COPYRIGHT NOTE: I don't own Xenosaga

COMMENTS: More of the PATHOS experiment is ahead in this chapter. This chapter also sheds a bit more light on characters like the standard U.R.T.V.s (Numbers 330 through 339 in this story) and Nigredo, who haven't gotten large roles thus far (Nigredo especially, since he has a very pivotal part later in this story). And, of course, there'll be plenty more Rubedo drama, too. Enjoy!

PATHOS: Chapter IV

Aiselne Nocturnus

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"Fear and Disdain"

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Which was more degrading: being an anti-existence or being a fail-safe? For Nigredo, he was an anti-existence 'charade' and a fail-safe, cursed from birth with a predetermined duty his father wrote for the final U.R.T.V. The child christened Number 669 was Dmitri's last stand, the final mark that bastard would make on the universe…or so Nigredo originally believed. Being the final-made U.R.T.V. did not fill Nigredo with any pride or satisfaction, and instead made the boy regret his existence.

Fortunately, he was not alone in the lament, for Nigredo's sister shared his unhappiness. The only difference between him and her was Citrine sold herself to Dmitri's predestined fate, whereas Nigredo constantly struggled to defy it. But after so many years of trying, the black-haired boy had long since given up, and succumbed to the fact that Nigredo could never change the fate Dmitri wrote him:

Executioner…It was just one of the many twisted strings attached to Nigredo's fate. Fail-Safe…None of the titles made the black-haired boy cherish the life he was given. To what point was life it if his would only be used for the purpose of bloodshed?

Nigredo was not blind to Dmitri's plans, while at the same time there were details even Nigredo was denied. Dmitri always told his Designer Children the bare minimum details, and Nigredo was not much different. The youngest U.R.T.V. hardly understood his duty as 'Executioner.' He, alongside Citrine, would be the ones equipped and destined to destroy the Red Dragon in the event it went out of control. Of course, for the longest time, Dmitri failed to tell Nigredo what exactly was the 'Red Dragon.' Hell, it had only been a few years ago that Nigredo finally made the connection between 'Red Dragon' and 'Rubedo.' Dmitri never even divulged the Red Dragon's identity until Nigredo noticed how Rubedo's mental wavelength seemed to match that of the Red Dragon the 'Executioner' was taught so much about. Nigredo was horrified to know his father actually expected him to kill his own brother, and ever since that day, Nigredo searched for some loophole to escape the fate of carrying Rubedo's blood on his hands. Alas, after so many years of finding no such loophole, Nigredo relented. However, Nigredo still held on tightly to a hair-thin thread of hope that some type of opportunity could arise someday to change his fate.

This was why Nigredo, for however hesitant he was of the experiment, prayed he would find his salvation through PATHOS. If everything went as planned, Rubedo would learn to harness the Red Dragon, and ultimately know how to prevent it from going out of control. Despite Yuriev's creation of the 'executioner' U.R.T.V.s, he was not foolish enough to destroy a weapon as valuable as the Red Dragon unless absolutely necessary. There were advantages to possessing such a high-level anti-U-DO power, advantages Nigredo was never told of, but he assumed would help Dmitri's opposition against U-DO. The trick was learning how to use the Red Dragon without accidentally creating an even bigger mess. Essentially, PATHOS was a preventative, developed to impede a worst-case scenario, and Variants 668 and 669 were the fail-safes in the event the scenario was unstoppable. Rubedo did possess the best anti-U-DO wavelength, which was a powerful weapon in Dmitri's arsenal. Dr. Yuriev would not have Nigredo and Citrine idly eliminate the Red Dragon unless it was unmistakably unavoidable.

So Nigredo placed all of his faith in PATHOS, praying Rubedo would learn to control the Red Dragon, thus preventing it from going out of control and forcing Citrine and Nigredo to kill him. Alas, Nigredo still could not find 'total' comfort in PATHOS. Dmitri had been suspiciously vague about the experiment, even to Nigredo. Certain pieces of the puzzle did not fit, and Dmitri's 'precautions' made Nigredo nervous. A part of Nigredo even wondered if Dmitri was specifically sending Rubedo into PATHOS for the sole purpose of providing a stage for Nigredo to kill him. If that were the case, what would Nigredo do? Kill Rubedo…in front of Albedo, nonetheless?! Nigredo did not want to see Rubedo die anymore than Albedo did, nor did Nigredo want to be the one to bring about Rubedo's demise. Killing Rubedo right before Albedo's eyes would surely send the middle child fully over the edge, meaning by killing the Red Dragon, Nigredo would lose both Rubedo and Albedo. Then Nigredo would be the one left all alone, kept company solely by the blood he soaked his own hands in. Not even cool, calm, and collected Nigredo could live that way.

But what other choice did he have? Whether Nigredo, or anyone, liked it or not, they were all pawns in Dmitri Yuriev's sick game: a rigged game where the only winner would be Dmitri.

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By the time his head stopped pounding from the encryption fragments reassembling, Rubedo's sapphire eyes opened to see his current surroundings. He knew 'where' he was: the PATHOS Encephalon simulation, though what it 'looked' like was rather surprising. He was so used to working in Encephalon simulations: Miltian settings, specifically Labyrinthos for preparation of the Descent Operation, or the beautiful countryside situated in Sakura's subconscious domain. Either way, all of those simulations took place somewhere, or at least looked like somewhere.

For all of PATHOS' bravado, its simulations left a bit more to be desired. Apparently, the landscape configuration was not considered important for PATHOS tests, and was kept as basic as possible. It was probably done so more money could be spent on more pivotal things, like the damned connection jack, which Rubedo swore he could still feel, even inside the Encephalon. Frankly, after getting stabbed in the neck, a nice change in scenery would have been refreshing upon reaching the Encephalon, but no such comfort came. All that could be seen in this PATHOS 'environment' was darkness, with a dull ground barely visible. Rubedo could not even tell if the ground was based organic or man-made. Hell, had Rubedo not felt the ground under his boots he would have never known it was there.

The PATHOS 'world' was a dark, cold place, even more uninviting than the institute. Often, Rubedo enjoyed sneaking into Sakura's subconscious domain for a fresh change in atmosphere, but this PATHOS world was definitely not a place where Rubedo would be making extra visits. As far as the eye could see laid nothingness, a disturbing solitude that gave no evidence of life, other than his. The environment was so dark he could not even see Numbers 330 through 339, who were supposedly already in the PATHOS simulation awaiting his arrival. Albedo and Nigredo were nowhere to be seen, either, but they dove after Rubedo, so perhaps they had not reached his location yet. There was no sense of time in this place, and no way of knowing how long Rubedo had been really been alone.

Alone...

But it did not matter how much time really passed, because it still felt like an eternity for Rubedo. Instinctively, he tried to sense his brothers' wave patterns, at least those of the standards who were already somewhere inside the Encephalon. But like the rest of the God-forsaken place, all Rubedo found was…nothing. How was that possible? The ten standard units could not have disconnected themselves from the mental link, could they? It was unlikely, since it took a much greater amount of effort and energy for a standard U.R.T.V. to cut his or herself from the link, even temporarily.

Of course, that did not guarantee standard disconnection was impossible, either. Plus the fact, standard units were symbiotically bound to each other to create one complete consciousness. Thus, one standard U.R.T.V. could not disconnect from the mental link without the disconnection of his or her symbiotic brethren. So if by any chance Numbers 330 through 339 were off the link, they would do it together, which might explain why Rubedo could not sense any of them. But then why would they disconnect themselves in the first place? Rubedo did not know.

All Rubedo did know without reasonable doubt was that he hated this solitude. It did not help that U.R.T.V.s were brought up to always have some form of companionship with their siblings. Internally, they were all connected by their mental link. Externally, the standards were always together because they were technically one consciousness. And as far as the Variants were, Rubedo always had Albedo and Nigredo by his side. It was very rare for a U.R.T.V. not to have some form of companionship.

However, when that companionship was taken away, it was quite difficult for a U.R.T.V. to cope. Of course, since the standard units lacked emotion they did not have to worry about feeling 'lonesome' or suffer separation anxiety. But being a Variant with human emotions, separation anxiety was very difficult for one like Rubedo to handle. Granted, he coped better than Albedo ever could, but Rubedo also sympathized with his twin brother, holding the same notion that he, too, never wanted to be left all alone.

All alone…

Which was why Rubedo hated this Goddamned place! Was this darkened world really the PATHOS Encephalon, or was Rubedo simply imagining it? Perhaps the trauma from the connection jack knocked him out and he was merely hallucinating. He doubted such was the case, solely because Rubedo could still feel slight throbbing in his head from the implant. Visions did not invoke pain sensations. Conversely, pain could be endured in the Encephalon, just like in reality, though Rubedo knew this place could not be the 'real' world. Wherever the hell he was, it must have been the Encephalon.

Wherever the hell he was, Rubedo wanted to get the hell out of there. Alas, he could not leave the Encephalon unless Dmitri willed it, and Rubedo doubted his dad would allow him to leave not five-or-so minutes after diving. God only knew what Dmitri was up to with this place, but at least the reminder of his damn father helped Rubedo calm down. This place was under Dmitri's full surveillance. Thus, if Rubedo started losing composure, Dmitri would not-so-kindly inform him about it later. Thus, Rubedo took a deep breath, managing to ease his body just as it began to tremble. This experiment was a field test, after all. If Rubedo could not maintain his composure in a simulation, he sure as hell could not do the same come the Descent Operation. Thus, Rubedo remained calm and focused his attention on finding his brothers through the mental link. Any voice would have tremendously eased the redhead's nerves.

(Don't worry, Rubedo.)

The question was…"who's" voice did Rubedo just hear?

(I'm right here with you…always.)

He had never heard that voice before, and contrary to what he originally hoped, Rubedo found no comfort in this sudden voice. The voice was as unidentifiable and ambiguous as the rest of the Encephalon: dark, cold, and empty. Against all odds, the tone of the voice gave no implication of the speaker's age, or even gender. How was that possible?

(Always with you…always.)

Who the hell was talking to him?!

(Always…always……always………ALWAYS…………)

This type of companionship…was not the kind of comfort Rubedo wanted. Whoever, or whatever, was 'always with him' better resembled a parasite than a partner. Rubedo automatically did not want anything to do with it. He wanted his brothers, he wanted the people he trusted, he wanted…

"Rubedo!"

The taunting voice was instantly silenced by another sound, though a far less intimidating voice than the last. The hellish voice was almost frightened away the second Rubedo felt something impact into him, knocking the wind out of him for a moment and scaring him half to death. The link master almost instinctively pushed away whatever hit him, before reality sank in upon seeing a very familiar head of white hair buried in the crook of his neck.

His thoughts racing and attempting to slow down to some stable rate of cognition, Rubedo blinked a few times before coming back to his senses. After a moment, he finally noticed the arms thrown around him, attached to the trembling body of his younger brother. "…A-Albedo?" he murmured, still rather disoriented. Rubedo was not even technically sure his brother's appearance was even real at the moment.

Fortunately, as Rubedo came back to full senses, he came to acknowledge the moment as truth. "I'm so glad you're here, Rubedo," whispered Albedo, before lifting his head to meet his brother's eyes. Both sets of the twin's eyes held some degree of fear, though Albedo's were typically the ones lined with glistening tears. Sniffling, the younger twin cleared his throat before speaking again. "What kind of weird place is this? I woke up and found nothing here! It took me forever to find Nigredo, and he supposedly dove right after me!" the while-haired boy lamented, though each complaint slowly but surely broke apart by another oncoming wave of tears. "I couldn't find anyone! I couldn't find y-you…Rubedo…" Albedo trailed, accompanied by a sob, before burying his face back against his brother's neck, dampening the collar with freshly falling tears.

Now further attuned with the situation, Rubedo blinked again, sympathetically this time, while softly sighing as he comfortingly put his hands on his twin's trembling shoulders. "Hey, it's okay now," reassured Rubedo, adding a bit of optimism in his voice, just enough to cease Albedo's crying.

Moments like these between the twins certainly were nothing new. If anything, they became more frequent after Albedo discovered his immortality, and how eventually Rubedo would die and leave him behind. Ever since, the younger twin had become significantly paranoid over something happening to Rubedo. Albedo did not want Rubedo to die and leave him any sooner than necessary, and Rubedo was well aware of his brother's fear. "I'm right here, and I'm okay, too," the older twin soothed, relieved to hear Albedo calm down. Normally, moments like these would be accompanied with a tiny lecture from Rubedo, telling Albedo that he should learn not to fall apart so easily. However, considering his own circumstances a moment ago, Rubedo knew he was not one to throw stones this time around.

"Rubedo…" Albedo whispered, lifting his soaked head again to look back up at his older brother. There was still clear evidence of Albedo's crying spell painted on his reddened face, though one other emotion seemed to surface, too; a sign of concern. "…You're shaking."

With the topic of conversation suddenly shifting to him, Rubedo blinked in surprise. But sure enough, just as Albedo observed, Rubedo was indeed shaking, albeit minutely. The only reason Albedo probably noticed was because he still had his arms around Rubedo, so tightly he probably could feel every motion in his twin's body. Chances were, Albedo also noticed the awkward shift Rubedo made after Albedo's comment. Rubedo knew what caused his trembling, but it was not something he felt like discussing. Rubedo wanted to be brave for Albedo's sake, which would never happen if the leader admitted to getting as scared as he was a moment ago…all alone…frightened…and hearing that voice…

…So Rubedo just played ignorant. "Am I?" asked Rubedo, not overly convincing, but just enough to make Albedo loosen his hold. It provided Rubedo with the opportunity to separate from his brother before Albedo noticed anything else that might suggest Rubedo's earlier fears. "It's probably because you scared the hell out of me," he lied, folding his arms across his chest rather sternly. "You shouldn't go running into people like that, Albedo, especially when they're not expecting it," or especially when they are just as scared out of their wits as Rubedo was, too. Of course, Rubedo did not dare say that. Merely thinking such would set off red flags across the mental link, too, so he avoided the topic all together.

His brother's weird scolding was not entirely convincing to Albedo, but the white-haired boy accepted it, anyway. Rubedo tended to get like this when he was trying to cover something up; he played the 'hardened leader' card in an attempt to hide his shortcomings under a guise of authority. This hurt Albedo a bit, since he did not see why Rubedo felt the need to pretend around his twin, especially since Albedo was never shy when it came to expressing his emotions. Albedo did not care if Dmitri or those disgusting standards thought he was a crybaby. Crying was about the only guarantee Albedo had to releasing some of the constant pain and madness welling inside of him.

Albedo tried 'bottling' his emotions, once, and his emotions exploded so hysterically Dmitri put him on sedatives. Thereafter, Albedo was thrown into solitary confinement for three days…in a locked ward cell…all alone…with absolutely no contact with Rubedo.The only reason Albedo stayed in the cell for 'three' days instead of the planned 'five' was because the doctors did not think the middle Variant would survive five days. By day three, the boy had already drained his left arm dry of blood, and this incident happened long before Albedo ever realized he could regenerate. That was probably the first time Albedo started realizing something was 'odd' about him. Sadly, when it happened, he was much younger and too naïve to realize that 'normal' people, let alone children, do not usually live after cutting every visible vein in their arm. Albedo was just happy Rubedo never found out: the redhead always assumed his twin was released early for 'good behavior.'

Thus, Albedo knew how dangerous it was to bottle up emotions, though perhaps it was even more dangerous for someone with his particular sanity. Albedo figured Rubedo was strong enough to handle whatever life threw at him, so the younger twin put his faith in Rubedo's words. Sniffling again to clear his nose, Albedo looked down rather defeatedly. "Oh, sorry." He really did not mean the apology, of course. Albedo always liked being close to his twin, even though hugging obviously embarrassed Rubedo sometimes.

But right now, the biggest thing Rubedo was embarrassed over was his own minor episode just before Albedo showed up. The most disturbing part was he could no longer remember that voice, or at least, remember what it sounded like. The voice's words stuck with him, but the tone seemed suspiciously gone from his memory, as if specifically deleted. His recollection was like an old subtitled video that somehow lost its audio.

Rubedo was getting nervous all over again.

Fortunately, Nigredo made his appearance before anything else happened. His form was especially difficult to decipher through the dark Encephalon, his jet-black hair camouflaging with the surroundings. Rubedo was just happy U.R.T.V. uniforms held high enough contrast of gray and blue against black. Had their clothes been dark, only the peach skin on Nigredo's face would have stood out, and appeared like a floating head.

"Rubedo, are you all right?" the head…no, Nigredo asked.

It was becoming more evident that Rubedo was not 'all right,' but the leader knew he could not say so. "Y-yeah…I'm fine," the redhead reassured with a passive wave of his hand. This Encephalon dive was getting weirder and weirder by the timeless minute! "Got' any ideas to what the hell kinda' place this is?"

"It's specifically designed for the PATHOS analysis," Nigredo repeated from earlier, glancing around the dark, desolate area of nothingness. Even the nonchalant baby Variant was disturbed by this place. "It's probably bland solely because it's designed to handle high outputs of U-DO Retro Virus, not simulate reality."

"That is correct, Number 669," spoke another nonchalant voice that seemed to come out of nowhere. All three boys spun around to where the voice came from, each rather jumpy from the disturbing place. They were all rather relieved to see the voice only belonged to a standard U.R.T.V., standing unemotionally before the Variants. Sighing, Rubedo took another calming breath. He was getting sick of all these surprises and had to force himself to quit acting so skittish. Get a grip already! Rubedo chastised himself. Gaignun doesn't get scared this easily!

"I am U.R.T.V. Number 330," the male said officially, though his introduction lacked any 'human' formalities such as handshakes or bowing, and certainly no "pleased to meet you." The shorthaired blonde just stood perfectly still, unfazed and as unexcitable as the rest of his standard siblings. 330's displeasing sight alone made Albedo's skin crawl and his stomach churn. Albedo passionately hated these…'things'! "Units 331 through 339 are currently in position up ahead and awaiting your arrival. I will guide you," the teen bluntly spoke, before turning around and walking away, expecting the Variants to follow.

Not having anything better to do, nor wanting Number 330 to get too far ahead and lost in the darkness, Rubedo and his Variant brothers followed. Catching up to Unit 330, Rubedo stayed behind him. Naturally, Albedo stayed behind Rubedo, attempting to stay close to his twin, while also as far away as possible from the disgusting standard U.R.T.V. Nigredo was the only one who walked beside 330, more or less to get some information from the clone, such as, "How come you're disconnected from the mental link?"

Also possessing the same question, Rubedo spoke up from behind Number 330. "Yeah. All ten of you are disconnected, aren't you? Isn't that kinda' risky in a place with low visibility?" Normally, if a U.R.T.V. could not see his or her comrades, they would rely on the mental link to find them. However, when a U.R.T.V. could neither see nor sense a comrade, such left them quite vulnerable. Even Dmitri, himself, usually encouraged his children to remain connected on the mental link in the event of crisis.

"You are not mistaken, Number 666," the standard unemotionally continued, his voice bearing such a fake hint of politeness it irritated the hell out of Albedo. Albedo was well aware of how the standard U.R.T.V.s felt about the Variants. They were nothing more than jealous weaklings; weaklings that pretended to respect Rubedo when they rather spit in his face. Unit 330's goody-goody façade never fooled Albedo. "However, we are currently disconnected for the sake of the PATHOS analysis. Anti-U-DO wave constriction requires us to momentarily be disconnected. The same will apply to you when you start learning the constriction process."

"How come?" Rubedo wondered, raising an eyebrow at the strange thought.

"Anti-U-DO wave constriction is a very taxing process," Number 330 continued, never missing a step on his walk. "Essentially, you are compressing your own mental wavelength, condensing it to a thin, almost unusable thread. We all function off a wavelength of a certain size and toying with that wavelength can be dangerous. Even suppression of the faintest U-DO waves can weaken the user. We disconnect ourselves from each other so we do not accidentally harm the other's wavelength. Taking into account that you, Number 666, are attempting to constrict a very high-level anti-U-DO power, your wave constriction could even render you unconscious, at least until you become better experienced. If you practice wave constriction whilst connected to any other U.R.T.V., you could potentially hurt them, along with yourself."

Rubedo certainly did not want to do that. He wanted to control his Red Dragon powers, but not at the expense of harming his brothers. He would much rather take the pain than inflict it on anyone else, especially Albedo and Nigredo. Rubedo would never do anything to hurt his brothers.

"So…" Rubedo continued, noticing an odd tug on his sleeve by Albedo. Rubedo knew Albedo hated the standard units, and probably did not like the fact that his twin was conversing with one, either. But Rubedo did not hold any grudges against the standards, despite some of the cruel things they sometimes said to him. Technically, the standards not 'wrong' in calling him a "monster," after all. Shrugging off Albedo's tug, Rubedo returned to addressing 330. "…How does one go about constricting their wavelength, anyway?"

"It's rather complicated to explain," answered Number 330. "We were not taught it via verbal instruction. It's done entirely mentally as you focus your complete consciousness, calm your thoughts, and draw them inward. The best I can describe it for someone who's never done it before is it feels like you're compressing the very essence of yourself, drawing everything inward to one point…the smallest point of existence."

"What a load of crap," Albedo's sharp voice suddenly interrupted, causing his three other brothers to turn around to him. Disregarding the unpleased look on Rubedo's face, Albedo kept his eyes on the blank expression on 330's horrid face. The 'thing' just stood there, oblivious to insult. "You standards are in no position to claim what anything 'feels' like, nor do you even tell lies very well!" he grinned challengingly, while Unit 330 did not even blink in response; an emotionless 'thing' unworthy of any better name.

"What're you talking about, Albedo?" Rubedo interjected. He hated how Albedo seemed to enjoy picking fights with the standard U.R.T.V.s. But at the same time, Rubedo could not help but wonder what 'lies' his twin referenced.

"330 just claimed standards disconnect themselves to wave constrict," Albedo reiterated, narrowing his eyes knowingly at the unmoved standard. "And yet the whole purpose of wave constriction is to suppress the very wavelength of your consciousness." His grin broadening, Albedo placed his hands on his hips and sarcastically cocked his head. "You lowlifes don't even have your own consciousnesses! The only way you can have a consciousness is by linking together!"

Despite Albedo's knack for picking fights with the standards, Rubedo had to admit that his brother made a point. In retrospect, Number 330 was speaking both sides of his mouth, claiming two concepts that contradict the other. Rubedo did not usually like taking sides in these types of arguments, but this time around, he could not help but agree with Albedo.

"Albedo's right," nodded Rubedo, noticing his twin's face briefly brighten, as this was a rare treat for Rubedo to stick up for Albedo against the standard U.R.T.V.s. Turning back to Unit 330, Rubedo also put his hands on his hips, the link master demanding an explanation. "Tell us what's really going on, Number 330!"

Impressively, U.R.T.V. 330 remained unchanged, as emotionless as before and unfazed by the supposedly 'superior' Variants. He did not act ashamed or embarrassed by his slip of the tongue, if it even was a real slip of the tongue. "I apologize," 330 claimed, though he certainly did not sound apologetic. "Please understand that the procedure of wave constriction is still, as I said, very taxing and requires you to disconnect from the mental link."

Rubedo was not as quick to believe everything the standard unit said. "Even if that is true, why'd you claim standard types disconnect?"

"We are currently disconnected, that much is true," Number 330 reassured, before turning around, though he did not move just yet. "Temporary disconnection is necessary for standards to enter the Encephalon individually. And as Number 667 implied, we will have to reconnect with each other for the test.

"However, you, Number 666, will not be connected to anyone, at least once you start practicing on your own," 330 said enigmatically, before peering over his shoulder to the confused Rubedo. "We standard U.R.T.V. just figured you'd feel more 'comfortable' under the assumption that you were not the only one off the link," he said, before turning back around and continuing his walk forward.

Unit 330 did not leave, however, until after murmuring a crude snort, "We wouldn't want you to be all 'alone,' link master."

It was the first time the standard U.R.T.V. showed any emotion, never mind hostility or disrespect. The second 330 spat out those words of condescension, Albedo nearly lashed out at the cocky bastard. He almost pounced like an animal before Rubedo grabbed his arms and restrained Albedo, fighting with his squirming twin to be let free. "Let go of me, Rubedo!" Albedo blasted, fuming with wide, enraged violet eyes sending daggers at the snotty standard 330. "You heard what that prick said! I'm gonna' rip him apart for saying that to you!"

"You're not ripping anyone apart, Albedo," Rubedo shot back rather incredulously, fortunately being the physically stronger brother and able to keep Albedo at bay. "And I'm well aware of what he said, but you don't see me blowing a gasket!" he added, while Albedo feebly attempted to wiggle out of Rubedo's death grip. Technically, Rubedo was the one usually credited with 'blowing a gasket.' He was the one with the hotheaded temper, he was the impatient type, and he was the one often getting in trouble for shooting his loud mouth off. In any other situation damaging Rubedo's pride, he would have already belted the insulter until the bastard could not even remember insulting the red-haired boy in the first place.

"We wouldn't want you to be all 'ALONE,' link master."

But in this particular instance, Rubedo knew he had no right to hit Number 330. For however snide the standard unit's comment was, Rubedo knew he only had himself to blame. Upon first entering the Encephalon, all he kept doing was worrying himself silly over being alone. Rubedo knew he had to always keep his thoughts in check, as there was no 'true' privacy for a U.R.T.V., especially when they were connected via the mental link. He was so certain no other U.R.T.V. was connected during that time, but Rubedo knew this 'alone' complex was nothing new, either. It was something all Designer Children shared, but it was also an 'unspoken' fear. All U.R.T.V.s possessed it, thus they never talked about it, but whenever one made a big deal about it, then the "what's the big deal? Quit being a baby" ridicule transpired. And being the link master, the 'leader,' especially a leader who was not liked by his subordinates, Rubedo was all the more targeted for insult when acting like a frightened child. He was a sitting duck for mockery. Dmitri was right: Rubedo really needed to control his emotions better.

When Albedo became too tired to fight off his brother's grip, he gave up on pursuing 330, which in turn made Rubedo let go. Albedo could not stand those standard bastards, each one more arrogant than the next, when none of then had any right to mouth off to Rubedo! Variants were superior in every way, and the standards were just jealous, useless…THINGS! They were too pathetic to even have their own consciousnesses for chrissake, and yet they dared speak badly about Rubedo! If Albedo had his way, he would eliminate the whole bunch of them and leave only the Variants. He was a firm believer those standards needed to be put in their place!

Alas, now was not the time. Number 330 had disappeared up ahead, and whether the Variants liked it or not, they needed to work with the standard U.R.T.V.s to complete their PATHOS test. After the three Variant brothers exchanged uncomfortable glances, they then sprinted on after Unit 330, hoping to find him quickly, and end this damned test even quicker.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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A/N: Boy, those standards are resentful little things, aren't they? I actually rooted for Albedo during the Episode II flashback when the standards ridiculed Rubedo as a "monster" (that scene was so sweet, too, seeing Albedo stick up for Rubedo. I found it cute for some reason, especially since we don't see young Albedo act so bold unless it comes to defending his brother. My fascination with those twins never ceases). Similar drama, especially with Rubedo and Albedo, is ahead next time.

So what did you think? I'd love a review.