Chapter Twenty-Two: Tourniquet
(A/N: Named after the song by Evanescence)
In outer space, the Federation ships continued to fire beams at the onslaught of more gnosis and destroyed most of them. On one of the ships, a Federation employee turned to the Captain standing on the upper part of the bridge. "Captain! We haven't received our orders to attack from Fleet Command yet!'' He cried out. The stubborn Captain shook his head. "That's irrelevant! Their treachery is already well known! We'll settle this right now!" He pointed to the Foundation on the screen monitor. "Target the Kukai Foundation! All ships, fire on…" Just then, a beam was fired at the gnosis from an unseen place.
"What was that!"
A large starship--grey in color--about 10,000 km² with a pyramid-like structure in the centre of the ship at the very top appeared out of the gate jump area. "Impossible…! That isn't supposed to be here…!" The Federation Captain said in shock. In one of the ships of the Dammerung, many people in Vector employee uniforms sat at consoles and typed away orders on the keyboards. "Woglinde II, Wellgunde, Floßhilde, all systems check. Rhine Maiden operating within normal parameters. 30 seconds to second wave of attack,'' A female voice said over the intercom. "Coordinate corrections for Wellgunde, complete. Floßhilde, also complete. Preparations for second wave of attack, complete. All ships in formation." With that order, the large planet-sized ship fired their weapons at the gnosis, destroying them all in the process.
On the bridge of the Durandal, everyone watched in awe of the amazing weapon that was fired. "The Rhine Maiden… So she's operational now…"
"Chief!" An annoyingly cheerful voice said over an intercom as a woman wearing a red/khaki colored Vector uniform appeared on the screen. "Miyuki?" Shion asked in confusion. "Where are you calling in from…?" "Woo hoo! Pretty cool, huh? Did you see the Rhine Maiden? I am soooo glad I requested that transfer to Second Division! If I didn't, I never would've seen this beauty in action."
Apparently, she didn't hear me... Shion looked at Miyuki with confusion at her last sentence. ''Wait, Second Division? What're you…" She shook her head, waving her hand in her face. "I'll tell ya later. Is KOS-MOS there with you?" She asked.
"Huh? Yeah, but… "
"Okay, I'll send it over then." Shion looked back behind her to see a black case appearing on the bridge. She knelt down to the small black case and opened to, her eyes widening. "Miyuki? Isn't this…!" She looked back at the monitor. "There's some type of force field concentrated near here. There's a very high probability that it's what's attracting the Gnosis."
"A force field?" Shion asked.
"Right. The observational guys said whatever it is, it's definitely something man-made. Anyway, we can find the origin of this field if we link up the Dämmerung's mainframe with KOS-MOS' D.S.S.S. sensor,'' she told her. "It appears as though the enemy's using some kind of cloaking device to conceal itself right now, but there should be a wrinkle or two in the surrounding space, though. We figured that if we can tear those open, we'll be able to find out what we're dealing with." The brown-haired woman looked at the inside of the black case. "Is that why you gave me this PT cartridge? I mean… Do you have any idea what this thing is?" She pointed to the gun and cartridge. Miyuki nodded some. "Of course! …Or so I'd like to claim, but I actually just transferred in, so I'm not really sure." She said as she shrugged.
Shion sighed. "Look, Miyuki,'' she began to explain. "This cartridge is a weapon! It sets off a phase transfer that destroys everything in the area. It may be localized, but you could vaporize an entire star with this thing if you wanted to. You'd have to be insane to try using this in a populated area." KOS-MOS lifted her head to look at the brown-haired woman. "Shion…" She looked back at the blue-haired android. "What is it, KOS-MOS?" Her green eyes met with seemingly empty red eyes. "By limiting the phase transfer mass, I can activate the device without impacting either the Federation fleet or the Kukai Foundation."
"You can do that?'' She asked. KOS-MOS nodded. "Affirmative. This is one of my many functions." "Even the Rhine Maiden's got a limitation to how much she can fire. Let's take out the source before the Gnosis overwhelm us!" Miyuki said on the monitor. Shion had a look of uncertainty on her face, looking down at the case in her hands. "But…"
"Shion… This is the Song of Nephilim. There's no question about it,'' Jr. stated as he looked up at her. She looked at his blue eyes. "The Song of Nephilim? What is it?" The red-haired boy folded his arms, looking at the screen. "The single worst creation that ever resulted from Joachim Mizrahi's research. It was the Song that destroyed Miltia and summoned the Gnosis. We've gotta stop it before everything goes out of control."
"Out of control…?"
He growled, gritting his teeth as he said, "And we still haven't found MOMO or Shane yet. We've gotta move!" Shion looked down again. ''I know, but…"
"Any sign of MOMO or Shane yet?" Ziggy asked. One of the 100-Series shook her head, not taking her eyes off the screen. "We're still scanning, but we haven't located them yet,'' she told him. The blonde cyborg nodded. "I see…" He turned his head at Shion. "We've got to make a decision, Shion. We can't hold out against another Gnosis attack." She nodded and lifted her head to look at everyone. "…All right. Let's see what we can do."
Later, outside in space, KOS-MOS floated to the position where she would use the weapon. She held the gun in her hand as she looked to the side, hearing Shion's voice from the embedded microphone in her ear. "Listen to me, KOS-MOS,'' she heard the brown-haired woman tell her. "Try to keep the phase transfer mass as low as possible. All we need is the locus of that force field." The blue-haired android nodded as she held up the gun and opened it. "Affirmative. Setting transfer mass to 0.11 MPT. Transfer time set to 4.8 times ten to the negative thirty-eighth. Loading cartridge." She loaded the black cartridge with the red band around it, watching it transform into a larger gun. She held it with her other hand like it weighed nothing.
"Bypass between D.S.S.S. and mainframe secured. Opening multidirectional scan,'' Miyuki said. KOS-MOS used her sensors to find the area. Immediately, she found it. "Distortion detected at direction 8-0-1-8, near the U.M.N. structure. It is currently emitting a weak column pulse."
"That's it! And your line of fire?"
"Line of fire, clear. Awaiting orders,'' the android said in her monotone voice. Back on the Durandal's bridge, Shion looked at Shelley. "Shelley, are the anti-electromagnetic shields ready?" She asked. The purple-haired woman nodded, typing at the console. "Preparations are complete." She turned to look back at Shion. "You may fire at will." She nodded then turned back to the monitor. "Roger. KOS-MOS, fire the phase transfer cannon!" KOS-MOS acknowlodged the order and fired the cannon at the area as it made contact with an invisible wall. Suddenly, a a pyramid-shaped space station shimmered out of existance--the Song of Nephilim had appeared.
Inside the station--the cold area where Shane and MOMO where in--Albedo sat on his makeshift throne, holding the pink-haired Realian in his arms. "They're earlier than I expected,'' he said. He ran his hand across MOMO's cheek and face then moved his hand to her chest, pressing down on it. His hand went through her chest as she whimpered. "I think I'll have a look around…for that key that sleeps inside you." A white light appeared around the area where his hand was inside MOMO's chest. She whimpered, tears streaming down her face. "Nooo…stop it… Get out…out of…my body…" She reflected back when Jr. gave her the bracelet.
"Jr.… Ziggy… I'm…scared…"
Shane grunted from her laying position, her gold eyes dim from the shock Albedo had given her. ''No, stop it...you're...hurting her, you sick perverted bastard!''
On the bridge of the Durandal, the group all stared at the pyramid-shaped station known as the Song of Nephilim. Gaignun narrowed his green eyes. "I knew it,'' he said under his breath. Jr. gripped his fists as they shook. "It's exactly the same… Nothing's changed at all." Shion stepped forwardm as she looked at the monitor with everyone else. "So that's…the Song of Nephilim… Dr. Mizrahi's… Miltia's…"
Help me…Jr.… He jerked his head up when he heard her soft but weakened voice. "MOMO… MOMO's inside that thing!" He yelled, getting everyone's attention. ''And Shane...she's in there, too! I felt her subconcious!'' Ziggy looked at him with concern. "Are you certain?" Mary turned to the 100-Series Realians below her and yelled, "Scanners!" One of the Realians looked at her monitor, typing away at the keys. "100-Series Observational Unit prototype MOMO and Shane Lee tracked and located! They're in the middle of the distortion caused by the phase transfer."
"MOMO and Shane… What are they doing in there…?"
Jr. slammed his hands down on the main console angrily. "Damn it! It's him…Albedo! I felt his presence…the moment I heard MOMO's voice…" Gaignun looked down at the red-head who's face was turning redder than his hair in anger. "Ah…Albedo. That explains what that unsettling feeling was about. Not to mention why they're there."
"What do you mean?" The blonde cyborg asked him.
"Those girls, MOMO and Shane…not only is MOMO a specialized Realian, but also the repository for the late Joachim Mizrahi's records. Albedo and the U-TIC Organization want that information. They wanted it for a long time…and Shane is a special young woman...I believe they're after her, too." Allen looked at the dark-haired man with confusion on his face. "Albedo? Who's that?"
"My dark half…the part I've tried to hide away,'' Jr. said in a low voice. "Dark half?" Ziggy turned and started walking to the elevator. "Jr., get this ship closer to the Song of Nephilim,'' he said. The brown-haired man turned to the man only to hold his head in panic. "Whaat!"
"It isn't necessary to get too close. Just lend me a shuttle; that'll be enough." The red-haired boy ran by Ziggy, standing in his way of the elevator. "Hold it! Where do you think you're going? I'm going to save MOMO (might as well save Shane too)… No matter what!" The blonde cyborg shook his head. "Don't bother,'' he told him.
Jr.'s blue eyes flared up in anger. "What did you say!" He yelled. "When someone close to you is in danger, you lose your objectivity. And it almost always ends in tragedy. I've…seen it happen too often." "Oh, what, so I'm just like them now!" Ziggy looked at him, narrowing his eyes. "Aren't you? This Albedo person… When you finally confront him, do you think you can keep your head straight?" he asked. The red-head turned his head away, a frustrated look on his face. The blonde cyborg looked down at his head. "If you honestly say yes, that's all I have to say. But if you can't…"
Jr. shook his head, chuckling some under his breath and looked up at the older man. "You're really something, you know that?" He said. "You think you're such a hardened soldier compared to me. Tell me then…how can I become cold and detached like you?"
"Only allow yourself to think of numbers and battle strategy. Don't let your mind wander to the faces or voices of those precious to you…even when it seems cruel not to. Too intense of an interference will overwhelm and ruin everything. That's what I've learned over these past hundred years," Ziggy told him. "The day numbers and battle strategies replace people…it'll be game over, cyborg." The blonde cyborg placed his mechanical hand on his thick red hair. "Jr.… Remember to stay focused, no matter what he does to MOMO. Only by doing so will you be able to save her. Listen to my advice. I know what you're going through."
Later, the group prepared themselves to head out to the Song of Nephilim. Both MOMO and Shane were there, held capitive against their will by a man only known by Jr. and Gaignun as Albedo. They knew where to go but...
No transportation.
"The Foundation has its hands full dealing with the waves of Gnosis. We cannot move from our current location,'' Gaignun explained. "We'll need a ship with sufficient mobility in order to get past the Gnosis and dock with the Song of Nephilim." Jr. folded his arms, looking up at the ceiling of the bridge. "The Durandal's landing shuttle won't do. How about the Elsa? Is it operational?" He looked at Shelley who nodded at him.
"Yes. I checked its status just now, and fortunately, it seems to be unharmed. Shall we relay a message to Captain Matthews?" She asked. Jr. nodded as he cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, go ahead. Damn, that feeling I got from him…that bastard was trying to access MOMO's subconscious. And Shane...it felt like she wasn't even there. We don't have time! Let's go old man! chaos!"
"Wait, Jr., let us help too!" Shion said. The red-head turned to her, his face in a look of both anger and worry. "Don't be ridiculous! You gave any idea what kind of place that is! Do you know what that lunatic is like!" She held her hand to her chest. "Please! Let us go with you,'' she said in a worried tone. "Shion…" She didn't answer him but looked at him, standing her ground at her decision. Jr. sighed then nodded, looking at her. "All right. But you better not let your guard down, even for a second,'' he told her. "There's no room for mistakes in there, got it?"
"Yes."
The group boarded the Elsa as Shion talked with Captain Matthews. She held her hands up in an apoligetic manner. ''Captain, we have to go to the Song of Nephilim to rescue Shane and MOMO. If we don't...'' He nodded as he straightened his red cap. ''Ah, alright...Just so you know, I don't intend to leave the Song of Nephilim until we've rescued MOMO and Bandage Girl. You better get ready!"
"Don't worry, we're all set to go." He nodded then rubbed the back of his head in a nervous motion. "Man, I can't believe I'm stuck doing this. You better fork over a lot of hazard pay!" The Elsa--with Shion and the others onboard--immediatly took off and flew to the Song of Nephilim, the war between the gnosis continuing. In the cargo ship, Hammer typed at his console as he studied the outside layout of the station. ''Captain! There's an opening to the side where we can dock!" The navigator said looking back at the man behind him.
"All right! Bring us in, Tony. Be careful."
The blonde haired pilot nodded then began to move closer to the opening. "Roger! Closing in and approaching the…"
"Wait!" Shion cried out. ''Huh?'' He looked back at her along with everyone else. She bit her lip and said, "Tony, can you show me the top…?" Tony continued to look at her then shook his head. "What? You want me to go around the top?" She nodded hurriedly. "Please, just circle around the top!" He looked at the window in front of him, thinking about it then looked back at her. "All right,'' Tony told her, "But once around is all you're getting. Who knows what's up there?"
"Thank you." The Elsa flew around the top portion of the Song of Nephilim, making sure that it kept its distance from the gnosis nearby. Shion looked at the top of the station as she reflected back to the past when she saw when she was little, seeing the area identical to the Song of Nephilim. "That's it… That's… …the place I saw through the hospital window…" After the group saw the top section, the cargo ship immediately docked at the entrance to the Song of Nephilim and entered. Inside, everyone felt the cold chill as they walked down the dimly lit corridor. ''Brr...this place is cold,'' Shion said to herself. She held her arms then saw MOMO at the end of the corriodor, unconscious. She watched Jr. rush past her as he ran over to the pink-haired Realian. He knelt down next to her and picked her up in his arms.
"MOMO! MOMO! MOMO! MOMO! You all right?'' He said shaking her lightly. She opened her golden eyes to look into his blue irises but she didn't speak. The red head's face went completely white when she just looked at him. "Don't tell me…we're too late…?" He growled lowly. "Damn…that bastard! He's taken her consciousness! I'm gonna make him pay for this! Hold on, MOMO! I'll make you whole again!"
"Jr.! What happened to MOMO?" Shion asked, worried. He looked up at the brown-haired woman then growled lowly. "That monster Albedo's gone and reversed the spiritual link…"
"Reversed the spiritual link?"
Jr. nodded some. "It's the opposite of what Gaignun and I do when we communicate telepathically,'' he explained, "But by seizing someone's consciousness, you can delve inside the other person's mind and drag out whatever memories you feel like taking."
Shion gasped as she covered her mouth. "You can't be serious! That means MOMO's mind is…" He looked at her and nodded slowly. "Yeah… It's best for you all to go back. I'll handle this on my own.'' He started to walk away from the group but chaos stepped forward. "Wait! It's too dangerous to go alone!" the white-haired boy told him. Jr. stopped after hearing chaos' voice. He looked down as he gripped his fists tightly. "Sorry. This is between me and him… All right?"
"But still…" He felt a hand on his jacket sleeve and looked over his shoulder to see MOMO. She still had the blank look on her face. "MOMO…" The red-head placed a hand on hers. "You…wanna come with me?" She nodded. "I'm going, too,'' Shion said. She walked over to him and placed her hands on her hips.
"Shion…"
"Don't you remember what you told me? This song…it's responsible for destroying Miltia and bringing the Gnosis into this world… If this has anything to do with that place that I know of, then…this involves me as well…" He looked at her then looked at MOMO, nodding some. ''Alright then. We better get moving and find Shane, too.'' The group all nodded in agreement and moved on to the three towers that awaited them.
The group made it through the first tower while evading the robots and gnosis that lurked inside. In the second tower, they fought against a ''security guard'' monster named Rianon SE. A few minutes passed and they defeated the monster, moving onward to the third tower. Eventually, the group arrived at the lower area. MOMO stopped walking as Shion looked back at her. ''MOMO?'' The pink-haired girl looked at the brown-haired woman. "Umm… I am not feeling well, so please exclude me from the battle members. Thank you."
"MOMO, are you okay?"
MOMO nodded slowly. "Yes…" The group walked further ahead and stood in front of a large door. Jr. gripped his fists tightly as he and chaos pushed the heavy doors open. Inside, the group looked at the white-haired psycho on his makeshift throne. Shion looked at him then glanced towards her left to see Shane lying on her side, her blank eyes reflecting off the blade in front of her.
''Shane!'' Both Ziggy and Shion walked over to the silver-haired girl, turning her over on her back. The brown-haired woman felt for a pulse. She found it and sighed in relief. She looked to the blonde cyborg, smiling some. ''She's okay...'' The red-head growled lowly and glared at him with seething hate. "Albedo… YOUUU…" In his arms, he held the pink-haired girl in his arms who was unconscious.
"Please spare me from any trite lines like, "You're still alive?" '' He said coldly. "Life and death are merely empty words lacking any power over me. By the way…did you ever bother telling the girl? Does she know that we're monsters, both you and I?"
''..Shion...'' Shane said softly. The woman looked at her as she used Ziggy's arm to sit herself up. ''Yes, what is it?'' She gritted her teeth, holding her stomach. ''...That MOMO with you...that's not..that's not her!'' Jr. gasped when he saw the real MOMO being held by Albedo. ''MOMO!" He cried out. The red-head felt small hands go around his neck and squeezed tightly, making him gag lightly.
"I want the me that's inside you… "
The MOMO that held the red-head by his neck soon changed into one of Albedo's silver-haired Kirschwasser. The group gasped as they watched her transformation.
"M...MOMO...!''
''That's not her,'' Ziggy pointed out and helped Shane to her feet. ''That's...'' The white-haired man let out a sinister but insane laugh. ''Free from the bonds of flesh...a pure consciousness has no true form,'' He said grinning from ear to ear. ''All that exists is the longing for reality.''
Jr. let out an angered growl, a crimson aura forming around him as he gripped his fists tightly. "Get off me!" He screamed, emitting flames from his small frame. The blast freed him from the 99-Series Realian's strangling and knocked her back into the wall. In the white-haired psycho's arms, MOMO responded a little. He looked down at her. "Did you see that, ma pêche…? You're witness to his true nature right now…a consciousness desperately struggling to stay alive,'' he told her. ''Such a pitiful sight. This is unseemly, Rubedo."
"Jr.…" MOMO said in a soft but weakened voice. The group watched as Albedo began to absorb more of the girl's power. The red-head let out a ferocious growl, reaching into his jacket pocket. "Albedo! Get your stinkin' hands off of her!" He drew his gun at him. "Or else I'll…" Albedo looked at Jr. questionably then grinned. "Hmm? You'll do something…if I…do this?" He made MOMO cry out in pain, continuing to absorb her powers.
"You motherfucker…!" The angry red-head fired his gun at the white-haired psycho's arm off. It fell to the floor behind him as it disappeared. Albedo held up the stump which was his arm, the red-violet aura appearing and forming his new arm. He began to laugh. "What pain…so sweet…so alive! Pain is such a vital part of realizing one's existence,'' he said looking at Jr. with crazed eyes. "Try to remember, Rubedo. What it takes…what you must do… Or…have you lived in peace for so long that you've completely forgotten?"
"I don't give a damn about what you have to say! Just give her back!"
"I don't think so… I'll just take what I want to proceed with my plans… And along the way, I'll make you remember…who you really are…" Albedo said as he continued to absorb MOMO. Jr. growled lowly as he readied his gun for another strike. "Shut up! I don't need some freak contaminated by U-DO to tell me…"
"Jr.…!" Shion cried out.
Albedo chuckled coldly. "Contaminated? Not quite. More like…evolved. I experienced but a fragment of my true power that day. The waves that inundated my body are now a part of me! I've reached a higher stage of existence compared to you incomplete mortals." His hand went further into MOMO's chest as he looked at the group. "I am the alpha and the omega of perfect consciousness!"
Jr. began to shake, his eyes turning from a look of anger to a look of fear. "S…Stop it…" Shane held her side, letting Ziggy hold her up. ''Knock it off, you perverted bastard!''
"Mmm…Ah, this is nice… Don't you want to give it a try?"
"MOMO!" The red-head fired two more rounds at the white-haired psycho, hitting both his right arm and head. The body parts disappeared then reappeared with the same red-violet aura. The blonde cyborg watched this display of horror and asked aloud, "Impossible… Is that nanotechnology…?" Shion shook her head, looking at the display as well. "No. Nanomachines can't work anywhere near that fast, and besides,'' she said, "Not even the research laboratories have models with head-regenerating capabilities yet."
"He's a U.R.T.V. Just like Jr.…"
Chapter 22: End.