Buffy/Trigun - Twilight - (2/5)
Title: Twilight
Fandom: Buffy: the Vampire Slayer, Trigun animeverse
Disclaimer: They belong to Yasuhiro Nightow and Joss Whedon
Rating: PG-13
Original Publication: FF.net, November 2002 - February 2003
Summary: Something is killing the colonists in cold storage. And if Rem can't figure out what it is, the crew of Projest SEEDS may be its next victims.
Night:
Found here.
Previous Parts:
Prologue: What You Are, What's To Come
PART ONE: OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES
Morning broke over the command ship of Project SEEDS. Up until seven months earlier, Captain Joseph Adams would have been the first to wake, followed by Rem, then Mary, Steve and Rowan in varying order. The five crewmembers would usually shuffle into the galley, sleepy-eyed and yawning, to prepare breakfast and review the schedule for the day. Occasionally they would meet the man called Angel on his way to bed after night watch, often carrying a mug of thick, red liquid he claimed was a protein drink to supplement his diet. No one except Rem knew any different and she wasn’t about to say anything about it one way or another.
This, of course, was before the boys came.
“Rem! Rem! Rem!”
Twin voices roused her from dreams of a sunlit city she had never been to. Rem blinked once, twice, three times before rolling over and meeting two pairs of wide, guileless eyes.
“Angel’s making breakfast!” Knives announced, looking proud to be the one to deliver that information.
“He promised donuts,” Vash added, bouncing on the soles of his feet either because he was terribly excited or because he was in dire need of the toilet, Rem wasn’t sure which.
She covered a yawn with one hand. “He did, did he?”
Vash nodded. “Yeah! Said it was a special family recipe and everything!”
Rem placed a finger on her chin as though thinking it over. “I don’t know. Those donuts are awfully sugary.”
“But Rem-”
“Hardly appropriate for two growing boys. No, we’ll have to get you something much healthier for breakfast.” The twins’ faces fell in dismay. “How does cabbage and liver sound?” Their shocked expressions at this announcement were priceless. She grinned. “Just kidding.”
“Rem!”
They immediately pounced on the bed and proceeded to tickle her mercilessly, an effective torture technique they’d learned from Mary only the week before. Rem giggled and responded in turn.
It was, she thought, a most pleasant way to begin a morning.
***
Ten minutes and much wrestling later, Rem arrived at the galley, Vash slung around her shoulders in a piggyback and Knives pouting beside her because he couldn’t fit next to his brother.
The fresh-baked smell of cinnamon and spice greeted them as they walked through the door. Angel, a young-looking man with short brown hair and an easy smile, waved at them over a mug of coffee. “Morning, guys.”
“Good morning,” Rem answered, letting Vash slide off her back. “Heard you were cooking today.”
“Frying, to be exact.” He pointed towards a long breakfast table against the far wall where coffee and donuts rested. “Help yourself.”
The twins took off at breakneck speed, pausing only to tussle briefly over the first donut before loading up their plates and heading for the table. As they reached for their food without a sign of manners, Rem cleared her throat. “Boys, what do you say?”
Hands paused, they looked up at Angel and chorused, “Thank you for the donuts, Mister Angel.”
The corners of Angel’s eyes crinkled up but he managed to keep a straight face. “You’re very welcome.”
The two boys gave Rem a pleading look. She laughed and waved them on. “Okay, okay, eat.”
The signal given the boys fell upon their food as if they hadn’t eaten in weeks. Rem made a mental note to brush up on their etiquette as she walked over to the coffeepot. She took a cursory sniff, grimaced, and decided to have some tea instead. Angel, while a surprisingly good cook considering his dietary habits, was only capable of making coffee one way: strong and thick as sludge. She supposed it didn’t matter if you had deadened taste buds but that rendered it nigh undrinkable for everyone else.
Cup filled with earl grey, she snagged a pastry before sitting down next to Angel, nibbling daintily and watching the twins eat. She nudged Angel. “Do all boys eat like that?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You never noticed?”
“Well, I have, but,” she shrugged, “guess I never paid that much attention when I wasn’t the one providing the food.”
“Technically, you still aren’t the one providing the food.”
“True, but I’m the one responsible for them eating it.” She shook her head. “No wonder Mom vowed to never have any more boys.”
They fell silent until Vash and Knives became engrossed in a discussion regarding yesterday’s lessons (Vash understood the literature, but was having trouble with the math). Angel leaned into Rem and spoke sotto voice. “You missed our meeting last night.”
She shifted, eyes refusing to meet his. “The boys kept me late and then I had some work to finish.”
He frowned. “You can’t keep avoiding it.”
“I know, I just...” Her gaze flicked to the twins, still absorbed in their animated discourse. “This isn’t easy for me.”
“I understand.” He placed a large, cool hand over her pale one, squeezing lightly. “We should still talk.”
“I know,” Rem repeated, breaking contact as Mary came through the door. “Later.”
Mary yawned and smiled sleepily at their little gathering. “Morning, all.” She sniffed then glanced at the buffet, face lighting up. “Oh! Donuts!”
The brown-haired doctor piled four pastries onto her plate, making Rem wonder how she ever kept that slim figure. She shuffled over to the table, plopping down next to Vash with a contented sigh. Unlike Rem, who always tried to look at least halfway decent no matter what time of the morning it was, Mary was rarely out of her bathrobe by breakfast. Her hair was still unbrushed, piled on top of her head in a curly, half-hearted ponytail, though she’d at least managed to get her glasses on this morning. Many a time she’d wandered into the dining hall without them, stumbling over chairs, tables, and - once - a coffeepot.
She was just about to take her first bite of donut, when Vash tugged on her sleeve. Mary blinked at him. “What is it, sweetie?”
“You didn’t say thank you,” he whispered. Mary made a sound between a hiccup and guffaw while Angel just raised an eyebrow and Rem hid her smile behind her mug.
“Better set a good example,” Rem chided.
Mary spent another minute obviously trying to figure out what had gone wrong with her morning before giving up and turning to Angel. “Uh, thanks?”
He didn’t even try to hide his grin. “No problem.”
That settled, Mary dug into her food with enthusiasm. “Where’s Joey?”
“Up on the bridge,” Angel answered. “Trouble with nav control again. Rowen’s working on it with him.”
Knives turned to Rem. “Can we help after breakfast?”
“Sorry, guys, school first,” she said. “Mary’s worked hard on your lesson plan.”
“But-”
“No buts.”
“Awww...”
“Geez, I’m starting to feel unloved over here,” Mary sniffed. “All this effort to avoid me.”
Knives shrugged. “Your classes aren’t very interesting.”
“Knives!” Twin admonishments came from Rem and Angel and the boy shrunk back.
Vash patted Mary’s arm and smiled reassuringly. “We still like you, though.”
Mary appeared utterly discombobulated and Rem felt her buoyant mood deflate a little. The twins presented a deep mystery for her, one moment acting their apparent age, the next making some very adult comment or observation. Rem was slowly growing used to it and she didn’t think Angel minded, but the rest of the crew was still thrown off by the actions of their two newest members.
The door swooshed open and Steve stomped in, paying no attention to those seated and heading straight for the food. He retrieved two donuts and a cup of coffee before throwing a look towards their group. His disinterested expression turned downright dark as he caught sight of the two boys. They twitched under his glare, producing a satisfied smirk from him in return. He spared a leer for Mary before tromping right back out again, drawing their pregnant pause out into a truly uncomfortable silence.
Angel kept his eyes on the now empty door and sipped his coffee. “That man’s going to be trouble one of these days.”
***
“The T. Fosteriana appears to have ‘broken,’ with vertical stripes found in at least six plants. A clipping has shown evidence of honeydew, no doubt caused by aphid infestation. Recommend a new batch of lacewings or ladybird beetles to be bred immediately.” Rem paused, grimaced and looked back through her microscope. “Computer halt.”
The computer chirped an affirmative and Rem sighed. The balance in the biosphere (affectionately nicknamed the “rec room” by the crew) was a delicate one, an ecosystem that had to be constantly monitored and maintained by her human caretakers. Certain insects and their predators had been introduced into the system to create as natural an environment as possible but difficulties still arose despite good intentions. Such as the aphids affecting her poor, beleaguered tulips.
Part of the greater problem was cryostasis. If she could stay awake for the entire voyage, she could keep an eye on her plants, giving them the proper attention they needed to flourish. But in a trip that could take hundreds of years, that had already taken nearly a century, it simply wasn’t an option. Instead she had to re-store her bulbs and seeds, freeze up her insect hordes, and hope her trees could manage without her for a couple years.
Cryogenics were a royal pain in the rear sometimes.
She looked to the pot of red geraniums (Zonal pelargonium) sitting on her desk. She’d taken the cuttings about five weeks after they’d gotten out of stasis for the fifth time and managed to keep them blooming almost continually since. Considering just how…busy her life had become recently, this felt like a small, yet significant victory.
“Computer resume.” An answering beep. “Personal note: Saverem, Rem. Take clippings from geraniums, give them to the boys. It’ll be a good project for them.”
No sooner did she finish dictation than Joey’s voice crackled over the intercom.
“All hands, report to bridge.” He paused, then added the four words they all dreaded. “We have a problem.”
***
Rem met Angel halfway there. The night watchman still looked half-asleep.
“What’s going on?”
She shrugged. “I know as much as you do.”
They could only take that as a bad sign.
They rode up the lift together in silence, stepping out onto the bridge simultaneously. Joey leaned against his command chair, arms crossed and a deep frown carving lines in his face. Rowan Larson, their resident physicist, stood next to him. He kept moving his hands, shoving them in his pockets then leaving them at his side for a moment only to suddenly clasp them behind his back, nerves more than evident. Steve paced in front of the forward viewscreen, the stars behind him flying on oblivious to his actions.
Rem looked to Joey. “What’s happened?”
“I’d rather wait for everyone to arrive,” he answered neutrally.
Steve stopped and glared at him. “Why bother?” he said. “We already know whose fault it is.”
“What’s whose fault?” Rem asked.
“We don’t know anything for certain, yet,” Joey told her while looking at Steve, meeting the larger man’s scowl with cool professionalism. “And, Steve, no accusations until we do.”
Angel ran a hand through his hair, stifling a yawn. “Come on, Joey, clue us in here.”
Before the captain could answer, Mary breezed in from the lift, the twins trailing after her. “Sorry, we were knee-deep in anatomy lab. What’s up?”
“Rowan.” At the command, the young scientist turned to the nearest interface and started typing commands into the computer. Joey straightened, clearing his throat. “When Project SEEDS was first green-lighted, cold storage was a calculated risk. Everyone knew that despite our best efforts, there was still a chance some pods would fail. And now they have.”
Rem shuddered at a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature. Angel laid an arm over her shoulders and she leaned into his chest for support. Rowan took over the report. “The on-board computers have been keeping track of each storage unit, programmed with acceptable parameters for failure. While we’ve had individual pod failure on almost every ship, considering how massive an undertaking the Project was our losses have been few. However, on this ship itself we’re venturing out of proscribed parameters and into some serious problems.”
He pressed a key on his computer interface and a graph replaced the stars on-screen. Each colony ship had its own line and there was no doubt that the command ship’s line was rising steadily over the last few months. Rowan continued. “More pods lost than average and the rate’s increasing. We’re trying to isolate the cause, but if we can’t, there’s a chance of total life support failure.”
“And if that happens,” Joey added. “We’ll have to activate the secondary command module and abandon ship.”
“No!” Rem burst out. “We can’t! We have a duty to protect the colonists.”
Joey sighed. “I understand, Rem, and I promise you, it will only come as a last resort, but we have to prepare ourselves, just in case.”
“There has to be another way,” she insisted.
“I’ve got a suggestion,” Steve broke in. “But no one ever listens to me until it’s too late, do they?”
“What are you talking about?” Mary said.
“What do you think? I mean, when did our problems really begin?” He turned towards the twins. “Two fucking guesses.”
The two boys backed away, wide-eyed. Rem frowned. “That’s ridiculous. They’re only children.”
“Pretty words, but we all know what they really are.”
“That’s enough, Steve,” Joey told him. “I already told you, no accusations here.”
“Why?” Steve challenged, sarcastic, cruel. “Because I’m the only one willing to say what we’re all thinking? Too scared to face the truth?”
Angel stepped in front of him. “He said that’s enough.”
“What, you wanna make something of it?”
Angel smiled and it was nothing but predatory. “If I do, I promise you’ll be the first to know.”
“Hey,” Mary snapped. “Are you two finished spraying your testosterone around yet or can we start actually looking for some solutions here?”
“She’s right, the matter’s moot.” Joey glared at the other two men. “Steve, you’re more than bordering on insubordination. Keep it up and I will throw you in the brig. Are we clear?” Steve snorted, but didn’t say anything more. The captain turned to the rest of the crew.
“As for the matter at hand, for the moment I just want you to be aware of potential complications but continue your work as before. Rem, I want status updates on the rec room with highlights on any irregularities. We might see something there first before it comes up in normal life support protocols. Mary, take over my lessons with the boys when possible. I’ll be working more closely with Rowan in the meantime.” The twins traded a small, dismayed look that only caused Mary to roll her eyes heavenward.
“Steve, daily updates and full diagnostics run on every Plant. Angel, I need hourly check-ups of cold storage. More failures have occurred during night cycle than not. Wake me and Rowen immediately if another one occurs.” Joey looked at them each in the eye in turn. “All right. Dismissed.”
***
“ ‘...But I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally, she’s going to adopt me and civilize me, and I can’t stand it. I’ve been there before.’ ” Rem closed the book and smiled at the two blonde boys cuddled against her. “The End.”
Knives blinked and yawned, glancing at his brother who’d fallen asleep two chapters back. “Vash will want to know what happened at the end of the story,” he told her.
“I know. I’ll tell him in the morning.” She wriggled out from between the small, warm bodies, careful not to disturb Vash. Knives curled up under the comforter, ice blue eyes struggling to stay open as Rem tucked him in.
“Rem?”
“Yes, sweetie?”
“Where did those people go? The ones who died?”
Oh lord, philosophical discussions with sleepy children on topics she barely had figured out herself. She swallowed a sigh and bit her lip. “Well, they’re in heaven.”
“Where God lives?”
“Uh-huh.” Better to keep it simple.
“What’s it like?”
“Oh. Um, it’s very peaceful,” she answered slowly. “Everyone there is happy. There’s no war or strife or any bad things, just lots of love and caring and warmth.”
“But if it’s so nice, why are you sad when people go there?”
Good lord, out of the mouths of babes. How could one that young be that observant? “I, uh, I guess because we miss them. It’s very hard to say goodbye to someone you love.”
And, oh, did that rip open old wounds. Nights spent in cold, hard hospital chairs, stale coffee giving brief moments of clarity to blurry, mind-numbing grief. Begging, pleading, demanding that he stay just a little longer, don’t leave her alone, don’t abandon her, still knowing it would be inevitable as she waited for that one final hiss of the respirator before silence permanently descended.
She blinked back sudden tears and smiled through the pain. “And this is hardly the time for that discussion, young man.” She gave him a kiss on the forehead. “Go to sleep, okay?”
He nodded, eyes drifting closed, and she stole out of the room.
A half-hour later found her pacing the length of her quarters, hands wringing in agitation. Every time she approached the door, she’d stop before it could activate and turn right back around. After all, she did have work to do and the problems in cold storage seemed to lend a certain urgency to that. Surely... surely this could wait.
She halted in front of her mirror, staring at her reflection. Same as it always was - a tall woman with long black hair and unusual amber eyes. Yet had something changed in it the last few months? It seemed she was there in a way she hadn’t been before, aware of - of something, though what she couldn’t say. There was just - more.
Rem turned her back on the mirror and walked out.
***
Rowan only stopped staring at the computer screen when he realized he had been looking at it for five minutes without actually reading what it said. He took his glasses off, rubbed at dry, tired eyes, then got around to paying attention to his data.
Same as before.
He groaned and buried his head in his arms. He’d spent most of the night running diagnostics on cold storage and still had nothing to show for his efforts. None of the failed pods had been connected. None of the surrounding pods had even shown a twinge of abnormal activity. It was like the stasis chambers had simply decided to just stop working.
Perhaps he’d call Mary or Steve to help him tomorrow. Steve could help him measure energy outputs from the Plants to storage. Mary could maybe take a look at the colonists’ medical histories, see if they had been more susceptible to something (although why they all would catch it at the same time, he had no idea). Maybe she could even retrieve the bodies, perform an autopsy...
But that was ridiculous. He knew why they died. Their stasis chambers failed, they couldn’t revive properly, end of story.
Right, so no Mary. And Steve, well, he didn’t play well with others at times. Best to work on this alone when he could concentrate better without Steve’s running commentary and Mary’s other - assets.
“Computer. Run diagnostic again.”
And he would find an answer because he knew he could. He just had to find that one missing puzzle piece and it would all fall into place. No problem.
No problem at all.
***
“Oof!”
“Good!”
“But I’m on the floor.”
“Are you hurt?”
“Um, no, actually.”
“Then you’ve learned how to fall properly. It’s just as important as throwing a punch.”
“Oh.”
Angel helped Rem off the mat. She swiped at sweat-drenched bangs, tying her flyaway hairs back into her ponytail. Angel allowed her a minute to rest and she winced at sore back muscles as she stretched. The bruises that hurt now would be gone by morning.
Angel’s workouts were long and comprehensive. Fifteen minutes of meditation, ten minutes of warm-up, followed by a regiment combining the grace of Tae Kwon Do and grit of boxing. At the end, they would warm down with Tae Chi katas, something he insisted she practice on her own as well. She found that a bit odd because it seemed less conducive to fighting then her other training, but then Angel could be strange that way. And honestly, the less fighting she had to do the better.
“Ready yet?”
Rem shook her head. “Need another minute.”
Angel frowned as he looked at her panting. “You shouldn’t be so tired.”
She responded with a glare. “Some of us actually need to breathe.”
“That’s not-” He ran a hand through his hair. “You should be further along in your training. Maybe I’ve been too soft on you.”
“Too soft? Angel, I can barely move!”
“But you should be able to. You’ve got greater abilities now, much more stamina. Why haven’t you tapped into that yet?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged, turning around and retrieving her towel and water bottle. “I’m a little old for a Calling. Maybe we’re wrong. Maybe this was - I don’t know. A fluke.”
“Maybe.” The way he said that made the hairs on the back of her neck stiffen. “Maybe not.”
Rem turned and bit back a scream as the man who was once Angel charged her, fangs bared in a snarl and yellow eyes glowing.
Time slowed, stopped. Rem stepped outside herself, watching as the woman she was yet wasn’t shifted her weight, braced against her back foot and met the on-coming beast with her shoulder. Another slide and she flipped him with inhuman strength, sending him right into the wall with a resounding crash.
Time resumed its normal course and Rem’s hands flew to her mouth as she realized what she’d done.
“Oh god, oh god, oh god, Angel, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know, I didn’t mean-” She babbled as she rushed to his aid, bringing him to his feet. He winced as her hand brushed his back and abashed, she withdrew. He stared straight at her, unblinking, features shifting back to human.
His expression was not happy.
“You’ve been holding back.”
“What?”
“That.” He pointed at where he’d hit the wall. “Why the hell haven’t I seen that before?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The words sounded false even to her ears.
“You know damn well what I’m talking about.” Already dark eyes darkened further. She’d never seen him this angry before. “Six months we’ve been training and not once have you shown me the power you did just a minute ago.”
She looked down, to the side, anywhere but him. “You caught me off guard,” she said softly.
“Damnit, Rem-” He cut himself off, forcing his arms down. He spent a moment regaining his composure, fists finally relaxing. When she looked at him again, his expression had softened though it brokered no argument. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“I don’t-”
“Please.” Gentle, but not pleading, he placed a hand on her arm. She found herself trembling slightly under his touch. “I’m your friend. More importantly, I’m your teacher. I need to know.”
She looked past his shoulder to the far wall. “I don’t know if I can.”
“Can what? Tell me?”
She shook her head. “No. This.” She gestured with her free arm, including the entire room. “The Slayer. As if it’s a-a mantra, a prayer. The answer to everything. But it’s not me, Angel. It’s not.”
“Is that all?” He actually seemed amused, a slight smile gracing his lips. “Rem, you’re experiencing a major change in your life. Of course you’re bound to question it. Every Slayer has.”
“No, you don’t understand.” She pulled away, took a step back. “This is the antithesis of me, of my beliefs. I’m supposed to help nurture, help grow, I’m supposed to teach.” Her voice cracked. “And how can I teach the boys anything if I’m no more than a killer?”
“Is that what you really believe?” he asked, cool palm caressing her cheek.
“It’s true, isn’t it?” she sniffed. “That’s what a Slayer does.”
“Oh, Rem.” He drew her into a hug, strong arms holding her to a chest where no heart beat. She buried her head in his shoulder. “First, you haven’t killed anyone. And second, a Slayer is a warrior, not a killer.”
“Like there’s a difference.”
“Stop that,” he chided, not unlike he often did to the boys. Considering their age difference, it wasn’t an entirely unwarranted analogy. “Now listen, being a Slayer may not be a chosen calling, but it is a noble one. And every one of those girls I’ve known has performed their duty out of love and honor. Don’t ever sell yourself short.”
“Killing is still killing, Angel.”
His arms tightened and his voice grew a touch more brittle. “I’m on intimate terms with death. Believe me when I say every one is different.”
Rem swallowed, allowing the silence between them to grow. Angel began to idly stroke her hair. It felt nice, comforting in its way. She wiped at bright eyes and tried to smile. “You aren’t going to start lecturing me on ‘the smallest sacrifice possible,’ are you?”
That surprised a chuckle out of him. “No, I think I’ll leave that to our good captain.” He squeezed her again. “Alright?”
“I’ll live,” she said, pulling away.
“Same time tomorrow?”
She recognized the question for his opinion on the situation and accepted it. For the moment. “Yeah. I’ll be here.”
“Good.” He kissed her forehead, sending unexpected tingles all through her body. “I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow.”
***
It moved through the belly of the ship, unseen, unheard, keen senses leading it ever onward.
It couldn’t precisely remember how it came to be here, this strange place of cold and metal and hollow echoes that ricocheted about its head. It knew it had been somewhere before here, a place less hard with a greater feast to offer, a veritable cornucopia of sensation.
It remembered power. It could taste that still.
No. In the end, it didn’t matter how it came to be here. All that mattered was the hunt.
The hunt and the hunger.
END PART ONE
Fandom: Buffy: the Vampire Slayer, Trigun animeverse
Disclaimer: They belong to Yasuhiro Nightow and Joss Whedon
Rating: PG-13
Original Publication: FF.net, November 2002 - February 2003
Summary: Something is killing the colonists in cold storage. And if Rem can't figure out what it is, the crew of Projest SEEDS may be its next victims.
Night:
Found here.
Previous Parts:
Prologue: What You Are, What's To Come
PART ONE: OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES
Morning broke over the command ship of Project SEEDS. Up until seven months earlier, Captain Joseph Adams would have been the first to wake, followed by Rem, then Mary, Steve and Rowan in varying order. The five crewmembers would usually shuffle into the galley, sleepy-eyed and yawning, to prepare breakfast and review the schedule for the day. Occasionally they would meet the man called Angel on his way to bed after night watch, often carrying a mug of thick, red liquid he claimed was a protein drink to supplement his diet. No one except Rem knew any different and she wasn’t about to say anything about it one way or another.
This, of course, was before the boys came.
“Rem! Rem! Rem!”
Twin voices roused her from dreams of a sunlit city she had never been to. Rem blinked once, twice, three times before rolling over and meeting two pairs of wide, guileless eyes.
“Angel’s making breakfast!” Knives announced, looking proud to be the one to deliver that information.
“He promised donuts,” Vash added, bouncing on the soles of his feet either because he was terribly excited or because he was in dire need of the toilet, Rem wasn’t sure which.
She covered a yawn with one hand. “He did, did he?”
Vash nodded. “Yeah! Said it was a special family recipe and everything!”
Rem placed a finger on her chin as though thinking it over. “I don’t know. Those donuts are awfully sugary.”
“But Rem-”
“Hardly appropriate for two growing boys. No, we’ll have to get you something much healthier for breakfast.” The twins’ faces fell in dismay. “How does cabbage and liver sound?” Their shocked expressions at this announcement were priceless. She grinned. “Just kidding.”
“Rem!”
They immediately pounced on the bed and proceeded to tickle her mercilessly, an effective torture technique they’d learned from Mary only the week before. Rem giggled and responded in turn.
It was, she thought, a most pleasant way to begin a morning.
***
Ten minutes and much wrestling later, Rem arrived at the galley, Vash slung around her shoulders in a piggyback and Knives pouting beside her because he couldn’t fit next to his brother.
The fresh-baked smell of cinnamon and spice greeted them as they walked through the door. Angel, a young-looking man with short brown hair and an easy smile, waved at them over a mug of coffee. “Morning, guys.”
“Good morning,” Rem answered, letting Vash slide off her back. “Heard you were cooking today.”
“Frying, to be exact.” He pointed towards a long breakfast table against the far wall where coffee and donuts rested. “Help yourself.”
The twins took off at breakneck speed, pausing only to tussle briefly over the first donut before loading up their plates and heading for the table. As they reached for their food without a sign of manners, Rem cleared her throat. “Boys, what do you say?”
Hands paused, they looked up at Angel and chorused, “Thank you for the donuts, Mister Angel.”
The corners of Angel’s eyes crinkled up but he managed to keep a straight face. “You’re very welcome.”
The two boys gave Rem a pleading look. She laughed and waved them on. “Okay, okay, eat.”
The signal given the boys fell upon their food as if they hadn’t eaten in weeks. Rem made a mental note to brush up on their etiquette as she walked over to the coffeepot. She took a cursory sniff, grimaced, and decided to have some tea instead. Angel, while a surprisingly good cook considering his dietary habits, was only capable of making coffee one way: strong and thick as sludge. She supposed it didn’t matter if you had deadened taste buds but that rendered it nigh undrinkable for everyone else.
Cup filled with earl grey, she snagged a pastry before sitting down next to Angel, nibbling daintily and watching the twins eat. She nudged Angel. “Do all boys eat like that?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You never noticed?”
“Well, I have, but,” she shrugged, “guess I never paid that much attention when I wasn’t the one providing the food.”
“Technically, you still aren’t the one providing the food.”
“True, but I’m the one responsible for them eating it.” She shook her head. “No wonder Mom vowed to never have any more boys.”
They fell silent until Vash and Knives became engrossed in a discussion regarding yesterday’s lessons (Vash understood the literature, but was having trouble with the math). Angel leaned into Rem and spoke sotto voice. “You missed our meeting last night.”
She shifted, eyes refusing to meet his. “The boys kept me late and then I had some work to finish.”
He frowned. “You can’t keep avoiding it.”
“I know, I just...” Her gaze flicked to the twins, still absorbed in their animated discourse. “This isn’t easy for me.”
“I understand.” He placed a large, cool hand over her pale one, squeezing lightly. “We should still talk.”
“I know,” Rem repeated, breaking contact as Mary came through the door. “Later.”
Mary yawned and smiled sleepily at their little gathering. “Morning, all.” She sniffed then glanced at the buffet, face lighting up. “Oh! Donuts!”
The brown-haired doctor piled four pastries onto her plate, making Rem wonder how she ever kept that slim figure. She shuffled over to the table, plopping down next to Vash with a contented sigh. Unlike Rem, who always tried to look at least halfway decent no matter what time of the morning it was, Mary was rarely out of her bathrobe by breakfast. Her hair was still unbrushed, piled on top of her head in a curly, half-hearted ponytail, though she’d at least managed to get her glasses on this morning. Many a time she’d wandered into the dining hall without them, stumbling over chairs, tables, and - once - a coffeepot.
She was just about to take her first bite of donut, when Vash tugged on her sleeve. Mary blinked at him. “What is it, sweetie?”
“You didn’t say thank you,” he whispered. Mary made a sound between a hiccup and guffaw while Angel just raised an eyebrow and Rem hid her smile behind her mug.
“Better set a good example,” Rem chided.
Mary spent another minute obviously trying to figure out what had gone wrong with her morning before giving up and turning to Angel. “Uh, thanks?”
He didn’t even try to hide his grin. “No problem.”
That settled, Mary dug into her food with enthusiasm. “Where’s Joey?”
“Up on the bridge,” Angel answered. “Trouble with nav control again. Rowen’s working on it with him.”
Knives turned to Rem. “Can we help after breakfast?”
“Sorry, guys, school first,” she said. “Mary’s worked hard on your lesson plan.”
“But-”
“No buts.”
“Awww...”
“Geez, I’m starting to feel unloved over here,” Mary sniffed. “All this effort to avoid me.”
Knives shrugged. “Your classes aren’t very interesting.”
“Knives!” Twin admonishments came from Rem and Angel and the boy shrunk back.
Vash patted Mary’s arm and smiled reassuringly. “We still like you, though.”
Mary appeared utterly discombobulated and Rem felt her buoyant mood deflate a little. The twins presented a deep mystery for her, one moment acting their apparent age, the next making some very adult comment or observation. Rem was slowly growing used to it and she didn’t think Angel minded, but the rest of the crew was still thrown off by the actions of their two newest members.
The door swooshed open and Steve stomped in, paying no attention to those seated and heading straight for the food. He retrieved two donuts and a cup of coffee before throwing a look towards their group. His disinterested expression turned downright dark as he caught sight of the two boys. They twitched under his glare, producing a satisfied smirk from him in return. He spared a leer for Mary before tromping right back out again, drawing their pregnant pause out into a truly uncomfortable silence.
Angel kept his eyes on the now empty door and sipped his coffee. “That man’s going to be trouble one of these days.”
***
“The T. Fosteriana appears to have ‘broken,’ with vertical stripes found in at least six plants. A clipping has shown evidence of honeydew, no doubt caused by aphid infestation. Recommend a new batch of lacewings or ladybird beetles to be bred immediately.” Rem paused, grimaced and looked back through her microscope. “Computer halt.”
The computer chirped an affirmative and Rem sighed. The balance in the biosphere (affectionately nicknamed the “rec room” by the crew) was a delicate one, an ecosystem that had to be constantly monitored and maintained by her human caretakers. Certain insects and their predators had been introduced into the system to create as natural an environment as possible but difficulties still arose despite good intentions. Such as the aphids affecting her poor, beleaguered tulips.
Part of the greater problem was cryostasis. If she could stay awake for the entire voyage, she could keep an eye on her plants, giving them the proper attention they needed to flourish. But in a trip that could take hundreds of years, that had already taken nearly a century, it simply wasn’t an option. Instead she had to re-store her bulbs and seeds, freeze up her insect hordes, and hope her trees could manage without her for a couple years.
Cryogenics were a royal pain in the rear sometimes.
She looked to the pot of red geraniums (Zonal pelargonium) sitting on her desk. She’d taken the cuttings about five weeks after they’d gotten out of stasis for the fifth time and managed to keep them blooming almost continually since. Considering just how…busy her life had become recently, this felt like a small, yet significant victory.
“Computer resume.” An answering beep. “Personal note: Saverem, Rem. Take clippings from geraniums, give them to the boys. It’ll be a good project for them.”
No sooner did she finish dictation than Joey’s voice crackled over the intercom.
“All hands, report to bridge.” He paused, then added the four words they all dreaded. “We have a problem.”
***
Rem met Angel halfway there. The night watchman still looked half-asleep.
“What’s going on?”
She shrugged. “I know as much as you do.”
They could only take that as a bad sign.
They rode up the lift together in silence, stepping out onto the bridge simultaneously. Joey leaned against his command chair, arms crossed and a deep frown carving lines in his face. Rowan Larson, their resident physicist, stood next to him. He kept moving his hands, shoving them in his pockets then leaving them at his side for a moment only to suddenly clasp them behind his back, nerves more than evident. Steve paced in front of the forward viewscreen, the stars behind him flying on oblivious to his actions.
Rem looked to Joey. “What’s happened?”
“I’d rather wait for everyone to arrive,” he answered neutrally.
Steve stopped and glared at him. “Why bother?” he said. “We already know whose fault it is.”
“What’s whose fault?” Rem asked.
“We don’t know anything for certain, yet,” Joey told her while looking at Steve, meeting the larger man’s scowl with cool professionalism. “And, Steve, no accusations until we do.”
Angel ran a hand through his hair, stifling a yawn. “Come on, Joey, clue us in here.”
Before the captain could answer, Mary breezed in from the lift, the twins trailing after her. “Sorry, we were knee-deep in anatomy lab. What’s up?”
“Rowan.” At the command, the young scientist turned to the nearest interface and started typing commands into the computer. Joey straightened, clearing his throat. “When Project SEEDS was first green-lighted, cold storage was a calculated risk. Everyone knew that despite our best efforts, there was still a chance some pods would fail. And now they have.”
Rem shuddered at a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature. Angel laid an arm over her shoulders and she leaned into his chest for support. Rowan took over the report. “The on-board computers have been keeping track of each storage unit, programmed with acceptable parameters for failure. While we’ve had individual pod failure on almost every ship, considering how massive an undertaking the Project was our losses have been few. However, on this ship itself we’re venturing out of proscribed parameters and into some serious problems.”
He pressed a key on his computer interface and a graph replaced the stars on-screen. Each colony ship had its own line and there was no doubt that the command ship’s line was rising steadily over the last few months. Rowan continued. “More pods lost than average and the rate’s increasing. We’re trying to isolate the cause, but if we can’t, there’s a chance of total life support failure.”
“And if that happens,” Joey added. “We’ll have to activate the secondary command module and abandon ship.”
“No!” Rem burst out. “We can’t! We have a duty to protect the colonists.”
Joey sighed. “I understand, Rem, and I promise you, it will only come as a last resort, but we have to prepare ourselves, just in case.”
“There has to be another way,” she insisted.
“I’ve got a suggestion,” Steve broke in. “But no one ever listens to me until it’s too late, do they?”
“What are you talking about?” Mary said.
“What do you think? I mean, when did our problems really begin?” He turned towards the twins. “Two fucking guesses.”
The two boys backed away, wide-eyed. Rem frowned. “That’s ridiculous. They’re only children.”
“Pretty words, but we all know what they really are.”
“That’s enough, Steve,” Joey told him. “I already told you, no accusations here.”
“Why?” Steve challenged, sarcastic, cruel. “Because I’m the only one willing to say what we’re all thinking? Too scared to face the truth?”
Angel stepped in front of him. “He said that’s enough.”
“What, you wanna make something of it?”
Angel smiled and it was nothing but predatory. “If I do, I promise you’ll be the first to know.”
“Hey,” Mary snapped. “Are you two finished spraying your testosterone around yet or can we start actually looking for some solutions here?”
“She’s right, the matter’s moot.” Joey glared at the other two men. “Steve, you’re more than bordering on insubordination. Keep it up and I will throw you in the brig. Are we clear?” Steve snorted, but didn’t say anything more. The captain turned to the rest of the crew.
“As for the matter at hand, for the moment I just want you to be aware of potential complications but continue your work as before. Rem, I want status updates on the rec room with highlights on any irregularities. We might see something there first before it comes up in normal life support protocols. Mary, take over my lessons with the boys when possible. I’ll be working more closely with Rowan in the meantime.” The twins traded a small, dismayed look that only caused Mary to roll her eyes heavenward.
“Steve, daily updates and full diagnostics run on every Plant. Angel, I need hourly check-ups of cold storage. More failures have occurred during night cycle than not. Wake me and Rowen immediately if another one occurs.” Joey looked at them each in the eye in turn. “All right. Dismissed.”
***
“ ‘...But I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally, she’s going to adopt me and civilize me, and I can’t stand it. I’ve been there before.’ ” Rem closed the book and smiled at the two blonde boys cuddled against her. “The End.”
Knives blinked and yawned, glancing at his brother who’d fallen asleep two chapters back. “Vash will want to know what happened at the end of the story,” he told her.
“I know. I’ll tell him in the morning.” She wriggled out from between the small, warm bodies, careful not to disturb Vash. Knives curled up under the comforter, ice blue eyes struggling to stay open as Rem tucked him in.
“Rem?”
“Yes, sweetie?”
“Where did those people go? The ones who died?”
Oh lord, philosophical discussions with sleepy children on topics she barely had figured out herself. She swallowed a sigh and bit her lip. “Well, they’re in heaven.”
“Where God lives?”
“Uh-huh.” Better to keep it simple.
“What’s it like?”
“Oh. Um, it’s very peaceful,” she answered slowly. “Everyone there is happy. There’s no war or strife or any bad things, just lots of love and caring and warmth.”
“But if it’s so nice, why are you sad when people go there?”
Good lord, out of the mouths of babes. How could one that young be that observant? “I, uh, I guess because we miss them. It’s very hard to say goodbye to someone you love.”
And, oh, did that rip open old wounds. Nights spent in cold, hard hospital chairs, stale coffee giving brief moments of clarity to blurry, mind-numbing grief. Begging, pleading, demanding that he stay just a little longer, don’t leave her alone, don’t abandon her, still knowing it would be inevitable as she waited for that one final hiss of the respirator before silence permanently descended.
She blinked back sudden tears and smiled through the pain. “And this is hardly the time for that discussion, young man.” She gave him a kiss on the forehead. “Go to sleep, okay?”
He nodded, eyes drifting closed, and she stole out of the room.
A half-hour later found her pacing the length of her quarters, hands wringing in agitation. Every time she approached the door, she’d stop before it could activate and turn right back around. After all, she did have work to do and the problems in cold storage seemed to lend a certain urgency to that. Surely... surely this could wait.
She halted in front of her mirror, staring at her reflection. Same as it always was - a tall woman with long black hair and unusual amber eyes. Yet had something changed in it the last few months? It seemed she was there in a way she hadn’t been before, aware of - of something, though what she couldn’t say. There was just - more.
Rem turned her back on the mirror and walked out.
***
Rowan only stopped staring at the computer screen when he realized he had been looking at it for five minutes without actually reading what it said. He took his glasses off, rubbed at dry, tired eyes, then got around to paying attention to his data.
Same as before.
He groaned and buried his head in his arms. He’d spent most of the night running diagnostics on cold storage and still had nothing to show for his efforts. None of the failed pods had been connected. None of the surrounding pods had even shown a twinge of abnormal activity. It was like the stasis chambers had simply decided to just stop working.
Perhaps he’d call Mary or Steve to help him tomorrow. Steve could help him measure energy outputs from the Plants to storage. Mary could maybe take a look at the colonists’ medical histories, see if they had been more susceptible to something (although why they all would catch it at the same time, he had no idea). Maybe she could even retrieve the bodies, perform an autopsy...
But that was ridiculous. He knew why they died. Their stasis chambers failed, they couldn’t revive properly, end of story.
Right, so no Mary. And Steve, well, he didn’t play well with others at times. Best to work on this alone when he could concentrate better without Steve’s running commentary and Mary’s other - assets.
“Computer. Run diagnostic again.”
And he would find an answer because he knew he could. He just had to find that one missing puzzle piece and it would all fall into place. No problem.
No problem at all.
***
“Oof!”
“Good!”
“But I’m on the floor.”
“Are you hurt?”
“Um, no, actually.”
“Then you’ve learned how to fall properly. It’s just as important as throwing a punch.”
“Oh.”
Angel helped Rem off the mat. She swiped at sweat-drenched bangs, tying her flyaway hairs back into her ponytail. Angel allowed her a minute to rest and she winced at sore back muscles as she stretched. The bruises that hurt now would be gone by morning.
Angel’s workouts were long and comprehensive. Fifteen minutes of meditation, ten minutes of warm-up, followed by a regiment combining the grace of Tae Kwon Do and grit of boxing. At the end, they would warm down with Tae Chi katas, something he insisted she practice on her own as well. She found that a bit odd because it seemed less conducive to fighting then her other training, but then Angel could be strange that way. And honestly, the less fighting she had to do the better.
“Ready yet?”
Rem shook her head. “Need another minute.”
Angel frowned as he looked at her panting. “You shouldn’t be so tired.”
She responded with a glare. “Some of us actually need to breathe.”
“That’s not-” He ran a hand through his hair. “You should be further along in your training. Maybe I’ve been too soft on you.”
“Too soft? Angel, I can barely move!”
“But you should be able to. You’ve got greater abilities now, much more stamina. Why haven’t you tapped into that yet?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged, turning around and retrieving her towel and water bottle. “I’m a little old for a Calling. Maybe we’re wrong. Maybe this was - I don’t know. A fluke.”
“Maybe.” The way he said that made the hairs on the back of her neck stiffen. “Maybe not.”
Rem turned and bit back a scream as the man who was once Angel charged her, fangs bared in a snarl and yellow eyes glowing.
Time slowed, stopped. Rem stepped outside herself, watching as the woman she was yet wasn’t shifted her weight, braced against her back foot and met the on-coming beast with her shoulder. Another slide and she flipped him with inhuman strength, sending him right into the wall with a resounding crash.
Time resumed its normal course and Rem’s hands flew to her mouth as she realized what she’d done.
“Oh god, oh god, oh god, Angel, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know, I didn’t mean-” She babbled as she rushed to his aid, bringing him to his feet. He winced as her hand brushed his back and abashed, she withdrew. He stared straight at her, unblinking, features shifting back to human.
His expression was not happy.
“You’ve been holding back.”
“What?”
“That.” He pointed at where he’d hit the wall. “Why the hell haven’t I seen that before?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The words sounded false even to her ears.
“You know damn well what I’m talking about.” Already dark eyes darkened further. She’d never seen him this angry before. “Six months we’ve been training and not once have you shown me the power you did just a minute ago.”
She looked down, to the side, anywhere but him. “You caught me off guard,” she said softly.
“Damnit, Rem-” He cut himself off, forcing his arms down. He spent a moment regaining his composure, fists finally relaxing. When she looked at him again, his expression had softened though it brokered no argument. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“I don’t-”
“Please.” Gentle, but not pleading, he placed a hand on her arm. She found herself trembling slightly under his touch. “I’m your friend. More importantly, I’m your teacher. I need to know.”
She looked past his shoulder to the far wall. “I don’t know if I can.”
“Can what? Tell me?”
She shook her head. “No. This.” She gestured with her free arm, including the entire room. “The Slayer. As if it’s a-a mantra, a prayer. The answer to everything. But it’s not me, Angel. It’s not.”
“Is that all?” He actually seemed amused, a slight smile gracing his lips. “Rem, you’re experiencing a major change in your life. Of course you’re bound to question it. Every Slayer has.”
“No, you don’t understand.” She pulled away, took a step back. “This is the antithesis of me, of my beliefs. I’m supposed to help nurture, help grow, I’m supposed to teach.” Her voice cracked. “And how can I teach the boys anything if I’m no more than a killer?”
“Is that what you really believe?” he asked, cool palm caressing her cheek.
“It’s true, isn’t it?” she sniffed. “That’s what a Slayer does.”
“Oh, Rem.” He drew her into a hug, strong arms holding her to a chest where no heart beat. She buried her head in his shoulder. “First, you haven’t killed anyone. And second, a Slayer is a warrior, not a killer.”
“Like there’s a difference.”
“Stop that,” he chided, not unlike he often did to the boys. Considering their age difference, it wasn’t an entirely unwarranted analogy. “Now listen, being a Slayer may not be a chosen calling, but it is a noble one. And every one of those girls I’ve known has performed their duty out of love and honor. Don’t ever sell yourself short.”
“Killing is still killing, Angel.”
His arms tightened and his voice grew a touch more brittle. “I’m on intimate terms with death. Believe me when I say every one is different.”
Rem swallowed, allowing the silence between them to grow. Angel began to idly stroke her hair. It felt nice, comforting in its way. She wiped at bright eyes and tried to smile. “You aren’t going to start lecturing me on ‘the smallest sacrifice possible,’ are you?”
That surprised a chuckle out of him. “No, I think I’ll leave that to our good captain.” He squeezed her again. “Alright?”
“I’ll live,” she said, pulling away.
“Same time tomorrow?”
She recognized the question for his opinion on the situation and accepted it. For the moment. “Yeah. I’ll be here.”
“Good.” He kissed her forehead, sending unexpected tingles all through her body. “I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow.”
***
It moved through the belly of the ship, unseen, unheard, keen senses leading it ever onward.
It couldn’t precisely remember how it came to be here, this strange place of cold and metal and hollow echoes that ricocheted about its head. It knew it had been somewhere before here, a place less hard with a greater feast to offer, a veritable cornucopia of sensation.
It remembered power. It could taste that still.
No. In the end, it didn’t matter how it came to be here. All that mattered was the hunt.
The hunt and the hunger.
END PART ONE