Epilogue: And the Meek Shall Inherit the Earth

Throughout the year 2185, the Delta virus spread throughout the world and changed the lives of reploids everywhere. It could not be deemed harmful as it did not cause violence directly. It wasn't even harming the infected reploids, usually causing nothing more than a craving for extra minerals and a period of confusion while their minds adapted to new depths.

However, it did cause violence indirectly. There was no guidance to how the reploid would grow. Some who were already living lives that called for aggression, fighting, or even violence came to adapt that in their new personalities. There was nothing holding them back from attacking those who previously restrained or controlled them. In a few cases, they finally saw themselves in an abusive position and lashed out because of it.

There were still plenty of those who argued that Delta itself was not the problem. Besides, even those who declared that it would ruin society had no ideas of how to actually stop it without destroying every single reploid out there. It was already getting around the standard antivirus and a great many reploids went to visit Evergrande City to see if they could get affected. The benefits outweighed the costs and potential risks to them.

After long debates, a guideline published by the world government in early 2186 advised that reploids affected by Delta and properly educated were to be accepted as full citizens of the world, with all the responsibilities and rights that such status implied. The world was changing and it was better to accept what would be rather than force things to stay as they had been. But the identity of the Maverick Prince who had made it all possible remained under wraps.

"What do you want to study?"

He looked over the lists he'd been given of classes they felt he was capable of handling. But, what should he choose? Asking what he wanted didn't help. He'd been built to imitate Vile. But not to be Vile, he didn't have the right training even if he might actually have the aptitude. The one who'd ordered him about didn't even respect him, didn't explain a thing. Then the prince had changed him, only he didn't know what he'd been changed into. He didn't even know how he himself had come to be.

Well, he'd been made to imitate. "Could I try psychology and drama?"

The Vile clone took a couple of years to figure out who he even was, but being allowed to study various subjects started off his transformation into someone else. He eventually went into broadcasting, working with Sharid in the background of a news network to keep it on the air.

As a Water Demon made to work in plumbing and sewer work, Hue was very capable with pipes. But he didn't know much about concrete or other structures, not like Kyoto did. This project needed the grating to be secure and steady. And smooth, it should be possible for a human to go barefoot across this without getting hurt. He worked on getting the concrete and metal structures right while Hue did the pipes. The demon had even learned how to do some programming to make this work as he wanted.

All the extra work and care was worth it when Kyoto could bring Lucia out to the testing of Hue's fountain replacement in the park near their apartment, before the general public was invited to come see it on the official opening day. Hidden speakers played a beautiful old classic while streams and spouts whirled up from under the grating in a dance of water. While there was daylight still in the air, glowing colors could be seen within the streams.

"Wow, that's amazing," Lucia said, stepping up to it but not quite in the water. "Can it go to any song?"

"Yeah, though we haven't tested a really wide range to see how it reacts to different genres," Kyoto said.

"I didn't think one like him could be so creative," she said, beaming with joy.

Emboldened by that, Kyoto took her hand and pulled her closer to the fountain. "He is. Say, you want to dance along?"

"In the water?" she said, but with a mock horror. She quickly laughed and got right in, pulling him along. It was a glorious moment.

While Hue continued to do his work in the Evergrande waterworks, he set time aside to make his own fountains and water displays. Sometimes he got hired to install some for private owners, sometimes he was asked to make more public fountains. He found himself happy with being appreciated for his art, keeping quiet and modest.

Kyoto and his coworkers had to convince the owner of Blacktop Constructions to keep them on as workers in spite of needing the same pay as humans. It was a long discussion, but they managed to keep their jobs even though, like many other companies, it was tough for a time to cover the extra labor expense. In contrast, Lucia and the other ECPT reploids had Able to deal with the city government on their behalf. By the time things settled down and their jobs were secure, Kyoto and Lucia decided to get married and build their own home on the outskirts of the city.

It had been a long time, to her anyhow. Unity was only three years old, so others might not see it as that long. But to her, coming back into the factory was still returning home. She smiled (glad to be able to do so) and waved at some of the shipping reploids in sight. "Hey! How's it going?"

"Ah, Unity, you're back? It's been so long, great to see you again! We're doing good. It's just about shift change, so hang on."

"Sure thing."

She glanced around, able to see what changes had been made so far. There were a lot less accidents happening, she knew that already. And she could see the differences in most of her sisters. They were happier, really enjoying their work instead of working because that's what they did. And they could look like individuals now, even go outside the factory when off work. That would have been unimaginable.

When word got around that she was in, most everyone gathered on the shipping floor, even delaying the next shift a few minutes to welcome her back. "I've missed you all, but there was so much to learn," Unity said. "Hopefully I can finish things up and come by more often. In another semester, I should be able to start work as an intern to actually be here every day."

"That'd be great," Hope said. "We really want to make stuff that we can take pride in, so we could really use your voice again to complete our transformation."

"I know, I still have pride in my factory and I want to make it worthy of our passion."

As she had been documented as replaced, Unity chose to pursue an education in business and management. It was a rough course as she needed to catch up on a lot of subjects, but she persisted. Once employed by Iconaic again, she continued to push for keeping things fair and trying to make better quality products instead of relying on cheap quantity. As a result, Iconaic stocks have been unsteady but some say it's a promising investment.

"Kisa?"

"That's not my name." Anymore, at least. Kisa was a child to always be a child trapped in a golden cage. She kept a certain painting to remind herself of that. No, she was Karen, an adult woman who was responsible for herself.

"But you are her, aren't you?" The woman was one of the Pajari family. They were losing power, thus she and the others were nervous. "Do you know who inherited everything and is in charge now? They're not doing a good job of things, my brother and husband got arrested and nothing has been done to bail them out."

"I have nothing to do with family work now." Except that she did. She was the one who inherited Mr. Pajari's fortune and power through a different name and identity. Because she was living under house arrest and getting psychotherapy, she couldn't inherit as herself. But leaving the Pajari to themselves would ruin a great many people. Somebody had to do something to stop the amount of crime and corruption they were already connected to.

And it was her responsibility since she killed him. She'd planned to even before Delta changed her. Only, she'd not been capable of it then. She also couldn't let anyone know that it had been anything but an act of self-defense after years of abuse. Which it was that, but she wanted to completely squash his power and legacy, not just get rid of him.

Would she deserve to live after that? She didn't know.

Dropping the name Kisa, Karen lived a double life of speaking for reploid right, especially for those who'd suffered as she had, while simultaneously running the Pajari crime family into the ground. She arranged situations where prominent and competent members got arrested by police or killed by rivals. With them gone, it collapsed, leaving just her in power. At that point, she sold off properties and investments she didn't want, in order to become a philanthropist.

She remained haunted by her choices for a long time.

April 2186

The air was full of the scent of flowers, white and pink petals fluttering in the spring breeze. A festival was going on nearby, full of people talking, laughing and enjoying the scenery. Humans and reploids; it was a good sign. With the cherry trees in bloom, things seemed like a beautiful dream.

But it wasn't a dream. He was here. Polaris sat on a bench and sketched the trees, the floating petals, a fallen branch with some flowers that he'd found, the people, the nearby stream… it had taken three and a half decades, but he was finally here to see the cherry trees bloom in person. Although, he'd never actually found that one picture again. Did it really matter, though? In a way, being here and knowing that he didn't have to remain bound by his past, he'd found that elusive thing he'd seen in it. He'd found peace.

Next to him, a small black cat had curled up on the bench to nap in the sun near him. People here were fond of cats, luckily. He'd had no trouble finding places to stay and go that let him bring Whisker along. Earlier, some kids had wanted to play with her and he'd sketched them rolling a small ball so she could bat it back at them. Although she hadn't agreed to them clipping a silk flower to her harness; he'd ended up setting the slightly chewed up ornament on his notebook.

Polaris was finishing up a sketch of a nearby tree when Whisker shifted an ear and looked up suddenly. He glanced over and saw him, the hero. But, he was expecting this. Had actually called him earlier saying that if he wanted to talk, they could meet up at this festival. And so X had come. Only, he wasn't even in armor this time, instead dressing to blend into the festival. He even had one of those silk flowers clipped to his sleeve; someone must be giving those away somewhere.

"Hello, Polaris right?" X asked, smiling at him.

"Right, hello X," he said, shaking his hand when he came by. "I was just sketching here. Oh, and I hope you don't mind cats; this is my friend Whisker."

"Cats are fine, she's a cute one," he said, giving her a little nose rub before sitting in a bench across the small walkway there. "I'm sorry about what happened when we first met. We didn't think you were anything more than a mindless copy he was controlling."

"It's okay, I don't think he entirely realized it either. Although, I have to admit I'm still kind of scared by you, but I'm trying not to be."

X just shrugged at that. "Can't blame you for feeling that way. Besides, a lot of mistakes were made back then. But it seems like with what you've started, they may finally be getting corrected after all."

"I hope so, the world deserves to be at peace," Polaris said.

After spending over a year helping those he'd met adjust to a new reality under Delta, Polaris decided to go on a trek accompanied by his cat Whisker. He wanted to see the world, to speak to many more people, and to draw what he saw in doing so. The world didn't need a Maverick Prince and perhaps it didn't need another artist. But it was what he wanted to do.

A/N: As I may have said, this ended a lot differently than the original version. But I think it fits better, although the original ending was pretty dramatic (it included Polaris going up on top of the arch monument to give a speech, then destroying his body to turn back to viral form to spread Delta faster). I hope you enjoyed the story, and thanks for all the replies and follows!