A/n: Set after the return of Mila and the events of the last episode. I'd always wondered whether it was intended that Diwan survived after she fell from the Saint Nazaire. Honestly, I think they were just leaving their options open. This is what happens when Diwan survives, and the pirates find her.
Do you remember?
The radio transmission had been fuzzy, but Cortes had heard Wayan well enough to comprehend that his crew had caught a Guardian. Wayan had seemed calm; apparently she wasn't making any attempt to escape. Still, Wayan had sounded a little confused, and Cortes guessed that the Sphere Agent's apparent disinterest in escape was the cause. That made Cortes nervous, on top of simply having a Guardian on his ship.
He opened the door to his cabin. Mila, Wayan and the Vector were all in there, along with the female Guardian, sitting apparently calm on a chair in the centre of the room. She had short cropped hair, and under her left sleeve could be made out the gleam of metal, which disappeared under a single white leather glove. She had a prosthetic arm, and was making some small attempt to hide it.
Cortes took one look at her. "Lock her up," he snarled, instinctively putting a hand to his side arm.
"It's okay, Cortes," said the Vector. "I don't think she is going to try anything."
"Oh, really? And what exactly makes you think that!" Cortes growled, eyeing the seated woman warily.
"I've got her covered Cortes," Mila reassured him, backing up the Vector.
"I don't care. Get her out of my cabin..."
"But I haven't done anything!" the woman protested, almost getting up out of the chair. "I don't even know what you're accusing me of, or if I did..."
"Okay, take it easy..." said Wayan, raising a palm towards her to indicate she should calm down.
Mila's hands glowed ever so slightly, but she made no move towards the Guardian. It was a simple passive precaution.
Cortes couldn't understand his crew's lack of concern. She could easily have blasted them in less than a second after the slight movement. "Take it easy?!" he growled at Wayan. He turned to the woman. "And you haven't done anything?! You know how many people I've lost to you and your Sphere!? You're a murderer at best, Diwan!"
"Cortes," said the Vector, cutting into the silence that followed. The silence that Cortes expected to be filled by Diwan's sneer and defence of her chosen side. "She says she doesn't remember..."
Cortes stared at the Vector, and then turned his gaze back to Diwan.
She seemed un-angered by his attack, instead just staring back at him, eyes wide. She wet her lips, and then carefully spoke. "You... you know my name?"
----
"She slipped out of my hand. I thought she was dead."
Dahlia stood with Cortes, arms folded, outside the secure room in Puerto Angel's medical facility. She had told of what happened with her fight with Diwan before, but in little detail. Cortes had assumed she was a little confused over her attempt to save the Guardian, and possibly about her failure to do so. Now Dahlia had filled him in on what she knew of Diwan's apparent last moments.
"She must have landed on a bloc, or used her powers," mused Cortes. "She obviously survived. The doctors say her whole left arm has been replaced. She's also got some recently healed fractures. That much is no trick."
"But you're still not sure if she's really lost her memory? It is possible. She could've hit a bloc, been hurt and lost her memory. Oslo may have left her; someone else may very easily have found her."
"The 'good Samaritan' she says took her to a hospital and got her arm replaced? Those types are very lacking in Skyland, Dahlia. And that story is very convenient," Cortes huffed.
"It could also be true. I don't know about you, Sir, but I can't see Diwan pulling off being as... well, 'nice' as she seems to be now. Not without being unable to remember everything the Sphere taught her."
Cortes glanced across at Dahlia for a moment.
She couldn't help feeling as if she was being scrutinised. Was she being too sympathetic? She had felt bad about not being able to stop Diwan falling. But her point of view logically made sense: Diwan hadn't yelled or sneered at anyone since arriving. She'd simply done what she had been asked, with little complaint. And seemed curious every time someone had mentioned something that could link to her past life. She simply wasn't acting like Diwan. And Dahlia doubted Diwan knew how to act.
Cortes finally stopped staring, turning back to look at the closed door in front of them. "She's still the same person, lost memory of not. And that..." he nodded towards the door, "is something we'll find out for certain soon."
----
"She has no memory of her past life, Cortes," insisted the Vector. "I can categorically confirm it."
"You did every test you could think of?"
"Yes."
"You can't do anymore?"
"None that would not be unnecessarily invasive, no."
Cortes appeared to think for a moment.
"That you cannot justify, Cortes. I know you trust my judgement. And I am thoroughly convinced; she has no memory from before she woke up hurt on that bloc."
Cortes scowled. "Alright. She has no memory. But is she safe?"
"She's still a Seijin. But she seems unsure exactly how to use her powers. She can perform simply actions like moving objects. I don't believe that is dangerous, no."
"She could learn. She's still the same person, Vector. Even without those memories."
"Are you sure?" the Vector asked, looking at the Captain hard. "A person is not just what their DNA defines them as. If you believe that, you'd be throwing Seijins and Guardians in the same boat like Patrucci does. People are the sum of their memories and experiences. What if Diwan had never become a Guardian? Would she have done the horrible things she has? This could be a second chance for her."
"Aye, but to do what? I'm not comfortable, Vector. She's still a Guardian. What if those memories came back? What if she reverts to what caused her to join the Sphere in the first place? She could be dangerous; I can't just let her run around the bloc unsupervised."
"You can't imprison her for something she doesn't remember doing."
"I'd be imprisoning her to keep people safe," Cortes growled.
"You don't know that she would cause trouble. That wouldn't be fair."
"It wouldn't be fair if I put the bloc in danger," Cortes snapped. He paused, and looked at the Vector. Then he gave up; he needed to ask for help. "What do you think I should do, Vector? And don't you dare make it sound easy."
The Vector thought. "I think you should go talk to her. Make a judgement for yourself. Something is different, Cortes, believe me."
"Alright," Cortes sighed, shaking his head. The Vector was right there at least. He would at least be able to know himself whether he felt it was safe to let her out. Or if he was justified to keep her locked up. And if he felt he had to do that, then he would, fair to her or not.