Red watched as Lars sat down at the console in his chair. Ember had connected in her chamber and he'd brought the strange woman he now knew housed his formerly dead friend to the pilot's chamber.

Watching her sit in his place was a strange sensation. He couldn't leave his own body and do what Lars was proposing. Or could he? The idea didn't exactly thrill him, and he wondered about the man who was desperate enough to try it just to escape death. But watching someone else do it didn't sit well with him either. Not when Ember was at stake. 

He knew she could hold Adam back, but the former Vesper still caused her pain. Pain that he was currently powerless to stop. 

Escaping death. There was a time he and Lars discussed this endlessly, but in truth, Red hadn't considered the possibility of death until he'd lost everything. Even with his strong desire to explore he'd not once considered what it could mean, or what would happen to him when he died. 

After being stripped of everything and before Helion he'd longed for an end to things, an end to his meaningless existence.

The man he'd been had turned into a reckless vigilante of sorts. Death would have greeted him like an old friend with a sigh, "It's about time you showed up instead of sending other people my way."

But now, he contemplated the man who was desperate enough to avoid death by hiding inside their vessel, existing as nothing more than a sentient program. 

"You awake back there?" It was Null speaking to him. 

Red pulled both hands through his hair in irritation, hitting the staples Ember had put in the back of his head. He winced and crossed his arms in front of his chest again. Null still bothered him. She was unpredictable and he couldn't help the feeling that she might snap at any given moment. It bothered him more because his scans of her revealed very little. She hid much from his detection and he couldn't predict what her next move would be if they ever got into a fight. Not that he wanted to if Lars was in there...

"I'm fine." He moved away from her and sat down on the cot, grunting at his own headache. He watched as she placed her hands on the console.

"How does it work?"

"Can't give away trade secrets," she replied looking back at him with a mischevious smile. The smile melted and she sat up straighter in the chair blinking.

"Captain--"

"Red," he snapped, and then remembering it was Lars, "Sorry."

"Red," it sounded awkward coming out of the woman's mouth but Red recognized Lars now when he spoke. "It works because I can disconnect from this body and come back."

"Just like that."

"That's the simplified version Cap-- Red."

Red turned it over in his mind. "Risk?"

Larsson's body shifted again and it was Null who responded, with a scowl on her face. "It will be risky, especially if this Adam doesn't want to come out. I'm not going to risk Lars if I can't get him back."

"Is it worth it?" Red was thinking of Ember. "Wouldn't a systems purge be easier?"

The whole chair swiveled as Null turned to him. "Wouldn't that be just like the purge? Wiping away people you didn't find convenient."

"Maybe," Red snapped. "But I don't have an issue with saving my friends if they need it." He was surprised at her sudden passion for the AI in the system. And for a moment they had a bit of a standoff. 

"That's a sentient being in there. We're going to save him. No one is a lost cause." She turned back to the console slapping her hands into it.

I hate to say it but I agree with her Red. Ember posited on their own channel. Red cocked his head listening and sighed. Maybe they were right. Maybe after he'd had enough time to consider it he'd feel the same way. But right now he and Ember had been up all night. They were both exhausted.

You two are the opposite sides of the same coin. Trying to do the same thing, just differently. She's crazy, and you're... He hesitated. What was she? Selfless? brave? All the things he had aspired to be once? I love you.

A weight lifted off of his chest as he said it. He felt foolish at the same time. There was no taking that back. He was just as ridiculous as she was, he realized. 

When Ember didn't respond right away, Red felt a weight on his chest again. He wasn't exactly great with people anymore, but he didn't want to push away the one who meant the most to him.

"Earth to Red," Null's voice interrupted his thoughts. His snapped up to look at her, slightly annoyed at her interruption. 

"What?" He stared at Larsson. 

"He's going in now."

"Fine." Red looked away from her again.

If she doesn't need you, you should come up here, Ember interrupted. He felt relieved at the contact.

Ok. 

Red stood up and moved to the ladder. Null turned watching his every move. She doesn't trust me either, he thought. I can live with that. Without a backward glance, he climbed the ladder leading to Ember's chamber.

######

Ember watched Red climb into her chamber. She was suspended in the air, waiting and watching as Amy Larsson connected to the console again.

"She doesn't trust you," she said to him out loud.

"Yeah, I got that." He didn't look at her though, he crawled straight over to her cot and hauled himself on it, rolling over to stare at the ceiling. 

After a declaration like that, she didn't wonder about his silence. But she focused inwardly on the boundaries of her own reach within the ship. Red, your timing sucks, she thought to herself. Any other time she'd show him just how much those words meant, but right now, they had an organic AI to catch. One who didn't want to be caught.

Adam was there testing her connections. It felt odd that even though he was inside he could do nothing to move the ship. Her mind flashed back to her first day, she'd listened in silence as a counselor had described what would happen to her and all she would be able to do. The body is the key. 

Maybe it was something Adam had forgotten when he'd tried to integrate fully. This was a ship designed to interface with a body. The body was designed to be completely symbiotic with the ship. Vespers, in general, were very possessive of their vessels. No one traded ships ever. She could understand Adam's anger. This had once been his space, his world, everything he was supposed to control. 

And now it was hers.

She felt the interface come alive and another presence slid into her.

Hello?

Hello, Ember? Lars voice sounded drastically different from the body he inhabited. Metallic and distinct. He moved through the systems even better than she did. She sensed more than saw him but her brain rendered it as an image of him sliding through a field of binary. 

He looks like a man, she thought. I wonder if that's how he views himself? Lars looked around, his hands reaching out and touching different parts. Ember closed her eyes. Lars, please don't misunderstand me, but you are touching different parts of me. 

She felt his presence shift towards her in the system. I'm sorry, he sounded scandalized. I didn't realize, does it hurt?

No it doesn't hurt, but it's my body, literally and it's..., she searched for words that she couldn't find to explain the sensation. 

He's in, she sent to Red. She vaguely heard Red shift on the cot, and she knew he was watching her. 

Then she felt Lars slide almost next to her. He felt similar to Adam but his presence was a warm and welcoming one, while Adam's was almost threatening. 

Point me in the right direction?

Ember smiled, even though she knew Lars couldn't see it. Despite her discomfort, she trusted the AI immediately. Follow me. 

Together they moved through the systems, Ember perceived it as sliding through, but she knew from her original training that the lines of code looked completely different to an AI. Her organic brain would not necessarily be able to handle the information load on its own.

So, tell me about him, Lars asked suddenly.

Red? Ember slowed as she felt Adam's presence in the distance.

He's so different now. Lars pulsed and the signal moved out towards Adam. It's a beacon, an AI would be drawn to it. He didn't start out as an AI, but you said he's more than an echo...

She nodded, and watched, simultaneously flickering between Red in her room and Null at the computer.

He lost a lot, and there's not too much he's told me. She admitted. He talks in his sleep though, he mentioned you.

Lars slowed and Ember got the feeling he was turning to look at her which didn't make sense in the dimensions they moved in.

The Captain... Red, he was a loner back in the day. He needed no one, but he loved being out there and always looking to the next horizon, the next set of stars. He was so very sure of everything. He knew his job, his place. We often had these discussions on everything. But at the end of the day, he knew his place in the hierarchy. As did I. We never questioned it. We were both right where we wanted to be. Or so we thought. We were really just outside looking in.

What happened to you? Ember tried to picture Red as a hopeful younger man, without his bright mohawk and piercings. She couldn't.

Lars turned his focus towards Adam who had retreated instead of coming towards them.  

The last day, we arrived and turned out as ordered. I was hit with an EMP, his voice wavered, as he lowered his tone. If you've never felt your own death... I never want to experience that again. Perfect memory recall and all. I woke up inside of Null...and we've been traveling together ever since. His tone turned thoughtful.

I can understand that. I shut down on Helion. I had to, I turned every system off so I could boost a signal out. I was the only one there that could push that far. I lost my sight so Red carried me. He, Dag, and the two boys, they carried me two clicks to the ship and Dag and Red hooked me in. Ember remembered the trip well, what she hadn't told Red yet, although she couldn't move, she could hear everything he'd said and did, every argument he'd had with Dag about leaving her when Dag thought she was dead. Her normal human, organic ears worked just fine.  

I'm pretty sure he started out hating me. And then, we just came to trust each other. She let that hang in the air. There was more to it, but she didn't want to go into it. Not now. Red hadn't broken his word at all. He'd fought like hell to keep it, he owed her nothing. He started out hating her for where she came from but in the end, he'd kept his word, like a madman but he'd done it. 

You saved him. He saved you. 

Something like that. Ember cracked a grin. It was probably the simplest explanation for what had happened between them. She trusted him more than anyone. Him and Dag both. 

And you and Null?

He hesitated and Ember picked up on the sensation. She didn't press but Lars answered as succinctly as before. Null is worth saving.

He likes her, Ember thought. No, it's more than that. 

Here we go, Lars moved closer to where the organic AI was hiding.

Who are you? Adam asked out of the darkness.

A friend, Lars answered. He shifted towards Ember. Ember step back, this will take some convincing from Null and myself.

Ember backed off, still listening. She shifted her view again to Red, he was staring at the ceiling again, but then he shifted to her. There wasn't enough height for him to stand in the room.

"Do you want to hear?" She asked him out loud. He jumped and sat up barely missing his head. "I can patch you through."

He nodded and moved closer, walking with his body bent so he didn't bang his already injured head on the ceiling. Ember disconnected her right hand and reached for his, as he sat down slightly underneath her.

"You need your hand to patch me through?" His eyebrow rose an inch.

"Maybe I just want to hold your hand," she snapped. "And no, now shut up and listen."

He did as he was told and stiffened, telling her he could now hear Lars just as well as she could.

Just don't interrupt, she told him ignoring the sudden death grip he had on her hand.

It's him. I didn't want to believe it, but fuck, it is him.

Shhhh.

In the distance Lars was talking to Adam, she could hear them every word and her heart broke for the former Vesper. 

My ship, Adam whispered. They stole it.

No, no, no, Lars soothed. They found it like they said. Can I show you something to help? This ship has been on the ground on Helion 7 for almost seven years. 

I don't believe you.

I know, but I can prove it. Lars pulled up the latest data sets. Maps, news, Ember watched as Adam uncoiled from his dark corner to look at what Lars was showing him.

No, Adam whispered, I don't believe it. 

The whiplash Ember felt made her scream. She barely felt Red's hands on her face as he tried calling out to her. Once again she was sagging in the harness, Red somehow managed to remain patched in.

This isn't working, purge the systems!

Don't, Red! She felt an energy surge come from Lars and the pain diminished. The net spread out from Lars over the system and covered the darkness that was Adam and then Lars receded back towards the console taking the bundle with him.

Lars? She gasped. What happened? 

I have him. He simply replied. He is restrained for the moment. We will take him back to the BlackStar. 

And do what with him? Red demanded. 

Lars seemed to shrug for a moment. Convince him to start over again. What else?

#####

Ember lowered herself out of the harness. The ship was completely hers again. There were no traces of Adam left. She felt relieved as Red pulled her down into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. 

"I'm fine," she mumbled into his chest. "We're almost ready to go. We need to get away from this belt anyway."

"About what I said earlier," he whispered into her hair.

Ember pulled away from him so she could look him in the face. He was so haunted by the past and yet he was actually hoping for a future. "Stop talking Red," she whispered pulling him down and planting her lips on his. His arms tightened around her and she felt his body temperature rise.

From the doorway Captain Larsson put her head in, her familiar scowl melted when she saw Red's arms wrapped around Ember.

Ember turned towards her breaking away from Red for a moment. "Everything ok?"

"Apparently so," Null replied, her eyes darting away. "I'm taking Adam back to the BlackStar, if he needs a ship so badly we'll integrate him into ours."

"Where is he?"

Larrson's body shifted and Lars spoke out. "I'm talking with him now. He's different from an AI, Red, he'll take time to heal."

Red nodded and Ember felt him reluctantly pull away from her. "Come on Ember, we're neglecting... Well, everything and everyone else on this ship."

Actually, I just want to get them off in a hurry.

I figured you'd want extra time with Lars, She replied back, looking him in the eye.

Red hesitated and glanced over at Lars again. "When we get to New Elysium, you'll catch me up on the last seven to eight years or so, right?"

Lars brightened. "Of course, Red. I am looking forward to it."

He shifted his attention back to Ember. "I figure the sooner we get them all on New Elysium, the sooner we can finish what we started. He glanced back at Lars only to find Null staring back at him, wearing her scowl again.

"Hey, Commander of Brothels, do you mind?" He couldn't help but throw that out there. He still didn't know what to make of Lars's body mate. 

Her scowl returned, shifting to a smile. "I'll see you at one of the practice arenas on New Elysium," she returned. "We'll see which one of us deserves the title "Commander of brothels. I'll even throw in some mesh for the winner. Loser gets to update Mad Jack on the mission."

"Deal," Red answered before turning back to Ember and pulling her to him again. "We're almost there." He whispered into her hair.

She stiffened in his arms. "We've got company."

"Who?" 

She looked up at him, eyes wide as she pulled away and connected herself back in mere seconds.

"The other Vesper just came through the belt."