Cookie watched intently as Father walked into the room, the metallic door closing behind him with a hiss. If her memory did not fail her, then it had been at least a day since they had last seen each other. The only company she had during that time were her own thoughts. Even so, father had taught her to be patient, and she had taken that lesson to heart. She knew that father would always return. Long ago she had realized that whenever she was alone, thinking was a simple, yet effective exercise. Being a self-aware cobra had both its ups and downs. In one hand, she had learned many things from father, most of which made her realize just how much he loved her. What she found to be the most annoying fact was just how slow time went by when he was not with her, but whenever those thoughts arose, she remembered to be patient.

Father walked over to her cage and offered the weakest of smiles, making a pang of weariness arise in Cookie. The man had been deteriorating during the passing months, getting more anxious and tired each day. Cookie figured that he missed Mother and Little Mother. More than a few times had she looked on as he stared at the picture of the nightstand, tears streaming down his face while he spoke to himself.

She wished she could do something; Father was sad, and there was no one to comfort him.

Before the man reached into one of his pockets to retrieve Cookie’s food, she reached out of her cage, looking deeply into his eyes. He retaliated with a tired smile, slowly moving his hand away from his armor and offering it to the snake. She took the hint and began slithering up his arm, causing him to release a relaxed sigh as she coiled around his neck.

“Oh Cookie...” he sighed out as he began petting her head. “You’re the only one I’ve got left...”

Father sat down by the desk, and the holographic display automatically opened up. He remained petting her while managing the console, bringing up a few photos on it. Cookie raised her head and looked at it.

Cookie saw Father, Mother, and Little Mother huddled together inside a store, smiling. It was the photo of the day they had adopted her, the day she considered to be the best day of her life. Little Mother was much like Father: patient, driven, and caring. Cookie lowered her head and looked away from it. She too missed them, but Father probably held stronger emotions. It was beyond Cookie just how much he missed the rest of their family.

“Initiate recording...” he muttered, and almost immediately the display lit up.

“I can’t believe six months have passed already. Every day just drags on and on... There’s so little for us to do. The prospect of never returning to our homes is finally starting to settle in our minds, and everyone’s getting more unstable by the minute, including myself.

“I have a family back home... I promised I would return, but now that seems almost impossible. Same goes for many of the crew... this just wasn’t supposed to happen. As I said before, the only thing we have left is hope, and it’s running out fast...

“I... I think it’s the Admiral’s fault. He pulled the mutant ‘Atlas’ out of a waste planet, along with the MAC unit, without permission from high command. Chances are he’ll get executed if we ever return to the USC.

“He’s scared.

“I’ve already leaked all of this information, and it’s spreading throughout the ship faster than I had imagined. Troopers are starting to ask me if I’m going to do something about this...

“I will.”