Absolute 2 Eva walked.
Her boots crunched against the ash and broken stone, each step heavier than the last. She didn't know where she was going. Didn't know if she should even go there.
Lily's grave. It was close to the facility—close enough that she could reach it in a few hours if she walked fast. But the people there would see her. Her mask. Her uniform. The symbol of everything they hated.
They would be scared. They might attack.
And her clone was there. The other Eva. The one who had lived the life she'd only dreamed of—saving people, being loved, being good.
No, she thought. Not a clone. She's me. The version I keep hidden under the mask.
Surely she would understand. They had been okay with each other before. They had talked. They had—
A hand grabbed hers.
Absolute 2 Eva spun around, her body tensing, her hand already raised—
A09 stood behind her. Her mask was still on, her hood still up, but her posture was soft. She let go quickly, stepping back.
"What do you want?"
A09 opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
"I never showed you what I look like, did I?"
Absolute 2 Eva's jaw tightened. "I don't care what you look like."
She lied. She was curious. She had been curious for years.
A09 looked down. "Oh." Her voice was small. "Okay."
Absolute 2 Eva stood there, hesitating. The silence stretched between them, thin and fragile.
"On second thought," she said, not looking at A09, "I do."
A09's head snapped up. Her mask couldn't hide the surprise in her eyes. Slowly, carefully, she reached up and removed her mask.
Her hood fell back.
Silver-white hair spilled over her shoulders, catching the grey light, almost glowing. Her face was young—younger than Absolute 2 Eva had expected—with high cheekbones and soft lips and eyes the color of storm clouds.
Behind her mask, Absolute 2 Eva's eyes widened.
She was beautiful.
"So." Sasha's voice was quiet, almost shy. "Yeah." A small smile tugged at her lips. "My name is Sasha Bron."
"Beautiful," Absolute 2 Eva muttered.
Sasha's smile widened. "What?"
"Nothing."
"I heard you."
"You heard nothing."
Sasha laughed. It was a soft sound, warm, nothing like the cold voice she used when she was A09.
Absolute 2 Eva turned away, her face hot under her mask. "So. Where are you going?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"I guess..." Sasha looked down at her hands. "I have no one to be with. And I don't want to be alone. So I'll go with you. Wherever you're going."
Absolute 2 Eva stared at her. "What about Absolute 5?"
"I did everything I was supposed to do for him." Sasha's voice was firm. "He said I'm free now. From the burdens. From the mask." She paused. "And I don't want to be alone anymore."
Absolute 2 Eva was silent for a long moment. Then: "Okay. I guess. Come on, then."
She took a step.
She felt him before she saw him. A presence. Heavy and tired and burning.
Wolfen walked toward them, his head down, his hands in his pockets, his eyes fixed on the ground. He didn't look up. Didn't acknowledge them. He walked into a tree.
Bumped into it. Stepped back. Kept walking.
Absolute 2 Eva crossed her arms. "Why are you following me? Go away."
Wolfen looked up. Four seconds late. His golden eyes were distant, unfocused, like he was looking at something far away that no one else could see.
"Why would I follow you?" His voice was flat. "I'm going back."
"Where?" Sasha asked.
Wolfen stopped walking. Looked at Absolute 2 Eva. Really looked.
"If you want to visit Lily's grave," he said, "I can take you there. You know."
Absolute 2 Eva said nothing. Her chest felt tight.
"Yeah," Sasha said for her. "Let's go."
They walked in silence.
Wolfen kept bumping into trees. Not once. Not twice. Three times. He tripped over rocks, stumbled over roots, walked into low-hanging branches and didn't seem to notice.
Sasha watched him for a while. Then: "What are you thinking about?"
Wolfen didn't answer. He walked into another tree.
He grabbed it. Both hands. His fingers sank into the bark. Fire erupted around his palms, crawling up the trunk, licking at the branches. The tree burned.
He stood there, eyes closed, the flames reflecting off his face.
Sasha glanced at Absolute 2 Eva. Absolute 2 Eva glanced back.
Neither of them spoke.
Wolfen opened his eyes. Let go of the tree. The fire died.
"Okay," he said. "Let's go."
He walked on. Sasha and Absolute 2 Eva followed, leaving the burned tree behind, watching him bump into the next one.