Zenless Zone Zero: Broken Chords (Xionic Madness/ZZZ)

[One_Cuddly_Oni]

AN: Got a brain worm after rewatching Xionic Madness and fucking around on ZZZ, so here it is, the fic I wrote for myself and what madness fans exist.
...
Askad was never one for faith in the divine.

That wasn't to say he was all logical calculations and blind adherence to science, but he didn't ascribe his fate or his life to a higher power. The death of his wife, his own injury and subsequent cybernetic augmentation, Kary's rampancy, his own death - All of it was the product of outside interference and probability working against him. He didn't believe there was anything after death, let alone a hell or heaven. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised (and honestly a little shocked) to find himself in a new world entirely.

Eridu.

The local government was kind enough to get him set up, as they were desperate for engineers and men of his intellectual skill. Askad had landed a rather quiet job designing robots, learning all the intriguing developments behind etheric energy and the world around him. On his rare days off, he would test some explosives he designed in the Hollows. At first it was a hobby, some mindless explosive chemistry to take his mind off of ether energy conversion systems and intelligent construct design. It later became a business, something where he'd leverage his boss' contacts within the Eridu Defense Force to make some extra cash.

Revolutionary systems for Eridu, some rather droll designs he had stashed away in his brain.

Eventually, the EDF cut his boss out of the deal and approached him directly. Apparently a few higher up in the defense force took an interest in his work, and decided to feed him some crap about 'serving one's city'. When appealing to his sense of loyalty didn't work, they offered him a contract with incredible benefits and allowed him to pick and choose what he worked on. He was beholden to no corporate contracts, no black operations, no suicide missions.

Just him, a workshop, a team of engineers to proofread his work, and on occasion some field testing in the Hollows.

In short terms, it was an improvement over his previous employer.

In long terms, he vastly preferred this work environment over the mindbogglingly suicidal one he previous served with. MBORF had slowly pushed Kary to rampancy, betrayed Bolverk Squad, and had essentially played into the hands of the ones behind the scene. It was only sheer luck nobody died earlier, and he hoped Omega and Xero's breakout was brutal enough to clear out the entire organization. It was long odds, considering that the mega-corporation was an international powerhouse, but it was fun to imagine the entirety of MBORF's private military being depleted by his former comrades.

And speaking of comrades, he had made a few friends within the EDF.

Mostly intelligent constructs, a few thiren, some humans in there as well, but robots, androids, whatever they referred to themselves seemed to be his primary social circle. It had started innocently enough, a coworker complained about how the mechanics screwed up their left knee actuator, he offered to take a look, and before he knew it he had a line of constructs looking for some assistance. Some paid him for his work, others bartered, giving him limited edition mechanic magazines and food in exchange for help, others simply wanted to see how he was doing.

So not only was he an engineer and R&D agent, he could add 'intelligent construct technician' to his list of occupations.

Of course, his reach echelon position couldn't last forever.

Hollow Zero.

What was once his testing ground for explosives was no longer stable, instead it suddenly began expanding and consuming the surrounding area. The EDF and all available forces were mounted to attempt to contain it and evacuate civilians, with even Askad's unit being pushed to the frontlines as casualties began mounting. It quickly became clear that his usual passive style was ill-suited to the frenetic and ever changing conditions in the Hollow, with only luck being the difference between life and death.

Which is what he's currently working on.

In an NEDF outpost overlooking Hollow Zero, Askad hummed a tune as he tinkered with his latest design - A fall back method if he ever runs out of explosives, unlikely given his other projects, but he'd be a fool to not consider it. Sitting in front of him on his newest workbench was a rather heavy set of gauntlets, his answer to targets who get up close and personal.

High-strength alloy composite housing, triple-layered ballistic resistant woven cloth for the gloves, and a set of shaped studs to enhance striking power. 'Power Knuckles' is what he referred to them as, primitive in design, but effective for when his etheric forge runs out of power or is damaged. Just as he was about to set his tools aside and test his latest creation, he heard the heavy and familiar footsteps of an old friend, someone who quite literally pulled him out of the fire.

Without looking up from his work, he smiled. "Morning Seed, how are things with Flora?"

Seed was quiet for a moment, shuffling awkwardly from one heavy foot to another before he finally spoke.

"It's getting worse."

His voice was quiet for a man of his size, usually booming with excitement. Askad knew immediately that he wasn't talking about Flora, he was talking about his current issues. Immediately, the engineer set aside his pet project as he began clearing the workshop.

This was his other project.

Figuring out what was killing one of his friends.

"What's the issue?" Askad rigged up the heavy duty lift gear. "Low power? Is…Are you having memory issues?"

"No, not yet," Seed answered as he entered the heavy lift system. "But lately, I've been noticing other issues, fingers are starting to go stiff, everything's…fuzzy." Askad connected a few cables to the back of Seed's head, double checking his friend's current condition. The last time they had checked his systems, the soldier's diagnostic was mostly blue with some areas of concern.

The screen was orange.

Askad assumed a more technical personality, focusing on what he could do here and now rather than in the future. Time was his enemy, one that seemed to swell in strength every time he decided to turn his back.

"What did Veronica say?" Askad slipped on his technical visor, preparing to do what was essentially brain surgery.

"She said my logic core was failing-" Seed powered down for a brief moment, lights flickering as Askad nearly fell over. "...Had something…say, liquid…cryst…"

"Liquid crystal? Like what's in your memory drives?"

His fellow soldier nodded weakly, hanging in the heavy lift system.

Askad quickly got to work, bracing Seed's head as he started removing armor plating and the protective shell underneath. The NEDF made quality soldiers, made quality men, but he wouldn't deny that they were excessively paranoid about certain things. He set the pieces aside as carefully as he could, memorizing part numbers and sizes as he found Seed's logic core staring back at him - A marvel of engineering, all that his friend was and will be sitting in front of him. The engineer donned a pair of high temperature gloves, carefully inspecting the housing for any damage. Besides some cosmetic damage from where he sabotaged his own Defense System, there wasn't much.

At least, to the human eye.

To both his augmented vision and the technical visor he developed, Askad focused on the liquid crystal memory unit. He zoomed in, seeing irregularities in what was supposed to be a pristine system. Suspended throughout the blue-white fluid were dark gold formations, some of which were fused together or blocking certain connections. Small enough you'd need a microscope to see them clearly, big enough to disrupt connections and power systems.

In short, like a neurological disease in a person.

The problem is, fixing it was a risky procedure.

If Seed were a non-sapient, non-intelligent construct, this would've been an easy fix. Simply backup all memory files, disconnect the liquid crystal memory system, and replace it. Sure, some memory loss would be inevitable due to crystals forming on connectors and blocking signals, but it was expected. With Seed, there were a number of risks - Complete logic core death, possible changes in his personality or speech, partial or complete memory loss.

"That damage you did to your SDS must've fused some crystals together," Askad winced. "I can fix it, but I can't guarantee you'll be the same person coming out."

Seed forced himself to speak, his voice full of static and grit.

"Already made plans, left a message for Flora," He said as the lights of his eyes dimmed. "But if I can see her bloom, do it."

"I trust you."

With those words spoken, Askad got to work, starting with backing up Seed's memories.

He tried not to pay attention when Seed's eyes went dark, tried not to focus on anything but the work in front of him. He didn't focus on the quiet, the sounds of his tools, or how he could hear the smallest footsteps trying their best to keep quiet. Askad heard another set of footsteps - Trigger, her shoes made a distinct tap when she walked. She must've noticed whoever it was trying to hide outside of his workshop, but he continued on.

The LCM was quick to disconnect, and with his tech visor he could see more crystals forming on the connection points - Those would have to come out too. The sunlight outside began to fade as he found more issues, more corroded wiring and contact points. He couldn't let one crystalized part remain, if he left so much as a speck the whole situation could start all over again.

Askad wiped the sweat from his brow as he triple checked his work.

All connection points were restored, everything factory new from his parts closet in the workshop. The interior of Seed's cranial unit was made up of reinforced matte black polymer and polished copper alloy, all that was left was the LCMS and a quick systems check, definitely a memory check if he wanted to make sure his friend was still there. With a sigh and a tap against his own visor for good luck, Askad got to work replacing the parts. LCMS went on fine, the protective housing fit perfectly, and finally it was time for his armor plating.

And then it was the moment of truth.

His hands hovered over the keyboard, eyes following the cabling and wiring connected to the back of Seed's head. There was a not-so-insignificant risk he just essentially lobotomized his friend, but Seed trusted him, Flora trusted him, and there were other intelligent constructs probably suffering from the same issues Seed was suffering from.

If this worked…

…A lot of lives could be saved.

Taking a deep breath, he started booting Seed up.

Systems: Nominal.

No abnormalities.

Logic core stabilized.

Seed's eyes flickered to life, shining a familiar shade of yellow. Askad quietly stepped in front of him, waving a gloved hand as the man before him looked around the room. His motions were stiff, rigid as the engineer hoped he didn't do anything negative. After a few moments Seed's movements relaxed, shoulders lowering as he scanned the room a few times.

"Anytos?"

Askad's callsign, good to see Seed can remember him.

"Yeah?"

"What…Happened?" Seed groaned as some of his joints popped from being frozen in place for so long. "The last few hours are blank for me." Askad, for the first time since the Old Capital fell, let out a breathless chuckle. He'd been working on Seed so earnestly he lost track of time, but he matched what he thought was correct versus the amount of time his friend was missing. The end result?

0.3%.

A rounding error in the grand scheme of things, only a few minutes of actual data that was missing.

He'd get to see Flora grow up.

…

A few years later, Askad looked at himself in the mirror.

He wasn't sure when he got a gray streak in his auburn hair, but he's guessing it's from stress - Seed had opted for a more defensive loadout once Flora started joining him in the field. But he focused on his appearance, remembering that he was once again entering his thirties. His amber eyes were actually warm and full of life, he had bulked up a fair amount from his time as a soldier - Not dramatically so, but enough to fill out his black and orange uniform decently.

Plus…

Urban camo and black were surprisingly flattering for him, especially with an orange accent. It also matched his glasses as well, their golden shades complimenting the design rather nicely.

His build was a bit heavy in the shoulders and arms, but when his primary style of fighting was pugilism and throwing heavy explosives, it was inevitable. He gave himself another once over as one of his fellow squad members knocked on his door, their knuckles all but hammering against the cheap particle wood.

"Anytos, you in there? Captain's asking for you." Soldier 11, one of the newest recruits, personnel file was a bit scarce on details but she was nice enough.

"I'll be out in a few minutes, doing maintenance." One of the benefits to having cybernetics, he could take as long as he wanted if he filed it under maintenance. But knowing Captain Magus' temper, it'd save him the trouble if he started moving. He slipped on his ballistic vest, following it up with his combat jacket which, while useful for urban combat, also had sections that were bright yellow-orange, negating its intended purpose.

But if he ever wanted to blend into a nightclub or a neon-lit city, it might work.

Plus, he added some additional armor - Shrapnel was nobody's friend after all. He knocked his fist against the hexagonal armor coating on his combat jacket, a ritual he developed before going out into the field. Once zipped up and loaded with his W-Engine, he left his room behind and walked towards the meeting room.

Well, less of a room, more of an open tent that nobody was using.

Just as he was about to walk in, the familiar crimson barrel of Captain Magus immediately appeared in front of him.

"And look who finally decided to show up!" Magus barked, and Askad smelled a faint, familiar scent when she spoke. "What's your excuse Anytos?"

The engineer merely adjusted his glasses. "I could ask you the same, didn't we just have this discussion regarding Nitro-Fuel based gun oils?" Magus' assistant gunner stifled a laugh, and for a moment her optics turned a blinding haze of red, orange, and an embarrassed shade of pink.

"Hush! What I do with my money is my business." She all but growled, her alloy housing rattling and whirring as Orphie desperately tried not to laugh.

Magus whirled around to both her gunner and the rest of Obol Squad. "And the rest of you! Take your seats! We're about to start the briefing." Orphie let out an undignified squeal as she was suddenly whipped around, dragged by her own cybernetic tail as Askad got into his assigned seat. He was in the back row with Seed, who had undergone more modifications over time. Defensive upgrades, simple stuff such as reactive arc plating and better legs to hold up his bulk. Somewhat taller, a little bit more balanced out, and he had a nice set of blue floral art painted on his left shoulder.

It reminded him that someone was missing.

Nudging his friend of a decade and some change, Askad whispered. "Where's Flora?"

"On her way," Seed whispered back. "She was making some last minute modifications, said she wanted to surprise everyone on the mission."

Of course.

And as if on cue, their missing squad member appeared.

"Ah! Sorry for being late!"

Flora hovered a few feet off the ground, wearing an amber-tinted tactical visor and a flight suit with colors similar to Seed's own armor plating. Shades of sand brown, black, and yellow that made her look far more professional than she actually was. Resting on her back and hips were a set of thrusters, and following her was a half-dozen floating drones with integrated laser systems.

That must've been the surprise she was working on.

"Specialist Flora reporting in," She snapped to attention, saluting Magus before flying over to her usual seat next to Seed. "Time moved a bit faster than I was expecting." Magus grumbled, but otherwise said nothing before detailing their next mission.

Using Flora's new laser drones and flight capabilities, she would assist Trigger in providing fire support against the ethereals as allied forces undertook a search and destroy mission through a newly formed companion hollow. Askad's role in this mission would be demolitions and field engineering, though his explosives were limited to flash and concussion, meaning his higher yield grenades would be reserved in the (rare) event a more dangerous ethereal appeared. But as Magus explained their plans, Askad's thoughts drifted towards his team.

Had they been granted a second chance like him? Were they currently living in New Eridu, or perhaps the Outer Ring? Maybe they'd been living in the same city as he was and he'd never know unless he looked them up or ran into them by chance. Wherever they were, he hoped they were doing okay, even if their old team would never be the same.