Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

«It was your life, Higgs. Your fairy tale, told by an idiot, full of pathos and righteous anger... A meaningless fairy tale... How long ago it was»

A cloudy sky stretched over a modest shelter, hidden from prying eyes. In this peaceful corner, cut off from the rest of the world, a deceptive silence reigned, and only the soft whisper of the wind created a sense of calm. But here, where the light barely penetrated the leaden clouds, something invisible always lurked. Beyond the concrete walls, timefall poured down day after day, concealing forces capable of shattering the fragile balance.

Crossing through the obstacles of chiralgrams set in her way, the woman swung her umbrella, folding it and slipping it behind her back. It didn’t take her long to unlock the shelter, though once, she could have gained entry by other means. Descending the staircase lined with plants, she already felt the homelike atmosphere reaching out to something deep within her.

A man came out to meet her, comically holding a frying pan in his hand, using it as an improvised weapon. As funny as he looked, she stifled a laugh as she took off her helmet.

"Who are you?" he asked, not realizing he was looking at a familiar smile. Recognizing Fragile, Sam lowered his «weapon».

"Were you cooking?" she asked casually.

"What’re you doing here?" he asked, as if he hadn't heard her question.

"I’ve been looking for you."

Fragile followed after him, taking in the room. She couldn’t quite hide how strange it felt to be here… after everything that had happened eleven months ago, seeing the Great Deliverer in the role of a father. An ordinary man with an ordinary life, raising a child. It didn’t fully make sense in her mind, yet it didn’t stop her from feeling glad for her friend’s happiness. Sam had earned this rest, but ahead still lay work that only he could do.

"I have a job for you."

"Oh, really? I thought maybe you wanted to catch up," Sam replied, putting Lou down on the floor.

If he agrees, Fragile guarantees that the pursuit for his escape from Bridges will end. But with the child it’s more complicated, she’s their property. Sam gives his friend a skeptical look, not believing for a second that, after everything, he could still be of any use. The world hadn’t changed for the better because of his help, if anything, it had only gotten worse. But she thought otherwise.

"Sam, you brought America together. Helped it be reborn as the UCA. But I'm afraid the Death Stranding is far from over. Still on the brink of extinction – don't act like you don't see it."

The man sat down to listen, looking at the chiraligram that Fragile projected with her ring. He wanted a better life for the child he now considered his own, just like any father. Lou shouldn't have to live in a world spiraling into the void. And if there was even the slightest chance to delay the inevitable, to give her a period of peace, he was ready to take it.

APAS 4000 has revolutionized the whole process, within network coverage, there's no need to rely on human porters anymore. No need «Bridges» or «Fragile Express» anymore. But there were some things that couldn't be done without a human being.

"I went and started a new group. One that handles work in regions outside the UCA. We decided to call ourselves «Drawbridge»."

Fragile gathered special people with DOOMS to cover the remaining regions that managed to survive. To give access to chiral capabilities to everyone who needs them.

"And we secured support from APAC... A private corporation that supplied us with tech. But you’re not gonna like what I say next, Sam. Even I’m still against this idea."

The man tensed, locking eyes with Fragile. In that moment, they understood each other’s unease without a single word.

"There aren’t many people with DOOMS… And everyone who can help is needed by Drawbridge."

She paused, gathering her thoughts. What came next wasn’t easy to say.

"There’s one person whose DOOMS suffer go far beyond… Someone we both know all too well. I left him stranded on the Beach, like a damaged goods I wanted to forget… But the further we go, the more it becomes clear that he could make things a lot easier"

"Higgs?!" the man blurted out.

"I know how it sounds, Sam… But we found a way to reach him. And after spending tens of thousands of years on the Beach, he’s ready to do anything just to taste reality again."

Fragile shows an image of Higgs as they saw him when they first made contact with his Beach. Long hair and a face full of despair.

"With APAC’s support, we created a mech-body for him, one he could operate remotely, move his Ka into a soulless shell. In this form, his DOOMS abilities remain accessible, though not in full. To protect ourselves, we built in limiters within the body."

The image shifted and now Fragile was showing Sam Mecha-Higgs. The man studied closely what he would soon have to face. His eyes caught on the face painted white. And that unnatural gold makeup… Why the hell had Higgs chosen that look for himself? He was already irritating and they hadn't even met yet.

"He can still teleport like before, but only across short distances. He’s also able to create objects from chiralium, but only of limited size. And he can’t control BTs or the weather."

Closing the projection, she let out a sigh.

"Higgs… is now a member of Drawbridge. He made no demands, only agreed in order to stop wandering the Beach. But we both know what he wants, that, in the end, I bring him back. And I can't do that. Not even if we were to reunite the entire world."

"You’re feeding him false hope?" Sam's voice carried his anger.

"We had no other choice if we wanted him to see this through… to work with you as part of a team. Sam, when you reach the end, we’ll cut Higgs off. He'll be left on the Beach forever."

Sam recalls what he had to go through because of this terrorist. He believed that he deserved oblivion and eternal wandering. However, Higgs is still alive, so that would be wrong. Deceiving him meant stooping to his level. And this conflicting feeling settled in the heart of a man who saw no point in building this partnership on lies.

"So… What do you say?" she asked, looking hopefully at Sam.

"Something's not right..." he answered uncertainly, looking somewhere at the floor in front of him. Then he thought again about Lou, who was playing in front of him. It's all for her. The point of no return has been passed.

Then he looked at Fragile. It was all for her, too. For everyone who deserved a quiet and peaceful life.

"I'll do it," Sam replied, not meaning "I agree to lie to Higgs for the greater good" at all. Another option was needed, but this one would work for now. No matter how much he hated him, torturing a living person was something Sam would not agree to do. Fragile smiled, trying to ease the tension from the story, and then turned her attention to the child.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her." 

The woman gently picked up Lou, her movements sincere, smooth, and confident. And Sam knew he could trust her. But before he went to get ready, Fragile said:

"Come on, I'll introduce you to someone..."

After those words, they headed to the surface, with Sam ready for anything. As they stepped out of the shelter, he saw for the first time the Magellan ship rising from beneath the tar. The clouds parted, and the sun blazed in his eyes.

"It's time to you to hit the road and start a new journey," Fragile said with restrained solemnity, still holding Lou in her arms. As the ramp descended, a silhouette came down to meet them. Let’s be honest, Fragile hadn’t intended for Sam to meet this person first. But this man always jumps the gun. And when Sam recognized the familiar face, for a moment, his blood ran cold. Before him stood someone he had long believed dead.

"Hey brother. Did you miss me?"

Chapter Text

The smugness on his face was accentuated by the gold makeup and black eyeliner. Every expression seemed sharper because of them. Higgs was happy to see Sam and didn't miss the opportunity to greet him at the doorstep. But everything about him irritated a repatriate. Especially the fact that he was still alive.

"Hell no," Sam was reserved. His eyes scanned the man in front of him.

Higgs wasn't sure whether to come closer to say something about the child. Inside, he felt excitement, but also fear. To do something wrong now would be to lose. The slightest mistake and he would be disconnected from his mecha-body, and hello wandering on the Beach, idiot. He just waved his hand theatrically at Lou, eliciting a passive-aggressive look from Fragile. It was as if she had burned right through him.

Once on the Magellan, the woman showed Sam his room, as well as the place where «Higgs' body was usually kept» – a sarcophagus in the storeroom. She could have said, «he's sleeping there», but she chose the least neutral option, emphasizing her dislike.

"I'll stay in your personal shelter, but I'll keep in touch," she said and left the ship, leaving Sam alone with his thoughts. The first person to meet him was Dollman, and although he looked unusual, Sam took a liking to him. The situation of this little creature bears some resemblance to Higgs, as both are confined to a soulless husk. Only Higgs can gain freedom on the Beach at any moment, while Dollman is deprived of that choice.

Then Sam met Tarman, DHV Magellan's captain, who steered the ship with the help of DOOMS, navigate tar currents. His warm attitude left a good impression on Sam. It was clear that they were dedicated to their work and had gone through difficult times.

There was also a certain Charlie, about whom little was known. The man didn't like this mystery, because any ambiguity always turned into something bad. But it was bearable. The only one who really bothered Sam was Higgs. His presence could be felt even from a distance. And right now, at just the right moment, he decided to go up to the captain's bridge, annoying Sam twice as much. 

No one was happy to see Higgs. But they had to put up with him, because otherwise Australia, like the rest of the world, would not be connected to the Chiral Network. Every DOOMS sufferer was important to the mission, even a former terrorist.

Higgs also understood that being here, with everyone on the same mission, was inevitable. After all, he didn't want to wander alone for centuries again, dreaming only of oblivion on the Beach. But no one knew how he really felt, having locked his soul in a mecha-body. What was the real reason for his overt theatricality, for all that makeup? The answers were hidden so deep in his heart that Higgs was not yet ready to face them.

His past, known only to heaven and earth, permeates every facet of his personality. Even now, when Higgs believes he has escaped, it hangs over him like a shadow. In the shackles of his soulless body, it seems to him that everything is behind him, because it was so long ago... But «long ago» does not mean that the pain is truly forgotten and does not affect him right now. He simply turned away, as he always did, so as not to drive the knife in even deeper. And he carries this burden, believing that he was simply born this way.

After showing his face on the captain's bridge and disturbing the general peace, Higgs descended back into the room set aside for him with a sense of duty fulfilled – a narrow storeroom with a sarcophagus standing in the corner, waiting for the mission to begin. He felt like a dog on a leash of Fragile, but he was ready to accept it... She would keep her promise, wouldn't she? If not... Higgs didn't want to think about it.

Did he still dream about mass extinction? Absolutely. There were reasons for that, both obvious and very personal. However... he was so tired that he wasn't going to return to that topic.

«Just let me live»

Sam, having received the new Q-pid, went down to his cabin and lay down on the bed. All that was left for him now was to think: would Fragile be able to handle the child? What difficulties would there be in Australia? And what should he do with Higgs?

No, Sam wasn't worried that this man would cause him any trouble, because Higgs' leash was short and had spikes on the inside. He was more concerned with how they intended to use him. Higgs was definitely a portable chiral printer and could jump without the risk of getting «jumpshock», but was that really that useful in their situation? Sam wanted to believe it was worth it.

Turning on his side, he inadvertently remembered how this man controlled a BTs. More specifically, a particular moment... when a BTs grabbed Sam and Higgs leaned over to taste him. He still couldn't find an explanation for why the terrorist had suddenly done that, lick him. It didn't feel like a simple provocation, but rather some kind of personal exploration that only someone who could get inside that sick mind would understand.

Sick in Sam's opinion. But not only his.

He always behaved strangely if there was a repatriate around, as if Higgs had a personal score to settle with him. But before the "connecting cities from east to west" they had never met.

Meanwhile, Fragile sends Sam a photo of her spending time with Lou. Looking at it, a warm smile appears on the man's face. And yet, this woman once said «babysitting sucks». Who would have thought? Lou was the main reason Sam was here, and looking at her little face full of joy, he became even more convinced that it was worth it.

As he lay there alone with his thoughts, he remembered that he wanted to take Dollman with him. Because Sam thought he was someone he could speak with from time to time or learn something interesting from, a distraction from the routine. But with the idea that the Higgs would be around all the time, he didn't want to overload his brain.

The sarcophagus was empty, Higgs did not want to disconnect from the network and return to the Beach, even for a second. He preferred to sit in a cramped space but be in reality. Was he satisfied with his new body? Not entirely. It was stronger and more perfect than any human, but something was missing. An important aspect without which existence becomes difficult – feelings. Higgs could not feel pain or the weight of an object he was holding in his hand. He could not control his strength or pressure, so in some places Magellan was left with dents from his fingers.

The lack of feelings not only complicated his interaction with objects and people, but also put him into a kind of trance, as if everything around him was unreal. That's why he sometimes looked as if he were in a dream. At times, his absent gaze, directed at nothing in particular, did not bother anyone. Only Tarman, resident doctor, saw this as a bad sign. He could not empathize with Higgs because he knew his story, but his medical intuition would not allow him to ignore this condition. So, the elderly man gently suggested to Fragile that something could be done about Higgs's derealization – find him something to do.

At first, the woman wanted to refuse, punishing her enemy, but if he suddenly became inoperable (like an object), it could affect the outcome of the mission... And no matter how hard she tried to play tough, nothing could take away Fragile's kindness. Her heart was filled with compassion and concern for others. Even a hopeless person like Higgs was capable of earning a drop of her mercy. For the common good.

She turned to APAC again, asking them to create something for Higgs. In addition to his improved version of the mecha-body, Drawbridge was sent a chiral guitar. Higgs chose this instrument, wanting to pass the time playing music. The guitar also served as a weapon. This was shortly before Sam was invited to join.

And so, holding the guitar in his hands and sitting on the floor, Higgs gently touched the sensory strings with his metal fingers, playing some melody from his head. He didn't think that Sam, whose cabin was closest to the storage room, would hear him singing. Porter didn't even realize whose voice it was at first until he listened closely.

« Higgs?»

The melancholic melody held strong feelings and pain, usually hidden much deeper than his soul... The song was the only place where he could face these emotions without fear of being broken. Chord after chord, his fingers moved sensually, revealing the tenderness hidden within Higgs. His gestures were never rough, even when he was the leader of Homo Demens. His face was relaxed, and gold glinted in the dim light.

Sam fought his urge to go and see. So, he continued to listen, trying to make out the words, sitting on his bed.

«We all wear masks, don't we? But yours is of a different kind» – Porter thought.

Now you could see the main difference between them. Behind Sam's outward calm was an unbridled energy that he skillfully restrained. Higgs, on the other hand, hid something too human for his image beneath his cruelty. An insecure, vulnerable, lonely guy in need of affection, who had invented a new personality for himself in order to go on living.

Peter Englert. A name that felt like baggage filled with all kinds of crap to Higgs. As Peter, he, like now, did not realize the value of human life. His partner died? Too bad, I guess. Sincerely, but without grief.

His perception of good and evil was one big mess, distorted in every way. But even without understanding much, deep down Peter knew he was miserable. He was aware of his despair. And, unable to find the strength to continue being Peter, to carry Coffin's banner and the burden of the past, he invented a new personality for himself. A new role.

Higgs Monaghan. God particle. A blank canvas on which to paint a new story, to try to escape despair and move on. But this is just a mask that Peter has put on to stop being himself. However, he is so good at sticking to his fictional persona that he plays the part to the end. Even now, touching the strings, he only partially allowed Peter to peek out.

Every time he told someone that he was a God particle, it didn't sound like the naked truth, but like an attempt to convince himself and those around him that he was real. That he was Higgs, not Peter with a cruel past. That he was stronger than the boy who was a porter.

Amelie was the one who brought his image to completion, giving incredible DOOMS suffer. She reached out, gave him hope, made Higgs feel special, needed. But then she betrayed him, destroying not Higgs, but Peter into pieces.

The guy who wanted to team up with Fragile, seeing her interesting abilities, wasn't Higgs yet, but no longer Peter. It was Amelie who completed this transformation, filling the guy's heart with even more despair and hatred, which became fuel for him.

Fragile will never know that with his obsessive attention and pressure, Higgs was trying to show his affection. He grew up in isolation and abuse, so he didn't know how to build relationships. And he will never know that he attracted this woman in return, that she saw him as someone promising and important.

When their views didn't align, his vulnerable side took it too personally. And now Higgs was ready to destroy everything he liked about her. To make her vulnerable in what she was confident about. The aspect that Higgs considered better than himself in her, leaving her face as a reminder of his resentment. But even in this act of humiliation, he emphasized her value and admired her beauty.

This became the deep-seated reason for the hatred between them, which no one would speak of aloud. After all, loving a terrorist was shameful, and Fragile felt disgust at herself for having allowed such an idea into her head in the past, before the conflicts. And Sam, though unaware of all this, somehow understood that her resentment toward Higgs ran much deeper. Terrorist desperately tried to convince himself that he was right, feeling the burning pain of the wound her rejection had inflicted on him.

But, as always, what Higgs really thought lay deep inside. And it only came out when he was desperately drowning his pain in alcohol, sitting in Peter Englert's hideout and writing on the walls. Writing «Fragile, forget you ever met me» with a trembling hand, he was too sincere, stepping out of character. Shame, self-hatred. As if he were unworthy of being remembered, too bad to be around someone who was beautiful, strong, and charismatic. Perhaps he wanted to erase the traces of their connection because it was painful to carry the burden of regrets and thoughts of what could have been.

That was the person Higgs tried to be. Just Peter, steeped in hatred and sadness.

Sam became his new obsession, another way to escape. Especially after Amelie chose Sam over him. Since he was so important to her, Higgs had to delve deeper into the subject. Obsession replaced his inner emptiness, becoming his purpose instead of a bottomless pit of loneliness.

And now Higgs projects these feelings into the notes coming from the strings, over which his fingers glide gently. Everything that made up his personality remained only a trace in the sand, washed away by the wave, and now he is rewriting himself, like a song. And he himself no longer understood who he was. Peter? God particle? None of it made sense. He simply existed. And with him, the remnants of his past image as a mask hiding his vulnerability.

Having finished playing and humming to himself, he looked at his own reflection in the glass of the junk lying in the storeroom. For some, his golden tears and ostentatious smile were a provocation, but for him, it was a way to turn his pain into a joke, encrypting it under his favorite Egyptian motifs. Higgs saw himself as the embodiment of an image he had invented long ago, when he was Peter.

He inadvertently thought of Sam... There was something about him that resonated somewhere deep in Higgs' soul. He respected how perfectly Porter fit into the philosophy of the ancient Egyptians: when they realized the influence of emotions, they began to value restraint. The ideal was a person who knew how to control their feelings and thoughts. The opposite was a hot-tempered and aggressive person who acted under the influence of emotions. And in this opposite, Higgs saw himself. He looked in the mirror and wanted to see Sam. He wanted to reach for the ideal. Higgs pursed his lips, trying to look impassive, but every emotion was written on his face, and he felt disgusted with himself.

Sam got out of bed and walked over to his mirror, looking into his tired eyes. He didn't know why he felt relieved. It was as if the very fact that Higgs sang alone gave the man hope. Still... so many years on the Beach must have severely distorted his personality. Maybe he would be less of a problem?

He hated Higgs and was sure that he was psychologically sixteen years old. But he empathized with how he must feel, stuck in loneliness and emptiness. To be honest, after defeating him, Sam never thought about Higgs again. He believed that Higgs had chosen death over eternal wandering.

What would he have done in Fragile's place? Sam was too kind to truly kill anyone. Even someone who was responsible for countless deaths and dreamed about Last Stranding. In the past, there were prisons where people like him were sent. And the Beach could have served that purpose, if not for one small detail that set them apart.

On the Beach, you don't die of old age. Your consciousness will exist forever, which is simply not what man is designed for. Especially those who are still alive and shouldn't be here. Is this punishment fair? Even through his hatred, he couldn't give an exact answer.

Sam's consciousness literally begged, turning to the enemy: "Convince me not to leave you on the Beach. Prove that you are worth my influencing Fragile's decision. Make me intervene, and don't turn out to be an empty space deserving of oblivion." Sam didn't want to do the wrong thing.

After washing his face, he finally went to bed. Tomorrow would be a difficult day.

«Sam looked at me like I was a piece of trash he was forced to carry around. And I sat in the storeroom strumming my guitar, imagining that it helped. Honestly? Back then, I felt like a ghost»

Chapter Text

In the morning, everyone gathered on the captain's bridge, listening to the briefing by Fragile and Charlie.

"The connections to the UCA have created an anomaly similar to the gate. It is thanks to this that we have discovered we have access to the Australian continent. Sam, your task is to connect it to the Chiral Network operating in North America. After we've confirmed network coverage, we can take the DHV Magellan and regroup at your position," Charlie explained, and Sam listened attentively. He was no longer bothered by the fact that his interlocutor was communicating using a mannequin's head.

Fragile continued:

"Higgs will determine the best route for the connection to avoid encounters with the chiral storm, and we will provide you with support," she said, forcing herself to say it. "His knowledge and experience will certainly be useful to you on this trip."

Mech perked up slightly when he heard his name. Being the tallest among those present, he was quite a noticeable detail, especially thanks to the red color chosen for the metal in his body. Sam glanced at him for a second, and their eyes met. Higgs examined his partner, assessing his new suit and the other Q-pid. He was also curious to see how the older man would react to him on this journey. Sam was too close... close enough to reach out and... but he didn't.

A couple of minutes later, Sam headed for the exit without looking back at his unwanted companion, forcing Higgs to hurry after him. He had to bend slightly to pass through the doors, even though this body was only slightly taller than his real one. The guitar hanging behind him tapped against the metal parts of his body.

When the duo left Magellan, they were met by a sandstorm that intensified as they approached the plate gate. The bright sun should have been scorching, but it felt cold. From a distance, lightning could be seen striking the ground from the chiral contamination air.

Higgs wasn't bothered by the sand flying into his eyes because he didn't have any. His head was the same mannequin as Charlie's, but with a face projected onto it using a chiralgram. He saw the world around him through sensors built into his head, so his vision was clearer than that of any living person.

The odradek, which was part of his body, activated to scan the area. The device looked completely different from usual. Now it resembled a hose with glowing elements at the end. Having mapped out a route in his head, Higgs calculated the risks and turned to Sam, saying calmly:

"If we go left, there's less chance of getting hit by lightning."

Sam looked at him, glanced at the strange-looking odradek, and gave a sharp nod.

"Then move…"

Higgs allowed himself a restrained smile, hearing Sam put his trust in the strategy without hesitation. Who was really in charge of this journey? He moved ahead, practically becoming a wall between a repatriate and the sand stinging his face. His stride was confident and firm, grounded by the mech-body’s weight. And his synthetic light-brown hair didn’t get shredded by the wind, it just shifted, holding its shape.

Sam shielded his eyes with his hand, cursing himself for not bringing his glasses. What was he thinking? Let's be honest, his head was a mess. He followed his former enemy, staring at his back. And so, they gradually reached the plate gate terminal. The platform from which the device protruded was covered with sand, only partially visible on the surface.

"Almost there," Sam said, looking at the massive stone figures that made up the rift.

When they reached it, their own reflections stood waiting. But something was off. Higgs’s face was bare, no makeup, leaving him unsettled in a way his eyes betrayed. Sam’s hair was gray, and he tugged at a lock to make sure the reflection was lying.

"Well, ain’t that something... it sees the hidden?" mech wondered silently, stretching out a hand to pass through the gate. Porter watched as mirrored droplets wrapped around the mechanical arm, like liquid suspended in zero gravity. Stepping forward, Higgs vanished. Sam didn't hesitate and followed him, finding himself in a place reminiscent of the Seam. It was a tunnel filled with whale cries, the sound of water, and flashes of sunlight that couldn't be there.

In a moment, the man found himself on the other side, next to his partner. The ground around them was strewn with coral from the Seam, and everything around them seemed unnatural. Floating stones, and gates, as if raised from ruins. But they had to keep going, the first terminal was very close.

It was too quiet, as if it shouldn't be. The atmosphere caused a slight feeling of unease, even Higgs looked wary, his gaze wandering back and forth. When Sam used Q-pid at the terminal, Fragile contacted them using a chiralgram:

"The Chiral Network connection to Australia is holding steady," she said with a smile, holding Lou in her arms. "And you'll be happy to hear Magellan's crew made it here in one piece."

The image disappeared, and nearby, a ship rose from the tar currents as if from the ground. This was only the first step, and ahead of them lay an entire mission consisting of exhausting movements from point to point. Now they needed to go to West Fort Knot, the first real stop, and deliver the necessary equipment to get rid of the chiral contamination.

Higgs sighed as he returned with Sam to the ship to pick up the order. Porter was surprised at his own calmness. He thought his partner would talk incessantly and cause problems, but instead Higgs just quietly got the job done, reacting here and there, keeping his distance. There was nothing sinister in his behavior, no hint of some dark scheme, if anything, it all felt… natural.

With the cargo secured, they moved on. The silence didn't bother them, but something was missing. Higgs suddenly began to whistle quietly under his breath to fill the void around them. Sam looked at him and smiled at how carefree it felt. It was as if there was no past between them that had made them enemies. It was relaxed and paradoxical.

Higgs whistled a familiar tune that Sam had heard somewhere before. Perhaps it was the song his father sang? A lullaby that Cliff used to hum softly to BB? Memories of those events echoed with pain in Porter's heart. After all, his whole life had been taken away from him. The thought of his father's sad fate was especially difficult.

Sam looked up at the sky and smiled, feeling the irony. Higgs noticed that Porter had frozen. He stopped whistling and looked at him.

Bridget Strand had ruined Sam's life, and her Ka, Amelie, had done the same to Higgs. Both of them had suffered from her betrayal. Yes, Strand did not completely betray Sam when she killed his father. She cared for him and raised him as her own son. But that did not diminish what she had done. And now, because of her, he was a repatriate.

Amelie, remaining the same person, was no different from her Ha. Her moral principles, influenced by time and life on the Beach, became even more distorted. She couldn't understand human psychology and didn't realize that her knowledge could cause harm. Higgs, already deeply traumatized, was particularly vulnerable to her words. When he learned that everything he saw as meaningful would soon disappear, he was overcome with despair. He saw no other outcome than mass extinction. That became everything to him.

But now, having been in Amelie's place, he didn't dream of anything. He just wanted to be. Anything would be better than spending time on the Beach.

Sam returned from his thoughts to reality. He realized that he had been staring at the sky for at least five minutes. Higgs watched him with puzzlement but remained silent, as if that was the right thing to do. Sam felt strange under his gaze and quickly walked on. He wanted to brush away the acceptance in Higgs's gaze as if it were dust.

Their destination was getting closer, and a suffocating silence fell over the duo again, which now no one wanted to break. They didn't interact until the scanner from the MULEs territory detected the cargo.

"Shit," Sam said wearily, freezing in place and looking at his mecha partner, waiting for him to act. "I don't have a weapon right now."

Higgs smiled, shifting the guitar from his back. He waited for a chance to use it and playfully ran his fingers along the guitar's neck.

"That's why I'm here, isn't it, Sammy?" Higgs' smile grew even wider as he grabbed the tremolo arm on his guitar and touched the sensory strings.

"Hey!" Porter ignored the nickname he hadn't heard in a long time and looked at his partner with an unyielding gaze, as if warning him. "No kills."

"I’m aware..." His smile faded, as if a child had been forbidden to play. But Higgs tried to convince himself that at least it would be interesting.

After these words, MULEs approached them, expecting easy prey. But none of these poor wretches expected to be knocked out by the blow of a damn electric guitar. Higgs knew no mercy, but he was bound by the measure. He didn't even need to move quickly to defeat anyone, because he used DOOMS. Moving the necessary distance in a second, he didn't give the MULEs a chance to realize what was happening.

When his opponents lay unconscious on the ground, Higgs slung his guitar over his shoulder with feigned exhaustion.

"Gee, I was hoping to play..."

Sam ignored Higgs and scanned the area with his odradek. The little performance made him smile, it was a refreshing change. Usually, it was Sam who had to deal with everything, wasting his time...

They moved on. Porter couldn't help but admit that Higgs' presence made everything easier. Now there was no need to risk the cargo by fighting off the MULEs. He also understood that his mecha partner's guitar wasn't just for decoration. What else could it do? He suspected that this thing killed quickly, and it didn't matter how.

By delivering the cargo and connecting West Fort Knot, they advanced the mission and proved they could work as a team. Even though Sam and Higgs were complete opposites, everything worked exactly as Fragile had imagined. There was a subtle understanding between them that made them work effectively. Because each followed their own goal, ignoring the common one.

Higgs was tormented by a strange feeling he hadn't experienced in many years. Ever since he was Peter, he hadn't felt like he was part of anything. Homo Demens didn't have a permanent team, and Amelie was in charge of everything. But now... he liked it? Perhaps it was because of Sam. Higgs had spent his whole life searching for meaning and belonging, but instead he had always found himself isolated. Only when he was next to this repatriate could he feel that his place was here – in front of Sam, his enemy. But now... as an ally?

Sam was about to open the list of routes, but turned around and froze. The mecha-body stood to the side, motionless. And on Higgs's face was a shadow of a long-forgotten expression. For a second, Sam didn't recognize the enemy he was used to seeing behind that armor. As if noticing a hint of vulnerability in the gray-blue eyes, Sam decided not to bother him with information about the next point of interest in their plan. For a split second, he saw something... too human, and stepped back. It was strange, he tried to think of something else, but he already had to move on.

After waiting a couple of seconds, he raised his hand and turned on the ring, then decided to say something after all:

"Everything… okay?" He didn't look at his interlocutor, for some reason it felt strange now. He had no idea why he asked the question at all. Why should he care about the enemy's condition?

Higgs blinked several times, as if caught out. He wanted to make a joke, but the sarcasm got stuck in his throat. There was an unexpected lack of malice in his voice, a strange hesitancy, alien to his usual manner.

"Have you ever felt like you don't belong anywhere? Like everything around you is moving, but you're not?" Mech looked at his partner, clearly understanding that a repatriate was confused. And Higgs himself sounded detached from reality.

Sam nodded slowly, looking at him, and that answer was enough for Higgs. The silence that stopped him from hiding behind a sarcastic mask again suddenly descended on the duo. And all Higgs could do was remain silent too, thinking about something of his own. Had loneliness made him sincere, or was it really Sam? For a moment, a strange understanding arose between them.

«Sam walked ahead, and I racked my brains trying to figure out how not to kill this fuddy-duddy Porter prematurely. But then, for the first time, I felt like I was part of something bigger...»

Chapter Text

Time passed, points were connected, and Australia's Chiral Network slowly expanded. Higgs and Sam hardly spoke after their frank dialogue, moving coolly from place to place, sometimes chasing MULEs out of the way. The former terrorist had apparently said too much and now felt awkward about his moment of weakness. Sam didn't expect to see this side of his partner and thought about what he had heard several times before going to bed.

It was hard for him to believe that a man who had always seemed like an enemy had opened up to him so unexpectedly. Sam felt like he was seeing the real Higgs for the first time, not his usual mask. Higgs, in turn, looked uncertain, as if regretting that he had allowed a repatriate to see his true emotions. He did not fit in with the philosophy of the Egyptians at all. A tense silence hung between them, giving the mission a strange ambiguity.

One day, when the duo connected another point, Tarmen contacted them. The elderly man looked worried as he spoke through the chiralgram. This prompted the duo to communicate with each other again.

"Sam, something is wrong with the tar currents in this area. A tar eruption was recorded in the direct vicinity of West Fort Knot, which is alarming in itself. You need to investigate the cause of the eruption and proceed with network expansion. The order has already been added to this delivery terminal."

When Tarman disconnected, Higgs said:

"The Beach bleeding through?"

"Wha?" Sam turned around, not expecting Higgs to speak.

"Like somethin’s pushin’ it into our world, huh?" Higgs' voice sounded light, almost playful, but the curiosity underneath gave him away. The mask of cynicism was back, only now it looked too stretched, as if hiding the anxiety, he didn't want to show. It was as if he still hadn't recovered from touching the string inside himself.

This phrase stuck with Sam, preventing him from concentrating. Tar eruptions were not uncommon, but here, on the edge of the sector, they had not been recorded for years. And this was happening just as Drawbridge had extended a new branch of routes here. The man froze for a second, remembering: before leaving, APAC had sent a detailed report. Clean readings, no shifts in chiral activity. Everything looked perfect. As if someone wanted them not to notice the Beach bleeding through, if that was really happening.

Sam continued walking anyway, trying not to show it. Higgs trailed behind, his face carrying a strange focus, almost suspicion, like he was trying to catch the logic in the chaos. In that, the two of them looked alike.

Then the way led to the site of the tar eruption. The closer they got, the more viscous the heaviness in the air became. Tar oozed directly from cracks in the ground, stretching toward the sky in sparse black drops, as if the Beach itself was breathing through this gaping wound. Sam suddenly stopped, examining and scanning the area with his odradek. Higgs did the same, he didn't like it when something was unknown to him.

Through the black substance, they noticed debris floating on the tar surface. Familiar lines of metal, clearly not part of the old structures. Among the strange debris, they could make out the remains of something resembling APAS 4000 devices: thin chiral beacons, half submerged in the black sludge.

Sam frowned. There was no mention of any work in this area. The inconsistency stumped Higgs, and he used DOOMS to move closer to examine the debris, standing waist-deep in the tar. His posture lacked its usual relaxed ease, he seemed to be absorbing the scene before him, piecing it together like a puzzle.

"Funny coincidence, don't you think?" The tall man's voice sounded feigned indifference, but behind it lay genuine interest as he picked up one of the devices. Sam remained silent, looking at the familiar object.

"Alright," he finally muttered. "No point jumpin’ to conclusions. We’ll check it out ourselves."

Higgs smiled, and silence fell between them again. They understood each other without words. They didn't need to say anything to realize that someone was hiding something from them. And for the first time, it wasn't Sam's mecha partner, from whom you would expect a trick, but an ally overseeing the entire mission. Could they report this to Fragile? Hardly. They needed to gather more evidence, but without the APAC finding out.

Later that same day, Deadman called Sam, as if sensing what their situation was turning into:

"Sam, this is a secure channel, I can't talk for long. You see, after you left Bridges, I decided to do a little digging, connect to the servers from the Beach itself. The security there isn't as strict as it is here. And I found something unusual – a huge archive that I haven't fully sorted through yet. There I found... information about how APAC was hiding the activity of the BTs in some areas. I have to go, Sam."

When his friend hurriedly disconnected, Porter felt glad to have heard from him after such a long time. But what Deadman had told him could not elicit the same reaction. His inner anxiety was stretched tight as a string. Now Sam was convinced that something was going on here. Higgs, standing nearby, heard the message. And the tension in Sam's eyes was obvious to him. The picture forming in his mind was taking on color, turning into something truly fascinating. But he had sensed something was wrong from the very beginning.

First, strange structures appeared on his Beach, tied to countless souls. He was about to destroy them, tormented by despair and hatred, but suddenly he was stopped. A soul without a definite form offered him a deal: Higgs was given the opportunity to see the world he was familiar with, and he couldn't refuse. With the help of a Chiral Network running directly from the Beach, he was connected to a body created by APAC at Drawbridge's request. Higgs's Ka moved into the mecha-body, taking control of it in an instant.

At first, Higgs couldn't believe his eyes that he existed in the physical world again, and then he realized that he couldn't move. Fragile met him and announced the terms of the agreement, which could not be broken. From her voice, it was clear that she was not very happy about this collaboration.

And he was forced to help. The woman pressed something on the menu of her ring and the mechanisms of the mecha-body unlocked, allowing Higgs to sit up and examine the room. It was Drawbridge's storage room, and he himself was lying in some kind of sarcophagus, which he later moved to the corner. He looked at himself in the reflection of the things lying there: the red metal parts made his body more expressive, hiding his thinness... as if he had ever cared about his figure. But Higgs couldn't help but admit that he liked this body.

But why did a bunch of souls need a Chiral Network? Why did they need Drawbridge? What would uniting Australia and the whole world give them? These questions still haunted Higgs. Sam finally noticed him, realizing that he had heard everything.

"They can track you?" Sam asked, running through every scenario in his head. The worry showed plain on his face.

Higgs just shrugged his shiny red metal shoulders, looking almost innocent about it.

"Fragile’s got access to my comms and to the systems in this body. She can shut it down, or cut me off the network entirely." He kept walking, drifting a little from side to side. "But I don’t know if APAC’s got their hands in it too."

"If they did, we wouldn't be able to get into that area?" Higgs nodded at him, and Sam smiled dryly in response.

That moment, when both realized the deception, brought them even closer together. The first point of connection that could become a whole network. Having made an unspoken pact of silence, they decided to continue investigating the situation on their own.

It was important to Higgs that he not be accidentally disconnected from his body. He wanted to return. He dreamed of it. And he was ready to do anything for it. Sam simply hated being lied to. He would no longer allow himself to be led around by the nose.

«To be honest, being in a mecha-body is not great. You feel like you're alive, but you're not really. There are no smells, no taste, and touch feels like it's through glass. Try living without the little things that make you human. I was hanging on by a thread back then, but Sam...»

Chapter Text

Everyone in Drawbridge was glowing with hope as they watched the Chiral Network expand. Each new Knot was like a step toward a world where people would be united again. Sam listened to their conversations about the future, but only fragments of phrases caught his attention, he was lost in his own thoughts. Everything seemed too smooth, too cloudless. But how could that be if the Beach bleeding through?

Higgs caught his eye as he walked by. Sam was standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall, looking at Q-pid. The man looked back, and between them there was a knowledge that was inaccessible to others. A shared secret, heavy and sticky, like tar. Sam felt that they were on the same wavelength, and that made him calmer.

Fragile often got in touch and praised the efforts made by Magellan's crew. This mission meant a lot to her, and she was less hostile towards Higgs, but she still hated him (and had every right to). Now she saw him not just as an object, but as a person, corrupted and broken, and still wanted to leave him on the Beach. She also enjoyed fooling around with Lou and sending Sam funny photos and videos. This was another source of calm for him, as he was glad that his friend was doing well with his daughter.

But the mission couldn't wait. Once they were ready, the duo set off again to expand Chiral Network. Their path lay through an area with recent surges in chiral activity. The APAC President's data claimed that everything was fine now, but they knew that could be a lie.

Higgs suddenly tensed, like his link to the body had glitched out for a moment, and Sam caught it from the flicker in his partner’s chiralgram. Why did something always have to go wrong?

"Goddamn it, what the hell was that? Static hit me so hard, I almost logged off!" Higgs barked, whipping his head around. This had never happened before. Sam had a gut feeling it wasn’t just chiral contamination. It felt like some other network was bleeding through, screwing with the signal.

"President?" Porter remarked briefly.

Higgs merely raised the corner of his lips, catching the same familiar false chord. His irritation vanished in a heartbeat, replaced by a spark of mischief. Somebody had slipped up, forgotten that his mecha-body could sniff out networks.

The closer they got to the facility, the worse the distortion grew. Higgs’s chiralgram kept snagging scraps of transmission, broken phrases, echoes. Sam caught one word clear as day: “unity.” It stopped them both cold, especially Higgs, who froze like he’d hit a wall. And when they tried to patch through to Fragile, all that came back was a faint, high-pitched ring.

Using an old-fashioned method, Higgs tried to restore a stable connection with his body by hitting himself in the face. He felt nothing and did it several times until it actually worked. Or maybe it was just a coincidence.

"Looks clean again." Sam muttered, still straining to catch that phantom signal. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the mech hitting himself and, against his better judgment, found it kind of funny.

Higgs smirked.

"Okie-dokie," he said, jerking his head sharply, finally restoring the connection with his body.

Now that the situation was stable again and Higgs was no longer at risk of losing connection, the call to Fragile could be postponed. But who knew what might happen next? Sam's inner tension increased. He realized that for the first time, he was forced to play against his allies in order not to miss the truth, which was becoming increasingly elusive.

He would never have thought that he would share a secret with Higgs and that they would have a common mission. But he unexpectedly began to like it. Observing the former terrorist from the other side, forming a new opinion of him... It added a new stability to Sam's life, which he had been sorely lacking.

The anomalies that had occurred did not prevent them from connecting another point to the Chiral Network. This expanded its bandwidth, but deprived the duo of the opportunity to catch the unknown network again.

"A great achievement. I salute you," said the APAC President's chiralgram in the terminal. "However, this expansion has done little to address the anomalous activity observed across the continent. Elsewhere, disruptions in the tar currents are growing ever more prevalent. Only by connecting all of Australia can we hope to resolve this situation."

Once again, there was talk of chiral contamination, which had previously been marked as «within stable limits». Sam didn't believe a word of it because of the contradictions that had arisen, and he wondered how the signal from another network could be related to this activity. Could something be talking from the Beach?

"And by doing so, we will create the optimal conditions for a new plate gate to manifest as well," the President continued. "We're one step closer to making the Chiralverse a reality and ensuring humanity overcomes extinction. The road ahead is still fraught with peril, but I have the utmost faith in your capabilities."

When he disconnected, he left behind many questions. Higgs stood behind Sam, but even without seeing his face, he could sense his confusion because it was mutual. Porter's skin broke out in goosebumps. He felt the two worlds intersect for a moment when the President contacted them. It was like an echo again, a thin, barely perceptible thread in the air that stretched between them.

Something was wrong. Something unnatural permeated the President and the entire area they were connecting. Higgs tilted his head slightly to one side, whispering almost silently:

"Well, buddy, do you still believe them?"

Sam clenched his fists without answering. He couldn't take it. Sam hit the terminal so hard that the metal clanged. The silence rang in their ears like thunder and seemed unreal. It made Higgs smirk again.

But they couldn't back out, they had no right to change the plan. For the first time, Sam thought that his partner might have problems because of this - he would be deactivated. He would return to the Beach. And Lou would not be able to live in a unified world. He was tormented by guilt for what had not yet been done. He wanted to stop sympathizing with the soul of a terrorist trapped in a mechanical body, but he couldn't cut kindness out of his heart. All the grief that had befallen Sam wasn't enough to make him angry at the world. Even his past aphenphosmphobia, which was a symbol of psychological defense, didn't change him as a person.

Instead of the expected relief from the mission, Sam was enveloped in a sticky anxiety. He sensed a fading presence that had intruded along with echo, but he couldn't describe it. APAC were undoubtedly infiltrating the network like the owners. And everything they connected to seemed to become infected.

Higgs was still standing behind him, silent. Sam could feel his gaze on the back of his head, not hostile, but attentive. Porter's thoughts were confused, but one thing was becoming clear: the further they went, the more strange hands reached through the network. APAC no longer seemed like outside observers. They were operating from within, and today's communication session was proof of that. The duo needed to learn more about the President before it was too late.

Sam glanced at the horizon. The road stretched through the desert landscape, and every line seemed to hint at a new Knot in the Chiral Network.

"Tell me who connected you to the body, Higgs," Sam asked suddenly, breaking the heavy silence.

"Huh?" Higgs was taken aback, trying to collect his thoughts. "It wasn't a human, a faceless, formless soul. It stopped me on the Beach from destroying their «structures» and offered me a deal. I got a body and woke up in Drawbridge. That's all."

He fell silent, as if putting an end to his own confession. Sam didn't answer, turning to him and trying to figure out how to piece together the information he had received. APAC, Drawbridge, a foreign soul reaching out across the Beach. It all fit together, and each new detail added another layer of mistrust. If Higgs was brought back to the world in this way, then APAC had power over the Beach. And the President might not be human, since no one had seen him in person, but someone who had come from beyond the edge.

A cold feeling settled in his chest. For the first time, Sam allowed himself to think that the network they were pulling belonged not to people, but to something greater. And that «greater» was watching them right now, peering through the dust and clouds, waiting for the moment to reveal its true face.

"Structures?" Sam latched onto the word, and Higgs didn't know how to describe what he had seen. Tall man hesitated for a moment, remembering his last day on the Beach. He looked up at the sky and seemed lost in thought.

"At some point, structures appeared that resembled... some kind of technology. And with them came souls, many souls. I wanted to get rid of them, but I was stopped."

Sam grunted, trying to formulate what he had managed to understand:

"Souls and technology appeared together, maybe they're connected..." He slowly scratched the back of his head. "Could it be APAC? The President? If they brought you back, they could bring themselves back too. That explains why the Beach is bleeding through and your signal is being jammed by some outside network."

"Oh, Sammy boy, I like where your head’s at… Ya think they’re tryna crawl back to the land of the livin’, same as me? But they're just dead souls, is that even possible without Ha?" Higgs put on his mask of arrogance again.

"They don't need bodies, they need a Chiral Network, preferably worldwide. Sounds like some kind of plan for enslavement..."

Mech laughed, and for the first time ever, Sam heard such sincere, prolonged laughter from him. If Higgs could, he would have wiped away a tear, but this body was incapable of shedding them.

"Damn! And here I thought my plan was the stupid one… but no! Look at them, the big winner. If those little bastards really wanna snatch up the world, then what the hell do they need me for? Nah… I ain’t buying that Fragile came up with dragging me in here on her own. They kicked me off the Beach so I wouldn’t wreck their shit. Once they hook the world up, they’ll dump me out there, maybe right alongside all of you."

That actually made total sense. And the way Fragile had looked at that partnership with such suspicion the first time she stepped over Sam’s threshold only backed the theory up. It wasn’t her idea, APAC shoved it on her, pretending to be the reliable ally.

Sam clapped softly:

"Congrats, mystery solved. But what are we gonna do about all this?"

In response, Higgs leaned forward, coming right up to Sam's face. His voice dropped to a whisper, which felt too intimate and strange.

"Shall we dance on their bones?"

Sam pushed him away, creating a little distance, to which mech continued to smile, enjoying the innocent confusion of his beloved Porter.

"Here’s what I’m thinkin’… " Higgs continued, "when we go to hook up Fort Knot, I’m gonna blow the damn thing. What do you say? Like the good old days. Gonna piss off the President, Drawbridge, hell, everybody. Maybe someone’ll finally show their true face…"

Sam didn't like Higgs' penchant for destruction, but in this case, it made sense. His plan, despite its categorical nature, sounded reasonable. And it put the furs at risk. But if this was the only way to get rid of APAC's influence, then he agreed. Why not sacrifice Higgs, since he wanted it himself?

"I'm in."

Receiving a haughty smile in response, he couldn't help feeling uncomfortable. The world Sam was used to was collapsing faster than the network could connect the scattered regions. He was torn inside, stuck between hatred, that had become mere resentment, and regret. If there was any chance to change the plan, to allow Higgs to remain connected to his body, he would take it.

Sam looked closely at the man in front of him when he turned away. What was driving Higgs now? Not revenge, not hidden plans for mass extinction, but something completely different. He inspired trust with his actions, seemed like someone who could keep secrets. And he really just wanted to return so he wouldn't be alone on the endless Beach. This simplicity and sincerity... were something new that Sam didn't expect to see in Higgs, with whom he had once been at odds.

Sam caught himself thinking that he no longer saw him as a menace. Higgs was still a man who had walked dark paths, and the memory of what he had done had not faded. But it was strangely calm around him. Sam didn't feel the urge to distance himself as he had before, on the contrary, he seemed to have grown accustomed to the presence of a foreign soul trapped in an mecha-body. At first, it seemed like a temporary necessity, a forced coexistence for the sake of the cause. But now...

Sam noticed that Higgs's meticulous and attentive gaze no longer irritated him. The pity he had felt at first gave way to warmth, in which there was room for both trust and hope. Sam understood that this was logical, but wrong. A man who had caused so much pain should not evoke such feelings in him, but what could he do if this was the natural course of events? What he was feeling did not justify Higgs or erase the past. But it made the present a little more alive, paving the way to the future.

In every glance, every gesture of Higgs, there was something that broke down the usual barriers and the image to which Sam was accustomed. Porter didn't know where it would lead, but he felt that betraying Higgs would be a lie to himself.

He also tried to make sense of what he had noticed in Higgs's personality... why did he perk up when he heard his own name? And what made him constantly move closer, as if wanting to be touched? In fact, he understood what was going on, remembering how Higgs looked when Fragile touched his face after the battle on the Beach. Sam had long been aware of what was hidden beneath Higgs's mask.

He was a child frightened by the cruelty of the world, hungry and ignorant of love. Violence had become his way of expressing emotion, because all his childhood attempts to hug had been met with fists. And something in Sam's chest tightened at the revelation he saw in those gray-blue eyes, through the bright makeup and extravagance.

«If someone is perfect, expect trouble. Talking to Sam... I still wonder why I gave in back then. I guess I really wanted someone to listen, and this stubborn porter suddenly started worrying about me. About me, understand? Sam was worried, even though I pretended it was nothing, but I could see it on his face.»

Chapter Text

The road to Fort Knot is the longest. When they stopped by another shelter, Sam went about his gear like he always did. Higgs’s metal body sat slightly to the side, half in shadow, looking more like another piece of equipment than a man. But Sam’s eyes lingered a little longer than they should’ve, watching someone who’d been trying too hard for too long to fit where he didn’t belong. Without looking up, Sam muttered casually:

"Tired?"

The question was simple and seemingly meaningless, since mech doesn't get tired. But Higgs turned sharply, as if it had entered deeper than it should have. A second of silence. He grinned, trying to appear indifferent:

"Are you seriously asking that of a tin can?"

Sam just shrugged. Higgs hesitated, realizing he wasn’t being seen as just a thing, but as a person who could get tired. Something strange stirred inside him… He couldn’t remember the last time anyone gave a damn. He wanted to crack a joke, but the words stuck. He said nothing and that silence was the most honest answer he’d ever given. It ate at him from the inside.

For a moment, a strange mix of humiliation and warmth washed over him, Higgs hated being indebted. Just a simple question, banal attentiveness… but to whom? To a soulless chunk of metal? Sam acts as if they share a common cause, not an empty "deal", and it gets under his skin. How can someone be absurdly normal with him? After everything? It was disgustingly pleasant.

And Higgs wanted to do everything possible to continue feeling needed, but he didn't admit it to himself yet. It was as if the desire to escape from the Beach was being interrupted by something else coming from within, shifting his priorities.

Continuing on their way, each thought about their own thoughts. Higgs analyzed why he had suddenly become so sensitive, until he came to the conclusion... that he had always been that way. But before, it was easier to stick to the image. Now it was as if Peter was trying to break through, exposing his weakness. And Sam remembered Lou... Fragile... None of those dear to him even suspected what was happening here.

No one had any idea of the inner conflict partners were experiencing as they crossed another canyon or fought off the MULEs. Too much had been said between them, too much seen in a meaningful glance.

Maybe that's how it always is when two lonely souls meet at a crossroads? Their silence speaks louder than any words. And the harder they try not to show it, the more clearly visible is the crack that has split the reality between them. One is afraid of drowning in the affection that has arisen, the other in his own vulnerability. But the road is long, and the longer they walk, the less difference there is between who they pretend to be and who they really are. And that was far more frightening than the MULEs, the chiral storms, and the betrayal of APAC.

Sam looked at him again, studying the patterns covering the red metal for the first time. He had seen it before, but on Homo Demens's clothes. Remembering how much respect Higgs had for Egypt... all the writings in his shelter, the Pharaoh's head, the strange makeup... Sam couldn't help but wonder what meaning Higgs attached to it all. He decided to ask, to satisfy his curiosity, not expecting a detailed answer:

"Got me thinkin’… what’s all this Egypt stuff mean to you?"

Higgs didn't answer at first, trying to make sense of the unexpected question. Someone actually cares?

"…You really wanna know?" he asked calmly, keeping pace beside him. Sam nodded, noticing how awkward this made Higgs feel.

"I like the feelin’ of eternity. The fact that after thousands of years, the sand swallowed everyone… but Egypt still stood. Rulers turned to dust, gods forgotten by most, but their symbols stick around. Egyptians believed in eternity… in rebirth."

Sam watched his partner talk about it with such enthusiasm. With such awe, such obsession. There was something there, a glimmer of normality mixed with fanaticism. Sam caught himself listening too intently. Higgs's voice lacked its usual theatricality, on the contrary, there was a strange softness to it, as if he were talking not about pharaohs and sand, but about something personal. Higgs continued:

"Maybe I just like things that refuse to die." It was thrown out there, as if it were something natural, but it was tinged with ambiguity. The dialogue took on a strange intimacy, as if it had accidentally touched on a topic that was more acute than the distance between them allowed.

Glancing at Higgs's face, Sam checked to see if he was serious or just playing around. Something strange tugged at his chest, the confession sounded too personal to ignore. But he forced himself to look away, stubbornly pretending to focus on the road.

"A philosopher, huh…" Sam replied dryly, like that was all there was to say. Higgs stayed quiet, but he could tell Sam was actually listening way closer than he’d let on.

They walked for hours. The landscape changed imperceptibly, from low hills to dry riverbeds. The wind blew freely, chasing scraps of grass and small debris left behind by forgotten settlements. From time to time, they encountered chiral storms, which they had to bypass using Higgs's routes.

Sam noticed more than once how Higgs would sometimes mumble something under his breath or hum a tune. It was strangely pleasant, even though he tried hard to pretend he didn't care. As if running his voice over the strings of calm, Higgs brought Sam to a state of peace, temporarily pushing various junk out of his head. And this became something without which a repatriate felt their routes were empty.

The journey to the Fort Knot took several days, and each one turned into a test of endurance. A natural silence hung between the partners. Sometimes Sam's gaze lingered on Higgs longer than usual. He was trying to understand what had changed in this man. The same voice, the same gait, the same smile, but the feeling was different. It was as if someone else was standing next to him.

He had already gotten used to how much the mech's appearance differed from the person Sam remembered. It was as if the pale face with golden tears was a real memory. Sam hadn't paid much attention to Higgs' appearance eleven months ago, it was completely unimportant. This man was recognized not by his appearance, but by his manner and character.

Sam's attention to detail spoke volumes. For example, he no longer felt disgusted when looking at Higgs, he occupied all of his thoughts. It seemed that he had accepted him entirely: broken, weird, but too sincere to leave. It was not in Porter's nature to leave people behind after becoming attached to them.

With every kilometer, it became clearer that something more significant than the end of the journey awaited them. And Sam couldn't shake the feeling that this long and exhausting road would decide much more than the fate of a single mission. His perception of the whole person was being rewritten, forcing him to see before him a man who deserved a chance.

But what is a chance? For Higgs, it is an opportunity to prove that he is a man capable of making choices. Not a terrorist, not a harbinger of mass extinction, not a flashy image, but simply Peter. A guy who once gave up when the last ray of hope faded in his soul. A guy who is learning to trust for the first time. If he can look himself in the eye and admit that he just wants to live, that chance will be his.

Upon arriving at the location, Sam nodded toward the terminal. Higgs took this as a hint and moved the guitar from his back.

"Like we planned?" he asked, rubbing the guitar's neck. The red metal gleamed in the sun.

"Yeah."

After that, Higgs struck the sensor strings and grabbed the guitar’s tremolo arm. Flame burst out like plasma, igniting everything around. The Fort Knot was on fire, alarms blaring everywhere. Then, switching his instrument’s mode, Higgs grabbed guitar's neck, smashing the terminal with the axe. The device couldn’t handle the pressure and exploded, tossing the mech back.

"Sam, what's going on? Higgs destroying the Knot?" Tarman asked, calling Porter in concern. But Sam had nothing to say and just dropped the call. Then Fragile tried reaching him, but he cut her off without letting her speak.

As if caught up in the excitement of destroying everything around him, Higgs began to sing. It was the same song that Sam remembered from his meeting with his father on the Beach. Higgs's voice was filled with sadness and tragic happiness, and it made Sam's heart ache. Everything felt wrong. The realization hit like a painful spark in his soul – this was a farewell.

After a while, APAS 4000 arrived, armed with mechs to stop the "terrorist". Trying to destroy his body, they quickly broke down when the man appeared behind them with the help of DOOMS. This fight was a game for him, a last dance before despair. But his reaction was human, and therefore imperfect, so APAC quickly found his blind spot, damaging his mech-body. The yellow transparent material cracked, synthetic guts spilled out along with tar, and Higgs fell to his knees, leaning on his guitar.

"Idiot!" Sam shouted as he ran into the madness. He tried to help Higgs up, as the mechs froze at the sight of a repatriate. They couldn't harm him, so they analyzed what to do next, and Sam took advantage of their confusion.

"Sammy..." Higgs whispered as gently as he could. His voice sounded too sad for someone who had just been laughing. And that affected Porter, hitting him even harder.

"Not now. Just shut up," Sam ordered, lifting the man to his feet, but Higgs was no longer in control of them, so he finally fell from his partner's shoulder, hitting his face on the floor. Sam tried to lift him again, but the mechs grabbed a repatriate and dragged him back, and he felt a sudden emptiness in his chest. A feeling of helplessness overwhelmed Sam, as if something very precious had been snatched from his hands.

Higgs looked up at Sam one last time. His doomed gray-blue eyes seemed to have already accepted his fate. And somewhere deep inside, they seemed to say, "Don't leave me," as he was torn to pieces. The mech-body was completely destroyed, the connection with Higgs's Beach was severed, and Sam was held near the ruined Fort Knot, unable to move.

Finally, everything fell silent. No fire, no clanging of metal, only emptiness in Sam's soul, which could not be filled now. It was as if he had failed miserably.

However, what had happened forced APAC to show its true colors. No one knew that their APAS 4000s were armed. This led to Fragile drawing a line and breaking her alliance with the President. Then she learned the rest of the truth from Sam, about the Beach's bleeding, about Higgs, who was trying to help.

She didn't know what to do, looking at how empty her friend's face was now. Sam didn't seem alive, as if his soul had been torn apart along with his mech-body, of which only the damn guitar remained. He felt defeated.

The president of APAC tried to take control of the situation by contacting Magellan's crew. He hoped to turn the tide in his favor, but suddenly someone they didn't expect to see appeared – Die-Hardman. Hidden under Charlie's mask was an old acquaintance who had long since figured out the plan of the visitors from the Beach. He entered the captain's bridge and immediately began his speech:

"APAC is not just a group of souls stuck on the Beach, but also an AI. Their goal is to turn humanity into empty shells and populate Earth with mechanical carriers. They consider the reproduction and development of humans to be a «threat to stability»," said the former president of Bridges, looking confident and convincing. 

The elderly man whose image was used to represent APAC began to shed black, tarry tears, as if the projection could no longer maintain its human form. Before he could object, he suddenly disappeared. The connection was cut off mid-sentence. Fragile received data that all APAS 4000 devices had been disabled, every delivery robot and every chiral tracker. Something had destroyed them from within.

Chiralgram of woman looked back at her friend, and it was a look full of confusion. Everything she had learned recently had knocked the ground out from under her feet. All the joy and hope she had radiated after each connected point had turned to despair. Fragile hadn't experienced such a shock in a long time, and she needed answers. She needed to bring some logic back into what was happening, so she looked at Sam, silently begging for help.

"Sam... what’s happening?" she finally asked, fear evident in her voice. Dollman was frozen, watching the events unfold. Tarman decided to remain silent.

"I'm not sure..." Sam replied, trying to believe in his theory, "maybe it's Higgs."

And before Fragile could ask why he should help him, Sam continued:

"He said that souls had appeared on the Beach, along with some kind of structures. He wanted to destroy everything, but they offered him a deal with you."

"And he did it now? Why?"

"They destroyed his only bridge to our world. And he wanted to help."

Fragile was at a loss for words. She remembers the day she met this man. Higgs seemed like a new hope to her, an excellent partner, and someone close to her. And she remembers the day when it all fell apart, when misunderstanding destroyed the fragile thing that had developed between them. And then he met Amelie... and everything fell apart completely. This man, whom she had endowed with the most terrible qualities in her mind, became repulsive to her. His presence evoked a mixture of denial and sadness, as if Fragile couldn't come to terms with the idea that the man she knew could become like that.

And now Fragile was looking at a different image. It was still Higgs, who made her feel sick and filled her heart with hatred. But these feelings seemed to be softened by how distorted his image now was. His self-sacrifice and sincerity should have felt manipulative, but they didn't. She looked at the man and no longer saw an object, an instrument. Now, in her eyes, he was a guy who was completely broken inside and trying to figure out whether it was worth continuing to live, relying on his shards. And who should he be in this life?

Because of the contempt that clouded her vision, Fragile didn't notice how Higgs was changing, becoming someone she had never met before. And so, it was difficult for her to admit, to believe, that Higgs had done something for the first time that wasn't for himself. It was as if it was absurd to put the Higgs who had destroyed her life next to the Higgs who had rebuilt everything. How could it be him? Her head was buzzing with thoughts.

Sam knew what a storm Fragile was going through right now, he was also tormented by emotions, enveloped by guilt. And he knew that the only right decision would be to keep his promise. Higgs had proven that he deserved to come back and just live. That was his choice as Peter, not as the fictional character he hid behind to protect himself from pain. But no one was ready to bring Higgs back from the Beach... it wasn't part of the plan.

"I'd like to talk to him," Sam said, trying to sound calm, hiding his confusion.

«Does he really care? The porter, who’s kept to himself his whole life, suddenly looking like he’s lost a part of himself… Damn, what an idiot I am.»

Chapter Text

Fragile didn't answer. It was too much. Too many emotions, too much had come crashing down. She couldn't think clearly, so she just disconnected, taking a break. Sam accepted her response, understanding her reaction.

The woman simply returned to Lou, trying to rock the baby to sleep. She didn't want Higgs back, even if he had become someone else, because she had already seen how easily he betrayed others' trust. And yet he sacrificed himself, giving up the opportunity to escape from the Beach, just to thwart APAC's plan and help Sam. This duality tore her apart. One half screamed, "Let him stay on the Beach forever, that's where he belongs." The other half whispered that maybe this was his first real step toward redemption. Had the terrorist's mask cracked, revealing the man who had always been underneath?

Sam had become too deeply attached to Higgs, seeing him as a human being. For Fragile, Higgs remained a ghost, an unhealed wound. But a sudden realization made her flinch. Fragile was frightened by the thought that Higgs might have changed, while she was stuck in the past, hiding her old pain.

Fragile sat in silence, looking at the child in her arms, as if hiding from her own thoughts. She was afraid to accept that she was clinging to her hatred like a crutch. It was easier for her to see Higgs as an enemy than to admit that she herself could not move on without looking back. She closed her eyes. Sam appeared in her mind... For the first time, he looked at Higgs not only with anger, but also with a strange warmth.

And then Fragile felt another blow. If Sam was willing to take a risk for Higgs... then he saw something in him that she didn't. And not accepting that meant betraying Sam, the man she trusted. Fragile took a deep breath, still resisting inside. But for the first time, her logic and her heart agreed: if Sam was sure, then Higgs was worth it.

«I spent too long wrestling with the past, obsessed with getting revenge on Higgs. But the past can't be changed. All I can do now is build upon it and help deliver everyone a brighter future.»

Meanwhile, Sam continued to stand on the captain's bridge with the others, trying to process the situation in his head. Suddenly, Deadman joined them, no longer through a closed channel. His gaze was full of sympathy as he began to speak. And there was a slight tremor in his voice that Sam wasn't used to. Deadman didn't often experience such emotions.

"I'm sorry about what happened..." he began, glancing around the bridge. "The archives from the Beach that I studied... contain some interesting data. You and Fragile would be curious to see it, so I sent you copies, Sam. It's something very important."

He waved at Die-Hardman affably, not recognizing him at first in his new appearance. And then he gave a surprised gasp and laughed.

"Well, almost everyone's here, right?"

When the former president smiled, Deadman disconnected, leaving Sam to wonder what the data was hiding. He wanted to see Fragile in person to hug her and tell her that everything would be all right. Sam sensed that a difficult conversation awaited them, since it was something that had been found in the archives on the Beach itself. Something that was no longer accessible to anyone else.

Tarman transported Sam to his shelter, and the man went downstairs to his home, where he was greeted by his friend, who was holding his daughter in her arms. Fragile wasn't expecting to see him now, so she was slightly surprised. The room was a little messy. Sam came closer and petted Lou, who immediately became happy.

"Is it something important, Sam?" asked Fragile, who had expected Sam to call her if he wanted to tell her something, rather than coming in person. She was glad to see Sam, just a little puzzled.

"Deadman found something... he said we should take a look."

The woman sat the child down on a rug covered with blocks and other toys and moved closer to him. She heard the alarm in the man's voice, who himself did not understand why he had come to her.

"Sam?"

He used the ring terminal to open the copied data. It was some kind of diary, notes. Sam stood and studied the information with Fragile for a while, trying to understand who it was about. Document after document, file after file. Then the blue synthetic hands resting on her shoulders slightly covered her mouth, and a tear ran down her cheek.

"This... can't be..." Fragile's voice trembled.

Sam looked at her, trying to understand her reaction. Who was it about? Who was Coffin?

Fragile collapsed onto the sofa, trying to hold back her tears. All her life, she had thought that her mother had left her with her father and found another family. So she grew up feeling like she never had a mother. The information was about her, about their family, about Peter. There were still more documents to go through. Sam sat down next to Fragile and they continued reading, and the more he read, the more he understood her reaction. 

Despite who Fragile thought her mother was, she tried to save the BBs who were to be turned into victims and fought against Bridges. She took the name Coffin to protect her family from repression. With each new file, with each sentence, a new secret was revealed, shedding light on unexpected things.

And one day, Coffin met a kid full of fear and anger. It was Peter, who would later take the name Higgs. Sam took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure. He was already deeply moved by this man, and now he was learning things that only made it more painful.

Coffin considered him her son, taught him everything she knew, and occasionally told him how dear her daughter was to her. Coffin regretted that she couldn't see Fragile grow up, couldn't live near her, couldn't be a mother to her. So she tried to give at least some kind of care to someone who had never known it – Peter. He became her hope, her bridge to the future. Occasionally, she even dreamed of how he and Fragile would one day unite everyone and create a better world. But she never told him who her daughter was.

Peter had no idea that the one whose life he would destroy in the future was actually his stepsister, whom Coffin had asked him to look after. Higgs had no idea that he was dear to someone. He had no idea that he could have a family. And Coffin died before she could tell him.

«A heart can only bleed so much. Gotta harden yours some if you're gonna stay unbroken»

«Promise me you'll look after my daughter»

The words cut like a knife. They were addressed to both Higgs and Fragile, creating a bond that even death can’t tear apart. The woman gave up, not trying to be strong now. Sam hugged his friend, who was crying on his shoulder, while Lou looked at them with interest.

Now that was really too much. The unfair truth about the fates that had been destroyed. Oh, if only they had known this earlier...

Sam held Fragile tightly in his arms. Her shoulders were shaking, and he tried his best to be her support, to keep her from drowning in despair. Pain did not suit her. He wanted to see hope in her eyes. Mournful crying filled the room.

Fragile didn't know what hurt her more: the real reason for her mother's departure, or Higgs' fate. Two people she wanted to forget suddenly reappeared in her life, turning everything she knew into chaos.

And he still doesn't know. Fragile suddenly wanted to see Higgs when he found out what would destroy him even more. The despair in his eyes, which she hated... but, on the other hand, it was even merciful. After all, knowing that he was important to someone, Higgs would look at his life differently. It would be a very painful and bitter realization.

Finally calming down, she sighed, gently pulling away from Sam.

"Thank you..." A simple answer, but one that conveyed so much meaning and emotion. "We'll talk to him."

Chapter Text

Fragile looked at Sam, preparing herself mentally and physically for the imminent jump. The «Jumpshock» she suffered from still allowed her to use DOOMS, but the consequences always affected the second time. The excess amount of chiral matter contaminated her cells was draining her strength, and with each use, at least once a day, she risked falling into a coma. But for the sake of bringing the truth to Higgs, she was willing to take the risk. Her mother's words should not be spoken in vain.

That day, they had to rethink a lot of things. Still, Sam couldn't wrap his head around something, and it was hard for him to accept that Higgs and Fragile were brother and sister in Coffin's opinion. It seemed absurd, given their entire history... parts of which he still didn't know.

"You need something that connects you two to get to the Beach," Fragile said, pressing something on her ring. She had once taken some personal items from Higgs, but now they were lost and there was nothing that could lead to him.

"What should we do with Lou?" Sam asked anxiously, picking up his daughter.

"There is one person..."

They boarded the Magellan, entrusting the child to Rainy. Sam didn't know this girl, but her kind eyes inspired confidence in him. He felt calmer when he noticed she was pregnant.

Sam remembered: he needed something that could lead to Higgs. He took the electric guitar he had left in the storage room next to the sarcophagus. The man wasn't sure how strong his connection to the object was, but he knew for sure that his connection to Higgs was a constant. The guitar had been with them throughout the mission, both as a weapon and an instrument. As a rope and a stick. And it was the first thing that made Sam wonder... maybe Higgs was more than just a terrorist?

Cliff, like many others, believed that Sam "bring people together." A bridge to the future. And he became that bridge for Higgs and Fragile, changing their dynamics, forcing their shared history to move forward, no longer stuck at a dead end. Hatred and disgust had a chance to become something new.

Clenching the red metal in his hand, he approached Fragile. Sam was worried about her. This mission had probably drained the last of his nerves. But they couldn't wait any longer, time passed faster on the Beach. While they stood in the world of the living, several months could have already passed there. Another long period of endless wandering for Peter.

To be honest, Sam didn't even know what to say to him first. Thank him? Too simple, as if there had been no complicated history between them. Talking about Coffin right at the beginning was also wrong. Higgs would hardly be able to comprehend this information if his mind was exhausted by the Beach. Sam will think of something.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Higgs wandered the empty plains of his Beach. He had long lost count of the days and stopped waiting for the end. Time stretched into an endless sequence, and eternity deprived him of even fear. He did not dream of salvation, he did not allow himself to. Any hope here turned into mockery. And yet, somewhere deep inside, where Peter still glowed, there was a strange certainty: Sam would come.

It was as if he could hear footsteps that did not exist. It was as if he had invented a savior to keep himself from going mad. Sometimes he caught himself talking aloud, addressing the void. He would whisper curses, then laugh, then suddenly stop, as if the very person he had once sung to, breaking free from his own hopelessness, was standing next to him. The person he had ordered pizza from to mock and at the same time feel less lonely. He was afraid to believe, but he had also forgotten how to deny it completely. The Beach weans you off illusions, but memory forces you to hold on to what is most precious... to the image of the one who did not turn away.

And if Sam really did come, Higgs didn't know who he would be at that moment. A ghost from a broken past? Or still a man who wanted to escape eternity? If his obsession with Sam had previously been linked to a desire for power and recognition, since Sam was the only one who could stop him, chosen by Amelie, now he had become a point of support for Higgs, as if without him he would become nothing again. For Higgs, a man, who believed in the end of everything, Sam felt like the beginning.

Meanwhile, Fragile stood in the middle of the captain's bridge. The red metal in Sam's hand was cold, as if the Beach itself was reaching out to them through it. She felt everything inside her tighten, every cell in her body protesting against what they were about to do. It was easier for her to hate Higgs, easier to hold on to that old pain and consider it the final point. But Sam was only looking ahead, and Fragile wanted to cling to that guiding thread.

"Okay, concentrate," she said and sighed heavily.

Sam nodded. Fragile closed her eyes, and the world around her shook. Time contracted to a point when she leaned her forehead against Sam, who was holding an electric guitar. The last thread that could lead to Higgs.

"Help me look for him..." she began a short mantra to help focus all her thoughts on the person she was looking for.

Sam closed his eyes, standing still, remembering Higgs on the Beach. And suddenly, Fragile uttered another part of the mantra that Sam hoped he wouldn't hear.

"Reach for him, Sam. You love him, right?" A tear ran down her cheek due to her chiral allergy, and then one ran down Sam's cheek too. The lights began to flicker, and Dollman could have sworn he heard the sound of the Beach for a moment.

The man didn't know how to interpret her question now. What did he really feel for Higgs? It was hard to describe... too many things. There was something personal in each of their encounters, as if they both instinctively felt that one was incomplete without the other. In the past, Higgs had provoked him, broken boundaries, made him angry, but now behind it all he sensed a desperate desire for Sam to notice him. A need for attention. But Sam's anger towards him had turned into something else... Into a feeling that there was someone nearby who would always find something to say, no matter how hard it may be. And the longer they walked side by side, the harder it became to imagine the road without that annoying voice. Now that he was gone, the silence weighed heavier than loneliness. And Sam realized that he saw in Higgs someone without whom his own path would be empty.

He gripped the metal tighter. Was this what attachment felt like? It was easier for him to push people away than to pull them closer. He tried to call it something else: duty, an attempt to correct old mistakes, even stubbornness. But these were all excuses... if it were only a matter of principle, he would have forgotten about him immediately after destroying the mech-body.

Gradually, Sam began to understand inside: something had settled in him that could only be described with one word. It was a feeling born of hatred, fear, and closeness. Sam had never sought attachments, but thinking about the emptiness of the Beach, he understood that if he left Higgs there, something inside himself would disappear.

"There it is!" Fragile shouted, the spikes on her suit rose, and Sam disappeared with her in that instant.

When they opened their eyes, they were standing on the dark sand of the Beach, the sound of waves nearby, and ahead, on the horizon, was a man whose silhouette seemed painfully familiar. Sensing that something had changed, Higgs looked back. He stared, not believing his eyes. His knees slowly collapsed onto the sand, and he had no strength to get up. Only tears flowed silently down his cheeks, reflecting the cloudy sky. The pain and loneliness that had tormented him for centuries finally burst out, turning him into a crying mess.

Sam and Fragile slowly approached, watching as Higgs covered his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking, and tears fell onto the sand. The sincerity of the scene tugged at even Fragile's heart. But she was coming towards him without the previous hostility, and wanted to reach out to let him into the future. Sam walked over and stuck guitar in the sand next to Higgs.

"We found you thanks to this," he said quietly, kneeling down to be at the same level as Higgs. Higgs couldn't stop crying when he saw Sam in front of him. He couldn't believe it. They had really come for him. Not for his power, not to offer him some kind of deal, but for him.

All Sam could do was slowly and gently embrace the man in front of him. Higgs clung to him eagerly, never wanting to let go, as if this was all he needed. Fragile stood to the side, watching, trying to connect this new image with the one she knew, but nothing fit. This was no longer Higgs. This was Peter, tired of playing a fictional role. He held Sam as if he would disappear at any moment, trying to memorize his scent, pressing his nose against the place where his shoulder met his neck. And Sam didn't mind.

This body could feel, and all the sensations were real. The embrace, the warmth, the presence... Higgs wanted to shed more tears, but he pursed his lips and tried his best to control himself. He had to be strong for Sam. Slowly and uncertainly, still embracing, he looked up at Fragile. Higgs expected to see the disgust he was used to, but saw only sympathy. It was as if unspoken words were frozen on her lips and a stone lay on her heart.

And so it was. She had taken Coffin's story hard, but she was strong enough not to break. Fragile had never been fragile, so behind that tough exterior, she was preparing to pass on her mother's words to her stepbrother, Peter. But the time had not yet come.

Sam slowly pulled away, still holding the long-haired man, to look into his tear-stained red eyes.

"Is it all over with APAC?" he whispered.

Higgs looked at him and nodded very slowly. His gaze was like that of a stray cat that had found its way home for the first time: confused, full of hope and devotion. And speech had completely deserted him. Porter helped him to his feet.

"To Magellan..."

Fragile gave them a thumbs up with a synthetic hand and moved closer to hug them. She stretched out her arms, Sam did the same, and Higgs hesitantly followed suit. When the three of them touched foreheads, something in the air sparkled, something completely unnatural but pleasant. And no one could understand where this strange warm feeling came from. Using her DOOMS, Fragile transported the trio back to the ship and collapsed to the floor, exhausted. Rainy ran over and handed the woman a cryptobiote, and Sam helped her into a chair. Fragile just closed her eyes wearily, she needed to rest.

"You okay?" Porter asked, then noticed where the crew was looking. Rainy was staring at Higgs behind Sam, unable to believe that this was really the same person. Higgs just stared at the floor, holding his forearm uncertainly, looking completely innocent. Tarman and Dollman exchanged puzzled glances, but only Die-Hardman dared to say anything:

"Thanks for your help, Higgs." He knew perfectly well that this was an old enemy who had caused them a lot of trouble. But the former president had enough pride to put the past behind him and honestly thank someone who deserved it. He himself had lived with guilt for a long time, so he could understand someone like Higgs. He too had worn a mask for many years, but it had not healed the pain. And "Higgs's role" would not help Peter accept himself as he was in this new life that had opened up before him.

In response, the tall man just nodded shyly, still looking at the floor, as if he had completely lost his social skills. Experiencing the world through the prism of his fictional personality, through a synthetic body, was one thing, but being here in person was quite another. After tens of thousands of years of wandering in complete solitude, his senses were simply overwhelmed by the number of people and the change of scenery.

Sam understood this on some intuitive level, so he took Higgs to his cabin, and Higgs sat down on his bed as if he had long dreamed of doing so. His expression relaxed, and he looked at Sam with more confidence now that no one else was around. A repatriate didn't want to burden him yet, so he silently pressed himself against the wall, watching how strange Higgs looked in this room, as if he didn't belong in this world. He noticed how long hair framed his face and how the golden inscriptions on his body glistened in the light. Sam suddenly wanted to dress him, because in their chaotic world, walking around without outer clothing was wrong and even dangerous.

The man went to the terminal to get the porter's clothes. When he returned, he saw Higgs sitting in the same place, motionless, like an obedient child. Sam handed him the uniform:

 "You should get dressed."

Higgs looked at the clothes folded in Sam's hands and slowly took them. He was gradually coming to his senses, but he still seemed distant, as if he were still somewhere else. Without a word, he began to change, and Porter decided to leave him alone, stepping outside the door. What was happening seemed unreal. Higgs was changing in his cabin, and just a few moments ago, Sam had been pondering his feelings for this man like some kind of teenager.

But this was not a sign of immaturity. On the contrary, this was maturity. Not running away from his own thoughts, not drowning them out with his usual silence, but accepting them as they were. Realizing how far he had come, seeing not only the pain, but also the trust they had earned together. Sam understood that you can't get attached to emptiness. And what he felt for Higgs didn't come out of nowhere.

They had been through too much together to dismiss it all as habit or coincidence. Anyone else in his place would have given up or betrayed him long ago, but Higgs had stayed by his side. Strangely enough, there was sincerity in this. Sam couldn't call it a frivolous emotion; his feelings were too heavy for that. He knew the price of loneliness, loss, and betrayal of trust. And yet, despite the burden of the past, he decided to admit that Higgs was dear to him. This admission did not make him weaker; on the contrary, it showed that he had grown up. He could look at the man who was once his enemy and see not only the mistakes of the past, but also who he had become alongside him.

Sam stood at the door for a while, thinking about his admission to himself. But the clearer his own feelings became, the more pressing the question became: what about the other side? What did Peter feel inside Higgs? Suddenly, it seemed like a twisted addiction, another battle with his loneliness. Sam didn't know, and it was this uncertainty that troubled him most. He looked up at the ceiling and exhaled. At that moment, Higgs finished getting dressed in Sam's cabin, also reflecting:

«He did it for me. Not for the mission. For me.»

He had long since admitted to himself that he needed Sam more than air. This thought burned him more than any despair, it was unbearable and beautiful at the same time. Because it hid what Higgs feared most – hope. He suddenly realized that if Sam had come, it meant he had seen something in him. Sam had made a choice, and that was worth something, and he needed him...

Porter became his support, the center of everything human. They both approached this line, standing on opposite sides of the door. When Sam stopped hearing sounds in the cabin, he decided to enter. At that moment, their eyes met. Neither dared to break the silence, this moment seemed too fragile. Everything Sam had thought up in his head dissolved the moment he met Higgs's eyes.

"You really came," he said hoarsely, "after everything..."

And in those grateful words there was more than just surprise. Sam seemed to be weighing his words, and Higgs caught that look, and something in his chest tightened so much that he wanted to turn away. But he didn't. The silence stretched out, as if time itself had decided to stop and see what would happen next.

Sam took a step closer, still saying nothing, and closed the door behind him. He had never been a master of words, and now they seemed unnecessary. Higgs narrowed his eyes slightly, and the corners of his lips twitched, giving a slight chuckle. It was probably how he used to laugh in another life, in that distant world where he could call himself Peter without shame.

"Y’know, outta all the messed-up ways to say someone actually matters to ya… this one’s gotta be the freakin’ weirdest," Higgs suddenly remarked, causing Sam to feel awkwardly confused. His tone was smug, but the edge in his voice gave him away, he was just trying real hard to hide what he really felt.

"You always had a talent for makin’ things harder than they need to be," Sam finally replied, smiling slightly and looking at him with «you son of a bitch» look, without a hint of malice.

"You're so stubborn, Sammy," Higgs muttered, no tease in his voice this time, and then did what he had always put off. Without warning, he leaned closer, not touching his lips, but close enough for his breath to touch Sam's ear. This move was too bold, too personal.

"Just tell me it was worth it… once..." he whispered, and it wasn’t arrogance anymore, just something almost like a plea.

Sam froze, his body reacting faster than his mind, everything inside him tightening with awkwardness, but there was something attractive about this strange pressure, something he feared and waited for. And he didn't pull away. Higgs paused for another moment, then stepped back, smiling his usual smirk, but it was trembling. Their eyes met, and there was more in that look than words could express. And Sam tried with all his might not to kiss this bastard.

Chapter Text

They met with Fragile, who had returned from the rest, and then sat down together at a table in a small buffet on board the Magellan. Higgs didn't know what the conversation would be about and expected something formal: new terms, agreements. Sam sat quietly to one side, leaving space between them. The woman sat up straight, nervously fingering her mug. Finally, she looked up and spoke:

"All this time, I've been angry at my mother," her voice was dry as sand, "for abandoning me. For choosing... someone else. But just recently, I learned the truth."

Higgs didn't understand why she was telling him this. How could it be related to him? He continued to listen, never taking his eyes off hers. He had once considered them beautiful, but now he saw only pride, hardened by time and the trials of fate. Fragile continued:

"Her new name was Coffin," she said and Higgs gasped, memories flooding back. "But to me, she's just Mom. She left me when I was twelve... and walked away. But she didn't go to another family, she went to fight for her truth, for the lives of others. Not to a warm house full of love, but to cold walls, to the smell of gunpowder.

All Higgs wanted to do now was jump up and declare that this was nonsense. Fragile couldn't be the daughter Coffin had told him about, but... deep down, he knew it couldn't be untrue. The woman had called her daughter precious but very fragile, and that was so like Fragile, who considered herself not «that» fragile.

"She found you, you were very young, you helped her, saved children, you were like a son to her... Before she died, she left a will, and your name was in it, Peter. She said we can lead the way, make a better world together. And that you should take care of me, her daughter."

After these words, Fragile's voice broke, and a single tear ran down her cheek. She had already cried out her grief, but she couldn't hold back her emotions as she remembered her mother and her initial reaction of denial. Higgs froze, his fingers slowly clenching into a fist, as if he were holding an invisible rope in his hand. These words seemed to break the man from within. He threw his head back and closed his eyes tightly, as if he wanted to hide from this revelation. Then he looked at Fragile, at this woman whose hatred had long since cooled.

"Son, you say?" he breathed nervously, his words sounding uncertain, his voice trembling.

Fragile nodded quietly. This moment was more precious than any truce. Coffin's story, her departure, her sacrifice, the kid she took under her wing... and that name – Peter. A name hidden in the past. Higgs felt like he wasn't a stranger.

The air between them became too thick. The long-haired man sat motionless, as if any movement would destroy the fragile balance. Coffin's last request «to take care of her daughter» haunted him. He rose uncertainly from his chair and slowly approached Fragile. She looked up warily, and Higgs, standing over her, realized that words were powerless now.

He reached out and hugged her awkwardly, childishly clumsy. Fragile did not respond, but she did not pull away. He wanted to ask for forgiveness, to say that he had let down Coffin, who was dear to him. But he understood that there were things that could not be washed away with excuses or remorse. And so he decided that presence was more important than words. If he couldn't protect her and had betrayed her despicably, then at least now he would be there for her.

And Sam, watching this silence, understood that an invisible chain had finally closed between them. It was a bond that was now worth the three of them fighting for. Fragile no longer doubted who she saw before her. A boy thrown into a cruel world, deceived by the Extinction Entity, and knowing only the language of cruelty. He didn't know how to do the right thing because he didn't understand where he was going wrong. But now he was trying so hard to be himself, not the role he was used to playing. He was just Peter. Fragile would not forgive Higgs, but she was willing to give Peter a chance.

After a while, Higgs slowly let her go. There was no condemnation in the woman's gaze, she just sat there, looking a little worried. He looked at Sam, as if asking, "Am I really with you now?"

"We need to restore the destroyed terminal and complete Australia's chiral network," Fragile said suddenly, lighting a cigarette to calm herself.

Sam got up and walked over to Higgs, touching his shoulder lightly. It was a simple gesture of support.

"We’ll wrap this up first, then get the rest of the world online. Still got a hell of a lot to do. Come on, I’ll show you your room."

Fragile watched the men leave, feeling a bitter aftertaste from the conversation. Higgs approached the room Sam had led him to and couldn't believe it was really his. Hadn't he been assigned another storage room? Wasn't this a hard cot in a terrorist camp? Wasn't this the cold concrete of his native shelter? It was so cozy that he couldn't believe it... He ran his hand along the wall, as if checking if it was real, if the Beach wasn't fooling him. When the door closed softly behind him, a warm feeling ran through his chest... for the first time, he had a place where no one could demand his strength, lock him up as punishment, or kick him out for being useless.

No, the cabin didn't feel like home, it wasn't perfect, but Higgs was satisfied with it anyway. It was warm enough here to believe that he was no longer a object, not a tool, but a person. And in the next cabin, he could hear Sam snoring, if he was lucky... Wasn't that great luck? A small, ridiculous dream, but his own. Porter, seeing the joy on his partner's face, smiled a little himself, and then remembered something...

"I think we left your guitar on the Beach..."

He had completely forgotten to pick it up. And Higgs couldn't help but laugh at how seriously Sam was talking about such a trifle! What the hell was a guitar when he was finally free?

"I'll make a new one, and this one can wait for me. We'll meet again someday," he said, and then gave Sam a thumbs up. It was a silly gesture, but it suited him.

They had a lot ahead of them: not only expanding Chiral Network around the world, but also continuing to discover new sides of themselves. And they both knew that the rough kiss that followed the stupid gesture was definitely not out of hatred, even if he painfully pinned Higgs against the wall, squeezing his damn arms over his head.  And he just liked how tough his Sam could be with him. How free he felt, dominating the one he had not so long ago considered his enemy. And in this struggle, Peter didn't feel like a loser for the first time. He could be himself.

«My name is Peter, and my whole life has gone wrong. But this is only the beginning of my story»