88 reached his hand out, clasping his hand in thin air. His gray eyes slowly opened. They scanned the area around him, not making much movement due to the fact that he felt weak. Not the broken type of weak he was used to but of the exhausted kind. He let his extended arm fall slowly. 88 looked down at the warm heavy feeling holding his shoulder down. A smile fell on his soft face, when he noticed David sleeping on him. The thought crossed his mind that this “David” was the soul of 23. Not the soul of the “David” who he originally was. But 88 wasn’t going to tell him that. David to himself was David, nothing more. The boy sleeping next to him was like a brother, his only link to the real world.

He closed his eyes, trying to find out where he was. He knew he was safe and he was sure if David was here so was his mother. But he was more worried about Will and Clare, after all they are human. Also, what had eluded him was Justice taking his body over for a short moment to kill 00. Had Sarah taken over her own body at that moment, wanting to be free?

88’s frustration was getting to him. All these questions with no clear answers. Is this what it means to be human? If so, then that means he’d better get used to it. 88 pondered on what those “Taxes” Will kept talking about. 88 also liked the idea of politics, considering Will ranted about that too. Then again Will ranted about everything. This was driving him nuts, thinking to himself like this. So 88 spoke.

“Hey, you awake yet? You’re killing my arm.” He spoke rather soft. His mouth was strangely dry. 88 watched as he saw the boy stir. Slowly at first, as if waking from a long dream. Then in one go, the boy was very hyperactive.

“88, you’re awake!” David fell on top of him, giving him a tight hug. 88 took a sharp breath. His ribs still being sore from the battle. 88 pat his back.

“Yeah, yeah, but I won’t be for long if you don’t get off me.” He joked. 

David shot up, but very careful not to make any damage to his friend’s body. He looked at 88, a reassuring smile came. “I’m so glad you’re awake. When we found you, you were a real mess. It took a while for mama to fix you.” 

88 closed his eyes, relaxing in the nice warm bed. It was nice to see out of two eyes again. “I bet it did. How long has it been? Since I’ve been down?” 

David straightened out, and crossed his legs. Resting both hands in his face. “Two weeks almost.” He sang out. David jumped off the bed, running to the door. “I’m going to get mama to look at you real quick. If you feel better, there’s a place I want to show you.”

88 shakily pushed himself up in the bed. His red hair was long enough to drape over his eye’s now. With his less damaged hand, he played with his long bangs. His hair had grown like this before, but not this fast. His body was “human” again, human to an extant. 88 moved his hand away, retracting the blade in his right arm. 88 flinched a bit, pain flared in his arm where the pristine blade came from. Blood was little, but not much. It seemed to him, his hybrid body was adapting itself. A knock on the door made him retract the blade rather quick.

“I’m awake.” He answered.

The door opened. Terri walked in, her graying hair seemed less dominated. In her hand, was a medical kit. Clare followed close behind her. 88 smiled when he saw her, if she was alive, so was Will.

“Good afternoon….88?” Terri questioned, unsure if to call him that or to call him Justice.

“Hello, Terri, Clare. I take it Will is fine since you are here?”

Clare nodded. A smile fell on her face as she rested her hands on her hips.

“It’s nice to see you again. And Will is doing alright, he’s downstairs. He’s still recovering from learning he’s going to be a father.”

88 smiled. “A father, that’s wonderful.” His gray eyes shined with something Clare had never seen before. It was life inside the dead body. No, a living body. Then his features changed to curiosity. “How did he become a father?”

Clare nearly busted up laughing as Terri seemed to roll her eyes as she made her way to 88. The whole atmosphere felt normal, in the most un-normal situations. Terri sat on the bedside taking 88’s wrist, feeling his pulse. The once cold waxy pale skin, now was now warm and flesh colored. Terri smiled moving her hand away.

“Your pulse is beating slower than most people but other then that not much to worry about.” Terri moved on over to the stethoscope. Placing the cold metal on the man’s naked chest. 88 took a sharp breath, little shocked by the numbness that took over. Terri looked up.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just cold. It’s interesting.” 88 knew what it was to be cold but back then it didn’t affect him much. Like the effect of the warm bed, versus that of a metal box in which he was stored in. After Terri was done listening, she put her things away. She got up, grabbing some clothing out of the dresser. 

“I’ve had this clothing around for ages, so it’s a little outdated. If you could please dress in these and join us downstairs, we can talk more freely among the group.”

88 narrowed his eyes. The tone of voice reminded him of her days working at the company. 88 turned his head away, noticing the window just out of eyesight. There were some questions he could get out of Terri, more so since she was the only living person who was part of the main five.

“I’d like that, since I didn’t get everything questioned by Justice.”

“Justice?“ Clare blinked confused. She had heard 00 say that name, but was really unsure of who that person was. 

“You knew of him? That he was originally you?” Terri frowned, saddened by that realization. She wondered how much 88 had known. 

88 sighed heavily. “We will all talk in a bit. I need to get ready.” He was just hinting to be alone. 

Terri nodded, grabbing Clare by the arm. “Take all the time you need, there is no rush.” She said with a more relaxed tone, one that put 88’s worries to rest.

With the shutting of the door, 88 slowly moved in the bed. Taking the white sheets around him, pushing them away. He draped his legs over the bed, gently touching the soft carpeted ground with his feet. Slowly pushing himself up, shakily making his way to the clothing Terri left out for him. His fingers traced the black and green checkered colored shirt. The pants, a dark black with zippers for pockets. He looked at it with awe, since his awakening in the company, all he wore was black leather clothing. Be it that the clothing in front of him had black, it was something different. 88’s mind wandered if Justice had worn clothing like this. He had some memories, but not all. 88 pulled the clothing off the dresser getting ready to fight a new battle. Which was how to get clothing on.

***************

Will looked up from the couch he was sprawled onto the ceiling above. A large thud seemed to amuse him up the stairs. He chuckled a bit, as he turned his attention towards the two women sitting across from him. David was nowhere to be found.

“So, you think he’s doing okay up there? Seems to me he’s having a hard time.” Will laughed at the mental picture that formed in his head. 

Terri drank her coffee, relaxed in the whole situation. “He has to learn to dress himself. It’s not like it was back then, when he was technically a doll for people to dress up.” 

Clare leaned forward, still left out in the loop. After all, she had just recently been cleared to be in higher levels of the workforce, but didn’t see much other than 85’s rescue from the company.

“So, with all that information we put into the Models and we didn’t teach them to dress themselves?”

Will coughed to clear his throat. “There were other things to worry about then dressing them, unless they are made to be used for dress up.” Will turned his head, when footsteps entered his hearing view. He glanced up, a big smile crossed his face.

“Well, well. Isn’t it sleeping beauty.”

88 was holding tightly to the railing of the staircase. The world around him was old, yet new at the same time. A frustrated frown graced his face.

“I don’t get it, I used to jump off buildings higher than this, why am I so reluctant to go down stairs?” His feet below him felt like lead weights. He gave up trying to make his way down the staircase, choosing to sit on the ledge instead.

“You need help off that tower? Dear Rapunzel?” Will cracked, not losing his sense of humor after the adventure of life and death.

Terri looked on, more annoyed than amused by Will’s antics. Clare smiled, already use to his humor. 88 looked down from his perch, giving Will the death glare.

“Shut up, I’d like to see you come up here gimpy.”

Will gave a sour look. “You little…”

“Enough children.” Terri snapped.

“Yes mother.” Both men called out in unison, railing up Terri’s irritation.

“On with our early discussion. How do you know Justice?”

Will’s head snapped up, his joking face faded away to shock. His eye fell on 88, who was leaning on the railing. This was something he hadn’t expected.

Terri spoke again. Her attitude not changing.

“I know you’re not Justice, you’re a new person altogether 88. As my son David, he is as well a different person.” Her face softened. “Still, regardless, I don’t know how either of them could forgive me.”

88 glanced over at the older woman, his eyes glazed with sadness. “David could never hate you. Even beyond the program you made for him, he felt something for you. I can assure you, it wasn’t hate.” 88 took a breath, breathing in a sweet smell. “It just took “me” to override the system of 23, for his real persona to take over.” Clare was too far lost in the conversation, but Will seemed to follow every word. For Terri it was also a relief.

“I was wondering what Jeremy had done differently with you.” Will sighed as he broke his silence. He had known more than he let on, but playing under the radar was his game. It kept him alive.

Terri nodded. “Yes, Jeremy was rather crazy when Justice showed up on the factory floor dead. We did have an eye on Jeremy but it was mainly under Greg’s orders.”

88 spoke bitterly. “So it was that bastard who made me kill him.” He was disgusted. The created killing his creator, such irony. Anger built up thinking it was Rod who’d ordered the kill.

Will nodded, moving his body to get more relaxed with his leg. “Jeremy was too overworked, he didn’t stay low like he did before. Justice was also lying low before he was killed. The three of us had a plan to expose the corporation. But with Justice and Jeremy dead, I knew I couldn’t do it alone.” Will hid his face in his hands. “I didn’t do anything because I was afraid I would be killed next.” Clare knew Will had worked there longer than herself, but she hadn’t known how deep he was in. How much had he hid from her to protect her, as well as getting strings pulled to save her life. Will was a man who worked in the shadows, be it selfish.

“Will, anyone would be afraid in that situation. Your human instinct told you to survive and you did.” 88 got up, attempting to make his way down the stairs again. “Besides, you were under heavy surveillance. I was even commanded to keep an eye on you.”

“This whole thing’s a mess.” Clare blurted out. “Why was this company started in the first place? I’ve read the history of it, but still nothing makes sense.”

Terri lowered her head. “The company was made out of the boredom of people who had money. People who wanted to be God’s. People who knew of no conscience. We all had our reasons. My own, was to erase my mistake. Need I say more?” The more part could have gone on if Terri wanted to be truly technical about it.

Clare wanted to say more, but knew it would be getting nowhere. Clare had knowingly joined the corporation due to the pay. She had also played the game of God, dismissing any morels that should have stopped her from doing so. She sat down, still full of emotions. 88 by that time, had made his way to the couch Will was currently sitting on. He sat down rather hard, almost forgetting about Will’s leg.

“Hey man, watch it.” Will knocked 88 in the arm. 

88 narrowed his eyes. “You watch it, my arm’s just as fucked up as your leg.”

Clare and Will’s mouth opened in shock. 88 had said a cuss word. Clare looked over at Will, wondering what other words the man taught him. Will got the look from her, the type of look of not teaching your future children those words. Will chuckled a bit. 88 looked around for the brunet boy. “Where is David by the way?”

Terri smiled. Glad for the change of subject. “He’s in the kitchen, he’s taken a liking to cooking.” 

“Ah, so that’s that nice smell I smelt earlier.” 88 said heartily. Then, without warning, a large rumbling noise escaped his stomach. 88’s eyes widened. “What the hell was that?”

Clare smiled wickedly. “Oh dear, looks like you got a monster in there.”

“What, human’s get monsters in their stomach’s?” This was something new to him. 88 was almost for the loss of words. His eyes grew large. 88 regretted not getting Justice knowledge of the human body.

Will chuckled. “Yeah, there’s one in Clare’s right now. That’s going to pop out one day.”

88 looked rather scared. His mind couldn’t, didn’t want to imagine that. The trio laughed at 88’s confused fear. The redhead frowned, oblivious that he was a butt of a joke.

“Let’s go to the kitchen, David cook’s more than enough for two people. So it’s free picking in the fridge.” Terri got up, showing the two walk-able people the way. Will sighed, little angered he had to get up. He wasn’t going to argue, it was better than Hospital food. Will tried pushing himself up, but had some problems getting out of the over plush cushion.

“Hey, 88. Give me a hand will you.” The redhead stopped at the entrance to the door to the kitchen. In his view point, he could see David cooking happily over the stove. Terri grabbing the dishes, while Clare raided the fridge. A smile crossed his face as he turned his back to the kitchen light, making his way back to Will. Will raised an eyebrow, not too sure of the grin that graced his face. The redhead extended his hand down to the other man.

“I have a name other than 88 you know.”

Will relaxed, understanding in a way to what that smile meant now. Will took his hand, little taken aback by the younger man’s strength and speed while pulling him up.

“Really? What is it?”

“My name is…”

***************

“So, I guess this is it. I am alone now.”

“There is no one left for me to tell them my name.”

“Is this the pain of loss?”

“Even if there is no one to tell my name to.”

“I will still call it out in the darkness.”

“My name is….”

*******************

“Nixin.”

********************