Free Guilty.

Guilty sat in her cell about her new counselor, Commander Kratos. He was the only one of the many that had tried to rehabilitate her that stuck around this long. Sometimes they trained on her controlling her strengths, but there were other times when he just talked to her.

He did not push her to train or anything, he just spent some time with her. When she asked why he just said he felt she needed someone to vent to after being locked up for so long. Thinking about him made her expectant as it was almost their daily session.

When she heard the door open she looked up expecting to see Kratos. Instead, she saw 6 mass-produced Nikkes with two holding two sections of a neck restraint at the end of two poles. With the Nikkes there stood a man in a Commander uniform like Kratos, but he was nothing like her counselor.

Kratos was 6'11 and he was so muscular that she sometimes thought his uniform would tear containing it all. He had pitch-black hair with a very short beard and he had dark green eyes. This commander was short, barely 5'6, and scrawny.

Plus, while Kratos looked fearless, this one was far from it. She could have imagined it, but was he also shaking? He cleared his voice and spoke to her.

"Guilty, your counselor, Commander Kratos has said it is safe for you to be released into his custody. If you pass this last test you shall be allowed to leave with him. Please do not struggle and you will soon be led to the testing sight. Restrain her."

The two Nikkes with the restraints walked on either side of her and locked the two halves of the neck brace around her neck. The two Nikkes stood 6 feet apart from her so that they did not get too close.

She could break them with a single kick or hard slap so they were careful. Once the restraints were on they began to lead her out of her cell. It was the first time she had been out of her cell since she had gotten locked up so this was nice.

The other 4 Nikkes kept their weapon safeties off with stun rounds. She was too valuable to kill which was why she was here in the first place. If she did struggle, they would just say Kratos failed and remove him from her case.

However, she did no such thing and calmly walked forward. As her feet also were chained, they had to go relatively slowly. She was relatively used to this as she had been restrained since she got here.

They walked for several minutes until arrived at the testing sight. Calling it that was an exaggeration as it was just a large cell with barely anything in it. However, she instantly locked eyes with her counselor, Kratos.

She was happy to see him again and from the smile on his face, he did too. However, he hid his smile as he looked at the man next to him. Deputy Chief Anderson was the one in charge of this and the one who gave him the opportunity. Next to him was Ingrid the head of Elysion.

Guilty, Sin and Quency were Missilis Nikkes, but Suyen had been forced to give them up because they disliked her greatly. Anderson and Ingrid had agreed on Kratos being assigned to the job. He had requested a chance to rehabilitate Guilty, Sin, and Quency, but at the moment he was justpermittedr Guilty. He had to prove that he could do the job so Guilty was his test.

As for the Commander that led her here, he was just given this job to bring her. When she was delivered, Anderson nodded.

"You may take your leave."

The young Commander and the Nikkes with him saluted.

"Sir."

The two Nikkes holding the restraints unhooked them from her neck and saluted. Once they did that they left the sight with their Commander leaving just Guilty, Kratos, Ingrid, and Anderson. Guilty looked at Anderson and saw that the man was shorter than Kratos by 9 full inches.

Her counselor was a huge man as Anderson was 6'2. As for Ingrid, she was not that tall, but still higher than average. However, both of them did not compare to Kratos. Ingrid looked at Kratos as this was the first time she had met him.

"You were not lying when you said he was tall. I heard you lost both your right arm and left leg?"

He saluted and answered.

"Ma'am. Correction, I lost those, and my left eye, along with several of my organs. My first squad was composed of mass-produced Nikkes. My direct superiors undersupplied us, under-armed us and we did not have any other aid. I managed to survive at the cost of my body.

Ingrid nodded.

"I also heard that the replacement ones came from the experimental 10th generation. How are they treating you?"

"They have been working fine. I feel no rejection at all."

She nodded before turning back to the subject at hand. This time Anderson spoke as he looked at him.

"Commander Kratos, you claim she is ready to leave the rehabilitation center?"

Kratos nodded.

"Yes sir. For the last month and a half, I have had many sessions sometimes more than a few times a day helping her with her strength and analyzing her condition. I can safely say that she can be allowed out of the Center as long as she is monitored."

Anderson thought about it before he nodded.

"I will need some evidence. Can you say she can control her great strength and not be a risk?"

Kratos agreed once more.

"Yes sir."

Ingrid however gave him some bad news.

"If you fail you will be off the rehabilitation case and be assigned back with a mass-produced Nikke squad. You have one last chance to take more time."

Kratos looked at Guilty before looking back.

"No need."

Seeing that made both Anderson and Ingrid interested.

"You may begin."

Given the clear sign, Kratos pulled out a remote and pushed the button. These were the controls to Guilty's restraints. The green light over her chest turned red which released the restraints on her arms. Anderson and Ingrid glanced at Kratos as Guilty now had free use of her arms for the first time in months.

She spun her wrists around before she licked the red marks around them. She clenched her hands a few times as she enjoyed having free use of her arms. Kratos walked toward Guilty and when he stood in front of her he held his left arm out.

Not his Nikke arm, but his human hand. If she misused even a little of her strength, she could cost him not just his right arm, but his left hand as well. Anderson wanted to say something, but Ingrid shook her head. She wanted to see what made him so sure to risk his human hand.

Anderson sighed and also did not say a thing. If Kratos got hurt he planned to offer his help to get him a replacement hand. As for Guilty, she was not so confident now. She thought they were going to use his right which could be repaired, but his left brought the stakes up.

"We didn't practice with this?"

Kratos shook his head.

"No, but this is to prove you can leave this place. As we practiced, just be careful. If you fail, I guess I will just get another hand."

She looked up into his green eyes before she looked at his hand. She reached out with her right and first rested her palm against his. She could feel the warmth of his skin and his blood underneath. This was real and if she messed up, she would lose her Counselor.

"Slowly, carefully, not too much strength."

She repeated the words he had spoken to her when they practiced with weights or on rare occasions his right hand. She slowly gripped his hand as gently as she could manage, but she still looked him in the eyes.

She was just using a tiny fraction of her strength, but he could already feel his circulation being cut. His muscles were straining and if she just squeezed down a little more she would break his hand.

However, he did not so much flinch as he felt this pain and looked into her violet eyes. She held his hand like this for a full minute before Anderson nodded.

"You can stop."

Once she let go of his hand, Kratos rubbed his hand a little. Ingrid wanted to see how his hand looked.

"Remove your glove, let's see it."

He nodded and removed the black gloves he wore. When he removed it they both saw how his hand and fingers had turned a little purple and her handprint was clear to see. Yet that was an indicator of just how much progress she had made as she did not break his hand.

Seeing that made both of them impressed. Anderson first gave another order.

"I have seen enough, place the restraints back on."

Guilty did not want to after just getting the use of her hands back, but Kratos gave her a reassuring look. Seeing that she sighed and allowed him to place the restraint back on her. Once they were on, he pushed the switch which locked them in changing the light on her chest back to green.

Guilty also felt the restraints truly lock in which was so disappointing after being given the use of her arms. Now, Kratos looked at Anderson waiting for his answer. Anderson looked at Guilty and Kratos before he turned to Ingrid.

"From what I see, she needs a little more control, but she did not fail at all. She listens to Kratos and from what I can see if given more time she will be able to control herself. Yet, she is still a risk."

Ingrid had her things to say.

"Any Nikke can be a threat. As long as someone like Kratos leads her, I believe she will be just fine. Though she can't just be let loose."

Anderson agreed as well.

"I agree. Kratos, Guilty, I have come to a decision. Commander Kratos, you will be given custody of Guilty from here on. Her restraints will only be released in combat, training, or when the need arises. You will be given control of her restraints.

However, she will have a tracker placed on her. I and Ingrid will both be given control of her restraints as well."

Kratos looked at Guilty who did not like it all that much, but it was better than nothing.

"Fine."

"If she agrees then we have no choice."

Ingrid and Anderson both nodded while Anderson gave him the good news.

"Also, your request to be given access to Sin and Quency is given. However, just like Guilty, you can only work on one at a time. Take your pick, which Nikke will you work with?"

Kratos has researched all three and he quickly made up his mind.

"Quency. I think I can make faster progress with her than with Sin, but I do plan to form my squad. I just need the time."

Anderson and Ingrid looked at each other. They discussed with each other a bit before they gave him a time frame.

"You have 3 months to rehabilitate both Sin and Quency. After that, you will be given 3 to train into a battle-ready squad. Is this enough time for you?"

Kratos saluted.

"More than enough time. I thank you for the chance."

Guilty would not salute if she did not have to so she didn't even look at them. Anderson and Ingrid both left Kratos and Guilty alone making Kratos sigh.

"They are so stuck up."

Guilty nodded.

"I agree."

Now that they were alone Kratos reached out and patted her head.

"You did amazing. Let's get out of here. I need to get you a change of clothes at least. I can't let you walk around in that all day."

Guilty shrugged.

"Does not matter."

"It matters to me. Come on."

"Fine."

Before they left Kratos clicked the remote in his hands and undid her leg restraints.

"Here, this should have you walk better."

With them gone, she felt her range of motion feel so much better.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet, you will have to put them on again."

He reached down and stuffed them in his bag. She wanted to complain, but it was fair.

"Alright."

Once that was done, Kratos led her outside the Center for the first time in many months.

---

(Guilty)

(Quency)

(Sin)

(Full Squad)

(Kratos?)