Eight,

Part I

Do you understand that

We will never be the same again?

The future's in our hands,

And we will never be the same again.

— Things We Lost in the Fire,

Bastille.

A.

The chill of the brick wall seeps through his jacket as his back presses against it. Sasuke looks around the corner with a slight pivot of his body, not surprised that the coast is clear but wary of the early morning silence anyway.

The air yard only has a few patrolling guards, mostly roaming around the front side. His team is coming in from the east, aiming for an oddly painted ship and their contact that sits inside it.

"Are you all sure about this?" Sakura asks for the millionth time tonight —or this morning, since it's nearly four. She's restless and upset; they all are, since no one's here to sleep. Betrayed too, in the loosest of senses, because she's getting carted off to safety. Back to Earth with Lee for the sake of their child.

Sakura desperately wants to come along, to fight, but the ever present wobble in her steps slows her movements. She's too far along now and no one here could live with themselves if something happened to her.

Naruto's lips thin, no doubt biting down some irritable retort at her repeated questioning. Sasuke can tell that he's trying to be patient and not order her around like the situation calls for. She deserves to have a say in the proceedings since she is just as much a part of this as everyone else, but there's a limit to how reckless they can be. More than enough lives are on the line. There's no turning back from here.

She simply cannot stay.

"I can still—" She tries. Kiba and Shikamaru sigh from her other side, but say nothing. They've heard it for days. Weeks. No matter what she believes, they're going to ignore it.

"We have to." Naruto replies resolutely, for the millionth time. Then, quieter, only to her: "I won't let it happen again."

Sasuke's right beside him, so he hears it anyway. He swallows thickly, eyes still trained on empty expanse in front of him.

Its risk enough being here. For once they had to trapeze through a densely populated city instead of on the fringes of civilization. Naruto told him the name of this bustling town but he's already forgotten it; he rarely pays attention to human settlements unless he absolutely has to. He has to admit that this place is fairly advanced, much like the Capitol on Earth.

Part of him wishes that they weren't outlaws since there's actual entertainment here, as well as restaurants and paved roads. Not all of Delta-1 is overgrown wilderness, even though it feels that way since they've had to crawl through its trenches for months. But that's not what they're here for.

Shikamaru pulled some strings to get in touch with a captain of a beat up old vessel ship who apparently "owes a favor." No one asks what it is and Shikamaru doesn't offer, so that's that. All they know is that he's leaving early in the morning, today only, and he's willing to take Sakura and Lee back to Earth under the cover of darkness.

But they're wanted criminals, so it won't be that easy. They spent days falsifying boarding passes—in case there's a surprise inspection upon landing or a particularly observant and well informed guard. Sakura cut her hair short and dyed it. Lee buzzed his and donned fake glasses.

It should be enough, since Sakura's visibly pregnant and that just doesn't happen for Synths as far as the humans are concerned. They're Sixes on top of that, made to be able to blend in seamlessly with humans. It should be enough. Sasuke desperately hopes that it is.

"It's okay, Sakura," Lee says quietly. "We're all going to see each other again. I know it."

Too subdued for the normally jovial man. Sasuke hates how that makes him feel in that moment, like they all know this is the end one way or another. He hears Kiba's sharp intake of breath and feels Naruto sag beside him.

Bad thoughts. Bad, bad thoughts. He refuses to think them.

"We will." Sasuke says, trying to defuse the bomb they were all so desperately trying to keep from going off. "This isn't goodbye."

Sakura's lip trembles in the darkness and she nods.

"Okay." She breathes. He's sure she doesn't believe him.

He doesn't, either.

"You all done over there?" The man that Shikamaru knows grumbles around his cigarette, voice rough from years of use. Human then, since Synths don't take that kind of damage from nicotine or alcohol. "We don't have all night."

"Yeah, yeah," Shikamaru calls back, annoyed. "They're coming."

"Where will you guys go?" Kiba asks, also strangely subdued. He holds his hand up in warning right as Lee goes to speak. "Don't say exactly where. You know, just in case."

Lee doesn't have to think on his answering, replying: "West, probably. Near the coast. We want to live in a little house on the beach."

"Somewhere sunny and warm." Sakura says softly, looking at Naruto. They share a look, something Sasuke can't grasp, and he wonders if that was a dream they had shared for their own little one, once upon a time.

He's not going to ask.

Some things are better left unsaid.

But from the look on his face Sasuke would have to say so, since Naruto looks absolutely wrecked for a moment before his face schools back into steely resolve.

"And you'll have it." He says, nodding. "Now go."

"Okay." Sakura breathes again, looking at each one of them one by one. She presses a soft kiss to everyone's cheek as she moves down the line. They already said their goodbyes as a group back at the base hours ago, but he knew she wouldn't be able to walk away without doing it again once they were here.

"See you later?" She asks hopefully, mouth lifting in a sad, lopsided grin.

"You know it!" Kiba says with enthusiastic finger guns. Shikamaru chuckles while Naruto says: "Of course."

Sasuke can't fix his mouth to move, so he settles on a nod, voice too choked up with sadness and hope and dread and happiness. Too much at once that he can't categorize. He wants them to be free. He wants them to be happy.

He's glad they won't die here, like the rest of them will.

But he can't say that, so he nods instead.

Sakura waves as she boards, Lee on her heels. They're smiling, even as it hurts, and that's more than enough. They won't be truly safe unless the rest of them finish what they started, so that gives them renewed determination and freshly squared shoulders as they watch them off.

The human, Asuma, shakes Shikamaru's hand before he goes, giving him a gentle pat on his shoulder.

"I'll do what I can for them." He promises gravely to Shikamaru, like he's truly giving an oath. He turns to Naruto, regarding him with a look of respect they rarely see from humans. It's strangely comforting. "Always knew there was more to it than that for you lot. Not just the sum of your parts. Give 'em hell, alright?"

"Thanks." Naruto replies as the sun starts to rise around them. The little specks of gold set his eyes alright. "We will."

•••

The day arrives.

It rolls in after a rumbling rain, fresh dew on the ground and a buzz in the air left over from the strikes of lightning.

It's the only thing up here that's simulated, the weather. Its only purpose to fill the lakes and water the grass, to make the humans here feel like they've never left home. Even though most of them now weren't born on Earth and have never see it.

It's simulated, so Sasuke tries not to take such gusty winds and black weather as a sign of foreshadowing for the day to come.

He hides another small knife in his boot. The third he's slipped there in his excitement. It feels like he'll have to use them today, somehow, so he can never be too ready.

No one's said a word all morning.

Everyone immediately rose at first light and started to prepare; strapping grenades to their belts and tightening the laces of their boots.

It's stifled in here, too serious and grim. Sasuke feels like he might explode from the weight they carry, from the finality of the harsh-set lines that crease all of their faces. He feels excitement too at this point of no return, fingers itchy and twitching. This is happening. This is real. They're going to do it.

Or die trying.

"Someone please say something." Sora mutters from his spot on the wall. He's leaning with his arms crossed, looking back and forth between their stone faces, brow creased in worry. "You're all kinda freaking me out."

It's Sai who takes pity on him first, moving to throw a companionable arm around his shoulder. "Sorry, sorry. All the big kids are killing the mood." He says cheerily, even though there's a firm edge in his eyes and a stiffness in his shoulders that's been present for days.

They're all wound tight with expectation. With thoughts of victory even if it seems farfetched. They did not come this far to lose or fail. One way or another, they'll be free.

"I'm not worried about that," Sora protests. "I just, I don't know, should we say something meaningful before we go? You know, in case…" He trails off, unsure of how to phrase the words they already know.

Sasuke regrets that they were not being able to convince him to go with Lee and Sakura. He's still young and full of life that he's barely lived. He shouldn't be here like this, but at the same time he should. It's his future too and the whole point of this is to give hope to their kind. Those that came before and those that will come after.

Still, it reminds Sasuke of when he was young and green, of the horrors he saw long before he was ready for them, and how much it's affected him. He doesn't want that for Sora. He doesn't want that for anyone, if he's honest, but especially not for the child he's become fond of in the months he's been here.

"No." Gaara grunts, not looking up as he assembles his gun. "You should have made your peace a long time ago."

"Give him a break." Ino grumbles as she ties up her hair. TenTen sharpens a knife beside her, nodding in agreement. "Not everything has to be gloom and doom. Let him say something nice if he wants to, jeez."

Temari rolls her eyes as she straps on a bulletproof vest, rolling her shoulders to test her mobility. Most of the armor they got from the armory is heavy. High-tech, but heavy. Sasuke didn't really want to wear it, so in his spare time between runs and their targets, he went about fixing his old morph suit. Its lighter, tailored just for him, so he likes it better.

Besides, he's a part of the covert entry team, so he needs to be less noticeable and quicker. His helmet was shot to hell, though, but it wasn't like he planned on wearing it. He doesn't want to look like a Hunter, doesn't want to feel like one either today, but he has to admit that the government issued suit is top-fucking-notch. He was blown up in it and after a few tweaks it still works. Doesn't get better than that.

There's another reason why his suit could be necessary today, but he tries not to dwell on it.

Naruto stands near a window, gazing out to the grasslands around them. He says nothing, hands clasped behind his back and foot tapping as he waits for everyone to be ready. He was up early, earlier than Sasuke and everyone else. It makes sense; He's been waiting for this day longer than any of them. Patient. Ready. Sasuke's not sure if he even got any sleep last night or if he stayed up in restless anticipation.

The suit he wears is different from the rest; standard black, like the others, but with a long orange stripe curving over the left shoulder all the way down his side and leg, the rest disappearing into his heavy leather combat boots. It's thinner like Sasuke's, so he can move and run and fight like they're no doubt going to do to the best of his ability. The look suits him very well, and Sasuke tries to ignore how well the tight nanomite-spandex outfit outlines his body.

He thinks he's failing based on the smirk Kiba sends him when he catches Sasuke looking.

"I'm proud of all of you." Naruto says without turning around. An expectant hush falls over the room. "No matter what happens today, know that I'm proud and impressed and that I love each and every one of you. We've come so far and we made it. We're going to make it out, too. I truly believe that we will. So, thank you. For everything."

"Aww, chief!" Sai cries while holding his arms out for a hug. "I love you, too!" There's a round of chuckles as Naruto pushes him away huffily with a stiff arm, lightening the mood.

Sasuke cleats his throat, causing eyes to swing to him. For once he doesn't flinch away from them, looking at everyone head on so he can speak his piece. He's tired of having regrets for the things he should have said so this time he's not going to let the moment pass.

His voice isn't as steady as he would like it to be, but he's sure everyone relates to the why of it. "I just wanted to say that it's been a pleasure. I'm glad I came here. I'm glad I got to see you all again and meet everyone who didn't already know me. Even if you aren't glad you met me—" He says, sending a pointed look to Gaara, "I'm still glad that we all got the chance to know each other."

He must be caught up in the mood because Gaara just laughs and rolls his eyes as everyone else chuckles at Sasuke's declaration.

"You're not so bad, I guess." Gaara says with a shrug. Sasuke clicks his tongue and snorts.

"You aren't either." He replies. Naruto turns to look at him, eyes warm and glowing, giving Sasuke a soft smile that makes his heart beat faster.

"Chuckles is getting in on this, too?" Sai says in mock surprise. He actually seems happy, even if he's teasing. "I'm really feeling the love you guys. Bring it in!" Unlike Naruto, Sasuke relents and allows his hug since, even as they say kind things to each other and joke around, this truly could be the last time they have this opportunity.

Naruto seems to realize this, because he taps Sai on the shoulder after he's let go of Sasuke and offers up an embrace which the other man freely takes. This sets off a chain reaction as everyone gets caught in the swell at the same moment, rising from their seats to dole out hugs and niceties. It goes on for some time, until they've made sure to touch each member with words and hands and they tire of it, getting back to the task at hand.

"Alright, okay, we gotta go!" Kiba calls out, embarrassed by the open affection swirling around. "It's weird to see some of you get sentimental. I don't know if I like it."

"Oh, shut up." TenTen protests. "Yes you do."

He can't argue that so he shuts his mouth.

"Well I don't." Kankuro mutters, grabbing his gun and looking like he's ready to head out. He was well part of the fray a moment ago too but he'll act like he wasn't.

Regardless, they all sober, reaching for their weapons and steeling themselves once more. "Let's get this done."

"What of this place?" Temari asks quietly. Naruto raises an eyebrow, urging her to continue. "Will we come back here after?"

Everyone looks pensive like they hadn't thought of that. Because they hadn't.

(The cots in the room upstairs, pushed together for warmth, the kitchen table they sat around to eat beside the candlelight, the little effects they have that littered the floor. The small garden that Kimimaro tended with love and care.)

Somewhere along the way, the old, beaten up farmhouse started to feel like home.

It's not. They don't have one, lost and running like they are. But they fooled themselves all the same.

Sasuke doesn't care about that. It may not be home, but it did house a family.

"We already have everything that's important with us." Naruto says unblinking. "So burn it. Leave nothing behind."

Sasuke knew he'd say that. The others nod in agreement.

"Alright." Temari confirms.

"Goodbye, little plants." Kimimaro says solemnly. Sasuke pats his arm and Kimimaro manages a smile for him. He's been quiet for the past few days, wrought with worry. Sasuke hopes above all else that he'll make it out of this.

"We ready?" Shikamaru asks gently, like if he speaks too loud they'll all break.

But they don't

And they won't.

Murmurs of agreement, and then they're off.

A plume, rising black and orange into the sky like a phoenix as they march on to destiny. Sasuke would have liked to stay and watch as the house crumbled into nothing but they don't have that kind of time.

Naruto's hand finds his in the throng of bodies, squeezing. He doesn't have to say since Sasuke already knows.

It's where Naruto used to live, after all, when he was still a farmer. When he did his duty and toiled away, before light came over the horizon. Before he broke free of that mold to become what he is now, what they all are. The old fields dried up from neglect, the master bedroom absent of its owner.

That owner left one day and...never returned. Naruto's burning more than just a "happened upon" hideout—

But he doesn't have to say, since Sasuke already knows.

Free, Sasuke thinks as the wood crackles behind them. No matter what, they're free.

B.

The political summit has security on high. Leaders from the biggest settlements will be in attendance. Orion, Deimos-4, Lennox, and Alpha Centauri. Sasuke wonders what the meeting could be about since get-togethers like this are few and far between.

The Powers That Be chose to rule their Station-States independently, each a separate government with their own sets of rules and laws to abide by. The most they share is trade and some news that trickles down slowly to Earth and beyond. It must be big if they're all willing to be in the same room together.

His team accounted for this heightened security and they plan to use it to their advantage. The meeting is on the third floor and that's where most of the guards will be. The records are on the eighth floor.

There's a hallway on the southwest side that's fallen into disrepair, cordoned off and condemned. Half the stairs are rotten and broken, but it's their best bet. Karin suggested it, after she found old blueprints once they made the move and were stationed here.

The access terminal was shut down on that door ages ago—the entryway that leads outside covered over by copious layers of paint and brick—but Shikamaru expertly hacked it and they have their methods of breaking in.

It can only be opened from inside, though, so their team of inside-men will be in charge of that. Since the place is crawling with soldiers, it won't be noticed immediately if three or four of them aren't front and center.

The majority of the team will stay in and around that stairwell to secure it, taking down humans if they have to. The point is to keep alarm from being raised while the deep infiltration team gets what they need from the records room. No detours, no distractions. They get what they need and go.

Once they're in, Shikamaru, Naruto and Sasuke will go through the vents to spill out right above the records room. From their calculations the eighth floor should be sparsely populated, since it's the research hall and most employees have been removed due to the nature of the day. Still, it seems too risky to blatantly walk through the halls. The vents are accessible through an entrance in the stairwell hall, starting on the third floor.

This is the only chance they have, while everyone's distracted by the Leaders meeting. They won't get the chance again and even if it's more dangerous to do this with twice as many guards as usual, they have to.

"Ready?" Naruto asks. Everyone is in position outside, waiting on bated breath. Sasuke nods even though Naruto's right beside him. They share a look, one that says all the things they could and all the things they couldn't, and then—

"On your cue." Juugo rumbles quietly over the comm. This will have to be quick, precise. No room for error. It's happening.

It's happening.

"Go." Naruto commands.

Kiba and Gaara move first. Two of strongest, physically. The plan to unearth the door is simple: Kiba runs straight at it, soaring with a flying kick at nearly 100% of his capacity. His wild grin is infectious and the use of so much power leaves an electric blue chemical trail that streaks out of the corner of his eyes and underneath his feet.

It's like watching in slow motion — He nearly flies, careening towards his target like it's personally offended him, muscles rippling as he grits his teeth for impact.

The brick groans and shatters, revealing a heavy oak door. Kiba starts furiously dragging away any pieces left, until it's fully uncovered.

There's three men on a small alcove high up above on the sixth floor. Model 4's, from the looks of it. The force of Kiba's kick rattles up the side of the building, shaking their balcony hard enough to pitch them overboard. They fall to the ground with a sickening thud.

Gaara watches them twitch, blood leaking from their noses. Broken. Inside, probably. Something shaken loose in their wiring and subtle cracks in their bones. They are not harmless though: no Synth is down until you put them down. They could still call for help or raise an alarm if given time, so Gaara won't afford them that. He shoots them squarely between the eyes.

This is no time for mercy.

Sai and Kimimaro move next, dragging the dead to be hidden deep in the surrounding foliage. It takes Kiba no time flat to pull away the rest of broken brick, revealing the rest of the door.

They pause, making sure no one else heard the rumbling they caused. They shouldn't have; there are tanks roaming around the front, grumbling low as they kick up gravel and pitch unevenly over the bumpy terrain. Soldiers march in formation, their heavy footfalls pulsing like a drumbeat as they look anywhere but south for an unknown threat. It'd be hard to hear anything over those sounds.

That's what they were hoping for.

When nothing moves, save for the trees and the wind, Kiba knocks once as a signal.

Shikamaru jams a button on his handheld terminal, reactivating the keycard reader.

Inside, Juugo presses his hand against it, using the chip embedded in his palm to override its prompt for verification. It flicks green and he throws the door open, ushering everyone inside. They take off from their hiding places, spilling into the cramped hallway like a flood.

Easy.

"Alright," Naruto mutters approvingly. The door closes and darkness settles in, save for the few beams of the sunshine through the small stone windows up above. "Secure the area and stay sharp. This hall's abandoned but we don't know if anyone heard us and we need to keep a clear route back out. Spread out and don't go out on the main floor unless you absolutely have to, got it?" There's a flurry of nods and then they're moving.

The staircase is winding and open, but half dilapidated as they knew it would be. Some of the stairs are missing and they'll have to jump to get to higher areas but it shouldn't be a problem.

Kiba stays posted by the door to the first floor, a little worn from using so much power. His grin is still firmly in place and the fight's not left him. He'll be fine. Temari and TenTen for the second, a team of hard-hitting tough girls that could outmatch any man here or otherwise. Gaara and Kankuro follow them up to the third floor, brothers standing watch over the door that will spill out into the main hall.

Sora and Kimimaro guard the entrance to the fourth, both eager to prove themselves, while the flirts Ino and Sai watch the fifth. A pensive Karin and guarded Juugo focus on the sixth and an irritable Suigetsu for the seventh. Taka stands by the eighth, silent and brooding. He seems to be in a mood but Sasuke doesn't have time to ask him why.

It's probably because the others were sufficiently freaked out by him when they rendezvoused earlier, keeping a certain distance from him. Naruto had given Taka a look of absolute disdain and Sasuke knows that hurt his feelings. He is still Sasuke, after all.

Gotcha!" Kiba nearly shouts over the comm, positively buzzing.

"We won't let you down." Kankuro murmurs at the same time.

"Be quick about it, yeah?" Suigetsu grunts, probably sickened by the fact that he's still being left out of the direct action. Sasuke smirks despite himself. "Nobody's stirring yet but don't go taking your sweet time or stand around with your thumb up your ass. I'm talking to you, Sasuke."

Sasuke snorts, leaning out over the railing so he can flick Suigetsu off above him. He gets a grin and rude hand gesture right back.

Naruto raises an eyebrow at their childish behavior.

"He's charming." Naruto comments dryly. Sasuke rolls his eyes, hopping so he can reach the vent after Shikamaru climbs inside.

"If that's what you want to call it." He retorts, humor coloring his tone.

Even as they shimmy through the tight space, Shikamaru can still read the blueprints to guide them to their destination. They try to be a silent as possible, but it's hard for their knees not to knock against the metal walls or stop the creaking as they climb higher. Sasuke hopes no one will hear and shoot them as they crawl along.

After what feels like an eternity of sideways and upward climbing, Shikamaru stops short on what Sasuke assumes to be the eighth floor records room, almost causing a pile up behind him. He lost track of where they were almost as soon as they entered.

"What?" Naruto whispers furiously, rubbing at his head from where it bumped on the ceiling. "What is it?"

"Someone's in there." Shikamaru whispers back in a frequency only they can hear, frozen as he looks downward through the vent grate.

Shit.

"Dammit." Naruto swears. "Where is he? Do you think he heard?"

"No. He's by one of terminals. He hasn't looked up."

"What does he look like? A guard? Someone else?"

"I can't tell."

Sasuke understands the other man's hesitation. They weren't expecting anyone to be here and they have no idea of his identity or skill level. It doesn't matter though, since they have a job to do. He's ready to suggest that they throw caution to the wind and just jump down there and take the guy out, but it doesn't get that far.

Shikamaru seizes up again in absolute shock, recoiling backwards.

"What?" Naruto demands, notes of panic coloring his tone. "What happened?"

Shikamaru doesn't speak for a moment, long enough for them to hear a door close, before he lets out a shuddered breath.

"Fuck," He breathes. "That scared me."

"What?" Naruto asks again, frustrated since he couldn't see the proceedings from behind Sasuke.

"He walked right under us and then looked directly at me. He gave this weird smile and then put his finger to his lips, then he left. His eyes…" He trails off, shaking his head.

"What the hell?" Naruto mumbles. "You think he's gone?"

"Probably."

They don't have time to mull over it. Strange men can't stop them now. Still, Sasuke doesn't like this. Something is wrong.

"Alright. Let's go then."

Shikamaru kicks the grate out, landing gracefully on top of it. He rushes to the door and hazards a look out of it, giving them a thumbs up when the coast is clear.

Sasuke drops down first and Naruto follows, standing and brushing imaginary dirt off of his suit. He takes a look around in amazement.

Hundreds of silver button-sized data sticks dot the walls, accented by golden rings, blinking back at him like fireflies. He doesn't know where to start here. There's much more than he thought.

Each stick contains eons of information. Knowledge that can sink ships, burn bridges, flood the homes of their enemies—taking all the crinkled old pictures and carefully collected keepsakes along as it flows through the windows and pushes at the doors.

"Shit." Shikamaru says, summing it up perfectly with a low whistle.

"Yeah." Naruto mumbles, eyes slightly wide. They can do more than get their justice here. There are deeper still things hidden amongst all these files.

"Should we just…?" Sasuke asks, unsure of what he really means. They brought sacks with them, thinking there may be papers from the bygone era still floating about. Some of the older humans continue to book keep even after all the advancements in technology and the years that have traced over the lines that shaped the methods of old.

They figured they would have to leave some behind, carefully selecting what they need for the biggest impact. It would all come out regardless, so it didn't seem like such a terrible sacrifice to make. Little did they know they won't have to leave much at all.

"Grab anything you can. Whatever you can fit." Naruto declares, excitement creeping into his tone for the first time in a long time. Sasuke feels it too, the swelling sweep of joy for a mission almost accomplished. There's so fucking much. It will take them ages to decode it all and release it to the public, but it will be worth it.

Sasuke pulls wildly at the great silver wall, flinging them all in his bag. He feels a grin building but smothers it. This isn't the time to lose himself to wild abandon. They need to stay focused.

But this is what they came for. This is their promised goldmine. This is all they hoped and fought for. In the end he cannot help himself, sharing a look with Naruto as they stuff their bags with their bounty.

His blue eyes are bright, shining against the backdrop of silver and gold. Sasuke's breath catches in that moment as they share twin smiles of joy.

Shikamaru sits at one of the terminals, popping in one of the dials to have a look at it. Surprisingly, it isn't locked behind a data wall. Instead the information pours out like ink upon the page. He scans it quickly for relevance, breath catching on whatever he's read.

Naruto notices first, hand hovering over the nearest dial in hesitation. Shikamaru's silence is unnerving so Sasuke can't help but be drawn to it as well.

"What?" Both of them questions at the same time.

"Come look." Shikamaru replies quietly, like he's too rattled to speak any louder. Sasuke and Naruto share a concerned look before stopping their assault on the input wall to make their way over to him. His bag jostles as he walks, heavy. It'll be too heavy to make it back through the vents like this again. They'll have to make it to the hallway to escape, which may be a problem. He files that thought away for later, worrying more for the present.

Sasuke reads over one of Shikamaru's shoulders while Naruto leans over the other. He scans slowly before he realizes that he doesn't understand what he's seeing, so he goes over it again. Finally his mind allows for clarity, jarring him all at once since he understands.

Oh.

It started with a man in a tower, lamenting a lost dream.

Creation.

A failed engineer and visionary, vibrating on a frequency many couldn't feel. He wanted...more. There was dormant strength hiding under human skin, locked up tight by veins and sinew, and with a few...tweaks, he sought to bring it out. Built, not born. Enhancement, instead of evolution, until what stood in front of him was less and less human as time wore on. Each model—No, no, each class that graduated his academy got closer to his image of God.

The First were fleeting. The Second were smarter, analytical, and empathetic. The

The Third were angry and quickly destroyed. The Fourth created scholars and masters of the battlefield in equal measure.

But it wasn't enough. They were inorganic, insincere. Ultimately they were machines, no matter how you looked at it. They couldn't evolve the way humans could. The way humans did. Maybe, if given the time, but there were deadlines to meet, shareholders to please, new lands to be explored, so that man in that tower had to think of something to stay ahead. He had to breathe new life into of his stagnant dreams and unite the world to his cause.

So the fifth were volunteers.

Human, originally. Born, not built. They had mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers and uncles and cousins and

They were told that their enhancements would give them newfound freedom. A new race, of human-born machines. All the perks of an appliance with the mind of a man. They tapped into that hidden strength and their bodies could withstand much. They wouldn't get sick and they could fight their way out of anything. But, most importantly, they could still call themselves human.

What better way to play God than to fiddle with his creations?

This was an experiment of the physical and social kind. Humans would see their brothers and friends being made better. Stronger. Faster. Mighter. Maybe they would want the same. No human ever had to be weak again, if they all signed up to be perfected. That was the plan.

The Sixth were children.

Already born faster, stronger, and better, because of their parentage. A healthy predisposition for the chemicals and the tests woven into their DNA. Their metal parts added later in their youth. They were to be the bridge between man and machine, ushering the world into a new age. Those volunteers were told that their children would be revered, treated like normal kids living normal lives beside their un-augmented counterparts.

But it was not to be so.

The humans, up high in their own towers, had control of the earth and it's surrounded colonies. They did not want equality, they did not want to call those that underwent the test human. They did not want too many made that they couldn't control or a future they didn't have a hand in. They wanted slaves.

So they lied.

They claimed the Fifth and the Sixth to be built from scratch, just like all the others. All machine. Fancy gadgets to play with and dispose of when interest waned. They threatened the lives of those volunteers and the lives of their children, buried the proof, and forced those humans that gave themselves for a new world into a cruel life of servitude, devoid of all the rights of a human since the Powers that Be deemed them unworthy of the title.

The Fifth fell in line to protect the status quo or they died in disgrace. There was no in between.

So, the Sixth were children. Human children, with a few tweaks. But they were told that they were not.

Oh.

"Fuck." Naruto says after a tense moment. "That's worse."

Isn't it?

"So our parents…?" Shikamaru questions, turning towards them. His eyes are wild and he's clearly shaken. They knew some of this, but not all. There's clearly more here they needs exploring but…

Fuck.

"Probably were some of the volunteers. They were human too." Naruto finishes for him, swallowing thickly. "We were always fucking human, always."

Sasuke doesn't know what to think. It was hard enough accepting that he was his mother's child before, but now he knows that she chose this. He'd always thought her and his father to be Model Fours. Poised and Perfect.

But they weren't. They were human first, volunteers for a different future where every being—organic or otherwise—could live in harmony. They thought their children would have better, safer lives, outfitted with the means to protect themselves from the horrors of the universe. But all they ended up with was handfuls of lies and children that would be used just as they were.

He cannot imagine how they must have felt knowing that they doomed themselves and their children to a second class existence with no mean of escape. He can't possibly imagine.

"That's enough." Shikamaru says, shuddering from the thoughts he had. He rises from his chair and pulls the stick out of the computer terminal. "We can look at the rest of this later. We need to go."

"Yeah." Naruto agrees, but his mind is clearly elsewhere. Sasuke feels the same; lost, confused, hurt. Such lengths gone to preserve this way of life at the cost of the humanity of many. So many people jailed and killed for wanting to be equal. So much heartache and pain when in the end they are all the same.

"We'll have to take the hall." Sasuke says slowly, pulling out of his own thoughts. "We can't get back through like this. The stairwell shouldn't be too far."

They could use any of the other stairwells, but even with the blueprints it's a gamble where those stairs spill out. It's probably best to use the one they gained entry with to make a hasty exit.

Naruto nods, throwing his bag over his shoulder. Shikamaru mirrors him, shouldering his own bag as they all stare at the closed door.

"I don't care if there's fifty men out there." Naruto says roughly, eyes sharp and dangerous. He's angry at all of this, rightly so. So many fought and died for nothing, so many lost for seeking this same truth that they've found. What a fucking waste.

"We're getting out if here and we're going to spread this shit everywhere, you hear me?" He doesn't wait for either of their replies, charging outward towards the empty hall.

Sasuke catches his arm before he gets too far, tugging him back. Naruto whips around, ready to bite his head off, but Sasuke needs to keep him rational and calm.

"Stay with me, okay?" He says softly before Naruto can get a word out.

He doesn't mean physically.

Naruto's jaw works and he freezes, blinking, before the tension in his body is receding and he sags like an old balloon. "I'm here." He says tightly. Sasuke hazards a small smile and he isn't surprised when it's not returned.

Instead of charging they hug the wall, peeking out to make sure the coast is clear. The old abandoned hallway should be two right turns by Shikamaru's calculations, since the records room they just left is on the north facing hall of the eighth floor. They need to get back south.

"Okay, let's go." Naruto says, taking off into a full sprint down the hall. They're Synths, so even if a human were to walk out of one of the other rooms and see them, they wouldn't be able to react fast enough before the three of them made their escape.

— A Synth, Sasuke?

Can you call yourself that, still?

With all that you know?

"We're coming out." Shikamaru announces over the comm. They haven't heard any updates from anyone down below so Sasuke assumes that everything is going to plan. "We've got what we need."

"Fuck yeah!" Kiba shouts.

"Awesome!" Karin replies, smile in her voice.

"We always knew you would!" Tenten praises. "Now let's get the fuck out of here!"

It's infectious, their joy and sense of accomplishment. Sasuke feels confidence at the spring of his step, feeling ready for whatever comes next.

Or not, since its Gaara's voice, gravely serious, that cuts through the sounds of excitement and revelry. "Something's happening," He says, confusing them all. "I think there's someone else here—"

Static. The comm cuts out and Sasuke feels his chest seize, shock cutting his steps short until he's at a full stop.

Naruto presses the comm further in his ear to hear over the crackling. "Gaara?" He demands, voice colored with uncertainty. "Gaara? Answer me!" He tries.

Silence.

Fuck.

"What floor were they on?" Shikamaru asks, hurried. Sasuke blanks, forgetful at the worst of times. "We need to get down there —"

They never get the chance.

Something rumbles, deep like an earthquake. Atlas is awakening, ready to turn the world upside down as he pitches it off his weary shoulders.

He hears it, like match being lit in a quiet room—a breathy woosh that robs his legs of their steadiness — before a ball of fire and debris erupts through the floor in a dramatic flourish, blasting up towards the sky.

Sasuke stands on one side of it, still frozen in place. Shikamaru and Naruto are on the other side, just clear of the smoke and the flame. The instant before, their eyes lock in one torturously slow moment. Sasuke sees exactly when Naruto's eyes fill with pure, unfiltered panic, where his breath catches on his name like he's choking.

Then he's gone.

Or, Sasuke is, since he's the one falling right through the floor. He feels himself gasp rather than hear it, because there's gunfire and screaming and sounds of a massacre springing forth as he plunges below.

What—

He hears his name called through a fog— like an old, distant memory—then he's smashing face first into the unforgiving floor. His consciousness wages war against it but ultimately loses, plunging him into darkness.

C.

He's not sure how long he's out. He blinks at his throbbing head and a deep, angry ache that pulls at his bones. There's noises of a battle around him but he's not sure from which direction.

What happened? Did someone attack the fort at the same time they did? What are the odds of that? Terribly unlucky ones, it seems.

He's not sure why he's surprised that the day's gone to shit. It's what he expected going into it. Everything was suspiciously smooth sailing.

Not like this though. They weren't supposed to have an interruptions from any outside forces. Who are they? What do they want? He doesn't have time to think of that now. He needs to figure out where he is and find the others. They need to leave and figure out the rest later.

His head feels like it's screwed on backwards, but he forces himself to move. Sasuke checks his bag, relieved to find the data sticks still intact. His gun doesn't fare so well, taking the blunt force of his body as he landed on it. No matter. He still has the knives in his boot and he's confident that he can take on any assailant in hand-to-hand combat if it comes down to it.

He stands on unsteady feet, surveying. Everything is burning and he hears gunfire through the gaping hole in the floor. Listening close, he realizes that doesn't hear any on the floor he's on, which means the offending force passed through already or hasn't made it up here. Either way, he needs to move fast.

Sasuke breaks into a slight jog, pressing against his comm, not surprised when he gets nothing but static in return. Shit. He doesn't know where anyone is or what's happening. He can't contact Naruto and ask if he's alright and that nearly sends him into a panic.

No. No. They're fine. Everyone is fine. They're going to escape and then they're going to change the world. They have to.

He stumbles on a dead body, face half burned off. Human then, with his face forever frozen in fear as the fire took him. Sasuke nearly gags at the smell, but presses on. He doesn't have time for pity. His fear pushes him forward and leads him towards the old hallway. He sees the outline of the door soon enough. It's blown open, half off of its hinges. Probably from the force of the explosion from earlier. There's darkness beyond it and he plans to stick his head out and call to anyone that might be there.

There's blood streaked everywhere, but he sees no more bodies. That's horrifying enough, since he doesn't know what it means.

The floor's cracked and uneven as he gets closer to the door. This hall took the blunt force of it, with sections bubbled and upturned like barricades. He climbs over them, realizing then that his hands are bruised when they sting on contact. Great, more scars will dot this already marred body soon enough.

A hand snakes out from behind a fallen pillar, grabbing his arm in a vice grip. He bites down a shout.

He turns, ready to defend himself, only to deflate when he sees that it's Kimimaro who grabbed him.

He wracks his brain, remembering that he and Sora were near the fourth floor. That must be where Sasuke fell.

Wait, where is Sora?

"Sasuke?" He breathes, like he doesn't believe it to be him. They both move as one into a tight embrace and Sasuke can't be sure which one of them is shaking.

"What happened?" Sasuke ask hurriedly, checking him over for injuries.

"We heard yelling and fighting. Sora insisted we go into the hall to check it out since Gaara said he was going to as well. A bomb went off I think. I'm not sure. Some men came through here that I didn't know, so I hid."

Most of the others probably went into the hall as well once the fighting started, curious as to what happened. That's not good. It'd be easier to locate the rest if they stayed in the stairwell. Now he'll have to search through the destroyed halls to make sure everyone is still intact.

"Not one of my best ideas." Sora says shakily from his right. Sasuke hadn't noticed him in his relief, chest swelling when he hears him speak up. His joy dies an ugly death when he sees the state the boy is in.

Blood covers the ground, pooling out from the two stumps cut off at the knee. The blast tore his legs off, leaving him pale and shaking on the floor. He has other wounds but that's definitely the worst of it. It won't be long, from the amount of blood on the floor and Sora's drooping eyes. Sasuke swallows thickly and moves towards him.

Sora's bottom lip trembles as Sasuke crawls over to him, eyes welling up as he gnaws at it.

"Hey." Sora says softly as they face each other. Sasuke brushes the boy's hair back from his face, blinking against the sudden rush of tears that threaten to spill out.

"Hey." He parrots, unsure what to do. Fuck.

He's a child. He doesn't deserve this. If anyone deserved to make it out, it should have been him. Sasuke feels like screaming, like beating the ground until it breaks and demanding that someone fix this. But they won't. No one will listen, as everyone here is caught up in their own agendas and damn if they won't carry them out.

"You guys got it right? The stuff?" He questions. All Sasuke can do is nod, throat closing around curses for a God he knows doesn't hear him. "Good. That's good. I'm glad."

Sasuke feels a bit faint when Sora closes his eyes and lean back against the wall, taking a shuddering, steadying breath. He slowly cracks them open, eyes dimming rapidly. Sasuke knows what's going to happen, knows how this is going to end, but he refuses to accept it. It's not right. It's not fair. He doesn't care if life has never been. He's going to curse it anyway—for the chips stacked against them, for the blood they've shed, for all they have lost.

He thinks of an old, sprawling stretch of graffiti that he used to pass on his way home every day in the capitol, faded after years of residency on a half-torn down house that once belonged to long-dead ousted dissenters.

When did self-destruction become your only means of rebellion? When did you become so familiar—

with the taste of your own blood?

It questioned him, day in and day out, and still he has no answer.

"I guess it's good that I wasn't afraid to die, right?" He looks up at Sasuke with open, shiny eyes. "I feel like I did enough. I was helpful, right?"

"Of course." Sasuke and Kimimaro confirm as one. Kimimaro places a hesitant hand on Sora's shoulder, passing over it in smoothing strokes. He's trying to comfort him even though he just learned how. It's almost too much for Sasuke, but he holds himself together.

"You did more than I ever did, at your age." Sasuke admits, absently petting his hair. "I'm so proud of you."

Sora grins. It's watery and beautiful, so Sasuke commits it to memory. Sears it in his mind so he'll never forget.

"Thanks." He whispers. "I...can you tell Naruto I'm sorry? He told me I wasn't allowed to go first, since I'm the youngest. I didn't mean to, so tell him to forgive me and not blame himself okay?"

"Yeah." Sasuke replies hoarsely. Then again, forcing his voice stronger. "Yeah. Of course."

Sora nods, head lolling to the side slowly. He shakes himself awake, refusing to succumb just yet. Kimimaro's long, sad sigh is drowned out Sora's next words.

"I didn't feel like I said enough earlier, so... you're really nice Kimimaro. I know you're a Two and all machine, but you're as human as any of us. And Sasuke…you're cool. A little weird and cranky, but cool. Make him happy, alright? Or I'll haunt you."

"Okay." Sasuke says, managing a small smile. Sora nods and returns it, looking off to the side. He surveys the destruction, eyes hooded and sad. He leans back against wall, giving a shuddering sigh. Sasuke hates that he must suffer but he has no means to ease it. Instead, he pets his hair and hopes that Sora doesn't feel alone.

"Is it okay if I go now?" Sora asks quietly, eyes closing. Sasuke swallows down a sob, nodding even though the boy can't see him.

"Sleep, if you're tired." Sasuke offers, feeling the first wave of tears break free from his hold.

Kimimaro stares long after he's gone, still sweeping a kind hand down Sora's limp shoulder in comfort. He doesn't move for a long moment, so long that Sasuke feels he may simply have shut down from the stress.

Finally, he lifts one foot under him and then the other, standing on sturdy legs as his hand slowly pulls away.

Sasuke was already standing, face dried, waiting for the other man to find the strength to move. Kimimaro doesn't look at him, closing his eyes and bowing his head. Then it's up again, and he's staring down the hallway with renewed focus.

"Let's go." He says and Sasuke's already moving.

It's not too hard to get to the door from where they are. A few more small hops and jumps over upturned tiles and soon enough he's leaning out of the open doorway and shouting out a loud: "Hello?" Cocking his head up and down to see if anyone can hear him.

The already broken staircase took a beating in the blast. The rattling knocked the rest of the haphazard stairs loose so the gaps are larger than before. It seems the top floors remain in fact, but the fourth floor and below completely broke away.

"Is anyone there?" He tries again when he gets no response. He shares a concerned look with Kimimaro, fearful that everyone is truly scattered or dead.

Nothing. No one in sight. Not a single soul. Sasuke swallows down bile that rushes up quickly to his sealed lips, refusing to give into his fears.

"They may have gone into the halls when the stairwell began to collapse." Kimimaro reasons. "We cannot think the worst."

Sasuke agrees. There's no way that everyone died so easily, just like that. A small comfort to think because they are cursed. If the lot of them are to perish they would no doubt suffer first. That logic dictates that they are somewhere here—maybe hurt and bleeding —but alive.

Tiny victories, and all that.

"You're right." He says, nodding to the other man. "I'll look for them." He hands Kimimaro the bag of data sticks, reluctant to let go of it. He knows that he should, since even if the rest are gone someone needs to escape with the information. No matter what he won't let this be for naught.

"This is…?" Kimimaro asks, looking at Sasuke in question.

"The data. I want you to take it and get to the rendezvous point."

Kimimaro freezes, eyes widening. He looks at Sasuke like maybe the world is ending. In a way it is, but they surely don't have time to dwell on that now.

"Without you?" He asks, voice barely above a whisper. "Sasuke—"

Sasuke places a steadying hand on his shoulders, cutting off whatever tragic, pleading prayer that was sure to come next. Like he expected, the other man stops in his tracks, shifting uncomfortably.

"Please." Sasuke says, putting all his feeling behind it. "I don't want to split up either, especially not now, but you have to take this and go, alright? Promise me, whatever happens, you won't come back for us. Promise me."

It's a very hard bargain. It goes against everything he's learned up until this point, everything he's experienced. They are one. They are a family. They don't abandon each other.

But Kimimaro is no fool either; not driven by sentiment and only by sensibility. He understands better than most what it means to be trapped, how to take the best option, how to overcome failure.

So that's why Sasuke sees a war wage on his face, unsure as to which part of himself should have control right now: the part of him that is a tactical machine, built to protect the records that the humans deemed important. Or, the part of him that was cultivated like his tiny little garden by the old, red farm, the part with emotions and attachment and naivety.

In the end, it's a mix of both. He nods grimly to Sasuke, silent like the grave, pausing only to give Sasuke a tight hug that shouldn't bring as many tears to his eyes as it does.

"Alright." He says, scanning Sasuke's face. He grips the bag tight, fingers turning white from the force of it. "But this time I expect you back with time to spare. I won't cover for you, so don't be late."

Sasuke smiles, pressing their foreheads together in promise. He closes his eyes, taking a moment to collect himself.

"I won't be."

Kimimaro nods again, turning back towards the open doorway and carefully descending. Sasuke watches until he's at the bottom, waving when the other man looks up at him once more in fearful uncertainty. He hates it, the feeling that grips him. It's all wrong. Not at all how this should be playing out. But it's too late for that now.

He watches until the door closes back behind Kimimaro, praying for maybe the first time in his life that he'll make it back across the plains safely. He won't allow himself to think the worst, that it's over and that they failed. There's still hope and way too many faces to find amongst the rubble.

So he steels himself, turning back to the destroyed fourth floor with renewed resolve.

There's no time to waste, he thinks, while breaking into a full sprint.