The wind whipped around them as they sprinted through the snow. Cold air dug knives into his wet skin, making every movement sluggish and painful. His only source of warmth was the hand he gripped tightly as he led the odd-looking, red horned girl as far away from her confinement as possible. They had avoided their pursuers at the mistletoe tree, and Hiro determined that a direct approach toward the walls of Garden was their best chance now. The density of the pine trees thickened, providing ample cover from prying eyes. Escape seemed daunting, but they could hardly call the alternative an option.

Hiro steeled himself. They would escape and fight this cruel world together, he wouldn't accept anything else.

"Dahling..." Zero Two whimpered.

He glanced over at her and notes that her leg had healed at a surprising rate, maybe licking the wound worked? Shouts from beyond trees allow Hiro to determine the source of her true concern and before he could react a shot rang out, grazing his left calf. It takes a moment, but the inevitable pain nearly caused him to pass out. He crumpled and his head hits hard on the ground beneath him.

"Dahling!"

Zero Two's voice reached his ears, but it was distant as the ringing in his ears grew louder. She gently shook him, her calls becoming more desperate. His conscious was disappearing fast, he scraped at the snow in front of him as he desperately clung onto the solid world around him. Zero Two stood defensively over him as the guards approached, he discerned a low growl rising in her throat. She charged the closest one, and, having narrowly dodged his grasp, she sunk her teeth into his arm, the man yelped in surprise. Her victory was short-lived, however, as another guard knocked her off with a swift hit to her head with the butt of his rifle. The impact caused her body to go slack, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Zero Two!" He called out.

He pushed at the earth beneath him, his head spun. A boot planted on his spine rendered his effort to rise futile and shoved him back into the snow. Ahead of him was Zero Two's body, resting limp in the white powder. Hiro grit his teeth at the sight, he didn't understand it. Why couldn't they be free? Why did the adults go so far to keep them chained to the ground?

Do you want to save her, boy?

A voice echoed out from nowhere, followed by the low foreboding moan of a siren sounding out through Garden. Guards that had been approaching them stopped and scanned the pine forest in confusion. A blue figure stood a hundred feet from him, near the Garden wall. He found it difficult to make out the details, but didn't fail to notice the eight mechanical tentacles that protruded from their back.

Quiet consumed the world around him for a moment. Was he imagining things? Did it even matter at that point? His blood felt like it was boiling in his veins and he closed his eyes as he put every ounce of his strength into calling out two words.

"I do!"

His eyes opened, the figure had vanished. Disappointment washed over him, an illusion after all...? Just before he had given up all hope, a blood-curdling scream rang out. Sounds of tearing flesh and choking breath ensued until something snapped above him. The noise stopped. The pressure on his back faded. Another soldier stumbled to the ground at Hiro's feet.

"What the fuck, what the fuck, what th-!"

A mechanical tentacle flew past Hiro's field of view, and the soldier's voice stopped silent. Something crunched into the snow beside him.

Panicked shouts and gunfire of the soldiers caused Hiro to shudder as he turned his head away from the gruesome scene unfolding before him. The alarm continued in the following silence as a soft set of footsteps approached him.

The woman that stood before him now had snow white hair, blue skin, and a single cobalt horn protruding from her forehead. Her black clothes seemed of ancient royalty. She eyed him curiously as she kneeled beside him, sniffing at the air above the open wound on his forehead before leaning in. He winced as her tongue dragged across the oozing blood.

Interesting, her voice hummed in his head as she pulled away, it appears I will retrieve more than expected.

One of the mechanical tentacles wrapped around his body, and he cried out in pain as she lifted him into the air. The last thing he saw before his vision faded was the crumbling of Garden's wall.

She woke to a familiar aching grogginess. So familiar, that had her surroundings not been so vastly different from those she was used to, she would've assumed that everything that had happened was part of some strange dream.

Her arms shifted to lift herself off the soft grainy surface of the floor beneath her as she peered over a large underground cavern. Before her was a massive body of glowing blue water that lit up the fantastical world around her. On either side of the subterranean lake was a stretching expanse of greenery and foreign plant life that she couldn't see the end of. Pillars stretched to the lofted ceiling above the forest, from them protruded various crystalline growths that would radiate the forest with red light from time to time, preventing darkness from consuming the visual spectacle entirely.

Her eyes couldn't stay in one place, taking in every detail of the mystic that surrounded her before her mind came to a grinding halt.

Where was he?

Zero Two spun around, scanning the beach-like area before she found him lying lifelessly next an odd-looking blue girl. The woman turned toward her, an icy gaze causing a chill to pass down Zero Two's spine. Every bone in her body screamed danger, but her determination to make sure he was okay overrode any sense of fear she had.

So you're awake?

The woman's words reached Zero Two's mind and her eyes widened as she took notice of the jagged horn on the strange figure's forehead. Her curiosity faded when she saw the condition of the boy lying before her. His face was a ghostly pale. A dark red ichor plastered the sand near him, his wound covered by an abnormally large exotic leaf. Her heartbeat quickened. She kneeled beside him tugging at his torn sleeve.

"Dahling?"

No response.

Her eyes watered as she rested her head against his chest. A few moments passed in pure silence before-

Ba-dump

Zero Two perked up, hope blooming. She listened closely, waiting for another.

Ba-dump

The slow methodical beat of his heart was there. He was alive!

This attachment might prove troublesome… A voice spoke again, the words were meaningless to Zero Two, however.

A mechanical tentacle moved with swift precision and encircled the small girl. A loud noise of protest followed, but she soon found herself mere inches from the calculating orbs of the frightening figure. Zero Two growled, showing her teeth.

Your knowledge is much more limited than I expected. The klaxosaur woman spoke. Speeding up your growth will be a necessary risk then.

Before Zero Two could pull away, the lone horn of the other female had contacted her one of her own red horns. A small spark flew through her mind.

The grip of the mechanical appendage around her waist loosened, and she fell to the ground. As she rose, she rubbed her temple gently, the buzz in her brain fading.

She turned toward where the girl had once stood, only to find her footprints in the sand. Panicking, she surveyed the area for any sign of the mysterious woman before grunting in defeat and returning to her darling's side. To her surprise, his eyes had cracked open.

"Zero...Two...?"

His voice was hoarse and quiet, but her excellent hearing picked up every syllable of her name.

"Ah-ake?" She asked, parroting a similar question she had been asked earlier.

Her recollection of noise that used to be garbled and nonsensical finally became words with meaning. Although she knew the meaning of certain things, forming them into vocal speech proved more difficult than she expected. However, it seemed she did well enough for Hiro to understand her, his face showed surprise at her inquiry before shifting to a small grin.

"Yeah, I'm awake." He stated, trying to raise himself off the ground.

Zero Two took notice of his struggle and placed her hand on his back to support his upright position. She watched as he examined their surroundings much like she had.

"Where are we?" She heard him mutter.

A booming crash behind them, accompanied by the rumbling sound of something massive scraping along the cavern floor. It wasn't long until the creature burst into view from out of the tree line it had been careful not to destroy. A klaxosaur. It appeared like a cobra, its long metallic black body slithered with cautious and curious movement toward the two children, in spite of its previously hurried approach. Its eyes, a sparkling blue that focused themselves on Zero Two. She had a feeling it was trying to convey something to her, but she couldn't quite understand it.

To Hiro's dismay, she stood and edged herself toward the klaxosaur.

"No, Zero Two! Run!"

His shouts caused her to hesitate. Did he think they were in danger? It was too late for that, however; the beast was upon her. Its face tilted downward so it could keep its eyes on her as she reached out to touch the serpent's snout, sensing no danger. Despite the robotic appearance, its skin was neither smooth nor metallic, instead rough and leathery. Zero Two imagined that there was probably a living creature somewhere in the world that looked much like the mechanical marvel before her.

The creature nuzzled her hand and hummed deep within its throat. She glanced over her shoulder at where Hiro was on the beach, his face twisted in a look of incredulous bewilderment, it caused an unfamiliar emotion to well in her chest and painted a mischievous smile across her face as she giggled.

The serpent pulled away, opening its mouth wide. Hiro was now standing next to her, she took note of the scar on his leg where a bullet wound had once been. Other than a slight limp, it seemed he had healed completely.

"I think it wants to take us somewhere," Hiro spoke, the raspiness of his voice had faded slightly, "as silly as that sounds…"

"Ah!" Zero Two concurred, having understood most of what he said.

He gripped her hand and smiled reassuringly.

"Let's go, Zero Two."

It had been a tiresome week for her. The humans were pushing back harder than ever and delving deeper and deeper into the klaxosaur territory. Her territory. The only good thing to come of the week was the successful retrieval of her package along with an… interesting surprise.

The overlooking view the princess held left something to be desired. An expansive desert stretched out in front of her, the only observable remnants of life were the dilapidated buildings of the human city at the base of the mountain on which she stood. The mountainside appeared as a graveyard of collapsed trees, ugly gray and brown replaced the once sweeping green. She sighed as the sun began its descent over the horizon.

How ugly they have made you…

A distant signal entered her mind, giving her visual of the onslaught she had sent her brethren into. The battlefield was grim, thousands of blue and black corpses lined the ground slowing down the much larger klaxosaurs' approach on the metal stronghold before them. In front of the shining silver fortress stood several smaller figures. Shaped like human females, they had eyes in small slits that glowed an ominous orange, matching the spears they wielded. The bodies of the monsters were entirely gray, with lighter shades outlining points where the torso connected to its other appendages. Thrusters on the back provided speed and maneuverability to the mechanical terrors as they hacked their way through wave after wave of the klaxosaurs. The image cut off.

Time has become my enemy again. She thought to herself grimly.

She examined the clouds gathering overhead and her eyes darkened. Instead of life-bringing water, they would bring biosphere killing acid.

The shaking of the Earth below pulled her attention to the cavern from which she ascended. Rising through the twisted tunnel was her serpentine companion, who found rest at the cave system entrance, allowing its passengers to emerge. A boy with black hair, blue eyes, and pale skin arose out of the mouth of the snake alongside a red-skinned girl. The male child took three steps out of the beast before retching up the contents of his stomach while the girl who seemed mostly unphased by the ride she had partaken in, examined her surroundings with curious emerald eyes.

You will have to be tougher than that, boy, the princess chastised.

He peered up at her, catching his breath.

"Who... are you?"

She ignored his question, instead pointing out towards the wasteland, the boy's face paled slightly as he straightened himself upright in order to take in the view.

"Ah?" the red girl's brows bunched together at the sight of the dead landscape.

It won't be long before this planet dies at the hands of humanity. I will ensure that doesn't happen, regardless of the cost... Her tone became cold, a flare appearing in her icy orbs. You've already decided what side you stand on, have you not, child?

She peered back toward him, his eyes conveyed a determination she hadn't expected. Perhaps she hadn't overestimated his potential.

"I have."

She noticed him glance at the female youth when he spoke.

You are far beyond the point of no return.

The royalty figure jabbed her thumb at the klax girl.

She will become the center of your universe, everywhere she goes, you will follow. Your status hasn't changed, you will remain a pawn in the schemes of others. However, now…

The princess' legs tensed for a moment, propelling her before the boy in an instant. Her finger pressed his chin up, so his gaze would meet hers.

You are my pawn, understand?

The fire in his eyes was still present. Was he not afraid?

"I understand."

A smirk formed on her face.

Good.

"Magma energy usage is kept at a strict minimum to prevent such occurrences, however it seems the klaxosaurs are becoming indiscriminate in their attacks, 50 parasites lost their lives...Code 002's tracer was destroyed in the assault, along with the special specimen's, determining their condition will be impossible." The masked caretaker reported.

"An unprecedented failure!" A shrill voice hissed.

"That we not only lost a chunk of our parasite reserve but also code 002 is devastating." Another much deeper voice spoke, coming from the larger council member seated furthest to the left.

The virtual council room went quiet. In total, there were seven of them, all dressed in similar white garb with gold trimmings, all with their face covered by some variance of primate-like mask. At their center was the head of modern human society, Papa.

"Werner, what are your thoughts on the matter?" The vice spoke.

He looked up at them, having realized their tiresome complaints had finally come to a stop.

"Code 002's loss is inconsequential," Werner's mechanical voice huffed out, "her upgraded versions will act as a more than suitable substitute."

"Inconsequential? Hah! Her potential could of led to the end of this foolish war. The substitutes are yet to show any signs of being like her, and yet you say-?"

The central figure raised his hand, signalling for the lemur masked one to cease.

"Are you certain of the capability of these prototypes you call 'upgraded'?" Papa spoke.

"Of course." Werner scoffed.

"Then we shall leave it to you, prioritize their perfection above all else." The commanding voice concluded. "Failure is no longer an option Werner, I hope you won't disappoint me..."

The holographic images of the council disappeared and Dr. Werner Franxx let out an irritated sigh. APE was finally wisening up, they would no longer allow him to do as he pleased now that the klaxosaur threat was becoming increasingly unpredictable. It was only a matter of time before they forced him to abandon his research of human evolution in favor of less… "barbaric" approaches to ensuring humanities survival. Too much to do, too little time. He was all too aware of that fact.

"Doctor?" The concerned voice of his subordinate broke the uneasy silence.

"Sorry," the unease that passed through him faded as the gears in his head turned, "let's go."

Werner shifted toward the elevator shaft that served as the exit to the room, his mind was already racing toward the future. He slipped his communication device out of his pocket, on it appeared two red blips, he cackled internally.

The clock was ticking.

What are you planning code 001?

AN: Thank you once again to my beta reading peeps in Cerasus for proof-reading and helping me out with developing the initial concept for this story.

If you couldn't already tell, this story is a major divergence from canon and, as such, I will basically be creating my own world from scratch with this story, with a few of the initial concepts from canon serving as the basis for most of what I will do. I always wondered what would happen if Zero Two and Hiro had actually been able to escape from APE's society, and I determined the best point for that to occur was at Garden with a bit of help from a certain someone... As I mentioned in the last author's note of my previous story, this story is not likely to have super frequent or consistent updates until I get things figured out for myself in a busy fall season for me. This does NOT mean updates will only occur once every other month, however, I will say that updates could end up spacing out between 2-3 weeks depending on my motivation and workload. Anyways, hope you enjoyed!