Sometime in the late morning, Shadow, I, and the rest of our comrades returned to G.U.N. I was too shut down to ask for the time, instead heading straight for my room for a few hours of solitude before the Commander's debrief.

By this point, I've been lying in bed for perhaps two hours, and it's remarkable how the time has passed. Mostly, I've busied myself by rerunning today's memories, determined to confront them before I hide them away like I did my previous traumas. It's hard, but I finally feel like I'm facing my weaknesses head on. No matter how many times I replay them, though...

It still doesn't feel real.

No matter how many times I recall standing in that room, imagining the exact look on Shadow's face and the glow of the chambers, it doesn't feel real. How am I to know that such a thing really happened and wasn't the product of dreams? Or, rather, nightmares?

I sigh, letting my head fall to the side to look at the gray wall. Just because I know it happened, doesn't mean my brain's prepared to accept it. It feels like I had no time to truly take in the scene, and I ache as I regret not spending longer in that room, not memorizing each and every creation before I walked away.

Maybe it's better that way. I know I would be tempted to recall such things more than I ought, to feel a painful connection with each failed experiment. They're not people; I can't treat them as such, as Shadow helped me recognize earlier today. But, that does not release the temptation to, the longing to leap back in time and spend just a few moments more with the twisted ghosts of my kind.

Precisely why it's good I left when I did.

I hold my blanket tighter against me to block out the guilt and grief. I'm thoroughly wrapped up in the covers, feeling as if the thin cloths are somehow protecting me from my awful emotions and thoughts. How odd it is, to be the last remaining member of my kind, cowering away from the warped remnants of my lost species in a bed given to me by their destroyers.

Destroyers who I now I understand.

People who I have come to agree were right.

A few tears drip down my cheeks, eyes stinging as they water yet again. I've had enough of crying today; I wish I could take a break from all these emotions and events. I'm thoroughly overwhelmed and worse for it, and a few moments of laughter would be the best thing in the world for me.

In all honesty, I want to talk to Agatha. I want to tiptoe through the halls of G.U.N. with my tear-streaked face and smarting eyes, peering around corners until I find her, and I want to throw myself into her arms and feel for just a moment like the world is okay. Like I'll be okay.

I almost do it.

But, Commander Tower sent a message through Shadow that I should stay in my room to avoid causing a disruption, as soldiers that wouldn't usually be present down here are milling through the Sublevels. And, as much as it hurts, I have come too far to disobey his orders. I have given too much to jeopardize my position, have sacrificed all I had to get where I am now.

I am an agent of G.U.N., and I will listen to that odd-eyed, stern human like he were my old Master.

Suddenly, a soft knock comes from the door, and I jolt upright, wiping my eyes and untangling myself from the blankets.

"Classified," I croak, thinking that the last thing I want is for my cover to be blown without any of my own fault in the matter.

"Then, why are you talking?"

The door opens, and Agatha gives me a kind smile, tinged with the joke. She's silhouetted by the hall light behind her--I turned off my lights manually to lie in darkness--and her disheveled uniform and hair speak of our exhausting day. To me, her tired appearance is nothing short of beautiful; I've never felt so incredibly welcome towards a person in my life.

"Agatha!" I cry out, jumping from the bed with relieved energy. I've been wanting nothing more than to hurl myself into her arms, so I do, hugging her around the waist before she can even bend down.

"Wow, okay, glad I came," she laughs, and she struggles to take a step with me hanging in front of her legs. "Gonna let me sit down? I just got off duty, and my legs aren't up for lifting aliens."

"I suppose," I reply, grinning sheepishly. I let go, and she sits on the side of my bed with me, giving me an affectionate side hug. I have to keep myself from gripping onto her too tightly, reminding myself that she's human, and humans are breakable, but I feel like I never want to let go.

"Thank you for coming," I say quietly, voice slightly muffled as I press my face into her uniform.

"You're welcome," she responds kindly, rubbing my back in an almost motherly manner. "I know you had a hard day."

"Yeah..." I say, subdued, and I wipe my eyes as I release her from the bear hug. "Agatha, I--I want to know, is it supposed to be this hard?" My friend listens to my cracked question but doesn't answer, apparently waiting for me to elaborate. Her arm is wrapped around me as I lean my head against her chest, and it's the grounding I need to voice my thoughts and fears out loud.

I demonstrated to Shadow earlier through my foolish anger how much my past still influences me, something I've been afraid would happen with Agatha. Shadow, at the least, understands the lingering problems of a traumatic, violent past firsthand; he knows how the beliefs of before can continue to color the present. In contrast, I'm not sure if my human friend will be sympathetic or disturbed to hear that I'm still clutching onto some of my old values, as she doesn't have the same experience.

But, if I don't tell her this, I won't be able to tell her about the many problems surfacing in my mind that I've been pushing aside all this time. And, the thought of being emotionally separated from Agatha is one I refuse to bear.

"It's the second time I've lost my race," I begin quietly, choking slightly on the harsh truth. She continues to listen, lavender eyes concerned in the half light. "I made the choice to turn away myself, and none of the creations were sentient; I have so much less of a connection to them than I did to my father and family before. It should be easier, but I feel nearly as bad as last time. Worse, maybe," I tell her, distressed both in appearance and tone. "I feel so awful, like I'm a coward and a traitor who stood there and let everything be ripped away again, without even fighting. When I lost my master, I at least knew what side I was on.

"But, now, I'm not sure. I made my decision, and I won't go back on it, but I'm afraid it wasn't what I was supposed to do. I can't help but wonder, even now--what would my father think of me? Would he hate me like he did Shadow?" The question comes out before I can stop it, and I fall silent. I'm not sure if, up until now, Agatha knew quite how much I still think about my Master and my time on the New Black Comet, about the life I lost. Now, I'm worried that she'll recoil from me, hearing that I still put stock in the old affections of my father.

"Eclipse, I don't know the answer to that," she replies softly after a moment, and I look down. At least, I think to myself, she doesn't seem to be repulsed. "All I can say is, if he truly cared about you, I don't think he would hate you. And, I can only guess that he cared for you deeply; I can't imagine you'd still love him, otherwise."

Love? The word catches me by surprise, and I think on it for a moment. Do I love my father? Did I before? Did he love me? Now, I'm filled with questions, and I sigh as my mind winces at the rush of thoughts.

"He cared for me enough that he let me spare Shadow," I respond, somber. "Maybe you didn't know that; I could have killed Shadow twice on the Comet, but I didn't want to, and my father didn't make me. He cared about me so much, he put our entire existence at risk for my naive, foolish ideas. And..."

My throat closes, making it difficult to speak, and I sense Agatha's sympathy right beside me.

"I failed. I convinced him--begged him to leave Shadow alive, and Shadow got loose. He didn't hesitate; he went right to the threat. And--he killed--"

My voice breaks, my vocal cords not working, and I keep my eyes firmly on the ground as tears track down my cheeks. Agatha pulls me closer, comforting me, and I laugh bitterly, harshly. It's a hollow sound, one that I don't like to hear from myself, but I can't help my grim amusement at this; here I am, crying over my father's death to one of the many people Shadow was protecting by killing him. How strange it is, to have switched sides so completely that I'm lamenting the loss of my race to a sworn enemy.

The situation knots my tangled emotions, everything wrapping together until I feel lost and abandoned and like I'll never get free. I try to let the bitterness go, preferring sadness over the sharp, unpleasant feeling of resentment. Agatha holds me for several minutes, letting me rest against her as the last shreds of my anger make way to exhaustion. Then, suddenly, she moves, slowly leaning me to sit upright by myself as she stands.

"Do you have to go?" I ask, alarmed. This is not the note I wanted to end on with my best friend.

"No, I'll be right back. I thought of an idea, a nice surprise," she says, smiling reassuringly at me. My bloodshot eyes knit together, and I nod, a bit of uncertainty forming. I really don't want her to be gone, not right now. "Wait here, alright? I'll just be a bit."

"Okay," I respond, upset but not wishing to argue. I scoot back to lean against the wall as she slips out the door, feeling dejected. Am I being too aggrieved, too bitter? Am I being selfish? Why did she leave? Even if she said it's a surprise, surely Agatha knows that I don't need anything but a shoulder to cry on today. So, what did I do to push her away, even if for a brief time?

"Don't tell me, please..." I whisper into the empty room, eyes knitting together as they close tightly in distress. "Please don't tell me I messed this up, too..."

I cry silently for some time, the room cold and empty without her presence. My fears find my exhausted mind an easy target, and I start to worry that I've lost everything and am alone again, like those awful months before. But, then, I hear voices from just down the hall, their words muffled but their volume getting closer.

I sit up in sudden relief, watching the door with wide, expectant eyes. Emotionally, I've been weakened considerably by these days of stress and loss, and even her short absence has been nearly impossible to bear. A few minutes? Try years, if my mind has anything to say about it.

"Hey," Agatha greets in a quiet tone as she slips back into my room, a bundle wrapped up in her arms. "Am I still welcome?"

"You're always welcome," I mumble, hoping she can't tell how distraught I was over her ten-minute trip. She steps to the bed, giving me a knowing, sympathetic expression as she fiddles with some sort of cord attached to the bundle.

"I'm sorry I left you alone, I would have brought you if it wasn't so busy down here. But, I promise this will be worth it," she reassures me, and I watch curiously as she bends down to plug in the cord, sadness forgotten for a moment. "This is my favorite thing when I'm feeling upset and hopeless."

"What is it?" I ask, peering with slightly-blurry eyes at the dark gray cloth in her hands.

"This," she says, grinning suddenly and plopping down on the bed next to me, "is a heated blanket. And, if you add pillows, like so--" She reaches past me, plucking my two pillows up and squishing one behind my back, placing the other in my lap. "--then everything becomes much less scary."

She unwinds the blanket, several smaller bundles falling out with a crinkling noise, and wraps the both of us up in it. She was right--I can feel a slight warmth from the blanket, and it's rising in temperature.

"Wrap your arms around the pillow," she instructs as she tucks the heated blanket around my crests, and I do, feeling a bit silly but trusting her word. "I also have snacks. Would you like some chocolate?"

"Sure?" I answer confusedly. I've been distracted out of my sadness and cycling fears, true, but who's to say my thoughts won't return in a moment?

Nevertheless, I accept the cellophane package she hands me, carefully peeling it. At the scent of the candy, my stomach rumbles to life, and I look down in some surprise; I haven't felt hungry all day, but I feel I could eat anything now.

I take an appreciated bite, and we sit in companionable silence for several minutes--hiding beneath the blanket and the chocolate, the room doesn't feel so empty and cold. I eat the snack, then move on to the jerky and dried fruit she brought; she must have known I would ravenous once my appetite returned. Agatha has a habit of being right about things like that, guessing them before I ever could, and I'm grateful. It's reassuring to feel like she understands me, even after all of my hidden difference came to light.

I lean on her, sleepy now that my hunger is sated. The brief period of time without worries, regrets, and grief has done my mind wonders, and I feel much better than before.

I do feel more tired, though.

"What time is the debrief?" I question, keeping my eyes closed as I stifle a yawn.

"In a few hours yet," Agatha responds, shifting just slightly; my head falls slightly on her arm, and I feel sleep encroach even more on my mind.

"I'm not sure I'll be in too good a shape then," I sigh, dreading the event. "I'm too exhausted to have intelligent conversations."

"Well, try to get a bit of sleep, and then we'll hang in there together, alright?" She proposes, and I nod sleepily. "Here, lie down and get comfy." She gently lifts my down from her side, resting my head on her lap as she leans back against the wall. She has a pillow at her back now; I hug the other one as I curl up next to her.

Neither of us speak, although I'm sure we both have lots that we could say, instead resting beneath the warmth of the heated blanket. Having a bit of food in my stomach is helping more than I expected, and the combination of Agatha's presence with the toasty temperature is very comforting. I can almost forget my pain and sorrow, cocooned in this soft reality.

At some point, though I don't realize it, I fall asleep. I'm only aware that I did so because I wake, breathing shallow and limbs sweating from whatever subconscious nightmare I was just experiencing--I don't remember it, and I don't want to. Agatha is still asleep; I feel guilty that she's sitting up while I'm lying down, but she seems comfortable enough.

I shift, turning over slightly as I stare at the wall. I know that this will be a long road to recovery, a set back from the progress I was making before, but I'm reassured by the presence of my friend. This time, I'm not alone; I have Shadow, Agatha, and my other comrades to help me through it.

A small smile forms on my face, and I strengthen it, resisting the grief that wants to consume me. I can make it--I've come too far to give up. I'll forge onwards in my new life with grins and laughter.

I startle as Agatha's watch starts beeping, sitting up even as she wakes abruptly.

"That's the debrief," she croaks, voice rough from sleep, and I stand with a repressed groan. "Ready to go?"

I almost answer 'not really,' but a sudden wave of determination comes over me, and I nod firmly. The rush is fleeting, already fading, but I hold onto the confidence, wanting to feel it in spite of my uncertainty and dread.

"I'm ready."

Author's Note: Brothers in Arms is back!!! My sincerest apologies to everyone waiting to see how things would resolve, but some great news, as well: Brothers in Arms isn't ending soon! I realized when I finished up to the plot that I'd planned to stop on that I wanted more--I didn't want this story to end. There was far too much that I wanted to do to wrap up in only a few chapters. So, I'm continuing it on in a sort-of epilogue, where the chapters spread out a bit and follow Eclipse from his own and others' perspectives:

Want to see how Eclipse meets Sonic Team? Want to see his first solo mission as an agent? Want to know what ever on Mobius happened to the Dark Arms? Thanks to the epilogue, you will! Shadow's included, too, of course, but Eclipse is the one who's actively growing now, so he'll get most of the focus. I've been loving writing it, so I think you'll love reading it! Also, thank you to everyone who's supported this story; I look forward to working with you a little longer!