Ett sat down in the interrogation room still trying to push away her frustrations. “You are out of your mind if you think you can settle this in a few hours.”

“Then why let me do this?” She raised a brow at the armored figure.

“Because you care about them. And I will never stop anyone from looking out for their own. Just know that if any of them get in the way of my plans, I will have to kill them.”

“Of course. I appreciate your future restraint nonetheless.”

“It is my pleasure. I honestly never pegged you as a traveler.”

She looked at her he desk, “I just want a peaceful and happy life for myself. No matter how many mes there are.”

He scoffed, “There is only one life you get to live. If this is your best one, then make the most of it.” He left the interrogation room.

She took a deep breath and began.

“Why did you choose to go into Data retention?”

Cero wrote down her honest answer. To be somewhere quiet.

“Why did you choose to stay in Data Retention?”

Zwei sighed, “I don’t know anymore. I thought it was because I was scared. But maybe that isn’t even real.” Taking a deep breath she shook her head, “No, these are my emotions and I was definitely scared.”

“Were you happy there?”

Trois rolled her eyes and refused to answer at first before relenting, “As happy as anyone could be working at an office they live in.”

“What was your favorite part of the job?”

Shi stated coldly, “Reading about those who came before. Pirate stories were a personal favorite of mine.” She never broke eye contact.

“Why did you like it so much?”

Viisi fought for the words before pushing ahead, “Because it was nice to think about actual lives that were happening outside of my office. Things that actually were, not just could have been.”

“Are you saying it wasn’t enough for you?”

Sita furrowed her brow in thought and shook her head. “It was enough when I knew my family was safe and happy. Back when I felt I could call them such.”

“Did you ever want more for yourself?”

Hepta laughed uproariously and nodded, “I was happy rubbing shoulders with my kin and laughing with the rest over cool stories, but some part of me kind of wished I could grapple with Batta or crush a Deciphibian like a ballon. But it was easier to stay home.”

“Did you draw close to your sisters in the office?”

Wyth scratched at the table with her nail for a bit before shrugging. “It is hard to say. I was mostly doing my job. But I supposed I got to know all of you better than the rest of them.”

“Would you have missed them if they were suddenly gone?”

Nava growled and smacked the table, clearly annoyed, “That’s an unfair question!” Ett took her anger quietly and waited for her to settle back down. “IF security had come in or IF they had chosen to go out to the sea of stars, I would PROBABLY have thrown a going away party… and missed them.”

“Would you have looked for them?”

Ashara shook her head, “I would have been too busy to. I probably would have just looked for them to show up eventually in the records.” She muttered something quietly to herself.

“Do you think you would have ever noticed if you never saw them again?”

Ellefu glared at Ett as she tugged her hair, but it wasn’t truly at the woman. Instead it was at the answer her question evoked. Ellefu tried to figure out her game, but when she realized there wasn’t one, she relented, “I can’t say that I would. Hearing about them was just such an obvious conclusion I wouldn’t burn myself out waiting to hear about it.”

“Do you wonder how many of your sisters have become lost?”

Dodici exclaimed, “Well, when you ask it like that, of course!” She held her head in existential horror. “All those women missing, and lord only knows what they found out there.” Ett raised her brow for the fifth time to the comment about some lord, and Dodici growled, “Don’t worry your dozy little head about it. I’ve read the files. I know him.”

“Do you feel Security has been spending any time trying to find our lost kin?”

Treize seemed to burn with silent fury. “I know they can’t be because of the time and energy I saw them tracking down a stray pet once. They had two whole squads scour the entire office. That is a horrid waste.”

“How do you feel about The Original?”

Hamalau, recovering from the questions, responded slowly, “I don’t know anymore. Without the other memories I can’t be sure. If I am anything like her, I would like to think she was smart and clever.”

“Do you think she cares about you?”

Femton nodded slowly, “I’m sure she would if she was alive. I mean, she’s definitely dead now, but I’m sure if she met me she would adore me.”

“Do you think she cares about you as data more?”

Setze waved her hand back and forth and said, “I think it would be hard for her. If my Petri dish called me mom, I would be startled and flattered, but the research data on something like that would be amazing.”

“Do you view her as our mother?”

Sytten was bouncing her foot impatiently, “How could we have a mother? We were made in a tube. A stray culture. A loose cell. If you mean culturally, then yeah.”

“Have you thought about her at all since he wiped your other memories?”

Diciotto sketched on the paper that Ett had given her as she thought. Eventually she stated, “Not beyond why she would betray us. Playing with human life seems cruel.”

“Is there anything you would have done differently than her?”

Dix Nuef nodded, “Lots of things, but I understand her reasons. You can’t just let an experiment run wild. Still, she should have realized at some point that the experiment has to stop.”

“Do you believe that the experiment is over?”

Vint sighed and tapped her forehead and foot at different rhythms, “I mean, probably not, but ethically we are probably past the point where it should go further… probably. Or at least inform the volunteers.”

“Do you believe we have a right to decide when to end the experiment?“

Nijuuichi nodded swiftly, “The original scientist has passed. The only ones left to decide is us. If we all decided to walk away, the experiment would end right there.”

“Would you call the experiment a success or a failure?”

Vennde was pacing nervously about, tapping her chin and muttering. Eventually, she made it audible again. “I mean, it would depend on the purpose. If it was to see IF a civilization could be built from nothing, then it would be. If it was WHAT KIND of civilization could be formed like that, we may still be gathering intel. I’m TERRIFIED of the possibility the purpose was to see how long we could last.”

“Do you think the administrators know how close to completion it is?”

Fichetri growled and punched a wall, “Of course they do! Why didn’t I think of that?! Those bastards smiling while our sisters go missing.”

“If we went back, what would you do?”

Tjuefire spoke with full focus and intensity but no malice, “I would make certain our sisters are fully informed of the rules and conditions put on them. And let them decide if they want to continue. Because I’m done.”

“What do you intend to do once you are free from here?”

Selawe, practically broken of heart, spoke with clarity, “I intend to make the most of this chance I’ve been given. I don’t intend to be fooled again.”

“If asked, would you be willing to join Mr.Phoenix?”

Sadvimsati tapped the table in anxious thought for a moment and asked, “It would depend on what he was trying to do. The last thing I want is to gain my freedom just to throw on new chains.”

“He would offer you a place to stay, free training in any field of your choosing, and the right to walk away at any time you choose.”

Kuntaret paced like an angry tiger, “I don’t care if he is promising me my own planet and an estate to live on, he would need to apologize for a hell of a lot before I trust him.” She leaned forward on the table, “You tell him that if he is okay with me trying to spill his blood on a regular basis until I’m satisfied then I will join him.”

“What role would you accept if you stayed?”

Ershiba stated like a confident applicant at a job interview, “Comms officer. I won’t accept anything less than total transparency. By putting me in that position, you ensure my loyalty and I ensure your honesty.”

“Do you promise to stay close to your sisters moving forward?”

Ekontis nodded, “Of course. My loyalty isn’t to him or the Falos or anyone else. Just you guys as my sisters. We will do what no one else was.” She hugged Ett tightly.

Ett smiled and returned the hug and motioned Ekontis back to the tank, tears streaming from her eyes.

She pulled out the crystal that the Phoenix Emperor had given her. She spoke into the crystal, “Thank you for helping me with those questions, Trinta.”

“And thank you for warning me about the kill switch. I’m glad he disarmed ours, but I’m going to have to keep an eye out for the sake of the outliers.”

Ett nodded, and spoke softly to the crystal, “I’m sorry that I didn’t take you seriously. I was so content that-“

“We all were. Zwei and I had been tossing it around but even I wasn’t sure. If this man hadn’t come I would have continued to be complacent.” She paused before saying, “Are you going to free the rest like we were?”

Ett sighed and her voice swelled with doubt, “This was like a fish being pulled from the sea into open air only to realize they were a Turtle the whole time. I wouldn’t wish that trauma and betrayal on anyone. But I do want to make sure they communicate better.”

“If they refuse, we may not have a choice.”

“If they refuse then they have to be removed for the safety of our sisters.”

Trinta nodded and put her crystal away. She began to doodle on the wall with a smile on her face. Her sisters were going to be okay, and Zwei finally getting her chance to be great was really encouraging right now.