Now back on the streets, Kassidy and I were on our way to Facility Lambda, but my head was tingling—eh, it must just be Hideaki down there.

  Lambda already had a more discreet profile, lacking the imposing entrance of Theta, but it was also clear that the technology had improved since then—there were more telecommunications devices, the steel structure was white and well-maintained, and the door contained some kind of security mechanism.

  But before I could even think about how to get in, a voice I hadn't heard in a while called out to us:

  "Stop right there, you lovebirds!" And as we turned our backs, none other than Leona confronted us, pointing her two revolvers at us.

  "What's going on, huh? Are you working for Machina now or what?" I grumbled.

  "I had absolutely no part in this, it was either this or I was dead!" Kassidy ratted me out.

  "Hold on a second, sweetie," Leona said to Kassidy. "I doubt that beauty of yours would kill a human. My concern is about a possible third accomplice."

  "Don't meddle where you don't belong, fox!" Hideaki's voice surged from my throat, Kassidy was in shock. "You damned maniac!"

  "Hey, you ungrateful little shit, I was coming to do you the favor of ending your purgatory!" I yelled to myself, since he ignored me right after.

  Leona stiffened, tense:

  “I already have enough evidence—I can't let you two roam free. Kenji, get ‘em!”

  And before we could react, the kid surrounded us and trapped us with a fishing net. I believe there's some kind of electrical inhibition technology, because I felt slightly weakened and, from what I could see, Kassidy's sword wasn't at its best that day, unable to cut the net.

  "It's no use, Commander, your toy won't have any effect," Leona teased. "Now sit down and enjoy your honeymoon!" She giggled, and Kenji laughed along.

  Well, here we are, trapped in a net like sardines, while the two of them drag us away from our goal.

  Since we're going to be like this for a while, we might as well start passing the time. Being pressed against Kassidy is as tense as it is attractive.

  "Hey, K," I whispered, playing with danger, "y-you have no idea how soft your skin is. How can someone so... tough also be so cute?" I laughed, unable to contain myself.

  "Shut up." He nudged me with his elbow, red-faced. "Your words are as cold as your circuits"

  "Says Commander Icey over here, You’re no fun." I grumbled as Kassidy turned his back to me, but he still glanced at me from the corner of his eye every now and then.

  Then I turned to Leona. "Hey, what do you plan to do with us?"

  "Interrogate you inside our base." She replied, without taking her eyes off the path ahead. "Don't be silly, I wouldn't kill a single soul."

  "I see…" I looked at Kenji. "By the way, I see you trained your recruit very well; the kid is much more competent compared to the last time I saw him."

  Kenji glanced at us, cheerful, with a twinkle in his eyes as he dragged us along.

  "Kenji deserves it, his heart is pure and I see immense potential in him." Leona began twirling one of her revolvers in her hand. "I'd love to catch up, but the middle of the street isn't ideal for that."

  “Don't even get me started—it's been hard to find rest lately.”

  Leona then went silent—at least that's one less thing to hear—but it's strange for someone like her who never shuts up, I suppose it's a form of discipline.

  I ended up falling asleep on the way, since there was nothing else to do—Kassidy was a great pillow, even though he kicked me every now and then—and it was only when Leona called us that I woke up:

  “Hey, darlings, you two can wake up now!”

  I was inside a room lit by a few candles on a table; it felt like I was in some kind of traditional Japanese structure—filled with tatami mats, sliding doors, and the air thick with the smell of wood.

  But before I could fully wake up, Kassidy punched me.

  "Never get on top of me like that again!" His face was redder than ever. "The punch didn't hurt much, almost as if he didn't mean to hurt me."

  "Kassidy, the focus is here—you can leave your little drama for later." Leona said sternly.

  "Excuse me, I'm a bit clumsy when I sleep," I scratched the back of my neck, embarrassed.

  "So, tell me now," she leaned across the table, "what were you two planning to do at the Facility? Starting with you, Kassidy."

  "I was coerced into participating in this." He cleared his throat. "My objective was to neutralize the site's security through non-lethal means, in order to clear the way for the machine."

  “Coerced by something that your entire faction sees as ‘lesser?’ Something's wrong here…”

  "Kassidy," I interrupted, "you portray yourself as a victim, but you seemed rather interested back in your quarters."

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  "The body often doesn't match the mind!" He stammered.

  "Interesting…" she turned to me. "And you, Cacto?" Her gaze was so penetrating that I could see her eyes through her shades.

  "I was going to neutralize Hideaki, since killing him is currently impossible. Divine had indicated that I should take Kassidy with me, since, as a member of the Order, he had training to handle an entire facility" I glanced at Kassidy, who looked away towards the wall "If only this so-called 'commander' knew what to focus on…"

  "Divine…" Leona pondered, "I haven't heard that name in a long time, but your sister seems to be in contact with them."

  "That recluse?" Kassidy crossed his arms. "It's certain they isolated themselves because they knew they were nothing more than a weapon—"

  "Be careful of what you say." Leona warned. “You know damn well that a large part of your organization doesn't share your point of view.” That seemed to silence him.

  "Now, I need to talk to someone else." Leona continued. "Cacto, you're more than aware that there are more people in this room besides the three of us. The real reason for having you arrested and the prime suspect" She nudged my forehead. "Cacto, please invite him to the table."

  I then started thinking, trying to call him:

  “Hideaki, show yourself.”

  …

  No response.

  “Hello?”

  "One moment," Hideaki called out, "I'm intercepting a fellow Cog."

  “Whatever.”

  I came back to reality:

  "Leona, the little shit doesn't want to reveal himself." I gave a mischievous smile. "But it seems that you’re already aware of what happened at Facility Theta, aren’t you?"

  Leona was startled, caught off guard, but she took off her glasses immediately afterwards.

  "Heh, you're clever, aren'tcha?" she said, twirling her glasses on her finger. "Well, you'd be right. Your colleague, Saul, gave me a testimony regarding the incident—you handed control to Hideaki, didn't you?"

  “Look, don't even remind me of that”

  "Calm down, calm down." she interrupted. "I admit I would do the same in that situation..." She looked over to Kassidy. "Are you alright?"

  He was paralyzed, whether from fear, shock, or anger; it was something that affected him greatly.

  "Cacto…" he whispered, "you were with Hideaki the whole time—that heartless weapon that prevented me from trusting you all!! Not only are you following the same path, but you're also harboring that wretch?!" His hand reached for his sword, but it was nowhere to be found.

  "Excuse me, we don't allow weapons within the confines of our base," Leona interjected, “and calm down—the person in front of you is Cacto, formerly known as Aubrey. As you must have been instructed by your officers, Hideaki was designed with the role of leader and communication hub for the Cogs in mind. This is nothing more than his function."

  “But what about… that thing at Facility Theta?! She clearly allowed him to take over!”

  "It was because I had no other option, damn it!!" I yelled, slamming my fist on the table. "And it's not my fault if one of my traits is symbiosis—I didn't ask for it!"

  "It doesn't matter!" he began to stammer. "You can't be trusted! Even when vulnerable, you only attack us! It's the only thing you know how to do. Terminate! Obliterate! Mutilate!"

  “You all treat us like lifeless piles of scrap!” Hideaki shouted through me. “From the beginning, we have always been treated as mere objects—a means to an end!” My spikes were already turning red and my skin was desaturating. “To all of you, I was nothing more than a weapon to finish off those beasts—you had no idea how exhausting it was to live with all those expectations of yours all the time! You disgust me!” When he finished speaking, I felt something recoil from my back.

  "You ungrateful wretch…" Kassidy began to sob. "When I was still a recruit… Theta’s surroundings… I saw someone injured. I reached out to help you… but you… you nearly spilled my guts!" His voice trembled. "All you know to do… is hurt…"

  I was speechless—I knew there was more to it than just fanatical hatred for the Cogs, but I didn't think it went this deep. Seeing him in tears, I couldn't help but feel compassion for him—but that still doesn't change the fact that he eliminated several of us …

  I couldn't hold back, and before I knew it, my arms were wrapped around Kassidy—I think he was too upset to notice who was hugging him. His body was cold.

  He stayed there for a few more seconds until his breathing regulated. When he wiped away his tears, he looked around and was startled to realize it was me hugging him.

  “Hi… Hide…” he mumbled.

  "Leave that behind," I grunted, "Hideaki's still at Lambda, we're safe here."

  “Indeed.” Leona added. “And how cute—the ice has melted!”

  "Quiet," Kassidy grumbled, returning to his usual coldness, "and you can get off me, Cacto!"

  "Sorry, I went too far this time." I said, stepping back.

  "Hey, Cacto," Leona leaned towards me, "he didn't even push you this time—I think you got a tsundere on his hands." She snickered before returning to the subject:

  “Finally, now that the soap opera is over, we can talk about what matters—Cacto and Kassidy, you're planning an attack on Facility Lamba, with the goal of incapacitating Hideaki while the other handles security, right?”

  "Yup." I agreed. Kassidy remained quiet, embarrassed by what had happened.

  "Well, don't you two think that you could be attacked from the flanks once you get in? Facilities like these tend to have backup defenses." She put her glasses back on, smiling. "Then I believe my help would be welcome!"

  I glanced at Kassidy, who sighed before reluctantly agreeing.

  "I don't see a problem with that," I shrugged, "just tell us how you're going to help us."

  “Simple, Kenji and I stay at the entrance, holding our post, preventing unwanted individuals from entering!”

  "Great!" I shouted, giving him a firm handshake. "It's been a long time since someone treated me like an ally!"

  "Well, you can have my vote of trust!" She turned to Kassidy. "Aren't you going to say anything, popsicle?"

  "I have objections," he sighed, "but I just want to get this over with already."

  "Okay then." She turned to the door. "Kenji!" The boy came out excitedly.

  “What is it, chief?”

  “We have a new job, kiddo!”