"Karu, hey," I said, not sure what to make of the situation. The elevator buzzed again with insistence that AEGIS be let up. Last thing I needed right now was a sex-crazed robot trying to jump me in front of Karu. "Um, of course you can stay. We've got more space than people out here. Just...fair warning, things have been a little crazy since you last came by."

The elevator buzzed again.

"Perhaps we should discuss inside?" she said, looking past me standing in the elevator door.

"Ah, perhaps not. I know, let's go to The Bunker and chat there. I can catch you up in peace." She looked puzzled, but didn't inquire, and picked up her bag. It had a shoulder strap, but I guess that wouldn't work with the jetpack on. After we'd gone a few feet, I realized I should offer to carry it, but she dismissed me and let me know I was already doing her a favor. Otherwise, we walked in silence, neither of us wanting to talk about our problems, I think.

We came in and she sat down, while I got to work cutting a new length of cloth out for a hammock and hanging it, since I guess she could stay here. I couldn't imagine her being comfortable rooming with either Saga or AEGIS. Lia and I had our own floor in the other base, but that place still looked like a hospital more than a home, and I thought Karu probably deserved her own space.

"You truly do not mind my interference?" she asked, watching me work.

"Not at all. I think you and I are well beyond the point where I'd be bothered by having you around."

"Good allies do not always good neighbors make," she said. "I want to make clear that you may evict me without reason at any time, should I grow insufferable. Which may be likely."

"Can we talk about what happened?"

"If you would not mind, it would put my mind at rest to hear of your troubles first. Mine are not so urgent, and if we are both here, any cause of alarm of yours is invariably more pertinent."

"Well, mine's not exactly urgent either."

"It is not Luminary, or whatever he has rebranded himself?"

"No. Why would it be, is he back again?"

"In a way. I will tell you more later, as I said. For now, I am merely glad he is not in your business, as it were. Please proceed."

"Well, first off, and not sure how much you're going to like this, but we did successfully get Saga free."

Karu froze for a few seconds, and then let out a breath. "Has she done anything nefarious?"

"Not that I can tell. She's just laying in the sun a lot, which I think is pretty fitting for someone who's been in the dark for a hundred years."

"Is she mentally influencing anyone whilst basking so?"

"The only people around are the two she already had with her before she was let out. They get along really well, or really horribly depending on how you interpret relationships, so I'm not worried."

She stood up and I felt her hands on my shoulders. I turned around and found her face only inches from mine, her green eyes sparkling in the rafter lights. "Ashton, I will ask only one further question."

"Uh, okay ask," I said, very aware of her breath on me.

"Do you believe she is dangerous to leave uncontained?"

My eyes darted back and forth between the brilliant green jewels before me. Her mouth was pressed thin and serious, and she stared directly at me, boring straight into my soul, it felt.

"She's definitely dangerous, and if someone provoked her, I am sure she would fight back with all her might," I said, trying to answer as honestly as possible. "But left alone, I don't think she has any reason to fight with anyone. I think she's been locked away a long time and just wants to be free and enjoy that freedom."

"And you do not believe her means of enjoying that freedom would do harm unto others?"

"I don't. For sure not right now, I don't know how she'll be once she gets bored...if she can even get bored. But if she even thinks about it, I'm watching her, and I have the same concerns as you, Karu."

She let go of my shoulders and pulled her face away. I found I could breathe normally again, though my heart was still racing.

"I believe you, and I trust your judgement of her. If you believe her to be on the level, so to speak, I will follow your judgement. I pray that she does not make fools of the both of us."

"Me too. But I honestly think she's trying something new here, and we should let her find out that peace is a valid solution to issues."

"Hmm, is it always though?" Karu said, unbuckling her forearm cannons and slipping them off. She looked around a moment, and then began cleaning a shelf with some rust remover.

"The other news is that AEGIS built herself a body."

"The AI?" Karu said looking up from her work. "I thought she had many bodies already, the insufferably-named robots."

"Yes, those are kind of the same thing, but she's been working on a new model. It's very…"

"Dangerous? Large? Weaponized?"

"No. Small and human, actually."

"An infiltration model?"

"Maybe she could pass as human if she hid her hair and eyes and...shoulders and knees and elbows. Her hair is all cables, and her eyes are an impossible bright yellow, and she's got these divots in her joints that look like dark circles. Definitely not exactly human."

"Hmm. But then to what end and purpose?"

"She says...the happiest she'd ever been was before her memories came back and she thought she was still human. So, I think she doesn't quite know what about being an AI sucks for her, but she's trying to be more human to see if it helps? I don't know. I don't get girls, really."

"You don't get AI you mean."

"Well, that either, but you have to admit, AEGIS is a lot more human than machine."

Karu froze for just long enough for me to notice but went right back to cleaning the shelf.

"Hmm, perhaps you thinking that is why."

"Why what?"

"Never mind. Do you have any other status to report?"

"No. Wait, yeah, you mentioned Luminary?"

"Yes."

"We went to where his body was and it looks like he crawled off after the blast. I think you got Wilfried with it...but Luminary crawled away and got picked up by a vehicle."

"I suspected as much. Truth be told, in summary, my current dilemma arises from his return, though he is no longer acting overtly, which concerns me."

"He came after you again?"

"Not physically. It is troubling to learn that he has more allies yet, however. I had hoped that one so insufferable as he would be relegating to acting alone after all this time, yet that seems not to be the case."

"No...look, don't mention this to Lia, but we think Brick, or, Barry rather...guy from my high school might be helping him."

"A high schooler? Why would they be here?"

"I don't know, but it has something to do with me, I'm sure. We found a cigarette butt out where Luminary's trail stopped and the only person we've ever heard of smoking was Brick."

"Smoking? I have known several who smoke in the political elite, but only as a means of preserving heritage and demonstrating affluence. If one has access to a regenerator, most of the negative effects can be washed away with regular treatment."

"Christ, that's expensive. What a waste of money."

She shrugged. "Regardless, it is a bit of a smoking gun, so to speak. Were I still had access to association records, I could limit the potential culprits down significantly. As it stands…"

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

She finished polishing the shelf back to a silvery color instead of a brown, and put both of her gun-arms on it, before beginning to unbuckle the rest of her outfit and strip. I could have offered to help, but instead opted just to watch.

"Some individual," she said, popping the clasps down her front and setting her breasts free, "has reported my misconduct to the association which has begun an investigation. Fortunately, nobody seems to have any suspicion of the clinic incident, and we should be grateful because Alphard was indeed out of contact on some trip or another at the time, and called me recently to let me know he did not appreciate being interrogated by the association. I apologized, and he effectively told me that he refused to speak with them, though he did not put it so...politically."

"That's good."

"Regardless, the association is aware that I have been in contact with you on my own time, which is a violation of your terms of exile, and therefore a treasonous act on my behalf. Apparently you are considered an enemy of the state by merit of being an Exhuman."

"Great. Does it even make sense for me to have an enforceable contract with them if I'm an enemy of the state?"

"I did not ask. I merely fled."

"It was a joke."

"I fail to see the humor." There was some anger in her words. She finished disrobing and was in her usual attire, white sports bra and dark green panties today. I swallowed very hard and tried not to focus on the thin line where her tanned skin met the green boyshorts. She picked up the rag again and got to work on another shelf, which apparently required quite a lot of effort and consequently made her jiggle in a way I could describe only as magical.

"So what's your plan?" I asked. "Will they come here?"

"They will, and for that reason I cannot stay for too long. Before I left, I booked a flight to Europe and also publicly chartered a personal VTOL and privately hired a shady individual to put it in the bottom of the pacific for me. With any luck, they will not be expecting a triple-bluff, but I cannot hope that the deception lasts forever."

"You rented and sunk a VTOL?" I was a little surprised how far she'd gone on this.

She turned and looked at me, and she looked pissed. "Yes, Ashton, I rented and sunk a VTOL. I am not certain if you are aware, but my life is very much on the line here. I have been doing all I can to ensure my safety and that there exists no evidence of your involvement more than they already know, so forgive me if an innocent vehicle had to suffer."

"I-I'm sorry," I stammered. She held her angry stare for a few more moments before she deflated and just looked sad.

"I apologize. I have been without sleep for several days now. Stims are keeping me going, but tiredness and stims are both poor for emotional control. In truth, I was at the end of my tether, and came here only as a last resort. I know not where else I can turn at the moment. M-my…"

She grabbed the shelf with white knuckles and leaned against it. Between her feet, dark circles stained the ground as she fought for composure and her shoulders spasmed and jerked with the sobs she held back.

"My f-fa-father...made it very...very clear…" she took a deep breath. "My father. M-made...made it clear...I am not an Irenside a-any longer."

As though that was everything she had set out to accomplish, she completely broke in front of me, bawling with her entire being, wailing as uncontrolled tears poured down her face.

"Oh my god, Karu," I said, wanting to comfort her, hold her, tell her everything will be okay. Wanting her to stop crying, too, but...that was selfish. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry. Are you okay?"

She turned on me and again I saw anger laced in every feature of her face. "D-do I LOOK okay?" She shouted. "I am NOBODY anymore. Everything in my life is GONE."

It was probably the worst question I'd ever asked. I felt horrible, and only worse as Karu's yelling intensified.

"E-everything I had, everything I was, everything I aspired to be, gone! A traitor, that's what they call me now. Dishonorable betrayer of her own country, her own guild, her own family! Everything I have ever done was for nothing, for nothing, Athan! My whole life, everything. EVERYTHING!"

She looked at me, eyes wild, and in them I saw something even more horrible than anger. Her eyes screamed of despair.

"How am I supposed to cope with that? How can any person be told one day that their entire existence is null and void? I don't understand. All of the meritorious and righteous things I have done my entire life over, invalidated. Dozens of combat missions, four years of distinguished service, thirteen confirmed Exhuman kills, how many lives saved or spared, all now nothing? I don't understand. For nothing!? I don't understand. I don't understand! I DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

She was screaming at the top of her lungs, holding the shelf with hands. I couldn't do anything but stand and watch as she died inside in front of me.

She turned to me again, and I tried not to show how afraid I was.

"Is one crime worth an entire lifetime of good? Was sparing you even a crime? I judged you and found you righteous! Why does the world not see, why cannot the world see, why is my opinion or judgement not considered when condemning my actions? Can they not tell I act with righteousness and integrity? I am a faithful servant of God!" She screamed. "How can they judge me so? I don't understand!"

I couldn't say anything. Thoughts flashed through my mind. Horrible, cruel thoughts. How once I had been like her, everything in my world stripped away from me, and the only comfort the world offered me was a bounty hunter, come to claim my head just for existing. It was no wonder she couldn't see how cruel the world was, when in many ways, she was the cruelty in it.

But I hated myself for having those thoughts. Karu was also compassionate and kind. When the Exhuman event happened in Newbruck, she guided people to safety and dove fearlessly into combat, without arms, armor, or even pants. She was fearless in her pursuit of justice, tireless in her defense of the innocent, and if I had ever seen her as evil, it was only because she saw me the same way.

A way...it now seemed...unfortunately society saw her as being.

"It's all broken," I said, at last, dispelling the spell her tears held over the room for the last few moments. "This world. It's a broken place."

"It can't be. It can't be. I've fought so hard for this world, and for everyone in it. I have put every bit of my being into this world, you can't just call it broken."

"It is broken. Any world which is blind to see that people like you, people like me, we're willing to fight and die to do what's right...any world which can't do that is fundamentally broken. You're not the one who's wrong here, Karu, it's this shitty world we live in."

"It is not that simple. It is not that black and white." Tears were still running down her face uninhibited, and her eyes were red and puffy, but she'd gained some semblance of control back.

"I know it's not. There are probably people out there you've saved, or people you've worked with, or people who just know of what you've done, and they're shaking their heads thinking this is a mistake. But they're not the ones who get to decide if you're a traitor or not, and if you ask me, that means everything is broken."

She wailed again, and to my surprise fell onto me, landing in my arms. I fell backwards, with her landing on top of me. She held me tightly. I couldn't breathe and had the air knocked out of me, but that was all secondary to Karu's grief right now.

"Athan! I'm so horrible," she wailed. "You've been through all this and so much more, and you're still standing there trying to comfort me. I know not how you are able to endure it, the pain of it all...it eats at me like...like…"

"Like there's a hole in your stomach, that just gnaws at your insides. All the time?"

"Yes, how--yes...of course."

"I don't know what to tell you," I said, turning my head sideways to see anything other than her tear-streaked face above me. "I still feel that sometimes."

I felt her shudder and gasp on top of me, but she had her composure again and seemed determined not to let it crack again. Instead, she took another deep breath and nestled her shoulder in my arm and rested her head on my chest. I could see that her hair was greasy, she hadn't been able to shower in days.

"I don't know what to do," she whispered.

"You can stay here as long as you need," I said. Every once in awhile, I could feel her jolt slightly as she stifled another sob.

"I can't. They'll come."

"Let them come. I'll protect you."

"You can't fight the whole of the XPCA, remember? Every Exhuman who thought they could is dead."

"I don't care," I said, meaning it. How dare this world turn against one so good as her. This shitty, fucked-up world and all the assholes running it. I was one thing, I was an Exhuman, dangerous, even I acknowledged that. But Karu? She'd spent her whole life fighting to protect people. If they couldn't see that...well...I would fight to protect her.

She held me tightly, her fingernails digging into my side. She was crying again, but silently, tears just flowing from her onto my chest. I didn't mind. If there was anything I could do for her, anything at all--

"Athan," she whispered, her voice barely more than a breath.

"Yeah?"

"Will you...will you comfort me, just for tonight?"

"I...I am already?"

"No. You...you know what I mean." I looked down at her, her whole face was flushed, and her eyes were locked unmoving on my chest.

"...I...um…"

I didn't know what to say. Not like this? I couldn't stand to reject her now, but I couldn't in good conscience not, could I? She said she was stringing by on drugs and no sleep, had just endured the worst trauma of her life. I think it was fair to say I loved her, but...everything was so wrong.

I was happy to say that my own thoughts didn't weigh in the equation at all. This was, as far as I was concerned, all for her. But my answer otherwise would have been obvious.

I opened my mouth to say no, and gave an extra moment's hesitation to work out a better way of phrasing it. And he who hesitates, loses.

"I...understand if you don't want me, too," she whispered into the silence, speaking the words I'm sure were running through her mind this entire time she lay silent after speaking.

"Of course I want you!" I said. There was a 'but' coming, but it never came. Predatory, she pounced, and I found her soft lips on mine, tear-stained cheeks pressed against me, tongue probing every corner of my mouth, teasing mine, scraping against my teeth, my gums, everywhere it could.

My hands moved on their own and held her to me while hers frantically caressed my face and hair as she remained locked to me. Everything was so hot and frantic, there in the dust on the concrete floor, we rolled and flailed and fought as shreds of our clothing were discarded piece by piece.

My mind was blank and my body was pure fire when at last she was running her hands over my naked form. It seemed like everything that had happened before was gone, the tears on Karu's face signs from another world, another time. A part of my mind screamed at me that this was all wrong, we couldn't do this, she didn't want this. But I couldn't hear it, not when everything else felt so right and complete.

Before we finalized our crime, Karu stopped me and reached down, stretching and wincing. I was frozen, unsure of what exactly she was doing down there. She yelped and withdrew a finger, slick with fluids quickly being stained red by a small cut on her fingertip.

"Are you okay?"

"Please be silent and still for a moment," she said and reached back in, moving her hand delicately. I couldn't see anything, but after several more moments, she withdrew with what looked like a flexible circle of plastic. She put it down next to us and moved to kiss me again.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Do not concern yourself. Hold me, please." I reached over and picked up the ring. A flexible silicone ring, but on the inside, studded with flat metal blades. This was inside her?

"Bounty hunting is sometimes a dangerous occupation," she said. "But worry not," she said with a mirthless laugh "for I am a hunter no longer."

"Karu, we shouldn't--"

She silenced me with a kiss and deftly moved her hips, and I was virgin no more.