The Architect Codex

< I'm going to guess that you did NOT receive a 'thank you'. >

"What was your first clue, KT?"

He didn't mean to sound abrasive, but it was hard not to be pissed off when things had gone so wrong just when he thought everything was going to go right.

"Talking to your Titan again, Four?"

Tobias ignored Tyra's question, slightly blaming her snide comment to Gates for their treatment right now—but he knew that it was really his own fault. He'd been the one to come up with the plan, he was the one who convinced everyone to disobey orders, and he was the one who had nearly gotten everyone killed.

He gave a huff of breath. If he'd been on shaky ground with the Militia before, then now he was practically dancing in an earthquake.

< That's ... an odd analogy."

"Shut up."

They'd all been confined to the infirmary, initially for a health inspection after their harrowing escape from the data-center—but it became quite clear that their actions had consequences. Now, they waited as their fates were discussed by higher-ranking Militia officials; after all, what does one do with a squad of disobedient soldiers?

The only relief he had at the moment was that they'd carried out his request to have KT's data-core installed in another chassis. She was currently being monitored in the Titan bay, the section of the ship reserved for storage of the large mechs. With their neural link active again, he could breathe easily knowing she was safe—

"Well, it looks like we've got time for your tale now."

The room had been silent for a good while. The suddenness of Vale's voice caught him off-guard, and he glanced over at her in confusion. "Huh?"

She gestured at him with her hand. "Your story, what is it? You've never exactly told us the details."

He felt his mouth become a bit dry. "Not much to tell, honestly."

"Oh, really?" she said, sounding amused. "If I'm not mistaken, your Titan is KT-0298; the same Titan that Captain Shears piloted."

McFarlane lifted his head from between his knees, his eyes widening in recognition. "Holy shit, is that true?"

"Oh, it's true alright," Vale confirmed. "Shears was something of a legend to the rest of us, on different level entirely. So the question is ... how did she end up with you, an IMC Pilot?"

He was silent for a few moments, contemplating how to answer her or whether to even answer her at all. At the mention of Shears, his mind began to replay the scene on Nedar again, grasping Shears' bloodied hand as the Pilot wordlessly held onto the only form of comfort he knew—

"I killed him."

The sudden clarity of that statement hit him—and while it hurt, it almost felt like a relief to say it out loud. None of the other three responded, too stunned by his admission to form a proper reply.

Finally, Tyra stammered, "You ... you killed him?"

He nodded. "The two of us fought in the skirmish on Nedar—we both probably would have killed each other, but I got lucky. Got knocked unconscious ..."

It was cathartic to share it at last, the guilt that had been gnawing at him since he'd first met KT in the snow. "As funny as it sounds, he saved me. I would have died with the rest of my squad on the dropship, and then ... it was through his death that I found a new life, a new purpose to keep me going. I wouldn't be here without him."