Edith peers out the window of the Unity truck to see the sky. At first glance, she thinks the windows of the truck must be tinted, but she realizes that it's just the darkened clouds rolling overhead. A sight she hasn't seen anywhere outside of Mortal or Yastra. She quizzically looks to Latanya, who sits in the front seat with her hands on the steering wheel and her eyes sharply focusing on the road.
"What's going on? I thought County Unity's weather is always perfect," she asks.
After pointing it out, Cree looks out the window as well and he cocks a brow, all while CLive has been staring at the sky for the past half hour. Latanya glances back at her in the rear-view mirror. "It seems that Alain has deactivated the artificial weather of County Unity. Interesting," she says and returns her attention to the road.
Cree grumbles and flops back on the metal floor of the cargo area. "Speaking of... how much farther? It's not exactly comfortable back here and my ass is sore."
Edith snickers and looks back at him. "And why would your ass be sore? Is that why you were never at your place at night?"
He glares at her. "Go fuck yourself, asshat. You don't get to give me shit for complaining. I got shoved in the trunk."
Latanya lets out a quiet chuckle and keeps her eyes forward. "I apologize for the inconvenience. I wasn't prepared to have more than one or two people come back with me. Would it compensate if I purchase you a room for the night in the hotel of Paradise for once your friends and I leave for the Citadel?" she offers.
Cree shrugs. "I don't know about amends, but it's a start. Just bring them back alive, okay?" He narrows his eyes at her.
"I am unsure of what exactly Alain intends to do once we arrive, but I will not be present for what's to come," she says.
Edith looks from Cree to her. "Why not?"
Latanya sighs. "Those are my orders. I am to deliver Edith and CLive to the Citadel, and then leave the island. I do not bother asking questions as I trust Alain knows what's best," she explains. CLive quietly scoffs but stays silent, just staring up at the sky.
Cree sits up and peers over the back seat. "Where'll you be going?"
Latanya shrugs. "I am unsure as of right now. However, I am interested to see what I have heard about County Dominion. Perhaps I will head there for a time after I am relieved of my duties." She smiles to herself.
"Relieved of your duties?" Edith asks. "I thought you were Alain's fr—loyal soldier! He's letting you go after this?" she questions and clears her throat nervously after almost slipping up. She still doesn't know why she can't tell Cree and CLive that Latanya is supposedly on their side, but Latanya seems to know what she's doing so it's probably wise to trust her judgment.
Latanya nods slowly. "You may think of the Cogency Elites as... mercenaries to the Sovereign. We are expendable soldiers who never fail. I will not pretend to be unaware of that fact. We were assigned a task, and once it is complete, we are free of our contract," she explains.
CLive shakes his head and glances at her. "So, he's using you," he deadpans.
Latanya sighs and looks down for a moment, then returning her gaze to the road. "Not as such. Though, I understand why you of all people would come to that conclusion. From what I've heard from him, you and Alain do not have the best history, is that correct?" she asks mindfully and glances at him in the mirror.
He frowns and looks back out the window. "I'd rather not talk about him right now," he says. Edith leans against him and grabs his hand.
She looks forward to Latanya. "So, how much farther? You didn't say," she asks as she leans her head on CLive's shoulder.
Latanya smiles. "Of course, forgive me."
"We should be arriving in Paradise within the hour, so you should take this time to prepare yourselves. And Tyrell, you are more than welcome to see Edith and CLive off and await their return at the harbor. I hope you do not mind, but there will be a heavy traffic of automated cargo ships coming to and from the Citadel due to the war. I'm sure it will cause no trouble though," she says.
Cree nods slowly. "Yeah... no problem," he mutters and lays back, glancing over at the silver box stacked with the others that contains the mini-fridge bomb.
"No problem at all..."
By the time they arrive in Paradise, some thunder can be heard rumbling from the direction of Unity City, and the wind threatens to pick up.
Latanya gets out then opens the rear doors first to let Cree out. He gives her a full glance of suspicion before stepping off to the side of the truck. She goes around and helps out Edith next, who gives her a subtle determined nod that she returns.
Finally, she offers her hand to help CLive down from the side door. He glares at her and takes her hand. She smiles and helps him step down, blocked from Edith and Cree's view by the truck.
CLive gets out, but she doesn't let go of his hand and he frowns at her. "What do you want?" he asks and takes a deep breath, the pain in his EPC worsening the closer he gets to the Citadel.
Latanya glances around and sighs. "You hold resentment for Alain. I cannot blame you for this, considering past events he caused in your life. But I need to be sure you understand his reason for his actions," she says quietly.
"I understand plenty. He's the only SRL who can actually be called a 'machine' without it being an offensive racial slur. He doesn't care about anything but himself and his impossible goal of 'progressing humanity forward'," CLive says.
Latanya looks at him curiously. "What makes you think his goal is impossible?" she asks. He huffs and glares at her.
"His idea of a 'perfect world' is having everybody and everything live forever, never fatigue, and never worry about emotions causing problems. He doesn't want to make a better humanity, he wants to replace humans with what he believes are synthetic gods. He thinks he's immortal, but he's not. That's why his goal can't be achieved, because if, in the end, he gets his way; humanity won't be progressed forward, they will be gone," he explains.
"I see why you believe that, but that is not what Alain is after. His 'perfect world' is a united one. A world free of its divide. I hope you may come to realize that one day and learn to set aside your bitterness for your brother. Because as much as you hate him now, I know that you still call him 'brother' because you wanted him to be that for you. You saw him as a hero before everything became clear. No matter how things turned out in the end, from the very beginning of your lives, he was always right there with you. You were created, born into cruelty. But of all the people who hurt you, Alain was the one who never did. Because of this, you felt safe with him. Your optimism made him seem like family to you."
CLive looks down and his shoulders tense. "How... how would you know? You don't know anything about me."
Latanya nods. "Correct. I do not know you. Not personally, anyway. But I do know Alain. He tells me stories from before he was Sovereign. I noticed that every one of them had one thing in common. Do you know what?" she asks.
He says nothing and keeps his eyes on the ground. She smiles and places her free hand on his shoulder while the other still holds his. "They all involve you, CLive. For better or worse," she says. He grumbles and looks at her again with narrowed eyes.
"What are you getting at? If there's no point to this, then we should get moving," he states. Latanya looks at his hand in hers.
"You are about to face Alain. I know your anger and the reason behind it, and I know that in a blind rage, you might do what you think will make things right. I know that with this uniform on, my words will mean nothing to you. But once you're staring at his face that you share, I hope you'll consider how he is a victim in this war as well. Not only that... but he is my friend. And if my words are meaningless to you, I have faith that your own emotions will decide what is 'right'."
CLive looks at her sideways. "What do you mean?" he asks.
"I have the ability to give sentient beings empathy towards the given subject. If I may, would you allow me to do this for you as I have done for Alain?" she offers.
His face hardens and he glances over past the harbor to see Unity City and the Citadel silhouetted in black against the stormy sky in the distance. Begrudgingly, he forces a single nod and looks back down at her.
After making their way to the harbor, Edith and CLive step up to the transport airship that awaits to bring them to the Citadel.
Latanya stands beside it and looks across the faces of the three she came here with until they land on Cree and she smiles.
"Tyrell, I have arranged with the owner of the hotel that you are free to stay for the rest of the week in the luxury suite as I took it upon myself to pay for any accommodations. I hope these arrangements will suffice and make up for your uncomfortable trip here," she says. Cree shrugs with his arms crossed.
"So long as I get a hot bath and a margarita, I'd say I'm fine. This place is called 'Paradise', after all."
Edith smiles and steps towards him. "Don't get attacked by any Dreads while we're away. I won't be here to save your ass this time."
He laughs. "Please, without the Vigor you would've been dino-food. Besides, this arm is way better than the old one. That thing did me a favor." He chuckles and flexes his metal arm.
Edith rolls her eyes and pulls him into a hug. "Be safe. I mean it," she whispers over his shoulder. Cree sighs and shakes his head.
"Hey, I'm not the one going into the fucking Citadel with a bomb. You just worry about yourself and the ol' gearbox. I'll see you both after the job is done," he whispers back, quiet enough that only Edith can hear.
She nods. "Right. Be sure to leave the payload in the next cargo ship to leave for the Citadel. And remember to set the timer as soon as I activate the bomb. Oh, and try not to drink too much before we get back as you are still directing this mission. And—"
"What, are you my mom, now? I get it, I get it. Now just get the hell out of here before I kill you myself," he growls with a grin and pushes her off him.
Edith laughs. "Deny it all you want, but I know you're going soft. But in all seriousness, be safe. And wait here for us to get back. We shouldn't be too long," she says and takes a deep breath, turning back to the ship and Latanya.
She sees that CLive has already gotten into the back of the airship and nods to herself, walking towards Latanya. She smiles.
"Are you ready to depart?" she asks.
Edith sighs and nods again. "As I'll ever be, I guess." She chuckles nervously and looks down.
Latanya turns and opens the back of the ship for her to get in. But before Edith climbs up, she gets pulled back by arms wrapping around her from behind. She looks down to see the metal arm and the normal one trapping her and turns around awkwardly to see Cree keeping his eyes closed as he keeps her in his embrace.
She smiles sadly and brings her arms up to wrap around his back. He takes a deep breath that shudders as he releases it. "...I know it's only for not even an hour, but..." He bites his quivering lip. "...Please come back. Both of you. I... can't lose anyone else." He swallows back his tears. Edith smiles and nods, holding him tighter.
She leans back as she loosens her hold to cup his cheek and show him her smile. He returns it for a moment, then clears his throat and quickly steps back out of her arms. "Now go make history, ace. And whatever you do, don't fuck this up as I know you are so prone to doing." He crosses his arms. Edith scoffs.
"For a moment, I thought you actually might have a soul." She chuckles. "Let's make John proud," she says and nods to him. He nods back with a confident but anxious grin.
Edith takes one step up into the airship and looks back over the desert city of Paradise. It feels almost like it did back then, a year ago. Knowing that this is their last stop before going to face the storm. But despite all that's happened, it still brings a smile to her face. Remembering how simple life back then seems compared to now.
She then lets her eyes look across the ocean and to Unity City waiting in the distance. Whatever happens, Utopia - her home - will be made a different place in the end.
With one last glance at Cree, she takes a deep breath and enters the ship, shutting the doors behind her and joining CLive at his side.
The sky above the island is nearly darkened in a grey cloud. The wind grows ever stronger. The crashing waves far below their feet becoming violent, yet they remain out of reach.
After the last time they were here, the Citadel already gives them a paralyzing apprehension, now with the dismal atmosphere replacing what has always been the most peaceful climate of the continent, it escalates the feeling into nothing short of raw fear.
Latanya opens the massive pearly white gates, lined with gold, and motions them in with a smile.
Edith looks over at CLive to see he has his head turned away from both her and Latanya. His shoulders are tense and his arms are slightly shaking. The heavy rise and fall of his chest and the way he grits his teeth tells Edith all she needs to know. She gently takes his hand in her own which gets him to glance at her. The pain in his eyes is clear.
She shows him a hopeful smile and he takes a deep breath. They both look back at Latanya and Edith walks forward, CLive following and never letting go of her hand. They enter the Citadel and Latanya pushes the doors shut behind them before walking to the front of them and waving them on to follow her. She begins leading them down the long white corridors with curved ceilings and blue pillars lining the walls.
As they walk in silence, they come to notice how eerily quiet it is. The only sounds they hear are the echoes of their feet hitting the glassy floor and the distant rumbling of the thunder outside. Edith continuously looks around, realization striking her but only gives her more questions.
She looks ahead to Latanya, who walks with her head high and her shoulders back. Her stride is both graceful and confident. "Where is everyone?" Edith asks.
Latanya keeps her eyes forward. "I'm afraid I am in no position to say. Rest assured, any and all questions you have will be answered by the Sovereign," she states robotically.
Edith slowly nods and looks up at CLive again. He's staring vacantly at the floor. She can feel his hand trembling and tightening around her own. Seeing him in pain like this, she just wants to take the majority of the burden he's feeling so he can have a bit of comfort. But they haven't even seen Alain yet and she needs to save her strength for once CLive is forced to talk to him. She's confident that she can activate a bomb with a migraine and the need to puke. It's not ideal, but it gives CLive a chance at surviving this, so she can't complain.
They continue walking in dead silence until they reach that familiar white door with the design of a light blue, glowing tree made out of circuits that seems to be everywhere the Dominion is even remotely involved. This is the door to Alain's main lab.
As they approach the door, Edith's eyes glance down the long hallway that leads into the Animonculory, where the SRL are generated. But in this case, it's also where the cargo ship carrying the payload will be landed. Latanya stands regal beside the door and faces them.
"Are you ready?" she asks them both, but as she says it, her eyes are trained on CLive.
He waits for Edith to respond but looks down at her when she doesn't. She is staring at him with an uneasy look in her eyes. "Are you ready, CLive? This is harder on you than it is on me," she asks in a tender voice.
He takes a strained deep breath and forces himself to nod. He looks from her to the door, then back to her. He glances down at their entwined hands and lets out a mournful sigh. He gives her hand a squeeze before he hesitantly lets it go. "I—I think I'm ready." He takes another deep breath and looks into her eyes again. "Edith... I love you," he whispers.
She jumps up and gives him a chaste kiss with her arms draped over his shoulders. She leans back slowly and smiles. "I love you too," she says sweetly.
They take a step away from each other and turn to Latanya.
She nods to them and faces the door as it slides open to show them Alain standing before the massive dome window that overlooks Unity City and what lies beyond it. The view is normally beautiful, but the darkened sky ravages what should be a subliminal sight.
As always, he is standing with his hands crossed formally behind his back and his head high. He looks exactly as Edith remembers from a year ago with the same face and features as CLive, only with black hair instead of dark grey and black and blue wires threading in and out of his arms and cheeks.
Out of the corner of her eye, she sees that CLive has stopped trembling. His eyes are unblinkingly fixated on Alain. His strained breathing gives away that the pain is still there, beneath the gaze of fascination. She wants to grab his hand again, but she knows that would give Alain a potential weakness to exploit in CLive, and he's already got him on a tight leash with the Pull. For his sake, she needs to trust that he can do this on his own.
Alain slowly turns around and faces them. He barely spares Edith a glance as his eyes fall directly on CLive and hold there. Something about the look in his eyes is different but somehow familiar at the same time.
He manages to break his gaze from CLive and look over to Latanya with a hint at a smile. "I thank you, Latanya. When you wrote that they would be not only arriving soon but that they would be doing so willingly, I knew sending you on this task was the correct course of action," he says through his empty voice.
CLive slightly shudders at hearing him, but he doesn't falter or move from his place.
Latanya smiles and kindly bows. "Of course, my Sovereign. You know you can always count on me," she says and stands up straight again, then glances at Edith and CLive. "Would you like me to escort Edith down to the operating room for when you are ready?" she asks. Alain looks to Edith vacantly.
"Not yet. There are a few things I understand I am in a position to vocalize first," he says and begins walking towards her.
The closer he gets, the heavier CLive begins to breathe. In his ear, there's a soft 'beep' and Cree's voice comes through so only he can hear. "CLive, focus. Remember what you're there for," he says.
CLive fights the pain and closes his eyes to not look at Alain.
He stops in front of Edith and looks down at her. Her body is tense and resisting the burning in her own EPC. In thought, it seemed easy to overlook what happened a year ago. But now being face to face with him again is a harsh reminder of the pain he put her through.
Instead of thinking about the trauma of it, she focuses on the part of the memory when CLive showed up and decked Alain. That part wasn't so bad.
Alain slowly reaches towards her and places his hand on her shoulder. She tenses under his touch but stays silent and still. She can feel some of CLive's emotions seep into her EPC. She can feel him becoming angry.
She keeps her eyes on him and remains firm. He sighs emptily. "ES-6248... Edith. It has been made clear to me that emotions can often hurt equivalent to that of physical or mental inflictions. I would like to express my apology for our meeting and extend to you my condolences for your recent loss. If at all possible, I believe that it would be most beneficial for you to accept," he says slowly, choosing each word with immense concentration and thought.
Edith keeps her eyes on his and nods uncertainly. "I... I'll accept so long as you give me your word that you won't hurt anyone else," her voice remains calm and steady despite the thundering beating of her EPC.
Alain lowers his hand and nods back. "Very well. You have my word," he says and turns his focus over to CLive. "As for you, CL-3584." He walks over to stand in front of him now. CLive opens his eyes but keeps them on the glassy black floor. His breathing gets heavier again and his shoulders tremble.
Seeing him like this, she can't resist taking on just a tiny amount of the pain. She feels it engulf her EPC like lighting a match to a cloud of gasoline. Her head begins to feel woozy and her body feels weaker. Her lungs feel as though they have drained of air and desperately try to fill up. And this is only a tiny amount of the pain CLive is feeling. She can't imagine what it must be like for him.
CLive slightly loosens up and throws her a quick glance before looking straight forward at his other half. It's like looking in a mirror that's slightly off, giving him an unsettling feeling. Though all he can feel is pain and nerves, so not much has changed.
Alain looks him over then meets his eyes again. "The Pull is reaching its peak. I can tell. I can see how you fight it. The only thing keeping you from giving in is what little mind you have. Despite the pain, you refuse to let go. Why?"
CLive glares at him. "Because I don't want to die. I've made a life for myself and I ain't gonna lose it now because you tell me I should," his voice is strong but wavering. Alain nods and steps back.
"That is right. It is the desire to live that prevents you from letting go. But we will have plenty of time to discuss this further in a moment. Now, however." He turns towards Edith once again. "You must be brought to the operating room. I will have Latanya escort you there, then she will be leaving the Citadel as her contract is lifted," he says.
Latanya nods and walks over to Edith. "Should I restrain her, Sovereign?" she asks.
Alain shakes his head. "Do not bother." He takes a step towards them and looks Edith over like he did with CLive. He examines her carefully before meeting her eyes. "Before you go, I must ask you a question. If you do not know the answer, that is fine," Alain says.
Edith just nods and waits for him to continue. CLive looks between them cautiously while Alain keeps his attention on Edith.
"Recently, I detected an irregularity in your system. I have been unsuccessful in identifying precisely what it is, but I must know if it poses any threat to you or your genetic makeup."
Edith tenses and holds her breath. "What... kind of irregularity?" she asks carefully.
Alain sighs. "I am unsure. All I know is that it has been negatively altering the way in which your internal systems function. Do you know what it is I speak of?" he asks.
She releases her breath and glances at CLive before looking at Alain again with a stern gaze.
"No. I don't know what you're talking about."
Alain nods and steps back. "I see. I thank you for your cooperation. Now, Latanya. Would you mind showing ES-6248 down to the operating room? I must speak with CL-3584 regarding some private matters before I go there myself," he says.
Latanya nods and places her hand on Edith's back. "Of course. Thank you, my Sovereign. I will make sure she knows where to go." She looks to Edith. "Come on, follow me," she says and starts guiding her to the door.
Before they reach it, Edith stops and looks back at CLive where he still stands in his place, fighting himself.
He keeps his head down and his body as motionless as possible. Edith has to resist the urge to just shout that she loves him one last time before she goes since she doesn't know what's going to happen when CLive is left alone with Alain.
"CLive," she calls out to him. He shakily looks over at her and sees her smile. The sight helps to slightly ease his nerves but it doesn't make the pain go away.
"Yeah, doll...?" he asks in a small voice.
"Everything is going to be okay. I promise."
Somehow, that alone was enough to ease the pain to a somewhat bearable level. Even as he watches her leave and turns back to face his other half, for some reason, he actually feels inclined to believe her.