Xenosaga: Gottlicher Eingriff

Chapter Two: Spaceport Surprise

MOMO sat up in her bed and yawned, stretching her arms out above her head. The sun was shining, a cool breeze was floating in her window, and the delicious aroma of breakfast was wafting up to her room. She smiled brightly at herself in the mirror. She was now the size of a 16 year old, and she was very pleased with that.

It had taken almost a year to retrieve the program that her father had installed in her, the one that allowed her to grow up when she wanted to, but after many Encephalon dives they'd recovered it from the protection of her subconscious mind. After that they'd merely had to repair a few glitches left behind by the two intrusions into her mind that had occured. Using the schematics that Joachim Mizrahi had left for her in a safe deposit box, they'd finally repaired the program. For two nights MOMO had undergone the transformation, observed by her mother and a top team of trusted Subcommittee researchers. It had been kind of painful, but now that it was done she felt great. People had finally stopped treating her like a child. Well, her friends had never done that, but others had. And now that was done.

She got up, and wandered over to her closet. She pulled out a pale blue skirt that reached all the way to her knees and a flowing pastel pink shirt, and tugged them on, after removing her flowery nightdress. She pulled out a pair of knee-high white socks, and pulled those on too. She was still too modest to expose much skin, and so always wore longer skirts when she did, and with those she always wore her high socks to cover most of her skin. As it was, she was only showing about an inch of skin on her legs. Grabbing her silver hair clips, which sat on her bedside table, and her brown shoes, which were next to her door, she ran down the stairs to meet her mother, and grab something to eat.

Juli Mizrahi looked up as she walked in the door. "Good morning, MOMO. How did you sleep?"

"Wonderfully!" MOMO said delightedly. She settled down at the table, pulling on her shoes as she looked eagerly about the small yellow kitchen. "What's for breakfast?"

"Pancakes."

"Oh, good. They're my favorite."

"I know," Juli said with a smile. "That's why I made them." She flipped them out of the pan and onto the plate that sat beside the stove. She passed them to MOMO, then turned off the stove. "I have to attend to an emergency down at the Subcommittee office, so you're on your own today. Just remember to be careful." Normally, the Subcommittee offices were on Fifth Jerusalem, but they'd created a minor office on Second Miltia, because it was fast becoming an important hub in the U.M.N. Juli herself had pushed for the move so that she could live in her house on Second Miltia with MOMO, and still be an active member in the Subcommittee.

"I always am. Besides, after all the tricky positions I've been in while facing the Gnosis and the U-TIC and everyone, I think I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can. But be careful anyway, okay?'

"Of course."

"That's my girl," Juli said with a smile. She placed a kiss on MOMO's head before heading out the door.

"Goodbye, mom!" MOMO called after her. Juli waved at her in response, then headed toward the mass transit system that would lead her to the other side of Milita, and the Subcommittee offices.

MOMO poured syrup on her pancakes, then started to eat slowly as she pondered what to do today. She'd been considering getting a job, but where? Maybe she could go into research, like Shion had. That had always seemed so interesting, and KOS-MOS was simply amazing. Why, she owed her life to KOS-MOS more than once. Or she could be a pilot or navigator or anything, really.

Her thoughts turned to the pain that had awoken her the night before. I really ought to get around to calling Jr., she thought. Something's been troubling him recently.

She finished her pancakes in silent contemplation, then put her plate in the sink. She clipped back her long bangs, grabbed her backpack, then walked out the door, and into the bright Miltian light.

Where shall I go today? she wondered. She could go to the beach, but she'd gone there the other day. She would probably just walk around today, looking at the various jobs. She could even travel to the other side of the planet and call Jr. at the public terminals at the spacestation near Sectors One and Two, because Juli's personal terminal was down due to a virus, as were many of the terminals on this side of Miltia.

She'd meant to go down that way today anyway, to report to the UMN building for her monthly checkup. She could even stop by that restaurant that Shion, chaos and Jr. had recommended to her. Well, Allen had too, but MOMO wasn't inclided to trust the recommendations of the forgetful, odd human. With this plan in mind, she headed toward the public transport system.

---

She got off at the UMN building, then walked cautiously through the halls until she reached the back where she told the nice woman at the desk that she was there for her check up. Then she sat around looking at all the interesting people coming and going as she waited for the doctor to come get her.

"MOMO!" called a happy voice. MOMO turned around, startled that someone had called her name, then laughed in delight as she realized who it was.

"Nausicaa!" she said enthusiastically to the woman in her late twenties that approached her. She jumped up and gave her a hug, which she returned. Nausicaa Kitase had been the woman in charge of watching over her transformation, and she'd done a marvelous job at it too. Of course, that was to be expected of someone who was the top Realian researcher. "What are you doing here? Mommy said there was an emergency at the Subcommittee, so I assumed that someone else would be doing my check up today."

"True, but I'm just a researcher. This is something for the higher up people," Nausicaa said, tucking a loose strand of long cobalt hair behind her ear. "Besides, this is my day off."

"You didn't have to come in on your day off!" MOMO said, horrified that she was making her friend work. Nausicaa just laughed.

"It's not a problem. I volunteered to do it. And I always love to run into one of my friends again," she said, ruffling MOMO's hair.

"Hey, stop!" she protested, gently pushing the hand aside. The gesture always made her feel like a child, as Nausicaa knew all too well. Amusement was reflected in her cerulean eyes as she removed her hand.

"Oh, all right." She walked into a room, then pointed toward the chair. "Hop up, m'dear."

---

Canaan walked through Sector One, wondering where exactly Colonel Uzuki was. No matter how many times he tried to call on him at his residence, he was never home. That was probably the only reason that he'd never gotten around to replacing his bookstore with yet another wild scheme. He supposed Shion would be pleased to hear that, but he wasn't going to go out of his way to call her. He had one purpose, and one purpose alone, right now, and he was going to complete it. And that was to find Colonel Uzuki for Representative Helmer.

He sighed. He'd been walking around all day, and yet he was no where to be found. I'm trying one more place, and then I'm going to the other side of the planet, he resolved firmly. If it wasn't for the terminal breakdown, he was sure that he would have found him hours ago. But without them, there was no way to contact the police/security force on the other side of planet to keep an eye out for him.

The door creaked slightly as Canaan walked into the cafe that Jin frequented. With any luck, someone had seen him recently. The elderly man at the bar looked up as he entered.

"May I help you?" he queried. Canaan nodded.

"Has Jin Uzuki been by recently?"

"No, he hasn't. Sorry." The man went back to the paper that he was reading. A couple came in, and he turned to get their orders. Canaan looked around the room, pondering where exactly he could have gone.

He turned around, and was about to leave when he saw two people he recognized entering the cafe. The taller woman was the one who conducted his upgrades and checkups, and the slightly shorter one, despite the unpredicted and unexpected growth spurt, had to be the Realian MOMO that he'd met nearly a year ago when coming after Rubedo for Representative Helmer.

"Nausicaa, MOMO," he greeted them. Nausicaa looked up, surprised.

"Why, hello Canaan! How's the new sensor package working out?" she asked, smiling. She was one of the few people he didn't understand. She dove into her research, was always so serious about it, going for days at a time without food and sleep, and yet she was always so involved and...vibrant around the people she knew. He supposed the best way to sum her up was to say that she was like fire.

She was always so brilliant, a beacon to the dismal Realians that surrounded him, making them feel like they could have worth in their lives. And she had such deep emotions, even if she did hide them.

"It's working better than you promised."

"Well, that's wonderful! But what are you doing here?"

"I am looking for Jin Uzuki. Are you familiar with that name?"

"Sure. What do you need to find him for?"

"Representative Helmer sent me."

"Ah."

"Want to join us for lunch, Canaan? I haven't seen you in so long! And then we could help you look for Jin, okay?" MOMO said, looking at Nausicaa for approval.

"Of course!" Nausicaa said, throwing her arm around Canaan. He wasn't exactly a fan of contact with others, but he allowed Nausicaa to do it. She was his friend, after all. "I love to help out my friends. Even the ones that don't seem to emote much," she added, with a wink at Canaan, who merely raised his eyebrow.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" he asked, pretending he had no idea what she was talking about. It had always struck him as odd that her only friends were Realians, the two obvious examples being MOMO and himself, but he supposed she just didn't like people. She just laughed and threw her free arm around MOMO.

"Oh, let's just get a table before the lunch crowd shows up."

---

They'd finished eating, and started their search for Jin, but it wasn't working so well. Even with Canaan and MOMO's sensors, and with three of them covering the ground, they couldn't seem to find him.

"Why don't we try his house again?" suggested Nausicaa when they all met up again at the Miltian spaceport. Canaan nodded.

"That sounds like a good plan," he confirmed.

"I'm all for it!" said MOMO happily. Then she realized where she was. "Um, could I stay and call a friend of mine? The terminals are out back home, so I need to call from here."

"That's fine! We'll meet you back here, okay? So don't wander off!"

"Okay!" MOMO said happily. She watched them walk out of the spaceport a moment, and then hurried over to the terminal. She called the operator, got the Durandal number, and then dialed it, waiting eagerly to see if he answered.

Shelley's face appeared. "Hello, this is - why, MOMO. What a nice surprise."

"Hello, Shelley."

"Did you say MOMO?" asked Mary's voice from somewhere to the side. "I wanna talk to her!"

"Go ahead." Shelley got up and let her far more energetic sister sit down at the console.

"Why MOMO, it's been ages!" she said, smiling at the screen. "I'd been wondering if you'd get around to calling! The 100-series were hoping that you'd call, too. They wanted to talk to you about who knows what."

"I will when I get the chance. Tell them that - " MOMO's words were cut off when a loud bark emitted from behind Mary. She twisted around in her seat in annoyance.

"ALBY!" she hollored, jumping up. MOMO stared at the now empty screen in shock. Who's Alby? she wondered. Mary's voice floated from somewhere in the background. "Don't bite the seats, that really nice fab - hey, get back here! What are you - that's MY handheld! You give that back this minute!" There was a shuffling sound, then a loud thump and cry of shock from Mary. "Someone call the Little Master and tell him I'm this close to killing that goddamn - "

"Mary," said Shelley, cutting into her sister's rant before it got too bad. "Remember, you were in the middle of a conversation?"

"Oh, I forgot all about that." Mary settled herself back down in front of the computer, her hat missing and her hair ruffled. "Sorry, MOMO. Anyway, I'm sure the Little Master will want to talk to you too. I'll patch you through once I figure out where he is."

"Thank you. What was that all about?"

"Oh, Alby? That's his dog, which he lets stay on the bridge. I have no idea why, seeing as it's a terror."

MOMO giggled. That sounded like Jr., all right.

"Oh, there you are! You have a message," Mary said into the handheld that her sister had liberated for her. "No, it can't wait. Yes, I'll patch it through."

MOMO watched as the monitor wavered, then was replaced with Jr.'s face. He was sitting at a desk, reading a paper, but looked up as her image started to form. "This had better be - " He stopped when he saw who it was. "MOMO!"

"Hey, Jr. I was just calling to see what you've been doing."

"Oh, nothing much really, which is as annoying as hell," he grumbled. "Gaignun's gone all the time, and there's no one else on this ship that I can really talk to."

"What about Ziggy?"

"Oh yeah, he's loads of fun," said Jr. sarcastically.

"How is he, by the way?"

"Oh, he's been doing okay. He got that life expanding treatment, and complains about it in his own subtle way every now and then. But I'm sure he's okay with the decision. How have you been?"

"I've been doing well, thanks. Where is the Durandal right now?"

"Oh, we're hanging out around the Kukai Foundation right now. Nothing else to do, really. We've been observing that enormous Gnosis from afar, and it's been the thing that's taking the Gnosis away. That worries me, though. I think something big is going to happen soon. How soon is the only question left."

"Wow."

"Yeah, but most of it's routine research, so there's nothing left for me to do but sit around and look important."

"I bet you don't like that at all," she said sympathetically. He nodded.

"Yeah." There was a silence, and MOMO wondered what exactly to say. Fortunately, Jr. spoke first. "So, why did you call?"

"Oh, I just wanted to see how you were doing," she said brightly.

"Well, I'm alive and bored," he muttered. She just laughed.

"Don't let me keep you from all of your work."

"Ha ha," he deadpanned. Then they both laughed. "You should come out to the Foundation sometime."

"I'd like too. When I get a chance I'll be sure to do that," she said. They both lapsed back into silence. "So, I guess I'll see you later," MOMO said.

"Yeah," Jr. said. "Hey, why don't I patch you back up to the bridge? The 100-series really wanted to talk to you."

"Okay. Goodbye, Jr."

"Bye, MOMO," he repeated, then the screen went blank as the message was routed to the bridge. MOMO sighed as she waited. Shelley, Mary and Jr. didn't even notice that I was taller! Oh well, maybe they couldn't tell because of the angle. They were all sitting down, after all. And they don't seem to have changed a bit! A 100-series appeared on the screen, interrupting her thoughts.

"Hello, MOMO," said the girl.

"Hi, Yuri," MOMO said. She always instinctively knew which 100-series she was talking to by the subtle differences in their brainwaves. It was always harder to read on the screens, but MOMO managed. She was, after all, a state-of-the-art observational Realian. "Jr. said you wanted to talk to me?"

"We all did. We were wondering if you've been picking up any unusual waves in the vicinity of Second Miltia. We all have when we happen to warp by there, but we don't know what they are."

"I know what you're talking about, but I don't know where they come from," MOMO said. "They don't seem to be causing any harm, though."

"I know, but we were all so concerned about it. And about you. You're one of us, after all."

"Thanks," MOMO said, blushing slightly at the warmth the other Realian showed.

"No prob - Are you taller?" Yuri asked suddenly. MOMO laughed. At least someone noticed.

"Yeah. Daddy left a program in me to let me change when I wanted to. It really hurt, though."

"That's so cool! Do you think I could do it too?"

"I don't know. I could ask my friend. She's a Realian researcher, and she knows just about everything."

"Oh, I would love that!" said the girl, grinning. "Be sure to ask her, for all of us."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye." The screen went dead, and MOMO walked away, smiling. I'm sure Nausicaa will think of something to do, she though confidently.

"Excuse me, 100-series Observational Realian prototype MOMO," said a voice. MOMO turned around, then stared. Facing her was a Kirschwasser.

"W-w-where did you come from? I though you guys were all gone..." MOMO gasped. She reached out to hug the other girl, but the Kirschwasser merely stepped back, holding up her hands to stop MOMO.

"I have a message for - " Suddenly, the Kirschwasser stopped. She started to sway gently, despite the fact that there was no breeze. Without any warning, she stopped, completely still. Her eyes blinked rapidly, and then she slowly toppled to the ground.