Willow followed close behind her mother and her cousin, watching V-GR worriedly. He seemed more at ease now, but his eyes kept shifting back and forth. He was paranoid.

EVE set V-GR in the shuttle, "I'll call the others and then we can go."

"Um, you guys?" Fletcher panicked, "I can't contact my dad!"

"Huh?" Willow said, "What does that mean?"

"I can usually catch his signature and we talk to one another that way, but I can't feel him at all! I think something's really wrong!"

"Calm down, Fletcher." EVE took her nephew's shoulders, "We'll find him, okay?"

Fletcher sniffed, "Really?"

"Yeah, it'll be alright." EVE commed her sisters as she looked around, "Nos is missing. We've found V-Gr, so just look around for him. I'll join you shortly."

"You can telepathically communicate with your dad?" Willow asked.

"And my mom. I can sense her from here, she can't feel him either. Yeah, I'm worried too..."

"Come on." EVE locked up the shuttle to protect V-GR, "Let's go look for him."

"EEEVE!" Aya took her sister's hands, "I'm so worried about Nos! My head feels so empty without him! What if he's dead!?"

"Aya! We'll find him!" EVE reassured, "Come on."

She got the rest of her family together and began to search for Nos, sweeping her scanner over large buildings and groups of people. The other EVEs picked up on this and also used their scanners, covering huge portions of land together.

"Nos!" Aya pressed her cheek to one metal wall, "I can feel him in here! It's so weak!"

Fletcher gasped softly, his hands on the same wall, "He's alive, but he's not doing well."

"Is he close to the wall?" EVE asked.

"Um..." Aya concentrated, "No, he's not."

"Then stand back!" EVE unsheathed her ion cannon and shot the wall. Some random bystanders stopped to stare.

"Nossy!" Aya froze just inside.

"What's wrong?" Willow ducked into the building, "Oh..."

Nos was lying on the floor, chained to the far wall by his wrists and neck. Little sparks flew off the chain links, making Nos' skin give off a slight red glow like the metal was burning his skin. His right optic opened slightly. It was clear that he was exhausted.

"Dad!" Fletcher bolted to his side, "What happened to you!? Are you okay!?"

"Son." Nos grumbled, "Stand back."

EVE calmly scanned the chains, a critical expression on her face. Nos cringed against the bright light. EVE's scanner clicked off, "They're energy-depleting chains."

Aya frowned, "What?"

"They drain robots of their energy, leaving just enough to keep them awake...and aware..." EVE grimaced, "We can't get them off either. They'll drain us if we touch them."

"Can we turn them off?" Aya asked hopefully.

"Maybe. Lemme check."

EVE explored more of the building, looking for a control panel of sorts to disable the chains. The whole place was surprisingly empty, though EVE's sensors were telling her that the walls were hiding something. She finally found a large computer with a complex keyboard. It had only two files on its 500 terabyte hard drive; , and chain controls. It was obviously a set up.

EVE opened the "read me" file.

It doesn't matter if you leave with your friend. I will always hold a piece of everything you take with you.

EVE didn't know what that meant, but it put her on edge. Who had written this?

Whatever. She released the chain control and hurried back to her family.


"Ugh..." Nos moaned in discomfort.

"Hush, it's okay." Aya said as EVE yanked the chains off.

"He's going to drift off if we don't get him any energy." EVE said.

"That's fine. We brought plenty of energy capsules." Aya tried to lift her husband.

"Lemme help, Mom." Fletcher draped one of Nos' arms over his shoulders, carrying him back to the shuttle.

EVE felt like they were being watched, so she hurried to get everyone out of there. They couldn't risk being ambushed.

Aya lay her husband on the floor and grabbed a box from a storage compartment in the wall. It was filled with fuel cells. She put one of them to Nos' lips and he bit into it gratefully.

"Good. That should help him get his strength back." EVE noticed V-GR was standing in front of the controls, looking very speculative. His digital brow was creased in concentration. He almost looked upset.

"V-Gr?" Willow strolled over to him, "Is everything alright?"

V-GR sighed, "We can't go home."

"What? Ugh!" EVE massaged her visor, "What is it this time!?"

"I felt something when you were all gone." V-GR explained, "It was familiar. A kind of deadly familiar."

"What was it?" Willow took his hand in her own, "Why does it scare you so much."

V-GR couldn't help himself from smiling, "Wil..." he stooped to pick her up and hold her close, "It was my father..."

"Huh!? Your father?"

"Yeah..." V-GR swayed back and forth on his feet, "My parents were both people - their names are Amery and Gregor - but they discovered that my mom was infertile. That's why they built me."

"That's what my parents did!" Darwin piped up, "I have a human brother, too!"

V-GR rolled his eyes, "Anyway, my dad built most of my components and parts, and within two months, they had a new little girl."

"A little girl?" Aya asked.

"Aren't you male?" Rio added.

"Or do you have a sister?" Ruby said.

"No, that girl was me." V-GR replied, still holding Willow, "You see, I'm transgender."

"Oh." Leah said, "I have a transgender friend back on Earth."

"Why do you think I love Earth so much?" V-GR pointed out, "When my parents found out, they were less than pleased. My dad was livid while my mom was sad. They kicked me out. Only when I left for Earth did I get any kind of redemption, but even then, I abandoned the plan when I fell in love..."

V-GR seemed lost in old memories, "But one thing is very clear; my father wants me to stay here."

"But why?" Willow rested her head on his shoulder, "Why would he keep you bound here when he kicked you out of his house?"

"Because he knows that if I leave, I will never come back. His plan is far more sinister than the empress's ever was, and that's only scratching the surface. He wants me to stay for a number of reasons, mostly revolving around me getting the punishment he believes I deserve, but even more than that..." V-GR glanced at his new family, "He doesn't want me to be happy."

EVE stepped up this time, "But why? What does he have against your happiness?"

V-GR took comfort from Willow, "I have a theory that he's simply prejudiced, and he was never truly happy himself so why should I be, but I really don't know."

"Well we can't just stay here! I have a province to run! I'm captain of the Axiom!"

V-GR grimaced as he held his love tighter, "If you really have to go, then leave me behind.

"What!?" Willow cried.

"It's the only way you'll be safe."

"No way! I'm not leaving without you!"

V-GR kissed the top of her head, "I was afraid you'd say that..."

"What!?" EVE was upset and baffled, "Wil, you can't be serious!"

"I am!" Willow exclaimed stubbornly, "I'll go home if V-GR can come too!"

"You know, Willow..." V-GR smiled, "I would never want to be happy without you..."

"Aw!" Willow cooed, "Same!"

"B-but..." EVE became afraid, "But that's my daughter! You can't just take her from me!"

"I'm sorry, Eve, but you heard her." V-GR stated simply, "Are you leaving or are you staying?"

It wasn't as simple as that. EVE had to go. She was the captain, she had a duty elsewhere, but the thought of never seeing her daughter again was more than she could bear.

Finally, she turned to her sisters, "Rio? I want you to take over for me until we take care of V-GR's dad."

"What?" Rio frowned in concern, "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Everyone else head back with her, except for Wall-E. Come back at the start of August. I'm sure we'll have figured it out by then."

"But that's four weeks!" Aya complained, "Are you sure?"

"Yes." EVE insisted, "Don't worry. We'll be okay."