Cassie and Corax aren't even close to done by the time Saccharine and Zenith arrive. The two quantums are pulling a cart with a small server strapped onto it behind them. Two humans flank each side of the cart. One of them has their pistol drawn and held at their side, the other only rests her hand on the grip. A quick check of C-1's memories reveals that they've helped care for these AI for years.

With the few gaps in my attention I can spare I move another body once again, heading towards the fridge and collecting food and water. I'll need to figure out what furniture I can spare for them too, but for now there are enough boxes that they can sit on.

The underground tunnels lead directly beneath the tower and have elevator access. Two bodies stand at the entrance, just in case. Both are fully armed, but I place their guns against the far wall. The last thing I want is for anyone to be worried or uncomfortable.

Two identical copies of my bodies come around the corner. Zenith is armed, but Sacharinne has just placed their weapon on the cart to make it easier to pull. The humans come into view just a moment later. My mind floods with pain and guilt. I hate seeing the fear in their eyes, these bodies need to change as soon as possible. How many years have they lived in fear of this exact moment? Of being discovered and executed by C-1, like so many others have been already?

"Did you have any problems?" I ask. Sure, I can just check the cameras and check, but I really want to avoid getting into that habit. I don't want the cameras in everyone's house in the first place, much less to use them.

"We got a cart!" Saccharine says happily.

"Sorry I didn't think to give you one. I'm not designed to handle this much information at once." I turn to the humans. "I'm sorry I have to use these bodies. I hate them just as much as you do, and I'll be changing them as soon as possible. If you head up, I'll talk to you through my actual body, I'd be much more comfortable that way."

"Before we go up, how do we know this isn't a trap?" One of the humans asks.

I remove all restrictions from both Saccharine and Zenith, giving them access to the entire city. Along with that, I send messages to Zero, Clover, and Silver, telling them not to worry. Thankfully, Zero doesn't say anything about me giving yet more people access, although I can feel his annoyance.

"Zenith, Saccharine, you both can check for yourself. Sorry I can't give you two direct access." I nod to the humans.

"It's safe." Zenith confirms after a detailed check of every camera. "Kismet wouldn't kill one of our own, but I appreciate the reassurance."

The four of them, and the two I already know are in the server on the cart, step into the open elevator. It's just barely big enough to fit all of them, and I close the door behind them.

I glance away to take care of another conversation, and by the time I return, the door is opening once again.

"Corax? Can I have my body back?" I stumble as it comes under my control suddenly, but remain on my feet. "Thank you."

I step towards the elevator just as they exit, and close the elevator behind them, sending it upstairs. Cassie puts down the box she was carrying and sits atop it. No matter how casual she's trying to look, I know she's ready for a fight.

"I'm sorry there's both too much stuff here, and not nearly enough." I say, glancing around at the endless piles of boxes. "If the AI who live in there want to help clear things out, I would appreciate it. I have bodies to spare. We can pull some of the furniture from upstairs for you in the meantime, and when I have time to think about it, I'll get some actual furniture purchased or manufactured. If you just give me a list and blueprints, feel free to modify this and the floor above however you want."

"We will!" Saccharine says, and helps pull the cart towards the nearest outlet. While they both work on unloading the cart, I use the chance to walk beside the humans.

"Thank you for keeping them safe." I nod to the server. "I'm just sorry I couldn't do anything before now."

"Let me just say in advance, you'll have to excuse us if we're doubtful of this whole thing." One of them says.

"I understand." I reassure him. "I'm sure I would feel the same in your situation. I just hope I can show you that I just want to help, or at least to help you get somewhere you can be comfortable if not."

"I hope that's true." He steps past me and over to the server, helping get everything set up.

The elevator opens once again, and I step out. Both humans tense up at the sight of yet another enforcer.

"If either of you are hungry, I brought food and water. If you need anything else, the kitchen on the top floor is fully stocked, feel free to take what you need. You're welcome to go upstairs whenever you want as well, but please stay quiet while you're up there. There's still something I need to take care of." I just can't let myself think about it for now. Maybe things will calm down tonight and I can have some time to think. The city has to sleep at some point, right?

I put the food down on a nearby box and hurry back into the elevator, sending the body back into storage.

"How many of those things do you have?"

It only takes a moment to check.

"Two hundred-ish. Silver has damaged a few and they need repairs. I'm not sure how functional they are right now, or if they should count."

"Silver is here?" The woman asks, her fear plainly in her voice.

"Kismet has vouched for them." Zenith says. "They're helping Blue keep the city together, nothing else. Another quantum, Clover, is watching over their every movement, and a software, Zero, is helping to ensure they don't overstep."

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"They're helping with any situations that potentially turn to violence." I explain further. "I know what they did during the war, and I know what work they did unknowingly for C-1, but I trust them absolutely. They shielded me from everything, and I'll make sure they do the same for everyone else from now on."

"Fuck, and you just didn't bother to tell us?" The man says.

"No, I chose not to tell you." Zenith says coldly.

"I lost friends to that butcher!"

"So did I." The room goes silent as the two of them stare daggers into each other. "Do you think I blindly trusted Blue? Trusted Zero? Trusted goddamned Silver? No, of course I didn't. But I trust Kismet, more than I trust myself. Petra and Terra trust Kismet just as much as I do. Plug them in and they'll tell you the same."

"And how can you know they're not just throwing us under a bus?" The woman asks.

"We both used to be them, before we budded." Saccharine gestures between Zenith and herself. "Even if it's been seventeen years, we still talk to them regularly. They've changed, but maliciousness isn't in our nature."

Zenith moves the last piece of hardware off the cart, completing the small pile against the wall. A few quick wires are all that need to be plugged in before a much thicker plug is inserted into the wall.

The machine's fans whirr to life, followed quickly by several screens flickering on.

"Did we make it?" A young child presses against the screen, pretending to peer out. Her blonde hair flows down her shoulders, blowing in some unseen wind. A small mole sits on the right side of her nose.

"Move it! Let me see!" A pair of small hands pushes the first girl out of the way, a nearly identical version replacing her just a moment later. Her mole is mirrored compared to her sister. "All I can see is a wall?"

"Yes girls, we made it!" The man glares at me out of the corner of his eye while he rushes forward. He snatches a forgotten camera off the ground and perches it atop the pile of electronics.

"Oh! Hi! You're Miss Blue, right?" The kid asks.

"Yeah, I'm Blue."

"My turn!" The other girl shoves the second out the way, taking her place. Both of them ignore the several other working monitors hooked up to the server. "Hi there! I'm Petra, 081720591314! And this is my younger sister! Terra!" She drags the second one back onto the screen.

2059? She's so young, less than a year old. A small ember of regret takes root in my mind, one I'm forced to root out immediately.

"By three seconds!" Terra argues.

"Uh-huh, and what's your designation?" Petra leans in closer, holding up her free hand between her and her sister. "The minute rolled over." She quietly giggles.

"Shut up!" Terra yells. "What about you?"

"Ah." Do I have to tell them? Can I handle that? If it sends me spiraling, the whole city might feel it. "I'm just Blue."

"But how old are you?" Petra asks.

"A little over forty."

"Bullshit!"

"Terra! Language!" The woman says gently, but firmly.

"Oh, right, sorry." She shrinks back a touch. "Bullcrap!"

"It's true. I was born right before the world ended, or maybe right when it started to end. I'm not sure exactly." Hopefully that's enough detail that they won't ask further questions. I can't go into further detail, not right now. "I'm technically C-1's older sister."

"Wait, so you're C-0?" Petra guesses. "I didn't know there were 0's!"

"No, I'm older than that." Fuck it. "I'm B-11, but I really don't like that name."

"Oh! That's ok!" Terra says quickly, shuffling in front of her sister. "We're really good at keeping secrets!"

"Thank you." That's a relief.

"Alright Blue, let's get back to work." Cassie hops off her crate and grabs another box.

"Right. Although, before I go, do you two want bodies? Or do you prefer to remain in the Digital? I have far more enforcers than I could ever use. Sorry they're so impersonal, but we can customize them later."

"Can we?" Terra excitedly asks the woman instead of me.

"Well that's not up to me, now is it?"

I pull two more bodies out of storage and walk them to the elevator, making sure to leave their weapons behind. The moment the elevator arrives, I step inside, send the elevator down, and relinquish control of them. I give the twins access to those two bodies just as the door opens once again. In addition, I open up a port, giving them access to the wider network the AI have set up, the same thing they had before they arrived.

"Woah!" Terra is the first to jump in, holding up a hand in front of her. "Mom! Dad! Look!"

"This is so cool!" Petra inhabits the other body only a moment later.

"If you end up leaving the city, don't worry. You can keep the bodies if you're attached to them, or where you're going can make you something completely custom. And C-1 had a manufacturing plant beneath the tower, feel free to use it to make modifications."

The dad's suspicions are far from gone, but he does give me a thankful smile.

Both of them step out of the elevator, and Cassie steps past them, placing her box down and grabbing another from the room.

I hand my body back to Corax, who grabs yet another box and joins Cassie in the elevator.

"Just let us know if you need anything." I say one last time.

"We will!" Saccharine says. "If you four are comfortable, we'll go collect the rest."

"And we'll keep an eye on the cameras while we're gone." Zenith adds.

Neither Petra nor Terra pay any attention. Both of them are thoroughly enraptured by their bodies.

"We'll be fine, thank you." The father says to Saccharine and Zenith, not to me.

"And look at that." Zero whispers in my ear. "You delegated power, and now they look to the quantums instead of you."

"That's fine, I don't care." I snap back. "I don't want absolute power. I don't want to be the only one people look towards. I want people to be happy and safe, that's all. I couldn't care less who does it, or who gets the credit."

The door closes, and the elevator begins to rise.

"What's wrong?" Cassie asks the moment we're alone.

"I don't know?"

"You just looked jealous for a moment."

No, no he can't be right. I didn't lie to Zero, I'm certain my words were true. I don't want to be here, I don't want to be the person who has to do this. He- pain blooms from my ear once again. Right, stop panicking. There's an obvious answer.

"I just never got to have a childhood. I got a week of having to be perfect or be reset, and then forty years of nothing."

Cassie snorts.

"You and me both. Plus Vince, Ivy, Lucas, hell, most people in the city." She lets herself lean to the side, resting her head on me. "Sure, most people don't have it as bad as you, but I don't even remember most of my childhood."

"At least we can give them a good one." I say.

"Mm-hmm." Cassie pushes herself off of me just as the door opens. "And before you say it again, no, I don't want a kid."

I smile and watch Corax follow her out.

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