Xenosaga: Gottlicher Eingriff
Chapter Five: Arrivals and Returns
KOS-MOS walked down the hallway, carefully consulting the internal map she had of the Dammerung. Finally, she reached the appropriate doorway. She paused outside the door, and considered for a moment why she had deemed this necessary.
Logically, this was something that should be dismissed. But, in yet another of her black box areas, a subprogram was awakening. And with this program rose up strange and unknown thoughts that presented unusual variables to her mental equations, making them no longer purely logic based.
KOS-MOS deemed it this subprogram that had suggested she come here. Now that she was here, she might as well complete what she had come for.
Raising a white fist, she tapped the door three times with her knuckles, careful not to damage the door in any way. She then lowered her fist, and stood there for a long moment. By now a human would have knocked again, but not KOS-MOS, as she had detected movement from within. Slowly, a heat signature came toward the door, and opened it.
chaos stood there, blinking at her. It was obvious that she had startled him. No doubt he had been expecting anyone else. "KOS-MOS, what are you doing here?"
"I came to discuss with you this probability of evolution," she said coolly. "Do you have a moment?"
"Sure," he said, stepping out of the doorway and gesturing toward his room. "Would you like to come it?"
"Affirmative," said KOS-MOS, and she walked into the room. It was a decent sized room, as far as guest rooms went. She stood near a wall, carefully out of the way, as chaos allowed the door to close. He turned around to her, and observed her for a moment.
"So, they got around to finishing you," he commented. "You look a lot like you did when we first met, much more human." KOS-MOS' logic center dictated that no response was necessary, and so she stood there, refusing to allow the subprogram to get her to answer. chaos watched her a moment as though logging her actions, then smiled slightly as he sat down, as though something she had done was amusing. "Feel free to sit down if you want to," he said, gesturing toward another chair.
"I do not require rest," KOS-MOS said. "I will stand."
"All right. What did you want?"
"Earlier you mentioned that you thought I was evolving. It appears that I lack an understanding as to how this has occurred, or why, within non-organic life forms or weapons. Please clarify your point."
"I'm no technician, so I don't understand the actual process. What I do know is that when you have an operating system as complicated as yours, changes and such will usually occur if there is room to grow, and there usually is, because of human error in being precise. And, it's possible your original creator left room on purpose."
"I see," KOS-MOS said, analyzing the data he had presented her with.
"As for why, I don't know. Maybe it was meant to happen, maybe it was an accident." He looked at her, as though trying to judge her reaction. She slowly processed this information, making sure that no possibility was left unanalyzed. She compared statistics, looked at what she knew of herself, calculated probability, and evaluated what had already happened.
"The possibility exists that I am evolving, although it was not meant to happen. I was created as a weapon, nothing more."
"Were you?" he asked. That startled her for a nanosecond. What did he mean? Of course she was a weapon. She destroyed Gnosis. That was her purpose. And, like any gun or knife, once the battle for destruction was complete so too was her purpose complete. The weapon analogy was flawless.
"I do not understand you inquiry."
"Was that your original purpose, or just a side purpose? Think about it. You look like a human, you're supposed to make sure you act like humans to 'facilitate a better relationship' with them, and you have come to save Shion, and even us all, on several occasions when you did not have to. So, I'm asking you, were you meant to be a weapon or something more?"
That stopped her current thought process. She considered his words, and something that seemed like suspicion seemed to grow within her. Now that she thought about it, was she meant to be just a weapon? The only ones who could answer that were Director Wilhelm and Kevin Winnicot. The Director would not answer her question, and Kevin was dead. Maybe there was a grain of truth in chaos' words. Maybe the weapon analogy was not as perfect as she had always assumed it to be.
"I suppose... It is possible," she admitted. "Thank you for your assistance, chaos."
"No problem, KOS-MOS. You can come talk to me anytime if you have a problem."
"Thank you," KOS-MOS said, and she exited his room. She had a lot to think about, and some records to review. At least it was something to do other than sit around and recharge.
---
MOMO looked out of the window at the Durandal that grew in the distance, the majestic red needle-like ship getting bigger and bigger. Already she could see the white insignia of the Durandal upon the side. She was literally hopping around with excitement. Soon she was going to see Jr. and Ziggy again. The only thing that could possibly be better would be if everyone else were there too.
"MOMO, you need to grab your bags," called Nausicaa. "We're going to disembark soon." MOMO turned reluctantly from the window, and tried to remember where she had placed her two bags. She looked around, but they were nowhere to be found. Oh no, I can't have lost my bags! I need them before I get off this shuttle to see Jr. and Ziggy! She tried very hard not to panic as she looked frantically in the overhead compartments.
Finally, she located them behind her seat. She quickly gathered them up, and raced to the door, wanting to be the first one out. Nausicaa and Suki stood behind her, a bit more sedate. Suki had grabbed hold of Nausicaa's hand, and was currently trying to make herself as small a target as possible behind the doctor. MOMO turned to her, and smiled warmly.
"It'll be okay, just you wait and see! Everyone here is so nice," she said, trying to comfort the girl. She smiled back at MOMO shyly, but didn't move from her position. MOMO turned back to the door, and nervously straightened down her skirt. She didn't know why, but coming back here made her slightly nervous. She fidgeted with her hair for a moment, unsure whether she should wear it up or down.
"Are you planning on meeting your boyfriend or something?" asked Nausicaa, laughing. MOMO turned a pale shade of red.
"W-what?" she stammered. "I don't have a boyfriend."
"Are you sure? You're fidgeting as much as my niece does when she goes out with boys," said Nausicaa.
"That's not it," insisted MOMO, shocked that anyone would consider the idea. Nausicaa laughed, and even Suki managed a weak smile. Finally, the small shuttle shuddered to a halt, and the doors opened. MOMO hurried out, ready to greet everyone, and stopped.
Facing her was Jr., but he looked different from what she remembered. He had gotten taller, a little taller than she was. He still dressed generally the same, though, wearing a brand new burgundy trench coat. He was staring at her in shock too. Finally, they both recovered.
"You're taller!" they exclaimed together, pointing at the other in shock. Mary and Shelley, who had accompanied him, laughed at the two teenagers, much to their embarrassment. MOMO ran over and gave him a hug, which he returned after a moment's hesitation.
"You look great!" she said, smiling at him. He nodded.
"You too," he said, blushing slightly as he said it, although MOMO had no idea why. "I guess we have a lot to talk about, but first things first." He turned to Nausicaa, extending his hand. "You must be the doctor."
"Yes, I am," she said, returning his handshake. "If you don't mind, I'd like to see the Realians now."
"Sure thing. Mary and Shelley can take you to where they are, and fill you in on what they've been able to get."
"Good," said the woman. She picked up two bags, and followed the sisters. Suki had let go of Nausicaa's hand, although she was still staying very close to the doctor. Jr. turned to her.
"So, want to go down and see Ziggy? He was too busy to come up, but I said we'd stop by."
"That would be wonderful," MOMO replied, walking in the direction of the train, Jr. following her.
"Hey, was that a Kirschwasser?" he asked curiously as they boarded the train. "Isolation Area," he added, telling the train their destination as they made their way to two cushioned seats.
"Oh, yeah, Suki. She showed up looking for me at the spaceport, but then she collapsed and can't remember a thing!"
"That's so odd. It's almost like what happened to the 100-series, only they were scanning something and they can remember what happened."
"What exactly did happen to them?" MOMO asked, curious. Jr. leaned back in his seat, putting his feet up on the seat across from him, something he hadn't been able to do before.
"Well, it all started when we ran across this unusual anomaly in space..."
---
Ziggy was filing his report on what he had observed in the hanger when the door to his office slid open. He didn't bother to look up, thinking it was just another subordinate here to do work.
"ZIGGY!" shouted a happy, female voice, and someone launched herself at him. He was startled by this, as this was not the usual way his subordinates greeted him, but upon seeing an amused Jr. in the doorway he realized who must currently have his waist in an iron vise. He hugged the pink-haired girl in return, mildly surprised to see that she was taller. But then again, with the advancements in Realian research anything could be possible.
"MOMO," he said as she stepped back to get a good look at him. "You appear to be doing well."
"I'm doing very well," she said, laughing. "What about you? How are you doing?"
"I'm keeping busy," he said. "What have you been doing?"
"Oh, just living with Mommy on Second Miltia. But look," she added, pointing at herself. "Daddy hid a program in me that let me become bigger! What do you think?" she asked, looking hopeful that the answer would be positive. In some regards, she would probably always be a child on the inside, hoping to please the people around her. But that was something that was located deep within her programming, not really something she could consciously control very well. And yet, he had no doubt she would handle herself very well. Already she had matured greatly since he had rescued her from Pleroma. A small hint of fatherly pride woke itself within him.
"I think you look very nice," he said, before she would become disappointed by his silence. "You look much older now," he added, knowing that was what she wanted to hear. She beamed brilliantly at this comment, obviously pleased.
"Thank you!" she said, giving him yet another hug. "I won't keep you from your work, and there are other people I want to see. But we should all get together later. Don't you think so?" she asked Jr., turning to face him.
"Definitely," he said.
"Good! We'll work out the details later," MOMO said. "Could you show me where my sisters, the 100-series, are? I want to show them how much bigger I've gotten.
"Sure thing," he said, following her out the door. "Later, old man."
"Goodbye," Ziggy said, then returned to his work of finishing his report. There was no sign of an intruder of any sort…
---
"I didn't expect to see you here so soon," Wilhelm murmured quietly, not turning from his position of facing the window. chaos was used to his aloof nature, however, and so dismissed the rude gesture easily.
"But you did expect me." It wasn't a question, and they both knew it. Wilhelm sighed, and finally turned to face chaos, his fiery red eyes meeting chaos' serene blue ones.
"What precisely are you here to discuss?" Wilhelm asked.
"Lost Jerusalem. The other problems and the other topics can wait for another time. This is the problem that has been bothering me the most as of late."
"Ah yes. You too have observed Abel's Ark recently, and the Gnosis that go within it?"
"Yes, I have. And after the unusual sending I received earlier, my thoughts about Lost Jerusalem have only grown. The sending was from Gabriel," he added, knowing that he would need to say no more on the subject. His words had the desired effect as Wilhelm turned abruptly to face the window again. He was silent a moment, digesting this news.
"I see… The time has finally come."
"Yes. Even Nephilim believes this is so."
"Well then, we must get ready. The time has come, and many long years of careful cultivation will allow the fruits of our plans to burst forth." His manner turned into a brisk, business one. "We each had a part. Nephilim has finished hers, as I have finished mine. Now your hand must come into play. You will do it, won't you?"
chaos was silent. Would he? Not exactly the way they wanted him to, but he would help. He chose his words carefully, promising only as much as he was willing to give.
"I too want to see Lost Jerusalem again, and I want our journey to reach its end. I will do what I deem necessary for that opportunity. No more, no less."
"You've grown craftier with your words after all these years. You haven't exactly promised to follow the plan." But Wilhelm's voice carried no anger, no annoyance, only the slightest hint of amusement.
"After spending time with you I realized I had to. Will you make me promise, though?"
"No. You will do as you please no matter what. Why bother? Now, unless you have more to say to me, I suggest that you leave now. I have a lot of work to do, especially after hearing this news."
chaos smiled slightly, and left the room. Wilhelm seemed much the same, even after all this time. But later there would be time enough to consider his enigmatic friend. Right now, he had a lot to ponder, and he needed to think of a solution to the conundrum placed before him that would make all sides of the equation happy. And that would be a great task in and of itself.
---
When MOMO had gone to see her sisters, Jr. had chosen instead to abstain from going, to give them some time to themselves for catching up. Instead, he walked around the Durandal, checking to make sure that everything was in working order. He had been on the bridge, but Mary had kicked him off, threatening to beat his head with a raw pork chop if he didn't leave and/or stop pacing.
"Jr.," called a calm voice from behind him, making him stop. It's about time, he grumbled to himself. He turned around, annoyance crossing his features, his eyes narrowing.
"There you are, Gaignun. You been gone for the past four days, you know."
"I told you I had urgent business to attend to," Gaignun said, as though that explained everything.
"Jeez, could you be a little vaguer please?" Jr. said sarcastically, the nonchalant answer to his question only angering him further..
"I could," Gaignun said calmly, pretending his didn't understand Jr.'s words, much to Jr.'s annoyance.
"I didn't know you were practicing your standup routine," he grumbled, and Gaignun smiled at this. "Just tell me what you were doing already," he demanded as they started to walk down the hallway to Gaignun's office.
"Representative Helmer asked me to look into a rumor that someone had seen Albedo." That made Jr. stop cold. He stared at Gaignun, not comprehending his words.
"What?" he managed after a moment, the shock still freezing his mind so much he wondered if he'd heard correctly. That… can't be possible…
"I believe you've heard me right, from the look of utter horror on your face. Someone claims to have seen a young white-haired, purple-eyed man in white strolling casually around a facility only hours before a very important new E.S. was taken. Since there are very few younger people with white hair and purple eyes, we thought it best to investigate."
"But…that's not possible. I saw him die… didn't I? No, I know I did! Hell, I felt him die!" Jr. said, getting close to hysterical. Gaignun immediately started to calm him down, before he made a huge scene.
" Perhaps it was merely a trick Albedo played on you. But the more likely answer is that this is a hoax. Nevertheless, we both decided that this was something to look into. And, to complicate matters further, there is that problem with all the Gnosis. It's been too quiet. They must be getting ready to do something drastic."
"Yeah, but what?"
"That is the question we would all like an answer to. For now, all we really can do is observe the giant Gnosis to the best of our abilities. Now, what was this I heard about the 100-series?" Gaignun asked as they reached his office, and walked in. Gaignun immediately took his place behind his desk, while Jr. started pacing around the room. Quickly, he outlined the problem to his brother.
"I see. What are you doing to ensure no virus is within them?"
"Oh, when I was calling MOMO I talked to a Realian doctor, and she agreed to come up."
"Which one?" Gaignun asked curiously.
"Um, I think her name was… Nausicaa Kitase." No outward sign of surprise crossed Gaignun's features, but Jr. felt a slight hint of surprise coming from his brother. It was obvious that was not the answer he had expected.
"I take it you know her?" Jr. said casually.
"I knew her once, yes. But I haven't spoken to her in years."
"I don't remember anyone with that strange of a name. Where did you meet her?"
"Not too long after the Miltian Crisis, back when you were gallivanting around the galaxy trying to find Albedo. I actually chose to further my education instead of seeking blind revenge, seeing as the most we'd done at the Institute was learn to be perfect weapons."
"Hey, if I'd managed to catch him, a lot of our problems would have been solved."
"And stranger, less familiar problems would have sprung up where those died," he countered. "How are the 100-series doing right now?"
"Nausicaa and MOMO are working on prepping them for a full analysis. Which reminds me, Nausicaa showed up with a Kirschwasser."
"A Kirschwasser?" He questioned, bringing his hands together on top of his desk, and resting his chin on them as he looked at Jr. curiously.
"Yeah. MOMO said it sought her at a spaceport, then collapsed and lost all memory before a certain point. What worries me is the fact she was one of Albedo's Kirschwassers, even though she can't remember much about what was going on."
"Jr., all the Kirschwassers came under Albedo's control, willing or not," he reminded his brother. "Do you think any harm will come from the Realian?"
"Not unless she regains her memory," Jr. said. "You can't carry out your master's orders when you can't remember them."
"I thought you said she does remember a portion of her work."
"She does, but I didn't sense any intent to hurt anyone. Unless there were some instructions given to her during her blackout time, she isn't going to hurt anyone, consciously or not. I know, I sensed her out when MOMO told me her story. And I'm usually right about this sort of thing."
"True," Gaignun said, and turned to his paperwork. After quickly observing each stack, he turned to Jr., eyebrow raised curiously. "I see you've once again left all the boring, non-top priority work for me during my absence again."
"I was busy observing the Gnosis and dealing with a crisis. I didn't have time for boring, unimportant work like checking supplies and managing the Foundation."
"And prior to that you were doing…?"
"Whoa, would you look at the time. I said I was going to meet MOMO and check on the 100-series with her. Gotta go," he said, making a quick exit. Gaignun's amused laughter echoed in his head as he ran down the hallway toward the transport system.