Leonard looked over the remains of the two captured machines with great interest. The casings were clearly not metallic, in fact, he found himself performing something more in the way of an autopsy than reverse engineering a machine.
The armor, internal structure, the lubricant; everything seemed to have an organic base. Biotechnology was a rather new field, even among Whispered, but there had been a few experiments.
This was far beyond that, however.
As far as he knew, there was no infrastructure to support such a design. What's more, it was clearly old, how old he could not guess without some reasonable baselines for the rate of wear and tear on the material. However, they had both suffered from internal failures before their destruction.
In addition, they were both obviously based on parallel developments. Two separate groups had created these items.
But what was most interesting of all was the lack of perceivable weapons save one: some strange version of a lambda driver. Neither of which would work with human physiology, nor would either work for the physiology of the other pilot.
Not just two organizations: two species.
Leonard suddenly wished that he had the body of the pilot available, but it had been disposed of by the soldiers. Given that Gauron was there and didn't consider the body important, that meant that the outward appearance at least was human in seeming.
Still, there was plenty here for him to make use of. A little bit of experimentation and he would be able to identify what a facility might need for production. And even before that, there were some interesting developments he could use to advance his own prototype.
He stood up and walked out of the lab, letting the thoughts come to him as he casually grabbed the remote and turned on his television. Usually, the news didn't tell him much that he didn't already know, but there were still a few gems here and there.
This was one of them.
"And we still have little to no information on where the people at these camps have come from," the newscaster said. "And we're still not certain of how many there are. Though perhaps we have some idea of why they are here."
The footage changed from the newscaster standing at a distance from a large camp of people in the middle of what looked to be the African Savannah. Instead it showed a mass of bodies scattered about a blasted landscape, though given the intact terrain in the background, Leonard suspected the North American continent, probably deep into the Canadian wilderness.
"Canadian officials responded to what they originally took to be a forest fire," the newscaster said. "And instead found the scene of what must be an appalling attack. Women, children and others slaughtered in uncounted number by unknown weapons. As of yet, however, the authorities have not gotten much cooperation from these new arrivals. While speculation runs wild ranging from alien invaders to lost secret civilizations and government plots."
Leonard thought about it carefully before moving to his phone and bringing it up.
"I need a mission," he said. "These refugees on the television. I would like to meet some."
<HR>
"What the heck?" Keiichi asked, standing up. "What do green marks mean?"
"It means they've caught up," Urd said, looking toward Keiichi. "Looks like humans are joining the ranks of the immortals on more than just an occasional occurrence."
The elder Goddess looked between the blushing faces of Belldandy and Keiichi as they thought about what that might mean.
As Mao moved, Eija thought she noticed something in Mao's aura. The blood filled her eyes, showing her the blood marks on all the people in the room.
Practically everyone in the room save Belldandy, Kaname and Skuld seemed marked to one degree or another. Though, for the most part, blood was only on the surface, not threaded throughout like it was someone who enjoyed killing.
Deimosu had a lot more blood on his hands than when last she'd seen him, which made her more than a bit nervous. And what was worse, the blood had started to work in past his skin.
It took her a moment to focus past that mass of violent history to check what she wanted to check.
She expected it from Mara and her Demons, as well as Naiki, herself and the Gods. But she hadn't expected to see it in Sergeant Major Mao.
Usually, she could see death hanging over most people, usually very distant, but that presence wasn't hanging over Mao any longer at all. It would only come back if the Sergeant was struck with illness or injury.
"Miss Satomi," Mao said. "I've got two choppers outside. If I were you, I'd take these kids on one right now."
"If you tell us where you need to go," Persephone said. "We can take you there instantly."
"I know you can," Mao said. "But there are some things we'd like to keep secret."
"I imagine so," Persephone said. "But this is a medical situation. If its what I think it is. Though I'm curious how that happened, is the girl Whispered?"
"I hear Whispers!" the little girl next to them said cheerfully.
"Eija can take them," Naiki said. "Tes...Captain Testarossa wouldn't mind that."
Mao looked toward the Demoness and arched an eyebrow.
"Well," Eija said, blushing. "I'd need some blood, and it might take a few trips."
"Would Captain Testarossa mind if Skuld helps?" Belldandy asked, looking worriedly at her sister.
"Why do I have to go?" Skuld asked.
"Because there are too many people for Eija to take at once," Persephone said. "I'm assuming you're taking the child and going yourself? Yes, Ranma?"
"That's right," Ranma said firmly.
Mao looked over toward Naiki, who nodded.
"Go ahead," Mao said.
"Fine," Ranma said. "We'll be back. Eija. Kid."
Eija stood up slowly and formally bowed before walking toward the door. Skuld got up a bit less decoratively.
"Kid?" she muttered. "Kid. I'm older than Mara. Did you hear what she called me?"
"Not right now you aren't," Urd said with a smirk."
Skuld folded her arms and hmphed as she walked out with the others.
Naiki waved toward Deimosu before glancing toward Mara, the expressionless young man nodded at her for a moment before being marched out with Yonjuu and Yaku.
"Sergeant Sagara," Mao said sharply. "Go with them, take Kaname with you. If that's all right with you, Kaname."
"In the last two weeks or so," Kaname said. "I've been shunted about all over the place, watched some of my friends get attacked by some sort of ghost, fought some sort of God-virus had Gods try to kill me and worried to death over one of my best friends and...uh...Sousuke...I guess one more trip to who knows where is fine."
"Righto, kid," Mao said, smirking. Turning back to Sousuke, she continued with a slightly more commanding tone. "Sagara, get to it."
"Yes, Ma'am," Sousuke said, snapping to attention and following Kaname as her eyes rolled.
As they left, Mara turned toward Naiki and pointed toward Mao.
"And how long have you known about this?" she asked.
"Since about just before you showed up talking about the Doublet System," Naiki said.
Mara rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Let's get on with this," Mara said, trying to recover her poise.
"You're the one to call us here," Urd noted. "We haven't seen anyone from Asgard...except those jokers that came to kill us."
Mara looked away from Urd then, pointedly.
"What's that look for?" Urd asked.
"Hild's dead," Mara said quietly.
The look on Urd's face froze solid and she blinked a couple of times while Belldandy gasped and wrapped her arms around her elder sister.
"What?" Urd asked quietly.
"Hild died," Mara said. "I felt it, saw it just before I told everybody to leave."
"Dead," Urd said disbelieving.
"Is there a relationship?" Mao asked, frowning.
"My mother," the Goddess of the Past said, standing up. "I have to go...do something.."
With that she gave a very controlled walk out of the room as people watched. Belldandy stood up as well, Keiichi with her.
"We'll be right back," Keiichi said hurriedly.
"My apologies," Belldandy added.
Mao nodded with a look of consolation and then turned to look at Persephone and Mara.
"Down to just us then," she said.
"And Captain Testarossa," Mara noted, looking toward Naiki, who whistled innocently.
"So what's the overall situation back home then?" Mao asked. "We've been watching the refugee situation. But we're not seeing a quarter of a million yet. And we're assuming some of these camps are of Gods."
Mara looked back at Naiki again as the population figure for Nifelheim was mentioned.
"I don't mind sharing information as long as you tell me what it is first," Mara noted firmly. "No, all of us didn't get out. There are probably still a lot of us in Nifelheim with the rebels. I had the largest group I know of, and I think we were ten thousand, somewhere close to that."
"Did you know that some of your refugee groups have been attacked?" Mao asked, something building in her. "They found one in Canada, very public. Thousands of bodies, they even killed the children!"
"That's not unexpected," Persephone said, drawing Mao's attention.
"You were expecting this?" Mao asked, shocked. "What's with you people?"
"Understand," Mara said. "Most of us are over two thousand years old, Hild remember...ed, what you call the KT event. There have been...two hundred Demons born in the past three hundred years."
"There are a lot more than two hundred children in that camp we flew over," Mao noted, doubtful.
"We can return to our childhoods," Persephone said. "Seal parts of memories so we can relive childhood, adapt to the changing world outside of Asgard and Nifelheim."
"So most of those children," Mao noted. "Are basically adults?"
"No," Persephone said. "They are essentially children. Experiencing things newly again for the first time, needing protection and guidance. We've found living too long without doing so has a...detrimental effect on at least humility, if not sanity."
"The enemy, the old ones," Mara said. "Don't approve. So, obviously..."
"Any child is most likely a believer in the wrong ideology," Mao noted sourly.
"You'll understand in time," Persephone said confidently to Mao, noting her marks. "After you have done the same once or twice."
"So the situation in Hell, excuse me, Nifelheim," Mao said, ignoring the comment. "Is that your enemy, and ours, is under control, and for Asgard...we know almost nothing."
"Except that both Nidhog and Yggdrasil are still down," Persephone noted.
"Nidhog will be up soon," Mara noted grimly. "But I doubt that'll help us. And they still had a handful of carapaces out when I left."
"That, I assume is the big dinosaur thing guarding your camp," Mao said.
Mara nodded.
"I'm sure Captain Testarossa will see to getting the refugee issue handled," Mao said. "But I have to tell you, thousands of bodies on the public scene, big differences between you and humans."
"Us and humans," Persephone corrected.
"Right," Mao said hesitantly, shuffling. "Us and humans."
"You are no longer human or even merely Whispered," Persephone said. "In the same way that I am not silthine or Sung as my great-grandparents were. We've made the next step. We'll see what name you are given in the future."
"What happened to your people," Naiki asked then, suddenly. When both Persephone and Mara turned to look at her "Umm, our people."
"The tanar species went extinct after a meteor smashed into the Earth," Mara said. "Not everybody could make the change to Demon, and they couldn't change themselves to survive the ash long enough to come to Nifelheim with them."
"As for us," Persephone said, politely not looking toward Mara. "It was war. The Demons came and found us picking through their ruins and...retaliated, I suppose. We were already close to evolving into Gods as it was, but what we picked up in resisting the attacks of the Demons helped us advance quicker. The military took over and we started the first war against the Demons. As Mara said, not everyone is fit for the change, some are not strong enough, or don't have quite the right DNA, or else they didn't really want it."
"And if you don't make the change, you die?" Mao asked.
"Of old age," Mara said.
"The disappointment can be lethal," Persephon noted. "For more than just the unfortunate. Eventually, there were the Demons, the Gods and the mortal silthine. Who did not trust us...either of us. It grew worse as time moved on."
She paused and Mara took over.
"We retreated again," Mara said. "Us to Nifelheim and them to Asgard. The silthine obliterated themselves in forcing both of us away. Those who remained gradually died off, and then your people showed up."
"Things are repeating," Persephone said. "You've reached the point of immortality. You've started giving that change to those who can make it. Time will only tell if this leads to the destruction of your former species as it led to the deaths of my ancestors."
"Just out of curiosity," Mao said. "We know the Demons are basically evolved dinosaurs, but what about the Gods?"
Mara glanced again at Naiki who tried to look elsewhere.
"Chatterbox," she said sharply. "I'm glad the only important things I've told you I wanted passed along."
"Hey..hey!" Naiki said, suddenly. "That's not fair Te...Captain Testarossa."
"We're from what your scientists call the order of Cetacea," Persephone noted.
"And that is?" Mao asked.
"Whales, I believe," Persephone said.
"Ahh," Mao said, resisting a deep abiding urge to call Mara and Persephone "Barney" and "Flipper". "Well, history lesson over, let's see about avoiding a repeat."
<HR>
Nodoka watched the news curiously as the clock ticked behind her.
She had no particular opinion of these refugee groups, beyond some curiosity as to what had brought them and where they might have come from. The pictures from Canada horrified her, of course, especially as the camera panned past the disfigured bodies of young women and children.
"Anyone who would do such a thing deserves to be punished by the Gods," she muttered.
As she spoke, the clock hand behind her continued to click. Counting down to the end of the sixth day.
Nodoka lifted the cup of tea in her hand to her mouth when the last second passed.
She cried out in sudden pain as the tea cup full from her hand to the floor, sending tea flying out in all directions.
Nodoka stood up, clutching her fingers and staring at them to see what was wrong. As she did so, the pain, moved slowly down her hand, inflaming every part of her as it moved. Aghast, she moved quickly to find the restroom and some of the pain killers that would be there.
By the time she reached there, her right hand was completely crippled with the pain and opening the medicine bottle was more or less difficult.
Frustrated she threw the bottle to the ground, trying to smash it open.
And it was only one hand for the moment. One could only imagine how it would be when she reached the end of the sixth day and was given six more to recover before it started again.