Zero five.


They were in a church…all the pews were broken, the stained-glass windows were stretching to the sky, depicting the Ten Avatars of Sri Krishna, the golden avatar presiding over them with arms upraised. The cross was empty, the Christ having descended long ago to sit on a cushion by the side of his father.

She was in a wedding gown, the pure white dress glowing with red rubies…the blood of those she had already killed. Under her, X held her glove covered hands to his neck. Ready to let his own blood decorate Zero's pretty dress. A smile of pure bliss twisted his featureless face.

On the altar, the radio played some mysterious wedding vows, reading for the Baghavat-bible.

The dark blue veil of broken code hid her face, her tears staining the faceless X a sapphire blue.

She could feel his pulse quickening and his breathing under her stained hands, like air being pushed out of a billow. She could feel him under her…his heartbeat was quietly listening to her for her command.

Zero pressed harder, X began laughing as tears of joy floated from his blank eyes…the code demanded it, her fathers demanded it.

And then, she heard her…her Mother, her Master.

"Draupi-hun, please don't kill Yo husband. You ain't a robot you know?" Floated the warm, loving southern drawl decorated with an Afro-American accent.

"Who am I?" Draupadi asked as she looked around for the one whom she ow her life to.

And then…she saw her, Sri-Isopanisad Devi Dasi and her Husband, sitting in a golden horse-drawn chariot, the Lord, Krishna held the reins as he spoke sweet words to his beloved...

The elder woman had very dark skin like dark chocolate, he few moles were peppered here and there on her face and her warm, loving brown eyes hid behind a pair of glasses. A hundred and eight silver braids covered her head and draped along her back. She wore a silken blue sari adorned with black branches like pattern. On her ears, golden earrings hung. She looked at Draupadi with deep love and compassion.

On her forehead and neck was an urdapunda tilaka that glowed, and on her neck the sacred Tulasi neck bead shone with golden effulgence, chasing away the darkness of death.

Her husband, Vasudeva Prabhu was a bit portly, looking as sharp as Draupadi remembered in his dhoti and Kurta. Like his wife, he bore the marks of Vishnu on his body, his shaved head shone brightly…almost comically. And Draupadi knew that at its back a very long shika hung.

"Honey child." Vasudeva spoke with his inimitable tones. "You've already forgotten? You are the servant of the servant of Mahaprabhu, and as Mahaprabhu's maidservant, you don't kill people anymore; you save them."

"Now go and save your Husband…and all of those burnin' souls, you have our blessings!" Mother Sri and father Vasudeva opened their right palms outward, as was Sri-Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

The veil of code lifted and Draupadi could finally see her true objective clearly.

And then her dream ended, and she opened her eyes to Alouette's room. The night light was on, and the little reploid was still at her desk, drawing. The ancient reploid's ear could pick up the Maha-mantra being sung under the little blonde's breath.

Tears fell from her eyes…she didn't have to worry, everything would be fine.


"Zero?" Alouette broke Draupadi out of her morning prayers.

"Yes Alouette?" Draupadi spoke as she arose from her kneeling position, having finished chanting her Gayatri. The little child-like reploid's room definitely had an atmosphere conductive for relaxation and recovery. And prayers, of course.

"Umm…how does Krishna look like?" The little blond asked out of the blue.

A warm glow of bliss flooded Draupadi's core as a bright smile lit her face, she disconnected her umbilical port, her battery cell as fully charge as she dared to take. "God, Krishna's eternally sixteen…he wears a golden yellow dhoti and upper cloth and has stuck a peacock feather in his long, curly black hair, his skin as is blue as the night sky and his eyes are as golden as dawn." She ended the description of the indescribable, knowing that Alouette's attention span would probably not be long enough to hear the unlimited, poetic description of God in His original form. "Why do you ask?" the black and red Vaishnavi asked, curious as to what would spur her little friend to ask such a question.

"Oh… I wanted to draw him but… Well, I don't know how he look like." The little reploid spoke with regret.

"Oh…that's so sweet of you. Here, can you give me access? I want to share a picture of him with you." Draupadi spoke with a sweet smile as she walked closer to her young friend and future pure devotee.

'Oh, how long has it been since share Krishna like this…' It felt great…like finding an oasis after a yearlong trek in a burning desert.

She missed the cyber-ashram and all of her friend that used to live there, waiting until it was their time to either go back home, back to godhead, or to take a human birth again.

Alouette beamed as she gasped with pure, unadulterated joy. Pulling Draupadi out of her remembrance of a time when life truly was peaceful and sweet. "Really? You have a picture of God?"

"Oh, I have a few." Draupadi put her hand on Alouette's head and began the Upload or…let's be honest, a divine download. She chose the best pictures, those in which Krishna looked his sweetest, meaning those he was with his sweet Radha, his gopa's, gopis, on the lap of his eternal mother, Yashoda... and one folder of Pictured of Vishnu and his avatars. She also put a few gigabit worth of Pancha-tattva picture, Gaura-Nitai pictures, Narashima…

'Hmm…should I give her more? Might as well, since I won't stay with the resistance that much longer.' She could not feasibly save her husband by following Ciel's' order, she had to act alone. 'No…not alone. I'm never alone.'

Coming to a decision, Draupadi chose the basic books the previous Acharya had compiled; The Bhagavad-gītā, the teachings of Lord Chaitanya and, of course, the Krishna Book…

'My first book…my first contact.' Draupadi fondly remembered.

She also considered downloading the Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Chaitanya-Charitamrta...but those may be too philosophically deep for the fifty-year-old child model. She also added some children's book, some MP3 files…mostly music, her personal notes and realization and the blessing that Krishna would always dwell in Alouette's mind.

"Uah! Zero, that's too much!" Alouette protested.

"No, it's not. I know you can take, it, trust me." If those holly scriptures could fit on a tablet, then even the lower end reploid frame could take it. And indeed, the big file managed to find its place in Alouette's internal storage. "There, everything you need to know about Krishna!" She fondly ruffled the little girl's blond hair, a cosmetic addition that only made her all that much sweeter.

Alouette pushed Draupadi's hands away as she hid her smile with a mock scowl. Her hair a mess and laughter danced in her deep azure coloured eyes. And then, wonder took over. "Oh wow! Are those… Are those E-Books? And…and songs too?"

Draupadi's bright smile grew even brighter at Alouette's reaction. "What do you think those are?"

Pure childlike wonder lit Alouette face, accented with gratitude as she jumped from her seat and hugged the much taller Gaudia-Vaishnavi.

But, just like everything in Draupadi's long life, it was not meant to last, for the little girl's countenance became dour. "You…you will leave us soon. Will you?"

This took Draupadi by complete surprise. "Why do you think that?"

"Because… I just know. No one's gives nice gift and stay." Alouette quietly spoke, her blue eyes down cast. She returned to her seat, not looking at Draupadi.

'Well…can't lie to her, can I?' Draupadi thought as she kneeled in front of the little mechanized girl, holding her hands…just like she did with Ciel. 'Just like how Xiu would deal with the mourners.' Draupadi closed her eyes as she turned off her tear duct. No use crying over him…he was still alive, and would remain alive...for as long as he was supposed to. "Your…right. I have to leave…"

"But why? Who's going to protect us?" Alouette asked with clear anxiety. "You…you're the only one who can go against the Neo-Arcadian force! No one can face them…"

Draupadi put both hands on Alouette's arms. The little girl just had her home invade by a bunch of creepy robots…and ten warriors she may have known have left their bodies in service.

"Alouette… Listen to me. If I stay with the resistance, I may be able to destroy whatever's threatening all of you…but it won't fix the source of the problem." She explained to the little reploid.

"The source…that's X… Xiu."

"Yes." Draupadi nodded, knowing her husband to be either the cause…but also a symptom of something worst. "So…I will leave in an hour…maybe even earlier. I will go to Neo-Arcadia and there…I will see what I can do."

"Will you k-kill him?" Alouette asked. And to this, Draupadi gave a grateful smile.

"No, my orders are not to kill…it's to save." She revealed. "I have no clue as to how I'll manage to pull it off, but by Krishna's will, it will happen…it must happen."

Alouette lowered her eyes again. "Zero…will you…will you come back?" Alouette struggled to withhold her tears.

The Vaishnavi bit her lips. "I…I don't know. I would love to but... Probably not." her returning to the resistance with X was the best-case scenario, but knowing her luck...better not count on it.

Alouette's tears fell as she began to sob. Somehow, over the week and a half Draupadi had been with her, the small reploid had grown attached to her. Even as the amnesiac Zero.

The powerful reploid didn't waste any time, she picked up the crying Alouette on her lap as she sat on the chair. "Shhh, It's alright Alouette, everything's fine."

"But…but…you're leaving…you won't come back!" the little blond in pink hiccuped.

'Oh Krishna…what Am I supposed to do now?' The red legend never had to deal with tears before; she would usually leave this to X. but now…

She spent some time holding the little reploid, rubbing her back and humming the Maha-Mantra under her breath, trying to calm her down…and praying to God, at lost at how to deal with this particular situation.

Eventually, Alouette calmed down…or she ran out of tears. The little reploid remained in Draupadi's arms; her head nestle in the crook of the red legends neck.

"You know…You can always call me." Draupadi proposed. To which Alouette finally react by lifting her head to look at the Vaishnavi's purple eyes. "Like this, I will never be too far from you."

"You…you mean it?" The blond in pink asked the one in red, some hope had returned to her expressive eyes.

"I swear it in my Guru's…my teacher's good name." Draupadi promised as solemnly as possible. "Of course, if I'm busy, I may not answer you right away, but you will be on top of my priority list." She sent Alouette her private radio frequency. And, after showing Alouette how to use her internal com. And receiving her own frequency, she sent a confirmation message just to show her little friend that it would really work.

"Alright Alouette, what did I send you?" Draupadi asked, to which, the sweet little reploid giggled, making the black and red legend smile. 'Tears are gone, mission accomplished. Thank you, Krishna.'

'your welcome.'

"You sent me 'Hi Alouette, this is Draupadi devi dasi. Please keep on chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare and may you eternally be happy." Her little bird joyfully recited the message with a giggle in her voice, warming Draupadi's heavy heart.

"Yes, that's it!" the ancient reploid confirmed with a nod. Happy that the tears were finally over. it had takken her to act a bit sillier then usual, but this sacrifice had the intended result.

Then, Alouette's face took a quizzical turn. "Umm…so…your name's not Zero?"

"It used to be." Draupadi explained. "But my Spiritual master gave me a better one."

"But Zero…Zero's a cool name." Alouette argued.

"Zero means nothing, emptiness…Void" Draupadi wryly answered, her bright feature darkening.

'You are back to Zero." Wily triumphantly grinned. "A light bot no more. And you will bring my rival back where he belong, as. A. Zero! Nothing can defeat you, nothing can resist you for you are eternally the void maker. You will bring to world to its knee's as you make everything-"

"….The Great Teacher under whose feet all the master take shelter of was against voidism," Draupadi closed her eyes as this terrible memory, the first time she became Zero passed in front of her mind eyes." and this carried to all of his disciples, grand disciples and great-grand disciples." She explained.

"Really? So…what does 'Draupadi Devi Dasi mean?'" Alouette asked.

"It means that I am the servant of the effulgent queen named Draupadi, wife of the five Pandavas." She began to robotized Vaishnavi closed her eyes as she remembered this great woman, the chaste, pious and devoted Draupadi.

"Wait…she had five husbands?" Alouette's eyes grew wider.

"Yes…She was to be wed for one Arjuna, but the situation was such that it would have caused a war between him and his other brothers. They were in exile with their mother, saintly queen Kunti… Sri-Krishna's Aunt. So their mother told Arjuna, the one who won Draupadi's hand, to share whatever nice thing he won with his other four brothers." Draupadi paused, cringing at how badly she narrated this whole event. "Aah…listen s- Alouette, I'm a terrible storyteller."

"It's Alright Draupadi…the other Draupadi must've had a very interesting life." Alouette commented, to which, the ancient Vaishnavi let out a laugh.

"Oh, you have no idea…it makes my adventures with Xiu Ying look no better than grocery shopping on a Monday." She quoted an expression her teachers would use often. "Draupadi was born of a fire sacrifice as the perfect wife for Arjuna. Her skin is blackish, which is why she's also called Krishna, and she once got saved from public humiliation by Him Also !"

"Really?" The little reploid asked, now more enliven than ever.

"Oh yes! It's actually a very popular pastime…" Draupadi Nodded, then paused, checking her internal chronometer. She knew she had to go as soon as possible. For the treck trough the desert to Neo-arcadia would be a long and dangerous one.

"Alouette… I'm sorry but I have to go. I know you and Ciel…the entire gang wants me to stay. But the longer I wait, the harder it will be to save X." The Vaishnavi regretfully spoke to her little friend sitting in her laps.

Alouette eyes narrowed as she pouted, some clear worries marred her child-like features. "You…you want to save him? But he turned Maverick!" she softly protested.

"Yes… But… I'm not a maverick hunter anymore, I'm a servant of the servant of Sri-Krishna-Chaitanya." She openly revealed to her confidential friend, knowing the little girl to be very trustworthy. "And as a servant of the most merciful Lord… I am tasked to save him and everybody else I meet." Draupadi gave her most confident smile…not that she knew how to do it.

"But…but you don't even know where Neo-arcadia is! And there's the Eden dome, nothing can go through it without special permission!" Alouette revealed.

'Ah…Thank you, Krishna.' "Don't worry… I'm sure I'll find a way in." Draupadi assured her little friend. Now forewarned, the warrior –like Vaishnavi already had a clue as to how to gain this permission. Once again, she needed to get to Neo-Arcadia as soon as possible, the orders of her gurus pushing her to act with urgency.

"Listen Alouette, I Really need to go now. Just let me go plea-"

"No." The little girl denied. Still holding Draupadi's neck like the world's most adorable vice.

"Alouette…please, the longer I wait-"Alouette squeezed Draupadi's neck harder. "Alouette, you acting like a human brat. Let me go!"

But Alouette was both unwilling and too stubborn. She held on to Draupadi like a miserly man his wealth.

She got up, Alouette still clinging to her, unwilling to let her hero, new friend and only other girl she got along with to leave.

Draupadi began to weight her option, on one hand, she knew her arms could easily dislodge Alouette…but she also knew it would hurt her little friend. On the other, she could just walk in the base with the diminutive reploid and bring Alouette with her to Neo-arcadia…but then she would have to face a whole other slew of problems…

'Or…I could…" she called the 'virus', letting this subtle expansion enter Alouette's system without any impediment. And very soon, the robotic Vaishnavi had located Alouette's sleep mode prompt.

Once asleep, Draupadi tucked the girl in, leaving behind an apology, some instruction and connecting the broken reploid to her converter, loading the contraption with enough E-crystal to last a few weeks.

And the very compressed copy of the divine filed she carried...in case Of the one Draupadi carried got destroyed with the body she was in...or worst.

With a heavy heart and the orders of her guru dancing on her head, Draupadi Devi dasi left the resistance, praying to the half-lion half-man incarnation of Krishna to please protect those whom had taken shelter of Ciel and Cerveau.


Back at the base, Cerveau was ambling in corridor, carrying a chariot loaded with the promised 45 kg of E-crystal for one Egret. The posh blond was on guard duty at the eastern gate…the one rumoured to be haunted.

'Crazy Egret and his cyber-elves, poor man can't live with them...can't live without them.' The pale blond was a relatively new built, and he had joined the resistance in the hope of getting back at the guardians, expecting the rag tag group of civilian build to be able to take down the likes of Sage Harpuia and Fighting Fefnir…what to say of the others.

Nevertheless, the civilian build had taught him-self the art of fencing, and had gotten very proficient. He also had a knack for inspiring other with eloquent speech and his undeniable charisma… But Cerveau had a feeling something else his under the natural leader. A secret like that of Zero's ultimate relationship with X and the virus…

Cerveau shook his head…no, there was nothing he could do about this. He could only watch as things played out and hoped for the best.

The fancy guard finally noticed (or finally deign to give attention to) Cerveau. Looking at the older model like one look at an insignificant fly…that is, until he noticed the cargo the fly was pushing.

"Well… Don't you have quite the stash there Cerveau? Planning a party without me?" The somewhat snobbish reploid pressed a hand to his chest.

"Egret, do you remember that bet we made?" he asked

Egret raised a perfectly groomed brow. "No…we bet on many things Cerveau, don't expect me to remember them all." The blond guard said with a flip of his long blond hair."unlike you, I have better things to do the gossip like the lower ranks."

Cerveau bit back a remark, "Well…The only thing I will say was that you were right, here's your 45 kg of E-crystal…have a good rotation Egret, I will see you soon enough to check your memory bank. Don't. Skip it." And with that, Cerveau left Egret and his dully won wager, praying to Zero's master that the blond fencer would not remember his bet too soon.

Behind him, Egret's face darkened.


'Now what? Who could this maverick be and why did Leviathan grant the demon amnesty?' Harpuia wondered as he surveyed the situation. He, fighting Fefnir and Hidden Phantom were in the lobby of the Neo-arcadia tower, ready to receive their 'guest'.

The sensors had picked up the sign of an intruder, a reploid foolish enough to hang around the other perimeter of the Eden dome. The captain of the sky had been about to deploy to seek and destroy the foolish maverick when Leviathan told him to stay grounded; she would deal with him.

The green general was not sure if leviathan should be trusted anymore, not after what she did to Master X.

Their glorious master, their source and nexus had turned…mad after meeting with Leviathan. A state that had worsened after the raid.

Instead of sending Harpuia…or even Fefnir and Phantom, Master X had flooded the resistance base with pantheons and golems. Some other more specialized units also…but with the same, ineffective result.

Zero, the greatest of sinner, had absolutely decimated their forces. And only ten mavericks out of five hundred twenty had met their due end. But worst, he…she had infected master X with a virus, a disease…

Harpuia closed his eyes as the fire if indignation burned brighter than whatever Fefnir could conjure. Master X, Stoic, regal, poised…was now madly spouting the damn Hare Krishna…prayer? Incantation?

Whatever it was, Master X seemed to be processed by it… Chanting it with devotion and ...and.... His palms folded, eyes closed…kneeling on the floor as if in front of a pew!

'The next time I see this…this hell bound bitch…' Harpuia clenched his fist as he waited for the most fortunate maverick in Neo-arcadia to make his appearance…and his idiotic co-model.

"Har…for Christ's sake man, cool down!" Fefnir whispered to the sky captain. "Were gonna get Zero and make him…her pay for what she did to Master X, just be patient."

"'Be patient', cool down?" The green general whispered harshly. "That's the last thing I want to hear from you, Fefnir!"

"Dude…I get your mad an all, but at least let me have a go at her first." Fefnir declared with e feral smile Sodom prep and ready. "Just give me one more fight with her…you can have whatever's left of Zero after I'm done."

"Whatever is left? Geez, that's so generous of you." Harpuia snarked. If he had his way, the entire resistance base would be but a smoking crater…and Zero's body shattered to the ground.

The red fighter gave an even bigger grin, licking his lips at the mere thought of the fight. "You know…heard from Leviathan that old Zero's remembering her past." He chuckled darkly. "Oh, I can't wait to fight the Red Ripper in all her glories…" He sighed again. " I can already feel the burns!"

'…maybe I should just try to find Zero myself and kill her before Fefnir can get his sooty hands on her frame.' No matter how much he hated her, the way the fire fighter acted left Harpuia deeply disgusted. 'What was Master X thinking when he mirrored Fefnir? I've never seen such a blood thirsty reploid in my life…saved a few mavericks.' Speaking of maverick, Leviathan and her Maverick…refugee were about to exit the lift.

"I wonder who it could be, who could be so foolish as to willingly walk into the dragons den.' Maybe it was Ciel who finally realized her mistake…or a reploids willing to betray the rag tag bunch of misfits who desired a war. Nevertheless, Harpuia was ready for them.

The lift arrived, and the doors slid open. Revealing…

"Holy hell." Fefnir whispered.

It was Zero, the legendary maverick, the one who betrayed their brother in arms, the quitter, the coward, and the blond demon…the greater betrayer in History. She stood a bit behind Leviathan, her hands delicately folded in front of her, her eyes downcast…appearing to all like a humble saint lead to the gallows. She even had that glow religious icons seemed to sport.

The green general sneered. Of course Zero would do something like that, trying to diminish the Glories of mater X with so called sainthood. 'Typical.'

"Yo Levi, what hell is this all about? " Fefnir demanded, burning with rage.

Leviathan casually leaned on her spear. "Oh, Zero came and asked for amnesty."

"And you granted…no, no. Lebi…Lebi. Zero's a maverick. A freaking, blood thirsty, unstable, motherboard corrupting hacker of a maverick!!" Fefnir pointed at the still serene Zero, the reploid was still silent, her gaze still to her feet. "He…She…they…they corrupted Master X!" He accusingly pointed his fore finger at the source of all their trouble.

Then…following the Gaze of Phantom, Harpuia noticed something peculiar.

'Why did Zero removed her boots…the red ripper must be planning something.' It must've been a tactic; a way to put them off guard for no one would dare go barefooted to face Master X's guardians.

Harpuia narrowed his eyes.

"And why did you choose to…" Phantom began ripping his sight from Zero's very basic feet, not sure what term to use.

"Surrender?" Zero Finished for him. Making Fefnir choke on…whatever a reploid choked on when aghast.

"Yes." Phantom finished smoothly, his eyes stubbornly staying on Zero's marked face.

'What the hell is this mark…U ……V…' Once again Harpuia went over the entire image directory for reploid mark. Zero's only slight saving grace was that it was not a ∑. This would have netted her an immediate termination…same for leviathan.

Not that Zero would live long anyway. Not if Harpuia would have his way.

Zero looked at phantom, and then her violet sight turned to Harpuia and finally Fefnir. Making them all (unperceptivly )shudder.

Colours other than blue and green didn't bode well.

"I…would like to take care of X, my husband." The purple eyed Maverick informed the guardians, once again, with folded palms. "I…was away for a very long time. Obliviously, he missed me." The legendary maverick crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes still downcast.

For the next ten minutes, all the guardians (saved Leviathan) tried their best to reset their system after the absolute bomb Zero dropped on them. It was all the time it took for the captain of the Zeroth unit to give them the slip and start climbing the ivory tower to her husband…to the broken X.


Back at the base, Chaos reigned at the cantine.

In the spacious room, over a hundred reploid and a smattering of human jeered, shoved, wept and lost their will to live as Egret, standing on a sturdy table, revealed the truth about Zero and X.

Coucou and his partner Paon looked at their commander rousing the crowd, using fear and hatred to make them move.

"You know Coucou… Egret's reminding me more and more of what he hates now." Paon spoke to his partner.

"Like this ancient one right…what was his name, Hilter?" The crooked noses reploid ask without asking.

"Yeah…something like that." The blue haired guard sighed. "So Zero and X huh?"

"Worst way to learn of that I guess." Coucou muttered as he laid his head on the table. "So…first our life was good, then Master X had an accident. Then he recovered then went crazy. Our life got way worst, and then we followed Ciel." The recovering reploid resumed. "Then life got…tolerable I guess until master X sent his army every five days." He let out a puff of air." and then we find the legendary hero Zero…thing great again, 'he' gets rid of many of our problems, sure, the guys not remembering who he is but…who's complained , you know."

"He was…but not loudly." Paon chipped in, knowing how his partner could go one for hours like this.

"And then he heat-crash." Coucou ex-vented. And Paon put a hand on his back. This had been what had removed all hope in his bunk-mates core, condemning him to a slow death.

"It's alright, 'he' survived." Paon gently patted his partner's back.

"Survived?" the pony tailed reploid scoff. "I don't know if Zero survived…feels more like he was…replaced by this saint."

Paon raised and eyebrow. This…he had not expected this word to be used.

"No…maybe not replaced but…reborn... like the phoenix. Yeah!… A saintly phoenix." Coucou got of from his slump wincing at the cheering Egret had gotten from the crowd.

Something about relocating and starting a better army to make Neo-arcadia fall. And to call him High commander Elpizo from now on.

'Well, crap on a stick… I sorta grew to like this place.' This would ask more work for him.

"Zero…you know, when you brought me and Hibou to see 'him?' and when she was signing with Alouette?" Coucou asked, some life returning to his eyes. "This…this had been the best single moment in my entire Life. Even better than the first time we met. I swear Paon, what she sang...that was a galder...it healed my poor soul. It did!" Bright smile light up Coucou's usually glum face. This sight took Paon's mind away. "You know…I may have never believed in God or anything. But this time…I think I felt…I think I felt Him." The crooked-nosed reploid whispered with a voice filled with sheer wonder. "You…you believe me…right?" he turned to his partner.

Paon closed his eyes…" yeah. I remember…never was one for music but this…this was out of this world for sure. Not sure if it was God or just some good vibe but…I want to hear it again and again!"

"I know, right? This…this gave me hope. Like real, actual hope." Coucou smiled.

"Are you sure it's not because you've always had this crush on the red Hero?" Paon teased. "And now…she's the way you like 'em'." He then playfully shoved his partner before becoming sombre once more. The background of Elpizo's soap-box speech about the traitor burning his audio.

'Dammit… Why did Elpizo have to scream it to the roof? Now Zero won't be able to come back to us without being lynched.' Not that Zero could die from this act…but it probably wouldn't end well for anyone involved.

"Paon…let's get the hell out of here. My ear-plates are burning worst then Zero." Coucou told his partner as he rose from the table, not waiting for the lanky reploid as he all but ran away from the garbage Elpizo's spouted.

Not willing to suffer more of their co-guards acidic spiel, Paon followed Coucou…where would he go? He had no clue…as long as he didn't have to listen to 'El-pissers' incendiary blasphemy of Zero…and X.

No used burning a mad man, he wouldn't know any better.

Paon quickly caught up with his friend. The shorter reploid kept a good pace, despite the fact that he was still recovering from desperation….

'He's gonna relapse…I just know it.' Zero's statues as Master X Lover, her gender, the fact that she went A.W.O.L… Even Paon felt his will to go on, to fight fade.

It would be so easy to just…stop.

And then, as they entered the recharging quarters and his will to live began to erode…he heard it.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

The two reploid guards stopped in their tract…and then began to follow the faint sacred chant. Soon the Mantra lead them to Zero's closet room. To Alouette as she chanted this song with all her little core.

The two reploid guards looked at one another…and entered.

Inside the tiny, dank and dark room was Alouette, kneeling and praying in front of a very good drawing of Zero, with majestic wings, her Z-sabre out and stepping on X's head. Her Victory as clear as the fair skin girl in blue and the blue boy in gold standing behind her, the boy playing his flute, a peacock feather in his abundant black hair. Beside the little reploid in pink were Hibou and quite a few Cyber-elves.

All were chanting…praying to Zero…praying for help, for her safety.

The two reploid guard sat down with the group, and joined in the chanting. Putting their entire core to it. Bellowing out the mantra as a call for help… Assured that Elpizo and whomever else were in the cantine would be deafened to all but the spiel.

They were helpless; powerless…their only hope was gone.

They could only pray…