Chapter 2 – Reawakening

Author's Note: Here it is! The real beginning of this fanfic! This chapter's going to be pretty short. The Sigma chain represents the passage of time.

In the middle of the ocean, the remaining seven cyborgs are watching the evening sky sullenly. 003's wailing has increased in intensity.

"They died willingly," 004 offered his consolation. And then to himself, he said something regarding Hilde. Whatever his comment was, it only aggravated the sensory cyborg further.

Off to the side, 001's eyes begin to glow. All of a sudden, 003's body jolts. Her crying stops and she slumps face down in the water. Next, the same happens to 004. 001 ends with 005, who has been holding up Dr. Gilmore. The shock of the cold water in combination with the sudden unexpected loss of his children is enough for the physically ordinary human to pass out.

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Françoise is standing on the balcony of an apartment in Paris. It's a pleasant day; the sun is shining, there are some people talking at a nearby café, and a neighbor is tending to a bed of roses by the entrance to the building. The apartment is not one that she has seen before, but it feels familiar. She hears the door open behind her. Curious to see who has just entered, she leaves the balcony and opens her bedroom door. A radiant light shines through the doorway, so that all she can see is Joe's silhouette. The light then blinds Françoise completely.

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003 is the last to wake up. The sun is bright and there is an ocean breeze. She catches sight of the others surrounding a smouldering pile of…something. She zooms in on the smoking heap. She could just make out the charred uniforms and beak nose.

"Hello there, 003," Gilmore greets her when he sees her approaching.

"Good news," interjected 008, "Thanks to 001, these two survived."

They survived alright. But that's not to say that they didn't sustain serious damage. 002's legs had been reduced to blackened nubs. Both cyborgs had what looked to be fifth-degree burns all over their bodies.

"It's great that they survived and all, but how are we going to repair them?" 007 motioned to the remains of Gilmore's house behind them.

End Note: This chapter was up a lot sooner than I thought it would be. Now that SAT's are over, this momentum might just continue (that's not a guarantee, though).