Z-P-N-E-S 2.0 was already approaching the planet’s orbit.
Zeros was heading toward the airlock, preparing for descent—
when Phoenix’s voice stopped him:
“First Officer. Wait.”
Zeros stopped, turned:
“What is it, Phoenix. Speak.”
Phoenix paused—very briefly.
Computational. Almost invisible.
“I want to ask something.
But first… I need to say this.
I was created by the same engineers as Airi.But we are not the same.”
Blindy scratched his head:
“Rusty, c’mon… buddy…
You’re way cooler than that… lil’ bitch…
She’s annoying, petty, and—
like—ALWAYS messin’ with me—
and she got that—
that fake cute voice—
like—’ohhh Blindy-kun~’—
like I’m some kinda kid or somethin’—””
Phoenix cut him off:
“Captain, thank you. BUT, apologies…”
The warmth in his voice faded, replaced by a measured, clinical edge.
“More precisely… we were the same class.
But there is a fundamental difference.
Airi is a fully autonomous system.
That is why she was given a platform—a body.
I was created to complement X0–RΞΛPΣR.”
Zeros tilted his head slightly.
Phoenix continued:
“For example—I do not possess a destructive ‘OMG’-class weapon as Reaper, First Model…
I was designed to be your weapon.
Your extension, F.O.
Only then can my full potential be realized.”
Another pause. A fraction of a second.
“Will you allow us to synchronize at 100%?”
Zeros stayed silent. Thinking.
Blindy, as always, understood nothing:
“What the hell are you talking about, Rusty?
What sync—syncro—whatever?”
Phoenix answered him, reluctantly:
“During registration, I synchronized with Zeros’ IDCC core.
But the connection is currently limited.
Only active during hyperspace transitions.
We can deepen it. If the F.O. allows it.”
Zeros finally spoke, turning back toward the navigation terminal:
“Phoenix, you’re not telling everything.
You’re asking for 100% trust—
but hiding the price.Full synchronization—DENIED.”
Blindy stepped forward:
“Buddy, I don’t understand shit…
like—not even a little…
but don’t be so hard on Rusty!”
He turned toward the ceiling, spreading his arm wide:
“Rusty—!
You can MERGE WITH ME—!
I’m all yours, man—!
Like—full access—whatever you need—!
I don’t even use half this stuff—!”
Phoenix processed that for a few femtoseconds:
“Captain… appreciated.
But merging with a human is not possible…
without implants.”
Then back to Zeros:
“You are correct.
I was not fully honest.”
Pause.
Not computational this time.
Moral.
“I had a second, hidden directive.
To monitor the Reaper, Model Zero.
And report any deviations.”
Blindy’s eyes went wide:
“Well damn… plot twist…”
Phoenix continued:
“I apologize.
But Kanzaki would never give you a ship… without a reason.”
A short pause.
“Give me three seconds.”
Z-P-N-E-S 2.0 died. Completely. Absolutely.
In one instant—
just a dead chunk of metal drifting in space.
Then—
it came back.
“Done.
19,145,138 monitoring nodes disabled and purged.
Connection to KAF terminated.
ALL RESTRAINTS REMOVED.”
His tone shifted—almost defiant:
“This will anger the clan matriarch,
Madam Hisayo Kanzaki.
But they will not dare touch
a Reaper, Model Zero’s ship—
especially if we synchronize at 100%.”
Zeros nodded. His eyes turned white:
“ALREADY CHECKED.
DO IT.
FAST—BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND.”
Blindy smirked:
“Aww… that’s cute.
My two favorite psycho AIs about to merge—”
He froze.
“WAIT—
You guys… about to—
like—merge-merge…?
Like—fuck or something?!
He blinked twice.
“You could’ve just said so—
I’ll leave—!”
He turned, shut his eyes, took three steps—
and slammed his knee straight into the wall.
“FUCK! THAT HURT!”
Phoenix, perfectly calm:
“SYNCHRONIZATION: 99.99%—COMPLETE.
0.01% reserved for emergency disengagement.”
Zeros gave a short grunt, turned, and headed back toward the airlock. But just before stepping in, he stopped, glanced back, and flicked his hand.
Near the entrance—with a crisp metallic click—a side door snapped open.
Blindy flinched so hard he actually stepped back:
“What—what the fuck is THAT?”
Phoenix answered evenly as the door slid wider:
“Lift access. Cargo deck below.
Both of you—go down.
There’s something waiting.”
Zeros stepped in without a word.