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“Right, I’m gonna go hide in my room for a few hours.” Neil picked up her orange Haro and pushed herself away from the bridge.
“Not gonna stay and meet the new sniper?” Lasse looked over and met Neil’s eye and eye patch.
“Nah, I’m not gonna scare whoever Setsuna found off. ‘Hi, I’m the previous sniper, I lost an eye and I’m not supposed to walk when we have gravity’ isn’t exactly inspiring.” Lasse made a face and nodded as she left.
Setsuna had arrived and was showing the new sniper around while the bridge crew clustered around a newly returned Sumeragi. “That’s Neil’s twin? Neil has a twin and we didn’t know-”
“We’re not supposed to talk about family, you all remember.” Sumeragi had never been very cheerful but she was particularly gloomy now. “He had a twin, and now we have another Lockon. What?” The bridge crew was looking at each other, everyone making some variety of ‘oh no you don’t know’ face.
Lasse chose to speak up. “We, uh, still have Neil. Tieria recovered her. I think you were still onboard but Doc didn’t want to say anything til he was sure they’d both make it.”
“We still have Neil? She?”
“She uh. Figured out she’s a girl. A… few months in?”
“A few months of forced bed rest. And told us when she figured we’d start noticing.”
“But h-she’s still alive.”
“Yeah! We had casualties- she’s off duty, Chris and Lichty are at Krung Thep- but everyone made it, mostly in one piece.”
“C’mon Haro, let’s go meet your new Lockon.”
“New Lockon! New Lockon!” If she focused she could ignore how wrong that felt.
There he was, looking at Cherudim. “Hey, I brought your Haro, you’re gonna need her. Little lady’ll control the gundam while you’re sniping.” He looked… familiar.
“Okay, thanks. You’re the previous-” He turned around and. Shit.
Lyle looked at Neil, now holding the Haro in front of her like a shield.
“Wh- you’re not- Neil? But-”
“Lyle? Of everyone Setsuna could have found-”
“You are Neil, but your voice-”
“I’m, uh. Didn’t. Tell you. Didn’t think you’d, uh, care, but. Surprise? I guess? I’m your, uh, sister. Now.”
Lyle looked at her, looked around, back at her, ran a hand down his face, and sighed.
“Alright, that’s. Okay. Sister. Have you been with Celestial Being this entire time.”
“Last few years, yeah. Lost an eye a bit before our last big battle, almost died during the actual last battle, was on bed rest for months, and then this,” She gestured at the rest of herself, “Happened.”
“Okay. One question.”
“One question.”
“Are you still Neil? You’re not… I can’t think of the equivalent.”
“Still Neil. It’s my name. It’s-it’s what I got from mom and dad. I don’t want to change it.”
“Alright. Still Neil.” Lyle reached out for the Haro. “I’d punch you for being up here and not telling me and not communicating anything but I don’t want to hit a girl.”
“I should punch you for that.”
“No one’s punching anyone, clear off Neil. Lockon, you stay, I gotta go over Cherudim with you.” Ian arrived, shooing out Neil and not giving Lyle any time to process before jumping headlong into his new gundam’s mechanics.