A portal appears before Luz and me, but it doesn't outlook the streets outside the building. The view is different, sunny, warm and beautiful. I struggle to stand as rays of sunlight push through the open dimensional doorway. Luz presses herself against me to keep me steady.

I am at a loss for words.

"Franklin, your father didn't neglect the planet. I lied to you," Leader Mikel says, his voice calm in my ear. "He remained there, on Earth, as a doting father and husband to your mother. He cared for that world as if it were his own."

What? My breath hitches in my throat. I turn my head to look down at Luz, searching for the natural light in her eyes. I see it instantly, but in a different hue. The sunlight from the portal has changed them, making them golden. Red, even. Like a topaz lost in sand.

I slide my hand along her shoulder to keep her close to me as I walk forward with her.

"You don't remember it because you were so young. But he refused to leave until he knew your mother was safe from punishment. And I made sure of it."

We stop right before the portal. The clockwork machine continues to click behind us. It's stars and spiritual dust hum as they circle above our heads. I listen to Leader Mikel as he speaks, but parts of it makes little sense to me. "Why are you lying to me? My father," I whisper. "You're saying my father lived on Earth with my mother. But I grew up on Brigond. I'm a Brigon. My mother—"

"Is human, Franklin. Born and raised on Earth," Leader Mikel says. "Your father, once he knew she could leave that planet, took her home with him. To hide her. And you."

I can feel Luz's hand grip my shirt. Closing my eyes, I take in a pained breath. "My father wasn't there," I say. "He passed through in between missions. He spent a night or so with us during his travels, but never... after I was twelve, he..."

I barely remember my father. My memories of him were slim, reoccurring in my mind like passing glances. I didn't know his face because I looked like my mother. I knew his eyes because mine were the same. But him—his presence, his voice, his life—was nothing more than a story to me.

"Your father hated Earth, yes, that part is true. And I, too, because your father is my closest friend."

"Is?" As I listen, I step one foot through the portal. Next to me, Luz hesitates, but one look in my eyes calms her enough to make her move. Together, we step through the open doorway. "You say is like he's—"

"Alive?" Leader Mikel laughs. "Because he is Franklin. I spent twenty-seven years ensuring his safety. And three years ago, I reunited him with your mother."

"But my mother..." My mother is dead. I want to say it because it is the truth, but it pained me to do it. Saying it out loud brought back the pained memories of when she left our home to travel with one of her closest friends, only to have news that her dimensional ship was crushed during a loop. Unlike a Cog, there was nothing they could bring me of hers to remember her by. All I have are photos left home, her clothes, and memories.

Yet, the way Leader Mikel speaks of her, it makes it sound as if... "Franklin, your parents are together."

As Luz and I pass through the portal, we cover our eyes, blocking out the rays from the sun. It's brighter here, almost blinding. I hiss at the sudden change but listen to the portal close behind us. Looking back, I watch as it shuts off, revealing nothing but sand around us. No walls, no buildings or city streets. Just... a beach. Paradise.

Luz grips my shirt as she holds me, looking around, too. "Frank," she whispers, "where are we? This isn't..."

"I think you understand how controlled the universe is, Franklin," Leader Mikel says. "You saw it with your own eyes. I trained you for it. Raised you within it when your father left."

I turn back, looking ahead of us once more. The sunlight isn't as strong and I'm able to see the sand, the ocean, and a house built along the sides of rocks. It captures the reflection of passing clouds perfectly, shifting over the panes of glass like paint on a canvas. I'm in awe as I look at it.

But my heart is in my chest, pounding, slamming heart against my ribcage. I stare at the side door of the house, the one overlooking the ocean. A part of me expects someone to come through it.

"And for a while, this was all we knew—the control, the order. Your father respected it until... he stepped foot on Earth. As if the planet renewed his soul, he saw no need for the tyranny we were used to. He envied humans for being so hidden, away from the government that controlled the rest of us."

Luz helps me as I walk across the sand, closer to the house. Gentle, warm winds hit my face as we take our steps.

"Still, your father knew he would need to fix the planet and leave. And as much as it hurt him, he was fine in doing so... until he saw your mother."

I turn my head and look at Luz, into her eyes as she looks up at me. My father's journey on Earth sounds like mine. Exactly like mine.

"I never saw a Cog fight so hard to stay on a planet, but staying and ignoring repairs is punishable by law. We all know this."

"My father..."

"Did exactly as you did, Franklin. And told me you would, too."

He told him?

I froze. Luz stumbles, not expecting me to stop. Her hand presses against my chest as she looks up at me. She whispers, "Frank?" but I don't respond. I focused my eyes on the house, on its opening door.

A woman steps out on the balcony. Dressed in a long white silk robe, the wind pushes the fabric around her body. Her wavy black hair covers her face, just as her fingers settle on her bottom lip. Even with the distance between us, I can see her face, her eyes, and the tears welling up within them.

My heart shatters as I step forward and fall to my knee. "Mama," I whisper as Luz falls with me, trying to hold me still. "Mama, you're..."

A man appears behind her, stepping out from the open door. His hair settles around his ears, much like mine. His face is different, yet the expression tugs at so many memories buried within the back of my mind.

"Father..." I whisper.

"Are these your parents?" Luz asks as she continues to hold me, her knees digging into the sand. "Did they bring us here?"

"Your father wanted to hide on Earth, away from the government's peering eyes, and the only way to do it was to fake his death. The plan was to bring both and your mother with him, to live peacefully as a family." Leader Mikel sighs, saddened. "The plan has taken longer than expected, but at last, after twenty-five years, his plan has come into fruition."

My mother rushes down the balcony's side steps and onto the beach. Her feet kick at the wet sand, sending chunks of it into the air as she hurries towards our direction. As she drops directly in front of us, she cups my face in her hands, worry taking over her expression as she eyes my wounds. "Franklin, my son, look at you... are you all right?"

Slowly, I nod.

My mother's worried eyes slide over to Luz and she cups her face, too. "And you, sweet girl, are you all right?"

Luz doesn't let me go, but I feel her body move as she nods in response.

I can't take my eyes off of my mother.

"Franklin," Leader Mikel speaks again, his voice quieter in my head, "you and your friend are safe with your parents. To the overlords, I am reporting your deaths within the clockwork machine. During the retaliation, imprints weren't saved or created. No one will know how you corrected the time or fought of the Hions. They will think those that perished to be lost in action."

My mother cups my face once more before embracing me. My body aches, but the warmth of my mother's hug takes it all away. I sink into her arms, face in the crook of her shoulder. She still smells the same—like tea and morning flowers—and the sound of her voice calms every inch of me. When I lift my head and look into her eyes, I feel like the young boy who always ran to her when the world seemed hard. She always made the air right again.

"Just like your father, Franklin," I hear Leader Mikel once more, "your 'death' will allow you to hide in this world. No one will look for you. And your name will go alongside your father's as a Cog who sacrificed it all to save a planet."

I see my father step off the balcony. He isn't as anxious as my mother, no rushed movements. As he walks towards us, he is strong, powerful. I can feel the energy come off of him in waves. But as he comes closer, I see the weakness on his face, but a weakness that is pride, relief. He is happy to see me. And as his lip lifts into a small smile, I see the tears in his eyes. "Son," he whispers.

I try to stand but find I can't. Not on my own. My mother moves to my one side, Luz on the other. Together, the two women who have my heart help me up to face my father.

He extends a hand for me to grab. "I know you'd make the right choices," he says.

I grab his hand, as if to shake it. "I only followed my heart," I say, my voice hoarse with emotion.

My father doesn't shake my hand. Instead, with care, he pulls me against him. He hugs me. One of his hands cups my head as the other wraps around my shoulder. "And that's the only path to follow, son," he says as he pulls back to look at me. He turns to Luz next, reaching to grab her hand. "Follow your hearts and do what is right. That is what the overlords don't understand."

For a moment, I'm hesitant, but I hug him back. Weakly, my arms wrap around him. It's strange to feel the need for a love I never thought I'd have. My father was lost to me, and yet, here he was on a planet I nearly let die.

"Franklin, you're safe on Earth. No one will find you. Enjoy your family, your new love, and enjoy life as a human. I hear it's lovely."

As Leader Mikel speaks one last time in my ear, I turn and look at Luz. I reach to grab her hand. She gives me hers to hold instantly. I smile as she does. "It is, Leader Mikel," I say.

The sigh he lets out echoes in my ear. I know it's paired with a smile. "I will send a signal to destroy your communications device. This will be the last you hear from me."

My gaze lifts as I look at my father and mother.

"It may hurt for a day," Leader Mikel says, "but it's a pain much earned. I will disconnect you from every Cog and all machines."

Luz grabs me. Holds me tight.

"Goodbye, Franklin. You are free."

"Goodbye, Leader Mikel." I look down at the woman who helped me realize freedom was all I needed. "Thank you."

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A/N: <3 Done <3

Total word count: 23,950 <3

Thank you again for reading! If you made it here, I hope you enjoyed it all! If there is anything I should add/change/dig deeper into, let me know ^_^. I appreciate all feedback and support! <3