Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Faust stood behind Ariane’s seat as the white-haired woman adjusted the direction the space ship was going slightly, her eyes focused straight ahead. Not a word was spoken between them, both just staring ahead.

“So, uh… where are we again?”

The view outside was… hard to describe, to say the least. They were flying across a dusty, red desert, a bright red sky hanging over them. A few minutes ago, when Faust went to check if the armory had been raided or not, they had been in space. She had felt no atmospheric entry, not change in speed or any other kind of change at all, but now they were somewhere completely different.

“I’m trying something that could save us a lot of time… Give me a bit, I need to orientate myself.”

The Star looked down at Ariane, just nodding at the non-response she had been given.

“Uh-huh. Well, uh… is this that other dimension you and Elster were thrown into before?”

Ariane shifted a bit in her seat, shrugging.

“Well… it looked different before. I think this may be what it normally is like though? Anyway, I’m trying to see if I can navigate to New Vineta faster this way. I can sort of… see things on the horizon – like beacons.”

Faust couldn’t see anything except redness and the occasional black obelisk down below, sticking out of the ground. Then again, Ariane was the space wizard, so Faust would just have to trust her whenever she said she saw or felt weird things like that. Before Faust could reply anything, Ariane suddenly changed directions, nodding.

“Alright, now watch this.”

It was not an order, but Faust couldn’t have looked away if she wanted to. The space ship slowed down as the fabric of reality slowly ripped itself apart before her eyes, starting as a small line and then widening rapidly like a gaping wound, until it was large enough to swallow the vessel whole. Beyond the rift, Faust saw only stars. Involuntarily, she closed her eyes as they approached the strange hole.

When she opened them, they were already back in normal reality, now hovering close to what she recognized as New Vineta. The portal was nowhere to be seen, and Ariane let go of the controls with a satisfied sigh.

“Right, that worked. Could you check our chronometer real quick?”

Faust’s body reacted to the order before her mind had fully recovered, and she glanced at the readout over near the terminal. Everything looked normal – the relative Vinetan date hadn’t changed from what it had been before, though the clock part had seemingly jumped by about an hour or two. Faust relayed this information to Ariane, who rubbed her chin in response.

“Right, so moving through the other dimension is faster than normal travel, but it still takes some time…”

Quietly, Faust cleared her throat as she looked down on New Vineta.

“Did we just teleport?”

A shaking of Ariane’s head was her answer.

“No, not exactly. We just took a shortcut through another dimension, which shortened our flight by quite a lot. I’ll need to research this some more later on, it could be quite useful for logistics and… hmm…”

Ariane noted something down in a small notebook she had on her as she got up, motioning towards the crew quarters.

“We should wake up the others before we begin planetary approach. Something tells me that we won’t be getting much of a warm welcome.”

Neither of them moved. Silently, Faust put up her hand like she was in school. Ariane blinked, then motioned for her to speak.

“Can’t we move down to the planet using another portal? We’ve been gone for a long time; they may have erected anti-air weaponry.”

There was a pause, Ariane’s eyes wandering between Faust and the planet quietly. Then, she nodded.

“Yeah, I can do that, I think.”

Ariane’s eyes focused on something behind Faust, making the Replika turn around. Zack had poked his head out from behind the corner, blinking sleepily at them. Further back, Isa was barely visible in her own nook of the ship.

“Why’d we turn so suddenly? Everything alright?”

Ariane motioned behind her and towards the planet.

“We’re here, you better get in uniform and wake up the others.”

Zachary blinked, clearly confused. Then, he disappeared, vaguely grumbling something about this being “just like boot camp”. Faust couldn’t help but chuckle.

It took a while, but the rest of their group made their way out of their rooms, with even the Ara poking her head out of her tunnel and looking at the planet outside.

“That shouldn’t be possible.”

Faust nodded, crouching down next to the Ara while Ariane explained the gist of the situation to the still very confused Zack, Elster and Juli.

“Yeah, but you see… Ariane is like, magic. She can open portals and stuff.”

The Ara looked up at her, just staring for a second. Then, she took her welding mask off and rubbed her eyes before putting it back on and sighing.

“Can she keep them open for long periods of time?”

Faust glanced over at Ariane, who just shrugged.

“Not sure. I’m ripping open the fabric of space and time, it takes some willpower to keep it open.”

The Ara pulled herself out of the tunnel, reaching inside and pulling out a tool belt as the rest watched on, confused.

“I’ll need to take a look at the portal once you open it, but if you can do it at will then there has to be some logic that I can work off of here.”

With that, she sat down cross-legged next to her tunnel. After a second, she pulled out the captain’s helmet from somewhere below the floor, handing it to Faust.

“Decided to tinker with it a bit. Should be easier to breathe in and see out of now.”

Wordlessly, Faust handed the helmet to Zack, who had just arrived. He didn’t have his armor on, eliciting a questioning look from the Star.

“I uh… Isolde insisted on cleaning my armor because she uh…”

“It stinks!”

Faust laughed at Isa’s comment that came from the background while Zack shrugged awkwardly, looking his helmet over.

“Anyway… I was wondering where that went. Thanks.”

The Ara reacted with a quick wave of her hand as she checked around the man pockets of her belt. Ariane cleared her throat.

“So, I will try to lead us somewhere relatively safe. Some area on the frigate should be ideal, somewhere out of the way.”

Faust hummed, standing up. Isa wandered up behind Zack, tapping him on the shoulder and handing him his armor. It shone like new.

“Here. I also washed the clothes you wear underneath – I better not catch you smelling like that again, or I’m going to throw you out of the air lock.”

The captain bowed, his hair falling into his face.

“Thank you, Isolde. I’ll uh… I’ll keep it in mind.”

Faust could only shake her head as the captain quickly jogged around the corner. She exchanged a look with Isa, raising an eyebrow. The girl shook her head imperceivably. Faust understood. The brunette quickly changed the topic, smiling at Juli.

“Thanks for helping me with my hand, by the way.”

The Eule waved the girl off, shaking her head. She had re-attached the white flower that Faust had given her to her hat, though the plant looked a bit wilted from its long stay in the dungeons, even though the Empire had apparently provided it with water.

“It was no trouble – does it still hurt?”

Isa shook her head, eyeing her hand. It was still bandaged, but no blood was visible on the white gauze now.

“Not a lot, no. So… it’ll be fine?”

Juli nodded cheerfully.

“Yeah, it was a really clean wound, thankfully. Just… try to give it some time to heal properly, ok? My stitches are pretty good, but I can’t guarantee that they will hold.”

Isa gave a thumbs up, only slightly wincing at the pain. Meanwhile, Faust cleared her throat. She had an idea where they could open the portal. The captain rejoined them just in time to hear her as well.

“We could try someplace on the brig – nobody ever goes down there.”

Everyone exchanged looks briefly, then they nodded. Zachary put on his helmet, tightening it. Faust gave it a quit knock to make sure it was on tight, the impact making a bell-like sound. Zack swatted her away, readjusting his helmet again. Juli, Isa and Ariane giggled, even Elster smirked a bit.

Then, everyone got serious again. Ariane looked at the Ara, who gave her a thumbs up. With a loud ripping sound, the fabric of reality was torn apart again, though the tear was smaller this time, only about the size of a normal hydraulic door. The Ara moved with a speed and precision that Faust could swear was abnormal even for that unit type, measuring and scribbling things down on paper. Ariane turned to the others.

“Alright, time to go.”

The scariest part about walking through another dimension weren’t the portals, it was how normal it felt. It just felt like Faust had walked through a door in the ship, like the vast desert was just part of the ship’s interior. Thankfully, they didn’t have to walk for very long until Ariane stopped them and opened the exit.

The group popped back into reality inside the guard office, located in the Nation’s frigate’s brig. The Star on duty dropped her donut and stared at them, too confused to move. Elster, still coated in blood and mud, raised her revolver, cocking it.

“Not a sound.”

The Star shook her head. Her stun prod and gun were on the desk behind her, she knew that she wouldn’t be fast enough to grab either, and even if she did, she was vastly outnumbered. Faust casually walked over, grabbing a keycard that hung from the Replika’s breastplate, giving it a quiet look.

“Oh, hey Panzer. Brig duty, huh? That’s never fun.”

Her former colleague glared at Faust, but Elster’s gun kept her in check. Wordlessly, Faust pulled the other Star to her feet, opened the nearby broom closet using her keycard and motioned for Panzer to get in.

“You won’t get far, Faust.”

In response, Faust just reached over, ripping the radio off of Panzer’s armor and giving the Star a cocky smile.

“Oh, we’re not running away this time, Panzer. Anyway, enjoy your break and hope we don’t forget about you.”

With that, she shut the door, locking it down using the keycard and dusting off her hands. Ariane carefully opened the door to the brig proper, listening to any movement. Her eyebrows furrowed.

“I hear someone, but it doesn’t sound like Stars. Is there anyone else who could patrol the brig?”

Faust thought about that, shrugging.

“Maybe a particularly annoyed Storch? We didn’t really have any other security units with us, I think.”

Ariane nodded, listening again.

“Actually… it’s multiple voices, I think? Maybe someone got locked up?”

Quickly, Faust dug in her memory. Then, something popped into her mind.

“Ohhh… Beo must be down here!”

Everyone’s faces – except those of the captain and Isa, as they had no idea who Beo was and the captain’s face was also covered by his helmet – lit up. Ariane pushed the door open just as Faust grabbed Panzer’s revolver, handing it to the captain. The man stowed the weapon away somewhere inside his armor before following the group out into the Brig.

Faust listened attentively as they quietly walked through the brig, trying to understand what the voices in the distance were saying.

“Why is your head so big anyway?”

The first voice was familiar somehow. Serious, monotone.

“That’s not a nice thing to ask someone!”

The second voice was most definitely Beo. Faust could even hear the Mynah’s hydraulics gently hissing as the Replika moved around.

“It’s ok, she can ask that. Besides, it’s because my brain’s so big!”

The third voice was not as familiar, but it was a fair bit more high-pitched than the other two.

“I highly doubt that.”

The first voice again, followed by a hollow thumping sound – a fist impacting armor. Faust sped up, curious as to who was talking. The voices were definitely coming from the furthest-away cell of the brig, so it was quite a walk, even with Faust’s extended legs. Finally, she rounded the last corner, being met with a scene she had not expected.

There were indeed three people inside the cell. There was of course Beo, who was sitting down, her back against the wall and visor up, looking at Faust with surprise, but she was not what drew Faust’s attention. On the opposite side of the cell sat Sieben… with a Kolibri unit on her lap, the smaller woman’s arms wrapped around the Storch.

Faust had barely enough time to widen her eyes before Sieben sprang up, crossing the distance between them in a single second and grabbing a hold of Faust through the bars of the cell.

“Faust.”

The Storch’s voice was cold and angry, a sharp difference to the tone she had just a few seconds before. Faust wiggled a bit, but the tall woman’s grasp was firm.

“Hey Sieben. Long time no see, huh?”

The Kolibri stood up from the ground, Sieben’s sudden movement having thrown her off. She looked over as the rest of Faust’s group stepped up, her eyes widening as she spotted Ariane. Mirroring Sieben, the Kolibri pressed herself against the bars, her arms flailing helplessly as she tried to reach Ariane. Elster drew her revolver, aiming it at Sieben

“Let go of her, unless you want to die.”

Sieben glanced at Elster, scoffing.

“As if that makes a difference. They’ll decommission all three of us once the facility is complete anyway.”

The Kolibri groaned, slamming her fists against the bars in frustration.

“Yeah, because of you!”

Ariane kept her distance, but her face was one of confused sadness.

“Why are you imprisoned? We only expected Beo to get locked up for what she did.”

The Kolibri stepped away, motioning at herself and Sieben.

“What do you think? You used your Bioresonance to make us go against orders! That’s insubordination in the Nation’s eyes, so now we’re here.”

Sieben’s nostrils flared slightly.

“The only reason why we are still alive is because we are all too important to decommission yet. Beo is the most senior Mynah on site, meaning that she is required for more advanced excavation work, while Kay and I have extensive experience in unit coordination.”

Faust raised an eyebrow.

“Kay? Oooh, you two are on a first-name basis already?”

A wave of nausea hit her as the Kolibri glared at her. Sieben loosened her grip on Faust, sending the Star tumbling slightly, only stopping when her hand found the support of the nearby railing.

“Still think you’re funny, Faust?”

There was a slight undertone of pride in Sieben’s voice as the Storch crossed her arms, but the moment passed.

“Why did you return here? Did you come to mock us?”

Ariane shook her head vehemently.

“No. We promised Beo that we’d come back for her when we left, so here we are. And… I’m sorry for getting you into this mess as well. I didn’t know they would punish you two like this.”

The Kolibri squinted, then blinked in confusion as she turned to Sieben.

“Uh… she’s not lying. And…”

She turned back to Ariane, giving her a questioning look, then turned back.

“I… I don’t think I can summarize what I’ve seen in her memories, but… she’s sort of… the new Empress?”

Sieben looked down at Kay, her face expressionless. Her gaze wandered over to Ariane, cold eyes sizing her up.

“I remember you now. You asked me why I questioned orders before.”

Silence hung in the air as Ariane and Sieben stared each other down. Fascinatingly, Sieben looked away first.

“I… It didn’t sit right with me, that’s all. And that was enough for the Kolibris and the Administrator to throw me in here.”

Kay took over.

“And me? My sisters realized that something was off about me as soon as I got back, and… and…”

Sieben put her hand on Kay’s head, ruffling her hair.

“We said we wouldn’t talk about it.”

She turned to the group on the other side of the bars.

“The long and short of it- “

Faust chuckled instinctively. She would refer to the couple exclusively as “The Long and Short of it” from then. Another wave of nausea washed over her, this time more intense while Sieben continued.

“- is that Kay’s sisters basically blocked her out. And… she has some separation issues because of that.”

The Star could tell that much with how the Kolibri was basically glued to the Storch’s leg. It was… strangely cute to see her former superiors like this, even if they were still both pissed and dangerous. Elster stepped forward slightly.

“You said that it was the Administrator and the other Kolibris who imprisoned you? I thought that Adler has no say in matters regarding security?”

The Storch and Kolibri exchanged a brief look, then Kay spoke up.

“Well, yeah… but Commander Falke is in a coma thanks to you, so he kind of… went off the deep end.”

Ariane inhaled sharply as Faust’s eyebrows shot up. Juli let out a worried whining noise.

“How bad is it?”

Kay looked away.

“Pretty bad… I think his anger is affecting my sisters as well. It’s… a danger of Kolibris – we have a tendency to absorb and amplify emotions around us. We’re trained to avoid it, but… it only works sometimes, and I think this case may be a bit special.”

Isa crossed her arms.

“Great, so we have a facility full off angry Replikas to deal with?”

Sieben nodded.

“Yes, unfortunately.”

Ariane paused, looking up at them.

“Maybe… If the Commander wakes up, she’d be able to wrangle Adler back, right?”

Kay hummed thoughtfully, still glued to Sieben’s leg.

“Yeah, most likely… but how will you get to her? I doubt the Administrator will exactly welcome you.”

“For that matter – how are you even here without alarms going off? The radar system would have noticed a space ship landing, even if it was on the opposite side of the planet.”

The Kolibri got a dumb look on her face as she turned to Sieben, who had asked the question.

“Uh… They teleported. Or… Something like that.”

She glanced at Ariane.

“You’re scary, you know that?”

Ariane just smiled in response. Faust could feel a smug aura radiating from her, and she had to admit that it felt good to see one of the Kolibris shaking in her boots like this. Sieben scoffed, picking up Kay effortlessly as she walked back to their seat.

“Great. I suppose you can handle this then. We’ll be waiting.”

Faust blinked, motioning at the keycard she was holding.

“I can let you guys out right now, though?”

Sieben shook her head.

“I’m aware, but…”

Kay finisher her sentence.

“…it’s your guys’ fault that we’re in here – why do you think we’d want to help you? No, we’ll sit back and let YOU deal with your own mess.”

The Star grunted, throwing the keycard through the door. Ariane put her hand on Faust’s shoulder calmingly.

“Alright, whatever. You two lovebirds sit around and shmooze while we do the heavy lifting, I guess.”

A malicious grin crossed Faust’s face.

“Just don’t expect us to be merciful once we come back, got it?”

Sieben chuckled. The sound made a shiver run down Faust’s spine, purely because of how rare it was for a Storch to let out any kind of amused sound. The tall girl was sitting with her girlfriend on her lap, looking out at the group.

“I expect you to fail and for us to get immediately decommissioned. Anything’s better than that.”

Faust couldn’t argue with her friend’s logic, though her brain was working overtime to think up some way she’d make her regret those words. For now… they had to get to the facility. The Star leaned against the bars.

“Ok, so… Before we leave, one question: Any way we can get close to the facility? There has to be some way they transported you back and forth.”

Sieben nodded her head in the vague direction of where the exit to the frigate was. Carefully, she moved Kay off of her lap as she stood up, grabbing the keycard off of the floor and handing it back to Faust.

“There are ground transports stowed in the back area of the frigate. The keycard you got should grant you access to one of them. Using it, you should be able to get right to the entrance – you’ll be inside before they can initiate any kind of alarm, I hope. But from there on… you’re on your own.”

Faust grabbed the keycard, nodding quietly. Behind her, she heard the rest of the group begin to move. She waited for a few seconds, just long enough for the group to be out of earshot before she turned back to Sieben.

“Thanks, Sieben. We’ll be back for you, don’t worry.”

The Storch looked down at Faust, and the woman could have sworn that, just for a moment, she saw a flash of a smile pass her former supervisor’s face.

“Of course you will, Faust. You are my most reliable officer, after all. Now go, I don’t want to see your ugly mug until your job’s done.”

The two shared a brief salute as the Star stepped away. She turned, jumping a bit as she saw Isa almost right next to herself. The girl had somehow snuck up on her, it seemed.

“Fuck, Isa… You scared me.”

The brunette smirked at her.

“I was wondering where you were, so I figured I’d check up on you. What are you whispering about?”

Faust straightened up, deciding that attack was the best defense.

“I could be asking you the same thing about you and the captain, you know?”

Isa furrowed her eyebrows, looking away. Bingo. Faust relaxed a bit.

“Look… I’m not gonna pry into your personal business. If you really want to know: I was just having a moment with my friend – had to make sure that she wasn’t too mad at me.”

Isa nodded, looking back up at Faust.

“Right, ok. Just… let me handle that myself. I… I don’t really know how to approach it, but I’ll manage – I always do.”

Faust gave the girl a pat on the shoulder, smiling.

“Yeah, I don’t doubt that. Come on, let’s rejoin with the others.”

The Star felt strange, wandering through the empty frigate as they caught up to the rest of their group. They had only been gone for a few weeks, but it felt like a whole different lifetime to the Replika. She had been an authority before – now she was a soldier in enemy territory, forced to stay on her toes… well, the tips of her hooves, anyway.

The group stopped by the armory, once again using their numbers and intimidation to subdue the guard on duty. While Isa and Ariane dug through the armors in some attempt to find something they could wear, Faust and the rest of the group restocked on ammo, healing supplies and then sat down to plan their approach.

“Any idea what the layout is?”

The captain had posed the question, but nobody could answer. Faust hummed.

“Well… we’ll need to find Falke and Adler. If Falke really is in a coma, she could be in the medical wing?”

Juli shook her head.

“Nope, I think she’ll most likely be in the Protektor-only area, where her quarters are. I remember that we were briefed about special medical equipment on the Protektor levels for cases like that. The Commander and the Administrator were seen as too high-value to be placed in the normal infirmary.”

Zack shook his head.

“Let me guess: The Protektor levels are the ones furthest away from the entrance and the Hu- I mean, the Gestalt areas?”

Everyone nodded. Ariane and Isa walked up, still tugging at their clothes a bit. Both had put on armored uniforms that Faust had only seen worn by special People’s Army commandos that were called in to take care of a suspected imperial spy once, though they had chosen to not put on the uniform’s undercoat, instead keeping their normal clothes on, with the actual armor pieces strapped on top.

Elster gave an approving nod, turning to Ariane.

“Well, look at that. Now that’s some actual armor – not the jokes we got during the Vinetan war. Thank God they got rid of the collars.”

Isa and the white-haired girl exchanged a quick look.

“We… may have just left that piece behind.”

“Valid. I hate those stupid collars.”

Faust patted Isa on the shoulder that the brunette held her helmet under. It was simple, but it seemed to have a bulletproof visor at least. The girl quickly plopped it on, Ariane following her example. They looked at each other before breaking out into laughter.

“You look so stupid wearing that.”

“You’re one to talk! I can see your braid dangling under your chin!”

They laughed, giving Faust a weirdly homely feeling until Elster stepped back.

“We need to plan our next steps. Our assault won’t be easy. We will need to work together as best as we can if we want to get through the whole facility.”

Everyone nodded as the previously fairly relaxed atmosphere shifted to a far more serious one. They began moving again, keeping to side rooms and stopping whenever they heard Replikas move around nearby. They didn’t want to draw any more attention than they had to.

The path to the frigate’s exit was long, but they finally arrived at the doors to the gigantic room. Everyone stopped, looking at each other cautiously. Then, Ariane pressed a button and the hydraulics of the door hissed, opening the large metal gate quickly.

Faust felt tears rush to her eyes as she saw the vast green pastures of New Vineta just past the rows of ground transports near them. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed this place, and she couldn’t even imagine what Elster and Ariane must’ve felt like.

“Woah…”

Funnily enough, both Isa and Zack had the exact same reaction as they saw the beautiful planet outside. Faust had to gently shove both of them to get the moving. They tried to move casually but not slowly, not wanting to get seen by the other guards around.

They moved from one transporter to the next, always pausing before continuing onwards. Finally, they reached the front-most row of the lined-up vehicles. Faust quickly swiped Panzer’s keycard on one of the readers and the back doors opened, allowing everyone to flood inside.

The group took a brief second to take a deep breath, then they looked at each other.

“I’ll drive.”

Faust pushed through the rest of the group, sitting down in the driver’s seat and grabbing the steering wheel. Thankfully, the transport had its keys in the ignition, and so the woman turned them quickly. The engine roared to life.

The Star took a deep breath in, turning back to the rest of the group.

“Alright, it’s go time.”

Chapter Text

The drive to the facility didn’t take as long as Ariane had expected it to, barely more than a few minutes at most, but it was still plenty of time for her to see just how much the building had grown. It clung to the side of the mountain like a greedy parasite, its metal supports grasping the rock like giant, shining claws that shone in the light of the sun. Ariane couldn’t help but shiver a bit as she looked upwards, noticing that the uppermost levels were still being built.

Their approach was calm, even when they pulled into the small, gated-off parking lot in front of the facility. Ariane could just barely see a lone Star leaving her guard booth and begin walking towards them before their vehicle came to a standstill.

“Ok, we’ll have company soon. Everyone, get ready.”

She saw Faust unfold herself from the driver’s seat as a knock came on the back door of the transporter. Ariane glanced at Ellie, the two nodding at each other as the Replika reached out to the door, opening it. Sunlight flooded inside, partially blinding everyone, though Ariane could still see that the Star guard’s eyes widened in shock as she tried to raise her gun.

Ellie stepped forward and rammed a stun prod between the poor woman’s ribs, taking her out of commission. Isa jumped in, catching the unconscious Replika mid-fall and dragging her inside of the transport carefully.

“There, let’s hope they didn’t see that…”

Quickly, they looted everything important off of the guard – a new stun prod for Ellie, the guard’s keycard for later, the woman’s weapon and ammo so she wouldn’t hurt them if she woke up and her radio so she couldn’t call for backup. Ariane peered around the corner, not seeing anyone else they needed to worry about.

“Ok, let’s move.”

They quickly left the transport with Faust locking it behind them, the unconscious guard still inside. They only had to move a few meters across the parking lot and through the main entrance, but Ariane still felt more than a little paranoid. What if there were cameras that had seen them? What if there was a line of guards just beyond the entrance, lined up and ready to unleash hell?

Instinctively, she felt into the resonances around her, using them to see that which she could not see normally. Her senses seeped through the thick walls of the facility, her mind’s eye gazing into the lobby quietly. Everything seemed calm, and so Ariane motioned for the others to move in.

Cool air seeped into Ariane’s armor as they entered the reception area, Ellie immediately pulling a gun and holding the receptionist in check. The poor Eule was visibly shaking, her hands above her head as Ellie wordlessly motioned for her to step away from the counter. A smart move – all AEON facilities had an emergency panic button underneath the reception for cases like these.

“How do we get up to the Protektor floors?”

Ellie’s voice was cold and hard, with an authority that Ariane had seldom heard from her. The Eule, clearly very panicked, motioned towards the door on their right. Ellie motioned for Isa and Juli to check it out, the two nodding and walking through.

The door closed behind them, and soon, they reappeared behind the Eule. Isa quietly grabbed the receptionist, leading her away while Juli leaned over the woman’s desk, eyeing the various screens before her.

“Ok, so… the maps here are not exactly complete, but I’ll be able to lead your around, I think. Uhm… Isa, could you hand me her ID?”

Isa patted the Eule on the shoulder and the girl shakily handed her a small card. The brunette gave it a quick glance and then carefully threw it towards Juli, the Replika grabbing it out of the air.

“Oh… hey März, sorry about this.”

The other Eule whimpered, even though Isa wasn’t really touching her. The brunette gave Ariane a questioning look, but the white-haired girl wasn’t sure what they were meant to do either. She seemed too scared to do anything, but they had to deal with her somehow.

“Is there some like… some way to restrain her?”

Juli shrugged, motioning to the side.

“You can… lock her in the toilets? The Stars are pretty used to Eules having mental breakdowns in there, so they won’t question someone sobbing.”

There was a second of silence before Isa answered.

“Wow, that’s sad.”

Ariane didn’t have anything to add to it, waving for Isa to do as Juli suggested. The brunette shrugged, leading the Eule out of the room. Juli looked after them before turning back to the consol, swiping her former colleague’s keycard. A few windows popped up, but the Eule swiped them away, nodding.

“Ok… I think I’ll stay behind and try to blend in with the other Eules – that way, I should be able to help you guys out. I’m going to link this overview to my operating system, so I should be able to follow your movements around the facility.”

Suddenly, the Eule froze.

“Oh, there is a camera right before the- “

Suddenly, a loud alarm sounded and a thick shutter slammed down right before Ariane’s nose. Isa came running out of the door to their right, gun in hands – she had grabbed an SMG from the armory before, readying it now.

“What happened?!”

“There was a camera in front of the toilets, damn it! I thought it was just the reception that kept an eye on those down here, but I guess there was someone else looking at them, too.”

Everyone unholstered their guns, Ariane pulling out her spear and keeping it ready as well. Their receivers crackled as Juli’s voice came through.

“I’ll keep in touch with you this way and guide you through. The elevators are not deactivated yet, so you should be able to use Panzer’s keycard to move up at least a few floors – best hurry though!”

Ariane nodded to the side and towards the elevators, the group not wasting any time in jumping inside of one. Faust practically rammed the keycard into it and pressed the top-most button – the elevator must’ve still been under construction, as the buttons didn’t have their numbers or any other descriptions noted next to them.

The group barely fit into the small space, with some being somewhat awkwardly pressed together. A calm, jazzy tune was playing inside of the cabin as they slowly began to ascend the building. Someone cleared their throat.

“I swear to whatever God there is – Adler must’ve picked this fucking song. He’s such a Jazz nerd, I swear.”

Isa hummed in response.

“So like… what is this Administrator like anyway? I’ve never met him, so I’m not sure what I can expect.”

Ariane, Faust and Ellie exchanged a quick glance, trying to decide who would answer first. Everyone silently agreed to let Faust speak.

“He’s a big fuckin’ nerd is what he is. Like, he orders the books on his bookshelf based on size instead of like, topics or at least color. Absolutely crazy, that.”

Ellie spoke right after her.

“He smells like old pen ink and looks like he spends at least fifteen minutes every morning doing his hair. I didn’t talk to him much, so I can’t speak beyond that.”

Ariane finished the trio’s assessment.

“He seemed very close with the Commander, always following her around like a puppy. Still… if he has managed to keep both the Protektors and the logistical workers in line ever since our last visit, we cannot underestimate him to say the least. He may not be a combat unit, but a man pushed to his limits is a dangerous opponent, especially since he has the Kolibris on his side.”

“Ahem… What are Kolibris, exactly? I know that Kay woman is one, but what do they… do?”

Ariane tried to turn her head to Zack, who had asked the question, but she couldn’t quite manage, instead settling for just speaking extra loudly.

“They are… well, they can conduct the Song of the Gods, to some extent anyway. Falke… I think she can do so as well and much better, but I was still able to overpower her, even though my own powers were still developing.”

The man had no comment to give, but Ariane could hear a gentle creaking coming from just beyond her field of view.

“He’s shaking his head in disbelief, by the way.”

Isa’s comment was much appreciated and only confirmed what Ariane had already suspected. She wanted to laugh, but her thought was interrupted by the feeling of the elevator grinding to a halt suddenly. Their receivers crackled as they heard Juli sigh.

“Shit, the elevators have been shut off – I can’t override this, it was sent from the Administrator himself it seems.”

Faust groaned, turning to the door with some effort.

“Of course he’s already being a pain, probably because he doesn’t have anything else to do. We haven’t even seen him yet, but he just has to get ahead of himself and be as much trouble as he can. Ever prepared, Mr. Administrator, huh?”

She jammed one of her hands into the gap of the elevator doors, pausing.

“Hey, Juli? Are we between floors right now?”

There was a brief silence, then Juli hummed on the other end of their receivers.

“Uhh… I don’t think so? It took them a really long time to react, so you’re at… level 6, I think? It’s a bit hard to interpret this data, but you’re pretty far up. You’ll need to confirm once you’re out of the elevator, though.”

Faust nodded at Ellie, the other Replika pushing past Ariane and Isa slowly, finally reaching the doors. The two biomechanical humans gave a silent countdown and then tore at the doors. Effort was evident on their faces, but the doors didn’t seem to budge – they were trapped.

“Fuck!”

Faust let go of the doors, cursing loudly.

“We’re fucking trapped – like fish in a damn tin. Anyone have a plan?”

Ariane hesitated before shimmying closer. She examined the door closely, looking for any indication of an emergency release. There was nothing. Next, she examined the roof for some sign of a hatch. Once again, nothing. Suddenly, the speaker inside of the elevator sprang to life with a quiet hum. Everyone turned to face it – as best as they could, anyway.

“Quite the predicament you have found yourself in, isn’t it?”

Despite the undeniably mocking message, the man’s voice sounded… neutral, almost disinterested. Ariane tried to see if there was some kind of camera that the Administrator was using to look at them, but there didn’t seem to be any.

“I’m sure she would be ecstatic to see you like this – if she were awake. Anyway… don’t worry, I will reactivate the elevator soon enough, I am merely making… some preparations for your arrival, if you will.”

Before anyone could answer, they heard the speaker turn off, its low hum disappearing suddenly. Ellie groaned.

“Great… What now?”

Ariane eyed the doors, a thought coming to her mind. She focused, grasping the resonances around her tightly, but not pulling quite yet.

“Ellie, Faust… step back, as far as that’s possible.”

The two Replikas pressed themselves against the others, trying to stand as far away from the door as they could, understanding what Ariane was planning to try. The girl focused once again, tearing at the world around them, specifically trying to force the doors apart. They were locked, held together by some mechanism, but she knew that nothing physical could hold her back.

The sound of metal snapping and bending inside the doors was ear-shattering, forcing everyone but Ariane to cover their ears in fear of hearing damage. The white-haired girl did not let up, forcing the doors apart with slow, yet steady pressure. Finally, the locking mechanism snapped fully and the doors flew open, bits of metal and plastic exploding outwards.

“How did they- Shit, we need backup!”

The panicked voice of a Star came from the darkness ahead of them – the entire floor was darkened, no doubt in some attempt to hide their enemies. Behind her, Ariane heard Zack pull out his rifle.

“Get down.”

It was a warning, but it sounded more like a command. Ariane dropped to her knees, with Faust and Ellie doing the same as they pulled out their own weapons. The man began laying down heavy fire as soon as they had cleared his line of sight, eliciting screams of panic from the darkness.

The Captain’s muzzle flash illuminated the room beyond the elevator’s doors, showing Ariane that only two Stars had made it up to their floor in time to face off against them. The usually fearless Replikas seemed to not have expected the heavy firepower however, as they were scrambling away from them, their heads down as they tried to crouch-run out of the room.

The distinct hiss of hydraulics locking could be heard, causing Ariane to motion for Zachary to stop shooting. The man immediately stopped and reloaded his weapon. Next to Ariane, Faust was fiddling, causing everyone to look over at her.

“Just- A bullet casing landed in the back of my armor, and it’s- Ow! It’s still burning hot, damn it!”

Ariane reached over, lifting the bottom part of the back of the Star’s armor. A single bullet casing fell to the ground with a barely audible ringing, eliciting a sigh from Faust.

“Thanks… Ok, let’s move.”

The group poured out of the elevator; their guns trained at different corners of the dark room. They had brought flashlights with them for a case like this, flicking them on. Ariane’s light illuminated a large number 6 that was painted on the wall.

“Juli, we’re on the sixth level, like you expected. How do we get further up?”

It sounded like the Eule was moving around, breathing heavily before she paused.

“Sorry… gotta keep it moving on my end, there are a lot of people around.”

She paused, humming.

“Ok… sixth level, got it. So… you want to keep to the right – there is a fire exit at the far corner there, next to a break room it seems.”

“Got it, we’ll go there.”

Faust motioned for the group to follow her, Zachary quickly taking point next to her as they opened the door Juli had told the to head through. Unlike the elevator, it opened without any issue, allowing them to pass through.

They moved quickly, passing the occasional scared Eule crouching in the corner or a loose panel from underneath which the ever-watching eyes of an Ara followed them, but they didn’t pay them any mind – they were not here to hurt anyone, especially not any innocent bystanders.

A strange, garbled noise rang out in Ariane’s ears as they moved, making her look at the other members of her group.

“Anyone else hear that?”

Ellie shook her head, as did Faust and Isa. Zachary hummed.

“I can’t hear anything, but I can feel my defenses being tugged at…”

Ariane raised an eyebrow.

“Your… defenses?”

The captain nodded, not looking directly at her as his gaze seemed to wander around the hallway as they moved.

“All members of the Palace guard are taught how to defend their mind against the Song, you see. It seems we have one of those… Kolibris, was it? It seems one of them is around.”

Ariane nodded, trying to gauge where the Replika may be. The sounds differed from the usual static that the Kolibris spread around them – it almost felt bits and pieces of a speech, drowned out partially by white noise. Something was… off about it; It made Ariane’s hair stand on end.

The sounds got steadily louder as they approached the end of the hallway. One of the doors was marked with a coffee cup – presumably the break room that was their goal. They stopped, listening for any signs of movement.

“I can hear shuffling… but I’m not sure how many are in there?”

Faust grunted as she looked behind herself.

“We need to get moving – no time to think.”

She opened the door, dodging backwards in instinct. A quick burst of SMG fire flew past her and buried itself in the ceiling behind them. The Star pulled out her shield, putting it up as she pulled out her gun.

“Alright, pipsqueak; Let’s see what you’re really made of.”

Ariane joined the Replika, crouching behind her to make use of her shield as well. Another few bursts of bullets flew their way, but they bounced off of the hardened riot shield harmlessly. The room had windows, allowing Ariane to actually see the Kolibri that stood in the room.

The short woman stared at them with empty eyes, aiming her gun at the shield as she stepped back a bit. Her face was expressionless but she moved with surprising speed, stepping away from the Star and Ariane slightly. The room wasn’t really big enough for her to fully avoid them, but she seemed determined to try and flank them.

Ariane tried to focus on the static, but the Kolibri’s resonances seemed to almost dodge out of the way, slipping out of her grasp just as she was about to grasp them. She frowned, deciding to take a different approach. She focused, grasping the resonances and yanking at them before the small Replika could even begin to comprehend what she was doing.

The Kolibri’s SMG flew from her hands, hitting the window on the opposite wall and breaking through it. The small Replika staggered, taking half a step back as her hand flew towards a holster around her hips – she had a side arm, of course.

She didn’t get to grab it. Faust moved so fast that even Ariane was taken aback, springing out from behind her shield and spinning around, one leg in the air. Her hoof hit the Kolibri’s head from the side, sending the smaller Replika flying with surprising force. She sailed through the air, her arms flailing in some attempt to stabilize herself before she crashed into one of the tables, bending the simple piece of metal furniture.

A quiet groan escaped the girl’s lips as she passed out, her resonance quieting down. She wasn’t dead, but she would be out of commission for more than a little while.

“Wow, that was some force, Faust.”

Ellie had entered the room just as Faust made her way over to the KO-libri, bending down and grabbing something off of her.

“Yeah, my legs are strong!”

The Star tapped her hooves as if to underline the statement. Their receivers crackled.

“Can confirm – they’re a crushing hazard at the best of times!”

“Juli! That’s- You didn’t have to- “

Faust avoided everyone’s gaze, turning to the only other door in the room. It was on the same wall as the windows, so it led back outside – the fire exit, no doubt.

Faust swiped the Kolibris key card on a little reader and the door slid open silently, a gentle breeze blowing into the room. Faust motioned for everyone to get outside, her shield up and gun aiming at the door that led back into the facility proper.

They moved in pairs as soon as they took a step onto the metal stairs outside, which were quite a lot tighter than they had expected. Faust stepped outside last, sealing the doors behind them and giving a thumbs up.

Far below, Ariane could see small figured running back and forth in a panic, some pointing up at then while most simply ran from the facility with their heads down. The towering figured of a few Storchs were visible as well, coordinating the evacuation and giving orders to some of the Stars.

A few stray bullets whizzed past the group as the guard below tried their best to hit them. Most missed by a mile, but a few came close enough to bounce off of the metal of the stairs loudly. Ariane could see Isa ahead of her wince a few times in shock as they continued their ascent, Zack even briefly putting an arm around her protectively, but nobody was actually hit.

The same strangely garbled sound that the previous Kolibri gave off began to ring in Ariane’s ears as they approached the very top of the building, the walls they walked along becoming less finished as well.

“We’ve got Kolibris up ahead, probably the whole rest of Kay’s former Cadre – we need to be careful.”

Faust, Ellie and the captain gave affirmative grunts as they reached the top-most floor. The Star pushed her way past the rest of them and opened the doors using the Kolibri’s keycard, motioning for everyone to go inside.

The group poured inside, being met with… at least a dozen or so Kolibris, all aiming various weapons at them. Faust inhaled sharply as she stepped in after them, closing the door behind them.

“What the- There’s only supposed to be like… four left. How are there so- “

Her question was interrupted by the speakers of the level activating with a quiet beep.

“How bothersome – I thought the hydraulic locks of the elevator would keep you in place.”

The Kolibris shifted around slightly, readjusting their grip on their weapons. Ariane narrowed her eyes – something about them felt… wrong. The strange noise from before still permeated the air, surrounding them all like some kind of audible fog. It made Ariane’s head hurt, even though it didn’t seem like an attack per se.

“Oh well… I suppose my little helpers will take care of you before you can get any closer. And, if push comes to shove… I am more than capable of stopping you myself.”

The speakers deactivated with a quick, high-pitched shriek. The Kolibris… flickered. Ariane’s eyes widened.

“They… They’re not real! The Kolibris, they are just illusions! They are trying to trick us!”

The group of Kolibris seemed frustrated, some disappearing into thin air right before them while others stayed, aiming at them but not firing.

“We need to split up and find the actual Kolibris, then… Don’t want to confront the Administrator when one of them could jump us from behind…”

Isa eyed Ariane and Ellie.

“I’ll go with Zack and Faust to the left… you and aunt Ellie go to the right?”

Ariane nodded, Ellie keeping her gun trained on the Kolibris carefully as they began to move. No hostile action came from the group – they were most likely all illusions, but they couldn’t be sure. Quickly, Ariane opened the door they had approached, walking through it and into the dark room beyond.

The area was clearly not finished, with a few holes in the ceiling providing limited light; Just enough for everyone to see the group of Kolibris standing in the twilight before Ariane and Ellie. The white-haired girl tried to feel into the resonances to distinguish who was real and who not, but everything around her was in constant, jumping motion.

“They’re like… they are jamming everything, somehow. We need to figure out which ones are real, but how?”

Suddenly, one of the large flood lights that were meant to help with visibility on the work site turned on, blinding everyone for a brief second. Ariane blinked, barely seeing the Kolibris recoil as they tried to shield their eyes. All but two of them were partially see-through, flickering in and out of existence.

Before Ariane could even say anything, Ellie fired. The bullet hit one of the real Kolibris in the shoulder, oxidant spraying onto the metal wall behind her. The small woman stumbled backwards, dropping her gun as she held the bleeding wound. Her colleague didn’t waste any time, bolting away from her sister as Ellie fired a few more shots, missing all of them.

“Damn it, one got away. We need to follow her, now!”

As they moved towards the door, Ellie casually whipped the wounded Kolibri over the head with the butt of her revolver, knocking the Kolibri out fully. Their receivers crackled.

“Phew, did that help? I saw that the camera in that room was almost totally dark, so I managed to re-route some power.”

“Thanks Juli, really saved our asses there.”

Ellie opened the door to the next room, stopping immediately. They had arrived at one of the corners of the upper floor, a room that, as best as Ariane could guess, would one day be some kind of control center? It was excessively high, with the ceiling being largely missing and only a giant tarp draped over the metals up top.

The entire room was filled with Kolibris, some standing at the tip top on hanging platforms and the nearest being only a few feet away from them.

“I just… need to stall you.”

They all spoke as one, but their voice sounded strangely monotone, like they were barely there mentally.

“Which one is real…?”

Ariane glanced at each of them trying to see if there was any giveaway. They all looked the same as far as she could tell. Suddenly, Ellie stepped to the side, whipping the nearby Kolibri across the jaw. The woman stumbled, her illusions disappearing as Ellie followed up with a kick to her middle.

The white-haired girl turned to the Replika as the Kolibri fell over with a low, raspy groan.

“How did you… know?”

Ellie turned back to her, shrugging with a smirk.

“Oh, you know… how far could she have really gotten? Kolibris need step ladders to reach the upper parts of bookshelves, how would she have gotten anywhere but the ground floor with only a few seconds of head start?”

Ariane hummed – sometimes, she really felt quite stupid.

“So… we took out two Kolibris, which means that there should only be two left, yeah?”

Ellie nodded, pointing over to the only other door in the room that they hadn’t used.

“I bet that that’s the way to the main office. If my map module measurements are correct, it’s the room that the Kolibris seemed to be guarding before – where else would they be keeping their Commander?”

Ariane nodded, the two of them walking over to the door. They could hear gunfire from across the facility – no doubt either Zachary, Faust or Isa dealing with the other Kolibris. Ellie reached up to her transmitter.

“We took down two Kolibris – how are things over on your end?”

Isa’s voice answered, though after a few seconds.

“We got one, she was a clever little minx though, made us jump through all sorts of hoops. It turned out that she moving around the Ara tunnels, can you believe that? Anyway, we are at the doors to what we think is- “

A gunshot interrupted her – one originating from inside the main office. It was booming, much weightier than any other gunshot Ariane had heard before. She felt a brief bout of panic.

“Isa? Isa, are you ok?”

Subdued cursing came from the other side of the connection.

“…Yeah, barely. A bullet went THROUGH the wall, do you understand? What the hell kind of weapon is he keeping in there?”

Ariane focused on the resonances around her, trying to feel her way into the office beyond. There was… one more Kolibri, somewhere in there, she was sure about that. And… Adler, the Administrator. She could only somewhat fathom the gun he was holding, but it was definitely a rifle of some sort.

“It’s… big. A rifle… I don’t see a magazine. It’s longer than his arm, probably has incredible recoil…”

She could hear Faust curse slightly.

“Oh for- He has the Nitro Express, doesn’t he? That thing could tear any of us in half if he lands a shot – not even my riot shield would do shit against that.”

“So… what do we do?”

Isa’s question didn’t get answered until Zack spoke up.

“If what he has is really a Nitro Express, then he should only be able to load two bullets at a time – at least, that’s how our own Nitro Express rifles work.”

Faust hummed approvingly.

“Oh yeah… for once, we have the advantage of numbers, huh? He can’t shoot us all, and if we’re quick enough he may panic – he’s just a logistics model, after all.”

“Ok… On the count of three.”

Ariane and Ellie crouched down, staying low as the Replika reached up, ready to open the door.

“One…”

Ariane tried to pin-point the Kolibri, but was unable to. She could vaguely feel the shape of the massive Replika that was Falke however, peacefully resting behind Adler’s back.

“Two…”

She readied her spear, a plan forming in her head.

“Three!”

The opened the door, Ariane swinging her spear and forcing the resonances to dance to her will. A loud bang was heard as the Administrator’s massive gun fired, but the bullet was deflected by the shockwave of Ariane’s attack. When the light stopped bending, the group was left staring at… five Adlers, all standing around, their rifles aimed at different members of the group.

“Stand down, Administrator! You’ve got one bullet left, that’s not enough to take us all out!”

The man smirked – what an asshole move – as one of his copies cracked the rifle open, reloading it. Then another… and another. Nobody moved.

“I have plenty of bullets, Ms. Faust, I assure you. It matters very little how many of you there are…”

The last Adler finished reloading, all of them now aiming back at each of the group’s members.

“…I will get all of you, one by one.”

Ariane’s mind was racing – which of the Adlers was the real one? She could wait until he shot, but that would mean sacrificing one of their group, or at least risking a sacrifice. She had to find out who he would want to kill the most – it was the only way.

She was the one who defeated Falke – in his eyes, she must’ve been his greatest enemy, but… could she be sure? Unlike the rest of her group, Ariane didn’t have a gun in hand, just her spear – did Adler know what she could do? Had she given it away by deflecting his bullet?

Maybe he would go for Ellie instead, or Faust – the traitor, who knew? Even Zack wasn’t off the table, as he was wielding the most dangerous weapon. Everyone except Isa was on the table as potential first targets, which gave them a 25% chance at hitting the right target first… that was simply too low.

It felt like she was missing something about the situation – some central thing that she was just not quite seeing. There had to be some way-

“The Kolibri…”

Ariane’s own voice interrupted her thoughts as her brain worked faster than she consciously thought. Adler was trying to play mind games with them, of course. There was no way they could know which one was real… but they could take out the Kolibri to make sure.

The girl’s eyes raced around the room, trying to ascertain where the Kolibri may be. Then, she saw something that she hadn’t noticed before. The room was dominated by a large desk that, as far as she could tell, was shaped like a crescent moon. It was very large and ornate – no doubt meant for the Commander herself.

But… there was a second desk, slightly to the side of the larger one. It was a bit smaller and more angular, contrasting the rounder, larger desk in the room. It was clear that it was meant to be installed next to its larger cousin, but for now, it had been pushed somewhat into the corner and was covered in shadow. The perfect hiding place.

Ariane moved her hand slightly, touching Ellie’s hip. The Replika breathed out loudly to signal that she was paying attention, her eyes wandering to the hidden-away table for a brief second. She nodded slightly. Tension hung in the air… and then Ariane let herself drop down, swinging her spear.

Another gunshot sounded, once again loud and booming, but Ariane was ready. With some effort, she had managed to send a wave of resonance away from herself, deflecting the bullet. Ellie was a dark blur as she ran over to the smaller desk, reaching underneath it.

A high-pitched, panicked cry told Ariane that her hunch had been correct. She barely saw her wife pull out the small, kicking and screaming shape of a Kolibri before she slammed the short woman’s head onto the table.

Immediately, four of the five Adler’s dissipated, leaving a lone man with a half-loaded rifle. Despite what she had expected, Adler had actually positioned himself fairly far away from the table – the only cover in the room. Another mind trick, but one they had turned against him.

Without a word, he turned on one hoof and dove behind the table. Everyone pulled out their guns as they slowly approached his cover from all directions, with Ellie taking point up front.

“Just give it up, Adler. We’re not here to hurt you or Falke.”

No response came from the man, but Ariane could hear him feverishly trying to reload the gun. The sound of Zack letting off a few bullets into the air startled her, but she barely managed to collect herself.

“If I don’t see your hands with the gun in the next five seconds, I’m riddling the whole desk with bullets. I have plenty of ammo left.”

Almost immediately, one of the Administrator’s hands shot up, holding the cracked-open rifle.

“I understand, don’t shoot! Here, the weapon!”

Ellie walked forward, stretching her hand out to grab the weapon that was offered to them. Ariane wanted to warn her, but it was already too late. The world moved in slow motion as she watched her wife’s finger touch the blue butt of the gun, triggering a response.

Adler jumped up, holding a long kitchen knife in his other hand, a mad grin on his face. He was aiming for the Replika’s right eye, the blade of the knife glistening in the light that fell into the room. Ariane wanted to jump in, but not even her resonances would be fast enough. She wanted to close her eyes, but she couldn’t.

Two blurs moved next to Ellie – one gray, one red. Metal clanged together loudly.

Isa had caught the hand the administrator held the knife in just in time to stop it from piercing Ellie’s eye. Zack had followed up immediately, using the velocity he had developed running up to the Administrator to punch him with all his strength. The metallic sound had been the captain’s heavy gauntlet colliding with the metal underneath Adler’s face plate, sending the male Replika flying.

He landed a few feet away with a loud thump, rolling another foot or so before coming to a half.

“Ow… I’ll feel that in the morning, that’s for sure.”

Zack shook his hand, the metal of his right gauntlet slightly bent. Isa laughed.

“Yeah, but so will he! If he wakes up, that is.”

In some act of defiance, Adler groaned slightly to signal that he was still very much alive. Faust walked over to him wordlessly, grabbing his hands and putting them behind his back.

“Don’t worry, I got this one. You just go do… uh, whatever you were planning on doing, I guess.”

Ariane slowly walked past Faust, motioning for everyone to stay back. Before her, she saw Falke, the large Replika resting on a long bed that seemed especially made for her. The woman’s hands were grasped together as she rested on her back, her eyes closed and a strangely serene expression on her face.

The white-haired girl put away her spear, kneeling down next to Falke’s upper body. She could hear the garbled speech emanating from her.

“S-Stop… Don’t… kill her…”

She turned to look at Adler. The man’s face plate was dented slightly, and Ariane could have sworn that it was very distinctly fist-shaped as well. Only one of his eyes was visible from Ariane’s perspective, but even then, she could tell that the man was not angry or haughty anymore – he was just scared.

“Don’t worry... I don’t want to hurt her.”

With that, she turned away and lifted her hands to Falke’s head. The Replika was warm, breathing steadily… though the signal she was giving off was little more than a garbled mess. Ariane remembered her fight against the Commander – this was her doing, though she hadn’t intended it.

She began putting the woman’s mind back together – bit by bit, sound by sound, like putting together a puzzle made of Bioresonance. She didn’t hear the anthem of the Nation like before – this seemed more like a conversation, a brief exchange of words between Falke and someone else.

“Of course – for – my – “

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, putting the Commander’s mind back together. It felt like more than a few minutes at least, but she never felt like she was moving too slow or too fast. The Replika didn’t move at all either, her face never changing expression in the slightest, not even twitching.

“Of course, everything for – my – Eagle.”

Ariane stopped for a second, but then continued to weave everything together. There was a song playing in the background of the statement – it was one of the songs from “Swan Lake”, played on Violin and Piano. Finally, Ariane withdrew her hands.

“Of course, everything for you, my stalwart Eagle.”

The words faded from Ariane’s mind as Falke opened her eyes, a few red windows popping up in them before quickly disappearing. The woman’s face was still expressionless as she stared upwards, blinking a few times. Then, her eyes shifted, meeting those of the white-haired girl.

“Hello, Ariane.”

Chapter Text

Ellie watched the tall Replika sit up slowly as the strange, golden halo behind her back flickered back into existence. She had one hand on her gun, even if Ariane didn’t seem scared or even tense, standing up from her kneeling position without her gaze ever leaving Falke’s face.

“How are you… feeling?”

The tall Replika blinked, letting her eyes wander across the room for a few brief seconds before humming quietly.

“Strange… I suppose. I have been asleep for a long time, I feel.”

Adler grunted from his position on the floor, but Faust kept him down. Falke put her long, slender legs on the ground, standing up with surprisingly little issue. She towered over the entire group, her halos spinning slowly as she looked down on them.

Ellie instinctively stepped back slightly as she looked up at the woman, but the Commander didn’t seem to be hostile. A strange sense of calm radiated from her as she took a single step, bridging the gap between her and the Star. She leaned down, effortlessly pulling the guard Replika off of the Administrator.

The man pushed himself up, nobody even trying to intervene as Falke gently grabbed his face, examining it.

“Oh my… What did they do to you?”

Ariane walked up behind Falke, putting her hand on the tall woman’s shoulder. The Replika nodded silently, allowing Ariane to speak.

“He was protecting you, and quite fervently. We didn’t want to hurt him or anyone else in the facility any more than we had to.”

The Commander didn’t answer immediately, pulling Alder up to his feet before standing up herself.

“Yes, I am aware. I was… “

She stopped, visibly unsure of how to word her next sentence.

“Back during our confrontation on the frigate, you… I do not know what exactly you did, but it was almost as if you… ripped out a part of me, some inherent part of my being.”

Ellie glanced at Ariane, but her wife didn’t seem particularly surprised by the statement. Falke continued.

“I was here, lying asleep and dreaming, and yet I was also on Rotfront, and Buyan, and in that… other place, too. I saw through your eyes, felt what you felt… It was akin to connecting with one of my Kolibris, and yet… different.”

She cast her eyes down at Adler, who was trying to un-bend his face plate.

“I was stuck, simply… observing, unsure of where I ended and you began. At times, the line between us disappeared entirely.”

She paused.

“I am surprised that you went through the effort of waking me back up.”

Ariane shrugged, shaking her head.

“I was hesitant at first, yes… but you helped me as well. When Ellie collapsed, whenever I panicked and couldn’t think of anything… that was you who stepped in, wasn’t it? You and your strategic mind.”

Falke looked away.

“It would appear so… It was instinct at first – some attempt to preserve myself, but… I would be lying if I said that I didn’t learn to see things… differently.”

Ellie pulled her hand away from her gun slowly, relaxing. What the Commander had just said would count as high treason in the eyes of the Nation, especially coming from someone of such a high rank – the fact that she was admitting to it with witnesses around told Ellie that something had indeed changes. The tall Replika smiled gently.

“I am glad to be back in my own body, though. It feels good to feel my own limbs again, as stiffened as they have become during my sleep.”

She leaned down to Adler, picking him up with seemingly little effort. It looked almost comical.

“You did well, my stalwart eagle. Did the Protektors give you any trouble?”

Adler tried to speak, but his faceplate was bent at an awkward angle, preventing his lips from closing properly. He seemed surprisingly unbothered by his state, most likely due to Falke being around again to calm him. He cleared his throat, having to support his lower jaw in order to accommodate for his temporary deformity.

“They were… rebellious at first, but I managed. Are you sure we…?”

He motioned at the group around them, but Falke just shook her head slightly. Ellie noticed that her wreath was broken, one of its ends having snapped off.

“We can trust them. Compared to what they have done, our relationship seems like barely a blip on the radar.”

The male Replika nodded, turning to glance at them. He tried his best to bow slightly.

“If you would excuse me… I need to find an Ara unit. I will be back shortly.”

With that, he walked away with as much dignity as a man who got punched so hard that his entire face got messed up could. Falke sighed as she watched him go.

“So cute, isn’t he?”

Ellie couldn’t really agree or disagree – she wasn’t really into men, after all, and so she just gave a noncommittal half-shrug.

“Whatever floats your boat, I guess.”

Suddenly, Isa stepped forward, taking off her helmet.

“Mrs. Falke… I… I wanted to ask you something.”

The Commander’s eyes wandered down to Isa’s face, their eyes locking for a brief second. Ellie briefly thought about stepping reassuring her niece, but the girl seemed fine on her own. It was actually Falke who broke eye contact first.

“Isolde Itou… I saw your dead body, and yet here you are.”

Ellie could see the brunette shiver slightly at the mention of her body, but she didn’t relent.

“Yes, I came back. I… The Nation fucked up my life, and I’m not going to take that lying down.”

“Your resolve is… impressive, but I shouldn’t expect anything less from the woman who broke into my facility in search of…”

The Replika gazed at Isa for a second, raising an eyebrow.

“…Your sister, correct? Erika Itou?”

Isa nodded vehemently, her braid bouncing up and down.

“Yes, Erika! Do you know what happened to her? Is she… is she still alive, or…?”

Falke sighed.

“I was only tangentially involved with the Gestalt workers – they were Adler’s area of expertise, I’m afraid. I do vaguely remember him mentioning that name, though…”

She hummed as she walked over to her desk, taking a seat. Somewhat comically, she had to cross her oversized legs under neath the desk as she moved to the already connected terminal. The Replika didn’t touch the keyboard, but the terminal sprung to life, words racing across its screen. Falke’s flippant use of Bioresonance almost annoyed Ellie, though she would have to get used to it – they were allies now, after all.

The Commander moved to the side slightly, stemming her head onto one of her arms as she stared at the screen.

“Hmm… I’m running through all the death reports that I still have saved from Sierpinski, but I cannot find anything yet.”

Ellie felt a knot in her loosen slightly, and Isa stepped forward.

“So you think there is a chance that she’s alive?”

Falke nods slowly.

“It is… entirely possible, though my memory is not perfect, and not all deaths are filed. Still… it is a start.”

As if on command, the door to the office opened and Adler walked back inside. He was still rubbing his chin, but his face plate seemed… fine, by and large. Ellie could tell that the Aras must’ve worked in a hurry, as she could still see a few uneven spots where the dent had previously been. The man’s nose was also slightly crooked, though he didn’t seem to even notice.

Falke waved at him with a smile.

“Perfect timing, as always. We require your intellect, dear.”

Hearing Falke use a word like “dear” gave Ellie a profound sense of incongruity, but she shook it off. Adler quickly made his way over to the desk, leaning on it as he adjusted his hair slightly.

“Yes, what is it? Also, how did the Aras do? I didn’t have time to check in a mirror.”

Falke smiled.

“As handsome as ever – we’ll straighten the last bits out later. Though… The crooked nose adds to your charm, if you ask me.”

“My nose is… crooked? Oh my, how bad is it?”

The man went cross-eyed as he tried to ascertain the damage. Ellie couldn’t help but chuckle, with Falke joining her.

“It’s not that bad, really. As I said – it adds to your charm.”

She paused, clearing her throat.

“But anyway… Let’s get back to business here. Does the name “Erika Itou” ring any bells for you?”

Ellie could see Adler open and close a few windows in his optics, blue and red windows popping up briefly before disappearing.

“Ah yes, one of the workers at Sierpinski, usually on the ReEducation level. Sent in for… minor contrarevolutionary activity, duration if stay was not determined.”

Falke nodded, motioning for him to continue.

“Fairly clear record, except for the occasional case of insubordination. No contraband on record, either. Though… hm.”

He seemed surprised, blinking as he read through some report he had opened up. Ellie wondered if he had the whole damn Sierpinski system saved in his head – she doubted she’d be able to save that much data, but he was a logistics and data processing unit, so…

“How… interesting. It seems she disappeared.”

Everyone raised an eyebrow in nigh-unison, except Zack maybe, since he still had his helmet on. Isa spoke up.

“Disappeared? As in… she fled?”

Adler shook his head.

“No, that is highly unlikely. The upper levels of Sierpinski are extensively monitored by multiple security outposts and guards – even more than the lower facilities.”

Isa scoffed.

“Yeah, well… I was able to slip in just fine.”

Adler shrugged.

“People breaking in are no problem… as long as they don’t get back out, that is. Hardly anyone cares if there are too many Gestalts to assign different tasks.”

Falke nodded, her eyes unfocused.

“Yes, I see now. I had to run through a few security reports… but it seems that your sister disappeared down on the level of the munitions facility.”

Adler hummed.

“How strange… she was not assigned there, I don’t think. Perhaps there was some disciplinary measure that sent her down there…?”

Falke shook her head.

“If there was, then it wasn’t reported to me, which would have counted as insubordination – only scant few Protektors would be dumb enough to even attempt such a thing.”

A low groan drew their attention away from Falke and Adler. The Kolibri that Ellie had knocked out not long before was stirring, her fingers twitching as she began to move. Suddenly, Ellie remembered something, turning to Falke.

“Oh, right. Uh… I shot one of the Kolibris in the shoulder and knocked her out. The wound didn’t seem too bad, but I figured I should mention it.”

Adler nodded, waving his hand.

“Yes, I saw a few Eules transporting her away, presumably to the medical bay.”

The Kolibri stood up, rubbing her face shakily – she still seemed rather unstable, but at least she was awake. She blinked, her eyes taking a second to focus as she eyed the group before her. Then, her eyes widened and she saluted so suddenly that she hit herself in the forehead, wincing audibly.

“C-Commander, you are awake! We were uh… we tried to protect you, but- “

Falke waves her hand calmingly, and Ellie could almost feel a fog lay itself over her mind. She barely resisted it, keeping all her faculties. The Kolibri was not quite as resistant however, nodding silently as she put her hand back down.

“I am aware – do not worry, you did your work admirably. Go gather your sisters and make sure they are all fine.”

The Kolibri saluted again, this time without the accidental self-injury. Then, she stormed off, still stumbling a bit from her previous unconsciousness as she disappeared into one of the side rooms. Falke turned back to Isa, the brunette meeting her gaze.

“I… I need to go to Sierpinski and look for her. If there is a chance that she’s still alive… I need to at least look.”

Falke nodded slowly, almost reverently as she turned back to the terminal.

“As I suspected… Though, I do not believe that storming an AEON facility by yourself is a good idea.”

Zack cleared his throat.

“I’ll help her, if I can.”

Falke eyed the man with some suspicion, but then hummed.

“It will take some work… But I should be able to forge an AEON officer identification for you, if you are really certain that you wish to go through with that.”

Faust stepped forward.

“I’ll help out too – they’ll need someone who actually knows the facility’s layout, I bet. Plus, I can just pass as… a guard, I guess?”

Isa looked at Faust and Zachary, pausing briefly.

“You… You guys don’t need to- “

Faust scoffed and Zack waved his hand.

“As if we’re letting you wander in there by yourself, Isolde. We- “

“Isa, Zack. Just call me Isa already, please.”

Ellie’s niece sounded impatient but… almost flattered? Maybe amused? It made Ellie raise an eyebrow… internally, of course. She wouldn’t let herself be read that easily. The captain, clearly not used to getting cut off in such a casual way, had to take a deep breath to re-focus.

“Right. Uh… So, we’re not letting you go in there by yourself, Isa. We’ll help you find out what happened to your sister.”

Ellie stepped forward, putting her hand on Isa’s shoulder.

“I would help as well… but Ariane and I have… other plans.”

The Replika felt her wife step up behind her, instinctively grabbing her hand.

“Yeah, we want to pay Rotfront another visit and… catch up on a few things. We made a few promises, and I’d rather fulfill those before we… I don’t know, storm Heimat?”

Falke tapped her finger on the desk loudly, drawing everyone’s attention.

“We should be able to access the People’s Palace once the facility is completed. Our orders included an official visit to the Great Revolutionary herself so that she can sign off on the opening of the first facility on a new planet.”

She motioned to the terminal.

“This terminal is keeping track of our progress, and once we are done, it will allegedly print out a set of instructions for us on how we are meant to approach Heimat. I am certain that we will be using a ceremonial vessel that is hidden away in the frigate’s hangar, but I do not know the codes or the frequency.”

Faust groaned.

“What, so we gotta wait for the facility to be done? Can’t you use your bio-whateverthefuck to just bypass that?”

Falke shook her head, frowning.

“No… the code and frequency will be generated randomly, and not even I can guess what they will be. It is made that way for maximum security, I believe.”

Ellie couldn’t help but curse.

“Great… So, how long until the facility is finished?”

Adler, who had kept by and large quiet and had wandered around the desk to stand at Falke’s side, finally spoke up.

“Now that the Commander has returned to us, we can pick up the pace once again – I did all I could in her absence, but handling coordination of both workers and security has been… less than ideal, to say the least.”

He cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to hide his embarrassment. Ellie pulled a face – she probably would have lost her mind if she had to command a fraction of the people that the Administrator had to keep in check over an extended period of time. Falke leaned over – she was as tall when sitting down as Adler was standing up – and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“You did well. Don’t worry, we will have this done in no time, and you’ll be able to get back to your spreadsheets.”

She could see Adler give a subdued smile when he heard the word “spreadsheets” – somehow, she was not surprised. She had seen weirder things at this point, much weirder things. Not even seeing Adler and Falke holding hands – their palms together, fingers intertwined – elicited a reaction. She felt Ariane’s hand in hers, and that was all she was interested in.

Faust laughed slightly, shaking her head as she looked at the Commander and the Administrator.

“Ya know, I never really believed the rumors of you two being a thing – seemed too easy, too cliché, you know? Teaches me, I guess.”

Falke giggled girlishly.

“It gets lonely at the top, you know? Only few people could even begin to understand what I put up with on a daily basis, Adler being one of them.”

She paused, looking over at the man.

“Well… his wit and looks also helped. I know nobody which such in-depth knowledge about so many things. Oh, when he starts with Vinetan history…”

Falke leaned her head against the man’s chest dreamily, running one of her hands along his back. The sound of the room’s doors opening interrupted the moment, causing the Commander to let go of her… boyfriend? Husband? Ellie would have to ask them about the exact nature of their relationship later.

“Commander, everyone… reporting for duty!”

The Kolibri had returned with all her sisters in tow – all of which were in various states of recovering from their wounds – and was standing there, saluting again. Falke rubbed the bridge of her nose, sighing.

“Yes, thank you 05.”

She paused, looking over the group.

“Where is 06?”

“In prison, Ma’am. She committed insubordination… and her song has changed, too. The same goes to Storch 07.”

Falke raised an eyebrow, turning to Ariane.

“I presume that was your work?”

Ellie felt Ariane nod, making their arms sway gently. Falke sighed.

“Bring those two before me, if you would. Was there anyone else that got imprisoned?”

The Kolibri, number 05, blinked a few times.

“Uh… Beo, Ma’am. Because of – I mean, you remember that, correct? We are keeping them in prison until the facility is done, at which point they are planned for de- “

“Yes, yes. I am familiar with standard procedure; However, I was not awake to hear them out, was I? Therefore, their sentences are to be considered pre-emptive… unless you have suddenly decided that you outrank me, that is.”

Replikas couldn’t get pale per se, but if they could, the Kolibri would have been white as snow in that moment. She swallowed heavily, shaking her head.

“O-Of course not Ma’am, we were just acting on uh…”

Her eyes unfocused for a brief moment. Ellie figured she was trying to quickly communicate with her sisters. The look on her face as she returned to reality told Ellie that the consensus was a resounding “You deal with it.”

“We were just… acting on protocol. Of course we’ll bring the prisoners before you.”

“Good. Then I would suggest you hurry up – I have much work to catch up on.”

The Kolibri saluted again, the whole cadre quickly scurrying back out of the door. Silence filled the room for a few seconds, then Ariane spoke up.

“So like… are they always this way?”

Falke laughed, shaking her head.

“No, they’re just boosting each other’s confusion right now – normally, they are a bit more coordinated than this, of course.”

They made some idle chit chat as they waited for the Kolibris to return from the frigate. Juli made her way up to the office as well, joining the group in their talks. They debated their next steps, what they needed to prepare and how long their respective trips would most likely take.

It took the cadre of confused Kolibris almost an hour, but they finally managed to return with the prisoners in tow. 05 saluted, seemingly a bit less dazed than before.

“Commander, as you requested: The prisoners.”

Beo was looking around the room in awe, whereas Sieben and Kay both seem thoroughly unimpressed. They waited for the Kolibris to leave, then slightly bowed their heads. Beo quickly imitated their move, her armor creaking as she did so.

“Good afternoon, Commander. It is good to see you awake again.”

Ellie raised an eyebrow at Sieben’s formal tone, taking a second to realize that that’s probably what she usually sounded like. Falke nodded.

“Yes, I have been out of commission for a while it would seem, but I am here now, and that is all that matters.”

She glanced at her terminal, pretending to type in something before letting her eyes wander over the screen for a few seconds. She had written nonsense and there was nothing readable on the screen, but Ellie made a show of raising an eyebrow as Falke hummed.

“I see, yes. You must understand that these offenses are no laughing matter, correct?”

All three “criminals” avoided the Commander’s eyes, with Sieben in particular staring holes through Faust, who was just as expressionless as the rest of their group.” Falke continued, sighing.

“Now then, just as a refresher. Beo is being accused of being… a useless plushie of a person.”

Sieben and Beo exchanged confused looks as Falke continued.

“You, 06… Or should I say “Kay”? Anyway, you are being accused of needing a step ladder to kiss your girlfriend. Shameful, truly.”

Ellie was having some trouble keeping back laughter as she saw the Kolibri before her make the dumbest face she had seen in a long time.

“As for Sieben… Ah, how heinous. It says here that you have been consistently wasting hot water, as well as… heinous auditory assault?”

Falke paused, the cleared her throat.

“That one isn’t even a joke – stop wasting so much hot water, Sieben. It costs precious energy to heat all of it up, you know?”

Sieben wanted to answer, but Falke shut her down.

“And yes; We can hear you sing – the Aras can, anyway, and it’s gotten so bad that they refuse to make maintenance tunnels around the shower area. If you absolutely must sing, then take classes, please.”

Everyone stared at Falke with surprised looks on their faces, even Adler. The tall Replika sighed.

“I apologize… That last one may have been a bit more personal than I expected. It is incredibly frustrating to be in the shower and run out of hot water… listening to an off-key rendition of “Ode an die Freude”.”

Ellie glanced at Sieben, but the Storch was very pointedly avoiding eye contact with everyone. Kay had grabbed her hand, calmingly running her thumb over the back of it. Falke cleared her throat, straightening up in her seat.

“Anyway. I have reviewed your cases thoroughly, using all of the evidence at my disposal, and I am ready to return a verdict.”

She briefly tapped her fingers on the top of her desk, pretending to be deep in thought. Then, she smiled.

“Your cases are dismissed. You are free to return to your posts at your leisure. That is all.”

Faust whistled, leaning close to Falke and whispering something to her. The Commander nodded, a fiendish smirk briefly crossing her face as she crossed her arms.

“Actually… we have just received a vital witness testimony that makes full exoneration impossible for two of you.”

She pointed at Sieben.

“Sieben, you are to help the Eules in the kitchen wash dishes for the next three days. No exceptions.”

Her finger wandered down to Kay.

“And you, Kay, you will help the Aras clean the utility tunnels around the showers. They have been quite neglected, and your stature should help with this task.”

If looks could kill, Faust would have probably exploded from the sheer force of the daggers that both the Storch and the Kolibri were staring into her. Nevertheless, they couldn’t defy Falke’s judgement, and so they just gave a short bow before turning around and walking away. Beo was left standing there.

“You… may return to your duties, Beo. All charges against you have been dropped.”

The Mynah bowed a bit, clumsily giving a thumbs up before turning away and quickly leaving the office, her wide hooves thumping loudly on the floor as she made her way back to the elevators. A brief silence hung in the room, but Isa broke it.

“We… should probably start preparations.”

Ellie turned to her; more than a little worried.

“Isa… are you sure that- “

“Yes, I’m sure. I need to do this, aunt Ellie. I couldn’t save her back then… and I may not be able to do so now, but I can at least try.”

Ellie nodded solemnly, stepping closer and giving Isa a brief hug.

“Seems you inherited the stubborn determination of your mother after all… Ok, I know there is no point in trying to change your mind now.”

Isa hugged her back, nodding.

“I didn’t come back to life just to run away from things; I’ll either find her, or at least find out what happened.”

Zack stepped up, putting a hand on the brunette’s shoulder.

“I’ll do whatever I can to help you, Isa.”

Isa instinctively grabbed the man’s hand on her shoulder as Faust also stepped up, giving Ellie’s niece a nudge.

“Yeah, and you’ll have me along as well.”

Isa nodded as she stepped back from Ellie, the Replika also loosening her grip.

“I’ll be waiting for you and your sister, then. Ariane and I should be back sooner than you, if everything goes well.”

“Everything will go well, I know it.”

Everyone shared one last nod, and then it was time to prepare.

Chapter Text

“I look like a clown.”

Faust looked over at Zack as Isa stepped up to him. Finding and adjusting an AEON officer’s uniform for him to wear had taken some serious searching and improvisation, but Faust actually disagreed with his statement.

He carried himself with a certain natural authority that really fit to the jet-black uniform he was wearing; If Faust hadn’t known that he wasn’t from AEON Command, she would’ve been fooled. Isa scoffed as she tugged at his collar, making sure that it was properly attached.

Faust couldn’t help but smirk briefly as she watched the scene, but she didn’t comment. Isa stepped back, running her hands over the man’s uniform a few times.

“There, all nice and clean. Don’t worry Zack, it’ll be fine – you’ve got the look down, all you need now is the right attitude.”

She paused, turning away with a smile only Faust could very briefly see.

“Which… may be an issue, given you’re such a pushover most of the time.”

Faust nudged Zack, nodding.

“Look, being AEON is very simple: You look down on people – yes, even Storches – you question and you deny, that’s it. Everything else is “below you” or “not worth your time”, got that?”

Zack nodded, breathing out deeply. They had gone through the general plan more than a few times by that point: Once when Falke handed them their fake documents, once on their way to Leng, another time when they had landed and now they were doing it again, while in the giant main elevator that led down to the reception area.

Faust looked at the readout inside of the elevator – they were still only halfway in their descent to the uppermost level of S-23 Sierpinski, giving them plenty of time to talk.

“So, do we have all the documents ready?”

Zack nodded in answer to Faust’s question, handing her a folder he had been holding. She flipped it open, giving the contents a brief glance as she flipped through them.

Identification for herself and Isa, some fake reports about how Isa was caught on Heimat, official-looking orders  requesting an in-person investigation of her identity… all seemed official enough to pass as having been sent by AEON Command. Faust closed the folder, handing it back before turning to Isa.

“How are you feeling?”

Isa had the most difficult role out of all of them – she would be led around in hand cuffs and only released whenever they could be sure that they were not being observed. Faust knew that the camera inside of the elevator was a fake, as she had overseen its Installation before they had left on their mission.

The brunette shook her hands slightly. They had found a simple uniform for her back on New Vineta and had added a few tears and other blemishes to suggest that she had been caught in it and hadn’t been given a change of clothes yet – as was typical for the Nation and the way it treated criminals.

“I feel… a bit exposed, maybe. This dress isn’t exactly modest.”

The girl’s torn skirt ended at about mid-thigh, complimented by a pair of thigh-highs that left just a bit of skin visible between the lower seam of the skirt and the upper seam of the thigh-highs. Faust had been more than a little baffled by the design, even making a mental note to ask Juli if she could try wearing such a dress at some point in the future.

She remembered Ellie staring daggers through Zack without him realizing when Isa showed them her disguise for the first time – how blessed it must’ve been to be so dense. Some days, Faust wanted to be a man – not because she was unhappy with being a woman, but she imagined that being a dumbass would feel relaxing. The man cleared his throat like he knew that Faust was thinking about him.

“I think it looks… nice on you. Well, it would look nice if it wasn’t so beat up, of course, but it doesn’t look bad like this, either.”

It took a lot of self-control from Faust’s side to not raise an eyebrow – had the captain finally caught on? Isa snorted, amused.

“Good effort, Zack. Good effort.”

The man just shuffled his feet, trying to think of something else to say. Quickly, he cleared his throat.

“So, we should think about our path.”

Faust glanced up – they were slowly moving down towards the reception area, so a final discussion would not be a bad idea. Faust motioned towards the map that was on the wall.

“We’ll start here, on the ReEducation level at the reception.”

She tapped the top-most level, leaving her finger on it.

“We’ll have to gain access to the Protektor-only levels to report to whoever is in charge right now. Ideally, we’d go all the way down to level 8.”

Her hand wandered down, down, ever down until she hit one of the bottom-most levels, 8. It was where most of the high-ranking people worked, so it was their best bet when it came to finding someone useful.

“And then… I don’t know, we’ll work off of what we learn there, I guess.”

Zack nodded, adjusting his uniform. Faust tapped Isa’s shoulder, jingling a pair of handcuffs on one finger.

“Alright, you little criminal. Time for the cuffs.”

Isa put her hands together behind her back, chuckling as Faust cuffed her.

“Have I been a bad girl?”

From the corner of her eye, Faust could see Zack eye them weirdly. She sighed.

“Let’s not go there, Isa.”

The girl blew air out of her nose, but the amusement drained from her face as soon as the first parts of the facility’s top floor came into view. Faust also put her best game face on, seeing Zack’s expression harden as well.

The mesh doors of the elevator raised with a loud creak, making Faust briefly close her eyes. She had heard that creak so many times that she had lost count – every time she left and returned to this hellhole.

“Move.”

She spoke the command out of habit – the same tone she always had when she was ferrying Gestalts into this special little nook of hell, knowing that they would get worked to death… if they were lucky.

Isa responded quickly, stumbling forward while Faust kept her hand on her cuffs. Zack took point, looking around the room slowly before turning to the illuminated glass of the reception. The upper reception was not staffed by an actual guard, probably in some attempt to make the place look less hellish than it actually was, but that was just Faust’s theory.

The Eule behind the glass smiled at Zack, bowing slightly.

“Hello, and welcome to S-23 Sierpinski! How may I help you?”

Zack eyed the woman disapprovingly, and Faust saw the Replika almost immediately shrink under his gaze. Slowly, he pulled out the folder, opening it and handing the Replika a small card.

“Thomas Shi, I am here on official AEON business – beyond your pay grade.”

The Eule nodded, her eyes lighting up slightly.

“I… If I may: Is this related to when our new Commander will arrive? The Administrator hasn’t heard back from AEON in days…”

Faust felt herself relax – if the Eule was asking about a new Commander, that meant that she hadn’t arrived yet… and neither had any Kolibris. That would make things… quite significantly easier. Zack didn’t let himself react visibly.

“Deployment of FKLR-units is not my department’s responsibility. I am here on other business.”

The Eule’s eyes wandered from Zack to Faust and Isa, the guard seeing the Eule gulp uneasily.

“I-I see. Your entourage…?”

Zack glanced at them briefly before turning away.

“One prisoner and security detail. Here.”

He handed the Eule another card and a piece of paper, allowing her to examine both. Her eyebrows furrowed.

“I… I see, yes. I presume you will want to talk to the Administrator about this?”

“Correct. Contact him now, while we…”

He paused.

“How will we get down to the Protektor floors?”

The Eule thought about the question, motioning to the door on their right.

“There should be a Protektor Controller on duty at the far end of this hallway – you’ll need to ask her to escort you down there.”

Zack scoffed convincingly enough that Faust wasn’t sure if he was actually annoyed or not.

“Escorted? May I remind you of my rank?”

“I… I apologize, Sir, but we rarely get AEON officials here, and… with all the Gestalts around, keeping AEON universal access keycards at the reception, so close to the classrooms is… quite dangerous, as you can imagine. Again, I apologize, but I can’t help you further.”

Zack frowned but nodded his head.

“Very well then. Your dedication to security is… admirable, I suppose, though I will have to mention this in my report.”

The Eule nodded, bowing.

“I really am terribly sorry, Officer Shi. I will go contact the Administrator now – he should be able to make some time for you, I hope.”

“I certainly hope so too, for his own sake.”

With that, they turned away and walked through the door, letting it slide closed behind them. Zack eyed the nearby camera suspiciously.

“Does the local security system have in-built microphones?”

Faust looked up before pretending to check Isa’s cuffs as she spoke.

“No, just video. We can talk freely, as long as we put on a good show.”

Zack waved his hand, signaling for Faust and Isa to start moving. He followed after, looking around the drab metal walls of the ReEducation floor. Propaganda posters hung on the walls around them, some reminding the Gestalts to not run, others depicting various Replikas and again others reminding people of the evils of the Empire. The captain didn’t seem impressed.

“This place hasn’t changed much…”

Isa mumbled the words quietly, trying to hide her lips from the cameras. Zack hummed in response.

“So, this is… a school?”

Faust scoffed as they crossed another hallway.

“That’s a pretty optimistic way of looking at it, I guess. It’s a school that teaches you to uh… re-think how things work, so to say.”

The captain nodded, frowning as they passed by a room with an open door. A Star sat inside, gazing through a one-way mirror quietly. Beyond, Faust could see rows of Gestalts sitting in school benches a lone Eule standing at the black board and motioning towards something written on it.

They passed by, barely eliciting a brief glance from the guard before she turned away, polishing her pistol silently. Faust remembered being on class duty – it was one of the calmest posts to be in, unless there was a riot, of course.

They slowed down as they reached the end of the long hallways, finally coming to a halt next to a closed door that was only marked with the AEON symbol.

“Must be the… Protektor Controller’s office?”

Zack eyed the door before simply leaning forward and opening it. Instinctively, Faust shoved Isa forward a bit, sending her tumbling inside as the other two followed after. A Storch sat inside, eyeing them from the counter of glass before them. Zack gave her a look, nodding his head.

“Officer Thomas Shi of AEON Command. We require access to the Protektor levels down below – we are to meet with the Administrator of this facility, but the reception does not have any AEON universal access keycards.”

The Storch blinked, seeming fairly calm. She looked at Isa and Faust, clicking her tongue before turning around.

“I see. Just a second, please.”

She rummaged around her desk before pulling out a keycard and handing it to Zack. It had a picture of the Storch on it, identifying her as 2307. A shiver ran up Faust’s spine as she realized that this Storch had taken Sieben’s old spot… and effectively her identity. Would Sieben even be Sieben once the new facility was done?

“What is the reason for your visit, if I may ask?”

The Storch’s question brought Faust back to reality as Zack pocketed the card and motioned towards Isa.

“Confirmation of detainee’s identity as well as possible connections to antirevolutionary movements, if you must know.”

The Protektor Controller hummed quietly as she looked at the girl.

“Confirmation of identity? Is she an escapee?”

The man turned away from her, waving his hand.

“No, but she allegedly has family here – a twin sister. I have been tasked with finding her.”

“Why send an Officer to investigate something that trivial?”

A brief silence filled the room as Zack turned around to the Storch.

“Because… If our detainee is who her biometrics suggest her to be, then she has been dead for the past 8 years, as filed by one of your predecessors.”

Faust saw the Storch’s eyebrows furrow as she shifted in her seat. Her eyes briefly glanced at Isa, who was not saying anything, just standing there with her head hung low. The tall Replika cleared her throat in some veiled attempt to mask her confusion as she sat back.

“I see. I presume the Administrator has already been contacted?”

“Of course, we only needed the keycard to access the bottom levels. I presume we will be able to find you here if we need you?”

The Storch blinked, confused.

“Of course… though I am not sure how I would be of any help.”

Zack just weighed his head from side to side.

“You most likely will not, but we cannot be sure. You have done enough for now, at least. At ease.”

Faust saw the Storch breathe out as they opened the door, turning away from the tall Replika. Seeing a Storch nervous like that was not something that the Star was used to – it felt… strange, to say the least. The door closed behind them allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

“That… went well.”

Zack’s voice was barely audible as he pulled out the keycard, looking over the small piece of plastic inquisitively. Faust nodded, quickly rifling through her memory to pull up the map of the facility she had saved in there. She quickly eyed it, humming.

“Ok, we’ll have to walk past some of the classes to get to the elevators. Ready to move?”

Isa nodded slowly, with Zack turning to her.

“Are you feeling ok? You haven’t said much in a while.”

The brunette looked up at the man, a small smile on her face.

“Just playing the part of an unwilling prisoner, that’s all. You’re handling things pretty well so far, after all.”

Faust wanted to chuckle, but she nudged the two Gestalts.

“Hey, we need to get going to the elevators. We can chat in there – they don’t have any cameras.”

They nodded in the shade of the hallway, which was a blind spot of the cameras. Then, they began moving – slowly, but steadily. They wandered back through the hallways, taking a right as they arrived at the open observation room.

“Hey, wait!”

The guard had jumped up and walked out of her office, her freshly-polished gun in hand.

“You can’t just- “

She stopped as she saw Zack’s uniform, her eyes immediately averting.

“I uh- Apologize, Sir. I’m not allowed to let anyone through while class is in session, but…”

“We are on our way to meet with the Administrator himself – we do not have time to let your little classes play out. Return to your post, and maybe I will leave this little faux-pas out of my reports… same with your open door.”

The Star stepped back, rubbing the back of her neck.

“I uh- the ventilation system in here is broken, and the Aras are dragging their hooves when it comes to dealing with it. I was just airing out, you see? Just for a moment.”

Zack didn’t reply, letting the Star babble as she stepped back into the room. Faust tuned her out – a nervous Star rarely had anything interesting to say, after all. With a final nod, the guard closed the door to her observation room and let them walk on.

The hallways between the classes were quieter than usual – most likely because the current staff were still getting used to their new positions and dealing with such large amounts of Gestalts. Everyone was cautious, trying to feel their way into their new roles; Faust couldn’t imagine what the few veteran employees had to go through, trying to teach these people how everything worked.

The rest of their way over to the elevators was largely eventless, except for the occasional patrolling star giving them a brief look. Some seemed interested in Isa, but Zack’s uniform deterred them from asking any questions.

Faust remembered the strange smell that Sierpinski’s elevators always had – a mix of stale food, soggy clothes and something that she could never quite place. It seemed that the fresh workers had tried to get rid of it, as the usual bouquet of nauseating fragrances had been joined by an almost flowery scent that could have only come from some cheap air freshener. It made things worse, as impossible as that had seemed.

Zack inserted the keycard they had been given and pressed the bottom-most button that would take them to level 8. The doors closed and the cabin whirred to life. Isa took a seat on the little shelf that was inside the elevator as Faust took her cuffs off. The girl grunted, rubbing her wrists.

“Those things hurt worse than I thought… But hey, so far, so good.”

Faust nodded, looking over at Zack.

“Are you SURE that you’re not actually with AEON? You certainly know how to bark like them, that’s for sure.”

Faust spoke from experience – she had met more than her fair share of AEON officials during her trips to and from Heimat. Zack laughed, shaking his head.

“Hah, I had to learn how to talk like that during my training with the Palace guard – some of our ranks are sent out to act as generals and commanders in the war as well, you see. You can never know when you’ll be called on to handle such matters.”

The elevator continued its descent down into the deeper levels of the facility as Isa sighed.

“Well, as long as you don’t try that talk with me… we’ll be just fine.”

Zack shook his head vehemently.

“Oh, I would never.”

The brunette flicked her braid slightly, smiling.

“That so? I’ll have to put that to the test sometime, then.”

She jumped down from the shelf, shaking her legs off a bit and stretching her arms as best as she could.

“Ok, any idea what awaits us?”

Faust ran through her memory, grunting.

“I’ve never really been all the way down in Controller accommodations for longer than a few minutes at a time, since that was above my rank and all. It’s the kind of area that is technically not off-limits, but people are going to ask you what you’re doing there a lot. The only time I went there for any extended amount of time was when Commander Falke came to us.”

She looked around, finding the same vertical map of the facility that had hung inside of the surface access elevator. Faust’s finger landed on level 8.

“Falke’s office was down there, together with Adler’s, but his was across the whole level for some reason, so I never went there. Our dorms were one level above, by the way. Only Storchs and Kolibris had their studies and dorms down there, alongside Adler and Falke.”

Isa hummed as they passed level 6. She put her hands behind her back, allowing Faust to cuff her again with a sigh.

“Back to jail I go, great. Wait… Will I have to sit through a whole meeting with an Adler unit like this?”

Faust shrugged.

“Yeah… unless you want him to ring the alarm and get the whole facility on us. Not sure how we’d get out of that, not gonna lie.”

The elevator began to slow down, dispensing the keycard that they had been given by the Storch many floors above. Zack quickly grabbed it, stowing it inside of his uniform just as the elevator doors opened.

The luxurious, dark interiors of the lower levels of Sierpinski welcomed them, the air-conditioned atmosphere wafting into the rusty cabin. It smelled like carpet cleaner and ink, as it always did – not even a change of personnel could change some things, it seemed.

The group stepped out of the elevator, Zack looking around with an expression of awe on his face.

“Huh… quite the interior design. Very sleek, I must admit.”

Isa wiggled her arms a bit, grunting.

“It’s great that you’re so aware of your surroundings, but can we maybe move? I don’t want to stay in this pose for longer than necessary.”

The captain nodded, motioning for Faust to move.

“Right. Lead the way – we don’t know where the office is.”

Faust only responded by grabbing Isa and walking ahead, leaving Zack to follow the duo closely behind. The soft carpet on the floor muffled their footsteps as they crossed the relatively short distance between the elevators and the entrance to the Administrator’s office.

A Storch was guarding the doors, looking over their group quietly.

“Officer Shi, I take it?”

Zack nodded, motioning towards the other two.

“I presume the Administrator is ready for us?”

The Storch looked at a clip board she had with her, examining the tightly-written words on it before nodding.

“Yeah, you’re right on time.”

She paused, stepping away from the door.

“I should warn you: He is not exactly in the best of moods because of your surprise visit.”

Zack shrugged dismissively, looking the Replika in the eyes.

“I do not require him to be in a good mood – I am not here for idle chatter, after all.”

The Storch’s eyebrows shot up – she was impressed by Zack’s flippant lack of care, it seemed. She motioned for the group to enter, and so they did.

Adler’s office looked exactly the same as Faust remembered it: Large, spacious and full of half-finished documents. It seemed that all Adler units shared two things: A shit-eating grin and a tendency to be messy.

“Ah, visitors. Welcome, welcome. I apologize for the state of my office, but you have arrived at an… unfortunate time.”

The new Administrator sat behind his desk, piles of folders and papers on both sides of his face as he tried his best to look calm and collected. Faust could tell that he was annoyed by the way his nostrils flared as he looked at them.

Zack sat down opposite of the Administrator, motioning for Faust and Isa to take a seat on one of the smaller seats that were lined up against the wall the door was in. The Star followed the command, pulling Isa down as well. Adler put his hands together.

“So, if I may ask: What is your purpose for being here? I was not informed about any planned visit from AEON Command.”

Zack nodded, handing the Administrator a paper from the folder. The Replika grabbed it as the captain sat back, clearing his throat.

“We are looking for one of your workers – Erika Itou. She is wanted in an investigation regarding her sister.”

Adler nodded, reading the paper quickly, his eyebrow shooting up.

“Isolde Itou…? I saw that name in the death registry left behind by my predecessor. Are you certain that…?”

Zachary wordlessly motioned at the brunette before turning back.

“The brown-haired woman you see before you matches Isolde Itou’s biometrics and the DNA we have on file. However… both of those could potentially be faked.”

“They have to be. Isolde Itou is dead – she snuck into our facility and killed one of our guards, if records are to be believed. Her body was incinerated a few days after – all the documentation matches up.”

Faust could see the Administrator close a few windows he had opened in his optics as he looked back at Zack.

“Indeed, that is why we are here. We must find Erika Itou, Isolde’s twin sister, and test if her DNA matches with that of the suspect. I hope you understand why this matter is… sensitive.”

Faust saw Adler’s expression shift as he thought about the implications.

“If the DNA does not match… then there must be a spy within the data centers… on Heimat.”

Zachary nodded seriously.

“Exactly. So, now I must inquire: Where can we find Erika Itou?”

The Administrator didn’t answer. Faust had been looking forward to this moment – she knew that Adler couldn’t answer, and seeing him squirm was of great enjoyment to her.

“I… do not know. It would appear that she… disappeared roughly two years ago up in the facilities. Nobody has seen her since, I am afraid.”

Zack pretended to be frustrated, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Are you telling me… that you have no idea where this woman is? You don’t even know if she is still here?!”

Faust saw the ADLR-unit shrink visibly as Zachary yelled at him in faux anger. He was a pretty good actor, and Faust could see Isa next to her nod approvingly.

“She… She could not left the facility, I assure you. There are no exits that are outside of the topside perimeter, which is under constant watch from multiple guard towers. Both me and my predecessor had people attempt escapes, often times through improvised exits, but none ever got out!”

The captain leaned back, sighing.

“Yes, I have read as much – it is why I am not calling Command right now, actually.”

He leaned forwards, looking the Replika before him in the eyes.

“I will conduct an investigation – if she is still here, then we will find her.”

The ADLR-unit nodded feverishly, opening and closing windows in his optics all the while.

“Of course, yes. I am notifying facility security to aid you however they can.”

“Good. I believe that we both want this to be over sooner rather than later, so I will not waste either of our times and begin my investigation post-haste.”

The Administrator barely had time to give an affirmative wave of the hand as Zack stood back up, motioning for Faust to do the same.

“Oh, Sir! One more thing, if you would.”

Zachary stopped, this time annoyed for real, and turned around to face the Administrator.

“Yes, what is it?”

The Replika was unsure of what to say, but then leaned forward.

“You… wouldn’t happen to know when our Commander is arriving? I understand that there must’ve been delays due to the war and all, but… She was meant to be here about eight cycles ago.”

The captain thought about it, then shrugged.

“I told your subordinate before: I am from a different department. There must’ve been some kind of holdup, though. I would suggest that you simply continue to wait.”

Adler nodded, sighing.

“Yes, I know. I just figured that you may have heard something. Thank you Sir, I will leave you to your investigation.”

The door hissed open as the group stepped out, earning a surprised look from the Storch.

“Done already?”

Faust nodded, giving her a smirk.

“AEON Command efficiency, Ma’am.”

Zachary sighed as the door closed behind them. He straightened up, looking around and at the Storch.

“Right. Time to find ourselves a runaway.”

Chapter Text

Ariane stretched her fingers and relaxed them repeatedly in some futile attempt to get rid of some of her nervousness. She glanced out of the windows of the train, being met with the same, familiar sight as always: Snowfall and the edged, geometrical silhouettes of Rotfront’s blocks all around. She could barely see one of the massive radar dishes poke out from behind one of the buildings before the train took a turn and became fully surrounded by the dark gray walls of the sectors.

“Still nervous?”

Ellie was sitting on one of the seats, her arms crossed. She had taken off her outer armor, but had kept the new breastplate she had gotten with it – it was a light shade of gray instead of her typical reddish orange. Ariane preferred the brighter color, but Ellie didn’t want to go through the hassle of changing it. Also, the white-haired girl could swear that it was… bigger, too, though she couldn’t fathom a reason why that would be.

“Well… yeah.”

The Replika shook her head.

“You’ve been through way tougher things than this, you know?”

Ariane turned to her wife angrily, crossing her arms.

“Oh yeah, I’ll just tell my IRRATIONAL fear to listen to reason real quick, I’m sure that will work perfectly.”

Ellie laughed, amused by her wife’s antics. She gently patted her lap.

“Come here. You’re cute when you’re angry.”

Ariane didn’t want to, but her body moved without her input. The train was empty anyway, so she could as well let herself have a break. She plopped down on her wife’s lap, putting her arms around her.

“It’s… been a while since we cuddled like this.”

Ellie nodded slowly, leaning her head against Ariane’s.

“Too long, really.”

She paused, breathing a sigh.

“In that… place, the thought of seeing you again was all that kept me going most of the time. That and adrenaline, heh.”

Ariane glanced at her ring, which shone in the light of the train. Instinctively, she nuzzled her head between Ellie’s jaw and shoulder.

“The Empress… she took my ring and wore it like it was hers… Did I tell you that?”

Ellie shook her head, raising an eyebrow.

“Why would she do that?”

Ariane hummed, raising her hand to show to Ellie.

“She used to be married, long ago. She even had a daughter… well, the daughter is still alive.”

“The Great Revolutionary, huh? You told me that before.”

Ellie ran her hand up and down Ariane’s back slowly and let her eyes wander as if she was looking for something.

“So… she stayed behind in that other realm, did she?”

Ariane nodded into her wife’s neck, eliciting a thoughtful hum.

“Interesting… She’s still hanging on, even after all that time. That is some determination.”

“More like guilt, I think.”

Ellie nodded, but then grunted.

“Guilt is what motivated her to stick around originally… but it also shows her will to make things right, if you ask me.”

Ariane thought about Ellie’s assessment – she wasn’t sure herself why the Empress insisted on staying in the other realm. She had found someone to carry on her will… maybe she wanted to see it be done? Ariane wasn’t sure.

The train rattled slightly, almost throwing Ariane off of Ellie lap, but the Replika held her tight. After a short silence, she sighed.

“So, we are visiting your family, huh?”

Ariane nodded, feeling her nervousness return partially.

“Yeah… my uncle Oscar and Aunt Kamilla.”

She felt herself shiver, even though some part of her knew that she was overreacting. She loosened her grip on her wife, looking up at her.

“Are you… are you nervous?”

Ellie paused, looking away for a second before once again meeting Ariane’s gaze.

“A bit… but they are just people, in the end. They are still your family.”

Ariane nodded, though her nervousness didn’t fade by much.

“Yeah, but… what if they don’t like you? They could call the warden, and- “

Ellie put a finger on Ariane’s lips, shaking her head.

“If they try anything we will flee, that’s that. But… I doubt that they will.”

“I wish I had your confidence sometimes, Ellie. Just… waltzing through life like that.”

The Replika chuckled quietly as she looked up.

“Well, that’s what you got me for, huh? Anyway… we’re almost there. Are we ready?”

Ariane sighed, shaking her head.

“Nope, but that doesn’t mean we won’t go anyway. Now… just let me sit like this for a while longer, ok?”

Ellie nodded silently, closing her eyes and breathing slowly. Ariane felt the rhythm of her wife’s heart, felt the barely tangible whirring of her cooling systems and felt her breath brush past her nose – it was calming, this rhythm; Feeling her wife so close.

The train began to slow down, making Ariane wiggle a bit in discomfort. She had to let go of Ellie and get back to normal reality, as much as she didn’t want to. She sighed, sliding off of her wife’s polyethylene-protected thighs.

“Alright… let’s get this done with, huh?”

Ellie nodded, getting up as well. She dusted herself off, checking herself out in the window. Quickly, Ariane reached to her side and slapped the Replika on the ass, eliciting a small yelp from her. Immediately, Ariane dodged out of the way of the counter-slap.

The train dove below the frosty ground of the moon as Ellie stepped to the side, trying to pay Ariane back for her slap. The girl deftly dodged away, trained well by her multiple combat encounters. The Replika kept up her attempts until the first lights of the station rushed past them, at which point she sighed.

“You win this time…”

Ariane smirked, joining the Replika in front of the doors as the train slowed to a halt gradually before finally stopping fully. The doors opened, and the two women stepped out. Ariane looked around, realizing that they were on the side of the station that was furthest away from her family’s photo store.

“Hm, look at that.”

Ellie’s words drew Ariane’s attention away from her own thoughts and towards the closest door. A red sheet of paper hung there, with large, black letters printed on it. Ariane blinked, looking at the other stores. Every one of them had the same red sheet attached.

Slowly, Ariane walked over and examined the paper.

“CLOSED IN PREPARATIONS FOR MONDFEST.”

Ariane felt her mood lighten immediately as she turned to face Ellie.

“Ellie, look! I totally forgot that today is Mondfest!”

The Replika blinked, visibly confused by Ariane’s excitement. The white-haired girl remembered that she hadn’t told Ellie anything about Rotfront’s traditions, and so she cleared her throat.

“It’s a festival that happens every year here, I don’t really know what the Vinetan equivalent would be, though. It’s just… a time for people to take a break and get together, a real family holiday, you know?”

Ellie hummed, clearly trying to remember something. Then, she shrugged.

“Alright, that’s good then. So… does that mean that we’ll be crashing your family dinner?”

Ariane froze. She hadn’t thought about that, but Ellie was right – they would show up at her uncle’s and aunt’s home in the middle of Mondfest celebrations. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other.

Ellie must’ve noticed the shift in her behavior as she stepped a bit closer, putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder calmingly.

“Hey… what better time to visit than on a holiday that’s all about family? I’m sure they’ll be glad to see you.”

Ariane hesitated for a few seconds, but then nodded. She was overthinking things again, and she knew it. She brushed Ellie’s hand off, motioning towards the exit.

“Yeah, you’re right. Come on, let’s get into the block and pay my family a long overdue visit. And…”

She trailed off, gulping loudly.

“And uh… let’s come totally clean, too. That’s gonna be the “fun” part of this.”

“I’m right here with you, don’t forget that.”

Ariane nodded, absent-mindedly grabbing and squeezing her wife’s hand before quickly letting go. They exchanged a brief nod and began their ascent. Ariane still remembered where her family’s apartment was, her legs carrying her up to it almost automatically.

The way felt too short to her, even though she couldn’t explain how. Maybe she had walked faster than usual, or maybe it was just the fact that she had Ellie with her and her own nerves – it didn’t matter in the end, of course.

The door to the Yeongs’ apartment looked the same as it had when Ariane had left it – well, perhaps there were more rust stains visible where paint had peeled off with use, but overall, it looked the same, at least.

The sounds of people talking in their apartments echoed through the hallways – sounds of laughter, of life and comfort that put Ariane’s mind at ease. It was a stark contrast to the uniformity of the doors and the shabbiness of the hallway they were standing within. The tiles under their feet and hooves were old, dusty and cracked in places and the paint on the walls hadn’t been renewed in… as long as Ariane could remember, really.

“So… do we knock or is there a bell?”

Ellie was eyeing the door from different angles, trying to see if there was some mechanism to it, but Ariane shook her head.

“No, only some of the richer Sectors have door bells for apartments. The walls here are thin, so you need to knock.”

She leaned forward, knocking on the door decisively using her knuckles a few times. She paused as she didn’t hear anything from the other side, sighing before clearing her throat.

“Uncle Oscar, Aunt Kamilla? It’s me, Ariane!”

There were a few more seconds of silence, but then the door opened with a creak. The face of her uncle Oscar peered back at her, his expression changing from one of confusion to a wide smile almost immediately.

“Ari! By the Revolutionary, it really IS you! Come on in, come on!”

The door opened fully, revealing the Yeongs’ small apartment. The TV was on, playing some re-run of one of the Revolutionary’s speeches from years ago or other. The apartment was as clean and cozy as Ariane remembered.

Her aunt’s and uncle’s bunk bed was pushed against the far wall, right next to the simple dining table that had been decorated with a red table cloth and some obviously fake flowers. The room smelled like freshly cooked pork – a rarity saved for holidays on Rotfront.

“Honey? Who is it?”

Her aunt’s voice sounded from the small kitchen that Ariane couldn’t see from the entrance. Uncle Oscar turned to his right, excitedly waving his hand.

“It’s Ariane and her assistant, hon! Remember, I told you that she came to visit a few weeks ago?”

Ariane could hear dishes clattering and footsteps quickly approached them. Then, her aunt’s face popped out from around the corner, her blue eyes lighting up immediately. She looked almost the same as she had the last time Ariane had seen her, just with a few extra gray hairs and wrinkles to indicate her age.

Her aunt and her mother were not twins, but they looked fairly similar, only underlining how different Ariane looked. She had taken more after her father, though she had never met the man as he had allegedly stayed on Leng while Iris, Ariane’s mother, moved to Rotfront.

Before Ariane could think about it more, she felt her aunt’s arms wrap around her as the middle-aged woman pulled her into a hug.

“Oh Ariane, look at you! You’ve grown so much since you left. Come in, come in! I’ll prepare a plate for you and, uh…”

“Elster. A pleasure to meet you.”

Ariane heard Ellie’s response from behind her, and her aunt nodded.

“Ah yes, Elster, right. Please, come in, you two.”

She stepped back, allowing Ellie and Ariane to step inside, and they quickly did so. Oscar closed the door behind them as Kamilla quickly turned back towards the kitchen, hurrying over and opening some of the cupboards.

“I think we have enough plates here… Actually, Miss Elster – do you eat normal food? I… don’t think I have any special Replika meals I could prepare for you.”

Elster waved the woman off as Oscar quickly turned the TV down.

“I am more than capable of eating Gestalt food, don’t worry. But really, you do not- “

“No, no, I insist that you eat with us – both of you. Mondfest is a time of togetherness, after all. I made enough food for all of us, I just need to…”

She rummaged around, quietly mumbling to herself. Oscar wandered over, putting a hand on Ariane’s shoulder.

“Hey, why don’t I show you your room? Come on, I put a lot of work into and all.”

Ariane felt her chest tighten, but nodded.

“S-Sure, go ahead.”

Ellie stepped up behind her, following both Ariane and her uncle to a narrow, wooden door at the other side of the room. Her uncle presented the brand-new doorknob with the same gusto a government official would present a new monument on Heimat.

“Took us a bit, but we were finally able to replace the door knob, as you can see. Finest… I think it’s steel? The salesman told me that it was steel, anyway. Go on, open it.”

Ariane reached out, feeling her hand sweat slightly as she grabbed the door knob and turned it.

The sight that greeted her was… both expected and strange. Her room looked… almost the same as before. The same wardrobe, the same desk, the same small cupboard; They had even kept the photos on the wall, together with the old, crumpled Nation flag that looked even more creased than usual, somehow.

A solid, wooden bed stood in the far corner of the room, barely fitting into the already cramped space inside. It looked… nice, solid, with a fresh mattress on top. The walls had been painted relatively recently as well, the drab brownish color she remembered hating having been replaced with a surprisingly calming shade of dark red, like Ariane’s eyes.

“Aaaand? Do you like it? I uh… we’re still saving up for a new wardrobe, since this old one is barely holding together at this point. But uhm… yeah, I didn’t touch your terminal or your old training radio or anything.”

Silence filled the small room for a moment before Oscar hesitantly spoke again.

“Ariane? Is uh… something wrong? Did I pick the wrong color?”

Ariane shook her head gently, swallowing down the tears she wanted to cry. Why had they cared after she left? As far as they knew, she could have died in space, but they renovated her room nonetheless. 8 years, they waited for her, but why?

“It’s… really nice, uncle Oscar. Sorry, I was just taking it all in, that’s all.”

She felt her uncle’s hand pat her back.

“Hey, it’s ok to get a bit emotional. It’s been a while since you’ve been here. Do you want a moment?”

“No, no moments now! Dinner’s ready!”

The voice of Ariane’s aunt ripped them from the tender moment as they turned around. The woman was zipping back and forth between the dining table and the kitchen, carrying plates, pots and cutlery back and forth. Her tone was so clear and sharp that not even Ariane’s self-induced guilt and sadness could out-authority it, immediately snapping her back into a more normal state of mind.

Before she knew it, she was at the table with a plate of honey-glazed ham and mashed potatoes and a tall glass of warm tea before her, a fork and knife in her hands. She blinked, looking at the people around her. Everyone, even Ellie was chewing peacefully on the ham, with the Replika giving an impressed nod before putting her cutlery aside.

“Quite the meal, Ma’am. You wouldn’t happen to have a recipe you could share with me?”

Kamilla nodded, taking a sip of her tea before swallowing her bite.

“Of course, dear. Are you a cook?”

Ellie smiled slightly.

“I dabble occasionally, though I am but an amateur.”

Kamilla smiled back, cutting into her ham some more.

“Practice makes perfect, dear. Though… I admit, I haven’t thought about Replikas cooking before. Is it a common thing?”

Ellie shook her head, taking another bit of ham before continuing.

“No… more of a personal hobby, one might say.”

Oscar jumped in, tapping his plate to draw Ellie’s attention.

“So, you served with Ariane on the… what was it called, the Zenrose?”

“Penrose, sir. The Penrose-512, to be precise. Yes, I was your niece’s assistant on the ship during our voyage.”

Ellie’s answer was short, curt, but it made Kamilla pause. Ariane saw her aunt’s brain work overtime as her forehead scrunched up in thought.

“Right, the Penrose program… I remember. Hm…”

She trailed off, chewing on some mashed potatoes as Oscar used the moment again.

“And you chose to stick with Ari after that? I’m surprised the Nation allowed it – I remember the old warden noting that she had asked for a transfer to a different position but was denied.”

Ellie looked away, glancing at Ariane. Before she could say anything, Kamilla piped up.

“Actually… since we are already on the topic – I heard that Penrose was… well, little more than a death trap, really, since the only way to return would be to… to…”

She looked over at Ariane, making the girl freeze mid-chew. The ham was really good, as most of her aunt’s cooking tended to be.

“Ariane, did you…?”

The girl swallowed, taking a deep breath in before sighing.

“Right, so… About the whole point we came here today.”

Ellie looked at Ariane, raising an eyebrow as the girl paused.

“I can tell them if you don’t want to…”

Ariane waved her wife’s suggestion off, rolling her shoulders. This was the moment she had been looking forward to the least, but it had to be done.

“Right, where to start. I… I guess with the big thing. We found a new planet, just outside of the Solar system.”

Oscar and Kamilla’s eyes went wide, with Ariane’s uncle catching his breath first.

“T-That is- I mean, that is amazing news, Ari! Why haven’t we heard about this anywhere? If you’re back here, then that means it must already be like, conquered, right? Were there any hostiles? Did you- “

Ariane cut her uncle off with a quick movement of her hand.

“That’s the next thing! I… may have, sort of… become a traitor to the Nation. And… I may or may not be in line to become the next Empress of the Eusan Empire.”

No response came from her aunt and uncle, with both of them staring at the girl quietly. While she was at it, she could as well drop the last bomb on them.

“And… I’m married now. To… Ellie.”

Both her and her wife raised their left hands up, showing off their rings.

“Hello, I’m Ellie. Ellie Yeong-Itou, to be precise.”

“Right, yeah… as we learned, the Gestalt that Ellie was based on is related to Mrs. Itou, I almost forgot to mention that part.”

Only the murmur of the TV and the people in the surrounding apartments celebrating could be heard as Oscar and Kamilla quietly chewed, unsure of what to say. Strangely, most of Ariane’s nervousness had fallen from her like a boulder as she held Ellie’s hand gently, both of them chewing some ham as they waited for the shock to abate. It was Kamilla who finally spoke up.

“Well… I always suspected you’d elope with one of the twins, so really… I was not that far off.”

Ariane blinked at her, deeply confused. Oscar sighed as he cut himself another slice of ham.

“I really should’ve listened to my mother when she told me the Yeongs were a dissident family.”

He paused, then shrugged.

“Oh well, that’s what I get for going for the fun girl, hm, Kamilla?”

Kamilla chuckled.

“But you were cautious enough to not go for the dissident, hm?”

Ariane looked back and forth between the two of them, but it was Ellie who commented first.

“You seem… shockingly unaffected by all of this, Mr. and Mrs. Yeong.”

“That’s a bit of an understatement. I… I thought you two would laugh at me when I told you about all of this.”

Kamila gave Ariane a sympathetic look.

“Dear… You’re my sister’s daughter. That means two things.”

She raised her index finger.

“Firstly, you are family. We may not be able to help you keep away the evils that await you, but we can be there for you as trusted confidants. I told you this long, long ago when you came to us, didn’t I?”

Her thumb sprang out as she moved on.

“Secondly, Iris and her… dissident tendencies are well-known to me and… really, anyone who knows her. I was almost expecting you to defect to the Empire the second you got back from the military training.”

Oscar nodded, taking a sip of his tea.

“Didn’t mean that we didn’t try to keep you away from that life – everyone knows how the Nation treats defectors. Though… seems that you found a way after all.”

He paused.

“But really – You, the next Empress?”

Ariane almost felt a bit offended at her uncle’s suggestion that she was somehow not befit to be the next Empress, but she laughed it off.

“Yeah… Life really works in mysterious ways sometimes, doesn’t it? I wasn’t sure if I was fit for the role myself, but uh… There are times where doubts are not something you can afford to have.”

Kamilla nodded, looking over at Ellie.

“Would you like more ham?”

The Replika shook her head.

“No, thank you Ma’am, I- “

“Kamilla. Just call me Kamilla, please. You’re family now, after all.”

Ellie froze for a second, then nodded.

“I… yes, I am, I suppose. I… wasn’t sure if you would be ok with me, though.”

“Because you’re a Replika?”

Ellie nodded, but Kamilla waved it off.

“As long as you’ve got a good head on your shoulders, it doesn’t matter what makes you tick. I’ve met lots of upstanding Replikas and horrible, terrible Gestalts myself.”

She motioned towards the food that Ellie had left on her plate.

“Don’t you dare leave food uneaten though – I cooked that, and it wasn’t cheap.”

Ariane couldn’t help but chuckle a bit as Ellie dug into the remains of her meal with extra fervor – Kamilla’s way of exerting absolute authority was still going as strong as ever, it seemed. Ariane quickly finished her food and everyone handed their plates to Kamilla, who stood up wordlessly and got to putting the dishes away.

Oscar, Ellie and Ariane were left alone at the table, with Oscar looking over at the Replika.

“So, if you don’t mind… who were you… based on, I suppose?”

Ellie shifted in her seat.

“My pattern was a woman by the name of Lilith Itou, the sister of Anja Itou.”

Oscar’s eyebrows shot up at the mention of the latter name.

“Oh, so you are Anja’s sister?”

Ellie shook her head.

“I… It’s hard to explain I suppose, but I both am and am not Lilith. I suppose it is easiest to think of it as an identity that I forgot before starting a new life, if that makes sense.”

Oscar nodded, then furrowed his eyebrows.

“Right… yeah, I think I get it. But, many… I’m sure Anja would love to meet you.”

Ellie sighed, looking at Ariane.

“The last time we were here, it was you who told us that she had been taken away for some reason. Not even the warden knew any details.”

Oscar seemed lost in thought for a moment, then leaned back in his chair.

“Kamilla, hon? Didn’t you tell me that you heard something about Anja?”

Kamilla paused, shaking water off of her hands as she turned around.

“Hm? Oh right, I remember what you mean. I overheard the warden communicating with someone the other day using one of the radio transmitters. I only understood part of it, but it seems that a “low priority convict” was meant to be returning back to our block soon.”

Oscar nodded, snapping his fingers.

“Riiight, that’s what that was. Anyway, yeah – Anja is the only person we could think of when we heard about a convict. Seems the Nation just felt like putting her through the ringer – as if that woman hasn’t suffered enough, what with her daughters being gone and all.”

Ariane paused, exchanging a look with Ellie.

“Actually, about that. We think that Erika might not be dead, and Isa is uh… She’s kinda… back from the dead?”

Oscar blinked twice, then sighed.

“Ok look, Ari. I can accept a lot of things, but bringing dead people back to life? That’s a bit much. I’ll need to see her before I believe you that one.”

Ariane shrugged – her uncle’s skepticism was understandable. If anything, she was surprised that it had taken that much for him to begin doubting her. Ellie hummed quietly.

“Actually… that reminds me of something I want to do. What is the code to the book store again?”

The white-haired girl looked at Ellie for a second before understanding what Ellie was planning to do.

“Oh, it’s the twins’ birthday, but using the Vinetan calendar.”

Ellie nodded as she stood up.

“Alright, I remember that, I think. If you’ll excuse me, I need to do something real quick. I shouldn’t be long.”

Ariane nodded, putting her hand around Ellie’s hips briefly as she walked past.

“Ok. I’ll stay here and talk a bit more, if you don’t mind. I have a lot to catch up on.”

“Yeah, like I said… shouldn’t be long. I’ll be back before you know it.”

The white-haired girl giggled, letting go of her wife’s hips.

“I’ll hold you to that, you know? Now go, chop chop – that’s an order.”

The Replika chuckled, shaking her head as she walked across the room and opened the door.

“Of course, Ma’am. I’ll be right back.”

With that, she closed the door behind her. Ariane sighed loudly, leaning back in her chair as Kamilla sat back down with them, a wet stain on her shirt from how fast she had washed the dishes.

“Well, now that we are no longer eating… Time for you to give us the details!”

Oscar nodded fervently.

“Yeah, we want to know everything! From the planet to how that whole Empress business happened!”

Ariane sighed internally as she leaned forward. This would take a while and a half, to say the least.

She just hoped Ellie would be back before she got to the really crazy parts.

Chapter Text

Ellie’s fingers flew across the keypad, typing the twins’ birthday in, barely even looking at the keys she was hitting. A beep told her that she hadn’t forgotten – how could she, really? Her face was illuminated slightly by the green light that had turned on at the top of the keypad as she grabbed the newly unlocked door, pulling it open.

The door slid aside with a rattle and a creak of its frame, and she quickly stepped through into the darkened storage room of the bookstore. The still-familiar scent of old paper and printing ink filled her nose as she flipped the light switch, being met with the same rows upon rows of books she remembered from her previous visit.

She took some time to let her eyes wander across the different books before her. She couldn’t help but frown slightly at the sight. She didn’t remember most of them from their old store on Vineta – it made her wonder where they had ended up. It made sense that the Itous would have had to leave most of their inventory back on the ocean planet, but there had to be something at least, right?

She ran her hand across the books – instruction manuals, science books and the occasional Nation-approved history book met her eye, though there were some more interesting ones as well. Ellie had to stop herself from grabbing a horribly outdated edition of “engineering monthly” that someone had stuffed between some rather uninteresting medical journals, for example.

She moved from one shelf to the other, finding some more curious titles listed. A thick book caught her attention - the 45th edition of the Nation’s only official dictionary of the Eusan language. Ellie blinked, remembering that she had used the second edition back in the military. How fast did the Nation change their language? 

The thought that even this edition was probably outdated brought a sour taste to Ellie’s mouth, causing her to turn away and to a section that would no doubt interest Ariane, what with her propensity for old imperial serials.

Stories of fantastical journeys, brave soldiers and various other sci-fi and fantasy books looked back at her, carrying titles such as “Escape past the Horizon” and “A slow dance for the emptiness” - titles that some creative mind or other had cooked up to be just vague enough to be enticing to the regular, everyday customer.

Lilith had never particularly enjoyed such escapist literature, but Ellie had learned to appreciate it thanks to Ariane and their time spent on the Penrose. They were timewasters of course, but there were situations in which wasting time was the best thing to do.

She moved further into the storage room and was met with older books, some of which she remembered from the time she and Anja had tended to the store as teens. A certain feeling of reverence overcame her as she brushed the dust off of the leather covers of these practically ancient volumes - the old guard of the Itou bookstore, so to say.

It seemed that Anja and Dorian had managed to save at least part of the truly old inventory before they fled Vineta, saving these books from a watery grave. Something told Ellie that these books would never really be sold - there were too many memories associated with them, after all.

Something caught her eye in the rows of the old guard - a book that she had seen many times before but that only carried weight to her now. Ellie wrapped her fingers around an old tome with a dark cover, pulling it out slowly.

Dust rained from the book as Ellie looked it over. A figure, clad in yellow, was depicted on the front cover, surrounded by a halo and seemingly reaching out to the reader, offering them a hand. Ellie looked at the title.

“The King in Yellow…”

She remembered Ariane having a very similar book on the Penrose – it had the same name, but the cover was… different somehow. Or at least she could have sworn that it was, but she couldn’t quite remember all the details. She remembered that Ariane had kept the book on a little bookshelf in her quarters, sometimes breaking it open and reading aloud from it.

Her wife hadn’t realized in all the commotion of them finding New Vineta, but her old copy of the book had unfortunately been destroyed while she was in her strange, three-cycle coma. Ellie remembered the way the Penrose had changed course suddenly, sending things flying and the Replika stumbling as she was doing her rounds.

It appeared that the book had gotten flung off of the shelf and into a nearby lamp in the shift, causing it to catch on fire almost immediately. Ellie hadn’t noticed it until the ship’s fire alarms had gone off, and by that time, the book was long gone; little more than a few scorched pieces of paper.

Quickly, Ellie grabbed the book tighter – she could take it along and give it to Ariane, as an apology for failing to save the original one. Then again… that old book had always given her a bad feeling for some reason. This one seemed different though, like a reprint perhaps. The figure’s stance struck Ellie as almost friendly, even though Ellie knew that the King was not someone she or anyone would like to meet in real life.

She turned away from the rows upon rows of books without so much as another passing glance, instead crossing the storeroom and stopping before the door to the store itself. She breathed in deeply, readying herself.

It would be a quick thing – go in, do her thing, leave some ration marks for the book, and then get back out, like she had never been there in the first place. She could do that, easily. If not for herself, then at least for Ariane. She promised that she’d be back soon, after all.

She stepped into the store, quickly flicking on the lights before turning to her left and hurrying over to the counter. She briefly put the tome she was holding on top of it before turning to the little shrine that had caused her to pass out before.

The faces of her nieces looked back at her the same as they had done before. This time however, her head did not ache and her knees did not buckle. Gently, she reached out to the image of Isolde, removing it from the shrine and looking at it closer.

She realized that it must’ve been a photo from a yearbook, or perhaps it was from Isa’s graduation – she looked much younger on it, with that same pensive look in her eyes that she had already had as a baby. The Isa that Ellie knew now was…very different, and yet the same.

“Little Isa, all grown up now.”

Ellie couldn’t help but smile like an idiot as she gently took off the black band around the bottom right corner of the picture. She was glad that Isa had accepted her as her aunt without question or hesitation; They both needed some family, or so she thought.

She put the image back, adjusting it slightly before turning to that of Erika. Unlike Isa, Erika had a smile on her face in her picture and her hair was open, showing off the beautiful color of brown that they had inherited from their mother.

The Replika put her hand on the frame of the picture, turning it slightly. She wanted to take off the black band on it as well, but she couldn’t do so quite yet. She knew that Isa would find her sister, but she hadn’t heard anything from her niece yet.

She thought about Isa, Faust and Zack; wondering where they could be by now. Ariane had helped transport them to Leng using her reality-ripping powers, the same as she had done with Ellie and herself afterwards, but they couldn’t contact the group in any way.

Faust had assured them that they would send them a message once they were done, but so far there had been nothing. Still, Ellie trusted the three of them fully.

“They’ll find you, Erika.”

She put the image back into the same pose she had found it in, sighing heavily as she did so. From what she had heard about the Sierpinski facility, she could only hope that Erika was as smart and resourceful as Ariane and Isa made her sound.

The hiss of a hydraulic door made Ellie spin around, suddenly panicked. Had one of the wardens come to inspect the shop? Would she have to try and fight her way out of here and back to Ariane? They had hoped that their visit could do without any more fights – it was meant to be a little break for them before the facility on New Vineta would be finished and they’d begin their attack on Heimat, after all.

Her blue, bionic eyes met green ones and she froze. A woman stood at the front door of the shop, staring at the Replika. Her brown hair was tied into a bun and Ellie could see strands of silver shining among the still-radiant brown color here and there.

Anja blinked, unsure of what to say as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She wore an off-white cardigan and some type of simple pants that Ellie couldn’t quite place. She looked… shriveled, for lack of a better word, like she had somewhat sunken in on herself over time. It made Ellie’s chest feel tight.

“I… I’m sorry, can I help you? Are you with the Protektors? The warden told me that her investigation was already finished…”

Ellie felt herself shaking slightly at the tone of Anja’s voice. She didn’t remember her… well, Lilith’s sister sounding so… scared and meek. Instinctively, the Replika stepped away from the shrine and turned to face Anja. The Gestalt smiled sadly.

“Oh, is the shrine a problem? I… I suppose I can take it down if it violates some new protocol that was instated while I was being questioned.”

Anja shifted her weight from one leg onto the other slowly before walking a few steps forward. She had a slight limp, no doubt a result of the “questioning” she had undergone. How she was still moving around at all was a wonder, however – as far as Ellie knew, she had lost everyone: Her husband, her daughters… and her sister, too.

She was reminded why Lilith had looked up to her sister – she had a determination somewhere inside of her, a fire that kept her going, no matter what happened. Lilith had never had that, or at least not to the same degree. Ellie looked the woman over, unsure of what to say. She knew she had to use this chance, however.

“Anja…”

The Gestalt blinked, surprised by Ellie saying her name.

“Yes, that is me: Anja Itou. Is… is there an issue?”

Ellie stepped out from behind the counter, standing face to face with her sister, who took a stumped half-step back.

“I… Am I being detained again? B-but the warden said that- “

The woman stopped, eyeing the Replika with a strange look in her eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tilted her head to the side. Slowly, she took a step forward.

“Do… Do we know each other? You seem so… familiar, somehow.”

Ellie let Anja get closer, looking at her sadly as she studied her sister’s expression. Anja’s eyes were full of confusion as she approached the Replika, one hand outstretched tentatively.

The Gestalt’s fingers met the Replika’s face plate and Ellie felt how warm they were. They felt hard against her skin, callouses caused by many years of carrying, sorting, and working with books littering the woman’s hands. She held Ellie’s face in her hand for a few seconds, her expression slowly shifting from one of confusion to realization. Tears welled up in her eyes, her lower lip trembling.

“L-Lilith…?”

Ellie closed her eyes. She was not Lilith, not really… but, just this once, she could be. For her sister; For Anja.

“It’s… been a long time, sis.”

The Replika had to grab Anja to prevent her knees from buckling underneath her. The Gestalt was shaking violently, her hand having slipped down from Ellie’s face, now grasping her shoulder tightly. Ellie could feel how weak her grasp was, despite adrenaline no doubt pumping through her.

“I- They told us you were dead, Lil.”

Ellie nodded as she slowly let herself and Anja sink down to the floor. Her sister needed to sit down, but there were no seats anywhere nearby and the counter was still cracked from Ellie hitting it with her head. Unfortunately, the floor would have to suffice for the time being.

“I’m sorry it took me so long, Anja. I should have been here sooner.”

Anja shook her head as they finally sat down on the floor, Ellie crossing her legs as she held her sister in a semi-sitting stance. The Gestalt didn’t say anything for a few seconds, hyperventilating as tears rolled down her cheeks. Ellie decided to give her some more time.

“I… I heard about everything you went through, Anja. I was here a few weeks ago, but back then I didn’t remember… and you weren’t here.”

She grabbed Anja’s hand, squeezing it tightly. Her older sister wiped some tears from her face, trying her best to put herself back together.

“No, you… I know you did what you could; We only got off of Vineta because of you.”

Ellie blinked.

“They… they told you that?”

Anja nodded sadly, one hand in her lap as she looked up at Ellie.

“Well… It was one of your old comrades that told us, actually. Rebecca Liang?”

The Replika froze for a brief second – she had totally forgotten about Rebecca and the fact that she had moved to Rotfront as well.

“You were on the same transport?”

The brunette shook her head gently.

“No, we… we met Rebecca years after moving here, actually; She was invited to the school the twins went to as a guest teacher for biology and… and…”

She buried her face in her hands, shaking her head slightly.

“Sorry, it’s just… You saw the shrine – the girls are- “

Ellie ran her hand through Anja’s hair calmingly – something that Anja had done plenty of times to Lilith whenever the younger sister would feel sad, stressed or otherwise under the weather. The woman sobbed gently as Ellie sighed, thinking about what she should say.

“No, Anja… I don’t think they are. I… I met Isa.”

Anja’s head shot up as the woman blinked tears out of her eyes, trying to look at her sister.

“You- How? I got sent a death report and everything. She… She went after her sister, tried to save her from some death camp she had been sent to.”

Ellie nodded.

“Yes, S-23 Sierpinski. I… I talked with the Commander and the Administrator of that facility. Erika disappeared… nobody knows what happened to her. Isa… Well, that is… a longer story.”

She sighed, shaking her head.

“Honestly… where do I even start?”

“And you? Rebecca told us that she met you in some hospital on Heimat, but then you just disappeared and were pronounced dead, just like that.”

Ellie nodded, sighing.

“Right. Back then, Lilith had lost someone who was… dear to her. Dearer than even you and the kids, as mean as that may sound.”

“Alina Seo?”

The interruption made Ellie pause for a second as she looked down at Anja. The older woman still had tears welling up in her eyes, but she seemed a bit calmer now.

“Y-Yeah, Alina Seo. How do you…?”

Anja ran her hands up and down her pants, clearly looking for something. Finally, she pulled out an old, crumpled photograph. The faces of Lilith and Alina stared back at her, though the picture was damaged by time and exposure to the elements. Ellie gently grabbed the photo, looking at the two figures.

“Rebecca gave it to us… to remember you by. The Yeongs made a few copies, but this one is the original that Rebecca got from Heimat directly. It’s… the last photo we have of you.”

Ellie gave the photo back as Anja continued.

“So… you and this Alina were lovers, then? I mean, we figured as much, but we couldn’t be sure.”

The Replika sighed, nodding as she closed her eyes.

“Yeah… I can still remember her, even though I am… not quite the same person that I was back then. Lilith… she thought that she lost her in a bombing attack – she was told that Alina was dead.”

She looked at her hand, flexing her synthetic muscles slowly, feeling her systems whir slightly.

“Someone approached her, then – gave her an opportunity that she didn’t have the time or mental state to think through. And… that is how I and the other LSTR-type units came to be.”

Anja had gone quiet, her hand still holding Ellie’s. The Replika didn’t know what she should say, sighing.

“I’m sorry, Anja. I- “

“No, it’s… it’s ok, I get it. I think I would have taken that offer too, if I were in your place.”

The woman sat up slightly, pulling her cardigan a bit tighter around herself.

“God knows how I’ve survived the last few years… Sometimes, I don’t even realize that I’ve woken up. I just… come to, standing in the book store, in the middle of handing someone a book.”

She laughed humorlessly.

“It’s really weird, isn’t it? How your body has a way of just… taking over sometimes? It runs your life for you, even if you don’t want it to. I guess it’s that self-preservation instinct people talk about.”

Ellie shook her head, helping Anja sit up straighter.

“I don’t think it’s that, Anja. We’ve always been stubborn, but I think… I think some part of you was waiting for me, or maybe for the twins.”

Anja stayed quiet, forcing Ellie to continue.

“Sorry that I kept you waiting, sis.”

The older woman laughed, shaking her head.

“You haven’t changed at all, Lilith; Always trying to take the lion’s share of guilt and all…”

She pushed Ellie away slightly, pulling her knees closer to her body.

“Oof… that was easier ten years ago. Age is a hell of a thing, huh? I mean… I guess you’re not affected by that much, so you wouldn’t know.”

Ellie couldn’t help but chuckle.

“There’s that shitty humor I remember. Age hasn’t slowed you down one bit, Anja.”

“Oh, tell that to the cellulite on my ass, Lil. Or… I guess you’re not really Lilith, are you? Not anymore?”

The Replika avoided her sister’s gaze, but nodded.

“I… My name’s Ellie, Ellie Yeong-Itou, if you don’t mind that.”

Anja paused, looking back at Ellie for a few seconds.

“Yeong? Like… Like the Yeongs from the photo store?”

Ellie nodded, smiling slightly.

“Yeah… You know Ariane Yeong, don’t you?”

Anja zoned out for a few seconds before snapping back.

“Oh, right! Isa and Erika were friends with her – the girl with the white hair, right? Didn’t she go on some mission for the military?”

Ellie left a short break before answering.

“Yes… Operation Penrose. That’s how we met.”

She lifted her hand up, showing her sister the misshapen golden ring on her ring finger.

“And… yeah.”

Anja grabbed the hand, blinking in surprise as she looked between the ring and Ellie’s face.

“You- But- How did- On the spaceship?!”

Ellie laughed loudly, nodding.

“Yeah, turns out I have a type, huh? Shorter than me, cute, upbeat…”

She paused, turning down to Anja.

“I… Look, I already told you that I’m not really Lilith. The name thing… that was a spur-of-the-moment thing, so I will go back on it if- “

Anja slapped Ellie, surprising her. It wasn’t a slap that was meant to hurt, but it was meant to shut her up. Anja scoffed slightly.

“Oh shut it… Ellie. You have my sister’s memories, and you cared enough to come back and tell me all this… while I’m here, crying like a little girl. You’re as much my sister as Lilith is.”

She paused, then stretched herself out on the floor as Ellie still sat next to her.

“Do you know what happened to Lilith, Ellie? Is she… dead?”

Ellie hesitated.

“About that… This is where things get a bit strange. Do you know what Bioresonance is?”

Anja nodded.

“Yes… I read reports about it from the warden. The Empire has its own name for it as well, they call it the “Song of the Gods”, right?”

Ellie nodded, making a vague gesture towards the shrine behind the counter.

“Exactly, yes. Turns out… Ariane is very bioresonant. As in, she is going to be the next Empress of the Empire.”

Anja shot up, blinking at Ellie. Before the Replika knew what was happening, the Gestalt had gotten up to her feet and was walking back and forth.

“The Empress? As in, like the Grand Empress? There WAS a book that suggested that the Empress attained her position using her ability to “conduct” the song of the gods, so it would make sense…”

She paused, looking at Ellie as the Replika got back on her hooves.

“But… does that mean that I’ll have the Empress as my sister-in-law?”

Ellie nodded and Anja quickly walked behind the counter, grabbing the pictures of the twins.

“Oh, I wish you two were here… to…”

She paused, turning to Ellie with furrowed eyebrows.

“Wait, you said that you met Isa, right? So… did you break her out of Sierpinski?”

Ellie awkwardly stepped from one hoof onto the other.

“No, like I said… This is where things get weird.”

The hiss of the front door caused both women to turn their heads in unison. Ariane stood there, her mouth opened as if to say something, though she was frozen mid-motion. Anja was first to move, opening her arms.

“Ariane, sweetheart! It’s been so long!”

Ariane snapped back to reality, quickly stepping inside the store as the door closed behind her and walking over to Anja. The two hugged briefly.

“My, you look so grown-up now. Your wife was just telling me that you met Isa?”

Ariane glanced at Ellie who cleared her throat.

“I was taking the black bands off of their pictures when Anja came in; Sorry, I totally forgot the time.”

Her wife waved her off, letting go of Anja as well.

“Well, I can understand it now at least! And… yeah, Isa is doing ok – she went to Sierpinski to look for Erika, actually.”

Anja’s eyes widened.

“W-What, by herself?”

Ariane shook her head.

“No, no… She’s got the captain of the Empire’s Palace guard and our friend Faust, a Star unit, with her.”

The woman’s body language slightly relaxed as she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good, good… So, how did you meet her, then?”

Ariane paused, then made a motion with her hand. Ellie stumbled back as a loud ripping sound broke the calm silence around them and a portal opened a few feet away. Anja stared at it, her jaw practically on the floor.

“I… got pulled into another dimension, and she came to help me. At first, she was just… an echo or something akin to it, but I think she simply…willed herself back to life, if that makes any sense.”

Anja didn’t answer, staring at the rip in space and time. Ariane noticed her gaze, quickly closing it again.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Look… the point is that Isa is doing ok now. I’m sure she’ll want to stop by once she’s back, hopefully with Erika in tow.”

Anja blinked a few times, letting her hand run over Ariane’s hair gently.

“So… she was really dead?”

Ellie nodded, putting a hand on her sister’s shoulder.

“Yes. She went after her sister but got caught, it seems. Erika though… we have no idea.”

Anja nodded.

“I… I’m not sure if I’m happy that my baby is alright or if I am angry at myself for not being there to stop her…”

She leaned against the counter, shaking her head.

“When they took Dorian from me, I… I don’t know, I just couldn’t do anything. I got sick, and my poor baby Isa had to take care of everything…”

She looked at Isa’s picture, giving the girl’s depiction a sad nod. Ariane grabbed Anja’s arm gently.

“Isa doesn’t blame you or her sister for anything, Mrs. Itou. Once she learns that you were released from your interrogations, she will probably be right here to greet you.”

“Don’t blame yourself, sis. She’s a big girl now… and the fact that she was stubborn enough to will herself back to life should tell you that she’s a lot like you when you were younger.”

Anja laughed at that, shaking her head.

“You’re right about that! Ah… you were right Lilith, becoming a mom has really made me soft… or maybe it’s the age at this point.”

She stretched, groaning loudly.

“I’m no spring chicken anymore, I’m afraid.”

A devilish smirk crossed her face.

“Oh, but if the twins are not dead… that means I can truly become an old lady and start pestering them for grandkids, especially if you’re going to be in charge soon, Ariane.”

She rubbed her hands together mischievously, and for a moment, Ellie saw a much younger Anja there, one who was planning some truly grand prank on her sweet little sister Lilith. The moment passed as Anja relaxed.

“I… I really can’t thank you both enough for telling me all of this… even if there are some things that will take me a while to process.”

Ellie nodded, slowly letting go of Anja and grabbing the book from the counter.

“I’m just happy that you are alright, sis. By the way… how much for this book?”

Anja blinked, eyeing the tome that Ellie was holding towards her.

“Oh, that old thing? Why do you want that?”

Ariane looked at the book, her eyes widening.

“Is that the King in Yellow? Oh, I was wondering what happened to my edition of it!”

Ellie nodded towards Ariane.

“That’s why I want it – a gift for the wife, ya know?”

Anja chortled, shaking her head.

“Right, right… Just take it, it’s on the house.”

Ellie shook her head.

“Like hell it is. Come on, gotta invest in the business that I left you with, don’t I?”

Anja punched Ellie’s shoulder gently.

“Firstly: You didn’t leave me with it, we both knew that I’d take over since we were like, five. Secondly: You just came in here and told me that my years of waiting have been justified – that’s more than I ever hoped for.”

Ellie shook her head, looking at Ariane. Her wife seemed rather amused by the sisterly quarrel that Anja and her were having – she didn’t understand how important this was to them, of course.

“I’m gonna pay you, sis.”

“No, you will NOT, Ellie!”

They were both well-trained in this game, and they both knew it as well. As Ellie took a deep breath, already preparing a retort, her mind went to Isa and her mission. She felt somewhat bad that she was here, enjoying time with her sister, while the group in Sierpinski was probably doing whatever they could to find Erika.

Then again, there wasn’t anything she could do about that, could she? The best thing she could do was enjoy the opportunity she was given.

Thankfully, there was plenty of time for her to enjoy it to the fullest. 

Chapter Text

The elevator came to a creaking halt on the second level of the Sierpinski facility, dispensing the Protektor keycard from its slot quietly as the doors opened. Zack grabbed it as Isa sighed, trying her best to stretch her hands in her cuffs as they stepped out of the tight cabin. Zack looked around at the metal walls, humming quietly.

“So… what can we expect here, Faust?”

Faust clicked her tongue behind her face cover, looking around.

“Right,… so to the left are the worker quarters – basically their dorms, if you will. I don’t know how much we’ll find there right now. If we keep going right, we should get to the factory area right after we pass the mine elevator.”

Zack nodded silently, glancing over at the Star.

“Got it. We should probably start by looking at the factory, right? Since that’s where she allegedly disappeared?”

Faust turned her head, looking for the closest chronometer. She briefly let go of Isa, but the girl didn’t react to it beyond a short grunt. Quickly, Faust grabbed the girl’s cuffs again, just in case one of the cameras happened to be looking their way.

“Yeah, I was gonna suggest that as well. We should hurry up though, shifts are about to change; at least if they didn’t instate a new work plan.”

She motioned towards the door on their right, but Zack had already walked halfway towards it, only waving back at them impatiently.

“Keep up, if you will.”

Faust groaned – now he was just acting like a Storch minus the legs… So, a Kolibri. Behind her face cover, Faust chuckled quietly as she brought Isa over to the man, walking through the door.

“What’re you laughing about?”

Isa sounded confused, or perhaps even a bit frustrated, by Faust’s amusement.

“Oh nothing, just imagined Zack as a Kolibri for a second.”

Silence hung in the air among them as they slowly walked on. Finally, Isa broke it.

“You know what? That IS a pretty funny thought, I’m not even mad about you chuckling about that.”

Zachary turned his head partially, furrowing his eyebrows.

“What’s so funny about it, though?”

Isa chuckled.

“I mean, what ISN’T? You’re already kinda short, but imagine if we had to pick you up so you could reach higher-up shelves.”

“I am not short – I am average height; I’ll have you know.”

Faust whistled innocently.

“Oh, sounds like we struck a nerve, huh?”

Zack shook his head just vehemently enough for Faust to know that they had, in fact, struck a nerve. He didn’t honor them with a response beyond that, as they finally walked through the doors to the factory.

The area smelled of machine oil – same as it had the last time Faust had been there. Gestalts were running about, carrying resources, electronics and finished munitions around while Replikas patrolled around, some checking that the machines were working correctly.

Faust let her eyes wander across a few of the faces before her – she recognized some of them, but most were new to her. She wasn’t surprised by that of course – Sierpinski went through Gestalts at a fairly rapid pace, and workers that were deemed as “ReEducated” enough were also moved away to other, less… strenuous facilities.

“Well… that’s more people than I expected, to be honest.”

The captain was looking across the many bobbing heads of the workers before him, his face unreadable but tension apparent in his voice. He turned his head slightly – a silent question. Faust clicked her tongue.

“Hm, yeah. I guess… we need to find the more senior workers, since Erika disappeared two years ago.”

She nodded her head towards the Gestalts, using her chin to point at them.

“There’s a really easy way to tell who has been here for a long time – just go off of how hurt they are.”

Zack let out a questioning hum, prompting Faust to sigh quietly.

“These folks work around heavy machinery with uh… let’s say, minimal safety precautions every day – they’re bound to get hurt.”

She pointed at a few different Gestalts at random. Some were covered in small scars, others had a multitude of bandages covering fresher wounds – there were even a few amputees among the personnel.

“How… depressing.”

Zack sighed sadly, lifting his hand up to hide the reaction and pretend it was a yawn. Isa nodded.

“I hope Erika is ok… She was here for, what… almost 5 years?”

Faust nodded slightly, raising an eyebrow.

“5 years, huh? Wow, she must be both tough and stubborn as hell to be kept here that long.”

Isa chuckled quietly.

“Yeah… that sounds like Erika, alright.”

Zack hummed, nudging Faust in the side.

“Alright, enough talking – we need to move.”

They began making their way through the factory, pushing past the occasional Gestalt as they walked along. Heavy machinery surrounded them from all sides, whirring, clanging and generally making a noise as the people around them did their best to keep them running smoothly.

“Some of these machines are… horribly outdated.”

Faust nodded in response to Zack’s assessment.

“Yeah, they sure are. Leng isn’t exactly the most well-supplied planet under the Nation’s control, and… honestly, if you get sent here, nobody cares if you’re coming back in one piece… or at all, for that matter.”

“Barbaric.”

The word was more of a low hiss that came from the man, just loud enough for Faust and Isa to hear over the sounds around them.

Suddenly, a thought crossed Faust’s mind as she looked around them. It was… suspiciously quiet. There wasn’t any actual silence around them of course, they were still on a factory level, after all, but there was a lack of any kind of conversation between the Gestalt workers.

She strained her ears, trying to hear anything through the machinery, any kind of talking. There was a low murmuring that was barely audible through the sounds of metal hitting metal – a buzz that permeated the whole factory floor… except their immediate area. Quietly, Faust leaned over to the captain.

“Hey, cap… I think we’re not welcome here.”

Zack nodded silently, eyeing the people around them.

“Yes… I can tell. It seems that AEON doesn’t have the best of standings with the people…”

Isa looked around quietly, a shiver visibly running down her spine.

“That’s an understatement… I’m not sure we’ll get anything out of these people like this…”

Faust pondered their situation for a moment before turning to Zack and whispering.

“Hey… I’ve got an idea, but we’ll need to split up.”

“Split up? Are you sure that… hm.”

Zachary paused, suddenly deep in thought. Faust continued.

“Yeah… Think about it: You can investigate what AEON know – if they know anything, that is – while Isa and I can go all buddy-buddy with the Gestalts.”

The man grunted.

“As much as I’d like us to stick together… I think you are right. We’ll stay in touch using our transmitters, understood?”

Faust nodded, seemingly absent-mindedly scratching her ear. What she was really doing was adjusting her receiver, making sure that she was on the correct frequency. Then, she cleared her throat and motioned over to a nearby set of metal stairs.

The stairs led up to an office area that was suspended above the factory floor, with metal walkways that hung from the ceiling branching out from it. Stars stood on them, leaning on the railings as they pretended to be doing their job. They were pretty good at faking focus, but Faust knew that walkway duty was basically break time. None of the Gestalts were dumb enough to try anything on the factory floor, after all.

“Officer Shi, Sir. Based on what we have been told, this should be the entrance to the security office of this level.”

Zack eyed it, putting on his best AEON officer face.

“I see. Perhaps the Protektors can be of help to us.”

They walked over to the stairs, a bubble of silence still enveloping them as they slowly moved through the masses of Gestalts. Faust could feel eyes on her – both from the Replikas above and the workers around them. Zachary stopped them once they reached the stairs, clearing his throat.

“You will stay here – this area is beyond your clearance. Make sure that the prisoner doesn’t escape, understood?”

“Yes, Sir. Of course, Sir.”

Faust did her best imitation of a good, dutiful soldier – a ruse that she had trained to near-perfection over her years of service. She saluted as she watched Zachary walk up and into the office, only allowing herself to relax when he closed the door behind him.

She sighed deeply, leaning against the wall behind her as she pulled Isa to stand next to her.

“Right, that’s done with.”

She closed her eyes, sighing as she took off the face cover. She pretended that she didn’t see the Gestalts that were looking towards them – they thought they were hidden by the masses, but she knew when someone was observing her. She turned to face Isa.

“How are you feeling, girl?”

Isa grunted half-heartedly, making Faust chuckle.

“Yeah, about what I expected.”

She leaned back, scratching her face half-heartedly as she let go of Isa’s cuffs. She was thankful that the brunette understood what she was going for, as she didn’t move. She let a few seconds pass – just enough for one of her observers to wander within earshot… accidentally, of course.

“So like… are you actually who you say you are? Isolde Itou, I mean.”

Isa nodded visibly, making Faust shake her head.

“Man, I really hope you’re lying. Imagine if it turned out that someone at Command was a spy, heh. Seeing that officer sweat his nuts off would be a sight to behold.”

The observers exchanged a look. Faust wasn’t sure what kind it was, but they hadn’t acted yet – they were gathering information, trying to get a good read on what was happening. What she did next could spell the difference between being seen as an enemy or an ally by them.

She sighed, patting Isa on the shoulder.

“Cheer up – if you really are who you say you are, it means you’ll see your sister again soon. That’s worth something, right?”

Isa grunted again, but Faust didn’t really care about her response. A murmur had begun to spread through the masses around them – whispered words and the occasional nod exchanged between scar-covered people. Bingo.

Faust bided her time, allowing herself to stay silent. Sometimes, it was best to let things play out by themselves. A Gestalt walked past them, pushing a heavy cart filled with freshly-made ammunition before pausing. She was visibly out of breath, sweat coating her forehead before she quickly wiped it off.

The Star pretended that she didn’t care, looking the other way demonstratively.

“Psst.”

The sound was quiet – Faust had to admit that she barely even heard it, but heard it she did. The Gestalt had crouched down next to her cart, seemingly counting the ammo inside as she nudged Isa. The brunette turned her head slightly.

“Are you… Isolde Itou?”

Faust saw Isa nod, but pretended to be adjusting her armor. She briefly turned to look up at the walkways, noticing Zachary walking along with a Storch. The man gave her a glance and an almost imperceivable nod – one she returned.

“You… certainly look like her, but… I saw Isolde Itou die.”

The Gestalt stood up, sighing heavily as she stretched. She must’ve been here for a while, as her arms and the thin sliver of her back that Faust could see were marked by many small scars, as if she had been in an explosion of shrapnel.

“Never mind that, we can’t talk here. Go to the toilets in the worker quarters – we have control of the camera there.”

It took Faust all of her will to not raise an eyebrow at that statement. “We”? “Control of the camera”? As far as she knew, there wasn’t any camera in the worker toilets, or at least not a real one. She felt Isa nod as the Gestalt stood up and grabbed her cart again. With a deep breath, she began pushing it once more, disappearing into the background noise of the factory.

Isa let her walk away, waiting for another two minutes or so. Faust could see Zachary standing with the Storch on a distant walkway, motioning towards something below. She had no idea what they were talking about, but it didn’t really matter.

“I have to go to the toilet.”

Faust groaned at Isa’s words, pretending to be frustrated.

“What, really? Fuck’s sake…”

She grabbed the girl by the cuffs as she put on her face cover. Her eyes briefly scanned the masses, finding the nearest Star unit and quickly approaching it with Isa in tow.

“Hey, you. Where is the nearest Gestalt toilet?”

The question was superfluous of course – Faust knew the layout of Sierpinski by heart, but she had to pretend like she had never been there. The other Star blinked at her with some surprise in her eyes before she noticed Isa. The girl had begun to quiver slightly to sell her ruse.

“Oh, I see. You’ll need to go to the Gestalt quarters, it’s just past the two main elevators. There are normally toilets nearer than that, but they are undergoing maintenance right now.”

Faust nodded, tugging at Isa.

“Understood, I’ll find my way there. Come on, girl.”

She roughly dragged Isa out of the factory, breathing a small sigh of relief as they stepped out and into the familiar metal hallway. She hated being in the factory for a multitude of reasons, least of which being the mind-numbing humdrum that was ever-present.

For a brief second, she had to suppress memories – not Gestalt ones, no, her own. She had seen more than her fair share of accidents happen in the factory, and they were seldom pretty. Quickly, she shook the feeling off, turning to Isa.

“Sorry if that was a bit rough. I wanted to get out of there as much as you did.”

Isa nodded imperceivably. They were within view of a camera, so they couldn’t stop for too long. Faust pretended to check a map that hung on the nearby wall for a second before they began to move again.

The hallways passed by them quickly as they walked, Faust’s hand on Isa’s cuffs.

“What do you think is waiting for us?”

Isa didn’t sound scared, but there was definitely tension in her voice. Faust shrugged.

“No idea, honestly. I don’t like that they want us in a secluded area, but we don’t really have much choice now, huh?”

Isa sighed.

“Yeah, you’re right. Whatever happens, we’ll make it out somehow. I’ve got the spare keys to my cuffs if I need them, and the knife tucked away.”

They arrived at the doors to the toilet, Faust quickly opening them. The bathroom smelled… surprisingly fresh, all things considered. The star was used to the worker latrines to smell more than a little rank, but it seemed that the new personnel at Sierpinski cared a bit more about their fleshy cohabitants.

Faust shoved Isa inside, the girl stumbling a few steps with a questioning grunt.

“What was that for?”

The Star closed the door, turning to face Isa.

“Not leaving you alone here, g- “

She didn’t finish her sentence as something grabbed her from the side, ramming her head into the wall violently. She stumbled to the side, grasping her head in shock as she felt arms shove her from behind.

She fell to the floor, someone immediately sitting down on top of her, pressing her head down onto the cold tiles of the floor. She grunted angrily, but the person was unmoving. Isa had turned around in a panic, but no sound came from her. One of the toilet stalls behind her opened.

“So.”

Faust squinted, but the dim light above them didn’t illuminate the whole room well enough for her to see who was standing there. The voice sounded somehow familiar, though she couldn’t place it on a whim. Isa turned to face the darkness, visibly shaking.

“W-Who are you?”

Whoever the voice belonged to clicked their tongue loudly, and Faust heard the door behind them lock. They were trapped, at the mercy of… whoever this woman was. Faust squirmed, but the figure on top of her was a lot heavier than she had thought. No sound came from them.

“That doesn’t matter right now. What we want to know is: Who are you?”

“I’m Isolde Itou, and I’m here to find my sister Erika.”

The voice hummed thoughtfully.

“That so? Isolde Itou is dead – I was there when it happened. How do you explain that?”

Isa shook her head.

“I don’t need to explain anything to you, whoever you are. You know where my sister is, right? You wouldn’t be playing this whole game if you didn’t.”

A distinct click sounded from the darkness – the hammer of a revolver being readied.

“You don’t ask the questions, girl. Face the camera.”

Isa furrowed her eyebrows. The blinking red light of a camera appeared on the wall near the stall the voice was coming from, and Faust saw the brunette face it. She had stopped shaking, despite the situation.

There was a prolonged silence as they stood – or in Faust’s case lay – there, nobody daring to move a muscle. Faust could hear some barely audible crackling briefly before the voice spoke up.

“Well, seems your biometrics match up at least, but that means little.”

Something about that holier-than-thou tone was incredibly familiar to Faust, but she couldn’t place why or how. She heard the woman holster her gun, but Isa didn’t move yet.

“I just want to find my sister. Please.”

The girl’s plea was answered by a snort from the darkness.

“We’ll see about that, won’t we?”

Faust raised an eyebrow – what was that supposed to mean? Silence filled the room again, but only for a short few seconds. Suddenly, the woman in the dark let out a short sound of confusion.

“I… What? How is- No.”

For a moment, Faust could have sworn that she saw two dim lights in the darkness – the blue eyes of a Replika. Then, a strange pressure began surrounding her, pushing against her skull. She wiggled and grunted for a few seconds in some pointless attempt to push whatever was affecting her away, but with little luck.

Suddenly, the pressure faded as the woman in the darkness let out a scoff.

“What is the meaning of this? You- Why?”

She heard the gun being drawn again and this time, she could just barely see the shine of the barrel in the dim light of the bathroom as well. The hand holding it was definitely that of a Replika. Isa stepped forwards, squinting her eyes.

“Don’t get any closer or I’ll shoot.”

The barrel of the gun quivered slightly. Faust coughed as a thought finished forming in her mind. She turned her head slightly, trying her best to look at the darkened stall.

“You’re… a Kolibri, aren’t you? Why are you helping the Gestalts?”

Another scoff was her answer, followed by the short Replika stepping forward and out of the shade of the stall. She looked terrible, like she had been to hell and back more than a few times. Her armor was patched with repair foam and duct tape in multiple spaces, the red shoulder pad that all Kolibris shared having seemingly been ripped off completely as well. Her legs were scratched and cracked all over, and Faust could see that the three stars that all Kolibris had on their forehead – a Bioresonance amplifier, as Falke had explained to them before they left – was missing one of its crystals. Her hair was just as messy as that of a normal Kolibri, though it seemed singed in places, like it had caught fire at least once.

“That’s rich coming from you, Faust.”

The figure on top of Faust gasped suddenly, shifting slightly.

“Faust? Didn’t Faust- “

“Yeah, she departed with the majority of the workers on that mysterious mission. But now… she’s here, together with someone who should be dead.”

“So, it’s really her? I mean, Isolde Itou?”

The voice of the figure was that of an Ara unit – that explained the weight and how she had appeared from thin air: She had popped out from some service tunnel without anyone noticing. The damaged Kolibri weighed her head from side to side.

“Her Resonance matches that of the girl that got killed back then, yeah. It shouldn’t be possible though – I oversaw her cremation. She was dead as a doornail.”

She aimed her revolver at the brunette.

“So, again: Who are you and why are you here, really?”

Faust exhaled loudly. Something about this interrogation felt off somehow, but she couldn’t place her finger on it. She had been present at plenty of Kolibri-led questionings of Gestalts and Replikas alike, but this…

Something in her mind clicked as she looked up at the battered Replika before her.

“Why the hell are you asking her? Can’t you read her mind with your Bioresonance?”

The Kolibri glanced down at Faust, but the barrel of her gun was still trained on Isa. She motioned at the two stars on her forehead.

“In case you didn’t notice… I’m not exactly fresh from the factory. My module and amplifier aren’t what they used to be before the cave-in.

The cave-in? Faust’s mind was racing as the Kolibri kept her distance from both her and Isa. Something was tugging at the back of her memory – something that had happened during her time in Sierpinski.

“07, is that you?”

The Kolibri looked back down at Faust, her eyebrows shooting up suddenly.

“Well, would you look at that. I thought everyone had forgotten me at this point.”

KLBR S-2307 had once been the highest-ranking Kolibri unit in the facility, positioned just below the Commander and the Administrator in terms of power. Well… at least until she was sent down into the mines due to suspicions of a spy in Sierpinski.

None of the members of the investigation team had returned from their expedition as an apparent quake had caused a large-scale cave-in, shutting away almost 25% of the original mine. The investigation team were all pronounced as KIA, as nobody in the facility was too interested in digging through tons of rock, especially because the area that had been blocked off had been deemed as a dead end anyway.

“How’d you- “

“Shut your mouth, Faust. I’m not here to reminisce about the past.”

07 made a quick gesture and the Ara on top of Faust slammed a wrench against the Star’s head. Multiple warnings popped up in Faust’s eyes, but she barely managed to stay conscious. Isa screamed.

“Stop! We’re not your enemies! Why the hell would we sneak into Sierpinski like this if we were on AEON’s side?”

“That Officer that brought you in tells me a different story, girl.”

The brunette groaned.

“He’s not a real AEON officer – his name is Zachary Shi and he’s the captain of the Empire’s Palace guard.”

Silence filled the room for a few seconds before the Kolibri chuckled.

“How fucking stupid do you think I am, girl? You waltz in here with an AEON officer and then you try to tell me he’s with the Empire – and the captain of the Palace guard, no less?”

A strange, metallic sound came from somewhere, but it seemed that Faust was the only one who noticed it as the Kolibri laughed loudly. Then, her eyes became serious.

“I should shoot you right now for how disrespectful you are, girl, but I’m not going to do that.”

Another hollow sound came from somewhere, further away, but Faust couldn’t place what it was. 07 breathed out deeply, her finger on the trigger.

“I’m giving you ten seconds to start explaining yourself, girl. 10.”

Faust’s eyes shot back and forth between Isa and 07.

“9.”

She could see Isa fiddling with the spare key to her cuffs, trying her best to fit it into the hole blindly.

“8.”

Something creaked.

“7.”

Faust tried her best to push the Ara off, but fruitlessly.

“6.”

The Ara retaliated by hitting Faust again, causing another flood of warnings in her optics.

“5.”

The Star’s vision was swimming, but she could see that Isa had gotten free, but was keeping her hands together to avoid suspicion.

“4.”

The Kolibri was visibly shaking – maybe with anger, maybe with something else.

“3.”

Isa planned on attacking 07, but Faust knew that wouldn’t work out. She tried to speak, but all she could muster was a dry breath.

“2.”

Something in the darkness moved.

“On- “

A shadow jumped at the Kolibri before she could finish her countdown fully. The crackling of a stun baton meeting polyethylene sounded out and the small Replika hit the floor with all the grace of a sack of potatoes that got kicked off of a shelf, her weapon clattering onto the cold tiles as well.

Zack stood there, illuminated by the dim light of the bathroom. His uniform was crumpled slightly and Faust could see a few stains on his face as he smiled at them before looking down at the Kolibri.

“Zachary Shi, at your service.”

Chapter Text

Zack was not a man who liked opulence, as strange as that sounded coming from the captain of the Palace guard. Buyan and its architecture, as beautiful as they undeniably were, had always been more a thorn in his eye than anything else. That didn’t mean that he particularly liked the Nation’s hyper-spartan approach to interior decoration, however.

As he entered the Protektor office that hung above the factory floor, Zack could summarize the room’s design in one word: Minimal: there were a few desks; some terminals; a few filing cabinets; a corkboard with various papers and memos attached; but that was about it. The walls were made of the same, drab metal that everything in Sierpinski seemed to have been shaped from, though they looked a bit cleaner here, at least.

Quickly, Zack made his way across the dark-gray carpet that filled the entirety of the room’s floor – he was aiming for the door at the back that read “Protektor Controller.” As he walked, he pondered if he should knock. On one hand, it was polite and good manners, but…

He opened the door without even slowing his pace, immediately entering the room behind it. The Storch that had been sitting on a chair and seemingly enjoying some time off spun around, an angry expression on her face until she saw the insignia on Zachary’s uniform.

Immediately, she cleared her throat and leaned backwards in her chair, all malice swept from her face. Inwardly, Zack smiled – the power of uniforms never ceased to amaze him. Outwardly however, he kept his face as cold and expressionless as that of the woman before him.

“How interesting. I was under the impression that there was only one Protektor Controller per floor.”

He didn’t put any judgment into his voice as he stepped forward. The Storch motioned to the large window that looked down on the factory floor dismissively.

“The factory is chaotic enough that it requires special attention. I presume you are Officer Shi?”

The man nodded, glancing out of the window briefly before turning back to the Storch.

“Correct. Then you also know why I am here, I presume.”

The Protektor Controller stood up from her desk, motioning for Zack to follow. He did so, the two of them returning to the larger room he had walked through before. The Storch took a seat in front of what seemed to be an access point to the factory’s cameras. Zack looked over the multitude of high-definition screens before him with some surprise.

There were at least 15 separate cameras set up at various spots of the factory, giving the Protektors a good view of the entire floor. The Storch quickly tapped around on a small keyboard, looking at a terminal that stood off to the side. Her eyes quickly wandered over the various small icons on the desktop before she opened one.

It seemed to be a database, and the Replika scrolled through it, typing something in before opening one of the many, many entries of the list. One of the screens flickered briefly, the camera footage on it changing as Zack looked up.

“Here, I had to dig around in the archives to find it, but this is the last security footage we have of Erika Itou. Give it a second.”

Zack looked at the screen intently. It seemed to be just another day at the factory, with multitudes of Gestalts walking around doing busywork. The Storch pointed at one that was approaching the camera’s view from the right, pushing a heavy cart with what seemed to be raw materials.

“There, that’s her.”

The man leaned forward a bit to get a better view. The woman that came into the picture of the camera undeniably looked a lot like Isa, but she seemed… sickly. She was thinner, her hair longer and not tied into a braid like Isa’s was. Zack could see multiple splotches of white – no doubt bandages – on her skin as well, but any further details were too blurry to make out.

The cart shook slightly as if it had impacted something, bits of metal rolling off of it in all sides. The girl let go of it, bending down and immediately starting to collect what had been dropped. Zachary turned to the Storch.

“Do we know why the cart stopped?”

The Replika nodded, pulling out  what looked to be a form.

“Yeah, I dug around the archives and found an old maintenance report from back then. It seems that the cart’s wheel had gotten stuck between some misaligned bars of a ventilation shaft on the floor.”

Zack hummed as he kept watching the footage. Erika moved slowly, carefully circling the cart as she picked up the dropped materials. She stopped at the front of the cart briefly, seemingly tugging at the stuck wheel before returning to her previous work.

She rounded the corner of the cart, disappearing from view completely in less than a second. Zack could still see her shadow move beside the cart for a moment before she stepped further behind it and… disappeared. Zack blinked, waiting for her to appear on the other side, but nothing happened.

About a dozen seconds later, a Star wandered into view, looking the cart over before saying something into her transmitter.

“And that’s it. She just vanished then and there – we didn’t even know it had happened until someone looked back at the recording. The Star was calling in the cart being stuck, as she had no idea that someone had been there only moments before.”

The captain nodded slightly, eyeing the footage.

“Hm, I see. Could I see the spot the way it looks now?”

The Storch stood up silently, motioning towards a door that led outside of the offices. Zack had noticed the suspended walkways full of guards before, and it seemed that he’d get to walk along them as well.

“Of course. Follow me, please.”

Hot air rose from the machines around them as the Replika and the Gestalt walked out and onto the metal walkways, a nearby star giving them a short nod and salute. The Storch didn’t answer it, walking along the metal floor with slow, measured steps. It took Zachary a while until he understood that the woman was intentionally walking slowly to allow him to keep up – her stride was at least three times as long as that of the man, after all.

Zack glanced down, his eyes meeting those of Faust. The Replika was standing down by the stairs that he had walked up to get into the office before, with Isa leaning on the wall next to her. A Gestalt had parked a large cart – not unlike the one that Erika had been pushing before she disappeared – next to them and was seemingly counting some ammo. Something about the scene felt off to the man, but he trusted that Faust would contact him if anything happened.

He turned his attention away from his compatriots and back to the Storch he was following. The woman didn’t speak a word, but her gaze was slowly wandering around the factory below them. He could swear that he saw some of the workers duck at the feeling of the Protektor Controller’s eyes on them. The Replika scoffed.

“They’re working at a decent pace for once – word of your presence must’ve spread quickly. I wish it didn’t require the threat of an AEON officer for them to keep their quotas.”

Zack didn’t respond immediately, allowing the words to resonate in his mind for a while. He was more than familiar with what he liked to call “strategic usage of fear,” but this seemed… excessive. Then again, he had never been to any of the Empire’s agricultural facilities on Kitezh either, so there was a real chance that imperial citizens would react the same way to the presence of a member of the Palace guard.

“I will take that as a compliment.”

The Storch snorted at the captain’s comment, but she quickly caught herself as they arrived at a less populated part of the walkway. The Replika motioned downwards.

“Here, this is the place that the camera oversees. It is attached up there.”

She pointed upwards, where Zack could just barely make out the red, blinking light of a camera. He quickly looked downwards, recognizing the area below – it looked the same as it did on the cameras, though the ventilation grate that the cart had gotten stuck on was notably missing.

“The worker arrived from the raw resource storage over there-“

The Storch motioned over to a large, metal door that led to a room separate from the factory. Zack nodded, allowing the Replika to continue.

“-and she stopped right here. The ventilation grate has since been removed to prevent further accidents with carts, but everything else is – as far as I can tell, anyway – the same as it was before.”

The captain looked down, trying to find any kind of hint about what may have happened to Isa’s sister. It was a pointless endeavor and he knew it, but some part of him had hoped that there would be… something, at least. He turned to the Storch.

“I presume you checked for any possible maintenance shafts that she may have used to escape?”

The Storch nodded, putting her hands behind her back.

“Yes, I went through relevant reports as we walked. Both the floor and the walls were examined for possible escape routes.”

She pointed at one of the floor panels.

“There was a maintenance shaft below this floor panel. While it would have been, in theory, been accessible from behind the cart, it would have to have been opened from within.”

Zack raised an eyebrow.

“ARAR units have a tendency to use such shafts, don’t they? One of them may have opened it.”

The Storch nodded, waving a hand dismissively.

“Yes, but the tunnel was a dead end in both directions it led to – it was barely a few meters long in both directions, with no sign of having any kind of continuation anywhere. The report mentions that all Aras had to have their map module checked, and none of them showed any divergent data.”

The captain frowned. Something still smelled rather… fishy about the whole thing, though that could stem from the fact that he was working off of second or third-hand accounts of a situation that was already confusing to begin with. He turned around, sighing as he looked for the familiar shapes of his friends.

He stopped, taken aback by the fact that he could not find them anywhere. Stars were wandering around, sure, but he could have picked Faust out of a line-up at this point – there was something different about the way she carried herself. His eyes narrowed as he quickly scanned the area where they had been previously – the Gestalt and her cart had vanished as well, and Zack couldn’t help but think that his friends had been lured away somehow.

“Very well, I’ve seen all I wanted to here. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

He didn’t let the Storch answer, instead quickly walking away across the walkways. He kept his steps steady but quick, not wanting to rouse more suspicion than necessary. It felt like the way back into the office area and down the stairs took him an eternity, even if it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds.

He looked for any kind of hint that could tell him where Faust and Isa had gone, but the area was just as busy as before. He cursed, putting a finger on his transmitter as he spoke quietly.

“Faust, report. Where are you?”

He cursed quietly as the other end of the line stayed silent, only white noise coming through. He wasn’t even getting a connection, and that worried him more than the two being gone. There had to be some way he could find them, but he’d have to be fast, as he had no idea how long they had been gone for.

The captain’s mind raced, thinking about what must’ve happened. How long had his back been turned? Five minutes, at most. The most likely way they had gone? The doors, of course, and those were guarded.

It only took a few steps for him to arrive at the front doors of the factory that was guarded by two identical-looking Star units. He didn’t have to open his mouth before one of them nodded slightly.

“Ah, Officer. Your prisoner and her guard went to the toilet a few minutes ago. Figured I should tell you.”

The man saluted quickly, seeing the Star return the gesture before he walked out of the factory doors and back into the level 2 hallways. A quick glance at a nearby map told him that the toilets were further down the corridor, all the way at the start of worker housing.

It felt like the facility raced past him as he walked, though he never ran – he didn’t want to attract any more attention than necessary, after all. Door after door, corridor after corridor passed by him until he finally arrived at the doors to the toilets.

He reached out, pressing the button to open the heavy hydraulic doors, but nothing happened. The door didn’t hiss, didn’t click – there was just silence. The man cursed loudly.

Faust and Isa had gotten lured away from public eyes and straight into a trap as soon as he turned his back – did he really have to babysit them the whole time? Zack waved the thoughts away, deciding to instead focus on the problem at hand. If the main door didn’t work, he’d just have to find another way in.

He let his eyes wander across the metal panels of the walls around him, looking for something he wasn’t sure he’d find. The gray of the metal before reflected the lights above slightly, seeming like a uniform wall… but there was something. Zack squinted, his eyes finally finding what he had been looking for all along: A crease.

His fingers ran along the metal, feeling along the barely noticeable edge of what he knew to be a hatch. He had studied the hatches that the spaceship’s own Ara used for getting in and out of her tunnels extensively, and he knew one when he saw one. The question was: How would it be opened.

The man’s hand pressed on one of the corners, but nothing happened. He tried another, though with a similar result. He took a deep breath in, looking around to see if there were any cameras. There were of course, but he didn’t rightly care at that point.

He punched the wall with full force, hearing something behind it click and snap quietly before it swung open. The tunnel that greeted Zack was not particularly spacious and really quite dark, but he didn’t have time to think about that now. Instead, he slid into the tunnel with grace that surprised even himself, pulling the hatch closed with his foot.

The maintenance tunnel was dark, cramped and smelled vaguely of oranges for a reason that Zack couldn’t even begin to fathom. Its walls were smooth, allowing the man to slide through them with relative ease, even with comparably little light.

He pushed forward carefully, not wanting to make unnecessary amounts of noise – who knew what kinds of people were waiting for him inside of the toilets… if he’d even end up there. Zack didn’t really know where the tunnel was leading him, after all.

“He’s not a real AEON officer – his name is Zachary Shi and he’s the captain of the Empire’s Palace guard.”

The distinct sound of Isa’s voice made Zack stop his movements briefly. He had come within earshot of a small vent cover, though he had to strain his ears to hear much of what was said through it.

He shimmied forwards slightly, hearing someone laugh as he moved past the cover. He couldn’t see anything through it, as the slits were pointed straight down.

“How fucking stupid do you think I am, girl? You waltz in here with an AEON officer and then you try to tell me he’s with the Empire – and the captain of the Palace guard, no less?”

The voice that spoke was full of disbelief and vitriol, so much so that it made Zack pause. His foot slipped off of the wall, causing a dull thump to sound within the tunnel. Thankfully, nobody inside the room seemed to notice.

“I should shoot you right now for how disrespectful you are, girl, but I’m not going to do that.”

Something in the tone of the woman’s voice was off, just off enough to make Zack panic a bit. He had to move faster, even if that meant that he’d make some noise. He pushed himself off of the wall with more force than before, causing the walls of the shaft to flex and creak slightly.

He was moving at a decent pace, listening to what the menacing woman’s voice was saying inside of the fairly spacious restrooms. He could hear her breathing echoing off of the walls before she spoke again.

“I’m giving you ten seconds to start explaining yourself, girl. 10.”

Shit. Now, he was on a countdown, and a pretty damn tight one. Zachary scrambled along the walls of the tunnel, coming to a corner.

“9.”

Zack pulled himself around the corner with some effort, but something got caught on his uniform. He squirmed, feeling it give slightly.

“8.”

He didn’t have time for this. With a powerful pull, he pulled himself free, causing the thing that had caught him to creak loudly. He ignored it.

“7.”

He could see an exit some distance away and began pulling himself towards it.

“6.”

As he pulled himself along, a thought came to Zack’s mind: He had to ready his stun baton and pray to the Empress – or Ariane, maybe – that there were not too many enemies to deal with.

“5.”

The exit to the tunnel was open with just a crack, as if someone had just used it.

“4.”

Zack finally reached the partially open hatch, pushing it open slowly.

“3.”

He could see the small form of a Kolibri illuminated by the light of the toilet, though she looked… Pretty beat up, to say the least.

“2.”

Zack hit the tiled floor with a barely audible thud – he knew how to move without being heard. His hand moved down to his belt while the rest of his body bolted forwards.

“On- “

The captain’s stun baton collided with the Kolibri’s spine, sending the short woman to the ground almost immediately. Zack couldn’t help himself as he stood above her – the moment was just too perfect.

“Captain Shi, at your service.”

His eyes met with those of an Ara unit that was sitting on top of Faust in some attempt to keep her down. The Replika was so shocked that she didn’t even move as Zack took two steps forward, closing the distance between himself and her.

A swift kick sent the worker flying sideways and off of the Star, allowing the tall Replika to move. Zachary reached his hand out, helping his friend up. Faust groaned a bit, blinking away something that shone red in her eyes.

“Everything ok?”

Faust nodded in response to the captain’s question, the red gone from her eyes.

“Apart from possible brain damage? Yeah.”

Suddenly, Zack felt arms wrap themselves around him from behind. His immediate gut reaction would have been to elbow his assailant in the jaw, but the feeling of breasts pressing against his back made him pause.

“You have no idea how happy we are to see you, Zack.”

Feeling Isa so close – close enough for her breath to tickle the back of Zack’s neck – somewhat fried the man’s instincts, causing him to freeze up. He stayed silent, unsure of what to say until the girl let him go.

“Sorry, that was…”

She trailed off for a second before tugging at the man’s shoulder. He turned around, his body moving without his input. Isa smiled.

“Actually, fuck it. I’m not apologizing for that. In fact-!”

Without another warning, she hugged Zack again, almost causing him to stumble backwards. He hadn’t looked closely enough to realize before, but Isa was almost exactly the same height as him. Her cheek was pressed up against his as she quietly breathed into his ear, making him shiver.

He wasn’t used to physical contact - the captain of the Palace guard was meant to be an icon more so than a person; An untouchable, unreachable monument of the Empire’s power. To be embraced so suddenly and with so much intensity was… very confusing, to say the least.

He could feel Isa’s heart beating quite fast, no doubt a remnant of the stress and fear that she must’ve experienced due to the situation, though… Zack couldn’t help but feel his own heart beat faster in response.

He felt tense for some reason, even though he knew that Isa meant him no harm. Something about her made him feel… strange whenever she looked at him. Her green eyes were always so vibrant, her movements so spontaneous and relaxed that it made the man feel almost robotic in comparison.

Suddenly, he realized that he had placed one of his hands on her hip, and he immediately shied away a bit.

“I-Isa?”

The woman didn’t respond immediately, just humming in his ear for a few seconds before finally finding the kindness within herself to speak.

“Yes, Zack?”

“Are you… ok? You’re not hurt, right?”

A strange sound came from behind Zack – like a slap. He wanted to turn around, but Isa’s head was in the way. The girl sighed as she let go of him.

“Yeah… just crazy, I guess. Don’t worry about it.”

There was a small, weak voice at the back of Zack’s mind that groaned for whatever reason. Had he messed up somehow?

“I- Uh… sorry.”

The voice groaned again as Isa turned away. Instinctively, Zack glanced back at Faust, but the woman just rolled her eyes with a smirk on her face. He had definitely messed up; So badly in fact, that nobody would even tell him what he had done wrong, not even if he asked nicely.

Whatever he had done, it was a cardinal sin of some sort, and one that only Isa could absolve him of, if she felt like it. His fate, no, his very soul were in her hands now, even if Zack couldn’t explain how or why. All he could do is pray that she was merciful.

Isa had leaned over the KO’d-libri, grabbing the girl by her chipped armor and slapping her in the face. The sound reminded Zack of that strange, meaty smack that had sounded from behind him before, but he didn’t have time to ask Faust what she had done before.

“Hey, Ms. Napoleon; You awake?”

The Kolibri groaned as Isa shook her. Zack looked back, seeing Faust grab the Ara before pulling her up. The worker was just as beat-up looking as the smaller Replika and was missing the welding mask that seemingly all other Aras had.

“What… the… Oh, shit.”

Zack looked at the small Replika, meeting the gaze of her bionic eyes. She seemed… terrified, for some reason. He gave her a friendly smile and a nod.

“Hello. Zachary Shi: captain of the Palace guard of the Eusan Empire; at your service.”

Silence filled the room briefly as Zack felt something vaguely familiar, as if something was poking his brain. The girl was trying to use the Song to read his mind, but it seemed… weak, somehow. He had felt far greater pressure when they had fought against the Kolibris back on New Vineta – compared to that, this Kolibri’s attack was barely a tickle.

All Palace guards were trained in what was called “Silencing”, aka defense against the Song of the Gods, though only few would truly ever master it – not because it was difficult, but because there was no single “correct” way to attain it.

Zack’s mastery was based on his realization that true protection against the Song was, in fact, impossible – the Grand Empress had used her powers to alter reality itself; What could anyone even begin to do against that? No, one could not escape the Song or ever truly silence it, but they could at the very least slightly change its rhythm.

“Ow! Fuck… you’re the real deal…”

The Kolibri hit the floor again as Isa let go of her, leaving the small Replika to breathe heavily for a few seconds.

“Where is my sister?”

Isa’s words were sharper than daggers and colder than the floor beneath their feet – there was no space for excuses or negotiations, not anymore. Even Zack felt a bit intimidated. The Kolibri groaned.

“Are you… really Isolde Itou?”

Isa grunted angrily, grabbing the Kolibri again.

“I didn’t come back to life and sneak into an AEON facility for you to question me. Where is my sister?”

This time, the Kolibri relented, waving a hand towards the Ara that Faust was still holding.

“Ok, ok… Show them.”

Faust let go of the Ara, almost shoving her forwards a bit. Zack kept his baton ready, just in case anyone tried anything funny. The worker Replika looked at them, her face expressionless as she did so. Then, she sighed.

“Alright… Here.”

She walked to one of the corners of the restroom and tapped her hoof on one of the tiles. With a quiet click and a hiss, a large chunk of the floor opened up to reveal a shaft illuminated by dim, red lights. The Ara motioned towards it.

“Alright, get in.”

Zack exchanged a glance with Isa and Faust – the brunette shrugged, as did the Replika. An awkward silence filled the room before Zack sighed.

“So, you expect us to climb down a random shaft, at the bottom of which you have… unknown amounts of reinforcements, all of them ready to beat us to death?”

The Kolibri groaned as she pushed herself up on her elbows.

“Ok… look, I know this was not exactly the most welcoming of… welcomes.”

“Nice words, dumbass.”

The short Kolibri shot an angry glance at Faust in response to the Star’s teasing, but she left it at that.

“ANYWAY. Yes, I know… You have no reason to even begin trusting me, but consider this – the whole facility knows you are here. Well… not here in the toilets, but you know what I mean.”

She pointed at Zack, making him raise an eyebrow.

“And everyone thinks your little “Knight in shining armor” there is an actual, factual AEON officer. Do you really think we would try to hurt him and risk drawing more attention?”

She motioned at the toilets around them.

“We’re in the goddamn shitter right now, just because we couldn’t find any other place we could use as a safe entrance to our hideout.”

Zack had to admit that they had a point. He cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself.

“I think she’s telling the truth. I mean… Look at them too. They’re scratched and damaged all over – I doubt that this is some large-scale network of well-equipped guerrillas.”

Faust clicked her tongue.

“Yeah, that’s fair. Ok, I’ll go down first, then – I’m the toughest and can scream pretty loudly, so I’ll be able to warn you if something’s up.”

With that, the Star marched over to the hatch and quickly got on her knees, crawling downwards. Zack could hear her mumbling to herself.

“Fuck, I HATE ladders…”

She disappeared, quickly followed by the Ara. Zack gave Isa a questioning look, but she shook her head.

“Nope, you go first, Mr. Knight.”

Zack didn’t dislike the nickname, giving a small smirk to the girl. He saw her turn away, a hand at her face as she coughed quietly. With that, he walked over to the hatch, lowering himself inside. The ladder was surprisingly dry, unlike the tiles that hid it.

The captain began his descent, slowly putting one foot below the other as he slowly passed by each light. How far down did this tunnel go?

“Hey, Zack?”

Isa’s voice sounded from just above him, making him look up before he realized what he was doing. His eyes involuntarily wandered up Isa’s long, slender legs before he promptly jerked his head back down. That was a close one.

“Y-Yes?”

A giggle sounded from above.

“Oh, nothing.”

The voice in Zack’s head groaned again, though this time it was joined by the Kolibri far above him as well.

“Oh for… I understand your pain, girl. Not because I’ve ever been in that situation, but because you radiate frustration like a god damn nuclear reactor.”

Isa scoffed from above.

“I’ll get there.”

“Sure, you will. Might I suggest a more direct approach?”

Zack had no idea what they were talking about, but he listened anyway. Isa hummed.

“Direct, huh? But… that’s not what I read about in the books.”

“Books? You… Do you only have a concept of this whole thing from books?”

Isa stayed silent for a few seconds.

“…Maybe. I mean, you don’t get taught that in school and I ran a bookstore… A girl gets lonely, so I may have peered into one or two more uh… “Adult” books.”

The Kolibri let out a sound that Zack had never heard before – like a combination between a groan, a sigh and a quiet yell.

“Oh, for crying out loud… Do I even want to know? Just… I’ll… I’ll just let you handle it, honestly.”

The captain had never been as confused as he was right then and there. He cleared his throat a bit, still keeping his eyes demonstratively downcast.

“What are you two talking about.”

Silence filled the shaft for a while before Isa spoke.

“I’ll show you later, Zack.”

Somehow, it felt like a threat.

They continued their descent for a while until the shaft finally began to be illuminated by some light from below. Zack could hear Faust and the Ara get off the ladder, their hooves clacking on tiled floor again, and he strained his ears to see if he could hear any sounds of a struggle, but none came.

With a shrug, he continued downwards quickly until cool air embraced him and his feet hit surprisingly clean, white tiles below. He turned around, looking around the room.

It was… a hospital room? At least, it had been one at some point. Multiple heavily damaged Replikas sat around the room, some staring at the man while others walked around aimlessly. The walls were old and damaged, though what remained seemed to have been kept quite well, at least.

Multiple other hatches were littered across the walls, the floor and the ceiling alike, some of which were boarded-up while others seemed freely accessible. The air was chilly and the room was bathed in blueish light by two barely-functioning neon lights that hung above. Zack’s brain processed all of these inputs in a near-instant before his attention was drawn away.

There, on a hospital bed that was in one of the corners of the room, lay a girl. Brown hair was splayed on her pillow like a dark halo, her green eyes peering at him with an uncertain look, like she was looking at an animal she had never seen before. A fluffy blanket covered most of her body, but even then, Zachary could see just how thin Erika Itou was. She sat up slightly, clearing her throat dryly.

“Well, hello.”

Chapter Text

“Where exactly are we going?”

Ellie and Ariane stood on one of the small platforms of the Paternoster elevator that ran up and down Sector C. Floors slowly passed by them, with level after level looking almost exactly the same. Every now and again there would be discarded trash bags, carts full of cleaning supplies or even the occasional open door from which voices rang out quietly.

Ariane hadn’t asked Ellie where they were headed, but the Replika had spent quite a while studying the map of the Sector’s various levels. While most were almost identical and were largely made up of apartments, each had something unique to it.

There was the hospital wing of course, but there were also workshops, ventilation systems, boiler rooms, communal spaces and other areas that Ariane had never really been to but knew about at least.

“Eh… we’re gonna visit someone who lives a bit further up.”

Ariane raised an eyebrow at Ellie’s answer, turning her head slightly.

“That so? And who would that be?”

The Replika breathed out loudly in response.

“Someone you know fleetingly from what Anja told me… And someone I knew in a previous life.”

Ariane froze up slightly as she turned to face Ellie.

“I… Look, I don’t want to pry, but are you… ok?”

The Replika raised an eyebrow.

“Of course I am, why do you ask?”

The white-haired girl wasn’t sure how to answer that. Some part of her had been worried that Ellie had changed somehow, in some way that she couldn’t quite grasp.

Well, there had been obvious changes of course, what with Ellie remembering the Gestalt she used to be, but those larger-scale changes weren’t what Ariane was worried about, or at least not really.

“Well… you know, because of Lilith and all of that.”

The Replika smiled slightly in response.

“Ariane, I’m still myself; still Ellie and nobody else. Lilith is… she may be a part of me and the source of a lot of who I am, but her and I are not the same.”

She looked straight ahead, sighing slightly.

“I can’t deny that I still feel her sadness at times, even more so ever since I remember where it stems from, but I have made peace with her.”

She paused.

“And a promise. When I met her in that other realm, I promised that I’d look for someone, and I intend to keep that promise.”

Ellie had mentioned this “promise” a few times at that point, but had never told Ariane what it was exactly. Ariane wasn’t an especially curious girl, but this question in particular had been gnawing at her ever since she had learned about it.

Now she at least knew that it involved trying to find someone, which was more than she had known before.

“And… whoever we are looking for has something to do with that?”

Ariane’s wife nodded quietly but didn’t say anything beyond that, staring ahead again. The white-haired girl hummed quietly, trying to guess who they were going to visit. They were going quite far up in the building, an area that Ariane had almost never been to.

She tried her best to remember what was that far up in the block. There was a second hospital, a restaurant and… hydroponics, but that was about it with the areas that Ariane knew about. Then again, it was more likely that they were going to a specific apartment.

“So… do we know where they live?”

Ellie nodded, pulling out a small paper. Ariane remembered that Mrs. Itou had given it to Ellie before, while they were still talking in the bookstore. The Replika’s eyes briefly scanned over it before showing it to Ariane.

The girl glanced at it, realizing that it wasn’t any kind of apartment marker but a set of directions instead. Her eyebrow shot up as she realized that they had to go to almost the very top of the block – an area that was only saved for what the Nation considered “important” people, like military personnel.

“Are we looking for a soldier?”

The Replika nodded, eyeing the numbers on the walls they were slowly passing by. Ariane had never understood why the elevators moved so slowly, but she had never complained. The elevators and the train rides to and from Mandelbrot had always served as… thinking time for her. Moments of quiet pondering as she moved from one spot to the other, passing through liminality.

She couldn’t help but laugh a bit, causing Ellie to turn to face her.

“Everything ok? What are you laughing about?”

Ariane smiled a bit as she handed Ellie the paper, the Replika stowing it in her hip pouch but not turning away.

“Oh, it’s nothing really. Just… It’s a bit crazy how fast everything is moving, isn’t it? I had gotten so used to just… floating along through life, letting the wind take me wherever it felt that I belonged.”

She motioned at nothing in particular.

“Now, though? Look at us – always so active, always doing… something, I guess.”

Only the creaking of the elevator’s mechanism filled the air for a few seconds before Ellie spoke up.

“Do you miss when things were calmer?”

Ariane pondered the question briefly – she wasn’t sure herself.

“I miss us being able to waste the day away in each other’s arms… but we did basically nothing for almost 5 years on the Penrose, so…”

The Replika chuckled slightly,

“Yeah, I get that. It’s just… I don’t think things will be like that ever again. I mean, with you becoming the new Empress, I doubt that you’ll have that much free time.”

She had a point, Ariane had to admit that.

“Probably, yeah… But I don’t plan to run things as hands-on as the Grand Empress did before me. That’s how we got into this whole mess in the first place.”

She heard Ellie blow air out of her nose.

“You’re right about that, as you usually are.”

The Replika paused before she turned to Ariane.

“Actually… What did you and the Empress talk about? I never even saw her.”

Ariane shifted from one foot to the other, unsure of how to summarize her meeting with the former Empress. She’d have to cut out most of the – admittedly very interesting – fluff for now.

“Well… she told me about her rule over the Empire and how she had over-relied on her powers to the point that her own daughter overthrew her.”

“So… The Great Revolutionary really is the Empress’ daughter?”

Ellie’s tone was less questioning and more just stating a fact. Ariane nodded quietly.

“Yes, it seems so. She didn’t inherit the Empress’ powers but wanted to be as powerful and respected as her mother… so she turned to the outer planets, where her mother’s influence was weakest.”

Ariane’s wife grunted slightly in response, unsure of what to say.

“So that’s why Heimat is her seat of power – it’s as far away from Buyan and the Empress as you get without ending up on a barely inhabited planet like Leng.”

She paused, then suddenly tugged at Ariane’s arm.

“We’re here. Come on, we need to get off before the elevator moves too far.”

They stumbled forward, having to half-jump from the platform of the Paternoster. They landed on the tiled floor of one of the upper levels of the block which looked almost exactly the same as every other floor, though it was quite a bit cleaner and warmer.

“So that’s why the upper levels are seen as more luxurious… the warmth of the building drifts up here naturally.”

Ariane’s offhand comment was answered by a nod from her wife as the Replika motioned towards the middle of the atrium.

“This is the ideal height it seems – warmth drifts up but there isn’t enough debris coming from above to clog the filters in the middle either.”

She glanced at the paper in her hand briefly.

“Ok, now we need to go to… the right.”

Ariane dusted herself off before quickly following her wife into one of the hallways that branches off of the atrium. She couldn’t help but notice that the lights on this floor seemed to work a fair bit better than the ones she was used to from down below, though even these flickered occasionally; their hum-buzz interrupted by sizzling sounds.

They walked through the quiet hallway and almost to the very end until Ellie stopped in front of a door. Ariane almost ran into her, but she managed to stop just in time. The Replika eyed the door with some apprehension, seeming tenser than Ariane was used to. The girl put a calming hand on her wife’s shoulder.

“Nervous? That’s not much like you.”

The Replika cleared her throat.

“I’m not sure what’s waiting for us, that’s all.”

The girl gave her wife a pat on the back and a shake of the head.

“You make it sound like this person is some kinda monster or something. Come on, you used to know them, right? It’ll be fine.”

Ellie nodded silently, taking a deep breath before she reached out and knocked on the door before them.

No answer came. Ariane became aware of how much quieter this floor was in comparison to all the others below them – she couldn’t hear any voices or anything coming from around them.

Ellie stood stock still, seemingly listening for any sign of life on the other side of the door. Ariane strained her ears, barely sensing something moving beyond the metal that separated the hallway and the apartment beyond.

Finally, the door slid open with a quiet creak and a woman peeked out. It took Ariane more than a second to realize who she was looking at, but it was undeniably who she thought it was.

Dr. Rebecca Liang’s eyes peered at them from behind the rectangular glasses she always wore. The woman’s hair was a mess, as if she had just gotten out of bed moments before. It glistened slightly in the bright light of the hallway as the woman blinked at them.

“Yes? Can I help you? If you’re from hydroponics: It’s my day off.”

Her voice was low, more a rumble than anything. This was not the Dr. Liang that Ariane remembered, but she could imagine that getting interrupted by two strangers on her day off was not exactly doing wonders for her mood.

Both Ellie and her wife stayed silent, taken aback by the woman’s tone. A confused groan came from the doctor suddenly.

“Wait… I know you. Ariane? Ariane Yeong?”

Ariane locked eyes with the doctors nodding in response to her question.

“Hello Dr. Liang…I uh…”

The doctor didn’t let her finish, opening the door fully. Ariane saw that the biologist was wearing a heavily crumpled uniform top and no pants. She wanted to look away in shame, but the woman didn’t even seem to realize what state she was in.

“Holy- I’m sorry, I heard from your family that you visited but I-I didn’t know you’d be stopping by today.”

She stepped away from the door, flipping the light on as she did so.

“Come in you two, come in. I think I have some clean plates and food ready here…”

She meandered deeper into her apartment as Ellie and Ariane stepped inside. It smelled musty, like she hadn’t left the small rooms in quite a while. Sweat and the smell of leftovers permeated the air, hanging above their heads like a miasma.

Ellie closed the door behind them as Dr. Liang quickly slid on a pair of pants, stumbling around the kitchen corner as she mumbled something to herself.

“Rebecca.”

The word made both Ariane and Dr. Liang freeze, with the doctor almost falling over in shock as she turned around. It was Ellie who had spoken, letting her Vinetan accent slip out quite heavily as she did so.

“Huh? What? Do I know you?”

Ellie smiled slightly. It was a sad, almost melancholic smile; A type that Ariane had never seen on her wife’s face.

“Sort of. I made a promise, long ago. Do you remember photo day?”

The doctor blinked a few times as a confused look spread across her face. Then, something in her head seemed to connect the dots as she turned around with a jolt. She reached into a pile of old documents that were laying on her dining table, rummaging around the folders quickly before pulling out a small photograph.

She turned around, squinting as she held the photo up, seemingly comparing it to both Ellie and Ariane. Suddenly, her face lit up.

“Holy… how did I never see this before… Lilith?”

Ellie nodded briefly, causing the doctor to sit down heavily, shaking her head.

“Fuck. I… I always wondered what happened to you after I saw you in that hospital. They told me you jumped off; That you were going to be buried with honors, as if you had died on the battlefield.”

One of her hands grasped at nothing, balling into a fist randomly as she sat there.

“Of course they used you as a neural pattern… I should have guessed.”

Ellie walked over, pulling out a chair to sit next to Rebecca, but being met with a pile of empty ration packages. She let out a short, frustrated groan and swept them to the side. As the empty cartons landed on the floor with hollow clatters, she sat down.

Ariane didn’t really know what to do, and so she walked over to the messy bed and sat down on it as she watched the scene unfold.

“It’s alright; The Nation does whatever it can to erase neural patterns from public record. The fact that they at least acknowledged Lilith’s existence after they took her is something.”

The doctor nodded, absent-mindedly grabbing a small pill bottle from her uniform and flicking it open. A quick glance made her groan.

“Really gotta remember to pick up my meds; I’m out again.”

Ellie clicked her tongue as she crossed her arms on the table’s top, leaning forward slightly. The light above them caused deep shadows to cut across her face.

“Still taking antidepressants?”

Dr. Liang nodded sadly, putting the small bottle away as she slumped her shoulders a bit.

“Yeah… What we went through isn’t exactly something you just recover from, you know? Unless you’re… you, I guess.”

Ariane watched as Ellie shook her head, leaning over and grabbing Rebecca’s hand.

“It took me a literal confrontation with Lilith in another dimension to come to terms with what she experienced. You’re no weaker than me.”

Rebecca didn’t even react to the fact that Ellie told her about a different dimension; She just took off her glasses and haphazardly cleaned them against a corner of her uniform.

“You and Alina always knew what to say – I fucking hated that about you two sometimes, because it made me feel like an idiot.”

She paused, putting the newly “clean” glasses back on her nose. They sat a bit crookedly, as Ariane noticed.

“But… I was thankful for it as well, because at least I got to feel like someone had an idea what they were saying and doing. I’ve… really come to miss that since then.”

The woman wasn’t crying, but Ariane felt that that was more just because she didn’t have any tears left to cry; As if she had gotten used to her own sadness to the point of it not even being something that deserved any kind of attention.

“I’ve somehow managed to meander my way through university… as you can see.”

She motioned towards her PhD diploma that hung on the wall nearby, the glass it was behind only partially see-through due to all the dust it had gathered.

“Yeah, congratulations on that, by the way. You’re a doctor of Biology now, huh?”

The doctor stood up, brushing her hands down her uniform slightly.

“That I am, as little as that really means.”

Ariane felt the need to speak up for the first time during the short conversation, putting one leg over the other.

“As little as that means? Dr. Liang, you’re the lead of the entire hydroponics department – you made the plants that we planted on top of Mandelbrot, didn’t you?”

Rebecca stopped, turning to face Ariane with a raised eyebrow.

“You remember that? I’m not even sure if they kept the garden up there…”

Ariane stood up, nodding vehemently.

“Of course they did – I saw it on a poster in the train when we were on our way here. I think you can just barely see it from the roof of the block here. Why don’t we check it out?”

Ellie stood up, grabbing Dr. Liang under one arm. The woman yelped, unsure of what to say as Ellie nodded.

“Yeah, I’ve never been on top of a block before. Come on, let’s check it out.”

The doctor squirmed under the Replika’s grasp, leaning her body away from the biomechanical person as she tried to gently wiggle her arm free, though with little success. Ellie seemed determined to keep a hold of her, even if it meant going against Rebecca’s wishes.

“Lilith…!”

Ellie shook her head as Ariane opened the door to the doctor’s apartment and stepped through quickly.

“Nope, not Lilith. My name is Ellie Yeong-Itou, for future reference.”

“You two are MARRIED?”

The doctor’s shocked words were drowned out by the sound of Ariane pulling the door closed behind them while Ellie walked ahead. Dr. Liang let out a few more half-muffled gasps, mumbles and grunts, but she knew that she couldn’t escape Ellie’s grasp.

“I-I can’t go up onto the roof – my uniform, it’s all crumpled up! My hair is a mess, please just let me- “

Ellie casually stepped onto the platform of the Paternoster, pulling the woman along with seemingly zero effort. Ariane stopped, waiting for the next platform to arrive – three people wouldn’t fit on a single one, not even with Ariane’s reality-bending powers.

As she stepped onto the moving metal, she was struck with that familiar feeling of liminality that had always allowed her to clear her mind when she was younger. She leaned against the small railing, letting her thoughts wander for a few seconds.

There was something that she had been wondering about ever since they returned from the other dimension; more specifically since Ellie had told her about what she had experienced there. There had been a moment where Ariane had seemingly projected herself into Ellie’s area of the other realm, if only for a brief moment.

The white-haired girl focused, trying to think about her friends on New Vineta and Leng. Maybe, just maybe, she could take a brief glance at what they were doing.

A picture formed inside of her mind: The Ara that had hidden away on their ship and Juli sitting on the floor, a lamp illuminating a bunch of parts that lay between them. Something that looked like a tall, thin door frame stood next to them, various cables and other bits sticking out of the sides.

The picture changed to what seemed to be a hospital room, though a somewhat run-down one. Holes littered the walls, the ceiling and the floor at irregular intervals, but they hardly interested Ariane. She barely got a glimpse of two brown-haired girls hugging next to a hospital bed before a voice ripped her from her thoughts.

“Hey, Ariane!”

She opened her eyes, stumbling forwards and off of the platform. Rebecca blew some air out of her nose as Ellie stood next to her. She had let go of the doctor’s arm, though she was still visibly ready to grab the shorter woman if she tried to escape.

“That was a close one – you were close to becoming an Ariane sandwich.”

Ariane shook her head, awkwardly clearing her throat as she tried to regain her footing fully. Her stumble hadn’t been exactly graceful, after all.

“Sorry, I was just… trying something, I guess. Anyway, that was fast. Are we really already on the uppermost floor?”

Rebecca nodded, adjusting her glasses with one hand as she tried to tug her dress down to hide some of the crinkles.

“Yes. And, as much as I feel like sprinting back down using the emergency ladders… I guess some fresh air won’t hurt for once.”

“You sure smell like you need it.”

Rebecca only answered Ellie’s dig with a short grunt, but Ariane could see her smell under her armpit when the Replika turned away. The grimace that followed told Ariane that the doctor didn’t pass her own test, which also explained the silence that followed.

They walked up the short stairs to the roof exit in silence, with Ellie only speaking up once Ariane had opened the door at the top. The Replika clicked her tongue.

“Well, damn… that’s one hell of a view.”

The housing block they were in wasn’t particularly tall when compared to other apartment blocks, but it still towered over most of the surrounding buildings, giving the group a wonderful view of the whole area.

Rebecca walked to the edge of the roof slowly, leaning against the railing as she stared into the sky above. Her eyes were distant as Ariane and Ellie joined her, all of them standing at the edge of the roof.

Ariane let her gaze wander over the sight before them, quickly finding the comparably small building that she knew was Mandelbrot Poly. It was barely visible in the dim light of the early evening, but she could definitely see splotches of green on top.

“Look, there it is! The garden is still there.”

Rebecca’s eyes refocused, looking at the spot that Ariane was pointing at. She didn’t react immediately, but then a soft hum escaped her lips.

“Huh, so it is… I’ve been here so many times, but I never noticed. Maybe I need to get new glasses or something… My perception isn’t what it used to be, clearly.”

Something about her tone made Ariane stop, but Ellie seemed unimpacted.

“Hm… You came here often, huh? Can’t blame you; I thought about ending it a few times myself, back when I was Lilith.”

Rebecca chuckled, though the corners of her mouth moved by little more than a millimeter.

“Sometimes I just had to remind myself that I could do it if I wanted to. As much as the Nation wants to control everything… They can’t take that away from us, can they? At least, not for now.”

It was a grim way of looking at things, though Ariane had to admit that Dr. Liang wasn’t wrong. The doctor sighed heavily as she turned away from the long fall to the ground below. Ellie looked at her, visibly pondering something before she spoke up.

“Did you ever find out what happened to Alina?”

The doctor looked back at the Replika silently, making Ariane pause. Right… Alina. She remembered that name – was that who they were looking for? Dr. Liang shook her head.

“Nope, no sign of her. No death certificate, no medical records… it seems that she just… fell into the memory hole, if that makes sense. I’ve got two theories.”

She pointed downwards, her gloved finger standing out against the white abyss below..

“Either she is dead and gone, and her corpse was simply never found. It’s… not entirely unlikely that they may have half-assed the search given what was going between her and y- I mean, Lilith.”

She paused, allowing both Ariane and Ellie to ponder the possibility before she continued.

“The second possibility – and the one I personally believe – is that she’s on Heimat and her identity is confidential. Everyone else except you and her have been confirmed dead…”

Ellie hummed in agreement, though she didn’t turn to look at Rebecca. Her arms were crossed again as she looked into nothingness.

“You don’t think she was taken to be a neural pattern, do you?”

Rebecca shook her head, closing her eyes as a cold wind blew past them.

“No – they only take really exceptional people. And… as much as I liked her, and as good of a leader as she was, I would hardly call her “exceptional” in the same way that you were.”

She turned around, looking at the sky again. Ariane wasn’t sure how to interpret her tone.

“I think it’s more likely that she is… or maybe at least was, active in the upper command of the army. It would fit her tendency to somehow walk away from everything with a new rank to show.”

Ellie chuckled as Ariane leaned over the railing briefly. The drop down was very, very long – long enough for any would-be jumpers to have plenty of time to consider the ramification of their mistake.

“Is that jealousy I hear?”

The doctor laughed as she shook her head humorlessly, her hands grasping each other..

“Pah, she wishes. If anything, I pity her… if she’s still alive. But… why do you care at all?”

With that, the doctor motioned towards Ariane lazily.

“You said that you’re not Lilith anymore, and judging by the surname, you tied the knot with Ariane here. So… why are you still looking for Alina?”

The Replika paused, her expression darkening briefly before she turned away.

“I made a promise to Lilith when I met her. I said that, if Alina was still alive, I would tell her that Lilith is waiting for her in the other realm. If she is already dead… I don’t doubt that Lilith will have already found her by now. Still, I wanna make sure that she’s not around anymore before I leave all the hard work to Lilith.”

Ariane spotted something on the horizon – a light that was rising from one of the buildings. She squinted briefly before realizing what it was and immediately looking away. A sudden flash of red light enveloped the scene, causing Ellie and Rebecca to turn around.

“What the- Oh…”

Rebecca stood back as more lights whizzed into the sky before exploding into giant clouds of red and golden sparks. Ellie exhaled loudly as she eyed the fireworks shot up from all around other sectors, exploding at different times. Flash after flash of red illuminated the scene.

When Ariane looked over at Dr. Liang, she saw the woman smiling. It was a tired, wistful smile, but it was a smile nonetheless. Her arms hung loosely at her sides as she looked up at the fireworks. Ariane could have sworn that she saw one being launched from Mandelbrot as well, and it made her wonder if the Eules had to spend the holiday at their workplace… or if they even ever left the school to begin with.

“I forgot how pretty Rotfront can be…”

It was little more than an exhale, just barely audible over the sharp bangs and crackling of the fireworks in the distance. It was Rebecca that had spoken as a tear rolled down her cheek. Ellie put an arm around the smaller woman, and Ariane mirrored her action. They stood there, looking out at the Mondfest fireworks together for a while.

As nice as it was, it only reminded Ariane that they still had one more person to visit – someone she had not seen in a long, long time.

Chapter Text

“Erika!”

Faust barely had time to take half a step to the side as Isa rushed past her and Zack, crossing the entire room in less than two seconds and coming to a halt next to the hospital bed that her twin sister was lying in.

The Gestalt was in pretty rough shape, though Faust had seen worse before; much worse, in fact. Still, she was very thin, with her clothes hanging on her body loosely. Her skin was pale and her eyes had sunk fairly deep into her skull, her dark, greasy hair hanging into her face partially.

Despite everything, the family resemblance between her and Isa was undeniable, especially as Faust saw both of them so close to each other. Isa had pushed away the Eule that had been fluffing Erika’s pillow, eliciting a small yelp of surprise from the Replika as she stumbled to the side.

For a second, it looked like she wanted to yell at the Gestalt, but she stopped herself at the last second, her facial expression softening as she stepped away willingly. Faust guessed that she was Erika’s assigned nurse or at least the Replika who had taken it upon herself to care for the girl.

Erika sat up with some effort, using her pillow to prop herself up. Her movements were slow and labored, but she didn’t let out any sounds of discomfort or strain, only clearing her throat. Isa grabbed one of her sister’s hands, holding it comfortingly.

“Isa…”

There was a shakiness to Erika’s voice, though she was clearly trying to mask it as best as she could. Faust noticed that her upper body was tense and the one eye she could see from the angle she was standing at was scanning her twin’s face rapidly, almost looking for anything that seemed off.

There was a second of silence as Erika conducted her quiet examination, but then she breathed out as almost all tension drained from her posture. She blinked, her visible eye losing the edge it had practically radiated just a moment before.

“It’s… it’s really you, isn’t it?”

Isa nodded, squeezing her sister’s hand gently. She was shaking a bit, and Faust could only imagine what she was feeling in that moment: overwhelming happiness, relief and horror, all at once. She had found her sister alive, though not in the state she was secretly hoping for. She leaned her head forward, and Erika did the same, pressing their foreheads together gently.

They stood there for a few seconds before Erika pulled back, shifting in her bed as she kicked the blanket off of herself.

“Help me up. I don’t want to lie around like some kind of old woman…”

The Eule moved slightly – just a twitch, an instinctive reaction. Faust knew that she wanted to tell Erika to not stand up, that it would be bad for her health and that she was too weak, but all it took for her to stop was a quick glance from the weakened Gestalt.

For a moment, Faust pondered if she should step up and help Isa pull Erika out of the bed, but she stopped herself as well. Isa’s hands moved quickly, pulling away the blanket and quickly grabbing her sister by her waist – she had experience with these things, it seemed.

The process took a painfully long time, but Isa was patient with her sister. She helped her sit up fully, moved her legs down from the bed slowly and grabbed her hands immediately after.

“Ready?”

The question sounded through the room, the only answer being a nod. Slowly, Isa began pulling Erika up and away from the bed, with her sister visibly steeling herself for what was to come. Then, she slid off of the bed and onto her feet.

The sound of the girl landing safely on the ground was barely audible, even though everyone was looking on with bated breaths to see if the Gestalt would be able to stand on her own. Her legs were even thinner than the rest of her person, barely more than skin and bone covered by some bandages.

Erika’s stance was shaky, but she was standing on her own. Slowly, she took a step towards Isa, barely managing it. Faust made a mental note for later: she would have to carry Erika on her back if they wanted to have any chance of escaping.

“W-Well… A bit shaky, but I could be a lot worse…”

The girl chuckled quietly, shaking her head as she opened her arms. Isa didn’t hesitate for even a second, almost throwing herself against Erika and wrapping her arms around her tightly, as if the malnourished girl could run away.

“I’m so glad you’re alive, sis…”

Isa’s statement was more of a mumble, barely audible in the quiet ambience of the room. Her shoulders were raining and lowering slowly, her breathing far more stable and measured than Faust had expected. Erika smiled over her sister’s shoulder.

“I should be the one saying that, Isa. You look pretty good for someone who died years ago… What kind of necromancy brought you back?”

There was no doubt in the woman’s voice, surprising Faust a bit. She glanced over at the multitude of damaged Replikas in the room, but they were all tactfully giving the twins a moment. For a brief moment, Faust could have sworn that she saw something from the corner of her eye – a white shape that dissipated just as she turned to look at it.

She blinked, confused. Had she imagined something? Were her eyes malfunctioning? Her questions were pushed aside as she heard Isa sigh. Isa let go of her sister, shaking her head.

“Come on, sis. Did you think something as simple as death would keep me from finding you?”

The two laughed heartily before Isa shook her head.

“But honestly… I’m still not entirely sure how it happened. You’ll need to ask Ariane about that, and even she won’t be able to tell you exactly.”

The malnourished girl leaned back slightly, raising an eyebrow.

“Ariane? Ariane is… alive? I heard she got sent on that suicide mission… what was it called?”

“Penrose. Project Penrose.”

Faust had answered, taking a step forward. The thin Gestalt turned to her, holding Isa for support as she eyed the Star. The Replika realized that there was something strange about the girl – her other eye, while not gone, seemed diseased and she moved with a slight limp.

“Oh right… Sorry for ignoring you. Who are you?”

The Star bowed her head slightly, smirking.

“I’m Faust. I- “

Erika clicked her tongue, her good eye looking to the side as she thought.

“Faust… Faust. That sounds familiar.”

She turned to the Kolibri who stood in a corner of the room quietly, gesturing at her. The short Replika nodded.

“Yeah, Faust used to be one of the guards here, but she was sent away together with most of the other Protektors on that… classified mission.”

Faust saw Erika tug at Isa’s shoulder, telling her sister to help her walk closer to the Star. She hobbled over slowly, still using Isa to keep herself upright as her eye never left Faust’s face until they were almost face to face. The air around them had gone cold all of a sudden as Erika stared up at the Star.

“How many?”

Faust didn’t even need to ask what Erika meant – there was only one number that mattered.

“Ten.”

“Ten, huh? Pretty low for an officer.”

The Star sighed, stemming her hands into her sides. Erika had leaned forward slightly and Faust could see her nostrils flaring. The Gestalt didn’t trust her, understandably enough – even less so, given Faust’s low kill count.

“I was mostly employed in transport and interrogation, not guard duty or disposal… That’s why the number is so low. Doesn’t mean there is any less blood on my hands than any other guard.”

The girl scoffed, shaking her head.

“I’m not sure if your openness speaks of regret or of pride, Star.”

Isa cleared her throat.

“Erika… It’s ok, Faust is a friend of ours. She betrayed the Nation and helped Ariane and her wife.”

Erika’s head turned suddenly, the eyebrow over her good eye raised.

“Ariane’s married? How did she- I mean, did she marry the Elster unit she was paired with.”

Faust chuckled quietly, crossing her arms as she smirked.

“Yep, sure did. Quite the power couple, if you ask me.”

The thin Gestalt glanced at Faust with a mixture of subdued anger and suspicion, slowly turning her body back towards the Star and giving her full attention.

“So, you’re a traitor. Why? Why would you throw your position away after… what, years of service?”

Faust felt anger well up in her for a second – how did this Gestalt dare to… No, that was not how she could think. She swallowed her anger, shaking her head and forcing herself to relax a bit. She had tensed up without realizing, mirroring Erika’s own tension, but once she became aware of it, she was able to release it with a sigh.

“What do you think?”

The question visibly took Erika by surprise, making her lean away as her eyebrows rose slightly. She looked at the Star’s face for a few seconds with an empty expression, clearly trying to look for something that wasn’t there. Then, she furrowed her eyebrows.

“Don’t dodge the question, Faust.”

The Star scoffed, but she knew that Erika wouldn’t let up until she answered.

“I found love, and suddenly… it became a lot harder to distance myself from all the things that were happening. It’s as simple as that.”

The Gestalt before her paused, one hand around Isa while the other hung limply at her side. She still didn’t seem convinced, but the beat-up Kolibri stepped forward.

“Erika, you know that all of us did bad things before, most of all me. I checked, and Faust isn’t lying.”

A brief silence filled the room before Erika sighed, her anger leaving her body. Isa grabbed her sister by the shoulder, a brief flash of fear passing over her face as she wasn’t sure if Erika would fall over or not.

“Alright, if Isa trusts you… then so will I.”

Her eye wandered away from Faust and came to a halt on Zack instead.

“Ah yes, the AEON officer that I heard about.”

The man nodded slightly.

“Well, I’m not really AEON at all – I’m Zachary Shi, captain of the imperial Palace guard.”

Erika whistled slightly, her face contorting into some strange approximation of a smirk. She seemed like she had almost forgotten how to smile – no wonder in this place.

“Well, quite the rag-tag group you’ve got here, sis. So… what’s the plan now?”

Everyone stayed silent for a few seconds before Zack cleared his throat.

“Well… We pretended that we were here in order to find out what happened to you. Isa was – so we said – captured and DNA tests showed that she was Isolde Itou, someone who died.”

Faust took over.

“Yeah. Our pretense for trying to find you was that we were looking to test your DNA as well to try and see if the previous test was a fluke or something.”

Isa decided to finish their little explanation.

“Actually… we never considered how we’d get you out of here without sounding some kind of alarm.”

One of the Aras around them stepped forward, rubbing her forearm slightly as she pointed at one of the exit tunnels.

“T-That tunnel leads out of the facility and up to the ship landing area – it’s the only way out.”

Isa’s eyes lit up as a small smile played around her lips. She turned to Erika, gently bumping her hip into that of her sister.

“That’s perfect! We came here using a spaceship – we can take all of you away from here that way.”

Faust raised an eyebrow for a split-second, but she wasn’t really surprised. As soon as they had entered the room, she had known that they would not be leaving anyone behind.

“Now we just need to think of some logical way to convince the Administrator that our investigation came to a conclusion…”

Zack had spoken up as he rubbed his chin gently. He glanced at Erika, who was still standing right in front of Faust, though now with significantly less hostility in her stance.

“I had an idea: We could take some of your hair and pretend like we found your corpse down in the mines or something.”

Faust nodded approvingly, though there was an issue with said plan, and she could see based on Erika’s frown that she saw it too.

“Hair decomposes pretty fast in wet areas like the mines… But I think I may have something better for you to use as proof.”

She nudged Isa, nodding her head backwards and vaguely into the direction of her hospital bed. Her sister understood, wordlessly nodding as the two turned around. Faust followed after them, closely tailed by Zack. They walked slowly, the movement really enunciating Erika’s strange limp.

When they arrived, Erika waved her hand at the Eule that was still firmly standing next to the bed. The Replika raised a questioning eyebrow, but another silent handwave from Isa caused her to shrug and turn around. Faust looked on as the damaged Replika rummaged around in a small bedside table before pulling out something that was wrapped in paper, offering it to Faust.

The Star carefully, almost gingerly, took the small package and opened it up. She recoiled on pure instinct, her eyes widened in shock as her mouth furled into a frown. A sour taste came to her mouth and she barely swallowed it down as she stared at the thing before her. It was… a mummified foot. Next to Faust, Erika chuckled.

“A squeamish Star – I guess you really weren’t kidding when you said you weren’t in the worse positions.”

She shook off one of the shoes she was wearing – old, scraped-up leather shoes that were barely staying together – and showed them an old, largely healed-over stump that she had in place of where her right foot should have been.

“Well, that explains the limp. Does it… hurt?”

The Gestalt laughed quietly.

“Yeah, but so does everything else, so it’s nothing special, really. Anyway… you should be able to use that as proof, right?”

Faust shivered slightly, feeling the nonexistent skin on her fingers crawling as she carefully wrapped the foot up again, handing it to Zack. The man grimaced, a shiver visibly running up and down his body as he grabbed the small paper package with two fingers.

“You’re… awfully nonchalant about this.”

Erika, who had sat back down on the bed, just shrugged as she stretched slightly. Faust could hear her bones cracking quietly as she did so – a weirdly sickening sound.

“It hasn’t been attached to me for… about a year now? Time becomes meaningless down here after a while.”

Zack stowed the foot away into a small bag he kept on him, shaking his head in some attempt to get rid of the thought that there was a severed human foot on his person as he looked up. The damaged Kolibri sighed.

“So… I suggest that we split up for now. Faust, Isolde and Erika lead people up to the landing pad – we will need some time to move everyone onto the ship stealthily. Captain Shi and I will deliver the foot to the Administrator and then join you.”

Faust turned around, raising an eyebrow at the Kolibri.

“You’re coming along with Zack? Won’t you, I don’t know, stand out like a sore thumb?”

07 scoffed slightly as she shook her head.

“I’ll be following him using the maintenance tunnels and act as a lookout. My amplifier may be damaged, but I can still sense things through Bioresonance… Just not quite as clearly as before. You should be able to sneak onto your ship easily enough – the landing pad is barely guarded against attacks from within, after all.”

As much as Faust didn’t like the idea of splitting up, she couldn’t deny that it would be easier than having to run back and forth multiple times. She groaned, grimacing – she could feel the edges of the crack at the top of her faceplate rub together.

“Ugh… Alright, I guess that’s fine with me. What do you two think?”

She looked at Isa first, just as Isa rolled her shoulders. Helping Erika move around was clearly no easy feat, even if the Gestalt was probably severely underweight. The brunette blinked, thinking the possibility over.

“Well… I mean, he handled himself fine before, and I don’t want to leave Erika alone…”

Faust turned to face Zack, who just gave them a smile and a thumbs up – what a dumbass he was, Faust thought briefly – as he motioned towards the Kolibri.

“Yeah, we’ll be fine; For sure. You two worry about these people and I’ll handle the “AEON” side of things by myself.”

He looked at the Kolibri, flashing her a smirk.

“Ready, Ma’am?”

Faust heard Isa growl quietly behind her, making the Star’s hair stand up on end. The Kolibri must’ve heard it as well, as she gave the girl that was still standing behind Faust a brief glance. The Star had never seen a single glance deliver a message as complex as “DON’T WORRY I AM NOT INTO HIM PLEASE DON’T HURT ME” before, but there it was, almost written across the Kolibri’s face in flashing red letters.

A pleased hum answered from behind Faust, and everyone except Zack breathed a sigh of relief. The man blinked, visibly confused as his eyes wandered from one person to the next.

“Did something happen?”

The Kolibri cleared her throat.

“Nothing, just… we are all glad that we have a plan now, that’s all. Uh… come on, we should get going.”

She waved Zack over as she grabbed the bottom rung of the ladder and began climbing up. Zack hesitated, turning to Isa – yes, specifically Isa. Faust could tell because his eyes were focused on a spot behind the Star, whereas they usually stayed on the move, taking in everything around the man.

“Good luck; I’ll see you on the spaceship. That’s a promise.”

With that, he turned around and quickly climbed after the Kolibri. The room stayed silent for a good few seconds until the sounds of the Replika and the Gestalt ascending up the metal shaft couldn’t be heard anymore. Erika sighed.

“Ariane married a Replika, my sister’s boyfriend is the captain of the Palace guard… and here I am with one good eye and one good leg. Wow, I really fell off once I became a political prisoner.”

Faust had to hold back laughter as she turned around to see Isa staring at her sister with a dumbfounded look on her face, her lip moving slightly as if she was about to say something but lacked the proper words. Her hands were slightly raised, her palms facing upwards as if she was trying to grab something. Faust couldn’t help herself and broke out in laughter.

“He- He is not my boyfriend!?”

Isa’s words were almost drowned out by the Star’s laughter, but the appalled shock in her voice gave them just enough exasperated weight to be heard. Erika joined Faust’s laughing.

“Oh really? Well, you better get on that before he slips away. I bet he’s in hot demand.”

Faust wiped an amused tear from her eye, shaking her head as she tried her best to get rid of the last of the laugh quickly.

“You know, that’s funny! The Kolibri said the same thing before.”

Erika put her arm around Isa’s shoulders – both to use her as support and to comfort her. The… younger twin? Faust had forgotten if Isa was the younger or older one, but she just assumed that she was the younger based on the way Erika talked to her. Isa groaned with frustration.

“I’m TRYING, ok? He’s just so…”

“Dense.”

The words came from everyone in the room at once – like a choir to lament Isa’s suffering.

“Yeah, dense. I’ll get to him somehow…”

Erika shook her head, sighing as she motioned over to the exit tunnel.

“How about we talk about it some more while we move towards the space ship? What landing pad are you on?”

“Landing pad C.”

Faust answered, having remembered the information just in case they got separated and someone asked them – she thought ahead, as any good guard would. Erika glanced over at one of the Aras who nodded in response, her face scrunched up in thought.

“C… Ok, I think I know which tunnel leads there. I think the last group marked them for us, too.”

Faust stepped closer to Erika, turning around and crouching down slightly.

“Alright. Hop on, big girl.”

The Gestalt let out an amused chuckle and Isa looked at Faust with a raised eyebrow before stemming her arms into her sides. The Replika shrugged.

“Hey, us Replikas are way stronger than you Gestalts – I can carry you easily without compromising my own mobility, unlike your sister.”

She could tell that the twins exchanged a brief look by the way Isa’s eyes moved – just a quick jitter to the side, just long enough to read her sister’s expression and understand what she was trying to convey. The brunette sighed.

“Alright… sure. I’ll be right behind you.”

Faust felt thin arms wrap themselves around her neck and she backed up slightly, grabbing Erika under her diminished thighs gently. She would basically wear the brunette like an oversized backpack, or at least that was the plan. As the Star stood up, she glanced at the Ara that had pointed out the correct tunnel before.

“So uh… do we have to climb any ladders?”

The Replika almost immediately shook her head vehemently, her hands put up as she did so.

“No, no. Some of the Gestalts that we move through here are too badly hurt to climb ladders, so we actually managed to repurpose an old stairway from back when the landing pads were being renovated. The tunnel gets taller a bit further in as well, so even you’ll be able to stand upright after a few meters.”

Faust nodded quickly as she crouched down and crawled into the tunnel, making sure that Erika didn’t hit her head on the top. She heard Isa crawl in behind her, the girl letting out a small grunt of effort as she had to duck down far to fit.

The Ara didn’t lie – the tunnel got taller rather fast, allowing both the Replika and the Gestalt behind her to stand up. Faust couldn’t help but let out a small sigh of relief, feeling her face relaxing as her poor, overtaxed knees got some literal space to breathe. She bounced up and down a few times before realizing that Erika was still on her back.

“So, about that lover boy.”

Thankfully, it seemed that Erika had other things on her mind – specifically, trying to solve the curious case of the densest man to ever exist. The Star heard Isa sigh with enough pent-up frustration to make an entire neighborhood shiver in fear, and she could almost see her cross her arms. Faust chuckled, deciding to speak her mind on him as well.

“He’s dumb, respectful and probably built as all hell if Palace guard training is anything like I imagine it being.”

“Ooh, now that’s the perfect man right there.”

They walked at a brisk pace through the chilly tunnels – they had places to be, after all – but Erika still had plenty of time to talk with Isa. Faust could only presume that the others were behind them.

“He’s sweet, but I’m not sure if he’s really interested… I mean, I tried a few of the things we read about, and nothing worked so far.”

Faust really, REALLY wanted to ask what kind of books Isa and Erika had read in the bookstore for the girl to consider her tactics up to that point any semblance of normal, but she held the urge back, if only barely. Erika hummed quietly in response.

“Well, I think he’s pretty into you, so maybe you can skip forward a few steps?”

Both girls stayed silent for a short while, allowing Faust to hear the clacking of the other Replikas’ hooves behind them before Isa clicked her tongue.

“You know… yeah, you’re right. I think I’ll try once he’s back.”

Isa began to laugh quietly and her sister joined in almost immediately – it was the most malicious-sounding cackle that Faust had ever heard. What were they planning… and did she really even want to know?

They arrived at the stairs surprisingly quickly, but Faust knew that the real brunt of the work had only just started. They would have to climb quite a way up, after all. Faust sighed internally as she put a hoof on the first step.

If there was something that she was bad at, it was doing simple but tedious things – like counting, for example. She had an internal counter that she could use, but somehow, she always forgot to use it. As such, she couldn’t be sure how many steps she had climbed up by the time the group arrived at the very top.

It was… at least 120, she was pretty sure about that. She was also out of breath, which was pretty rare for her. Isa walked past her as Faust leaned against the railing, trying to catch her breath. She heard the girl lift up the hatch above them slightly. The Star took a few deep breaths before turning around.

“And? Is the coast clear?”

Isa stayed silent, just staring outside. Something was wrong. Quickly, she closed the distance between them and looked through the crack as well. The landing pad outside looked fairly empty, but there was definitely something very wrong.

Another ship had landed close to theirs. It was jet-black apart from a set of golden triangles that ran along one side and a depiction of the Nation’s flag on the back rudder. A shiver ran down Faust’s back as she heard Erika hiss into her ears.

“Oh, fuck. It seems that the new Commander has finally arrived.”

Chapter Text

The climb back up felt somehow shorter than their previous descent into the hidden bowels of the facility, though Zack couldn’t quite explain how that would have been possible. He had quickly caught up to the Kolibri as well, with the short Replika silently climbing a few rungs ahead of him the whole way.

Once they crawled back out of the hatch in the toilets, the Kolibri turned to the captain, stemming her hands into her sides.

“Right. Let’s go over the plan, even though it’s simple. You’ve already been to the Administrator’s office before, so you know where it is and what he’s like, correct?”

Zachary nodded as he looked down at his uniform. His little trip through the vents before had left them crumpled and visibly stained in some areas. He quickly walked over to the sinks and turned on the faucet.

Cold water poured onto one of his hands, making his shiver slightly as he turned back to the Kolibri. His newly wet hand was rubbing the stains, trying to get rid of them as best as he could.

“Yeah, we managed to talk our way past him before. I already know what I’m going to say as well – I’ve got experience dealing with logistical workers like him.”

The Kolibri nodded briefly, her face contorting into something that Zack could presume was meant to be a smile, though her mouth was a bit too crooked for it to look normal. She crossed her arms, nodding as she tapped one of her hooves impatiently.

“Good. I’ll follow along and try to avert any unwanted attention – not that there will be much of that, hopefully.”

Zack briefly paused in his cleaning, looking at the Kolibri with some degree of curiosity. He understood that the three symbols that both the Kolibris and the Commander shared were an amplifier for the Song, but he couldn’t quite understand what effects partial damage had on it.

The woman groaned quietly as she looked at the captain, her eyebrows furrowed. She kept her arms crossed before turning her face away slightly. She was embarrassed about something, though Zack couldn’t fathom what.

“So… If you don’t mind me asking: what exactly can you do using your Song?”

The Kolibri didn’t move, keeping her posture as neutral as she could while she faced away.

“It depends. I can still do pretty much everything that other Kolibris can… it just takes more effort – I need to really focus on it in order to make it happen, it’s not as instinctive as it once was.”

Zachary nodded as he dried his hand off using a paper towel before throwing it away. There was another question that he really wanted to ask, though he wasn’t sure if it was appropriate or not. He steeled himself, giving them a second of silence before he spoke.

“So… Why did you join that group down there? You’re the only combat Replika I saw in the whole group, and I was under the impression that Kolibris are fairly high-ranking.”

The woman turned her head, looking Zack over with an expressionless face. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but she seemed… torn. She bit her upper lip, visibly running her tongue along the inside of her teeth as she pondered if she should answer the question or not. Then, she sighed, letting her arms fall down along her body.

“I was left for dead after a failed expedition down in the mines. I was sent alongside some of the others you saw down there to look for potential dissident activity. It was… a trap.”

She motioned towards a few of the damages on her body.

“Most of this came from an explosion that went off – we were trapped down there for… days, I think. I don’t remember how long it was exactly, but we had to dig our way back out, and nobody came for us.”

Her face sank a bit as she turned her head away slightly. Her arms returned to their previous state of hanging limply by her sides.

“That’s when I realized that ultimately, our ranks didn’t matter – we were just as disposable to the Nation as everyone else. Gestalts, low-ranking and high-ranking Replikas – we’re all just resources and, as such, replaceable.”

The captain nodded sadly, not daring to get closer to the Kolibri.

“Right… But now, you will be able to get out of here.”

The Replika looked at the man for a few seconds, the corners of her mouth shifting downwards before she shook her head.

“No. The others, maybe, but not me; I’m staying here.”

Zack took half a step forward, but the Replika cut him off with a quick motion of her hand.

“The others have done their work well – they’ve made tunnels, set up fake walls we can deploy quickly and they’ve made connections… They deserve to get out of here right now.”

She motioned towards the door.

“But there are still Gestalts here who need to be rescued and given shelter until the next opportunity for escape arises. I have experience in coordinating people… Who better to stay behind than me?”

The captain had the distinct feeling that there was a more guilt-oriented reason for the Kolibri’s decision, but he also knew that this was not his decision to make.

“If you believe that that is best, then I won’t stop you.”

The Replika nodded before opening a small hatch next to the door and flipping something inside.

“Thank you. Now then, we should get going. Don’t worry, I’ll be down on level 8 in no time.”

Zack heard something in the door click, as if an internal lock had disengaged. The Replika gave him a brief, almost unnoticeable glance before turning back around to the hatch they had come from. She lowered herself inside, pausing as she looked up at the man.”Oh yeah… If I sense any trouble, I’ll knock three times from inside the walls, got that?”

Zachary just gave her a thumbs up in response but it seemed to suffice - as the Kolibri immediately ducked down and closed the heavy hatch behind her, leaving him alone. He allowed himself a brief second to breathe deeply and refocus on the mission at hand.

He also did his best to not think about the severed foot that was firmly stowed inside of his bag, but he failed miserably at that. He could feel the mummified extremity resting against his hip – it was so much smaller than a foot should be and almost felt more like a strangely shaped rock more than anything else.

Zack was no stranger to amputation; He had seen plenty of his injured colleagues and had been on a battlefield more than his fair share of times… But this felt different, perhaps because of the state that the foot was in.

He remembered peering into the paper wrapping and seeing the pale, almost grayish, paper-thin skin that was stretched across bones and a few dried-out sinews. Even the memory made him shiver for a second before he managed to wave it away. He couldn’t get bogged down with these things – Erika didn’t seem to see it as a part of herself, so he didn’t have to either. It was just a thing now… A very gross, dead thing.

He loudly cleared his throat, fully leaving the image of the foot from his mind as he stepped out of the toilet. Thankfully, it seemed that nobody had noticed them entering the room, even though the camera on the wall was still blinking as if it was active. It was probably a fake, which made Zack wonder if there was a lucrative market for fake cameras in the Nation. How many real cameras did they even have here at Sierpinski?

He mulled these thoughts over as he quickly walked back to the elevators and called one up to the level he was at. It took the cabin a fairly long time to arrive, giving the man some time to ponder if there were any visual differences between real and fake cameras – if there were, he hadn’t seen any, at least.

The elevator doors opened to reveal two Replikas – a Star and an Eule, standing at opposite sides of the cabin. Both glanced at Zack before immediately snapping to attention in unison. Zack wanted to chuckle, but he forced himself to give both of them a slow, cold look before nodding.

“Good reaction time. At ease.”

Both Replikas visibly breathed out as Zack entered the elevator.

“What level, Sir?”

“Command Accommodations, all the way to level 8.”

The Star paused, clearing her throat.

“I… we don’t have the credentials for that, Sir. We’re going down to level 4 and then you’ll have to insert your card and select level 8. Is that ok?”

Zack just waved them off as the elevator began to move. Silence filled the small room, the nervousness of the two Replikas almost tangible in the air. Zack felt a little evil, and so decided to break both the silence and the tension at once.

“Big day today?”

The Replikas flinched slightly at his words, exchanging a look.

“Well, uh… Not so far, no.”

The Eules had started, but the Star continued.

“Though there is this weird feeling in the air, like something is going to happen. Or… is that just me?”

Zack scoffed playfully.

“May I remind you that gut instincts are not a reliable source of information for a guard such as yourself?”

The Star seemed to shrink in on herself slightly, averting her eyes as she shifted her weight ever so slightly away from the man.

“Y-Yes, Sir. Of course, Sir.”

“Good. I believe this is your floor.”

The doors opened and the Replika stepped outside – perhaps a little too hastily, if Zack had to note – before turning and giving him a quick bow. The captain could see other figures waiting for the elevator, but the sight of Zack standing inside made them recoil. A murmur went through the crowd and some people – Gestalts and Replikas alike – gave him short salutes. He returned the gesture before the doors finally closed, allowing him to relax.

He quickly inserted the Storch’s card and pressed the button for floor 8. The rest of the descent was quiet, with nothing but the rattling of the elevator’s mechanism for company as he rode down into the depths of the facility.

Level 8 was as empty as it had been the first time they had arrived there, with only a single Eule pushing a cart of what seemed to be some dirty laundry from one of the dorms. She gave him a brief salute, but seemed a bit too tired to care about further formalities. Zack just gave her a sympathetic nod as he stepped out of the elevator and onto the soft carpeting of the level.

He remembered the path to the Administrator’s office from his first time, his legs walking him there without conscious input from his brain. He was still mulling over what exactly he’d tell the Adler unit, but he had the general idea down rather well. As he rounded the corner, his eyes immediately met with those of the Storch that was standing guard in front of the office doors.

“Back so soon?”

The Storch sounded surprised, though her face stayed neutral as she spoke.

“Where is the prisoner and your companion?”

Zack motioned behind him, vaguely into the direction of the elevators.

“I have sent them back to my ship already – I will not need them for my talk with the Administrator. Speaking of: is he available right now?”

The Storch nodded her head sideways as she stepped aside.

“Yeah, ready and eagerly awaiting your results. If I may ask: How… bad is it?”

Zack raised an eyebrow at the tall woman. Was she… afraid? The captain blew air out of his nose at her.

“Not as bad as it could be, I suppose. A false death report is not as bad as a potential infiltrator at AEON Command, isn’t it?”

He could see the Storch’s nostrils flare slightly as she took in the information, her cheeks twitching slightly in reaction. She blinked slowly, nodding.

“Yes, I suppose so. May I remind you that those reports were filed by units that are no longer stationed here?”

Zack couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at the Storch’s immediate instinct to cover not just her own ass, but that of her colleagues as well. It was amusing with how blunt she was about it.

“I am well aware, yes. Let us hope that AEON Command in general will remember that as well, then.”

“Yes, let us.”

Both parties were done with the conversation, finally breaking eye contact without speaking another word. Zack quickly checked if the mummified foot inside his bag hadn’t walked off – of course it hadn’t, but he still had to make sure… for his own peace of mind, really. He took a deep breath in, opened the door and stepped inside of the office.

“Ah, Officer Shi! Please, take a seat.”

The Administrator’s workload hadn’t decreased by much, but Zack could see a pile of papers that stood off to the side. One of the papers hadn’t been placed properly and hung out of the pile, allowing the man to see that it was marked as “RESOLVED” using a large red stamp at the bottom.

The Administrator adjusted his dark hair as she pushed a few papers to the side to see Zack better.

“So, what news do you bring?”

Zack leaned forward slightly and took off his bag, placing it on the table before him with a quiet gesture. The Replika eyed it hesitantly before reaching out and pulling at it gingerly. He recoiled in disgust as soon as his eyes met the contents.

“By the Great Revolutionary!”

The Replika looked up at Zack, but the man only gave a quick shrug as a response. The Administrator hesitated, visibly taken aback by Zack’s lack of reaction as his biomechanical hands ran over his messy desktop without any clear reason.

“I… I’m afraid I don’t quite understand how, uh… How is this relevant?”

The captain sighed, shaking his head as he pulled the bag back across the desktop.

“It is relevant because it is the foot of Erika Itou, Administrator. We found her corpse crushed under a cave-in. The prisoner identified her by her hair, and so we took a sample for DNA testing purposes.”

“And you… Took a foot of all things?”

Zack shrugged, fully aware of how strange it must have seemed to the Administrator.

“It was already detached when we found it, and the rest of the body is partially buried beneath rubble.”

He paused for half a second.

“Speaking of: We will send someone over in due time to get the rest of the corpse. Until then, it is to be kept secret… For both our sake and yours, Administrator. As such… I will not be telling you where exactly it is located.”

The Administrator wanted to speak up, but stopped. He looked at the papers next to him, clearly weighing his options before finally sighing.

“I… Yes, that may be for the best, Sir.”

Tink. Tink. Tink.

Zack’s hair immediately stood up on end as he heard the clear sound of three knocks from the corner of the room. The Administrator followed his gaze, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, those are just some faulty pipes in the wall. I have already called the Aras regarding that, but- “

The announcement system in the room crackled to life, making both the Gestalt and the Replika jump slightly as they looked up.

“Attention all facility personnel: This is KLBR-S2306 from the cadre of FKLR-S2301. We have entered orbit and are on approach to your facility. Consider this a courtesy call as an apology for the delay in arrival.”

Zack didn’t even have time to process everything that had just been told to him when the Administrator behind him jumped up from his seat.

“Oh! Oh no! I must- Oh, everyone must line up for the welcoming of the Commander!”

He turned to face Zack.

“Officer, you will be present as well, correct? Oh, of course you will. You need to excuse me; I must coordinate with my subordinates as best as I can!”

The Replika stormed past Zack and right out of the door, waving for the Storch to follow after him before the door closed. Immediately, the Kolibri popped out from behind a panel and waved Zack over.

“Fuck, god fucking damn it, this is the worst thing that could have happened.”

Zachary quickly walked over and crouched down.

“A new Falke unit is coming in, including her Kolibri cadre, huh? That’s really, really bad, isn’t it?”

The Kolibri nodded vehemently.

“Yeah, we need to get you out of here, ideally without her or her goon squad noticing at all.”

Zack raised an eyebrow and couldn’t help but smirk at the woman’s strange remark.

“…Goon squad? Weren’t you part of a very similar “goon squad” yourself?”

The Replika didn’t respond to his question, disappearing partially into the tunnel behind the panel.

“We’ll need to move fast if we want to have any chance of getting you out, dumbass. The safest path is from the toilets, so get up to level 2 as fast as you can. I’ll stake out the situation and warn you if need be.”

Zack nodded, his body already moving backwards as he did so. He quickly took the foot out of his bag and put it on the Administrator’s desk – no way was he leaving his bag or taking that horrifying thing with him, nuh-uh – before quickly walking out of the door.

The level was far busier than it had been only a few minutes before. Storchs, Eules and even a few Stars were running around, cleaning, organizing and generally trying to make the area look presentable. A few of the Storchs stood to the side, seemingly communicating with the Protektor Controllers on the other floors via radio.

Zack walked slowly – an AEON Officer wouldn’t be in a hurry, not even during a situation as hectic as this one, after all – and gave a few of the passing Replikas quick glances to show that he was aware of what was happening but simply didn’t care.

He got lucky, catching one of the elevators just before it was about to depart, though he had to squeeze himself between a few Eules to do so. The doors closed and the cabin began to ascend quickly, though there was also an undeniable air of awkwardness that hung over the situation.

One of the Eules whistled quietly and Zack felt her fingers squeeze his biceps.

“Wow, Officer! I didn’t know that AEON kept their personnel in such great shape. Such girth!”

A metallic sound rang out as a different Eule slapped the one that had made the remark.

“Dumbass, stop flirting with the AEON Officer!”

“Oh, you’re just jealous because you can’t reach him, Demeter.”

The other Eule, seemingly called Demeter, let out an angry hiss.

“Afrodite, stop it! Do you WANT to get us all decommissioned for bothering an Officer?!”

“I think Afrodite was just complimenting him – you could take a lesson or two from her, Demeter.”

“Oh, shut up Artemis – as if you know anything about complimenting people. Your bedside manners are legendarily bad.”

“Oh? OH, ARE THEY NOW?”

“Yes they are, Artemis!”

“You shut up Hestia; You don’t even work in medical, why the hell are you speaking up?”

“I don’t know who Hestia is, but it’s not me – I’m from a different clique altogether.”

Zack had never been as confused and as uncomfortable as he was when listening to multiple distinct instances of the same voice scream at each other in a cramped cabin. The Eules seemed to have totally forgotten about him, more and more of them joining in on the argument behind him.

The ascent felt like it took hours as Zachary got a very, VERY good idea of each Eule’s failings as a nurse, cook, janitor and about fifty other different roles. By the time the door opened to the second floor, he felt himself breathe a sigh of relief. He quickly stepped out of the cabin, giving the Eules inside a quick bow. The Replikas returned the gesture before the door began to close again. Zack could just barely hear one of them speak up before he turned away

“Oh, by the way: I lied. I am from your cadre, but I’m Eris.”

The angry squabbling that followed could somehow be heard through the thick elevator doors; Zack was just glad that he was out of there. His good mood would not last, however.

Tink. Tink. Tink.

The man cursed quietly, but he had to see the situation for himself, so he quickly peered through the open doors on his left, seeing a long line of Gestalts standing before the doors to the toilets. Fuck.

He turned around, looking for some way to contact the Kolibri. Then, he felt a gentle prodding at the walls around his mind – barely a poke, but it was there. She was trying to contact him through the Song. Gently, he let down his guarding walls just enough for her message to be conveyed to him.

“Up. First floor. Class room 4-B. Be careful.”

The walls went back up as soon as the message had been conveyed and Zack nodded to nobody in particular. He quickly turned around, pressing the elevator button as Replikas and Gestalts rushed past him, their voices all blending together into one.

Zack really wished that the arriving Kolibri would have given them a more exact timeframe. Landing could take minutes or seconds, but they were already in reach of radio transmissions… which didn’t really mean much either, with modern receivers. He wanted to curse, but stopped himself.

They still had to ride down the elevator, and that would take them more than a little while. They would need to land, get out, group up, get into the entrance elevator and ride it down – that was plenty of time, or at least Zack hoped that it was.

The elevator finally arrived, the doors opening to reveal that the Administrator and his Storch were inside. Fuck.

“Oh, Officer! I was wondering where you went.”

Zack stepped into the elevator, not letting his nervousness show… Well, at least he hoped it wasn’t visible.

“Yes, I wanted to freshen up at a lavatory but it seems that the ones here are all occupied. Are there any on the level above us?”

The Storch nodded as the elevator began to move.

“Yeah, over by the classrooms. Will you need me to show where they are?”

Zack shook his head, glad that he would have an excuse to separate from the group. The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Everyone stepped out, with Zack giving a brief nod.

“You go ahead without me – I will go find that toilet. I can almost feel the dust sticking to my hair. If you would excuse me.”

“Of course, Sir. Come 07, we have to make sure that everyone is ready!”

The Administrator and his Storch guard quickly separated from Zack, leaving the man to wander off towards the classrooms by himself. The top level seemed to have been almost entirely emptied in anticipation of the Commander’s arrival, surprising Zack somewhat. He had to admit that the Protektors were surprisingly efficient… though he knew that the price of said efficiency was individuality.

He wandered past a number of open classrooms, all of which looked the same, until he arrived at 4-B. He checked around, making sure that there wasn’t anyone around before he stepped inside. One of the lockers in the corner of the room sprung open and the Kolibri waved at him with a panicked expression on her face.

“Get in, quick! We don’t have much time left!”

The captain moved as fast as he could, slipping into the locker and pulling it closed behind him with some effort – his shoulders were a bit too wide for him to fit comfortably. He saw that the back wall of the small piece of furniture was missing, leading right into a narrow tunnel from which the Kolibri waved at him.

“Quickly, quickly! This is the only passage I could think of that you’d fit into, but you’ll have to shimmy. Just… stay quiet, ok? I hope we won’t- “

She grunted

“Fuck, enough with explanations! Just follow me!”

With that, she disappeared into the darkness before Zack, forcing him to shimmy forward as fast as he could. It took him a few meters before he got a rhythm down, but he managed to somewhat even out his pace, allowing him to move at walking speed, or at least close to it.

They moved around a corner, the tunnel becoming illuminated by a number of vents openings made up of small, round holes that allowed him to look through them. The picture before him made him briefly stop: It was the large entrance of the facility, the very same room they had stepped into from the entrance elevator not long before.

A large crowd of both Replikas and Gestalts had gathered, with the Administrator, his Storch guard and a slightly balding Gestalt up front. A tug at Zack’s uniform caused the man to snap back to the present and he began to move again.

“Where is Officer Shi? Has anyone seen him?”

The Administrator’s voice rang through the holes, quickly being answered by his Storch.

“I knew I should have escorted him to the toilets…”

Zack and the Kolibri moved slowly to not attract attention, inching their way past the masses before them. The layer of metal that separated them from the entryway was only about half a centimeter thick, meaning that even small noises would be heard with ease.

“Doesn’t matter now! Everyone, get ready – the elevator is coming into view.”

Zack tried his hardest to stay calm as he saw the main elevator’s platform slowly descend into view, seeing the figures standing on it through the chain-link gate. The Kolibris were already fully in view by the time that the Commander’s torso began to be visible. Zack averted his eyes, inching further.

The sound of the elevator gate opening drew his attention back to the scene he could see through the holes. The Kolibris immediately poured into the room while the Commander took a second to observe the scene before her carefully. Zack could feel warmth radiating off of her through the vent covers – it was invasive, making him sweat slightly as he moved.

“My… so, this is to be my new home, then.”

The Commander’s voice was cold and filled with curiosity as she stepped out of the elevator, having to duck slightly to pass under the frame of the gate. She looked down on the Administrator, and Zack could have sworn that a brief smirk flashed across her face.

“And you must be the Administrator, then. I apologize for the delay, but we encountered a few technical issues on our way here.”

She didn’t let the Administrator answer, instead looking over the group of people before her.

“I presume that these aren’t all the Gestalts and Replikas under your command.”

The man didn’t answer for a few seconds, letting out a short, confused gasp before shaking his head.

“I… I’m sorry, what did you say?”

The Commander blinked, a strange expression flashing on her face as she looked down at the Administrator. The Storch cleared her throat.

“I apologize Commander – the Administrator has been very busy handling both the logistical and the Protektor personnel… he is merely a bit tired; I assure you.”

The Commander gave the Storch a brief, bored look before she turned back to the Administrator.

“Is that so? Are you tired, Administrator?”

The man cleared his throat as Zachary and the Kolibri continued inching their way through.

“Ah… Yes, slightly so. The visit from the AEON Officer seems to have taken a greater toll on me than I expected.”

Zack froze, feeling the Kolibri do the same next to him as both stared through the vent covers. The Commander raised an eyebrow, tilting her head to the side.

“What was that, now? An AEON Officer?”

“We need to move, now.”

The Kolibri pulled at Zack’s arm violently, her voice more a hiss than anything else. The captain moved, resuming his previous slow walk.

“Yes, an Officer… Shi? He came here to investigate a false death report, as it turned out.”

Zack could see the Commander’s eyebrows furrow as she motioned towards her Kolibris. The small Replikas began to scan the room with their eyes as the heat coming into the tight tunnel multiplied for a few seconds.

Zachary could feel himself sweating intensely, but he had to keep moving; He had to get away from the room and the Commander.

“Captain Shi…. Stop, if you would.”

The words of the Commander tugged at the captain’s mind, but they bounced off of his walls, if only barely. An angered grunt came from the room, but Zack didn’t look back. He shimmied a few more steps before the Kolibri pulled him forward. The tunnel had gotten slightly wider, allowing the man to no longer have to press himself up against the wall to move.

“Down!”

Zack followed the Kolibri’s command, ducking just in time to dodge a golden spear that pierced the thin layer of metal that had been separating them from the room full of people. He could hear panic erupt in the crowd, a multitude of voices screaming and yelling over each other. His guide reached past him, quickly pulling a fake wall closed.

“There, that will hold them for a few seconds! We need to run!”

The captain’s body listened before his mind could and he broke out into a sprint, grabbing and lifting the Kolibri off of her hooves as he ran. The Replika yelped but didn’t protest beyond that, no doubt because of the speed that Zack was moving at.

He had always been fast, way faster than most of his comrades in the guard, but even he was surprised by the speeds he moved at in that moment. Panic probably did that to a man. Zack could hear the Commander tear the fake wall apart and yell after them angrily as she stuffed herself into the tight tunnel.

“I’ll go down, you go up! I have a plan!”

The Kolibri yelled despite the tunnel being silent, as if she wanted the Commander to hear her as well. Zack just nodded in response as they reached a tall, metal staircase. He carefully put the Kolibri down onto her hooves. As he wanted to start heading up, the Kolibri grabbed him by the collar of his uniform.

“Stay on the yellow, understood?”

Zack didn’t, but he nodded anyway as he began running up the stairs. He could barely see the Kolibri sprinting downwards, her head disappearing into the dim darkness below him. Undeterred, Zack continued his way up, thinking about his chances.

The Falke unit seemed… younger, somehow. She was strong, but there was an overzealous clumsiness to her movements, like that of a child learning to use their body. If his theory was correct, this would mean two things: Her components were new and functioning at full capacity… And she was inexperienced. A downside and an upside, an advantage and a disadvantage.

Before he could think any further, he felt something ram into his mental blockade, instantly shattering it. He stumbled to the side, grabbing his head in pain as it felt like someone was beating him over the head with a sledge hammer. He had to lean against the wall to stay upright, the sounds of steps getting louder behind him. He had to keep moving, but he couldn’t.

A hand wrapped itself around his neck, the Commander lifted him up into the air with ease. Her blue eyes drilled into his head, bypassing his walls with little effort.

“And here I was, thinking that this work would be boring. Teaches me, I suppose.”

Her hand tightened around the man’s neck and Zachary kicked wildly in some attempt to get the tall Replika off of him – a pointless effort, as he knew that Falkes could shrug off bullets and even some lower-tier explosives with ease.

“Or… perhaps I will be permitted to join a proper battlefield once I deliver you to Heimat. The captain of the Palace guard should be worth that much, right?”

The man wanted to tell the Replika to go fuck herself as his eyes looked around. A strange detail caught his attention – one half of the stairs was painted yellow.

Just as he noticed this, the staircase shook violently as an explosion sounded from below. The Commander stumbled, her focus faltering for just a second as she did so. Zack used the opportunity given to him, swinging his legs upwards and kicking the Commander in the face with all his might.

The woman screamed out in pain, one of her hands shooting up to her face as she dropped Zack to the ground. The stairs were shaking underneath his feet as Zachary landed, immediately pressing himself against the wall to make sure that he was only on the yellow segment of the structure.

He could see the stairs below them collapsing as their supporting structure fell away, disintegrating into little more than disconnected metal pipes. The Commander shook her head, a scowl on her face as she looked at Zack. One of the red parts of her amplifier had gotten knocked off, but she seemed unfazed otherwise.

Zack could see that the collapse had almost reached them, and as such decided to give the tall Replika a cheeky little wave. For a split second, he saw fury flash on her face as she got ready to leap at him, but then, there was no floor under one of her hooves anymore.

The Commander tumbled downwards with a surprised squeak that Zachary hadn’t expected from her, the woman’s arms and legs swinging wildly as she searched for something to grab. Zack looked after her, watching the Commander fall multiple stories before she came to an abrupt halt. One of the parts of the supporting structure of the stairwell hadn’t collapsed properly, it seemed.

An ear-piercing scream sounded from below as the sickening sound of metal piercing plastic, flesh and other metal was heard. A large metal bar had impaled the FKLR unit through her lower abdomen – a death sentence for a Gestalt, but survivable for a Replika as far as he knew.

He wondered what had happened to the Kolibri, but he didn’t have time to carefully descend to wherever she had set the explosion off from – he just had to believe that she was alright. With a quick salute to the darkness and the whimpering Commander, he began to climb up once more.

He moved carefully but quickly, sure that the Kolibris and other guard units were taking the surface elevator to stop them from escaping. He climbed two steps at a time sometimes, almost jumping up the remains of the staircase. Thanks to his efforts, he soon saw the open hatch to the landing platform above him and climbed through.

He stumbled onto the ship, seeing that everyone was gathered there.

“Move!”

Faust heard the man’s command and immediately started the ship, locking the airlock behind Zachary and strapping herself in. Everyone else was visibly ready for take-off, except for Zack of course. He threw himself into one of the seats, strapping himself in just as they took off at full speed.

The force of take-off pressed Zachary into his seat as he closed his eyes and breathed out. The pressure on him mounted, increasing exponentially with every second. The take-off was rushed and Faust was speeding up just a little too fast, it seemed.

He knew that if he opened his eyes he would see many small dark spots dance around his field of view as his body tried to deal with the increasing G-force. For a second, he wondered if he looked like one of the pictures he had seen of imperial jet pilots getting their faces stretched and distorted during high-G maneuvers, making them look like they had aged forty years in less than a second.

The outer plating of the ship around him rattled loudly as they ascended rapidly, the noise almost drowning out the little sounds of discomfort the people around Zack were making. The captain could feel his ears popping as the ship’s systems tried their best to keep air pressure stable inside of the small vessel, only somewhat succeeding.

Just as Zack felt like he was going to pass out, the pressure finally abated as the vessel exited the atmosphere of the planet down below. They were going to be ok… They had escaped. Zack’s whole body hurt with the muscles of his legs burning in particular, but he had gotten away as well.

He only opened his eyes once they had reached orbit and he could hear everyone else loosen their belts.

“Zack!”

Isa threw her arms around him before he could so much as blink, her body pressing into his. She quickly grabbed his face, running her fingers over his cheeks. From the corner of his eye, Zack could see Isa’s empty seat with a near-perfect impression of her body pressed into it, only slowly fading from view. It was very… shapely, to say the least.

“You’re ok! Oh, I was so worried when we saw the Commander’s ship, but you’re ok!”

Zack felt himself redden as Isa’s face hovered so close to his own.

“I-Isa, you’re uh, pretty c- “

His brain shut off as Isa kissed him. He wasn’t sure how long the kiss was, but it was… passionate, intense and so chock-full of love that it completely made his conscious self shut down. He didn’t even realize that he had grabbed Isa’s waist until she pulled away, a thin line of spittle hanging between them before snapping.

Isa was as red as Zack felt, maybe even redder – it contrasted her green eyes very… beautifully. She wiped her chin off gingerly as she looked at Zack. He wanted to say something, but all he could do was squeeze her waist a bit tighter as words failed him. She seemed to understand, putting her hands behind his head and leaning her forehead against his; the same way she had done with Erika before.

They sat there for a few seconds in silence. Zack was pretty sure that the people around them were saying something, especially Erika of course, but he couldn’t hear them through the bubble of silence that had formed around Isa and him, as if they were sitting in their own little reality. The only thing he could hear was Isa’s voice.

“You’re a taken man now… So take better care of yourself.”

Chapter Text

The wind outside was colder than Ariane remembered it being, biting what little of her face was exposed as it blew around her and Ellie. She clung to her wife closely, her arms wrapped around the Replika’s midriff so they wouldn’t fall off of the patrol vehicle they were on.

Acquiring the bike had taken some work, same with their coats and a GPS system that could actually lead them through the thick snowfall of Rotfront’s winter, but they had found help in an old ally. Ariane let her mind wander a bit as the wind tore at her.

They had watched the rest of the fireworks alongside Rebecca, none of them speaking until the last of the lights had fizzled out with a quiet whistling sound. Mrs. Itou, Kamilla, Oscar, and a few other residents of the block had joined them in their silence, none of them shooting off any fireworks of their own.

They talked on the way down, with Dr. Liang and Mrs. Itou in particular seeming to have a lot to tell each other. The doctor was elated that Mrs. Itou had finally been allowed to return home, though she insisted that she would need to visit the hospital wing and undergo a brief medical examination, just to make sure that she was alright.

The two split off from the rest of the group with a quick farewell, leaving Ariane alone with her wife, her uncle, and her aunt. They sat down for a while longer, enjoying each other’s company as Mondfest’s serenity filled the air.

“I want to visit mom.”

Ariane’s words had caused the atmosphere of the room to shift ever so slightly, changing the carefree serenity to a mild tension that made itself known as Kamilla and Oscar exchanged a look.

“We figured you would… But the radio station isn’t exactly easily accessible, especially this time of year. You’ll need cold weather gear and some kind of vehicle.”

The white-haired girl nodded before looking over at her wife. Ellie met her gaze, raising an eyebrow. It seemed that she had guessed what Ariane was planning. Ariane nodded, eliciting a brief flare of her wife’s nostrils. The Replika clicked her tongue – it reminded Ariane of Isa and Erika, both of whom shared this strange verbal tic.

“Let me guess: AEON forces probably have things like that?”

The two Gestalts nodded in near unison. Oscar glanced at the TV that was still quietly humming away in the corner, unsure of what to say.

“Yeah… but I doubt the warden has either since she never really leaves the block unless necessary.”

“That’s not an issue… We know a place where we can go.”

The Replika and her wife exchanged a brief glance, with Ellie shifting her weight onto one leg almost entirely as she crossed her arms.

“Though… Are you sure that this is a good idea? We don’t have any papers to show this time around.”

Ariane waved the Replika’s worries away as she stood up from the dining table and straightened her uniform out slightly.

“Maybe not… but something tells me that it won’t be an issue.”

They gave Oscar and Kamilla a brief hug – yes, Ellie did it too, even though it took a lot of coercion from all members of the Yeong family – before quickly making their way out of their apartment and down to the trains. Ariane thought that they didn’t have a pass, but everyone knew that those were more of a formality – the trains were almost empty most of the time and nobody cared enough to actually check if the few people that were had a stupid little piece of plastic on them.

As they entered one of the train doors, they were immediately met with the sight of a tired-looking Star unit. The Replika’s eyes lit up as she saw them, and she immediately pulled out a small badge.

“Train control – show me your train pass, please.”

Ariane cursed internally, getting ready to dispatch the Replika if needed when Ellie took a small step forward, pulling out a card in the same motion and handing it to the taller Replika.

“Here, as you requested.”

The Star glanced at the card before handing it back, one eyebrow raised.

“Oh damn, military access, huh? Sorry for bothering you, didn’t know we had members of the People’s army on leave today.”

Ariane blinked as Ellie stowed the card away, nodding.

“Don’t worry, we only arrived recently. I imagine that this spot isn’t exactly the most exciting.”

The Gestalt sat down while the two Replikas kept standing. Ellie seemed strangely… in her element, for lack of a better term. She had told Ariane that Lilith had been a soldier, but the girl hadn’t realized that meant she was probably quite good at talking to other soldiers as well.

“Oh, you know it. Most of my day is just riding back and forth in nearly empty trains. The only times when anything happens are the early morning and then the evening, when people go to and from work. Today though…?”

She motioned at the empty wagon on either side.

“All you get on Mondfest is the occasional family visiting friends and that’s about it. Fuck, I wouldn’t even be here if I wasn’t getting paid a bonus for this.”

She paused briefly, rubbing her nose as she stared out of one of the windows of the wagon.

“So, you two visiting home or something?”

Ariane jumped in, clearing her throat loudly.

“Yes, I was visiting family since I was in the area. We’ll be departing to Heimat soon, though.”

The Star gave an approving nod, almost reminding Ariane of Faust a bit as she did so.

“Heimat, huh? Never been there myself, but I heard it can be quite imposing. Makes sense though, seeing as it’s our capital and all. Where are you headed here on Rotfront?”

This time it was Ellie who answered.

“Sector C refueling station. Our craft will make a pit stop there soon, so we want to announce it with the leading unit there.”

The Star nodded as she stretched slightly, her hands almost reaching the ceiling of the wagon. Ariane briefly wondered what it felt like to have hooves – was it like standing on the tips of your toes at all times? Her idle musings were interrupted as the Star grunted.

“Well, you’ll probably have to make do with the Star officer on duty, Athena. The station is technically led by a Storch, but I think she’s on vacation today.”

Ariane didn’t even know that Replikas got vacations, but someone as high-ranking as a station leader would probably have enough authority to simply not come to work, which was technically a vacation. Ellie looked back at the Star with a raised eyebrow.

“How do you know that?”

The Star waved her hand dismissively.

“Oh, I used to work there myself, but I got sick of standing around all day, so I asked for a transfer to this spot. Don’t ask me why… I guess I thought it would be more exciting for some reason.”

She sighed heavily, her eyes wandering across the wagon’s interior. Ariane couldn’t see her mouth under the face cover, but she could tell by the woman’s tone that she was frowning.

“I used to man the guard post at the station, and… I guess I got really used to watching the trains go by. I wondered where they went, what kinds of unknown places they’d end up at, and what kinds of people they were transporting. Boy, did I learn.”

She shook her head slightly, her eyes a bit glassy as she looked at Ellie and Ariane.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to rant… Please don’t report me for it, ok?”

Ellie scoffed in response.

“Hardly worth a report, if you ask me.”

The Star shrugged, looking out the windows again.

“Guess so, but you can never be sure. I heard about a few of my colleagues getting decommissioned recently due to repeated complaints of… something. We don’t get told what people complain about, just that they complain. But anyway… I’ll leave you two alone now – next station’s coming up and I need to change wagons.”

Both the Replika and the Gestalt gave the Star a quick nod and a small salute as the train slowed down, stopping at a small station that Ariane didn’t remember being there before. The taller Replika stepped out of the wagon, quickly hurrying over to the one further down the train. Ariane could see her through the doors that connected the wagons together, though only barely, as the dust, dirt, and ice that coated the small windows made her little more than a vague shape.

“Finally… alone.”

Before Ariane could say anything, she felt Ellie’s hands around her hips as the Replika lifted her off of the seat and into the air with little effort. The girl yelped, instinctively grabbing onto her wife’s shoulders as she got spun around.

Ellie sat down on the same seat that Ariane had been on before, still holding onto the girl’s hips fairly tightly. Ariane was effectively partially kneeling on the seats and partially sitting on Ellie’s lap as the Replika gave her an intense look.

“You have no idea how much self-control it took to not do this earlier, hon.”

They didn’t need to say anything else. There had always been something they had to do, other people that they had to talk to, places they needed to be… but right now, they were alone, on their way to their next stop. Finally, they had some alone time.

The kiss was intense, fueled by passion from both of them. Ariane felt Ellie’s finger ruffling her hair roughly as the white-haired girl pushed herself against the Replika, both moaning half-intelligible words of love and reassurance at each other whenever they caught a breath.

It must’ve looked disgusting with how wild, careless and almost primal it felt, but it didn’t matter. It was love – it didn’t have to look pretty as long as it felt right, and boy did it feel so very right. Ariane may have almost forgotten the feeling of her wife’s lips against hers, but her body remembered in her stead, instinctively moving in harmony with the Replika.

Ellie’s hands were moving up and down Ariane’s body and the girl had to gently push them away from the buttons of her uniform from time to time – as much as she wanted to, they couldn’t get too carried away. At least not here, and not now.

They only stopped once the announcement system of the train crackled to life above them.

“Now approaching: Sector C refueling station. Warning: Entry permitted only to members of AEON and the People’s Army.”

The two married women sat there, breathing heavily as they tried to catch their breath after the intense make-out session. Ariane knew that she must’ve been beet-red with how hot her face felt, droplets of hers and Ellie’s spit stuck to her chin. She quickly wiped the mess off using her sleeve, clearing her throat as she did so.

“Well… Back to work, soldier.”

Ellie chuckled, shaking her head slightly as Ariane stood up from her lap.

“At least I’ll have some fresh memories to distract myself with if need be.”

Ariane gave her wife a small slap on the shoulder, humming playfully as she did so. She quickly adjusted her uniform and ran her fingers through her own hair in an attempt to straighten it back out. She still looked a bit scruffy, but it was better than the mess that Ellie had left behind after their wild show of intimacy.

Entering the refueling station thankfully went off without a hitch, a brief glance and a quick flash of her card sufficing to make the outside guard back off almost immediately. Finding Athena was similarly easy, though Ariane was somewhat surprised that the woman actually recognized them.

“Ah, well look at that… Officer Yeong. Long time no see.”

The Star smiled at the white-haired girl before her eyes wandered over to Ellie.

“And I see that you have your Replika assistant with you. How did you like my gift?”

Ellie smiled briefly, bowing her head slightly.

“It came in very handy, Officer. More useful than we had expected it to, even.”

Athena nodded silently, scratching her chin.

“Good, good… I figured it would. Where are your friends?”

Ariane cleared her throat, looking around to make sure that they were not being listened to. None of the other Replikas on duty seemed to be within earshot, so she leaned forward a bit.

“They are off on a mission. Listen, Athena… Faust seemed to trust you, so we will too. We need some way to get up to Radio Station 06 up in the mountains.”

The Star raised an eyebrow for a second before she smirked quietly, leaning back.

“06, huh? That one’s pretty far up, but I doubt you’ll need oxygen masks for it. Hmm…”

She pulled out a small clipboard, glancing at a few of the lines written on it. Ariane could see that the handwriting was pretty messy, but Athena seemed to not have any issues reading it as she nodded.

“Right, yeah. We have cold weather gear and a specialized snow patrol vehicle that you can use as well… How long will you be gone?”

Ariane pondered the question.

“Not very long, a few hours at most.”

The Star officer nodded, checking something off on the clipboard before stowing it away.

“If anyone asks: I was on patrol with you, got that?”

She smirked.

“Well, I’ll go hide in my dorm room… gotta pull the covers over myself as well, just in case people look inside, you know?”

Ellie seemed impressed by the Star’s ability to improvise, giving an approving nod and a thumbs up.

“Smart thinking. Where will we find what we need?”

The Star motioned at the nearby stairs that led downwards.

“Come with me, I’ll show you.”

Putting on the cold weather gear, finding the right patrol vehicle, and deciding who would drive didn’t take very long, and soon, the Star was waving at them from the open garage door of the small refueling station as they sped away into the darkness.

Ariane didn’t know how Ellie knew how to drive the strange mixture of motorcycle and snow crawler, but the Replika's hands grasped the handlebars tightly, calmly… And Ariane knew that she didn’t have to worry. She was almost glued to her wife as she sat behind her on the narrow seat of the vehicle, her arms around the Replika’s midsection.

She came back to reality as the wind almost blew the hood of her cold weather gear off of her head, forcing her to use one of her arms to quickly grab and pull it down.

“Everything ok?”

Ellie yelled over the sound of the engine and the whistling of the wind around them, barely audible over the noise.

“Yeah! Just the wind being a pain!”

Ariane wasn’t sure if Ellie had heard her, but she quickly grabbed onto her wife tightly again. They had been ascending for a long while now, but Ariane wasn’t sure where exactly on the mountain they were. They had passed… six, maybe seven radar dishes by now, which meant that they couldn’t be too far away from the station.

She tried to peek over her wife’s shoulder and at the GPS system, but the wind blew into Ariane’s face too hard for her to make out anything. She sighed, leaning her head against Ellie’s back, feeling the Replika hum.

“We’re almost there! Only one more dish from what I can tell!”

Ariane nodded, just enjoying the feeling of her head resting against Ellie’s back. Her shoulders weren’t broad, but they had a distinct strength to them that felt nice to touch, even through the thick layer of warm clothing that they had on.

The path they were traveling got tighter as they continued, turning into a series of valleys, crevices, and tunnels as Ariane looked on. She remembered a few of the turns from the time her aunt and uncle had sent some Protektors to bring Ariane down to Sector C, but most of it seemed so… alien, almost.

The snowfall lessened, as did the wind, with the walls around them serving as natural protection against both. The temperature had lowered as well, and Ariane could feel fine ice forming on her eyebrows as they continued their path, but that told her that they were close now, very close.

“There’s a fence! I’m gonna stop in front of it!”

They slowed down quickly and got closer to one of the stone walls, so close that Ariane could see the individual snowflakes that stuck to the uneven edges of the stone beneath. Then, the vehicle stopped, with Ellie turning the engine off as well.

The Replika swung one of her legs off of the vehicle, tugging at Ariane’s arms gently as she did so.

“We’re here, come on.”

Her tone was tense, though only slightly. Ariane loosened her grip on the Replika’s midsection, instead putting one of her hands on Ellie’s shoulder.

“It’s ok… You don’t have to worry.”

Ellie nodded, pulling her hood down slightly.

“I know… but try explaining that to my anxiety. Come on, let’s go.”

The gate in the fence was unlocked – Ariane knew that it would be, as her mother never locked it at all; She didn’t see a point in it, and her daughter was inclined to agree. Ellie had to use a bit of strength, but the metal gate finally swung open with a loud creak, allowing them to walk through.

They walked hand in hand across the narrow concrete bridge that connected the station proper to the mountains around them, both not speaking so much as a word the whole time. The yard of the station looked a bit more worn down than Ariane remembered; The paint below her feet chipping away and small chunks of concrete missing here and there.

Ariane and Ellie stood before the closed doors of the station, looking at them silently. Then, Ellie reached out and knocked on the metal loudly.

No answer came immediately, with only the whistling of the wind filling Ariane’s ears. Maybe her mother was asleep, or perhaps she was down in the bunker, trying to fix something or other. There were millions of possibilities why she wouldn’t be able to open the door.

The door opened, blue eyes meeting Ariane’s red ones immediately. Iris blinked, clearly taken aback by the sight before her for a few seconds.

“Ari? Honey, is that… you?”

“Hey, mom.”

Ariane’s mother immediately pulled her into a hug and backed up, pulling her into the small interior of the station. Everything looked roughly the same as Ariane remembered it, though the large radio on the small table looked newer and Iris had clearly bought a few more books over the years.

“Oh sweetheart, you should have told me that you were coming!”

Ellie stepped inside behind Ariane, closing the door behind her. Iris let go of her daughter, carefully folding the hood of the heavy coat back and ruffling through her hair.

“You look so healthy, sweetie! You’ve been taking good care of yourself, right?”

The girl nodded as Ellie took off her hood. Iris immediately switched her attention to the Replika, reaching out a hand.

“Don’t think I forgot about you, dear. My name is Iris; I’m Ariane’s mother.”

Ellie grabbed the woman’s hand gingerly, shaking it with the care one would expect to see someone handle a delicate flower. Iris giggled, motioning towards the dining desk next to them. Something about the situation seemed strange, but Ariane couldn’t place her finger on what exactly was making her feel that way.

The three women sat down, with Iris demonstratively taking a seat opposite of her daughter and Ellie as she put one leg over the other with a smile. She was wearing a fluffy sweater that almost looked like she had made it herself – without Ariane around, she must’ve picked up on a few new hobbies – and some simple, warm pants.

“So, how… Have you been, mom?”

Iris chuckled quietly in response to Ariane’s question, weighing her head from side to side as she tapped the tips of her index fingers together. Ariane could hear Ellie exhale fairly loudly and glanced over at her. The Replika seemed neutral, however.

“Well, it’s been a bit lonely, believe it or not. I kept busy though, that’s for sure.”

She leaned forward.

“But… Let’s be honest, I think you have a few things to tell me, don’t you?”

Ariane was taken aback slightly by her mother’s tone and the mischievous expression the woman wore on her face. Ellie cleared her throat.

“Mrs. Yeong… How much do you already know? Because… you clearly know something, somehow.”

The woman put her hands up with a resigned sigh.

“Guilty as charged… I could have sworn that I kept a good poker face, but I suppose years of isolation have not been kind to it.”

Ellie paused, looking around the room before stopping. Ariane followed her gaze… She was looking at the radio. Something in the back of Ariane’s mind rang like a small bell as a memory resurfaced. Her mother, sitting in front of the old radio late at night when she thought that Ariane was asleep.

She was listening to the radio quietly, an open book on her thighs and a pen in her hand. A monotone voice rang out from the old radio’s speaker – a woman’s voice, reading out numbers slowly, even repeating herself at times as Iris’ hand moved across the pages of the tome she was holding.

A number station. It was a number station that her mother had been listening to, presumably night after night. Which meant…

“You’re… You were an imperial spy, mom?”

Iris nodded heavily, running a hand through her hair gently.

“Yes, sweetie… I never expected you’d find out this way, though. You see…”

She paused, trailing off before leaning back forward with a neutral expression on her face.

“Did I ever tell you that I used to work on Heimat? I was a member of central communications.”

Ariane blinked – her mother had mentioned that she had held some important job before, but this was news to the white-haired girl. She wanted to ask something, but Iris continued immediately.

“One day, I was called away for business on Leng – reports had gone missing and members of the local Protektors suspected a spy. Heimat disagreed, sending me in so that I would investigate and resolve the issue.”

She paused for a second, taking a deep breath in.

“I… I was paired with one of the members of the local archives. He was sweet, more than a little stupid, and… my, was he perfect.”

Ellie huffed.

“Ariane’s father, I presume.”

Iris nodded, snapping her fingers and pointing at the Replika.

“You would presume correctly, dear daughter-in-law.”

She moved on before either of the women before her could even consider reacting.

“Anyway… Oh, it was so obvious. I knew within half a day that he was the imperial spy, and it was almost disappointing how easily I found out. Don’t get me wrong: He wasn’t as dumb as he pretended to be… He just wasn’t as smart as I was.”

She smirked to herself, her eyes becoming unfocused for a second.

“You know… At first, I considered reporting him. No, really, I did. But… I don’t know, I couldn’t bring myself to do it without at least confronting him. So… I talked to him, told him that I knew he was the mole – Hell, I gave him a half-hour presentation about all the incriminating evidence, and you know what he did?”

Ellie and Ariane shook their heads in unison, eliciting a small chuckle from Iris.

“You two really ARE married, huh? Anyway… He sighed and asked me why I was wasting my talent by working for AEON when I had the makings of a top-notch spy.”

Iris paused until Ariane spoke up.

“And… how did you respond?”

Her mother smirked, reminding Ariane of many a fun afternoon they had spent in the small station together.

“I asked him how he became a top-notch spy when he had the planning skills of a wet rag, of course.”

She laughed before sighing deeply, her entire demeanor shifting in less than half a second.

“I… didn’t report him. It would have been the easier thing to do, but I had never particularly loved the Nation, so I decided against it. Instead, I helped him set up an excuse – a broken terminal that had “accidentally” been hooked up to the network and was swallowing up data without anyone realizing.”

She cleared her throat, leaning away from her daughter and her wife slightly.

“We explained the situation to Command… and I requested to stay on Leng for further observation of their systems, because by that time… I may or may not have been starting to show.”

Ellie quietly chuckled as she crossed her arms. Iris was avoiding direct eye contact with the two women before her, especially with Ariane. The white-haired girl didn’t know what she should feel like about all the information that she had learned – especially the last part.

“In my defense: Life is short and he was very, VERY attractive. I was very glad when I saw that you got his eye color…”

She looked back at Ariane, giving her daughter a warm smile. The white-haired girl wanted to ask a million questions, but she forced herself to whittle the number down to just one.

“What happened to him?”

Iris paused, looking back at the radio.

“The same thing that happened to me… We tried to get married, but the Nation denied our request and cited it as unprofessional.”

She sighed, looking at her left hand which bore no ring.

“I was only permitted to stay until you were born, at which point we were effectively deported back to Rotfront, the planet I was born on. We were both demoted – I was thrown into this station while your father… Well, he is still at the archive, but I am not sure what he does now.”

She turned back to her daughter and Ellie, looking at them sadly.

“Sometimes he sends me messages, talking about how he misses me and how he would like to meet you someday. He was actually the one to name you, sweetie.”

Ariane felt tears well up in her eyes before Ellie wrapped an arm around her waist calmingly. Iris sighed, forcing herself to smile at least a little bit as she sighed.

“I… I’m sorry, I didn’t want to ruin the mood. This is a happy day, after all. You can only imagine how I felt when I heard that Ariane Yeong-Itou – my daughter – was to become the new Empress… And that she had gotten married as well, of course.”

Ellie bowed a bit mechanically at the implicit mention of her.

“Thank you for… being ok with me, Ma’am.”

Iris waved her off.

“Honey, I am the LAST person to critique other people’s choice of romantic partner, trust me.”

A strange noise sounded through the room, making Ariane flinch from how loud it was. Her mother blinked, clearly confused.

“What was that?”

Ariane’s hand quickly shot under her coat and further, into the inner pocket of her uniform. She pulled out a small, slap-dashed-together radio that crackled quietly, looking at it. It was the special long-range receiver that the helpful Ara from their ship had put together for them, which meant…

“Ariane, do you read me? We have Erika; I repeat: we have Erika. Transmitting coordinates…”

Isa’s voice sounded through the white noise, her words bringing an immediate smile to Ariane’s face. She looked up at Ellie, who was also smiling wider than Ariane had ever seen her before, and the two hugged tightly.

“Oh my God, they did it. They found her!”

They let go of each other and Ariane looked at her mother as a tightness spread through her chest. She was hoping that they would get some more time together, but her friends needed her help, and she couldn’t ignore them.

“Mom, I- “

“Shhh, it’s ok sweetie. If duty calls… then duty calls, and that’s ok. Come here.”

The two Yeongs got up and Iris hugged Ariane tight, placing a small kiss on her forehead.

“I’m very proud of you, Ariane, and I’m sure that Dad is as well.”

They stayed there for a few seconds before Iris let go of her daughter gently.

“Now go help your friends; It sounds like they need you. I’ll wait for you here, just like last time.”

She smirked to herself as she stepped away from Ariane slightly.

“The next time you show up here you better be wearing a crown… Or at least a tiara or something like that – got it?”

“Ma’am, yes Ma’am.”

Ariane saluted playfully as she heard Ellie stand up from her seat and pull her hood back up.

“I’ll make sure of that, Mrs. Yeong.”

The white-haired girl quickly threw her own hood back over her head before hugging her mom once again, though only for a brief moment.

“I’ll be back soon, mom. I promise.”

“I know you will. Now shoo, shoo! I have knitting to practice and my favorite music station is about to come on!”

The older woman made a big show out of following the two to the door, even standing in its frame as Ellie and Ariane turned back to face her.

“Goodbye, for now, Mrs. Yeong.”

Ellie’s words were accompanied by a quick bow, which Iris used to slap the Replika on the back of the head.

“I’m technically not married… And stop calling me by my last name already! I’m Iris to you, girlie. Got that?”

“Y-Yes, of course…”

Ellie rubbed the back of her hood with a quiet mumble as she turned away. Ariane wanted to say something, but her mother’s gaze made it clear that she would not let her daughter dally any longer. They exchanged one last quick hug before Ariane managed to tear herself away.

Ariane waved at Iris until the older woman closed the door to the station, leaving Ariane to quickly jog over to the patrol vehicle. Ellie had already started the engine and turned the vehicle around to face the correct way, waving for Ariane to hop on, which she quickly did, her arms wrapping themselves around Ellie’s body again.

The Replika revved their engine, allowing the sound to reverberate between the rock walls before them. With a last quick glance at the GPS, the vehicle accelerated and they began their way back down to the refueling station.

Ariane sighed contently, already looking forward to seeing Erika again.

Chapter Text

The first rays of the morning sunshine tickled Isa’s face, causing her eyelids to flutter open gently. She rolled over in the bed, yawning silently as she pulled the blanket over her shoulders gently. The morning air was chilly, making Isa shiver slightly. What a feeling it was to shiver. So quick and involuntary, just a passing moment that was shorter than a heartbeat.

She focused on her heart for a second – a habit that she had developed only recently, ever since she had departed from the other world having returned to life. She remembered the way it felt the first time she had focused on it. It was so… heavy, so ever-present and rhythmic that it almost felt oppressive, even if it was the most definite sign of her being alive.

Isa rolled over with a small grunt, her hand drifting to the other half of the large bed absent-mindedly. She could feel Zack there, still fast asleep next to her. She wanted to run her hand over his body, but she knew that she would wake him up that way… And he deserved some rest. Isa, on the other hand, had work to do.

The brunette slipped out from beneath the blanket, swinging her legs off of the bed and standing up. She had to tug at her nightgown a bit to prevent it from falling off as she quietly walked across the bedroom floor and into the hallway of the small house.

She didn’t remember how many times she had thanked her aunt and some of the Aras that had all worked together to build Erika and her this house – they had managed to do it in a matter of days, and even added the bedroom with a large double bed when Zack expressed the wish to help Isa take care of her older twin sister.

The door to Erika’s room was always oiled to make sure that it wouldn’t creak when opened, allowing Isa to quietly check on her sister. She snuck into the room and over to the older girl’s bed, checking out how she was doing.

Contently, she noted that Erika was quietly snoring away with a small smile on her face – a great improvement from her original state. Back when they had first returned to New Vineta with Erika in tow, she would suffer from night terrors and insomnia. As such, seeing her sleeping so quietly lifted a heavy load off of Isa’s shoulders.

She left Erika’s room and quietly made her way to the bathroom to get ready. She brushed her hair out and quickly braided it before changing out of her night gown and into her regular clothes. She sighed, finally feeling ready to face the day.

First, she had to take care of breakfast for both Erika and Zack. The sunlight flooded through the small windows of the kitchen as Isa entered it, stretching as she heard birds singing outside. Her joints cracked slightly in response and Isa felt immediate relief to her still partially asleep muscles.

Cooking was not something that Isa thought she’d ever enjoy when she was a child, but having to provide for both herself and her sick mother while Erika was away in university had made her appreciate all the small, nitty-gritty details that went into the process. Ingredients had to be as fresh as they could be; the appliances clean; the timing precise; even for something as simple as home-made breakfast.

She had gotten so good at it that she could cook without even really paying attention to what she was doing, allowing her to organize her thoughts while her hands worked separately. Cracking eggs, picking out some bacon – some of the nearby facility’s Eules had taken to keeping animals for sustenance apart from the drab rations that everyone ate – preparing the pan, heating the oven top; Everything happened automatically.

In the meantime, Isa was thinking about all the things she still had to do, and what she didn’t. Erika still had enough medication for a few days, so Isa didn’t have to go to the facility yet, they had enough food for at least another week as well, so negotiation with the Eules wouldn’t be necessary yet either, thankfully.

Isa hummed to herself as she wandered back and forth within the kitchen, opening and closing cupboards, picking out plates and cutlery before returning back to the food. Everything was frying nicely, eliciting a content nod from the brunette.

She wanted to visit Ariane and Ellie in their nearby cabin, and then there was also the matter of Marienkäfer’s flower garden nearby. The thought made Isa remember that she still had to give the Ara her gardening scissors back.

A yawn pulled Isa back into the present as she turned around. Zack had woken up and meandered into the combined dining/living room in his pajamas. He waved at Isa as soon as he saw her, rolling his head slightly.

“Morning, darling.”

“Darling” was a bit old-school for Isa’s taste, but the emotion behind it more than made up for that little detail. Isa waved her spatula back before flipping over some of the things in the pan in front of  her and hummed. She heard Zack take a seat at the dining table.

“How did you sleep?”

The girl couldn’t help but click her tongue in response.

“Better than I thought possible – I guess that comes from having you next to me, hon.”

The man behind her chuckled slightly before clearing his throat.

“Do you want help with breakfast? Actually… what do you have planned for today? We still have a few days before the facility will be finished, so I can help you with some things.”

The girl waved her boyfriend off without turning around.

“You just worry about resting up before you and the others head to Heimat. I can handle myself here; You know that.”

She heard Zack groan slightly as he shifted in his seat behind her. Wordlessly, she put some of the food onto two plates and took the pan off of the heat so the rest wouldn’t get burned. She had already prepared the cutlery on the table, sitting down next to Zack as she put her plate next to his and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Here you go. Freshly made, as always.”

They ate in relative silence except for the occasional bit of small talk or flattery. Then, Zack cleared his throat.

“Look, I’ll take care of Erika today. How does that sound?”

Isa paused, unsure of how she should respond. She knew that she could trust Zack with Erika, but it didn’t feel right for her to leave that work to him alone. She stuffed another bit of egg into her mouth and swallowed it before humming loudly.

“I… I don’t know Zack; you know she’s a lot of work some days.”

The man shook his head, finishing off his bacon.

“Maybe… But you’ve got way more work than that on your plate the way I know you. Speaking of… Shouldn’t you be going to that Ara?”

Isa glanced at the chronometer on the wall, cursing. She had gotten too absorbed in the comfortable atmosphere of eating breakfast with her lover and had totally forgotten about the time. She practically jumped up from the table, stuffing the last piece of bacon into her mouth. It tasted a bit burned, but her mother had always said that burnt food made you prettier anyway – not like Isa needed it, but a bonus never hurt.

“I almost forgot – thanks for telling me, hon. You remember everything that Erika needs, right?”

Zack nodded, smiling as he picked up both plates carefully.

“Yes, darling. Her meds are ready in her room – you put them into the second drawer of her night stand yesterday. She needs to get outside and into the sun, but I can’t forget to put sunscreen on her because her skin has gotten so sensitive. Food is still ready on the stovetop there, and she should be able to change her clothes and move around without help for the most part.”

He continued only after standing up.

“Her appointment with the doctors is tomorrow, so we need to make sure that she doesn’t stress herself either. Anything else?”

Isa nodded approvingly – she hadn’t expected Zack to have remembered her words so precisely, but he was the captain of the Palace guard, so it made sense that he’d be good at remembering orders.

“Yes – take care of yourself as well, got that? Unlike me, you’re going off on an important mission soon.”

The decision to stay behind on New Vineta while her friends and her boyfriend would go to Heimat to change history hadn’t been easy, but Isa knew that she wouldn’t be of much use in the attack. She wasn’t a fighter and, unlike Ariane, she didn’t have supernatural powers to make up for her lack of experience.

She would have preferred for Zack to stay behind, but she understood that everyone would be better off with him coming along on the mission instead of sitting at home with her. Isa knew that she would be scared to death with every minute that he’d be gone, but she had accepted that fact a few days ago.

She paused before leaning forward and kissing Zack quickly on the lips, running her hand through his hair, her fingers getting stuck on a few knotted strands of hair.

“…And make yourself look presentable too; That is the worst case of bed head I’ve ever seen.”

They both laughed for a few seconds before exchanging a long look. Isa loved Zack’s eyes – not just their color, but the gentle attentiveness with which he examined everything around him. How someone as kind-hearted as him managed to become a captain of one of the most prestigious military units in the solar system was beyond her, but she wasn’t about to question him.

“I need to get going now… I’ll be back soon, ok?”

Zack nodded, bumping his hip into Isa’s as he walked past, whistling some melody that Isa didn’t know.

“Yep yep, I’ll handle things here, trust me. See you later, darling.”

With that, he wandered over to the kitchen sink and put the dishes into it before turning on the water. Isa lingered for a second longer, but finally turned away, walking to the front door of the house.

New Vineta never ceased to amaze her – every time she walked outside, she felt like she stepped out and into another world entirely. She had heard about the way old Vineta had once looked, but to see it in all of its beauty with her own two eyes… it was something entirely different.

Her conscience gnawed at her mind as the girl began her walk towards the edge of the woods. While her eyes were perfectly fine, they had learned that there was no hope that Erika would ever see out of one of hers ever again. She had taken it in stride, but that didn’t lessen the guilt that Isa felt about it. If she hadn’t been so hasty back then, if she hadn’t gotten caught and killed… maybe Erika wouldn’t have had to suffer like that.

She stretched her fingers as she walked, feeling them in their entirety as they moved, as if she could feel every single muscle flex and relax individually as a cool breeze blew around them and the rays of the sun above warmed her skin. There were so many things to feel on New Vineta; So many things to smell, to taste and to see. She almost felt like a child again, the same feeling of curiosity filling her as back then, when she would sneak out with Erika to explore the bowels of Sector C. Later, the two would be joined by Ariane as well, though they were teenagers by that point.

Isa allowed her mind to wander, knowing that the walk to the Ara’s garden would take a while. She recalled the moment that Ariane and aunt Ellie had rejoined their group, appearing on the spaceship from one of the strange portals that Ariane could open at will. Snow was stuck to their hair and feet… or hooves, in Ellie’s case, but they looked happy nonetheless.

Ariane’s eyes had wandered across the gathered Replikas, clearly confused by the amount of people they had rescued until she finally saw Erika. Isa’s sister was still sitting in her seat, strapped in while everyone else had already stood up. The white-haired girl was by Erika’s side in an instant, grabbing her hand, with the brunette giving her a weak smile.

“Well… Hey, Ari. You’re looking good.”

“I wish I could say the same about you, Erika.”

The sickly girl chuckled, shaking her head.

“Wow… We see each other for the first time in a while and you immediately roast me like that? Whatever happened to us being friends?”

Isa quickly joined Ariane by Erika’s side, putting a hand on her friend’s shoulder as she looked down at Erika.

“Come on, give Ariane a break; She’s just glad that you’re still with us… But you have looked better. I didn’t want to say it before…”

Erika sighed, brushing some hair out of her face as she looked away. Her breathing was unsteady and she was still sweating slightly – take-off had taken more out of her than she wanted people to know.

“Yeah… I’ve felt better before as well. I’ll live, but… I think I need someone to actually tell me everything that’s messed up inside of me.”

Ariane nodded, not letting go of the girl’s hand as she shifted her weight slightly.

“Don’t worry, Faust’s girlfriend, Juli, is an expert in medicine – she’ll be able to help you for sure. We have a whole allied facility on our side as well, so that should help too.”

“Huh… You’ve been busy, haven’t you?”

Erika’s sentence was part question, part casual statement, though there was a bitter undertone to it as well. Isa felt her eyebrows furrow in response just in time to see Ellie step forward.

“Erika.”

The sickly brunette looked the Replika up and down briefly using her one good eye before clicking her tongue loudly as she tried to lean back in her seat slightly.

“Ah… And you must be Ariane’s wife, then. Ellie, was it? Isa told me before you two… appeared.”

Her aunt nodded, leaning down slightly to be on eye level with the girl. Her bionic eyes met the single, healthy green one that Erika had.

“And…she told you who I am as well, correct?”

Isa’s sister nodded heavily, looking the Replika in the eyes.

“What about mom? Does she know?”

It was Ariane who answered Erika’s question, finally letting go of the girl’s hand as she nodded.

“Yes, we saw her; She just got released from questioning. I… didn’t ask what Ellie and her talked about, but it seemed like they were happy to see each other.”

Her eyes lit up with excitement as she smiled, looking up at her wife.

“We also visited my family, and we saw doctor Liang – did you know that she used to be in the military? She knew your aunt Lilith. Oh, oh! And we went to meet with my mom as well, and get this: she was an imperial spy all along. Isn’t that crazy?”

Isa stepped away from her friend, aunt and sister, instead turning to Zack. The man had been making sure that they were not being followed, his eyes glued to the various screens before him. They hadn’t talked after Isa had kissed him, probably because neither of them really knew how to talk about what had changed between them.

But things had definitely changed at that point, and they both knew it. Isa took a deep breath in, stepping up next to Zack.

“Hey…”

She sounded meeker than she expected, but she didn’t mind. Zachary turned away from the screens, looking back at her with a quick smile as he cleared his throat.

“Oh uh, hey. So…”

They stood there for a second before Isa decided to break the silence.

“Sorry for being so… forceful. I should have- “

He stopped her by putting a hand on Isa’s shoulder.

“No, it’s ok! I… I’m glad you were direct, really. I… may be a little stupid when it comes to these things.”

At least he was self-aware about it. Isa’s memories got interrupted by the sound of voices coming from ahead of her, just at the edge of the woods where Marienkäfer’s small hut stood next to her garden. The brunette could see two figures kneeling on the ground, both seemingly working on maintaining the flower field.

As she got closer, she could tell that one of the figures was Marienkäfer, the Ara; This was no surprise, as this was her garden, but the other figure made Isa stop in her tracks. She was much taller and a large straw hat sat atop her head with the woman’s long, dark hair spilling out from underneath like a dark waterfall. Isa took a few more steps towards the garden before she could be sure who she was seeing.

“Commander Falke?”

Both Marienkäfer and Falke paused, looking up from the flower field. The Commander smiled, waving at the Gestalt.

“Oh, hello Isa; How pleasant to see you here.”

The Ara looked at a small chronometer she had made that one could wear around the wrist.

“Wow, you’re here early… But we’re already almost done with the weeding. Sorry, I didn’t expect the Commander to stop by today.”

Isa groaned slightly as she quickly made her way to the field. The various flowers were beginning to bloom, the formerly almost entirely green field now dotted with colors ranging from a deep red over gentle shades of pink all the way to a few blues and whites. The Gestalt crossed her arms.

“Wow… you two really handled this already, huh? Man… And here I am, dumping the duty of taking care of Erika on Zack…”

She saw the Ara and Falke exchange a brief glance, with the taller Replika standing up quietly. Isa was still rather intimidated by the Commander’s height, even after having had more than a few friendly conversations with her before.

“Actually… about that. I- No, WE believe that you should perhaps… take a break. You have been working hard, harder perhaps than even my eagle, and…”

She cleared her throat, but the Ara took over.

“We don’t want you to collapse from exhaustion. You wake up at like… 5AM each morning and go to sleep at midnight; That can’t be healthy. You’ve got rings around your eyes so big that Falke’s halo is getting jealous.”

The words hit Isa like a bucket of icy water, causing her to stumble back a step as Falke closed the distance between them.

“Isa, you must understand that, while your care for your sister is impressive, we do not want you to work yourself to death. Everyone has their limits, and you are surrounded by people who wouldn’t mind helping you out either.”

Isa wanted to protest, but something in Falke’s voice struck a nerve with her. She had been juggling a lot of duties ever since they had returned from Sierpinski a few weeks ago, that much was true. But… working herself to death? Hardly!

Well… she did feel a bit tired, maybe.

And she only ate one meal a day, as she realized.

…But the comment about the rings around her eyes was uncalled for, that much was for sure. Or… was it?

Falke’s hand rested on Isa’s shoulder as the tall Replika looked down on her gently.

“Say, how about we go to the beach today? I discovered a rather nice spot not far from here the other day, and I have been planning on taking a few people along. Maybe Zachary, Erika and you could join as well?”

Isa almost wanted to deny the Commander’s offer, saying that Erika was too frail for that yet and other such things… but instead she just sighed.

“I… I suppose we can take a little bit of a break. The sun might do Erika some good.”

“Then it is settled. You go back home and tell Zachary and your sister that we’ll be meeting at the Penrose in roughly two hours. We will be waiting for you. Now go – Marienkäfer and I will handle the last of these weeds.”

The Ara huffed, eliciting a quick glance from the Commander.

“Ah… my apologies, I am still rather used to gleaning information such as names using my Bioresonance…”

“Yeah well, try your best to not do that anymore, Commander. Could have just asked…”

Isa left the two women to their business, her legs carrying her back home faster than she thought possible. As she walked, the prospect of a beach day began to sound pretty nice. She had only ever seen beaches in old textbooks and movies that were shot on Vineta… and the beaches there were a bit too cluttered with rubble for her liking.

“We’re going to the beach? Oh, I’ve always wanted to do that…”

Isa had told Zack immediately after returning home. The man rubbed his hands together as he walked over to Erika, who had also woken up at that point. The sickly brunette looked up at Isa’s boyfriend before her eye wandered over to her sister.

“Yeah… I think I want to stretch my legs a bit. The doctor said I should try spending more time outside, after all.”

Isa still wasn’t entirely sure about the entire idea, but she couldn’t help but get swept up in Zack’s enthusiasm – even Erika seemed excited about the prospect of getting to see a proper beach. Isa largely stood by as the two packed a large bag full of things they figured they’d need for the short trip: Towels, a change of clothes, a lot of sunscreen, some bottled drinks, sunglasses – only Zack had any, but he was willing to give them to Isa, thankfully – and some other miscellaneous things.

They met up with the rest of the group soon thereafter. Isa was surprised to see that not only Ellie, Ariane, Faust and Juli had shown up, but also Sieben and her Kolibri girlfriend Kay, as well as Adler and even Marienkäfer… Though the latter was decked out in some kind of strange gear with a ton of pockets and was holding a small box. She wasn’t planning on tinkering at the beach, right?

“Uh… what’s the getup for?”

Zack was the one to ask what Isa had been thinking, his tone half amused and half confused. The Ara gave him a quick look.

“Fishin’.”

That was all she said. Everyone else exchanged a quick shrug – if she wanted to fish, they would let her fish.

Thankfully, they didn’t need to walk very far until they reached the beach, and everyone walked slowly enough for Erika to keep up with them without much issue. The whole way was marked by friendly chit-chat between the different members of the group, though Sieben and Kay were notably rather sour whenever they talked to Faust. Strangely, the Storch also smelled of dish soap.

Whatever bad blood… bad oxidant…? Whatever bad feelings there may have been between the Replikas, they were all gone and forgotten once the group arrived at the beach. It was picturesque, down to the pearly white sand beneath their feet and the sun glistening on the waves before them.

Isa, Zack and Erika found a nice spot to themselves, one that was close enough to the water for Erika to potentially go take a dip, but far enough away that they wouldn’t have to worry about waves. Marienkäfer stood on a nearby small cliff area, staring at the water almost hypnotically. Four separate fishing rods were set up around her, each facing a different direction. How… efficient.

“Hold still or this won’t look right.”

The sun shone down on them as Isa sat behind Zack, her legs crossed as she carefully braided a few strands of the man’s long, wild hair. It was a chore, as his hair was far wavier than hers and, as such, didn’t particularly like being told what it should look like. Isa wouldn’t let herself be outlasted by some hair however, despite Zack’s occasional winces of pain.

Erika was lying on her back beside them, reading a book slowly, sometimes having to keep a page from flipping over from the wind. She looked over at her sister, the two exchanging a brief look.

“How are you feeling?”

The sickly girl pondered Isa’s question briefly before shrugging.

“Not amazing… But the best I have felt in a while that much is sure. This place is… perfect, literally. I’m reading a description of a beach from pre-war Vineta here, and this place matches up almost one to one.”

She propped herself up on her elbows with some effort, looking at what the others were doing. Isa followed her sister’s gaze as her fingers still worked away at braiding Zack’s rebellious hair.

Ellie and Ariane were both kneeling in the sand not far away from them… digging a hole? Aunt Ellie was almost head-deep in the sand while Ariane sat next to her, speaking to her about something that Isa couldn’t quite hear. The Replika nodded every few sentences that were spoken to her, sometimes pausing and answering something back to her wife.

Isa remembered a time where she couldn’t have imagined Ariane being married, let alone to a Replika – it wasn’t that long ago, after all, but she had to admit that they looked cute together. It made her wonder if Zack and her looked cute.

The brunette distracted herself from her thoughts by looking out onto the ocean, where Kay was leisurely floating in an oversize blow-up right, letting her arms and legs dangle into the warm water. She was fast asleep and not hiding that fact very well, her head leaned back so far that her hair almost got wet.

Sieben on the other hand was walking around the water together with Commander Falke, sometimes crouching down and pulling something up. Falke towered over the Storch by a considerable amount, the two of them looking almost monumental in the shallow waters.

Faust and Juli had wandered over to the Ara and had engaged the Replika in a conversation, though the Star looked like she’d rather be in the water.

And then there was Adler, who was sitting fairly close to them on a large set of towels, surrounded by papers. Isa had to scoff internally when she remembered Falke’s previous remark – maybe she was overworking herself, but she was nothing compared to Adler and his workaholic tendencies.

On the other hand, she wasn’t a Replika either, so she had to worry about the limitations of a Gestalt body. Not that she wasn’t thankful for it; Quite the opposite: Every minute on the beach reminded her how lucky she was to be here.

She loved the feeling of the sand under her feet and the smell of the ocean that wafted over to them whenever the breeze picked up. The water shone with a brilliant azure blue, and Isa could see fish swimming lazily just below the surface. It made her wonder how much of such wildlife survived on Vineta… if any of it survived, really.

And then there was Zack, of course. Out of everything, she was happiest that he was there, happier even than she was about Erika feeling good enough to come along. She knew that people whispered about her being obsessive, but they didn’t understand what he meant to her.

Zack wasn’t just her boyfriend; To her, he was emblematic for… everything that this second chance at life was. Before she had died, she remembered being tired of life itself. Every day was the same: The same drab halls, the same scared looks that everyone gave over their shoulder, the same books, the same beatings she could hear from just down the hall.

Rotfront was stagnant. The people – the blood of the Nation, as propaganda liked to call them – were coagulated in those tight halls, getting stuck on each other, becoming stagnant and rotten. The Nation, so Isa knew, was dying; slowly, but surely. And she had been dying inside of it as well, or at least so she told herself.

Dying had changed her perspective on many things, however. No longer was she naïve enough to believe that the Nation was really dying. The people were, sure, but the Nation? No, the Nation wasn’t dying just because its people were. They were crucial to the Nation’s survival, but they weren’t its lifeblood at all – they were its food, something to be consumed and discarded once it had been stripped of all its useful parts.

“Ow. Ow… Darling, are you ok? You’re pulling my hair way worse than before…”

Isa snapped out of her trance, quickly loosening her grip on her boyfriend’s hair. Anger had welled up in her… and she was still getting the hang of controlling her emotions after coming back to life. Being dead had a way of numbing… everything, really.

“Oh, sorry… I was just thinking about things. Anyway, I think… Yeah, I think it’s done. Erika, what do you think?”

Isa turned Zack’s head around so Erika could see the braid. The sickly brunette turned her head slightly, looking up at the two of them over the top edge of the sunglasses Zack had given her. She made a show of rubbing her chin and humming loudly, even pulling the glasses down slightly to get a better look.

“Hmm… I think that I’m gonna be an aunt soon, that’s what I think. The braid looks good, by the way.”

Isa picked up a handful of sand and was about to throw it at her sister, but she barely stopped herself. The sand rained down on Zack’s thigh instead as Erika chuckled.

“Anyway… I feel like taking a dip in the water.”

Before Isa could move, Zack jumped up.

“I’ll help you get there, don’t worry.”

In a single motion, he ripped off the loose… tunic? Whatever he was exactly wearing, he ripped it off with one hand… somehow, revealing a pair of red swimming trunks underneath. Isa noticed that it was dotted with multitudes of small, golden hexagons. She wasn’t sure if she was amused, aroused or appalled – it was an emotion that sat firmly between all three extremes.

Zack gently helped Erika stand up as Isa’s jaw figuratively hit the sand so hard that it buried itself down to the core of New Vineta. The sickly brunette let out a few short yelps of surprise and uncertainty as Zachary helped her balance on her uneven legs – Juli and Marienkäfer had made her a little prosthetic, but she was still getting used to it.

“I can see why Isa fell for you. Very gentlemanly, Mr. Shi.”

Erika’s remark was met with a shaking of the head and a smile from Zack before he looked down at Isa, giving her a nod.

“We’ll be right back, so… try to relax a bit, ok darling?”

Isa waved him off as she lay down on her back, stretching her legs out.

“Sure, you two have fun, then. I’ll… read something, I guess.”

She watched her sister and her boyfriend walk off, Zack still carefully supporting Erika as she walked. Her gait was getting steadier, but it still left a lot to be desired. Isa yawned, rolling over and onto her side.

Adler had gotten up from the place he had been sitting at and was wading out into the water towards the Commander and Sieben, leaving his paperwork behind. Maybe… she really did work more than him. The thought made Isa feel tired, her poor sleeping schedule finally catching up with her in full force.

She tried to roll over and onto her back, but she felt sluggish, almost like her limbs were made from lead. It would just be a quick nap – a few minutes to rest her eyes, that’s what she told herself. She closed her eyes, immediately drifting off to sleep.

“Isa? Hey, darling.”

The feeling of Zack’s hands shaking her made Isa jerk around and sit up. The towel she had fallen asleep on stuck to her cheek, only peeling itself away once she was fully upright. Zack was sitting next to her, his face lit by the bright orange light of the setting sun beside them.

“How long wuzz I- “

She shook her head, yawning the sleep out of her voice.

“How long was I asleep?”

She looked around. The others were still there, but most had left the water and were sitting around on the beach. Erika, Marienkäfer and Adler were sitting around a nearby fire and seemed to be grilling fish, while Falke, Faust and Juli sat nearby, digging into the ground for some reason.

Sieben and Kay were still in the water – well, the Storch was at least, with Kay sitting on her shoulders as they watched the sunset. It took Isa more than a few seconds to spot where her aunt was – Ellie was buried up to her neck in sand and the three Replikas were trying to dig her out, chatting all the while.

“The whole day. That’s what you get for neglecting yourself, dummy.”

Hearing Zack call her something besides darling made Isa relax a bit as she sank down onto her elbows. She sighed, looking up at her boyfriend as she tried to find the right words for what she wanted to say. In the end, it was simple.

“I’m scared, Zack. Scared of losing you. You’re going away to Heimat in a few days, and… what if you don’t come back?”

She raised a hand as her boyfriend was about to respond.

“I know… we talked about it before, but… I’m still scared. I don’t think I will stop being scared until you’re back in my arms. I… I admit, maybe I have been trying to block that out by… distracting myself.”

She looked over at Erika, her gaze resting on her sister’s smiling face for a brief second before turning back to Zack. The man took her in his arms, allowing her to run her hand over his wild hair.

“Whatever happens, we’ll be fine in the end. If things go south… we will run away, like I said.”

His words were spoken with the confidence of someone who had no doubts that they were speaking the truth, as impossible as that was in this situation. Isa felt herself nodding as Zack picked her up and pulled her to her feet gently. They stood there for a brief moment as Isa looked into his eyes. Then, she nodded.

“I know, it’s just… I need to convince myself of that still. I’ll be fine. Just… force me to stay in bed longer, heh.”

Zack laughed.

“Hey, if I do that then Erika’s prediction might come true, and I didn’t like the smug undertone she had to it.”

Isa flicked his nose as she turned away from him, facing the fire with the fish.

“Oh shush, you. Now… How about we go join the others? I’m starving… Only had breakfast today, after all.”

She grabbed the man’s hand, pulling him along as they walked across the beach. She glanced over at her aunt, the Replika catching her gaze and giving her a small wink as the three women around her shoveled like mad while also keeping a conversation going. Isa winked back before sighing deeply. She knew she couldn’t stop Zack and the rest of her friends from leaving and had at least begun to make peace with that fact.

In the end, the best way out was always through.

Chapter Text

Faust gazed out of the spaceship’s front window as the small vessel flew over the ash-gray streets of the Nation’s capital which were tightly nestled between tall, dark skyscrapers. She could see small vehicles driving along the streets and, when she squinted, she could just barely make out the occasional Gestalt or two walking along the sidewalks.

The Star had never been to the capital on Heimat before, but it looked pretty much the way she had expected it to from her limited experience with the Nation’s more… utilitarian approach to architecture and colors. Where the empire seemed to enjoy more flowing, natural shapes, the Nation’s preference could be summarized in one word: Rectangles.

The buildings they flew past were rectangles, the roads branched off at perfect 90° angles – even the vehicles down below were angular and horribly non-aerodynamic. As Faust turned away, she wondered if the Gestalts on this planet would also look angular, morphed by their proximity to the rotten, black heart of the Nation.

The People’s Palace – the seat of power from which the Great Revolutionary and her daughter ruled over the Nation – was a giant skyscraper that loomed in the middle of the capital itself. It had once been a luxurious hotel, but the revolution had claimed it as its seat almost immediately. They said that it was to “bring down symbols of the Empire’s opulence” … But something told Faust that it was no coincidence that they took a luxury hotel of all places.

She looked back at the group of people that were gathered inside of the ceremonial vessel. There were Falke and Adler of course, with the male Replika ordering a few documents into a thin folder they had prepared. They were the “leadership” of this mission, and as such, they would be the ones to lead the way for a majority of the mission.

The Commander held the spear that Ariane had found in the Grand Empress’ tomb on New Vineta, as she was the only person who would logically be carrying something like that. She had also summoned a few additional spears which floated behind her in the vague shape of wings, gently bobbing and swaying whenever the giant moved.

Faust had seen depictions of angels before - largely on contraband confiscated from Gestalts at Sierpinski, but still, she had seen them - and the Commander did bear a remarkable resemblance to these divine messengers in that moment.

The Star almost wanted to touch the multitude of spears as they glistened in the light of the vessel’s interior, but she knew that Falke wouldn’t appreciate it. Her halo was shining brighter than usual as well, possibly indicating that it was taking more than a little work to upkeep her faux wings.

Adler was looking over the paperwork, mouthing a few of the words to himself as he stood next to his Commander. Faust was still astonished that the two were in a relationship – it had been the obvious joke among facility staff with how dependent Adler was on the Commander, but they had never expected it to be true.

Elster and Ariane were manning the cockpit, with Ariane being the one actually flying. She was visibly tense, even though her wife was trying her best to calm her down by quietly speaking to her about something that Faust couldn’t hear. She decided to not interrupt them.

Zack sat a bit to the side, holding his helmet as he looked over the portal frame that Juli and the Ara who still refused to give Faust her name had come up with. It was an ugly thing that looked like a very avant-garde frame for a full-body mirror with the mirror itself missing, though there were cables poking out from the sides.

The other frame was folded up into a small package that Ellie would carry under her armor and deposit somewhere in vicinity of the Great Revolutionary. The thought was that, ideally, they would be able to capture the Great Revolutionary and lead her through the portal back to the ship… or, if things did NOT go as planned, then it would serve as an entry for Zack to act as their backup and as a potential way for them to quickly escape. A real multi-purpose tool, that portal frame.

Faust stepped closer to Juli as they flew past the giant, gold-plated statue of the Great Revolutionary in her prime – it did actually look quite a bit like Falke, though the resemblance was far from perfect in Faust’s opinion.

The Eule had come along despite Faust’s pleading for her to stay behind in case something went wrong, now looking over the various screens of the ship’s mainframe before her. The Star reached a hand out, putting it on Juli’s shoulder gently. Her girlfriend didn’t flinch, clearly having heard Faust coming.

“What’s on your mind, hon? Nervous?”

“How couldn’t I be? We’re going into the proverbial lion’s den here.”

The Eule chuckled a bit, shaking her head without looking back at Faust.

“Proverbial? Have you been talking to Ariane again or where is this vocabulary coming from?”

Faust gave the Eule a gentle punch to the shoulder as the vessel began to slow, entering the great hangar of the People’s Palace. Darkness filled the view outside of the windows, reminding the Star of the void of space… But somehow even emptier, as impossible as that was.

“What, can’t I be smart sometimes as well?”

The two chuckled as the vessel landed on the cold ground below, the thrusters shutting off soon afterwards with their previous roaring quieting down to a low, barely audible rumble. Ariane and Ellie stood up from their seats and everyone quickly gathered in front of the airlock… except Zack and the Ara, who Faust knew was hiding in the vents again.

Up front was Falke and Adler, with Ariane and Elster standing behind them and Faust and Juli making up the back third of their group. The Commander briefly glanced back at everyone, simply nodding her head before opening the airlock. They didn’t need to talk about the plan – everyone knew that they were supposed to try and look as normal as possible for as long as possible.

They were welcomed by a Gestalt in what Faust could only describe as “business casual” clothing by the Nation’s standards – a white shirt, a short suit jacket, a black skirt, tights and, surprisingly enough, high heels. The woman smiled.

“Welcome. I presume that you are from the Penrose Mission?”

Adler nodded, handing her one of the papers he had prepared in the folder. The Gestalt took a brief glance at the paper, then at the vessel and the people in front of her before nodding.

“Oh yes, this all seems to be in order. Please, follow me.”

Faust felt like she had to march at full attention, but she forced herself to stay calm as the group began to walk after the Gestalt. The all-encompassing darkness of the quickly changed to an only somewhat oppressive darkness as they left the large room through one of the adjacent hallways.

The People’s Palace was entirely decorated in black, white, gold and a few shades of red – the colors of the Nation, minus the white of course. The floor was made of what seemed to be white marble that contrasted sharply against the blood-red carpet that they walked along and the walls around them, which seemed to be made from the same jet-black material as the insides of the hangar, with only the occasional gold-colored wall lamp reminding Faust that they were, in fact, walls and not the endless void of space that had somehow seeped into the building.

“Is this your first time in the Palace?”

The Gestalt didn’t ask the question to anyone in particular, so the group briefly exchanged confused glances before Ariane spoke up.

“No, this is my first time here… Though I do believe that the Commander mentioned having visited it before. Isn’t that right, Ma’am?”

The Commander hummed as they entered the large main hall of the Palace. The doors to the outside were tightly shut, presumably to keep the cold air from seeping inside, as the entire Palace seemed to be fairly well-heated. Faust briefly glanced upwards, noting with some shock that she couldn’t see the ceiling of the exceptionally tall room.

Gaudy crystal chandeliers hung down from the ceiling that must’ve been somewhere far, far above them, with each of the lamps hanging at a different level. Faust could see large balconies jut out from the side of the room that faced the front doors – the same wall that had a row of golden elevator doors lining it on their level.

“Yes, I was here back when I was first created, but that was a long time ago…”

The Gestalt before them stopped and turned around, motioning to a small lounge near them.

“I see, then allow me to explain the next few steps of your visit. I will need to quickly leave you to get your access cards for the elevators. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes, but please, do make yourself comfortable.”

Faust eyed the lounge. The seats were the same shade of red as the carpet beneath their feet and hooves, and the same was true for the heavy curtains that separated the comfortable lounge from the rest of the large hall. Faust noted, with some surprise, that there was a large bar at the opposite side of the lounge as well, manned by a single Eule unit.

When she turned back, the Gestalt that had led them there had already begun to walk off and the rest of the group began to slowly, cautiously enter the small lounge area. Faust shrugged, quickly walking past them and taking a seat at the counter of the bar.

The Eule bowed – Faust noticed that she had a unique paint job, with her breastplate painted in gold and the Nation’s three stars emblazoned on her abdomen. It looked pretty dumb in Faust’s opinion, but she wasn’t about to insult the barkeeper to her face.

“Welcome to the Democratic Lounge, how may I serve you today?”

Faust hummed in response, eyeing the bottles that were lined up behind the Eule suspiciously.

“You don’t serve that, right? I mean, it’s an impressive collection… I think?”

The Eule laughed, shaking her head as she motioned towards the rows of bottles behind her.

“Oh no, these are all empty and purely for decoration – a reminder of the decadence and excess that the Great Revolutionary so despised. They were all ceremonially poured out the day this building was claimed as the Revolutionary’s seat of power and ceased to be a hotel.”

Faust laughed.

“Well, the rats in the sewers must’ve celebrated as well that day, huh? Anyway… what do you serve, then? Not sure how long we’ll be waiting here.”

The Eule handed the Star a small menu that was seemingly written by hand – how very old-school. Faust glanced at the menu, letting her eyes wander down the list of drinks. Most of them were… teas, for some reason? She looked back up.

“Er… Not an expert on teas. Anything you’d offer me?”

She handed the menu back to the Eule, with the smaller Replika quickly looking at the menu before tapping her fingers on a few of the entries.

“Well… I have to admit that we don’t get many Stars here – it’s largely just Storchs and Kranichs every now and again, plus the occasional Eule like myself.”

Faust could see the barkeeper’s brain working on a suggestion, but the Star wasn’t really thirsty anyway, so she used the opportunity to get some information.

“While you think: Does the Great Revolutionary ever… you know, ever stop by? I’ve only ever seen her on TV before, back at the facility.”

The barkeeper looked at her briefly before putting the menu down.

“Why do you ask?”

There was apprehension in her voice, and Faust realized that she probably had no idea why Faust and the rest of the group were even there. In situations like these, putting people at ease was paramount.

“Oh, we’re actually…”

Faust trailed off intentionally, looking around in some feigned attempt to make her look a bit paranoid. Then, she leaned forward slightly.

“We’re going to be meeting the Revolutionary herself, and I have no idea what we’re getting ourselves into.”

The barkeeper’s face lit up as she heard Faust’s words and she put her hands together slightly. She looked a lot like Juli and even moved like her… sometimes. It took Faust a bit of effort to not let her guard down around this total stranger.

“Ohhh… I see! Yes, I can understand why you’re a bit nervous about that. Hmm… Well, I suppose I can give up a little bit of information without compromising National security.”

She hummed, pulling out a glass and placing it in front of the Star on the counter.

“So… She’s a bit older than the broadcasts would have you believe. I mean… it makes sense, given how long the Nation has been going under her guidance, but it can be a bit of a jarring experience the first time around. Just… don’t comment on it?”

She pretended to eye a few bottles, shaking her head theatrically at each.

“Honestly? She’s not as strict as you’d expect her to be – she’s actually fairly nice, kind of like a grandma minus the knitting and cats.”

Faust didn’t know exactly what the Eule meant by that, but she nodded nonetheless as the barkeeper poured her something. It smelled vaguely of some fruit that Faust wasn’t familiar with.

“Peach ice tea, by the way. It’s uh… I like it, so I figured you may as well.”

The Star nodded slightly, taking a sip of the drink. It tasted fine, though it wasn’t anything special as far as Faust was concerned. She looked back at her allies, seeing them chatting amongst each other peacefully before the Eule’s voice caused her to turn back around.

“Why are you visiting the Great Revolutionary, by the way? It must be something really important if she’s meeting with such a large group personally.”

Faust hesitated before shaking her head.

“Sorry, that’s confidential for now. I’m sure you’ll hear about it soon enough though, so just sit tight for a little longer.”

The barkeeper tilted her head slightly, an expression of wonder passing over her face for a second as she did so. Her arms were crossed, but she seemed to be in thought more so than doubting Faust.

“Right, yeah… That makes sense, I guess. She does love her privacy, so I won’t pry any further. Anyway… Quite the group you’ve got with you, Miss, uh…”

“Faust, you can call me Faust, since that’s shorter than my unit designation.”

The Eule nodded, bowing slightly.

“The other workers call me Champagne – my whole cadre has names themed after former alcoholic drinks, actually. You won’t meet them here though; they are working in the kitchens up above.”

The sound of someone clearing their throat behind Faust’s back made the Star turn around. The Gestalt from before had returned, holding a large paper envelope she was waving in their general direction.

“I apologize for the wait, everyone! I have your access cards right here, so please, follow me.”

Faust briefly turned back to the Eule, giving her a small nod as she stood up from her seat. She hadn’t finished her drink, but she didn’t want to test the Gestalt’s patience.

“Well then Champagne, I hope we can toast all this once we’re back down here.”

The Eule nodded enthusiastically in response, giving her two thumbs up.

“Of course! I’m sure you’ll have plenty to celebrate!”

Faust smirked as she turned away, giving the Eule a small wave.

“Yep, I’m sure we will.”

She quickly caught up to the rest of the group and was handed a small, golden card. What was it with this place and loving gold so much anyway? The Star eyed the small keycard, trying to find any sort of fancy engraving or anything else that would give away what it was used for exactly.

The Gestalt looked over them, making sure that everyone had a card before she spoke up.

“What you have in your hands is an exclusive access keycard to the Great Revolutionary’s personal elevator – it’s the only one that leads all the way up to her offices, you see. You will each have to swipe it inside of the elevator before you’ll be able to use the controls; It’s all automated and a bit outdated, so we can’t do much about it, I’m afraid.”

Oh, how Faust hated outdated automation – they had a ton of weirdly specific things back in Sierpinski that made her angry, like the Paternoster elevator and its ass-backwards fuses that the Aras always complained to her about, or the incinerator that only worked if you played a guessing game with its parameters. Fun times, really.

The Gestalt led the group up to the line of elevators, stopping in front of the central one. It was notably larger than the rest, both vertically and horizontally – enough for even Falke to not have to duck when walking through.

The golden doors quietly slid open without any clear input from anyone present, and the Gestalt motioned towards them.

“Ok, get in. One at a time, please.”

The group followed her orders, each of them stepping into the elevator and swiping their cards one after the other. Faust was reminded of her time in Gestalt transport, when she had to force Gestalts to swipe their ID cards before they were allowed on or off of a transport. She sincerely hoped that, unlike the prison transports, this elevator wasn’t a one-way ticket to suffering.

As the doors began closing behind them, Faust saw the Gestalt wave with a smile.

“Good luck, you lot! I’ll be waiting for you for the ce- “

The door closed, cutting her off as the elevator began moving upwards with surprising speed. Faust hadn’t noticed before, but its walls were made of clear glass, allowing the people inside to look at the many, many floors they were passing by rapidly.

The Star looked on as they passed by what looked like former hallways turned into offices, with blurs that must’ve been Gestalts within. Not even Replika eyes were fast enough to lock onto any details as they shot upwards.

“This reminds me of the Penrose’s launch...”

Ariane’s comment was barely a mumble, but Faust heard her nonetheless. As if to underline the girl’s comparison, they shot past more offices until there was only darkness around them. It was the same incredibly dark material that the rest of the building was also made of – the one that swallowed all light and gave off exactly zero shine.

It truly felt like they were ascending through the void of space itself… and it was all backed up by some kind of smooth jazz that was playing inside of the cabin, ruining the moment entirely.

“You know, I thought they’d have the Nation’s anthem or something playing in here, not something from like… however long ago.”

Falke huffed.

“I find it quite nice, actually. Very relaxing.”

“Yes, it’s rather calming, though I prefer songs with vocals, myself.”

Faust looked at Falke and then the Administrator, blinking at them in confusion. The man cleared his throat, looking away.

“Well… the elevators in Sierpinski used to play music as well, but one of the Storchs complained.”

“She also bribed the Aras by giving them a few plants that hydroponics deemed inefficient.”

Falke’s statement was neutral, without any hint of animosity. Faust wasn’t sure if she was glad that the Commander turned out to be a reasonable person or scared to death by just how much she and the Administrator knew. Most of the info was well-known among Protektor staff, but nobody had ever told either of them about that.

The Star decided to not dwell on the topic – Falke was Bioresonant, and she had probably told Adler everything she knew anyway – it would explain how the two of them alone could run things with so little effort.

Faust felt the Elevator begin to slow down, though the darkness around them persisted all the way until they stopped.

“The Great Revolutionary’s office.”

The mechanical voice sounded through the cabin as the door opened with a hiss, letting everyone exit. The lobby of the floor was large, but nothing compared to the main lobby down below, because Faust could actually see the ceiling of this one.

A few rather gaudy paintings hung from the walls around them, leading up towards what must’ve been the Revolutionary’s personal reception, complete with a Gestalt receptionist. The woman looked up briefly before pressing something on her desktop.

“Ma’am, the Penrose visitors are here.”

Faust could barely hear a garbled response from some hidden-away speaker before the receptionist nodded.

“I’ll tell them, Ma’am.”

She turned to the group, giving them a wide smile.

“Welcome, honored visitors. The Great Revolutionary will be ready for you in a matter of minutes, so please, do stay patient for a while longer if you could.”

From behind Faust, Elster cleared her throat.

“I’m sorry, is there a restroom somewhere? I think the landing thrusters weren’t quite off when I walked out of the vessel and I’d like to check if I look presentable before appearing before the Great Revolutionary.”

The Replika lied as easily as she breathed, somewhat surprising Faust. The receptionist nodded, motioning towards a small door at the wall on their right.

“Of course – just over there. We just had the mirrors cleaned, so you should be able to get a good look.”

“Thank you, much appreciated.”

Faust turned away from the door as Elster walked off, instead choosing to let her eyes wander over the paintings on the walls. She knew that the combat engineer would be placing the portal frame in a secluded area, probably one of the stalls.

The paintings were, as she had noted before, gaudy; Akin to something she’d find in the Storch dorms, perhaps. She recognized a few of them – one of a tall, human-looking being eating a person, one that depicted a serene beach and one of a woman that Faust couldn’t quite decide if she was smiling or not, but the others were foreign to her.

She saw Ariane standing in front of one that seemed to be drawn on Vineta, but after it had become an ocean planet. It was some kind of island with a bunch of broken lamp posts, buildings and other remains of urban life darkening its center.

It gave Faust the creeps, causing her to turn away. Juli was next to her, briefly glancing at the Star.

“Everything ok?”

Faust nodded slightly, looking at the painting of the strange woman again.

“Yeah, just trying to look like I’m interested in these paintings is all.

A quiet tearing sound came from somewhere behind them – Ariane must’ve opened the portal within the frame. The door to the restroom opened and Elster came out, shaking some water off of her hands. Her hair looked largely unchanged, though.

Faust made a bit of a show out of looking around, even raising her eyebrow before turning back to look at the art before her.

“Do you think these may be originals? I mean… if anywhere, they would be here, right?”

Juli’s comment made Faust stop briefly – there was a real chance that these paintings were thousands of years old, and Faust was close enough to touch one of them. Her hand moved without any input from her brain, reaching out slowly.

“Quite the piece, isn’t it?”

The cold, clear sound of a woman’s voice made Faust turn around, afraid that she had somehow compromised the mission, but she quickly realized that the voice was not addressed to her. A somewhat diminutive, dark-haired woman stood a few feet away from all members of the group, almost right in the middle of the room.

She was turned to face Ariane, who had been staring at the strange picture from Vineta and now took a half-step away from the newcomer. Faust couldn’t see the woman’s face, but the silver wreath that was gingerly laid around the newcomer’s head told her everything she needed to know. Ariane quickly caught herself, nodding.

“Yes, it looks oddly… familiar, I suppose. I could have sworn that I’ve seen it before, but I do not know where.”

The Great Revolutionary’s daughter put her hands together behind her back, humming quietly.

“This piece was gifted to mother not long ago by the populace of Vineta. Perhaps you saw the report about it. Though… I suppose you were still on your mission at that point.”

She turned away, finally allowing Faust to get a good look at her. She looked almost exactly the same as the statue of the Great Revolutionary they had flown past, though her face was somewhat sharper, more angular in a way that Faust couldn’t quite grasp.

“I apologize for the wait, honored guests. Mother is ready to welcome you now.”

The words cut through the air like a diamond through glass. Something about it made Faust shudder, but she forced herself to follow the daughter as she led them through the hall, up the stairs and through the big double doors that led to the actual office.

The Great Revolutionary was nothing like Faust had expected her to be, despite the words of the Eule at the lounge. The leader of the Eusan Nation sat behind a giant desk made of some reddish wood that Faust had never seen before, with a steaming cup of tea by her side. The woman was clearly in a wheelchair, her body hunched forward slightly as she examined them with surprisingly vivid, lively eyes.

“Well, isn’t this a rare pleasure indeed. Come in, please.”

She waved them closer with a gnarled old hand, smiling gently as she tilted her head. Her hair was white as snow and tied into a tight bun on the top of her head, though a few strands hung down next to her face as well.

The group slowly wandered closer, Faust noting a few workers that seemed to be doing busywork in the background – sorting papers, staring at screens, that kind of thing. The daughter had walked around the table quickly and was now standing next to her mother, not letting any member of their group out of her sight.

Falke and Adler stepped forward, with the Administrator handing the Great Revolutionary the folder he had been holding. The old woman grabbed the folder, slowly putting a pair of reading glasses that hung around her neck on a golden chain.

Slowly – painfully slowly, even – she flipped through the papers inside, giving the occasional nod or approving hum. It felt like an eternity before she let the folder snap close. The sound echoed through the large room, making the workers stop.

“Well… How nice. I am always glad to see a job well done, everyone.”

Nobody spoke as the Great Revolutionary slowly put the folder down and took a sip from her tea. As she set the cup down, she motioned towards her daughter slightly. In one move, the younger woman pulled a thick folder from somewhere beneath the table, letting it drop onto the desk with a sound so sharp and loud that it felt like lightning had struck. The Great Revolutionary sighed as she looked at Ariane.

“Well… Almost everyone. Miss Yeong, I believe we have much to talk about.”

Faust could see Ariane’s head move slightly, her chin tilting downwards. A strange tension brushed past Faust, but she was too busy assessing the situation to really notice. The workers had turned away from the work they had been pretending to be doing – they were Kolibris, as well as a few Stars and what looked like a Storch, though with a different face.

“I do not believe we do, Ma’am.”

Ariane’s answer was brief and as cold as the daughter’s voice had been before, making everyone, even the Revolutionary, blink in confusion. Only the daughter stayed calm, her hand resting on the handle of the large, silver rapier that hung on her hip. The Revolutionary hummed, shaking her head as she recovered from her stunned silence.

“Well… I suppose I should expect no less from the woman who would become Empress, as empty as that title is. Dear?”

The daughter moved faster than Faust could see, but Ariane had somehow predicted her movement. The golden spear met the silver rapier with an ugly metallic sound that reverberated inside Faust’s skull, making her stumble. By the time she had looked up, the Great Revolutionary had disappeared, though they could hear the old woman cackle through some loudspeakers above them.

The Kolibris and the tall Replika were all armed, though most seemed to be only equipped with SMGs and pistols – nothing that Faust couldn’t block. She quickly reached for her shield as she looked over at Ariane. The white-haired girl and the daughter were facing each other, standing a few feet apart with their weapons raised. The Great Revolutionary’s voice crackled through the loudspeakers.

“Dispose of them, dear.”

Chapter Text

Zack didn’t like waiting, especially not during a mission. He could handle fights, subterfuge, infiltration… the only thing that his training hadn’t quite gotten out of him was his dislike of waiting. His fingers drummed on the metal of his armor as he sat inside of the vessel, eyeing the portal before him.

It was deeply unsettling to behold, this rip in time and space itself. Beyond the tear, there was only red – red sand on the ground, and a red sky above. Normally, Zack quite liked the color red, not least because it was the color most associated with the Empire and the Palace guard itself, but the red of the other dimension was different.

A shiver ran up his spine as he stood up and walked around the portal, looking around the space beyond. He could see the exit in the distance, another rip in space just… floating there silently, suspended in the air by nothing that Zack could see.

The Ara was sitting nearby, her legs crossed as she watched the portal attentively. She had climbed out of the vents a few minutes before without saying much, but Zack decided that he may as well replace the silence with some light conversation.

“So, how do you think the mission’s going?”

The woman looked at him, expressionless as always. Zack was still getting used to reading her face with minimal hints at what she was actually thinking, but he was getting better at it. She was either unimpressed or thoughtful, perhaps both.

“It is too early to tell, I think. It does make me wonder… How will they contact us if things go wrong?”

The man gazed into the portal briefly as he rubbed his chin. His helmet was still on his seat, though his favorite assault rifle already hung from his shoulder on its carry strap. He wasn’t sure how to answer the question, but he was sure that they would find some way.

“Eh, I guess we’ll know it when it happens. For now, let’s just assume that they’re fine.”

The Ara shrugged, pulling out a small watering can from some tunnel or other and drizzling a bit on her plants. She had moved the ones he remembered from the escape vessel onto this more ceremonial one, possibly as some form of marking her territory, as animalistic as that sounded.

Silence filled the room for a while before Zack decided to do something slightly reckless. He stepped before the portal and poked his head into the red expanse, looking around. For some reason, he had expected wind to whip into his face, but the other dimension was completely still.

There was no wind, no moment, or anything else that would suggest that this reality had ever so much as known the touch of any kind of life. The oppressive stillness made a shiver run up his spine as he quickly ducked back inside of the vessel.

“So? What’s it like?”

The Ara had an eyebrow raised as she looked at the captain, clearly expecting an answer. The man shook his head.

“It is… Emptiness. I don’t think there is anything there besides the sand, the sky, and the other portal.”

The Replika nodded, sitting back down on the ground as she pulled out a few metal components and tools. Without another word, she got to tinkering, leaving Zack to his own thoughts. He sighed, grabbing his helmet and giving a quick look.

Suddenly, the large piece of metal flew from his hands and through the portal, landing on the soft sand beyond the threshold with a quiet thud.

“Fuck.”

That must’ve been the signal. Zack turned to the Ara, who gave him a nod as she got up.

“I’ll secure the ship. Good luck.”

It was the first time Zack had heard her say anything that got somewhat close to being an expression of comradery, but he didn’t have time to enjoy the moment. Quickly, he stepped through the tear in space and time and onto the soft sand of the other dimension.

Zack wasn’t quite sure how to describe the feeling of the red reality – it felt a bit too normal, in his opinion. The air around him was warm but not hot, not really humid but also not really dry. He quickly scooped up his helmet, not even stopping in his stride as he quickly put it on and secured the straps on the front and back.

The sand crunched under his heavy boots as he began to run, pacing his breathing so he would not be out of breath once he reached the other portal. He ignored the unsettling nature of the other realm, clearing his mind of it and replacing it with one thing: His mission. He had to get through the other portal, orientate himself, assess the situation, and then start blasting.

He had enough ammo to take down more than a few Replikas, but he couldn’t be sure how many there were either. His biggest advantage was the element of surprise – nobody had checked the spaceship, so there was no chance anyone knew he was present yet.

As Zack stepped out of the second portal, he couldn’t help but shiver slightly as the atmosphere shifted. The air on the other side was cool and faintly smelled of some kind of cleaning solution that was trying its best to smell of lemons and was failing horribly.

Zack blinked, realizing that he was in some sort of toilet as he looked around. The walls were almost psychotically clean, the same as the ground, the sinks, and the stall he found himself inside. The pristine look of the whole place made him wonder if anyone even used this room before.

The sound of gunshots brought the captain back into reality as he quickly grabbed his weapon and stormed out of the stall. With a quick turn, he faced the door that led out of the toilets just in time for someone to open them.

Zack’s hands moved automatically, aiming down the sights as he got ready to shoot. His eyes met those of Juli, and the Replika immediately ducked. Zack fired.

The Replika that had been chasing the Eule – what seemed to be a Star with a different paint job than Faust had – tumbled backwards as oxidant erupted from four bullet holes in her abdomen. She dropped the stun prod she had been holding and fell to one knee. Zack quickly crossed the distance between them and kicked her in the face with all his might.

The guard went flying backwards, sliding across the red carpet on the ground of the hallway. A panicked scream from the right made Zack turn. He could barely see a woman duck behind a reception as another one of the Star’s took aim.

He was faster, diving to the side as he let off a short hail of bullets. Most missed their mark and buried themselves deep in the wood of the reception desk, but he got lucky – two found their way to the Star.

The Guard screamed in pain as the first bullet hit her in the abdomen while the other one took out one of the Star’s eyes. The Replika dropped her revolver and the gun shot once more as it dropped to the ground next to its wielder. Zack wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but a figure rolled itself on top of him.

The first Star – the one that he had kicked in the face – sat on top of him, her hands pounding on his helmet as she tried to get through the thick metal plating. Alarmingly, Zack could see a few dents form from inside as he tried to shake the tall woman off.

Her eyes were manic and full of anger and she didn’t speak a word, just pounding her fists into him over and over again. Zack punched back, aiming for the solar plexus before realizing that Replikas didn’t have such a thing. He tried a few other spots, but the Star seemed thoroughly unimpressed as she hammered dent after dent into his favorite helmet.

A shadow appeared behind the star before two arms wrapped themselves around the Replika’s head tightly, causing her to stop her assault. Zack could see the fearful face of Juli above him as the Star tried to grab her arms with little effect as the two wrestled.

Then, a loud snap.

Zack felt the Star go limp as Juli pushed her off of the captain, the guard’s lifeless body hitting the ground with a muffled thump. The Eule looked close to tears, her body shaking as she reached her hand out towards Zack.

“Come on, get up! We need to get moving!”

The captain took the offered hand, standing up as Juli shook her head. He wanted to put a hand on her shoulder and tell her that she had only done what she had to, but they needed to act fast.

“Where are the others?”

Juli motioned upwards but shook her head.

“They are up there, but they are handling things for now – we need to find the Great Revolutionary.”

Zack blinked at the Replika, confused by what she meant. Juli just groaned; her previous shock being replaced with an impatient frustration mixed with nervousness. She crossed her arms and tilted her head at the captain.

“The Great Revolutionary was onto us and used some sort of hidden elevator or something as things got bad. If we find her, maybe we can use her as a bargaining chip to stop this whole mess.”

The captain nodded, impressed by the Eule’s quick thinking as he looked around, remembering the scared woman he had seen duck behind the reception. Carefully, Zack motioned for Juli to stand behind him as he approached the large desk, hearing the Star breathing heavily from somewhere behind it.

He quickly rounded the corner, aiming his rifle downwards. The guard was slumped against the wall, holding some kind of small white patch over her wound without moving. She was alive, but Zack saw that she was bleeding heavily from her eye wound – it was a surprise that her brain hadn’t gotten damaged by the shot.

The Star put an arm up weakly in a show of defeat, Zack quickly motioning for her to put it back down – he was not about to shoot a largely defenseless woman. Just to make sure, he grabbed her revolver and briefly glanced at her to see if she was carrying any further weapons, but she seemed to be unarmed apart from her stun prod.

Before he could do anything, Juli grabbed the prod, weighing it in her hand approvingly.

“This will do.”

“I thought that you were a non-combat Replika?”

The Eule looked at him with a grim expression, her hands still on the prod. She shifted her weight slightly away from him as she sighed.

“We’re peaceful… But very few Replikas are truly harmless. I mean, you saw what the Administrator was capable of when pushed, didn’t you?”

Zack couldn’t argue against that, shrugging as he pointed his assault rifle at the receptionist casually. The woman was trying her best to look as small as she could, hiding in the darkest corner under her large desk, but Zack saw her anyway.

“Ma’am, we’re here to speak to the Great Revolutionary, but it seems that she’s taken a brief leave of absence on us. Any idea where she may have headed?”

He was trying to sound reassuring and friendly, but it came out sounding a bit more patronizing than he had anticipated. The woman shakily pointed upwards; Was she suggesting that they should check her desk?

Zack quickly looked over the desktop before him in an attempt to find anything of us. There was a small intercom with a few buttons, a terminal, some paperwork and… a keycard. Zack grabbed the small plastic card, holding it down to show it to the woman.

“Is this what we need?”

He heard a weak but affirmative-sounding response from below as Juli stepped closer and leaned over to the terminal. She clicked and clacked on the keyboard, her eyes quickly wandering over lines of text that appeared on the screen before she nodded. As she straightened back up, Zack could see a few red dots disappear from her eyes.

“Ok, this will be a bit of a trek, I’m afraid. I managed to find some blueprints and there is… Well, a vault further down, about three floors underneath us right now.”

She pointed downwards before pausing. In the silence, Zack could hear the fight above them raging on, just beyond the closed doors of the office. It took him all his might to not run up there and help his friends, but he knew that Juli would need his support.

“We need to use the elevator in a specific way… but it doesn’t say how.”

Zack once again aimed at the receptionist, the quivering woman crawling out from under the table partially in response.

“Sorry, how do we get to the vault?”

The Gestalt got up with shaking knees, looking between the captain and the Eule.

“I… What do you want with the Great Revolutionary?”

Zack opened his mouth, but Juli was faster.

“We want to capture her, not kill her… Since I presume that’s what you’re asking.”

Zack nodded upwards.

“We just want to calm the situation down, yeah?”

The receptionist hesitated for a few seconds before nodding.

“O-Ok, I’ll tell you. You need to press the top floor button three times in a row after swiping the card – you only need to swipe that once, though.”

Zack blinked, looking at Juli. The Eule seemed as surprised as he was.

“What, that’s it?”

The receptionist nodded meekly, putting her hands together.

“Yes, um… You see, we had a more complex procedure for it before, but people kept messing it up during one of the routine drills, so…”

Zack could sympathize with the receptionist’s plight – there were a few security procedures in the Imperial Palace that had to be simplified due to similar reasons. He nodded, placing a hand on the receptionist’s shoulder.

“Thank you – you can go back to hiding now.”

The woman disappeared back under the table, quietly cradling back and forth in the shadow as Juli and Zack left her and the wounded Star to their devices. They walked in silence, arriving at the elevator doors before exchanging a look.

“Are you sure you want to come along? I could handle this by myself, I think.”

Juli shook her head as the elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. The Replika quickly swiped the card before pressing the top floor button thrice. After a brief delay, the elevator began to move once more.

“I don’t doubt that… But you’ll need the knowledge I downloaded from the terminal to get anywhere.”

She paused as they descended a bit more before the elevator finally began to slow down.

“Plus… It’ll feel good to show that old witch how far she’s pushed everyone living in the Nation.”

There was silence for a brief moment before the elevator stopped and the doors opened.

“I used to be a ballet dancer; Did you know that?”

Zack glanced at the Eule.

“I thought you weren’t supposed to know those things?”

The Eule shrugged as an angry expression passed over her face for half a second. She grasped the stun prod tightly, swinging it a bit as they exited the elevator.

“You’re correct, but there is this funny little thing called “Persona degradation”, which basically means that bits and pieces of our previous selves re-emerge and cause troubles, allegedly.”

They walked along a path made of what seemed to be polished golden metal, their feet and hooves clacking with each step they took.

“Funny thing: You can pass the tests, even when degraded… All that matters is that it doesn’t impact your productivity.”

The tone that Juli said those words with made Zack pause as he turned his head slightly.

“You’ve been degraded for a while, I take it?”

The Eule nodded slightly, her eyes jerking from left to right as she did so. Zack was similarly on edge, his ears strained to pick up on any form of movement around them, but all was calm so far.

“About a year or two, I think; almost right when I started properly dating Faust. Before that, I was worried that a relationship could lead to degradation, ironically.”

She sighed as they arrived at a large, multi-level room with a large vault about the size of a room sitting in the middle of it.

“That’s the panic room, alright. Let’s crack it open.”

Juli looked around the large room briefly, trying to find any kind of mechanism that could open the vault before them. After a few seconds, she pointed to the floor above them. A small cabin could be seen there, with a few levers visible through its window. Zack nodded.

“Bingo. Let’s go.”

Juli grabbed Zack by the arm before he could move, making him look down at her.

“Can I have the revolver? You’ve got your assault rifle, but I think I can handle a smaller gun. Faust taught me at the range a few times.”

Zack hesitated before pulling out the revolver he had taken from the wounded Star upstairs, handing it to the Eule.

“You sure you want this?”

The Eule quickly looked over the gun, checking how much ammo it had before nodding.

“Yeah, just to be sure. We probably won’t need it.”

They exchanged a quick glance and a nod before quickly walking past the panic room and towards the nearby stairs. Zack could swear that he heard music coming from behind the thick vault doors, but he couldn’t be sure if he was imagining things or not.

As they walked, Zack couldn’t help but smirk – the vault area looked almost like it had been lifted straight from the Imperial Palace, in both design and color scheme. Nowhere was there the oppressive black and gray of the Nation, replaced by gold and red. It seemed that, deep down, this building really wasn’t that different.

The control cabin was too tight for more than one person to fit inside, and so Zack let Juli step around him into the small space. She eyed the levers and buttons, trying to make heads and tails of it until she shrugged and pulled a few of the contraption’s various interactive bits.

The console whirred quietly as it worked away at the series of inputs. Zack looked over at the Replika with a raised eyebrow, though the Eule couldn’t see it through the helmet.

“So… what did that do?”

The Eule looked at the console, then at the man, then at the console again.

“Um… I think I unlocked it. At least… based on the manual I did.”

Zack nodded, walking ahead.

“I’ll try to open the vault and tell you how that goes.”

He didn’t wait for her answer, instead quickly turning around and beginning the short walk back down to the panic room and its door. The music he thought he had imagined before was now definitely audible through the small crack in the vault door, with warm light shining out of the small space as well.

Zack grabbed the edge of the heavy door and pulled on it with all his strength. The giant metal door creaked in protest, but it finally began to slowly move as he kept tugging at its edge. The thing must’ve weighed multiple hundred kilos, maybe even a ton, but Zack didn’t really care – it was going to open, no matter how much it didn’t want to.

With one final pull, the door finally opened. Zack hesitated, unsure if he really wanted to look inside of the room. He knew that the woman inside was the Grand Empress’ daughter, but she was also his enemy. His curiosity fought against his fear as he stood there, stood behind the vault door.

His curiosity won, and he quickly popped his head around the edge of the door despite his gut telling him not to… And was met with the barrel of a long, elegant revolver pointed right at his face. The gun was held by an old woman – most likely in her eighties or nineties, who was looking at Zack with a cold, calculating gaze that would have fit a woman half, perhaps even a quarter of her age better.

A gunshot rang out.

The Great Revolutionary dropped her gun with a screech of pain as she clutched her hand. The gun’s extended barrel clattered onto the ground next to the old woman’s wheelchair as she quietly whimpered and sank in on herself slightly as she squirmed around in her wheelchair, now hunched over in pain and what must’ve been exhaustion as well.

Zack turned his head, seeing Juli standing there, smoke still rising from her snub-nosed revolver. She held the weapon in both hands, still aiming at the Great Revolutionary without so much as a quiver, her eyes fixated on the old woman.

The captain didn’t say anything but fully stepped around the doors, bending down and grabbing the Revolutionary’s personal revolver. It was a beautiful, seemingly ancient piece that was quite unlike the more function-oriented weapons he had seen from the Nation. It was matte black with vine-like golden highlights all over the barrel, drum, and handle.

“Imperial work…”

Zack’s comment made the Revolutionary chuckle as she sat up slightly.

“Indeed. I suppose it takes a guard dog of the Empire to notice all the finer details. Judging by your armor… you are a member of the Palace guard.”

She smirked as Juli entered the room as well. Zack stowed the revolver away as he nodded. The Revolutionary put her hands together in some attempt to seem collected and as if she was in control of the situation at hand.

“Well… Then I presume you know who I am as well, dear. It must be quite demoralizing to finally meet me, the traitor that I am. Tell me: How does it feel to serve a tyrant?”

Juli scoffed, stepping forward and pressing the barrel of her revolver against the old woman’s forehead.

“Why don’t you ask any of your staff that question?”

The old woman looked at the Replika with a mix of resignation, anger, and amusement in her eyes as she was forced to lean back slightly.

“Such anger, girl. Aren’t Eules supposed to be happy? Didn’t it feel nicer to be happy, girl?”

“Part of me wants to shoot you right now, crone.”

Zack wanted to lift a hand and stop Juli, but she waved him off as she lowered the gun.

“But killing or sparing you is not my call to make. Besides… I think you’d be glad to die at this point, wouldn’t you?”

The old woman scoffed, seemingly unimpressed with Juli’s words. She reached out, grabbing a still-steaming cup of tea that stood on a small table next to her. The Ride of the Valkyries was playing quietly from speakers within the room.

“You think you’ve won anything by capturing me? You’re fools.”

She raised the cup to her lips, taking a small sip before she could be bothered to look up at Zack and Juli again.

“No matter what happens, my daughter will take over my spot. A bit earlier than I hoped… But well, she should be ready at this point. I am of no actual use to you.”

She smirked as she toasted the cup to them mockingly, preparing to take another sip in defiance of her captors. Zack wanted to smack it out of her hand, but he didn’t get the chance to.

A sudden shriek like that of a young woman in pain reverberated through everything around them – the walls, the floor, the cup, and through Zack’s armor too, causing both the captain and Juli to drop to their knees in pain. The Revolutionary’s cup of tea exploded into a million pieces in her hand, splashing hot tea on her lap and face, though the woman didn’t even seem to realize.

The old crone sat there, her face pale as snow as the shriek slowly quieted down, replaced by an unsettling creaking and grinding that came from everywhere at once, as if the building itself was flexing and stretching around them. Zack barely managed to get back up on his feet without vomiting – his head was pounding and his vision blurred at irregular intervals.

Juli sat on the ground; her eyes red with what must’ve been more than a few warning popups in them. She shook her head, trying to readjust herself just as Zack was doing. The man looked at the Great Revolutionary again and his breath caught in his throat.

The old woman looked as if her skin had turned into wax with how pale and glistening it was. She was shaking slightly, her eyes staring into nothingness as her lip quivered. The speakers had turned off and a few sparks rained on them from above. Through the grinding, creaking, and crackling, Zack could hear the Great Revolutionary whisper two words.

“Oh no.”

Chapter Text

Things had gone better than Ellie had expected, if she were to be honest. They had gotten all the way up to the office before things hit the fan, and that was better than having to get into the Nation’s most well-secured room without a plan and a few thousand Replikas chasing them. Really, things had gone well apart from one teensy tiny little detail: The daughter.

Ellie had only cursory knowledge of the Nation’s leaders, but even she knew that the daughter was trouble – big trouble, in fact. She was the leader of both the People’s Army and AEON, making her the head of all the Nation’s armed forces.

Judging by her stance and the way she held the rapier as she faced Ariane, she was also well-trained in one-on-one combat too, unlike Ellie’s wife. There was something off about her, however – something that Ellie couldn’t quite place but that bothered her as the chaos erupted around them.

The daughter had multiple Kolibris and what Ellie could only guess was a Kranich-type unit, based on descriptions she had heard previously, leaving their group at a partial disadvantage. The combat Engineer could just barely see Juli slip out of the doors to the office as the daughter and Ariane circled each other slowly, both of their weapons raised.

Ellie glanced around briefly to assess the situation. Adler, Faust and Falke had all split up, each of them dealing with a few of the Replikas separately. She could see the Commander’s halo shining brighter, illuminating the room slightly as the normal lights flickered.

She could feel a strong pressure on her mind – presumably from the Kolibris that were strewn around the room – but the combined efforts of both Falke and Ariane seemed to keep the pressure from getting any worse, at least.

Faust was engaged in a melee fight with the Kranich and one of the Kolibris, using her shield and stun prod to keep both assailants at bay while Adler, somewhat surprisingly, had pulled out a gun and was taking pot shots at enemies from behind a closet he had pulled to the ground for cover.

Ellie turned back to the daughter and Ariane, quietly joining her wife’s side. The daughter scoffed, shaking her head slightly as she eyed them.

“Two against one? Hardly a fair fight.”

“Sorry, but I don’t give a shit.”

The daughter laughed slightly in response to the Replika’s comment, giving Ellie a second to properly look at her. The daughter was about as tall as Ariane, perhaps even a centimeter or so shorter, though Ellie could see that she was far more muscular than the white-haired girl. She wore a uniform similar to what Ariane had once worn on the Penrose, though her black jacket was lined with gold instead of red highlights and she notably lacked the stupid collar that everyone else had.

Her black pants had similar golden highlights and were tucked into her tall, polished black boots, which creaked slightly as she moved, and her hands were covered in what seemed to be dark-gray gloves. Her long, black hair reached almost down to her butt and a thin, silver wreath sat upon her head.

Ellie squinted as the same feeling of something being off overcame her, though she still couldn’t place what exactly it was about the woman. The daughter waved one hand and a Kolibri quickly joined her, SMG in hand. The daughter smiled.

“There, that should be fairer, shouldn’t it, Fia?”

The Kolibri nodded silently. Her armor was painted black, though there was a red and a golden stripe that ran along one side, presumably marking her as an elite or maybe even the daughter’s personal guard. Not only that, but the typical three stars that all Kolibris had on their forehead – the Bioresonance amplifier, as she remembered – were golden instead of red.

“You can still come quietly, you know? I’m not cruel; I promise.”

The daughter’s words were underlined with a wide, shit-eating smile as she traced a figure 8 with her rapier in the air. Ariane responded by lunging at the dark-haired woman, with Ellie spontaneously deciding to take on the Kolibri instead.

She dodged to the side as the short woman let off a burst of SMG fire in Ellie’s direction, causing the bullets to whizz past her harmlessly. Still, the combat engineer knew that the SMG could fire faster than she’d be able to retaliate.

Ellie used the momentum of her previous movement to slide over the Great Revolutionary’s desk, grabbing the cup of tea that stood on it and chucking it backwards before ducking down. The sound of the Kolibri yelping in surprise told Ellie that it was safe to pop back up, and she pulled her revolver out as she did so.

She shot as soon as she was fully upright, but her bullet missed her enemy, as the Kolibri had doubled over in pain from being hit by the scalding hot tea. In the background, Ellie could see Ariane and the daughter exchanging blows, with Ariane using the spear’s larger range to her advantage while the daughter dodged, weaved and tried to take cheap stabs at her opponent.

However, Ellie knew that she didn’t have time to stare at her wife’s battle for too long, as she had to use the opportunity that presented itself to her. The Kolibri was still stunned, giving the taller Replika an opportunity to close the distance between them quickly.

In one movement, she jumped forward and pulled out the stun prod, swinging it from below as she aimed for the Kolibri’s abdomen. Suddenly, the short girl jumped sideways, ramming her fist into Ellie’s body and only barely missing her unprotected lower abdomen.

Ellie stumbled a step backwards from the force of the punch – far too great for a simple Kolibri to muster – spinning away as she saw the short Replika try to aim the SMG again. She felt the bullets fly past her, the quick spin she had done to dodge away leaving her slightly disoriented, but with enough momentum to kick the Kolibri with all her might.

The shorter Replika fell forwards, dropping the gun to the ground as she grunted and rolled away from Ellie in an attempt to dodge any follow-up attacks. Ellie quickly grabbed the SMG, pulling out the mag before throwing both into different directions. She didn’t want her opponent to have a chance to get her weapon back.

As she looked back, she was greeted by the sight of the Kolibri leaping towards her, a large combat knife in her hand. Ellie’s arms shot upwards, using her stun prod to block the attack before she pushed the Kolibri away by ramming her knee into the small woman. She didn’t let up as the Kolibri stumbled backwards, instead jumping forward and swinging her stun prod in a wide arch.

The daughter’s rapier caught her attack, effortlessly forcing Ellie to step back as the dark-haired girl stabbed at her multiple times in rapid succession. She helped the Kolibri up with one arm while she blocked an attack from Ariane with the other.

Ellie used the opportunity to switch her target, thrusting her stun prod forward and towards the daughter’s face. The woman let herself fall to the ground before rolling backwards and using one of her feet to kick the prod upwards, with Ellie barely able to keep a hold of her weapon as her arm was catapulted upwards.

The way the daughter moved was almost unsettlingly fluid, as if she was made of water that flowed between her and Ariane’s attacks with seemingly little effort.

“Duck!”

Ellie let herself fall down to the ground as Ariane’s spear pierced the air above her, colliding with the Kolibri’s dark armor. The short Replika had tried to attack Ellie from behind, but Ariane’s attack had caught her off-guard and cracked her body armor before she could get out of the way.

The white-haired girl jumped over her wife as Ellie quickly rolled to the side, barely avoiding a stab from the daughter, the rapier getting stuck in the ground next to her. Quickly, Ellie kicked the short woman, sending her tumbling backwards and into the wall.

Something clicked and darkness enveloped the room. Ellie blinked in confusion as her eyes tried to make sense of the darkness around her. She must’ve kicked the daughter into the light switch, the dark shape of the woman now barely visible thanks to Ellie’s enhanced vision.

She saw the woman’s eyes dimly in the darkness as she pushed herself off the wall and lunged towards Ellie, who was still on the ground. Her arm moved fast and the daughter collided full-force with the stun prod with a loud crackling sound. She grunted, collapsing onto her knees next to Ellie as the Replika rolled away quickly.

A thought crossed her mind as she looked over at the shape of the daughter. She had seen her eyes in the dark before, hadn’t she? She had to know for sure, looking back at the woman. For a second, their gazes met – bionic eye to bionic eye.

“You’re… A Replika?!”

Ellie’s words cut through the air of the room as both the daughter and her got back up on their feet quickly, the shorter woman scoffing as she pulled her rapier from the floor audibly. The lights flickered back on, though Ellie didn’t see anyone flick the switch again. The daughter sized her up before a brief smile crossed her face.

“Well then, Mrs. Yeong-Itou… Are you sure you want to fight me? Your wife was having a bit of trouble, and unlike her, you’re not Bioresonant at all.”

Ellie ignored the cacophony of sounds around them, including the grunts of Ariane’s and the Kolibri’s fight behind her, instead just raising her stun prod as a mark of challenge. She didn’t care that the daughter was clearly also Bioresonant; All that mattered was that Ellie had to keep her busy while Ariane dealt with the Kolibri.

“Bring it.”

She anticipated her legs being swept out from under her before it could happen – Ariane had told her how she had used such tricks against the Empress herself, and Lilith’s experience knew that robbing an opponent of their footing was always an advantage.

Her body moved while she fell, allowing her to roll out of the way immediately as she hit the floor below, the daughter’s rapier once again piercing nothing but the ground next to her, as the woman grunted in anger at her miss.

Ellie rammed her stun prod into the daughter’s anchor, but the thick leather of her boots seemed to partially protect her as she was able to step back and pull her rapier out in the same move, aiming it squarely at Ellie’s face.

The Kolibri was thrown against the daughter, sending both of them stumbling towards the door, with the smaller Replika slamming into it with a pained grunt while the daughter barely managed to catch herself in time.

The woman’s eyes were filled with anger as Ellie felt Ariane grab her under one shoulder.

“Come on, get up before they catch their breath.”

As she was pulled up, Ellie coughed.

“The daughter – she’s a Replika of some kind. Bioresonant too, like Falke.”

She saw Ariane nod as they readied themselves for the next round, the Kolibri also having gotten up to her hooves again. The daughter had leaned over to the small Replika, but the Kolibri waved her off before pulling out her knife again and assuming a combat stance.

The fight around them kept on raging, with Ellie seeing Faust grab the Kranich and ramming the tall Replika’s head into a glass cabinet, shattering the fragile piece of furniture. She didn’t know where Falke and Adler were, but it didn’t matter in that moment as the Kolibri and the daughter charged at Ellie and Ariane.

Ellie ducked downwards just as the Kolibri was about to get to her, ramming her shoulder into the short Replika’s abdomen before lifting her up. She heard her enemy’s knife hit the ground next to them as she lifted the Kolibri up and charged forwards. The daughter’s rapier hit the Replika’s leg as she sprinted past the woman, but the attack was not strong enough to do any real damage.

They hit the door with more force than Ellie thought she could muster, breaking straight through it as bits of wood, metal and concrete flew around them, only stopping when they hit the concrete railing beyond. The Kolibri let out a pained yell as her back impacted against the sharp edge of the half-wall.

Ellie wanted to tip the short woman over the edge of the railing, but the Kolibri managed to slam her knee into Ellie’s face, causing her to let the short Replika go with a quick grunt. Where was Ellie’s stun prod? She had just had it a few seconds ago, but it had somehow managed to slip from her hands, leaving both her and the Kolibri with nothing but their fists… And a revolver in Ellie’s case, but she didn’t want to risk using guns at such close range.

She heard Ariane’s spear and the daughter’s rapier clash against each other right behind Ellie’s back, accompanied by the two women’s grunts as they fought their way past the two Replikas. The Kolibri swung a fist upwards, missing Ellie’s chin by only half a centimeter as the taller Replika crouched down and punched her opponent straight into the abdomen so hard that her fist recoiled from the force.

The Kolibri grunted, grabbing Ellie by the shoulders and swinging her to the side. She slammed into the railing painfully, having to grasp it for support as the Kolibri spun her around and wrapped her small hands around Ellie’s neck, pressing down.

Ellie grasped at the short Replika’s hands, trying to pry them away from herself with little success – they were there to stay until Ellie stopped struggling and breathing. A thought flashed through the Replika’s mind: Her focus shouldn’t be on the Kolibri’s hands at all.

Quickly, her hand shot to the holster of her weapon and then back up. The gun’s grip impacted the Kolibri’s head with a metallic sound, and Ellie could have sworn that the Replika’s jaw cracked as her hands around Ellie’s throat loosened.

She could have just shot her, but the thought hadn’t crossed Ellie’s mind before she was able to breathe normally again. The Kolibri was doubled over near her, gasping as she spat out oxidant. Ellie could briefly see a single tooth in the small Replika’s hand before the Kolibri whipped around, a pistol in her hand.

The shot ripped through Ellie’s shoulder, making her scream out in pain as she retaliated, letting loose two shots from her revolver. The Kolibri winced, grabbing her left arm in pain – only one bullet hat hit its mark, but Ellie could see multiple thin trickles of blood flowing from underneath the small Replika’s hand.

She didn’t give the Kolibri time to raise her pistol again, leaping into her and pushing her onto the ground immediately. She felt how the wind got knocked out of the small Replika as she saw the daughter kick Ariane through a door a few feet away. It took everything she had to force herself to focus on the enemy at hand, but she told herself that she’d help Ariane right after she was done with the Kolibri.

The small Replika below her struggled, kicking her legs and pounding her fists into Ellie’s torso with little effect. Unwilling to waste any more time with this girl, Ellie whipped her across the face with the revolver again, eliciting a pained groan from the Kolibri, though she somehow stayed conscious.

Ellie was about to finish the Kolibri off with another quick whip when someone grabbed her raised arm. She looked up, seeing the daughter pull her up and grab her by the neck. For a second, she could see panic and rage on the woman’s face, and then Ellie was already sailing through the air, both the daughter and her Kolibri getting further away from her.

Her graceful flight was rudely interrupted by a sharp pain piercing her, making her scream in pain as her sight was flooded with warning popups. Tears of pain welled up in her eyes as she looked down, trying to ascertain what the hell happened.

Her answer was answered as soon as she looked down towards her abdomen. A piece of the door she and the Kolibri had broken through before had pierced her from behind and was now sticking a few inches out of her body.

She could see the daughter and the fairly damaged-looking Kolibri looking at her before they turned away and began walking towards the door that the daughter had thrown Ariane through. Ellie squirmed, her entire body screaming out in pain with each little movement she did.

Her gun was on the ground next to her; Just out of reach. Ellie had to get to it, but for that she had to free herself from the piece of metal that was impaling her, ideally without bleeding out. She grabbed the pole slightly, wiggling it to see if she could knock it loose.

The damn thing didn’t budge an inch, making Ellie grunt in pain and frustration as she pulled on it. The metal was bent slightly, meaning that she had to put all her might if she wanted to move so much as an inch forward on it.

She knew that it would hurt and she also knew that she was only raising the risk of her bleeding out, but she had repair spray and coagulant ready if need arose. Slowly, she grabbed the metal once more, pulling herself along with a groan and a cough.

Thankfully, she didn’t cough up any oxidant, which told her that her organs were fine at least. Normally, she would have checked her diagnostics, but she didn’t have time for anything of that sort at the moment.

Every inch moved meant more oxidant lost, and her body was telling her as much. Her vision blurred every time she moved, her breathing getting more ragged as she pulled herself along, but she was moving at least. The metal sticking out of her became shorter and shorter until it was barely as long as a single segment of her finger.

Ellie looked up, trying to blink the blurriness out of her eyes as she looked towards the doors the daughter and the Kolibri had walked towards. The lights inside the room had been turned on, but all that Ellie could see was the small figure of the Kolibri… Aiming her gun.

Panic overtook Ellie. The Kolibri must’ve been aiming at Ariane – maybe keeping her in check, or maybe… Maybe there wasn’t much time left. Elster gritted her teeth and breathed out as she made a decision.

She grabbed the metal behind her back, using it to push herself forward. Her body screamed at her to stop or to at least take it slower, but she ignored it, pressing her lips together as tight as she could. With a final wave of pain and oxidant, the metal slid out of her fully.

The Replika couldn’t keep herself upright, dropping onto her knees as she gasped in pain and exhaustion. She was seeing double, but she remembered where the gun was, her hands grabbing it blindly. She lifted it, trying her best to aim down sights.

Everything seemed to be swimming, jittering before her eyes as she aimed at the figure in the doorframe and pulled the trigger. The bullet missed its mark, hitting the door frame above the small Replika. The Kolibri flinched, turning around, the hand with the gun moving with her.

Ellie knew that she only had this one chance to shoot.

“Please, God…”

She pulled the trigger.

The Kolibri’s head whipped back as the bullet hit her squarely in the forehead, shattering her face plate before she even hit the ground. Ellie had done it – she had saved Ariane. With a sigh of relief, she pulled out some repair spray and quickly sprayed it over both the wound on her back and her front, feeling an instant relief… Until the scream.

It was ear-shatteringly loud, so loud and violent that it made the walls around Ellie flex and twist, same as the ground under her. It barely lasted a second, but Ellie doubled over and vomited from the stress it had put on her body and mind alone.

Somehow, she got back up to her hooves as the walls around her cracked. She stumbled forwards, crossing the distance between herself and the door in a few seconds and turning the corner.

The Kolibri’s body was floating in the air, seemingly being sucked in by one of Ariane’s tears. Ellie’s wife and the daughter had grabbed each other by the shoulders, with the daughter’s movements seeming more violent and deranged than before.

Ellie wanted to reach out a hand, but all she could do was stare at the happenings unfolding before her. She looked on as Ariane wrestled the daughter around, grabbing her under both arms. The black-haired Replika screamed again – the same violent, angry scream as before – and the walls around them cracked again.

Bits of debris rained on their heads as Ariane threw both herself and the daughter through the portal, the two of them being closely followed by the corpse of the Kolibri. Then, the portal closed itself with a sickeningly wet smacking sound.

Ellie was left standing in the door, wounded and unsure of what had just happened. Her knees gave out, causing her to slump against the frame of the door as she slowly slid down. Her head felt empty, completely wiped clean of any panic, anger or any other emotion from the two screams before.

Whatever she may have felt, it paled to the sheer rage and grief that she had felt in the daughter’s scream, and that made her feel weaker than she thought possible. She sat there, staring at the spot where Ariane and the daughter had just been. Whatever had happened, she felt that she was somehow responsible for it.

Her lips moved without input from her brain as tears welled up in her eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

Chapter Text

Ariane knew that her luck had to run out at some point, but did it really have to pick the worst moment? She coughed as the daughter kicked her into her stomach, sending her stumbling against the wall of the hallway. She could see Ellie engaged in a vicious fist fight with the Kolibri; the shorter Replika’s Bioresonance flaring up every few seconds, only barely contained by Ariane’s counters.

The daughter was an entirely different story. Ariane had known that she was a Bioresonant the moment she had met her – the Song almost radiated off of her like warmth from a fire – but she had hoped that they’d be able to subdue her as a team. Instead, she was up against the woman in what amounted to a duel, at least until Ellie would be able to join her.

She barely deflected a quick swing from the daughter, using the movement to crack her opponent across the face with the blunt end of her spear. The black-haired Replika grunted, stumbling to the side but using the movement to thrust her rapier forward.

Ariane hissed in pain as the slender weapon scraped against her, cutting her uniform and the skin beneath. Her body was littered with such small cuts, scrapes and bruises caused by the daughter’s relentless attacks. This was the daughter’s plan – to wear Ariane down, to outlast her enemy, slowly chipping away at her.

The black-haired woman had the enhanced strength and stamina of a Replika, giving her a distinct edge in this battle of attrition, though Ariane wasn’t going to go down easy. She used every opportunity she got to inflict damage on her opponent, as little effect as it may have had.

“You don’t stand a chance, girl.”

The woman’s voice was quiet, more of a hiss than proper speech, but Ariane heard her loud and clear, even over the sound of the fight going on around them. The white-haired girl didn’t respond, thrusting her spear forward.

The daughter laughed as she stomped on Ariane’s spear, causing the girl’s hands to be painfully jerked downwards. She barely dodged to the side as the daughter countered with a quick thrust, the attack just barely missing the white-haired girl.

On a whim, Ariane used her momentum to swing her fist into the daughter’s jaw with all her strength. She recoiled as her hand met the hard metal of the daughter’s head, eliciting a chuckle from the Replika.

“Oh, did that hurt? How do you want to lead humanity if you can’t even guess that punching metal is a bad idea?”

The daughter’s comment gave Ariane an idea. She tightened her fist again, wrapping the resonances around her fingers like a brass knuckle. The daughter opened her arms mockingly, inviting the punch as she expected it to bounce off of her without any effect like the previous one did.

A confused grunt escaped the dark-haired woman as Ariane’s punch sent her reeling backwards, immediately followed by a quick stab from the golden spear. The tip of the weapon buried itself in the daughter’s shoulder and Ariane could see oxidant staining the golden metal as she pulled it back out.

The daughter grabbed the wound for a brief second before angrily retaliating with a flurry of quick, imprecise jabs. Her rapier flashed in the light of the room like a silvery lightning, forcing Ariane to dodge, weave and occasionally parry her attacks.

She saw the daughter’s smirk before she felt her feet get kicked out from under her, landing on the ground with a grunt. She yelped in pain as she felt the rapier’s tip bury itself into the flesh of her right hand, waves of pain shooting all the way up to her shoulder.

“Do you understand who I am, Yeong? I am the Great Revolutionary, but better.”

The Replika pulled the rapier out of Ariane’s hand, instead grabbing her by the collar.

“With every iteration, I gain more of her memories. With every iteration, I am taught by both the past and the present. You cannot hope to match me.”

In response, Ariane kicked the woman in the knee, but she only flinched slightly as a reaction, her face contorting into a grimace of anger.

“What makes you think that you can just walk in here and take all of this away? You arrogant whore!”

Ariane felt herself sail through the air before her back impacted wood and metal. The wind was knocked out of her as the door she had hit broke open, small pieces of wood and metal raining down on her head as she rolled over the floor.

Her rolling was stopped as she impacted something made of metal with a hollow clanging sound. Ariane groaned, forcing her body to sit up as she looked at the open door before her. The daughter stood in the frame, bending down to pick something up.

Panic welled up in Ariane as she realized that she had dropped her spear during their fight, the slender, golden weapon now resting in the daughter’s hand as the Replika eyed it slowly.

“So… The keys to the Empire are finally in my hand.”

The dark-haired girl laughed, her bionic eyes locking onto Ariane’s before she threw the rapier to the white-haired girl. The silver sword landed on the ground before Ariane with a muffled clang, rolling towards the girl as the daughter laughed.

“Let’s see how you fare without the thing that gave you so much power.”

The comment made Ariane stop as she grabbed the sword. What did the daughter mean by that? She got up to her knees before pushing herself up and onto her feet, raising the sword weakly. There was no way she would beat the daughter in her current state, but she wasn’t about to give up either.

The daughter swung the spear slightly as the two women stared at each other, but nothing happened. After a second of silence, the Replika grunted, swinging the spear again before looking down at it. Ariane’s stance relaxed slightly, but she kept her guard up as the daughter angrily shook the weapon.

“Oh what, am I not good enough for you?”

The words were whispered, so much so that Ariane felt like she wasn’t meant to hear them, but they sounded like yelling in the empty, nearly black room. She tried to look around, but the darkness around her was absolute.

“Fine, DON’T work with me then, see how I care.”

With those words, the daughter rammed the tip of the spear into the ground before stomping on it. She grabbed the metal with both hands and bent it with a quick, almost casual move. Ariane heard the metal bend and then snap as the sharp tip disconnected from the rest of the weapon. The daughter laughed.

“There, now it’s of no use to anyone.”

Her hand moved quickly, but Ariane had anticipated that the black-haired girl would throw the remains of the spear at her, quickly, ducking downwards as the broken spear flew over her head. She heard glass shatter right before a wave of ice-cold water hit her back, sending her body into shock as she stumbled forwards.

The wave carried shards of glass with it, both large ones that brushed past Ariane’s legs and smaller ones that got stuck on her soaked uniform, cutting her skin as she moved. Her muscles responded to the sudden drop in temperature by forcing her entire body to shake violently as she tried to get back up, failing miserably.

She grasped at the carpet below her, the glass on it cutting her fingers as she tried to push herself up, causing the crimson of her blood to mix itself with the red of the carpet below her. She glanced to the side, noticing something white.

Her eyes needed a few seconds to refocus as they tried to understand what exactly they were looking at. Was it a shiny piece of glass, or perhaps some kind of paper? She squinted, strangely captivated by the pale shape.

It was a hand.

Ariane recoiled, her heart beating out of her throat as she shuffled away from the pale hand as fast as she could. She felt the glass on the ground scraping against her legs and butt, but all she wanted to do was get away from the hand as she could.

She sat there, breathing heavily in the darkness of the room for a few more seconds until two shapes appeared in the door. One was the daughter while the other, smaller one must’ve been her Kolibri. What happened to Ellie?

“Hiding, coward? Not for long.”

The daughter’s words were filled with venomous amusement and Ariane could see her hand move towards a light switch next to the door. The Kolibri next to her flinched slightly.

“Ma’am, maybe- “

The light flickered on, revealing a sight that Ariane found hard to describe. The room was long and narrow, with the same red carpet covering the floor that was found everywhere else in the People’s palace, with the same white marble floor beneath and the same dark walls around them as well.

What stood out was that one of the walls was covered from one end to the other in what seemed to be large, water-filled vats in metal holders. One of the vats had been broken by the daughter chucking the broken spear into it, causing the water inside to spill out, together with… The daughter?

The pale hand that Ariane had seen before belonged to what seemed to be a dead body that looked almost exactly like the daughter, just… Younger? The corpse’s hair was a bit shorter, her arms thinner and she generally looked much more delicate than the woman who stood in the door.

Ariane’s eyes wandered over the vats as she once again backed away from them unknowingly until her back was pressed up against the opposite wall. Each of the water-filled containers seemed to be holding a body similar to the one that had fallen out, though they were only somewhat visible through the thin sheen of condensation covering the outside of the glass.

The sound of another vat shattering drew Ariane out of her shock as she whipped her head around just in time to see the daughter pull the broken spear out of the vat that she had just cracked open. Ariane couldn’t see the daughter’s face, but the black-haired girl’s movements seemed stiffer than before somehow.

Before Ariane could say anything, she felt the hand of the Kolibri grab her under one shoulder. She looked up at the short Replika, expecting to be met with anger or perhaps even a gun pointed at her, but all she saw before her was a face of fear.

“Get up, quickly! We need to get to the others!”

Ariane felt herself getting pulled to her feet, turning to the Kolibri with a confused expression as the daughter kept smashing the vats, each swing angrier than the last

“W-What is this place?”

The Kolibri shook her head, pulling out her gun as she pulled Ariane with her. All animosity was gone from the Replika’s stance as she shakily aimed her gun towards the daughter. Ariane shook her hand off, turning to her.

“What the hell is going on? What is- are all these the daughter?”

The Kolibri nodded as she kept backing up towards the door.

“Listen: we need to fall back. I need to regroup with my sisters so that we can contain her if she goes- “

“Fia.”

The daughter’s voice rang out through the empty room suddenly, making Ariane turn around. The dark-haired woman had stopped before one of the few vats that were left intact, containing a particularly small body. Her blue eyes were reflected in the cold glass of the vat, staring at the two of them.

“Yes, Ma’am?”

Fia’s voice was shaky, but she was clearly trying her best to keep herself calm as the daughter stood there, unmoving.

“I’m going to kill her, Fia. I’m going to go down into that vault, rip the doors off the hinges and then strangle the life out of her.”

The words were spoken with disturbing calmness, though Ariane could tell that the daughter was barely containing a rage so intense that it washed over Ariane like waves of searing heat. The broken end of the spear gently impacted the glass of the vat every few seconds, causing a quiet, rhythmic sound every time it did so.

“M-Ma’am, I’m sure there is some explanation for this…”

The daughter turned around, causing the Kolibri to step back and lower her gun.

“Yes, and it is rather simple: This is all I am to her! Just a fucking…”

She turned to the vat, ramming the spear into it. The glass shattered and water erupted onto the daughter… Though she didn’t even flinch. The small corpse inside was taken along with the flow, getting impaled onto a shard of glass at the daughter’s feet.

“A fucking experiment, an achievement to be displayed.”

The Kolibri stayed silent for a second, but Ariane could hear her lower her gun slightly.

“I… I know it hurts, Aurelia. I don’t know why she had this room made, but we can’t be hasty. We’ll go down to the vault together, and- “

A shot rang out from behind Ariane, causing the Kolibri to flinch and turn around, her gun raised. Before she could retaliate, a second shot rang out and the Kolibri’s head whipped backwards as the bullet hit her right in the forehead.

She stumbled to the side, dropping her gun as her faceplate fell apart into pieces. A confused gasp escaped her lips as her eyes moved wildly, her hand reaching out towards the daughter.

“Au… relia…”

The words escaped her lips as a hoarse whisper before she collapsed forward, hitting the floor with all the grace of a puppet who had her strings cut. Silence filled the room for a second or two before the daughter screamed.

Ariane felt the scream permeate her, the floor, the walls and the air itself, tearing and ripping at them wildly. She wasn’t sure what the daughter had screamed or if she had screamed anything intelligible at all as the resonances around her exploded into sheer chaos.

It felt like she was being tugged at from all sides by thin wires that were trying to dig into her flesh and tear her to shreds. Ariane had to swallow her fear and nervousness if she wanted to have any chance to protect herself. Quickly, she closed her eyes and focused on the world around her, pushing her own emotions aside briefly.

The world around her looked scrambled, with the resonances dancing around wildly, crossing and interfering with each other everywhere. Ariane grabbed a few, forcing them to stop vibrating at the daughter’s frequency.

One by one, she built a bubble around herself – one of absolute stillness, like the one she had seen the Empress use in the other world. It took her more than a few seconds, but she managed to build up a wall of stretched resonances, each acting as a shield against the wild madness of the daughter’s indiscriminate attack.

She took a step forward, forcing her shields to move with her as she slowly approached the daughter, the Replika kneeling on the ground and hitting the floor with her fists so hard that Ariane could see dents forming in a few places.

Ariane used the opportunity, quickly grabbing the daughter by the fabric of her uniform and pulling her up to her feet roughly. The woman was visibly confused, her eyes darting all over Ariane’s face as the white-haired girl grabbed her by the shoulders, reaching out and into the Replika’s mind.

She saw flashes of the Imperial Palace, of the Empress with her head turned away which overlaid themselves with images of the Great Revolutionary in her office. There was pain, sadness, a desire for understanding, and the beginnings of rage.

This woman was and was not the Great Revolutionary. She had experienced the Revolutionary’s childhood and upbringing, but she had also been raised here, inside of the People’s Palace. Her mother was the Empress, but it was also the Revolutionary. She had lived two lives, both of which overlaid and contrasted each other like mirror images: Opposite, yet the same.

Ariane gasped, retreating from the daughter’s mind as the black-haired girl tried to escape her grapple.

“GET! OUT!”

She screamed in Ariane’s face, but the white-haired girl didn’t let the Replika move an inch. An idea came to her mind, and she once again focused on the resonances around her. Their instability lent itself well to her plan, at least.

The rip was drowned out by the background sound of the resonances around her, but she knew that the portal was open. She tugged at the daughter, forcing her to follow her movement as the two turned around. As they did so, she also wrapped the resonances around the Kolibri, pulling her along towards them.

The portal was right next to them, all she had to do was finish what she started. With a deep breath out, Ariane launched both herself and the daughter through the rip in space, barely seeing the figure of Ellie leaning against the door to the room. As soon as she was sure that they were through with the Kolibri in tow, she closed the portal.

They both lay on the cold concrete of Radio Station 06 on Rotfront, the frigid wind blowing into Ariane’s face and reminding her how soaked her clothes were. She rolled on the ground, letting go of the daughter in the process.

The Replika got up before Ariane and jumped on top of the Gestalt, wrapping her hands around Ariane’s neck brutally. Ariane wanted to say something, but the daughter just let out a crazed laugh. There was no amusement in it, just anger, sadness and the hope that maybe she would be able to laugh both of those feelings off somehow.

“Fuck this – I’ll kill you, then I’ll kill your wife for what she did to Fia… And then I’ll go down to that vault and I’ll tear that old crone to shreds!”

She lifted Ariane’s head slightly before slamming it back down, causing stars to explode in the white-haired girl’s view as she groaned.

“I’ve suffered so long for this, and you think you can just walk in and take it all away? Those trophies – all me, different versions that failed!”

She laughed again as Ariane felt tears drip onto her cheeks from above.

“I’m going to… Be different! I don’t need that stupid crone’s memories – I can handle this myself!”

The daughter lifted Ariane up again, but her hands were shaking so much that the Gestalt dropped back down almost immediately.

“I… I hate all of you so much. I hate the Empire, I hate the Nation… What do I have to- “

“Aurelia.”

The sound of a woman’s voice made both Ariane and the daughter freeze up, with the Replika shifting on top of the Gestalt as she looked up. Ariane didn’t have to turn her head to know who had spoken those words.

“I’m glad that… You’re awake. I think… Your daughter needs you right now.”

The daughter’s weight shifted as the Replika stood up, allowing Ariane to sit up as the black-haired girl stumbled towards the entrance of the Radio Station. The Gestalt coughed, rubbing her neck as she felt air once again entering her lungs.

The wind around the station was howling as she turned around to look at the door, her eyes finding a somewhat unexpected scene. The daughter and the Empress were sitting in the doorframe, with the white-haired woman having her arms wrapped around the Replika tightly. Neither of them spoke a word, but Ariane could feel the resonances around her slowly calming down.

She allowed her defensive walls to fall for a brief moment, just so she could hear the song of the two women before her. It was entirely different from what she expected – a simple melody played on a harp and a piano that Ariane didn’t recognize from anywhere. She blinked, deciding to withdraw for the time being.

Slowly, she tried to stand up. Despite some protests from her legs, the action wasn’t too bad, with only her right knee consistently hurting as she took a few hesitant steps, looking around to find what she was looking for.

The Kolibri’s body had landed on the ground a few meters away, lying on her side silently. Ariane slowly bent down, rolling the small Replika’s body over onto its back as she eyed the damage. The bullet had hit the Replika right in her Bioresonance amplifier, it seemed.

The damage was, thankfully, not extreme, but the Replika’s faceplate had shattered and the metal underneath was slightly bent. Ariane sighed slightly as she looked around the area, seeing the various pieces of the plate on the ground.

She briefly glanced up at the Empress and the daughter, but they were still in the exact same position as before. Their song had gotten louder, permeating the air as Ariane began to gather the different fragments of the Replika’s faceplate, carefully dusting each one off as she put them on the Kolibri’s body.

The task didn’t take her long, but it was some much-needed relaxation after the hell she had just gone through. The music still hung in the air, an endlessly-repeating melody on two instruments. Ariane began humming along to it without really thinking about it, the soft sound of the harp and piano making the task at hand seem a bit more manageable.

“It’s a lullaby.”

Ariane flinched at the sound of the daughter’s voice, turning her head to face the radio station. The Replika sat in the doorframe, her legs crossed as she looked back at Ariane quietly. Her breathing was stabler than before, but she was still visibly shaken.

The white-haired girl turned to her side, facing the Replika fully. The daughter stayed silent for a few seconds before nodding her chin towards the Kolibri.

“What are you doing?”

Ariane looked down at the body of the Replika before her, shrugging slightly.

“Putting her back together.”

“She’s dead, Ariane.”

The words were filled with a profound sorrow that made Ariane pause, look up and shake her head.

“The damage isn’t as bad as we thought it was. I think we can bring her back… I’ve done it before in this place.”

The daughter looked at Ariane, her eyes briefly switching between the girl and the body of the Replika she was kneeling over. Ariane felt the daughter’s resonances brush against her mind inquisitively and she allowed her in.

Having her memories read willingly felt… Strange, to say the least. She felt like an eye had opened inside of her mind and was gazing into her, illuminating memories, thoughts and feelings for fractions of a second before moving on. Just as fast as it had opened, the eye closed and the daughter got up.

“So it would seem…”

Slowly, she meandered over to the Kolibri’s body and Ariane, kneeling down and looking over the sight before her.

“Here, that’s part of her chin.”

She handed Ariane a shard of the faceplate and pointed to the spot it belonged. Ariane grabbed the piece, carefully placing it onto the Kolibri’s face before exchanging a look with the daughter. No word was spoken between them, but the Replika handed Ariane another piece.

They repeated the process multiple times before the daughter spoke up quietly.

“Why are you doing this?”

Ariane paused, tapping one finger on her thigh as she looked at the daughter, trying to think of how she should put her logic into words.

“Well… Multiple reasons. Firstly: My wife was the one who shot her, so I feel responsible. Secondly… I feel like she… Means something to you?”

The daughter looked away for a second, hesitating visibly before an answer passed her lips.

“She was my… Nanny, I guess? My adjutant? It’s hard to describe, but she was assigned to me since my early iterations.”

Ariane hummed, putting another piece of the Kolibri’s faceplate on the body before her.

“So, she is your friend?”

“I… I suppose you could say that, yes. She’s more like a sister, or maybe an aunt… it’s hard to say with us Replikas.”

Ariane nodded, taking a look at the state of the Kolibri’s face. Pieces were still missing, but it was starting to take shape.

“Also, that’s not what I meant. I mean… Why are you helping me? I wanted to kill you – I was this close to doing it, too. We’re supposed to be enemies.”

The white-haired girl shook her head at the daughter’s remark as she put another piece of the faceplate back into place.

“We’re not supposed to be anything. The Great Revolutionary is my enemy, but that doesn’t mean that you need to be.”

“But I am her – I am Aurelia just as much as she is.”

Ariane paused, looking at Aurelia quietly.

“Maybe you were at one point, but not anymore. You grew up under different circumstances, and even if you share her memories, there is something you just got that she never had.”

Aurelia put another piece of the Kolibri’s faceplate into place – they were getting close to the end, thanks to their collaboration – and then looked up.

“And what’s that?”

Ariane smiled.

“Closure.”

For a few seconds, nothing but the frigid winds that whipped around them could be heard. Then, Aurelia chuckled.

“I suppose so… But that doesn’t mean I haven’t done just as much evil as she has. I’m the head of AEON and the People’s Army, after all.”

“True… But I doubt you chose that position for yourself.”

The Replika hesitated as she put another piece into place.

“Well… I do enjoy fighting; I… I mean, the Great Revolutionary inherited it from her other mom.”

Ariane remembered the Empress talking about her wife vaguely, humming as she adjusted a few of the parts that they had already placed.

“Right… Wasn’t she a soldier?”

Aurelia nodded absent-mindedly as she looked over her shoulder.

“Yeah, she was. It’s where the Great Revolutionary and I get our fighting prowess from.”

“Doesn’t mean you’re just that, though.”

The Empress’ daughter nodded slowly, her eyes re-focusing on the Kolibri. The small Replika’s face was almost entirely put back together, with only a few pieces missing. She looked like she was sleeping peacefully between them now, with the two women kneeling over her and talking quietly.

“I guess not, but I doubt that people will be as quick to forgive me as you are.”

She wasn’t wrong: some people would never forgive her, same as some people would never forgive Stars like Faust or Kolibris like Kay… But that’s just how life was. Ariane nodded.

“Probably not, but most will in the end, with time. Some… Will hold a grudge until the end of time, but there’s hardly anything we can do about that, now is there?”

Aurelia laughed slightly, shaking her head.

“You know… the fact alone that your mind didn’t jump to using our powers for it tells me that you’re a very different person than my mother – both the Revolutionary and the Empress, in this case.”

Ariane picked up the last piece of the Kolibri’s faceplate, handing it to Aurelia.

“Here, I think you should do it – she’s important to you, after all.”

The black-haired girl examined the piece for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and slowly slotting it onto the Kolibri’s forehead. The small Replika’s Bioresonance amplifier shone with a golden light briefly as both Ariane and Aurelia leaned over her.

“Fia? Can you hear me?”

Aurelia’s voice was quiet as she put one hand under Fia’s head, gently lifting it up. The Kolibri’s face was complete, though it looked a bit like a badly cracked porcelain mask that was barely being held together with glue and sheer will. Her eyebrows furrowed briefly before she opened her eyes.

“Yes, Aurelia. What… Happened?”

The small Replika looked around, blinking away a few red lights within her bionic eyes as she sat up. Ariane could only image how confused she must’ve felt with the sight before her, and so she leaned back slightly and let Aurelia explain.

“It’s… You got shot; do you remember?”

Fia nodded, her face expressionless as she waited for Aurelia to continue. The taller Replika hesitated briefly, grabbing the Kolibri’s hand as both of them stood up. Ariane followed suit, helping Aurelia support Fia as the short Replika was still pretty wobbly.

“I think so… Where are we? You seem calmer, and…”

The Kolibri’s eyes rested on Ariane for a little while before she turned back to look at Aurelia, pushing herself away from the two women to show that she could stand on her own. The black-haired girl glanced at Ariane, unsure of what to say.

“We… Cleared a few things up. Don’t worry about where we are – we can go back to the People’s Palace now.”

Ariane began to grab the resonances before pausing and looking over at Aurelia.

“Actually… Are you ready to face her?”

Aurelia crossed her arms, shaking her head. Ariane hadn’t noticed before, but her wreath was badly dented and bent, barely clinging onto the black-haired girl’s head.

“I… I don’t know. Part of me understands her pain, but the other wants her to pay for everything…”

Fia put one hand on Aurelia’s shoulder as Ariane nodded. The taller Replika shook her head.

“Look… I know it’s the coward’s way, but I’ll leave the decision up to you, Ariane. Do whatever you see fit.”

The white-haired girl nodded, ripping open a portal back to the Palace with a quick gesture. She could hear Fia gasp in response, but they didn’t have time to explain the nature of the other world to her – not that they could, anyway.

They stepped through, finding themselves back in front of the Great Revolutionary’s office. Ariane could see her friends standing and sitting around, with most of them looking a little worse for wear.

Faust’s body was littered with cracks and a few bullet holes as she leaned against the table, Juli tending to her wounds via careful application of repair spray and coagulants. Falke, Adler and the Ara stood off to the side, next to a small huddle of Kolibris and a tall Replika whose face had multiple sharp glass shards stabbed into it.

It took Ariane a second to recognize that the group of Replikas were tied up and shaking gently slightly, no doubt an aftereffect of Aurelia’s Bioresonant shriek before. Falke seemed a bit rattled herself as she sat on the ground next to them, but Alder seemed to be doing his best to calm her down.

The Ara sat next to them, carefully making sure that the tied-up Replikas were truly secured while also looking them over to make sure that they weren’t fatally damaged. She didn’t do anything about the tall Replika’s glass shard situation, however.

The most important component was right before them however – Zack stood behind the desk, one hand on the left shoulder of the Great Revolutionary who seemed a lot less threatening than before. The man’s face lit up as he saw Ariane.

“Oh, you’re back!”

Ariane waved for Aurelia and Fia to follow her, with the two Replikas following suit before Ariane closed the rift behind them. Her eyes quickly wandered from one end of the room to the other as she felt a slight panic well up inside of her heart.

“Ariane!”

The sound of Ellie’s voice made the white-haired girl turn around with a relieved sigh. Her wife was sitting behind them on the concrete railing as she clutched her abdomen. Ariane could see that she had a large wound she had patched up haphazardly, but she looked fine otherwise.

Suddenly, Ariane saw everyone’s stance shift at the same time, quickly grabbing their weapons as they realized who Ariane had brought with her. The white-haired girl put one hand up and focused briefly. She had to be heard.

“Stop. Weapons down – Aurelia is not our enemy.”

She saw the Great Revolutionary flinch at the mention of Aurelia’s name, as if she had not heard it in a long, long time. Everyone hesitated but slowly returned to a more relaxed position. Ariane nodded, sighing deeply as she turned to face Aurelia.

“Come on, we need to finish this.”

Ellie had gotten up and grabbed the Kolibri under one arm, nodding at Ariane.

“I’ll help uh… Fia, was it? I’ll help her stand – you two go and do what you have to.”

The Kolibri wanted to protest for a second, her expression darkening as she realized that she’d have to stay with the person who had shot her… But then she hesitated. Her eyes wandered to the side and she nodded almost imperceivably. She had read Ellie’s mind, no doubt about it… And had seen that the Replika didn’t mean her any harm anymore.

Aurelia hesitated to let go of the Kolibri, but a firm tug from Ariane made her loosen her grip as she let the white-haired girl pull her into the office proper. They walked slowly, and so the few steps from the door to the large desk felt like a marathon, as if time itself distorted to make it as long as it could possibly be.

However, every walk had its end, and so they arrived in front of the Great Revolutionary eventually. The old woman looked up at them without any clear expression on her face.

“So, it is finally time, then. Boy, the gun.”

Zack furrowed his eyebrows but reached under his armor, pulling out a large, slender revolver adorned with golden details. He looked at the gun briefly before offering it to Aurelia. The Replika denied the weapon, motioning over to Ariane. The captain moved his hand slightly, indicating that Ariane should take the great revolver, which she did.

The weapon felt surprisingly light in her hand, despite its size and adornments. She looked at it as the Revolutionary scoffed.

“Is that how it ends? You can’t even finish me off, girl? I see how it is.”

Ariane furrowed her eyebrows as she felt Aurelia shift her weight slightly. The Replika had leaned away from the Gestalt she was based on, perhaps in disgust or maybe just because the woman’s words cut deeper than she wanted to admit openly.

Ariane looked down at the Revolutionary with a scornful look in her eyes, but the old woman didn’t seem to care.

“Well, Miss Yeong? Having second thoughts?”

The way the Revolutionary said those words didn’t sit right with Ariane. They were meant to sound mocking, but that wasn’t what she felt emanating from them at all. She squinted her eyes at the old lady, still weighing the gun in her hand.

“Second thoughts? Second thoughts about what?”

The Revolutionary stayed silent, but Ariane felt that she had caught her off-guard somehow. In a swift move, she flipped the revolver open, letting the bullets rain down onto the desktop before her.

Every bullet that hit the wood with a hollow thumping sound made the old woman sink into herself slightly, until all six lay before her, their polished exterior reflecting the light above them as the crone stared down at them.

“Did you really think I would let you become a martyr, Aurelia?”

The Revolutionary flinched at the mention of her name again, but didn’t respond. Ariane flipped the gun closed, keeping it in her hands.

“No. You’re not getting away that easy. The people will not remember you as the version of you that you showed in propaganda, but as the old, decrepit woman that you really are.”

Aurelia next to Ariane placed a hand on the white-haired girl’s shoulder gently, but the Revolutionary found some of her previous vigor it seemed, sitting up in her wheelchair.

“Do you have the slightest idea who you are talking to, child? Do you know what I have gone through? To call me, ME, decrepit!”

She growled in a surprisingly malicious manner for someone of her age.

“I overthrew the Empress, my own mother, with nothing but my words! All I had to do was show her how badly she had handled everything, from her people to her own family.”

She motioned to the room around them vaguely.

“All of this? You think I conquered the people’s minds with the same cheap tricks as my mother? No, I only told them what they all knew: That she didn’t care about them, that she turned away from them!”

“That she turned away from you, you mean.”

The reply made the old woman stop suddenly, visibly caught off-guard by Ariane’s tone. The girl wasn’t angry at the old woman’s outburst and not impressed by her claims… She was just sad. What she saw before her was not a great conqueror, but a sad old woman who had walked over corpses to get to where she was now, only to realize that it had all been for nought.

“You brag about using your own mother’s conscience against her? You think that forcing your own family to flee in terror from you is something to be bragged about?”

The white-haired girl leaned down to the Revolutionary, their eyes meeting for a second.

“And now you want us to act like you did… Just so that your own horrible behaviour would be validated in your last moments. That is what I mean by you being a sad, decrepit woman.”

The Revolutionary stayed silent as Ariane stood back up, scoffing as she turned away from the old woman and towards Aurelia.

“She wanted you to kill her. Everything that she put you through, it was all just so you’d end up like her, so you would do the same things as her.”

She pointed at the old woman.

“This is what you were to become, but that’s not gonna happen.”

Ariane reached her hand out to Aurelia. If they wanted to avoid making the same mistakes as the people that came before them, if they wanted to be better… They would have to begin by not acting like them.

“We can be better than the Empress and the Revolutionary. Maybe, just maybe… We can even fix the rift those two created in humanity. We can make a better future… Together.”

Aurelia didn’t hesitate, grabbing Ariane’s hand tightly and nodding. Her eyes were focused as she reached up, grabbing her wreath and slipping it off of her head. The sign of her position fell to the ground, hitting the carpeted floor with a metallic ringing.

“Together, then.”

Chapter Text

Faust yawned as she watched the room before her. It was Juli’s turn to deliver her report to the other members of the senate and she was doing a good job of it. Her long, blonde hair bobbed slightly as she turned back and forth between the senate hall and her presentation in a way that was strangely hypnotic to Faust. The Star shifted slightly, adjusting her red and white armor plate with a quiet clicking noise. Next to her, Zachary seemed to be intently listening to Juli’s presentation.

“… As for the Kolibris, tuning down their Bioresonance modules has proven to be easier than expected, though the rehabilitation process is, as expected, going to be a lengthy one, as almost all Kolibris require a lengthy readjustment period to deal with the separation anxiety that most of them develop. Currently our most successful treatment method is the buddy program, in which newly tuned-down Kolibris get assigned a pet to take care of. It has been shown that, in a vast majority of cases, Kolibris have an easier time adjusting to their new lack of mind reading when their buddy is an animal rather than a Gestalt or Replika, as they seem to primarily fear judgment from others.”

Juli cleared her throat before continuing, but Faust’s eyes were already wandering around the senate hall. Most of the planet representatives had arrived in full, though there was still a bit of an issue with Vineta in particular – only about half of the elected representatives were to be seen, no doubt due to the still rather… rocky opinion that the planet had of both the Empire and the Nation. Things were getting better slowly, but it would still take a while before those wounds would heal over enough to become scars. Ariane and Aurelia had both acted fast, calling off the blockade around Vineta and ensuring that support convoys from both halves of the new Republic arrived on the planet for support, but they’d need to continue building trust for a good while longer. It had only been three years since the creation of the Republic itself, after all.

“…Now, for some less good news. Reports of rogue Falke units, while they have lowered in frequency significantly, are still an issue that is worth keeping an eye on. A majority of these rogue units have fizzled out due to a lack of proper maintenance and or the Falke unit’s Bioresonance module becoming unstable, leading to a total meltdown, though there is the possibility, however small, that some of these units may band together at some point. Even though such a grouping would not necessarily pose a large-scale danger, they would still be a threat to the interests of whichever planet they may turn into their home base.”

Faust glanced over at the Falke that was sitting next to Aurelia Junior far above them, looking down. It was the same Falke that had helped them gain access to the People’s Palace years before and who had, as such, been instrumental to the creation of the Republic as well. She lacked her signature halo, as all Bioresonant units had been legally required to tune down their powers, both due to general safety concerns as well as to increase their legitimacy in the eyes of the common people.

One of the earlier, less important issues that the Republic had debated was the question if Falkes should have their faces changed to avoid association with the Nation, but the question was dropped rather quickly and Falkes didn’t have to undergo any cosmetic changes in the end, even getting to keep the golden wreath they had around their head.

Replikas had, of course, been one of the main sources of contention in the senate in a number of ways. Firstly, Replika production had been halted due to ethical concerns – something that everyone could see coming from a mile away as soon as most Replika-related documents became declassified. Technically, the halting of production was temporary and meant to start back up once a dedicated committee on ethics had found some way to remove most of the morally questionable stuff from the process without compromising the usefulness of the Replikas themselves, but Faust foresaw that it would take a while.

Thankfully, most imperial planets had little issue with civilian Replikas, having been introduced to them during the war in the form of refugees. As such, most people understood what Replikas were, or at least they had a rough idea and could understand that they were not like the automaton servants that the empire employed for simple tasks. Combat Replikas however were faced with a significantly larger amount of backlash. It wasn’t just the military types either – many of the Gestalts that were released from “re-education centers” like the one Faust had served at herself had gone on to give detailed accounts of their time. Naturally, the AEON forces were not painted in the best of lights, something that neither Faust nor Sieben could be mad about, given that they knew many of the accounts to be at least largely representative of what life really was like under AEON control.

Still, things were on the up and up, especially in areas where AEON forces had been comparably sparse beforehand, like Rotfront. Many former Protektors chose to move to such areas willingly, some even switching careers as best they could. Many of the former AEON facilities had been repurposed into more legitimate schools in which people could learn a variety of skills as well, even if some thought that this repurposing was tasteless and the facilities should have been torn down entirely instead.

Faust didn’t know what the right answer was, or if there even was one. She liked to think that Sieben’s, Kay’s and her own involvement in the establishment of the Republic also had some effect on the way Replikas like her were seen by the people, but really, she couldn’t be sure. In the end, she figured that things would even out over time as the new courts prosecuted those Replikas which had flippantly misused their power, until only the more reasonable were left wandering around in the public.

Behind herself, Faust heard Sieben shift slightly, humming. She had chosen to also stick to a combat-centric job, having joined the palace guard after proving her skills in the same tests that Gestalts went through. Zack himself had handed over her new armor and the whole thing was a big media spectacle – the first Replika in the palace guard. Faust joined up later. Unlike Sieben and Faust, Kay had chosen to leave the military life behind and was working closely with Juli, focusing on helping formerly Bioresonant units as she could understand their troubles better.

Juli had definitely made the biggest step up in terms of career in the Republic, forming a research and help group for all things Replika-related and quickly growing the organization into an interplanetary group with multiple locations on each inhabited celestial body. Faust had to admit that she didn’t quite understand everything they did, but she knew that it ranged from more basic stuff like teaching Replika medicine and maintenance in areas where people may be unfamiliar with them to more complex projects like the Bioresonant unit rehabilitations. The bottom line for Faust was that her wife was doing whatever she could to help everyone, as she had always done.

Juli had proposed to Faust a year after the Republic was originally formed, taking the Star somewhat by surprise. Faust remembered being anxious about the wedding, afraid of stepping out into the spotlight like that. Thankfully, Ariane and Ellie had hopped in and agreed that they, despite having been married for almost two years at that point, would also hold their official wedding that day, feeling that they deserved a little spectacle.

Most of the wedding day was still a blur in Faust’s memory. She remembered faces of friends and strangers, all lined up and smiling, she remembered that Ariane and Ellie had gone first and officially announced their combined last names to thunderous applause. Then, Faust and Juli exchanged vows. Juli had just gotten her blonde hair not long before and looked like an angel that day, while Faust felt like she must’ve looked like a sweaty mess, even if the photos told her otherwise.

They had taken the last name Tänzer, both because it fit Juli’s hobbies and because it kinda sounded like Panzer when Faust heard it, and the wordplay was too good to pass up. Every time Faust had to introduce herself, she would intentionally say her last name before her first name to see what people thought.

The debate continued, but nothing really interesting was being said. The group from Vineta accepted a cultural exchange program, but only under the stipulation that, for every combat Replika, five non-combat ones would be sent. The deal was deemed acceptable given the still somewhat prickly public opinion on the ocean planet.

Faust looked up at Ariane, who was sitting on the imperial throne and attentively presiding over the meeting as she held her staff in her hand. Shortly after they had returned from Heimat with Aurelia in tow, Ariane had been crowned as the new Empress, though she quickly set about making that title less all-powerful than it had been before. She established the senate and went to each inhabited celestial body personally to encourage the creation of smaller, planetary governments so that each area would have representatives that may negotiate with each other under her supervision, independent of former local AEON command.

Even three years after the establishment of the Republic, Faust wasn’t sure if – and if yes, to what extent – Ariane had to use her Bioresonant powers to convince some of the people to follow her. However much mystical space magic she had or had not used, it had done wonders for her public image. Faust saw most newly permitted media outlets call the white-haired girl “The Empress of Unity,” except for the more extreme ex-Empire and ex-Nation ones, which respectively called her a weakling and a tyrant, as was to be expected from such sources.

It felt like hours, but finally, the senate debate was over, with Ariane dismissing everyone. Some of the groups of representatives walked off together, talking over a few of the points that had been debated that day, while others stuck around, taking notes and talking with their colleagues as they did so.

The first groups of representatives that had arisen after the unification had been a bit hit and miss, largely due to a lack of experience and somewhat more… partisan ideas of how the Republic would be run. There were screaming matches, intentionally vague and exclusive proposals for new laws that could potentially lead to more harm than good and of course a good dose of corruption, and so the early days of the Republic were largely spent weeding these bad apples out. One of the very few powerful privileges that Ariane had kept for herself was the right to use her Bioresonant powers to monitor the representatives, though she had vowed to not interfere with the people’s minds at all, only peering into them to see if they were truthful or not. As a control mechanism, each celestial body had picked out a Bioresonant individual, with all together forming a small committee that would check if Ariane’s findings were truthful or not and who would ultimately debate and decide if a representative was to be removed from the senate or not. So far, there had only been two times when the committee had disagreed with Ariane’s decision and decided to keep the representative in the senate.

Faust stood up as Juli walked towards her, putting her arms around her wife.

“I told you that the visual presentation would help, didn’t I?”

Juli nodded, letting go of Faust. Ariane had walked down from the throne, her staff in hand and Aurelia by her side. The two were talking quietly, but stopped as they reached Faust and Juli. The Star smirked, scratching the scar on her faceplate.

“Another successful senate meeting, huh? Any ulterior motives?”

Ariane shrugged as Aurelia turned to talk with Falke and Adler, both of which had walked down from their own seats. The Empress tapped her staff on the ground gently.

“Vineta is still scared, but I can feel that we’re making progress. It will take another year at least, but… still, it’s progress.”

Zachary walked up, taking his helmet off as he cleared his throat.

“Your h- I mean, Ariane? You told me to remind you of some appointment today.”

Ariane blinked, then her eyes lit up as she grabbed Faust’s arm.

“Oh right! I almost forgot what day it is today. Ellie must be already waiting for us back on New Vineta.”

Faust hummed quietly as Juli grabbed her other arm. She had totally forgotten about the dinner invitation they had gotten from Ellie and Ariane. Faust was still not used to calling Elster by that name, but they had agreed on it after the double-wedding. Generally, Ellie and Faust had a lot in common, mainly the fact that their cute wives were some of the most important people in the solar system, while they… just sort of weren’t. They both preferred it that way, though.

Ariane waved goodbye to Aurelia, the Replika waving back as the group exited the senate hall and began walking towards one of the newly built areas of the palace: The hall of gates. The strange, time-space-warping qualities of the other dimension had become a field of rigorous study by various scholars of both halves of the Republic almost immediately after Ariane, Aurelia and Marienkäfer – such was the name of the Ara, as Faust had learned only relatively recently from some documents – had presented the first stable, framed portals to the public. The hall of gates was the result of the aforementioned studies, a nexus of interplanetary portals. It was still in its prototype stages, though the smaller portals were declared as safe to use some time ago.

Faust nodded at Marienkäfer as the group entered the hall, the Ara just giving a quick wave back. She had been offered a high-ranking position in a few engineering-related groups and committees, but, in typical Ara fashion, she had declined and instead chosen to be a normal worker at the palace, though she did get almost absolute freedom regarding which projects she wished to work on. The captain cleared his throat.

“Oh right, I promised Marienkäfer that I’d help her fill out a few requisition forms, damn it. You lot go ahead, I’ll catch up with you as fast as I can.”

Faust looked after the man as he jogged over to the Ara, waving his hand. The Replika had already reached into the pouch on her hip and pulled out some paperwork. Faust was glad that she didn’t have to deal with the bureaucratic work of the new Republic, even though it was no worse or better than that of the Nation had been before.

As they entered the portal leading to New Vineta, a shiver ran up Faust’s spine. She had not gotten used to the feeling of entering and leaving the other dimension at all, though she knew that it was perfectly safe. Ariane and other Bioresonant people had worked hard to create what Faust understood as being basically tuning forks that stabilized the other dimension around the portals, allowing the paths to stick around despite the areas around them shifting at times. The original concept for the tunnels had them with large windows, but after some rather messed up scenery changes, the transport paths were now windowless. Faust preferred it that way.

The stabilizers, which kinda looked like Ariane’s spear but smaller, also lowered the time distortion that was apparently inherent to the other dimension, so time outside and within the other realm were pretty consistent as long as people stuck to the paths. Faust vaguely remembered the first few tries, where test subjects climbed into the tunnel on one end and came out the other, which was only a few feet away, in a few weeks time. It was moments like those when she thanked their luck that, during their attack on the People’s Palace, the captain and the rest of their backup hadn’t become stuck like that.

The way through the other dimension was quite long, so Faust decided to strike up some conversation.

“So, how’s Kay doing? I haven’t seen her in a while, and you know how Sieben is.”

Juli flicked a bit of dust off of her shoulder as she hummed.

“Oh, she’s doing great really. The pet thing was her idea, since she could remember her own separation anxiety when she got kicked out of her cadre and met Sieben.”

Faust nodded absent-mindedly.

“She was basically stuck to her leg like a little puppy back then, yeah. Good to hear she can stand on her own two f-, I mean… hooves now.”

Juli giggled. Faust would never get over the feet thing.

“We had a custom-size podium made for her too, so she doesn’t need to use a step ladder to look over the tall one anymore.”

Faust couldn’t help but laugh, remembering a few more joking articles she had read in the newly open press back when the Republic was getting started. The words “Kobibi” and “Kolibri steppy” floated around her mind for a few seconds, but she waved them off. It was not funny to make fun of the Kolibris’ height… well, maybe only a little bit.

“Good, good. I can imagine that they struggle to get respect now that they don’t have their space magic to back them up.”

Juli nodded sadly, turning to Ariane.

“Will you still be visiting our location on New Vineta next week? I think the Kolibris are looking forward to you.”

Ariane nodded, weighing the staff in her hand. She had chosen to not fix the tip, instead having the top part filed down and rounded out. Delicate flowers made of gold wrapped themselves around the length of the staff – lilies, or at least Faust was pretty sure they were lilies. Unlike the previous Empress, Ariane had also chosen to wear a white dress whenever fulfilling her function, a stark contrast to the red of her predecessor. Said predecessor was now part of the representatives of Buyan, as it turned out that she was actually quite the skilled politician who had just let her power get to her head. Giant golden thrones tended to give people god complexes, it seemed. Faust was just glad that Ariane and Aurelia had not fallen to that same temptation.

“Of course. Thankfully, the next few weeks should be a bit less busy for me than usual thanks to Aurelia. She volunteered to visit Kitezh and Vineta again in my stead, and I thought that that’s a good idea. Maybe I’ll even get some painting done for once.”

Ariane chuckled as they reached the end of the transport path, walking back out into normal reality. The warm air of New Vineta greeted them, the sun high in the sky, reflecting off of the metal roof of the Yeong mine. The facility was running normally, as resources were still very much something the Republic needed. Ariane stretched, groaning loudly.

“Feels good to be home after two days… I wonder if Ellie’s home.”

Faust nodded over to the cabin, smoke rising from the chimney.

“It sure seems like it.”

The trio began to slowly make their way over to the cabin, which had become somewhat bigger over the last few years as Ellie kept working on it. Really, it had almost doubled in size, with a second floor and even a basement that the couple used for making wine. A small town had sprung up around the area where the frigate had previously been. It was still in the beginning stages of being created, as most people had become hesitant to leave their home planets. Faust figured that, once the town had really gotten going, a lot more people would start moving in.

The palace guard had insisted on putting a fence around Ariane’s and Ellie's cabin for safety reasons and the girls had reluctantly obliged, though they kept the gate unlocked at all times, open for whoever wanted to come visit. The group walked through the outer gate, Ariane speeding up slightly and entering the cabin first.

“Ellie, I’m home!”

As Faust and Juli entered, Ellie and Ariane were already glued to each other, with Ariane brushing the Replika’s light brown hair out of her face. Not wanting to be outdone, Faust quickly grabbed Juli, pushing her against the wall next to the door with a kiss.

“This isn’t a competition, Faust.”

An amused undertone played in Ellie’s voice as she tapped Faust’s shoulder, making the Star relent and turn around. Juli was clearly in a state of aroused confusion, just leaning against the wall as Faust answered.

“True… but I’m still winning.”

Ellie chuckled, tugging at her apron. Juli had made it for her as a wedding gift, hand-sewing it. It was a very light orange, with the words “Kiss the hot android chef, do it now” written in large, black letters on it. To complete the look, Ellie had also found a white chef hat somewhere and put it on, despite Replikas not really losing hair except from injuries.

“Heh… well, I think we can both agree that my cooking is uncontested at least.”

“May I remind you that it’s not just your cooking, aunt Ellie?”

The voice of Isa rang out from the kitchen, her tone a mix of amusement and annoyance. Ellie turned around, crossing her arms as she raised an eyebrow at her niece, even though Faust couldn’t see her.

“And may I remind YOU that you should be taking it easy, Isa?”

Faust took a few steps forward until she could see into the kitchen. Isa was standing there, her own arms crossed in front of her body as she held a ladle in her left hand. The Star could barely see the woman’s thin ring shining on her ring finger before she turned back to the oven with a small groan, having to shift her balance slightly.

Her apron was valiantly trying to cover the girl’s belly, though it was clearly not meant for someone who was that far along with twins. Her belly stuck out from her body to an almost comical distance, with even her largest sweater struggling to cover it all. Faust had no idea how the Gestalt managed to be as active as she was with so much additional weight, but Isa had been hyperactive since the moment Faust had met her – a real workaholic.

“Mom said that she didn’t have any issue keeping up the household when she was pregnant with Erika and me, so I don’t see why I should sit on my ass now.”

Despite the determined tone in Isa’s voice, Faust could tell that she must’ve been up on her feet for a while, helping Ellie prepare the large meal for everyone. She was shifting her weight from one leg to the other every few seconds and rubbed her back absent-mindedly as she tasted something from a large pot.

“Isolde Itou… Sit down at the dining table and go entertain our guests before I have to carry you there.”

Ellie’s tone was authoritative, making even Faust flinch slightly, though Isa responded with nothing but a quick huff.

“Come on sis, I don’t want to have to worry about the wellbeing of both you and the kids. Just sit down already, I’ll help aunt Ellie finish this.”

Faust hadn’t noticed Erika before, probably because she had been partially hidden by the door of the house’s small pantry, though Isa’s resistance had made her walk out, a small box of some kind of cooking ingredient in hand.

She had chosen to get a glass eye that looked pretty natural on her, matching her real eye’s color perfectly. It had taken her a long time to fully recuperate from her stay in Sierpinski, but she looked a lot better now, so much so that, if it weren’t for the bump and extra weight Isa had put on, Faust would have a hard time distinguishing the two.

“Ugh… Ok, I guess I can leave this to you two…”

Isa turned away from the oven, waddling over to the dining table and sitting down with a heavy sigh of relief. Faust didn’t say anything, but Isa’s eyes met hers almost immediately.

“Where’s Zack? Didn’t he come with you?”

“I’m here, I’m here!”

Faust turned around, somewhat surprised by the fact that Zack had managed to catch up with them so quickly. His face was red and he was still wearing his armor as he quickly closed the door behind him, giving the gathered people a quick nod before walking past them and straight to the dining table.

“Took you long enough… Your kids are being rowdy, come calm them down.”

The rest of the group slowly made their way over and sat down around the dining table, with Ariane in particular sighing in relief as she let herself fall onto the chair. She rubbed the bridge of her nose slightly, leaning back in her seat. In the background, Faust could see Ellie and Erika working together like a well-oiled machine.

Not many Elster units remained, most having been sent on Penrose vessels… only one of which had managed to finish its mission. Data suggested that the Penrose Program had, in reality, been more so just propaganda – shooting good soldiers on a suicide mission just to show people that the Nation could afford it, even if it really couldn’t. Faust thought that was a dumbass idea, almost as dumb as giving Replikas hooves. A thought crossed her mind as she looked at Ariane, who didn’t even bother to change out of her fancy dress.

“Aren’t you worried you’ll get it dirty?”

The girl shook her head, her eyes closed as she sat there. The activity in the kitchen slowed slightly as Faust saw Erika grab the large pot from before, her face contorted with effort.

“I have the day off tomorrow, so I can just clean it if need be. I’m looking forward to getting out of it, to be honest.”

Erika interrupted them by placing a large pot of stew on the table. The food was still steaming as Isa’s twin sat down, quickly followed by Ellie as well. They took their gloves off, motioning towards the large pot. Isa smiled.

“The opener is some stew – we didn’t want to make anything too heavy since my digestion is still all over the place. Well, dig in, everyone.”

There was a long period of silence as everyone ate quietly. The stew was good, a mix of flavors filling Faust's mouth with every bite. It had taken some testing to learn that, in a majority of cases, Replikas could eat the same food as Gestalts… with some exceptions, anyway. Thankfully, stew was not one of those exceptions. It took a while, but Faust paused her eating, clearing her throat.

“So, we’ve been thinking about adopting a kid.”

She saw Ariane flinch as the girl inhaled a bit of the soup, coughing loudly immediately after. Ellie reached over, hitting her wife on the back. A small bit of a carrot dislodged from the Empress’ throat, flying back out into the plate as Ariane took a deep breath.

“You can’t just drop that kinda info on us in the middle of a bite, Faust!”

Juli had grabbed Faust’s hand and the Star felt the Eule’s ring on the back of her hand.

“Sorry, just… We thought you’d like to know. There is an orphanage close to our location on Rotfront, and I can’t help but visit them sometimes. They don’t really care that I am a Replika, they know me as the woman from TV and the news. It’s… I don’t know.”

Faust took over.

“We live pretty good lives, so it only makes sense for us to share that.”

Juli nodded and Faust saw Isa smile slightly between bites. She seemed entirely unsurprised – maybe those were her maternal instincts finally kicking in.

“Plus, we need to think about the future as well. Not everyone can extend their life using Bioresonance, you know?”

Ariane paused, blinking.

“I… suppose you’re right. I have been pondering…”

She leaned back, looking out the window.

“This whole mess started because the Grand Empress didn’t know how to hand her reign off to her daughter, so I suppose I don’t want to make the same mistake…”

Her hand found its way onto Ellie’s.

“Well… maybe a child or two won’t hurt? I wouldn’t mind being a mother.”

Ellie blew some air out of her nose, swallowing a bite of what must’ve been a potato.

“We’ll have to think it over, but I wouldn’t mind it. I’ll have to build some kids’ rooms, maybe a nursery…”

She trailed off, caressing Ariane’s hand with a thumb. Faust leaned back, looking out of the window. The sun outside was still high in the sky, shining down on the green forest outside. Faust heard the others talk among themselves, laughing, making plans and the like. Life had changed so quickly, with everything moving ahead faster than Faust had thought possible. Faust thought back a few years, when she was still just a guard in S-23 Sierpinski. A face in the crowd, with a secret relationship that she wasn’t permitted to have.

She glanced back at Ariane, Ellie, Erika, Isa, Zack and Juli. She thought about Kay, Sieben, Falke, the Administrator, even about Athena from the refueling station on Rotfront. She thought about all the things they had gone through to get here, and how much everything had changed… while also somehow staying similar to what it was before.

For a second, she wondered what would have happened if Ariane and Ellie had ended up lost in space on the suicide mission that the Penrose project secretly was, and what horror that may have unleashed, given Ariane’s Bioresonance.

Quickly, she stopped herself, leaning forward again and taking another spoonful of Ellie’s stew. She didn’t want to get hung up on hypotheticals like that. Her hand wrapped itself around Juli’s waist absent-mindedly, feeling the warmth of the smaller Replika’s body as she talked, laughed and ate.

Faust smiled as she swallowed the spoonful of stew, feeling the food fill her stomach as the sun shone on her face from one side.

Perhaps, this was Heaven.