ME: Alright. Before you all try to kill me I swear, I have a reason for not updating this!

Rubedo and Albedo: (Nowhere to be seen)

ME: Wait……where the fudge are they? What the hell?

Giseisha: Damn, lost them.

ME: Heh……I have to admit I’m impressed. They slipped away relatively fast. Anyway, back to begging for forgiveness from reviewers. I plan on updating more as soon as I can but being in advanced classes for school prohibits me from being free after school! WAH! So I’m trying people! I really am!

Giseisha: No offense but maybe it would be better just to start the chapter and get on with it.

ME: Yeah you have a point. Alright I only ownz my characters! Chapter start!

--

Chapter 7: Fall

An alarm suddenly blared and jerked Ryoko awake. She shook her head in surprise and stared through the terminal that was flashing red. ‘What went wrong?’ she thought as she bit down into her lip with such a force that it caused blood to trickle down her chin.

“Unidentified ship approaching from behind. Estimated contact is two minutes and seven seconds,” the robotic voice echoed around her causing Ryoko to dig her nails into the arms of her chair. Without another moment’s hesitation, she grabbed the terminal on her knee and jammed it onto her face. The screen pulled out around her eyes and the screen flashed to reveal the Elsa soaring up behind her. Ryoko cursed under her breath and began typing out an access code on the keyboard. Suddenly all the controls pulled back and she set her hands on the E.S. controls.

“Activate jump now!” Ryoko nearly shouted as her machine jumped into action.

“Understood,” the voice answered coldly.

Instantly her machine began to tremble and shake while a seam unraveled before her. She shifted and prepared for a jerk to show her machine had jumped, but instead everything seemed to freeze. Ryoko slammed her fist on the arm of her chair, but nothing responded to her. She glared at the machine and then froze. Her entire E.S. was disintegrating into particles.

“Damn it, Terajima!” Ryoko screamed as she realized the hack her sister had planted in her machine. She pulled out a miniature control panel from her pocket and began furiously typing something into it.

“Jr! Get the hell outta here!” Ryoko snapped as she sensed his presence draw closer to her machine.

“We’ll leave as soon as you’re on this ship going back home!”

“Heh! I have no home, but fine! I’ll transfer onto your ship. Now hurry up and leave!” Ryoko said as she finished typing the action into the panel.

--

On The Elsa

--

Jr. closed his eyes and felt a transfer activate from Ryoko’s E.S. and land near the hanger of the ship. He shook his head knowing Ryoko had transported herself to the ship using the miniature UMN column she had created without the knowledge of Representative Helmer or any of the higher ups finding out. ‘That sneaky devil,’ he thought with a smirk on his face.

MOMO suddenly gasped and caused him to look up just in time to see Ryoko’s E.S. completely disintegrate into thin air. Yet, instead of everything falling back into darkness, a ripple in the fabric of reality opened wider and shook the entire ship. Shion fell back into KOS-MOS’ arms and everyone else was likewise knocked off their feet. Jr. stood and looked around saying, “What the hell?!”

“You idiot!” Ryoko shouted running into the bridge, “We’re caught it the jump! You should’ve left when you had the chance! What happens now is up to chance!”

“Yelling at one another isn’t going to fix this problem,” Ziggy said over looking the scene before them.

“You think I don’t know this?” Ryoko growled turning her attention away from Jr. and towards Tony. She ran over to him and skid to a stop saying, “You have two seconds to hand over the controls to the ship or I’ll knock you aside.”

“Whoa! Chill!” Tony began waving his hands frantically and quickly slid out of the seat. Normally, allowing someone else to control the Elsa was something he’d rather die than let happen, but Tony knew Ryoko. She wouldn’t hesitate to knock him unconscious for weeks if he didn’t give up his chair. So he slunk back to Hammer and Captain Matthews as Ryoko quickly began changing their course. After a few agonizing moments of silence, Ryoko let out an aggravated hiss.

“We can’t get out of the pull now. We have no choice but to enter that rift,” Ryoko called back to the rest of the group.

“And exactly what does that mean?!” Allen gaped looking over at her in fear.

“We’re in for one hell of a ride,” Jr. answered tightly pulling MOMO to him. He looked at the rest of his comrades and said, “You all better grab hold of something. She’s going to show you guys why even I don’t like to ride with her!”

“Ryoko are you pulling out ‘that’ maneuver?!” Jin called to his friend as she began smirking out at the rift.

“Oh hell yeah,” Ryoko answered as her eyes flashed a darker shade of red.

“If anyone values their sanity, you should hold on tight,” Jin answered paling slightly as he tightly gripped the chair of Hammer’s seat. Everyone else likewise clung to something sturdy and glanced fearfully at Ryoko who was speeding the Elsa right into the middle of the rift.

“Once we’re inside the rift there will be large pieces of rock that will come at us from all directions. I need you all to be as calm as you possibly can and keep your screaming to a minimum,” Ryoko said calmly shifting the controls so they were perfectly placed for her to grab at a moments notice. A slight smirk curled at her lips and she said, “I’ve been waiting to see what the Elsa could do.”

“If you mess up this ship, Ryoko,” Jr. called out letting his threat hang in the air.

“Trust me. Nothing’s going to happen,” Ryoko smiled as the ship suddenly jolted and thrust them near the rift. Ryoko smiled and said, “Here we go!”

--

Terajima’s Interrogation Room

--

“STOP! STOP IT!” Kirshwasser screamed in pain as Yosho stood over her with his fingers tightly curled around her forehead. A flash of dark green erupted from his fingertips and Kirshwasser released another shriek of pain. Terajima’s cold blue eyes stared at the sight as a pleased, sadistic smirk curled her mouth. The blue eyed captain stood only mere feet from the scene and she felt her skin tingle in satisfaction with each shriek Kirshwasser gave.

“Come now. Just a little more. Give me your memories,” Yosho chanted as another flash of green erupted from his hand. A sudden shattering sound erupted through the air and Kirshwasser’s entire body became limp. Yosho smirked as he released the Realian and allowed her to fall to the ground like a broken doll.

“Captain……Ryoko……I’m sorry,” Kirshwasser whispered as her eyes became blank and seemed to become completely empty.

“Yes,” Terajima purred with wide eyes. A maniacal smile crossed her face and she began ranting like she was losing her mind, “After oh so long a wait, I’ve finally got it! Everything! Everything she was and ever will be! It’s all here in my hands now. She’s powerless against it all! MY SISTER’S FINALLY GOING TO FALL!”

“Yes, lady Terajima,” Yosho said bowing before his commander. He glanced out of the corner of his eyes at the fragile body of the Kirshwasser that lied on the ground beside him. A snort rose from his chest and he looked to his commander saying, “I managed to remove all the seals that the Kirshwasser had on her mind. I’m surprised. That wench knew more seals than I gave her credit for.”

“Are you tired?” Terajima asked as a strange note of concern came to her voice.

“It’s just…unlocking those seals was tiring. I apologize. I cannot recover as quickly as I usually do,” Yosho answered looking at the ground in disappointment.

“Don’t worry, Yosho. You’ve done well. Just rest my friend,” Terajima purred closing her right fist tightly. She extended it out to the fighter and slowly uncurled her fingers to reveal a light blue orb of energy. Yosho looked at the orb in confusion and looked to Terajima for answers. She smiled softly and said, “You’ve been so loyal to me. It’s about time I’ve allowed you to know how appreciative I really am. In this orb is some of my own power. It’ll renew your spirits and increase your own strength and abilities. Use it well.”

“T-thank you, Captain Terajima!” Yosho stuttered in surprise. His own hand curled around the orb and instantly energy entered his body. Yosho blinked in surprise before suddenly feeling strange. He closed his eyes and absolutely every memory Terajima ever had ran through his mind in a flash.

“I trust you, Yosho. You’re my other half,” Terajima purred as she stepped closer to her subordinate. Yosho looked down at his captain in surprise before moving closer to her and cupping her face in both of his hands. He bent his face low to hers and their lips met in a passionate kiss that sent shivers through both of their spines. After a moment they pulled away and Terajima looked up into her subordinate’s eyes, “So this is what I’ve been missing.”

“Not anymore,” Yosho whispered quietly to her. He moved closer to her and the broken Kirshwasser lying on the ground a ways away from them was completely forgotten about.

--

“Damn! Is that all this piece of scrap metal can pull together?!” Ryoko growled as she began furiously typing something into the controls. The Elsa shifted to the right with a jolt and a large piece of rubble barely missed the glass of the bridge. Her hands moved even faster and the Elsa suddenly shot up and took a sharp left that almost had them riding clean on their side. Three more obstacles missed the ship and a bright light flashed across the area around them.

“Where are we going?” Jr. asked Ryoko as she began typing in a command that made him hug MOMO tighter and make sure they were securely holding onto something.

“Well…“home” you could say,” Ryoko replied in monotone as she initiated the maneuver. The Elsa suddenly lurched to a sharp right, then a sharp left, and finally to such a sharp right that it actually rolled completely onto its side and further. Some of the passengers gave out cries of fear and Ryoko made the Elsa suddenly pick up so much speed that none of them could stand on their own.

“We’re gonna die!” Allen, Hammer, and Tony all cried at the same time holding onto the ship for their dear lives. Just as their screams came to an end the entire ship began shaking so badly that the controls began to be too much for even Ryoko to keep a hold of.

“You just had to say something!” Jr. called in annoyance as he looked to Ryoko for some explanation.

“We’re coming close to the landing. You guys better hang on tight. This isn’t going to be fun at all,” Ryoko replied trying to type something into the controls, but before she could finish a huge explosion was heard and the ship began hurtling downwards. Everyone on the bridge screamed and the lights immediately went out. The last thing any of them remembered before blacking out was on final jolt that even shocked robotic sensors.

--

A Few Hours after the Crash-Ryoko’s Point Of View

--

My head was throbbing and every nerve in my body was pounding as the adrenaline began to finally calm itself down. Every inch of my body was shaking uncontrollably and there was a steady stream of blood flowing from the tip of my forehead from when I must’ve slammed it on the controls. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around the bridge to see the lights were flickering on and off while no one else had seemed to get themselves up.

“Let’s never do that again,” I muttered quietly as I held my forehead where the gash was. It wasn’t anything to bad and a few little fixes here and there could surely patch it up for me. I tried to stand out of the seat, but fell back as pain seared through my entire right side. I held my ribs in pain and thought about what must’ve happened to us after that explosion, but the only thing that came to mind was the jolt that knocked us all unconscious. I shook my head slightly and ignored the pain enough to stand up. The ship was dark and it soon became clear the Elsa’s power had a complete glitch. I sighed slightly and moved away from the front of the bridge to where all my comrades were. I bent down beside Jin and lightly shook his shoulder whispering, “Hey, Jin, are you alright? Come on now. Wakey, wakey.”

Jin stirred and slowly opened his eyes to see me looking down at him. He rolled onto his side and sat up saying, “Remind me to never let you drive. That wasn’t fun in any meaning of the word.”

“Oh hush. I got us through in one piece. Be happy we’re not floating around space complete blue from lack of oxygen. Now help me get the other’s up,” I muttered moving over to KOS-MOS and Ziggy. It didn’t take long for everyone to come to and we soon were all standing around the bridge taking in the damages. Everyone had minor injuries like me, but the Elsa was in far worse shape than we were. Captain Matthews, Hammer, and Tony began shouting at me in anger, but I hardly paid them any mind. I was more focused on trying to sense out the area we were in.

--

MOMO’s point of view

--

I quietly fixed my outfit and listened to everyone’s talk about the Elsa. Hammer, Tony, and the captain were yelling at Ryoko, but it didn’t seem like she was listening to them. It was then that I noticed her breathing was sharp and seemed like she was in pain. I thought it was because of the cut on her head, but the more I looked at her it seemed that the pain was coming from her chest. Or from what I saw, her heart.

It was then that a small noise came to my hearing. I turned around and saw that it was coming from just outside the bridge doors. I glanced back and saw that everyone was too busy talking about the situation to notice me. I turned around and quietly walked out of the bridge. Just outside I saw a small orb of blue light and it floated over to me without making a sound. I was about to run away from it when a sudden feeling entered my body. I looked at the orb and realization hit me as I whispered, “Kirshwasser?”

The blue orb suddenly flew into my body and I stumbled back in surprise. Before I could panic a small voice echoed through my head, “MOMO, please don’t be afraid. It’s just me, Kirshwasser.”

“What…what happened to you?” I whispered quietly in surprise.

“Captain Ryoko’s sister, Terajima, and her second in command, Yosho, broke into my mind. They destroyed all of my sensors and separated my consciousness from my body. All that’s left of me is the desire to protect my friend. Please, help me do that,” Kirshwasser pleaded quietly to me.

“Do you want me to tell Ryoko what’s going on?”

“No. She wants to face her sister. I can’t stop that, but I want to be able to help her if I can. Will you help me do that?”

“I’ll do whatever I can,” I vowed quietly to her.

--

“Hey where’s MOMO?” Jr. wondered as he looked around finally noticing the Realian’s empty spot. All fell silent and Ryoko looked around the room in concern. Flashes of MOMO and Kirshwasser flew through her mind and she immediately began making for the bridge door to find the girl. Before she even made it three feet, however, the young girl walked back into the room with her eyes on the floor. Jr. sighed in relief and said, “Where were you MOMO?”

“Hm? Oh, I thought I saw something. It turns out I must’ve been seeing things,” MOMO said with a small smile.

“Don’t wander off around here. This place is dangerous. I should know. I halfway grew up here,” Ryoko said shaking her head slightly.

“Where exactly is ‘here’ anyway?” Allen said looking at the captain curiously.

“Well, to understand that you’ve got to understand a bit of my history. To put this bluntly, we’re at my home,” Ryoko said leaning against one of the terminals.

“But you grew up on Miltia didn’t you? How is this, your home?” chaos asked looking at her curiously.

“I knew that was coming. Ok, so this is a facility that was hidden beneath the facility where my…‘parents’ lived and worked. It was here that they brought Terajima back to life and…managed to create me. It was here where I underwent all the training I would need to be useful to Dimitri Yuriev and it was here……that I underwent all the experiments that would make me destroy everything I knew in order for Terajima to become as strong as she needed to be. She would take me down and then…” Ryoko’s head looked down at the ground and she closed her eyes. She slowly looked up and them and continued, “She’d finish everything Dimitri Yuriev wanted finished, but he didn’t take into account how badly U-DO would screw with her mind. It turns out that it completely snapped everything. She thought she was superior; almost like a god. So, she instead turned on me and everyone else she knew. This was launched into space in case we ever went out of control and needed to be ‘shut down’. The chances are…she’s already in the control room.”

“Wait! You mean…” Shion’s voice faded in her throat and Ryoko looked at her with an unfathomable face.

“Yeah. She could kill me with ease if she wanted and you guys…would have to fight with everything you are to get out of here alive,” Ryoko said looking outside of the bridge’s windows. She sighed and looked back at them saying, “It’s funny. We both always thought that we’d never return to this place. Terajima made a vow that she would destroy me with her own hands and I’d be laid out in front of all my comrades. The thing is Terajima hadn’t planned on me finding something worth fighting for. I’ve become stronger than she had anticipated and unless she wants to lose something dear, she’s going to use everything she can to send others to fight me. It’s too dangerous for her to enter the battle herself. She learned that a while back when I was assigned to save you and I…well you saw what happened.”

“So there’s a chance that while we’re here…we’ll have to see you get “shut down” so she won’t have to fight you herself?” Jr. asked looking at her curiously.

“There’s always the chance, but…like I said. Coming here is something we both never had planned on. This could mean there’s an advantage or disadvantage on both sides or just one. This is uncharted territory and thinking that its all bad will make it so. To look at this and see there might be a bright side makes it so there actually might be one,” Ryoko said with a slight smile that instantly reassured the entire group.

Except MOMO.

“She knows that something’s happened to me,” Kirshwasser’s voice echoed softly through her mind, “Its tearing her apart. I can see it in her eyes.”

“Is there anyway I can help her?” MOMO wondered as she tried to see into Ryoko’s eyes like Kirshwasser could, but all she saw was complete determination to get through this so they could all go back home.

“Just be ready for me to come out when she falls. I’m going to make her remember the one person that’ll be able to catch her and bring her back. You once knew him as a great and bitter enemy,” Kirshwasser answered before resting once more.

“So what are we going to do now?” Jin said crossing his arms, “The Elsa is in no condition to be flying and we need to scout this place out. We might be able to find something that could repair the Elsa and we may also find Kirshwasser.”

“Yeah…let’s get to looking around. Once I know where we’re at, I’ll know where we have to go. Hopefully it won’t be too far from the control center, but knowing my luck we’ll be on the opposite end of this damned thing,” Ryoko sighed shaking her head slightly. She smiled at the group and said, “Anyone ready for a little adventure?”

“I’m thinking more of a misadventure,” Jr. said smiling over at MOMO who couldn’t help but giggle. Ryoko’s face soured for a moment and she playfully pouted as chaos also his amusement.

“Unnecessary wasting of time is ill advised. Probability of the situation becoming even more undesirable fifty percent. Haste is advised,” KOS-MOS said causing Ryoko to fall silent.

“She’s right. Let’s get moving,” she said walking past her comrades and out of the bridge. Silence fell and they obediently followed her out.

--

ME: Ok, I swear I have to update this more. I’m getting some new ideas for it. Anyway I would like some opinions here! What do you think of the Terajima/Yosho pairing I’ve got going here? Also I would like some opinions on what happened to Kirshwasser. Anything to say about that? Oh and hehe…if you thought that was bad...there’s more coming.

Rubedo: What is with you? You’re starting to become an evil writer!

Albedo: Not that the writing is a bit refreshing, but I also wonder what’s going on.

ME: I’m surprised you got away from our reviewer. Hehe. No matter. You’ll get caught again sooner or later. Hehe.

Rubedo and Albedo: …you are the epitome of evil.

ME: GOOD! Mwahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! That’s a good thing. It means I can write the next parts of this story easier. Anyway, please review! I need some feedback and it might help me update faster!

Giseisha: Found you!

Albedo and Rubedo: (run like bats out of hell)

ME: Damn. They can run. Well if you want to see if they make it away review please! (finds popcorn and sits down) Let the fun begin!