D-Mo felt as if everything had suddenly clicked into place—as though the mystery had dissolved in an instant. A sharp wave of longing hit her harder than anything else she'd felt in her brief existence.
She stood there, gaze fixed on Orion for a moment that lingered uncomfortably, silently turning the thought over in her mind. Then, without a word, she stepped beside him and lifted her arms.
Orion flinched on reflex—only to find himself wrapped in D-Mo's cold, metallic embrace. He didn't react at first, caught off guard by the unfamiliar moment. Thin as it was, she clung to the hope that Diane hadn't truly disappeared.
But she couldn't be certain—not yet.
Orion eventually reached up with an awkward hand and patted her back. "Guess we both needed that," he muttered, clearly unsure of the moment.
He had no idea how much those words weighed. Arthur had never told him about the resemblance Units sometimes shared with their former human forms.
As they made their way toward the Open Door, D-Mo's excitement began to dim, little by little. The odds were high that it was nothing more than a coincidence. She and Diane had simply been average in height—nothing remarkable. And she couldn't ignore the nightmare it would have been for a father to subject his own daughter to such a fate.
Still, hope never fully left her.
Still, there was undeniably some kind of thread linking her, Diane, and Milton—no matter how tenuous it seemed.
They reached the Open Door shortly after. Spark was there too this time, practically vibrating with excitement after spotting a cat for the first time, chattering nonstop and barely letting anyone else get a word in.
"Spark, why don't you go check if any S.C.U.s are nearby? I'm expecting an enchanter to stop by soon for a delivery," Arthur said gently. Spark gave an eager nod and zipped out the door without hesitation—she adored seeing other Units, no matter the reason.
Arthur chuckled, eyes following her until she disappeared outside. "Now then," he said, shifting tone, "about D-M0's original components."
"D-Mo," Orion quietly corrected. "She prefers D-Mo."
that's the good news." He let out a slow breath before continuing. "The bad news is that I'd need access to a proper ArchTek manufacturing line to do it. Which means, realistically, we have no chance. I'm working with the tech equivalent of sticks and stones here," he added, gesturing around the room with a faint flick of his hand.
Orion's expression dropped, and D-Mo's posture slumped in quiet disappointment. "What if we—" Orion started, but was cut off by a ping from his communicator. "Give me a second," he muttered before stepping out.
Left alone, D-Mo avoided Arthur's gaze, her silence speaking volumes. "I can make some pretty convincing replicas," Arthur offered, though it sounded more like a weak attempt at comfort than a genuine solution.
D-Mo gave a polite shake of her head, still not meeting Arthur's eyes—less out of discomfort now and more lost in thought. She appreciated his kindness toward Units, but she knew well enough that it didn't come cheap. A man with his skills never worked for free.
Orion returned just then, speaking before the door had even closed behind him. "As I was saying—nothing we can do. Arthur, any chance you've got spell cartridges in stock? We've just picked up a job that might need some serious firepower."
D-Mo could tell he was bluffing.
After a round of bartering, they left the Open Door with a hefty supply of top-grade cartridges. Orion was practically bouncing on his heels as he said, "I found our way into The Plant."
"But Arthur said the Plant is a bad place," Spark said, just a step behind them.
Neither of them had seen or heard her approach.
"Spark—uh, we were actually talking about plants. You know, the green leafy ones you put in soil. Totally different thing. You know the ones," Orion replied, trying to recover.
"Nope," Spark said brightly. "I still wanna go to the Plant, though!"
D-Mo and Orion shared an uneasy glance before Spark added with a casual shrug, "You don't have to bring me. I'm really good at following people. But if you do bring me, I won't tell Arthur."
Orion squinted. "Why do you even want to come?"
Spark began bouncing in place, brimming with excitement. "Because I finally get to meet—"
SPELL CONTAINMENT UNIT
F-LT
CALLSIGN: FIRELIGHT