Time had ceased to matter. At first Tieria had tried to fight them even if he knew how hopeless it was. The Innovators, existences that were like his own yet had all the power while Tieria had none, kept him in luxurious chambers as if he was an important guest instead of a prisoner. The irony was horrible but Tieria became numb to it. His mind was their playing ground and all Innovators enjoyed toying with it, finding new ways of making him squirm with unendurable pain. Regene, as ever, was a source of endless torment. Never leaving his side and always there when Tieria opened his eyes to another dreadful day out of a parade of dreadful days, Regene watched with that cryptic smile as he was handed from Innovator to Innovator and spoke to him almost tenderly: "You are one of us."

Tieria had lashed out at this but eventually he had simply given up. His defenses had been eroded and slowly demolished, both physically and mentally, until there was nothing left of him but a pliant mess. He was not sure what had been the turning point, perhaps when he had shot Allelujah- a mercy killing it had been, after the damage so cruelly inflicted on his body- not even super soldier healing proprieties could have saved him after the Innovators had taken their time snipping nerves and tearing at tissue. Or perhaps it had been when he agreed to do anything as long as they would stop breaking Setsuna's bones one by one, a bargain that backfired and ended up with Tieria huddled on the corner, his hands covering his ears, to keep the screaming from driving him insane as the Innovators used lasers to sever through bleeding flesh. Eventually there was only silence and he shut his eyes while they dragged Setsuna away. Or what was left of him, a pulp Tieria vaguely recognized as human.

His team mates were mangled right before his eyes and no amount of pleading ever changed anything. Tieria was actually thankful that Lockon, Neil that is, was already dead and not subjected to this. The rest of the crew was brought before Tieria and viciously gutted and through it all he just cringed, unable to do anything. Yet they never harmed him beyond recovery. Tieria expected that one day they would get careless and end up killing him but Regene was always there to prevent it from happening. Once he managed to get a hold of a gun and immediately turned it on himself and pulled the trigger only to be greeted by a dry and empty click. Regene laughed as he repeatedly tried to shoot himself dead, tears of frustration boiling as they fell down his cheeks.

"Tieria, you are not meant to die."

He threw away the useless gun and crawled away from the sing song voice that was so alluring.

"Just kill me. You've killed everyone else already…why won't you kill me as well?"

Regene had simply smiled and said,

"Because you are one of us."

Perhaps that had been the turning point, this failed suicide attempt that resulted in nothing but raw misery and the promise of a never ending life at the hands of his cunning captors who were the lords of the universe. Tieria had cursed his being an Innovator many times before but it was only when he fully realized that it meant that he would live forever that he began to truly hate it.

But that had not been it, he now reflected as he settled at the feet of a plush sofa. As horrible as all the pain and the humiliation had been what had truly broken him had apparently been so much tamer: they had simply left him alone. Time had yet to die and to Tieria it felt as if lifetimes had passed in utter solitude. It was an intelligent form of torture that worked by degrees. The room to which he was confined was as richly furbished as ever and it was only slowly that it dawned on him how much he craved contact of any kind. Anything to fill the blank horror of seeing no one, hearing on one, feeling no one. His meals appeared without anyone to carry them and he ended up clawing at the walls and screaming just to shatter the encroaching silence that crept on him like something worse than death and more horrible than pain.

When he felt a hand gently stroking his hair in his sleep and woke up to find Regene smiling at him it was as if something in him simply collapsed. It was with genuine gratitude that he had crawled into his lap and wept bitter tears that were half relief half despair.

"Do not leave me alone again- please. Hurt me if you want but don't leave me alone. Please."

He did not care if he sounded pathetic. Regene wiped his tears away with a caress and kissed him, the sudden contact after the long deprivation of any sort of interaction shocking Tieria more than the act itself but he accepted it.

"We shall never be apart, Tieria. You are one of us."

"I am one of you."

After that Tieria had been allowed to sit at the feet of the cushions on which the Innovators sat and Regene even let him stay side by side as they discussed what to do with the world. Tieria paid precious little attention to their talks and only occasionally dipped into the telepathy flow of information just to catch a few words, change, new, resistance, galaxy. Nothing meant anything to him.

He supposed that he was what could be called a concubine of sorts. Regene chose his outfits that were flowy and revealing, slits along the thighs and transparencies on shimmering fabric and he wore golden bracelets on his wrists and ankles. They would ring in a metallic clatter whenever he moved so everyone could always tell where he was. Ribbons would also dress him up and when he did so Tieria was bound to find himself in tight black clothes that were not very comfortable yet highlighted his lithe body. It was not uncommon for either Regene or Ribbons to have him on jewel studded chains and keep him leashed, a large ring around his neck. When that happened he knew that it meant that he would be exclusively handled by whoever kept the chain. It was a sign of distinction that in normal circumstances would be hateful but Tieria had gained respect for whatever favor was bestowed on him by his masters. And once he let go of everything the sex became better than anything he could ever have imagined. It mingled tantalizing glimpses into Veda and intense pleasure that left him listless after an overload of stimuli exploded on him. Shame had died a long time ago and he did not mind being loud, begging, being watched and even shared by the Innovators.

He had learnt how to become the part and the way he treaded upon the soft carpets and tucked his legs as he sat was all calculated to be appealing. He knew that pleasing the others was rewarding and it also made him feel happy in a strange away he did not like thinking about too much. He particularly enjoyed it when Regene had his way with him, the way he was taken made him moan and squirm in hopeless pleasure and there was something highly pleasuring in how Ribbons pinned him down and forcibly destroyed any control Tieria had over his own body.

Presently he sat at the feet of a plush sofa and just enjoyed a moment of peace. Regene occasionally stroked his hair and Tieria smiled faintly. He enjoyed being alone with his pair like this, these were moments that were dear to him. Overall Tieria could not tell that he was happy. He was aware that far too much of his old self had perished and that his personality had been turned inside out but Tieria was mostly content. There were still nightmares but they have ebbed away. In the beginning he would often wake up from horrible dreams in which he relived all that happened but Regene would plug him to Veda when that happened and a warm stream of light involved him with a steady droning melody that was information washing over him. Now whenever he slept, usually after being too spent from sex, his link was renewed with just enough clearance to assure that no dreams disturbed him. Instead a quiet hush carried him away into a gentle kind of slumber.

"Tieria, I got you a new toy."

He stretched his long limbs. Tieria knew that there was a kind of comfort in being on the soft carpet even if it meant submission on his part.

"A new toy?"

"You will see what I mean tonight."

Tieria expected that it would be a kind of aphrodisiac, Regene and Ribbons often gave him artificial encouragements that were not at all needed but a bonus of sorts, or maybe some sex toy so he was surprised when a little human girl was shown into one of his private ante-chambers. Tieria's quarters were immense, a collection of large rooms spanning a wide area, almost like a small palace inside the Innovator ship. This particular ante-chamber was decorated in red and hosted a puff on which he now sat in a regal fashion he had acquired somewhere along the way. He watched the little girl bow deeply on the carpeted floor and turned to the Innovator at the door for an explanation only to meet Regene's enigmatic smile as he walked away, leaving Tieria to wonder.

It had been such a long time since he had last seen a human that Tieria stared at the little girl that remained on her hands and knees, her forehead touching upon the floor.

"You can get up."

If this was his toy then he would have to command her. She did not rise but slowly lifted her head and Tieria was momentarily shocked. He suddenly thought of his dead team mates and got up to hide his upheaval, a clatter of gold on his ankles and wrists. Tieria was no longer used to having to handle with such an emotional crisis, the Innovators provided him with stability even if often punctuated with pain.

"Such a beautiful angel!"

Tieria was so disturbed that he tried to adjust the glasses he no longer wore except when Regene wanted to try some costplaying. He had no idea of what to say. Tieria was many things but angelic was not one of them. For the first time in many human lifetimes two words consciously flitted through his mind: Celestial Being. He was still trying to gather his bearings when the little girl chirped,

"Please forgive me, Master Erde. I forgot my place. I am Mileina and I will be your property from today on."

"You're a human."

Tieria did not want to have a human child intruding on him but he was sure that if he just dismissed her Regene would simply have her killed and done away with. He did not want that even if he did not know this Mileina girl who stared at him in star struck fascination.

"Yes, Master Erde. It is an honour to be serving an Innovator. You are the most beautiful of all Innovators- if you do not mind me saying so. Please forgive me if I am forgetting my place. You are free to command me as you please."

Tieria sat on the sprawling puff again and arranged the silky array of skirts that were his outfit. He felt very ill at ease and hints of guilt were biting at his conscience. Tieria almost dismissed her simply to get her out of his sight, this worshipping devotion bothered him immensely but at length he decided against it.

"Get up. And don't call me 'Master Erde', 'Tieria' will do."

Mileina slowly got to her feet, her brown eyes very wide. She reminded Tieria far too much of things he would rather completely forget.

"Tieria…Master Tieria, then."

She smiled. Tieria opened his mouth to tell her to drop the 'master' altogether but stopped himself. After all he was representing the Innovators and he knew that it was important to keep a position of power.

"You can brush my hair."

Tieria called an artificial mirror via a panel and settled in front of it. He had no need for this service but this was what occurred to him. Mileina took a brush from an array of beauty utensils and knelt behind Tieria.

"Yes, Master Tieria."

Mirrors always made Tieria think of Regene. Mileina began brushing his purple hair, her fingers delicate, hardly touching it. Over the years Tieria's hair had changed according to Regene and Ribbons' whims, it grown until it almost swept the floor, been cut short to make him look more typically male, been curled to make him just like Regene but currently it was back to how it preferred it in its original shoulder length size, smooth and very straight.

"What do you think of Innovators?"

Tieria knew that asking staff about their personal opinions was irregular but he had been cut off from all outside contact long enough to sparkle his curiosity.

"Innovators are the new gods of the world. In my village we worship Master Erde- I mean, Master Tieria. Because you are the angel that looks after our planet along with your honorable twin, Master Regetta."

Tieria almost turned around at this. He had never heard about this. As far as he knew he was unknown to the world since he never left Innovator havens and did not even see humans. He had never imagined that anyone could hold him as an idol of sorts.

"How do you even know about me?"

Mileina giggled slightly.

"Everyone knows about Master Tieria. All my life I've wanted to pay my homage to you. My brothers say that Master Almark is the greatest god but I always liked you so much better. After all you are the Earth's angel. And you are beautiful in real life as in the pictures."

Tieria swallowed hard. There was something almost disgusting in all this. Tieria did not even particularly care for the Earth and the humans he once loved were long gone. He had done nothing to protect the planet, nothing that had worked, at least. If they wanted to worship anyone it should be Setsuna who had gone down fighting for the love of the blue planet.

"Why do you say Innovators are gods?"

Mileina kept on brushing Tieria's glossy hair.

"Innovators live forever. They decide the fate of the world. My parents revered Master Tieria and so do I and you are still the same. Eternally beautiful and young."

There was a lump in Tieria's throat.

Over the next days Tieria learnt a lot from his human helper. She was training to become an acolyte to the temple of the Earth Angel and her greatest dream since she was three was to be with Tieria Erde. Mileina was six years old and carried a picture of Tieria in the folds of the white robe she used as a trainee of what he considered a disturbing cult. Said cult had a hierarchy with main priests, monks and a whole army of female attendees. Tieria learnt that the highest ranks got to wear fully purple gowns and participate in mysterious ceremonies. More than anything this told Tieria how much the world had changed while he was cloistered in his cozy palace. Being held up as a god was not particularly pleasant and made Tieria uneasy. He only handed Mileina simple and unnecessary tasks, such as what she did now: fixing his nails that were to be kept very neat. Tieria had become an icon of beauty even amidst the Innovators and he knew they all coveted him in one way or another, it solidified his position as a concubine but it was surprising to know that his outfits had been setting the major fashion trends in the human world for the last decade. Not only was his image widely spread as whole crowds simply loved it and swore by it.

"Mileina, why do you like me better than the other Innovators?"

She busied herself on his nails and Tieria could see she truly believe it was an honor to touch him.

"Master Tieria is much prettier. Last year there was a draught in my village and I prayed to Master Tieria to bring us water, the next day water burst from the ground at the feet of your statue! So Master Tieria saved us all."

He remained silent, the only sound the occasional jingling of his gold bracelets. Tieria could very well imagine Regene fixing up miracles in his name.

"What do you think about Innovators?"

"I heard from the village Elder that before you blessed the world there was war and people fighting each other but you ended all that. We can live in peace because of Master Tieria, Master Almark and the others."

Pax Ribbons. It was highly ironic that the world was united under the Innovator banner and war had been banished. Of course Tieria was sure that Ribbons readily quelled any rebellion by simply massacring all opponents but Innovators seemed to be accepted.