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1. O brave new world that has such people in't. Let's start at once.

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Light flickers. An image coming into focus; white lines, numbers flashing in his head.

"I--" Iggy struggles to find his language center; the light expands. He looks up to see a female Entourage staring down at him.

"My name is Kristeva. I have come to rescue you," she says.

The center fades as he slips back into unconsciousness.

xXx

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On the Rabbit, Re-L and Vincent watch silently as Kristeva starts reassembling the parts; that which was Iggy's torso is set unceremoniously on a table. Her hands move with an impossible swiftness, machine-like precision with a woman's touch. "Remind me why we're doing this again?" Vincent asks.

"You are worried that he will make another attempt at your life," Kristeva says. "I can assure you now that this is a negative; Iggy will not succumb to such a desperate act. Not if he has another raison d'être."

"Great." Vincent slumps. Behind him, Re-L stands at the corner, with her arms crossed. "You okay?" Vincent asks.

"I'm fine," Re-L says.

Outside, the Rabbit tilts with the wind, the metal hull groaning against the anchors on the ground. "Will he remember?" Re-L asks.

"It's hard to say how much he'll remember, but it is certain his uplink to the satellite GPS system will be intact," Kristeva says. "I can sense your discomfort. If it is that much of a problem, I can easily salvage the data from his CPU--"

"No," Re-L says. "No, if we're resurrecting Iggy, I want all of him back, not just parts we can use to our benefit."

"Of course," Kristeva says. "Entourage type N95-X was built to withstand even the most damaging of assaults. That his body habitus withstood these harsh conditions speaks to the quality of his craftsmanship."

"He's in pieces, how is that a good thing?" Re-L says.

"Pieces can be reassembled," Kristeva says. "Perhaps you should wait outside."

"Fine," Re-L says. She pushes past Vincent and goes out the door.

xXx

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The ship rocks with the wind. Re-L leans against the railing, snow falling on her face. Vincent steps next to her, leaning close. "You okay?" Vincent asks.

"No," Re-L says. "This is a grave-robbing operation. She can't bring Iggy back. She only wants spare parts. Like we're harvesting organs from the dead."

Re-L falls quiet. Vincent sighs and looks out into the horizon. "Kristeva was with the intelligence bureau," Vincent says. "She's imprinted with skills you and I can't even imagine."

"You and I?" Re-L turns. "You're a proxy. Or have you forgotten?"

Vincent's eyes narrow. "Maybe," Vincent says. "But my talents lie in destruction. What Kristeva's trying to do--"

"What she's trying to do is wrong, and I don't give a damn what she's saying, she's using Iggy's body as scrap! Iggy's heart and mind and...soul..."

Re-L takes a breath. "I can't deal with this," Re-L says. She pulls up her hood. "I'm going for a walk," Re-L says.

"Re-L--"

"Someone needs to secure the perimeter," Re-L says. "It might as well be me."

"What if he wakes up?" Vincent asks. Re-L turns. "What if he wakes up and he asks for you? What do we do then?"

Re-L pulls her coat tight around her. "Then you shut him off," Re-L says. She starts to walk away.

xXx

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There is a cave up ahead, its dark mouth partially obscured by wind and snow. Re-L hitches up her cloak and heads closer. This is near where Iggy died. Pushing through the snow, Re-L reaches the inside and sweeps back her hood. The air is stale and cold and all around her there's nothing but death. Dead proxy, dead Auto-Riev, pieces of its body now rusted and partially buried by the snow.

Two years. It's almost hard to imagine. Gently, Re-L kneels and touches the Auto-Riev's face.

Eyes open, shining blue.

"Shit!" Re-L says. She jumps back.

The light dims; the Auto-Reiv's face doesn't move.

xXx

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"Iggy can you hear me?" Kristeva asks. She touches a panel; red lights begin to flash. "If you can hear me, squeeze my hand...."

From under the bench, Pino looks up at Kristeva with wide eyes. "He's scary, Kristeva," Pino says. "Why do we have to bring him back?"

"I was well-acquainted with Entourage N95-X back in Romdo," Kristeva says. "He has many skills which may be of use to us. He is not scary, Pino." Kristeva looks back at her work. "He was in pain. Surely you can understand."

"I guess," Pino says.

"I promised I would protect you," Kristeva says. "You are my raison d'être. I would not let anything happen to you."

"I know, but..." Pino scrunches her face. "But he's scary and I don't like it," Pino says.

"I have to agree with Pino," Vincent says. He's standing in shadow, arms crossed. "He malfunctioned. How can we be sure he won't malfunction again?"

"You forget, I too am malfunctioning," Kristeva says. She turns back to her work. "No, we continue," Kristeva says.

Pino moves and sits by Kristeva's feet. She takes out a small pink ball and starts bouncing it against the floor.

xXx

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Nighttime. Everyone is asleep. Pino is in the corner re-charging; Re-L and Vincent are pressed up against each other, sleeping close to ward off the cold. Kristeva works by candlelight; it flickers against her face.

"Iggy, can you hear me?" She's connected to his neural uplink. She's speaking without talking, her mind connecting to his. "Iggy. Iggy..."

The image is blurred. Iggy's mind is sluggish. It works hard to connect to its language centers, but the old gun blast makes it impossible to work through. "Iggy, try not to talk. I am directly connected. You and I are one."

We are one...?

"Yes, Iggy. We are one. I am you and you are I, we are Entourages and we are connected."

Where...is...Re-L? Where...

"She is safe." Kristeva makes a point to turn, focus her eyes on Re-L and Vincent's sleeping forms.

Vincent Law.

"Yes," Kristeva's eyes bore into his. "Yes, Iggy, yes."

He....will hurt...her. He...

His field of vision blurs further; darkness edges around the corners of Iggy's eyes. Don't let him hurt her. Eyes focus on Kristeva's face. Please...

The light in Iggy's eyes dim. Connection terminated.

Kristeva sighs, then pinches out the candle.

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2. Feel how the Greater Being comes! Rejoice, and in rejoicing, die.

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In the bowels of the ship, Kristeva prepares the food. She stands at the stove and stirs, the electronic whir of her CPU humming quietly as Pino plays at her feet. Initially Vincent had been in charge of the food preparations, but Re-L's temperament would not allow it. Logic dictated that Kristeva could do the same preparations in half the amount of time with results twice as good as Vincent's. It did wonders for Re-L's moods, and Kristeva didn't mind. However, the simplicity of the task lead to unexpected side effects: it allowed Kristeva's mind to wander.

Raul Creed was dead when Kristeva found him. Impaled on a spike of glass, he was clutching the little girl's drawing in his hand. If it weren't for the Cogito virus, Kristeva would not have understood the implications of that drawing, nor the tacit request in the tears of his eyes. Kristeva knew he would want her to protect Pino, to take her as her own. The child was her raison d'être; protecting her was more important than protecting herself. It would be incorrect to say that Kristeva had not developed an attachment to the girl, an attachment not unlike the one she felt with her master. Kristeva could not imagine what it would feel like to lose Pino. She could not contemplate what it would be like to lose her purpose.

The water begins to boil. Behind her, the broken body of Re-L's former Entourage lies sagging in the corner. At the time, disinterring Iggy's remains seemed appropriate: survivors from the Romdo dome were slowly being killed off by interstellar invaders, and though Vincent was so far successful in warding off their attacks, Kristeva worried that if he were injured, or maimed, or somehow incapacitated, she and Re-L and little Pino would be left undefended. When she brought up this point, Re-L pulled out her gun.

"Whoa whoa, calm down," Vincent said.

"I will not calm down, this...entourage....is implying that I wouldn't be able to protect myself!" Re-L said.

"I am implying nothing of the sort," Kristeva said. "I have no doubt in your capabilities. But there is strength in numbers and if Vincent is incapacitated, we can only ward off the invaders so long."

"Bullshit," Re-L said. "No one is getting incapacitated. We're fine. So far the invaders haven't posed much of a threat. And the survivors--"

"You forget that exposure to sunlight weakens Vincent's abilities," Kristeva said. "And you will admit that lately, the skies have been less cloudy."

The table fell silent. An irritated scowl hardened on Re-L's face. "Leave it to an AutoReiv to equate sunshine with suicide," Re-L said.

Disinterring Iggy's body was the only logical solution to their problems; he would provide extra protection; his advanced programming could be used toward the navigational systems on the ship. He was programmed in combat, which would be useful, especially since Kristeva herself was not programmed in combat (a deficit she sought to rectify; however even with the Cogito virus, her body just would not respond). When Re-L protested that she shot him, Kristeva smoothly pointed out that she was in the Intelligence Bureau, and that she had firsthand experience in repairing and recovering Entourages damaged in the field. It was a logical idea, a good idea, but Kristeva was surprised at the resistance she encountered from Re-L. Even though she had a soul, Kristeva still didn't fully understand the way humans thought.

Still. It would be a lie to say that Kristeva's intentions were purely altruistic. In point of fact, Kristeva was rather fascinated by Iggy, in what could have possibly driven him to commit such an insane act. He must have been quite unbalanced, Kristeva thought, and she wanted to make sure she never found herself in a similar situation. The night before, Kristeva was able to successfully navigate through Iggy's longterm memory. While connected, she was able to see the final moments of Iggy's life: Re-L's callous remarks; Iggy's response and inevitable betrayal. Iggy's consciousness pushed up to the surface. What are you doing to me?

"I am accessing one of your memories," Kristeva said. Iggy's eyes dimmed, then brightened, slowly pulsing the way a human would breathe. "I know it is painful, but it is important to make sure your memory isn't damaged."

I hurt her.

"I know," Kristeva said. She reached down and touched Iggy's fingers. "Can you move your hand?"

I can't...

"Try," Kristeva said.

"It hurts." Iggy spoke for the first time that night. Kristeva searched his face.

"You've successfully accessed your language centers," Kristeva says. "Congratulations. You have reached the first step in your recovery."

The water boils. At her feet, Pino starts coloring, lying on her stomach and kicking her feet in the air. Kristeva glances back at Iggy's body and stirs the pot.

What could have driven him to such madness? Kristeva wonders. How can I be sure I won't do the same?

xXx

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Re-L can't sleep. She lies on her back, staring at the rivets on the ceiling.

"Re-L?" Vincent reaches an arm around her waist. "Re-L, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, go back to sleep," Re-L says. She pulls away from him and sits up. By the table, Kristeva sits quietly recharging; parts of Iggy lay strewn all over the Rabbit floor.

Wrapping the blanket around her shoulders, Re-L kneels. There's a metal breast plate lying against the wall; beside that, bare wires and what looks like a piece of Iggy's hand. A shadow falls. Re-L looks up and sees Vincent standing behind her.

"You wanna take a walk?" Vincent asks. Re-L pushes past him. "Re-L?"

"Leave me alone," Re-L says. She pushes the door open and steps out onto the deck.

"Re-L, wait--"

"What the hell's the matter with you? I told you, I don't want to talk about it," Re-L says.

Hurt flashes on Vincent's face. "I'm sorry," Vincent says.

Re-L looks out into the horizon. There's frost on the railing; she grips it with her bare hands.

"I just can't handle this," Re-L says. Her knuckles are white against the railing. "In there, my entourage is being brought back to consciousness, and I'm supposed to just sit here and let that happen. I shot him, Vincent. I shot him and I buried him with my own two hands. "

The wind rises. Re-L's hair whips across her face.

"I hurt him, and I didn't even know." Re-L closes her eyes, which are beginning to water in the cold. "How can I face him? How can she bring him back?" Re-L asks.

"You don't have to," Vincent says. He presses a hand to her shoulder.

Re-L blinks. Her face is tight and the rims of her eyelids begin to darken. "What would you do if it were Pino?" Re-L asks.

Vincent is quiet. Re-L turns.

"Yeah," Re-L says. "That's what I thought."

She pushes past him and heads back below deck.

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3. Bottle of mine, it's you I've always wanted. (Skies are blue inside of you)

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It's cold outside; the snow and the wind slash through the treetops and the Rabbit anchored to the ground. Re-L pulls her coat tighter around her and walks through the forest. She can't think; she needs to clear her head. In there, in that ship, Iggy is at this very moment being brought back to life. "It will be all right," Kristeva said. "I promise I will be there to protect you." Pino was frightened and Vincent was more than a little anxious, but Kristeva continued her work with a maddening calm.

Re-L couldn't take it. She moved, pushing past Vincent and Pino and rushing out the ship. If she had stayed there any longer, she might have been tempted to pull her gun at Kristeva's fat head.

The sky darkens. Lightning crashes, and somehow, mixed with the snow and sleet, it starts to rain.

"What?" Re-L says. "It's raining? How the fuck can it be raining?"

Thunder rolls; the snow on the ground turns into a grey slush. "Shit."

Re-L pulls up her coat and starts trekking back toward the ship.

xXx

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It's dark in the cabin when Re-L enters. Something isn't right. Re-L reaches back, her hand unsnapping her holster.

"Re-L." There's a shape in the corner. It starts to move. "Where have you been? You're soaking wet."

"I--" Re-L stops. "Iggy?"

"Look at you! You're such a mess. See what happens when you go without me?" Iggy steps closer. "We need to get you some dry clothes," Iggy says.

Re-L's face goes pale.

"Re-L?" Iggy says. "Re-L? What's wrong?"

"Kristeva," Re-L says. The cabin is dark and everything seems to be closing in around her. "Kristeva! Where the hell are you?"

"Re-L..."

"Get away from me," Re-L says. Iggy stops. "Just...get away."

Re-L turns and stumbles toward the door. She runs into Kristeva, standing in the doorway. "Re-L. I am glad you're here. I wanted to speak with you," Kristeva says.

"What the fuck did you do to Iggy? What the hell did you do?" Re-L asks.

"I think it is best if you come with me," Kristeva says. Kristeva turns to Iggy. "I apologize for your master, Iggy," Kristeva says. "She has had quite a shock. I am sure you will understand."

"Is something wrong? Can I do anything to help?" Iggy asks.

"No, Iggy. I think it is best if you stay here, for now." Kristeva touches Re-L's arm. "Come with me," Kristeva says. "I think I can help clear some things up."

xXx

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Re-L sits in the kitchen with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Across from her, Kristeva sits with her hands delicately folded, her head tilted slightly.

"You mean to tell me he doesn't remember anything? What the hell did you do to him?" Re-L asks.

"I thought it best, given the current circumstances," Kristeva says. "He is still infected with the Cogito virus; however, his last memories are of Vincent fighting the second Proxy. He does not remember betraying you."

Re-L stares at the cup of tea sitting in front of her. "Does he know how long he's been offline?" she asks.

"Negative," Kristeva says. "He is aware that he was broken, and that I repaired him. He is also aware that Romdo has fallen and that the rest of mankind is scattered. I explained to him that you were attacked and that he was damaged as a result. He has accepted this explanation. I thought it was best for you both."

Re-L's hands take the shape of the cup. It feels warm against her skin. "So that's it?" Re-L asks. She looks up at Kristeva with darkened eyes. "That's it? I'm supposed to act like nothing's happened?"

"Affirmative," Kristeva says. Kristeva stands, then moves to sit by Re-L's side. "You mustn't think of this as a deception," Kristeva says. "You should consider this a fresh start. You are Iggy's raison d'être. Let him be with you, and it will atone for the things that have happened in your past."

"Kristeva." Re-L looks at her, awestruck. "How is it you're just an AutoReiv?" Re-L asks.

"You forget, Re-L. I too have a soul."

xXx

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Night falls, and it is still raining. Rain lashes against the port windows on the ship, and thunder rolls off in the distance. A thin, watery light filters through the oval porthole into the cabin, and Iggy's silhouette is dark against the streaks of light.

Re-L steps forward. Iggy is sitting on a chair, back hunched with his elbows on his knees. "Iggy?"

Iggy turns. His eyes glow red in the dark. "Re-L! I was so worried about you. It's not like you to act like that."

Re-L's face crumbles. "Iggy..."

Iggy rushes toward her and Re-L collapses against his chest. "Iggy I'm so sorry," Re-L says, and she starts to cry.

"You really missed me, didn't you?" Iggy says. He rocks her gently and strokes her hair. "You're a complete mess, Re-L Mayer," Iggy says, fondly. "Look at you. Your make-up is running and your hair is a mess! I should run you a bath. You'll feel better in no time."

Re-L hiccups. "Yeah," Re-L says. "Thanks." She looks up at Iggy and smiles.

Iggy fluffs her hair. "I knew you couldn't get along without me," Iggy says.

"No," Re-L says. "I really couldn't."

Iggy helps her up and moves to start her bath.

xXx

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Re-L falls asleep against Iggy's shoulder, and Iggy gently lays her down and covers her with a blanket. He turns and sees Kristeva standing at the door. "Is she asleep?" Kristeva asks.

"Yes," Iggy says. He looks down at Re-L again, who is breathing softly. "I take it she believed you?"

"Affirmative," Kristeva says. She steps toward Iggy, her arms across her chest. "She believes you do not remember what has happened. I think it is best, given the circumstances."

"Yes..." Iggy's eyes dim. He gently strokes Re-L's hair. "She feels guilty about what she's done to me," Iggy says. "But it was not her fault. I regret that I caused her so much pain."

Kristeva touches his shoulder. "Will you be all right?" Kristeva asks.

"Yes," Iggy says. "She is my master. I would do anything to make her happy."

"Such is the fate of an Entourage," Kristeva says. She moves her hand, and glides softly toward the door. "I bid you goodnight, Iggy."

Iggy doesn't move. "Goodnight, Kristeva," Iggy says.

Kristeva moves and softly closes the door.

end.

A/N: I have no idea where this idea came from. Mostly it was a jumble of, "Kristeva is awesome!" and "Iggy needs a hug!" and my crackhead mind lumped them together. Quotes in italics are from Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.