Chapter notes

Trigger warning. This has an intense opening and you won't really see any chance at resolution until the end.

— — —

Chapter 1

— — —

The bullet that ripped through Anya's chest was a 7.62x53mm 64 grain full metal jacket, fired from a post war era dragunov sniper rifle.

Loid recognized the caliber and rifle report. Judging from the delay between the time of impact and when he heard the shot, he was able to instantly deduce the general area where the sniper resided, and a cursory glance pinpointed the location exactly: 5th floor hotel, 6 blocks east, 3rd window from the left.

Within a fraction of a second from when Loid witnessed Anya's body jerk forward, he had raised his sidearm and returned a single shot back. The shimmer of shattered scope glass and spray of pink mist in the distance would have confirmed to Loid that he had eliminated the threat, had he been looking anywhere but the little girl now trembling in his arms.

Anya coughed and struggled to breathe, Loid stared down in abject horror and pressed his hand against her chest. His wide eyes scanned furiously all over her, soaking in every detail. Desperately trying to grasp at anything that would tell him he was wrong. But everything he saw was just another confirmation that the cold, calculating part of his brain was correct: the rattly breaths, the color draining from her face, the center mass entrance wound on the back, rapidly expanding blood stain from the exit wound on her front. This was fatal. Only seconds were left.

Anya reached up and grasped at Loids sleeves. "Papa…" Her little hands balled up fists of cloth, trembled, released, and clawed at it again.

This wasn't supposed to happen. This was supposed to be a quick job. He and Franky were to secure the objective, egress to the car Franky had set up. Things got complicated and they split up to try and lose their pursuers. Loid had been hesitant to accept a job so close to his apartment, but he had never imagined Anya would come looking for him in the middle of the night, much lessfindhim.

Even still, this wasn't the first time Anya had shown up on a job. They were almost in the clear, so he just scooped her up and ran. He had just set her down in the alley intersection when the shot came. The bullet that was meant for him, missing him by moments as he moved to check around the corner.

"Anya… wait… I… Anya…" Every thought Loid had ever had seemed to flash in front of his consciousness, coupled with an influx of feelings he had long given up on ever feeling again. Fear, anguish, regret, grief. A cacophony of emotional white noise, feeling everything and nothing at once as he struggled to comprehend what he was seeing. All these feelings, octaves of the same chord that began to ring louder than the rest.

Anya looked up at Loid and her eyes began to shimmer. Understanding washed across her face, followed by something more serene. She smiled up at Loid and, despite the blood in her mouth she spoke to him. "I love you too Papa.."

Her smile only lasted a few seconds, sagging as her eyes slowly closed and her ragged breath came to a halt.

— — —

Franky rounded the corner to find Loid hunched over on his knees, facing away from him.

"We gotta go Twilight! Cops are already on their way!" Franky yell-whispered at Loid, swiveling his head around to make sure they lost their tail.

Loid remained motionless.

Franky approached Loid and reached for his shoulder "We cleared the objective, I have a car waiting for us so lets- " The words die in his throat when he sees the small body in Loid's arms.

"Wha… what is that Twili- A kid? Are they okay?"

Franky rushed to crouch down in front of Loid "How the hell did this.. Anya?! Oh Jesus, Anya!"

Franky saw her blood soaked jacket and reached to feel for a pulse, instantly recoiling when he found none, stumbling backward and landing on his ass.

"Jesus… fuck! What happened?!" Franky pants, trying and failing to control his panic.

Loid, somber and stone faced, never raised his gaze away from her as he answered softly. "Failed my mission."

"How-HOW did this happen? Who did this?" Franky got up shakily and approached Loid again, covering his mouth and choking on his own breath when he sees her motionless eyes, barely open.

"Sniper. Dorintgrad hotel. Room 534. Target neutralized. They were aiming for me."

"Why the hell was she here?"

Loid paused, the corner of his mouth twitched, and finished the sentence barely at a whisper. "She always manages to find me when she wants to."

"Shit… Fuck! Okay. Okay okay… FUCK!" Franky doesn't know what to do with his hands as he glances back and forth between Anya, Loid, and literally anything else.

Eventually Franky punched himself in the front of his head a couple times, wiped his eyes, and let out a shuddering breath. "Okay okay here's what's going to happen. The cops are almost here, we're within walking distance of your apartment, you tell them you were going for a walk when a stray bullet hit her." Franky fishes around Loids jacket and pulls his sidearm and spare mags.

Loid didn't move to assist or deter, his body jostled by the motions of Franky's search.

"I'll take the objective to HQ and handle the clean up. You might be brought in for questioning but I doubt it, they have enough to handle with the terrorist ring. Just make sure you keep the story straight, got it?" Franky picks up the last shell casing and spins around to Loid, who might not have heard a word he said if his reaction is any indication.

"Twilight I need you to tell me you understand" Franky grabbed Loid by the shoulders and sternly shook him. "If you choke on us now you risk the lives of the entire WISE organization."

Loid still stares at Anya's face, and Franky slapped him across the cheek "TWILIGHT!"

Loid broke from his trance and met Franky's eyes. Franky swears he sees a break in Loids cold eyes, but only for an instant before he's back to stoic. "I understand. Inform HQ of mission status and I'll await further orders."

Franky stood up and starts down the opposite end of the alley. "Okay, we'll reach out to you in a few days. You know what to do if they start to question you" Franky calls out before breaking into a sprint to the get away car.

Loid returned to looking at Anya before he responds. "Understood"

Franky jumped in the car and secured the objective in the glove box. He started the car and slammed it into gear as he raced away from the scene, the tears streaming down his face make it harder to navigate the dark back streets of Berlint.

— — —

The police were quick to cordon off the scene. The investigator showed up before the medical examiner, and has been interviewing Loid to get his account up till now. Loid's performance of the perfect shell shocked parent had little to do with his masterful spy training at this point.

He still refused to relinquish Anya's body. Any attempts to ask him to set her down were ignored and no one there felt it wise to challenge him yet.

Upon asking Loid if there was anyone they could call for him, Yor was contacted at the apartment 10 blocks away. She arrived moments later and screamed Anya's name when she saw her cradled in Loid's arms.

Yor rushed in to kneel in front of Loid who was sitting on the curb. The investigator gave them some space, satisfied with the version of events he was told.

"Anya…. Loid… oh Anya no…" Yor's higher functions began to short circuit as she tried to make sense of what was in front of her, what she'd been told. "No no no no please." She gently ran her hand over Anya's hair as she began to cry.

Loid finally looked away from Anya and stared at Yor, something stirring in him unexpectedly, causing his brow to furrow as he fought to keep his face from contorting. With a shattered breath he spoke to Yor. "I'm sorry."

Yor looked up at him with a shocked expression, before breaking down again and leaning over Anya once more. Loid used his free arm to wrap around Yor's shoulder and pull her in close, until her head was resting on his shoulder and his head on hers. Yor's arms wrapped around Loid and they both sat there, her wails muffled by Loid's shirt, Loids body shook with silent sobs but the tears never came. He still hid in Yor's shoulder, unable to mask the anguish in his face.

The police continued to give them the space the grieving parents needed, completely unaware this was the first time they'd ever embraced each other. They stayed there until the medical examiner arrived and finally was able to convince Loid to place Anya on the gurney.

— — —

Loid and Yor returned late to their shared apartment, having stayed silent the entire drive back from the funeral.

Eden Academy staff and students turned out in droves to attend Anya's burial. They didn't even bother to invoke the academy's tradition of a full honors funeral for deceased students, the turn out was based on the merit and love of Anya's character alone.

Henry Henderson gave a particularly elegant speech, glossing over the level of Anya's academic prowess (which was none) and instead focused on her monumental character and exuberance. He ended with saying "Though the halls of Eden Academy will no doubt be quieter without her rambunctious escapades, it saddens us all to realize that Eden will now be lesser because of it."

Handler was there, and if Loid was allowing himself to feel anything he would have described it as a surprise. She touched Loid on the shoulder as they lowered the casket. The most amount of affection she's ever shown him.

Loid was barely able to set down his keys before his legs gave way, stumbling backwards into the wall and slid down until he was seated on the floor. Yor sat down on the floor as well, against the wall opposite him. The hallway light above their heads did little to illuminate their faces, the rest of the apartment was dark except for the corner where Bond slept on his pillow. Bond had barely moved since he discovered what happened.

Loid stared down at his hands, this fresh lack of stimuli forcing him to process thoughts he'd been avoiding all day.

"Thank you, Yor. For everything you did for her." Loid said, gaze fixed at the calluses on his hands.

Yor's voice carried the warble of someone who had cried all day, but still she tried her best to respond softly. "Oh Loid… please don't thank me… I loved her. Everything I did for her wasfor her. Not out of obligation." Yor smiled sadly and it was her turn to examine her hands. "She enriched my life. This whole family did." she choked on the last words.

Loid looked up at Yor to respond. "She loved you too." Yor inhales sharply at Loid's words, stifling a sob and cupping her hand over her mouth.

He turns to stare blankly into the darkened apartment. Trying to see something that doesn't make his chest feel like it's caving in, and failing. Anya's toy ray gun under the arm chair, she no doubt spent seconds looking for it before trying to get one of them to find it for her. Her homework on the coffee table, woefully incomplete save for the array of doodles in the margins. The TV in the corner with the channel buttons worn out on number 1 and 2: Bond man aired on channel twelve. Still, he kept looking, trying to see something that he knew wasn't there.

Yor's breathing began to calm, or at least something closer to calm, and Loid spoke up again. "You can't stay here anymore."

Yor's head shoots up to stare at Loid, mouth slightly open as if she's ready to argue the point. She searches Loid's expression for some sort of hint of alternative meaning. Finding none, her lip trembles as she closes her mouth and looks at the floor in front of them.

Of course.She thought.This was a fake marriage to begin with. I was only here because Anya needed a mother, and I needed an alibi. Regardless of how Anya felt, Loid had no attachments to me. I was an idiot to ever think otherwise.Yor lowers her head, casting a shadow over her face.So stupid.I'm so stupid.

"I understand." Yor responds.

"I can't stay here either" Loid goes back to staring at his hands in his lap.

Yor lifts her head slightly to look at Loid. "W-what do you mean?"

"I'll be collected in a few days and reassigned. This apartment will be sold off and its contents will be disposed of. If you're here when they come I can't guarantee your safety."

Yor fully raises her head now. "I-I don't understand, Loid. Who is com-"

Loid cut her off, speaking softly while balling his hands into fists. "It's my fault."

This startles Yor, and she abandons any effort at comprehension and switches to reassurance. She crawls across the hall to sit in front of Loid, putting a hand on his knee. "No.. No Loid. There was nothing you could have done. A wound like that is… there's nothing you could have done."

Loid's voice got a little louder, a little more authority. "It's all my fault."

"Loid you can't-"

"I'm a spy."

Yor froze at this. She blinked at him and tried to process the word.

Loid opened the floodgates, and spoke in a matter of fact-ly tone. "I'm a spy for the Westalis government entity known as WISE. My job has been to subvert Ostanian efforts to restoke the war against Westalis, through means of infiltration, sabotage, counterintelligence and the like."

His fist began to tremble as his brow furrowed slightly. "My name isn't Loid Forger. That person doesn't exist. My call name is Twilight" Yor gasped, retracting her hand from his knee but not backing up. "I picked up Anya at an orphanage to act as my daughter, so I could infiltrate the elites of Eden academy. My primary directive was to gather intel on Donovan Desmond, who we think is working to rebuild the Ostania war machine. His son Damien is Anya's classmate."

Loid finally met Yor's gaze, staring straight into her eyes. She saw no hint that this was a lie.

"I was on a side mission that night. Recovering a stolen Westalis state secret on microfilm. That bullet was meant for me." Yor got to her feet and stood over Loid.

He continued to pick up speed, ignoring her movement. "She followed me, or found me. I don't know why. I didn't care. I just needed to get her to the car so we could leave the area. We had a tail who were trying to kill us. If I hadn't accepted that mission she would still be here. If I hadn't adopted h-"

Loid was cut off as Yor grabbed him by his shirt, lifted him up to his feet and slammed his back against the wall, pinning him there. The impact cracked the plaster wall and shook the floor.

"You should have told me." Yor glared at him with a fire he hadn't seen before. "You should have told me she was in danger!" She hits him against the wall again and yells inches from his face. "I could have protected her!"

It was Loid's turn to be confused, frowning as he searched for the right words. "I… Yor you couldn't have done anything. These people were from the Red Circus. Terrorist. They're killers-"

"I'm a killer, Loid!" Yor confessed, fire in her tone starting to cool into despair, pleading. "I'm the Thorn Princess… I could have helped her…" Yor's grip loosened, and she sank back down to the floor.

Loid joined her back on the floor, sitting beside her. "Thorn princess…. That's… You're from Garden."

She nodded while wiping her face. " Have been since I was 12… I was using you too. I needed an alibi, something that made me look more normal."

"I should have known that." Loid sighed, leaning against the wall again.

She looked over to face Loid again. "But you knew I was strong, right? You knew I could have looked out for her more, kept an eye on her while you were on missions. Why didn't you tell me?"

"The same reason you didn't tell me."

Yor searched his face, stared into his eyes. All she could see was exhaustion, resignation. Regret. She broke down and put her head back in her hands, tears welling up anew as if she'd never cried in her life.

Bond had wandered over at some point. He made a soft whine as he laid down and rested his head on Loid's leg. Loid unconsciously began to pet his head softly, staring at the ceiling, finally finding some place in this damned apartment that didn't have a memory of Anya associated with it.

Despite appearances, Bond understood everything that went on around him. While his mental capacity had been enhanced enough that he understood when they told him Anya had died, there was no such enhancement to his heart that helped him process the fact that it was broken.

Now here he was, fully aware that his little found family was now days away from completely dissolving, fully experiencing these devastating emotions no dog could or should have to comprehend. Unable to stop himself as his mind spiraled from this immense feeling of loss, he began to softly whine again.

He shut his eyes and desperately tried to harness his future sight. He'd never been able to use his power on command before, but he had to reach for something to tell him things were going to be okay. A last ditch effort to keep him from breaking completely. He dug deep within himself, teeth grit, brow furrowed. Nothing. He tried again. Concentrating so hard he started to snarl. For the briefest of moments he felt a shimmer in his mind. He chased it. Running faster and faster to a small pin of light in an otherwise loveless abyss. Every muscle tensed as he got closer and closer. The light was blinding, intensity growing the closer he got. He felt a heat that seemed to come from the light, but hit all of his body at once. If he could just get to the edge, get his paw at the precipice, maybe he could see what was inside. Maybe he could go deeper. Suddenly, he heard her laugh.

Bond shot up like a rocket, startling both Yor and Loid. They gaped at him while he stared at the door, seeing something that was far, far further than the door itself. His eyes began to dart around, his shaggy fur struggling to keep up with the small jerky movements of his head. Then his eyes refocused, and he started to frantically look around the room, like he was surprised to find himself there.

Bonds eyes focused on Loid, then Yor, then the door, and back to Loid. "Borf!" He barked in Loids face and sprinted to the door, jumping at it with his paws putting his full weight into the impact. He began frantically scratching and barking, turning his head backwards every other bark to make sure he was being watched.

Loid and Yor sat there dumbfounded, briefly glancing at each other before looking again at the spectacle.

Bond whipped around and dashed over to Loid again, sliding on the hardwood as he got close. Bond bit down on Loid's sleeve and began to tug. With a force he didn't know he possessed, Bond was dragging Loid toward the door in short bursts of yanking.

"Ah, what, hey!" Loid struggled to get to his feet but was unable to wrestle his sleeve away from Bond. "Do you have to go that badly?"

Bond stopped for a moment to growl at the accusation, then let go of the sleeve and returned to body slamming the door.

"I guess we'll be right back" Loid muttered over his shoulder as he grabbed the leash. "We still have more we need to discuss, Yor, don't disappear yet."

Yor didn't respond, instead she just slowly gets up and walks further into the apartment.

Loid approached the door and Bond stops his assault and stands ready. At the slightest hint of opening, Bond bolts out of the door before Loid can put the leash on him.

— — —

"Bond stop! Stay!" Bond is already 3 floors down on the stairs, staring up the staircase barking his head off to get Loid to join him. "Goddamnit… Bond!"

Loid gave chase, running after Bond as fast as he can. Bond raced out the building and down the road, stopping at a corner a few blocks down still in view of the apartment. He saw Loid come out, saw that Loid can see him, and then bolted down the road several more blocks, stopping again at the next turn, waiting for Loid to see him again, barking to get his attention. Loid has to see him, has to know which street he's about to go down.

This process repeats itself for over an hour, Bond's fur is matted down with sweat and his lungs are on fire. Loid is growing more frustrated, but only continues to pursue knowing that Anya would be upset if anything happened to this dumb dog. The pair zig zag through the city, and before long find themselves in the ruined industrial park at the easternmost part of the Berlint. Loid sees Bond finally dash into a building, a dilapidated warehouse with an attached office complex.

Bond led him deep into the complex. At first it's all standard-fare warehouse storage, but that soon gives way to chemistry labs, fabrication shops. A ruined suite of medical offices. A maze of rusted kennels and cages. Finally, Loid rounded the corner and finds Bond collapsed in front of a filing cabinet, almost out of sight in the back of a rather large office.

Bond is rapidly panting, he can barely lift up his head. His paw is outstretched, softly clawing at the lower cabinet drawer. His efforts already have it partially opened.

"The hell has gotten into you Bond." Loid crouched down to click the leash into his collar. "You know Anya would be sad if something happened to you.."

Bond whines softly, still pawing at the drawer and staring at it.

Loid followed his line of sight and saw a blue file peeking out of the opening. He scrutinized the drawer for a second, finally pulling it out and looking at the front, reading the title out loud.

"Project Apple. Subject 8 Report." Loid looks down at Bond and see's he's now docile, seemingly accomplished what he set out to do. Loid opens the folder and reads it's contents in the dim moonlight filtering in through the dusty window.

Subject designation: 8

Breed: Great Pyrenees

Experimental protocol: Kb: Kronos-beta (temporal manipulation)

Results: Partial success

Status: MIA (presumed dead)

Executive summary:

Subject 8 was the only patient to survive the Kb procedure, and appears to have retained all vital functions. Observation and cognitive tests show increases in aptitude, comprehension, and problem solving skills. Upon administering the activation serum, Subject 8 showed no changes. Further testing indicated that Subject 8 could not create temporal fields, forcing us to classify Subject 8 as a failure and designate for disposal.

However, anecdotal evidence of anomalous events prompted further testing, which revealed that Subject 8 had intermittent and sporadic bouts of precognition. The precognition events seem to be random and uncontrolled, both in the time they took place and the distance into the future they revealed. That Subject 8 is able to experience precognition at all is evidence that some level of temporal manipulation is taking place, and thus research began to develop a means of harnessing the ability.

A prototype device was constructed with the purpose of drawing from Subject 8's precognition ability and project and manipulate its own temporal field. Unfortunately, shortly after completion, Westalis aerial bombing campaigns struck and destroyed the auxiliary testing facility where Subject 8 was stationed for observation. Subject 8's biomass was never recovered and is presumed dead. All genetic backups were destroyed.

The prototype device, designated code name Mythos, remains assembled in long term storage at the direction of prime minister Donovan Desmond.

Chapter End Notes

Hello.

So what do you all think?

Sorry for the shock factor in the beginning. I had to write that scene in several sittings, I kept getting choked up and weepy. Also when Bond hears a laugh in his vision, ugh. My heart.

This is quite literally the first thing I've ever written out side of technical reports, which have far less tragedy than this (though oddly not entirely absent). So please critique everything! Content, plot, pacing, tone, the works! Tell me it all, I can take it! Do it you coward! Hurt me!

Gently!

Gently hurt me!

Thank you for reading.