‡ Chapter 1: Pain‡

“Why are you doing this to yourself? You know you can’t leave.”

“I’m tired of feeling numb Rain. I’d rather be in agony on earth then empty in this forsaken ship.” His hazel eyes glinted as he continued to shove his things into the emergency rucksack he had torn off the wall.

“Fang, think reasonably.” Rain pleaded as she bunched her hand in her cerulean hair.

“Sorry. Reason jumped off about four clicks ago.” He murmured as he gazed around his quarters making sure he’d left no trace of his presence.

“If you go AWOL… I’ll be the one who’ll have to hunt you down. Please Fang, don’t ask me to do that. The Constellation Alliance isn’t known for its fair treatment of deserters. If they catch you, they’ll kill you. Or worse, they’ll make you work on Space Port 6.” She shivered as she stepped in front of him.

“Thanks for the concern. You’re truly a great Captain. But can’t you see, if I stay here, I’ll be worse then dead. I’ll be a pawn.” His eyebrows came together as he said it and he set a hand on her shoulder. “Goodbye, Amamizu.” He kissed her forehead lightly and walked past her.

As the door slid close Rain looked around his now empty room. She could still smell him in the air. Slowly she slid to her knees and brought her hands up to her face.

“Stupid shippai…” Her voice cracked as the flood of tears broke free.

“What are you doing?”

She grimaced and tried to hide the wires with her hand as she glanced up with a smile pasted on her face. “My shoe came untied, I’m sorry off… oh it’s just you Nitro.” She scowled and turned back to the wires. “Don’t scare me like that next time.”

“Sorry, but I’m serious Zero. What are you doing? You’re not making another bomb are you?” He crossed his arms and glared.

“So what if I am? You gonna tell my momma?” She snickered and continued tinkering.

“That’s not funny Rei” He sighed.

“Damn it; don’t call me by that filthy name.”

“It’s your name!”

“I meant in that filthy dialect. The Constellation idiots can’t make me forget my own native tongue.” She muttered as she merged two wires with the delicacy of someone not wanting to die in a big kaboom.

“You’re such a stubborn idiot. So what’s the bomb for anyways?”

“Reeking havoc of course. Why else do I live?” She brushed a stray blonde curl away from her face and sat back on her heals. Nitro sighed again and opened his mouth to retort but she gave him a look. “We all have our battles to fight. Your battle isn’t the same as mine but that’s alright. I’m choosing to fight the Alliance because a future with them is no future at all.”

“I understand. I just worry is all.”

“Yea, I know.” She sighed and smiled to herself as she picked up the bomb and set it gently in a dumpster.

“Excuse me, but could I ask you two for some help?”

Zero stiffened and turned around. The tall guy standing near the entrance of the ally shifted his army issued rucksack further up his shoulder.

“What do you want you Alliance scum?” She spat.

“That’s ex- alliance scum.” Fang replied back equally annoyed. “I need a place to stay.”

“Ah, a deserter?” Nitro looked him up and down sizing him up.

“The penalty for housing a deserter is banishment to Space Port 6. Why should I take that risk for you? How do I know you’re not a spy?” Zero walked up to him slowly.

“Is this enough proof?” Fang retorted and pulled up his sleeve. On his forearm was the standard issue tattoo with his soldier id. Under it a second line read “AWOL”. It looked irritated like it had just been inscribed there. Zero could barely make out what had been there, “Lieutenant 6th division”; it looked as if someone was wiping it away like they would chalk on a chalkboard.

“Okay then.”

“Where are we going?” Fang asked as he glanced around. The forgotten alley was dank and smelled of decay. What little light that filtered through the sign covered buildings had an unhealthy tinge of gray to it.

“Home.” Nitro replied as he sidestepped an uncovered manhole without looking down.

“Tox is going to be jealous Nitro.” Zero teased as their footsteps echoed.

“Nah, he’ll know what you did as soon as he gets a good look.” Nitro replied sheepishly and smothered a grin.

“Tox?”

“He’s one of us. Don’t touch him though if you don’t wanna die slowly.” Zero muttered as she threw a look back at Fang.

“He’s a Kurayami? I’ve only ever met one, and she said she was the last one.” Fang replied in shock.

“So you met Monia? The bitch.” Nitro shook his head slowly.

“Captain Haien was one of my superiors. How do you…”

“First off, don’t use that filth of a language when you’re with us. And second, we don’t talk about Tox’s sister. She’s a tyrant.” Zero spat as she hopped a pothole.

Fang kept silent as he followed them carefully. He was out of his element again. “But then again, I’ve never had one to begin with…”

“What did you say?”

“Huh? Nothing…” He murmured. He shook his head lightly and tried to concentrate on making it through the alley alive.

They finally came to the end of the alley and turned right to follow what must have been an ancient waterway. Since the invention of the hydro converter they didn’t need to worry about healthy water sources. The water in the channel now was semi translucent, although he knew all the bacteria alone that was present in it was the reason human kind had had so many diseases. After the hydro converter was invented disease was nearly wiped out.

“Tox! We’re back!” Nitro called as he glanced up a deserted apartment complex. Fang jumped slightly and brought his thoughts back to the present.

“It’s about time! Velocity was getting on my nerves!” An annoyed male voice called out from several stories up.

“I was just trying to tell you the one story about…”

“We’ll be right up!” Zero cut off the female voice and shook her head sighing.

“Oy, you really need to get that ancient elevator thingy working soon Tox.” Nitro’s voice was uneven as he leaned against the door jam.

“Almost done with it. You look, mmm… can’t put my finger on it but…”

“Save it for your bedroom Tox. We’ve got a guest.” Zero smiled as she poked his nose and walked past the two of them.

“You replaced me already?” Tox whined and looked Fang up and down.

“No one could ever replace you.” Nitro replied softly as he ran a hand through his purple and black hair and walked past him.

“Tox, Fang. Fang, Tox.” Zero said backhandedly as she walked off into what appeared to be a twenty first century kitchen.

“Hi.” Fang nodded as he continued to look around.

“Deserter?” Tox’s red eyes looked him up and down once again. “Well, welcome then.”

“Thanks. Were should I set my stuff?”

“Fourth door on the left. You can use that as your room.” Nitro replied with out looking back as he rummaged in a barely functioning fridge.

“Alright.” Fang shifted his gear and slipped past Tox. Just as he was about to turn into the room a female came out of the one right across from his.

“Oh, Hi. I’m Velocity.” Her smile almost reached her emerald eyes as she held out a hand.

“I’m Fang.” He just nodded at her and opened his door.

“Rude.” She huffed as she glared at the front of the door.

“Don’t take things so personal Velocity. You are pretty intimidating.” Nitro’s voice carried down the hall.

“Wha??? All I said was Hi!” Her voice went up a notch as she looked confused.

“It’s the boobs!” Zero called.

“Wa…hu… Nyaaaaaa….” She cried.

“Ah we still love ya though.” Tox’s snicker came down the hall.

“Alright” She laughed as she all but bounced toward the living room.

“What did I get myself into…?” Fang muttered as he sunk down to the floor covering his head.

“Night.” Zero’s voice traveled through Fangs door.

“Night.” Nitro and Tox’s voices answered.

He listened intently and heard their doors close. He sighed and looked at the sheet music in front of him. Music just wasn’t as good as it was back in the twenty first century, he thought to himself. He stood up and started to riffle through the piles of boxes in the southern corner of his room.

Old newspapers, at least that’s what he assumed they were as he’d never seen one, read headlines of ancient wars and epidemics. He opened a few of them and flipped through its pages. An article caught his eye and he paused to read it.

Rock star dies overseas, country in despair

Lucy Kennel, AP

San Diego, Cal. - In a tragic turn of events, all of the 101st was lost in a failed rescue attempt for captured American journalist Mike Connelly who was detained at the Arab POW camp located near Fallujah, Iraq.

Rock star Chris Lander had recently enlisted to show support for the military campaign in Iraq. Lead singer of the hit rock band, Dead Weight, Lander had a huge following all over the country…

Fang set down the paper and glanced out the window. Was music that important to people back then? The death of a singer could cause national sadness? He’d never heard of that. Music was a dead end career, with the lyrical sensors to keep universal unity intact.

And yet, he still loved it. He still felt that it could affect people. Maybe not like it did five centuries ago but maybe…

As he turned back to the box he noticed a shadow in the back. He climbed over a couple rows of boxes and pulled away a sheet. Underneath it was an acoustic guitar; it looked almost as if it had never been played.

He picked it up and grabbed his sheet music off his bed. He opened his door carefully and listened for any notion of life from the other rooms. Quietly he closed his door and went through the living room and out the front door.

This quiet was what she waited for all day. Zero sighed and glanced meaningfully at the stack of books in the corner of her room. What should she read today? An ancient favorite like Paradise Lost; a classic by James Patterson or something new?

As she was thumbing through them she heard the faint sounds of a guitar and a voice that sounded unlike anything she’d ever heard. She moved silently through the hall and closed the door with the utmost care. She followed the enticing sound further up the complex stairs.

She was out of breath by the time she reached the top of the building and paused in the opening where an exit door must have been at one time. She looked up and froze.

Sitting on an old picnic table overlooking the decaying buildings Fang sat playing the guitar he’d found as if it were apart of him. He was looking away from where she was standing but the outline of his face drew her in. She didn’t know what he was singing, parts of it were in the unused portions of the language of the alliance, and others were in English.

“I’m just a doll forever dead, wake up…” The emotion behind his voice made her realize this must have been something to do with his past, and at the same time it made her wish they were closer. That she could comfort his evident pain.

Suddenly he stiffened and stopped playing. “What are you feeling sorry for?”

She jumped and then pasted on a face of indifference. “Who says I’m feeling sorry for anything?”

“Can I help you with something?” He muttered.

“Wait, how did you come to ask that question in the first place? How did you even know I was there?”

“I could feel your emotions.” He sighed and turned to look at her.

“You’re an empathic?”

“Guilty.”

“What were you singing?” She asked unable to resist any longer.

“It’s a song by a Japanese artist who died many centuries ago.”

“Hyde.” Knowledge dawned on her face.

“You know him?” He looked impressed.

“Vaguely, I’ve never heard a recording of his though.”

“That’s too bad. He had a very unique voice.”

“Was it anything close to yours?”

“I have no clue. And what was that? A compliment?”

“I’ve been known to give them out sometimes.” She scowled.

“Then… thanks.” He smiled a bit.