33

It was a subdued Red who returned to the Zodiac, alone and without his usual smile.  Everyone on the Zodiac was silent as well.  They had seen what had happened.  Pyre looked like she had been crying.  Poni was sitting in a corner, forlorn and angry.  Salvo merely stared at the screen of code, looking for any distraction from the eventuality of tragedy.

Red had no comment.  He rose from the chair and looked to his friend's body in sorrow.  A harsh reminder that they were not immortal, it was.  Red's large hand reached out to touch Archangel's surprisingly serene face, then stopped.  He turned his head sadly from Angel.

It was then that Poni began to sing.  It was a melodic, mournful song, beautiful in its tragicness.  After a moment, Red joined in softly, in harmony with his captain, letting her dominate the song.  This continued for a long while, the pair singing while Pyre and Salvo listened, captive by their sadness.

At last Red ended his part, leaving the last, most haunting portion to Poni's alto as he drew a blanket over the young rebel's body.  Poni didn't stop singing for hours, until they had given Angel a proper funeral ceremony back in Zion.   The song would echo in Pyre's head for years to come.

***

Sekhmet was having another struggle with Bastet, who seemed to have some version of cabin fever.  And she was expressing it by singing the theme song, leaving Sekhmet to wonder why Bastet had been paying attention during the showing of Muppet Treasure Island in the Oracle's apartment when she had been roped into baby-sitting for the potentials.

I got cabin fever; I think I lost my grip/ I'd like to get my hands on whoever wrote this script, Bastet caterwauled.

Marcus sat nest to Sekhmet.  His hand was sparkling a little.  Then, with little fanfare, he grabbed Sekhmet by the arm, and pulled.  Instead of pulling Sekhmet, however, in that moment her coding flickered, and she split into to separate, nearly identical forms.

"And dreaming of a new moon/ Now I'm as crazy as-- huh?" Bastet blinked, as did Sekhmet.  Blue eyes looked upon green eyes, then, as one, both programs screamed.

Marcus chuckled a little.

Both ceased their screaming to eye one another suspiciously.  Then Bastet said, "Our - your ears and tail are gone...."

"You are now two separate entities."  Marcus replied.  "The Agent was good for something after all..."

"What agent?" both asked simultaneously, then glared at each other.

"The one I deleted.  Our fallen friend's assailant."  Marcus replied.  "Some of his coding let me fix some gaps in my code, and separate you."

One might have expected Bastet to comment snidely on Archangel's death, but she had apparently had some respect for the lad and thus remained silent, not at all comfortable with where she was.

"You are free to leave whenever you wish, Bastet."  Marcus said calmly.  "We will not hold you here."

She rose to her feet, backing slowly away, as if afraid to turn her back on two who had every reason to hate her.  Sekhmet she knew she could handle, but this new Marcus....

Marcus threw the cat-girl a vial.  "This is payment for my freedom.  Give it to your master, if you chose to go there."  She nodded, still backing away, until she reached the door.  She couldn't get through it fast enough.  "It is a pity."  Marcus sighed.  "She does not have to live in servitude."  The vampire turned back to Sekhmet and smiled.

And was suddenly tackled to the couch, her mouth covering his in a thankful, passionate kiss.  Marcus laughed and kissed her back.  Finally, after all that, they were totally, absolutely, unconditionally free.

***

The Merovingian was standing in front of the Twins and their Sister.  They had all been standing there for a while, the Twins made to stand completely and totally still while the frenchman thought in silence.  Valkyrie remained where she was as well, though this was because it hurt to move.  Every now and then a soft whimper would escape her lips.

"Valkyrie, you are dismissed from my services.  Ze Oracle assures me she has a place for you zere.  Go and never come back."  The Merovingian said suddenly.  She nodded quietly, slowly rising to her feet and fleeing with a limp, pausing only to give her brothers a last sad look and a whispered goodbye.  Then she was gone.

"As for you two."  The Merovingian continued.  "You will stand 'ere for ze next five months.  If you move, ze time will increase by one month.  Do you understand?"

A door opened, and a greatly subdued, green-eyed catgirl slipped in, clutching a vial to her chest.  One of the twins nodded.  "Six months it is....Bastet?"  The Merovingian looked a little surprised, something he wasn't accustomed to being.  "What is zis?"

"Marcus... separated myself and Sekhmet.  He told me to give this to you, in exchange for his and Sekhmet's freedom," she answered, offering the vial.  The Merovingian grabbed the vial and looked at it a moment.  "Zis code...zomething about it..."  The frenchman smirked then.  "Bastet, fetch Rafael, please.  I believe I 'ave some news 'e will be 'appy with."

She nodded and ran to find the angel, returning soon with the blue-haired man.  His normally neat ponytail was a mess, indicating he'd most likely been sleeping.  "You wanted me?" he asked, managing not to yawn.  "Ze rogue Agent is dead.  Zis is a fragment of 'is code."  The frenchman threw the vial at the angel program.

He caught it, blinking.  "Jameson bought it?"  As this sank in, he grinned viciously.  "I'd've loved to see that."  "Apparently, we 'ave Marcus to thank for it.  Take ze code to ze Alchemist, 'ave 'im look at it."  The Merovingian ordered.  "We may be able to use it to our advantage...and possibly aid in your wing problem."

Rafe was out the door and down the hall within fifteen seconds, heading for Hippocrates' place at top speed.  Bastet couldn't help but smile at his sudden transition into wakefulness.  The Merovingian sat back in his chair, smirking to himself.  "Bastet, as you are not being useful at ze moment, be a dear and fetch Persephone."

She nodded and did so, casting a look at the motionless Twins as she bounded off, hoping to become useful.  It was odd, not having to deal with being an unwanted split personality of Sekhmet.  The Merovingian waited by throwing paperclips at the twins, trying to encourage a flinch. 

One of them phased out to avoid the assault.  "Seven months."

Bastet returned at a slower pace than the one she'd bounded off in, as the pace had been dictated by the Merovingian's wife, who never hurried.  The Merovingian stood, snickering slightly at the highly annoyed Twins.  "Ah, my dear.  Are you ready for a night about town?"

"Of course," she replied, smiling at her husband.  There was a certain sharpness to that smile that declared Try anything with another woman and you may find yourself missing a non-crucial yet important bit of your programming.

The Merovingian's mind was elsewhere, though, as the couple and their security entourage led them to the restaurant.  That code...yes, the frenchman thought, that code would come in very handy in the future.

Very handy indeed.

FIN

Yes, after all that, it's finally over!  *mad grin*  Much to the collective relief of myself and Soldier Zero.  As promised, I will now deal with those who have left reviews:

Sapphire: No, I was not putting your posting speed to shame.  A great deal of this story was completed in 2003.  It's easy to post quickly when you don't post everything as soon as you finish it.

Orcus: I know it's no Legacy.  Legacy is a solo work; this one is not.  And yes, this is part of my 'Cycles' back story, dealing with the fourth incarnation of the Matrix.  This is one part of the Fourth Cycle, though; my beloved Soldier Zero is writing another part of it that deals with the One of that Cycle as well as the end of it.  And this story occurs, Matrix-wise, in the mid-nineties.

Sapphire: Molly is written to be lovable.  And she has her own roles to play... ^_^  Again, this is being updated quickly because it was completed a week ago.  I don't always post hot-off-the-press, y'know....  Ah, Sapphire, Sapphire, Sapphire.  I did not tie this story into Legacy.  I tied Legacy into this.   Look at the publish dates, this one came first.

***

IMPORTANT NOTE:  If any of you have questions regarding the closure of this story, be sure to provide your e-mail address in your review so I can answer them.  I do care about what you think and would be happy to clear up any confusion.  Also, any con-crit would be nice, as I know there are some mistakes floating around and I'd like to fix them.  Thanks!

Regards from myself and Soldier Zero!