The mech's chest armor was badly damaged, exposing the darkened structure beneath. Its head hung low, lifeless.
Firefly staggered forward a few steps, eyes wide as they reflected the cold metal wreckage.
"AR...214...is that really you...?"
"..."
Seeing Firefly's shoulders sag, Dahlia slowly stepped up beside her and spoke gently.
"You don't have to force yourself. I can examine her for you."
"No, it's all right..." Firefly shook her head and took a deep breath. Resolve returned to her eyes, though deep sorrow lay beneath it.
Dahlia looked at the wrecked mech and asked,
"Was she the one you saw when you infiltrated Penacony?"
"Yes," Firefly admitted, her voice dry with pain. "She was clearing out the Swarm, but she was only a Memoria phantom. She vanished soon after."
"Silver Wolf said Penacony had suffered a Swarm Disaster before. I kept trying to tell myself she'd only stopped to help while passing through."
"Once it was over, she left safely..." She sounded as though she were trying to convince herself, but her voice grew weaker.
Dahlia listened without interrupting. After a moment's hesitation, she asked softly,
"Do you still want to know the answer this time?"
Firefly raised her head and looked at Dahlia, her expression conflicted.
"Would it make any difference?"
"I want so badly to hear you tell me...that this is only Memoria too, not real."
"But when I think about it calmly, that wouldn't change anything. A memory...is something that already happened." Her reason was struggling against her emotions.
"You're calmer than I expected," Dahlia said, with a note of admiration.
"I wish I weren't." Sorrow filled Firefly's face, and her lips curved into a bitter smile. "She and I...I think we could have called each other friends."
"I'd rather cry my heart out for her, like