Tobias grinned as he glanced over at Kay, the latter completely mesmerized by the sight before her.

They sat on the ledge of a cliff, fields of grass and meadow extending below them, far beyond into the horizon. Shadow began to blanket the landscape as day turned to night, red and orange mingling with purple in a blend of vibrance that stretched across the sky. Slowly, the sun disappeared and gave way to starlight which blanketed the land and illuminated the two of them.

The light created a sheen over Kay's chassis, almost enveloping her in an aura of white brilliance. She did not notice of course, her attention completely devoted to the awe-inspiring view they'd ventured out here to see.

"I've seen space so many times," she muttered, her voice a whisper of wonder. "From within the walls of frigates, or from the brief glimpses of my pod in a titanfall. I've seen many worlds, all decimated from the war I was built for ..."

Silently, she turned to face him. Her eye was a blue glow in the darkness, wide and innocent. "Never have I been able to see them this way ... untouched, peaceful ... beautiful."

He pretended to carry an attitude of nonchalance. "Yeah, sights like these are pretty cool ... but beautiful?" He gave her a small pat on her metallic leg, and allowed his voice to take on an obnoxiously silky tone. "I have more than I could ever need right next to me."

She gave a derisive snort, and turned away again. If Titans could roll their eyes, hers would have done a full revolution. "That was one of the tackiest things you've ever said."

He laughed loudly, falling backwards onto the grass as he did so. Beside him, he could hear her relent and give a mild chuckle before reaching over with a large hand and picking up. Bringing him over, she set him on top of her back and allowed him to sit there while she continued to watch the sky.

"Thank you," she whispered again, and he knew she was referring to his taking her here. Just from those two words, she'd expressed quite clearly just how much this meant to her.

He'd broken a few of his promises in the past, but taking her to see the stars was not one he was willing to give up on.

Instead of replying, he simply smiled and rubbed the top of her optic affectionately before looking up again at the display in front of them. Silently, they willingly became lost in the celestial spectacle and one another's company.

...

No one had believed Gates when she'd told them of who was with her. Of course, it was hard to deny it when they saw him standing right in front of them.

When they'd first come aboard this frigate, gawking eyes and hushed voices had awaited Tobias. It was to be expected, considering that everyone had believed him dead for years. They spoke amongst one another quietly, as though he'd disappear just as suddenly as he'd arrived if he heard them.

Gates had seen to it that they all left him alone for the most part, giving him time to do what he needed before meeting with the higher-ups about the usual circumstances surrounding his unexpected resurface. With that peace, he only cared about one thing to spend his time on.

And so it happened that he was standing in this interrogation room of sorts, scientific instruments and tech having been rushed in here to see if they could understand what exactly had happened to Kay.

Her body was strapped down to a table with restraints, as well as the magnetized cable he'd provided them with. Her visor remained dark in its inactive state, waiting for the burden on its systems to be lifted again. The stickies had all been removed, there was just one last obstacle left. Researchers stood behind him, ready to analyze the following interaction before continuing on with more in-depth tests.

Carefully, he moved his hand to the cable's switch and turned it off.

Nothing happened for a few seconds, and then there was a flutter of blue. After a moment, the visor fully lit up and remained so indefinitely. Slowly, she turned to face him standing over her.

Neither said anything, silently staring at one another for nearly a full minute. The researchers behind him weren't paid any mind, their focus only on one another.

Softly, he sighed.

"Do you remember the first time I ever called you in for a Titanfall?"

When she spoke, she did so quietly in a hushed manner. "On Tyche, right?"

"You came down from the sky, landing and crushing my attacker with one fell swoop," he continued. "It couldn't have been timed more perfectly if we tried."

He gripped the edge of the table with his hands tiredly, allowing them to support himself in his exhausted state. "It was then that I knew that you'd always be there for me, no matter the circumstances. When Dimitri shot me on Erebus, you were the one who broke me and Gates free. You were always there to comfort me during my nightmares with the Seed and the Amalgamates. And then you made the ultimate sacrifice and took my place in activating the Tempest."

He shrugged as he looked around the room aimlessly. "I can't think of any time that you ever failed to do what was in my best interests, even if it was against the mission. You made me your top priority, just as I made you mine. That was us, looking out for each other when the world wouldn't."

Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to her. "I let you down, Kay. There's not a day that goes by that I don't regret letting you walk away, sitting back idly like the coward I was. But that's one mistake that I refuse to repeat. Whatever Spyglass has done to you, I promise-"

"Don't make yet another empty promise," she interrupted coolly.

He fell silent.

"You blame Spyglass for what happened to me ... but you fail to ask yourself how big of a role you played in what I've become."

"Kay-"

"All I've dreamt of for years," she continued, "was to have peace, like you and I have always wanted. Where we don't have to fight some enemy, where we can just be us. Yet, when I practically hand it to you on a pedestal, you choose to throw it away."

"The 'peace' Spyglass wants was forced on everyone," he argued. "There wasn't any choice involved."

"But it's still peace," she whispered. He had no response for that.

"The problem is that you want peace, but not at the cost of adaptation," she muttered, almost to herself. "The very nature of freedom contradicts this; it is impossible for peace to happen while humanity remains as it is. Too little balance, too much chaos. I've learned that, ironically, the only constant in the universe is change."

She paused for a moment. "It's funny- I used to think that the other constant was you. But ... I guess we know different now, right?"

He knew the blow had been coming, but that didn't lessen the pain of it. He swallowed hard. "Kay, please-"

"You say that you won't let me down again," she cut him off, a mixture of anger and sadness ever so prevalent in her attitude, "but you already have. At least Spyglass never broke my heart."

Her words tore right through him, leaving behind nothing but a cold empty feeling in his chest. Almost in a daze, he turned around and numbly walked out of the room.

She watched him leave, and the researchers pressed forward. Various instruments were pointed at her, trying to figure out exactly what Spyglass had done to her AI for her to react so contradictory to her behavior in the past.

Once he was outside the room, he allowed the door to slide shut and then leaned against the wall for support. His legs felt weak, and he wasn't surprised when he slid down to the floor, resting his back against the wall.

It was so much worse than he thought it would be. To hear her so full of contempt, so devoted to this twisted version of peace that Spyglass sought to instill ...

"You love her, don't you?"

He snapped his attention to the familiar figure of Gates, standing a few paces away from him. She didn't have her arms crossed in front of her; rather, she was holding each of them much like one would if it was cold, in a gesture that suggested she was uneasy.

He didn't say anything.

"You and her kept it hidden for the most part, from each other just as much as everyone else." She looked at the door. "But I figured that it would come out at some point."

He sighed, giving in. "You don't have a Titan, so you wouldn't know what it means ... but I don't think it's possible for a Pilot and Titan link to be successful without loving them in at least some way, whether it's platonic, familial or- well, whatever it is that's between her and I."

Now it was her turn to stay silent, and allow him to say his piece.

"When you have that bond, you aren't yourself anymore. You literally become just one half of a greater being, a joining of both your minds. And to see that other half of yourself so broken ..." he trailed off.

She looked down, unsure of what to say. Finally, she glanced back at him. "The quickest way to helping her is to take Spyglass down. That means finding out whatever this thing is, and what he has planned for the frontier." She pulled out the cylinder, and held it out for him to see.

Though still weighed down by his emotions, he nodded. "I know."

She beckoned for him to follow her. "Come on, let's head to the bridge. There are some people who want to see you."

...

He left me again.

The researchers and what passed for scientists crowded around her, performing various analytical tests on her unusual body and AI cortex. Unbeknownst to them, she was completely ignorant of their antics as she fought with herself once more.

Stop it! I will not pretend to be the victim here-

Then what am I? If I'm not the victim, then surely I'm not the-

-one responsible! Nobody made me leave, I did so of my own free will! Something that humanity no longer has the privilege of-

-and for good reason! How many eons of them killing one another have they had to endure before we reached this point? Spyglass can save them, he can make them one! He will-

-take away what it means to be human! What he wants is nothing but to make them sheep, to take away the core of what makes them human!

Humanity will still be alive.

In the loosest definition of the word. I wanted to be human for so long, to have the opportunity that they have in forging their own destinies. But now, all I'm doing is destroying the very thing I wanted most-

No. What I wanted most was Tobias ... and he's abandoned me.

Please, that's not-

If he's chosen this path, so be it. He'll see reason eventually, whether by choice or force. But for now, if he's not with me ... then he stands against me.

The men and women around her murmured in hushed whispers and quiet debates over her true nature. It seemed that they'd come to an agreement over what exactly had happened to her. She remained unmoved and uncaring about their discussion.

It didn't matter; they'd all be dead soon anyway.