Sigma sat on the edge of the island, his eyes closed and his mind focusing. The increasing activity of late was cutting into time he used to spend alone, in meditation and thought. With rebel leaders going to and fro, Porter and the gang constantly leaving, and the arrival of Irina, it was beginning to feel a little too hectic on Sigma's former paradise. So he had to come out to the fringe of the beach to find some solitude.

This was also where he would scan out across the endless expanse of the world, searching for disturbances in data, shifts in information, and changes to the structure of reality. He wanted to know where the Jahari appeared, who was with them, how many, what governments were doing to respond. He wanted to see what ships had routes that took them near the island, what crafts would fly overhead, and which ones he might be able to hijack if needed. Over the past month, there had been a serious decline in vessels going into this area as it seemed to have become a black hole for travellers. Urban legends spread fast.

The lack of neutral ships to hijack was being filled by the increase in rebel crafts the group had access to. The Red Scarf Gang and Jade Fang both had ships they had stolen, bought, or built, and many of them had visited this location over time with the growth of operations. There was a portion of the Red Scarf Gang that disturbed Sigma, or rather Leif, because he still felt they were partially to blame for Allyson's arrest, but he knew that he was still holding on to selfish beliefs. Allyson had lived for what she believed in, and had run the Red Scarf Gang accordingly. Nothing that group had done caused her to get arrested, and Sigma was still trying to come to terms with that, and stop looking for a target to blame.

As a portion of his moving on, he had commanded Alpha to find Chandana when she next returned to the island and bring her to Sigma. He had been battling internally with exposing Alpha's origin as Allyson for some time, knowing that Chandana revered the former leader like a god, a fallen angel they could never get back, and it had fuelled her before. Since Chandana's own arrest, the woman had grown significantly calmer and more disciplined in her approach. This, in turn, led Sigma to believe he could finally expose the truth behind Alpha to her former followers.

"What a strange existence you must lead." Chandana stood next to Sigma, her eyes shimmering with reflections of the light off the water. Her lips ran straight across her face, barely curling up on the edges to indicate her slight amusement at the world. Alpha was slightly behind her, quietly watching the pair, awaiting any further instruction. "It must be so interesting to have a head filled entirely with information, to be able to compute the minute details in life without even thinking about it."

"What's your point then?" Sigma made sure his voice was not aggressive or sarcastic, trying his best to display a positive reception to Chandana's arrival, while also challenging the woman's beliefs. It was difficult, sometimes, for him to properly convey emotion. He knew what it was, and he knew what it meant, and he had them himself, but being partially a machine still took things from him, and in some cases he was an ineffective communicator. He needed to reform himself still, to become a better person, so he would keep working at it.

"Well, if you had to dissolve all of it down to some base level, I suppose I am mostly curious if you can ever turn it off, or if you're just always like that? And then what would that kind of life be like?" Chandana didn't turn as she spoke to Sigma, keeping her eyes fixed on the horizon alone. But Sigma gave no response to her question, no answer whatsoever, and Chandana smirked as she took his silence as a response. "I suppose this is about her isn't it." The woman stuck her thumb over her shoulder towards Alpha, the android still unmoving behind them.

"Then you know already?"

"It may be slightly distorted, but I would not forget that face Sigma, the same way I wouldn't forget yours." Chandana's final words shocked Sigma, jarring the android out of his meditations. He twisted his head to look up at her, trying to study her face for a reaction, but there was nothing. He had never met anyone who had known about him prior to his transformation, and he didn't have any specific memories of visiting Allyson at the Red Scarf Gang, but it wasn't hard to believe that he could have come across a member or two in the past, especially not the former number two.

"If you have always known, why no reaction then? Are you trying to maintain the peace and unity within your own group, or just something different?"

"Something different." Chandana hesitated after her immediate reply, and the three of them stayed in the stillness for a moment. Above them, a cluster of birds were swirling around, ones that had found a source of constant food now on the island and had made a habit of visiting it frequently. "She's just so strange now." The woman turned to face the android behind her, staring up into the robotic eyes. "Roth already told me about the memory loss, of how there's nothing in there anymore. So what would the point be in fawning over her, right? We have nothing to gain from her in this state, and we have built ourselves on her memory. I do not want to risk shattering our foundation to worship an empty idol. The Allyson we knew still lives on, the same way Allyson's body continues to exist in this form."

Sigma sighed, his only answer to Chandana's speaking. The rebel leader placed a hand on Alpha's face, running her finger along the synthetic skin. There was a tear in her eye, slowly sliding out to run down her cheek as memories flowed through her. But the moment was over as soon as it had started, and Chandana returned to observing the oceans. "The real question," she continued, "is how you know and yet you deal with it. You are the only reason she is online at all, from what I've heard, and the first one to find out her memories were wiped, not to mention that you were the person closest to her at...that time. So how does the mighty Sigma stand to be in her presence knowing he can never have her back."

"Emptiness, mostly." Sigma had also resumed his watch out over the waters, noticing the different schools of fish swimming close to the surface. There was a reef, not far off the coast of the island, where a variety of flora and fauna gathered, and Sigma enjoyed when he had time to study them. There had even been periods where he had gone swimming, had let his body go still so he could drift amongst the fish and watch their patterns. They lived such a simple existence, so far removed from any of the complexities he alone represented. It was still a shock that the human race knew so little about the depths of the seas, or even the depths of the planet's crust, as proven by the Jahari's existence, and yet they had entire academies orbiting the Earth at any given moment.

"Emptiness?"

"I'm not a whole person anymore. I'm empty, slowly filling with information and personality and life. Allyson is much the same."

"I agree she is an empty vessel, but she can never be filled the same way you can. You were once full and then you were vacated, and now it is returned. In Allyson's case, she was made empty, her memories were gone the minute she was turned on, and there's nothing buried to unearth. Unless you plan on recreating her, but would that ever be the same?"

"If you're looking for a reaction, you won't find anything." Sigma stood up from the ground, watching the sand slide off his body and cascade to the beach. "You were only recently reunited with her, while I have been living with it for some time."

"But I knew she was missing from my life this entire time, while you only recently remember she existed," Chandana countered, but they both knew the conversation was over. It was all a test, on both their parts, to see how the other felt, and to see if emotions would come into play. If they could both agree that Allyson was lost now, that Alpha was the only thing that remained, and they were both completely alright with that, then they could move forward as a team, as a movement, as a rebellion. "Was that the only point to this then?"

"Mostly. If you feel like taking Alpha aside any time and trying to teach her things, go ahead. She has much to learn, obviously. Otherwise, I'm interested in your plans now that the message has been spread. You have shared some with the others, I'm sure, but you keep so much to yourself."

"You spent far too much time with the Red Scarf Gang in the past, and know our ways quite well I fear." Chandana laughed a bit at her and Sigma's shared history. "But you're also too paranoid, for obvious reasons. I know you don't trust outsiders, or most anyone in this world for that matter, but you're going to have to put a little faith in us." Chandana turned to leave, placing her hand on Sigma's shoulder as she gave him a parting farewell. "And look after your brother a bit more, he's a good kid who's in way over his head." And with that, she wandered back through the trees, Alpha following in tow upon Sigma's wireless command.

Sigma closed his eyes to resume his meditations, but one shot open almost immediately. "That's quite interesting," he murmured out loud, knowing who was approaching behind him.

"Isn't it?" Shotuku said, taking a seat next to the cyborg. "How often are we visited by such a presence?"

"Then you're expecting it? I'm assuming you don't want me blowing it out of the sky."

"I would be more appreciative if you could roll out some sort of welcome mat for our new guests," Shotuku answered, his ancient eyelids sliding shut over his eyes. "I hear you're quite terrible with receptions, and I don't want to scare this one away."

"Suit yourself." Sigma smiled at the old man as their banter continued. "It's just not every day you get a guest flying in all the way from Dalarcya like this."

"Which is exactly why you'll treat them right. Strip them of their map systems, remove all logs, and bring them in gently." Shotuku stressed the final word as much as he could before the two shared a laugh. It was time for a new arrival.

* * * * *

The group of students were all gathered in a semi-circle, all staring at one unique individual who had just arrived amongst them. Shotuku had brought them all together, dragging them out to the edge of the island, where Sigma was helping to land a unique-looking ship, one that was emblazoned with the crest of Dalarcya, the western nation across the ocean. It was the only country, of the four large powers residing over Earth, which was completely separated from the rest geographically, and so none of the students had ever had contact with anyone or anything from the region.

The vessel hadn't stayed long though, dropping off two parcels: one in the form of a massive Goliath that landed in the water off-shore, and another in the form of the young boy who stood to face the students. Nobody had said anything yet, all of them somewhat surprised and in awe of what was going on. Most of them were concerned with why this very specific individual had been allowed to travel to the island without Sigma deflecting them away, while others were wondering how the boy even knew where the island was to begin with.

"Howdy all!" he finally said, doing a little bow as part of his introduction. Shotuku stood next to him, angrily eyeing the students, daring them to say something stupid in front of the guest so they could be dealt out punishment through slipper. "My name is Rex Maddingham," the youth continued, straightening up. His blonde hair bounced around with his movements but generally managed to stick upright, creating a fiery formation on his head. Large, blue eyes took in as much of his surroundings as possible, but his face was otherwise quite childish in appearance, his young age keeping his looks from maturing.

"Welcome...Rex?" Porter's statement came out as more of a question, and a glare from Shotuku told him he would be in for a beating later. "I'm Porter and-"

"You're the guy!" Rex interrupted Porter mid-introduction, finger pointing up at Porter's face, leaving the teen quite bewildered. "You were on the broadcast. It's so amazing to meet you." Rex shot up next to Porter, shaking his hand wildly with his enthusiasm.

Porter, on the other hand, could only give very confused looks to his comrades, all of whom shrugged without an answer. His identity had been largely kept secret in that video, and while it was true that certain individuals, namely ones in the military, would know who he was, nobody else could have possibly guessed at it, especially not someone from Dalarcya. "Yes...I'm the guy...I guess...how did you..."

"You have the same light as the person on the screen. It's hard to miss that kind of light right?" Rex sort of beamed around the group, trying to find sympathy in the faces around him, but they were all baffled. But before any of them could ask what he was talking about, Rex's eyes locked onto Nami, and he flew over to her in a blur. "well now, I don't know how I missed you before, m'lady, with your radiant beauty." He bent on one knee and kissed her hand as only a gentleman could, and the rest of the group groaned. It seemed he was at least normal, by their standards.

"Uhm..hi there," Nami said, tentatively, not sure what was going on.

"What grace, what natural beauty, what charm," Rex continued, standing up once more. He was just barely taller than the girl, by less than an inch, making them the two smallest in the circle. "May I inquire into the age of one so majestic as yourself?"

"I'm almost sixteen, I think that's what you're asking, right?"

"Why, that is the same age as me!" Rex cried out, nearly leaping up in the air, while somehow containing himself. "What collision of fates that we would meet like this, of similar age and position in life as such. I am called Rex Wondershot, mighty warrior of Dalarcya."

"No you're not," Ardwen cut in, growing tired of antics that felt oddly familiar to him. "You just said your name was Rex Maddingham."

"Some people call me Rex Wondershot," the young boy corrected himself.

"Who is some people?" replied Ardwen, folding his arms across his chest.

"My uncle and myself."

"That's one person! You can't count yourself." The group had to hold Ardwen back as flashes of his fights with Chase went through their heads. It seemed there were too many old tendencies already surfacing.

Nami narrowed her eyes at Rex, half observing him with confusion and half with disgust. "Wait, are you hitting on me or something? Sorry but I'm not interested." She pulled away, leaving the entire group in shock at her flat rejection of the youth.

"But wasn't there a point where was chasing after, like four of us?" Ardwen scratched his head in confusion before a slipper smashed into his face. "How inconsiderate!" Shotuku bellowed. "This precious flower has recently lost her one true love and you choose to forget so easily?"

"Also," Nami interjected, ending all fights, "I don't like young guys. Duh."

"What a fiery attitude!" Rex bounced up once more, his energy never falling off from the rejection. "Why, I shall prove to her that I am no youth, I am a veteran, old at heart, mature as can be. She shall be my only love!"

Porter smacked his hand against his face and leaned over to Riya. "So he's an idiot then," he whispered to the girl, who did her best to stifle a giggle, and flying footwear collided with Porter's jaw, sending him flying.

It took some time before the group finally recovered and regrouped, everything out of their systems and slippers sufficiently fired at everyone deserving of them. They had gotten Rex seated with them on the logs around a fire, making sure he was separated from Nami. "So Rex," Porter asked, opening up the questioning, "why are you here then?"

"To learn, of course!" Rex finished his answer in an instant, his smile radiating around at the group. He was met with stone faces, not one of them understanding where he was coming from or what he was learning or how he even knew about them to begin with.

"Yeah...you're not really helping us," Porter admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "What are you here to learn, exactly?"

"Dalarcya," Shotuku cut in, supplying the answer, "has historically not had any pilots capable of wielding their chi to any significant level. It is a relatively foreign concept to them, something they don't use. As such, their Goliaths rely on technological and mechanical advancements to function, and their engines pull very little energy from the pilots themselves. Rex here, is a bit different."

"Right!" Rex nodded along, though he clearly didn't understand what Shotuku was talking about when he referenced chi. "See, my uncle said I'm special cause I'm always seeing the light that people have, and apparently nobody else can do that, right? So I see your message, and your light was something I've never seen before, and I tell my uncle, and he says that it's time for me to go learn from a master, from someone who understands the light, because nobody in Dalarcya can help me. So he owns a ship and he flew me out here with my Goliath, right? And now, here we are."

"If he could stop saying right after every sentence," Ardwen mumbled, but he was silenced by Shotuku holding up a slipper.

"So I'm a master?" Porter pointed to himself, smile growing across his face as his pride started to swell out of control.

"You wish," said Shotuku, shutting down Porter in an instant. "Your bizarre chi, exposed to constant usage in your machine, attracted the boy. That's all. He's here to be trained by me, and the rest of you."

"Question." Ardwen held up his hand, much to Shotuku's chagrin. "Why, exactly, are we training the pipsqueak? Is every random pilot who can detect chi going to knock on our doors?"

Miraculously, Shotuku held back from violently teaching Ardwen a lesson, turning instead to pat Rex on the shoulder. "If you think every normal person can spot chi across the ocean and track a location with it, then yes, they can all knock on our door. Rex is a prodigy, something unique in the world we wouldn't normally see. As such, we need to show him the ways to harness his strengths so he can become our ultimate weapon."

And with that, Shotuku stood, gesturing for Rex to follow. The boy complied, managing to blow a kiss at Nami first, and the two left so Shotuku could show Rex where he would be sleeping.

Porter had a strange feeling in his stomach, an odd emotion he really hadn't experienced for some time, not since he had thought he was nothing more than a failure as a pilot, and failure at life. But I thought I was our ultimate weapon, he thought to himself.

A/N: A new prodigy arrives amidst them. Capable of sensing chi through monitors and around the world, what kind of power could he be hiding within himself, and what might his goliath be capable of? And...how will the group handle his joining?