Chapter 7: Murdered Desires

Renton slowly opened his eyes and looked around the room. He knew where he was, and he knew what was going on. Looking down at his shoulder he saw Eureka's calm face. They were both still sitting on his bed, lying against the wall. She was softly cusped in his arms. Looking out the window he noticed that it was pretty early in the morning. The dark sky was barely letting new light spill from the horizon.

"Dawn." He whispered silently to himself. An idea instantly struck his mind. 'I could make breakfast for Eureka… she'd love that!' excitedly he exerted in his thoughts. The only problem was trying not to wake her up. She basically had him pinned against the wall, and large movements would definitely wake her. For a few second he looked about trying to figure out a soft way of getting out. Finally there was an opening that spotted his eye. As carefully as he was able, he softly pulled his feet in and stood up on the bed. But he used his hands to keep her from falling back. Then ever so gently, he laid her down against the bed. Reaching to one side he pulled the blanket over her. Then slowly he started to walk away. He made it out of the room with a clean get away.

"Perfect, now I can make the breakfast." He quietly and gleefully told himself. Once he made it to the cook room, he noticed that the food stocks had been refilled. Finding things were once again, a piece of cake. "Hmmm… What can I make Eureka… Hey, what's this?" Squinting, he reached up and pulled down a blue box. It was a box of pancake batter. "I wonder if Eureka has ever had these." He curiously thought. Finally he decided this would be the breakfast to serve. Searching through the cabinets once again, he pulled out a pan and the other needed things to make the meal. It was only thirty minutes later until everything was ready. "Good, now just to make it back with out waking any one else." His eyes shifted to the window to see that the peak of the sun was slowly rising. A few blurry clouds drifted bellow them. Farther down a sparkling lake could be seen. For a brief second he admired the surrounding, but he then realized what he was doing in the first place. Picking up two plates with a few pancakes, a bottle of syrup, and rectangular shaped butters melting on the top, he headed out for the door. His feet slowly pressed against the ground as he made his way back to their room. Once inside he saw Eureka still asleep on the bed, except now facing the wall. Carefully he set the plates down and moved over to her. Right when he was about to wake her up, he suddenly noticed a strange expression on her face. It was full of stress, and tears were falling down her cheek. She had folded her arms as if some cold wind was blowing against her.

"Eureka?" He worriedly reached down and gently shook her awake. Quickly she opened her eyes and looked around. Her breath was quick and quiet. "Eureka, what wrong?" Renton asked her urgently. She shifted her gaze to Renton in surprise, as if not realizing he was there, or as if surprised to see him there.

"Renton, you're here, I think I had a nightmare. At first everything was fine, and the kids were there. We were all there, back together again. But then suddenly they all went cold and fell to the ground. I ran to them, leaving you for only a second. Then I reached down to stare into their lifeless eyes, cold and dark eyes. But inside them… I saw my own eyes… Lifeless. I turned around to see you were gone, and then the area faded around me. The long fields of grass that surrounded us were gone, but instead it was filled with the cold dead leaves of coming winter. It was dark, and there seemed to be no end. Then…" She paused for a second looking around. The warm arms of Renton wrapped themselves around her again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to leave you." His voice spoke softly beside her. She hugged him back. Lightly Renton let go, there was a wide and satisfied smile on his face. "By the way, I brought us breakfast!" Excitedly he turned around and picked up the plates. Eureka couldn't help but smile, with him around, she always felt protected. But she also realized what he was trying to do for her. To just help her calm down, and remind her that everything will be alright. But the thought was still in the back of her mind. Renton handed her a fork and then took his own.

"You ever had pancakes before?" Renton asked her curiously. She stared at the lumpy disks and cocked her head.

"I don't think so, are they good?" She wondered and poked at it. Renton couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, their common courtesy for breakfast. Well, it really depends on your taste. But go ahead and take a bite." He nodded at her food. She reached down with the fork, cut it, and then took a bite. The pancakes were still warm, and they melted inside her mouth. The syrup gave a perfect blend with the fresh dough.

"These are delicious." She said holding her cheek which softly stung from the sweet flavor. Renton gave a wide smile of satisfaction.

"As I thought they would be." Eureka laughed and the two ate. For a long while they talked about random things. The light from the window was starting to become brighter. By the time they had finally finished, the sun had completely passed the horizon.

"Did I tell you what Dominic said?" Renton asked Eureka while taking both plates. Eureka thought about it and shook her head. He thought this would be a good time to tell her about the kids. Then it suddenly hit him. He hit his forehead randomly. Eureka flinched in surprise.

"Renton?" She asked him in worry. Renton shook his head.

"I'm sorry, just can't remember what he said." With a short nervous laugh he stood up, completely ignoring that he said anything. 'Idiot, mentioning the kids at a time like this.' He thought to himself bitterly. Eureka shrugged and stood up after him.

"Should we check out to see if any one else is awake? After we put the dished away that is." Eureka spotted the idea to Renton. He nodded and they head down to the kitchen. They quickly washed off the plates and started to roam the ship. The place still seemed surprisingly empty.

"That can be right. I'm sure they would be up at least by now." Renton said in his confusion. Eureka nodded in agreement.

"Let's check the bridge, maybe something is going on there." Eureka suggested. They turned around and headed towards the command room. It didn't take long to reach it. Right before they opened the door, they could already hear conversation on the inside. It was Holland's voice, and another that Renton couldn't recognize at the moment. Walking in they saw the place was mostly full with its usual occupants.

"I see… so the command center was completely under cover?" Holland asked while resting his head against his hand.

"Not completely, a lot of them were captured and held hostage. Their still there, right now." The other voice came back. Renton instantly recognized it as Captain Jurgens.

"Dang it… Just what we need, first the kids, and now more." Holland gritted his teeth. "Idiots… they want to start another war." He slammed his fist down on the arm rest. "What are you planning to do Yurgus?" Holland asked him. There was a long pause.

"I'm going into rescue them. I won't leave my men behind." The voice was slightly grim. Holland smirked and shook his head.

"I thought so, I wish I could come and help. But I cant, not with th-" Holland was cut by Eureka.

"No, we have to go back. Mine and Renton's kids are there!" She said urgently and hopefully. Holland grunted, hoping not to deal with this. Renton stepped forward beside Eureka.

"Eureka… we can't…" Holland said simply.

"Why?" She asked him in disappointed confusion.

"Because…" His voice gave way to nothing. Renton could tell there was something more to say, but no one would tell them what.

"But…" Eureka muttered trying to think of something else to say.

"Eureka, we can't go back. We're holding something too important, we're holding him!" Holland pointed his finger at Irik, who was standing at the railing. Every one turned in surprise at Irik. He looked down at the ground, completely uncomfortable with the situation. Renton looked at Irik in bewilderment. Eureka was also sharing the same expression. For a long moment there was only silence. Finally Irik righted himself and left the room quickly. Holland let out a sigh of annoyance and slammed his fist again.

"We're not going to the command center, that's final!" He almost yelled and looked out the view port in silence. Eureka turned around and started to walk away. Renton looked back at her, and then at Holland. He wanted to know more of what was going on… why it was going on. With only a few moments of hesitation he quickly caught up with Eureka. She was walking by herself, silently. When he caught up with her, he could already see the tears in her eyes forming. Renton looked down at the ground, thinking of all that was going on with her. It wasn't fair for her, not in the least.

"Eureka, I know that Holland will eventually take us to save the kids. Just now isn't the time." He said slowly, thinking his words over before he spoke them.

"But… they must be so scared right now." She said stopping in the middle of the hallway. Renton stopped beside her. "They were taken away by force. And after being away from us so long… it's not fair." She said, her voice getting weaker as it went. Renton suddenly stepped forward and submerged her in his arms.

"Eureka… there's nothing more I can say, but that I promise you. That no matter what, we'll get the kids back. So Eureka, please, don't be like this." He said holding her tightly. There came no response. He felt a finger tapping his shoulder lightly. Turning around he saw Irik holding some papers.

"How long have you been standing there?" Renton asked him suspiciously.

"Don't worry…" Irik responded and rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Look, I was talking with your grandfather, Renton. And I have an open channel with Konner. We're almost out of range, and time. So I'm going to have to ask you not to ask questions, I'll just talk." Eureka and Renton looked at him in confusion. He started to walk away rather quickly. They both hesitated but then followed behind. "I've only been talking with him for a few minutes, Konner that is. I told him what going on. He says rescuing the prisoners is going to take everything they've got. They won't be able to find your children." Eureka felt hope building, but it quickly faded with the last words.

"But there is another way, and it concerns you guys." Irik stopped and turned down the corner. Eureka and Renton still followed closely. "Konner said that with the help of Jake and Klera, they'll be able to get you guys in." Renton looked up in surprise. But Eureka was actually smiling through her wet cheeks.

"How?" Renton asked him.

"First thing we need to do is get you off the Gekko-Go unnoticed. With the help of you grandfather, that is very possible." He stopped and turned into a room. It was Renton's old room, and it was filled with papers. There was a small table with a computer situated near the wall. Irik sat down at the seat and pointed to a black little box. It looked to be a comm. system.

"Konner, I'm back, and I have Renton and Eureka with me." Irik spoke into the comm..

"Hey guys, how's it on the Gekko-Go?" The cheery voice came back.

"Idiot Konner, stop screwing around and tell them the deal." They heard Klera's voice dimly in thee back round.

"Right, well, there is a small access door near dock seventy three. It's never guarded, or at least from what we can tell. Jake and Klera figured out a way to crack open the door system. They already have a stable connection with the computer. But their not sure how long they can hold it before it's noticed. You guys should be able to get in." Konner finished and waited for their response.

"But how do you suppose we get over there?" Renton asked, Eureka couldn't help but find that a little problem as well. Irik shook his head.

"I told you guys, we're going to use the catapult. And you're going to take the Final Beginning."

"You didn't say that, you only told us that my grandfather figured out how to bypass us off the ship. That doesn't mean we won't be picked up on radar." Renton wasn't sure this thing was going to work out to well. Eureka on the other hand was willing to take anything given.

"Well, we found a way around that to. Look, we can get you there. That's not a problem… it's now your play. Do you want to go or not?" Irik asked raising an eyebrow. Renton couldn't help but find this a little surprising. Eureka took a sudden step forward.

"Yes, we'll do it!" She said and turned to Renton excitedly. Renton stopped and thought about it.

"Irik, why are you helping us?" He asked him, not really suspecting an answer.

"Because it's my fault their in this kind of situation. The U.F. is after me, and they shouldn't have your kids…" He said and looked at Renton with out breaking eye contact. Renton stopped to stare back, wondering what was going through his mind. Finally he smiled and reached out to shake his. Irik looked down in surprise at the hand. Slowly he took it and shook it.

"Thank you Irik." Irik wasn't suspecting the gratitude in the least. He was completely surprised at Renton's reaction. But he nodded and stood up.

"You're… You're welcome, but you guys have to go now. I'll be controlling some of the other systems through my own computer. Axel is waiting for you down in the hanger." Both Eureka and Renton nodded. They dashed out the door, quickly running down the hall to the hanger. They knew that they only have a little time. And they needed to take advantage of the time they had. Once they reached the hanger, they spotted Axel looking the Xellien over. He looked up and spotted the two running towards them.

"Get in, we're launching immediately." He said and climbed down from the LFO. He started to walk away until he felt some one suddenly give him a tight hug. In surprise he turned around and looked down to see Eureka. She let go briefly and looked up at him.

"Thank you grandfather." She said with a voice that warmed his heart. Axel reached up and wiped a tear from his eye, and Renton watched while smiling.

"Hurry, the truth is, we are not to far from the site still. Holland has been circling around the city for a long while, but not close enough to be detected. At top speed you can make it there within thirty minutes. By then Captain Jurgens will be moving in for the attack. The distraction should be big enough for you guys to get in, figure out where the kids are, get them, and get out." He finished and pointed at the LFO. Eureka nodded and hurried back. But Renton stepped forward and gave his Grandfather a hun as well. Once again the man smiled.

"Thank you, you have no idea how much this means to the both of us." Renton said looking at him. He nodded back and looked at the Xellien. Renton understood and climbed in. Reaching forward he flipped a few switches, and it all came to life. The cockpit closed, and they were silently sealed inside. Renton looked over at Eureka, who was looking back at him.

"Ready?" He asked her. She looked back down at the controls thinking.

"Yeah." She said and grabbed the controls as well. The door in front of them started to open. Electrical bolts danced around the wheels. They shot forward into the air. The KLF flipped its board out and landed on it, and the ground bellow them was moving like a blur. They could see a small spot in the distance, what they assumed was possibly the command center.

It took them no longer then expect. They could already see the Izumo flanking the command tower with beams. Several green lines swarmed the tower, random explosions following them. The screen on the console turned on, revealing a stressed and serious face. One that surprised the both of them. It was Konner, and he for once showed an unfriendly face.

"The door is open, quickly get in there." They could hear a beeping sound coming from the speaker. On the screen they saw him look down, and then look back up. "Hurry." He finished and the link was cut. Instead it was replaced with a small map, one that Renton wasn't sure he understood. But for Eureka, it came all too easily. She took to the co-pilot controls and redirected the Xellien. It swooped down towards a calm section of the command center. No enemies could be seen, they were all above, fighting. Landing the Xellien he parked it against the wall.

"The door should be over there." Eureka said looking down at the screen and then pointed at a small little door in the distance.

"Will it be safe to leave the Xellien out here?" He asked looking around the cockpit unsurely. Eureka paused for a second and then looked up.

"He says he'll be fine." The cockpit door open and she hopped out. Renton quickly followed behind. He noticed how Eureka was getting. She was starting to rush into things to quickly, and it started to worry him. They reached the door and opened it. Cautiously they stepped in, finding the hall completely empty. Renton reached down into his jacket and pulled out a little comm. device.

"Ok, we're in." He spoke into it softly. "How are we going to find the kids?" He asked. There came no reply for a short while. Suddenly a channel opened.

"Our best assumption is that they were taken to holding cell seventy five B. That was just transferred with new prisoners yesterday, and there are no recorded transfers for at least a few weeks." Klera spoke back to them. The yells of commands could be heard in the back round of the Comm..

"How are we supposed to-"

"This way." Eureka said suddenly and started walking off down the hall. Renton sighed and followed after her. The urgency in Eureka's face became increasingly apparent.

"Eureka, are you sure you're alright?" He asked him beside her. She looked at him briefly and then looked forward.

"I'm fine… I just want to get to the kids quickly." She said and their walk turned into a run. Renton nodded slowly and they moved on. They turned the corner and completely stopped. There was one guard standing idly next to a door. Eureka suddenly ran forward.

"Eureka, wait!" He said and put a hand out. But she was already charging, knocking the man over and taking the gun at his side. She quickly pinned him down.

"Forgive me." She said right before the handle of the gun smacked against the man's head. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell asleep. Renton ran up next to her, looking at the defenseless man. She stood up and handed the gun to Renton.

"You'll need this more then me." She said and began running again. Renton sighed and held the gun tightly. They ran through several twists and turns. Until they finally reached a corner where Eureka stopped. Carefully she turned her head around the corner. She spotted at least three guards, standing around and talking about themselves. Turning back to Renton she stopped to think. Renton took a quick peek himself. An idea suddenly struck his mind.

"Eureka, I'm going to distract them. When the time is right, you take them down." Renton said suddenly and started to step out into the view of the guards. Eureka looked at him in confusion, but he was already running out before she could stop him. He moved out, aiming his gun down the opposite hall of Eureka. He pulled the trigger, exhausting some loud bangs. They all instantly turned their attention to him.

"Hey, that's the guy that the commander wants." One said and raised his gun. Renton turned his attention to them and jumped back in surprise. Each one went after him in uniform line. Renton dashed around the corner and stopped once out of site. Eureka was on the opposite side, still slightly confused. He made a quick few nods in the direction of where the guards were coming, and then he pointed at her. It suddenly clicked and she nodded as well. Renton held up his gun just as the guards came around the corner. They all looked at him in surprise.

"What in the…" One muttered as he started to raise his gun. At that instant, they all fell forward. Eureka had leaped at them with quick speed, leaving them little time to react. Eureka reached down and picked one up by the shoulders. She rolled back, put her feet against his stomach, and then launched him into the air with a sharp kick. The man grunted as he flew up and fell down, his head slamming against the ground. When she looked over she saw one looking around for his gun, and another struggling with Renton. Renton tried to get his hand that held the gun free, but the man was stronger then he was. Eureka ran forward at the man looking for his gun. He quickly found it in relief, but suddenly felt a stabbing pain on the side of his head. Eureka had delivered a nice blow to it, leaving the man to fall against the cold are ground. Renton had managed to release his hand. He quickly rolled the guard onto his back. Then he raised the gun and knocked him out. For a few second he let his breath catch up with everything else happening.

"Wow…" Renton said in utter surprise. He stood up seeing that every one else was out cold. When he saw Eureka, he noticed a soft red mark on the side of her forehead.

"Are you ok?" He asked her and walked forward looking at his closely.

"Yes, I'm just fine. I should be asking you the same question. Unlike me, you weren't trained in these kinds of situations. But that was quick plan you thought of." She said with a generous smile. Renton gave out a little laugh and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ahhh, it was nothing." The two quickly took advantage of the time they had. They reached the door, which marked itself with a large B. Eureka opened it and stepped inside, quickly followed Renton. The room they stepped into was huge. It was lined with prisoner cells. Each level was lit by a soft blue light that reflected off the metal dully. Eureka turned down one direction and started to walk. Renton looked around for a few more seconds, and then caught up with her.

"Cell seventy five." Renton heard her whisper quietly. The loud sounds of explosions could be heard outside the walls. It rocked the entire room, causing Eureka to fall back. Renton quickly reacted by running forward and catching her. She stood up and continued following the numbers as if nothing happened. Finally she stopped in front of one that had the number seventy five above it.

"This is it, do you have the thing that Irik left in the cockpit?" Eureka asked Renton. He nodded and pulled out a small grayish device. Renton reached forward to put it on the door handle, but was instantly stopped by the sound of a harsh voice.

"There you two are." A man called from behind them. Eureka turned around to see a soldier carrying a gun and pointing it at them. Slowly the soldier started to walk across the bridge that led to the other side. A few other soldiers emerged from doors on the next level up. "Looks like there's no other way to go. We figured you would come here at one point or another. To bad, because even if yo-" He was cut off from a loud explosion from above. Smoke shot out on the upper level. All the soldiers turned their attention to the strange occurrence. Then they all raised their guns and started to fire. The response received was a return fire from above. Eureka turned to Renton.

"Hurry, this is the chance we need!" She spoke with such urgency that Renton immediately reacted. He turned down and placed the small device on the handle. Then with a short click the two stepped a few feet away. Only a few seconds passed until there was a mini explosion, and the door swung open. Eureka was the first to reach it, desperately looking around. She stepped inside with out saying a word. Renton quickly followed and entered, to see Eureka standing in an empty room.

"Where are they?" She said quietly, only barely loud enough for Renton to hear over the gun fire. He didn't know what to say to her now. Even he was distressed at the situation.

"No." He said quietly, he ran in and started to look around, but only realized the dark truth. Stopping he looked over at Eureka who had fallen to her knees. His heart sunk, seeing her grow weak. Slowly he stepped next to her and crouched down. The tears were streaming down her face. He couldn't imagine the pain she was going through, or maybe he did. Because the pain in his chest was burning. There was another loud explosion. Renton looked behind them at the door, to see the dirty smoke flowing in. "Eureka, we... we have to go." He said ever so quietly. Eureka shook her head and stood up, almost falling over.

"No… they have to be here… they have to be. And they're waiting for us right now." She said and turned around. The smoke filled her lungs, releasing a sharp burning pain. She exhaled a few sharp caughs

"Eureka, they are not here, the U.F. probably moved them to another facility. Eureka, we can't stay here." He said trying with all his might to convince her. The battle on the outside was now coming in. And when that happened, inside was going to be the last place they wanted to be. Eureka kept shaking her head, inside she knew it was the truth, but she didn't want to accept it.

"I can't Renton… we have to keep looking." She said and started out the door. Another explosion shook everything around them. Eureka fell backwards into Renton's arms. They both fell to the ground. Renton quickly helped her up, but she would not stand.

"Eureka, we have to go." He softly told her gentle ears.

"I know…" She said slowly and picked herself up. Turning around she looked into Renton's eyes, looking for the strength she needed more then ever. Renton gazed back into her, with out even blinking. He reached up and wiped a tear away from her cheek. A smile spread across his face. Eureka smiled back, the strength once again filling her arms. She nodded and turned back to the door.

"Then we have to go." She said and held her hand out. Renton took it with a reassuring grip. The both of them took off, hoping to get out of the area. They were lucky that every one was too distracted with the break in to really worry about them. Once they reached the halls they spotted no threats. So they quickly headed back for the Xellien. They reached it faster then expected, and they saw the Xellien was still silently waiting for them. Eureka frowned and looked at the Xellien in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Renton asked her when he saw the confusion in her face.

"He says we need to hurry, that everything's getting a lot worse." Renton nodded and the two of them quickened his speed. They quickly climbed up the Xellien, climbing inside and turning the LFO on. It came to life once again, transforming into its humanoid form. With out hesitation Renton motioned the Xellien to jump off the edge. It quickly pulled out its modified board, landing on it at a dipped angle. It fell along with it until it slowly curved the tip and sailed on a leveled plain. Renton took a deep breath. He felt Eureka put his hand on top of his. They went in a strait path back towards the Gekko-Go. The comm. turned on suddenly, revealing Konner's face.

"Did you find them?" He asked with hope. It looked like he was no longer fighting. But Renton noticed the blood dribbling down his face.

"No, they weren't there. I think they moved them to another facility." Konner nodded not hiding the disappointment in his own face.

"I'm sorry Renton and Eureka. I was hoping I could have done more." Renton shook his head and gave a small smile.

"No, you did more for us then you'll ever know. Thank you Konner." Konner smiled and gave a short nod. The sound of a few beeps could be heard from his end. They saw him look down and then back up at them grimly.

"Sorry, I'm being called back into battle. You two make it back safely." With that the comm. turned off. The screen slowly faded back into its dim appearance. Renton shared a look at the battle behind them. His thoughts wandered on Kon, hoping that he would be alright. He then turned his attention to Eureka. She too was looking back at the command center. The look in her eyes seemed lost. She was looking for something, anything that might catch her eyes. For a few more moments he stared at her. The hope was slowly fading, and she turned around sitting back in her seat. She was staring down with saddened eyes. He Reached out and took her hand. She looked at him and then down at the hand. Softly she leaned against him holding his arm tightly and leaving Renton only his left arm to pilot the Xellien. At that moment he didn't care for Xellien, he didn't care for how angry Holland was going to be at them, he didn't care for the chaos they were leaving behind, but all he cared about was Eureka and her pain. He wanted to give her his strength. But at the moment all he could do was give her his arm, and so he did. The two made it back to the Gekko-Go. When the Xellien landed, everything seemed to slow down. An infuriated Holland rushed at them, yelling and screaming at what they did. But very few words actually drifted into Renton's and Eureka's mind. All they did was look past him with a blank stares, and Eureka held onto Renton's arm tightly. There was no happiness expressing through their faces. Holland stopped when he realized this. It suddenly hit his realization that the kid weren't there. He slowed down and actually looked guily.

"You two are confined to your room." He said and turned around walking away. Some of the other crew was there too. One of them being Talho, who stepped forward and helped them to their room. They reached the room and Eureka stepped inside, but Talho put a hand on Renton's shoulder before he could follow.

"Was there nothing?" Talho asked him with a concerned voice. He responded with a slow nod.

"Nothing… at all, and I have no idea where they could be. I want to find them so bad… and so does Eureka." Renton suddenly found his voice getting weak. Talho reached forward and actually gave him a hug. At first he was surprised, but then felt a motherliness that he had never felt before. She stepped back and kept a hand on his shoulder.

"You need to stay strong for Eureka. Those kids meant so much to her, and I know you know that. Please Renton, give her the strength she needs." She spoke with kind and concerned words. Renton smiled with gratitude and nodded. He then turned around and walked into the room. Eureka was standing at the window, looking out with dreary eyes. Renton walked forward and stepped beside her. A plain silence filled the room. He reached down and took her hand once again. She tightly held it back, letting him know that she needed him. But Renton also needed her.

"I love you Eureka." He said beside her. She turned to him and gazed into his eyes. She smiled and leaned against him.

"I love you to Renton." The two of them stood there, looking out at the vast landscape. The mountains arched up and down, but Eureka could only view them as her emotions. Bellow the clouds swirled into the spiraling mass. Then they saw the sun high above, shining down on the silent ship. No words were spoken, none were needed. Now the day would eventually come to an end, but they would have to wait.