"Um… does that mean you… you did those things with them, even though…"


    She tried to put her words into thoughts, but that didn''t seem to work out.


    "Just to be clear, in no way I''m saying it''s a good thing." The Doctor replied. "As I said before, I''m really ashamed of what I have done back then."


    For a long time Sam thought of the Valkyries as nothing but highly advanced sex bots and sleeping with them was his only objective. Whenever he remembered that he had such a mindset, he couldn''t help but feel disgusted with himself.


    What''s worse was that, while he hated his previous thought process, a part of him didn''t regret any of his actions. The intimate moments he shared with Nine, Five, and Three were some of his best memories, and thanks to them he was able to get closer to the three and learn the truth about them.


    "I… I never knew it could work like that…" Eleven murmured to herself.


    "Well, there is no need to rush things," Sam said. "It''s only been a few months since you regained your free will. You should take your time and learn these matters properly."


    "Right…"


    Once again silence permeated between the two. As she thought about what he said, Eleven turned her eyes to the city and watched the lights for a while. A couple of minutester, her eyes suddenly shot open as she once again realized that he was onto her.


    ''He knows!'' She thought. ''He definitely knows!!!''


    "I have been with many women before, both humans and Valkyries. You could say I have a lot of experience when ites to these matters." The Doctor began speaking out of nowhere interrupting her thoughts. "Those special feelings I mentioned, they don''t always lead you to happiness.


    No matter how strongly you feel about someone, that person might not reciprocate those feelings, and that can be a source of great pain."


    Heaving a long sigh, he straightened himself, turning to the entrance after a couple of silent seconds.


    "That Producer, he''s a good man." Sam said. "You should talk to him at the very least. Deciding what to do afterward can wait."


    Eleven was speechless, the words spoken by the man lingering in her mind for a long while. She only realized that he was gone long after the fact.


    The embarrassment she felt slowly faded as she brought the coffee cup to her mouth, and as she took a sip of the ck drink, her thoughts went back to everything the man said.


    "So it doesn''t have to just him…" She muttered to herself. "I guess he knew all along… that''s probably why he gave me the contacts…"


    Understanding that she had his permission, she took her phone out. On the dimly lit rooftop, she stared at the screen for a few seconds, gathering her courage before tapping the call option.


    ~[ ]~


    "Whoa, this is crazy…"


    Somewhere in Settlement Number 01, in the corner of a dark attic, a young boy stared at the screen of hisptop. The device looked like a corpse brought back to life, with a cracked frame and various cables sticking out, some of which connecting to other beat up devices and circuit boards.


    His eyes had turned into saucers and his body trembled slightly, a testament to the excitement slowly welling up in his body.


    "What is…?"


    A voice spoke from behind, the long yawn that followed it telling of how tired its owner was. A young girl slowly rose from under a dirty nket. She rubbed her eyes a few times as she turned in the boy''s direction, and when she saw the huge smile he wore, illuminated by the faint glow of the old device, her heart almost stopped.


    "Runa! You need to see this!" He said, taking off therge headphones. "Wait, no! Wake up the others! This is big news!"


    Before the little girl could understand what was happening the boy got up from his corner and started running around.


    "Kai! Setsuna! Keven! Saif! Effa! Wake up!"


    One by one the other kids started waking up. It''s been a couple of hours since they went to bed so being forced awake wasn''t something they appreciated.


    "Damn it Rollo…" another boy grumbled while scratching his dirty blond hair. "Couldn''t it wait till morning?"


    "Like hell it can, Keven!" The first boy replied while shaking another one awake. "You won''t be able to sleep once you hear this!"


    "Is it… Is it about the Va~~~~lkyries…" A dark skinned girl rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Is there… news…?"


    "Big news, Effa! Really big news!" The boy, Rollo, grabbed her shoulders and started shaking her tiny body. "You might be able to be a Valkyrie! Eleven said it herself!!!"


    "What''s he bbering about, Kai?" A girl asked the kid beside her as she tied her hair into a ponytail.


    "Who knows." The boy pulled down his hood revealing a shaved head. "Maybe he finally lost it?"


    "Did you say Eleven!!?" Another boy shot up from the pile of rags, his head moving left and right even though his eyes refused to open. "There is news about the Auroras!!?"


    "Right…" the ponytailed girl said, looking up as if she had just recalled something. "She''s one of those idols Saif never shuts about…"


    With all of the other kids finally awake, Rollo rushed back to his oldptop and waved at them.


    "Come! You gotta see this!!!"


    He grabbed some of the cables and removed the one connected to his headphones, immediately plugging in the ones connected to the small speakers beside him.


    Moving the mouse around he clicked a couple of times and rewinded the video to the start, then, after checking that everyone was ready, he hit the y button.


    The children were powerless as their expressions changed from frustration to confusion then fear andstly disbelief. They looked at each other, wondering if it was just some well executed prank, but the excitement shown by their eldest refuted their doubts. He might''ve been a really weird kid, but one thing for sure was that he would''ve never made such a big fuss unless he waspletely sure.


    "The power… of Valkyries?" Keven mumbled.


    "First they say they''re aliens from another world and now this?" Setsuna added with a frown.


    "It seems the video was posted on the Resistance official site first." Said Kai, his eyes reflecting the light from a small phone. "The traffic caused it to crash, though…"


    "So it''s real?" Asked Keven.


    "The is practically on fire."


    "That new Head General said we''re heading for a new era!" Rollo eximed. "This must be what he was talking about!"


    Feeling something tug on his shirt, he looked behind him and saw a little girl looking up at him with puppy eyes.


    "Runa can be a Valkyrie?"


    "Of course!" Without hesitation, he turned around and lifted her small frame up in the air. "You will be a Valkyrie! The cutest Valkyrie to ever exist!"


    "If I get my hands on that power…" Saif muttered, staring at theptop screen with bloodshot eyes. "I might be able to meet Eleven!"


    "It sounds too good to be true…" Crossing his arms, Keven leaned against the wall, his eyes on their eldest. "I doubt the whole thing is that simple."


    "Boo! Can''t you stop being so optimistic for once?" Effa red at him with pouted cheeks.


    "I think you mean pessimistic, Effa." Setsuna smiled wryly. "That said, Keven is right. Good things don''te that easily, remember?"


    "If it''s true, Awakening can be our ticket out of this shit hole." Said Kai, though his gloomy expressioncked the slightest bit of enthusiasm. "That said, it would put a target on our backs. I doubt those Nephilim would just sit around and let the Resistance create more super soldiers."


    "Who cares!" Putting down the little girl, Rollo turned to the stale bunch, his smile still full of excitement. "We will get that power, we will learn how to use it, and from there everything will be smooth sailing! This is the opportunity of our lives, we can''t possibly miss it!"


    Keven red at him for a few seconds, and so did Kai. Setsuna felt the tension rise in the old attic but chose to keep her silence.


    "Alright, I get it." After a long staring match, Keven gave in, sighing as he scratched his head. "You say this will work so I''m gonna believe you." His head turned to the oldptop. "We don''t have anything to lose anyway."


    One disaster follows the other. Looking at the potential chaos it might cause, a Primordial''s visit dwarfed the destruction left behind by the Cmities. Still, as horrifying as it might sound, many saw it as their chance at a new life.


    A new era was upon the war torn world.