Send me your strongest machine.

Give me your greatest man.

"It's my job to make them one."

Elle's jean skirt was longer than her legs were. It glided over the stark white floor of the stark white hall, only one of a thousand like it that composed the majority of the Underground's structure. The sleeves of her shirt almost reached down to her knees.

"If they see my arms, they will think less of me. The less they see, the happier everyone will be."

No one called her 'Elle'. Twelve years ago, a lifetime ago, they had called her by that name, but no more. It was her name, but it was not her 'real' name.

"He changed it for me."

He hadn't asked her. He just named her without her consent, before she was even awake. Her eyes opened onto his. He was laying next to her in his bed.

"Hello, my little angel. My... Cherub."

That man was gone now.

She missed him.

"It's alright if he hates me. If I get to see him again, that's enough for me."

Cherub was on her way to work. She was a specialist, in charge of individual BioSuit maintenance, repair, and organic/mechanical cohesion. There was no one who knew more than her.

Engelmacht knew more. She was brilliant. Her knowledge might not be as encyclopedic as Elle's, but her ability to apply it certainly surpassed the younger girl's.

Cherub and Engelmacht were collaborating on the construction of the next generation BioSuit. The laboratory she entered was nearly pitch black, only illuminated by the flickering light of the computer monitors that were dotted about the room. Cherub rolled her eyes and flicked the light switch on. Engelmacht refused to work in the light, even going so far as to refuse to work during the day. She would only come out of her quarters long after dusk, despite the fact that natural light could never penetrate to the depth they were at.

It was only eight in the morning. Cherub could use the innovation of the electrified bulb without having to worry about being admonished.

"She's insane. She's like me... but her lust goes farther than mine."

Cherub would rather not rely on Engelmacht, who had in recent years become much more erratic than she had been when she activated Cherub over a decade ago, but there was little alternative. The good Doctor created him, and knew his structure better than anyone. There was also the problem with Engelmacht being to only person in the organization with blueprints for a new body, and the ability to adapt them for the man they all looked towards.

Even without the plans, she was the only other person who cared that he had died. She was the only one Cherub had to trust. Lucrezia would certainly be interested in the project, but Cherub wouldn't trust that bimbo further than she could throw her, which wasn't far; Ambrosia had an unfair height advantage.

"She's the reason he died. She's the reason he decided to give up on life. I... cannot forgive her for that."

Though the two of them were working closely, they actually were busy on completely different parts of the would-be BioSuit. At the moment, Engelmacht was working on the mechanical internal structure. Since Cherub was no good with her hands, she was coordinating the effort on the internal mechanisms with that of the organic structure that would be covering it in the coming months. It was difficult work mapping out the individual piece that wouldn't need to be grown because of technological substitutes, but it was essential for everything to mesh perfectly if he was to be without horrible defects. The most complicated part would be merging the viral systems and the new prosthetic system with his organic parts, so the metal beneath the skin could mold and bend without completely ruining his flesh.

Normally, this would all be left to Mother. Somehow, this was out of the question.

Whether foresight or dementia, Engelmacht refused to let Mother in on the construction. The entire room was on a closed circuit. It was probable that Mother was monitoring them anyway, but she could not interfere.

The work was long, and tedious. Much of it confused Cherub. Black box components, nonsensical placement or systems. Everything she knew was at odds with how they were building him.

Engelmacht insisted that they not deviate in the slightest from the plans. Either she knew exactly what she was doing, or...

"She knows as much about what we are creating as I do."

Cherub plugged herself into the computer and brought up the schematic page. A picture of him flashed, a composite based on the genetic factors they had been using as a template for his construction. He looked older, his features were more defined and his eyes were sharper. Physically, he would be around the age of 24 or 25, a few years older than his original body, which was only about 18 or 19. Cherub blushed as she looked at the image.

"He's a lovely piece of man, isn't he?"

Cherub spun around to see Doctor Engelmacht standing in the doorway to the lab.

"I could lay into myself for weeks with just that image. Really, no joke. Don't you agree?"

Cherub's brow furrowed. Engelmacht had lost some off her modest appeal over the years. She was a little to blatant for cherub's tastes.

"Compared to the rest of the filth down here he's like a god. He'll be my God, to deliver me from this tomb."

Cherub remained silent.

"I might stab next man who brushes up against me. They do it on purpose. They leer at me. They want to fuck me. Cowards. They're too intimidated by my intelligence to do anything about it."

The doctor was dressed in black. Her hair, once an lovely autumn brown, was dull, long and unkempt. She wore no make-up, though her lips were still bright red as they always were. Her glasses had a crack through them.

Her pupils were dilated and unfocused.

"Do you think my angel would be happy that I kept myself pure? Do you think he'd like it more if I killed those bastards who looked at me?"

Cherub shook her head. If she spoke, she'd be yelled at. It was a burden she was willing to bear, to get him back.

Engelmacht threw her lab coat to the floor, and sat in front of 'him'. She was not wearing a bra, and her skirt was wrinkled and slightly hiked up. She was wearing the same thing she had all week, though Cherub was reasonably sure the woman had bathed.

Abruptly, the Doctor turned away from the metal frame of her subject to stare at Cherub.

"Why are the lights on? If we want to get anything done, we need those lights off. Do you understand?"

Cherub jumped up and unplugged herself, before skittering over to the light switch.

The darkness returned, and Engelmacht was silenced. The tinkering of metal began to sound in the lightless room.

"I love him, with all my heart. He may hate me for bringing him back, but if I can see him happy, my life will have been worth living."

She gave a glance to the Doctor.

"That woman will be tossed to the side as soon as he returns. I don't have to worry about her. It's that green haired one that I have to worry about."

Lucrezia. That woman was gone, but for how long was a mystery.

"If she dies on the battlefield... well, that'd be lucky, but I shouldn't count on it."

Cherub sighed. She brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, before plugging herself back in the computer. The quicker he was revived, the better. Engelmacht knew this. That's why she was working in the daytime, despite her preference.

"Gabriel Mason... I'll repay you for your kindness. Just wait and see. I'll take the strongest machine Apath has to offer... and merge it with the greatest man the world will ever know."

In the year 2007...

"And then, I'll make... you."