December 23rd, 2120
Snow had dusted the ground since you'd left, crunching softly as you touched down, seven hundred miles from the last place your feet had touched the ground. You'd let a touch of the chill bleed through as you'd descended towards your Residence, something you liked to do after long periods spent wrapped in your Aegis. It helped you remember, despite everything that had changed, that you were still human. Lights glittered around the edge of the house, blinking like tiny stars, and a warm glow shone from a few of the upper story windows. You checked the time; just past seven, with middling use on the network link. She'd be reading with Iris.
That had been a little strange at first, for all of you. Iris had always been a presence in your lives, and you and Mary the most important ones in hers. But physicality made things different. Not good, nor bad. Just new. Of course, you'd be the first to admit that the pictures Mary had snapped of Iris learning to walk were keepers of the highest order. Especially as, only a month later, a wobble here and there was all that was left. Fortunately, she was still adjusting to the sensations of physical existence, which made it almost trivially easy to bribe her with blankets. In her own words 'so soft!'. You smiled warmly at the thought.
The Residence's systems had recognised you as you entered the airspace, and the front door clicked open as the short-range security systems confirmed your identification. One thing your detail hadn't been willing to compromise on had been that, and you hadn't pushed the issue. It wasn't to protect you, after all. "Mary?" You called up softly from the entrance hall, withdrawing your Aegis now you were inside. Slipping off your shoes, you padded up the stairs to the small lounge that had become the main communal area for the three of you. Your siblings were away, visiting their own families before Christmas, and the Residence was strangely empty without them.
And yet the flickering warmth that shone below the door of the lounge was more than just light, and it came from deeper places than the fire that Iris had come to love. The soft crackle of the flames wove around murmuring voices, sounds that wouldn't have been out of place in any home. The content of the conversation might differ a little, though. Most children the age Iris looked would choose different material to read with their mother. Iris wasn't most children.
Pushing the door open revealed a scene that had almost become normal. Mary sat on a couch in front of the fire, a virtual pane open in front of her, angled so that the much smaller body resting against her could look up with stretching her neck. Her hair was the only thing you could see from this angle, dark in the gentle shadows of the room's lights. There was nothing wrong with her hearing, however. She stopped mid-murmur, and looked over towards you, the ring of red in her right eye shining brightly. On one level, she already knew, her link to the Residence systems wouldn't have allowed her to miss it. On the other, you knew that at some part of her had come to enjoy the small moments where she could be less than…a marvel of science and Practice. This was such a moment.
"I called at the door," you said gently, prompting a jump from Mary. "But you wouldn't have heard with the door shut like that." Iris's eyes sparkled, and a smile spread across her face. You'd not been sure how long it would take for you to find what you'd gone out searching for. She'd not taken the possibility of you not being there for her first real Christmas well. Mary's reaction had been more complex, and one that both of you were still struggling to work through. But at least you were working on it together.
"You're back!" Iris slid out of the blanket she'd been wrapped in and rushed across the room to you for a hug, which you returned gladly. Years of training let you literally sweep her up in your arms, as if she was much younger than her body appeared to be. "That was barely a day." She wriggled happily as you took a few much more sedate steps back to the couch, and sat down next to Mary.
"I promised I'd be as quick as I could." You said in return. "I just couldn't know how long that would be." Setting your…daughter down on your lap, you reached out cautiously to Mary with a free hand, leaning around a little to see what they'd been reading. "Has everything been ok?" You asked. For an instant she didn't react, and something that wasn't quite fear flickered at the edge of your mind. But then she reached out in return.
"We've been fine," her voice was softer than usual. "We missed you at dinner, but it's good that you're back." Implicit in that statement was a question; were you back? Had you found what you'd gone looking for?
"I'm sorry," you really were. You locked gazes with her, and nodded once. That was enough. The smile that followed might have trembled a little, but it was real. Ever since Mytikas, she'd found it harder to be on her own. Wrestling with demons was like that, and there was only so much you could do to help. She squeezed your hand in silent thanks, and you returned the gesture. Then Iris slid off your lap into the space between you, just in front of your clasped hands, and pulled her blanket back around her.
"Can we finish reading this together then, mum?" She asked, her very presence pulling you both in around her. Mary sighed affectionately, then flicked the virtual panel across until it was between the three of you.
"Of course." She said, and Iris bobbed her head happily.
"We were just moving onto the next chapter," she told you conspiratorially, the smile on her face undimmed by the complex language in front of her. "The introductory chapters just took so long to get to the good stuff!" You didn't disagree. Trying to argue the merits of baseline examples of gravitational manipulation with a data-processing AI was on your list of things not to try and do.
"Just…'nother chapter," Iris said sleepily, as you carried her to her room. Something that no one had expected her body to need was rest, but it seemed that reality wouldn't be denied quite so easily. She could stay 'awake' far longer than any normal human if needed, but the body had defaulted to a general cycle that she didn't see the need to fight. A cycle curiously similar to a human sleeping pattern. Part of it was system load, but as far as you could tell there was no reason for her to enter 'downtime' periods as regularly as she did. She'd needed recovery cycles as an infomorph, but not with this sort of frequency.
"You can read it tomorrow," you replied with a smile, as Sidra opened the door to her room ahead of you. A few pictures decorated the walls, but apart from that and the blankets on the bed, it was largely the same as it had been two years ago when you'd given it to her. "You need your rest."
"No," she protested. "'m an AI. Don't need to slee," she trailed off, and you shook her gently. "Sleep!" Restraining your laugh would have been too much to ask for. The bundle of child-and-blanket in your arms squirmed a little, then gave it up as a bad deal. "Fine," she stretched the word, just like some of the other children you'd met over the year would. "But I'd like pancakes tomorrow."
"Alright." You told her, setting her down on the bed and pulling up the covers around her. "I'm sure I can find a way to make that happen." You kissed her on her forehead, a surge of warmth flooding you as you saw her lips curve in a peaceful smile. "But for now, sleep tight."
"All right," she murmured sleepily, eyes drooping in a perfect facsimile of human reactions. "Good night momma." You flipped off the light and exited the room, your eyes a little wet. It still got you, every time.
Iris was thankfully free of any of the nightmares that other children sometimes suffered, but that didn't mean either of you liked to be far from her. Fortunately, your room wasn't, and you let your mind wander a little as you made your way to your bedroom.
You'd wondered at the start of the year, before your family had ambushed you, how you'd get through it. Oh, you'd known what you wanted to do on an abstract level, but translating that into reality had been harder. Yet they'd been there to support you every step of the way, and had even taken the new, physical presence of Iris in stride. That was an understatement in Amelie's case, but then she'd always loved children. There was a reason she'd had so many.
(Results for Blood Ties, Restoration and Child of Sight revealed: 94, 66, 72. Synergy between these actions resulted in Greater Successes being achieved for all three. Amanda benefits from a massive reduction in stress as a result of highly productive recreation with her friends and family. Blood Ties and Restoration will not be locked next turn.)
Almost three months scattered across the year spent with the Circles, tracing the ways your creations had evolved over the years. You'd found so much to be thankful for in those months, even with the singular awkwardness that had been visiting the…sanctum of the Lady in Fire Enfolded. You still weren't sure what you could do about LiFE, or if you even had the right to try. They're following what they believe in, and though that's uncomfortable for you, could you truly demand that they stop? It's been hard to process, yet it did nothing to deflate the pride you felt in the Circles themselves.
Just as you'd hoped, they'd never stopped being what you'd hoped for them to be. And yet more than that, they'd grown. They'd outgrown old traditions, created new ones and never once hesitated in their remarkable capacity to welcome others. Billions across humanity had come to find peace, of one sort if not completely, as part of the Circles. And with the last revelations of your time as President, that could be more important in the long run than almost anything. Reconnecting with them had done both parties an immense amount of good, but bringing yourself together with them would also make it easier to ask of them what you might soon have to.
(Halo, Mother of Circles and Faith and Certainty returns revealed: 75, 58, 26. Greater Success, Greater Success, Solid Success. Reconnecting with the Circles has brought benefits present and future. Amanda remains unsure of how to approach the matter of LifE's existence, however. Option unlocked.)
You slipped into your room, closed the door, and Mary was already there. Ever since Mytikas, she'd been plagued with nightmares, visions that she couldn't drive from her mind. She'd already told you that she was going to go back next year, and you couldn't imagine not going with her. But until she'd come to that decision, and even afterwards, you'd helped in the only way you knew how. The same way you'd done so decades ago, when both of you were teenagers.
She looked small, almost frightened on her own in the room's large bed, and the moment you slipped under the covers she seemed to teleport across the mattress. There wasn't a word for the sound she made as you laid gentle arms around her. But the stillness that settled around her when you did told you everything you needed to know. She would sleep tonight, without fearful dreaming.
"Thank you, Mandy," she whispered, as if the words were almost painful. You only squeezed gently, and brushed a hand across her hair. You'd had a part in causing this, you weren't going to leave her to suffer it alone. You only hoped you'd be able to find time to talk to Vega next year, as part of working with the Unisonbound.
(+84 to Powerful Words, now at 317/??? Options unlocked.)
"You're welcome." A gesture snuffed out the lights, and your friend snuggled into you. Her breath shifted and slowed, dipping with her eyelids as she drifted towards sleep. Your mind was starting to fade too, the many stresses of the day finally catching up. But it wasn't quite there yet.
Your time with the Two Twenty Three had been well spent, but not as well as you might have liked. Mir's strength in Practice was only beginning to fall under his control, and you wondered if you'd have been able to move faster if you hadn't been so caught up in worrying about how he'd take your advice. Vega would help next year, but that help had cost you the opportunity to speak to her outside of 'work'. All you could do now was hope for a proper opportunity to talk.
As for yourself? You'd grown in closeness to your Platform, even if they now were sometimes even more silent in your mind. But it wasn't real silence, just communication at a level beyond conscious thought on both your parts. It didn't let you do anything new, but it made everything you could do already so much simpler. With the Contact Fleet arriving soon, that could be important.
(Valkyries and Unison Training results revealed: 40, 11. Solid Success, Slim Failure. Personal training roll: 85. Unison Platform (Master) improved to Unison Platform (Adept))
You shook your head inside, wondering why these thoughts came to you now. After such a long day. A soundless yawn made your eyes water, and you looked down again to see that Mary's eyes had closed. Her face was entirely peaceful, and you felt a surge of warmth like the one you'd felt at seeing Iris like that. But it was a fleeting thing at the edge of your consciousness, as you found yourself drifting away into slumber. You could think about…everything…tomorrow.
For now, you were home again.
I had to go back to the SBOS Aftermath to make sure I was holding the emotional content at what should have been appropriate levels, and hopefully I managed. For those who might have forgotten, given it's been a while, this section takes place directly after the 'The First Question' section of Part 2. The date should make that clear, but again, been a while since we were there last. I do hope you enjoy it, regardless.
