The Nexus: Part 2

Rem In Nexus 2:

With a Flash of Energy, Rem disappears again. And moments later reappears in a familiar location. A house with paper walls and doors, and a tea set on a table set about knee high. The same woman who had met and conversed with him on his first trip here was sitting at the table, knees underneath her, sipping some piping hot tea.

"Perhaps your universe doesn't contain the equivalency of Japanese Culture, but there are those that do. And i do believe it is my favorite." She opens their conversation by saying.
Rem, not knowing what she was talking about says, "So, am I to learn of strange cultures this trip, or shall my real purpose be discovered this time." Gingerly, the Namek squeezes his form beneath the table in a way almost mirroring the Females.

Totally ignoring rems response, she pours tea, taking time and effort to do so. "I believe i shall tell you of the Tea Masters. Yes, i believe i will." The Namek raises an eyebrow in interest, and sits back, placing his hands behind him, getting comfortable for the story ahead.

The woman, apparently not even noticing the Namekian warrior yet, forges ahead.

"Thousands of years ago, on a world not so unlike your own, or rather, almost exactly like your own, but in a universe vastly different than yours, there were warriors called Samurai. These Samurai were a warrior caste, doing battle with swords and honor, rather than ki energy and blasters. Their life revolved around dignity, and honor. These samurai were considered above the common man, and were considered in the right striking down an offensive peasant, or challenging one to a fight."

Rems eyebrows raise. Such reverence for warriors was still known today, but not to the point of death.

"A Peasant who even bumped a samurai in the street was at the mercy of the samurai, and the warrior would have been completely justified if he simply struck down the unfortunate soul in the streets. On a certain afternoon, a certain Tea Master who had not been taking care of where he had been walking accidently steps on the Toe of a Samurai warrior. This warrior, in a need to uphold his honor, stays his hand, and manages to address the Tea Master instead of slaying him on the spot.

Instead, the Samurai challenged the Tea Master to a fight to the death for the infringement of his honor. The terrified tea master begs the samurai for a few hours to at least learn a few basic moves, so as to have a chance at defending himself. The cocky samurai, having spent his entire LIFE learning the ways of the warrior agrees whole heartedly, and gives the man the entire afternoon to train himself."

The woman who was telling the story unexpectantly stops, and refills both her and Rems glasses with the warm liquid before returning to the story.

"With out a moments waste the tea master heads to the closest dojo, and begs the Weapons Master there for some lessons, so he could defend himself in the duel. The weapons master obliges, having shared tea with the Tea Master more than once. And so the lesson begins.
It doesn't take too many hours for the Tea Master to realize that he has no chance of learning enough to defend himself, and that it is the lost cause. He can not learn the advanced footwork fast enough, or catch onto the confusing sword maneuvers. The Weapons Master, realizes it as well, and calls a break to the lesson, ordering the Tea Master to make them tea.

As the tea master sets about his task, a totally new persona takes over. Making tea in Japan in those days was more a dance of beauty than a chore. The Weapons Master sees the tea master go about the tea making process in perfection. Each foot placed perfect, each cup and utinsel in the right place and at the right angle. Tea Making is his art, and perfection is his rank. As the 2 sit finally, and begin to drink perhaps the last cup of tea the tea master shall ever enjoy, the Weapons Master addresses him.

'When you go into battle this evening, you must settle into the mindset that you have when making tea.' "

Rem this whole time had been enraptured by the tale, and nods his head, slightly smiling at this last part. His hostess continues.

"After their tea is drunk, the Weapons Master changes the lesson. He shows the Tea Master a simple sword strike. After breaking the initial stance, take 2 quick steps forward, and slash as strong and fast as possible. It is a elementary move, and the Weapons Master admits as much. He relates to the tea master; 'If you settle into the mindset you have when you make tea when you make this strike, the best you can hope for is that both you and the Samurai die. But, it will be an honorable death.'
The tea master, already accepting his fate, nods once, solemnly, and leaves the Dojo to meet the challenge.

The Samurai is already at the specified location, and bows to the Tea Master as he arrives. The tea master returns the bow, and raises his sword. He settles into his initial stance, and remembering the Sensei's words, a look of utter calm, and determination settles over his face. Any look of weakness or indecision is gone. Perfection is the look he exudes, and the Samurai notices this.

The Samurai realizes the change in the tea master, and considers his situation. Obviously the Tea Master has learned something in his short time of preparation, and his looks is deadly.
With a bow to the Tea Master, the Samurai Warrior addresses him again, he forgives the Tea Master, and withdraws his challenge, exiting with a final bow."

The hostess who had told the tale falls silent at this point, taking a few last sips of her tea cup.
Rem lets the story flow over him, and its implications. Finally he speaks. "So, if you exude perfection and purpose, enemies shall question themselves. Is that your message."

The blonde smiles, "Message? What message? I was simply telling a tale i was reminded of while drinking this tea. Come follow me." She rises, and walks to a paper door, sliding it aside, and striding through. Rem, who is following, almost chokes on his reply as he sees the scene outside.

A dozen warriors are in the middle of a studendous fight. It looks like there are 8 on one side, and 4 on the other. Somehow, the 4 are winning. Evil smiles are spread over each of their smaller groups faces, while grim faces of determination and pain are spread over the other. "What is going on here?!" Rem almost screams to his hostess.

"This battle took place thousands of years ago on an Earth not quite in your dimension. The 4 warriors who are winning, are Androids they were built by a scientist who had dreams of global conquest and vengeance against those who had stood against him. Watch."

The 8 warriors who are on the losing end, 1 of which is a namek, 3 of whom look like humans, and the rest are saiyans, 2 older ones, and 2 younger ones. Marshal a final attack against their oppressors, each flying in with ki blasts charged and fists drawn back. Thunderous explosions rip through the area as the beams intersect and blast together.

Not only are the warriors defending the earth ragged looking, but the planet can hardly be recognized as earth. A red haze fills the sky and the ground. Fissures and cracks in the ground rip through the area. A nearby ocean bubbles from the extreme heat being generated.
Rem's eyes come back to the battle, just in time to see one of the humans take a small beam straight into the chest. It exits through his back moments later, and hos body falls to the ground, dead it seems. A moment later one of the younger saiyans joins him on the ground, as a chop to the back of his neck sends him limp.

Rems eys begin to water as he sees his adopted home, Earth, and its defenders being ravaged like this. The Namek falls moments later as his head is decapitated by a point blank blast to the head. Within thirty seconds, the rest of the Defenders are dead as well. "Wha...wha..wha..." Is all rem can get out as all 4 of the androids degrade into crazed laughter, and randomly firing ki blasts.

"The good guys dont always win namekian.... And sometimes... No one does."

Rem watches as the scene in front of him changes. Two of the androids are fighting the other two now. A large one and an old one are obviously on the defense as a male and female android attack them together. It doesn't take long for the 2 misfits to be destroyed, one having his head crushed between the hands of one of his foes. The second is utterly decimated as a ki blast rips his chest out of existence.

Again, the 2 survivors rip into laughter and destruction, they both begin charging a huge blast in each hand, and then fire them at once. The two blasts mold into one, and slam into the ground. The gigantic blast rips through the earths surface, and into the interior. Moments later, a bright light screams in front of rem, causing him to cover his eyes...

Moments later, when his sight returns, he looks and sees... Nothing... Rocks and asteroids dotting the nearby space is all that is around.... "What... What is this.." Rem says....
He turns quickly to the woman, only to discover the two androids behind him. One of them holds the woman by the throat, the male, and a sick snap sounds flows through rems ears, as he twists her neck, snapping it like a twig. Twin evil smiles turn toward rem.... "What!?" rem screams again, powering up without even noticing it.

The thoughts raging through rems mind at that moment were going at lightspeed. He had no clue what was going on. Was this for real? Had the androids really broken through into the Nexus? Was his hostess, who's name he hadn't even gotten dead? "WHAT IS THIS!!!" Screams rem, his confoundedness overtaking his pragmatism.

The Namek warrior slams into his chou form just as the Female android charges at him, a grin of death smiling on her face. Rems hand moves on his own, blocking her punch coming at his face. Semi-surprise registers on her face, and she throws a second punch. Rems face squeezes in rage as he grabs her hand swinging at him, and begins to squeeze.

Moments later the girl screams out as a succession of pops reveals multiple bones in her hand to be broken. Rem quickly releases her, powering up even more, and flips around, bringing his foot up slamming it straight into her face. Cutting her scream off, she flies into, and through the Japanese house. With a scream of rage, her male counterpart joins the fight, coming right at his namek foe. Rem stands his ground, not even moving as the males fist slams straight into his chest, and bounces off the Nameks armor.

"WHAT IS THIS!!!!" Screams rem again, as he slams into his Ultra Chou form. The force of the increase in power sends the male android skidding back quite a few feet, and before he can catch himself, rems hand comes up, firing an intense ki blast at almost point blank range. The blast hits the android in the chest, and seems to overwhelm him as it grows in size.

Rem, still confused, begins to power down a bit, and reverts back to his chou stage. The Male android can be seen laying on the ground a few feet away, his body smoldering, but its evident that he's not dead. The female android crawls from the house rem had sent her into, but falls to the ground, feigning unconsciosness as rem raises a hand towards her, warning her.

"What is this?" Rem asks again... Having no clue still as to what was going on.
He walks quickly over to the fallen form of his hostess, and gathers her up in his arms. Somehow, she is still alive and breathing.....

"So...." She says slowly... "You can still rage, good to know. I was afraid you had lost your edge when he left you." She says.

Rem is confused... "He who? What are you talking about?" rem looks around for his bag of supplies, but its missing. He had had it with him when he had been on Namek, but its missing now. "Do you have a senzu?"

She smiles, "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine." Rems face squeezes up in bewilderment, and he looks around. The two bodies are missing now, and the torn up environment is fixed now too. THe house, which had been torn to @#%$ moments later, looks back in perfect condition now. Even the hostess's neck, which had been snapped a while ago was now healed.

"What is going on?" Rem asks, pain in his eyes.

"This was a test... I wanted to make sure you could still fight savagely when the situation called for it... You have no clue what you have lost Namek, do you?"

Rem thinks... "I... Don't know, what are you talking about."

She, still in rems arms, gives the namek a saddened smile. "Your power, your emotion, your strength.... Don't you feel it? Depleted? Weaker?"

With a stunned shock, rem replied; "Oh... yes... I noticed it many months... well.. years ago now i guess.. I felt my power decrease significantly over night almost... I was told something happened to me on earth, and the Elders on Namek performed some ritual on me to save my life.... I always accepted the power loss to be an acceptable loss for my life.... THough i always did wonder WHY it had left me."

She smiles as rem realizes what she is speaking of. "And your mind? How is your mind these days?"

Rem thinks, and then replies... "Less... Chaotic, tumultous. I am more... sensitive and cognitive these days than i use to be. I am less likely to fight a battle if i do not have to than i use to be. No longer do i thirst for battle as i once did....

She smiles again, "And your body?"

Rem smiles this time too..... "That.. was perhaps the biggest change i underwent. I could get over the power loss, and gladly accepted the emotional stability that came with it.. But my body was a different story... I use to be 3 feet tall, and a sort of yellowish color. Not even on Namek was i accepted as a Namek... Not that they didn't accept me, they knew me as the spawn of my father, they just realized that my blood wasn't completely namekian, and that my mind wasn't either. Now... Now.... Well... This is what i am now, i AM a namekian, and i LOOK like one, and i FEEL like one...."

"And do you not question all of these things? Do you not think their is an underlining factor that contributed to all these changes, rather than passing out one day in the room of Time and Space, and waking up a completely different being almost?"

Rems face got grim, "Sure, i question it... But no one i know can answer any questions i have. The friends i had, and who took me to Namek weren't there for the ceremony, and weren't told what happened. I don't know the elders or shamens who performed the ceremony, so i can't ask them... So where am i to start? Gather the dragonballs and wish for the Dragon to tell me?"
The woman gives a slight laugh.... "That would work i guess... Or, perhaps.. You could just ask me..... Assuming of course you ever put me down."

With an embaressed smile, rem sets the woman down on her feet, and follows her back to the tea table in the house, gladly accepting a second glass of the warm fluid.

"You, of course, realize your heritage. It plagued you for many years of your life. The saiba and the Namek mentalities within you, always vying for dominace, always on the cusp of decimating your mind, maybe through no fault of their own, but simply due to the explosive nature of their combination. You still retain the memories of their lives, but no longer is their combined psyches within your mind."

Rem nods slowly, agreeing with her. 'Where then?" He asks simply.

"The answer will probably frighten you... SHOULD frighten you.... The truth is, your situation is now more dire than you were the day you collapsed from the combined strain of the TAS and the surging mentalities. As a matter of fact, the Universe you reside in at large is more endanger now than ever before, not through any fault of your own, but somewhat because of your existence."

Rem is confused.... Very vonfused... "But...." he begins, but is interrupted.

"I, in my long time in this place, have witnessed the fall, and decline of Many worlds and civilizations, as well as the destruction of many galaxies, and even a universe everyonce and a while, as impossible as that may seem. But i tell you this, each universe is held together through a group of strands, not so unlike a spider web. Each universe has a balance, and once that balance is upset, it takes infinitly much more effort to right it, and cease its decline, than to cause it."

Rem listens intently once again... Confident that what she is to tell him is as significant as that which she won't.

"For example... Great swaths of destruction have been created in many parts of your Universe, due to the efforts of the Icosian and Saiyan Races, as well as the destruction wrought by the Majin Abominations, as well as many of your own kin. The so called Super Nameks many many generations ago. All served to cause your universe to decline further and further into a place that would be difficult to extract itself from. But so far, your utter destruction has been fought off. Due in no small part to small groups of warriors on small back water planets, such as earth, defending their homes, and though they didn't know it, fighting for balance of the Universe. So close has destruction come, that the snap of a Deities fingers could have destroyed it many times. But always their were a few saviors... Always you found your salvation in the greatest times of need... I only hope this time will be the same..."

"So," Rem begins.. "Then, are you telling me the universe is in trouble, again?"

"No, not again." She begins. "The universe is always at peril, the only difference between now, yesterday, and tomorrow, is the threat that is currently causing it. The variable that is imbalancing the equation. And the answer, my good Namkian... is you."

Rem interrupts finally, "What have I done to contribute to this imbalance?"


With a pained smile.... The woman says simply... "You Existed..."

And with a snap of her fingers, The namek warrior once again, disappears from sight...