Happy New Year's, everyone. See you in 2019.

Mastermind in the FranXX

Episode 17

NEPHILIM

"So... what's in the bottle?"

Darling asked the question for her, and she sighed in relief. Her counterpart's responding signals tended to contain less bite and sarcasm when he put forth the inquiries. Strange, yeah, but they were used to the arrangement by this point. She didn't mind; they'd done the same thing when they were still a part of Squad 13. Speaking to non-darlings exhausted her and understanding them always proved challenging. Ichigo was an exception, though! Ichigo was nice.

The girl didn't immediately reply. Instead, she turned to the immense, worm-like klaxosaur looming over them.

Thank you for your help, Kavala.

It was our honor, Princess. We shall inform you if we detect any anomalies in this area.

Of course.

Tremors beneath their feet signaled the klaxosaur's retreat into the depths. They'd been gone for a... day, maybe? Roughly? And it was still so cold! Ugh! She needed her warm darling!

Mmmm, yes! Much better! She burrowed her head into his collar. Darling rubbed her back while they waited for a response. The 'princess' surveyed their surroundings before turning to them.

It is nothing you need concern yourselves with. Part of the deal I have with the idiot, that's all.

They shared a frown. Again with that stupid deal thing! Darling scratched his cheek. "We're just pawns, then?"

To him? Perhaps. I won't claim to know what thoughts run through that crazed mind of his. To me? To the klaxosaurs? No. You are something more valuable. The klaxosaurs would... give their lives to defend you.

Something in the girl's 'words' rubbed Zero Two the wrong way. Memories flashed in her eyes. This fallen race, they seemed almost...

"Why?"

The chuckle contained no mirth.

Isn't it obvious? You represent hope.

The answer disturbed her more than she cared to admit. But an invisible blast of wind nearly sent them tumbling, and her thoughts were lost to the howls. Darling took that moment to shout over the turbulence.

"Is the magma energy responsible for the weather, too?"

The girl winced, bracing against the gusts and powder.

Yes, as strange as it may seem. Though we never learned how or why, one of the first discoveries we made was the linking of the ground and climate. Removing the magma from a certain area also destabilizes the local weather patterns. It's unnatural and goes against science, but there is no other explanation. There could be blizzards here, searing deserts to our north and mild weather to our south, for example.

What the heck? Why was this planet so damn screwy?! And the snow was flying horizontally!

Pfffffthh!

Hnnnnnnn!

The storm is getting worse. We should leave. Go back to Strelizia then follow us, we'll lead you to our next destination.

A sound decision, mhm! Time to get out of here! But where was... "Heeeeeey! Streli-"

The ground shook. From within the white-out came a massive figure, almost invisible against the storm. It lowered itself and used its snow-covered arms to shield them from the furious winds.

Wait.

It was covered in snow! Had it been waiting for them all night?!

Strelizia shook its head to uncover its faceplate. Powder went everywhere.

...

Pfffffffthhhhh! Pfffffttthhh! "Darliiiiiiiing!"

He brushed the snow from her hair and shoulders. A gurgle of laughter died in his throat. It wasn't funny!

"C-C'mon," he stammered, biting his lip. "Let's get inside."

The two of them grabbed onto the waiting cables. As they were lifted out of the storm, Zero Two looked back down at the girl, whose form was shrouded by the blizzard. She moved away from them, probably to another waiting klaxosaur or something. Maybe one of those snakes they had seen yesterday?

We'll guide you out of the storm. Stay close!

The warm cabin greeted them, already prepared for their arrival. She slouched and stretched once the faceplate sealed itself, and her melodramatic exhale echoed off the walls.

"Finally, some privacy! That girl is so weird!"

I heard that.

Wha-! But... gah! "How?!"

We're still in range, little one. You should try whispering.

Again with that jab! Aaaargh! She clenched her teeth and fists and stared at nothing in particular.

"I'm bigger than you, damn it!"

Uh huh.

Darling braced against the wall, gasping for breath. He couldn't stop laughing.

She gave him the fiercest pout possible. "Darling! C'mon! Don't tell me you're taking her side!"

"I'm - I'm not! It's just funny! You two are like bickering s-sisters!"

Bickering s-sis-si-sissss-

"We are-"

-not sisters!

"Stop eavesdropping!"

It isn't eavesdropping if you're shouting.

"I'm not shouting!"

Are too.

"Am not!"

Are too.

"Am not!"

You definitely are, silly girl. Every klaxosaur around can probably sense your annoying chemicals. Oh, look. Here come some signals now. 'Tell her to be quiet,' and 'We're trying to concentrate,' and 'Wow, she's loud!'.

How could she get her to shut up - wait. A smug, sly grin spread her lips from ear to ear. That stupid girl hated it when...

Okay. Get it right! It would be good practice for the future, mhm! Now let's see, he liked it when she was a little assertive, so maybe... if she...

Zero Two slapped her cheeks to get in the zone. Take a breath, focus! Trying her best, she swung her hips a bit and slid up to darling, then threw her arms over his shoulders. "Oh daaaaaaaarling!"

"H-Huh?" He broke from his laughter-induced stupor quick enough to flash her a startled look. She licked her lips.

"Help me try on my new clothes?"

Then she tilted her head and waited.

...

No response!

"Yes!" she whisper-shouted.

To his credit, darling caught on to her plan just as quickly as she'd expected. He grinned. "You're such a troublemaker."

They had their privacy back! Her hands ran down to his chest and she pushed him up against the cockpit wall. "Nuh-uh! I'm your troublemaker!"

He opened his mouth to respond; she capitalized on the opportunity. They both sighed into the kiss, even as she held him in place.

"What did I do to deserve such a reward?"

Hmm? "Do you really want an answer? We'll be here for a while."

He barked out a laugh. Another opening!

...

Mmmm.

"But if you-" Mmm! "-must know, it's been hours since I last kissed you, and my quota needs to be filled!"

"But what about the..."

"Silly darling! That one doesn't count! It was a peck!"

That teasing look on his face told her all she needed to know. "So demanding."

Yes, yes she was! A girl had needs! And their bodies still weren't close enough for her liking. It would be rude to make a mess while inside Strelizia, so what other...

Aha!

Zero Two jumped on him - legs around his waist, arms around his neck. "Hold me! I'm cold!"

Darling's hands looped around her rear. Their new position gave him ample access to her throat and a shiver jolted down her spine. Yesss! Time for cuddles and kisses!

Her ocean twirled her around in some sort of makeshift dance. Where was he... ohhhh, to the stamen chair! That made sense, it wouldn't be as cold as the floor. Darling sandwiched her between his body and the seat's back. Electric heat pulsed across her torso, flowed to her fingers and toes.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're perfect?"

He already knew the answer to that question! "Just you. Only you. Reason number eight for why I love you, silly!"

His horns nudged hers. They weren't supposed to do that; neither of them cared. His scent... was that what that 'heaven' place smelled like?

"Then I'll say it again: you're perfect."

Like every time prior, Zero Two's heart somersaulted. The things he did to her! It never got old! With each passing day her love and adoration grew. With every second, minute and hour her addiction deepened. She knew she was blushing, but she couldn't help it!

She rested her forearms on his shoulders. There wasn't any need to support or stabilize herself - darling would never let her fall. Mint orbs traced his features. Every aspect of his face and body had long ago been memorized, but she still enjoyed looking. His horns, his eyes, his jawline.

His soul.

"You're perfect too."

A toothy grin, then the distance closed. Her eyes fluttered shut.

Mmmm.

If tendrils could show emotion, Strelizia's would be 'exasperation'. They withdrew into the pistil terminal with silent grace... and then the machine shut off the internal cameras.

The probability of this situation occurring upon successful retrieval had been calculated at ninety-eight-point-six-two percent.

Stupid Cores.

"How are you two feeling?"

Beta elbowed Gamma in the gut.

"I have no depth perception, idiot!" Delta snarled. "There's a huge blindspot in place of my right eye! How do you think I'm feeling?"

Alpha simmered. Their leader had been like this since they got back. "Eyes take longer to heal than arms."

None of them wanted to hear that. The words remained unspoken, but echoed through their minds all the same:

Unless you're Iota.

Theta winced at the soreness of both body and soul. The clone couldn't understand their older sister, their original. How could one fodder's influence run so deep, be so absolute? Was she brainwashed? Had that parasite done something to her? Drugged her? No, that wasn't it. Iota's behavior always conflicted with the group dynamics, even before that person got involved. She'd been hostile when they met, cold while they fought the monstrosities, a ghost in social interactions. Never ate with them. Never slept with them. Always went to that pointless tree when they returned to Garden for maintenance.

They tried to protect her, to coax her into playing by the rules at least somewhat, so they could all survive. They were family and family looked out for each other.

Iota didn't care. She was perfect and they were not. To her, they were worthless. Their eldest sister, the one they all looked up to, attacked and maimed Delta - all because the Nines wanted to bring him into the fold, deal with their troublemaking tendencies and start from scratch. Theta knew what Alpha's plan was. Things hadn't worked out like they'd hoped, and now they were stuck.

It was a mess. And everything was so sore. The shoulders were stiff, the chest pinched and hurt, the uniform suffocated and strangled. Was more maintenance required? The clone didn't know. Theta's legs were going to fall off any minute now, and it was annoying.

Beta pushed some food around on the plate. "So what's our next move, Alpha?"

"We can't resume the search until the M9s are repaired," their leader groused. "Damned vermin."

Epsilon stared at the table. "We should've been there."

Alpha waved the clone off. "They caught us off guard. We simply need to devise new tactics and identify possible weak points. We know they can be injured. If they can be injured, they can die."

Raising the fingers hurt, but Theta needed to contribute here. 'One we fought died, I think. Stopped moving.'

The blonde nodded. "I think so too, but we can't say for certain. There was no way to confirm."

A tap on the shoulder. Eta? 'You look terrible, Theta,' the clone signed underneath the table.

Theta felt terrible. 'Tired and sore.'

Zeta leaned over from the other side. 'Ask doctor?'

Funny joke. 'Doesn't care.'

Beeping from a communicator interrupted their conversation. Alpha spent a moment to read over the message. "Nines, it is time for the second part of maintenance." The clone met Theta's eyes. "Theta, you're dismissed. Return to the room and rest, I will reschedule your appointment for later."

But...

"Alpha's right," Gamma agreed. "You look like shit."

'Need help?' Eta asked.

The triplet stood with a shake of the head. Assistance was not required. Not for walking.

...

Or so Theta thought, but the clone found herself stumbling against a wall not five minutes after leaving the small cafeteria. She raced into a conveniently-located bathroom, tore the mask from her face and ejected the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

Wait, what?

Theta's body was on fire. A hot flash? Shaking hands felt around for the medical inhaler. Bleary eyes stared at the mute green text scrolling across a small, pager-like panel on the inside of the mask. The doctor had told them it would change, but only if...

GENETIC REPAIR: COMPLETE

RESULT: SUCCESS

She probed at her body and recoiled from the throbbing ache. Her heart pounded faster than she could breathe. Her head swung from the dizziness. A tongue licked at her lips. A voice? It was too hoarse, too loud. The world was too loud.

"Aaaahhh... ooowww..."

The cold sweat on her forehead triggered the gooseflesh. Garden's snow, down her spine. Her stomach twirled and leaped and flipped. It cartwheeled against her spine, invaded the ribcage and suffocated her lungs and oh Papa.

Theta tried to practice breathing.

It proved difficult.

On hands and knees she crawled to the sinks, gasping and shivering. Would the sink break from the pressure of her body weight? Hopefully not. A concussion wouldn't help the horrid headache pounding against her skull. Papa, Theta looked awful. Those bloodshot eyes, that ragged appearance, those... normal teeth? Her tongue ran over chapped lips.

"Aaaiiii..."

Ow. Ow. Ow.

"...aaaaaymmmm..."

She could feel her unused vocal cords stretching in her throat. No, no, keep it down this time, keep it down-

"Theeeeeyyy...taaaa..."

Eyes lowered from the mirror to the body. Her body.

Her legs shook and they couldn't stop.

Her.

She.

"...nd out fo...ha...ur..."

Hit...

"...he...pain?"

...byyyy...

"...ey...him sta...phine...gonna be out o...so...sure he doesn't...ckless."

...friggiiiiiin'...

"...nks a bu...nyo. I'll be careful."

...klaxoMiku?

His hand was warm. Miku's face... on a klaxosaur body?

Hehehehehe... klaxoMiku...

"Zorome... hey, Zoromeeeee..."

Why was everything... so damn briiiight?

"Uuuuuugh..."

He... died, right? Yeah he was totally super-duper dead. Like dead-dead. One level lower than "another snarky comment about Zero Two's body"-dead. So dead.

"Come on, you idiot. You can do it."

Wait holy shit hold on a minute if he was dead that meant Miku was dead because that was Miku's voice and oh fuck oh shit that wasn't okay he'd failed oh traitor-Papa-

"Nnnnnooooo!"

"It sucks, I get it. But we're alive you know."

But he was dead! A dead rock! A... tired... dead rock. His eyelids were so... damn... heaaaaaavy...

So... uuuuuughhhh...

Miku's bleary, unfocused head came into view. He blinked away the sleep and sore stiffness. Why was her arm in a... sling? They... inside? Throat... sore... where...

"...are... we..."

"Asphodel."

Aspho-huh? Zorome tried to voice his question, but all he managed was a weak groan.

Miku slouched in her seat next to his bed, exhausted. "A human city. The human city. We were rescued."

Huuuuuuuh? His drugged mind couldn't absorb the information. Shifting his body, he tried to lean up but-

Wait what.

Why couldn't - where - what was -

Beeping in the background fused itself to the panic searing every cell of his body. Miku was over him in an instant, squeezing his hand and trying to grab his attention. It didn't work.

"Zoro - h-hey, Zorome! Zorome, you're okay! Look at me! It's okay, it's-"

The emptiness clawed up his thighs, latched onto his brain like a parasitic disease. He couldn't move his knees. He couldn't roll his ankles or flex his toes or release the pressure what was happening where was what was how how how how wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong this was so wrong-

"Aaaah... aaaaaaaahh...!"

"Itan! Hold him down!"

Two people hovered over him. One grabbed his shoulders; the other fiddled with a bag visible in his periphery, connected to his arm by a long, thin tube. His horrified gaze shifted to Miku. She wouldn't let his hand go. Tears brimmed in her eyes.

"I'm here, Zorome, I'm here. You're okay. You're going to be okay."

Whatever the woman put in the bag calmed him, and Zorome felt his mind's frenzied chaos subside into a dull, throbbing sense of fatigue. Through his mental haze he glanced around the room. Who were these other people?

"Who... you..."

The two of them shared a look.

"I'm Inyo," spoke the woman.

"Itan," spoke the man.

Miku gave him a reassuring grin. "They're the ones who saved us. They pulled us out of Argentea."

Then... Argentea was... really...

The man slouched back into his chair by the door and ran a hand through his short, black hair. The deep stress lines along his forehead furrowed in concentration. "We had to cut you out. It wasn't pretty. Whatever you two got into, you're lucky to be alive. We've seen dead parasites in cleaner wrecks."

"You saved that girl's life," Inyo informed him. "The pistil terminal was buried under quite the pile of debris. I'm assuming you threw her to the side or something?"

He... couldn't remember. Everything was a blur and that whole day ran together.

"'unno..."

She sighed and shrugged. "Well, either way, it's a good thing I took up combat medicine. Nurses and doctors are busy, as usual, so they asked me to watch you for the time being."

He didn't remember swallowing to be so challenging. "How... bad..."

...

"I won't mince words with you, kid. You aren't going to walk again. You've lost your knees and below on both legs. We had to cauterize the damage on site to prevent you from bleeding out. It'll take a long time to get some sense of normality back. The scarring will be ugly."

The drugs kept him from panicking. He gulped down the air like his life depended on it.

Knocking reverberated from the door. It cracked open.

Oh. He was... hallucinating, too. Damn... drugsssss...

Seein'... friggin' dead people and shit... ugh...

Miku was... kinda pale, though? Maybe she needed to sleep too? He should... try and scoot over or something...

"H-Hey? I... uh... came as soon as I heard."

His partner shook her head, eyes wide as dinner plates. "We thought you were dead."

Naomi blinked owlishly. "Didn't... didn't Nana tell you guys I was in the hospital?"

Ohhhh, so she really waaaas alive... niiiice... ah jeez, why was Miku crying? Yeah, they'd been close but...

"Th-They did! But af... after everything that's happened, we... I just... th-thought it was... another lie!"

The poor girl stumbled in Naomi's direction, biting back sobs. Their long lost teammate caught her in a hug and together they collapsed to their knees, beaming from the joy of reunion.

"I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Miku!"

Itan's eyes narrowed in thought. Zorome's addled brain could almost picture the gears turning in the older man's head. He would've laughed if he wasn't so tired.

"Wait. Wait, hold on." He shifted an accusatory finger between the two parasites. "Their squad was the one you joined?"

Inyo jumped to her feet. "The thirteeners are the test squad?!"

What... the hell...? Why was she... so loooooouuud...

Naomi rolled her eyes, unphased by the outbursts. "You guys didn't know?"

"Hell no we didn't!" the woman barked. "We thought that plantation was a trojan horse! The thirteeners were supposed to be embedded plants! Why would the old fart keep all his eggs in one basket like that?! That's so risky!"

Itan rubbed his chin, nodding to himself. "That explains their Franxx's wreckage and their names, to be sure, but... putting Hachi in charge of the test squad? Isn't that a poor fit?"

Miku moaned. "I'm... so lost..."

Naomi patted her back, smiling in sympathy. "It's okay, it's a long story." The girl looked at the other two. "Hachi was the only coordinator the doctor could trust. You know how far back they go."

"Hachi's grudge rival's Sagi's in its intensity," Inyo agreed. "I can see why the doctor did it, even if the military strategy seems... needlessly dangerous."

What was... going oooooooooon... "Please... ex...plain..."

The two adults shared a look. Inyo shrugged. Itan sighed.

"If you're the test squad, that means you know who 016 is," the man noted. "Right?"

What... did that bastard... have to do... with... "Hi...ro..." he groaned out. "His... name..."

"Exactly. His name. He named you guys, right?"

Zorome managed a slight nod. Itan leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

"How did he come up with them? How did he create the names?"

...Huh? Too... tired... dunno...

Miku put the pieces together in his stead. "A book..." she breathed. "Hiro told us he used some sort of book."

"That book was a Japanese-English dictionary recovered from an apartment building located in the ruins of Japantown, a neighborhood in the Western Addition district of the abandoned city they used to call San Francisco. The city itself was built on the water's edge of the west coast of the country called America, a notoriously dry region, and as a result was one of the first cities to fall during the apocalypse."

The man rattled the information off with practiced grace. Zorome's head fizzled and steamed. "How... wha..."

"You gave the doctor that book, didn't you?" his partner whispered.

Inyo nodded. "And he gave it to 016. Our names are also Japanese."

...Japawha? "Wha'sa... Japo..."

"It's another country," Naomi explained. "Or, uh... was."

"Is that where we are?" Miku asked. "If your names come from there, then..."

Inyo barked out a laugh. "Trust me, if we were on that island we'd either have three arms or just be straight-up dead."

"Here, it'll be easier with a map. It was for us." Itan reached down to the backpack leaning against the leg of his chair and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. A stretched and faded circular design highlighted myriads of different names and shapes. Were... all of those... country-things?

The man pointed to a small red 'X', a custom addition to the map's black lines, located in the southwest territory of one of the states. "Asphodel is here."

Miku struggled to pronounce the name. "Jer... Gur..."

"Ger-ma-ny."

"Germany," she repeated.

"And Japan-" His finger moved quite a bit to the east, to a small island. "-is all the way over here."

"So... far..."

"Do people still live there?" Miku questioned.

Itan shook his head. "Even if the world was environmentally fine, no life would exist there. The island's basically a sheet of glass and it'll be that way for a few hundred years yet."

"Huh?"

"We won't bore you with the long version," Inyo explained with a sigh. "We don't know much about it ourselves. But the short of it is: the old countries quarreled. A lot. One of the longest-running feuds was between Japan and two other nearby countries called China and Korea." Itan gestured to the respective territories as the woman talked. "Japan had 'wronged' them in... some way, or something. So as the decline of civilization continued and international law broke down, the Chinese and Koreans used the opportunity to get, well, revenge."

Politics... were... so weird... "What... kinda..."

Naomi answered this time around. "Japan got nuked!"

Itan refolded the map, shaking his head in resignation. "Did a flyover once, couldn't land. Suit radiometers wouldn't stop freaking out. Irradiated hellhole."

Well... at least they... wouldn't get... cancer? Hehehehe...

A more important thought forced its way past his perpetual exhaustion. Voicing it was a struggle. "Where... squad..."

The two adults turned their focus to Naomi, who sighed and flashed Miku a sad grin. "You should probably sit for this."

Ah... craaaaaap...

He was thankful when Miku grabbed his hand once more. His fingers were getting chilly. Their squadmate spent a minute collecting her thoughts.

"From what I was told by Nana and the doctor, the others think you're dead."

Fu...toshi...

Miku frowned. "Why haven't they been updated?"

"It's been a long week for them. A few days after your mission at Plantation 26, Squad 13 was sent to Garden for maintenance. Things got... complicated. Hiro and Zero Two were pulled aside for some advanced procedure, something they took offense to." The poor girl rubbed the bridge of her nose. "It took four guards to hold him down, just barely. I helped them out a bit then escaped myself. The noises were..."

She suppressed a shudder.

What... the fuck. "They... escaped...?"

Naomi nodded. "With Strelizia, somehow. Don't ask me how that works, I haven't a damn clue. APE's been on a worldwide manhunt since and Papa is not happy. He's kept the rest of the squad locked up in Garden, slapped ankle trackers on them and everything. Wants them to help him find the missing lovebirds."

...No.

He grit his teeth, weakly squeezed his partner's hand.

His... squad. Not... okay...

"Get... them... out..."

Concern flashed across Naomi's face. "We tried, Zorome, seriously. But it's not that sim-"

"Say that again, little birdy."

Even in his drugged exhaustion, the rasp still sent chills down his spine. He knew that voice.

Inyo shot the newcomer a medic-patented glare. "The hell do you think you're doing, Sagi? Take the gear off! That's an infection risk!"

The man waved away her concern. "Kid's tougher than that." He approached the bed, crouching over Zorome's prone form. Miku scooted away, swallowing, and gripped his hand in a protective fashion.

His eyes squeezed shut. It was a mask. It was a mask. Not a demon. He wasn't a demon. A man in a helmet, a man in a mask.

He... could do this.

"Go on."

He escaped... before Hiro. He... beat him. He... wasn't... afraid.

"Say it again."

Zorome summoned all his courage, all the strength left in his frail, weak, legless form. Shaking, he shifted his head to the red glow. He struggled for breath and vainly tried to calm the pounding in his ears.

"Lis... listen. I know... I don't got... any right askin'... this of ya... but..."

The hollow breathing sent his head spinning. Licking at his parched lips, he tried again.

"Get - get them... out. Get my friends out."

"Is that a request or an order, little birdy?"

Which one... was it?

"An... order..."

Something in the red eyes shifted. Something changed.

"Understood."

The ghost stood, turned on his heel, marched for the door. "Itan, Inyo. Prep your gear, get the others. Rescue op."

Inyo chewed on a nail. "Oh boy. Here we go tempting death again."

Naomi released a high-pitched sputter and flew out of the room.

"Sagi! Sagi, you asshole! Get back here, damn it!"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

He kept walking, so she kept following. "You know what I'm doing."

"You're going to start a war, dumbass!"

Sagi whirled on her. "I have been fighting this war for nearly twenty years."

Naomi raised her hands in acquiscence. Okay, wrong choice of words. "You know what I mean."

"We're fine with it," he grunted. "All of us are. This is our battle, not yours. We don't need your support. You don't need to get involved."

"That's bullshit and you know it. You became a citizen of Asphodel the day the scavengers dragged the lot of you half-dead into the city. Think about where you are, Sagi. You're one of us. You're going to throw your damn life away." He was simmering underneath that helmet, she knew that. But he needed to hear this. "I don't care how skilled you are. Seven idiots can't take on all of Garden, even with your training!"

"So what do you suggest?"

She puffed out her chest and swallowed the lump in her throat. "Let me go with you. The mayor will have to commit if she knows I'm there."

The night vision goggles stared a hole in her head. "Are you fucking retarded?"

Aaaand she deflated. "How rude."

Sagi just shook his helmeted visage in disbelief. "Sam, there is zero chance I'm letting you come with us."

Come on! "They're my friends too, you know! They're my squadmates! I can hold my own, you know that!"

"It's not that, you idiot." He took a step forward and put his gloved hands on her shoulders. "What the hell am I supposed to tell your parents?"

Always her damn parents. Of course. She loosed a pain sigh and stared at his chest. "I can't just sit here, Sagi."

"And I can't bring you. I'm a dead man. I'm expendable. My squad is expendable. We aren't supposed to be alive." That was such bullshit! "I made peace with that fact a long time ago. Death doesn't scare me. Want to know what does scare me?"

"What?" she grouched.

"The look on your father's face when I tell him his little girl's been shot or worse."

Her head snapped up, eyes wide. A squeeze of her shoulders, then he released her and stepped back. "Your father's a good man, Sam. I respect him more than I respect life itself. He's done a lot for us, more than he ever needed to. I can't do that to him."

Unfair. This whole thing was so damn unfair! "So what the hell am I supposed to do?!"

The man turned and continued his trek into the city. Two kids her age, a boy and girl, nodded to each other and began approaching him.

"You're a falcon," he called back. "You're smart. You'll figure it out."

"They're becoming a problem."

John steepled his hands. Another outpost burned to the ground, this time in southwest Spain. He didn't bother looking at the casualty list.

"Becoming?" railed Tarsier. "They've been a problem for years at this point! That's the third outpost in the past two months alone! Nuisances! Mosquitoes that we can't swat!"

Marmoset voiced her agreement. "The council must act. We have sat on our hands for too long. Something must be done; we cannot let them destroy or seize any more resources. The raids are too costly."

"Asphodel continues to protect them. The mayor denies any such incidents," Gorilla noted. "She claims the raiders are unaffiliated, despite all information saying otherwise."

Tarsier slammed his tiny, childlike fists against the oversized seat. His feet squirmed and raged like a toddler having a tantrum. "Surely we must have some lead! Some traces we can follow! They have been active long enough!"

Lemur took that as his cue. "Should the council permit it, I believe we do have a relatively recent piece of information we can use to get our answers."

He wasn't aware of any such thing. Gabe had gone behind his back again, hadn't he? "Granted."

The councilman nodded and tapped a button on his chair. A hologram of an audio wavelength blurred into existence in the middle of the chamber.

"I was wondering when you'd show up. Find anything good?"

John glanced at the Vice-Chairman. "You didn't."

A chuckle was his reply. "You're welcome."

"Nines?"

"Yeah."

"Nothing much this time around. Didn't get a chance to go library diving. Mostly military bases. Took a trip over to..."

"WERNER!" Tarsier screeched. "That rat bastard! I KNEW IT!"

Could Tarsier just shut up for one second? He didn't need this headache.

"It took the analysts quite a while to clear up the signal and remove the mechanical distortions," Lemur continued. "But they insist the following is an accurate reconstruction of the man's actual voice."

Another button pushed, and the audio repeated, this time without the strange, hollow filter masking the man's words.

"Did you run the sample through our databases?" he questioned.

Lemur nodded. "We did. Though we cannot be perfectly confident in the result, the reconstruction matched the simulations of one child's voice, had that child grown to adulthood."

Baboon leaned forward in his seat. "Who?"

A single file replaced the audio hologram: an eight-year-old boy, pale and stoic and dressed in Garden's standard-issue apparel, listed as missing.

CODE: 961

"The voice sample syncs to this parasite's voice, aged to his late-20s," Lemur informed the council. "He was removed from Garden and dumped into the wastes almost two decades ago... along with over one hundred other failed children."

Something was wrong here.

Something was very, very wrong.

"How is he still alive?"

Lemur shook his head. "We do not know."

Time to get to the bottom of this. "Run a search on the ejected group. Look for any other children that were not confirmed dead."

The computer whirled and hummed. Long-dead kids appeared and then vanished, their data just as fleeting as their lives. Six more failed parasites displayed on the feed: three boys and three girls, for seven in total. Each had a code listing of over 900. They were the worst of the worst.

He stroked his masked chin. "Show me their scores."

In a word: pathetic.

Disposing of them had been the right choice, that much was certain. Such scores were unacceptable, shameful. Average parasites demonstrated better results at age six, let alone age eight. These children were utter failures, a monumental drain on resources. Franxx strategy, aim, connectivity, all downright abysmal.

Gorilla shared his thoughts. "...These are our raiders?"

"Impossible," scoffed Marmoset. "There must be some mistake. We should search for more leads."

An odd feeling stirred in John's gut. "No. Show the most recent raid."

A bunker complex, in the middle of the desert; the drone showed seven soldiers. Two were welding the door shut with some sort of old-fashioned, high-powered torches. Once done, they retreated from the entrance.

"There are seven," Gabe acknowledged.

...

"Pause playback."

Paused.

"Give me the autopsy reports of the other disposed children."

The information swirled, an organized typhoon of data points and analysis. Lemur read the findings aloud.

"First bodies recovered were intact and frozen. Later bodies were found naked. Children found further from Garden were..." Even he had to take a moment. "They found mostly bones. Little flesh."

"Resume playback."

Three other soldiers stepped forward, armed with what appeared to be molotov cocktails.

They were in contact with Werner. Plantation 13 currently sat just outside of-

Squad 13. The parasites.

"I want Garden secured. Now. Put all guards on high alert for the next week."

Gabe nodded. "And the Nines?"

"Give me their status."

"Only one M9 is currently operational," Baboon noted. "The others are undergoing repairs. Nine-Delta, Nine-Epsilon, Nine-Theta listed as injured. I recommend Nine-Epsilon and Nine-Theta remain behind to provide Franxx support. Pairing Nine-Delta with Nine-Alpha shows a theoretical three percent efficiency increase."

"Approved. Move the rest of the Nines to the Grand Crevasse FOB."

The APE soldiers crawled out of the burning building's windows. Fire licked at their uniforms.

They were gunned down with ruthless efficiency.

Seven failures.

Seven ghosts.

The Vice-Chairman folded his hands in his lap. "You think they have a grudge."

The presumed last APE rifleman to escape fell to the ground, weakly patting at his immolating body. One of the dead children approached, kicked the man onto his back.

An entire magazine's worth of ammunition was emptied into his gut.

Papa reclined in his chair, watching.

"Yes. I think they have a grudge."

"Sagi's gonna attack Garden and he's gonna get his squad killed because the doctor's an idiot and I wanna take the bird to help him and make sure no one dies!"

...

The woman lowered her pen to the desk and sighed. "Repeat what you just said, dear, but slowly this time."

Naomi shuffled in the chair and clenched her fists against her knees. "Sagi is going to attack Garden."

"Okay."

"He's going to get his squad killed."

"Alright."

"The doctor's an idiot."

"That's been well-established by this point."

"I wanna take the bird to make sure they don't die."

She sighed. Again. "I was hoping I misheard you."

This dumb lady! "Mom! This is serious! He's gonna start a war and-"

"Samantha."

Naomi clammed up, straightened her back.

The mayor gave her the exasperated 'mom-look'. The infamous one. "Breathe."

She took a deeeeep breath.

"Better?"

"No! Everything's shitty!"

"Language, young lady."

Argh!

"Now calm down and walk me through what's happened."

She knew the hand gestures were unneeded, but this was serious and her stupid mother wasn't suitably freaked out yet! How was she so calm?! "You know the two injured parasites who were brought here recently? Well, they're part of the doctor's test squad - the important one! - and the other squad members were sent to Garden for medical checkups and the two most important members decided they'd had enough so they escaped Garden and now Papa's pissed because they were important so he's locked the other members in Garden until he gets them back and now the doctor's pissed and everyone's pissed and the two injured parasites here just told the scavenger with the biggest grudge against APE in the freaking WORLD to go bust their teammates from Garden!"

Naomi gulped down air and threw her hands up. "And Sagi's actually gonna do it and one squad can't possibly take on Garden by themselves and Papa's gonna be mad at us because he knows they're from Asphodel and there's gonna be a war and we're all gonna DIE!"

The mayor pinched her brow. "...Are you done yet?"

She lowered her arms. "Eh. Yeah, kinda."

"Thank you, miss drama queen."

"I keep telling you this is serious!"

"You're right, this is serious," her mother agreed. "And serious problems require what, now?"

Ugh. "Logical answers," she droned.

"What happens if we rely too heavily on our emotions?"

A huff escaped her lips. Yeah, yeah. "Berlin happens."

"Right. So calm down and help me figure this out. You know Sagi and his squad better than I do. How is he going to get to Garden?"

Naomi stared at her lap, thinking it over. "...He'll call in his favor with the Wilsons, the maintainers for the dragoons."

The mayor cocked a neat eyebrow. "Their family council would never grant it. They're the original inheritors, the direct descendants of the engineers and the crewmen. They would be putting their entire legacy on the line for this."

"They have to," she countered. "They're honorbound."

A grunt of warning. "Be careful with such a statement, Sam. How so?"

"Sagi's team found a complete operational manual last year in old America. Intact, no damage or missing pages. An original."

It was her mother's turn to be surprised. "They what?"

A wry grin split her face from ear to ear. "They didn't tell you, did they?~" she sung. "The Wilsons covered it up so fast!"

The mayor drummed her fingers across the desk. "That changes things. They'll have to give Sagi everything he needs and their hands are tied. His squad is good. Losing them would hurt. Losing the dragoons would hurt more."

"Which is why you should let me use it!" she countered, leaning forward. "I can cover them!"

"Absolutely not! You know how important it is! The bird is a-"

"-cornerstone of our society and culture," she parroted. "I know, mom, jeez! You've drilled it into me since I was what? Six? I know already! But it's also our trump card! They won't even be looking for it!"

"Give me your phone. I need to have words with that man first."

Oh boy. Naomi pulled the satellite phone from the pocket of her cargo pants and slid it across the desk. Her mother swiveled the chair the chair one-eighty towards the back window while dialing the number they'd both, unfortunately, memorized. It ringed twice, then connected. She heard a muffled voice on the other end.

"Hello, Werner."

Stifling her laugh proved more challenging than sneaking into Garden. She could only imagine the look on the old man's face.

"Save the flatter, you know I'm married. What bullshit have you been feeding my daughter?"

"'Language, young lady'!" she snarked. Her mother flipped up a manicured finger.

"So I've heard. It's caused quite a stir over here and given me the mother of all stress headaches. Why weren't your parasites returned to the plantation?"

...

"Wow, Mr. Frank, I didn't know you cared. Yes, the doctors have been caring for them when they can. Forgive me if we prioritize our own. We don't have the leisure of choice in these parts. Does Sagi know about your... 'plan'?"

Naomi drummed her fingers on the desk, bored. Adult talk was lame. Politics, politics, yaddah yaddah!

"And what is your part in this, if you don't mind me asking?"

The doctor talked for a long time, and despite her best efforts, she couldn't make out his words. But judging from the pensive expression on her mother's face - the narrowing of her eyebrows, the way her eyes bore holes into the floorboards - it had to be important. Her reply wasn't what Naomi expected.

"You're sure about this?"

...

"What about Garden?"

His garbled reply came through the receiver short and swift. Her mother leaned forward, pensive. What were they talking about? Damn it, now she was curious!

"...I'm taking an awful big risk here, Werner."

...

"We will see about that. For once in my life, I hope you're right. Goodbye."

She terminated the connection a few seconds later and returned the phone. Naomi couldn't help herself. "Well?"

Her mother didn't respond, hadn't even heard her.

"Mom? Hello! Earth to mom!"

When she broke from her thoughts, she was all business. "Sagi's pilot, that woman. You know her?"

Eh? What did that have to do with anything? "K-Kinda? I mean, we're not best friends, but I've met her a few times. Why?"

"I'm making her your second."

...

It took her a moment to remove her jaw from the floor. "Y-You mean... I can..."

The older woman rubbed her face. "I hoped we'd never have to start it up again. I thought those days were past us. But if he's right about one half of what he just said, it has to be now. I only wish I was still the appointed rider... but rules are rules, and this is how it has to be."

Her voice came out in a hushed, reverent whisper. "I can ride the bird?"

"Yes, dear. You will ride the bird. After we discuss the details, you will get the helmet and tell your father."

Why were her legs shaking? Holy shit. Holy shit.

"And Samantha?"

She leaned against the back of the chair, every nerve on fire.

"Please, please, please be careful."

Everything has an origin story.

"I wasn't expecting you to vouch for them, Sagi."

"They made a convincing argument."

By the nature and decree of time itself, this is a law of the universe, by which everything abides.

Higosa gulped down her nerves. Kyuma bowed his head low, as did his squad.

"We are sorry for bothering you before the designated time, sir. I understand this goes against tradition."

The old soldier cracked a wry, grizzled grin. The other retiring scavengers watched in the background. "And yet you're here anyway. That takes guts, son. Care to tell us what this is about?"

"Our lives were saved by the sacrifice of two wounded parasites who now reside in the city. We recently learned that their squad is in danger. We must assist them, as honor dictates. We must repay the debt."

A graying eyebrow lurched skyward. "So you must. But what does this have to do with us? Do you ask us to intervene on your behalf?"

"We would ask no such thing, sir," Kyuma replied, the epitome of calm and poise. "Should we try to help them as we are, we would die. We are unprepared, and we are not trained to a satisfactory measure."

"I see. You wish to learn?"

Squad 26 straightened, as if they were a group of fresh-faced recruits. "We wish to learn."

The squad leader turned to his men. "Well?"

They whispered amongst themselves and glanced over the former parasites.

"We like 'em," one said at last.

"One last question then." The man approached Kyuma and held out the heavily-modified scavenger helmet, mask up. "You've already learned that each squad's gear hails from a different forebear. Where do we come from? Whose will do you inherit?"

Everything in the universe has an origin story, from the smallest atom to the largest galaxy. One single point on the timeline. One flake of snow, from which comes an avalanche.

"Sir, the squad of Sergeant Zachary T. Miller, formerly deployed to USAG Baumholder. 82nd Airborne Division, 18th Airborne Corps, United States Army."

That included the city of Asphodel.

"Dad! Daaaaaaaaad!"

They were called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Her father barely had enough time to wipe the vehicle oil from his hands. "Whoa! Slow down, princess! Where're you going? What's the rush?"

A military alliance formed from twenty-nine member countries.

Naomi pointed across the spacious garage, to a massive pair of weathered steel doors. "It's time. Mom says it's time!"

All of them starved.

The jovial grin fell from the man's sweat-streaked face. "How long do we have?"

The smartest of the civilians rushed to the military bases for security, organization and support.

"A week! It's happening in a week!"

They still starved.

"Stefan!" he bellowed. "Get the manual! And wash your fuckin' hands first!"

Out of options and with the chain of command murdered by chaos, most of the base's detachment staged a daring, desperate raid on the Berlin plantation. There was food there - food they needed.

"Dad! What can I do? Let me help!"

They were never heard from again.

"Got the helmet?"

But within that base lived a group of defectors.

The girl held up the stylized, decorated pilot's helmet, passed down through her family for generations. "Right here!"

Together with a ragtag band of like-minded civilians, they assembled an armored convoy and embarked on a harrowing exodus to one of the few untouched pieces of land remaining: the depths of the German Black Forest. Around them ended the world.

"Good. Go make sure it still works. Sync it with the controls. You know how it works!"

That convoy was guided - protected - by a single bird.

A few workers pushed the hangar doors open. Naomi rushed inside, unphased by the shrill screech. Before her slept the machine upon which their society was founded.

That bird's name was Apache.