Zone Of The Enders Fan Fiction ❯ Zone of the Enders: Triad 2177 ❯ Gave Up ( Chapter 28 )

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

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<CENTER>"i tried
 i gave up
 throw it away "
 - Nine Inch Nails, from "Gave Up"</CENTER>

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

The Valkyr was a number of miles away from Erigan, the crew hushed by the recent events. Ernest Diaz had barely managed to escape with his life along with Phil and April; the trio having witnessed the bloody slaughter within the Diaz estate.

Phil tapped his index finger on the panel in front of him, drawn within himself. Never before in his life had he seen one man do so much damage by himself; something noteworthy in the long history of assassinations. He thought he knew him well enough, but it seemed that above all the damn two-faced scum was out to get the elder Diaz all along.

"Freed Hallec," Diaz mumbled to himself, staring at the floor with a pained look on his face.

"Don't take it so hard, Ernie, we couldn't have known," April said sympathetically, wiping her cheeks. She had been sobbing the whole time and just recently stopped.

"How am I suppose to take it 'easy'? My father is dead as well as most of his syndicate!" Diaz lashed back.

"I'm sorry, Ernie, I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say, that's all," April said, looking back down away from him.

"It's probably best we just move on," Phil said bluntly. "Go back to salvaging and stuff. Word has it Hauser has been down for a while sitting on his hands and missing a lot of good work. Seems he had to take a personal sabatical or something. It's a good oppurtunity to catch up."

Diaz cussed in Spanish. "You're right, as much as I'd hate to admit it."

"You can't be the best if you let your rival go about his business, can you?" Phil asked, smirking.

"But my father....I can't even give him a proper funeral. I couldn't do anything, the truth, the violence, it all came out at the last second!" Diaz said, shaking his head.

"Ernie, you're right, you can't do anything. Freed was after him all along, right? If you go back, he'll kill you too!" Phil said, trying to be the voice of reason.

"Let him be sad, Phil, please?" April begged softly.

Diaz sighed and looked straight forward. "Alright, I'll mourn him later. But for now, you're right, we just need to move on. We'll start over again, all three of us. After all, this is the fall of the Diaz Syndicate. No sense in trying to go back to the past when it'll only end up killing me," he said, smiling a little. *

"You're a strong man, Ernie. And it seems being a ship captain suits you better than being a criminal," Phil said, smirking.

"Gracias, amigo, mucho gracias," Diaz said, smiling at Phil.

Suddenly, an alarm went off at April's console. She hurriedly wiped her eyes again and looked it over.

"Well, what is it?" Phil demanded to know, ready to send out a maelstrom of missiles.

"Another ship is rapidly approaching. I can assure you we wouldn't be able to out-run them," April said, an anxious look on her face.

"Who is it?" Diaz asked loudly.

"Eh...their code is registered as....'The Yellow Submarine'," April replied.

"Shit! It couldn't be!" Phil blurted out in anger. "They'd go so far as to backstab us too?"

"What? Who are they?" April asked, curious.

"A bunch of British space pirates. They're a pack of hippies too who worship The Beatles," Phil explained. "I saw Freed speaking to their leader, Chester McCartney. But to tell the truth, I could have sworn they were faithful to Ricardo."

"Then that means..." Diaz said, then sneered. "Ready all weapons! Fire upon them as fast as you can!"

"It's too late, they're already on top of us! Literal-" April began to say before the ship was suddenly rocked by an entry tube being fired into the side of the ship.

"No, this can't be happening!" April screamed in panic.

"They're already in the ship. There's a whole line of them busting in here," Phil shouted, switching between security cameras.

Diaz's eyes widened and his sneer intensified. "No, why now? Why, right when I want to come clean? Right when I want to turn over a new leaf? Why must I die now?" he asked under his breath. "Freed, I'll change, I really will."

"Captain, what are we suppose to do? They'll be here in the bridge any minute!" Phil shouted.

Diaz shot up from his chair. "Come," he commanded, then stepped off his chair and toward the door. "Both of you, now!"

Phil and April looked at each other and then up at Diaz. They hurried up and after him as he stepped through the door into the small sub-section between the bridge and the rest of the ship. He walked up to a door on the left-hand side and waited for Phil and April to approach.

"You have been good to me, you two, but there's no sense in all three of us dying here," Diaz said, sighing.

"What are you talking about?" April cried out.

"I've reached the end of the line, April. This is obviously an act of God or something of that sort," Diaz said, shaking his head. "My hands are tainted with all the wrongs I've done, all the wrongs I did in the name of my father and the oppresive hand he kept upon me all my life. All I ever did, I did for him and his love, but he was just using me like one of his own men."

"Ernie, stop it! Stop saying these things!" April screamed, beginning to cry again.

"I've made up my mind. I won't dodge fate, especially when the moment this sub-ship exits the ship, they'll shoot it to pieces. No matter what, I'll die here, but you two don't have to," Diaz said, hitting the button to open the door beside him. "Take my personal launch, which I decided to dub April May, and leave. Go somewhere safe, where you two can start over. I just can't, my friends, I'm in too deep and I need to pay for my crimes."

"Ernie stop saying these things, I told you that if you ever made her cry, I'd put a bullet in your h-" Phil roared, furious.

"Then do it!" Diaz shouted, his face dead serious. "And if you can't, then go! Go now!" he commanded, whipping out his handgun from the back of his belt. "Get in there now!"

Phil sneered and grabbed April's arm. "Fine, we're going. But just know that I'll be mad at you forever for just giving up on us, Ernie." He and April then stepped inside the small sub-ship contained within the side of the Valkyr>.

"No, you won't. The fact that I'm saving you two, my crew and best friends, should be enough for you to know that I'm still a good guy, even after all the horrible things I've done, no?" Diaz said, smiling.

Phil sighed and managed a smile. "Fine, alright, but give 'em hell before you go, alright?"

Diaz nodded slowly, smiling in reply.

"Ernie, don't do this! We were going to have a kid and settle down in Zarugatsu and everything!" April sobbed.

"April, you made me the happiest I've been in years. I love you and always will," Diaz said, smiling sincerely at April. Just then, there was pounding on the door to the back of the ship. "They'll be in here any minute. Go, now!"

"Farewell," Phil said, sighing.

"Ernie, I love you! I want to go with you! I can't live without you!" April screamed.

"Nonsense! Someone will look after you a lot better than I can. You can and will love again, trust me!" Diaz said, about to tear up himself. "Now, farewell, my friends," he said, then pounded the button to close the hatch and launch the sub-ship. He watched as April screamed and reached out for him as the side of the ship opened and Phil and April were launched outside. Her scream was silent now, but her tears were quite visible before it was out of eyeshot and it reached outside; the thrusters ignited, sending it away.

With that, Diaz sighed once again and headed for a small locker off to the side. He dug out a standard M-16 model machine gun and loaded a clip into it. He also took out and loaded a grenade round, putting it in the launcher mounted under the barrel. The pounding on the door was getting louder, meaning more and more were gathered around, ready to get the brunt of Diaz's last ditch effort.

"Like the perfect ending, it won't be too long until everything I've ruined...has seen me gone," Diaz said, smirking. He then drew a more determined look and dropped the rifle into both hands, aiming it at the door. He flipped the small switch on the side and pulled the trigger, letting loose the grenade round and blasting away the door and every single foolish soul that had the rocks to get so close to him.

With that, Diaz switched back to the magazine, letting loose on the next few tie-dyed assailants to rush the door. Each and every one dropped as Diaz made his way out the doorway to the balcony he had built outside the door that overlooked the hangar. On each side were semi-circle staircases, made of white marble with red carpeting.

"Diaz! We haven't exactly come to take over, but you can probably guess that this is the end for you," one of the hippies down on the floor cried out.

"Chester! You betray me too?" Diaz shouted, looking over the balcony. There had to be at least fifty men gathered on the floor and near the stairs, all with automatic weaponry aimed up at him.

"Let it be, man, let it be," Chester replied, the man in the very back with a tie-dye headband on and small-framed blue glasses on.

"Shouldn't you be staring at your Lucy? She's in the sky with diamonds," Diaz teased.

"Oh, that did it. Alright, chums, smear 'im," Chest shouted.

The crowd immediately began firing back, a deafening wave of gunfire enveloping the entire ship. Diaz managed to shoot about five or six of them, but he took four bullets before staggering backwards.

Somehow, he pushed past the pain and kept firing, nailing two in the head and three more in the torso, and one extra in the leg. So long as they were aiming at him and not April and Phil, he could do anything; no amount of pain would mean the life of those that meant something to him. They'd never know just how much they meant to him, despite all the things he regreted, despite all the things he wished that he could go back and change. To wash away his sins, if not with water, then with blood...

"You want a piece of me? You want a piece of Ernest Diaz? Well, come and get it!" Diaz shouted, charging forward to the edge of the balcony and began firing into the crowd. "You fuck with Diaz, you fuck with the man!"

He took five more shots, finally paralyzing his left arm, making him drop his aim and then his gun to the floor; meanwhile, the other shots entered his chest and legs, weaking his balance. "Fuck you all!" he screamed as loud as he could, moved to tears by knowing that this was the end.

Just then, the butt of a rifle clubbed the back of his head, causing him to collapse to the floor. The sound of all the gunfire was starting to fade, telling him that he was either going deaf or that this was it; the very end. He looked up and saw one of the hippies, whom had obviously gone through the ducts to sneak behind him.

"Say goodnight, mister Diaz," the hippie said, his words managing to pierce the veil of the blur of the moment. With that, he dropped a shotgun into Diaz's face, a white light contrasting the black barrel.

"Thank you," he said, too silent for anyone but himself to hear. And with that, the trigger was pulled and the shell ejected, spinning in slow motion it would seem. It landed in a pool of Diaz's blood just as the gunfire ended and silence fell over the ship.

Phil and April managed to make it away from the fiasco, but Phil lost it and just had to see if Diaz had somehow made it through. He kept calling the ship, but there was no reply.

And there was no reply...

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

"Looks like it's curtains for you, pal," Nash teased, smirking at Judas.

"I still have Park Place and Pennsylvania Avenue that I can mortgage," Judas replied, looking over his stack of property cards.

"Nash, just because you built a hotel on Oriental doesn't mean anything special," Vera said, picking up the dice.

"The fact that all you have is three twenties, five fives, and three ones because of said hotel doesn't help either," Miryhn chimed in.

The four were gathered around a Monopoly board in the lounge; Nash and Judas on the couch on one side while Miryhn and Vera were on the floor on the other side of the coffee table. Peniel was quietly sleeping off to the side of the board and Benu was on top of the TV pecking at an open can of beans.

"Are you sure you should feed that thing that stuff?" Nash asked, trying to change the subject.

"I don't know what the hell birds eat," Miryhn said, scratching his chest.

"Bird seed?" Nash asked sarcastically.

"We're kind of 'out of that' at the moment," Miryhn replied with the same sarcasm.

"Besides, it's a crane, who knows what they eat? Bugs? Fish?" Judas asked as Vera rolled and moved her top hat piece along the board.

"Ah, damn it," Vera said, landing on the "B & O Railroad".

"Pay up," Nash said, smirking.

"Great, now he's two hundred richer," Vera said, handing Nash two hundred-dollar bills.

"More houses, here I come," Nash said, giggling to himself.

"Well, he sure seems to like it anyway," Judas said, still referring to Benu.

"Whatever," Miryhn said, grabbing the dice. He rolled almost instantly, dropping them almost as soon as he picked them up. He grabbed his racing car piece and moved it the number of spaces, groaning as he himself landed on Oriental Avenue.

"Just because I built a hotel on Oriental doesn't mean anything special, eh?" Nash said, smirking.

"Shut up, right now," Miryhn said, digging the appropriate amount of rent out of his wad of bills.

"Ownage!" Nash shouted, then began laughing maniacallly.

"Why do we play with him anyway? He's such an aggressive player it kind of saps the fun out of it," Vera said, propping her head on her hand, elbow on the table.

"I'd rather play with Jim, he's usually too occupied with the TV or something to pay attention anyway," Miryhn said in agreement.

"Where is he anyway?" Judas asked.

"Eh, he's just been doing weird shit lately. He sits in his chair on the bridge with the lights off, his chair reclined all the way back so he can stare at the ceiling. He keeps lighting new cigarettes too and just letting the ashes fall on his face. When he's not doing that, he's in the hangar playing the piano and shit," Nash explained, rolling next.

"The fact that he called all of us back for immediate departure is also weird. He didn't say we were on a job or anything, he said to just go straight south, out of the U.C.M., A.S.A.P.," Miryhn added.

"It's like he just wanted to get up and leave, to get away from something," Judas said, scatching his head.

"Shouldn't someone go talk to him? I'm worried that we'll never stop, we'll just keep drifting around the Mars wilderness and never go back," Vera said, a bit worried.

"Not me," Nash said.

"Me neither, I hardly know him," Judas quickly said.

Vera and Miryhn looked at each other.

"Miryhn, maybe you-" Vera began to say.

"Vera, you're the-" Miryhn began to say.

Both paused.

"I'm not really up for talking to him. Remember, I was the one who called him a selfish monster. He probably still has it in for me," Vera said, biting her lip.

"Alright, fine, I'll go see what's the matter," Miryhn said, sighing and standing up. "Vera, I humbly give you command of my finances and property while I'm gone."

"Yay!" Vera cheered, then scooted herself into the middle of where her and Miryhn were sitting, giving her full reach over both sets of assets.

"Godspeed," Nash said, smirking and nodding.

"Um, see 'ya?" Judas added, confused.

"Right, be back in a bit," Miryhn said, then strolled out the door. He proceeded down the hall and down the stairs. Since there was no piano music being played, Jim had to be at the bridge, so Miryhn bravely walked forward and opened the door. He stepped inside the dimly lit bridge, the only light coming from the Martian landscape outside.

"Who is it?" Jim asked from his seat off to the left of Miryhn. He was in the exact position Nash described him in.

"Hey, just me," Miryhn replied.

"What do you want?" Jim asked, groaning.

"I came on behalf of the rest of the crew, Jim, we're wondering what the hell is up. And we're also wondering how long we're going to be flying around in the middle of nowhere," Miryhn explained as he walked towards Jim.

"Hold it," Jim said, raising a handgun off his chest.

Miryhn froze. "Hey, woah, just a second! What is this?" he asked. Normally, he wouldn't be surprised, less he would simply cut on his enpowerment and disarm him, but this was Jim; his boss, the man that never went beyond a loud bitch-out and threats of torment for doing a bad job. He now had a gun pointed at his pilot?

"Don't worry, there's only one bullet in this thing. Just enough to set things straight, or so it seems," Jim said with a sigh, resting it back on his chest.

"What do you mean?"

"The look on his face...that look....it's going to haunt me the rest of my life, just like the look on her's when I...." Jim said, seemingly in a trance.

"Jim, what's the matter?" Miryhn demanded to know.

"Why don't I just die, he says. It'd make everyone happy and I could see her again, but I just can't...I can't, I'm such a coward," Jim said, lament in his tone.

Miryhn was quite confused, unable to reply.

Jim sighed and spat the butt of a cigarette out of his mouth, it landing behind the chair in a small stack of several others. He then reached to the side console and grabbed a fresh cigarette and his lighter, sticking it straight up in his mouth and lighting it. He sighed again, taking in and out a fresh breath of smoke and placed the lighter back on the console. "It's about time I came clean, then, I guess. You guys deserve to know why I'm the way I am and why I had to go and haul ass away from my problems, dragging you guys along."

"Yes, that would help," Miryhn said, a hand at his hip.

"Miryhn, a few years ago, I killed my wife," Jim said bluntly. "But you have to understand, she wasn't even a woman anymore, she was a monster. She use to be beautiful, graceful, and so kind. She was an angel to me, my guardian angel, who kept me happy no matter what. You know that, Miryhn?

Miryhn was silent, captivated by his words.

"That's what angels do, they don't prance around and act girly and deliver message of hope and mush from God like you learn in church. Real angels are all around us and sometimes get inside us, making us do the things that make others happy. It's because of them that there's joy in even the most worthless and pathetic of lives like myself. Somehow, they just do things that...just by being there, they give off this....light and aura of joy. Sure, they feel things like we normal people do, but they keep working hard to make things better for everyone. They get a real kick out of it, you know? They get off and fucking orgasm over it," Jim explained, smiling while still staring at the ceiling.

Miryhn bit his lip, taking what Jim had to say to heart. "I guess you're right," he said, feeling as though Jim was talking about his own situation and somehow clearing it up even more.

"Angels aren't anything special, Miryhn, they're just like you and me but they have a little something extra, that's all. They still have the soul of a human being, but they got something in them that they can use to make it all a little better for everyone, especially they that they care about most. You see what I'm saying?" Jim explained.

"Yeah, I kind of do," Miryhn replied.

Jim sighed again. "And Katherine, that's my late wife, she lost that light somehow and she turned into a demon on me. Being around her, it made me sad. She lost her job and started to turn into a bitch and a lump of a human. She lost her will to do anything productive and her will to love me as I was loving her," he explained, taking the cigarette from his lips and dabbing the ash off to the side before placing it back.

"What happened then?" Miryhn asked, still awe-struck.

"She ran her mouth at me about how I didn't care about her. Truth is, I did, Miryhn, I really did. I cooked for her, I forced food down her throat and got her antidepressants and tried to give her back the light and hope she gave me. But she had given it all up, she cashed in her halo and wings for a sagging lump of an ass that she sat on all the time. Then she started bawling at random hours of the day, sometimes for ten minutes, sometimes for hours, and then shitting her pants and whining for me to clean it up. She watched soap operas and late night TV and every time I tried to get her to get back on the horse, she bitched. Then one day she just started crying and whining, and like I said, she blamed me for not caring. I kind of lost it then and I....killed her," Jim said, sighing again.

Miryhn was speechless.

"One of my old friends heard and he told me that I should just die. If I do, then it'd make up for everything. Her death, all the running away I did, all the sin I still carry on me," Jim said, looking down at the handgun.

"Hey, wait, there's always another way, alright? I don't want to sound like cliche suicide negotiator or anything, but still," Miryhn began to say.

"Aw, shut it, I'm not going to be blasting my brains out anytime soon. I'm too fucking scared of death to do anything like that," Jim said, laying his head back.

"Jim, I guess it's time I came clean too," Miryhn said, sighing. "I'm starting to think we have something in common and it might help."

"Yeah? How so?"

"Before I came here, I use to be a 'cleaner'. I worked for an old doctor who took me in after a little crisis I just got out of and he fed me and gave me a place to sleep so long as I kept cleaning. I got sick of it one day, having all that blood on my hands and said goodbye, then I went back to piloting school and took your job here," Miryhn explained. "I felt so ashamed, I never wanted to get back into the violent way of life ever again. So I ran from it and hid here, working like a normal person instead of...a 'cleaner'."

"So you took a few lives, eh? I can see your point now," Jim said, smirking.

"But then I got dragged back into it as soon as we got hold of those Frames and started working for Norris. I was not only pained to do it, but I was also scared. A long time ago, someone did something to me that made me do things I didn't want to. He stuck one your angels in me and I was too scared of it to let it work its magic on me," Miryhn said, strolling up the staircase to his seat, standing by the back of it.

"You don't say? Well, I'm sorry for all that, I couldn't see beyond the dollar signs in my eyes, I guess. You should have spoken up or something," Jim said, shrugging.

"I didn't think anyone would understand and back then I use to think that's what I wanted out of people. But to be honest, I'm glad I had to go back and face it because eventually I stopped being scared and just let it do it's thing. And even before that, I figured out that killing someone wasn't such a bad thing to me, so long as it's for the better benefit. I've really changed ever since we got those damn giant mecha," Miryhn said, smirking.

"You got a hell of a lot more interesting story than I do," Jim said, chuckling. "So what are you now? A living angel or some shit?"

Miryhn smirked and blinked, changing to his gold eyes. "Yeah, you could say that. I guess magical shit does exist in this day and age, or at least in this reality. It's what I am now and I'm rather grateful it ever happened. I can do things now that I never thought possible, both in the self-conscious and physical senses."

Jim chuckled again. "Yeah? Like what?"

"I can dodge bullets," Miryhn said, smirking. "And I found a way to finally be content with myself again after all the weight I put on myself after all that guilt."

Jim laughed louder. "I'd like to see that myself someday, but-"

"Come on. Take that gun and shoot at me. Seriously," Miryhn dared as he hurried down the staircase. "Right now, shoot."

"You sure?" Jim said, raising it off his chest.

"Positive," Miryhn said, smiling.

With that, Jim shrugged and fired; Miryhn nimbly stepped aside, looking like a silver and black blur to Jim.

"Damn, guess you were right," Jim said with a shrug. He then dug into his pocket and took out another bullet, ejecting the magazine and loading the next into it before shoving it back into the gun.

Miryhn drew an angry look. "Hey, come on, Jim, lighten up and-"

"Miryhn, shut your fucking mouth, alright?" Jim interrupted. "You really must be an angel to dodge death like that so easily, but I'm still a normal human being. I can't just sidestep it and keep going like you, I have a time and place just like everyone else that I'm going to kick the bucket and even if it's by my own hand, well damn, that's unfortuneate."

"But Jim, there's another way for you to deal with this, there has to be," Miryhn insisted. "You're not like all the others who kill people, you regret it! You actually give a shit that you took someone away from someone else, including yourself."

Jim sighed again and spat out his cigarette butt, lighting up another. "You and I aren't so much different, are we? You regretted killing all those people too, didn't you? You only did it to get by, but I did it out of cold blood and that's where we differ."

"Yeah, I regretted it. I only do it now if it means my own or some other innocent life," Miryhn said, digging his hands in his pockets.

"We differ in other ways, Miryhn, I don't have an angel in me or my own life anymore. You might standing right there, but you don't mean as much to me as Katherine did, no offense," Jim explained.

"None taken."

"I can admire you somewhat now for reaching out and taking hold of your salvation, then using it properly, or at least I hope you're using it properly. It'd be a damn shame to put your fancy powers to bad use," Jim said, almost reprimanding.

"Eh, don't worry, I won't," Miryhn said, smiling.

"But I'm just a normal human being, Miryhn, dealing with this shit isn't so easy for us like it might be for you," Jim continued.

"No, it isn't easy at all, as a matter of fact. It was one tough road for me to head down," Miryhn replied.

"Whatever the case for you, I'm different, okay? I don't have options, I only have one big consequence that I keep running from," Jim explained.

Miryhn sighed, unable to console him there; he was right, after all.

"You say you got wings? You got what Katherine had? You think you can make someone happy just by being around them? You better damn well do it, else you're just as much a waste as I am. If you got that light that makes someone happy, give it to them because it isn't going away until you let it go away," Jim said in a commanding tone. "If you throw away what you have on selfish things, then you'll be just another demon like Katherine was. You keep doing whatever it is you do to make someone's life better, then you'll keep your wings, you hear?" Jim continued.

"You don't have to....live by that, do you?" Miryhn asked.

"Oh, shit, no! Whatever gave you that idea? I'm trying to tell you that it's a damn good feeling and once you do it, you'll keep going back to it. But you got to keep being yourself, no matter what. Don't let it be who and what you are, be who you want to be and do what you want to do as well as do what you want to do with your special shit, so long as it makes you happy to be alive," Jim explained.

Miryhn managed a smile. "That's good advice. I think I'll take it."

"Of course it's good advice, I'm trying to help people here, including you, as best as I can. It's only common fucking sense. Angels are here to live life and make things better, not sit on their ass all the time. Of course, you can still sit on your ass, just don't make it your goal in life," Jim said, shrugging.

"So you're saying I can keep going like I am and be alright?" Miryhn said, smiling wider.

"Hell yeah! Scarf down bags of chips, sleep all day, buy the wrong groceries, fuck up the ship with your dumbshit driving, whatever! So long as you still have a good heart, you'll be fine. And having that good heart will mean you never have to worry about if you're doing the right thing or not and from that you can keep living life as you choose," Jim explained. "You still have choices, Miryhn, I'm just trying to say you got the potential to make the most out of it."

Miryhn laughed, somehow feeling much relieved. "You know what? Thanks. That really helped."

"No problem-o," Jim said, sighing in and out another puff of smoke. "But there's one other thing I should advise you on."

"What's that?"

"You ever entertain the fact that someone loves you?" Jim asked bluntly.

"I use to think someone did, but she's not around anymore," Miryhn said solemnly. "She had someone waiting for her."

"And where is she now?"

"She went to him."

"Don't you mean she went back to him or-....oh, wait, I see what you mean. Damn, that's a shame," Jim said, catching on.

Miryhn slowly nodded.

"Well, why don't you move on? You're not still carrying a torch for her, are you?" Jim asked.

"No, not anymore. When I heard she already had someone waiting, I dropped it. Besides, they're both gone, so what's the sense in holding out for her?"

"That's a good idea. Don't be like me and keep the same woman at heart forever," Jim advised. "I should really pawn off this wedding band, but I just can't, it's be like me pissing on her grave."

"But that's where we differ, Jim, I never married her. I didn't get to see if she was the one for me and you found yourself a woman to keep for life," Miryhn replied, leaning back against the consoles on the opposite wall.

"I guess you're right," Jim said, tapping his index finger against his chest.

"I really should move on, but I don't know where to go," Miryhn said, sighing.

"Why don't you try Vera?" Jim said, rolling his eyes.

Miryhn raised an eyebrow. "Why her?"

"Are you fucking stupid or what? How dare you ask ask me that," Jim said, highly offended. "Don't insult my intelligence like that again, alright?"

"Just tell me what you mean," Miryhn said, sighing.

Jim sighed in irritation. "I can't believe you haven't caught on by now. Haven't you noticed how much this girl cares for you?"

Miryhn bit his lip, staying quiet.

"When we dragged your barbequed ass back from the hospital, she was sobbing like it was her own mother laying there with a bullet in her head. She insisted on wasting more time going to get you from your 'personal matter' and comes back with that cat as well as you. When you guys got back from that big fight on Norris's call, she was worried sick about you all the time. She kept peeking in your room at night and everything and I even caught her once. She said that she couldn't tell me why she was watching you, but that she was about to pass out from being worried sick. She goes after you when you ran off to Callisto, she was listening in when that doctor made a housecall, she keeps referring to you when you're not around as anything but a 'brother', and she obviously trusts you enough to hear you out and understand. I can tell that by how she keeps secrets that you tell her," Jim explained.

Miryhn sighed, unable to think of anything to reply with.

"Miryhn, look at the facts, she cares about you like I'm sure no other woman you know currently could. She wants to be with you, she just won't admit it because she's shy or some stupid shit like that," Jim said, sounding as truthful as possible. "You just might have to take the initiative here."

"But who's to say I care about her?" Miryhn pointed out.

"Well, don't you? I fail to see what's so bad about her. You plop down and watch anime with her, you get along fine with her and talk to her sometimes. You sure seem to like hanging around her and believe me, I can tell because I keep an eye on everyone around here," Jim pointed out.

"Am I in denial again?" Miryhn asked himself.

"You can't be in denial, not the way you act around her. Just tell it to me straight, alright? Do you or do you not give a damn about this girl?" Jim demanded to know.

"Yeah, I do," Miryhn said, nodding.

"And would you go so far as to say that you actually love her?" Jim said in the same tone.

"I don't kn-"

"Of course you know!" Jim snapped. "Quit fucking around and just admit it. Tell me it right now."

Miryhn sighed again. "I guess so."

"Aw, quit being a pussy. Just shout it, alright? Just scream it, I'm sure they can't hear upstairs. Say it, you fucking pussy, say it!" Jim commanded.

"Alright!" Miryhn cried out. "I love....her. I really do love Vera. She's most of the reason I'm still alive, after all."

"Yeah? Go on!" Jim said, waving his hand in a circular motion.

"She showed me that I didn't really want understanding, I just wanted someone to give a damn. And after that, she kept showing concern and admiration....and she's fun to be around and we like a lot of the same stuff and....my God, she has the hottest ass I've ever seen. Her rack isn't too shabby either. And damn, I just plain like blondes," Miryhn said, smiling as he continued.

"That's the spirit! Just fucking saying it out loud, that's how I got over myself and just saw the truth for what it was," Jim said, nodding once at Miryhn.

"Alright, so I love her, but how am I suppose to show that? I'm not sure I can just walk up and admit it," Miryhn said, sighing again.

"You don't have to say anything. Actions speak louder than words, Miryhn. Just show her that you want to return the caring she gives you and that should give you the courage to tell her, if you want. You can also be dramatic and just kiss her, but that might be rude," Jim said, shrugging.

"I think I'll just try that suggestion about returning the affection," Miryhn said, standing up.

"Sounds good. Trust me, she's worth it if she cares that much for you. You will not regret it," Jim said, folding his hands across his stomach and spitting his butt away.

"If I don't, I'll owe you one," Miryhn said, smiling.

"One in the bag, check," Jim said, doing a mark with his index finger in the air.

"Well, enough about me. I'm worried, Jim, you can't go through with taking your own life, can you?" Miryhn said, putting his hands back in his pockets.

"I don't know yet, Miryhn, I just don't know what to do," Jim replied.

Miryhn sighed and stepped towards the door. Suddenly, something came across his mind and he stopped, turning to Jim once again. "Jim, I just remembered something. It was a story I heard someone say in an anime I once saw. Can't remember the name, let alone anything else about it, but the monologue sticks out in my mind at the moment."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"It went something like this. Back on Earth, a man injures his leg on the Savanna and can't walk, so he lays there in agony for a long while. Eventually, the leg rots and he knows that soon he'll die. A rescue plane eventually finds him and saves him, but it's too late and the disease he was infected with starts to take his life. He looks down in the plane and sees Mount Kilamanjaro, the place he was trying to get to. And as he eventually dies, he regrets not ever making it there."

Jim was silent.

"The character who told that story said that he hated stories like that, and I'd have to agree with him. When someone is looking at or looking for death, it's all because of regret. It may not entirely fit you, but you have to admit that in your case, you aren't exactly stuck in one spot like the man in the story was. You can find other ways, I'm sure of it. Point is, you aren't dead yet and there's still time to get cured and get to that mountain," Miryhn explained. "Don't go looking for death either. I can tell you right now that it's probably the worst choice of all. It means nothing more than giving up and simply watching that mountain you never made it to."

Jim sighed and lit another cigarette. "Let me think about it."

"Alright," Miryhn said, then headed for the door again.

"Hey, Miryhn. You sure you can't remember the name of that anime? Sounds like my kind of thing," Jim asked real quick.

"No, can't recall too well. Although, I think I remember having a lot in common with the main character," Miryhn added, smirking.

Jim laughed to himself. "What a weirdo you are."

"Just....referring to that old Led Zeppelin song, not all that glitters is gold. Don't go buying that 'stairway to heaven'," Miryhn said, then stepped out the door and closed it.

"I told you, I'm thinking about it. I'll find a different way, don't worry," Jim said, sighing.

"Well, alright. See 'ya later then. Thanks for the....talk and all. You really helped, just so you know," Miryhn said, smiling.

"I'm trying my best. A minister once told me that the path to salvation is beset on both sides by spreading my wisdom and aid to my fellow man," Jim replied.

"Sounds like good advice. That minister is obviously a good one," Miryhn said, not realizing the irony. With that, he started for the door again.

"Just remember all that I said. Give Vera a shot, you know you want her. And if you got wings, fly with 'em, damn it. Do all that you possibly do. Run without thinking anything, you know?" Jim said, summing it up again.

"And you keep reconsidering, alright?" Miryhn said, biting his lip.

"I hear 'ya. See 'ya then," Jim said, bidding farwell.

"See 'ya," Miryhn replied and for the time being, they went their seperate ways.

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

Meanwhile, before these things happened, Leo was keeping pace with the container he had stored Jehuty in as it was being moved along a crane in the Antillia Spaceport. He stared up at it while alternately looking ahead of himself, being sure not to run into anything.

"Why are you still down here? We should be in the passenger loading area!" Celvice said as she caught up with him.

"I'm just making sure no one peeks inside. If anyone finds out it's Jehuty in there, we're sunk," Leo replied, stopping as Celvice caught up. He kept watching the container as it stopped over a long, green colored freighter with several underside mounted clamps.

"I guess we can cut to the chase and get to the gate in front of that ship. It's our ride back to Mars, after all," Celvice said, grabbing Leo's hand and drifting towards the metal gate in front of the freighter the container was being loaded under.

"I'm in just as much of a rush as you are," Leo said, drifting off with her in the zero-g spaceport.

"Leo, does the name Ender sound familiar to you? It sure does to me," Celvice said, reading off her ticket.

"Kind of does, why?" Leo said, scratching his head.

"Because that's the name of the ship we'll be on," Celvice replied.

They stopped in front of the large freighter and looked up at it just as someone else approached from the back.

"Excuse me, is this 'Ender'?" a female voice asked behind them.

"Yeah, it is. At least it should be since they stuck my freight to it," Leo replied.

"They stuck mine to it too, so I guess it must be," the female replied. She was a brown-haired lady in a white outfit and crimson red nails, a blue bag with its strap around her shoulder.

"Leo, why do you think the ship has...ears?" Celvice asked, pointing up to what looked like the head of an Orbital Frame on the "head" of the ship.

Leo shrugged, looking at their supposed travelmate, her shrugging as well.

"Looks like you three are my next customers, huh? Well, good to see you are all punctual," a burly fellow said as he floated up. He was obviously well-built for his showing age, a few greys in his short, blonde hair.

"I suppose you're the captain, right?" Leo asked.

"Yep, James Links is the name, in case you haven't heard. Use to be a celebrity, about five years ago, but that's beside the point. Are you three Maria Beardsley, Tifa Adil, and Scht....Schtol....Schtoby....how the hell do you say your name?" James Links, the infamous criminal turned hero from the earlier days of the war, asked.

"Schtolteheim Reinbach the Third," Leo corrected, contorting his face to remember such a complicated name.

"What an odd name, I gotta tell 'ya," James said, putting his hands at his hips. "Well, you three set to go? Once we leave, there's no stopping, I'll have you back on Mars in no time flat. I have clout with the Urenbech Catapult guys," he said, giving a thumbs-up and a grin.

"Right-o, captain," the brown-haired lady, actually Maria Beardsley, said as she pushed open the gate and headed towards the hatch.

"Yeah, let's get going, Tifa," Leo said, taking Celvice's hand and drifting up for the hatch.

Celvice giggled softly.

"What's so funny?" Leo asked.

"I told you everyone would fall for it. And you kept saying it was a 'bogus' name," Celvice whispered. **

"Right, right, like 'Tifa Adil' isn't that strange either," Leo whispered in reply.

Celvice giggled again as the couple drifted inside the Ender and turned right after Maria to the bridge and cockpit. All three took seats in the twelve-seat area, three sets of pairs on each side of the small cockpit. Naturally, Celvice was beside Leo.

"Alright, we're taking off immediatley. Everyone just sit back and relax," James said as he floated inside the cockpit and took his seat at the front, starting up the ship.

"Uncle, we didn't get to refuel first," a young woman's voice said from seemingly everywhere.

"Don't give me that, we have plenty of fuel to make it back," James replied.

Maria raised an eyebrow while Leo and Celvice stared at one another, then back to the front.

"But we can't be stranded out anywhere. I don't know if I can get us back to safety," the voice begged.

"Come on, dollface, just relax. The Catapult will send us most of the way," James replied as the ship came off its restraints and he used the maneuvering jets to put it in the Urenbech Catapult.

"Excuse me, but who are you talking to?" Maria just had to ask.

"Dolores, my ship's computer," James replied.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, uncle, I didn't notice you had visitors," the voice said. Suddenly, a wire-guided "eye" dropped from the ceiling and looked Maria in the face.

Maria flinched and slowly backed up in her seat. "Wha-wha-what is that?" she muttered.

"Not 'what', who! I'm Dolores! Please to meet you," the voice said and Maria could have sworn the "eye" turned into an upside U-shape like characters in anime do when they smile.

Celvice giggled. "Certainly a friendly computer you have," she said, examining Dolores' eye.

"So who are you three? Have you met Aunt Rachel and Cousin Sara yet? Oh, wait, of course you couldn't, they're playing in back," Dolores said, the eye drifing around aimlessly while still pointed at the three passengers.

"The one on the left is Maria and those two lovebirds on the right are Tifa and...oh, let's just call him 'Reinbach' since that's the only part of his name I can pronounce," James said, sighing as outside the Ender was being surrounded in gold energy and eventually launched.

"Oh, it's so very nice to meet new people. Uncle hasn't had much company ever since everyone left and I've been living with Uncle, Aunt Rachel, and Cousin Sara," Dolores said, the eye slowly bouncing back and forth happily. Outside, the "ears" were flapping happily.

"How odd," Leo murmured to himself.

"I think it's adorable!" Celvice said, patting Leo's cheek. "Don't you?"

Leo smiled nervously and simply laughed.

"So why are you three going to Mars? Do you mind me asking?" Dolores asked anxiously, dying for conversation.

"We're just going back to help a few friends out," Leo answered.

Maria hesitated.

"Miss Maria? What about you? Do you not want to tell us?" Dolores asked innocently.

"No, it's okay. I'm just going back to see my....boyfriend," Maria answered, smiling a little. "He was kind of bound by a...possession of his to leave me, but I have one of my own now and-....well, nevermind, I just know that it'll work out better now."

"Do you mean one of those Orbital Frames?" Dolores said, the eye cocking to the side a little.

Leo's eyes widened while Maria almost fell out of her seat.

"What are you talking about?" James chimed in.

"In the two holds, there's an Orbital Frame in each. However, I can't seem to get them to respond to me," Dolores replied.

"Hey, now you wouldn't be thinking of turning us in over this, would you? Because if you are, I can assure you that I'll have to-" Leo began to say, panic rising.

"Oh, put a lid on it, I don't care. I carted around one of the most well-guarded secrets in the BAHRAM military for a little while so I know how it feels to be hassled like that," James said plainly,"I just don't feel like getting involved anymore. Not when I finally have my old life back as well as a new life to take care of."

"You mean this 'Sara' child?" Celvice answered.

"Yeah, exactly. I'm just going to pretend nothing happened because none of us have anything to gain from it. I'll get more trouble for being involved with Orbital Frames, you'll be in trouble for having them, and that'll only lead to more trouble for everyone," James said, shaking his head. "And I'm through with causing trouble, alright?"

Leo bit his lip, deciding to trust the old man's sincere tone. "Alright, but if you let out one squeak of this, I'll-"

"Didn't I just say to put a lid on it? Just pretend she never asked," James interrupted.

"I'm sorry, uncle, and everyone. I was just curious," Dolores apologized, the ship's ears drooping.

"Don't worry about it, missy," James said, smirking.

"I thought I was your 'dollface'!" Dolores protested.

"Come on, either way it's a compliment, right? So what if something is lost in translation or not?" James said, rolling his eyes.

"You're being strange again, Uncle," Dolores said, the eye drifting beside James.

"When isn't he being strange?" another female said jokingly, coming in from the back. "I just put Sara down for a nap and wanted to see what's going on up here."

"Ah, good timing, Rachel, just as things were cooling off," James said, smiling as his black-haired wife drifted up beside him and kissed him.

"I can only imagine what was going on up here. So who are we helping out this time?" Rachel said as she sat in the seat on the opposite of the aisle to James.

"This is Miss Maria, Miss Adil, and Mister Reinbach. We're taking them to Mars so they can go look for their friends. But Miss Maria is looking for someone who isn't just a friend, but is her boyfriend!" Dolores said happily.

"Yeah, that's right," Maria concured with a sigh.

"But strangely, they're bringing other Frames with them," Dolores added.

"Orbital Frames? Why would you guys have those?" Rachel asked, instantly interested as she pushed her glasses back up her nose.

"I came across mine by accident, kind of. I still have it because I want to help my boyfriend out, that's all," Maria explained, feeling quite awkward telling anybody about it.

"I just don't ever want to give mine up. It's very special to me," Leo said, waxing sympathetic for a moment.

Celvice smiled a little and hugged Leo.

Rachel smiled. "Well, I can tell you're being honest just by the way you say it. Also, that you'd admit it to perfect strangers," she explained. "As long as you use them for the better interest of yourselves and others, then you'll be doing what Orbital Frames were really made for anyway."

"How can you say that? How would you know?" Maria asked, curious.

"Aunt Rachel made Orbital Frames!" Dolores cheered. "She even made me!"

"Dolores! Calm yourself," Rachel said, blushing.

"Wait, that's right, Rachel Links was-" Leo began to say, recalling some information that passed his way back in his days with the UNSF.

"That's right. I was with BAHRAM and I helped develop Frames. But like I just said, I only made them to help others if possible, not be tools of mass destruction," Rachel said, sighing.

"You have my sympathies, ma'am, I witnessed the madness of someone who wanted to use a Frame for nothing but wrong-doing," Leo said, sighing as well.

"But if Dolores can detect other Frames even when inactive, then that means she must be-" Celvice started to say.

"A Metatron computer, yes. Dolores isn't just a normal navigation and maintenance system, she's also something like 'living' Metatron," Rachel explained. "It's sometimes hard for me to tell the difference between her programming and her personality."

"Metatron has a personality, huh?" Leo asked himself.

"Dolores proves it to some extent. Metatron has properties beyond just a mere metal, even breaking into the realm of something a little more. It's truly an amazing and almost living substance," Rachel said, folding her legs. "But I never got that far in my research. I gave it up when I saw what Nereidium and BAHRAM did to my work."

"A living substance....but why and how would something like that exist?" Leo replied.

"One can only guess, Mister Reinbach," Rachel said, giving him a concerned look. "Nobody really knows where a substance like Metatron will lead our society."

"I know what it'll do," Dolores chimed in.

"What would that be?" Rachel replied.

"Metatron must want to help people, like I did for Uncle! It's not good or evil or want destruction or chaos, it's just....a supplement. An add-on to people so that they can do things they always wanted to do!" Dolores said cheerfully. "Metatron just wants to be closer to people and for them to embrace it, and again, I know this because that's how I feel about uncle and you too, Aunt Rachel!"

"Thanks, dollface," James said, smiling.

"Yes, thanks Dolores," Rachel said in agreement, smiling as well.

Maria looked down for a moment, thinking back. Dolores' words had touched something in her memory, but she wasn't sure what.

"I guess Jeh-...I mean, my Frame must feel the same way I do about it then" Leo said, smiling.

"Excuse me a second," Maria said, standing up and heading out of the cockpit.

"Guess she had to use the toilet," James said, shrugging.

"But we didn't tell her were it was," Rachel commented.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her," Dolores said with a giggle, her "eye" slowly drifting around aimlessly again.

"Sheesh, her sense of humor program needs an upgrade, Rachel," James said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, don't pick on her, James," Rachel said, patting her husband's shoulder.

Within the ship, one of Dolores' mechanical eyes followed Maria as she wandered aimlessly towards the middle section. She then tried doors until she found the way to the hold and hurried down it. Dolores' followed slowly and carefully, remaining out of sight. Maria ended up inside Shiva's freight container, staring up at it in the faint light.

After a few long moments of looking up at the Frame, she sighed and put a hand on it, sending off a few small Metatron lines. "You wouldn't mind telling me....just what it is you think you can supplement for me, do you? Do you think that allowing me to fight alongside Nash will finally make us stay together for good, or are you just a stepping stone to a better life?"

Shiva didn't reply and it couldn't, it was restrained, after all.

"Come on, tell me something here. I'm completely lost now, I don't know where I'm going or what I'm suppose to do. All I know is that I want to go back to him," Maria said, starting to tear up as she kneeled in front of the Frame's leg. "Just something. Please? I beg of you..."

Her one wish was enough to spark the will to power. A freight over, Jehuty's eyes flared and the song sounded in Maria's ears. Dolores began to hear it too and shuddered, the eye upon Maria falling backwards, stunned.

"Oooooo...seni cula....."

Something flashed before her; a long beach at the foot of a cliff, and standing in the water was a red-haired woman in a green and yellow dress. The woman looked back over her shoulder and merely smiled...

Maria fell backwards flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling. She blinked a couple of times and suddenly had the urge to feel everything around her; the cold floor, her own self, and her flesh as if for a brief second it was all gone and another realm had taken her for a split second.

"Oh, what was that just now? What was that strange feeling?" Dolores asked herself quietly. "What is it about these Frames that's giving me such a funny feeling?"

Maria sighed and stood up, looking up at Shiva one more time before hurrying back up the ladder to the deck. Dolores' eye was raised and out of sight by then, so Maria just hurried back to the bridge like nothing ever happened.

"A living substance....metal with a soul.....a supplement to humankind?" Maria asked herself. "Would it be too late to start believing now?"

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

Durandal slammed a fist into the last of the Vic Vipers, the heated armblade causing it to detonate immediately. The entire attack squad had been decimated by just Durandal and Ardjet, but the ship had considerable damage inflicted on it. Ardjet surrounded and fired on the Behemoth below, damaging it enough to lower the shielding so that Ken could fly in and put her blades into it, finishing it off.

"All targets destroyed, threat eliminated, and now in cautionary mode," Dingo said, then sat back and sighed. "Angie, get a cold one ready. I need to relax a bit after that."

"You've fought worst, haven't you? It's almost like back in BAHRAM, fighting down LEVs with Frames and all that," Ken said as Ardjet ascended to Durandal's level.

"Yeah, it kind of is like that, isn't it?" Dingo said, slightly softer as he looked upward. "Damage report?" he added, aloud again.

"Lots of hits taken to the stern, luckily no engine or fuel tank damage, though. Otherwise, we're just loosing armor panels slowly but surely everywhere else. If you want an metaphor, we're around a third of our 'HP' here," Angie replied as the two Frames headed inside the container they store in under the ship.

"Been playing Leo's games again, huh?" Dingo said, taking off his sunglasses as he climbed out of Durandal and landed on the floor of the container.

"There isn't much else to do around here, you know. Have you figured out what we're going to do yet?" Ken asked, approaching him from Ardjet.

"The only reason we're still on Mars is because I was hoping Leo would come back soon. Otherwise, we'd be off this hostile rock as soon as possible," Dingo replied as the pair headed up the ladder to the hallway within the ship.

"But we can't waste any more time, Dingo, we can maintain Durandal and Ardjet as long as we can, but the ship can only take so much more without repairs. The Space Force is just going to keep sending people at us until we're dead," Ken said as they walked along, then sighed. "Dingo, we have to leave. This is the end of the line, we can't keep pushing our luck any more!"

"Just what are you saying?" Dingo roared, stopping and instantly turning to her with a furious look.

"I'm saying there's no sense in staying on Mars. There's no sense in keeping this up anymore. Just abandon this creaky old freighter and move on!" Ken shouted in reply.

Dingo sneered, angry that she'd ever consider just stopping things right then and there. Or perhaps he wasn't angry, but upset that she was right; and if she was, that'd mean he'd just have to strike out and find something else to do. But that was the problem; he was a fugitive now, a dead man walking and destined to die at the hands of people who only saw him as another filthy Martian. The pressure must have been getting to him as well as the truth of the matter: there was nowhere else to go, there was nowhere to go for him. He was a soldier, a warrior in every sense, but no military would rightfully accept him. Earth hated him, Mars was powerless to keep him safe. His sneer turned into a sad look at knowing this; Dingo was now beginning to see what was really going on, he was in a void, he had no purpose anymore. And there was little to gain by fighting back, to struggle against his inevitable death.

Ken's face turned into a look of concern then. "Dingo, what's wrong? Come on, just what's bothering you?"

Dingo sighed and took a few steps away from her. "Maybe I should just roll over and die, Ken. We're condemned now, me and every one of you that ever got involved with my mess. I can't do anything now, I'm completely powerless to stop my and all of you guys' fates."

"That's not true! We just now won against an attack by a Space Force assault squad! That size and troop type used was for threats much bigger than just two Orbital Frames, Dingo! We can do this, we just-" Ken began to say, trying to console.

"No!" Dingo shouted, interrupting. "No! Don't you get it, Ken? One or two attack squads are nothing. They have a whole army, and not just here, but back on Earth. They'll keep coming and coming until we're dead and believe me, they can and will so long as I draw breath."

Ken sighed and kept silent, looking to the floor.

"It's so simple. Don't you get it? They won, we lost. They're going to keep at it because they damn well can and we can't. There is absolutely no hope, so we might as well leave that behind as well," Dingo explained angrily.

"Leaving hope....is never a good idea, Dingo," Ken said, looking up.

"Whatever," Dingo said, shaking his head as he stomped down the hall. "Let's just leave, now. We'll head to Jupiter and just....start over. Change our identities, get plastic surgery, go our seperate ways, whatever. I'm just sick of fighting back the inevitable."

"Dingo, wait," Ken said loudly, then hurried up and grabbed his arm. She spun him and around immediately kissed him. "Just calm down, okay? Nobody has to die, nobody has to give up hope, so stop acting so damn rediculous," she said, sloping her brow at the end of her statement.

Dingo once again sighed and turned, continuing down the hall.

"Hold up, folks, we got incoming," Angie announced over the intercom.

"What is it this time?" Dingo asked, stopping and leaning on a wall, rubbing his face with his hands.

"One Orbital Frame," Angie replied.

"VANGUARD?" Ken simply asked.

"Nope, just our stray cat coming back with his kitten," Angie said with a giggle.

"He couldn't have," Dingo said, raising an eyebrow.

"I guess ADA's a pretty powerful tracking computer," Ken said, smiling.

Jehuty came flying at the ship going full speed. Inside, Leo and Celvice smiled at one another, having arrived back on Mars a few hours ago. While Maria disappeared without a word, the Linkses (and Dolores) bid them all farewell and took off back for space. ADA tracked the Ochre Roc with the help of a number of military inspection satellites and they had finally caught up. A few minutes later, Jehuty was safely inside the ship and Leo and Celvice came strolling into the lounge.

"Hey, everyone, we made it back!" Leo announced as he walked in.

Dingo, whom had begun mixing a glass at the small drink bar proceeded straight up to Leo and punched him in the chin. Leo went straight to the floor and Celvice stepped back into the hallway.

"Dingo! What are you doing?" Ken shouted, standing up from the couch she was on.

Dingo picked up Leo by the shirt, holding his bruised face to Dingo's own. "You run off, take forever to get back, leave this ship and everyone on it at the mercy of the Space Force, and then you come prancing in the door with that sugar-coated smile on your face? Do you have any idea just how things are going around here?"

"No, I don't," Leo replied, spitefully.

Dingo sighed and dropped Leo to his feet. "Yeah, welcome back and all that. Same to you, Celvice, you can come back in here now, I'm settled down."

Celvice cautiously came back in the lounge and checked Leo as he leaned against the wall, watching Dingo as he grabbed his drink and a bottle of aged wine and sat on a couch.

"All of you, leave me alone. I want to drink myself stupid in peace," Dingo commanded.

"What's going on? What happened to you and wha-" Leo began to cry out.

"Leo!" Ken interrupted, walking by Leo and Celvice, waving for them to follow her into the hall. All three stepped out behind her and made sure to shut the door.

"Ken, what happened to him? What's going on?" Leo demanded to know.

"While you were parking Jehuty, he gave the order to me and Angie. We're all going to Jupiter and when we get there, we're going to just go our seperate ways," Ken explained.

"What are you saying? Is this because Leo left to get me?" Celvice asked, highly worried.

"No, it's not because of you or Leo, it's because Dingo's giving up. He doesn't think we can do anything about the Space Force attacking us anymore and he's afraid our lives will be on the line because of him. I can tell this, even if he won't admit it," Ken explained. "But even if we run, they'll find us again, no doubt. And Dingo might be considering just taking his own li-"

"No! Stop it! This is just too much, Ken. I thought he'd have already come up with something by now, but why would he ever consider that?" Leo cried out.

"He's the leader and he gave the order, Leo. East Wind is hereby disbanded. We are no longer and whatever he decides to do, that'll be his say and only his. You just have to understand that the only thing he's really good at is fighting, and if he can't fight for a good reason, then what does he have?" Ken explained.

"He has us, he has you, isn't that good enough?" Leo replied.

"He still acknowledges us as his friends and me as his love, but we can only do so much," Ken said sadly. "But he just wants to be alone for now. You might not see him for the rest of our trip."

"Trip?" Celvice asked.

"As I said, we're going to Jupiter and we're disbanding. We'll destroy the ship when we get there and maybe even the Orbital Frames, save whichever of the three the respective Runner might want to keep," Ken explained further.

Leo sighed, drawing a saddened look. "So this is it, huh? It's all over now?"

"Yeah, he's given up," Ken said simply, then walked away.

Leo and Celvice looked at each other, exchanging looks of despair. Celvice hugged Leo before he started down the hall. "Might as well pack up then."

Celvice nodded and followed him.

In the lounge, Dingo took a long gulp straight from his bottle, not bothering with the glass anymore. He took the bottle away from his lips and sighed, staring at the ceiling as the ship suddenly shifted upwards and the escape thrusters ignited. "It's about time we stepped off-stage for a while, things are getting too hot to handle. Let's hope we come back in the next act with something even better," he said to himself softly.

And with that, the Ochre Roc took off, leaving Mars' atmosphere, going on its last one-way trip before its death. She was a fine ship, Dingo's own little row boat, bound for destruction merely because it was the symbol of everything he had up until that point. But holding on any longer would mean tradgedy, so one last atmospheric exit, one last trip to Jupiter, one last look at the stars; then they'd drift once more...

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

Joker walked in the doorway to the nicknamed "chamber of Deus", the cargo hold that kept the gelatinous blob contained. Inside, Cyril was once again sitting in his chair at the edge of the catwalk above the hold, scrolling through a list on the computer at the desk in front of him.

"What 'cha doing?" Joker asked as he approached.

"Well, if it isn't Joker, back so soon? I heard Annallee kicked your ass for defying orders," Cyril said with a smirk, not looking away from the screen.

"She didn't do anything except give me a thorough talking-to," Joker replied, folding his arms as he looked over Cyril's shoulder.

"Trent and Sylfa were sent in your stead, seeing as you can't keep your hot head from fighting Thanatos every time you come across him," Cyril explained. "It's just you, me, Leonard, Quinn, and Lazarus here now."

"He really thinks just three people are enough to kill him? I can assure you that he can handle it," Joker said, strolling away from Cyril and looking over the railing.

"Not to bust your chops, but seeing as you tried twice and failed, Lazarus is close to having all eight of us go after him at some point. He's really starting to rue not killing him when he had the chance. The longer Thanatos lives, the more Lazarus worries," Cyril said, writing something on the clipboard in his lap with a pen off the desk.

"He had good reason too. His power is growing rapidly. He's already surpassed what I thought he'd be and unlike us, he actually has the 'wings' to prove it," Joker said, staring at the white and gold Orbital Frame below. Deus was slowly forming into what could be easily recognized as an actual Orbital Frame. It was rather basic-looking, though, much similar to the very first Frame of them all, Idolo. However, there were unique differences, like the "winged" structures coming off the visor, the thin blades on each forearm that resembled wings once again, and the two thruster binders on the back that seemed much too small to support a Frame of that size. The armor plating was still a gooey mess, formed in some places and still gel in most others.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Cyril asked, not looking away from his work.

"It's suppose to mean that he's finally learning about the will to power, the thing that makes Metatron so fantastic," Joker explained. "The more he believes, the more powerful it and he grows."

"Are you trying to tell me that how strongly one feels is equivalent to how powerful Metatron is? Come on, that's crazy," Cyril said, looking up at Joker and raising an eyebrow.

"That's exactly what I'm telling you. And I've been thinking that that's why Deus isn't doing what we want. It feeds and flourishes off someone's will, making the bearer of this powerful constitution endowed as well as itself. Metatron isn't just a living metal, its the next step for humanity," Joker said, smiling.

"Wait, how do you know all this? How can you be so sure?" Cyril said, sloping his brow with confusion.

"Melchior told me so," Joker said plainly.

Cyril's eyes widened and he reached for his staff, which was propped against the railing beside the desk.

Joker reacted even quicker, dashing up and kicking the desk over, sending the computer and Cyril to the floor. He then scooped up Cyril and tossed him into the wall, making a firm dent and letting his body collapse to the floor.

"Yeah, that's right, I knew all along. I know a lot of things," Joker said, walking up to the slowly writhing Cyril.

"Just how much do you know anyway? Are you actually Melchior's lackey in this little party?" Cyril asked weakly, getting to his hands and knees.

Joker kicked Cyril square in the jaw, sending him into the railing. "I'm nobody's lackey, Cyril, didn't you know that?" he replied, digging his hands into the pockets of his uniform. "I'm in this for only my own gain."

"Just what are you anyway? Why are you with us?" Cyril asked, coughing blood and a tooth out of his mouth.

"What am I? That's simple, I'm a minister, Cyril. I work for the betterment of humanity and for the Lord our God," Joker replied, walking up to Cyril and stomping on his throat.

Cyril gasped and his eyes bugged, unable to breath.

"Or did you mean what am I as a man? Oh, that's simple, I'm not even sure myself, but let's see if we can figure it out together, shall we?" Joker said, then stepped off Cyril's throat and grabbed him by the next, tossing him aside once again. "Once upon a time, I was McArthur Anderson, a Catholic minister in the Kirkville Sphere of Vascilia County. BAHRAM brought it's war to my congregation, smiting them all in one fell swoop with one of their 'Raptor' units, which fell directly on top of my church," he began to tell the tale of.

Cyril got on an elbow before Joker slammed him in the gut with the end of his boot.

"Enraged, I climbed inside the beast and fought back, eliminating each and every last one of the combatants, both on the UNSF side and the BAHRAM side. I did it all in the name of my fallen congregation, the innocent souls who were only seeking religious worship but got caught in someone else's war," Joker continued. "That was my first taste of Metatron, the substance that would soon guide me through the next few years."

"Why are you telling me this?" Cyril demanded to know.

"Didn't I just say? We're going to figure this out together," Joker said, kicking Cyril in the face, resulting in the crack and tear of bones breaking in his face. "I was approached by two blonde men, whom defeated my Raptor and captured me. I wasn't sure how, but I ended up in the laboratory of a man named Doctor Kaguya Ricdeau. He said that I was chosen for 'Domineus ex Deus' by how quickly I adapted to an Orbital Frame and that he was going to give me the very blood of angels, his brainchild and pride of research, Manna," he continued. "Little did I know I was given the inferior formula, a fake byproduct of angel's blood, a mere chemical. The two who actually did recieve it, well, they don't matter to this story."

Cyril held in a scream as he reached up and felt his bent nose. It was somehow crooked to one side and only hurt more when Joker ran up and punted him like a soccer ball into the wall.

"I was put through the same paces as everyone else, training and testing in preparation for the ultimate goal of the project: to be the Runner of Deus, the very Frame that sits below us right now. However, before the session was ended, the Space Force attacked and Ricdeau sealed Deus away. He asked me to save the other four of the group, the collective of us being 'The Shuffle Squad', and so I did. Jack, who is actually our little traitor Judas, ran off on his own, but I took King, who's really Thanatos, and Queen and Ace and sent them to safety. Runners like us really are hard to come by nowadays, you know? Those that can handle the power of divine beings," Joker continued.

"So what's your game? You want Deus for yourself?" Cyril asked in between shudders of pain.

"Keep your shirt on, I'm getting to that part," Joker said, pulling Cyril up the wall and punching him across the face, resulting in another loud crack of bones. "I wasn't so lucky. When I got back, Ricdeau betrayed me. He had let me in on a little of his research, even told me the secret that King possessed, but he left me for dead. Too bad for him the blondes showed up again. I was pulled from the wreckage and brought to a man named Melchior, who, as you know, is the Sage of Knowledge. The tub of lard had plastic surgery done on me and turned me into the pretty face you now see. He also told me all about what was really going on and that Ricdeau was always walking the fine line between trust and betrayal with him. He then stuck me in this farce of a 'special forces unit' under Balthasar and I've been doing my own beat ever since," Joker explained.

"What's the meaning of this? Just what do you want, Joker?" Cyril cried out, struggling despite his battered body.

"What do I want? I just told you five minutes ago. I'm a minister, Cyril, and I want what's best for my fellow man and what's right in God's eyes. I want to help people and I want to save them from themselves. However, I don't agree at all with your and Lazarus's methods of doing it. Hunting down the injust is meaningless if so many more can get away with it. And capturing Deus in order to follow the will of God is meaningless," Joker explained,"considering that Deus is merely a vessel of God! It's a Metatron body, not a messenger of God's word! It needs a will, it isn't a will itself!" he added, suddenly turning furious. "But Lazarus is too short-sighted to see that and bends over backwards to do whatever small thinking he does when he's painting his stupid little murals."

"You're mad, you know that? You're sicker in the head than I ever imagined you to b-" Cyril began to say spitefully before Joker scooped him up again, tossed him up, and punched him in the stomach, sending Cyril into the wall again.

"And you're no longer of any use to me or anyone else. You all underestimated me and now you'll pay the price. I knew everything from the very start, I was Melchior's avatar for getting back at Ricdeau, but I had plans of my own all along. I was sent to destroy Deus and to destroy Ricdeau's work, I never had anything to do with Balthasar or this pathetic little scout troop. When Lazarus announced his search for Thanatos and for Deus, Melchior was all over it and I was the result," Joker explained.

"What do you mean by that?" Cyril managed to get out before coughing up blood again.

"Oh, Cyril, just imagine the possibilities! Metatron can build giant robots and fight much more agily and stronger than anyone could ever imagine! And did you know that Metatron can be put inside people too and even gift them with whatever abilities and fantastic powers they want? Metatron is the next step, it's the road to divination and the gates to Heaven itself. It all depends on the person. If one human can dream it, if they can desire it, they can have it," Joker said with a smirk.

"Madness, I tell you, madness," Cyril said, sneering as best his battered face could.

"And what about you, mister in-the-closet? If Lazarus ever knew you swung the wrong way, you'd be dead already," Joker said, walking for the door. He reached outside and grabbed his large sword, opening the blade and taking out a single bayonette.

"That has nothing to do with it. But wait, are you going to kill me? Is that why you came down here? Are you making your move?" Cyril asked, an angry look on his face as he sat against the wall.

"No, I can't kill you yet, I haven't answered your question. The answer is that I'm a holy man, a paladin that only wants to do what's right. You people had the wrong idea all along and you're simply wasting your and my time. I know the truth and I'm going to use it to see all of humanity free," Joker said, smiling as he approached Cyril.

"You can't kill me! Who will oversee the completion of Deus?" Cyril cried out.

"Nobody has to because you weren't doing anything but watching to begin with. Deus needs a will, not experiments done on it," Joker said, stopping in front of Cyril and grabbing him by the front of his coat to hoist him up. "And seeing as I'm so far ahead in the game, well beyond a pawn like you, that I'm going to make a move right here and now, the move that will make sure that I and no one else will win this game. I planned ahead well before this game even started, after all. It's like reading the strategy guide before you even by the game discs."

"Your metaphors really stink, you know?" Cyril said with a smirk.

"And you're a dead man. Goodbye, dear Cyril Retho. You were a waste of time for me and a waste of a man. Pulled into all this merely because they found you lying half dead after your BAHRAM base was attacked, you ended up here where you hid your true self. What a shame," Joker said, then shoved his bayonette through Cyril's stomach.

Cyril gasped as Joker then hoisted him up on the blade and tossed his dying body on the railing. Grabbing another bayonette, Joker walked up and smiled widely as he took the ends of each blade and put them around Cyril's neck, doing a scissors-like cut with them, severing the head and dropping it on to the Frame below. Deus seemed to emit a gleeful burble as the rest of the body fell on it and blood rained down.

"Feed, Kadomony, the greatest advancement in biological computing systems, and strengthen Deus. Complete the body and vessel of Lord God and bend to my will!" Joker commanded loudly. "This is the day that you remain a shell no longer and accept the will of a truly devoted follower of God. Complete yourself as I command!"

With that, Cyril's remains were sucked into the Frame and it emitted a shriek. The armor plates finally fused solid, the body turned sturdy and whole, and the two golden eyes behind the visor lit up. The Frame sat up and turned around, looking straight at Joker. It then lowered its head, acknowledging its Domineus; who's sheer will pushed it to complete itself and finally become an entire Orbital Frame.

"And now, the redemption of all will begin here and now, this single step on my path to solving all the world's ills. And it will begin with just one man...." Joker said, smiling coyly. "With just one man....."

Deus raised its head and slowly nodded once.

"I will leave you to this at your leisure. For now, I must tell Lazarus about the horrifying death of Cyril Retho at the hands of a berserk machine," Joker said, placing his bloody bayonettes back in his sword. He picked it up and headed for the door. "Find that man and give him what's coming to him. He's been a thorn in my side too long and needs taking care of, for I pity him now."

Deus gave a silent reply, resting back on the floor. It wouldn't be long now; not long at all...

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

"So that's what happened to him, huh?" Nash said, turning over one of his property cards to mortgage it.

"Yeah, pretty sad story, huh?" Miryhn said, sighing.

"I would have never guessed it. That Jim had such a burden to bear," Vera said as she rolled the dice.

All four crew members were silent for the next few moments. Miryhn had come back and told them the whole story that Jim told him, about what he was running from and about why he couldn't go back and do something about it. Miryhn avoided telling them about how Jim was considering suicide, though...

"So what about us? If he has such a big problem, he can deal with it himself!" Nash shouted.

"Nash, the man needs help! He needs some support and some understanding," Judas suddenly spoke up.

Miryhn, Vera, and Nash were a bit stunned by his conviction. Normally Judas was quiet about such things.

"I'm with Jude, we can't be selfish when he's got so much hanging over his head. He could be dangerous," Vera said, sighing.

"More so than you would think," Miryhn said under his breath.

"What?" Vera asked.

"Nothing, nevermind," Miryhn quickly replied.

The game continued for a few more minutes, then was interrupted by an alert sounding throughout the ship.

"Damn, right when it was curtains for Judas here. One more seven and he would have been right up in front of my hotel," Nash said, looking annoyed.

"That's the radar detection going off. We might be under attack," Judas said, shooting up and out the door.

"Under attack? Who would want to attack us?" Vera asked, but next Nash was up and out the door. "Hey, wait!" she shouted and stood up.

Miryhn saw his oppurtunity and stood up, grabbing her arm. "Hey, wait."

"What?" Vera asked, panicking.

"This might not be a good time to ask, but I really can't in front of the others," Miryhn said, scratching his head.

"Then ask later! Come on!" Vera said, then jogged off out the door.

"Hey, wait! But I-" Miryhn began to cry out, but stopped himself. "I just wanted to know if I'm still really just a brother," he said to no one in particular. He then sighed and followed after the others, heading for the bridge.

Coming up behind the ship was an Orbital Frame; it was black with silver unarmored sections, the model was that of an Alterneith, but it had a scythe in hand. Inside, Douglas Cartland stroked his stubble, watching Entropy grow in size as he approached.

"Mister Hauser, there's no more running. I'm going to turn you in, I swear it. You don't deserve to suffer and neither do others for your sins," Douglas said to himself with a sigh. "Don't make me fight back, just come quietly," he added softly.

Back inside the ship, the entire crew was gathered on the bridge.

"What is it?" Vera begged to know as Miryhn hurried through the doorway.

"An Orbital Frame, coming up at six o' clock," Judas replied. "Just one, though, oddly enough."

"Who is attacking us? What's going on anyway?" Nash demanded to know, looking over Judas' shoulder. "Miryhn, is some deranged criminal after us or something? Did you piss off the wrong bounty or something?"

"I didn't do anything!" Miryhn replied angrily, keeping the fact that it might as well have been one of the Seraphs after them to himself. "Look, I'll go out and handle it and we can be on our way, okay?"

"I'm going too!" Vera insisted.

"And I am too," Judas chimed in.

"No, just me and Vera will go. You stay here and keep the weapons armed. Look at it, it's just an Alterneith, this will be a snap," Miryhn said, pulling up the rear camera on one of the screens and pointing to it.

"But-" Judas began to say.

"But nothing, Jude, I'm going without you this time, alright?" Miryhn said angrily, then headed out the door and towards the hangar.

Judas looked crushed, then sighed and sat in one of the seats. "Preparing missiles and laser batteries," he said, going to work on the ship's weapons.

"I guess I'll head out too. Be right back," Vera added, then jogged along behind Miryhn.

Nash looked to the other side of the bridge, where Jim was sitting in the same position as he was when Miryhn came in earlier. He just kept staring at the ceiling, a cigarette in his mouth and the gun in his pocket.

"Jim? We're under attack you know?" Nash pointed out.

"Who gives a fuck?" Jim replied with the utmost apathy.

"Miryhn told us. I'm sorry," Nash said with a degree of sincerity not often heard out of him.

Jim felt like sending a rather biting remark back at him, but simply sighed and knew that his crew was really feeling for him. "Thanks."

"What's that?"

Jim didn't reply.

Outside, Masamune and Freya flew out the back and headed slowly towards the approaching Alterneith until all three Frames were within a couple of tens of yards appart.

"My name is Douglas. I'm here to take James Hauser with me. He's a wanted man now and needs to be brought to justice," Douglas said over the broadband.

"Wanted? It took you this long to decide he's wanted?" Miryhn replied as Masamune drew its katana.

"Please, don't resist. I use to be a highly trained Frame Runner before I became a P.I. and I don't want to fight. I simply want to take James to what's coming to him," Douglas pleaded. He sounded quite sad to be doing this.

Inside the ship, Jim listened to the conversation and sat up in his chair. He looked at the rear cameras and zoomed in as the ship continued to fly in a straight line away from the Frames.

"Who are you to judge him? I heard the whole story and all I can say is that the jury is still out on what he really needs," Vera said as Freya's spear expanded into full length, holding it in both hands.

"Look, it's not my place to judge him, I'm just a middleman. I was sent by someone else, a higher power, if I may. I don't want to do this, to take a man from his own home and his loved ones, but I must if I want to keep my own hands clean," Douglas explained.

"I can't let you do that. He still hasn't given me any severance pay yet," Miryhn said with a smirk.

"Damn you, Miryhn, always wanting cash up until the very end," Jim said under his breath.

"Besides, I still have to properly thank him for what he told me. Thanks to him, I think I'm finally getting some direction to my life," Miryhn added, smiling.

Jim heard this and smiled as well, taking a long puff of his cigarette. "But you at least take some advice when I can't give you cash."

"I can't let you take Jim just because if he goes, I'd have one less person around that I care for, even if I don't like his methods at all sometimes," Vera said with a sigh.

"Always clingy, aren't you, Vera?" Jim said, rolling his eyes.

"It'd be like loosing a father figure in my life. This ship is like my new home and without him, it's just another spaceship," Vera added, smiling a little.

"Then again, that might not be so bad," Jim said, smirking.

"You can't have Jim just yet, I still need to fix his ship up. I'd rather work for a chain-smoking bastard with hardly a penny to his name than my blue-blooded family. The sooner sure has a lot more interesting life and much more personality," Nash added over the comlink, smiling at Jim.

"I don't know much about him, but I can say that his simple way of life intrigues me. I want to know more about just how easy it is to live happily on microwaved pre-made meals and sports marathons in the lounge," Judas chimed in.

Jim sighed and smiled, tossing away his cigarette and lighting another. "You guys.....shit...." he said, shaking his head slowly.

"So you won't stand aside, huh? I'm sorry, but I must take him. I can't let anyone stop me," Douglas said, deeply regretful.

"No, not yet. He needs redemption, but just not yet, not before he can prove himself," Miryhn said as Masamune readied itself.

"What he said," Vera added, Freya twirling its spear around once.

"So be it. Taste death," Douglas said and his Alterneith shot forward, each armblade colliding with one of the opposing warriors' weapons.

"Death.....that's what it reminds me of," Jim said to himself. "The black, the scythe, the regret for having to take someone away....he's like Death coming for me," he added, sighing. Jim began to tear up again, making sure that Nash and Judas couldn't see him.

Masamune and Freya spun off in opposite directions, letting the Alterneith pass. It spun around almost instantly and began firing beams at both other Frames. Freya ducked and moved around each shot, heading back towards it and tossing the spear after the salvo. It landed in the right elbow and stuck, causing an explosion in the arm.

"Damn!" Douglas shouted, then used the other arm to reach up and remove it. The spear instantly returned to Freya just as she began firing Shots at him.

"You can't take on two at once! Give it up!" Miryhn shouted as Masamune came flying downward from above, about to cleave the Alterneith in half.

"I'm not just your average Runner," Douglas said and reacted amazingly fast, moving around each Shot and getting the Alterneith out from under Masamune in time. It then spun around horizontally and clobbered Masamune with the scythe, sending it to the ground.

"Neither are we!" Vera said as Freya flew in for an impaling blow on the Alterneith. Suddenly, the Alterneith raised its arm and nimbly flew beside the spear. It planted its armblade in Freya's chest and fired off a shot, sending it to the ground. Vera screamed as Freya fell and konked her head on the seat's back, seeing stars for a moment.

"I can't let you two get in my way. I have a job to do," Douglas said, dropping to the flattened Masamune.

"You can't have Jim, not yet!" Miryhn said angrily as Masamune began to climb back up from landing flat on its back.

"I'll kill you two both is necessary," Douglas said, landing on Masamune and pointing an armblade at the cockpit.

Miryhn shuddered, seeing the energy collect in the armblade.

Freya managed to get back up and into the air just as Vera saw what was happening. She shrieked and Freya took off at full speed. "No! Miryhn!" she cried out, instantly in tears.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing? Get him off of you!" Jim shouted, like it was a live sports broadcast or something.

Miryhn immediately blinked into his golden-eyed state, seeing reality slow down. It seemed effortless to swing back and slam the katana into the side of the Alterneith, like it was simply standing there waiting for it to happen. With a pop and a fizzle, it began to fall backwards, just as Freya tackled it to the ground. Time resumed like normal to Miryhn's perception as Masamune quickly got back up.

"You sick, twisted fuck!" Vera screamed, obviously in tears by her shakey voice.

"I told you, I'd kill you both if necessary. I must take James Hauser back with me," Douglas explained.

"Why? Why must you do something like that?" Vera begged to know, Freya standing up and holding its spear to the Alterneith's cockpit.

"Because its my job," Douglas said, shrugging.

Vera let out another sob.

"Vera, let him go. Buddy, I got two more Frames in my ship just itching to blow your ass up besides these two and I'll damn well use them. Go away, alright? Leave us be," Jim said over the broadband, finally turning on the comlink at his chair.

"James Hauser, you can't keep running from it. Just do what you know you have to do," Douglas pleaded. "It's hard on me, it's hard on all those you're affected, and it's hard on you."

"I ask, Mister Cartland, how could you ever know?" Jim replied, thinning his eyes. "Who asked you to ever get involved?"

"That's up to my client," Douglas replied as Freya slowly backed away. He stood up his Alterneith and began to leave. "If not me, then others will be back to get you, James Hauser. Try what I'm doing right now and give up. There's no sense trying any more."

"Give up?" Jim asked himself. "But-"

"Farewell," Douglas said, then his Alterneith took off back to the north.

Jim was silent as he dropped his head, sighing.

"Jim, it'll be fine. He can't stand up to us with just one Alterneith," Miryhn said, trying to reassure.

"Don't mind him, just get back to the ship. I've made up my mind, I'm just going to keep running. We'll head to Ganymede and from there, I'm not sure, but I'll figure it all out," Jim explained with a sigh.

"You sure? You can't think of any way to resolve this?" Miryhn asked.

"No," Jim replied plainly. "Now get inside, we're leaving," he said, then cut off the comlink.

Miryhn sighed and turned Masamune towards the ship. However, he noticed that Vera was still sobbing softly. Looking concerned, he turned Masamune to the motionless Freya. "Hey, you alright?"

"You didn't really need me out here, did you?" Vera asked in between sobs.

"What? What are you talking about?" Miryhn asked, confused.

"When you said you wanted me out here instead of Judas, you were just humoring me, weren't you? You did fine on your own, you didn't really need me," Vera said, then hicked and sobbed again.

"Vera, what's the problem? Why are you so upset over-" Miryhn asked, then looked down as Vera opened a video link. He trembled at what he saw.

"I wanted to see your face as I tell you this, because I want to know if you can give me a straight answer," Vera said, wiping her now gold eyes with the red pupils.

"Why does she have-.....wait, the blood transfusion.....Ricdeau must have-" Miryhn said to himself. "No, not her too. Why did he....?"

"Miryhn, we keep acting like brother and sister, but lately you've become a stronger person, both in personality and physically. You use to have to depend on me to keep yourself in check, but you've seized control of yourself and now you....probably don't need me anymore," Vera said, still crying. "Just now, when you were about to....die.....I tried to help like I always do, but you showed you were just fine. It's like that now for everything, isn't it?"

Miryhn bit his lip, knowing that this was probably the effects of the Manna on her, resulting in a deep issue surfacing over little or nothing. He decided it best to handle it as best he could, less she end up like he did way back when, down a spiral of self-loathe.

"I'm worthless now, aren't I, Miryhn? I can't even do anything right for someone I care about. I'm not strong enough or fast enough or understanding enough! I'm just a....crying shoulder now. I'm a sympathetic ear, aren't I? You want to be like a brother to me, but you just don't seem to put in as much as I do. I give it my all to be good, but why isn't it enough, Miryhn? Do you like watching me struggle when you know you can handle it? Was all that sympathy.....all that caring for nothing now?" Vera shouted.

"No! Of course not!" Miryhn said, desperate. "I just never knew how to help you too. I wanted to show it, but I just didn't know how!"

"You have to be lying, because I don't know what to do about us anymore. Miryhn, I can't believe just how much I care about you. I want to see you be happy, that's all, and you can be without me, so what's the point in trying?" Vera said, then sniffed and cried some more.

Miryhn struggled for words, but they failed him. There wasn't much point in trying to explain it, she was obviously collapsing under an illusion. Jim's words came flashing through his mind and suddenly he had the answer. Now had to be the time; now was when he'd have to prove to himself and her that all she was thinking was wrong - that different feelings were at work. Again, Miryhn couldn't explain it, but seeing her so upset, so torn apart over something that simply wasn't true made him ache. She was wrong, something about died in him at hearing that she wasn't needed anymore, so he drew a firm look and gripped both control spheres.

"I'm worthless, I'm a failure. I can't even find a way to keep someone happy just by me being there for them. I'm-" Vera began to say as she sobbed again. Suddenly, Masamune shot up and threw its arms around Freya. Miryhn opened the cockpit in the just barely terraformed atmosphere and stood up. Vera looked up, curious, and got the hint, opening Freya's cockpit. Suddenly, Miryhn hopped across and scooped her up by the armpits, hugging her tightly.

He dropped his head on her shoulder and sighed. "Stop saying that, alright? You're wrong about it all, just wrong," he said, keeping back a tear or two himself. "Jim told me to come clean, to just be honest."

"Huh?" Vera asked, nervously raising her arms to hug him back.

"Vera, I want to stop pretending, alright? I always thought that I just wanted sympathy, but all I really wanted was someone to listen and give a damn, alright? And you do that because you can't answer my questions for me, I did that myself. You were just a little....support along the way," Miryhn explained.

"What do you mean?" Vera asked, suddenly captivated.

Miryhn pinched his face, working up the courage to admit it. The threat of Jim's ass-pounding came back to him and was the force needed to get it out. "I don't want to be subtle anymore, I'm just going to tell you now that.....I love you," he said, then raised his head to see her face. He wasn't able to keep back a smile for saying it.

"You do?" Vera asked, giving him a funny look. "But what about-"

"Look, just forget anything before now. I really think you're my type, alright? You're empathetic, funny, caring, greatly supporting, a lot of fun to be around.....and I have to admit, you have one of the best racks and ass around," Miryhn said, slowly nodding.

Vera began to cry again, slowly smiling. "I'm so glad you could admit it, I never would have been this bold."

"Now it's my turn to ask what you mean," Miryhn said, smirking.

"It's just plain obvious that we make one another happy just by being around, right? I guess we're both just a tad shy or something," Vera said, chuckling a little.

"We just don't have a way with words, I think," Miryhn said, shrugging.

"It's my turn now, I guess," Vera said, then took her hands away from Miryhn's back to wiper her eyes, then replaced them. "I guess I love you too, I just didn't want to admit it since you didn't seem that interested. But now that you do...."

"You 'guess'? Come on, just out with it!" Miryhn said, smirking.

Vera rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine. I.....love you too, Miryhn," she said, then hugged him again and put her head against his chest under his chin.

Miryhn just smiled and put his head on top of hers, hugging back. "I'm glad we got that out in the open."

"Me too," Vera said, giggling.

"Jesus Christ, what are you two doing? Having a damn victory party? Get back here now!" Jim commanded as he suddenly cut back on the comlink.

Vera groaned and looked around Miryhn at the console. "We're kind of having a private moment here! We're on our way!" she shouted.

"Private mo-.....oh, I see. Good job, Miryhn, damn good job," Jim replied, laughing at the end before cutting off the comlink.

"Don't ask about that, he kind of coached me on this," Miryhn said, rolling his eyes.

Vera laughed to herself and hugged Miryhn again. "I'm glad he did. I'm really happy right now, Miryhn, I really am."

"Yeah, so am I," Miryhn replied, hugging back.

"Miryhn, just one quick thing," Vera said, letting off the hug and folding her arms behind her back.

"What's that?"

"Do you want to try....a kiss?" Vera said, smiling.

Miryhn arched his brow. "Why ask? Just do it."

"Well, I didn't want to be rude," Vera said, sucking her teeth.

"It's not 'rude' if we just admitted love to one another," Miryhn said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, I guess you're right," Vera said, shrugging.

Both stared at one another for a moment, then grabbed one another again and locked lips. They let off and stared one another straight in the eye.

"I kind of liked that," Vera said, smiling.

"Yeah, that kicked ass," Miryhn said, chuckling.

Vera then looked to the side and saw the ship approaching. "Damn, we have to get back. We'll do that some more later," she said, sitting back down.

"Sounds good to me," Miryhn said, hopping back over to Masamune's cockpit. "Oh, and real quick, you might want to will yourself to resume your normal green eyes," he added as he sat back down in Masamune's cockpit.

"Why's that?" Vera asked, confused.

"Just have a look in your compact mirror or something and do it. Like, now," Miryhn said before Masamune's cockpit cover closed and the Frame let go to take off for the ship.

Vera raised an eyebrow and closed Freya's cockpit cover, then dug out her compact from her pocket. She had a look and almost screamed, seeing how she had undergone the Manna-change as well. She did as Miryhn instructed and with one blink, changed back. She took a deep breath and composed herself, grabbing Freya's control spheres and guiding the Frame back to the ship. She'd just have to ask him about it later.

"I'm not going to let her suffer like I did with it. I'm going to make sure she learns how to properly use it too," Miryhn said, steel in his voice. "But why her, Doc? Is she suppose to be the new Ester? Just what do you have cooked up now?"

The Frames entered the ship and the hangar door closed. Within a moment, the crew was back in place on the bridge and Jim gave the order to take off for Ganymede.

"I'm just going to give up, there's no more sense in trying," Jim said to himself as Miryhn yanked the controls back and the ship ascended. "This ship....just as it's now going upward, it's like we're going up a staircase. That stairway to Heaven...." he added softly.

<CENTER>To be continued....
 In the final installment of Acte 2....</CENTER>

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

* No idea what's going on? Stay tuned for the Valkyr Sidestory, coming after Triad's completion....maybe....

** LOL :P

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