You know, I banged out this fic at first so I can get my fix on the whole 'Ratchet meets Kaden' kind of thing. I didn't really pay too much attention about plot holes and grammar and stuff, and I ended up with a handful of chapters of what was supposed to be a fun little prompt to get it out of my system.

But then I decided to go back and clean up a few things, and the next thing I knew, I had 30,000 words of a story written down. It then made me realize this had the potential to be published and read by others instead of being just for me.

But then that also made me realize that I had to clean up even more of this mess to make it presentable to the public, so I started edit my prologue a little to start on that. I decided to clarify a few points, add a few things, maybe delve a little deeper in the character's heads, and oh what the fuck this prologue's split into 4 goddamn parts now. And I haven't even GLANCED at the rest of the chapters yet!

So, I guess this is just my long-winded way of saying that while I originally had a whole chunk of story written down, I'm having to rewrite it all basically from scratch to maintain the standard that I accidentally set for myself in the intro.

Just to give you an idea for what that standard is, this chapter was originally like, 1500 words.

It is a little over 6000 now.

How did I get here.

Kaden sat in his office, sketching away at his latest design of a solid-light one-way door, his solution to the recent string of intrusions from the walls. He always thought built-in emergency exits in the walls protecting their city was an asinine idea right from the get-go, but no, they're 'a necessary risk for the safety of our citizens, Kaden!'

It was a gaping hole in their security is what they were! Sure, there were the sensors that alerted guards when they're used, but with the type of people assigned to wall duty, an intruder had plenty of time to do some harm before a guard showed up. And kids use them so much to sneak out, they've figured out how to bypass them all together anyway, so they were pretty much worthless. If it was up to Kaden, he would have all the exits permanently sealed to get rid of the problem entirely.

But, like always, it was no use. It's not like the Council really listens to him, anyways.

He paused for a moment, groaning as he leans back in his chair, stretching from hunching over his desk for an hour. As he returned to a normal position, his gaze rested on the picture he kept on his desk, depicting him and his family. He held Kieran in his arms, wearing a proud smile as Marie stood next to him, resting her hand on his shoulder, absolutely beaming with happiness.

He sighs sadly as he grabs the frame and looks down onto it. The edges were a little torn, and there was a large fold going down the center of it. It was his favorite picture of their family, and he made sure to take it from their home back on the original Fastoon when he went to bury Marie. He kept it in his pocket as he went to fight Tachyon, and he was grateful it wasn't outright destroyed in the chaos. It was the last photo of Marie and Kieran he had.

But what makes him especially pained to look at it right now was that it reminded him today was the day for yet another one of his monthly appeals to commission a Dimensionator to retrieve Kieran. It would be appeal number 221, if he counted correctly.

It had been almost twenty years since the Great Exodus, but the pain was still as fresh as the day he woke up from the coma. He always missed Marie, of course, but he accepted the fact that he couldn't have done anything to save her. Really, it was Kieran that ate him up, knowing that his fate was entirely preventable. But what made it especially painful was the uncertainty of it. Was he alive and well, making a life for himself? Or did Tachyon manage to fulfill his promise and kill him?

Many sleepless nights of his life were spent pondering on that painful question. And it would be so easy to answer it, too! But no matter what he said, or promised, or begged, the Council never permitted the construction of a Dimensionator after all these years. And he hated them for it.

It was cruel irony, the way he had a passionate fury towards them despite being a fellow member. But that wasn't to say he really wanted to be one in the first place. He had actually resigned out of anger the first time his appeal for a Dimensionator was denied, and it was the closest he's been in getting it granted, too.

He initially had a lot of support for his cause, people being more sympathetic so soon after the Exodus, being all too familiar with the feeling of losing a loved one. It also helped that he became a small hero of the people, facing Tachyon and living to tell the tale. But even then, it was never enough to overturn the prohibition, with a select few Councilmembers too adamant and cowardly to risk the unlikely threat of introducing an invasion.

He planned to use his offer of rejoining as a bargaining chip for his next appeal, but they flatly refused anyway, citing that his intellect wasn't worth the risk of Tachyon's genocide.

So, he began to try and build one of his own, with Mags' reluctant help. It was relatively easy for him to design one, being the Keeper of the Dimensionator, but he eventually hit a wall when it came to the Phase Quartz. Like Mags said, they locked it down hard, and he never managed to get his hands on the stuff, not even straight from the mines on Blizar Prime. When he arrived there, he was immediately questioned by a Lombax ship patrolling the planet, but he managed to snake his way out by pretending to be a lost tourist.

Further recon showed that the Council apparently commissioned an entire division of guards to do nothing but patrol the planet and question any ships entering or leaving the mines. It didn't stop him though, as he managed to get in contact directly with one of the miners and set up a shady deal off-planet for an exorbitant price, but seeing Kieran again was well worth it.

But when he arrived, Kaden unfortunately found that it'd actually been a sting operation, and he was promptly arrested. He never did mention Mags' involvement, which he was grateful for, but it meant Kaden had to miss his appeal while in jail. That was the only time he managed to miss one over the last twenty years, which was something he took pride in.

Luckily, he wasn't banished nor executed, as being the Keeper and protector of his people meant that the judge was willing to give him a stern warning just this once. But it also meant that the Council started to keep an especially watchful eye on him, throwing any chance of building a Dimensionator out the window, having to resort to once again beg for their approval.

Kaden puts the picture down with a grumble as his mind wanders back to the years that followed, with appeal after appeal getting denied as his son started to grow up without him. It was like rolling a boulder up a hill, but with the hill eventually growing into a mountain as more and more risk factors and uncertainties came up as the years went on, and less and less Councilmembers began voting in his favor.

To think that after all of that, they still asked to him to rejoin them. Despite his arrest and constant appeals, they couldn't deny that Kaden was among the greatest engineers of his time. It was only after months and months of insistent invitations that Kaden finally relented and took the offer about ten years ago. He was very clear that it wasn't for their benefit, but to help better the rest of Lombax kind as best he could, with the Council being the only meaningful platform to accomplish that goal.

Ever since then, it's been a complicated relationship. He hates them all, except for Julie and Mags, of course, and they manage to tolerate him and his appeals in return, all the while he gets the necessary resources for his great projects that ultimately help contribute to society, and the Council as well, incidentally.

With a sigh, he picks up his pencil, finished with his unexpected and unpleasant walk down memory lane, ready to resume on yet another one of those contributions.

About ten minutes later, as he draws some finishing details, the door opens without warning. He didn't have to look up to know that it was Julie, since she was the only one who didn't care about knocking. He was always a little tired of her always bursting in all the time, interrupting his work as she explains a breakthrough that she's had, or asks for combat advice for her most recent weapon model, or wanting to hang out for a break. And right now, he was in a bit of a sour mood already from reminiscing about his fruitless efforts concerning Kieran.

"What is it, Julie?" Kaden asks tiredly, still drawing on his blueprint. "I'm a little busy right now."

"I just wanted to let you know that the Council is pushing your appeal up a few hours." She says, closing the door behind her. "Apparently, Jenkins is a little held up with a project of his, so we'll have to wait for him to finish up with that."

"Alright." He says grumpily, still not looking up from his design. "I'll see you and Mags later, then."

She slumps a little with the way he simply dismissed her. She never did like seeing Kaden like this, and he seemed to become more and more standoffish as the years went by. Granted, it was understandable, having been separated from his child for so long, but it didn't mean he had to be so defeated about it.

She puts on a small smile. "Hey, who knows? Maybe they'll let you save Kieran this time around?" She says in an effort to cheer him up.

Kaden stops writing and shoots a look to her, with no warmth behind it. "And what makes you think that, huh?" He asks her irritably. "If they haven't been listening to me for the past twenty years, just what makes you think they've changed their minds now?"

She scratches the back of her head, already regretting saying anything. "They… might just give in, after so long?" She suggests.

"Like hell they will." Kaden retorts, crossing his arms. "Those bastards have only been more certain about preventing me from seeing my son again. At this point, I think they've resolved to make sure that doesn't happen just to spite me as payback for holding all these meetings every month." He turns his head away as he mutters. "I swear, they're worse than Tachyon. At least he gave me the choice to see Kieran again."

Julie frowns. "That's a little cruel to say about them, don't you think, Kaden?"

"Cruel?!" Kaden snaps as he stands up and throws his hands onto the desk, startling her. "Do you know what's cruel? Telling a father that he should just give up on his child despite making a promise to his dead wife! Telling him that it's pointless because his son is rotting away with the rest of Tachyon's victims! Telling him that there's nothing he can do about it, all because they're nothing but spineless cowards who are so scared of a dubious hypothetical, they'll do anything to stop it from happening, not giving a damn about those who suffer from it! And you're telling me it's 'cruel' to call them out on it? That's bullshit, Julie." He finishes coldly.

She's taken aback by his outburst and turns her head away from him. "I'm… sorry, Kaden. Forget I said anything, then." She says sadly.

As Kaden cools down, he sees how hurt she is from his comments, unable to meet his piercing gaze. He sighs as he sits back down, planting his face in his hands.

"No, I'm sorry, Julie." Kaden apologizes, ashamed that he let his emotions get the better of him. "Appeal days always make me think about Kieran. But…" He sighs. "It just gets harder and harder with every month that passes by. It always tells me that's another month I failed, and another month that he grew up without me."

Julie looks back to him and sees him lower his hands from his face. His expression isn't of anger anymore, but rather of a morose defeat, with his eyes appearing misty as he gazes at the photo on his desk.

"He's 20 right now." Kaden says as he grabs the frame once more, looking at Kieran's infant face, unable to imagine him in any other way. "His birthday was last month. He's practically an adult now, and has already lived a long life of his own without me. At this point, even if I do see him again, it's too late for me to be a father. I doubt he even wonders about me anymore."

He sets the picture down, laying its face against the desk, and wipes the tears from his eyes, before giving a deep, shaky breath. "Maybe… maybe I should just give up."

"What?!" Julie widens her eyes, and rushes over to him, planting her hands on top of his desk. "You can't do that, Kaden!" She says in disbelief. "You've been fighting for this long; you can't just abandon your son now!"

"And why not?" He asks her miserably. "I've been fighting the Council for twenty years, and what do I have to show for it? Nothing. Nothing except a criminal record for going against their stupid ban. If they've never listened to me for the past 200 appeals, they'll never start listening to me for the next 200, either. So, what's the point?"

"What about your promise to Marie?" She argues. "What would she say about you quitting now?"

"That I did all I could." Kaden answers promptly. "I protected him when I left him in Solana. It's not my fault that I didn't anticipate you and Mags coming back for me, and it's not my fault that the Council won't let me go back, either. As far as I'm concerned, I fulfilled that promise the moment I left Kieran on that doorstep." He states.

Julie couldn't believe what she was hearing right now! Kaden never once entertained the notion of giving up on his son! And yet, here he was, simply dismissing his wife's words that he's lived by for twenty years!

"Kaden, there's still a chance we could save him, though." She pleads with him. "You and I both know that some of the other Councilmembers are months away at best from kicking the bucket with how old they are, which means there's going to be fresh blood on the Council. The younger members will sympathize with you, being too young to remember Tachyon's genocide, so they'll have nothing to fear from making a Dimensionator to go back!"

"And what kind of plan is that?" Kaden retorts. "I just outlive the Council long enough for a new generation to vote for my appeal? No one supports me anymore, Julie. No one except you and Mags. In order to have it pass, I must wait for at least twenty people to die! By that time, I'll be dead, too. And even if I wasn't, Kieran would be my age right now, and it'd be pointless to go back for him."

He sighs as he crosses his arms on his desk before burying his head in them. "I'm already too late, as is." His muffled voice adds. "He probably wants nothing to do with Lombaxes in the life he's already established in Solana." She hears him swallow. "He's gone, Julie… and I have to start accepting that."

Seeing Kaden collapse in a heap and admitting those words devastated Julie. She always admired his dedication to his family, never resting in his struggle against the Council, no matter how unlikely a victory would be. In fact, it honestly inspired her through hard times of her own, knowing that if Kaden never gave up despite years of hopelessness, then what excuse did she have? It never failed to help her.

But right now, it seemed that she had to return the favor.

"Don't say that, Kaden." Julie says softly, taking a seat in one of the chairs he had at his desk. "I know it's been a long time, but that doesn't mean he's dismissed you. I mean, what kind of child would just give up on their parents?"

"The kind whose parents abandoned him." Kaden replies from inside his arms.

"Kaden, there are all kinds of stories about orphans doing all they can to find their parents. It's damn near a cliché at this point, in fact." She leans over and rests her hand on his arm, prompting him to look up with watery eyes.

"I have no doubt that Kieran is looking for you, too." Julie states firmly. "Are you just going to leave him high and dry, forever wondering for the rest of his life?"

Kaden sniffs. "What choice do I have, though? The Council won't listen."

"Then make them listen, Kaden." She says, not breaking eye contact. "Sure, it hasn't worked the last 200 times, but it's better than just giving up and doing nothing about it. Are you really sure you want to think back to this point at the end of your life, and accept the fact that you just laid down and died instead of fighting back? If the Council really don't want you to see Kieran again, then make them work for it, at least."

She moves her hand from his arm to one of his hands and grips it tightly. "Because if they do, then they really are worse than Tachyon. They would've managed to do something he didn't, which is breaking you. And the Kaden I know wouldn't give those bastards the satisfaction, right?"

For the first time since she's walked in the room, Kaden manages to give a smile. "I guess not."

Julie beams, glad that she managed to drag him out of his self-defeating funk. "And hey, like I said, maybe at some point, we'll get lucky and have them break first. But either way, neither of you are going down without a fight. Especially you, if Mags or I have something to say about it."

Kaden takes a deep breath to compose himself as he sits up and wipes his eyes, Julie letting go of his hand as she too sits back up.

"Thanks, Julie." Kaden says earnestly. "I really needed that today."

She smiles. "No problem. And I'm serious about me and Mags not letting you give up, too. We'll make our own appeals to save Kieran if we have to."

"I don't think the Council will be that patient with you two." Kaden says amusedly. "You're still on their shitlist for dragging me out of Tachyon's claws and making me their problem now."

"And I wouldn't want it any other way." Julie says proudly. "If we get kicked off because we had the audacity to help another Lombax in trouble, then screw them. I'm eligible for a nice severance package, anyways."

Kaden smiles warmly at her. He was glad that he still had her and Mags in his life. In all honesty, they were the only real friends he had now, with everyone else either killed in the Exodus or not able to deal with Kaden's newer, more abrasive personality. If he didn't have these two to support him for the last twenty years, he probably would've given up on Kieran long ago. At this point, he considered them as part of his family, and he knew they felt the same way.

Kaden looks back down at his blueprint on the desk, but as he does, his smile drops as he instead sighs in frustration, worrying Julie.

"What is it?" She asks, looking down onto his blueprint as well.

"I, uh… I cried a little on my blueprint." Kaden says with quiet embarrassment. "Now a bunch of the lines are all warped."

He tries to dry the paper by dabbing it with his glove before gently erasing the lines with his pencil, trying not to rip it. He fails, however, as the eraser tears a small hole into the damp paper.

"Dammit." He mutters.

Julie chuckles, amused by the mundane nature of his concern, but mostly relieved that he was fine.

"Well, you got the tears. I guess all its missing is the blood and sweat, then it'll be a real bona fide labor of love." She says with a smug smile.

He rolls his eyes but can't help but smile at her joke. "Shut up. Don't you have a weapons division to supervise?"

"Eh, I got plenty of people covering for me. They probably don't even notice I'm not there right now."

"I doubt that." Kaden states as opens a drawer and retrieves a fresh sheet of paper to redraw his design. "They're probably relieved that they don't have to worry about you gawking at their designs over their shoulders for the next hour or so."

"Hey, it's my job to make sure they don't make something that'll blow up in a soldier's hands the moment they pull the trigger." Julie defends herself. "If they didn't want that, they shouldn't have joined my team."

"Julie, you're the one the QA team always has to double check for safety concerns. You just like being nosy."

She crosses her arms with a pout. "I do not!"

He looks up at her and raises an eyebrow. "Just two days ago you were gushing about some sketch you found in one of your engineers' trashcans."

She pauses for a moment, making Kaden grin. "Well… I mean, it's not like I was actively searching through her trash! I was merely passing by her desk and happened to see it sticking out on top, and I got curious, so sue me."

He rolls his eyes. "Whatever you say, then. Now, unless you have anything else I need to know, I've gotta get back to redrawing this door design. I'll see you and Mags at the appeal later."

She tilts her head. "Couldn't you just tape up the hole instead of starting over?"

"And give the Council another reason to get on my ass? No thank you."

She chuckles as she stands up from her chair. "Fair enough. I'll leave you to it, then."

She turns around for the door, but glances over to the small holovision on the wall, kept on mute and turned onto the news like always. She's asked him before why he bothers to even have a holovision in here if he only ever watches the snoozefest that was the local news, on silent, no less.

His response was that it was the perfect thing to take his mind off a project if he needed to, just being able to look up and tune out for a minute. He chose the news because it was boring enough that it wouldn't completely take his full attention away from a project, and it didn't hurt to be informed.

A little strange, in her opinion, because her idea of taking a break was to try out some of the prototype weapons on the range, but to each their own, she guessed.

But as she looked at the holovision, she saw that instead of covering some obscure daily holiday like 'waffle day' or a video that went viral a week ago, it was playing some actual exciting news; some Lombax kid getting in a chase with the City Guard, with live footage, too!

"Hey Kaden, check it out!" She says to him, pointing to the holovision.

He glances back up from his new sketch and sees a giant headline of 'LIVE: CITY GUARD CHASES UNIDENTIFIED LOMBAX INTRUDER'. He groans as he starts rubbing his eyes.

"This is exactly why I'm making this one-way door design." He complains. "I swear to the Zoni, if this doesn't work, I'll fill those damn exits myself."

"Check it out, he's smoking the Guard!" Julie says excitedly, turning the chair from his desk towards the holovision before sitting down, enamored with the coverage.

Kade removes his hand and sees the footage of a Lombax flying through a road downtown on hoverboots along with a guard running behind him, but quickly losing ground. It's a little hard to make out his specific features with the camera so far away, but the Lombax looks young with his size. On his back is a small silver hunk of metal, but it moves a little to show that it is in fact a small robot strapped to his back. The kid glances up at the camera, and he proceeds to give it a wave.

Kaden rolls his eyes. "Well, yeah, it's easy to outrun someone when you got hoverboots, Julie." The footage pans up a bit to show the Guard setting up a defensive barricade on the road. "And now they're going to catch him, end of story."

"Wait, look!" Julie says in disbelief.

The Lombax kid suddenly jumps onto a hovercar in front of the barricade, then uses a building next to him as a kick pad to flip over the barricade, turning around to wave at the guards as he appears to laugh.

Kaden widens his eyes, now more intrigued by this chase. "Wow, kid's got some moves."

"He's almost as good as you on those hoverboots." Julie comments.

Kaden doesn't disagree as he watches on. It's been forever since he's put on a pair, but he still remembered all the compliments he'd get from bystanders and colleagues whenever he did risky moves like that. But he especially remembered the reprimands he'd also get from Marie for endangering himself so recklessly. Memories like those always did bring a warm smile to his face, remembering the happy times he once had with his family.

The kid suddenly stops, seeing another barricade being set up ahead. He looks around, then climbs up a ladder and onto the roof of a building before stopping to talk to the robot on his back. It looks to be agitated with the aggressive movements of his hands as it talks with the Lombax kid, who appears unfazed by it.

Guards suddenly appear from the roof across them, pointing blasters as they look to be yelling at them. The kid doesn't stand down, though, just returns to talking to his robot until the guards begin to fire at him, causing him to start flying across rooftops to dodge them.

"Woah! This must be serious if the Guard has to shoot him!" Julie says in surprise.

"Well, he doesn't look to be stopping anytime soon." Kaden says. "But I don't understand why he isn't just giving up. Why does he look so… composed at being shot at?" He asks with a slight worry, seeing the way he seems to fly with a cool focus despite the bolts flying past him. "Everyone else gives up at the mere threat of getting hit!"

"Well, you saw the way he waved at the camera, he's probably just doing this for attention." She explains. "Plus, everybody knows the City Guard only uses nonlethal rounds, so he probably knows that he's going to get a bad burn at the worst."

She returns her attention back to the chase, but Kaden gives her a doubting look. Sure, everyone knew that those stunbolts don't kill, but everyone also knew they hurt if you got hit. And if that kid was on the rooftops, the chance of getting stunned and falling off should make him second-guess what he was doing as well, but it doesn't appear to be the case as he starts to incorporate flips in his getaway.

Eventually, a guard appears in front of the kid, readying his OmniWrench for a swing. Kaden cringes, his training days back in the Praetorian Guard having taught him firsthand how painful it is to get clocked by one of those, and this kid was about to fly into one! He was starting to think this was a little extreme of the City Guard to hurt a kid that badly.

But as he winces in anticipation when the guard begins to swing it, he watches in disbelief as the kid simply ducks under it with a practiced ease, turning around to give him a quick salute before resuming his flight.

"How did he dodge that?" Kaden says in awe. "It took me a month in the Praetorian Guard to get that good!"

"Maybe he has training?" Julie proposes.

"Who would train someone that young?" He argues. "I was on the younger side of the Praetorians, but I was still in my early twenties."

"Well, didn't you win a combat tournament when you were only sixteen?" Julie asks. "Maybe this kid's just as good as you?"

"If that was the case, I'd think we'd be able to recognize him. Everyone knew of me when I won the Agorian Gold, but I haven't heard anything like this kid." He gestures to the holovision. "Do you recognize him?"

She shakes her head. "Maybe if we get a better look at his face, it could ring a bell?"

He scoffs. "We'll see if he even slows down enough to let the camera get closer, then."

They continue to watch this mystery Lombax kid continue to jump from rooftop to rooftop while dodging stunbolts from below. He soon reaches a dead-end, however, as the commercial district ends and the industrial district begins, situated far below him. He stops in his tracks, and even more guards funnel out onto the roof, surrounding him. The kid looks over the edge, and turns around while raising his arms, letting the guards move in to finally arrest him.

Kaden breathes a small sigh of relief. He was getting anxious, just waiting for the kid to slip up and hurt himself, or worse. At least now it's finally—

"Oh no!" Julie exclaims as the kid does a backflip off the roof.

Kaden's eyes widen as well, there was no walking away from a drop that high! But before the kid could hit the pavement, the robot on his back suddenly shifts into a Heli Pack, landing him softly onto the pipes of the refinery buildings instead, which he begins to grind after giving yet another wave to his pursuers.

"We're lucky this kid isn't trying to hurt anybody." Kaden says as he tries to remove his heart from his throat. "I don't think the City Guard can catch him."

"They would if they weren't so damn lousy at shooting!" Julie exclaims, throwing her hands to holovision. "I can shoot better than that!"

"You're the head of a weapons development division, Julie." Kaden states. "They're just Lombaxes that do nothing but sit around and give out parking violations. This is the most action any of them has ever seen." He crosses his arms as he grumbles. "Which is another reason why exits in the walls are idiotic since they're the only ones who guard them, but whatever."

"Wait, look!"

The Lombax kid, in the middle of laughing at the guards shooting at him, turns to realize he's heading straight into a dead-end. He panics, and jumps off the pipes, aided once more by the Heli Pack. He looks around him and sees no escape with the mob of guards blocking him from his only exit. He hangs his down for a moment, and slowly kneels, hands in the air, finally surrendering for good.

"Aw man, I was kinda hoping he'd get away." Julie says with disappointment in her tone. "I wanted to see what else he could do."

Kaden shakes his head. He was uneased and anxious by the whole thing, watching a kid get shot at and almost killing himself, but he couldn't expect anything less from Julie. "At least we can see if we can recognize this kid."

The camera then zooms onto the kid's face, showing an expression of annoyance at getting arrested. He glances over, and upon seeing the camera he gives it a smile and a wink, making Kaden roll his eyes at his cockiness.

"You know…" Julie mutters as appears to inspect the screen, leaning forward in her seat with her hand on her chin. She glances back to Kaden, then back to the screen. "This might sound crazy, but that kid is like a spitting image of you. Well, if you were like twenty years younger, at least."

He shoots her a glance, unsure if that was some kind of backhanded jab at his age, but as he too looks at the image of the Lombax, now posted on the side of the screen along with the live footage, he can't help but agree with her. It was uncanny, even. It sent a strange chill down his spine.

"Hey, let's turn the volume up." Julie suggests. "I think the camera's close enough to pick up on their conversations now."

Kaden snaps out of his gazing at the picture, trying to pinpoint this odd feeling he got from it. He opens a drawer in his desk and grabs the remote for the holovision to unmute it as the Guards walk up to the kid, blasters still raised.

"—Not make any sudden movements." A guard says to him.

"Don't worry, I'm done running." The kid reassures him, still kneeling with his hands in the air, one of which he uses to extend a pinky. "Pinky promise."

The guards walk up to him and grab his arms before placing them in cuffs.

"Ah, hey, watch it! Those are tight!" The kid complains to them.

One guard takes then grabs the robot off his back, who does not protest, only giving a look of disgruntlement as he crosses his arms, glaring at the Lombax. The guard then produces a tool and sticks it into his back, making him go limp as his eyes close.

The kid immediately tries to get up but is held down by two more guards. "Hey, what did you do to Clank?!" He yells at the guard.

"Relax, he's just deactivated as per procedure." She reassures him. "We'll wake him up back at the station, after we're finished with you."

"He'd better be alright, or I'll swear I'll—"

"What's this?" Another guard asks as he takes a device from his belt.

The kid looks to the device, then back up at the guard, with a confused look. "It's my Arsenal Retrieval Gadget. Duh."

"And a nice one at that." Julie says, gawking at it. "How did he manage to afford one of those!"

"Really?" Kaden asks as he looks at her quizzically. "That's the question you ask, and not 'why does a kid even have an Arsenal Retrieval Gadget'?"

"Well, let's see what you've got, then." The guard says as he looks on the screen, to which his jaw drops. "What the… just how many guns do you own?!"

The kid grins. "I've honestly lost count at this point."

"I've only ever heard of some of these, just where'd you—Wait, what?"

He taps onto it, and a weapon then manifests into his hands, making both Kaden and Julie gasp and widen their eyes as they recognize the device.

"Just what is this?" He asks sternly as he holds it up to the kid.

"Are you serious? It should've been labeled in there. Can't you read?"

"I need you to confirm or deny what this is, kid." He reiterates more harshly.

He looks at angrily. "I'm not a kid! I'm 20, for crying out loud!" He yells. "Just because I'm on the shorter side doesn't mean you get to disrespect me, you—"

"Answer the question!" The guard cuts him off, shoving the device in front of his face.

The kid looks at him in disbelief, but groans as he rolls his eyes. "It's a Dimensionator." He utters slowly and clearly. "There, you happy? Now will you guys start believing me?"

The guards holding him suddenly yank him up and start dragging him away at his protest, and the guard holding said device holsters it back into the retrieval gadget. He turns directly to the camera watching them, looking as though he's only just noticed it.

"Shut it off, now! By order of the City—"

The feed then cuts to a technical difficulties splash, before it hurriedly cuts once more to the typical news anchors of the program, who begin to recap what has transpired to viewers just tuning in.

But Julie ignores them as she slowly looks back over to Kaden, who sits frozen in shock as he stares at the screen. He barely breathes. She couldn't see it, but she knew that he was pale underneath his golden fur. He looked like he had just seen a ghost… which he did.

Julie knew that he realized what she did as well. This mystery Lombax has appeared out of nowhere, who may as well be Kaden's doppelganger with all the similarities between them, even right down to the voice. He somehow has a Dimensionator, something that shouldn't even exist in this dimension with the Council's ban, and appeared oblivious to it. But the final nail in the coffin was what he said to that guard when he called him a kid.

He said he was 20. The exact same age as Kieran would be today.

Kaden manages to tear his gaze away from the holovision as he quietly grabs the remote and shuts it off, bathing the room in a tense silence except for his shaky breathing. He looks down at his desk in thought, leaving Julie to only guess what he may be thinking. But then he looks back up to her, staring right into her eyes as his own begin to water.

"Is… is this really happening?" He whispers.

Julie doesn't say anything at first, her mouth suddenly gone dry, but takes an uneasy swallow before opening her mouth.

"Kaden… I… I think we just watched Kieran get arrested by the City Guard."

And now I'm off to inevitably completely change the next chapter as I did with this one. Who knows, maybe I'll somehow bang out 10000 words instead of 6000 if it ends up being the 'small revision' I told myself this chapter was supposed to be.