Story updated on: - 26/07/2010
Chapter beta read by: akiqueen

Chapter 6 (Blue Base)

Jake could have had all the answers to the riddle, if only he had looked in the bathroom. He would have seen the block of hair trapped in the drain.

With shifty eyes and a guilty conscious, he slipped into the command deck, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. But his luck ran out.

"Are you OK, sir? You look different!" To his horror, someone spotted his shifty body language…Oops, he needed to divert the attention away.

"Different? How? I'm normal!" Clearly, this was only making the matter worse by evading even more questions and being childish. His body language said it all; his sudden and un-thought out movements drew more attention to him.

"Captain?" questioned his second in command.

"Never mind." Jake decided to evade the whole situation altogether.

As if the bell had saved him, his helmsman interjected, "Captain, we should be entering Blue Base momentarily."

"OK, follow Blue Six's commands and don't damage them."

The Blue Dome base, which was destroyed by Verg's Ghost Ship, still remained in pieces. The two vessels travelled down the channel into the main construction area. Most of the area was cleared and new construction was heavily underway to restore the facility. Nothing much existed except for a few defence turrets, which hadn't fired a single shot in one year, some new buildings, docks and a large facility that surrounded the immediate area.

To the crew, the whole area looked eerily quiet and dull; only speckles of light were seen through the facility's portholes.

Suddenly, without warning, all the floodlights sprang to life, illuminating the area and displaying the huge Deep Sea Six that measured four hundred and twenty meters from stem to stern.

The crew onboard looked and saw the most humiliating sight ever, all of the grease monkeys and scrawny workers peering through the portholes of the facility.

"Ho boy, they will not let this down," said one of the idling crewmen staring through the porthole at the subs.

The atmosphere broke out in more cheers and laughs, as the Blue Sub worsened the situation by flashing its lights. Such humiliation was something Jake would have to tally up later with revenge.

But as the huge vessel glided into the open area, which it nearly occupied, Iga demanded calm.

"OK everyone, let's bring the vessel to a safe stop. Now bring her in gently," Iga ordered, staring down the periscope.

"Damn, that thing's huge, we've could have used it during the war," Iga murmured to himself. "OK. Steady as she goes. All ahead dead slow, allow the water resistance to drag the vessel to a stop."

It took half an hour to nudge the ship to the docking arm because the vessel was much too large to steer into a bay. So berthed outside in the underwater harbour, a docking arm was extended and attached to the access hatch on the Deep Sea Six.

Once all the preparations were made, Iga eagerly ordered the towropes cut and both vessels departed. Crews that stumbled onto the main facility huddled in small packs and gazed at the English marvel that was plopped on the ocean floor. Crews scurried around the hull, replacing huge plating and steadying blocks of cables that resembled noodles.

-o-

Hours passed and submarines kept passing through the port. New and old faces arrived from all over the world. Excitement was its own entity in a place like this. People wondered what this mission was about and they chatted amongst each other, hoping that someone might know the answer.

Iga walked into a hall, which housed a massive memorial for all the people that died in the attack one year ago. He glanced at all the names on the massive statue and then removed his hat. He bowed and prayed to the fallen comrades who fought during the war, a war that was unnecessary.

Hayami strolled in and saw Iga. "Iga, you had the same idea."

Hayami paused and was amazed; thousands of names reached from one end of the room to the other all over the walls, names of the fallen.

"I've come to pay my respects. So many people died here one year ago, I feel I have lost something with them," replied Iga.

"It was an unnecessary war, something I hope never happens again."

The two men stood side by side, staring at the individual nameplates that aligned the walls.

Hayami did not know when to quit. He carried on. "History learns to move on. We will rebuild and remember - that's what the human race does."

"Does it? The human race remembers, time and time again. They always try and kill each other, now they make creatures to attack us…" He was angry and understandably agitated. He stared at a specific name plaque. Hayami didn't know the person, but it meant something to Iga.

Silence hung for a moment between the two individuals that had arrived to pay their respects. Hayami remained silent and eventually left, leaving Iga alone.

-o-

Hayami strolled down the endless corridors, following the sent of freshly cooked food on a mission to satisfy his stomach. But he ran into Kino.

The shorthaired girl looked scruffier then normal and a sour taste developed in his mouth. What did she want? Why was she here?

"H…Hayami, How are you?" she stuttered.

Hayami leaned on the window joint and played with his cigarette. "I am fine."

"Listen, I am sorry for what happed before, I didn't mean to force that on you."

"It's okay, Kino, I get that effect from women all the time, I am used to it."

Kino saw the grin creep onto his face and slapped him. She made a point to call him an idiot and walked away, nose scrunched up.

Hayami took a moment to recover. Damn, that girl can slap. I feel sorry for her husband, when she gets one.

Once his 'manly pride' was recovered, he strolled further down the passageway and stumbled upon Jake. He was a good guy who probably wouldn't flow a wobbly like Kino. Perfect time to ask for something.

"Jake, I would like to stay on the ship in my quarters if that is all right?" he asked, sparking up another cigarette.

"Why? You should have your own quarters on this station."

"These quarters don't have any showers and they are noisy, I feel much comfortable on your boat," Hayami looked through the windows and gazed upon the submarine. Mutio was out there…somewhere.

"Sure, if that's how you feel, but after the meeting everyone will be assigned their ships and you might loose your great quarters."

"I'll live with it."

With nothing much to say, Jake said his farewells and left the area. The day was still long and there was much to do.

-o-

People scurried around; crews did their repairs, and new construction was underway. It was like this every night and the facility was bustling with activity. But little did anyone realize, two Musucas were hiding inside a trench just outside the base's scanning range.

Hayami sat down beside the moon pool on the Deep Sea Six, waiting for something. As he sat, fiddling with another cigarette, he drifted into his mind and thought about Mutio.

The moon pool looked very calm and settled; only his hands disturbed the fine layer of water on the surface. He eventually lied down on the floor and placed his hands in the water. The instant cold sent a pleasurable shiver up his back; it reminded him that he was alive.

A gentle splash from the other side of the pool broke his train of thought. He lifted his eyes and he saw Mutio staring at him with half her head out of the water.

He didn't know what to do; emotions came flooding back to him. But she kept her distance and treaded water with very little movement.

Mutio was angry. Her piercing red eyes looked directly at Hayami; she felt betrayed and angry and she waited all this time for him.

He slowly got up from the floor and sat beside the moon pool. He knew why she was angry and there seemed to be nothing he could do to fix the situation.

Mutio barked. "KISS!"

Yep, Hayami now knew. Kino forced a kiss on him and now he was left to patch up the damage. It wasn't his fault because she did it. But he needed to convey this in a manner that Mutio could understand and make it believable.

After trying for a mere ten seconds, he turned the tables on her!

He stood up and told her, "Why did you go with Verg one year ago. After all we went through, all the trouble and all the help, I, I, I" he then failed to finish the rest of his sentence. All the emotions flooded in after one year of them being built up. It was something he wanted to get of his chest for a long time. He gave his reasons, now it was her turn.

He looked down at the water, expecting Mutio to vanish. Why would she want him now? zhe blew it.

A slight tear sneaked its way down his face and he quickly wiped it away. With Mutio gone, what was he to do? Then suddenly, she dived out the water and sat beside him. She offered her forgiveness in the form of gentle touches and cute staring. He knew Mutio wanted to talk, but she couldn't. Not yet.

Moving his head up slowly, Hayami saw Mutio looking at him. He felt hope and happiness. But that moment of happiness soon was interrupted when Kino wandered in. She took one look at the duo; her eyes nearly popped out their sockets and she yelled, "WHAT'S THAT DOING HERE?"