cbman's Note: Welcome to "Mother," the sequel to "Bound." Before the
story can begin, it is best that I explain to you readers that this is
an Alternate Universe of Xenosaga Episode 2 and will try to connect
Xenosaga with Xenogears with a few changes to Xenosaga's and
Xenogears's stories. Though it is not necessary for you readers to
have played Xenogears beforehand, it will help you understand some of
the events that occur within the story (unfortunately this also results
in giving away spoilers of Xenogears's story). Unlike this fic's
prequels, this story will be told in multiple POV, most of these other
POV written by other fan fic authors whom I asked for help for this
story. The story's pacing will be a bit slower too than the previous
volumes, but each character will be fleshed out a lot more than the
previous installments. I'd also like to thank ChaosDreamer,
EvilLilMonk (not affiliated with ff.net), ExDream (not affiliated with
ff.net), Ruby (not affiliated with ff.net), and my "sis," Shi Maxwell
for helping me out with this fic. (You can see which author plays what
role in our shared pen name, "Team KOS-MOS," at ff.net.) With that
said, I present to you the third story in Elly and Shion's romance,
"Mother."
ExDream's Note: Hope you like it and that I captured the character
(Ziggy). The most important thing to do is remember that this isn't
the Ziggy from the end of episode one, but the Ziggy at the end of
"Bound."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Cogs Turn Once More
(chaos's POV)
"They're moving again, aren't they?" he asks me.
"Yes, I'm afraid so," I nod in response.
Today is the third night we've all been staying at the Uzuki Residence,
it's been a nice change of pace looking back on the events that
happened within the last month. Staying in a remote place such as
this, it helps me put my mind at rest a little. Come to think of it,
there was never really a time I could really have myself totally relax,
there's always been something, someone, in the back of my mind.
Whenever I think I have achieved peace in my mind, my thoughts always
dwindle back toward that person and our purpose...
The candlelight begins to flicker with the evening breeze, the wind
sending a small chill down my spine. Is it really the wind that's
making me feel uncomfortable, or is it because his presence and our
goal are drawing closer? The cold steel on Death's scythe, I can
already see it hovering over the heads of the people of this world.
"You know as much as I do that I don't want Shion to be involved in
any of this," Jin tells me, "she's already gone through so much when
our mother and father died, even more so when her last love was killed,
I can't bear to see her when..."
"I'm afraid it can't be avoided, Jin," I regretfully tell him, "your
sister is very loyal to her, always wanting to be by her side, as is
she to your sister. Even as we speak, she is with Shion."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Elly's POV)
Shades of green and brown fill the scenery before me, strands of these
colors breaking into streaks and columns. Through the spacing of some
of these streaks, I find similar features. The weapon in my hands
barely pulls my arms to the ground, but it is the lack of breath that
weighs the rest of my body to the floor. My white military uniform is
stained with so much grime and moss, even the black gloves and lines
along the center of the clothing are painted with the colors of
shrubbery. Perspiration runs down my entire brow, the cool liquid does
nothing to calm the pacing of my heart. So tired, I can't remember the
last time I've been this cautious and alert.
Another image comes into my vision, this one appears through the spaces
between the branches I look through; I see a young man with a long
braid that goes down to his lower back. He wears a pair of dark green
baggy pants, a plate-like device near his stomach, and a white-colored
shirt with blue lining. His face is somewhat sharp, his dark-brown
eyes somewhat narrow and his nose a little pointed. A long strand of
hair crawls down his face, it looks like two pieces of hair that he
missed when he put his hair in a braid. He begins to move forward but
he fails to notice me. His back is now turned and I now spring from my
hiding place with my gun pointed.
"Annahas!" I order the man, my weapon still pointed. "Anna herok, ak
vite! Rannha ak vite! Rannha kal tik!"
The man looks at me with a puzzled look on his face, as if he doesn't
understand what I'm saying. Then it hits me, he really doesn't
understand what I'm saying.
"Throw down your weapon!" I order in his native language. "Make one
wrong move and I'll shoot! Errh...," I try to recall the correct word
in his language, "Turn around!"
The young man still looks at me with a puzzled look on his face, but
this time I know he understands what I'm saying. I bet he's not
intimidated by me because I'm a woman. Just the thought of him
thinking like that makes my blood boil.
"I said...turn around!" I repeat myself, my finger beginning to squeeze
the trigger.
Without wasting another second, the man raises his arms, his back
slowly turning toward me. I begin to approach him now, his body still
within the sights of my pistol. I begin to inspect him closer, namely
the uniform he is wearing. He doesn't seem like too much of a threat,
but still, I have to be cautious.
"...Are you shaking?" the man suddenly asks.
"Be quiet!" I retort. "...you don't seem to be one of the Kislev
Soldiers who are after me...," I say upon closer inspection, "but...
Don't move!" the man suddenly turns around, forcing me to bring my
finger back to my gun's trigger. "I have orders to kill all surface
dwellers, -Lambs-, I come in contact with... It's part of my mission.
It's nothing personal. I have a question for you," I begin to lower my
gun. "...How do I get out of this forest?"
"Are you lost?" the man asks.
"Just answer my question!" I repeat myself once more. "How do I get
out of here?"
"Sorry... but I'm looking for the way out too," he apologizes.
"Oh...," I lower my weapon.
My eyes begin to linger to the ground now, it seems like it might take
me even longer to get out of this place. It's already been about a day
since I came here and I already miss seeing the light of day without
having the sight of tree branches or leaves getting in the way. I
could also use a warm meal and bath, I'm sick of rations and the smell
of moss on my clothing. I really need to...
"How long are you just going to stand there like that?" the young man
interrupts my thoughts. "If you're going to shoot me, then hurry up
and do it."
"What an odd thing to say!" his words catch my interest. "Don't you
understand the situation you're in?"
"I don't care about my situation...," he begins to sulk. "I'm just a
guy whose life is worthless... There's no point in me living anyway!"
For a moment he stares at the ground, but then he begins to approach
me. My body begins to push back on its own accord at this moment, my
weapon returning its aim toward him.
"Sta, stay back!" I order.
Blam! My finger pulls the trigger, but my aim is off, the bullet
striking at a nearby tree instead. A warning shot, that's all I'll
give him for now. I'm sure he'll understand his situation after I give
him one. I wait a few more seconds, waiting him to back away or place
his hands behind his head, but to my surprise, he still stands in the
same spot with his arms still dangling at his side and eyes glued to
the ground.
"What are you aiming at?" he asks, his voice as cool and resolute as
ever. "Here! Shoot me here!" he brings his hand to chest. "C'mon..."
"Are...are you mocking me?" I begin to lower my gun. "You're weird!" I
begin to back away. "Something's very wrong with you! You should at
least resist a little bit!"
What have I gotten myself into? Someone with a death wish, this was
really unexpected. Well if he really is suicidal, there's no point in
wasting any bullets on him, he'll kill himself eventu...
The ground suddenly shakes for a second, as if something fell behind
me. I ready my gun once more and quickly turn around to find a pair of
individuals with scaly blue skin. The stench of blood is very apparent
in their body odor, their teeth a dull brass yellow and brown. Their
eyes are narrow, their breath heavy as mist, whatever their intent is,
I know it's not good.
"What's this?" I try to speak with them. "Who are you?"
Before I can get a response, I suddenly find a force being exerted on
my body and myself falling to the floor. My gun slips from my hand now
and the world around me begins to fade. I see the suicidal young man
in my vision now, a new expression now worn on his face. Anger, that's
what I see in his eyes and his fists as he suddenly dashes forward.
"Stop!" he orders my attackers. "Keep your hands off of Elly!"
"Elly," I hear another voice calling my name now. "Elly..."
"Hm...?" I begin to stir.
The color of black begins to disappear from my eyes, the smell of
nature and fatigue disappearing. I find a warm surface resting on my
cheek now, the surface slowly beating against my face. I bring my arm
around the side of my haven's body, burying my face further in. I find
my body beginning to rise however, rising with the surface I rest
against. So soft, so warm, I just feel so comfortable lying here. I
like the tiny breezes that go down my brow and hair, I enjoy the sound
that echoes beneath the surface, and the aroma of this place, I can
never tire of it, nor can I tire of its sweet, succulent taste.
"Shion...," I barely call her as I bury my head further into her heart.
Is it wrong for me to love my mother in this way? Can it be considered
a sin? No, I do not think so, she never gave birth to me, she created
me originally from metal and electronics, I was born into this world in
an unnatural manner. The way I love my creator, my mother, is it wrong
to love her in more ways than one? I do not think so, even my sister
who had fallen for our father did not think so when she fell for him.
"Elly, it's time to get up," my lover breathes into my ear.
I begin to open my eyes now, peeling away at the darkness to find
myself in a familiar place. Shion's room, it's the same as how I left
it before I fell asleep. I find myself still drifting back into
slumber however, but the brush of my lover's finger gliding down my
cheek begins to drag me away from slumber once more.
"Good morning," she greets me now.
"Good morning, Shion," I return the greeting after a yawn.
"Did you sleep well?" she asks.
"Mm-hm," I answer.
Did I sleep well? I wouldn't say so. I had such a strange dream, I
can't really remember it too well. From what I can remember, I was in
some kind of forest, hiding for some reason, and there was this man,
who was he? That language I was speaking too before I spoke English, I
can't even translate it now that I'm awake. Oh well, it was just a
dream, there's no need to think about it too much.
Reality returns to me a second later, the taste of my lover's lips
suddenly seeps before my mouth. They press against each other for a
mere second, but it is enough to remove me from the remnants of my
slumber. Her fingers begin to run through my hair now, freeing the
strands from any knots. I can't help but smile as she brushes my hair,
just the feel of her hands and the sight of her emerald pupils is
enough for my lips to curl.
Another press falls upon my lips now, this one more aggressive than
the last. The push of her lips pushes my entire body back for a mere
second as the device within her mouth escapes to paint the lining of my
lips. I welcome the slippery object into my own mouth, my lips closing
on it gently. My own tongue begins to wrestle with hers now, trying so
desperately to climb my lover's. Her mouth parts with my own now,
slipping away with relative ease while leaving a translucent string
between them. The string breaks within seconds, my tongue escaping my
mouth for moment so that I may collect the thread's remains that have
fallen before my lips.
Another touch falls upon my body now, this one rubbing against my
cheek. My entire body begins to melt at my lover's touch, melting with
each inch her hand falls as it travels down my face and then to my
neck. My fingers begin to trail down her shoulders now, my face also
traveling down until my cheek once again finds her heart. I find her
own fingers moving now moving to the buttons on my flannel shirt,
slowly plucking at the round hooks and freeing them from their prison.
"Shion, don't," I place my hand on top of hers. "Please, not now."
"What should I believe," she asks in barely a whisper, "your words, or
your lips?"
Another kiss falls upon my lips again, this one more aggressive than
the last. My mouth once again bickers with her own, fighting so
desperately the moment I find my back resting against the mattress.
The taste of the honey within her mouth, I can never tire of it, how
she teases me with it every time we kiss. The bait, that's what it
always is when we make love, always using it as bait to get what she
wants, and like other times in the past, I fall for the bait.
"Ah!" I yelp the moment I realize her hand has found its way into my
top. "Shion don't, what if the others catch us?" I ask in between my
breaths.
"Don't worry, no one will hear us," she says in a husky voice before
returning her mouth unto mine.
My body begins to relax once more, my mind clearing away any thoughts
of the others. My mind begins to focus on the texture of her lips once
more and the feel of her palm as it hugs the surface of my breast. Her
hand begins to rotate within my shirt now, bringing with it the globe
that was in her hand. Every second increases the speed of the rotation
and the sucking of her mouth, and more and more I find myself melting.
I break our kiss again soon after, breaking the moment the tips of her
fingers press against my nipple. My lover does not allow my entire
yelp to escape, cutting it off by pressing her lips onto mine once again.
Her hand brushes away from my chest now, pulling one side of my shirt
away in the process. The other half is pulled away from my shoulder in
the same manner, pulled until the material meets with the floor. Her
mouth leaves mine again as it begins to travel down my neck once more.
She plants her lips once every inch she travels, she one deeper than
the last. I nearly scream at the last kiss, her lips barely opening to
fit one of the nubs of my breasts within her mouth. Her tongue
replaces her lips now, the slippery object now lightly tapping at the
nub from different angles. My breath grows even shorter now, I try my
best not to cry any louder so that I may alert the others, but I know I
can't hold it in much longer.
"Shion...," I barely call her name.
The lapping comes to a halt suddenly and I find myself finally able to
catch my breath. Before I could take in more than a single breath, I
find the top half my body now rising upward as the arms of my lover
pull me. My face comes to a stop at the thin cotton material that
covers Shion's upper body, my nose buried in between the cleavage of
her breasts. Her hands tend to my hair for a moment, stroking away the
tresses at my temple before finding their way to the buttons on her
clothing. One by one she slowly releases each one from their hold,
exposing more of her beautiful and fair skin right before my eyes. The
two halves of her top eventually come undone, her arms once again
wrapping around my head after. My own hands begin to move on their own
accord now, slipping upward as it traces her thighs, sides, and
eventually shoulders. The moment they reach the peak of her shoulders,
my hands begins to fall again, tracing down the halves of her clothing.
My hands stop just in front of my cheeks, my fingers now beginning to
move inside the gaps that separate the clothing and her body.
My lips begin to press against the skin before me, lightly suckling
inside the cleavage. Tiny gasps begin to escape my lover's lips as my
mouth traces in between her breasts, but the taste here pales in
comparison to the texture and sensitivity of the areas close by.
Impatient now, my hands sweep away the material that hide her upper
body, quickly tossing it to the side of the bed. The chocolate-colored
nubs on the other side are the first sight to greet me the moment I
free them from their cotton prison, both of them already swollen due to
the teasing I had given to their owner. I bring my hands to the peaks
of her breasts now, the tip of my nails barely sliding against them
causing them to swell further. A louder gasp escapes my lover's mouth
the moment I first touch them causing her entire body to jump. My
hands decide to push forward now, slowly tracing themselves to the base
of her breasts. Slowly they begin to take hold of the tender flesh,
pulling them closer toward me as my lover's body begins to brush
against mine. I open my mouth the moment one of her nipples touch my
face, engulfing the entire tip for a tiny moment. I free it for a mere
second before suckling it again, causing more purrs and gasps to escape
from my lover's lips. The fingers of my left hand attend to its twin,
my thumb and index finger lightly pulling at it between the breaks of
my suckling.
I find her hands beginning to slide down my sides now, but they stop at
the material that covers the lower half of my body. Her thumbs reach
inward and begin to push downward, pulling down my pants and layer of
cotton that guards my sex to my ankles. My free hand begins to do the
same with her now as I quickly find the rims of her undergarments,
quickly pulling them and the material that covers the rest of her lower
body. Barriers of cotton no longer fill the space between our skin,
but the barriers that hold the flood begin to open.
"Shion..., I...," I try to inform her.
"Wait," she orders me, returning my lips to her breast.
The source of the flood begins to brush up against hers now. The
surface is so warm, yet so wet making our bodies slide against one
another with ease. Again I find myself concentrated on the sweet
texture of her nipples, trading between each one every two or three
seconds. The sweet ambrosia from within begins to escape now, the
delicious substance barely painting the tips of her nipples and lining
of my mouth. I begin to pull harder now, pulling so that I may get
more of the wine that was made for her child.
"Shion, I can't hold it any longer...," I tell her, "I can't..."
The flood between my legs breaks through the barriers between my legs
now, the warm rush mingling with another in the same instant. Both of
our bodies begin to tingle now, the air around us quickly cooling the
rush that barely connects us. My lover begins to fall back to the
mattress now, my body following after as my cheek once again rests on
her heart. Our breaths are once again heavy, everything just feels so
light and clear now. Fingers begin to trail down my cheek once again,
stopping at my chin and pulling it so that I may look into my lover's
emerald pupils.
"Elly, I love you," she whispers as I stare into those beautiful jewel
orbs.
"I love you too, Shion."
With my remaining strength, I pull myself closer, my lips once again
meeting with hers. The fires of passion begin to cool as our lips
touch, the inferno slowly dying with every second that passes. The
fire eventually does die, but the warmth in our hearts burns as bright as ever.
"Shion," Jin calls from downstairs, "you have a phone call!"
"This early, I wonder who it could be?" Shion speaks to herself after
breaking our kiss. "Elly, why don't you go take a shower while I see
who's calling me."
"All right," I nod.
Without wasting another second, my lover to her closet and takes out
one of her many Vector uniforms. I watch her as she dresses, observing
how she shields her true form to the world. Not once does she tease me
while she dresses, putting her clothes on in a somewhat swift fashion.
My lover is very different when we're not in the heat of passion, no
longer does she tease me with her flesh or tickle me with her whispers,
she always gets to the point when she speaks and her words are always
spoken in a serious tone. After she finishes dressing, she turns back
to me and places a kiss on her palm and blows it toward me the moment
after.
"I'll see you at breakfast," she tells me in her normal tone of voice.
With Shion now gone, I decide to take up on her offer to take a shower.
Her scent, if I could have it my way I would never get rid of it from
my body, however I know that it is improper to have it in the presence
of others. I head into Shion's closet after and try to find my
wardrobe for the day. I think I've borrowed enough of Shion's clothing
since I got here, so I decide to go with my usual attire. Luckily
Shion has it washed every time I wear it, so there's no need to be
worried about it being dirty or anything.
I begin to walk down the hall to the bathroom now, my clothes and towel
in hand. My thoughts begin to drift toward the events that occurred in
my dream again. The smell of moss, the sight of shrubbery, and the
constant beats of my heart, the experience comes back to me. I haven't
had too many dreams until recently, maybe I'm just reading into this
one too much because it's the most unique one I had so far. But that
man who was in it peaks my interest; he seemed so desperate, but why?
Oh well, it was just a dream, there's nothing to really dwell about.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Shion's POV)
The living room has always been busy since I got back, the house is so
full of life for once. I mean I didn't really mind talking to Jin too
much every morning whenever I was home, it's just that it's nice to
have a lot of company in our home. Although I have to admit, I do feel
bad that everyone except Elly has to sleep downstairs, I guess I'm a
little greedy sharing my room and bed with only her. The least I could
do is have MOMO sleep with us next time, although I'm not sure if Elly
would be comfortable with that. When Elly thinks of the term "sleep
together," I'm sure that means "make love" in her mind after what
happened just now. I should explain to her what I mean when I ask her
later if it's okay.
The crystal on my necklace begins to bounce against the base of my
neck, catching my attention. My feet come to a stop at the moment to
stop this. My fingers run underneath the chain until the crystal finds
itself in my palm. The jewel shimmers as bright as ever, it still
illuminates as much as it did when I first saw it.
It was four years ago when I first saw this piece, but back then it
wasn't mine to begin with. I had just joined Vector shortly after
graduating high school, amazingly I was accepted into the First R&D
Division with a simple High School Diploma. It was during my first day
of work when I first laid eyes on it, along with its previous wearer.
'I can't believe I overslept the night before my first day at work!' I
remember thinking to myself as I hurried to my new workplace.
It was March 14, 4763, 8:30 in the morning, my first day at Vector and
I was already late to work. The night before I was trying to get
accustomed to my new quarters; namely the bed, the mattress was
entirely new and wasn't very comfortable. On top of that, when I did
wake up at exactly 8:00, the train was ten minutes late. My bad luck
didn't end there unfortunately, the layout of Vector HQ was still alien
to me at the time, I was practically running around the whole
laboratory corridor looking for the right workplace. I must've not
been watching out where I was going because the next thing I knew, I
found myself accidentally running into somebody and falling to the
floor.
"Ouch...," was my first reaction the moment I suddenly found myself
sitting on the floor.
"Are you all right, Miss?"
It was the first time I saw the necklace, but at the time, it was worn
around its owner's wrist. I had only glanced at the crystal for a mere
second, my eyes then wandering toward the actual owner. He was of
medium height but had broad shoulders, the Vector uniform couldn't hide
his chiseled body at all. Eyes of ocean blue greeted me when I turned
to his face, and hair of a navy shade sat atop his head in a bulb-like
fashion, though there was a strand that ran down part of his face. I
remember the device within my chest was striking against my rib cage as
fast as a hummingbird's wings, the air to my lungs suddenly growing
short, and my throat suddenly parched. I'm not sure how long I was
just sitting there, but I knew I had to respond eventually otherwise he
would just leave.
"Um..., I'm all right, thanks," I finally responded, taking his offered
hand into mine.
His hold on my hand was firm, I could feel his veins practically
beating against the palm of my hand. The skin of his palm was
surprisingly soft, as if it were made to caress my own. The pull of
his arm to bring me back to my feet was surprisingly fast, I felt as if
I was suddenly sailing into the clouds.
"I'm very sorry for bumping into you," I apologized after while giving
a bow. "It's my first day of work and I've already found myself lost."
"Ha ha, don't worry about it," he assured me with a slight chuckle, "I
was exactly the same way when I first started working here. I'm Kevin
Winnicott," he introduced himself to me for the first time, "and you
are?"
"My name is Shion Uzuki," I introduced myself, taking his hand into
mine again. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr... Winnicott?! Oh my
gosh, I'm so sorry!" I found myself apologizing again after his name
finally sank in. "Please forgive me sir, I didn't mean to be late for
my first day, much less bump into you suddenly! I'm sorry, I'm really
very sorry, please forgive me!"
"Hey, it's okay," he assured me again, "there's no need to be so
formal or apologetic. Everyone's like that their first day, Ms.
Uzuki."
"Chief Winnicott, the CEO's on the line," another employee called from
the workplace.
"Well I need to take this," Kevin told me, "it's nice meeting you, Ms.
Uzuki, I look forward to working with you."
"Yeah...," I waved as he ran toward the phone.
Kevin Winnicott, that was a name I would always hold dear in my heart,
even to this day, I...
"Ah, Shion, there you are," Jin's voice returns me to the present.
The past, for some reason I still frequently think about it, even after
all this time.
"You said there's a phone call for me?" I ask, trying to free my mind
from my history.
"Yeah, Allen's on the line right now," Jin answers, "it's some guy with
a mustache and glasses."
'Guy with a mustache and glasses? This can't be good,' I think to
myself.
The Director, that's the only person I can think of that fits that
description. The last time we spoke I was angry with him, angry at his
orders. Turn KOS-MOS, no, Elly, to the Second Division, there's no way
I could do such a thing, back then and now. Or is this about me
turning in information on Elly to the Federation Government when they
falsely accused the Durandal for destroying the Woglinde? Come to
think of it, I've also been home for four days and I haven't reported
to HQ yet. Whatever the case may be, I know that whatever the director
has to say isn't going to be good.
"Good day Director," I pick up the kitchen phone, bringing it to my
ear. "Allen, you can hang up the phone from the living room," I call
from the kitchen.
"Hello Shion, it's been a while," the Director greets me on the other
line.
"Yes sir," I nod, "I'm very sorry for not contacting you sooner, there
have been several hardships that had to be dealt with during the
immediate time."
"It's all right, Shion, I'm just glad to hear that you and Allen are
safe," he answers in his usual patient tone. "I hate to be blunt, but
is KOS-MOS still with you?"
"Yes sir," I answer with a nod, "she's in our custody at the moment,
she's currently, uh, taking a shower."
"That's good to hear, the people upstairs have been worried since
communication with her has been cut off for the last four days," the
Director explains, "if it's all right, may I ask why that is so?"
"Well sir...," the events that occurred recently begin to flash through
my mind.
Where should I begin? I'm sure he already knows that the Woglinde was
attacked by the Gnosis, so I guess I don't need to start there. Maybe
I can start with that whole incident with Commander Cherenkov? No,
that might take too much time to explain from there, and I can't
exactly put that into a small and concise report at the moment. The
events that occurred recently between Elly and Miang? Maybe there, but
would he even believe it? I suppose I should just start with whatever
comes out of my mouth.
"Actually there's something I'd like to discuss with you, it's very
urgent," the Director interrupts before I can begin my report.
"Urgent, sir?" his words peak my interest.
"Yes, it concerns KOS-MOS, but not only her, it's also about... huh,
what the?"
Before another word could be spoken on either line, the phone's screen
suddenly begins to break, the colors disorienting and the environment
hazing. The image of the director begins to blur then just as another
figure begins to appear on the screen. The image of the other figure
is too distorted for me to make out, all I can really see are the
actions of this individual. This person knocks the Director out of his
chair, sending him to the ground. They begin their attack now,
bringing their fist downward toward where I think the Director's skull
is. I see what I believe are the Director's arms rising after the
first impact, but another distorted individual makes their way into the
screen now, pinning down the Director's limbs. The entire screen
breaks apart now, breaking into tiny lines of black and gray that
constantly move up and down the screen. The sound of static takes the
place over the director's voice and screams now, the constant buzzing
continuously ringing in my ears.
"Director, what happened?!" I ask frantically from my line.
"Director?"
"Do...n't....trap...KO...Zohar...," are the only words that come from
the other line.
"What, can you repeat that, sir? You're breaking up. Is everything
all right?!"
"You've said too much!" one more voice says before the transmission
ends.
The sound of static is all I get as an answer. The gray lines on the
screen disappear now, the entire screen turning black. I stare at the
phone's screen for a moment, waiting for the director to respond, but I
get nothing. A flash of red appears in the empty screen for a second
after, the same phrase being written over and over again across the
black background. Within the blink of an eye, the words are gone, now
replaced with a new logo saying "Connection Lost." I return the
listening device to its charger and my thoughts begin to play the
events that had just occurred. The people who attacked the Director,
who were they exactly, and why did they...? Said too much, what was it
that the Director was trying to say that may have upset them? Despite
the event that had occurred, it's not the conversation that has me
worried the most, it's the phrase that was posted all over the screen.
"Ye shall be as Gods," is what was written over and over again, I can't
help but wonder why Elly's password was written all over the screen.
"Shion, is something wrong?" the blue-haired angel's voice interrupts
my thoughts.
I turn around to find her dressed in her usual attire but with a towel
in hand and hair. The look of curiosity on her face, something she
never showed me until now. My little girl, she's matured so quickly
and if I heard the director correctly, I may already have to let her go
in this short period of time, that is, if everything's still okay at
Vector.
"No, it's nothing," I answer.
"Shion, I know that look," she tells me, "it's not nothing.
Something's obviously on your mind, Shion, what is it?"
"...it's about Vector," I try to tell her, "the Director, he..."
"He's ordering me to return, isn't he?" she asks.
"...well, something like that, but..."
"Shion, we both knew this day would come eventually, but regardless, I
still..."
"That's not it, Elly!" I quickly interrupt. "It's the Director,
someone attacked him in the middle of our conversation!"
"What?!" a look of shock falls upon her face now. "But why?"
"I don't know," I answer, "the Director was about to talk about
something involving you but then..."
"Did you check with security after your call?" our conversation is
suddenly interrupted.
"What, Ziggy?"
"Did you check with the security office over there to see if the
building is still okay?" the cyborg repeats himself.
"Well, not yet, but..."
"You might want to try giving them a call," he explains, "perhaps
there's still time to catch the culprits involved if the rest of the
building is in working order."
"Yeah, I guess I'll try," I bring the phone back to my ear.
"I'll inform the others about what happened," Elly tells me, "if
there's no response with the security office we may have to call the
police. If that's not enough, we may have to go Vector ourselves and
catch the culprit."
"Vector Second R&D Division Security Office, how may we help you?" the
person on the other line answers in the next second.
"Yes, my name is Shion Uzuki of Vector's First R&D Division," I
introduce myself, "I'd like to know if everything is all right with the
Director, my last phone call with him ended so suddenly and..."
"Everything looks all right according to our surveillance cameras," the
guard on the other line says, "hold on, I'll check with the guard
stationed there. One moment," he tells me as he picks up another phone
on his desk. "Hawwa, is everything all right in your station? All
right, I see. Everything seems to be okay on this end," the guard
addresses me once more, "I'm sure his phone was just having some
difficulties."
"That can't be, I saw at least two people attack the Director during
our conversation!" I explain. "It can't just be phone difficulties, I
know I saw..."
"Ma'am, perhaps you're just being paranoid," the guard tells me, "if
anything had happened to the Director, the cameras would have caught
it, and if those were somehow altered, our guards would have spotted
the intruder before he set foot in his office."
"But..!"
"Ma'am, we assure you nothing is wrong with the Director, please try
your call again later. Good day now."
The phone suddenly dies at this moment, before I could get in another
word. I know what I just saw happened to the Director, I know I wasn't
just seeing things. The guard said it could be phone difficulties, but
I don't think that's the case here. I'm thinking that someone
deliberately altered the surveillance cameras and possibly bribed the
guard stationed there out of their post so that they could attack the
director.
"Shion, are you all right? Were you able to get a hold of the security
office?" the blue-haired angel's voice snaps me back to my senses.
"We have to go now," I inform her, "something's definitely wrong over
there."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Ziggy's POV)
Time, it is always against a soldier. I see not only Ms. Uzuki
panicking before my eyes but also another crisis to delay my mission.
I should take this opportunity to prepare MOMO and leave. I cannot
allow myself to get distracted again.
I quietly leave the room as Jin and KOS-MOS continue to attempt to calm
Ms. Uzuki down. They do not notice me as I leave, this is how it
should be. I am a cyborg, a machine, not a man. Seeing KOS-MOS
comforting Ms. Uzuki is rather odd. A few weeks ago she was just like
me, able to come and go from situations as needed and not really
expected to participate emotionally.
No, that is not completely accurate, I was a crossroad, MOMO still
relied on me. I intend to leave her soon. She will be safer with the
UMN, one of my few remaining human traits, intuition, tells me so.
My suicide and rebirth made me forget many things, but not the thing
that mattered most. A long time ago I failed and lost something very
important. My only remaining goals are to lose this pain and to never
feel it again.
I leave the house and begin to make preparations to leave.
"So, the time has finally come?" a loud rather harsh yet young voice
interrupts my thoughts.
"It seems I am not as invisible as I thought, Jr."
"I know you want to take MOMO back to the UMN, don't you?"
"She will be safer there."
"Isn't that where she was captured by U-TIC in the first place?"
"You have also proven yourself unable to protect her." At this the boy
cringes and glares at me. "At just the mere mention of that incident
you begin to lose focus and let your emotions rule. Can you really
protect anyone like that?" I ask. He glares at me harder. "Will you
be there when she needs you most?" I continue.
"I already was, where were you?" I realize he is referring to the time
after Proto Merkabah.
"I never claimed I was any better suited for this."
"So you're just going to dump her off and call it a day?!"
His naivety shows behind the rage in his eyes. Then we both realize
MOMO had come out and was watching.
"It's alright Jr.," she begins, " I want to go, maybe I can see Mommy
again."
"But..."
She silences Jr. with a finger and says, "Don't worry, let's take one
last look at the forest before we leave."
She grabs his hand and pulls him away; he gives me one last glance
before leaving. It is full of frustration, almost malice.
My guilt, confusion, and his eyes are just three more things I can
forget when I become a machine.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Elly's POV)
"Oh really, that's nice!" Shion exclaims as she speaks with several of
the children. "Oh c'mon Jin, hurry up...," my lover grumbles
underneath her breath for the fifth time.
She's been so uneasy since that phone conversation she just had. No,
it's not the little children that are making her feel this way, it's
the events that occurred when she was talking on the phone with the
Director. Did someone really attack him like Shion claims, and if that
is so, why? Asking my lover the details would only upset her more I
think, so I decide it's best not to ask.
Shortly after her conversation with the Director, we all immediately
left for Second Miltia City. Shion, Allen, and I were supposed to go
directly to Vector's Second R & D Division the moment we arrived, but
Jin insisted to go with us. He wanted to stop by the orphanage he
volunteered at before we went there to pick up his work schedule, and
well, here we are...
"Read me another story," I look to the other side of the room to find
more children sitting around MOMO, who holds a fairy tale book in her hands.
"All right, which story do you want me to read next?" the young realian
responds with a smile.
Everyone seems to be busy right now with their own set of kids, well
almost everybody, Ziggy just seems to be standing in a corner. MOMO is
reading stories to a small group, Jr. and chaos are playing ball with
some others, Shion and Allen are talking with a group of their own, but
Jin seems to be doing something else with another adult.
"So you're sure you won't need me for this week, Miss Yui?" he asks the
caretaker of the orphanage.
"Yes, but we would still appreciate it if you still dropped by to
visit," the woman answers.
I can tell by the way he converses with this woman that he's not
really interested in his work schedule, and since when did one need a
schedule for volunteer work? I can't quite put my finger on it, but he
seems to be paying a lot of attention to her. I feel bored once more,
I'm not sure how to interact with children. Well there's no real need
to, it seems like the others are already preoccupied with all of them.
My vision begins to turn to the corner of the room now and I find
someone else sitting there. A little boy sits in this corner, all by
himself. Dark brown hair and eyes, his hair tied back, but two long
bangs in the front of his face that seemed to have been missed. His
skin is somewhat tanned, his clothing a dull gray, and his face wearing
a lonely expression. This boy, he looks familiar, where have I seen
him before... For some reason I find myself approaching him now, even
though I have no idea what to say to him when I reach him.
"Um..., hello," are the only words I can think of to say to him.
"...hi," the boy weakly responds, turning his attention to several
building blocks at his feet.
"...what are you doing?" I find myself trying to engage in a
conversation with the boy.
"Playing blocks," the boy answers as he begins to stack them.
"That's nice, but why don't you play with the other kids?" I ask.
"...I don't play with the other kids," he responds.
"Why not?"
My conversation doesn't seem to be going anywhere, but for some reason,
I feel compelled to speak with the child regardless. I don't know
where this obligation is coming from, but I feel like it's my
responsibility to ask him about his well being.
"...they all think I'm stupid," he answers.
"Now don't say that," I find myself already trying to comfort the
child, "you're not stupid. Maybe they're just shy."
"That's not why, all the other kids laugh at me," the boy continues.
"They say I'm weird, and that I'm different from everyone else. Why am
I different, I'm a kid just like they are, why don't they want to play
with me?"
"Never mind them," I try to assure the boy, "they're just jealous of
you because you're special," I find myself lying again.
"How am I special?"
"Well..., uh..., everyone's special in their own way," I remember what
chaos had said once, "you just have to figure out what it is that makes
you so."
"How do I do that?"
"You have to find that out by yourself I'm afraid."
"Ha ha, you're funny," the child gives a small chuckle. "You're the
only person except for Mr. Jin and Miss Yui that's talked to me.
What's your name?"
"KOS-MOS," I respond.
"That's a funny name," the child laughs again, "what's your real name?"
Should I give him my real name? The only people to ever call me by
real name were Shion and my sister. Well, I suppose I can give it to
him, for some reason I feel a bit more comfortable being called by it.
"...Elly," I answer, "my name is Elly, what's your name?"
"Abel," the boy responds.
'Abel, where have I heard that name before?' I ask myself in my head.
I don't ever recall meeting this boy, it's only been a month since I
was activated, three days since I became human. Someone mentioned the
name to me before, but when? Abel's Ark, yes, I'm sure that's where I
heard the name, it was part of my mission objectives. An uneasy
feeling passes through my being now, I know this is just a child
sitting before me, but something's telling me there's something more to
him, to this "Abel."
"Hey Elly, can I tell you a secret?" the child's voice suddenly
interrupts my thoughts.
"Huh?" I snap back to reality.
"Can I tell you a secret?" the child repeats himself.
"All right," I nod.
"Promise not to tell anyone?"
"I promise."
"Really? Cross your heart hope to die? Stick a needle through your
eye?"
"Yes, I promise I won't tell anyone," I assure him.
The boy begins to stack the blocks before him again, placing one large
one as a base and piling a smaller one on top in a vertical fashion.
He then takes a third block, one larger than the base and proceeds to
place it on top of the second. For some reason his hand stops three
inches above the second block, as if the block would hold in place in
the air. Slowly he releases the toy from his grasp and I wait for it
to fall. For some reason it doesn't fall, the block remains floating
in the air where his hand had placed it, leaving me in awe. He takes a
fourth block now into his hand, this one he places to the left of the
previous block, again with no support underneath and it also remains in
place. This must be an illusion I'm seeing, or at least that's what I
would like to believe. I run my hand through the space beneath the
blocks and find nothing underneath, no strings or anything holding the
toys in place. I quickly move my hand away after as all of the blocks
begin to move suddenly, slowly twirling in a circular motion. Again my
breath is short upon witnessing this sight, but before I know it, each
of the blocks fall to the floor and Abel is left laughing at my facial
expression.
"Well what do you think, pretty cool, huh?" the boy says.
"How...how did you do that?" I ask still dumbstruck on the events that
just occurred.
"I dunno, it's just something I can do," the boy answers, "you can do
it too you know."
"What?"
"I've been waiting for you for a long time," a voice suddenly enters my
head.
'Waiting, for me?' I ask in my mind. 'Who are you?'
"I've been waiting for someone like you, waiting just for you,
Mother..."
'Mother...?'
"KOS-MOS, is this a new friend of yours?" a voice from reality
interrupts.
I turn around and find the silver-haired boy standing behind me, his
usual smile stretched across his face. I wait another second for a
response from the voice that was speaking to me just a second ago, but
I get nothing. Must've been my imagination, I'm sure it's just normal
for people to hear voices in their head.
"Hi little guy," the silver-haired boy takes a seat beside Abel, "my
name's chaos, what's your name?"
"Abel."
"That's a nice name," chaos compliments.
"Elly, chaos, are you ready to go?" my lover calls from the other side
of the room.
"Yeah, just about," I call back.
"Well I'm afraid we have to get going now," chaos tells the boy.
"Awww, already?" the child whines.
"Don't worry, we'll come back another day," the chaos assures him.
"Really? Will you come back too, Elly?" Abel asks me, tugging at my
arm.
"I will," I tell the boy.
"Really?"
"
Yes, really."
"Really really?"
"Now Abel, let's not keep Mr. chaos and Miss KOS-MOS any longer," Jin
starts to enter the conversation.
"But Mr. Jin...!" the child moans.
"Don't worry, I promise they'll come back another day, in fact, I'll
try to bring them back next time," Jin assures him.
"All right," the child grumbles, "you better keep your promise!"
"I always do," Jin chuckles. "Well then, shall we get going?" he turns
his attention toward us.
"Mm-hm," I nod.
"Bye Elly! Bye chaos!" the child calls as we make our way out the
door.
We walk outside the orphanage afterward where the others await. Shion
already has annoyed look on her face the moment she sees her brother
and I prepare to have them get into another argument.
"Jin, that took longer than 'just a second,'" she scolds her brother,
"do you realize what else could've happened to the Director while we
were dawdling here?"
"It's not like you to complain about coming to the orphanage," Jin says
calmly, "I thought you like children?"
"I do, but that's not the point, the Director's life is probably in
danger and here we are..."
"Well why didn't you just go to the Second Division yourself then?"
"I can't exactly go without Elly, the Director mentioned her in his
orders, or at least I think he did, and I can't just..."
I begin to tune out of their argument once more, looking back into the
orphanage. That young boy, Abel, why did I feel so unsettled when I
spoke with him? Unsettled, but at the same time, relaxed. I was in
such an awe when we spoke, not just because of the blocks, but because
of something else, something I can't describe. Part of me was just
happy to sit there with him, but I'm not sure why. Then there was that
voice I heard before chaos joined in, I think it called me "Mother,"
but why is that so?
"Chief, I hate to break this up, but shouldn't we be heading to the
Second Division now that your brother's got his schedule," Allen
finally breaks up their argument.
"You're right," Shion nods, "I can't believe I've been wasting even
more time by arguing with my brother here. At any rate, we should call
a cab and get to the Second Division as soon as possible."
"If that's the case, MOMO and I had better get to the UMN Committee's
Central HQ," Ziggy informs us, "I'm afraid we've spent too much time
here already."
"Always a stickler for schedules, aren't you, cyborg," my attention
then shifts to the Durandal's young captain. "Is this how it always is
before you get a job done, do you really think getting to the UMN
sooner is gonna effect the performance of your job?" he says with a
sliver of anger in his voice.
"Jr...?" the young realian looks at him with a worried expression on
her face.
"Time is always of the essence," the cyborg responds in his usual
stoic tone, "we've already spent more than enough time to return MOMO and..."
"Is your paycheck the only thing you care about?!" Jr. continues,
raising his voice as loud as ever. "You just wanna dump her off so you
can get to your next job, is that it, you're just gonna leave her like
that?!"
"Though I dislike your way of words, that describes the situation
rather well."
"You son of a...!" the young captain's fist suddenly launches forward.
"Jr.! Ziggy! Stop it!" the young realian screams. "Jr., please calm
down, Ziggy's only doing his job, and..."
"Only doing his job, how can you say that, MOMO?!" Jr. turns his anger
to the young girl now. "Don't you see what's going on here, he doesn't
care about how you're feeling right now, he just wants to drop you off
like that and be on his way! I know that's not what you want, MOMO,
so..."
"Ziggy's already done more than enough letting me stay with at the
Uzuki Residence for the past few days," MOMO interrupts him, "he's
already gone more than out of his way to allow me to do so. Ziggy's
job was only to escort me to the UMN Committee's Central HQ, that's
all, he didn't have to do anything else."
"But...how could you defend someone like him?!"
"I hate to end things on a sour note, but I have to take MOMO to the
UMN Committee's Central HQ now," the cyborg says as he takes MOMO's
hand.
"Hold it!" Jr.'s voice stops him once more. "I'm going too, there's no
way I'm gonna let you off that easy!"
"Jr., stop it!" my lover intervenes now. "Ziggy's just doing his job,
you needn't be angry at him for it. If you're going to go with them, I
should go as well to make sure..."
"What, but Chief, what about the Director?" Allen reminds her.
"...Shoot!" Shion remembers. "But I can't just let the two of them go
off like this."
"I'll go," chaos volunteers. "The UMN Committee's Central HQ is close
to the ship auto shop, the captain wanted me to place an order there,
so I might as well go with them since it's on the way."
"Are you sure, chaos?" my lover asks.
"Yeah, you have your own worries, let me take care of them, I'll make
sure nothing else happens," chaos assures her.
"All right, we're counting on you then," Shion tells him.
"Taxi!" Jin whistles afterward causing a yellow-colored car to suddenly
stop by us. "Well if any of you are ever in the neighborhood again,
please, don't hesitate to drop by. MOMO, Ziggy, Jr., chaos, please
take care."
"Yeah, thanks for everything," Allen says as he follows Jin into the
car.
"Well I hope we can all talk again soon," Shion says as she makes her
way into the taxi after. "Elly, you say something too."
"I'm not sure how to say goodbyes," I find myself suddenly scratching
an itch behind my neck.
"Just goodbye is fine," chaos tells me.
"We'll see you all later!" MOMO calls as I find my way into the back
seat.
The moment the doors close in the car, I find myself looking through
the back window of the car to see the images of my friends shrinking.
I find my eyes beginning to water now, and my nose beginning to
sniffle. My mind then begins to shift toward the past, reminding me of
the time they invited me to eat with them for breakfast, when we went
to the beach, and when we sang karaoke. Saying goodbye, who knew it
could hurt so much.
"Are you all right, Elly?" I turn to the seat beside me to find Shion
in the same manner.
"I'm fine," I try to answer, wiping away some of the rivers away from
my face.
"We'll meet them again," my lover assures me, "I know we will."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Jr.'s POV)
That lousy cyborg, who does he think he is? To think that he used to
be a human being, I bet he was as cold and detached as he was back then
as he is now.
I look out the window of the car we rented, the sunlight glimmering off
each of the buildings' windows that we pass. The view of the city
looks the same as it always does when I come here, but the emotions
running through me are different. MOMO, we've only known each other
for about a month, but I feel so...attached to her. Her sakura pink
hair, her gold yellow eyes, and her bright smile, for some reason, each
of these features and her actual self remind me of "her."
"Is something wrong, Jr.?" the mentioned girl's voice now breaks me out
of my thoughts.
"No, I'm all right," I lie, trying my best to give her my usual smile.
"I'm glad to hear it," she returns the smile.
"We'll be arriving at the UMN Committee's Central HQ momentarily," the
cyborg informs us from the driver's seat.
The way he talks, so calm and cool, no, more like monotone. Just
hearing his voice makes my blood boil. Cyborg, hah, that doesn't even
come close to describing him, robot is a more appropriate term, even
cyborgs revert back to their human emotions every once and a while.
"Hm?" I turn to chaos who slightly stands from his seat.
"chaos?" MOMO turns next to him.
"Everyone, get down!" he suddenly orders.
The air around the car begins to roar suddenly and tremors begin to
wobble it off course. The roaring grows louder and louder, and before
any of us know it, the windows begin to crack. The glass breaks
furiously in the blink of an eye, the ceiling of the car suddenly
hurled towards the road we just past, all of this happening in a
second. The wind begins to sting against our faces now, all of us
keeping our eyes open through slits. The roaring grows louder now as a
dull shimmer of light now rains down from above.
"Pull over, immediately," a female voice echoes from the source of
floating metal, "hand over the 100-Series Observational Realian
Prototype, if you do not comply, we will attack."
I look further into the sky now to find a dark-colored machine hovering
above us. It's an A.G.W.S. unit, a model I've never seen before. This
machine is bigger than other A.G.W.S. units though, this one is
practically as big as a three-story building. Several pieces of black
metal protrude from its back, giving the impression of a cape as a
spear of the same color and shape as the back is carried in its right
hand. Eyes of yellow glow from its skull, the eyes themselves looking
down upon us as if the machine was laughing maniacally. Two more
A.G.W.S. units hover beside it, these ones standard VX-5000 units.
"I repeat, hand over the 100-Series Observational Realian Prototype, if
you do not comply, we will attack," the voice orders.
"Pellegri...," I turn to chaos who begins to make a fist.
"Like hell we'll hand her over to you!"
I draw my twin pistols at this point, quickly taking aim at the giant
A.G.W.S. unit. The one in my right hand pulls back the moment I pull
the trigger, the one in left recoiling in the same manner after. The
car suddenly begins to pick up speed now, causing me to nearly lose my
balance. I turn to the cyborg for a second to see him still wearing
that monotone expression on his face, as if he were driving normally.
The car begins to bob and weave between other vehicles on the road now,
the giant machines still hovering above us as they mimic our actions.
I finally get back my balance a few seconds later, this time pointing
each gun at a different A.G.W.S. Blam, blam, each of the bullets hits
their mark, yet they seem to do nothing but put a small scratch on
their armor. Again the car begins to take cover with the rest of the
traffic, but this time I don't lose my balance, merely losing my aim.
"Your resistance is futile, hand over the Realian and your fates won't
be as bleak," the woman in the giant A.G.W.S. orders again.
"We heard you the first time and nothing's changed!" I scream at the
top of my lungs, bringing another shot to the machine.
"So be it."
The weapon in the giant machine's hand pulls toward the ground now,
causing the entire road to tremble. The car jumps off the road for a
mere second, the front of the car meeting with the ground first before
resuming its path. Another tremor follows shortly after, this one more
violent than the last. My ordinary pistols aren't going to work, so I
decide to switch to my energy one. I take out the battery clip the
moment I get it out of my jacket, only 3 shots left according to the
reading on the battery, I have to make each one count.
"We've got trouble," the cyborg informs us suddenly.
I turn to the front of the road now and find a bridge in our direction.
More A.G.W.S. units now appear in the bridge's direction, all of them
coming to a stop at its entrance. The roaring of more engines now
grows louder in my ears and I find two more A.G.W.S. beside us, one on
each side.
"Got any bright ideas, cyborg?" I ask.
"Sorry, none."
"Dammit!"
I look to the seat beside me and find MOMO huddled to the floor with
chaos holding her. The look in both of their eyes, they know there's
no way out of this. The car's breaks begin to screech now, our speed
quickly dropping. The smell of burning rubber flows into our nostrils
the moment our ride comes to a halt, our path blocked from all sides
from different A.G.W.S. units. The cyborg gets out of his seat now,
and exits the vehicle. chaos proceeds to do the same, but Ziggy stops
him with the signal of his hand.
"I'll do my best to distract them," he informs us, "during that time,
take MOMO to the UMN. Is that understood?"
"But Ziggy...!" MOMO tries to protest.
"How noble of a relic of the past," the giant A.G.W.S. lands in front
of us now, "it's too bad your plan will fail to succeed. How long do
you think you can keep all of our forces busy? One minute, two? Even
if you were to keep us busy, that doesn't mean our reinforcements
aren't heading in this direction. We're not letting the realian slip
from our grasp this time."
I look back to the other side of the bridge and find specks hovering in
the sky, these specks growing bigger with every second. She wasn't
kidding, reinforcements are already heading this way.
"You lose," the woman in the machine says, "game over."
"Dammit, I can't let it end like this!" I grumble, despite knowing that
we've lost.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
cbman's Note: A cliffhanger already, yeah I couldn't help it. In any
case I hope you liked this first chapter, sorry about the pacing being
slow and awkward, but I assure you the pacing will be better for the
rest of the fic. Reviews are welcome, but no flames as usual. Yeah, I
know the chase scene at the end was different in Xenosaga Episode 2,
but hey, I said this was an AU after all, so things are definitely
going to be different than the game. Well that's it for now, I hope
you look forward to later chapters of this fic. Later people!
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