Papa stood on the command bridge of APE's headquarters observing planet Earth far below him. Its surface was a gorgeous red color, that aligned with the perfect unity that he had created.

This what the world was meant to be. This was the perfect society. Everybody had what they needed. Nobody was poor, hungry, abused, hurt, raped, or discriminated against. Wars, petty feuds, and corruption all of it was gone and dispersed of. Everything was in a perfect order, and to top it all off, everybody lived forever. He had created the perfect utopia where nobody was ever wanting anything or ever needed to hurt someone else to achieve something.

And the best part about it is that all it cost was fertility, which was the source of the whole problem, to begin with. Sexual drive was the source of everything bad that had ever happened to the world and with its disappearance, the world was a sterile environment for everybody. Fertility was just a completely useless hinderance that nobody needed. Birthing a child was just a complete waste of human existence, and literally served no purpose at all. All it did was create monsters that shit, ate, and destroyed the world. And to top it off, why birth a baby when a baby unit could be grown and deployed with no cost except some genetic material.

There literally was no point to it. APE's child program that he had created gave him an endless supply of resources. The child units were perfect for humanity's needs and supplied essential resources. It was simple, units that could protect his society were deployed, and faulty units could be harvested for their fertile energies. Which were an essential element of the obedience formula.

It was the perfect system.

"Papa." One of his subordinates shouted from a workstation below him. "Plantation 39 has just been destroyed by the Klaxosaurs!"

The Klaxosaurs. Such a crude species. Why did they always have to be such a pain in the ass? This species of monsters had been a threat since day one. First, their existence had threatened his perfect formula, and now they were actively trying to destroy it.

It was such barbarity!

He had finally created the perfect system. He had healed the world from the seven years of fire. He had done everything to ensure that no one would ever have to face the consequences he had! So Why! Why! Why! Why did the Klaxosaurs have to come along and try to destroy it! Hadn't there been enough destruction!

"Prepare to fire Apus's magma cannon!" He commanded in his mechanical voice.

"Papa if I may." One of his techs interrupted. "We don't know if it works yet, firing it may overload the system."

"I don't remember asking for your input." He said calmly.

"Yes, Papa. Right away." The tech replied.

"Target the Klaxosaur armada approaching plantations 56, 72, 21, and 43."

A few seconds later the tech shouted. "Target acquired!"

"Begin charging sequence."

Die you bastards. Die.

"Look at these animals." A soldier in a black uniform shouted.

The freezing rain fell in sheets on a massive wall of people dressed in poor clothing as they shuffled towards the checkpoint that the soldiers had set up to sort them. Up ahead the sound of machine gun fire was echoed only by the sound of screaming children.

"Artos, stay close to me," Mommy whispered, squeezing his little hand.

"Okay, Mommy." He said nervously.

His feet were frozen to the bone from the rain, and he was covered in so much cold wet mud that he was almost unrecognizable. He looked up and saw the black masked soldiers standing above them, guns held in rest position.

A young woman screamed in fear as she was dragged out of line.

"She's quite pretty." Came a male voice from one of the soldiers. "I'll think I'll take her back with me. What'd you say, young lady, wanna come with us? I'm sure many of my friends would love to meet you."

The girl whimpered in fear as tears of terror streamed down her face.

"You really will stick it anywhere won't you?" Came a female voice from another soldier. "If it were me, I won't pollute myself with such filth."

"Alright, both of you that's enough!" Someone commanded. "You put the girl back in line; we're only after the kids."

"Oh come on Commander, we don't have girls at our beck and call like you do. We down in the barracks never get to have any fun." The soldier complained.

"I have a wife you know!" The commander raged. "Now put her back in line or you'll be cleaning shit for a week."

Nervously he looked back up at mommy.

"Barbarians," Mommy muttered.

"Mommy, where are they taking us? He asked shivering.

"Stay strong son." She replied her voice shaking.

"We'll always be together, right Mommy?" He asked after a few moments.

She looked at him, her kind brown eyes sending him all the warmth she could. "I'll away be in here Artos." She said touching the place above his heart. "There, we'll always be together."

Up ahead the sound of machine gun fire was followed by the sound of children screaming for their parents. Shivers of fear ran up his spine; until he remained himself that Mommy would always be with him.

Shivering from the cold he looked down at his wet feet as he stepped in puddle after freezing puddle. It was then that he noticed that the water he was stepping in was a muddy blood red.

"Mommy, whys the water all red?" He asked curiously.

"I don't know." She said, not looking at him.

As they passed under the gate suddenly Mommy bent down and looked him in the eye.

"Artos you need to stay strong for me!" She said quickly. "Stay strong and they can never hurt you. You got that."

"Mommy you're scaring me." He cried in fear.

"I'm sorry Darling!" She said, tears sliding down her face. "Whatever they do to you, remember that I always love you." She pulled him into a hug, clutching her son to her like it was the last thing she would ever do.

"Hey!" The soldiers shouted, running towards them.

"I love you Artos." She whispered in his ear. "Mommy will always love you, even when I'm gone."

"Mommy!" He cried in fear.

The soldiers wretched Mommy away from him and forcibly restrained her as they began to drag her towards a pen full of other adults. He tried to run after her but another soldier grabbed him and held him down.

"Mommy! Mommy!" He wailed.

"Stay stronger Artos!" She cried as she struggled to get free. "Mommy loves you!"

"Mommy!" He yelled as tears streamed from his eyes.

The soldiers opened the door to the pen and threw her inside, and quickly slamming it shut before any of the adults could escape. The screams all around him from children crying for their parents, and parents crying for their children was deafening. It echoed and rang in his ears filling his brain with uncontrollable fear.

"I love you Artos!" Mommy screamed clutching the fence, fighting to keep him in view. "Stay strong!"

Soldiers lined up above the pen and pointed their guns down at the adults. "Ready!" One of them shouted.

"Mommy!" He wailed struggling to get free from the soldier holding him.

"I love you Artos!" Mommy screamed.

The commander stroud in front of the pen and glance up at the soldiers holding the guns.

"Fire!"

The sound of one of the techs telling him that the cannon was ready, broke through his memory and brought him back to the present. Shaking himself he gazed out at the red Earth before him.

"Fire." He commanded.

A massive beam of magma energy flew from Apus's horn and charged towards the Klaxosaurs far below. He watched as the beam slammed into the place where he knew the Klaxosaur armada was, destroying it in an instant.

Smiling he looked over at his colossal FRANXX in its construction hanger and admired this piece of human creation. It was the ultimate power, the antithesis of humanity's ingenuity and skill. Once his colossal FRANXX finished construction he could finally wipe out the last of the Klaxosaur's resistance and finally restore peace to his vision.

"Very good." He said approvingly. "Charge again. Target, the Gran Crevasse."

It was time to crack open the entrance to the underground world that the Klaxosaurs called a home. After many long years of running in fear of the forces stationed there. He now had the weapon to bring the Klaxosaur's to their knees.

"Weapon ready Papa."

"Fire." He said decisively.

Silently he stood, waiting for his divine beam to fly its justice straight into the heart of the Klaxosaurs. After several long moments of nothing, he turned to the tech.

"I thought I told you to fire." He said in an icily mechanical voice.

"I did Papa." The tech said sounding scared. "But the magma canon won't fire."

"Try again."

The tech tapped the controls and nothing happened.

"Sir I don't know what's going…"

Suddenly there was a colossal flash as the magma cannon exploded. The targeting horn was sent spinning, plummeting towards Earth's atmosphere, flinging magma energy like some blizzard paintbrush.

Horrified he looked over at his FRANXX and tried to asses the damage. Luckily most of it was still intact, but the head had sustained extensive damage and would take a long time to repair.

"Damage report!" He shouted.

Why!? Why when he was on the cusp of victory did everything have to go wrong!?

"Inconclusive" A tech stated. "We need to send an investigation team to assess the damage."

"Well get on it."

He turned and stared back at the red Earth. Klaxosaurs still polluted the surface of his perfection, and the weapon that would purge them once and for all had just broke.

"You got lucky this time." He muttered darkly. "Enjoy it while you can; because your days are numbered."

"Maya." Logos said lowering his giant serpentine head to gently nuzzle her. "I think it's time that we invite Naomi out of her room."

"Why?" Maya countered. "She's got everything she needs. She can be pregnant in her room."

He sighed. "Maya we've been over this; you can't keep Naomi trapped in her room. It's not healthy for her or the babies."

"I need her alive and pregnant, not happy."

"No." He said patiently. "You need her on your side, and the best way to do that is to make her happy. She's pregnant and confused and probably really lonely. Maya, you should know more than anybody how important the health of the mother is to a baby."

The queen reflexively placed a hand on her belly and glared at him. "Don't bring what would have been our child into this." The queen snarled.

"She still is Maya." He said softly. "Your anger corrupted and destroyed what she would've been, but our love turned her into an energy that will save the whole planet."

"I'd rather give birth to our daughter than some force that may or may not restore the world."

"Maya by birthing life back into the world, you will create a home for all children."

"I'm infertile! I'm incapable of producing a living offspring!" The queen raged. "Being pregnant with an energy force doesn't make me capable of restoring our race!"

He sighed at how much her angry was dragging up old struggles and patterns.

"You forget that Naomi carries that burden now." He said calmly.

The queen's mouth snapped shut and she glared at him, her anger lurking just below the surface of her icy stare.

He let the silence stretch for serval long minutes before he spoke. "Maya you need to let go of your hatred of the humans."

"How can you say that?" She said struggling to keep her voice calm. "They've taken everything from us. From the civilization that we were once apart of, to the child that was once nestled in my womb. Tell me Logos, how can you ask me to forgive the humans."

He took a deep breath and weighed every one of his word carefully.

"Maya ever since we lost our child and failed to get the eggs to grow, you and I have worked to create a future for our race."

"Yes." She interrupted. "Our race."

He took another deep breath as her close-mindedness began to wear at his patience.

"Maya. Who is the mother of the last remaining Klaxo-sapiens right now?"

"Naomi." She snarled realizing the trap he had caught her in.

"And tell me, who's going to raise the children and teach them about who they are?"

"…"

"Right, Naomi." He answered. Taking another deep breath he maneuvered his final pieces. "Maya if you even give a damn about those babies you'll treat their mother with a least a courteous amount of respect."

"Don't ask me to do this Logos." She whispered. "Humans don't deserve anything from me."

"Naomi's not a human anymore. She a mother of Klaxo-sapiens." He said. "And if you want those babies to survive, you need to teach their mother how to care for them."

"She's a girl." The queen said softly not looking him in the eye. "Her body will birth the babies on its own."

"And then what?" He asked softly. "She's given birth and has twelve babies all completely dependent on her. Now what? She'll eventually figure out what her breasts are for, but now she's got to care for them."

"You don't give girls enough credit," Maya muttered. "She'll figure it out."

"I've never forgotten how strong women are Maya." He answered softly. "But no woman has ever had to birth and deal with twelve babies before. I'm sure you remember how hard having one was."

A tear slid down Maya's face as she stared off into space.

"Fine…" She croaked softly. "I'll do it for the babies…"

"Thank you." He whispered nuzzling her.

She got up. "I need to be alone for awhile. If you need to talk to the girl you may do so. Just… Make sure she feeds them before she comes down here."

He nodded and watched as his wife strode out of the throne room.

Maya stroud through her castle towards the place where she could be free of Logos and that Naomi girl.

"Logos." She muttered. "I wish you would just shut your mouth sometimes and not be such a pain in the ass."

The doors to an underground transport system opened and she stepped into a colossal loading dock. She stared around at the transports most of them broken and in disrepair from not being used in over a hundred years. Serval of the guiding rails lay crumbled on the floor, their lifeless husks strewn across the floor.

"Rakuen prepare a transport and take me to Dragon's Roost." She shouted to the ceiling.

Far off to her right she heard the whine of one of the still working transports hum to life. Magma energy shoot through a still working rail preparing it to carry her to her destination.

"At least something in this forsaken place listens to me." She muttered walking over and boarding the transport.

The transport gave a jolt and she began to crawl off towards her destination. Irritated she drummed her fingers against the transport handholds.

"Increase speed to maximum." She said her patience becoming dangerously thin.

Instantly the transport jolted to maximum speed and she was forced to grab the railing to keep from falling. Balancing herself she stood tall and let her hair stream behind her as she sped off towards her destination.

A few minutes later the transport hissed to a halt in a small room carved from the surrounding rocks. Crystals embedded in the rocks cast a faint blue glow; illuminating the whole room.

Departing the transport she stroud through the room until she came to a naturally formed shelf carved into the rocks. On it was what she was looking for. Reaching forwards she picked up a small device and placed it on her chest. There was a faint clicking sound as armor began to unfold around her, covering her from head to toe. Tapping a button on her wrist, the helmet retracted itself folding back into the torso. Experimentally she stretched her tentacle and arms just to make sure everything was working.

She looked down and sighed. "Right, forgot it doesn't do that."

She shrugged, it wasn't like anybody was going to see her anyway. Looking up she picked up the sword that was in front of her and drew the blade. The one-handed magma sword glowed a brilliant pulsating gold, blinding her with its radiance. The perfectly straight edges were sharp enough to cut through almost anything and with its radiance illuminating the whole room she had to be careful not to cut herself. Quickly she sheathed the magnificent blade and hung the sword on her hip letting the weight of its presence act like a balm to her anger at her husband.

"Why do you always have to be right Logos." She whispered with a sigh.

Turning she made her way down a long corridor towards a massive cave. Up ahead the sound of something breathing was clearly audible, and as she got closer to its source the sound only became louder and louder.

As she exited the cave she almost ran into who she was looking for. In front of her was a massive klaxo-dragon and as it slept the sound of its breathing echoed off the cavern walls.

Sensing her the dragon began to stir, its great wings hitting the ceiling as it slowly stretched itself awake. After a few more moments of stretching the great dragon stood and turned to her, its great golden eyes staring right at her.

"Hello, Kiyomi." She said kindly.

The dragon purred and gave her an affectionate nuzzle with its massive head, forcing her to catch herself with her tentacle to keep from falling over.

"Easy. Easy." She giggled petting the dragon's snout. "It's good to see you too."

She spent the next few minutes gently petting the dragon's snout, listening as the dragon continue to purr its affection. It wasn't until the dragon nudged the sword at her hip that she broke out of her revery. Slowly the dragon backed off and looked at her with its big golden eyes.

She sighed. "I'm sorry Kiyomi, but I have to do something about the plantations. If I don't then everything we've been working for, all our sacrifices will be worthless."

The great dragon nodded and slowly lower itself so that she could get on. Sighing she stroud forward and used her tentacle to jump onto the dragon's back.

"Alright, let's do this." She muttered. Then in a louder voice, she called. "Open the cave."

The doors to the cave slowly began to retract and outside the lights from thousands of tiny stars were sparkling. The dragon roared and began to dash its way towards the exit. Clearing the cave and with one massive flap of its wings, Kiyomi flew into the air. The air rushed around them as they climbed higher and higher into the sky, the moon's beams sparkling off the surface of the dragon's skin.

Satisfied with their ascent she looked at a display on her arm. "The nearest enemy is Plantation 46." She muttered.

Setting her course she looked up.

"Bring us around to the right!" She said, speaking into Kiyomi's mind.

Instantly the dragon banked hard to the right and they soared off in the direction of their victim.

"Maximum speed Kiyomi!" She ordered.

The dragon tucked its wings to its side and suddenly the wings began to glow bright blue. Maya heard a roar as the wings began to charge with energy. Bracing, she secured herself as best she could to the Kiyomi's back, and waited.

The energy in the dragon's wings burst and they were suddenly sent hurling through the air, leaving only a trail of blue energy particles behind them. Maya clung on flattening herself as best she could against the dragon's back to avoid getting blown off.

They screamed through the night sky for serval very long minutes, mountains and valleys passing beneath them in a blur. Up ahead the faint light of the enemy plantation came into view, as their opponent crawled away from them. As they soared closer and closer searchlights blazed into the night sky desperately searching for even the faintest sign of their quarry.

"Alright Kiyomi, let's finish this." She said. "Let's slow down and blow this thing up."

The great dragon's wings unfolded and she was forced to brace herself as they decelerated to attack speed. Recovering she looked up and began scanning the plantation for the best place to attack first. After a few moments of analysis, her eyes focused on the door to the FRANXX hanger. Striking there first would take out the plantation's ability to retaliate with units of its own.

"Kiyomi target the hangar." She ordered.

Kiyomi let out a roar and a beam of golden energy careened away from them and smashed straight into the side of the plantation, decimating the entire hanger.

"Again!" She ordered.

Another beam of energy slammed into the exposed faculties behind the hanger, stripping away more of the protective layers shielding the adults.

"Once more! Same target!"

The beam smashed through the last remain resistance and she smiled as a hole appeared in the side of the plantation. Her victory was short lived however because right at that moment the plantation's defense guns opened up and bolts of magma energy flew at them.

The dragon roared its defiance as bolt after bolt smashed into it and dissipated harmlessly off its tough skin. Bolts continued to rain down on them, but the dragon just continued to fly as if they weren't there.

"They can't get you can they Kiyomi." She said. "You really are something speci…"

Suddenly a bolt wised by her head, missing her by centimeters and forcing her to press herself as best she could against the dragon's back to avoid more deadly bolts.

Kiyomi let out a cry of fear and frantically began to try and crane its neck around in order to see if she was okay.

"I'm alright!" She called, and with a chuckle, she added. "You know where to target next?"

The dragon nodded and twisted its head around. It let out a roar of fiery hatred and a massive beam smashed into the outer layer of the plantation decimating the defense cannons that were unfortunate enough to be in the path of destruction.

They speed past the plantation soaring over the great glass dome that sat atop the plantation's apex. As Kiyomi banked to make a turn for another attack run, she eyed the dome. After a few seconds of thinking, she decided that was going to be her next target.

"Kiyomi. Target the dome." She commanded.

The dragon twisted its head and she watched as a beam of energy crashed through the dome and set everything within it ablaze. For a few moments, she watched as molten fire engulfed a building causing it to collapse as the fire melted everything inside it.

She sighed. "Come on Kiyomi let's finish this. Fire as many beams as you can, every time we pass over the plantation."

For the next serval minutes, she sat and watched as beam after beam of golden energy scourged away the plantation burning everything it came in contact with. Disinterestedly she watched as the city nestled within the plantation's skeleton burned, the golden buildings engulfed in fire.

Such fragile things. The humans were lucky that for the past hundred years she had been busy trying to grow children instead of conducting a crusade. Although admittedly 's tracking codes were making her job significantly easier. Finding the plantations solely based on their magma signature would have been a major inconvenience.

"He is a very useful man." She muttered. "It was defiantly worth letting him take my DNA to make his daughter, Zero Two."

She thought back to when he had come to her to plead for her help. It had been a most beneficial meeting with the only exception being that if the man had come sooner she could have saved a few more eggs. All the man wanted was to bring down Papa and make a world where his daughter could be safe and happy. Along with getting his daughter the boy that she loved. They had defiantly been favorable terms for her at the time. Inside information on the humans. A man on the inside willing to do anything for her. Not to mention the fact that the girl had a fertile womb for the eggs. Although the latter point was made obsolete by the Naomi girl. Being able to rework that girl for the sole purpose of raising those babies had been an awesome perk and she was confident that the womb that Naomi carried was far more reliable than anything Zero two possessed.

There was a blinding flash as the final beam struck the magma reserve of the plantation and the whole thing exploded in a ball of fire. Kiyomi roared in triumph as they flew over the fiery remains of the last of the plantation scattered over the Earth.

"Good job Kiyomi." She said with a smile. "You did well."

The dragon roared it's thanks and slowly began to climb higher into the night sky. As they climb ed she considered what she wanted to do next. Since she was already above the surface, part of her wanted to visit Plantation 13 and get a look at this Zero Two girl and her lover. She had never actually seen the girl in person, and although she no longer needed the girl's womb she kind of wanted to see the girl.

Bring her arm up she tapped the display until she had a course to Plantation 13. Staring at it she debated whether or not to follow through with her desire.

"Maya!" Logos's voice boomed into her head. "What are you doing outside!?"

"Destroying plantations!" She fired back. "Why, you have a problem!?"

"Yeah, I do have a problem." He said his frustration plain. "Maya we've talked about this. You're not supposed to go outside, you too important."

"Argh!" She exclaimed. "Aren't you with Naomi. Talk to her and leave me alone."

"Naomi's still asleep." He replied. "But don't change the subject. Maya if you die then everything we worked for the last hundred years is worthless."

"It's also worthless if I go into labor before we defeat Papa!" She countered. "I have to do something about these plantations!"

He sighed "Maya you opened the last fresh magma reserve for Naomi and her children. If you die, then all of them will starve to death before they're even ten. Is that the legacy of our people you want to leave behind? Naomi clutching her children to her as they all starve to death?"

Maya felt like Logos had just stabbed her with a hot knife. In her anger, she had neglected to consider the consequences of what would happen if she died.

"Fine, you win." She muttered admitting defeat. "But I'm going to get a look at Dr. Franxx's girl before I come home."

"Maya…..Please, just…." He sighed. "Fine… Just… Just promise me you won't put yourself in any danger. I-I can't do this without you."

"I promise." She replied.

Logos sighed again and backed out of her mind.

Kiyomi was gazing at her as they flew through the air wearing a curious and slightly concerned expression.

She sighed. "Let's go to Plantation 13. I want to see Dr. Franxx's girl."

Gazing back at her display she said. "A little to the west my friend."

There was a sudden jab in her belly, as one of her babies propelled itself into the walls of her womb. With a gasp of pain, Naomi was jolted awake. Instinctively her hand shot up in an effort to soothe her restless babies.

Drowsily she looked over at the clock on the wall and sighed in exasperation.

"Really guys?" She muttered slightly annoyed. "Three hours is all you give me?"

These last few days, pregnancy had been hard on Naomi, and as a consequence, she was barely getting any sleep. Her pregnancy hormones along with her transforming body were running amuck inside her, which left her feeling restless but at the same time lethargic and sleepy. That wasn't even to mention her babies, which unfortunately were the main cause of her discomfort. Their needs and wants were almost unending and the only way they could communicate with their mother was to make physical contact with her. Which unfortunately meant that Naomi felt everything that her babies did.

Her bond as their mother was a constant duty she had to perform. Every few hours her babies needed to be fed which meant that she was constantly hungry. And even after she had satiated her hunger she had to sit and wait while her babies fed before she could even hope to catch even a moment of sleep. To make it even worse, even if she could manage to fall asleep it wouldn't be long before she was woken up by one of her babies again. Any action they did she was aware of. She could even tell how many of them were resting by counting how many of them were nestled in her walls. It was a constant hassle to deal with, and even though she was dedicated to nurturing them, it was at times like these when she couldn't help but be slightly annoyed.

"I mean come on guys." She continued on. "I know you're only babies, but I still need to sleep as well."

Irritated she counted how many of her babies were resting to see if she could tell what it is they wanted.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven." She said softly. "Hmm…"

She felt a nuzzling sensation against her belly as the twelfth baby nuzzled gently against her. Curious she looked down, to see what her twelfth baby was up to. The little orb was nuzzling against her belly in an attempt to get her attention as the rest of its siblings slept against her walls.

Instantly her irritation dissipated and she reached down to comfort her little baby.

"Your lonely aren't you." She whispered sweetly, observing that the rest of her babies were all still asleep.

The baby nuzzled against the skin beneath her hand in an attempt to get as close to her as possible. Gently she rubbed her fingers right over the little bulge in her skin that the baby was making. It was plain for her to see that the baby wanted attention directly from her, and so it had done everything in its power to fulfill that desire.

"I know… I'm lonely too." She said sadly.

The baby jabbed at her almost as if in response to her comment. She winced and chuckled a little bit.

"Okay fine, I have you guys." She said rubbing her belly.

The baby seemed to be satisfied with that answer and went back to nuzzling her hand.

Sighing she stared up at the ceiling. Although she had told her baby otherwise she really was lonely. She missed her friends back in Squad 13 and her complete removal from everything she had ever known deep down scared her. It didn't help that for the last few days she hadn't dared venture from her room, with the only exceptions being going to the magma bowl to feed. She was acutely aware that the sole reason the Queen tolerated her presence here was that she was pregnant with the last of the Klaxo-sapiens. But even with the shield of pregnancy she wasn't confident that it would protect her from severe punishment.

So far the only one who appreciated her presence here was Logos. He had answered some of her questions and had shown her why her pregnancy was so vital. It was because he was so kind to her that she really wanted to return to the throne room and talk to him. However the last time she was there the queen had seemed very angry with her, and she didn't want to risk the queen's wraith just to talk to Logos.

She sighed. Everything about her current situation was so confusing and uncertain that the sheer weight of it all hung over her like an oppressive cloud. The worst part, however, was the fact that she had nobody that she could confide in or ask for guidance. What was she supposed to do when she had been dragged from her known world and secreted away to the most alien place possible?

Why had she been chosen for this?

The baby nudged her with more force than usual and she was dragged out of her thoughts.

"Ow.." She said, rubbing her belly.

She looked down at the little baby and watched as it nudged against her again and again almost as if it was trying to borrow its way out of her body and into her hand. She chuckled softly.

"Sorry, little one." She said with an amused smile. "But we have a couple more years before you're ready for that."

Her smile faded and she let out a long sigh as she sat up. Tried and cranky she stretched trying to relieve some of her aches and pains. She sat in silence for a few minutes just listening to the sounds that Rakuen made.

"Naomi." Logos's voice called.

She gave a shriek of surprise and almost jumped out of her skin. Her babies became dislodged from her walls and began to frantically swim inside her from being awoken so suddenly.

"Logos!?" She yelped.

Her eyes dashed around to room trying to find him but to no avail.

"Where are you?" She called.

A few seconds later he began speaking but not in answer to her question. "I hope I didn't wake you, but I would like to talk to you."

"Yeah sure." She said excitedly. "I'll be right dow…"

Logos interrupted her. "Sorry for talking directly into your mind, I hope it's not too intrusive. Unfortunately, I won't be able to hear your replies quite yet, but I hope you're doing well."

"I am." She called back to the wall.

"Oh and one last thing." Logos said. "The Queen wanted me to remind you to feed the babies before you come."

She gulped nervously. The idea of seeing the queen again was something that she wasn't too fond of. Clutching her belly she sat for several minutes in silence taking deep breathes in an effort to relax.

"You can do this." She muttered. "Alright, let's go."

The elevator doors hissed open and Naomi stepped out. Up ahead she saw a blue glow emanating from the throne room.

"Oooooommmmmm." Came a deeper reverberating voice.

The sound sent shivers up her spine, and her whole body seemed to resonate in response to the sound. Even her babies had stopped moving and pressed themselves against her belly.

"What is that sound?" She whispered as she walked forward.

Exiting the tunnel she entered the throne room and gazed around in amazement. The thousands of little crystals embedded in the walls were sparkling and shimmering, their light dancing in sync with the voice.

"Oooooommmmmm." Came Logos's deep voice.

Bring her attention to the throne she spotted Logos behind it; his head bowed as he chanted. Curious she made her way to the base of the stairs and sat watching him.

"Om Mani Padme Hum…" He chanted quietly. "Om Mani Padme Hum…"

She sat in utter fascination, just watching as Logos slowly chanted his mantras.

"Hello, Naomi." He said suddenly.

She gave a start of surprise. "Oh! Hello.. I… Uh… I didn't mean to disturb you."

"You didn't." He said softly. "Anyway, Naomi I hope you are doing well?"

She patted her belly softly. "As well as can be expected." She said ruthfully.

He chuckled softly. "Babies…. For all their joy they sure are a lot of work."

She smiled. "There also very hungry."

"I hope that the magma isn't too hot for you now. That stuff can be painful to swallow when not accustomed to it."

"It's not as bad as when I first tried it." She stroked her belly and grinned. "I've had to get used to it pretty quickly."

He smiled. "Sorry about that… I hope they're not causing you to much trouble."

"I'm going alright." She answered. "I just probably need more time to get used to being pregnant."

Logos bowed his head. "The queen and I owe you a lot a thanks, Naomi. You have no idea how much your generosity means to us."

Embarrassed at his sudden sincerity she frantically tried to dismiss his praise. "No. Please don't worry about it. You guys saved my life it's the least I can do."

He shuck his head "Saving your life is nothing compared to what you're going for us. Its a debt that we can never repay."

She blushed. "I think we still have a ways to go before you start thanking me. If what you said is true then the babies won't be ready for a long time."

"It'll pass by quicker than you think." He said with a smile. "Before you know it you'll be holding them in your arms."

"I may need help with that." She said with a smile. "Maybe my friends can….." Her smile faded as she realized that her friends were a world away from her.

Logos let the silence stretch for a few moments before he commented. "You'll be back with your friends before you know it, Naomi."

"Really!?" She yelped excitedly. "When?"

He shuck his head. "I don't know. All I can say is that you and the rest of Squad 13 are part of something big. The Queen and Dr. Franxx have been working on it for a while, and if all goes according to plan, the world will be reborn."

She stared at him completely baffled by what he was saying. Why would the Queen want to help Squad 13? She knew from first-hand experience that the queen didn't like humans, so why would she help Squad 13. And what did Dr. Franxx have to do with all of this? Wasn't he Papa's chief scientist? Why would one of Papa's servants help a race that he was sworn to fight against?

"I don't understand?" She asked bewildered.

Logos smiled. "All in due time. For now, I would just like to chat with you and maybe help you come to a deeper understanding of your roll here."

"O-Okay…. What do you want to talk about?"

Rain pattered down on them as they soared closer to Plantation 13. Curiously she studied Plantation 13 hoping that the plantation that was so important to her plans was different from the rest of humanity. Unfortunately from the outside however it looked just like any other plantation.

"I guess that's for the best." She muttered a little disappointed. "A cloaked blade is probably better for what I need than a bold statement of defiance."

Kiyomi gave a nervous grunt as they got closer to the plantation.

"Don't worry my friend." She said consolingly. "I've already masked our signatures from any detection."

Kiyomi began to circle the great glass dome once they had arrived; while she searched for one of the access hatches that Dr. Franxx had told her about. As they made another revolution around the dome she spotted what looked like a handle near the base of the dome.

"There." She commanded. "Kiyomi get as close as you can to the dome."

As they approached spot in the dome she issued her final instructions. "When I jump off, I want you to stay out of sight until I call you."

The dragon nodded, and as they passed over the spot she leapt off. Splitting her tentacle into eight long arms she stretched them out and caught herself as she landed with a thud near the door. Sighing she set herself down on her feet and shook herself as her tentacle formed itself again. Tapping her wrist her armor retracted and she stood facing the door cool rain pattering on her skin.

"Ahhh…" She moaned, feeling the cool rain on her skin. "Its been too long since I've felt rain."

Deep in the Earth is where she belonged, but if she had to say one nice thing about the surface, it would be the rain. Rain was just so pure and innocent, its cool caresses nurturing and bringing life to the soil of the surface. It was such a shame that the humans didn't appreciate it. Maybe if they had, they would have been a kinder more considerate race; and have compassion for things other than themselves.

"Says the one who won't even treat the girl she impregnated with the love and compassion she needs." A voice in her head said. "Says the one who used that girl as a tool and then exploited her sacrifice by forcing her to be pregnant."

She shook herself. She didn't want to entertain such thoughts. She was the queen, not Naomi.

Striding forward she pulled at the door handle and was disappointed when she encountered no resistance.

"Is Papa so arrogant that he doesn't even bother to lock his plantations?" She muttered.

Walking through the door she gazed out from the top of a hill over a forest with a building nestled at its center.

"That must be where they keep the children." She muttered. "Alright, let's go."

Curling her tentacle she flung herself into the air, using the impact of her landing as a springboard to fly over massive sections of the forest.

"Well, at least something of the surface is still alive." She muttered as she flew through the forest.

With one final leap, she landed at the edge of the forest. Curiously she inspected the building observing its layout and design. It pleased her to see that this building was made of wood giving it a nice natural feel, which stood in stark contrast to the mechanical nature of Papa.

"So…. This is where you keep the children." She muttered. "I like this bold statement Doctor Franxx. It's a refreshing thing to see in your kind."

She looked around. "Now where is this Zero Two girl?"

Closing her eyes she stretched her senses out, feeling for the presence of somebody with Klaxo-sapien blood.

"There she is." She paused for a second sensing something more. "Oh… And your mate is with you as well." She examined his presences trying to pick up all the little nuances that would distinguish him from the girl. "It appears the Doctor was right. You've done well Zero Two. He is a most worthy mate for you."

She opened her eyes and glanced up at a third-floor window that she could feel their presence from. Curling her tentacle she launched herself into the air and landed deftly and the roof outside the window. Slowly she silently inched her way forward until she could peek into the room. It took her a few moments before she spotted them, intertwined together under the sheets.

Curiously she examined the girl's face and long pink hair; taking note of red markings under her eyes and the ruby red horns that adorned her head.

"An interesting combination…" She thought.

She was surprised that this was the result of her DNA's union with a human. Although Naomi had been the only person she had tried this on, she knew that Klaxosaur DNA dominated its host and began turning them to a Klaxo-sapin. She wondered how Doctor Franxx had managed to blend the two without her DNA dominating his.

She shrugged. It wasn't really worth agonizing over.

Shifting her gaze she studied the girls mate.

"Not a bad choice." She thought.

The boy was handsome and strong looking. His eyes were shadowed in deep sapphire blue markings which she thought gave the boy a very alpha looking presence. And although she couldn't see them she could sense a pair of horns hidden under the boy's wild black hair. She also approved of the fact that the boy seemed to be very protective of Zero Two, his arms wrapped around her in a subconscious effort to keep her safe and close.

"Well, at least she'll be safe." She whispered.

As she continued to observe the pair she noticed that the window to the room was open a little. Out of morbid curiosity, she bent down and gave the room a sniff. Immediately the musty smell of mating pheromones attacked her nose and sent shivers of arousement up her spine. Hungrily she took another deep breath and indulged herself in the smell of love. Aroused she felt her nipples harden and with a pleasant tingling sensation her genitals began to form between her legs. It had been so long since she had smelled the smells of mating and love from a couple of her own kind.

As she sat indulging in the couples pheromones she realized that something was missing. The pheromones that the couple would release as they joined together where absent from the couples scent. And although she hadn't really been expecting it the Zero Two girl wasn't releasing any of her pregnancy pheromones either.

"A pity…" She muttered. "I miss the smells of love and children from my people."

"The Naomi girl is pregnant with your people and if everything you did works out she'll be one of us soon." She thought in a voice that sounded remarkably like Logos.

"I know….." She sighed. "I know…"

Refocusing her attention she gazed back at Zero Two and her mate.

"I guess you can thank Naomi for taking the burden of baring our children." She whispered. "Your womb is useless to me now. If you want to make your own children with it you may do so. Just make sure you can fight Papa's stupidity before your belly gets too swollen."

Suddenly the energy within her own womb swirled violently and she was forced to bite her tongue to keep from crying out. Rolling away from the window and onto the roof, she clutched her belly in pain and did her best to take deep breathes. Frantically her hands rubbed her belly in an effort to sooth what lay within her womb.

"No, not now." She prayed silently. "I can't go into labor now."

She lay there for a few minutes waiting for the next contraction to seize her. After another few moments, she breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't a contraction, but instead, it was the energy surging and crashing around within her.

She was so thankful that an energy surge was all it was. Going into labor now or before Papa was defeated would be hugely problematic. All of her efforts would be wasted if she and Logos had to remake the world now, just to have Papa destroy it again. The even more unfortunate part about this whole situation is that she had no idea how much longer she had until she was forced into labor. Nothing anywhere close to this had ever been attempted so she couldn't turn anywhere for guidance. The energy that had once been their child and been conceived before the genocide of her people, but over the past century the energy had been growing in potency and she had the feeling that she was almost at full term.

Sighing she looked up at the stars peeking through a little gap in the rain clouds.

"Logos is right." She muttered. "I really don't have time for hatred or selfish vendettas anymore. I owe the babies in Naomi's womb a mother who can take care of them."

For the next few minutes she lay on the roof of the house, her fingers lightly brushing her belly as the cold ran fell from the great glass dome.

"Alright." She said with a sigh. "Its time to go home."

Standing up she quietly made her way down from the roof before leaping into the forest. A few moments later she arrived back on the hill she had started from. Turning she took one last look over the forest and the house nestled at its center.

"Good luck you two." She said. "I'll come for you when the time comes."

Turning she exited the plantation and called for Kiyomi.

The colossal doors closed with a loud hiss behind them as she and Kiyomi landed back in Dragon Roost.

"Good work Kiyomi." She said affectionately stroking the dragon's neck. "You did well today."

The dragon purred affectionately and twisted its head around to nudge her as she dismounted.

"Easy, Easy." She said petting the dragon's snout.

As she continued to stroke Kiyomi she looked around at the cavern taking particular note of the massive doors. It was then that she realized that anytime she was not here Kiyomi was trapped in this room, completely alone and isolated from the outside world. Her heart sank as she realized what she had been doing to her friend for all these years.

Hurriedly she called out. "Rakuen! Open the doors to Dragon's roost!"

Immediately the massive doors gave a loud hiss and slowly began to open, letting the light from the stars wash in over them. Turning she hugged the great dragons head to her feeling the warmth of the dragon's skin against her chest.

"I'm so sorry my friend." She said hugging Kiyomi to her. "I can't believe….."

Suddenly the dragon yanked its head away from her and gave her a massive lick with its tongue. She just stood there completely stunned as wet sticky saliva dripped off her and pooled by her feet. Standing in a sticky puddle with ropes of saliva hanging from her arms she opened her eyes as she heard Kiyomi's gently purring from in front of her.

Spitting as she tried to get the taste of saliva out of her mouth she looked around until the great dragon came into focus. Kiyomi sat there watching her with an expression that she could only describe as uncontrollable laughter.

"Yes very funny." She said as she whipped sheets off saliva of her with her hands. "I hope you had a good laugh."

The dragon nodded its great big head and turned to look out at the night sky, a massive grin still spread across its face.

A few minutes later she finally managed to rid herself of the last of saliva. Looking up she stared at her friend just taking in the elegance of beauty of the majestic dragon in front of her.

"Kiyomi." She called out to the dragon.

"You… d-do..n't n.e..ed to ap…olo..gize." Said a voice into her head. "I always be …. Be here for you Maya."

"You can talk!?" She cried out in shock. "W-When did you learn to do that!?"

"C.a..n't t-talk w-well." The dragon replied. "On..ly m-manage few w-words."

She stood still completely stunned that her friend could talk. It took her serval long moments to process this fact before she managed to collect herself.

"Kiyomi." She said after a long few moments.

The dragon cut her off. "I-I Un..derstand Maya. You d-don't need to s-say anything."

She sighed. "Okay… Just…. Just promise me you'll stay alive. I've lost too many friends. I..I can't lose you too."

"I-I pro..mise," Kiyomi said bowing her head.

She sighed. "Well I have a husband who'll be looking for answers soon and I have a pregnant girl to take care of. Good luck Kiyomi."

"G-good l…Luck Ma..ya."

"You too." She replied.

Turning she made her way out of the cave and back towards the transports. Arriving back at Dragon Roost's loading dock she put the device that her armor was stored in along with the magma sword back on the rock shelf where she stored them.

"I never really use that thing." She said looking at the magma sword resting by the armor. "Maybe someday I'll find a use for it."

She was about to board the transport when Logos's voice spoke softly into her head. "Maya, are you back yet?"

"Yes." She replied slightly exasperated.

"Come to the throne room." He almost whispered. "You need to see this for yourself."

"See what?" She asked confused.

"Just come." He replied urgently. "And make it quick, I don't want you to miss this."

"Okay." She replied. "On my way."

A few minutes later she arrived back in the throne room. Immediately she knew something was off, and it only took her a few moments to realize that Logos wasn't in his usual spot behind the throne.

"I'm up by the children." He said quietly into her mind before she could inquire about his location. "Get up here quick." And then hurriedly he added. "Oh but do it quietly. I don't want you to disturb them."

Intrigued but also slightly suspicious she quietly crossed the room and made her way up past the throne and towards the hidden door behind it. Next to the door sat Logos his head poking around the corner as he watched whoever was in the room. Her husband had shrunk himself down to a more reasonable size and currently sat hiding most of his body behind the wall so that only his head was visible to anyone inside the room.

"What is so urgent?" She called into his mind.

Turning his head he spotted her and without saying a word beckoned her over with his tail.

Arriving in front of the door she looked at him and waited for an explanation.

"Do you need anymore more proof about her?" He asked pointing into the room."

"Proof of wha…" As she turned she spotted the Naomi girl.

It was at the moments that she saw what Logos and been talking about, and what the girl was going made her heart melt.

Naomi looked down at her babies as they swam around in her womb. Her brain was a complete ball of mush as she tried to process all the information that Logos had been telling her. That wasn't even to mention all the basic terminology about her own body that she had just explained to her.

"Its a lot of information." Logos said with a chuckle.

She looked up and smiled a ruthful smile. "What makes it worse is that before a few minutes ago I didn't know any of these things and it's my own body. My body is so much more complex than I ever imagined."

Logos smiled. "Well as I'm sure you've gathered Papa didn't exactly want you questioning his orders. I'm assuming he told you very little about your body."

She scoffed. "Are you kidding me? He said that my. Errr…. V-vagina?"

He nodded confirming that she had said the new word correctly.

"He said that it was used for peeing and connecting with my FRANXX partner."

Logos chuckled a little bit. "Well, I guess it depends on what your definition of connecting is."

She looked at him slightly confused. "I don't get it."

He sighed. "I'll….I'll explain later. Please do continue."

"O-okay…" She said a little confused. "I don't know that's pretty much the end of it…. I do remember his lessons saying something about babies but he was talking about animals… I guess nobody ever thought of asking if humans could do it."

One of her babies crashed into the side of her womb and she winced in pain. Grinning she rubbed her belly. "I guess he was wrong though." She said with a smile.

Logos smiled affectionately at her and nodded.

"Naomi….." A faint voice whispered into her head. "Mommy…."

Startled she spun around trying to find the source of the voice.

"What!?" She called out.

"Naomi, are you okay?" Logos asked concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah…." She said still staring around. "I heard somebody call my name."

"Really? Who was it?"

"I don't know." She said now thoroughly confused. "But I swear somebody was calling out to me."

"So lonely…" The voice whispered. "It hurts… W-want…. mommy…. Naomi…"

Her eyes swung around and she stared up towards Logos.

What is that? Nobodies up there except Logos. Then her memory sparked.

"The little girl!" She shouted. "Logos I think the little girl is calling to me. Could I see her again?"

Logos stared at her stunned for a few moments. Shaking himself he stuttered. "S-sure… B-be my guest."

Jumping to her feet she climbed the steps until she stood by the throne. Logos shrunk himself and both of them quickly moved to the door. As the door slide open she dashed in and made her way past all the tubes until she came to the one at the end. Turning she stared up at the little girl in the tube. The sight of the little girls shriveled body and sunken face made her heart ache with pain.

"I'm here." She called to the little girl. "I'm here little one. Please, tell me what you need."

The little girl opened her eyes and she watched as those glowing eyes searched for her voice. Her heart ached at the sight of the little girl and she desperately wanted to just pull the girl into a hug and hold the girl to her chest. Walking forward she pressed herself against the glass tube trying to make herself as visible as possible.

"I'm here." She called out.

The child's eyes swung to her and she watched as the girl's sunken face lit up in delight.

"Hey…" She whispered sweetly pressing her hands against the glass. "H-How have you been?"

The girl didn't answer, but instead just keep searching her, almost as if trying to absorb every detail of the person in front of her. Naomi smiled and just stared at the little girl taking in every detail and line of the girl's sunken face. For some reason, the little girl's face made her really happy and all she could do was smile.

"You're so pretty." She whispered.

"Mo…m….m..y…" She heard in her head.

Feebly the little girl reached out with her boney little arm, trying to touch the person on the other side of the glass barrier. Her stiff fingers stretched uselessly in an attempt to bring the person closer.

Naomi's heart ached at the slight of the girl's struggles and she wanted nothing more than to find a way into that tube and hold the little girl as close as she could. A tear began to slide down her face and she desperately tried to reach out with her mind to tell the girl that everything was going to be okay.

The girl stopped reaching for her and closed her tiny little hand almost as if grabbing something that only she could see.

Sadly Naomi looked down at her belly and watched as her little babies swam around inside her.

"If only I'd gotten here sooner…." She muttered sadly. "Then maybe I could have saved you too…"

She looked back up at the little girl and tried to memorizes every detail of the girl in front of her.

"If only…"

She sat in silence for a few minutes just observing the little girl as she floated in her liquid prison. As she sat watching the little girl she noticed that the child's eyes kept staring at her belly. Judging by her confused expression however it seemed that she couldn't quite make out whatever she was staring at.

"Do you want to see the babies?" She asked realizing what the child was staring at.

The child gave no response but instead glanced at her for a moment before shifting its gaze back to her belly.

Looking down she rubbed her belly to try and get her babies attention. "Hey." She whispered to them. "Come see your…"

"Sister.." Logos's voice whispered into her head.

"Come see your sister.." She whispered.

Curiously her babies swam up to her hand and began to nudge against her belly. Content that she had gotten their attention she carefully placed her belly against the glass tube so that the child could see.

"I'm pregnant little one." She said to the child. "I have twelve of your siblings growing inside me." She stared up at the child and her voice cracked with emotion. "You're their big sister…" Tears began to stream down her face, and racking sobs shook her body. "I wish that you could meet them… I….I w-wish th-that there was something I could do to save you."

Slowly the child began to swim its way over to her, struggling with the effort it took to move its arms and legs.

"No!" She shouted fear causing her voice to crack. "You'll hurt yourself!"

The child didn't listen but instead kept swimming until she bumped against the glass in front of her.

"Are you okay?" She asked still alarmed at the child's sudden move.

The girl didn't answer but stared happily at her belly her eyes darting back and forth as she stared at each one of the babies. Happily, the girl reached out her hand and gently stroked the glass separating her from the rest of her siblings. Naomi giggled slightly as her babies nuzzled gently against her belly following their sister's fingers as the girl continued to stroke the glass separating them. Smiling she stood for a few minutes watching as her babies and the little girl played with each other giggling happily as the girl made her babies swim in circles around her belly.

"Logos is right about you." Came the voice of the queen.

Ice flooded through her veins and she spun around to face the queen. But before she could form a reply the queen continued.

"You are going to be a fantastic mother."

"T-Thanks?…" She stuttered, trying to regain her composer. Praise was the last thing she had been expecting to come out of the queen's mouth and this change of attitude since the last time they'd met was slightly unnerving.

"I'll glad you finally agree" Came Logos's voice as he slithered towards them.

"Logos." She said in surprise. "I forgot you were here… S-Sorry. I ran off and didn't wait for you."

"You never need to apologize to us, Naomi." Logos said bowing his head.

"I… ugh… I… Um.." She stuttered trying to focus.

"I do, however." The queen said, looking at her.

She shifted her gaze back to the queen expecting to see the queen's usually fiery hatred blazing out at her. Instead, all she saw was warm, and plea for forgiveness. Relaxing a little bit she stared at the queen hoping that this time maybe she wasn't about to be yelled at.

"Naomi." The queen said, looking her in the eye. "I owe you an apology for how I've treated you. I took you here against your will and impregnated you without asking for your permission. I then proceeded too…"

"Stop." She interrupted finally regaining her composer and holding her hands up in a gesture of peace. "M-my lady I… I understand why you did some of the things you did. I-I can't even begin to imagine what you've been through over the past hundred years, and how hard that must have been."

"Still it doesn't excuse what I've done." The queen insisted. "I shouldn't have treated you so horribly especially after everything you've done for me."

Naomi pressed on. She realized that this was a crucial moment to improve her relationship with the queen and that if she ever wanted to be truly accepted here and create the best lives she could for her babies she needed to extend a peace offering to the queen.

"My lady." She interrupted again. "Can I take a guess as to why you did everything you did?"

The queen nodded and gestured for her to continue.

She used her hand to gesture to her belly and stretched out her tentacle to include the little girl behind her. "It was for them right?" She asked.

The queen glanced at the girl and at the babies in her belly and nodded. "I would do anything."

"Then just leave it at that." She stated. "To me. I already value my babies and their safety more anything else in the world." She smiled and chuckled. "Maybe being pregnant is screwing with my head but it seems that at least for the moment our goals align."

The queen stared at her stunned. "Imagine what the world would be like if the world had more people like you, and less like me." The queen whispered.

"I don't know." She teased. "If everybody spent their whole day sleeping not a lot would get done."

The queen smiled. "We might have more children."

She smiled. "Maybe…"

After a few moments of silence, Logos slithered up to the tube and stared in at the child.

"Hello, little one." He said pressing his head against the glass.

Turning both she and the queen watched as the child reached up and stroked the glass in front of his head. Naomi's heart began to ache again at the sight of the girl's attempts to touch and get affection from the people outside her tube. It was so unfair. Why did this child have to suffer so much?

Turning she looked to see what the queen's reaction to all this was, and was upset by the fact that the queen had a huge smile on her face.

"Why are you smiling, My Lady." She asked trying to concealing her frustration.

"I've watched her grow since she was nothing more than a tiny cell." The queen said tears sparkling in her eyes. "Th-This is the first time I've ever seen her interacting with anyone. She's….. She's never had the strength to move for more than a minute, and thats if I'm lucky."

The queen turned and looked at her. "But I've been watching you for the last few minutes, and she's been more active than she's ever been." The queen looked back at the child. "I didn't think I'd ever get to see her like this…. She… She was always just another failed child… Just another thing I destroyed…."

"My Lady I…" She said trying to think of something to say.

The queen plowed on her voice thick with emotion. "I hated you, Naomi, because you what I could never be. After what the humans did to my people the fact that a human could carry the babies when nothing I did ever worked, was humiliating. When I first met you I was so excited that my new creation had worked…..But…But…. I didn't take me very long to realize that just like any other mother you and your babies formed a bond that I could never have. And the fact that you were a human just made it worse."

The queen took a deep breath. "I was so foolish…. I thought that I was better than the humans. More righteous. More pure… But in the end… I'm just as corrupt… Just as selfish…" The queen glanced around the room, taking the dead babies. "I could never look at them the way you do. To me, their survival was a necessity so that our race would survive… They were just a means to an end…" The queen bit her lip fighting to hold back tears. "And that's what I gave them…"

A tear began to run down her cheek, and she sucked in a shaky breathe. " All they ever need was a mother. Somebody who would show them love and compassion…. But all they ever got was a monster… And that monster killed them all."

Naomi strode forward and grabbed the queen's hand and placed it on her belly. "What do you feel, my lady?" She asked holding the queen hand to her.

"I feel your children." The queen said tears sliding down her face.

"You gave them to me." She said. "You gave me the womb that I carry them in." She looked the queen in the eye. "Without you, I would be dead. Without you, I would have never been able to carry them." She pushed the queen's hand even hard into her belly. "I won't let my children die. And when I bring them into the world, all your hopes and dreams will be reborn with them."

The queen removed her hand and looked up at Logos. "Have I ever been more wrong about anything else in my entire life?"

"No…" He said with a laugh. "Alienating her would have been your biggest screwup."

The queen held out her hand. "You really are something special Naomi… I know we didn't start off on the right foot… But… I-If your willing to give me a second chance, then I would be enterally grateful."

She grasped the queen's hand. "Of course My lady."

"Maya." The queen interrupted. "My name is Maya."

They shook hands. "Of course, Maya."

Authors Note:

Thank you for reading Chapter 11 of The Jian Bird.

I apologize for the delay, unfortunately, I got a little caught up over the break and didn't have a lot of time to write. The next chapter shouldn't take this long, and I would at a minimum like to release one chapter a month if not more.

For all, you Zero Two and Hiro fans don't you worry I got a whole bunch of good stuff planned for them. When we get to it (soon) I would like to flesh out and expand on Hiro and Zero Two's meeting during Episode 13 so if you like that episode then I hope that my version will be even better.

Stay tuned for chapter 12 of The Jian Bird: The Gift