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((I've had a word with kayako...leave the saving to me wink -I've got a plan.))
More disjointed images...
...swirling...
....Where...?
Gray suddenly felt like he was floating, as if in water. 360 degrees of purple, wavy haze surrounded him, pillars of red lightning shooting randomly from the ceiling to the "floor" at sporadic intervals.
"......what?"
Gray's own vioce sounded hollow, and echoed.
Suddnely, ground emerged from the murky floor and Gray floated down to it, standing up and looking around the strange netherworld. With the same swiftness as the ground, his LFO, Mercury, loomed out of the mists ahead, holding it's board under one arm and having it's head tilted up to the sky, as through gazing at something.
Gray ran up to it, his own footfalls errily loud.
Panting, Gray looked up and took a step back.
from the section of purple mist where the LFO was gazing sightlessly, a ghostly version of the Longinus emerged, drifting past like some dark bird of prey. Gray heard a clank, and turned to see his LFO pointing, both it's eyes ablaze with life and energy.
"...that ship?.... Do want me to go to it...?"
Abruptly, the ground swirled, showing blurred images of the Senturi, and of Mercury falling from the ship...and of the Senturi remaining. Finnaly, the phantasmal cascade settled on a vision of a girl with purple hair, and yellow-hued eyes, laying in some kind of medical room with a man in mostly white lurking near the edge of his "vison".
Suddenly, Gray understood; and the vison shattered...

Gray's eyes first flickered, then closed tightly. The strange drive glowed like an evil star, pulsing with a strange energy. Gray's eyes stayed screwed shut for another second, then shot open as the boy gasped like drowing sailor coming up for air.
"...guh! ..huh, haa..."
Light, feeling!
Gray turned his head weakly to the side, the sudden jolt to reality a harsh one.
"....that...girl....did I...?"

He stood outside the 909 now.
"How about down here? And you can walk with me to the infirmary?"
He smiled trying to assure her that he was alright.
"I want to go see the pilot that you pulled out of that LFO. He seems...like he could use someone to talk to, that is if he's awake. Might as well see who he is, right?"

Dr. Dess put her hand on Gray's arm. She had watched him through the ordeal. Unable to calm the pain she saw no alternative except to put a makeshift bridal in his mouth.

Seizers had racked his body. The glow of the purple compact had blazed through the room. Dess could feel the heat of it. Fear gripped her but she had stayed within it's light. Holding her patient onto the medical bed. More than once his eyes seemed to gleam and glaze as waves of spasms overtook him.

"Just hold on." she had said. "Just try to hold on." A million illnesses ran through her mind. Many she could cure, more so she knew she couldn't. Of them all nothing seemed to apply.

Eventually the seizures did subside and the throbbing pulse of the compact slowed to a dull shine. The doctor let out a steady sigh when Gray's breaths returned to normal. A short cough overcame her as she pulled the restraint from the pilots mouth.

"You gave us quite a worry Mr." Dess said. Please... take a deep breath. Girl?"

Far off in a place that seemed a world away from the Rhek and the people she'd come to trust, Kayako lay still secured tightly in a room aboard the Lonjinus.

Hearing the strange man beside her call her by her name had sent a chill down her spine. She was trying her best to stay calm, but inside she knew something just wasn't right.

But nonetheless, curiousity finally did her in. Slowely, Kayako looked over at the doctor and uttered her reply.

"I'm....I'm fine......But....who are you? How do you know my name?"

Inside her head, she had more and more questions forming by the moment. Something about the familiar way this man was addressing her that made her squirm from the inside out.

I can almost remeber seeing this guy before.....

Dess wiped a bead of sweat from her warm forehead. As she spoke she removed the restraints on Gray.

"We'll Mr. Gray," She coughed again slightly "I'm not sure about this girl you speak of. I've never met such a person. However, I'm sure she's very important to you."

Looking at the drive in his chest she continued,"I'm also not very sure about this devise you've come to have in your chest. I seems to be the cause of you're illnesses."

At the door a discreet ring sounded. The door then opened and Doctor Lendin stepped in. Looking over the room his eyes quickly met Dr. Dess'.
"The captain said he would be coming as soon as the waves have calmed down some. What seems to be the trouble Dess?"

She waved him over to Gray and pointed to the inverse drive. Lendin's brow creased together. "I suppose it's a good thing I came on board. I thought I was leaving this kind of butchery behind when I left the Voderak's inner lands. I guess some blasphemy never ends. Dess... has there been any glowing?"

Dess nodded and coughed again. "The pilot has been experiencing seizures and the heat off the.."

"That's enough.." Linden interupted, "Dess I've seen this in the priests. No one survives the union of compact and human energy. It is very prossible that you've been exposed to high levels of radiation from this thing. I suggest you take a dose of Cadaphric and a neural booster shot. Please leave this med bay. If your cough doesn't subside soon... well know."

Dess' eyes were wide but her emotions didn't show,"No I can't do that Dr. The patient... Gray... he mentioned a girl with purple hair and something called Mercury."

"That's enough Dess, please.. for your own sake." Dr Linden pointed to the door. Grabbing the things she would need quickly, she walked over to Niko and began looking him over.

"You may be older Linden, but these are my patients and I can't leave them. I'll let you work with Mr. Gray for now. Thank-you for your assistance."

Linden turned to Gray then and sighed, "Very well, Mr. Gray is it. I seem to recall a girl with purple hair. Please tell me, how long have you had this compact?" Looking over the vitals he reached for a syringe and prepared to take a sample of blood.

Nic wanted to help Rue but everything she thought of she just wasn't sure would work. "So ummm... what was it you wanted to talk about?" Nic asked carefully. She tried to sound calm and normal, and not all freaked out and confused.

"I guess we're here already..." Nic said and entered the medical bay. Then turned to face Rue once more before taking to a wall and keeping out of the way. All of the thoughts she had earlier started to come back one by one rasing more questions than before.