Six

10 - Falling Into Place

"As we said before, we believe you're a clone of Tobias Four," Gray explained from where she sat on a crate, her hands held together in her lap. "The question is why someone would have gone through the trouble to clone him when he was just a kid. Maybe you can shed some light on that?"

The Ghosts were situated in a semi-circle around Six and his mini-Titan, Ellie he called it. Six sat on a crate like Gray and the others while Ellie stood behind him, seemingly waiting for any sign of hostility and an excuse to bug out.

"I never met Four," Six answered. "I grew up hearing about him, though. My wayward brother, lost to us long ago."

"Lost to you and who?"

"The Advocate."

They all were silent, trying not to give away their reactions—but that was apparently enough of a reaction in and of itself. Six swiveled his head around, furrowing his brow. "Your suspicions were right. So now you're asking yourselves the next logical question: what was so important about Four that made it necessary for the Advocate to clone him?"

"Not much gets by you, does it?" Danvers muttered. "Or your mini-Titan."

"Nomad," Six corrected.

"Er, okay. Nomad."

In response, Ellie crossed her metal arms. Danvers visibly swallowed.

Six turned his attention back to Gray. "There's a truth you should know. Four is my brother, yes. And the Advocate is my father."

"We already guessed as much," Husher grumbled. "You're not telling us anything we don't already know."

Gray held a hand up, silencing the simulacrum. "What's your point, Six?"

"The thing is, I'm not a clone of Four."

"Didn't you just say he was your brother?" Vogel asked.

"Yes."

"Then how does your logic follow?"

"It didn't click for me until I saw that photo of him with his squad, Foxtrot-Three." Six's eyes hardened. "The truth is still sinking in for me. But when I saw his face, the same as mine but older, it wasn't hard for me to suddenly see another stunning resemblance between him and someone else."

"Someone else?"

Six nodded. "I'm not a clone of Tobias. I'm a clone of my father, the Advocate."

At that, none of the Ghosts were prepared to respond. It took more than a few moments for Gates to regain her voice, eyes wide as she spoke. "You—you're a clone of the Advocate?"

"I'm sure of it now." Six's eyes flashed. "And that means that Tobias was a clone too."

Husher was already shaking his head. "This makes no sense. Why would the Advocate clone himself, twice no less? What's the point? Narcissism? And how's he been surviving all these years if it's been centuries since he first emerged?"

"And why would he send a clone out on missions like the one's you've undertaken?" Gray questioned. "You're one of the best damn fighters I've ever seen, it took all four of us to take you down. What have you even been after all this time? We still don't know why you were raiding ships."

"Obviously, a lot's been kept from me," he said with a grimace. "I can't speak for every one of his motives. But I have theories, and my theories tend to be pretty damn good."

"So hit us with them, then."

Six lifted a finger into the air. "First and foremost, muscle memory. Training me the way he has all my life, I'm an instrument of war." He lifted a second finger. "Secondly, for entertainment. Keeping me preoccupied, busy so that I would never uncover the truth. He very well might be one of the most brilliant minds on the Frontier, it's not a far leap to assume I might inherit some of his brains and figure out the purpose of my existence beforehand if I wasn't distracted with a different purpose entirely."