Three days after ward-breaking disaster.
Crew gathered. Full attendance.
Mira. Cog. Ember. Patchwork. Tangle (corner, twitching, avoiding eye-contact).
Shield. Silent in far corner. Still recovering from. Previous mission injury. Couldn't vote formally. But. Watching. Nodding. Present.
Rust. Standing center.
"We need to. Formalize. Tangle's status."
Tangle. Flinched. Shrank smaller.
"Formalize formalize FORMALIZE means. Vote means. Decide if. Keep or. Discard me yes?"
"Not discard." Rust. Firm. "Decide if she stays. How she integrates. Crew decision. Not just mine."
Democracy. New concept.
Cog. Gears clicking approving-pattern.
"Wise. Leaders who make. All decisions alone. Become tyrants. Eventually."
Ember. Flames crackling uncertain-pattern.
"So we. What. Vote? Like. Nobles do? Pretend opinions matter then. Do whatever leader wants anyway?"
"No pretense. Genuine vote. Majority decides."
Mira. Raised hand.
"I vote. Keep. She saved Rust. Made mistake, yes. But. Who hasn't?"
One vote. Keep.
Patchwork. Nervous shuffling.
"I. Um. I think. She should stay. Because. Because she's. Like me. Broken. But trying. And if. If we exile broken people then. Eventually. You'll exile ME too and. That's. Selfish reason but. Honest one sorry."
Two votes. Keep.
Cog. Thoughtful clicking.
"I vote keep. With conditions. Memory degradation is. Unpredictable. Need protocols. Safeguards. But. Consciousness is sacred. Don't discard because. Difficult."
Three votes. Keep.
Ember. Long pause. Flame flickering complex-pattern.
Then.
"Exile."
Silence. Shocked.
Tangle. Whimpered. Shrank into corner.
"I vote. EXILE."
Mira. "Ember—"
"Let me. FINISH." Flames burning defensive-pattern. "She's liability. Chaos incarnate. Ward-breaking disaster nearly. Got us KILLED. Guards now hunting glitch-construct. Because of HER."
Looked at Tangle. Hard look.
"I've BEEN. The broken one. That people kept. Out of pity. Know what it felt like? Watching them. Tolerate me. Waiting for me to. Leave. Burn out. FAIL."
Voice cracking.
"Sometimes. MERCY. Is exile. Letting her leave. Instead of watching her. Get us killed. Or. Watching her. Watch HERSELF. Get us killed. And live with that. Forever."
Patchwork. Trembling.
"But. But that's not. Fair. She didn't MEAN to—"
"Spark didn't MEAN to die. Didn't stop it. Happening." Ember's flames guttering. Grief-pattern. "Intent doesn't. Protect anyone. From consequences."
Silence.
Heavy.
Then Mira. Standing.
"That's. Your trauma talking. Ember. Not wisdom."
"Maybe. Or MAYBE. I see clearer. Because of trauma."
"You see FEAR. You see loss coming. So you want to. Push away first. Before it hurts."
"And that's. WRONG?"
"It's understandable. Not right."
Debate. Real debate.
Rust. Watched.
This was. What democracy meant. Disagreement. Not unanimous comfort.
Cog. Gears clicking heavy-pattern.
"I understand. Ember's position. Have lost. Many students. To good intentions. But. Still vote keep. Because consciousness sacred. Even dangerous consciousness."
Ember. Flames flickering frustrated-pattern.
"Fine. FINE. Three versus one. Plus Rust. I know how. This ends."
Looked at Tangle.
"I dissent. On record. If she. Gets us killed. Remember. I WARNED."
Then. Quieter.
"But. I won't leave. Because you kept her. I'll complain. Constantly. And. Stay anyway. Because. That's what family. Does. Apparently."
Four votes keep. One dissent.
All eyes. On Rust.
He already knew his vote. But.
"Keep. Majority rules. Four to one."
Tangle. Frozen.
Not moving. Not twitching. Not looping.
Just. Staring.
"You. You ALL. All voted. KEEP. Even after. Even after I. RUINED mission. Endangered everyone. Made guards aware of. Glitch-construct presence. You still. Still want. Want ME?"
Voice breaking. Fragments.
Mira. Approached slowly. Knelt beside her.
"Want you. Exactly as you are. Glitches and all."
Tangle. Started shaking.
Not fear-shaking.
Something else.
"I don't. I don't remember. Being WANTED. Not since. Before. Before extraction. Before WRONG. I. I was. Something. Someone. Important maybe? Someone. Wanted me once. I THINK. Can't remember. Face. Voice. Name. But. FEELING. Wanted-feeling. This. This feels. SAME."
Crying now.
Constructs didn't cry. Not really. No tear ducts.
But her body. Shaking. Leaking. Something. Magical residue forming. Water-shaped droplets from button-eye.
Grief-magic. Loss-magic.
Mira. Hugged her.
Tangle. Froze.
Then. Slowly.
Hugged back.
Clinging. Desperate.
"Thank you thank you THANK you. For keeping. For wanting. For bothering. With broken. Glitched. Wrong. Thing."
"Person," Mira corrected. "Broken, glitched, PERSON. Not thing."
"P-person. Yes. Person. Learning. Slowly. To believe. Person."
Rust. Observing.
Filed under: crew cohesion deepening, family forming through. Acceptance of damage.
Also filed: Tangle exhibits genuine emotion, consciousness authentic despite. Fragmentation.
Cog. Approached.
"Now. Protocols. We discussed limitations. Need to. Implement them."
Right. Battle wasn't over. Administration was.
"Tangle," Rust said. Voice gentle but firm. "You're staying. But. New rules."
She looked up. Wiping eyes. Trying to focus.
"Rules rules RULES. Good. Structure helps. Memory finds. Anchors. Rules are. Anchors. Yes."
"Rule one. No precision tasks alone. Ward-breaking, infiltration planning, anything requiring. Sustained memory. Someone supervises."
"Supervised supervised ACK. Fine. Fair. Can't trust brain anyway. Extra brain helps."
"Rule two. Combat situations. You're emergency asset. Chaos weapon. Not front-line. Deploy only when. Everything already gone wrong."
Tangle. Giggled. Broken-bell sound.
"Already gone wrong is. My natural habitat. When things NORMAL that's. When I glitch. When chaos? I'm. HOME."
Strange logic. But. Made sense somehow.
"Rule three. Daily check-ins. With Cog. Mental grounding techniques. Memory anchoring exercises."
Cog nodded. "I've prepared. Routine. Simple repetitions. Reinforce core identity. Name. Purpose. Location. Crew members. Repeated until. Automatic."
Tangle. Processing.
"Daily daily DAILY is. Lots. But. But okay. If helps. Stay. Coherent. Worth it."
Looked around at crew.
"You're. Investing. In me. Why? Practical question. I'm. Asset? Weapon? What. What do I. GIVE you. That's worth. This effort?"
Ember. Flames crackling honest-pattern.
"Reality manipulation. When desperate. That's. Significant tactical advantage."
Mira. Shook head.
"Not just that. You. Tangle. YOU. Deserve care. Not because useful. Because. Person."
Philosophical debate. Emerging.
Are we keeping Tangle because asset. Or because consciousness inherently valuable?
Both.
Rust. Made decision.
"Both reasons. Valid. You're useful AND valuable. Not contradiction. We're political movement. Survival requires. Resources. People with abilities. BUT. Movement exists because. Consciousness is sacred. You're sacred. And you. Fight well. Both true."
Tangle. Stared.
"I'm. Sacred. AND lethal. That's. That's nice. New identity. Sacred weapon. Ha. HA."
Giggling again. But. Lighter now. Genuine amusement.
"Okay. Okay okay OKAY. I accept. Rules. Limitations. Protocols. Will try. TRY. To be. Good family member. Good sacred weapon. Good. GOOD."
Deep breath. Metaphorical.
"When do we. Start? Training? Grounding? Whatever?"
Cog. Extended hand.
"Now. If willing."
Tangle. Took it.
Stood.
Wobbly but. Standing.
"Now. Yes. Now. Before memory loses. THIS moment. This. Wanted-feeling. Anchor it. Before it. Slips away like. Like everything else."
They walked. Corner of refuge. Cog speaking soft. Grounding words. Repetitive anchors.
"Your name is Tangle."
"My name name NAME is Tangle."
"You are part of crew."
"I am. Part of. Crew."
"Crew keeps you."
"Crew. Keeps. Me."
"Remember that."
"Remember. Remember. REMEMBER."
Looping. But. Intentional looping now. Therapeutic repetition.
Rust. Observed.
Filed under: rehabilitation protocol initiated, Cog assuming mentor role, crew expanding capacity for damaged members.
Ember. Beside Rust.
"You're collecting. Broken things."
"We're all broken."
"Some more than others. Tangle might. Break further. Hurt us. In glitch. Uncontrollably."
"Might."
"And you'll. Blame yourself. If that happens."
Rust. Considered.
"Yes. I'll carry that. If necessary."
"Leadership means. Carrying weight of. Bad decisions?"
"Leadership means. Making decisions. Living with consequences. Good or bad."
Ember. Flames crackling thoughtful-pattern.
"Spark would've. Liked you." Paused. "She collected broken things too. Rescued dying embers. Fanned flames others. Gave up on."
"What happened to them? Her rescues?"
"Some survived. Flourished. Others. Burned out anyway. Despite help."
"Worth the effort?"
"She thought so. Even when. They failed. She said. 'Trying. Matters. More than. Succeeding.'"
Rust. Processed.
Filed under: Spark philosophy, relevant to current. Leadership approach.
"I think. I would've. Liked Spark."
Ember. Flames flickered. Grief-pattern. Brief.
"She would've. Loved you. Trashy hero golem. Fighting for consciousness rights. Her kind of. Stupid hopeful mission."
"Is that. Compliment?"
"Closest I get. To compliments. Take it."
"Acknowledged. Filed."
Ember. Snorted flame.
"Stop filing everything. It's weird."
"Can't. Perfect memory. Everything gets filed. Whether I want or. Not."
"That sounds. Exhausting."
"It is."
Silence. Comfortable.
Watching Cog work with Tangle. Mira assisting. Patchwork fetching. Whatever needed.
Family. Functioning.
Damaged. Dysfunctional.
But. Functional.
Tomorrow. Training would begin.
Real training. Combat basics. Magical theory.
Crew needed to. Fight. Eventually.
Not just survive. Win.
Filed under: optimism cautious, family forming, tomorrow preparation begins.
Today. Today they kept someone. Who world said. Throw away.
That was. Revolution enough. For one day.
[End Chapter 20]