Archetype Biblical Star Empire (part 3 of 6)

a Original Fiction fanfiction by Kaiser

Drei 

**********

Three days had passed since the liberation of Rain from the Protea 
Research Facility. The Paracelsus had stopped its direct path north and 
turned northwest. In that direction was Crux Cartha and the even greater 
Agnus Dei. But at this precise moment the ship was only to stop at 
Ladeny. Ladeny was one of the smaller cities of Planet Rehoboam, similar 
to Protea. It contained less than 3.8 million people in its walls But 
that was because it had long been seen as kind of a resort city. To this 
point, resort planets were still in the process of being theorized. 
There were so many things to consider when terra-forming, so it was not 
a process that would be hurrying to fruition anytime soon. So political 
bodies and leaders settled for the creation of pleasure cities to take 
their place. Ladeny happened to be one such city. It was one giant 
fusion in kind of a live-in resort  and a city. A 
bar/arcade/casino/mall/brothel town that people came to in their 
millions each year to visit. Ladeny was a very popular place in certain 
seasons. The town wasn't currently in one of those seasons, thus 
explaining the 3.8 million headcount. That made the idea of stopping 
here to refuel the Paracelsus more feasible to Commander Eldiah. Only 
half an hour ago the ship had docked in one of the huge starship parking 
paddocks in one of the central districts. Once parked they could only 
spend about three hours there before they would incur a fee, so Eldiah 
had given his subordinates a strict warning about when the ship was to 
leave, on which all Darshana personnel looking to relax took on board. 

Just as they had planned; Ash, Rain, Cream and Yoko left the Paracelsus 
to spend their free time enjoying themselves. Of course, Yoko hadn't so 
much been asked as she had been dragged out, arm in arm, by Cream. 
Though Yoko knew that all work and no pleasure would make her a 'dull 
girl', she would have much preferred just staying on the ship and 
practicing with her guns. The group stood in the middle of a shopping 
arcade in the centre of town, just walking idly through the pavements 
while local people passed them by.

"Tell me again," Yoko said with a sigh, "HOW did you rope me into coming 
here?"

Cream sighed blissfully and nuzzled herself against Yoko's arm, which 
she had intertwined with her own. "I wanted you to come, remember? You 
just had to, Yoko. It wouldn't have been any fun with out you."

"I beg to differ." Ash said acidly.

Yoko and Ash glared hard at each other, causing Rain to realize that the 
two really didn't seem to like each other very much. He could understand 
it from Ash's perspective at least. He never warmed to cold, negative 
people back in the old days. That was pretty much the same now. Rain 
coughed lightly into his fist to draw their attention away from each 
other, lest they start arguing in front of Cream. "You know... I have 
never been to Ladeny before. Is this really a resort city?"

"Oh yeah, Rain!" Cream told him, "It isn't very busy now but it will be 
in a few months time. You should see this place at night! From my Old 
Earth lessons back in school, it was modelled after some North American 
city called Las Vegas! Pretty cool, eh?"

Ash scratched the back of his head. "You've been here before?"

"Uh huh!"

"Doing what?" Ash asked, "You know, now that I think about it... I don't 
know anything about you from before you joined the Darshana Division, 
Cream. So did you work here or something? Maybe you came on a trip with 
your parents?"

Everyone noticed (even Yoko) that Cream's usually bubbly mood suddenly 
altered when Ash brought up talk of her parents and her life before the 
Darshana Division. Ash didn't notice it until it hit him that Cream 
hadn't immediately answered him. He looked at her for a moment, as did 
everyone else, but Cream simply cast her eyes downward and walked along 
in Yoko's arm. Ash got the feeling he'd done something wrong.

"Uh... just... forget about me saying that." He said.

Cream only nodded without a smile. 

Yoko glanced at Cream for a moment. "...Lets get a drink, okay?"

"...Yoko?" The redheaded teen looked up at her. Then her smile returned, 
"Yeah!"

Rain stopped as Yoko did. "So where are we going?"

"WE," Yoko uttered, pointing between herself and Cream, "are going to a 
bar. I heard about a nice one nearby from Cinnamon. It's called the Ruby 
Dragon. You two can go off and do what you like. We will meet up again 
in the centre of town. You should know about that from what Cinnamon 
told us. That's all."

The giddy happiness of Cream returned to her when Yoko led the pair of 
them off down the street towards that place she had called the Ruby 
Dragon. Rain and Ash stood a little ways behind watching them go. Rain 
smiled at the two of them. "That was nice of her."

"Then why is it she still came off as a bitch when she did it?" Ash 
answered.

Rain gave Ash a serious look. "You really don't like her, do you?"

"No."

"Is it because she's so much like... you know... your Mother?"

Ash stared with surprise at Rain.

"C'mon, I have eyes," He said, "I remember her clearly. They don't look 
the same, but... Maria and Yoko have the exact same personality if you 
think about it. She treated me very well... as if I were a nephew to 
her... but I know that you didn't get on as well with her as you did 
your Father."

Ash sighed, hooking his hands into the pockets of his blue street 
denims. "I guess she does kind of remind me of Mom. I still miss her 
sometimes, and I'll never forgive my Brother for doing what he did to 
her, but... I still... remember how cold she was. All those times when I 
wanted... I dunno... maybe just a pat on the back for doing well on a 
test or something... all she'd do is just bury herself in her books and 
computers and just tell me not to bother her. My dad wasn't like that 
though. Even if he was really busy in the lab he'd find a way to make 
time for me. I always respected that about him."

"Wilhelm was a nice man," Rain said from memory, "like my Father. But I 
don't disbelieve that Maria loved you, Ash. Some people just... can't 
express that sort of emotion easily, but it doesn't mean it's not 
there."

Ash roped his hands behind his head, smiling. "Yeah, well, I guess we'll 
never know about that. But I'm not bothered much about it. Lets 
concentrate on you and me."

"Well... actually I'm glad you said that... I know it might be a bit of 
an imposition, but... do you think you could maybe... buy me some new 
clothes?"

The blonde soldier eyed Rain over. "What's wrong with what you're 
wearing?"

That hard expression he got back told him that that was a bad question. 
Ash released a half-smile followed by a sigh. The old overalls from the 
infirmary would have suited Ash just fine but Rain wasn't that kind of 
boy. Ash answered with a dissolved 'yeah, sure'. To which Rain released 
a giddy, Cream-like giggle and grabbed the older one by the hand. Ash 
found himself being dragged off across the stone plaza towards one of 
the many clothes shops that were laid out across the high street. Rain 
found a particular shop that he seemed to be favourable to, one called 
Atone. He stopped for a moment to stare at the mannequins in the shop 
window which showed off some of the newest lines on offer. And then her 
bounded in with a loose Ash in tow. And Ash was forced to spend the next 
half an hour following behind his 'friend' in sheer boredom while he 
assembled the clothing he thought might look good on him. Rain bounced 
from clothing rack to clothing rack, mulling over sale items and peering 
at the display dummies to find something that would both be liked and 
suit him. Ash only huddled along and did his best to breathe in and out. 
He and Rain didn't share a taste for clothes shopping. One of only many 
things that could be used to distinguish the two of them from each 
other. Eventually Rain found what he wanted. Rain slung his selected 
clothes over his arm and strode off towards the changing rooms to try 
them out. Again Ash followed in boredom. Rain came up to one of the 
three empty stalls and slid open the sheet of fabric in front. He walked 
inside and slid it closed. Ash sighed and pressed his back against the 
adjacent wall, crossing his arms. 

Rain addressed him from inside as he got changed. "So tell me, Ash. What 
do you like doing in your spare time these days? What's life like for a 
soldier when he's not fighting?"

"If I have to stay on the ship, I read, mostly," He replied, "philosophy 
books. I'm in the middle of one right now. It's called the 
Semi-Existence of the Soul, written by a really talented philosopher 
called Dianus Maximus. It's pretty interesting. Seems like she's trying 
to suggest that the soul is real... but mankind's suppressed its will to 
recognize it."

"Suppression and recognition, huh?" Rain giggled politely to himself, 
"listen to you. You sound so different from the way you were back then. 
I was actually expecting to hear you were still hooked on video games or 
something."

Ash grinned "Oh, I still am. I know that's not your kind of thing, but 
there's this new fighting game out in the arcades called Bakken Fighter 
Original, its supposed to be one of the most advanced non-neural games 
out there. Wanna give it a whirl?"

"Maybe," Replied the brunette, "If you're good to me."

"Well what do you mean by-"

Ash stopped himself thoughtlessly when his eyes moved downward at the 
dressing room cloth. It didn't go all the way down so a lower part of 
the inside could be seen. Enough for Ash to see Rain's bare feet and 
lower legs. A golden anklet, something that had gone unnoticed until 
now, dangled from Rain's left ankle. Ash watched as Rain arched his 
delicate little feet to hang the clothes he had selected over what was 
obviously some kind of hook. The blonde boy swallowed the lump in his 
throat when the overalls that his 'friend' had been wearing were dropped 
from his body and pooled around his feet. Which gave Ash good view of 
those long, thin legs of his companion. It now dawned on him that Rain 
was naked in there. The soldier tried to calm himself and look away, but 
found his dark sapphire eyes rolling back down to the slight gap between 
the floor of the room and the door-like cloth concealing it. He heard 
more clothes rustle from their hangers and saw Rain lift one of his 
feet, then do the same with the other one, obviously to put something 
on. There was more rustling after that. And Rain slipped on some white 
socks afterwards, follow by the pair of trainers that he had also seen 
in the shop Ash cast his eyes back up from there when Rain pushed the 
cloth back over the pole to step outside. And Ash was thrown when he saw 
Rain redressed in something that looked a lot more comfortable than that 
frock-thing he had been given in the infirmary. His nubile teen body was 
now decked out in a willowy white tee shirt that's collar was hung low, 
highlighting the area of his breastbone It hung slightly below his 
midriff, where there was a long pair of jeans short supported by a 
auburn leather belt. They were elongated and just about came down to the 
knees. On his feet were now a pair of sport trainers that might not have 
seemed to be Rain's taste, but set off his look so well. Ash evaluated 
what he was seeing. Rain had a very levelled, down-to-earth, wise 
personality; so he always came off as older and more mature than he 
really was. Seeing Rain it this light again just brought home to Ash how 
young and beautiful his 'friend' actually was. And suddenly he was 
cursing his luck for picking denims today. If he hadn't thrown a boner 
before then he certainly was now.

If Rain realized it, then he wasn't going out of his way to express the 
fact that he did, because he looked at Ash eye to eye with an expectant 
glance "Be nice, okay? How do I look?"

"W-well, I-I-I'm... uh..."

Rain narrowed his eyes and pouted, adorably. "Is that stammering a good 
thing or a bad thing?"

"...A g-good thing..." Like he needed anyone telling him how good he 
looked...

The chestnut-haired youth smiled at his elder. "Thanks, Ash. You're 
always so sweet."

Then Rain walked away towards the checkout. Obviously he was planning on 
walking out in those clothes when Ash paid for them. Ash watched Rain 
walk away and them turned around against the wall to catch the breathe 
he hadn't known he was holding. It had been so long since he'd looked at 
anyone in a sexual way that it completely knocked the wind out of him 
when it did. Sure, back then, Rain and Ash were just kids. There was 
never anything physical going between them other than kisses and the 
occasional hand-holding. But things were different now. And that was 
both a good thing and a bad thing. They were both more mature and a hell 
of a lot more knowledgeable, but were the old feelings still there? From 
the way Rain had been talking a few days ago, he appeared to have been 
pleased that Ash hadn't been with anyone else. But at the same time, 
Rain hadn't gone out of his way to rekindle their old flame. What could 
that have meant?

The green-eyed boy turned around from the queue he was now standing and 
gestured for Ash to hurry up and join him. Ash breathed in and got 
himself under control. He'd just take this slow and think it through. He 
might have been experiencing an old attraction, but... that didn't 
necessarily mean it would have to go anywhere...

...right?

**********

The Ruby Dragon.

Normally Yoko liked to drink alone. But then again she liked to do most 
things alone. However today was obviously going to be different. It 
annoyed that that damn Ash couldn't keep his big mouth shut like that, 
but it seemed Cream had put behind her any unwanted memories that Ash's 
big bazoo managed to address. The two of them were now sitting together 
on barstools beside the counter in the futuristic bar of the plaza, 
called, as ever, the Ruby Dragon. Behind them were the main white tables 
of the chamber surrounded by men and women who had all come in for a 
quick drink and a chat with their friends. Meanwhile little serving 
waitress androids stalked between those tables with fresh drink orders 
in hand, supplying them to the customers in exchange for monetary 
payment. 

Yoko had ordered a Dragon Chaser. It was a basically a sweet gin and 
tonic, but was nicknamed after a very skilled battleship crew who had 
saved this city from a Saviour attack three and a half years ago. Cream 
wasn't much of a drinker herself (maybe more of an eater) so she just 
had herself a tomato juice. She wasn't legally old enough to drink in 
Rehoboam law, she had to been seventeen, but being a member of the 
military gave her certain unspoken privileges with the common folk. She 
could have had anything if she wanted it. 

Yoko sipped at her small glass of Dragon Chaser and said, "That looks 
disgusting Why buy it?"

Cream closed her eyes with a smile. "Did Ash ever tell you how grumpy 
you are?"

"Ugh," The Asiatic woman scowled at the thought of him, "that boy 
irritates my last nerve."

"You really don't like him, do you?" 

"No." 

"Why?" Wondered the younger woman.

"I suppose on an overt level... his recklessness and attitude bother me. 
He's always going out of his way to make himself seem better than me. 
He's always trying to out perform me in missions even if it brings his 
life to risk. And yet he mistakes that for courage -- preening his 
feathers and patting himself on the back in front of Commander Eldiah. 
He's just too arrogant."

Cream looked down with a superior smirk. "You really don't understand 
him."

"What does that mean?"

"Everyone thought that Ash was just some muscle headed guy when they 
first met him," Cream said, "but he proved himself. He showed that he 
was smart and kind and gentle as well as strong. It's just first 
impressions. On his first impression of you... I guess he just saw you 
as uptight. Which in some ways, you kinda are..."

Cream shrugged off the nasty look she got from Yoko when she continued. 
"But the point is... impressions are just that. Impressions You're 
supposed to get past them. I know that if you stopped for a moment and 
took a good instant to get to know him... I think you'd start to like 
him. Just like I like you."

The captain of field operations of the Darshana Division couldn't help 
but be a little bit flattered with that. Ever since she had been 
stationed on the Paracelsus and was made leader of active duties on the 
field, she had been rather isolated. Most people on the ship didn't give 
the impression of liking her much -- or at all for that matter. At best 
the personnel of the Darshana gave her civil conversation and conduct. 
The only one who acted with any genuine feelings of friendship towards 
her was Cream. Of course, Yoko didn't find that to be any comfort.  The 
sixteen-year-old was head over heels in love with her. It was only a 
matter of time before those feelings went down the drain and then Yoko 
would once more be secluded. But even so...

...it was nice to know that not everyone hated her. "...I'm... pleased 
that you'd..."

"I know," Cream whispered cheerfully, "you don't have to say it. That 
kind of thing doesn't come out from you very easily. I understand that. 
I guess that's just another thing you and Ash don't have in common."

Yoko smirked grimly. "...I suppose on a covert level..."

Cream listened in when she noticed that Yoko was continuing from where 
she left off about Ash.

"...I feel a bit... jealous of him." Admitted the gunslinger. 

"Why?"

"Do you even need to ask that?" Yoko sipped on her Dragon Chaser, 
"Everybody loves him. The crew, the Commander, you. You want to know why 
people were so surprised when Commander Eldiah gave me the position of 
leader of field operations? It's because they all expected Ash to get 
it. Even though we all know that I'm better qualified for the job, they 
looked to him as their leader of the field. Half the crew hate me and 
the other half can barely stand me. But for him... they'd move 
mountains. I don't know if it's because I'm a woman or because I'm not 
an a pure-blood citizen of Augustine space but the Darshana would sooner 
worship that boy than see me lead them against the Saviours. I suppose 
it's quite childish, but... how could someone not be a little envious of 
that?"

Cream blinked. "You really think that?"

"Of course I do. It's true."

"...Man," The redheaded teen sighed, "you still don't get it, Yoko."

"Get what?"

Cream looked to her in earnest. "They don't hate you. The reason people 
haven't warmed to you is because you won't let them. You force people 
out... you make them feel 'beneath' you. I know that you don't do it on 
purpose... and I know that you'd rather not be treated that way. But you 
just don't make enough of an effort to mix in. You're happy to just 
stand back and watch while the others enjoy their lives... and it makes 
a distance between you and them."

Yoko's heart was telling her that Cream wasn't far from the truth. But 
her mouth wasn't indicating it. "That's what you think, eh?"

"Yes," She replied, "and you know I'm right."

"If that is true... and that's a BIG if... why would I do that? If it's 
not what I want?"

Cream ran the tip of her finger around the edge of her glass. "Maybe 
you're just... afraid of getting hurt?"

"What...?"

"I know about your Dad," The shorter girl confessed, "I know who he is 
and what he did. And before you ask me how I know, I kind of wormed it 
out of the Commander when I met you. I guess I just... wanted to find a 
way to get closer to you."

Yoko looked away angrily, but Cream continued unabated. "...The point 
is... you make distance between yourself and others because it's safe. 
That way you won't feel pain Because you think that if you somehow allow 
yourself to get closer to someone else... there's a chance they'll let 
you down in the end. Or worse... there's a possibility that they won't 
like you up close either Then it'll hurt even more because you won't be 
able to dismiss their distaste for you as a result of distance. It'll 
settle in your heart that... maybe the reason people haven't warmed to 
you is because... you really are what they say you are. So you stop 
people from  becoming closer to you That way you'll never have to 
confront the possibility. I know the aphorism is kinda outdated, but... 
ignorance is bliss"

Yoko cast a stunned, raised eyebrow stare at Cream, who merely shrugged. 
"I borrowed one of Ash's books one night when I couldn't get to sleep. 
Psychology isn't so bad of a subject I wish I'd have studied it."

"Well," At this moment, Yoko was feeling flustered, "you certainly don't 
beat around the bush. I'm no expert on uncomplimentary platitudes but 
I'm sure there are plenty of more subtle ways to tell someone you're 
supposedly in love with that they have a crappy personality."

Cream shook her head frantically. "That's not what I'm saying! I don't 
think you have a bad personality. I really don't. I just think that you 
might believe that. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's less complicated. Maybe 
you just prefer..."

"What? Being alone?"

"Some people do." The archer muttered with a shrug

Yoko gulped down the last of her Dragon Chaser, then gestured to the 
bartender. "Barkeep, same again."

The middle-aged man grunted a reply and went about grabbing three 
bottles, a gin, a tonic and a sweetener. Once he fixed it for the girl, 
he slid it to her. Yoko grabbed the glass and exchanged it for a some 
coins, which the bartender received and slotted into his cash register. 

Cream watched Yoko drink her second. "Look, I didn't mean to upset you."

"I am NOT upset," She answered, "I couldn't give a damn what you think."

"...Yoko, I..."

The Asiatic captain rolled her eyes. "Spare me anymore of your coddling, 
alright? I don't need you to justify the fact that people can't stand 
me. Maybe it's just true. Maybe that's how it is. Maybe I just have a 
jaded little soul that suddenly proclaims 'fuck the world because the 
world fucks you'."

"If I thought that... I wouldn't be here." Cream told her.

Yoko stared at her. "Yeah. And why are you here? If everyone else hates 
me than why are you still here?"

"Because... I... because... I'm willing to go past first impressions, 
r-remember? I know that you're not really like this. I know it. Even if 
the others can't see it..."

"What makes you so sure?" Yoko chipped with a pessimistic chortle, "even 
your best friend hates my guts."

Cream ignored the comment about Ash. "I'm not usually wrong about these 
things..."

Though she couldn't understand it, that last comment stuck with Yoko 
Probably because Cream had said it with a true honestly. It didn't feel 
like the kind of cop off that others would stick to her for the purpose 
of avoiding a confrontation. Yet that just confused Yoko even more. Here 
was this beautiful, talented, merry, and optimistic young woman (no 
matter what Yoko said about Ash, it was a commonly known fact that Cream 
was the most popular member of the Darshana Division) who, for some odd 
reason, had feelings for a woman four years older than her; riddled with 
the kind of self-cynicism that outshined suicidal lunatics. What did she 
stand to gain from it? Why would someone as wonderful as Cream lower 
herself to...?

"What do you see in me?" Yoko asked Cream honestly, "What can you see in 
me that I don't see myself? What is it you can see in me that no one 
else does?"

Cream smiled at her once more. "I guess I'll tell you one day; when you 
don't have a drink in your hand and you've cut down a little on the 
Ash-bashing."

She couldn't help it. Yoko smiled back that. Something that made Cream's 
heart swell when she saw it. Yoko had so much to offer... if she could 
find someone to help her get to it. While Cream and Yoko entered a new 
stage in their relationship, another new thing walked in from the 
automatic steel doors of the bar. A black man dressed in head-to-toe in 
a ebony-midnight formal suit. With one hand slotted into his pocket and 
the other adjusting the joint of marijuana between his lips, he stepped 
over to the counter next to Cream for some service.

"Yo! My man, my man!" The pot-smoker yelled to the bartender, with an 
Old Earth accent that could only have been declared Jamaican, "me a call 
you! Ya nah know 'bout a ting caal mannars?"

The bartender sighed at first, thinking this to be some rowdy punk. 
Until he got a good look at golden crucifix necklace dangling from his 
neck. Now he knew who this man belonged to and acted accordingly. 
"W-what'll it be, sir?"

"Dat a better one," The man said sarcastically, removing the joint from 
his lips, "me want a rum. And me nah a chat 'bout y'all pussy-ole Ladeny 
rum. Me a chat 'bout straight up Crux Cartha rum. Ya unnarstan?"

The bartender nodded and hurried about getting the drink. As the man 
leaned over the counter he caught notice of  Cream sitting just a little 
ways across. A powerful smirk of lust crossed his face and he eyed her 
up and down. Something that Yoko noticed but said nothing off. Not until 
this man advanced on her. 

"Well, well, well," He remarked, getting Cream's attention, "Is wah me a 
see? Me a see a latta gal in me time, but... baaackside... me nah a see 
a pony like unno, ya know? Me gwaan com 'ere more offen..."

Cream blinked. "Huh?"

"He's hot for you." Yoko said with a sigh.

The suit-dressed man looked over at Yoko, disparagingly. "Is anyone a 
chat to unno?"

Yoko smirked "...You really want me to answer that? So who are-?"

Then the woman silenced herself. She caught sight of the pendant hanging 
from the man's neck. Now she knew exactly who this man belonged to and 
why the bartender had looked so frightened when he saw it. The black man 
smirked and realized that Yoko had caught on. "You a girl know she shit, 
ya? Me name Phanuel. Me a one a deh Archangels. Me a man a work for deh 
Esdraelon Conglomerate"

"Esdraelon?" Cream looked at Yoko again, "Isn't that your-"

Yoko scowled "...You're working for Bardia?"

Phanuel just ignored Yoko and turned her attentions back to Cream. She 
stared at him nervously as he devoured and undressed her with his eyes. 
He didn't stop grinning until the bartender passed over his glass of 
rum. When it came he downed some it and returned to his appreciation of 
Cream. "Feeget dat, me nah waan chat 'bout work. Me waan chat 'bout a 
sweet-ta ting dan daht. Ya unnastan? Juss gimme dah light..."

"I... uh..." Cream squirmed uncomfortably, "I'm... not following you."

Phanuel deepened his grin. "Yah tell me say yah never taste Yardie bone? 
So me go so den. Ya waan try...?"

"Ugh," Yoko stood up from her stool, haltingly, "look, not only can she 
not understand you, she isn't at all interested, alright? Now just back 
off."

Phanuel lowered his grin. "Ah wa de bloodclaat?! You com 'round yourself 
again? Me NAH a chat to unno!" 

"I don't care who you are," Yoko answered, "you might be working for the 
Esdraelon and Bardia but that doesn't give you the right to strut around 
and throw weight, Archangel or no. Now just get lost before you really 
start pissing me off."

The Archangel sniggered derisively. "Daht so? Well yah know me a man 
believe in equal rights. Even a woman gat an equal right fe get 
smack-down!"

The point at which Yoko could have underestimated the potential for 
violence and the degree of it faded very quickly from then on in this 
situation. There was a sudden break and then surge in motion, as Phanuel 
grinned and chucked the joint from his lips He then moved, or more 
accurately glided, straight for Yoko with his fist drawn back. With a 
surprisingly potent level of speed and power, Phanuel forced himself 
ahead around Cream's stool and thrust his fist outward. In seconds it 
was surrounded by bright Qi Force, one of the three energies of 
destruction And seconds later Yoko was reeling. Cream and some of the 
other customers looked around urgently at the sound of crashing glass 
and wood when the captain of operations was blown back by what felt like 
a wall of spiritual force. Her body was thrown violently into a nearby 
table, shattering the glasses of lager that the two people sitting 
around it had been drinking. It cracked into two pieces from the force 
of the fall, both of which Yoko slumped against. 

Cream's eyes went wide. "Yoko!"

She quickly rushed over to her side, kneeling down and cradling the 
older woman in her arms to inspect the damage. A gash to her forehead 
and a bruise across her face from where Yoko had been hit, but those 
seemed to be the only external injuries. Cream was focused on inspecting 
the damage, Yoko closed one of her eyes and stared at a smug-looking 
Phanuel, whose fist still throbbed with potent sapphire energy. 
"Y-you... can manipulate Qi...?"

"Daht kinda obvious now, eh? It a caal Partition Knuckle," Phanuel 
smirked and positioned one of his fists behind his back. The other hand 
was projected forward at Yoko, and he drew his fingers back and forth as 
if to provoke her, "Ya waan fe try it again?"

An additional and forceful voice called out to him, preventatively. 
"That's quite enough."

Phanuel, Yoko, Cream, the bartender and the rest of the customers turned 
to look at the entrance of the right wall. Another Archangel stood 
there. A tall man of Frankish descent, dressed in the same black suit 
that Phanuel was wearing. This new blonde-haired interloper stepped 
forwards towards his partner, subsequently causing the rowdy Phanuel to 
drop his arrogant attack stance. 

"...Shamsiel..." Said the Jamaican descent. 

Shamsiel, as he was called, sighed at Phanuel. "Have you no shame? 
Picking fights with women? We did not come to this city to belittle 
ourselves and show off in front of commoners."

"But daht gal, she ah-"

"Please spare me your ridiculous excuses, Phanuel," Shamsiel expressed, 
"now get going. We have to meet with Chamuel in Crux Cartha to pick up 
the sample. Are we clear on that matter?"

He didn't have much of a choice. It was obvious that Shamsiel gave the 
orders here. Phanuel sighed and cast one arrogant smile at an irritated 
Yoko before walking out of the Ruby Dragon through the left exit. When 
he was gone, Shamsiel uncrossed his arms and slotted his hand into his 
suit's inner pocket. He pulled out a wallet of his and took some notes 
of money from that. After putting away that wallet he walked up to the 
bartender and placed that money down on the counter. "I apologize. This 
should cover the damages."

He then turned to Yoko and Cream. "I must apologize. Phanuel is our 
newest member and he... has a few issues with restraint. I know that 
words won't do much to make up for the inconvenience, but... I assure 
you that my regrets are genuine."

Yoko had only one thought in mind. "Who are you?"

"My name is Shamsiel," He told her, "I am the leader of the Archangels. 
Once again I... apologize. Phanuel is not aware because he is new to our 
group. But I know who you are. So... while this may come as a personal 
offence... might I be so bold as to ask you to overlook it?"

Cream looked at her friend. "Yoko, this guy knows that you're Bardia's-"

"I'm aware," She slowly heaved herself up from the wrecked remains of 
the bar table and said, "I'll overlook it this time. But if I see your 
buddy again... I can't promise the same. And to stop you from worrying, 
I won't be saying anything to your boss. I NEVER want to see that 
bastard again."

Shamsiel smiled. "Thank you."

He then turned around and left, exiting through the right exit of the 
far wall. Yoko wiped away the blood that was dripping down her face from 
Phanuel's earlier attack. Now it seemed like everyone's past was 
catching up with them.  

**********

On level sub thirty-eight of the Ministerial Bastion was the work zone 
known as the Nanotechnology Lab. It was the place in which the majority 
of the Ministry's research in the field of nanotechnology was conducted. 
That kind of work took a great deal of time and care to handle and so it 
was on one of the lower level The lower the level in the Ministerial 
Bastion's complex the more significant the lab. This particular 
department was headed by none other than Annette Kuhnen. The scientist 
wife of Gaius Kuhnen and former college peer of Dianus Maximus. Annette 
sat alone by a desk in a two-part room of the Nanotechnology department 
The room was divided into two by the thick pane of glass that cut 
through its middle. On one side of it was Annette. She sat beside a 
computer desk and mulling over the readings she was getting from the one 
on the other side of the room. And that was the Zophim. She had been 
laid out over a slab of steel and was now in stasis. Her energy wings 
were deactivated and her eyes were shut. A few cables had been plugged 
into her plates of armour and a long tube had been injected into one of 
the veins of her arm. All the readings and data coming from the Zophim's 
body was now being transported to Annette's side of the room and 
projected before her on that computer screen. The Zophim was operational 
now; but by no means finalized. 

"Ah," Annette expressing knowingly, eyeballing the data on screen, "the 
sleeping Golem has a literal treasure chest of secrets within her. What 
mud was used to make you, I wonder?"

The metal doors into the lab opened from behind the woman. Dianus, 
together with Isabelle, walked into the room with a confident gait. She 
stopped only when she came to the window of the second part of the room, 
and looked through it to see the sleeping Zophim laid out across that 
slab of metal. 

"How is it going?" Dianus asked, "Is she finished with your work?"

Annette nodded. "Yes. I told you that it would not take very long. 
Approximately 9,999,999,999,999x3 nanites no bigger than 1/200th of a 
white blood cell have been injected into her blood stream. The rate of 
regeneration cannot be determined solely from the amount, that depends 
very heavily on her subconscious But any and all wounds administered to 
her will be recovered with lightning fast speed. It's quite 
extraordinary, really."

"Good," Dianus said, "I can see that your nanomachine research has paid 
off for us."

Annette smiled at her, almost smugly. "Our professor once told you that 
I would make waves in the world of nanomachine technology, did he not? 
Why must you sound so surprised?"

"I'm not surprise about that," Dianus corrected, "moreover... I find 
myself questioning... the very reason for your being here in the 
Ministerial Bastion."

"Why?"

Dianus adjusted her glasses. "Don't play the fool It doesn't suit you. 
You know as well as I do that your husband, Gaius Kuhnen, is one of the 
most powerful businessmen in the known sphere of influence But yet that 
power pales in comparison to Michael Bardia and the Esdraelon 
Conglomerate Am I supposed to be inclined to believe that you of all 
people are so willing to work on a project that is funded primarily by 
your husband's foremost financial rival?"

"My husband's business need not concern you," Annette stated, "and 
whatever issues he has with Esdraelon is none of my interest. I am a 
member of the Ministry. This is a ministerial operation. Therefore I 
will do as I am ordered to. And I seem to remember someone telling me 
not to pry into each other's personal lives"

"I see," The conductor smiled, "fair enough."

Annette looked at Zophim through the glass. "I actually have... a few 
questions for you."

"And those are?"

"I see that Zophim has been programmed with not only Anti-Gravity 
Movement capabilities but also with a spatial flight algorithm."

Dianus frowned. "And your point would be? Is it so odd to give a weapon 
freedom of movement in space?"

"Not necessarily. But as we both know, the Zophim's primary role is not 
that of a weapon. The chief purpose of her existence is to protect the 
Mahalah sample and to provoke the materialization of the Psychosis Jar. 
When the plan starts there shall be no need for a flight program. And I 
remember you telling me that the Zophim's use in battle was to be a last 
resort, right?"

Dianus stared from the corner of her eye at Annette. "...What are you 
getting at?"

"Well, stack this up with a custom-designed operating system, 
nanomachine restoratives, the Crescentius weapon, the Valkyrie-PRO8000 
Armour and the photo/psychokinetic capabilities, the 3.4 billion credits 
it took to create the thing, as well as the six month delay in its 
completion and the concealment of its existence from the Esdraelon 
Conglomerate; it would appear that you have more in mind for this 
'weapon' than the role to which the Ministry have assigned it. Or am I 
wrong?"

"...You are annoying me," Dianus said after a pause, "now that the 
nanomachine restoratives have been injected into the bloodstream of the 
Zophim, your part is over. I want it put into complete stasis. It shall 
be shipped to space palace Deuteronomy for its final adjustments. I will 
take my leave now."

Annette smiled secretively as Dianus turned and exited with Isabelle 
closely behind her When those doors closed again, and Dianus was gone, 
Annette stood up from her desk and walked to the window into the 
Zophim's side of the room. There was a curious glint in her eye. "What 
has she planned for you, I wonder?"

**********

Nervosa

It was one of a set of very famous restaurants that existed across 
Rehoboam. Ladeny had at least seventeen of them across its metropolis. 
And had always received favourable reviews in culinary journals 
circulated across the surface of the planet. It was also a place where 
many of the Regular Military's personnel ate. There was no reason for 
this other than the fact that the Nervosa chain gave fringe benefits to 
soldiers. No one really knew why this was; so people argued that the 
owner of the chain wanted to corner a certain specific. Others had just 
said that it was an act of kindness towards the men and women who were 
laying down their lives to fend off the Saviours. Perhaps it didn't 
matter But what did matter was that Ash loved going to the Nervosas. 
Whenever he got some time off and felt like eating out; this place would 
always come to mind. Of course, normally it was just him and Cream. But 
today... he felt like taking someone special with him.

That 'special' person was Rain.

After spending what felt like hours shopping (it was more like 45 
minutes) both Rain and Ash started feeling peckish. So they went out 
together to a Nervosa branch. There was one no more than a half and 
hours walk from the shopping plaza, but Ash chipped some coins to board 
a hover bus and the two of them were driven to the district where the 
nearest Nervosa was. That didn't take long. Public transportations in 
Rehoboam cities were very efficient. Ash and Rain together got off on 
the necessary stop and walked the rest of the way to that particular 
branch of Nervosa. When they got there, Rain could safely say that he 
had never felt better looked after in a public place. The staff were all 
very polite and cordial. And that went especially for Ash. He had stated 
sometime earlier that members of the military were treated better than 
normal people. Apparently that was not a fabrication The MaŒtre d' was 
swift and got the two of them a private table in a non-smoker's area. No 
waiting, no fuss. And when Rain settled he loved the furnishings of the 
place. It all had a very elegant yet unpretentious d‚cor to it. Ash and 
Rain were still young and were not dressed for anything upmarket, in 
purely casual clothing. But it didn't matter. Rain found himself 
comfortable here. And in doing so he was better able to focus on his 
time with Ash. And that was what really mattered to him.

They eventually ordered (Ash had ordered a wonderfully garnished steak 
dinner, while Rain merely had a Rehobese garden salad, sprinkled with 
certain layers of thousand island dressing) along with some glasses of 
white wine imported from Alvastian (complements of the manager - another 
case of preferential treatment). And by the time they were halfway 
through their meals they were idly chatting between themselves. About 
what they had been though and what the remembered from their times 
together. Just like the old days.

"Man, you remember that day we snuck out to the old Shrine by the 
Research Centre?" Ash asked his friend with a nostalgic grin.

Rain smiled back at him, sipping on his glass of sparkling wine. "How 
could I forget? We were only children back then. You were about nine and 
I was eight. Daddy and your parents were at work in the research lab for 
some new project they were working on. You and I were told about some 
old ruins that had been excavated by a group of archaeologists connected 
to the lab. I was scared to go. But you, and your moronic 
act-now-think-later policy, somehow convinced me to go."

"And it was fun!" Ash said childishly, "I knew you were scared. I was 
scared too. But we still did it. And we saw all those crazy murals from 
what your Dad called the 'Mu Civilization'. Of course we got an ear-full 
after everyone at the lab found out about it... heh, heh, heh."

Rain smiled at him. "You have fond memories of that day. Don't you?"

"Yeah," Ash looked on nostalgically, "I know it sounds stupid, but... 
that was one of the few times I ever got chewed out by my Mother. I 
could tell that she was a bit more worried for your safety than she was 
for my own, but... it was nice that she showed some concern for me 
rather than just my Dad all the time. Plus... we were cooped up in the 
research facility for so long, that... it felt nice to just get out and 
see new things."

"I understand that." Rain said.

Ash drank some of his wine before answering. "Who would, better than 
you? You had to go through it with me. I might bitch about how enclosed 
my life was back then... and I wouldn't be wrong, but it wasn't all bad 
memories."

"That's the thing that keeps us going," Rain told him, "memories."

The blonde one looked ahead. "Maybe. But don't the bad ones hold you 
back?"

"Only if you let them."

When Ash's mood dampened, Rain immediately knew what had caused it. "You 
still hate him, don't you?"

"Can you blame me?" Ash retorted sharply, "Goddamnit, he killed my Mom 
and Dad. HIS Mom and Dad. Not to mention your Father and their entire 
research team. He was my brother. He and I share the exact same blood; 
and he did something like THAT? How could I forgive him for that when 
he's out there somewhere walking free?"

The Sorel boy sighed. "I appreciate what you're saying He murdered the 
last people we have... destroyed our lives up to that point... and 
caused our separation. But hatred... is like a virus. It'll keep eating 
away at you until nothing is left but a shell. One that isn't capable of 
loving or understanding love. Wouldn't that be the saddest fate of all?"

Ash blinked, staring with a ticking eyebrow at Rain. "...You've been 
reading my books too, haven't you?!"

Rain bashfully smiled and looked downward to his plate. "It wasn't that 
obvious, was it?"

"Practically chapter and verse," He said, "that's from the 
Semi-Existence of Souls. 'The sadness of those without souls is the 
bitterest song, a whisper in the wind of anxiety. Given the power of 
accomplishing acts that demand the lack of morality, the transmigration 
of souls is halted. And thus the cycle of the universe is disturbed. 
Those without love shall suffer the same fate, constantly teetering upon 
the edge of salvation and damnation, until the day that God proclaims 
his word and new life is breathed into man and the Semi-Existence of his 
Soul'."

The younger boy giggled. "Listen to you! Three years ago, Mr and Mrs. 
Gestalt would never have imagined that their muscle headed son would 
have been able to quote from a philosophy text. And yet here you are 
doing just that. You really have matured."

"Well, I guess I didn't have much choice in the matter," Ash said, "I 
made a point of it to change myself after that day. I wanted to become 
more than I was. More than that frightened little kid who couldn't 
protect you. I wanted to become a man."

Rain pressed his palms into his lap, blushing. "I... like it... when you 
talk about me... that way..."

Not understanding the point that Rain wanted to get across, Ash just 
shrugged. Rain looked on as if he expected more than that. And so the 
two stared at each other for a moment. Though it was Rain who was making 
the evaluations this time around. His bright green eyes blinked and he 
took a moment to study Ash in terms of his memory of him. Ash had 
changed a lot from the fourteen-year-old boy that Rain had in his 
memories. He had grown up a lot. He was maturing enough to know what he 
wanted out of life and was courageous enough to do what it took to bring 
about those aims. And it pleased Rain immensely to know that the chief 
aim of Ash was fulfil to his oath. The oath that Ash had made when they 
first realized how much they cared about each other. 

Rain closed his eyes and opened his memories. When he looked back, he 
could recall a much younger version of Ash. Standing bashfully with his 
hands behind his back, grinning guilelessly And Rain reminisced about 
the words spoken to him by that boy;

"I like you so much, Rain. I wanna be there for you forever. I'll 
protect you, okay? I'll protect you forever!"

And when Rain opened his eyes and stared once more at the older form of 
that same boy, he saw once again that same deeply ingrained duty and 
will of caring. Even though he had the shadow of his hatred for his 
Brother hanging over his shoulders, Ash was prepared to defend him 
again. To watch out for Rain and keep him safe. Rain didn't need to be 
told that to know it. He could read it in Ash's dark cerulean eyes as 
though the very words had been inscribed on them. Even after three 
years... 

Rain blushed automatically. When Ash's eyes narrowed from being stared 
at for so long, the younger one quickly looked away and sipped the last 
of his wine 

Ash still looked concerned. "Is everything okay? You seem... clammy."

"I-I'm fine..."

That frigid smile didn't seem to suggest it. Ash was about to question 
Rain about that, until a buzzing went off in the pocket of his dark 
brown bomber jacket. Rain was also alerted to it. So Ash pulled out the 
source, his mobile, and flicked it open, answering. "Hello? Cream? Hey, 
what's up? ...Uh huh... uh huh... wha? Are you KIDDING me?! Heh, heh, 
heh! So the bitch got her ass kicked, right? Heh, heh, heh..."

Ash closed one of his eyes and pulled the receiver away from his ear 
when Cream started bellowing a tidal wave of angry shouts on the other 
end. When it ended, Ash continued, "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. Even 
though she probably got what she deserved. We don't have much time left 
anyway so we might as well go back. I'll see you back at the ship. 
Later."

Ash switched the phone off with a chuckle when Cream hung up. Rain 
looked at him. "What's going on?"

"Heh, heh, heh!" The blonde tried to stifle his laughter, "It seems 
miss-high-and-mighty Yoko took a punch in a bar fight."

Rain gasped "Is she alright?"

"Of course she is. But she got a few cuts in the process so she and 
Cream are heading back to the Paracelsus to patch them up. I guess we 
should go too."

"Right." Said the brown-haired one. 

Ash didn't like that his lunch with Rain had been cut so short so 
quickly, but Rain probably wouldn't have been able to enjoy the rest of 
the meal knowing that Yoko had been injured (kinda). They finished what 
they hadn't and Ash took out some bills to pay for the dinner. Even 
without the discount given to him as a soldier, he got a lot of money 
out of the job, so he could easily afford. When the waiter brought them 
the bill Ash went about paying for it. After leaving behind a 6% tip, 
they left Nervosa and walked out to the bus-stop by the pavement to wait 
for another hover bus. The spaceport in which the Paracelsus was more 
than walking distance away now, so they had no choice. By now it was 
reaching mid-afternoon. And since the winter of Rehoboam was 
encroaching, it was getting a little colder out. The two stood together 
in the seat-less bus shelter with only a old woman standing across from 
them as a bystander The roads were clear. But that was mostly because 
the majority of hover cars used the sky-streets, hanging above the city 
buildings. 

"This shouldn't take too long," Ash said, looking out for a bus, 
"alright?"

Rain shivered a little. "Okay."

Ash noticed the shivering of his friend and shook his head, as if 
berating himself for misplacing his manners. The blonde boy unhooked his 
jacket from his arms and shoulders and removed it. Then placed it over 
Rain protectively. "...Any better?"

Rain looked up at Ash, eyes sparkling. "Thank you."

The elderly woman across from the pair smiled at that. "Chivalry isn't 
quite dead yet, eh? It's a good thing for a man to do right by his 
girlfriend, son. Remember that."

Both Rain and Ash blushed hard at that, startled by the comment. There 
were times when Rain really forgot how feminine he looked and acted to 
others. This happened to be one of those times. But Ash went out of his 
way to amend the mix-up. Perhaps more so than Rain would have thought he 
would.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! He's not a girl, he's a boy," Ash corrected, "and 
we're not together."

Rain's embarrassed smile fell. "...Huh?"

********** 

Back in the Paracelsus, Commander Eldiah sat on the head chair of his 
office room. Now that the ship was docked in Ladeny there was no need 
for him to be on the bridge to guide the helmsmen in their handling of 
the Paracelsus. So this was one of the rare opportunities he got to just 
kick back and enjoy himself. The tall and strident leader of the 
Darshana Division leaned back on his reclining chair. There was a glass 
of brandy in one of his hands and he stared out through the window of 
the south wall. From here he could only see the technological expanses 
of the Ladeny space port; but it was a nice enough view. He admired the 
other ships parked near the Paracelsus. Most of them were for 
transportation; taking people to other planets for which ever reason. 
The others were all goods freighters carrying trade cargo, both imports 
and exports. Eldiah took a brief sip of his brandy and sighed.

"Hmm," He said luxuriously, "I don't often get to do this..."

And never for very long, either. The small octagonal-shaped computer 
screen fixed into the surface of his desk started flashing. Eldiah 
sighed, then pressed a button under the desk itself. The screen shifted 
up from the table via a set of gears. It stopped when the screen was 
positional upright. Then it flashed online. Eldiah straightened himself 
out when the image of a certain grey-haired man came on screen. The 
aging leader of the Rehoboam Regular Military -- General Dietrich 
Schwartz. 

"General!" Eldiah said with surprise, "This is abrupt..."

Schwartz shook his head on screen. "It is not a social call. I 
congratulate you for your successful mission in Protea. The 'sample', as 
the Ministry calls him, is secure and I have already dispatched a rescue 
team to end the Saviour occupation. The information you provided us 
about the number and degree will always make things a lot easier to deal 
with."

"I am grateful," Eldiah replied, "but you should thank my team first. 
They're the ones who performed"

Schwartz nodded. "Agreed. You did an excellent job in training them. 
However there is still work to be done, as you must know."

"Yes, delivering the boy to Crux Cartha. We've only stopped at Ladeny to 
restock and refuel."

"I know that. I am here to inform you of a change in plans. The Ministry 
was intending on picking up that lad in Crux Cartha themselves. However 
its rumoured that they have recently been aligning themselves with the 
Esdraelon Conglomerate for many of their experiments. This seems to have 
some truth in it; because now I have been told that the Archangels will 
be collecting him."

"The Archangels?" Eldiah held a hand to his chin, "that spy group 
working for Michael Bardia?"

General Schwartz grunted. "Yes. I believe you have his daughter in your 
company?"

"Yes, but... I don't think she'll take well to seeing him again."

"That does not matter. Bardia will not be there. Only his subordinates 
You are to take the boy to the same place, as planned; Crux Cartha. 
However the Archangels will be awaiting you. I thought it best to give 
you this information myself, lest there be any confusions."

Eldiah bobbed his head to that. "Many thanks, General Schwartz. I will 
inform my people of this."

"Good. Once you have completed the mission, you are return to base. You 
and the other starship captains must be present at the next debriefing. 
There we shall discuss the next move against the Saviours and their 
invasion. Understood?"

"Understood." Replied the Paracelsus' Captain.

The small video screen switched itself off and moved back into its 
original position. Commander Eldiah rose up from his seat and placed his 
glass of brandy down. The Darshana Division's current mission wasn't 
quite over yet and a change had already been made. "Hmm. The Archangels, 
eh? I wonder... how Lieutenant Daitokuji will feel about this...?"
 
********** 

After what had been quite an enjoyable day for both Ash and Rain, things 
took a weird note between them when they returned to the Paracelsus. 
They had caught a bus from the stop they wanted at outside of the 
Nervosa restaurant. Just like Ash had suggested, it didn't take long to 
get from there to the spaceport. But even so,  things had become odd 
between them. Throughout the entire trip back, Rain hadn't said so much 
as a single sentence. He appeared distant and did almost anything 
possible to not make eye contact with Ash. At first the soldier boy 
didn't notice. But then when Ash attempted to strike up conversation on 
the bus; Rain kept cold-shouldering it with brief one-word answers It 
was strange for Ash. He didn't see what the problem was And that was how 
things continued between them up until they reached the Paracelsus Once 
they boarded the ship, Rain instantly said that he wanted to go back to 
his room. And Ash was walking him there now. The two of them strode down 
the corridor of the dormitories together. Though the silence between 
them made it feel like they were miles apart. Ash walked ahead but took 
glances of Rain as he did. The green-eyed teen was so happy and peaceful 
this afternoon. Now his smile was gone His eyes weren't sparkling 
anymore. Rain looked so... miserable. And yet Ash couldn't figure out 
why. 

Before long they came to Rain's room and stopped. Ash patted on the 
wall. "This is your stop, right?"

"Yeah." Rain uttered dejectedly.

Ash blinked "...Rain...?"

"Yes?"

"...Are you okay?"

Rain looked away. "...I'm fine."

"Well, you don't sound it."

"I said I'm fine." And that was that. Rain turned to the doors to his 
room. He had already been told the signature keycode to the lock on it 
and so he pressed that code into the control panel. The metal doors 
opened for him and he walked inside as quickly as possible, as if trying 
to get away from Ash. And that had the older boy really thrown. Before 
he even knew what he was doing, Ash darted into the room himself before 
the doors closed When they did, Rain turned around and realized that Ash 
had followed him in.

Rain's eyes narrowed. "Is there something else?"

Ash couldn't help but wince at how unpleasant that sounded, coming from 
Rain. "Uh... did... I do something wrong?"

"No."

"Then, you wanna do something tomorrow?"

Rain quickly busied himself in the almost empty room. He had been on the 
ship for only a few days so he had little in the way of possessions. 
What he did have was a Personal Modifier. A PM was like a cross between 
a mobile phone and a mini-computer with all manner of functions. It 
could send and receive messages, compose compact databases, translate 
dialogues, dialects and languages, align personal calendars and so on 
Rain grabbed his PM and turned his back to Ash, responding without 
looking back "Maybe."

A sigh followed. "Look, Rain... are you mad at me?"

Silence Rain said nothing. All his monotone, one-word answers couldn't 
have been clearer than that. Rain flipped open his PM and tapped a few 
buttons on the pad, triggering the appearance of its bright holographic 
screen. But though he might have wanted to avoid the issue, Ash didn't.

"You are mad at me, aren't you?" Ash confirmed, "What did I say? What 
did I do wrong?"

Rain exhaled "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Then what's your-"

"Just leave it alone!"

To be honest, both Ash and Rain were surprised at that. Rain didn't 
often raise his voice. In fact his voice was so soft and mellow that it 
couldn't really carry anger out in it. But Ash still felt threatened by 
it. There was no denying the fact that Rain was upset about something 
now. When Rain realized he had just shouted at Ash he tightened up, 
lowering his PM. "I'm sorry..."

"I don't get it," Admitted the soldier, "I thought things were going 
great between us. We ate, we talked, we had fun, right? How did we get 
from that to this?"

Rain closed the PM, switching off the holographic projection. "I don't 
want to talk about it with you. Now... I don't mean to be rude... but 
would you please leave?"

"No way," Ash replied sternly, "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me 
what's up with this. What the hell is your problem?!"

A harsh look came from the brown-haired teen when he looked back at Ash. 
"Don't worry! You don't have to burden yourself with me anymore!"

Ash's face contorted again. He still didn't get where this was coming 
from. But then he cast his mind back. And he really stopped and focused 
his thoughts to the exact point at which things had gone wrong. And so 
he remembered the bus-stop. Ash's eyes narrowed with understanding "Is 
this about what that old woman said in the city?"

"...It's not her." Rain calmed down again. But that change in mood moved 
towards sadness. And that was something that Ash couldn't bare to see in 
Rain. He'd more than easily put up with the emerald-eyed beauty yelling 
at him -- but seeing Rain sad...

"Then what is it?" Ash said softly, "C'mon, I just wanna understand..."

Rain gave Ash an honest, heartfelt gaze. "It's you"

"Me?"

"Yes. When that elderly woman thought we were a couple... why were you 
so quick to deny it? I understand that we haven't seen each other in 
three years, but... I thought that we..."

So that's was what this was about. "Rain, I..."

"You don't have to say anything," Rain hugged himself, closing his eyes, 
"I'm being unfair. After all this time... I can't expect you to feel the 
same way... and I shouldn't be taking it out on you that you don't, I 
just..."

Because Rain's eyes were closed he couldn't see that Ash had advanced on 
him. And he wasn't aware of it until he felt a strong, protective hand 
stroke his cheek tenderly. Rain gasped and opened those bright green 
eyes of his. And he saw Ash, standing before him with a caring smile on 
his face. "...Ash?"

"I didn't join the military just to fight Saviours," He spoke, "I wanted 
to become stronger I wanted to be so strong that I could make up for the 
weaknesses that couldn't protect you the first time around. And now that 
I've gotten stronger and found you again... well... the more I know that 
all I really want... is you. I want to be the one that you rely on, you 
know? I want to protect you."

Rain looked away sadly again. "But protection isn't the same as love..."

"No, it's not," Time slowed down as Ash leaned in after that. Rain 
tightened his fists at his sides and then loosened them impotently, 
closing his eyes. And slowly their lips connected. Though he would have 
wanted to know what Ash was thinking right there and then, his mind and 
all his worries melted away at first kiss both he and Ash had shared 
together in three years. Rain sighed gently into Ash's lips and parted 
them, tilting his head to one side. Ash groaned with yearning and 
reached around his love's body, running his gloved hands up and down the 
curve of  Rain's back. Rain dropped his PM unintentionally as he let 
himself be absorbed into their kiss and wrapped his thin arms around 
Ash's lightly muscled neck. The two remained that way for some time. 
Kissing each other, exploring each other, enjoying each other. After 
being denied what they wanted for so long neither of them could resist 
it. Until time picked up again and Ash regretfully pulled back, breaking 
their kiss. Rain swallowed and breathed in heavily, slightly opening his 
eyes and looking up at the one embracing him. Ash caught his breath and 
continued, "but... as much as I hate quoting my Mom..."

Rain smiled dreamily, fervently blushing when he completed Ash's 
sentence for him. "...'I have an abundance of both'... right?"

"Right..." That brief break in action quickly went away as Ash growled 
lustfully at the beautiful boy in his arms. Rain smiled only moments 
before Ash claimed his lips again, in a kiss that was less about 
expression and more about fulfilling pent up desires. The two kissed 
deeply at that moment and onwards, ambling each other towards Rain's 
bed, uncaring of what the future might hold in store for them. 

**********

The Ministerial Bastion.

In her office, Dianus was with Isabelle again. But none of her thoughts 
were upon the Zophim or the intended pursuit of the Ministry's Master 
Plan Isabelle had been pressed up against the east wall of the office. 
Her small wrists were pinned up against that wall by Dianus' hand. And 
the tight silk fabric of her midnight black evening dress had been 
yanked down at the shoulders, revealing her ample breasts. The nipples 
of which were drenched in Dianus' saliva. The conductor of the Master 
Plan growled effeminately as she stroked her thigh up and down between 
Isabelle's hips. Her head was leaned slightly to the right, while her 
teeth nibbled and plucked at the delicate milky skin of her secretary. 
While Dianus fawned over her, Isabelle looked over the woman's shoulder 
with a blank and almost lifeless stare. 

Dianus cooed. "My beautiful little toy... have you dreamt of this?"

"No, Madam."

"Oh really?" Dianus dragged her tongue up Isabelle's neck before 
continuing with, "and why is that?"

Isabelle's lacklustre answer followed. "Because I do not have dreams."

The dark-haired woman on top of her smiled like a deviant. She knew what 
the answer to that would be. It was always the same. Everyone was aware 
of Dianus' contempt for those who lacked souls. Even those that were of 
her own creation. Though from the way she was sucking and plundering at 
Isabelle, you would have been inclined to believe otherwise. Dianus 
happily continued with this, until she heard a knock at the door. The 
middle-aged woman groaned both loudly and irritably, yelling, "What is 
it?!"

"Uh-" The guy behind the locked door was obviously expecting to be let 
in, but continued anyway, "well, Miss Maximus... the Charlemagne is 
ready to depart for Deuteronomy If you will please come to the launch 
pad for the flight..."

"Fine," Dianus muttered, "go on ahead. I shall be there momentarily."

"Yes, Ma'am!" The subordinate replied, scuttling off to the launch bay. 
Dianus unwillingly peeled herself off of Isabelle and backed up to give 
the bioandroid some freedom of movement. She smoothed out her skirt and 
stroked her hair back into place. Isabelle needed no ushering to do the 
same and went about it, pulling the straps of her dress back up to 
conceal her breasts once more. Dianus exhaled and walked over to her 
desk. Some of the files she had been working on, those on her personal 
computer, had been downloaded onto a disk a little bit earlier. She 
pulled that from one of the drives and slotted it into the confides of 
the briefcase on her desk. Dianus closed it and then hoisted it into her 
grip. 

"Isabelle, get my jacket."

The redhead nodded and bowed. "Yes, Madam."

While Isabelle went and got the grey work jacket from the coat rack on 
the south wall, Dianus marched forward and unlocked the door. Isabelle 
followed her as she left and the door closed back behind the two of 
them. Together they marched down the corridor of that level of the 
Ministerial Bastion, passing by some of the other workers, scientists 
and security guards. Dianus and Isabelle walked to the far end of the 
corridor where the lift was. They entered and pushed the buttons 
necessary to ascend to the upper level of the Bastion. When the doors 
reopened again, the two found themselves on the highest point of the 
building. It was the roof. It towered over the other buildings of the 
city of Agnus Dei so high that the wind was literally howling up here. 
Dianus turned her eyes to the starship that stood in the very centre of 
that gigantic rooftop. It was a slightly larger than normal starship 
called the Charlemagne. Unlike most ships belonging to the Ministry; 
this was not designed or built by the Esdraelon Conglomerate. The 
Charlemagne was a production of the Kuhnen Company. It was an all-around 
superior model to most; high powered Boost Thrusters, Lambda Effect Wave 
Shield Generators, Navigational Leap Gear, etc. High-tech in most cases. 
This was not Dianus' personal vessel but it was the one she used most 
often. Across from her was a team of foremen There were about six of 
them and they were carrying what looked like nothing more than a metal 
casket towards the opened cargo bay of the Charlemagne. But Dianus knew 
better. Inside that thing was the Zophim. It would be taken to the space 
palace that was in orbit of Rehoboam, Deuteronomy; for its concluding 
modifications. Then it would be fully operational and ready for use. 
Dianus and Isabelle walked to the platform from which they would be 
beamed into the Charlemagne's innards. However before they got there 
they saw Dr. Annette Kuhnen standing alone in the shadow of the 
starship.

Dianus stopped and addressed her. "And what is this in aid of?"

"I came to say goodbye," Annette told her, "I know we haven't seen 
eye-to-eye since Alexandra died, but... she always told me to watch out 
for your best interests I don't think I can betray that trust now."

The snort that came from Dianus was proof enough she didn't care. "Those 
times are buried. Any promises you made to Alexandra can be forgotten 
Just as I have forgotten her. All you need to know now is that the boy 
who carries the Anti-Lambda Effect data will be transported directly to 
Deuteronomy after he is collected in Crux Cartha by the Archangels."

"Is that what this is all about?" Annette wondered, "Zone Bethlehem?"

Dianus frowned. "How many times must I tell you to mind your own 
business?"

"...You are playing with fire, Dianus," Annette said seriously, "and 
that's all I'll say." 

The conducted jerked her head away and barked 'come on, Isabelle' to her 
secretary. Isabelle followed the command as always and the two of them 
stepped onto the squared off platform. Transparent transportation 
energies surrounded them and they were beamed right up into the 
Charlemagne. Annette merely sighed and watched the foremen lug the 
casket of the Zophim into the cargo bay of the ship. Dianus clearly had 
bigger intentions for that biomachine weapon than the Ministry had. But 
just what were they?

**********

"Goddamnit! You can't make me do this! I just found him!"

Rain sighed with an elongated moan. A satisfied little smile crossed his 
face as his eyes slowly opened, stretching out his limbs and shifting 
his head over the pillow of his bed As he began to awaken he clutched 
the bed spread to his body and pulled it up him, his body completely 
naked. And when he couldn't feel the warmth of Ash's arms around his 
body, he noticed the yelling in the background. Which was when Rain 
looked up from the bed and stared at the one doing most of the yelling 
-- Ash. The blonde one sat by the little stool in front of the computer 
screen fixed into the far wall with his hand clutched into fists on the 
keyboard. On screen was the image of Commander Eldiah, with an equally 
frustrated expression on his face. Rain looked on but said nothing as 
the two started to converse again, with Ash growing angrier by the 
second. 

Eldiah sighed on the monitor. "I understand that this is hard for you. 
Lieutenant Stenzel informed me of your past relationship with him. But 
this is serious, Lieutenant Gestalt. We did not go to Protea to rescue 
that boy from harm. Our role is that of the collector. We are to send 
him to the city of Crux Cartha where he will be given to the Archangels 
of the Esdraelon Conglomerate for the rest of his relocation. Then he 
will be given back to the Ministry. This was the plan all along."

"You can't be real!" Ash barked, "Those bastards are the ones who 
kidnapped him in the first place! Rain isn't their possession! He's more 
than that! You can't expect me to just hand him over like a sheep now 
that those sons of bitches need him again!"

Eldiah frowned. "This is not a request on my part, Lieutenant. It is an 
order."

Ash was then silenced. The Germanic soldier and the commander of the 
Darshana Division glared at each other. Until Eldiah sighed and pressed 
his hand against his head with stress. "You may find this hard to 
believe but I do understand how hard this is for you. It's never easily 
done... giving up someone you've come to care for... but a large part of 
life is making hard choices. If there was anyway to change this I 
would... if I had the power to sate both you and the Ministry then I 
would take it. But my hands are tied. You have to accept the truth. That 
boy is a possession of the Ministry. I don't doubt that they acquired 
him illegally but our mission was to bring him to the Ministry... not to 
discover the true nature of their experiments."

"...Gotcha." Ash replied dejectedly.

"If this is too much for you then I will have Lieutenants Daitokuji and 
Stenzel handle this from this point on. You are dismissed."

The screen flashed off. Eldiah's image went away. And Ash's head lulled. 
His bangs fell over his eyes but there were no tears to suppress He had 
long since told himself not to show that kind of emotion again. Ever 
since that day, two years ago. The soldier stood up from his computer 
stool and turned around. His sapphire eyes enlarged when he saw that 
Rain was fully awake. The bedspread of his bed was wrapped around his 
chest in an effeminate manner. Rain's bright emerald eyes were 
flickering. He had obviously heard everything that was said between Ash 
and Eldiah. 

Ash couldn't even bringing himself to say something. "...Rain, I... 
I'm..."

"No," He replied haltingly, "don't apologize. You did nothing wrong. I 
know that you did all that you could, but... I suppose we shouldn't have 
tried to kid ourselves. I know that starting our relationship again was 
probably a bad idea... I knew I was living on borrowed time."

The older one strode up to the bed and sat down, firmly. "Don't you ever 
say that. I'm so glad to have you back in my life again. I don't regret 
it for a minute. You don't know how many nights I've spent in the past 
two years dreaming that things would have been different between you and 
me. That's just the way it is."

Rain smiled at that. And his smile deepened when he felt Ash's hand 
caress his cheek lovingly. They were both grateful for what little time 
they had shared together. But Rain couldn't mistake the trepidation he 
was undergoing now. Not just from being relocated to Crux Cartha but for 
Ash. If they did split up again, especially after what had happened last 
night, would he ever be able to adjust? They had been boyfriends two 
years ago and that was such a childish thing. Yet Ash had not let it 
escape his mind. He had been carrying the memories of those times into 
the present day. After all this; how long would it take him to get over 
them? Rain didn't want to lose Ash but at the same time he knew that it 
was only a matter of time before he did. If that was the case then Rain 
didn't want to see the older boy wasting his life thinking about a past 
he could never get back. It seemed like no matter which way you looked 
at the situation, it was all so hopeless.

Although he was smiling with Ash's gentle caress, a tear dropped down 
the curve of one of Rain's freckled cheeks. "Ash... I'm so scared..."

The older one exhaled and wrapped his arms around Rain protectively, 
bringing him into an embrace. And when he did, Rain sobbed into his 
shoulder, practically breathless "I know. I'm... not so confident about 
all this myself."

"I don't want to lose you... not again..."

It was a tough point in Ash's life. That precise moment. For all the 
past two years he had longed for the chance to hold Rain like this. Now 
it was here. And yet in a few hours he would have to hand the Sorel boy 
over to the Archangels of the Esdraelon Conglomerate. To yearn for 
something for so long and then to have it snatched from you the moment 
you get it... was torture. And it was that thought along that made the 
gears in Ash's mind start turning. A sequence of action came to mind; 
one that Ash replayed again and again in his mind while he embraced 
Rain. And just like that his idea was set.

"Rain," He said, pulling the smaller boy from him, "are you listening to 
me?"

The emerald-eyed boy saw the seriousness in Ash's eyes. "What's the 
matter?"

"Put your clothes on. I've got an idea."

**********

Little Cream walked down the long middle corridor of the Paracelsus, 
looking out the elongated horizontal glass window that had been etched 
into the left wall. In her hands were two items of food. One of them was 
an ice cream cone she happened to nab from the cafeteria. The other was 
a can of soda. Apparently Cream couldn't live her life without junk 
food. Often she would argue that such edibles were her 'one true love 
affair'. But now she was stopping off for a visit to another one of her 
great love affairs. Cream skipped up to the automatic doors that blocked 
off the infirmaries innards from the outside. The doors opened for her 
and she marched in, sipping some of her soda As she looked around she 
noticed that the majority of the beds were empty now, probably because 
it had been some time since someone other than Ash, Yoko or herself had 
been deployed to deal with the Saviour attacks. But one of the middle 
beds had the same patient that Cream was looking for. Miss Yoko 
Daitokuji. It had been more than a few hours since Phanuel had nailed 
her in the Ruby Dragon club. All she had was a bruise and a cut to the 
head but it all had to be checked out by the doctors of the infirmary. 
Yoko sat at the edge of one of the white infirmary beds with one of the 
nurses at her side. By now some disinfectant had been spread over the 
plum-coloured bruise on her cheek and the gash over her forehead. When 
she looked to her right she noticed that Cream was standing a little 
ways away from her. 

"Cream?"

"Uh huh!" The redhead pranced forwards until she and Yoko were face to 
face, "I came to see how you were doing, Yoko. I know you said that what 
that guy did wasn't such a big deal, but... I just wanted to make sure 
that things were okay."

Yoko looked down at the floor. "I know. I understand. Look, Cream... 
I..."

"Yes...?"

The two looked genuinely at each other when Yoko answered. "...I just 
wanted to say that, despite what happened with that Archangel... I 
appreciate the conversation we had in Ladeny. I think... some of what 
you said might be true."

"That's okay, Yoko!" Cream said with a big, blinding grin, "You know I'd 
do anything for you!"

And for the first time, Yoko found herself believing that. The young 
woman smiled at Cream and observed her from the corner of her eyes. But 
then her frown returned once the automatic doors on the other side of 
the room opened up once more. In from them came Cinnamon, the same 
helper android that had been assigned to the Darshana Division to make 
the daily comings and goings of the major field operatives (Ash, Yoko 
and Cream) as easy as possible. Cinnamon walked up to Yoko and Cream 
with the clipboard in hand and nodded to them.

"Good morning Lieutenants Daitokuji and Stenzel." It said.

Cream nodded back. "Good morning, Cinnamon!"

"What do you want?" Yoko asked, emulating some of her old self. 

Cinnamon wrote something off on her clipboard. "The two of you have been 
requested to join Commander Eldiah in the conference room. He has 
something he wishes to tell you. I will ask that you proceed to the 
conference room immediately That is all."

The robotic humanoid strode back out from the doors whence it came. And 
Yoko and Cream were left to weigh out what this might mean. Everyone had 
already been told of what the next mission was (or at least the final 
part of their current one, whichever way you wanted to classify it). 
They were to drop Rain off at the city of Crux Cartha.

"What was that all about?" Wondered Cream

"Isn't it obvious? It's about Ash and Rain."

Cream's smile fell. "I still don't like the idea of giving him back to 
the Ministry."

"We have no choice," Yoko told her, "it's not our call."

"But still! Rain is such a sweet, sensitive guy! They've manipulated him 
already, why do they need him now? And what about Ash? Those two love 
each other so much, I can tell. And now what? They're gonna be 
separated? Again? That's just so cruel."

Yoko smirked "I have to admit, Rain does seem to have a positive effect 
on that dunderheaded blonde. But we accepted the mission; so we have to 
fulfil it. As soldiers... we don't have any choice in the matter."

"But-"

Though Cream was prepared to argue this down to the ground, Yoko was 
not. "Come on. Lets do what was asked of us and go see the Commander."

Cream reluctantly followed when Yoko stood up and walked over to the 
doors of the infirmary They stepped outside and walked down the corridor 
to the Conference Room. It wasn't very far from the infirmary so there 
was not a great wait The pair strode in when the steel doors opened for 
them. Sitting at the head of the large oval-shaped conference table was 
Commander Eldiah himself. Standing beside him was Cinnamon.

Yoko and Cream saluted him instantly, both saying in unison, "Greetings, 
Commander."

Eldiah waved that off. "That's fine. Stand down"

Yoko took a seat when lowering her hand from her head. Cream looked 
around the room before she did that and noticed something. "Where's 
Ash... um... I mean Lieutenant Gestalt?"

"Lieutenant Gestalt won't be joining us," Eldiah said informatively, 
"there are simply too many emotional obstacles facing him at this point. 
I doubt that he can handle giving the boy back to the Ministry."

"I'm sorry sir, but I don't blame him." Cream affirmed.

Eldiah nodded at that. "...I know. Neither can I. But our duty comes 
before personal feelings. If there was another way around this then... I 
would take it. However we have no choice in the matter. He must be given 
to the Ministry. If not then they will take him. I'd prefer this to go 
down without bloodshed or diplomatic free-for-alls... so I request that 
the two of you be the ones to hand him over to the Archangels Without 
the input of Lieutenant Gestalt."

Yoko grunted "Very well."

Cream needed a bit more to go on before she agreed. "Are you SURE 
there's no way to save Rain?"

"Positive." Replied the Commander.

The redheaded girl sighed. "...Okay then. I'll go too."

There was a silence between the four (including Cinnamon) of them. 
Cream, Yoko, and Eldiah could not mistake the feeling of betrayal in 
them. Doing this without Ash appeared unkind. But what choice did they 
have in the matter? Ash couldn't handle it. You didn't need to be Carl 
Jung to know it But the silence that had developed between them was 
unceremoniously broken by a compressed explosion. One that perceptibly 
took place in the underside of the Paracelsus. Yoko, Cream, Eldiah, and 
Cinnamon jerked in their seats at the force of it. Eldiah stabilized 
himself by grabbing onto the edge of the table and looked up urgently. 

"What the hell was that?!" He shouted.

Cream caught her breath. "Saviours?!"

"I am detecting no Saviour activity in the area." Cinnamon said whilst 
picking up the clipboard she dropped. 

Everyone froze again when they heard the whoosh of a boost thruster. 
Something had just taken off. Eldiah, Cream and Yoko ran the long window 
of the Conference Room. They all looked out and saw a diminutive 
dropship peel out of the hanger in the lower hull of the Paracelsus. 
That particular dropship was called the Constantine. Someone had just 
used its cannon to blow open a hole in the side of the ship and escape. 
The ship flew out into the cold morning sky, in the opposite direction 
of Crux Cartha, which was seen closely in the background of the skies, 
no less than a mile away from where the Paracelsus currently was. The 
Constantine blazed a trail southeast; and in the pilot seat was none 
other than Ashriel Gestalt. The youth was fully dressed in his Darshana 
Division military uniform, with his Saviour combat weapon, the 
Sigmund-PRO8000, sheathed in the scabbard across his back. He sat alone 
in the small seat in the centre of the Constantine's cockpit, whilst 
being surrounded by its multiple dial control panel. In the seat behind 
him was a nervous Rain, now fully dressed in the clothes he had 
purchased in Ladeny. He looked out the window and stared at the hull of 
the much larger Paracelsus behind them. The hole was surprisingly big 
but appeared miniscule with comparison to the overall size of the ship. 
Yet still; Rain couldn't mistake the feeling of worry he had. 

"Ash, are you sure this is a good idea?"

Ash manoeuvred the Constantine via the control stick with his right hand 
and pressed a few buttons on the control panel to boost the output of 
the boost thrusters. "This was the only way, Rain. I can't let you go 
now. Not after everything you and I have been through. Where you go, I 
go."

"But they'll be coming after us..."

"Then we'll just have to book it before they have the chance. The 
Constantine is the fastest dropship on the Paracelsus. That's why I made 
such a big deal about taking this one. As things stand... the only shot 
we have is getting as far away from Crux Cartha and the Ministry and the 
Darshana Division as possible."

Rain lowered his head. "I'm a burden on you..."

"No you're not," Ash told him, "I told you to stop talking like that. 
I'm gonna work this all out for us, Rain. Please for now just... trust 
me, okay?"

There wasn't much else that Rain could do other than that now. He sat 
back on his leather chair and tried to relax. If there was anyone that 
could sort this out then it was Ash. Back on the Paracelsus, things were 
looking just as bad from their point of view. Cream, Yoko and Eldiah 
stood together at the window of the Conference Room and stared numbly at 
the sight of the Constantine disappearing into the distant morning 
skyline. There was no way they could deploy a dropship to catch the 
person(s) inside it now.  Not only was it too late but the Constantine 
was much too fast. They could do nothing but stare.

Eldiah was the one most shocked. "Goddamnit!"

"Who the heck is that?" Cream wondered.

"It's pretty clear who that is," Yoko said, "it's Ash. And he probably 
has Rain with him too."

The Commander pressed his hand into his thigh. "Goddamnit... I should 
have known he'd pull a stunt like this. Maybe I shouldn't have given the 
Ministry boy free reign around the Paracelsus after all..."

Then suddenly a chime sound was heard. Which Eldiah and the others knew 
to be an incoming message They all turned back away from the window and 
looked over at the table. The small computer panel built into it was now 
flashing. Cinnamon walked to the screen and cast her eyes upon it. "We 
are being contacted."

"But by whom?" Eldiah questioned. 

Cinnamon straightened up. "Archangel Shamsiel of the Esdraelon 
Conglomerate"

**********

Crux Cartha was the newest city of all of Rehoboam. Construction of it 
had only begun about twenty years ago. Before then it had been nothing 
more than a ice fishing village to the north. But the times were 
changing and this was one of the places to receive the brunt of that 
change. The old huts were now forsaken for many skyscrapers and sky 
streets. The horse had been replaced by the hover car. The dirt streets 
were now replaced with tarmac and steel ones. It was now a sprawling 
metropolis, stretching a distance of more than sixty miles. Of course, 
these changes only took place in certain districts of Crux Cartha. The 
majority of the city had been built with a maintaining sense of 
connection to Old Earth. Be that with stone homes and gas-powered lamps 
or coal-fireplaces and wheel-only cars; the people of this city did 
strive to keep some of the old aspects of the human way of life close to 
their breasts. In the centre of one of those lesser developed districts 
of Crux Cartha was an open parking lot which had no vehicles in it. 
Standing in that wide tarmac expanse were four men, three of them 
dressed in expensive black and white business suits. Those were the four 
men who were known as the Archangels. Phanuel, the Jamaican descent who 
had tangled with Yoko in Ladeny; Chamuel, a dark-haired Turkish man who 
stood with Phanuel behind their leader, the Frenchman called Shamsiel. 
The other was the man dressed in a dark cloak. The one who had met with 
Ash in the Protea Research Facility. Here he went by the codename 
Remiel. However he liked to be regarded by his true name. A name that 
would not long remain unspoken. Across from him was Shamsiel, who had a 
small PM in hand. It had already been opened and the little holographic 
screen from inside it was activated. Soon it switched itself to display 
an image of Eldiah.

Shamsiel smiled at the image. "Commander Donovan Eldiah of the Darshana 
Division. This is an honour."

"I take it that you are Shamsiel of the Archangels?" Asked Eldiah.

"I am he. I suppose you must be wondering why I have made contact with 
you?"

"The thought did occur to me."

Shamsiel widened his mannerly yet devious-seeming smile. "Well truth be 
told this is not a social call. We are in position for you to hand over 
the sample. We just wanted to make sure you understood the situation 
before you did anything. Do you have the coordinates?"

"Yes," Eldiah told him on screen, "but we have run into difficulty."

"And what difficulty would that be?" Questioned Shamsiel

"The boy you refer to as the sample, Rain Sorel, has been... taken. By 
one of my soldiers."

Shamsiel's smile fell. "What are you talking about?"

"The Darshana soldier and the 'sample' in question were apparently 
friends before this. Now that they have been reunited they don't want to 
be parted. I'm not excusing their actions, but..."

"No -- don't worry about it. We'll take it from here. I'll keep you 
posted," Shamsiel sighed and then switched off the PM, closing the flap. 
Shamsiel slotted the black gadget into his blazer pocket and turned to 
his team irritably, "blasted military blockheads. If those confounded 
idiots can't even keep a sixteen-year-old boy under control then what 
hope do they have against the Saviours?"

Phanuel smirked. "Well yah know dem maan ah eediat. So wha yah waan fe 
do?"

"We can handle it ourselves," Shamsiel turned to Chamuel, "track them 
down."

The Turkish descendant nodded to that. "It's done, Shamsiel."

Chamuel pressed his hands together as if he were about to pray. He 
closed his eyes with a grin. And then a very faint but palpable green 
aura began to surround his shoulders and arms. His head lulled forwards 
while that energy, which happened to be one of the three energies of 
destruction (Id -- Mental) enfolded him. The others only watched. Then 
in Chamuel's mind his Id powers we homing in on Rain. Far off in the 
distance he could be seen in Chamuel's mind. In the skies of his mind he 
could see the Constantine and the two inside it. As well as the 
direction it was moving in, "I have them! Bearing southeast at about 
sixty clicks. At least 1 & 1/2 miles south of Crux Cartha."

Shamsiel nodded and turned to 'Remiel'. "Finish the job and bring the 
sample back here. You are the one with the most experience in kidnapping 
him, after all."

"Understood." The cloak-enswathed man stepped back and stood silently as 
magical waters appeared from nowhere around his feet. They gushed up his 
body and swallowed him whole. Then crashed back down into the ground and 
evaporated. The water teleportation skill. The three remaining 
Archangels; Shamsiel, Phanuel and Chamuel, all smirked and waited. If 
the Darshana Division couldn't handle it then the Archangels would.

**********

"How far are we from the Paracelsus now?"

Ash kept both hands steady on the control sticks of the Constantine 
while Rain asked him that. They were at a reasonable pace now and could 
afford to slow down. The Paracelsus was no longer able to be seen in the 
distance; just as the city of Crux Cartha was. Now because of that, Ash 
could slow the Constantine down to a slower speed. He gradually reduced 
pressure on the boost thrusters until the dropship was flying at a speed 
of no more than 30 miles per hour. Ash smiled and looked back around the 
front solo seat. 

"I can't be sure," He said, "but you and me will be long gone before 
they can mount a recovery operation. And thankfully we have a full 
engine on our hands. We can just keep going until we get to another 
city. I'm not sure of the geography of this region but the auto-pilot 
can get us anywhere."

Rain breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad."

"Don't get too comfortable now. We still have to find a way of hiding 
ourselves from the military and the Ministry. That's going to be hard... 
but we don't have much of a choice."

"I'm sorry you have to go through all this just for me, Ash."

Ash smiled at that. "I'll do anything for you. You know that."

"Yeah. I-"

There was absolutely no warning when a blast of what appeared to be 
nothing more than water rammed into the right underside of the 
Constantine. It was a hard and shocking blow which caused both Ash and 
Rain to jerk in their seats. If not for their security belts then they 
would have been thrown out of them. Ash grit his teeth and straightened 
up. The screens and dials on the control panel and the visual display 
were all flashing red. And from the side of the ship, smoke was rising. 
Rain could see it through the transparent plastic canopy of the 
dropship. 

Rain caught his breath. "W-what happened?!"

"Oh, fuck it!" Ash cursed, "We've been hit by something! The one of the 
engines have scrammed!"

"What does that mean?" The younger one asked. 

Ash's teeth were gnashing over each other with fury. "We're gonna have 
to land! If we try to go any further we'll be plucked right of the sky! 
Hold on tight to something, Rain!"

The chestnut-haired boy obeyed and held onto the armrests of his seat 
for dear life. Ash focused himself and began the procedure for guiding 
the Constantine out of the air. He pushed forwards on both control 
sticks and the ship slowly started to dive downwards to ground level. It 
was at present flying over a dense and murky forest known as the Timber 
County. These forests stretched on for miles around and would be simply 
impossible to avoid. The Constantine, with its smoking underside, dove 
out of the air at a diagonal angle and went spiralling into the murky 
depths of the forests with Rain screaming fearfully inside of it. It 
jerked and thrashed against the hard oak of the snow-covered trees and 
bounded to and fro. Until it crashed violently into the ground, skidding 
across the snow with a trail of friction sparks and burnt earth 
following behind it. The Constantine didn't stop until it crashed hard 
into a tall oak tree, shaking loose the flakes of snow that had gathered 
up on its branches. 

Once the smoke and dust settled, a ruined and battered Constantine was 
made visible. The sheen of its body had been stripped and its markings 
to show that it was assigned to the Darshana Division had been stained 
with mud and tree bark ripped from the trees it had crashed through. 
Fire burned at the left of its two wings, unabated by the cold 
temperatures. Smoke rose from the hull where the dropship had been shot. 
And a long trench of carved earth was behind its metal carcass. Ash 
groaned tiredly and opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the 
tree they had crashed into, through the cracked canopy. Then his mind 
returned to Rain. 

"Rain?! Rain! Are you alright?" Ash quickly unhooked his belts and 
pressed a button on the underside of the control panel. The canopy 
slowly opened for him. He scrambled out of the front half of the cockpit 
and then jumped out unto the cold, snowy, grassy ground of this North 
Rehoboam forest. Ash then reached into Rain's part of the cockpit to 
inspect his condition. He had sustained a few cuts and bruises and was 
currently unconscious But all in all he was okay. Ash breathed in with 
relief and unhooked Rain from the belts of the seat. He gradually went 
about pulling his love from that rear seat of that cockpit, being 
utterly carefully not to move him too much, lest he had broken any 
bones. Soon Ash had the sleeping Rain in his arms. And so he jogged away 
from the Constantine. Ash made his way over to one of the nearby trees 
and placed Rain under it gently, casting him caring eyes of affection. 
Immediately it became clear to the blonde soldier that Rain would be 
cold here. So he went about removing his jacket. Ash took off the belt 
and sheath to his Sigmund-PRO8000 broadsword and took off his green and 
gold Rehoboam Military uniform jacket. He placed it over Rain's body and 
tucked its arms under him to give the younger boy better comfort. Ash 
then sighed and sat down on the snow-laden grass It took him a moment 
but his mind began to settle on the seriousness of this situation For 
some reason, something had shot down the Constantine. And they had 
crashed into the heart of the Timber County. Though Ash didn't conduct a 
life search while in the dropship, there probably wasn't another city 
around for dozens of miles. The closest place to them now was Crux 
Cartha. And if they went back there of all places then they would more 
than certainly be caught by the Ministry. Ash caught his breath and 
looked around. In the distance he could hear the hoots of the owls and 
the cries of the wolves. This place was not safe. And yet they were 
stuck here. And Ash couldn't blame anyone for it but himself. Even if 
Rain had been handed to the Ministry, at least he would have been safe. 
Out here it would be only a matter of time before they froze to death or 
were eaten alive by one of the many hungry animals and monsters that 
infested the Timber County this time of year.

His plan had been brought to this. "...What have I done...?"

"Reckless as ever I see," Yelled another voice, one that belonged to 
neither Rain nor Ash, "but that is quite understandable. I wouldn't 
expect anything more from someone like you, Ashriel..."

Ash blinked and turned around in the direction that that voice had come 
from. Standing near the wreckage of the Constantine was a man dressed in 
a dark purple cloak. At first he didn't recognize the man. But then it 
came back to him. The colour of the hooded cloak and the blood red eyes 
in his unseen face. "I know you... you're the one who... I saw at... the 
Protea Research Facility..."

"But you remember THAT, eh?" The man chuckled, "What more can I expect? 
You were just a child back then. You're still a child now in many ways. 
Just an impudent little child..."

"Who are you calling a child!?" Ash yelled, rising up from the ground.

The man in the cloak laughed again. "Do you really see it any other 
way...? Wasn't it childish recklessness that made you flee with the 
sample in the first place? And just look what that led to The fruits of 
your immaturity are what you see before you."

"Damnit," Ash lowered his head angrily. He was prepared to argue that, 
but he knew that the other man was right. He only had to look at Rain to 
confirm the sentiment. But even so, Ash was not prepared to just stand 
there and take this from a stranger, "who are you to judge me?! You're 
working for the Archangels, right? You people are the ones who brought 
me here! All I want is for Rain to live peacefully!"

The cloaked man smiled (though it couldn't be seen). "Bullshit. You 
don't give a damn about what makes him happy. You only care about what 
makes YOU happy."

"What?!"

"Think about it," He said oily, "was it his decision to leave the 
Paracelsus? Or was it yours? If he raised concerns about what you were 
planning, did he question them? And if he did, did you acknowledge them? 
Or did you simply ignore them? You took the boy with you to please 
yourself... to have someone love you again. It's just pathetic. All you 
ever do is run away from the heartbreak that is inevitable You are 
content only to take the easy route. Don't you understand that it was 
your cowardice that killed your mother and father in the first place?"

Ash's face paled. "...W-who are you...?"

"They gave you ultimate power and you ran," The man began peeling the 
hood from his head to reveal his face to Ash, "They needed you for 
protection and you did nothing. They gave you tremendous powers and you 
shirked them. You just sat there and whimpered like the coward you are. 
That's the real reason you seek strength, isn't it...?"

Then Ash's heart raced when he finally saw the young man's face, 
spiky-brown hair and all, "...because every single second you spend as a 
weakling... you're reminded of how powerless you were... to stop me from 
killing them... isn't that right... little brother?"

A dark frown crossed Ash's face, exuding pure hatred. "...Zanaan..."

"Now you remember me. Perhaps I should have shone my face earlier. No 
matter. What's done is done. And what matters is how you handle the fate 
that I have written for you, my dearest little brother."

Ash growled angrily. "You bastard! I've waited a long time to settle 
things with you!"

"I don't doubt it," Replied the confident Zanaan, "that's why I shot 
down your ship, after all. I couldn't let you run off with the boy 
before I discover just how far you've come in the past few years. So 
what level are you at now, hmm? Have you attained the true spec of your 
powers?"

"Goddamn you!" There was little time wasted at that moment. Though 
Zanaan looked on without fuss, a furious Ash kneeled down and grabbed 
his Sigmund-PRO8000 sword. He ripped it out of its sheath and ran 
straight ahead towards Zanaan, tossing the scabbard away. Ash drew back 
the blade and called out a thunderous war cry, thrusting the blade at 
Zanaan's torso within striking distance. Zanaan smirked and his magical 
forces did the work for him. Instantly the snow beneath his melted into 
water. And that water was then launched upwards in front of him in a 
protective geyser. Ash's sword bounced off the magically-controlled 
water effortlessly. And he was tossed backwards from the force of the 
rejection, landing crudely on his back. Blood dripped down from the cuts 
he had gotten in the crash of the Constantine. Zanaan let the rising 
water in front of him regress to his feet where it simply evaporated 
into the snow once more. The older boy chuckled to himself and watched 
as Ash struggled back to his feet. "Heh, heh, heh. It will take more 
than that fancy bit of metal to stop me, little brother."

"Don't call me that, you bastard..." Ash said, growling under his 
breath. 

Zanaan give him another smile. "You're still running away. Still taking 
the coward's way out. Just what is it that you're afraid of? Hmm? You've 
seen my strength And yet that was no more than a fragment of what I am 
capable of in this form. So what are you waiting for? Strike me down 
with your TRUE powers. Those you sought to bury twelve years ago.  Prove 
to me that you truly are the burning hope of the Anti-Savour Eugenic 
Paramilitary Plan."

Ash scowled at him, re-gathering the Sigmund-PRO800 into a fighting 
stance. "I don't know what you're talking about, damn you..."

"Don't lie to me. I know for a fact that you sought to use it against me 
two years ago when I raided the Gestalt Research Facility and murdered 
our Mother and Father. But you were too cowardly to ignite your full 
strength -- the power of Kabbalah."

Ash looked on angrily as Zanaan continued, stretching out his arm. "In 
our blood flows a unique set of nanomachines. Ones that give us the 
power to manipulate the elements as we see fit. Over time the nanites 
become specific with the spiritual element of your souls. That led to 
the development of our current powers... in my case; Aquakinesis. In 
yours; Pyrokinesis. These are the powers intended for us by Maria and 
Wilhelm Gestalt. They wanted to create a biological weapon that was 
capable of resisting the Saviours... that was the Anti-Saviour Eugenic 
Paramilitary Plan. But in the end... all that came to pass was the 
manipulation of their children's genes to suit their own selfish 
desires. And yet you criticize me for killing them?"

"You're... lying..."

Zanaan turned his back to his brother. "The only one lying here is you. 
And the one you are lying to... is you. How long can you run from the 
truth, Ashriel? I wonder. Do you need some kind of... stimulus...?"

"What's that supposed to-"

Suddenly Ash noticed that the snow beneath his own feet had now melted. 
That water then started rising up his body, primarily the legs. Ash 
started struggling too late and the water around his feet and ankles 
started to freeze. Before long he was frozen in place, able to move his 
upper legs and body but unable to walk. And this became of critical 
importance to Ash when he noticed Zanaan advancing on an unconscious 
Rain. Ash thrashed harder but his feet couldn't move an inch He could 
only stare helplessly at Zanaan, who had now crouched down to stroke 
Rain across his cold cheek.

"Such soft skin," Zanaan muttered provocatively, "I can understand why 
you care for him so deeply, little brother Very rarely do you find a 
male as beautiful as this. But do you deserve such a treasure, I 
wonder?"

Ash was livid. "Get your fucking hands off of him, you murderer!"

"Murderer, eh? Hmph. I wonder if Saviours can have any understanding of 
love. If they did, how many little Saviour children have you broken the 
hearts of... when you killed their mothers and fathers?"

"...What...?!"

Zanaan cupped the sleeping Rain's chin. "You hate me so intensely... so 
much so that you choose to ignore the contradictions of your life. I 
must show you the way... and I feel that it involves... this beautiful 
boy..."

"GODDAMN YOU!"

The bird near by on the trees quickly flapped away at the loudness of 
Ash's roar of anger. Zanaan left his hand at Rain's face but watched 
with glee as his brother finally broke the chains of his own doubt. 
There was a searing crackle to follow Ash's shriek of rage, one that 
exploded with truest form -- purifying fire. The same nanomachines that 
flowed within Zanaan's veins were now activated in Ash's blood. Giving 
him full access to the savage power of Flame Kabbalah Magic -- 
Pyrokinesis. Ash's body become no more than silhouette when it was 
engulfed in a huge rising stream of flames. It burned at the ground and 
melted the snow around it, causing the nearby woodland animals to flee. 
Ash screamed inside the flames from nothing more than total abhorrence, 
then flicked his arm forwards. A gust of flames was thrown from his 
burning hand and directed at Zanaan. The youth smirked with pride and 
jumped upwards. The flame wave zoomed under him and veered off into the 
distance, where it collided with a tree. There was a sudden and violent 
explosion from the collision point. Dust, snow and flames were spread 
out from the force of the blast so hard that the immediate area itself 
shook. An inferno sprung up from the ruins of that tree. One that would 
surely spread to other trees as things went. But Ash didn't give a damn. 
He stood ferociously with ancient Kabbalah flames clinging to his body. 
Zanaan stood upright and smirked at this development.

"So now you awaken, eh?"

"Don't care what you say..." Ash's voice was dwarfed by the crackling of 
the flames that now surrounded his body, yet he continued to speak to 
his elder brother regardless, "I'm gonna kill you. I'm gonna kill you!"

Zanaan stepped away from Rain. "Is that so? You are not ready to face 
me, Ashriel. And I have a great many things to do before our final 
confrontation is staged. Your people from the military will be here 
soon. And although that idiot Dianus doesn't realize it... Rain is the 
least of her concerns... but don't worry.  He'll be well looked after 
until they realize the truth. And then? All eyes will be on YOU, little 
brother... so keep on going as you are... you... the most important part 
of my plan..."

Ash was about to say something about that. But then Zanaan smiled and 
pressed his hand into Rain's chest. By now the ice around Ash's feet had 
melted because of the flames on his body. So Ash ran towards the pair of 
them But he couldn't get there in time. Both Rain and Zanaan were 
swallowed up by a wave of water that had been conjured by Zanaan. The 
two of them were teleported by it out of the scene. Leaving only a 
flaming Ash and a smoking Constantine in their wake. Ash's eyes went 
wide with surprise and agony. The amber flames around his arms, hands, 
legs, head, shoulders, chest and stomach dissolved. He dropped a smoking 
Sigmund-PRO8000 from his fist and fell to he knees. Ash dug his fingers 
into the snow and grass beneath him and lowered his head, tears dripping 
from his eyes. Though in the distance the Paracelsus was encroaching on 
his current position; he couldn't have cared less. Zanaan had stolen 
Rain from him again. And even with all his new power; there was nothing 
he could have done to stop it. 

Onwards to Part 4

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