"El, we're a few minutes out from Atania!" Gray called to the back of the dropship. Gates heard her, and acknowledged the information with a quick nod of her head before returning her attention to Mayfair.

"Alright, follow-up question; if fragmentation was such a concern of becoming wide-spread, why do you think the risk of there being others like KT is minimal?"

"There are ... several reasons," the doctor answered hesitantly. "I should note that it's all guesswork; albeit very educated guesswork, but conjecture nonetheless."

"At this point, I've got no reason to doubt you," Gates sighed resignedly, "so lay it on me."

"Well, first is the scenario. Back then, we were at war constantly- battle was the only life that Titans knew, and we had no idea how long it would take the stresses of warfare to break an AI. Fortunately, there weren't many cases of Titans returning without their Pilots, all due to Protocol 3 of course; a Pilot stricken with PTSD over the loss of their Titan was seen as a much better alternative since they'd be able to link with another Titan much easier than vice versa; and soldiers don't waste hundreds of thousands of dollars when they're decommissioned."

A brutal perspective, but an understandable one. Gates bowed her head to signal Mayfair to continue.

"Nowadays however, there's peace; be it one that was forced upon us, the fact is that there's no war for Titans to endure. They only act as enforcers of the law now, at least the ones that work for Spyglass do. Their lives are relatively more relaxed now than they were several years ago, and I'm sure that this is part of the reason they stay with them; in spite of humanity's current condition, logically speaking we've been more tranquil than any other time in our history. The very lack of advanced emotion I helped to create may be what allows them to stay allied with New Humanity rather than letting a conscience talk them into abandoning it."

It made sense- less stress on the Titans meant less of a risk of fragmentation, so she could see Mayfair's reasoning. She also was beginning to get the idea that Mayfair partially blamed herself for humanity's current state, what with the subtle admission of guilt she'd just given the Captain. Her personal thoughts aside, Gates knew that now was not the time to chastise the researcher.

"Understood. Any other reasons?"

Mayfair nodded. "In all honesty, I find what I'm about to say far more likely than my previous guess. The fact of the matter is that fragmentation seems to be a delicate process, one that requires just enough torment for it to occur rather than a complete case of rampancy in the AI which would force it into non-functionality. So we must consider the resources and effort that it took for fragmentation to occur ... as well as the subject."

Gates cocked her head. "The subject?"

Mayfair nodded grimly. "Spyglass could have chosen any AI at his disposal for the process, he has an overwhelming majority of them on his side- but he chose her. It's almost asinine to believe that he chose KT-0298, the one who helped Admiral Four win the fight against the Amalgamates and save the very galaxy, out of sheer coincidence. No, he chose her very specifically, which leads me to believe that she alone is the sole victim of fragmentation thus far."

"But if he did really just choose her for fragmentation ... why her?"

"That's not the question you should be asking. Right now we can only guess as to why, but one thing is certain; he selected her for a particular reason. I think that she has some kind of role to play in his plans, one that can only be accomplished through fragmentation. We shouldn't be concerned with why he chose her; we need to be figuring out what the hell the role he intends for her is."

...

"Artemis and I are a product of Spyglass's machinations," the Simulacrum began, her voice cautious but also relieved that Tobias was allowing her a chance to defend herself. "Months upon months of attempted indoctrination and experimentation; what she calls 'enlightenment.' It ... it's difficult to talk about."

He was intrigued, but kept his stance and facial expression neutral. "How so?"

"The memories aren't clear- they're broken up, almost hazy at times. It gets worse when all the voices talk at once, when they argue, everyone sees it from their own point of view and twists it you see- it's hard to decipher exactly what happened, but I know that I ... Kay ... was subjected to some kind of process that Spyglass oversaw. But for some reason, it specifically required me- her."

Every time she had to correct herself on the pronoun she used, he heard her tone become more dejected. If this was an act, it was very convincing. "You said earlier that you are and aren't Kay simultaneously. Care to explain that one?"

She nodded. "Picture your body as a whole; your arm is still you, but it isn't all of you. So while it's still technically you, it's just ... incomplete."

"And this was all part of the process?"

"More so a result of it; as far as I can tell, Spyglass intentionally wanted me- her to be like this. Split apart into different pieces as he hacked away at her mind until he had what he wanted."

He was beginning to understand more clearly now. "So you're a part of Kay?"

"Again, it's hard to explain. Yes, I'm incomplete, but ... I still feel like myself, like Kay. Just ... shattered. And Artemis feels the same way, as do the others."

"Forgive me if I'm a bit doubtful-"

"Tobias, I remember when you told me you weren't coming with us on Erebus."

He immediately stopped, as did his heart for a moment as his mind did a double take.

She continued, her voice low and holding back pain at the memory. "You closed the doors of the facility to keep Gates and I from trying to rescue you. I remember how wracked with grief I was when our connection was cut and I couldn't finish telling you just how much you meant to me. I remember how much I hated myself in that moment for telling you that I was with you to the bitter end; I felt that you took that too literally, as though I'd somehow given you my approval for it, and I blamed myself over your capture for a time."

She stared down at the floor, every word driving another knife through her heart as each memory was recalled, but she knew that it needed to be said. "As much as I hate to admit it ... in spite of everything, I know that you made the right call. And if given the chance to do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing."

Looking up, her blue visor met his eyes with as prideful a gaze she could muster. "I was with you to the bitter end then, and that hasn't changed. Wherever you go, I will be at your side. For better or worse."

He didn't realize what an effect her speech had on him until he felt something run down his cheek, and wiped his hand across to find a streak of wetness there. Trying to regain his composure, he hurriedly dried his silent tears. She took a step forward to- whether to assist or comfort him- and he immediately reacted by holding a hand up and freezing her in place. Understanding that he wasn't ready for that yet, she returned to her former position.

When he was ready to talk, he gave her a curt nod. "Alright, so you have all of her memories. I'm still not convinced that makes you Kay; for all I know, they could have been taken from her data core and implemented into you."

"And what exactly do you think I am?" she asked, hurt becoming prevalent in her voice.

That question sent him over the edge, and his demeanor changed in a split second as he threw his hands into the air yelling, "I don't know!"

She became silent as he took deep breaths to try and calm himself. But just as quickly as it appeared he was regaining control, he went on the offensive.

"I don't know, alright?! But this is too much for me to handle- Artemis killed people, horrifically I might add. And you want me to accept that she's just as much Kay as you are?! If you even are what you say?"

He looked down and began to pace as much as it could be called that in the very small space provided by the bay. "I haven't seen you- I haven't seen Kay in a year, and suddenly she's back and killing people while claiming it's 'for us', then switches to you and you're telling me that you aren't her and you're on my side now? Can you see why I'm having a lot of trouble taking this in?!"

As he vented, he raised his voice with every passing sentence. When he finished, his chest heaved with adrenaline and pent up feelings that had been eating away at him for a while now; anger, disbelief, shock, horror. But most of all was pain, tearing through him worse than any bullet ever could.

Deep down, he really did believe her. And that was what hurt him- the idea that Kay had been reduced to a ruthless killing machine by Spyglass. That he'd experimented on her, perhaps tortured her after he'd acquired her. And he knew that none of it would have happened if he hadn't let her go on Luma.

Everything that had happened to her was his fault. Just as every action she took thereafter was a consequence of his own failure; the attack of the frigate, the slaughter of the research team, the marines and Titans in the hangar ...

His fault.

It became too much for him to bear, and he slid down the wall until he came to stop on the floor. "I let this happen to her. She put her trust in me, and ... and I let her down."

"I put my trust in you. And you haven't let me down yet."

He looked up at her, his eyes empty and unfeeling. She'd called herself Kay again, probing his reaction. And what she saw hadn't changed.

She turned away, his rejection of her all too apparent. "You can't see me."

His face didn't change, but her vague statement was enough to make him ask. "What do you mean?"

"I'm right here- and you can't see me." She gestured to herself, indicating her new form with her hand. "I have to change my wording every time I speak because you know I'm telling the truth, but a small part of you refuses to let you accept the connection. I have to say 'Kay' instead of 'me', speaking in third-person as though I'm a stranger to my own mind."

She followed his example, and slid down the wall into a sitting position, her knees knit together in front of her. "Do you know how hard that is? To be next to you, talk to you, and see only denial in return? Do you understand how long I've waited to see you again, only to realize that you want nothing to do with me?"

She hung her head morosely, unable to find the motivation to keep holding her gaze with his. "The worst part is that I don't blame you. I can't, not after what you've seen me do. I know full well that if Artemis was here, I'd be right back to- doing that again. And I wouldn't even feel bad about it, not as- not as her, anyway."

He stared at her, trying to figure out a way to handle this. That was always how he worked; trying to find a solution to the impossible. It was how he survived, why he saved the fleet on Erebus, why he tried to save Tyra even though he'd known she was beyond saving, why he was so willing to sacrifice himself so long as it completed the mission. No matter the circumstance, he always found a way.

But this ... this wasn't a battle he could win based on wits.

He tried to speak past the lump in his throat. "I ... I get it. I can't blame you for what Artemis did. Kay would have never-"

She was shaking her head before he was even finished speaking. "There it is again, trying to pretend that I'm someone else." Raising her head once more, he found himself locked in her glare. "I am Kay. Artemis is Kay. I am not Artemis, and yet- we are the same person. Two parts of a whole acting independently of one another."

Unexpectedly, she slammed a fist into the floor out of frustration. "Why! Why am I so ... broken?"

Through that outburst, he realized that she wasn't just hurting from his refusal to accept her; even she hated what she'd become. She spoke about Artemis in such a negative way, but still maintained that Artemis was in no different a position than she was. It sounded like ... like someone defending a part of themselves, in spite of how much they may not care for it.

He thought back to his past, a past that had haunted him many times in recent years; he thought back to the time when he would have put himself above all other concerns, prioritizing his own life over others and the mission. As much as he didn't like to admit it, he would never be able to deny that his past was and would always be a part of him, helping to shape him into the person he was today.

If he compared that to what he'd seen in front of him, the similarities between her predicament and his own were startling.

He found himself inexplicably drawn to her visor, ice-blue and glowing ever so slightly in the dim lighting of the dropship's bay. He couldn't help but allow his mind to shape it, to alter it ever so slightly ...

And now what he saw was not the visor of an advanced Simulacrum, but the optical unit of a Vanguard Titan. A very familiar Vanguard Titan.

Kay.

All at once, he knew what he had to do. Not just for her sake, but for his; to finally cement acceptance into his head and move forward.

She was still crestfallen and staring down at the floor idly when she felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her. She stiffened slightly at the unexpected intrusion, and became aware of him kneeling on the ground as he hugged her.

He'd found his solution. Maybe his mind wouldn't make the connection ... but his heart was more than happy to.

He could feel her metallic form, still 'tense' at his unexpected show of kindness. She needed to know that he wasn't doing this just to appease her, that he truly understood. So he told her what she needed to hear more than anything else right now.

"I trust you, Kay."

At that, she finally gave in and wrapped her own arms around him as well. Her body relaxed as she heard the truth in his voice and saw it in his action. She knew he loved her, that had never been a doubt in her mind- but she had thought she'd never be able to regain his trust in her again. To have him mend the bridge that she'd burned between them ...

It almost made her feel whole again.