the punks. Hammer gasped at the sight as Shane gritted her teeth. ''So this is what the captain was saying...'' She looked beside her only to see the navigator gone and running away. ''Hammer?! Hammer, get your ass back here!'' She ran after him.
As Shion's group arrived at the scene, a panicky Hammer and an angered, equally panicky, Shane ran up to them out of breath. ''Oh!! S-S-S-S-Shion! I-I-I-It's terrible! It's terrible! In the thug, the alleyway is beat up all Commander!!'' The navigator managed to say. Shion moved her hands up and down in front of him. ''Uh, um, Hammer? I can't understand you at all. Calm down a little…''
Shane took a deep breath. ''It's the commander...! Me and Hammer found 'em in an alleyway and...!!''
''There's no time to calm down! Come on, hurry! Come this way, quickly!!''
The two lead the group to the alley where the commander and colony punks were in. In the alley,
the group saw the punks bleeding, critically injured and unconscious. Ziggy walked over to one of them and examined him. He then looked up at Shion. ''Shion. We must get these people to a hospital at once. They're still alive, but barely hanging on.'' ''I-I'll go call an ambulance!'' Hammer said in a panicked voice and left. ''This is terrible… Wh-where's Commander Cherenkov?'' The blonde cyborg glanced at Shion then said, ''I'm detecting a faint heat signature heading toward the dock. It most likely belongs to the Commander.''
''Commander…'' Behind Shion, Shane's face took on a darkened and more serious tone. That certain part's coming...
The group took the wounded punks to the nearby clinic and went back to the Elsa to see if Commander Cherenkov was alright and to ask what happened in the alleyway. As the group walked inside, MOMO tried to treat the commander's wounds. He pushed her hands away and shook his head. ''That's enough,'' he said. A frown came onto the Realian girl's face. ''B-but…'' Shion wallked over to them. ''Commander?! Are you okay?'' He looked up at her, nodding. ''Yeah…'' Shane folded her arms.
''What happened?''
''I got cornered by some, uh, street punks. But they started fighting amongst each other, so I ran away during the commotion.''
''You got cornered…?''
''I'd say the commander got jumped by those guys,'' the milky-haired girl said.
He sighed. ''It…It's all right. It's really not that bad.''
MOMO shook her head ''no''. ''That's not true! I've been trying to treat his injuries, but he won't let me…'' Shane closed her eyes as she rubbed her eyes gently. ''Refusin' treatment?'' Cherenkov shook his head again. ''I'm sorry… It's just…I'm not a big fan of nanosurgery,'' he said. Shion looked at him with concern on her face and in her eyes. ''You prefer natural healing?'' ''No, that…that's not what I mean…''
Ziggy interrupted the two speaking as he looked at MOMO. ''MOMO, I need your help over here. I haven't had a tune-up since the battle on Pleroma. Some of my parts may be a little worn out.''
''Okay,'' she said. The blonde cyborg sat in the maintenance chair as she used the console to check his parts. ''All systems are working within their normal parameters.'' ''I'm behind on my regular maintenance. This body's getting pretty old.''
''Not at all. But you know, you may be better off if Shion were to look you over,'' MOMO told him.
Ziggy looked at Shion who was trying to help Commander Cherenkov with an embarassed look on his face. ''You may find this funny, but even with a body like this, I still feel uncomfortable about a young woman working on me,'' he said. The Realian looked up at him. ''But there are plenty of human female doctors, aren't there?''
''Well, I'm embarrassed of this patchwork mechanical body. I'm being silly, aren't I?''
MOMO shook her head slowly. ''…But, you're all right with me because I'm not human?'' Ziggy looked at her face and got up from the chair. ''That's not what I meant. It's just that I feel comfortable around you, but that's probably because…because of the purity of your heart…and not because I see you as an object.''
''…Thank you. I'm so glad.'' Commander Cherenkov looked at both MOMO and Ziggy. ''How I envy you…'' he said. She looked to him with her childish golden eyes. ''Huh?''
''Uh, no, it's a…it's nothing.'' He stood up and left the room and group to their own devices. ''I wonder if the Commander's really all right. He's been acting strangely ever since we boarded the Elsa…'' Shion said as she watched the commander leave the room.
''Hey, Shion? Can you and MOMO come with me so I can find some clothes? ...And a shower?'' The two girls looked at her and nodded.
''Okay.''
In the Dock Colony store, the three girls looked through a hologram catalog at different clothes. ''So, Shane, what do you think of this?'' Shion pointed to the figure of a young woman wearing what looked like or similar to a Japanese school uniform. ''Nah...I wear uniforms back at home. They're hideous.'' She shook for empathesis, giving herself goosebumps. MOMO giggled at the gesture as Shane grinned. ''Ooh, what about this one?'' The Vector employee pointed to the hologram of a woman about 17-18 years old wearing a long black overcoat with a dark brown vest attatched to a grey turtleneck shirt underneath. Shion pressed a button on the catalog as the overcoat separated from the body. It showed the turtleneck was sleeveless. Black capris stopped at the knees and black calf boots finished the outfit.
''Dude, that outfit is SO me,'' Shane said. She looked at the price and squealed to see it was in the price range. ''So you like it?'' ''Of course I do! Let's buy it already so I can try it on back at the ship!'' Shion smiled. ''After a bath, of course.'' The milky-haired girl laughed. ''Yeah, after a bath,'' she said.
''Shane, I've been meaning to ask you...are you a Realian?''
''Huh? Oh, no I'm not. I'm just as human as you are, MOMO-chan.'' MOMO's eyes turned bright as a small blush crept to her face. ''Really? You think of me as a human?'' Shane nodded as Shion went to the register and showed the picture of the outfit she wanted to buy. ''It's kinda like what Ziggy said--I see you for the purity of your heart, and not as an object. You stick with me, kid. I'll protect you,'' she said and gave the Realian a thumbs-up.
''Shane...we've just met, and you're saying you want to protect me?''
''Yeah, I know. But you remind of my little sister back home...even though you're 12 and she's 6.'' MOMO nodded and smiled. ''Okay. Thank you, Shane.''
''Alright, you guys. Let's get back to the ship. Captain Matthews'll be waiting for us.''
The girls made it back to the Elsa, bags in hand along with more supplies for the ship. ''I'm going to go and tell the captain we can depart,'' Shion said as she handed the vacuum-packed square of Shane's new outfit to the milky-haired girl. ''Alright. I'm going to my cabin. You coming with me, MOMO?'' The little Realian nodded as they both walked to the elevator.
As they walked to the elevator, Shane's steps became slow. She looked down at the floor as her vision became fuzzy and distorted. ''Oooh...'' ''Shane? What's wrong?'' She blinked her eyes, looking at MOMO. ''Uh, yeah...I'm okay,'' she said. She held her head and leaned against the wall.
''You don't seem okay. My sensors show that your heart's beating at an erratic rate...'' MOMO said. The milky-haired girl looked at her. ''...You can see all that? Heh, that's relly cool.'' She smiled as they stepped in the elevator, going down to the cabin areas.
''Think you can find any hidden cameras, MOMO-chan?''
''I think so. ... No, there's no hidden cameras. You're free to shower, Shane.''
''Alright,'' the milky haired girl said as she turned on the shower. She removed the clothes she had been wearing since she left Pleroma; blood stained and smelly from her sweating from her fever. She took a shower, washing her hair and the rest of her body. MOMO waited for her as she looked up at the ceiling. The steam rose from behind the curtain, water dripping from the faucet and hitting the curtain.
''Shane?'' MOMO asked after about 5 minutes of silence.
''Yeah?''
''Where are you from? Which planet, I mean?'' Shane tensed up, looking at the girl's silloutte. ''...I'm from...Fifth Jeruselum,'' she said. God, I'm going to hell for this...MOMO's gonna know since she can read me like a book... ''Really? I hear it's nice.'' The milky-haired girl nodded, chuckling nervously. ''Yeah! It's really nice in the summer.'' The pink haired girl smiled then kicked her feet some.
''Shane? Why are you going to Second Milita?''
''I've never been there, but I wanna see it, though before I go back to Fifth Jeruselum,'' she said. Shane turned off the shower, wringing the water out of her hair. She grabbed a towel that was folded on the counter of the sink and wrapped it around herself. ''Shion told me that you were inside a A.G.W.S with a gunshot wound to your shoulder.'' ''Yup. I'm surprised the bullet went through, actually.'' She stepped out of the shower as MOMO turned around. ''That's really scary...'' The little Realian said. ''Were you scared?''
''Yeah, scared out of my wits, MOMO.''
After the shower, MOMO told Shane that she was going to the bridge where Ziggy and the others were at. Shane nodded and waved the little girl off. God, she's just like the little monkey...but nicer and not hyper. She walked back to her cabin wearing the outfit Shion bought back at the Dock Colony and laid down on the seat near the door. ''Maybe I can finally get some sleep now...'' With that said, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
''…Shane… …Shane… …Shane… Shane.''
Shane opened her eyes to see she was in another world that was just pure black and white. It looked like she was in an old film. A really old film. ''Damn,'' she said to herself. ''It's that world Shion dreamt about...'' She looked around and saw the little girl from her house.
Nephilim.
''You again? Was it you that tried to wake me up before?'' The little girl looked at her.
''Shane. It may already be too late…''
''Mmph, what do you mean, too late? What's too late? You talking about the commander?''
''Ultimately, the choice is up to him… But you… You and Shion may be able to understand him in his final moments,'' she said in a soft voice. Everything went white as Shane closed her eyes slowly.
''Indeed, that will bring him comfort…'' Shane woke up, sitting up fast as she looked around. '' '..That'll bring him comfort...'' She fell off the seat, yelping after feeling a sudden shaking. ''W-what the...?''
Shane ran to the bridge, nearly bumping into Shion in the process. ''Dah! Sorry, Shion!'' The other woman nodded and mumbled ''sorry''. They stumbled back as they ran into the bridge, breathing heavily. They looked out the large windows at hyperspace to see sparks emitting.
''Wh-what's going on?'' Shion asked in a worried voice.
KOS-MOS turned to her and Shane. ''A powerful force is affecting the ship from outside hyperspace.''
''What does that mean?!'' MOMO asked, panicking. ''Something is trying to come into contact with the ship. If this persists, we will be dragged out of hyperspace. '' A look of confusion and worry came onto the Realian's face. ''What's this…? I sense…?!'' Shion looked at her hands to see her hands glowing blue. Shane and MOMO's hands were doing the same. ''Huh?! What's…?!''
''Are our hands supposed to glow blue or is that normal?!'' Shane asked.
As the Elsa was dragged out of hyperspace, Shion looked out of hyperspace and gasped loudly. Everyone was in for the shock of their lives. ''Gnosis?!'' The gnosis--big and small--were everywhere; floating around without a care in the world. ''What the hell?! Hey! Are you sure you got the right coordinates?!'' Captain Matthews asked Hammer who was frantically looking to see what happened.
''Ah, well…they're…'' He stuttered. ''Man…look at all of them…'' Tony said as he looked at the gnosis who were known for their hostility. Shion waved her arm in an ordering motion. ''KOS-MOS! Ultra Wide-Range Hilbert Effect!''
''Affirmative.'' KOS-MOS put the Hilbert Effect scope on and activated it. The wide range of the effect spread out from the ship, instantly bringing the gnosis into full existance. MOMO let out a small gasp of awe. ''That's amazing… Even an amplified system should only achieve a range of a hundred kilometers.'' Everyone felt the Elsa jerk forward.
''C-Captain! I can't control her!''
''Distortion in the gravity field! We're being pulled in!'' chaos said as the ship was is pulled in by a large, planet-sized gnosis.
Chapter Ten: End. (Whoa, interesting stuff, eh? Shane's got a new outfit thanks to Shion and finally took a shower. What'll happen to Shane, Shion, and the others? Read on and find out! And please R & R.)