TO was pulled from the simulation, gasping and panting as the pain in their chest faded. They had been in a basic capture the flag scenario, but apparently the other team had decided that TO was the most important target to deal with. Well, that had become common; whatever team they were put on performed exceptionally, so the opposite team had started targeting TO first.

 

Despite the fact that they had been removed from the simulation, they felt themself grin. If they were being targeted more and more often then it meant that they were doing well. They pulled their helmet off and looked around the room to see if they were the first ones out of the simulation.

 

They weren’t.

 

The first thing they saw was another synth being led to the door by C12. The synth looked horrified, and their shocked expression reminded TO of Q10 on the day they damaged DH’s eye.

 

“Your Overseer will be here shortly to retrieve you.” C12 said with their ears lower than normal, and their voice far more restrained than TO was used to hearing. “You can just rest in the hallway until they get you.”

 

TO looked around to see who else was out of the simulation; they saw two synths still strapped into their chairs, watching the other synth behind led out. They didn’t seem that concerned about it; if anything they seemed impatient.

 

Then there was Avery, who was sitting only a few seats down from TO. They were shaking, and their ears were dipped low around the sides of their face. They were shaking, and their eyes were wide as they watched the other synth get led out.

 

“What happened?” TO whispered. “Avery?”

 

Avery took a moment to turn their head to TO, as though it took a long time for them to process that someone had spoken to them .

 

“...What?”

 

“What happened?” TO repeated, “Where are they going?”

 

Avery shook their head, and turned away.

 

“Avery?”

 

“They disobeyed orders.” Avery said, their voice shaking as they spoke, “They were given orders, and they refused to perform them.”

 

“What was it though? Why? What happened-“

 

Avery just shook their head, “I must not discuss the examination.” they said as though they were reciting something. “I have orders; I must not discuss the examination. I don’t want to be corrected.”

 

TO felt like their heart stopped. “Corrected?” They echoed. Before they could say anything else, a shadow was cast over them.TO hadn’t noticed that C12 had returned to the room until they were right in front of TO, blocking the overhead lights.

 

Their ears were down; their face, a mask.

 

“... Normally, so few people fail their examinations at this point that failure means a serious problem in the training.” Their voice was flat, their ears stuck in their tilted down expression of sorrow, “This… This is just the last step. Just follow your orders.” they brought up their screens, and started setting up another simulation. They looked at TO, “Get ready, you’re going back in”

 

TO gave Avery one last look before they put their helmet on. Avery looked so broken that TO wanted to reach over and give their hand a squeeze to make them feel better.

 

Still… This meant that Avery had been tested, and Avery had passed. TO didn’t like that the other synth was being reprocessed, but Avery was strange and if one strange synth could pass, then the rest of them could.

 

Their world went momentarily black before they were thrown into a new simulation.

 

======

 

During the second meal in TO’s pod, TO told GiDi and DH about what happened during their training, about the synth that had been taken away, and about Avery’s reaction.

 

“What did the other synth do though?” GiDi pressed, “I mean, alright, they disobeyed orders, but what kind of orders? Was it a small thing or a big thing?”

 

“I don’t know.” TO said as they picked at their meal, “Avery didn’t seem right after their test and they said if they discussed the examination outside of the exam itself, then they might get corrected.”

 

“Well… Avery passed, so that’s good, right?” DH said. “A strange synth passed!”

 

“Avery passed but the other one got corrected.” GiDi said, “And we can probably assume that they were strange too; Maybe not like we are, but strange regardless.”

 

TO frowned, their ears pinning back as they thought about that, about the synth that had been led away and how shocked they had looked. “We’re either of you examined today?” TO asked. They both shook their heads. “Well, so long as we do what C12 said, so long as we follow orders, we should be fine right?”

 

“Right.” GiDi muttered, “Just follow orders.”

 

“Do you think Avery is going to be ok?” DH asked, “I mean, you said they seemed shocked after the examination.

 

“They did.” TO said, “I should try to talk to them later on.”

 

“Do you think you could find out what happened?” GiDi asked.

 

“I don’t know.” TO said as they chewed on their lower lip, “I want to know, and if they want to talk about it then I want to listen… But I don’t want them getting in trouble, or getting corrected.” They frowned, “I’ll try to talk to them anyway, to see if they want to talk about what happened.”

 

“I could do it.” GiDi said, “I’ll talk to them,and see what happened. We do talk every now and then, and they seem pretty comfortable around me.”

 

TO gave a smile; they understood that GiDi didn't have romantic feelings for Avery, but they were still glad that GiDi seemed so happy to speak to them; They were glad that GiDi and Avery seemed to get along.

 

“I think I should do it.” TO said, “Just because I saw them after their examination. I know what I saw, you know?”

 

“Maybe...” GiDi said quietly.

 

“I’ll speak to them alone; maybe that’ll help them feel more comfortable to speak.” they glanced at DH, and noticed suddenly that their ears were down and their gaze was set at their food. “DH? You ok?”

 

“Perfect.” DH muttered, their ears twitching with their lies.

 

“You’re not.” TO said. “What’s wrong.”

 

DH shrugged, “Just bothered by this whole thing.” they muttered. They glanced up at TO and said very quietly, “Are you sure you wouldn’t like me there with you? When you talk to Avery, I mean.”

 

“I’m sure.” TO said. In truth they wanted DH there; they wanted DH with them everywhere they went! But they worried that Avery would be too frightened to talk if there was more than one of them there. “They’re nervous as it is, and they get more tense when there’s several people around. It’d be best if only one of us spoke to them.”

 

“Well.” DH said, “I guess it best be you.” They popped one more cube of food into their mouth before reaching out for the ladder, “I should go; gotta get to training.”

 

GiDi set down their plate, “Wait, we’ll come with you-“

 

“No no.” DH said, “That’s fine; you two finish your food. I just have to go. I’ll see you later.”

 

“...Alright.” TO said quietly as they watched DH climb down the ladder, “We won’t be much longer anyway.”

 

“I’ll see you two later.” DH said before they climbed out of sight.

 

GiDi frowned and looked at TO, “I thought you two talked?”

 

“We did!” TO insisted, “I thought everything was fine.”

 

GiDi sighed as they chewed on their food, “Do you know why they’re upset?”

 

“I don’t.” TO said, “Well, I think they had this idea that I was just tolerating them, but I told them that’s not true!”

 

GiDi shook their head. “Look.” They said after a moment, “They got upset yesterday when you said you could be on your own, right?”

 

“Right.”

 

“And they were upset when I stayed in your pod with you, right?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“Alright.” They put their food down, taking a deep breath, “And now, they’re upset why?”

 

TO frowned, their ears flicking back as they replayed what had just happened in their head, “Because… Because I said I was going to go see Avery?”

 

“Right. And they asked if they could come with you, but you said no.”

 

“Oh.” The realization of what they had done hit their stomach and made them feel sick. “I… I made them feel like I didn’t want them around.” they said as they set down their food.

 

“Something like that.” GiDi said, “Do you think it could be something else?”

 

“I have to go after them.” TO said, ignoring GiDi’s words as they reached out for the ladder, “I have to-”

 

“I agree; but you won’t catch them now, will you?”

 

“I have to try!” TO said as they braced themself to fly from the pod, “They’d do the same for me.”

 

TO took off from the pod and flew down to the ground, landing just before the door to the hallway. They opened the door and took off running; DH couldn’t be that far ahead of them now. They rushed down the hall, trying to remember which way DH had to go for their own vocational training and hoping that they didn’t take a wrong turn, or that DH hadn’t decided to hide somewhere.

 

They hadn’t. DH had stopped in the hallway to fill their water bottle. As TO approached, they could see DH’s ears flicked down as they watched the water fill their bottle with unseeing eyes.

 

They looked up just in time for TO to run into them and pull them into a tight hug.

 

“TO?” DH gasped.

 

“It’s not that I don’t want you with me.” They said, “I do! I’d love for you to be with me -... when I talk to Avery.” they had nearly said, ‘all the time’ but they stopped themself just before they did, “But they just seemed so shocked and so nervous, I’m just worried that maybe they won't talk if there’s anyone else around. GiDi should be the one to talk to them, but I’m the one who saw it; that’s all.”

 

“I… I know.” DH said as they slowly wrapped their arms and wings around TO, “I know. I’m just being stupid.”

 

“No. you’re not.” TO pulled back and gave DH a firm look, “Not unless I’m stupid too. Remember when we first met GiDi?”

 

DH flushed, but tightened their grip on TO, “I was an idiot then, too.” they said, “I should have-”

 

“I should have known you wouldn’t suddenly decide you didn’t want me around.” TO said. “But I didn’t. And I was sad. I didn’t want you to be sad, so I ran after you.”

 

They stood in silence, enjoying the embrace for another moment before they pulled apart.

“Go on.” DH said, giving TO a small smile, “Your training is in the upper levels; if you don’t hurry you’ll be late. Not good for a potential future officer!”

 

TO grinned back, waved, and took off. Smiling now that everything seemed sorted out. It was only as they reached the elevator that they realized that they had already broken their promise to C12.

 

They left GiDi alone.