Beyond the Horizon: New Dawn

28) "Seventy-Six"

Seventy-Six was alone in the galley preparing a cup of coffee. He added two teaspoons of sugar then began to stir the cup. Zero entered the galley and Seventy-Six asked if she wanted him to fix her a cup as well. She nodded and told him that she had been meaning to speak to him about something important. Seventy-Six had a hunch that it would pertain to Beta. There was no official word on her despite Elias having had her in his possession. Then there was the matter of the UNSF raid on Titan. He would not be surprised if Beta was with the UN right now and if he had to guess where she was, that would be his answer.

"Why'd you send Four and Six?" she asked as he poured out the coffee for her.

The question caught Seventy-Six off guard. He could tell by her tone that she was displeased with his decision. "Damage control," Seventy-Six answered in a half-truth. He was hoping this answer would show her that he was only looking out for their best interests.

Zero folded her arms together and gave him a stern look. "Damage control that involves killing the general of the UNSF. You don't think that could be dangerous for us?"

Seventy-Six put a single teaspoon of sugar into Zero's coffee. "It would be more of a danger to leave him alive." He handed the coffee to Zero. He understood what she was coming from. A worst case scenario would have the UN trace back General Wells' death back to BlackDiamond. But with Elias taking the bulk of the company through the Bridge, that would leave a target on the few operatives that remained in the System, including the Task Force. What Zero failed to see was that his murder would take place in space, where anyone could be responsible for it.

Zero sighed. "I hope you're right."

"It'll be fine," Seventy-Six replied confidently. "With them being in space it means..." His voice trailed off as he noticed Jonathan standing in the corner of the room. He waved at Seventy-Six and grabbed a cup of coffee.

"It means what?" Zero asked, still waiting for him to finish his sentence.

Seventy-Six watched as Jonathan gestured to follow him outside the room. "Not now," he told her. He put his cup of coffee down and tailed Jonathan out of the galley. It was strange to pass by a few members of the Task Force and see them not acknowledge Jonathan's existence. The man appeared to be as real as anything else on the ship. He was able to interact with the world, pick up and move things, and open doors. Seventy-Six wondered if all this was going on in his head, how Jonathan could be doing all these things. He would take this over the excruciating headaches and whispers in his head, but it did make him feel more insane that he did previously.

Jonathan entered Seventy-Six's quarters and stood in the center of the room. Seventy-Six ensured the door was locked before diverting his attention to Jonathan. He took a look around the room and commented on how cozy it was. He leaned his shoulder against the metal wardrobe and finished drinking his coffee.

"Why the fuck are you here?" Seventy-Six asked impatiently.

Jonathan lowered the cup onto the floor then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Because we have to talk."

Seventy-Six chuckled. "You say that as if you're even real."

"Real is a matter of perception. Your brain is allowing you to see, hear, feel, and smell me. You think I'm not real solely because no one else has or can interact with me. I guess that's understandable, but ask yourself this: am I not real, or are the others unable to perceive me?"

Seventy-Six took a seat in the chair by his bed. He had no idea what to think of Jonathan's argument. The fact of the matter was that this was no longer multiple personality disorder and Seventy-Six started to doubt that it ever was. He had never heard of a case of someone with MPD sharing the same symptoms as him. Let alone having a physical construct of that personality appear before them regularly. Since Thirty-Five was preparing his procedure, it meant that his time with Jonathan would be limited. He held information that Seventy-Six was curious to determine whether they were true or not. But on his own terms. "Well," he began as he leaned back in the chair. "Go on."