Chapter 12

In This River

In this river all shall fade to black

In this river ain't no coming back.

Neo couldn't believe her eyes. Amidst the white void in which they found themselves, someone was calling out. His ginger locks, his sharp features.

"Neo? Is it really you?"

It was him.

Cautiously she stepped forwards, fearing that with each step this dream would end. If she blinked, he would vanish. If she breathed, he would scatter to the wind.

Her eyes were locked onto him until she stood at his feet. She reached out her remaining hand, slowly pressing it to his chest. Looking up at him, even through the tears, she could see his smile.

This was her Roman.

She flung herself at him, diving into his safety and burying her head in his white coat, trying to hide her weeping.

"I…" he tried to speak, but was clearly just as shocked. "I thought I'd never see you again." He folded his arms around her, pulling her even closer.

Now the sobbing started. Two long years of pain and anguish gushed out of Neo. It took her several moments before she could compose herself, before she could look at his eyes once more.

"And you brought my hat!" Roman grinned.

Neo nodded, taking the bowler cap and placing it on Roman's head.

"You're such a doll," he grinned, but his smile quickly faded. "But, Neo… you shouldn't be here."

Why? It was where she had been trying to get to: back to him. Nothing would tell her otherwise.

"You've still got so much to do," Roman said, stroking her hair. "And I'll still be here whe—" Neo put a finger to his lips. She didn't want to hear any more.

She had made up her mind the moment she felt his embrace.

Neo turned back to Penny and Oscar who seemed to be struck with awe and confusion. First she walked over to Penny.

She took Penny's hands, this clumsy robotic girl who had made her feel something other than hate for the first time since Roman left her.

"Is he the one?" Penny asked.

Neo couldn't help but smile as she nodded. He was indeed. She embraced Penny warmly, before turning to the boy.

Oscar, the pipsqueak she had intended to rob from the beginning. Cinder didn't care if he lived or died, but he had saved her life. She removed the Relic of Knowledge from her belt and handed it back to Oscar.

"Are you sure?" he asked, confused. "I made a deal."

Neo nodded and brought him close, extending her thanks before giving a playful boop on the nose.

It was settled. She was staying. She took her transport wristband and chucked it into the void. Penny and Oscar activated theirs, and light began to surround them one last time.

With a final wave goodbye, Neo turned her attention back to Roman. She took hold of his long, slender arm and held it tightly.

She would never let it go again.

As the light faded, Oscar quickly surveyed the area around him in anticipation. Piles of junk were everywhere, bathed in sickly fluorescent light.

They were home.

"We did it!" Penny cheered.

"I can't believe that worked!" Oscar was overjoyed. So much so, that he grabbed Penny and kissed her in celebration. It only took a moment for him to realize what he had done and he composed himself. "Ah… sorry."

"I'm happy too, Oscar," Penny smiled widely. "That was quite an experience."

"Never again," Oscar said.

"Ugh, there you are!" a sharp woman's voice interrupted their celebration. Winter Schnee's commanding presence took up the threshold to the room. "Penny, I thought I asked you to grab those parts for me? You've been up here for hours."

"I may have distracted her," Oscar blushed, trying to ease Winter's wrath. "I'm actually looking for James, have you seen him?"

"General Ironwood was headed to the vault. Whatever you're planning, I would suggest not bothering him during this crucial time for our city."

"Yes, ma'am," Oscar nodded before scurrying out of the room. Only a few hours had passed; there was still time to save everyone!

Hang on everyone… Ruby… I'm back now, and together we'll save everyone.

Pietro Polendina,

Those schematics you sent me were very impressive. Not many understand technology the way you do, my friend. I made some small adjustments to the silica injection parameters, for efficiency's sake. The remote should work as intended, although the functionality is limited to random sequence warping. We might be able to integrate a more precise method of travel with future revisions, but the technology has to catch up with us first. Just make sure to mark your office coordinates before testing, or you'll be stuck randomly jumping through the multiverse trying to find your way back, and there's little I can do to help you then.

One final concern, regarding your daughter. This is highly subjective, but with a large enough power supply I do believe the remote could reach worlds beyond the physical plane. Beyond life itself. Pietro, I know you would do anything to see her again, but this is tampering beyond our understanding.

If you still plan on trying, just please let me be there too. If something goes wrong, I can fix it.

Yours truly

-T

"When life leaves us blind

Love, keeps us kind"

The End

Author's Notes: Wow, this was an incredible journey. From the initial idea, to the four month slump in the middle and this crazy final rush of inspiration, it's been a blast writing these three characters. I'm sorry it took so long to get it finished, but I'm glad it's finally out there for everyone to enjoy. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments or a DM, I really love reading everything you guys have to say.

My next story is already in the works, but it's going to be a much bigger work than I've attempted before, so it requires quite a lot of planning. I can't wait to reveal it to you guys. Thanks again everyone!

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