AN: yet again... been a while. lol. been busy. you know the drill by now.

get ready for another chapter of our protagonists talking about their feelings. i KNOW right. i swear, I had planned for some action for this chapter, but guess what, this chapter was getting too long and if i added those scenes the word count would friggin balloon into something ridiculous. so... instead, i shall tease more exciting things that'll happen in next chapters.

anyway, more new characters are upon us. enjoy n stuff. r&r if you feel like it.

CHAPTER NINE

"Ciel! Thank goodness you're here, come, quickly now!"

The moment Ciel stepped into the Resistance headquarters, Cerveau had whisked her away, leading her with great haste to the medbay.

"Cerveau! I'm so sorry, I came as fast as I can," she apologised, walking with swift, purposeful strides alongside the strong willed reploid engineer. "I was tied up in a meeting with the Northern branch when I got your call. What's going on?"

Cerveau shook his head, cursing himself for calling for their leader so abruptly and without explanation. "Argh, right, I was so caught up in the chaos I forgot to tell you," he said, his vocal cadence quick and raspy. "It's Commander Elpizo. Rocincolle said he was starting to come to."

The two sped into the medbay from the halls, and true to his word, Ciel came face to face with the chaos Cerveau spoke of.

The latest supply raid had been rather successful, all things considered, with the Guardians caught up in different affairs. Of course, it wasn't without its casualties- their medical personnel were rushing all over the cramped unit, their efforts spread woefully thin.

"What's our status?" Ciel asked on the way to the stepdown unit.

"11 wounded, 3 in the ICU," he reported, "but no deaths."

Better than what Ciel came to expect, but it was still something she didn't want to hear all too much. She also knew that of the 16 others deployed on that operation, four had been apprehended by Neo Arcadian soldiers. That could only mean four more would perish at the hands of X's tribunal, for there would be no mercy offered there.

The spirits of the Resistance were low, one could feel that much when they walked into the room. There was more cheer to be found at a funeral.

Ever since Axl's death and Craft's disappearance, the Resistance had been without confidence, aimless and weak in Neo Arcadia's shadow. Commander Elpizo had been in a coma for a good few months at that point. Cerveau had only just ripped him from the jaws of death, and before now, Ciel had doubts he'd ever wake up again.

Ciel was struggling to find the will to keep going. She had been in this game of wits for too long. All she wanted to do was leave Neo Arcadia with her Resistance folk forever, to seek shelter in the wilderness of Tabula Rasa where X had yet to lay his claim, but with the threat of Ragnarok looming over her, even surrender was no longer an option.

"Ah, there you two are!"

They were quickly shepherded away by Rocincolle the second the hearty nurse set eyes on them, spirited towards the stepdown unit. "You're just in time. Commander Elpizo's starting to wake."

They were led to Elpizo's bedside, finding him still somewhat asleep, but restless and troubled. The elegant operations commander looked sick and fragile from his near death experience and long period of coma, his muscles having lost their turgidity and mass, his face sunken in and thin, skin as pale as ivory. He was still hooked up to a cavalcade of cables and IVs, life support machines beeping away vacantly over the drowned out noise of the busy medbay.

Elpizo's face tensed and relaxed in his slumber, his hands clenched into fists and muscles growing taut with growing agitation. He was mumbling, but saying nothing in particular, and as the long seconds trudged on by, he began fidgeting and writhing on his bed, his incomprehensible speech growing louder and frustrated. The neurological activity monitor blared a warning beep.

"Hold him down, will you?" Cerveau commanded the nurses at bay, who hurriedly did as told. "All these ex-Neo Arcadians do terribly with anaesthesia. I don't want him tearing out his IVs-"

Elpizo jolted awake with a panicked, sharp gasp, erupting in a bout of intense emergence agitation.

"You- I- need to talk, need to speak to–"

He struggled to get the words to make sense, his voice felt thick in his throat and his processor ran sluggishly, overcome with the thick fog of delirium. The nurses could barely hold him down, despite his worn down physique, the commander so overcome with panic he found strength he didn't possess.

His wild eyes locked onto Ciel, and his breath hitched. "General Ciel!"

Elpizo lurched forward, grabbing for Ciel's shoulders and holding her level. "Ciel! Don't speak, just listen to me!" He wailed, his stare manic, pupils as small as pinpricks. "Listen. I-I saw them! I saw all of them!"

"Wha- huh?!-" Ciel shook her head, shaking off the confusion and pushed Elpizo's hands away. "Who? Who did you see?"

"Everyone!" He screamed. "I saw them– o-our dead brothers and sisters, I saw them all!"

His voice grew quiet. "I-in a flowering field, where the sun was always setting. I saw them! The– the hunters, our kings, they were there too, A-Alia, Signas, Axl." His demeanour grew intense once more, and he grabbed a hold of Ciel's arm. "I saw X! And not this X, but our X. He said it– it wasn't my time, that I had to go back. C-Ciel, we need to tell everyone, we're being lied to! It's not supposed to be like this, this isn't our X, the X sitting on the throne, he– he isn't from this place! He can't stay here, he can't! He'll destroy us all!"

He tried to sit up, tried to unfasten himself from his lines and cables, but he was reigned back by nurses. "If I don't do anything, I'll join them there, in that place. We'll all join them! B-but I'm– I'm not strong enough, none of us are-"

All at once, he went limp, his eyes rolling back as they shut, and he fell back on his bed. Behind him, Ciel found Cerveau at the medical console, having taken the initiative to put him back under. With the energy in the room dropping back down to a minimum like a falling brick, Ciel let out a soft sigh.

"Jeez…" she grumbled, running her hand through her fringe. "I wasn't expecting that."

"...What on Earth was he on about?" Rocincolle said aloud what everyone was thinking.

Cerveau shrugged. "No idea. Maybe he just reacted badly to the anaesthesia."

No one else had any better explanation. Everyone except the Resistance's resident philosophist.

"I'll take a guess," spoke a sauve, effeminate voice that emanated from the corner of the room. "There was an old RIAOT paper about the reploid halo-brain persisting after the death of the three-dimensional cassette body. Elpizo was on the brink, wasn't he? Who's to say he didn't tread on the boundary of this triumvirate plane and the next, higher dimension, where our conscience derives? He perhaps caught a glimpse of our heaven and all its 4D inhabitants. Cyber-elves, old friends… even us, if only part of us…"

Ciel and Cerveau shot the speaker an impassive frown.

"Sounds… awfully esoteric, Hirondelle," Ciel chided. "Besides, that was all just a thought experiment. Nothing more."

"...And even if that was true, X is most certainly still alive. His army just put three good men on life support," Cerveau said. "Now is not the time to dwell on old RIAOT proceedings, not when we're struggling to get food on the table."

"Yes… maybe you're right now, but only time will tell if that will remain so true," he conceded. "You don't have to believe me. I'm just throwing it out there."

Hirondelle threw his arms up in defeat, before he departed the unit to make himself useful elsewhere. They were left in silence, unsure of where to go from there. The machines hooked up to Elpizo idly sounded away.

"...Maybe he's got some mild hibernation sickness," Cerveau took another shot in the dark in a bid to fill the empty air. "What do you suppose we do now?"

Ciel leaned over Elpzio's bedside, pursing her lips and drumming her fingers on the gurney.

"...I don't know," she admitted after a long, quiet moment. It was something she had grown accustomed to saying those days. "Just get everyone fixed up and keep an eye on Elpizo's status. I'll ask him if he knows anything about Ragnarok when he's stable. Then… I'll think of something."

Cerveau nodded, straightening his posture and sending his nurses here and there. With her people in good hands, Ciel departed the unit, taking the long trek back to the command room. It was a disturbingly quiet walk without the ever-talkative Axl at her side, and with nothing scheduled for that day, the halls were vacant of life.

And in the silence, the echoes of Elpizo's ramblings lingered in her mind. She felt a very specific guilt eat away at her soul, one that she hadn't been privy to in a long time.

It was late into the night, and Craft was awake, again.

Once more, he was tormented by restless nights under the Neo Arcadian sky. He gave up trying to will himself back to sleep, and instead wandered to the window sill, pulling up a seat as he looked out to the city, watching the distant lights flicker in the distance, scant traffic roaming the freeways and rail lines.

He was sickened by its gratuitousness. But most of all, he felt purposeless, like an arrow shot haphazardly into the sky. He had risked it all to leave Neo Arcadia's iron reign, had to turn his back on his friends and Einherjar comrades. He had sacrificed everything to escape his past life, all for naught.

He was reckless, driven by love, and now he was subject to the all too familiar sight of Neo Arcadia's starless nights once more.

Craft wasn't sure if Neige was even alive. He didn't care what happened to him, whether he would live for much longer or not, as long as Neige was safe, offering unto others her fierce compassion and perseverance.

He tried to convince himself it could've been worse. He could've fallen under someone else's command and had his heart and mind stolen from him, forced to become another instrument of X's war. No– he had been lucky enough to fall into the gentle lap of mercy at the hands of Zero for no reason in particular. He didn't know what he did to deserve his grace. It could've been anyone else, and deep down, Craft knew it should've been anyone else, someone who possessed less blood on their hands, a better man than he.

What happened had happened, though, and Zero chose him. Despite his reservations, Craft supposed he had to be grateful for the circumstances he was ultimately dealt.

Zero was different. He didn't seem to harbour any sentimental connection to Neo Arcadia, like the Guardians or the Judges did. In fact, he looked uncomfortable and troubled amongst X's people. He saw things for what they were, and far sooner than Craft ever did as X's world ender.

He could change things forever, and in a way, Zero already had, even as he remained trapped in the walls of X's spire, weaponless, thin and wiry, and broken, so hopeless and unsure of what he could do to fix the dismal world.

"Craft?"

Zero snuck up on him so often, he had the thought of putting a bell on him. He had gotten up from his bed and was sitting at its side. Zero cocked his head.

"You're awake again," he continued, sliding off the side of the bed to stand at his side. "I can get you an actual bed if it's giving you that much trouble, you know."

Craft shook his head no. "It's fine. The ottoman's comfier than the berths we had in the Resistance."

"I see." Zero sat himself on the windowsill beside him. "Something else bothering you?"

Craft didn't respond immediately. He sighed and leaned back, the chair creaking as he did. "...Yeah. Just thinking, is all."

Zero's beady violet gaze narrowed. It felt like he was looking right into his soul. "About home?"

"How'd you guess?"

Zero made a soft chuckle, before his mousy stare fell back to the floor. "Just a hunch," he replied. "To tell you the truth, I'm thinking about it too."

Craft perked up. "Oh?"

"...I know. It sounds weird, doesn't it?" Zero threw his head back. "This has been the only place I've known since I woke up but it's not my home. I don't belong here. And honestly, I don't know where I would in this world."

"...None of us know," Craft said. "No one knows what to do. All I know is that our place isn't here. There's no saving Neo Arcadia… I came to accept that a long time ago."

Zero nodded slowly. "Maybe… Neo Arcadia isn't worth saving, but its people are."

Now he was starting to sound like Neige. Even Ciel wasn't so lofty. Craft swallowed thickly. "I know…" he said, "maybe, when humankind can confront the evil of their past, only then will they be able to escape it."

It's a pipedream, he knew that, but just maybe… Craft could only hope he was still alive when that day came.

They sat in silence. Zero was looking out into the city, watching the lights flicker like distant stars with a blank, aimless stare. Craft was looking at him instead.

"...It's funny. Sometimes you say things that sound just like something Neige would tell me."

That gave Zero pause. "Really…?" His brows rose. "I'm… flattered?"

Craft let out a quiet, but hearty snicker. "You should be. Before I met her, I had nothing to fight for. I just… was." He looked away wistfully. "But she showed me that people were worth saving, flaws and all. I… feel like I've failed her, acting so foolishly."

Zero frowned. "...Did you feel for her?"

Craft was silent for a beat. He looked at his boots, evading Zero's face. "Yes. That fiery heart, her unwavering determination… when she showed me that there was more to the world and its people, that's… when I fell in love." He shook his head. "And now I've messed things up. I let tunnel vision get the better of me. I thought of her, and not the bigger picture, and that's landed me back here. I don't even know if she's even alive, even after everything I've done."

The sentiment struck close to home for Zero's weary heart, sounding all too painfully similar. "I understand," he sympathised, "in a way, I feel like I've failed the person I loved too. When I left X all those years ago, I… I should've known better. I left him alone with his world in tatters. I was selfish. I loved him so much that I was afraid my existence would only lead to more of the same, the endless wars, senseless death. It wasn't rational, but after seeing so many perish in the Elf Wars, I just… couldn't do it anymore. I lost so many friends in those battles but I don't even remember their faces. All I remember is the fields of bodies, like a sea of the dead. And to think it was because of an evil born out of my body… I couldn't take it. The guilt consumed every minute of my life."

He looked aside. "But X and I, we were parts of a greater whole. I don't know how I could've been so stupid, abandoning him so many years ago. Now X is gone. Everyone is. And I can't help but feel as if it's all my fault."

Craft gazed at him with roving, thoughtful eyes, before he set a hesitant reassuring touch on his thigh. Zero didn't object.

"It isn't your fault, Zero. I promise you that," he spoke in a soft, light voice, "what's done is done, we can't change that. But you should not be held responsible for the actions of a mad man. Maybe I wasn't close to your old friends, but even I could've told you your disappearance was felt across all of Neo Arcadia. It was X who let it consume him." He frowned. "And instead of relinquishing his power, he let it ruin him. It's a sad reality about power and people. History repeats, you know? We aren't humans, but mankind's darkness runs in us all."

Zero stared down at Craft's hand. The width of his palm nearly covered the entirety of Zero's thigh.

"All we can do is move on," he lamented. "Even if it hurts, we have to live. For the sake of everyone we fight for."

There was a sombre gloom over them, but the glow of hope lingered underneath it all. Zero placed his hand over Craft's, taking him by surprise.

They didn't say much after that. Zero didn't mind. In the cold dead of night without a word between them, time felt so slow, like dripping resin. He wasn't sure when they eventually got back to sleep. All he could remember was collapsing back onto his bed, restlessly mulling over Craft's sentiment as he drifted off.

He had to persevere. Even if it hurt, he still couldn't give up on these people, not as long as he still has breath in his systems. He wouldn't give up on Craft, nor on anyone in Neo Arcadia.

"Zero!"

It had been a good while since Zero had seen Fefnir or Leviathan in the citadel. By the looks of things, they were more than happy to see the red android enter their lounge.

"I've missed seeing your pretty face, big guy!" Leviathan exclaimed as she ran herself into Zero's arms, squeezing him tight in a painfully firm hug. "My gosh, it's been so busy, you have no idea…"

Zero made an awkward chuckle, patting Leviathan on the back to tap out. The two boisterous Guardians had been deployed to aid a recovery mission in the Outside Lands that ultimately came up fruitless. Failure didn't seem to dampen their spirits, however.

"Ah, jeez… I've missed you guys too," Zero said, greeting Fefnir with a hearty handshake. "It's been too quiet around here."

"Oh yeah. Here's to hoping Harpuia didn't bore you to death," Fefnir groaned, teeth bared in a snide smirk. "I've heard it's been busy in these parts while we've been gone."

"You could say that," Zero replied, stepping aside to let his guard-companion enter behind him. "I've been… making friends."

Fefnir and Leviathan were quite tall, but Craft still towered over them, casting them in a vast shadow. Fefnir baulked, stepping back with his fists raised up in a defensive stance. To that, Leviathan just laughed and held him at ease with an outstretched arm.

"Relax, Fefnir," she assured, tugging him back. "Dad told us he's with us now, remember? Or, I suppose, he's back with us."

Fefnir looked at her with a critical glare, before he slowly and hesitantly dropped his fists. "Oh yeah… I forgot about that. I don't know if I'll ever get used to seeing him around here. That slimy traitor…"

"I can hear you," Craft reminded them, "it's not like I'm thrilled to see any of your faces on the daily either."

Fefnir and Craft stared each other down, before Zero cleared his throat, taking back their collective attention. "Let's play nice now. All of you," he reprimanded them. Craft and Fefnir shrunk back like scolded puppies. "I don't suppose you guys are too busy right now, hm? I wanted to catch up with you two."

The siblings exchanged glances, before nodding. "Yeah-no-we–" they stammered in unison, pausing awkwardly before they could finish their thoughts.

Leviathan was first to compose herself. "Yeah, no biggie. You can stay however long you want," she answered. "Come, come, make yourself comfortable. Too nice a day to stay indoors!"

She led them into the outdoor seating area by the pool, where the afternoon sun shone in all its golden glory over the lounge, its shine sparkling on the water's surface. It wasn't blazing hot, but the radiant heat was enough to make any reploid's systems purr. It was a windless day in Neo Arcadia, a perfect day to lounge around in the sun's rays and let the mind wander from the harsh realities of the real world. Zero was keen to do exactly that.

Fefnir was keeping a close, suspicious eye on Craft as he followed Zero in, the large warbot taking a seat next to his master on one of the poolside sun lounges. Fefnir sat opposite them with disapproving crossed arms and an even crosser frown, while Leviathan dunked herself into the cool water without a care in the world.

There was a silent tension taking hold of the situation that Zero had not anticipated when he decided to bring Craft along, but he supposed he should've expected it with how long Craft was considered an enemy to Neo Arcadia. Zero looked between the two, blinking a few times in exasperation. "I see you have a few reservations about my choice in companionship."

"It's not you…" Fefnir refuted, "he's just… Craft!"

Craft cocked a brow. "Is there a problem with that?" Zero asked. Leviathan giggled from where she leaned over the pool's edge.

"Don't worry about him. Fefnir's just nervous around Craft because he's beat his ass like, a million times, heh."

Fefnir sat up with renewed resolve. "Hey. Not true."

Zero looked to Craft for clarity. He tipped his head to the side in uncertainty. "It's a little bit true," he said. "I've had my fair share of scuffles with you four. It's only right that I'd have a few victories under my belt."

Fefnir's red hot gaze narrowed. Craft just frowned, exasperated. "...I mean, you've gotten a few on me as well," he amended shortly after. Craft turned to face Zero, holding up his arm to present his torso. He revealed a faint scar that trailed from his armpit down to his hip. "This one's from him, actually. Had Harpuia right in the palm of my hand when he came out of nowhere like a bat out of hell. Took a good chunk out of me. Hurt like a bitch. Was in the medbay for a week getting it stitched up."

That memory made Fefnir chuckle. "I remember that. Heh. Harpuia still hasn't thanked me," he said. "Much as it tickles me to see his scrawny ass get snatched out the air, I ain't letting nobody beat on my brother like that."

"Don't I know it…" Craft winced. He lifted his foot and rested it on his knee. He had another deep scar bisecting the back of his heel. "This one's Phantom's. Son of a bitch snuck up on me. Knocked me down by the achilles. Axl had to drag me away. He never let me live it down."

"Mmhm. What about the…" Zero hovered his hand over his own face. Craft took a moment to realise what he meant.

"Ah, this one." He nodded slowly. "That one's courtesy of Master X himself."

Zero's eyes widened. "Oh."

"I know. Was the first time I met him on the battlefield after I had joined the Resistance," he explained. "He was so pissed, he nearly took my head off. He just got my eye. Could've been worse, to be honest. Lost my sense of depth for two months until Ciel gave me this augment." He frowned just thinking about it. "It was grizzly."

"...I can imagine," Zero droned. "You've got a lot of scars, Craft."

Craft wasn't all too sure what to say in response to that. His jaw tightened as he went over his words. Fefnir answered for him.

"Our scars are trophies of the battlefield!" he asserted. "Every wound holds a memory that we must carry with us in our lives. They remain as reminders of our rich history as proud warriors."

Leviathan's brow rose. "Soo poetic."

"Thanks." He puffed his chest out in mock pride. "I'd say I'm an alum of a more refined school of thought." Craft looked down at himself scanning the scars that pelted his chassis.

"Never thought of it that way," he said. "You forget you have them after a while. Then when you're surrounded by normal people, you realise you're covered in the damn things."

Zero nudged him with his side playfully. "Hey. That just means you have more stories to tell."

Craft blinked, before bashfully running his hair back with a silly grin. Leviathan, not particularly intrigued, flopped over melodramatically. "You guys are so darn philosophical all the time. I don't get it."

Just as the indigination began to seep in for her audience, she hopped upright again, the pep in her step returning with a vengeance. "Whatever. I've got a new idea."

"Do tell," Zero deadpanned.

"Ohh, so glad you asked! You know, Zero, I was thinking, you always seem so wound up, so why don't you get in here and join me? Come relax a little, the water's fine!" She pushed away from the wall and floated away on her back like a sea otter. "Harpuia's got the temperature up way too high."

Fefnir huffed. "Well, I think it's perfect."

"You would," Leviathan snipped back. "What do you say, Zero?"

Zero chewed his lip in contemplation. It wasn't like there wasn't much else for him to do.

"Hm. Alright, guess it wouldn't hurt," he finally decided, getting to his feet.

He undid and sloughed off his vest from his shoulders, taking a ribbon wrapped around his wrist and tying his hair back. Craft watched intently as Zero threaded his fingers through his amber, silken hair, each lock catching the sunlight in a way that made him look divine.

Craft hastily looked away before the Guardians could berate him for staring at an android way out of his league. His beauty, regardless, was undercut by a thin and sick physique that made it hard for Craft to appreciate it.

Zero stopped at the pool's ledge, dipping the toe of his boot into the water, before sitting himself down on the edge and submerging his legs, then pushed himself in entirely. The warm water enveloped him in an instant, embracing his weary frame in its soothing embrace. It felt like the worries that he had been burdened with were washed away in the splash. In the water, he felt weighless, sounds muffled and muted like he was in a dream, until he resurfaced again, returning to the real world.

He shook himself dry, soaking Leviathan in a spray, much to her dismay. The sun shimmered on the droplets falling from his frame, pale skin glistening.

Craft kept looking, but Fefnir was paying them no mind. The draconic warrior leaned forward, clasping his hands together. "So, big man. How are you liking things back in Neo Arcadia? Like what we've done around here?"

It brought the large warbot's attention back to him. He shrugged ambivalently. "Hmph. It's better than being dead," he supposed. "It's not like I'm breaking my back working for Zero."

Leviathan made a face, then whipped around to face Zero. "S'that so? Blondie, you should be working him harder! This is supposed to be punishment!"

Zero propelled himself to the pool's ledge, resting his chin on crossed arms. "Mmh. I'm not exactly high maintenance."

"Yeah, sure. I've seen your grooming routine, princess," Craft grumbled under his breath. As quiet as he was, his words weren't missed by Zero's acute audials.

"Well maybe you should consider taking up a grooming routine sometime, buddy," Zero retorted huffily, his brow creasing. "We should go to that day spa Leviathan always goes on about. When was the last time you cleaned up that mane of yours, huh?"

That made the big man nervously back off a few inches. After his words sunk in, he could only offer a crooked smile and an awkward, breathy laugh as he ran his hand through his thick black hair.

"...Ah, it's not really my top priority," Craft admitted after a moment to weigh up his answer to that question. Zero stuck his nose up, making a mock exaggerated haughty face.

"Why, if you're supposed to be my servant, I suppose you should look the part!" Zero insisted with faux, mocking arrogance. "Try as you might, your natural good looks will only get you so far, Mister Fenrisúlfr– hhhehehe, sorry, that was stupid."

Zero quickly broke character, unable to keep the laugh in his throat. Craft found himself chuckling as well. "My good looks? Now you're just playing with my heart, Zero. Not even Neige called me handsome..."

"I was never that much of a good actor. X used to say I was terrible at lying," Zero admitted. "I could never be trusted with undercover missions."

Lie or no lie, the massive, foreboding war machine still blushed a little at the backhanded compliment. Fefnir frowned and huffed, unimpressed at the praise Zero gave to Craft. "Honestly…"

There were other, less savoury things that were being said under his breath, but Craft decided to pay them no mind. Zero heaved himself out of the pool and sat on the ledge, soaking wet, and gently tapped his hand at his side.

Craft stared at him for a moment, then cocked his head. Zero rolled his eyes and beckoned him over with a flick of the head. That had Craft shaking his head vehemently, waving his hands no.

"Ah, no, no thanks," he replied. "You enjoy yourself, Zero."

Leviathan huffed. "Yeah. You'll dirty up my lovely pristine water with your maverick filth, anyway."

Zero frowned and furrowed his brow in second-hand offence, before deciding to ignore her. "Come on. Don't act so shy all of a sudden," he insisted. "Look. You could probably stand up at this depth."

Craft slouched down with a sigh, snatching quick glances between Fefnir and Zero as he weighed up his options. It'd be a bad look to disobey Zero in front of the Guardians, even if it was the smallest transgression. "Alright, alright…" he conceded, getting up and making his way over to the poolsteps. Leviathan groaned, rolling her eyes and pushing herself off the wall to put some distance between her and Craft.

Gingerly, Craft waded into the pool, cautious of the potential bitter chill of the water, but as he pressed on, he was caught by surprise by the gentle, pleasant warmth. True to Zero's word, when he had gotten to the bottom of the pool steps, he could stand with his head above water quite easily. Zero plunged back into the water from the ledge, joining Craft in the pool and treading water around him.

With warm, gentle water flowing around him like it was hugging him, the weight on Craft's shoulders lifted, leaving only tranquillity in its wake.

"It's nice, isn't it?"

Zero swam over to Craft, taking his hands and forcing him to hold him above water. Craft was taken aback by how small and fragile Zero's hands felt in his grip, and he found himself staring at the way they fit neatly into the palm of his hands. He curled his fingers around Zero's hands and held them with as soft a touch he could muster.

"Yeah…"

Leviathan looked on with disdain at Craft's presence in her beloved poil, but this time, she kept her feelings to herself. Instead, having decided she was no longer interested in the two, she turned away, watching Fefnir flick on a television to whatever football game was being broadcast and disconnecting herself from Craft and Zero's conversation.

Within the comfort of the warm water and the lack of scrutinising commentary from the two Guardians, it was easy to just forget about the dismal, oppressive world bearing down on them, like they were caught up in a pleasant dream. All Craft wanted to know was the legendary android before him, the saviour of all human-likes, held so delicately in his hands as if he was made of porcelain.

"...Funny, I always hated when we got assigned to underwater operations," Zero confessed, "but X would always braid my hair so it wouldn't get in my face when I swam… so I kind of learnt to love them, if just for the attention I got for it. Even now, the water still reminds me of the joy he used to bring me years ago. I wonder if he remembers…"

Craft's high spirits faltered at the reminder of what Zero, and by extension, X, used to be. There was a sense of tragedy he felt whenever he heard tales of X's nature before the era of Neo Arcadia revealed the evil lying dormant in his heart. Zero decompressed with a deep exhale as he found himself dwelling on X again, painfully aware of the fact that he would never feel that particular joy ever again as long as X continued down his path of senseless destruction.

"...You've got big hands, you know that?"

Craft wasn't expecting such an abrupt change in topic, but he wasn't going to point it out. The last thing Zero needed was anymore fuel to feed his misery over X.

"Maybe you just have small hands. Ever thought of that?"

"Yeah, right. I'm normal sized, actually. You guys are just giant freaks."

"Well, that ain't fair. I didn't ask to be seven feet."

"Mmhm. I'm sure, big guy, heh…"

It was nice to see the smile return to Zero's face. His smile was as rare as it was beautiful- as beautiful as the legends touted. The statues erected in his image didn't come close to reflecting his striking poise and demeanour. As worn down as he was, he still managed to demand the respect of those below him. His lithe frame spoke a sense of agility and cunning, even in a state of rest.

Maybe it was a little too easy to get caught up in Zero's grace. Craft didn't even realise Leviathan had noticed him zoning out.

"Ahem. Take a picture, why don't you? It'll last longer," Leviathan chided coyly, making Craft recoil. His gaze snapped aside and he grimaced awkwardly, feeling acutely self-conscious, even if Zero didn't look all too offended.

He tightened in apprehension. What was he thinking? Gawking at the legendary hero? A reploid who had saved the world from being completely wiped out time and time again? And who was he?

He was nothing in comparison, a man who ran away from evil instead of confronting it head on.

He also had to remember, as much as Zero seemed to dislike his circumstances, he was still Neo Arcadian royalty. He was still X's partner, and he couldn't sink too much trust in him, at least not yet. If what he said rang true, then Zero had yet to see the grotesque underbelly of Neo Arcadia, where X's glorious army regularly massacred innocent civilians, and where the ashes of incinerated reploids fell like snow from the smokestacks of 'recycling plants'. He was tortured, yes, and witness to terrible things, but Craft was afraid he was yet to see the full extent of the city's evils, and yet to fully condemn them.

Still, what good would it be for Zero to condemn X's deeds when there was little he could do to right them? It was a tough situation, whether Zero truly hated X and Neo Arcadia, or if he was just putting on an elaborate show to earn Craft's trust and coax Resistance secrets out of him. Hopefully, the fact that Zero was horrible at lying pointed towards the former.

"Hey, it's no big deal," Zero assured Craft, patting him on the side of his arm and pulling him back from his racing thoughts. "It's easy to have your mind run away from you like that in here. It's soothing…"

"...Right."

Floating in the warm water as the sun's rays shined down on them, it felt freeing. Like he could just float away in the stream. He could tell Zero felt much the same, his cheeks rosy and big violet eyes half-lidded and content.

He sank further down until he was neck deep in the water, happy to let it envelop him. He almost drifted off, eyes fluttering shut in the gentle calmness.

…

"Ah, shoot. Party's over," Leviathan announced, prematurely ending that sense of peacefulness. Craft and Zero came to their senses quickly and turned to face her, only to find Harpuia walking in, nose held high and hands clasped behind his back.

"Hey, Harpuia…" Leviathan greeted solemnly, already disappointed to know her time in the sun was over.

"Leviathan. Fefnir. Very sorry to interrupt your moment, but–"

Harpuia stopped himself when he caught Craft's stare.

"Craft. If I were you…" his gaze darkened, thin slit pupils and wide owlish eyes glaring daggers through him, "I would keep my hands to myself."

Craft swallowed hard and held his hands up, letting Zero float away. Fefnir scoffed softly.

"What, you getting jealous on dad's behalf now?" Fefnir remarked. Harpuia frowned, shaking his head in exasperation.

"We'd hate to see Resistance vermin of his ilk getting too comfortable with Master Zero, wouldn't we?" Harpuia reasoned. He snatched the remote from Fefnir's side and turned off the television without warning. "Come on. Wrap it up, father's looking for you."

Fefnir stared open-mouthed, taken aback by his audacity. "Hey– excuse me! What gives? The third quarter just started–"

"Then you'll just have to make do with keeping track of the box scores," Harpuia said. "Get going. There's been a security emergency in the South sector industrial district. We need you to rally your forces and cordon off the area around the site. Make sure the maverick threat is contained. Father will meet you at the South E-2 assembly point near the Galhareeri Canal."

Upon learning of the prospect of a fight, Fefnir set aside his reservations, quickly getting to his feet like he was spring loaded. "Well shoot, why didn't you say so? Let's get out of here, Levi."

With little choice other than to obey, Leviathan hauled herself out the water and shook herself as dry as she could get. Before she joined her brothers, she looked back to Craft and Zero, who watched on sheepishly.

"Sorry guys. Duty calls," she whispered as she scurried away, following her brothers close behind. Their voices grew fainter as they drifted further away.

"Where's Phantom?" Harpuia asked, rather accusatively, "he never responds to my alerts anymore."

"I dunno, probably sulking somewhere…"

There was the sound of doors shutting, and their conversation continued elsewhere. Zero sighed, feeling a sort of relief to be free of the Guardians' critical eyes, treading over to the pool's ledge and leaning over it.

Without the television or the Guardians' chitchat, it felt particularly empty in the lounge. Craft slowly closed the distance between him and Zero.

"Zero. You know, if you ever have a problem with me–"

"I don't," Zero assured before he could finish that thought. "Harpuia's just trying to mess with how I feel about you."

Though Craft wasn't too sure what the details of Zero's feelings about him were, he only hoped they were positive.

"You seem like a good person," Zero continued. "I like talking to you."

Craft's lips straightened to a line. He was so monotone that it was hard to tell whether or not he was being facetious. "Ah. Thanks…"

"It's nice to have someone to confide with. Someone like you. Even if I don't know whether I can trust you yet," Zero said, watching Craft wade to his side, "ever since they killed Axl, it's… it's been lonely. It's hard, waking up to a world where everyone's a stranger."

His sorrow was brief, and his spirits lifted when he caught Craft's gaze again. "But it's nice to have someone."

Zero's smile widened, big dark eyes glimmering in the sun. "Maybe, someone I'd even call a friend."

For days now, anytime he had the chance, Hidden Phantom locked himself away in his room, enjoying the relative isolation his quarters gifted him in the hectic Neo Arcadian citadel.

He sat on an elevated wooden platform, surrounded by a small zen garden and a pond, where holograms of koi danced below lily pads and lotus flowers. The sun's glow streamed in through a massive picture window, bathing him in warm light.

He had much better things to do than sulk in his room, he knew that much. In fact, Harpuia had let him know that fact time and time again.

But Phantom knew himself well- he knew that if he tried to sit down and work in his state, there would be no point. His mind was unfocused and rattled, swimming in unbearable anxiety to the point where he felt sick to his stomach. He had set aside his mask and helmet, feeling as though it was suffocating him, strands of dark brown, almost black hair falling over his face.

He meditated, but he found no peace in that familiar routine. He wanted more than anything else to clear his mind, but as soon as he settled down, everything afflicting his mind would soon return to torment him, from the greatest failures he had endured to the smallest embarrassment.

Most of it led back to his father. X had been distant those past few weeks. He never connected with Phantom or his siblings just for the sake of it anymore, only ever contacting them for work related reasons. Maybe they were getting too old to rely on their father for unconditional love, Phantom supposed, or maybe X just didn't want to see their faces anymore, especially not after murdering his first son.

It had been that way for a while. Phantom believed that finding Zero and reuniting his father with his one obsession would help things return to the way they were before X began slipping, but if anything, it just made things worse.

Zero was unhappy, and X was even angrier now, knowing that he and Zero were no longer on the same page. It was hard not to feel as if he was at fault for it all- after all, he was the one who tracked down Zero's resting site.

The agony of his anxiety was starting to seep into his work. Things that came naturally to him now felt like a herculean task. At that rate, it wouldn't be long until he'd slip up in a major way. And Phantom was terrified to think of what punishment X would have in store for him when that day would come.

There was a knock at the door before it audibly slid open, stirring Phantom from his thoughts.

"Phantom?"

Zero's voice was followed by his presence in the doorway to Phantom's quarters. Phantom scanned him pensively.

"Zero? What are you doing here?" Phantom stood up, on guard without anything to cover his face. Zero shrugged, his blank expression carrying no sign of malice.

"I wanted to see you," Zero answered simply enough. Phantom cocked his brow.

"Why? Is there something you need?" He interrogated further, "did something happen?"

"No."

"Then… Why did you want to see me?"

"Because I wanted to," Zero said. "You can sit down."

That took Phantom aback. He had almost forgotten what it was like to be wanted just because. He breathed in a sharp, nervous breath and sat back down. Zero crossed the bridge over the pond and joined Phantom on the platform, sitting face-to-face with him on the tatami mat.

"...Where's Commander Craft?" Phantom had to ask. Zero's maverick servant always seemed to be at his side those days. Phantom still didn't like him all too much. It felt like too much of a security risk to just let him just roam around so freely, where he could rub shoulders with government officials Phantom knew he could kill in an instant. Still, Zero had taken a liking to him, and there wasn't much that Phantom could do about the matter.

"He's outside," Zero assured. "Don't worry. It's just me."

Phantom's shoulders sagged, the shinobi allowed to relax. "Oh. Alright…"

There was a short pause.

"Phantom."

"...Yes?"

"You know, you have a nice place here." Zero leaned in. "What are you up to?"

For some reason, Phantom's mouth felt dry. "Oh, nothing, nothing really, sir," he replied. "Just… having some time to myself."

Zero glared at him, eyes fluttering to and fro as he scanned him thoroughly. Phantom leaned back, feeling deeply vulnerable.

"You seem upset," Zero concluded. Phantom immediately jolted to attention.

"I'm fine, Master Zero. I promise."

Zero looked through him again, pouting in thought. "What's wrong?"

Perhaps, without his mask, his emotions were so obviously worn on his sleeve. Phantom took in a deep sigh and slouched over.

"Oh, everything."

He laughed. It was a nervous one, but Zero couldn't recall ever hearing Phantom so much as scoff in amusement.

"It's like nothing ever goes right anymore. No matter how hard we try, everything just gets worse," he admitted, running his hand through his hair. "Everything I do is to appease my father but nothing it's like nothing I can do will ever make him happy. All we do is cull reploids to delay Neo Arcadia's heat death. And it's not something I'm happy doing."

His hand closed into a fist, and his exhales shuddered as they passed through fluttering vents. "But what else can I do? This is the only life I've ever known," he lamented, "a life in my father's shadow…"

Phantom's voice stalled in his vocaliser. Zero grabbed his shoulder and tried to bolster his spirits.

"You're more than that, Phantom," Zero promised. Phantom mulled it over for a moment, before he closed his eyes and shook his head vehemently, brushing Zero's hand off him.

"No. These are unfortunate facts written into the architecture of my being. I am a machine of patriotism. Patriotism is not loyalty to this city. My purpose is this city and all it stands for, and that is patriotism. I live to serve Neo Arcadia, and our father, X, he is Neo Arcadia. I'm sorry," Phantom said, "but this is the way it has to be for me. It's… what we were made to do."

"You shouldn't think like that." Zero wrinkled his nose. "We can't live imprisoned by the conditions of our birth. I was born as a war machine, an instrument of my creator's darkest desires, but I've made it my mission to be something more than what I was meant to be."

Zero could practically feel Iris speaking through him, though there was nothing left of her- her halo-brain burned out when her body did.

"You know, I wasn't built with consciousness."

Phantom's eyes widened. "No?"

"When I was first activated, I was as sentient as a broken toaster," Zero confessed with a quiet laugh, "I don't remember what it was like. But free-will was gifted to me, and I cherish it, even if I don't know why it happened." He smiled. "Free-will is a gift from a tetrachate plane of infinite possibilities. You shouldn't waste it. Our potential far exceeds what's expected of us. Someone special taught me that."

Phantom was quiet, thinking it over in his head.

"We're people. Right?" Zero asked.

"I suppose. We are four-dimensional beings inhabiting three-dimensional cassettes."

"Right. You struggle with the mantle of 'person', thinking you aren't worthy of the title," Zero assumed. "I know where you're coming from."

Phantom ground his teeth together. "It's… it's just… we're robots, machines."

"But we were always meant to be more than that. Otherwise there would've been no point in giving us sentience," Zero reasoned. "We're free to transcend what's expected of us. That's what makes us different from machines."

"If that's so… then that sounds like we were all doomed to go maverick."

"Yeah. Well, it's what we do with ourselves that matters," Zero supposed. "What we define as maverick doesn't seem so cut and dry anymore, without the virus, that is. I think we're too complex to be reduced into either 'maverick' or 'law-abiding citizen'. I fear that perpetuating this sort of thinking is just going to lead to a never-ending war. It's a difficult thought to grapple with, after being a Maverick Hunter for so long. I'm still struggling to grasp that fact myself."

They sat in silence, the babble of the rippling pond filling the corrosive emptiness in the air. Phantom shifted uncomfortably.

"...We probably shouldn't be talking about this," Phantom murmured. "It'd be bad for the both of us to be caught discussing these matters."

Zero sat back languidly, drumming his fingers against the tatami mat. He looked aside at the fibrous texture, eyes tracing the fibrils running up and across.

"...How's your Reploid Standard, Phantom?"

Phantom cocked his head.

"...It could be better."

Zero huffed, a bemused smirk rising to his faceplates. "Just like your dad," he whispered.

[Delta-Whiskey-November-Zero-Zero-Zero. Hey, Phantom. It's me, Zero. You read me?]

Phantom startled at the voice speaking in his head. The Neo Arcadian military relied primarily on classical radio communication. Those who still used Reploid Standard were but a fringe population in Central Neo Arcadia. Phantom had to rack his brain, not only to come up with the words to respond, but to figure out how to access the consciousness network himself.

[Yes.]

[Good. I won't ask too much of you over the cloud if you're not fluent. Just give me a yell over the network if there's something urgent you need from me. No one's listening. Just me.]

Zero grinned, tapping his audial. He continued.

[Can I ask one more question?]

Phantom scrunched his face in effort.

[Okay.]

[What happened to the RIAOT?]

[...Reploid Integration and Organisation Trust?]

[Yes. That RIAOT.]

[Dissolved in 2315. When Professor Ciel left, many senior researchers got caught in the brain-drain. It was too much upkeep to maintain it after that.]

Zero wiped his hand over his mouth in trepidation, ignoring the unfamiliar name. [Do you still have their proceedings laying around?]

[Yes. But locked in the Deep Archives.] Phantom answered. [You would have to send in an application to get access. I handle the applications.]

[Great.]

[You'll need a good reason.]

[No kidding.]

Phantom's steely gaze faltered, his lips twitching into a smile. [Central Sector 12-R Basement Level 13 Room 931 under the Supermax division. The passcode is always changing.]

[I'll ping your transponder.]

Zero smiled keenly. Phantom wound up his shoulders, looking aside.

"I… should get back to work." Phantom was hoping to curtail the conversation at the soonest possible moment. "Thanks for visiting. I don't get many visitors these days… maybe it's for the better."

He got to his feet, heading off to his workplace. Zero cleared his throat before he could make much headway.

[Ever thought of leaving this place?]

Phantom stopped mid-stride.

[I… shouldn't answer that. Even through this channel. Cyber Elves, X has them all over. Don't know if they're listening in.]

[Is that so…] Zero grated his claws together casually. [You know how to use Phrase-Embedded-Separation 2?]

Phantom shut his eyes and swallowed hard, weighing up his options. There wasn't really any reason he couldn't answer under the security of P-E-S2, at least, other than the fact that he didn't want to confront the truth.

[[P-E-S2: I do, Master Zero.]]

[[P-E-S2: Good to see Axl kept the art of P-E-S alive. So what do you say, kid?]]

Phantom grit his teeth.

[[P-E-S2: I don't know. I don't want to leave father.]]

[[P-E-S2: Neither do I. I love him. Maybe too much. But he's already left us behind. You know that.]]

It was an uncomfortable truth.

[[P-E-S2: Where else would we go? This is the last bastion of all human-likes.]]

[[P-E-S2: Anywhere but here.]]

Phantom chose not to respond. Zero got up with a grunt and gave a polite smile.

"You're stronger than you know. I'm here for you, Phantom," Zero said. Phantom turned around to face him, standing stiffly. "I'm sorry for leaving so long ago. I regret it. Every second of my life."

The shinobi breathed a shuddering exhale.

"You're a good kid," Zero continued. "Sometimes, I wish I could've gotten another chance at this."

Zero shook his head, his voice dying to a hoarse, grave whisper. "You look so much like him."

There was another lull between them. Zero shrugged, waving off his thoughts like it was a fly buzzing in front of his face.

"But what's done is done… I'll leave you to your work, Phantom," he said. "Please. Take it easy. Okay?"

"Okay…"

Zero stared at him for a little while longer, as if making sure he was being honest, before nodding affirmatively. "Good. See you around, kid."

"Yeah, um…" Phantom nodded in the absence of a proper reply. "Bye, Zero…"

Before he left, Zero offered him one last warm, gentle smile. Phantom felt a warm, fuzzy comfort radiate in his chest as he basked in the afterimage of Zero's affection.

It was the glow of a parent's love, a soothing bliss he hadn't revelled in for a long time ago.

The doors shut, and Zero was gone again.

Anywhere but here…

When Phantom thought about what Zero spoke to him, he found himself doubling back to reminisce on Harpuia's words of harsh advice.

Was Zero just trying to sway him, to make his patriotism falter under the guise of a loving parent? It was hard for Phantom to say. Maybe Craft was polluting his brain with maverick ideals. Maybe it was what Zero truly believed in.

Regardless, there was a truth underlying all of it. He was a person, worth so much more than the identity and purpose assigned to him. He could be so much more than an instrument of his father's rule- he just had to be brave enough to succeed in such an emancipation.

The morning brought with it a light fog that blanketed the city, casting Neo Arcadia in an eerie, dim glow as the sun lay hidden behind the mist.

Having deployed Craft to the incredibly important mission of acquiring breakfast, Zero wandered through the citadel to his favourite terrace garden, where he could watch over Neo Arcadia with equal parts while surrounded by bubbling water fountains and trees and bushes ruffled by the sweeping breeze.

Droplets of dew coated every blade of grass and dropped from the leaves, making the foliage shimmer with golden sunlight.

Today, however, a new sight greeted him, sitting at one of the marble tables. It was a group of citadel workers, from gardening crew to soldiers, enjoying each other's company and chatting amongst themselves. At least, as much as they could when half of them had their vocaliser stripped from their throats.

Their conversations careened to a sudden halt when Zero appeared before them, the scraggly set of reploids shrinking back. In that moment, Zero felt supremely self-aware in the worst way possible.

"Good morning," Zero decided to say anyway, hoping to ease their nerves. "Little cold out here, isn't it?"

The reploids looked at each other, unsure if they had the right to even look Zero in the eye. The soldier was the one that spoke up, maybe because he was the one of the few who physically could.

"Sure is, Master Zero, sir," he replied. He was young, but looked much older than he was. He was dressed in an heavy vest, reinforced with oxide ceramic fibres, that covered the light blue and white armour uniform of Neo Arcadia's armed forces. "Is there something you need, sir?"

Zero didn't even get this kind of stiff respect when he was unit commander. "Can I sit here?"

The group of reploids stared at him with palpable unease. The soldier gulped nervously and looked at his hands, sweaty palms clapped together tightly.

"Ah… be our guest, Master Zero, sir," the soldier finally answered. Zero gave a pleased huff and sat on the corner of the bench. Their e-cans were perched haphazardly around the table, gardening and shooting gloves alike tossed aside as they chatted over breakfast.

Zero looked the soldier up and down. Over his time in the citadel, he had started to grow familiar with the many faces he'd come across on a day to day basis, even if he didn't have a name to call them. The soldier before him, however, wasn't someone he had seen wandering around before.

"I haven't seen your face before, soldier," he said, leaning forward eagerly.

"You wouldn't have," he replied, "this is my first time circum-Central."

"Is it?" Zero asked. "What's your name?"

"...Um. Wade, sir. Wade Sutherland."

Zero made an affirmative hum. "Where you from?"

"Down-town, sir," he answered, "South-West Sector C."

"Heard it's rough down there," Zero said.

"Things could be better," he supposed. "Ever since power generation got handicapped in the outer sectors, it's been a struggle for us to adapt. Things got unstable without any real aid from Neo Arcadia, lot of societal upheaval and dissatisfaction. Lot of people had to turn to crime to get by. They tried to cut back on maverick activity by imposing harsher restrictions, but that only made people resent Neo Arcadia even more. It's where I grew up, though. I was assigned at the canal base there for years."

One of the gardeners sat up. 'We actually know each other from high school,' he signed in absence of a voice. 'We all came from the same sector.'

"Small world, huh?" Zero said. The gardener nodded diligently. "What brought you here, Wade?"

"Ah, a couple Central soldiers were lost in a border skirmish the other day. I got called up to temporarily bolster their forces," he replied, "at least, until they get new guys in, then I'll be sent home."

"I see. You don't read as a military build."

"Rude!" Wade laughed, and so did his friends, though most of them couldn't vocalise it. "I'm kidding. Truth is, I'm not. I was a physics teacher before I got drafted."

"...Drafted?"

"Uh-huh. Helps to conserve resources. Don't have to build new military reploids if they can just call on anyone to serve."

Zero crossed his arms, looking pensive. "News to me. How are you enjoying the change of scenery?"

Wade frowned ineffectually. "Tch, look, I mean… it's nice," he said, "I guess it's hard to stomach when you're from the other side of the city. Have you been, sir?"

Zero suddenly felt ridiculously sheltered. "Oh… no, I've never been allowed outside the city centre."

The air around them grew tense as they realised they were on completely opposite sides of the societal spectrum.

'Why's that?' one of the gardeners asked.

"Oh. X has me on a ball and chain," Zero answered, chuckling nervously in a bid to diminish the gravity of their relationship. "He has to have his way."

Zero was sure the workers knew that all too well. Perhaps, better than he did, considering they were born under X's way.

"...Well, I have a wife and daughter back home," Wade confessed. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a small hologram plate, flashing the photograph of himself and a pretty female reploid, a younger reploid, maybe four or five years old at most, standing at their feet. "Miss them already."

Zero delicately took the photograph from him. His chest felt strangely tight just looking at it.

"What are their names?"

"Wife's name is Caroline," he answered. "Little one's named Melanie. She's starting school soon, actually."

"Mm. You have a lovely family, Wade," Zero said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say I'm jealous."

He handed back the precious keepsake precariously. "Yeah. Well, I just wish I could be there on her first day of school," he lamented, "but trying to get relieved from duty would be more trouble than it's worth, especially now that I've been assigned to Central."

Zero's lips straightened into a line. "Ah. I'm sorry, Wade…"

"Yeah. I just hope Melanie understands," he said, "she's still so young. She still doesn't get why I'm away from home so much."

Wade let out a dejected sigh. In his head, Zero was wondering if there was anything he could do to help him.

"Say, I never got all of your names." Zero gestured to the other reploids sitting at the table. The workerbots stared at him, bewildered that he would care enough to want their names.

'My name is Robin,' the gardener, Robin, signed, the same one who let Zero know of he and Wade's past. 'This is Cecil.' He pointed to another gardener beside him, a weary, older man with white hair and a narrow gaze.

"I'm, um, Chathurika," the last reploid in the group revealed, a shy and meek looking robot. "I work in the civil water department, heh…"

"I see. It's a pleasure to meet you all," Zero said. "Maybe we'll see each other around."

The group of reploids glanced at one another pensively, before turning to smile at Zero.

"Th-thanks, Zero. We never get people like you who'd wanna sit down and talk with reploids like us," Wade said, gracious. "It's an honour, sir…"

"Please, it's a pleasure-"

"Zero."

The group were suddenly enveloped in a large shadow as Craft walked up behind them, holding a tray of styrofoam cups and bags of food. The group of reploids shrunk down, their beady eyes widening at the tall reploid.

"C-Commander Craft…!" Wade whispered. Chathurika gulped nervously.

"W-we should get back to work," Chathurika stammered. Before Zero could say anything, they had already scattered, rushing back to their posts.

"Tough crowd," Craft grumbled once they'd left, sitting down opposite Zero and setting down the tray. "Here. Coffee for you." He placed a cup in front of Zero. "One for me."

"Thanks, Craft…" Zero said, feeling a little bit slighted for having his audience chased away.

"You want an almond croissant?" Craft asked. He pushed a brown paper bag towards Zero.

"I don't have a choice, do I?" he asked. "Well, thanks."

"Seemed like something you'd like," Craft said, taking a sip of his coffee. Zero took a bite out of it and cocked a brow at him.

"Should I be offended?" Zero asked.

"Heh. Well, nice day out here, ain't it?" Craft said, swaying the conversation before Zero could get any snippier with him. "What were you talking about?"

"Nothing, nothing really," Zero replied. He looked aside, casting his gaze towards the misty city. "Just talking about their life in Neo Arcadia. That young soldier had a family…"

"I see. Whereabouts they from?"

"South-West Sector C," Zero recalled. Craft nodded, taking a grilled sandwich from another paper bag.

"Rough sector," he said between bites. "Used to know the MP for that sector, back when the sectors had them. Well loved guy. He didn't want to relinquish power to the Neo Arcadian government when X did away with electoral divisions. The sector didn't want him gone either."

He paused stiffly to take a drink from his coffee.

"Anyway, they shot him in front of his office and things were never the same in those parts."

"Jesus."

"Yeah." Craft shrugged. "Used to be a proud sector. Now it's teeming with crime and pollution."

"...Can you take me there?"

That caught Craft off guard. "Huh?"

"I can't stay trapped in here forever, stupid and ignorant, Craft," Zero said, "I need to see it for myself. Neo Arcadia's underbelly. How can I hope to change anything if I haven't even met with the people who struggle the most?"

"...It's a dangerous place," Craft warned. "Lot's of gang violence. Seedy people. Crumbling infrastructure. But the military presence is even worse. Soldiers and cops are all over the place, shooting civilians dead on the streets. If we're seen there…"

"I know, I can kiss my freedom goodbye. So, we won't get caught. Won't we?"

Craft blinked. "The only way in without a vehicle is by the regional train line. It'll be hard to blend in. I doubt you'd want to go by foot, either."

"No big deal. We'll just have to dress like civilians."

"...Mmh."

Craft just took another bite of his sandwich.

"I do have a bike down there."

Zero's head cocked up. "Really?"

"Don't know if it still works. Or if it's still where I left it…" Craft said. "It'll be a miracle if it hasn't been stolen. Then we won't have to rely on PT."

"Here's to hoping for a miracle, then," Zero supposed. "Then it's settled. We'll go tomorrow morning."

There wasn't any arguing with Zero. Besides, Craft did agree with Zero's sentiment. The legendary reploid deserved to see the city as it was, as ugly and decrepit as it was. It reinforced Craft's trust in him- any other cushy, privileged Neo Arcadian would turn their nose up at going outside the city centre, much less go there voluntarily, but not Zero.

They ate in silence for a while, letting the soft sounds of the garden fill the void left by their speech. The songs of birds overlay the distant cacophony of voices and vehicles down below as the early morning traffic rose to a peak.

[Craft?] Zero asked over their cloud connection. Craft exhaled the tension in his core.

[Yeah?]

[...Will you take me away from this place, some day?]

Craft slowly set down his food.

[...If it's what you really want. It'll be hard to come back.]

Zero looked solemnly down at his hands, wringing his fingers. [Would… the Resistance take me, after everything that's happened?]

It was a tough question that Craft asked himself whenever he saw Zero wallowing in X's arms. Perhaps, he could bring Zero to the Resistance and allow him to find asylum there. Craft set the thought aside for now- he couldn't put the Resistance's safety in jeopardy until he could for sure trust Zero. He could easily lead X to them.

[Zero, I… I respect you. I really do. But I don't know if I can trust you with them yet.]

When he said that, Zero took Craft's hand. [Then I'll give you a reason to trust me.]

Craft's brow rose. [And how will you do that for me?]

Zero smiled and laughed, dropping his head and breaking eye contact briefly before looking up again. [You'll see.]

As assurance, Zero lifted Craft's hand in his own and playfully tightened his grip. It still was hard for Craft to compute that the delicate touch he was feeling was Zero's.

The doors slid open from the citadel halls, making Zero hastily pull away. The face that greeted him made Zero's heart sink.

"Ah, Zero…"

X approached with a warm, loving smile. His red cape fluttered in the wind, casting him in a regal, yet sinister light. Zero took in a deep breath to steal himself for what was to come.

"Good morning, dear," X crooned, taking a seat next to Zero. "Enjoying the gardens, hey?"

Zero forced a smile as X took his hand, pressing his fingers to his lips and planting a soft, chivalrous kiss on his knuckles. Craft felt compelled to look away, feeling the prickle of disgust crawl up his skin whenever he as much as saw the tyrant.

"Yeah… it's peaceful here," Zero replied, fighting back his unease as he spoke. "You've done a nice job here."

He was lying through his teeth- the gardens were maintained by people like Robin and Cecil, and X could barely run Neo Arcadia as a sole ruler if what Wade and Craft said about the outer sectors was anything to go by.

"Ah, you flatter me…" X said, scooting closer against Zero's side until they were flush. "I'm sorry, Zero. We haven't had much time together lately, haven't we?"

"Ah, it's alright. I know you're busy, bud," Zero said. X shook his head, snuggling up into his partner's side and smothering him in affection. "You got a city to rule."

"But I should always set aside time for you, Zero," X whispered, his breath tickling Zero's audial. "I don't want you feeling lonely."

"Heh, I'm okay, I swear," Zero said, bashfully pushing X away. "Your kids have been keeping me company just fine.

"Oh, but it just isn't the same…"

X leaned in to press a kiss on Zero's cheek. Craft grimaced. His stomach turned with a bitter, cloying sickness. Was it jealousy? It couldn't be. There was nothing to be jealous about their relationship- What X and Zero had was nothing to be envious of. Maybe it was just a protective instinct. What that meant for him, he didn't want to think too hard about. Regardless, knowing how Zero felt about X now? He wanted nothing more than to take Zero far, far away from this place.

"I can fend for myself…" Zero said. X snickered sweetly under his breath, gripping his chin and making Zero to look into his deep, crimson gaze.

"But can I manage without you?"

Inwardly, Zero knew he was joking, but the answer seemed obvious. X rest his head Zero's gem and ran his fingers through his silken, golden locks. When he leaned in to kiss him on the tip of the nose, Zero laughed and backed up.

"X. C-Craft is right there."

X glared at Craft with a narrowed, critical gaze. "Right. I forgot you were there."

Craft remained silent, looking bemused. X huffed, tugging Zero closer.

"Why don't you join me elsewhere, hm?" X asked, a hint of venom underlying his tone. "To have some time together, just us, for once…"

Craft furrowed his brow. [Do you want me to bail you out?]

[Don't. Don't worry.] Zero replied. [I'll be okay. Just don't make him angry.]

Zero gave him one last parting smile before X took his hand and helped him to his feet without another word, and they left him alone in the garden, X dragging him away begrugingly. Zero had left behind his drink, the heat of the coffee drifting in the breeze in a smokey wisp.

[I'll see you outside my room. Okay?]

He felt dejected alone now, just watching the condensation of the coffee heat roll away in the wind.

Every fibre of his being was clamouring at him to tear at X like a wild animal, but he knew he couldn't. He'd be dead in seconds.

Then who would Zero have?

Shadow sat in a decrepit cell, a skinny, haunted machine in decline, with a consciousness of a ghost.

He wasn't sure when was the last time he had seen the light of day. When he came back to his senses, his internal chronometer said another 23 years had passed. Very slowly, he felt his soul withering away every time he woke, only to find himself in the same cage as before.

Neo Arcadia had been sapping him of his Supra-Force Metal for over a century now for research purposes. It was minimal, gradual, but it made him feel like a hollow husk every time he opened his eyes.

He had been awake for three days straight, waiting restlessly in thick restraints for someone to save him. Deep inside, he knew that he should give up hope. He wasn't sure if people even remembered his existence, a mere footnote of the endless maverick war.

Still, he persevered, holding on to hope he was certain was misplaced. It wasn't his time yet, he would just need to wait…

His eyes fluttered shut as his systems wound down with a hum, his surroundings fading into the black.

And somewhere, on the frontier of the world he knew, he could hear him calling for him. Epsilon…

[Shadow…]

He could almost see the glow of his red eyes in the darkness, alongside his fellow Rebellion cadres.

Too weak to speak, Shadow called back over the network as he faded away.

[Epsilon…]

[It's not your time to join us yet.] Epsilon continued, though his voice slowly dwindled away in Shadow's head. [You must help them, Shadow… for will be lost without our gift.]

Shadow's systems completely shut down again, where he would wait in darkness, hidden in a cell, unsure of if he'd ever be found.