Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“So does he have to listen to you droning on inside his head all the time?”

The fire from their makeshift camp casted dancing shadows against the yellowed walls. They were tucked away inside the third floor of some abandoned building, the window facing the starless night sky. Two moons peeked out against the vast expanse of darkness, but the light pollution from the city below diluted any other traces of celestial bodies.

“Pfft, of course not. Or else he wouldn’t have to make so many bad decisions.” The voice that responded was snarky, but carries a playful tone.

“Wow, lucky him.”

The voice in his head let out a small tch, and despite not seeing the other’s face, Sai could feel that he had rolled his eyes.

Ever since he inherited part of the elementals’ power, Sai had to deal with an extra consciousness in his head. Which he had found initially odd, because their original owner doesn’t seem to be bothered or even acknowledged these voices. Either they were really quiet in his head, or he had been repressing them. Which would be impressive considering the fact that he used to have seven.

It has only been a few days since Ochobot had given him and his sister the fire and lightning elemental. They were still getting used to the sensation, the feeling of something coursing through their veins. His sister had fared really well, since she had seemed to get the quieter one. Meanwhile, he was stuck with the one who would constantly give unsolicited comments along their journey like a built-in yapper machine.

Thankfully, the new guest doesn’t seem to be fully able to read his mind, or else he would definitely reprimand him for that thought.

“...I wouldn’t say he’s all that lucky.” The voice spoke up again after a short moment of silence. No doubt he was about to give a quick retort to the last comment before deciding not to.

“Well, he doesn’t seem to suffer from having a disembodied voice, or voices, every waking hour.” He rearranged the sticks poking out from the small fire, its chemical compound creating a steady blue flame. It was different from the fires he could summon, giving it a more subtle glow against the white moonlight.

“That’s because there were too many of us.” The voice replied. “A single body does not have the mental capacity to handle more than two consciousness at once, so we were muted. Suppressed, even.”

“Huh, didn’t expect you to know such big words.”

“You watch your mouth. I can cook you from the inside out.”

They both know that wasn’t true, as the elementals have limited control over their hosts in this state. But there are still things he does not know about them, such as how they even work in the first place.

He didn’t initially agree with this arrangement, as the whole reason they defected from TAPOPS was so that the powers would not be freely used by others. Ever since he and Shielda found out about the suppression mode they implemented in some power spheres to reign them into submission, he had believed that they should not ever use such unfathomable power for their personal gains. Especially without the consent of those involved.

But Ochobot had insisted that the elementals had wished to work with them, this time by their own wishes. He does not ask about how it happened with Boboiboy, and whether they had a choice then, but he’d rather keep that question for another day.

It seemed that his companion could feel his curiosity, as he could feel the elemental sighed in contemplation.

“We couldn’t communicate with him directly, and even in his split forms, we merely influenced his active emotions. His actions were all him.”

“Fair enough. There’s definitely at least one of you with some common sense.”

“Right? I mean what was he thinking-”

“I didn’t mean you though.”

He stuck out his tongue at nobody in particular, but knows that the elemental could sense it. “You little- when I get outta here, I’m actually gonna throw you into a volcano for real!”

This was the version Sai had first met, contrary to the seriousness of when they have to address their current situation. He quite preferred it that way.

Most people would assume that Sai was not one to joke around, and he would have agreed with them then, but ever since they left the military he found no use in keeping up appearances. He wanted people to take him seriously, to be seen as someone dependable; but it was no longer necessary now. 

With no title to his name and no badge to gain, he might as well drop the act. The absence of their position made him realise how tiring it was to pretend he was some stone-faced warrior, and despite having to be on the run, he can’t help but feel relieved.

Looking at his sister, asleep on the other side of the room with an also dozing Ochobot in her arms, he wondered if she had also felt the same. Shielda had been more talkative as well lately, evident by how she was able to bond with the robot in her arms so quickly compared to how she was at TAPOPS.

His emotions must have been flooding out into the night, as the fire in front of him seemed to dim and fizzle. He hadn’t realised how quiet the voice had been, as if it had also been listening to his thoughts. He hoped that was not really the case; he wasn’t ready to be all that vulnerable to someone else yet.

“You feel… cold.”

“If you’re talking about the temperature, then yes I am. I think we need more fuel.”

“No, the fire is responding to you, since you… we are in its vicinity.”

Sai scratched the side of his head in frustration. He doesn’t know how exactly to stop feeling something, since he tends to merely suppress it. It usually doesn’t affect anything, but with the cold wind blowing through the broken window and the fire getting smaller, he can feel his body starting to shiver.

He tried to re-ignite the fire, but it only sparked slightly before settling on a constant, azure-blue glow.

“Can’t you do something about it?” He inquired the voice.

“I already told you, I can’t control how it works. You either get your head out of that gutter or suffer in the cold.”

“And here I thought you’re all-powerful. How omnipotent of you, Calcifer.”

“Just who the heck is Calcifer?!”

Truthfully, Sai doesn’t actually know either. He merely had overheard Fang calling Boboiboy that name during one of their missions, and when he asked about it, the red-eyed alien merely responded with ‘he’s a powerful fire demon who got reduced to a fireplace’. He doesn’t really get it, but it seemed to elicit a similar response from Boboiboy as he shouted out ‘Don’t call me that!’. Granted, he was in his fire form at the time, so it makes sense for the elemental to remember too. Although just like Sai, the context leaves a lot to be understood.

It seemed effective in riling him up though, as he followed up with “At least I don’t wallow in my misery instead of doing the fandango like Mr. Scaramouche here!”

“Now what does that even mean?!”

“I don’t know either but it sounds insulting!”

In the midst of their argument, they haven’t noticed the fire increasing in size, this time the flames being halfway to the ceiling. Shielda awoke in the commotion, only to be met with her brother arguing with the wall. In most situations, most people would call him crazy, but she knew better.

Ochobot doesn’t seem to be roused by the noise, his small metallic body emitting a soft purr, but as her own consciousness slipped back into reality, so does the adjacent voice in her head similar to her brother’s starting to resurface.

“Now what is it this time?”

A deep and alluring voice flowed through her senses, and she could feel a tingle in the air. 

“Who knows. I’m sorta curious though.” Shielda yawned, as she carefully maneuvered her position so as to not wake up the power sphere in her arms.

She sat up and stretched her arms, the blue fire becoming violent as the fight in front of her got more animated.

“Let’s see how you feel when I’ll hurl myself into the ocean! You’ll be begging me to get out because I can stay in there for hours!”

“Oi, you can’t even hold your breath for 5 minutes.” Shielda shouted out, which prompted her brother to turn around in shock, his hand extended in a combat-ready position. “You’re lucky this building is empty, you know.” she continued, slightly amused.

“Shielda! My god, I thought that was someone else… sorry for waking you up.” he exhaled, before giving a curt “Shut up,” which was obviously directed to whatever comment he had received in his head.

She scooted over to the fire, where her brother then joined her. Now re-ignited, it has a greenish-blue colour that complements the yellow walls.

“You’re not tired?” She asked, noting how her brother seemed a little more uptight than before.

“Can’t fall asleep.” He merely responded.

“Is… he bothering you again?”

Sai heard the fire elemental scoffed. “It wasn’t him. Although he’s making it harder.”

He ignored the angry “Hey!” echoing in his mind. “Did you get a good sleep?”

“Mm, as good as we can get.” 

“Your sleeping cycles got shorter,” The voice prompted, and Shielda sighed.

“What is it, Ida?”

“Um… Hali told me my sleep cycles are irregular. Must’ve been the anxiety.”

“I’d reckon sleeping on the floor doesn’t actually help either,” Her brother responded.

“I told you, the forest has better options. The grass there is thick enough to be a mattress.” 

“Absolutely not. They have carnivorous plants there.”

Shielda rolled her eyes. “They’re not even that common, you’re just scared about that one time one of them nibbed your toe.”

“That’s not true!”

“That’s definitely true.”

“You shut up!”

The exchange made the young lady laugh. “Man, I wish I could hear what he’s saying.”

“What, so you both can gang up on me?”

“Yeah.”

“Yes.”

“I hate both of you.” He hid his face in his hands.

“I’m just kidding.” Shielda shifted her position so that she sat next to her brother, then leaned on him. With her back against his shoulder, he rested his head on hers.

They stayed like that in silence, before Sai voiced out, “Are we doing the right thing?”

“You’ve asked that before, and I still don’t have any new answers for you.”

“Yeah, but that was before we had… all this.” She knew exactly what he meant. The elementals.

“You want to rope them in this conversation?”

“Not like we had a choice.”

The voices had been quiet throughout, but upon realising they’ve been mentioned, Halilintar coughed. “If you’ll allow me,”

“You told me that you chose us for our intentions. Was it not the same with Boboiboy?” Shielda started.

“More or less. But our former host… has other plans. And given his circumstances, it makes sense he would want to give us away.”

Shielda relayed the response to Sai, before following up with, “Your turn.”

“Okay,” Sai rubbed his neck. “Well… I’m gonna go for it straight. Are we really doing the right thing?”

It took the fire elemental a few seconds to reply. “I can’t say a definitive answer. But, compared to staying there carrying out their dirty tasks, I think it’s good you left.”

“Dirty tasks, huh.”

“Too honest? What about this: they’re gonna keep using the power spheres as long as people condone their actions. You opposing them has caused a ripple that will no doubt shake the core of their operations.”

“Okay, stop, you sound scarier that way.”

After telling Shielda, she shrugged. “I guess he’s right. Staying isn’t so beneficial anyway.”

“But what are the ‘circumstances’ you spoke of? He didn’t give all of you away, right?” Shielda inquired again.

This time, neither of the elementals seemed eager to respond. The twins glanced at each other, seemingly realizing their silence.

“He kept the most dangerous of us,” Shielda then heard the voice say, although it seemed hesitant.

“He can’t risk giving away everyone,” was the other’s response in Sai’s head.

“Solar?” They both simultaneously muttered.

“I guess that makes sense. He told us he can’t let the others know his location. He knew we were leaving, so entrusting you to us was a sort of failsafe.” Sai deduced.

They both knew why Fang and the others weren’t with them. It was complicated for Fang, as his and his brother’s connection to Maskmana meant he was bound to TAPOPS. Giving the powers to him would be risky. As for the others… The twins were not sure why Boboiboy had left them out of it. Or rather, where they even are now.

Shielda was now sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with her brother, watching over the sleeping Ochobot. “It felt weird though. He had these powers for so long,”

“And that was why he knew when to let us go.” She heard Halilintar stutter a bit, as if reluctant to tell her something.

It seemed that Sai had gotten a similar response, as he directly asks: “It was planned all along, wasn’t it? You being with him?”

Shielda caught on the fact as the gears in her head began turning. If Boboiboy having these powers were not a mere coincidence, then it makes his motives more clearer. They didn’t want the powers being used freely, and if he had realised someone had pulled on the strings to make him inherit the elementals, then it goes against all their beliefs.

Him giving it away to the twins, who upon realising that fact also chose to leave, means that he wanted the powers to be in good hands. Hands that won’t decide the fates of others without their knowledge.

The elementals specifically asked for them, in their own words. And knowing their former host, it was the best possible outcome.

“That’s a good enough answer, I guess.” Sai resigned. “Until we get some news for him, we just have to stall their plans, right?”

“Right, until we can figure out how to stop them once and for all.”

“That’s a big goal right there. What about ‘until the power spheres gained some liberty of their own?’”

“That’s also pretty generic.” Shielda lightly tap his shoulder. “Well, the night is still long. Let’s get some sleep before we gotta move again.”

“You go ahead, I’ll keep us warm.” He watched his sister move back to her previous spot, right next to Ochobot. There are still things he wished to ask the elementals, but it was better to keep it for another day. He doesn’t want to have too much overloaded information. Speaking of which…

“I’ve been meaning to ask.” He spoke quietly so as to not let his sister hear, “What should I call you, actually? I mean, Shielda called hers by the same name Boboiboy referred them to, should I do the same?”

The uncharacteristically solemn elemental seemed to ponder over it. “I don’t have a preference. But if you want… you can call me with what sounds familiar.”

What sounds familiar… “Api it is.”

The fire in front of them seemed to spark gently. “Hm, I like that.”

Chapter Text

The twins trudged through the snowy plains, heading towards the grey monument in the distance. They needed to find a spaceship to board, to get away from the planet. What they thought was a safe haven from TAPOPS turns out to be a sham.

They didn’t expect the planet to be one of the military’s target surveillance areas. Somehow, someone seemed to have found them, and relayed their coordinates to the nearest station.

The spaceship they had come in from was an interplanetary public transportation, but they were too far away from any city to board another. Plus, their pursuers had stationed soldiers at the nearest cities, and there were no doubt inspections being made. Sai should have known that finding a place to hide wouldn’t be so easy.

Fortunately, they both learnt to regulate their body temperatures with their new powers, making them a little more resilient in the cold. When he turned around to check on Shielda, her bright red eyes seemed to pierce through the storm. They had a rope between them, in case they got separated.

“You’re doing well back there?”

Shielda pushed away the fabric of her scarf that occasionally slaps her face. “Apart from having to constantly eat a bunch of snow, I’m doing fine.”

The ice beneath them was rough, although it doesn’t stop them from occasionally slipping. They could have used their speed to breeze through the plains, if it wasn’t for the fact that the elements were not in their favour.

Shielda could probably make it on her own, but she wouldn’t have the energy to carry all of them across if they wished to still stay on their feet by the end of it. 

Sai wondered if having the ice elemental would be useful in these types of situations, then debated against it. Api had told him how unsustainable it would be to have more than one, and frankly, he was too used to the voice in his head to have it suddenly muted.

“I don’t know what you’re exactly thinking, but if it had something to do with borrowing Ice’s powers, you’re welcome to try.” Case in point.

“Sheesh, you said you can’t read my mind, but I’m starting to doubt that,” Sai huffed. Although, it was kind of nice to have his thoughts verbalised. In a way.

“I can’t, I can only sense your emotions. Honestly, if you were angry enough, you could melt off the snow around us to walk properly.”

“Eh, I’ll pass. By the time we reach there, I won’t have the strength to even stand. We need all the energy to sneak inside one of those cargo ships.”

“Besides, it’s better to limit the use. Didn’t you say so yourself?”

Ochobot seemed to catch onto what he meant, as the robot was strapped against his back. “Are you thinking of parting the snow with the ice elemental?” He chimed in.

Shielda overheard the conversation, and tried to move closer to them. “Wouldn’t that be too much work? I mean, we’re already trying to keep warm constantly.”

“No need for that. We’re getting close.” Sai could see the towering buildings now filling his vision. Frankly, he also would rather not be too dependent on the powers. It could make them too inexperienced once there comes a time they have to part with them. The storm wasn’t that bad, and god knows they’ve been through worse with nothing but the clothes on their bodies.

Their feet had finally stepped onto a metallic road, an entrance to the port. The road signs plated in steel showcased the directions of the nearest establishments.

“See? We’re not that far off-”

A loud bang reverberated through the ground, coming from the direction of the port.

“What was that?” Shielda quickly positioned herself, her hands curled up in fists.

“There’s a strong disturbance up ahead. Firearms.” Halilintar spoke up, and it seemed that Api had thought the same as the twins spared careful glances at each other.

They crawled towards the nearest structure, a large mechanic tower which seemed to pump out steam. The port was an industrial center for the nearest city, and the buildings were made out of steel and stone. Constant sounds of machinery filled the air, with occasional chatter on the streets.

The inhabitants were mostly workers and wandering travellers, making the place a sort of resting port. Today, however, the tranquility of the place was disturbed by a commotion.

Armed personnels were engaged in a sort of stand-off, seemingly an argument gone wrong. Sai peeked out behind the structure to see them throwing insults at each other, in a language he was not familiar with. Thankfully, it wasn’t TAPOPS.

Sai gave off a sigh of relief. “Just a local scuffle.” He voiced out to his companions. 

“It’s still too risky to get through them. We should just sneak around.” Ochobot muttered.

They carefully walked behind buildings and shops, keeping an eye on the chaos. Although a crowd of both locals and foreigners had gathered, they could not be sure whether there wasn’t a TAPOPS spy among them.

“The ship’s port should be nearby-” Shielda had spoken to her brother before she hit something large. Her body fell on the snow as they both looked up to be greeted by someone almost twice as tall as them, with large yellow tusks protruding from their mouth. They seemed to wear a grim expression which made the twins’ senses sharpened, but the confrontation they expected never came as the person ended up putting a finger over their mouth, signalling ‘quiet’.

They whisper something in the local tongue, which made the twins cocked their heads in confusion. They then seemed to ask them a question, which Sai answered with “Uhh… what?”

Seemingly noticing the language barrier, the person sighed with their hand on their forehead, before a meek voice came out from behind Sai.

“She’s asking whether you’re hiding from the local gang.”

“Ochobot, you can speak with them?” Shielda asked.

“Of course, my language processor contains multiple common languages across galaxies.” Ochobot freed himself from the bag Sai carries, and situated his body between the twins and the new company, who seemed intrigued by the small robot. Ochobot displayed a screen which appeared to be containing words in the local tongue.

She looked satisfied with the answer, before seemingly gesturing them towards somewhere.

“She’s inviting us to shelter,” Ochobot looked back at his companions.

“Shelter? But we’re leaving,” Sai prompted.

“Uh, I think it’s best we gather information about the current situation first.” Shielda then said, picking herself up from the ground. “Maybe the fight had something to do with our way out.”

Ochobot nodded. “The port is closed for now due to internal issues. We won’t be able to board anytime soon.”

“Fine. I guess we can stay one more night.” Sai relented.

“But if we see any other TAPOPS member, we’re bolting out one way or another.” Api spat out.

“Easier said than done. I’m not trudging through another wasteland again.” Sai muttered as he follows Shielda and Ochobot towards a closed-off alley.

“Like you said, you’re not up for anything energy-consuming. We… you can’t afford a fight.”

“Didn’t expect you to turn down a challenge. Is that concern I hear?”

“Don’t get too over your head. If you go down, I go down too, and so will our friends. I may be dense sometimes, but I’m not dumb. I know when to pull back.” The elemental snapped back.

“Our past experiences seemed to suggest otherwise.” Sai thought back about their first meeting, if you can technically call it that. Granted, he wasn’t much different back then too.

“I told you, I didn't have much control back then. Couldn’t say the same to you, though.”

“Fair enough.” Sai coughed. He couldn’t deny his recklessness, but he also couldn’t deny that their fight was exhilarating. Part of him wondered if they could have another spar like that in the future.

Being with this version of Api was…quite odd, to say the least. He was not as rambunctious, yet still had that fiery edge. His impulsivity, although present, seemed more situational, where he seemed to have it more under control when lives were on the line.

Although Sai once admired that daredevil streak, he too had grown over the years. Now with their freedom and dignity threatened, he learnt that pulling back was sometimes necessary, as only an idiot would take on something they can’t finish.

He wondered whether Api had always been this way, or if he was influenced by the body he inhabits.

“-then maybe we could– hey, are you listening?” His sister snapped her fingers in front of him, prompting him to snap back to reality and realizing they were deep inside some sort of market.

“Hm? Oh, are we here already?”

“Shielda was wondering if we should have a change of plans.” Ochobot hovered next to him.

“Are we not staying the night?” Sai asked, as they were led into the door of a large inn.

“No, not that. I mean the plan.” Shielda emphasized, lowering her voice.

Right, the main reason we’re doing this, Sai had thought. “Why? I thought everything was going well. I mean, putting aside TAPOPS pursuing us, if that’s what you mean,”

“That’s not it, it’s just… it’s going a little too slow. I know we’re told to stay low for a while, but isn’t there anything else we can do?”

The initial plan was that they had to bring Ochobot as far away from TAPOPS’ forces as they could, while trying to see if they could reach other power spheres before them. In the meantime, Boboiboy was supposed to send them a signal for their next move.

Sai pondered over the plan. Although it would largely impact TAPOPS’ plans by hiding Ochobot and the elementals, they have been going at a passive pace.

“What do you suggest we do?”

They were then called upon by their guide, who gestured for them to step inside the inn. The warmth became enticing to Sai, probably due to Api sensing a source of fire inside. He hadn’t realised how cold they had been, until they sat themselves down next to the counter where a fireplace flickered steadily.

“I was thinking,” Shielda continued, “That we could actively sabotage them.”

“That’s too risky.” Sai shook his head. “We could get caught.”

“Well, what does Api say?”

“Intriguing.” Upon hearing his name, he immediately piped up. “We could save Boboiboy some time by diverting their attention from him. Tell her I’m in.”

“What? No wait, let’s think this over first,” Sai cuts him off.

“Looks like we’re both on the same page.” Shielda crossed her arms smugly.

“Okay, there’s no way Halilintar agreed to this too.” Sai decided to bring in her own partner.

“Uh, well,” Shielda scratched her cheek.

“-I already told you, that’s off the table. I am NOT in favour.”  Halilintar droned on. They’ve been trying to talk sense into Shielda since the start of the conversation, which she had chosen to ignore.

“...looks like the results are a tie.” She finally gave in, much to Halilintar’s satisfaction.

“That means…” The twins then both turned to Ochobot, who had stayed quiet throughout the whole ordeal.

“H-huh?” Ochobot looked between the two of them. “Is it really up to me?”

“Well, unless we could include the other elementals into this, then yeah.” Sai shrugged.

“Although I can’t directly communicate with them unlike the both of you, I get the feeling they all chose to opt out of this…” Ochobot sighed. His constitution made it so that his consciousness could not be linked to the elementals, although their feelings could be relayed through his circuits. That was how he knew they had wanted to go with the twins back then, but at this time, the remaining powers inside of him decided to stay passive.

Before the power sphere could give his answer, the door creaked open. “Shit,” the twins then dived behind the counter next to them, and before Ochobot could turn around, he was also dragged down by Shielda’s hand grabbing his body.

“What? What is it?” Ochobot muttered, as the twins stayed still with their back to a stove. “Shh,” Shielda prompted. “I think they finally tracked us down.”

If it wasn’t for the elemental’s powers, they might not have made it in time to hide. Their speed had given them the advantage to avoid the gazes of their pursuers, one of which was someone they knew very well.

“What is he doing here?!” Sai whispered.

“I don’t know, I thought he was supposed to be on the other side of the planetary system!” Shielda replied back, which made Ochobot more curious.

“Who? Who did you see?” he stuttered.

They both slowly peeked over the counter, where the newcomers seemed to linger around the entrance, with one of them sporting a very familiar spiky hair.

“It’s Fang.” Sai finally said.

Technically speaking, Fang was not entirely against their plan, but he was not exactly keen on it either. Now that they’ve become fugitives, while Fang was still sporting his badge, they could not predict his stance on the matter. He wasn’t there when they left, as it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Had he been there, they might be able to negotiate somehow.

A grunt on their right made them turn to face the person manning the counter, which turned out to be their previous guide, although ‘host’ would suit her more now. She raised her eyebrow in curiosity as to what they’re doing behind the counter.

“Uhh, Ochobot…”

“I got this.” Ochobot then engaged in a sort of conversation with the host, while Sai took another peek at the door. Fang and the soldiers he came in with seemed to be observing the inn, his face unreadable.

“Guys,” Ochobot tried to keep his voice down, “I mentioned us noticing a weird noise with the stove, and she said it has been down for some time.”

“Oh, tell her we know how to fix it!” Shielda quickly said, “We need a reason to stay here for a while.”

Ochobot relayed the information, and the host seemed happy to comply. She expressed a joyful noise as Ochobot seemed to relax a bit.

“Congratulations, we just earned ourselves a free room for the night.” The robot stated.

“That means we do need to get to work. Fortunately I know how to handle a bit of machinery.” Shielda sighed. “Halilintar, a little help?”

Sai continued scouting the area, where Fang had chosen to finally approach the counter. He put his head down, “He’s coming over here.”

“Dammit, uhh… You hide with Ochobot next to the stove. I can pretend to be a maintenance guy.” Shielda pulled a part of her scarf to cover half of her face.

“But what if he saw you?” Sai whispered, as he tried to squeeze himself next to the vacant spot next to the stove. “Don’t worry, we made a deal with the owner. In their customs, you can’t bring trouble to people they promised to give sanctuary to. If they try anything, they’ll have to deal with the host, which can give us time to escape.” Ochobot explained.

“The rule of hospitality, huh…” Sai heard Api mutter. “I guess it was a good idea to actually stay here for a while.”

Sai listened closely as footsteps approached the counter. He heard someone say something in the local tongue, which the host responded enthusiastically.

“He’s asking her about the commotion earlier.” Ochobot translated.

They then heard Fang voice out, “Ask her if there have been any ships departing lately.”

The host seemed to think deeply before giving her answer.

“The last ship had just departed some time ago, before the port was closed.” Ochobot then paused, “He’s trying to guess if we have already left.”

“Let’s just hope he assumed wrong,” Sai hugged Ochobot tighter against himself, making sure his visage was not seen. After a while, they heard glasses clinked against the stone counter.

“They’re having some drinks,” Shielda muttered. “See if we can gauge some information about their next stop.”

“Are you still thinking of sabotaging them?” Her brother inquired. “We still haven’t decided on that yet, you know.”

Shielda ignored him. After what seemed to be a round of refreshments, they heard one of the soldiers speaking out, “The last ship will be heading to Gur’latan. Should we chart a course there as well, Sir?”

“No need,” The twins’ former team member said in a level tone. “We can contact our personnel there to stand guard. Gur’latan is heavily guarded; they will not easily slip away. We’ll be going the other way instead, as I have proposed.”

“A mission in the Barnard System?” The other soldier asked.

“Yes, power sphere retrieval. One that can create a time pocket.”

Shielda’s hands stopped in the middle of rearranging circuits. She spared a glance at her brother.

“That power sphere could hide something in plain sight.” Halilintar stated. “Although the range is uncertain.”

Shielda carefully thought about it. If she was right, then that person…

“Ida,” her brother finally spoke up. “You’re not thinking of going there, are you?”

She shushed him as Fang spoke again, “It is heavily guarded by a mysterious mechanism. If we can get there before… before that traitor, we can thwart his plans.”

Despite the emphasis, the twins could detect a hint of hesitation in his voice.

“I have deduced that he intends to use that power sphere, so we must act quickly.”

“Sharp as always, Sir.” One of them replied. “Y’know, it was so fortunate you got promoted instead. I’m getting tired of that goody-two-shoes Boboiboy.”

In most other circumstances, Fang would have boasted about his achievements, as he usually does when he finally one-upped Boboiboy. But this time, he stayed quiet, merely finishing the last drop of his drink.

“Report to the Captain of our findings. We’ll pull our forces out of this planet for reinforcements to the Barnard System, and move out on the second sunrise.” He ordered, as they heard his chair creaking across the floor.

“Sir, yes Sir!” The soldiers seemed to march out the door, potentially to find a place to contact their Supervisor. Fang seemed to lag behind them, as he lamented over the situation. He sighed, and the clink of something hitting the counter implied he had left behind the payment for the drinks, before leaving the scene.

His footsteps were slower compared to the soldiers, and once he was out of sight, Sai exhaled. “Fang got promoted, huh.”

“No surprise.” His sister replied. “It was supposed to be Boboiboy’s spot.”

They both knew of the (largely one-sided) rivalry between the two, but this time, they knew how much it wouldn't satisfy Fang. Apart from the fact the promotion was basically a replacement, which rendered it useless to even gloat about, Fang had also just lost someone close to him.

A part of Sai felt regret for not including him in their plan, but they never had the chance to properly talk to him before their escape. And when they asked Ochobot, he seemed to only respond with ‘Boboiboy thinks it’s not the time for him yet’, whatever that means.

“Does he know that they’re after him?” Shielda asked. “He probably doesn’t. We could-”

“It could be a trap.” Sai interrupted. “How would they know where he’s headed? And this ‘mysterious mechanism’... what if they simply wanted to lure him there?”

“Isn’t that all the more reason to go?” Shielda countered. “He would need all the help he could get.”

“If I could say something,” Halilintar said, “there’s a possibility that the power sphere, nor Boboiboy, would even be there.”

“Wait, what do you mean neither of them would be there?” Shielda’s question made her companions lean in closer.

“As far as I know, that power sphere is not on any planetary system. It’s strapped to a moving space entity near the edge of the Andromeda Galaxy. It would be odd for someone to have found it only to put it on some planet.”

“So could it be a trap for us instead?” Sai deduced after hearing his sister’s explanation. He then continued, “No, that wouldn’t make sense either. Even if he knew we’re eavesdropping, it would take too much work to bring an entire squad to another system.”

“Could someone be baiting him instead?” Api proceeded to ask. “Maybe someone made them believe the power sphere is on that planet.”

“...or maybe this is Fang’s way of trying to help us.” Shielda finally concluded. “There’s no way he would believe we had already left judging by our trail, so maybe he’s trying to buy us time.”

“You believe that?”

“I want to.”

Shielda finished up the last of the repairs, then gave the stove a good smack. It whirred steadily as the power lights turned on. “Done. That’s our ticket for a warm bed.”

“So what’s the plan next?” Her brother stood up to stretch his body after being cramped up inside the small space.

“Let’s think it over tomorrow. I’m beat.” Shielda yawned

After notifying the host about their work, she happily treated them to a meal, before showing them to their room. Sai was still thinking of the possibility of Fang being on their side, but knew that all three of them needed the rest after the long day.

Shielda wasted no time after they got into their room to crash on the nearest bed. She sighed into the cinnamon-coloured covers. “Ahh, we haven’t had a soft mattress in years.”

Which was no surprise, Sai thought. The bunks in TAPOPS’ quarters were your standard military-grade bed, its mattress firm and taut. It still beats sleeping on the floor, though.

A small heater whirred quietly between their two beds, and Ochobot decided to curl up in front of it. “Get some rest, guys. We still need to figure out what to do tomorrow.”

The two had fallen asleep almost immediately, and despite feeling worn down from the events, Sai finds that, unsurprisingly, he could not fall asleep. He thought that only getting 4 hours of sleep the night before would grant him immediate fatigue, but try as he might, his eyes stayed locked on the ceiling.

Somehow, Api doesn’t seem to say anything. He might as well try striking up a conversation again.

“Yo, you’re awake up there?” He quietly whispered into the night.

“I’m awake as long as you’re awake.”

Sai pondered over what kind of questions he should ask tonight. He has too many to count, yet he doesn’t want to know all of them at once.

“We don’t have to figure out anything. We can just talk.” Api remarked. 

“You think too much for your own good.”

“Is that really a bad thing?” Sai turned to his side, facing the window. The snowstorm outside blocked the light of the two full moons, but a faint glow managed to make its way into the room.

“Yes,” Api merely stated, “Boboiboy thinks too much too.”

“Is that why he does the things he does?”

“It’s why Solar chose-” There was a sort of noise as Api seemed to recalibrate himself, “No, we’re not having this conversation. You need to relax and stop thinking.”

“What other conversations should we have, then?” Sai pulled the blanket tighter. 

“Just small talk.”

“I don’t know how to do small talk.” Which was essentially true. He used to not have the time to stop and simply talk about something that is not a mission or task.

...I don’t know either.”

The former shield user sighed in defeat. “I guess that’s one thing we have in common.”

“We actually have… a lot in common.”

“Really?”

“For instance, you’re not afraid to fight for what you believe in. Even if you have to walk through fire to prove it,”

Sai chuckled under his breath. “You’re never gonna live that down, are you?”

“Heh, absolutely not. I never thought someone could outdo me in terms of recklessness.”

Sai traced over the shape of the wristband around his hand. Usually, it was a spot dedicated for his communicator back in the army, but it was now replaced with a wristwatch similar to what he saw Boboiboy wear. It was easy to ignore it, and most of the time he even forgot it existed with how easily it hides under his jacket sleeve.

The watch was a manifestation of the power he inherited, and everytime he acknowledged its existence it bears a heavy weight like a sort of cuff chain.

“...you were also someone I looked up to.”

Sai paused his musings. “What?”

The fire elemental coughed. “Well, I couldn’t deny that Boboiboy finds you and Shielda admirable too. You were both far more experienced, and never stopped pushing on.”

“...that’s nice to hear.”

The alien could feel his consciousness drifting as the voice filled his senses with warmth. Contrary to his usual demeanor, Api's voice now was mellow and comforting.

“I thrive on spite and rage, you know. It’s not a quality most people find respectable, or even worth investing in. The existence of me is the existence of calamity. But you… you learned to turn that into a fighting spirit.

It’s… impressive. Not everyone knows how to do that.”

Api noted how quiet the room was despite the chaotic weather. Falling snow and ice pelted the window, yet the sound was muted from how thick the glass was between the outside storm and the inside shelter. Even the whirring of the built-in heater had easily blended into the background.

“That's why… I wanted to work with you.” He finished.

The night descended into silence once more as no reply came from the alien. His breaths were even, and Api could sense his thread of consciousness slipping away. He had finally fallen asleep.

Soon the elemental will be sent into the deepest part of the unconscious, where his senses too will be severed from reality. Unlike with his previous host though, he doesn’t have anyone else to talk to in that state, but he couldn’t fault Sai for not wanting to take on more powers than he already does. It was another reason why Api was so intrigued by him.

“Goodnight, Sai.”