So, here's Chapter 5, a bit later than I wanted but work's been super busy and I've only really had the energy to write on the weekends. As a bit of a note, I've done multiple rounds of editing on the previous chapters, so if something doesn't click you likely haven't read this newest version. Shout out to Ynat for beta reading!
Nana watched as Alcea passed her by through the window of the tram.
It was strange coming here after being stationed in the Garden for so many years. The development facility had been uniform, and everything was the same everywhere you looked.
In contrast, Aclea was chaotic.
No one building was the same; at the center of the city, everything was old, sharing the architectural style of the world before it died. The further out you went, the more modern it became to the point that It was almost like flipping through the pages of a history book.
It could've been charming if the plantation's unique construction didn't also mean that there was no rhyme or reason to it's layout. She'd gotten lost more than once already during her various assignments, and it'd been rather embarrassing having to rely on her coms to get around.
Nana still wondered why Dr. Franxx had chosen to live here of all places, but she doubted there was an answer she'd understand even if she asked. The old man had always been eccentric.
Nana shook her head and glanced at the holographic display at the front of the cabin. She was almost back home and it was nearing midday. She needed to fix lunch for the children. The Doctor was expecting them in the lab soon.
Zero Two fumed as she sat on the couch in the Doctor's living room beside Darling, her arms crossed. It was still early, and the golden, artificial light of the city shone through the window, kept at bay only by the tinting. And like every day for the last three months, he was teaching her.
It wasn't going well.
When they first arrived in Alcea and he started her lessons, she'd been excited.
Darling would introduce her to new words and show her what they meant with pictures on the tablet Nana gave them. The screen would flash images of trees and animals and places and all sorts of things she'd never seen, and once she understood, he would help her sound them out and they would practice. He had even made it a game between them and it'd been so much fun!
Then there were the times when he just talked to her. Once they were done for the day she would cuddle in his lap and he would tell her stories about the Garden and his friends and the books he'd read over the years. It had all been gibberish at first, soothing noise, but as the days and weeks went on it was like someone had flipped a switch in her head and she could understand! She was so happy and Darling was impressed and that had made everything even better.
Now she'd hit a wall, and Zero Two wanted to tear her hair out.
He had spent all this time teaching her and she'd learned so much, but she still couldn't talk right for him, no matter how hard she tried. Everything made sense when she stopped to think about what to say, but nothing ever came out the way it should!
Her tongue and lips refused to cooperate, and incomplete words always spilled from her mouth in broken sentences. Every time she messed up, she felt more and more like a failure, like something was wrong with her, and she hated it.
Why can't I get this!?
Darling noticed her frustration and met her eyes. His gaze was encouraging, reassuring, but it did nothing to ease the discontent simmering in her chest.
"Come on, one more time?"
"Dun wanna, Daling!" The girl shook her head. Zero Two knew he was trying to help, but she was so tired of disappointing him and wanted to stop. "I jus ess up again…"
"Zero Two..." He sighed, setting the accursed tablet aside. "I know it's not easy, but you need to stop being so hard on yourself. You've been doing well, even Nana thinks so."
"Bu...I sill can' alk ight." She huffed. "I wanna alk like you!"
"I know, I know…But that takes time and practice. You'll get it soon, I promise."
Darling would never lie to her, but he'd been saying that forever!
'I ave been prac...prac.." She nearly growled as her tongue stumbled. "Pracing! So why?"
"Zero Two, it takes most kids years to reach where you are."
The girl stilled.
"Wha?"
"That's right." He smiled and leaned forward. "That's why I'm so proud of you! You've learned so fast. Most children can barely understand words after only a few months. But you always know what I'm saying now and can talk already. You're amazing!"
She'd learned that quickly? And Darling was...proud of her?
He thinks I'm amazing?
Zero Two flushed and her head fell, letting her pink hair hide her burning face.
"Bu…"
"No buts."
The boy interrupted and took her hand, squeezing it.
"I meant what I said."
She peeked up at him with bright green eyes.
"...Eally?
"Really." Darling assured her.
Zero Two smiled.
The elevator dinged and slid open, allowing Nana to step out into the entryway. Dr. Franxx's residence was a massive space that seemed to be ripped straight from the early 21st century, composed of the top three floors of a tower near the heart of Alcea. Most of it was taken up by the old man's private lab, leaving only the uppermost level to her and the children, but even that was larger than the barracks for the Parasites back in the Garden.
"Code 016, Code 002?" Nana called.
A head of pink hair topped with red horns peeked around the corner from the living room.
"Food 'ime?"
Nana's lips twitched.
Code 002 had certainly improved since they'd arrived. She was no longer quite as skittish around her, and the wary stares and careful silences were a far less common occurrence. Of course, the woman did wonder how much of that was because of the boy rather than the fact that she'd figured out Nana provided their meals.
The girl was a glutton, plain and simple.
"Soon." She promised. "Where is Code 016?"
"Right here, Nana." He answered and walked into the hallway from behind Code 002, who followed behind him. "I was cleaning up our things. Are you done with work for the day?"
She nodded.
"I only needed to deliver a few samples to the lab this morning. How were your lessons?"
"Good!" The boy brightened and looked at Code 002, who began to burn a brighter red. "We are making a lot of progress. She's still struggling a bit with pronunciation but she just needs more practice. I was actually thinking of asking the doctor if I could start teaching her to read soon."
Nana raised a brow. The gains the girl had made were extremely impressive, but she was that far along already?
"You think she's ready for that?"
"Mhm!" He nodded, enthusiastic. "Zero Two's great!"
"Daling…" Code 002 whined. The poor girl looked like she was about to explode, though Nana couldn't tell if it was because she was embarrassed or just too pleased by the praise.
Nana sighed in exasperation, but there was a touch of fondness underneath. She knew she wasn't supposed to get attached, but as much as she hated to admit the two had grown on her.
"I'll speak to Dr. Franxx later and see what he thinks. For now, let's head to the kitchen and see what we can find for lunch before I drop you off."
Deep in his private lab, Dr. Franxx had to hide his amusement as he stood before the council. He'd been expecting this meeting for a while, and was honestly surprised that it had taken them this long to find out what he'd done.
"Werner, we demand an explanation."
He tilted his head.
"For what, exactly?"
"Don't play dumb. We know what happened." Tarsier sneered. "Code 016 has displayed an absolutely unacceptable level of defiance, and yet rather than following protocol you removed him from the Nursery. Worse, you've somehow brought Code 002 into whatever game you're playing and now both are no longer at the Garden. We want to know why we weren't informed."
Werner waved a dismissive hand.
"Oh, that. I didn't think you needed to be."
Tarsier sputtered.
"You didn't think we needed to be? Code 016-"
"-Is a Parasite." Franxx finished, cutting him off. "And like all Parasites, he is my responsibility. The council has never been concerned with how I managed irregularities in the past, and I had no reason to believe that had changed."
"...That may be true, but this is hardly typical. Especially since Code 002 is involved. They both tried to escape." Lemur said. "You know how important she is to our plans."
He was, and that was exactly why he kept them in the dark.
"And they were both taken back into custody without issue, and I've taken...steps to bring them in line."
"Steps like housing them in your own private estate with only a failed Parasite as a caretaker?"
Oh, they knew that much, did they? It seems like he had a leak somewhere. He would have Yon look into that once they were done with this farce. The hole in his security needed to be plugged before something more...sensitive was compromised.
He shrugged.
"Yes. I've found the two are best handled with a different approach than usual, but that's hardly any of your concern."
"Werner, that's not for you to decide. We should have been told. You work for us." Lemur stressed.
He snorted.
"I haven't worked for you in a long time."
The council fell silent.
It seems they've gotten complacent and forgotten our little arrangement. He mused. Perhaps their little inquisition was for the best so that he could nip this misunderstanding in the bud. The last time the council had gotten this bold it'd taken him years and no end of trouble to quiet them down.
Lemur and Tarsier bristled, and the other members shifted apprehensively in their chairs. All of them looked toward the Chairman who sat at the center above them, waiting for his word.
Finally he spoke.
"Werner is an honored...partner in our defense of humanity, not a simple subordinate to be ordered around." The man intoned to his counterparts, and the doctor could tell they weren't pleased by the admission. "Yet it is our resources backing your efforts, Werner. I don't think it's too much to ask for some insight into our investment."
It was both a concession and a threat, the scientist knew. 'Papa' was no fool. APE couldn't afford to alienate him or act against him directly, and so a more conspicuous display of their authority wouldn't do.
But they could make his life difficult.
The possibility of budget cuts and delays of critical resources needed for his own experiments were a real possibility, and with some of his more interesting projects entering a delicate phase...
The old man tapped his cane as he weighed the benefits and consequences of antagonizing them further, and decided it wasn't worth it as entertaining as it might be.
He'd had his fun, and Franxx could stand to give them some less sensitive information, especially the bits they'd find out on their own if they went digging. He'd just need to speed things up a bit to keep ahead of their game now that they were catching on.
"Very well."
Picking up a tablet from the desk in front of him, he began uploading a few files he felt safe to share and prepared for the next barrage of questions.
Werner sighed.
How troublesome.
Hiro had been to Dr. Franxx's personal lab nearly every day since they arrived, but he still found it fascinating. The walls were covered in bookshelves filled with tomes on a variety of subjects and many in languages he didn't know, and diagrams and scans lined with the old man's personal notes were scattered across every free surface. Only the diagnostic area was kept a bit more organized, and even it was more….homey than the lab back in Garden had ever been.
"Good, you're here." The Doctor greeted them from an old fashioned desk near the center of the room made of dark brown wood, and waved them over. His free hand, cybernetic, tapped away at the keyboard of his computer.
"Dr. Franxx." Hiro returned, and Zero Two mimicked him though her reply was mumbled. While she had taken to Nana, the girl still wasn't comfortable with the old man. She called him 'ceepy', and he couldn't say she was wrong as much as he trusted him. The elderly scientist was off sometimes, especially when he was caught up in his work.
"What are we doing today?"
"Nothing."
Hiro blinked.
"Nothing?"
"Well, not nothing." The man amended himself absently. "But nothing you're used to. The two of you have done well recently, and your blood work has been good aside from some oddities with your YBC count, so I've decided to forgo the usual tests and move to the next phase."
Now he was curious, and so was Zero Two.
"Nex' phase?" She asked.
Dr. Franxx glanced at her and nodded in approval.
"Yes. We're going to begin contact experiments. They'll simulate the connection and synchronization that occurs between a Pistil and their Stamen and give me the data I need to begin work on your Franxx."
The girl looked lost but he knew exactly what the Doctor meant, and his heart dropped like a stone.
"Already?"
Hiro thought they had more time.
Zero Two still had so much work to do, and he hadn't even begun to explain piloting and everything it entailed to her yet. From what he'd picked up from the older Parasites, they should've had years before they needed to worry about this, and he'd wanted to put that conversation off as long as he could.
But now...
"I know what you're thinking, Code 016, and don't worry." Dr. Franxx assured him. "The rest of your training will proceed normally, but I need this data now because of Code 002's unique...situation."
That...was good to know, and it eased some of his worries, but the biggest problem remained.
A red hand tugged his own.
"Daling? Wha's a F'anxx?"
Zero Two looked to him for answers, and he thought about what to say, how to tell her how badly he'd really failed her that day and what he'd been forced to agree to so they could stay together.
What if she hated him? What if she never wanted to talk to him again?
"Daling?"
"Sorry, Zero Two. It's...complicated. Give me just a minute okay?"
She nodded uncertainly and he turned back to Dr. Franxx.
"You haven't explained yet?"
He shook his head and the old man sighed.
"Well...That does complicate matters. I suppose another day won't hurt. Go back upstairs. You two will undoubtedly have a long conversation, so you're free for the rest of the day. I'll let Nana know."
Hiro nodded and took the horned girl's hand. He smiled at her but it was a fragile thing and he could see the alarm in her eyes.
"Come on Zero Two. We need to talk."
It hadn't taken nearly long enough for them to find Nana and get back to their rooms.
Hiro still wasn't ready for this. He didn't think he'd ever be ready for this. But Zero Two deserved to know everything. He should've told her once he knew she would understand, but it had been easier to just ignore what was coming, to just be happy.
"Daling? Wha's wong?" She sat beside him on the bed, and the obvious concern on her face only made him feel worse.
"I'm alright, Zero Two. It's just...You remember when we were at the Garden? When you first met the Doctor?"
She nodded.
"The Doctor promised to keep us safe, keep us together. But not all the adults are good people, you know that even better than me. The ones that hurt you...they wanted you back."
The girl shifted, and he could see the red of her eyes begin to glow.
"'hey wan'ed o 'ake me back to the bad place?" Zero Two shuddered.''hey wan'ed o 'ake you away?"
Hiro wanted to grab her hand, to give her a hug, to do something but he knew he wouldn't be able to continue if he did, so he pressed on.
"They did...but the Doctor stopped them."
She stilled.
"Ceepy did?"
"That's right." Hiro smiled slightly at the nickname but it faded quickly. "But to keep you away from them, he needed me...needed us to do something."
The girl tilted her head.
"'he F'anxx." She guessed.
"Yeah..:"
"Wha is i'?"
He let out a shuddering breath.
This was it.
"The Franxx is...a weapon. It's a giant machine made to fight monsters. The Doctor needed us to pilot it, because the adults wouldn't leave us alone otherwise. They think that's all we're good for, why we were born. So we can fight for them."
The words were like poison on his lips, and he couldn't stand to look at Zero Two, to see what was written across her face.
"And I agreed. Because I couldn't save you. I tried but I couldn't do it and they were going to take you away."
It was a truth he'd done his best to ignore since that day, kept locked away deep in the back of his mind, but now it was out and it was so ugly.
"If I'd been smarter back in Garden, I could've gotten you out. You'd be safe. But I wasn't. I didn't. Now you have to fight, and it's all my fault."
Zero Two couldn't believe it.
After everything he had done for her, her Darling thought he'd failed her.
He had saved her and shown her the outside world. He had taught her and cared for her and so, so much more and yet he somehow thought that wasn't enough, that he should've done more.
"Silly Darling."
He had given her everything she ever needed, given her more than she'd ever dreamed of back in that dull cage when all she'd known was pain.
She didn't care that she would have to fight, to pilot some machine against monsters she knew nothing about. She didn't care about the adults and how nasty they could be and how they wanted to use her.
All that mattered was him.
"Zero Two?"
He finally looked at her again, and there were tears in his eyes.
She hugged him.
"You...don't hate me?"
Zero Two squeezed him harder.
"Silly." She chided him again. "I could never hate you. I don't care about any of that. You saved me. You're my Darling."
"Zero Two…"
"Nope."
"But…"
"Nuh-uh! No buts!"
"I.."
"I meant what I said." She declared, and the boy looked at her for a moment as if he couldn't believe she was real.
Then he smiled.
"Really?"
Zero Two grinned.
"Really."
They laughed and fell back onto the bed, and she cuddled closer to her Darling, and for a while they just laid in silence.
"Hey, Zero Two?"
"Hum?"
She looked up from where she rested against his chest.
"You realize what you did right?"
She blinked.
"What?
"You stopped stumbling over your words. You're pronouncing everything right now."
The girl froze.
"...I am?"
"Yep."
The subsequent squee could be heard across the city.