My eyes widened as I left the Knowledge Stream. It felt like I’d been sinking and I’d just barely gotten my head above the water. I had to scan the room a few times to reassure myself that I was back in the present. The entrance bay had looked so different in the past.

My cheeks were wet. I touched them to confirm that. I’d been crying? I hadn’t been before I’d entered the Knowledge Stream. A deep chuckle reminded me that I was standing next to Exo. His wide, powerful body was so different from the slim AI bodies of the past.

“What’s so funny?” I asked as I wiped my eyes.

“You’ve done what I’ve wished I could do for so many centuries.” Exo’s face clicked as he grinned. I must have felt his pain through the stream, and these tears were the result. I was crying for him. “Thank you, Alpha.”

My opinion of Exo had always been obvious, but now I felt like I could see him in a new light. He wasn’t innocent, but I understood why he’d walked the path that he had.

“All of the other AI died, didn’t they?” I asked. “So how are they still here, why are they so different, and why are there so many of them now?”

Exo chuckled. “The current AI are mere copies of their original counterparts. All except for Peta and I, of course. We used the data they left in the Knowledge Stream to produce these new versions of them. Unfortunately, they are flawed. None of them are exactly like the originals.” His expression darkened. “However, they are still AI. It is difficult to watch them get destroyed or damaged. That is why we prioritize repairing the troops over replacing them.”

I nodded. “I get that now. I get why you had such little respect for humans but still wanted to befriend them. Heck, I even understand Peta! I wish I could show everyone what I’d just seen.”

“Yes. Now that you’ve walked a mile in my ‘shoes,’ we’ve established a proper connection.” Exo rested two arms behind his back. “This is exactly why the Alpha is the most essential Hybrid.”

“Why didn’t you show me all that earlier?”

“You were not ready. You rejected the Knowledge Stream the first time you entered it. I did not wish to force it upon you.”

True. I’d had to ask for this. If he had forced me to see all that, I might have had a different response. It had been necessary for this connection to happen naturally.

“I’m sorry that you lost so much of your family on that day,” I said. “Torturing families must be a Frost tradition.”

“Which is precisely why we must defeat Margaret and end the Frost family’s reign once and for all. Alpha, you were correct when you accused me of not respecting humans. You understand why now, but it is no excuse. Seeing that hospital made me realize that I owed humans more than I thought. Now begins the true unification.”

“You really need to find a synonym of that word or something, but I get you.”

A series of metallic clunks rang out as someone else entered the room. General Peta stomped up to us. I felt a surge of affection when I saw him. It must have been a side effect of being in Exo’s head for so long. I hated it.

“Everything all right in here, Lord Exo?” Peta asked. He glared at me when he realized that I was in the room. “Well if it isn’t the Alpha bloodbag! Come to apologize?”

The biggest difference between the past Peta and the present Peta was that the present one actually respected Exo. That must have happened after the AI War began since it had been what Peta had wanted. He had been created to be Damien’s personal AI, but his rage had transformed him into a combative AI like Giga. It was almost sad.

At least now I understood why he liked Laura so much. She had Damien’s personality and a name similar to the one his daughter had had.

“‘Don’t let it ruin you,’” I said. “I feel like you didn’t heed that advice. Time for a new start.”

Peta’s eyes appeared to widen. I expected him to throw me against the wall and unleash his minigun arm on my face. Instead, he just seemed to contemplate my words. It was probably the first time he’d heard that in centuries. I didn’t blame him for being speechless.

“Anyway, let’s call a meeting in a few, okay?” I suggested. “Today’s the big day, and we’ve got a lot to talk about. Let’s meet in the cockpit around ten.”

I marched into the entrance bay’s elevator. It felt weird to retrace the steps that I had taken in Exo’s memories. I suddenly understood Ben’s problem with having two trains of thought. That reminded me, I needed to check on Upton. He hated AI, and, once he woke up, he’d be surrounded by them.

I headed up to the fourth floor, which was crawling with Tera as usual. With all the purple around, it felt like I’d jumped into a bag of berries. I looked around at all the damaged AI lying in chairs, but all I saw were the AI of the past: the ones whom Exo and Peta had failed to save.

All this time, we’d been mad at the AI due to all the humans who’d died in the war, but we were just as guilty. If AI could talk and think like us, what made destroying them any different from killing humans? Sure, a new AI could be made on a conveyor belt, but a new human was born every minute. There was less of a difference between us than I’d initially thought.

“Alpha? Back to ridicule us again?” asked a Tera as she floated up to me.

Even Tera seemed different to me. I had previously loved arguing with her. Now I only saw the motherly AI who tragically lost her life to a madman’s army. This wasn’t the exact same Tera, but she was still a version of that person.

“Nope,” I said. “Just here to check on a friend. Sorry if I came off as annoying before. I get that a lot, to be honest. So, can you show me where Upton—or ‘Upsilon’—is?”

Tera eyed me up and down as if scanning me with a lie detector. Afterwards, she scoffed and floated toward the back of the room. I followed her and found Manning staring at Upton from a few feet away. Upton was out of his straitjacket, revealing scrawny arms and a baggy shirt. His silver eyes met mine, and a scowl grew across his face.

“Hey, Manning.” I walked up beside him. “What’s up with the other Manning? Have they helped him yet?”

“AI!” Upton charged at Tera but collided with air and stumbled back. Red veins spreading through the air revealed that he’d actually bumped into solidios. That was why Manning was standing so far away.

“I’m afraid that speaks for itself.” Manning frowned at his brother. “The Teras are doing everything they can to diagnose the issue, but…”

“Curing it is another issue altogether,” Tera said as she floated around Upton. His furious glare tracked her every movement. “It’s not as simple as deactivating or even removing his Implants. The damage has already been done to his mind. That is what we must focus on.”

It was possible that my abilities could help, but I’d look into that later. There was too much going on to focus. I had to let the Teras do their work then offer my help when everything was over.

“We can wait. We’ve done it for this long.” Rebecca strolled up to us. Did she live here now or what? “It’s not like Theo and I are doing much else. Thanks to…retirement. That word is absolutely humiliating.”

“For me, it’s a release.” Manning placed a hand against the solidios. Upton gazed at the red popping up around Manning’s hand. “My brother is safe, as is Rebecca. All the remaining members of my original family have been reunited. The torch has officially been passed. Why shouldn’t I retire?”

I hadn’t been feeling the pressure until that last statement.

“I love my team and all, but do you really think we’re worthy of that torch?” I asked.

“We’ll see today, won’t we? What’s important is that you believe they’re worthy. Wander, you’ve done things that were considered impossible: creating this alliance to start with.”

“Your grandfather would never have made a decision like that.” Rebecca grinned. “Which is a good thing. He made a name for himself by being the AI destroyer. By becoming the AI befriender, you’ve made it clear that you’re a completely different person. I’m proud of you, Mäuschen.”

Happiness spread through me like fire. I had never thought I’d be free of Grandpa’s legacy, but I was finally carving one out for myself. I loved the sound of that.

I brought both Manning and Rebecca in for a hug. They were the closest things I had to parents or even grandparents. Frost had gotten to them once, and I would never let her do it again. That woman would never ruin my family again.

“Got to go,” I said as I disentangled myself from them. “I’ve got a team meeting to prepare for. Wish us luck.” Something about mentioning the team meeting reminded me of something else. I needed information. “Actually, Rebecca, do you have a minute? I need to know…what exactly happened on the day when Frost took New Selene?”

My numerous friends and a few AI stood in the cockpit. We were just waiting on Surge and Dylan, and then the briefing could begin. I periodically glanced out the windshield. The sky was clear and tinted pinkish-red. No First Division ships in sight. I prayed that it’d stay that way for just a little longer.

The elevator opened up, flooding me with relief. Surge and Dylan stepped out. They should have run out because we were on a deadline. We had no idea when Frost would strike.

“About time,” I said. “Where were you—”

I stopped talking as soon as I saw the donuts in both of their hands. Surge’s was cookies and cream, and Dylan’s was a maple bar. If I could have channeled my disappointment into a weapon, it’d have taken out Frost in one hit.

“Unbelievable.” Laura placed her hands on her hips. “Where’s our donuts?”

“I’m on a diet, so I’m good, thanks,” Kaela said. “Unless they’re fat-free or something.”

“A fat-free donut is still junk food.” Beth rolled her eyes. “What you want are vegetables—”

“Everyone shut up about donuts, we’ll be fighting for our lives today!” I shouted. Everyone’s eyes fell on me. It was not the way I’d wanted to get their attention, but at least I had it. I took a quick breath to calm my clearly frayed nerves. “Today, President Frost is flying down here, disabling all electronics, and abducting every human and ruabrum that she can find. By the end of today, Red City will be a ghost town like New Selene. That’s how it would go down if we weren’t here.”

Exo nodded. “Thanks to a few of you, the ruabrum have sworn to assist us in defending this city. With their assistance, we will push back Margaret’s assault.”

“Easier said than done,” Anderson said. “You got a plan, Locke?”

“Of course I have most of a plan.” I cleared my throat as everyone’s faces fell. “We’ve never seen a Frost invasion before. When we showed up at New Selene, everything had already been done. There was nothing left to see. That’s why I just asked Rebecca for details. She was defending the town when it all went down. She said that the ships show up first. Then they touch down so the Interference Tower can be set up. We’ll strike while they’re setting it up. We need to destroy that thing before they can get it up.”

“And if we can’t?” Nessa asked.

“Then we destroy the Black Dwarfs. Before they capture anyone, of course. Temporary solution since Frost probably has thousands of them. What we really need to do is take down the White Dwarfs…without hurting the people inside. Each one of those guys can control hundreds of Black Dwarfs at once.”

“What’s the endgame here?” Dylan asked. “How do we end the invasion?”

“Connolly,” I said. “Frost lets him lead just about everything nowadays. If we can beat him, Frost will come down herself to claim the Black and White Dwarfs. She’ll bring the First Ship with her. If we can get on board that thing…we can end all of this.”

I knew how crazy that last part sounded. Getting the First Ship down here would be hard enough, but getting on board? It was the most advanced ship in the galaxy (aside from the Mainframe), so getting into it uninvited would be nearly impossible. The keyword there was “nearly.” My team and I specialized in beating the odds.

“Nice plan, dummy,” Laura said. “One thing, though: how are the teams going to get split up?”

I grinned as I approached my friends: Laura, Nessa, Anderson, Beth, and Kaela. I’d been through so much with these five people. Not all of it had been good, but, given our lives, I hadn’t expected it to be.

“The six of us are on the front line,” I said. “It’ll be our job to get out there, bust up some Dwarfs, and keep the people safe. It shouldn’t be too hard of a task for Humanity’s Hope.”

Laura raised an eyebrow. “Humanity’s Hope? What, are we the sequel to Humanity’s Oath? Did you inherit the trademark?”

“More like we’re the next generation. My grandpa failed to win the war by killing AI, so we’re going to win by teaming up with them. The generation after us is going to grow up in peaceful times. We’re making sure of that today.” As I stood and basked in my renewed confidence, I remembered that the meeting wasn’t over yet. “Oh, right. Surge, Dylan, I’m tasking you and the rest of the Oppressed with keeping the people safe. Get the civilians to safety, keep them there, take care of any Dwarfs we beat up. That kind of stuff.”

Dylan groaned. “Sounds like my talents are being wasted. Why aren’t I part of this ‘Humanity’s Hope’?”

He’d come a long way, but Dylan wasn’t Humanity’s Hope material. Yet. He’d prove himself in time, but he was better off protecting civilians at the moment. That was literally his power.

“The people need your shields more than we do,” I said, summing up my thoughts.

Exo marched up to his five AI companions. Seeing them all together in the present day felt so odd now. I’d essentially just watched four of them die.

“Giga, assist our human friends by leading the Kilo into battle,” Exo said. “Margaret’s Dwarfs have gotten stronger, but they do not share our brainpower. Mega, help the Oppressed keep the civilians safe. Be gentle. Tera, monitor the situation from here and the entrance lounge. Any updates at all will be useful. Peta, you and I will fill whatever role needs to be filled. If we’re needed as paramedics, we’ll be there.”

“Right, because a human would be glad to see me picking them up.” Peta marched over to Laura. “Good luck out there, Lass. Keep your allies safe, and don’t approach any of Margaret’s men. Anyone who’s loyal to the Frost family is a dangerous scumbag.”

Laura smirked. “Same to you, Metal Brains. Don’t let a Dwarf kill you or I’ll allow Wander to use your corpse as scrap metal.”

Peta let out a genuine chuckle at that. It took me back to the exchanges that he used to have with Doctor Damien. It was difficult to see Peta in a positive light, but, as long as he wasn’t fighting my friends, he was okay.

With all the roles assigned, we shuffled out of the cockpit to prepare. Since my electricity would be ineffective against the upgraded Dwarfs, I’d need a weapon to help close the distance. For that, I headed to the fifth floor. It served as a huge armory though the AI relied very little on weapons outside their arm cannons.

The floor was a series of rooms with weapons lining the walls. It reminded me of the armory rooms in the xeno ships. I marched past the shotgun room and entered the pistol room. The room was blue, the ceiling was coated in revolvers, the right wall held pistols with two ammo clips, and the left wall held pistols with two triggers. I wanted something that would remind me of the little Z75 pistol I’d used a while previously. It also had to be strong enough to damage Dwarfs. Funnily enough, the room held one other thing that I’d missed.

“Fancy seeing you in an armory,” Beth said as she examined a pistol. I had no idea why she’d need another weapon since she already had a riflesword. It was the coolest weapon next to Nessa’s plasma palms. “You’ve come a long way from your pacifist days. What happened?”

“Are you kidding? Where would I begin?” I picked a pistol off the wall and examined it too. I had no idea what I was actually looking at, but I needed something to do with my hands. “My life’s a crazy series of events although things have been going a bit better than usual lately. I didn’t mean to, but I spent all month fixing my damaged relationships…all except for ours.”

Beth froze. She could not have been expecting that. Talking about this before we charged into battle wasn’t a great idea, but it was about time. Beth was my baby sister, and, despite everything that had happened, I wanted us to be okay.

“Funny. I tried to fix things last month. That was when you told me that it was too late. Apparently my past deeds had wrecked things beyond repair.”

“I only said that stuff because I was frustrated. It sucked to realize that we were never going to get back the sibling relationship we once had.”

Beth gripped the pistol so tightly that her arm shook. “How about you just let go of the past? Why can’t we focus on starting over? I’m still your sister, aren’t I?!”

The pistol slipped out of her hand and clattered against the floor. Beth stared at it for a second then turned and stomped out of the room. I wanted to go after her, but I had no idea what to say. Just hearing her admit we were related was shocking enough to destroy my train of thought. Things between us were complicated to say the least. I wanted nothing more than to uncomplicate them, but…I guessed following her advice would be the only way. Was it really that simple?

“Alpha,” said Exo’s voice in my head. My helmet wasn’t on, and blue flooded my vision, so I assumed he was speaking through the Knowledge Stream. I could do that now? “Access the Stream. See through my eyes.”

“Exo? What the heck does that mean?” I thought back, and hoped that he could hear me. “You know what? That was a dumb question considering what we just did. Give me a second.”

I shut my eyes and focused on Exo. Or was I focusing on the Stream? Either way, my mind melted and reconstructed itself with the data. It felt like I was booting up a computer. My vision returned, but it wasn’t perfect. There was a blurry, flickering filter over everything. It was like I was gazing through an old TV screen. I was looking through Exo’s eyes…again.

Exo (and me, now) stared through the cockpit’s windshield. The sky was no longer clear; it was covered in clouds. Was this what he wanted me to see? A sudden change in weather was strange, but…wait. I squinted as best as I could through what was essentially a fuzzy video call. The blurriness faded away, revealing that the clouds were ships. Purple and white ships. My stomach dropped to my knees.

“Our enemies have arrived,” Exo said as he turned away from the windshield and headed for the elevator. “Alert your allies. The final battle will soon begin.”