It was nearly midnight, US pacific standard time. All was silent in Central's Sector Five Station. Tobias could see Keith in the bunk opposite, lying awake and staring upwards at nothing.
(Hey Keith,) he whispered. (Are you awake?")
(I know you can see me,) the Celt responded sagely.
(Do you miss her?)
There was a sigh across the Web.
(Do we have to get into this now?) DJ grumbled.
Across the Web came an image of Gabriel rolling his eyes. (All right, I'll do it.) And then the soft glow that was Asia's mind vanished behind smooth obsidian walls.
(Why should I miss her? She's right there,) Christian answered innocently.
(You know what I mean,) Tobias retorted.
Angel's voice floated dully in their minds. (Why miss her? She wasn't real, anways. She's an actress. She played roles. Illusion, morons.)
(Yeah, guys, she was smarter than we are, she gypped us, end of story,) DJ put in. Swirls of colour surrounded his mind in the Web.
Tobias sighed lustily. (But in our first lives, even after you recruited her, Angel, what about then? She had no reason to fake it.)
(Maybe she's clairvoyant, too, and wanted to doubly screw us over,) Gabriel shot back. (Sometimes I wonder how you make it as an assassin, Tobias. And I'm not talking about the lost little boy act that you're so good at pulling, either. Sometimes your idealism really slays me.)
Keith and Angel snickered.
(No, you're right,) Tobias admitted, tired defeat flowing in his words. ("Love is a weakness" and all that Old Code stuff, I know. We're not supposed to love, and she's rendered us all incapable of love. Still, who's to say she's not capable of love?)
Across the Web, DJ wasn't the constantly amused but detached figure he appeared to be to outsiders. (How can she be capable of love if she's able to do all of this cruelty without regret? And how does she fake it all so well? To say those words and not mean them...)
A memory of his surface briefly, but he buried it in his mind before it was displayed for the whole Web to see.
(Maybe she is sorry,) Tobias suggested weakly.
Keith snorted. (Have you ever sensed compassion from Commander dearest, lad?)
(We all veil our thoughts,) Angel pointed out diplomatically.
(She's better at it than I am,) Gabriel agreed.
(Angel Gabriel! Angel Gabriel!) Keith began to chant, and received five groans in reply. He just laughed.
(All right, go to sleep now, okay?) Christian pleaded.
(Who're you, my mother?) Tobias responded, jesting.
And suddenly there was an explosion of colours across all the links.
DJ crumbled. (I still don't understand. No one has ever been able to love me, not since the first life. They only ever want to use me, like I'm some sort of THING instead of a person.)
(I thought we went through this with me,) Tobias said dryly.
But comfort from five other minds swirled around DJ.
(I just wanted to be loved, just once. I just wanted someone to care about me, because. What did I do wrong?)
Through the darkness, Christian could see the Re-Awakened aljunnu on his side, crying softly. Surprisingly, it was Angel who slid out of his bunk first to kneel at their teammate's side.
Tobias followed, and soon all of them were around DJ, whispering soothing nonsense words to calm him. Then one of them moved, and there was a tangling of arms as a group hug ensued, the six of them clinging to the comfort of mere physical presence.

In the darkness, golden eyes watched.
"You're wrong," she whispered. "Think I'd let myself off the hook, too? I deal with justice, not with mercy."
Finally, seven minds slept.