Avery drank the medicine and ate about half of the awful bug - peeled, of course, by DH- before they stopped, pushing the plate away before DH could peel more.

“Do you want something different?” Snout asked. Snout and flit had come in shortly after Avery started eating, leaving the door propped open. “I can get something, I'm sure. The bugs are just the most plentiful thing we have.”

“No.. I just can’t eat anything else.” they looked up, their ears flicked back, their wings tight around their arms as their eyes flicked from Flit to Snout and back. They probably never knew Snout, but they knew of Flit and seeing a former retiree acting so casually around them, and looking at another the way they looked at Snout - that expression of longing and adoration- seemed to confuse them. Still, their next question was so softly spoken and tentative that it hurt TO to hear it.

“Can I leave this room?” they asked,

“Yes.” GiDi said, “You can. And we’ll get your chip fixed-”

“Are you sure?” DH asked, “shouldn’t we run it by-”

“By who?” GiDi said, “Nobody’s really in charge anymore. The people who were closest to being leaders to the rest of them died before I got here. You’re not prisoners, remember? We kept you in these rooms for safety, and you’d have been out of them a lot sooner if I had been here.” They looked at Snout. “So, we’re getting Avery out of here, and we should fix the door so it doesn’t lock automatically anymore.” A gesture to DH and TO sent Flit’s attention back to them. “Theirs too; if they’re cooperating, there’s no reason to have them locked up.” They looked back TO flit, their ears flicking back. “Why were they held so long like this?”

Flit sighed and stepped aside to let the four of them leave. “Everyone was frightened.” They said, “I could have just pulled them out, but doing that would have put them at risk, wouldn’t it have? If I had ignored everyone else right away and said that I was letting them out, that would have caused more trouble for everyone-” They looked at TO, “Including you. It was only today that they finally accepted that they couldn’t just keep you locked up.”

“Well, everyone’s alright now.” GiDi said, “we can get chips set up again, get some proper living accommodations set up-”

“Not everyone.” Flit said, “Your old friend there - their identification on their chip said they’re going by Kei here? They’re still locked up.”

TO had entirely forgotten about Kei. For the briefest of moments, their stomach churned at the thought of them being still locked up - it would for anyone locked in isolation- but the moment they realized it wasn’t just anyone, it was Kei, their sympathy waned dramatically.

“You said they’re proper synths.” TO said, staring right back at Flit, refusing to break eye contact. “So, what do you plan to do with them?”

“We have no idea yet.” Flit admitted, turning away from TO. “The original plan was to leave them where they were, and let them wake up on their own later, but they knew about the entrance to the tunnels, so we had to do something with them. At least they’re safe here.”

“You tried to talk to them?” GiDi asked, “I know they’re programmed, but coming from a retiree-”

“A former retiree. One that’s supposed to be dead and one which has obviously been, in their words, ‘Corrupted by the influence of civilian individualism.’” their ears pinned back, “So, they’re clearly not interested in talking to me.”

“They’ve always hated me.” GiDi muttered.

“No, they didn’t hate you.” TO said, “They just never thought you’d be a good synth-” Of course, it not only occurred to them that Kei had been right. GiDi hadn't passed their examination and had joined the insurgency. That made them one of the worst synths.

Still, TO didn’t think that they themself were any better.

“They won’t listen to TO or I.” DH said, “Not after everything. They thought little of us before all this because of… Well, they knew about us.”

“I’ve heard.” Flit said, amusement moving their ears and coloring their speech.

“They especially won’t talk to TO now, since they shot them.” DH said, ignoring their flushed blue ears.

“Avery, what about you?” Snout asked. “You’ve spent a lot of time together. Do you think you can talk to them?”

Avery frowned, their ears flicking back as their wings tightened around them. “I didn’t shoot, even though they told me. They likely think I’m a useless coward.”

“And you don’t have any insight?” Flit asked, “No ideas ‌how we could get them to cooperate with us?”

A quick, stifled laugh escaped Avery’s mouth. “They will not cooperate with you. Ever. If it involves the insurgency, they will not cooperate.” They looked at Flit. “What do you want from them? Do you have a plan outside of keeping them locked up?”

“The entire task of getting you all down here was quickly thrown together, and admittedly, not well planned.” Flit said, “Otherwise, I’d have found up with a better location for the meeting. As it is, we couldn’t think of a place where you could meet GiDi and the others in private, while providing Vik with the ability to set up his disruptor.”

“Disruptor? Like what they used in Thalassa?” TO asked, their ears now quirking up with interest. They had wondered how the insurgents had that tech. “What do you mean, set it up?” They asked.

“There were conditions that Vik needed to set up the device.” Flit said. “He needed a private place to set up the transmitters that confuse the communication devices and shut down the synth armor. After he got what he needed from Thalassa, he set up a testing site in the old mining hub. He just wanted to see if it would work, but having that set up there meant that there was an ideal place to meet you-”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“To trap us and disable our armor.” TO muttered. They still recalled the moment of panic they suffered when their armor went dark. Even as their ears dipped, they felt DH’s hand slip into their own, squeezing their fingers gently.

“Yes.” Flit said with a sigh, “So we could get you here safely, and because of that, and because Kei ended up down there as well, we’re stuck with them. We can’t let them go, because they’ll give away our position.

“... Maybe Goretta’s idea is the best.” Snout sigh, giving a deep sigh. “Thought I’m not necessarily a fan, the possibilities if it works are-”

“I don’t like it.” Gidi said, their ears pinning, “I really don't and you know that-”

“Who’s Goretta?” TO asked. They hadn’t heard this name before. “And what’s their idea?”

“Goretta is a doctor.” Snout said, “Or she was before she came to Arkane. A medical researcher to be specific, specializing in neuro-tech. She used to do research on repairing damage done from mental degenerative disorders, and since learning about the alterations done to most of us, she’s been interested in seeing if the damage could be reversed.” They looked at Flit. “I’m not entirely fond of the idea of using them as a test subject, but what other choices do we have? We can’t let them go, and the only other options we have are keeping them locked up, or killing them.” Their ears pinned back, “And I am not killing them.” the blue seemed to drain from their face, their wings puffed up, and their eyes went wide. “No more death. I don’t want to see anyone else killed just because they’re not what we needed them to be, just because-”

“It’s ok.” Flit said as they stepped forward, taking Snout's hand. “It’s ok. You’re ok. No more death.”

It was then that TO remembered back in the training center, back when Snout had gotten TO away from doing the surgeries. They recognized the way their ears pinned, and how wide their eyes went. They could practically feel what they were feeling.

They were certain it was the same thing they felt now when they saw blood.

Snout took several quick breaths, their hands shaking as they calmed themself. “... No more death.” They said, “And keeping them locked up is cruel. Even a normal synth can’t manage extended isolation.”

“And I’m not sure how I feel about altering their brains without asking.” Flit said, “The risks-”

“Oh, Kei you want to ask?” TO snapped. “You want to get their permission before you alter their mind”

“TO..” DH squeezed their hand, keeping TO from getting truly angry, so their anger escaped through cold, repressed rage and a dangerously quiet voice.

“You didn’t mind changing our brains without asking, but theirs-”

“I didn’t change your brains.” Flit said, “I kept them from being changed. There’s a difference. Kei is a fully developed synth with a fully developed mind. There are risks that weren’t a factor when we disconnected you.”

“There are risks, though.” Snout said, “But Goretta said that she needs to test the process. Theoretically, it’s possible to undo the damage done, but she needs to test it on a synth that’s been altered to specification.” If it works, though, we could fix most any damage done to a synth’s brain.”

“... What about the synths who were corrected?” DH asked. “Would this work for them?”

“It could.” Snout said, “If it works.”

“But it could also cause more damage. If it doesn’t work, then Kei could end up just like those corrected synths, or worse.”

“And this is your decision to make?” TO asked, “I thought there weren’t any actual leaders here-”

“There’s not.” Flit said. “I mean…” They looked at Snout, “We’ve been guiding them a little; our only concern was getting you two and getting people in danger off the planet.”

“The couple in charge beforehand had plans in case they got captured.” Snout added, “They had someone set up to take over after them, but that person got killed by local authorities.” They shrugged. “Basically, it was something to ‌reduce damage. Get allies out of custody, get anyone at risk off the planet, and help any strange synths that got sent here.” They looked at Flit. “That’s why I got sent here… with some help, of course.”

“I couldn’t get you to the planet.” Flit said, “But I knew if I got word to the right people, you’d be safe.”

There had to be a leader, TO knew it. It wasn’t just because Ark-1 told them to find the leader, but because there was no way that the insurgency- this little group of civilians- was doing what they were doing without someone being in charge.

They probably didn’t even know who was in charge. It was ‌likely that the person pulling the strings didn’t know it either. Maybe they didn’t even want the responsibility.

This, however, was a good chance to see if they could figure it out themself.

“Alright.” TO said, “It’s not my call. It’s not yours. There are no leaders, and I very much doubt you’d do what Kei wants you to do - specifically, they would want you to release them.”

“And surrender.” Avery added. “I don’t think they’d just leave; they’d try to go back with whatever they could.”

“Right.” TO said, “So.. see what the others have to say. Maybe someone will have unique insight, or have some idea‌ about what should happen.”

“We’ve discussed it before.” Snout said, “But we hoped that one of you could speak to them and see what they’d like. They won’t talk to us.”

“... I can try.” Avery said, “I don’t think they’ll talk to me, but…I can try.”

“That’s all we ask.” Flit said, “And when that’s done… we’ll talk to the others and decide what to do with Kei.”

TO wasn’t sure why they wanted to do this; to figure out who was leading the insurgents. They couldn’t go back to King Decon, and even if they could, doing so would mean being separated from DH. Still, they wanted to know. Maybe it was their own curiosity, bolstered by the orders that no longer meant anything. Maybe they simply wanted the self satisfaction of figuring it out.

It didn't matter. Soon, they’d know who was in charge here and they’d at last satisfy their curiosity.