Based on Emotion

The Zeboim Saga

"Oh, Emmy, how was your day at school?" Elly asked as she heard her daughter step inside the front door.

"Some of the kids teased me because I was so big," the girl replied, revealing no emotion in her smooth, musical voice. "But I understand that they're human beings that are afraid of what they don't know. Tomorrow, I hope I can teach them more about myself. "

The nurse left the soup she was preparing in the saucepan and rushed in to the foyer, helping Emeralda hang up her coat and boots. It was the winter season, and close to the end of Emeralda's first semester. When she first came home over a year ago, she could not speak, read, or write, but both Kim and Elly took time off work to help her through. Their daughter learned extremely fast, and managed to pick up most simple Zeboim words without difficulty.

Due to the cease-fire between Trewth, Valeria, and Loveh, the peace over the divided country of Zeboim reigned for the past year. The lack of bombs, chemical and explosive, cleared up the air around Kore somewhat, and one could actually see the sun rise on a few days of the year. However, it was still only a cease-fire, and no permanent peace had been worked out. The cease-fire treaty had been renewed twice already, but not without bloody conflict in between; new combat machines called Galvanized Humanoid Attack Robots were used by Loveh to annihilate the regular forces there were still stationed by Trewth and Valeria. Only a barrage of Eeatu missiles stopped the four robots that struck a Valerian outpost. The gigantic machines were almost fifteen metres tall, could cause devastating amounts of damage, and were piloted by a single human being, which meant less casualties for Loveh.

And since the attack, despite the peace talks, Valeria once again secretly prepared for war. President Haawa told the public that he was afraid that this sort of circumstance would arise if he kept a cease-fire on for too long, and the media stressed stocking up on food and other goods in case of new attacks by Loveh. Kim's project was still low on the funding scale over the past year, but while he had no real rank, he had lost none of his prestige.

Emeralda dashed over to the couch with the energy of a regular ten-year old child. Elly regretted the fact that Emeralda looked lot older than she actually was... she was making it past grade six with very minor problems, but it was not easy for her to look thirteen, have the mentality of an eight-year old, and to have to hang out kids who looked younger than her, but acted older. Emeralda flipped through the channels of absentmindedly as Elly stirred the soup and watched the bread she had made especially for her daughter.

"What do anything to eat, Emeralda?" Elly called out. The channels were still being changed.

"No, Elly, not right now."

If their were a few things that bothered Elly, it was that Kim made too perfect. The girl didn't need to eat, sleep, or exercise. Elly would never be able to treat her skinned knees, watch her appreciate a home-cooked meal, or gaze over her as the angel rested. She also resented the fact that she would never have a little baby of her own. Not that it was Emeralda's fault that she was created that way... it was just that there were things that were still missing.

Elly moved the vegetable soup off of the stove, glancing at the cute macaroni animals that floated on the surface. She had only the weekend left before she had to return to work ... and then she would have to find out what to do with Emeralda while both her parents were gone for the day. She loathed to leave the girl in the hands of a day care; in fact, she didn't trust anyone in general.

Emeralda strolled back into the apartment's small kitchen, glancing around the area. Elly motioned toward the soup. "Want any?"

"Sure Elly," she said, grabbing a seat at the table. "Is Kim going to be home today?"

"Yes, of course he is. However, he might be a bit late. He has letters to write to the Prime Minister."

"Why is Kim so important in this world?"

Elly ladled some of the reddish vegetable soup into Emeralda's bowl. "Why, that is a very well known scientist... he does lot of nanomachine design and implementation. Of course, he's very gifted in the field."

"He created me."

For a moment, Elly wondered if Emeralda called for them both by the first names because she knew she was created. At first, Kim thought of not telling her the truth, but when she was playing with the other kids in the park and fell down a shallow ravine without hurting herself at all, Kim felt she had to know. Of course, she was under strict orders not to reveal the fact to anyone else.

Kim came home late that evening. Elly went to him, giving him a tight embrace as had become the tradition... the one time they had been separated had proved to be too much for either of them. Emmy watched the two with a serious expression on her face, then went back to her construction blocks.

Kim loosened his tie and flopped over on the couch. "Hey, Emmy! How are you?" He ruffled her hair. Her eyes immediately brightened and she leaped up on the cushion beside him. to

"I'm fine! What did you do today, Kim?"

"I did a lot of work with nano-mechanical synthesis," Kim explained, not undaunted to use large words. "That's when nanomachines try to work with metal arms and legs."

"Like the Galva... human attack... Geva... the gears?"

"Uhh, yes," Kim replied. "We still don't know how Loveh runs their gears... I mean, their galvanized humanoid attack robots. There were ten made in total by Loveh. All of them were about fifteen meters tall and equipped with very vicious weapons like lasers and missiles."

"Do they target well?"

"Apparently so. They're targeting systems are so precise that a gear... galvanized humanoid attack robot... can destroy a single floor of a building without harming the other ones."

"How are gears piloted?"

Kim shrugged. "Until we capture one, we are not going to know for sure. some people think that they just work with a simple control stick interface like a flight joke."

"Can a person control it using only their mind? I have heard stories of people controlling machines with the minds if they wear a special helmet."

"Not for gears. Too many mechanical and electrical parts to deal with right now."

Emeralda nodded and went back to her construction toys. Kim switched the television on, turning up the volume for the local newscast.

"And reports of new nuclear weapons being developed by Trewth have been in fact proven true. Will Valeria, under the terms of the Cleanfire Act, break its cease-fire with Trewth? We have the live press conference with General Kreruain Malkut, Foreign Military Relations on the Executive Council."

Kim leaned forward, and Elly ran into the room from the kitchen upon hearing mention of her friend's name.

Kreruain's young face was on the television, displayed against camera flashes and video lights. "It appears that there had have been reports by unknown sources that Trewth has been building new nuclear missiles. Only recently, we found traces of nuclear testing in the far north on the Ignasian desert. Now..."

He was interrupted when the reporters tried to ask him a flurry of questions at once. Kreruain wisely shut his mouth until the flurry ceased.

"At the moment, the Valerian Council of International Affairs is deciding what to do in light of this matter. Valeria cannot afford another two-front war. However, Valeria also cannot afford to be bordered by a nation that tests nuclear weapons with possible intent to use them." Snapping cameras and flashes lit his face. Kreruain looked undaunted in the face of the reporters and the cameras. "We will discuss this matter with the Council and report to the nation of Valeria at a later time. I have nothing else to say."

"But General..."

"Doesn't Valeria have its own Mass Driver nuclear... "

"General, will we see the possibility..."

"General Malkut, could there be..."

Kreruain turned away and walked back behind the curtain from the podium, ignoring all further questions.

"And that is the news from the Valerian Parliament. Apparently, the...."

Kim decreased the volume. "So what do you think of that? This war might not be over yet. And just when they were thinking of negotiating peace."

Elly grimaced. "I'll be working more than full-time again. They managed to step up the quality of the heath care, but that will go down when the Defense gets their big budget boost."

"R&D hasn't received its large share recently," Kim stated. "I might get to work with more than a paper bag. They've been really stingy with the budgets lately, so I haven't been getting a lot to work with... been buying my own tools occasionally too, because the lab's are not good enough."

"Are you saying that war would be..."

Kim grimaced. "No, certainly not. I don't want anything to happen." Unconsciously, he knelt on the ground and wrapped his arms around Emeralda, who squeaked with protest at being interrupted from her games. She eventually relaxed and learned to adapt, manipulating and locking together pieces while Kim's arms were around her shoulders.

"I understand. But I don't know what Kreruain... General Malkut has in mind. He's vehemently opposed to the war effort as well, and..."

"Why don't you ask him yourself? You're still friends with him, right?"

She nodded. He visited them occasionally, as Elly rarely had the opportunity to go out. As she raised her daughter, though, she realised that Emeralda was virtually self-sufficient and would be okay as long as she received emotional attention. However, it was always giving the emotional attention that eluded her. The feeding, bathing, all that other stuff, was simple. But when Emeralda would ask tough questions about life, and humanity, Elly often drew blanks. Thank the world for Kim, who managed to express his views and answer her questions to her satisfaction. However, if she had a concern about Kim, it was that he was often too honest... he would say almost everything that he believed about mankind to Emeralda, and she was afraid that it might make her vengeful and bitter.

She didn't certainly seem to be very vengeful and bitter now, only quiet and reflective.

"Why would war hurt me, Kim? I am nanomachines, and I cannot be hurt."

"Emeralda, you're not invincible. If you are hit by a nuclear weapon, you will die, like everyone else."

"Then why don't we try to prevent Trewth from launching their missiles? Why don't we tell them that we are not bad people?"

Kim sighed, and he released the hug he had on his daughter. "We try, but they are humans. Humans are afraid of what they don't know. Trewth doesn't know us, and are still afraid of us."

"Why?"

"I don't know why. People are really weird. They tend to listen to the first thing that someone tells them, and then they block out everything else that people tell them. Emeralda, before you ever make a judgement, be sure you listen to all sides of the story. Trewth only listens to the views of their leaders. Their leaders don't like Valeria, and they tell their people so they won't like Valeria either."

"You don't like Valeria, Kim."

Elly smiled at this quip.

Kim shrugged. "I don't like many people in Valeria. Human beings in general are mostly closed-minded and unwilling to listen to what is right. This includes people in Valeria, Trewth, and Loveh. I try to be open, but it's tough. I hope you don't come to conclusions without knowing all of the facts, Emeralda. Don't ever assume that you know it all."

"Okay."

"I want to call Kreruain," Elly reported. "But he's not going to be back yet from the office. I want to ask him what he plans to do... and what Prime Minister Haawa plans to do. I hear rumours that the Prime Minister may actually cancel the treaty."

"I don't want another war. I don't want to think of the possibility that Emeralda could be harmed. It was good with no war. The birth rate is rising and the average life expectancy is going up." Kim paused. "But it seems that the destiny of humans is to destroy each other."

Elly shook her head. "Kim, don't say that. You know it's not entirely true. Emeralda will grow up to be cynical and bitter."

"Don't worry about me," the girl said without a thought. "I will think before I come to conclusions, as Kim has told me to do."

Elly nodded her approval. "That'll make you really smart one day, Emeralda... ask the questions before you come to a conclusion."

The faces of the elderly Gazel Ministry stared at Miang from around their places on the conference table. She was in Solaris today as she stood up against their mocking voices and bitter manners. She didn't realise how physically frail they were until she met them in person; this made locating the ideal humans even more important to them.

"Miang."

"Betrayer."

"Our mother has not kept her promise."

Miang frowned at the narrow-minded beings. "Look, I stop the war, and suddenly, I'm some sort of traitor? Look, you don't think I want to get out of here? To become one again? To be a complete being, the guardian and the mother in whole, Deus, in whole? It's been six-thousand years. I'm tired too. But if I would have kept the war going, then the Contact wouldn't have spoken to me ever again."

"I don't quite see your Contact beside you, ready to rid ourselves of Cain."

Miang bit about back a sharp retort, took a deep breath, and began to speak as patiently as possible. "It's going to take time. It won't be easy to explain how I have a huge invisible city in the sky. The man is bitter toward humanity. He wants to find justice, but he's capable of destruction. All I need is a bit of time. No, not another three-hundred years. More like a year, or two. I'm sure you can wait that long. I know Elly. I know Kim. I will be having them eating out of my hands."

"Start the purge again," one of them said, slamming a palm weakly on the table.

"Rid ourselves of weak flesh, and give us the strong bodies."

Miang shook her head. "There's no point right now. I will start it to drive Kim over the edge, to release the potential. But not yet."

"Very well, we will listen to you this time." The Minister crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back. "Go, now."

Miang nodded and turned around abruptly in a huff.

Her 'vacation' was over when she touched down in Kore Parliament again. Haawa was there to welcome her home. She exchanged her pleasant greetings, but left soon after. She had to entice Kim and Elly to the government's place and tell them about a city that supplies Loveh with galvanized humanoid attack robots. She frowned. She would have to come out with a better story than that.

Miang returned to her room that night, lost in deep, intent thought.

"An invitation from first-lady Miang? Whatever for?" Kim looked up at Elly after reading the card.

"She seems to want to hold a formal dinner for the provincial premiers," Elly replied. "She wants me to sing."

Kim shrugged. "It's up to you."

"Where will we leave Emeralda? She's too young to be left alone." She looked over at her young daughter, who was busy manipulating her hands into different shapes and forms. The fingers turned to knife blades, to hammers, and to scissors as she worked them. Watching her morph like that gave Elly the creeps.

"Do think Janet will take her?" Kim suggested.

"I don't trust Janet."

"I don't either. Okay, who do you trust?"

"Uhh, you, Kreruain, me..."

Kim remembered the General, from long ago. He had not spoken to him in months, though Elly contacted him as often as possible. "How about General Malkut, then? He seems to get along well with Emeralda. Do you think he would mind looking out for her?" Kim wanted to go to this party to meet with Miang again.

Elly shook her head. "Oh, but he's so busy and..."

Kim was already rising and making his way for the phone. "I'm entering his number," he announced purposely. "You're going to be talking." He handed the handset to Elly. "It's ringing."

Elly nodded and gripped the handle. "Uhh, hello, Margrette? Is Kreruian there? It's Elly."

Kreruain's maid gave her a warm greeting. "Yes! Yes! Certainly! Master Malkut, Elly is on the phone."

Elly could hear the thumping as Kreruain came down to get the call. "Hello, Elly, what can do for you?"

"Kreruain, do you baby-sit?"

"Only if the child's name is Emeralda."

"You don't even know what the point of the question is."

He chuckled. "I can very well guess. When, Elly? I'd love to look after Emeralda for you."

"Saturday night, from five evening, to about... twelve. We'll leave her at your place, so you don't have to come here."

"Where are you going?"

"Miang wants me to sing."

Kreruain made a 'hmm' sound. "That's interesting."

"Kim's coming too. I really don't know what the significance is, but I can't just say no to Miang."

"Her position and rank make that hard to do."

"Right. But you'll do it?"

"Of course. I adore Emeralda like my child."

"I thank you."

Elly gave her daughter a last hug on the doorstep then leaned back and touched her on the nose. Emeralda was dressed in a formal red dress with ruffles and a bow on the back; she looked very much like a proper girl. "You be good now, okay Emmy?"

"I will, Elly."

Kim hugged next and they exchanged their good-byes. Kreruain watched from the door as they waved and walked to their car for their dinner party.

"Well, Emeralda, I suppose it's now you and me, and Margrette, of course. Anything you want to do?" He started back into his house, motioning for Emeralda to walk in before him.

"Kreruain, you're a general, right? And you know a lot about war, right?

Kreruain nodded slowly. This was the last thing he expected to hear from a girl who was supposed to have the mind of a seven-year old.

"Why do humans fight each other until each other?"

Kreruian took a deep breath. Already, if it felt that Emeralda would be a large load. Why couldn't she just be a lippy little brat who broke things? "Emeralda, let's sit down first. All right, wars fought because people of one country don't like what another country's doing. At first, we talk about the situation and try to solve it, but when talking does not work, sometimes there's no other way than to fight."

"Is fighting right?"

Kreruain winced inwardly. "I don't know if it is or not. Fighting causes a lot of pain. When I fight wars, I have to order people to kill. It must be done, but sometimes I have to deal with the fact that the people I tell to fight die. I usually try to forget about it. Emeralda, have you ever seen anyone die?"

She shook her head. "I have not, but Elly has seen it a lot."

"You may want to ask your mother about how she deals with the pain."

"Okay, Kreruain, I will do that."

"You want anything to eat, Emeralda?"

"No, thank you."

There was a short pause as they tried to think of something to say to each other.

"Emeralda, do you play soccer?" asked the general suddenly.

"Soccer? That is a sport right?"

"Yes. You may have seen it on television before. Do you want to learn to play? I will teach you. Did you know your mother played on the senior team in high school? She was one of the starting halfbacks."

"Really? Maybe I can learn from you and we can all play together some day."

Kreruain nodded. "Yes, maybe."

The banquet hall of the Parliament was beautiful, but Kim honestly expected no less. The large reception hall was filled with people, all dressed in black or green tuxedos or colorful, frilly dresses. There were the premiers, their wives, the their advisers, and some hundred guests and reporters present.

"Kim, I'm going to be nervous," Elly cringed, gripping his shoulder.

"Relax. Let's find Miang and unwind a bit." They paced around the tables for a moment, Elly's arm linked in his. They found her at one of the front tables, and she recognized the couple immediately, smiling widely and waving.

She looked so much like a young teenager by wanting to enjoy herself, Kim thought. Miang probably would have enjoyed the average citizen's life.

He gave her a dry greeting, trying to lace it with a pleasant comment on her outfit, but he felt tongue-tied, and only added it in after. In the end, though, Kim thought it added to the effect, as if he were truly overwhelmed by her beauty. As he stared at her soft, pleasant eyes and low-cut ruffled white gown, though, he had to admit that she was quite good-looking.

"Good evening, Kim," Miang purred as she rose from her seat, accepting the compliment graciously. She shook his hand, then turned to his wife. She placed her hand in Elly's. "It's great to be able to talk to you in person," she started. "I'm quite honoured."

Elly hid a slight blush with a laugh. "No, it's quite a privilege for me to be having dinner with one of the most important woman in the current world, Lady Miang."

"Please, just Miang will do."

Kim broke into the discussion. "Where's President Haawa?"

Miang motioned toward the large table on the stage. Seven men were seated abreast, facing the rest of the hall. "My husband is the one in the centre." She sighed. "He's now too busy to deal with me anymore." As Miang uttered the words, thoughts echoed in her head. Am I losing control over the Prime Minister? Am I losing to this group of immoral humans?

Elly placed a hand on Miang's shoulder. "If he loves you, then he'll always be at your side when his official stuff is over and done with."

Miang nodded, suddenly realizing that she was starting to ache within. She stole a cool glance at Kim. Since when did she become so weak, so susceptible to human emotions? The Ministry was right. She was losing focus. This policy of being nice would never work... she would be corrupted with emotions before she ever convince Kim to come with her.

"... after all, Kim came back to me!"

Miang nodded energetically, pretending she was hanging on every word.

"I should've come back earlier," Kim added, "but I didn't know what to do and how to do it. I was afraid of what you would think."

"The human shortcoming, worrying about what others think." Miang played with one strand of her long purple bangs. "Those who get into power are not withheld by the fact that others think about them... whether it be ill thoughts, or good thoughts. Meiji managed to run for the position despite the fact that he was mocked by peers and laughed at by friends, but I pushed him on and helped him come through." Miang recalled this stage of her life clearly. She was only a municipal governor, but Haawa was nothing but a political analyst. It was during this time preparing for his leadership campaign did she marry him. For his entire life, he was passive and always asked for feedback, but this made him easy to manipulate.

"That's cool," Elly started. "I don't know how well I've been supporting Kim, but I hope I've been doing a good job!"

Kim chuckled. "You've been perfect ... you're warm and cuddly when I need someone to be with."

Elly tried her best to hide a blush, and Miang found herself trying to mask a glare. She had no one to turn to when she was feeling down and ridiculed. Haawa was no comfort at all; he was too much of a mere tool to her. She found her eyes floating to Kim Kasim. She wanted to distract them from this banter.

"Doctor Kasim." Miang addressed Kim by a formal title to prove that she wanted to talk about a serious topic. "How has the Nanomachines Project been going?"

Ken looked up, eager to talk about his field of expertise. "Organ donations are a go... I've done over fifty in the past year, and only three have had complications. I can replace limbs perfectly. I can regenerate those limbs using portable nanomachines assemblers. Right now, I'm working on fine-tuning the electrical pulses from the human brain to morph the nanomachines that are used as limb replacements. The limbs made of nanomachines can change into various shapes like blades and tools, but I can't accurately control them yet."

Elly noticed that although he referred to the knowledge he acquired from creating Emeralda, he wisely left her presence unknown.

Kim played around with his fork, rotating it on the table. "However, the progress has been slowing down as money is being devoted from R&D. Not that I mind, as long as our children are no longer dying from chemical bombs."

Miang nodded. Tough luck, though, the bombs might be falling again soon, she thought.

The Prime Minister called for silence as the lights dimmed. "Before dinner, we will speak of the issue of war. I'd like to call forth the premiers to express their views on the matter."

Kim tried not to fall asleep. Miang turned around eagerly, keeping her ears peeled. Each premier took his turn at speaking, expressing their views about the cease-fire treaty and the war. The responses ranged from an expression for all-out conflict with Trewth to a continuation of the peace talks.

Miang's gaze flicked over Kim. Next time, she'd invite just him, and leave Elly at home. They were whispering to each other, exchanging occasional giggles. The sight disgusted her. When Elly gave Kim a peck on the lips, Miang couldn't help but think that Elly's head would look nice on a stick. She shut her eyes, forcing herself from staring. What the heck are you thinking, Miang? Stop it!

After dinner, Elly started to sing, and Miang sat beside Kim, unconsciously leaning against him as she was lulled by the beautiful voice. But Kim shrugged her off, and continued to stare at his wife, utterly captivated. Miang frowned at Kim in frustration. Once again, she regretted the fact that Elly came. She would have to find a way to separate Kim from his "one true love" to actually distract him.

A war would be a good way to release her anger. The Ministry accused her of being weak, of turning into one of... them. She would go out and prove that she wasn't as puny as they thought her to be. She bit her lower lip, and repeated to herself the desire of conflict, of fighting, and of destruction. She would speak to Haawa tomorrow about it. Trewth and Loveh could not be allowed to get away with their despicable acts. And witnessing the bloodshed might make her feel more in control.

It was late when Kim knocked on General Malkut's door, hoping he was not disturbing the household. Elly stifled a yawn beside him, leaning against his arm.

Margrette opened the door promptly. "Mister Kasim! No, Miss Emeralda and General Malkut are still awake. I find their dedication to the game absolutely amazing."

Kim just nodded, not quite sure what Margrette was talking about, until they found the General and Emeralda under the bright floodlights set up in the backyard. Kreruain, wearing knee and elbow pads, guarded a large net, while Emeralda dribbled a black and white ball on the grass with her feet. She drew back her foot, feigning a kick, but then shot at an open corner as goalie Malkut fell for the fake.

The ball hit the green woven lattice, the sign of a successful goal.

It took a moment before they realized that they had an audience, but Kreruain glanced up, then wiped the sweat off his brow with a towel as he approached the two parents on the sidelines.

"Emeralda learns extremely fast. Either that, or I'm getting old and slow."

"She's amazing what she does," Elly concurred. You're not slow nor old, she's just strong and dedicated."

"I tried to teach her what I knew."

Emeralda ran toward parents with a wide smile on her face, and she embraced Elly around the waist. "Elly, I know how to play soccer now! Kreruain did well in teaching me!"

Elly kissed her daughter's tanned cheek. "Good job! I used to play, a long ago. We should do that someday."

"I will start playing at recess now, is that okay?"

"Do the kids play already?"

"No, but I will ask if they want to."

"That's a good way to start, Emeralda." Elly turned to Kreruain. "How long were you playing for?"

"Almost three hours. Your little girl never tires! She's absolutely amazing."

"Yes, she's really something. I have to thank you, Kreruain, for taking time to care for her."

"It was a pleasure. I would again in a heartbeat."

Kim watched as Emeralda ran back to the ball, kicking it around with her feet. She exchanged a few words with Kreruain, and then he gave her a quick hug. Kim tried his best to keep a frown from forming on his face.

"We'll meet for dinner another time, Kreruain." Elly was saying. "Here's the night's pay... it's not much, and you make much better money elsewhere, but take it, it's the least I can do."

Kreruain pushed her hand away. "I refuse to accept your money. I did this out of my own will. Please, keep your money."

"No, I insist, really."

"Please, don't make me."

"I'm serious, take the money."

"Elly, you can buy me dinner next time we eat."

"Okay, deal."

They laughed together casually, and Emeralda came to Kim for the first time to talk about her night. She spoke mainly about her game and the techniques she'd learned to beat the goalie. Kim absentmindedly glanced up at Kreruain and Elly, who were talking amiably. He sneered, wondering exactly what went on between the two of them. Kim didn't want to lose her again. Being with her at the dinner reminded him how painful it was to be separated. Kim tried to clear his head as Elly came back to his side; there was no need to doubt her or Kreruain's intentions toward her and Emeralda.

"Kim," Elly asked, "shall we head home now?"

"Yes, of course. Thank you, Mr. Malkut. I will talk to again."

Kim tried to squelch the thoughts he had about Emeralda and Elly with Kreruain, but they dominated his mind for the entire trip home.

Miang paced outside of the minister's meeting hall nervously, unable to contain her impatience. Today was the scheduled day when Prime Minister Haawa would decide on war or peace.

Miang had expressed her vote vehemently to him, and desperately hoped that she hadn't deteriorated so much that even Haawa, who yielded to every word she said, every piece of advice she gave, every movement she made with him in bed, would fail to listen to her today.

Miang tugged on her bangs nervously. Why was she starting to have doubts now? She was good enough, right? She still had ability, right?

The Lady of the Nation, feeling helpless for the first time in her life, collapsed on the bench outside the room.

Haawa kept his hand on the cold metal handle of the pistol underneath his jacket. Ever since the war was ceased, he had been hailed as a hero, and he enjoyed this new surge of power. He had started to carry a gun with him to protect themselves from overzealous types such as General Malkut and General Sigfried. He told Miang of this idea, and she seemed to approve.

He listen to the Health Minister Harfield's report, which stated that the resources were sufficient enough to treat civilian casualties even if Trewth bombarded Kore with its chemical missiles.

"With the increase in nano-assemblers, most of the people would be able to survive the chemical spread. Now, we cannot save those caught in the blast radius. Not a chance. But the effects of the bio-weapons will not kill as many as it could."

"Thank you, Minister Harfield," said Haawa smoothly. "Thus, it has been confirmed that we have the resources to deal with our enemies." Haawa scanned the room, sighing visibly when he saw Kreruain's hand shoot into the air.

"What will we ever do with the gears?" he asked.

"The what?"

"I'm sorry, the galvanized humanoid attack robots. I call them gears because it's shorter and a friend of mine has a daughter that calls them that."

Another General rose from his seat. "We have fifty jets that could fly strike missions against them these large targets. Gears are not yet skilled enough to avoid well placed air strikes."

"But at what cost to the countryside and cities the gears march through? How long will it take? How do we know what a well-placed air strike is? We've never done this before, and with the gears having incredible dominance over our current forces, we could end up destroying more of our own men than the enemy's. What about the losses of our planes? How quickly can we build new aircraft and train new pilots?"

Haawa rose his voice. "General Kreruain, we must win any cost against Loveh, even if the means that we lose a bit of countryside."

Kreruain tossed up his arms, exasperated. "Then why don't we take those brand-new Mass Driver nuclear missiles and bomb Loveh to shreds?" He sighed bitterly at his sarcastic remark.

"General Malkut, that is enough." Haawa ordered. "I want no more interference from you in such affairs."

"This is a democratic Cabinet, in which we all get the right to free speech."

Haawa shook his head. Miang was right. He was too nice to its elite group of ministers who only cared for themselves. He would have to be stricter with them and do what is right for the people, and not just for his cabinet. "We must work together, and put personal affairs aside, General Malkut."

The general stood from his desk, turning his eyes from the table, blue hair whirling around his head as he marched for the door.

Haawa lifted his voice. "Sit down, Malkut. That is an order."

Kreruain placed hand in the door knob. He stared the cabinet down, who only stared back, astonished at the boldness of his action. His gaze rested on General Sigfried for a moment. He hoped the young general would join him in his protest. As he turned the doorknob, he heard a large crack, and felt fire enter his back. He pressed a hand against the wound in his flesh and stared in surprise. Only when he saw the blood on his hands did his brain register that a firearm had just been discharged. The General grit his teeth and slid from the door, trying to stay conscious enough to keep pressure on his wound. It was starting to hurt. The wound stung like crazy, and every motion he made would just inflame it more. He cried out loudly in his agony.

Haawa gripped his gun in his right hand. "Does anyone else wish to challenge my authority?" He glanced around at the blank faces. "We will wage war against Trewth and Loveh, and show them the dreadful retribution of Valerian justice."

Miang felt herself nodding off for several microseconds outside of the Meeting Hall, but an intense bang jolted her out of her exhaustion with a start. She realised that it came from the Meeting Hall, and that there was only one person in that room with a gun.

Miang smiled.

"And so, the advance against the Loveh gears was unsuccessful as the tanks and infantry were defeated in close combat..."

Kim hurled the remote at the television set. "Trash. All TRASH!! War was declared yesterday. It'll only be a few hours before we hear the air raid sirens again. Why didn't General Malkut do anything to stop it? He's in charge of the whole Relations thing, isn't he?"

Elly looked up from her newspaper. "Kim, Kreruain was shot for speaking out at the Cabinet Meeting," she said firmly, glaring at the doctor. "He was soon expelled from his position on the Executive Council. The Prime Minister, of all people, fired the gun."

"It's nice of Emeralda to want to visit him at the hopsital," Kim droned. "I hope she doesn't grow too attached to him, though."

Elly frowned. "Why not, Kim?"

"Because the government probably wants him put down, and Emeralda will be in trouble if she is seen associating with him."

"Kreruain's not like that Valerian Rebel Army," retorted the nurse. "He only speaks out, he doesn't bomb or kill."

"To get anything done in the Zeboim age, you have to kill. Humans of this era are born to think like that. If we could only erase all humanity and start anew."

Elly just shrugged, but she knew that his comment was quite drastic and harsh. He was always cynical and bitter, but it had multiplied ten-fold over the last year and a half. And the birth of Emeralda Kasim had only made him more defensive and protective.

"I'm sorry that you were shot, Kreruain," Emeralda said, holding the general's hand.

The man laughed quietly, trying not to shake because it hurt his chest. The bullet had lodged itself in his back and shattered vertebrae and lung tissue. Much of the damage was repaired by nanomachines, but so much damage was done to his spine that the use of his legs were left in doubt.

Emeralda continued. "I would have tried to stop them."

"No, Emeralda, it was sudden and I don't think anyone in the world could have prevented it. I live in a world that I don't know anymore. Everything is falling apart in front of my eyes. Valeria is not as it used to be. People are not as they used to be. It's like some outside interference grabbed the human race and made them all want to fight and kill." Kreruain's gaze grew wide, and he looked at Emeralda with eyes filled with a sudden fear. "Promise me, Emeralda, that you will not blindly follow the will of others, that you will follow your heart and do what you know is right."

"That is tough to promise." Emeralda looked into her hands sadly. "But I do not want to disappoint."

"Okay, I'm sorry. Let's say it another way, though... Emeralda, can you promise that you'll try?"

She nodded, placing her other hand on his cheek. "I promise, Kreruain."

As she drew her hand back, a knock sounded on the door, but it opened before either Emeralda or Kreruain could respond. General Sigfried strode directly to the bed with his long, muscular legs. He was dressed in a battle uniform. "I'll avenge you," Sigfried called. "General. Join my group. We can get our revenge against Haawa. We can set things right."

Kreruain's eyes bulged out of their sockets, and he struggled to sit up, with Emeralda's help. "You're part of that Anti-Valerian Rebel group?"

"I founded it. We're not an anti-Valerian group, we're an anti-war group. When the war stopped, you'll notice that the bombings on the government officers stopped as well. I'm not stupid. Neither are my men... they are part of our own military, in fact."

"Double agent... impressive. Except, you, in your haste, shouldn't blab this all out in an insecure room, especially in the presence of a guest."

He glanced at the young girl with green hair and copper skin. She stared back with emotionless eyes.

"She won't tell, Kreruain. You, I want you as the 'People's General', so we receive the sympathy of the people. That is my goal."

Malkut shook his head.

"Why not?"

"Because your ideals won't do anything. Your actions will do even less. I didn't see you stand up for democracy in the Cabinet Meeting the other day. What happens if we collapse the Haawa dictatorship? Loveh will run us over in our disorganized state. If not Loveh, then some fundamentalist paramilitary group or a fascist party."

"We work not only in Valeria, but also in Loveh and Trewth. We are larger than you think we are."

"Revolution ends in revolution. It's an undying cycle of killing. You can rebel, but someone else will then take you over."

"So what will you have us do?" Sigfried asked, lifting his voice. "Stand back and die? I refuse to believe that."

Kreruain remained silent. He felt an idea rise into his head, a way to end the deadly cycle, caused by the way of thinking of human beings. "Look, I will respect your attempts. And I hope you will succeed. But I will not help you."

"Very well." General Sigfried turned around abruptly and headed for the door. Before he left, he glanced back at Malkut, but Malkut twirled his finger to signal that he turn around and leave.

"What did he want?" Emeralda asked.

"He had a few demands that I did not want to listen to," Kreruain replied. "Do you understand that feeling when you believe in something so strongly that you'll do anything for it?"

He was met with a blank stare. "N... no," she sputtered.

Kreruain let out a deep breath. "Then don't worry about it, because it'll come to you soon enough."

Kim sat in his office, preparing notes for his lab assistants on field application of nanomachines. Now that the war had started again, the soldiers were now marching to foreign lands. His research would set the border between life and death.

It would also mean that the borderline of life and death for Valeria. If he had his way, Valeria would fall, because he hated the government. Haawa, for his ideas. Kreruain, for letting it go out of his hands. Harfield, for his support of the action. Sigfried, for his inaction.

He heard a knock.

"Come in," Kim commanded.

Kim looked up, lifting a stack of papers to present his procedures to the lab assistant, but he met the blue eyes of General Ken Sigfried. Kim's hand dropped slowly to the table. "It's you."

The General nodded. "You'll notice that the actions of accused terrorism have been quiet last year. I told you that I'm true to my word."

"What now, have you began again and you want me to join?"

"No. Not join, per say, though your advice would be nice."

Kim scrunched up his brow. "Advice?"

"I asked Kreruain... I mean, General Malkut to join me. But he accused me of not having any direction, only ideas. So I'd like to present you with my plan of action." He glanced at the doctor for approval. Kim inclined his head.

Sigfried lifted his pentablet and began to read. "First, we recruit as many people as we can. Sympathizers, soldiers, whatever. I already have the support of over five-hundred Valerians with military training, three-hundred Lovehns, and one-hundred Trewthese. I would also like to earn even more connections in the other countries, like Shevat and Elru. Believe it or not, there is a lot of anti-war sentiment outside of Valeria. In other words, Kim, you're not alone.

"Second, I use connections to negotiate deals with Loveh to stop their advances. I will have to use threats of force, for there's no other way. If required to, I will kill any people who don't comply with an anti-war policy."

"That doesn't sound very clean and neat," Kim said.

Sigfried shook his head. "No, it's not. But I have enough connections in foreign countries to execute assassinations. Anyway, those who are willing to comply with an anti-war policy and support democratic procedures will have the backing of my army. I'm already leaning toward two popular and influential men in Loveh as leaders, and a young but aggressive woman in Trewth. Both are your typical politicians who want to run a country... but under this time of war, they won't say a thing, or else the government makes the media suppress it, or worse."

"What about Valeria?" Kim asked. "I hope you're not going to ask me to do it?"

"Valeria is a blank. But I want to kill Miang and Haawa as soon as possible. Neither will negotiate... I've already tried. I'm already spreading rumours about when Parliament is going to be raided. So far, it's set for about a month from now... in fact, it's exactly thirty days from today. My troops are training for close-combat. If there is no one to head the government, I'll do it until we find someone. But I'll have my troops play Praetorian Guard and keep me in check."

"You've already planned the assault?" Kim asked.

Ken nodded. "We have a first-draft plan that will be edited as time goes on. The negotiation with the Loveh leader starts tomorrow, actually."

Kim looked down at his hands and fidgeted. "I've been somewhat of a man of very little action. I adopted Emeralda and she is genetically perfect in every way; I hope, one day, she will be able to influence the world. I see her as the Last Hope of Mankind, the example that people should follow. Somewhat arrogant, now that I think about it."

"Emeralda's your daughter, right?"

"Yes."

"So, you now understand why I fight, don't you? Why it's so important for me to fight the government, to avenge Zöe? You would know how you'd feel if your daughter was killed by the government's lack of action."

Kim nodded, slowly, trying to hide the emotions that were summoned when he tried to think of life without Emeralda. "I want to join you, so I can fight for my daughter and protect her future."

"I'd want you to join, so I can fight for not only my daughter, may God rest her soul, but for your daughter as well."

"I'm a Valerian soldier! Bang! Bang bang! Die, Loveh scum!"

"I don't want to be Loveh, you dog! I'm Valerian too!"

"Your mom was born in Loveh, so you're Loveh, and I will kill you in war!"

Emeralda watched the schoolyard quietly, absorbing the sights and scenes with an unbiased mind. The children were so eager to make war. Why was this? Was it a result of their parents waging war?

Another group of kids, mostly girls, lifted their voices in gossip. "Did you hear, I read that the Anti-war Unity Movement has a nanomachines doctor on their side now!"

Emeralda made no comment, and she hid her face with a scarf against the blowing winds. Even during the war, one could not contain young children inside, and even the kids in the old grades choose to go out. Today was her first day in grade seven; she had been going to grade six for the rest of the semester, but when she finished a science exam in twenty minutes and scored another one-hundred percent, the teachers agreed to transfer to an upper grade, so not only would she be able to learn better, but also so she would be able to hang out with people her own age.

"Is anyone sitting here?" A soft voice asked.

Emeralda turned her head, letting her gaze fall over the newcomer. She had bright brown hair that twinkled silver in the light. It was a thick and fell on her shoulders in slender cascades. The eyes were dark, her skin pale, her frame small. "No," Emeralda replied.

The boys playing war shouted in the background, "Your mom was a Loveh girl! She is a mutant killer!"

The newcomer sat, daintily folding her hands in a lap. She wore pink dress that looked relatively new. She was about to speak, but a female voice interrupted her.

"Hey Emeralda, your dad works with nanomachines. Maybe he's the cop-killer of Valeria!" Emeralda looked up at a girl, who had a mocking scowl on her face. She was leaning forward at the waist, hands on hips, and spoke in a nasal tone. "Your dad doesn't like Valerians! Is he a Loveh spy, who wants to kill mutants?"

Emeralda shut her out of her mind in a calm, unemotional fashion.

"Are you ignoring me now? Little snob? You think you're so much better than us, right? Daddy's a rich scientist and mommy's a pretty nurse, so you get to do whatever you want, right? But your dad kills Valerians. He's an evil man from Loveh."

Another girl chimed in, tossing dirt at Emeralda is face, but she raised her arm to deflect it. "And you have weird green hair! That's so strange! Are you contaminated with radioactive waste? Maybe you're a mutant!"

Emeralda scanned the area, noting that the crowd around her was getting bigger. Some of the boys stopped their war games and came over to see what was going on, but before they could add their insults to the fray, one of teachers on supervision separated the rabble and sent them off in different directions.

And it was, once again, Emeralda and the new girl. The taunting by the boys still sounded in the background. Emeralda felt slightly aggravated by the entire situation. There were not being fair to all sides of the war. There were ignoring the full story. By mocking her, the showed her how little they knew.

"Just pretend they don't exist," said brown-haired girl. "They don't think about anything before they do it. My name is Muriel. What's yours?"

"I am Emeralda," she replied, taking Muriel's small hand and shaking it.

"What grade are you in? You're the new girl in grade seven, right? I saw you in my class today."

Emeralda nodded. "I went to the school but I was in grade six before today. They said I had a learning disability," she added, using the pretend story that Kim and Elly had made up. "I guess I have no disability anymore."

Muriel chuckled, even though Emeralda hadn't meant it as a joke. She smiled up at the green-haired beauty, unable to see her emotions behind to the thick white scarf around her face. "That's good. They said your mom and dad worked as a doctors. Maybe you got some great genes from them."

"I love Kim and Elly very much. They made me the person I am today."

"My dad is on the research team for Valerian Galvanized Humanoid Attack Robots, or gears, as they are now being called by the media." Muriel rose from the bench. "Let's walk, Emeralda."

Emeralda agreed, standing on her legs.

"I want to pilot his first working gear," Muriel said. "So far, he's working on the seventeenth prototype. They think that it might actually work this time."

"My father, Kim, does research for nanomachines. He works on the genetic synchronization, the electrical signals, and regeneration." Emeralda had to resist the urge to lift her hand and show Muriel her ability to morph. She had improved a lot over the last few weeks, and was able to change her hands, arms, legs, and hair in to forms she wanted to. "Did you know that some nanomachines can morph into other shapes?"

"No, I didn't. That's amazing! How does it work? I wonder what it looks like!"

"I will ask Kim if he has a video," Emeralda stated. "But he is rather busy, since he is working for the government."

"Wait, are you talking about Kim Kasim, the doctor?"

Emeralda nodded.

"He's been publicly speaking out against the war. I'm scared for his life. What if the government kills him? Are you afraid?"

"I am not afraid. I know Kim would not die so foolishly. He knows that many people listen to him and that if he's killed, there might be riots and protests. The government can't deal with the bad reputation of suppressing riots and fighting a war at the same time."

"You really know your politics!"

Emeralda shrugged. "I observe, listen, and learn a lot." There was a silence. After a moment, Emeralda asked, "Muriel, do you like soccer?"

"I don't play that much."

"I play. Want to play soccer with me? I'll help you learn!"

Muriel smiled. "I'd like that. Thank you. You're really nice, Emeralda. You're a good person."

"How was the presentation, dear?" asked Elly as Kim stepped in the door. They exchanged kisses.

"I don't know if I did a good job. I think Kreruain hates me now for basically stealing what used to be his position."

"Don't be silly. If someone wants to stop the war, Kreruain's in full support of them. I visited him today in the hospital, and he doesn't really care much about your speeches, though he thinks you might be shot some day. He's going to pull some strings, and try to prevent you from being killed."

"Really? Why'd he decide to do that?"

"I asked him to."

Kim felt his mind grow bitter. "Kreruain would do anything for you, wouldn't he?"

"He's a terrific man. I don't know anyone else who's as selfless as he is."

Kim nodded. "Emeralda spends a lot of time with him too."

"They adore each other. Kreruain's like an older brother to Emmy... way older, but a brother nonetheless."

Or second father, Kim thought.

"She's asleep?"

"For once. She said she can think better and have better control of her body in sleep. It's not really sleep... it's a sort of meditation, like how she is in the regeneration capsule. It's actually sort of refreshing to look over her... I've always wanted to be able to do that with my own child."

"Anything new with her?"

"She came home with a friend named Muriel this afternoon and she stayed for a while before going home. I'm glad that Emeralda is starting to find some friends her age."

Yes, generals in their late thirties were out of a regular range. "I'm going to get lots of sleep. To me, six hours is plenty."

"You had six hours over the last two days. Rest well."

"As long as I work on this anti-war effort, it'll pay off in the future. I started infusing rebel soldiers with the nanomachine enhancers. They're still experimental, but when we lead the strike on Parliament, I want it to be as quick as possible."

"I still can't believe you're doing this. It seems all wrong... you being some sort of rebel. A double-agent, to boot. But still, I wish you luck."

"Thank you, Elly. Good night."

"Snot-hair!"

"Killer-doctor-daddy!"

Muriel heard the taunts as she walked through the halls with Emeralda. They were heading outdoors for recess. She wondered how the girl held such magnificent restraint. It seemed almost as if Emeralda was incapable of expressing negative emotions like hate and revenge.

When they were outside and out of earshot of the other kids, she asked, "Don't you ever get mad when they insult you like that?" After hanging around Emeralda for a week, she had heard enough bad words and phrases to make a construction worker blush.

"I don't care," Emeralda replied in her soft, unassuming voice. "It doesn't bother me." She placed the soccer ball on the grass and began kicking it from foot to foot.

One of the boys playing another game ran purposely into Emeralda, pushing her from behind and sending her face-first into the grass. "Grass hair, so grass face!" Another boy rushed up and took her ball away.

"Go away! Leave her alone!" Muriel cried.

The boy, was about to turn and run, held his ground and stared at petite Muriel. "Look, why are you even friends with that girl? Her father's a rebel who hates Valeria. He kills mutants. He wants to stop the war."

"Just because you don't like the war doesn't mean you're a mutant killer! Emeralda's a nice person! You just won't understand that!"

"I bet her dad will kill her mom because her mom can't have children! And then he'll kill her because she has snot-green hair!"

Muriel fumed. She glanced at Emeralda, who was wiping dirt and grass from her face and hair. Behind the one boy, a group of about ten more boys and girls stood, watching and laughing. Other neutral spectators began to gather, anticipating a fight. "Her hair is the color of emeralds! Look, go away! Leave Emeralda alone!"

"You shouldn't be her friend, Muriel."

"I like Emeralda!"

The crowd laughed at her declaration. One of the girls stepped forward and pushed her. Muriel went stumbling into the arms of the spectator, who shoved her again. She felt a rock strike her body. Sand was tossed at her face, and she shut her eyes against the grains.

"Muriel? Muriel!" Emeralda called, stepping forward and separating the tight ring of people to get to her friend. Someone tossed another rock, but Emeralda reached out with a nimble hand and caught it before it could strike its target. Muriel tried to focus her eyes. Her body was bruised and her face was scratched and dirty. She knelt by her, shielding her from the onslaught of kicked dust, sand, and rocks.

The kids laughed.

Emeralda placed Muriel gently on the ground, cushioning her head, then stood up and faced the boy who started the taunting. "Apologize for what you did, and promise never to do it again," Emeralda demanded in a serious, restricted tone of voice that Muriel had never heard her use before.

"Why should I, snot-hair?"

It happened in a flash. Emeralda drew back her fist, and in an instant, threw it across the boy's jaw. He reeled back suddenly, spittle spraying from his mouth as he spun on the spot exactly once. He collapsed into the arms of a spectator. Those who watched closely swore that Emeralda's hand turned into a hammer, but the strike was so fast that no one was sure.

After delivering the shocking blow, she picked up Muriel easily with two arms, boasting strength well above the average thirteen-year old, and ran from the others.

She did not stop until they were by the trees that were on the border of the school playground. There, she placed Muriel on a park bench. Muriel nodded at Emeralda, reaching out a hand to grip hers.

"Why did you do that, Emmy?"

"I didn't want you to get hurt."

"You shouldn't have to worry about me ... I'm not important."

"You are to me."

Muriel felt her brain deny Emeralda statement, but within, she felt warm. Her lips curled into a smile. "Thank you. You're important to me too, Emmy."

Emeralda didn't know what it was. It was like a switch went off in her head. The taunts did not bother her one bit. It was when she saw the others hurt Muriel. She chewed on her lower lip. Kim had told her to avoid fighting and hurting others. But she had hurt that boy. But if she didn't do anything, Muriel would have continued to be hurt.

What was right?

She would have to ask Kim later.

"Kim, can I visit Kreruain when he comes home from work today? I want to ask questions about the war," asked Emeralda during her daily chores around the house.

Kim restrained his resentment. His name came up every hour in this household! Emeralda loved him. Elly loved him. He was losing its entire family to him. "No. You visit every week. I'm sure he is very busy and cannot have you around."

"Kim, he wanted me to go over there. He invited me. That means I'm not bothering him."

"I said no." Was this man some sort of incubus? He was only human, controlled by sexual desires, human emotions, and human thought. Kreruain was very kind and open to his daughter, and he detested that. Kreruain had no idea how much Emeralda meant to him­and how important she was for the future. "I want to run a few tests on you," Kim added as an afterthought so he can give Emmy a reason.

"Is Elly working late today?"

"I think so ... during the war, she doesn't have regular hours."

"Kim?" Emeralda inquired, trying to get to a new topic.

"Hmm?"

"Is fighting right?"

Kim grimaced. He was about to say no, but then he remembered that he was part of a Resistance Movement that wanted to overthrow Valeria. Although he did no fighting himself, he essentially helped others fight. "I don't know, Emeralda. Usually, it's bad to fight. The best people in the world will try to solve all the problems without fighting."

Emeralda kept her usual straight face, but the options she could have used to save Muriel went running through her head. She could have taken her away without hitting the boys. She could have told a teacher. But instead, she took matters into her own hands.

"I hit a kid at school today," she declared meekly.

Kim, who was just reaching for his coat, paused in mid-action. "You did?"

She nodded timidly.

"What did the teachers say?"

"Nothing. No one told on me."

Kim slipped his arms into the sleeves of his coach, and tossed Emeralda her jacket. "What happened?"

"The kids were making fun of me and..."

"So you hit them?" Kim asked, groaning within. So much for his perfect "Last Hope."

Emeralda shook her head. "I ignored them, but Muriel couldn't stand listening to them insult me. So she spoke up and demanded that they leave me alone. But they started to hit her and throw rocks at her and I do not know what it was inside of me but I couldn't bear to watch it. I didn't want to see it continue. So I punched one of the boys. Then they stopped."

Brute force, it seemed, was the best way to resolve schoolyard problems. More gutsy, and actually worked: the kid who was hit rarely repeated the same mistake again. But in war, Kim thought, the leader of the countries never participated in combat. They did not suffer from the punches. Only the army and citizens suffered. And the leaders were blind to the pain.

"Emeralda, let's go."

Kim checked the monitors as Emeralda floated in the green fluid. Heart rate okay, regeneration okay... a bit low on reserve energy, but that was manageable.

The labs in the N.R.C. were built like a fortress, now that Kim thought about it. All the glass was bulletproof and blastproof. In fact, Kim had the authority to cut everything from the heating to the air circulation if something happened.

He glanced around the lab he had come to know and memorize. He would probably work here all his life. He wouldn't mind it, though, if what he did could benefit all mankind. Perhaps he could develop nanomachines to regenerate the human reproductive organs. He had genetic codes and technical data set out when he assembled Emeralda... perhaps he could cure Elly of her sterility.

"And Emmy would have a baby brother or something." Kim hugged himself at the thought.

His cell phone rang. Kim reached for it. "Hello, Doctor Kasim."

"Hello, this is Kreruain speaking. Kim, is Emeralda with you? She told me she was going to my place after school. She hasn't arrived yet, and I just wanted to check if she was okay..."

"She's fine with me," Kim said, feeling his heart thump quicker. "Look, I'd like you to stay away from her... not to be so close. She goes to your place twice or three times a week. And with our conflicting ideals about the way we should resolve this war, I think Emeralda could get confused. She's only about eleven."

"Eleven. You could have fooled me. With a mind and body like hers..."

"Just what the hell are you talking about?"

"She's a good athlete for a young child," Kreruan snapped back, disgusted at Kim's inference. "Look, I love Emeralda lke a daughter. I'd do almost anything for her... and Elly, too. I don't see why you're getting all worked up over this. It's not like I'm stealing your family away from you. You have Elly. She loves you. There's not a damned thing I can do, right?"

Kim felt his face getting hot. "You were in love with my wife?"

The reply was pinched. "Yes, I used to be. When you deserted her for months, she had no one to turn to, so I decided to keep her company. She was sad when you left her, Kim, or did you realise that? She was a shell of who she was. She needed someone to talk to, someone to hold when things weren't okay..."

"Did you sleep with her?"

"No! No I didn't! I'd never do that unless she let me!"

Kim exploded. "You dirty bastard! Look, Kreruain. Stay away from my wife. And my daughter." Kim hung up and dropped the phone back into his pocket. Only if she let him... he hoped the pervert hadn't touched Emeralda. To be safe, he ran a test, checking for any possible contact. Apparently, she was clean, and Kim let out a sigh of relief.

Kreruain just sat there, paralyzed. The phone dropped out of his hand, hitting the floor with a heavy clunk. He gripped the wheels of his wheelchair, trying to control his anger.

"I can't believe him!" Kreruain rolled his chair over to the kitchen, where his maid Margrette was preparing dinner. "Margrette. Kim basically accused me of being a lecher. He's not going to ever let me see Emeralda or Elly again."

Margrette nodded. "People nowadays are superficial. They're protective and selfish. Kim is probably jealous."

"Jealous. They just want everything to themselves, right?"

"Jealousy is when you own something, and you don't want anything else to have it, Kreruain. You might be the target of jealousy."

"It still sucks. What can I do about it? This entire planet is filled with jealous and selfish people. I'd just prefer it if everyone died, to make people appreciate life and everything that we take for granted. If I could wipe the slate of the earth clean and start over, then this world would be a better place."

"General, that's what everyone says. The problem is, wiping the slate clean isn't exactly an easy task."

Kreruain didn't reply. To him, it didn't matter. As long as he could get his hands on Kim... then he could see Emeralda, and Elly would be his to love. He felt a hole form in his heart as he thought about Elly. She was so sweet to him. He knew no happier time than the two weeks when they were always together. When she left him...

Kreruain shut his eyes against the memory, feeling tears swell inside him. Did anyone else know the pain of loving a woman you could never have? Did anyone know what yo do in such a situation?

The rest of the world wouldn't care about some general's pathetic love for a nurse. No one would want to help him. It was all due to a certain doctor.

Emeralda. She fascinated him. And he loved her as he would love a daughter, if he had one of his own. He would have been the father of the family. He felt capable. It could have been him, Elly, and Emeralda.

But Kim bested him.

How would he ever deal with the pain of losing loved ones, over and over again?

Kreruain wheeled his chair over to the television room. He switched it on, and one of the tele-evangelists preached loudly about asking salvation from God. Another channel was of a different faith that focused on medication to hope for divine intervention. A third channel had some lecture on how the end of the world was near, how God was punishing the sinners for bad deeds.

The General muttered, "It's all garbage." And he shut the T.V. off.

The next day, Kreruain was at work when he was interrupted.

"General Kreruain Malkut."

"What?" he retorted. He looked up from the work on his desk, his brow furrowed with frustration. At his office door stood the elegant Miang.

"I have a task for you."

"If it involves killing millions of civilians with chemical bombs, no thank you. Being shot and paralyzed for life doesn't give me the stomach to bomb innocents."

Miang feigned hurt. "I'm disappointed, General Malkut, is your opinion of us that low?" She stepped away from the door.

Malkut ignored her and followed Miang in his wheelchair.

"I'd think that with your bitterness toward the world, you'd want a shot of revenge," she quipped.

Kreruain's gaze darkened. "What did you hear about me?"

"That Kim won't let you see Emeralda and Elly anymore. I was speaking with him about nanomachines... I guess we got a little sidetracked."

Kreruain grunted. "Elly. She's so dear to my heart. I love her so much. I don't know how she's taking the news... I never knew what sort of feelings she had for me. I don't know the truth."

"Few people are able to express themselves as honestly as you can, General. I wouldn't be able to truthfully admit who I love. Do you want me to push the chair for you, Kreruain?"

He nodded, mumbling thanks. A thought rang through his mind. Miang was married, but she just stated that she wouldn't be able to admit who she loved. "Miang, just what do you think of Kim? Despite his speaking out against the government, you still hang out with him. You kissed him that night when you first met... I thought it was a rather mysterious scene. It's as if you knew each other all your lives."

"Kim and I have a bit of a... history... together," murmured Miang.

Obviously, Kreruain didn't understand the true meaning of her statement. "Do you still love him?"

"I told you, I wouldn't be able to truthfully admit who I love. Besides, do you think that if I sacrificed my position and reputation for him... if I did, I mean... then you'd have a chance at Elly?" Miang tossed a hand up into the air melodramatically. "Why don't you just kill him! Kill them all! All of humanity that ever betrayed you! Clean the world of its evil people! Destroy those greedy doctors and lawyers who steal and marry the beautiful women, have affairs, but sue your pants off the moment you come within ten metres of the wives that they don't deserve to have!"

Kreruain grunted at Miang's sarcastic speech. "People suck. I want to die. Your husband shot me. I'm paralyzed from the waist down. The woman I love doesn't love me back. The daughter I never had isn't allowed to see me anymore. Is it just Kim's fault? I don't think so... why the heck do we have this stupid monogamous relationship idea? Who made that up? If it was okay to marry and love more than one person, maybe Elly would have been mine, too, and we'd all be friends. If Kim weren't raised to be so protective and jealous, Emeralda would have been my friend still... and even though she probably wants to talk to me, 'daddy' won't let her."

"So what are you going to do about it?" Miang asked. "We're here," she added as she pushed Kreruain into an elevator and pushed the button.

Kreruain shook his head sadly. "I have no clue."

The elevator stopped in the lower levels of the military base and the doors slid open, revealing a red, cone-shaped room. Rafters lined the roof and vents could be seen on the high ceiling. Technicians worked at the advanced panels, and lights blinked everywhere. On one wall, there was a tactical map of the entire world.

"This is the...!"

"Precisely. It's the control room for the Mass Driver Nuclear Missiles."

The technicians at the terminals stood up and saluted, and Miang returned the gesture smartly. She glanced at Kreruain, and motioned him to the raised platform in the centre of the room. He rolled up the ramp, stopping next to the command chair.

"In addition to the Mass Drivers, you also have control over a set of cruise missiles, some new anti-gear missiles, and a few turrets. We call this room 'The Judgement of God'. The Command Chair? That's 'God's Throne'. I find it a fitting name because..."

"From here, I could destroy the world," Kreruain finished. "Why me, Miang?"

"I need someone dedicated, disciplined, and sane sitting in the Throne. Someone with a sense of justice. Of goodness and righteousness, who won't misuse these instruments. As you said, Kreruain, 'if it involves killing millions of civilians, I won't do it.' The missiles are safe with you."

Kreruan stared, eyes wide, not quite believing what he was hearing.

"There is a missile pointed at Trewth, and another at Loveh. Although I'd prefer it if you would wait for a signal, you have the authority to fire them at any time. With the anti-war movement spreading, I can't just let the missiles be run over by anyone. General, if I die, and Prime Minister Haawa dies, you're the only one left who can fire this thing.

"My idea is that if the Valerian government is taken over, fire the missiles, hit Trewth and Loveh, and end this war. The power of the Mass Driver will wipe their capital cities, plus a good deal of countryside, right off of the map. You'll have a third missile that can be used if anyone tries a revenge strike. Of course, they don't know how many you have.

"Do you have the guts... no, don't answer that, General. I'm sure you will do the right thing."

Kreruain, now seated in the Throne of God, ran his hand gently over the cherry wood armrests, the smooth, glass panels. A finger touched the keyhole in the arm of the chair. To launch a missile, he would place a key in there and turn. He had suddenly become the most powerful man in the world. "Miang, why did you choose a man against the war, a bitter being who pines for his lost love and a girl who isn't my daughter? I don't feel dedicated and disciplined like you say I am."

Miang winked. "These missiles have the power to end the war. These are the missiles that will end all wars. The Mass Driver is the most potent weapon on earth. It is relatively clean for a nuclear bomb... the half life of the radioactive contents is about three years. It has extreme explosive power. Trewth has developed deadlier, faster, more accurate nuclear and chemical weapons. Loveh has its gears. We? We have the Mass Drivers and Nanomachine enhanced humans. We're all working on our weapons of destruction. Talking solves nothing. We only get things done if we make them hurt.

"You're a prudent, yet righteous man. The ends justify the means. If the war will end, even the cost of fourty-million lives is insignificant. For who knows how many more bioweapons Trewth will launch? How many more gears will dominate cities? When people look back at this, twenty, fifty, one-hundred years from now... they'll ask twice before waging war, wondering if the other side has a Mass Driver, wondering if their will be a deeper crater than the one that filled Briganthia hundreds of years ago."

Kreruain found his respect for Miang growing. "Thank you for the honour, Miang," he replied, still awestruck by his position.

"Despite what they say, you can't be an emotionless bastard to fight a war. Those who win are those driven by passion. I'll leave you here, General Malkut. Doctor Hyuzuki will be able to show you all of the controls. Good day."

She turned and began walking out of the room, and so she didn't see the timid wave that Kreruain gave her on the way out. Doctor Hyuzuki, a tall, well-built Oriental man with greying hair and funky wire-framed glasses, began to instruct him on the workings of the Throne of God.

And Kreruain hung on his every word. When the time came, he wanted to be able to use them correctly.

School was closed.

Two days ago, in the middle of the night, the high-pitched whine of the air raid sirens woke the neighbourhood, but it was only a few minutes before the munitions dump beside Avons Elementary School was hit, turning the warehouse, the school, and the surrounding parkland into black, charred waste.

And so Emeralda and Muriel had no place to go. To pass the time, they both volunteered to work as candy stripers in Elly's hospital, and although Emeralda would have liked to be able to see Elly more often, it was rare that she actually found her on the job.

A new wave of injured soldiers was just flown in, and she had her hands full checking on them, making sure they were satisfied with their meals, had enough medication, the menial stuff. At least Muriel was with her. In three days, most of the soldiers would be discharged due to superior nanomachines treatment.

Today was the start of just another day, it seemed.

But then the air raid sirens roared.

"What the heck is going on?" Muriel shouted above the whine as the P.A. system ordered an immediate evacuation.

Emeralda's voice was free of emotions. "Bombs. Aimed for this area."

"Here? There's nothing here except for..." Her eyes rested on one of the solders, who was being pushed on a stretcher. They were headed for the helicopters on the roof. "They wouldn't bomb a hospital of injured soldiers..."

"They would. Our nanomachine facilities let most soldiers return to war in only three days. That gives us the advantage over Loveh troops, who take weeks to heal. That's what Kim says."

The sirens blared again. Nurses carried people out to the elevators in their arms. People rushed for the stairways. Helpers brought as many nanomachine assembers as they could. The flurry of humans moving was amazing. When Emeralda and Muriel started trampling down the staircase from the fifteenth floor, they found that many of the patients were being guided down in the same direction.

The stairwell was packed with bodies. The smell of sweat due to tension was heavy, and the heat was stifling. Although the movement down went at a steady pace, Muriel's heart seemed about to explode for every second she had to wait for someone below her to move. Emeralda, on the other hand, was neutral, as usual. She wondered how the teenager managed to keep such good discipline.

Soon, they were running from the building. A large fan of people were scattering from the are. The choppers on the roof lifted off, spreading from the hospital and moving into the crowded Kore streets.

And it happened in a flash.

First, the hospital was there. In the next instant, a trail of smoke flew into the wall, and there was an explosion so violent and loud that Emeralda thought she was going to be deaf instantly. She felt herself nudged by warm winds and tossed against a wall, debris showering in her direction. Glass above her shattered. Rocks, sand, and dust rose into the air. A column of black ash trailed up from the hospital. Everywhere on the ground, there was rubble and garbage. Nails and glass cut her arms, and small parts of steel beams flew in her direction, striking the wall above her. One landed on her, crushing her body. Emeralda gasped for breath. She shut her eyes, concentrating her energy into morphing so she could escape. She told her body to turn itself into a fluid so she would be able to escape the metal bar.

When she looked up, she saw Muriel staring at her, totally awestruck. She had apparently hid behind a steel plate that was propped up against the wall. "Emeralda, how did you do... do that?" she asked, apparently panicked, but retaining her sanity as she stared at Emeralda's fascinating shape-shifting.

Emeralda looked confused. "Do what?"

"Make your body turn into water like that."

Emeralda changed the subject. "Muriel, are you all right?"

"I'm fine.... really, I'm fine," she blabbered, resolved to act like her friend and keep her composure. "There... I have... in my arm... glass here and there, a bruise, nothing major. I don't know how many others are okay, though. Let's go over there... wh-where it's... safer!! Safer!!"

"You're bleeding." Emeralda motioned to Muriel's cheek and neck, where her pale complexion was marred by red trails of blood.

"I... I know," she stuttered, holding her breath. She wiped a hand on her dirty face, smearing it. She shut her eyes, then wrapped her arms around Emeralda tightly in a sudden expression of all her fear. "I'm scared, Emeralda, I'm scared, scared scared... I've never been so close to death before... I'm looking around, and all I see are dead bodies. Over there, there... that one's not even a complete human anymore. Before, the war was there, but now, it's so much.... closer... and... and..."

Emeralda held her friend, not certain of how to respond. She couldn't understand what it was that Muriel felt, but she simply kept silent as she gazed over the destruction with a cool mind. Soldiers were starting to move toward the blast site with shields and tools at the ready. The second group was marching in with stretchers to move the bloody, ruined humans from the area. The rubble was piled up all over, and the hospital itself was a black steel skeleton. Even from where Emeralda stood, she saw dismembered bodies and injured people all over. Blood flowed between the stones and the dust, between her feet and into the drains. A piece of flesh was on a steel beam. Half of the time, the soldiers carried people out in garbage pails instead of body bags.

Muriel and Emeralda ran toward the perimeter of the blast area, close to where an open area was marked off by red tape. Behind the makeshift fence, rows and rows of injured, bleeding people lay or sat, tended to by nurses. An auburn-haired, slender woman dashed from an ambulance to the sickbay.

"Elly!!"

"Emeralda?" Oh, thank God you're okay!" Elly ran over and gave her a squeeze. "Muriel, you're okay too! Okay, I have to go help the people. If you can, please... try to help.." She dashed off, with a crew of medics right behind her. The Valerian Police was called in. The Valerian Reserves were called in. As Emmy watched, the Army occasionally made their way toward the sickbay. If they didn't go there, then that meant...

Emeralda slumped down on the ground, leaning against the fence. Muriel watched the site, tears streaming down her dirt-stained cheeks, chest heaving with heavy breaths. Even among the chaotic noises, from the screaming of ambulance sirens, the orders of the soldiers, the wailing from the loved ones, the sobbing of the bystanders, and the shouts of the doctors, Emeralda could single out a voice, singing a soft, peaceful tune.

"And the girl in the dawn, with eyes of blue... and angel wings..."

Elly knelt beside her patients, wiping their dirty bloodied faces with a cloth that had long since turned grey. She would wrap strips of bandage around their bloody limbs, humming and singing to keep them in the world. These were the lucky ones, caught just on the edge of the blast radius, and only suffering injuries such as internal bleeding and broken ribs.

Emeralda gripped the fence, staring at her mother. "I... I want to help," she uttered to Muriel without looking away.

"Why don't you?"

"I don't know what I can do. They're bleeding. They hurt. They cry in pain. I have never bled. I have never been in pain. I don't know what I can do to help them. I don't understand."

"Broken mirror.... a million shades of light..." the words carried on, sending a calm, haunting song through the wind.

"Just do as Elly does. Wash their faces. Hold their hand. And tell them they'll live, even if it's not true." Muriel grit her teeth, and strengthened by her own words, ripped her eyes from the scene and ran inside the fence, grabbing a cloth and a roll of bandages.

Emeralda, though, sat and stared, unable to act. "But I don't know how I can understand their hurt. I am different from Elly... because she seems to know what it is like to die."

"But just you... and... I... can find the answer, and then... we can run to the end... of the world... We can run to the end.... of the world."

"Three hundred more are dead. My wife had to see it happen with her own eyes. Is this what we want to love through, every day? Do we want to live through fear...?"

"Reports of another strike against Valerian forces were confirmed today. The Loveh Gear Regiment overran Saveh's Valley, destroying all Valerian infantry forces."

"Another biological weapons strike in the heart of Kore has claimed the lives of over two-hundred civilians. The attack seemed to have no military purpose..."

"And we, the people, who feel the brunt of war, must speak out! We must let the leaders know who is hurting in this war! If we do not protest, then..."

"A cease-fire will not be signed, for a contract with Loveh was not agreed upon. We will continue our effort for human dignity, to prevent the slaughter of innocent people, to prevent the use of nuclear weapons..."

"I see no results, Miang," the floating orb of the minister roared.

Miang kept her face straight as she stared at the monitor for the uplink. "You yourself have deemed the humans inappropriate for the body of Deus. The purge is continuing as we speak."

"What of the Awakening? The Contact, and the Anti-Type?"

"I have yet to wake the Miang in Elly. I need a closer link to her. Something that will make her click. To come to me. When she is brought before me, the process can begin."

"It has been too long. If you fail, then what?" The orb rotated, revealing a new face.

"You'll sit in your frail bodies for a few more centuries, or maybe you'll die before then."

"You insubordinate...!"

Miang kept her eyes firm. "If I can capture her, we are okay. I am working on that right now. With Kreruain at my beck and call, I may be able to figure something out. 'Emeralda' is an interesting lever, I say. Good day." Miang clicked the button and terminated the uplink.

As usual, she found Kreruain sitting in the Throne of God, talking amiably to the technicians present. Upon her entry, Kreruain spun around in his chair to meet her. "Yes, Lady Miang?"

"I'd like to ask your opinion on a few things, dealing mainly with... Elly." Upon mentioning her name, she saw his eyes twinkle with life for a moment before darkening.

"I know nothing." He turned away.

"I want you to still be friends. It's worrying me to see you cooped up like this."

"I like it here. Besides, Kim won't allow it."

"Would you mind if I invited her over for a private dinner? Just the two of you?"

Kreruain juggled the possibility in his mind, but shook his head. "She'd never go for it. Even so, Kim wouldn't go for it. Maybe if we all had dinner as a large group..."

"Maybe Emeralda could come along," Miang suggested. She grinned. "I played a bit of soccer in my time."

"How'd you know she liked soccer?"

"Kim talks a lot about her."

The invitations were sent, and the arrangements were made, but Elly wouldn't come unless Kim did. Miang wondered what was up with that.. Was Kim filled with such dark jealousy that he wouldn't even let her go out alone, or was it that she couldn't bear to go anywhere without her husband?

Not that Miang minded. She would be able to talk to Kim more, and perhaps use him to attain her goals.

Cain, after all, was still alive, and only one person could do away with him.

The after-dinner conversation was started, and immediately, Miang waved Kim away from the others. "I must monopolize the good doctor," she coyly sang as she led him from the table into the chairs next to the fire in the lounge. They made themselves comfortable in the dim lighting and large chairs.

"Kim, I wish you wouldn't speak out so vehemently against the war," Miang started.

"It's for Emeralda," he replied. "I want a safe place for her when she grows up."

"You adopted her, you said. But is it just coincidence that you and Emeralda and Elly look so similar?"

Kim shrugged.

"I also have these reports from Minister Harfield. About one year ago, there was a significant depletion of the nanomachine resources. The reports said that you manufactured a nervous system, an organ network, and a circulatory system. Where are these things now?"

Kim let out a chuckle. "Are you doubting me, Miang."

She smiled. "Why yes, yes I am!"

Kim's glance went back to the table, where Kreruain, Elly, and Emeralda were talking. He glared for a moment at the blue-haired general before lingering on Emeralda.

"Most kids don't have green hair," Miang added.

"If they've been exposed to..."

"That's not it, Kim." She lowered her voice. "Who is Emeralda, really?"

Kim flinched. He stared at her, trying to read any emotion in her violet eyes. They just stared at him, all-seeing, calm, and patient. Kim gulped, and glanced back at his daughter again. Did he trust her? He looked back at Miang, and her eyes softened, into something almost like... like... compassion. Caring. He nodded, leaned close to her, and spoke into her ear. "She's a nanomachine colony, designed with Elly's and my genetic code," he whispered. "Basically, except for the green hair, she would be a lifelike replica of our actual daughter."

"No way. Your daughter can't possibly be that flawless, no matter..."

"Nanomachines don't age, and so she is about as perfect as she could have been as a baby."

"Kim, that's amazing! Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't want her to be used as a weapon by the government. One day, when the world is in trouble, I want people to be able to look at her, see her perfection, and think, 'Mankind has a chance.' She's not a machine of war."

Miang's face turned serious. "So why'd you just tell me?"

Kim gripped Miang's hand, and she felt her heart leap. "I can feel it in you, that you don't want to sacrifice her to your husband. You're different than the rest of them. You, you wished that you could have children, right? After this war is over... you'll have your chance."

Miang gasped, elation flooding her head. "What? My... my very own... child?"

Kim nodded slowly, smiling at her, still holding her smooth hand.

"If you weren't already married, Kim, I'd choose you as the father."

Kim took the comment in good stride, and grinned even wider at her words. "Thank you, Miang."

Miang, for the first time, felt warm and fuzzy inside. Never had that happened before, but she liked the feeling. The Ministry would scold her for being weak, but she didn't care. She had never had her own child to love and cherish before... and likely would never have one, unless she accepted his offer. "Only after the war? Not before it ends?"

"I can't afford the time or the resources to do it during the war."

Miang recalled the Mass Drivers and their role in the war. "I'll try my best, Kim," Miang uttered, feeling moisture touch her eyes. Thank you... thank you so much."

"I'm surprised that Kim let you see me," Kreruain said. "Miang, over there, is basically handing me favour after favour." He leaned closer to Elly. "I have control of the Mass Driver Missiles."

Elly's eyes widened, perhaps in astonishment, but maybe it was horror. "Really. I sincerely hope you're not planning on using them."

"Only as an ultimatum. Once we knock out their missile defenses, then there's no stopping us from winning. And Valeria will reign in peace."

"We're going to force them to submit?"

"Well, hopefully, it won't be that bad. If we keep the government free of corruption and initiate democratic methods, there shouldn't be any problems. Maybe we can even reunify Zeboim."

"Still, it's just the idea of threats... it's what stirs up these rebellions."

"Yeah, maybe so. But if we are nice to the people, then things are all right. More and more people are recovering from injuries thanks to nanomachines. They pacify the people. If we keep them happy, it's all good. The people don't care how the war ends... just that it does With the way Kim's speaking against the war, Haawa has no chance in the next election. If I had my way, I'd vote Lady Miang into office."

"Lady Miang? Isn't she somewhat cruel, sly, and, well... immoral?"

"Not once you get to know her. There's a really nice person under that slick, sexy exterior."

Miang was floating on air for the rest of that evening. When she entered her masterbedroom, she saw Haawa on the videoterminal with Minister Harfield.

"Yes, I can't believe it escaped our notice," he was saying. "Anyway, I have to go. Bye." He spun around in the chair. "Miang. It's good to see you. I found out where the missing resources you asked about went about a year ago."

"First, I want to ask you about a cease-fire policy again," Miang stated. "Valeria's not going to win against Loveh this time. We waited too long. We should negotiate and end this war. With the Mass Driver missiles, they won't be able to refuse."

Haawa scowled. "Miang, I can't do that. We're not in as bad shape as you think. New missile technology is coming off of the assembly lines every day. Doctor Balthazar has managed to get a prototype gear working. And the nanomachine technology is advancing at a lightning pace."

"But..." she started, realising that Haawa, for once, was not listening to her. A thought crossed her mind. If Emeralda had the genetics of the Contact, would it be possible for her to use the girl to get rid of Cain? Not only would she be able to lure Elly to her side, but she would also be able to use Emeralda and the Contact. But if she betrayed Kim, what about her own child?

Still, the opportunity would be too good to refuse. Perhaps she could let Haawa give the order for his arrest, but she could try to tip them off, appear loyal to Kim, and still have Kim give her a kid.

It was almost too good to be true.

"...and it seems that Kim Kasim took those missing parts... he could have created an entire human being with them. Do you think it's possible?"

Miang shrugged. Apparently, Haawa was quicker than she thought. "Perhaps. Did you ever meet his daughter, Emeralda, and..."

"Yes, I've seen her before. She's totally flawless, perfect. She could have been entirely made out of... oh my God... you don't mean..."

Miang raised a violet eyebrow.

He nodded, slowly. "A whole life form of nanomachines! We need him. With an entire army, we'll win the war in no time! We don't need the Mass Drivers. We'd have an entire unstoppable force of infantry! Imagine! Whole troops immune to bullets! The ability to use instant swords! No food or water needed! We'll be invincible! I'm going to order an operations team to be assembled. They must capture the girl and the doctor."

"What about his wife?"

"She can be sacrificed."

Miang held her breath as she watched Haawa issue orders into his phone.

"Aaron, patch me through the the I.C.U. Agency."

Miang kept her ears peeled. The I.C.U. Agency was a team dedicated to work such as covert operations, spying, and terrorist strikes.

"Unit Fifty-Eight? Okay, that's fine. In two days, at eleven P.M.? Yes, I need two people to be captured. Their names are..."

Miang hung on his every word, recording the details in her mind.

"That's the last of the safety-checks," Kim announced, trying not to be intimidated by the large rows of men who stood in neat rows before him, armed with blue bulletproof vests, dark helmets, and rifles.

Sigfried nodded at Kim and the other scientists. "Thank you very much for your help, Kim. With the nanomachine enhancements, none of the security guards will get through us. We have the entire thing planned out; we know exactly where everyone is going to be at what time. Tomorrow morning, Kim, you might see the end of this war."

Kim grinned. "I always said I'd live to see the day."

General Ken leaned forward and hugged the smaller man, patting him on the back. "Tonight, we storm Parliament. We will kill the Ministers that supported the war effort and assassinate the Prime Minister and his wife."

Kim blinked. "Could... could you do me a special request?" he asked. "I'd like you to spare Miang's life."

"What?"

"Spare her life. For me. She's a good friend to me, and I know that she's a good person inside. The more I talk to her, the more it seems that she didn't get into the national affairs because she wanted to."

Ken's lips pressed together. "Okay, Kim, I'll try. But I won't make promises." He narrowed his eyes. "I'll only do this for you. That woman stole the money from the health care, and so she stole my daughter's life."

"Thank you."

"Kim, you're clear to leave. I want to review the mission outline before we depart at nine o'clock. Take care, my friend."

"You too, Ken."

Miang played with the phone cord impatiently. "Patch me through to Unit Fifty-Eight. I have a change in the mission objectives.... clearance code, 'God only knows'."

The official on the other line clicked away on a keyboard, then said, "It's good. I'm patching you through, First Lady Miang."

"Thank you."

She waited for the response, hoping desperately that they hadn't left yet. Her heart beat madly in her chest. She couldn't let the mission go without her changes, or else it would all be for naught...

"Hello, Lieutenant Ramzaus speaking."

Miang cheered mentally. "I'm here to issue a change in orders. Capture the man, Kim, the girl, Emeralda, and the woman, Elly. Do not kill any of them. As soon as you have reports, call me immediately. As you know, my name is Miang Haawa, the Prime Minister's wife."

"Yes, First Lady."

"Thank you." She snapped her phone shut and checked her watch. It was ten to five. The group was scheduled to be at Kim's at around eleven o'clock that evening. She would have to call him before then. But she would have to make sure she did it early enough so they would be able to escape, but be caught in the end.

Kreruain sat in his chair, staring at the map of Zeboim. Miang said that she would call to give the signal for the strike.

"This is it, boys. The day that the war will end," he announced. "We can start to end this cycle of destructive conflict. We can change the views of the world. And once that begins, we will attain peace. The cost is high, but I want to make sure that humanity rights its wrongs... at any cost."

A few of the technicians applauded at his words. Hyuzuki nodded his approval.

Today is the day, Kreruain thought. Elly, the war will end. And Kim will not be able to hate me. My actions will be able to end the war, and I'll be with you once more.

I love you, Elly.

The moon was bright in the sky, casting an eerie red light over the country of Zeboim. From the distance, a few clouds blew in, casting light drops of rain over the dying vegetation and dried land. The dark waters of the Freedom River swam, carrying the putrid chemicals of the land along with it.

The bells in the Parliament's peace tower chimed the song it did every hour, signalling precisely nine o'clock in the evening.

And the first gunshot was fired.

The phone rang, interrupting Kim's nap. He checked the timepiece. It was ten past nine. He could hear the patters of a light drizzle outside. By now, Operation Storm led by Sigfried would have just been started.

The phone rang again, and he leaned over to pick it up. "Hello?"

"Kim, it's Miang," the woman blurted hysterically. "Haawa's out to get you. He found out about Emeralda and is going to try to capture her. Run, now, and hide her."

"Wait, didn't you say that you wouldn't tell the... Miang, I thought...!"

"Kim, I'm not a part of it. If I was, I wouldn't calling you right now."

Kim glanced outside of the window. "An army truck is pulling up. You're right. Sorry."

"What?? Already? An army truck! Wait, Kim, don't..."

Miang heard the line go dead. She paced her room angrily. The I.C.U. Agency didn't drive army trucks! That meant...

Miang swore loudly and rammed her forehead into the bedpost so violently that she broke the post in two. Blood flowed from the new gash on her scalp. She placed her hands on the wall and pounded her head on it, over and over and over...

"Emmy, Elly, get up. Elly, grab the travel bag. We're going on a journey." Kim leaned over to Elly's ear. "They found Emeralda."

Elly's eyes widened in shock. "Emmy, put on your shoes," she commanded. "Don't argue."

"What's going on? Kim? Elly?"

Kim didn't bother with his coat, and dashed out the apartment, dripping his daughter's arm, who struggled to keep up at his run. Elly followed, slamming the door behind her, gripping the bag in her hand.

Emeralda looked up at them, feeling something in her stomach swell. It made her feel uncomfortable, and she couldn't breathe slowly. They circled the hallways, then reached one of the service elevators.

"In! Quickly!"

Kim was already starting to sweat. Beside him, Elly had a tight grasp on his bicep, blue eyes worn with worry. The elevator went down only three floors to the ground level, but to Kim, it felt like forever. His heart pounded against his chest as the door opened. Kim prayed that there would be no army members on the other side, waiting for them.

There were none. He dashed out of the elevator, taking the back service corridors to the parkade.

"Do you know where we'll bring her?" Elly asked.

"I do."

He skidded to a stop before a door, Emeralda running into his leg. He threw it open and sprinted into the concrete complex of the parking area, inhaling the mixed fumes of gasoline and rain. He went all-out to his car, with Emmy and Elly struggling to keep up. The sounds of rain hitting the pavement outside rumbled in their ears.

"It'll be any moment before they notice," Kim warned. He fished in his pocket for his keys, hands trembling as he tried to insert it into the keyhole. He unlocked the doors, and even before Elly had closed her door, he was backing out of his space.

Kim never drove faster in his life. As he shot out of the parkade ramp, breaking the flexi-glass barrier by the ticket booth, one of the army officers huddled in the downpour pointed to them and leaped into the hum-vee he was leaning against. Elly stole a look behind them as the army scrambled inside, readying their large rifles.

"What's wrong, Kim?" Emeralda asked, hoping the feeling that pierced her insides would disappear. "Tell me what's wrong!" But no one heard her.

"We're going to the N.R.C., Elly," Kim reported. "This is the keycard and the code. As I drive in, open up the front doors and I'll take over from there." He ducked instinctively upon hearing a gunshot go off, then turned a corner quickly, banking the car onto two tires.

His wife nodded. Tears were beginning to flood her eyes. "Kim, where did I go wrong?"

"Elly, it wasn't your fault. It's the fault of those who want to use our daughter as a weapon."

The tires squealed as Kim climbed up on the N.R.C. curb. Elly was out of the car first, stepping outside before it came to a full stop, unlocking the front door to the building, trying to ignore the murky water dripping on her head and the chilling numbness in her fingers. She motioned Emeralda to run through, then Kim charged out of his car without turning it off and ran through the door. Elly stole a glance back. The army's hummer squealed around a corner of the street and made a beeline for their position, splashing a puddle in its way.

Kim executed the security codes as fast as possible, hoping they would be enough to delay the advancing infantry. He tried his best to sit still as the computer executed its retina scan. He punched in the elevator code. Behind him, the government's army placed a blast charge on the glass doors that he had just passed through. The elevator door opened up, and he all but pushed Emeralda and Elly inside before hitting the "close door" button furiously. His heart pounded against his chest wildly, and his face was damp with sweat. Elly wrung her hands nervously, coming her fingers through her hair, squeezing the rain from it. Only Emeralda seemed unmoved, but she occasionally glanced up at the two, holding a hand to her heart, innocently querying what the problem was.

If elevators normally annoyed Kim, this ride was a nightmare.

The bell that signalled the reaching of the bottom floor had never sounded better in his life. He ran out, pulling Emeralda through the empty lab. The other elevator door opened, and a shot was fired just as they turned around a wall, shattering a glass jar. Emeralda recognized this lab as the place where Kim often ran tests on her. Maybe he would be able to explain the piercing in her heart, the continuous thumping in her head, the uncontrollable breathing.

"Emeralda," Kim said softly. "They are coming." He led her quickly down a corridor.

"Who are coming, Kim?" Emeralda replied in her timid voice. "Where are we going?"

Kim didn't respond. At the end of the lab area stood Elly, who held the door open for the two of them. When they were through, she slammed it behind her and locked it.

"Elly, why are we running?" Emmy tried to cry, but it came out only as a muffled sound.

They turned to the left in the red hallway. Kim opened the glass door that led into the lab with the glass capsule. "In here," he motioned. He ran up to the computer terminals, beginning the stasis procedure. "Emeralda, take off your clothes and get into this tube. We've done this before."

Emeralda nodded as she stripped off her shirt and pants, too mystified by his condition to challenge him. Elly stepped inside the room, tossing the travel bag within. Emeralda stepped inside the capsule. Her heart beat rapidly. Her breathing was accelerated. She tried to relax, to tell herself that everything was okay, but something still gnawed at her. What was the feeling? She tried to ignore the world outside of the tube, but it was impossible.

Elly spoke to Kim, and Emeralda could barely hear her words as a clear fluid began splash into the tube from the hoses in the top, falling on her hair and body in torrents. "Here are your clothes. I'll keep guard while you set up the systems."

Emeralda pressed her face against the glass. She couldn't identify the continuous stabbing in her heart, the throbbing in her stomach, or the pounding in her head. With every passing moment, she ached more and more. What was she feeling? Did it have a name? Kim's fingers moved furiously over the control panels. Emmy had never seen him type that fast before. "Kim! Kim!!!" she shouted, but he would not even look up.

Kim entered the next sequence of instructions, with only one thought in his mind: protect his daughter. Once it was done, and Sigfried killed Haawa, he would be able to return to the lab and retrieve her. He wished he had a chance to say good-bye to her. At least he'd be able to apologize.

There was an explosion. Kim moved his fingers faster. He could hear Emeralda cry out in gear, and it took all of his discipline to prevent himself from leaving the computer to comfort her. Just another twelve instructions... twelve more...

Elly cried out as the doors shook from the impact. "Kim! They're coming! Kim!! Kim!!!" She looked up at Emeralda, in the glass tube, slamming the impenetrable walls with her palms, crying words she couldn't hear, face distorted with emotion. Tears came to Elly's eyes. "Kim, Emeralda, I love you both... oh, Kim..."

"Freeze."

Elly looked up. There were five soldiers pointing rifles at her. She was about to lift her voice, but she heard a ringing sound of thunder and felt intense pain hammer through her chest. Blood splattered everywhere. On her hands, in her hair, on her clothes, on the wall, on the floor. She coughed. She clutched her chest. She screamed.

As she slid to the floor, she thought of only two things.

Kim saw his tears hit the control panel and drip between the buttons. He took a deep breath, punched the last emerald-coloured button, and then grabbed the travel bag and dashed out of the room, not even taking a second glance back.

Emeralda tried to keep her eyes open as she saw Kim run. It had happened so quickly. A pulse rang through her head. Her eyes were stinging. Her temples were feeling tingly. It was hard to breathe; it felt like something was crushing her chest. Elly lay on the floor of the lab, motionless, in a pool of her own blood. Kim was gone.

And them something else struck her. It was a nothingness, an emptiness that made her mind cry out. She felt tired, but she wanted to get out and help Elly. She tried to fight the numbness, but her arms and legs were ever so tired.

There was no energy left in her as her mind drifted off, blurring her vision and causing her to lose her grip on reality.

Kim tried to charge down the corridor, but he suddenly felt unable to go on. He didn't see it, but he heard her scream, and knew the truth. He tried to take another step, but his legs faltered, feeling heavier than ever. He collapsed on the ground, crying out, loudly. "Elly!! Elly!! ELLLLLLYYY!!!!!!!! Why did this have to happen to you! Elly, Elly!!!"

Something was pressed against his head. "Hands in the air."

Kim opened his eyes. His face was streaked with tears, and his nose was running, staining his lips and chin. His chest and stomach felt absolutely disgusting.

"Come with me. You're under arrest."

Kim shook his head. He had to keep his daughter safe. He reached into his travel bag.

"Stop it! Don't move!" The barrel was shoved deeper into his scalp.

Kim grinned.

The soldier struck him with the hilt of his pistol. Kim's face smarted from the blow, but he withdrew the item from his bag. "Elly... Emeralda... I won't let them use me..." he whispered as the soldier repeated his orders. He couldn't hear what the man said. Kim turned the gun in his hands and pressed it against his left eye.

He never had a chance to fire.

Miang heard the shots and explosions downstairs. She walked around her room impatiently, trying to ignore the throbbing bruises she had inflicted on herself. If they didn't do anything to Elly, everything would be okay. If they didn't do anything to her, it would be okay. If they...

The phone rang. Miang grabbed at it eagerly, nearly dropping it with clumsy hands. She opened it and pressed the button. Every muscle in her body shook painfully.

"Lady Miang? This is Unit Fifty-Eight. It seems the Army came in from orders of the Prime Minister to get this Elly and Kim. The girl is locked in a capsule. We've tried everything from blast charges to bullets, but nothing breaks the glass."

"And Elly and Kim?" Miang asked, dreading the answer.

"They're dead."

"No!!!!!" Miang shrieked, hurling the phone at the mirror, shattering the glass into a million shards. The wind tossed the drapes lightly, rain softly spilling inside the room, the calmness of the scene contradicting her inner turmoil. She stomped on the ground, hurled a chair against the window, and kicked the clothes chest. She whirled the vase from her dresser, smashed the lamp on the floor, and punched the wall. If something could be broken, it was broken.

She reached for her phone, resisting the temptation to crush it with her hands. If she had to stay alive for a moment longer, with no change of reviving Deus, then she would go insane. Another fifty years of life in this body! Then, centuries more, waiting for the next Elly!

She dialed the number from memory. "Kreruain, prepare the missiles. Kim and Elly are dead. They were killed by Haawa. If nothing goes right this evening, I'm going to at least end this damn war." As she hung up the phone, she tugged at her hair in frustration. Not even a child of her own to pass the time with... not even that...

From the window, a man stepped inside, then suddenly gripped her hand, tugging relentlessly. "Lady Miang!"

Miang whirled on him, breaking his death hold. "WHAT?"

Minister Harfield's voice trembled. "Haawa's dead! The rebels killed him! And so are Hants and Saetome! If we go quickly, we can still reach the evacuation chopper and.... ulp!"

The twin doors to the room flew open as three men dressed in combat gear pointed rifles at them. In the front, behind the clear visor, Miang could see the dark face of General Ken Sigfried. Harfield immediately fell on his knees, blubbering like a fool. She stared at Sigfried coldly, challenging his even demeanor. "Are you going to kill me?"

"Kim asked me not to," Sigfried replied, swinging his rifle onto his back. "Miang, you're coming with me."

"Kim asked you..." she started.

The other soldier withdrew his handcuffs and arrested the prone Harfield.

Miang's gaze darkened. "Kim's dead," she said, trying to keep her voice from breaking. "So is Elly. General, I know you've been waiting for this day." She held up her phone. "With one press of a button, I will launch the Mass Driver missiles and destroy the world. And the war will end. Forever."

Sigfried's eyes flared, and he drew a pistol from his holster in a lightning-fast motion. "Don't you dare!"

"I'll be seeing your daughter soon enough."

"You're not going to see my daughter because you're going straight to hell!!"

Miang stared down the barrel of his gun, and let her lips curl up into a smile. She broke out into hysterical laughter, her cackling growing louder and louder, more and more haunting.

Sigfried pulled the trigger.

Kreruain let the phone slip out of his paralyzed fingers. Elly was dead. Elly was dead. Elly was dead. Elly was dead.

The thought beat in his head, reciting itself over and over again. He clenched his teeth. He wanted to lash out.

Lieutenant Domina stood up, adjusting her headset. "General, General, there have been reports that the Prime Minsister and his wife had been killed!" she shouted in a panic as a loud blast was heard above. "Without their permission, we..."

"Continue with the operation."

"Sir, with due respect, I cannot..."

The General slowly turned his head, gazing lasers into his engineer. His blue hair glittered eerily under the red lights as the explosions shook the Judgement of God. The eyes, cold as glass, appeared to be aged beyond the rest of his body. They were hard and unyielding. "This is the only way to prevent more tragedy. We destroy those who cause it. Domina, continue."

"Sir..."

Domina was silenced with a bullet in her forehead. Kreruain waved the pistol that seemingly appeared from nowhere. He turned to Doctor Hyuzuki and stared at his black eyes. He lifted his voice, addressing the technicians. "Look. I can kill you all, and we'll get nothing done, or we can launch these missiles, and end the war. One is aimed at Trewth. One is aimed at Loveh. Hyuzuki, aim the third one at Valeria. Right here."

"Y....yes, sir."

"You've heard it from me enough. This world is corrupt. Up there, in Parliament, they think they, as rebels, can change things. But human beings are not that simple. We have to start over, to show them what happens when you act human, like I do." The room shook again. He blinked. Tears trickled down his cheeks. He thought of Elly. "Humans will never learn if we keep living as we do. Kim tried. He tried by creating Emeralda, a perfect being. But she is only one in a million, a gemstone in a sea of sand. But shrink the desert, and it's easier to find the beryl. We must destroy those who cause tragedy. And we are part of the cause. We are the cause." He took a deep breath, scanning the room. No one objected to his words. "In a world like this, God doesn't exist." His mind flickered to Elly. The pain of her refusing him. Seeing her go back to Kim. Feeling her touch on his skin, the times that they shared... and knowing he would never feel them again. "So, I must create God with my own hands. I must act as God, the saviour of the human race."

"The missiles are locked," Hyuzuki announced flatly. He wiped at his eyes. "For the world."

"No. For humanity."

The technicians all repeated after him. "For humanity."

Kreruain nodded, the tears tumbling over his skin. He grabbed the yellow key and placed it in the keyhole on the armrest of his chair.

"Fire."