Chapter 7 – Reunion
Around dusk, Zero saw the same strange man walk back into town, carrying a large backpack from which several metallic components were sticking out. Surprised by the man's strength despite his thin frame and organic nature, Zero watched as he made his way to a long shed where he knew Cerveau had set up a forge and workshop to help with the settlement's more technical needs.
By this point the settlement had already reached several dozen single floor houses of varying size, all built from scavenged metal, and some more adventurous souls were entertaining the notion of starting adding extra floors on top of the existing ones as soon as materials and tools allowed. Cerveau was also in the process of planning the drilling of a well to avoid overtaxing the nearby water streams.
Zero watched the man step into the shed and leave again after a few minutes. As he made his way back out of the settlement, Zero couldn't help getting a word in.
"Nice speech back there." Zero said. "It's good to know there are other people willing to speak up when it counts."
"They had it coming." the man said, looking at Zero eye to eye, unflinching. "One of the reasons why things got so bad is because too many people just kept shrugging and looking away. 'Not my problem.' 'It won't happen here.' 'Over there needs to look out for itself.' Boom, millions gone. Again."
Zero simply nodded, recalling how even back in his days as a Hunter many humans and even Reploids in some cases had refused to take sides simply because the conflicts did not directly affect them.
"I must ask..." the bearded man said with a strange glimmer in his eyes as he looked at Zero. "What goes through your mind when you see people being that stupid?"
"What do you think?" Zero replied. "It pisses me off to no end. I've never fought for their praise. I do it because I'm one of the few who can. But if they're going out of their way to spit on the sacrifices and hard work of others, then we have a problem."
"Stupid question, I know." the man said with a nod. "But yes, sometimes you just want to flip a table, punch someone. It's like this selfish stupidity is wired into some people's core."
"Let's hope not. But... I didn't get your name earlier."
"Thaddeus." the man said, showing the faintest hint of a smile at Zero's reply. "I used to be a scientist back in the day. Now I'm just another lost soul trying to put things back together… even with so many pieces missing."
"I take it you're another of Ciel's acquaintances then. I don't remember seeing you with the Resistance."
"That's because for a long time, I was… elsewhere."
The way the man glanced towards what Zero knew to be the direction of the crater where Neo Arcadia had once stood did not escape his notice.
"So you used to live there too then?" Zero asked. "I wasn't exactly fond of the place, but what happened was still a damn waste. Too many people… just gone."
"And the only home many of the survivors have ever known." the man said, crossing his arms with a sour look on his face. "In my case, I may have lived there, but that damned city stopped being a home to me a long time ago."
"What do you mean?"
"That's between Ciel and I." Thaddeus said with a mournful expression. "If she hasn't told you, then I won't touch that particular wound. The poor girl has enough on her mind as it is. For now, let's just say that there was a reason why the Resistance was so well informed about what was going on in there. Not all battles are fought on the front lines alone."
"Meaning you were a spy?" Zero surmised.
"I had my reservations about her pet project, though I more than understood her reasons." Thaddeus said, scratching his beard. "When he showed his true colors and Ciel left in disgust, a number of like-minded people stayed behind, knowing that it would be exceedingly difficult for her to return… and that even darker times were ahead. We also tried to do what we could to hinder the lunatics running the asylum without blowing our cover."
"I see." Zero said, still getting the feeling that there was more to it. "In that case, I suppose I should thank you for your work."
"We only provided the opportunities." Thaddeus said dismissively. "The soldiers and the people in charge of the Resistance did the rest. You and Ciel in particular."
It was then that a thought crossed Zero's mind as he recalled the labcoat he had seen Ciel wearing before, very similar in design to the older man's. The only real differences were the size and how his was visibly more worn, but Zero also noticed another detail that had previously escaped his notice – a small insignia on the lapel in the shape of two hands cradling a seed, which he was sure he had seen on Ciel's labcoat as well.
"So I'm guessing you escaped the city before Ragnarok hit." Zero said, his mind once again pondering the connection. "Since you used to live there and used to be a scientist, would you happen to know..."
"Where Ciel's mother might be?" Thaddeus cut him off, as if guessing what he was thinking. "Afraid not. Well spotted though."
"I'm guessing there's a story behind that as well?"
"That labcoat Ciel keeps around for special days… yeah… I used to work with her mother, before and after things went to hell."
He then sat down on a nearby bench, giving his legs a rest.
"Given the family connection, we moved her to a safer post out of sight. We couldn't risk those bastards getting their hands on her and using her as leverage against Ciel. She was doing a different kind of work near the end, helping us coordinate our operations."
"So what happened to her?" Zero asked.
"Unfortunately, she insisted on helping with the evacuation personally, and we got separated in the chaos. If she has not surfaced yet, then... either she got caught in the blast or something else happened. I looked for her as long as I could before leaving, but found no trace of her. If I'd stayed any longer I wouldn't be here today."
"Then I should step in and see what I can find out." Zero said with a determined look.
"No." Thaddeus said, shaking his head. "You have an important mission to fulfill here. You may not realize it yet, but the people here still need you. Ciel in particular."
"You mean as an idle symbol?" Zero asked, clearly displeased by the idea of doing nothing. "Ciel is the leader here. I'm more of a pest control type."
"Far from idle." Thaddeus countered. "Ever since Ciel pulled you out of that underground lab, your mere presence has been giving people hope. By staying here, you'll also be a kind of insurance in case another relic of the old world comes knocking. You know very well the rank and file of the Resistance aren't equipped to deal with the kind of threats you've faced. You may not care for being called a legend, but such things have weight and you wear the mantle well."
"True." Zero conceded. "But now that there's nothing left for them to resist, they're probably going to need a new name. I'll probably have to do something about their training sooner or later too. I can't be everywhere."
"Definitely something to consider… assuming you're not interrupted by some other idiots trying to ruin what we have now."
Thaddeus looked into the horizon and then momentarily closed his eyes.
"I'll be going back to my search soon. Don't tell Ciel anything for now though. I don't want to give her false hopes. The poor girl has been through enough."
And with that, he got up and left.
"Strange man..." Zero thought as he watched him leave.
Zero still retained some of his talent at reading people, likely a leftover from his days as a Maverick Hunter. He had sensed two things about the man during their conversation and the preceding altercation. A will of iron, anchored on a sense of purpose, and a mass of grief and anger that might have crushed weaker people.
It was then that Zero recalled some of the words from the scene he had witnessed.
"Actual Mavericks… were like wild beasts. They took my boy from me."
Zero knew that, despite his and X's best efforts, some actual, genuine Mavericks had either remained or emerged after their disappearance, which had been one of the reasons for Ciel's fateful decision to create a new hero in their stead. Ciel had once speculated that maybe some remnant of the virus had lingered in a lost facility or computer network somewhere, periodically reaching out into the world. Regardless of the how and why of it, the copy of X had actually been quite efficient at disposing of the remaining Mavericks, seemingly for good, before succumbing to madness.
Pondering all of this, Zero decided to stretch his legs outside the settlement as was becoming his habit. Long walks, he found, were becoming increasingly effective at helping him think. If not for his new mission as Ciel's protector and defender of the settlement, he might have considered planning an extended hike to see the rest of the world with his own eyes. As he was making his way along the settlement's main dirt road, however, he saw Alouette, seemingly waiting for him.
"Oh hi." Zero said. "Are you looking for someone?"
"Not anymore." she said, looking him in the eye as her usual smile was replaced by a serious expression. "I need to talk to you… away from Ciel."
"Oh?" Zero asked, quirking an eyebrow.
The two walked together until they were outside the village proper, until Alouette turned around.
"So..." she started, once again fixating her gaze on him. "I don't think I've seen you this angry in a long time."
"After everything Ciel has done for them, those ingrates still have the nerve to..." Zero growled, naked anger briefly flashing through his face.
"I knew it." Alouette said with a soft smile.
"You knew what?" he asked, his anger replaced with confusion.
"You hide it well… most of the time." she said, with surprising maturity for her age. "But you slip here and there. Little things…"
"What are you talking about?" Zero asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"I'm talking about the way you always keep looking out for her." Alouette said with a smile. "Some kind words here, some fresh fruit and berries there. Besides… I'm sure you've seen the way she looks at you."
"I try not to." Zero replied rather tensely, looking away. "Did she put you up to this?"
"No." Alouette replied, shaking her head. "In fact, she'd probably look like a tomato if she heard us."
"Aren't you a bit too young to be thinking about these things?" Zero wondered, turning around to face her again.
"I'm a Reploid, remember?" Alouette pointed out. "I may look like a little girl… and still technically be one… but I'm a quick learner. Smarter than the average human and all that. There's still much I don't understand, but I'm sure about this."
"So what are you getting at?" Zero asked, torn between confusion and the slightest bit of annoyance, the latter of which was mitigated by the fact that despite her prodding, she was still her usual adorable self.
"Why?" Alouette asked in turn. "Why hide it?"
"Hide what?"
"That you care for her." Alouette said, her smile widening further.
Zero was definitely not expecting that. Her words caught him off guard and yet again, his stoic facade cracked, as it tended to do around her and Ciel. But then his expression darkened and he gave her a strange glance. In that moment, Alouette noticed the profound sadness in his eyes.
"It would never work out." he said, lowering his head. "I know from experience. A lot of other things happened before I went to sleep. My memory is still on the mend, but almost anyone who gets involved with me too closely tends not to last very long. Besides… there's still the fact that I'll probably outlive her and every other human alive today."
Zero's words reminded her of Old Andrew and his stories about how he had once fallen in love with a human woman and lived together with her for many years before her time had finally run out. At the time Alouette had been too young to understand why he would change his appearance to resemble hers and keep the new look after her passing, but as she developed her intellect she was finally able to fully grasp the meaning of such choices. Still, despite the sadness in the old Reploid's voice, she had also sensed a joy that time had not eroded.
"I see..." Alouette said with sigh before suddenly brightening up. "But I didn't hear a no. You do care."
"Are you ignoring everything else I've just said?" Zero asked with a grumble of frustration as he crouched down to look at her face to face.
"No. I'm just putting it aside for now." Alouette replied with a rather cheeky grin as she continued her prodding. "So… does that mean you..."
"You've been reading too many of Ciel's sappy books…" Zero retorted, quickly regaining his composure. "The ones I'm not even supposed to know about. Does she know you're going through her collection?"
"I don't know what you mean." Alouette said sheepishly. "But so… does that mean…?"
"You're reading far too much into it." Zero said with a sigh. "Yes, I care for her. I like having her around. She inspires people, gives them hope. I'm mostly good at breaking things and fighting, which is why she woke me up in the first place."
"She woke you up because she needed a hero." Alouette countered, poking his chest. "You've more than filled the part… in more than one way."
"You may be smarter than the average human, but you still think like a child." Zero said with another sigh.
"Or maybe I just say what I'm thinking." Alouette said. "And right now, I think you're scared. But don't worry. I won't tell Ciel about this conversation if you don't."
Then, she surprised Zero yet again with a swift hug.
"When you finally decide to be honest, I hope I'll be there to see it." she added.
"W-What?" he stuttered, once again caught off guard.
"Isn't it obvious?" Alouette asked with a sigh. "Fine."
She then grabbed Zero's face, lightly squishing his cheeks.
"You have no idea just how much you mean to her. How she brightens up when you're around. How she cried when she thought you were gone. I know you're both hurting, but I hope the three of us can be a family one day. No pressure though. Take your time… Big Brother."
That definitely hit the mark, leaving him dumbstruck.
The notion of having a family seemed utterly ludicrous to Zero, especially in the state of inner turmoil brought about by his resurgent memories. The thought of living together with Ciel, on top of that, was almost more than he could process at such a time. Being called such a thing, however, was the last straw, and for an awkwardly long moment he found himself unable to articulate a coherent sentence.
"Wh… tha… wh..." he stuttered.
"Am I… interrupting?" a familiar voice cut in with a hint of amusement.
Zero looked over his shoulder and saw a translucent humanoid form, seemingly clad in a flowing blue tunic. Its features were blurred by the soft white light radiating from it, but its presence was unmistakable, stirring all kinds of emotions in him.
"You sure picked a fine time to make an entrance." Zero said, casting a heated glare. "Where have you been anyway?"
"Oh… I just went out for a nice, relaxing stroll." X said, rather deadpan.
"I didn't know if I'd ever see you again..." Zero said, almost accusingly.
"I'm sorry." X said earnestly. "I wasn't thinking straight."
Zero was immensely relieved to see that his old friend was still around and had not simply faded away after spending his energy helping him. However, a more immediate thought was occupying his mind.
"How much did you hear?" Zero asked suspiciously.
"Enough." X replied with an unmistakable smile. "But don't worry. My lips are sealed."
"No comment." another male voice said.
"You…!" Zero hissed.
Recognizing it despite the time that had passed since their previous encounter, Zero tensed up, instinctively reaching for his Z-Saber. However, to his surprise, X raised a hand placatingly.
"Easy there." X said. "He's not here to cause trouble. Not this time."
It was then that a humanoid form, seemingly made of black smoke, appeared next to X.
"I am merely keeping my Master company on the road." the newcomer added, looking at Zero with red eyes.
"I thought I'd told you not to call me that." X said with a sigh.
"Old habits." Phantom replied dryly. Much to Zero's surprise, he seemed to sense a hint of amusement in his tone, as if he was enjoying X's chagrin at being called that.
"Anyway..." X said. "Mind if we come in?"
"Dumbass." Zero retorted, his eyes getting slightly moist despite his best attempts at restraint. If his old friend still had a body, he might have grabbed X by the shoulders and given him a good shake, or just whacked him over the head. "You don't need permission to enter your own home."
At the sight of his old friend, Zero felt as though he had regained a long missing piece of himself. Though he did not suffer another onslaught of memories like when Ciel had hugged him in her sleep, he did feel a strange giddiness, a sense of joy he couldn't put into words. It was impossible for him to stay completely stoic in such a situation.
"Zero?" Alouette asked, sensing his sudden change in mood.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Zero said, wiping his face with the back of his hand. "Come on, let's head back. Ciel isn't going to believe this."
A few minutes later, at Ciel's home...
"Well, this is a surprise..." Ciel said, flashing her usual smile at the sight of X's incorporeal radiant form. "I thought you were gone for good."
"So did I." X admitted, looking a little ashamed of himself. "I was pretty close to just… calling it quits. It was tempting to let the last of my energy fade and let the world carry on without me. But Phantom was right. Abandoning all of you at a time like this… just no. I'm just not sure how people will react when they see me here."
"Don't be silly." Ciel said. "Even after what that copy did while pretending to be you, the Resistance still remembers the real X. I can think of more than a few people who owe you their lives, their minds or both."
"That is exactly what I told him." Phantom said, crossing his incorporeal arms. "But Master X can be quite stubborn."
"I thought I'd told you not to call me that." X said with mild annoyance.
"You have no power here, Master." Phantom retorted in his usual flat tone, once again letting the tiniest bit of amusement seep through. By this point Zero was sure that Phantom was annoying X on purpose.
"You know that by the time you were activated I was already dormant, right?" X pointed out. "You never technically served with me."
"Irrelevant." Phantom said flatly. "We were created to fight by our Master's side, for the glory of humanity. Though I do find you considerably more agreeable than that flawed imitation."
"OK, first of all..." Ciel interrupted. "I built the five of you to ensure the survival of humanity and Reploids. None of this glory nonsense. Secondly, I definitely don't recall you being like this. You were always the biggest stick in the mud of the five. What happened to you?"
Despite his incorporeal state, the others could still discern a few emotions dancing across Phantom's face. Regret. Shame. Self-directed annoyance.
"I suppose losing one's body to one's own willful stupidity and being stuck in the Cyberworld for an extended period helps put things in perspective." Phantom said, for a moment sounding about as blunt as Zero. "My personal considerations aside, however, I am back to serve, if you would still have me."
"I did wonder about that back then." Zero remarked. "One fight and you blow yourself up? A bit excessive, no?"
"I suppose I got a bit too caught up in the moment… or perhaps my pride wouldn't allow me to accept defeat." Phantom conceded.
"Does that have something to do with why you were skulking around and attacked me on sight last time?" Zero asked.
"I will admit that I was… somewhat deranged from isolation when that happened." Phantom said, sounding genuinely ashamed. "I barely even recognized you at first."
"So how did you get back out?" Zero asked. "I don't remember you being able to pull this ghost thing like X does."
"I found him shortly before you and the other three Guardians got rid of Omega." X explained. "He actually helped me find them. I tried to convince him to return back then, but he wouldn't budge."
"So the dutiful Phantom has a bit of a passive-aggressive streak, does he?" Ciel remarked, quirking an eyebrow.
"I had no intention of facing you again." Phantom said. "I suppose that I needed to figure out what to do with myself, but I could not let my stubborn predecessor wander off on his own."
"Incidentally, do you know where the other Guardians are now?" Ciel asked.
"I have some ideas for possible locations, but no concrete evidence." Phantom said. "There are plenty of old ruins, Neo Arcadian outposts and so on out there. I could find them, given enough time, but I do not think they want to be found."
"What do you mean?" Ciel asked.
"Considering everything we took part in, I don't think our later actions would be enough to make up for it." Phantom said bluntly. "I would not be standing in front of you right now if not for the fact that I was accompanying someone far more important than me on the road."
"Let me ask you this then." Ciel said, looking at Phantom's incorporeal form. "Do you honestly regret your previous actions? Do they?"
"I cannot speak for the others." Phantom said before lowering his head. "But I do… and I strongly suspect they do as well. We believed we were doing what was necessary… but in the end all we had to show for it was a pointless waste of lives. You and Zero were able to turn the tables without sacrificing anyone or compromising your principles. That is what we should have done from the start."
"That settles it then." Ciel said, her expression softening slightly. "If you are genuinely trying to make amends, then..."
"Regardless, all four of us are effectively criminals, even if we were serving the lawful government." Phantom pointed out. "You would do well not to associate with the likes of us lest you tarnish your own reputation."
"I'll be the judge of that." Ciel said. "If you're serious about this, you can continue trying to make amends in the here and now. The world is still a dangerous place and we need the strength to keep the peace."
She then frowned.
"That said, many innocent Reploids did lose their lives because of your actions. If you're serious about this, then maybe you should start with the ones who survived. The ones who escaped Neo Arcadia or were rescued from the processing centers."
"It remains to be seen if they will accept any kind of aid coming from us." Phantom pointed out. "But if that is your advice, then that is what I will do. The four of us could definitely accomplish much more if we were reunited though."
"So..." Ciel said, perking up. "If you manage to pull this off..."
"Do try not to get your hopes too high." Phantom said. "After all, you based all five of us on Master X's design, and you know how stubborn he can be at times."
"I believe this would be a case of the pot calling the kettle black." X replied.
"Well, this is new." Zero remarked. "When did you two grow a sense of humor? Not to mention the road trip together."
"That's rich, coming from you." X countered with a soft laugh. "I still remember some of your old pranks back at the Hunter base."
"Well, I don't. Yet." Zero said flatly, still trying to stay composed.
"When you do, you'll probably need to find a hole to hide in for a couple of days until the embarrassment washes over." X said, his incorporeal form showing the hint of a grin. "Or maybe not. You could be pretty shameless sometimes, pranking people with a perfect poker face."
"Really?" Alouette asked, still somewhat surprised to hear such legends engage in casual banter.
For Ciel's part, she was surprised to see this side of the two… and delighted at the shift in Zero's demeanor in particular. Having his old friend back was showing a side of him she had rarely seen before. His entire posture seemed more relaxed and his tongue was definitely looser.
"You're pulling my leg..." Zero retorted. "Right?"
"You'd be surprised." X said with a fond smile as he looked at Alouette.
He then leaned closer and lowered his voice with a mischievous grin.
"I don't know how much they told you, but this rascal and I… we were like brothers. He used to be a much bigger hit with the ladies than me though."
"Let's not go there." Zero hissed, not wanting to discuss such matters in front of Ciel.
The pained look on his face spoke volumes to X. Despite the long time they'd spent apart, he instantly understood.
"I'm sorry." X said earnestly. "I shouldn't be so careless with my tongue."
"Don't mention it." Zero retorted with a sigh. "We both know whose fault that whole thing was. You and Ciel both need to lose this habit of blaming yourselves for everything."
"Huh?" Alouette interjected. "What are you two talking about?"
"I'll say this much." Zero said with a haunted look. "Even I have a heart… and let's leave it at that."
"Does this have something to do with why he won't speak up?" Alouette pondered suspiciously, recalling his earlier words.
Ciel was intrigued, but clearly understood that whatever they were talking about was something Zero was not prepared to share. As badly as she wanted to ask, to know what had happened and perhaps find a way to make things better, she accepted that it was out of her hands for the time being.
"Our lives back in the day were one crisis after the other." X said wearily as he looked at Alouette. "Mavericks, Sigma, then Weil and the Elf Wars… It feels like there was always someone trying to wipe out humanity, or Reploids, or both, or just enslave them."
"How do you think the Earth got to the state it's in now?" Zero added. "Between the environmental damage, Sigma's attempt to crash a gigantic space colony and tensions between humans and Reploids turning into violence…"
"Ah, yes… Eurasia..." Ciel recalled. "Ironic how an attempt to ruin the world ended up providing us a haven now."
Time had erased many details from the records, but even then some still knew that a portion of Eurasia's environmental control systems originally intended to regulate the colony's habitats had somehow survived the crash. The impact area had been cordoned off for security reasons, given Sigma's involvement in the whole affair, but instead of another viral infestation these systems had kept the local water pure and produced a spectacular regeneration of local plant life, which had in turn purified the air over the centuries.
"It was a pretty damn close call..." Zero recalled. "If there's one thing that prick enjoyed was turning technology against people… or people against each other."
"Is it true then?" Ciel asked. "Did you fire a massive cannon at it?"
"Yes, but that's not the whole story." Zero said. "The blast broke the station into pieces, but one of them was still too big. I ended up having to crash a shuttle into it."
"You what?!" Ciel asked, absolutely horrified.
"Guess I was always too stubborn to stay down." Zero said, shrugging.
"To this day I'm still not sure how he made it out." X said. Then he let out a sigh.
"We barely had enough time to sort ourselves out between all of those battles… and we lost a lot of good people as the years rolled by. Friends, colleagues… and more. Dead, insane or missing."
"Is that why you disappeared?" Alouette asked. "Because you were tired of it all?"
"I made my share of mistakes. Ragnarok was the last straw." X admitted. "I thought I should just fade into the background and let the world forget about me. Neo Arcadia was also my fault. I helped found the damn place. I should have been strong enough to prevent it… or at least make things right with my own hands."
Though certain portions of X's legend had been blown out of proportion, Ciel couldn't help finding him very relatable in person. They'd rarely had the opportunity to speak at length before, but she suspected that this was about to change.
"You tried to do something good and it blew up in your face." she realized. "Just like me."
"Many times." X said with a nod. "So you can understand why I'd be frustrated and just tired of everything."
"That definitely doesn't sound like the X I knew." Zero said. "A fighter, no matter how much he was hurting on the inside. Not the type to run away."
"Even synthetic beings get depressed." X pointed out with a sorrowful look on his face. "Your memory loss was not intended, but trust me, it still beats being stuck without a body for ages, screaming about the state of things without anyone being able to hear you."
"Well, you're not alone anymore." Zero said. "But I still have so many questions about what happened while I was under..."
"Well then..." X said, slightly perking up. "I guess you and I have a lot of catching up to do. It wasn't the same without you around."
"Same thing to you..." Zero said, wiping his face again. "Same thing to you..."
Worried about his emotional state, Ciel stepped closer and patted his back.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
"I'll be fine." Zero managed to say, though his voice was noticeably cracking. "I'm just..."
Then Alouette compounded the situation by grabbing his hand and smiling at him.
"We get it." she said. "We're all happy to have X back."
She then glanced at Phantom's incorporeal form.
"I suppose we should thank you… even if you were a jerk before." she said with an unusual amount of sass in her tone.
"I make no excuses." Phantom said somberly.
"If Ciel says it's OK to trust you, then I'll try to." Alouette said, before puffing her cheeks. "But if you upset her again, you're screwed. Never mind Zero. I'll kick you in the shins."
"Noted." Phantom said flatly.
"I've heard of this girl..." the Guardian thought. "She and the others used to be so terrified of us… and now look at her. Is this Zero's influence as well or...?"
Just as Copy X's descent into madness had profoundly hurt Ciel, the way the Guardians had so obediently followed him had felt like another egregious betrayal. Having had their personality matrices built from the same base template and then allowed to evolve on their own, it had been surprising to see how different they had turned out from X and from each other. Ciel had also been unable to understand their reasoning for complying so readily with the tyrant, though after seeing footage of their battles she had reached her own conclusions.
Ciel suspected that Fefnir had been just indulging his lust for battle in his usual over the top manner.
Leviathan had seemed more ambiguous about her intentions, at times sounding like she too was driven by duty, while other times she had baffled everyone else with the unhealthy way she'd seemed to enjoy her confrontations with Zero. Some of the recovered footage from helmet cameras and security systems and Zero's own recounting had left Ciel feeling more than a little uncomfortable about her behavior.
Harpuia and Phantom had been the most difficult to read of the lot. Ciel had grown to suspect that they had been acting on a misplaced sense of duty and loyalty, but the reason for such obedience still eluded her.
The fact that Harpuia, Fefnir and Leviathan had eventually defected in disgust and even joined in the final battle against Omega was not lost on her either. It had given her a small hope that they might finally start treading the path of their predecessor. Unfortunately they had disappeared after that, and the chaos leading to and following Ragnarok had not left her or Zero any time to investigate their whereabouts.
Though the petite genius still hoped that the Guardians would eventually reunite and fulfill the true purpose she had designed them for, she knew she had to focus on the present for the time being, and soon drafted a plan of action in her mind. Despite everything they had done, they were still her creations, and she felt responsible for them.
"You're going to need new bodies." Ciel said, the gears in her head already turning. "It's going to be a challenge without the facilities or resources I had at my original lab in Neo Arcadia… but we've been overcoming challenges from the start. Until we can put together worthy frames, maybe we can come up with something temporary."
"Not those Pantheon models, I hope." Zero said with a scowl of disdain. "Those things blow up with a sneeze and people would panic if they saw one or two of those running around."
"Maybe if we do something about the faces..." Ciel pondered, trying to push the cyclopean visages out of her mind. "But yes, they were mass produced mindless junk. Personally they gave me the creeps too."
"So you didn't design those?" Zero asked.
"Hell no!" Ciel protested, sounding almost offended at the notion. "Those were the copy's idea. It was a massive red flag when he started rolling them out of the production lines without telling me anything."
"Take your time." X said with a nod. "I'm not going anywhere."
"As for the design part..." Ciel said, before suddenly starting intently at Zero.
"W-What?" he stuttered, feeling a little awkward about the way she was running her gaze across his body from head to toe.
"I have a pretty good idea where to start." Ciel said, rubbing her hands and already getting fired up. "Take off that armor."
"Wait what?!" Zero asked incredulously, with a look on his face as if his brain had short circuited.
"Do you need us to give you some privacy?" X teased, earning a giggle from Alouette.
To hear the ever serious X crack a joke like that was definitely unexpected to Ciel, almost shocking. For his part, Zero, not knowing what to say, just stared at his old partner with his eyes wide as dinner plates.
"What?!" Ciel protested, her face turning full on red from the unexpected quip… and from the realization of how she had articulated her line of thought.
She paused for a moment, as if trying to process what had just happened, and then glared at X.
"G-Get your minds out of the gutter." she stuttered, covering her cheeks with her hands. "I-I have scans to run, templates to build. I still have copies of the scans of your original body and the design files from those five, but I know I can do better."
"To be fair, your choice of words could have used some work." Phantom said in his usual deadpan tone, which somehow managed to annoy her more than if he had simply laughed openly.
"I've never seen this side of them…" she thought, still perplexed. "They're acting like teenage boys now that they're back together."
Taking a deep breath to steady herself and let her face cool down again, Ciel ran to her room and returned moments later with a few electronic instruments.
"This will be… my true masterpiece!" she proclaimed.
The next morning, Zero dragged a pair of disabled standard Pantheon models to Cerveau's workshop, where the Chief Engineer was already working on a pair of modified heads closer to those of the originals. The actual definitive models would probably take months to assemble, especially given the amount of high quality components required, but Ciel was convinced the wait would be worth it.
"This all still feels a bit surreal, doesn't it?" Cerveau remarked as Zero set them down.
"It does." Zero said with a nod, unable to keep himself form smiling. "Just yesterday I was wondering if I'd ever see X again... and now he's home and he's brought company."
He couldn't help appreciating the irony that the standard Pantheon models, in their typical blue armor, were essentially an inferior, mass produced version of a flawed copy, but one of them would now be hosting the essence of the original, albeit temporarily. The fact that X and Phantom had transitioned into such a strange incorporeal state would make the process easier as the average Pantheon models had been designed as drones, incapable of independent thought, and had mostly been either controlled remotely or loaded with basic patrol and attack routines and let loose, attacking anyone in sight not whitelisted or bearing an identification token.
"I'm more worried about the fact that we're giving Phantom another body." Cerveau remarked. "I trust Ciel completely, but I hope she knows what she's doing."
"Worst case scenario, I just beat him again." Zero said, the smile gone from his face.
"No Busters on Phantom's temporary body either." Cerveau said. "Not without the unlock code."
A few hours later, as Ciel and Cerveau finished the assembly of the temporary frames, another figure in a typical green Resistance uniform stopped by the window of the shed unnoticed, watching intently.
"Ready." Ciel said, before activating the unit's reactor. "It won't be much good in actual combat, but hopefully that's well past us now."
X was the first to go, slipping into the repurposed Pantheon body that was now sporting a perfect reconstitution of his original corporeal face.
"Oh yeah! The team's back together!" the figure outside thought as it watched, before running a gloved hand over its eyes. "Good thing I stuck around."
As the systems hummed to life and X opened his eyes opened on the new temporary body, Zero was once again overcome by emotion. Memories of the countless battles they had faced together, the times they'd returned home, battered but triumphant, and the unbreakable bond they had forged came rushing back, but he had no time to digest them. The present was more important.
Dashing across the distance, with moisture pooling in his eyes again, he got carried away to the point where he lifted X off the ground in a bear hug. Though the temporary body was severely limited in terms of sensory capabilities, thanks to the modified faceplate X was able to smile back, looking incredibly tired, but just as elated.
"Welcome back..." Zero said with a childlike smile. "Partner."
"You guys..." the silent onlooker thought, leaning closer to the glass to take a better look.
"Glad to be home." X said. "But you may want to dial that down a bit before you snap this thing in half."
"Sorry..." Zero muttered, carefully putting him down.
X tested his motor control by wiggling his fingers, then hesitantly tried to walk. He'd spent so much time without the use of a body that the sensation of being back in one was leaving him slightly disoriented.
"This is going to take a little while getting used to." he said, carefully putting one foot in front of the other.
"Don't worry." Ciel said, patting X's shoulder despite knowing that the Pantheon models were extremely limited and that he would likely not be able to feel it. "You've got all the time in the world now."
"And this..." Zero added before lightly bonking his old friend in the head with his knuckles. "Is for the smartass comment. When did you get such a mouth on you anyway?"
"I guess I'm just… a little drunk with joy." X said with a soft laugh, feeling rather giddy.
Phantom quietly took his turn next, slipping into a body whose outer plating had been painted black to match his old armor. While not as prone to emotional outbursts as the others, he too felt the change. Not wanting to spoil the moment, he remained silent.