Zero 11
'Here we are...the resistance base.' Phantom thought as he peered at the darkened building in the middle of the desert through a pair of binocular. He could perceive no activities, and no guards were at the gates. 'Hmm...not good.' Worst still, Cardinal's radio was still off...
This...did not bode well, at all.
Unwilling to leave his mission half-finished, and anxious to know the fate of those who had taken refuge in Ciel...and Draupadi. the cyber-Shinobi sneaked in, using the cover of the night as the best of Camouflage...and a limp as an excuse.
The closer he came to the refugee camp, the deeper his heart sank.
He could see no trace of life...and his audios were met with complete silence. 'Maybe...Oh, I hope I made a mistake and they are all hiding.' This would be the best-case scenario.
He began to chant under his breath, Draupadi-Zero's success in recovering Master X was nothing short of a miracle, and she kept praying to the Lord.
Maybe...just maybe he would also have this success?
"Hare Krishna, Hera Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare..." He began to recite as he walked through the deserted gate...even the security cameras were off. "Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare..."
He, dropped his limp and entered the eerily empty compound, some rats were scurrying here and there, but he could catch no sign of any birds or their sky.
The more he scouted, the deeper his heart sank. The resistance had left the base, taking with them whatever resources they could.
All water was gone, as were the E-crystals and weapons. And no Cyber-elves remained. No lights were working, due to the lack of generators.
Then...Phantom felt it, the Zero Virus.
Usually, this would mean the end of the world. But now... 'is somebody still here?' He hoped as he ran down the hall where the warning was at its loudest.
He threw the door open...it was a medical-shop.
'Is this how...how did they even managed to fix anything? Most of the equipment here are obsolete!' Phantom realized with sheer wonder as he inspected every door and tools left behind.
The Warning came from an exceedingly old medical grade computer. Phantom wasted no time to comb trough his directory as to see why this particular museum piece was hot.
After looking through the medical log for the last two weeks, he finally found those that belong to one DWN-∞- (0000).
the earlier test showed nothing wrong but some slight damage. But the first one really caught Phantom by surprise.
Zero...had suffered a severe heat-crash. Sever enough that he...they went through a hard reset.
Usually, a hard reset was automatically performed in case of a fatal hardware failure...software too.
In both cases, the rate of success was abysmally low. Not unlike how a dying newborn would revive themselves until their brain was to damage to reset.
An from what he saw...Zero's hard reset should've been his last act. For, while it was expertly hidden in a mire of senseless codes, Zero's creator had included a very nasty Kill-Switch.
To most eyes, it would appear as two memory-related programs glitching on one another. But in truth...
"Draupadi should not be online..." Came the chilling conclusion.
Phantom did not even dared to even think what would've been the result.
He looked at the chat-Log, and chuckled at how disjointed the Red-Riper had been. He also took note of how...pious it sounded.
God...Krishna...Not this body...
Creator Wily...always female.
God Worshipper.
He saved it for further scrutiny. If Draupadi-Zero were to stay with Master X, the Shinobi wanted to know as much as he could about her.
Suddenly, his Audio picked up some vibration...Phantom was to far to make it out, but the rhythm in which it was recited was somewhat familiar.
He saved all of Draupadi-Zero's medical records and followed his ears, making sure his disguise didn't glitch as he approached the source of the sound.
Eventually, as he entered the dormitory, now so closed, Phantom could easily make out what he'd been hearing.
It was a reploid that sounded like an old man...
"Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna...Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare... Hare Rama, Hare Rama...Rama Rama, Hare Hare...' He sang gently, the sound from his voice chip surprisingly pleasant to Phantom's audio.
It was the same Mantra, the same code Draupadi-Zero had sent master X, it was the same prayer his Master would sing...it was the same song and the same melody the oldest androids in creation had sung a little over a week ago after the debacle had come to an end.
It was the melody and the Mantra that had saved Master X and himself.
His core fluttered, maybe his mission would be such a failure after all.
He approached the door where the mantra resounded the loudest and paused, taking stock of what had been etched on this particular door.
Wench, Whore, Mech-meat, Click-bait. Cross-consol, open code... Back-door, open-source.
X's open port bitch.
'Ah, this must be Zero's room.' Really, it was so clear, putting a name on the door would make it redundant.
He...knocked on it, hopping he didn't have to enter a code.
During the last week or so, his communication with Cardinal had trickled to mere reports. The generic model would usually add tidbits of useless information like the name of a plush cat and Ciel's energy consumption. But now...he would be hard press to know the password for the front gate.
Also, why would Ciel sweeten her 'coffee' with E-crystals? The girl may be a genius, but this was beyond stupid. So Phantom had filed that under the rumour folder.
The 'old man' stopped chanting, and he walked to the door, opening it manually.
Phantom took stock of the reploid. He looked the same as a balding old man for some reason, also had the same tremors one would be afflicted with old age.
Or his energetic reserves were too low.
"Oh? Cardinal, what are you doing here?" He asked in the most grandfatherly tone possible. "I thought you left with the rest? Please, please come in and tell me what happened dear, old Andrew will try to find some full E-crystals for you." He gently pulled Phantom in, it was at the time the Shinobi realized he had no idea what had just happened.
It was rather upsetting, to say the least.
"So...how did you manage to escape Egrets custody dear? And did...why is little Alouette not with you?" He asked with plenty of dread.
Usually, Phantom could lie his way out of any situation, but now...he didn't have enough information to even maintain his disguise.
Andrew looked at Phantom from under his bushy grey brows. Running his hand up and down his beard.
"You...are not our Cardi, are you?"
He dropped his disguise. "No sir...I'm Hidden Phantom of the Cutting shadow squadron." He lowered his head...
Usually, having his cover blown meant that the one who made the discovery was as good a dead.
But this...this was not a usual mission. He was not here as an enemy and Andrew was one of the reploid whom Draupadi had tasked phantom to check on.
He looked...fine, despite his apparent age...and lack of energy.
Andrew kept looking at Phantom, holding what seemed to be shards of E-crystal. He didn't seem disturbed by the fact that the foremost assassin of Neo-Arcadia was standing right in front of him.
His face fell. "Ah...I thought so. Egrets really did took them all with him." He regretfully spoke as he went and sat in the sole folding chair in the room.
"Can you tell me what happened here?" He asked the rather calm and composed reploid. "Why is this place deserted, and why are you the sole one present."
Andrew looked at the dark reploid from under his eyebrows. "I'm surprised you do not know, Assassin. Don't you have a double agent in our midst?"
"Yes...but I'm afraid she may have defected to Ciel's side." He stated as he sat down...
This was not an enemy, and something in his heart told him he was safe to trust.
Andrew chuckled as he shook his head. "Ah...this is where you are wrong, oh Phantom. Cardinal did not defect to either Ciel or Elpizo's side...she, like me and all of us, have defected to Alouette and Draupadi's side."
"Please elaborate." Phantom asked as he preemptively files this conversation in,' vital'.
"Yes...of course. Are you sure you do not want anything? Water? Some scraps?"
"No, I was fully fuelled when I left Neo-Arcadia." which was four days ago... and if he were to trust Cardinal's last report, it had only taken Draupadi-Zero eight hour to reach the last bastion...on foot.
How did Draupadi manage to reach Neo-Arcadia so quickly, this question had baffle everyone.
"Ah...I see. Good, I don't have much resources anyway." Andrew fell silent as he gathered his thoughts. "So...Where were we? Right... there was three factions that formed in the resistance after dear Draupadi's miraculous revival. The first one being us, her followers and disciples."
Phantom's memory flashed back at the marking on Draupadi's body, the lustre of her frame, and the divine atmosphere she seemed to generate. Add to that the Mantra, he prayerful attitude...and the fact that she had clearly been possessed by something much greater then anything ever recorded.
So for her to have disciples...
Nope, Phantom was not even surprised by that.
"Now...I don't believe Draupadi-Zero is aware of how we see her."
"How do you see her?"
"As a teacher, a Prophet of Sri-Sri Radha-Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
Phantom stared.
"God, basically."
"God." the dark assassin repeated. "Like...this old man sitting on his throne up in the cloud surrounded by angels and ready to smith all sinners and delinquent?" He clarified.
Everyone knew it was a man-made idea to give the mass a false sense of reassurance about how the cold and heartless universe was not about to kill them and about how there was life after death when really, everything was void.
And what to speak of religion, just an institution busy whitening the population and draining all resources with a few fancy words and false healing.
"No." Andrew's voice grew sharp and cold. "What you explained to me is all man-made and fallible. Draupadi wrote in her note that those types of religions are called Cheating religion. What Draupadi-Zero gave is the real, eternal and pure religion, the Swa-Dharma; the eternal, constitutional nature of the soul."
"And what is this nature?" Phantom asked. A little surprise that he would have a philosophical debate with an old man in the middle of an abandoned base.
"Eternity, Consciousness and bliss. And our eternal role, our eternal active nature is to serve God, Krishna, with love."
"God...wait, what?" Phantom sputtered. When did love become a part of the conversation?
"Ah yes, I went a bit too fast now, didn't I?" Andrew chuckled as a mischievous glint entered his eyes. "So God is not an old man, but an eternal youth between fifteen and sixteen. He's all the shades of blue, but for those whom he is the summum-bonnum of all mellows, he is dark-blue like the night sky. He is the source of the human form of life, with two arms and two legs ending with lotus-like feet."
Phantom stared owlishly at Andrew, he'd never heard feet being described as such, and he was one of the most active lurker in this one particular forum.
Once again, Andrew chuckled. "Ah yes...Krishna's the source of all beauty and bliss, and his two beautiful and delicate feet are likened to a pair of blue and red lotuses. They are soft and delicate, His toes resemble lotus petals and his nails ten dancing full moon. His soles are as red as the dawn, the contrast between his night like hue of his skin and the dawn of his sole takes away all miseries." the old reploid exulted.
"Oh..." Phantom grunted, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. Picturing the sight...
Wow!
Who would've thought...who would've thought he would hear such poetic description of his favourite and most worshipable part of anyone's anatomy. Of God's feet...
God. Krishna had beautiful feet... This was a religion Phantom wouldn't mind joining.
"Those feet." Andrew continued, fully absorbed in his narrations. "Are decorated with nineteen auspicious symbols, on the left foot, the half-moon, water-pot, triangle, bow, sky, cow's hoof-print, fish, conch, and on the right foot, the eight-pointed star, svastika, wheel, parasol, barley-corn, elephant-goad, flag, thunderbolt, jambu fruit, urdhva-rekha, and lotus."
"Do you have a picture?" phantom asked, forgetting the reason why he was here.
No, this was not usual for the ever-so professional spy-master of the emperor of Neo-Arcadia. But he had a thing for feet...
Funny how the mind function faced with the object of one's desired pleasure.
But at those words, Andrew's face turned sombre. "No...Unfortunately, all holy scripture, picture, audio content and ancient videos are in Alouette's hard drive."
This brought Phantom back to reality better than in Master X had personally kicked him in the back of the head...and maybe he did.
"And where is Alouette right now? And everyone?"
Old Andrew forlornly gazed at the assassin from under his well-crafted eyebrows. "Ah...two days ago. Egret...move the entire base to another location. but I was suffering from a crash myself...our Draupadi's files are not meant for normal reploids, and I have no idea how little Alouette managed to carry everything in her little memory..."
"When my disk was defragmented and I finally woke up, to day's later...I was all alone." he regretfully informed the assassin. "I looked all over the place, the only thing I managed to found was a USB key with Alouette's last message to Zero."
Phantom didn;t like this at all. "DO you know what this message contain?" he asked.
"No, I don't look at messages meant for others. especially to our great teacher." He got up from his chair, surprising Phantom at how fluid his movement was. "Now...you probably came he to see how many mavericks are left, didn't you"
"No sir, Draupadi-Zero sent me to recover you and whomever was still favourable to her."
Andrews eyes grew big, then his entire frame began to shake.
Phantom quickly got to his feet, steadying the so-called old man. "Mister Andrew."
"The Lord...The Lord heard our prayers..." Andrew sobbed. "But he saved this useless old fool...oh Krishna...Why did you save me? I'm but an old codger...where are they? where are they?" He held onto the taller reploid. "Oh, My Lord...Oh Krishna...Krishna!"
After he and Andrew were transponded away (it still took four days to get to a close enough location to do that.) from the abandoned base, the Assassin immediately contacted Draupadi-Zero and Master X. They were now in Master's X's office, right under the evening sky.
"I see." The maverick queen nodded. "So...we have another problem on our hands then."
"Egret always was a bit of a...what's the words...no, not a visionary, that your husband...ah, A conspiracy theorist," Andrew spoke for a chair, he was dusty, in need of a good recharge and actual E-crystals. Not mere scrapes.
Draupadi made a face, she absolutely hated those. Even those who were right. 'The only good conspiracy theorist was our Srila Prabhupada.' Those other would be overly fanatic and would let those ugly relative truth completely control their life...
She shook this thought off. "And you have no idea where he could have gone and...what could've happened to my friends and Ciel?"
Andrew shook his head. "No...once again, i was...off for two days. The only thing I can say for sure is that it's even further then Neo-Arcadia..." He grunted. "I'm worried for miss Ciel. Being so far from Neo-Arcadia mean that they won't have any medicine and food she could eat. And as for Alouette." his wizened faced darken. "Egret is a very practical man, if he see's something as useless..."
"He Bhagavan!" Draupadi folded her palms as she prayed for the Lord to protect this very special soul. Now regretting her decision to have left her in this terrible situation.
She could only hope for the Lord's protection, being ultimately useless at tracking something in sand.
"He...had already killed all the reploids suffering from desperation..."
"He must've taken their bodies. I could only find some briken limbs." Phantom muttered darkly. Then his expression changed to deep guilt.
Beside him, Leviathan shared the same feeling while Fefnir did everything in his power not to look at either Draupadi-Zero or Master X. Harpuia's countenance remained carved in stone, but it was clear he was fuming, still wrapped up in his pride.
"Let me guess." the blue bomber, sitting at his desk began, leaning his chin and lips to his crossing fingers. "All of you did the same thing."
Leviathan lowered her gaze, looking dully chastised. Phantom braced himself for his due punishment and Fefnir rubbed the back of his head, looking like a child about to be heavily scolded.
X sighed as he massaged his nose.
"Master X." Harpuia began. "Your orders were to cull those reploids unneeded to Neo-Arcadia-"
"I did,"
"We were merely following your orders Master. And the result was as you predicted." the green sky general spoke proudly. "We managed to recuperate numerous-."
"I don't want to hear it." X interrupted his second in command. "I've made a mistake-"
"Master!"
"And I'm planning on how to fix it with the least amount of causality this time." X spoke tiredly, like the weight of the world rested on his all too narrow shoulders.
Draupadi, who stood by his left side, let her right hand rest on one of those shoulders. "Don't worry X, I'm here."
X grabbed her hand and gave it a grateful squeeze.
"SO if I resume the situation we're in right now, I'm free of my madness but not before causing a terrible amount of damage. My four copies did nothing to stop it and now I have the reploid and human population hating me for it." he gave a wry smile. " Meaning this one plan of mine failed successfully."
"Not only that, but we have yet another reploid who own a small army of civilian grade who also want me and all humans dead and they have Ciel, the greatest Genius since Doctor Light." X stated...and were he not in a position of power, he would shamelessly flop down on his desk. "This... won't end well."
Draupadi snorted. "Excuse me, but Wily's legacy still lives on. No matter what she does, I will destroy it."
"I tough you were non-violent now," X asked his wife.
" I'm not a Buddhist, I'm a Vaishnavi. None-violent dosen;t mean you do nothing." Draupadi huffed. "It means to protect those who are weaker from death, suffering and injustice by protecting their bodies, and by giving them Krishna-Consciousness." She explained.
"Ah...I see." X nodded. "So, I know that problem won't really matter then." he dismissed.
Draupadi crossed her arms with a smirk. "Nope!"
"Master X." leviathan ventured. "Do we...what will be our punishment?" she shyly asked.
"None. You were only following my command without question, I have no right to punish you for doing your duty."
there was a collective venting.
"But...reparations will have to be given to whomever was affected by my madness."
"meaning well over 3,392 reploids, and the field they worked in...and those they worked with." Phantom counted off from memory, having kept count of the needless slaughter.
X lowered his head. "Yes...I will start with officially cancelling the culling order and public apologies."
"It won't be enough." Andrew spoke from his rocking chair, a gift of the Master of Neo-Arcadia to the old build.
"What else am I supposed to do?" X asked helplessly. "I can't revive any of them, and while their frame can be rebuilt to perfection, I can'st force those souls to return. And no...killing myself of entering self-exile will just make things worst, I just know it."
"The concentration camp is still filled with Ghost," Draupadi interjected.
"How is that supposed to make me feel better?" X pointedly ask.
"I'll chant Hare Krishna for them and the Holy names of Nityananda-Gauranga, if I can recite them purely enough, they should Vaikuntha at the minimum..." She humbly stated.
Andrew chuckled and X (and all of his copies) queried the Maverick Queen with their eyes.
"It's the second-lowest level of the spiritual world. It's free from birth and death and God, Vishnu is worshipped with aw and reverence." Draupadi explained as if she was giving her report on a location. "The best and highest is the Lotus of Goloka Vrindavana and Navadwip.."
Harpuia sneered. "Oh? Really? I never tough the great Zero was into Hindu Mysticism." He hissed despite the presence of his master. "Your software must've got corrupted worst then previously thought."
Draupadi shrugged. " Well...I never thought my husband would turn maverick...I think he did a good job despite that, to be honest." she praised as she pat her sweetheart on the back. "The human population is thriving, all have the food they required and everyone has free medical care. It just need a care system for reploid, a better educational system for both reploids and humans and a few Krishna temples and everything would be perfect."
X turned to her. "Draupadi...is this supposed to make me feel better?"
"Well...a reverse maverick. Save the humans. Kill the synth." then a look came to her. "You know...I'm surprised humans didn't kill the first generation after I accidentally turned them rogue."
"By then, Reploids and Mechaniloid were an integral part of society...and no one wanted to return to how it was before," X informed his wife.
"Even if it would've make those blue collars having jobs again." Draupadi sadly shook her head. "lazy fools, enslave one to starve the other." she sneered.
X sighed. And Draupadi rubbed his shoulder. "It's alright...there's nothing you could've done anyway. It's-"
"In the past and the past cannot be change...I can only try to make a brighter future." X recited hisother mantra. "And for this...God needs to be involved."
"Hey see! Your learning quickly!" Draupadi-Zero praised. An X answered with an uneasy smile.
"So...now what?" Leviathan asked as she almost casually leaned onto her spear. This was not the meeting she was used to. Sure the subject matter was grave, but the whole room was relaxed and bright.
"We apologies and try to restore Neo-Arcadia as it was four years ago...and assist my Draupadi in her mission to spread Krishna-Consciousness." X gently declared with steeple fingers.
"Master X, with all due respect-"
"This is what we'll to Sage Harpuia, and you have no say in it." X mildly snapped. Then, he gave a helpless shrugged. "I'm willing to try anything at this point... Since following mere logic has failed me time and time again."
"Yes, and I'm sure mystical Zero knows some magical" the green sky general waved his fingers about. "incantation to have this impossible become a reality." he crossed his arms over his chest, still trying to burn Draupadi were she stood. " Sure, let her brainwash the rest of earth's population, maybe then, with everyone no better than a lunatic, peace will be achievable."
"Harpuia!" X warned. But the green and off-white General was not done with his diatribe.
"Why don't we let her do a rain dance outside in the middle of Signa's square while we're at it. Maybe, just maybe she'll make my rainmaker useless by gyrating on an overturned tub."
A dangerous glint appeared in X's eyes as he tried to get up, he was about to run Harpuia through the sword of his words when Draupadi prevented him.
The last thing she wanted was to start yet another war.
"Well, if you give me permission, I can do what you just told me, General Harpuia. And yes, it would attract the rain also," she stated as if she was reporting to a superior.
Harpuia (and all the generals.) stared owlishly at Draupadi. Then the lord of the sky turned to X. "I would not listen to Zero...they...She's clearly not in her right mind if she made you believe in this impossible fantasy." He sneered. "Everyone knows that this is not possible...She should not be so close to you, my lord. Not if she's leading you to a so-called utopia."
"Well...in my madness, I attempted to bring my Zero back by giving her a reason to kill me." X smiled. "and if a remember well, you and Leviathan were against the idea, telling me that nothing in the wold could bring him back.." he turned to Draupadi-Zero, his glance meaningful and filled with mirth and unabashed devotion. "I think the result speaks for itself, don't you think?" he gave a rare and...quite nasty smile toward his second in command.
At that moment, it seemed Harpuia may have swallowed some of his pride and was now realising how disgusting it was.
[Well...I'm still not happy with the thousands of Reploid who perished, but I'm nonetheless moved.] She conveid to him via radio. [ Also, you better keep your promises about helping spread the Holy teachings of the Lord and His Holy-names.]
[My Zaki...whatever you ask, I will give.]
[You promise?]
[Yes...I already gave you my heart and my life... do as you will with me.]
A shiver went up Draupadi's spinal tube. [Chant Hare-Krishna, Help me spread the glories and mercy of Sri-Krishna, the supreme personality of Godhead, and for the love of the ever sweet couple, don't you ever think of doing something so stupid.]
On his rocking chair, Andrew chuckled, muttering something about how, indeed, the life of thousand of Reploid for Draupadi Devi dasi was quite the deal.
days passed, and still nothing from The resistance and Alouette. Not even the double agent could be contacted.
It was now a retrieval mission...And Fefnir was in charge, as with his second in command, Necromancess...quite an interesting person, to be honest. And still very much confused as to how she should act toward Draupadi. Still...it had been a week now, and they had yet to find anything of value.
Draupadi surrendered to the fact that Krishna had a better plan for the young blond reploid. A plan that didn't involve the two blond Vaishnavi to be in communication.
Draupadi had listened to her dear friend's message. Alouette had apologized for her bratiness and prayed that Lord Krishna would keep Draupadi safe while she terrorized Neo-Arcadia straight back to God.
Well...at the point the world was at, it was a very valid option. For the Acharia had said 'By hook or by crook, give them a book.' and that, eventually, the preachers would have to hold people at gunpoint to make them chant the holy names.
But Srila-Prabupada had also emphasized good behaviour and how charming the demons of Kali-Yuga back to the Bright side was better and less harmful in the long run then using force. And this tactic, to attract with love, humility and beauty of character had worked amazingly well...until world war three ravaged the earth.
Still...it could work. Both options were viable and Draupadi would choose the one that would fit the time, place and the circumstances.
But back to Alouette's message.
The little reploid had recorded to Draupadi how there were actually more devoted reploids now, having turned their back to Elipzo and growing disabused with Ciel. And thus, they had taken shelter of God and Draupadi.
Alouette was still chanting Hare Krishna and was still trying to get those scriptures out. But with how they were heavily encrypted, and how Elpizo had confiscated all piece of none-essential hardware. It would take forever and a half to have them out.
She did managed to make copies of Draupadi's numerous notes...but those took time to type, and Bluetooth sharing was a very risky affair nowadays.
This worried Draupadi, while Ciel had been at the helm of the resistance, she had been more about maintenance, defence and solidification, not for offensive.
At least...until she woke her up...
Now... with Bakasura having taken control of the guerrilla, he was turning the once peaceful village-like structure into a military base. And he didn't even bother hiding his goal.
To kill her, Kill X, take over Neo-Arcadia by force and... Kill all humans since that was what Mavericks would do.
'I won't allow it... I may have no idea where he is, but Neo-Arcadia has become the new cradle for Vaishnava culture...' But she would not hunt Elpizo.
No need, when he would come to her with his entire army...just like how Krishna tricked Jarasandra and oodles of Demons weighing down mother Bhumi to attack Mathura eighteen times.
Krishna killed them all but Jaransada. fort eh fool kept attacking Him in the hope of an impossible victory. all of his friends and ally were demons, the worst of the worst...
he just made God's cleanup easier.
But now Alouette, this most fortunate of soul was in a dangerous situation and in an unknown location. Draupadi had no meant to contact her, since, from what Alouette had conveyed, Elpizo had commissioned Ciel to make a radio-jammer.
It worked, and right now...well, the week prior the machine had been turned on, and no matter what Alouette did, she could not find a good enough reason so that she may contact Draupadi through the Relay...
"Thank you Draupadi, You gave me hope...a real, eternal goal or life. I know things didn;t work the way I wanted, but it's by Krishna's will since, like you and Prabhupada said, not a blade of grass move without his sanction...plenty of other Reploid's and cyber-elves are chanting Hare-Krishna too. We could be more but...I don't want Egret to find us out since...he hates you." The recording Continue, and Draupadi's Bhakti softened heart lurched in its mechanical box. "I...I'm sorry Draupadi...I miss you."
'I miss you too Alouette.'
"I'm a bit scared, but I know...Krishna will help us out if Egret get too crazy. And one day...one day we'll see each other and we can chant and dance together like Prabhupada wanted." Alouette's vice choked. "And we can...we can share the holy names with everyone and ...and..."the little girl abruptly stopped. Then she resumed. "Listen, we have to leave the base. If you find this message...Thank you for everything Draupadi. I...See you soon. By Krishna's will."
this was the content of the message. Nothing more could be learned from it except that it confirmed Draupadi's second greatest fear.
It was the eleventh time Draupadi had listened to it tonight, unable to shut her CPU off.
This had been what she had been doing when not typing the scriptures down, chanting the holy names with X, teaching her husband about the sublime process of Bhakti-Yoga and regaling her blue bomber with the tales of all the crazy stunt Archa-Vigraha, also know as Axl, had managed to pull off against Bharath. Most of them ending with the funny brahmachari and dear friend cleaning up his mess he and Draupadi's brother had caused.
And the time Draupadi had helped with the prank, the mock fighting, her Guru-Ma's love and care, Vasudeva-Prabhu's council...
She missed them...she missed them all.
She felt an arm sneak around her mid-section, and the lips of her Prabhu on the nape of her neck. "Zaki... Are you still listening to Alouette's message?"
Draupadi sighed. "Yes..."
"You worried about her," he spoke as he held his wife close, Moulding his body to her's.
"I worry about all of them...but I worry about my little Alouette the most," Draupadi admitted as she reached for X's hand, the one that had gravitated toward her face, cupping her cheek tenderly.
"you know...From the moment I woke up without memory. It's like she knew I needed a friend. And she just... she just walked in my room and hugged me, telling me how everything would be fine and how, whoever I was, she would...she would love me anyway."Draupadi managed to choke out. Fighting against her tears.
Those had been X's words the first time they met. Was it a wonder that she and the small reploid had clicked do quickly?
"When I would get damage and had to remain at Cerveaus Medical ward, Alouette and Socrat would be there. She would try to help...just because she wanted to be close to me... and at night, when she couln;t sleep, she would come to my room and would ask me for a story."
"You? Telling stories?" X asked, surprised to hear that Zero, of all persons, would attract a child... reploid or not.
Draupadi chuckled fondly. " I would tell her stories about this little price who met an four armed alien...and how he reached the pole stars." she paused... "Oh Krishna!"
"Zaki?"
"I told her the Story of Druva Maharaja and how he met God." A smile split her lips. "Alouette loved this story so much, little Druva had such a strong determination...it only took him six months to become self realized... He was five at the time." She closed her eyes... she could remember Alouette's question about who Vishnu was and why and How Druva's austerity caused the universe to suffocate.
He had no clue back then...but now she knew a little bit more. For she was holding the entire Srimad-Bhagavatam in her computerized body...and she had heard this piece of history countless times.
She heard and felt X hum as he snuggled her closer. "I thought you only had space for me in your heart." He mumbled against her neck. "Glad to see that your heart got bigger Zee." he punctuated this statement with a kiss.
"Thought you'd be jealous." Draupadi playfully shot back.
"Why? Why should I be jealous?" X asked as he cuddled his wife closer.
"Because I'm not just yours anymore. I...I gave myself to Krishna." She admited.
"So you belong to God now."
"I do..." no use to hide it.
"Does it make you happy?" He asked again, the smile in his voice undeniable.
"Yes, it does." And even if given the chance to fix all he mistakes, she would never change the past, not even for a possibility of a better present.
"So why should I be mad?" She felt X smiled from the back of her neck. "Zaki...I've never seen you so happy...and this, I've never felt this happy also."
A grateful smile light her lips... 'Krishna, I have no idea what I previously did to get such an amazing husband in my life...X's your causeless mercy, isn't he?' She asked the supreme controller and enjoyer.
Sill, this didn;t erase the fact that Alouette and the rest of Krishna's new Bhatka's were in a very precarious situation.
"Hey...Zaki. It's alright." X murmured in her audio receptor. "Just keep chanting Hare Krishna...just like you told me. Krishna will take care of it."
Draupadi gave a breathy laugh..."I don't deserve you." she twisted her head around like an owl so she could plant a sweet kiss on her husbands lips. Then after resetting her neck position, she playfully wrestled him for the right to break free of his tight embrace. The room was filled with light laughter, bright and bubbly, chasing away whatever fear and anxiety the couple may have had.
Oh, such difference from the wrung out and tired master of Neo-Arcadia. A persona that had yet to leave, but had less of a clutch onto her dear Echo.
Every morning since X's outburst, Draupadi had shown him how to chant the Maha-Mantra as a meditation. And he did...
He was chanting fifteen rounds every day and was chanting them with all of his attention, which is something Draupadi longed to do again. But her mind was always filled with worry for her new Bhakta's and a thousand of inconsequential things.
The result of X's recitation of the holy names was a clear improvement of his mood, bliss and a happiness that was starting to overtake his entire frame.
And that was just the beginning...For her real mission was just about to start.
They were together again...nothing could stop them. Especially with God backing them up.
Draupadi-Zero had the supreme reason to fight, an eternal mission to complete, and X by her side.
And X...had his Zero, his teacher...His island amid the hidden chaos of Neo-Arcadia.
Finally, Draupadi almost managed to break free from X's arms, she was standing beside the bed while the blue bomber was stubbornly holding her things, unwilling to let go.
"Echo! C'mon it's already three forty-five in the morning." She protested as she tried to remove his hands.
"Nooo! It's too early~" X playfully whined as he hugged her powerful thighs.
Yes, X was playful again... it came and went, but when it was there...it brightened Draupadi's days considerably.
The last time he had been this playful was when he was still under the loving care of doctor Cain...and also when they thought Sigma was gone for good after the first maverick uprising.
"No, it's not! C'mon, let me go! I don't wanna waste my time in bed, we have stuff to do." She informed him.
At the mention of his daily grind, X flopped down. "Right..." he sighed. " The public apology, it's today, isn't it?" he asked his dear wife.
"Yes..." she answered curtly, mentally preparing for the upcoming wind shower.
No matter how much she tried to convince herself, Draupadi still hated the thing with a passion only Sigma could generate.
She felt X's arms wrap around her shoulder as he gently laid a sweet little kiss on her cheek. "Come one, let's face the day."
And thus, after a six-hours of rest, the two oldest androids in exitance exited the room, there, the saw a very fluffy and somewhat discontent Andrew. Gone were the green dud, he now favoured the saffron cotton of a brahmachari.
"Hare Krishna Andrew Prabhu, how was your... 'shower'?" Draupadi asked cordially. Careful not to show how...not terrified but apprehensive she was of the terrible wind blower.
Andrew ran his hand the the ridiculous pom-pom he called a beard. He managed to put it back at its normal position...somewhat.
"The blower's broken...and it skipped on the anti-static."
X pressed his lips to a thin line, and Draupadi did the same.
Great.
"Oops I guess." and with that, the renounced man skipped away. "Oh...Before I forget, Leviathan want's to see you Draupadi, she doesn't take kindly to be ignored for so long." he added as an after thought.
If the wind tunnel had been her least favourite part of the day, dealing with Leviathan was something Draupadi dreaded more.
X opened his mouth, then he touched the right side of his head. He had a call.
"Yes, Camera. Yes...yes, it's at ten...what? Come on can it wait?" He helplessly asked. Then his face fell. "Alright, I'll be there..."
"Camera?" Draupadi asked.
"Yes, he's the one in charge of the broadcast," X explained as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Bad news?"
"No...he just wants to make sure I don't look green on screen...and he wants to do some test and whatnot." the blue bomber sighed. "Listen...if Leviathan does something you'rr against, you have my permission to use as much force as necessary."
"I'll deal with her with how I see fit...but thank you for the permission," she gave her husband a bright smile. A smile he readily returned.
'Krishna...I never expected you to give me back my husband but...you did. I deserve less than that. Oh my lord...I...thank you...thank you so much.' She prayed in sincere gratitude.
Krishna was the supreme controller, the master of the countless universes. Every single atom would dance at the sound of his Bansuri and Venu...
And the Lord...the Lord had saved X from himself, using Draupadi as His instrument.
A shudder went through her frame... she could not even imagine what would've happened if Krishna had not intervened...
No, actually, Draupadi could. And it was a complete nightmare.
"Listen...I'll go and see what Leviathan want's...maybe the wind-cleaner will be fixed by then."She hopped not...but the idea of putting oil on the ice guardian's fire of passion was even less appealing.
"Alright...be careful."
"I will."
"I love you, Zaki."
"Love you too Echo."
And thus, the couple parted to deal with the day. Hoping nothing too crazy would happen and knowing that it may be too much to ask.
"Yes, Leviathan. You wanted to see me?" Draupadi spoke through the ice general intercom.
Leviathan's room was situated at the lowest level of the residential quarter, in an underground complex with five level of security...it was actually an entire floor.
And as expected, it was presently cool and about as humid as an indoor swimming pool, and Draupadi's audio could easily catch the soothing sound of water.
It immediately reminded her of the Cyber-Ganga and Yamuna, the virtual reality version of the world's two most sacred rivers.
She heard scrambling, and Leviathan's heels striking the ground as she hurried to the door.
Draupadi gave herself permission to wrinkle her nose in disgust. It was clear Leviathan had no idea was she was trailing behind with those. 'But...maybe their integrated..." this could also be a possibility.
The door slid open, and Leviathan stood in the door frame...
Without her helmet, her resemblance with X was astonishing.
She had blue hair...ice blue hair...and her face seemed to have been somewhat modified but it was clear she was looking at X's copy.
For a moment, Draupadi wondered if X did not warp in Leviathan's room...but then...
Ice blue hair in a short bob...X hair was always a bit fluffy with some curls and the colour of black coffee.
Leviathan's hair laid flat on her head, and with how it framed her delicate face, it gave the impression that was still wearing a helmet.
It was...She was pretty. But definitely not as pretty as Sri-krishna.
The ice general grinned as she gazed a the blonde berserk, once again, reminding Draupadi of how her husband would look at her. Then she grabbed Draupadi by the wrist and pulled her in her room...and her arms.
Now, since this was not a battle situation and no aggressivity had been detected by her battle algorithm, Draupadi could only helplessly endure the embrace of Leviathan...the only two positive things was it's friendly nature and the fact the ice-general body was much colder than the ambient air, and the Vaishnavi's own frame.
This reminded her of a verse of the Jagannath Ashtakam describing how Sri-Jagannath Swami,Who's none other then Krishna, was eternally embracing Srimati-Radharani, who's body was as cooling as a pond.
"Oh my Gosh!" Leviathan exclaimed. "I can't believe your here!"
"you did requested my presence," Draupadi stated...she wanted out now.
Leviathan finally released her, still keeping her hands on the shorter Draupadi's shoulder, she had a huge grin on her face... "I know!"
Draupadi averted her eyes, mapping out the room.
It was a fairly simple decor and the lights were kept low to emphasis the dancing of the waves of Leviathan's oversized pool...
Obliviously, she could not stay on land and dry less she turns into the world's biggest dust bunny.
Draupadi decided to keep this mental picture...
the ice and water-based general grabbed Draupadi by the wrist and enthusiastically dragged the Vaishnavi to the poolside where she saw some cloth...a dress perhaps, soap and what was unmistakably a green silken ribbon and a towel.
"Leviathan...Is this."
"Yes! I heard from Freaky that you absolutely hated the wind tunnel, not that I blame you." Leviathan stated as she pulled on Draupadi's hand-me-down robes. "So, my pool's now your pool! there you can bath, sink and...do whatever your kind do in the water, I have no objection!"
"Leviathan!" She exclaimed as she held onto the blue-robed. "Stop it! What's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me? A few things dear...but I'm not letting you bath in my pool with a dusty robe, and who bath's with clothes on anyway?"
The image of Draupadi's Guru bathing in the actual Ganga met Draupadi's mind eyes. It was from a photo album of her first trip of the ever sacred Navadwip.
The first time Sri-Isopanisada had seen the holy river, in her early twenties, she had jumped in it, clothes and all!
Her bright smile and muddy sari had said it all.
"Zero...Ah, Draupadi?" Leviathan waved a hand in front of the Vaishnavi's face. The blond android reset her eyes and sighed.
"So...bathing then. You...seriously called me from my husbands side just so I could wash with precious water?" she asked with a raise eyebrows.
"yes."
"why?" it made no sense as to why the flirty general wanted to do that...short of more flirting despite the fact that Draupadi was married to the king of this place ,and that their relationship had only gotten stronger after centuries of separation.
"I just wanted to thank you for saving master X and... and making him happy again," Leviathan explained as she managed to remove the heavy and indeed dusty robe from Draupadi's back. The servant of God too shocked to react. "It's my way to say thank you...for saving us all."
Leviathan sighed as she sat Draupadi down and began to open her braid, using her natural heat exchanging ability to sap plenty of heat from the world's most cumbersome sink. "Di-Zi...I've been serving X for decades...and he never had an actual smile, he never laughed...never cried." she began. "Me and my brother's...we're his copies.."
"Yes...figured as much," Draupadi mumbled, relaxing despite herself. "Who made your body anyway, it's looks and feel just like an original."
Leviathan chuckled. "Yes...that's because we are. Doctor Thomas Light made us all."
At this information, Draupadi turned to face the ice guardian, her mouth open as she tried to express a plethora of words, expletive and rebuke... "no...wait...but X was..."
"The only one Doctor Cain found," Leviathan explained as she repositioned Draupadi the way she wanted. "Yes...because half the lab was collapse and Cain didn't have enough finds or reason to excavate the rest...even after finding X." she began to comb her hair. "Master was never meant to be alone.
"He Bhagavan... My poor Xiu Ying..." The news was so painful to her. As far as she could remember X had always been looking for others like him...not reploids but Robot Master, always looking always seeking.
This was why He and Zero had immediately clicked...
But to know that Doctor light did not leave his last 'Son' to be alone...gave Draupadi some mixed feeling about him.
"Give or take two years ago, X...found and activated us all. But after so long...well, he had to copy some of his personality traits onto us. To me, he gave his playful attitude and the ice armour. To Fefnir he gave his fighting spirit his love for plants and the fire armour. To Harpuia, his pride, agility, lawfulness and loyalty...he gave him the ultimate armour for parts." Leviathan enumerated as she helped Draupadi to her feet after the golden heat sink was nice and cool.
Wordlessly, she helped Draupadi to pool, holding her hand as both went down the gentle slope. Carrying with her gentle soap and whatever else would be needed to help cleanse the red legend. "To Phantom...he gave whatever was left...and the shadow armour."
"Obliviously," Draupadi muttered as she put her head underwater, cycling the pure liquid through her system for deep cleaning.
She felt centuries' worth of dust and grime leave her internal working.
[Oh my! Never thought you...ah...] Leviathan sounded surprised...and looked surprised too. And especially grossed out.
[Oh Krishna, that felt great! ] she spoke to herself. Finally, she could feel her nanite fixing whatever had been damaged and corroded now that her inside was sparkling clean. [The wind shower's only good for external purity, I want something deeper than that.] she informed the ice general as she emerged. "So...Basically, you X's...brothers and sisters?" She asked the only girl of the group.
"Not really a girl, you know...But yeah, I also inherited from his feminine side." Leviathan explained with a shrug...
"But to return to what I was saying...we all...We've all been trying to please X for as long as he brought us online" Leviathan's eyes feel as she held herself. "He gave us all task...and we tried...we tried to hard...But X never felt whole, he never felt happy...and we could all feel it."
"your connection." Draupadi deduced.
"Yes..." Leviathan confirmed. "It was so bad sometimes...none of us could move." Her voice choked. "We tried to help him shoulder the burden...but we ended crushed under his grief." a sob escaped her lips and Draupadi turned to face the water-based Robot Master.
Leviathan's lips were pressed together as she held her arms close to her body. She looked distraught.
"We failed...we all failed...we knew, X knew...X...what he did...it was a cry for help...our cry for help," she revealed as tears began to fall from her blue eyes despite her attempt to stop them. "We had enough...X had enough...Harpuia never accepted that, and instead channelled his frustration in fanaticism and sadism. He killed all those reploids because he couldn't kill the real enemy. That's what we all did..." she sobbed again. Burying her face in her hands. And this time, she could not keep them in check.
As she sobbed, Draupadi, her heart melted, held the last of the Light series in her arms, letting the mermaid-like 'robot' cry to her heart content. As she sobbed, Draupadi could perceive some words like...we failed...and, "he's so happy now' and... 'Thank you...'
By the end of it, Leviathan finally managed to regain some control over her emotions. She still held Draupadi...who, by now, understood how the blue general felt.
"Di-Zi...thank you...thank you so much for coming back to life. you...you save us...you save us all." Leviathan's held Draupadi's hands in hers, her eyes still moist from her tears of Gratitude.
"Oh, don't thank me...Thank Krishna and my Guru. They're the ones who reminded me of who I was...otherwise." X would be dead...they would all be dead by her hands.
Then Leviathan wrapped her arms around the mostly black reploid and kissed Draupadi on the junction between her lips and her cheek. breaking the Vaishnavi out of some very scary what if.
Draupadi stared at X's... let's call her a sister in disbelief.
It was but a mere peck...but with how Leviathan held to Draupadi's shoulder and how...in her personal space, she was. The Vaishnavi knew it was not innocent.
"Lev-"
"I know, I know...You're with X, he's your husband and all that." Leviathan bashfully averted her eyes. "Just...Just let me have this? Please?"
Draupadi sighed, she had run about a thousand scenarios, but only one course of risky action seemed to best. "Nothing more, alright?"
A hopeful smile light leviathan's face... and she embraced Draupadi the same way X would... moulding her body the shorter build.
It was then that Draupadi realized that X gave his family more than just his character trait.