"Ah... alone at last."
Yuuki let out a long sigh as he fell backward onto the futon inside his room at the inn.
The harvest festival had finally ended.
The fireworks were over.
The villagers had returned home.
The Shipgirls and Nikkes had finally retired for the evening.
More like the middle of the night.
For the first time in days—
Silence.
Peace.
No requests.
No one clinging to him.
No one trying to drag him somewhere.
The commander closed his eyes.
This was bliss.
It lasted approximately three minutes.
A knock sounded at the door.
Yuuki stared at the ceiling.
"..."
Another knock followed.
The commander slowly sat up.
"Come in."
The door slid open.
Vestal entered first.
Then Akashi.
Then Mary.
Then Pepper.
Yuuki immediately knew this wasn't a casual visit.
All four looked unusually serious.
The commander sat up properly.
"What's wrong?"
Mary exchanged a glance with Pepper.
Then the Nikke doctor stepped forward.
"Commander."
Her voice was quieter than usual.
"We have a request."
Yuuki nodded.
"Go ahead."
Pepper folded her hands together.
"We spoke with Rapi and the others."
The commander immediately understood where this was going.
Mary continued.
"They told us how they freed themselves from the Ark."
Silence settled over the room.
"They mentioned your blood."
Yuuki nodded slowly.
"That they willingly bound themselves to you."
Pepper looked toward the floor.
"But in exchange..."
Her voice softened.
"They became truly free."
The room grew quiet.
Akashi carefully produced a small container.
Inside rested a sealed vial.
A familiar crimson liquid.
"We kept a sample, nyaa."
The catgirl spoke gently for once.
"No experiments."
"No funny business."
"Promise, nyaa."
Vestal nodded.
"We safeguarded it."
Mary took a deep breath.
The nurse looked surprisingly nervous.
More nervous than when facing wounded patients.
More nervous than during surgery.
Because this wasn't about medicine.
This was personal.
Very personal.
"We want the same choice."
Yuuki remained silent.
Listening.
Waiting.
Then Mary lowered her gaze.
"There is another reason."
Pepper nodded.
The two nurses looked visibly uncomfortable.
Ashamed.
Afraid.
Not of him.
Of themselves.
Mary's hands tightened.
"We were human once."
The statement carried far more weight than it appeared.
"We lived before becoming Nikkes."
Her voice became quieter.
"And..."
She struggled to continue.
Pepper looked equally troubled.
"There are things we regret."
The room became still.
Vestal quietly looked away.
Akashi's ears lowered slightly.
The nurses weren't talking about simple mistakes.
Not ordinary regrets.
The kind of burdens people carried for years.
The kind that never truly disappeared.
Mary swallowed.
"Commander..."
Her voice trembled.
"We've done things."
The nurse closed her eyes.
"Things we're not proud of."
Pepper nodded.
"Things we wish we could take back."
The younger nurse looked vulnerable.
Far more vulnerable than either of them had ever appeared before.
"Please..."
Mary looked at him.
"Don't judge us for who we used to be."
The room remained silent.
For several moments.
Then Yuuki stood.
The commander walked toward them.
Neither nurse could meet his gaze.
They were expecting questions.
Judgment.
Perhaps disappointment.
Instead—
"No."
Both women blinked.
Yuuki shook his head.
"You don't have to tell me."
Mary looked surprised.
Pepper too.
"But..."
The commander raised a hand.
Stopping her.
"If these memories matter enough that you're afraid of them..."
His voice remained calm.
"...then they already hurt you enough."
Silence.
Yuuki looked at them.
Not as former humans.
Not as Nikkes.
Not as sinners.
Just as people.
People carrying pain.
People trying to move forward.
"If you choose to show me."
His voice softened.
"Then let those memories remain between us."
The room grew quiet again.
Mary's eyes widened.
Pepper looked equally stunned.
They had prepared themselves for many responses.
This wasn't one of them.
Yuuki folded his arms.
"The people standing before me."
He looked directly at them.
"Those are the people I'm judging."
Not their past.
Not their mistakes.
Not their worst moments.
The women standing here.
Now.
The nurses who had protected others.
Saved lives.
Helped villagers.
Risked themselves for strangers.
Mary's eyes became wet.
Pepper looked away to hide her own emotions.
Then Yuuki smiled.
"If you still want to become free."
The commander glanced toward the vial.
"Then that's your choice."
His expression remained gentle.
"But don't do it because you're running from your past."
The room fell silent once more.
"Do it because you've chosen your future."
For a long moment nobody spoke.
Then Mary slowly smiled.
A small smile.
A genuine one.
Pepper followed shortly after.
The tension that had been weighing on both of them seemed lighter somehow.
Not gone.
But lighter.
Then Akashi ruined the emotional atmosphere.
"Shikikan is cool, nyaa."
Vestal immediately smacked the cat lightly on the head.
"Not now."
"Nyaa!"
The room erupted into soft laughter.
For the first time since entering the room, Mary and Pepper no longer looked afraid.
The weight on their shoulders had lessened.
Not vanished.
But lessened.
Enough for them to breathe easier.
Enough for them to take the next step.
Yuuki looked toward Vestal and Akashi.
The two engineers immediately understood.
After all, they had witnessed this before.
Rapi.
Anis.
Neon.
Ade.
Soda.
Cocoa.
Nayuta.
Each of them had gone through the same process.
The same choice.
The same freedom.
The commander sighed.
"Once they start..."
He pointed toward the futon.
"This room is going to get crowded."
Akashi immediately nodded.
"Nyaa."
Vestal smiled knowingly.
"We know."
The repair ship had already prepared herself.
Mary and Pepper exchanged glances.
Then looked toward the small vial.
For a moment neither moved.
Not because they were afraid.
Because they understood the significance.
This wasn't merely a procedure.
This was a choice.
A declaration.
The decision to leave the Ark behind.
To become something else.
To become free.
Eventually Mary stepped forward first.
Pepper followed.
Each took a single crimson drop.
The room became silent.
Then they swallowed.
Immediately—
The reaction began.
Mary's eyes widened.
Pepper gasped.
A surge of energy raced through their bodies.
Not painful.
Not violent.
Yet overwhelming.
A warmth unlike anything they had ever experienced.
It spread through every part of them.
Every circuit.
Every synthetic nerve.
Every hidden layer of their existence.
The sensation was familiar.
At least to Akashi and Vestal.
They had seen it before.
The same shock.
The same connection.
The same awakening.
Then came the memories.
Not erased.
Not suppressed.
Not hidden behind Ark protocols.
Everything.
All at once.
Mary staggered.
Pepper reached toward her.
Only to lose her own balance.
The two nurses collapsed forward.
Directly into Yuuki's arms.
The commander caught them both.
Barely.
"Easy."
His voice sounded distant.
Very distant.
Mary clutched his shirt.
Pepper did the same.
Their breathing became uneven.
The connection was forming.
The bond establishing itself.
The same link shared by the other Nikkes.
The same warmth they had spoken about.
The same light.
Then Yuuki blinked.
A familiar exhaustion washed over him.
"Ah."
Akashi immediately recognized it.
"Nyaa."
Vestal moved instantly.
The commander swayed.
Then both women caught him before he could fall.
"Again?"
Vestal sighed.
"Again."
Akashi agreed.
The commander looked mildly annoyed.
"I hate this part."
Then the drowsiness won.
The room slowly faded.
The last thing he saw was Mary and Pepper looking at him with astonishment.
Then darkness.
====================
Far away.
Deep beneath the surface.
Within the Ark.
Alarms suddenly erupted throughout several secure facilities.
Red warning lights activated.
Emergency systems engaged.
Personnel rushed between stations.
Confused voices filled command centers.
"What happened?"
"Another one!"
"Not again!"
Data screens updated continuously.
Personnel records shifted.
Authorization databases changed.
Then a familiar message appeared.
CONNECTION LOST
NIKKE DESIGNATION UNREGISTERED
SUBJECT REMOVED FROM ARK NETWORK
Silence followed.
Then panic.
One of the operators stared.
"No..."
The man immediately checked again.
Then again.
Then a third time.
The result remained unchanged.
Two names had vanished.
Mary.
Pepper.
Both gone.
Not deceased.
Not destroyed.
Not missing.
Gone.
Completely disconnected.
A door slammed open.
An executive stormed into the control center.
His bizarre outfit made him immediately recognizable.
The CEO of Tetra Line.
"What do you mean they're gone?!"
The executive slammed both hands against the table.
"Again?!"
Nobody answered immediately.
Nobody wanted to.
The situation had already escalated beyond acceptable levels.
First others.
Now Mary.
And Pepper.
Two highly valuable Nikkes.
Two individuals deeply integrated into Ark operations.
The executive's expression darkened.
"Even Mary..."
That was the troubling part.
Mary possessed knowledge.
Sensitive knowledge.
Knowledge that should never leave Ark control.
Knowledge that had supposedly been removed.
Supposedly.
Several higher-ranking officials exchanged worried glances.
One finally spoke.
"What if..."
The man hesitated.
"What if whoever is responsible can access their memories?"
The room became silent.
Nobody liked that possibility.
Nobody.
Because Mary contained secrets.
Old secrets.
Hidden secrets.
The kind of secrets powerful people preferred remain buried forever.
The executive clenched his jaw.
"We need answers."
His voice was low.
Dangerously low.
"We need to get to the bottom of this."
Several representatives from the major corporations were already connected through secured communications.
All of them worried.
All of them watching.
All of them wondering how Nikkes could simply vanish from the Ark's authority.
One official looked toward another terminal.
"What about Perilous Siege?"
The question immediately drew attention.
The response came quickly.
"We already acted."
The screen updated.
A file appeared.
Classified.
Restricted.
Dangerous.
A single designation appeared.
D
The official nodded.
"The Perilous Siege approved deployment."
Another executive folded his arms.
"They sent her?"
"Yes."
The room quieted.
D was not a Nikke sent casually.
She was sent when subtlety had failed.
When answers were required.
When targets needed locating.
Or eliminating.
The executive stared at the report.
Then at the growing list of vanished Nikkes.
The number kept increasing.
Slowly.
Steadily.
Beyond Ark control.
Beyond corporate authority.
Beyond their reach.
For the first time, genuine concern appeared.
"Good."
The executive finally spoke.
Though he sounded far less confident than before.
"Let's just hope..."
His gaze lingered on the report.
"...she isn't erased too."
Nobody laughed.
Because nobody could guarantee that outcome anymore.
Not after everything that had already happened.
===============
Yuuki opened his eyes once more.
The familiar world greeted him.
An endless field of emerald grass swaying beneath a gentle breeze.
A bright blue sky stretched endlessly overhead.
Peaceful.
Quiet.
Beautiful.
The complete opposite of the memories hidden within the crimson spheres floating before him.
Two memory cores.
Two lives.
Two pasts that had been erased.
Two truths hidden from the women who now slept in the inn.
Yuuki looked at them silently.
Then stepped toward the first one.
Pepper.
The crimson sphere responded immediately.
Its surface rippled.
The world around him dissolved.
And the memory began.
At first, it was surprisingly ordinary.
Pepper's childhood was not tragic.
There were no horrific experiments.
No abusive upbringing.
No catastrophic loss.
She grew up normally.
Went to school.
Made friends.
Studied hard.
Dreamed of helping people.
The memory flowed past him like scenes from a movie.
A younger Pepper laughed with classmates.
Studied late into the night.
Celebrated graduation.
Eventually entered medical training.
Then became a nurse.
The further he watched, the more Yuuki understood why people loved her.
Even as a human, Pepper had been almost identical to the woman he knew now.
Kind.
Optimistic.
Warm.
The type of person who genuinely cared.
The type of person who remembered names.
Who remembered birthdays.
Who stayed beside frightened patients long after her shift ended.
The memory shifted again.
A hospital room appeared.
Pepper sat beside an elderly patient.
The man looked exhausted.
Frail.
Dying.
Yet Pepper smiled.
Not a fake smile.
Not one meant to hide reality.
A hopeful smile.
The kind that gave people strength.
"As long as there's even a one percent chance."
The younger Pepper spoke.
"We can still try."
Yuuki recognized the words immediately.
The same philosophy she still carried today.
The same belief that had survived everything.
The nurse who refused to abandon people.
The nurse who fought for every patient.
The nurse who mourned every life she couldn't save.
The memory accelerated.
Patients came and went.
Years passed.
Pepper became beloved throughout the hospital.
Doctors trusted her.
Patients adored her.
Families thanked her.
Some jokingly referred to her as the hospital's idol.
Others openly wondered why she never seemed to have a boyfriend.
The nurse always laughed awkwardly whenever the topic appeared.
Then the memory changed.
The atmosphere darkened.
The hospital corridors became colder.
More tense.
The first message arrived.
Pepper looked confused when she opened it.
Anonymous.
No sender.
Attached files.
Photographs.
Documents.
Medical reports.
At first she assumed it was a prank.
Then she started reading.
Her smile vanished.
Yuuki watched silently.
The files contained evidence.
Evidence involving Mary.
Medical records.
Death certificates.
Patient transfers.
Discrepancies.
Dozens of them.
Then hundreds.
Pepper's confusion slowly transformed into disbelief.
Then horror.
Then betrayal.
According to the files, Mary had been involved in falsifying patient death records.
Patients declared dead.
Patients removed from official systems.
Patients quietly transferred.
Never seen again.
The attached notes suggested where they went.
Nikke conversion programs.
Human experimentation.
Corporate projects hidden beneath layers of bureaucracy.
Pepper refused to believe it.
At first.
Again and again she reviewed the files.
Searching for errors.
Searching for proof they were fake.
Searching for any explanation.
Yet the evidence continued mounting.
Eventually she confronted Mary.
The memory shifted again.
A stairwell.
Two women.
Friends.
Colleagues.
People who had worked together for years.
The argument was immediate.
Heated.
Emotional.
Pepper demanded answers.
Mary refused to explain.
The accusations escalated.
The shouting grew louder.
Years of trust shattered in minutes.
Then came the moment.
One push.
Just one.
Pepper never intended it.
Yuuki saw it clearly.
There was no malice.
No murder.
No plan.
Only anger.
Pain.
Betrayal.
Her hand moved.
Mary lost her footing.
The doctor fell backward.
Down the stairs.
The impact echoed through the stairwell.
Then silence.
Pepper froze.
The realization hit instantly.
Horror flooded her face.
The anger vanished.
Only panic remained.
She rushed down the stairs.
Calling Mary's name.
Trying to help.
Trying to stop the bleeding.
Trying to save her.
But the damage was severe.
Very severe.
The memory trembled.
Pepper's emotions surged through it.
Shock.
Guilt.
Fear.
Disbelief.
Then everything became worse.
Much worse.
Security footage.
The argument.
The push.
The fall.
Someone leaked it.
Not to management.
Not to investigators.
To everyone.
Doctors.
Nurses.
Staff.
Patients.
The entire hospital.
The footage spread faster than wildfire.
By the time Pepper emerged from the stairwell, people were already staring.
Whispering.
Judging.
Condemning.
The nurse watched her entire life collapse within hours.
"Killer."
The word appeared repeatedly.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The hospital she loved became hostile.
The people she worked beside turned away.
The patients she cared for looked afraid.
Pepper broke.
Completely.
She ran.
Yuuki followed the memory.
The city blurred around her.
She wasn't thinking.
Wasn't planning.
She just wanted to escape.
The guilt.
The accusations.
The stares.
The grief.
Then headlights appeared.
An SUV.
Too fast.
Too close.
Pepper never even saw it.
The impact threw her across the road.
Pain.
Darkness.
Blood.
The memory became fragmented.
Broken.
Yuuki watched as several figures approached the wreck.
Not police.
Not emergency responders.
Something else.
People in dark clothing.
Corporate personnel.
Recovery teams.
They loaded her into a vehicle.
No questions.
No investigation.
No concern.
Only retrieval.
Then the memory ended.
Another began.
Pepper opened her eyes again.
Different body.
Different life.
Different existence.
A Nikke.
The memories were gone.
The accident was gone.
The argument was gone.
Mary was alive.
The guilt was gone.
Everything had been erased.
Neatly.
Conveniently.
Artificially.
The nurse simply accepted her new reality.
Worked alongside Mary once more.
Smiled once more.
Saved lives once more.
Never knowing.
Never remembering.
Never understanding why certain feelings lingered in her heart.
Why guilt occasionally appeared without reason.
Why certain nightmares made no sense.
Yuuki stood silently as the memory faded.
The field of grass slowly returned.
The blue sky reappeared.
=======================
The memory collapsed around them.
The hospital vanished.
The city vanished.
The screams.
The accusations.
The flashing lights.
All of it disappeared.
Only the endless grasslands remained.
Blue skies stretched overhead.
Gentle winds moved through the fields.
A peaceful place.
A place where painful truths could finally be confronted.
Pepper stood there trembling.
Then her knees gave way.
She fell into the grass.
Tears streamed down her face.
The memories were no longer hidden.
No longer erased.
No longer buried beneath layers of Ark programming.
Everything had returned.
Every emotion.
Every regret.
Every wound.
"I didn't mean to..."
Her voice broke.
The nurse clutched at her chest.
"I didn't mean to..."
The words repeated again and again.
Not because she expected forgiveness.
Not because she wanted excuses.
But because the guilt had never truly left.
It had merely been forgotten.
Now it had returned all at once.
"Mary was hurt..."
Pepper's shoulders shook.
"I tried to help her."
The nurse lowered her head.
"I tried..."
The memory replayed endlessly in her mind.
The argument.
The push.
The fall.
The blood.
The panic.
The terror.
Then the hospital.
The whispers.
The accusations.
The stares.
"Killer."
Again.
And again.
And again.
"I didn't want to run..."
Her voice became smaller.
"I didn't..."
The tears continued falling.
"But everyone kept calling me a killer."
Pepper covered her face.
"And Mary..."
The nurse struggled to continue.
"She did those things..."
Her voice trembled.
"She wouldn't explain."
A pause.
Then her expression twisted.
"Or maybe..."
Another tear fell.
"Maybe I didn't want to listen."
Silence followed.
The confession lingered in the air.
Not an excuse.
Not a defense.
Simply the truth.
A painful truth.
Yuuki slowly walked forward.
Then knelt beside her.
Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her.
The nurse froze.
Then immediately buried her face against him.
The tears continued.
The grief continued.
Years of guilt finally escaping.
"Shh..."
His voice remained calm.
Gentle.
Steady.
The same warmth she had felt since accepting the bond.
"Shh..."
The commander rested a hand on her head.
"It's okay."
Pepper shook her head immediately.
"No..."
"It isn't."
Her voice cracked.
"I hurt her."
"Yes."
Yuuki didn't deny it.
The nurse looked surprised.
He wasn't trying to erase the truth.
Wasn't trying to pretend it never happened.
The commander simply looked at her.
"You hurt her."
His voice remained calm.
"You made a mistake."
Pepper lowered her head.
Then Yuuki continued.
"But I don't blame you."
The nurse froze.
"What?"
"You acted on emotion."
The commander spoke honestly.
"Anger."
"Betrayal."
"Shock."
"Hurt."
The memory sphere floated quietly nearby.
Evidence of everything they had witnessed.
"You saw someone you trusted accused of doing terrible things."
His voice softened.
"You weren't thinking clearly."
Pepper's shoulders trembled.
"Then they erased everything."
Yuuki looked toward the distant horizon.
"The memories."
"The guilt."
"The pain."
"The regret."
The commander sighed.
"So that you could stand beside her again."
Pepper blinked.
Then slowly looked up.
The tears hadn't stopped.
But they were different now.
Less frantic.
Less desperate.
"You knew?"
Yuuki nodded.
"From the way Mary spoke before we entered."
The commander remembered her hesitation.
Her fear.
Her guilt.
The way she looked at Pepper.
"I assumed the worst."
Pepper swallowed.
"The worst?"
"I thought she hated you."
The nurse froze.
Yuuki shook his head.
"But she didn't."
Silence followed.
The realization slowly settled in.
"Mary remembered."
Pepper's eyes widened.
The commander nodded.
"She never forgot."
The nurse looked stunned.
"Then..."
Her voice barely emerged.
"She knew?"
"Yes."
The answer was immediate.
Pepper stared.
Years.
They had worked together for years.
Spoken together.
Saved lives together.
Shared meals.
Shared conversations.
Shared memories.
All while Mary remembered.
And yet...
"She never blamed me?"
The nurse sounded almost afraid of the answer.
Yuuki smiled softly.
"No."
The word hit harder than any accusation ever could.
Pepper's lips trembled.
The tears returned.
This time for a different reason.
"Why?"
The question escaped before she could stop it.
"Why would she do that?"
Yuuki looked toward the second crimson sphere.
Mary's sphere.
Mary's memories.
Mary's truth.
"We'll find out."
The commander rested his hand on hers.
"I'm willing to bet she has her own story."
Pepper laughed weakly through her tears.
A broken laugh.
A relieved laugh.
A hopeful laugh.
Then she looked up at him.
"You don't hate me?"
The question carried all the fear of a woman who had spent years believing she deserved condemnation.
Yuuki answered without hesitation.
"No."
Pepper stared.
The commander smiled.
"You repented."
His voice remained steady.
"You spent years helping people."
"You cared for patients."
"You protected lives."
"You worked beside the woman you believed you killed."
The nurse lowered her gaze.
"You kept smiling."
His hand gently touched the scar on her cheek.
"The scars remained."
"The pain remained."
"But you kept moving forward."
The commander looked directly into her eyes.
"That matters."
Pepper's breathing slowly calmed.
The panic faded.
The guilt remained.
But no longer consumed her.
No longer controlled her.
"Thank you..."
The nurse whispered.
Then looked surprised.
A hand touched her chest.
The pain was still there.
The regret remained.
Yet somehow it hurt less.
"The memories don't hurt as much as I thought."
Yuuki smiled.
"That's because you're not carrying them alone anymore."
The nurse blinked.
The connection.
The bond.
The warmth.
The light.
She finally understood what the others meant.
Why Yorktown spoke of warmth.
Why Rapi spoke of trust.
Why Esche called it light.
The connection didn't erase pain.
It didn't remove guilt.
It simply made it bearable.
Allowed someone else to help carry it.
"You are connected to me."
The commander spoke gently.
"My light calms you."
Pepper smiled weakly.
"It sounds cheesy when you say it out loud."
Yuuki laughed.
"I've been told that before."
The nurse finally laughed as well.
A genuine laugh.
Small.
But genuine.
Then the commander looked toward the remaining crimson sphere.
Mary's sphere.
The final truth.
The final story.
The final piece.
"We should see her memories."
Pepper nodded slowly.
No longer afraid.
No longer running.
Whatever waited inside.
Whatever truth Mary had hidden.
They would face it together.
Pepper stood beside him as they approached the second crimson sphere.
Mary's sphere.
Mary's truth.
The final piece of a story neither of them fully understood.
As they walked through the endless green fields, Pepper realized she was still holding his hand.
She had intended to let go.
At least several times.
Yet somehow her fingers only tightened.
The warmth flowing through their connection soothed the lingering ache in her chest.
The guilt was still there.
The memories were still there.
But for the first time, they no longer felt overwhelming.
She could breathe.
She could think.
And most importantly—
She could face whatever waited ahead.
Pepper looked toward the crimson sphere.
Part of her was afraid.
Not of the memories.
Not of the truth.
But of what she might discover about Mary.
Because none of it made sense.
If Mary remembered everything...
If she remembered the argument.
The betrayal.
The push.
The fall.
Then why?
Why had she never said anything?
Why had she continued working beside her?
Why had she smiled at her every morning?
Why had she protected her?
Why had she treated her like a friend?
By all rights, Mary should have hated her.
Pepper knew she would have understood if she did.
Yet Mary never showed even a hint of resentment.
For years they had worked side by side.
Saving lives.
Treating patients.
Sharing meals during breaks.
Laughing together.
As though the tragedy between them had never happened.
Pepper tightened her grip on Yuuki's hand.
"I want to know."
The commander nodded.
"So do I."
Together, they stepped into the crimson light.
The world changed.
The grassy fields vanished.
The bright skies dissolved.
Fragments of memories formed around them.
Hospitals.
Operating rooms.
Medical records.
The scent of antiseptics.
The distant sound of heart monitors.
And at the center of it all—
A woman.
Mary.
Or rather...
Jang See-Jin.
The woman who would one day become Mary.
Pepper immediately noticed the difference.
Not in appearance.
Not in voice.
But in presence.
The woman standing before them possessed the same gentle smile she wore today.
The same warm eyes.
The same calm demeanor.
The same soothing voice that reassured frightened patients.
Yet there was something else beneath the surface.
Something hidden.
Something heavier.
Yuuki quietly observed.
Now he understood why people both adored and feared her.
Mary possessed two sides.
The first was the woman everyone knew.
The White Angel.
The doctor who treated every patient with kindness.
The physician who sat beside frightened children.
Who stayed awake through sleepless nights.
Who listened patiently to worries and fears.
Who smiled even when exhausted.
Calm.
Collected.
Professional.
Gentle.
The sort of doctor people trusted with their lives.
But there was another side.
A side that surfaced whenever someone ignored medical advice.
Whenever patients endangered themselves.
Whenever people treated their own health carelessly.
Then the White Angel disappeared.
And something far more terrifying emerged.
The Black Devil.
Suddenly the gentle doctor became a force of nature.
Sharp-tongued.
Relentless.
Unyielding.
Patients quickly learned that ignoring her instructions was often more frightening than following them.
Pepper actually laughed despite herself.
"That part never changed."
Yuuki nodded.
"Not even a little."
Even within the memories, Mary seemed remarkably enthusiastic whenever injections were involved.
Almost suspiciously enthusiastic.
Pepper covered her mouth.
"That definitely didn't change."
The commander chuckled.
"No arguments there."
The memory continued.
Years passed.
Patients came and went.
Successes accumulated.
Lives were saved.
Families reunited.
Yet beneath every achievement, another emotion quietly grew.
Regret.
The deeper they traveled into Mary's memories, the more visible it became.
Every patient she couldn't save.
Every terminal diagnosis.
Every family she had to comfort.
Every life slipping away despite her best efforts.
Those moments stayed with her.
Unlike some doctors who learned to separate themselves emotionally from their patients, Mary never could.
She cared.
Perhaps too much.
Every loss became personal.
Every death felt like a failure.
The burden accumulated year after year.
Until eventually...
One thought took root.
A dangerous thought.
A desperate thought.
What if death didn't have to be the end?
The memory shifted.
Research documents appeared.
Corporate meetings.
Confidential files.
Nikke conversion programs.
Experimental procedures.
Pepper's eyes widened.
Yuuki's expression hardened.
Now they were reaching the heart of it.
The beginning.
The choice that would change everything.
Jang See-Jin looked exhausted.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
The memory showed another patient.
Terminal.
Dying.
Beyond saving.
Another life slipping through her fingers.
Another person she couldn't help.
And Mary hated it.
She hated standing beside hospital beds knowing there was nothing more she could do.
Hated watching families grieve.
Hated hearing the final heartbeats.
Hated accepting that medicine had limits.
Then she discovered the Nikke program.
The possibility of preserving lives.
The possibility of giving people another chance.
A chance to continue living.
A chance to survive.
Even if the price was becoming something else.
Mary stared at the files for a very long time.
The memory captured every hesitation.
Every doubt.
Every fear.
Because she knew the risks.
She knew the moral implications.
She knew people would lose their humanity.
Their memories.
Their futures.
Yet she also knew something else.
Dead patients had no future at all.
The memory lingered on her face.
A doctor trapped between two impossible choices.
Allow people to die.
Or save them through methods society considered unacceptable.
Eventually...
She made her choice.
Pepper felt her chest tighten.
Now she understood.
Mary hadn't begun with greed.
She hadn't begun with ambition.
She hadn't begun with cruelty.
She began with desperation.
A desperate desire to save people.
A doctor who couldn't accept losing another patient.
A woman so terrified of death that she willingly stepped into darkness if it meant preserving even one more life.
Yuuki watched silently.
The commander understood something important.
Mary's greatest strength had also become her greatest flaw.
She loved her patients too much.
And sometimes...
The desire to save someone could become just as dangerous as the inability to let them go.
Ahead of them, the memories continued unfolding.
Growing darker.
Growing more complicated.
And both Yuuki and Pepper knew they had only just reached the beginning of Mary's story.
Pepper stood frozen as the memories continued unfolding before them.
The further they went, the more the black-and-white image she once held of Mary shattered.
Not because Mary was innocent.
But because reality was far more complicated.
Far uglier.
Far more tragic.
The memory shifted again.
A small hospital room appeared.
The lighting was dim.
The machines quietly beeped.
A frail woman rested upon the bed.
Mary's mother.
Pepper watched as the younger Mary sat beside her mother's bed, holding her hand.
The same gentle smile she always showed patients.
The same reassuring voice.
The same kindness.
Yet the moment her mother fell asleep, the smile vanished.
The memory showed her reaching for a folder.
Hospital bills.
Treatment plans.
Operation estimates.
Pepper's eyes widened.
The numbers were astronomical.
Even Yuuki frowned.
Mary flipped through page after page.
Every estimate.
Every treatment.
Every specialist consultation.
All of them carried impossible costs.
Then another paper appeared.
Six months.
Projected life expectancy.
The doctor's hand trembled.
Six months.
That was all her mother had left.
The memory shifted through weeks.
Then months.
Mary worked overtime.
Took extra shifts.
Accepted every operation she could.
Sacrificed sleep.
Sacrificed meals.
Sacrificed everything.
Yet every calculation reached the same conclusion.
Even if she worked her entire life—
She wouldn't earn enough.
Not before her mother died.
Pepper looked away.
Now she understood the despair.
The helplessness.
The feeling of watching someone you loved slip away while being powerless to stop it.
Then they appeared.
The men.
Well-dressed.
Smiling.
Polite.
Predators disguised as businessmen.
Yuuki immediately disliked them.
The memory confirmed why.
They approached Mary when she was vulnerable.
When she was desperate.
When she was willing to listen.
The perfect target.
The conversation began innocently.
An investment opportunity.
Research funding.
Private medical partnerships.
Then the truth emerged.
They wanted patients.
Living patients.
Women.
Girls.
Individuals who could be converted into Nikkes.
They already had connections.
Already had facilities.
Already had buyers.
All they needed was someone inside the hospital.
Someone who could falsify records.
Someone who could make people disappear quietly.
Mary refused immediately.
The memory showed it clearly.
She stood up.
Demanded they leave.
Threatened to report them.
Then they revealed the numbers.
The operation cost.
Every debt.
Every bill.
Paid.
Her mother's treatment.
Paid.
Her mother's surgery.
Paid.
Her mother's recovery.
Paid.
Everything.
Pepper felt sick.
The officials continued talking.
Not about money.
About lives.
They argued they weren't killing anyone.
They were saving them.
The patients would continue living.
They would receive new bodies.
A second chance.
A future.
Mary desperately wanted to reject them.
The memory showed her struggling.
Arguing.
Crying.
Trying to justify refusing.
Then she returned to her mother's bedside.
The frail woman smiled.
Asked if Mary had eaten.
Asked if she was sleeping enough.
Asked if she was working too hard.
The memory broke Pepper's heart.
Because Mary made her decision that night.
Not for herself.
For her mother.
And that decision haunted her forever.
The memories accelerated.
Patients declared deceased.
Records altered.
Brains transferred.
People vanished from official records.
Money flowed.
Mary accepted every payment with visible disgust.
Every transaction hurt.
Every signature weighed upon her conscience.
Yet she continued.
Because every payment brought her mother closer to survival.
Every operation brought hope.
And for a while...
It worked.
The treatment fund grew.
The surgery fund grew.
The operation became possible.
Mary was almost there.
Almost free.
Almost done.
Then came another memory.
Mary sitting alone.
The operation fund finally complete.
The amount she needed was finally gathered.
Pepper smiled through her tears.
She could stop.
She finally had enough.
The memory showed Mary writing resignation papers.
Retirement plans.
Future employment.
Charity work.
Even letters of confession.
She intended to stop.
To save her mother.
Then spend the rest of her life atoning.
She never intended to continue.
Never intended to become part of their organization forever.
That was when the officials changed.
Their smiles vanished.
Their politeness disappeared.
Because Mary had become dangerous.
She knew too much.
Too many names.
Too many transactions.
Too many secrets.
A woman trying to leave was a liability.
A woman carrying evidence was a threat.
They could not allow her to walk away.
So they created a solution.
Pepper.
The memory shifted.
Yuuki immediately understood.
The anonymous messages.
The evidence.
The documents.
The photographs.
Everything had been orchestrated.
Not by justice.
Not by whistleblowers.
Not by honest investigators.
By the same men who wanted Mary removed.
Pepper had never been their target.
She had been their weapon.
The perfect weapon.
A nurse with a strong moral compass.
A nurse who genuinely cared about patients.
A nurse who would never tolerate corruption.
All they had to do was give her the truth.
Or at least part of it.
The rest happened naturally.
The argument.
The confrontation.
The stairwell.
The push.
The fall.
Pepper covered her mouth.
"No..."
The realization hit hard.
She had never been the villain.
She had never been the hero.
She had been manipulated.
Used.
Just like Mary.
The memory continued.
Mary hit the bottom of the stairs.
Severely injured.
Bleeding.
But alive.
Very much alive.
Yuuki immediately noticed it.
"So she survived."
Pepper stared.
The doctors nearby in the memory could have saved her.
Emergency surgery.
Immediate treatment.
She had a chance.
Then the familiar figures appeared.
The same officials.
The same predators.
They arrived before help.
They took Mary away.
Not to save her.
To silence her.
To control her.
To erase her.
Meanwhile, Pepper desperately searched for assistance.
Calling for doctors.
Calling for nurses.
Trying to save the woman she believed she had killed.
The memory became increasingly cruel.
While Pepper searched for help—
The security footage was released.
The entire hospital received it.
The accusations began.
The outrage began.
The hunt began.
The officials had removed both loose ends simultaneously.
Mary disappeared.
Pepper was destroyed socially.
Then came the accident.
Or rather...
Yuuki's eyes narrowed.
Not an accident.
The SUV appeared.
The timing.
The location.
The driver.
Everything was too perfect.
Too convenient.
Pepper never had a chance.
The vehicle struck her.
The same officials arrived.
The same retrieval teams.
The same outcome.
Two women.
Two victims.
Two future Nikkes.
And the people responsible walked away untouched.
The memory finally faded.
The hospital dissolved.
The corridors disappeared.
The world returned to endless green fields and blue skies.
Pepper stood there silently.
Tears rolled down her face.
Not from guilt this time.
From understanding.
From grief.
From finally seeing the full truth.
Mary had not betrayed her because she was evil.
Pepper had not hurt Mary because she was cruel.
Both of them had been trapped.
Manipulated.
Used by people who saw human lives as numbers on a ledger.
Then Pepper slowly sat down in the grass.
"I hated myself for years."
Her voice trembled.
"I thought I destroyed her life."
Yuuki sat beside her.
"You didn't."
Pepper wiped her eyes.
"And she..."
The nurse smiled sadly.
"She never hated me because she knew."
Yuuki nodded.
"She knew exactly who the real villains were."
The two of them looked toward the fading remnants of Mary's memories.
A doctor who sacrificed her conscience to save her mother.
A nurse who sacrificed her future trying to stop corruption.
Neither had been innocent.
Neither had been evil.
Just two good people who made terrible decisions while being cornered by circumstances beyond their control.
And somehow...
After becoming Nikkes.
After losing their memories.
After being given a second chance.
They had still found their way back to each other.
Still worked side by side.
Still saved lives together.
As though some part of them remembered.
Even when their minds no longer did.
The memory continued.
The hospital disappeared.
The accident faded.
The darkness that followed Mary's fall slowly gave way to light.
Sterile white ceilings.
Medical equipment.
Mechanical sounds.
The scent of disinfectants.
Mary slowly opened her eyes.
Confused.
Disoriented.
Alive.
The first thing she noticed was that her body felt wrong.
Different.
Lighter.
Yet heavier.
Artificial.
Then a flamboyant figure entered her vision.
A man wearing an outfit so extravagant that even years later it would remain impossible to forget.
Mustang.
The CEO of Tetra Line.
The man responsible for some of the Ark's most famous Nikkes.
Pepper blinked.
"So that's Mustang."
Yuuki folded his arms.
His expression wasn't particularly pleased.
"So that's Mustang."
The commander repeated.
A dangerous smile appeared.
"Now I have a score to settle with him."
Pepper almost laughed despite everything.
"Commander."
"What?"
"You haven't even met him."
"I don't need to."
Yuuki pointed toward the memory.
"The man is already on the list."
The memory continued.
Mary tried to sit up.
Questions filled her mind.
What happened?
Where was she?
Why was she alive?
Then she saw her reflection.
And understood.
A Nikke.
She had become exactly what she had spent years condemning her patients to become.
The irony was cruel.
Painfully cruel.
Pepper lowered her gaze.
Now she understood why Mary always carried that sadness.
Why she occasionally stared at herself in mirrors.
Why she looked so tired when nobody was watching.
The punishment had begun long before she ever met Pepper again.
The memory shifted.
Files appeared.
Conversations.
Official records.
Requests from powerful individuals.
Then the truth emerged.
Mary's memories had not been erased.
At least not completely.
Pepper froze.
"What?"
Yuuki narrowed his eyes.
The memory clarified.
The corrupt officials had requested certain memories be removed.
The evidence.
The names.
The transactions.
The people involved.
Anything that could expose them.
Those memories disappeared.
Hidden.
Deleted.
Buried.
But not everything.
Mustang had refused.
The memory showed the argument.
Corporate personnel demanding a complete wipe.
Standard Nikke protocol.
Remove everything.
Create a compliant asset.
A clean slate.
Mustang said no.
The flamboyant CEO leaned back in his chair.
Then spoke words that would define Mary's entire future.
"If she remembers her human name."
The CEO smiled.
"I shall forgive her."
Mary couldn't answer.
She couldn't remember.
Not anymore.
Jang See-Jin was gone.
Lost somewhere inside the damage.
Then Mustang's smile faded.
The memory became serious.
For perhaps the first time.
"A punishment is in order."
The CEO declared.
Against standard procedure.
Against company recommendations.
Against expectations.
Mary would remember.
Not everything.
But enough.
Enough to know what she had done.
Enough to remember the patients she condemned.
Enough to remember her failures.
Enough to remember her guilt.
The memory showed Mary lowering her head.
Silently accepting it.
Not arguing.
Not pleading.
Not asking for mercy.
Because a part of her believed she deserved it.
The punishment wasn't imprisonment.
The punishment wasn't execution.
The punishment was living.
Living every day knowing what she had done.
Living every day helping others.
Living every day trying to become a better doctor.
Trying to save lives.
Trying to atone.
Knowing she could never fully repay the debt.
The memory accelerated.
Years passed.
Mary became a doctor once more.
Saved lives once more.
Protected patients once more.
And throughout it all—
She remembered.
Pepper slowly stopped walking.
The realization hit her like a freight train.
"No..."
The nurse stared at the memories.
Years.
Mary had remembered for years.
Not the corrupt officials.
Not the entire conspiracy.
But enough.
Enough to know.
Enough to remember the stairwell.
Enough to remember Pepper.
Enough to remember who pushed her.
Pepper's voice trembled.
"She knew."
Yuuki nodded quietly.
"Yes."
The nurse stared.
"She knew it was me."
The commander didn't answer immediately.
He didn't need to.
The memories answered for him.
Pepper watched herself.
Or rather, watched the younger nurse she used to be.
Mary saw her every day.
Worked beside her every day.
Spoke with her every day.
Shared meals with her.
Shared shifts with her.
Protected her.
Supported her.
Encouraged her.
All while knowing.
All while remembering.
Pepper felt tears welling up again.
"But..."
Her voice broke.
"Why?"
The memory answered.
A younger Mary sat alone after work.
Looking at an old photograph.
Thinking.
Remembering.
Then speaking quietly to herself.
"She was a victim too."
Pepper froze.
The memory continued.
Mary never blamed her.
Never truly.
She blamed the people who manipulated them.
The people who cornered her.
The people who used Pepper's sense of justice as a weapon.
The people who destroyed both of their lives.
Pepper covered her mouth.
The tears finally came.
Not from guilt.
Not from fear.
But from overwhelming relief.
All this time.
All these years.
Mary had forgiven her.
Before Pepper had ever learned the truth.
Before Pepper had ever apologized.
Before Pepper had even remembered.
The nurse collapsed to her knees.
The grief she'd carried since recovering her memories seemed to finally crack apart.
"I thought..."
Her voice trembled.
"I thought she'd hate me."
Yuuki knelt beside her.
Pepper wiped her eyes.
Then laughed through her tears.
A broken laugh.
An emotional laugh.
A relieved laugh.
"She's an idiot."
The commander smiled.
"Yeah."
Pepper laughed harder.
"An absolute idiot."
"Also yes."
The nurse shook her head.
"She should've yelled at me."
"Probably."
"Hit me."
"Maybe."
"Thrown medical books at me."
"That sounds more likely."
Pepper smiled despite the tears.
Then looked toward the memory of Mary.
The woman who had suffered because of her choices.
The woman who had suffered because of others' choices.
The woman who still chose kindness afterward.
The woman who spent years saving lives.
The woman who never stopped trying to atone.
The woman who had forgiven her long before she ever deserved it.
Pepper lowered her head.
"Thank you, Mary."
The words were quiet.
Soft.
Yet carried years of emotion.
Beside her, Yuuki remained silent.
Watching.
Understanding.
And mentally adding several Ark executives to an ever-growing list of people he intended to have a very unpleasant conversation with someday.
The memories should have ended.
The truth had already been revealed.
Yet the crimson world around them remained.
The grasslands became still.
The wind stopped.
Then a familiar voice echoed across the endless field.
A voice carrying years of regret.
Years of guilt.
Years of sorrow.
"Mother passed away after my death."
Pepper froze.
Yuuki slowly turned.
Mary stood a short distance away.
Not the Nikke Mary.
Not the doctor they knew.
But the memory of Jang See-Jin.
The woman she had once been.
Her expression was calm.
Too calm.
The kind of calm that only came after crying for so long that no tears remained.
"I knew it happened."
Mary looked toward the distant horizon.
"I never saw it."
Her voice softened.
"But I knew."
The memory version of Mary smiled sadly.
"The officials never intended to honor their agreement."
Pepper felt her chest tighten.
The answer had been there all along.
The money.
The operation.
The promises.
All lies.
Every single one.
"They never funded the surgery."
Mary lowered her eyes.
"They simply needed me long enough to become useful."
The doctor laughed quietly.
A hollow laugh.
"I traded away pieces of my soul."
The words carried no anger.
Only disappointment.
"In the end, Mother still died."
Pepper felt tears forming again.
The cruelty of it all was unbearable.
Mary had sacrificed everything.
Her conscience.
Her career.
Her future.
The lives of countless patients.
And the people manipulating her never intended to save her mother.
Not once.
"I failed."
Mary whispered.
The confession was barely audible.
"I couldn't save her."
Silence followed.
The endless grasslands stretched around them.
Pepper clenched her fists.
The nurse wanted to say something.
Anything.
But no words came.
Because what could she possibly say?
Then Mary looked at them.
Her expression remained gentle.
The same gentle smile she always wore.
"I was reborn as Mary."
Her voice grew softer.
"Not Jang See-Jin."
The doctor placed a hand against her chest.
"The woman who wanted to save her mother died that day."
The memory flickered.
Hospital corridors appeared.
Patients.
Operations.
Years of service.
Years of atonement.
"I don't even remember the faces of the officials."
Mary smiled bitterly.
"They erased that."
Of course they did.
Yuuki's jaw tightened.
The people responsible had carefully removed the one thing that could expose them.
Names.
Faces.
Evidence.
Everything gone.
Only the guilt remained.
Only the punishment remained.
Then Mary looked toward Pepper.
The nurse immediately lowered her head.
Unable to meet her gaze.
Because now she knew.
She understood everything.
And somehow it hurt even more.
"I always knew."
Pepper froze.
Mary's voice remained gentle.
"I always knew it was you."
The nurse's shoulders trembled.
Years.
Mary had known for years.
Yet never once mentioned it.
Never once blamed her.
Never once demanded an apology.
"I couldn't blame you."
Mary smiled sadly.
"What I did was already sinful enough."
Pepper's tears finally spilled over.
"Mary..."
The nurse's voice broke.
"I..."
She couldn't continue.
The guilt.
The shame.
The relief.
Everything collided at once.
Mary simply smiled.
"I thought..."
The doctor looked toward the sky.
"If I continued helping people..."
"If I kept saving lives..."
"If I kept moving forward..."
"Maybe one day I could forget."
The smile faded.
"But I couldn't."
The confession hung in the air.
Raw.
Honest.
Painful.
Imagine spending years beside the person responsible for your death.
Years working together.
Years smiling together.
Years pretending everything was normal.
And still choosing forgiveness.
Pepper fell to her knees.
"I'm sorry."
The words escaped before she could stop them.
"I'm so sorry."
Mary immediately shook her head.
"No."
The response came instantly.
Pepper stared.
Mary smiled.
A real smile.
Not forced.
Not bitter.
Just genuine.
"No."
The doctor repeated.
"You have nothing to apologize for."
Pepper's tears fell harder.
"But I pushed you."
"Yes."
"I hurt you."
"Yes."
"I—"
Mary interrupted her.
"It was necessary."
The nurse froze.
Mary's expression remained calm.
"I was heading down a path I shouldn't have walked."
The doctor lowered her eyes.
"You forced the truth into the light."
Pepper shook her head desperately.
"Not like that."
"Perhaps not."
Mary admitted.
"But I don't resent you."
The nurse finally broke completely.
Years of guilt shattered at once.
Then another figure stepped forward.
Yuuki.
The commander looked at Mary quietly.
The doctor met his gaze.
Then smiled sadly.
"I don't mind if you judge me."
She expected it.
Expected condemnation.
Expected disappointment.
Expected the same judgment she had carried against herself for years.
Instead—
Yuuki stepped forward.
And hugged her.
The doctor froze.
Completely froze.
For a few seconds she simply stood there.
Unable to react.
Unable to understand.
Then the commander spoke.
"You did all those things for a noble reason."
Mary's eyes widened.
The words hit harder than any accusation ever could.
Yuuki's voice remained steady.
"You didn't do it for money."
"You didn't do it for power."
"You didn't do it for greed."
The commander tightened his embrace slightly.
"You did it for your mother."
Mary's lips trembled.
"I couldn't save her."
The confession escaped her.
Broken.
Vulnerable.
The same regret she had carried for years.
Yuuki nodded.
"I know."
Silence.
Then he continued.
"But you saved others."
Mary blinked.
The commander looked directly at her.
"Those terminal patients."
"The girls you sent into the Nikke program."
Mary lowered her gaze.
The shame immediately returned.
"They lost their humanity."
"Some did."
Yuuki nodded.
"They lost their freedom."
Mary flinched.
"Some did."
Then the commander smiled.
"But they're still alive."
The doctor froze.
The realization slowly appeared.
"They have lives."
Yuuki nodded.
"They laugh."
"They cry."
"They make friends."
"They dream."
The commander looked toward Pepper.
Then back toward Mary.
"They still have futures."
The doctor stared silently.
Then Yuuki spoke the words that changed everything.
"You can still atone."
Mary blinked.
"How?"
The question was genuine.
Not hopeful.
Not desperate.
Simply curious.
Because she had spent years believing redemption was impossible.
Yuuki smiled.
"Help me save them."
The doctor froze.
"Save them?"
"Help me free them."
The commander pointed toward the distant horizon.
"Help me turn Nikkes into GDI Nikkes."
Pepper's eyes widened.
Mary's did too.
"Give them freedom."
The commander continued.
"The same freedom I gave you."
The same freedom Rapi received.
Anis.
Neon.
Soda.
Ade.
Cocoa.
Nayuta.
And now Mary and Pepper.
No Ark.
No corporate control.
No chains.
No ownership.
Just choice.
Just freedom.
Mary felt something inside her chest stir.
For the first time in years.
Hope.
Real hope.
"We can save them?"
Yuuki nodded.
"As many as possible."
The commander's voice remained firm.
"Those girls you sent away."
"They have lives now."
"Some are happy."
"Some aren't."
"But they deserve a choice."
The doctor stared.
A chance.
A genuine chance.
Not forgiveness.
Not absolution.
But purpose.
A way forward.
A way to help.
A way to make things right.
Yuuki smiled.
"One day, when their lives finally end..."
The commander looked toward her.
"They won't die as property."
"They won't die as assets."
"They'll die as people."
The words struck directly at her heart.
People.
Not products.
Not experiments.
Not military resources.
People.
Mary closed her eyes.
Tears slipped free.
Not tears of sorrow.
Not tears of guilt.
Something else.
Something she hadn't felt in a very long time.
Hope.
Then she opened her eyes.
And smiled.
A genuine smile.
The brightest one yet.
"Then I will do it."
The doctor spoke without hesitation.
"I will save as many of them as I can."
Pepper immediately stepped beside her.
"Please let me help."
Mary looked surprised.
The nurse smiled through her tears.
"And..."
Pepper lowered her head.
"I'm still sorry."
Mary immediately shook her head.
"No."
The doctor reached out.
Gently lifting Pepper's chin.
"No more apologies."
Her voice remained warm.
Gentle.
Motherly.
"I do not resent you."
Pepper stared.
Mary smiled.
"Not anymore."
Then, for the first time since recovering their memories, the two women embraced.
Not as victim and perpetrator.
Not as guilty and innocent.
But as two people who had suffered.
Two people manipulated by the same monsters.
Two people given a second chance.
And now—
Two women determined to make sure no one else would suffer the same fate.
For a long moment, neither woman spoke.
Mary and Pepper simply held each other.
Years of guilt.
Years of misunderstandings.
Years of pain.
All of it finally laid bare.
Not erased.
Not forgotten.
Accepted.
Eventually, they separated.
Neither looked burdened anymore.
The scars remained.
But they no longer carried them alone.
Then Mary's attention shifted toward Yuuki.
The doctor stepped closer.
Her beautiful purple eyes reflected the endless blue sky of the memory world.
There was gratitude in them.
Relief.
Affection.
Hope.
Before the commander could react, Mary gently took his hand.
Then lowered her head and kissed the back of it.
A gesture of respect.
A gesture of gratitude.
Pepper smiled softly.
Not surprised.
Not jealous.
She understood exactly how Mary felt.
"Thank you."
Mary's voice was warm.
Sincere.
"For bestowing this light upon us."
The doctor placed a hand over her chest.
The connection.
The warmth.
The bond.
She could feel it now.
The same thing Rapi described.
The same thing Yorktown described.
The same thing Esche described.
A light that didn't command.
A light that didn't dominate.
A light that simply accepted.
"We are connected to you now."
Mary smiled.
"We can feel your heart."
Pepper nodded.
"The same warmth the others spoke about."
The younger nurse laughed softly.
"I thought they were exaggerating."
"They weren't."
Mary added.
The commander rubbed the back of his head.
Still uncomfortable receiving praise.
"You're welcome."
Then he smiled.
"And don't worry."
The warmth in his expression immediately reassured both women.
"Once we reach the Ark."
His voice hardened slightly.
"We'll find those bastards."
Mary blinked.
Pepper did too.
Yuuki tapped his temple.
"The connection helps."
The commander looked toward the fading memories.
"I've already seen fragments."
"Faces."
"Voices."
"Locations."
The two nurses widened their eyes.
"The people responsible?"
Mary asked.
Yuuki nodded.
"Not all of them."
"But enough."
A dangerous smile appeared.
"Enough to start."
The atmosphere shifted.
Not toward vengeance.
Toward justice.
Toward accountability.
Toward finally ending something that should have been stopped years ago.
Mary looked down.
Then took a slow breath.
Now that her memories had returned.
Now that the truth was known.
There was something she needed to say.
Something she had hidden even from herself.
"Commander."
Yuuki looked at her.
Mary's expression became serious.
"I need your help."
The doctor lowered her gaze.
"Years ago..."
Her voice became quieter.
"I was approached by several individuals."
The memories around them flickered.
Hospital corridors.
Confidential offices.
Shadowy meetings.
"A doctor who broke down after losing too many patients."
The words carried no self-pity.
Only honesty.
"I wanted to save people."
The doctor closed her eyes.
"Then they offered me a way."
Pepper silently listened.
Now understanding everything.
"They told me they could make humans more valuable."
Mary laughed bitterly.
"A beautiful lie."
The memory shifted.
Files.
Patient records.
Forged signatures.
Hidden transfers.
"In order to save my mother..."
The doctor's voice trembled slightly.
"I falsified death certificates."
"I transferred patients."
"I sold brains to Nikke manufacturers."
The words sounded horrible spoken aloud.
Yet neither Yuuki nor Pepper looked away.
Neither judged her.
Mary continued.
"Every single transaction."
The doctor looked toward the horizon.
"Every patient."
"Every transfer."
"Every agreement."
A faint smile appeared.
"The evidence still exists."
Yuuki's eyes narrowed.
"Evidence?"
Mary nodded.
"Everything."
The doctor pointed toward a distant memory.
"A black box."
Pepper blinked.
"The hospital archive."
Mary nodded.
"I kept records."
"Names."
"Dates."
"Transactions."
"Patient files."
The doctor's expression hardened.
"They thought I was keeping them to protect myself."
A pause.
"I was."
Yuuki grinned.
Now that sounded useful.
"The black box still exists?"
Mary nodded.
"Somewhere."
The doctor folded her arms.
"After my death, they likely began searching for it."
"Desperately."
Pepper immediately understood why.
Because that box wasn't merely evidence.
It was a death sentence.
For everyone involved.
Every official.
Every accomplice.
Every buyer.
Every seller.
Every corrupt executive.
Everyone.
"The black box contains everything we need."
Mary finished.
The commander slowly smiled.
A very dangerous smile.
"Well."
He cracked his knuckles.
"That's convenient."
Pepper recognized that smile.
The same smile he wore before planning something absolutely ridiculous.
Or terrifying.
Usually both.
The nurse immediately asked the important question.
"What happens after we find them?"
Yuuki folded his arms.
The answer came without hesitation.
"They touched members of my faction."
Mary and Pepper immediately looked up.
The commander pointed toward both women.
"You two are GDI now."
The statement was simple.
Matter-of-fact.
Absolute.
"You belong with us."
The warmth in his voice made both nurses smile.
Then the commander continued.
"And anyone who messes with my people."
The smile remained.
But there was steel beneath it now.
"Deals with me."
Pepper almost felt sorry for the corrupt officials.
Almost.
"We're not merely exposing them."
Yuuki said calmly.
"We're dismantling everything they built."
Mary's eyes widened slightly.
The commander continued.
"If they own a company."
"We destroy the company."
"If they own assets."
"We seize the assets."
"If they have careers."
"We end those careers."
The doctor's expression remained calm.
Almost disturbingly calm.
"As legally as possible."
A pause.
Then he added.
"And if that fails, Vergil can get creative."
Mary immediately laughed.
Pepper did too.
Somehow that sounded even more terrifying.
Then Pepper raised a concern.
"What about the innocent employees?"
The commander looked at her.
A fair question.
An important one.
After all, not everyone working within a corrupt organization was corrupt themselves.
Yuuki thought for a moment.
Then nodded.
"The innocent are protected."
His answer was immediate.
"The guilty aren't."
Mary relaxed.
Pepper too.
That sounded more like the commander they knew.
Not blind revenge.
Justice.
Targeted.
Deliberate.
Earned.
Then Mary smiled.
A very different smile from before.
Not the White Angel.
Not the Black Devil.
Something in between.
A woman who finally had a goal.
A purpose.
A way to atone.
"Then let us find that black box."
The doctor's purple eyes gleamed.
"Every name."
"Every victim."
"Every crime."
"We expose all of it."
Pepper stepped beside her.
The nurse smiled.
"And then we free every Nikke we can."
Yuuki nodded.
"Now you're thinking like GDI personnel."
Mary laughed softly.
Then looked toward the fading memories one last time.
The ghosts of her past.
The mistakes.
The regrets.
The failures.
For the first time in years—
They no longer felt like chains.
Because now she had a future.
And for the first time since becoming a Nikke—
She wasn't facing it alone.
The endless grasslands had become quieter.
The painful memories had been faced.
The truths had been uncovered.
The wounds that had lingered for years had finally begun healing.
For the first time since entering the memory world, neither Mary nor Pepper looked burdened.
They looked free.
Yuuki glanced toward the sky.
Then toward the two nurses.
"I think we've spent too long in here."
The commander stretched his shoulders.
"Might as well wake up."
The two women exchanged glances.
Then, without warning, both stepped forward and hugged him.
Yuuki blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then accepted his fate.
Mary smiled against his shoulder.
"Thank you."
Pepper nodded.
"For freeing us."
The words carried far more meaning than simply restoring memories.
Freedom from the Ark.
Freedom from lies.
Freedom from guilt.
Freedom from the past.
The commander smiled.
"You're welcome."
The two nurses tightened their embrace slightly.
Then Mary looked up.
Her purple eyes no longer carried the same sadness.
Only determination.
"We'll dedicate our lives to freeing every Nikke trapped by the Ark."
Pepper nodded immediately.
"Every one we can reach."
The commander grinned.
"Now that's a goal I can get behind."
Mary laughed softly.
Then Yuuki folded his arms.
"One day."
His smile became mischievous.
"I'll meet Mustang have a very serious conversation."
Both nurses immediately recognized that look.
The look that usually preceded trouble.
Significant trouble.
"A serious conversation?"
Pepper asked.
"A very serious conversation."
Yuuki nodded.
"Long."
Mary covered her mouth.
"I suddenly pity him."
"Good."
The commander replied.
"Because I don't."
The three laughed.
Then Yuuki's expression softened.
"You don't belong to the Ark anymore."
The statement made both women fall silent.
The significance of it finally settling in.
No tracking.
No ownership.
No corporate authority.
No chains.
Just freedom.
The commander pointed toward them.
"Right now, I guarantee people in the Ark are losing their minds with both of you gone."
Pepper immediately imagined the company.
Mary did too.
The alarms.
The emergency meetings.
The investigations.
The executives.
The corporations.
Everyone wondering how two more Nikkes had suddenly vanished from their control.
The thought was surprisingly satisfying.
"They'll come looking."
Yuuki continued.
"The people responsible won't stop."
Mary nodded.
"They'll want us back."
"Probably."
The commander shrugged.
"Too bad."
A dangerous smile appeared.
"Because GDI will handle them."
The certainty in his voice was absolute.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
No fear.
Then he pointed toward both nurses.
"And when we finally expose them."
The grin widened.
"I promise front-row seats for you two."
That earned genuine laughter from both women.
The idea of watching those corrupt officials finally face consequences was incredibly appealing.
Then Yuuki looked at them.
The joking faded.
The commander smiled warmly.
"Now."
He pointed at both nurses.
"Be my doctors."
Mary blinked.
Pepper did too.
"Doctors?"
"My medical team."
The commander corrected.
Immediately, both women straightened.
"With pleasure!"
"I would prefer to be your personal doctor." Mary offered.
"You have to compete with Vestal for that role." Yuuki grins.
The response came simultaneously.
Then, before Yuuki could react—
Mary kissed one cheek.
Pepper kissed the other.
The commander froze.
The nurses smiled.
Entirely pleased with themselves.
"I feel like we're getting closer and closer."
Mary laughed.
The doctor looked happier than she had in years.
"I'm so happy."
Pepper nodded.
Then looked directly at him.
The younger nurse smiled softly.
"The Commander..."
Her cheeks carried a faint blush.
"...is someone I can see myself falling in love with."
Yuuki immediately pointed at both of them.
"You two are moving way too fast."
Neither looked convinced.
"We barely know each other."
Mary and Pepper exchanged glances.
Then both smiled.
The exact same smile.
Which somehow made it worse.
Pepper gently touched her chest.
"The connection changes things."
The nurse spoke honestly.
"I can feel your heart."
The warmth in her voice deepened.
"I understand you far more than I should."
Mary nodded.
"The others weren't exaggerating."
The doctor laughed softly.
"It feels as though I've known you much longer than a few days."
Yuuki rubbed his forehead.
"That's not helping my argument."
"It wasn't meant to."
Mary replied immediately.
Pepper smiled.
"I want to spend more time with you."
The nurse looked surprisingly serious.
"May I get closer to you?"
The commander opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Then sighed.
The two women immediately knew that wasn't a refusal.
Which made them smile even more.
Mary folded her hands behind her back.
"If you're already promising marriage to everyone else..."
The doctor tilted her head.
"...I wouldn't mind becoming one of those brides."
Yuuki immediately regretted mentioning marriage to anyone.
Ever.
The nurses laughed at his expression.
Then the world around them began glowing.
Golden light spread across the grasslands.
The connection was ending.
The memory world was releasing them.
Returning them to reality.
Returning them to the inn.
Returning them to the people waiting outside.
Mary looked around.
"I guess we will wait for you outside?"
Yuuki replied.
Pepper smiled.
"Then we'll see you soon, Commander."
The light intensified.
The grasslands began fading.
The sky dissolved into gold.
Their forms slowly became translucent.
Then, one final time—
Mary kissed his cheek.
Pepper followed immediately after.
The commander didn't even bother protesting anymore.
The nurses smiled.
"Thank you."
Mary spoke softly.
"For freeing us."
Pepper nodded.
"For giving us a future."
The golden light enveloped them completely.
The weight of the past.
The guilt.
The pain.
The regrets.
None of it vanished.
But it no longer defined them.
Because now they had purpose.
Now they had freedom.
Now they had a future worth pursuing.
And with that—
The memory world disappeared.
Leaving behind two healed hearts.
One stubborn commander.
And the promise of a brighter tomorrow waiting beyond the dawn.