Preface: This is a story I've been writing for the better part of this year. I had another long story I was writing (Rise to the Ashes), but to be honest, I wasn't happy with the direction it was going in at all. Eventually, I came up with a story idea that is more interesting, entertaining, and touches on some of the concepts I wanted to have in the other story in a far better way. So at any rate, please enjoy this story. Don't forget to add a review, as they really mean a lot to me after putting so much time into this story.

This will be updated pretty quickly as all 21 chapters are for the most part written. As they are revised, they'll be posted! So look for frequent updates from this one.

Thanks to Joh, Kristy and Stitched for all your help, encouragement, and lulz.

No ducks were harmed in the making of this story.

Chapter One: System Failure

Six years ago, if anyone had told her they'd both be sitting in a waiting area outside Vector's realian R&D laboratory, MOMO wouldn't have believed them. She was seated beside her mother, hands in her lap and tugging at her skirt nervously. She'd been seated here before, on what she thought may have been the same bench a little more than a year ago. Her mother and Ziggy were seated beside her quietly giving their support.

"This is an important moment for you, for all of us." Her mother had said.

The young realian wasn't sure what she should've been feeling, and when her name was called, she looked to both of them, her mother and the cyborg that was registered as her "I-I'm not ready!"

"You'll be fine." Juli Mizrahi told her. "We'll be here to support you."

MOMO quickly looked over to Ziggy, feeling frantic and unsure of herself. "What if I regret it? Is this really what Daddy wanted, I-"

"There's no need to be afraid." He comforted her. "What's important is that this is what you want. If it's any consolation, you've grown a great deal since I met you. You're only changing your appearance to better reflect who you are now. I'm proud of you and who you've become."

"Really?"

"Really." It was one of the few times she had seen him smile. Of course, a smile for him meant a slight tightening of the corners of his mouth and softening of his brow. This time, it seemed to be a little more than what she had become used to.

MOMO smiled back at him, and her mother kneeled beside her and pulled her close. "I'm so proud of you too." She pulled away and then tucked a strand of MOMO's hair behind her ears. "Go on, we'll be back when it's time to take you home."

MOMO looked over to Ziggy, who gave her a nod of approval. Biting her lip, she turned toward the door to follow the technician who was waiting patiently for her. She stopped upon reaching the frame and looked back toward them. It was the last time she had seen both of them with her former eyes.

Today, however, she wasn't waiting to be called. She was the same height as her mother now. Although she resembled her a bit more, her were still quite the same. Her mind wandered over the experience, wondering if she could find any comfort in that situation. Having found none, MOMO fidgeted in her seat and let out a heavy sigh.

Juli had her full attention focused upon her new RMN connection gear. Renovo Mundus Network, as it was called, was now in the process of being installed and in their current sector of space. The network itself was far from complete. Having spent the last number of years rebuilding it from scratch proved to be a challenge. In it's current state, the basic functionality and gate compatibility were present, but not much else. It would take many more years before it would become even remotely close to former UMN. However, the galaxy as it was, had been under far too much turmoil in the last six years to wait for further improvements, those could be added later.

Sensing distress in her daughter, she put down the device, a small handheld tablet. It differed greatly from the standard UMN connection gear. Although the old was compatible with the RMN, it was found to be too bulky and recently redesigned for mass production. She had been using this prototype for some time and found it to be far more comfortable.

"What's wrong?" Juli asked.

MOMO looked over at her mother and frowned. "I'm just worried."

"What about?"

"I'm worried about Ziggy. I—I just feel awful." MOMO bit her lip and grasped at the edge of the seat. "I feel like I talked him into doing something he didn't want to do."

"MOMO." Juli smiled, lightly tapping the connection gear on her knee. "If he didn't want to go through with it, we wouldn't be here now."

"Yeah, I guess so." MOMO sighed and slumped into her seat. "Still, I can't help but feel guilty somehow."

"You shouldn't." Juli comforted her. "Besides, it's as you said yourself, It's only temporary. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't have to keep it. I have to hand it to you, I've been trying to convince him for years and you've somehow managed to change his mind after five minutes of talking to him."

"Yeah..." MOMO feigned a smile Her thoughts drifted to a few weeks ago when it had all began. The day had started out fairly routine, working on RMN source code, tweaking the user interface, discussing the next steps in the network, the next planets to help. MOMO hadn't moved from her chair in hours, working diligently on a framework that would eventually allow transmitting matter through the RMN. As it was, all goods and materials had to be transferred between gates solely by the use of cargo vessels. It usually meant aid to planets to be time consuming. Initially, they would work with Scientia to set up a basic network grid in the more populated areas of the various planets they were visiting. Within a few days to a week, materials would arrive as needed to help assist the people. It often meant going incognito and staying within hiding until the ships arrived to avoid conflict as many planets were faring worse than some.

She'd gotten a call from Juli, asking her to return home as soon as she was able. There had been a problem with Ziggy and since she also had an understanding of how he worked, perhaps she'd be able to help figure out the problem. When she arrived, she found him lying in his bed, , as her mother had been reading over the readouts.

"I know you've worked on him a few times yourself." Juli said when she'd entered the room. "Maybe you can help."

"Um..." MOMO approached the panel and pressed a few buttons. "I can try. What happened to him?"

"Normally he wakes up around seven or eight in the morning. It was nearly ten and he wasn't up yet. I came in to check on him, and he was wide awake. He said his body wasn't responding. He had no trouble moving his right arm or his neck, but the rest of him... well he's basically paralysed."

"Could it be that he's?" MOMO looked up at her, a look of panic crossed her features. "Maybe he's..."

"I don't think that's the case." Juli said, trying to calm her fears. "At least not yet anyway. The life treatment he received years ago is still going strong. His brain function isn't in decline and physically, he seems to be healthy all things considered."

"Could it be a malfunction?" MOMO, relieved to hear that at least, scanned through the lines of data. "Maybe a breakdown of some part that's preventing him from being able to control himself?"

"Perhaps. But I can't seem to pinpoint the exact problem. If it's something small, we may be able to fix it or at least replicate the part. If it's not, and something much bigger, I'm not sure what we can do. Who knows if even be able to access Ziggurat Industries old parts. It very well could've been erased during the UMN collapse."

"I think I may have found the problem." MOMO swallowed. "If it is, it doesn't look good." Juli came over and she pointed it out. "Right here, lines 20156 through 20388, I'm seeing nothing but errors." She scrolled a little further through the lines looking for more information. Juli was impressed, it would have taken her some time to pinpoint the problem. She wasn't sure if it was that MOMO was a realian or that she'd become so adept at reading through code and detecting problems in the last few years. She figured it was probably a combination of both.

"There." Juli pointed to a line of code. "It looks like the problem is stemming from part malfunctions all across the spinal area."

"Do you think we can fix it?" MOMO asked.

"I don't know. That's a very sensitive area. One wrong move or minor miscalculation and we'll end up causing a lot more damage." She looked over to her daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe we should have Vector take a look at him."

"But they're not very specialized in cybernetics." MOMO frowned. "I don't know of anyone else who is." MOMO's shoulders slumped in resignation and she turned toward Ziggy's sleeping form. "...Why did they have to do this to him?"

Juli stood behind her and draped an arm over her shoulder. "I don't know." She wondered for a moment how their lives may have been different had he not become victim to life recycling. "For what it's worth, if they hadn't, we wouldn't be here now."

Hours later, Vector and even Doctus herself had paid a visit. It was nearly impossible to move him and all of his equipment to a better location, but they were able to better pinpoint the cause of the problems and the exact parts that were malfunctioning. MOMO and Juli had been sitting restlessly in the main room of their apartment. The occasional yelps from Alby could be heard from MOMO's bedroom, they had to put the small dog somewhere as to not get in the way.

Doctus stepped out of the room and approached the two. For a moment, Juli tried to read the andriod's expression and realized she had much better luck reading Ziggy's mind after they had first met. MOMO had looked up too noticing that she was there.

"Well... do you want the good news or the bad news first?" Doctus said.

"Good." MOMO sputtered.

"Bad." Juli spoke at the same time as her daughter. She looked toward her with a slight smile.

"Bad I guess." MOMO nodded.

"You were right." Doctus began. "The source of the malfunctions he's experiencing is based within the spinal column, about in the center. In a human that would mean from the waist down. For our cyborg friend, it means most of his mechanical functionalities are shot. Had this happened seven, eight years ago, he'd be able to be repaired without a problem. However, as you're well aware, we haven't quite connected to all of the Federation. There's a remote possibility that we may be able to find the proper parts, or at least the schematics to be able to replicate them. It looks like until we find them, we're out of luck."

"Isn't there any way we could take them out and try to repair them, or maybe replace them?" MOMO sat forward in her seat.

"I'm not sure if that is an option. Doing so without the proper documentation might risk damaging more important systems such as life support." Doctus explained. "We want to fix him, not kill him."

"Oh." MOMO slumped back into the chair and frowned.

"What about the good news?" Juli asked.

"Well, speaking of more important systems, Ziggurat Industries was smart to say the least. Life support and brain seems to run from motor . It seems like it was a fail-safe of sorts to ensure the long-term reliability of their products. Keep the product from wanting to end it's life and keep it alive as long as possible. Thankfully, your little tampering with that system a few years ago didn't have any adverse affects on anything else."

"What caused all of this to happen?" MOMO asked.

"Ultimately, it looks like regular wear and tear. Like any machine put to constant use, one day everything seems to be within working order and the next something breaks and it's rendered useless. Even with regular , with body as old as his, it's a wonder he's made it this long."

"Are there any other options?" MOMO asked. "There has to be something we can do for him!"

"I know of another option, but we've discussed it before. I know what he'd say now if we asked." Juli sighed. "It's not worth mentioning. We'll have to wait it out, I suppose and keep looking."

"I'll see what I can do to aid the search." Doctus said. "There has to be someone out there we've reached who might know something."

Days had passed and life seemed to continue on as it had, minus an important aspect of both of their lives. He was awake, but refused to say more than a few words to either of them. MOMO could tell Juli had become restless. MOMO was battling a similar restlessnes combined with constant concern eating away at her. They had just finished eating a silent dinner. Juli hadn't spoken hardly one word to her aside from compliments on the meal she had prepared. She hadn't been much in the mood for talking either, although she did talk about the progress she was making on her new Ether Circuit program. After fifteen minutes, she was placing the dishes in the automatic dishwasher and preparing the leftovers to be taken to work by both of them the next day. As the door closed, MOMO noticed her mother heading toward Ziggy's room. She watched with mild curiosity. She'd avoided him for most of the last two days, and although MOMO had paid him a visit a few times a day, it seemed short and fruitless even for her.

A few moments passed and she could hear muffled voices within the room. Curiosity piqued, she turned into her audio sensors. She wanted to know what they were talking about, but she knew it really wasn't her business. On the other hand, he had barely spoken a word to either of them since the incident occurred. She knew he would be able to read her proximity with his own sensors. Maybe if she only got a little closer to the wall...

Juli had taken a seat beside him and she'd been holding onto his gloved hand for several minutes now. They hadn't exchanged much conversation beyond small talk. She'd asked him how he was feeling, to which she received an unemotional "as well as can be expected". Juli went on to tell her about their day, which had been rather mundane. She was about to ask him how his day had been, but she knew the answer already.

"Have you spoken to MOMO today?" Juli asked him.

"No." The cyborg told her, flatly.

"Maybe you should. I'm sure she'd like to talk to you." Juli feigned a smile.

"If she wants to talk to me, she can come in." Ziggy's frown tightened and his eyes closed. "I- would rather her not, however."

"You don't want to see her?" Juli frowned.

"It's hard enough speaking to you now as it is." His eyes remained closed and he turned his head the other way. "Seeing me in my current state might cause her undue stress and I'd rather not worry her more than I already have."

"So what are you going to do?" Juli asked, letting his hand go. It fell limply on the of his maintainance bed. "Just sit here alone, in the dark, for the rest of your days and mope?"

"What else can I do, Juli?" His eyes opened then and his voice took on a sharp edge, a stark contrast from the distant tone he'd been using. "At the rate things are going, I may as well be . Perhaps I'd prove myself to be more useful as scrap metal."

Juli's brow and she leaned back into her seat, taken back by his words. "I—I can't believe you."

He stared back at her, words had suddenly become caught in his throat as he realized the depth of what he had just implied. "I—ah"

"After all this time, and everything we've been through together, you just want to throw it all away because we can't find the parts you need to fix you?" Juli stood up then, and turned her back toward him. "Was all that you told me about finally being ready to move beyond your past a lie?"

"No. I—Look. Juli. I—"

"If that's the case, maybe I should've arranged to have your memories erased years ago!" She couldn't bear to look back at him as she walked to the door.

MOMO noticed that her mother's signature was approaching the door and she dashed off toward her console, pretending to work on the application she had started hours ago.

Juli stood at the door and swallowed. There were a million things she wanted to tell him, shout at him, but she couldn't find the right words. Realizing it was fruitless and she had probably done enough damage by this point, she opened the door and slammed it behind her before dashing past her daughter and into her own bedroom.

If he were even capable of standing up, he would've went after her. His right hand had been reaching out toward her as she'd walked through the doorframe and once the door slammed, he dropped it limply before pulling it back to his face. He let out a frustrated sigh and dropped his hand to his side, continuing to stare up at the dark . "Damn it."

MOMO hesitated, biting her lip. She wasn't sure what she should do. Her eyes darted between her mother's bedroom and Ziggy's room. Following her best instincts, and predicting her mother's emotional state based on her life signs, she decided to check up on her first. The realian listened against the door, something she'd done far too much of today, before knocking.

"What is it?" Juli's voice sounded remarkably calm, if only strained.

Biting her lip, MOMO . "Mom, are you okay?"

There was silence again, and she noticed her signature approaching. She pulled herself away from the door and stood back, hands folded behind her back and head bowed. The door opened and she met her mother face to face. For a moment, she almost felt like her former self. She was almost expecting to see a woman twice her height.

"I'm alright." Juli told her.

"Are you sure? I thought I heard you and Ziggy and I was worried."

"We had a little..." Juli told her. "Sometimes when people are upset they say things they don't really mean. We'll be fine, I'm sure."

"Do you want me to try to talk to him?" MOMO asked, her hands fell of her now, and she pressed them together anxiously.

"Be my guest." Juli sighed leaning against the door frame. "He's being stubborn and obstinate as ever. Just... don't let anything he says get to you."

"O-okay." MOMO frowned.

She left her mother then, and headed toward the door down the hall beyond the living area where Ziggy had taken up residence. It was large enough just for his bed and not much more. Although a folding chair was kept in there, originally by herself. He'd continue to remind them that he had no need for belongings or decoration. Yet the few pictures she had drawn of them when she was younger with a few photographs she'd decorated his room with had remained untouched. She quietly knocked on his door. "Ziggy?"

"Yes." His voice came through the door.

"Is it alright if I come in?"

There was hesitation before he responded. "…Yes." She opened the door then and closed it behind her. The room was dark, and she didn't bother to turn on the lights. She knew that sometimes he preferred to sit in the darkness. He had night vision capabilities anyway, and it was likely second-nature for him.

"Hi." The realian stood just inside the door.

"Hi." He responded flatly. He wasn't even looking at her, his eyes were still affixed to the .

"Um, I saw Mom run out and-"

"MOMO." Ziggy's line of vision hadn't budged. "How much of our conversation did you overhear?"

MOMO opened her mouth wanting to say none of it. Instead, she pressed her lips together and her shoulders dropped in resignation. "All of it, well most of it. I caught everything at the end."

"That's what I thought."

"I'm sorry, I know you really hate eavesdropping and I didn't mean to, but I was really worried about you and..."

"No, it's all right." Ziggy sighed. "I'm not angry with you."

"Oh..." MOMO's expression lightened then and she crossed the room and stood beside the bed. She looked down at him. His eyes hadn't moved from the ceiling, and they seemed distant. It was an expression, or rather a lack thereof, that she hadn't seen in some time. As if realizing her eyes were on him, he shifted his focus toward her.

"I'd understand, however, if you were angry with me." His voice turned softer, less gruff than it had been before. "If it's any consolation, I didn't intend to hurt your mother... or you, by what I said. I was merely voicing my frustration over... my current predicament."

MOMO closed her eyes and dropped her head. "I'm not mad at you, Ziggy. You've been through a lot, and you've lived a really long life. I know it has to be hard right now. I—I'd understand if you didn't really want to live anymore if it meant you had to be stuck in this room. I wouldn't want to live that way either."

"MOMO." Ziggy frowned and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's not that I want to die. It's been a long time since I've felt that way. I only feel helpless and frustrated in my current state. The last thing I'd want to do is cause you and your mother pain, but... I suppose that will be unavoidable now that..."

MOMO placed her hand on top of his. "M-maybe it doesn't have to be this way. Maybe there's a way we can all still be together like before and you won't feel so useless."

"What do you mean?"

"I know you and Mom have talked about it before, but it was years ago and long before you were having problems." MOMO bit her lip, hesitating as if she knew the response would be negative. "But if you had a realian body, maybe-"

"MOMO, I've been over this with your mother and—"

MOMO shook her head. She continued, cutting him off. "Maybe... you could help us out on missions and things like that and go back to your old body, at least until we are able to repair you." MOMO grabbed onto his hand with both of hers. "Maybe we can make some kind of device for you to move around, like a hoverchair or something so you're not stuck like this. But if you had a body like mine, you could be a lot more useful. The next planet we're heading to might be really dangerous and it would be great if you could come along. It would only be temporary and if you don't like it... well, you can go back if it makes you feel more comfortable."

"I see your point." Ziggy squeezed her hand slightly. "Perhaps it's worth consideration in that case. I'll give it some thought, but no promises."

"Right. No promises." MOMO smiled at him.

"Doctor Mizrahi? MOMO Mizrahi?" The voice of a woman broke MOMO's concentration. She looked up immediately and noticed a woman in a labcoat standing near them.

"Yes?" Juli was the one to speak first. She'd put down her connection gear beside her.

"Ziggurat 8 seems to be adjusting well. The link was . All of our initial tests came back a hundred percent. He's functioning about as well as can be expected."

"Can we see him?" MOMO sat up straight, hands at her side and fingertips pressed into the cushion.

"Yes." The woman smiled. "He can see you now. If you'd follow me."

MOMO looked over to her mother, her expression had brightened and Juli smiled back at her. MOMO stood up first and Juli tucked away her connection gear into her bag. They followed the woman through a large sliding door and down two long hallways. They stopped at a window and they both peeked inside. They could see him from where they were standing. He was seated at the edge of a standard realian bed. He was facing away from them and was positioned several meters away from the window. Even from the distance, the blond hair and build were strikingly familiar. The two entered the room and stood near the doorway, as if neither of them had the courage to continue forward.

Ziggy seemed to be deep in concentration. He was looking down at his new hands and feet. For a moment, MOMO wondered if he was studying them. The whole process must have been disorienting, and the familiar feeling of guilt and anxiety rose to the surface again.

"Jan." Juli finally spoke up. She wasn't sure if their signatures were unfamiliar to him in this new body, or if he was so deep in concentration that he just wasn't paying attention.

He looked up then, dropping his hands, he turned at the waist looking back toward them. Upon recognizing the two, he stood up and took a few slow steps toward them.

MOMO bit her lip, as she tried to read him. He looked fine, and didn't seem to be particularly upset or bothered by the form he was now residing in. She could see it then, the slight tightening at the corner of his lips and the gentler expression. "Ziggy!" MOMO exclaimed and ran toward him.

"MOMO, careful!" Juli called after her.

"It's fine." Ziggy said, opening his arms toward her. MOMO ran into him wrapping her arms around him tightly. The initial contact threw him off balance momentarily, but he quickly regained his composure. Juli was beside the two a second later, to cross the room a bit slower than her daughter had. MOMO had pulled away and Juli wrapped an arm around him and he returned the gesture.

"Does it feel good to be able to move again?" MOMO asked.

"Yes." Ziggy said nodding toward her.

"How are you adjusting?" Juli asked. Her arm was still around his back.

"It's taking some time. I'm unfamiliar with this operating system and... my change in weight. It feels strange." Ziggy clenched his left fist, having forgotten what it felt like to have two identical hands full of nerve endings. "I suppose you could equate it to adjusting to a change in gravity."

"You're... a little shorter too." MOMO said, looking up at him. "It looks like 7.62 centimeters. It was probably all in your cybernetic legs." She smiled at him.

"It looks like the program you added is working, MOMO." Juli commented.

"Program?" Ziggy looked toward Juli, a little perplexed.

"I uh..." MOMO began. "added an illegal modification."

"Illegal modification?" Ziggy looked down at her and frowned.

"I added an application that would allow you to change your eye color. The standard for realians is what mine is. It was meant for realians to stand out against humans but without looking... um scary or too weird. I thought it would be great if could change your eye color to your human color if you'd like. I just... didn't expect them to be that color by default. Oops."

Ziggy stared down at her half in disapproval and half in mild amusement that she'd go to such lengths for something as frivolous as eye color. "How do I change it?"

"Have you figured out how to access your internal system diagnostics panel?" MOMO asked him, pointing her her own head. "It's probably a little different than mine... but..."

"I've found it." Ziggy said. It was one of the first things he was shown after beginning his orientation. It only took a few moments to remember how to access it.

"Okay, do you see where the menu is located?"

"Yes." Ziggy nodded.

"Underneath that, in the menu you should see an option for eye color. I made it easy for you to find."

"I see that." Ziggy smirked slightly at her. "It's the option highlighted in pink with the... what is that?" Ziggy raised an eyebrow, upon noticing an animated icon of what appeared to be a small white animal with a wagging tail. "Is that... Alby?"

MOMO stiffled a giggle. "I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't miss it."

"I ... won't."

"He'll be able go home with you. I'm sure it won't be a problem since everything seems to be checking out. He might have a better time adjusting in a place that's a little more familiar rather than in a lab." The they'd met in the hallway crossed the room after finishing up some reports. She handed Juli a Pad with reports and documentation. "If he's having any issues, let us know. We'll get him in as soon as we can."

"Thank you." Juli smiled, taking the pad and looking through it briefly before dropping her hand to the side. "Well, I suppose if you're ready, we can head home."