By Their Wings
Zero looked at the new cyber elf closely. There was something different about this one, just like the two that had appeared by the resistance base that, of all descriptions possible, could have been called antisocial. Most Cyber Elves were very social beings, almost to the point that it could be part of a description when talking about the various races. Then there were these ones, that were silent and withdrawn. Forlorn.
He pulled an E-crystal from his vest pocket and silently offered it to the elf, interrupting it's pondering of the desert outside the window it faced. The indigo-violet elf looked surprised but took the offered Energen with a sad smile. It didn't do anything though, just held and stared at it.
Zero mentally sighed. He was perfectly content with the hyper little lights doing all the chatting. "Are you alright?" He ventured after another silent moment passed.
The elf again looked startled. "I... thank you." It said, hefting the crystal and avoiding the question.
Another moment passed. "May I ask what type you are?" Zero tried again with a simpler, unrelated question.
"Hacker, I suspect I may have satellite capabilities once I grow."
Zero blinked. It looked like a young elf. A simple, almost doll-like appearance, like Alouette's stuffed animals. But it talked like one of the older, well-feed elves.
"You gonna eat that?" Zero asked, again changing the topic.
"Maybe."
While most conversations Zero had with the many elves he'd rescued were one-way due to their outgoing personalities, this felt more like a no-sided discussion. "What are your abilities?" He tried returning to the second topic.
"I don't know."
"You... don't know?" Now Zero was confused. "What's your name?"
"I don't know." The reply was even softer, and Zero almost didn't catch it.
"How do you not-?" Zero cut himself off and a look between frustration and determination appeared on his face. "Come with me."
"Wha-?"
"First thing first," Zero replied before the elf could question him. "I'm taking you to Alouette. She has a penchant for naming cute things."
"But I-"
"If it turns out you have a name," Zero started down the hall to find the Reploid girl, beckoning the elf to follow. "you can use it once you find it. That's what I decided when Ciel first woke me up."
Zero didn't have to go far to find the girl. He summoned the lift to access the lower floors and when it came up Alouette was on the elevator. She was facing the other way and even took a step off towards the halls in that direction. Zero recovered from his very understandable surprise and circled the lift to catch her. "Alouette, do you have a moment?"
The girl turned at her name, and smiled at him. "Hi, Mister Zero. I'm going to see Sis, but I can wait."
Zero returned the smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes, and started down the hall Alouette had been headed for at a slow relaxed pace. "I just had a question, though I don't need an answer immediately."
"Alright." Alouette nodded and started walking too. "What is it?"
Zero glanced over his shoulder and beckoned the elf over.
It hesitated, but there wasn't anything better to do so it joined them.
"This is Alouette. She helps make sure Dr. Ciel gets enough sleep." This time the smile did reach his eyes at the joke, but it was brief. "This is one of the Cyber Elves I brought back with me from my last mission."
Alouette waited for Zero to give it's name, but he didn't so she turned to the elf to greet it. "Nice to meet you, what's your name?"
"I don't know." It echoed it's earlier answer.
Alouette's eyes widened with sudden understanding of why Zero came to her and his unspoken question. She started studying the figure in the light. "Are you a Hacker type?"
"I suspect."
It doesn't know. Zero realized he'd misheard it earlier, and wondered if its lack of knowledge was what made it seem so sad. "Why did you guess Hacker?" He asked Alouette instead.
"Its wings are blue."
Zero found himself looking back at the elf and verifying that, indeed, they were.
Alouette looked at the elf again. "Why don't you want to grow up?"
Zero looked at Alouette, then the elf in time to see it looking at the E-Crystal again. It must be close to changing forms, and that's why it hasn't eaten the crystal. Zero realized.
"I..." It glanced between Zero and Alouette. "For a long time, I was taken care of by a child in the city. He gave me as many E-Crystals as he could, always excited and talking about how I was going to be amazing once he managed to give me enough and I changed. He... I considered him my friend."
Zero didn't miss the past tense the elf used. "Go on." He encouraged, realizing that the story wasn't likely to have a nice ending.
"There was an explosion. I don't know if it was a raid, an attack, or a complete accident. There were no bodies, but afterwards, I never saw him again."
"You want to wait out of hope." Zero spoke to the air, facing neither. "Because of that chance that he may still be alive."
"Because of fear. If he is alive, and doesn't see me change, he may not know it's me. From the ones I've met and seen, Hacker forms are the most likely to be vastly different from stage to stage."
"You don't know your ability?" Alouette asked, again showing her knowledge of everything Cyber Elf. The elf shook it's head and the young reploid continued. "So maybe you're not a Hacker, maybe you're a Nurse type. Nurse elves don't change appearance much when they grow."
"And maybe my wings will change shape and color." The elf sounded cynical.
"It could happen." Alouette argued back. "I don't know about color, but it's not a deciding factor and I've heard that shape can change." The elf didn't respond and Alouette paused in thought. "Are you a lost elf?"
The question seemed to catch both her companions off guard. "Lost?" The elf asked while Zero continued to watch in silence.
"An elf that use to be a reploid. I think the one that hangs out on the roof and the one by the command room are both lost."
Zero had compared this one to those two only moments ago. "Why the designation 'Lost' though?"
"Because they've lost so much. Their lives and their memory as reploids. That's why they're so sad." Alouette gained a determined look on her face. "When I grow up, I'll be like sis and do research and I'll make sure everyone that might become a cyber elf can remember who they use to be."
Zero smiled at that, and placed a hand on her head for a second. "You do that, and even if it doesn't work exactly like you hope, I'd be willing to bet that it'll be important someday."
Alouette beamed and turned her attention back to the elf. "So do you think you might be a Lost elf?"
It thought a bit before it answered. "I get this feeling sometimes, as if there were a memory, but then it's gone as sudden as it's felt." It chuckled. "Lost." It didn't seem quiet as sad though, as if the classification gave it something solid to grasp. "Perhaps it's kinder for Lost elves to not remember their past."
"There is one elf that did remember his past, and he seemed torn between happy and sad." Zero spoke. "He was... special, however, and definitely the exception to the rule." Zero frowned at his unintentional double pun, thinking of how X seemed to bend the rules as if the real world were Cyberspace, and of what now ruled in his place. "He didn't really die so much as faded away." Zero blinked and stopped dead in the hallway.
As they were going at a slow pace, the other two noticed immediately.
"Mister Zero? Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing." Zero answered and resumed the pace. In his mind though, he remembered what the Mother Elf had done to Elpis and decided that he was going to take a closer look at the two other 'Lost' elves. It all comes back to memory. If they do remember nothing though, then there's nothing to truly worry about, but I am going to talk to Ciel. Lost elves potentially have some very valuable information. He turned to Alouette. "Have there been any studies on Lost elves?" Things still weren't quite adding up. Reploids had been around long before cyber elves and though there was much about his past he didn't remember, Zero did recall some research that lead up to the Mother Elf and he couldn't recall such a being existing before then.
"Some, but Lost elves are the rarest and so it's that much harder." A new voice spoke up and Alouette grinned as Ciel appeared walking from the opposite direction. The group came to a stop and Ciel continued. "There're records from witnesses during the Elf Wars of the event of a reploid becoming a Lost Elf occurring, though that time was confusing and what records exist are difficult to interpret. The most comprehensive collection concerning that specific topic calls them Soul elves and notes that the only common trait found in the recorded cases was that all the Souls had at some point come into contact with Cyberspace, whether the actual place or a Programmed elf."
"Have there been any attempts to retrieve their memory?" Zero asked.
"Not to my knowledge. Though I do remember hearing of a team asking for volunteers among the Lost elves regarding something of the like. They didn't want to force the elves or get their hopes up. The project didn't get anywhere because of the lack of needed E-Crystals."
"How does that relate?"
"Lost elves seem to need a great amount more to grow. The researchers didn't want to test anything on the ones that weren't adult, and they didn't have any adults volunteer."
Alouette piped up and addressed the still-nameless elf with them. "See, you should change." None of the others seemed to follow her line of logic, so she elaborated. "The boy who you were with in the city, who gave you all the E-Crystals he could, he wanted you to grow so if you don't then it'll have wasted his effort. If you do ever find him and he doesn't believe you then I'll go talk some sense into him myself." She finished by hugging her doll closer to her, but gave the impression that she was crossing her arms.
The little light contemplated the words and looked again at the crystal it held. "Even if I decide to, this may not be enough. I can feel I'm close, but I don't know exactly."
Zero smirked and pulled a handful of EC out of his pocket. "That won't be a problem. I always carry a decent quantity with me." It was a useful distraction if an elf got a bit too chatty or any got into an argument. And they were good as just plain treats, like a pocketful of peppermints at an orphanage. Zero blinked. He didn't know the full memory, but it involved X and ended with his hair in a dozen or so braids of various lengths and degrees of tightness. Zero brought his attention back to the elf and saw that it was considering its option with no small amount of seriousness.
"Alright." The elf finally agreed. "I really have nothing more to lose by doing this."
"And more than a name to gain!" Alouette responded with a smile.
The elf chuckled. "Are you saying you won't give me a name unless I do?"
"Only a better name. I won't make you do anything you don't want to, but seeing your next form will make finding a fitting name easier."
The elf smiled, the first true smile Zero could remember seeing it give, and lifted the crystal to its mouth. Watching a cyber elf eat was, for some odd reason, fascinating to see, especially if one hadn't seen it before. All Zero cared to remember of the technical explanation he'd been given at some point, was that while Energen Crystals were solid in the real world, they were somewhere between a liquid and a solid in the Cyberworld. He heard the consistency described as a paste or gelatin or pudding or even a raw egg. And then an elf would absorb it in a manner similar to inhaling or drinking. Very fascinating. Zero never let himself think about it too hard.
The elf closed its eyes glowed a bit brighter, but shook its head. "Not quite. Very close though."
"Offer's still open," Zero said when the elf looked at him, and held his hand out. It hovered closer, picked out a smaller one, and absorbed it as Zero lowered his hand. Again the elf glowed, but nothing else happened. Zero returned the crystals he still held to his pocket, but before anyone could respond he pulled a large one out and offered it. It was thin, but easily the length of his hand was a paler blue in color. "Most of the elves I've helped end up hungry after they change," Zero explained without being asked. "I don't think I've ever helped a Lost elf before, but I doubt you'll be any different. If you still want to change, then you are going to accept this."
No one voiced any argument and the elf only hesitated a second before accepting Zero's generosity.
Watching a Cyber Elf grow wasn't too much different an experience than watching them eat, except for the warm fuzzy feelings. One eating was fascinating. One growing was special. Raising one was one of the few ways to earn their trust. Zero had found that rescuing turned out to be another. And a combination made you carry 'treats' in your pocket or else.
After absorbing the large crystal, the elf's face aged as its body lengthened while its clothes were like liquid Energen that stretched to accommodate and morphed to something a bit fancier and more detailed.
Zero felt a flash of deja vu as he took in the elf's new appearance. It still had a doll-like appearance, but had a look of adolescents rather than child. It had gained a white half-robe that split in front and fell to its knees from the gold-hued ring that circled its torso.
The elf was studying itself as well, but hadn't gotten further than its hands. A soft growl was heard and was followed by the elf blushing, its aura even gaining a slight pink tint to it.
Zero let out a small huff of a chuckle and pulled out the handful of EC he'd previously offered. "Help yourself, and if this isn't enough I can get more."
The elf barely hesitated before using its new hands to metaphorically shovel them into his mouth two at a time. It didn't even register the sizes it ate, small and large crystals, whatever it got its hands on. It made the onlookers glad that the concept of 'chew and swallow' didn't apply to elves. The handful had diminished to a palmful before the elf finally slowed. "Thank you." The elf said between slower paced bites, its voice a bit deeper. "I had heard that there were growing hungers, but," it ate another crystal, "I hadn't expected the," it paused but this time seemed to be considering its words. "I'm not sure how to describe it. A pulling, an urge, a drive..."
"An instinct?" Alouette suggested.
"I think you already described it as a hunger." Ciel commented.
"Yes, but none of the elves I've talked to said anything about the feeling of urgency."
"Because you're a Lost elf." Zero stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Which, in a way, it was. It had already consumed more than its body size in mass, twice as much as any other elf Zero had aided. He didn't comment on it though, as he didn't want the elf to stop before it was sated.
X had been getting energy from his body, and Zero idly wondered if his friend had ever tried to absorb Energen. Maybe it would have allowed him to postpone his disappearance.
"That may be." Ciel agreed and Zero cut off his musings. "Perhaps one of the other Lost elves would help us confirm it."
Alouette turned shining eyes to Zero which were impossible to misinterpret.
"Yes, I'll help." Zero answered, already plotting to get involved in a raid. E-Crystals were easy to obtain from mechanaloids, especially if he asked for help from one or two of the satellite Hackers or Nurse.
"So now for a name..." Alouette pondered while the elf picked up another EC.
"Gate."
"Yes?" The elf paused with the crystal halfway to its mouth and looked to Zero. The girls and elf simultaneously stopped, realizing the elf hadn't been named, it had been addressed. "That... my name! How?"
"Not sure, but you're not the only one with lost memories." He adjusted his attention to respond the bewildered girls. "For an elf that was still in its child form, it... no, he was very well spoken." Old and learned, though maybe it was another trait of Lost elves. "Maybe I knew him as a reploid."
"So, a reploid by the name of Gate?" Ciel pondered. "I know I've heard the name before, but I don't know how common it might have been."
"It doesn't matter." The elf, Gate, said. "I have my name, and that's more than I had dared to wish for. I'm not sure I even want to remember my past. Some of the feelings I get when I try, I don't want to know the reasons behind them. If I can be of any help to your research, however, I'd be glad to."
"At least now we know for sure you're a B Hacker type." Alouette commented. "You grew and got the symbol." If he grew again he'd be an 'A' type.
"I don't think I've ever seen that wing shape before." Ciel added. "Like a tuning fork."
Gate went from looking at the hacker symbol on the left side of robe to twisting his head to see over his shoulder to see his wings.
"Maybe it's another trait unique to Lost elves." Zero suggested and turned to Gate. "So, are you alright now?"
Gate paused in his examination to address Zero with a small smile, remembering the same question being asked when the reploid came across him staring out into the desert. "I don't know exactly, but I'm better than I have been in a long time. Thank you, for caring."
I have so many vague references in here I lost count. If anyone wants to see a sketch of Cyber Elf Gate, visit my DA page.