Chapter Eight: Water's Edge

The bravest thing I had ever done,
was kept going on with my life,

when all I really wanted to do,

was give up and die.

What I survived might kill someone else.

That which doesn't kill me now,

should probably run...

002 and 0020 walked hand-in-hand down the coble-stoned streets of Mohar. The male cyborg had convinced the others to allow them to go into town alone. He wasn't too happy to hear that 004 would be joining them; saying that he could use the chance to look around himself.

"So this is what Ireland's like, huh?" 002 said in an amazed tone; looking around the town. "It's a greener version of the Bronx where I used to live!"

004 chuckled at the younger male. "There's a reason why Ireland is nicknamed, "The Emerald Isle"." He said in a teasing tone; giving 0020 a playful wink. "Isn't that right, 0020?"

0020 sighed and hung her head low. "You two see the life and color in it, but all I sure don't." She mumbled in a bitter tone; looking at all the people passing her by.

004 smiled down at the girl. "Come on now, 0020," he cooed in a fatherly tone, "surely you're had at least a few good memories of your human life." He added as he rested his gloved hand on her shoulder.

002 slowed his pace down to match the other two. "Besides, you need to take this chance to face your demons if you ever hope to get past them."

"And we'll be there beside you every step of the way." 004 added in a fatherly tone; giving her an ecouraging smile.

So, without another word, the trio made a few more turns and cleared a few more streets before they finally made it to the cemetary where 0020's brother was laid to rest.

"Wow," 002 whistled; looking around at the scene, "this place seriously gives me the creeps!"

004 looked around at all the rows of graves. "It's so dark and gloomy compared to the other side of the gates."

0020 ignored their comments and walked along the path. "This is Pendragon Family Cemetary... this is where you are laid to rest if you're of Pendragon Blood."

"What about the people married into your family?" 004 asked in a curious tone; following the girl down the leaf-covered path.

0020 placed her hands behind her head. "Only pure bloods are allowed to rest here. E'eryone else is put elsewhere."

0020 stopped at the base of a good-sized hill and looked up at it. There was an old warped-looking tree with two gravestones sitting on the top of the hill that over looked the rest of the other graves. They were like guardians; watching over the others while they slept.

"Jasper is at the top of the hill." She said in a tired tone; pushing herself up the beatened path.

The two males exchanged glances at one another before they followed right behind the girl. They knew she was only forcing herself to go on for their sake, but they also knew that it would help her get over her past problems. They silently agreed to make it up to her once they were finshed there by treating her to dinner or something.

Once they were at the top of the hill, they found a set of headstones facing outwards. They were twin gargoyles crouched in a praying position. They looked over sad, and they also looked like they were praying for the two long since past.

004 knelt down before one of the graves, and brushed some dead leaves off of it so he could read the engraving on the head stone.

" 'Here lies, Jasper Wayne Pendragon. Beloved brother and cherished son. You will forever be missed." He read out loud; studying the gargoyle perched on the grave.

002 joined 004 and looked over at the grave next to other one. "Here lies, Noa Etienna Pendragon' The girl who died of a broken heart. You are now free with your brother in heaven." He said out loud; turning to look over at 0020 with a surprised look on his face. "Is that your name?" He asked in a curious tone; getting up to join her at her side.

"I think it's a very pretty name." 004 commented in a proud tone; giving her a warm smile.

0020 dropped her head, and let her arms fall limp at her sides. "I guess... after all this time... I'm finally free from the Pendragon Family..." She said in a hollow tone; letting a few tears fall out of her eyes.

004 reached out and touched 0020's back. "Hey now," he murmered in a supporting tone; trying to send calm feelings towards her, "you've got us to look after you now."
"Yeah, 0020," 002 said in a happy tone; jumping in front of her, "we'll be your family now!"

0020 looked up at the two with a teary smile. She was about to say something when they heard a twig snapping nearby; causing them all to turn around to face the intruder.

'... Hold it in... ...'

It was a woman in her late 50's to early 60's standing there looking shocked at the trio. She looked almost like an older version of 0020. Or at the very least, someone who might be related of her. Could she be 0020's mother?!

It was most certainly possible. 0020 had been taken away from her family over ten years ago. Her family could very well still be alive.

"Noa? Is that you, child?" The woman asked with a croak in her voice; keeping her eyes fixed on 0020.

0020 tensed in 004's arms. She could feel herself shaking in his arms; raising a few red flags in his mind.

"I don't know who you're talking about, miss," he spoke up for 0020, "but my daughter used to be good friends with these two. We're just here paying our respects."

The woman looked up at 004 with shock in her eyes. "But she looks so much like my Noa..."

"Kole gets most of her looks from her mother." 004 told her in a firm tone; placing a hand on 0020's shoulder. "Which reminds me, we should be going on our way now. We don't wanna miss dinner now do we?"

"But the twins never mentioned having a friend named "Kole" before!" The woman protested in a hasty tone. "You are my Noa, aren't you? Where did you go? Why did you leave your family, Noa? Answer me!"

0020 gave the woman a sharp look. "My name is Kole. And if you didn't kill Noa. She'd probably still be alive right now..." She said in cold hearted tone; turning to walk away with 002 and 004. "Noa's blood is still on your hands and you will never wash it off... Now, you have to live with what you've done to her... to both of us..."

And so, the trio walked away from the woman and the graves; leaving the woman to her own demons...

Later on that very night, 002 and 004 were up in the Command Room; going over their encounter with the woman. 004 had told the others that he had officially claimed to be 0020's father while they were out exploring the city, and 002 was telling everyone how 0020 had behaving around the woman. 0020 was back in her bunk; trying her best to calm down.

"Wait, are you telling me that 0020 was the reason why we felt all that panic and fear." 007 said in a baffled tone; rubbing the top of his head in confusion.

"And don't forget about the people around us at the time!" 003 added in protest; raising her hand into the air like a student trying to get the teacher to notice them.

"Yeah, they seemed really scared and shook up like we were. But it was only for a few moments." 009 agreed with a court nod. "At least we know that it was 0020 doing it and not Black Ghost."

"Maybe Black Ghost isn't here at all." 008 said in a serious tone; looking out at the ocean. "Maybe it was a mistake to bring 0020 here in the first place."

004 stood up and shook his head at the group. "I think it really did 0020 some good to snap at her mother like she did. I could tell she felt better afterwards." He protested in a proud tone. "Maybe now we can actually be of some help to her."

"I hope so..." 002 said in a longing tone; looking out towards the city while thinking about the events that happened not too long ago...

'...What goes around, comes back around! ...'

After everyone had eaten and went on to bed that very night, 0020 was actually going to try to and get some sleep. For once in the life, she actually felt like she could go sleep and rest for a few hours. It had surprised the others that she actually wanted to sleep, but they didn't protest and let her do whatever she pleased. Not long after that, everyone had also decided to turn in for the night as well.

Right now, 002 was lying in bed sound asleep when he heard footsteps walking past his door. He laid in bed for a moments to try and guess who it was outside walking around before he actually got and up and seen for himself.

It couldn't have been 009. He should be up keeping an eye on the monitoring systems. 008 was out patrolling the ocean. 007 and 006 were most likely sawing logs with the rest of the lot. 005 was doing whatever he normally does after meals. 003 was either helping Doctor Gilmore with his studies or taking care of 001. So, that only left 004 and 0020 that were out and about. Now that he narrowed down the list, he got up and got dressed in his red uniform; before he headed out the door.

He looked down one end of the hall, and found it deserted. He looked down the other end of the hall, and found a yellow scarf flowing around a corner.

"004? Is that you down there?" He called out; feeling a chill running up his spine.

He waited for a moment before he took off running down the hall. He didn't realize how close he was to whoever with down there with him, until he crashed into the mystery person.

"Oh, I'm sorry, 0020!" He said in a hasty tone; reaching down to pick the female up and put her back on her feet. "I didn't know you were that close to the corner!"

"It's alright, 002..." 0020 said in a weary tone; straightening up and giving 002 a smile.

"What in the world are you doing roaming the halls at this hour?! I thought you had done off to bed before the rest of us did!" 002 said in a worried tone; looking the girl over.

He noticed that she looked still look drained of energy. He could tell she was fighting off sleep, but he wasn't about to question her on the matter. She most likely was still trying to get over the events that happened at the graveyard.

0020 looked up at 002 with a weak smile. "I did rest for a while," she replied in a tired tone; running a hand through her messy silver/red hair, "but I woke up and now I'm wired for sound."

002 realized what was wrong with 0020. She just had what he normally calls a, "Power Nap". She was most likely asleep for a few hours and it seemed like she had been asleep for a few hours.

"You're like a locomotive now, aren't you?" He asked in a sympathetic tone; looking over at 0020 with an understanding smile.

0020 gasped and looked up at 002 with a shocked smile. "I never really thought of it that way. But aye, that I do." She answered in a sheepish tone; rubbing her arm nervously.

002 smiled happily at the girl and reached out to grab her hand. "I know exactly what to do in situations like these!" He cried out in triumph; dragging her down the hall.

"Wait, 002! Where are we going?!" 0020 cried out in shock at being pulled away from the corner.

"Well," 002 said as he kept pulling her along with him, "I thought we'd just hang out on deck for while and see where that takes us."

And so, they finally reached the main deck and the two ventured over towards the guard rail. 0020 leaned on the railing and looked out towards the city.

"Ye know, I ne'er seen Mohar like this before." 0020 said in a thoughtful tone; keeping her eyes fixed on the city lights.

002 looked down at the girl standing next to her. "Really? You've been here all your life, haven't you? Didn't you take a boat ride or something?" He asked in a shocked tone.

0020 shrugged her bony shoulders and kept staring at the city. "Ne'er really had a reason to, I suspose." She replied in an empty tone; shaking her head free of the dark thoughts that entered her mind.

002 stared down at the girl for a moment, and thought about what he was going to say to her. Then he turned around and leaned his back against the railing.

"You know, 0020," he started in a thoughtful tone; looking up at the stars above them, "I think you've changed since we came back to the Dolphin."

0020 looked over at 002 with a curious expression on her face. "Really? Ye think so, 002?" She asked in a surprised tone; not taking her silver eyes off of the male cyborg standing next to her.

002 nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you seem more... alive since the first time we saw you. You were this angry, scared, helpless little girl when we first met, remember?"

0020 laughed and shook her head. "I wasn't very well-behaved back then, wasn't I?" She asked in a lightened tone; giving 002 a faint smile.

"But now, you seem more lighter, like you've been carrying around all this weight and it's suddenly been lifted off your shoulders, ya'know?" 002 tried to explain in a simple tone; hoping to make the girl understand where he was coming from.

0020 thought about what 002 said for a moment. And he did seem to be right on the money. She felt much better since her confrontation with her mother at the graveyard. She did in fact feel more right with the world around her.

"Now, that ye got me thinkin' 'bout it," she said to herself out loud, "I do feel better since I saw me maw..."

002 chuckled and nudged her shoulder with his. "See what happens when you face your fears, 0020? It never pays to give up!" He said in a brotherly tone; giving her his best smile.

He then looked up at the night sky and seen all the stars. "Wow, there sure are a lot of stars out here tonight, isn't there?" He asked in a thoughtful tone; smiling softly at the sight.

0020 followed 002's example, and smiled up at them as well. "Grandda used to tell me that dreams 'n' promises that were broken become stars." She said with a faint smile; not taking her eyes off the stars.

"Wow, 0020," 002 said in a blunt tone; looking down at the girl standing next to him, "your grandpa sounds pretty morbid."

0020 giggled and shrugged her shoulders. "That was one o' Grandda's "lighter" stories, believe it." She said as she rolled her eyes at the thought. "Always seemed to scare me 'n' Jasper straight."

"Really? Like what?" 002 urged in an excited tone. "Were there any about the graveyard?"

0020 looked back up at the sky once again. "The story is told. Though, who can say if it is true? But the reason why the Pendragons are the way they are, is because we were once mermaids." She said with a sigh; shrugging her shoulders.

"And you actually believe that?!" 002 gave her a disbelieving look. "Mermaids don't exist! They're just manatees that drunk sailors would tell when someone asked them about their trip out to sea!"

0020 closed her eyes. "I remember this one time, I was out swimming in the ocean with Jasper. I remember swimming near the cliffs when I saw something in the water with us."

"Let me guess: It was a mermaid." 002 said in a teasing tone; sneering his upper lip at her. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

0020 laughed and smacked his shoulder. "No, I saw an orca swimming around us! They are actually quite common to see in these waters around the summer time."

002 sighed in relief, and nodded for her to continue. "Okay, so you thought you saw a killer whale in the water with you. Then what happened?"

"Well, I went to swim up to it, of course!" 0020 said in a laugh; shaking her head at the cyborg standing with her. "But when I started swimming towards it, the more it started looking like something else...

I can't really remember what I saw at the time, but I know whatever it was scared me because I remember swimming backwards into my head hit a rock, and I think I blacked out."

"So, I take it that Jasper jumped in and pulled you to shore." 002 said in an edgy tone; keeping his attention focused on 0020.

0020 shook her head. "No, I remember opening my eyes while I was still sinking, but instead of seeing nothing, or a shark, or an orca, I saw this beautiful woman with silver hair and skin, and eyes just like mine. She had the same face as me, but had a long faded gray tail. She looked at me with the most saddest eyes I had ever seen. It was like she wanted to cry.
The next thing I knew, she was pullin' me up to the surface. I remember feeling her tail hitting my own legs while she swam. An' after that, Jasper found me and brought me home. We promised we'd ne'er speak o' it to anyone."

002 leaned slightly away from 0020 and gave her a shocked look. "Wow, 0020, I'm speechless! I really don't know what to say to that!"

0020 shrugged her shoulders once again, and slid down to sit on the floor of the deck; leaning her back against the wall. "Well, ye can believe whate'er ye want. But Jasper 'n' I know the truth. And that's all I ever cared about."

002 sat down next to her. "Oh, I believe you, 0020. Trust me, I've seen a whole bunch of giant Mackrel fish before! And 001 says that the human race hasn't even made it to the bottom floor of any ocean before. So, I'm sure there could be mermaids out there."

0020 smiled and looked out at the ocean. "Thank ye, 002. Seriously." She said in a fond tone; looking back at 002 with a grateful smile. "It feels good to actually relax for once."

002 pushed 0020 away with a playful smirk on his face. "Glad to be of service!" He said in a taunting tone; making them both laugh and relax with one another...

TPW: Okay, just so all my readers know where I'm coming from here: The new stories I'm posting now are merely here to clear up some space in my room.

002: It looks like you've got your work cut out for you this time, wolffie.

TPW: *glares at 002* Who said you could get out of my closest? I thought Dive explained all the rules already. Or do you want me to throw you overboard?

004: *laughs* I'd watch your mouth if I were you, 002!
TPW: *turns to 004 with the same glare* And I guess YOU'D like to be killed off in the next chapter?
004: *gulps and shakes his head*
TPW: No? Then I'd suggest you take your own advice from now on! Or you both will be sleeping with the dogs! And Shelby likes to bite!
002 and 004: *yelps and runs away* We're good! Thanks!
TPW: *sighs* As soon as I get my notebooks "Digitized", I'll pick up writing on the older ones. I'm sure all of you are wondering about what happens to Rage, or how Dakota and Kurt's halloween dance goes, or anything else. But please, please, PLEASE be a little more patient with me. I'm juggling a lot of things at once and it's getting harder and harder to come back to my computer. And the upcoming holidays aren't helping my case either. I promise, by the end of the year/start of the new year, I WILL get all my duckies in a row and pick up on some of my older stories. Until then, please enjoy your stay and always leave positive feedback. It would be so beyond helpful on a level that readers alone will never understand. Many great books are often reviewed and commented upon and it has helped so many authors write so many wonderful books for us. I wish to join them in their ranks one day, myself.