Chapter 30 - A Heart Shrouded In Silver

"[I see you've made progress in this world, Alan. But that progress stops here.]"

I shivered as the familiar drone of the Entity pierced the silence as my vision splintered to show the laptop in front of me back in my room.

"[I believe you need a code to unlock a certain box…]"

"But that code doesn't exist in this world, right?" I said, interrupting it as I already began to look through the Documents folder. I wasn't too keen on humoring the Entity, especially knowing what it was going to do to me and Niko when we reached the Tower, "The only way we're getting any further is with the code, which should be...Ah, there it is."

The said folder still contained the Document I had read in the original run, but opening it revealed a completely different message from The Author:

"Ah...I̸t̶ ̷l̸o̶o̴k̷s̷ ̷l̴i̵k̴e̴ ̵you were successful...

I must be honest...I was not expecting it to work.

...This changes everything, then.

...

...I will atone for everything. Please give me some time.

Until then, you may repeat the world as many times as you wish.

If you haven't yet, please look for someone n̷a̵m̵e̷d̵ R̷ ̵ ̸ ̸u̶ ̶ ̵e̴.̴.̵.̵

S̴h̸ ̶e̸'̵ ̷ ̷s̵ ̴i̵n̴ ̴t̸ ̸h̵ ̸e̵ ̷c̵i̸t̶ ̴y̸ ̴s̴o̸m̵e̷ ̷w̸h̷ ̸e̸ ̸r̶e̴.̷

...Do pardon t̸h̵e̷ ̵a̴r̶t̴i̴f̷a̴c̸t̸s̷ in the message. I tried my best to eliminate them this time, but...

...Oh, ̶r̸i̸g̶h̶t̵,̴ ̵y̵o̷u̶ ̸s̵till need the gas masks to progress.

Go back to the safe; it's between the ocean and lookout point

The code you need is 338211."

I reread the message over and over. Atone…? Give him time…? I wasn't sure how to react to that. Was me coming back to the beginning of this whole journey that important? Whatever the case, I was just glad that I could return to this world as much as I wanted. If there was a way to save the world and Niko without shattering the sun, I wasn't going to stop until I found it. And even if there wasn't a way, being with Niko made it all better, regardless if she remembered me or not.

And this "Rue"...why does it feel like I know who he's talking about?

I made a mental note of the code before closing the file, "Alright, I have what I need. You can send me back now." I only heard sparks and whirrs in response as the Entity remained silent. I raised an eyebrow, "You, uh...You still there?"

"[You…]" it faltered.

Uh oh, did I mess up by knowing where the code was before he could tell me? I panicked. There wasn't anything I could do against the Entity, especially in this state, so I prepared myself for the worst.

"[This does not feel right at all.]" it continued, "[Have we...already been through this, Alan?]"

"And what if we have?" I replied brashly.

"[But...that should be impossible...You only had one shot. I wasn't supposed to exist after that…]"

"Well, sorry to disappoint, but that's not how I'm going to let this end." My vision began to brighten and before I knew it, I was back in the outpost.

I instantly felt tugging on my jacket coming from Niko, "Alan! What just happened?! You turned into a ghost for a second!"

I scratched my head and smiled sheepishly, "Well, I did warn you…"

Silver stared at me, "[That was...interesting to see. Was there a reason that that happened to you?]"

"Uh…" Crap. Gotta think of something quick, "I, uh...needed to get a code from the computer."

"[And that required you to become translucent.]"

"I interact with computers differently than others." Nailed it.

She raised an eyebrow but didn't push it any further.

Niko stared up at me, "So, what is the code for?"

"For something in the cliffs. C'mon, I'll lead the way." I motioned for them to follow and together we walked back over to the cliffs.

Sitting in the same spot from before was the safe, like it had never even moved in the first place. Before the girls could ask what a safe was doing out in the middle of nowhere, I quickly put in the code from the message, revealing the gas masks for Niko and myself.

"Are those...gas masks?" Niko asked, looking over my shoulder.

"[There is hazardous gas further north towards the settlement. These seem to be for you two to wear.]"

I nodded, "Well, that's the only place we haven't been yet." I looked over at Silver, "I'm guessing you don't need a mask."

"[Correct.]"

Standing up to walk away, I barely took one step before the crackle of static exploded behind me. Squares hovered just behind the safe, distorting the cliffside.

"What is THAT?" Niko said, taken aback by their sudden appearance.

"[That is the decay I told you about.]"

"Oh…" Niko kept staring at the squares as if they would vanish if she looked away from them.

I ignored the squares and turned away. They weren't going to go anywhere and I didn't want to humor the Entity at all.

At the edge of the gas field, I helped Niko put on her mask before we began to make our way through the smoke. As we trekked through the smoke, I glanced over at Silver, "So, that square stuff, do you usually get it here a lot?"

She shrugged, "[At times. From what I've heard, it only gets worse as you get closer to the Tower.]"

"Then...why are you needed here?"

"To send status reports of the Barrens back to the Refuge."

My brow furrowed, "Well, yeah, but...it doesn't seem like there's anything else here. Wouldn't it be more helpful to be where the squares show up the most?"

Her expression turned somber as she looked off into the darkness, "[...That opportunity has already come and gone for me.]"

"I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you…"

"[It is not your fault.]" she said, shaking her head before she fell silent.

We stayed like that throughout the rest of the trip through the gas, stopping at the factory to pick up the sponge and rubber gloves, before finally reaching the settlement. The guardian robot was in the same spot as before and greeted us as we entered the settlement before he focused on Silver.

"[Oh, Head Engineer. I Was Not Expecting You.]"

Silver motioned at us, "[I'm here to escort these two across the Barrens.]"

"[I See. Please Do Be Careful.]"

We walked away from him before I turned to her, "Friend of yours?"

She stared back unamused, "[He's the guardian of this settlement, back before the workers were evacuated.]"

Niko looked up at her, "If everyone's gone, why is he still here?"

"[He is not tamed.]"

"Tamed?"

"[Taming is...complicated.]"

I remember this conversation. She talked about this during the chess game.

"Taming". I still didn't even know what that meant and everyone that told us about it didn't really know how to describe it. It seemed so significant when talking about robots, to the point that the ones that weren't tamed were just left behind. Which made Silver's case all the sadder. She's said she's tamed, so why…?

Kip's words echoed in my mind, "...I gave up on her back then...we all did. I'm sure she realized that...and now she won't ever come back."

A pang of sympathy hit my heart as I glanced at Silver out of the corner of my eye. How long has she been here? The only company she's had are robots that are supposedly "untamed".

We stopped by the infirmary to pick up the syringe before we began to leave the settlement and head back into the gas to find the rowbot. As we passed by the pools of Phosphor, Niko would stop and look into them with wide-eyed wonder.

"Wow...it's like looking at the stars…" she murmured.

I chuckled, "It sure does…" I peered over at Silver, "That's...actually a good question. How long has the sun been gone?"

"[It vanished a little after I was created. It was only after it went away that everyone evacuated the Barrens. I've been here ever since.]"

"That's...a really long time…" Niko muttered.

I watched Silver with pity, "If you don't mind me asking, how...long have you been here?"

The same somberness from before returned, "[...A long time.]"

"Don't you get lonely?" Niko asked.

Silver didn't answer, only watching the nearby pools with a stoic sadness, something I could easily recognize.

She sighed, "[That's not important now. We're almost to the docks.]"

Niko and I both shared a look of pity as she walked ahead of us before we followed after her. As we gathered the ingredients to make the cleaner for the rowbot, I kept shooting glances in Silver's direction. No wonder she was able to figure me out so easily in the original run. We weren't that different from one another. Both of us had nowhere else to go, resigned to wandering alone. Was this how Niko saw me? Was this why she worried so much about me?

The light from the lightbulb banished the darkness that surrounded the docks as we approached them. The rowbot greeted us before realizing how rusted he had become due to his loss of power. I took out the bottle of gas and syringe and, with Niko's help, made the cleaner inside the bottle. Before I could put on the rubber gloves, Niko tugged on my jacket.

"Um, Alan? Could I try cleaning the robot?"

"Oh, sure, just be careful not to fall into the water," I said, handing her the rubber gloves and sponge and pouring the acid for her while she set the lightbulb down beside me. While she got to work cleaning the rowbot, I turned my attention back to Silver, "So, after we leave, what do you plan on doing?"

"[Return back to the outpost. Keep sending reports back to the Refuge.]" she said simply.

"That's all? Won't you be alone again?"

She crossed her arms, "[...I'm used to it.]"

"...That doesn't make it a good thing."

She gave me a curious glance, "[You say that like you have experience.]"

My gaze shifted to Niko. Her eyes shined brightly as she twisted and turned around the rowbot, scraping away at the rust from it, occasionally giggling as the robot cheered as more and more parts of his body became free. I smiled softly before grief surged through me, "...Let's just say I'm no stranger to it."

As I looked back at Silver, her eyes softened. She opened her mouth, but she didn't say anything. I kept going, "I won't pry into what happened that made you keep yourself isolated here, but…" I stopped as memories of watching the world fall into darkness flashed through my mind, "...regret is an awful feeling to carry with you. No one should have to be alone..."

Silver stayed silent, her eyes searching my face for some hint of an answer.

"Finished!" Niko called out, bringing both of us back to the present, "There was a lot of rust, but I got it all!" She handed the sponge back to me and looked down at her scarf, "Oh, I got my scarf dirty…"

I kneeled down and tried rubbing the dirt away with my hand, but it hardly got the grime out of it. I rubbed my neck, "Well, shoot. Maybe I should've helped out a little bit…"

She giggled, "It's okay! I get it dirty all the time! Mama usually cleans it for me and I'm sure she'll do that when I get home."

"Well, you did a good job, that's for sure," I smiled, looking at the newly cleaned rowbot.

"[YES! I AM ABLE TO FULFILL MY PURPOSE AGAIN!]" it cheered, "[WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO?]"

"Can you take us to the Tower?" Niko asked.

"[CALCULATING...CLOSEST DESTINATION TO THE TOWER IS...THE GLEN, PORT NUMBER…]"

A metallic groan came from the base of the robot.

"[MY BUILT-IN NAVIGATION CIRCUITS HAVE FRIED.]"

"I'm...gonna assume that's not good," she said.

"[IT IS NOT GOOD AT ALL. ONCE AGAIN, I CANNOT FOLLOW MY PROGRAMMING.]"

"Aw…"

"[Hold on."] Silver chimed in, "[Is it just the navigation circuits?]"

"[AFFIRMATIVE.]"

She scratched her chin, "[Hm...I have something that may help.]" She reached into one of her pockets and pulled out the amber necklace we would need to get to the Glen and into the Tower, "[Here. This should activate its backup tracking system.]"

The rowbot took a moment to scan the necklace before it was able to determine a path to the Glen, readying itself to begin rowing away from the Barrens. I unloaded everything we wouldn't need to lighten the load, leaving only the journal in my pack. As Niko picked up the lightbulb, I turned to face Silver. Before I could say anything though, she held out the necklace to me, "[You should take this with you. Something tells me you need it more than I do.]"

"A-Are you sure?" I knew we needed it, but I still felt bad for taking it.

She hesitated before nodding, "[I'm sure.]"

I took the necklace and put it in my pocket, making sure it was secure before looking back at Silver, "Well, thanks for being with us. We really appreciate your help."

"Yes! Thank you so much!" Niko grinned.

"[It was no problem. I hope you get home safely.]"

Niko walked away towards the boat. I started to walk after her before Silver stopped me with a hand on my shoulder, "[Just one thing…]"

I raised an eyebrow, "Yeah…?"

She looked straight into my eyes. Her usual stoicism was gone, replaced by a wistfulness I had never seen her show, "[What you said...did you really mean that?]"

"...Yes."

Her eyes went wide for a split second before she closed them, "[...Alright.] she said, letting go of my shoulder, "[I'll...think about what you said. You should get going. There's no reason for you to linger here.]"

I watched as she stepped away from me, waiting for us to board the boat and leave for the Glen. I still felt awful for leaving her here. Part of me wished for her to come with us, but I knew that wasn't going to be the case. I certainly couldn't force her to come with us, but after what I did to the world in the original run, guilt was all I could feel.

"Hey, Silver?"

She looked up at me, "[What is-]"

Before I could process what I was doing, I had already wrapped Silver in a hug, cutting her off as she froze in shock. It took me a second to finally realize what I was doing before I let go of her, scratching my neck as my face heated up, "S-Sorry...that was probably awkward and uncalled-"

"[No. I-It's okay.]"

I snapped towards her in surprise. Her eyes were wide again as she looked away from me, "[It...was just surprising.]"

An awkward silence fell over us before I coughed, "Well, I should probably...get going. Thanks again for your help."

She nodded, "[You're welcome.]"

I turned towards the boat, only to see Niko smiling at me.

"Not a word," I said.

She giggled before motioning to the boat, "Well, there's not a lot of room in the boat, so I was thinking I could just sit in your lap."

I smiled, remembering the first time we rode in the boat, "Well, if that's the only way…"

I eased myself into the boat before letting Niko climb onto my lap. With a push, the rowbot left the dock, sailing us towards the next region.

Niko leaned to the side and looked back at Silver, who was still standing at the dock. "Thank you again!" she called out.

I could just barely make out a small smile make its way onto her face before she waved back. In a couple of seconds, the light from the bulb couldn't reach the dock anymore, letting the darkness fall back over the Barrens.

"She was really nice!" Niko said, leaning back into my chest as we glided across the water, "I wish she could've come with us…"

"Me too…" I murmured as I watched the waves beneath the boat.

We were silent as Niko and I admired the ocean. Niko began telling me how she had never seen an ocean before and how pretty it was. Just hearing her gush about it reminded me once again that this was really real, that I was being given a second chance to be with her again.

It didn't take long before I heard her yawn, "...Hey, Alan? Is it alright if I take a nap?"

I chuckled, "Go ahead. It won't bother me and I promise I won't let you fall out of the boat."

She giggled before yawning again, "Thanks…" As her breathing started to slow down, I heard her murmur, "...You're really warm…"

I smiled and wrapped an arm around her, letting her rest her head against it as she slept soundly under the comforting yellow light of the lightbulb. I took a few moments to silently thank the Author for finding a way for Niko to come back to me before I too began to feel the lull of sleep wash over me. I didn't fight it as I held Niko tightly in my arms.

For the first time since the original run, it was the best sleep I've ever had.

A/N: Writer's Block was a pain during this chapter, but I was able to push through it.
I just wanna let you guys know that during these next coming weeks, a lot of IRL stuff is gonna be happening involving moving back onto campus, moving houses, etc. so I'll try my best to keep pushing through and getting chapters out at a reasonable pace, but I just wanted to let you all know about it.
Hope you're all enjoying the story so far! Don't forget to leave reviews. They're greatly appreciated!