A/N: Aww, your reviews made me so happy!

Chapter II. Atlas

One Day Before

Olympus Incorporated was one of those secrets that everybody knew about, a family-run empire headed by Arata Fujita, and once upon a time his wife (who had died mysteriously shortly after the gates appeared) and his two sons, Matthew and Michael, (though Michael had met a mysterious and untimely death just five years ago.) They owned everything, from newspapers to whole universities. They were so ubiquitous that no one thought twice about it when they went into the Olympus Room of the Tokyo Art Museum or the Olympus building of the Tokyo Hospital. Olympus was just one of those names that slapped itself onto everything, was in everything, was everything.

Hei looked at the headquarters of Olympus, a sheath of metal and glass that rose to the sky, sizing up the way the lights were concentrated on the top of the building. Huang had told him to get in and out fast, grab the artifact and run. What that artifact was, however, was as vague as ever. You'll know it when you see it, sort of deal. While Hei was confident in his abilities to retrieve the Gate artifact, something was nagging at the back of his mind.

This building, this, this waiting in the tree tops outside the perimeter. It was all too reminiscent of a time, five years ago, when he was waiting in the same tree tops, outside the same building of metal and glass. If Huang had read this detail in his file, he hadn't shown it, and Hei hadn't thought to mention it to him. Five years ago, the Syndicate had ordered him to kill the elder of the Olympus heirs: Michael Fujita. The fact that he was back again, at the same building, was too much to be a coincidence to him. What was Olympus really to attract so much of the Syndicate's attention?

"The side door is clear, Hei," came Yin's voice over the earpiece. "They are gathering on the top floor for the meeting. The item is on the 29th floor."

"Understood."

It was time to move. Hei masterfully zip-lined down from his perch, rolled lithely behind the building, and slipped inside, after short-circuiting the lock on the door. Unexpectedly, the entire door crackled with electricity, not just the lock. Was it him, or did his electricity seem to be stronger than usual? It was something he had been keeping to himself the past few days; not something he thought would lead anywhere good if the Syndicate were to find out his powers were growing.

Hei raced up the stairs—it was far easier this way without waiting for the dinging of the elevator with the floor number lit on each floor like a sign to come and kill him—taking them two at a time as a bout of dizziness hit him and he cursed himself for not eating more lunch while he had the chance.

"You have company," Yin said. "Three men. One of them is a contractor."

Hei grunted in response. As he flung open the stair door to floor 29, he was prepared for the bullets which assaulted him and which bounced harmlessly off of his bulletproof jacket. The one person not in a security guard uniform was a tall, thin man with bright orange hair. He stuck his hand out, sending a ball of flame towards Hei, glowing with the familiar blue light of synchrotron radiation.

"The Black Reaper!" the fire contractor smiled as Hei dodged out of the way. "I always wondered when they would send you to finish the job. First Michael, now Matthew."

Hei was not in the mood for a chatty contractor, but maybe he would let something slip about where the artifact was hidden. Hei shot out his wire towards the two humans, charged with electricity, knocking them out of the way before they became a problem later on.

"I'm not here to kill anyone today," Hei answered. Not that it was any of his business. Hei threw his knife at the thin man, but he scampered to the side.

"No? Then you have come for the pretty trinkets. I see that you are. Yes, we have collected quite a few for ourselves. For what? Only the Syndicate knows!"

Hei paused in his assault. "The Syndicate?"

"My employers, yes. Have you heard of them, BK-201? The Syndicate of the shadows?"

Both contractors stared at each other, sizing each other up. They had been running away from the stairwell entrance, dancing and dodging-as the other contractor wasn't that skilled, but was too quick to catch.

"I work for the Syndicate," Hei growled.

"That's preposterous! Why would the Syndicate have you steal from themselves?"

"You- What?"

"You are in the headquarters of the Syndicate, BK-201. They have sent you to your death." The contractor smirked, sending another fire ball his way. "Coming here was pointless."

Somehow, though, Hei didn't think that to be the case. This contractor wasn't a trained assassin like himself. Even the Syndicate had to know who would win in this fight. "Where are the artifacts?" Hei asked casually, as if they were taking a stroll through the park.

"In the trophy room, of course," the contractor smiled, "up ahead and to the left." Finally, Hei thought. "Though these instructions won't do you much good!" Grinning smugly, the contractor gathered a giant fire ball at his fingertips and shot it out towards the Black Reaper. But when the fire cleared from the hall, Hei was nowhere in sight. "What?"

He only just had enough wits to register that a wire had wrapped around his throat, before he slumped to the ground, lifeless.

"Well, he was certainly a talkative bastard," Mao said from over the earpiece. Huang made no reply.

"Huang, did you know about this?" Hei asked as he made his way through the charred hallway towards the trophy room.

"It was probably just nonsense," Huang huffed, but he sounded uncertain. At any rate, it didn't seem like Huang knew anything more than Hei did. Not that this boded well for them. Either the entire team was just cut off or something else was going on here.

Upon reaching the trophy room, there were surprisingly very little security measures. Just as with the Wang Shaotang Hotel, once Hei had reached the crystal rooftop, the security measures only consisted of contractors…and Hei had just disposed of the one, which was odd in itself…

"Huang, you're going to have to be a bit more specific about the artifact."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"Because the entire room is filled with Gate materials."

"WHAT?"

Huang began breathing heavily from the other end.

"Oh, you don't really believe that crazy contractor, do you?" Mao asked, "You really believe this is the headquarters of the Syndicate? All this time?"

"I don't know," Huang said finally, "I was told the item would be unmistakable. Hard to miss. A gemstone or something."

"A gemstone? Well, now that's something Hei can work with," Mao said, licking his paw.

Then the connection from Hei's microphone cut off, leaving static in their ears. Mao, Huang, and Yin jolted at the implications.

"He's still in the trophy room," Yin said to their relief. "But he's not alone."

.oOo.

Hei was busy looking at all the glittering artifacts, but he still felt that itch on his back when he was being watched.

"Hei." It was that voice, her voice. The one that haunted him at night, that had whispered in his ears as she held him during Heaven's war. It belonged to—

"Amber!"

Hei turned around to see the girl herself, blonde hair radiant in the night, in a pink jumpsuit. In her hands was a small white stone. It was unremarkable at first glance, but Amber hardly dealt with the unremarkable. He was so shocked at seeing her, that it took a while for his rage to catch up with him.

"A piece of the moonstone." Amber held it out to him. "Hei, I realize you have many questions right now. But I-"

"There's nothing I want to hear from you!" Hei shouted, taking a step forward.

"I know where Bai is," Amber said simply. She spread her hands in front of her as if to show how harmless she was, though they both knew she could still use her powers, rendering the gesture mostly symbolic. Hei stopped in his tracks. If this was some kind of joke, if this was just another trick, another way for Amber to just toy with him…

"Where?" Hei demanded. "Where is she?!"

Amber blinked calmly as if she didn't register how much danger she was in and didn't care much for his commanding tone. "In this building."

Hei narrowed his eyes. "I'm not interested in your games, Amber!" He reached for the knife that was strapped to his leg, ready to slit her throat, though knowing in the back of his mind that it was pointless.

"This isn't a game, Hei. The stars have been rewritten. A new path has formed. One I have never before seen and it is time to jump on it now, Hei, before the worlds separate and we lose our one and only chance."

"At what?"

"At a future of peace," Amber said simply. She looked towards her hands. Hei noticed for the first time that the small white pebble, smooth as glass, was actually a necklace.

"If you wear this, Hei, instead of giving it to Huang, you will see your sister again."

"What is it?"

"The moonstone. It's a part of the old world, a part of the old moon that was found within the Gate. It will keep you safe for a while, Hei, but it will also allow you to see your sister again."

"How?"

"It weakens the ties a contractor has to their star. Typically, you wouldn't lose your powers though, but you, Hei…those aren't really your powers. I think you've always known, deep down inside why you aren't like the rest of us."

"So it really is Bai…"

"If you wear this necklace for me, for the next 24 hours, your sister will return to you again," Amber said in earnest, "but you won't have your powers for a day."

"I don't understand, Amber. Why?" Why now? Why was she here? Why, why, why,…?

"Your sister did more than control electricity. She could manipulate matter on the quantum level. When Heaven's Gate became inaccessible, she merged herself with you, lending you her powers, while she paid her price by sleeping within you for a long time. If you wear this moonstone, it will loosen the connection between your star, BK-201, and your physical body. Enough wiggle room to allow Bai to take control of her powers and become her own person again."

"And my-Bai's powers?" Hei asked.

"Will return to you once Bai is done here. I think she misses just being human, but there is some unfinished business here that she and I are trying to take care of tonight. An integral stage to our plan. But this is something which Bai must do and not you."

"I-"

"Take it, Hei."

Hei took the necklace with the moonstone in his hand and placed it over his head cautiously. He felt his pent up electricity simmer down for a moment, before a flash of bright brilliant white light lit the room. In its place stood Bai, alive as the day Hei had last seen her. Her hair was tied back with a blue tie and her eyes were warm…almost human again.

"Brother," Bai smiled, looking at him proudly and full of love. She looked like she had a million things to say to Hei, and Hei felt that he had so much to tell his sister, though she must have already seen everything already, but time was of the essence. "I must go now, Hei. But I promise that I will see you soon, in a better world."

Hei swallowed down his disappointment, which was easy enough since he was in close to total shock. Even if she had had the time to talk now, what would he have said? What could they say? He nodded that he understood that Amber and Bai still had work to do, and shot Amber a look, something to the effect of: this better not end the way last time you worked together did. Bai took Amber's hand with one last smile at Hei, and together they exited the room, leaving Hei feeling like all the energy had just been drained from him. Tired and light…and then, he was crashing to the floor.

When he came to, he was in a bed. His bed, he realized, in the safe house he had bought for himself without the Syndicate's knowledge. A small note from Bai lay on his bedside table. It had felt like a dream. A wonderful and unbelievable dream. The note said simply, "I will see you soon, brother. There is much I haven't told you. Many futures where I have fought and died. Many futures where we were all unhappy. Amber has seen to it that this is not one of them."

He held the letter to his chest and sighed with relief. Then the tears started flowing, down his cheeks in torrents. What exactly had happened last night? Had he really been in the Syndicate's headquarters and had he really seen Amber and Bai there too? His shock mingled with his longing for this to be true, for his one desire—to see Bai again—to stay with him and not fade into nonexistence. If only he could hold on, if only he could feel safe knowing that she was here with him again, that Bai was alive,…but tiredness overwhelmed him, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep again, one hand resting upon the moonstone that was flat on his chest.

.oOo.

Amber and Bai left Hei to recover in the trophy room. Amber knew that no danger would come to him in the few minutes that they needed to get their work done before she could move him to his safe house.

"How does it feel, Bai? To be back in this time again?" Amber asked quietly as they walked to the elevator.

"It feels like I was here over a millennium ago," Bai said. "It's hard to believe that Atlas will think I saw him yesterday, when in reality…"

"In reality, you have been stuck with your brother for years."

"Yes. And you, Amber? Do you ever get confused about where you've been already?"

Amber gave a small smile. "No, because it all makes sense, up here, you know? You don't remember this, because it never happened for you, but we've had this conversation many times. It hasn't worked before, you take them out and you're even happy with Atlas for a while, but eventually the loose ends come and we end up back where we started."

"At Hell's Gate."

"Exactly."

"So what's different now?" Bai asked.

"Hei is wearing the moonstone now. Before, we thought it would be best for you to wear it, as you were the one materializing out of nowhere, but it's much better this way." Amber smiled again. "Yes, much better this way."

The elevator dinged loudly in the mostly empty building. The two contractors entered and pressed the button to go to the very top floor. The elevator dinged loudly again. Being careful was pointless for their purposes. The second time the elevator dinged, everyone was alerted to their presence. They had entered the boardroom of the Syndicate, which took the entire top floor of Olympus Incorporated. At the head of the table was Arata Fujita, a well-built man with a tidy grey beard. To his left was Matthew "Atlas" Fujita, handsome, with brown hair and shining brown eyes.

Atlas looked from Bai to Amber. His lover and the woman who had been like a mother to him.

Growing up, he hadn't known that the woman who appeared from time to time to take care of him was a contractor. He was convinced, and his brother had even convinced him, that he was childish, that he was making too much of his imaginary friend, since Amber always came to him alone. She would cradle him and read him stories, acting as the mother that Atlas never had…giving him the attention that his father gave Michael, but never him. It hadn't occurred to him until Amber confessed sometime during his teenage years that Amber was one of them…a contractor, just like the one who had killed his mother. She had been kind and even seemed emotional now and again.

As for Bai, that was more recent. It was Amber who had set them up about a year ago, bringing Bai whenever she came to visit so that the two could get to know each other. He hadn't expected to really fall in love. He didn't know exactly who Bai was, as his father loved to keep him out of the loop as much as possible, but he knew that she was a contractor as well. It was impossible not to realize that his father's revenge-fueled crusade to erase all contractors from the world was wrong. It was genocide, plain and simple. They weren't all monsters! But he couldn't make a dent in his father's ideology. Nor could he sway the other head members of the Syndicate to his side. All he could do was bide his time, and now, Amber was here. Time was up.

"Bai, Amber, welcome," Atlas said as he stood from the table to welcome his honored guests. It wasn't his place to be so at ease at this board meeting, nor to stand up before his father spoke, and many of the other occupants of the room looked affronted that he had acted out of turn.

"What is the meaning of this?" Arata shouted, glaring daggers at his son. While he was the head of the Syndicate, he didn't memorize all the files on contractors under his command. He was out of touch with how the organization actually operated, preferring to leave this to the many middle men and women on the field.

"Are you sure, Atlas?" Bai asked, completely ignoring the older gentleman. "Some things cannot be undone."

"They will not hear me out about coexistence-" Atlas started.

"Coexistence?!" one of the men yelled. "With those monsters?"

"You have brought these two here to destroy us!"

Atlas talked directly to Bai over the din. "They only want destruction. They would never let us be together."

As the board members began to realize that they should perhaps get a move on and make a run for it, it was already too late. Bai nodded at Atlas and then started to glow a brilliant soft white light. Time froze as Bai calmly walked to each person and killed them without a second thought. They stood between her and her partner, between the now and the peace of the future. They deserved to die. When she was done she looked at Amber, now a young teenager.

"I must return, Bai," Amber said softly. "I will make sure Hei is safe tonight, but then I will have to return to make sure Heaven's Gate happens as it should...as it did."

"Thank you, Amber," Bai said, and she meant it.

When the world was righted again, Atlas looked around him at the bodies on the ground, making sure that all of them were accounted for. Bai was by his side, looking up into his eyes. Amber was nowhere to be seen.

"The Syndicate will make things right again," Atlas promised his fiancée, only slightly bothered by the fact they were surrounded by corpses. "Starting today, I will be by your side, Bai, and I will never leave you."

Bai pressed a kiss to his lips as she had not in many years, though for him it was only just yesterday.

"I know, Atlas. I believe you: that you and I will hold up the new world together."

The birth of the new Syndicate was shining on the horizon, brimming with hope as it not had since its conception. Just one thing:

"About your brother…" Atlas trailed off. "Are you sure he'll approve?"

Bai laughed. "Of course he will. You'll love him."

Atlas wasn't so sure. This Hei, as Bai had told him, was someone that he knew the Syndicate used for high profile missions. While Atlas didn't know a lot about him until he cracked into his father's files, he would refrain from passing judgement until he met the man. With his mind made up, he allowed himself to relax into her hold. The odd couple looked out the window, at the false stars that twinkled in the sky, maybe without knowing it, in celebration of their deliverance.

.oOo.

Miles away, in the Astronomics observatory, Ootsuka and Kanami exchanged worried looks. They had been staying late this one particular night to make adjustments to the code used to program their doll system. While Kanami hadn't explicitly told Ootsuka about her late night visitor, Alma, the other day, Ootsuka had enough trust in her instincts to know something was spurring this change. Since meeting July, Kanami had had to revise her opinion of dolls' capabilities. Perhaps, even without programming, they could learn to become something more than just spying machines. It would explain a lot, about why some specters tended to hang out together in certain areas of the city, maybe remembering their lives from before. Kanami wasn't sure.

After all, she was never really told how Astronomics had amassed their doll collection, and maybe she should have been more concerned from the start. How would she feel if she were just kidnapped and placed in a little glass tube for the rest of her life? Not great, that was for sure.

"Did you just see that?" Ootsuka whispered. There was no need to explain what she was referring to. BK-201's star had just flared brilliantly in the sky before vanishing off their radar.

Kanami looked at the giant spike on the monitor and even reversed the footage of the incident from their cameras. There was BK-201, sitting idly, before flaring, and then- gone! But the star hadn't fallen, which would indicate that the contractor had finally died. But it must have, right? The devices that detected synchrotron radiation were not perfect and it was possible that it fell without any of their equipment detecting the fall…still. Kanami rubbed her eyes.

"I did, but I don't know what to make of it. It just kind of disappeared."

"It might have fallen faster than our cameras could detect. I didn't even know that was possible!"

"Anything's possible when it comes to the Gate," Kanami said.

BK-201…gone. A blank space in the fake sky, no different from any other contractor that lost their life in the line of duty. Yet, Kanami couldn't help but feel a stone settle in her heart. Whether that knot was fear or worry or just plain anxiety for some unknown cause, she was unsure.

"Come on, let's wrap this up and call it a night," Kanami said. She turned to glance back at the dolls in their tubes and caught sight of Stargazer wearing a huge smile.

"What's she so happy about?" Ootsuka asked with genuine curiosity. "Hey look!" She pointed excitedly at their screen, at the monitor which displayed the way all the stars in the sky began to twinkle madly. It wasn't enough to indicate they had all started to activate their power, but it was as if they were communicating somehow. Or as if the universe, and indeed Stargazer, were…happy…for a reason that was kept secret from non-contractors and non-dolls. Well, if BK-201 were indeed dead, one of the most ruthless and infamous assassins of all, maybe that was enough reason to celebrate.

Kanami knew one person who wouldn't be celebrating though. Her thoughts traveled to her best friend and a frown graced her face. What was she going to tell Misaki?

No sooner had she thought this than her phone began to buzz. Misaki Kirihara. Ootsuka gave Kanami a pitying look as Kanami reached for her phone.

"I guess you already know then…"