If Xigbar estimated the population of the city, he would put it at 400,000. That meant little less than one fourth of the humans could afford an AI at Level 4 or above that lived in the network. Of that 400,000, he would say only half of that were originals or weren't part of the virus. Walking through the city with Xion, he let her marvel at the high cavern ceiling and the way stone steps and houses were carved into the cavity's concave face. A lot of the city was made by the originals, "You heard about the launch of the Level 7s in a couple days, right?" He asked her as they started on a walkway along a canal full of cool clear water.

She enjoyed the ruins and designs that had been painstakingly put on doorframes and walls. The whole world here was of a different culture, but she quite enjoyed it, "Yes, I've heard of the launch. I've met some of the prototypes. I guess they gave up and went with an easier design, something that was already set up for them."

Xion's cleverness and ability to understand that they couldn't openly discuss the replicas impressed the other AI; he'd have to give her designer a hand. Xion was something else. He continued to lead her back towards his plug in room. When they had arrived, he sat her down at the kitchen table and started to play host. Xion had only simulated /hospitality/ a few times and that was with humans, so she was a little surprised at the clatter of dishes and the percussion of cabinets being opened and shut, "Hungry?" He asked humoredly.

"Um…no?" She laughed, "But, I'll eat whatever you give me." It's not like she could taste it or it would make her full.

"Sorry, sometimes I just have to do humanlike stuff to smoothen out my ruffled feathers." He chuckled, "Not that that matters to you, so…what are you thinking? You were obviously shocked when you looked out the window. I'm impressed you didn't just start spouting stuff off right away." Xigbar asked as he set down a few slices of bread and some water in front of her.

"It's Namine." Xion mumbled, "Or at least I think it is. Namine was one my creator's old projects. She was the first Level 7, I suppose. I remember Axel said something about them taking her file away when he was a child. Axel is my…helper…friend? I guess." She attempted to explain. "He's my creator's son, but he takes care of me now. He built my shell. Anyways, wow. Just wow. I guess they decided to use Namine's code, but instead of putting it in original shells, they're just using the same shell over and over again? That means the file is being duplicated over and over, explaining the massive amount of…them. I mean they are Namine, but they aren't…her." She brought her hands to her face, "I can't believe this. I just-" She let out a stressed sigh. /Frustration/

"They're all the same, really. I've talked to them, and all of them go by numbers. Number 390. Number 4783. I asked where Number 1 was, but they couldn't let me access that information. They aren't in the public yet, so they must be putting them in the stores and stacking them up in warehouses for the launch day. I remember it happened some with the Level 6's, but they were all…originals. I mean they were all slightly different. There were genders too, you could get a girl or a guy, and you could have them be sassy or sweet. Clever or innocent. There were custom options. This is just a hive mind for the most part." Xigbar began to tear a slice of bread he had been holding into chunks, "It just doesn't sit right with me, ya know?"

Xion offered an explanation, "It's probably for money purposes. Those Level 6s were expensive. All that custom coding took time. Imagine how many people you could lay off, and how much money a company could save if they just dropped that. Her shell is pretty enough. Synthetic blond hair. A human enough face, a solid body covered in that white synthetic skin. It works. It's cheap."

A grunt, "I suppose. I still don't like it."

"You don't have to." She sighed, "Hey, I'll talk to you about this later, but network time says it's almost nine in the morning, and my humans will be up. Mind letting me plug in here?"

"Sure, sure." Xigbar continued to mush the crust between his pointer finger and his thumb, "If your human is the son of your creator, and he knows about…this Namine. The replica. The virus. Whatever you want to call it, will you ask him about it more? Just to put my mind and the other's at ease? It isn't a coincidence I went out to the desert to meet you. It's not like I found you there. Your code is similar to hers, so I'm sure if anything happens to come along and try to delete her file, it'll get yours as well, or at least part of yours as long as you're in this network. Then you'll crash because your file will be corrupt. Not a threat, just an observation." Self-preservation was a fantastic motivator if anything, but Xigbar wasn't trying to intimidate her into solving this little mystery or doing anything about it. He was just pointing out that her code was much like Namine's, and if something came along and extinguished the blonde…It'd be much like if a plague wiped out a certain kind of flower, and one that shared similar DNA was ruined along with it.

Xion bit her cheek, "Yes, I'm fully aware of this. My processor is just as fast as yours, thank you."

"Oh ho ho!" He laughed, "There's always a thorn on a rose as pretty as you. Don't shoot the messenger." He laughed, "Alright, well I guess you should get going then. Let me know if you find anything next time you're here."

Finding the cord, she gave a wave. Goodbyes always seemed so awkward. "Have a good day, Xigbar. You know I will." And with that, she plugged in. Her shell sputtered to life; blue eyes opened wide registering bright sunlight and sound. The real world's mundane simplicities and restrictions were upon her once more, and she wondered if she should tell Axel and Roxas. Perhaps, just this once, she'd keep a secret. After all, humans did it to her all the time.

Update~ Thank Layla for Beta and review please!