A few weeks later.- beginning of summer

Nos was writing down and began drawing out an idea to make next. It was a good summer day and with the summer gathering coming up, he thought of broadening his list of clients since he was making good business. Of course his peace was short lived when he heard a shriek.

He looks to see an all too familiar soda machine.

"Great just my luck when I see you!" The soda machine cried.

Nos was quiet for a moment. "I am sorry for what I did." He was certain he will have to start leaving.

"You dang right your sorry! You put me in a hospital! I saw an ad about selling beautiful work with a deal to die for; I didn't think it was literal!"

Nos looks down, he knew it was coming sooner or later-

"But I gotta thank you for that."

"Excuse me?" Nos was confused, was he being thanked for being attacked?

"You heard me! I found out those soda companies had nasty radioactive cans in my body. Had to get cleaned up and if it weren't for you, I'd be a goner! I would have been melting from the inside!"

Nos was quiet. "But I almost killed you."

"Well yeah but you did me a favor. Plus do you know there's insurance for being attacked by anything from Zurg? I saved more than medical bills!" The machine laughed. "So I take it you own a shop now? For someone from evil, you know how to sculpt." The soda Machine moves around to look at the latest work Nos did.

Nos felt a bit calmer. "I am retired from the evil business but tell me, what do you have in mind since you are here?"

"Well… ever made a jewelry box?"

"I will send this to you asap before your anniversary." Nos replied, shuffling the designs they made after talking and working out the ideas.

"Let me just-" the machine was opening his account.

"All I require as payment is for you to not say anything about my status being alive. I rather everyone believes I am dead."

The machine was quiet until he answered. "I get it but sooner or later you'll have to face it when it happens." The soda machine knew it was not long if he came in.

Nos nodded and waved him out. He began to search for the gems online under an alias but he had to pause. He had to try not to think about what he said as he was getting started to work.

A week later

Nos writes the recents sold items and decided to work on a new set.

"Nos-4-a2."

Nos tenses and looks over to the little girl with blue hair in a space cadet uniform.

Nos sighed tiredly. "I have no qualms with you and I am not dealing with whatever vendetta you have today."

Savy was quiet as she looked around. "You did all of this?"

"Yes and I am proud of my work." Nos answers but stood up. "If you wish to kill me, let us not do it here. In fact not at all."

Savy crossed her arms. "I thought I would never see the day you're into… this?"

"Neither did I." Nos spoke softly, he felt this was not his week. "Please let me live my peace-"

"Why did you offline my parents?"

Nos was quiet as he didnt know what to say. He remembered the couple but he did not need to prove himself to her. "For a later meal." He can see she was not moving or accepting that answer. "Look child-"

"Savy."

"I do not care." Nos glares at her, he did not want to hear any more at this point. "I want nothing to do with any vendetta on my head so please-"

"They found no bite marks or any scratches or even energy drainage." She leans forward to him, making him glare at her. "You had them for a while, I doubt you'd forget a single meal." Savy crosses her arm.

"I was not hungry and they happened to come at a very convenient time." Nos paused and felt what it meant to have a parental figure and the fact she had no one. Her blood family abandoned her…. Just like his creator did. They did share some situations but that did not mean anything to her. He was and in the eyes of everyone, a monster. "I did not know they were your parents nor did I think about your reasons. I know apologies will not be enough. But I am trying to do better"

"You're right about being unforgiven…. So… buy ten boxes of these cookies and I won't say a word but I want to keep talking to you."

Nos was confused but saw she was serious. "Why do you wish to continue speaking to me?"

"Because a friend of mine told me you were bad but I think maybe you could have changed if you had the chance so I'm giving you one."

Nos sent her a good amount of credits to her. "Well they were right but alas it was far late." Nos float to open the door for her but she didn't move.

"Do you want him to know you're alive? I mean XR might change his mind." Savy asked.

Nos froze in fear. "... He does not need his nightmares back." Nos protested.

Savy was quiet but she didn't stop. "He deserves to know-"

"He does not need that." Nos affirmed his choice. "I believe he deserves a break from seeing me ever again. I just want to forget the past ever happened and to leave everything where it belongs. I cannot undo what I have done but the best I can do is just disappear and live my life peacefully."

Savy wanted to say something else but she saw he was remorseful and regretful. And the fact he was having no intention to be known. "Can I come back here then?" She asked.

"So long as we keep this as a secret, that is alright with me." He answered and Savy merely nodded and left without a word. He sighs as he decides to close up shop and work on a few projects. He began forming the metal and sculpture it, unconsciously thinking about XR. Nos frowns, no matter how much he wishes, XR would not see him ever, it was Nos who wished to see him. He wanted to ask for forgiveness, many things he wished he could say but in the end, he was better off disappearing. Just as he looked down he realized he made a small XR figure. He carefully held it up in one hand, he could not crush it. He felt sad if he did so he put it inside a safe he made in the wall.

"I need to move on." and closes it up.

~·~

It became a usual thing between him and Savy for a while. It was odd at first when she came and talked to him as Nos tried to keep his patience when she threw insults at him. Now she came almost every day

"So you're telling me you make statues and make tons of small stuff every day? Some weapon of doom you turned out to be." She said bluntly. "I mean your design isn't so scary."

Nos ignores her as he solders simple stones in the metal tree. "I prefer this life choice and I did not have a say in my design. Zurg made me after some folklore he read." He backed away and smiled at his work.

Savy looked at it and raised a brow. "It needs something."

Nos looked at her and his work and just asked. "What does it need?" He was curious as he noticed it after tilting his head.

"Maybe birds or bats." She stated.

Nos looked at it and knew what she meant. He began sculpting small birds and placing them on the branches. He moves away and smiles. "Thank you Savy."

Savy shrugs and notices a small statue that was a couple dancing. "You know I asked my parents about that night."

Nos listens to her as he keeps working.

"They were running away from a gang after them and all they remembered was hearing a roar and blacking out. You never harmed them but you never let them go."

Nos frowns. "I believe it is time to go Savy-"

"Thank you."

Nos froze from the gratitude he heard.

"If you didn't do that, they probably would've been permanently gone and I would have been an orphan again."

Nos was quiet and he sensed the doors opening only to see it was her parents. He was then pushed out by Savy. This was overwhelming his systems as he sensed no malice or hate from them.

"We know who you are and we wanted to say thank you." Savy's father spoke.

Nos was shocked and floated back into his workroom.

Savvy knew it was tough for him, especially putting him on that spot. "We better head out now." She spoke but she saw Nos coming back with a box that looked like a jewelry box. He held it to them. "I remembered both of you lost your wedding bands after that. I made these for you but I never knew where you lived." Nos handed the box to them but kept away.

Savy sees them surprised and she feels a bit happy and surprised by the rings he made. Before she can say thank you to the energy vampire, she sees a necklace in his hand with the star command symbol. "You make a pretty good space ranger, Savy. Consider this as a gift when you are making your way to becoming a space ranger."

Savy was speechless as she held it close to her.

"The ship to trade the world leaves in a half hour, you better go now."

Savy and her parents left without a word.

Nos relaxed at that burden lifted. Just as he was making his leave to his Tata's shop, he wonders now will it get better for him?

He looked at his reflection in the glass and felt it was best to disguise himself. He had already been seen by two from tradeworld, it was a matter of time till others came back from his past. He needed to be unnoticeable and above all make certain he cannot be traced. That was when he had an idea. He just hopes his tata can help.

"Yes I would like to buy this machine, two orders to be exact." Nosfer smiles but Nos was alarmed due to the expense it will cost his tata.

Nos cannot make his father be paying for this! "Tata, I am grateful to you but I can-"

"Fiu, you are my family and you told me you needed to hide your identity from everyone. With that said, money is no problem." He smiles at him. "Besides, how can I not take a chance to spoil my son?"

Nos did not know how to answer that but he did feel happy to hear they were family. It made him feel important. He then hears something coming and Nosfer goes outside to sign off the order. Nos was nervous but he knew if he can manipulate the works of the liquid Morph tech, he can use it on himself to disguise.

They brought it to the basement which was larger than he thought and had some up to date computer and lab tools. Nos looks around before he realizes his adopted father himself was a tech savvy enthusiast seeing him work and fix things and even helped him with his parts.

"How will you use this?" Nosfer asked.

"I could turn it on but I think I should dismantle it and study It before I can work on my body form. It would be smart to use nano tech but if I do, it might be property from either star command-"

"Or Zurg which would alert them. And perhaps you can use this liquid tech to help you." Nosfer hums as he watches Nos begin scanning it and carefully open it without it spreading. He did assist him when he needed to and stopped him to take a break. He understood how much Nos needed this after being confronted by three people already but Nos was not as strong as before. He needed to hide himself especially when his life depended on his choices.

Nos kept working for nearly a week until he figured out the liquid tech and how it works he recalled how vast it enhances the tech around it but it needed enough power to keep it going yet can work as an extension. He also learns there is some biological degree to it so perhaps he can use it. He experimented with a blood sample and saw it cannot merge well so it was not as he hoped but then he wondered if he could with nanotechnology? He would be breaking laws but then again when did that stop him. He looked up several articles about current scientists before finding one person who emerged with crystals but he was second thinking about asking this madman for assistance to see if he was able to aid him. He stops his work and floats up to the top.

"Tata by any chance-" He stops and sees his father was asleep on the armchair with a book on his chest. Nos instead grabs a blanket and carefully covers him and instead decides to hold off on the search. He sits on a couch and rests with him.

Nos woke up to what he saw was a dream and he sat up to find himself alert and confused until he got up and found himself on what he assumed was planet Z lab. He was confused until he decided to go around and look. He tried to figure this out until he tenses to see he was relooking into his past. He watches to see himself strapped to the table.

'I do not remember this…' He looked over and sees Zurg enter the lab.

"Soon my weapon of doom~. I just need to add one more thing."

"Please do not…."

Nos watches the past self speak. "I-I cannot…" He felt his mind hurt.

"Nos-4-a2, you cannot be a monster without one little, wittle, thing."

Nos was confused until he sees some black liquid in a container and watches it changes to some gas. He watches Zug turn a machine on but instead Nos was wide eyed to see a shadow loom over his past self.

"Such a promising monster~" It hisses.

Nos was alarmed and frightened when the shadow looks to him and towers over him. "Well well well…. let's see where you go…." It grips Nos by the neck and Nos struggles to be free. He tries to claw his way but soon feels claws opening his mouth and shakes when he was watching the black Ooze spill and drowns him.

Nos sat up, shaking but grip on his father as he shakes in fear.

"Fiu it's ok, the nightmare is done." Nosfer comforts him. However Nos was in tears, he did not understand the dream but he found out in his memories, he was not always an energy vampire. But the dream, the shadow- the boogeyman, he felt he knew it somehow.

let's see where you go

He did not know why but he was terrified to find out what it meant. He never had dreams as such but something about the black substance, it felt familiar as if it was a natural thing yet he knew it was not. He shook it off and knew his original plan needed to change. "Tata, I am sorry but I cannot make the biological change into my circuits."

"Fiu, you do not have to be part of my blood to be family." Nosfer smiles.

"But I want to be part of your family because if I am not," he looks down on his claws, "I feel as if I am still part of his property. I am just a creation of destruction." Nos wanted to more than just change himself, he yearned to belong and he hoped he could with this plan but it would be impossible.

"Nosferatu,"

Nos looks up with the name and sees Nosfer still smiling. "You are no one's weapon, you are your own self. You have this new life and yes you need to hide your identity, but you are already part of my family and you do not need blood or recognition to be part of my family." Nosfer hugs Nos who hugged him back.

Nos felt he needed to hear this, and he thought of perhaps having at least some similar traces to Nosfer, features wise.

Nos was already on the 5th week working on the program to control the liquid tech and he seemed to have it finally working. He studied the molecular to the anatomical form, down to the hairline and bits and pieces. He types it and feels ready to try it out but frowns. He had talked to his tata about inputting some similar features but his father was against it. He wanted Nos to be himself. He takes a moment before inserting the program to help adjust the tech and soon touches the liquid tech.

What he did not expect was the pain. His body felt he was burning like before, his body reconstructing to formulate like any organic, but he was willing to bear the pain if it meant he could disguise himself. He could feel every point in his body was changing as he roared in pain but he was bearing it as his body reformed and changed. His insides were breaking and reforming and even adding to help adjust to the change. When it was done, he pants feeling the inner parts of his body he assumed was his lungs expanding and he blinks amazed by the new features such as sight and smell. He looks around with new sets of vision he can change with a thought but he looks down and grabs his cloak to hide his other parts but feels weird having a slit but it seemed his core was kept in some layers as a heart. He could not believe it actually worked but he faltered to find he lost his balance due to the additional parts of his body.

"Fiu I heard you scream-!" Nosfer hurried to his son's side and helped him up but he was shocked by the face Nos had. He went over everything with him and knew he did not add anything to the program! He was shocked to find Nos looked so much like his son if he had pale blue skin.

To see a face he hadn't seen over 500 years.

"How do I look?" Nos noticed his vocal sound less robotic but still familiar. He was nervous to hear the answer but saw Nosfer was happy but crying at the same time.

"How amazing you look similar to my son."

Nos was flabbergasted but felt utter relief to hear a compliment as he tried to get up but fell. "This is harder than I thought.

"It is but I think I can call a private doctor to help you."

It was about a day and a half when the said doctor came. She was a woman in her late 20's by the name Ozma Furbanna. She was a woman he did not know but she was kindred as she was doing basic checks.

"I'm gonna need you to open your mouth." She asked.

Nos did and rather than open like normal, he extend his mouth like a python and heard her hum in amazement.

"You detailed it to a vampire, correct Mr. Atu?" Ozma asked.

"He wished to be kindred as family so yes." Nosfer nodded. "But how is he in status?"

"Well," she takes the tongue pressure out and sees Nos closes his mouth and checks his red eyes. "Physically he's normal, it's amazing you were able to withstand the trauma and stress your body went through to make it appear as close to organic. But it is concerning that you went through what should have permanently killed you. But if you don't mind, I need to check something." She takes a simple magnet out and holds it out to Nos. They waited to find nothing occurred. "You're an energy vampire, so your original body could deter any magnetic waves unless there was a stronger force. My advice is not to go near any cat scan machine but it seems that you are able to go through any magnetic scanners and maybe an X-ray though I guess with your powers, you can manipulate that."

Nos was a bit surprised but relieved to hear that. "Is there anything else?"

"Well although your form is a male, it seems your sex, genitals, is a bit of a surprise." Ozma takes out a scanner and lowers it to his hips and shows on a hologram the blueprint of his insides. She then pointed to where the slit is. "It seems your creator had made you intersex, meaning you have both a male and female genitalia but I am curious of your unimind. You said Zurg made this on materials he had?"

"Y-yes, is there a problem?" Nos was now worried what this would mean and to hear about this new discovery, seemed to be a bit of a confusion of himself.

"No nothing too severe, Nos; just that because your core is the closest thing to an organism, it might be best to rest for now and take baby steps. It is normal to start from scratch like a sylvanian wolf."

"So I need to learn to walk on my own again. Would it be more similar to the Davian-"

"Foreuta deer, I'm impressed you know that." Ozma was intrigued.

"I have been studying animals as a pastime and there are creatures I tend to see here that made me curious."

"That is nice to hear someone loves animals. Anyhow, if you want, you can work with me in star-"

"I cannot. I am hiding from Star Command due to my past criminal life." Nos interject, it was a great opportunity but had it not been from Star command, he would like to join.

Ozma remembered Buzz talks but seeing the energy here was different from the stories. "I understand. But if you do change your mind, you know how to reach me. And I will come by to see how your organic form is doing. Don't be changing too much, your body may seem in perfect condition, but it can be a critical hazard to your core. Only change at least twice a day and increase it when your body adjusts to it."

"Thank you." Nos changes back and like she warned him, he was groaning from the pain. He stood up and noticed the difference but felt he was already tired. He floats away to rest.

"Thank you miss Ozma for helping my son. I know this is out of your field study."

"Nosfer, did you know he has antimatter in his system?" Ozma recognized the reading from her travels.

Antimatter was something that could not and should not be messed with. She read that Antimatter can be volatile and dangerous to any organic matter. Yet here was Nos-4-a2, a literal living evidence.

"I had a hunch but I needed someone I could trust to check him. How bad is it?" Nosfer asked. It reminded him of his creation.

"If you're implying about his mindset, seems to be stable. His body is healing thanks to the core. Nosfer, you do realize if someone finds out about him, everyone will want him. Zurg will come after him. Or that he's a ticking time bomb, any time his antimatter is over a level, he can become nothing and the antimatter will consume everything. Yet you knew that already."

"He has been through so much already Ozma, I just cannot lose another son." Nosfer felt more than bless, a miracle that Nos was so much like his sons but yet so different that made him happy! He cannot lose another son. "Please do not tell anyone of this."

"You know I wont. You were the one who got me to my dream, just keep an eye on him."

"Thank you." Nosfer felt relief as he walks her out to her ship. When she leaves, he returns inside to check on Nos. He finds him in his room, asleep in his coffin. He felt nostalgia when he thought of his son, Nicholas, and how his other creation, 2A_9, how both were so kind hearted before going mad with power. Both suffered to the power of antimatter and how much it pained him to bury a son and see one banished into the dead system.

Yet hope appears.

Nos-4-a2, an energy vampire that was different from them! He was not only stable, he was different! He felt as if he finally had both his sons back in the form of one. He sat by the coffin and took out a red candy ball and drank away the color. "Rest fiu, I know you'll start training in your other form." He closes the lid carefully and pats it before leaving the room.