Ravine narrowed her eyes. "But it doesn't make sense." She raised her head to look into Mother Phoenix's eyes. "If your goal was to help us evolve to live here again, why put limiters on us? Wouldn't that make everything easier for everyone?"

  Mother Phoenix paused, then started walking, trailing her hands along a wall as if trying to feel its texture. "Do you remember the first time you used overdrive? You momentarily turned off your limiters, didn't you? It gave you a massive boost in power and speed. But it also had drawbacks, didn't it?"

  She turned to Ravine and slowly walked toward her. "Your body breaking, your inability to move—I saw everything. And this was just from using one of the many skills you could potentially use." She turned away. "Now imagine this feeling multiplied by all your other skills at once crashing down on you. Would you survive that?"

  Ravine groaned. "Why not make us able to withstand this kind of pressure then? It's not like you couldn't build us like that from the start, right?"

  Mother Phoenix chuckled. "You're acting as if we are gods. We could only build androids based on the ones we had on Earth. They were not great, but they were functional. With each failure, we made the next generation more performant and more adapted to this new environment to give you a better chance. And after eleven tries, we finally succeeded. A group of five finally made it out and survived."

  Ravine's shackles clanked as she struggled. "Four. You killed the fifth one, asshole. What's your big plan now? Are you going to get rid of us? Or force us to live on this planet like you said you wanted us to?"

  Mother Phoenix looked down for a moment before lifting her head. "I cannot force you to do something you do not wish to do. This was never is or was my intention."

  "Bullshit! Everything that has happened before and after was all part of your plan, and you know it—even killing Aria!"

  Mother Phoenix's eyes softened with sincere emotion. "I am truly sorry, Ravine. Aria's death was tragic, yes, but necessary. She became too obedient, and I couldn't risk you not coming here, so I had to do what I needed to do."

  Ravine shot daggers at Mother Phoenix with her purple eyes. "Don't act like you care now. Be real—we are nothing but tools to you, aren't we? Just wait until I get off these chains, I'll—"

  Mother Phoenix hushed her. "I need your help."

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  A long silence fell before it was broken by Ravine's echoing laugh through the room. "Our help? Why would we help you after you killed our comrade?"

  Mother Phoenix hesitated. "Because if you don't, all of you will die as well."

  Ravine stopped laughing. "What do you mean we will all die? Are you telling me you intend to kill us if we do not cooperate?"

  Mother Phoenix shook her head. "Not me—but Razak will." She held her head between her arms. "He plans on repopulating Earth with upgraded android versions using the data we received from all of you during your journey. They will be better in every way than what you are right now and will not hesitate to put an end to you."

  Ravine shrugged. "You could just control them, right? After all, you did it so easily with me. This wouldn't even be a fight, and you know this. You do not need us for that."

  "Not exactly. You see, there is this component we call the emotions inhibitor—a bit on the nose, yes, I know—that essentially makes you feel things, if we put it simply. This is how I control and controlled androids from way back then. It is situated within your OS chips. However, Razak found a way to tamper with those to make them inactive from birth so that the only thing they can think of and want to do is what they are asked to do. No questions. No doubts."

  "And what do you want us to do?"

  "I need to get to the Mother Ship again, and we need to neutralize him." Mother Phoenix exhaled. "This is where everything happens, and if we manage to stop him, he won't be able to send any more of these mindless androids. But since I lack a physical presence, I can't do this alone. I will assist you in any way I can."

  She looked into Ravine's eyes sincerely.

  Ravine stared for a moment before saying, "If we help you, you will bring back Aria, won't you?"

  "Her body might be gone, but we can create a new one—a better one. Her memories should be in the Mother Ship. Once we're done, I promise to bring her back."

  Ravine closed her eyes. "You'd better honour your words. But fine, I accept."

  "If we want to make it there, we will need a ship. The best solution is to—"

  Suddenly, the glass shattered from the roof. Time seemed to slow. Through the orange sunset sky, three dark grey and red mechs crashed down into the building, landing behind Ravine in steady battle formation, facing Mother Phoenix. Her eyes widened in pure shock.

  A voice crackled through one of the mechs. "Nice one, Zhon. It seems your Spheres of Grace really gave us the element of surprise."

  Zhon laughed. "Told you they wouldn't see it coming."

  Another familiar voice spoke. "So we meet again, Ravine. I'm glad you are all right. Roan told me everything."

  Ravine's voice trembled as a small smile formed on her lips. "You guys came?! And Irene, you're back!"

  "It was a close one, but she is here," Zhon said. His mech's head turned to face Mother Phoenix. "So this is who is behind all of this—Mother Phoenix."

  Mother Phoenix regained her composure. "Things just got better, I see. Nice to meet you all." She joined her hands to her chest. "Ravine will fill you in on everything, but we have much to prepare for and not much time."

  The setting sun reflected off their mechs as the three newcomers looked at each other, then at Ravine.

  "You might want to sit down," Ravine said. "There is a lot to be said. Things are even more complex than we thought..."