It is an amazing relief when one completes a chapter for an extensive story, no? There will be about two more chapters in the Nagasaki arc, then we'll get to the juicy stuff on Terra Beta. Thank you all for your wonderful support, and keep reading!

Chapter 18

Dawn certainly thought that everything was going along much better than she originally thought. Aside from her confrontation with White Dragon and some passing comments, no one had really made any remarks on her return to active duty as an Operator other than they were glad that she was back. She herself was quite glad to be back where she belonged: helping her people maintain their independence, be happy, and prosper. It felt refreshing to be where she belonged, among people that shared common interests and goals. It was also nice to see that her friends were actually interested in how the other side lived, so she was happy to answer any questions that they had for her.

There were a few concerns that she had to address, however. The foremost of which was more personal: North had been drawing away from her since the Freelancers had stowed away on board the Nagasaki. He spent an increasing amount of time in his shared quarters with York, practicing with his domed energy shield with Theta, or simply wandering around with an air of loneliness. He didn't speak much to her or anyone else during the meals that the Freelancers shared with Dawn, Julius, White Dragon, and his second in command. There were no displays of public affection that they used to have on the Mother of Invention, and barely any of private affection anymore. On the fourth day of their journey to Terra Beta, she had had enough of the tension and lack of a relationship. The formality that every other person on board the ship showed her was driving her insane. She needed familiarity, a calm casualness that didn't come from years of a platonic relationship.

Dawn found North in one of his usual spots: the training room. Much like that of the one on the Mother of Invention, the stone tiles contained minute holographic projectors that could simulate a hard-light target for an efficient training system. Theta, sitting cross-legged on the floor some distance away thanks to the hard light projection allowed by the room, watched intently as North threw punches and kicks at the lit targets, set on an endless loop so that he could test his endurance. No helmet barred North's blonde hair from twisting and dancing around his face as he spun around to eliminate the multi-colored targets. Kick, kick, punch, kick, slam. Dawn watched, transfixed, as her boyfriend practiced in a basic technique whose deadly grace would have been more befitting of Carolina.

"Hey," Dawn spoke up finally, and North froze. She could tell through his armor that his shoulders were hunched, and his muscles were tense. He would not look at her. IT took a long time before North responded with an acknowledging hum. "How long have you been practicing?" she asked. A shrug of the shoulders was her only response, barely discernible through the flickering targets. "Exit target practice program," she barely breathed the commands, and the targets disappeared.

Theta watched the one-sided conversation tensely, nervous at his host's reactions to Dawn. When Chi appeared beside him as a cat, the young AI reached over and simulated entwining his hands in her fur. Being AIs, they had no sense of touch. It was more of a comforting reaction in a time of stress.

Dawn took a step towards North and, when he made no move to retreat, crossed the space between them in a few large steps. They simply stood for a few minutes in awkward silence, Dawn watching North while the taller man didn't meet her gaze. After the third minute of silence, Dawn snapped. "Goddamnit, North! Talk to me," she yelled, and the AIs flinched at the loudness of her tone. "If you don't tell me what's wrong, I can't fix it-"

Dawn was silenced by a pair of arms encircling themselves around her and pulling her swiftly into a purple- armored chest. Wearing her black HAYABUSA armor, she was luckily not harmed. North was holding onto her like a lifeline, using a hand to bring her head up to stare into his eyes. The look in those glistening blue orbs was so tortured, North looked to be on the verge of tears. Dawn couldn't help but release a small, empathetic noise and reciprocate the embrace. They stood in each other's comfort for a long while, while North gave her one kiss and traced his bandaged hand down one side of her face, as if making sure that she was not an apparition.

"I was scared that I didn't really know you."

Dawn leaned back to stare up into North's face when the words came out, almost as if she couldn't believe that he was saying them. "Why?" she responded, bewildered. "I'm the same person that you met in Project: Freelancer as I am here."

"It feels like I don't know anything about you," North responded quietly, his eyes searching. "I used to think that I knew enough about you, and now I find out that you're…"

"There's more to me than meets the eye?" she supplied helpfully, and North nodded.

"You're higher-ranked than me and I didn't know how people would react to us being together and it's like nobody on this ship really likes us and we're not as tough as the rest of you here-" North's rambling was silenced with a gentle kiss from his lover.

"If you were worried about all of this, you could've come to ask me about it," she chided him gently. "You can ask ANYBODY on this ship if you want to. They don't dislike you guys at all. We Terra Betans are not very trusting people, but we'll help you out if you need it. Everybody can answer your questions if you have them, and we won't think any less of you," Dawn reassured her boyfriend. He visibly relaxed, though still looked troubled.

"Has anybody been giving you a hard time about us being together?" North asked Dawn, and she chuckled slightly.

"Only White Griffin, and she's just jealous that I have a boyfriend and she doesn't." White Griffin was the lieutenant for White Dragon, while Julius, aka Black Hawk, was Dawn's second-in-command. North had only met Griffin the previous day, and could tell that she was not a pleasant person to be around.

Dawn clasped her hands around North's neck and tiptoed to touch her forehead to his. "Leave Griffin to me," she murmured, staring at him with those enchanting grey eyes. "Nobody else has a problem. It won't shake anything up," Dawn reassured him. "I promise."

Satisfied, North gave a sigh and cupped Dawn's face in his hands. "You make sure that I don't have to fight any battles of my own, don't you?" he chuckled as Dawn blushed.

"Not ALL of them," she complained, looking away in embarassment. "Just the ones that I know I need to win for you."

"Are you calling me a damsel in distress?"

"Well, that can't always be MY job."

They chuckled and were about to meet for another kiss when the door opened to admit York and Texas, both in armor and without helmets. Omega and Delta materialized on the floor beside Theta and Chi.

"PARTY IN THE HOUSE!" York crowed as he went and threw his arm over North's shoulder, pulling him down for a noogie. Texas went over to the very awkward dawn, touching her arm and giving the expression that wasn't quite a smile but conveyed the same 'it'll be alright' meaning. "You guys about to get it on?" York asked, and the couple went scarlet with embarrassment. "I'm just messing with you," the tan Freelancer cackled. "Ease up a bit, why don't you?"

"Guys, I hate to interrupt," Texas spoke up suddenly, tense and uncertain, "but we're not alone in here."

"Well, yeah," North responded. "We have our AIs in here with us."

"She's right," Theta spoke up, standing with the other AIs, as tense as Texas. "Something else is in here with us."

Then, North, York, and Dawn felt it: an inexplicable chill and a feeling of pain, like something or someone had gone through some traumatic personal event. The hair on the back of their necks was standing on end, like a ghost was in the room.

"Theta, get back here and offline," North ordered his charge quietly and cautiously, as if speaking too loudly would provoke whatever was in the room with them. The purple AI vanished like a dimming star. The others called back their AIs as well, waiting for some reaction or some acknowledgement from whatever unseen force was in the room with them.

There came a single rattling sound, like the moan of a wounded animal. It shifted into a soft whine that, though silent, rang through all their ears.

"I have no idea what it is," York murmured, cautiously flexing his hands. North and Texas also took battle-ready stances, instincts kicking in about the possible threat, when Dawn held up her hand.

"Wait. Listen carefully," she whispered, and they all strained their ears to listen. A sound, a voice seemed to be carrying through the room like a whisper.

"Stop…stop…"

There came a rush of air and a terrifying amount of force, and the entire room went black.

Mendicant Bias drifted slowly through the sandstone rock formations that formed his "home". Beyond the Monitor's field of current vision, a tall metal rim stretched outward and upward for what seemed to be forever in both directions. The stars twinkled brightly in the daylight sky, even though the light of the sun should have blocked them out. The scenery of the canyon would have been pretty to passersby, but the ancilla was not here to appreciate the beauty. This trip was strictly business.

Bias gently drifted under a rock overhang into what seemed to be a tunnel system, no light from the outside being able to make its way in beyond the overhang concealing the entrance. A cloud of large bats flew out in fright at the presence of the metallic Monitor, but they stayed close to the entrance of the cave for a reason. The black cloud that was willing to risk daylight had much more to fear than the malignant Mendicant Bias; the creatures had more to fear about whom the AI was working for.

There came a soft glow of light from further in the tunnel as Bias travelled; a sickly fluorescent green coming from something that looked like mold or a fungus. Formerly, Mendicant Bias would have scoffed at the idea of even coming close to this shifting, warping organism that pulsated and glowed along the cave walls. That was before he was enlightened and had embraced the true way of evolution.

The Flood organism that had expanded further through the tunnel, like the sickly lining of some twisted esophagus, made no move to harm the intelligent life form gliding through their domain. The ancilla was of no threat to them; the AI was their ally.

Finally, Mendicant Bias stopped in a large cavern, almost completely encased in darkness save for the dim, pulsating green light. He remained still, bobbing up and down slightly in the cavern.

"Master, are you there?" The AI called through the silent gloom. There was silence for a moment. "Hello?"

A rush of air flowed through the cavern as something took an enormous breath, as if speaking was a great effort. "What is it? Why have you disturbed by rejuvenation?" a voice that sounded like thousands of voices spoke from the darkness, unseen by even Mendicant Bias.

"I meant no disrespect, Gravemind," the AI responded meekly, sounding less intimidating but still having some control "I have returned with news from the Enlightened Forerunners. The Father conveys his regards in your rejuvenation."

There came a sound like a derisive sniff. "I would not have expected such words from one who used to consider us little more than a disease. What else have you to say?"

"Nothing much, unfortunately. The Clone seems to have moved its position-"

"Clone?" the Gravemind spoke sharply. "What do you speak of?"

"The Father's wife meddled in business and created a Clone of your eternal enemy. This I found out during my most recent visit," Mendicant Bias reported, hesitant about the Gravemind's anger.

"My eternal enemy…" the words were spoken in such a venomous grumble that they reverberated throughout the cavern, and the various dripping stalactites above seemed to shake with the rage powering the words. "You must leave me now. I grow weary from the rejuvenation."

"At once, Gravemind," Mendicant Bias hastily retreated, unwilling to deal with the unsettled, reforming Flood form. There came a sound of shuffling in the darkness as green bioluminescence dimmed from overexertion. The unseen Gravemind murmured wicked words under its breath as it sunk back to hibernation: "You that is born of thrice blood and cast through flame, your day of reckoning will be the day that the Flood shall rise again."

Do Graveminds freak anybody else out? The Flood reminds me of the Borg from Star Trek...if you pit the two against each other, who would win?

Anyways, I love you all and I hope to hear wonderful things from you soon!

Sincerely,

anna1795