Sophie had sent them back without any preamble. It was clear that her involvement in this was affecting her.---changing her in ways that Josh couldn’t account for. Her sophisticated demeanor and vocabulary aside, she had greenlit him going to the mattresses with Black Eyes to save their family.

And I will! Josh ground his teeth in frustration at the thought of anyone coming to harm the people he and Sophie cared about. Even the big mech was starting to grow on him. Without question, he would do what needed to be done to save them.

But that isn't the point!

Sophie should be mediating between her giant hamster and the tomcats. Not taking out contracts for wet work on the iteration’s evildoers! How could he protect her from this? Who were the players? What was their agenda? What good would it do her if the price of his getting home was the cost of her childhood? Her innocence? Would Sophie have been better off if Sadie had taken him out in that elevator? Maybe they all would—

Alysa's enhanced slap rocked Josh's head and sent spittle flying across the room. A glowing red handprint sprang up on his cheek. Shocked back to the present, Josh's head spun to find his attacker. "What the—"

Alysa's compact form stood in challenge before him as she shook the sting out of her fingers. The look in her eyes dared him to do... anything. She spoke tersely, "Sophie told Sen and me that you would need at least one of those when we got back. Sen... requested I do it. When Sophie told me the thoughts going through your head, I was only too glad to deliver it for her!"

A hint of betrayal touched Josh's eyes as he shifted between her and Sen.

"Why?"

Sen put his fists together and bowed over them, holding his pose as he spoke. "Forgiveness, brother! There is no room for self-doubt in what we are about to undertake. Yes, Sophie is growing up in a world that you never anticipated she would. But she is thriving... And doing so marvelously!" A quick smile touched his lips. Then disappeared as he continued. "More importantly, you bear none of the blame for these changes. You are only trying to right a ship tossed by the waves. You did not cause the storm. If anyone is to blame for the events that have brought us here. It is... me!" Sen trailed off and remained bowed at the waist.

An incredulous look came over Josh's face. "That is ridiculous, Sen! You're my brother! You've saved me countless times. You have only ever tried to help us... I know you would die for us—"

Alysa interrupted him again. "And we say the same things to you, Joshua Elias Tanner! We would be dead and gone several times over without you... But, if you need another one of these to get the point...” She raised her reddened fingers in a slapping pose, slightly bent at the knees. “...I'm ready!"

A stunned expression slowly formed on Josh's face as the facts metaphysically slapped the other side of his face.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Sen isn't to blame for any of this. And if he isn't to blame... I'm not to blame either...

Hearing Josh’s thoughts, Sen rose and embraced Josh, quickly joined by Alysa’s arms around both of them.

Looking for someone to blame would only create division and strife between him and his loved ones. Even if I’m that someone... There are real problems to deal with right now.

What surprised Josh was that he hadn’t known how much he needed to hear what they had said.

Josh tried to blink his tears away but ended up drying his leaky eyes on his shoulders. "Gods, I have a smart kid—"

Just then, RX opened the door to the room he and Anak had been in. The battle mech was already talking as he walked through. "Guys! It occurred to us that you might not know who 'Black Eyes' actually is—I was going to tell you..." RX trailed off as his dome oriented on Josh, "But if you need more time to cry, I can come back later.”

Ending their embrace and failing to show his maturity, Josh said the first thing that came to mind. "Crying!? I just got something in my eye..." Josh sniffed loudly and quickly added. "If you have information about Black Eyes? Let's have it!"

"Right... And I don't have a metal butt..." RX emitted in a quieter tone than his usual voice. Josh's face turned red, and he raised a fisted index finger to argue as RX quickly got back on point.

With full emitters open, "Very well. I have detailed files—"

Strangely, RX’s battle frame lost its humanoid body posturing and extended to a stark, still and rigid up-right position. Completely losing its life semblance? Something was going on with the big mech, and all three of them looked up to see what would happen next.

The sliding adamite plates of his dome opened, and Anak stood on his impact chair with his head touching a central screen as if in a deep attempt to communicate. The shutters came to a rest, the golden tamarin looked up. Josh could see the kid wore a worried stare as he looked for help from them.

Josh stepped forward and looked up at Anak, not having any more idea about how to help them than if he was walking up to a fighter pilot who was having trouble igniting his F-22. So, Josh kept it simple. He extended his hand, “Hey... What’s the trouble?”

“...I don’t know... RX is deep in his neural synth checking and rechecking a new data stream that is coming through on an Essence-based receiver. One I never even knew he had... He just keeps repeating, ‘They’re here... They’re here... They’re here...’”

“Who is here Anak?”

“I don’t know... I’ve never seen him like this... It’s almost as if whatever is happening is more important than he is to himself.”

The almost palpable feeling of a high-tension wire going live filled the room. Then RX’s frame took on his usual humanoid postures. “...It is, kid, way more important than I am.” Then he positioned himself to talk with Josh, Sen and Alysa. “I’m sorry. I have to go... now. There is no time. Will you take care of Anak—”

Anak slammed himself down in his impact chair as he interrupted RX. “Finish that sentence and I’m going to make you regret it until you move on to your ancestors!”

“That’s what I’m trying to say, kid. Where I think I’m going... that may not be a long time from now—"

Anak threw the internal lever to close the dome’s plates as he cut RX off again. Anak’s voice came out through the side emitter he had spoken through on Noha-3. “That’s the job, I knew it was dangerous when I took it. I’m sorry, guys. I can feel how important this is to him. We have to go. We’ll be back when we can.”

Without any more preamble, RX strode quickly from the room. The portal opened, and the big mech moved past Zandar, who had his hand already raised to knock. The liaison’s head did a double take as RX continued to purposely stride toward the hangar. In an unmistakably direct tone, leaving no room for contradiction, the RX emitted, “I’m leaving.” Then they were around the corner and out of sight.

Sen blinked. ~Balance is moving already, isn’t it?~

Josh swallowed. ~I feel it too... I think we’re way behind on this one. Way behind!~