"Akashi, pull her!"

A high-pitched voice responded.

"I’m sorry, Commander!"

Ren watched as Yuki frantically interfaced with her control system. Several stained tissues littered the console. 

On the 3D holo-display, the wisps of Emi’s ego signature were gone—its central sparks of light shooting about erratically.

Yuki’s pupils darted back and forth.

"I can’t get a lock on her signature!” 

Her voice cracked under the strain.

“Dr. Akashi—what do I do?!"

Akashi stood motionless beside her—silent, eyes closed—biting down on his thumb.

Of all the times to check out.

Ren felt the fire in her stomach shoot up her throat and out her mouth.

“AKASHI!!”

MORE LOUD ALERTS

"Brain activity going dark!"

A brain scan flashed on screen. Various regions of the brain began to flicker then rapidly shut down.

"I’m giving her a neural flush and electrolyte shock—if that’s okay!"

Bold red text overlaid the brain scan:

ADMINISTERING NEURAL FLUSH

A thick syringe plunged itself into the back of Emi’s skull. The force knocked her head forward, stretching the gossamer tightly over her face, smushing her skin like putty.

The effect was instant—as the synthetic blood flooded Emi’s brain, the shutdown of the brain appeared to cease, and several areas began to light up once more.

Yuki stared at the screen, relieved. 

A strange tone emitted from the Archon. Yuki turned her head—her expression turned to a look of horror.

On the 3D holo-display, the sparks of light suddenly flickered out and disappeared completely.

Yuki stared at the empty display, blinking in disbelief.

"It... vanished. Dr. Akashi—her signature. It—"

"—Vanished?! God-damnit Akashi!"

Akashi responded without opening his eyes.

"She’s out there. Keep searching."

He furrowed his brow—teeth sinking deeper into his flesh.

Flustered, Ren turned to Yuki, who responded with a confused, helpless expression. 

Ren clenched her fists, nails digging into her skin—clawing at her own powerlessness.

She’d known this could happen—and that it was her fault. But she still found it within her to blame Akashi. Had he given her something concrete—a risk calculation—not some passive word of caution.

Except, it wasn’t assimilation that did her in.

It was an unexpected variable. A boy, who wasn’t supposed to be there. A direct, explosive shot to the head, that no one could survive. Not even an Aeon. 

Unless…

【Guy! Dig through the mess. I want confirmation that his implant was destroyed.】

【...Ma’am.】

Tiny beads of blood began to collect beneath Ren’s fingernails.

No.

She hadn’t lost an agent yet, and she wasn’t about to now. It didn’t matter if she was shot—if the implant was a charred husk on the floor—if her soul was halfway to Heaven.

By her own will. Emi would live. 

Or—

"Boltzmann waves detected!"

Ren sucked in an involuntary breath—her pupils snapped to Yuki, who stared intently at the 3D holo-display.

"Dr. Akashi, look at this!"

Akashi’s eyes slowly opened. He blinked, as if in a daze.

"What is this signature?"

Akashi leaned in behind her—thumb still in mouth.

Several wisp-like waves shifted in a spiral configuration. They appeared to be interwoven with a large, foreign signature—a black cloud. Pinpoints of light slowly flickered on and off inside it like a dark nebula.

"That’s her."

"But her signature’s become... entangled."

Ren interjected.

"Entangled? She’s being assimilated."

"Not exactly. More like it’s mixed up with some unknown entity."

"But you found her signature."

"Part of it."

"Then where is she? How do we ID this other entity?"

Akashi smiled wryly.

"Beats me."

Ren felt herself go light in the head with anger.

【Uh, Ma’am?】

"What?!"

⋆ ⋆ ⋆

In the bunker, Guy and Nagasawa stood over Keshi—who lay bleeding out on the floor.

He stared up at them with a mixed look of pain and anger as he struggled to speak, clutching his abdomen.

 Finally, through clenched teeth:

"So… which one of you idiots shot me?"