Disclaimer: I do not own Black Cat or its characters

Sephiria stood before several large screens that held the decrepit faces of her masters, hands behind her back as she made sure to make eye contact with each of the men that addressed her, wanting them to see how respectful and obedient she was. While they may have been monsters in the eyes of many, that didn't change they were making the world function successfully and peacefully. That's the reason she was with Chronos. That's why she gave up her freedom. For the sake of humanity

I know they only control everything because they want power, not peace, but their motives don't matter to me if the end result is the same. As long as society is stable and tranquil, nothing else matters. Not even my own freedom.

"Has there been any movements from the Apostles since the last encounter with them?" One of the men asked, his booming voice echoing powerfully against the tall walls.

Sephiria shook her head. "No."

Another one growled at the woman, as if it was her fault the Apostles went into hiding. "It's been over two months! How is it possible we haven't found them yet?"

Sephiria wasn't sure how to answer that question, since she wasn't really sure what the answer was. She was silent for only a second though, deciding it was better to be honest with them instead of coming up with an excuse. "I don't know, Sir."

The man on the screen at the very top left corner spoke next, his voice a little quieter than the rest of them. "Aren't your numbers following the Black Cat and Creed Diskenth?"

Sephiria nodded her head. "Yes, Sir."

Another voice from the opposite side of that man caused the swordswoman to turn her head quickly in his direction. "And they're following the sweepers and those people at that woman's music school, correct?"

Again, Number One nodded. "Yes, Sir."

One of them growled loudly as he punched the desk in front of him. "Then it makes even less sense that you haven't been able to find them! Surely they've made contact with the Black Cat or one of his companions by now! What's taking so long?"

Sephiria turned to lock eyes with the man, making sure he saw how respectful she was being. "I'm sorry, Sir, but they have not made contact with Heartnet, Diskenth, or any of their companions. However, there is promise with these new people that have been been spending time with Heartnet and Diskenth."

One of the men moved forward in his chair, leaning his elbows on the desk in front of him, resting his lips on his fingers. "And who exactly are these people?"

Sephiria locked eyes with the man in the center screen and spoke firmly and clearly. "About a month ago, the Black Cat and Diskenth met a family through the music school and have been spending quite a bit of time with them. Not only is that woman giving oboe lessons to the child in their group, but the bio-girl with the sweepers has been tutoring her as well. Heartnet and Diskenth appear to be getting closer to all of them as well."

The man in the center didn't seem convinced. "None of that proves they are suspicious. That could easily be explained away with the sweepers making new friends. They seem to do that a lot anyway."

Sephiria nodded in agreement, then continued. "Their appearance in Heartnet and Diskenth lives seem far too coincidental for them to be innocent people that randomly entered their lives. It happened around the time we learned they gained new members and warned the men to be weary of any new people."

The same man nodded. "And are they heeding that warning?"

Sephiria frowned slightly. "At first we thought they were, but now it seems like they are beginning to consider them friends."

Another man rolled his eyes. "And if that's the case, it's the perfect opportunity for the Apostles to strike. When their guard is down."

Sephiria nodded again. "Which is why we believe they may be involved with the Apostles."

The man in the middle spoke again. "None of that sounds like proof. It just sounds like your gut instinct. Do you have any proof? Any physical evidence?"

Sephiria looked back at the man and frowned slightly. "...No."

He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "It seems very unlike you to want to go after people who could be potentially innocent. Is that how sure you are about this?"

Sephiria was silent for a minute befor responding. "No…"

Another man sighed in annoyance. "Then why are we talking about them? If there's no proof and you're not willing to go after them, why even waste our time with it?"

"We are going after them." Sephiria added quickly. "We've been trailing them for the last month."

The man in the middle cocked an eyebrow and spoke again. "And?"

Sephiria glanced at him, then looked down in shame. "Nothing."

One of the men laughed bitterly. "Like I said. Waste of our time."

Sephiria did not look up since she knew it would just get her scolded. "My apologies, Sirs…"

The same man sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I'm not one to question your gut, so I'd like to know more… Other than their relationship with Heartnet and Diskenth, what else do you know about these people?"

Sephiria's eyes went back to the man in the center as she spoke. "They are four of them. Two of them appear to be a married couple in their mid thirties with a teen girl and the forth one is an old man that we think might be senile. They are with the sweepers often and as I said before, Anastasia is giving the girl oboe lessons and the bio-girl is her tutor. The teen also seems to be very attached to the Black Cat."

One of the men rolled his eyes. "Great, the Black Cat has another groopie. Honestly, I don't get it. What does that man do to people?"

Sephiria knew she shouldn't answer that question and even if she did, she wouldn't know how to. "It also looks like Diskenth has been taking over more responsibilities of the music school and the woman's health seems to be deteriorating quickly."

The man in the middle seemed intrigued by that. "And how has Diskenth been handling that? Doesn't he care about that woman? Aren't they close?"

Sephiria nodded. "Yes. Creed seems sad, but if anything he's more concerned about her. No bouts of violence or rage, just sadness and concern. He takes care of her a lot and seems to be spending as much time with her as he can. If he's not with Train, he's with that woman at the music school."

The same man nodded. "Does it seem like they're… getting things in order?"

Sephira knew what he meant by that and nodded again. "We're pretty positive Creed knows that as well."

There was a bit of silence before another man spoke. "While we're on the subject of Diskenth, how has he been doing with the absence of Number X?"

Number One turned to the new man that spoke. "He still seems stable."

Another rolled his eyes. "Does that really mean anything? He's still able to be with the Black Cat, which is all he ever really wanted in the first place, and I'm sure he's aware Chronos is still watching him. Even without Number X there, he knows we have eyes on him. How can we be sure this isn't an act?"

Sephiria wanted to sigh in frustration, but did not. "Before Number X went into the hospital, he was confident in Diskenth's reformed self."

"Are you just saying that because you want it to be true?" The man in the center asked incredulously.

The blonde woman looked back at him as she spoke. "These are Lin's words. Not mine."

Not liking how informal she was with her assassins, one of the men spoke his thoughts about it. "Ms. Arks, need we remind you these men are beneath you? Why do I get the feeling that you care about them every time we talk?"

Another laughed sourly as he slapped his hand on the desk in front of him, speaking to the rest of the men instead of her. "And let's not get started on her relationship with Number II! How can we trust anything she says about the numbers?"

Sephiria addressed the man even though he knew the question wasn't directed at her. "If you question my ability to separate my personal life from my work life, you are more than welcomed to speak to Number X yourself. I guarantee I understand where the numbers lie in regards to my position as their superior."

A deadly silence took control of the air, a rigid austerity creating a thickness Sephiria knew she couldn't cut with Christ. The Elders allowed Number One to stew in the force of their enmity for a few moments until she finally spoke, knowing what she should say to even attempt to make things right after her blasphemous outburst.

"I apologize. That was out of line."

The man in the middle was the first to speak. "Trust that we will be speaking to Number X. And soon. How is his recovery going?"

Sephiria kept her eyes low, knowing it was the best way to show the Elders her respect for them. "Well. He should be back on the field any day now. He should be able to speak with you any time you wish. Just let me know and I will make the accommodations to bring him here."

Another man spoke in a harsh tone, using his voice to make sure the woman knew he was still not pleased with her verbal explosion. "Will he still be following Diskenth when he is fully healed?"

Sephiria finally raised her head to meet their eyes, trying to make sure her voice was as respectful as possible as she spoke. "Is that a decision left up to me?"

He seemed to consider her words for a moment before responding. "Has Number X expressed his opinion on the matter?"

Sephiria nodded. "Yes. He wishes to stay with the sweepers."

Another rolled his eyes. "Why do I have a feeling that has to do with his feelings for the Black Cat?"

"I'm sure it does." Sephiria wanted to be as honest with them as possible and made sure to be extra careful with the tone she used.

The center man sighed. "What is your opinion on the matter?"

She looked at him and spoke plainly. "Even though Diskenth appears to no longer be a threat, Number X's involvement with them gave us a lot of information on the Apostles. Information that has all but ceased since he's been away. Having him join them again may also further incentivize the Apostles to come out of hiding. After all, Number X was their primary target that day."

The man nodded his head and leaned back in his chair. "Then I think we should leave the decision up to you. You know the numbers better than we do."

Through his own computer, the man noticed one of the other Elders were going to object and he simply raised his hand in order to silence him. He was the center screen for a reason. "Enough with questioning Ms. Arks' ability to lead the numbers. And I don't want to hear any more about her relationship with them. She's Number One for a reason."

Sephiria nodded, grateful the leader of the Elders had her back and knowing already what her decision was going to be in regards to Lin. She stifled the relief she felt at being able to tell the man he could stay with Train and his friends.

He'll be overjoyed to hear this news. Knowing he'll get to stay with Heartnet may also help him with his recovery process. Train will be pleased as well.

"Has the Black Cat still been snooping around the hospital?"

Sephiria didn't like the Elder's choice of words, but made sure it did affect her tone of voice. "Heartnet has made sure to visit Number X every day. Even on days when he does not have to."

The same same rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Does he have to at all? Why do you let him visit? We shouldn't be permitting anyone into our hospitals let alone the Black Cat."

Sephiria spoke confidently since she knew what she was about to do was true. "His presence seems to help Number X heal faster. And his speedy improvement will be of benefit to Chronos."

One of the men scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Once again, another lackey poisoned by the Black Cat…"

Sephiria glanced at the man, but did not respond to his comment in favor of making her point clear. "As long as you allow me to continue permitting Heartnet to visit Number X, he'll be at full strength in no time."

The man seemed unconvinced, but nodded his head nonetheless. "And you are sure of this?"

Sephiria nodded. "Yes. The doctors are confident he'll be back to normal in about a month, but with Heartnet's presence and the news he can go back with the sweepers, it may be sooner."

The center man smirked. "Sounds like you've already made your decision about the man's future."

Sephiria looked away quickly, angry at herself for continuing to act so unprofessional in front of her masters. "My apologies for being so blunt, Sir."

The man brushed her words away, since he truly didn't care about Number X's future which was why he allowed Number One to make the call of whether or not he'd return to a potentially dangerous situation. That fact bothered Sephiria, but she made sure not to show it in her demeanor or expressions. The Elders never cared about the fate of the numbers. They saw them merely as pawns in their grand goal of controlling the world, and she was embarrassed with herself for ever thinking otherwise.

Honestly, why did I even entertain the idea that they might pull Lin out for his own safety? How naive of me…

Still Sephiria couldn't help but wonder if she was doing the right thing by sending him back with Train and his sweeper friends. Lin made it very clear he didn't want to be separated from the Black Cat, even if it meant he was constantly having his heart broken by the gunman and Train was also very open with wanting the number back in their lives as well. He claimed Lin was part of their strange family and they weren't going to give him up without a fight.

It does still benefit us to keep Lin with them. Even if his mission changes from keeping an eye on Creed to gathering as much information on the Apostles as he can, I can't deny his presence with those people has given us a lot of knowledge of our enemy.

"To bring us back just a little, I would like to ask you what you believe Number X's mission should be now if he is going to continue following the Black Cat and Diskenth? You sound confident that Diskenth has changed and will not be re-joining the Apostles, so what do you believe his new orders should be?"

Sephiria wanted to give the man a confused look since she was very thrown off by the fact they were asking her opinion on a number's orders, but she made sure not to change her expression. "I believe he could be of use in bringing the Apostles out and gathering more information about them."

"So, you want to use him as bait?"

Sephiria looked at the man who spoke, not liking the words he chose to use but making sure not to show it in her face. "Yes."

Another slammed his hand on the desk and spoke harshly. "I still don't understand why we are accepting Diskenth's innocence! After everything he's done, why should we just believe he's changed?"

Sephiria kept her calm as she addressed the man. "With Number X still following them, he will continue to be able to keep an eye on them and we will make sure our surveillance on them does not lessen. If Diskenth does make an attempt to contact the Apostles or re-join them, we will know."

The same man growled. "But you just suggested Number X's new orders be to gather information on the Apostles and act as bait."

The man in the middle glared down at a screen in front of himself where the other men's faces were. "Gathering information on the Apostles goes hand in hand with seeing if Diskenth makes contact with them. I don't think Ms. Arks was suggesting he completely stop his supervision over the man, just that it would no longer be his primary mission. Correct, Number One?"

Sephiria nodded her head, grateful the man in the middle still had her back at least a little. "Yes, Sir."

That seemed to appease the other man to a point as he summarized what they just discussed. "So, then is it understood that Number X will continue to follow Creed Diskenth and those sweepers to collect information on the Apostles, act as potential bait, and continue to keep an eye on Diskenth?"

Sephiria nodded, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at them asking her opinion, then deciding to create their own orders anyway. "Yes, Sir."

"Very well. Onto the next subject. Has there been any new information on that new beast that attacked Number X?"

Sephiria held back a sigh and shook her head. "No. But we believe it is similar to the panther creature except they are using Diskenth's DNA instead of Heartnet's."

Which is another reason why I believe Train and Lin when they say Creed has changed. There's no way he'd consent to creating a monster that could control him and attempted to kill his precious Black Cat.

One of the men cocked an eyebrow at her. "Why do you think that?"

"Because his tail turned into the third level of Diskenth's Imagine Blade. Diskenth also had the same reaction Heartnet did when he encountered the panther. The wolf seemed to have placed Diskenth under some kind of hypnotic spell." Sephiria stood tall as she spoke, completely confident in her hypothesis.

The same man nodded in understanding. "Do you believe they will use both these creatures' hypotonic abilities to control the ex-assassins?"

Sephiria thought about that for a second before she responded. "That is a possibility."

That did not please any of the men, but the one in the center spoke again. "I guess only time will tell…"

Sephiria nodded in agreement. "We'll be prepared for anything."

The man nodded with her and leaned back in his chair again. "Other than that, is there no other information on either of the beasts?" Seeing Number One shake her head, the man continued. "Then I'd like to circle back to the first conversation we had when you arrived. What is your plan with these new people that have entered the Black Cat and Diskenth's lives?"

Sephiria needed to keep herself composed for that question since it was going to segway into the hardest subject she wanted to broach with the Elders. "Heartnet and Diskenth have agreed to work with Chronos to help take the Apostles down. I plan to have a conversation with them about these people and-"

"-Wait, they agreed to work with us?" The man in the center said, leaning forward again as he put both his hands on the table.

Sephiria nodded again. "Yes, Sir."

He stood frozen for a second while the rest of the Elders mumbled under their breath about this new turn of events. "When was this decided?"

Sephiria gripped her hands behind her back and responded. "It has not been decided since I have not spoken to you about it yet. However, I discussed it with Heartnet around the time Number X was first brought to the hospital."

More angry mumbles as the man in the center responded. "Why were we not told sooner?"

Sephiria frowned slightly. "I was waiting for the right moment, Sir…"

Another man punched his desk. "Does that mean they plan to re-join Chronos?!"

Sephiria shook her head. "No."

"Then what do they gain from this?!" Another shouted, not liking the idea at all. "There's no way those men would agree to help us if they weren't getting something out of it!"

Sephiria clenched her fists and took a silent deep breath to calm her nerves down. The next thing she was going to say would be harder for them to swallow. "They agreed on the grounds that we will leave them alone once the Apostles are dealt with."

She chose to leave out the part about protecting Lin from being punished for sharing documents with the sweepers. The Elders didn't know he was doing that, and there was no point in telling them. She would only bring it up if they found out and use it as a way to keep Number X safe.

And Train still said he'd take the fall for him, so I can use that as well. Just… Not right now.

She was also strategically leaving out the part where Train made her promise to spare the children and as many lives as possible in the process of destroying the Apostles. That was something the Elders would never agree to.

Another man slammed both hands on the table. "That is unacceptable and I can't believe you agreed to that without even consulting us first!"

Sephiria made sure her face stayed the same as she spoke. "Wouldn't that be all the evidence you need that Diskenth has changed and they are not a threat to Chronos anymore?"

There was a moment of silence before the center man spoke again. "We could use the strength of the Black Cat again…"

Another man growled at him. "Did you not just hear that they don't plan to re-join? This is only a temporary truce."

The man next to him spoke. "We're doing just fine without the Black Cat and Diskenth."

"Then do we really need their help? We can take down the Apostles without the help of those two."

"What if they're just using this as an excuse to get close to the Apostles again?"

"Or if they never truly left the Apostles and this is all part of an elaborate plan to infiltrate Chronos and take us down!"

"If that was their goal, we would have discovered it by now. Number X has been following them for over a year."

"Yes and let's not forget his feelings for the Black Cat. Heartnet could have seduced him in order to get close to Chronos."

"You all do realize how ridiculous you sound, right? That is such an absurd and convoluted plan! You do realize the Apostles have almost killed the both of them on several occasions, right?"

As the Elders began to discuss the new topic amongst themselves, Sephiria remained silent and still, allowing her thoughts to take over as she ignored the Elders. She knew both Train and Creed wanted nothing more than to live a peaceful life with their new family. It took awhile for her to truly believe the swordsman had sincerely changed, but after speaking with Lin and Train over the last couple months, she couldn't deny his transformation. Even after Train began a relationship with Lin, Creed remained calm and loyal and he even offered to sacrifice himself to save Number X. Sephiria knew if he really hadn't changed, he would have never given up his freedom in order to save the man that tried to steal Train from him.

And I can't deny what I've seen with my own eyes after following them myself the last two months. Creed is… softer. He's acting how he did when we first recruited him after he killed his mother.

They originally enlisted Creed because he seemed dead to the world after the childhood he went through, but Sephiria was able to tell he was just a broken boy with nowhere else to go and no one else to turn to. He seemed to regret what he did to his mother, but didn't know what else to do. He didn't even want to kill anyone at first until they started putting Chronos 'influence' into his system. Similar to Train, Creed only became a bloodthirsty assassin due to the combination of Chronos finding them at the lowest point in their lives and using their powers to keep them broken and distraught.

We found Creed after he killed his mother and we found Train after he killed his murderous mentor. I really think we just got lucky with them. We caught them when they were completely broken and had nothing else to lose, then molded them to fit the killer assassins we needed them to be.

That was a regret Sephiria had held close to her heart. She knew she took advantage of both the men, and after seeing how soft and nonviolent they were without Chronos in their lives and were given time to make peace with their past, she was sure they were never made for the lives Chronos tried to force on them. And she knew Chronos 'influence' only made everything worse for them both. Creed hasn't shown an ounce of homicidal behavior since it had been out of his system, so she was positive that was why he was so unstable back then.

But… I can't tell them about that. At least not until the Apostles are destroyed. If I tell them now, they may refuse to help us.

She knew that wasn't the only reason. She knew she'd be punished for releasing a secret like that, but that wasn't her motivation for not telling them. She was also honestly relieved to be on friendly terms with Train again and she was even beginning to trust Creed. The idea of ruining the amicable relationship she was creating with the men hurt her and even though she would never admit it to herself or anyone else, she enjoyed being able to have a conversation with her former lackeys that didn't end in a fight.

"Okay, Number One. We agree to these terms Heartnet and Diskenth have set. We'll see it as an opportunity to see where their allegiance truly lies. If they work with us to take the Apostles down, we'll know for sure they are no longer a threat and if they use this moment to betray us… We'll dispose of them."

Sephiria locked eyes with the man and nodded her head in understanding. "Yes, Sir." She paused, then asked another question. "Since we agree to work with the Black Cat and Diskenth, do I have permission to share sensitive information about the Apostles with them?"

The men started to argue again and were soon silenced by the man in the center as he punched his desk and spoke loudly. "If you are all so concerned that they're already working with the Apostles, then what difference does it make if they see information about them? It'll all be things they already know."

One of the men rolled his eyes. "But they'll know that we know it and can change their plans accordingly."

"And I'm sure Number one is already treating them as if they know everything about us. Correct Sephiria?" The man in the center addressed her firmly as he spoke.

Sephiria nodded her head sternly. "Yes, Sir."

That seemed to quiet the rest of the Elders down and the center man took a deep breath and nodded his head slowly. "Very well. I believe we have covered all topics we needed to discuss with this meeting. You can let the Black Cat know we agreed to his terms and I will leave it to your discretion what information you share with him. We will allow time to be the judge of their true colors."

Sephiria nodded her head again. "Yes, Sir."

He waved his hand at the woman. "You are dismissed."

Sephiria bowed deeply, then turned on her heel and left quickly. Her first stop was going to be Lin, since she knew the Elder would want to speak to him soon and she wanted to make sure he was prepared for that. After that, she needed to meet with Train and Creed.

That's… Not really a conversation I'm looking forward to having.

She knew there was more good news than bad, but she had a feeling the bad news would be harder to break to them.

Train gets attached to people rather quickly. Explaining to him that we suspect their new friends is not going to go over well with him… Creed either since it looks like his mentor trusts them.