An entire week of silence passes. No word from Latanya yet, but if she's having to move quickly to avoid getting caught by Kylen and The Envoy, then it makes sense why she wouldn't have the time to stop and reach out to keep everyone up to speed on how she's doing. They just have to trust that she's managing on her own.
Regan's been rather quiet, mostly spending his time with Reela when he's not working on something. Whenever Edith has gotten the chance to see him away from Reela, she's noticed that he always has his nose in his notebook. He hasn't told anyone about whether or not he's working on a new project, so she can only assume he's found something to keep his mind busy to distract himself from the situation with Cree.
J has been coming and going and no one knows why, but that's probably because no one is brave enough to approach her and ask. J's her own creature that is probably best left unprovoked.
Then the rest of them have been left to just sit around and wait for help to arrive.
The waiting process is almost maddening, but excitement fills Edith's heart once she feels the implant in her neck slightly buzz, and as she meets Colin's eyes, she knows he felt the sudden shift too.
They sprint for the deck with Regan following close behind, and once they reach the bow of the wrecked ship that they've made their base, they see in the distance approaching from the south is another ship, one bearing the familiar symbol of County Sage.
The sight fills their hearts, especially Regan, with indescribable joy. After so long, just seeing a piece of their home is more than they've been given since stepping through the rifts.
After a few agonizing hours of waiting, watching the ship draw in closer, it finally pulls up to the island and lowers its ramp to bridge the deck of the ruined ship. At the top of the ramp, slowly making her way down towards the three is Latanya Eaves.
Her wavy black hair is now braided off to the side and she's wearing a simple dark grey turtle neck with light grey jeans and black boots. She has a black bag slung over her shoulder that she readjusts her hold on as she approaches the familiar faces with a smile.
"I'm so sorry it took so long to get here," she says a bit downcast. "I tried to move as quickly as I could, but I—"
Colin rolls his eyes and pulls her into a hug. "Don't apologize. You're doing more than we could ever ask for," he says kindly and lets her go to smile at her. "After all the hell we've been through, any kindness is greatly appreciated."
Latanya nods slowly. "I certainly hope my aid provides the results you're hoping for. I'll continue to do everything I can to help you all get home safe," she says. "And until then, hopefully give you some relief from the suffering you've endured."
"How so?" Edith asks, when she hears a joyously familiar bark come from the ship.
Turning her gaze up, her smile beams as her eyes land on the synthetic German Shepherd husky mix bounding towards her, barking and wagging his tail like a madman.
She gasps and opens her arms wide for her dog. "THOR!"
As he gets closer, she realizes that he doesn't look like he's going to stop. But her joy overrules any fear of getting steamrolled by a dog that's literally made of metal. She closes her eyes and smiles wide as Thor reaches her, jumping onto her and knocking her onto her back.
Then he instantly runs to Colin.
"Master CLive! You look different! You smell different! Is that plastic? I don't know! I'm just happy to see you! I've missed you so much and I miss going on walks! The boat ride was fun but I threw up! A lot! It was so exciting!" the dog looks just about ready to pass out from all the laps he's running around Colin, when he stops and jumps at him. The SRL catches him and holds the dog like a big baby.
"I've missed you too, boy! It's okay! I'm here now!" Colin gives Thor a kiss on his nose and the dog energetically licks his face, getting confused by the wires but not having the brainpower in this moment to care to question it.
Edith scrambles to stand up with a huff. "Are you kidding me?!"
Thor rolls out of Colin's arms and rushes over to her, sitting at her feet and happily panting. "I missed you too, Master Edith! You—" he pauses to sniff her stomach and he tilts his head quizzically. "You also smell different! Did you eat a tiny person?"
Edith sighs and kneels down to rapidly ruffle the fur around the dog's neck and he licks her face gleefully.
"Were you able to find help in Mortal?" Regan asks Latanya, sheepishly petting Thor's back as he's unsure of what to say or do amidst that whole... that.
Latanya looks to him next and she bites her lip as she nods. "You could say that. Mayor Wright was more than willing to lend some of her men towards the cause, but they will be arriving separately in the next few days. Traveling in groups with such heavy watch from Corbin would have been unwise, so we went ahead since you needed the help," she explains.
"We?" Colin questions and the woman nods.
"Yes. Mayor Wright was willing to lend her men under the condition that she—"
"Where the fuck is she?!"
Edith has no time to process what's going on as she suddenly finds herself suffocating in someone's arms. She merely gasps in response and feels her EPC beating frantically in her chest as the sensation registers in her soul as familiar.
Her hands are shaking and she's almost delirious to what's happening as her mind tries registering the voice that shouted her name. A voice she hasn't heard in so long that it takes her far longer than she would like to admit to realize who it belongs to.
Then her mind catches up. She sees the glittery black body-suit that shows too much skin for her inner mom to approve of. The vibrant purple hair that's gotten a bit longer since the last time she saw this woman.
Data-motherfucking-Li.
"I was so worried! I'm so happy you're okay!" Data cries out before leaning back to look at Edith's face.
The SRL just manages to smile before she gets slapped.
"What the fuck were you thinking, vanishing off the ass end of the planet?!" Data snaps.
Edith winces and goes to hold her face, still too shaken up to form any kind of response. She just manages to open her mouth when Data pulls her back into her arms. "What happened to you?! Are you okay?!" and she lets her go again, giving Edith a possible chance to speak.
"I—"
"Fuck you!" Data slaps her again, then immediately wraps her back in her arms. "I love you, you dumb motherfucking bitchass little shit-cock cunt!"
Before Data can lean back to slap her again, Edith quickly wraps her arms tightly around her back and buries her face in her shoulder, feeling as her tears begin escaping her eyes. "I missed you too, Data," she says softly, not that her voice would allow anything stronger with the lump in her throat.
Data just holds her as she cries her own tears of joy. Or anger? It's honestly hard to tell with her, but that doesn't matter. All that matters is that she's here.
Just as her body begins to relax, Edith feels Colin tap her shoulder. Shakily lifting her head and opening her eyes, she sees through blurred vision that Peace is walking towards them down the ramp.
Data leans back and takes a deep breath before turning to smile at Peace as she reaches them on the deck. Edith stares at her, her heart swelling at the sight of this woman. Not only for the fact that she hasn't seen her since the last time she was in Sage, but for the fact that she looks so much like John now that it's almost scary.
She cut her strawberry blonde hair again to be as short as his was. The burn scar across her face that she got in the siege on Mortal has fully healed, leaving ripples like waves across her freckled rosy skin. And she's wearing a red jacket with dark blue lining that Edith immediately recognizes as John's.
Once again, all thoughts are lost to Edith. She fails to find any words as more tears fill her eyes so she gives up on trying to speak and pulls Peace into her arms, and she instantly returns the embrace, tightly gripping the back of Edith's shirt as she trembles.
Peace shudders over Edith's shoulder. "...We thought you were dead..." she breathes out past the tears building in her throat. "...All of you..." she looks past Edith at Colin and Regan where they're watching the embrace with smiles and tear-filled eyes of their own while Data makes her rounds of hate-hugging all of them. She even hugs Latanya for some reason even though she came here with her.
Peace swallows back tears. "...When we saw the explosion... The Citadel... We thought you..." she shakes her head and closes her eyes, holding onto Edith tighter. "...There was a funeral and everything... We... I..."
Edith leans back and reaches up with trembling hands to hold Peace's face and wipe away her tears with her thumbs, gently brushing over the scars painted across her skin. "...We're okay..." she smiles painfully. "We'll all be okay."
Data smiles at the two of them and looks back at Regan and Colin, quizzically glancing around the deck. "Where's Tyrell?" she questions. "We were assuming he was with you guys. We still haven't seen him since the siege," she looks between Regan and Colin, then to Edith.
Regan freezes and looks away.
Colin rests his hand on his shoulder with a sigh. "Tyrell is..." he takes a deep breath. "...There's a lot you two need to be caught up on."
Peace immediately tenses and lets go of Edith, taking a step back to grab Data's hand as they both look across each of their faces in fear, especially at seeing the distance in Regan's eyes. "Shit... Don't tell me... He's not..."
"He's alive," Regan says after taking a deep breath. "But he's... different. As Colin said, there's a lot to catch up on. But first, Latanya," he looks to the Hex. "Did you manage to retrieve the items I needed from Sage?"
Latanya nods and lowers the bag from her shoulder, holding it out to him. "I did. It should be all here," she says as he takes the bag from her and peeks inside, nodding to himself before slinging it over his shoulder.
"Thank you. This is everything," he says. "And... How was Lovell? I know there are more pressing matters at the moment, but I must know how he has been faring while I've been away," he asks.
Latanya smiles. "He was overjoyed to know you're alive. There was a lot of doubt in Sage, especially for the council, but I think knowing you're okay has put some minds at ease. Especially Lovell's. He's... a really sweet guy," she says and briefly bites her lip.
He shows her a weary smile in response and nods. "He really is, and I'm glad he's alright. Now I'm sorry to cut this reunion short but I really must get to work on finishing this," he holds up the bag. "I'll join you all when I'm done."
Edith eyes him quizzically and glances at the bag. "What even is that?"
Regan sighs and looks at the bag as well. "It's... something I had been working on for a while, mostly during the year I was alone in Sage for the war."
"But what is it?" Colin asks.
Regan looks away. "I would rather wait until it's done before letting you all in on the idea I have because I don't want to get your hopes up... especially not my own. But... with whatever sliver of luck I can muster, this might give us a way to possibly..." he takes another deep breath. "Possibly save Cree. Or at least... give us an idea of how we can. If we can..."
Edith's eyes soften and she steps towards him with a small smile. "You do what you have to do, Regan. Just remember that we're all here if you need help with anything."
"I know you are, and thank you. Once I get this finished, trust me. I will require help with the second step," Regan says and glances around at his friends. "But first, I need to get to work. Give me a few hours. Peace, Data, it truly is wonderful to see you both again. I only wish it were under better circumstances." He hesitates before stepping back, then turning around and retreating into the wrecked ship in a hurry.
Peace and Data stare off in the direction he left.
"When did Regan hit puberty?" Data snorts.
Colin sighs. "A lot you need to catch up on."
Latanya nods once as she moves closer to the group, standing with her hands politely crossed in front of her. "While on the subject of catching up, there is some information I managed to discover while I had been staying in the DRF. Things I think are crucial for you to know sooner rather than later," she says while looking only at Edith. "As well as some... personal things I discovered."
Edith tenses and slowly nods for her to keep going, but she glances at Colin, Peace and Data apprehensively. Understanding the wordless insinuation, Colin lightly rests his hand on Edith's shoulder. "We can head inside and wait for you, if you want," he says.
Edith looks back at him and nods with a smile. "Okay. I'll fill you in later on anything you'll need to know," she says and he softly kisses the top of her head before motioning for Peace and Data to follow him, but Thor stays at Edith's side.
The three enter the Firefly and Latanya sighs, stepping over to the railing of the ship and looking over the ocean. Edith joins her with Thor following.
"What is it you wanted to tell me about?" Edith asks.
Latanya glances over at her and seems to search her eyes. "Have you felt at all... 'different' lately?" she asks to start.
Edith cocks a brow and eyes her quizzically. "Different? What do you mean?"
"I mean..." she sighs. "I spoke with a few SRLs in County Mortal, and they all said that the moment the Citadel was destroyed, they felt something 'break' inside them. The tethers of their code that deemed them as slaves to Unity," she explains. "What about you?"
Edith leans forward on the wooden rail next to her and shrugs. "I guess not. Though, I didn't really have the luxury of feeling much of anything when the Citadel was destroyed, since I went through the rift. Why do you ask?"
Latanya stares at her in silence for a moment before slowly turning her gaze back to the ocean with a sigh. "You wouldn't have felt a change no matter where you were..." she says softly.
"Why not?"
The woman slightly lowers her head and sorrow crosses over her icy blue eyes.
"...Because you weren't built by Unity," she says. "Your code wasn't broken. You were built by the Dominion. By the person who led it all those years ago."
Edith tilts her head. "So... I'm still bound by my code through the DRF?" she questions.
Latanya shakes her head slowly. "No. I thought you were, but all of the terminals in the DRF were destroyed when Fair-Haven attacked. All but one. I looked through the documents on it... It was the terminal that the Dominion used to contact the other branches. As well as keep track of different experiments... Only the leaders of each branch have that type of access. So this terminal belonged to the Dominion's leader," she glances over at her again. "Everything on it was documented under one name..."
"Anneliese Corbin."
Edith's eyes slightly widen and she turns to face her better. "The... Director was the leader of the Dominion? How is that possible?"
Latanya sighs again. "She invented the SRL as a first attempt at making humanity 'better.' And she turned herself into an SRL when she killed her own family, but it didn't work because she clearly didn't love them enough to let their deaths power her EPC. But the frustration was what was channeled into making her the first SRL," she explains. "She is quite literally driven by spite."
Edith looks down and shakes her head. What kind of monster could kill their own family purely for science? Not only that, but not care enough for it to even work?
"That's... horrible," she shudders. "So... you're saying Corbin led the Dominion... and created me?"
The woman nods. "Yes. She chose you on Assemblage Day. Same with Conrad Sweeney the year before. He was her primary subject for her experiments. You were the backup," she says. "Corbin had Sweeney's family killed. His wife and daughter. But... she kept the body of his daughter cryogenically frozen, using her to test her new experiment, Augmentations."
Edith meets her eyes as the understanding sets in. "She gave Conrad's daughter a Second Chance."
"She tried," Latanya states. "But she gave up on the girl when she found out Conrad Sweeney had been killed. There would be no point in bringing back his daughter," she quickly looks away from Edith and stares at the waves below.
"...So she resorted to her 'backup.'"
Edith freezes and unconsciously steps back from the rail without letting her hollow stare leave the Hex. "...You mean... She..."
Latanya takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. "...She kept... the body of your son frozen as well. When she realized you had been modified into being a Bio SRL, she used her Second Chance ability to restore his life... Years later, you woke up. And you found him," she explains without ever meeting her gaze.
Edith can't bring herself to speak. She can feel Thor's nose nuzzling against her hand but she hardly registers his presence. She doesn't want to believe anything she's hearing, but what other options are there? Don't trust Latanya after all she's done to help? This all just feels like a sick joke. But knowing The Director, that's what this is to her. A joke. An amusing game that she gets to play god over.
Noting her silence, Latanya nods to herself and opens her eyes. She cautiously glances back to see the shattered stare her eyes convey. "...She wanted to know how far you'd go to find him. If being an SRL would make you indifferent to who you used to be. She did the same with Sweeney, but he stopped when he settled in Sunder and took in a new child."
Cree.
She continues, "Corbin knew when you accepted your new life as an SRL... So she wanted to give you an extra... 'push.' So... she sent the Cogency Elites to Utopia..."
Through the emptiness consuming her, Edith suddenly feels fury fill her heart. The Director sent the Cogency Elites. She wanted to drive her down the path that would bring her to Eutria. Jane killed John. Fritz gave her no choice but to go to the Citadel.
The war. Mortality. John. Everything was just a part of The Director's game.
Latanya steps away from the rail as well to face Edith with woeful eyes. "You didn't feel your code break because The Director is still in control of you..." she says softly. "And the last tether is your son."
Edith feels her EPC start to burn. She feels the pain fill her, but she can't move. Thor whimpers and licks her hand, his ears fold back as he stares up at her.
"Master Edith? Are you okay?"
She can't speak.
The dog whimpers again and stands up, turning and running down into the Firefly. Seconds later, he returns with Colin following behind him and the moment he sees the broken look on Edith's face, he rushes over and turns her to look at him.
"Edith? What's wrong?" he asks, but she just wraps her arms around him and closes her eyes.
He returns the embrace as he looks over at Latanya, seeing the guilt written across her face for everything she just told Edith.
The woman looks down with a sigh. "I'm sorry..." she says in a voice that's almost a whisper.
Colin looks down at Edith and gently rubs her back. "Come on, doll... You should get some rest."
"No," she shakes her head against him and holds him tighter. "I want to catch up with Peace and Data."
He slowly nods, deciding it best not to argue with her. He carefully lets her go and she just turns and starts walking towards the entrance with Thor at her side.
Colin glances back at Latanya once more and she walks over and grabs his arm almost threateningly, but not in a way that makes him fear she might kill him, but more like a parent warning their child.
"Never stop loving her," she states.
He nods with a small smile. "So long as my heart beats, it beats for her."
She smiles as well as a small tear rolls down her cheek. "Good." She moves her hand down his arm to grab his hand, but only for a moment to slip something small into his palm before she lets go and steps back. She politely bows her head before turning and walking back up the ramp onto the ship she arrived on.
Looking down at what she placed in his hand, he sees it's a diamond ring.
Panic fills his heart at the implication, but he sets all that aside for now as he tucks the ring into his pocket and joins Edith inside with Peace and Data. Right now, he wants to live in the moment and make up for all of the lost time since all hell broke loose.
The future can wait for another day.