Chapter Thirteen: Critical State

After the battle and the defeat of the gnosis, the Durandal flew near the Zohar. Back at Pleroma, a U-TIC soldier looked back at Margulis who stood on a balcony-esque stand. ''What is it?'' he asked coldly. ''...Commander Cherenkov's S.M.S tracking signal has...disappeared.'' The U-TIC commander's face turned into a look of anger as the other soldiers wondered why. Pellegri looked at him then to the soldier. ''And the U.M.N.?'' ''I was able to track him while he traveled through hyperspace, but I lost him at point 2100-783. There are traces of a space-time anomaly at the same point, so we believe the gnosis may have been there...''

''I see...'' The blonde woman said slowly. Margulis said nothing of the report.

''Quick, take the girl to the infirmary and begin emergency surgery!'' Shion's group along with the Elsa crew boarded the Durandal as a group of doctors came up with a stretcher. Ziggy placed Shane on the stretcher gently then placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. ''You'll be okay,'' he told her. The milky-haired girl had one eye open as she was taken to the infirmary.

''Shane...''

''Will she be okay, Shion?'' MOMO asked. She looked down at the little girl and nodded. ''Shane's strong. She'll be alright.''

The group went up the elevator to the bridge as they saw the red-haired boy talking with a blonde haired woman. ''...So, ya got it?'' He asked. ''Roger, Little Master,'' she said. He turned to the group as they walked over. chaos smiled at him. ''Thanks for helping us out.'' He grinned, waving his hand in front of his face. ''You guys better fill me in on the situation later.'' He rubbed the back of his head. ''Man, what the heck is going on here...? And Momma's gone and caught a bug so we can't perform any investigations or analyses for a while.'' ''That's terrible,'' chaos told him. ''Tell me about it.''

Allen looked to Captain Matthews and asked, "Hey, is that Little Master?'' The captain nodded. ''He's our boss...the head honcho.'' He looked at the red-haired boy. ''Hey, Little Master...we picked up a couple of passagers headed for Second Miltia while we were working. What should we do with 'em?''

''They look like they're in pretty deep with something...well, your first concern should be to repair the Elsa. Why don't you get it fixed over at the Foundation? You won't make it very far in that kinda shape. Also, the doctors are doing everything they can with that girl who was brought in.'' Shion looked at him then covered her mouth some. ''Foundation...? You mean the Kukai Foundation?! From the Galactic Finance 500's ''Top 10 Fastest Growing Corporations" list? Then you must be...?!''

The red-head grinned, shaking his head. ''Ah...the business stuff was meant to be a side thing. We got lucky, that's all,'' he told her. Allen leaned over to the Vector employee with a worried look. ''This is bad, Chief! We can't associate with these people!''

''Hey, hey, I heard that, man. Would you rather we left you here in space?'' The red-head asked him with a cold-like stare. ''Uh, n-no, sorry, sir!'' Captain Matthews chuckled. ''Look, Little Master, what do you say we just leave this wuss behind? He spends all his time moaning and groaning...''

"Hey! Come on, Captain...! c-chaos! Help me out here!''

chaos held his hands up, shaking his head in response. ''Well...it's not really up to me, you know. I'd better leave this one to you two.'' The red-head grinned and said, "Then I'm definitely giving him the boot.'' Allen stepped back, groaning. ''C...Come on!'' The boy let out a short laugh as he lightly punched him in his arm. ''Hey man, don't freak out. We're just playing...'' He looked to see Shion had turned away as she looked at the floor.

''What's wrong? Something worrying you?'' he asked her. She turned to him, moving her bangs from her glasses. ''Huh? Oh, no, it's nothing. I'm Shion Uzuki. Nice to...um..meet you...'' He held out a hand to the young womn. ''Jr.,Gaignun Jr. I got a real name, but let's just leave it at that for now. Good to meet ya.'' Jr. shook her hand then turned to the purple haired woman. ''Shelley, change of plans.We're returning to the Foundation. Make sure to tell Gaignun that we've secured the final Emulator.''

''Roger. Preparing to return to the Foundation,'' Shelley said as she typed at her console. The Durandal immediately used the jump gate to head to the Kukai Foundation. After the starship left, an A.G.W.S piloted by everyone's favorite psycho watched.

Later, Shion and MOMO went to visit Shane in the Durandal's infirmary. Her chest and stomach were wrapped in clean, white bandages that could be seen under the white gown. Her arm was wrapped and was covered with a black brace (with the Vector Industries logo on the side of it) that was made to heal the broken bone.

''Does that brace work, Shion?'' MOMO asked. The brown haired girl nodded as she moved her hand against Shane's cheek. ''Yes, it does. I'm surprised the medical team didn't put the chest/torso brace on her.''

''Actually, they put the brace on the young lady as they finished wrapping her up with the bandages.'' Shion and MOMO turned to the country voice of the blonde haired woman they saw earlier on the bridge. ''Hey, you're...'' ''I'm Mary. Mary Godwin.'' She shook hands with the both of them. ''Your friend is pretty lucky. If you didn't bring her here sooner, she would've lost conciousness or worse...'' Shion nodded some. ''At least she's okay,'' she said. ''It was foolish of what she did.''

''And what was that?''

''When we were inside the gnosis...she attacked...'' Shion had trailed off as she remembered Commander Cherenkov. ''You okay?'' Mary asked in an concerned voice. The brown haired woman shook her head, regaining her composure. ''She attacked a large gnosis--without any help of a weapon--and was thrown against the wall.'' MOMO winced when she remembered seeing and hearing the sickening thud. She looked at Shane who had stirred some in her sleep.

''Shane?''

''...Where's my cookie?'' She said in a slurred voice.

The little girl clapped her hands together and giggled happily. ''Shane, you're okay!'' Shion and Mary turned to the girl. The young woman groaned as she raised her free hand slowly to touch her head. ''Where...?'' ''You're on the Durandal, heading to the Kukai Foundation,'' Mary told Shane. ''You're okay.'' She noticed the girl's eyes---a dark red with a tint of gold. She blinked when she yawned and winced from the pain.

''God, that HURTS,'' she said aloud.

''Don't move so much then!''

''Well, I wanna stretch and yawn, damnit!'' Mary watched Shion and Shane argue about her not moving due to her wounds as her face softened some.

This girl...just who is she? Is she just like the Little Master?

The next day, Jr. and Shelley took the group (along with the recuperating Shane who was released only to walk around to help with the healing process) to the Isolation Area of the Durandal. Shane looked around the area, scratching her head some. ''What is this place? The environmental controls here seem extremely strict...'' MOMO said aloud as she looked at the area. Shion looked at the large pillars that circled the huge room. ''They're so big...six to each side, with one directly across...''

''Thirteen in all. Looks like each block has a name inscribed on it.'' Ziggy said, looking at the pillars. ''You've got great eyesight!'' Shane rubbed the back of her head. ''Better than mine...wish I'd brought my glasses with me...'' Shion looked at the names inscribed on the pillars. ''Hmm, let's see...Peter...Andrew...Boanerges...Thomas...John...umm...''

''Philip, Matthew, Bartholomew, James, Thaddaeus, Simon, Judas.'' KOS-MOS finished. ''And the last one...''

''It appears to say 'Marienkind'.'' Shane tilted her head. ''Dang, that's familiar,'' she said as Shion nodded. ''Marienkind...I think I've heard that somewhere, too...''

''It means 'the child of Mary','' Shelley told them. Jr. turned to everyone as they stopped in front of a large room. ''This is where we store all the really dangerous items. Stuff like this...'' He said, activating the console that opened the covers of the Zohars. Shion let out a small gasp of surprise. ''Zohars?!''

''Actually, they're all Emulators,'' the red-head told everyone, ''And they've all been sealed, including the one we just retrieved.'' ''Why are these Zohars here...?'' She asked. ''Doing some research or somethin'?''

''Well, our corporation does dabble a little in everything. Besides, these days, you can't get by without having something to deal with the gnosis. And we definitely can't wait around for the Federation to get off its lazy butt.'' MOMO pointed to the door across from them. ''What's in the room across from us?'' Jr. shook his head.

''Nothing pleasant, I'll tell you that much.''

''You're not going to show us?'' The brown haired woman asked.

''Trust me, it ain't something you'd want to see.''

Shane stepped forward as she placed a hand on her hip (since her other arm was still in the brace). ''Look,'' she said in a firm voice, ''You might as well show us since you're obviously trying to hide something. You want me to beat your face in?''

''...Violent, aren't we?'' The red-head asked.

''But more tame than most people.'' Shion sighed. ''Even if we were to consider the diversity of your businesses, you're still a foundation, right? I mean, the weaponry on this ship far outclass those on any warship… Who are you people, anyway…?'' Jr. looked at the two then looked to the door. ''We were more or less a government organization, previously.'' He opened the door to the room.

''Well...I guess if you want to see it that badly...'' The group went into the room, seeing large containers and the creatures inside. ''What's this?'' Shion asked. She looked to see a woman who was horribly mutated. She covered her mouth, gasping in horror.

''What the hell...?'' Shane said as she looked at the woman. ''I warned you. You weren't gonna like it, didn't I?''

''All of these specimens appear to be humans whose bodies turned into gnosis,'' KOS-MOS observed. ''Transformed bodies...I've only heard of them before,'' Ziggy said as he looked at the mutated people in the containers.

''Most people just turn white and shatter to pieces, but there are a few exceptions...'' Jr. turned to look at the mutated female. ''...And they end up like this. We've named this one 'Betty', for now. It's hard to look straight at them...but I don't want to refer to them by some code name or number. It's just not right to treat the dead like mere objects.'' MOMO looked at the woman and asked, ''Is that a lady?''

''She was a little girl...the last time we saw her,'' the red-head told her. Shane looked at the creatures then knelt down, ignoring the sharp pain that shot up her sides and back. ''People turning into gnosis...? Have you learned anything about them?'' Allen asked. ''Not much. Plenty of gnosis remains have been recovered to date, but nobody's learned a thing from them. You know what they're composed of?''

''No...''

''Sodium chloride. Plain old salt. Even their translucent bodies, they're mostly made up of water and sodium hydroxide. How can ordinary compounds like that form creatures like them? No one really knows why those who survive gnosis encounters always turn into one of them. Some people think they're a new type of virus; others say they're beings from another dimension who take on temporary forms in this one.''

Shion remembered when she was grabbed by a gnosis in the Woglinde and Shane remembered when she was attacked by gnosis who she believed to be her family and neighbors. ''Always...? No exceptions?'' The brown haired woman asked. ''Even if one of us was grabbed and thrown?''

''Nope. Not as far as I know,'' Jr. said. ''And that was a stupid thing to do.'' The milky-haired girl growled. ''Sticks and stones, Jr. I'm taller and older than you and what you say can't hurt me.'' Even though the older part doesn't count... ''Whatever, bipolar girl.'' Shane hissed at him. ''Knock it off, you two,'' Ziggy scolded. Shion remembered back to the time in the Cathedral Ship, seeing Cherenkov as a gnosis. ''So they could be from another dimension? Wouldn't that mean that their true forms might exist somewhere else...?'' Allen asked.

''Who knows? All that's certain is that they're hostile to humans. Not that such a sentiment is unique to them.'' Allen looked at Shion who had a look on her face like there was something wrong. ''Chief, is something wrong?'' ''Huh?'' She looked back at him then shook her head. ''No, don't worry...it's nothing.'' She looked at Jr. ''So...so when did this all begin?''

''Unofficially, phenomena like this have been occuring periodically for the past few centuries. But...after a certain incident, the gnosis leapt into the forefront of history...''

Shane looked at him as she narrowed her dark red eyes. ''A certain incident?'' MOMO asked. ''The Miltian Conflict. Joachim Mizrahi...it was he who opened Pandora's Box and unleashed the gnosis upon the galaxy...and we're all paying for his ambition,'' Jr. said. ''Joachim Mizrahi...the brilliant scientist who founded the U-TIC Organization...''

''Brilliant? He was a lunatic. Unable to bear his curiosity, he invited the gnosis into our world.''

''A lunatic...?'' The pink haired girl said in a soft voice. ...MOMO... Shane watched the girl walk away as she followed after her. ''The Foundation was established after the war by the newly formed Second Miltian government, to clean up and investigate the facts behind the incident. Technically, that's our real job. Problem is, the funding's tight in peacetime. On top of that, running the Foundation takes a staggering amount of money, and the management of these Zohars ain't cheap, either. So, we ended up privatizing part of our operations and became a foundation. We never imagined that some of our side businesses would hit it so big, though.''

''MOMO-chan, wait a sec!'' The pair walked out of the room with the containers of creatures. She looked up at the milky-haired girl then looked down at the floor. ''Shane...Daddy...Daddy wasn't like that, you know.''

''I...I'm sure he was a great man, MOMO. I'll walk with you, okay?'' She nodded and took Shane's hand into hers as they walked out of the Isolated Area.

Shion's group headed outside of the room with containers after Jr.'s explaination. Shion and KOS-MOS walked in the space where the lightning was a orange color as Allen walked up to the brown haired woman. ''Shelley called for me, so I'm heading over to the bridge.'' Shion nodded as she and the android stopped for a moment. ''I wonder where MOMO and Shane went?''

Shion and KOS-MOS walked to the park area of the Durandal. There, MOMO and Shane sat on a bench. The milky haired young woman looked up at the ceiling as MOMO looked up at the many floating light-green lights around them. ''What do you all thing...? Joachim Mizrahi, the lunatic...was daddy really like that? Since daddy built us, does that mean Realians are bad people, too?'' she said to herself. Shane looked at the little girl then placed her hand on her head.

I don't know what to tell you, kid...

She looked up to see the Vector employee and the blue-haired android walked over to them. ''MOMO...Shane...we were looking all over for you.'' The milky-haired girl waved at them as MOMO looked at them. ''Hello, Shion...'' Shion sat down beside MOMO. ''What's wrong? You look kinda down.''

''Shion, I...I was created by Joachim Mizrahi. He designed the 100-Series Realians back when the Federation funded him.''

''I know,'' the brown haired woman said. MOMO looked down at the floor, gripping her skirt gently. ''Shion, I...Daddy wasn't a lunatic...I don't even know what I am.''

''Identity diffusion...the eternal dilemma.'' Shion held out her hand as one of the glowing lights--a firefly--landed on her finger. ''Do you know about the environmental bugs onboard this ship? They're actually nanomachines, you know, used to keep enclosed spaces like this clean. I'd say that…of all the things Professor Mizrahi – or anyone else – created, they rank up there pretty high. These bugs may be man-made, but they function as if they've existed all along,'' she said to MOMO. ''Almost as if they were meant to be… I think Realians are the same. The only difference between us, is the length of our histories. But regardless of our origins, each one of us has an important role to fulfill in this world. Besides, I really doubt Dr. Mizrahi was a dangerous person like everyone makes him out to be. And it's not just because of the environmental bugs. The work he did on Realians was incredibly insightful.''

KOS-MOS stepped forward. ''The fundamental Gnosis research Professor Mizrahi left behind played a critical role in the development of modern anti-Gnosis technology." Shion smiled. "Thanks for the backup, KOS-MOS! I'm really glad to see you react like that. Empathizing with the feelings of others is a major factor in human relationships.'' "Although I do not believe that the current situation called for me to act in an empathetic manner, I am pleased to be of service to you,'' she answered.

MOMO giggled to herself. ''…I think KOS-MOS is really funny. Too bad she doesn't take instructions very well. I never got to meet Daddy, but he used to talk to me all the time before I was born. It's all a little hazy, but I remember him telling me that… I could become a real person if I did good deeds…'' The brown haired woman looked to her. "Really? That's a wonderful memory to have…''

''Similar to how a mother talks to her baby in the womb, right?'' Shion nodded. ''Exactly.''

''Chief!'' The girls turned to see Allen who ran into the park and over to them. He stopped, breathing heavily. ''Take deep breaths, buddy,'' Shane told him. He nodded and took small breathes. "Great news! After this ship arrives at the Kukai Foundation, they're gonna take us to Second Miltia!"

"Second Miltia? Really?" Allen nodded. "Apparently, they have some work to take care of out there. The Captain's still whining about repairing the Elsa, but…''

"Some work…? I wonder…?"

"Huh?" The brown haired and looked at her. "Well… I'm sure they've got their own reasons, but don't you think it's a little strange that everyone's heading for Miltia?"

"Not really… It's probably just a coincidence. I'm just glad we saved some money. Not to mention that this ship's a million times better equipped than the Elsa,'' he told her. "They saved Shane from her injuries and we'll have nothing to worry about if we run into the Gnosis again. Hey, speaking of which, did you check out your room? They all have jacuzzis and minibars, and…Hey, what's wrong, Chief?" He looked at Shion who had a look of displeasure on her face as she sighed. "Nothing, nothing. I'm just jealous of how easily swayed you are…''

''God, Allen, you'll never get her that way...''

''What was that, Shane?'' The milky haired girl coughed, falling off the bench. ''..Nothing. Just a random train of thought just now.'' She grinned when they looked at her with confused looks on their faces. ''Uh, Shion? Why don't we go to our rooms? I'm sure what Allen said is true--the rooms must be really big and cool-looking. Like a hotel!''

Shion nodded as the group walked to the resting room in the Residential Area. In the hallway, Shane held her side and turned to the brown-haired woman. ''I better get back to the infirmary. The braces are workin' their magic, though.'' She smiled at the girl. ''That's Vector for you. You get some rest and I'll visit you in the morning. I'm really tired now...I think I'll call it a day.'' Shane nodded. ''It's best to rest when you're tired. Pushin' ourselves too hard is bad for out health. I'll see you tomorrow morning,'' she told the Vector employee. The two girls went to their seperate ways to sleep for the night.

''No, stay away for me!!'' A frightened young woman's voice echoed through the darkness of a large corridor. ''I wanna go back home!'' The girl tripped as platnium silver hair cascaded down her back, over her shoulders and her eyes. She had dark skin and wore a large white shirt. She sobbed to herself as she wiped the tears streaming down her face. The girl stood up and looked around. ''Where'd he...''

''My little Kirshwasser...'' A man's cold yet calm voice echoed through the darkness. The girl turned around to see a white haired man with dark skin walking towards her. Her golden eyes went wide as she stepped back. Her hands went up to her face.

''No...I'm not your--''

''Oh, yes you are. Even though, you're an much older version,'' he told her as he had stopped 3 feet away from her. She narrowed her eyes then went into a fighting stance. ''Fuck you, you bastard!'' The girl rushed the man with wreckless abandon as a white light shined from her hand.

''Dragon Strike!'' The blast hit the man's hand and destroyed his entire arm to the shoulder up. The girl grinned but her grin faded once she saw his arm regenerate back. ''Defiant, aren't we, Kirshwasser?'' He said, grinning widely. She gasped as he grabbed her by the neck roughly. She coughed, the wind knocking out of her when he slammed her into the ground.

''D-damn you...let go or I'll...!''

''You'l do what, my Kirshwasser?'' He moved his face closer to hers. ''You'll kill me?'' She turned her head from him as his hand moved down to her chest. She screamed when he ripped open her shirt. She let out a horrible scream...

A cry for help as her world turned white.

''NOOOOO!!!'' Shane cried out in the darkness of the infirmary. She sat up fast as she breathed heavily, tears streaming down her face. What the hell...was that real just now...? She bit her lip as she slowly climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom. She turned on the light, looking at herself in the mirror.

She was shocked at what she saw.

Instead of being the plain milky white before, it was a shade of moonlight silver. Her skin tone was still the same--milk chocolate colored. Her eyes are what caught her attention. They weren't dark red, but a darker shade of gold. She touched her face with her hands gently. ''What the hell's going on with my body...?'' She looked at her arm in the black brace. ''...I'm not in any pain?'' She twisted her waist around, closing her eyes to feel any sharp pain that came.

But nothing happened. Shane immediately took off the brace on her arm to see slight bruising and the little scars on her arm from the burns. ''Dude, what the fuck?'' She took off the gown and took off the brace to show some slight bruising.

And something else too.

Her body was built.

''...What the crap's happening to me?'' A knock came from the door as Shane stuck her head out the bathroom. ''..Yeah?'' ''Shane? Are you okay? I thought I heard screaming,'' Shion's voice asked from behind the door. The silver-haired girl walked out of the bathroom and to the door, opening it. ''I'm alright...just a bad dream.''

''...What did you do to your hair and eyes?''

''When I woke up from my dream, it was already like this.'' Shion chuckled. ''Well, it suits you. Come on, take a shower, and get dressed. We're going to the park with the others.''

''Alright, I'll be out in a sec.'' Shane walked to the bathroom as the door closed behind her. Damn...this fever's getting to me...

Chapter Thirteen: End (ASM: Oooh...what's up with Shane's weird dream about our favorite psycho?

Shane: ...And that little scene? I REALLY don't want to be put in a situation like that, but knowing you, you'd do it.

Albedo: 'Cause Also's a 'ervert in disguise. gets smacked

Jr.: ...R & R, please.)