Zone Of The Enders Fan Fiction ❯ Zone of the Enders: Triad 2177 ❯ Gravity ( Chapter 16 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

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<CENTER>"catch me heal me lift me back up to the sun I choose to live" - A Perfect Circle, from "Gravity"</CENTER>

<CENTER>-----------------------------</CENTE R>

When she woke up, the sky was the same as it was the last time she had looked at it. It was still about midday, the air was chill and the wind was soft. The only problem was, her body felt like jell-o. She cringed and tossed her head to each side, but both sides of her body were paralyzed with the same feeling as if your foot had fallen asleep; with hope that like a sleeping foot, it would eventually go away, she laid there and tried to recall just what had happened.

She remembered being shot by Spencer, the falling to the ground. Everything then went black and she couldn't feel anything. Her sight had given out and it was almost like she wasn't really there. Then nothing; nothing at all. She figured it must have just been a deep sleep or probably a comatose state she had fallen into; but she definately didn't die. The question was, just what the hell happened?

Her hopes were fulfilled when the numb feeling began to give way to that irritating pain that comes after your foot wakes up. She wriggled around some from the feeling until it stopped and she could freely move her body. With the strength comparable to a newborn child lifting itself off the ground, she slowly sat up from a brief struggle with her sedated limbs. She stopped as she finally reached a full sitting position and sighed.

"Alright, I'm Vera Micheals. I'm an ex-LEV S.W.A.T. pilot, former recovery Phantoma pilot on Entropy, and I came here with Lynn Hidelberg to see Spencer Mays. But Whitney Hagasman was here too and then Spencer shot me," Vera said to herself, looking upward.

The house was still there; Lynn wasn't. She looked down and saw that in her fall, her skirt had flown up, thus, giving Spencer a nice panty shot the moment she hit the ground. With a loud whine and a blush, she pushed it back down and looked around for any others getting a free show. She inspected her chest next, trying to see where her wound was; it stumped her, though, because there was no hole in her top from where a bullet would enter. Lowering her head some more, she winced feeling something stuck in her neck. She reached up and pulled a wide cylinder no bigger than a 9mm round out of her neck. There was a tiny syringe on the end of it, thus indicating Vera had recieved the most humiliating of all rounds to be fired at her: a riot control ammunition round.

Figuring by how powerful it was, Vera knew it had to be the now banned Bungler's Bane riot control injector shot. It was invented as a means to put down more violent protestors by completely subduing them. The problem was, when shot, the formula used in the round would shut down the nervous system. With the brain unable to perform involuntary functions, the body and mind would go into a coma which many didn't wake up from. The formula was also suppose to break itself down when exposed to the various elements carried in the bloodstream, but too much wouldn't break down fast enough and the brain would be sealed in a coma. Judging by how Vera managed to wake up, she thought that she was either incredibly lucky or Spencer was such a dumb shit that he'd fire it with a 9mm handgun; thus, the casing would crack when fired and the formula would leak out, giving Vera only a fraction of the intended dosage.

Either way, she was feeling fine now; all the tranquilization had dissipated within a few moments of her sitting up. With feeling returning to her legs, she got to her feet and brushed herself off. She picked up her dropped handgun and checked the clip; it was the same as she had left it, somehow. With a shrug, Vera put it back in her jacket and had a look around the yard. Lynn was gone, his police cruiser was gone, and Vera was not about to go into the house without back up. Besides that, looking at the house made her remember Whitney's words about how he somehow set up her death and about him being behind her father's assassination. Her head began to hurt with a throbbing migraine; so she decided it was best to flee for the time being. She now knew who to be looking for, after all, and that was enough for the time being.

She carefully made her way back to the sidewalk and began to go into a sprint down the street, not looking back. As soon as she began to run out of breath, Vera leaned against a building and panted a few times. She wasn't entirely sure what she was doing, nor did she know what she was suppose to be doing. Lynn was gone without a trace, her mother had left for business on Earth without her knowing, Freya was stashed away a few miles outside the city, and Peniel was left at her mother's house. Now she was all alone; the kind of feeling she had wanted to avoid by going there to Ganymede. After all, with Miryhn off on Callisto (which she knew about thanks to some eavesdropping) and Jim having probably left for Mars already, there was no one else to be with. Vera didn't like being alone at all and she become a bit scared realizing that.

Only one real choice was left: she had to go find Miryhn. He was the only one she could be with now that everyone else had left. Besides, she was worried he had gotten into trouble again and needed caring for after a brutal fight or something. Miryhn didn't seem to be one to cry over being in pain, but he had his limits, and the thought that he might finally be dead sent a chill up Vera's spine. The thought alone sent her into a sprint; how could she have possibly left him alone?

It didn't take long for her to pick up her things, grab Peniel, and get back to Freya. As she hopped in the cockpit, she looked down at Peniel and smiled. "Jim's right, you do kind of look like Miryhn," she said with a giggle.

Peniel meowed and hopped onto the floor. He curled up and went to sleep.

Vera sighed. "You act like him too," she mumbled.

<CENTER>-----------------------------</CENTE R>

A violent electric shock awoke him from his own slumber, consciousness flooding back into his brain along with the oxygen from the mask over his face. Looking down at him was a paramedic and Maria's worried face. He turned his head back and forth a few times, feeling a bit woozy. The paramedic lifted two paddles again and was about to give him another jolt. His eyes widened and he fidgetted until the paramedic laughed and put them away. The paramedic left and Maria threw herself upon him.

"Oh, Nash, I'm so glad I got you in time," Maria said, tugging at his shirt and hugging his waist with the other hand.

Nash blinked a few times and looked around; he was laying in the middle of a street inside Erigan, an ambulance and an unarmored Phantoma a few yards away. He took a few deep breaths, but couldn't fight the swimming in his head. He puked inside the mask, then tore it off his head gagging.

Maria sighed and sat up. He held him by the neck, pulling as if to pick him up. Nash responded and sat up, vomit on his chin. A paramedic ran back and handed him a towel.

"I guess you're alright now. When I saw what that one guard was doing, I knew what was coming next, so I ran off. I hopped in a Phantoma and grabbed your body not long after you were tossed out. I then landed here and called the paramedics as soon as I could," Maria explained, moving her right hand along Nash's arm and then holding his right hand.

Nash snatched his hand back, he grumbled and turned his head. "You lead me here and you were in on it. Why did you bother saving me?"

Maria sighed and took her hands back to herself. "I want out, Nash. I want to get out of the syndicate. I'm sick and tired of being a 'femme fatale' for them," she said, a pained look on her face.

"So you backstab them by saving me? That's a smart idea, then they'll try to kill you," Nash said, wiping his face.

"They can't, I'm a bit too valuable to them," Maria replied, smirking a bit.

"How so?"

"Nash, I'm a professed killer. I know so many ways to kill a man, it's rediculous. I've even undergone LEV operation and I'm scheduled for operating the new Orbital Frames that the Syndicate just seems to keep getting out of thin air," she said, looking down.

Nash blinked, staring at her. Sweet and innocent Maria Beardsley was an assassin?

"You're kidding, right?" Nash asked with a chuckle.

Maria shook her head.

Nash groaned. "Well thanks for the help, but I'm going to go now. Seeing as I'm on the black list, I'm going to be getting out of here as soon as possible," he said, standing up.

"Nash, wait! Please, I have to go with you. I can't stay here either!" Maria cried out, grabbing his left arm as he turned to leave.

Nash looked back at her, planning to shoot her a nasty look and end the matter. He wasn't about to have her along after, for one, betraying him, and for another, then pretending it didn't happen and milking his feelings for her. Who's to say this wasn't another trick?

But one look at her pained, crying face melted his resolve. Maria was never a good actor, Nash could tell from his years of theater experience, and right now her display didn't impress him at all. These were no crocodile tears, she wanted out and badly; but more importantly, she wanted out with him in tow. But there was danger in traveling together, after all, since both were probably marked for death dispite her reputation. Either way, Nash couldn't stand to see her cry, but he couldn't risk putting them both on the line.

"No, you can't stay here. Go to somewhere like Callisto or Ganymede. They'll have a tougher time finding you," Nash said, looking away from her.

"Nash, please, I want to go with you! You have an Orbital Frame and-" Maria began to plead.

"No!" Nash shouted firmly.

Maria lowered her head and cried some more.

"I can't risk us both, Maria. Lay low and I promise I'll get you later, alright?" Nash said, calmer.

Maria sobbed and slowly nodded.

Nash wormed his hand out of her grip and began to walk away.

"Nash, I'm scared, that's all. Don't you know that I might die if they find me? And what if you end up dead?" Maria said, looking up at his backside.

"I am too, Maria. And neither of us will die if you get your ass going right now. You know where I live, call me when you're safe, alright?" Nash replied. He began to walk away again.

"I will! Trust me, I'll live, for you!" Maria shouted, then got to her feet and ran for the Phantoma.

"And likewise," Nash replied, fishing into his pocket for Zeus's transmitter. "Wait, I just told her to call me on Entropy," he said, stopping in his place after digging out the transmitter. He stared forward a moment and sighed. "Guess my personal time is up. Really have nowhere else to go, do I?" Nash said, rolling his eyes,"No choice but to grovel for my job back."

Zeus came flying low over the inside of the colony, weaving in between skyscrapers until it landed in the street just ahead of Nash.

"Knew this thing would come in handy someday," Nash said with a laugh and ran towards the Orbital Frame.

<CENTER>-----------------------------</CENTE R>

Jim slammed the heel of his boot down on the microwave, causing it to spark and fizzle until death. He was sick of everything around the ship not working; including the crew. With a groan and a sigh, Jim lit up a cigarette and walked back to the bridge from the kitchen. With only the sounds of doors opening and closing to compliment the utter silence, Jim began to feel very uncomfortable.

It wasn't so much that the ship was so quiet now, it was the fact that it was quiet and it wasn't going anywhere. Without a pilot, Jim couldn't leave Antillia. Sure, he could go dig out the manual and attempt it himself, but it just wasn't the same without someone to bark orders at. He admitted to himself that he was wrong, Miryhn did an okay job, but that didn't excuse all of his blunders. Still, he was fairly obedient when it cames to matters concerning business; he just seemed to require a lot of time outside the ship as of lately ever since he picked up that Frame.

As for Vera, no one else worked so hard on the finances as herself. She was also the only one who understood those confusing-as-hell T.P.S. forms and the 09WD forms that always seemed to be sucking most of Jim's hard earned money away. She was also the only one who regularly kept the bathroom clean. Jim loathed doing any form of cleaning, so he relegated the others to it; now, with them gone, he'd just have to grin and bear it it seemed.

And Nash's purpose was simple: fix shit that didn't work. Jim could only imagine his ship coming appart at the seems and him dying in the depths of space all due to one loose screw. Without a crew around to do this stuff, it might as well; Entropy was paralyzed without them. Jim was helpless and so was his business; if only he had learned to care for himself and his ship in the past, he might not be in this mess. With a sigh and a dab of his cigarette in the ash tray, Jim leaned back in the his seat in the bridge and stared at the ceiling.

"I wonder if this is how a widowed father feels after all his kids leave home," Jim said to himself, putting his cigarette back in his lips.

The ring for an incoming comlink startled Jim up from his reclined position. He almost swallowed his cigarette in surprise; it was the first sound he'd heard in hours besides the soft roar from the internal systems. Jim smacked the button to open it and Nash's picture from within Zeus came up.

"Hey," Nash said simply.

"Hey," Jim replied.

"Look, I realized leaving was a bad idea. There isn't much of a job market for me, you know? Entropy is better than nothing," Nash said, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh?" Jim said, breathing out some smoke.

"Besides, I know you need me around to handle things that don't work. You probably destroyed the air conditioning or the microwave by now, haven't you?" Nash said with a laugh.

Jim's eyes widened. "Uh, no, of course not!"

"So what do you say? Let it all be water under the bridge?" Nash said with a smile.

"Yeah, whatever. Just get your ass back here," Jim said, sighing.

"Excellent, but with just one small detail," Nash said, grinning.

"What?"

"A fifty percent pay raise," Nash said, giving a thumbs up.

Jim nearly fell out of his chair. "What?" he shouted.

"Either I get my raise or you get no repairman. Simple as that," Nash said, looking to the side.

Jim growled to himself. There was no way around it; fact was, fifty percent to Nash's pay was still cheaper than what professional repairmen ask for. "Fine, whatever. As I said, just hurry back."

"Excellent. Glad to hear that," Nash said, grinning. "Um, has Miryhn or Vera come back yet?"

Jim scowled. "I don't care if either of them come back," he said, then took a long inhale of his cigarette. "One's nothing but trouble and the other is a little harpy, that's what they are," he said, breathing out the smoke.

"That's a shame, I was hoping you'd apologize to them by now," Nash said, lowering his head.

"Apologize?" Jim said, his tone had offense to it. "As if."

Nash sighed, looking sad. "Well, I'll be there in a few minutes. Leave the hangar open, you won't see me with the stealth on."

"Got 'cha. Over and out," Jim said, closing the link. He finished his cigarette and rubbed it out in the ashtray. "Yeah, as if."

<CENTER>-----------------------------</CENTE R>

A week had passed since that day. Jim and Nash remained on Entropy, docked in Antillia until they could find an alternate pilot and accountant. As the days bore on, Jim seemed to be getting less anxious and more depressed from what Nash could see; he cared less and less about leaving Antillia and seemed to want to stay behind "just one more day" to "find the right guy for the job" since most applicants were complete duds.

Meanwhile, on Callisto, all the newspapers were abuzz about the encounter on the train. Four people were found shot to death in the 669 train as soon as it returned to station in the town of Knox. Reports said that the four people found in the train were innocent passengers that the gunman "coldheartedly killed" while a fifth death was also reported when a "silver-haired male" was tossed out of the train by the gunman when the missing man stood up to the gunman. The missing fifth casualty has not been found, but police were going to drop the case anyway seeing as the wilderness of Callisto is just too time consuming to search. He also probably didn't survive; Callisto is just too harsh and frigid for one person to face alone.

Vera arrived on Callisto about three days into the week following the crew's break up. She began her search for "a lanky silver-haired guy" as soon as she got there; and her results were staggering. So far all she met were old men and transexuals for the next four days or so. With almost all of her hope drained, she picked up her last lead and went for it: a guy fitting that description that had just seemed to pop up out of nowhere one day. He was living in the Orlando Apartments, in a town three miles south of Blue Crow that was right next to an old mining complex. The Green Gaia was the name of the town, the kind of name that made Vera a little uneasy; after all, there was nothing green or nature-like on Callisto. It was the kind of name that would be given to a town of false hope, where the delusional waste away until their deaths believing in something that won't ever happen.

The man went by the name Ekibyougami. Word on the street was he was an assassin who always left his "calling card", a single black feather, wherever he left a victim. Someone gave Vera what was said to be one of his feathers and sent her on her way; her hopes still afloat.

<CENTER>-----------------------------</CENTE R>

With Peniel perched on her head, as usual, Vera looked up at the blue high-rise building. She could only sigh and walk in, maintaining her composure for if this was yet another dead end. She wasn't exactly depressed, maybe just disappointed that after all this time she might never see Miryhn again. Something kept whispering to her to give it up, after all, he was something of a hassle at times. Vera strengthened her resolve, though, by reminding herself that he's a friend of hers now; she can't just abandon him and she still needed to see him through his time of peril. The circumstances lately kept dragging him back to the battlefield and considering his affliction, he'd probably need her now than ever on such a dangerous place as Callisto.

She reached the third story and walked up to the address listed on her piece of paper. She grabbed the knocker and knocked hard four times.

Inside, the man glanced up at the door from cleaning a handgun. He hurried over to the door and got on his hands and knees, looking under the door. There was a pair of heeled white boots. He couldn't see much above the soles, so he stood up and pulled the knob off the lock on the door. Peeking through, he saw a nice pair of breasts staring back at him. He could recognize her enough from that and sigh a slightly miffed sigh, unlocked and opened the door.

Vera honestly thought for a moment that she had just ran into yet another dirty old man or something. He was clad in a dark grey sweater with the hood over his head. He was wearing a familiar pair of dark blue sunglasses and a few threads of stringy, unwashed silver hair were down in front of his face. Including the baggy jeans and black sneakers with the white soles, she could have sworn it was Miryhn with a thin beard. She cocked her head to the side and Peniel leapt off her head, circling the leg of the stranger in the doorway.

"My cat likes you," Vera said with a smile.

"Cats are weird creatures. You leave them alone too long and their master stares at them like they've never seen that cat before in their life," the man replied.

The voice was a bit scratchier than normal, but Vera knew it immediately; it was Miryhn, no doubt from his weird metaphor for cats. With a joyful cheer and a few tears in her eyes, Vera tackled Miryhn and hugged him. Miryhn staggered back, Vera latched on and crying into his sweater. He paused a moment, a smile slowly coming onto his face, and he hugged her back.

"Oh, Miryhn, where the hell have you been? What have you been doing? What's this about being an assassin and going by some weird Japanese name and-" Vera said, looking up at him and shooting off questions at high speed.

"Vera, stop," Miryhn interrupted, voice raised.

Vera stopped and let off of him, taking a step back.

"I'm very tired at the moment, I just got back from work. Just sit down and we'll talk, alright?" he said, lower his voice again.

Vera nodded and took a seat at the table behind him. Miryhn shut the door and sat down across from her, resuming the cleaning of the handgun. Vera stared at him, wiping her eyes as Peniel jumped into her lap and sat quietly.

"So, what's been going on?" Vera asked, breaking the period of silence.

"Been cleaning," Miryhn replied, putting a few pieces of the gun back together.

"Cleaning?"

Miryhn sighed. "Shooting bad guys in the head for cash," he replied with the unfinished gun pointed to his head, a bit irritated.

"Yeah, I heard you were now Ekibyuggime now or something," Vera said, glancing around at the horribly out-of-shape apartment.

"Ekibyougami. Apparently it's proper Japanese for 'angel of death'. I considered 'shinotenshi', but then I found out that's just a term used by moron anime otakus," Miryhn replied, finishing piecing the gun back together.

"Does that explain your 'calling card'?" Vera asked, taking the black feather out of her coat.

Miryhn looked at it and then back at his gun. "Yep. Makes the whole symbolism complete, doesn't it? Besides, this black bird keeps following me around everywhere I go. I finally took it in as a pet and used the damn thing's feathers to enhance my 'effect'," he said, pointing to the covered cage on the other side of the room.

"Bird?" Vera said, raising an eyebrow.

Miryhn stood up and walked over to it. He pulled the cover off enough for Vera to see a black crane with a long beak standing on a perch quietly.

"I see. Does it have a name?" Vera asked as Miryhn dropped the cover back over it.

"Not yet, I hate birds. Birds keep coming after you until you're dead. I'd prefer a cat, who gives up when he sees there's no point in keeping at something and goes off to do his own thing," Miryhn replied, sitting back down.

Both paused for a few moments, but Vera couldn't take it anymore. "What are you doing? I thought you didn't like killing people!" she burst out loudly.

Miryhn looked up at her through his sunglasses. "I never told you that. All I ever said was that I could and I never wanted to be able to in the first place," Miryhn said, grabbing a box off the floor. He took the clip out of the handgun and set it on the table with the box. Opening it, Miryhn took a few .40 caliber bullets out and began to load them into the clip. "But over the past few days, I've had to eat somehow. That, and I've realized something very important about myself. All I've ever really been good at is...well, killing people, and to be such a talented individual in such, there must be something important lined up for me. I have a Role, Vera, and I plan to find it eventually."

Vera gasped. "Don't say that! Miryhn, you can do other things just fine! You don't need to know anything other than you're just fine as you are."

"I'm sure I can, Vera, but to get by I'm nothing better than a petty assassin. What Jim payed me is peanuts compared to work here. Callisto is a good place for either miners or people trying to get away from their problems. Fugitives and shady types are easy pickings and are worth lots of bucks," Miryhn said, putting the clip back in the gun. "Besides, as I said, these last few days have changed my life considerably."

"Then tell me, why do you think you're the way you are? What made you turn back to your old ways? Why do you want to find this....Role?" Vera asked, sloping her brow.

"It's a bit of a long story," Miryhn said, sighing.

"I have all the time in the world. I'm unemployed, remember?" Vera replied, leaning her chin on her elbow against the table.

Miryhn set his gun down and slumped down in his chair low enough to rest his head on the back of the chair. "It all started a week ago. After Jim fired me, I went with Ester to meet a man named Joker from my past. It turns out he was the same blonde muscle-head I met in Antillia when we had to find Rupert Longbottom. He had somehow lured me and Ester there in plans to kill us. He succeeded in his plan with Ester," he explained.

"Ester is dead?" Vera said, biting her lip.

"Yep, shot right in the head. Saw it with my own two eyes," Miryhn replied, nonchalant.

"Miryhn, I'm so sorry..." Vera said, saddened.

"Joker threw me out of the train and I fell into a ravine. I passed out in midair due to injury and fatigue, but apparently I landed softly because I woke up just fine. The only problem was, is where I woke up," Miryhn said, sighing.

"Where'd you wake up?" Vera asked, curious.

"In hell," Miryhn replied softly.

<CENTER>-----------------------------</CENTE R>

"So let me get this straight. You killed Queen and then threw King out of the train. Lazarus finds out and me and Leonard have to go looking for him? How is that fair? Shouldn't you have been the one to go look?" a familiar voice shouted.

"If I had my way, we wouldn't need King!" Joker's voice shouted back.

"Well you deserve whatever Lazarus gives you for not doing what he ordered. You were to bring King here and not kill him!" the other voice said sternly.

"He's here and he's fine, what's there to worry about?" Joker's voice replied.

"Forget it. Just get ready for the service," the other voice said, then left the room with a definate sound of a closing door.

Miryhn lifted his head, his body aching all over. He opened his eyes and saw that he was in the delapidated remaints of a crashed ship. It was surprisingly intact from the obvious crash landing it made, but Miryhn could only wonder just where the ship was and what he was doing in it. He should have been dead, shouldn't he? Or maybe he was dead?

A hard punch to the gut told him wrong to the latter; he was indeed alive. He swung back and forth, suspended from chains attached to the ceiling that were shackled to his wrists. Joker, in his normal black Seraph uniform, took a step back from the swinging Miryhn and scowled. "You shouldn't even be alive, you pathetic excuse for a divine being. I don't know why Thanatos kept you alive, he could do much better."

"Still thinking there's an angel in me, eh? Figures as much. I wanted to die, he didn't or couldn't," Miryhn replied softly. "So why'd you guys rescue me, huh?"

"After I killed the witnesses to the incident, I stepped off the train to tell Lazarus of you and Queen's deaths. Lazarus flipped out and ordered you to be found, which they did. And now, thanks to you surviving that fall, I'm in hot water with the boss," Joker replied, crossing his arms.

Miryhn sighed and lowered his head. "Wish I hadn't."

Joker growled and punched Miryhn in the gut. "Don't mock me, King. Because you lived through that, Lazarus wants you even more for his plans!" he shouted angrily.

"Wants me? Wants me for what?" Miryhn said, lifting his head.

"To join us, at the least. And if you do, I swear to God almighty I will make sure you don't breathe a day longer than you have to," Joker said, getting into Miryhn's face.

Miryhn didn't reply; he just rocked his head to the side and sighed.

"You don't even deserve to bear our garments, King. You're no Thanatos and you never will be!" Joker shouted, punching Miryhn with a hard right hook. He then turned and left out the door.

Miryhn winced the left side of his face from the punch until the sting stopped. He looked down his chest, seeing that they had changed him into one of the white Seraph uniforms he saw the blue-haired guy wearing on Antillia. Looking up, he even had the same gauntlet and glove comination worn on his arms. He shuffled aching legs forward and saw the boots, pants, and belt hung armor on as well. He could also feel himself wearing some sort of circlet, which he assumed to be gold and considering what his outfit symbolized, was some kind of "halo".

He figured it was some sick joke, dressing him up as if he were one of them, but he recalled that in some ways he really was. Just like the rest of them, he bore something a little more under his skin; in metaphor, a powerful divine being, but in truth, the obviously coveted Alpha version of Manna. He was honored that in some way he was included among these "angels", but considering his circumstances, he felt more like a betrayer that was to be sentenced for his crimes.

The door opened again and the blue-haired guy walked in with a large black man behind him dressed in the same uniform. The blue-haired man pressed a button on the wall and the chains suddenly dropped, causing Miryhn to collapse to the floor.

"So this is the guy Lazarus has been shitting bricks about, eh?" the blue-haired man said, chuckling. "Doesn't seem that tough to me. That crazy blonde was tougher than he looks."

"I remember you. Vera beat the living shit out of you with a PVC pipe," Miryhn said, struggling to his knees with a smirk on his face.

"Oh, Lord, not this again. Don't you know how embarrassing that was for me?" the blue-haired man said, sighing.

"Cyril, you can mope later. We have to get him to the service!" the large man pointed out, grabbing the two chains and tugging Miryhn to his feet.

Miryhn sighed; recalling Vera shot his mood down even lower than it already was. The large man nodded his head towards the door and began to tow Miryhn out. Miryhn obediently followed. He was lead down a long hallway with many fancy windows; the kind you'd see inside a luxury cruise ship or something. Outside, the weather was a fierce blizzard; this made Miryhn feel at least a little better knowing he was still on Callisto. No other place would have such weather at this time of the year.

The large man stopped at a pair of double doors and opened them with one push between them. He pulled hard on the chains, making Miryhn stumble into the room. It was too dark to see anything, but the large man hooked the chains on something and locked them, making it so Miryhn could hang by his wrists again. He didn't mind, really, since standing up was quite painful.

In the middle of the room, someone struck a match and lit a few candles on an altar sitting a distance in front of Miryhn. The double doors then closed together and the ceiling was opened slightly. Light came in and Miryhn saw that he was hung up in the middle of a semi-circle of people clad in the Seraph uniform. In the middle of them, tossing the match aside, was the cloaked "angel" that came so close to killing him: Lazarus. The blue-haired man was in the middle on the left and Joker was on the far right, arms folded and a scowl on his face. The large black man stood in line on the far left after checking the chains again.

"Angel Thanatos, also known as Archangel Metatron and Angel of Death, welcome home," Lazarus said, waving his hands to each side.

"I only have one thing to ask and that's just what the fuck is wrong with you people? Why do you keep nearly killing me and then letting me go on? Do you get some kind of sick pleasure out of this?" Miryhn said angrily.

"Those were tests, Thanatos, mere tests. Now that you have proven you are who we seek, we want nothing more than to set you back on the path you were destined for," Lazarus said, monotone as usual.

"I get it! Just because I have Manna means I have to join this little boy scout troop, don't I? No, wait, excuse me, it means I'm 'destined' to, right?" Miryhn said adding sarcasm to his tone.

"You sound as if this is a surprise to you. The moment Thanatos was placed in that body was the moment that body was to be your vessel back to us, your brethren," Lazarus replied.

"What the fuck is this 'body' and 'vessel' shit? Do you people ever speak normally? Why is everything a metaphor?" Miryhn shouted, thrashing about in anger.

"This can't be. Why is he acting so? Hasn't Thanatos been awakened yet?" Lazarus said, puzzled.

"Excuse me, sir, but perhaps Thanatos has incorporated himself into the vessel's soul out of pity for the vessel," a man with long black hair on the left said.

"Trent, that's rediculous. No mortal can withstand the might of a holy one within him," Lazarus said, shaking his head. "Now, stop this folly and return to us, Thanatos. Show us by your unfurling."

Miryhn grumbled and swung back and forth slowly. "Hey, bud, I have no idea what makes my Manna go off, alright? I ain't 'unfurling' anytime soon."

"What?" Lazarus asked sharply. "How can this be? Is he so tainted that he can't even summon his own power?"

"It would seem so, sir. When fought, he becomes of a rage unseen of on Heaven or Earth. Thanatos responds almost demonically, not in his right mind. This vessel is tainting Thanatos with impure thought to the point he emerges with no remorse," Joker explained.

"You shut your fucking mouth! You have no idea what it's like for me," Miryhn shouted, turning his head to Joker.

"Silence, mortal!" Lazarus shouted, stepping forward and smacking Miryhn. "You have no place here! We only want Thanatos! Unleash him in his might, not the hate-inspired avatar you bring out."

"You are making no sense at all! If I knew how to do it without getting pissed as fuck, I'd be doing it right now and ripping your fucking head off!" Miryhn shouted, boiling with anger.

"Such a foul mouth on him," a youth with the same shade of hair as Trent said.

Miryhn turned to see the kid's emerald eyes staring right back at him. The youth smiled.

"This has me worried. Lazarus, he's no good to us if he has no idea how to utilize his abilites. Our only hope now is to assimilate Thanatos completely and convert him," a red-haired girl said.

"Lady, please, tell me, what are you talking about?" Miryhn whimpered.

"Annallee, just tell him. He's of even less use if he's ignorant," Trent said, nodding.

"Oh, fine," Annallee replied, shaking head head. "Look, I'll put it into terms you can understand. You have Man- I mean, the angel's soul in you, right? Well, mustering up his power should be as simple to you as a blink or a wink," she explained.

"Meaning?" Miryhn said, not catching on.

Annallee sighed and approached him. "Watch," she said, pointing to her eyes. She blinked and instantly her eyes had switched to the gold iris and red pupil color. She blinked again and they changed back.

Miryhn arched his brow. "Neat magic trick you have there. Mind teaching me?"

"I'd love to, but the fact is, you're a bit of a different case than us. None of us know what allows for you to summon your power and use it freely at your own will. For us, it's as simple as-" Annallee explained.

"Silence!" Lazarus shouted, punching Miryhn in the gut and stopping Annallee.

Miryhn wheezed for a few deep breaths. "Aw, why'd you stop her? She was getting to the best part!"

"Even if we knew how to teach you, we wouldn't. You are impure, after all, and for you to pass into our ranks you'll need to be purified," Lazarus commanded.

"Purified?" Miryhn said, raising an eyebrow.

"Tell me, do you even believe in God?" Lazarus asked bluntly.

"That's a bit of a tricky question. See, I'm not so hot on the idea of organized religion, but I do have a good idea," Miryhn replied.

"'A good idea'? Blasphemy! Either you believe or you don't!" Cyril shouted.

"What are you talking about? Religious freedom has been in effect for hundreds of years, I can believe what I want, can't I?" Miryhn said, turning his head to Cyril.

"What's so wrong with the institution set by God? Why do you refuse to accept his doctrine?" Lazarus asked.

"Because organized religion is the stupidest thing I've ever seen. People live for and die for a belief when in the end it's all the same. That's fairly arbitrary to me, you see. You but faith in something and trust in its existence and that's a good idea. I believe in God, I trust he's or she's there, and that's my good idea," Miryhn said loudly.

Half the circle gasped and murmured. Trent, the blue-haired girl, a man beside Trent, and the youth smiled.

"You dare spout such blasphemy in the presence of your Lord God? We are his angels incarnate, Thanatos, and that requires absolute devotion to his service! Obviously you have been infected with things that need removing!" Lazarus said, raising his voice for once.

"What 'things'? Free thought and personalized belief? I thought as a normal human being I'm entitled to that at the least," Miryhn said sarcastically.

"That's just it! You aren't human! Cast gaze upon your own reflection when you unfurl and pay witness to your own acts! You are above humanity, Thanatos! You possess strength, power, and awareness far beyond what you could ever imagine! As long as you hold on to such folly and do not place your full trust and worship in God you will never be what you truly are!" Lazarus shouted.

"I'm as fucking human as I want to be! You people have no right to tell me how to live and I'm not going to bow down to your form of worship just because you think I should!" Miryhn roared, angry as hell again.

Lazarus sighed. "This is hopeless. We have no choice now but to make him see the light. Leonard, Cyril, you know what to do. Everyone else is dismissed. Go, with God."

"Amen!" the semi-circle responded.

Upon his command, Trent, the youth, a blue-haired girl, and another man around the same age as Trent gathered together and began to leave. Trent kept his eyes on Miryhn as he passed by. Miryhn gazed back at Trent, wondering what his sudden interest was, then turned his head back forward as the group left out the double doors. Everyone else but the large black man, whom Miryhn deduced to be Leonard now, and Cyril were left in the room with him.

"Time to repent, Thanatos," Cyril said, taking his staff from the wall on the other side of the room.

"Repent and accept forgiveness. Only then will you be free," Leonard said in his smooth bass voice. He cracked his knuckles and grinned.

Miryhn swallowed hard and pinched his eyes shut.

And for the next two hours or so, all that could be heard were blood-curdling screams echoing down the halls of Pandemonium.

<CENTER>-----------------------------</CENTE R>

"And they proceeded to beat me to a bloody pulp," Miryhn said, an arm slung over the back of the chair.

Vera sat, leaned over the table slightly, deeply engrossed by the story.

"And...hey, you there?" Miryhn said, waving a hand in her face.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I'm here," Vera replied, shaking her head and breaking out of her glazed look.

"Yeah, so basically they beat the shit out of me for not believing what they believed," Miryhn said, shaking his head.

"That's terrible! Are you okay now?" Vera said, looking worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine, actually. They kept at it for three whole days, torturing me and shouting all sorts of weird things at me," Miryhn said, shaking his head and lowering it. "But the strange thing is, whenever they were done for a while they'd send me off with the blue-haired girl. She'd let me take a shower, she'd patch me up and tend to my wounds, give me some food, and let me rest in one of the beds. True, I had to stay shackled in bed, but at least I could recover some. It's like they just kept trying to break me, but not enough that I'd completely give up. Or at least that's how the blue-haired girl did it."

Vera paused and stared at him. "How'd you get out?" she asked weakly, hiding just how much curiosity she really had.

"Well, time passed and the same old cycle just kept going on repeat every few hours or so. I think they kept it up for maybe a day or two, I couldn't really tell because I never got to see outside and they didn't have any clocks. I guess angels don't need to worry about time, they'll always be there anyway," Miryhn said, sighing.

Vera continued to stare in deep interest.

"But soon, one day the blue-haired girl, who I found out is named Sylfa, rushed me through her recovery job. She told me she had to make time so Trent could talk to me," Miryhn said, going back into the story.

<CENTER>-----------------------------</CENTE R>

Sylfa just finished tending to Miryhn's split lip, bruised stomach, and upper arms that were raw and bleeding. She helped him slip back on the uniform coat and straighten up the overall outfit. She stepped back and smiled, digging something from her hair.

"You know, you look pretty good in that. Did you know it's actually not just some goofy costume? It's really a fairly high-tech suit of armor. It's much more flexible to move around in than most bullet-proof vests, stops high power rounds, and is even flame retardant," Sylfa explained, taking a lockpick from her hair.

"Nope, never knew," Miryhn replied weakly. Cyril and Leonard weren't so hard on him the last round, he was at least more than halfway conscious. "What's that for?"

"Well, depending on what Trent does to you, you probably won't have to worry about being here much longer," Sylfa said, taking Miryhn's wrist and jiggling the pick inside the lock. She cheered as it unlocked, letting the shackle drop to the floor. She immediately began on the other one.

"What are you doing? Why are you helping me?" Miryhn asked, not so much puzzled as he was relieved.

Sylfa sighed, unshackling the othe wrist and standing up. "Angels can't fly if they're shackled down, can they? Unless you have someone to free you from the binding you place on yourself, you won't ever be free to be yourself, can you?" she said, patting Miryhn's left shoulder with her right hand. She smiled sweetly.

Miryhn stared.

"Thana-....no, tell me, what's your real name?" Sylfa asked, keeping her hand on his shoulder.

"Miryhn," Miryhn replied.

"Well, Miryhn, I know you won't ever join with Lazarus, will you? He's living proof of the supposedly difference between mortals and angels," Sylfa said, dropping her hand.

"Difference?"

"He says that 'humans bear the blessing and curse of choice and conscience, angels are bent to servitude'. All he does is worship God and kill scummy criminals and that's not what the Seraphic Order was founded on. We were originally set up as a private assault team against Earth military. We were also given the liberty to act on our own. Trent lead us and we were quite content with the way things were going," Sylfa explained, grabbing Miryhn by the arm and leading him to a chair. She sat him down, leaned his head back some, and grabbed a bottle of disinfectant.

"I take it that Trent won't let Lazarus run things forever, will he?" Miryhn said, then cringing as Sylfa dropped some disinfectant on a cut on his face.

"No, he won't, and I support him all the way. Trent is a wonderful person if you get to know him and just like you he has a lot of 'good ideas'," Sylfa said, sitting back down and letting Miryhn relax.

"I see. So I take it he wants me to join his little coup against Lazarus?" Miryhn said, finally making use of his unshackled state to examine his body.

"If you could. You really have no choice, do you? You can either submit to Lazarus or join us with the possibility of Trent freeing you," Sylfa said, turning in her chair to Miryhn.

"Well, that's a no brainer. In video games, if you submit to torture you get the bad ending," Miryhn said, smirking.

Sylfa laughed as hard as she could. "Oh, gosh, you're funny Miryhn. I really don't know why you'd stay here anyway. From what I heard about you, you were leading a fine life before Joker and Lazarus dragged you here," she said with a smile.

"I'm not so sure about that. I'm a major screw-up, Sylfa. I couldn't even protect one of my best friends, I couldn't defeat Joker, and before that I lost my job and my home for the past few months. I left a good friend and an...aquaintance behind alongside my hard-assed, but fair boss. And right now, I'm not even sure what I want. I could submit and just let Joker kill me or I can live and keep struggling against my own failures," Miryhn said, sighing.

"Joker wants to kill you? Why?" Sylfa said, sitting forward suddenly.

"He said that I carry Alpha Manna and that's suppose to be a better version than the Omega he and the rest of you have. I'm sure you're all aware of that, but Joker finds me a threat. He called me an 'X Factor' and told me all this crazy stuff about how I was a candidate for 'god', or rather an Orbital Frame named 'Deus', and that I'm a prize in the hands of the right people," Miryhn explained. "And most of all, that I have a 'Role'."

"So it's true, Joker does have his own agenda. I knew it!" Sylfa said, sitting back and sneering. "Trent warned me about that but he had no way of proving it to Lazarus. If that's true than we're X Factors right along with you since we don't line up with anyone else's plans." Sylfa cross her legs and sighed. "And that thing about Deus? That's a myth. Perhaps an Orbital Frame by that name was developed a long time ago, but the Terran Crusade wiped every last bit of that shit out. Joker is obviously bluffing. I don't know what he means by having a 'Role', though."

"It's okay, neither do I. Frankly, I don't care much, I don't know where to go or what to do now. Going on seems pointless since I can't control my Manna. If I leave, Joker can find me again and just kill me anyway. I just don't know what to do, I feel so lost," Miryhn said, cringing and lowering his head as his eyes began to tear up.

Sylfa reached out and patted his head. "Miryhn, don't say such stupid things. You aren't afraid of dying, you're afraid of messing up by dying and then leaving something unfinished. They wan you were ranting on about failure and stuff indicates that."

Miryhn lifted his head back up and looked at Sylfa.

"What is there to leave behind? Do you want to help us stop Lazarus? Do you have someone special you want to live for? What is it that pains you so much to leave behind? What are you scared of not fulfilling that only you can do?" Sylfa said, brushing his bangs back and forth with a smile on her face.

Miryhn thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure what I want. I just don't know."

"Then maybe you just enjoy your life too much to let go? Perhaps you don't know what you want and not ever knowing will make it all seem pointless? Maybe, deep down, you want to find your own 'Role' and fulfill it?" Sylfa said, taking her hand back.

Miryhn wiped his eyes and began to smile. He would have probably embraced her if she were the other woman he valued as a friend; they sure seemed to talk alike.

"Miryhn, don't give up! You may not be perfect, you may not know how to control your Manna or know what 'Role' you have, but you're still you! You're a human being, Miryhn, a human with an outstanding gift that you should be using to your advantage, not loathing and lamenting," Sylfa said, smiling brightly.

"Perhaps I have been going about this all wrong, haven't I? I guess I was a bit delusional, thinking too much like Lazarus wants me to think," Miryhn said, nodding. "You're right, Sylfa, I don't have to give up just because I don't know how to help myself. I guess the answers will come in time, won't they?"

"Miryhn, that's exactly why you have to keep living. You have to find your place and you have to overcome all your obstacles. You won't ever be able to live at peace with yourself or die happy if you just leave things alone and let them get worst," Sylfa said, patting his head.

Miryhn smiled and stood up. "Alright, I get the idea now. You're exactly right, Sylfa. I know now what I want to do and I choose to live," he said with a nod.

"Good, I'm happy for you," Sylfa said, grabbing his wrist. "Now, come on, Trent wants to see you," she added, tugging him towards the door.

"Wait! Stop!" Miryhn shouted.

"What?"

Miryhn moved his wrist out of her grip. "I can walk myself. You folks don't need to guide me around anymore," he said, winking.

Sylfa smiled back and continued out the door.

Miryhn, with a content sigh, followed.

<CENTER>-----------------------------</CENTE R>

Sylfa lead Miryhn down a few hallways towards the end of the ship that he hadn't been to yet from what he could recollect. She stopped in front of a pair of heavy wooden doors and waved her hands in front of it, gesturing for him to enter first. Miryhn shrugged and went inside to find himself inside what looked like a beautiful cathedral. Pews were lined up on each side of the red carpeted aisle leading up to the altar from the entryway. The walls had stained glass windows depicting various saints and figures from Christianity. A few steps inside and an organ began to play almost as if from nowhere.

"What a mischievous child she is," Sylfa said, walking by Miryhn to the middle of the aisle. "Alice! Why aren't you at Annallee's lessons? Didn't I tell you not to practice until this evening?" she shouted at the front of the church.

"I'm sorry, auntie, but I wanted to try out this new piece really badly," a young girl's voice said from the front.

Sylfa sighed and waved for Miryhn to follow her. Shrugging, Miryhn follwed her up the aisle to the front of the church where she showed him behind a pipe structure to the organ. Behind it was a small girl, no older than seven or eight years old, playing the organ like an old pro. She was wearing a simple white acolyte's cloak and the curls in her brunette hair bounced as she moved up and down the keyboard.

"I must admit, I'm impressed. She's better than a certain person I know who's in his middle age and can't play this good," Miryhn said, chuckling at his joke at Jim's expense.

"This is little Alice. She's quite remarkable for her age. Look at her playing 'Passacaria' like she's known it all her life," Sylfa said, smiling at Alice.

"Yep! I learned it only a week ago and I love it!" Alice said, giggling. She looked over at Miryhn and stopped abruptly. "Wait, are you Thanatos? The Thanatos?" she shouted, emphasizing the "The" quite a lot.

Miryhn laughed nervously. "Yeah, I guess I go by that sometimes."

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! Uncle Lazarus and Auntie Annallee have been talking about you a whole lot!" Alice shouted happily. "But I'm glad you're going to help uncle Trent, he's worried a whole lot about what you decided to do."

"Cool, I guess," Miryhn said, indifferent.

"What's wrong? Did I say something I shouldn't have?" Alice said, cocking her head to the side at Miryhn.

Miryhn stared at her.

Sylfa grabbed Miryhn and lead him back to the front aisles. "What's wrong with you? She's only seven, humor her!" she said in a whisper.

"I'm not good with kids, give me a break!" Miryhn replied in the same whisper.

"Auntie, can I keep playing then?" Alice yelled from the keyboard.

"Yes, you can keep playing. Go ahead," Sylfa yelled back.

Alice cheered and began playing "Passacaria" again. *

Sylfa sighed and turned back to the doorway. "Alright, Trent will be here any minute now."

"Or now," someone said from one of the side doors on each side in front of the area with the altar. Miryhn looked around and saw Trent coming from the back, the youth from the right, and the other man from the left.

Upon hearing the voice, Alice stopped playing and looked around the pipe structure.

"Mr. Troxel, you've been quite patient I see. I apologize for not being able to get you out sooner," Trent said aloud.

"You sure took your time," Miryhn replied.

"You see, I had to make sure everything was just right, else, your daring escape wouldn't seem as realistic as I wanted," Trent said, approaching to a few feet in front of Miryhn. The other two stood at each side of him from their respective directions.

"So why are you helping me? Just what's your plan?" Miryhn asked, folding his arms.

"Miryhn Troxel, codenamed 'King' of the Shuffle Squad, optimal test subject for 'Alpha' Manna after extensive psychological analysis. Exact reasons classified to all non-reasearch personnel, but him and Ester Shelby, codenamed 'Queen', were the prime subjects for the research. Upon realization of Manna's effects on them and liberal usage of such endowments would put them in the running as 'Domineus of Deus', or, the Runner of Orbital Frame Deus. Am I correct, Mr. Ex-Domineus?" Trent said, rolling his eyes as he recalled it from memory.

"I guess so," Miryhn said, scratching his head.

"Only problem is, Deus is a scrap heap and the prized Shuffle Squad went missing, now didn't they? You're quite a catch, Mr. Troxel, and I doubt Lazarus would ever throw you back for someone much more easily manipulated," Trent said, pointing to Miryhn. "And just to piss him the fuck off, stall his plans, and make an ally out of you all in one action, I'm setting you free."

"So you're serious about this coup, huh? Look, I can't help you in fighting nor do I care about fighting for it. I'm dead weight seeing as I don't have that 'liberal usage of endowments' like you all seem to have," Miryhn said, looking at each one of them.

"That's another good reason to let you go. No one around here knows shit about 'Alpha' except that it's better somehow. If you leave here, you can find the answer to your troubles by finding the guy who invented it in the first place. Only he can tell you how to truly master it," Trent said, taking a cigarette and lighter from his coat and lighting up.

"And who invented it? Can you tell me that at the least?" Miryhn said, curious.

"Dr. Kaguya Meridian Ricdeau," Trent replied, nonchalant.

Miryhn's eyes widened. Somehow he felt surprised, but not all that much. Doc didn't seem like one to be telling half truths to Miryhn all the time, but hearing Trent confirm his suspicious suddenly cast Ricdeau in a whole new light to Miryhn. Ricdeau's claims were just to humor Miryhn, why he'd avoid telling him the whole truth was beyond him.

"I'm shocked, but not all that much. I still keep up with the guy. Finding him shouldn't be too much trouble," Miryhn replied, smiling.

"Good, find that son of a bitch and get yourself under control. You're no good bursting with the 'power' all the time whenever someone calls you a bad name or something," Trent replied, letting out breath of smoke.

"It's hardly that easy," Miryhn replied, rolling his eyes.

"Whatever. Anyway, as soon as you leave here, you'll no longer be considered for joining this little nutcase 'special task force' bullshit. Lazarus will consider you a threat instead of a possible ally since you'll have overcome four of his best Seraphs in your epic escape," Trent said, nodding to the youth. "Judas here has a gift for you that you were only suppose to receive upon joining, but since I'm declaring you an honorary member, I'm giving it to you anyway."

Judas, the youth that looked similar to Trent except for longer bangs and emerald eyes, handed Miryhn a katana. Miryhn took it from him and looked over it. The pommel and handguard were a silver color and the handle was a matching dark blue with the sheath. Miryhn drew the sword out of the sheath and the white blade shined in the light from the stained glass windows. It looked sharp enough to rend flesh.

"What are these ridges on here?" Miryhn asked, taking a closer look at the sides of the blade.

"Metatron ridges. The damn thing was made of Metatron. Everyone around here worships the stuff, so all our weapons were cast from it," Trent said, letting out another breath of smoke.

"I think I kind of understand what the engravement on that staff meant now. Cast in the something of something..." Miryhn said, sheathing it.

"'Cast in the name of God, ye not guilty' means it was cast from our holy metal, Metatron, and thus the weilder is not guilty of sin," Judas corrected.

"Ah, okay, whatever," Miryhn said, indifferent.

"I have some more shit to give you, but that's after we set up for the big escape scene," Trent said, rubbing his cigarette out on a nearby pew.

"Set up for the escape scene?" Miryhn said, staring at Trent.

Trent nodded to the man on the opposite side of Miryhn to Judas. "Quinn, hand Sylfa her weapon and we'll begin the big scene."

Quinn, the golden blonde man with a mop of hair and dark skin on the opposite side of Judas, nodded and handed Sylfa her broadsword.

Sylfa took it and looked around Miryhn at Trent. "Hey, wait a minute! What 'big scene'? Fill me in too!"

"Me too! Me too! What about me, Uncle Trent?" Alice asked.

"You stay put, Alice. Don't move until I tell you so," Trent commanded. He sighed and flicked his wrists, his daggers slipping into his hands almost instantly. Quinn drew his rapier and Judas held up a spearhead, the handle extending out. "Miryhn here tricked Sylfa into unlocking his shackles in order to use the bathroom or something. He grabbed his shit, the sword, and Divinity and ran like fuck, taking us out in a big fight right here. Then he hopped in his Frame and left without a trace," Trent said, switching grip with his left dagger.

"I'm not catching on here," Miryhn said, looking puzzled.

Trent sighed. "Look, beat the shit out of us, okay? Take out some of that aggression for all the torture you were put through or something."

Miryhn shrugged and stepped down from the steps. He kicked Trent in the jaw, then punched him in the stomach hard enough to send him on to his back. Trent collapsed backwards, dropping his daggers. Next, Miryhn jabbed Quinn in the throat with the end of his sword sheath and nailed him with a punch to the face. Quinn fell face-down. Finally, Miryhn drew his sword and using the blunt edge, cut down Judas with three swipes. Judas fell over the pew, and layed on the floor.

Miryhn turned to Sylfa and sheathed his sword. "Damn that felt good. However, I couldn't possibly strike a lady," he said, shrugging.

Sylfa smiled and looked down at Trent. "Was that good enough?"

"Yeah, now go give him back his personal effects, the cell-phone-thingie, and pass him Divinity. That will really screw up things for Lazarus," Trent said, panting.

"Where's my guns and old sword?" Miryhn asked, just for the hell of it.

"We didn't find you with anything but that cell phone thing," Sylfa answered.

Miryhn sighed, it'd be a hassle coming up with some new weaponry. At least he had a sword again and that was a start. "That cell phone thing is what lets me call my Frame over. I'd better get it back!"

"And you will if you'd just get the hell out of here! As soon as he's gone go tell the others, Sylfa. Tell them you could only stand by and watch, he was too much or something," Trent ordered.

"I'm flattered by your ruse," Miryhn said, a unimpressed by Trent's plan.

"This way," Sylfa said, starting off into a jog.

Miryhn immediately followed suit and left the church right after her.

"I just set up one hell of a bluff for him, he'd better be able to fulfill it the next time we see him," Trent grumbled to himself.

Sylfa lead Miryhn to an old storage room further back in the ship. Stepping inside the dark and musty old room, she pulled a few boxes down to look inside them. She finally found the box with Miryhn's clothes in it and handed it to him with a smile.

"Alright, one more thing and you can go. Dig through that box some, your Frame-caller or whatever is in there I think," Sylfa said, jogging out of the room again.

Miryhn once again followed her exactly and found the transmitter under his pants in the box. He smiled and dropped it back on top of the contents. However, this raised an interesting question: just who of the Seraphs undressed him? The thought was just too weird for him to image, so he pushed it out of his mind.

Sylfa ducked into Trent's room and came back out with a white revolver that had a beige handle. "No matter what you do, do not let this thing out of your sight! You have absolutely no idea how important it is. It's one of the protoypes of Metatron-powered handguns developed and sent to us. If Lazarus gets it back or if someone else gets it, you're in deep shit with Trent, got it?" Sylfa explained strictly.

"Yes, ma'am!" Miryhn said, impatient.

"Okay, cool. Now go out that door and call your Frame. Get as far away as you can and I'll go tell the others and stuff. I'll even stall if I can," Sylfa said, pointing down a hallway.

"Thanks for everything Sylfa. It's strange how you manage to heal in ways other than physical wounds," Miryhn said, feeling a tad cheesey.

"That's sweet, really, but I'm taken," Sylfa said, giggling. "Now go! Go!"

Miryhn didn't hesitate in running as fast as he could for the door. Without looking back, he kicked open the door and grabbed the transmitter. "Idle Mode off, now! It's showtime!" he yelled into it as he met the blast of cold air from the blizzard outside.

<CENTER>-----------------------------</CENTE R>

"Masamune arrived a few moments later and I took off at full speed. I parked it in the mining complex and came back here. I took a few jobs, got this apartment, and have just been sitting around contemplating it all ever since I got back," Miryhn explained, finishing the story.

Vera sat back in her seat. She petted Peniel and sighed.

"Don't believe me? That's fine, I can prove it," Miryhn said, standing up. He walked over to the small kitchen and took the same white revolver he mentioned out and tossed it on to the table.

"I didn't say I didn't believe you. I didn't say anything at all, as a matter of fact," Vera said, looking at the gun. "And are you sure this thing shoots using Metatron? That seems far fetched to me."

"It doesn't matter to me. Thing is, it's useless to me. I'm not exactly a fan of anything over a .40 caliber," Miryhn said, sitting back down.

"Oh, Miryhn, why are you a fan of any of that at all? Look, I came here to ask you something very simple. I want you to come back to Entropy with me. I'm going to grovel if I have to, but I want my job back. I realized that Entropy is my home now and strangely enough, you three and Peniel were like a family of some sort," Vera said, looking at him sadly.

Miryhn sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"Miryhn, the whole fight with Jim was stupid. He's a dickhead, but I can deal with that. I'm not about to let the slap slide, though," Vera said, looking down at Peniel.

"He slapped you?" Miryhn said, his head nodding up to look at her.

"Yeah, after you left he went ballistic on me and Nash. I quit and I bet Nash did too," Vera said, sighing.

Miryhn grumbled to himself.

"I had my own little episode too, Miryhn. My past caught up with me too over this past week," Vera said, looking back at him. "But there's no need for me to go into my story. The fact is, I've all but had enough of life outside that ship and I want to go back. But I want all of you back too, you know?"

Miryhn rocked his chair back and forth on the rear legs.

"Miryhn, please?" Vera pleaded, about to cry again. "Don't go and change your lifestyle from now on due to money or some traumatic episode over the past week. You're still yourself, you haven't been forced into becoming an assassin for good now. Come back to us....to me," she said, finally crying.

"I've been thinking about that, actually," Miryhn said, letting the chair drop back on all fours. "See, I only got back into this gig to survive just like every other working man. I also did it so I could try and realize once again what I wanted and how I was going to get it," he explained.

"And what do you want?" Vera asked, wiping her eyes.

"For one, I want to be in control. I want to be Thanatos, not him being me anymore. See what I'm saying? I'm sick of what Manna does to me and I'm going to get use to it no matter what," Miryhn said, steel in his voice.

Vera nodded.

"And for another thing...I just want things to go back to normal. To be honest, I still want to pilot ships and I still want to live a slacker's lifestyle. Out here, all I do is pop people and watch my own back and I'm already sick of it after only a few days," Miryhn said, shaking his head. "The only plus to this is that I found a nice pair of Jericho 941 modern remakes on sale real cheap and bought them for the job. They're sweet guns," he said, giving a thumbs-up.

"Is there anything else you want? Or rather, anyone else you want?" Vera said, smiling a bit.

"I want her back, that's what I want. I want to apologize one last time, but she's dead for good," Miryhn said, sighing.

Vera frowned.

"What? Who'd you have in mind?" Miryhn said, curious.

"Nevermind," Vera said, standing up and letting Peniel run off her lap. "When can you leave?"

"Within half an hour."

"Fine, I'll meet you with Freya by the mining complex," Vera said, picking up Peniel.

"Sounds good, see 'ya then," Miryhn said, waving.

"Just one thing real quick," Vera said, walking back to him. She yanked his hood back and took off his sunglasses. His brown eyes met hers for a moment and Vera smiled. "That's better. Now you look like the cat I own," she said with a laugh.

Miryhn glared at her as Vera skipped out the door. "Wonder who she was talking about," he said, scratching his head.

<CENTER>-----------------------------</CENTE R>

Entropy was floating in orbit around the outside of Antillia. The docking fees had piled up too high and Jim had to resort to free-floating orbit. Freya and Masamune into range and switched back to normal flight mode. Jim spotted the two Frames as they coasted alongside the ship.

Comlinks opened between Jim, Miryhn, and Vera.

"Hey," Jim said simply.

"Hey," Miryhn replied.

Vera sighed, seeing Jim's face again.

"Alright, look, I was a dick, I admit it. You can have your jobs back and I'll apologize and everything," Jim said, lighting up.

"I want a pay raise. I'm a Frame Runner offering my services as a pilot, after all," Miryhn demanded.

"Fine, fifty percent extra for both of you. I gave the same to Nash," Jim said, taking the cigarette from his lips.

"Nash came back too?" Vera asked.

"Yeah, he's been back a while," Jim answered, nodding.

Vera smiled a little bit.

"Good, now get inside, we're about to leave," Jim said, then cut off the comlink.

Miryhn grinned smugly and Masamune decellerated towards the stern. Freya did the same, Vera crying happily at her family finallly being reunited.

<CENTER>And so the Triad returned to their little boat and the journey to Heaven continued.</CENTER>

<CENTER>-----------------------------</CENTE R>

<CENTER>[This ends the intermission. Please return to your seats for the next story arc, "Acte 2 - Twilight to Starlight".]</CENTER>

<CENTER>-----------------------------</CENTE R>

* Passacaria is the organ music which themes Neclord's castle in Suikoden. It's use here is kind of ironic, isn't it?

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