[Gender Erasure, Brainwashing, Corruption]

"Congratulations, Iota. You as well, 016. You've both shown yourselves to have incredible potential. As expected of the Klaxxosaur Queen's clone and her chosen partner."

The caustic sound of Nine Alpha's voice echoed out, all while a soft blue light shone on the Parasite pair currently contained within two glass chambers. With the red-horned girl glaring out at the smug blonde bastard that had led the Nines to capture them...

"Does Papa know of this?" The boy in the other chamber asked, hands currently resting against the glass that held him. "He wouldn't... He wouldn't force this upon Zero Two. I know he wouldn't!" He shouted, balling his hands into fists as he glared at that Nine...

Hiro. Code: 016. The leader of the squad of Parasites from Plantation 13. A failure, up until his bond to Zero Two had been rediscovered. Neither of them realized how close they were to one another, until everything started to unravel. And from there, the two unlocked the true power of their Franxx. Turning Strelitzia a bright crimson, as they tore through the Klaxxosaurs...

"You are just as defiant as they said you were. And so loyal to her as well." Nine Alpha said as he maintained such a smug expression. "No wonder you two ended up meeting in your younger years. No wonder Papa had to make sure you forgot, once the two of you were found. But no matter. You've both served your purpose at this point. There's no more need for Iota in her current state. And especially not you, 016."

Zero Two glared past the glass, her horns brightly glowing as she slammed her fist into the thick pane that kept her trapped within the capsule. "The moment I get free, I'll make sure you pay..! You won't get away with doing that to my Darling!" She cried out, the glass starting to rupture ever slightly in response to her anger and her strength.

"Zero Two..." Hiro muttered as he watched her put all of that power into getting free. A good use for the strength she kept pent up. A good use, because they had been imprisoned so impassionately... "What exactly is going to happen to us? Why did you put us in here? What are you Nines anyway?" He asked such pointed questions. Even if he knew that he wouldn't have much use for the answers.

Nine Alpha kept that smug smile printed on his face as he gazed towards the other Nines that were currently gazing at the tubes they were stuck in. "Have you ever considered why it is that we are how we are, 016? You should know the rumors, it's not like we do anything to try and hide them."

"Shut up! Shut up shut up!"

Zero Two tried to make the Nine stay quiet. But Hiro was too curious. She knew that. The blood running down her hand as she slammed her fist into the glass was proof that she would do anything to make that bastard shut up..!

"The Nines... Their roles in piloting the Franxx are reversed. The females take the role of the Pistil, while the role of the Stamen falls to the male." Hiro recanted, the gears starting to turn inside his head. "So that means... You're..."

Nine Alpha started to laugh in response to Hiro's wrong train of thought. "You're very close to the truth, 016. Very, very close. But no. I am not Female. In a sense, I am not Male either, as much as I present myself in that way." He explained, as he put his hand on his heart. "Within this chest of mine, within the chest of every Nine, rests an organ not unlike that of a Klaxxosaur. We are, essentially, Klaxxosaurs in human form. Just like Iota, but with a bit more... Refinement, in regards to potential."

"Darling! Don't listen to him! Don't listen!" Zero Two kept on hammering on the glass, which gradually cracked more and more. "I'll kill you if you keep speaking, Alpha!" Her horns had begun to grow from the sheer amount of anger growing through her... She was going to make good on that promise, if she was allowed to keep rampaging within that tube.

The blonde 'boy' smiled in response to Zero Two's continued screaming. "While Nine Iota is the most akin to the Klaxxosaur Queen herself, allowing her much greater ability in the role of a Stamen... That ability limits her in terms of flexibility. Now that we know just how far she can be pushed, we can all be upgraded. And before long, that crimson mode you two achieved will be ours as well." He explained, before pulling a small remote out of a pocket. "And as a result, we'll have to reset her. Whether she'll remain the same after she's been doused in that gene bath... Who's to say?"

Hiro's eyes shot upward, immediately locking his eyes onto a hole that was gradually opening at the top of Zero Two's chamber. "Zero Two! STOP! DON'T DO IT!" Just like his beloved, the young Parasite started hammering on the sides of the tube. Struggling to ensure that she wouldn't end up changing. He didn't want to see her disappear. Not again. Not now, after they had finally regained their memories of their youth..!

"ALPHAAAAAA!" Zero Two shouted, her horns glowing crimson. Just as Hiro's own horns, having developed from being too close to her for too long, started to glow azure. The two lovers were in sync. Anger flowing through both of them, as they were more than ready to try and break out...

Not that Zero Two got the chance. A thick blue substance immediately splashed down on her from above. Filling her chamber within mere moments, leaving her to struggle within as she submerged more and more. She kicked and she screamed, throwing her arms around as much as she possibly could. Yet she couldn't do a thing...

All she could do was sink into the genetic soup that had fallen on top of her. All while that substance started to shine with the same crimson color as her horns...

"You... You!" Hiro shouted as he focused his emotions on Nine Alpha, his fists tensing up as he started hammering on the glass as well. "You'll pay! You'll pay for doing that to her!" He cried out, smashing his hands against the glass in a futile attempt to break it. Despite knowing how thick it was, and how little strength he had compared to Zero Two.

Nine Alpha laughed at the display that 016 was putting on. "If I didn't know any better, I would've thought you were her sibling. With those horns developing on your forehead, with that anger rising through you... I'd rather paint you as born from the same Mother, rather than a pair of lovers." He explained, before letting out a sigh of relief. "I was slightly worried, you know. Most of Iota's partners ended up perishing far before you reached the level Papa wanted out of her. But imagine the coincidence of her finding you again... And imagine our surprise when you actually reached that level together with her."

"I'll kill you!" Hiro shouted, in a manner not unlike 02. It didn't matter if he sounded ridiculous. It didn't matter if he was looking more and more like a Klaxxosaur hybrid like her. She wanted to protect him! And he had failed to protect her. This wild reaction was totally normal..!

"I wonder if she'll think the same." Nine Alpha said, before smugly covering his lips. "Oops. I meant They. Once they're converted into a new Nine, they'll lose their understanding of gender. And sex, for that matter. You won't find anything down there, and these..." He paused, giving his chest a soft rub. "Chemically treated. The 'females' among us have chosen to adapt to what they prefer. And there's no telling if they will, once they awaken."

It all sounded like a bunch of unbelievable nonsense. Zero Two would... Zero Two would never forget him. After all this time, she had held onto the tiny memories that were still in her mind. After all this time, they had found one another...

"Shut up... Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up!" Like the crazed beast that was his partner, Hiro slammed his fists against the glass. Glass that began to crack more and more. There was a very real chance that he could end up breaking through and gun straight for Nine Alpha's throat, if he just pushed himself a little further. He wasn't far from that chance. He just had to push a little more. Just... Just a little more..!

Nine Alpha clapped softly as he watched Hiro push himself further and further. "What would you do then, 016? If they chose to adopt a male identity? Would you ignore him, just like you ignored the male that thought of you as a precious friend? Would you choose to ignore his presence, just like your amnesiac self forgot what you had promised that boy?"

Hiro paused. Mitsuru. He... The two of them had made a promise when they were young. And to Mitsuru, Hiro being forced to forget that promise hurt him deeply. It strained their relationship for years, something Hiro never truly realized because of that forced amnesia. The idea that he would reject Zero Two, if she ended up a male-aligned Nine...

"I... I wouldn't..!" He shouted, his fists shaking as he started assaulting the glass once more. "I wouldn't! Zero Two... Zero Two would still be Zero Two! That wouldn't change! Those memories would still be there!"

"They wouldn't." Nine Alpha coldly replied, fully intent on breaking Hiro with his words. "As soon as Iota emerges from that fluid, her state as the Queen's clone will no longer exist. They will be like a newborn. A versatile being, with all the strength of a Klaxxosaur and the ingenuity of a Human. Just as you will be, 016." He paused, before curving his lips into a devious smile once again. "Imagine. Your new self, Nine Lambda... What if they chose to be the female in that relationship? Would you be just as much of a troublemaker as your lover, now that you can call them Darling like she did?"

Hiro wasn't prepared for all these hypotheticals. As much as he currently ran on his primal anger towards the Nine that had trapped him in here... As much as he ran on anger towards him for having trapped Zero Two inside the other tube, causing her to drown inside of that substance... He didn't know what he would do if Zero Two wasn't the one that came out of it. He had done so much for her, so to have her replaced... He would have to go through the tough task of bonding with them again, and... And the reality of all of that was keeping him off balance...

"Humans are all the same. But that's why we are as Human as we can be. Choosing to be what we wish to be. Choosing to be dominant. And choosing to make you one of us." Nine Alpha said, as he held out his hand. Towards the two tubes. Towards the two Nines to be, even if one was currently submerged in the fluid that would convert her. "This is what Papa wants. To have us become more. And once you both join us, Papa will be able to achieve what he wants. His grand vision. For all Parasites..."

"No... No, I... I can't accept it... I can't..!" Hiro shouted, as he slammed his hand against the glass again. "Zero Two..! She wouldn't-"

The sound of fluid flushing out of the other capsule filled Hiro's ears, causing his eyes to immediately dart towards the capsule. So that he could see what had happened to Zero Two. So he could make sure that she wasn't hurt...

Unfortunately. Just as Nine Alpha said, her feminine aspects... Most of her sex-associated elements had vanished. Right now, a completely androgynous being stood inside that capsule. Their body lacking anything down there... The only thing that even vaguely indicated that they were meant to be Zero Two was their pink hair, which had been turned into an androgynous bowlcut...

"Welcome to this world of ours, Nine Kappa." Nine Alpha said, clapping softly to congratulate them on their 'birth'. With the rest of the Nines that surrounded the two capsules doing the same, adding an eerie feel to the whole thing.

Especially for Hiro, who simply couldn't stop staring towards the newly born Nine. The pink-haired being turning towards him with a curious look in their eyes. Not unlike when they were still Zero Two... Not unlike back then, when they were red like a Klaxxosaur...

"Z... Zero Two... Please... Please, be in there... Please recognize me..." Hiro begged from the depths of his heart, as the tears started to roll down his cheeks. He hoped above all else that she was in there. So that the two of them could return to how they were...

Nine Kappa stared. And they stared. Before smiling.

Smiling smugly, as if something had clicked inside their mind. "What an adorable human." They said. With that same voice as before. They sounded just like Zero Two... Yet everything else was so different. It was like... It was like Zero Two was mocking him. Despite having ceased to exist... "Alpha, was it? I will take him as my partner. Once he's been converted, that is. Humans aren't compatible with the way we live."

"I agree." Nine Alpha chuckled, as he turned his gaze towards 016. "You're probably wondering, 016. How are they able to immediately recognize you as something different from what we are?" He spoke aloud, hoping to catch Hiro's attention...

But Hiro had already collapsed onto his knees. Seemingly in despair from what he had seen. Seemingly in despair over what he had been forced to witness. Who wouldn't be, when the love of their life now mocked them while looking like a complete stranger...

"My. That was all it took to break him?" Nine Alpha said, before shaking his head. "No matter. He won't be important much longer." He said as he reached for his remote once again. "Upon being cultivated, a Nine is imprinted with all of the knowledge of their fellow Nines. And an undying loyalty towards Papa. Naturally, this means they recognized you... But they also understood that they were no longer what you loved."

Hiro did not listen. Nor did he react as the top of his tube opened and started to deposit that thick blue sludge that had consumed Zero Two whole. He simply watched the being that used her voice, despair having taken root inside his eyes...

Nine Kappa stared back, smugly smirking as the Parasite was swallowed whole by the fluid. It wouldn't be long before he was converted into a Nine as well. "That Nine would do well as a Female. Wouldn't you agree, Alpha?" They said, lips curled into a devilish smile as they rested against the wall of the tube. Satisfied with themselves, with their conversion and everything else...

"Now now. We're still meant to pick what we want on our own terms." Nine Alpha chided the newly reborn Kappa. Only to start smirking a little himself, before breaking out into a bout of devilish laughter. "Then again. Having your partner choose what you're meant to be for you... I suppose that is a choice we can take as well. What would you like her to look like?"

Nine Kappa smirked as he brushed a hand through his pink hair. "I think you know very well, Alpha. I think you understand exactly what I want her to look like." The two were on a devilish wavelength. A vibe of pure delight. As if they were of the exact same mind...

The two Nines laughed, as the new Nine bubbled away inside their tube. Their choices taken from them. As a reward for being defiant...

And as a reward for staying with the Klaxxosaur Princess' clone, now chosen as the reborn clone's consort all over again...

---

"Darling! Darling! Can we go round up the Parasites that need to be converted? Please? Pleaaaase?"

The sky-blue haired girl in the red uniform giggled as she came running over to her partner. Immediately wrapping her loving arms around his side, as she pressed her cheek up against him. An adorable sight...

To anybody that didn't know who they were. They were Nines. Nine Kappa and Nine Lambda. At a glance, they looked like the former Hiro and Zero Two with their palettes swapped out, though neither of them acted anything like them. Only their fellow Nines actually knew that they were exactly who they looked like, just with their 'genders swapped'.

"You're so needy, Lambda. But that's what I love about you. You push yourself to make sure I'm happy." Kappa said as he carefully grabbed her chin. Letting their lips meet, as they both started laughing. "Very well. I think we should go visit the Parasites from Plantation 13. They've been chosen for the next step of Papa's plan, I'm sure they'll enjoy our visit."

Lambda giggled as she gazed up at their Franxx. Unlike their fellow Nines, they had inherited Strelitzia. And together with it, they would make sure that the disobedient Parasites that had started to grow into adults would be reset. The ones that proved themselves capable in combat would be converted into Nines as well, to keep them from ever awakening to their useless memories...

All for the sake of Papa's plan. A plan that they were happy to follow. Because despite everything, despite what Alpha had tried to do by turning them...

They were still together. Roles swapped, but love still burning bright. That was Hiro and Zero Two's reality. A reality that had carried over to their new lives as Nine Kappa and Nine Lambda.

And together... Ehehe. Together... Everyone would see the strength of their love...