AN: Woo! Thanks for the review! It was very much appreciated. Sorry for the delay in updating... I was busy. I hope it won't happen again.

Please, if there's anything that I'm doing wrong, feel free to give some constructive criticism. Keep the reviews coming!

The URTV-O

Chapter 2: Sync

Nikko was fired. F-I-R-E-D. Fired. Well, at least according to her boss, anyway. The pudgy man had waved his arms around and screamed at her, spittle flying out of his mouth, because she didn't want to put herself in the way of danger. An AGWS Unit had been malfunctioning, and her idiot boss had wanted her to force her way into the pilot's seat and try to figure out what the problem was. Well, the power hadn't been cut off yet and sparks were flying around the various screens and controls inside the unit. Not wanting the get hurt, she refused. And, after he screamed at her and she screamed back for a few good minutes, he threw his hat at her and fired her.

Nikko was in her apartment room, laying on her bed and falling into a lethargic mode where all she did was daydream. She didn't have much to worry about, really -- the Federation fed and clothed her, so she would be fine in that department. But, she worried about disappointing Helmer. He was the only reason she had dealt with her miserable boss for so many years.

"Fucking bastard," she muttered bitterly. "Telling me to do a job that wasn't safe even for the Realians... hmph! The imbecile should have gone in there himself, but I doubt he would have been able to fit his fat ass into the seat..."

She wasn't in the best of moods, but resigned herself to the fact that what was done was done, and there was nothing left she could do. Well, aside from take a shower and get the smell of motor oil out of her hair. However, as soon as she found the energy to get up off the bed, her handheld began to beep for the third time that day. Her mood didn't improve.

"I swear to God..." she muttered, then saw it was a direct connection rather than a mere text. She never got those. Somewhat curious, she opened the link and found herself face to face with Helmer as the screen opened up.

"Hello, Nikko," he said with a smile.

Nikko nearly dropped the device. "Helmer! It's been so long! How are you?"

"I'm fine," he said. "And you?"

"Perfect!" she lied.

He chuckled. "I got a complaint about you today."

Nikko's face fell. "Oh... so that's why you called."

Helmer blinked. "What? Oh, no! Don't be silly!"

"Helmer, I'm so sorry!" she began. "You've been so kind to me all these years... and here I go and blow it! But I couldn't help it... that guy was such an ass!"

He only chuckled at her. "Nikko, it's all right. In fact, I've got good news for you."

She was very much shocked. "Oh?"

"If you hate that man so much, you'll have the opportunity to get away from him for good. How would you like to be transferred out of Fifth Jerusalem?"

Nikko gasped. "Transferred out of the capital? To where?"

"The Kukai Foundation."

Nikko gasped again. The Kukai Foundation! She had read brochures about the place and had always wanted to go there. She heard so many good things about it, about the old fashion and nostalgia of the place, and of the beaches, and of how the Durandal would dock and turn into a skyscraper...

"Helmer, I love you!" she exclaimed. "This is the best day of my life! When can I transfer?!"

He laughed. "As quickly as possible would be best."

Nikko began running around her room, throwing clothing onto her bed. She would need to buy a suitcase, but aside from that she was good. "I can leave today! Hell, give me twenty minutes and I'll be ready!"

"Whoa, slow down!" he said, and laughed even more. "I need to file the paperwork first and talk with a few people."

"Well, can I leave now anyway?"

"No, no, I'm afraid not."

She continued to smile and run around her room, but then suddenly paused. "Hey, wait... why am I going to the Kukai Foundation anyway?"

"You're to meet a very special friend of mine."

"Oh?"

"Gaignun Kukai."

For the third time, Nikko gasped. She had heard a little bit about Gaignun Kukai and his work, though didn't know many details except that he was a well-loved and very important person. Nikko hadn't met anyone important in her life save for Helmer.

"The Gaignun Kukai?" she asked, awed.

"The one and only."

"Why do I have to meet him? And, should I wear something a bit more formal?" she asked, looking down at her oil-stained mechanic's clothing.

He paused as if thinking, then spoke. "There are some important repairs that need to be made on the Kukai Foundation, and he asked me to send one of my best to help him. I chose you. And, no, you don't need to change a thing. I get the feeling he won't mind what you wear." He smiled warmly.

Now Nikko was nervous. She bit her lip and thought things over. "I'm... your best? That's so flattering, Helmer. But, wow, this is a lot of pressure. Repairs to the Kukai Foundation? I'm a little worried."

"Don't be worried," he said reassuringly. "If I didn't think you had it in you, I wouldn't have suggested you do it. I'm confident in your abilities."

Nikko still bit her lip. "Okay... and are you sure I'll be okay just wearing this? I mean, he is the head of the Kukai Foundation..."

He laughed. "You're a mechanic! What else would you wear?"

"But if I'm meeting someone so important..."

"Trust me, once he sees you, it won't matter."

Nikko blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?" She blushed.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing, nothing. Say, um, I have to go. You know, have to fill out the paperwork and whatnot..."

He ended the connection before she could get a word in. So, with nothing better to do than bite her nails and worry, she finally decided upon taking a shower and getting ready. Even if she had to do some important repairs, and meet someone important, it was still much better than anything she had ever hoped for.

---

"You didn't tell her why she was coming?"

"Isn't that your job, Gaignun?"

Once again, Helmer and Gaignun were talking about Nikko. Gaignun's stomach felt like it was doing flips. He looked at Helmer and couldn't believe his own nervousness.

"Don't look at me like that, Gaignun. What did you want me to do, give her a heart attack? 'Oh, Nikko, I forgot to mention... Nigredo is alive!' That would have been brilliant, don't you think?"

"It's much better than making up some lie about repairing the Foundation!" he exclaimed. "What am I going to do now? Wait until she sees me for the first time and then catch her as she falls?!"

"Call her!"

"What? I don't even have the number to her handheld!"

Helmer smiled. "Oh? Is that the only obstacle? Hold on, I'll get it for you right now."

Gaignun's face went red. "What? No, I couldn't!"

"What's the problem? She's a URTV, right? She's your sister! It shouldn't be too hard! Aren't you excited to see her again?"

"She is not my sister," he immediately clarified, and for some reason felt angry that Helmer had presumed as much. "And, she's not a URTV either. She's a URTV-O."

"What's one letter to me? But, like I asked... aren't you excited to see her?"

"Yes! But... I'm also terrified! I don't even know what she looks like!"

"I could fix that."

Before Gaignun could catch his breath, an image popped up on the screen. He froze immediately, his body failing him and his mind going blank with shock. His eyes caught onto two bright, beautiful, aqua blue irises that filled him once again with a sense of longing. Those eyes hadn't changed one bit. Everything else had, for she had transformed from a young girl into a beautiful young woman. Her hair was still blue as well and was cut to a little bit past her shoulders, making her look younger than her true age and very lively. For many long moments Gaignun stared at the image, soaking up the details until it was all he saw when he closed his eyes.

"I didn't know how to imagine her after all these years," he breathed. "I didn't know how she had grown. So, it is odd for me to see... and yet, it is as if I had expected to see exactly this all along."

Helmer gave a sympathetic nod. "Now will you contact her?"

At first Gaignun didn't hear him. He was too busy staring at those blue eyes that still seemed so very young. "Contact her? I... I don't know."

"Then what do you plan on doing?"

"Not giving her a heart attack."

"You know, I could connect you two right now."

"No! What would I say? It's been so many years!"

"Well, she's going to find out eventually. It's all up to you as to how."

Gaignun thought about it. He was so terribly nervous. "Helmer..."

The other man groaned. "Let me guess... you want me to tell her, right?"

"I don't know, but you can help me somehow..."

"I'll see what I can do."

---

Nikko was searching through her closet for something somewhat formal when her handheld beeped yet again. As she opened the line she held a long, black skirt up to her body. "What do you think, Helmer?"

"Too formal. Go with overalls."

"Oh, shut up," she said before tossing it onto her bed before realizing she had no shoes to go with it. "So, have you figured out when I'm leaving?"

"No, not yet. I need to get a few things out of the way first."

"Like what?"

Helmer gave her a somewhat piercing and serious look. "Nikko... I know I've asked you this several times but... do you know anything about who you are and what happened to you during the Miltian Conflict?"

Nikko froze. The last time Helmer asked her such a question had been over ten years ago, and then he had dropped it ever since. "Helmer, why are you asking this again?"

"It's of importance."

"What does this have to do with my transfer?"

Helmer didn't answer, but he didn't look away either. Instead he continued to give his serious, searching look. "You've never told me anything, and I'm sure you had your reasons. But, now's the time to let it out, Nikko."

Nikko had spent such a long time lying to both herself and to him that she saw no reason to stop now. "Helmer, I don't know and I really don't want to know, okay?"

"Nikko, do you know what a URTV is?"

She dropped the handheld. It did not break on the carpeting, but she had wished for it to. She covered her mouth with her hands, not touching the device.

"Nikko! Nikko!" Helmer cried, his voice sounding distant.

Shaking, she kneeled down to pick it up, but found that she couldn't reach out and touch it.

Helmer glared at her from the screen. "So you do know. And if you know that, you must know things about who you are as well, correct?"

"Helmer, please, I don't want to talk about this," she said.

"It's very important. If you don't hear what I have to say -- "

"I've put the past behind me, Helmer," she said, finally getting the courage to pick up the device. "Please, don't bring it up."

"You'll be sorry -- "

"Why in hell would I be sorry?! I though I had a good life until that damned Conflict! Then I lost everything! I lost my sense of self, I lost my purpose, I lost my friends..."

"You didn't lose everything, Nikko."

Nikko's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"You might want to sit down before I tell you this, Nikko."

She sat down right on the floor. "Tell me."

"Remember how I said that I wanted you to meet Gaignun Kukai?"

"Yes, but what does he have to do with this?" Then she gasped. "Wait, he did a lot of stuff with Life Recycling victims, didn't he? Yes, that's why he's so popular! And... wait... maybe... has he taken in URTVs?!"

Her mind immediately pictured Rubedo, Nigredo, and Albedo. For the first time in a long time she smiled as she thought about them. But, then the smile faded just as quickly. Surely they were dead.

No, he must be talking about the standard URTVs, those mindless drones... but I thought they had succumbed to the Song and U-DO.
"Well, not exactly," Helmer answered. "It's a bit more complicated than that."

"Helmer, just tell me already."

"Nikko... I need to know. What are you?"

She bit her lip and touched her forehead absent-mindedly. All she could think of was Yuriev, faceless and blurred, pointing the gun at her face.

"What does it matter? Honestly?"

"You're a... oh what is it... a URTV-O? Is that it?"

Her heart nearly stopped. "How did you get that information?!"

"So it's true then? By God, it truly is you, there's no doubt about it now. Nikko, if only you had told me this years ago!"

"Helmer, what is going on?!"

"I witnessed some things back in my day, Nikko. I was at the Yuriev Institute when everyone was working so hard to cure Sakura Mizrahi. I know all about the URTVs. But, oddly enough, you were never on record..."

"You... you were there during the work we did on Sakura?" She glanced away. "It makes sense that I didn't know this before. Yuriev never let me see anyone from outside the institution. He said that my work involved helping the URTVs stabilize, nothing more. Even though I was linked with Rubedo during many of the Sakura dives, I never once saw Sakura for my own eyes, or her mother. They didn't even know I existed, probably."

Nikko paused. She wasn't quite sure why she was telling all of this so easily to Helmer. But, there was a certain amount of trust that she had and she knew, deep down, that he would never spill any of these secrets. Oh, why hadn't she told him before?!

"Either there never were any files on me for whatever reason, or Yuriev deleted them after the Conflict," she said. But then she gave a sad, soft smile. "But, this is all beyond you, isn't it? What does any of it matter? Me babbling on about Rubedo and Sakura and Yuriev... it's all in the past. I doubt you even know who Rubedo is."

After all... he's dead.

He shook his head. "No, I know exactly who Rubedo is."

"So you must have just read some files on him, then."

He didn't speak, looking at her as if something large were at stake.

"Helmer?"

"Nikko... some of your old comrades are still alive."

Years and years of sadness and pain, of grief and of mourning, suddenly rose to the surface. "Wh-what?!"

"Three of them are still alive that I know of," he said.

Nikko shook her head. "That's... that's impossible. I... no, that... what?!"

Had all those years of pain been for nothing? Nikko didn't know what to feel.

"Who?! Tell me who!" she yelled.

Helmer began to type things on his end. "Two of them I speak with regularly. You obviously know the first one... Unit 666, Rubedo."

A picture popped up on the screen. Nikko stared in shock at a red-haired boy, grinning from ear to ear, as he tapped a gun holster at his hip. He hadn't aged a day, just like Yuriev and his scientists had predicted many years ago.

"Ru-Rubedo..." she stuttered. The disbelief was evident on her face and in her tone.

"Another one you know," Helmer said, "is Unit 669, Nigredo."

Nikko held back tears as another image popped up onto the screen. There was a tall, handsome looking man with jet-black hair and striking green eyes standing in the center of the image, and on either side of him stood two women, one with long, purple hair and another with shorter blond hues. She ignored the women and instead focused on the suit wearing male. He was giving a casual smile and didn't seem camera shy or overly excited like some did when their images were captured. However, she also noticed that he had a striking resemblance to Yuriev; still, his eyes held a warmth that the Dr.'s never had.

"My God," she breathed.

"The last is Unit 667, Albedo... but I'm afraid that things are a bit, um, hectic concerning him."

This time, no image popped up. However, she imagined Nigredo but with white hair instead of black and amethyst eyes instead of green. There would be no charming smile, instead only a nervous glance. Yes, that would be the Albedo she knew.

"All this time they've been alive?" she whispered.

"Yes, and they've been doing quite well... at least Rubedo and Nigredo have, anyway. They've made new lives for themselves just like you have."

Nikko ignored the second half of his statement. "Wait, what about Albedo? Is there something wrong?"

He glanced away from the screen. "Albedo isn't with us."

She was very confused. "What? No, that doesn't make sense. He always goes wherever Rubedo goes. What happened?"

"It's a long story, one that I'm sure Gai-- I mean, Nigredo, will tell you when you meet him. That's the real reason why you're heading to the Kukai Foundation."

"Nigredo is at the Kukai Foundation?!"

Helmer smiled now. "Nikko... do you remember how I said that I wanted you to meet Gaignun Kukai?"

There was something about his smile and the glow in his eyes that Nikko didn't like.

---

When Helmer told Gaignun of his discussion with Nikko, he thought about it long and hard for two days. Apparently Nikko nearly had an emotional meltdown when she learned that her little Nigredo had grown into the well-known Gaignun Kukai, and that Rubedo was posing as his son. For obvious reasons, she found the situation too crazy to believe. It had taken Helmer quite a long time to convince her of everything, and even then, apparently Nikko had had a dazed look from the shock of it all.

Afterwards, Helmer continued to play an intermediary between them and scheduled for Nikko to arrive at the Kukai Foundation when the Durandal returned. It would be several days at least. And, Helmer also delivered a message with a smile on his face.

"Nikko says 'hello,'" he said at one point. "Do you have a response, Gaignun?"

Gaignun found himself so shocked by the thought of communication that he didn't. Out of good manners, Helmer went ahead and sent what would have been an appropriate reply had the URTV spoken. Then, a little while after, he suggested something alarming.

"Now that she knows you're alive, you should just give her a call."

Gaignun couldn't do it. For two days he thought about her and any sort of possible communications, but he couldn't actually talk with her. He sat at his desk and fought the nervous tension in his stomach, and several times he considered asking Jr. about what he would do, but then he realized that Jr. didn't even know about the situation yet with Nikko. To explain it would be stressful, and that was the last thing that Gaignun wanted.

On the second day, Gaignun pulled up the picture of Nikko and stared at it for a long time. He didn't know how he couldn't possibly just talk to her. But, it was so simple...

Without knowing it, Gaignun's typed in her UMN access code, but then stopped at the call send button. His finger hovered lamely over it.

All he had to do was press the button. Just one small button and the screen would appear. But, there was something about it that made him stop. It was hard to not see someone for so many years, and the suddenly have them appear. He and Nikko had lived separate lives, and neither of them were children anymore. So many things had changed.

What should I expect from her? And what should she expect from me?

The light continued to flash in the darkness. Everything was so quiet. His finger hovered over the button but he couldn't move.

I'm not Nigredo anymore. I'm Gaignun Kukai. And, she is not the URTV-O anymore. She is just a mechanic. We went down different paths...

But, the more he thought about it, he realized that the only reason they did go down such different paths was because of his father, and because of the Conflict. The thought enraged him.

This is not our fault.

Suddenly, he pressed the button.

After a second a screen popped up. Only then did Gaignun realize what he had done. It was too late for him to stop the process. So, instead he stared at the screen, looking into a brightly-lit apartment room, and at the blue-haired female that was too busy straightening out clothing and various possessions to pay much attention.

Nikko...!

"Hold on, Helmer," she said, now completely turning her back to the screen. "Has the Durandal arrived yet? I'm so sorry I didn't finish packing sooner, but I was in such a state of shock..."

"Nikko."

Her name escaped his lips before he could stop himself. Nikko paused.

"Huh? You're not Helmer..." she muttered before slowly turning towards the screen.

Everything seemed to freeze when their eyes connected. Both of them gasped as blue eyes met green. For several seconds they looked at each other, both taking in the details, before Nikko spoke.

"It's... it's... Nigredo?!"

Finally, joy and shock came over Gaignun. He let out a laugh and leaned closer to the screen.

"Nikko!"

Her shocked expression transformed into one of pure happiness. Tears started streaming down her cheeks and Gaignun felt some well up in his own eyes. He hid them despite the emotions that began to wash over him and take control.

"Nikko! I missed you so much! This is a miracle!" he exclaimed.

She nodded excitedly. "My little Nigredo's all grown up into the famous Gaignun Kukai! Just look at you! You look so adorable in that suit, Nigredo!"

He laughed. "And look at you! You're in... mechanic's clothing...?" He decided that it wasn't too good of a compliment a little too late. "Um, forgive me, I meant to say -- "

Nikko just laughed. "Haha! That's my Nigredo! You always need to be proper and correct, don't you? What have I told you about that?"

"You told me that I needed to loosen up and be a bit more like Rubedo," he said with a smile.

The two both laughed and the memories suddenly rushed back. He felt like a child again.

Nikko's smile suddenly softened. "Nigredo... we both missed so many years. It's so alarming to see you grown-up. I keep imagining you as a boy."

"I understand. It's as if everything froze that day fourteen years ago."

He looked at her. She wasn't a girl anymore. She was an adult, nearly the same age he was, and was thus a whole new person to him. But...

"We can make up for lost time," he said. "We did miss many years, but we found each other. It's... It's... Nikko, are you okay?"

He saw that her tears of joy had suddenly transformed into tears of sadness. She bit her lip and looked away, then rubbed her face on her sleeve.

"Nikko?"

"I lost all of you," she whispered. "I was created to watch over the three of you, but I lost you..."

"Nikko, it's not -- "

"He was right! Dr. Yuriev was right! I am a failure!"

Gaignun got even closer to the screen. "That's not true, and you know it. And what does it matter? You're not the URTV-O anymore. That's not you."

"But I still lost you, Nigredo! I lost all of you for fourteen years! So what if that's not me anymore?! Fourteen years are gone!"

"Nikko..."

Suddenly, the crying stopped. There was a flicker of red and Gaignun saw a familiar screen go down over Nikko's left eye, coming seemingly from nowhere.

"I... I can't believe this thing still even works," she said with a hiccup. "I hadn't even meant to pull it down like that, but I must have been so emotional..."

They just stared at each other, and Gaignun concentrated on that red screen.

"Are you..." he began.

"Yes."

She inhaled as if frightened, but then composed herself. A moment later her unnatural blue eyes began to glow.

Gaignun closed his eyes. It had been so long since having connected with her that he no longer remembered what she felt like. All he could think of was Jr. and his wavelength. So, instead of reaching out, he merely waited for her presence to come to him.

It took a long time. Nikko was struggling. Occasionally the glow would fade away and the screen would flip back away from her iris and back to it's place within her, and she would have to pause and figure out how to bring it back again. Gaignun could do nothing but patiently wait and tell her to calm down. He smiled warmly at her and she returned the gesture.

He sat in his chair, eyes still closed, patiently waiting for anything to come, when he suddenly felt it. Something brushed against the edge of his mind, and his eyes snapped open. He glanced at the screen to see that Nikko's eyes had briefly flashed a shade of green.

"That's it, you're almost there," he breathed. Quite suddenly now he felt an eagerness within him.

Many more times her thoughts brushed against his own. Each time Gaignun found himself hiding a gasp. The feelings were odd, almost foreign, to him. She felt nothing like Jr. Jr.'s presence was warm and inviting, and sometimes a little too exuberant and even wild. But Nikko's was calm, collected, yet also enticing. There was a vast depth of emotion hidden within her and he felt it every time she brushed against him. There was something forbidden about linking with her now that they were adults. The experience was exhilarating. He couldn't quite explain it but... she felt so good. So right. Of course, she was the URTV-O. Things were supposed to feel that way.

Her conciousness was so near him now that he was beginning to hear her scrambled thoughts. They echoed and were in pieces, but they were there none the less. He looked at the screen and saw that her eyes had darkened and matched his own, but there was still something missing.

"You've... changed," she said. "Your wavelength is so different, Nigredo. You truly have grown."

She closed her eyes and that was when he felt the all encompassing feel of her as their minds began to mingle and mesh. Gaignun gripped the arms of his chair at the feel of it. He felt every one of her emotions -- all of her anxiety, her awe, her happiness -- as if they were her own. Unknowingly she continued to send her scattered thoughts to him, and for a while there was no boundary and he could see everything until she finally made a clear line between the two of them. She was there in his head and he was in hers, but they remained separate now.

It's been a long time, Nikko, he thought with a smile. He shook off the odd feelings he felt before and allowed his body to relax. Casually he released the arms of his chair and turned off the screen he had been viewing her in. His room went dark.

"I missed you, Nigredo," she sent to him, and her emotions were almost overwhelming. "So many years have passed..."

None of that matters now, he said. He found being alone with her in the darkness very comforting. You're back.

"Yes, but... I'm not the URTV-O anymore. I'm just... Nikko. A mechanic. Maybe those years do matter --"

Enough with that, he said. You are you. You have always been you. We are not Yuriev's puppets anymore, and we can live our own lives. Don't regret the missing time; just focus on the future.

She didn't need to send any coherent thoughts now. Instead, it was all raw emotion. The two sat up all night send nothing more than feelings to each other until they both found a common ground in contented bliss. And, when they both went to sleep, they remained linked even then.