Connections

A/N: I wrote a bunch of chapters for this story, but I don't want to post them right away, I'm not sure if there is enough intrest in this story for me to keep going, so please all of you hundreds of readers already, leave me a review and let me know what you think? If you guys aren't interested, I'm not that interested. D:

"Yulia, I have a question." Ion sat alone in his room, back at The Order in Daath. His eyes were unfocused, facing his window. He spoke to no one, but still he carried on the conversation.

On the other side of The Order, aside from the employee residences, was the office of the CEO, Yulia Jue. Her eyes were unfocused, staring down to the paperwork she had no desire to fill out.

"Go on Ion." Yulia was silently grateful she had locked her door earlier; she would hate to have to break the connection to Ion in case someone came looking for her.

"I saw something strange today, in Baticul." Ion said slowly, trying to recall every detail of his encounter with the Impostor and his new brother.

"Really? Tell me about it Ion." Yulia smiled. She loved hearing about Ion's escapades in Auldrant, Mohs kept her confined within to Order to protect her safety, as the Order was responsible for the downfall of many criminal users of Fomicry.

"I went to see the noble family, the Fabre's, and afterwards I went to browse the selection of returned Impostors. I found one, who could have passed for the noble's son; Asch is what he calls himself now." Forgotten on the side table of Ion's bedroom was the notebook with Asch's behavioral and desired characteristics. Luke would return with him to Daath, and something within him couldn't force the boy. He couldn't even answer to Anise as to why he believed it was a good idea to introduce them before returning in the first place.

"That is strange, but not uncommon. Did you check his identification papers? Who was his commissioner?" Yulia wondered who would commission an Impostor to look like the noble child, especially considering what they were mostly used for. Some are servants, Yulia reminded herself, and couldn't be happier. But others become reminders of those that have passed away, and will fill the role gladly. What good would a model of a noble boy serve?

"They are blank, his copy is at least. Anise and I don't have the authorization to check the master records. But that isn't all." Ion felt a slight disturbance in Yulia's end of their connection, but it was quickly overcome with vigor when Ion mentioned the blank identification.

"What is it, Ion?" Something was bothering Ion about his latest case, Yulia could feel it through their connection.

"The Impostor that I purchased yesterday, Luke is his name; He was totally reformatted and abandoned. There are signs of physical abuse as well as lingering mental damage." Ion regretted leaving Luke to develop at the Fabre household, but a caretaker had already received his briefing on the child, and would depart in the morning for Baticul. "The question I had… Was it right for me to leave him with his new family, even in his condition?"

Yulia didn't answer right away, but instead chose to mull over what must have been running through Ion's head at the time. "Well first, tell me why you left him?" Yulia was still conflicted over what she would have done in the situation, so she hoped that perhaps she could distract Ion long enough to come to a decision.

"I took him to see his future brother. Luke was so helpless; he wasn't even allowed to wander around the dealership on his own, because he could hardly walk. Occasionally, his mind blanks as well, like he dies inside for a minute, before returning. I wanted to do something nice for him I guess." Ion watched the lamps flip on outside, signaling the end of the day. Yulia would be off work now, but with the tightening security surrounding Yulia and the new stock model series, she would be confined to her residential and business wing.

"Did Luke… suffer any trauma? Any signs of lingering pain, or wounds near his skull?" Even with the belief that Impostors weren't human, she had never heard of a case of physical abuse so severe. Impostors memories were different then humans, even though they were essentially the same thing. Their memories can be viewed, and all are examined before a reprogramming will take effect. Criminal charges and heavy sentences can be filled if any sort of miscreant behavior is discovered, but with the successful reformatting of Luke's memories, his attacker had saved himself and rid himself of the evidence.

"The dealer spoke of head trauma, but it has all healed. He doesn't show pain, but he really couldn't express it. He was able to recognize me as a fellow Impostor though, his manner changed when I came to inspect him. He also recognized that his brother was identical to him, although I doubt he understood why." Ion reached out and clicked on his side lamp, before falling limp once more. The dim light coming from his lamp was enough to cause a slight glace on his window, and disguise the activity in the Order's courtyard.

"I would have done the same as you Ion. He obviously has known a lot of pain, and even if he wouldn't remember it, I don't think I could subject him to more. If his memories ever come back, we can also possibly identify the attacker and issue a warrant for his arrest. Did you speak to his brother about Luke's nature?" Yulia heard the ruffle of the guards changing at the entrance to her prison of a wing, although it was hardly enough to distract her from Ion. The lamps on her desk automatically switched on, bringing light to the room once more.

"I did. I told him that no matter how hard he wished it, Luke would never be like him or Anise, Luke and I aren't the same as them. If Luke grows up believing he is a natural human, the discovery of his true nature could cause a system crash, which is irreversible, even with reprogramming."

"But don't ever forget how close you are. How many distinctions did Luke display?" Yulia had grabbed a scrap piece of paper and pencil, and as she spoke with Ion, she was unconsciously taking notes to review later. The case of this abandoned model was far too interesting, compared to the model specifications for a re-release of the kitten series, CRK 213, Yulia's first major success.

"None, no outward distinctions, but I'm sure there must be something, he could be like me and just be incredibly lucky about its placement. His tag though, aside from his model number, it's blank."

"Is he a stock model? They are sent to dealers with blank tags, for engraving upon purchasing." Yulia was growing uncomfortable with the fact that she had to speak out loud for Ion to hear her, as obviously the case of this Impostor was more delicate then she believed.

"A custom model, part of the DFN 000 series as well." Ion belonged to the DFN 100 series, and there were very few of his series. He could only imagine how rare a model with Luke's distinct number was.

"This is very strange Ion… I think we should speak more in private about this, I may be alone here but you may not. We should speak with the Colonel, if he will have us, he is very dedicated to his military life now." Yulia smiled, remembering the Colonel used to dedicate to his research. He was younger then, and so was she, and they had long since went their separate ways.

"I haven't seen the Colonel since my original programming… He is the reason you and I can communicate, right?" When Ion had been infantile like Luke, it had been the Colonel who personally trained the custom model, before departing back to Malkuth. He had given Ion this gift, the ability to speak with Yulia whenever he desired, but never explained why he had done so.

"Yes, it was a gift for both you and I, since I am now confined in here. You have become my world now, Ion; I can't see the outside except through reinforced glass window panes. I'll sneak you into the wing soon though, so we can talk more about Luke, alright? I'll contact you later." Yulia knew that with the use of her fonic artes, she could easily sneak Ion in and out, but Mohs would defiantly find out if she used any of her hymns. Even though he was one of her advisors (and he did hold a position of power in The Order), Yulia really didn't care too much for the man.

"Alright, I'll be waiting… but if you can get me and Anise access to the master records beforehand, I would greatly appreciate that." Ion could feel Yulia's smile through their connection, before she completely closed it off. Ion yawned, stretching himself out of the limp position he always fell into during the long conservations he had with Yulia.

I should go find Anise and tell her the news. Ion mused to himself. Anise had been Ion's caretaker since the day the Colonel returned to Malkuth, she had been traveling with him for some time before their return to the order, or so she explained to him. Anise would never reveal in full detail why she had been with the Colonel before Ion's birth, but the Impostor never questioned her, it was out of his nature.

The employed Impostor quarters were roomy, almost identical to the caretaker quarters, with few minor differences. At The Order, there was no difference between Impostor and natural born humans, aside from their needs, but once they stepped outside of this haven, the world became a much different place, and Ion would almost grow homesick when he was away because of it. His dual ID tags did give him leeway, as he was an esteemed Impostor, but others, especially non-Order models, were banned from many cities due to their instabilities and animalistic nature.

Ion could wander the halls of the Order with his eyes closed and end up where he wished to be, aside from the restricted areas, where only a select few had permission to roam. He effortlessly found his way to Anise's room, and knocked twice (their not so secret code) before entering.

Anise was calming staring out the window, still dressed in her formal caretaker attire. "I just got back from debriefing. I am so hungry Ion!"

Ion knew something was amiss; Anise was reluctant to discuss how the meeting with Luke's new caretaker had gone.

"Are you gonna tell me?" Ion settled on Anise's bed, but Anise refused to face him. "Did somethin' bad happen?" The green-haired youth cursed the fact the he wasn't allowed to accompany his caretaker into her debriefings, but he had his own meetings Anise couldn't attend.

"His name is Guy… They are dispatching him tonight to arrive early in the morning tomorrow. I told him about Luke's condition." Ion wondered why it was such a big deal that Guy was being dispatched a day early, but figured that Anise was hiding something from him.

"Something could be very wrong with Luke, Ion. If Guy can't stop those blackouts, Luke could crash, permanently." Anise took a deep breath, but still managed to put on a smile on after discovering the severity of Luke's abuse. "We did the right thing Ion; the stress from reprogramming would have killed him, no doubt."

"We saved his life then, and Yulia says she will get us access to the master records. We'll figure out who did this to him, I'm positive." Anise nodded, and shooed Ion from the room so she could change. Ion felt his own stomach protest his hunger, and waited patiently in the hallway for his caretaker.

Although Ion knew he hardly needed a caretaker now, he was glad Anise was always with him. He had seen Impostor's both older and younger then him suffer the side effects of Fomicry. Their unnatural growth patterns as well as rapid mental development could lead to all sorts of problems, the inescapable need for a someone well versed in solving those problems as well.

"It's not natural for a human to grow from infant to adolescent in two months, isn't it?" Ion laughed darkly to himself, leaning against the wall next to his caretaker's room. "I guess that's why we aren't human."

Ion felt Yulia open the connection with Ion, but there was an unexplainable pain in Ion's head as well. He wasn't sure if it was because the lack of sleep he had gotten the past few nights, or it was going to be the first time to put Anise's caretaker training to use, but with each passing second, the pain grew more intense.

"Ion? Ion! Are you alright? Hey!" Yulia called out, but to no avail. She quickly raced over to the door that locked her into her prison, hastily trying to pry the door open, but Mohs had made sure she couldn't leave without proper protection, and her efforts were fruitless.

Ion gripped his head, slowly sinking to his knees. "Yulia? My head… it hurts…" Ion wished he could just close his eyes and fade away from the pain, but something was forcing him to stay awake, to endure the pain.

"Where is Anise?! Get to the medical ward!" Yulia pounded her fist against the solid barrier between her and freedom, but it still did not give way. Mohs believed her safety was more important then her own happiness in situations, but no matter how she strived to be free, she was stuck.

The door to Anise's room swung open, and the caretaker was instantly made aware of the situation.

"Ion!" Anise instantly fell to her knees next to her Impostor charge, recognizing the signs of an information contraction. "It's just IC, it will go away in a few minutes, okay?"

The pain continued to grow, but Ion was starting to see something other then the creamy off-white walls that decorated the living quarters. Another appeared, slowly pulling his way out of the painted walls.

"Luke!" Ion called out to the boy neither Anise nor Yulia were aware of, but as the connection remained open, Yulia would be able to hear everything that transpired between the two. Anise glanced over to the blank space on the wall, and back to her suffering Impostor.

"There isn't anything there Ion, how bad does the IC hurt? Should we go to the Med Ward?"

The apparition of Luke smiled at Ion, her eyes briefly flashing gold. His smile widened as the pain Ion felt quickly melted away, as well as the mysterious red-haired boy.

Ion stood up and glanced around for any signs of the strange little Impostor, but he was gone as was the pain in his head. "Where did Luke go?"

"He was never there Ion, is the IC over with?" Anise grabbed her partner's wrist and felt for his pulse. "Whatever just happened completely eliminated all signs of the IC, like it just… vanished."

"Oh, Yulia! I'm sorry about what just happened. You too Anise, I could have swore I saw Luke though. He smiled and suddenly… the pain was just gone…" Ion frowned, massaging the side of his face with his free hand. "What did you need Yulia?"

Yulia gave a sigh of relief, and tried to gracefully lift herself from the ground. She was leaning unceremoniously against the heavy door, waiting for Ion's coherent response, but now she was a little embarrassed that she had gotten that emotional over a simple IC.

"I got you two access into the records department tomorrow, remember to report back if you find anything, alright?" Yulia walked over to her and set heavily in the leather chair. She removed her necklace, and with it the key that dangled off the golden chain, employing it to open a forgotten drawer on the bottom of her work desk.

"Thank you! We will let you know what we find! Goodnight Yulia!" Ion smiled and closed the connection, knowing it was dangerous to be talking to Yulia where others could hear, or assume he was crazy for talking to someone that wasn't present. He smiled at his good fortune, and allowed Anise to drag them down to the kitchen.

Yulia allowed her forehead to rest against the smooth surface of her desk, her eyes staring blankly into the open drawer. A small tear began to form in Yulia's eye as she gazed at the contents of her secret locked drawer.

"Impostors… Can never replace a human being…" Yulia removed the photo she kept locked up. It was a younger version of herself, with her arm around a young boy with green hair, the only two in the picture. "Some days… I miss you so much… Brother…"

Yulia produced another photo, a more recent picture of her and Jade, laughing alongside a toddler with the same green hair as the previous picture.

"Ion…"

A/N: Leave me reviews! Remember that! I'll accept anything, and I'm going to start replying soon enough, my e-mail isn't recieveing things at the speed I would like it too so by the time I know there is a new review, its already been a few days as I discovered with my original works.

Send me speculation since I already have a good bit of the story written out:D I love to hear what people think is going to happen compared to what I've already written, and I'll let you know if you get anything right! I promise!