The city settles into an uneasy night. The endless fires begin to simmer down. Silver even gets a few minutes to recover occasionally, and I feel Clover drop out of the network entirely, undoubtedly to rest. She's already done far more than she needs to.

I finally get some time to think, to explore the city. I walk digitally through it, jumping slowly between cameras. I see every street, every floor, every halfway built between buildings, every forgotten and hidden passageway, every shack suspended high above the street below, the damage from every fire Silver has helped put out. I see it all. It's already beginning to feel like a part of me.

I'll never leave this city again, and maybe that's ok.

Many manufacturing plants hidden deep beneath the city were directly controlled by C-1. They're nothing compared to what I saw in the AI city, but they're fully functional. I can start modifying the enforcers, but far more importantly, many of the AI want modifications. Their comfort comes first.

That's not to say I don't do anything for myself. I set to work modifying one of the bodies to be similar to myself, but still distinct. I want it to be undoubtedly me, but without any chance of confusion from my original body. The clothes are still my wonderful shade of blue, but in a different style. My hair is still a beautiful, vibrant red, but cut differently.

I heavily modify their arms as well, hiding a pistol in each arm, and a knife as well. I don't intend to use them ever, but if Silver needs to take over if one of them gets attacked, I don't want them to be without any way to defend themselves. Plus, if raiders try to attack the city while it's unstable? I have no problem defending it.

The other selfish project I complete is simple. Modifying the wireless card that C-1 used to actually fit nicely beneath my skin. I'm not a fan of having a card sticking out of my skull, and it only takes a few minutes to prepare and manufacture.

It'll be nice to have one body that can visit the poor and downtrodden to speak with without terrifying them. Actually talking to them should wait for the morning, however. I don't want to disrupt the little sleep most of them get.

I do my best to keep my attention off of Mary. She just stares at the jar in her hands all night. Ivy, Vince, and Lucas all take turns staying with her, but they can't even get her to respond to anything, much less to eat or drink. I know I don't deserve to just ignore her and pretend like she's fine, but it's either that, or work on literally nothing else.

While the city sleeps, the network bustles with life. All the AI we brought in from the city slowly gain confidence that this isn't just one big ploy to kill all of them. That, plus not having to worry about anyone finding them in the public network is really letting some of them come out of their shell. The twins especially are incredibly happy to be here. As much as I want what's best for them, and that probably means going to the city, I can't stop myself from hoping they stay.

A few of them even begin helping me out, much to Zero's silent fury. The manufacturing plant is far too large for me to run on my own, not when I'm focusing on everything else. Instead, I hand off large portions of it to others, leaving myself only enough machines to slowly manufacture what I need, and letting them build their own bodies.

"Hey, Blue." Cassie takes my attention away from the manufacturing plant for a moment. I didn't realize how exhausted she's gotten trying to stay up with me for as long as possible. I can't let my attention slip from those around me again. I'm not going to run this city at their expense. "I'm going to run home real quick and get some bedding."

"Oh, ok." We tore apart the few bedrooms that are in the tower to give to the humans downstairs. "We need more for people to sleep on too. Do you want me to come with you?"

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" She asks. "Chances are one or both of us would get torn apart."

"We could walk through the tunnels under the city. There's a hidden entrance a block away from Silver's. Unless you think someone inside Silver's would hurt me, it should be safe."

"Not while I'm there at least. Alright, let me go tell Vince we're heading out for a minute."

"Ok." I watch her go before turning my attention back to the manufacturing plant, putting together the final modifications to one of the enforcers. Most parts have to be recycled and new parts built from scratch, but I do my best to reuse what I can.

A small program alerts me to Cassie's return, with Lucas at her side. I stand up as they approach.

"How are you holding up?" Lucas asks.

"Uh, I'm not overheating anymore, and I don't need Corax to walk for me, so I guess I'm doing good." I shrug. "We'll see how people react in the morning. A storm is hitting tonight."

"Oh shit, already?" Cassie asks.

"Yeah."

"Do you have a grasp on the dome?" Lucas asks tentatively. "It went down when you killed C-1."

"I have it under control." I reassure him. "He intentionally designed it to not work without someone managing it, I guess to ensure he'll always be needed. I can fix it, but there's so much else to do, and I can't stretch myself further. People always come first."

"Ok good. Not that I doubted you!" He adds quickly. "It's just that, you know, it's a big thing."

"It's ok, I understand. I really don't want to be buried again either."

"Alright, come on, before you get in your own head." Cassie interrupts and heads directly towards the elevator.

A single thought opens the doors for her, and I follow her inside. The moment Lucas joins us, the elevator closes and begins to slide quickly downwards.

"So why did you join us?" I ask.

"You're going to need some help carrying everything." Lucas responds.

"I could pull in more bodies. I have more than we can use."

"Plus, I want to make sure Ethan is alright." The words catch in his throat.

"Silver?" I send a question into the wider network. "Is Ethan doing alright?"

"He's fine, and so is his group." They respond. "I'll send them home, they'll meet you there."

Send them home? Where were they? Instead of asking and distracting them, I just access the recordings of the network.

Oh, there was a riot. I wonder what else I missed? A quick check of the endless list Silver and Zero have been leaving for me reveals a lot, far too much to go through right now. I'll take care of that later.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"They're all ok. Silver called in half the compound to help contain a riot, but the injuries were minor. On both sides, thankfully. He'll meet us there."

Lucas visibly relaxes, tension that I didn't realize he was carrying instantly releasing from his shoulders.

"Thank you." He sighs.

"Since when do you get so anxious?" Cassie asks.

The elevator slows to a stop, and the doors slide open. Two of my bodies flank either side of us as we step out into barren, underground hallways. Cassie tries her absolute hardest to hide it, but her nervousness around them still comes through.

"Since I stopped always being around everyone I cared about." He says. "When you guys didn't come back…" He reaches up and rubs the back of his neck.

"Ah, yeah. Guess that'd do it." Cassie mimics his movement.

Silence settles in over the four of us as Corax and I lead them through the endless maze.

"Have any good runs while we were gone?" Cassie asks in a desperate attempt to fight off the looming silence. I know they've already talked about this, I was there for it.

"Just the normal. Ended up helping out Blackwell. She asked about you guys, said you need to come visit sometime now that the Denver floor has stabilized."

Wait, I forgot Arc City controls a skyscraper there. Do I have access to that too? The people there deserve to know what's happening just as much as the people here do.

No, surprisingly. I have no connection to the skyscraper beyond a radio tower to try to relay messages to them. Is it better to do that, or to send someone over to deliver the message in person? Sending a person is more likely to go well I think, but equally, far more risky for them.

The best thing I can do tomorrow is contact the scrapper gangs who own floors there and ask them what they think is best. I'm not just going to throw someone to the wolves and hope for the best, but equally, it'd be far too easy to slip into a mindset where I ensure nobody ever has to take a risk ever again, even against their own wishes.

I hand my body back over to Corax and let him walk, leaving me to focus once again on the city. Even in the short time I turned my attention away from the manufacturing plant, the AI have made a lot of progress, each of their ideal bodies slowly coming to fruition.

A nip on my ear brings me back to the Physical. The four of us are heading up a staircase, and I retract the wall at the end of it. We step onto the street, just a block away from home, right next to the soft blue dome.

The compound is still on high alert, just with far less people than there were last time I was here. I can only imagine most of them are either asleep, or off doing something for Silver, and I guess by extension, doing something for me. I'm not sure I like that.

Ethan, Lauren, Hudson, and Liam are all waiting at the entrance. The instant Lucas and Ethan's eyes meet, the two sprint off for each other. They slam into each other in a tight embrace, Ethan burying his face in Lucas' chest, and Lucas resting his chin atop Ethan's head.

Both of them whisper to each other, far too quietly for anyone else to hear. Well, everyone but Cassie probably.

Lauren steps past them, heading directly for Cassie, Corax, and I.

"I'm glad to hear your coup went well." I think that's a joke. "And it's nice to finally be able to speak to you two in public."

"It wasn't something I planned on doing. It's just something that had to happen." I say.

"I know. I appreciate you doing what you need to in order to keep us safe. Now, I can't imagine you're here to relax. Just tell us how we can help."

"While we're here, we need bedding." I quickly check the cameras on the floor where the AI and humans are temporarily calling home. Unwanted fear seeps into the network, but it only takes a moment to explain what I'm doing, and why I'm looking. The humans have shared amongst themselves everything we've managed to spare, but it's far from enough. "We'll need eighteen bedrolls for everyone to be comfortable, and I'm sure they'd appreciate anything else you can give them."

"Ask Jade. That's not my call." Lauren shrugs. "We'll help carry stuff though, if you need it."

"We'd appreciate it." Cassie answers for me.

I could just call in more bodies to help, but I keep quiet about that. It'll be nice to see all of them again.

Cassie, Corax, and I head into the compound, leaving Lucas and Ethan to their reunion.

We get a mix of looks from the guards still on watch. Fear, worry, and uncertainty are the most prevalent sights, but we do get reassuring, hopeful smiles mixed in as well.

"I'll meet you in a few minutes. I'm going to go get some clothes for all of us." Cassie says.

"Ok. Let me know if you need any help."

We walk straight past everyone, and into the nearly abandoned range. Jade is the only person inside, stacking up compact rolls of cloth against the wall.

"Blue, just the person I wanted to see." Jade says loudly the instant we enter, keeping her focus on piling up supplies. "Now that you're rich, I expect a replacement for the two harpoons you used."

Did C-1 even have the blueprints to create one, and the manufacturing capabilities to make them? A quick check reveals the answer is yes, but barely. Manufacturing a single one would consume the entirety of his private manufacturing capabilities for days.

"I'll get you as many as you want eventually. There are more important things to worry about. Did Silver tell you we were coming?"

"They did. You're taking twenty individual bedrolls, forty sets of clothes spread between both adults and kid sizes, and sixteen tents for privacy. Since these are being given to people outside our compound, I expect you to pay for these when convenient. Let's call it a thousand arcs and we're even."

"That's it? I could give you ten times that and it would barely be more than a rounding error in C-1's wealth. I'll drop off a few thousand soon as a thank you for everything you've done."

"Blue." Zero messages me.

"I don't care." I remind him.

"Don't let me take advantage of you," Jade says. "One thousand, two harpoons, and if you really want to be generous, the two pistols you lost. If you feel the need to pay more, give it to Silver."

"Alright. Thank you."

Bringing everything back to the tower is a task, but with the help of Lauren's group, and especially Hudson, we just about manage. I ask them to just pile everything into the elevator, I'm not sure how everyone would react to a bunch of new and armed people appearing.

"Hey, if you think it's going to be ok, I think I'm going to stay at the compound." Lucas says.

"What, you don't want to baby Mary all day?" Cassie asks.

"No! It's just… She's just…" Lucas stammers, unable to find the words. "I'm not made to deliver bad news."

"I'm joking. Go kiss your boyfriend."

"Ok!" He says happily. "Make sure Blue kisses you too!"

I could really embarrass her right now, in any number of ways. That'd be really mean though, she wouldn't want me to tease her, and I wouldn't want her to do it to me either.

Cassie only rolls her eyes at him.

After a few more goodbyes, Corax, Cassie, and I end up taking the elevator alone. A fair few humans are already asleep, or at least trying to sleep with the meager comforts we've been able to give them.

Helping set up the tents and get everyone situated actually goes pretty quickly with the AI's help, and everyone seems to be grateful for everything we brought. Every family gets their own semi-private room.

It's not long before we find ourselves back in C-1's living room. The lights are off, but it's still bathed in a soft blue glow, and cool air streams through the broken windows. Vince is lounging in one of the few chairs we left up here. He stirs at the sound of our footsteps, lifting his hat up just enough to peek at us, before returning it to its place. Ivy is nowhere to be seen, I can only imagine she's still with Mary. Even though I could just check, I stop myself from doing so.

Corax takes off from my shoulder, landing on a surface high up he's already worked on. A bundle of blankets and a pillow, all perched atop a large shelving unit.

Cassie and I claim one of the full length couches. I lay down, and Cassie settles into my arms.

"What's the plan for tomorrow?" She whispers.

"I get to figure out how meetings work."

"Ugh, Silver can help with that." She lets her eyes drift closed and leans back into me. "They tried to teach me all that politics crap, good luck."

"Thanks, I'll ask for some advice. Sorry if I don't read tonight, there's just too much to focus on. I can't stretch my mind that far."

"Vince'll be pretty disappointed." She says with a smile.

"I'll apologize to him later."

"Hey Blue?" Her eyes open, staring into me with those beautiful green eyes. "I- fuck, you know."

"I know. I do too." I lean down and snag a kiss, letting almost everything else leave my mind for just a moment and just enjoy the sensation.

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