Smoke fills the air, cutting down on visibility. Franc has an arm around Rubi's back, trying to help her navigate the debris strewn halls. She limps heavily, favoring her left leg, which drips blood. Silicon walks backward behind them, glancing through the smoke with panicky eyes with his stun gun held at the ready.

Rubi stumbles and nearly falls, but Franc catches her. The silent boy makes frantic gestures with his free hand, and Rubi nods.

"Franc says we need to turn left to get to the hangar," she translates.

"Okay," Silicon agrees. He watches the smoke for a long moment, before finally turning away, sprinting to catch up with his siblings. He stands on Rubi's other side and lets her put an arm on his shoulder, taking more weight off her leg. The trio limp forward as fast as they can manage, Franc glancing around frantically, Rubi's eyes fixed determinedly on her feet, and Silicon scanning the hall ahead.

They reach a fork in the hall and turn left, only to be greeted by a group of five copies. The copies spot the kids instantly and run toward them. Silicon slips Rubi's arm off his shoulder and pushes her and Franc backward down the hall. "Run," he says, raising his stun gun as he faces the copies.

Silicon fires at the closest copy, eyes fixed on its chest to avoid recognizing the face. The energy blasts slow it down, but don't stop it. He dodges to the side as it finally reaches him, barely ducking under its arms. Another copy reaches him and he smacks its hands away before turning to run.

He catches up with Franc and Rubi and once again grabs his sister's arm to help her run. She nearly trips as Silicon and Franc drag her forward, but manages to stay on her feet. Silicon hears feet pounding behind them as the copies give chase. They're catching up.

All three kids duck as bullets fly past them.

"We need to get Rubi out of here," Silicon says. Franc nods his agreement.

Lico looks ahead and sees a wall of rubble blocking the hall. He tries to stay calm as he spins around, looking for an exit. There's an open door a little further down the hall and he leads Rubi and Franc toward it. They step into an empty lab. Silicon's heart sinks when he realizes there's no way out of here. He closes the door and presses the button to lock it, knowing it won't hold.

"Over here," he says, directing Rubi to sit in a corner where she's partially hidden behind a table.

"Lico," she whispers, looking up at him with scared eyes. "Are they gonna find us?"

Silicon wants to tell her no, but he can't lie to her. She's always been able to see through that. Instead, he tries to sound more confident than he feels. "We'll fight them off," he assures her. "Try to shoot them with your stun gun if they get too close, but stay here. Franc and I will try to handle this." Franc climbs on top of the table and nods down at her before turning toward the door and raising his gun, already holding the trigger down to overcharge it. Silicon turns around and does the same.

There's a loud bang as something hits the door. The door begins to shake under multiple impacts. Silicon raises his gun and looks down the sights. He's afraid, of course he is, but he tries to hide it. Franc and Rubi are already scared enough. They don't need to see that he is, too. He wants to be brave, like Silver. Pretending is the best he can do.

I hear the crash of a door being kicked open and wheel around the corner at top speed. I see a group of copies at the end of the hall and hear the crackling pop of a stun gun firing. It's answered by real guns. I lose sight of most of the copies as they push through the doorway. I shoot one without thinking, refusing to register the blue hair or connect a name to the familiar face.

I run through the door. Two of the copies are attacking Silicon while another is trying to shoot Franc, who keeps dodging. The last copy has managed to grab Rubi by the hair and is trying to drag her out of the corner. I step up behind the copy and grab the sides of its head, snapping it to the side before letting go. The copy slumps to the ground.

I turn away from Rubi and point my gun at the copy attacking Franc. He kicks its chest and it staggers back a few feet, giving me the opening I need to fire. Once the copy falls, Franc jumps down off the table and jumps on one of the copies fighting Silicon. I run to help and a few minutes later the copies are dead.

Silicon looks from me to the bodies and back again. "Silver?" he asks, fear and relief warring in his voice. He looks at me like he's not sure who I am or if he can trust me.

"It's me," I assure him. I reach out to ruffle his hair, like I always do, but he backs out of my reach. Franc and Rubi have moved to stand behind him. They both stare at me with distrust.

"You found us earlier," Rubi says, barely managing to keep her voice steady. "You and Nick. We thought you were going to help us, but you - you shot at us. We had to run, because we knew we couldn't fight you."

I nod in understanding. That certainly explains their fear. "That wasn't me," I explain. "That was a copy, something mom made. I'm real." I crouch down on one knee in front of them. "Lico, look at me," I say. The boy's eyes meet mine, full of confusion and worry. "It's me," I say again, reaching out to touch his shoulder. At the touch he lunges forward, grabbing me in a tight hug as he suppresses a sob.

"It's okay," I say, hugging him back. Franc and Rubi join in and I try my best to wrap my arms around all three of them. "I won't let them hurt you. You'll be okay, now."

"I was scared," Silicon whispers ashamedly. "I tried not to be. I tried to be like you, but I couldn't."

"There's nothing wrong with being afraid," I say, kissing the top of his head. "You didn't let it control you, and you kept your team safe. That's all I ever do." I let go and they back up to a more comfortable distance as I stand.

"You always make it look so easy," Lico says accusingly, as though I've somehow tricked him. I catch the mischievous glint in his eyes, something he learned from Nick. I smile, glad he's able to bounce back to his usual self so quickly.

"That's a leader's job," I say. "We make hard work look easy, and hard decisions even easier."

"'We'?" Silicon asks hopefully.

"Of course." I reach down to ruffle his hair, and this time he doesn't pull away. "You've always been a natural leader."

Silicon smiles at the praise before walking toward the door. "Come on," he says, pulling my hand after him. "We need to get back to the rest of the family."

I nod agreement, but stop when I hear a noise. Footsteps approach from down the hall, quickly getting louder. I push Silicon behind me and draw my gun again. Silicon mimics the action, holding his stun gun high and placing himself between the other kids and the door. I peek around the door, trying to see who's coming.

I smile and holster my gun, stepping back. Silicon gives me a questioning look before putting away his gun as well. A moment later, Wash walks through the door.

"You found them," he says, relieved, as he looks at the kids. Then his gaze moves to me. "Come on, we need to move."

I know by his tone that something's wrong. "What happened?" I ask. "Why aren't you in the hangar?"

"I came to look for you once Tucker showed up," Wash answers. He crouches down to get a better look at Rubi's leg, trying to decide if she's safe to walk on it. "Those copies or whatever they are keep attacking the hangar. Rhodi's afraid they might try to organize some sort of final attack, all together. With their numbers, we won't be able to hold them off."

"I don't think that'll happen," I say as we step back into the hall. Franc and Lico help Rubi walk as Wash and I lead the way. "From what I've seen, these copies aren't very intelligent, aside from a few exceptions. They're behaving more like animals than soldiers, moving in packs but not coordinating their movements in a fight. I doubt they'd be able to organize an assault on a single room like that."

Wash looks around a corner, leading with his gun. I do the same on the other side of the corridor. "Even so, we shouldn't stick around."

"No argument there," I agree. I don't voice my concern about the bombs they've been setting around the base, or the fact that some of the locations for said bombs have appeared strategic. A few more explosions in the right places could bring this base down around us. We definitely need to hurry.

I sprint ahead of the group, following Rho's directions on my HUD. She points out a hallway we need to turn down, highlighting possible blind spots for me to check. I sneak up to the corner, holding my gun at the ready. I peek around the corner and immediately fall backward with a fist in my face.

"Silver!" Silicon shouts.

I jump to my feet and see a woman in white armor, a helmet covering her face. I aim my gun at her, but she knocks it away. Footsteps sprint up behind me.

"Move," Wash says, lifting his gun. "I need a clear shot."

The woman's visor snaps toward him before returning to me. She kicks me in the chest. I'm not prepared for the force of the blow and stumble back, bumping into Wash. Silicon steps up beside us and fires his stun gun at her, bolts of electricity infused plasma flying toward the woman. She seems unfazed by the attack, her armor absorbing the energy. It does, however, catch her attention. She turns to him and aims a punch at his face which I barely manage to block for him.

I step forward and try to knock her off her feet with a kick to her legs, but she dodges. The move throws her off balance, however, and I use the opportunity to hit her chin with an uppercut. Her head snaps back and her helmet, without the clasps or fastenings of proper armor, slides off.

Green eyes glare at me from a face topped with white hair.

"Wash," I say, not breaking eye contact with the copy. "Take the kids and get out of here."

"Silver, what-" he starts, looking over my shoulder. He falls silent when he sees what I see.

"Just get them somewhere safe," I say.

Wash nods and picks up Rubi. "Follow me," he tells the boys before turning and running back down the hall. Franc runs after him while Silicon follows reluctantly. I listen to them go, still not taking my eyes off the copy.

I know I shouldn't be surprised. Mom made one for everyone else. It only makes sense that there'd be one for me as well. I just didn't expect her to be so tall. I suppose that's what I'd look like if I hadn't spent my childhood fighting a genetic disease, I muse. I raise my fists and begin stepping to the side, circling around her.

The copy turns with me, maintaining eye contact. After a few more moments of tense circling, she strikes. I dodge the kick and answer back with a hooked punch. I see my gun lying on the ground a few feet away and try to inch toward it. The copy seems to recognize my intentions and grabs me by the front of my armor, slamming me into the wall and growling.

"You seem to be smart enough to fight," I say. I try to push the heavier woman away, to no avail. "But not smart enough to talk. I wonder if you can even understand me." She hisses in annoyance and slams me into the wall again.

I try to pull out of her grip, but she's stronger than me, stronger than Gold even, and I can't move. She snarls in my face, relishing victory, before pulling my helmet off. Without that barrier in her way, the copy's hands slip around my throat, lifting me off the ground.

I try to push her off and she snarls again. I punch at her face but it has no effect. I bring my legs up and kick at her chest but she still doesn't budge. She's… really fucking tough, I think as my head starts to swim. I need air. I keep trying to punch at the copy, but most of the blows don't connect and those that do seem to hold no power. My vision's turning spotty. I'm not going to make it.

A blast of electrified plasma hits the copy's face and it jerks back with a hiss. The copy releases my throat to claw at the burn on its face. I sink to the floor, coughing and gasping for air.

Silicon runs up and grabs my arm, trying to pull me to my feet. "Come on," he says, managing to drag me a few feet. "Silver, we need to go."

I nod and climb to my feet, stumbling after him. He leads me down the hall, turning randomly to throw the copy off our trail. Once he thinks we've lost it, he stops.

"Are you okay?" he asks, eyeing the newly formed bruises on my throat.

I lean against the wall, close my eyes, and take a deep breath, nodding. My head's still fuzzy, but I can work through it. I open my eyes and glare at him. "I told you to go with Wash," I say hoarsely.

"It's a good thing I didn't listen," he counters, trying to sound stern despite the worry in his voice.

I smile weakly at the anger in his eyes, and the fear I know it hides. He's too much like me. He can't stand to let anyone he loves be hurt, and he hates when he can't prevent it. It's why I've always tried to keep him out of battle. I know how reckless he'd act to protect his team.

"Let's go," I say, pushing off the wall. I start leading us back in the direction of the hangar.

"Here," Silicon says after walking a few yards, handing me something. It takes my addled brain a moment to realize that it's my helmet. I hadn't even seen him grab it before we ran.

"Thank you," I murmur. I put the helmet on and carefully fasten the clasps. I don't plan on letting someone take it from me so easily again. Rho immediately displays the best path to the hangar.

I hear a noise behind us and turn to see what it is. The copy runs at us, holding my pistol and teeth bared in a feral snarl. There's a reddened plasma burn on the left side of her face. I pull a knife off my hip and throw it at her. The knife embeds in the copy's arm above the elbow and she roars.

"Run," I tell Silicon, drawing two more knives. I throw one and she knocks it out of the air. A bolt of plasma lands on her chest, burning the armor but not harming her. I look down and see Silicon standing at my side. "I told you to run," I snap.

"I'm not leaving you," he says. He plants his feet determinedly and fires the stun gun again. This time the blast scrapes across the copy's shoulder. Her eyes shift from me to the boy and she raises the pistol.

I push Silicon to the side and feel a bullet hit my arm. It's right at Lico's head level, which happens to be the same level as the thickest piece of armor on my shoulder. The bullet stops before reaching skin, but I still feel the bruising force of the impact. That will not be pleasant tomorrow. Still, it's better than the alternative.

Silicon fell when I pushed him so I drag him back to his feet, shoving him down the hall. "Get out of here, Lico," I say.

"What about you?" Silicon asks.

I throw the second knife. It hits a gap in the copy's armor right below the ribs. She cries out and clutches at the blade.

"Just get somewhere safe," I say in exasperation.

"I won't leave you alone," Silicon insists. My patience ends.

I snatch Silicon's stun gun out of his hand and fire it at the copy as fast as I can. I aim the last shot for the knife in her ribs. The copy's arms fly up to cover its face and it howls in pain. I drop the gun that's finally run out of power and grab Silicon's hand. I drag him with me as I run down the hall away from the copy.

I don't hear footsteps or angry snarls. The copy isn't pursuing. I smile, relieved, as we keep running. We'll make it out of this.

There's a bang. A single shot fired from a pistol. I know the sound so well I can pinpoint its origin without thinking. It came from behind us, back where we left the copy. I expect to feel pain, but there's nothing. I start to think that the copy must have been a lousy shot when I realize Silicon's no longer running.

I look down, follow the line of my arm to where I hold his hand, follow along his own arm until I reach his face. He looks shocked, eyes wide and mouth hanging open in a silent scream. He sinks to his knees and I skid to a halt. I see the bright patch of red on his back, staining through the grey shirt he wears. He's falling forward and I stop him, lay him on his back and try to get him to breathe. His mouth opens and closes wordlessly and his chest heaves in rattling gasps.

I'm speaking, I know I am, but I can't hear myself. It doesn't matter anyway. I'm probably just babbling. I always do that when I panic. I've always hated that about myself. Manny used to say it was cute, but I never believed him.

I force myself to stop thinking about that. I want to escape; retreat into my mind and forget what's happening. I can't let myself, though. That wouldn't be fair to Lico. He deserves to have his sister here with him.

Silicon's hand is still clutched in mine and I squeeze it tightly, hoping to somehow hold onto him and keep him here. I see pain and fear in his eyes as he looks at me pleadingly, like he thinks I can somehow make this better. I want to. I want to erase all of this and make it as if it never happened. Instead I push his hair away from his eyes and squeeze his hand tighter and murmur sweet little lies about how he'll be okay. He can't answer but he nods anyway, still so trusting that he believes me.

I see the light fading from his eyes and have just enough time to whisper one final "I love you" before he slips away.

I am so sorry.