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A-Nine grinned and squeezed A-Two's hand before reaching out to take A-Four's. "Exactly." she said, smiling.

"..."

Giving another shrug E8 gave a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his head.

"You know what, to be honest I didn't really pay attention to the robed guy's speech, but I don't think he really gave a defiant answer on that. He just said it would be "the end of our voyage", that "We can't come back" and yada yada yada. Either way, it would be nice to finally get a rest from this place, don't ya think? Though..."

He turned his attention back to the door as he stroked his chin.

"...You think it's a trap? Oh what the hell. If we are going to see what's behind there we might as well go through as a two man team, right?"

Zeta Eight already had Alpha Seven's hand. Perhaps it was in the spirit of things, but she was feeling remarkably sentimental for the stoic 'soldier' she had tried so desperately to make herself out to be, although you couldn't tell through the layers of material that hid their individuality. When they stepped back, she watched them form their chain, their hands clasped so tight, reassuring in the only way they knew how.

And when they were finished, she looked at the door, then back at the group, her other hand acutely empty.

She was the beginning of the chain. Or the end, if you looked at it that way. It dawned on her that the phoenixes as a whole were the beginning and the end. A and Z. Her eyes drifted along the line, picking out the others as they said their goodbyes, starting at Alpha Ten and moving to the Doctor, Alphas Nine and Two, and finally to Seven before staring at her own hand. The other Zetas had either passed or could not be found -- she was the only one left. It was poetic that she should be the first.

The end was the beginning.

She took another step towards the open door, her body lingering just beyond it, so that if she reached out with her free hand, she could have touched the swirling vortex. Already the tendrils of energy had begun to lap at her body, wrapping around her free arm and shoulder, coaxing her closer. But no, she had one more thing to do. Squeezing Alpha Seven's hand, she turned her head to look up at his well-built form.

"Don't let go."

She looked at A4 apprehensively, but took his hand. Of all people- yes, he would be the one to reach out to her, and she was grateful for that.

"I think I am." Smiling, she looked over at all the other phoenixes.

"We've had a pretty good run, all things considered."

Taking a step towards the door, A10 tugged at A4, pulling him along.

"I guess it's time to end it here!"

A7 took one last check to make sure they were all hooked to one another, before sliding past the bar as Z8 led him to the door. It felt only right that he temporarily let go of A2 to grab one last bottle of poison, as if he could take it with him. Nobody would miss it in here, after all. He rehooked his arm around A2, and continued his walk.

His steps were loud, and the strides were long. He wasn't trying to stall. His head was held high, and when they reached the wall, he took the bottle and uncorked it. Then he poured the whole thing into the portal, like a drain.

"Just warnin' the boss that we're comin', is all." He explained, before tossing the empty bottle into the portal as well. He gave it no respect, because that's how he had always treated things that scared him. He showed none of the fear that was inside.

His hand slipped off of A2's shoulder and held her hand again. Z8 was framed by the portal, and it made a beautiful sight to behold. All colors and light, surrounding her frame. "Now that's a sight to die for." He chuckled, though his voice broke in the middle. His hand, still attached to hers, slid around her back to pull her up against him.

"There's something.. something I wanna say, sunshine." He muttered. His voice was hard to hear. "Something important. It's just.. I know this is gonna sound stupid, but I think you'll understand."

He leaned down, and his helmet pressed against hers. "I can't remember what it is I really need to tell you before we go. I know I'm gonna regret it, if I can regret anything in there. But I just-"

He pulled away, and took a shaking breath. "Well, whatever it was, I'm sorry." He tilted his head up, and he felt a chill run through him. A good chill. A pause, and then - ".. Huh." He snorted. "Maybe that was it, after all."

His head tilted towards the portal. "Let's show 'em how it's done, sunshine."

The chill he'd felt running down his body had started to fill A7 with an odd warmth. He was watching Z8 walk through that portal, and his own arm was following along with her, but for the first time since he'd come here he realized - he wasn't scared. His eyes were focused on that hand, holding steady to his. She hadn't let go, even as she started to disappear. She'd never let go, would she? She never left without him. She never-

His head swiveled sharply back to the end of the line, even as Z8 started to disappear into the portal. A10 was blocked by the Doc, but he could still see her hand. So far away.

And all his fear came rushing back.

His hands clenched down on both Z8 and A2, but his eyes, which burned and threatened to make his end be a teary farewell, were locked on that hand.

"No." A7 growled, turning back to the portal. "I will not die a p***y. I ain't scared of you, you piece of s**t. YOU HEAR ME, AFTERLIFE? A7 IS COMIN'. AND I AM GONNA WRECK YOUR s**t."

The last word was distorted, as he all but disappeared. Even as he felt himself exist less and less, he felt that hand.

She would never let him go alone.

[A7 has concluded.]

"Yep, Phoenix stands with its own." A-Nine softly responded, as A-Two walked through the door. She turned to A-Four and smiled. "Well, see you on the other side." she said brightly.

Then it was her turn. A-Nine held her breath and stepped through the door, following after the rest of her squad.

[A-9 has concluded]