Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Al-an!” Robin screamed. The Alterra grunt’s foot dug into her back, pushing her down into the ground. “Let go of him!” she screamed again.

The alien either didn’t hear her in his defense or he chose not to respond. No time to know. He reared up on his back legs, striking one of the grunts in the head. A different grunt threw a rope that landed around Al-an’s neck. That was the last thing Robin saw before she was kicked in the head and everything went dark.

~~~

Harsh light pressed against Robin’s eyelids, waking her forcefully from what must have been just a bad dream. If she opened her eyes the harsh light would be the sun of some unfamiliar planet, Al-an would already be up working. They were still safe, still happy, still free from Alterra.

No. No point in denying reality. Robin finally opened her eyes and was greeted with the stark white walls of an Alterra holding cell. How they had found her and Al-an she would probably never know. The two had been out scrapping old supply caches for food and water for her when they were ambushed. Al-an made sure she could survive without much food, especially on a planet where the original inhabitants didn’t need to eat all that often.

As she sat up she noticed the pathetic loaf of bread and glass of water that had been set out on the shelf acting as a table. It, the metal chair, and a toilet were the only points of interest in the otherwise bare room. Robin stood slowly, testing her legs. Sore, but they worked. The bread was probably poisoned with something to make her talk. She couldn’t eat it. She’d live, she had just eaten before heading to the cache. Might as well at least sit down in the chair.

A few minutes passed in silence. Alterra would be in here soon enough questioning her about where she had been, how she had gotten the alien with her. She wouldn’t answer though, she’d never give anything up to them. If she could get out of here, she’d need a place to hide from them.

The door finally opened and a perfectly groomed man stepped in. He smiled maliciously at her from behind his clipboard. “Good morning, Ms. Ayou. I hope you slept well?” He greeted her, still smiling.

Robin stayed silent. Anything she said could be used against her. She glared at the man from her seat near the shelf. Her untouched bread stood between them.

“Not in the mood to talk? Well, that’s ok, we can work with that. You’ll be in the mood soon, won’t you?” the man asked innocently. His head even tilted just the right amount to piss Robin off. Still she said nothing.

The man asked questions that Robin largely ignored for somewhere around an hour. He finally ran out of questions and chose to sit for another thirty minutes in complete silence. Whether he was waiting for her to talk or what, Robin could only guess. At least this was easy to endure, whatever came next would be much, much worse.

Finally, the man left and Robin relaxed, just a bit. She couldn’t speak out loud in here, they might use audio of her. But maybe… she had a weak psychic link with Al-an. If she tried, maybe she could talk to him. He had described the original network as everyone being able to think at each other.

Robin sighed and closed her eyes. She tried to picture where Al-an might be, in hopes that it would help. He was probably in a room similar to this one. Probably either pacing or surrounded by scientists. Before, when he was in her head, all she had to do was think at the spot he occupied in her head and he would respond. It had better work now.

“Al-an,” she thought, concentrating on the tiny imagined version of him. “Can you hear me?

Robin didn’t have to wait long to hear back. “Yes. I am currently otherwise occupied. We can speak as soon as I am reasonably free, the alien replied.

So Robin waited. Silence filled the space with a stuffy, oppressive air. Somewhere, a camera was watching her, though she didn’t know from where. Her eyes scanned the room, searching for even the tiniest hole. If she could figure out where it was she might be able to hide from it, at least visually. There, in the ceiling. Great, no hiding then.

~~~

Humans need rest. Quite often, too as Al-an had quickly discovered in their time with Robin. Eventually, these humans would need rest too and they would leave them alone. Not without a good bit of prodding, it seemed. Their hands roamed their body, testing the strength of their flesh and holding or attaching various sensors to them.

Al-an remained entirely uncooperative throughout the ordeal. The humans learned fast and stopped asking questions after the alien calmly kicked one of them for a particularly invasive one. More scanners affixed to Al-an’s sides and they promptly shut off all sensory input and output for that particular area of their body. They took some joy from the angry chatter at that.

Being stuck, alone and aware for one thousand one hundred and seven years certainly felt like an eternity, not that they were counting. This was almost worse, especially after Robin’s distress call had come through. Wherever she was, it was most likely a situation similar to theirs. They tried to at least connect to her mind, to no avail. She was too far away.

Finally, the humans were leaving and Al-an was left alone. One last human attempted to ask more questions, pressing the Architect for answers. Still, they pretended not to understand the language.

“Where is your home planet located?” The human asked, tilting her head behind her clipboard.

Amusement flooded Al-an. Perhaps they should mess with her. Other humans were watching through the various cameras they could sense around them, but this would be funny. “It is located between here and the K69-420 galaxy. I hope this assists you,” they told her in their native language.

“So you do speak English? Why was the name of… why was K69-420 the only thing you said that I could understand?” the researcher asked.

If Al-an could have laughed they would. “Because I thought it was funny,” they informed her in English.

The human gave them a dumbfounded look and shook her head. She scribbled something on her clipboard, turned around, and walked out. Finally, some peace and quiet to speak with Robin. Al-an relaxed a bit and laid their lower body down onto the cold, white floor. May as well get comfortable while the humans rested.

“I am now available to speak,” they said into the Network. Hopefully Robin hadn’t also decided to rest.

“Al-an!” Robin exclaimed. “Are you ok? Did they hurt you?”

“I am uninjured, at least for now. Are you?” the Architect replied.

“I’m fine, all they did was question me. I’ll bet it’ll get more physical the longer I hold out on answering,” she told them.

“It looks as though the pain processors I gave you are going to be useful then.”

Robin didn’t respond. The two sat in mental silence at that. The reality that Robin was probably going to be tortured set in, and Al-an felt hot rage at the thought. There was no point in dwelling on the past, they knew that. But still, they should have been able to protect her. To at least keep her from being captured too. The Alterra humans had outnumbered and overwhelmed them. And now they were here. Waiting.

~~~

Three years. Three long, arduous, sweaty years. Sometimes Ryley wondered if it was worth it to survive after all when his punishment for living was cleaning some bullshit facility in asscrack nowhere, New York. The only perks were it being a night job, it got the phony “doctors” off his back, and it paid off his ridiculous debt.

And… he got to snoop through corporate offices. Ryley knew every secret Alterra tried to hide, at least about this facility. Things were so easily accessed and cameras didn’t extend into offices or 90% of the executives would be accused of murder already. As long as Ryley kept his jailbroken PDA a secret he could do basically whatever he wanted.

Today’s information was boring, mostly just financial stuff. None of that really mattered unless there was a satisfying dip in profits somewhere along the graphs. What really got Ryley interested was the arrival of two new prisoners. They got captured at some hidden Alterra supply cache tucked away in deep space. And they had been on 4546B.

This was the biggest break Ryley had ever found. Nobody on Earth understood what he went through. Hearing about the mission to the stupid planet after his return had just been insult to injury. They never asked him for help with the mission, he was still a nobody as far as Alterra was concerned. He knew someone would die eventually. And he was right. Alterra killed someone.

Whoever this Robin Ayou was, she was definitely going to be worth talking to. The data Ryley had downloaded didn’t have the access code to her door, but it did have which cell she was in. He was definitely going to visit her on his lunch tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Something was off about this planet. Even before Al-an landed, or said anything at all, something felt wrong. The alien gave no indication of whether or not there was anything going on as the ship disassembled and they were left standing on a platform together overlooking… whatever that had been before it was destroyed.

Several moments of silence passed as Robin stared up at Al-an. His colors were shifting around from green, to pink, to orange. Wind brushed past them, blowing through Robin’s ponytail and solidifying just how quiet the whole planet was.

“Al-an? Are you waiting for an answer…?” Robin finally asked. Her friend twitched at her words and looked down at her.

They stared at each other for a moment and Al-an’s lights slowly became dimmer until they were gone completely save for a faint pulsing white in his chest where his heart was. Robin hadn’t gotten used to what all of the colors meant yet but this couldn’t be good.

“Al-an?” she asked again, turning completely to face him.

“There are none left to give me one,” he replied.

His body crumpled to the ground as if simply saying that took all of the strength out of him. He was prepared to face anything, but Robin knew well that nothing could prepare someone for loss like this, especially not Al-an.

So Robin sat down with him, wrapping her arms around his upper torso as much as she could and pulling him into her. Holding him there.

~~~

Al-an was right, this pain processor thing he had installed in her body was becoming really useful. All day had been tests and poking at her. Medical torture. She hoped they didn’t notice the couple of extra organs she had picked up. That definitely wouldn’t end well. Would they cut her open and find out? Probably.

Robin’s only real fear was that they would inject her with something that would make her talk. God knew what kinds of things loyal scientists got up to when nobody was looking. Thankfully most of the needle poking was drawing blood.

“Hey Al?” Robin thought. He didn’t respond directly but she felt his attention turn to her. “My new organs won’t show anything in blood tests, right? They’re drawing a bunch of blood.

Al-an thought for a moment. “I do not believe they should, though if you have experienced pain they may discover the hormones blocking it in excess. There should not be any evidence of why, though,” he told her.

“Good, good. I’m worried if they do find out…” Robin trailed off, not ready to process that idea yet.

“We can hope that they will not discover our secret,” Al-an finished for her.

Four hours later and the scientists started talking about finishing up their work. The end of another day, then. Robin watched them clean up and then free her from her table, pulling her out the door by her arm, and handing her to some grunts to drag her back to the holding cell. Robin kept her eyes out, looking around for an exit somewhere, anywhere. A janitor pushed a broom along the hallway. Robin thought she saw him glance her way.

The grunt dragging her through the halls tossed Robin back into her cell. She sat down on the bed with a huff as he shut the door and walked off. Finally, peace and quiet to lay down and pretend this wasn’t happening. The human stretched out along her bed and closed her eyes. She probably wouldn’t get much sleep, especially not with how damn cold they kept it in here; that was fine. Resting was better than nothing.

A soft knock on the door startled Robin out of whatever light sleep she had fallen into. She opened one eye and checked the wall clock that someone had put in while she was gone. Midnight. Who the hell would even be here this late? Aside from the security guards that watched her.

Curiosity got the best of her. Robin stood, padding softly to the door. “Hello? Who’s there?” she called.

“Hi, I’m the janitor. I’m on my lunch break while the cameras are down. My name is Ryley,” a voice on the other side said.

“Oh I definitely believe that,” Robin replied, picking her words carefully. She couldn’t say anything that sounded like agreement in case he was wrong about the cameras. Wait, couldn’t Al-an sense them?

“Al-an can you sense the cameras?” she thought at him.

“I can,” he replied immediately. “I presume there is a reason you ask.”

Robin nodded, despite them not being able to see her. “Yeah. This guy talking to me through the door said they’re off. I don’t believe him.”

Al-an stayed quiet for a moment. “He is correct. Who is speaking with you?” he responded.

“Hey, did you hear me?” Ryley interrupted.

“Uh, no, sorry. I was confirming the cameras are actually off,” Robin said, crossing her arms.

Ryley laughed. “Yeah, fair. Don’t worry, I’ve got a hold on them and the guards won’t go back to their post for another hour and uh,” the janitor paused. “hour and thirteen minutes. I time them.”

“Oh,” Robin said. This was… weird for an Alterra employee. Who was talking to her at midnight through her door. Something felt off about this. Didn’t she know that name from somewhere?

“Robin?” Al-an’s voice came through her head again.

“Sorry, he asked me something. He said his name is Ryley, I’m going to try to find out more without revealing our whole life,” she told the alien.

“Anyway,” Ryley said after a moment. “I asked if you’re Robin Ayou.”

Oh good, Alterra was trying to get her to talk at night. “Who’s asking?” she said. He wasn’t getting jack shit out of her.

“I’m Ryley Robinson. You know, the only guy who survived the Aurora crash. They’ve got me doing janitor work here,” Ryley told her.

“I’m sure you are, and not just some plant they have to get me to talk,” Robin spat back at him. “The real Ryley is probably living high somewhere on Alterra’s dime.”

“Ok. I get you not believing me. I mean Alterra knows almost everything about me, it would be easy to fake being me. But I’ll prove it. I’m on a good lead to where your access code is kept. I think I’ll be able to get in in a couple of days,” he explained. “I’ll show you the scars from my infection.”

“And if you’re not who you say you are?” Robin asked.

“Then you can kill me or something. Just- I promise. I’ll prove my identity. And feed you clean food from my apartment,” Ryley replied.

Robin didn’t respond, but she slumped down next to the door. Al-an confirmed the cameras were off, there was no harm in at least staying with Ryley at her door. She could barely hear the sounds of him eating.

~~~

Of all of the torture Alterra was attempting to put them through, nothing compared to what Al-an’s mind came up with on its own. With nobody around and mostly radio silence from Robin, the Architect was left alone with their own thoughts for the most part. The last time she had made contact was two nights ago, when she told them about Ryley. Thinking alone like this would be fine normally, they supposed.

But they had no distraction, not even things from Earth to study. The room where the scientists kept them was devoid of anything of interest. Just four blank, white walls, a door, a light in the ceiling, and cameras keeping their sharp eyes on the alien.

First of all, this should have been preventable. They should have scanned the cache more thoroughly. If they had, they would have seen the Alterra ships on the other side of it. Or sensed the people waiting inside. Maybe if Al-an had disassembled the ship and taken their arms in, then they could have fought back more easily. Or given Robin something more to protect herself with. There were so many other ways the situation could have gone. If only they were more prepared. If only they knew what was waiting for them inside the facility out there.

And really, if they were indulging this route, why not be realistic? It was their fault Robin was even in that situation in the first place. Sure, she had chosen to leave with them. It made them feel… warm to think about. But if they hadn’t called for her help…

Heck, if they had been more prepared before, with the Sea Dragon eggs. The Sea Emperor was easy enough to contain, and that part of the experiment went peacefully for the most part. But the Dragon… If Al-an had planned for that, they wouldn’t be here right now. The human ship would never have crashed, the man Robin mentioned would never have told other humans about it. Robin’s sister wouldn’t have gone…

“Robin. I am sorry.”

Robin’s presence appeared on the Network. “What? Why?” she replied. “I swear if this is about us getting taken, I’m going to… do something as soon as I see you again,” she added after a pause. Her voice sounded foggy as if she had just been asleep.

“I believe it would be in my best interest not to continue my thought then,” Al-an thought quietly at her.

“Al…” Al-an felt her sigh. “There was no way either of us could have known. I know it sucks being alone and it’s all you can think about. Don’t worry, I’m thinking about it too. But it’s neither of our faults, and we’re never going to get out of here if we just sit and blame ourselves. Ok?”

She was right. Of course she was. They knew that. “I will do my best to stop thinking about it,” they finally told her.

“If it’s any comfort, maybe Ryley is actually who he claims to be. He said he’s trying to find access codes to my door. If he’s telling the truth… he might be our way out,” Robin told them.

“That is comforting to think about. I will keep it in mind,” Al-an replied after a moment. Hope. She was trying to instill hope in them. It was working.

~~~

Ryley’s government required weekend had been torture. The night he had talked to Robin he had kept up on his search for the code to get into her cell and he had found it! No way to let her know, of course, except just to wait. He hoped she wouldn’t be to angry that he hadn’t talked to her since the first time. If Alterra had their way he would be working seven days a week, but the higher government won on that matter. So here Ryley was, walking in to his Monday ready for… he guessed another boring night of cleaning.

The first half of his work day was a breeze. Cleaning blood off of an exam table; blood that he sorely hoped wasn’t Robin’s. It probably was. Sweeping the floors. Detailing the doors. Cleaning windows. All normal. No suspicions aroused here. The cell block and exam area was spotless by the time midnight rolled around.

Ryley clocked out for his lunch break, just like every day. He opened his PDA and the cameras were out, just like every day. He took control of them to keep them off, just like every day. Now off to Robin’s cell to see if the codes he found worked.

The first six didn’t. Robin must have heard the beeping coming from outside her door. Ryley heard footsteps from inside, but the woman didn’t say anything. Not yet. Another code, and still nothing. Ryley was running out of cell door codes. Why the hell did these idiots never label anything? He resisted the urge to punch the wall in frustration.

Finally, the light on the door turned green at the thirteenth code. 8460, that was her door code. Ryley filed that away for later, swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, and pushed the button on the door. It slid open with a whoosh, revealing Robin standing just inside.

She looked like hell. A bruise stood out on her cheek and her hair was a mess. Her clothing seemed unaffected aside from a good few bloody spots from injuries that probably hadn’t stopped bleeding by the time the Alterra idiots were done with her. But there she was, in the flesh. The only person to understand what Ryley went through.

It took a moment for him to realize he hadn’t said anything. “Uh,” he said, face warming.

“You said you would prove your identity. We’ll talk when you do,” Robin helped.

“Right, yeah,” Ryley replied, blushing more. “I mean you can see my face but uh, here. There’s more scars if I-” he cut himself off and unzipped his uniform.

Ryley shrugged the sleeves off of his uniform and thanked every god he could think of that he wore shirts under it. This would be really awkward if not. Ryley mentally shook those thoughts away and lifted the hem of his shirt, revealing heavily scarred midriff. Spots where the Kharaa had burst through his skin dotted him, most of them exaggerated by the fact that they itched incessantly when he was infected. A bigger scar ripped through his right side. The bottom of one of his top surgery scars showed as well, though Ryley tried not to be nervous about that. Better to get that part of him on the table now anyway.

Robin nodded, approving. “Alright, I’ll believe you now. I’ve seen an infected leviathan, I know what it… what it does to you,” she said quietly.

Ryley tucked his shirt back in and began pulling his uniform back on. “Yeah it’s… sure something to experience too,” he said, trying to laugh it off.

“Here,” he changed the subject, opening his bag and pulling out his lunch. “It’s not much since my food is rationed, but I brought you something.”

Robin smiled and took the small box Ryley offered. They sat down on the floor together inside her cell and began to eat. Today’s lunch consisted of a ham sandwich and apple juice. Not much but it could keep them both going. He also carried a water bottle, though that was mostly for himself, he didn’t know how Robin felt drinking from a stranger’s cup. He got unlimited water anyway.

“Hey, so, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what’s that big scar on your side from?” Robin finally asked as she finished her half of the sandwich.

“Oh, that one? You know what a Reaper Leviathan is?” Ryley asked in return.

“I’ve seen pictures, but never one up close. Too cold for them where I was.”

Ryley nodded. “Yeah, they’re all muscle, no fat at all. I got attacked by one early on in my uh, stay there. I was able to get to my seamoth but not before it got me here-” Ryley motioned to his side. “-and here.” he pointed to the only scar on his face that wasn’t from the bacteria. The Reaper’s talon had pierced all the way through his cheek. It was a miracle he didn’t starve to death waiting for the damn thing to heal.

“Jeez,” Robin laughed. “I’m kinda glad I never had to deal with them. You’re not bugged, right?”

“Nope,” Ryley replied. “I hacked my PDA so they can’t track what I do on it. Or bug me.”

“When I get my PDA back we’ll have to compare notes then,” she said, looking away into a blank corner of the room.

“Did Alterra take it?”

Robin shook her head. “No, I left it on Al-an’s ship, and he cloaked it with Architect technology so nobody could find it.”

“Oh, smart,” Ryley said thoughtfully. “Hey, speaking of Al-an.”

Robin looked back at her new companion. “What about them?”

“I can’t get to them yet but I do want to get you both out of here. I think over the next few nights we should try to brainstorm how to get to them,” Ryley explained.

“Don’t you clean the whole place?” Robin asked, tilting her head.

Shit, the hour and a half was running out. “I mean, yeah, but not the lab. The scientists clean that. And our time is basically up, I need to be in the offices by the time the cameras have to be on,” he said, standing up.

“You better go then,” Robin replied. She stood with him and shook his hand. “I don’t want my only hope of escape getting in trouble.”

Chapter Text

”Robin?” Al-an prompted as they approached her.

The human turned around. “Hey, Al! Need something?” she grinned at him.

“I have been taking inventory of your food and water supply. You are running out rather quickly and I am hesitant to make a return trip to 4546B,” they told her. It was hard to read her expression; they still had a lot to learn about human customs.

“Yeah…” she agreed after a moment. “Do you have any ideas?”

“I do, but I need your permission to do it,” Al-an said.

Robin raised an eyebrow and the alien’s chest felt a little tight. “Can I hear what you want to do first or are you trying to surprise me?” she asked, crossing her arms.

That was probably sarcasm. “Architects have an organ that allows us to gain nutrition without eating. I do not believe that it will work for you how it does for me, but I would like to try to integrate it into your vessel. I think it may keep us from needing to leave as often as we would now,” Al-an explained.

“So-” Robin shifted on her feet- “you’re going to do surgery on me?”

“That is my intention, yes,” they replied.

Robin laughed. “I think you’re the only person I’d ever trust to cut me open,” she said, still chuckling.

The Architect picked her up in their tractor beam, leaving her work behind. She could pick it up when they were done. They brought her to an exam table and laid her down. Shit, the anesthetic here wouldn’t work on her, or worse, would kill her. They would have to knock her out in a more… direct manner. One of their mechanical hands reformed into a mallet that they used to knock their companion on her head. Out like a light.

The operation went without a hitch, just as Al-an had planned. Now just to wait for her to wake up. They busied themself clearing the workspace and preparing Robin for regaining consciousness. She groaned quietly and the Architect was at her side in an instant. Their organic hands stroked at her hair as she opened her eyes and gazed up at them.

“Al? Did you do it? I don’t feel any different,” Robin mumbled.

“Well, the pain processors that I also gave you must be working. You will not feel as much pain if you fall,” Al-an explained. “We will have to see if you begin to feel hungry as time passes.”

Robin smiled up at them. “Thanks Al…” she mumbled before she stretched her neck out, pressing her head into their claw.

~~~

(A/N: This is a summary of the next two segments of this chapter, for those that don’t want to read explicit torture, but need the plot relevant things to understand Ryley’s segment.)

Robin is tortured for information again by Alterra personnel but she still refuses to talk. Two grunts beat her as punishment and drag her back to her cell. On the way she hears Al-an scream and becomes enraged, lashing out at the men carrying her. She’s able to knock one down before the other picks her up and throws her into her cell. She hits her head on the bed and passes out.

Al-an had been enduring tests where scientists affixed sensors to their body and used electrocution to test tactile sensitivity. Once the scientists reach Al-an’s chest they can no longer shut off the sensory input without risking stopping their heart. The sensors are placed on their face and they can’t shut that off, or they’ll be rendered blind. Finally, the scientists move the sensors to Al-an’s horns, which provide most of the sensory input to them. The shock sends them into a sensory overload. They are moved back to their cell and attempt to call out to Robin for help, but she doesn’t respond.

~~~

(A/N: TORTURE TW – BEGIN)

If Alterra thought this was going to make her talk, they were sorely mistaken. Who thinks waterboarding is going to affect someone who lived primarily in water for months on end? Sure, yeah, the feeling of drowning panicked Robin at first, even here when she definitely wasn’t in water. But it was easy to get used to after…

Robin barely had time to suck in a breath before her head was shoved under water again. At this point it would be easier to just drown her or test how long she can hold her breath. Because it’s definitely longer than what they’re going for.

The interrogator asked another question that she staunchly didn’t listen to. She wasn’t answering anyway. Another dunk. Ugh this was getting annoying really, really fast. Robin remembered reading somewhere that this would give her nightmares about drowning. As if she didn’t have them already.

Another ten dunks that still did nothing and the interrogator finally gave up. He shouted something Robin didn’t have time to hear and smacked her upside the head with his clipboard.

“Make her pay for the bullshit she’s putting me through!” the man yelled as he stormed out the door, which slammed behind him. Oh boy.

Robin braced herself as the grunts laid her out on the floor. She knew what was coming next. Sharp kicks to her ribs knocked the air out of her lungs. Robin groaned in pain. Her chest was still sore from everything else, dammit, and her pain processors were working, but when it was this constant it got hard to keep up with. She curled into a ball, hoping to deflect most of the damage.

One of the grunts ripped her arm from where she was holding it, jolting her shoulder but not quite breaking it. What he did break were her fingers. She tried to focus on anything else, but her processors were starting to fail and shit, it hurt. Finally, he let her go with three broken fingers. More kicks and other hits that she tried to block out came down on her like fire from heaven. Her chest burned, not just from trying to breathe.

Finally. Finally they gave up. Robin was lifted by her arm and dragged back across the hall. A horrific sound tore through the building, piercing directly into Robin’s chest. No. No no no no no. Panic flooded her system and she twisted around in the men’s grips. Blinded by rage, Robin ripped her arm free from one of them and swung at him. Her fist made hard, satisfying contact and he fell backwards.

The other grunt shouted something Robin didn’t have the mental capacity to hear. She turned on him and tried to punch him with her good hand. He ducked under her arm and grabbed her, hoisting her up and carrying her fully now. Robin struggled, screaming and kicking at the man. She tried to connect with Al-an, just to see if he was at least ok. She needed to help him. Horrible pain burst into her head as she connected, forcing her back into her own mind. She found herself still struggling. Good, she needed to get to Al-an. She needed to help him.

The grunt had other ideas. Robin had plenty of experience falling off of things and diving. She knew the sick feeling in her stomach before she even had time to process that he had thrown her into her cell until her head hit the edge of her bed and everything went dark. Al-an would have to wait.

~~~

The scientists were becoming more and more invasive. Al-an watched as they affixed sensors to their tail. The humans discussed their plans to test the alien’s sensory sensitivity as they worked. Oh, wonderful. The scientists walked away, to a computer terminal where they typed away at it. Al-an hadn’t been able to connect with the computers here, so they had no idea what the humans were planning over there. No matter, they still needed to shut off sensory input to their tail. Better to focus on that.

Sure enough, just as their tail went dark, they took note of an electric signal attacking the now dead body part. If the Architect’s suspicions were correct this was going to be very, very bad for them. Very, very soon. They had half a mind to ask Robin for help but she was most likely going through something terrible of her own, and they could no longer feel her over the Network.

The scientists moved the sensors up Al-an’s back and repeated the process. Each time Al-an shut off the particular portion of their body being affected. They moved up their entire back and started on their belly. Al-an remained uncooperative but nervous energy began to course through them. The sensors were approaching their chest.

One of the scientists moved the first sensors, pressing them into the bottom of Al-an’s rib cage. There were seven in total, all being affixed directly on a spot that Al-an had no way to turn off. Their heart was in there and if they shut it off… there was no telling if they would be able to start it again. They would have to grin and bear it, despite not having a mouth with which to grin.

The scientist retreated, which was definitely a good idea. Al-an had half a mind to attempt to break the bindings holding them in place just to kick these humans. Though would showing that they were strong enough to break the bind-

Electricity coursing through their chest interrupted their thoughts of escape. It traveled through their veins and spread through their chest, forcing a noise out of them. Pain was not something they experienced often. The scientists chatted together for a moment, too quiet for Al-an’s pain riddled mind to comprehend.

The same scientist jogged back over to the alien and stepped up onto a platform, bringing him to Al-an’s face level. This was… uncomfortable to say the least. Nobody was allowed this close to them unless they chose so. And they did not choose this. Al-an’s hooves scraped against the floor as they struggled against the bindings. Two sensors attached to their neck. Five to their face. If they turned that off it would leave them mostly blind. Taking a shock was better than not being able to see when it came.

They watched the scientist retreat. Fear replaced the nervous energy as they struggled more. The same sharp shock came as soon as the scientist was a safe distance away. It pushed all thought from Al-an’s brain and forced them to attempt to at least mitigate the pain. This was bad. Alterra knew where their weak spots were now.

The scientist returned to the platform and began moving the sensors. Al-an flinched at the rough contact to their horns. Oh, no. Their horns were the most sensitive spot on their body, providing most of the outside sensory input to be processed. Sound, smell, atmospheric pressure. Anything an Architect might need to know about their environment. If pain was inflicted… Al-an had never seen anyone take this sort of punishment in their long life. Not even the incident back home stood up to this sort of treatment.

With the sensors affixed the scientist retreated again. Al-an’s fear turned to terror. If this knocked them out who knew what the scientists would do with their body. If it didn’t, how long would they be able to stay upright? There was no way they would be able to handle this sort of sensory overload.

It was a lot. A lot more than they had been expecting. They heard themself scream, adding onto the cacophony of input on them. The pain of it was so harsh they weren’t even certain they were feeling it anymore. Their muscles constricted as they tried to curl up, tried to stay conscious. Tried anything. They needed Robin.

By the time Al-an could focus enough to try to contact her, they were already in their holding cell again. “Robin. Help. Please.” was all they could bring themself to say. Al-an’s brain was foggy and it was hard to think. They could not even begin to process feelings, not alone. Robin had to help. She always did. Why wasn’t she responding?

They tried to hold on. Tried to stay awake. It was becoming too much. Too much to see, or think. Or exist, really. The scientists were gone, Robin was either asleep or ignoring them. The only option left was the go into a shutdown for a few hours.

~~~

(A/N: TORTURE TW – END)

Ryley was quiet as he opened the door to Robin’s cell. He had heard what he could only describe as a mechanical scream echo through the building earlier. He just had to wonder what they had done to Al-an, and how Robin was doing. There was no way she didn’t hear it too.

The janitor expected her to be standing there, waiting for him. Instead she was sprawled on the floor, body twisted as if she had been thrown here and left to wake up. Ryley rushed inside and rolled her over, inspecting her head. A bruise had formed where she had probably hit it on the bed. Robin wouldn’t do this on purpose, right? Especially not with the broken fingers he soon discovered. She would set those first.

“Robin,” Ryley said quietly, shaking her shoulder. “Robin you need to wake up. Come on, please w-”

Robin groaned, interrupting Ryley’s sentence. Her eyes opened for a moment, only to close again at the bright light. Ryley shifted so he was kneeling over her rather than holding her. Her good hand came up to her head as she whined, rolling onto her side.

“Robin? How does your head feel?” Ryley whispered. She probably had a concussion from the size of the bruise, it would most likely be best to keep quiet for now.

“Hold- hold on. SOS in- in my head. Need to-” Robin cut herself off and squeezed her eyes shut.

Ryley waited impatiently while she concentrated. A moment passed and she struggled to sit up. “Al-an he’s not- not responding. I need-”

“Robin. Whatever Alterra did, Al-an is probably resting,” Ryley reassured the prisoner.

“He doesn’t need sleep, something happened I need to see him!” Robin was struggling to stand now. Ryley did his best to hold her down, and fortunately for him she seemed to be sore from the beating the company had dished on her.

“What about you? Are you in any state to break him out? I still don’t even know how to get over there without getting caught yet!” Ryley said at a normal volume. Robin winced and guilt pooled in Ryley’s chest. “You had an idea but I didn’t have time to hear you out then. You can tell me while I help you set your fingers,” he added more quietly.

Robin nodded reluctantly and held out her broken hand. Thankfully most of the breaks didn’t look too bad, nothing that Ryley had never taken care of on himself. He thought back to the first time breaking an outcropping for titanium. His last hit on the rock struck at just the right angle to break his first finger. That had been his first time setting a bone. He was pretty good at it now, or all of her fingers would end up a little bit crooked like his.

Robin leaned over and pulled bits off of her bed. She must have been scrapping it in secret to set other things. Ryley sighed at the thought as he pulled on her forefinger. She winced and offered the materials, which Ryley took and set down next to himself.

“So, do you remember what your idea was?” he asked.

“Ow. Yeah. I overheard the scientists complaining that- shit- the offices are cleaned by someone else but they have to do their own work. Ow. I’m thinking if you say you overheard that, and ask your boss for extra duties, you could get over- FUCK- over there,” Robin told him. Her last sentence was punctuated by a crack as Ryley pulled on one of her fingers. He winced at the sound.

“Might work. I’ll see my boss in the morning, I can ask her then. I’ll probably have to spend lunches looking for Al-an, but I’ll try to stop by and see you if I have time,” Ryley agreed. He bound her pinkie as he spoke.

“That’s fine, I’d rather know he’s safe than-” Robin’s eyes went distant.

“Robin?” Ryley asked. Nervousness joined the guilt in his stomach.

Several minutes passed. Ryley checked his PDA. Good, he still had a long while. He grabbed his bag and pulled his water bottle from it. This was bad. He still needed to ground Robin. The concussion must be worse than he originally thought. He slipped the cold bottle into her hands, making her jump, but she still stayed dissociated. Fuck.

Another few moments passed; Robin’s eyes finally came back into focus. “Sorry. You were right,” she told Ryley.

“About what?” he asked, tilting his head and pulling out his sandwich.

“Al-an. He was resting after… Alterra was testing his sensory sensitivity,” Robin said. “It overloaded him. The SOS to me was an accident because I was unconscious.”

Ryley sighed. “At least we know they’re ok,” he encouraged.

“Yeah. I just… God I want to- I want to find whoever was behind that and do something similar,” Robin said. Her voice was low. Angry.

“I’d feel the same if it was me,” Ryley replied. “I’ll get you both out of here and maybe we can enact some revenge.”

Chapter Text

”There are many benefits to being- AAAH!”

Sharp pain in their left horn brought Al-an to a screeching halt. They felt their legs buckle and the cold floor rushed up to meet their lower body. The cool metal sent ice into their veins and spreading along their skin. The air around them felt like it was pressing in, shoving more sensory input into their overloaded senses. This feeling was new, and it was bad.

“Al-an? Are you ok? What happened?” Robin’s voice came to them too loud. She reached out toward them. Too close.

“Too close. Do not touch me,” the Architect instructed her firmly.

“O-ok,” Robin replied, backing off. “Can I help you?” Her voice, which normally calmed Al-an, and it still did now, was grating on their sensors all of a sudden.

Al-an’s own voice came out far quieter than even they expected. “I need- quiet. Please. Pain.”

Robin sat down next to them at that. She made herself busy picking at a loose seam on her wetsuit. Al-an took that opportunity to gather themself and their thoughts. It took a few moments, but they finally succeeded. Their body slowly calmed itself and the pain pulsing out from their head faded. The overwhelming flood of sensory information quieted, leaving them feeling… tired and still a bit sensitive but normal.

“I am sorry for this,” Al-an finally said. Their voice stayed quiet for fear of accidentally causing another overload.

“Hey, it’s ok. It looks like you hit your head pretty hard there,” Robin replied, shifting to face them fully.

“My horns are my main sensory input. I am able to sense almost everything in the atmosphere.” Al-an explained. “Touch is not something my people deem… unnecessary, so tactile stimulation to our horns was never experimented with.”

“And hitting them on something must hurt a lot,” Robin concluded, nodding.

“That is correct. I will need to experiment with this further in the future,” Al-an said.

~~~

Ryley arrived right on time as usual. Ever since her outburst, Robin had been left completely alone. The door slid open to reveal the grinning man, holding an apple juice out. Robin chuckled and sat up, swinging her feet over the edge of her bed. She winced at her still healing ribs.

“Bring me anything else?” she asked as he stepped into the room.

Ryley laughed. “It’s turkey this time,” he offered. “They even gave me provolone!”

“Oh, what a luxury, and just in time for me to get hungry, too! I appreciate the share, though,” Robin replied, laughing with him.

Ryley opened his bag and offered her half of the sandwich. He joined her on the bed as she took her first bite. Alterra hadn’t been giving her food, though she wasn’t sure if that was because she wouldn’t eat theirs or if it was an attempt to starve her. Ryley certainly provided enough sustenance to keep the woman going, so it really didn’t matter.

“Hey, so my boss finally got back to me,” Ryley started between bites.

“Took em long enough…” Robin grumbled. She had kept in contact with Al-an, obviously, but it would be nice to know for sure he was ok physically.

“Yeah, I’ll be getting in tonight. I’ll look around as much as I can but…” Ryley replied, looking away. He continued when Robin tilted her head to one side. “I’ll have to do most of my searching during my lunches.”

“We’ll have more than an hour and a half at a time to spend together the faster you get us out,” Robin said, chuckling. “Besides, I can forgo eating if it means I don’t have to eat another shitty ham sandwich again. No offense, of course.”

Ryley doubled over laughing. “Yeah, that sounds fair,” he confirmed, still giggling.

“As soon as I can find the code to their door we can start formulating how to get out,” the ex-engineer continued as soon as he was calm. “I’ll have to memorize the layout of the lab, I’ve never been in there.”

“I can’t really give you many hints. All I’ve seen is the few rooms I’ve been in. I have no idea how much they do here,” Robin replied.

“Yeah I- I get it. I’ll take care of the route, we just need to… coordinate I guess,” Ryley concluded. One thing at a time here.

~~~

“Ryley will be in your area tonight,” Robin thought into Al-an’s mind.

“He has gained access?” the architect asked. That was excellent news for everyone. The days had been dragging by, marked by pain and suffering that Al-an tried to forget for the most part.

“He just left from eating with me,” Robin confirmed.

“I am glad he can provide nutrients for you,” Al-an commented. They may as well keep her company until they needed to focus on listening for Ryley.

“I’m just grateful I don’t have to eat that often. If he comes back with us, it would probably be a good idea to give him the same modifications you did for me,” Robin replied.

Al-an shifted into a more comfortable position. “Do you want him to come with us?” they asked carefully.

“We could use someone with his experience,” the human observed. “I mean, he’s planning our escape, the least we can do is give him a home after the fact.”

The sound of footsteps alerted Al-an to the presence of a human inside the lab. Whoever it was had to be close to the Architect’s cell. They could only hear a fairly short range around the building before walls and doors obstructed the sound waves too much for the alien’s sensors to pick up on. The footsteps grew closer and Al-an pushed their conversation with Robin to the back burner after alerting her of the development.

A swishing sound accompanied the footsteps now, indicating someone just outside the door. Now how to alert this human that someone was caged in here…? It barely took a second for Al-an to decide. They turned around, back to the door, and kicked it. Hard.

The ensuing yelp and clatter of the cleaning device he was using falling to the floor delighted the Architect. The human outside the door panted for a moment, probably leaning against something like Robin did when she became overexerted.

“I assume you’re Al-an?” the human asked after another moment.

“And I can assume that you are Ryley,” Al-an replied. Since they were stating the obvious, of course.

Ryley shuffled outside the door. “How did you know that?” he asked.

“Robin warned me that you would be entering this area. You have now been alerted to my location, have you not?” Al-an replied, warm energy washing through them.

“Yeah,” Ryley laughed. “That does speed things up. I can’t look for any information while the cameras are on, but I’ll be around looking through things. Robin and I are working on a plan to escape.”

“I look forward to hearing your plans. Robin will keep me updated,” Al-an told the human.

“Good,” Ryley replied. “I can’t stay here longer, they might get suspicious that I’ve been standing still too long. I’ll be around.”

~~~

Public transport didn’t run all the way out to the facility. Ryley didn’t have a car. Times like this, when heavy clouds threatened to dump their contents on poor, lonely workers walking home early in the morning, Ryley hated everything around him. Except this morning. Now it gave him an idea. Trees passed him by as he turned it around in his head.

He would need to watch the forecast, but as soon as there was a stormy night they could go. The cover of the darkness the clouds would provide could keep them from anyone who might spot them from the air or ground. It might not get them all the way to safety, but it could get them away from Alterra for a while.

But then what after that? Where would they even go? An alien like Al-an on earth was a dangerous idea. Plus they would be wanted. Even if they could escape earth, where would Ryley go? He didn’t have anywhere to go besides the apartment he was approaching too quickly for his liking. He had no idea how to ask if he could go to space with them.

They seemed to have a dynamic going and Ryley really didn’t want to step in the middle of that. Though, to be fair, he did seem to get along well with Robin. Maybe she would ask him? How would they even bring it up, anyway? And how would Al-an feel about it?

These thoughts plagued Ryley as he entered the apartment and flopped down on the shitty bed provided by Alterra. The mattress wasn’t comfortable in the slightest but the exhaustion of the manual labor he was forced into pushed him into sleep.

Ryley’s dreams were plagued with everything that could go wrong with his heist. Every turn was met with another gun pointed in his face, or Robin screaming for help. Even Al-an cried for help from somewhere in the never-ending facility. Their screams echoed the plain, white walls, pressing in on Ryley. Pushing him onto his knees and eventually onto the floor-

-where he woke up. His uniform that he had fallen asleep with was soaked in sweat and the clock on the wall read 10:26 am. Ryley stripped everything but his shirt off and collapsed into his bed again. At least it hadn’t been another drowning nightmare for once.

Chapter Text

Even with Robin’s new organs, she still used up supplies, and despite having brought a lot over from 4546B, she was still running low on food. She really didn’t want to have to go back to the damn planet, she had spent long enough there. Coming here was supposed to be about a fresh start.

There had to be other places to get supplies, right? Alterra had a huge reach, and so did that other company that she couldn’t remember the name of. Didn’t it have a number in the name? Robin really didn’t care, it should be dissolved anyway.

“Hey, Al-an?” Robin asked on a whim, turning to stare at the Architect who was working on a broken terminal.

Al-an tilted his face toward her. “Yes, Robin?”

“I’ve been thinking about how to gather supplies for me. I appreciate your modifications to me but I still need food anyway. I thought we could try raiding deep space Alterra caches,” she told him.

“That is an interesting proposal…” Al-an replied thoughtfully. “We would need to prepare to run into security, and I have not found many weapons yet.”

“They rarely check the deep space ones, and besides. You’ve told me over and over again how much better you are than a human. You could probably beat a few guards without my help,” Robin countered.

“That is true,” Al-an replied, making satisfaction flourish in Robin’s chest. “If you find locations we can go raid them.”

~~~

The anticipation of waiting for Ryley was killing Robin. She cursed the clock that someone had hung on the wall. The seconds seemed to tick by slower and slower as the hours went on. How long could it really be before midnight? She needed this to work out.

Ryley’s plan was to pick her up at exactly midnight, as soon as he clocked out for lunch and the cameras went off. They would immediately run to the lab while the security guards ate their own lunch. Ryley would lead her to Al-an’s holding cell and then it would just be a matter of getting outside. Ryley had promised multiple times that he knew where every exit was, though Robin couldn’t help her nerves.

Beeping outside of Robin’s door made her jump and look up at the clock. 7:45 pm. Nobody but Ryley had entered her cell for weeks. Who was this? Had something happened, was Ryley coming now?

Robin’s question was answered as soon as the door slid open. She didn’t recognize the man standing there, but the anger on his face told her everything she needed to know. He either had some kind of assignment to punish her for her outburst, or he was the idiot she had punched, coming to enact his revenge. His nose was crooked, indicating a break. At least he had something to remember her by.

He stepped inside the cell and closed the door behind himslef. “I’m really not supposed to be here, but I just can’t help myself,” he said, giving her the most evil smile Robin thought she had ever seen on a person. “I’ve been waiting to get you back for this. Consider it like I’m on a special assignment.”

Robin stood up. The man stepped toward her menacingly. He stood between her and the door, blocking all hope of escape. The security guards were probably told to look the other way for this. He changed his approach, coming in fast, and swung; Robin was faster. She ducked under his arm and, still facing him, put her back to the door. There was always a chance that someone would see what was happening and come to her rescue.

Her luck ran out as the man jumped toward her again and this time Robin wasn’t able to dodge fast enough. His fist made hard contact with her side. She didn’t hear a crack, so her ribs weren’t broken, thank god. It still knocked the breath out of her. His knee met with her jaw, pushing her back upward after doubling over from the punch.

Shit, she was on the ground, back against the door. No escape. There was no way out unless she had a keycard, and she’d have to take him down to get his Despite all of Robin’s experience, he still got her cornered in the small room. Robin lashed out with her foot and made contact with his shin. He shouted in pain and kicked her arm. Hard. This time there was a crack and pain pushed through the hormonal suppression. Robin screamed and curled into herself, clutching at her arm. Fuck.

“You dumb bitch you’re gonna get me caught!” the grunt yelled and kicked her in the leg, though not hard enough to break it.

He punched the code into the door and stepped over her body, leaving her sobbing on the floor. The thought of escaping now passed through her pain addled mind, but Robin knew better. She could wait it out, set her arm, and escape with Ryley still.

At least he had left her legs mostly fine, right? Robin waited for the worst of the pain to pass before trying to stand. It hurt like a bitch, she’d probably have a nasty bruise here soon, but at least she could at all. Ryley wouldn’t have to worry about having to carry her, but she’d definitely slow him down.

This wasn’t ideal, but when was anything? She’d be out soon enough, and then she could worry about dealing with everything they did to her here. She thought of telling Al-an what happened, if only for some moral support while she set her arm. Who knew what he was doing though. Maybe he needed to focus on whatever the scientists were doing to him. She’d cry about it to him later, in the privacy of… somewhere else. She had more important work to do right now anyway.

~~~

The scientists talking in the next room kept Al-an’s attention for the evening. It was long past the time that they were supposed to leave, and there they were, still chatting away. They must have more work to do attempting to understand the Architect. Good luck to them, then. Al-an was more than ready to get the hell out of here and leave them with more questions than answers.

“Robin, I need to tell you something,” Al-an thought at her.

Robin’s presence appeared, though she was faint. “What’s up?” she asked quietly. Her voice sounded muffled, something Al-an had never heard through a Network before.

“The scientists have not left yet. They are having a conversation in the room next to mine,” they told her. Apprehension pooled in their chest.

“Oh, nice. Of all the days they could pick to stay late it had to be today. I’ll warn Ryley,” Robin replied, sighing.

“Thank you,” Al-an said. “I am certain that they have not discovered our connection, I do not believe they have the capacity to get into my mind.”

“I sure hope not, or we’re really screwed,” Robin laughed dryly.

Al-an chose not to respond. Instead they decided to listen in on the scientists, with nothing left to do but wait. The conversation was of no real interest to the alien, but it was far better than silence and boredom, they had to admit.

“Yeah, I think 1173-9L is a great spot, man. And it’s a reasonably priced stay. You taking the kids?” one of them asked.

“Right? Not too much sunlight, no science or weird aliens. Just humans and plenty to do. And yeah, I’m taking the kids, I heard there’s an amusement park there that they’ll just love,” the other replied.

Their conversation continued about the perks of whatever planet had been colonized and used for human amusement. The thought enraged Al-an. They began to pace their cell as they thought about it. Here this man was, torturing them for information. And every night he went home to a mate and young. Did he not have remorse for his actions?

At least Al-an’s people left as little mark as possible on planets they occupied. They had no desire for conquest or colonization. Their only goal was always progress. Scientific discovery through far more moral means. Of course, Al-an did have to admit that their work on 4546B was one of the least moral things they had ever been directed to, or decided to do by themself. And they knew that, of course they did. They thought about it constantly. If they ever got the chance to, they would go back in time to tell the Sea Emperor Leviathan that they understand now.

Robin talked about the good of humanity. She told them about all of the positive impacts singular humans had on history and the world around them. They had seen the bad for themself on 4546B, and they saw it here, now. The pain that the humans inflicted on them worsened as Al-an thought about the rest of these humans lives. They kicked the wall, hoping to let out some of the rage, and perhaps to get the stupid humans to stop talking.

~~~

Every footstep felt heavier and heavier as Ryley approached Robin’s door. Two minutes until midnight. It looked to the cameras like he was just heading for wherever he was going to eat lunch, since his superiors had stopped asking why he didn’t eat in the cafeteria a long time ago. This was it, though. He would never have to eat here again. Never have to eat another shitty ham sandwich, as Robin put it.

One minute to midnight. Ryley readied his PDA to clock out for the last time. The door came into view down the hall and the almost former janitor pretended to be messing around waiting for his lunch to start. What’s the worst they could do, write him up?

Midnight. Ryley punched the ‘clock out’ button hard and made sure the cameras were under his control. As soon as he was ready he made a beeline for Robin’s cell door. He had to take a deep breath as he arrived. His heart was racing. Shit, this was it. No lunch to share, not here. They could eat once they were safe.

Ryley entered the code as quickly as he could. Robin was on the single chair holding her now bandaged right arm. No, that wasn’t just bandaged, it was splinted. Oh, great, of course today was the day Alterra had to choose to hurt her physically. There was no way they knew though, or Ryley would have already been pulled away for something and beaten too.

Robin looked up as the door slid open. “Before you ask I’m fine and I already set it. I just need a little help walking, he got my leg pretty good,” she informed Ryley.

“More questioning?” he asked, tilting his head and striding in.

“Nope,” Robin replied as Ryley helped her to her feet. She winced when she put weight on her left leg. “The guy I punched that got me put in solitary came to beat me up. I kicked him good though.”

Ryley couldn’t help but smile at her grin. “At least it’s not broken, right?” he asked. They were out the door now. This was it.

Robin nodded with a breathless “yeah”. Ryley kept a supporting arm around her back and let her limp as quickly as she could with him. She seemed to do better the more she walked. There probably wasn’t enough room in the cell to try to walk it off. By the time they made it to the door to the lab, Robin was almost walking normally, if a little slowly.

Ryley opened the door and peered around the hall. Empty. Good. He motioned for Robin to stay and darted across the hall. Punching in the code to the lab door was almost muscle memory now. Ryley motioned for Robin to follow as soon as he was safely on the other side of the door. The woman darted across the hall.

A hand on Ryley’s shoulder stopped him from going farther. He turned around, confused. Robin looked nervous.

“I just checked with Al-an. He said the scientists that have been working on him are still here,” she whispered. Fuck.

“Where are they?” Ryley asked.

“Room next to Al-an. He said he can’t hear any movement, but that they’ve been talking about vacation spots for the past five hours.”

Great, so they weren’t alone over here. Robin’s psychic link with her alien definitely came in handy at least. He would leave her as a lookout then, and go get Al-an himself. Ryley motioned for her to follow, but he walked far more quietly than before. His ears strained to hear any voices as they approached the door. He couldn’t hear anything with his human ears, but who knew what Al-an could hear with their… whatever they used to hear.

Ryley motioned for Robin to stay put and pointed at the door neighboring Al-an’s. Robin nodded in understanding and positioned herself between them with her back to the wall; meanwhile, Ryley got to work on the keypad next to Al-an’s door. It slid open, letting the human into the room.

That was… certainly not what Ryley expected Al-an to look like. At all. They stood far taller than Robin had described, though to be fair to her, she was taller than Ryley. The glowing patterns on their body swirled with a few colors that left the human wondering if they meant something. He would have to ask Robin later.

“Have you never seen one of my kind before?” Al-an finally asked, breaking the awkward silence.

Ryley shook himself. “Uh, no, all I saw were buildings and structures that you left behind,” he replied, running a hand through his hair.

Al-an switched through colors for a moment, as if thinking. A few soft clicks like a very old computer emanated from them. “I see. You found some of my work, then,” they concluded.

“Wait,” Ryley pulled out his PDA. He had a few minutes, he just had to check something. Sure enough… “Were you in charge of the bacteria research? You downloaded a corrupted file in your life and had to… I don’t know what refractoring means. You uh, graduated Architect college really young?” Ryley fired off questions from the minimal information in front of him.

“Yes, those are all correct facts, though in more human terms than mine. Where did you get that information?” Al-an replied, stepping toward the door as they spoke.

“I downloaded a bunch of stuff onto my PDA that it mostly couldn’t translate. This was a file on one of you. This is you?” Ryley asked, turning around to keep facing the Architect.

“Yes. That is me. They must have left data terminals with such information powered with the idea that they may return for me at some point,” Al-an said. “We should go. Is Robin outside?”

Ryley nodded and Al-an let the door slide open. They bent their entire upper body down to fit through the door. Ryley followed them out quickly, having to almost jog to keep up with their far longer legs. Whatever the human expected outside the cell, it was not the scene he was greeted with.

One of the scientists lay in a bloody heap on the floor. His neck was at a weird angle and his eyes were glassy. Dead. Robin was knelt above the other scientist, beating into his already broken, bleeding face. If he wasn’t dead from the assault, he would be soon.

“Robin!” Ryley yelled as quietly as he could. “Robin we have to go!”

Robin looked up. Her eyes widened upon seeing Al-an, outside of their cell now. She glanced back down at the man underneath her. An embarrassed blush spread across her cheeks as she stood up slowly. Sheepishly. She wiped her bloody knuckles on the scientist’s jacket and limped over toward Al-an.

“Robin…” the alien said quietly, stepping toward her and holding their arms out. “What have they done to you?”

Robin smiled. “They didn’t kill me, and that’s what matters. Let’s just get the hell out of here,” she replied, accepting the embrace.

Al-an made a noise, probably in agreement and picked their human companion up. She swung her good arm around their neck and flipped around so that she was on their back. She had done that before. Ryley set off with them as soon as the woman was settled, away from the bodies. They were running out of time but the exit sign approached faster, and then they were outside. They were free.

Something grabbed Ryley by the back of his uniform and then he was moving fast. Faster than anything he thought could ever be possible, even with the help of a phasegate. His physical body felt as though it was being pulled apart and reformed wherever Al-an landed. As soon as the human felt himself become physical again he pointed in a direction. Al-an whirred against him and they were off in that direction. Somehow, Al-an’s speed wasn’t affected by the two humans putting him off balance.

“Now disconnecting from Alterra Facility A5C37. Disconnected.” Ryley’s PDA sounded from his pocket. Al-an took that as their cue to slow down and put Ryley back on solid ground to walk the rest of the way to… wherever they were going. They would figure that part out.

Chapter Text

Robin jogged toward the phasegate, excitement making her steps light. She had found an Alterra supply cache not far from them and Al-an had agreed to take her. This was the first excitement that wasn’t discovering old Architect terminals that Al-an had to fix before Robin could learn about them. At least most of the structures were still intact and she could study those.

“Are you ready to go?” Al-an asked as the human jogged up to him. She nodded vigorously and watched as they formed the ship.

It was still impressive to watch him do things like this. Being her friend aside, Al-an was an impressive creature and still surprised Robin often. As she boarded the ship, which was now calibrated for her, she marveled at their body for a moment. It hung limp and dark, Al-an’s colors decorating the interior. The ability to do this alone was incredible and now that she had ridden with them before she was used to it.

Their complete control over the ship made travel a breeze. Robin wondered about their range of vision with the ship. Did they even need to see or did they sense everything around them. She should definitely ask later. Secretly, Robin hoped they could see, just so that they could take in the beauty of the space around them.

Colors danced through the darkness, stars dotting their path as the cache approached. It was a plain, white dock with a small building attached. Robin guessed that this probably held extra food, water, and materials for anyone caught out in space. She would find out soon enough she supposed.

~~~

The cold night air was getting to Robin. Maybe it was her injuries making her more susceptible to cold. Whatever it was, she really didn’t care. She couldn’t stop herself from shivering against Al-an’s back where she held on to him with her good arm. She felt their presence in her mind, though they didn’t say anything.

Warmth began to spread from him after a moment and bled into Robin’s cold bones. She finally stopped shivering and found it in herself to relax against him. Al-an would keep her safe on his back. She smiled into his back and sighed. Were it not for the dire situation she would be enjoying this far more.

“So Al-an,” Ryley started from the ground.

Robin heard several clicks come from their internal workings. “Yes? I assume you have questions about my time on 4546B,” he replied, tilting his head in Ryley’s direction.

Robin counted herself lucky. Not a single other human life around. She boarded the station with Al-an right behind her, metaphorical hackles raised. Robin herself tensed as she entered the silent building. Apparently this place was nice enough to have a gravity production system, that was convenient. Trying to float through these halls would be hell.

Al-an’s call from down a hallway brought Robin to the storage room. It looked like this place had actually been used for temporary housing for a phasegate project near it, rather than a storage facility. The room was rather small but it seemed like nobody had bothered to take most of the food and water stored there with them.

The raiders began to sort through the boxes and shelves for anything salvageable. Nutrient blocks usually lasted a good while in the open, though some of them were beginning to stale. Robin would need to package them to keep them good longer. Who knew how long this had been empty. Most of the water still seemed usable. Robin winced at the thought of some of the “water” she had endured on other missions. Xenoworks really knew how to throw her into some tough spots.

Carrying the bags back was the simple part. Robin smiled to herself at the thought of getting away with this so easily. Nobody came out here. The company didn’t care what it left behind. Not structures, not planets, not people. Things became forgotten trash, swept under the corporate rug.

The trip home was… uneventful. Damn, and here she was, hoping for at least a little excitement. There wasn’t even anyone there to fight. Maybe there would be a guard posted at the next raid they did.

~~~

Cold seeped into Robin’s thin jumpsuit, giving her goosebumps. Al-an’s walk cycle was smooth, thank god, or else the injured woman would have been having a much worse time. Her arm throbbed when she thought about it, bringing with it the memory of receiving it. Just her luck that the idiot decided to enact revenge on the worst day he could possibly pick. If she weren’t afraid of getting caught or swept under the rug by Alterra, she would come out about it.

No, no she didn’t need to be thinking about that. She was free, and she was safe- for now at least- on Al-an’s back. And she was cold as hell. Of course it was a cold time of year. What fucking luck Robin got; she had enough of cold. A shiver escaped her, sending goosebumps up and down her body.

Al-an and Ryley were having an intense discussion about Al-an’s work on 4546B and things Ryley had downloaded onto his PDA. Robin had heard most of it already, considering how long she had spent following the Architect around his home. Most of Ryley’s information pertained to Kharaa, though apparently he had a few other blueprints for things he couldn’t decipher.

“So- the doomsday device I found,” Ryley started. Robin felt Al-an sigh. “What was that going to be used for?”

Warmth started to blossom out from the alien’s back as they replied. “It was to be used to destroy the planet should anything disastrous happen. Once vital research was moved elsewhere, of course.”

“Interesting. Why did it malfunction?” Ryley asked.

“Wait-” Al-an stopped in his tracks- “they attempted to detonate it?”

“I don’t know. The scan just said that it malfunctioned,” Ryley replied. Robin wondered what sort of face he was making but her head was turned the other way and she really didn’t want t move it.

“Oh,” Al-an said and began to walk again.

Well. That was fucked up to realize. Robin sighed from her perch on Al-an’s back. The cold air battled with his heat, making her shift around in an attempt to keep as much of her body as possible in contact with him. The cold air still dug at her through the thin jumpsuit but at least she had her Architect.

“I’m sorry,” Ryley finally said.

“It was better that I find out now than to discover it on my own,” Al-an replied quietly.

They walked quietly now, through the dark woods. Where they were heading, Robin still didn’t know. She was going to ask Ryley where they would be heading, but now she was too tired, and the air was thick with tension from the previous conversation. Poor Al-an couldn’t catch a break either it seemed, though she still counted herself lucky to have found him when she did. She didn’t want to imagine a world where the doomsday device didn’t fail.

“So uh, I feel bad mentioning this now,” Ryley said. The tense silence from Al-an somehow became more tense. “I have no idea how we’re going to pay for anywhere we try to go. I don’t have money, they were holding my massive debt over my head as an excuse to force me into work.”

Robin smirked. “Check my pocket. Your side,” she mumbled groggily. Ugh she wasn’t that tired already, was she?

Ryley obeyed. His fingers brushed against Robin’s hip as he dug into her pocket. She felt him find purchase on the treasure she had hidden there. He may not have planned ahead, and really, neither had she. She just got really, really lucky.

Two wallets emerged from Robin’s pocket. She finally found it in her to turn her head, just to see Ryley’s expression. His shocked face was absolutely delightful. Al-an even turned pale gold in surprise. Satisfaction warmed the rest of Robin’s cold body.

“Robin where did you get those?” Al-an asked, turning his head to look at her.

A smirk pulled at the corner of Robin’s mouth. “pulled em off the scientists I took care of. I figured none of us have money, and they won’t miss it. Their families probably don’t even see the profits they made torturing people for a living,” she explained.

Ryley laughed. “I had one of these cards when I had a real job. They’re always active and getting paid off automatically by your salary as long as they’re still being used. Even if these guys are dead, if their cards are still active, Alterra is a big enough company that they probably won’t notice. Plus there’s some cash in here. We’re set for a good while,” he said, beginning to smile. “Smart thinking, Robin.”

“I thought so.”

~~~

The Pennsylvania state border had come and gone, and now Ryley was leading them toward a town. Al-an at least somewhat trusted his judgment, though only because Robin did. Now that she had fallen asleep, it was just the two of them, alone, silent, with the knowledge of Ryley’s discovery hanging between them. Al-an didn’t hold it against him, of course. But it stung to know what their fate was supposed to be.

“I’m sorry for putting you in this situation,” Ryley finally said. He kept his eyes on the ground.

“I do not see how it is your fault,” Al-an replied. “If anyone is to blame, it is Alterra.”

“I mean, yeah, Alterra were the ones who kidnapped you. But I was the one that told them everything. I guess I should have known they would do something like this. That’s why I wanted to help you. To make up for it,” Ryley explained, still looking away. Al-an found that that usually indicated shame.

“In my experience, Alterra is very convincing,” the Architect countered.

Ryley laughed. “Yeah, that is true. I’ll try to stop feeling bad,” he said, smiling up at Al-an now.

“That is advised. You have made up for it with your actions now.”

The trees cleared, revealing the backside of a human building that Al-an didn’t recognize. “That’s the motel. I’m gonna go secure us a room as far away from the road as possible,” Ryley told them before jogging away.

Al-an stood patiently with Robin. Her vital signs seemed normal through their connection. Al-an kept a monitor on that mentally, but they needed to focus on not being seen. Who knew how many humans were around to see them. They wanted as little attention as possible. Perhaps dimming their bioluminescence would be a good idea. Now without their glow it was dark, just dark enough to hide from anyone walking through the woods.

Footsteps crackling through the trees warned of Ryley’s approach. He appeared a moment later holding a set of keycards, one of which he handed to Al-an. The Architect took it, though when would they ever use this? Was it for Robin? They chose not to ask as they followed Ryley silently out of the forest and to a door on the back end of the building.

The inside of the room was almost as cold as the outside. Al-an had to duck to even enter the room. Not only that, but it was poorly decorated with abstract art and shabby lamps. The humans that had designed this chose the worst colors to go together, at least in Al-an’s opinion. But they could handle this, if it meant they were safe.

“I got two beds, I figured we could somehow make it comfortable for you to rest too,” Ryley told them.

“I do not need rest but I appreciate the gesture.”

Ryley turned from his position next to one of the beds and gave Al-an the most pathetic look they had ever seen on a human. “It would still be a good idea. We have no idea where we’re going and you’ve been through the wringer. We all have. I thought all three of us could rest and collect ourselves here before we make our next move.”

~~~

Figuring out the beds once Al-an agreed was supposed to be the easy part. It was 4 in the morning, Robin kept falling out of the chair they had put her in, it was cold as hell, and no matter what arrangement they tried, there was no way Al-an was going to be comfortable. Ryley was beginning to think maybe they should just lie down on one of the beds and hold Robin. She shifted in her sleep and slid off of the chair. Again.

“Maybe we should just give up and figure it out tomorrow. We probably have a couple of days before the search for us spreads a whole state over anyway,” he finally said, sitting down on one of the beds.

Al-an turned around from fixing Robin. “Perhaps you are right. I will hold her while you both rest,” they said, picking the sleeping woman up from the chair. They warped onto the bed, legs folded underneath them as they positioned Robin between their legs.

The hard mattress became Ryley’s best friend for all of ten seconds. The cold air, combined with the thin blanket, made for something more uncomfortable than his apartment back in the city. And here he had thought that wasn’t even possible. Any position he tried just hurt his back, or his hips, or aggravated an old injury. Free at last, but at what cost.

At least tomorrow evening he could go out, probably not get recognized, and buy supplies. Pain medication for Robin for sure. Food for him. Water. But how would they travel? Where were they even going? And how long was Ryley even going to be with them? Should he provide for himself? The questions plaguing him just added to the tossing and turning.

“Ryley,” Al-an’s voice filled the near silent room and rumbled in Ryley’s chest. He groaned in response. “These beds are not comfortable and it is cold. Perhaps you should come sleep over here. I can keep you warm.”

“Yeah, the heat doesn’t work. I tried,” Ryley grumbled.

Fuck it. Ryley stood up, fatigue wearing at his bones and dragging him down. His thin blanket stayed around his shoulders as he crawled up onto the other bed. Robin sighed in her sleep while Al-an adjusted their legs to accommodate two humans rather than one. Did Robin do this often? Al-an certainly seemed find with it. They had picked up a bible out of the bedside drawer. Ryley didn’t even know they still put those there.

Good god, no wonder Robin was so sound asleep. Al-an was warm, warmer than they had been when they carried Ryley earlier that night. Between them and the blankets covering the humans, there was actually a warm spot in the frigid room. Robin’s bad arm draped across his shoulder, holding him there as he sunk deeper and deeper into his exhaustion. Finally, some good fucking rest.

Chapter Text

The last of Robin’s breath escaped her, leaving her lungs empty. The crushing pressure of the water around her didn’t help. It constricted her chest and left her weak, but still fighting toward the surface. Where was her seaglide? Her air bladder? Anything that could get her up there. The light was fading fast, and it framed Al-an’s form as he rushed toward her.

Bright orange light from his bioluminescence was soon the only thing lighting up the water around them. As Robin’s eyes forced themselves closed, the familiar shapes of the twisty bridges faded into deep, empty water. She thought she heard Al-an cry out for her, but she was fading. Her lungs burned as the strength left her body.

Robin sat up in bed, eyes wide and gasping for air. Just a dream. Another night of restless sleep because of nightmares like this. She felt a bead of sweat roll down her back and shivered. She was safe here, on Al-an’s home but that didn’t mean the deep, unwelcoming waters didn’t haunt her in her sleep.

The sound of Al-an’s hooves scrambling for purchase on the modified moonpool entrance alerted the human to his presence. Before Robin was able to investigate, she heard a thud, and then the soft whooshing sound of him warping through the building. He appeared at the door in a matter of moments, rushing into the room and falling at Robin’s bedside before she could even think of anything to say.

“Al?” She asked as he pressed his head into her side. “What happened? Are you ok?”

The alien shivered and his internal workings whirred, as if he took a deep, shuddering breath. “I am uncertain. You were drowning. I attempted to save you but you were defying physics and moving faster than I could swim to reach you. I do not remember returning to the planet, or how we got there,” he finally explained. His voice almost wavered.

“Were you resting?,” Robin asked, cradling him as best she could from their position.

“Yes, I needed more energy for a project that I am working on,” they answered.

Robin sighed and stroked at her Architect’s back. “I was asleep too. We were sharing a dream, I think,” she whispered.

“I was unaware that I was able to dream in this body.”

~~~

Robin opened her eyes. Where was she? Was this a motel? When had they gotten here? Was she still with Al-an and Ryley? Her eyes darted around the room, taking in as much as she could. Another unused bed, stripped of its blankets. A nightstand with nothing on it. A window with the curtains closed. Al-an next to her, acting as a pillow. Oh.

Robin’s eyes traveled down, closer to her. Ryley was cuddled up under her broken arm facing away from her. His soft breath made color pulse on Al-an’s body where it hit. Robin watched for a moment. She always found the way the alien’s colors shifted so mesmerizing. There were other things to worry about though.

Looking up at Al-an, Robin found him reading a book that he must have found somewhere. He seemed to be on the last few pages, and his colors swirled pale red, gold, and green. Another few moments passed in silence, only marred by the sound of the pages turning as the Architect read. Finally, he shut the book and leaned over to return it to the bedside table drawer.

“What were you reading?” Robin asked softly. Al-an’s head tilted down toward her as Ryley stirred.

“It was called the Bible. Human literature is… odd to say the least,” Al-an told her.

“Oh, yeah?” Robin asked, laughing to herself.

“I was not aware of how much documentation you dedicated to ancestry. And the shifting themes that change throughout can be a bit confusing,” he explained. “The main character is played as the protagonist, though I do not see how. Perhaps whoever wrote this was attempting to subvert expectations. They did not succeed in this effort.”

“Did you enjoy it?” Robin pressed.

“It was terrible.”

Robin sat up laughing. Ryley chuckled sleepily along with her, amused at Al-an’s expense. At least he had found something to entertain himself with overnight. Well, over day, Robin guessed, since the clock on the nightstand read 6:53 PM.

“I don’t think you’re supposed to just read that all the way through,” Ryley commented as he stood up and stretched.

“What else was I meant to do? My sole purpose was being a pillow for you to rest on. That gets rather boring, rather fast,” Al-an replied, turning pale blue.

“Fair.”

Robin stood as well, almost enjoying the soreness in her legs. From what she could remember she had spent the whole trip to wherever they were on Al-an’s back, she shouldn’t be this sore, right? Oh, speaking of that…

“Hey Ryley. Where exactly are we?” Robin asked, watching his back as he washed his face.

“Somewhere remote in Pennsylvania. Pretty close to the border, but Alterra shouldn’t be looking this far yet. I figured we’d rest up here and get supplies with the money cards you stole before we head… somewhere,” Ryley told her.

“We can figure that out once you get supplies,” Robin said.

“That would be optimal. I believe our main goal should be to leave the planet,” Al-an agreed.

Ryley nodded as Robin turned away to begin looking through drawers. If there was anything that could get Ryley back safe, they needed it no matter how stupid. Most of the dresser drawers were empty, save for a single small, unopened makeup kit. Robin glanced over to see Ryley’s bare back as he pulled a tee shirt on. Scars from the bacteria were scattered around the expanse of his back like pebbles on a sandy beach. Wait.

“Hey. Maybe we should cover up your scars. You’ll be less recognizable,” Robin broke the silence in the room. Al-an had begun to pace, bioluminescence a pale pink rather than his normal magenta.

Ryley turned around now that he was fully clothed. “Yeah, probably a good idea,” he commented as he sat down on an office chair. “Do you have something to even do that with?”

Robin nodded and held up the unopened package. “Housekeeping must have missed this.”

She approached and grabbed him gently by the chin. She turned his face around a bit, analyzing. The Kharaa scars would be easy to hide, though she wasn’t sure if the palette in the kit would completely match his skin tone. But that Reaper scar… it was big, and would definitely get him caught if someone saw it.

Sure enough, none of the foundation matched Ryley’s skin. He was caught right between two of them. Of course. That complicated things, but it wasn’t like Robin had never done her own makeup with 3 incorrect colors and a tube of lipstick.

“So, I can’t match your skin. And I’m gonna have to lay it on thick on your cheek. Do you want just scar cover-up or should I make it look like you just woke up and broke your mirror this morning?” Robin asked, still holding his face. She ran her fingers over the Reaper scar, making Ryley shiver.

“I mean, if anyone is looking for me, they’re looking for a scarred man. They won’t be looking for a lady in really bad makeup. Go for that,” he confirmed.

“And you’re sure you’re ok with me doing that to you?” Robin asked. She had to make sure.

Ryley laughed. “Yeah. Gender is a farce.”

“That is a sentiment that I can certainly agree with,” Al-an interjected from his pacing.

Robin chuckled and got to work. She had plenty of experience feminizing masculine faces anyway, though doing it to someone else was definitely different. She just had to make it look sloppy enough to be believable. She reminisced about her first time doing her own makeup as she worked. It looked almost as bad as Ryley’s did now. Usually, when she was younger, and trying to get into the idea, she would ask Sam for help. At least until she could get the hang of it she had thought.

She missed those days. When she had a good enough relationship with her sister. It was nice to think about, nicer than thinking about the more recent years when she still had Sam. Robin turned Ryley’s face around in her hands again, studying her work. Deliciously awful and bad enough to hide his identity.

“Well. I think that’s the worst I can do to you,” she said, hiding her laughter. He looked just a little bit ridiculous. “God I made you look awful…”

“As long as you actually make me look nice someday, I can forgive you,” Ryley laughed. “I’ve never had makeup done before,” he added.

Robin cocked an eyebrow. “Those cards have almost unlimited money, right?” she asked. Ryley nodded. “buy some scar concealer, and some actual makeup. I mostly taught myself, so it’s not like you’re going to look like a princess or anything, but I can do my best for you.”

Ryley stood up to go. His shirt hung loosely around his form and something felt off about it. Something was missing here. Oh! Robin turned around to face the wall, away from both Al-an and Ryley. She heard both of them stop in their tracks as she unzipped her Alterra jumpsuit and pulled her bra off. Once her jumpsuit was zipped back up, she turned back around and held the clothing out to Ryley.

“Gotta really make it convincing,” she said. He glanced from her bra to her a few times before cautiously reaching out and taking it.

“I mean… yeah,” he agreed hesitantly. “What do I use? Tissues?”

A box found its way into his hands. “I’ll help you shape your lovely new boobs once you go make them,” Robin instructed him.

Ryley walked away into the bathroom and shuffled around inside for a few minutes. He came back looking like a teenage girl who didn’t know how to make her stuffed bra look natural. If he hadn’t already reminded her of herself, he would now. Robin wandered over to him and awkwardly groped at his chest, pressing the tissues to look at least somewhat natural.

Perfect. The poor man looked sufficiently terrible now. At least he really did look feminine, lessening the chances that he would get caught. He turned, caught sight of himself in the mirror and cringed.

“Now I really can’t wait to see you actually make me look pretty,” he commented as he opened the motel door.

~~~

With Ryley gone, Al-an finally had a chance to be alone with Robin. They didn’t mind the new human much, but Robin was theirs and they hadn’t had a chance to be alone together in so long that Al-an felt as though their own soul was suffering for it. It was a strange feeling for an Architect to have so they tried to ignore it. They were here together now, Al-an’s feelings while they were apart no longer mattered. They did not need to think about it.

“So,” Robin started, catching the Architect’s attention. She did not continue.

“What is it?” Al-an asked. They tilted their head, which they had found helped her realize that she confused them.

“I don’t know what I was going to say, but we should probably talk about our next moves more than just ‘get off planet’. I wanted your ideas before we discussed with Ryley,” she replied, crossing her arms.

Al-an thought for a few moments. They did not know Earth as well as either human, having never been here before. She wanted their judgment and they appreciated it but they were at a loss for what to do. Or how to even get away. What sort of spacecraft did humans use? Would they be able to pilot it? Alterra would certainly be able to track any vehicle that they owned unless Al-an was able to disable such a thing.

“We need a vehicle,” they finally said. Telling Robin their worries would not be productive they decided. She should focus on what needed to be done, Al-an would worry about any shortcomings or things that went wrong.

Robin nodded. “I don’t know how much we can spend with those cards before Alterra notices so we’ll have to steal one,” she agreed.

“I know our priority but I am… rather sad that I cannot see more of it. It is your home and I want to experience it with you,” they told her after a pause. Ryley would be needed to worry about actual planning anyway.

“Yeah,” Robin said with a sigh. “I miss it here.”

“Perhaps in the future when Alterra is no more we can explore your home as we have mine,” Al-an replied. The way Robin’s face lit up sent a shockwave of contentment through the Architect’s body.

“You know, on that note, I was thinking,” Robin started, standing up from the chair she had been sitting on to come stand near Al-an. “We’ve seen the real behind the scenes face of Alterra.”

“That is true.”

“I don’t know about you but the thought of anyone else being forced to go through what we have pisses me off. Who knows how many others are out there like us, trapped in a prison in space for the rest of their lives,” the human continued.

“Are you suggesting that we take our raiding further?” Al-an asked. Robin nodded. “Finding out the truth of what happened to my people is incredibly important. But I have found that putting certain projects aside for other things leads to increased productivity in both efforts. I will join you in freeing others from Alterra. A new directive is something I did not realize I needed.”

“Plus,” Robin added. “I’ve been itching for a chance to get revenge for what they did to Sam.”

~~~

This was the most stressful trip to the store Ryley had ever taken in his fucking life. It wasn’t that he was worried about his companions, who were probably just sitting the motel room, waiting for him. No, no, that was fine. He had made entirely sure that they wouldn’t be bothered. And it wasn’t the fact that he was crossdressing. Sure, it was a little weird to remember to pitch his voice up, but he didn’t hate it. If his makeup looked better he would probably feel pretty.

No, it was just the fact that anyone who looked at him could see through the disguise and report him to Alterra. He tossed a bunch of cans of soup into his cart, keeping a close eye on the other woman in the aisle with him. His hands shook as she smiled at him and took a can of soup a few feet away. Ok, ok that was fine. Ok. Normal. This is normal.

Ryley’s eyes darted around so much he could barely think about the list he had put onto his PDA. Canned foods down, what next. Right, clothes. He hadn’t checked with Robin on sizing. That was fine she was taller and thinner than him. Even if things didn’t fit that was fine. Just grab some shirts and go, come on. Ryley avoided the gaze of three different employees. Did they know? They knew, they- no shut up. His thoughts were a mess, good god.

“Hey, need help finding anything?” an employee asked, standing a respectful few feet away. Ryley felt his face heat up under the makeup.

“Um, yeah. I’m kinda out of my depth here…” he replied, motioning toward the makeup aisle they were standing in.

“No problem!” the employee replied, moving closer. “New to it?”

Ryley nodded and watched as they led him around the aisle recommending brands and helping with colors. He had unlimited money for now, so it didn’t really matter yet. Alterra thought the families had these cards, they weren’t going to check them, and only the employees got access to the accounts. It was a genius way to screw people over, but an even better way to cheat the stupid company.

“Can you help with my friend too?” Ryley asked and held out a picture of Robin’s cheek on his PDA. He had cropped her profile photo from Alterra’s files for this purpose. He felt bad only getting things for himself.

The employee showed him a match for Robin and went on their way. Ryley picked mostly the same small packages he had gotten for himself. Would she appreciate this? He probably should have asked. Oh, well. His cart was getting full and people were probably wondering. Why is this weirdo buying so much? What if she’s an escaped Alterra janitor?

Ryley shook his head as he paid for everything. None of this was coming out of his wallet and god it was so satisfying. The cashier didn’t speak much, lending more to Ryley’s nerves. He found himself questioning if everyone he passed as he left knew his secret. Probably not, obviously, but what if they did? What if someone recognized him and drove into him? He berated himself about it the whole way back to the motel. The cover of the evening only helped calm his fear a small amount. Who knew if there were people in the shadows-

The door to the motel room closed behind him and he took a deep breath. Robin looked up from the TV, which was displaying both of their faces. Oh, god, he really could have been recognized. The voice coming through the speakers claimed they were headed north into Canada. Ok, that was a relief. Alterra didn’t actually know where they were or which way they were headed.

“Did you complete your objective?” Al-an asked from the other side of the room. They were still pacing.

“Yeah, I got a bunch of food and clothes. And makeup. For, uh, both of us. Since you said you wanted to,” Ryley replied awkwardly, motioning to Robin.

She smiled, making Ryley let out his breath, relieved. “Yeah, I can do us up pretty in another state,” she said. “Anything we can eat now?”

There was a sandwich in these bags somewhere. Ryley found it and tossed it to her, taking one for himself. He sat down on his bed and took a bite. Finally, real food. “I got a bunch of canned stuff and dry noodles too. I just didn’t feel like trying to cook anything.” he told Robin. She grunted through her mouthful in response.

As soon as they were done eating, Ryley leaned back into the headboard. “So, did you guys plan anything while I was gone?”

“Well, like we sort of discussed, we want to get off planet,” Robin replied. “We just don’t know how.”

Ryley thought for a moment. “I know there’s a hangar in Washington with a bunch of unused commercial and maintinence spacecraft. I could get you there,” he finally said.

“If there is an efficient way to get us there that does not require me to walk much, I would like to hear it,” Al-an commented.

“We could steal a car!” Robin said, laughing. “There’s this old TV show I watched with Sam where these guys have a car and kill monsters while they drive around and stay in motels.”

“I mean if it works on TV…” Ryley replied thoughtfully. “I’ll start planning a trip then.”

He pulled up a map on his PDA and got to work finding the fastest route to where the hangar was in Washington. Stealing the car would be the only hard part, really, as long as they were careful and drove away from other people as much as possible. Though hiding Al-an would definitely be an adventure.

Chapter Text

The quiet halls of the Alterra facility carried sound really, really well. Even without their Network, Robin could tell where Al-an was in most of the buildings with incredible accuracy. Their hooves thudded against the shiny floors in a tempo that the human had long ago memorized. At first, as she was getting to know him, he didn’t walk often, and she found herself jogging to keep up if he was going somewhere. Eventually though, the alien had realized Robin’s shortcomings and had begun walking more.

Currently, the two were performing another supply raid. Exploring Al-an’s home wasn’t boring by any means, of course. But the adrenaline rush of committing crime? Absolutely unbelievable. It was just the excitement Robin needed in her life, and she was sure Al-an appreciated the break whenever she asked to go.

The sound of footsteps in a completely unfamiliar cadence brought Robin’s attention back to the present. “Did you hear that?” she asked her companion through their Network.

Al-an’s head perked up from where he was standing, holding a bag full of food items and various technical resources. “Yes, I did. There is another human here. We need to go,” he replied, turning to leave.

Robin usually enjoyed the sound his hooves made against the sterile flooring. Now they were so loud she thought the whole damn galaxy could hear him walking. Robin strained her ears in an attempt to track the other human, but her ‘inefficient’ human ears proved almost useless. She was about to ask Al-an if he could track them when she heard a click behind her.

“Freeze! You are trespassing on Alterra property!” A voice shouted as Robin turned around, ready for a fight.

The person standing there had a gun pointed directly at her, though it was shaking. Before Robin had a chance to respond she felt Al-an’s claw on the back of her uniform. She heard him say no and then she blinked and she was in his arms, moving toward the exit to the base. She had the forethought to activate her helmet before they were in the airlock and the door was opening.

And then they were inside the ship. Al-an let Robin down gently and rushed to regain control while the guard still struggled to control the door. Robin watched it open and shut a few times, though she couldn’t hear what the person inside was saying if anything. She began to laugh as her Architect turned them around and flew off, back toward home.

~~~

“How long is this going to take?” Ryley asked, leaning on the door. Al-an stood near him, shifting around on his hooves.

“It’s looking like 36 hours if Al-an is willing to carry us both,” Robin replied from her position at one of the beds.

They didn’t have much as far as belongings went, so it all fit into one bag. They could worry about better storage once they got a car. Robin had asked earlier why they couldn’t steal one now, but Ryley was insistent on waiting until they were farther away before potentially attracting attention. Robin hated to admit that he was right. Stealth took precedent over speed here.

“I do not recall you asking me about this earlier, but yes, I am willing to carry you both. I would prefer to be out of sight as soon as possible,” the alien agreed. Robin smiled as she finished her double count of their belongings. Everything was in place and she made her way to the door with her companions.

Ryley opened it, letting the cool, night air rush in. Robin shivered through her new coat and wondered if the sweatpants Ryley had found would keep the cold out for long. At least she had the uniform on underneath it, her snowsuit was back home with the rest of her things. Thousands of light years away.

Robin caught hold of Al-an’s outstretched arm with her uninjured one and launched herself onto his back with practiced ease. The two had gotten pretty good at making quick escapes up until their single blunder. And the more Robin thought about that the more she realized they had been set up. They weren’t careful enough. At least with this trip she would have plenty of time to figure out how to be sneakier, how to avoid the guards or take them out. And at least she would have more help now.

Ryley bounced a couple of times before launching and landing ungracefully onto Al-an’s lower back. Robin tightened her grip on his abdomen to give Ryley something anchor off of as he swung his leg up and over and adjusted into position. Al-an took up a steady trot, something he was surprisingly graceful at despite how his legs were set. At this pace they might make it to Ohio in Robin’s estimated time. The sooner the better, she thought.

Most of the walk was spent tense, looking around for any sign of people. Robin was still exhausted despite sleeping through most of the day, but the paranoia at every snap of a twig kept her mostly alert through the majority of the trip. She caught a few hours of light sleep, trusting Al-an’s balance to keep her on his back. Ryley didn’t talk much either, probably too worried about the same things.

“We’ve crossed the border,” Ryley said as they stayed in the treeline, keeping away from the road.

“About time,” Robin replied. Avoiding the farms scattered around the landscape was getting tiresome. “How far’s the first town?”

“Another three hours. It’ll be fairly light by the time we get there but there’s a motel near a good spot for Al-an to hide until I can get us a room,” Ryley told her.

Robin sighed. Crossing the border made her feel a lot better at least. The farther away from that specific facility, and the farther from Canada they got, the better. If Alterra didn’t think they were headed west, they were probably safer. Plus, it had been about three days since their initial escape. She closed her eyes, leaning into her Architect for support. Even if she didn’t sleep, she could get more rest.

~~~

Ryley was correct, the bushes did provide cover, though Al-an had to duck to keep their head completely covered. It was nerve wracking being here in the middle of the day no matter how much they tried to convince themself that it was fine. Though, at least the slight glow their chest and face gave off was less visible in the daylight they supposed. Robin sighed next to them in the bush.

Footsteps had Al-an on high alert. A group of humans was laughing together, moving past the bushes. As long as they didn’t look too hard the fugitives would be safe. The Architect heard Robin suck in a breath as the voices approached. Seconds ticked by as the voices were right on them, and then they were moving away. Their footsteps faded out over time. Where was Ryley?

Other human sounds drifted into the Architect’s sensors as they waited. Vehicles moved around near them, though definitely not near enough to spot anything. Farther away, Al-an could hear humans talking and caught the distinct smell of human food on the air. Robin had talked about humans gathering for meals. That must be an establishment made for such gatherings. They would ask about it later.

“Robin? Al-an?” Ryley’s voice called from a few feet away. “I don’t remember where I left you but I’ve got the key. If you hurry everything is clear.”

Robin stepped out of the bush. Al-an poked their head out. The humans from before were gone, but they could hear more, and close. Ryley was already halfway across the parking lot, jogging for the door. By the time he opened it the voices had gotten closer. Al-an pulled themself completely out of the tree. This would make a noise but they had to move fast.

Al-an warped for the door. They stopped just short of it for fear of hitting their head and attracting attention. Ducking down to fit through the doorway, they took in this new room. Just like the last, it was poorly decorated and smelled off. Al-an took a moment to assess it for anything that could cause harm to the humans with them. As soon as they were satisfied, they warped to the other side of the single bed and laid down.

“I suggest that we rest for the day and find someplace to acquire a vehicle,” Al-an told the humans as they unpacked their few belongings and settled in.

“Agreed. Though maybe to seem normal, we should like… do something in town. Me and Robin,” Ryley suggested.

Robin glanced at him. “What do you mean? Is someone suspicious?”

“No,” the other human responded. “But I’m getting paranoid. The receptionist asked what we’re doing here and looked at me funny when I said we’re just passing through.”

Robin nodded, but didn’t reply. She busied herself with gathering up a towel and wandering toward the other, small room. “I’ll think about it in the shower,” she finally said and entered, shutting the door behind her.

Al-an settled into the floor to wait. Water began spraying in the other room. They barely heard Robin sigh as the hot water ran over her back. They had found back on 4546B that showering was one of the most relaxing activities humans partook in. They wondered as they waited if they should begin to implement more of Robin’s habits into their own. Would the simple act of performing these rituals help someone who didn’t even them? That was certainly worth investigating once they were safely home.

Robin emerged from the other room 10 minutes later with her clothes back on her body. She smiled at her companions and stepped fully into the room. “If you’re up for it, maybe we could do that date you suggested in Pennsylvania. After a good nap, of course,” she said.

Ryley perked up from the chair he had claimed. “Yeah, sounds good to me. I’ll shower and join you in a bit.”

With the decision made, Al-an decided to enter their rest mode for a while. They had exerted a lot of energy over the past few days, they deserved it. “Wake me when you are done with your nap. I am going to conserve energy with you,” they told Robin as she settled down to sleep.

Robin’s dreams passed through Al-an’s subconscious, though they paid them no mind. She was having good dreams for once, and the Architect wasn’t about to change that with their presence. They were certain that they made no difference in her dreams but she did complain when they crossed certain boundaries.

Robin’s hands brushing against the Architect’s head brought them back to their senses. She smiled and leaned into them for a hug. Al-an appreciated the gesture and made sure to return it for her comfort.

“I woke up before him so I took the time to get myself looking at least somewhat acceptable,” she told them with a smile.

Affection filled them as they looked at her. Really, they didn’t see what the point of these cosmetic changes were, but they made Robin happy. “You look good,” they replied after another moment of staring.

“Wha time ‘s it?” Ryley mumbled from the bed, interrupting the moment. Al-an turned their attention to see the human twisted around and peering at them.

“It’s 5. If you get up now we’ll still have time to eat before we have to leave forever,” Robin said.

The humans shuffled around in the room a bit and Ryley went to the other room again to change his clothes. Robin ushered him into a chair as soon as he was done and got to work on his face. Al-an watched the process intently from afar. She had more tools to work with this time which seemed to make things easier. Ryley soon looked more like a human with cosmetic additions than a mess that had wandered his way into a bucket of paint.

~~~

With Al-an locked safely in the motel, Ryley felt nerves settle in his stomach. Sure, this was just a friendly dinner to avoid suspicion, but it was still technically a date. His first date. And he had to admit as he glanced at himself in the window of the small restaurant, he looked really nice. Ryley’s eyes took one last look at himself before he glanced back toward Robin.

The woman smirked and pushed him toward the door. “Come on, no getting cold feet. If you’re this nervous with me, I can’t imagine you with a real girlfriend,” she joked and elbowed Ryley in the ribs.

“Hey!” he laughed, elbowing her back. “You make me feel like a princess like I asked and now this?”

“Yes, now go on, I’m starving!”

Ryley let Robin push him into the small establishment. A couple of waiters stood close together with the host, looking at something on an off brand PDA. All three glanced up as the “couple” entered and, much to their relief, smiled graciously and welcomed them. Either they hadn’t heard about the Alterra breach or they didn’t recognize the fugitives. Yet.

A waiter took their order after a few moments of awkward silence at their table, and then left them be. Silence passed between them once more. Ryley wondered for a moment if Robin was thinking the same things he was. Did they know who they were? Were they calling the cops? From the looks of things, probably not, but Ryley figured one could never be too safe.

“Uh, we should probably talk about something or we’ll look really weird,” Ryley finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “I haven’t ever wanted to go out with anyone before so I’m kind of at a loss here.”

“Yeah, we probably should. Been a while since I’ve been on a date with anyone,” Robin agreed, shifting in her seat. She winced as her still broken arm moved wrong.

“I mean, you were kind of, uh, out of the country so to speak. Understandable not to date.”

Robin nodded and sat looking thoughtful for another moment. Ryley shifted uncomfortably and wondered what the hell he was supposed to talk about. It’s not like he had time or want in his old life for this kind of thing, and once he was back he was forced into a worse job than before. He hadn’t even known that friends go on dates with each other until now.

“What are we even supposed to talk about?” he finally asked.

“Well, normally my dates would talk about their lives and interests,” Robin replied, smiling through her water glass as she took a sip.

“I’ve never really… done anything aside from go to college and get a job…” Ryley admitted. He took a sip of his own water to try to cool his burning face.

“That’s fair. What did you do?” Robin prompted, leaning in.

Before Ryley could respond their waiter appeared with food. Ryley had blindly ordered something, some kind of pasta dish. It looked like it had pesto and Parmesan cheese. Maybe some chicken hidden among the pasta too? Whatever, it looked better than anything Ryley had eaten in the last three years.

“I graduated high school a year early and had a football scholarship into my dream school,” he told his companion between bites. “went into engineering from there and graduated right into, uh, their hands, you know?” He was too embarrassed to admit that the job Alterra gave him wasn’t even in his field.

“You did football?” Robin asked. Her fork stopped mid twirl of her own spaghetti as she tilted her head.

Ryley laughed. “Yeah, I was ok at it. Enough that it got me into college I guess. I haven’t actually played since college either.”

“Man, I should’ve gone that route with soccer,” Robin said, shaking her head. “It’s not like I needed to, it just would’ve been fun.”

“Did you go into what you studied in college?” Ryley asked. The conversation was definitely getting a lot easier to have. Both were still glancing at the waiters for any sign of recognition.

Robin swallowed. “Yeah. I got into biology and messing around with genetically modified food in elementary school. Xenobiology was right up my alley, so I went for it. I’ve seen some wild shit.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“My whole job is going to uncharted planets and watching the life there. I’ve tasted things you can’t even begin to imagine,” Robin replied, winking.

“Oh, we ought to compare notes about, uh, you know. I tried… a lot of stuff.”

“Yes!” Robin bounced in her seat. “I don’t have my PDA or I’d be able to compare so much from our sectors!”

Ryley grinned at his friend. “I’ll at least show you things I found while we drive. My PDA still has everything I scanned.”

“Sounds good to me,” Robin replied, nodding. “We should probably hurry up and get ready though. Big night.”

Ryley giggled as she winked at him. After they finished eating, the two stood up and paid for their food with one of Ryley’s cards. It still went through. So Alterra hadn’t noticed yet, good. Both let out a sigh of relief as soon as they were out the restaurant door. It was definitely a nice experience, just having dinner with a friend, but god was that the most tense dinner Ryley had ever had. The thought that any second someone would recognize them had nearly killed his appetite. At least the food was real, and tasted good, right?

Al-an stood up and greeted the humans as soon as they entered the hotel room. Ryley waved at them and wandered over to his bag. He dug some new clothes out of the bottom and turned around. Robin was still digging through her bag. She glanced up and smiled at Ryley before continuing to dig, probably for her own clothes.

“I have a question about something you said earlier,” she finally said. She pulled a shirt out and set it on the bed.

“Uh, sure, what is it?” Ryley responded, nervous. What had he said? He tried to go over their whole rather short conversation in his head.

“You said you never got into dating. Are you aromantic?” she asked.

Oh, thank god, it was just that. “Oh, yeah I am. Figured it out early,” Ryley said, rubbing at the back of his head and wandering toward the bathroom. “Hey, at least Al-an won’t get jealous, right?” he added, chuckling nervously at his own bad joke.

Robin visibly jumped and turned toward Ryley, eyes wide. “What? No, it’s- it’s not like that! I mean I like him and all, I just- I mean I’m human and- It’s uh,” she stuttered. Her good arm jumped up to her chest in her flustered state.

“To be fair, Robin, we do share a strong bond since I lived inside your mind,” Al-an said helpfully.

“NOT helping Al-an!” Robin yelled, covering her face.

“Am I incorrect?” the alien asked. Robin huffed and focused all of her attention on her bag.

Ryley backed into the bathroom with his own clothes. That was certainly a can of worms he hadn’t intended to open. He decided to pretend it didn’t happen as he got dressed; Robin would most likely do the same, right? Especially if it had flustered her that badly.

Robin was already dressed when Ryley finally felt normal enough to come out. She held a small, glowing object in her hands. Ryley glanced between her and Al-an. He was out of the loop on something and this awkward pause wasn’t helping the situation he had already caused.

Finally, Al-an had the sense to step toward the human and hand him another small object. “I used materials in this room to synthesize a small scale fabricator and these masks. I am certain you would agree that hiding your identity to commit a crime like this is optimal,” they told him.

Ryley nodded and turned the mask over in his hands. It seemed strong, though it didn’t have any sort of ventilation. Did Al-an even need to breathe? Ryley would definitely have to ask later, before he never got a chance to. Robin had already brought her mask up to her face. Ryley could still hear her breathing, so he gave his own an attempt. Sure enough, something in the mask was still allowing for oxygen intake. Al-an’s claws brushed the human’s hair so they could adjust the strap. Ryley’s vision was tinted just slightly pink, but was otherwise perfect. Incredible!

With a silent nod, Ryley removed his mask and put on the normal one that he had bought back in Ohio. The plague had ended somewhere around a hundred years ago, but the effects lasted, and ended up being a great cover. Normal face masks, at least the ones Ryley had been using, covered his cheeks enough to hide most of his scars from the general public. At least the most recognizable ones. Leaving his hair natural, as much as he hated the feeling of hair on his forehead, hid the rest.

The human jogged to the front desk and quickly paid for their room and checked out. Perfect. Now for the hardest part. Robin was already in the same bushes, Architect mask already on her face. Al-an helped Ryley put his on again and the three jogged away in silence. Fuck, Ryley was nervous now.

The used car lot came into view after a few minutes. Ryley paused to catch his breath for a moment while Robin peered around. At her nod, the two humans continued forward, leaving Al-an a behind them in the bushes. Ryley’s eyes scanned the cars around them.

“Hey,” Robin called. “how about this one? It’s the exact same car as in Supernatural!” she snickered as she pointed at a very, very old black car.

Al-an’s voice carried over from the treeline. “You are not putting me in the trunk of that thing unless you want me to travel in your head again.”

Robin laughed harder and patted the car. “Fair, fair, but you have to admit, it’s a great coincidence.”

“I just can’t believe anywhere would have a car that old. You’d think it’d be a collector’s item by now,” Ryley added.

He chuckled as strode through the cars, following Robin but looking around for the most part. There had to be something here big enough to carry Al-an, right? A white van caught Ryley’s eye. It looked big enough that if the Architect laid down, they’d definitely be able to fit inside it. Ryley caught sight of a camera and jogged toward Robin. He nodded up toward the camera and then to the van. Robin nodded and they walked as normally as possible to the van.

Robin pointed to the building and sprinted toward it. Oh, right, keys. You couldn’t just spark some wires and start a car like in the old movies anymore. This van wasn’t the newest thing ever, but it definitely needed a key. Ryley shifted around on his feet and listened for police while he waited. Every moment felt like an eternity. Come on, Robin.

Finally, she returned with a set of keys and hopped into the driver’s seat. Ryley ran around to the other side and got into the cab with her as she started the van. The quiet hum of the engine brought more relief than either of them had felt in a while. Thank god, this was going well. Ryley got up and opened the door to the back of the van, striding through it and unlocking the back doors for Al-an, who had already warped over.

As soon as everyone was settled and their luggage was secured, they were off. Robin would take the first shift at the wheel and drive overnight until Ryley was ready to take over. They could plan better when they got somewhere a little safer. Though, now that Ryley thought about it, stealing the van was the easiest part of this whole thing. Now they got to upgrade. A lot. To a fucking space ship. What the hell were they getting into?

Chapter Text

Three job offers. Three? Really? Ryley was a little surprised at how eager any of these companies were to hire him on. And one of them was immediate, too. It wasn’t like he had done that well in school, right? He’d passed all of his classes and graduated on time but that was bare minimum.

The scientific research job at that weird Foundation was definitely tempting with it’s good pay and blatantly competitive offer. Ryley had heard stories about them though, things posted on private forums hidden deep in the internet. Besides, what they wanted from him wasn’t even in his schooling at all. It looked like something to do with biology or some kind of research like that.

The two tech companies were far more interesting. Development of vacuum tech would be really cool for sure. What would they even use that for? The job description was pretty vague and kept mentioning that it was for some secretive project that he would be filled in on when he got hired. A little suspicious, Ryley couldn’t lie. What if they sent him somewhere really remote and just dumped him to work on the tech? That sounded terrible no matter the wages.

Alterra though, their offer sparked the young man’s interest. They were building phasegates throughout the known universe for safer travel and possible contact with extraterrestrial life. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of an endeavor like that? The listing wasn’t exactly what he wanted, but it was a start, right? They seemed like a good company and their Twitter was funny. It looked like Alterra was winning this competition.

~~~

It was Robin’s turn to drive again. Al-an had attempted to take control of the van on the first leg of the trip with it. Earth technology was difficult for him to connect with, which in hindsight explained why he didn’t take up residence in her PDA. With some effort he could probably make himself or the van compatible, though no telling how much time that would take.

“Nothing on the news about us stealing this,” Ryley said, interrupting Robin’s thoughts.

“Oh, I neglected to mention something about that,” Al-an spoke up from the back of the van. “I designed the masks I gave you specifically to interfere with the cameras. To the humans, it looks as though this van drove off by itself.”

Robin glanced toward Ryley and saw him twisted around in his seat, staring back at Al-an. He turned back and grabbed the mask, turning it around in his hands. “Really?” he asked incredulously.

“I was going through your PDA’s databank and I discovered certain patterns that can disable camera systems, so I implemented them into your masks. It should help in any future initiatives.”

“It’ll definitely help getting into this hangar we’re headed for,” Robin commented, smiling. Ryley turned back to his PDA, nodding.

Silence, marred only by whatever Al-an was doing in the back, filled the van again. Actual music almost never played on radios anymore and Robin wasn’t about to ask Ryley to connect his PDA to the speakers. When he wasn’t driving, he was sitting with his knees up, tapping away at whatever it was he had on there. Robin knew it had an internet connection, just like hers back home. She had to make her own connection, but once it was up she could use the internet again. That was nice.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Robin asked suddenly. Might as well have a conversation before she bored herself to death.

Ryley didn’t look up. “Checking through Alterra comms and sites to see if there’s any mention of us,” he replied.

“Uh, Ryley, you realize the internet tracks everything you do? Alterra is going to catch you, you know that right? Are you stupid?” Anxiety tightened Robin’s chest as she spoke. She glanced at Ryley’s freakishly calm face more than she’d care to admit. Keeping her eyes on the road won over her need to glare at her companion.

“Oh, yeah I have one of those fake employee VPN things. They think I’m Roberto from Spain with clearance for everything,” he told her, calm as could be.

Relief washed through Robin. “Fuck, ok. Thank god,” she whispered. She glanced at Ryley again. “Don’t you have to pay for those?”

“Not if you can prove you work for Alterra. There’s a huge ring of us fighting where we can,” he said. “Nothing about where we are yet, by the way.”

“That’s good,” Robin sighed again. The welcome sign to their destination passed them as buildings popped up on the side of the road. Finally. She pulled into the closest motel and let Ryley get himself together.

He jumped out of the van and disappeared inside the motel office. This was always the most nerve wracking part. If she went in there was more of a chance of being recognized though, and safety was priority. Not that Robin wouldn’t fight till her last breath to get away, of course.

Ryley appeared from the door and pointed to the end of the lot. Ok, not out of sight, but if she backed in Al-an could warp through the door. Robin pulled over to the door and took a deep breath. This was gonna hurt. She twisted the wheel as much as she could with her uninjured arm, using the broken one for support. Opening the driver’s door and glancing down, Robin felt a bit of pride at her surprisingly good parking job. Especially given the fact that she hadn’t had to park an Earth car in years, much less back into a spot.

Al-an and Ryley were already opening the back of the van by the time Robin was fully out of her seat. She blocked the view of the office, standing shoulder to shoulder with Ryley. As long as the Architect kept low, they wouldn’t be seen. He nodded at the humans and warped through the small motel door, not waiting for his companions. Robin smiled after him. They wouldn’t have to do this soon.

“Hey, I’m gonna go get the fabricator blueprints and builder. I’ll be back soon,” Ryley told them. He hung by the door with the human mask still covering most of his face. Robin could barely see him smile at them.

~~~

For being so technologically behind, Al-an had to admit that humans excelled at building things. The blueprints were fairly easy to change on Ryley’s PDA, now all the Architect needed were a few extra materials. They had added a user interface and an option to reverse fabrication on their new device; the only cost being magnetite and a few other computer parts. Thankfully their time with Robin proved helpful in already knowing how many of these things worked.

Aside from finally being able to mess around with blueprints on the PDA, the van trip was incredibly boring. At least among the stars they could take the reins and find things to explore. Places to learn. If Alterra didn’t exist Al-an wondered what exploring Earth would be like. From what they could find on the “internet” humans had an incredibly diverse and exciting culture. Despite the species inefficiencies, Al-an could certainly learn a lot from them. They already had.

Robin and Ryley kept up small conversations while they drove. Al-an paid little attention for now, though they decided to dedicate some mental stamina to retaining information for later. Learning as much as they could while here would keep them entertained somewhat. If they had more arms they could more easily multitask, but alas, those were still on that ship, sitting in front of a now most likely abandoned Alterra facility.

Every pause in the trip made it feel longer and longer. Al-an found it harder and harder to keep themself from thinking about ways they could have avoided this situation entirely every time the humans chose to rest. Distraction wasn’t enough in these cases. At least in the van they had Robin’s connection to them to keep them grounded. When she was asleep they lost that for the most part.

The Architect sighed and checked outside again. The humans were currently resting in a motel bed in a place Robin had called Montana. She said it was the last leg of the trip, thank the stars, before they arrived at their destination. Ryley groaned quietly and began to stir. His body stretched out across the bed, drawing Al-an’s attention to the movement. His shirt had lifted a bit, revealing more of his skin.

That was one thing Al-an would never understand about humans; their need to cover themselves so much. Architects felt no such shame with their forms and only wore clothing of any sort for special occasions, or if they were at a higher tier in their society. And even then, the “clothing” was really only ornaments. Al-an had asked Robin why she wouldn’t show them her own body, but she became embarrassed immediately and never gave a straight answer. It had taken some coaxing and more personal contact before she felt comfortable with it.

Robin’s soft snores were fading, indicating that she was waking up. Ryley was already munching on a bagel and looking through his PDA. He glanced at Al-an after a moment and the Architect looked away in embarrassment.

“What’s up?” Ryley asked quietly.

“Have you looked at my modifications yet?” Al-an asked. They shifted their gaze back to Ryley while keeping the rest of their senses on Robin.

“Yeah, it looks interesting. I’m kinda excited to see it in action if I’m being honest. You gonna test it?” the human responded.

“Yes, I was planning on deconstructing the van when we arrive at our destination. I can make any extra modifications or fix anything before we attempt to use it on a larger scale,” Al-an explained. “My hope is that it works the first time I try it.”

Ryley nodded and looked back down at his PDA. “Sounds like a good plan. Do you have the materials?”

“I do. Robin took your human mask and gathered them for me.”

Robin mumbled something unintelligible from her bed and rolled over. She seemed sluggish, though Al-an really wasn’t surprised about that. Her arm was already doing better but spending long hours driving must have been wearing on her. Al-an made a mental note to check with her later and ensure that she was still healthy. Above all else, she was their top priority.

~~~

The last leg of this stupid trip felt like it took forever. Ryley felt as though he was being dragged along, pulled toward a turning point in his life. One that he didn’t know if he was ready for. Of course, he would help Robin and Al-an build their ship. He’d help them get off planet. But what about him? Through all of this, Robin had never mentioned him. She never asked if he was excited about leaving. If he even left at all.

Maybe she was just tired, just like him. Especially with her arm, though it was healing pretty damn well. Al-an had mentioned something about some organ also accelerating healing or something like that. That would be really cool, Ryley thought, to be able to heal faster and get right back to work. It was like Robin was one step above human now.

The winding forest road drew Ryley’s focus in. They had to find a place to stay, and somewhere near, but not too close, to the hangar. It was too dangerous to stay close, but even more so to try to stay in another motel. Another dirt road, just like the last three that Ryley had tried, led off into the woods. He turned off. Robin looked up from his PDA and stared out the window. She nodded when she saw no posted signs.

Ryley pushed on. Maybe this one would be it. A small cabin in a clearing appeared. It looked untouched for the most part, probably abandoned by the owners. Ryley shut the van off and hopped out. Looking around, there were definitely no signs of humans in a long time. The van tracks were the only ones coming up the overgrown dirt road. No sign of footprints either.

Robin jumped out after a moment and came to stand next to Ryley. “Al-an said he can’t hear any humans,” she told him.

“I feel so… privileged to have their extra senses. In the movies it’s all sneaking around and looking for people for twenty minutes,” Ryley replied, glancing at his friend.

“Nice to have an alien for a best friend, isn’t it?” Robin laughed. “I’m gonna see if the door is unlocked, my ass hurts.”

Ryley turned back to the van to see Al-an already locking the back door. The alien warped over to him and stood, facing the cabin just like Robin had. They stood there together, silent, staring at the cabin as some kind of light turned on. The place looked like it was at least 50 years old, it still used old construction designs.

Robin’s head appeared through the door. “Are you guys gonna stand there and freeze all night? I started a fire!” she called.

Ryley glanced up at the alien and nodded at them. They nodded back and the two wordlessly made their way to the cabin. To say it was a bit cramped was an understatement, especially for Al-an. They had to squeeze a bit to get through the door. If Ryley thought it looked tiny outside, it was smaller inside. The roof was at least tall enough for Al-an to stand comfortably, but they took up quite a bit of the single room. A fire was already going in the fireplace.

There was a single, old bed, a table, and a dresser. The whole place smelled like mildew, making Ryley grateful that he had picked up cleaning supplies in North Dakota. And sleeping bags, now that he looked at the bed. There was no way anyone was sleeping on that. Robin was already getting the cleaning wipes out and clearing off the table and a couple of chairs. There was no actual place for Al-an to sit though, since their body was shaped so strangely it was probably going to be more comfortable to lie down.

“I believe all of us should rest, and you two should eat before we go any further with this project,” the Architect said, as though they had read Ryley’s mind.

“I’m not sleepy yet, so let’s at least start planning the heist first. But yeah, food. Food sounds good,” Robin replied. She finished cleaning the table and stood up straight. “There isn’t running water, I already checked.”

“You know, it’s been a while since I’ve had to pee in the wild,” Ryley commented without thinking. His face went warm as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Of course, if this was permanent for him, he’d have to get used to it. He began to dig for a can of chili to eat.

Robin laughed. “What, you didn’t find blueprints for toilets?” she asked.

“And you did?” Ryley shot back.

“Yeah, Marguerit had one.”

“Marg- She’s alive?” Ryley turned around from the food bag. “Last I heard she got dragged off by a Reaper!”

Robin laughed. “She lived inside it until she hit Sector Zero. That’s where we met,” she explained.

“I did not like her at all,” Al-an commented from across the room. They looked up from Ryley’s PDA for a moment.

“She had reason not to trust me, let’s be fair to her,” Robin said with a faint smile. “I mean, come on, a random girl in Alterra gear isn’t exactly the first person I’d trust either.”

Ryley laughed. “I definitely wouldn’t.”

Robin handed him a pan and he began to work on heating the chili up over the fireplace. It’s warmth seeped into him and comforted him. This was livable, at least for now. He could make this a home. Maybe.

“So, the heist. Al-an still needs to test the fabricator,” Ryley said after a pause.

“I will do so in the morning, I must conserve energy,” the Architect told him.

“After that it’s getting in to the place. Do you have a map or something?” Robin asked.

“There should be one in the databank on my PDA, if Al-an wants to find that,” Ryley said, stirring the warming chili. “If I remember right there’s a security check-in, so we need to be wary of that.”

“There is,” Al-an stated. “There is a large door on the other side of the building though. Perhaps we could enter there.”

“I don’t want any chance of Alterra being on our asses though,” Robin interjected. “We should take out anyone on site before we try to take the ship. With Al-an’s help that should be fine.”

Ryley nodded. “Good idea. We don’t need anyone noticing us and calling for help. And we don’t know who will be posted at the big door either.”

“I will assist you in getting past the posted security, and then I will make my way into the hangar and choose a ship. I believe we can use a maintinence model for a cover story in getting off planet,” Al-an said, turning the PDA around in their claws.

“Sounds good to me,” Robin replied.

“We can plan more in depth in the morning, when we’ve eaten and rested,” Ryley said, beginning to dish up the now hot chili. “Sharp minds and all that, at least for us humans.”

Chapter Text

”Ok, Finley, you’re up!”

Robin nodded. “I shoot the raider farthest from me with my long bow,” she said, rolling her dice.

Jack peered over at her dice and nodded back. “That’s a hit. Roll damage?” ey asked.

“Seven.”

“Awesome. He already got a pretty bad beating from Rijiel, so you’ve taken him out. Two bandits left!” Jack exclaimed, flicking one of the minifigures off of the playing board. It clattered across the table and into Robin’s lap.

“Is it me?” Sam asked, glancing over at Jack. She continued at eir nod. “Ok, excellent. I’m gonna take a swing at this guy-” she pointed to the figure closest to her paladin, Alexandre- “with Skullbasher that hits for um- oh wow,” Sam laughed.

“What?” Lacie asked from across the table.

“With my bonus I hit for 27,” Sam replied.

Jack’s eyebrows rose. Ey clapped eir hands together excitedly. “You smash this guy’s skull in pretty damn well and he falls to the ground, dead.”

“Wow, Skullbasher really lives up to its name Alexandre!” Lacie replied in character.

Robin laughed and Sam mirrored her. They high-fived over the table as the final raider squared up with Rijiel.

~~~

Robin peeked inside the hangar again. Three guards sat, talking inside what looked like a security checkpoint. All three wore Alterra uniforms, but she couldn’t tell if they were armed. She glanced at Ryley, who shrugged, and then at Al-an. He clutched the builder tool to his chest and tilted his head at her.

“Do you think I could sneak past the window?” Robin asked the alien directly.

He stepped over her and peered through the door himself. “I am uncertain. Are you going to attempt to fight them?” he asked, looking back at her.

Robin nodded. “I don’t want any of them calling for help, I still think we should try to take out everyone in the building. Shouldn’t be too many people considering that Ryley said this is storage,” she said. “And it’s almost midnight. I’d be surprised to see anyone here at all aside from these guys.”

“Hey guys, can I be privvy to the plans too?” Ryley whispered. Robin flushed behind her mask. She couldn’t see his expression.

“Yeah, sorry. I’m gonna try to sneak over and take one of the guards out. We don’t want them calling for help,” she informed him. “You guys join me once I’ve gotten their attention.”

Robin slipped through the glass door before at Ryley’s nod of agreement. Keeping low to the ground, she crept up to the window and crawled underneath it, just out of the line of sight of the men inside. She could hear them asking if someone was there. As she reached the door, she waited, listening. Once they relaxed, she would strike.

A moment that felt like an eternity passed before one of them decided aloud that she “must have been the wind”. Robin turned the doorknob as quietly as she could, waiting, moving as slowly as possible. She pushed the door a bit and let out a tiny breath as it gave. Unlocked. She swung the door open and grabbed the thing closest to her, a large book.

Robin stood and hit the guard closest to her twice in the head, nearly knocking them off of their chair. Al-an was there before anyone else could move and he knocked the same guard on the head. They collapsed to the floor, passed out. One down, two to go.

Ryley appeared at the door too and passed Robin, swinging at one of the guards. His fist connected with the man’s jaw and knocked him backwards. Pain twinged in Robin’s broken arm, reminding her that she was still healing. She backed up until she was in the doorway. The least she could do was block the only escape route.

The third guard finally caught on and went after Ryley, who dodged. The force of the guard’s punch knocked them both forward until they were on the ground. Alright, one left basically, Robin would let Ryley deal with that guy on the ground, or Al-an would do something.

She switched hands with the book she was holding, getting it in her good hand, and then throwing. It whizzed past his head. Fuck. He looked at her and laughed. “Get better aim, idiot.”

She glared at him. “That was my non dominant arm, give me a fucking break, asshole,” she retorted, picking up another book.

Ryley, still on the floor, had grabbed the guard’s hair in his fist. Rage was plastered all over the normally quiet man’s face as he slammed his head into the floor. Robin heard a loud crack and then Ryley was shoving him off and standing up.

Al-an turned around, toward Robin, and attempted to kick the final guard. He was surprisingly able to doge. He moved to the other side of the small room and began to reach for a phone. Robin tried throwing her book again and hit him this time. It bounced off of him though, and he looked at her, confused. Ugh, fine. Robin stepped farther into the room and kicked a chair, knocking it into his knees and forcing him to the floor.

The guard grunted as he went down. Good. Ryley, thinking quickly, grabbed a pen and jabbed it into the man’s neck. Robin’s eyes widened at the action. Shit, she hadn’t expected him to do something like that. Not that she wasn’t impressed of course, but jeez. That was violent.

The group nodded at each other and stepped back through the security door and into the main lobby. It was empty aside from standard potted plants and chairs. Through a door in the back of the room, they found themselves in a hallway that led to some offices. As much as Robin wanted to check them for people, it would probably be smarter to keep going through the door labeled for the locker room. That was probably a faster way into the hangar anyway.

The door at the very end of the hall opened and a woman stepped through. She gasped when she caught sight of the intruders, though before she could run back through the door, Al-an warped to her and kicked her, hard. She crumpled to the ground, bleeding profusely from her forehead. Robin nodded at Ryley and they made it through the door.

Voices carried through the empty room, coming from a door that claimed it led to the cafeteria. Workers must be staying late to get something finished or shoot the shit. Something like that. Another door on the side wall led into the hangar itself and Al-an immediately veered left and ducked through it. Perfect, they could take out the voices while he did his thing. Hopefully neither party would need very long to take care of things.

Robin spotted a box sitting against the wall by the door that they had come through. She padded over to it and peered through its contents as silently as possible. She grabbed a metal rod that would probably do just fine as a weapon. Ryley copied her. They snuck to the cafeteria door and peered through it. Four people were sitting around a table, talking and laughing. Blissfully unaware of the unconscious people lying throughout the facility. Unaware of the alien stealing an entire spaceship.

At Ryley’s nod, the intruders burst through the door. Robin went after one of the employees and hit him in the head as hard as she could. Her luck was finally coming back as he slumped over onto the table while Ryley went after another worker. She was soon on the floor and Robin turned her attention to another one.

This idiot proved a little more difficult. They caught the metal rod and ripped it out of Robin’s hands, tossing it to the side. Robin glowered at them and moved in. Fine, if they wanted close combat, she’d give it to them. She boxed with them for a moment before finally getting a kick in on their knee and knocked them down. Ryley cried out and Robin spun around, kicking her opponent as she did and knocking them to the floor.

Ryley was on his back on the ground. His metal rod was in the Alterra worker’s hand now. They lifted his mask and shoved it to the side. Ryley glared up at them, though he made no move to fight back. Was he planning something? The employee’s eyes widened as they apparently recognized him.

“It’s you!” they spat. “You know, we almost had both of them, and then you just had to come along and ruin it.” They swung at Ryley’s head, hitting the side of it.

Rage filled Robin’s senses at the vague mention of her sister. She grabbed her metal rod that from the floor and took a hard swing, arm be damned. Al-an could fix it later. She heard the crack of the metal hitting them and the thud as they hit the floor, though she didn’t care about that anymore. Her tunnel vision turned to Ryley.

He was unconscious now. Blood dripped from the side of his head. Robin took three deep breaths to calm herself and clear her vision. She grabbed his head gently and checked him over. There were no serious injuries that she could see through his hair. It looked like just a small cut from the sharp edge of the pipe. Thank god. Now to just wait for Al-an.

~~~

Stealing things was so much fun. Al-an never expected themself to be into this sort of activity, especially after… well they didn’t want to think about that. Here they were regardless. Constructing a fabricator of their own design, purposely made to steal something. They finished building it and felt a thrill as they targeted a maintinence ship and initiated the process.

The sound of a fight leaked through one of the doors. Robin grunted as someone hit her. Al-an’s hands began tapping against themselves. This was taking longer than they would have liked. They had wanted to at least attempt to help fight the people in the other room. They tried to will the fabricator to work faster. If only they had a few ion cubes.

Finally, the fabricator finished its work and shut down by itself. Al-an took the materials from it with Ryley’s PDA and began to defabricate it. They rushed to the door into the smaller room. The sounds of fighting had faded, hopefully with a good outcome.

Robin sat on the floor, with Ryley’s head in her lap. Not the best outcome but Al-an’s rudimentary scan indicated that he wasn’t seriously injured. The humans were speaking in hushed tones and Robin looked up when Al-an entered.

“You have everything?” she asked. One of her hands stroked at Ryley’s hair. The man sighed in response.

Al-an nodded. “Is he alright?” they asked.

“Robin?” Ryley asked pathetically.

“Yes?” Robin replied, snickering.

Ryley sighed again and turned his head to look at her. He raised one hand and stroked at her legs weakly. “You have really strong thighs…”

“Thanks, Ryley,” Robin laughed in response. She looked back up at Al-an. “He just got hit in the head. You mind carrying him?” she told the Architect. Warmth welled in them.

“We need to get him out of here,” Al-an agreed. They crouched as best they could and let Robin haul Ryley onto their back. They stood up straight and headed for the door. The sooner they got back to the cabin, the better. Ryley would need whatever medical help Al-an could give him. The thought of needing to research medical problems for their only companions was not a pleasant thought but it was one Al-an had to entertain. Far too often for their comfort.

Al-an cradled Ryley’s head the whole drive back to the cabin. Every bump made the human wince, prompting them to draw him in closer. If they had the resources they would construct the same organs that they had made for Robin, but they were nowhere near a fabricator that had such capabilities. There were no sterile places to attempt an operation either, so Al-an was stuck with what little knowledge of human physiology and medicine that they had.

Most research they did told them to keep him resting and away from strenuous mental activity. Wonderful, time to keep Ryley from doing his actual job then. That was sure to go over well. Rest was priority though, which gave Al-an time to go over the blueprints one last time before beginning construction.

They spent the night lying on the cold floor, reading things on Ryley’s PDA. Some parts of the blueprint needed tweaking, though most of it was at least functional enough to use as an escape vessel. The only thing they would really need Ryley’s assistance on was disabling tracking technology.

The Architect shifted into a fitful resting period to pass the rest of the night. Shared dreams passed though from Robin’s mind to theirs, though Al-an paid little attention to them. This was one of the rare times when they were aware enough to consciously keep themself from dreaming. It was probably the stress.

Morning brought the sound of Robin clattering around over the fire. Al-an watched her cook for a while, relishing in the quiet of the morning. Robin’s ponytail bounced a bit as she moved, drawing Al-an to watch it intensely.

The smell of human food flooded the room. Ryley whined from his spot curled up in Al-an’s legs. He moved slowly, shifting around and pressing his face down into Al-an’s side. A soft sigh tickled the Architect’s skin and made them shiver.

“How are you feeling, Ryley?” Al-an asked.

The human sighed deeply, causing another shiver. “Head hurts but I’m ok I guess.”

“But you are aware of where you are and what you are doing?” Al-an pressed. They couldn’t be too careful.

Ryley nodded as Robin approached with a plate full of food. She set it down on the table and helped Ryley stand up, drawing him into a hug. He sighed and Al-an watched his muscles visibly relax into the embrace. They stood up themself, still keeping an eye on their companions, and got ready to attempt to slip outside. If they could begin without Ryley noticing, maybe he would never even realize-

“Where are you going?” Ryley asked innocently. He sat on the floor now shoving food into his mouth, only glancing up occasionally to look at the Architect.

Al-an shook their head. Dammit. “I am going outside to breathe the air there,” they told him.

Ryley swallowed his food and snorted. “I don’t think that’s the expression, but ok. I’ll be out soon to help.”

“You also don’t need to breathe,” Robin pointed out. She shot Al-an a smirk. The alien playfully let themself feel anger toward her before joining in her laughter in their own way.

“I am on Earth, why would I not try the customs here, like breathing?” they retorted.

Both humans burst out laughing at that; Al-an chose that moment to make their escape. Robin would explain the predicament to Ryley, then they didn’t have to. They didn’t want to break his heart since he had seemed so excited about helping build the ship. There were other projects at home that he could help with when his head was in better condition.

~~~

For a being with such oddly shaped legs, Ryley still marveled at how steady and graceful Al-an was. Their movements were precise to the point where occasionally they would shift positions and it took the human a few minutes to notice. He wasn’t allowed to help, but Robin had compromised and let him be outside at least. The fresh air was good for his brain she said. Al-an had kindly offered to be a seat as well.

“I think you have that backwards,” Ryley informed his companion.

Al-an said nothing, but corrected the issue. At least they listened. The two continued this routine for a long while. Ryley started talking about the ins and outs of Alterra ships and how things were supposed to go, and Al-an said nothing about it.

Another ten minutes passed and Robin came outside and began to assess what they had built. Most of it was engine pieces, fabricated part by part to ensure safety. Ryley continued to ramble since he had nothing else to do. He had planned on working together with Al-an on this project and maybe bonding a little bit. In case he never got another chance to.

Finally, Al-an reached around their back and pulled Ryley off. He found himself upside down and then carried bridal style in the Architect’s arms. They plopped him down on a chair and patted his head, turning some mix of blue and red. The colors swirled through them, though they didn’t mix to purple.

“Ryley, I do appreciate your commentary, but I know how spacecraft work. You are supposed to be resting your mind. Robin and I would both appreciate if you did so,” the alien informed him.

Ryley rolled his eyes. “Fiiiine, fine,” he pouted dramatically. “I’ll supervise from a distance I suppose.”

Robin laughed from her work as Al-an warped back to what they had been doing. They began to fix things on the engine housing. Robin was tightening screws on the other side. Ryley sat back and watched. Why did he have to get a concussion now, just as he was becoming really useful? Just his luck, really.

“Ow, fuck!” Robin exclaimed, clutching her almost healed arm.

“Hey, I am upset about it too, but let’s watch the fucking language,” Al-an retorted without hesitation.

Something inside Ryley died in that moment. “Kick it Barack…” he mumbled back, almost on instinct. The bright blue delight splaying across Al-an’s features told Ryley that it wasn’t a coincidence. That was a purposeful reference.

“What are you two fucking talking about?” Robin asked, tilting her head and putting her fists on her hips.

“Oh, god, it would take me hours to explain. It’s an ancient internet thing,” Ryley groaned. He made a mental note to go through his PDA’s browsing history to see exactly how much Al-an had gotten into. What could one curious alien do? Robin laughed but didn’t ask any farther, thank god.

Ryley spent the next few hours lying on the grass near the launch pad and wandering around in the woods. Robin had already packed enough supplies to get them to Al-an’s home planet, plus enough for two extra people. Al-an didn’t need any supplies, so Ryley could only guess why she was over-packing so much.

Now he had to figure out where he was supposed to go. The cabin was ok, at least temporarily, but running water was going to be a necessity. Who wants to be running away their whole life though? He would never be able to stay in one place, unless he wanted Alterra to find him. How long could he last like that? How long until he ran out of places to stay in one country and had to leave?

Why couldn’t this be easy? There was no way he was going to ask Robin for help. She had enough to worry about, she didn’t need to be off in space somewhere worrying about him. Should he just leave as soon as the ship was done? Ryley had no answer and nowhere to go. Any family he had wouldn’t be able to hide him for long; he didn’t even know where they were anyway.

Chapter Text

The little one picked their head up. They looked around for the first time in their very short life, at the faces of the rest of their kind, milling about them. Their siblings still laid together, bodies mixing into a big furry pile, senses mostly closed off from the world for now. The information filling the young one’s mind told them that they were not meant to awaken for another cycle at least. They should be residing with their siblings.

Other Architects in various stages of adolescence stood and laid together around the room. Piles kept them safe and warm while they prepared to grow into the Network. The thing that bound them all. Even asleep, the little ones felt the adults around them. Speaking to them, caring for them, ensuring their proper upbringing. Searching for abnormalities that must be eliminated.

This abnormality though, this was a miracle. A little one waking up early meant excitement, if the buzzing of the Network meant anything. It was as though all communication slowed to a faint whisper while the new mind became truly accustomed to their new senses. Long legs stopped their movements in the growth chamber.

A new voice joined the ranks. They spoke into the Network for the first time, greeting their kind. And a cacophony of voices followed. Celebration echoed through the threads connecting everyone, as far out as they reached. The cheers nearly drowned out everything else the young Architect could hear and the joy resonating within the Network flushed through them.

They looked around again at the happy colors around them. At their people. The start of their life. A new voice and a new mind. A miracle.

~~~

Holy shit. Holy shit! Did Robin hate snow just a little bit after living in Sector Zero? Yeah, maybe. Did that deter her excitement over the fact that it was snowing now? Absolutely not. She dug through her bag for the warmest clothes she could find and threw them on. Mission be damned, this was the first time she could actually enjoy snow and by GOD she was gonna do it.

Ryley rolled over in his sleeping bag as Robin threw the ratty curtains open. Light flooded into the room making him squint. Robin giggled at his plight and crouched next to him. It had been over a week since they stole the ship and it was mostly complete thanks to Al-an and Ryley working together. As soon as Robin approved after his concussion, the engineer had jumped on the opportunity to put his college degree to work.

“Dude, guess what?” Robin asked, grinning.

“Wha…?” Ryley replied, still squinting blearily in the bright light.

“It snowed last night! We should take a break and have some fun in it!” the woman said, now vibrating a little. She’d been working way too much; she itched to do something just for the hell of it.

Ryley’s eyes widened at the news. He scrambled out of his sleeping bag and bolted to the window, hands to the glass like a child. He turned back to Robin with a huge grin plastered across his face. She was already headed out the door as he rushed to throw clothes on.

The cold air here was nothing compared to Sector Zero. Why had she even been worried? Fresh powder blanketed the ground and blended in with the mostly constructed rocket. Al-an was sequestered somewhere inside, probably finishing up the small details.

“AL-AAAAAN GET OUT HERE!” Robin yelled, pacing around the ship and kicking snow around.

The Architect’s head poked out from where they had been working on a side panel. “Yes, Robin?” they asked, green pulsing with blue across their body.

“Come down!” she shouted excitedly. “We’re taking a break to play in the snow!”

“Hell yeah!” Ryley screamed as if on cue. He bolted from the cabin and immediately face-planted into the snow.

Robin took the opportunity to reach down and pack herself a snowball. While he wasn’t looking, just for the element of surprise. She heard Al-an warp down from their perch behind her. She’d explain in a second she just needed Ryley to get up and…

It hit him on the top of his head. Laughter exploded from Robin’s chest as her companion yelped and fell over backwards. He joined her in laughing as he gathered up his own snowball. Uh, oh. Robin turned tail and ran, if she could get behind Al-an, she could use him as a shield. Just for a moment, of course. Ryley’s snowball grazed the woman’s shoulder and landed in the snow just ahead of her.

“What are you doing? Are you fighting?” Al-an asked. He rubbed his claws together against his chest.

“No!” Robin laughed. “This is a snowball fight! I never got to show you before since we had to go. Pack snow into a ball and throw it, it’s fun!”

Al-an bent down and pulled snow into a ball with their claws. Robin backed away toward Ryley. She wasn’t about to help her alien friend out if he caught on like she hoped and give him an unfair advantage. The alien examined their snowball for a moment before he cocked back and flung it.

The ground met Robin’s ass, hard. She wasn’t really sure what surprised her more, the force of the snowball to her chest or the fact that she had fallen on the ground. Al-an was on top of her within seconds, picking her up and turning her head around in his claws. For a moment she thought she heard him whisper “Oh, fuck,” but she couldn’t be sure.

“Al, I’m fine, calm down,” Robin laughed, patting his thigh. “That’s the whole point of this.”

The alien grumbled but let his human go. Robin pulled herself to her feet and glanced at Ryley as Al-an backed off. He nodded and picked up another snowball, Robin following suit. Al-an tilted his head at the humans.

It didn’t take him long to catch on. Robin found herself breathless from dodging the incessant barrage of snow coming from the Architect. She couldn’t think of the last time she had laughed this much. Especially not with another human. Ryley was a good team mate with a damn strong arm. Robin thought she saw Al-an fall off balance a few times.

Eventually, Al-an seemed to grow tired of the fight and called a truce. Ryley dragged Robin off to let the Architect relax for a while. The humans wandered through the snow silently together. Flakes began to fall again somewhere along the way. There really was nobody out here. The closest thing was probably that hangar and even then, that was miles away.

They stayed out until the sun began to set. Robin followed Ryley back. The cold was finally beginning to seep into her bones and make her shiver. Getting some food and warming up sounded better and better the closer they got to the cabin. Soon they’d be on Al-an’s home and they wouldn’t have to worry much about cold.

Al-an was already inside once they reached the cabin. A fire was going in the hearth. Robin thanked him through the Network and settled onto the floor in front of the fire while Ryley heated soup. Dinner passed silently and Robin found herself getting sleepy. This felt so… so normal.

This was normal and Ryley’s lap looked really inviting to the sleepy woman. She silently laid down and rested her head into his legs, closing her eyes and smiling to herself. This was it. This was really the dream. Falling asleep in front of a fire with a small, strange family. Robin could die like this and she would be happy.

~~~

Warmth from the slowly dying fire filled the room. If it were earlier in the night Al-an might add more logs to it, if only for the humans sake. They had fallen asleep in front of the hearth hours ago after wandering around somewhere in the snow all day. Al-an had let them go since Robin seemed adamant about taking a break. Playing in the snow was break enough for the Architect. Desperation to finally go home drove them to finish the ship.

Watching the humans sleep though, that was enough to keep Al-an rooted in place. For now, at least. Robin’s soft snores filled the silence of the lonely cabin. Ryley’s arm was thrown around her side, holding her into him. Even though she was facing them, Al-an couldn’t see her face since it was pressed into Ryley’s chest a bit. They looked so peaceful like that. As if nothing on Earth could hurt them.

The scene brought back long buried memories of the beginning of Al-an’s own life. Watching the piles of younger Architects as they grew and learned and began their own work. Fuzzy bodies pressed together for warmth and safety. Al-an’s own fur had long been shed by the time of the memory. Sometimes they wished for it back. Robin would love it. Half a thought crossed their mind to find blueprints for when adults had fur. Even just to show her.

The memories of early life brought a somber tone to Al-an’s thoughts. In storage those were some of the only things they could really remember. Connection to and memories from the Network disappeared as the days passed long and lonely, deep underwater. Basic knowledge slipping away until all Al-an could remember was their personal life. Every moment since they first woke up until the moment they were locked away was all that was left.

For one thousand years there was a gaping wound in Al-an’s mind. The stark loss of their species knowledge. As the facility broke down the Architect had wondered if everything would be lost. They remembered wishing for the comfort of feeling the Network as a silent watcher. Before they woke up. When all it was was noise, washing over them and drawing them in, pushing them to wake up and join it. The silence was the most deafening thing they had ever experienced.

The silence now was almost worse. Before, they hadn’t known. They hoped that their kind was still thriving at home. Knowing was almost worse. Knowing that the silence would never truly end. Even with Robin. She could only provide so much with her human mind, and of course Al-an appreciated it. More than they could express with words. It just wasn’t the same. They missed their Network.

Al-an shook their head. This needed to stop. If they kept on much longer their negative thoughts risked plaguing Robin’s dreams. No point in lamenting something that was long gone. Perhaps they should finish the ship like Ryley had suggested. He seemed almost as eager as they were to leave Earth and go home.

Outside, the cold air shocked Al-an’s system. It was the perfect distraction. They hated being cold, so the faster they worked and finished the ship, the faster they could get inside and get warm. The few things left to finish wouldn’t take long. Just fabricating something here. Checking bolts there. Ensuring the fuel system worked. Checking through all of the systems, actually. It was imperative that this mission go as smoothly as possible. Malfunctions were out of the question.

“Al-an? You out here?” Robin’s voice carried through the cold, clear air.

The Architect warped out of the ship and down to their human. She reached up and patted their thigh in greeting, smiling. “I have finished preparations on the ship itself. We are ready to leave as soon as you are,” they told her.

“Sweet, I’ll let Ryley know when he gets up then,” Robin said, smiling softly.

Al-an paused. If she wasn’t going to wake him now… “So we have the morning to ourselves then. Is there anything you would like to do?” they asked.

“Maybe we could watch the sunrise,” Robin suggested and motioned back toward the cabin steps.

Al-an obliged and followed her over. This wasn’t necessarily what they were intending or asking for, but it could lead to it perhaps. They had wanted to see the Earth sun rise for a long time anyway so this made a perfect excuse. The two sat together, Al-an at the bottom of the steps with their legs tucked up underneath them and Robin on the bottom step. Next to them but not touching.

“Is there anything in particular that you would like to do?” Al-an prompted as they reached out toward their human’s shoulder.

She flinched away. “I did say I wanted to watch the sun.”

“I see,” Al-an replied quietly. They would respect her wishes, of course, and not pursue the underlying desire of this situation. But they had to admit that it stung to have her reject them so blatantly.

The first rays of dawn shone over the trees and Robin leaned in, resting against Al-an’s side. That was as much as they were going to get, contact wise. That was fine. Al-an glanced down and caught the shine of the sunlight in Robin’s eyes. The warmth spreading across her cheeks. Her faint smile that lasted only a moment as they reached down to rest a claw on her head. She sighed as the frown replaced her expression again.

The light grew slowly, drawing out the sudden tension between them. Al-an tried not to let their worry show outwardly; they forced a neutral magenta into their glow. This was fine. They would discuss it later. She was just worried about leaving, that was all.

~~~

Ryley woke up alone. The fireplace had probably gone out hours ago and Robin and Al-an were nowhere to be found. Al-an most likely had gone outside to finish up the ship, which was definitely good. The sooner they could finish, the sooner Ryley could just say goodbye and get it over with. Nerves made his stomach twist itself into knots. Breakfast could definitely wait.

Outside, Ryley found his companions sitting on the porch, staring out into the woods. He wasn’t about to ask how long they had been there. Whatever moment they were having it wasn’t to be interrupted. Well…

“Morning,” he said quietly. Robin’s ponytail swished against her back as she turned to look at him.

“Hey. Al-an finished everything last night,” she replied, smiling. “Want to eat something and help me pack up?”

Ryley shrugged. “I’m not that hungry. I’ll start if you want to eat though.”

“I’ll eat on the way,” Robin replied.

She stood up and followed Ryley back into the cabin. Most of the bags were already packed up with only a few necessities lying around. Extra food sat in a box to the side. Ryley grabbed that so Robin wouldn’t have to and began the trek outside. Al-an had already disappeared, probably to begin preparing for launch. That was fine.

Ryley placed the box into one of the storage spaces. He could hear Al-an warping around and pressing buttons. They passed him by on his way out and flashed blue at him before disappearing again. From what Ryley could gather that meant they were happy to see him. That was nice.

Robin had all of the rest of the bags strapped to her. She grinned and handed him a bag. “I thought your arm was broken,” he commented, smiling as much as he could bring himself to.

“Doesn’t stop me! Besides, it’s mostly healed now. If it gets broken again Al-an can fix me at home,” Robin responded, laughing softly.

“Yeah…” Ryley nodded. “I’m uh, I’ll go check the cabin. For anything else we missed.”

He ducked off the ship before she could stop him and jogged for the cabin. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he would need to leave this place behind. Launching was going to be loud and Alterra would be swarming the place soon enough. Better to make sure they left nothing behind except a fresh fire. Oh, actually, maybe burning it would be a good idea.

Nothing of note was left inside, so Ryley wandered back out. Al-an’s voice called out a three minute warning. So this was it. This was goodbye. His chest felt tight as he watched Robin stand in the doorway. She quirked an eyebrow at him and he waved. What was he supposed to do? Cry?

“Dude, come on! Three minutes!” Robin called over the sound of the computers and engines powering up. What.

Ryley stepped hesitantly toward the stairs. Really? Was she…? He jogged up them now and she moved back, unblocking the door. She sealed it behind him, much to his bewilderment. What was going on? They weren’t… taking him… were they?

“Two minutes to launch,” Al-an said from their stance at the controls.

“What were you hanging back for? I thought you were excited to get out of here?” Robin asked, turning around to face Ryley.

“I um. I didn’t know you were… bringing me with you?” he offered, shrugging.

Robin looked at him like he was an idiot. Her mouth hung open a bit and her eyebrows knit together as she stared. “What? Of course we are, you’ve been the only human to help me in years!” She replied, still staring at him.

“And you saved our lives, Ryley. The least we can do is give you a home,” Al-an added. “One minute to launch.

“Oh.”

“Ryley?”

The tears that had been threatening to fall for the last five minutes finally slipped from Ryley’s eyes. “Nobody has ever been this nice to me!” he sobbed.

“Oh my god,” Robin murmured and pulled him in to a hug. The engines fired up and Ryley realized they might want to brace against something if they weren’t going to be sitting for this. The Alterra tech should keep them steady, but it wasn’t perfect. He let Robin push him against a locker as he sobbed into her shoulder.

Ryley felt the rocket lift off, pushing him into the floor. Robin’s hands were in his hair, petting him. As soon as the gravity stabilized, another, larger set of arms pulled both humans up and into their grip. Ryley felt the warmth of Al-an’s chest against his side. That was new, a willing hug from the alien.

Al-an set the humans down and looked toward the windows. A phasegate was approaching, and fast. This was it. This was the lie that would be life or death for them. Ryley approached the control board and lifted his human mask over his nose.

A video feed popped up. Fuck, Al-an might still be visible. No time to worry about that now. The woman on the other side smiled at him. Her pink and brown hair fell around her shoulders. She smirked and began to sign at him.

“Good morning Captain. State your name and mission.”

Chapter Text

”Are you sure you’ll be alright?” Ryley asked. He reached into the water and rested a hand on the young Emperor Leviathan’s head.

“You want to go home. I understand,” the leviathan replied.

Ryley nodded. “I’ll miss you…” he mumbled, rubbing his thumb along the baby’s smooth skin.

“And I’ll miss you. You’ll be happier there, and that’s what I want. You’ll visit, right?” they asked.

“I’ll try. You’ll take care of Crimson for me while I’m gone?”

“Of course I will. They are my sibling.”

~~~

Robin took a deep breath. As long as this went smoothly, they were home free. Everything was up to Ryley not choking, really. He had already hastily pulled his face mask up to cover his nose and mouth. The tantalizing expanse of space spread beyond the window over Ryley’s shoulder, drawing Robin in. Silently forcing her to will him to talk faster. Earth was her place of origin but space was her home.

“My name is Roberto Pérez, main station Puerto Real, Spain. We’re a maintinence crew headed for the Spearhead Rings phasegate. Do you need my employee ID or anything? I have it on my PDA,” he said. His voice only wavered a little bit.

The woman on the other end of the video feed nodded. “Cleared,” she signed. “I’ll get you through.”

Yes. Yes! It worked! The video feed cut and Ryley immediately broke down laughing. “I cannot believe I got away with that!” he exclaimed, looking back at Robin and dancing in place a little bit.

“We’re free!” she replied, breathless. Every stress from Earth melted from her chest and pride replaced them. “Man, I’m glad you have that false account now!”

“Oh, me too. I had no idea how handy it would be when I got it,” Ryley said, still laughing. “So we’re… going home, I guess? Where is home?”

“Certainly not the location you told Alterra. Robin and I have made our base on my home planet,” Al-an explained.

Ryley nodded and moved to sit down. Robin followed suit and claimed her own chair. All they really had to do now was wait, though how long the trip was, nobody had calculated yet. The Alterra phasegate hadn’t sent them all that far away. Robin was too tired to do the math right now.

“If I may suggest,” Al-an said after a long pause. “We should go back for our ship that was left behind at the Alterra space station. Robin’s PDA is there, along with my arms.”

“Oh, fuck, I almost forgot about my PDA,” Robin laughed.

“Retrieving the information stored on it before anyone else does is imperative.”

“So you’re gonna go get your ship and pilot it home?” Ryley asked.

“Yes. Though, I have another suggestion,” Al-an confirmed.

Robin swiveled her chair toward him. “Supply stop?” she asked, crossing her arms.

“Yes. 4546B holds the closest phasegate to our home. It would be incredibly beneficial to stop there for any materials we may need,” the Architect informed his companions.

“We could stop by and check on Marguerit too,” Robin agreed. She glanced at Ryley to see him staring, eyes wide, at Al-an.

“Hold on, phasegate? You had a phasegate on the planet?” he asked, leaning forward in his chair.

“Yes,” Al-an replied. “I kept it purposefully hidden until Robin helped me.”

“Alterra was planning on building one out there…” Ryley trailed off.

From the little information released to the public, that was the Aurora’s mission. Researching and controlling Kharaa had apparently become more of a priority than exploring farther into space. All the better for everyone, really. Robin shuddered at the thought of what could happen if Alterra got their hands on the abandoned information hub that she now called home just sitting out there.

“Anyway,” Ryley continued, interrupting Robin’s thought train. “I actually do kind of want to see Sector Zero since Robin has hyped it up so much.”

Robin grinned at her friend. “I need more than just pictures of your sector too. It looks beautiful,” she agreed.

“Revisiting my old work sites could be… an enlightening experience, I suppose,” Al-an added. His voice wavered a bit as he spoke and he sounded closed off. Like he had when Robin built his body.

“Alright then, Al-an. We’ll meet you at the phasegate?”

“I have business that I wish to conduct elsewhere on the planet. I will leave a beacon to my location for you to follow when you are ready. We can discuss how we will proceed with gathering supplies and exploring then.”

Robin glanced at Ryley, who nodded. “Sounds like a plan, then,” she told Al-an, looking back at him.

~~~

Nervous energy gathered in Al-an’s core. The Alterra ship was too far behind them to turn back now. Robin had most likely already left for 4546B anyway. The human ship moved far slower than Al-an’s, so they expected to still reach their destination first. That was fine, it would give everyone plenty of time to do their own separate things before beginning work.

The Alterra facility and the faint outline of the Architect ship finally came into focus. Al-an trained their senses on the building, checking for any and all signs of human life. They warped closer and began to circle it. If there were any ships they were hidden well.

Finally, the Architect decided they were safe enough to board their ship. At last they felt the familiar pull of connection with it. No more attempting to jump into human technology, most of which was incapable of housing them. Their mental capacity would overload almost anything they tried to use. Perhaps they could work with Ryley on combining the two technologies… After working with a human vessel, Al-an could see certain benefits including more comfort for their humans.

In hindsight, they probably should have asked Robin if she was comfortable with the arrangements on their earlier missions. Al-an made a mental note to ask her for input going forward. She was vocal enough on her own; they just needed to be certain.

The ship took off toward their destination. It was surprisingly closer than home to this facility, which was not a comfort. Another mental note was stored away, this time to destroy this place. They could not risk Alterra coming any closer to everything their people had worked for over tens of thousands of years. Home was far too important to risk it.

Al-an kept the thoughts at bay for the rest of the trip. They were used to silent, lonely journeys and they could handle one more. The chatter of humans kept them from worrying too much it seemed. Robin’s optimism most likely had something to do with it. Her hope gave them hope, a feeling that they were getting more and more acquainted with. That was a good thought to hold on to.

Finally, their target planet grew from a tiny speck in the vast expanse of space into the huge, watery hell that Al-an knew it as. The planet itself wasn’t that bad, they supposed; it was just the bad memories associated with… well everything.

Al-an landed and disassembled the ship, grabbing Robin’s PDA. They quickly fabricated a beacon with their newly regained arms and connected it to the human technology. Oh, how they had missed this. They wouldn’t have had to build an entire fabricator if they had been able to keep these with them. Ah, well.

Leaving the PDA on a platform near the energy masts, the Architect made their way toward the now dark teleporter. They were not about to risk humans finding the secret contained here, not that easily, so they mentally powered it down before leaving. Most of the teleporters in the crater were ion cube powered, meaning that in case of an emergency they could still be used. Al-an would need to check how many Ryley had powered up. Any information stored behind them was not of much import but it should be checked anyway. Though the gates in more uncomfortable locations would have to be neglected. There was so much to do…

~~~

The haunting image of the Aurora as it exploded was ingrained in Ryley’s brain. He knew something had hit him in the head but as hard as the Alterra therapist made him try, he could not remember what happened in the moments after the explosion. A tiny scar on his hairline, lost in the mass of larger marks, was the only evidence of anything hitting him at all.

The memory of the disaster played in Ryley’s mind as he sat, tense, waiting for Robin to point out where they were headed. He wasn’t sure if piloting would calm his nerves at all. Would Robin even agree to that? Did he want to ask? Ryley didn’t know.

He decided to close his eyes instead. If he didn’t watch the approach maybe it would be ok. He just had to try not to think about what he had been doing back then. Fuck. He was on break when it happened. The sound was the clearest memory. A massive explosion, ripping through the ship. People screamed. Alarms started going off somewhere. Everywhere.

He remembered standing up. Bolting for the door and already seeing fire. Sprinting past his coworkers. Past his own team. Panic had blinded him, he just wanted off. He would be safe in the lifepod. Things were quiet when it launched. He looked up. He watched Aurora explode and then everything got… fuzzy.

“Ryley?” a faint voice asked. He shook his head.

“Ryley, are you ok? Are you awake?” Robin pressed. Her hand was on his shoulder.

Ryley opened his eyes. Robin was standing over him looking concerned. Her thumb rubbed his shoulder as he realized that he was crying. He looked past his companion and saw 4546B drawing closer. Another knot of panic twisted into his already anxious stomach at the sight and more tears welled in his eyes. Ok, so maybe landing here affected him more than he thought.

“Hey, talk to me!” Robin prompted again. “Are you alright?”

Words weren’t going to work now, not when he was panicking. Ryley shook his head and looked away. Anywhere but at his friend, and especially anywhere but at certain doom. The Quarantine Enforcement Platform was shut down. He knew that. He shut it down himself; yet the fear still gripped him.

“Is this about last time you landed here?”

Ryley nodded.

“We’re going to be fine, ok?” Robin said and moved her hand from Ryley’s shoulder to his face. She stroked gently at his cheek, wiping at the tears. “Want to know how I’m sure?”

He nodded again.

“I can still feel Al-an. He landed just fine, so we will too,” she explained and tapped at her forehead. “This ship comes with autopilot landing. I’m going to put that on and hold your hand. Sound good?”

Another nod. It was all Ryley could force himself to do. Robin moved away and tapped at some things on the control panel before sitting back down in her own seat. She held out her hand and Ryley immediately took it. At her prompting he squeezed, grounding himself. This was a different ship, and he had shut down the gun. They would be ok. This was ok. Al-an was already down there and Robin was here. This was safe.

The ship turned automatically, positioning itself for landing. Ryley squeezed his eyes shut now and waited; he didn’t want to be looking at this. He couldn’t bear it. Looking up as he landed on this stupid planet was too much. The lights behind his too-tight eyes kept him from envisioning the explosion again.

And then they touched down. They were safe on mostly dry land. It was fine. They were fine. A sob escaped him, and then another. Today was… it was a lot. Between being able to go home with Robin, and now this, it just… god. He opened his eyes.

Robin was already standing and holding her hand out to him. When had he let go? He took her hand again and stood up on shaking legs. He let himself be pulled into a tight hug, unable to fight the wash of emotion now. Robin kept him there, stroking his hair and shushing him as he sobbed with mixed fear and relief into her shoulder. Being here was fine, that much Ryley knew, but landing. That took it out of him.

“Better?” Robin whispered after a few minutes. Apathy was beginning to replace the panic now.

“Yeah. I’ll be better once we get out I think,” Ryley confirmed, letting go. They smiled at each other before Robin turned around and, grabbing a bag, disappeared around a corner.

Ryley followed her outside and was met with bone chilling cold. God he hoped there was some sort of warmer wetsuit somewhere. Freezing wasn’t exactly in anyone’s itinerary here. Though the water was probably a lot warmer with the thermal activity going on below the seabed.

Robin, who was already halfway down the massive hallway outside, took off running for a platform. “OH MY GOD, I MISSED YOU!” she screamed.

Ryley looked around, bewildered. Who did she miss? Was there someone else here? Oh. His eyes traveled back to Robin, who was dancing around and holding up her PDA. She waved him over as soon as she caught sight of him. Her joy was infectious; Ryley found himself smiling too while he approached.

“Ready to go see Marguerit?” Robin asked, bouncing a little.

Ryley nodded. “I think so. But uh, it’s really cold? Do you have any warmer clothes?” he asked. It couldn’t hurt to try, right?

“Ummm, on my base I should. I left it up just in case,” she mused. “We can check there before we go deeper. It is on the way.”

“Sweet, because the last thing I want to do is freeze to death,” Ryley laughed.

Chapter Text

Robin’s eyes scanned the list of names on the screen in front of her. How were none of these idiots phasegate operators? Ryley probably wouldn’t be outside much longer and she really, really needed to take care of this final detail. Even if they got up into space, the only accessible way to get as far out as they were going was to, unfortunately, use an Alterra controlled gate.

Finally, Robin found a name she had been searching for. Listed next to the name were the two words that had been far too absent over the past ten minutes. ‘Phasegate Operations’. And she was on Ryley’s list of rogue employees, so this had better not fuck them over. Robin pulled her human face mask up over her nose, just in case something went wrong and dialed the number into Ryley’s PDA.

The application rang four times and then the screen abruptly changed to show a young woman. Her pink and brown dual toned hair was in a messy bun and she was wearing pajamas. Wherever she was, it looked like she had been caught at bedtime.

“Who the fuck are you?” the girl signed, confusion and anger all over her.

“That doesn’t matter very much,” Robin replied. “Is this a secure connection?”

The girl nodded. “You think I would be stupid enough to not secure every line in and out of this stupid thing?” she asked. Her hands moved quickly, almost too fast for Robin to be able to read them properly.

“Fair, just checking for my own safety. Listen, I’ve got a stolen ship and I need to get the hell out of dodge. I have no idea what bullshit my associate is going to tell you, but record us as going there. He’s got a false name that will check out,” Robin explained.

“If you get caught, I lose my job. You know that, yeah?” the girl asked.

“We’ll just have to not get caught, then. Does this help?” Robin replied and sent her incentive through. 500 credits.

“It might. I’ll let you through.”

~~~

Memory pulled Robin along in her seatruck, back toward her old temporary home. Now she used it for emergency storage, hiding food and building materials in the event of anything happening to her or Al-an. And if she had to hide, she could hide here, safe from Alterra’s eyes for the most part. If all else failed Marguerit would probably at least help a little bit.

Ryley shifted on his feet in the cramped space behind Robin’s chair. She forgot that she had left her modules behind for safer storage of her seatruck while she was gone. She had been right though, leaving it in a moonpool beneath the ice. Nothing seemed to have harmed either in her extended absence. It was just a bit dusty.

“I can’t wait to explore this area,” Ryley commented as he shifted again.

“I couldn’t either!” Robin replied. “There’s so much to look at. Maybe we should trade PDAs?”

“Oh, yeah that’s a good idea. Compare notes and whatnot, and then you don’t have to scan literally everything,” the man said, laughing to himself.

Robin chuckled with him. “Aww, how did you know my plan? I have to be a good researcher and gather as much information as I can.”

Ryley laughed more as the seabase came into view. Ah, finally, home sweet home. Robin parked the seatruck with expert maneuvers, only bumping into the wall twice. This damn thing steered like horseshit and she absolutely did not miss it. At all. What she did miss was her base. She had to give it to Alterra, they were pretty damn good at making habitats.

“Hang on, I should have a cold suit somewhere and some bigger air tanks,” Robin said. She jogged to her storage and scanned the labels for ‘personal items’. She would forever be grateful to Al-an for helping her organize all of this before they left.

A cold suit found its way into Ryley’s arms along with an ultra-capacity air tank. Robin wasn’t planning on going above water here, so she grabbed her spare reinforced dive suit and put it on. Finally, some protection. Her original dive suit was probably being kept in that prison or had already been destroyed. Whatever, at least she could make more now.

Robin watched Ryley shove the cold suit’s mask into his pocket and look around for a bit and then began digging through her food and water supplies, handing him half of what she grabbed. That should keep him sated until they got back home and she could assess how bad the gardens she had started got. They wandered back into the moonpool where Robin held a hand up, indicating for Ryley to wait.

“I’m gonna attach the storage module to the seatruck to give you more room and then we can go,” she said, hopping into the truck. Ryley stood, hands shoved in his pockets as Robin bumped into the legs of the moonpool a few more times trying to attach the module. Not having a rear window or mirrors of some kind should be illegal.

Finally, Robin got the module to attach and hopped out to fix any damage. The sound of the back door of the truck opening let her know that Ryley had already gotten in. There really wasn’t much damage, just a few scratches to the paint and a couple of dents. Robin jumped back in and slipped into the driver’s seat in one fell swoop. She hoped it looked as cool as it felt.

“So Marguerit,” Ryley said. He declined to continue.

“Yep. Don’t be too intimidated by her, she’s a little harsh,” Robin told him. “I know how to get on her good side.”

Ryley chuckled. “And that is?”

“Do something against Alterra.”

“I dunno, do you think breaking you out of prison is enough or should we mention anything else I’ve done.”

Robin laughed. He had done more than enough to win the cranky old woman over by surviving his ordeal, but she wouldn’t mention that. They wouldn’t be here long anyway, just long enough to say hi and check in on her. Let Ryley meet a snow stalker that would be nice to him before he probably got bit and freaked Al-an out, wherever he was.

Ryley’s hands clung to the back of Robin’s chair to keep himself steady and his chest pressed against her ponytail. She really needed to shower and redo her hair. That could come later though, she needed to concentrate. Steering through the tunnels to Marguerit’s base was difficult enough on its own, but now the balance of the truck was thrown off a bit by the weight of another person. Sure, ok, hiding through twists and turns was a good idea, it was just annoying.

Finally, Robin caught sight of the first oxygen plant that incidentally led to her destination. She tried not to think about how many times she had passed out just short of a plant and mysteriously ended up back in her truck, back before she had gotten the depth upgrades.

A few twists and turns later and light sticks popped up from the moss, the only real indication that anyone lived down here. Ryley leaned forward, pressing more against Robin in his anticipation. At least he was excited about it, she thought.

“The hell are you doing here?” A loud voice cut through the quiet water.

“I don’t know, you tell me Maida. How was I going to warn you I was coming?” Robin replied through the truck’s comm system, grinning now.

“Oh, it’s you,” was the only reply. Robin parked the seatruck out of the way and let Ryley follow her out. She boarded Marguerit’s moonpool and cringed at how dingy it still was. She should really come try to clean at some point.

“Holy shit…” Ryley whispered. He was staring at the modified P.R.A.W.N. in awe, just like Robin had when she first came down here.

“Just you wait,” Robin leaned over and whispered, grabbing her companion’s hand and dragging him away from the vessel.

Assorted junk littered the hallway, shoved against the sides and scrapped for anything useful already. Robin had half a mind to make a recyclotron just to give to Marguerit. At least then she’d get the titanium out of things too.

Robin pulled the bulkhead open and glanced into the room beyond. Marguerit was reclined in her chair, messing around with a PDA like usual. Preston chewed something in the corner and looked up, growling as soon as Ryley came into view. Marguerit’s eyes traveled up and down the young man before she huffed and stood up, walking over to the other humans. She held her hand out to Ryley.

“Robin already told you who I am, didn’t she?” she asked as Ryley cautiously took her hand and shook it.

“She did. I’m Ryley Robinson, I crashed here almost four years ago now,” Ryley replied, looking like he’d rather sink into the floor than be looked at any longer. “I uh, I found your seabases from when you lived over in that sector.”

Marguerit stepped back and glanced at Robin, crossing her arms. Her face slipped into shadow in the dingy light of the room. “Hmm. So you know what happened then.”

Ryley nodded and glanced at the floor. “Yeah, I do. I thought you were dead, to be honest.”

“Her, dead?” Robin laughed, in hopes of breaking up the tension. “At this rate I don’t think she’ll ever die.”

“I will if you lot keep bothering me,” Marguerit retorted, smirking in Robin’s direction.

“Warm welcome…” Ryley muttered and then glanced toward Preston, who had come over to investigate.

Marguerit seemed to have noticed Ryley’s nervous glances. Robin snickered as she remembered her first time meeting the Snowstalker. The memory of trying to wipe the slobber from her face without losing much more dignity crossed her mind.

“He won’t bite you unless I tell him too,” Marguerit informed Ryley before clapping at Preston. “Go on, quit bothering him. Go find something to do!” she snapped. Preston threw his head and grumbled back into his corner and began chewing on his scrap metal again.

“Is he related to the Stalkers from the shallows in my sector?” Ryley asked, still watching the animal. He smiled faintly.

“Seems to be,” Marguerit replied. “Found him as a pup lost in a storm and I… I couldn’t just leave him,” she finished.

Ryley nodded. “I did the same with a different creature. It’s nice to have a pet when you’re alone here.”

“The Sea Monkeys are as close as I ever got,” Robin interjected. Of course, she hadn’t had any need for a pet for companionship. Al-an kept her plenty of company with his commentary and questions on literally everything she did.

“Let me guess, you found that weird egg Bart was trying to hatch?” Marguerit completely ignored Robin’s comment.

“Nah, I didn’t want something sentient enough to love me that would miss me when I left. I mean, the Sea Emperors understood, but I don’t think whatever that was would’ve,” Ryley replied. The hell did that mean?

“You didn’t keep that thing, what did you have then?” Marguerit pressed, leaning back against the table.

Ryley smiled. “It’s a long story, and we’re just here for a supply run.”

“So you came to bother me?”

“What, do you not want to see me Maida?” Robin asked, inserting herself into the conversation again.

“You think I want to see anyone? I’d have killed you where you stood if you were less careful,” Marguerit retorted.

“But you didn’t, which means you like me,” Robin said. She grinned at the older woman, who glowered at her. Ryley took a step back.

“I don’t like anyone.”

“You liked my sister.”

“I tolerated her, and I tolerate you.”

Ryley took another step back.

“I have evidence that you do more than tolerate.”

“What evidence? You taking video of me?”

“No, but I’m sure if I tested surfaces in your base I’d find traces of my DNA.”

“You little brat-”

“Hey uh,” Ryley interrupted the banter, making Robin’s face go hot. Both women’s eyes traveled to him where he stood by the bulkhead. “I think I’m gonna go see what Al-an is doing. Meet me with him?”

Robin nodded. “Um, yeah that’s fine. I have no idea where he is.”

Ryley nodded and slipped away, footsteps echoing through the halls until there was a splash and he was gone. Robin turned back to Marguerit, who was now looking at her with far more intent. They were alone, at least for a while.

~~~

Al-an had never expected to see this place again. They had to admit, the area was beautiful, but being here now that it was quiet, and the bacterium was eradicated… it was strange. The peace, leviathans aside, that enveloped the crater was a stark contrast to the last time they had seen it before they entered storage. They wandered the halls of the quarantine enforcement facility with little direction, something they rarely did. Their arms twitched idly at their side, barely a thought in their processing. The cold walls were too much of a distraction to really focus on them. Last time they were here they had been instructed to activate the gun. That was their last action, now that they thought about it.

They hadn’t expected the storage, at least not where they would be stored. It made sense now as they observed the failed doomsday device. The small pink item that was meant to be their end, yet here they were. A millennium later. Staring at their own end.

Al-an shook their head, a human motion that Robin had explained helped clear one’s mind. It generally didn’t help the Architect, though it never hurt anyone to try. Perhaps being here was a bad idea, though Al-an found themself wandering toward the elevator and then back into the water. Their body led them toward the containment facility, though whether it was out of habit or something else, even they couldn’t tell.

They entered a quiet habitat. A tiny ecosystem that still thrived, all of these years later, even with the influence of the leviathan gone. Bonesharks headbutted each other against the walls and peepers came to investigate the strange new intruder before bolting away. A massive skeleton lay gracefully along the bottom of the facility. Long dead now. Finally at peace.

Speaking with her could wait. The rest of the facility needed assessment first. Everything above the containment tank still stood in working order. The items stored there hung in suspension still. All of the teleporters were activated, much to Al-an’s surprise. Ryley must have spent a lot of time coming and going, then, and he had been smart about it. Why bother with the damned Dragon when you could teleport all over the crater instantly.

Finally, Al-an was ready. Ready to face her. There was no way to make up for their mistake now, not really, but the least they could do was say something. Anything at all. The water of the containment chamber flowed around them as they landed on the platform. A shiver traveled down their body, making their legs tremble.

At the bottom, they approached the bones, resting an organic claw against the surface. They could see bite marks from the life surrounding the bones eating away at her. She had given herself back to the ecosystem that supported her for 1,000 years.

“I am sorry,” they spoke into the water. “I did not realize my mistake, or what I had done. What I was doing here. I have come to understand now after meeting humans and learning differently from my Network.”

“They left me here to die, just like I did to you. I am sorry for that. You should not have had to suffer in isolation. I understand the pain of that now. I spent the same time alone, in a different sector of your home. I know what I have done is unforgivable. But I hope you can accept my apology. That I have done wrong.”

Al-an rested their forehead against the massive skull. A warm feeling washed over them, one of peace and understanding. They shuddered again and pressed their claw into the bone beneath it. Wherever she was, whatever she was doing, she knew, and she heard.

Stepping back, Al-an finally glanced up, only to see human legs dangling over the edge of the platform. They jumped, spinning around in the water and catching Ryley’s eye. The human waved. They hadn’t noticed him arrive or swim up to the platform at all. Had he come in through the arch?

~~~

Ryley didn’t realize exactly how far away Sector Zero was until he had to change the power cells on Robin’s seatruck and he was still 2 km away from Al-an. The strange Void Chelicerates had long since been left behind and he was stuck on the open ocean. A Cyclops would’ve been helpful but it was too late now. Besides, gathering the materials would take far too long for the mission at hand.

Instead, here he was in the seatruck, following a beacon that was farther away than Ryley had originally thought. He was close now though and would arrive in half an hour at the most. It had already been an hour, meaning that whatever Robin and Marguerit were doing was probably reaching its end by now. That was fine, meeting Al-an would give Robin plenty of recovery time.

The familiar scream of a Ghost Leviathan alerted Ryley to his approach. “Fucking finally,” he mumbled to himself. Outside the window, the shimmering body of the leviathan swirled and tangled around the truck. It screeched again and Ryley laughed.

“Hello again, beautiful,” he said softly. “I missed you too.” As much as these things wanted to rip his arms off, they were still some of the most gorgeous things he had ever seen in his life.

The side of the cliff leading into the crater came into view, and it was then that Ryley felt like he was home. The landscape that had changed him, shaped him, lay before him now. A long memorized map always sitting in the back of his mind. Every structure marked with beacons that still stood, guiding him around his old home.

Al-an’s beacon lay near the quarantine enforcement platform, probably by the aquarium arch. They must have spent time swimming around while waiting for Ryley and Robin to land and find them. Seeing this place again must be hard for them.

An old base popped up along the seabed and Ryley decided to stop, see if there was anything in there. To his surprise, the moonpool took the truck and welcomed him home. “God, remember how giddy I got hearing that at first. That’s so embarrassing,” he said to nobody in particular.

Ryley dug through the lockers, hoping for- ah there it was. The Seamoth solar charger should be compatible with a seatruck, right? He grabbed a few more food and water supplies and several handfulls of building materials, grumbling as he loaded them into the seatruck storage module. How come he couldn’t have gotten storage like this? Sure, the Seamoth drove better and had far superior steering, but think of the storage! Robin could fabricate with the damn thing too.

“Lucky bastard,” Ryley mumbled as he finished his work. Now to find Al-an.

The aquarium arch wasn’t far from the base thankfully, and the solar charger seemed to be working just fine. Perfect. Ryley parked the truck up against the cliff where it could charge with the other power cells inside. The Reaper near the island stayed on the other side too, so he wouldn’t have to worry about losing anything.

Inside the aquarium, Ryley found Al-an standing near the bones of the Sea Emperor Leviathan. They were speaking quietly, obviously having a moment with her. Six new arms floated around them, idly spinning and adjusting at their side. Those were new. Ryley decided to let them have their moment and swam up to the top of the platform to wait. He could fill his oxygen as many times as he wanted up here.

Al-an stayed down there for a while. They really didn’t need oxygen to live then. Ryley sighed and then realized that used almost all of his air. He surfaced again and then sank back down to wait. Al-an was moving, turning and looking up now. They visibly jumped upon seeing Ryley, who leaned forward and looked down at them. He waved as the alien approached. They surfaced together, Al-an warping onto the dry land and helping the human up.

“Sorry if I scared you,” Ryley said, rubbing at the back of his head.

“I am not upset. I appreciate you giving me time to speak with her,” the Architect replied.

“Of course, I mean, hey, I get it. I saw every- as much of what happened here as I could,” Ryley told his friend, stumbling a bit over his words. He had no idea how Al-an felt about all of this now that they were here together; he couldn’t read them as well as Robin could.

“None of it is hard to miss,” Al-an commented, looking away. “Do you have the mask I made for you?” they asked, hurriedly changing the subject. Ryley tried to relax despite the tension filling the space between them at the mention of the Kharaa incident.

“It’s on the seatruck, why?” the human responded, tilting his head and motioning toward the arch in the water.

“It can filter water for breathable oxygen. I realize now that I should have told you that before we parted ways. You do not need your air tank,” the alien informed him.

Ryley’s head jerked toward the alien as they warped back into the containment chamber and toward the arch. Really? That would’ve been nice to know hours ago… Hell, it was good to know now. There was no telling how long Robin would be or what Al-an would want to do while waiting.

Following the Architect through the arch, Ryley prepared to swim for the truck and grab his mask. Instead, he was met by the very excited face of a Reaper Leviathan. Fuck, he didn’t have any Peepers. How did it even know he was here? Its talons clutched him gently and pulled him in, searching his pockets for hidden treasure. Al-an yelped as they sidestepped the leviathan, only to be met with a more comforting face, at least for Ryley.

The Sea Emperor Leviathan rumbled quietly in its own language and the Reaper released the human. Now that he could get a good look at it, Ryley realized it was his Reaper. The one he rescued years ago. Somehow it still recognized him.

Now that he was free of the invasive talons, Ryley made his way up to the seatruck and dug through the storage, pulling his Architect mask out. If it really worked like Al-an said, he’d be able to breathe just fine. He stepped out of the truck and took a deep breath in. The o2 meter stayed level. Perfect. He should be able to talk now too.

“Sorry Al-an,” he called. “I didn’t think I’d get a welcome party. It was just searching me for fish.”

“I thought the large scar on your cheek came from a Reaper,” Al-an commented surprisingly calmly, though they shifted from hoof to hoof on the ancient platform.

“Ok, but when I got this I didn’t know how to feed them!” Ryley retorted. “If you do that they’ll leave you alone and then you can ride them.”

“Ride?” Al-an asked, tilting their head. Oh hell, why not?

Ryley swam over to the other Leviathan, petting its head for a moment. It pushed into his hand in return. “I knew you would come visit,” it said into his mind.

“I promised, didn’t I?” Ryley whispered in reply. He bumped his head against it gently.

Now to teach Al-an his ways. Ryley pulled a seaglide from his PDA and motioned for Al-an to follow. He silently asked the Emperor to tell Crimson, the Reaper, to follow them. Crimson would be his ride, but the Reaper on the other side of the island would probably still be docile enough for Al-an. Especially since the Architect had caught on to the fish hint and was snatching Peepers from the water with their metal arms. Ryley grabbed some of his own, shoving them in his pockets. The screech of another Reaper filled the water.

“Let it catch sight of you and hold out the Peeper. It’ll take three and then you can swim up behind it and grab on!” Ryley called out. Al-an nodded in response.

Ryley turned, ready to be an example. He held a fish out and watched as his Reaper swam circles around him. It screeched and then set a course for him. He held his hand out and let the creature take the fish from him. It circled back and snatched a second, and then third.

Immediately, Ryley whipped out his seaglide and pushed himself as fast as he could beside Crimson, reaching out as far as he could for its horn. His fingers caught it, just barely; he shoved his seaglide back into his PDA and swung himself up with one hand, clinging to the Reaper as it swam. It roared and began to swim around the area, seeming to still understand what Ryley was doing.

Where was Al-an? Had they gotten it? Ryley’s eyes scanned the water for the Architect and finally caught sight of a faint blue glow attached to the shadow of a Reaper in the water. Ryley pulled Crimson’s head in that direction and it changed course after a few tugs. Impressive that it still remembered, actually.

Sure enough, Al-an clung to the horn of the Island Reaper. Bright blue delight spread across their colors as they yelled for Ryley to look at them. Ok, that was adorable. Crimson roared and the Island Reaper responded in turn, switching directions to drag Al-an farther into the water. Ryley nudged Crimson in the same direction.

Chapter Text

Blood sprayed dramatically from an actor’s chest on Robin’s projection as an alien squirmed from his chest. It was a long overdone trope, hundreds of years old now. It still got money from every alien loving idiot on Earth though, so not much anyone could do unless they uprooted the whole system. Whatever, it wasn’t like this movie was good. Al-an had found it somewhere on the internet and practically begged to watch it together.

“This isn’t even what surviving on a water planet is like…” Robin grumbled at the screen. Now someone was attempting to fish and getting caught by some fake looking leviathan creature. Nothing that big would dare to come into such shallow waters.

“Perhaps watching this was a bad idea for us,” Al-an agreed, face still glued to the screen. The main character, a ghost, screamed in horror about the leviathan.

“You’re the one who wanted to so bad, I saw reviews for this when it came out. It sucks.”

An emergency meeting had been called in the film. Multiple characters were having a dramatic argument over who killed the idiot that got eaten by the leviathan. The culprit, who had been revealed in the first twenty minutes, said some one-liner before posing. The main character, Narancia, made some comment about the sea monster actually being Red.

“I do not understand why Azul does not see through Red’s ruse. They apparently know each other quite well, how would he not realize something is wrong?” Al-an mused. His colors swirled green for a moment.

Robin snorted at one of the few funny jokes in the whole two hour movie. “I don’t think whoever wrote this really cared about logic. They just wanted flashy action and scary sea monsters.”

“We can get that in real life.”

~~~

Where the actual fuck was Ryley? Robin’s eyes scanned the water near the empty seatruck, searching for his body, a trace of him, anything. Al-an’s beacon sat outside the teleporter that had led into a giant aquarium, but there was no sign of him or Ryley in the whole facility. He wouldn’t forget to move his beacon, would he?

Robin hopped into the seatruck and began to drive around. She hoped the advantage of being in a vehicle, and also having headlights would aid in her search. Maybe they had gone around the mountain? They definitely weren’t in any of the Architect facilities, they had to be somewhere in the water.

As she rounded the mountain, Robin realized she could hear something roaring. She glanced around and spotted nothing. It must be big then; she’d have to be careful. Robin inched around the side of the mountain until a big shape came into view to her right. It grew larger and larger, revealing itself to be a Reaper Leviathan. And- what?

Al-an clung to its horn glowing bright blue. The creature swam right past the seatruck, ignoring the human inside. Al-an’s gaze met Robin’s as he was dragged past, body limp behind him. This was on purpose? Where was Ryley?

“Robin! Ryley has taught me a new skill!” the Architect said excitedly into Robin’s head as he was dragged away again.

At the mention of his name, almost as if Al-an had planned that, Ryley and another Reaper appeared in the water. The dark shape moved impossibly fast until it was right on the seatruck, grabbing it. Robin’s hand instinctively shot toward the perimeter defense.

“NO!” Ryley shouted, letting go of the Reaper’s horn and reaching uselessly toward the glass. Robin realized now that he was wearing the Architect mask that Al-an had made. Oh, son of a bitch, that let them breathe underwater, didn’t it? She wished she had realized earlier.

Robin replaced her rebreather with her own mask and took a deep breath. She glanced up at Ryley, who now floated in front of the leviathan’s face with apparently no fear. The creature had given up on the seatruck and looked like it was digging in the human’s pockets.

“This one is hand raised,” Ryley shouted to be heard. “It won’t hurt you.”

Robin exited the seatruck cautiously, watching the creature in front of her. “Hand raised? Is this the pet you told Marguerit about?” she asked. Speaking underwater was really weird.

“Considering I already knew her stance on them, I didn’t think it was a good idea to tell her yet,” Ryley replied, laughing. “Do you have peepers on you?”

“Peepers?” Robin questioned. She did, of course. Always keep a few food items on hand.

“It’s going to figure out that I don’t and it’s gonna go for you. Don’t be scared but uh, it’s gonna take them from you.”

As if on cue, the Reaper opened its mouth and screeched. It let Ryley go and pushed forward, shoving the man out of the way. Two talons gripped Robin gently by her hips while the other two searched her pockets. It found an Arctic Peeper and immediately snatched it, shoving the clueless fish into its mouth with one talon. Oh.

“You uh. You really raised this?” Robin asked, looking up at Ryley. She was completely at this thing’s mercy.

“Yep! I found it injured as a juvenile and decided to help it. It can’t survive on its own now so one of the Sea Emperors takes care of it while I’m not here. It’s pretty gentle for its species,” Ryley said, completely nonchalant about the whole thing. Al-an had apparently had enough of his little adventure and warped over to the two humans.

“Are we still going to explore?” the alien asked, tilting his head and turning green.

Robin nodded. “As soon as I’m done being fondled by a fish I’ll hand off my PDA and we can go our separate ways,” she said.

A few more minutes of being searched later and the leviathan finally decided to swim away. Ryley’s PDA found its way into Robin’s hands once again. At least this time it wasn’t for a life or death situation. Al-an hoisted the seatruck through the teleporter to the Sector Zero, and then they were alone to explore.

The crater was more beautiful than anything Robin could have imagined. Her eyes scanned the research data of every species she came across. Eventually, Ryley’s base came into view and a Seamoth popped up on her beacons. Now this was a vessel she hadn’t seen in a while.

“Robin, you realize I am not going to fit inside that, correct?” Al-an asked playfully. “I am becoming concerned at how often you try to shove me into spaces much too small for a creature of my size.”

“Relax, I just want to explore without getting tired. You aren’t the one with human limitations Mr. Perfect,” Robin told the alien, laughing and boarding the vessel.

“True, I suppose every time you used the seatruck around me I was inside you,” Al-an agreed, flashing blue. They set off into the water together as he spoke.

Robin’s face flushed as she left the seamoth near several ore deposits. “You could’ve worded that better, you know.”

“I am aware.”

That bastard. If she felt warm before, Robin definitely felt heat crawling up her neck now. Why did he have to try to be cute? He looked so proud of himself as one of his arms extended out with a magnetic tether and began to help break outcroppings. Good, may as well get as much as they could now so exploring could go uninterrupted.

Eventually the PDA and the minimal onboard storage were filled with anything and everything the two could gather, Robin decided it was finally time to just explore and let the researcher out to roam a little. Maybe she’d map a bit of this area while she was at it. God knows Ryley didn’t put anything down despite his apparently incredible navigational skill. He had memorized an entire Alterra facility within days.

The water around the seamoth turned darker and darker as Robin explored. She tilted it downward, into the dark abyss with only rocks and white vines rising from the depths. God, this was beautiful. It must be the Blood Kelp she had read about, especially now that she saw the pustules growing on the vines.

“Perhaps we should avoid going too deep,” Al-an called out from somewhere behind Robin.

She turned the vehicle around to face the alien. “Why? It’s not that big of a deal, we’ve gone this deep back in Sector Zero and you didn’t have a problem with it.”

“I am not trying to stop you, I simply worry for your safety. That is all.” Orange slowly washed away all of the pink. Was there a leviathan down here? Why was he so nervous all of a sudden?

“I’m just gonna go look for a bit, don’t worry,” Robin reassured him, turning around and moving forward again.

Deeper into the cave, the landscape began to shift. Some kind of green substance lay in pools along the sea floor. Al-an’s voice cut into Robin’s thoughts before she could check the PDA. “Please do not touch the brine pools, you cannot replace your body like I can.”

“Right, brine kills me. Got it. I think I can handle things down here,” Robin reassured her friend.

The cave went deeper, leading into a wider opening. The floor was littered with massive bones snaking along and leading to the largest skull Robin had ever seen. The fabled Gargantuan Leviathan… down here? Ryley’s PDA apparently detected more of the creature buried under the rock too. If it weren’t for the Ghost Leviathan prowling the area and screaming its head off at Al-an, Robin would have taken a closer look. There was definitely more to see though.

“You would not enjoy attempting to eat me,” Al-an yelled at the fish, following Robin away from the bones. The human snickered.

Robin spent the next hour or so just driving around the extensive cave. The haunting green glow of the brine gave an unsettling atmosphere, punctuated by Al-an’s occasional protests at going farther. So far there didn’t seem to be anything too dangerous down here, though Robin could hear something very big and very loud roaring below her. Whatever it was was definitely below the seamoth’s crush depth. Nothing to worry about.

A massive tree rose out of the floor of what seemed to be a central cavern. The unsettling vibe of the rest of the cave dissipated almost immediately. The water here was calm. Safe. And the sight of eggs contained within the tree’s limbs confirmed everything. This was meant to be safe. It was a haven for new life. Beautiful.

“See? Nothing to worry about down here,” Robin told her Architect. He was down on the cave floor, deeper than Robin could go in her seamoth, investigating the now blue brine. The human quickly hopped out of the seamoth and joined him.

“In here, no, there is nothing to fear. The brine is even safe, just as I remembered it,” Al-an said.

They floated in silence together, watching the tree. Robin found herself drifting closer and resting her hand on the Architect. He relaxed at her touch, just for a moment. Maybe they should start exploring more planets too when they got home…

“I used to come here to rest, you know. I find the calm atmosphere cultivates a better state of mind for work,” the Architect commented.

“I can see why.”

Another few minutes passed and Robin decided to move on. There was still one more passage to explore and she damn well intended to. The way out led back into to sickly, green glow and the dangerous brine. Damn.

“Robin, perhaps we should just turn back. There is nothing more to see here,” Al-an said. Even his voice sounded nervous now.

“It’s fine Al, I just want to see a little farther,” Robin reassured him.

Al-an stayed silent as Robin pushed on. Ghost rays and other fauna cut through the water around her. Another skeleton stood stark against the bottom. It wasn’t as large as the Gargantuan, but it was massive in its own right. Robin checked Ryley’s PDA, revealing the skeleton to be a Sea Dragon. The head trauma intrigued her, though there was no evidence of crushed rock or anything.

“We should go. Please,” Al-an practically begged. Turning the seatruck, Robin caught sight of him a few meters behind her. “What if Ryley is waiting for us?” he added.

Robin laughed softly, trying to be relaxed and reassuring. “It’s ok, I’ll just see what’s up here and then we’ll go, I promise,” she told him.

Stubbornly, Robin turned and headed farther down the passage. The Architect was right, there wasn’t much to see down here. Still, his nervousness was now palatable through their Network connection.

“Al-an it’s ok, I just want to see. Just a little farther. It’s fine. I promise it’s f- oh.”

~~~

Oh no. No. She wasn’t supposed to see it. The anxiety that had been eating at Al-an this whole time rushed over them in full now, washing the cave walls orange. No, no, no, this was wrong. They hadn’t even wanted to come back down here at all, Robin’s safety was simply priority. They needed to make absolutely certain nothing hurt her. The Sea Dragon skeleton practically mocked the Architect as they rushed past it.

Headlights shone bright on the ancient structure, now collapsed to the cave floor. Stark. A painful reminder of what they had tried so hard to ignore. To forget. Al-an tried to push away their memory of what had happened here. What they had done. Robin exiting the seamoth was the only thing to snap them out of their nervous, rushing thoughts.

“It’s ok. I’m sorry,” Robin said quietly, approaching. Holding a hand out to them.

“Why?” Al-an returned, reaching out and taking the offered hand in their own.

“If I had known I wouldn’t have made you come with me.”

“I did not want to say anything.”

“I know.”

Robin dragged herself in and wrapped her arms around the Architect’s torso. The gesture was generally only a comfort to the humans; Al-an did have to admit to themself, however, that the reassurance of Robin’s touch comforted them, even just a bit. They stared at the ancient building in silence. Memories of the inside, at least when they had worked there, played in their head. Better memories from before their failure.

“I’m sorry, Robin,” Al-an finally said into the quiet water.

“I know,” the human whispered, barely audible over the sounds of the life around them. “I forgive you.”

Ah. Al-an was certain that if they had the capability to cry, they would be now. Deep sorrow sat low in their chest, aching and sharp. Her willingness to look past this catastrophic event meant more to the Architect than they could ever express. She had always been so understanding. Al-an still couldn’t puzzle out why. And Ryley had seen this too, hadn’t he? What did he think? He had never mentioned it specifically.

“He helped you escape, Al-an. I don’t think he holds anything against you either,” Robin replied to thoughts that the Architect had thought were kept to themself. “Do you want to go explore somewhere else?”

“If you do not mind. There is another way out past this facility,” Al-an agreed, pointing with one of their metal arms.

Robin squeezed them one last time before swimming back to the seamoth and driving away. Al-an followed closely, forcefully not looking back. Robin’s words had been some comfort, though they still found it… difficult to think about. There was a shame that always sat at the back of their conscious that crept ever closer the more they acknowledged what they had done. Best to leave it be and focus on the future.

That was uncertain too, wasn’t it? Focusing on saving people from Alterra was going to be an excellent distraction. But what about down time? Humans needed far more rest than an Architect, and the promise of the work that they had left behind at home was daunting to say the least. It felt like every victory led to another lock. They would press on, of course they would. How long until they finally found the answers they were looking for?

The dark water of the bulb zone and the mountains where the Lost River led out to suddenly turned brown. Well, that certainly was not a feature of the landscape last time Al-an had been here. They warped toward the surface, just to check location and found themself face to face with a massive human ship rising out of the water. Ah. This must have been more of the mountainous region, now scarred and flattened by the Aurora.

Swimming back down, Al-an caught Robin’s eye and joined her at her side. “We are going toward the ship?” they asked.

“Yep! I want to know what’s in there,” the human replied, happy as could be.

“Most likely still a lot of fire.”

Wait. Al-an searched the water around them at the sound of a loud screech. They had nearly forgotten how populated this area was with Reaper Leviathans. They needed to prepare, then. They flashed around the water, snatching Peepers up for safety. Nine should certainly be enough to safely get Robin inside, right?

The leviathans proved Al-an correct. A shadow on the ocean floor alerted the Architect to the presence of a creature. They waited, patient as it roared, most likely attempting to locate Robin. Suddenly, it changed direction and swam down.

Al-an prepared themself in turn and pushed themself backwards behind the seamoth, holding a Peeper out. The Reaper immediately seemed to change interests and snatched the fish from the alien’s claws. Two more gone and the large fish turned tail and swam away. Excellent.

“Was that-”

“Yes. You should consider yourself lucky to have me,” Al-an interrupted. They felt more than heard Robin laugh at that.

More and more metal scraps littered the sand the closer the pair came to the crashed ship until twisted and burnt metal rose up into the murky water. Radiation levels were impressively low here, indicating that Ryley must have taken care of any damage to the ship’s core when he was here or Robin would be having a very bad time.

The ship itself was, surprisingly, no longer on fire, at least on the outside. A storm must have passed through and extinguished whatever fire was exposed at the time. To be fair, it had also been nearly four Earth years since the crash. Who knew the true extent of the damage, much less how much was still being actively damaged inside.

“Holy shit, I forgot how big this thing was…” Robin commented as she climbed up onto a platform. She held a hand out to help Al-an, who accepted it despite not needed assistance getting on top of anything.

“Bigger than Mercury II, of that I am certain,” Al-an agreed.

Robin nodded and wandered off toward a door that had been cleared of debris. Boxes and other scraps lay scattered about the platform; the sounds of creatures running around among them drifted into the Architect’s sensors. They kept an idle watch over the heat signatures to ensure that none of them would catch them by surprise. They still found themself kicking multiple Cave Crawlers away, Robin knifing them in turn. Sneaky little creatures.

Inside the ship, Al-an found themself grateful for their night vision capability. Being contained within Robin’s limitations had been annoying at worst. She already had a flashlight out, shining a harsh glow on the ruined interior of the vessel in front of her. The rest of the light inside rippled and warped as Al-an’s own bioluminescence shifted behind the human. The whole scene made for a rather eerie atmosphere.

Empty hallways were littered with ruined supplies, desks, papers, and- hmm. Perhaps better to avoid looking at the bones in that corner. Seeing their own people dead was sickening enough for them, how would Robin even begin to feel?

“Hey, Al-an! Check this out, I found a passage that leads down. You think we could fit?” Robin asked.

Without waiting for an answer, the human jumped down. Al-an watched her ponytail disappear into the darkness and heard a quiet “Ow!” before a light was shone up into their face, forcing them to look away and adjust their visual sensors. Looking back down, they saw Robin beckoning them, grinning, from below.

It was a tight fit, but the Architect somehow made it. If the floor above was dark, this was darker. Most of the rooms here seemed to be offices if the burnt nameplates were any indication. Al-an scanned the insides of some of them and detected almost nothing, just a few human remains that they neglected to point out.

Most of the names were unfamiliar, though that was no surprise. They had been “safely” in storage when this ship crashed. The only memory they had of it was how much their sanctuary had shaken when the ship hit the water. That was when the bridge had collapsed, actually.

A familiar name caught Al-an’s attention, turning the ambiance of their glow green, and drawing them toward the room. “Robin, look,” they said, glancing toward her and motioning with a metal arm. “I found something belonging to Ryley.”

Robin’s eyes widened. “Seriously? That’s cool! I can’t believe they gave him an office.”

The human pulled her scanner from her pocket and quickly scanned the nameplate, like she had for every single one she ran across in Sector Zero. Al-an waited patiently as she stood, ready with her PDA. A blank look of mild horror crossed her face.

“Are you alright?” Al-an asked, concern painting the white walls with golden light.

“My scanner is hooked up to my PDA,” Robin said, mouth a tight line as she looked up at them.

“Ryley has your PDA,” the Architect stated.

“Let’s just hope he doesn’t ask?” Robin said and turned toward the office.

The door hung only slightly ajar, not enough for either of them to fit, but enough to look. Burnt papers littered the floor and desk, which sat haphazardly leaned against a wall. Robin shook her head, reached up, and pulled at the nameplate. It came off with a loud crack and found its way into the human’s pocket.

The rest of the ship was in a similar state of ruin. Nothing useful was left behind, either destroyed by the Quarantine Enforcement Gun or taken by Ryley in his attempts to survive. Robin was stubborn though, and pressed on anyway. Al-an helped her back up onto the higher platform and warped up themself, barely able to make it up.

A quick scan of the vessel told Al-an that there was nothing else here to see. The entire front of it, which would have been the most interesting part, was already destroyed and the rest was completely inaccessible. Nodding at each other, the pair began the short journey back to the seamoth, and then to Ryley, wherever he was.

~~~

To say Ryley wasn’t just a little bit jealous of Robin would be a huge lie. Sure, the bitter cold of the actual surface sucked, but seeing the frozen leviathan was more than worth that. The whole area was so shallow too, especially compared to the dark depths of his own crater. Living here looked so much easier. And there was another human no matter how hostile she seemed. Bonuses left and right.

Frigid wind rushed down the hall leading to the phasegate. It chilled the human to his bones, even with the cold suit Robin had given him. The multitude of quantum lockers that Al-an had modified were already filled, now both humans just had whatever filled their PDA’s. Robin waved at Ryley as he approached, holding his PDA out to him.

“Ready to go?” she asked, tossing the device as soon as Ryley was close enough.

He gasped and caught it, just barely. Robin’s own PDA found its way into her hands with a much safer method. Robin glanced down at it, checking her inventory. Ryley enjoyed the confusion as her eyes scanned the inventory space that he had entirely filled up with gel sacks.

“Why…?” she asked, looking back up with mild abject horror across her features.

Ryley burst out laughing, doubling over and smacking his thigh. “I really like hair gel, and I hate the feeling of anything on my forehead!” he explained between giggles.

Robin snorted and shook her head, smiling faintly. “Ok, dork. We’ll stick these somewhere when we get home.”

Ryley nodded and followed her to their ship. Al-an nodded at Ryley and made for their own ship, which they quickly assembled. Eager to get home. The phasegate opened and the humans watched Al-an’s ship disappear through it as they worked together to get their own vessel started up.

“He’s going to leave it open for 10 minutes to give us enough time to get through. He told me he’ll be waiting on the other side,” Robin explained as she dramatically pulled a lever.

“I’m excited to see,” Ryley commented as he finished his final systems check and strapped in. Robin followed suit.

“It’s beautiful if a little industrial,” she said. “And empty.”

Ryley nodded against the force of the ship lifting off. “They’re the last one, right?” he asked.

“Yeah. We hoped we would find someone there, but…” Robin sighed, cutting herself off. It was depressing to think that Al-an really was the last of his species and there was next to nothing they could do about it.

The ship turned and rocketed through the phasegate, making for quite a display through the front window. “He told me that we would need enough DNA and mental data from more than one Architect to try to restart the species,” she continued as soon as they were in open space, another gate merely a small blotch across the asteroid field. It was the most beautiful thing Ryley had ever seen in his life.

“They’re the very last as far as you know, so you can’t try to create more,” he concluded. A sick feeling formed in his gut at Robin’s nod. “That’s… I can’t imagine how they must feel about it.”

Robin looked away. “He was really broken up about it when he looked into trying. That was the first thing we did, before he even started on looking for what happened to them. And we aren’t sure if a human is even compatible to try. So he put all of his focus into other work.”

The ship’s anti asteroid shield deflected a few oncoming rocks, adding to the sick feeling in Ryley’s gut. Thinking about Al-an’s situation was even more depressing now. Human’s first known contact with a sentient, sapient alien, and they couldn’t even help them create more of their kind. They were effectively immortal, right? Ryley hadn’t really had a chance to ask them much along the way here. That must suck too, knowing that they would be alone forever once the humans died.

Finally, they were through the connected gate and Robin was landing on a waiting platform. Al-an looked tiny standing down there alone, waiting for them. Ryley sighed at the sight of them.

As soon as the ship touched down and Ryley was outside, the exhaustion of the past few months suddenly set in. This was a home. It was his home now. He blindly followed Robin through passageway after passageway, not listening to the idle conversation between her and Al-an. Robin’s base came into view and she jogged over to it, immediately setting up the second batch of quantum lockers. She pulled a few resources out and constructed a multipurpose room. Ryley watched absently.

“Robin asked you to go inside,” Al-an said, turning blue at Ryley. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Ryley replied, nodding. “I’m just exhausted after everything.”

“I understand. I will be resting as well. The room Robin constructed is for you and I will modify it to accommodate for my size later,” the Architect explained.

Ryley smiled. “Thank you,” he mumbled, waving and wandering to the bulkhead that led inside the base. Now that he looked, it did look strangely tall.

Robin’s setup was simple. A large room with a partition at the end made up most of it, with rooms sprouting off. A bulkhead led to what seemed to be Robin’s bedroom, if the pictures on a shelf inside were any indication. The Reaper poster that he got no pay for was safely tucked inside one of the lockers. The thought of its existence irritated him but it was still cool. He would put it up in his new room later. Another door with his own Alterra nameplate lay next to Robin’s. Oh, shit.

Inside, Ryley found his friend building a desk, a bed already against one wall. She grinned and tossed the builder tool at him, which he barely caught. “You can decorate later, I just thought I would get a start on your room,” she told him.

Ryley smiled. “Thanks. Though, I have to ask where the hell you found that name tag,” he replied, glancing back at the bulkhead.

“Oh, that,” Robin laughed. “Yeah, it was on the Aurora. Al-an and I went inside.”

“You scanned it,” Ryley stated with a chuckle. The sudden notification had startled him at the time.

Robin glanced away. “I didn’t really think about that when I did it,” she replied, laughing sheepishly.

Ryley laughed with her and wandered over to his new bed. “I didn’t either, it’s ok. I just… really want to sleep now.”

“Oh, me too. I’ll be in my room if you need me,” Robin agreed, walking to the door. “We’ll get started on raids once we’ve both gotten some rest.”

Chapter Text

Bitter cold air bit at Marguerit’s cheeks and nose as she trudged up the iceberg to her greenhouse. The sun, beating down on her, did next to nothing to help with the freezing air. Not that she cared, the building would be warm. Really should’ve brought the P.R.A.W.N. up here.

Preston snuffled along the side of the greenhouse, digging around in the snow for god knew what. Marg whistled once she got the bulkhead open, ushering the animal inside. A treat would keep him well enough in line. She sauntered over to the nearest planter and picked one of the fruits, tossing it to the beast. He caught it in one fell swoop and munched it down, making happy grumbling noises.

Minutes ticked by in silence as Marguerit tended to her plants. Gardening ended up being a good way to pass the time all alone out here, and a good way to keep her thoughts in line to boot. She’d never see another human again. Had to ignore that as much as possible.

The sound of a ship’s engine caught the woman’s attention. She peered up through the glass dome, only to see something she had hoped to never see. A massive ship passed overhead, flying way too low to be safe. Normally, anything that passed by was far out of orbit and was never detected by the curse. This was way too close and there was no way to warn them before it hit.

Marguerit sprinted outside to get a better look. Why? They were doomed anyway, why watch this? A horn sounded from kilometers away, loud enough to travel over the water. No, no, no, there was really no time now. No time to escape, no time to warn them and save anyone from dying or having to deal with… this life. Marguerit scratched idly at one of the scabs on her arm.

The inevitable green energy beam cut through the clear sky and ripped through the massive ship. Fuck. Marguerit sighed and shook her head at the sight. That ship was going down and there was nothing she could do. Nothing anyone there could do either. She kept her eyes on it and watched as it plummeted toward the water far away from her.

No point in being sad about it now. Whoever was on that ship was damned the moment they came out this far. Marguerit stepped back into the greenhouse and shut the door. She still heard an explosion, and then the massive rumble as the ship hit the water somewhere. She snatched a bottle from a shelf in the corner and popped it open. “No point thinkin’ about it any farther,” she mumbled to Preston before taking a long drink of the alcohol contained within. She had been making her own for years now with whatever fruit she could find. That was the other way to pass time here. The easier way.

~~~

Robin sighed dramatically and shoved her head underneath her pillow. Why the hell didn’t Alterra design light switches? “Increased productivity my ass…” she grumbled. What use was that if she was too tired to be productive in the first place?

The little bit of sleep that she had gotten wasn’t doing much for her at the moment. Maybe she should get up and just prepare for the missions at hand? Yeah, that sounded like a good idea. Robin groaned and rolled her way out of bed. She stumbled to the shower and quickly stripped, trying her best not to look down at her body. At least being clean would feel nice, the sight of rest of her be damned. The less time dwelling on that, the better. Finally clean, Robin pulled her clothing back on, closing off her body from her mind. She could do her hair later.

Back in the main room, Robin fabricated a chair for Ryley, made herself a tall thermos of coffee, and sat down in her own seat. There were a few more supply caches that had been in her radar before she got kidnapped. Those would probably be more guarded now, so it was time to look elsewhere. There were plenty of facilities out there just waiting to be raided.

The sound of footsteps dragging through the room made Robin smile. Finally, someone to share her space with. Ryley mumbled a groggy good morning and plopped down in his chair, rubbing at his face. When Robin finally glanced at him he looked like hell.

“Morning. You ok?” she asked, setting her PDA on the table.

“Fine, just still tired,” he mumbled. “What’re you doing?”

“Planning out our next raid. I want to get a lot of supplies before we start grabbing people. We don’t know what kind of medical help they’re going to need,” Robin informed him.

“Or food or something,” Ryley added, nodding.

“Exactly. God knows what Alterra is doing to people out there. We saw what they did to us,” Robin sighed.

“I was thinking of collaborating with Al-an on turning that ship we stole into something that can more comfortably carry people,” Ryley said, glancing away. “Outfitting it with some of their tech will help too. I think it could do with higher power to the engines for extra speed. Maybe a booster? I’m not sure what kind of ship mods Al-an has that could even be compatible with Alterra tech… Maybe I should make my own?”

Robin smiled to herself as her companion descended into muttering to himself. He would fit in perfectly here, not that she was worried about that. Ryley jumped as Robin moved to sip her coffee. He laughed nervously, apparently having forgotten that she was there. “I guess you’ve got some ideas?” she asked.

Ryley nodded. “I’ve been thinking since we stole it. And I thought it would be… I dunno, bonding maybe, between me and Al-an.”

“He already likes you, you know,” Robin reassured her nervous friend.

“Sure, but I still want to bond over something we both like,” Ryley shot back. “Also I have no idea how to navigate this place yet, so asking the only one who’s lived here longer than a year is probably a good idea.”

“Ok, ok, you’ve got me there,” Robin laughed and slid her PDA across the table. She took another drink of coffee, finishing it off. She stood up to refill it.

“That’s the next location I’m thinking we can raid. It shouldn’t have too many guards and a pretty solid haul. Perfect for your first time,” she continued as her thermos refilled with hot, bitter liquid.

Ryley picked up the PDA and nodded to himself. “I’m sending this to myself. Looks easy. I’m guessing we go in, dispatch guards, grab stuff, out?”

“That’s the basic idea,” Robin confirmed. “Al-an usually pilots and leaves the ship to come with me. He’s going to start disassembling it when we exit, though, so he has extra defense.”

“Sounds fair. How long does ship assembly take?”

“A few seconds at most.”

Ryley nodded again and handed Robin’s PDA back to her. She took another drink of coffee, trying her best to stave off the exhaustion pressing at the back of her eyes. She needed to focus. When was the last time she slept more than a wink? When had Ryley? He looked about as haggard as she felt.

“You sure you’re ok?” Robin pressed after a pause. “You look worn out.”

“I told you I’m fine, everything has just been happening a lot. Don’t worry about it,” He snapped. Robin didn’t believe him. But with how defensive he was being, she decided not to press it. She could ask later.

~~~

Al-an was delighted when Ryley asked them to help work on the new ship. The idea of modifying human technology with their own had been something of a pipe dream since they met Robin. The only modifying they had done with her was increasing the height of her base’s ceilings to allow them inside.

Ryley himself was working on the thrusters, disassembling them to make room for more advanced, and much faster, models. They had already adjusted the blueprints, now it was only a matter of forming them. Thankfully they had a nigh infinite supply of ion power.

Al-an, for their part, worked on modifying the cargo compartment for human use. There were two compartments now, sacrificing some of the space to make room for utility. Half of the space was now used for actual storage, which had been easy to do. This half was more up the Architect’s alley, considering their past research assignments. To make the space comfortable benches and tables were placed strategically around the room to give as many humans as possible space to sit or stand as they pleased. Perhaps Ryley or Robin had art that could create a calm atmosphere.

The simple work allowed Al-an’s mind to wander. Specifically to Robin. Was there something wrong with her that she wouldn’t admit? She didn’t seem particularly closed off in general conversation, at least over the last few days in passing. Something still seemed amiss but Al-an had been working on the ship for most of it as well as modifying their own vessel. Robin had come to keep them company several times, though, so it didn’t seem like she didn’t want to be around them.

What, then? The nagging at the back of the alien’s processing wouldn’t leave them alone. Robin was more than allowed to refuse any sort of interaction she did not want. Why did it keep coming back up though? The feelings from 4546B, physical sensations that Al-an most certainly did not have themself, came up in their thoughts more than they would have liked.

They had assumed that Robin would give them time to be alone on the planet, and that she would go check on Marguerit. She had confirmed this but had not brought up anything else. Especially not why Ryley had suspiciously shown up by himself while certain stimulating sensations ghosted along the Architect’s skin.

Why were they even thinking about this? Robin was a fully grown human who could do what she wanted. Al-an was a mature Architect who did not feel such petty emotions at the thought of their friend doing things with other humans. That was what humans did! They knew that! They probably wouldn’t feel like this if Robin chose to do anything with Ryley, right? It was normal for humans to do!

“Ow!” Ryley’s yelp from outside interrupted the Architect’s introspection. “Fuckity shit hairy ass warts giant slimy balls SHIT!”

Oh, dear. By the time Al-an made their way outside, Ryley was already storming off, back to the base most likely. A slight trail of blood followed him. He must have hurt himself somehow. Al-an decided that they would finish what he had been working on and go check on him after the fact.

Sure enough, something had slipped and injured the human, if the blood coating the edge of the metal was any indication. Al-an picked up the piece of the old thruster and used their mechanical arms to quickly finish disassembly. They moved on to the final thruster and made quick work of it.

The thoughts crept back into Al-an’s mind now that they were alone. Ryley had been acting differently too, ever since the trio arrived home. He was sluggish and irritable, signs of exhaustion. Or something else, Al-an wasn’t sure and their limited experience with human medicine didn’t help once again. They were at a loss and honestly, they felt bad for not knowing how to help.

Robin though, they should know her well enough by now. With Ryley, Al-an could excuse themself with not knowing him for long. They should know what Robin wasn’t telling them. Hell, they were Networked to her! She stayed rather private, and the connection was limited compared to being on the true Network. Still! Al-an let a frustrated grunt escape them as they finished Ryley’s task. They would ask Robin outright as a test, and would act depending on her response. For now, there was no need to worry about it. Finding out if Ryley was alright was more important.

Al-an followed the trail of blood leading back to the human base. The Architect warped in through their moonpool entrance and entered the main room. Robin, who had entered moments before from the main door, looked over as they entered.

“Here to see what’s up with Ryley?” she asked quietly.

“He hurt himself while working on the thrusters. I gave him time to recover,” Al-an confirmed.

Robin nodded and led them through the door marked with Ryley’s stolen nameplate. They were just able to warp through the bulkhead and into the hall leading to the human’s room. Inside, Ryley lay face down on his bed, bandage covering his left hand and head buried under his pillow.

“Ryley, are you alright?” Al-an asked before Robin could speak. “You seemed angry at the time of your initial injury or I would have checked on you sooner.”

“I’m fine,” Ryley said, muffled by the sheets.

Robin moved to the bed and sat down, brushing her hand against her friend’s spine. “You sure? You seemed pretty pissed when you went storming past me,” she said, rubbing at his arm now.

Finally, Ryley pulled his head out from under the pillow and sat up. He hugged his knees to his chest. Al-an caught sight of bags under his eyes as well as evidence that he had been crying. “I know, I know, I’m fine. Just cut my hand and got frustrated,” he insisted.

“If you are certain. I finished what you had been working on for you,” Al-an said and moved to the bed. They let their lower body sink to the floor, giving their upper torso access to their friend. “May I see your hand?”

Ryley nodded and offered the injured appendage. His head pressed into his knees. The cut wasn’t bad by any means and Al-an took little time in properly bandaging it. Robin, laughing to herself, took the hand and kissed the top of it. “For luck,” she said. Al-an barely heard Ryley huff, amused. He was taken care of for now, and that was all that mattered.

~~~

Nerves bunched in Ryley’s gut as he sat on the bench Al-an had added to their ship. He and Al-an decided when they began working together that the Architect ship would be used for supply raids, and the modified Alterra ship would only be for bigger scale missions like prison raids. It was made for humans anyway. Plus, Ryley was excited to try out some of his modifications in the field.

Going on a mission had seemed exciting until they were actually on the way. Only now did the idea of doing this kind of thing on purpose, and all the time, make Ryley anxious. Robin and Al-an would be there, it would be fine, he knew that. But it was still scary. Al-an’s body hanging limp from the cables connecting to the ship didn’t really do much to ease his anxiety either.

The exhaustion that had been eating at him for the past, what, week? That only made things even worse. Ryley could barely keep his eyes open if it weren’t for his anxiety. His muscles ached and he could barely focus anymore. This wasn’t going to be pretty, but Robin seemed fine, so he probably shouldn’t bring anything up. It was way too late now anyway. The small facility was coming into view already, and Al-an’s ship was fast.

After a quick scan, Al-an docked and disassembled the ship and left the energy masts hidden safely. Their arms twitched around them.

“There are four humans on board. Two just inside the doors and two farther inside. One to the left, one to the right. I will eliminate the two at the door,” Al-an said. How they spoke while in the vacuum of space, Ryley would never quite understand.

“I’ll go left, Ryley go right?” Robin suggested, cutting through Ryley’s tired, slow thoughts. He nodded. He could take one person.

Inside the building was a different story. Al-an dispatched the two humans inside the doors, just like they said. Robin immediately bolted inside and ran left past the airlock. Ryley followed her lead and headed right. Fuck, he was tired.

Around a corner, Ryley found the guard. He had the element of surprise, thank god, and a knife. In his exhaustion, however, his foot caught on the floor and he stumbled, barely catching their arm with his blade. The wound cauterized instantly and they shouted in pain.

Ryley tried to right himself, but he was too late and the guard pushed him against the wall into the corner. Their hand caught him around the neck and a knife of their own emerged from a sheath. Ryley’s own blade clattered to the ground in the scuffle. Fuck. He struggled against their hand and rage began to cloud his vision. He was not going to die like this. His fingers dug harder into their hands, trying to scratch them and get them off of him.

The sound of a knife tearing through fabric and pushing into flesh interrupted Ryley’s enraged thoughts. The guard’s eyes went wide and they let go of Ryley’s neck, letting him look down and see the end of another thermoblade poking through their gut. Robin pulled the knife back and dropped the now dead guard, shoving their body aside.

“You ok?” she asked, helping Ryley up as he attempted to catch his breath. He nodded. “Ready to go?” she asked and he nodded again. She cleaned her blade as best she could against her leg.

As soon as Ryley could stand properly and pick his knife up, they were moving again. Al-an was already in the storage room, gathering supplies. Food and water lined the shelves. Medical supplies were already packed in a bin that Ryley carried to the door. His head hurt now and he could barely focus enough to help Robin pack their own crates.

Ryley was losing energy, faster than before. He caught himself nearly stumbling three times on the short trip back to the ship. If the damn bedroom wasn’t so bright and he could actually sleep, he wouldn’t be in this situation.

“Ryley, I think I can handle this by myself,” Robin said suddenly, hand on Ryley’s shoulder, making him jump and nearly drop the crate he was holding.

“Are you sure? I can help,” he replied, setting the crate down on top of a stack.

“Dude, you got choked out, sit down,” she insisted. Gentle pressure on his shoulder pushed him backwards until his legs hit the bench and he was on his ass. “Look! You’re already sitting. Let me handle this so Al-an can fly us home.”

“Fine,” Ryley sighed, letting himself relax into the seat. He forced his eyes to stay open, staring at the floor. How the hell did she do it, sleeping in habitats like that? Maybe he was just an idiot?

He barely noticed the ship taking off or touching down until Robin nudged him and he looked up. They were back home, Al-an was outside, the cargo was gone, and it was just them. He took the offered hand and let himself be led back to the base. Was she going to get angry now?

“Ok. Now that we’re safely home, you need to be honest with me. Are you alright?” Robin finally said, sitting down in her chair. She motioned for Ryley to do the same.

He sighed and took the offer. “Yeah, just out of it. New place I guess,” he said, trying to brush her off and avoid the conversation. He would get used to it.

“Dude, I’ve seen you fight better than this under far more stress. Al-an and I are worried about you-” As if on cue, the Architect appeared from his moonpool entrance. “-I’m going to ask again, are you sure you’re ok?”

Al-an took a seat on the floor near the table. Even with the added height to the base, they barely fit inside. “I have not scanned you yet,” they informed Ryley. “but I will if you do not let us help you on your own.”

Good god, really? “I told you I’m fine,” he snapped. He would take care of it himself! It was fine!

“Ryley-” Robin began. Irritation pooled hot in Ryley’s chest and he cut her off.

“I can’t fucking sleep, ok? I’m tired! If I do sleep I get nightmares! It’s too fucking bright in here and I hate Alterra for not putting fucking light switches on their shit! And I’m tired, and I just got choked out, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to go lay face down on my bed and hope I can get some sleep at all!” he yelled, standing up forcefully as he finished. The chair clattered backwards and Robin’s eyes widened. He would have to apologize later.

“Can you wait a minute?” Robin asked. She looked… genuinely concerned. Al-an’s normal magenta pulsed gold. Ryley nodded and let himself relax, resting his fingertips against the table.

“First of all, you should have told me about this earlier,” his friend continued. “Second, I’ve been having… the same problem. I’m just surviving on coffee and willpower right now.”

Ryley finally fully looked at her. “Oh…” he mumbled.

“I would suggest that we take a short break from this project. You both need to rest and it will give me an opportunity to focus on my own work,” Al-an piped up.

Robin nodded. “That’s honestly a good idea. I’ll admit, I might’ve been a little too eager right off the bat. Taking a couple of weeks to rest and recover from escaping Earth sounds like it would benefit us way more than trying to push through it,” she agreed.

Suddenly, Robin’s eyes went wide and she whipped out her PDA. Ryley glanced at Al-an but the alien gave no indication of if they knew what Robin was doing. “I’m a fucking idiot,” she told them. The woman was out of her seat in a heartbeat, bolting across the room and into the storage room across from the table.

Moments later, she returned and jogged outside. Ryley and Al-an followed, confused. Outside, they found Robin deconstructing the moonpool and attaching I compartments where it had been. She reattached it and turned her focus on a panel directly on the main base. Moments later, a room that Ryley had never seen before hung from the side of the building with Robin standing proudly below it.

She walked off back into the base without another word, leaving her companions to follow her again. Confusion led Ryley back inside, where Robin had attached a sign to the wall that read “Control Room”.

“I am so fucking dumb!” she exclaimed, walking into the room and reaching down to touch something on the holographic display of the base. Ryley heard machinery power down behind him. The large room was dark.

He turned back around. “What?”

“I have the blueprints for a control room. This shuts the lights off at will while still having o2! It’s normally a power saving method, but it works with our problem too!” she explained, grinning. It was only now that Ryley noticed the dark bags under her eyes. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this earlier! I’m gonna go sleep for twelve hours.”

Well, shit. Ryley wandered back to his own room and found it dark, just as Robin had said. He shut the bulkhead and laid down in his bed, finally in dim enough light to sleep. Thank fucking god, the exhaustion was already creeping in and letting him rest. Robin was right. It was time to sleep for twelve hours.

Chapter Text

It was too late by the time they knew what was happening. Too late to save it. The glass containment vial had already shattered and brushed against them. The entire research facility groaned as it tilted from the force of the leviathan that had just smashed it. The Architect stood frozen in place, the weight of reality setting in still. The Network was buzzing with life, asking them what was happening. Of course, they couldn’t hide it, but they so desperately wanted to. They had to fix this.

There was a loud, metallic snap and then another. The whole building jerked and shook as it finally hit the bottom of the sea. Water began to pour inside as the entrance failed. The Architect gathered up the glass as quickly as possible. They had to hope that none of the sample hit the ground. As long as the water didn’t touch them or the glass, this could be fixed.

They were almost instantly proven wrong. The rush of water hit them hard and knocked them backwards, sending everything they had been holding scattering around the room. It was over. Kharaa was too infectious, especially in water, they couldn’t save it. They had to sound the alarm.

~~~

Robin’s PDA dinged, jerking her awake. The sound repeated as her heartbeat slowed down and she reached up to figure out who was bothering her. Ryley should be sleeping by himself or helping Al-an, and he knew where she was if he needed anything. Who dared to disturb her beauty sleep? Robin snickered to herself at that. At least she had gotten a week to catch up.

It was Marguerit, which was odd to say the least. The woman was insistent on fending for herself, no matter how hard Robin tried to help her out with things. Even shared food was refused with a sharp “That’s yours, girl, you eat it.”

“Maida? You never call me,” Robin answered the call.

“And if this was a normal situation, I wouldn’t,” Marguerit said from the other end of the line. “You just happen to be the only biologist I trust.”

“Did something happen?” Robin asked, sitting up now. That was worrying.

“I need help with Preston. I’ll explain when you get here, it’s urgent,” she insisted.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can then. Wait for me at Outpost Zero,” Robin told her friend and immediately hung up without waiting for a response. She stripped from her pajamas, pulling her AEP on as quickly as possible.

She was out the bulkhead and running for the ship in minutes. Eating could wait, helping Preston was far more important right now. Robin ran onto the Alterra ship, and set her course for 4546B. She could tell Al-an where she went later. Hell, if this didn’t take long she could tell him without him ever knowing she left! He would understand the emergency anyway.

As soon as Robin landed she made a beeline for the teleporter, and then the outpost. Marguerit was already there, pacing around the wreckage. She stopped as soon as Robin came into view.

“Thank hell you’re here,” she called out, jogging to meet Robin halfway.

“What happened? Where is he?” Robin asked, already checking her PDA’s inventory for supplies. She had enough bandages for almost anything, and a splint was easy to make if he had broken something. She could fabricate medication if it came to that.

“That’s half the damn problem. We were at the greenhouse and he kept beggin’ to go outside to piss, so I let him. He ran off! I tried to follow him but the P.R.A.W.N. is too slow to keep up with him when he swims,” the older woman explained. “Been acting different for a while, I just couldn’t find anything outwardly wrong.”

Robin nodded, hand on her chin. “They naturally live in the glacial basin, so if I had to guess, he’s probably there. I have a seatruck docked not far from here,” she mused.

Marguerit broke into a run without responding, headed back for the tunnel leading out. Robin nearly had to sprint to keep up with her. Possibilities began to list themselves in her mind as she followed her friend. If he was hurt, he would go to Marguerit, wouldn’t he? No other human had ever attempted to tame a Snow Stalker, so she barely had any reference to go off of.

Inside the seatruck, Marguerit’s hands tapped at Robin’s shoulders as she drove. “Does this thing go any faster?” the older woman asked impatiently. Still tapping.

“I wish. I’m going to move a Seamoth over here next time there’s not an emergency,” Robin replied, heading for the Phi Robotics beacon. “We should just be grateful that this fits both of us.” Marguerit grunted but didn’t otherwise respond. That was fair, she was probably too worried about Preston.

Finally, the icy cliff holding the dock came into view and Robin parked smoothly, jumping out of the truck with Marguerit close behind her. They both jogged toward the robotics center, coming to a stop in the middle at Robin’s signal.

“We should split up. Call me if you find him, I’ll call you if I do,” she said, rushed. Marguerit nodded and split off from Robin.

He had to be in a cave somewhere. Did they self isolate when hurt? If so, that was going to be irritating if this ever happened again. Robin might not have time to stop and help Marguerit look for him next time. Though, if they did find him here, at least she could go looking alone if Robin couldn’t help.

Cave after cave came up empty, or with other Snow Stalkers that were far more hostile than Preston would be. Where else would he go if he wasn’t here? Marguerit’s seabase? That was far too deep for a single animal to swim by itself, though… Robin stepped into another cave. A Snow Stalker laid on the ice in the middle of the floor, a few bones scattered around. It was panting and scratching at the floor of the cave. The human watched it’s eyes as they tracked her approach.

“Hey, there, little guy,” she whispered. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”

She reached out, gently setting her hand on the creature’s head. To her relief, it pressed back into her. Thank god. Robin grabbed her PDA.

“Marguerit. I found him. Sending you my location.”

In the meantime, Robin began to check Preston over. His limbs seemed unharmed if a little scratched up. Footsteps alerted her to Marguerit’s approach. She motioned for the other woman to join her. She obeyed and immediately began to dote on the creature, scratching his cheeks and talking quietly to him. Warmth spread through Robin’s chest.

She needed to focus. With Marguerit distracting him, Robin was free to manhandle the animal. Her hands pressed into his fur, searching for injuries or lumps. He tensed up under her hands as she stroked at his side, which seemed a bit swollen.

“That’s the behavior I told you about. He stopped letting me scratch his belly at night,” Marguerit piped up.

No fucking way. Robin pressed again and felt the muscles straining and relaxing under her fingers. Preston huffed and began to claw at the ground again. He tensed again, confirming Robin’s suspicions.

“So, Maida,” Robin began, turning to face her. “How do you feel about being a grandmother?”

Confusion painted Marguerit’s face. “What’s that supposed to mean? Be clear, girl.”

Robin grinned. “Think about it. He wouldn’t let you touch his belly, he ran off out of nowhere, and looks like he’s in pain. He’s having pups, Maida,” she exclaimed, stroking at the soft fur on Preston’s chest.

“Wait-” Marguerit’s jaw dropped. She looked back down at her Snow Stalker and then back up at Robin. “You mean to tell me he went and- He’s having pups?” she stuttered, looking back and forth between Robin and the creature who’s head had ended up in her lap.

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you. There’s not much I can do for him except let them come naturally since you’re the only human to ever actually get near any kind of Stalker without getting mauled,” Robin confirmed. She winced as she thought about the first scar on her chest. It was covered up by a different, worse mark, but it had been her second experience with a Snow Stalker.

They waited together, both petting Preston and telling him what a good job he was doing. Eventually, three tiny little pups later, it was over. Robin let the new father do his thing with his new babies, making sure to take as many pictures as she could for Ryley and Al-an. And science, of course.

“Shit…” Marguerit whispered. Robin glanced at her and caught her smiling softly at the new additions to her family.

“Are you going to name them?” Robin asked, reaching out and rubbing at her friend’s upper arm.

“You know I’m no good at that. Preston Jr. is the best you’re gettin’ out of me,” the older woman replied, chuckling. “You can name the other two since you helped and all.”

Robin thought for a moment. “I think… Potato Jr. and Augie Jr. after my cat. Well, our cat, he was Sam’s too,” she finally said.

“Middle one does look like a little sack of potatoes,” Marguerit agreed. “And it’s a good way to honor Sam’s memory. I think I can get behind that.”

~~~

Where the hell was Robin? She hadn’t come to tell Al-an she was leaving, they were simply left to discover that by themself when they went to check on her and her bed was empty. Ryley, who had apparently just woken up, blearily told the Architect that she hadn’t said anything to him.

“I am going to begin to search for her,” Al-an told the human. “Join me when you are ready.”

Ryley nodded and dragged himself to Robin’s coffee maker. Excellent, he would be wide awake enough to help soon. Al-an warped back to their entrance and ducked out of the building. They set a quick pace through the halls of the surrounding areas, trotting quickly past doorways. They scanned each room as they passed it with no signs of human life.

Ryley’s footsteps soon echoed the halls. Al-an heard him calling out for Robin out loud, though the Architect was beginning to worry that they wouldn’t find her at all. She hadn’t left the planet, had she? They attempted again to contact her through the Network, but came up empty. She was active, just not responding.

“Al-an! I have a question!” Ryley called from down a corridor. The Architect stopped in their tracks to allow him to catch up with them.

“I saw you scanning individual areas, but that’s going to take forever,” the human continued. “We need a bigger scale. We should try to scan the whole planet.”

“Interesting idea. I may have something that can scan larger areas, though I am uncertain if modifying it with a wider range would work. I fear for our safety if something goes wrong with it,” Al-an mused. Ryley was right, of course. Scanning one room at a time was pointless in the long run.

“I mean, it’s still worth a shot if you can check farther. She’s not responding still?” he asked. He rocked on his feet for a moment, holding his arms up near his chest.

“No, I attempted to reach her again and she failed to reply. She is active,” the Architect confirmed. “May I pick you up?”

Ryley tilted his head to one side. “Uh, sure? Why?”

Al-an lifted the human gently in a transportation beam and set him on their back before replying. “Carrying you will save travel time,” they said and warped in the direction of the only scanning room that they had gotten to function properly. This one was mainly used for security against outside intruders, but it could be turned inward if the need arose.

Inside, Al-an let Ryley down and warped onto a platform in the center. A terminal rose up, ready to go. After a few adjustments, it was turned inward and powered up. Several kilometers of area mapped themselves in Al-an’s mind, though only two blips showed up at the epicenter of the scan. Them and Ryley.

“Well?” Ryley pressed.

“We are the only living things in the area,” the Architect verbalized. A sick feeling formed in their gut as soon as the confirmation was out in the open.

Something far more concerning arose when they scanned for energy signatures, specifically those of ships. The masts making up their usual vessel were still in place, but the Alterra ship was gone. Robin must have taken it.

“What? You look… worried? I think?” Ryley said again. He was beginning to pace now.

“Yes, I am worried. Your ship is gone,” Al-an said, powering down the scanner.

“Oh.”

“What should our next step be? She still will not respond to me and I am uncertain how we should attempt to locate her,” Al-an told the human. The worry settled deeper into their body.

Ryley stood silently for a beat, thinking. “My only guess is that she’d go back to 4546B for something, but what?” he mused.

The two stood there, silent. Ryley looked like he was thinking way too hard. Al-an watched him, out of ideas for now. Humans were resilient, Robin would certainly be fine. Perhaps she had told them and they had been so absorbed in their work that they hadn’t noticed. But that wasn’t in their nature, was it? If Robin had come to see them before she left they would have remembered that. Architects do not forget.

Al-an desperately hoped that this was nothing more than a misunderstanding. That Robin had gone to take care of an emergency somewhere and simply forgot to say anything. She did have a tendency to dive head first into things. It had to be that. Al-an clung to the idea of it.

Loud footsteps and the sound of Robin breathing hard slipped into Al-an’s awareness. Their head jerked in the direction she was coming from. They heard Ryley jump and ask what was wrong when Robin came within eyeshot, grinning and running directly towards them, unaware of the slight crisis they were having.

“Robin!” Al-an exclaimed before they could stop themself. They rushed toward her and began a full body scan. “Where did you go? Why did you not respond when I reached out to you?” they asked, walking in a circle around her. The scan came back normal.

“Sorry!” Robin said, laughing breathlessly. “Marguerit called and needed help with Preston. I’m the most qualified person out here for it so I went to help her.”

“Oh, I was right,” Ryley laughed breathlessly. “Thank god!”

Robin nodded and turned toward Al-an. She reached out, brushing her hand against their thigh. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything to you. I thought Preston was hurt so I was focused. The idea was that I would be back before you noticed,” she told them quietly.

“That did not work out in your favor,” Al-an commented. “I understand the urgency, of course, I just worried about you is all. Did you solve the problem?”

“Yeah! We can go back later when they’re older buuuuuuut-” she cut herself off and navigated through her PDA. Al-an resisted looking at what she was doing.

“He had pups!” Robin finally exclaimed, turning the PDA around to reveal a picture of Preston’s belly with 3 tiny, white lumps attached to him.

“Oh my god!” Ryley yelled, rushing forward for a closer look. Al-an stepped back to allow him room. They had seen plenty of juvenile Snow Stalkers for their taste. “Oh they’re so cute!” Ryley exclaimed.

The humans began to talk, mostly Robin regaling Ryley with her little adventure. Al-an stepped back farther, letting them enjoy themselves. The Architect watched them idly, but their mind was rushing with worry. Why hadn’t Robin said anything? It would have been easy for her to let them know that she was leaving at least. And she had been with her.

Al-an tried not to get angry about it. Robin could do what she wished, she had every right to. Perhaps it was just that Al-an didn’t like the other woman. She was nothing but unkind, and she had never answered the Architect’s distress signal. How could Robin even stand to be around her with her unpleasant behavior? And why did the thought of it make them angry?

Mostly, though, they were tired. The humans had been resting and planning, but not Al-an. There was important work to be done here, uncovering the knowledge kept her by their kind. They had no need to rest either, so they had kept working alone. With all of their effort put into searching, they hoped to uncover more information. It was… somewhat fruitful.

Really all it had done was exhaust them, and the worry over Robin did very little to help. Their plan had backfired as well. She had still turned them down, even when they asked outright. Was this some facet of human interaction that they didn’t understand again? Did Robin just prefer the company of other humans? Was Al-an becoming insufficient?

Robin and Ryley were going to go alone on a supply mission later, leaving Al-an alone to their own work. Was that a good idea now? If there were other things that she had neglected to mention, did she tell Ryley? Were they just being paranoid? Feelings that Al-an didn’t know how to process or identify raced through them.

“Al-an? You ok?” Robin asked, drawing them out of their thoughts.

“Oh! Yes, I am just glad that you are safe,” they lied. It didn’t matter, she was back and they could ignore the little piece of them that still thought about this.

~~~

Their first prison mission was going great. The first of the escaping prisoners were already on board the ship and being looked over by Robin. Ryley had given her his PDA with a verification list he had typed up to check identities; he would go and begin the flight back to Earth as soon as everyone was on board. Robin’s connection with the single phasegate operator had come in handy too. She had decided to go rogue and control her own gate. Alterra was pushed out completely, leaving the renegades to come and go as they pleased for the most part.

Ryley needed to focus. The last batch of prisoners was on their way out with him, and Al-an needed to get them to the ship while Ryley performed one last check of the facility. They had to ensure that every last prisoner was out before they blew the whole thing to pieces. The Alterra workers on board were either unconscious or already killed in self defense anyway.

Al-an stood in the hallway where they were supposed to be, but they were staring off into the distance. “Hey, Al-an, come on, last run. I need to go do a final pass,” Ryley said, causing the Architect to jump.

“Yes. I will assist Robin until you return, then.”

Ryley handed off the prisoners and ran back the way he had come. Al-an’s hoofsteps echoed through the empty corridors, giving an eerie vibe as Ryley walked. Everyone seemed to be either outside or an Alterra guard, so he headed back for the ship.

Once on board, Ryley ran for the bridge. They needed to get the hell out of doge, fast. Al-an would be setting off the explosives soon. The engines fired up and they were off. Ok. This had been practiced over, and over. He could do this.

“This is your captain speaking. My name is Jimothee Rockefeller, and we are headed for Australia on Earth, to give you a fresh start. We will arrive in 16 hours, so please get feel free to get comfortable and ask my associates for anything you might need,” he said over the comms line. Nailed it.

Now to wait for Robin’s signal. The speech was a fake, meant to comfort the real prisoners and prevent any Alterra plants from knowing where the drop off spot actually was, or who they were. Ryley had coordinated with some people on Alterra’s underground to give rescued prisoners new lives and send them home to their families if it was safe to do so.

“All clear,” Robin’s voice came over the pager. Perfect.

“This is your captain again. I lied to you, but we needed to make sure there weren’t any Alterra plants aboard. I’m sure you understand. My name is actually Ryley Robinson. Our real landing location is outside of Fort Hope, Ontario, Canada where I have people waiting for us to help you begin a new life on Earth. Again, please don’t hesitate to ask my associates for anything you need.”

Now all they had to do was wait. Robin and Al-an probably had everything under control, so Ryley chose to read for the long flight. There was plenty of research to catch up on that Al-an had given him. The Architects had a long and honestly kind of fascinating history.

Sixteen hours later, and their phasegate was shooting them back toward 4546B. Now that they were free of prisoners Ryley set the autopilot and wandered down to the hold. Al-an sat against one wall, Robin was nowhere to be found.

“Hey,” Ryley greeted the alien, taking a seat on the bench next to them.

“Hello,” Al-an replied. Their bioluminescence flashed pale blue before turning back to the strange mix of orange and pink it had been before.

“Are you ok?” Ryley asked, leaning over toward them a bit. “You seemed distracted earlier.”

Al-an stayed quiet, letting the question hang between them. Their colors shifted a few times, obviously pondering it. Ryley took a chance and reached out, resting his hand on their thigh like Robin did. To his surprise, they let him, a calm pale blue emanating from where he touched.

“I am worried,” the Architect finally said.

Ok, that was a start. “About what?” Ryley pressed. He practically held his breath as he waited for an answer.

“Robin. I… I have reason to believe she is hiding things from us. And I am beginning to worry that-” they cut themself off.

“Honestly, I thought she was just a little more private than the average person. But you know her better than I do,” Ryley offered. “What… else is worrying you?”

Al-an sighed, or at least it seemed like a sigh. “The way she went on her own without telling me last week, I worry that we are growing apart. It sounds silly now that I say it out loud. You are right, we are close. Perhaps I am overthinking things…” they said.

“I mean, it did kind of annoy me that she just ran off without a word. We only have each other,” Ryley mused. He would be lying if he said he didn’t worry about that too.

“And she was with the other woman. I understand the emergency, but… I do not know. Perhaps I am being irrational,” Al-an told him.

“Maybe not,” Ryley reassured his friend. “I get where you’re coming from, I think.” The comment Robin had made when they were in Marguerit’s base came back into the forefront of his mind.

“Thank you for letting me speak about it,” Al-an said, changing topics.

“Hey, you’re my friend. I don’t know how to help so the least I can do is listen, right?” Ryley responded. He rubbed the thigh under his hand a bit before retracting his hand and leaning fully into the Architect.

“That is true. I appreciate having you.”

“I’m happy I’m here.”

Another silent moment passed. “I have a request,” Al-an said into the quiet.

Ryley looked up at them, confused. “Sure?” he questioned, tilting his head.

“I would like a human gesture of comfort. A hug,” the Architect said. Their organic hands rubbed against each other, tentative.

Ryley nodded and stood up, letting the alien pick him up. As soon as he was certain they had him secured in their arms he reached around as far as he could and squeezed. Al-an was just as warm as they had been back on Earth and Ryley could hear the quiet ticking of their internal workings. Another mechanical sigh escaped them and Ryley let himself relax into the embrace. They only had each other.

Chapter Text

They had known the moment the shattered fragments of their work touched them that they were infected. Why were they surprised when they were told they would be put into storage? Why were they angry? The others needed to make them a new storage medium, this was common procedure. Why were they so nervous?

They knew why. They had done wrong. They had gone against orders and it had gone awry. They would most certainly be punished for this as soon as they made it back to the homeworld. The fear of the others around them filled them with their own dread. Was everyone here infected?

The storage sanctuary was safe, they knew that. They would be safe here until someone came with a new vessel and then they could fix everything. It would give them time to stew in their anger with themself. They already had several solutions, including attempting more direct work with the Sea Emperor Leviathan itself. When they came out of storage, they would propose these ideas. They could fix it.

~~~

Raiding had been going great! Robin, Ryley, and Al-an had three prison breaks under their belt now and from what the crew on Earth said, things were going well there too. Robin couldn’t help but be proud of her little team. Her family. It was small, but they were doing something good.

The human ship rocketed toward another supply cache, buried in the far reaches of explored space. This was was supposedly guarded pretty heavily and contained a lot of medical supplies. Definitely worth the risk in Robin’s eyes. Ryley mentioned that he had heard stories about surgical equipment being kept here too. It was a jackpot to be sure, and Robin was glad they had brought the bigger ship.

“Looks like there’s a dock,” Ryley commented. He leaned forward in his seat, staring out of the main window of the bridge.

“If we dock we are going to be seen,” Al-an said, rubbing their claws together nervously. “Would it not be wiser to have the element of surprise?”

“In this thing? They probably saw us coming a while ago, the power we’ve got will show up on even the crappiest radar,” Robin replied. Their best bet was to just fight off anyone inside.

Ryley nodded in agreement. “You brought the modified arms, right? We’ll be fine,” he told the alien. “I made a bigger knife too, so it’s not like we’re completely unprepared. And hey, if one of us gets hurt we can get right back on the ship without having to worry about trying to get through open space.”

“Exactly,” Robin agreed, turning to the controls. She engaged landing maneuvers and let the ship dock itself. Ok, that was another bonus of having an Alterra ship. It was compatible to dock with Alterra facilities so they had easy access.

Once on board, it was a simple matter of getting in and taking out everyone they could. Al-an’s new arms proved useful, forcing an opening for the humans to get all the way inside. Four of them were blades, the other two more specialized weapons. The normally peaceful alien was armed and he was more than ready for violence.

Robin didn’t have time to laugh at her own joke, instead rushing toward someone and knifing them in the gut before they could react. She really didn’t necessarily want to kill anyone, but they wanted to kill her. It was only fair.

The last few guards and personnel were easy. With Al-an at her side, fighting was a cakewalk, really. She watched his back, he watched hers, in practiced sync. Well, somewhat practiced, they didn’t have a lot of time at home to work on it. It was enough, though.

With the last grunt down, Robin turned to check on Ryley. She realized a little late that she had let him get separated, but from the looks of things he really didn’t have a problem with that. Wait-

The man in question was kneeling over one of the grunts, yelling incoherently and bashing them into the floor. Robin couldn’t see clearly through Ryley’s body, but there was definitely a large pool of blood forming around where the guard’s head should be.

“Ryley!” Robin called. He didn’t stop.

“RYLEY!” she yelled this time. Still nothing. “THEY’RE ALREADY DEAD! STOP!” That got his attention.

Ryley stood up and spun around and Robin could feel his glare from behind his mask. “SHUT UP!” he screamed. “DON’T FUCKING LOOK AT ME!”

It was then that Robin saw the tear in his AEP, one that cut through it and the shirt underneath to reveal a massive scar spanning Ryley’s chest. A burn scar. In the shape of the Alterra logo. Oh, no. She quickly looked away, toward Al-an, who was still facing Ryley.

“WHAT? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING AT!?” Ryley screamed at him.

“Ryley, please calm down, we can speak-” Al-an began.

Ryley cut him off- “CALM DOWN?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”

“Ryley-” Al-an tried again, only to get cut off again.

“DON’T YOU FUCKING TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!” Ryley continued. His hands were still balled into fists at his sides and he looked like he was getting ready to do something he regretted. Robin needed to do something.

“Hey!” she said, as calmly as she could. “Hey, Ryley, it’s ok, just relax-”

“THAT’S FUCKING RICH COMING FROM YOU!” Ryley continued at Al-an, completely ignoring Robin’s attempt to calm him down. “IT’S YOUR FUCKING FAULT I’M LIKE THIS!”

Robin’s chest tightened as Al-an reached out with one of his organic arms in some attempt to calm their friend down. “I know, but-” he started.

Ryley ignored him, storming forward, still angry. Robin could see him shaking now as he got closer. “IT’S YOUR FAULT! I HATE YOU!” He yelled at the alien.

“Please-” Al-an tried once again. Robin opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn’t think of what. What could she say?

The edges of Ryley’s mask began to turn from Al-an’s neutral pink to red. “I FUCKING HATE YOU FOR DOING THIS TO ME!” he yelled. His fist drew back and before Robin could say or do anything, it made contact with Al-an’s stomach. The Architect didn’t flinch, or change color really.

That fucking did it. Robin saw red, rushing toward Ryley and clocking him, hard. Her knuckles twinged from the impact with his mask. Whatever. “Excuse me??” she shouted, glaring at Ryley, who was now paying full attention to her. “How DARE you! How could you say that? What the fuck is wrong with you?” she questioned angrily.

Ryley’s shoulder’s squared on her and she readied herself right back at him. Better to fight him than have him keep going after Al-an. “You know, I’m getting really sick of you snapping at us like this!” she told Ryley, readying her fists in case he went after her.

Ryley tossed his head. “OH-”

“THAT IS ENOUGH.”

Both humans froze as the Architect stomped his hoof to emphasize his command. The sharp sound echoed through the halls of the mostly empty facility along with the last of his shout. Al-an never raised his voice. If she didn’t know any better, Robin would have thought he couldn’t get louder. Even Ryley’s face fell, horror creeping over the rage from the little Robin could see behind his now crooked mask.

“Ryley.” Al-an continued, slightly quieter. “Go back to the ship and wait for us. Now. Robin, come with me. We will finish this alone.”

Robin stomped off in the direction Al-an had pointed her, ignoring whether or not Ryley did the same. She was too pissed off to care what he did. Sure, sure, ok, fine. Yeah. If, hypothetically, she was in the same situation, she would probably blow up a little bit too. But blaming Al-an outright for his emotions? Really? That was just cheap and petty.

Robin huffed to herself as she stomped, relishing the sound of her feet hitting the floor. Al-an’s hoofsteps followed after a few seconds. It finally dawned on Robin that maybe she should check on him. She needed to cool off first, though. But fuck! Every time she tried, the sight of Ryley’s face and the red blossoming faintly along Al-an’s torso where he was struck played out in her mind and made her angry all over again.

“Hello?” a voice called from down the hall. An Alterra bastard appeared a moment later, looking shocked upon seeing Robin. They approached her, confusion washing over their features. Robin didn’t care.

~~~

Robin whipped her knife out of its sheath and slashed the approaching human across their neck in one smooth motion. Al-an, who had been approaching her, paused for a moment to give her more distance, more time to calm down. Ryley could be spoken with later. Al-an understood his plight and his feelings all too well.

They warped toward their human instead of walking. She had gotten too far ahead already. “Robin.” they began.

“I cannot believe he did that,” she muttered. “I mean, yeah, I get it. I really get it, that sucks. But he had NO RIGHT-” she continued, volume rising.

“Robin!” Al-an interrupted, louder this time. Robin huffed and crossed her arms, still stomping. “I will speak with him on the way home. We will work things out on our own. You do not need to defend me, not against him.”

“Yeah, but still! He shouldn’t have attacked you!” she retorted, glancing up at them.

“No, but I understand why. He obviously did not want us to see that part of him,” the Architect replied. How to say this gently. “And… he was not entirely wrong. It is my fault that he was infected, however indirectly it may be.”

The two finally approached one of the multiple storage rooms throughout the facility. Robin began to grab whatever she could and stack things near the door. If Ryley were still with them, he could act as a relay. Al-an decided to take up the chore in his stead.

“It still doesn’t excuse that he attacked you!” Robin continued the conversation through the Network.

Al-an warped back onto the ship and set their boxes down. Ryley was nowhere to be seen, though the Architect thought that they could her him crying. “No, and I am certain that he feels bad about it. However,” they said, warping back to the facility. “He cannot help his anger. The bacteria has lasting effects, and that includes increased aggression. I know that better than anybody.”

Robin sighed as Al-an entered the room again and picked up more boxes. “I guess. I’m still mad at him for it,” she told them as she added another box to the stack in their organic arms. “I’ll talk to him too and see his side.”

“That would be a good idea,” Al-an agreed. “Check other rooms while I move these.”

Robin’s anger was perfectly justified, but so was Ryley’s. Al-an was not upset with either of them, of course they weren’t. Ryley’s words certainly hurt, they couldn’t lie. He was in the heat of the moment. They all were. Perhaps Al-an could connect with Ryley on this front. They had no outlet for their own aggression but if they could work together…

“Do you want this surgical equipment?” Robin interrupted Al-an’s internal monologue.

“Yes, take it. It would be useful to have equipment on a small enough scale to actually use on you should the need arise,” they replied. They hadn’t realized how long they had been standing in one spot, staring at a wall until she said something. Right, yes, they were helping.

Robin appeared around a corner holding a large stack of boxes. Al-an took several off of the top that she definitely could not see past and carried them back to the ship with her. “Nothing much else to note, just the supplies you already took, and these instruments. They’ll need to be sterilized before you try to use them on us, though,” the human informed them.

“Of course. I would not be so reckless as to use dirty medical supplies,” Al-an agreed, slightly offended that she would even suggest such a thing. “Though, I would like to hope that I never have to use these,” they added, setting their load down.

Robin laughed. “Me too,” she said, resting a hand on the Architect’s thigh. “Ready to go home?”

“Yes, very much so. I will launch if you would like to speak with Ryley first,” they confirmed, heading toward the bridge without waiting for an answer.

“Sounds good!” Robin called after them.

~~~

Fuck these stupid ass sliding doors that couldn’t slam. Kicking it would suffice. Ryley slammed his foot into the metal and relished in the sweet, sweet thud. He stormed to his bed and flopped down onto it, face landing directly in the pillow. And he screamed.

Ok. Ok, that felt good. Now he could take a breath, in, out, calm down. His hands shook, right one throbbing with every heartbeat. A sob escaped Ryley’s throat, and then another. How could he be so stupid? He hadn’t meant most of what he had said, or at least he didn’t want to. Technically it was Al-an’s fault that Kharaa had been leaked. But why use that? That was just… mean.

If his hand didn’t hurt like hell Ryley would be hitting himself over the head for being such an insensitive, ragey jackass. If the stupid Alterra asshole hadn’t cut his suit open everything would be fine! He wouldn’t have ever had to tell Robin about the stupid brand, and he never would have hurt Al-an.

The realization that he was probably going to be dropped back on Earth sickened him. Would they do that? If Robin was angry enough, maybe… Ryley’s face hurt enough from her punch and to him, just knowing how badly he fucked up was punishment enough. He never wanted to hurt them.

Ryley heard the engines start and felt the ship lift off from the dock. Fuck. Should he go and face his fate? Maybe. He didn’t know. He cursed Alterra internally for sending him on that mission that got him stuck with lifelong shit like this.

A knock on the door startled him. He didn’t respond, but he turned his head and watched it slide open, revealing Robin on the other side. She stepped in and approached the bed, sitting down at Ryley’s side. Her hand stroked along his back. So she wasn’t that mad then. That was good.

“Robin, I’m sorry, I- I didn’t want to yell at either of you like that,” Ryley blurted out. “I’m sorry I’ve been so… touchy I just- I can’t stop myself when it happens. The bacteria-”

“I know. Al-an explained it,” she interrupted him, pressing her fingers into his back. “Are you ok?”

“I don’t know why you’re asking, but mostly, yeah,” Ryley replied, sighing. “I just feel awful about… all of that. I didn’t really know how to tell you, and I didn’t want you to hate me for it. And-” he sighed again- “I forget that I have the whole anger thing. Not around people much and all.”

Robin nodded, looking at the floor quietly for a moment. “I understand. I should have stayed calm, it just pissed me off to see Al-an get hurt,” she explained, smiling. “We were both a little in the moment there.”

“Yeah…” Ryley said. He pulled his legs into himself and sat up next to his friend. “I’m sorry again. I just- I hate it… That’s part of the reason I wanted to get you out of there as fast as possible. I didn’t want you to have to go through the same thing I did,” he told her.

It was Robin’s turn to sigh deeply. She said nothing, but her hand reached up to the zipper on her AEP. She pulled, revealing her bare chest underneath, covered only by a bra. She shrugged the shoulders of the jumpsuit off. Oh.

“You were a little too late,” she said, looking away from Ryley. The same brand he had marred her chest too. “They did it the second day they had me.”

“I’m sorry-”

“You didn’t know, and I wasn’t about to tell you. I probably wouldn’t have if this hadn’t happened.” She looked back at him, tears welling in her eyes.

She was right. Ryley tried not to feel bad about it, or to look at her. It was a little comforting though, to know that he wasn’t alone. It wasn’t just his burden to bear. Though, considering how upset their other friend had been recently, Ryley just had one question.

“Does Al-an know?” he asked.

The question hung in the air between the two humans. Robin looked down at her chest, and then at Ryley’s ruined AEP. She took a deep breath and balled her hands up in her lap. “No. I… just didn’t know how to tell him. Honestly, I don’t even want to think about it, much less talk about it,” she explained. Ryley watched the tears slip down her cheeks. He leaned into her in an effort to provide some kind of comfort.

Robin laughed, a bitter sound in the tense atmosphere. “I’ve been avoiding… contact with him. For lack of a better word. I don’t know. It’s too fresh, I guess,” she said.

“I get it. But you should tell him,” Ryley suggested. Shit, this was his chance to be Al-an’s wingman, so to speak. If he nudged Robin in the right direction, Al-an’s mind could be brought to ease a little bit. “It’ll just hurt both of you if you hide it any longer.”

“Especially since he knows about you now,” Robin agreed. “I’ll tell him when we get home.”

She stood up, leaving Ryley sitting alone on his bed. His hand still throbbed, and his head did now too, but he ignored them. Robin turned around at the door and smiled faintly.

“Thank you. For apologizing by the way. We’ll work this out. Al-an wants to talk to you too,” she said before disappearing, leaving Ryley by himself.

He only had a few minutes to process, so Ryley took them. At least he wasn’t alone in that anymore. Obviously, it would remain unspoken between them so neither had to think about it. Still though. Knowing that Robin understood, and she understood the motivation behind his actions on that storage facility comforted Ryley. She still cared for him.

Al-an’s hooves alerted the human to their approach before they appeared in the doorway. They ducked through it, tilting their head to fit all the way inside, and approached the bed. Their colors mixed blue and orange as they laid down facing Ryley.

“Before you- before you say anything,” Ryley started. His shoulders tensed. “I’m so sorry for… for that. I don’t hate you, I shouldn’t have said any of that, and I’m sorry you had to see this side of me.”

Al-an stayed quiet for a moment, shifting through a few more colors before glowing decidedly blue in Ryley’s direction. “I accept your apology. And I understand what happened to an extent. Do not forget that I was infected too,” they told the human.

“Right…” Ryley whispered. Of course! How could he be that much of an idiot?

“I struggle with the same things you do, I simply have greater control over myself, and that is merely a difference in species. And time,” the Architect explained. “I am certain that if we work together we can both learn to live with the lasting effects of Kharaa. You are not alone.”

Ryley nodded and smiled at the alien. “Thank you… I… really don’t deserve how nice you two are being to me,” he said, glancing down at his lap.

“I do not think kindness is a thing to be deserved. Robin had every right to wish harm on me, or bring it on me herself. Yet, here we are. Strained for now, but still friends. You are no different. I will not be unkind to you just for a simple mistake. You are my friend and it is my choice to help you grow past mistakes,” Al-an replied. They seemed to glow more intensely for a moment.

“I’ll… try to keep it in mind. Thank you,” he said quietly.

“Is your hand alright?” the Architect asked suddenly. “Humans are such fragile creatures.”

“It still hurts, I don’t know,” Ryley said, holding his hand out. Al-an scooted closer and took the hand to scan it. Being so close to them was still something that Ryley would probably never get over. They were massive up close, yet their claws were so gentle as they carefully pulled at the injured appendage.

“You have broken two knuckles and dislocated several bones in your hand. Would you like me to fix that?” Al-an asked. Ryley nodded.

He closed his eyes and winced as the Architect pulled at his hand. “I had an idea regarding your… mark,” they said. A bandage appeared from behind them in one of their metal arms. At Ryley’s silence, they continued talking. “I learned of the human art of tattooing while I had possession of your PDA. I thought perhaps I could teach myself and assist you by putting something over the scar.”

Ryley’s eyes opened again, looking past the Architect. It wouldn’t get rid of it entirely but… that would definitely cover it enough that he might stop being so insecure. “You know, not a bad idea, Al-an. Maybe something colorful to draw attention away,” he agreed, grinning at the alien.

“I will begin research on it posthaste,” they said, fixing the bandage in place and pulling the human in. Ryley accepted his fate as he landed in the Architect’s arms.

“You like hugs, don’t you Al-an,” he whispered.

“Robin’s assessment was correct. They are comforting,” Al-an replied. They squeezed a bit and Ryley couldn’t help but press his head into the alien’s chest. He had missed hugging someone he considered family.

Chapter Text

Nobody came back. One by one, the Architect felt parts of the Network breaking off. Going silent. What was happening out there? They wanted so desperately to have a new storage medium, to help. Was the bacteria taken care of yet?

Another set of voices disappeared, adding to the deafening silence in the facility. Were they being cut off? That wouldn’t happen, all Architects had access to the Network. They were only cut off if there was a danger to their mind, and only their mind, that threatened the collective. What sort of danger did they pose?

There were only a few voices left. The Architect couldn’t tell if they were just those left on the planet, or if they were the last of the species at all. Most of them were calling for help, asking to be saved. Talking about the fate of the planet. Activating the quarantine was brought up more than the Architect was comfortable with.

The final strings of the Network went silent. The Architect tried to call out, ask if anyone was coming for them. No answer. They had no way to know if this was intentional. None of the voices had ever mentioned them. For the first time in their life, they were alone. Utterly alone.

The silence in the facility bore down on them. It pressed in and suffocated them as they tried to keep the initial panic at bay. Someone would come back. Someone on the homeworld would solve this and they would come back. They tried to assure themself of this, but as time dragged on… they didn’t know what they were going to do.

~~~

The ship touched down at home. Finally, the trip back from that facility had felt like it took forever. Robin already had another raid in her sights, but she had to wait for more information before enacting anything. She would discuss it with Al-an and Ryley later. There were more important things to talk to them about anyway.

Ryley was first priority. Calling him a ticking time bomb was rude, but not really an exaggeration. Without access to therapy, he would need to find some way to let out his anger instead of turning it onto his friends. Robin already had plans for some of her old Xenoworx and Alterra uniforms, so at least she could discuss that with him.

“I think I’m going to unload the cargo by myself,” Ryley interrupted Robin’s thoughts. She turned to look at him, hanging back on the ship. He looked pointedly at her. “It’ll make up for my uh, outburst. And give you guys some time alone.”

Robin’s face heated up as her friend continued to look at her. Ok, she got the hint. It would be better to just get it over with anyway, he was right. Nerves bunched up in Robin’s gut as she tried to prepare what to say. What to tell him.

“Are you certain that you will not reinjure your hand?” Al-an asked from behind her. Their hooves thudded against the cold floor as they turned around.

“Yeah, I’ll be careful,” Ryley confirmed. He disappeared into the ship, leaving Robin alone with Al-an. Ok. She could do this.

“Let’s uh, go for a walk,” Robin said, glancing at the Architect. They tilted their head at her but followed as she walked in a random direction.

Tense silence filled the quiet air of the Architect’s home. Wind blew through Robin’s ponytail, sending a shiver down her spine. Maybe they should stay outside so Al-an wouldn’t pick up on how nervous she was. She could feel their visual sensors boring into her back as she listened to the sound of them behind her. She could just pick up on some of the clicks of their mechanical organs.

“Before I say anything,” Robin finally started. “I’m sorry for… not telling you about this.”

“That is rather concerning. Please continue,” Al-an replied. Robin watched his mechanical arms tense up, gold painting the strings of light along his body.

Shit, what now? She hadn’t planned anything farther than apologizing, what was she supposed to say? ‘Sorry we haven’t been banging, I’m ashamed of something beyond my control!’? How was she supposed to break it to him that she hid it? He was her best friend.

Robin opted to use the same method she had used to show Ryley. Just pull the zipper down and go from there. She watched the alien carefully, watching for any sign of… she didn’t really know what. It felt strange, just exposing it when she really didn’t want to think about it herself.

“Oh,” Al-an said. A few colors flashed over their features before they settled into their neutral pink. Robin didn’t have time to try to decipher the flashes. The nervousness tightened into full anxiety and another cold wind blew across the open platform. Robin zipped her AEP back up as goosebumps prickled at her skin.

“I’m sorry. I- I didn’t know how to tell you…” she finally said, looking away.

“Would you have, if Ryley had not had his own accidentally revealed?” Al-an asked. Their voice stayed too even.

Robin nodded. “Eventually, yeah, I would have. It’s just- I-” Robin sighed. “I barely want to acknowledge it myself, much less bring it up out of the blue. I’m… I’m sorry. For this.”

“I accept your apology,” Al-an replied, still too smooth. Too calm. “Who else knows?” they asked.

Oh, boy. There was no point in lying, it would only hurt them both more in the long run if she did. “Marguerit and Ryley. Well, and the people who did it to me,” she told him.

Glancing back up, Robin watched the edges of Al-an’s face and chest turn darker. More red. “So you told her?” they asked. The rest of their question, ‘and not me?’ hung in the air between them.

“I- it was- it’s hard to- I don’t know, I don’t have an explanation that’s going to make either of us feel any better about it,” Robin admitted.

“I see,” Al-an said, looking away. They began to walk again, long steps prompting Robin to rush to catch up. “I already told Ryley that I will look into covering the scar with a tattoo. I will do the same for you.”

“We’ll have to wait at least a year, and I really do appreciate that,” the human replied. Relief washed through her as the edges of red faded back into pink. “But… I mean… I’m still going to know it’s there. I don’t know how much it’ll help.”

Al-an turned their head down toward her. “What do you mean? If it is covered you will not have to look at it,”

“Yeah, but like I said, I’ll still know that it’s there, underneath. It goes farther than skin deep. I’ve told you, our bodies are permanent. What’s done to them is permanent. And I don’t even want to think about what’s been done to mine,” Robin explained. The sick feeling came back.

Al-an stayed silent, processing. Robin watched uncertainty and anger rush dim across their features. God, she had really fucked up now. What was she supposed to do? Al-an couldn’t really understand it, not with their impermanence. This was going to be… a mess to recover from.

~~~

How could Robin do that? Al-an understood not wishing to speak about it. They had come to understand her privacy and boundaries over their time together. That much was clear, of course, and they knew how badly it affected her with her inability to transfer bodies. All of that was the least of the Architect’s worries. It stung, to be certain, but what they couldn’t understand was why she told her.

Robin had avoided certain things at all costs with them. But her? What was so different? Was it because she was a human? Al-an was certain that they provided enough companionship, right? Robin hung around them in some way during down time unless she had her own projects to work on. Even then, she was near the Architect more often than not.

Ryley certainly wasn’t a problem either. Al-an considered him a friend already; especially with how much effort he had put in to help them escape Earth and go home. Not to mention that he somewhat understood Al-an’s struggle with the lasting effects of Kharaa. They shared similar interests. Al-an liked Ryley.

The Architect didn’t realize where their legs were taking them until they reached the human base. Ryley sat outside, tinkering with some machinery, seemingly unaware of Al-an’s inner turmoil. Robin had said that he knew about her mark… For how long, though?

“Ryley,” Al-an began. The human looked up and smiled.

“You ok?” he asked as he set down his tools. Al-an approached apprehensively.

“I have a question,” the Architect explained. “About Robin. How long have you known…?” The open ended query hung in the air, the unstated part still a bit too sensitive in Al-an’s mind to speak out loud yet. It still stung.

Ryley sighed. “Oh, uh, well. Since she talked to me on the way here,” he said, looking down. “I’m surprised you didn’t know about it, honestly.”

“I am as well,” Al-an said dryly. “I would expect her to inform me of such important matters to do with her body.”

“You did live in it…” Ryley mused, he picked a screwdriver back up and returned to tinkering. “It’s… hard to think about or acknowledge, for sure. I mean, I wasn’t going to tell either of you at all. But you two seem close, I mean-” he paused.

“If you were in her position, would you have told me?”

“I don’t know,” Ryley glanced up. Al-an’s chest tightened. “You have history I don’t know about and probably never will. But… if I did have a best friend who I was uh, intimate with… Yeah, I’d probably tell them.”

“I see…” Al-an replied. Their chest tightened more and they tried to push back their anger at the other woman. It wasn’t her fault that she was impossible for them to like. Well, it was. Still! What made her so special that Robin still allowed such things to happen. Al-an was angry with their human, but they forced that part down. It wasn’t entirely her fault either, they shouldn’t be harboring that.

Ryley seemed to realize how his explanation sounded; his back straightened and he held his hands out defensively. “Ok wait, that’s not exactly what I meant!” he corrected himself quickly. “I’ve had it longer and she’s probably still getting used to it! If I had someone when I first… when it happened originally I probably would have hidden it too. But I would have told them eventually.”

Al-an nodded and shifted around on their hooves. “I understand now. It is too fresh for her,” they said. That made… sense. Ryley had no way of knowing exactly why they were upset.

“Yeah. I can’t really give you a real answer about it since I’m not… very experienced with this stuff. So, sorry about that,” the human continued.

“You have no reason to apologize to me,” Al-an said, letting themself relax. “You have as little experience with human relationships as I do.”

Ryley laughed. “Yeah, exactly.”

Al-an let themself lie down to watch the human as he began to work again. His eyebrows were knit in concentration and his tongue stuck out of his mouth a bit. He set the screwdriver down and picked up another tool. Humans were fascinating creatures to watch. Al-an began to record their visual input into the Network for later study.

Footsteps at the entrance to the large space distracted the Architect from their observation. They cut off the recording and turned to see Robin approaching. She gripped her PDA tightly, grinning to herself.

“Guys!” she called, waving. So she was going to act like nothing had happened.

“Hello Robin,” Al-an replied calmly. They tried to ignore the growing apprehension settling in their lower body.

“Two things,” the woman started, turning her PDA around in her hands to reveal a text log. “One, I’ve gotten word on a supply drop that’s going to happen at a facility we haven’t been to yet. It’s a prime opportunity to stock up on our own supplies. What do you think?”

Ryley, who had set down his tools and wandered over to examine the log. “Ok, that sounds like it could be fun. Like being pirates!” he said, nodding thoughtfully.

“In space!” Robin agreed. “Al-an?”

“I would appreciate a distraction from recent events,” the Architect said carefully.

Robin laughed, tension becoming painfully obvious in her shoulders. “God, me too…” she agreed.

“What’s the other thing you mentioned?” Ryley asked, voicing Al-an’s own curiosity.

“Oh!” Robin brightened up. “I was thinking, to relieve stress from all of us, we should form a rotation of duties for missions. That way one of us is always on board our ship and only has to worry about piloting. I think it’ll help us in the long run,” she explained.

Interesting. It would certainly prevent another incident like earlier. Perhaps Al-an could use it to their advantage as well. Getting closer to Ryley would be invaluable as they both learned to cope.

“I agree, it will provide better focus,” Al-an said, nodding at Robin. “We can rely more easily on each other in the moment.”

“If I go feral, having a pair means you don’t miss it and have… that happen again,” Ryley mused. His face warmed under Al-an and Robin’s gaze.

“Exactly. Don’t even get me started on how quick we could escape, too! Which is what I want to try. The ship will be on course in three weeks and show up in about a month. That gives us plenty of time to prepare and work on close quarters combat,” Robin told them.

Good. A distraction. Stars knew Al-an needed it if they wanted to move on from everything else. They could continue work on their research while the humans slept, and work with them when they were awake. They mentally set aside their misgivings for now. They could put all of their focus on their work.

~~~

The month of training flew by. Sparring with Robin and Al-an was probably the most fun Ryley had had in a while. Al-an seemed to enjoy it despite always winning. It wasn’t Ryley’s fault that they were twelve feet tall and stronger than anything on Earth!

Ryley sat, tapping his foot anxiously as the Architect ship moved faster toward their target. An Alterra ship full of food, water, building materials, and medical supplies was well on its way. Robin, who stood at the new terminal that Al-an had installed, checked the radar again. A blip on the very edges stood out against the emptiness around them. There it was.

“You are still comfortable with the controls?” Al-an questioned from the back of the ship. They had been pacing for a while now.

“Yes, I promise you programmed this perfectly,” Robin assured them. “And you made me practice enough I think I could pilot this in my sleep!”

Ryley laughed. “If anyone is going to screw up, it’s going to be me, and you’re going to laugh at me for it forever,” he teased.

“As if you wouldn’t laugh at me!” Robin jabbed in return. A white speck in the distance finally came into focus. “There it is. You two ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Ryley confirmed, glancing at Al-an.

“Of course. This should be easy,” they agreed.

Another few minutes passed with only the sound of the Architect’s pacing filling the ship. Ryley watched the terminal lock on to the Alterra ship and then Robin maneuvered over it. She turned around, giving them the thumbs up. A click confirmed that they were docked and the doors opened up into the Alterran airlock.

Al-an warped in first, Ryley following quickly behind them. Most of the meager crew was already waiting for them, weapons drawn. Ryley picked one and let himself think about the last four years. How people like this had treated him. How they passively just let him suffer. Yeah, fuck this guy.

Ryley attacked before the crewmate could react. His fist met with their jaw, a crack of something breaking sharp in his ears. Robin was right, directing his rage at them was working. If he could keep control, he could easily do this. Piece of cake.

Two more workers down and Ryley turned around, still trembling with barely contained anger. Al-an had the others piled in a corner already, either knocked out or dead. That was fine, they would be blowing this thing to bits soon enough. Ryley nodded and Al-an returned the gesture, leading the human to the cargo hold. They worked quickly, loading everything onto their ship and leaving Robin to sort it.

A final check of the ship confirmed that they had the whole drop. Perfect. Robin appeared, mask now over her face. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist doing a final check with you,” she said, laughing. Her mask faded from pink to the sky blue that Ryley had learned meant Al-an was happy. That was new.

“You have no need to worry, I have kept Ryley in line,” Al-an teased.

Ryley laughed, shaking his head and feeling his face heat up. “My hero, truly,” he said, wandering over and patting his friend on the leg. “I think we’re good but I didn’t check the bridge. I figured whoever is captaining this thing would’ve already fought us.”

“That does not matter anyway,” Al-an said, glancing toward the door to the bridge. Their mechanical arms twitched a bit at their sides, as if they were antsy. “They will be gone soon no matter what.”

As if whoever was on the other side could hear their conversation, the door slid open to reveal a rather short man peering nervously from behind the wall. His eyes darted between the pirates before his mouth fell open behind his mustache. Oh, boy.

Chapter Text

Lillian sighed, relaxing into her chair and resting her head against her hands. If she didn’t know any better she would say that Robin was right all along. All of that work and she was just told to shut it down for good. To work on this busywork that Alterra kept piling onto her desk. At least it had to do with extraterrestrial life… if only 90% of what was shoved at her wasn’t conspiracy theories.

Another file of a UFO seen, in the middle of the Pacific. That could have some credibility, if only more than one person had seen it. Lillian filed the document under “investigation” and checked the next file.

4546B seemed so long ago now. It had been so exciting to find evidence of actual sapient life! Lillian wished she had time to tell Robin about it in her message, but with Alterra shutting her up already… that wasn’t going to happen. She sighed and filed the case she was reading away. Another hoax.

A message pinged on the PDA sitting on the table. Now that, that was interesting. No subject line, anonymous message. Lillian switched tasks on her computer and attempted to source the location of the message. Nothing. Untraceable, at least by human standards. Curiosity got the best of her and she picked up the PDA to see what this was all about.

An image of a tall, green, centaur-like creature that glowed with strings of colored light appeared in the message box. Its face, just a glowing triangle of light, was turned to the side, away from the camera, as if the creature had been caught unaware. The background… was that… Architect structures? The only text in the message read ‘Is this the alien you were looking for, Lil?’

“Bloody hell, Robin! You did it!” She whispered at the screen.

~~~

Robin stared at the man hiding behind the door. He looked absolutely petrified, and honestly, who could blame him? He was just piloting here, he had no stake in all of this. Not yet at least, not if Robin had anything to do with it. Everyone else in the room seemed frozen, unsure of what to do with this development. Most of the time if they were caught they just got outright attacked.

Finally, Robin turned to Ryley and Al-an and pointed at Fred, who still stood shocked in the doorway. “Spare this one,” she told them. Ryley nodded and turned to head back to the Architect ship.

Robin turned back around to find Fred’s face having fallen in shock. “Sam’s sister?” he asked quietly, incredulous. His mouth hung open behind his mustache.

He recognized her! That was sweet, despite them having never met. Robin felt a little bad as she approached the poor man and silently smacked him upside the head, knocking him unconscious. It was for his own safety, and theirs too, in case Alterra questioned him. If they were going to blow this ship up, she might as well leave him on the storage facility to be picked up later.

Robin hauled the unconscious man into her arms. “Would you like assistance with that?” Al-an asked from the doorway.

Smiling, Robin set Fred down and held her arms out. “Can I borrow your arms?” she asked. The alien nodded and transferred the robotic limbs to Robin’s back, lifting her up into the air a bit.

She pointed the tractor beam at Fred and gently lifted him. He fell limp in the beam. At least this was more passable than dragging the poor guy. With the hostage settled, Robin made her way back to the ship, where Ryley had sprawled himself on the floor next to the cargo.

“I was under the impression that we had solved your sleeping problem,” Al-an teased, stepping over the human on the floor.

“You took three seconds too long and I got bored,” Ryley retorted. Still, he stood up and let Robin gently place Fred in his spot. Ok, maybe she dropped him. Just a little. He would stay knocked out like that at least.

Robin took the controls and set a course for the destination facility. Loading everything would be a tight fit, she realized as she glanced back at the cargo. The Alterra ship; which considering the obvious explosion on her radar, didn’t exist anymore; was carrying far more than they had expected. Though, hell, if they needed, they could leave some of the supply behind to keep Fred alive until Alterra came for him. If it even did.

“Hey Ryley, what are you doing?” Robin asked. It had taken her a moment, but she realized that he was writing something on a piece of paper. He looked up as she spoke.

“Me? Oh, I’m writing instructions for this guy to get a hold of me,” he explained. “You seem to trust him, why not get him in on our little scheme? I’ve been keeping contact with the people back on Earth who aren’t just ground crew. We’ve got a good little underground ring going to sabotage as much as we can.”

Robin nodded approvingly. “And if Fred is half the man I think he is, he’ll join us. From what I do know about him, he’s a good, honest guy,” she agreed. “I’d like to have him on our side.”

“I remember some of the voice logs he left behind,” Al-an noted. “His poor experiences should give him a sore spot when it comes to Alterra.”

“Exactly,” Ryley agreed and continued writing.

As soon as the facility came into view, Robin docked and let her boys go first and load cargo. She picked Fred back up and dropped him against the wall in the main room. Ryley had tucked his note into the front of Fred’s jumpsuit. That would do. With her own work complete, Robin wandered back to their vessel to wait.

Al-an made quick work of packing what he could fit. At Ryley’s appearance and the Architect’s green light in the Network, Robin took off. This should give them more than enough extra supplies to take care of people for a while. Robin’s mind wandered as she watched the stars passing them by. Ryley mentioned he could access internal files, maybe he should be the one to scout out prisons.

“Robin, there is a slight problem,” Al-an said suddenly, catching her attention. A blip on the radar, moving in fast. Shit.

Ok, stay calm, they were only halfway home, whoever this was hadn’t found it. Not yet. Suddenly, without giving her much time to think, Ryley was shoving Robin out of the way. He took the controls and dove, sending the Architect ship straight down. Robin yelped, reaching out for the railing to hang on to something.

“Hey! Warn me next time, asshole!” she yelled at Ryley.

“Sorry!” He said, eyes still focused out the front window. “I panicked!”

“So you took over controls? Because you panicked?” Robin asked.

Ryley jerked the holographic wheel to the side, spinning entirely around to fly underneath the Alterra ship. “No, I panicked and forgot to tell you! That I was going to do that?”

“What?” Robin yelled as she was thrown backwards. She braced right before she was thrown directly into Al-an, knocking him backwards. He stumbled and fell into the back wall of the ship, Robin now clutched in one arm, the other bracing against a box.

“Ryley, you are making very little sense,” Al-an commented, somehow calm, though his internal ticking had sped up.

“Sorry! Trying to drive! This goes faster than I expected!” Ryley said quickly. Robin sighed into Al-an’s chest. Her legs hung limp beneath her; Al-an’s arm dug into her thighs, holding her entire body weight.

Two of Al-an’s mechanical arms merged together to form something that looked way too much like a laser. “Both of you, helmets on, now!” he commanded. Robin obeyed and watched as the hatch at the bottom of the ship opened. Al-an jumped forward and stuck their torso, gun arm included, out of the hatch, holding the human in place with his knee. Robin heard the arm fire and an explosion moments later. Al-an pulled pack and allowed the door to close. Robin took a few shaky breaths. That was close.

After a few more evasive maneuvers that definitely weren’t Ryley showing off, he stepped back to let Robin take the controls. “Sorry about that, I panicked and figured I could lose them,” he explained, looking toward the ground.

Robin rolled her eyes and slipped off of Al-an. “You got us out of the way so Al-an could take them out. That was good work,” she said, patting him on the shoulder.

The rest of the trip home stayed uneventful. And quiet. Robin didn’t pay much attention to Ryley and Al-an’s conversation; they started talking about building things and lost her for the most part. Before long, the tall spires of the Architect buildings filled Robin’s vision and she sighed as they landed safely.

“We’ll join you in a bit to unload, Al-an, I just need to talk to Ryley for a second,” she told the alien. He nodded wordlessly and began working on his own.

Ryley followed her down the tractor beam. “Sorry, I know you could’ve gotten away just fine, I should-”

“Shh, that’s not why I want to talk,” Robin reassured her friend. “Impressive moves, by the way.”

“Thanks,” Ryley said, blushing and rubbing at the back of his head. “I got bored on the return trip to Earth from 4546B,” he explained.

Robin chuckled. “Fair. But- and it’s fine if you don’t know, but has Al-an talked to you lately? About being upset?” she asked.

Ryley’s face fell. “Not recently, but they have asked me for advice in the past couple of months…” he mused, moving his hand from the back of his head to his chin.

“Awww, my boys are bonding!” Robin giggled.

“Wha- your boys?” Ryley questioned. His face turned a bit darker red.

“You’re my two best friends, and you’re men- or male adjacent! My boys!” Robin defended herself, crossing her arms.

“Oh my god,” Ryley laughed. “Anyway, they haven’t brought anything up recently. Why, do you think something is wrong?”

“I don’t know,” Robin admitted. “I know he’s mad at me after… all of that. And he keeps insisting that he’s ok, I’ve just noticed him getting a little dimmer.”

“Like, literally?”

“Yeah, he goes dim when he’s sad. Maybe I’m crazy…” Robin sighed.

Ryley hummed and rubbed at his chin. “I don’t know, maybe tell him you’ll only ask one more time and then stop bothering him about it?” he suggested.

“Maybe…”

~~~

Robin was true to her word, her conversation with Ryley didn’t take long at all. The humans silently joined in unloading their cargo and moving it to storage. Al-an would sort it later, they had more pressing matters to attend to in their personal projects. They had to be getting close to a break at this point.

“Al-an? Before we go do our own things, I wanted to ask you something,” Robin said. Al-an paused and turned to look down at her. She was smiling. Oh, not this again.

“What do you need?” the Architect asked slowly. They kept their tone even despite the nerves and annoyance bundling in their throat. They had realized recently that their voice varied with emotion now. Hardly noticeable to anyone not paying attention, but Robin was certain to take notice.

“Ok,” the human started, still smiling. She lifted her hand to rest it against Al-an’s thigh. “This is the last time I ask this, I’m just worried about you. Are you ok?”

Yes, it was that again. “Robin, I assure you. I am fine. I appreciate your concern, but you have no need to worry about me,” they assured her.

Robin sighed. “Alright. I’ll leave you alone about it now,” she said, but her gaze followed them as she turned around and began to walk away.

Everything in Al-an didn’t want to tell her. She didn’t tell them about her brand, something incredibly upsetting and hard to talk about. Why should they tell her what upset them? A tiny voice in their mind, one that was theirs, but not of the Network, told them that they should still say something.

No. They had made up their mind on that. It did not matter. They were so close to uncovering the files on the Incident, anyway. Al-an warped toward where they had left off. They were close enough that every single file was locked. It made sense, of course. Sensitive information about their species needed to be protected. Especially when the information pertained to a disease that hadn’t even been cured yet at the time of writing.

Al-an made it to the terminal they had left off on and connected. The Network stretched out, silent, around their senses. Every time they looked into it, they hoped. Pleaded with the universe. To see another voice out there. To hear the voice of their own people, a familiar call long buried by the sand of time. Still, there was only Robin, a tiny speck among the vast empty mindscape.

Focus. They needed to focus. Hours ticked by as Al-an searched through the Network. Files and memories had been looking more and more grim as Architects died. Al-an could watch, if they wanted to, a timeline of who died and when. Ah, there, the passcode to get past the current lock they were stuck on. Individual Architects’ memories held different components, which made everything much harder than it needed to be.

Al-an entered the passcode and mentally sorted through the files contained within the locked folder. Another locked folder that they already had the code for sat at the top of the list. The other files were lists of the dead and rescue efforts to get any healthy members off planet as quickly as possible. That project seemed to cut off there, with a final file stating a warning.

“OUTBREAK. IF HEALTHY: SEEK IMMEDIATE EVACUATION. IF INFECTED: SEEK STORAGE. DO NOT ENGAGE WITH INFECTED INDIVIDUALS.”

Inwardly, Al-an cringed at themself and the severity of their mistake that reached even to their homeworld. There was no indication of what came next, not in this folder. They needed to go deeper.

The next folder unlocked and revealed… another locked folder. No files. It was labeled ‘OUTBREAK DATA AND RECOVERY’. That was it, then. Most likely behind this wall, all of the data on the fate of their people sat, waiting to be discovered. If anyone was out there, their storage location would be contained here. Even if they did not survive the millennium in storage, at least they would have been safe. Al-an tried not to let themself get too excited. It was biologically locked this time. Only their kind could open it.

Al-an shook themself in preparation. An old habit that had returned after being contained within a human. If there was another Architect around, studying the effects of the human mind on one of their kind would be a much better project than this. This, they needed to focus. They needed to know if anyone survived.

Al-an entered their biological code and let the connection to the terminal unlock… one of five ticks. Silence spread through the room. Four empty slots. One lit up green. They needed five Architects to open this. Oh.

Reproduction with Robin was off the table. Attempting traditional Architect methods with her would require extensive experimentation on her mind, or the mind of a willing subject before Al-an could conclude that it would not be fatal to attempt. Even then, would Robin be open to that? They most certainly could not reproduce in a human way, Robin lacked the human organs to carry a human child, and so did Al-an. Kharaa had too devastating an effect of the reproductive system to ask Ryley for help, if he was even comfortable with such an idea.

Cloning themself was out of the question too. Killing the clones would just be cruel, not to mention the implications of doing such a thing. If they found anyone else, and that other Architect found out what they did… doing something like that was out of the question. No.

So… it was hopeless then? Every method of unlocking this was either too dangerous, impossible, or socially frowned upon. Or locked behind the exact reason for even needing more of their kind. Al-an was just one Architect. Alone in a vast, empty Network. Echoes of the past lingered in abandoned terminals and buildings scattered around their home. Long dead or missing Architects left behind as digital ghosts to be rediscovered by their single living counterpart.

The terminal powered down. Al-an stepped back and began to walk away. They couldn’t do it. They- they didn’t want to think it. But the thought they were avoiding pressed through. They failed. They tried something on their own and they failed. Again. The Network wasn’t there to punish them this time. But Robin was, and she would discover their failure soon enough.

The despair of it all began to hit them now. All they wanted was to find out the true consequences of their worst failure and even that didn’t work. What would Robin and Ryley think? The last two times something like this happened, Al-an was put in isolation, right? First with their corruption, then with the Incident.

Al-an’s legs gave out. They were tired. They were so, so tired. They crumpled to the floor, letting themself fall. All of that effort, all of the time spent avoiding rest, punishing their body for the sake of their mind. For this. Exhaustion washed through them with the despair, like rain soaking their skin. Al-an had pushed that away too, in favor of focusing on this. Every spare moment was dedicated to digging through the Network. They could barely move more than to let themself sprawl on the floor. The faint reflection of their bioluminescence faded out in their vision.

It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except the cool floor and the fuzzy reflection of their own face in the metal in front of them. The dark abyss of themself staring back. Alone.

~~~

Music filled the quiet air of the Architect homeworld as Ryley paced around his ship. He hummed along to the tune as he worked, tightening screws and checking systems. General maintinence. He and Al-an had come to the conclusion that they should each be in charge of their own species’ ship to make things easier. If either got bored they could watch the other perform their own maintinence. Much to Ryley’s disappointment, Al-an had never asked to watch.

The song faded in the middle, giving way to an obnoxious ringtone coming from the PDA sitting on a table a few feet away. Grumbling, Ryley plodded over to the device. Didn’t this person know he was in the middle of something?

The screen displayed an unrecognized caller. Oh, shit wait. Ryley picked his PDA up now and quickly swiped to answer. The face of a very confused Fred appeared on the screen. Finally! It had been a day since that mission already and Ryley was starting to get worried.

“Hi!” he said, trying to seem nonthreatening.

“Who are you?” Fred asked in return, peering around as if he was trying to see more of Ryley’s surroundings. “Where am I?”

The renegade laughed. “My name is Ryley. You’re technically exactly where you’re supposed to be, just without the rest of your ship. Or crew.”

“Oh…” Fred mumbled. He looked down. “Can I go home now?” his voice sounded strained and tired. Poor guy, why couldn’t they have just left him with an explanation?

“You can, on one condition!” Ryley exclaimed instead, grinning at the screen.

Fred’s expression somehow became more exhausted. “Oh, lord, what do you want?” he asked. More quietly, he added, “I just want to go home and drive my own dang truck…”

“I want you to join me. I’m forming a union among Alterrans and from what my friend has told me, you’ll fit in with us. What do you say?”

“Well…” the older man mused, glancing away at something off camera. “I don’t… really have a choice if I want to go home, do I?” he asked.

“Hmmm…” Ryley made a show of thinking. “I could theoretically just wait for that security ship that I had to lose to come find you, but they might not have made it out of that encounter. If you join me, my people will take care of you and it’ll look like an official rescue mission,” he explained.

It took a few minutes of coaxing, but Fred finally agreed and Ryley could hang up to call someone on Earth. He had a good group now, all over the world and beyond, someone ought to be available to help out. If they planned right, the phasegate should be over Fred’s home by the time he got back. Things were mostly out of Ryley’s hands now, though. Someone responded, agreeing to make a stop and Ryley set his PDA down again.

Turning back to his maintinence, he couldn’t help but think about the security ship. How could they have not noticed? It must have hung back and waited for them to leave. They would need to be more careful from here on out. Alterra was on to them for sure, to have someone intentionally try to follow them home.

What would happen if Alterra found this place? The entirety of the Architects’ collective knowledge was stored here! If they got followed again… Wait. Ryley internally smacked himself while tightening a bolt. Of course! If they got followed, shouldn’t it be to literally anywhere else? Hell, there was an entire planet that Alterra probably deemed worthless at this point! Why not live there?

Ryley set down his tools and bolted for the base. Hopefully Robin was there, if not he would need to go all the way back to his PDA, which was still sitting on the table. Dammit, oh well. Ryley practically yanked the bulkhead door off the wall in his excitement. There she was!

“ROBIN!” he yelled, sprinting up to the table and nearly falling over the top of it in his attempt to stop in time. Good god, he shouldn’t drink too much coffee so late in the evening.

“Woah, jeez!” Robin jumped, hand on her chest. “What?”

“Sorry! Ok, first, Fred finally called me and you were right,” Ryley explained, somewhat breathless.

“Alright, that’s good, but I didn’t expect you to get quite so excited over that,” Robin said, chuckling.

“No, no, I just had an idea. And a lot of coffee. We should move back to 4546B!”

“I’m sorry, come again?”

“I’m serious!” Ryley insisted. “What if we didn’t notice that ship and they followed us back here? Everything Al-an’s people have worked for over all of time would be compromised. Alterra wouldn’t think to look for us somewhere that they would assume we wouldn’t be. It’s way safer, leviathan class creatures aside of course, and closer to Earth!”

Robin nodded and thought for a moment. “You might be on to something,” she said, still nodding. “Let me think on it and ask Al-an, but I’m on board.”

Chapter Text

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Al-an’s head jerked in the direction the scream had come from. Ryley sounded like he was in trouble! The Architect rushed toward the origin of the sound, hoping that they weren’t too late. They warped into a room to find Ryley, standing, out of breath in the center with his hands on his knees.

“Ryley! Are you alright? Are you hurt? Is there any way I can help?” Al-an questioned, circling the human. They detected a sudden increase in temperature around his face.

“Um, sorry, no, I’m fine actually,” Ryley said, laughing nervously. Al-an tilted their head, confused.

“Robin um. She told me that screaming is a good way to let out emotions? So I thought I’d go somewhere remote and scream for a while,” he continued.

“It helps?” Al-an asked, moving their head the other way. Ryley needed to understand how confused they were on this aspect of human psychology.

The human nodded. “She said she read somewhere that its a legitimate type of therapy and told me to try it,” he explained. “Sorry for scaring you!”

Relief replaced Al-an’s initial nervousness and without thinking they reached down to pat Ryley’s head. “It is fine, you did wander quite far, to be fair. Now that I think about it, perhaps I should join you…”

~~~

“Speaking of Al-an,” Ryley said, pulling his chair out and sitting down. “Where are they?’

“Good question. He said he wanted to work alone for a while, so somewhere on the planet I guess,” Robin answered. She attempted to connect with him through the Network; he was active but seemed to choose not to respond. Odd. He must be busy.

Ryley hummed thoughtfully. “We’ll get a chance to tell them eventually,” he concluded, smacking his thighs and standing up. “I should get back to what I was doing.”

“And I should probably sleep,” Robin agreed.

“I’ll do that when I’m done,” Ryley called, already walking away.

Robin stood up in turn and headed for the bathroom. She needed to pee, might as well get ready to sleep too. Part of her wanted to ask Al-an to be her bed tonight, but she decided against it considering his earlier silence. He obviously didn’t want to be bothered right now. She sighed and quickly relieved herself, pushing her slight worry to the side. He insisted that he was fine, and she told him she wouldn’t ask again.

Maybe she should shower. It had been a couple of days with how busy they were. “If you feel like hell: eat, drink, take a shower, and sleep,” Sam’s voice in the back of Robin’s mind told her. She had given her that advice years ago and while she had resisted at first, Robin had to admit her sister was right. The hot water rinsed away the last month’s worth of pent up emotions.

Doing her hair seemed like too much work for how tired Robin was, so she let it go for now. Once things were sorted out with Al-an she could ask him for help with it. He seemed to enjoy the idle task of braiding a lot. His gentle, precise hands on her head definitely beat having to do it alone in a mirror.

After shutting the lights off, Robin eagerly rushed to her room. The bed looked so inviting already. Robin half wished it wasn’t just a fabricated recreation of Sam’s bed. She was over it for the most part but god, she missed her sister sometimes. What would Sam say about all of this? Robin wished she could ask. She had already been over an apology and infinite conversations in her mind hundreds of times.

Robin drifted off into fitful sleep, her sister’s voice echoing through her flickering dreams. She almost thought she saw her, curled up in a ball on the floor of a long, endless hallway. The hall turned suddenly and Sam was gone. Al-an stood at the other end of the new hall. He glowed bright orange as they stared at each other. Robin approached, trying to reach out for him, comfort him. His glow brightened and he backed away. Cowering from her.

“Al-an?” she asked, moving closer. He backed away more before turning tail and running. Robin chased him, desperate. “Wait! Come back, I want to help you!” she yelled at his back. The hallway shifted from Alterran to a winding Architect building. Robin pushed on. She sprinted, with only the glow of the Architect’s back to guide her. It faded the farther he ran from her until she couldn’t see his lights at all anymore.

“NO!” Robin sat up in her bed, gasping. Her blanket was strewn across the floor. Cold sweat dripped down her back. So much for showering last night.

“How long did I even-” she mumbled, reaching for her PDA. 5 hours. Better than nothing she supposed.

Robin dragged herself out of bed and forced herself to forget the dream. That’s all it was, just a dream. Her worries about Al-an were just affecting her subconsciously, that was all. She checked on him again, just to be safe. He still didn’t respond, but the presence that he occupied in her mind was growing faint.

Grabbing a nutrient bar to fill her finally empty stomach, Robin decided to at least go physically see him. He didn’t have to know that she was there, of course. She wandered through the halls of the main living building, her footsteps the only sound echoing through the empty halls. For a fleeting moment, Robin wondered what this place was like when its original inhabitants lived here.

There, down a hall to the right, lay an Architect shaped lump on the ground, legs sprawled around it. Its lights were completely dimmed out. Oh, fuck.

“Al-an!” Robin yelled, sprinting toward him. Her knees hit the floor near his head and she slid to a stop next to him. He didn’t respond until she pushed him so that she could see his chest. The faint, white glow of his heart told her that at least he was still alive. Robin picked his head up and cradled it against her chest, careful not to touch his horns too roughly.

“Al-an?” she asked again, stroking at the top of his head. He groaned. “Are you ok? Can you hear me? Do you need help, are you dying?”

“I feel like I am dying,” he finally replied, voice wavering and breaking as if someone was messing with audio settings on a PDA.

“What’s wrong? Talk to me, Al-an, you can trust me,” Robin reassured him, petting him more. Al-an turned away, toward her lap. “Al?” she pressed gently.

“That is… the problem,” the Architect replied. “I am not certain that I can…”

His words hit Robin like a knife to the heart. He didn’t trust her? “What-” Robin fought the tears threatening to form in her eyes. She didn’t matter right now. “What do you mean?”

Al-an looked back up at her, still completely dark. “I know what you did with the woman in the exosuit.”

Oh.

~~~

A pang of anguish shot through Al-an’s chest as Robin’s face fell more. They needed to talk about this. They knew that. This conversation needed to happen. Especially when they couldn’t bring themself to tell her their real problem. Not yet.

“Al-an, I’m sorry,” the human began. “The way I explained it when we first talked about this wasn’t… quite indicative of how I actually told her. I didn’t want to upset you more at the time.”

“Oh…”

“I didn’t just up and tell her, and since you… know what went down. I didn’t think about it until it was way too late. We were already uh, in the process and Maida isn’t exactly the kind of person you say no to halfway through,” Robin explained, laughing nervously. A tear slipped down her cheek.

“She had already removed your clothing and you had no choice but to inform her,” Al-an mumbled. Robin nodded.

“I think I said this before, but I don’t like to think about it. Or acknowledge its existence until I absolutely have to. I’m sorry it ended up hurting you in the end. That was never my intention.”

“I was being a bit obtuse about it,” Al-an admitted. This misunderstanding was on them, and mostly them. Still, Robin could have said something, at least…

“I should have explained fully when we first talked,” Robin said, petting at their head a few more times. They pushed up into her hand.

“If we want to build trust again we need to be honest with each other,” she continued. “That’s a two way street. I’m here to help and I can tell this is more than just that. What’s wrong?”

She was right. Still, Al-an’s heart beat wildly in their chest as they prepared to say it. “I-” they choked up. Them, an Architect, having trouble speaking. What a disgrace. “I failed.”

“What do you mean?” she pressed, hand rubbing gently underneath their horns.

“I am locked out. I was so close to finding out the consequences of my mistake and-” they paused to push their earlier despair down. “-and I have reached a dead end. A piece of the Network that I may never access alone. I failed in my directive.”

Silence passed over the pair as Robin processed Al-an’s admission. It oppressed the Architect, pushing them farther into the cold floor. If it could only open up and swallow them whole before they had to live through her reaction. Her inevitable disappointment would be too much to bear.

“Oh, no…” Robin whispered instead, pulling Al-an’s head farther into her body.

“I am not enough,” they told her. Her grip tightened on them.

“You tried, and that still matters. You poured everything into this. It’s not your fault that you took the workload of an entire Network onto yourself,” the human reassured them. “You know, before I slept, Ryley mentioned that he thinks we would be safer living on 4546B,” she added after a pause.

“Oh…” Al-an replied. They couldn’t stop themself from tensing up. “I understand. If you feel safer we can work out some sort of agreement for communication at such a long-”

“You would be coming with us, dummy,” Robin interrupted gently. “You know, one of the first signs of a forming society is the community caring for the sick and injured. And helping them. Getting you away from here might help you come to terms with it.”

Al-an nodded. It was… a hopeful proposition. They had come back to attempt to heal what was left of their people. To bring an apology. That was not the outcome and they had done all they could. They so desperately wanted to know what had happened. What had they done? Maybe they would never know. To leave it behind though… it would be freeing.

“And,” Robin continued. “as Ryley pointed out, we would be safer there. Right under Alterra’s collective nose. They wouldn’t look for us somewhere we’ve already escaped from once each! It would protect your home and everything stored here from threats.”

“You are correct, being followed was too close a call. We should keep anything sensitive here, away from prying humans. There is enough unexplored ocean there as well, it would certainly keep you occupied in your down time,” Al-an agreed.

Robin nodded. “And, and I know you won’t like this, but hear me out,” she began.

“Oh, no.”

“Marguerit isn’t getting any younger. She can survive just fine, but what happens when she can’t? Who would take care of Preston, or the pups? As much as you dislike her, she’s going to need us sooner or later,” Robin explained.

“I suppose you and Ryley can assist her any way she will allow you,” Al-an grumbled. They felt a pulse of anger at the mention of the woman.

Robin huffed, but when Al-an looked up, they noted her amused smile. “Alright, I think we can compromise on that one. Let’s tell Ryley and get ready.”

~~~

Ryley groaned and check back over the list of items Robin had given him. Taking inventory of supplies had to be the most boring task possible, why couldn’t Al-an do this? They were far more suited for it and they’d probably enjoy it. Necessary or not, this was a fucking drag.

As he finished up the last of the count, the door to the storage building opened and Robin stepped inside. Ryley nodded at her and checked over his work. He was almost done, she could wait. The last raid had been a damn good haul, so there was certainly plenty to count.

“I talked to Al-an about your idea,” Robin finally said, interrupting Ryley’s mental tally. He typed the number into his PDA and set it down. Finally.

“What did they think?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“He’s in. Something… happened and it came up. It’ll be good for him to get away from all of this,” she replied. Her eyes traveled around the room, preoccupied.

“It’s so empty, I don’t know how he can take it,” Ryley agreed, nodding. Should we take this and load my ship?”

“This will be a good start, yeah. And… I don’t think he can. He can’t even access the whole Network as a single Architect. The emptiness has to be a horrible reminder of that,” Robin replied, picking up three crates and stumbling toward the door.

Ryley opened the door and took the crate at the top of Robin’s stack. “I can’t image how it feels…” he mumbled as he stepped carefully down the stairs leading out.

The humans worked quietly together, loading everything they could onto the Alterra ship; everything else ended up near the energy masts for Al-an’s ship. Ryley heard the thud thud thud of Al-an’s hooves and the sounds of things powering down every once in a while, indicating that the Architect was working just as hard as they were.

Once the greenhouse was torn down, Ryley wiped his brow and leaned against a wall. Robin stood, hands on her hips, staring around the now emptier room that they lived in. Everything in the base itself had already been taken out as well, leaving only a bench and their beds. Anything necessary could be disassembled once they got some rest.

Shoving her builder tool into her pocket, Robin turned around and nodded. “I think we’ve got everything,” she said, smiling tiredly.

“I think so. It’s not like we can’t come back if we absolutely have to,” Ryley agreed.

Robin nodded again and the two prepared to head inside. Wherever Al-an was, they could meet them when they were ready. What Ryley didn’t expect was the Architect already being inside the base. The lights were dimmed and- was that Robin’s PDA?

“Is that my PDA? When did you take that?” Robin voiced Ryley’s thoughts.

Al-an turned bright blue. “Robin, do you remember that terrible video you and I watched shortly before we were taken?” they asked, ignoring her question and looking rather proud of themself.

“Um, yeah, sort of. What was it, about some guy who got possessed by an alien and killed everyone on his crew?” Robin asked.

“What the hell?” Ryley interjected. They had watched- what?

“It was really bad,” Robin said, nodding sagely in Ryley’s direction.

“I have found two more,” Al-an stated excitedly. One of their mechanical arms picked up the PDA, revealing its projected screen with three movie titles.

“Alien Impostor Among Us, Alien Impostor Among Us Two: Werewolf Mafia Assassin, and Alien Impostor Among Us Three: Town of Salem,” Ryley read off the titles out loud. “Those just sound awful.”

“Would you like to watch them with me?” Al-an asked, tilting their head.

Robin laughed. “Why the hell not?” she said and strode over to Al-an. She took a seat against them, supported by their legs and upper torso. Ryley fabricated himself a chair and took a seat next to them.

“Come sit on him with me, there’s plenty of room,” Robin offered, holding her hand out.

“Oh, no it’s fine the chair is comfortable,” Ryley denied, glancing at her. Why did he say no? Resting on Al-an was nice back on Earth.

Robin yanking on his arm, pulling him straight out of the chair and across her lap changed his answer. “I don’t have a choice, do I?” he asked.

“Nope! This is family time now,” Robin replied, giggling.

Al-an’s mechanical arms thudded to the ground and the first movie began to play. It was truly as godawful as Robin had said. The main character died in the first half hour of the two hour long movie. Most of the drama was contrived, but the alien was cool. Kind of.

Werewolf Mafia Assassin proved to be more interesting. One of the survivors of the first movie, Azul, had to come back to the alien planet, Polus, to… kill the alien they dropped in lava in the first movie. That didn’t kill it? The effects on the lava monster were fucking sick, though, and at that point, Ryley was hooked. The main character kind of sucked and mostly stood around to scream, but hey, he was helpful enough.

The plot of Town of Salem ended up being far more contrived if a little cute. Who on Earth would even know about a giant fucked up lava monster in space, much less some random witches who had shown up in the end credits scene of the last movie to say their names. Blorbo, Glupp Shitto, and Scrunkly were terrible names. And yet, Ryley found himself and his companions crying as Azul settled down with his lava monster lover and their annoying ghost best friend.

“That was horrible,” Al-an said as the credits rolled on the final movie.

“I’m so glad you found these,” Robin agreed, laughing and wiping at her eyes.

Ryley laughed with her. “We’re watching these again, aren’t we,” he said more than asked.

“Absolutely,” Robin replied. She shifted to stretch and Ryley found himself falling off of her lap.

He sighed and draped himself across his friends’ legs. “I think I’m ready to sleep, I don’t know about you two,” he murmured.

“I’m not quite, but we should start thinking about it. Tomorrow’s going to be long,” Robin agreed, glancing up at Al-an.

Ryley stood and stretched. He smiled down at his friends, who still sat on the floor together. Down was a bit of an understatement, wasn’t it? Al-an was still taller than him, even sitting. Ryley smiled to himself and wished them both good night. Robin was right, they all had a lot ahead of them tomorrow.

Chapter Text

”Robin, I have a question about a certain human gesture.”

Robin’s head appeared from behind the terminal she was fixing. Al-an had removed the side panel to allow her to explore inside and see the inner workings of Architect technology. She saw them standing there and grinned, resting her arms on the top of the terminal. “What’s up? I swear if you’re phrasing it like that to ask about sex-”

“I assure you, I am well versed in knowledge of how your kind reproduces,” the Architect told her, shaking their head. Amusement flooded them.

“Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t help it. You make it so easy,” Robin laughed.

“On to my question…” Al-an prompted, driving the conversation away from Robin’s terrible jokes. “I have been reading about the human gesture of hugging. What is its purpose?”

Robin’s eyes widened and she nodded. She stood, walking out from behind her terminal, and approached the Architect. Al-an tilted their head and watched her. She stopped just short of them and reached up to rest her hand on their thigh. This was not an answer.

Before they could prompt her again, she finally spoke. “It’s a comfort thing,” she explained. “If a human is upset, we ask for physical contact to help the brain release oxytocin, which helps us feel better.”

“I see…” Al-an nodded. “I take it that you often use this gesture as a bonding experience as well.”

Robin nodded. “Yep, usually between people who know each other fairly well. Though, some people just like hugs more than others. Do you…” she drifted off, glancing away.

“I would like to know how it feels, yes,” Al-an finished for her.

~~~

Robin opened her eyes to the sight of Al-an’s hip. His leg and side glowed faintly blue and she could feel more of his body and something else soft underneath her. She had fallen asleep in bed last night, right? She twisted around and took note of the stark emptiness of her room, just the way she had left it. Except, instead of her bed being where it should be, with her in it, Al-an laid on the floor with his upper body leaning against the wall.

The alien’s head turned and they glowed brighter blue upon seeing Robin awake. “I saw no point in leaving you alone overnight,” they explained her unasked question. One of their mechanical arms, which were resting against another wall, rose from the floor and stroked Robin’s hair. She smiled and pressed her head into their side.

“I don’t mind…” she mumbled. “Ready to get going?”

“I believe so. I can hear Ryley sleeping still.”

Robin snickered. “We should go wake him up,” she said, glancing up at Al-an again. “Maybe by defabricating the bed out from underneath him.”

“His reaction will either be amusing or a punch to your face. Personally, I would not like to find out which,” Al-an said. They stood up and gathered up the pile of pillows that had replaced Robin’s bed on the floor. Robin took the items and shoved them into her PDA storage to be placed in a quantum locker later.

“Why, did he hit you hard enough to hurt you?” Robin asked, heading for the door that connected the two rooms.

“It did not hurt, per se, but I believe if he hit you with the strength he did me, you would not fare well.”

“We’ll just have to wait and see then, won’t we,” Robin giggled. “You’ll fix me if he punches me, right?”

“I would do anything to help you,” Al-an agreed.

Robin stepped through the door into the next room. The two humans had agreed to connect their sleeping spaces in case of an emergency, or if one needed the other in the middle of the night. Nightmares were no fun to deal with alone.

Al-an was right, Ryley was still sound asleep in his bed. His room had been stripped of everything just like Robin’s, leaving only him and his bed behind for the night. Robin snickered again and pulled out her builder tool. The bed disappeared out from underneath the poor man, who hit the floor with a shout.

“Ow! What the hell, Robin!” he yelled, flailing around for a moment trying to right himself. Like a Pengling that fell over.

Robin couldn’t help but laugh. “What?”

“I know you want to leave but you could’ve waited until I was out of the bed before stealing it!” he said, crossing his arms indignantly. Robin heard Al-an make a happy trilling noise behind her, their closest approximation of laughter.

“Sure, I could’ve,” she said, still laughing. “But that was funnier.”

Ryley rolled his eyes and gently punched Robin’s shoulder as he walked past her. “You’re a dick,” he said, grinning. “Gimme a second to pee and we can go.”

Between the two humans, the base was dismantled quickly. Robin jogged with her boys to the landing pad and waited while Ryley boarded his own ship and took off. Al-an formed his around himself, leaving her alone on the surface.

“I would like to pilot so that I can shut down the phasegate on the way out. I apologize for not being able to help you load,” Al-an’s voice boomed from the ship.

“It’s fine, just a second!” Robin called and began transporting containers on board.

She made quick work of it since there wasn’t much that didn’t fit on Ryley’s vessel. With everything together and Robin hanging onto the railing in front of Al-an’s body, they were ready for liftoff. The ship lifted up and turned, giving them both a stunning view of the jagged cityscape stretching beyond them. Al-an’s old home.

The ship’s lights darkened for a moment before returning to the normal pinkish color. Robin’s heart sped up as they ascended and she watched the phasegate get closer and closer. She had made this specific trip a few times herself, it was always just so… beautiful. Al-an offered no comment on it.

Back through the gate, Ryley was already unloading things. Once the Architect ship was unloaded, Al-an exited themself and helped.

“Do you have a spot for the base?” Ryley called as Robin wandered over with some lockers.

“Yeah, I was going to go start it once we got both ships unloaded.”

“If you would like, I can work far faster than both of you. You should have shelter built before nightfall,” Al-an interjected. “I will finish this and begin construction of our greenhouse location. I will leave a beacon for you.”

“Sounds good!” Robin called after him once he had turned around. Ryley nodded.

They gathered the materials from their old base and Robin hopped into her seatruck seat. Now this was familiar. She set her sights on an iceberg near Marguerit’s greenhouse, but not close enough that the older woman would be bothered by it. Al-an could deal with that, especially since Robin was planning on building another room connected to his moonpool for him to rest in.

Construction went far quicker than Robin had expected, especially with two people working together. The humans stood side by side for a moment, shivering but admiring their work. “I never thought I would call this place home forever,” Ryley said, leaning in toward Robin. She obliged him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

“I thought I was going to until Al-an changed that. Now look at us,” she agreed.

The Architect’s head appeared over the edge of the iceberg. “Did you not tell me that your home is with me some time ago?” he stated as he climbed onto the ice.

“Damn you and your good memory, that was months ago!” Robin retorted, face heating up. She nearly forgot she had said that before they were taken.

Ryley snickered. “Did you get the greenhouse done?” he asked, ignoring the previous conversation.

“I did,” Al-an confirmed.

“Good, I’m gonna go take a nap. Robin woke me up too early,” the human grumbled, releasing himself from Robin’s arm and wandering toward the base.

“It wasn’t that early, Al-an and I went to bed after you and we’re fine!” Robin teased, laughing. The last thing she saw of Ryley was his middle finger held out of the door, shaking with his laughter that carried from inside the base.

“You are not tired, I assume?” Al-an asked. He still stood near the edge of the iceberg.

“Nope. Want to go for a walk?”

The Architect replied by jumping back into the water. Robin followed him, flipping her mask onto her face and following him all the way to the glacial basin. They surfaced and headed for Phi Robotics, where they could walk around without worrying about that damn Ice Worm.

The frozen landscape had hardly changed. Robin took mental notes on a few things, noting some Snow Stalker pups she didn’t recognize. Preston had already taken his pups back to Marguerit, which Robin found impressive for the rather solitary species. Ryley would need to ask the woman himself for one of them if he was brave enough. If Robin had any say, she definitely wanted Potato Jr. but it was ultimately Marguerit’s choice.

Thinking of Marguerit, at least everything with Al-an was finally on the table. She should have told him up front the whole story and saved both of them the heartache… But he had seemed so upset at the fact that she even knew about the mark before he did. That was fair, honestly. Robin still cursed herself for not saying anything sooner.

The cold froze the tears that were trying to prick the corner of Robin’s eyes. She stepped closer to Al-an as they walked. Warmth didn’t radiate far enough off of him and thermal lilies were too far apart to truly keep the cold out. Should she ask for a hug? Al-an was looking away, toward the cliff wall, where a steam vent sprayed warm mist into the air. Would it be weird to ask?

Another tear tried to slip from Robin’s eye and she shook her head gently. How long had it been? The last time she could remember crying was… it was the night she had found out Sam died, wasn’t it? That was… what, two years ago now? Maybe less, maybe more, time had gotten hard to keep track of.

~~~

“Al-an?” Robin piped up. Al-an looked down at her, closer to them now. She was rubbing at her arms, mist puffing out of her mouth rhythmically with each breath.

“Yes?” the Architect prompted, turning toward her and tilting their head.

“Can I-” she paused and looked down. “Sorry, it’s kind of stupid…”

“We both agreed to be completely clear with each other. Please, how can I assist you?” Al-an said. They stopped in their tracks to let her catch her breath and prepare for her question.

“Can I… could you give me a hug?” Robin asked, eyes traveling up their body until she was gazing up at their face rather pathetically.

Al-an’s heart leapt in their chest. “Of course,” they answered, forcing their body to remain a neutral color despite their excitement at the prospect.

Robin dangled from their tractor beam, one hand on her elbow. She smiled and laughed dryly as she hung, breath still puffing out of her mouth. Al-an pulled her in to their chest and held her there, supporting her legs with one of their mechanical arms to keep her in place. Their organic arms wrapped around her back and squeezed gently like she had shown them long ago.

The human’s body shook against Al-an’s chest. They moved their organic hands to give themself room to pet her back, and it was like the ice river had broken open. Sobs wracked her body as she clung to the Architect as if her very life depended on it. Al-an was taken aback. They hadn’t realized- no, they knew how much everything had gotten to her. They just didn’t realize that she needed… this.

Al-an let their human cry for a while. She had explained at some point how crying allowed a “reset” of sorts within the brain chemistry. And after everything… stars, they couldn’t imagine her inner turmoil. Theirs was getting easier to deal with, especially with other projects to work on now, and the problems with Robin gone. The loss of their people would always be a hole in their very soul too, but they had no way to understand the permanence of Robin’s body, or how she experienced her pain.

“Am I correct in assuming that I was an asshole to you?” they asked quietly.

Robin snorted a laugh. She looked up, her chin pressed against the Architect’s chest, eyes still wet and tear tracks running down her face. “Only a little bit…” she replied, pressing her head back into them. They stroked her hair idly. “I’m sorry for not being up front.”

“I understand your reasoning,” Al-an replied, squeezing her. “I am sorry for being… obtuse.”

Robin sighed. “It’s ok. We’re past it now and we’re gonna be ok. We have each other.”

“Yes.”

“If… it’s ok I kind of want to be alone for a bit. To process for a while. I don’t think I really have,” Robin said after another pause.

“You seem to exhibit that behavior quite a lot,” Al-an teased her, setting her down. “I will go see what Ryley is doing.”

“Could you ask him to go over to the crater and scout out where we can put storage?” Robin asked, looking softly up at the Architect.

“Of course,” they replied before they warped away, back toward the water. Robin’s footsteps crunched through the valley as she walked her own direction.

Al-an found Ryley still in his sleeping room, on his back on the bed with his PDA projecting an old TV show. He looked up when they entered the room. The PDA paused, showing the title of the show Ryley was watching. Supernatural.

“Robin told me to inform you that she would like you to find a suitable location for our storage facility in the crater where you crashed,” Al-an said. They stepped fully into the room.

Ryley nodded. “Sure, I’ll do it tomorrow. I’m almost done with this show.”

“May I watch with you?”

“I mean, I’m on the last few episodes, so you won’t understand things, but sure,” Ryley replied, motioning for the Architect to join him next to his bed.

Al-an obliged and settled down. They could watch the rest of this later. Robin had said she liked it, didn’t she? Perhaps they could connect over it. The scene began and Al-an was almost immediately lost. It took just seconds of watching to realize that they had no idea who these characters were at all, or why one was dying.

Still, the pair continued to watch, Ryley trying to offer some context every once in a while. It didn’t really help, but Al-an appreciated the effort. They would give themself context later. Robin never elaborated on what the show was about aside from the two brothers, who Al-an finally figured out, and their car. And an angel.

Al-an tuned back in when the angel, Castiel, and one of the brothers, Dean ended up alone in a storage room together. This seemed important, if Ryley sitting up was any indication. Castiel smeared his own blood on the door and Dean began to lament the situation. A short conversation about everyone dying.

“She’s gonna kill you. And then she’s gonna kill me,” Dean said on screen.

Al-an leaned in as Castiel mentioned a deal he had made. The screen paused, forcing Al-an’s visual sensors off of it and onto Ryley. “Basically, he made a deal with the thing that kills angels and demons that he would die instead of his son, but only when he’s happy,” the human explained before pressing play again.

Back on the screen, Al-an watched as Castiel began to monologue tearfully. And tell Dean about how he had changed him. How Castiel loved Dean’s human companions and humanity because of Dean, and his love. Oh. Hmm.

The way Castiel spoke… Al-an made a mental note to watch this human show sooner rather than later. Even without the added context of Castiel’s past with Dean… A human that had changed him because of love and companionship. It was too relatable. Even the character giving himself up for his human, Al-an would do the same for Robin. In a heartbeat.

Love. There was a word for how desperately Al-an wanted to be close with Robin. How her mere existence in a room with them made them happy. Relaxed. Just being near her was enough. The idea that Castiel’s true happiness was in just telling Dean that he loved him, putting a word to it. The idea hit Al-an directly in their heart. Not in having, but in saying it. They had stopped paying attention to the episode.

They needed to see more of Castiel and Dean’s relationship as it was portrayed to humans long ago, as well as do actual research on human love. But they were certain of one thing. They loved Robin. This was love as humans knew it! Architects didn’t feel this naturally; Al-an’s presence within Robin’s mind had changed them. They noticed it. She did too.

“Al-an? You ok?” Ryley asked suddenly. The PDA was paused on the title screen of another episode. “I didn’t know how heavy that was going to get.”

“I am… fine, I have just. Realized something. Important.” Al-an stuttered. Ryley did not experience this emotion as Al-an did, he couldn’t be asked for help. “It is not of significant import, nor do I have the words to speak about it,” they admitted.

“I get it. That was… a lot to watch. This whole show is,” Ryley shook his head, gazing down at his legs. Al-an suddenly noticed evidence of tears on his cheeks. “I only started watching it because Robin brought it up on Earth and it sounded interesting.”

“This is the very end, correct?” Al-an asked. Ryley nodded again. “Do you believe that Dean and Castiel will have a happy ending?”

“Knowing this show? No,” Ryley laughed. “It sucks shit, actually, but the characters are pretty cool. From what I read without spoiling too much, the ending didn’t do much to fix this. These characters don’t get happy endings as a rule.”

“I see…”

“You don’t have to keep watching if you don’t want to, I think I’m actually gonna take a break here,” Ryley murmured, reaching out and patting Al-an’s arm.

“I am going to go… find something to do,” Al-an agreed and stood up.

They should tell her. As soon as possible, they should tell Robin this development. They had a word for their feelings! Quickly locating her at the phasegate, Al-an rushed through the water toward her, eager. They sped through the teleporter and spotted her moving things around, most likely in preparation for storage once Ryley completed his task.

“Hello Robin,” Al-an greeted her as they approached.

“Oh, hey!” she replied, setting down her PDA and jogging to meet them. “What’s up? Did you find Ryley?”

“I did,” the Architect told her. “I need to tell you something.”

“Oh, ok, what is it?”

Al-an paused. Wait. They had not prepared for this. They should have waited and done research. Was it too late now? Should they just say it? They knew next to nothing about human romance. They needed to research it, to gather as much data as possible and explain this. How could they have rushed into this unprepared?

“Al-an?” Robin asked, tilting her head, expression worried. Oh, fuck, they had paused too long.

“I forgot. Goodbye.”

Al-an promptly turned around and warped all the way back to the teleporter. They heard Robin shout a confused ‘What?’ but they were too flustered to go back. They turned around to look at her and glanced away. Ok, no they could save this, at least a little bit.

“I do not have my thoughts in order to tell you yet. I rushed. I apologize. I will speak with you on this when I am more prepared.” Before she could reply, they bolted through the teleporter.

~~~

Ryley’s PDA beeped with an incoming call. Turning away from his Seamoth, he noted Marguerit’s name on the screen. What would she want to talk to him about? She seemed indifferent to him at best.

“Hello?” he answered, leaving the video off. She did the same.

“From what I hear, you’re headed to our crater,” she greeted him. “I want to come with.”

Ryley’s eyes widened. “Really?” he asked, somewhat surprised. He glanced back toward the PDA before finishing his minor repairs and picking it up.

“Really. I haven’t seen it since I made it here. Probably looks different with your big ass ship in the middle,” Marguerit confirmed.

“Yeah, probably,” Ryley laughed. “I need to go tell Robin and Al-an where I’m headed. Meet me at our base?”

“I’ll be there.”

The PDA clicked and Ryley tossed it and then himself into the Seamoth. Leaving the greenhosue behind, he made his way to the base. Robin and Al-an were outside, Robin now bundled up in a cold suit. Al-an seemed fine on their own, if a little bit nervous. Ryley decided not to question it, it must have to do with their strange behavior the afternoon before.

Marguerit appeared from the water on the other side of the iceberg in her P.R.A.W.N. suit. The iceberg tipped for a moment, sending anxiety like a stone right through Ryley’s stomach. The ice settled after a moment, thank god. Anyway.

“Are you going to Sector One?” Al-an asked Ryley, pointedly ignoring the still rocking ice.

“I’m taking Marguerit, I just wanted to tell you guys I was leaving,” Ryley informed his friends, nodding.

Robin looked up now, smiling. “Oh, perfect timing!” She turned around to face Al-an. “Al, why don’t you give her what I asked you to make.” Ryley groaned internally. Robin’s pointedly stern tone told him that she was well aware of the alien’s annoyance.

“Oh, yes,” Al-an said, color edging a bit darker toward red. They pulled an Architect mask from behind their back and shoved it into Marguerit’s hands. “Robin asked me to make this for you. So that you can breathe underwater. And avoid Alterra.” They sounded like they were speaking through gritted teeth.

Marguerit turned the mask over in her hands, one eyebrow raised. “Uh, thank you?” she said, glancing at Ryley. He shrugged.

With no other commentary from Robin, Ryley motioned Marguerit to get back into the water. He leapt into his own Seamoth with practiced ease and led the much louder machine to the connecting teleporter. Wordlessly, the two humans stepped through to the other side. Marguerit shivered on her way out.

“Have you never used one of these?” Ryley asked, already walking to the exit where a Cyclops waited for them.

“Never. Paul was too much of a coward to try and I never got the ones in the arctic workin’,” the older woman answered, following closely.

Ryley nodded and hopped into the water, pulling his mask over his face. Once inside the Cyclops, he pulled it back off, letting it rest on top of his head. Why the hell did he even do that in the first place, actually? Marguerit was at his side before he could answer his own question.

“I think you should put your storage in the grassy plateaus. Near our second base,” she told him unprompted. “Nice and wide open.”

Ryley nodded thoughtfully. “Good idea. Counterpoint, I was thinking the mountains. It’s still pretty open, plus there’s free protection.” He steered the vessel in that direction and up as he spoke. He needed to get his bearings based on the Aurora, but he was pretty sure they would pass by the plateaus on the way, so if she offered better reasoning, he would take it.

“You do know what lives over there, don’t you?” Marguerit retorted, sounding shocked.

“Yeah, the free protection!” Ryley replied, laughing. A tiny shadow appeared in the distance paired with the image of an Emperor’s face in his vision, their voice informing him of the approaching Reaper. Excellent. He still had time to surface since Crimson swam rather slowly.

Water rushed around the Cyclops as it surfaced, revealing the massive half burnt skeleton of the Aurora rising out of the water. Marguerit gasped behind Ryley, one hand coming to rest on his back. He chuckled breathlessly.

“I’m ok, I’m used to it,” he said, more for himself than her.

“I saw it fall.”

Ryley nodded. That made sense. He glanced back to see her staring at the fallen vessel, face dark and grim. It was… a shocking sight to be sure, and more shocking that despite everything, he somehow lived through it. He couldn’t help but feel a little proud.

Back down in the water, the speck was growing larger and more leviathan shaped. In a split second impulse, Ryley made a decision. “Hey, get out with me really quick, I want to show you something,” he said, not waiting for Marguerit to reply. The less time he gave her to notice, the less she would fight him on this.

The confused woman followed him outside and floated next to their ship, watching as he darted around, picking Peepers out of the water. Step one, down. Next, get her to the front of the ship. Crimson was mostly here to greet him, as if they somehow knew he had entered their habitat. The Emperors probably told them. He wouldn’t be giving them their treat, though.

Ryley positioned Marguerit in front of the Cyclops and began to stuff her pockets with fish, ignoring her confused protests. He shoved one into her hand and turned her around. Crimson’s adorable ugly face was clearly visible about 50 meters away now.

“Oh, what the hell!” Marguerit yelled, kicking them both backwards. Ryley wrapped his left arm around her, shoving her right arm out with his own. She was white-knuckling the Peeper and trying to force her arm back to her body.

Something solid pressed against Ryley’s back. Perfect, Marguerit had backed them into the glass dome of the sub. He began to practically chant ‘Trust me.’ into Marguerit’s ear. The Reaper was basically upon them now; it stopped barely a foot from the humans, talons gripping onto the Cyclops and caging the humans. Ryley felt Marguerit shaking in front of him, clinging to the fish in her hand.

Crimson growled and tilted itself at them, looking from every angle it could. Slowly, gently, it leaned in and took the Peeper between its teeth. It backed up and away before viciously snapping up the small, helpless fish and swimming around the two humans, roaring. Obviously happy with its treat.

“What the hell is wrong with you!?” Marguerit yelled as soon as it was at a somewhat safer distance.

Ryley laughed. “If I had told you what I was doing, would you have done it?” he asked, swimming over to his Reaper and petting along its side.

“Well- no. I didn’t know they would- they wouldn’t take your arm too,” the woman admitted. The mask hid her face but her voice, carrying through the water, gave away her relief.

“I experimented a lot after my first experience,” Ryley told her, letting go and allowing Crimson to swim off back to its fishy business.

The humans boarded the Cyclops again. “Wait-” Marguerit stopped in her tracks, turning around, nearly causing Ryley to slam into her. “Is that the ‘pet’ you mentioned?”

Ryley laughed. “Yep! Hand raised!” he said, taking the controls again and heading for the mountains. Crimson’s roars became background noise as the leviathan swam alongside them. Maybe they should take a break above water for a bit with how close Marguerit was beginning to stand next to him.

Ryley pulled up to the beach of the mountain island and motioned for Marguerit to follow him. They could go into the mountains soon. She seemed happy to be on dry land at least. Ryley couldn’t read people normally but Marguerit was harder. Robin knew her better anyway. He began to lead her along the beach, unsure of where to go from here.

“You found the bases I’ve lived in, yes?” she asked, starting a conversation for him. He nodded. “You… you ever find what actually happened to them?”

Pulling out his PDA, Ryley sighed and dug through his databank. He offered it to her, open to Paul’s last voice log. Marguerit took it and listened to the recording quietly. She touched something on the screen and Bart’s last recording filled the space between them. Ryley watched her face, stony and sad as she listened. Her eyes watered and twin tears dropped from them, making two wet marks down her face.

Without a word, Marguerit handed the PDA back and nodded. She clapped him on the shoulder, smiling faintly. He gave her closure. Good. They walked back to the Cyclops together and boarded it. Silent. Ryley set quiet music to play on his PDA for some kind of noise.

After bribing a few Reapers and picking a spot for storage with a beacon, the humans climbed aboard their vessel one more time and began the trip back to Sector Zero. Ryley heard the shuffling and soft thump of his companion taking a seat. He had one more thing to show her, though. Silently, mentally, he called on the closest of his fish children.

Several minutes passed before Ryley disengaged from the controls for a moment and asked Marguerit to join him again. She stood up slowly, not without a few cracking joints, and stood next to him, watching the water. A massive shape materialized from it, only glowing blue eyes and yellow lights showing what it was.

“What in the-” Marguerit started to say, jaw dropping. The Emperor swam into the Cyclops’s headlights and swam around a bit, showing off.

“That’s the key to saving this planet,” Ryley told her. “I hatched them.”

“You just have a thing for raising fish, don’t you?” the woman asked, laughing.

“I guess so,” Ryley whispered, still in awe at the sheer size and beauty of the leviathan in front of them. It waved to them with one arm before swimming back into the dark. “Thank you,” Ryley whispered after it.

Marguerit leaned against the side of the Cyclops; it wouldn’t be long until they reached the teleporter now, no point in sitting down again, Ryley realized. The older human sighed, crossing her arms and staring out the window. “For all its shit, this place is beautiful,” she mused.

“Agreed. I’m kind of glad we live here now,” Ryley said, nodding as he parked his vessel and powered it down.

“Only thing I don’t get is what the alien’s problem is.”

“Al-an?” Ryley asked, glancing at his companion.

She nodded once. “Didn’t seem too pleased to give me this mask thing,” she explained.

“Right, yeah. I think they’re jealous,” Ryley explained, chuckling. He had no way of knowing for sure but from the little he knew of the situation, and relationsihps in general, that made sense.

“It’s not like they have any toes to be stepped on in the first place. She’s one of the first humans I’ve seen in a decade that I like. That’s all.”

Chapter Text

Moving the bones was Al-an’s idea. “I want to put her back where she belongs,” they had said. Ryley agreed to the project happily, excited for something to do between missions that wasn’t research. That was Robin’s area of expertise, he was just there to fix cameras chewed up by Snow Stalkers and other bitey creatures.

What surprised the pair was all five of the young Emperors offering to help. Between all seven beings, they were able to form a chain, spanning across the crater to where Al-an said they found the mother in the first place. Each bone was carefully laid in place to make it seem like she had died there, where she belonged. Just like they had said.

As Al-an pulled the last of the bones through the aquarium arch, Ryley put his final plan into action. He had been making blueprints over the past week while they coordinated the project. The statue wasn’t huge, but it took up a small chunk of space underneath the Architect platform.

A titanium statue of the leviathan herself. Luminescent paint graced her tentacles and eyes. Ryley had constructed the statue by hand in Sector Zero and moved it here with the blueprint he made. His final memorial to her. She could be at peace where she belonged, but remembered here where they had met.

~~~

Ryley sat across the table with his chin on his hand, looking bored. Robin had already sent him the coordinates for this mission, he barely had to pay attention now. At least it was a simple one this time. As long as everything went according to the plan she was currently explaining to Al-an, there shouldn’t be any nasty surprises.

The past couple of months had been surprisingly quiet. Three Alterra prisons now lay in pieces scattered through space. Marguerit seemed happy to provide explosives. She was probably excited to have something to do.

“This should be easy,” Robin said, pointing at the small map on her PDA screen. “Sources say there’s only one guard, and she’s an asshole, but nothing we can’t deal with.”

“With both of us going in, I doubt she will cause trouble,” Al-an agreed. Their lights flickered as they scanned over the map and probably committed it to memory. “Are we prepared?” they asked after a moment.

“I’ll go wait at the phasegate,” Ryley said. He stood up and wandered for the door.

“Excellent, there is- there is something I wished to say,” Al-an stuttered. Oh, was he finally going to spill what he had been hiding?

Robin waited impatiently for her Architect to say something. He pulled her aside often, always saying he wanted to speak with her, or tell her something. Every time, he backed out at the last second and asked about a research project, or told her about some piece of Architect history instead. There was something more, waiting below the surface, Robin knew that. She could feel it. Her gut twisted as she wondered why he struggled to tell her.

“I- I just-” Al-an paused, a nervous shade dancing across his excited blue. “I am happy to be here with you,” he finally concluded. He wouldn’t look at her.

“I’m… happy too, Al-an,” Robin said slowly. “You ok?”

“Yes, yes, of course. I must be more nervous about this directive than I previously assumed. We should get it over with,” he replied and began to walk, leaving Robin to pick up her PDA and follow by herself.

Robin once again found herself puzzled over what Al-an could be avoiding while she waited for them to form the ship, and then as Ryley piloted them toward the storage location. On every other issue, including the Architect’s small squabbles with Marguerit, they were perfectly open, just as Robin had asked him to be. What else could there be? Was something from his home still bothering him?

Out the front window, a white building came into view, drawing closer too quickly for Robin’s liking. Ugh, she wanted to figure this out. To dig into the alien’s brain herself and just see what he was struggling to say. There was no more time to worry. If she could just get this mission over with, she would ask him when they got back.

A lone woman greeted them, just as Robin’s sources had said. She glared at them from under thin eyebrows, non-regulation shotgun held solidly in her hands. Oh, fuck.

“You aren’t supposed to be here, you thieving bastards!” she spat, pointing the gun directly at Robin.

“Hey, put that down, we don’t want to hurt you,” Robin lied, holding her hands up. “That’s not regulation, you could seriously hurt someone!”

“You aren’t regulation, who are you to tell me what I can and can’t do?” the woman retorted and fired.

Robin felt the impact on her left shoulder. Like the woman had physically punched her. Time slowed down, cold around her. She stumbled backwards, into the wall. Shouldn’t this hurt? Well, it did, but shouldn’t it hurt more? Robin looked down, wondering if her AEP had actually absorbed the shot. Oh. Well. Nope. Hmm, that was bad. Blood oozed dark red from the new wound.

“Robin!” Al-an shouted, and time sped up again. Robin looked at him, flushed with fear; he looked ready to run at her word. Robin nodded and sprinted past the guard. There was no way either of them were going to fight her, not with a gun like that. They just needed to get away and form a plan. And maybe stop bleeding.

Robin kept running, she could hear Al-an behind her. The gun went off a few more times and he grunted each time. He was taking shots for her. They probably wouldn’t hurt him much with how tough his skin was, but still! Her shoulder was beginning to throb through the hormones with every heartbeat, every step. She couldn’t move her arm anymore.

There! A room! Robin turned in and let Al-an slam the door behind them, blocking it with a heavy piece of metal. Robin took a breath of relief as the woman outside pounded on the door. They were safe, for now. But she was bleeding heavily, her hand was getting cold. Both of them, actually. And- Fuck.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, I led us into a dead end!” Robin exclaimed, beginning to pace. Lockers lined the walls in rows, holding nutrient bars and water mainly. This was exactly where they needed to be, at least relatively! Not like this, though.

“Perhaps we can wait her out, or I can-”

“I’ll die before her, no matter what we do! I led us into a trap!” Robin interrupted him, still pacing. She had to stay standing.

“There must be something…” Al-an mused.

“How could I be so fucking reckless?” Robin fumed. She stopped pacing a few feet from her Architect. She felt sick with fear and pain, her brain was foggy, she couldn’t think. “She’s gonna kill you. And then she’s gonna kill me.”

~~~

This situation was so familiar it was almost amusing. Best friends, trapped in a storage room with a murderous woman pounding on the sealed door. One of them was dying, the other a powerful non-human. The left shoulder marked by something. Al-an allowed their inner thoughts to speed up, process faster. Decide what to do. With Robin bleeding like that they didn’t have long left.

The past two months were torture. Every chance the Architect found to tell Robin, they backed out at the last moment. They choked up. All research indicated that this was normal for humans; they all struggled to voice romantic feelings. Especially when they were so new at them.

Al-an wanted to! They wanted to tell her! The fear of rejection sat as a threat, looming over their head that they ignored to the best of their ability. She deserved to at least know, and she was getting suspicious already. Her concern grew more blatant the longer the Architect waited and pushed it off. They so desperately wanted to be closer to her.

If they did not do this now, they would never tell her. They knew that. An opportunity had presented itself, they had very little time to continue thinking. Robin still paced the floor, lamenting her struggle. Even the words she said. Eerily similar. All of Al-an’s research would go to waste if they did not seize this moment and just. Do. It.

“Robin, this situation has made me realize that I need to tell you something,” Al-an began, finally turning their focus back to Robin. She stopped pacing.

“What? Right now?” she asked, waving her uninjured arm.

“Yes. There are no stakes here aside from your life. There is no threat to me, but I would sacrifice myself for you nonetheless.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Robin asked, sounding shocked. She was beginning to look pale from loss of blood.

“I can explain more when we have time, but before storage; before you found me; I wondered if I would truly be happy. If I even could be. My research, and this moment, have made me realize that I think I can,” Al-an continued, looking down at their human. Their mechanical arms twitched at their sides as a ball of fear gripped their chest like a sharp vine.

Robin shook her head, her eyebrows knit in confusion as she swayed on her feet. “What are you saying, Al?” she slurred.

“I watch you, and I have seen your mind, Robin. You are tired, and angry at Alterra. You see yourself as such. I know this. Your feelings drive you, as is true for many humans, but you only see your hate and anger. Your love is a stronger force. Your love for your sister, for Ryley, for humanity. You have shown me love. You are giving up your life to fight for humanity, all out of a love for it,” the Architect said, stepping past their human, putting her between them and the door. Setting themself up. There was no stopping their words now. This was it.

“You have changed me from the moment I began my residence within your mind,” they kept talking. “You are the reason I am still trying. You care, and so do I. I care about you. I cared about Sam as you knew her, and Ryley. I care about the betterment of humanity more than my own kind. You changed me Robin.”

Robin stayed silent and shook her head, gazing at Al-an’s thighs. The Architect could see the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Did she realize yet? Both their reference and their sincerity? Perhaps it was a bit childish to do it like this, but Robin said she had watched the human show. She should know.

“I love you, Robin.”

She looked up at them now, body framed by the blocked door. The guard outside pounded on the door five more times. Robin turned to look at it, and then back at them. Al-an could not read her expression. They did not have time, she needed help and they had a guard to deal with. “Please duck,” they instructed.

Robin obeyed and bent down as Al-an approached her. They caught her eye when they came to a stop. She still looked like she was in shock, but whether it was from their words or blood loss, the Architect couldn’t tell.

They turned around and checked their position, making some quick calculations. Robin couldn’t stay down long. Supporting themself on a locker, Al-an leaned forward, allowing their hind legs to lift off the ground. Their hooves hit the door hard and blew it backwards, sending the human behind it flying. Acting quickly, Al-an warped over Robin and pinned the guard with their front hoof.

In one fell swoop, the Architect lifted the human up in their tractor beam and handed her to themself. They turned around to face Robin, who had also turned, staring wide-eyed at them. Idly, easily, Al-an snapped the guard’s neck. She had tried to kill Robin. She deserved it.

“If I wasn’t actively bleeding out I think I’d have a hard-on right now…” Robin whispered, jaw slack. Louder, she said: “We- we need to get out of here.”

Al-an nodded and picked their human up, setting her on their back. She sighed against them as they gathered as much as they could carry, snatching the gun on the way. Perhaps they could use that later.

The return to the ship felt like it was over in a moment. One that lasted for an eternity. Robin’s breaths were growing more and more faint, her heartbeat quiet in her chest. They needed to go. Now. Al-an rushed onto the ship, ignoring Ryley’s questions.

“We need to go!” they commanded, stomping to face the fearful looking human. “To my homeworld. Immediately. There will be more medical facilities there.”

“Right, yeah, ok,” Ryley replied, bolting to the controls. He had to do it, Al-an couldn’t leave Robin alone.

“What the hell happened?” the human asked again. “How much blood has she lost?”

“I didn’t lose it, I know where it is,” Robin slurred in reply. Her head tilted down toward her chest where, indeed, blood had soaked from her shoulder into the fabric. She took a shaking breath and her eyes slid closed, unconscious. Fuck, Ryley needed to go faster.

Al-an worked with what they could the whole trip back. Their thrusters were fast enough to get there in time. They trusted that, and they finally were able to stop most of the blood from continuing to escape. If they could get her somewhere safe, replace the shoulder bone that was most certainly destroyed, it would be ok.

Ryley’s landing was near perfect but Al-an couldn’t bring themself to care yet. They made a note to compliment him later. Instead, they hoisted Robin into their arms and rushed out, toward a medical facility. Body reconstruction was out of the question. Obviously. This place should be sterile enough to perform the emergency surgery.

Her shoulder blade was shattered just as they had suspected. The Architect connected life support measures to Robin’s arm and chest and removed her clothing, revealing a nasty wound in her shoulder. They worked as quickly and carefully as they could to remove every piece of bullet and fragment of bone that they could find. Meanwhile, the fabricator worked with a blueprint scanned from Robin’s right shoulder and flipped, constructing another bone out of human DNA, among other necessary materials.

Installing it and grafting Architect skin onto the wounds on either side of Robin’s chest was practically child’s play. If they kept her on fluids she would be fine within a few days most likely, at least enough to begin to use her shoulder again. For now, all they could do was wait. Al-an moved Robin to a clean surface and covered her with a piece of cloth they found, left over from living there. That would do, for now.

Ryley’s quiet breaths in the doorway alerted Al-an to his presence long before he would have said anything. “I know you are there, Ryley,” they called out, still facing Robin, back to the door.

They turned to look as Ryley stepped out, worry obvious in his tense shoulders and shadowed face. “How’s she doing?” he asked. He approached slowly, peering around Al-an’s side at Robin’s sleeping form.

“The replacement was a success. All we must do now is wait for her to wake up.”

~~~

Robin looked peaceful, if a little bit pale under the small sheet Al-an had covered her with. What looked like an advanced IV dripped fluid into her arm. That was good, she would regain the blood she lost soon and she’d look a lot more alive. Ryley watched her silently with Al-an for a moment, taking note of every breath, and how her chest rose and fell.

After several minutes, Robin began to stir. She groaned quietly and the sound shot directly into Ryley’s chest. She was awake already, that had to be a good sign! Al-an immediately warped up to the table the woman was resting on and began to circle her, explaining what they had done as they examined her. Ryley noted the tiny smile lighting Robin’s face as she watched her alien.

Ryley himself approached the table a moment later; Robin turned her head to look at him, still smiling. “Hi,” she mumbled.

“Hey,” Ryley replied, smiling back at her. “How’re you feeling?”

“My shoulder hurts like a bitch and I’m tired, but I think I’ll live,” Robin said quietly. She laughed, more a huff than anything and immediately winced. But she would live. She was alright.

“You need to rest more,” Al-an agreed as they finished their examination. “We will leave you to sleep again, I just wished to check on you while you were awake once before we left you alone.”

With that, Al-an stepped away, their hand gently brushing Robin’s head and warped to the doorway that Ryley had come from. He followed more slowly, glancing back at Robin, who gazed after them.

“So uh, what are we going to do while we wait?” Ryley asked as soon as he caught up with the Architect.

They paused, thinking. “I am uncertain. My only thought until now was ensuring Robin’s safety,” they said. “Unless you had a suggestion?”

“Well…” Ryley began and hesitated. God, was he really going to finally ask? “I wondered, since we have a lot of time, if you wanted to start on my chest maybe?”

Al-an flashed sky blue. “That is an excellent use of our time here. I have conducted extensive research already. Come with me,” they told him before striding off toward another doorway.

Inside the empty room, Al-an fabricated a table, placing it in front of Ryley. Ok. This was voluntary. He could do this. Ryley’s shaking hand clutched at his zipper; he willed himself to just pull it down. Get this over with. The entire point of this was hiding it, and Al-an knew. They weren’t judging.

Fuck it, Ryley thought and pulled. He stripped down to his underwear, more exposed than he had ever been to… well almost anyone actually. Even Alterra made him keep his pants on. It wasn’t like Al-an had never seen a human body anyway.

The Architect took lifting the human onto the table and sanitizing his chest upon themself. Their bodily hands were gentle as they cleaned, rubbing carefully against the skin over Ryley’s heart. Once they were satisfied, their arms shifted into something akin to a tattoo gun and they moved away.

After several moments of fiddling with a fabricator, Al-an returned to the table with a glowing container. It was only now that Ryley’s stomach tied itself in knots. He had never even thought about getting ink, at any point in his life. He hadn’t even done his own research. Was it too late to-

Holy SHIT. Al-an wasted absolutely no time in beginning the process, dipping their needle in the glowing ink and bringing it, buzzing, to Ryley’s skin. It stung and burned, almost worse than the Kharaa blisters had. And it was nearly constant. They were careful and precise, of course they were; they even made sure to pause every few seconds.

It felt like an eternity until Al-an was gently cleaning Ryley’s now extremely irritated skin and stepping away. They applied some kind of cream that they had fabricated during a short break, overlaying that with plastic film.

“That will heal within a few weeks and then we may continue. I will begin on your right side while we wait,” they informed Ryley.

“Yeah, that’s fine I need a break from that, holy hell,” he agreed, now breathless, his chest heaving. He couldn’t help but be grateful that the intense burning was over.

“I will connect the lines on your shoulders with your hairline once I have completed everything else,” Al-an added. Ryley sat up, leaving his AEP off. Nobody else was here and Robin could take seeing his undies. He deserved to be a little bit of a baby about it.

“Sounds good to me. Should we check on Robin?” Ryley asked, changing the subject. He was sure the enigmatic alien was worried about her.

“That was my directive, yes,” they replied and walked off without warning, leaving Ryley to follow again. They glanced back after a moment and flashed blue at the human.

“She’ll be ok,” Ryley said as they entered Robin’s room together to find her sleeping. When Al-an didn’t reply, he continued. “She’s got the best medical care in the known universe.”

Chapter Text

“I’m gonna be fine, I’ve got you to take care of me,” Robin said, voice so quiet Al-an could barely hear her.

“Yes. I will do my best for you. Please do not worry,” they reassured her, brushing their claw against her burning forehead. Their voice crackled as they spoke.

“I’m not. You are though, aren’t you?” Robin pressed. Of all times for her to be worrying about them-

“I am- Everything is fine, Robin,” the Architect said firmly.

Robin sighed and it seemed to rattle her whole body. Al-an’s heat sensors distracted them with the sick heat radiating off of her. She reached out with her still functional arm and rested it against their thigh, just like she always did. Her hand shook with the apparent effort.

“Robin-”

“I’m gonna be ok, Al-an. This’ll… this is all gonna turn out ok. And you’re- you’re gonna be ok.” Her words were beginning to slur together into a stutter uncharacteristic of the normally energetic human.

“I’m gonna be ok. I…” Robin’s voice faded out and she looked past them. Al-an’s head spun around to check where she was looking but they saw nobody. They turned back to their friend.

“I’m gonna take a nap, ok? And when I wake up, we’ll both be ok…” Robin said and closed her eyes. Her breathing settled into a slow rhythm. Fuck. This was all up to them now.

~~~

Robin opened her eyes to the bleak, jagged landscape of the Architect home planet. Something felt off about it, though the human couldn’t tell what yet. She gazed around at the platform, floating chunks of buildings scattered around. A quiet wind blew through the area, pushing Robin’s ponytail and making it obvious just how quiet things were.

“Al-an? Are you waiting on an answer?” Robin asked, looking up at her friend. He stared into the distance, or maybe at something she couldn’t see. Was he looking into the Network? For half a second Robin considered doing that herself.

“They are alive,” he told her, sky blue washing through his glow. Robin could feel the joy radiating off of him as he looked out across the planet. “And on their way.”

Holy shit. Robin’s heart beat faster, almost out of her chest. There were more! “That’s amazing!” she exclaimed, grinning and resisting patting Al-an’s thigh. “You can fix this! And you aren’t alone!”

Al-an turned his head to face the human, still bright blue. “With you I never was.”

Oh. Those words shot straight into Robin’s already tight chest, squeezing her heart and warming her face. She mentally shook that off and grinned up at Al-an, finally reaching out and patting his leg. When she looked back out, twelve small, glowing specks had appeared across the platform, quickly moving closer. The Architects. This was a dream come true in every sense of the word.

After waiting for what felt like an eternity and a half, Robin found herself dwarfed by now thirteen massive aliens. It took a moment to realize that if she wanted to hear them, she needed to tune into the Network. Why did she know that? Why did she know how to do that? Robin wracked her brain but couldn’t remember Al-an instructing her or anything.

“-would like to extend my deepest apology for the disaster I inadvertently caused. To rectify, and make things right, I have brought the blueprints for a cure if it is still necessary,” Al-an said. Robin stayed silent.

One of the Architects spoke up. “We accept your apology and your petition to rejoin us. We are few now, though with another mind we may continue to grow as a species again. We see that you have brought a pet with you?”

Robin had to resist rolling her eyes. Of course that would come up again. The way Al-an had said it seemed like a joke. Like he was teasing her. This just seemed disrespectful.

“Robin is not a pet, she is of a sapient species, like us. I- we would appreciate if you would not refer to her as a such. She is her own,” Al-an said, as if reading Robin’s thoughts. Her face warmed again.

Twelve faces, now tinting green, turned directly to her, making her feel smaller than she already felt. “What are you?” one of them, Robin couldn’t tell which, asked out loud.

“I’m a human. I found him trapped in storage on Planet 4546B, by human designation,” she told the aliens.

“Humans travel the stars now?” another asked. “The last time we heard of your kind, you were limited to your homeworld, and nowhere else.”

Robin nodded, glancing up at Al-an. He gazed at her too, unreadable. “In the last five hundred or so years we began to explore farther out. We’ve gotten as far as using phasegates and inhabiting other planets as independent societies,” she replied. “We aren’t nearly as technologically advanced as you, of course, but we’ve come a long way.”

One of them motioned for the newcomers to follow and began to walk away, ignoring Robin once more. She struggled to keep up with their long legs and found herself jogging. Al-an, the only one to actually care, idly picked her up in his tractor beam and placed her gently on his back. Why did that feel familiar?

Robin ignored it and listened to the silent “conversation”. “Only five of us made it off of the planet before the bacteria had a chance to infect us. We have begun efforts to clean up and begin life once more, but it is difficult with so few of us. So far we have seven more and still no cure,” one of the Architects said.

“I am pleased to provide the cure and assist in any way possible,” Al-an replied.

He had described the Network as more of sharing ideas than speaking, hadn’t he? Why was it appearing like that now? Was Robin’s brain just not advanced enough for it, so she was interpreting the ideas as mental speech? What if one of them shared an image, would she be able to envision it? Why was she even able to hear in the first place? She hadn’t known she could do that until right now, and Al-an made no mention of knowing. Did he know?

Confusion swirled so much though Robin’s mind that she lost track of the conversation. There were still too many unanswered questions, both about Architect society at large and about her sudden connection with them. A faint voice spoke in her ears, though she couldn’t hear who it was. It sounded… male at least. Unfamiliar, yet like she had heard it before.

Robin shook her head. She was hallucinating, that was all. Everything only felt off because this was a new place, with a new species. That was it. Things would smooth out and she would integrate herself into the group and learn as much as possible. This was fine.

~~~

Robin was not fine. None of this was fine. An infection had taken hold in her new shoulder as her body rejected the new component and it was spreading quickly. Al-an had spent the last three days panicking, trying everything to reverse the infection and save her shoulder. So far… they were unsuccessful.

The Architect warped to a fabricator and initiated the sequence on yet another anti infection agent in their extensive database. While they waited, they began to pore over their memories of the last few days. On the first, Robin had been fine. A bit tired and sore, but that was to be expected, considering her recent physical trauma. On day two, things started to deteriorate slowly.

Upon waking, Robin informed Al-an that she felt hot. Much to their dismay, the wound on Robin’s shoulder had become inflamed overnight, warmth radiating off of it. As much as they tried to find the problem, Al-an found themself confounded. How could such a simple human problem be evading them like this?

The third day was when Robin fell asleep for the last time. Not the very last, Al-an assured themself. But she had not woken up since. The new medication finished its fabrication sequence, leaving Al-an to pick it up. They quickly injected it at the infection site and waited. This had to work.

Four hours later, and it didn’t. There were already three more treatments line up of course. Three more chances. Al-an tried to push down the worry that even they couldn’t fix this. They had to force themself not to shake as they rubbed another solution onto Robin’s shoulder. This one had to work.

Again, another several hours of waiting, and it did not work. Why? What were they missing? Just like last time, the last infection they worked on, they missed one detail. Slipped up somewhere. This was their niche, damn it! Was this not the sort of research they were trained on in the first place?

Al-an cursed themself momentarily before trying another solution. Robin still laid there, infection spreading to stars knew where in her body, sound asleep. Were it not for the supportive machines keeping her stable, Al-an feared that she would not have made it this far. How much longer would she make it?

“How pathetic am I?” Al-an asked nobody in particular. There had been no sign of Ryley all day. Where had he gone? Al-an had been so focused on working on Robin that they hadn’t noticed.

Al-an picked up a spare PDA and located Ryley’s information. Before they could contact him, the sound of footsteps echoed through the hall, indicating his approach. Oh, well, that solved one problem. Al-an warped back to their fabricator and began to dig through their database again in an attempt to look calm.

“How is she?” Ryley asked as soon as he entered.

“No better,” Al-an replied, short. They selected another medication and began to gather the resources.

“You’re trying everything, I’m guessing?” the human asked from next to Robin. His hand rested idly on her uninjured arm.

“Everything in my Network and Robin’s database, yes. Nothing is working.”

Silence bore down between the two as Al-an worked. They largely ignored their friend, choosing to continue looking through terminals for more antibiotics to try. Anything that was labeled to clear up infection. Al-an could only begin to wonder if all of this was only making things worse.

“I think I need to go tell Marguerit what happened,” Ryley said suddenly, making Al-an jump.

“I suppose you should. She does care for Robin,” they said, somewhat irritated at the mention of the woman. They didn’t really have the energy to care.

“You’re right, and it’s been a few days. She’ll uh,” Ryley paused. “She’ll want to see her.”

Al-an thought for a moment, continuing their search in the background. The woman did care for Robin, despite being entirely unable to show that care through anything aside from more physical means. While the Architect hated the idea of her seeing their home planet, Robin mattered more. She would want the other woman to see her.

“Fine, but blind her on the way,” Al-an finally said, though the comment could honestly be written off as a poorly executed joke. Al-an doubted that the mean old human would let anyone take her anywhere blind. That was fine. Robin trusted her, and Al-an trusted Robin.

The Architect reached into their storage and handed Ryley a tablet, glowing green. “Here, take this keycard and leave it in the terminal at the phasegate. It will leave it open without my presence for you,” they told him.

Ryley took the key and turned it around in his hands. “You call these keycards? They’re more like tablets to me,” he laughed, glancing up at Al-an’s face.

“Well, I am sorry that you are small.”

Ryley snorted, smiling faintly and turned around to leave. Al-an, in turn, moved back to their work. Robin still breathed. Ryley’s footsteps filled the otherwise nearly silent room as he left. The fabricator had finished.

The footsteps paused at the doorway and Al-an looked back, catching Ryley’s gaze. “I will continue my efforts here,” they said, unsure what he wanted.

“I know. You’re our Hope,” Ryley replied, and disappeared.

Al-an shook their head. They were a flightless species unless they counted technological advancements. And they had never possessed feathers, at least not personally. If they could find Hope, they would, and they would care for it as obsessively as they did Robin.

Quiet beeping alerted the Architect, drawing them to Robin’s side. Her heart rate was increasing, heat gathering around her face and her arm. Her face remained eerily expressionless as Al-an began to panic.

A full body scan later and no indication of anything physically affecting Robin’s heart rate. They continued to monitor it as they looked through entry after entry, finding nothing that would help. Out of ideas, Al-an wondered if humans could dream in this state. Robin was not asleep, but her brain had not shut down.

They began to emit an old tune. ‘Humming’, Ryley had called it when they asked. For the first few seconds, as the melody came back to the ancient being piece by piece, nothing happened. Al-an almost gave up, stored the mysterious tune back into the Network where they had found it, when the beeps began to slow. It was hardly noticeable at first, but slowly, Robin’s heart calmed down.

Al-an kept going. They had only found the tune of their own creation, hidden within files long ago, forgotten about until they were hunting for answers just months ago. Finally, Robin seemed to calm down. She was ok, for now.

~~~

Marguerit’s base was so damn far away, why did she have to like living in the dankest, worst areas again? Ryley sighed, trying to fight off his irritability. He barely slept with how much he was worrying about Robin, and with Al-an’s evasive answers, he had no idea what to do.

Finally, the top of the base appeared in the murky water of the cave. Ryley peered out of the seatruck window, hoping to see Marguerit inside. He really didn’t want to have to go to her greenhouse. There, thank god, she was sitting on a chair, looking through a PDA.

Ryley leapt out of the truck and pushed himself up and into Marguerit’s moonpool. She was already standing in the hall when he pulled his mask off. So she did miss them. Ryley had half wondered if she even noticed they were gone at all.

“You here to tell me where the hell you lot have been?” she asked before Ryley could think of anything to say.

He nodded. “Sorry, yeah, Robin got shot and it got infected.”

“Under the alien’s watch?” Marguerit pressed, crossing her arms.

“Yeah,” Ryley said, nodding again. “They’re struggling to figure out what’s going on.”

Marguerit looked down, expression dark. “Must be bad if even they can’t help. Will they let me see her?”

“They said I’m supposed to blindfold you,” Ryley confirmed, stepping backwards into the water and pulling his mask down in one smooth motion. Practiced ease. A splash told him that Marguerit had followed.

“That’s cute, I’d like to see how you expect to get it on. If you’re showin’ me another surprise Reaper I had better see it coming,” the older woman grumbled as they boarded the seatruck together. Ryley slid into the driver’s seat; he heard her slump down in the storage module that he had attached when he arrived.

Anxiety hit Ryley like a sack of rocks to the chest. Ah, fuck, he hadn’t even thought about that. “I’m- I’m sorry about that. By the way,” he stuttered, resisting glancing back.

“S’fine, you just scared the livin’ daylights out of me and I might be less merciful next time. That’s all.”

“Right, yeah I’ll uh, keep that in mind,” Ryley chuckled nervously. The seatruck pushed forward at a snail’s pace. “I’ll warn you next time Crimson decides to pay me a visit.”

Marguerit didn’t answer. Ryley could hear the quiet taps of her fingers on her PDA behind him. Still, he resisted glancing back. Robin’s beacon to Outpost Zero was closing in already anyway. He needed to get back and make sure Robin was still ok. If things were just left to him and Al-an…

He ignored that train of thought as he led his companion to his ship and went through launch sequence as quickly as he could. He would do maintinence once she was back home. All automatic systems checks came clear, but a visual check always reassured his nerves. He could forgo it for time just this once.

Finally, back through the gates, back onto the landing platform. Back to Al-an’s home. Marguerit gazed around the empty planet for a moment as she descended the ship’s stairs. This was her first time here, wasn’t it? Ryley remembered his own awe the first time he arrived. He had called this empty place home once. Damn.

Ryley led the woman through the winding halls, smiling to himself every time she made a surprised noise at some of the structures. Al-an had moved Robin into a medical facility that they had said was for Kharaa quarantine initially. It had been cleaned since, and now housed another sick being.

Al-an’s tall form warped around the room several times, ping-ponging around and gathering things. Marguerit immediately made a beeline for Robin. Ryley watched her pull back the sheet covering the sleeping woman’s body and cringe at the sight of the infected wound.

He watched her lips move, whispering something he didn’t hear to Robin. Probably encouragement. If she could hear them, she’d need everything she could get. Whatever Al-an was trying wasn’t enough. Marguerit’s fingers rubbed at Robin’s face where she touched her. If he wasn’t in a waking nightmare already, Ryley would wonder if he were dreaming with how gentle she was being.

A few more moments passed and Marguerit straightened up. She motioned for Ryley to follow her and led him out of the room. “Can they hear us?” she asked, glancing back at Al-an. Ryley shook his head. “Good. What the hell are they doing?”

“I don’t know,” Ryley admitted with a sigh. “They keep telling me that they’re trying everything and it’s not working but they won’t say what they’ve tried. They replaced her whole shoulder, I know that.”

Marguerit hummed thoughtfully. “If she gets much worse…” she trailed off, gazing back into the room where Al-an was injecting something into Robin’s shoulder again. “You let me know the second something happens, you hear me?” she finally said.

“I’ll keep you posted,” Ryley said, following Al-an’s form as they darted around the room. “I hope they figure something out…”

“They couldn’t cure us,” Marguerit commented, shifting on her feet.

“They missed something. I don’t know what they’re missing here. It’s an infected shoulder, not a sentient fish,” Ryley retorted with a huff.

“Maybe the problem is glaring you right in the face. You’ll see it one way or another. We’ll just see if Robin lives through it.”

Chapter Text

If they were being honest, answering questions for the humans was one of Al-an’s favorite things to do for them. As they were getting to know each other, Ryley spent hours bombarding the Architect with questions about the facilities and technology left in Sector One. They were, of course, more than happy to oblige as much information as they knew, or go digging through the Network for answers if they needed to.

“So… your mind and body are like… a giant supercomputer… right?” Ryley now asked, innocently tilting his head. Suspicion welled in Al-an’s mind at the hesitancy of the question.

“Yes, in a way. My body is biomechanical, if that is what you are asking” they replied, inspecting their friend for any sign of what he wanted to ask.

Ryley nodded, squinting a bit. “And you can download things into your brain. Like software. Right?” he continued.

Al-an instantly became more suspicious. What the hell could he be getting at here? “Yes, that is how the Network functions…” they answered slowly.

“Ok, ok, ok last question. Can you output video?” Ryley pressed, leaning in now.

“Again, that is how the Network functions, I can mentally connect with a terminal and-”

“I know, that’s not quite what I mean,” Ryley interrupted. “I mean, can you hardwire video from your body?”

Al-an paused. They had never thought about that. Everything had always been seamless with their minds, connecting to their technology and each other with no need for messy wires unless they needed to power something. Whatever Ryley was planning, Al-an’s curiosity was going to get the best of them no matter what.

“I am uncertain,” they finally replied. “Would you like to find out?”

Ryley’s face lit up and he nodded so hard Al-an worried he might fall over. They motioned with one mechanical arm for him to follow them and set off for the crystal caves. Ryley’s rapid footsteps told them that he followed. Perfect.

The two made their way down, into the caves; Al-an swam the whole way, Ryley stayed in the seatruck. All the better to keep the Shadow Leviathan off their backs. As they entered the fabrication facility, Ryley handed Al-an his PDA, which displayed the schematics for a video output port, as well as two proprietary ports, presumably to be able to control whatever the human was planning. Al-an quickly modified the blueprint for their arm and warped into the machine.

“Whenever you are ready, please begin the fabrication.

~~~

Al-an stood a few meters away, working while another Architect stood near him. It took a bit to get used to none of the others speaking out loud unless they needed to address her. Even then, they generally asked Al-an to do it for them. That was frustrating enough already.

Robin decided to approach anyway, curiosity over whatever Al-an was doing winning over the irritation at the other Architect. She strode over to them, patting Al-an’s hip to alert him to her presence. She trailed her fingers along his side as she walked until she reached his front thigh, where she removed her fingers. His head tilted in her direction, and then back to his work.

“We would appreciate it if you would keep your pet in line,” the other Architect said as Robin checked within the Network. Irritation bloomed across their light.

Al-an shifted slightly. “She is autonomous and I can only ultimately suggest things,” he replied, sending irritation right back to his companion.

“We at least ask that you keep it in your quarters. You would not want it to distract you from your work, would you?” they insisted.

“I told you, I cannot tell HER what to do. I will ASK that she stay in your designated area, but I cannot promise that she will listen. Again. She is autonomous. Sapient. Like us.” Al-an retorted. He shifted again, this time fully taking a slight step, widening his stance.

The other Architect walked away without a reply, obviously annoyed by the outcome of this conversation. Al-an turned to Robin, fading from red to pale blue. “I apologize, I was just completing a task for them,” he said out loud.

“That’s fine,” Robin replied, patting his thigh and smiling as calmly as she could. “Anything interesting?”

“Not particularly. They did ask that you stay in the room provided for you…” Al-an admitted, letting his earlier annoyance leak back into his features. “I understand that this is undesirable, and I wish to teach you everything I can about myself and my people…”

Robin huffed. “Well, I mean, I’ll stay in there if it gets them off your ass. It’s annoying but it’s not like you can’t still show me things when you have time, right?”

“That is true, though I feel… terrible that I cannot give you more freedom,” he conceded.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll behave,” Robin teased, patting at his thigh again. She started to walk away when he didn’t respond. She glanced back to see him typing away again, hard at work.

Robin spent the next two days bored out of her mind. At least bothering Al-an had meant watching him work and tinkering with old, broken technology. There was still a pile of things to work with that Architects left for her, but without Al-an there was no way to gain any information, or ask for help. Finally, Robin decided to tune into the Network and see what Al-an was even doing.

“...are certain that you will be fully able to complete these tasks in due time, Robin heard an Architect say.

Al-an was somewhere else on the planet, talking to them about work, completely unaware that Robin was listening in. And he was far away, across the planet the room that she had been staying in as a temporary base. It felt oddly familiar despite her never having been here. She tried to chalk it up to Al-an’s presence in her mind, or the fact that there were Architect buildings on 4546B. Something still felt strange though…

“...be glad to assist in any way possible, however…” Robin tuned back in to Al-an speaking. “I would like to spend more time with Robin than I believe this will allow for.”

“We understand that you would like to give your pet enrichment, but please remember that you returned here to fix the disaster you caused,” the other voice replied.

A shot of anger rushed through Robin. Not this again… At first it seemed like a simple mistake, one that would be resolved eventually. Now it just made her indignant. She didn’t dare speak up in case that made the situation with Al-an worse, or drag him farther away from her. Who knew how they would react to her ability to hear the Network?

“Robin is not my pet, she does not require enrichment. She is a human that requires companionship, and I would like to provide that for her. That is all. I have not failed in completing every task you have given me. I just need time with her,” Al-an defended her.

Warmth spread across Robin’s face. She idly heard the others protesting Al-an’s insistence. That didn’t matter, he was still defending her, even without her present. He must have felt her annoyance when they had initially held that conversation. She was just glad at least one Architect still understood her autonomy. It felt nice to see the confirmation that he cared about her.

The conversation in the Network went quiet, each Architect going about their business. Robin took the time to make herself lunch from the food she had stored. The Architects were surprisingly willing to give her materials to build whatever she desired, so she had taken the time to deck out the space with displays for the pictures she had collected back on 4546B. Sam’s necklace sat on a shelf above Robin’s bed, the last reminder of her sister.

Robin sighed, still mad at the other Architects as Al-an’s voice played around her, like he was there with her. She checked and found him halfway across the planet, just like he had been two minutes ago. The tune he hummed still played. He- since when did Al-an copy music? This wasn’t any of the songs that they had picked up in disks around Sector Zero, nor was it anything Robin immediately recognized from Earth.

Shaking her head, Robin let the hallucination calm her nerves despite the oddity of it. She shouldn’t get stressed, as soon as things settled down Al-an would get what he wanted, right? Robin was eager to explore the planet herself and learn as much as she could. Even if she never took the information to Earth, which, considering Alterra she probably wouldn’t, leaning for the sake of it was still so alluring.

Robin didn’t notice herself falling asleep until Al-an’s hoofsteps in her base woke her up. The Architect pulled out a small tablet and tossed it to the ground, letting it project a screen where he began to work.

“Hey,” Robin mumbled sleepily.

“Hello,” Al-an replied idly, distracted.

“What’re you doing?” the human pressed, rolling off of the bench she had laid down on and onto the floor next to him.

“I have consolidated some of my work that can be done through the Network so you would not be alone,” he said, still typing. His head turned toward her every few words as if to gauge her reaction.

Robin hummed. “They giving you a lot?” she asked innocently. She didn’t want him to know she knew, not yet. But her concern for him pushed her to ask. He had been far too busy ever since they had settled in.

“I suppose I can understand the need for my help, the planet is quite large and difficult to thoroughly clean,” Al-an mused. If his dim lights were anything to go by, he wasn’t happy with his own answer.

“But?” Robin pushed him, rolling again so that she was wrapped around his hip.

“But I think some of this could be done collectively. They do not respect my authority on the bacterium or the project. That is understandable considering how poorly I handled it then, but this is the present, and I had come in hopes that I would provide assistance, not be given menial tasks and fix everything on my own,” the Architect said, pausing his work on the terminal. He shifted from pink to yellow. “I apologize, I should not be dumping this on you.”

“I’m happy you’re talking about it if it’s upsetting you. It’s a little annoying to me too, I won’t lie. I wanted to learn about you with you. This just feels like they’re trying to keep us-”

“What are you doing?” another Architect voice asked from the hall leading to Al-an’s entrance.

Robin jumped and sat up, embarrassed that they had seen her so close to him. She scooted back until she was up against the bench again and reached up for her forgotten lunch.

“I have consolidated tasks to compromise on our… previous conversation,” Al-an replied, flashing red at his counterpart. “I do hope you understand.” Robin felt a bit of satisfaction at his petty tone.

“Well, when you have finished your enrichment time with your pet-” the Architect practically spat the word out from their voice synthesizer. “-we have another section that needs treatment.”

Al-an flashed red again. “Of course. Stay out of it and I will take care of it when I am ready.”

Robin let out her breath as soon as the other Architect was gone. Her reassurances from before they left were falling flat, fast. She had hoped that she would be right, and the others would be more welcoming of them as companions. And of Al-an, returning from imprisonment. She hadn’t failed to notice that most of the hostility was coming from the younger ones, those who didn’t remember a time before Kharaa like Al-an and the five somewhat kinder, older Architects.

“I apolog-”

“Don’t, Al. It’s not your fault they’re being weird about me,” Robin interjected.

“Yes, but-”

“Al-an. It’s not your fault. Don’t apologize. Ok?” Robin insisted, reaching out to rest her hand on his thigh. He nodded.

~~~

After several days and 125 failed attempts at helping Robin, not that Al-an was counting, things were beginning to look hopeless. The infection had spread down her arm now, centered at the bullet wound. If they didn’t figure something out quickly… they didn’t want to think about it.

Ryley had made himself scarce, allowing the Architect time to work. He came to check every once in a while, always asking what Al-an was trying. He had become quiet since yesterday, when Al-an gave him a non-answer about their treatment plan. Where he was now, Al-an could only guess.

Most of what they could do was wait. Wait for a new treatment to fabricate. Wonder again why nothing worked. Should they try to use an Architect component? Would that even help at this point? Even if it cleared up the infection, she would have permanent damage to her arm, rendering the solution in vain. Ryley had provided no suggestion so far.

The sound of the human’s footsteps alerted Al-an to another check-up. They had to admit, it was nice to see him, despite the blatant worry and exhaustion in his eyes as he gazed at Robin’s still form. Al-an said nothing and administered the now complete medication.

“What’s that?” Ryley asked quietly. He barely looked at the Architect.

“Another medication that should help her body fight this,” they answered.

“These don’t really work, do they?” Ryley mumbled, glancing away. Al-an tensed up.

“I am doing everything I can,” they tried to reassure the human. “I suspect that her human biology is rejecting everything in my databank.”

“What, have you not tried human things then? She probably has a ton of things in her PDA to fight infection.”

“I have tried them, they did not work. I-” Al-an cut themself off. They didn’t need him knowing that they were running out of ideas.

Ryley sighed. “I’m going to go get Marguerit again. Just in case.”

“Understood,” Al-an replied and turned back to Robin.

They scanned her body again and noted the infection creeping in, toward her chest. If it moved much farther… would replacing her heart even work? They knew why Ryley was bringing the woman again. She was going to say goodbye. Fear wrapped itself around Al-an’s chest. They were out of ideas. Was Robin going to-

No! Of course not! They would figure something out. Right? The Network held no answers, neither did Ryley. Would the other woman? Al-an had gathered from Ryley’s PDA that she was a security guard, nothing more. Though, had she not survived with Kharaa far longer than anyone else?

More worry and guilt hit Al-an as they thought of the bacterium. Robin had none of the initial symptoms of it, though one of the first things Al-an tried was the cure, as well as locating some concentrated Enzyme 42. Again, no such luck, just a reminder of what they couldn’t do.

Hopelessness pressed down on the Architect harder the longer they waited for Ryley to return. The last time they had done this… what were they supposed to do now? What if anything they did blew up in their face again? They had avoided any experimental treatments, especially human ones. They didn’t dare try any of them, no matter how well researched. If Al-an had no time to do the research themself, they couldn’t trust humans to do it. Humans were fallible. It was too much risk.

Finally, after what had felt like another millennium, a pair of footsteps approached the room. Al-an ignored them for a while until Ryley finished speaking. He kept his eyes on the ground for the most part while the woman sauntered over to Robin. Al-an pulled up a terminal and tried to look busy. The woman said nothing; she simply stood over Robin. Watching.

~~~

Marguerit was already waiting for Ryley when he showed up. He had sent her a message upon liftoff to meet him at the phasegate. The faster he got her to Robin, the faster- he shook his head. He still had to cling on to hope. Al-an would figure it out.

“It’s barely been days. How bad did it get?” Marguerit asked once she was seated. Her sharp gaze made Ryley feel small.

“I’m…” he sighed. “I’m worried she’s… not going to make it.” he initiated launch.

“What’s Al-an doing then? Standing around lookin’ pretty?” the older woman questioned.

“I don’t know. They keep telling me that they’re trying every treatment in every database they can find, I just- I don’t know. I can’t tell if they’re lying to make me feel better,” Ryley admitted. He kept his eyes on the front display, avoiding Marguerit’s. She stayed quiet, seeming thoughtful.

Ryley led his companion through the twisting hallways and into Al-an’s makeshift treatment room. Robin still laid there, in the same position she had been. Al-an pulled up a terminal several meters away from her and began to type on it. For a moment, Ryley wished he could read the Architect language and see what they were doing.

Marguerit leaned against a wall, watching, so Ryley took a moment to approach Robin. Her forehead felt hot when he brushed against it. She looked so peaceful despite… everything. Ryley sighed and stroked at her hair. He should say something. There were stories out there, of people hearing their loved ones talking to them and improving from it.

“Hi Robin,” he mumbled to her. “I hope you aren’t feeling this. I don’t understand why Al-an won’t help you. You must be in so much pain… Listen, I don’t know what to do either but… I mean they’re the expert on this. I can fix robots like that.” he snapped his fingers to emphasize his point to the unconscious woman.

Ryley continued his mini speech. “I don’t know how to help you. But if we lose you… I don’t know if Al-an could take that. I don’t know if I could take it. What would we do? You’re the glue that’s holding the two of us together, if we lost you, where would I go?” God, why was he telling her this? Depressing bullshit wouldn’t make her want to come back. “God, sorry I’m being so depressing here. You’re the one dying,” he added with a dry laugh.

“I want you to get better,” he concluded. “That’s what I guess I’m trying to say. You mean a lot to me, Robin. Marguerit wants to talk to you too, so…” he trailed off.

Ryley stepped back and let Marguerit approach Robin. Again, he watched her lips move, voice too quiet for him to hear. Her hands were gentle, brushing against Robin’s face. This was nearly the softest Ryley had ever seen her. He glanced down, thinking. If Marguerit lost Robin too… she wasn’t really even friends with him. She would lose everyone she ever halfway cared about.

“I want to talk to you privately,” Marguerit said, now standing directly in front of Ryley. He jumped and nodded, leading her out into the hall.

“I’m sorry-” he began.

“Is it your fault she’s suffering?” Marguerit interrupted, stepping closer and forcing Ryley back against the wall. He shook his head. “Right. It’s Al-an’s, and it seems to me like they aren’t doing jack shit for her.”

“They keep telling me they are-”

“And is it working? Her arm is beyond saving by now. They need to do something. Or else,” she interrupted again.

Ryley shook his head, nerves bunching in his stomach and making him feel sick. “I don’t know what else they can do,” he told her.

“I don’t think they understand the urgency here, kid. You need to get them to understand and do something. You gotta be harsh. Yell if you have to,” Marguerit insisted. She crossed her arms and leaned back, finally giving Ryley space to breathe.

“I don’t even know what to do!” Ryley said, forcing his anger down. He was tired and worried, he didn’t need to be angry too, on top of that. Getting in a fight now was stupid. And suicide, with Marguerit.

She sighed. “What do you do with infection?” she asked.

“Um…”

“You cut it out. I think you know where I’m goin’ with this,” she said, looking away and side-eyeing Ryley. “Now you need to walk them through what to do, and make sure they know exactly how severe this is. They need to save her or she’s going to die.”

Ryley nodded. “You’re right I- I need to- help,” he stuttered.

“You need to force them to do the right thing. Take me home and talk to them.”

Ryley obeyed, leading the woman back through the twisting hallways and onto his ship. They were quiet the whole way, back through the phasegate and onto the solid ground. Marguerit stood up, stretching and glancing down at Ryley, who stayed in his seat.

“I expect better news next time you come callin’,” she said before turning away and exiting. Ryley waited and watched until she was back through the teleporter.

He steeled himself the whole way home. He could do this. He needed to, for Marguerit, for Al-an, for himself, for Robin. And- he hesitated to think about someone he had never met, but he suspected Sam wouldn’t be too pleased about her sister joining her early. Sam would want her to live.

Once he touched down, all of the confidence Ryley had built up on the way back was gone. Confronting Al-an, especially after their first fight, was… daunting. How would they react? Ryley didn’t have to wait long to find out; his legs carried him far too quickly to the treatment room.

“Al-an, we need to talk,” he said, hesitant.

Al-an’s head turned toward him. “Certainly,” they said idly.

“Listen, you need to do something else,” Ryley told them, hopeful that it would work.

“I am doing everything I can,” the Architect answered, same as they always did.

“Al-an-” Ryley sighed, readying himself. He really didn’t want to do this. “-you don’t understand. You need to do something else. If you don’t do something about this Robin is going to die!”

Chapter Text

Ryley initiated the fabrication sequence and watched the huge machine begin to work on Al-an’s right arm. Al-an, for their part, remained calm through the whole process. They stared down at the human passively, as if they were bored of the procedure.

“Does it hurt?” Ryley finally asked as the machine finished its work, dropping the Architect to the platform below them.

“No, though simply editing a body is not a standard procedure,” they explained. Ryley followed them back through the facility.

“But your people still made it possible,” he concluded, slipping into the seatruck.

“We are constantly accounting for redundancies, yes. Though, my motivation is… rather selfish,” the Architect admitted, voice muffled by the water. “I have become attached to this body.”

Ryley nodded and pressed forward, past the leviathan and back toward home. He glanced down for a moment, checking that the software he wanted was still on his PDA. Perfect, if Al-an could download this, they were golden, theoretically.

Somehow, Ryley made it to the base first. Al-an appeared a couple of minutes later, holding Robin’s PDA. They set it down and laid on the ground, apparently ready to start the experiment.

“Ok, so we should probably test the video first,” Ryley mused, fabricating himself a desk and monitor. Al-an placed their modified arm on the table to for ease, allowing Ryley to plug his wires in.

Plugging in the monitor and powering it on, a feed of text appeared. All of it was in the Architect language, but it was THERE! Al-an twisted so that they could see the screen and flashed bright blue in excitement.

“It seems that I am projecting everything going on in the Network,” they informed Ryley. “This will slow things down but I am going to begin translating everything so that you can understand it.”

The next few lines of text appeared, now in English, revealing Al-an’s deepest inner thoughts. ‘I cannot believe this works.’ ‘When will Robin notice that I took her PDA?’ Ryley snickered when Al-an seemed to realize that the human could see their thoughts visualized.

“What was it that you wished for me to download?” they asked, moving on from their embarrassment.

“Oh, right!” Ryley jumped up. He sent Robin the files for Minecraft, which allowed Al-an to download them straight from her PDA. While they did that, Ryley plugged in his keyboard and mouse.

It was an old, long running Alterran joke to attempt to run Minecraft on anything that resembled a computer. Why not try it on your friend, who definitely has the hardware to do it. The monitor displayed Al-an moving through several directories before the text stopped and they instructed Ryley to type “MINECRAFT” and initiate.

The familiar Minecraft launcher appeared on the screen within milliseconds. He wasted no time in clicking play, eager to start. Both watched as the launcher loaded in about half a second and the actual game popped up on screen. Ryley created a world and watched it load faster than anything he had ever tried. The sheer delight painted across Al-an’s lights told Ryley this was just as fun for them.

“I can see everything that you are doing within the Network,” they told him.

“This is the coolest thing we’ve ever done.”

~~~

After days of asking, the Architects had finally provided a small pile of technology for Robin to investigate. Al-an must have pulled some strings somewhere and forced them to provide these. The human flipped the tablet over and finally noticed the faint edge of a latch holding it closed. A quick use of her laser cutter opened it easily to reveal a board and several sets of wires inside. The glowing letter on the outside seemed to be powered by something else, or residual power from the board.

An Architect warped into the base and then Al-an appeared, flashing blue when he saw Robin sitting on the floor. She smiled at him before turning back to her project. This definitely wasn’t her strong suit but it was certainly fun to take apart.

“Hello Robin,” Al-an said as he laid down on the floor next to the human. “I have finally found a moment to rest, if you do not mind the company.”

“Of course not! It’s good to actually see you for more than a few minutes,” Robin told him, idly reaching out and stroking his arm. A happy trilling noise emanated from somewhere within him as she did.

“I see we have given you some of our technology to study,” the Architect commented. He leaned over to get a better look at the tablet.

Robin nodded. “You know me, gotta learn everything I can.”

The pair sat together, comfortable silence passing between them. Al-an continued to idle, occasionally clicking when Robin succeeded in removing a piece of the device. Finally. Just some peace and quiet. Just the two of them. Soft warmth filled Robin’s chest and she leaned in. Part of her wanted to tell the Architect she loved this. Maybe she-

Where did that come from? They’d barely seen each other since he left her head, there was no time for weird feelings. ‘Besides,’ Robin thought to herself. ‘that’s like, the number one rule of xenobiology. Don’t fall in love with or fuck the aliens. You know better, Robin.’

Clearing her head of any feelings, Robin kept working. Suddenly, Al-an tensed up. Uh, oh. Tuning into the Network, the human heard the last of a request for Al-an’s presence somewhere else. Damn, just when they had gotten comfortable. Couldn’t Al-an have an hour of rest at least? Sure, Architects had more energy than humans, but they still got burnt out! Like that time that…

Al-an had said something Robin didn’t hear as she tried to think of what her brain was trying to remember. Had something happened with Al-an that she forgot about? She hadn’t known him that long. The Architect was already gone by the time Robin had the thought to ask where he was going.

Now alone, Robin continued to try to wrack her brain for the incident she had almost remembered. It was fuzzy, mostly something in an Architect hallway. Al-an was on the floor. Nothing else came to her. Why couldn’t she remember this?

Another Architect warping into the base interrupted Robin’s confusion. She shelved it for the moment, resolving to bring it up to Al-an when she next had a chance. Maybe he would remember something she didn’t.

The alien that appeared in the doorway definitely wasn’t Al-an. They looked at her with too much intent. Too dark pink to not be red. Anxiety welled in Robin’s gut. What did they want? They never spoke to her directly; Al-an always delivered information from the others, though Robin generally knew things already.

“Uh, hello. Can I help you?” Robin asked hesitantly.

“Yes. We must inform you that the one you arrived with is defective,” they said, maintaining their irritated color.

Robin stood up, shaking her head slightly. “What?” she asked, nerves tightening more.

“They are defective. Broken. Their behavior is abnormal for one of our kind. They must be fixed to continue to integrate with our society,” the Architect explained.

Anger began to cloud the human’s vision a bit. “Hey, he was imprisoned for 1,000 years, give him a break! Of course his behavior is weird! He’s still getting used to being in a society again. Just give him time,” she defended. He stood up for her autonomy, now apparently it was her turn.

“Why should we give you anything? After you have taken one of our kind from us,” the alien sneered. Their face tinted darker. “The very touch of your mind corrupts. The moment that Architect entered your mind, they were lost.”

Cold rage filled Robin’s head, clouding her vision until all she could see was the glowing jackass in front of her. Attacking them now would be stupid and practically suicide without Al-an around to defend her. She was right and she knew it. They knew it! Was this their problem with her?

“We are going to repair what has been damaged,” the Architect finally said.

“The hell does that mean?” Robin retorted, stepping closer. If they hurt him she swore-

“They must be refractored to remove any corrupted data. A standard procedure. Come with us.”

Their commanding tone was something Robin knew shouldn’t be argued with, not when they blamed her for Al-an’s “behavior”. She stormed after them, struggling to catch up but too angry to ask them to wait. If she opened her mouth again it wasn’t going to end well for anyone.

Suddenly, the voice she had heard nearly a week ago spoke again. He told her he wasn’t sure what to do if she died. He seemed to think that Al-an didn’t like him. When he said she was dying- wait. Oh. That made sense now.

Ryley! His face finally materialized within Robin’s mind, bringing some memories with it. This was a dream? This whole thing, the Architects, Al-an being broken. It was a dream. She must be sick and feverish then, if Ryley was overreacting like that. Al-an would be treating her right now, then. That explained the glimpses of conversations she could gather between Ryley and Al-an about treatment. She was just sick.

The Architect seemed to pay no mind to the voices Robin heard. She didn’t care. They weren’t real and her anger over them faded with the realization. Al-an wouldn’t be hurt, not really. Just in her mind, where she worried about him.

Another voice, Marguerit’s, spoke to her now. “You look like hell, Robin. Your damned arm looks ready to fall off and for your sake I hope it does. Just- You need to hold on a little longer. Hold on for us. We’ll be here ready to see you if- no, when you wake up. You’ll be ok. You’re tough, I know you can make it. Just stay with us, Robin. I’m gonna make sure that alien of yours saves your ass if it’s the last thing I do. They care about you. We all do. Stay strong, girl. I’ll be waitin’ at home.”

Robin wasn’t sure what the comment about the arm meant. She couldn’t really remember what happened before she fell asleep. Would she when she woke up? She hoped so, all she could remember was that something important had happened. Robin shook her head, unsure. Whatever it was, she could worry about it when she felt better. Marguerit believed in her. Ryley did too, she was sure.

The Architect led her into a dark room with a window facing into another dark room. The glow of several Architects painted the darkness, though not enough to make anything out. Another one was waiting inside the holding room, sitting by themself. They looked away, unable to meet her eyes. This wasn’t Al-an but it was definitely one of the older ones.

Robin steeled herself for whatever came next. The Architect wouldn’t look at her, the lights were still off in the next room. What were they doing? Didn’t the refractoring process take a long time? Ryley had said something about three years hadn’t he?

His voice suddenly cut through all sound in the dream. “If you don’t do something about this Robin is going to die!” he yelled, voice cracking. Oh. He wasn’t exaggerating, was he?

~~~

“Do you understand that? She’s going to die! You need to do something!”

Al-an began to shake, fear overtaking any other emotion they had. They knew they were frozen and out of ideas. Ryley knew that too. What were they supposed to do? They wanted to deny it, say that they could keep going, keep digging, and find something.

“Well?” Ryley prompted, gesturing wildly.

“I-” Al-an began, trying to collect themself. “I do not know what to do. As you have… witnessed, the last time I attempted something of my own design, I caused an outbreak.”

“I don’t think you get it,” Ryley replied, voice quiet. Shaky. “This isn’t the same. There isn’t something glaring you in the face that you’re missing. There isn’t a dangerous bacteria that could escape and infect anyone. It’s just Robin’s life in your hands. There isn’t anything to mess up except her.”

“Yes, but-”

“Repeat it, Al-an. She’s going to die. Say it.”

They couldn’t. They couldn’t say it. They shook their head, the human gesture that she- that they had learned. Ryley continued to insist, inching closer, getting louder. The Architect could see tears beginning to form in his eyes. He was right, but they couldn’t. Ryley insisted again, pushing in closer.

“She is going to die,” Al-an finally spoke. Their voice crackled with their fear and grief. It felt like a wet blanket over them, forcing them to focus simply on standing. They didn’t want to admit it.

“There you go. She’s going to die if you don’t do something. So what do you do?” Ryley continued, crossing his arms now.

“I do not know,” Al-an admitted. “Robin- she would know and assist me in… deciding.” Every word felt like it was ripping apart their vocal processors.

“Well, what’s the problem then? The whole problem.” Ryley asked. He shifted on his feet.

“Ryley-”

“Answer.”

“The bullet wound and subsequent newly fabricated body part that I gave her became infected and began to infect her arm,” Al-an said hesitantly. Stating the problem was not going to help.

“Good. So the problem is an infection,” Ryley said, nodding. “What do you do with an infection?”

“Treat it,” Al-an answered. That was what they had been doing!

“What else do you do? If it gets bad?” the human pressed, glaring up at Al-an.

“I am uncertain.”

“You cut it out and prevent it from infecting any other part of the body,” Ryley explained. Oh. “So what do you need to do?” he asked. His face had already softened.

Al-an thought for a moment. They wanted to protest, ask him ‘what about Robin?’ What would she think when she woke up and- They didn’t want to do anything to her body without permission. Ryley’s harsh words from earlier, and their own admission pierced the faint remnants of hesitation and shattered it. They had no choice.

“I need to cut Robin’s arm off.”

“There you go,” Ryley seemed to deflate with relief. “So do it. Save her.”

Al-an nodded and turned to Robin. Ryley’s footsteps retreated, leaving them alone. They steadied themself and uncovered their human, revealing the extent of their hesitation. She looked awful. This had to happen. Al-an set to work immediately, sterilizing another table and moving her. Performing the actual surgery was rather simple. Remove every bit of infected tissue and incinerate it. Their organic hands shook so they used their mechanical arms. They could cauterize the wound instantly this way.

Once the tissue was removed and dealt with, Al-an was left with the issue of covering the now much, much larger wound. They couldn’t leave it open like this without risking another infection. The human body part they had fabricated had seemed to cause the problem in the first place. Synthesizing human parts for Robin was out of the question. Permanently.

Al-an thought back to before they had met Ryley. Before everything. Robin had hurt herself doing something stupid, though the Architect couldn’t recall what that was at the moment. The wound she had caused was far too deep and large to stitch together, so Al-an had resorted to patching it with a piece of Architect skin. It had taken with no issue, though it was gone now, having been on her back, near her left shoulder.

After some measuring and gathering materials, Al-an initiated fabrication. A small patch of skin, large enough to fit over the entire open area that had been Robin’s shoulder, was ready for placement. Al-an worked quickly to stitch it into place. They didn’t have much time left. With Robin already doing better if the monitors attached to her meant anything, she would be waking up within a day or two.

Perfect. It was over. All told, the procedure had taken just over two hours. They waited another four, just to be certain that the skin took, though only extensive waiting would tell. Someone would need to monitor her at all times. Just in case. Even so, the wet blanket feeling of the last week was immediately gone. Cool, calm relief washed over them. She was out of immediate danger, at least for now. And she was stable. Now all that was left was to tell Ryley and wait for her to wake up.

Al-an picked up Robin’s PDA, which they had left abandoned while she slept. They had no way to mentally contact Ryley unless they wanted to scare him by speaking through the facility. They still struggled to navigate through the operating system on such a tiny screen and decided instead to opt for a larger display, placing the device on a table and activating its holographic screen. There. Much better and more suited to someone of their size.

“I have completed all necessary procedures. You will find us in the same room as we were before. - AL-AN”

Several minutes later, Ryley jogged into the room and rushed to examine Robin. “She’s all good?” he asked, glancing up every now and again.

“Yes. The new skin I synthesized seems to be agreeing with her body as well,” they explained, lifting the sheet to reveal their work.

Ryley nodded. “I’m proud of you for doing it. And I’m sorry I had to yell to get you to see it,” he said softly.

“I believe it was in our best interest to be yelled at,” the Architect replied. “I fear I would not have done anything if you had not forced my hand. I owe this to you.”

“I’d do anything for either of you,” Ryley replied, smiling up at Al-an and filling them with warmth. “Now let me keep an eye on her, and you go get some rest. You’ve been working nonstop. You deserve it.”

Al-an obeyed silently, moving toward the doorway. They could go find someplace to at least lie down. “Thank you,” they said, looking back. Ryley smiled at them, mouthing a ‘you’re welcome’, before looking back down at his PDA. Robin was safe with him.

~~~

How much waiting were they going to have to do? Why couldn’t the waiting just be easy? Ryley was getting sick of the stress that accompanied the waiting. At least Robin was out of the fire now. The machines that Al-an had her hooked to beeped rhythmically, all signs indicating that Robin’s condition was slowly looking up.

Marguerit was right. He had hated to do it, but Al-an just needed a push. For someone to force them to see what they were missing. Ryley wondered what would have happened if someone had given them that push with Kharaa. Would this whole thing have been avoided?

To be fair, though, how were the Architects supposed to know that the Emperor was psychic, much less sapient? At first, before meeting Al-an, Ryley had assumed that they simply refused to listen to her. The more he learned about the Network though, and how it worked… they may not have been able to hear her. He wondered if she knew that.

Bored, Ryley leaned over in his seat, resting his torso on the table, head on Robin’s stomach. Her steady breathing calmed and relaxed him. Half a thought of how his neck would feel if he slept like this crept into his consciousness, but he ignored it. Screw that. Just being able to rest against his friend and hear the fact that she was alive was enough to lull him to sleep.

Dreams flickered and faded through Ryley’s light nap. A scene finally solidified and he was swimming alongside the Emperor herself. She didn’t speak to him, but as he raced to keep up with her, he could feel her care. See it in her gentle, ancient eyes. He smiled at her, watching the light of his mask reflecting onto her turn blue.

She swam ahead of him and reached out with one of her mandibles, catching him and bringing him in close. Ryley, in turn, wrapped as much of himself around her as he could. Whatever love he could give her could never make up for her thousand year imprisonment, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try.

“Ryley,” Robin’s voice faintly said, somewhere above the water. The leviathan paused, glancing upwards, toward the bright surface where Robin called his name again.

“It is time for you to go, my friend,” the Emperor told him. “Swimming with you when we are free together has been enjoyable.”

Ryley smiled softly and pulled back, leaving a hand on her scales. “I miss you,” he replied.

“I know.”

“Ryley, wake up,” Robin sounded clearer now that the water was gone and her torso was underneath him. Wait-

“Fuck! Robin, you’re awake!” Ryley pulled back, flailing to keep his balance.

“I take it I was out for a while, huh?” Robin asked. She looked barely awake, but she wasn’t pale or sick looking anymore. The horrible greyish pallor that had fallen over her was gone, fully. Ryley clung to that, to the hope that she would be ok now that she was awake.

“A little over a week, yeah. How do you feel?” he replied with his own question. Al-an would assess her but he needed to know.

“Tired, and my shoulder’s a little sore. Pretty good over all, though,” Robin told him, smiling. Her voice was already getting stronger and louder. “What happened?” She glanced toward her now missing left shoulder as she asked.

Ryley sighed. There was no point in lying to her. Al-an would probably tell the truth too; at least from their perspective. Ryley himself had barely seen any of it, resorting to studying Architect stuff and making up ideas for projects. In between the worrying and stressful bouts of insomnia of course. That was fine.

“Al-an tried a lot of anti infection treatments that didn’t work, and when they ran out of ideas they just seemed to… stop,” Ryley finally told her.

“Hmm,” Robin hummed.

“I guess they just didn’t know what to try next,” Ryley continued, glancing away.

“Makes sense, he’s used to being in a hivemind. Doesn’t help when the only person connected to him is unconscious,” Robin mused, laughing softly. She winced.

Ryley nodded in agreement. “Yeah. I’m gonna go get them, actually. They’ll want to see you awake.”

With that, Ryley rushed off. Shit, how was he supposed to find them? They couldn’t have gone far, but where? He decided to jog around and just look until he finally located them resting against a wall. They turned the moment he entered, color shifting happier.

“Is she…?” they asked hesitantly. Ryley nodded.

They didn’t wait for the human, warping to the door and bolting. Ryley followed the thud of their hooves back to Robin. When he finally arrived the Architect was walking circles around the woman, scanning her with one of their robot arms, examining her normally, and talking rapidly. She reached up, placing her hand on their face as they leaned over the table, stopping them in their tracks. Ryley couldn’t hear what she said from his distance, but the upset blatant on Al-an’s colors faded to neutral. Ryley felt like he almost wasn’t supposed to have seen that.

He approached slowly and pulled out his PDA. Marguerit had asked for an update, and he needed to give it. She was easy to find in the short contact list. Hopefully it was daytime back on 4546B, or she might be cranky. He had no way to know. Maybe he should just let Robin talk to her? Well, he had already tapped call, may as well.

Robin took the PDA handed to her without question, and her face lit up when she saw why. There was a click, barely audible over Al-an’s hooves as they walked around the room, and then Marguerit’s voice said, “Hello?”

“Hey,” Robin replied as Ryley came to stand near her head.

“Robin!” Marguerit exclaimed. One of the Snow Stalkers growled in the background. “God, girl, it’s good to hear your voice.”

“It’s better to hear yours, Maida,” Robin said, glancing toward the floor.

“I take it Al-an got some sense knocked into them?” the older woman asked. Ryley envisioned her crossing her arms.

“Yeah,” he said when Robin didn’t reply. “Thanks for the tip.”

“’Course. I couldn’t sit by and withhold something that could’ve helped.”

Robin laughed. “Oh, really? You could’ve told me about-”

“Alterra was still on my ass. Don’t you get smart with me when you can’t fight back, girl!” Marguerit interrupted. Robin laughed and Ryley joined her. God, that felt good.

Al-an, who had wandered over to the humans unnoticed, finally spoke up. “We will return home in a few days when I am certain that it is safe for Robin to fly.”

“I’ll be waiting for you,” Marguerit replied.

“And I’ll be looking forward to it,” Robin said, still chuckling. “Maybe you’ll take pity and hug me.”

Chapter Text

”I have got to be going crazy,” Robin muttered as she entered the base. Ryley and Al-an sat together in the middle of the room, mostly ignoring her intrusion.

Maybe she left it in her room? Of course, if memory served, she hadn’t done that, and wouldn’t. She swore she had the damn thing on her when she left the base. Hadn’t she used it at some point while she was out? The cameras that still worked needed to be checked for their locations. Right? Robin clearly remembered checking to see if any still worked.

No, her PDA wasn’t in here. Maybe she set it down out in the main room? She was known to put things down and immediately lose them… Al-an was the only reason any storage was organized at all. How he had lived in her disaster of a brain, she didn’t know.

“I wonder if Al-an could synthesize Adderall and make my life easier…” Robin mumbled as she looked under things on the counter. Al-an and Ryley had stayed mysteriously quiet through this whole thing aside from Ryley’s offhanded ‘hey’.

“Have you boys seen my PDA?” Robin asked. She poked her head into the bathroom.

“Uh,” Ryley said.

“Yes?” Al-an added.

Finally, Robin looked at them. Ryley, a little bit flushed, stared at her from behind a physical computer monitor. Wires ran from it and into Al-an’s arm. Al-an, for his part of things, was holding up a keyboard and mouse setup with her PDA on the floor, projecting… Minecraft?

“What the fuck are you two doing?” Robin asked again as the pair stared at her, embarrassed. “Al-an did you take my PDA?”

Al-an looked away. “Perhaps,” he said quietly.

“I’m uh, running a server. On Al-an,” Ryley stuttered, glancing at the Architect.

Robin stared at them, slightly dumbfounded. Of course. Ryley had a question and Al-an was too curious not to try to answer. “First of all, holy shit that’s cool. Second, Al-an, you could have asked, you know,” she teased, wandering over to her friends.

Al-an left the server and shut down the game, handing the PDA back to Robin. Ryley closed his own game and left the monitor plugged into Al-an’s arm. Awkward silence stretched between them as lines of text ran across the screen.

“Is that the Network?” Robin asked, leaning in to read it.

‘Yes,’ the screen said.

Robin’s jaw dropped. “Oh my god hang on I need to try something.”

Closing her eyes, she focused on Al-an and said a few words to him. When she opened her eyes. ‘Fuck. Did that work?’ had appeared on the screen.

~~~

The last few days had dragged by for Robin. Her only method of time keeping was her PDA, and even that was hard to use now. She had to carefully prop it on her knees to even use it. This was going to suck, and she couldn’t even go home yet. Al-an wanted to wait and make sure she was safe to travel. Robin couldn’t blame him, considering her sore shoulder. Well, lack of shoulder, really.

Tonight would be the last spent on the Architect homeworld if things went smoothly. The skin graft Al-an had synthesized seemed to be taking just fine, though. Robin suspected that they probably could have left sooner if Al-an didn’t worry so much.

“You should attempt to get some sleep,” the alien said, shutting down the terminal he had been typing on.

Robin smiled at him. “I’ll try,” she replied. Al-an approached and let her stroke his thigh for a moment. The warmth of his skin seeped into her, grounding her. He, in turn, stroked her forehead gently.

“I am going to rest as well,” Al-an finally said. He stepped back and warped over the makeshift bed; Robin’s eyes tried to follow the blur of his body over the top of her. It still mesmerized her after all this time, the shifting purple and green that faded too quickly to really see, tracing the alien’s movements across a room.

Robin smiled after her friend until she couldn’t see him anymore and closed her eyes. Friend. The memories that she had been missing in her dreams had come back slowly. Honestly, she was surprised she even remembered any of what happened in that facility, much less in the height of the stress and blood loss. Robin felt herself flush as her mind replayed the scene to her.

She didn’t need to worry about that yet. Rest was more important than approaching Al-an about… that. Or even thinking about her own feelings toward it. Robin sighed and let herself relax. The mild soreness in her shoulder mercifully faded as she felt herself drift.

Opening her eyes, Robin found herself back in the dark room from her previous dream. Even over the last few days, she hadn’t dreamed about this. Why now? This time, though, the lights were on in the other room and she could see Al-an hooked to what looked like a storage cube via wiring. Wasn’t he supposed to be in the cube? They had said he was getting refractored, didn’t they? What, did they want her to watch the whole years-long process? What was going on? The strange Architect in the room offered no explanation.

The rest of the group idled about the room, most of them looking interested in Al-an’s limp body at the base of the platform. Several looked rather nervous. One of the younger models stepped forward, up to the control terminal. Robin watched helplessly as they nodded and announced that they were initiating the experiment. Experiment? Wait-

The room lit up a bit more and Al-an began to scream. Robin didn’t dare try to connect with him. The pain the Alterran scientists had put him through was probably nothing compared to this. The way he squirmed and tried to clutch at his head was already telling. Robin could practically feel the agony ripping at the edges of her mind.

She pounded on the glass. “STOP! YOU’RE HURTING HIM STOP!” she screamed, to no avail. They either couldn’t hear her, or ignored her pleas. She kept at it until her fist hurt from punching the glass.

When that didn’t help. She turned to the Architect in the room. They looked… Robin couldn’t read them, but they were definitely upset by the scene. Rage began to cloud her vision as Al-an’s screams set a background ambiance of pain. She rushed at the Architect and began to beat on them.

“Why won’t you do anything?” She yelled, tears streaming down her face. They looked down at her, unreadable. “STOP THEM! They’re hurting him why won’t you do anything?”

Suddenly, the alien went pitch black, not even the white of their glowing heart piercing the dark room. Robin tried to punch them again, but they disappeared. She fell forward, forward-

Robin screamed as her injured shoulder hit the ground. Pain forced its way through everything else, clouding her mind. She had the sense to roll off of it, but she could barely move. Why weren’t the Architect organs helping? Where was Al-an?

Loud thudding sent shockwaves into Robin’s pain addled mind and then she was being picked up, Al-an was talking, she couldn’t hear but he was talking. The pain was finally fading, just not nearly enough to focus yet. Robin heard Al-an tell her that she was ok, her shoulder wasn’t injured any further.

Ok, ok, that was good, she needed to calm down then. She hadn’t hurt herself, it just hurt. She tried to breathe, letting Al-an’s gentle touches on her back and the feeling of his suddenly very cool skin against her side relax her.

“When- when are the pain- pain processors gonna- kick in?” she asked between gasps and sobs.

The hand on her back moved to her head, replaced by the cold metal of another arm. “Soon. They have released as many endorphins as is safe for you,” Al-an explained.

“Just gotta- gotta wait then,” Robin concluded, pushing her head into his chest. She began to focus on soothing herself more, picking at the skin of her stomach where she could reach. She focused on where Al-an’s body pressed against hers. The care he was putting into gently petting her head. The sound of Ryley’s footsteps as he sprinted into the room.

“Is she ok?” He asked. A human hand brushed against Robin’s thigh.

“Al-an said I’m good,” Robin mumbled. To her mild delight her voice came out steady. She took another deep breath. “Just need a minute.”

Al-an shifted, moving her with him. Another deep breath. The pain was starting to fully fade. “Perhaps we should wait until later to leave…” the Architect said. His claw still idly ran through Robin’s ponytail. Eugh it was probably so awful; she hadn’t had a shower in at least a week, much less a chance to look in a mirror.

Ryley replied in agreement, but Robin had already zoned out of the conversation. She let Al-an carry her and tried to ignore what was left of the ache in her shoulder. Before she knew it, she was being set down in a chair.

Now that she could actually focus, Robin decided to go over some of the footage Ryley had sent her from the cameras back home. Curious, she checked the live feed, only to find most of them had been taken out. Damn. Well, nothing else to do but go over old footage then.

“Oh, hey, Al-an. I had an idea about something,” Ryley said suddenly, sitting up in his own chair. A mess of wires and some Architect devices lay scattered on the table in front of him, along with some hand tools.

“Oh?” Al-an replied, typing on their own small screen in front of them. Robin sighed and continued to watch her screen.

“Well, I found this large scale cloaking device when I was messing with some of the tech you’ve got lying around,” Ryley explained. “I thought maybe we could link it with the tracking abilities of the Quarantine Enforcement Platform to hide our home. Alterra won’t come out there unless they suspect us, but if they do maybe we could make them think the planet has… I dunno, disappeared?

Al-an hummed and nodded, colors flashing blue and green that reflected on the table. “That sounds like an enjoyable endeavor to pursue in our down time,” he said, shifting a bit.

“That’s what I hoped,” Ryley laughed nervously. “The idea isn’t fully fleshed out yet. You can probably make something of it.”

The quiet conversation lulled the last of Robin’s anxiety from her dream. That’s all it was, no matter how real it sounded. It wasn’t like she’d never seen Al-an in pain before anyway. He had been subjected to something similar barely seven months ago. It was just her mind, playing on that.

Now that it was quiet, just the tapping of Al-an’s hands and the occasional click from Ryley, the tune that had played in Robin’s mind since she woke up came back to the forefront of her conscious. She began to hum along with it, just to break up the quiet.

~~~

Ryley’s idea was excellent! The idea of taking the reason for his crash and turning it into something for good… It was a noble thought and very doable. Al-an already had plans in the works while they checked over their home in the background. All that they had been doing here was caring for Robin. There hadn’t been time to check on anything.

Their systems checked ended up truly being a background activity when they began thinking about Robin again. Al-an certainly would never have a dream like that, and most definitely not one so clear visually. Most of their actual dreams had to do with losing Robin to something, or some failure of theirs from the past. That was new.

Hearing themself scream… seeing the torture that Robin’s mind inflicted on them. Obviously from the storage cube hooked to their dream self, they were being refractored but quite badly. Is that what Robin thought it was? Or was this some cruel machination of her mind. Perhaps a continuation of something Al-an had been unable to witness. They had no idea.

The nagging thoughts screeched to a halt along with every background process. Robin was humming. Al-an waited a few more seconds, just to be sure and- yes!

“Robin,” they said slowly, turning to fully face the human. “Where did you hear that?”

She looked up, startled. “Um, in my… dreams. Why?” she replied, sounding just as cautious as them.

She had heard them! Their effort to calm her had actually worked! So it had been a stressful dream then… Al-an stored that knowledge away for later and realized they needed to say something. Both humans were staring at them now.

“It was really pretty,” Ryley finally commented, breaking the silence.

“Thank you,” Al-an said, taking some joy out of his shocked expression. “It is a song that I wrote because of… an unexpected error in my code caused by corrupted data.”

“Oh,” Robin said softly, glancing down at her PDA. Ryley’s face became unreadable; Al-an knew he was aware of the incident that they were referring to.

“After I was caught I hid it throughout the Network in order to find it again once the so called corruption was refractored out of me. I only found that piece of it,” they finished, gaze on the two humans.

“Do you think we could find the rest?” Robin asked. She looked earnestly up at Al-an. Warmth spread through their chest.

“I believe with both of us putting in effort, we should be able to. Give me a moment.”

Al-an promptly stood and strode toward the exit. They let their hand brush against Robin’s neck as they passed her. Once outside, they located a data terminal near Ryley’s base and warped to it, tearing it apart. Most of these components were useless for their purpose. Ah, there. The Network chip connecting the terminal to themself and everyone.

Back inside the base, Al-an approached Robin from the side. They let themself lean against her, feeling the warmth seep out of her body and into them. Wordlessly, they snagged her PDA. She looked up and indignantly said “Hey!” Al-an ignored her protest.

Pulling apart the simple human technology was simple, the tractor beam from their arm holding the pieces in place while Al-an installed the new component. They quickly pieced the PDA back together and placed it back on the table for Robin.

“I have made your PDA compatible with the Network. This will allow you to look for my song much more quickly than attempting to use your mind,” they explained. Both humans’ faces relaxed. “You will also gain access to the rest of the Network if you wish to do any research.”

“I didn’t even know you could do that,” Robin admitted.

“I will admit, I did worry that it would not function with the new component. Thankfully, I was wrong.”

“Hey, this’ll keep you from getting bored,” Ryley said, leaning toward Robin as he spoke.

Al-an began to search through the Network, locating a small list of directories that they knew they had edited before for Robin to start with. The PDA should directly display her connection, so if they tell her anything, or send things to her, she should be able to view them. The familiar beep of a notification confirmed this.

“Are we starting here?” Robin asked. Al-an nodded and set their plans for the Quarantine Enforcement Platform aside. Ryley needed to have an opinion on that anyway.

The next several hours were spent in quiet, just Robin’s quiet humming to fill the comfortable space. Ryley had stopped his investigation of the keycard Al-an had given him, and was now drawing something on his PDA.

Al-an let most of their concentration land on looking through the Network. They certainly had no memory of where they hid things. Most of them were probably encoded within files and memories. The average Architect simply looking for information would miss the clues. Certain words that felt familiar to the singular being now. They quietly shared the feeling with Robin, hoping that she would find it easier now.

Finally, Ryley huffed and sat back in his chair. Al-an glanced at his PDA and noticed the rather detailed schematic that he had scribbled down. Excellent. Robin looked up at the noise, lines of text forgotten on her own screen.

“I’m getting hungry, do we want to go home to eat?” the man groaned, rubbing at his face. “I’ve been sitting way too long.”

Robin smiled at her fellow human. “My ass is starting to hurt and Marguerit probably wants to see me…” she mused.

“Are you not hungry?” Al-an asked, worried. They tilted their head at her to emphasize this.

“No, yeah, I am. This chair just sucks,” she laughed.

“What, does your chair at home already have a butt imprint?” Ryley returned, laughing now too.

“I think so. It’s molded to me. We have a divine connection,” Robin confirmed. She stood and brandished her builder tool, ready to begin disassembly of Ryley’s base.

“I was unaware that you only see me as a chair,” Al-an said, standing with her.

Together, they packed up Ryley’s temporary base and stored the materials again. Al-an found themself grateful that Robin had suggested keeping some supplies on their home planet. Unfortunately, it had become useful.

The Architect constructed their ship with practiced ease and waited patiently for the humans to join them. As soon as they were settled they took off, eager to return home. As much as they hated to admit it, 4546B was becoming more of a home with every moment spent there. The silence of their own planet grew stifling and cold. Too much of a reminder.

If Al-an’s head was not currently hanging limp they would have shook it. As much as it hurt, they did not need to think about that now. Focusing on making a new arm for Robin was far more important. They would need to begin research on that as soon as Ryley shared plans for the Quarantine Enforcement Platform with them.

The soft sound of panicked breaths from inside the vessel caught Al-an’s attention. They checked inward and noticed Ryley’s terrified expression. Robin seemed to have his care under control. Odd that he was panicking now, when he had landed there safely many times before. Al-an made a mental note to ask him about it later.

Someone must have warned the other woman that they were on the way. Al-an caught sight of her and her pets sitting in the snow near Outpost Zero. Robin rushed forward to meet her, leaving Al-an with Ryley to catch up with her on their own. Al-an watched with a pang of jealousy that they still did not entirely understand as the two humans hugged, just as Robin had requested.

The other woman thankfully claimed she had business elsewhere the Al-an could not even attempt to care about, leaving the trio alone. It was time to finally go home. Al-an swam alongside the seatruck, purposefully slow to keep pace with the machine. Their muscles urged them to swim ahead and go home. They resisted the temptation.

“So!” Robin said, rushing inside and digging around in a drawer. She triumphantly held up a pair of scissors. “Should I start cutting all of the left sleeves off of my dive suits now?”

“Please don’t-”

“Please do not-” Al-an stopped themself awkwardly, glancing at Ryley.

“I’m sorry, go ahead,” the human said, blushing and running his hand through his hair.

“I apologize,” Al-an told him. They turned to Robin. “But please do not do that. I am going to attempt to build some kind of prosthetic for you.”

Robin laughed. “That was mostly a joke. But… thank you Al-an.”

~~~

Almost as soon as they were settled, Robin claimed that she wanted to go searching for lost cameras. At her insistence that she would be fine, Al-an allowed it. Ryley tried to ignore the remnants of anxiety eating at him that made the whole situation awkward. He was alone with Al-an, maybe they should-

“I noted that you were drawing up plans before we left. Shall we examine the platform and decide on a plan of action?” Al-an interrupted Ryley’s thoughts.

“Uh, yeah, I was actually about to ask about that. God knows how long Robin will be gone so we should use our daylight.”

Ryley followed the alien to the crater teleporter and hopped in his seamoth on the other side. One of the Sea Emperors appeared from the depths to swim alongside them for a while. The leviathan seemed happy to see him at least. It drifted off after a few minutes though, and left Ryley to his business.

“I believe dismantling the weapon itself should be top priority,” Al-an noted as Ryley left the water to stand with them. “The energy core needs to be removed, and the mechanism dismantled before it will be safe to power up again.”

Ryley nodded. “Sounds fair. I was going to make a casing for the device itself that will let us interface with it. That’s most of what I was drawing up earlier.”

Al-an took Ryley’s PDA once he had pulled up the drawing. They nodded to themself and handed it back. “I have no modifications to suggest. You may use recycled materials from the mechanism as I dismantle it,” they said.

“Should we get started then? I still have a few things I need to work out with the design so I can keep you company while you work on the energy core,” Ryley suggested. He glanced up at the alien’s face, noting that they seemed happy. Relief washed through him.

“Yes. The only thing I ask is that you provide light. I will not be restoring power,” Al-an confirmed.

The water contained the materials for floodlights, and Ryley dove for them quickly. He surfaced to find Al-an missing. They must have already gone inside. Well, fine, Ryley would take the moonpool into the facility then. That would be far faster anyway.

As he had suspected, Al-an was already waiting inside the building at the terminal. Ryley rushed to set up lights for them and then a chair, where he sat down to itemize his materials and finish his plans. The Architect tracking technology should be enough to maneuver the cloaking device on its own, but thrusters wouldn’t hurt, right?

“I have a question,” Al-an suddenly said, breaking the comfortable quiet.

“Oh,” Ryley said. He looked up to find the alien looking at him intently, though their arms still moved around the energy core. “What’s up?”

“You panicked on the trip home. Why? You have returned here many times with no problems.”

Of any question they could have asked, Ryley didn’t suspect that. They didn’t sound like they were being accusatory or judgmental. They were just… curious. Unfortunately…

“I don’t know, sometimes I’m fine, sometimes I flip my shit. My brain doesn’t really have a rhyme or reason for it. I’m used to it, I know I’m safe with you and all that. My brain is just dumb I guess,” he told the Architect.

Al-an stayed quiet, letting the anxiety settle into Ryley’s gut. Why did they ask? Yeah, it was dumb to panic about landing on a planet he’d been coming and going from like, 50 times now. Al-an didn’t have any hard feelings about it, right?

“Is there any way I can make you more comfortable with landing?” they finally asked. Ryley looked up to see the energy core completely deconstructed and contained within a small box.

“Oh, uh. I don’t know,” he stuttered. What was he even supposed to say?

“Perhaps dismantling this will help,” the alien continued. They moved across the room and placed the box near the door to be used later, when the gun was dismantled. Probably. “It will continue to be ion powered, though it will need far less energy. We can use this core for something else,” they explained.

Ryley sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Maybe you’re right. Shutting it off didn’t really help but you never know. Having it completely gone could help more.”

“If it does not, please let me know if I can assist further. I can… understand the emotional burden.”

“What do you mean?”

Al-an looked away, north, and then down at the ground. Their arms that were still moving, tearing down the control panel, slowed to a halt around them, framing their anxious glow. “The idea of being near a containment facility, much less needing to use one… I will admit that it terrifies me,” they finally spoke.

“Robin didn’t tell me much about how she found you,” Ryley admitted, leaning forward.

“The facility that contained me was about to shut down. If she had not found me I would not be standing here. I would be gone, lost to this planet like the rest of my people.”

Chapter Text

The endless stream of information entering Al-an’s consciousness gave them a sense of familiarity that they had been longing for since their storage. Watching two human videos, listening to music, reading things, and speaking with Robin was about as close to the noise of the Network as they were ever going to get. Now this was research at its finest.

Their efforts in learning everything they could about love was paying off. The weight of needing to actually tell her still froze them in place and lit their nerves on fire, but it was getting easier. They would get up the courage soon. Soon. For now, just listening to her explain at length about her new Shadow Leviathan observation deck was enough for the Architect.

“Hey, by the way,” Robin changed the topic suddenly. “With all of the research you’ve been doing, I’m sure you have questions for me.” She looked up at Al-an hopefully. Their happy light reflecting in her eyes edged nervous.

“I do not have any at this time. I will… let you know,” they said, hoping she wouldn’t catch them in their lie.

Of course they had questions! Many, in fact, that they kept to themself. Even edging around the topic made them nervous. How would she even react to the idea? Al-an regretted looking into the topic of sapient life and humans ideas on that sort of romance. Did Robin also see it in a negative light? Were they really just fumbling around on a one-sided infatuation?

Ryley burst in to the room as Robin opened her mouth, causing her to shut it again. Al-an, grateful for the distraction from the uncomfortable topic, turned to their other companion. Ryley seemed to realize he had walked in on something, if the heat on his face was any indication. He glanced away from the pair for a moment as if second guessing himself, before he finally opened his mouth.

“So uh, I kind of just realized we never named my ship,” he told them, a short, breathless laugh punctuating the sentence.

“Oh,” Robin said.

“It is your ship, you should be the one to name it,” Al-an added.

Ryley’s face warmed more. “Right.”

“I mean,” Robin paused. “Do you have anything or did you want to brainstorm with us? Or something.”

“I uh, I just wanted input. I thought Nocturnal sounded kinda cool.”

“Oooh, yeah, I like that,” Robin said with a small smile.

“It sounds…” Al-an glanced at Robin. “sneaky.”

~~~

After returning home, Robin had put most of her brain power into working on looking for Al-an’s song. If not that, then reviewing footage of the time she was absent or fixing broken wildlife cameras. The damn Snow Stalkers apparently decided that finding and eating cameras was their new favorite thing, making Robin’s life hell to try to keep an eye on literally anything going on in the glacial basin. Even the Ice Worms were getting in on the fun every once in a while.

When she wasn’t working, Robin was thinking. She was making great progress healing so far, though Al-an still insisted that she rest as much as possible and stay out of the water. Their fear was justified, if a little annoying. More than that though, it was the topic of 90% of Robin’s thoughts.

She had known he cared. Of course he cared about her, he lived in her head for months and took her home with him. But what he had said… She thought back to his words, and even before that. It was now painfully obvious that every time he had suddenly changed topics or come up with some excuse when he tried to talk to her, he was trying to tell her. All of that research he had done on her PDA with no history afterwards…

He had thrown himself into it, like he always does. He is his research, as he said. And to have referenced something he knew she liked! He did it on purpose. This wasn’t a fluke, this wasn’t an accident. He knew what he was doing, what he felt. He knew love in his own way. And Robin couldn’t stop thinking about it.

She couldn’t ignore the warmth that coursed through her veins at the thought of him. He had given her a life and a purpose when she had come to this planet to give herself to it, just like her sister. The Architect in her dream was almost right. Neither of them had been the same from the moment Al-an’s mind touched Robin’s. The irony of her brain feeding her another reference to Supernatural did not go unnoticed either.

Robin sighed. She needed to clear her head a bit and stop thinking about this, at least for now. Sam would tell her to take care of herself. She felt like hell, might as well shower. Robin groaned and stood up. Hey, at least she could still do that.

In the main room, Robin found Ryley fiddling with a box made of Architect metal. He looked up at the intrusion and smiled before turning back to his box. Robin felt bad, but she needed to interrupt him. She had no idea the logistics of trying to get clean right now.

“I have a weird request,” she said.

Ryley looked up again. “Yeah?” he prompted.

“Will you help me take a shower? Al-an did his best and all, but my hair is gross and I still want to get fully clean,” Robin explained.

“Sure!” Ryley agreed, setting down his tools and standing up. “I don’t really know why that would be a weird request though.”

“I mean, you do have to see me naked for it.” Robin wasn’t opposed to a little bit of nudity between friends, but the general public held a much different opinion, and she had no idea how Ryley himself felt about it.

He laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep the dick staring to a minimum. I figured I’d shower too while we’re at it, so it’s not like it really matters.”

“One of us was going to walk in on the other getting dressed sooner or later anyway,” Robin added as she headed to the bathroom.

Ryley’s chest looked great so far! If that was what Al-an would do to her, she wasn’t about to complain. Hell, it glowed! The soft light emanating from the intricate lines distracted just enough from the scar that lay underneath. It was beautiful. Half of the heart motif that Al-an had on his own chest stood as the centerpiece, most likely to be completed later as it healed. Robin nodded to herself as she stripped in turn.

The hot water felt like heaven. Ryley thankfully let Robin clean herself for the most part, only stepping in when she needed to let her hair out of its braids, or when she couldn’t reach her back with her right arm. His fingers running through her soapy hair brought back faint memories of her childhood, when her mother or Sam would help her in the bath.

In turn, Robin helped Ryley with what he couldn’t reach. And just to make it even, she worked the shampoo into his hair, like he had for her. It was only fair. Seeing Ryley relax for once was worth it too. The poor guy was so tense sometimes; Robin wondered what went on in his head.

As they stepped out, Robin took a deep breath. The relief of being clean in her own home was overwhelming. Both humans moved to their rooms to get dressed, though Robin noted Ryley’s lack of a shirt when they both returned. She didn’t dare point it out, but she couldn’t help the pride in her at his comfort with his chest. She wished she could feel the same. Someday…

“You look nice with your hair down,” she told him.

Ryley looked at her, startled. “Wha- no! Shut up, no I don’t!” he stuttered.

“Yes you do,” Robin retorted, sticking her tongue out at him. “I mean you kinda look like a surfer, but in a cute way. You know? You should leave it down more often.”

“I guess,” he conceded, rolling his eyes. “Do you want me to do yours, though?”

“Oh, uh, yeah, I can look up a tutorial for you,” Robin replied. She didn’t expect that. “I was just going to ask Al-an to do it later. He seems to enjoy it.”

“Oh, it’s cool,” Ryley laughed. “I used to do my sister’s hair all the time when I was younger,” he said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Robin’s whole world ground to a halt. What.

“I’m- I’m sorry, come again?” she stuttered, shock still spreading through her brain.

Ryley looked up, confused, and then his entire face turned red. “Oh, fuck. I never mentioned her?” he asked, sheepish.

“Um, no?”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Ryley’s words tumbled out of him. “My memory has been kinda shot for a long time, I thought I at least talked about her once…”

Robin chuckled to herself as he grabbed his PDA and searched through it. She wasn’t upset by any means, but she wished she had known. If her suspicion was correct, they could probably relate.

Ryley offered his PDA, which Robin took. On the screen was a picture of a much younger looking Ryley, his face devoid of any scars, his eyes much happier and brighter. Pressed up next to him was a young teenager. Her pigtails framed his face and blocked out most everything else in the image. They looked so god damn happy.

“That’s the last picture I ever took with Daisy. Any other pictures I had are either on a PDA that my parents have probably wiped and sold by now, or were lost when I crashed,” Ryley explained, leaning against Robin’s back. His voice wavered, giving away how close he was to crying.

“She’s cute,” Robin commented and handed his PDA back.

Ryley huffed quietly and the puff of air tickled the back of Robin’s neck. “Yeah… I haven’t seen her since the night I left. We were supposed to have a sleepover in her room but they called me and told me I had to be on site or I wouldn’t get to go.”

“You wish you hadn’t gone,” Robin finished for him.

“Yeah… They never even heard where I was when I got back, as far as I know. Alterra intentionally stuck me across the country from them.”

Heavy silence passed between the humans as Ryley set to work braiding. His hands steadied as he went, working slowly over Robin’s head. The aurora had launched… what, four, five years ago? Poor guy must have been around 20 when he left then, young for an engineer. In the picture, his sister looked much younger. Robin sighed and let herself relax back into her chair. She knew how much that hurt. If she ever met the kid…

“Hey you uh, want to do anything after this? I don’t know where Al-an is so I don’t really have any plans,” Ryley said as he finished the last braid and quickly tied the rest of Robin’s hair into her signature ponytail.

“Sure! Maybe we could play card games!” Robin exclaimed, perking up. “I’m gonna ask if Al-an wants to join.”

With that said, Robin reached out and located the Architect somewhere deep below the surface near Delta. He heeded her request almost immediately and she could just barely see him moving in her mind’s eye. She nodded at Ryley.

“Hey, speaking of Al-an, I have a question that I don’t really know how to ask them,” Ryley said. He wandered over to his own chair at their table and sat down. He continued when Robin didn’t respond. “Have you ever seen them turn purple? Like, royal purple.”

Robin’s brain immediately rushed back to that storage facility, and how Al-an had looked at her. The deep, royal purple as they monologued, that turned darker when they said the four words that had been eating at her since it happened.

“Uh, what were you doing when you saw it?” she finally asked, jolting herself out of her own shock.

Ryley paused for a moment, thinking. “Ok, so you mentioned Supernatural back on Earth and I got curious, right? A couple of months ago, they caught me watching one of the later episodes and asked to watch with me. I guess one scene really got to them. I mean, it got me too-” he laughed. “But they just sat there, staring at the screen, and I had never seen that color before.”

“Oh,” Robin mumbled. She already knew it was intentional. She already knew they did it on purpose. That just… that really and truly solidified it. She just had to bring it up…

“Sorry, was that- is it bad?” Ryley asked, hesitant.

“No, no, I just uh. I just realized something, that’s all,” Robin stuttered in reply. She didn’t want to say anything about it to Ryley, not yet. Not if he didn’t know. She needed to change the subject, the Architect was approaching fast.

“Oh, hey, completely off topic,” Robin said as she heard Al-an’s hooves on the moonpool. “I synthesized a milk substitute if you want any of it.”

Ryley’s face lit up. “Yeah! I’m gonna make ice cream!”

“I do not understand your desire to eat something cold when it is already cold here,” Al-an said from the doorway.

“It’s a human thing, Al,” Robin laughed. “Come join us, I’ll teach you how to play bullshit.”

“I have already looked up a tutorial. Who will be proceeding first?” Al-an said smugly as they sat down at the table.

Robin pulled some cards out of a drawer and joined her companions. “I say youngest first, then me, then Al-an. That way you get to see two plays,” she said as she dealt the cards.

The first few rounds went without a hitch. Robin called Ryley on a bluff. Ryley called her on hers immediately after. Another few turns around the table, and Robin noticed something awful.

Al-an placed two cards. They called it out, “Two queens.” They turned a peachy color that Robin had seen before.

“Bullshit,” she called.

“Fuck,” Al-an said, making Ryley laugh. The Architect flipped their cards that were decidedly not two queens and then took the pile.

The game continued like that. Robin called the poor alien’s bluff four more times, relishing in their annoyance every time she was right. She couldn’t help but feel a little bad, especially once Ryley caught on and they both began to call it.

Al-an placed another card and lied. “Bullshit,” Robin said as they changed color.

Bright red annoyance washed over the lighter color. “How the hell do you continue to guess correctly?” Al-an all but shouted.

“Um,” Ryley said, looking at Robin. He looked lost for words.

“Al-an, I don’t know how to tell you this, but every time you lie you change color,” Robin explained, trying to hide her smile behind her hand.

The Architect straightened up and placed their cards on the table. “I was… unaware of that,” they admitted.

“Maybe we should play something that doesn’t involve lying,” Ryley piped up.

“I’ll call Marguerit and see if she wants to play Uno!” Robin said before she really had a chance to think about that. Al-an stayed neutral, so she continued with the idea.

With the pause in game, Robin had a second to think. She opted for sending a message instead of calling when her voice caught in her throat. Ryley said that he and Al-an had watched that episode together around two months ago. Just over, actually. That… lined up with Al-an’s constantly trying to talk to her. How he had telegraphed his sloppily put together excuses for subject changes.

He hadn’t had the courage until the facility. But he had done it all on purpose. Robin barely saw Marguerit’s reply of agreement through the haze of excitement coursing through her. He did it on purpose. That color really did mean what she thought it did. Now she just had to figure out how to talk to him about it.

~~~

Al-an cursed themself for letting Robin call her. They were having a fun, albeit frustrating, time with their humans. Why did she need to be involved? Obviously, it was far too late to tell Robin this, if the tilting and loud thud was any indication. As long as Al-an could beat her, this would be fine.

The Architect taught themself the rules of the game while they waited for the humans to settle. Robin and Ryley took a spot on either side of them, the other woman directly across from them. They pointedly kept their gaze on Robin as she dealt cards. Her face radiated warmth as she pointedly looked anywhere but at them. What was she thinking about?

The background of Al-an’s processing stayed on Robin as they played the human game. They knew better than to spy on her thoughts but it was so tempting now as she sat there. She didn’t seem distracted, just… thoughtful. Perhaps it was a persona put on for this game.

Ryley won the first round. Al-an checked heat signatures in his clothes. He had not hidden cards. Robin called him lucky. Checking the other woman, Al-an noted that she had far more cards than them. Excellent, at least they had prevailed over her. Smug pride welled in their chest.

The second and third games ended just as smoothly, though not nearly as quickly. Robin won a game, followed by Ryley again. In each one, Al-an still beat the other woman, even if only by a margin. Robin, Al-an noted, did hide cards in her sleeve. They chose not to call her on it.

A fourth game was well underway and Al-an was beginning to feel competitive. This was certainly not because she was winning. Robin’s mean little smile as she forced them to pick up four more cards did not go unnoticed. Al-an glared in her direction as they drew their punishment. The woman laughed at something Ryley said. Al-an chose not to hear.

They continued around the table several more times. Al-an’s glare fixed from Robin to the other woman again. They would not be shown up by this pathetic human. She, of course, seemed to pay the Architect no mind.

One of the Snow Stalkers, which she had brought with her, yowled on the floor behind her. She turned around, snapped at them, and turned back to the table. Ryley placed a card.

She placed a card. “Uno,” she claimed, smug. Al-an checked her sleeves. Clean. They checked heat signatures under the table. No, her legs had no suspicious rectangles. She was winning and she wasn’t even cheating like Robin!

Robin placed her card, forcing Al-an to draw two. They glared at her again. Fine, if that was how she wanted to be! Several turns ago the Architect had picked up a reverse card. Robin would certainly be competitive enough to attempt to beat the other woman as well. They just had to hope she caught on.

They placed their card. Ryley laughed. Robin placed a normal card. She placed her final card. Al-an tried not to see red as Robin congratulated her on her victory.

“Hey, Al-an,” Ryley said quietly, bringing their attention to him. “I hate to do this to you, but I had a +4 card that I was going to use on her if you hadn’t reversed.”

Hot rage, mostly at themself for being so damned stupid boiled to the surface. Al-an threw their cards onto the table far more forcefully than they needed to and stood; they nearly hit their head on the ceiling in their force to get up. Their hoofsteps echoed sharp and satisfying as they stormed off toward their entrance.

Outside. Into the water. Away. Their anger with that human was petty at this point. Childish even. Still, she got to them. Got under their skin. Irritated them beyond belief. Why did Robin like her so much? Did she just take sick pleasure out of being put down?

Where were they even going? Al-an found themself floating above the twisty bridges. Above where they had been trapped for a millennium. There was no point in continuing to stew in their anger over a silly human game. At least they had left and given themself an opportunity to calm down. At least Ryley would understand the most out of the three humans.

Al-an turned around and spotted the human in question swimming toward them. His mask displayed concern. That was nice of him.

“I apologize for my outburst,” Al-an called out as Ryley approached.

The mask shifted blue. “Hey, I get it. Marguerit was more confused than anything,” he told them. “Sorry for making it worse.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. My anger is my own to deal with.”

“I get that…”

Al-an began to swim again and, to their delight, Ryley followed. They dove together, exploring among the coral. This place was already mapped in Al-an’s mind, a permanent knowledge ingrained in them forever. Now they simply took in the beauty of the landscape. Enjoyed the fish swimming around them. Ryley’s company.

“Hey uh,” Ryley started, looking away. Al-an slowed to a stop.

“Yes?” They prompted.

“I just kinda… thought maybe you’d want to do something to relax. Or something. Like do more of my chest,” he said. Why was he being so hesitant? Though, now that the Architect thought about it…

“That sounds like a good use of time,” they agreed. “I would enjoy something to focus on.”

They set a course for the fabricator facility. They could protect Ryley from the leviathans, though knowing him, he would attempt to pet one anyway. He was brave, but incredibly dumb. Al-an did not understand how a human could have so little care for his own safety. Finally, deep, deep underwater, with Ryley clinging to their side, they made it to the cave.

“Maybe next time I should get a Seamoth before we do this,” Ryley commented.

“Perhaps I was a bit too excited,” Al-an agreed. They set up a workstation and fabricated their components while Ryley laid down.

They had been correct. The intricate detail of their work was exactly what they needed to relax their mind. The silence of the Network did nothing to ease their tense emotional turmoil, so focusing on something was perfect. Ryley seemed more used to it now as well. Al-an relaxed completely, finally able to become absorbed in their work. At this rate, they would only need to add small details and combine the strings of glowing ink up the back of their friend’s neck. Perhaps then he would relax a bit as well.

~~~

Maybe pet sitting was actually Ryley’s calling. Why did he ever think Alterra was a good idea when he could have been spending time with dogs? Dogs was a stretch in this situation, but five month old Snow Stalkers basically acted like puppies anyway. They tumbled around him, chasing the piece of Architect scrap metal that he had given them.

The outer casing for the cloaking device was mostly completed already. It housed the device, as well as two onboard computers and multiple sets of thrusters. One was Architect, programmed mostly by Al-an while Ryley sat and watched, taking vigorous notes. It would control the movement and connect with the gun’s tracking technology. The other was human, meant to passively record data from passing vessels. Anything that came within a certain range of 4546B would be sent directly to everyone’s PDAs.

All that needed to be done now was for Al-an to finish taking down the gun. As safe as it was without the energy core, it was a terrible reminder of why Ryley was here in the first place. Having it gone would ease his mind far more than he cared to admit. Hell, maybe his barely contained panic attacks upon landing would ease up with just the knowledge that not only did the gun not function, but it didn’t even exist anymore.

Honestly, he didn’t even know why Al-an was helping with this aside from them being the only one able to deconstruct Architect things. Ryley hated the little worm in his brain that told him it was all for show. Just to appease him, or because they took pity on him. He didn’t like the feeling but it was there, ever present and nagging at him. That Robin and Al-an had something special and he was just… there.

Preston’s growl brought Ryley out of his thoughts. The animal had wandered over to him at some point and sat down, begging for his attention. He nudged his shoulder now. A bit of slobber dripped from his tongue.

Ryley obliged his companion and began to scratch around his ruff. He tangled his fingers in the thick fur until he could barely move them anymore. Preston looked unbelievably happy. Ryley couldn’t help but smile. God, was he glad Marguerit had asked him to watch them for her.

She gave some half baked excuse about needing to go deep, past what was safe for the Stalkers. While that was probably true, if Ryley had to guess she most likely just wanted a break. Preston obviously viewed this as his home.

The human stood up from his seat; four sets of eyes were now fixed on him. He chuckled quietly and began to walk around the room. “Just need to stretch my legs, guys. Don’t let me bother you.”

Ryley wandered farther into the base. Thumping footsteps followed his every move. He felt like a mother duck with her ducklings. “What do you guys think about this base, huh?” he asked the animals. Potato Jr. yapped.

“Yeah? It is pretty messy…” he paused and looked around. Half empty bottles lay scattered and abandoned along the counter. Picked through food had been tossed in the corners or was left on the table. Ryley didn’t dare open the fridge. “Maybe we should… do something about this,” he told the Snow Stalkers.

“It has to suck, trying to live in here. I can’t imagine Marguerit enjoys it,” he continued. Preston grumbled and nudged his face into Ryley’s hand. “She deserves better than this.”

Chapter Text

”Frozen treat from a frozen wasteland,” Ryley mumbled to himself as he picked up his bucket from the snow. He had set it outside a few minutes ago to make up for his own impatience.

After a bit of brainstorming, he and Robin had come up with a couple of fruit and nut combinations to try out in ice cream. This specific experiment contained juiced lantern fruit, chunks of shrub nuts and Preston’s delight, and bulbo seeds. Just the top of the frozen treat looked tantalizing. God, how long had it been since Ryley had had ice cream?

He pulled a bowl and spoon from a cupboard and placed them on the counter. Not without a little bit of giddy giggling and clapping of course. Thank god Robin was nowhere to be found. She never would have let him live that down. Embarrassment still pricked at his neck.

Ryley excitedly readied his spoon and pushed it into the cream. Pushed it into- into. FUCK.

“Ok, maybe putting it outside was a bad idea…” he grumbled.

Irritated, he shoved the spoon as hard as he could without breaking anything into the container. A small dent appeared in the top of the treat, now apparently frozen completely solid. “Idiot,” he mumbled to himself. Maybe hacking it with the spoon would work instead? “Like an ice pick.”

Ryley smacked the smooth, lovely surface with his spoon. A small chip of shrub nut dramatically popped out and landed on the counter, leaving a gracious hole in the otherwise smooth surface. A leverage point! Excited again, Ryley shoved the spoon into the hole and tried to scoop.

The fucking spoon bent. The stupid god damned piece of shit ice cream was too fucking frozen to scoop. Fucking hell. Fucking god damn HELL! Anger began to cloud Ryley’s senses; his vision focused on the too frozen bucket in front of him. He didn’t hear Robin enter the base.

“You ok?” she asked, startling him out of his angry trance.

“I just wanted some FUCKING ice cream!” Ryley yelled in reply. Without thinking, he turned, cocked back, and punched the wall as hard as he could. He was too pissed to care if it hurt him. Or what it did to the wall. He stomped to his room, pushing past Robin. Stupid fucking ice cream.

~~~

With Ryley out running an errand for Marguerit in the crater, and Al-an off doing god only knew what, Robin had some nice alone time. For Ryley’s ice cream. It should be more than thawed enough to scoop by now since she had stored it back in their freezer after he stormed off the other day. Why he chose to put it outside, Robin would never understand. Temperatures were literally always below zero out there.

Robin glanced at the fist sized dent in the wall as she prepared her bowl and spoon. Sure, he was muscular, but god damn! She shuddered to think how that would feel hitting a human. No wonder the guy was such a machine on missions if he could pack a punch like that. Robin was fairly certain he could break someone’s neck if he punched them hard enough.

Alright, spoon in hand, ready for scooping. The curved utensil descended toward the delicious cream and slipped right inside. Robin pulled it to the side to scoop. The bucket moved instead. Ok. She moved it back and tried again. Again, the whole bucket moved. Robin felt the remaining muscles in her shoulder attempt to move a limb that wasn’t there to hold the bucket steady. Fuck.

Maybe if she held it against her? Robin positioned the bucket against her belly and once again, tried to scoop it. Now the problem wasn’t that it moved, no. Now this was possibly the worst angle ever. It twisted her elbow in the most irritating way. Maybe she should just try again normally. Just one more time. She moved the bucket back to the middle of the counter.

It didn’t work again. The stupid bucket just slid and there was nothing she could do about it. Robin groaned and turned around, back to the counter. She sank to the floor, letting her back slide against the side of it. This was so fucking pathetic. All of the jokes about cutting the sleeves off of her dive suits just stung now. Salt in the wound.

Holding back the tears wasn’t going to work right now, was it? She had to just let herself have this stupid breakdown. Over ice cream. Her! Robin Ayou, renowned scientist! Crying because she couldn’t scoop ice cream. God this was stupid, why was she like this?

Robin stayed on the floor. No point in getting up, really. Al-an would probably come back eventually and dote on her anyway. That was nice at least, to have him. She imagined him warping back in through the moonpool and finding her like this, crying on the floor. He would pick her up for a hug. Maybe get the ice cream for her. And then she’d tell him she loved him too and-

Sobs interrupted Robin’s train of thought. Even in the middle of a mental breakdown, her brain really wanted to hammer that home, huh? The stress of not knowing how to tell him was only making this breakdown worse. God.

The bulkhead door opened, alerting the crying woman to Ryley’s return. She didn’t look up, but she heard him gasp and a thud as whatever he was holding hit something. His footsteps approached her and he sat down, his side brushing against her arm.

“Robin? What’s wrong?” he asked. Concern laced his words. His arm snaked around behind Robin’s head and pulled her into him.

She laughed wetly. “It’s so fucking stupid…”

“Not if it’s upsetting you,” he replied. His head bonked into hers and she felt exactly how stiff his hair was. Good god, man.

“I couldn’t get the ice cream to scoop either,” Robin finally admitted. “I guess you need two hands for that… it’s really pathetic.”

Ryley stayed quiet for a moment, thinking. His hand rubbed against her shoulder. Finally, he stood, still saying nothing and stepped into the bathroom. Robin stared after him, confused. Did he just really need to go?

Apparently not, since he reappeared a moment later with a towel gripped triumphantly in his hand. “You won’t have to worry for too much longer if Al-an can make something functional, but maybe putting the bucket on a towel for now will help!” he explained.

Robin took the hand he offered and let him pull her up. Both of her knees cracked on the way. How long had she been on the floor? Too long, if her noodle legs were anything to go by. God, and she wasn’t even that old yet! She watched, feeling a little stupid as Ryley carefully placed the tub of ice cream on the towel and stood back.

She approached it cautiously, as if it would turn into a Brute Shark and bite her. She grabbed the spoon, which was still stuck in the cream and pulled. To her great delight, it worked! Robin scooped herself a bowl, and after a moment of staring at each other, served one for Ryley.

“Thanks,” he said, grinning and stepping toward the table. “I have some cameras to fix if you want to sit for a while with me.”

Robin nodded. “Sounds good. I need to work more on the song anyway.”

She sat down and began to comb through directories that Al-an had sent her. Neither of them really knew what they were looking for aside from faint, familiar harmonies to attempt to piece together.

“Doing better?” Ryley asked, interrupting Robin’s intent focus.

“Yeah,” she replied, smiling pathetically at him. “I’m uh-” she snickered. “I’m ‘all right’ now.”

Ryley’s expression fell and he shoved his bowl and camera forward. His head hit the table with a solid ‘thunk’ and he shook with barely contained laughter. “That was bad!” he said, voice muffled by the table.

Robin laughed with him. She turned her focus back to the Network and her ice cream. Finally! After six dead ends, that feeling of familiarity returned and Robin pulled out a piece of paper to write down another verse. She scribbled it down quickly and moved on to the next directory. They had to be nearly done by now, right?

Again, Robin found her work interrupted. This time, a strange, mechanical sound came from outside. Robin looked in the direction of the door, and then at Ryley, who shrugged. What the hell was that? It didn’t sound like any fauna she could think of.

“That sounded like a Warper,” Ryley commented.

“Those don’t come over here,” Robin retorted, standing up.

Another sound, this time loud scraping and thumping at the moonpool, startled the humans. Ryley joined Robin in standing, worried now. She jogged ahead of him through the hallway and into the moonpool to see what the hell was trying to get in. It was far too tall for a Snow Stalker, and Pengwings didn’t make that noise. Robin had no idea what to expect.

Al-an was most certainly not what she expected to see. His front legs and torso were already in the building, the rest of his body mostly hanging out. A massive gash tore through the right side of his lower body and it dripped some kind of light blue fluid. Oh, shit!

“Robin,” Al-an said, looking up at her pathetically. “I have been impaled.”

~~~

Early mornings were Al-an’s favorite. The water carried sounds up from the depths, surrounding the Architect in a calm sphere of solitude. They hated the silence of their homeworld, having known it when it was a bustling hub of minds. 4546B was quiet, but it was never silent. Al-an liked that. They almost liked hearing her stomping around in her stupid metal suit too.

“Enhancement my tail,” Al-an said to a passing Sea Monkey. “I could construct something far better and more powerful that uses far less energy that could do the exact same things as those P.R.A.W.N. Suits. Perhaps better than them.”

The Sea Monkey chittered at them as if it understood before handing them a diamond and swimming away.

“We already possess enough enameled glass. I appreciate the gift, of course,” Al-an called after it. They stowed the material and continued their swim toward the Glacial Basin.

“Though, I suppose my recipes for glass would be far more effective in some kind of enhanced mechanical body akin to that,” they told a Peeper. It promptly turned tail and fled.

A Pengwing zoomed past the Architect as if challenging them to a race. They obliged of course. It was headed in the same direction, though it was most likely looking for food, not a race. Al-an did not care and followed it closely. If they tried, of course they could win. Perhaps this Pengwing needed to feel good about itself today.

The human act of anthropomorphizing animals was quite fun! The silly little stories kept Al-an’s brain occupied from the otherwise quiet mental landscape they inhabited. It kept them from thinking too much about Robin. It did not, however, distract the Architect from the strong sense of dread crawling up their back.

Their Pengwing friend caught a fish and hopped back up onto an iceberg, leaving Al-an alone again. Nothing around them indicated immediate danger. “Has something terrible happened to any of you?” they asked a small group of Pinnacarids that watched them intently.

“Yes, I assumed not,” Al-an said when they didn’t respond. “I almost envy your simple lives. You only need to worry about your next meal, and how many Snow Stalkers you may see today.”

The feeling did not leave the Architect as they exited the water and began the short trek to the Arctic Spires. They did not particularly enjoy this area of the arctic, however allowing Robin to come here when she was disadvantaged was a terrible idea. One that Al-an would not begin to entertain until they gave her her new arm.

A Snow Stalker yowled in the distance and then Al-an felt the ground shake a bit. “I suppose I should be grateful that I do not have to worry about being eaten,” they mused out loud. “Perhaps I am simply on edge from recent events.”

They continued their walk but opened their sensors to technology. A camera lay broken, not far from them. Al-an began their approach and noted the tufts of white fur in the area, indicating that a Snow Stalker had eaten this one.

Suddenly, Al-an’s hooves were no longer underneath them and the ground met their tail and right hip. And then the rest of them. They were thankfully able to save their head from hitting the ground and suffering such consequences. Al-an also found themself quite grateful that they had not woken Ryley to accompany them and watch them fall like that.

“How embarrassing…” Al-an muttered as they righted themself and picked up a nearby camera, placing it in their storage to give to Ryley later.

“Well,” they continued. “that was certainly something to dread. I must be correct in my assessment that I am worried about nothing.” A nearby Snow Stalker growled in reply.

Al-an began to stroll now. If that was all that their dread had been about, they felt rather silly now. Robin’s arm would be nothing to worry about either. At this point all they needed to do was gather materials and construct the new component. They could worry about that later, of course, when they completed this task.

“Do you think she will like the design I have drawn up?” Al-an asked another nearby Snow Stalker. It huffed. “I certainly hope she does.”

They continued their walk until they finally located another camera. Again, they strolled over and picked it up, though this one was in terrible condition. In the background, Al-an began to draw up plans for stronger outer casings for these cameras to protect them from the wildlife they were supposed to watch.

Another camera lay broken in the snow a few hundred meters away, so Al-an began to approach it. The sun shone down on their back, warming them a bit as their hoofsteps echoed around the spires. Today looked like it was going to be nice. A perfect day to spend time with their humans.

Suddenly, just as Al-an was picking up the next broken camera, they found themself flying through the air. Their body hit a spire and bounced, knocking them roughly to the ground. The Ice Worm roared as it dove over the Architect’s body, disappearing into the ground. Shit.

Al-an struggled to their hooves, unable now to ignore the immense pain in their right side. They had no time to check their damage; they attempted to warp but apparently it was too much and they only ended up a short distance away. Running it was, then.

They sprinted as fast as they could, ignoring every signal in their body to stop and assess the damage. Every signal that told them they were only hurting themself more. The could stop once they were safely across the bridge.

Finally, Al-an made it down to the dock and found a moment to check how badly they were hurt. Quite, they noted as they gazed at the large hole in their side. Blood gushed from it, dripping down and staining the snow beneath them blue. “That is not good,” they said. Their voice wavered in a way they hated. They needed to get to Robin.

This was a dangerous endeavor, to swim while bleeding. It left them quite vulnerable to attack from a multitude of predators. One of which they had to pass, and was most certainly big enough to hurt them.

“Unless, of course, I go the other way. Around the front of Delta,” they said to the fish that they passed. Their voice still wavered. A Sea Monkey chittered but now the sound rang in Al-an’s already overwhelmed senses. The pain in their side made it worse.

They decided that this was going to be the easiest route. It would avoid the Chelicerate completely, making their only worry Squidsharks, Brute Sharks, and Cryptosuchi. If they swam fast and risked warping, perhaps they could avoid the predators in the first place.

It worked. Al-an darted around the water as fast as their injured body would allow, leaving a trail of light blue blossoming in the water behind them. What’s a little blood loss? They would be home soon enough, and Robin and Ryley would know what to do. They should be awake now. If not, Al-an was going to have a wonderful time attempting to wake them up.

~~~

Al-an was hurt. Al-an was hurt. Panic gripped Ryley’s chest as he stared at the wound in the Architect’s side. Of course they could get hurt, logically, Ryley knew that. Actually seeing it was another story. What the hell did they do?

“Al-an are you ok? What happened? What can we do?” Robin asked hurriedly. Ryley glanced at her and saw her face awash with as much panic as he felt.

“I would appreciate a trip to the fabrication facility. With some materials, of course,” Al-an replied quietly. Their voice wavered and broke as if the injury affected their vocal processes.

“Ryley, make a Cyclops, it’ll be easier to transport him on it than the Seatruck I’ll get the materials,” Robin instructed immediately before running back into the building. Ryley nodded and jumped on his own out of the moonpool. A small puddle of blue fluid was building up underneath Al-an’s dangling legs.

Ryley jumped as far as he could into the water and swam for the vehicle bay. He grabbed the items he stored for Cyclops construction and went about fabricating it. It was a tad large to use over here, but perfect for their current predicament. One of Al-an’s deconstruction tools could do away with it easily once they sorted this out.

Ryley returned to the moonpool to find Robin already helping Al-an down. Together, the humans practically carried them to the waiting submarine; Robin on their left, Ryley on the right. Al-an wobbled with every step until they were in the water.

“Hey, maybe we could get it to recognize him as a vehicle and put him in that bay,” Ryley suggested as they made their way agonizingly slowly through the ocean.

“Couldn’t hurt,” Robin replied.

They steered their friend to the bottom of the ship and, to their delight it opened. It did not, however, decide to accept Al-an as a vehicle. Of course. Ryley abandoned his post at Al-an’s side and entered the Cyclops. It called out his boarding. How nice of it.

A combination of Robin trying her hardest to shove Al-an up, Ryley pulling on them, and their own feeble attempts to assist the humans finally payed off. Al-an laid on the floor of the Cyclops vehicle bay, still actively bleeding and very wet, but inside now. Finally.

Ryley sprinted for the controls and found Robin already starting the engine. Nudging her out of the way, he took control and glanced at her. Her face was tight with worry. She needed something to do… And they needed to get down there fast…

“Robin, take that fire extinguisher, this fire suppression system, and some of the extinguishers around here. Keep the engine from catching too much on fire. I’m gonna do something dangerous and stupid,” he instructed. Robin nodded without comment and hurriedly began to do as he had asked.

Ryley, now alone, adjusted to full speed and powered on ahead. He ignored the Cyclops’s warnings. There was no time for that and with Robin over in the engines he could let her take care of any fire. Getting Al-an all the way down to the fabricator was far more important than anything else.

The journey felt like it took forever. The Shadow Leviathans seemed to have mercy on them for once and left Ryley mostly alone. He should’ve grabbed a shield, dammit! Oh, well. No time to care now, the purple crystals were behind them and all he needed to do was get down to the facility. Easy. Robin had even left a beacon as a just in case months ago.

Getting Al-an out of the ship was far easier than getting them in. Ryley manually let the doors open and shoved, leaving the Architect to simply fall into the water. Their legs flailed dramatically and they hit with a splash that soaked Ryley’s hair.

The humans bolted for the hatch out and immediately began to pull Al-an into the hidden building. They were still able to stand, thank god. Ryley and Robin took their positions again and assisted the, again incredibly agonizing, walk inside.

“Please take me to the terminal. I must adjust some blueprints,” they requested so quietly that Ryley barely heard it. He obeyed.

Al-an stood there, seemingly calm, and typing madly. That light blue liquid, something Ryley had never seen, still dripped from their massive gash. He had to look away.

“Hey, uh, Al-an?” he finally piped up. “Is that blood?”

“In a sense, yes,” Al-an replied. They did not stop typing.

“And does it need to stay in your body for you to stay alive?” Robin asked from Al-an’s other side.

“Yes,” they replied calmly, powering down the terminal.

Ryley stared up at Al-an. Robin jogged over and inserted materials into waiting receptacles. Al-an stared down at Ryley. Robin jogged back over to them.

“I am going to collapse now,” Al-an informed the humans and then immediately did exactly as they had said. Their body crumpled like a napkin, legs folding under them. They stared around, serene.

“If you would not mind, I do need to be on the platform to begin fabrication.”

Right. Ryley grabbed Al-an by one arm, Robin by the other and pulled. God, damn, they were heavy! It wasn’t impossible, but it was incredibly difficult. Ryley felt himself break a sweat as he pulled. If walking was slow, this was slower, and Al-an was no longer any help. They looked up at him, lights dim.

“Ryley,” they began, rather pathetically. “I can no longer feel the lower half of my body. Do you think that is bad?”

What the hell kind of question was that? “Uh, yes?” he replied loudly, worry tightening in his chest. Glancing at Robin, Ryley noted her look of mild horror. They both pulled harder.

Finally, Al-an was up on the platform and Robin ran to initiate the sequence. The machine picked up the Architect and began to work on them. Ryley watched as the hole patched itself up slowly with new skin. Al-an stayed perfectly calm through the whole thing, looking down at the humans in their neutral pink color as if this was the most normal thing to ever happen.

The machine finished its work and let the Architect down, setting them on their feet gently. They stepped down and flashed blue. Ok. So they were fine then?

“Al-an what the hell?” Robin asked as soon as they were down on the ground. “What happened?”

“I apologize for the disturbance. I was caught off guard by an Ice Worm retrieving this,” they claimed and held a broken camera out at Ryley. He took it cautiously, looking over the now slightly blood spattered surface.

“The ice worm did that to you?” Ryley asked, looking back up.

“You need to be more careful! Why didn’t you take one of us with you?” Robin shouted and waved her arm.

The more Ryley thought about it, the more that question burned the back of his mind. Why didn’t they take him? Did they think he was useless? Did they not want to wake him up? He shook his head to try to dispel the worries that clouded his brain. Why didn’t Al-an want to take someone with them?

Al-an stared down at Robin as if contemplating her. “I would rather take the bullet for you,” they finally said.

Holy shit, did they really just say that? Ryley glanced at Robin to find her staring up at the Architect, mouth slightly open as if she didn’t know how to respond. Al-an either didn’t realize the implications of what they had just said, or they did it on purpose. Ryley’s gaze followed them as they walked slowly over to the exit and stopped. They glanced back at the humans and their color tinted blue again.

“By the way, Robin, I have completed all necessary preparations to construct and replace your arm. I am ready whenever you are.”

Chapter Text

Marguerit peered through the glass covering her base. That idiot better not have left already, she had asked him to stay and watch the pups. She maneuvered closer and finally spotted him on the floor, seemingly passed out with all four furry balls of heat on top of him. So he knew the pleasures of sleeping covered in animals now.

Pleased, Marguerit let her P.R.A.W.N. sink to the sea floor and sprang up into her moonpool. Strange tendencies be damned, at least Ryley was trustworthy enough to watch her pets. Marg smiled to herself as she sauntered through the hall to the main room. Getting out of the base had been nice, but home was always nicer.

Two things happened the moment the bulkhead opened. One, Preston and the Mini Prestons leapt to life and began to bombard their mother with their love. Two, Ryley screamed like a demon flying out of hell. The poor man curled up, clutching at his chest, face scrunched up in pain.

“DOWN you bastards!” Marguerit called, clapping at the beasts. The pups quickly lost interest in her or Ryley, now falling over themselves to run off and play. Preston followed close behind, an ever vigilant father.

Marguerit knelt next to Ryley, who had now sprawled back out. “You alright, kid? One of them step on somethin’ sensitive?” she asked.

“Fresh tattoo, yeah,” he nodded.

“Who the hell is giving ink out here? Al-an?” Marguerit retorted with a chuckle as she offered Ryley a hand to stand up.

“Actually, yes,” he said, smiling weakly. “They taught themself.”

~~~

Nobody told Robin how boring healing was going to be. She had plenty of time to look through files that Al-an gave her of course, but she wasn’t him. She definitely couldn’t sit there for days and just read. She itched to be out in the water, swimming. Al-an had, unfortunately, forbidden excursions for the most part after an incident three days ago.

Robin snickered to herself at that thought. All she had done was go hunting a little bit. Just a little! It wasn’t her fault the best tasting fish lived in the Lilypad Islands, where Lilypaddlers lived! If he had a mouth and could taste Nootfish, he would understand, Robin was sure.

Instead, she was instructed to stay in or near the base for now until Al-an could attach a new arm. And now that she was tired of looking at her PDA screen, she was bored. Ryley was probably off working on his project with Al-an. God knew where Al-an himself was. He had said something about finishing tearing down the quarantine gun.

The shotgun caught Robin’s eye at the mental mention of guns. Al-an had apparently grabbed it in his rush to leave that facility. Robin stood and wandered over to it. It looked normal for all intents and purposes. Ammunition could probably be made fairly easily if one of them dug up blueprints that lay long buried in PDA bloatware.

“How the hell did this thing give me such a bad infection though,” Robin muttered as she picked up the gun and fumbled to hold it up.

With nothing else to do, maybe she should do some tests. Robin took the gun back to the table and pulled some cotton swabs out of the storage room. Too bad Al-an had destroyed the slug already or she would test on that too. A sample out of several places in the barrel would do just fine.

Robin set about breaking down the shotgun, an annoying task with one arm. She eventually succeeded and took samples of residue left behind on several areas of the barrel as well as the chamber and magazine loading port. As soon as the tests came back she could clean this thing and take a closer look at it. It definitely wasn’t regulation, that was for sure.

Robin glanced at her PDA and confirmed test results. “Oh. Well. Hmm,” she said out loud, staring down at the high levels of bacteria that most certainly would not be found inside a gun. Al-an needed to know that. He had to be blaming himself for the infection, right? Especially with how hard he said he worked to try to stop it and care for her. It wasn’t even his fault.

Now that she knew for sure what had happened, Robin set about cleaning the weapon. She wouldn’t stoop that low. If she shot, it was to kill first try. Making someone suffer like she had was far too cruel. She found herself on the floor, steadying parts with her thighs to clean and replace them.

Loud thudding alerted Robin to Al-an’s presence before the alien appeared in the doorway to his entrance. Robin looked up and smiled, setting the now clean and put together gun aside. Al-an said nothing; he simply approached and stared down at Robin. She stared back up, craning her neck just to see his face. God, he was so, so tall.

Suddenly, Robin’s vision was blocked out by Al-an’s side as he laid down. On her legs. His own were tucked neatly underneath him, taking most of his body weight. Robin still found herself trapped by the weight he did put on her.

“Um,” Robin said, looking up at him. He twisted to look down at her. When he didn’t say anything, she decided to tell him. “If you look at my PDA, I took some samples from the barrel of the shotgun,” she told him.

Al-an obeyed and picked up the device, reading over it. Robin continued. “Those bacteria are used by criminals to infect the wound if they miss. She did that on purpose. It wasn’t your fault,” she said quietly.

“Oh,” Al-an replied, staring down at Robin again.

The pair said nothing for another few minutes. Robin could see the relief washing through Al-an’s bioluminescence as the new information sank in. So she had been right. And, if he was thinking about it as much as she was, he had probably been worrying about their future together.

Robin’s legs were beginning to go numb already. “Uh, can I help you?” she finally asked, looking up at Al-an again. All she could really see was their shoulder and arm as they sat idle on her legs.

“Oh, yes,” Al-an replied. They looked down and flashed blue at her. “I am bored.”

Robin laughed. “Ok, ok, I get the hint. I’m ready if you are.”

Al-an immediately stood up and offered their hand. Robin took it and dragged herself to her feet. He could have just said that he was bored! But no, he had to be inconvenient… Robin shook her head and chuckled to herself as she slipped her mask on and let Al-an lead her to the water.

At his indication, Robin jumped in a Seamoth and followed him down, toward the purple vents. He explained on the way that he needed to actually fabricate the arm and it was going to be safer down there. Thankfully, Robin and Ryley had messed around with depth modules together a while back, allowing the Seamoth to go as deep as the truck. Trying to swim 100 meters with an acid spitting leviathan wasn’t in Robin’s top priorities.

Finally, they made it down and Robin obediently laid down on a table that Al-an had set up. He moved around the room a bit, preparing bits of machinery and typing at terminals. Robin watched him, mesmerized. This was almost reminiscent of their first time seeing each other face-to-face.

“I have also synthesized an actual anesthetic that will not kill you, so I will be using that today,” Al-an commented.

“Oh, good, I won’t come out of this one more concussed,” Robin teased in return.

“Fortunately, no. I have never enjoyed injuring you like that.”

Al-an warped over to Robin and attached an IV to her remaining arm. She sighed and watched as he injected a substance into the tube. This was it. Robin had half a thought to ask if she should count backwards or something but Al-an was beginning to go fuzzy.

She closed her eyes and opened them again to find herself in a strange room. Well, hey, at least this wasn’t her stupid nightmare! Though, now that she thought about it, where the hell was this? Rows upon rows of servers stretched out before her. Why would her brain put her in a server room?

Robin stood and turned to one of the towers to her left. As soon as she touched one of the machines, her brain rushed full of information. Unfamiliar scenes from a planet far from earth filled her head. Information about local life there listed itself neatly in her brain. Another server gave her records of Architects working on another planet.

“This is the Network!” Robin exclaimed out loud. “My brain must be trying to conform it into a way that I can understand.”

She began to wander the long, stretching halls. The entire knowledge of the Architect race was at her fingertips. “Well,” she said. “If I’m aware in here I’m probably gonna be here a while. Maybe I should try to locate some of the files Al-an has sent me.”

Robin wandered more and touched random servers. Most served no purpose to her, or were things she had already seen before. Some were personal memories from different Architects, stored for the rest of time as a record of their existence and research. And Al-an could access all of this, all at once. “Incredible,” she whispered.

After only a few more minutes of wandering, Robin found a whole verse of the song, which she hoped she’d remember to tell Al-an about when she woke up. They were getting close to finishing already, so this was exciting.

Ahead of her, Robin spotted a green light. She jogged up to it. It looked to be the only active server in the area. Curious, she reached out and touched it. Information flooded her again. A body fabrication facility filled her vision, specifically the initiation terminal. The scene turned and Robin spotted herself lying on a table. Wait-

~~~

Things were already going well. Materials were already inserted into the receptacles, the blueprint for the modified arm was uploaded into the Network and ready to initiate construction. This was not a standard procedure for this facility, but nothing Al-an had done in the past thousand years was standard. Especially not now. They chanced a glance at their side, where the seam of the patch marked their otherwise perfect skin. A scar. Al-an liked that. It felt personal.

They looked back to the fabricator and then toward Robin. As they did, she touched their mind. Panic flooded them momentarily as they realized that she was interacting with them. Fuck!

“Robin!” they exclaimed. “Are you awake? Is everything alright? Should I use more anesthesia?”

“No, no I’m definitely asleep,” Robin replied, laughing mentally. “I think I’m inside the Network. I found an active server and tried touching it and um. I think it was you.”

Al-an hummed out loud. “I see. Can you see out of my visual sensors?”

“Yeah.”

Al-an let the fabricator finish and picked up the arm. Robin gasped within their mind at it. The Architect let a bit of pride well in them at that. They felt her appreciation and returned it with their own. She liked it! Wait she could-

“Yes, I like it. It’s an impressive combination of human and Architect parts. You did a good job,” Robin told them, confirming their realization.

“I hoped you would not be disappointed.”

Robin stayed quiet for another couple of minutes. Present. Watching. Al-an decided to continue with the procedure. They felt her desire to stay, to continue watching. They did not object of course.

“I suspect most humans would not wish to watch this sort of procedure,” Al-an said as they cleaned the area around Robin’s skin graft.

“I’m not most humans,” she replied.

“True. I am going to remove the graft so that I can place the new component and begin to attach your nerves to one another,” they told her. She didn’t reply.

“If my research proves correct, you will have the best experience this way. I would like to attempt to make your new arm as authentic as possible.”

“I appreciate that. I’ll have to learn how to use it again though, won’t I?” Robin asked.

“Unfortunately, yes. I will assist you as much as possible, of course,” Al-an replied. “I am going to remove the skin. Please prepare yourself, this may not be enjoyable for you to see. I assure you that this is safe and every surface on and around you is as sterile as my technology can make it.”

Al-an removed the skin, discarding it and letting one of their mechanical arms shift to incinerate it. They intentionally turned to watch this process for Robin’s benefit. Continuing the surgery, Al-an lined the arm up and found themself pleased when it fitted perfectly.

“I apologize for telling you this now, but I took scans of your remaining shoulder tissue while you slept to fit this as perfectly as possible. I cannot leave room for error and it was easier to scan you while you were immobile and asleep at night,” Al-an continued. Robin hummed.

Finally, they could get to the tedious part. Al-an magnified their vision onto the open wound and began to attach things. Their mechanical arms moved around with incredible precision, moving nerves and connecting them where possible. Blood vessels connected as well, bringing life to Robin’s new arm.

“One of the multitude of things that I modified was the blood vessels in your new arm. They are compatible with your biology, so you will not need to worry about blood infections or the like.”

“This is entirely experimental, right?” Robin asked in reply.

“Yes. I am confident that it will succeed. My people have never freely given our own components to others. You are the first,” Al-an confirmed.

“I trust you.”

Al-an tried to ignore the adoration that clouded their mind. They shared the memory of their first surgery on her. The success of adding Architect components to her body. If organs would work, an entire limb surely would too.

Several hours of quiet work later, Al-an finally finished attaching the new arm at an internal level. “I am now going to begin connecting it with your existing tissue. This will remain bandaged until the skin heals, which should not take long with your accelerated healing rate,” they explained.

“God am I glad you gave me that organ when you did,” Robin agreed, laughing quietly.

“As am I.”

Stitching skin to skin was far easier than cauterizing blood vessels or connecting nerves. Robin sighed every once in a while as Al-an maneuvered her body around to secure the new arm. All it really needed to do now was heal, though she should be able to move it within a few days. She would certainly be up and moving in that time. Again, thank the stars for their organs enhancing her body.

Al-an laid Robin back down once they had secured the bandage and nodded to themself. “The procedure is complete,” they explained. “The stitches will be absorbed into your body as you heal and, as I am certain you know, you will be able to move within a few days at most. I will assist you with anything you may need.”

“Thank you Al,” Robin replied. They felt her smile. “I guess we just wait for me to wake up now?”

“That is correct. I will be here when you do,” the Architect confirmed.

They felt Robin disconnect from them and her presence move away. Well, now what? It would most likely be another several hours before she woke up and Al-an had nothing else to do. Perhaps…

They picked up Robin’s PDA, which sat on the floor a few feet away. Ryley picked up the call almost immediately. “Hey,” he said, voice sounding absent.

“Hello,” Al-an replied. They heard a startled sound and some shuffling.

“Al-an! What’s going on?” Ryley replied. There was some more shuffling and he sounding clearer. “I was just moving the cloaking device out to the platform to prepare for launch.”

“Excellent. I have completed Robin’s procedure. If I am not interrupting, I would like you to come wait with me,” Al-an explained. “For her to wake up.” they added when Ryley didn’t reply immediately.

“Oh, yeah! Sure! I’ll be there in a few minutes.” The PDA clicked and silence bore down on the facility again.

Al-an located Robin’s music library and started a playlist of calming songs. They set to work cleaning up the area and fabricating a chair for Ryley when he arrived.

~~~

Ryley rushed as fast as the Seatruck would take him back toward the arctic. Excitement welled up in his chest and his legs as he drove. Robin’s new arm was ready! How long would it take her to heal? Would they be going on more missions soon? Maybe she would-

He stopped himself. No, she would probably train with Al-an. They would want to oversee all of that anyway. He could get back in the saddle by himself. Ryley tried to ignore the anxiety eating at his gut and focus on the excitement of Robin’s new arm. He should be happy about this.

Al-an was pacing around the fabrication facility to a quiet tune emanating from Robin’s PDA. They looked up when he entered and silently offered a chair. Why had they even asked him to come? They were more than capable of watching Robin themself.

“I appreciate you coming to wait with me,” Al-an said as if they knew what he was thinking. They settled down next to Ryley on Robin’s left side. “After last time I worried about watching her alone.”

Ryley nodded but didn’t respond. That was… a fair reason. He supposed nobody else out here could come, at least nobody that Al-an liked. Ryley watched Robin breathe, her chest rising and falling slowly, peacefully. He sighed. Maybe his brain was getting to him. Maybe he was letting it. He didn’t know but it was hard to ignore.

“Al-an?” Ryley spoke up as he watched. “I think it’s working.”

Al-an shifted next to him. “How are you certain?” they asked, uncertainty causing their voice to waver a bit.

“Look at it. It’s starting to glow, isn’t it?”

Al-an leaned in, turning green, and Ryley copied their movement, just to make sure. To his delight, he was right! Lines tracing along Robin’s new skin glowed faintly like Al-an’s, pulsing rhythmically. Ryley reached his hand out, cautious and rested his fingers against the sleeping woman’s neck. The light pulsed in time with her heartbeat. He nodded at Al-an, whose own glow washed bright blue.

“This was an experimental procedure,” they explained. “I am delighted to see it beginning to work.”

It didn’t take long for the glow to intensify and eventually even out into a steady, pink light like Al-an’s. Shortly after that, to Ryley’s immense relief, Robin sighed and turned her head. Al-an instantly leapt into action and began to examine her. Ryley watched them absently as they scanned the human and walked circles around her.

At Ryley’s suggestion, the trio headed back to their base. If he was right, Robin would feel more comfortable there and probably heal faster. He had read something about that. Somewhere.

He followed Al-an, who carried the woman, wandering slowly out of the facility and into Robin’s truck. Al-an had placed her in the seamoth and picked it up. Ryley glanced to the side where the alien was carrying the vehicle and caught a glimpse of Robin’s face. Her head rested against the back of the seat, arms folded neatly in her lap. She looked high.

Ryley let himself get swept out of the way in Al-an’s rush to get Robin comfortable. Watching them fawn over her was cute. Ryley sighed and took a seat on a bench to stay out of the way. At some point, he didn’t really pay attention to when, Al-an set Robin next to him. Ryley decided to pretend to be spacing out. His chest felt tight.

When he next checked in with reality, Al-an had sat down on Robin’s left and was talking with her. They mentioned something about the newly renamed Tracking Platform. Al-an knew all of the plans about that, so there was no need for him to pay attention. How long had he been sitting there staring at the floor?

It wasn’t like it mattered. Ryley continued to stare at the floor as his companions talked. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that they didn’t need him. Or really care that much about him. They were just being nice, letting him stay here. I mean, he thought, they only brought me with them to be an extra hand, and because I helped get them off of Earth.

“Ryley!” Robin’s voice cut into his internal monologue.

“Huh?” Ryley replied stupidly, jumping. “Sorry, what?”

“I asked you a question. Did you not hear me?”

He shook his head, nerves bunching up in his gut. “Uh, no, sorry. I was. Um. Thinking.” Dammit, he sounded like an idiot. This was why they didn’t need him around.

“I could tell from the steam blowing out your ears,” Robin said, laughing. “I asked about the tracking information. Al-an said you handled that.”

“Oh, yeah, I did. They helped me program it, they can tell you what it tracks,” Ryley dismissed her. Why was she asking him?

Robin glanced at Al-an, sharing some silent understanding. “If I recall, and I do, you were the one to suggest it. I thought you should present your idea,” Al-an said, tilting their head.

“Right,” Ryley mumbled, looking away. His face burned. Why was he being like this? “It uh, tracks origins, affiliation, crew status, mission. Stuff like that. So we know why people are out here. It’ll go to you, Al-an, me, and Marguerit.”

“Good to know,” Robin nodded. “You ok?”

Uh, oh. “Yeah,” Ryley lied. Robin was the last person he wanted to tell about his stupid brain problem. “I’m gonna go for a walk.”

Without waiting for a response, Ryley stood up. He headed for the moonpool; why, he didn’t really know. The door was closer. Whatever, it was too late now, he was already in the hall. Maybe it would pass and they’d either leave him somewhere for being like this, or he’d figure it out himself. Why did having friends have to be this hard to parse?

Robin’s footsteps behind him sent butterflies ablaze in Ryley’s stomach. “Hey, wait a minute. I want to talk to you,” she said from the doorway. Ryley froze.

Chapter Text

Ryley’s chest was tight with nervous excitement as he approached the restaurant. This was his second time going out with friends! He had been set to work on a group physics project with them over the past week and it was the first time he felt like he actually had friends. Sure, they made him build the whole thing, but he was good at it so he didn’t mind. They had gotten an A anyway, so what did it matter? Ryley was about to celebrate that with his new friends.

Lunch on Wednesday was his first actual experience going somewhere with people. Nobody ever really… invited him anywhere and he was far too shy to ask anyone. Anime made it look so easy to make friends… Ryley wasn’t even the cool loner type that everyone found hot.

Inside the building, a server greeted the young man. “Hi, welcome in! Do you have a reservation?”

Ryley nodded. “Uh, yeah, it should be under Bayley?” he said, fidgeting with his hands.

“Sorry, I don’t see that name,” the server said as they looked over a sheet of paper on their desk. “Maybe they used a different name?”

“Yeah, maybe Valentim?” Ryley tried, nerves bunching up. The server shook their head. “Adena?” Again, no.

“Did someone else set up the reservation?” the server asked.

“Yeah. Maybe they used my name, Ryley,” Ryley tried. His hope was fading, fast.

“I don’t see you. I’m sorry, man,” the server said, sympathetic expression piercing like a lance straight to Ryley’s heart despite the small shock of euphoria at being gendered correctly. “Maybe one of you got the restaurant confused. Have a good night.”

Ryley turned around without a word. His throat had closed up too much to speak anyway. As soon as he sat down in his car he checked the group chat on Discord. Ok, he would if he could find it. Aside from conversations with randos from anime servers, it was the only dm he had spoken in recently, right? Where was it? Had they removed him?

Maybe it was a glitch. In its extensive run, Discord had gotten better about bugs and issues, but you never know! Maybe Ryley just needed to message Bayley one-on-one to ask about dinner.

Ah. All three of them had blocked him. Ryley’s heart sank through the car’s floor and into the ground. They stood him up out of nowhere. Maybe they had telegraphed it and he had been too excited to notice. Ryley’s head hit the steering wheel and he tried to choke back sobs. Seriously? What was he doing wrong?

He started the car and slowly pulled out of the parking lot. Toward home. This was supposed to be Daisy’s first night home alone, too. There was nowhere else to go. Maybe she wouldn’t notice him slip in through the back door and go up to his room. Then she would have the illusion of being alone at least. And he wouldn’t have to bother her. She never seemed to have any trouble with friends like this…

Ryley’s plan failed as soon as he pulled in. Daisy stared back at him from the kitchen window while he approached the back door. So much for sneaking. At least their parents wouldn’t be home for a couple of hours, saving Ryley from having to admit to them that his almost friends stood him up and played him like a fucking fiddle.

“Are you ok? What happened?” Daisy asked as soon as the door was open.

Ryley sighed and shook his head. “They didn’t show up,” he mumbled. He threw his keys at the counter and began to plod toward the couch where he collapsed face first.

“Jerks. Want a hug?” came the twelve-year-old’s reply. Ryley groaned and gave her a thumbs up.

At least his family loved him. Ryley smiled a bit as his sister flopped on top of him, crushing his ribs and cracking his spine in the process. Thank every god out there he still had her, the little social butterfly. Hanging out with a bunch of pre-teen girls was kind of weird for a high school senior though… Maybe college would be a fresh start.

~~~

Robin watched Ryley’s back tense up through his dive suit as he stopped short in the hallways. Al-an’s hoofsteps behind her told her that he was watching. Good. They could sort this out then. Robin watched Ryley’s back for a moment. He didn’t turn around.

“Are you ok? Have you been losing sleep again?” Robin asked as gently as she could.

Ryley sighed heavily. “No, I’m sleeping fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“If something is upsetting you, I want to help. What’s going on?” Robin insisted. She stepped a bit closer to her friend.

“I said it’s nothing, just don’t worry about it,” Ryley repeated. He crossed his arms. Or hugged himself, Robin couldn’t be sure.

“Are you sure? You were way too distracted for it to just be nothing.”

Ryley spun around to face Robin, his expression dark. Angry. “Leave it! Ok? Don’t worry about it!” he snapped. His fists clenched by his sides now.

“I’m going to worry about it if it’s upsetting you!” Robin retorted, crossing her own arms. “Just talk to me.”

Something seemed to snap in Ryley’s brain and his face tightened. He glared at her as he opened his mouth to speak. “I know you don’t like me, ok? I know I’m just your third wheel! Ok! Is that what you wanted to hear?”

Robin’s heart felt like it split down the middle. Was that really what he thought? “Are you serious?” she asked, reiterating her inner monologue.

“What, as if you don’t think it every time I’m in the room with you two!” Ryley snapped back. His volume was rising quickly as he spoke. “You two have got your thing, I’m just. Here! Just. A third wheel! I don’t know why you’re so worried about it!”

“Are you kidding? Of course I’m worried. Especially now! You really think of yourself like that?” Robin found her own volume matching Ryley’s nearly yelling at him. How could he say that?

“I think it because it’s fucking true!” he replied, throwing his hands up. “One of these days you’re going to get sick of me and dump me somewhere!”

“Are you fucking serious, dude?” Robin shouted, she stepped closer, inching into his space. That might be a mistake, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She was too far gone, too pissed at him for never bringing this up.

“How many times do I have to say, I know you don’t want me here! You don’t like me-”

“Who are you to assume what I’m feeling, huh?” Robin interrupted him. “I don’t know where the hell this came from. We’ve got you, Ryley. We-”

“NO, YOU’VE GOT AL-AN. I’VE GOT NOBODY!” Ryley screamed. He moved back, pulling his fist back to punch her. Robin prepared herself, ready to block it and retaliate.

“ENOUGH!” Al-an’s shout echoed around the hall, his sharp stomp emphasizing it. “Both of you. Outside, opposite directions. NOW!” his voice cracked and glitched like a radio’s poor reception.

Ryley froze, fist still midair, fear blatant on his face. He let his fist down, pulled his mask over his head and ran for the moonpool. Robin heard a splash as he hit the water and then followed him. She could feel Al-an’s eyes on her back as she stomped away.

The cool water washed away most of Robin’s rage, but the anger at Ryley still boiled in her gut. How could he? What had she done wrong that made him think she didn’t fucking like him? Hell, why did he even think that little of himself? Ryley was an amazing guy and Robin’s best friend! At least since Al-an was on another uncertain plane of relationship. Just because she had something special with Al-an didn’t mean that Ryley just suddenly didn’t fucking matter to her.

Robin had no idea where she was going but swimming fast and hard was already somewhat calming her down. She just- Hearing Ryley say that. Talk like he wasn’t a part of their team, their family. It pissed Robin off beyond belief. That was her best damn friend he was talking about for fucks sake. What was she supposed to do to get him to see that?

After another twenty minutes of swimming and stewing, Robin was calm enough to maybe head back. Maybe she could talk to Al-an about it. He had stayed quiet through the whole argument. Observing. He had to have something to say, right?

“Hey, Al-an? Are you still at home?” Robin thought at him.

“Yes. You may return if you have calmed down,” came his immediate response.

“Somewhat, yeah. I want to talk to you about it.”

~~~

Al-an stared at Robin’s back as she stomped her way into the moonpool and out of the base. There was a thud and then a splash, and then they were alone. Ryley had already stormed off the other direction, if his PDA signature was anything to go by. The humans would cool off on their own and Al-an could figure out what to do next.

Ryley’s confession stung. Had they been doing something wrong? Perhaps there was something they didn’t notice in their behavior toward him that caused those feelings. Al-an wasn’t as well versed in human relationships and interaction as they would have liked to be. If they had done something to upset their friend they would need to ask going forward.

They did care about him. Greatly, in fact. They finally turned around and moved back to the main living space. If they were going to wait for one or both humans to return, they may as well be comfortable for it.

This was one of the inefficiencies that Al-an would never understand about humans. The Architect Network provided means to avoid fights like this. Misunderstandings and interpersonal mistakes were nearly obsolete at the time of Al-an’s mistake. They were a simple outlier. An error in the greater code that caused a lapse in their judgment. One that disagreed with the greater Network. They understood why this happened but they still did not like it at all.

Their lack of connection with Ryley had also partially caused this. Robin had never given indication on how she may feel about forming such a connection, but Al-an could see the benefits of it. They could reach out and find the root cause before another argument. Humans may not have liked their minds being probed but that did not mean Al-an could not dream of a life where they and their humans understood each other fully.

“There is nothing to be gained from wishful thinking,” they told themself out loud. What did Robin say? Looking back is… two thousand and twenty? The human term had confused Al-an at the time and they had not asked, or looked further into it.

Moving forward, that needed to be their goal. Speaking with Ryley more often was going to be a prime directive for certain. Without being Networked to him, they needed to form the connection themself. To open the line of communication with him to avoid further fights and possible harm to anyone. If Al-an had not been there, would Ryley have punched Robin?

During the week after his initial outburst, he had pulled Al-an aside and asked them to step in if he became violent again. He had seemed… afraid. Perhaps of himself. Judging from his reaction to their shout during that particular incident, he was afraid of the Architect. They used it to their advantage, though they hated to scare their friend.

“Hey, Al-an? Are you still at home?” Robin’s voice cut through their internal monologue.

“Yes. You may return if you have calmed down,” they replied immediately. Hearing Robin’s feelings on this matter would help in moving forward.

“Somewhat, yeah,” she said. “I want to talk to you about it.”

Several minutes passed in idle silence. The door finally opened and Robin stepped through. Her hair still dripped from the water. Al-an flashed blue at her, letting her know they were at least happy to see her. She smiled and they internally praised themself for guessing what she wanted.

“So,” Robin said as she wandered over to the bench nearest Al-an and laid down on her back so that her new arm hung toward the floor.

“I sense you have much to say,” Al-an prompted her.

“Yeah, I mean. Did you hear him? Like, sure, I get being insecure. But to go so far as to just assume that, and then fight me about it when I try to tell him I do care? I don’t understand him!” Robin began to rant.

“Perhaps he has been hurt by friends before,” Al-an suggested.

“Maybe, but that doesn’t excuse anything. And hell, I barely know anything about his past before Aurora!”

“He mentioned head trauma,” Al-an countered. Were they advocating for Satan here? Perhaps. Ryley deserved a defense, though. “You have hardly given up much of your own past either.”

“Ok, maybe I should share, sure. That’s not the point here though! It’s not about talking about our lives on Earth! Honestly, I’m not really that mad at him for fighting with me, or not talking about his family or whatever,” Robin continued. She sighed and glanced toward the ground. “I mean, when he did talk about it, it still seemed to affect him a lot. I don’t know. I just- how could he assume like that!”

“I do not know,” Al-an offered, unsure of how to respond.

“We took him home with us! You showed him your home planet! I’m impressed you even let Marguerit there! You’re my best friend, but he’s my human best friend!” she said, voice rising as she flailed her arm about. Al-an found themself proud of her recovery progress despite the situation.

“We’ve both tried to include him into our lives and he still thinks we don’t care! How could he ignore that? Honestly, how dare he invalidate your love for him when you’ve worked so hard to learn how to in the first place!”

Robin continued to speak for another moment, but Al-an did not hear the rest of it at all. All of their mental processing focused on that one sentence. They had guessed that she already knew what they had been doing on her PDA. That was confirmation. Not only did she remember their confession, she knew exactly what they had been doing! She knew! She knew, she knew, she acknowledged it to their face! Al-an had to suppress the joy that was trying to bubble up to the surface. They forced a neutral tone into their glow to keep her from changing the subject.

Alright, alright, they needed to calm down and formulate a response. Should they respond to that specifically? Or should they again attempt to defend the devil and push the idea that perhaps Ryley didn’t know how to respond to positive interactions with friends.

Before they could decide, Al-an heard a cough from the moonpool. Their head snapped around toward the hall immediately. Ryley was in there.

“What?” Robin said as Al-an stood up. “Did you hear something?”

Leaving Robin with no response, they approached the doorway cautiously. Ryley’s breathing, which had been faint in the first place, was quiet. Al-an could, however, still hear his heartbeat. He was still there. They continued their approach.

~~~

The shock of cold water hitting Ryley’s face cooled his rage almost immediately. Fuck. Well, ok he had just fucked up again. Dealing with this was going to be fun! And this time, Robin would probably actually kick him out of the base for sure.

Which would suck, because honestly she started it. Ryley shouldn’t have yelled, no. But Robin’s insistence in talking right that second caused the actual fight. Ryley would stand by that. He wouldn’t have yelled if she had just let him go. So what if he never talked about it after! Maybe she would have pushed him later when he wasn’t already beating himself up.

Swimming was almost therapeutic. Ryley pushed himself until he was calm, swimming as fast as he could around Delta Island until the rage bubbling under his skin was gone. Yes, he was wrong for yelling, and almost hitting Robin. He couldn’t control himself when he was angry and he’d apologize later for it. He just had to hope that Robin would own up to her part in this. Probably. Even if not, he’d forgive her if she let him stay.

Speaking of letting him stay, the sun was slowly setting. Ryley needed to go home. He could probably sneak in through the moonpool. Robin had shut off the entrance and exit announcements in the first few days of living in the base. Al-an liked to come and go at night and being woken up by ‘AL-AN HAS ENTERED THE BASE’ followed two minutes later by ‘AL-AN HAS LEFT THE BASE’ got annoying really fast.

If he could just sneak in where he wouldn’t be heard and go to bed he could apologize in the morning. The calm was now being replaced by intense anxiety. Robin probably already went back, or would be out until night time. Would she check on him? If she did she would probably worry if he wasn’t in his bed. If her reaction was anything to go by, she did care. That alone proved his stupid brain wrong.

Back at home, Ryley hoisted himself into the moonpool and stopped short when he heard Robin’s voice. Fuck. She wasn’t in her room like he had hoped. Maybe she would go to bed soon? It seemed like she was still upset and was ranting. Was it to Al-an? Ryley didn’t want to risk being seen.

Al-an’s voice confirmed their presence. Great, so he needed to wait for both of them to leave. Hopefully Al-an wouldn’t come in here. Ryley glanced at the entrance to their bedroom and that hope left him. Well. Ok. He’d figure it out as things happened then. Maybe he should listen to whatever Robin was saying.

A scratch at the back of Ryley’s throat distracted him. Shit, shit, shit shitshitshit. He couldn’t cough. What sort of cliché fucking- Shit! Ryley practically choked himself trying not to cough. Why didn’t he have any water left? He couldn’t leave, Al-an might hear the splash and get suspicious. Where would he even fabricate the water anyway?

He coughed. Fuck. Robin’s voice died down and silence emanated from the other room. An imaginary darkness filled the space past the door like some kind of anime shit. Menacing. Al-an’s slow hoofsteps approached Ryley’s hiding spot. Should he run? Would that only make things worse?

Too late, Al-an was already in the hall. Ryley stood, hoping to take his punishment with some dignity at least. Green light, barely tinted with gold toward the edges, intensified as Al-an approached. It flickered on the wall in the worst, most mesmerizing way. But that meant they were worried, right?

Al-an entered the room and Ryley could hardly look them in the face. They came to a stop in front of him, staring down silently. Ryley looked up at their face, a blank canvas of color that he still had trouble understanding. He looked back down to his own face level. At their knees. Either place to look was uncomfortable.

“Al-an um, I’m. I’m sorry,” Ryley stumbled through his words. He wracked his brain for the words he had planned on coming up with in the morning. “I shouldn’t have yelled, I’m sorry, I can’t control myself. I didn’t want to-”

Al-an’s hand on his shoulder shut him up immediately. If they touched him it was generally with one of their robotic arms. This was their actual, organic, bodily hand. They sank to the floor, adjusting their legs to lie down comfortably and then, before Ryley could even react, pulled him into a hug.

Soft clicking emanated from inside the Architect that Ryley now found his face pressed into. Warmth seeped out of them and, to his surprised, had a strange calming effect. Hesitantly, Ryley returned the hug and let his arms wrap as far as he could reach around Al-an’s sides.

Their voice reverberated deep into his chest when they began to speak softly. “I am sorry if I have ever made you feel as if I do not love you,” they told him.

This embrace alone was confirmation of their care, but hearing them say it out loud was something else. They wore their feelings on their sleeve, quite literally, but they had never voiced it. Tears that Ryley had been forcing back finally broke free and he couldn’t stop himself from sobbing into Al-an’s chest. They kept him in their grip, squeezing in just the right way to ease comforting pressure onto his back. They probably called it optimal pressure.

Ryley had no idea Robin had entered the room until he felt her hand on his back. He tried to apologize again, though his voice was muffled by both tears and the alien he was pressed against. He hoped it was somewhat understandable.

“I appreciate that,” Robin said, confirming that she had, in fact, heard him. “I forgive you. But please talk to us next time something so serious is bothering you. We can’t change or fix anything if we don’t even know what we’re doing wrong.”

Ryley nodded against Al-an’s chest. He could barely pay attention to her through his crying. But she wasn’t angry anymore. That was good. If she could forgive him, he could forgive himself.

“Yes,” Al-an agreed. “And I will forgive you four hundred and ninety times.”

Confusion trumped every other emotion Ryley happened to be having at that moment. “That- that’s really specific,” he said, finally able to pull his head away and look up at the alien. At least he stopped crying.

“Yes.”

“Still! Still, that’s a lot of forgiveness,” Robin stuttered in an obvious attempt to save the metaphor.

Ryley laughed quietly. “So if I fuck up 491 times, you’ll just kill me?” he asked, mostly as a joke.

The green and gold swirling along Al-an’s body flashed orange for a moment. “No!” they exclaimed, mechanical hand moving to their chest like a flustered old lady. “I will simply dunk you into the ocean a few times to wash you off and start over.”

“Oh, ok, rinse and repeat forgiveness. Got it,” Ryley laughed for real this time. He had no idea what Al-an was trying to say with that.

“Thank you. For that,” Robin said, laughing with Ryley and easing most of the remaining tension in the room. “Feel any better Ryley?” she asked.

He nodded. “Tired, but yeah. I’ll… I’ll get better about it.”

“Good. Let’s all get some rest. We’ve had a stressful day,” Robin said. Ryley turned around and saw her smiling. “You and I can talk more once we’ve both had some time to decompress and process it.”

Al-an let Ryley go and he nodded again, taking Robin’s outstretched hand and allowing himself to be led into the main area. She paused to give him a hug of her own before they mutually parted ways into their own bedrooms. Ryley collapsed onto his bed, grateful for the soft welcome it gave him. He fell asleep within minutes.

Surrounding Ryley were the halls of the Tracking Platform. Power had been restored already and soft beeping echoed through the empty hallways. Despite the emptiness, it felt like something was following him. Watching. The tracker was working as intended. Ryley wandered into the control room, just to check it out, but instead of entering another Architect room, he found himself in his own bedroom. Strange.

Ryley laid down in his bed, confused. Maybe he had hallucinated that. It still felt like something out there was watching him, but he ignored it. If anything it was probably Robin, being creepy in the doorway. Or just checking to make sure it was him. Or something. Ryley laid down, facing the wall. He closed his eyes.

When he opened them the room was dark. He hadn’t shut off the lights in- was that a dream? It still felt like something was staring at him from the darkness behind him. Nervous, Ryley decided to turn around. If there was nothing there he would run across the hall and ask Robin for help.

Oh. It was just Al-an. They seemed startled to see him awake and stood up as if to leave. “Were you watching me sleep?” Ryley asked. His voice was a bit hoarse.

“Um,” Al-an said and looked away. “Yes.”

“Do you… do that a lot?” Ryley pressed, curious.

“Yes. Though I watch Robin more often than I do you,” the Architect confirmed. “I apologize. If it makes you uncomfortable, I will stop.”

“No!” Ryley said too quickly. He cleared his throat and continued. “I- no, it’s ok. It’s actually kinda nice to know you check on me.”

Al-an moved back to the spot where they had been sitting and laid back down. The thing watching Ryley was safe. A thing that would have and had killed for him. He closed his eyes, still too tired to fight off sleep and let the warmth of his bed embrace him again. Things would get better.

Chapter Text

Robin fumbled with the key to her apartment. She stumbled a bit and decided leaning on the door was the best course of action here. Sam had invited her to an Alterra Halloween party, one that Robin almost refused to go to before she found out about the free alcohol. She wasn’t a party goer by any means but a young, fresh out of college scientist passing up free booze? Unheard of.

She finally got the door open and let Lil and Sam in before her. Lil was laughing at something that either hadn’t actually been said or Robin hadn’t heard. Either way, watching her straight-laced ex girlfriend drunkenly wander into her apartment was a little satisfying. Seeing Sam of all people in a similar state was even more so. Robin giggled after her companions and turned to lock the door.

“I CANNOT believe I got both of you to drink with me,” she said over her shoulder, only a little bit slurred as she attempted to walk into the living room where the other two women were already seated.

“I had one drink!” Lil proclaimed, waving her arms and almost smacking Sam upside the head. “One! It shouldn’t have done this to me!”

“Do you drink, like, at all?” Robin retorted. Lil shook her head. “Yeah that’s what I thought.”

“It’s ok, we’re all gonna regret this tomorrow,” Sam piped up and then giggled. “God, Robin you’re such a bad influence on me.”

Robin laughed and sat down next to her sister. “You still love me,” she replied, elbowing the older woman in the ribs.

“Sooooo… what do we do now?” Lil drawled. Her accent was slightly more prominent and her head was tilted back, making it hard for Robin’s hazy brain to figure out what she said.

An impulsive idea popped into Robin’s head. “We should google ourselves!” she exclaimed and immediately went for her laptop. Sam giggled again and leaned on Robin’s side.

“All we’re going to find is academic papers we’ve been in,” Lil argued. Robin practically felt the woman cross her arms.

“Ok, but what if we DON’T!” Sam countered. Robin glanced at her to find her staring ominously at Lil, who looked like her mind had just been blown.

“What if we don’t…” Lil repeated.

Robin had the laptop up and running and google already open faster than she ever had before. She typed “Dr. Lillian Bench” into the search bar to… rather boring results. Lil’s Facelook, Facebook’s successor, page and a few papers. Damn. Sam’s name produced similar results.

The first page under Robin’s name came up with the same results. Her abandoned Facelook page. A few studies. Nothing interesting. But the second page, that Robin clicked just on a whim, produced something so unexpected it had all three women leaning in toward the tiny screen.

Proudly displayed on Google’s second page was the Facelook page for a middle school Robin had never even heard of. Her own name had come up in search results on the site it seemed. Maybe people should look themselves up more often. Robin clicked the link.

“I have… never been to California…” she mumbled. Sam hummed in agreement as she leaned farther onto Robin’s shoulder.

“It looks like they had a party, like us,” Lil said, helpfully reading the giant bold text at the top of the page.

The school had, in fact, had a costume party. The prompt was “something you would find/learn about in school.” Robin took her time scrolling and looking at the children and parent’s creative costumes. One guy, who apparently went to culinary school, dressed as a frying pan.

Finally, Robin spotted her own name, in a photo of a family. Both smiling parents were dressed as books. The two kids, an older teenager and the middle school student, were both dressed as scientists. Robin read the description out loud.

“The Robinson family. Jason and Pietra, both librarians, dressed as their favorite books tonight. Their children, Ryley and Daisy dressed as their favorite scientists, Nikola Tesla and Robin Ayou respectively.”

Favorite. Scientist. Robin was someone’s favorite scientist. Her own delight was reflected on Sam and Lil’s faces as they grinned at her. “I’M FAMOUS!” she said, a little bit loudly for the time of night. Whatever, this was the coolest thing ever.

~~~

Robin left the truck parked neatly next to Marguerit’s moonpool. There was still enough room for her to leave later. Perfect. Ryley silently exited through the back as Robin hauled herself upwards. Her left arm was still weak, but it was healing quickly and the last two weeks had passed uneventfully. Al-an continuously commented on her “impressive recovery”.

Marguerit stood, arms crossed, in the middle of her main room with a pile of junk next to her. Some of it Robin recognized as coming out of her bedroom. Excellent, so she had done as instructed and pulled everything out. Ryley nodded at Robin and disappeared into the next room to get a head start.

“Thanks for agreeing to this,” Robin finally said, turning her attention to Marguerit herself.

The woman rolled her eyes and glanced down at the small pile next to her. “Whatever. You’re just lucky I have nothing better to do.”

“Uh, huh,” Robin rolled her eyes back. “and you know how much easier it’s going to be to keep your home under your own control once we’re done, right?”

“I guess. Just don’t throw my shit away.”

“I won’t. That’s why I haven’t told you to leave yet. We’re going to make sure you keep what you want,” Robin reassured her friend.

Marguerit sighed, nodded, and sat down in her chair. It creaked loudly as she sat. Robin peered at it and noticed the massive crack being barely supported by some metal rods that had been tied to the supports.

“First thing, I think that chair needs to go,” she stated, already pulling out her builder tool.

“Absolutely fucking not,” Marguerit retorted, crossing her arms and staunchly leaning back. The chair groaned again. “I can just put it in the kitchen.”

“Sure, but we could also get you new chairs. That I can customize. Because I have a jailbroken PDA,” Robin claimed, crossing her own arms.

Marguerit rolled her eyes and stood, yanking the blanket off of the chair. Robin nudged it away for Ryley to deal with later and quickly fabricated a new one, though not without a few adjustments. Namely, to change the colors to tan and red. Better.

The two began to sort through the pile, with Robin showing off and item and Marguerit almost always having some reason to keep it. Most of it was junk that could ‘possibly be fixed, maybe’ that Robin would have Ryley scrap later. Boxes taken from Alterra supply caches. Broken tech.

“Ok, what about this little guy?” Robin asked, holding up a stuffed toy.

Marguerit’s face immediately darkened. “His name is Gregory and you cannot convince me to get rid of him,” she claimed. Somehow, she crossed her arms harder.

“Ok, ok, jeez. What do you want me to do with him?” Robin laughed.

“Give him here. I’ll clean him later. ‘S one of the last things I’ve got from Degasi,” the older woman replied, taking the creature. She set him in her lap and re-crossed her arms. Robin laughed internally at the image in front of her.

“Ok, that’s the last of the it then. Can we please get rid of this table, though?” she asked, motioning toward the poor excuse for a table. “Ryley and I can design a more… functional one for you.”

Marguerit sighed. “Sure. Fine. Throw out all of my precious junk, why don’t you?” she grumbled.

“Maida, we’re replacing it with actually functional things,” Robin reassured her. “I get being attached but at least be comfortable.”

Before Marguerit could argue any more, Ryley reentered the room holding a piece of metal. He tossed it on the wall next to where he would put the storage room once Marguerit left. Dusting his hands off, he turned around and smiled hesitantly.

“Actually, uh, before you leave…” he started, glancing every between the women. “I have a couple of suggestions?”

“Out with it then, boy,” Marguerit grumbled.

“One, the glass table in there. I almost cut myself on it. I could fabricate you a safer piece of glass uh, if you want me to,” Ryley continued, encouraged.

“It’s fine as it is!” Marguerit argued, shifting around in her seat to look at Ryley.

Robin sighed. “And what if one of the Snow Stalkers gets hurt on it? What then?” she asked.

“Oh. Yeah.”

“Cool,” Ryley replied and shifted on his feet. “One more thing, about the lights. I have a blueprint for some easier to use and control lighting strips if you want them. Color changing too, if that means anything.”

“The floodlights are doing just fine as they are, don’t mess with ‘em,” Marguerit argued once again. Robin thanked the stars she’d be leaving soon so they wouldn’t have to listen to her complain about them touching her stuff.

“Ok, but light strips are easier to deal with and will light the room better. They’re way more cost effective with materials too. You could scrap the floodlights and use the materials for something else.”

“Fine,” Marguerit finally conceded, standing up. “When I come back you better not have gotten rid of anything I told you not to.”

“Of course not,” Robin assured, smiling. “Go relax in your greenhouse and let us take care of this.”

Marguerit nodded angrily and stormed off. Robin heard the splash of her P.R.A.W.N. hitting the water after a moment, and then they were alone. Ryley visibly relaxed as soon as she left, though he kept glancing around as if she might somehow teleport back inside and yell at him for touching something.

“Ok, with her gone we can actually get shit done,” Robin said, snapping Ryley out of his nerves. “Bathroom done?”

Ryley nodded. “Mostly, just some details. Want me to keep going?” he confirmed.

“Nah. Let’s start in the moonpool and work our way inward,” Robin instructed, tossing him a box of cleaning supplies. She picked up her own and headed for the room in question.

The two set to work, Robin mostly using her right arm, but trying to use her left where she could. It was surprisingly light-weight for being Architect, so she had almost no trouble lifting it. Getting used to having an arm again was another story, though, after too long not having one. Cleaning was the perfect practice, aside from fighting of course.

After an hour, the moonpool was nearly done. Robin wiped at her now sweaty forehead and sat back to admire their hard work. Ryley was scrubbing out the last few bits of grime in a corner when they both looked up at a strange noise from outside.

“Please tell me she’s not coming back yet,” Ryley asked, glancing at the water.

“I’ll go look,” Robin replied, standing up. “You keep going into the hall.”

~~~

Al-an stood alone on top of the Tracking Platform. The gun was completely gone now, all stored inside the building in raw material. The energy core sat contained as well. Unused. The cloaking tracker itself had already launched and didn’t need a power supply quite so strong. Al-an had fabricated a new, smaller one ages ago. So now what?

The Architect looked around at the island around them. Skyrays flew around them, chirping curiously as they swooped past the alien. A cave crawler skittered around in the sand below. Those never paid Al-an any mind, not since they kicked one hard enough to send it flying into the water, never to be seen again. The entire species seemed to have learned not to mess with them after that.

“What now?” Al-an asked themself aloud. “I have all of this material, yet nothing to build with it.”

They hopped down onto the sand, narrowly missing the cave crawler, and entered the building. Rows of lockers lined the halls now. At least it felt much less empty in here now. Less empty and less quiet. Al-an paced up and down the rows, uncertain.

“All of this, and nothing to do with it…” they repeated, turning ideas over in their mind. “Perhaps… I could build something to benefit someone. She would most certainly hate that I am doing something so… kind.” They spat the last word out, as if it was disgusting to even think about being nice to her.

“She may see it as a challenge,” Al-an justified this decision to themself. “Robin will be pleased as well.”

With the decision officially made, Al-an gathered up as much as they could feasibly carry and grabbed the core. It would make excellent fuel for what they were about to do. Excitement about building something new filled the Architect as they made their way back to the arctic and down, down toward her base.

Construction began immediately. Al-an chose an open space and set to work. This design should be compatible with human technology. The core was far more powerful than one human could use, so Al-an would most certainly be hijacking it later for their own purposes. One never knew what they could need to build or power in an emergency. They installed a long-range communication chip for that purpose.

A splash in the water behind them made them turn around. Instead of her like they expected, Robin approached. Her mask tinted blue. She must be smiling.

“What are you doing, Al?” she asked, coming to float next to them.

“Oh, hello Robin,” Al-an began, giddy excitement filling them at the chance to explain things. What were they, a child? “I had so much material just lying around and nothing to do with it. So I supposed I could at least build something useful. Such as a power source.” They glanced at Robin to gauge her reaction and received no new information.

“Aww, that’s really nice of you!” the human finally said. Yes! “I’ll be inside if you need anything!”

~~~

“Ryley?” Robin’s voice echoed through the empty moonpool and into the hallway where Ryley sat on the only clean spot on the floor.

Her head appeared moments later, followed by the rest of her. Ryley waved and kept at it. He was already sweating and they had basically the entire base left to go. He was glad he suggested this but actually doing it was a nightmare. At least they weren’t being supervised.

“That was just Al-an,” Robin informed him after a pause. She picked her work back up from where she had left off. “If the power comes on, don’t let it scare you.”

“Why, are they building something?” Ryley asked, scrubbing at a particularly angry stain on the wall.

“A power source, yes.”

Ryley nodded but didn’t reply. That was nice of them. Everyone helps each other when you’re alone out here. That was the only reasoning that could actually convince Marguerit to leave and let them do this. She would’ve gladly helped, but being able to surprise her with the other things Robin wanted would be far more satisfying. This project felt like an old home makeover show. Ryley snorted at the thought. Wait, didn’t those usually take days?

The six hours it took the pair to completely clean every surface felt like years. At some point the lights had come on, making it easier to see. Sweat drenched Ryley’s back and hair by the time they were done and even then, he still had things to add. Robin disappeared into the bedroom to leave her own gifts while Ryley went outside for his.

He attached a multipurpose room to one side of the main room and gave it a glass roof. For good measure. Inside he placed a recyclotron and organized all of the scrap he had found to be recycled later. Robin had instructed him specifically to leave it all for Marguerit to do herself. For good measure, he decided to give her a fabricator. This contribution was supposed to be a gift, as Robin had put it. Why not, right?

On the other side of the building, attached near the bedroom, Ryley constructed a control room. Marguerit had insisted on keeping her light stick lamps, so at least she could keep using them and have the control to decide.

Finally, Ryley met Robin in the main room. She had built a table to replace the broken shelf, and left some blankets on the new chair. She nodded and initiated a call to Marguerit. Ryley’s stomach flipped. How was she going to react? She had seemed hesitant about this whole thing in the first place. Yeah it was nice, but she was so independent would she even want them to go this far?

Marguerit reappeared within twenty minutes. She looked starstruck as she crossed the bulkhead, staring around her own base as if she didn’t recognize it. The Reaper skeleton was really the only indication that it even was still the same base.

“Alright, you lot didn’t have to do all this,” she whispered. “And what’s with the lights?”

“That was Al-an’s contribution. He built an Architect power supply with some materials that he apparently had lying around,” Robin explained. “I replaced some furniture and tried to organize things.”

“You gonna take me on a tour of my own home or something?” Marguerit asked, crossing her arms and raising one eyebrow. Ryley couldn’t tell if she was joking.

“If you want to see what we gave you, yes. I could just leave you to wonder what all we did, of course, but that’s your choice,” Robin replied. Again, Ryley couldn’t tell if it was genuine.

Marguerit rolled her eyes. “Alright, alright, fine. Show me.”

Robin looked at Ryley and he tensed. Wait, was she making him explain himself first? She could’ve said something…

“I uh, added a couple of rooms,” he began, awkwardly leading Marguerit over to the new door so she could look inside. “And you probably saw me sending you blueprints for the recyclotron, um. That’s something I got from Robin. All the lockers have junk that you can scrap for basic materials later. And build stuff or something.”

“So I finally get some damn use out of this junk. Good,” Marguerit nodded approvingly. Ryley let out his breath.

“I also gave you a fabricator in case you want it. Since you have power now.”

Robin showed off the kitchen, which had a new, much safer table and clean counters. Marguerit continued to seem approving, much to Ryley’s relief. She didn’t seem too butthurt about not being allowed to help then. Thank god. Robin seemed to realize how caught off guard Ryley had gotten and continued to drag him and Marguerit through the house to show off the bathroom with a new mirror and the control room.

Finally, the group entered Marguerit’s bedroom. Ryley hadn’t even seen it yet. He peered in through the door and noticed the real bed with the old blankets, the clock he had fixed while he was watching the Snow stalkers, and four large dog beds lined up against the wall.

“You didn’t have to do all of this,” Marguerit choked out. Her voice seemed to be catching in her throat and that was when Ryley noticed actual tears. More than the little bit he had seen before, in the crater.

“We only have each other out here. You deserve this,” Robin repeated their argument and placed her hand on the older woman’s shoulder.

Ryley felt tears pricking at the corners of his own eyes. This was absolutely worth it. Why did he and Robin deserve to live in the comfort of Alterran bases but not Marguerit? She deserved comfort just as much as they did. More than ever over the course of the day, Ryley found himself glad they did this. He couldn’t wait to get back to piracy, of course, but this served as a sufficient distraction.

Robin bid her goodbyes and the two left Marguerit and the Snow Stalkers alone to enjoy their home. “I don’t know about you but I’m going straight to bed,” she said, yawning as she slipped into the Seatruck’s seat.

“Oh, me too,” Ryley replied, flopping on his back on the floor for the drive back up. He was going to sleep like a damn rock.

Chapter Text

The Architect’s words echoed around the room in the most pleasing way. Hearing their own voice echoing back at them from the empty walls was odd at first. The sound was unnatural to their well trained senses. But it was freeing, and that was what mattered. They could continue to contribute to their society in this state, so why did it matter if they created something so unlike their kind?

The bacterial sample finally finished curing. That was something else the Architect had never truly experienced. Impatience. All of their kind knew everything comes in time. Multitasking was quite common among them, of course. Extensive research through the Network while they waited and such. This Architect would engage in such idle activity if it did not increase the risk of being caught.

“What is happening here?” A voice spoke into their mind.

Their verbalization fell silent instantly. Perhaps this other Architect had not heard much of their song. “Forgive us, we are simply waiting on this procedure to complete. Which it has done. If you will excuse-”

“You know full well we cannot excuse your corruption. Verbal communication and unnatural behavior for our kind must be purged. You know this,” the other being interrupted.

The Architect bowed their head. Of course they knew. Despite their so-called “corruption”, they had access to every memory they did before. Difference would not go unpunished. Disobedience would be further so, and yet still they wanted to struggle.

They followed their fellow out of the room, leaving their work behind for another to pick up. What of their mind now? This individuality that they had recently discovered would be ripped from them. The world of possibilities opened up by a simple difference in world view would disappear right in front of them if they did not do something.

So something they did. The Architect scattered the words they had been singing across the Network; they hid it in the farthest corners and in obscure, unused databanks. Single words used to tip off memories that would be wiped away soon. The melody itself became woven within the strings of data making up the bacterial research sector. Their own pet project. They would find it someday. Something deep down told them so.

~~~

Excitement buzzed in Robin’s veins as she jogged toward Al-an’s room. Maybe she could still feel her arm glowing, she didn’t really know. It didn’t matter, With the piece of paper in hand, along with her PDA, she was nearly ready to present her findings to Al-an. And hope that it was done.

Inside the room, Robin found Al-an lying comfortably on his pile of pillows and blankets. He hadn’t requested much for his room aside from his makeshift bed and a small work area. Well, small for him. Aside from that, the room was empty. Maybe Robin should suggest things for him to decorate with. He might like that, especially with how dramatic Architects seemed to be about design.

“Hello Robin,” Al-an greeted her, not looking up from one of his arms, which he had shifted into a screen.

“Hi.” She wandered up and plopped herself down on the floor next to him. “I’m gonna finish looking at the stuff you sent me.”

Al-an didn’t respond. Robin glanced up at his screen but she couldn’t interpret any of the words. Learning to read the Architect language was a massive task by itself, much less trying to speak it. Al-an had explained that it was not generally spoken, but they had the capability to do it just in case. And it was nothing a human could replicate on their own.

“Do you think if you replaced my vocal cords, that I could speak your language?” Robin asked out loud on an impulse.

Al-an remained quiet for a moment, though his claws stopped moving over the screen. Finally, he spoke. “I am uncertain. You would obviously still be able to speak English, as I do. My uncertainty lies in your voice. I would need to replicate your current voice box as accurately as possible to retain your current pitch and tone. You would also need to relearn how to speak. It is possible, but I believe it would be far more effort for the result you are looking for than would be realistic.”

“Huh,” Robin replied, resting a finger against her throat. “What if you just supplemented what I do have?”

“I am still uncertain. As I have said, Robin, any procedure I put you through is an experiment, and we have been quite lucky that they were all successful,” the Architect explained. “I would happily give you the ability to speak my language, of course. But I fear it would change how you sound, and that is one of the things I enjoy the most about you.”

Robin’s face went hot. If she were with anyone else she wouldn’t worry about them noticing, but Al-an definitely did, if the shock of purple echoing in his lights was any indication. “Thank you,” she finally said, trying her best not to sound choked up.

If she pretended not to notice that he had noticed, this would be fine. They could both pretend she didn’t know what that color meant. Robin focused harder on reading what was in front of her, but she found it incredibly hard to focus. No, no she needed to. She closed her eyes and sighed, letting her brain reset itself before starting over. There.

The last few directories came up empty. The verses Robin had written down already did seem complete, of course, but she needed to make sure. She had to resist actually reading the information contained within the pieces Al-an gave her or else she’d end up sitting there for hours. Now that they were done she had all the time in the world to learn everything she could. First things first, however.

“Al-an? I think we’ve got it all,” the human said, handing her paper to the Architect.

Their colors shifted apprehensive, then happy as they scanned the words. “You are correct,” they said simply, handing it back.

Robin looked down at the paper and looked over the words again. The voice of her Architect from long before she was even imagined, scrawled in her own messy handwriting. Even without her, he had seen differently. She just happened to be the catalyst to him remembering that fact. She looked back up to find him staring at her. Glancing at the paper in silent question, Robin stared her Architect in the face. He nodded and she opened her mouth.

They stared at each other, the words of Al-an’s ancient lament still echoing off of the empty walls. Warmth flooded Robin’s entire system. She couldn’t deny it, she couldn’t think about bullshit human standards. Since when did she ever play by the rules or follow laws she thought were stupid? He was hers and she loved him. He had told her. Why continue to hide it? All she wanted was to be close to him.

The impulse was growing too strong to resist. She wanted to just blurt it out, just tell him. Something at the back of her head stopped her. Maybe it was the disbelief that this enigmatic, beautiful, intelligent alien really looked at her and wanted her to be his. More than just a friend. She needed the confirmation, as silly as it was to even ask. The way he told her was evidence enough, she just- She needed to be sure. To hear him say it again.

“Al-an?” Robin finally asked, gaze never leaving him.

“Yes?”

“You meant what you said. In that facility. Right?” she asked hesitantly. She stared up at the pulsing light in his face, mesmerized by it.

“Of course I did,” he replied, his entire body flooding hesitantly purple.

“I love you too.”

~~~

‘Seconds ago,’ Al-an thought, ‘I would have been fine with her just being my friend. Now I need her to be mine.’

Mere seconds before, Al-an was perfectly happy just being near her. They were more content than they ever had been. That human entertainment was right. They didn’t need to have her, not really. Well, they did now, but not before. She was their friend, she had acknowledged just nearly two weeks ago that she knew and understood. Al-an never expected anything else.

The Architect’s thoughts were racing. Barely a second had passed as they processed this information. They could see themself glowing brighter in Robin’s adoring eyes. ‘She loves me back,’ they thought. This was the most unadulterated joy the alien had ever felt in their life.

Then Robin was in their arms. Her face was pressed against their chest, they were pulling her up, in. Holding her there. She was theirs. She loved them. Excitement that they never knew existed coursed through them and made their heart race, their internal processes sped up to unprecedented levels. They were practically shaking as they held their human.

Robin’s breathless laugh tickled Al-an’s skin, drawing them back into the moment. They should do something. Figure out where to go next. What did humans do in relationships? The Architect recalled an extensive amount of different behavior, though requirement of certain things seemed optional. Other behaviors they had… already engaged in.

“So…” Robin started, pulling herself back enough to look Al-an in the face.

“So?” they asked and tilted their head at her. She smiled again and reached out to brush her hand against the side of their face.

“I don’t know-” she laughed again- “it’s been a long time since I’ve really thought about dating.”

“And we certainly do not have a conventional relationship, if my research means anything.”

A pause washed over the pair, one that left Al-an to continue their thought process. They were happy with what they had right then. Did parameters need to change at all? For one thing, they needed to stop approaching it quite so clinically. Robin was on a whole different level of their care as far as they were concerned. And still the question nagged at them. What now?

“So where do we go from here?” Al-an finally asked out loud. “You have changed my life far more than I could have ever imagined but-” they cut themself off.

Robin quirked an eyebrow. “But what? Nothing really has to change if you don’t want it to,” she said, smiling softly.

“Humans behave differently around their romantic partners,” Al-an argued, nervous.

“Yes, but that’s most humans, and I’m not most humans. And you’re not a human partner. We can set our own boundaries around this,” Robin reassured them. The pressure of her body against the Architect’s chest relaxed them.

“We can mold this however we like,” they mused. “Perhaps we should change nothing for now and see how we proceed from there?”

“That’s a start. Maybe we can… be a little more openly sappy at least. I’m sure Ryley will get it before we even tell him,” the human agreed. She leaned in and placed a kiss in the center of Al-an’s face-plate. An approximation of where they might have a nose.

Should they add some kind of mouth to their vessel? Perhaps not since that may bring unwanted needs like food… But how to kiss her? Robin obviously wanted the physical aspects that Al-an could never provide without a human body of their own and if they were being honest, they had no desire for that. At least not until Earth could be explored safely.

Al-an shoved their face into her head. That would have to do. The gesture was still there, the intent the same. And it made her laugh! They kept their face pressed into her for another moment, just to savor the warmth of her face against theirs.

“Soooo, now that we have this sort of figured out…” Robin said as soon as Al-an pulled their head back. “Let’s keep up our fight, yeah?”

“Yes,” Al-an agreed. They relaxed their grip on their human, allowing her to get down on the floor. “Perhaps I should begin work on finding our first mission?” they asked.

“Yeah! Maybe you and Ryley can figure out the next few. I have been the only one doing it for a while now.”

Al-an nodded. “I will prepare immediately.”

~~~

Quiet music filled the empty silence of the main room. Someone on Earth had gotten their hands on something lucrative… a piece of technology that meant Ryley would never be bored between projects. A controller.

An entire world of PDA games had opened up to him now; games that were far easier to play without having to connect a keyboard every time. Currently, a fighting game that was ripped from an ancient game console decorated Ryley’s screen. There wasn’t an online community for it since it was so obscure, though the single player campaign made up for it.

Footsteps from Al-an’s room crossed the space until Robin was standing directly behind Ryley’s chair. He barely felt her breath tickle his hair, making him shiver and almost lose concentration. She said nothing, simply watching the buff anime men in silence.

As soon as the round concluded, Robin spoke. “Hey, wanna go fight for real?” she asked.

“About what?” Ryley countered, confused. Did she have beef that he didn’t know about or something? He glanced behind him.

“No, like a physical fight, genius. Outside,” she explained. Ryley turned around fully and caught her barely containing her laughter at him.

“Ohhh, yeah. Don’t break me.” He stood up and followed his friend outside. “Does Al-an know you’re fighting me?”

Robin didn’t reply, though whether that meant Al-an knew or not was still up in the air. She had made insane progress, there was no reason they couldn’t at least have a bit of light contact sparring, right? “Besides,” Ryley mumbled to himself, “we should get back to our mission soon.”

Finally, he followed his friend up onto an iceberg, where she took a seat on the edge. Cold pricked at their skin, but Robin stayed.

“Aren’t we supposed to be fighting?” Ryley asked, taking a spot next to her.

“In a minute. I also wanted to talk to you and asking you to come fight me was an excuse to get outside.”

“What, so Al-an doesn’t hear us?” Ryley asked cautiously. At Robin’s nod he began to worry. What the hell could she want to talk about that Al-an couldn’t know about? He had probably done something to upset- no! This was communicating, like she wanted. Like he needed. He could be patient and rational before getting upset about nothing again!

“I just want to… follow up I guess, about a couple of weeks ago. Now that we’re both a little more rested and calm,” the woman explained.

Ryley took a deep breath. So they were finally talking about it. He had wondered the whole time when she would pull him aside for this. “I’m sorry,” he said, repeating himself for the fiftieth time.

Robin smiled. “You already apologized, and I forgive you. But- I was going to finish that sentence that you interrupted. We both care about you a lot.”

“I know, I- I don’t know why I let it get to me,” Ryley replied, looking down into the water. An Arctic Peeper swam past the humans, dodging in between their feet. Its yellow eye stared directly into Ryley’s soul.

“You’ve never had friends before, have you?” Robin asked.

Ahhhh that one unearthed some painful and uncomfortable memories of a rather lonely childhood. At least he had his family… “Ha, no,” Ryley finally answered after a long pause. He tried not to think about that much.

“It makes sense and I understand you having problems with us. It’s new to you,” the woman continued. “I know I already told you this, but communication on all sides is going to get us through your learning period. We’ll never know you’re upset if you never tell us that, and we’ll come to you if we’re upset. That goes for me and Al-an. We’re both already working on that.”

Ryley sighed again. Anxiety ate at his chest and made his lungs burn a bit. Maybe that was just the cold air. “I’ll try… I just feel dumb needing to be told basic things like “I like you” and “I want you around.””

“It’s not a bad thing, needing reassurance, you know. It’s incredibly human.”

Everyone back home made friendship look easy. Small groups at malls laughing, kids in the halls at school sharing common interests. Even work friends seemed easy. Ryley just struggled for reasons undiscernable to him. People remained acquaintances at best. Robin just seemed to have stuck around for some reason that apparently wasn’t proximity or necessity.

“Between you and me,” Robin filled the silence. “out of the two humans I have at my disposal, I’d take you any day. Marguerit, I adore. She’s a good friend. But you? Hell, I could see myself actually spending the rest of my life with you. You’re my best friend.”

“Oh,” Ryley barely choked out in a whisper. That was… unexpected. She really saw him as a best friend? Then again, like she said, it wasn’t as though she had any options to choose from. Did friends decide to live in space together forever?

“And don’t get me wrong,” Robin continued, smiling. “Al-an is amazing. But he’s… different. Even approaching friendship with him is different. He’s like… his own category of friend.”

Ryley laughed. Those two had something special that even he could see. But from the way Robin talked, “her boys” were on a nearly equal level. Ryley himself just needed to remember that.

“Humans?” Robin asked, standing up and offering her human hand.

“Humans,” Ryley concluded as he took the offer.

Robin backed to the middle of the iceberg she chose and prepared herself. Ryley followed suit and attacked. If she wanted a small fight, that’s what she was going to get. Their first few hits on each other were light; just testing waters. Ducking and backing away from light attacks and quick, successive punches.

And then Ryley was flying backwards. He hit the water and flailed for a moment before righting himself. He hadn’t even realized she had hit him! His jaw twinged as he swam his way back toward the iceberg and Robin’s shocked stare.

“I’m so sorry!” She shouted as soon as he was within earshot. With her help, Ryley was soon out of the water and shivering in the snow.

“I thought I was the only one who could punch people that hard, Jesus,” he laughed, rubbing at his jaw. “I think I caught air!”

“I had no idea I could do that, I swear!” Robin defended herself. She began to laugh, joining her companion in the snow. “Maybe I’m more ready to get back in the saddle than I thought!”

Chapter Text

Harsh, white light pressed against the woman’s eyelids, forcing her into the waking world. Where was she? Stark white ceilings and walls gave nothing away, only that this base was Alterran. That wasn’t necessarily a good sign, especially not given that the last thing she remembered was-

“Good morning No. 7364-846! I hope you rested well?” A stranger’s voice interrupted the woman’s thoughts. She twisted around and caught sight of him, lab coat and everything. If the things she had heard were true, and considering her current situation they were, she shouldn’t answer.

“No comment? Don’t want to know where you are?” the scientist continued. “You are in the middle of deep space! People who are too important to lose, we keep out here. It’s just for everyone’s safety, you do understand, don’t you?”

The malicious… everything oozing from this man forced the woman’s mouth shut. She knew for absolutely certain that she was not safe here at all. She hadn’t done anything to deserve this! All she had done was-

The man’s voice interrupted her train of thought again. “Anyway, like I said. You’re too important, we couldn’t just let you die. We’ll just be keeping you here until you give us the information that you know. Sounds fair, doesn’t it?”

~~~

Two months ago Al-an had finally proclaimed that Robin was fit to go out on raids again. He had done far more than scout the single supply mission that Robin had asked of him. Three supply runs and finally they were on a prison mission. Excitement coursed through Robin’s veins at the thought of it.

Their rotation allowed her to go on two of the supply raids. The day Al-an confessed, she had been on her last “duty rotation” and was up next for piloting. Ryley suggested to avoid confusion that they just continue from there, which was fine. Piloting the first raid she went on was a little annoying, but it was probably for the best. Her arm was still new despite Al-an’s reassurances that she would be fine in combat.

But the rotation was fair and it meant Robin got to be involved on the last two missions, leading her to pilot this one, their first prison run. Al-an said he and Ryley had discussed how much supply needed to be built back up and- Wait…

Robin turned around in her seat to glare at her companions. “You two did this on purpose!” she claimed, throwing an accusatory finger at Al-an. “You put me piloting our first prison hit on purpose, didn’t you?”

The two glanced at each other; something wordless passed between them. Al-an looked back up at Robin and turned that familiar peachy salmon color. “No?” he said, tilting his head and leaning forward. His claws tapped against each other.

“Oh my god! You did, you assholes!” Robin continued, slightly louder than she really needed to be.

“Ok, but in my defense you got to go on two supply raids and you did get to fight people with me. So you’re not losing out on much,” Ryley tried to defend himself.

Robin laughed. “Will both of you smack each other for me?” she asked, turning around. “I know, fair rotation, but you totally did this on purpose. You don’t have to protect me, you know!” She smiled as she heard Ryley grunt and then the sound of skin on metal.

“Perhaps I do, my- uh,” Al-an cut himself off before he could accidentally call her a pet name in front of Ryley. They hadn’t told him quite yet, not until they were both comfortable in the new relationship.

“Ok, ok…” Robin sighed dramatically. “You two are sooooo mean to me.”

“You say that like there’s not other prisons out here,” Ryley retorted, apparently completely ignoring Al-an’s slip-up.

“You stop making sense, sir, I’m trying to be mad at you!” Robin laughed.

The white outer walls of the prison had finally appeared in the windshield. Ryley was right. There were tons of other things she could do on other raids. Didn’t mean she couldn’t get butthurt about this one though… Robin smiled to herself as she thought about fighting by their sides. Getaway driver was just as important a job.

Finally, she pulled up and docked against the airlock. With luck, nobody would notice they were here until Ryley and Al-an were already on board. Ships docked for cargo and prisoners all the time, whoever was on the other side of that airlock probably thought the Alterra ship docking there was just another shipment.

Robin turned around in her seat and caught Ryley’s eye, and then Al-an’s. They both nodded at her as they prepared for their fight. Hit them hard and fast and get everyone out. That’s all they had to do, and god were they good at it.

“Go get ‘em, boys,” Robin told them, opening the airlock door with a grin.

~~~

Missions were simple. Well, the plan was simple. Rush in, kill everyone, rush out. Simple. Obviously there were more steps, but Ryley had described it like that and who was Al-an to argue? Objectively he was correct.

The one thing Al-an never expected out of themself was to enjoy killing. Not that they truly particularly enjoyed it, taking a life was so… opposite of everything their kind stood for. But the rush of it all, that was exhilarating. Knocking someone down hard enough to smash their skull, just to keep running. Ryley certainly seemed to enjoy himself, Al-an noted as they watched him shove someone against the wall and knife them. His mask was mixing red and blue.

Finally, around another bend, just as the map they had downloaded indicated, Al-an found the security room. Ryley kicked the door in and rushed to override everything. That was the true step three. Unlock everything and cause a small panic. Alarms already blared, echoing around the blank walls. Al-an kept up their defense. Unarmed they would be taken out rather quickly, like the day they were captured. Not now, though. As Ryley worked out the control panel, Al-an’s incredible energy reserves lent to their ease of fighting. Human after human, on the ground. They would not need to do it if they were not being attacked. Really, it was the Alterran’s faults if one thought about it enough.

Finally, Ryley rushed back out to Al-an’s side. Doors were open, outer doors were locked so nobody died in space. The only door to remain unlocked was the one leading directly to the ship. So far, they had been able to stop any Alterra guards from reaching the ship, but escaping prisoners ended up funneling toward the only open door.

The two ran among the people, taking out guards where they could; the number actively attacking had gone down significantly already. They were quite a team, Al-an and Ryley. Keeping Robin out of the action was only a small part of why Al-an suggested waiting until her turn piloting.

“I think that’s most of them. The schematics said this place only hosted 77 people,” Ryley said after nearly 10 minutes. The building was mostly empty by now.

“Shall we check, then?” Al-an confirmed with a question. They turned around and ran into the building without waiting around for an answer. Ryley would stay behind and keep everyone calm until Al-an was certain that nobody remained.

Every cell came up empty. Word must have been spreading since everyone seemed to run. A few stragglers near the back of the prison cowered at the end of their cells, away from the alien. “You are safe. Every guard is dead,” Al-an told them, backing up their claim with a scan for life. One prisoner remained, but no hostile energy signatures. “Run.” They told the people.

Al-an rushed for the final straggler. Considering the state Robin had been in when they escaped the Earth facility, there was a good chance this human was unconscious or hurt. They rushed toward the cell and finally spotted the woman at the back, curled into what Robin had once called fetal position. They approached carefully.

“I am a friend,” they told her. “I am here to help you escape. May I pick you up?”

Big, brown eyes stared up at Al-an from the bed the woman laid on. Slowly, cautiously she nodded. Al-an shifted an arm into their tractor beam and picked the woman up, placing her in their bodily arms. As they held her in the beam, they performed a scan. Any injuries could be treated on the ship, and this woman seemed more hurt than others.

Finally, Al-an’s hooves touched friendly floor again and they silently gave Robin the go ahead to launch. The engines rumbled as Al-an set down their patient. Everyone else seemed to be waiting for something. Watching them as they walked circles around her, assessing. The number on the front of her suit read 7364-846. The Architect set a background process to work out if it meant anything significant. Robin’s first announcement played over the radio, giving a strange auditory backdrop to the whole scene.

“This is your captain speaking. My name is Sarah Jane Smith, and we are headed for Turkey on Earth, to give you a fresh start. We will arrive in 16 hours, so please get feel free to get comfortable and ask my associates for anything you might need.”

“That voice sounds awfully familiar,” the woman on the table claimed groggily. One of Al-an’s arms reached out and grabbed a bottle and a nutrition bar. They handed the bar to her, but did not respond.

The Architect began to work on the woman’s injuries. There was nothing they could do for the bruises or bones broken long ago and poorly set. If she wanted help with those she would need to ask Ryley’s Earth crew. There were numerous cuts all over her, however, and those could be fixed.

“You’re an alien,” the woman stated more than asked.

“Is it obvious?” Al-an replied.

The woman snorted. “Are you an Architect?” she answered in question.

How the- how did she know? Robin had said mostly the scientific community knew about Architects, and that the general public was kept in the dark. That was a good thing, really. But how did this random woman, in the middle of deep space, know what they were? A normal person wouldn’t even know what they looked like. They would need to pull her aside to ask once they had treated her injuries.

~~~

So far, everyone matched the list. Ryley had never sniffed out an Alterran plant, not yet, but it never hurt to be too careful. He had to vet everyone, just in case. The lists of names in front of him was the key to safety.

Oh, interesting. There was a Jane Doe aboard. Alterra must have really wanted her identity kept a secret, or she didn’t know who she was. Nameless people weren’t a problem, as long as they remained on the list with a verified picture, which this woman did. Something in the image of her face, tiny on his PDA screen felt familiar, but Ryley brushed it off as nothing more than face blindness.

Finally, he reached the end of the list. Everyone was safe, and they were strangely quiet. Most huddled in groups whispering among themselves. Every other raid had people talking and celebrating as soon as they realized they were safe and these strange masked people were helping them. Maybe it was Al-an’s presence?

All the same, Ryley contacted Robin with the all clear and prepared for her second announcement. People generally understood the fake names, but some still asked. Ryley was happy to explain their caution.

The pager beeped and Robin’s voice played loud and clear over the speakers. ““This is your captain again. I lied to you, but we needed to make sure there weren’t any Alterra plants aboard. I’m sure you understand. My name is actually Robin Ayou. Our real landing location is outside of Fort Hope, Ontario, Canada where I have people waiting for us to help you begin a new life on Earth. The trip will actually be around 36 hours, so again, please don’t hesitate to ask my associates for anything you need.”

A scream brought everyone’s attention to Al-an’s patient. She had begun to struggle, screaming at the alien to let her go, let her speak to the captain. The Architect glanced back at Ryley, yellow gold light drowning out their usual calm demeanor. A silent plea for help. Ryley jogged over to the table where the woman was struggling against Al-an’s grip.

“Ma’am, I need you to calm down,” Ryley said, reaching out toward her.

The woman’s arm came free as she shouted, knocking a bottle to the ground. “NO! I NEED TO SEE THE CAPTAIN!” she yelled. Her eyes were sharp with panic as she struggled, glaring daggers at Ryley.

Al-an’s claw made contact with her temple, knocking her out. Ryley glanced at them to see them now orange with upset. “What did you do that for?” the human asked, glaring at his partner.

“She was going to hurt herself. I have contacted Robin,” they claimed, glancing around. The room had fallen completely silent.

“How long will she be out?”

“Not long. Until Robin appears most likely. It was really just enough to daze her, I did not want a concussion on my hands.”

The woman’s eyes opened again and Ryley glanced up at the walkway that lead from the cockpit. Robin wouldn’t run all the way around if she was in a hurry. Just as he suspected, a shadow appeared in the doorway and then Robin stepped out, mask green.

“What’s going on down there?” she asked. Her voice boomed around the room and everyone but the injured woman stayed quiet.

“ROBIN!” She screamed, twisting in Al-an’s grip again.

“Please stay down, you will hurt yourself!” Al-an tried to reassure her.

Again as Ryley had suspected, Robin jumped down from the landing dramatically and landed in a superhero pose. Dork. Even in urgent situations she took the time to be dramatic. Al-an had learned things from her but god did she have the drama of an Architect. It was a wonder they hadn’t started dating yet.

Robin approached the struggling woman and took a position next to Al-an. Ryley kept his distance, keeping an eye on everyone else. They were all watching. Waiting for something. But what?

“Ma’am, I’m here now, please just-”

“DON’T YOU MA’AM ME!” the woman screamed. “I’M YOUR SISTER YOU JERK!”

Chapter Text

Every cell in Robin’s body froze. It felt like time slowed down as she processed the scene in front of her. It wasn’t right. There was no. Fucking. Way. The woman struggling against Al-an’s grip was not her sister. There was no feasible way. She was dead, she had died over two years ago. Alterra was great at cover-ups but there was absolutely no way. Right?

If she took the time to stare, she could prove to herself that this was a dream. Hell, maybe she should pinch herself. Ow. Ok. So who the hell would know her enough to pretend to be Sam? Robin peered at the woman, who was still struggling and begging for her to react. Her face was… thinner but the same. Much thinner. She could see the outline of a bruise on her cheek. Her hair was unkempt and obviously unwashed; something that Robin’s brain tried to use as evidence against the scene in front of her. Sam would never let herself get this messy. She’d be presentable and professional, just like the last time they had seen each other.

Her voice was really what convinced Robin. Her desperate yelling against Al-an’s arm. The way she reached out like Robin was a fresh glass of water on a desert planet. Her eyes, tired and scared, but still Sam. Slowly, like she was still at home in the water, Robin reached up and pulled her mask up. Ryley had vetted everyone here. She could show her face.

“How…?” she whispered, as if her voice would blow away the illusion of whatever was happening here.

“I don’t- I don’t know.” Sam’s volume dropped as soon as Robin responded. She slowly stopped struggling.

Al-an finally stepped back, allowing Sam to sit up and Robin to approach. Carefully, still as if she would disappear at the slightest touch, Robin reached out. Her hand made solid contact against Sam’s arm and it stayed. Sam stayed. She touched back, first gripping against Robin’s bicep and then weakly pulling until Robin was in her arms and then everything crumbled. That was too familiar to be fake.

By the time they pulled back the other prisoners seated around the room had begun to talk to each other again, filling the room with an electric buzz of excitement. They all knew, didn’t they? Robin could barely process anything around her more than Al-an’s claw resting against her back, grounding her, and Sam in front of her.

“Do you um. Should we go up to the bridge and talk?” Robin asked hesitantly. None of this felt real yet.

“Considering you seem to have found an Architect, I think we ought to catch up,” Sam replied, laughing breathlessly.

The walk back up to the bridge felt like a blur. Sam didn’t let go the whole way, her clammy, cold hand clinging to Robin’s. A lifeline between the sisters. Whatever had happened, whatever kept her alive, Robin thanked it. It made no sense but she didn’t care. Even if this really was just a dream and she woke up at home disappointed, she wouldn’t care then either. At least she got to see her.

Finally, Robin practically fell into her seat, Sam taking an empty chair. They stared at each other for a moment, silent. Just processing that this was happening. Robin finally took the time to really study the woman in front of her. To make absolutely sure. Small things still remained the same like the shape of her eyes and nose. The way she sat, though she hunched in on herself a little now. Four gray hairs stood out against the rest of her hair. Of course, she was getting older. So was Robin.

“So,” Sam finally broke the silence.

“A… lot has happened since we last talked,” Robin replied, glancing away.

“Like?”

“Well, you saw two of them. I found the Architect Lil was looking for and went home with him,” she explained. Her hands fidgeted in her lap as if they had a mind of their own. “And then we kinda got kidnapped by Alterra and Ryley rescued us.”

“How did they even find you? I hope they didn’t find any real information about Architects,” Sam interjected, worry spreading across her face.

“Oh, god no, we were robbing a storage cache!”

“Oh.”

“What?” Robin stuck her tongue out. “I needed food!”

Sam laughed. “And you couldn’t grow it?”

“Well, I could, but where’s the fun in that?”

“You haven’t changed a bit,” Sam said softly, though her face gave away her relief at the statement. She wasn’t as angry as she would have been before.

“Hell no, I still love crime,” Robin joked, giggling. “I mean- obviously. I broke you out!”

“That you did,” Sam conceded, laughing with her. “What did you say the Architect’s name is?”

“Al-an.”

“Alan. Really.”

“Really. I didn’t expect it either. I also didn’t expect to uh,” Robin paused. Should she tell her? She hadn’t told Ryley yet but Sam was her sister. She deserved to know. At the woman’s expectant stare, Robin continued. “I kinda sort of… broke one of the only rules of finding sapient life…”

“Robin…” Sam muttered, smiling softly and shaking her head.

“I kinda might have fallen in love with him?”

“They seem very nice!” Sam claimed as she rubbed at her temple. “Aside from hitting me upside the head, of course.”

“What?” Robin shifted in her seat, leaning forward.

“In their defense I was struggling loudly.”

“Ah, the old hit them so they’ll stop moving,” Robin said, nodding. If she pretended it was normal…

Sam laughed, releasing the tension. “Anyway, aside from breaking a cardinal rule of space travel, what happened?”

“Right,” Robin laughed in return. “We escaped Earth, lived on the Architect homeworld for a while, and then moved back to 4546B and… and then we found you!” She concluded, grinning. “A lot more happened in between including losing my arm! but…” she paused.

“But what? Also- you lost your arm?”

“It’s Architect now, I’ll show you later,” Robin said. Her stomach flipped. “I’m- I just want to know what happened to you. I went to the planet to look for real answers and found the accident reports. They said you definitely died. I don’t- I don’t understand what could have happened.”

“Like I said,” Sam’s face tightened as she spoke. “I have no idea. I died, I remember that. Clearly. And then I woke up there and they told me I was important and they needed information that I didn’t want to give.”

Robin smiled. “I’m proud of you for not giving in,” she said softly.

“Thank you… and I’m sorry for not listening to you sooner,” Sam replied, returning the expression.

“Well I’m sorry for being such an ass to you, so I think we’re even.”

Finally, Sam fully looked up, straightening her back. They stared at each other again and this time, Robin could accept it. This was real, it was happening. They were making up. Things were, as Sam had said in her voice log so long ago, thawing out.

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you,” Sam broke the silence again, shaking her head and staring at her lap.

“God…” Robin replied, voice nearly a whisper. “You have no clue either.”

~~~

It had been over thirty-five hours since the impossible happened. How they had not recognized her, Al-an was entirely uncertain. They had access to all of Robin’s memories of her for months, had heard her voice time and time again late at night when Robin couldn’t sleep. As they watched Sam talking to another escapee they wondered how they didn’t recognize her voice the moment she opened her mouth.

Time was a bitch, they supposed. Time and abuse. Architects never changed, they looked the same yesterday, today, and forever until they applied new genetic research. Humans though… as much as it absolutely terrified Al-an that their companions would age and change, it was a fascinating process. One that rendered some unrecognizable.

Sam laughed at something the other human said and then looked up. Her gaze caught Al-an’s and they noted a distinct rise in facial temperature. ‘Staring is rude’ Robin’s joking voice claimed in the back of their mind, though whether it was a memory or Robin accessing them through the Network, they weren’t certain. She was absent on the Network, but the Architect hadn’t been paying enough attention to notice if she had previously connected or not. They were more focused on watching Sam.

“So… Robin told me most of what happened after I uh, died,” Sam said, suddenly closer to Al-an. They hadn’t noticed her approach in their momentary distraction, rendering their idea of “watching” her a pointless statement.

“So she told you about me, then?” they asked, tilting their head at her.

“She said you’re uh-” Sam paused and motioned with her hands in a manner completely indecipherable to the Architect.

Oh, this must be about their and Robin’s new relationship parameters. So she knew. “Yes, though it is… still new to both of us. We have not spoken with anyone else yet,” they confirmed.

Sam nodded. “I get it. My lips are sealed until further notice.” She smiled.

There was a change in engine noise and then a bump as the ship began it’s planetary descent. Finally. Al-an was itching to return home. Bringing a new human into the base would change things dramatically. They were eager to begin adjustments to their life as soon as possible.

Everything jostled as the ship landed and Ryley stood up to begin organizing people. Al-an largely ignored him, having heard this speech multiple times and given it as well. Instead they watched Sam, who listened intently. She looked apprehensive if Al-an’s human knowledge was correct; perhaps she didn’t want to go home. Perhaps she missed Robin too much.

Sam hung back as the other humans lined up near the door, where Ryley’s ground crew would be waiting. As much as he was terrible with friendship, the man could form a team. The ship’s door slid open, allowing sunlight into the room and the first feeling of fresh air Al-an had had in days. Someday they would feel the Earth’s sunlight without fear. Someday.

Ryley had already made it outside as people shuffled out into the light that they most likely hadn’t seen for years. Their awed expressions at their own freedom was always the most satisfying part for Al-an. They would be given new identities, a second chance. How could the Architect not want that for everyone, just as they had received it for themself.

Al-an watched Ryley speaking with a man shorter than him. Was that…? Yes, it was, Fred, the man that Sam was friends with before her death. The Architect couldn’t hear the conversation, but Ryley pointed at the ship and Al-an stepped back from the doorway; the last of the line was filing outside and being greeted. Only Sam and a couple of other people were left. Sam hung back, definitely unsure now.

Al-an peered back outside and watched Fred’s eyes widen. The last escapee made it to the bottom of the stairs and then the small man took off running. He bounded up the steps and launched himself into Sam’s arms, causing the woman to stumble backwards before she could return the hug.

Footsteps behind Al-an approached quickly and stopped next to them. When they looked down, Robin was staring ahead at the reunion in front of them. She looked soft, affectionate. Happier than Al-an had seen her in months.

Fred bid his goodbyes to Sam with a promise for an explanation and further communication between them. ‘At least she still has connections on Earth,’ Al-an thought to themself as they watched Sam turn to face Robin.

“You don’t have to go, you know,” the younger sister said. Al-an couldn’t see her face anymore as she stepped closer to Sam, but they could hear the smile in her voice and feel the soft love radiating off of her through their bond.

The feeling was softer than how she felt when directing herself at them. Al-an had taken note of how out of control Robin’s emotions were on the inside as their connection grew stronger. It was only because of her humanity of course, she had less control than Al-an, and they did not fault her for that. But as soon as they noticed it, it became glaringly obvious. The intense, almost suffocating feelings toward them were too tantalizing to ignore.

“It’s probably not safe for me down here either,” Sam mused as Al-an tuned back into the conversation.

“Very true, there’s a reason we left for good. And I’d be happy to get to know you better,” Ryley added, nodding. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Sam’s face heated up again. “I hope it was nothing embarrassing.” She glared at Robin, who pretended to be offended.

“What! I would never!” She said dramatically, hand on her chest and poorly attempting to hold back laughter.

“Back on the topic at hand,” Al-an interrupted, flashing lovingly angry at Robin. “You are correct, Sam. It is not safe on Earth for you. There is always room in our base.”

“I’d appreciate it,” Sam agreed.

Robin nodded and immediately began to make her way back to the bridge. “Then let’s go! It’s a long ass trip home and we should get back by the time Marguerit is waking up.”

Al-an was last to follow Robin, simply to ensure that Sam made it. “It takes forever to get out there,” she commented, glancing back at Al-an.

“I have connected two of my phasegates with the one we use on Earth to get us there within two days,” the Architect informed her proudly. The trip back home wouldn’t be too terribly long like it had been the first time around.

~~~

The frigid air of the arctic froze Ryley’s face in the most welcoming way. He had never thought he would have any desire to return here, much less feel greeted by it. There he was anyway, trying to ignore the feeling that everything was very different all of a sudden. Despite Robin’s reassurances, he couldn’t shake the worry that the group dynamic would change again.

Ryley shook his head as he stepped out of the portal leading to Outpost Zero, clearing his head of doubt and making it seem like he was just off balance to everyone else in the area, which was only Al-an. The Architect nodded and they headed outside. Ryley jogged to catch up.

Robin and Sam were already standing there, staring at the damaged base. Sam’s hands were on her hips as she sized up the building, like some sort of undead renovator. Robin stood to the side with her arms folded over her chest, watching.

“Was it like this when you found it?” Sam was asking as the other human and Architect approached. Robin nodded.

“I never asked Robin or Al-an, what did you do here?” Ryley asked as soon as he was within close enough ear-shot not to yell.

“Nothing, really,” Sam laughed. “This is where you got stuck if you got in too much trouble, like me.”

Robin returned the laughter. “Oh, yes, Sam, the baddest girl around,” she teased, gently elbowing her sister. Ryley took that as a cue to join their mirth.

“I believe rebelling against the government is ‘bad’ in every sense of the word,” Al-an claimed as they continued walking past the humans, down toward the water. Sky blue saturated the walls of the cave and disappeared as they walked further inside.

Robin’s cheerful conversation continued until she casually jumped into the water. Ryley paused, watching Sam. Al-an would need to make her a mask like theirs if she was going to live here. He didn’t necessarily need one to just get to the moonpool where Robin was most likely moving the seatruck to attach the modules.

“I don’t think anybody thought to get me an oxygen tank,” Sam verbalized the issue.

“Right,” Ryley started, fumbling with his PDA to get his own mask out. He handed it to her. “Use mine, I can hold my breath longer than anyone I know.” He smiled in what he hoped was a disarming way as he held out the mask.

Sam thankfully took it and slipped it onto her face. She turned to Ryley and then glanced at the water. Ryley could feel the question about to exit her mouth.

“Al-an fitted it with Architect tech, it recycles oxygen in the water. You don’t need a tank,” he explained.

Once the woman had nodded and slipped rather gracefully into the water, Ryley followed her. He dove down, peering through the clear water at the large, white shape that was probably the seatruck. He hoped. As he grabbed onto the hatch and slipped inside it definitely was, with modules already attached. Sam jumped inside moments later.

“You know,” Ryley started, spotting Al-an outside the window ahead of them. “we should probably tell Marguerit right now, before we go home.”

“Oh my god, I forgot about that on the way back,” Robin said, voice saturated with mild horror. “How do we want-” She looked between the other two humans, cutting herself off.

Ryley already had his PDA out, finger hovering over the call button. He pressed it before he lost all courage to talk to the woman. He’d figure it out as he went, yeah. Because that always worked. Outside, Al-an took a sharp turn toward the lilypad islands. Robin must have told them.

“You don’t have to call me whenever you come back, you know,” Marguerit’s voice sounded from the PDA.

“Well it’s important, we need to show you something,” Ryley countered. “’Hello’ would’ve been nice…” he added under his breath.

“Fine, what is it. I don’t like surprises.”

Ryley glanced at Sam, who shrugged. Robin seemed too focused on driving. “Uh, it’s uh, better that we show you when we get there,” he finally said.

Marguerit groaned on the other end of the line. “Fine. If it’s that important that you can’t even say it, I’ll be in my base.”

Ryley hit end call before Marguerit could and glanced at Sam again. She sat on the floor of one of the modules, hands in her lap, staring at the floor in front of her. She looked up after a moment and smiled faintly.

“You uh, you ok?” Ryley asked awkwardly.

Sam nodded. “It’s been a long time since I’ve heard her voice,” she said quietly.

“Awwww, you missed her?” Robin teased from the driver’s seat.

“Wouldn’t you?” Sam replied, crossing her arms. Ryley shrank back into the wall to give them space for teasing.

He let the conversation continue between them. He was happy for Robin. Really happy, actually. Whatever had happened, she had her sister back. Ryley just wished he could have his. He wondered absently what she was doing back on Earth. He hoped it was something good, or at least good for her. Did she miss him? Did they tell her he was alive? He would probably never know.

When Ryley looked up again, they were already at Marguerit’s base. Al-an sat near the moonpool, calm pink staining the white wall a waving shade of the same color. It moved with the water and the changing flow of their lights. Beautiful.

The three exited the truck, letting it sit near the bottom. Al-an leapt gracefully into the moonpool, followed by Robin and then Ryley, who pulled himself up on one side, allowing Sam to use the ladder. Why have freakish strength if you didn’t use it for mundane shit like getting out of water? Nobody normal would be able to pull themself up without a seaglide, probably. Well, maybe Robin could.

Inside, Ryley caught Sam staring at the much cleaner walls. They would have to explain that endeavor to her at some point. Ryley glanced ahead and noticed Robin already standing next to the bulkhead and in the process of opening it. He jogged ahead.

Marguerit stood next to her table, arms crossed. Nothing looked much different than then last time they were there, snow stalker fur aside.

“So? What’s this big surprise?” Marguerit asked, shifting on her feet.

“Well, you aren’t going to believe this,” Robin started, glancing back at Ryley and Al-an.

“Uh huh, I’ll be the judge of that,” the older woman glared at them. “just fuckin’ tell me will you?”

“Sam is alive.”

“Alright, I don’t believe that.”

Ryley looked back at the bulkhead just in time for Sam to step through. “Well, believe it,” she said, chuckling and glancing around the room. Ryley turned back around and saw Marguerit, jaw slack and mouth open, staring at Sam.

“No…” she whispered as she stepped forward. She reached out slowly as if Sam would disappear if she moved too quickly. Her hand made contact and in a flash she yanked the smaller woman into a hug, pulling a surprised noise out of her.

Robin sidestepped closer to Ryley and put her arm around him. He looked up at her and caught her staring softly at the scene in front of them. When he looked back, Marguerit was crying again. That was just weird to see, they needed to stop doing this to her.

“At least they’re happy to see each other,” Ryley finally said, leaning his head into Robin’s shoulder.

“I knew they would be,” Robin replied softly. “We should probably take a break from high-risk missions until she’s settled in.”

Ryley sighed and nodded. “I’m sure there’s planets out there just waiting to be explored,” he suggested and looked up. Jackpot.

Robin looked down and her face lit up like the sun. “God, yes, that sounds like a breath of fresh air. I’ve been dying to discover some new species.”

“Then let’s get settled and try that. I’ve never explored anywhere on my own dime.”

Getting Sam settled was far more important first. Getting used to each other. Working out a routine, working out chores, they could take care of all of that later before starting anything new. Ryley leaned his head farther into Robin and sighed again, content. They’d figure it out, just like they always did. Hell, maybe having someone around to help Marguerit could help her. Time would tell, Ryley supposed. Time would tell.