Author's Notes: I was super excited about the end of Ergo Proxy 'cause of all the potential it made in one instant but was disappointed at what I found in the fanfiction. It seems like practically everyone completely disregarded the fact that the humans who had left were coming back. Or, more importantly, that they were not coming back in peace. I'm fairly confident that I have sound reasoning.

1. Most of the Proxies, when they heard the Heartbeat of Beginning, went on a killing spree. It's not the case for all of them, but the Heartbeat really did make a lot of chaos.

2. By the end, the humans who had been on the planet were referred to as "pseudo-humans". For those who are unaware, that basically means "fake" or "false" humans. Thinking on a larger scale, I don't think the "real" humans would want to share a world with the pseudo-humans.

3. Even if the original humans were not hostile at first, Ergo Proxy was out for blood at the end. They won't let that shit slide.

Cogito Ergo Sum

Chapter One

Those the Heartbeat Heralds

"I can see Vince," came her deceptively cheerful voice. By all appearances the little girl looked human. She had expressive eyes, a smile that could be described as "bright" and "altruistic". But it all had to be a lie because Pino was not human, she was a Companion-type autoreiv (which was generally useless). The old Re-L, would have rejected the Cogito-infected autoreiv, would have wholeheartedly agreed on its pointless existence, and would have killed Vincent Law a long time ago. However, the present Re-L Mayer was not the same as before, and she had never been so glad to hear the words that came out of Pino's mouth next.

"Distance: 1107 units!"

"What a nuisance," the dark haired woman couldn't hold back her relieved, although slight, smile. "I suppose we have to go get him."

Pino's grin widened further, and Kristeva guided the Rabbit in the direction the faux-girl had directed.

Soon, soon Re-L would be able to see him. Although she was overcome with a blithesome feeling, there was trepidation welling in her gut. Did his encounter with Proxy One affect him? Was he still Vincent Law or was he the Ergo Proxy that had terrified her that one night, when everything began.

Awakening.

The Rabbit was close enough to see him. "Viiiiiiiiiiiiiinceeeeee!" Pino chimed with her hands cupping her mouth. Re-L, who had been about to scream the man's name as well, halted at his expression. She could see it clearly—it was the face of Vincent Law, but underneath was the Proxy. His eyes held a furious glint, eyebrows were arched at a harsh angle, and his mouth was little more than a grim line. That wasn't the wimpy Vincent she knew.

"Hey, hey, he's saying something!" Pino seemed to not have taken note of the significance of Vincent's current state. "'…the true battle will begin…' Hey, Hey, Re-Lu-Re-Lu, what's Vince talking about?"

"I don't—"

A sudden gust of wind that nearly sent the Rabbit spinning alerted the woman to their presence. Obsidian in color and smooth in texture, the unidentified craft was not something of Romdeau. The craft looked like a deformed bird—its "wings" were positioned downward into jagged ends, and Re-L could not identify what propelled it. A sense of completeness oozed from that ship; it was something that made all of the vehicles she knew primitive. "That can't be of this world…"

"You need to get away from this area for now," Ergo Proxy, who had roughly landed atop the deck spoke in his deep, demanding voice.

She thought she would have been petrified, but something seemed different. The mask obscured much of his dark face, and she couldn't decipher anything from what she saw. But something was different. "What is going on," there was a long pause before she added, "Vincent?"

In that form, he completely towered over her. His eyes were like molten silver, or mercury perhaps, and if she stared deeply enough, she could make out the aberrations that must have been his pupils. His hair, tangled within the mask, was similar to blood that had started to dry—deep red and gradually losing its vibrancy. "They have returned to reclaim the Earth."

"Who has? The Proxies?" There was still one FP bullet left. Instinctively, Re-L took out her gun, even though the action was undeniably futile.

His fierce gaze went heavenwards, glaring at the approaching enemies. "No… The humans have arrived."

Blue eyes expressive, the young woman, no more than nineteen, stared up at the entity in parody man. He had been worshipped as a god, but a god, he was not. He was said to be immortal, but Re-L knew all too well how equally frail a Proxy's existence was. "Are you Vincent or are you Ergo Proxy?"

The gun gave her strength, she hoped.

"I am both." Ergo Proxy, Vincent Law, Proxy One's Shadow had confirmed her confusion. Was that "the two becoming one" that the broken autoreiv in Mosque had be talking about? She wasn't sure what to make of the current Vincent but…

"I'll believe in you… for now."

She had slightly caught his face when she had turned to address Raul's former Entourage. He smiled in a manner that only Vincent could do on a face that was not his own, and, even though it had been brief in its duration, she had a feeling that it would be embedded in her mind for some time to come. "Kristeva, get us away from here."

Swinging her head to the side, Re-L was about to ask Vincent another question, but the words never left her mouth. No one was there.

A magnificent explosion, the likes of which one could practically feel the flames licking at one's face, knocked Pino and Re-L flat—Kristeva merely continued to pilot and pivot the Rabbit to a safer area. After recovering from the shock, the woman had to wonder if Pino had really been forced down or had she been mirroring Re-L in a Cogito-inspired fashion?

She did not have the time to mull over analyzing Pino, however. Ultimately, her attention was drawn to where Ergo Proxy had gone. From this distance, he was little more than a red silhouette, but his one-sided struggle was undeniable. Even though he was completely outnumbered, pygmy in comparison, and had already been weakened by the ordeals in Romdeau, he still was completely overpowering the small fleet. Re-L couldn't make out his movements specifically, but know first-hand his power, he was probably tearing them all asunder. Literally.

It was a chuckle. That chuckle soon erupted into a full-fledged bellyaching laughter—to the point where she had to hold onto the thin, black rail for support. Pino, predictably joined in, but soon inquired, "Re-Lu-Re-Lu, what's so funny?"

"I know nothing! Haahahahahaha!" She had thought that it was all over. For the most part, the mystery of the Proxies had been solved. Or, at least, Vincent had gotten his answers. Now it was the present that was befuddling her. What did he mean when he said the humans came back? Why were they being attacked, or rather, why did Vincent attack first. "He must have the answers."

The sudden jolt coincided with Kristeva's monotone voice. "We are being chased."

"Chased! Chased! Chased!"

Pino grinned from ear to ear. Re-L didn't.