Author note: Hi to all, once again! This is it, the last part of the second generation fic! Can you believe it? I certainly can't. I've been at this for ages... So, let me take this chance to thank each and every oneof you wonderful readers for reading this, waiting patiently for my chapters and reviewing! The nice words you gave me are always nice to read! (If you need more 009 action I'm planning to get back to Trick of the Devil now.) Thanks again for reading! You guys are awesome!

Epilogue

16th August 20XX,

Notes in the new diary of Isaac Gilmore.

Five days, that's all it took. We got out of that hell-hole five days ago and already things are falling in on themselves. I haven't slept more than two hours a night since we got here, my nerves are shot and the only thing I seem to be doing is staring out the window and waiting for an army of soldiers and machines to show up on the horizon. I can't think straight either; I keep thinking that I'm still at the Black Ghost facility and that speaking my mind could lead very promptly to a painful death. I know it's only really mental conditioning and my tired mind finding it hard to cope with the sudden change of circumstances. I mean, I was in that same place for nearly fifty years and I'm certainly not as young as I used to be…

The thing with Kosumi is, he hasn't really changed since University. I mean, externally, he is older, and a little frailer. But, other than that, he is the same: cheerful, friendly, generous and surprisingly quick on the uptake. When we arrived I didn't even need to say anything before he guessed that something was seriously wrong. And, even after the two of us not talking for decades he opened the door to me, and all of the cyborgs. It had to have been about four in the morning; we were all completely exhausted and more than a little bit stressed. I'm sure I wasn't the only one there expecting the entire Black Ghost army to suddenly appear from around a corner, all guns blazing. But, he was nice enough to let us all in and put the kettle on. I was all ready to blurt out everything that had happened but he stopped me and said, firmly but kindly, that it could wait. He said to me that I looked ready to drop.

Now, today, there is a storm coming in from the ocean. The air pressure is growing steadily, bringing on headaches, terrible heat and even worse tempers. It stops me from sleeping at night and brings frightful dreams to me when I do sleep…

Over the past couple of days I have managed to patchily give my part of the story to Kosumi. It isn't the easiest thing to ask him to suspend his disbelief and just bear with me; he's a natural born scientist and is, for lack of a better word, a practical person. At times this can be very helpful since, despite my greatest efforts, I am a very emotional person and can find it hard to think straight when I'm worked up. He helps me think straight. The rest of the time, however, it is quite hard to make him think outside of the box, so to speak. But, at least we got there eventually.

Of course, it's hard for me, but, I can only really imagine how tough things must be for my cyborgs. And, of course it doesn't really help that I keep referring to them as "cyborgs". For the love of god, they're people; but Jesus, I don't even know their names. How am I meant to go up to them and just ask their names, out of the blue? I mean, things are tense enough as it is; they are barely speaking to each other, let alone to me. The air is so tense, no-one speaks but instead everyone seems content in solitude.

Since our arrival I have barely seen any of the others, but, from what I gather, things are not doing so good. 001, since our safe arrival, has been sleeping. I think he over-exerted himself a little too much during our escape so, it could be a while before we hear from him again. But, I couldn't have asked for a better effort from him. 002 seems completely unable to sit still for more than two minutes at a time. One minute he is telling himself that fortifying the house is priority and the next he is swearing on his life that we need to go all out and destroy the black ghost. He yells at everyone that tries to talk to him and refuses to simply be still.

003 has been having a rather terrible migraine ever since we arrived here. Apparently, even being 30 miles away from Tokyo is too close for her; the constant noise from the city coupled with the pressure from the storm is giving her a headache, making her just as irritable as 002. 004 has become tense and sullen, refusing company and simply staring out at the sea for hours on end. He becomes irritated and mixes German in with English when he speaks, making it slightly hard to understand what he's saying.

005 chooses to keep to himself, leaving before dawn to wander around the nearby hills and only returning long after sunset. He remains quiet and pensive when he is around and when pressed he claims that the "voice" of this land is so very different from what he is used to. 006, however, compensates for his unhappiness by obsessively spending the whole day cooking complicated meals, becoming irritated when no-one touches their food and only making it worse when he doesn't eat himself.

007 sits for hours every day at the laptop computer he has borrowed staring at the screen. Days ago he declared that he was going to write about what had happened but since then he hasn't written anything. He opens a document, writes a couple of sentences, stares at the screen for hours and then exits without saving. On the other hand, 008 leaves the house at the same unthinkably early hour as 005 and spends the day doing what he calls "patrolling the perimeter" - looking for any danger that might be around. But, probably, he's just testing his new abilities in the ocean and escaping the tension underwater.

009, like 005 and 008, also leaves the house every morning and returns in the evening; according to what 003 says she's seen him spend the whole day walking around, visiting the same place every day: the burned remains of a building. He sits there silently and then walks back by the ocean. I can only guess what significance the place has.

Now, here, at the end of the day, the tension has built even further. The air is so thick with moisture I can scarcely breathe and any moment now the storm will break over our heads, shattering the calm. With anticipation I sit in the front room, playing chess with Kosumi and staring out at the sea as bruised grey clouds crawl towards us. Somewhere on the other side of the room 003 lies on the sofa, face covered with the book she was trying to read. 002 stands in the doorway, looking moody and expectant. 007 sits at the writing desk, glowering at an empty document as if somehow hoping to make words appear all by themselves.

You know Isaac, Kosumi says, calmly. You should really keep an eye on your own side once in a while. You've let all your enemies close in around you without a struggle…

I glance down at the chessboard. How could I not have noticed that? I'm only moves away from complete checkmate; all the dark pieces are dangerously near and I am running out of options…

I'm sorry Daisuke, I say, still slightly taken aback. I wasn't concentrating…

He smiles and laughs to himself.

Not surprising really, He replies. The storm is about to break. It will be fierce but, like all things, it will pass. It will be over just as quickly as it started and afterwards the sun will shine once again. You just wait and see…

I hope you're right, Daisuke. I just hope we can last through the storm…

003 stands up suddenly, letting her book fall to the floor. She walks over to the window and glances out at the sea.

Something is coming… She says.

Just then, the first sounds of thunder sound over the sea. The storm has broken…

END! OMG!