(no subject)

[resistancescientist]

[Strange... Ciel didn't remember there being a portal from the resistance caravan. But here she was, in a different place that she didn't know existed before now.

The people and creatures she saw as she passed by were sometimes odd, but she had to keep an open mind, being in a different place. Still... she had to wonder where this place was on the planet.

She'll just walk inside and see what she can learn about it. It's the best solution to her predicament, after all.]

Comments

[fightingfeffers]

[Rather quickly upon spotting her, a supposedly dead robot approaches Ciel, looking slightly concerned. Both those things probably come as a surprise.]

Dr. Ciel! When did you get here? And why are you alone?

I figured you'd have Zero with you to make sure nothing happened. Or at least a couple Resistance grunts.

[resistancescientist]

[Ciel eyes Fefnir with caution... and a fair bit of uncertainty. Wasn't he....]

...F-Fefnir? But you were... when Neo Arcadia got blasted, we recovered your bodies...

[fightingfeffers]

...Yeah, so I've heard.

[He grits his teeth for a moment before moving on.]

Time works weird here or something. You didn't answer my questions.

and then I learned they died in z3 so doop doop retcon'd slightly there

[resistancescientist]

[It wasn't pleasant to think about.]

It does? Interesting...

Oh! Um... I just got here, actually. I don't know how. And it was just me, no-one else.

[fightingfeffers]

That seems to happen a lot.

...Dammit, you weren't right about to die, were you? Because so far everyone I know that's here just showed up when they were apparently supposed to have died.

[resistancescientist]

N-No! I was actually working on something... back in Area Zero...

It's been quite a while since the Omega incident.

[fightingfeffers]

Are you sure there wasn't any kind of accident about to happen or something? Were you working on something that might've, exploded somehow?

I'm supposed to keep you alive and I can't do a very good job of that if you're dead.

heard there was a dead robot party in here

[lovesthepain]

[Even if it wasn't strictly necessary, vigilance was a deeply-ingrained habit for Harpuia; he kept a close eye on this place, peaceful though it was. He didn't miss the appearance of another familiar face, unexpected though it was.

His feet touched ground some distance behind her, but he didn't pursue, only called a single word:]

Wait.

all the dead robots

[resistancescientist]

[That voice... it was familiar. But if she's already seen Fefnir... then it shouldn't be as big a surprise that he was also alive somehow.

She stopped, and turned around, regarding him with a curious glance... and unsure what to say.]

dead robots society

[lovesthepain]

...No need for that look. I'm not going to arrest you.

[It was easy to see she was uncertain, though that might have to do with the fact that apparently he was supposed to be dead. If it was true that time and space were not consistent here, though, then who knew whether Ciel even knew that?]

How did you get here?

[resistancescientist]

[It took a few moments before she decided to speak.]

...I'm not sure. One minute I was working on something back in Area Zero, and the next, I'm walking in front of this large building.

I'd suspect a portal of some sort... if I'd managed to find one after arriving. [So she's entirely unsure of how she wound up here.]

[lovesthepain]

[Strange... but enough to put the facts in order. Harpuia had admittedly hoped there would be some kind of consistency and order to the rules that brought people here, but if Ciel showed no signs of injury and hadn't been in any danger when she came here... well, this was an exception he couldn't be bothered by.

More than that, she had mentioned Area Zero, which meant she certainly already knew he -- and any other reploids she may have run into by now -- was dead.]

I don't understand the mechanisms of what brings us here, but for now, it seems to be a one-way path. At the very least, this area is safe.

Mini X

[megabuster]

[Suddenly, there was a robot in blue armor standing there. But not the one Ciel was familiar with.]

Hi!

[He certainly seemed friendly enough, and not at all like a genocidal maniac.]

[resistancescientist]

[He did make her pause for a moment, seeing blue and thinking of a completely different robot. But she sighed a small sigh of relief when she realized it wasn't him.]

Hello there.

[megabuster]

Are you new here? I don't think I've seen you around before! Need any help finding something?

[resistancescientist]

Yes... I've never seen this place before. My name is Ciel. You look... similar to another robot I once knew.

[More comparing him to X than that blasted insane copy... that she built but still!]

[megabuster]

[...Wait a minute. Another person who thinks he's similar to a robot they knew. If she knew X, and her name was Ciel, then that means...]

Um... This may sound like a weird question, but do you know a Reploid named Zero?

[resistancescientist]

[The mention of the word 'Zero' causes her to freeze in place. Zero... it'd been only a short time since Ragnarok's crash, and she recovered his remains... at least, what little of them she could find... was he really...

After a few seconds, she shook her head a little and returned to Earth.]

Y-Yes... I do know a Reploid named Zero...

[megabuster]

[So, it WAS her!]

Great...! You know, he's here too, and I bet he'd be happy to see you again! Him and Harpuia and Fefnir too.

[resistancescientist]

He... he is? [But how?]

Where... where is he? Can you take me to him, please?

[megabuster]

Sure! Come on. He should be in the security office now...

[Rock's armor flashed off, leaving him in his regular school uniform.]

I guess I should introduce myself... I'm Rock.

[awakeningwill]

[Bet you didn't expect to turn a corner and just see Zero standing there, huh. Almost as casually as running into him somewhere in the Resistance base, or something.

Zero, himself in the middle of patrolling the hallways, blinked and frozen in place. He'd been seeing a lot of familiar faces lately, but this was one he hadn't expected. Wasn't she... wasn't she supposed to be in Area 0, overseeing the human and reploids there? Had something happened?

There was surprise and the smallest hint of unsteadiness in his voice.]

Ciel...