Zero's introduction into Neo Arcadia's upper ranks had gone as smoothly as Harpuia had hoped, memory loss aside. His condition was largely hid from the public, and with good reason, Zero supposed.

The much beloved Master X's long lost partner finally returning, only to remember absolutely nothing, was not a very positive headline. With the energy crisis, this would only further complicate manners.

Despite being on somewhat of a social lockdown, Zero found he was content with the company he had. Fefnir was... Rather boisterous at times, but overall, he found that the Guardian's fiery reputation was well deserved and(more or less) enjoyed his companionship. Much more inclined to be hands-on than Zero would've have liked, Fefnir's typical greetings were usually preceded or included some sort of slap on the back, which was at first something Zero strongly disliked, but it slowly but surely grew on him.

Leviathan on the other hand took some getting used to, with Zero preferring to stay silent through most of the exchanges, much to her amusement, but she was calmer and more inclined to leave Zero to his own devices than Guardian of Fire.

Since the first day, the warrior-type Reploid had seen very little of Phantom. And had he looked. The Zan'ei General only appeared when needed, and according to Harpuia, spent most of his time either gathering intelligence or advising Master X.

Harpuia, Zero noted, while being outwardly serious and stern with his fellow Guardians, was the most bookish, Phantom aside. The Guardian of Wind preferred to spend most if not all of his free time reading, and Zero more often than not joined him. He found the activity somewhat boring at first, but once he had discovered the utopia's rather vast library, it became a much more intriguing task. It didn't hurt to brush up on what he had missed the past century, and it might help him remember a few things, Harpuia had reminded him.

Master X on the other hand, was the one person Zero had yet to meet. For reasons he couldn't discern, the ruler of Neo Arcadia refused to see him. Harpuia was at a loss as well. Why wouldn't X, of all people, want to meet him?

At first, Zero had suspected it might due to the memory loss, but Harpuia quickly brushed it aside and simply said he was probably just busy. The red Reploid didn't press the subject; they would meet in time, he supposed.

Not long after, the missions began.

He was given a weapon, a beam saber of his own choosing, and was quickly put to work.

At first, they were simple; reconnaissance and scouting, designed to prepare him for the task ahead. That task being, according to Harpuia, to put down the Resistance once and for all. Eventually they progressed to small raids, carried out by both Zero and the Guardians. It was then that Zero began to inquire about the Resistance and it's motives.

"The Resistance," Harpuia had said, "is nothing but mavericks. They seek to destroy Neo Arcadia and are a threat to humanity." He had said it so matter-of-factly that Zero had half a mind to believe him. Something about the whole thing, however, continued to nag him but he couldn't quite place it.

Until more recently, and more often than not it was in response to Neo Arcadia's military actions, the Resistance had never actually launched an assault against Neo Arcadia itself. Instead, the rebel faction only raided small supply trains, and it was never enough to seriously impact the utopia's citizens. Nevertheless, the media and the Guardians alike heavily demonized the group of supposed mavericks, most it seemed at Master X's insistence.

Keeping these kinds of thoughts to himself, however, seemed to be the best bet. It would do him no good to insistently question and cause problems, especially so when he had little independence of his own. Without the Guardians assistance, he would most likely still be in stasis, or in the hands of the Resistance.

The only way to know for sure, he supposed, was to ask the Resistance themselves.

That day was fast approaching it seemed.

Zero learned of the mission a few days prior, in order to adequately prepare, and received more congratulations than he had thought possible. Apparently, it was an honor of some sort, to take down Neo Arcadia's enemy, but for the life of him, Zero couldn't figure out why.

After this was all over, he was unsure of what would happen, and a part of him didn't want to find out.


A/N: Hello again! Sorry the updates have been so slow ;; School has been really kicking my butt, but chapter 4 will be on it's way soon. Critique and the like is always welcome!