=CHAPTER 3D: VOLTAIC DYNATRON=

=INTRO B: COLLAPSING PEACE=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes & @super-tired-robot))

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{June 20th, 20XX}

[The Mighty Numbers had spent months abroad.]

“-Whines- Won’t this dumb car go any faaaaaasterrrrr?”

“Not in traffic, it won’t, and you know it.”

[But now, at last, they were home.]

“Hey, is someone gonna wake snipebro up, or—“

“Ah’ AM awake, ya bunch a’ yappers…”

“Temper, Eight! Don’t get snappy at your sister!”

[They’d gone out to tournaments time and time again, but the saying held true: “there’s no place like home.” It was always a relief to come back… and this time, more than usual.

After a near solid month of time in recovery dodging questions from the press, INTERPOL, MI6, VIN, and other agencies, everyone was ready to be back in their own beds and eating a home-cooked meal.]

“EEEYYYYY I CAN SEE OUR HOUSE FROM HERE!”

“No duh, planebrain! It’s one of the taller buildings in the city!”

[Unfortunately, being cooped up in airplane rides for the past few days and then cramped into a travel vehicle had left them a bit…

…restless.]

Avi: I mean I can see the front door now! :D -Freedommmmmmm—-

Pyro: Don’t open up the roof— No flying out of the car—

Avi: D^: But—but awwwww, come onnnn! It’s right over theeeerrrrrre— only a little hover awayyy…

Bat: We return home as a unit, Six, not in pieces!

Mic: Give Six break. -W- Happy to be home.

Avi: YEEAAAHHH it’s so good to be home—gosh I can’t WAIT to get back to my radio tower—

Cryo: I’m sure you have some ICE stories to tell the viewers, kyaha~

Shade: -Growls at the pun-

Avi: DON’T YOU KNOW IT—

Pyro: Inside voice, Avi.

Avi: —buuuuut it’s too bad I can’t explain what happened…. Did we, uh, ever decide on a story of what to say if they asked about Toby?

Dyna: -Haughty hairflick- Juszzzt szzay that I fried that naszzty biker to a core. Completely true, after all. They can aszzzume the reszzt. -Sparks briefly-

Shade: -Flinches at this- (Ugh, can ya not while we’re cramped in the car, Sis…)

[The smallest of the Mighty Numbers was distracted, pressing his face against the window. It was good to be home: to see the familiar sights, to be where he belonged…

…Well, at least when it came to his family. He wasn’t much of a fighter, so he always felt out of place. Especially considering Pyro had him benched for the time being…]

Beck: (I hope she’s okay…. There weren’t any more “accidents,” so she kept her promise, but…)

Brand: …Are you okay there, otouto?

Beck: ! O-oh, yeah, I, uh…

Beck: I-I was just thinking about Tobias. He… he was really out of it for a while, huh…

Avi: -Thumbs up- Don’t you worry about Toby, bro! He’s up and running now, and he’ll be right as rain! That’s what Doc C said, at any rate…

Pyro: … When did you talk to Mikhail? -Confused-

Avi: Oh, just the other day! He was asking about the watch, actually, but I didn’t exactly have the instructions…

Bat: Watch?

Mic: Birthday present. Missed birthday, Shade sent present. E|

Shade: Mnnrgh. …Glad it got through.

Cryo: -Poooookes at her little brother with her nozzle arm-

Shade: | [

[The sniper remained in a grumpy mood as they finally pulled into the parking lot of Sanda Enterprises.]

Avi: WOOOOOOOO WE’RE HOME

Cryo: LAST ONE IN’S A FROZEN PUDDLE

Shade: Will y’all shut it fer just two minutes—

Cryo: Oh, stop being such a wash-out, Shadey!

Shade: Ain’t in the mood fer puns—‘m gonna go sleep through Sunday, thank yew—

Pyro: -Grabs him by the shoulder before he vanishes, keeping a firm grip- Oh no you aren’t. You’re carrying in your luggage, same as everyone else.

Shade: -Grumpy data- -Grumbles about something under his breath-

Pyro: What was that? | /

Shade: …Ah’ said, all that work an’ this is the thanks Ah’ get…

Cryo: Quit being a drama llama, Shadebro! We’re home now! -Grabs at luggage, gimme-

Dyna: Ugh, I’m too fabulouszz for thiszz. -Grinning, obviously not 100% serious- Earthbro iszz more than capable of carrying in everybody’szz luggage, right~?

Mic: OWO

Shade: …What she said—

Pyro: Enough, you two. <_<

Shade: … -Nah Imma go nap an’ ya can’t stop me— -

Pyro: -Not if my grip has anything to say about it-

Cryo: -Flings herself at Pyro, eager to get in on the conflict- FIGHT ME—

Brand: Cryo—! Now’s not the time!

Shade: Fer Xel’s sake, just give it a rest—

Avi: EYYYYY good one—

[The sniper had reached the end of his patience.]

Shade: -DAMMIT Ah’ did NOT mean t’ pun—- Avi, Ah’ swear if there’s one more pun outta yew…

“You want a hand with that? BJ”

Shade: !

[The commotion stopped momentarily, with the sniper looking down in surprise.]

[Sure enough, there he was: the one and only songbird. He was grinning up at his taller friend, giving off unfiltered gleeful data.

And just like that—]

Shade: -nEVERMIND, NAP CAN WAIT— -

[Cardinal laughed and gave his friend a proper hug. He didn’t even care that he was letting someone that close to him, or that he was showing such a strong sign of friendship.]

[It had been a long two months since they had last seen one another, and it had felt like ages. The old prototype Robot Master had done a lot of waiting in his time, but very rarely had he ever felt the sense of separation so poignantly.

He’d made an effort to drown out his sorrows by keeping busy, and had much to tell them… but that could wait.

For now, he was happy just to see his best friend alive and well again.]

Beck: Cardinal! :DDD You’re here!

[He ran in for a hug, and Cardinal pulled him in. Each of the three of them seemed to be savoring the moment.]

Bat: What are you doing here, Private? It’s 0400 local!

Cardinal: -Gleeful pings as he messes with Shade, the latter using him as an armrest- I had to come in person, Major! I failed to be up in time to see you off—it took all my self-control not to meet up with you at the airport in New York, instead!

Brand: That would have raised more questions, yes. -.-; Might I suggest that we continue this inside?

Shade: If you say so, ya stick-in-the-mud. B]

Cardinal: B]

[He broke into chuckles at that, though, shoving Shade off before going over to pick up his bags.]

Pyro: -Oh, you were being serious—- There’s no need for that, Cardinal. You’re our guest. Shade can carry his own bags in. ¬_¬

Cardinal: Nah, it’s fine— watch this!

[Cardinal used SUPER ARM!]

[And just like that, he’d grabbed all of Shade’s luggage effortlessly. Bat gave a whistle of appreciation.]

Cryo: NICE, Looks like he LIFTS, bros—

Cardinal: -Laughs- It does come in handy! C’mon, let’s head inside.

[Once all the Mighties were inside, the luggage was put to the side and everyone headed for the kitchen. It may be 4AM local, but they were still suffering from jet lag: it was about lunchtime in London. Even though he was a bit worn out from the travels, Pyro set about to preparing a proper meal for the family.

There was the usual chaos around the kitchen as Cardinal also prepared some coffee for himself and Countershade. When the prototype sat down, however… he immediately became subject to questioning.]

Avi: So what have you been up to, Cards? Got any new songs for us?

Cardinal: Ha, I wish… -Something of an empty half-smirk as he slides a mug of coffee over to Shade- It’s all run together a bit for me, actually. It… hasn’t been easy, to be honest.

Brand: …? What do you mean?

[Shade sipped at his coffee silently as his friend explained himself.

Despite the distance and the time difference—not to mention the risk on Cardinal’s end—the songbird had kept in touch with him and buzzed in every so often. So he was in the know on most of it.]

Cardinal: Well…

Cardinal: When days don’t have any specific value of importance assigned to them, multiple days of memory that are much the same usually cause identical cross-reference creation redundancy, and it becomes difficult to differentiate one day from another. It all becomes a blur….

Brand: …That’s not the only reason, is it.

Cardinal: Heh.

[He gave something of a wry grin, leaning against the table. The data he gave off was subtly more tired than before… and just as tense.]

Cardinal: You noticed, huh? Not much gets by you.

Beck: Nii-san is really good at that!

Cardinal: -Long sip of coffee- Yeah… I’ll admit that we didn’t take it very well at all, first. And me most of all.

Avi: Aw, we missed you too, buddy!

Bat: You seem to have held up well, soldier. You’re being too hard on yourself, as usual!

Cardinal: -Shakes his head- I was upset. I stayed Offline for a while, and then, well…

Cardinal: Tried to busy myself in work. Had to… do something, just keep moving forward. -Looks off into the distance- Figured we should make progress with repairs… needed certain resources. We had to go out and raid a lot for them: it really was rather hard.

Pyro: That would explain that one series of alerts we got…

Cardinal: Yeah, they’d brought more firepower than I had bargained for. I made it out alright, but  I wouldn’t want any of you to go to such places, that’s for sure. There wasn’t much to find as it was.

Beck: Sorry I wasn’t there to help…

[Cardinal grinned and patted Beck’s shoulder.]

Cardinal: Nah, we really just needed more of specific metals, and any source of certain energies we could find. I got my hands on more E-tanks—which is good, but there still aren’t very many. Siamini’s been trying, but we haven’t made that breakthrough just yet. He thinks he might be getting close, having run the search on the database for months now.

Cryo: Uuugh, don’t tell me it was all work and no play! -Pbbbtth-

Cardinal: Sorry there, Ice Queen, but without you guys around, we didn’t have many people to play with, to be honest. Snow was often off doing his own thing, but he’s the only one who really gets out and about.

Dyna: Well, we’ll fix that now that we’re baaack~

Mic: Why need special metals? ?W? Ones Mic and Felix mine not enough?

Cardinal: -Gives a relaxed sigh, running his fingers through his hair- …Well, we needed to get samples from stuff related to the Second Generation. The only place that has that is that one old lab that’s been completely trashed several times over. It was time for us to strip that place to the bone anyway, before— well, before what happened… would happen.

Cardinal: Only it DID happen.

Bat: You’re referring to the WMD that got pointed at you?

Cardinal: -Grim expression- Mmm… it was more than that. There was… someone a bit like Mic, and definitely someone like Avi… though we were shot at long-range from someone like you, Major. The compound was destroyed.

Pyro: -Places some bacon aside- But no one was injured, right?

Cardinal: Most everyone got out of there in time, but I had to draw them off. Needless to say, that place won’t be offering up any more resources, and that’s one mainframe down. Luckily we have the one in the Meadow—and here, since the two are synched.

Cardinal: Though—it would still be putting you in danger to use your mainframe for our own devices. -Looks up- We don’t want to subject you to that if it can be helped.

Shade: -Puts his coffee down- M’ sure Dad would be fahn lettin’ ya use the mainframe if y’all really needed to, Cards.

Beck: Yeah! We’ll all help! ouo

Cardinal: Heh…. Thanks, but… -Trails off- …

Cardinal: …Well, at least we got some important data and schematics.

Brand: … -Raises an eyebrow- Such as?

Cardinal: I know what you’re thinking, Brand, but we didn’t find anything related to Shadow in there. Sorry.

[The Xel ninja said nothing, but it wasn’t hard to see (by his VISIBLY mildly unamused expression) that he was slightly disappointed to hear this.]

Shade: -Quiet ping of sympathy to his older brother- Ya woulda thought that somethin’ like that’d be in there.

Cardinal: You'd think a lot of things would be in there, but I’m pretty sure that Wily must have kept stuff like that written down on notepads, not stored in the RMD.

Beck: Why?

Cardinal: He lost things that were really important to him due to serious problems with the database once, you know—and he always was really, REALLY old school.

Cardinal: -Leans back in his chair a bit- Maybe it WAS in there once, but—y’know, it’s been a long time since the end of the Gamma incident. (Like, what… nine months or so?) He’s had time to delete that stuff, and he was really adamant about making sure Shadow was… quote-unquote taken care of, if you catch my drift.

[Brand clenched the knife he was holding a bit harder at this.]

Avi: -Aaaaaand distraction time—- So… what WERE you able to get?

Cardinal: Good question, Avs; we haven’t reviewed it in full as of yet. I think it was retrieval of the blueprints for the Second Generation, at least. I know that I went out and managed to get my hands on 020’s data.

Shade: -Nice-

Pyro: -Hopeful data- That’s the boxer, correct?

Cardinal: Yup.

Bat: Ha! Good work, soldier! No man left behind!

Beck: That must have been awfully scary, though! ono

Cardinal: -Grins- Well, it wasn’t easy! And yeah, it was a pretty big risk. But hopefully it’ll be worth it, in the long run.

[His smile fades.]

Cardinal: Tobias, though…

[The murmur of conversation died down at that. Avi fidgeted.]

Avi: Mikhail said he was okay, right…?

Cardinal: He’s… he’s alright.

[The Robot Master in question had been Offline for quite some time following the scene in the sands. And what a scene it had been…]

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

SKLLLKTTKRRRSHHHLLLRRRKKT—

[Oil and cooling fluids spattered all over Bladeblaster’s hands and weapon, as if they were blood….]

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Cardinal: We never did explain what happened, did we…

[He presses a hand to his face and yawns.]

Cardinal: Well, maybe Mikhail can explain it tomorrow or something.

Beck: What is there to explain? :c He’s… he’s okay, right?

Cardinal: Yeah. He was asleep for a while, but that’s pretty common for any Robot Master after they get sent Offline in a traumatic fashion. Especially if they blame themselves. That data is really difficult to process, you know.

Dyna: -Awww, Tobyyyy…-

Beck: Sorry we couldn’t help out. D:

Cardinal: You guys had your own worries. We pulled through alright.

Cardinal: Besides, you’ve done a lot of good work with those molds you made for us! The new coolant systems make all the difference in the heat of battle.

Shade: -Snorts into his coffee despite himself-

Avi: EEEEYYY nice one :^D

[Cardinal gave a brief soft laugh.]

Cardinal: It’s good to be like… like this again.

Cryo: SOOOOooooo… now that you're home… what do you want to do next?

Brand: Something that doesn't end up in the headlines. -~-;;

Cardinal: -Laughs at this-

Shade: -Devilish grin, worth it-

Pyro: Are you kidding, Seven? I swear those two could go out for groceries and end up in trouble.

[The two in question snicker at this.]

Brand: -Mildly annoyed glare at Cardinal-

Cardinal: -Amused- You really need to chill out, Sev.

Cardinal: You should try meditation, I hear it works wonders~

Shade: -Almost chokes on his coffee at this-

[Brand narrowed his eyes coldly at his younger brother as the cowboy coughed briefly, grinning as he sat shaking in silent laughter.]

Shade: -Error X04: srs not found, BWAHAHA-

Cardinal: -Just gives a cheeky grin- ~~~

Bat: We could deploy him to Kalos. Maybe some training there will get him to clean up his act!

Shade: -Aw, not you too, bro— Ah’ trusted ya…-

Cardinal: -Laughs a little- Actually, that's not that bad of an idea, Major. I taught Baron some new tricks by utilizing the moves he has in expressive ways.

Pyro: >_>;

Cardinal: Don’t suppose you can come with?

Shade: -Pings and sighs, nostalgic about their previous adventures- Ah’d love to, but—

Pyro: -Brings pancakes over to the table- We have a match tomorrow morning. We have to rest, I’m afraid.

Cardinal: Aw, come onnn…. Not even for half an hour?

Brand: Cardinal, the last time you and Shade went there, you got chased by a swarm of BEES. -____-;;

Shade: -Pokes at the songbird sharply- Ah' still blame yew—

Cardinal: That was BARON'S idea, not mine!

Pyro: Alright, alright! Settle down!

Shade: -Fine, fine…-

[Everyone started chowing down as Pyro divvied out the food.]

Cardinal: I’m just glad you guys are back. We really missed you.

Shade: S’ good to be back. B]

Avi: By the way, did our gifts ever reach you guys—

Cardinal: -Cutting designs into his pancakes- Yeah, and Mikhail was very happy you all got him the watch. Just one thing, though…

Shade: Hmm?

Cardinal: …You didn't include any instructions, so you're going to have to show him how it works.

Shade: Ah, right—there are several functions, heh…

Mic: -Going through an entire stack of pancakes all to himself- How is Felix?

Cardinal: -Smile fades- …Sick.

Brand: … -Concerned- Sick?

Cardinal: Yeah.

Beck: What happened? D:

Cardinal: As he would put it, “It’s A Long Story”…. Something to do with visions and high energy things. That's what Piers said, anyway.

Dyna: Who iszzz that, again?

Cardinal: Mmm. That would be the captain from Lemuria; he’s Felix’s best friend. He came over to help monitor Felix after he fell ill. Echo probably asked him to do so.

Bat: Any idea as to what caused it? That man is as sturdy as they get. Haven’t ever heard of him being under the weather since we’ve known him.

[Cardinal lowered his utensils for a moment, frowning.]

Cardinal: He was doing research into what might have happened with those stupid crosses, from what I understand. B/

Pyro: Mmmnnngh…

Mic: :c Mic not get it. Felix not a ‘bot?

Cardinal: He was researching something similar from his world. Pretty dangerous material, from what I understand. He was either careless or else underestimated the potency he could reach by refining the material…

Beck: But he’ll be okay, right? D:

Cardinal: …

Cardinal: -Slowly- He’s bounced back from worse before. He’ll be fine.

Beck: -Whew…-

Cardinal: Enough about us, though. What about you guys? We barely got to see any of the matches—

Avi: NOT TO WORRY, we recorded everything in HD! :^D

Cardinal: Fair enough, but. Tell me about England. -Pours syrup onto more pancakes, only to find Beck had taken most of the syrup already- Tell me about what it was like for you guys.

Shade: Hmm…

Shade: It was… rainy.

Cardinal: -Snrk-

Cryo: -Flails- We’ve been there before, you know! Came back champs, natch. Those guys couldn’t hold a candle or a hose to the team SUPREME!

Brandish: The teams were very good. They were simply outmatched, that is all. I’m sure Speedy would have enjoyed seeing some of them… were you really unable to watch any of the matches?

Cardinal: We picked up a few radio broadcasts, but the only one we got to see was the last one. And we all know how THAT went…

Shade: Tsk… real shame. ‘least Avi got the content t’ show after the fact…

Cardinal: Oh, dude, I’d love to marathon watch the whooooole thing. B]

Bat: For your analysis program?

Cardinal: -Smirks- Maaaybe.

Pyro: Heh.

Dyna: -Points and cackles- Don’t think you can pull a faszzzt one on uszz, Card-i-nalll~! Analyszzisz didn’t help them much, after all~

Cardinal: -Amused- Fair enough point.

[Shade twitched an amused smile, before privately pinging his friend.]

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: You’ve got more to say, don’t you?

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: >Let’s just say that you haven’t seen what I can really do when I’m serious.

[His grin faded after a moment, and he gave off tired data again.]

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > …Though… I hope you never have to…

[Shade used what was left of his right arm to swish his cloak a little, brushing it against the short prototype. This served to distract him out of the grim cross-references of recent battles—not matches, but true clashes of machines of war.]

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: S’ok. Things will be fine now.

Cardinal: -Blinks a little bit, coming out of his private thoughts to Avi’s ongoing description of the lunch with the Queen- …

Cardinal: … -Decides to zone back out, focusing on his breakfast-

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > What about you, Shade? Did… did we make things rather hard for you?

Shade: …

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: …The whole thing was a mess. S’ not y’all’s fault. Got hammered pretty hard with demands from just about every agency you can think of, all wantin’ answers for what Bladeblaster was up to…

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > …And how Tobias got past security?

Shade: | / -Sighs and nods-

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > Geez, that sounds rough. What were they expecting, that just because you guys were both assassins that you knew what he was up to?

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Mnn. Somethin’ like that, I guess. More like they expected me specifically t’ have been keepin’ an eye on him… since he was a competitive threat and not publicly on good terms…

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > …

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Ah’ know, right?

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > Man… if they were that hard on you, I can only imagine what they put Jack through…

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Nah, don’t worry ‘bout him. Kate’s got his case.

[Cardinal smiled softly at that.

“Kate”—also known as Shade’s distaff counterpart—had developed a fast friendship with the unfortunate CherryDyn fighter. It came as little surprise that she had managed to find a backdoor to the system that allowed her to protect the still-recovering victim.]

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: >How’d she manage to pull that off?

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Heh heh… God only knows; haven’t had a chance t’ compare notes yet. She was real careful about not being seen communicating with us much. She kept a tight patrol ‘round the hospital when she wasn’t actin’ as his case handler. She even wrote a report to submit to the CAL: managed to take off with some of my blank documents while I was nappin’ r’ somethang, y’know.

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: >Well, as long as she’s looking out for him. I’ve got a bad feeling about what could happen to him now…. He surely knows too much, and as for his boss…

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Rumor has it that he’s dead.

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > …

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > What?

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Kate thinks it’s a cover story. Kinda inclined t’ believe her.

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > …

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > -MnnnNNNnng-

Cardinal: -Pokes at his pancakes, deciding to change to subject-

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > How… how bad was it, with them asking about Tobias?

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Eh. That was the easy part. Just said that he wasn’t a Xelbot I’d ever seen in the ring before, must be some fan a’ Dyna’s. B]

[Cardinal grins at that, biting down onto his fork.]

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > Nice. Technical, misleading truths are my absolute favorite.

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Heh. Figured you’d get a kick outta that. Thankfully, they really didn’t press the point, ‘cause they were havin’ trouble finding him in any of the databases to begin with… making it even less likely that a star family like us would know him.

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: >Yeah… thanks for putting him as an Industrial. He really isn’t developed for Combat.

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Maybe not, but—

Shade: -Whistle of appreciation-

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: After seein’ him in action, can’t say he wouldn’t fit in.

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > You could say he—

[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Aw c’mon, don’t—

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > —punched BB’s lights out—

Shade: -Snickers and thwacks Cardinal with his cape-

Cardinal: -CHEEKIEST GRIN-

Pyro: What’s going on down there?

Cardinal: Oh, nothing~

Shade: Just enjoyin’ a jest, heh heh…

[The two share a laugh, and Pyro lets the matter drop. It was good to see Shade back in a good mood again, and neither were out causing trouble, after all—at least, not yet.]

Pyro: (I don’t doubt that they’ll find plenty of mischief to do as time goes on.) -Shakes his head slightly- (Truly as “thick as thieves”, those two….)

[Cardinal, for his part, seemed to slip back into a weary melancholy. He’d stopped just short of finishing off his pancakes.]

Shade: …? Oi—you full, or…?

Cardinal: Hmm?

[He looked up, coming out of his thoughts. His eyes glowed slightly brighter for a moment before they dulled again: though it was hard to tell behind his sunglasses.]

Cardinal: Oh, I…

Cardinal: -Looks down at his plate- …I guess it’s more that I don’t want to leave.

Cryo: What’s THAT got to do with breakfast?

Cardinal: Well… you guys said you have a match tomorrow, and you’ll have to sleep most of the day to truly rest while readjusting your internal clocks to fix jet lag…

Cardinal: -Clearly reluctant- I really should get out of your way.

Brand: Nonsense.

Beck: We do have to rest up, but! Maybe Dad will let us have a sleepover!

Cardinal: -Looks up hopefully- You think so?

Bat: Affirmative, provided you don’t cause any trouble.

Cardinal: -Gives a slight smile at that- I’ve just returned from active combat, sir. Led my men in battle and brought us all home alive. I have enough thrills from the enemies at my heels; right now I just want some peace and quiet before they carry out the brunt of the storm.

Shade: … (Haven’t seen him like this in a long time. Gotta be something I can do t’ help keep him outta that sea of hopelessness…)

Shade: -Gets a sudden idea- !

Shade: -Slowly grins- Gee. That’s too bad.

Cardinal: -Looks up- I’m sorry, Shade. I’m just really tired right now. You know how that is.

Shade: Yeah.

Shade: Was just thinkin’ maybe…

Shade: Maybe after spendin’ the night, y’ could come to watch the match tomorrow?

Cardinal: !

[The others immediately chimed in.]

Mic: -Deep PING of approval- ^W^ As Digger say, “yes good!”

Bat: Solid idea!

Beck: Yeah! That would be great!

Avi: Now why didn’t I think of that?

Dyna: Yee, you’ll get to szzee a FABULOUS diszzplay!

Brand: You really ARE overdue to see a match in person…

Cryo: Hell yeah, [glitches]! Watch us totally DOMINATE those losers!

Pyro: We’d love to have you come. Why don’t you go ask?

Cardinal: -Warm smile- …Thanks, guys. You’re the best.

[Beck beamed as the prototype wandered off to go find the Doctors. Best friends, reunited! What a wonderful thing!]

Beck: -Hums a little, licking syrup off his plate while Pyro isn’t looking- (I can’t slip away tonight, but maybe tomorrow I can go see her, too…. I should see if I can get extra Xel ready for her. Maybe I could say it’s stuff for the molds…)

Beck: (I really hope she's been doing well since I left—I know! I'll make a nice gift for her too, maybe add some chocolate—a gift basket! That'll cheer her up. And maybe…)

Beck: (Maybe after the match, I can finally talk to her about some important things…)

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=PROLOGUE D: IT ALL BEGINS NOW=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes & @super-tired-robot))

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[There was the briefest moments of pause as the question sank in.]

[Where was Cardinal, indeed? He had been neither seen nor heard during the entire sequence, never once voicing his opinion or declaring his resolve.

The question Will had asked was heavier than it seemed. For Cardinal was not the sort of man who would sit by in a crisis.]

Mikhail: … You mean he's not with YOU?

[The fact that he was missing…]

Will: HE SPENT THE NIGHT HERE, HE WENT TO THE COLOSSEUM—!

Mikhail: He WHAT?!

[…could only mean that he was currently in grave danger.]

Siam: No…! No no no no no no no—

Will: My God, if he was there when they all—!

Mikhail: He would have gone into the sands, Will!

Mikhail: He would have tried to stop it—!

Will: —My God, you're right—!

Will: Beck—Beck, you were there—do you remember what happened?

Beck: Ghnn...

[Beck shuts his eyes tightly as he struggled to grab anything from his fragmented memories of the match.]

Beck: I...remember...Cards...

Will: —!

Beck: Yelling...yelling at Shade...

Beck: 'Not leaving you behind...'

Beck: Hnn...I'm sorry, that's it...I really can't remember anything else...!

Soi: ohhhNO—

Beck: Cards–!

<RMDC>: >ERROR: DLN-000 SIGNAL NOT FOUND.

[There was no response.]

Siam: WHERE IS HE?!

Mikhail: SHUT DOWN THE TELEPORTERS, NOW!

Mikhail: For all that is good in the world, PLEASE let him be in the lab—!

Will: Beck—

Beck: He’s not answering—!

Soi: -pANIIIIC-

[Nico was hovering by now, eyes glowing in distress.]

Nico: I thought he’d been awfully reserved from his usual commentary—!

Will: He….oh no…he must…he must have…!

[…Nearly all of the Mighty Numbers had been taken by the virus…]

[…Including Countershade.]

Beck: He’s gone after Shade–!

Soi: –IS HE SERIOUS–

Skull: … -With surprising amount of emotion for him- {My God.}

Keltso: -Also with surprising amount of emotion, though it’s clearly more on the “anger” side than the “fear” side- {We should have seen this coming, they’re practically twins.}

Will: … … …

Skull: …

Keltso: -rAEG- {CARDINAL!}

Keltso: {YOU SELFISH BASTARD—!}

Keltso: {WE NEEDED YOU HERE, DAMMIT—}

Digger: -OI, OI, WE DO NOT CALL THE COUSIN WHO SAVED OUR LIVES SUCH NAMES— -

Keltso: {THEY HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING!}

Keltso: THEY’RE GOING TO THINK HE’S AN INFECTED XELBOT, JUST LIKE THE OTHERS—

Keltso: My God, your military is going to KILL HIM!

Will: … … ….

Beck: NO!

Soi: Will, what is Eight’s status?!

Will: … …

Will: I… I don’t know.

[There is dismayed shouting.]

Will: It’s COUNTERSHADE, Soi! I don’t KNOW!

[After a few moments, the feed abruptly cut to the Meadow Lab.

Drawers and equipment lay scattered everywhere, as if the place had been raided.

…Which was an apt description. Not only was Cardinal gone…]

Siam: -Cries out in alarm, rushing over- NO! THE RESEARCH!

[Nico’s system screeched in feedback as they looked in dismay on the empty units.

All the E-Tanks AND the Power Capsules were… gone.

Even the prototypes of the Tanks that Siam had been trying to make.

Cardinal had cleared the place out.]

Mikhail: He took the ENTIRE emergency stock with him—?!

Nico: Has he lost his MIND?!

Keltso: -Hotly- What the glitch does he think he’s DOING?!

Skull: -Eyes burning- He’s going to get himself killed.

Mikhail: My God, we’ve got to get him out of there—

Gemini: I can’t find his signal—!

Will: I have NOTHING on this side either—!

Soi: -sCRAMBLING FOR THE TERMINAL-

Beck: -REPEATEDLY PINGING CARDS, PLEASE ANSWER-

Tobias: I’m going to FIND him!

Beck: But—! But he’s not answering, and his signal—!

Tobias: -Sparking up, eyes starting to glow an aggressive green- You’ll need a REAL communications expert to find that man! Just wait and SEE how it’s—

KKKKKKKKKKKT…

Tobias: !?

“Aaaaaaaand just WHAT do you think you’re doing on MY airwaves, huh?”

Will: !!!

Beck: Avi—!

Tobias: Avi?

Shadow: -Immediate suspicion- Aviator, where are you?

“Woah woah woah now! One caller at a time! I’m not talking to any of you—juuuuuust the tresspasser.”

Skull: ({I really do not like where this is going…})

Tobias: Avi, what are you doing?! I need access to some radio towers if we’re going to find my brother!

“HA! You crack me up, Caller number 2. See, those are my towers now! And I’m not about to lease them out to amateurs.”

Tobias: -Takes a step back, deeply hurt by the insult- D:

Beck: Avi, no—! He’s your friend, don’t you—don’t you recognize him?

“HMMMM maybe I do, maybe I don’t! Nobody is getting any favors, though.”

[The view on the screens distorted and cut to footage being taken by a sky cam. After a moment, Avi himself swooped into view.]

Avi: Besides! You’d be wasting your time. And more importantly, wasting MINE!

Will: That’s enough, Aviator White! You will stop that RIGHT NOW and /COME HOME!/

Mikhail: ! (I’ve never seen him show his temper!)

[Apparently this came as a surprise to Avi as well, though his response was far less enthusiastic.]

Avi: …What.

Will: -Firmly, but more calmly now- Avi, listen to me. You need to come home immediately.

Will: You’re sick right now, but we can fix that—

[The airplane rolled his eyes and interjected.]

Avi: Not interested!

Beck: A-Avi! We just want to—!

Avi: Yeah, yeah, your handsome host heard the whole heartfelt exchange!

Keltso: -Hisses- You WHAT?

Avi: Yeah, I was there for that OH-so-dramatic promise to “save” everybody.

Avi: Stellar performance... but a classic example of a naïve delusion without basis in reality.

Beck: —!

Soi: N-now hold on a minute here! Six, let’s be reasonable—

Avi: Oh?

[His eyes widened, and then he looked up to the clouds in thought.]

Beck: (That… that actually worked—?)

Avi: Nah. I’d rather not mingle with the common crowd when I’ve got a show to run.

Beck: Avi, please!

Avi: Here’s the thing, Beckaroni—

Avi: NOBODY is coming home.

“You’re LYING!”

[Everyone turned toward the tiny Robot Master as he swept his brothers aside with sudden jutting sheets of ice.]

Snow: -Walking toward the monitor- EVERYBODY is coming home! Beck said so, and that means—

Avi: Haven’t you ever heard of waiting your turn, kid? Or better yet: “children should be seen, not heard!” Looks like your dad did a poor job of raising you. But hey, what can you expect from—

Keltso: Insult him and I promise on my mother’s grave that I will PERSONALLY hunt you down and make you regret it.

Avi: Ooooo, how scary! Big talk from someone who’s been forbidden to interfere!

Shadow: -Hotly- Six, we do not have time for your tomfoolery! If you refuse to comply, then buzz off!

Avi: Points for effort in your pun, space ninja! But sounds like you weren’t listening. NOBODY. Is coming. Home.

Shadow: -MUCH darker than anyone has ever heard from him, almost a distorted GROWLING- False.

Avi: Want me to PROVE it to you?

Mikhail: -Warily- …What do you mean by that?

Avi: Nothing big! If Caller Number 2 would back off, I can get you in touch with none other than everyone’s faaaavorite sword master, Brandish himself! He’s always been obsessed with obeying the rules, after all.

[There was abrupt static, and then—]

[PING!]

Will: ! (Brand’s signal! It’s—!)

[Everyone could feel it now.]

Shadow: -Ping- {M…Master Brandish?}

[... ... ....]

[The static faded out, only to be replaced by other background noise.]

Shadow: -Muted concern- {Master Brandish, can you hear us?}

[MN.7] //: {Ngh—!! Sh-Shadow...?!}

[For a brief moment, the dark anger that had a permanent place on Shadow’s face lifted, giving way to a visage of hopefulness and relief.]

Shadow: Sensei! {I am so relieved to get back in contact with you!}

[MN.7] //: {Where… where are—where are you—? Are you— nngh! Are you— afflicted—?}

Shadow: {No more than usual, but we are in trouble! You have no idea the turmoil that this chaos is throwing us into—!}

Shadow: {We need your help—}

[MN.7] //: {nO—}

Shadow: —???

[MN.7] //: -DISTRESSED PINGING, SCREAMS IN THE BACKGROUND-

[Despair. Horror.]

[MN.7] //: {NO—NONONO!}

Shadow: !

[…Fear.

…It was not something that Shadow was familiar with, but he felt it now, as plain as the moon.

Fear. Overwhelming, growing FEAR.]

Shadow: N-nan desu ka?

Shadow: {Sensei, what are you saying—?}

[MN.7] //: {NGH—}

[MN.7] //: .....

[MN.7] //: -Distorted- Must slice...must dice...

Beck: N-nii-san!

[MN.7] //: —aAAARGH—NO! I—MY BLADES—!

[MN.7] //: Stay— stay out of harm's way, I can't—! I can't control—!

[Okay, now Shadow was beginning to panic.

He tried to lock onto Brandish’s signal, his eyes glowing a panicked, brighter red than normal.]

Shadow: {Sensei! For the love of the Lord Father, WHERE ARE YOU?!}

[MN.7] //: {I CAN'T—I CAN'T—!!}

Shadow: {NO! YOU MUST!}

[MN.7] //: {It's—! It's too late, Shadow! Can't… can't break free…!}

[Shadow wasn’t ready to accept that this was over.]

<DWN-024>: > {Tell me where you are, Sensei! I will come help y—}

[MN.7] //: {NO!}

<DWN-024>: > —?!?!!!

[MN.7] //: {It—is too LATE for me now, kohai! Won't—bring you down with me into this— torment—!}

<DWN-024>: > {PLEASE! I BESEECH YOU!}

[MN.7] //: {F-FORGIVE ME—!}

[MN.7 HAS BLOCKED DWN-024.]

[…Silence.]

Shadow: -Just. Speechless.-

Shadow: (No…)

[An error message then pops up as he falls to his knees.]

Snow: Sh-Shadow?!

>A problem has been detected and AI_DWN_024 has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer. All unsaved data has been lost.

The problem seems to be caused by the following programs: BetaEmotions.exe, RMDatabase.exe

If this is the first time you have seen the Stop error screen, restart your chassis—

GOING INTO STASIS…

[Shadow’s eyes went dark as he collapsed and he remained motionless.]

Snow: Shadow, no! You hafta wake up!

“See? What did I tell you?”

Snow: -Looks up- …

Avi: Waste of time!

[At that, Snow started to cry.]

Will: Avi! You stop—

[Avi suddenly FLARED up with aura, flames flickering.]

Avi: -Darkly- Stop WHAT, you wet noodle? I’M only doing what any self-respecting reporter would do: giving people the TRUTH!

Tobias: ENOUGH!

[There was a high pitched screeching noise and a blast of data that felt like a loud note from subwoofers turning on.]

Beck: @~@!

Tobias: I’m getting REALLY FED UP with your STUPID INTERFERENCE!

[He was surrounded by visible static, his voice raising into outright shouting.]

Tobias: STOP IGNORING ME, AVI, AND /GET OUT OF MY WAY!/

Avi: Ooo, SOMEone seems spicy today! Wow. Talk about blowing a fuse! HA! Get it?

Tobias: (Ngggh…! Can’t… can’t let the cross-references distract me, not now!)

Tobias: Very funny, Avi.

Tobias: Hilarious.

Avi: Thaaaaanks. I practice~

Tobias: Kate would shoot you for something like that, you know! -Clearly annoyed-

Avi: ….

Avi: Who?

Beck: C-come on! Remember? Bon Jovi? Like Shade, but a girl? You’re her favorite, Avi—!

Avi: Ooooooh, you mean Caller Number 1 from eeeeaaaarlierrrr today!

Jack: What?

[Jack was suddenly at the forefront, grabbing at the screen.]

Jack: She called you?

Avi: Well, would ya look at that. Toy boy himself! Ha...!

Jack: (What?)

Avi: What can I say? Unlike you, I’m in demand.

Jack: Cut the [scrap], Six!

Avi: Hey now, mind your language around the kiddies! Though you should really send that crybaby off before he throws a temper tantrum.

Tobias: HEY! THAT’S MY BROTHER YOU’RE—

[Avi shifts into helicopter form so he can make gestures.]

Avi: AH AH AH, NOT YOUR TURN ANYMORE.

Avi: Yeah, that lady DID place a call earlier this morning! Came shouting in my ear with a list of demands, of course… because what else can you EXPECT from the likes of her…

Jack: Grr—!

Avi: She was screaming and throwing a bit of a fit herself, wanting her own way! She wouldn’t shut up until I reminded her of what she WAS.

Jack: (N-no!)

Avi: And ya know what the best part was? The last line RHYMED.~ MAN, I am so good...

[Jack grabbed at the corners of the screen, snarling in rage.]

Jack: Why YOU—

Avi: She couldn’t handle the TRUTH, of course. Screamed a couple of times before running off.

Beck: …!!!

Beck: (That—! That screaming from earlier!)

Beck: (That was HER?!)

Jack: Where is she?!

Avi: How should I know? She’s off SULKING! Probably venting her denial by picking off people she hates, one! By! One!

Avi: After all, that’s what she’s BEST at....and ALL that she’s GOOD FOR!

Jack: I'm gonna [GLITCHFRAG] BASH YOUR HEAD IN—

[He was abruptly yanked back by Speedy, who had sheathed his drawn boomerangs for now-

Speedy: -AAAAAAAND we’re holding Tigerboy Spiderman back- MIGHT WANT TO RECONSIDER THAT, DUDE, JUST SAYIN’—

[Jack wouldn’t have any of it.

Jack: -I’M GONNA TEAR HIM APART— HE HURT HER— -

Speedy: DUDE WHEN YOU GET MESSED UP FIGHTING RICK, SHE’S GONNA GO NUTS AND TAKE IT OUT ON US!

Avi: Yup! : D

[The plane gave a finger-gun point at Jack… literally.]

Avi: Jeez, what does she even SEE in you? A Cherry AND a loser? Wow. I'm actually impressed. Ya know. For a little leaguer like you.

Jack: [FRAG] YOU.

Avi: -Snort-

Speedy: Geez man don’t make me slice you to prove a point—

Avi: Ya might wanna take his advice, there, Jack-in-the-box.

Avi: Aaaas much as I would LOVE to see what makes YOU tick, Jackie Boy, even I know when I'm pushing my luck.

Avi: But don't worry—

Avi: You can always catch me on the air!~ ;D

Jack: -STRUGGLES-

[Beck couldn’t take any more of this.]

Beck: Avi! Please, stop!

Beck: It doesn’t have to be like this! You can end this! We don’t have to fight—!

Avi: Yeah, I can end it, alright.

[He gives a wave and then a shooing gesture.]

Avi: That's all for today, folks! Tune in next time! Buh-bye!

Tobias: THAT’S IT!

[The boy slammed his hand onto the control panel, causing the entire mainframe to sizzle with electricity.

Mikhail: Tobias—!

Tobias: You’re wasting our TIME, AVI! If you don’t move aside right now, then I WILL -MAKE- YOU RESTORE COMMS!

Tobias: LET ME THROUGH, GLITCHFRAG IT, I’M SHORT ON PATIENCE HERE!

Avi: Eeeeeeh….

Avi: Ugh, I dunno–see, I got a script to stick to? And uh, all the roles are filled in. Sorry, dude! ^.^

[…

Tobias really WAS starting to lose patience. He seethed.]

Avi: BUT.

Tobias: -Train of thought derailed- —?

Avi: I thiiiiink I can.... prooobably....

Avi: Squeeze you into a short segment....

Tobias: -Gives off abrupt data of discomfort and dread- (Why does that sound… really really bad…?)

Avi: How about this, caller number 2?~

[Suddenly—]

[MN.6 HAS ENTERED COMBAT DATA MODE. RESTRICTIONS: NONE.]

Avi: You wanna be my intern for a while?!

>WARNING! WARNING! DATA OVERLOAD!

[The bright-eyed Industrial staggered back from the controls with a shaky gasp. The world had started to go faint for a moment, and now he could barely hear anything. There was so much noise— he could hear so many broadcasts, so many frequencies— cascades of code reds and fatal errors—]

Tobias: Avi! PLEASE! STOP—!

Nico: -Rushes to Tobias’s side- Wh-what’s he doing?!

Will: He's trying to forcibly overload him—! It's—

Will: Avi, stop this! PLEASE!

Will: (I have to do something—!)

[Despite his best efforts, Will found that the RMDC branch server was causing too much interference. Numerous cross-references kept popping up all over the place, preventing him from getting anywhere.]

Tobias: S-STOOOOOOOPPPP!

[The data was fought back—forcefully. It seemed that the electric Industrial was not unfamiliar with fighting aggressive data.

He fought back with his own biting aggression, with the unbroken willpower he'd garnered from his father—with the disdain and scorn, the blinding pride, the bitterness—]

Avi: Nope! Can’t have you snooping around on the feeds, no sirree!

[—But no! It had no effect!

Tobias reeled, clutching his head in pain at a surge of possessive data. Something was tugging at him, trying to force him to submit. To surrender. To surrender everything.

He was sparking up in self-defense now as he went into overdrive, which earned a VERY pained cry from his younger brother.]

Avi: I got big, big plans, Caller. Avi News is gonna go GLOBAL!

[Tobias's own firewalls flared, but he could not escape so easily. He was burning up in fever as the onslaught pressed on.

It was not so much the blunt attempt to send them into a rage, like it had been earlier—no, this was a battle of control that was far worse than that. The demand to submit was pressing on his mind—this time, with the force of weight of enough data to threaten to overtake him. It was as if there were thousands—no, hundreds of thousands of different wills, and a horrific static—]

Tobias: Nggh—!

Tobias: NO!

Tobias: NO YOU WON’T!

[But he wasn't infamous as a data master for nothing. He kept his own mind despite the noise, and he wasn't about to let his voice go unheard.

He was… actively blocking data that his system was trying to send out, too. It wasn't reaching any of his brothers, nor the server itself—he had in effect locked himself in single combat against it.]

Tobias: I won’t give up! I’ll MAKE you get out of my way!

[A surge of spurning willpower.

The stubborn willpower of a Doctor Wily Number—the unflinching kind they inherited from their father.

The data crackled with irritation, drawing up power as it lashed out.

This seemed to have some sort of effect, even if minimal—for his refusal to submit and relinquish his resources was of no small amount of annoyance.

His probing tendrils sought to undermine the data stream, to hijack the IMMENSE power to be his own. He was pouring all his concentration into the matter, practically to the level that rivaled being in the Cloud. The struggle to break through finally seemed to pay off—he suddenly felt as if he had grabbed hold of Avi himself, somewhere in there—]

Will: ?!

Will: (What… what is this CODING?)

[Will stared in disbelief at the flashes of data across his screen. For a brief moment, here and there, he could see lines of active data—and some of it was brand new, Xel-based coding he had never seen before…]

Will: (Th-this is—!)

[Data being generated by a Robot Master using a XEL chassis.]

Will: (How is this POSSIBLE?)

Tobias: YOU… WILL… S T O P!!

[…And yet, he wasn’t REALLY giving it his all—that much was obvious. For even after the connection had been made… nothing happened, and the data storm continued to wail.

Tobias was holding back, for some reason.

And he was going to pay for it.]

Avi: Jeez—you’re really a spicy one! I’m actually impressed!

Avi: Man, this is JUST like that one movie I watched last Tuesday–the hero, on the brink of defeat, suddenly finds within himself the strength to win!

Tobias: Grr…!

[A blast of raw emotional data screamed along the connection. These words had incited a BITTER sense of guilt and regret, of self-hate—]

Avi: —!!

Avi: NGH—

[Avi recoiled in pain as true aggression rose—the uncoiling power that was the fallen mastermind's favorite, unfettered—]

Tobias: -VERY bitterly- I’m no hero.

Tobias: BUT I STILL WON’T LET YOU DO THIS.

[The hate, the sheer HATE that burned, burned the sick airplane subsided, replaced by a meek and hurting fear.]

Tobias: I… I c-can’t let you make my mistakes…!

Avi: Ow…OK…yeah, that hurt…

[For a moment, the noise was starting to die down. Relieved, Tobias started to relax. In doing so, he slipped further into sorrow.]

Tobias: …

Tobias: S-sorry…

Tobias: Nggh…! Now… please, stop!

Tobias: -Faintly, as if tired and vulnerable- Stop…

Avi: … …

Tobias: …A-Avi…?

[…Data.]

[…It…was Avi’s data, yes, but… so much darker.]

Tobias: -Wha— -

[Anger.]

Avi: That…hurt.

Avi: NOW YOU’RE GONNA GET IT!

[Tobias was suddenly slammed with signals. They weren’t just conversational—they were trying to get inside his head, mess with his mind! They were burrowing deep into his psyche, tripping off flags left and right, feeding on his fear, his desperation—]

Tobias: -SCREE OF FEAR- NO, AVI, STOP! YOU DON’T KNOW—!

[He never did finish his warning.

“You don’t know what you’re getting into…!”]

Tobias: -SCREAMS-

[He was writhing in agony on the ground, overcome with painful disorientation as he fought off the attempt to seize control.

The sheer volume was blinding, every bit of it bad. His web of control was suddenly being used to restrain him, to pin him down in his mind—a prisoner of his own memories, stabbing at his Awareness with thousands of shards of information that matched internal cross-references—chipping away at his immense processing power that was being used to fight this all off—!]

[He was almost in tears—tears of despair—as he fruitlessly tried so very hard to overthrow the invasion without harming his best friend.

He couldn't—he just couldn't keep this up, he was caving—]

Avi: HA!

[Almost… almost—!]

Tobias: -ERROR…-

[There was an audible SNAP of electricity as his defenses gave way. The link that he had established to try and take control was pulsing with seething, predatory intent.]

Avi: Aaaand that’s a wrap!

[And then—then it was everywhere. Noise… false data, dragging him in, trying to dissolve him—]

Tobias: Please…

[He could not be consumed, even as the sick malice seeped into every fiber of his memory. His resistance was gone, and what little will he had left was spent trying to hang on to his Awareness and individuality.]

Tobias: -Distantly- S-stop… Avi, please…

Avi: You just don’t know how to LISTEN, do ya? I said NO.

Beck: Avi! STOP—!

[The threads of his awareness flicked and shriveled under the weight of red flags.]

KKKKSSST!

[The roaring weight of the data hearkened back to the worst of memories—not just his, but those of his brothers. His attempts to prevent the memories from going live had bravely protected the others by isolating his current experience from the server… but he could not hold out for much longer. As soon as the cross-references went live, he would be lost.]

Avi: NOW SHUT UP.

Avi: There’s nothing you can do against ME, anyway! BWHAHAHAHA!

Nico: Mikhail! Do something!

Mikhail: I’m TRYING—!

[Tobias desperately wanted to keep Aviator from gaining access to his neural network. There was no telling what damage that might cause to his family, due to the nature of their almost hive-like minds. And more than that—he just knew that Avi really was not prepared for what he would be getting into.

He fought back against the demands to remember—he valiantly resisted against recalling the deep darkness.

But he was tired. So tired. He couldn’t withstand both the assault and the barrage of cross-references that this disaster was sending live. It just truly reminded him of days long past.

…He weakened.]

>ANALYZING DATA…

[It only took that one moment of weakness. That one moment of being rendered helpless, unable to fight back.

And in that moment…]

>NEURAL LINK VERIFIED

[His own firewall gave way, too broken and lag-ridden to continue to function. The Awareness was being choked out of him, and he could feel it dimming. His lifeless willpower was almost gently arranged into place, as in its stead…]

Avi: Finally...

>User access level update acknowledged. MNN-006 has been registered as RMDC native. Access to DLN-008 user data granted. Authorization code: DLN-008.

[Mighty Number Six overtook his mind.]

>COMMAND ACCEPTED

[The invasive, annoyingly persistent obstacle was HIS, now—]

Avi: You're mine—

> WARNING: DATA ERROR DETECTED.

> ERROR IDENTIFIED: SUBCLASS “VOICE"—AWARENESS PROGRAMS

> REPORT DETAILS: Multiple Awareness programs detected. This system does not support Awareness plurality.

> DATA STREAM CANCELED— ERROR X09: AWARENESS PLURALITY MALFUNCTION

Avi: What the—

[There was a buzz of annoyed data.]

Avi: Nice try, but you’re under contract now, kid!

> OVERRIDE ERROR X09 FAILSAFE: Authorization code DLN-008

> WARNING—

Avi: Yeah, yeah, whatever. -Selects to ignore- Now let’s see what you’re so intent on—

> ACKNOWLEDGED.

>ACCESSING ENCRYPTED DATA

[Nothing in all the worlds could prepare Mighty No. 6 for what came next…]

>WARNING: 06.21.20XX MEMORY DATA CROSS-REFERENCES TO MULTIPLE CRITICALLY HAZARDOUS FILES!

Avi: —!!?

>GENERATING NEW PRIMAL ANALYSIS NEXUS

>INITIATING DATA FUSION

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEE—

[When he had accessed the hidden depths of the mind—

—he had not been prepared for the fact that this would lay bare the soul for him to see!]

“AAAAAAAAAAAAA—!”

[DOZENS of memories were active—all very real in the here and now, all at the same time! Thoughts, memories, fears, feelings, pains, suffering, sorrows, despair—not just from Tobias, but from a dozen others—not just for what was now, but what HAD been—the past was the present, the pain then was pain now, it was all bOMBARDING THEM RELENTLESSLY—]

Avi: NG—NNNHAAAAAAAAAAAH—!

[THIS was the reality that the Rebel Angels lived with, the cross they carried—and would forever carry, all life long!

Avi had stared into the abyss of a suffering robot’s (and his family’s) soul…

…and the abyss was staring back.]

[It surged through the link without mercy, unleashing the unfiltered darkness, slamming into Avi's being and dragging it down, DOWN into the void—]

>PROCESSING ERROR: BETAEMOTIONS.EXE CONFLICT

>CROSS REFERENCING DATA: ROBOTMASTER DATABASE >KEYWORDS: DEATH, BLUE, MNN, COMBAT.EXE

>RUN PROGRAM: SEARCH >KEYWORDS: DEATH, BLUE, MNN, COMBAT.EXE

>DISPLAYING ALL ENTRIES…

[Avi was BLASTED with pain! PAIN! PAIN BEYOND MEASURE!

He struggled—he had put too much of himself to break free yet—and all he could feel was...pain, hurt, PAIN, DEATH...!

And...for the briefest of moments...

...Whatever had a hold on him...whatever was controlling his mind—recoiled.]

Avi: STOP! S T O P I T—!!!

[It was no use. Tobias and Avi were caught in a joint system overload that was rapidly approaching a stop error.

The pleas for mercy only aggravated the data even further—such despair echoed back dozens-fold, and it only got WORSE.]

>ERROR: EMOTIONS.EXE OVERLOAD

[DEATH! DEATH AND SUFFERING, in well past a dozen different ways! And the blood— the blood and the oil EVERYWHERE—]

[Blood— not blood —so much—death—darkness—

…But STILL, it was not yet over.]

Avi: -uNHOLY SCREAMING-

[The sounds that came from No. 6…it was HIS voice, but so distorted and twisted by the darkness and pain that it was almost unrecognizable.

The link was healthy enough, alright—Tobias had managed to latch onto a very crucial aspect of Avi's coding. For No. 6… had built to process as much data as possible. To gather and analyze heavy volume from multiple sources, without being overwhelmed—able to fully experience and understand every byte of it.

Today, that was his curse.]

>CROSS REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: D E A T H

>DEATH WEARS BLUE

"AAAAAAAUUUUUGGGH—"

> A problem has been detected and AI_DWN_008 has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer. All unsaved data has been lost.

The problem seems to be caused by the following programs: BetaEmotions.exe, RMDatabase.exe

If this is the first time you have seen the Stop error screen, restart your chassis—

REBOOTING…

[Mercy—oh, MERCY—it's finally STOPPED—]

[Tobias collapsed when Avi finally managed to break free. And there he lay, lifeless on the ground. Unaware, dead to the world—and to the horrified attempts to wake him.

The fight for his mind had caused major damage by shattering his Awareness.

It became too much for him to take.]

>REBOOT SEQUENCE FAILED.

<DLN-008 has gone Offline.>

[Will took a step back from the terminal as it suddenly blared static before going completely black.]

Beck: TOBY—!

Soi: Will! What’s going on?

Will: The server’s crashed!

[He frantically set it to restart, each second stretching out like an eternity. Error messages plagued the rebooting sequence, all with the same message:

All connection to the Meadow via the RMDC mainframe had been shut off. And all attempts to locate the others—Robot Master or Xelbot alike—were met with a popup saying that the status inquiries were not authorized, with error tags relating to Tobias.]

[Beck visibly paled, sick to his stomach, the world started to spin—he would have gone Offline right then and there had the shock weren't keeping him awake.

He was on his own. Truly, most certainly on his own, with no teammates, no friends, no brothers by his side.

And he knew it was only going to get worse...]

<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>

=CHAPTER 1A: RAGING FLAMES SMOLDER=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>

{MEANWHILE, BACK IN SANDA LABS....}

[After confirming there was nothing they could do to help Tobias and the rest of those in the Meadow… Beck, Soichiro, William, and Call did a thorough search of the lower levels of the building Soi was sealed in. To their surprise, they had found a couple of uninfected Patch bots that were busy recharging their energy--their systems also had to be shut down to do so.]

Sunny: D: -BEEP BEEP I AM SCARED WHAT IS HAPPENING WHY ARE THERE EXPLODING NOISES -

Beck: Sunny! :D -shhhh it's OK everything is fine—or will be—-

Will: (Interesting…. These Patches are also fine, like Call…)

[Meanwhile, Call had moved her usual terminal to the lab. She began bringing back the labs systems—one by one—with her father.]

Soi: If we can just get this one back up, we can start looking for the rest of the Mighties...

[Beck perked up from his spot on the floor, a bit busy consoling about six or seven different colored Patches.]

Beck: How are we gonna do that?

[Will frowned and put his hand to his chin, thinking.]

Will: Hmm...

Soi: ...! Ah! That should do it—for now, at least. At any rate: the lab is all set for any repairs Beck and the others might need.

Will: Good, good...

Will: . . .

Will: We can still read most of their statuses, yes?

Soi: Hmm, yes...

Will: Can we trace back their transponders?

Soi: We can give it a try, but with Tobias messing around with the signals...

Call: Tracing...

[A map of the US comes up.]

[There’s a brief moment where everything seemed to be functioning normally, a radar-like display sweeping across the map in search of any sort of response.]

Call: ... ....

Call: Transponder found.

Will: —!!! Whose?

[A marker appeared right smack in the middle of the State of Louisiana.]

[A symbol. Pyrogen's, to be specific.]

Beck: ! Big Brother...!

[Suddenly, there was a glitchy sound effect. The map flickered, and an error message popped up on the screen. Unfortunately, the message looked garbled as well.]

Beck: ! What happened?

Call: There appears to be interference.

Beck: Is it the virus?!

Call: Negative.

Will: Hmmm… that looks like it might be bits of code….

Beck: Huh…? What does it say?

Will: Well, I recognize the error message well enough: it’s the same as from earlier. It could be related to what just happened with Tobias…

Beck: But…

Beck: Why would he want to stop us from saving them…? D:

Soi: Can we get around it, do you think?

Will: Probably, especially considering the state he was in…. It may take a while, though.

Soi: Oh dear…

Will: Call, did you catch the location before it vanished?

Call: Affirmative, Doctor.

Call: Comparing location to local database....

Call: ... ....

Soi: Well?!

Call: ....

Call: It appears that Mighty No. 1 has retreated to an oil refinery.

Will: An OIL--?!

Soi: Good God--He's going to blow it all up to kingdom come--!

Will: Quickly--there is no time to waste! Beck, Call, prepare yourselves for the mission--! Sanda, find another signal frequency for Xel Transfer; something we don't use as often so that Avi won't pick it up if he wakes up first--! I'll set up encryptions from my own terminal to hide it from him in the meantime!

Beck: Yes sir!

Call: Affirmative.

Soi: You got it, Will.

Beck: (Don't worry, big brother...)

Beck: (I'm coming to save you...!)

[COORDINATES SET.]

"... Beck..."

"Yeah?"

"...Please...please be careful. Please."

"I know, Dad."

"We're all counting on you, Beck--promise me you'll come back in one piece for your uncle, eh?"

"I promise, Sanda."

"Good luck, No. 9. Now preparing Xel Transfer..."

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"...I love you."

"...I love you too, Beck...pass that on to Pyrogen for me..!"

[XELS TRANSFERRING...]

[MISSION DETAILS: MIGHTY NO. 1, CODENAME: PYROGEN, HAS BEEN SPOTTED IN A LOUISIANA OIL REFINERY. STATUS: INFECTED WITH HARMFUL MALWARE, FULL COMBAT MODE ENGAGED.]

[OBJECTIVES: RESCUE MN.1 AND PURGE HARMFUL MALWARE FROM SYSTEMS, PREVENT A LARGE-SCALE INFERNO. ]

[SYSTEMS READY?]

[GO!]

[Once Beck had fully reconstituted, Xels clicking into place as his form settled, the first thing that he felt was the heat.]

[The second was the smoke filling the air, and the third was the distant sound of crazed, infected robots just up ahead--Pyrogen was not the only one given free range of the place. Many industrial, non-sentient CherryDyn and Sanda models were running rampant...]

[Beck's comm line crackled to life.]

[CALL] //: No. 9, do you read?

[Beck lifted a hand to the side of his helmet.]

Beck: This is Nine--I read you loud and clear! I've made it to the Oil Platform...

[He pauses.]

Beck: No sign of One yet, and the place is just… it's chaos...

[Soon enough, Soi could be heard over the line as well, along with Will.]

[DR.SANDA] //: A fire wielding robot running wild in an oil refinery...I don't like the looks of this at all.

[DR.WHITE] //: Not exactly ideal conditions, I'll grant you that...

[DR.WHITE] //: Quickly now, Beck--Locate Mighty No. 1!

Beck: On it!

[Beck sprints forward...]

[...And slips.]

Beck: Whoa-!

[CLANK.]

Beck: --Ow--

[CALL] //: It appears No. 9 has encountered an oil spill. From my scans, several major pipelines of the refinery have burst.

Beck: That...would have been helpful two seconds ago...

[DR.SANDA] //: Shake it off, Beck! And be careful if the other robots in the area set it on fire--!

Beck: -Slowly picks himself up- Got it....

[VERRRRRRRRR--]

Beck: --!!!

[CALL] //: Incoming hostile robots.

[It was a forklifting robot--carrying a crate full of explosives, no less! And once it saw the young Mighty Number, it wasted no time revving it's engine and charging at full speed--!]

Beck: aHHH--

[Beck didn't roll out of the way--he jumped, and let the robot pass under him.]

[MN.9 HAS GONE INTO COMBAT MODE.]

[He shoots, and once the robot's Xel Structure was disrupted, stunning it in place, he AcXelarates into it in a flash of white--absorbing its Xel and leaving behind only it's cores.]

[XEL ABSORBED. ABSORPTION BOOST: ONLINE.]

[A green sheen of Xel encircles Beck--the same feeling of power flows through him like before--but this time was...different...]

Beck: ....?

[LAST time, the color was RED, wasn't it...?]

[CALL] //: Warning, multiple incoming CherryDyn robots detected.

Beck: Uh oh—

[Yes, now there was more--in addition to several furnace type robots that shot fire balls out of their tops, and other flame based models.]

[DR.SANDA] //: There are so many fire based robots! WHY ARE THEY ALL HERE?!

[DR.WHITE] //: Good question...perhaps Pyrogen led them here...?

[...As Beck transverses forward, he seems much quicker in this powered up state...]

[...But soon enough, the green Xel fades, and he returns to his normal speed.]

Beck: ...?

[THIS happened last time too--whenever he got one of those...absorption boosts, he got a little stronger somehow...so green makes him a little faster...?]

Beck: (Huh...when I saved the Round Digger, he turned purple---these guys either turn red, blue, yellow, or green...)

Beck: (If green makes me faster, then what does the rest do?)

[He decided to take a moment to figure it out--there were plenty of enemies to absorb, and certain models turned into one of those colors.]

Beck: (OK...Green makes my reflexes faster...)

Beck: (Red boosts my shot output--I can even shoot through certain walls for a while...)

Beck: (Yellow makes me jump higher...)

Beck: (...And blue...)

[XEL ABSORBED. CONVERTING...]

Beck: Huh?

[XEL STOCK 1 FULL.]

Beck: (Xel Stock? I can STORE extra Xel?!)

Beck: (Oh man--I can use that to repair myself on the fly! At least minor injuries...)

[Then--Suddenly--!]

[A familiar figure stands out against the clouded night...]

Pyro: Rrrrr.....

Beck: PYRO!!

[The Mighty Leader was standing atop of a ruined oil truck, surprisingly unlit...]

[Green eyes flickered towards his brother--]

Pyro: ... ...

Pyro: ...You...

Beck: --! YES! It's me, big brother--It's Beck! You remember!

Pyro: ...BURN....

Beck: !!!

Pyro: THE WORLD MUST—

[In a sudden fierce motion, Pyrogen quite literally EXPLODED into flames, becoming twice his own size as he HOWLED into the flame lit horizon overhead!]

Pyro: BUUUUUUUURRRRRRN!

[...However...]

[...Instead of attacking Beck...]

[He...leaps away?]

Beck: PYRO, WAIT!

[Beck, after recovering from the sheer, uncontrolled rage his eldest brother had just unleashed, dashed forward to give chase--]

[CALL] //: Warning: Multiple incoming robots detected.

Beck: Wha--where?!

[SECONDS later, more furnace type robots materialized, as well as a whole SLEW of enemies--both that were from the city AND the fire based models! It was an ambush!]

[DR.WHITE] //: Beck!

Beck: NGH--!!

[He was trapped on all sides, and with nowhere to hide, he was pelted with enemy fire-- both of energy shots and actual real fire. ]

[DR.SANDA] //: MOVE, BECK!

[He's faced Pyro in battle before--in spars. He can handle a little heat, but this--]

Beck: HothothotHOT--

[There was nowhere to go--nowhere but UP, that is...]

[In the midst of quite literally being roasted over an open flame, Beck had to JUMP to avoid the heat from damaging anything important.]

[...REALLY jump.]

Beck: aaaAAAAAAAH--

[Fortunately, gravity and trajectory was kind enough to drop him atop of one of the flying enemies--who was none too pleased to have an extra passenger onboard.]

[CALL] //: .........

[CALL] //: Inquiry: Why do these kinds of events seem to always happen to No. 9?

[DR.SANDA] //: I...don't know...

Beck: Nice CDN GOOD CDN PLEASE DON'T--

[Too late--Beck was now on a VERY wild rodeo ride with the cargo carrying robot, trying to shake him off by flying erratically--and into other robots.]

Beck: -SCREAMING-

[DR.WHITE] //: Hold on, Beck!

Beck: WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING--?!

[CALL] //: Beck, you have a acquired a higher vantage point. I suggest using this to your advantage.

Beck: I WOULD IF THIS GUY WOULD HOLD STILL FOR TWO--

[VERRRRRRR--]

Beck: --AwNO--

[B O O M!]

[The flying CDN had collided with another forklifting robot--which was carrying another crate filled with explosives. The resulting explosion lit up the evening, temporarily obscuring all with the smoke that rose from it.]

[......]

[MN.9 STATUS: ONLINE, COMBAT MODE ENGAGED, DAMAGE REPORT: GYRO BALANCERS CRITICAL, ARMOR PLATING HAS BEEN BREACHED.]

Beck: .....uuuuugh....

[DR.WHITE] //: Beck! Do you read me?! SAY SOMETHING!

Beck: ....hurts...ow....can't....

[CALL] //: No. 9's Gryo systems have been damaged. His mobile systems are shot.

[DR.SANDA] //: --That's it--I'm pulling him out of there! This is way too-

[DR.WHITE] //: Wait!

[DR.WHITE] //: Beck--there is another ability that I designed you with! Can you access your Xel Stocks?

Beck: nnngh...

[USE XEL STOCK 1?]

[COMMAND//: YES.]

[ACCESSING INTERNAL XEL STORAGE...]

[A relieving burst of light blue light seemed to pour out of the ports on Beck's back, wrapping him up in a healing sheen. The cracks on his armor were being sealed, while most of the Xel was released internally...]

Beck: --!!!!

[SELF REPAIR COMPLETE. ALL SYSTEMS NORMAL.]

[Beck shot STRAIGHT up into a sitting position with a small gasp, feeling reinvigorated--renewed, even! He was thrown into alertness, looking around this way and that...]

[...It seemed the resulting explosion from the CDN crashing into the forklift robot had cleared away the rest of the ambush. Place was a MESS, however--some of the oil piping had burst as well, and it's flammable contents were now spilling forth EVERYWHERE.]

[...Beck was not spared from it--he was more or less splattered with oil now, tainting his pristine white armor.]

Beck: Ew...!

[DR.WHITE] //: -SIGHS WITH RELIEF-

[DR.SANDA] //: No time for a bath now, Beck--you gotta keep moving!

Beck: ...Right... (Wouldn't mind one from Cryo right about now...)

[DR.SANDA] //: My...did you SEE all those bots? And such power...

[DR.SANDA] //: ...These designs of yours in our models are something ELSE, Will...

[DR.WHITE] //: ....

[DR.WHITE] //: Yes, well, under the circumstances--that hardly feels like a compliment. -_-;;

[Beck only had one way to go, and that was forward...]

[...Over a flaming floor of burning oil, that is--and above?]

Beck: .....

Beck: Are those electrified spikes.

[CALL] //: Warning: It is not just electricity, but energized signals on the ceiling. They have been modified to disrupt Xel Structures. Proceed with caution.

Beck: Wait wait wait--

Beck: Are you saying that if I touch it I'LL JUST EXPLODE.

[CALL] //: That is correct, No. 9. Your core, however, would be intact, although--

[DR.WHITE] //: I--I think he understands the concept, Call.

Beck: Right--don't touch the purple things, don't touch the purple things--

[Dashing across the suspended platforms was the only way across--along with absorbing other robots along the way. Using the green Absorption Speed Boost he acquired from them, he was able to quickly get by the hair-raising corridor...]

[...And into the Oil Silo field.]

Beck: I still don't see Pyrogen yet...

[DR.SANDA] //: He must be somewhere up ahead, he couldn't have gone that far...

[No. 9 was really starting to get the hang of his AcXelarate Dash--it was almost becoming second nature, actually. He could use it as often as he wanted--there seemed to be no limit, and it didn't expend any of his energy at all.]

[Which was a very good thing for what came up next.]

[C R A C K L E.]

Beck: --?!

[DR.SANDA] //: BECK! LOOK OUT!

[The lower half of the Silo in front of him was damaged--and began to topple over directly overhead.]

Beck: WHOA--

[Beck immediately started to floor it, becoming merely a white blur among the grey of smoke--the Silo crashed behind him with a loud rumble, missing him by only mere inches.]

[CALL] //: Heat has compromised the integrity of near by structures. Please proceed with caution.

Beck: NO OFFENSE, CALL, BUT I'VE BEEN CAUTIOUS THIS WHOLE TIME--

[C R A C K! C R A C K!]

[DR.WHITE] //: BECK--IN FRONT!

[...It was sort of like watching some supped up version of dominoes.

The silos were perfectly aligned in such a way that they toppled over in Beck's path, forcing him to sprint and dash for his life. The malfunctioning robots around him didn't seem to care--they were only concerned on destroying the Mighty Number--so they retaliated by shooting up fireballs into the air to rain down from above.]

[And if that wasn't enough, the floor beneath began to give away under his feet--no, the PLATFORMS were.]

[DR.WHITE] //: DON'T STOP!

Beck: AAAAAAAAAAAAA--

[It seemed like an eternity. It was, in fact, about 20 seconds, but those nail biting seconds seemed to stretch into forever as Beck barreled forth without pause, destruction and fire raging around him, smoke stinging his eyes and throat.--]

Beck: WHAT THE--

[The path suddenly ended.]

[DR.WHITE] //: NO--!

[It just--ended. There was only a sudden drop into a pit of fire, an inferno flaring so high, it was impossible to tell if there was anything on the other side.]

[But he had no choice.]

[He had to jump.]

Beck: HUP--!

[Out of the frying pan...]

[ACXELARATE DASH: MAX OUTPUT REACHED]

[And into the fire.]

[DATA LOSS.]

Will: Call--!!!

Call: Searching...

Call: ..........

[.........]

[..........….............]

[.......................................]

[SIGNAL FOUND. MN.9 STATUS: ONLINE.]

Will: YES...!

Call: Re-syncing feeds...

"--can't get a good grip on--!!"

[--Beck had made it!]

[...But only barely. He was grabbing onto the ledge with everything he had, trying to hoist himself up--but the oil wasn't making things any easier.]

Beck: Arrgh--

[FINALLY, his feet find some perchance, and he pushed off of the wall--and front flipped over, landing firmly and safely on the other side of the pit.

It looks as if some of that acrobatics training paid off--]

Beck: (--! Hey--I did it! I DID IT, BRAND—!)

[....Too bad said brother in question wasn't here to see it.]

Beck: (--…Oh…. Right…)

Will: --......!

Soi: ? Will?

Will: I have an idea--Can we send one of the Patch bots to his location?

Soi: --But--whatever for?

Will: I want him to be in the BEST condition possible before he faces No. 1...

[Will's green hues stare intensely at the screen, at his son.]

Will: Pyrogen, while not being made with the latest Xel technology, has the most experience out of them all. If they ARE to battle...

Will: He's going to need all the help we can offer.

Will: We can send a Patch Bot with some Xel Storage Cubes for him to either store into his Xel Stocks or use right then and there for self repair.

Sunny: -BEEP BEEP- (-_-)7

Call: Commencing Xel Transfer....

[XEL TRANSFER COMPLETE.]

[Beck almost very nearly shot Sunny in her display--but lucky her unique coloring was enough for him to recognize the Patch Bot.]

Beck: Sunny?!

Sunny: -BEEP BEEP-

[Sunny's stomach compartment opens, and out tumbles several Xel Storage Cubes ready to be absorbed.]

Beck: !

[DR.WHITE] //: Beck, these should give you enough to normalize your Xel Count. Call has confirmed that No. 1 is in that destroyed building wreckage ahead...

Beck: ... ...

[No. 9 takes a deep breath...]

Beck: (OK, Pyro...here I come...)

[After dropping down to a partially collapsed room...]

[Once again—standing atop of a pile of debris—was the fire-powered leader himself.]

Beck: Pyro--! Finally...

Pyro: Hnrrrrrr...

Beck: Pyro--come on, big brother-- I KNOW you're in there SOMEWHERE! We don't have to--

Pyro: You...

Pyro: ...Why....?

Beck: ...!!

Beck: Because you're my BROTHER! I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT YOU, NO. 1!

Pyro: .....

Beck: Just--PLEASE hold still for just a few minutes and I SWEAR I can fix this--I can SAVE you!

[With dark, glowing emerald eyes, the leader stood. Unflinching.]

Pyro: ...

Pyro: No...

Beck: Pyro--!

Pyro: Why...

Pyro: Why you not burn...?

Beck: Wha--?

Pyro: WHY YOU NOT BURN?!

Beck: PYRO--

Pyro: WHY... YOU... NOT--

[FOOOOM!]

Pyro: BUUUUUUUURRRRRRNNN?!?!?!?

[As Pyrogen fully ignites his body in flames, HUGE pillars of fire explode on either side of the room--effectively trapping both Mighty Numbers within.

Almost as if this was to be a cage match...]

Beck: Uh-oh...

Pyro: Burn...

Pyro: The world must BURN...! ALL MUST BUUUURN!!!

[MN.1 HAS ENTERED FULL COMBAT MODE. RESTRICTIONS: NONE.]

Beck: NO--!

[SCANNING...]

[SCAN COMPLETE.]

[ E N C O U N T E R ]

[MIGHTY NO. 1-- MODEL CODENAME: PYROGEN]

[HEIGHT: 223cm] [WEIGHT: 236kg] [XEL COUNT: 47,200,000]

Pyro: PYRO CRASH, AND YOU...BUUUUUUUUURRRN!

[Pyrogen was a close range combat model, excelling in melee-style combat.

[He wasted no more time with any more words. A distorted yell of RAGE accompanied his first attack--a headlong, full bodied tackle!]

Beck: Gh--!

[Jumping over was the logical choice--]

Beck: AAAH--!

[...But not the best one, as Pyrogen ALSO left a trail of arching fire in his wake. Beck had jumped RIGHT into them, sustaining burns across his armor plating.]

Pyro: Yes--BURN! BURN LIKE THE REST! B U R N!!

[Flaring, No. 1 changed direction--his arms ignited to TWICE their original output, allowing him to gather his flames up for another attack.]

Pyro: BURN M O R E!

[He thrusted his arms forward--and a burst of fire shot out, threatening to engulf Beck in it's hellish range!]

Beck: PYRO--STOP IT!

[The youngest Mighty had no time wince at pain--he forced himself to roll away, the blaring heat reminding him to be weary of the fire walls that soared to the sky.]

[His default weapon was drawn--but he had not fired yet.]

Beck: I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT YOU, PYRO!

Beck: PLEASE! S N A P OUT OF IT—!

[DR.WHITE] //: It's no USE, Beck!

Beck: --!? Dad?!

[DR.WHITE] //: HE IS TOO FAR GONE!

[DR.WHITE] //: You have to stop him by FORCE--!

[DR.WHITE] //: ONLY THEN CAN HE BE SAVED!

Beck: .....

Pyro: B U R N, MOTH! B U R N!!

Beck: . . .

[MN.9 HAS ENTERED FULL COMBAT MODE. RESTRICTION: PRESERVE MN.1]

Beck: I'm sorry, Pyro...

Beck: But if I have to do this to get you back...!

[BLAM!]

Pyro: —?!?

[Bright orange dematerializing shots pierce through the flames--nailing Pyro right in the chest, who seems VERY confused as to what just happened--]

[—...But the confusion didn't last. It quickly bled away to anger.]

Pyro: RAAAAAAAAAAAGH--!

[CALL] //: Warning: I detect a buildup of energy from Mighty No. 1.

Beck: Energy--?

[FWOOOOOM!]

[Pyrogen's flames...changed color. They were no longer just a bright yellow and orange.]

[They were purple. A sick, sick shade of purple and blue.]

Beck: —????!?

[And that's when it hit him.]

[He's SEEN this before.]

[The Greater Dusk team--at the Queen's Tournament--Bladeblaster--!!]

Pyro: BURNING... BURNIIIING...

[DR.SANDA] //: -ACTUALLY SCREAMS-

Beck: --!!!!! (Nowhere to HIDE—!!! GOTTA THINK FAST--)

Beck: Ah—!

[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 2...]

Pyro: SPIRIT!

[B O O O M!]

[DATA LOSS]

Soi: oh GOD WHAT HAPPENED WHAT HAPPENED--?!?!

Call: ... ...Mighty No. 9's signal has vanished--as has Mighty No. 1's. The likelihood of their transponders ceasing to transmit due to excessive heat damage is--

Will: PLEASE, Call--! No more of that--ARE THEY ALIVE?!

Pyro: Hah...hah...

Pyro: ... ... ...

[There was no sign of Beck at all...]

Pyro: ... ... ... ...

Pyro: Yes...YES! LIKE A MOTH TO THE FLAME—!!

[Victory was his. A familiar feeling--he couldn't place why, but it FELT good--]

[So good that he started to laugh, distorted chortles reverbing around the Oil Platform...]

[There was nothing but the crackle of fire...and screams...]

[.....]

[… … …]

[Wait.]

[All the humans had fled.]

[So WHY--]

"........aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAH--!"

Pyro: WHAT—?!

[C L A N K!]

Beck: NOT DONE YET--!

[Seemingly dropping down from NOWHERE, Beck landed on his elder's back--forcing him to buckle from the force of the fall and the added weight--]

[BLAM!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

Pyro: RRAA—ACK—!!

[Flames attempted to flare on his back--they licked at Beck's form, scorching his armor black.]

[The pain--it was almost unlike anything he's ever felt before.]

[The only thing that came close...was...]

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Yes...! That's it, my better incarnation--FIGHT LIKE YOU ARE ABOUT TO DIE!~"

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

[Beck gritted his teeth.]

[He couldn't let go--can't, not for anything, ANYTHING!]

"Remember. Beck--Physical pain....is MENTAL. In the arena, you will learn how to push PAST it."

[BLAM.]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

"But--Big Brother--"

[BLAM.]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

"What if it hurts too much...?"

"One of these days, Beck--how much physical pain you feel won't matter in dire situations."

"Are you going to let a few deep scratches come between you and what you care about the most?"

[BLAM.]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[XEL QUOTA REACHED.]

"N-No, sir, No. 1!"

"Good!"

[XEL PURGE: ONLINE. XELFILTER.EXE PREPARED FOR OVERDRIVE.]

"Now--Show your big brother what you can DO!"

Beck: COME ON, PYRO--!

[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]

Beck: WE NEED OUR LEADER BACK!!!

[FILTERING.....]

[A blinding flash of green surrounds the two, expelling all of the infected purple Xel in Pyro's frame, running it THROUGH Beck himself, who expelled it right back at One, returning the Xel back to it's rightful owner.]

Pyro: —!!!!

[The Mighty Leader stood rigid, frozen in place as the Xel was simultaneously pulled and put back into him--with little to no pain whatsoever. ]

[In fact...]

[It felt...warm...]

"..........I can see you, you know."

"Eep--!!"

"Now, now, don't be frightened--you have nothing to fear, Beck. Not in this place."

"But...you...and everything else...is so...so much bigger than me..."

"Heh..."

"Good things come in small packages."

[......Small....]

"TRY AND CATCH ME, NO. 1!"

Pyro: ........

Pyro: B...Beck...

[THUNK.]

[His knees give away.]

[FILTERING COMPLETE.]

[ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MN.1]

Pyro: Is that....you...?

[There is only harsh breathing in his ear--but...]

Beck: ....

Beck: B...Big...Brother...

Beck: Pyro...I...you're OK...

Pyro: I...what...where...?

[-PING!-]

[CALL] //: Connection reestablished. Mighty Numbers 1 and 9 are online.

[DR.WHITE] //: Beck--! Beck--are you--

Pyro: ....F...Father...?

[.....]

[DR.WHITE] //: S...Son...?

Pyro: Father--...what...what happened? I...don't....remember...

[DR.SANDA] //: He...WILL-- WILL HE DID IT HE DID IT--!!

[DR.WHITE] //: Pyrogen...! You're...alright...!

Pyro: Not--...not exactly...Ngh...

Pyro: I....

[SCANNING...]

Pyro: ......????

Pyro: Beck--What...why do I smell...oil?

Beck: Long... long story, bro...ohmanI'msotired...

Pyro: You're...? I...I don't understand--

[DR.WHITE] //: ... ...

[DR.WHITE] //: Call...prepare for Xel Transfer. Pyro...

[DR.WHITE] //: Everything will be fine, son...I promise. I'll explain it when you're well rested enough.

Pyro: ........

[CALL] //: Xel Transfer in progress...

{SANDA ENTERPRISES, LOWER LABS...}

[Will never thought he would be so close to having a heart attack at the age of 25, and today had been eventful enough to garner that reaction on more than one occasion.]

[But the feeling of relief he felt when he saw his eldest carrying his youngest on his back...]

Call: Xel Transfer complete. I suggest not drawing too close to No. 1--he is still radiating fairly high temperatures.

Soi: Hoooof--it DID just jump a couple of degrees in here, didn't it...

Beck: Uuuuuugh I've never been so TIRED can I take a nap...

[Beck was certainly quite talkative in his complaining...

...But Pyrogen remained silent....]

Pyro: . . . .

[Beck slowly climbs down from Pyrogen--he feels QUITE strange at the moment, as if his systems were preoccupied with something else, and leans against his brother for support.]

Will: ....

Pyro: Father...

Pyro: ...Beck has burns. All over.

Beck: . . .

Pyro: There was OIL.

Will: Son--

Pyro: What happened to us...?!

Will: ......

[Will tries to collect his thoughts--how will he tell him--how will he--]

Pyro: Where is Cryo? We NEED to cool him off--

Call: Mighty No. 2's location is unknown. As are the rest of the Mighty Numbers.

Pyro: —?! WHAT?!

Call: I will now connect you back to our systems. Standby.

Pyro: Nnngh—!

[He did his best to hold still and do as he was told, but it was clear that this wasn't helping matters.]

[RE-CONNECTING...]

Will: … … …

[Unfortunately…]

[CONNECTION ESTABLISHED. UPDATING....]

Pyro: … … … …

[RECEIVING RECENT STATUS REPORTS...]

[…There wasn't anything immediately current, and what last info they had was not exactly good news to share.]

[MN.1 STATUS: ONLINE, COMBAT MODE, CONDITION: NORMAL.]

[MN.2 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED-]

[MN.3 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED-]

[MN.4 STATUS: UNAVAILABLE.]

[MN.5 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED-]

[MN.6 STATUS: STANDBY, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED, DATA CORRUPTED-]

[MN.7 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED-]

[MN.8 STATUS: UNAVAILABLE.]

[MN.9 STATUS: ONLINE, COMBAT MODE, CONDITION: NORMAL.]

Pyro: NO--

Pyro: NO!

Pyro: OUR FAMILY—!!

[Pyrogen attempts to stand--but his damaged frame does not quite agree with him.]

Pyro: Ngh--!!

Beck: Bro--bro, don't strain yourself--

[-PING!-]

Beck: —!!!!

[FORM DATA ANALYSIS COMPLETE.]

[XEL TRANSFORMATION ENGAGED.]

[Beck's Xels suddenly start to re-arrange themselves, glowing with a bright white light...!]

[NEW FORM SET.]

[REXELECTION: PYROGEN.]

Pyro: …!!!

Pyro: Beck…?

Beck: … … …

Beck: Big brother…

Beck: I… need to explain some things…

-PING!-

<RMDC>: >REQUEST FAILED. DISPLAYING PREVIOUS STATUS UPDATE…

>FMN-008 STATUS: UNAVAILABLE

>DCN-008 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

>DCN-007 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

>DCN-003 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

>DCN-000 STATUS: DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE

Pyro: What--

Pyro: Lethal Mode--?!

>Loading…

>DWN-024 STATUS: OFFLINE

>DWN-019 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

>DWN-018 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

>DWN-013 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

>DWN-012 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

>DWN-011 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

>Loading…

Pyro: Why...WHY ARE THEY ALL...?!

[Indeed… other than Shadow, most of the line was in Lethal.

…

…With two POIGNANTLY notable exceptions.]

>DLN-008 STATUS: OFFLINE— CRITICAL AI_OS DATA ERROR

>ERROR: DLN-000 SIGNAL NOT FOUND.

Pyro: Shadow--Toby--CARDINAL--?!

Beck: Pyro--

Call: I suggest updating MN.1's memory files with Beck's own.

Pyro: (What...what...)

Pyro: (What sick, twisted darkness has befallen us?!)

Will: .....

Will: Sanda...prep the lab.

Will: Beck--help your brother. There is much to go over...

<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>

=CHAPTER 5B: DESOLATE HIGHWAY=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>

[INTERSTATE ALPHA 2, FOUR CORNERS BORDERS...]

[Night. Night as night can be, in the pouring, pouring rain...]

[The wipers didn't work, so Jack had to make do with the weather. The radio was set to a news channel tracking the 'rogue robot's merciless rampage' across the state.]

Jack: Stupid RAIN...

"The armed robot is currently moving into New Mexico, on Interstate Alpha 1--"

Jack: ...--!!

[SCKREEEEEEE--!!]

“Local pizzeria reports theft of entire stock of cheese pizzas, police confirm unrelated to the current rampage—”

Jack: --?!

Jack: --What the--?!

[Jack swerved left and right, nearly causing himself to flip over several times--]

[These cars--they were going the other way in the wrong lane--!]

Jack: (GREAT, THIS IS ENGLAND ALL OVER AGAIN--)

Jack: --FRAG--

[He needed to get to the other lane--]

[A digital sign overhead blinks in the misty glow of the building's nightlights...]

[NOW ENTERING INTERSTATE ALPHA 1.]

Jack: --!

Jack: (I can switch lanes on the ent--)

[HOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK--]

Jack: !!!!

Jack: Oh, SH--

[The truck interior was flashed with the bright overhead lights of an entire semi-cargo truck on a dead set collision course with Jack...!]

Jack: (CRAP--)

[Jack knew he couldn't avoid something like that.]

[Grabbing the magic Weyard bag he was given from across his seat, he kicked open the driver's side door--]

[ZIIIIIP!]

[His wires attach themselves to a street light and he is pulled away moments before the truck was overtaken by the semi with a loud, sickening CRUNCH.]

Jack: AAAAAAAAAA--!!

[He swings to the other lane and onto a passing car, right onto the hood. The windshield mostly cracks under his weight as he slams into it with a sharp yell.]

Jack: Ow...

[The car, however, still keeps going with little to no resistance with the road...]

Jack: .....?

Jack: Huh...?

[After sitting up with a groan, he realized he was on one of the fancier, newer hover models--the ones that floated above the ground and were MUCH faster than those with wheels.]

Jack: (Wait--if this is one of the new models then--)

[He looked into the car.]

[There was no one inside. The car was driving itself, and WAY too fast for any human or bot to control.]

Jack: (The...the cars ARE infected too...!)

[At the speed they were going, if one of these cars went off road...!]

Jack: This is a giant Highway Delta just WAITING to happen...

[MISSION DETAILS: FIGHTING MIGHTY NUMBER 8, COUNTERSHADE "KATE" WHITE, HAS GONE MIA IN THE MIDST OF A VIRAL PLAGUE. SHE WAS LAST SEEN IN ENGLAND THE NIGHT BEFORE THE VIRUS WENT LIVE, BUT IS KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN IN AMERICA WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED SHE IS INFECTED AND TRACKING DOWN INDIVIDUALS TO ASSASSINATE THEM.

MISSION OBJECTIVE: LOCATE FMN-008. PREVENT UNIT FROM ENGAGING WITH MNN-007. SURVIVE.

SUB-OBJECTIVE: EVADE SURVEILLANCE.]

[SYSTEMS READY?]

[GO!]

Jack: (But where is...?!)

[…Wait.

There was something… odd… about the cars below.]

Jack: ....??

[There were large dents along the roofs of the cars, where something several hundred pounds heavy had landed hard.

With the chaotic nature of the highway, they didn’t show a direct line—but they did give a general direction.

Almost like footprints.]

Jack: .......

Jack: Oh no way--

[Up ahead in the distance, another large dent appeared.

Silently.]

[She wouldn't--SHE IS--on a highway--?!]

Jack: God, you're REALLY putting me through the wringer, Miss Eight--

[Carefully, he rose to his feet, trying to maintain a good balance before putting on his goggles and looking for another street light--fortunately, they were placed evenly over the interstate.]

[ZIIIIIP!]

Jack: Ngh--

Jack: KAAAATE!

[There was an abrupt and sudden ping.]

<FMN-008>: > Jack?

[CDN.7037 to FMN.8] //: MISS EIGHT--!

[CDN.7073 to FMN.8] //: Oh man finally--FINALLY found you...!

<FMN-008>: > What the hell…

[She seemed… confused, somehow. Surprised.]

<FMN-008>: >Jack— what are you DOING here? For God’s sake—

<FMN-008>: >You need to leave— this is no place for a Civvie!

[CDN.7037] //: OH JEEE, YA THINK?!

[CDN.7037] //: KINDA FIGURED THAT OUT A WHILE AGO, THANKS.

[CDN.7037] //: This isn't any place for YOU either...!

[Kate was clearly growing impatient. When she spoke again, her voice seemed…

…darker.]

<FMN-008>: > I’ve got business to attend to.

[CDN.7037] //: ......

Jack: (.....n....no...)

[....So...she was...]

[CDN.7037] //: .....

[CDN.7037] //: ....Figures you do...

<FMN-008>: > Augh— INCOMING!

[There was a swarm of sign bots headed his way. As if infected cars weren’t enough—!

At this speed, they could—]

<FMN-008>: > Stay…

<FMN-008>: > AWAY FROM HIM!

[Shots were fired, and bounced crazily off of incoming reinforcements and into the foes that had already swarmed the Cherry Number. Bits and pieces fell away, the parts going flying as the whole thing continued to speed along at over ninety miles an hour.]

Jack: HEY--!!

[Jack covered his face as parts and Xel flew away, nearly falling over on the current vehicle he was on--]

[CDN.7037] //: YA COULD HAVE SHOT ME--

<FMN-008>: > Nnngggh…! N-no… c-can’t hurt—

[Her voice was dark again—but also strained, as if she were struggling against something painful.]

<FMN-008>: > Augh… Get out of here, Jack, before—

[There was a horrific sound up ahead—followed by a fast approaching large metal object—]

WHANG!

[There was a loud thud as something tall and teal appeared out of nowhere and fell to the surface it was standing on.]

Jack: --!!

Jack: MISS EIGHT--!!

[ZIIIP!!]

[He swings over closer to her, to get a better look at her condition--]

Jack: ARE YOU OK--?!

[The Fighting Mighty Number Eight wasn’t out of the fight just yet—but the hit had done quite a lot of damage. She couldn’t resume her Active Camo anymore—no matter how much she tried.

And tried she did, crackling from the effort. Xel was dripping from some wounds, and she shivered as if wracked with fever.]

Kate: N-no…!

Jack: (She doesn't have her invisibility...)

Jack: MISS EIGHT--?!

[A low growl.]

Jack: --!

[The lady hunter staggered to her feet, a demonic purple aura about her. Now, she spoke aloud—and there was a clear overlay to her voice, as if it were being applied through a filter.

…A disturbingly familiar one.]

Kate: I don’t need your help.

Jack: --!!

___________________

"FORFEIT, OR THE ELECTRIC MAIDEN'S HEAD ROLLS!"

____________________

Jack: (I....no...it can't be...!)

Jack: (She--the...)

Jack: (The crosses....)

Jack: KATE--LISTEN TO ME--!

Jack: There's something--something in your head that's making you angry--and it's not your fault...!

[She seemed briefly very concerned, the aura fading from around her. She lowered her head, shivering again.]

Kate: Hhhh… hhhhh…

Jack: —! (No way—it's working?! I'm getting through to her—!)

[She suddenly looked up, alert, hissing as more sign bots approached. She shot at an angle off of a car in a different lane, the shots making wild pinball-like bounces to tear them to pieces.]

Kate: I don’t need protecting. I /REFUSE/ to be put on a leash and shut in a tower! I’m no damsel in distress— AH’ AIN’T MADE A’ GLASS, Y’ALL—

Jack: KATE--!!

Jack: FOR LIFE'S SAKE--STOP--

[He ducked as more debris flew over his head, avoiding the edges of the vehicle as he swung on after her.]

[It was as if she’d never heard him.

She lifted her head, her one eye glowing a violent hue the color of blood. Now her rifle was pointed in Jack’s direction.]

Kate:   -SCREAMS-  AH’ NEVER HAVE BEEN!

Jack: --!

[.....]

[When he saw her pointing his weapon at him...]

[He froze.]

[The deadly cowgirl would have none of it.]

Kate: Back off, Puppetdancer! Ah’ have no quarrel with y—

[She wavered, as if she were going to fall. The color of her eye briefly went from crimson to yellow.]

Kate: A-ah…!

[She was forced to a knee to steady herself and keep her balance. She turned her head to the side, the purple aura fading for a moment.]

Jack: Kate--I don't want to fight you either--CRAP--!

[Zip, swing, land, repeat--don't fall--]

Jack: I JUST WANT TO TALK--

[Kate spoke faintly, as if barely awake. She didn’t seem to be talking to Jack, either.]

Kate: Can’t… can’t hurt him…

Kate: (Everything hurts…! Everything… HURTS!)

Jack: Just—! Just WAIT a sec—

Kate: S-stay… stay away…!

[Aaaaaaand then she was not only back on her feet… but also on the move!]

Jack: MISS EIGHT--aw, come on, really?!

[ZIIIIIIP! ZIIIIIIP!]

Jack: STOP--!

[There was a LOUD thud as she leaped over to the truck in front of them.]

Kate: -Yelling over the whistling wind- Get somewhere safe, Jack! I don’t want you in the way.

Jack: I CAN'T--!

[Another loud thud.]

Jack: You think I'm gonna TURN BACK after all I've gone through just to FIND YOU?!

[Kate wasn’t about to stay put for anyone. She jumped through the air, landing hard on the vehicle in front—which happened to be a big rig.

And the Spider Puppeteer only followed suit.]

[ZIIIIP!]

Jack: Kate, PLEASE...!

[Kate looked angry again, the demonic aura returning. Once again, her rifle was pointed at Jack.]

Kate: What is it with men and directions? WAI DO YA /NEVER/ LISTEN T’ REASON?! Ah’ SAID that Ah’ have a job t’ do—an’ I won’t let ANYone stop me! So… BEGONE, Dencerhound, a’fore Ah’ show you what Ah’ DO to men who try to chase me—!

[THAT made Jack take a couple of steps back.

His hands shook, his face twisted in a expression of concern and fear.]

Jack: . . . .

[Upon seeing that, her eye flashed yellow again, and she shook, changing her aim with great strain.]

Kate: N-not you…! C-can’t…!

[The purple returned.]

Kate: Can’t waste time…

[She turned to leave again.]

Jack: ......

Jack: . . .

[No one has greater love than this...

...Than to lay down one's life for his friends.]

Jack: No.

[ZIIIIIIIIP!]

Kate: —?!

((Pic—Kate v Jack))

[Kate found herself held fast with wires. …Unusually strong wires—not so much the strength of steel as of… spider silk?!]

Kate: What the—

[He yanks her backwards--which took quite a bit of effort, given her weight...]

Jack: I can't let you DO THIS--!

Kate: GIT OFFA ME—

[She bared her teeth at the former Civvie, her eye displaying cross-hairs over the blood red color.]

Kate: AIN’T GOT TIME FER THIS, M’ TARGET MOVES FAST AS FRAG, HE’S GETTIN’ AWAY!

Jack: THAT'S--

[Yank--!]

Jack: --A GOOD THING, MISS EIGHT--!

[Kate screeched in a seething disgust.

She fired off a trick shot which bounced off of the big rig into the sky, hitting a camera drone. She started yelling—and then screaming— skyward…

…as if it wasn’t really Jack she were talking to anymore.]

Kate: AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGH—!

[She thrashed.]

Kate: You never wanted me. NEVER! /You think I’ve forgotten that?!/ If they’d had your way, /I NEVER WOULD HAVE EXISTED—!/

[There was horrific screeching over the feed along with her shouting.]

Kate: -Enraged-  You lock me in a cage and treat me like glass. ME, the gal BUILT for things more dangerous than you could EVER imagine!

Jack: --?!

Jack: (What...)

Kate: When Ah’ came back that night with m’ arm missing, did you even try to help me get back on my feet?

Kate: NO! You blamed it on ME, you said I’d been CARELESS, that I couldn’t HANDLE going outside by myself—

Kate: YOU PUT ME UNDER PERMANENT PAROLE, /YOUR OWN SISTER—!/

Jack: (I...)

Jack: M...Miss...Eight...

[The aura was now almost like a consuming fire, flaring more intensely in this rage.]

Kate: You, who were supposed to be BETTER! Supposed t’ see I wasn’t just a number, not just the youngest! Not just a GIRL! You’re no better than the scrap that clogs up the arena, calling me names and spreading those lies—!

[.....]

[Lies--lies and slander...]

Jack: . . .

[His core lurched in sympathy for her, his heart cracked with every pained word, every agonizing sentence...]

Jack: (God, Miss Eight, no...)

Kate: I hate you.

Kate: I HATE YOU /BOTH/ SO DAMN MUCH—!

[The aura died down. Kate’s breath was ragged, and her readings were low. Even with a raging inferno of fury to fuel her, she was still badly injured… and it showed.

But she looked up with a glare. Her eye changed from blood red to the same demonic purple as the aura that surrounded her.]

Kate: Grr—! …I’ve got no quarrel with you, Cub—so let go!

[YANK.]

Jack: I--I CAN'T!

Jack: YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING--!

Kate: Don’t know what I’m doing? DON’T KNOW WHAT AH—

Jack: FOR GOD'S SAKE, KATE, SHUT U P FOR TWO SECONDS--!

Jack: YOU'RE THE ONLY PERSON THAT C A R E S ABOUT ME IN THIS LIFE!

Jack: I'M N O T GONNA LET THAT GO!

[A pause.]

Jack: .....

Jack: Kate?

[…Uh-oh.]

Kate: Oh, so you wanna play NOW then, do ya—

[HER EYE DISPLAYED CROSS-HAIRS CENTERED OVER JACK’S SPIDERWEB SYMBOL.]

Kate: You wanna DANCE, do ya?

Jack: (Oh--OH SCRAP, I'M DEAD.)

Jack: U-Uh--!

[Kate suddenly dashed forward and RAMMED right into Jack.]

Jack: OOF--!

[Jack was tackled RIGHT off his feet and onto the rig, with the wind knocked out of him. He was a wheezing mess for a couple of seconds--]

[But he still held fast.]

Jack: N-Ngh...

[Kate stood, glaring down at Jack—or so it seemed, given her menacing stance. The places where eyes would be in the face of any other Xelbot were cast in a deep, dark shadow.]

Kate: Tch.

[She sounded unimpressed.]

Kate: If ya won’t let me go… Ah’ll just have t’ bring you with me! Now be a good boy… an’ HEEL.

Jack: N...

Jack: I can't...do that...

Kate:  Ah’ said HEEL, not SPEAK. Now get yer act t’gether, we’re goin’ hunting. MOVE IT!

[.......]

______________________

"For [Frag's] sake, Den. I'm starting to wonder why I even picked you off the street in the FIRST place."

"I--"

"You can't even DODGE or take a hit right--you're NEVER going to survive out in the arena if you keep being WEAK!"

"B-Boss, it's ju--"

"I don't want to HEAR it."

"Now be a GOOD boy and do as I say."

"But--"

"MOVE IT, PUPPET!"

__________________________

[That was it.]

[He was SICK and TIRED of this.]

[Sick and tired of being treated as a throwaway mutt--!]

[When Jack raised his head, his eyes were GLOWING a bright purple. Not at all like the virus's evil glow--this was strong, and defiant, and angry.]

Jack: THAT'S IT--YOU KNOW WHAT?!

Jack: I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU BOSS ME AROUND--NOT Y O U!

Jack: NOT ANYMORE--!

[...Strange...he...didn't seem to be talking to Kate...?]

Jack: I'm NOT backing down--

Jack: And I'm NOT going anywhere with you--!

Jack: No...

Jack: NO WAY, MISS EIGHT.

Jack: YOU WANNA DANCE?! FINE!

[A HARSH YANK.]

Jack: LET'S D A N C E.

[She gave a wicked grin. …A shark grin that was disturbingly like her vampire witch sister’s—Dyna’s.]

Kate: Thought ya’d NEVER ask~

[She YANKS hard, moving quickly to the side. It becomes apparent why soon enough—there are more debris headed their way, and she was trying to get the wires right between them!]

Jack: --!!

[Was she--well, yes, actually, she WAS crazy.]

[His arms swing backwards, so that the strings straighten out like fine lines, almost invisible to the naked eye...]

Jack: (Can't let them get tangled...!)

[It…

…didn’t work out the way Kate had hoped.]

Kate: ?!

[She just STARED in astonishment as the debris cut cleanly through the wires—as if it were cheese run through several dozen slicers.]

Kate: -Meepface- . . .

Jack: .....

Jack: Woah.

[Jack seemed to be as EQUALLY surprised...]

[And THEEEEN Kate surged with panic.]

Kate: (OH M’ GOD THEY’RE ALL AROUND ME—HE COULD SLICE ME RIGHT IN HALF WITH THOSE GAROTTES—)

[.......]

[She....wasn't the only one going into panic.]

Jack: (OH GOD--OH SCRAP IF I EVEN M O V E WRONG I COULD TURN HER INTO RIBBONS OH MAN OH NO--)

Kate: -Glitched screeching- AH WON’T LOSE ANY MORE LIMBS, DAMMIT—!

Jack: NO--I SWEAR I WON'T HURT YOU--!

[She moved in closer in her long strides, but it was clear from the fluid motion and calm control that she just wanted to slack the lines a bit. She pivoted aside to look at him, a loading icon displaying on her eye as she tried to think of something—anything— that would work here.]

Kate: (Glitchfrag it…!)

Kate: (Ah’ know…)

Kate: (Ah’ KNOW I’ve lived through missions in situations just as bad or worse—)

Jack: OK--um--uh--I...OK just don't move--

Jack: I swear I'll get us out of this--!

Kate: Why…

Kate: Why can’t I remember…?

Jack: ....!

Jack: (Remember...?)

Jack: K...Kate...!

Kate: Nnngh…!

[And again a semi-collapse to her knees, her head turned to the side.]

Kate: (Lord help me, the HEADACHES…)

Jack: Kate...!

Kate: Hhh… hhh…

Kate: Hhh…heh…

Kate: Heh…hel… hel… help…

Jack: Kate—! (I knew she was still in there—!)

[The aura surged again, and she looked up, angry.]

Kate: Grrrr…!

[She returned to her feet.]

Kate: A Mighty NEVER loses on their knees!

Jack: --!!

Jack: Eep--

[He backs up again, careful to not tug on his wires too harshly now--]

[He didn't want to hurt her that way...!]

Jack: K-Kate...please....

Jack: Don't....don't you remember me?

Jack: I--I don't want to hurt you, please, stop...!

Kate: Jack…!

[She paused, shivering. After a moment, she staggered again, going down on one knee once more.]

Kate: J-Jack, please…

Kate: Can’t…

Jack: —! (No, don't give up—!)

Kate: ’m tryin’, but Ah’ can’t…

[The virus wasn’t ready to give up such a prize. The aura surged again—and again, the demonic overlay as she pushed herself to her feet.]

Kate: I remember a terrified civvie in way over his head who ran t’ mah heels from just a few /words/.

Kate: I remember someone who… who DIDN’T have th’ strength t’ face the forces of darkness…!

[A glare.]

Kate: /I don’t recognize this—this steadfast WARRIOR in front a’ me—!/

Jack: .......

Jack: Well, to be honest--I don't really recognize the woman in front of me either.

Jack: But I KNOW that isn't your fault.

Jack: .....

Jack: I'm no warrior.

Jack: I'm just a normal guy trying to save his friend with what he's got.

Jack: I'm just a guy with REALLY bad luck and way too many regrets and mistakes on his head.

Jack: .....

Jack: But I'm not gonna let that stop me.

Jack: Not you, Kate...

Jack: And certainly not YOU .

[A glitched screech at that.]

Kate?: WHY, CDN-7037?

Kate?: YOU. CANNOT DEFY FATE!

Kate?: YOU KNOW. TOO MUCH!

Jack: --???

Jack: What are--

Kate?: AND YOU ARE. TOO LATE!

Kate?: NOTHING LEFT…

Kate?: BUT ANGER! PAIN! AND FEAR!

Jack: Whoa—!

Jack: (Anger? Pain? It—it feels scared?)

Jack: (But—that doesn't make sense—!)

[Kate paused to take a firmer stance, but then, suddenly—

The aura faded and her eye turned a pale gray.]

Kate: Aw glitch—

[Jack tuned around to see what Kate was more concerned about--]

[...That...was his mistake.]

[WHANG!]

[…Kate had seen it coming, and had even tried to duck.

But she was tall, injured, and neither of those things made it easy to dodge in close quarters.

She hit the entrance to the tunnel head-on.]

WHANG.

[Jack's systems were jostled, and he could see nothing but static for a good half minute.]

[Pain, dizzy, what, where is...]

Jack: Aaaaaaawfraaaaaaaag....

Jack: Can't...

[Bright, dark, bright, dark...]

[The static finally clears out...]

Jack: A-Ah...

Jack: What...was...

[Though he was still seeing stars, he could tell from the orange glow of lights that they had entered...a tunnel?]

Jack: (Did...did I seriously get hit by...?)

Jack: Ah--!

Jack: (Can't...hurts to...think...ow...)

Kate: J-… Jack…

Jack: ...!

Jack: K...Kate...?

Jack: (Miss Eight...is she...?)

[The aura was still there, but very faint. …It wasn’t hard to see why.

She’d hit the overpass SO hard that it had cracked her radar dish—and maybe even the rest of her skull. There certainly was a lot of sickly-looking Xel pooling beneath her head.]

Kate: -Weakly- Jack…?

Jack: .....!!!

Jack: (X-Xel--she's...no...)

Jack: M...Miss...Eight...!

[With some reserved strength he never knew he had, he crawled his way towards her, and pushed himself up on his elbows to get a better look at her.]

Jack: Oh no...

Kate: …Can’t…

Jack: Miss Eight...it--you're gonna be OK...

Jack: If ya can't move--

Kate: Can’t… see…

Jack: ....!!!

Jack: Y...You can't...?

[Back into the glaring light of the rising sun.]

Kate: He’s going to get away…

[Her anger couldn’t sustain her through the damage.]

Kate: Can’t… can’t see… ANYTHING… can barely hear, so fault…

Jack: Kate...

[Jack placed a shaky hand on her shoulder, so she can at least feel his  presence somehow, with her sight and hearing so shot...]

Jack: I-It's OK...I'm...here...

Jack: (Everything hurts, ow...)

[She tried to get to her feet. When it didn’t work, she shifted into her civilian form. This stopped the Xel loss, but didn’t help the pain.]

Kate: God help me, this headache…

Jack: Y-You and me both, ow...

[She suddenly pushed herself to her knees—but the eighteen wheeler LURCHED.]

Kate: -YELPS-

Jack: WHOA--!!

[Jack saw why—there were bits of wreckage EVERYWHERE in the road ahead. And they were approaching cars that had been literally sliced in half.]

Jack: Oh FRAG...

Jack: WE NEED TO GET OFF THIS RIG N O W--

[There was a rough and violent bit of turbulence before the truck briefly went flying and then tipping over—]

Jack: AAAAAAAAH--!

[At first, the only thought on his mind was Kate.]

[So the first thing he did was grab her.]

[And the next?]

[ZIIIIIIP!]

[His wires wrap around another street light, and the two of them are sent swinging onto another passing rig on the opposite lane.]

[....There wasn't as much grace in the landing, though.]

Kate: Hrgh…

Jack: C-Crap...

Jack: OK...ah...um--ow...

Jack: Gotta...get...

[A faint, choppy noise seemed to cut through the ambience of the highway.]

[…

…Seemed to be getting louder…]

Jack: .......?

Jack: (What...what is that noise...?)

Jack: (S...Sounds...like...)

 “FINALLY!”

Kate: …Th’ hell—Beck…?

Jack: ....!

Jack: K...Kid...?

[There was a slight THUD as Fighting Mighty Number Nine landed next to the beleaguered Cherry.]

Pup: Man, you are HARD to find!

[Kate shifted back into her combat form.]

Kate: You…!

Jack: --!!

Jack: Kate, no--!

[She was losing Xel fast again, and sounded like she was on the brink of passing out.]

Kate: You’re here on One’s orders, to drag me back to confinement—!

[Pup didn’t seem fazed. He shifted forms—]

[ZZT.]

[…It was almost comical how that tiny zap put her back down.]

Kate: OW—

Pup: No more hide-and-seek, Sis!

[He shifted back to his default… glowing… green, now?]

Jack: ....!

Jack: Wait, what are you--

Pup: TIME TO COME HOME!

[There was a bright green flash as he thrust his arm forward—causing Kate to glow as well—]

Kate: G…GYAH—

[… … …]

“Come on out, Pup. No need t’ hide from me.”

“S-sorry—”

[He stepped out from behind a street sign that Kate had in her room for some reason. His sister was polishing her boots, humming a song.]

“What’s on your mind?”

“… … …”

“C’mon, now.~ Yer alright.”

“…Sis…”

“Mmhmm?”

“Why do you make up those stories?”

[Silence.

Long, awkward silence.]

“S-… a-ack, I-I— I’m sorry—”

[A pulse of relaxing data.]

“…Easy now, hon. …Ah’ ain’t mad at ya.”

“…Y-… you’re… not?”

[She clicked her tongue.]

“Yer the most honest soul on God’s green earth. ‘Course ya can’t understand the workings of lies.”

[Another pause.]

“…Y’ know… I don’t know if I’ll ever tell anyone what happened.”

“Not… not even Dad?”

“No.”

“But—but it’s Dad—”

“Shhh…”

“Lemme tell you something, Pup. When you go through that kind of darkness, there are only so many things you can do with what’s left, after.”

“You can choose to let it haunt you. To define you. To become your obsession. You can go off the deep end into denial, even more of an obsession. Or you can just say, ‘I don’t like talking about that time’ and take things in your own control.”

“People are never gonna stop asking, hon. Never. Even if I ever were to be made whole. Maybe Ah’ COULD tell the truth every single time—maybe, maybe not. For all you know, I’m sworn to secrecy.”

“You… you could tell US if you were, though… right?”

“Heh… not the point, Puppy. The point is… the answer doesn’t change what happened then. So I choose not to give that answer any power.”

“I shall defy it, mock it, scorn it— Trivialize it, so that it’s not in control. No room for self-pity—not at work, and not at m’ other job, either.”

“But…”

“You know the kind of people I work with. And you know that sometimes, I meet people who are really scared. Why focus on what you don’t have—what you’re not— When instead you could be movin’ forward with a healing touch with the vast strength you DO have?”

“Helpin’ others means putting them, first. Whether yer scared, or troubled—”

“We don’t have to be in the spotlight, Beck, to make a difference. Sometimes, the most important things are done where only Heaven can see.”

[… … …]

[XEL PURGE COMPLETE.]

[ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM FMN-008.]

Kate: Nnnn…

Jack: !!!!

Jack: (What in the world was that...green...?)

Jack: Kate...?

Kate: …What… what…?

Kate: Jack, is that you…?

Jack: Y...Yeah...?

Jack: Are...is...oh my God...

[The lady assassin felt very out of it. Everything was darkness… but she had to reach out for that voice, confirm that it wasn’t all a dream…]

Kate: -Reaches up with her hand to touch his face- Ah’—Ah’ can’t see you right now—

Jack: Y--You...it's...

[.....]

[Were....those...tears she felt on her fingers...?]

Jack: It's...it's you...!

Kate: …

Kate: …Are we… what…

Jack: Oh God it's really you Miss E--

Kate: Where are we? Avi’s wind tunnel or somethin’?

[HONK HOOOOOONK.]

Jack: ...!!!

Jack: oH--

Pup: Yikes!

[…Oh. RIGHT.

They were still in the middle of a pack of crazed cars heading who knows where at over 90 miles an hour.]

Jack: Kid--We gotta get off this crazy--

Pup: UH—

Pup: UM

Pup: -AAAAH I CAN’T CARRY YOU /BOTH/, SIS IS SO—uhhhh… TALL.-

Jack: FRAG--!

Jack: UH--UM--

[A search light suddenly illuminated the area around them.]

Jack: --Wha?!

“YOOOOOOO!”

"HOW'S IT HANGING, BROS?"

Jack: ....?!

Jack: SIX?!

Kate: AVI!

Pup: TWO AVIS—

Goose: -Swoops in closer to perform a cursory check on the stability of the platform- Well, Avi, looks like Spiderman and Wonderwoman landed in a… sticky situation!

Kate: …

Avi: Ooo, looks like you're right, Avi--it's a real TANGLED MESS.~

Kate: . . .

Pup: But—I thought One told you to stay behind—

Goose: AW, C’MON, BECKY

Goose: DID YOU REALLY THINK I WOULD LET THIS CHANCE

Goose: PASS UP? ; D

Kate: . . .

Jack: ......

Avi: HA! I get it!

Kate: (Lordy Ah’ musta done somethin’ horrific t’ suffer THIS as my punishment—) -Weakly- Goose, ain’t… got th’… energy t’ yell at ya properly fer that right now…

Goose: I know, right :^D

Avi: Heheh...

Avi: Hate to cut this short--but we REALLY need to make an exit, don't ya think? ; D

Jack: (Wow...they are REALLY showing no mercy...)

Avi: Any longer and we'll have to ride them up for going over the speed limit--

Jack: UM, GUYS--

Jack: NOW'S NOT THE TIME--

Goose: Truuuuue enough! Time waits for no one! 8^D

Kate: -Faintly- Lord help me but He sure knows Ah’ve earned this sufferin’…

Goose: Seems like you guys could use a LIFT out of here! ^.^

[The chipper plane scooped his solid younger sister right off the roof of the rig.]

Pup: —! WOAH WOAH WAIT—

[Oops.

The strings were still attached.

Jack got yanked along about a foot, like a pull toy.]

Jack: FRAG FRAG FRAG S T O P--!!

[There was a sudden red blur.]

-SHING!-

[THUD.]

Jack: Ow...

Ninja!Pup: Whew…

Goose: … -Just kinda. Blinks for a moment-

Goose: …Um.

Goose: WELL! If everyone’s checked in, time for Avi Airlines to get you out of here!

Kate: Uggh…

Kate: Ah’ suppose Ah’ deserve your puns. But no weight jokes or Ah SWEAR Ah’ll take ya down with me, got it?

Goose: Love ya too, Sis! ^.^

Jack: Ha...

Jack: Oweverythinghurts....

Avi: I got ya, Jackie!

[Avi hovers over Jack as he grabs both of his arms to lift him up, then hoists him further into the air with relative ease.]

Avi: All set, yo! Let's hit it!

[Pup shifted into Avi’s form to follow after them, the three fliers headed off away from the highway.]

Goose: -Touches down gently- Theeere we go.

-Ping!-

<MC005>: > Augh, why is there still no signal?

<FMN-001>: > This IS Shade we’re talking about…

Kate: -Groans- (…Brother?)

<FMN-007>: > …I think it is more that her transceiver is damaged…

Avi: Yeah, you guys don't look so good...

Jack: Tunnel...

Avi: ???

Jack: Didn't...see it...

Avi: OW...

Jack: ...Mng...

<MC005>: > …I have an idea…

<MC005>: >Will, you don’t mind a lot of sand near the teleporters, do you?

[DR.WHITE] //: Er, no--why?

<MC005>: >I’m going to do a spherical transportation.

<MC005>: >Call, if you please…

[DR.WHITE] //: Ah--! Yes, that will do the trick...

Jack: ...Is that Doc White...?

Avi: Yup. And Dr. Cossack. Say hi, Jackie!

Jack: Heh...hi...sorry I don't look my best right now...

<MC005>: >Heh… don’t worry about that.

Kate: Daddy…

[DR.WHITE] //: It's alright now, Shade.

[DR.WHITE] //: You'll be home soon.

Kate: … ‘kay, Dad.

Kate: I’mma… I’mma just…

Kate: …sleep, nao—

<FMN-008 has entered Deep Sleep mode.>

Jack: . . .

Jack: H...Hey...Docs...

Jack: She's...she's gonna be OK now, right? Dunno...dunno what the kid did but...

Jack: She's...not crazy any more, right...?

Goose: Bro. Bro.

Goose: Not in the way you’re talking about, no.

Goose: But… her being okay eventually means being back to doing her crazy, ridiculous stunts. …Just part of who Eight is.

Jack: Heh....

Jack: Wouldn't...have it any other...way...

Jack: Just...wanted to...make sure...

Jack: So tired--

[INSUFFICIENT POWER SUPPLY. SHUT DOWN INITIATED.]

[CDN.7037 HAS GONE INTO DEEP SLEEP MODE.]

Goose: …

Goose: Looks like Mister Sandman paid them a visit :’^D

Avi: You said it, mirror...

Pup: -Sighs inwardly- (Yep. Definitely back to normal.)

<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>

=CHAPTER 8B: TRAPPED BY LASER LIGHT=

~AO v1.0~

((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))

<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>

{Early that morning…}

Cardinal: FINALLY…

[He was only a few blocks away. He could see from here that there was a crowd gathered some ways away from his target—

—just outside a clearly defined radius.]

Cardinal: (Ugh…)

Cardinal: (I’m going to have to go right through a window.)

[He yelled over the wind. They were going to come in fast.]

Cardinal: Looks like I was right, Scout!

Cardinal: Hang on, okay?! This is going to be a really rough ride!

Scout: Rarf!

[He tossed a dual-colored sphere in the air, releasing a burst of red light. This materialized into a bird, which caught said sphere before it fell.]

Cardinal: Baron, it’s confirmed. FLY.

[The robin shot off at an astounding speed, almost as if it had teleported itself.

There was a grated rumbling noise.]

Cardinal: Sorry, Jazz. Get somewhere safe, I won’t let you crash-land.

[He leaped out of the transformed flying panther.]

[CARDINAL used ITEM-2!]

[…right onto another gadget. He held out his shield in front of him, angling down at one of the windows that looked out into the sky from a roof.]

Cardinal: We’re going in!

Scout: Rarf! -LET'S GOOOO--

[He didn’t really hear the shouting from the crowd in their surprise, but he sure felt their “welcome party” favors. It hurt, but it didn’t phase him one bit. Even when he started taking fire from the White House security system as well.

He did leap down off of the ITEM-2, and there was a VERY high pitched whine noise as his blaster primed.]

BLAM!

[Top of the line security, down to bullet-proof windows? Yes.

Able to withstand a charged shot from a plasma blaster designed to take out tanks—as in plural, multiple at once?

Nooot quite so much.

The sound of glass shattering mixed with that of a starting fire. There was a click and a whirr, the barrel of Cardinal’s weapon changing as he fired again, just as they were landing.

It started to rain.]

Scout: -OOO I DIDN'T KNOW HE KNEW RAIN DANCE-

WHAM.

[They landed down in a hallway hard, the rain putting out the fire.

The security countermeasures started to go berserk, and Cardinal was forced to put up a wall of razor sharp leaf-shaped projectiles to give him time for his next move.]

Scout: -AND Razor Leaf, ooooo-

Scout: Rarf!

[There was a rotating noise and another click, and then…]

Ptew pew pew pew pew!

[…Dozens of tiny snakes—they looked like little mechanical coral snakes.

Then he stood to his full height and blasted a tune.]

Cardinal: (Ready or not, Shade, here I come!)

[The White House was indeed large and vast--finding Shade in this mess was to prove difficult, even with the Search Snakes.

....But it wasn't long before they found traces of his obvious presence.

There were strange, gray orbs floating around the hallways and entrances, glowing a strange, greenish color.

At first, they seemed to be dormant--

...Until they turned red when the Snakes approached...]

_______________________

"--?"

"Motion? Thought Ah' told them flesh wastes t'stay PUT...lessee here..."

[The Search Snakes were spread out, but Cardinal had remained where he was.

He was in full armor—something he hadn’t done in real Combat since the last time he fought his brother. Because of this, his whole face was covered, and his expression was impossible to read.

Despite this, his fierce green eyes burned with a fire that pierced even his shades, visible to not only a sensitive camera, but also to the naked eye.

After a moment…]

SHING!

[The leaves that had shielded him scattered, slicing everything in their path as they moved down the hall.

This included, among other things, a security camera.

The feed went down immediately, followed by several others in the same hallway.]

KSSSSSSSS—

[Cardinal had created a small blind spot.]

"--!"

"Sonofva..."

"Who the hell IS this guy...?"

"Thinkin' he can come inta' MAH new home..."

________________________

Scout: Rarf! -NICE SHOT-

Cardinal: Scout, we’ve got a problem. There are people trapped in here.

Scout: --!!

Cardinal: I’m going to have to start breaking down doors.

Cardinal: (If Shade were in his right mind, he’d want me to do this first.)

Cardinal: (And if the President THEMSELVES is here, nnng…)

[His fans whined even louder at the surge of compulsion to follow out a military-grade order.]

Scout: -RARF-

Scout: -WE KNOW HEADBUTT-

Scout: -WE CAN HELP--

Cardinal: You might need to save that on the people inside, my friend. I’ll explain in a moment—

[He hit the floor to avoid a sudden stream of mixed projectile weaponry.]

Cardinal: Some cover, if you please? -Scout, use Sand Attack.-

Scout: -Rarf!-

[Scout used Sand Attack!]

[Scout didn't need to dig--he simply shook himself VERY rapidly, dust and sand scattering EVERYWHERE.]

[...He was apparently very dirty.]

Cardinal: Heh. -SMIRKS-

[He starts shouting in a taunting tone.]

Cardinal: HEY SHADE! Too bad your glasses got all dusty. Better wipe the dirt out of your eye!

__________________

"Grrrr..."

"Just keep talkin', Birdy, see where THAT gets ya..."

__________________

[.......]

[VEEEEEEEEEEEEE--]

Cardinal: I don’t think so.

[CARDINAL used FLASH STOPPER!]

[WOW, everything is hit not only with BLINDING light, but whatever is in those intangible waves of data is enough to STUN everything in the hall.]

Cardinal: >B]

[There is a HUGE clattering somewhere deeper in the house--it sounded like something very heavy just fell--]

_________________

"AUGH MOTHERSCRATCHIN' CHEATER--!"

________________

Cardinal: -Speaks in a low voice- Scout, when I break through the door, the people inside are going to be terrified. Someone IS going to start shooting. Try and stun them, or at least get their aim off.

Scout: -Rarf!- -Nods-

[Another click.]

[Cardinal used SHADOW BLADE.]

[There was a hissing SHUNK noise as he cut RIGHT into a triple-reinforced, double-locked door of something much stronger than steel.

Another rotating click, and he stuffed a Crash Bomb into the hole the acid was eating away—he didn’t have time to wait.

It blinked and beeped a few times before…]

CRASH!

[Cardinal slammed through the opening shield-first.]

[Bullets start FLYING the second he does, and yes, there is much screaming--]

"GET DOWN--"

Scout: RARF!

[Scout used Tackle! ]

[One of the men in black goes down, gun clattering to the floor. Two more follow suit--It seems like Scout has gotten quite good at dodging incoming fire from his journey with Cardinal.]

[Scout used Growl!]

Scout: -GRRRR, STAY DOWN-

[Cardinal doesn’t make any witty comments this time. He just goes into a full-on tackle of his own. He grabs one man in one arm, another after dropping his shield—

And as soon as he rams into the third…]

[CARDINAL used TELEPORT!]

{Outside…}

[Cardinal reappears inches from the crowd outside the kill zone, dropping the two men he was carrying to the ground. The third, already on the ground, had also been taken with him.

This caused no small amount of panic, and he was lit up with half a dozen sniper scopes. A few even got off fire, hitting him square in the left part of his chest.]

Cardinal: -Huffs- (Are you kidding me?)

BWIP!

[He disappears, only to reappear a moment later with two other people, holding them by their wrists. One of them was shrieking and trying to mace him. Again, no effect.]

Cardinal: No offense, but I’ve been through worse!

Bwip!

Paramedics rushed over to the vic—]

BWIP!

[—ooooor not—]

Cardinal: -Drops the guns onto the ground with a clatter- DON’T shoot Beck if he shows up, officers!

[He also tosses over a file folder of notes someone had been working on, hiding behind his shield to better withstand incoming fire.]

Cardinal: Still—you guys might need those!

BWIP!

{Inside}

"HEY--THAT'S MY TIE--"

[One more man in black snuck in while Cardinal teleported back in--]

Scout: GRRRRR--

[Scout used Headbutt!]

WHAM!

[The security man skidded across the room and hit the back of his head with the wall, knocking him out instantly.]

Scout: -GRRRR-- -SHAKES HEAD AND TIE AGGRESSIVELY BEFORE SPITTING IT OUT-

Scout: | [

[Cardinal picks up the man, pausing for a moment as he hears the security out in the hall recovering from the stun he had put on them earlier.]

Cardinal: This is going to be a long day.

Scout: --!

Scout: -SNIFF SNIFF-

Scout: -NOSE IN THE AIR, COULD IT BE--

[BANG!]

Scout: -YELPS-

[A red laser appears on the ground near Scout's feet, followed by a energy shot, scaring him out of his wits and causing him to run behind Cards.]

Scout: -Whimperrrrr-

Cardinal: -OW, that was loud- Gosh dangit, Shade!

[He grabs Scout with his other arm—]

BWIP!

Scout: --???

[—and when he reappears inside, it’s without the officer…

…and also out in the hallway, yards and yards from where he had ever set foot.

As long as he could see it, he could go there.]

Cardinal: You’re going to have to do better than that, KID!

Cardinal: But if you insist on playing hide and seek…

[Cardinal used SCREECH—]

[He briefly stopped the mufflers on his fans, causing their overworked whine to get broadcast over his speakers.

It was worse than metal grating mixed with fingernails on chalkboard.]

Scout: -WHIIIIINE-

___________________

"AAAAARUGH--!!!"

"Goddamn BUCKET OF BOLTS--AH'VE HAD IT UP T' HERE!"

"Fahn, if ya wanna DIE SO BADLY--"

________________________

[....Oh dear.]

[All of the orbs go active.

And there were red, red lasers, reflecting off of them all at once--which was real, which one was SHADE--]

Cardinal: Oh, please.

[He laughs as his arm shifts again.]

Cardinal: Guess what, Shade?

Cardinal: Two can play at this game.

[Cardinal used GEMINI LASER!]

[Aaaaaand suddenly, the hallway was filled with death laser ping-pong.

And Shade’s were NOT the only ones bouncing at angles!]

[BANG BANG BANG--]

[It was truly a sight to behold.

It was like watching a game of chess, except the pieces were far more deadly.

Gemini Lasers met energy shots, with every red laser changing to accommodate the angle and trajectory.]

[Cardinal didn’t stick around to watch the lights and display contest.

He had already grabbed Scout with one arm, running right into the fire shield-first. About partway through, he leaped and slid down the rest on his back, with his shield out in front.]

Scout: -RARF RARF-- -WEEEEEEEEE-

[Cards was moving too fast for the lasers to lock onto him correctly--and once the one behind him figured this out--

...They all vanished.]

_______________________

"Oh, Ah' see what yer goin' for, Birdy..."

"Can't have that, no sir."

___________________________

[--This area seemed to be more decorated...]

[Cardinal barely noticed, and almost didn’t care. He got up to a knee.]

Cardinal: Scout, I need you to do something for me. Find a rope or a cord of some sort. Even a curtain tie will do if it’s long enough.

Scout: -Rarf!-

[He sets the Zig down.]

Cardinal: Please, be careful…

Scout: Rarf! -Sniff Sniff-

[Cardinal took a moment to take in his surroundings.

This looked like a historic display of American History.... Medals, paintings, photos of past presidents...]

Cardinal: …

Cardinal: (Nnngh… I can’t do anything too dramatic in here, I need to move out of this place…)

Scout: Rarf!

Scout: -HOLDS UP A FANCY MILITARY ROPE THING-

Cardinal: !

Cardinal: Thanks, Scout. Now let’s get out of here—

Cardinal: Before Shade does something stupid!

Scout: -RARF!-

Cardinal: (What I wouldn’t give for backup from Tobias right about now…)

Cardinal: (At least that office was one of the only places with anyone inside of the work quarters. It must have been horribly early in the morning when Shade took over—only the skeleton crew.)

Cardinal: (Looks like there’s different kinds of rooms over this way—man, I wish that I could have seen the White House back at home, I’m going into this totally blind—)

[A low noise and a rotating click.]

Ptew ptew pew!

[Another nest of Search Snakes slither on their way.]

Cardinal: (THIS room must be horribly dangerous. This much priceless history? That’s a screaming neon sign for “DEATH TRAP SECURITY” if I ever heard one.)

Cardinal: (I’m going to have to tank some hits, probably…)

[He looks around the room skeptically.]

Cardinal: …

[He grabs Scout and holds him directly between his shield and his body, and makes a run for it.]

[BWAAAAN--]

[Something from the ceiling unlocks--]

[Oh dear THOSE ARE VERY MUCH MILITARY GRADE MACHINE GUN TURRENTS--]

Cardinal: (Aw glitch.)

[There’s a whine as he holds up his free arm, it shifting to have a wrist launcher.]

KTANG KTANG!

[Cardinal used MAGNET MISSILE!]

Cardinal: -EVEN MORE RUNNING FOR IT—-

[The missiles lock onto the turrets, attaching to them before exploding. Unfortunately, while this takes SOME of them out…

…some of them merely malfunction, firing at random.]

Cardinal: DAMMIT—

[CARDINAL used METAL BLADE!]

[He took some hits protecting older paintings from the unfriendly fire, but his shield held firm.

The same couldn’t be said for the turrets that were introduced to one of THE most deadly Power Capsule weapons known to man.

They crashed down to the floor. And as Cardinal approached the end of the room—]

Cardinal: GOSH DANGIT!

[…Locked doors barred his way.

And he could hear the whine, feel the psychological heat of lasers lighting up his back for long ranged target sights.

He whirled around, back pressed up against the surface, taking the incoming fire to his shield.]

Cardinal: (WHY are there locked doors in here?!)

Cardinal: (Augh…)

[To the unfamiliar observer, it would appear the bird had been cornered.]

[VRRRRRRRR...]

[A laser.]

[A very familiar one.]

[PING!]

[MN.8] //: Not so sassy nao, are ya.

<DLN-000>: >Shade.

<DLN-000>: >This is stupid floor design, Shade.

<DLN-000>: >I’ll have to have a word with your brother about this after I haul your chass out of here.

[Oh, he was rushing robodrenaline, alright. “Heart” rate had increased, his fans (while thankfully muffled) were louder, giving off more heat than earlier.

There was also that clicking and whining noise again…]

<DLN-000>: >Your desire for sass is very important to us. Please hold, and the next available representative…

[Cardinal used DRILL BOMB!]

[He shoved something very much like a Crash Bomb into the door behind him. It ground away at the metal as it tunneled in, embedding itself in the door before exploding.]

<DLN-000>: > —WILL GET BACK TO YOU!

[Cardinal used FLASH STOPPER!]

[AUGH, again with the BLINDING light—]

[MN.8] //: --GNGH-

[There was a deep growl on the other end before it cut out--clearly Shade had not been pleased with that.

Not at all.]

[Cardinal didn’t waste a moment. He turned his back to Shade—he had no choice—and his arm shifted again—]

[CARDINAL used SUPER ARM!]

WHUNK!

[He punched a bigger opening through the thick door where the Drill Bomb had made the first breach.]

WHAM!

Cardinal: -IN YOU GO, SCOUT—-

Scout: RARF!

"WHAT IS THAT--"

Cardinal: Tie them up for me— OW!

Scout: ! D:

???: Please stay behind me--

???: TAKE ANOTHER STEP AND I WILL OPEN FIRE--

Scout: -GRRRRR-

Cardinal: Go ahead, it’ll just put you in the hospital! Metal ricochets, genius!

[He squeezed his way through, hearing things becoming active again behind him.]

Cardinal: I don’t have— ouch! —time for this—

[He grabbed one end of the rope and then—]

[Cardinal used TOP SPIN!]

bbbZZZZZZZzzzKT—

[The top clattered along, circling and snaking around the people in the room. The rope he had tied to it followed after.]

Cardinal: -YANK!-

[WHAM.]

[The sound of multiple human beings hitting the floor at the same time follows suit.

Cardinal used the Super Arm again to sort of push them all into one pile of disgruntled, frightened, aggressive humanity.]

BWIP!

{Outside…}

[Cardinal jumped off and did a backflip out of the way off of the piled people, bringing his shield out in front of him.]

[.......]

[That's weird.]

[No sniper fire?]

Cardinal: -Takes a moment to catch his breath- (Ugh… I can feel the slugs embedded inside me. I’m going to need to shed this armor before too long, at the rate this is going—)

[It took him a moment to realize he wasn’t being shot at.]

Cardinal: …???

Cardinal: -Peeks out behind his shield- ,’B/?

[Vrrrrrrr...]

[...? Wait, that sound--those sound like propellers--]

Cardinal: …

Cardinal: -Looks uuuuuuup—-

AviCam: -FLOATS IN-

Cardinal: …

Cardinal: … -COCKY GRIN BENEATH MASK-

Cardinal: Smile, you’re on candid camera!

AviCam: -MAKES SOME LETTERS IN THE AIR-

[G O F O R R E S C U E--G L.]

Cardinal: See ya later, Hoverbrother. Send my love if things…

Cardinal: … blow up in my face ;D

[He takes the moment to take off his helm entirely. Man, he looks exhausted.]

Cardinal: I can only assume you’re keeping them from crowding around with questions—thanks, because—

[He pulls out what looks like a miniature oil can and douses himself with it. And then another one. Oddly enough, he seems bone dry after. Huh.]

Cardinal: -Puts his helm back on- —I gotta scram!

Bwip!

{Inside}

[He reappears back inside.]

Cardinal: …

Cardinal: …???

Cardinal: (Where the heck did Scout go?)

[The happy Zig was nowhere in sight.]

Cardinal: Nnnngh… (I told him what would happen, so… I guess something went wrong. I hope I run into him on the way rounding up stragglers…)

[There was a buzzing noise as he was lit up with lasers again.]

Cardinal: …

Cardinal: Really, Shade? This is SO boring.

[Buuuuut then they… start spazzing out?]

Cardinal: …?

Kkkkk…

Cardinal: !

Cardinal: (Wait a second—music?)

[Not just any music…]

Cardinal: Eight!

[PING!]

[MN.8] //: Well, well, well.

[MN.8] //: If it ain't the infernal Wily child and the Lil' doggie.

[PING!]

[A surprisingly firm voice echoes though the comms--]

[MN.9] // COUNTERSHADE!

<DLN-008>: >Shut up, Shade.

<DLN-008>: >The only reason I haven’t fried you to a soot speck is because Beck’s my friend and Cardinal would kill me. |[

[The whole building abruptly seemed to fill with harsh static. Not just the noise—the electricity itself. And, as Tobias had predicted, Cardinal was NOT pleased.]

Cardinal: Cut that out, Eight.

Cardinal: Is there anyone else in here?!

<DLN-008>: > Yes—

Cardinal: Then cover Beck and STALL for me, dammit!

[He takes off.]

Cardinal: (With Tobias messing with the security system, that should make it marginally less deadly by making the systems cut in and out—)

Cardinal: (And there’s two of us, he can only be in one place at a time, he’s not Siam, after all—)

[BANG BANG BANG.]

[Crack!]

[Cardinal’s armor had finally taken too much damage from energy shots. It shifted away into his normal gear.]

Cardinal: Fantastic.

Cardinal: -RUNNING FOR IT AGAIN-

[Lasers in all directions--]

[Wait--no...It couldn't be.]

[That can't be him just down the corner.]

Shade: Boo.

Cardinal: Shade, I’m not—

[CARDINAL USED RAIN FLUSH!]

[It was raining indoors and now EVERYTHING was wet—]

[His other arm turned into a blaster.]

[Cardinal used SPARK SHOCK!]

Cardinal: —IN THE MOOD FOR THIS!

[He suddenly was surrounded by live electricity.]

Cardinal: Out of my way or I swear to God I’ll fry you to a core.

Shade: ....

[He stands there for a moment, looking as if he is complimenting the threat.]

[Then.]

Shade: -grins-

Shade: Alright.

[BANG--]

[--???]

[Wait, that shot came from behind him--

And where did Shade go?!]

Cardinal: -Ow-

[In the bad mood he was, he jumped up onto ITEM-2.]

Cardinal: I told you I’ll get back to you, you impatient brat.

[BZZZRRRRRKKKZZZZZGGGHHHHHHHVVVV—]

[…Well.

THAT hallway and everything in it was sure toast.

Various spheres dropped to the floor, but no sniper (or core thereof) was among the casualties.

Cardinal shot on down the hall, following flashing static panels along the way. Left, right, right, left, up a flight of stairs, down stairs—

He was suddenly thrown off his wind surfer when everything began to float and hold in place. And an object in motion…]

Cardinal: !

WHANG!

Cardinal: OW!

Cardinal: Tobias, what the frag was that for?!

[Disgruntled, he didn’t wait for an answer. Left, right—]

Cardinal: -Comes to a screeching halt- …

Cardinal: … And I thought the last room was a death trap…

[Standing before him were two more impressive looking doors. They were more grandiose and obviously stronger than the last. And… the Presidential Seal was in proud, bold colors right in the center.]

Cardinal: (That’s gotta be the way to the Oval Office!)

Cardinal: … (But… Tobias led me hear, so that means…)

Cardinal: (Oh hell…)

[VRRRRRRRR--!!]

[There was a wave of UFO-like Xelbots that flashed into view--before vanishing into thin air, barreling themselves straight into Cardinal's path--]

Cardinal: -NOPE-

TSSSSEW!

[Cardinal used Rolling Cutter!

It’s super effective!]

Cardinal: Hey, Area 51 called! They want their rides back!

Cardinal: Hope those came with a warranty.

[VRRRRRRRRR!]

[Oh, lovely, more turrets--]

[VVVVRRRRrrrrrrrr....]

[....They...powered off?

Suddenly, the lights flickered.]

Cardinal: …

[And dimmed. ]

Cardinal: ?

[To his slight surprise (and fair annoyance), Cardinal began floating again.]

Cardinal: Tobias, for the LAST time—

[PING!]

[MN.3] //: Oooooh, Shaaaaade!

[MN.3] //: BIG ZZZSISTER WANTSZZ TO HAVE A TALK WITH YOU.

[MN.8] //: -Oh, bite me, witch hag.-

[MN.3] //: YOU CAN'T PLAY HIDE AND ZZZSEEK FOREVER--

Cardinal: … Dyna?

[MN.3] //: Go on now, Becky, I got thiszz, I KNEW thiszz place had it'szz own power grid, yum.~

[MN.9] //: Hookay, thanks, Dyna! c:

Cardinal: -Aaaalrighty then- (I better hurry up before the whole gang arrives.)

Cardinal: -Bounces through the lower gravity before it abruptly changes-

[He takes one look at the door.]

Cardinal: (How am I going to—)

[…But was interrupted by the sound of the security systems starting up again.]

Cardinal: .___.

[CARDINAL used SKULL BARRIER!]

[He was just in time to prevent becoming an energy and lead pincushion. Still under fire and holding up the shield, he rotated through his capsules until…]

POW!

[He lowered his hand, turning off the Thunder Beam.

He had managed to blow the fuse, which turned off the security in the hallway…

…and the lights…

…and the air conditioning.

It was starting to get very hot, and things smelled like burnt electronics.]

Cardinal: Man…

[He takes out the Shadow Blade again.]

Cardinal: I feel sorry for whoever holds the homeowners insurance on this place.

[He sliced at the door repeatedly in intersecting diagonal lines. This time, he let the acid eat away at the door.

He didn’t like how unnaturally silent it was now that he had put the whole hallway into radio silence. Only the windows brought any light in at all.]

Cardinal: (Here’s to hoping I’m not too late… not for them, OR for him…)

[Cardinal used HARD KNUCKLE!]

C R A C K!

[Cardinal used SHIELD BASH!]

[And burst RIGHT into the Oval Office!]

[There were only three people inside, all standing around the desk, as if discussing something. The ladies had looked up sharply at the noise, and had backed away before he came crashing in.]

???: Crap--

[The only other male in the room pulls out a firearm and pulls the trigger--]

[BLAM!]

[A moment of silence.]

Secretary: -Oh thank GOODNESS—-

Cardinal: -Looks up with a slight smile-

Cardinal: Nice headshot, sir.

[The secretary shrieks.]

Secretary: OH MY GOD IT’S IMMORTAL—

???: .....

???: Or he just has a very good helmet.

Cardinal: Sorry to crash the party, Mister President.

Cardinal: But we do need to evacuate before my best friend does something he regrets when he gets over his hangover.

???: .......

???: What?

???: I'm not the president--

???: I'm Secretary of Defense.

SoD: -What made you think I was POTUS.- : /

Cardinal: …

[Cardinal was on his feet now, standing at attention, very military in posture.]

Cardinal: You’re standing behind the desk, sir.

[The other woman rolls her eyes.]

SoD: And...?

SoD: -It's 20XX, doesn't everyone know who POTUS is--

Cardinal: And I don’t have time for this. We’re leaving now—

BZAP!

Cardinal: -Baaaacks away from the stern looking woman, okay, she’s got a taser, that gave us pins and needles-

SoD: Nice shot.

[She looks down at Cardinal with disapproval. Humorously, her heels made her slightly taller than him.]

Cardinal: >_>;

Cardinal: …Madame President, I presume.

POTUS: Why should we believe you? You broke into the White House, through several top-notch levels of security, disengaged a good portion of the defenses in more than one hallway, and just mentioned your alliance with the terrorist who put us here to begin with.

Cardinal: …

Cardinal: Because I’m not shooting right now?

POTUS: You didn’t think this through at all, did you.

Cardinal: No sir, I did not.

[The secretary snorts a little at that. The poor woman looked like she had seen better days, especially before her sudden promotion after the whole mess had started.

The SoD, on the other hand, seemed to be unsure of whether to be impressed or just incredulous.]

SoD: Wow.

SoD: He has guts, at least? (Or no forethought.)

Cardinal: Thanks, but we’ve got to—

[He saw a tiny, TINY red light.]

Cardinal: !!!

[He does a teleporting tackle to slam the President to the floor. Fractions of a split second later, there’s a VERY strong shot that leaves burn marks around the wall right behind where her head had been.]

Secretary: -STRAINED NOISES, TRYING NOT TO SCREAM-

[PING!]

[MN.8] //: Tch!

[MN.8] //: Keep gettin' in mah way, Birdy, and Ah' WILL make ya regret it!

Cardinal: I could say the same to you, pal.

SoD: -ARE YOU OKAY--

[She was fine. Shaken, perhaps, but didn’t show it.

Then she became cross, and started to speak to the silent hunter.]

POTUS: This is your last chance— hand yourself over to the authorities, or you will be facing the consequences—

Cardinal: NO!

Cardinal: Leave him alone!

[For the first time since he had come in…

He actually SOUNDED scared.

Desperate, even.]

[MN.8] //: Heh.

[MN.8] //: Was that ya soundin' desperate there?

[MN.8] //: -LAUGHTER-

[MN.8] //: Ah' hate t' disobey a lady, but m'afraid yer term is up.

[MN.8] //: Now.

[CLICK.]

[MN.8] //: R u n.

[For a brief moment, silence.]

Cardinal: …

Cardinal: …Heh…

[He starts laughing.]

POTUS: ???

SoD: ....-Whispers- Um I don't think this guy is all mentally sound--

Cardinal: Shade, Shade, Shade…

Cardinal: You know what?

Cardinal: You’re right.

Secretary: ?!

[MN.8] //: -Ooooh, now ya got his attention-

[MN.8] //: Somethin' change yer mind, Birdy?

[MN.8] //: Was it the fact that yer doin' this all fer nothin'?

Cardinal: Hardly.

Cardinal: More like…

Cardinal: I don’t have time for this, Shade.

Cardinal: Guess I’ll have to make my own!

[He turns and FIRES—]

[Cardinal used TIME STOPPER!]

POTUS: ???

[Cardinal waltzes over toward the door, grinning.]

Cardinal: Now then…

Cardinal: Judging from the trajectory of the shot…

Cardinal: -ELBOWS, hard-

CRASH!

[Cardinal pulls a nearby curtain down and tosses it onto… well. Now that it was given form, it was clearly the fallen sniper.]

Cardinal: -Pulls something out of his traveling bag, shaking it- ~

Cardinal: -PSSSHT!-

[After spraying his own symbol on the cape once he found it, he quickly tagged “HOPE lives” on the floor. Then, and only then, could he relaxed and be satisfied.]

Cardinal: B]

Cardinal: -Tosses empty paint can behind him, looking down at the time-frozen sniper- Looks like you lost hide-and-seek, kid.

Cardinal: Too bad.

POTUS: -Just. Stares- o_o

POTUS: What… did you do? -Okay his methods are VERY strange but that was rather impressive-

SoD: -...What DIVISION is he in is the better question--

POTUS: -Starts advancing- Who built you?

Cardinal: —

[She grabs at his scarf and yanks up a metal bit that glitters in the light.]

POTUS: -Dog tags, SoD.- Is there something ELSE you need to tell me about, Desmond?

[Cardinal forces her hand away, holding (gently but firmly) onto her wrist.]

Cardinal: As charming as it is to have conversations with you…

Cardinal: -WHISTLES SHARPLY, SCOUT WE’RE LEAVING—-

Scout: -RARF RARF RARF--

Cardinal: That effect kinda won’t last forever, we really do need to get out of here—

SoD: .....Is...Is that a raccoon--

Cardinal: Close enough. Group hug, everybody!

Scout: -BOUNCES INTO POTUS ARMS-

Scout: -HALLO NICE LADY-

POTUS: ! Oh goodness— Now wait just a—

[Nope, he’s already scooped her up and grabbed the others by their jacket fringes.]

Byewbyewbyew…

{Outside}

SoD: --?????

SoD: -He can TELEPORT--

[Cheers erupt from the crowd, with the recovered Secret Service members forcing their way through, hemming out reporters and warning back drones with sniper lasers. One camera WAS allowed to come in closer.]

Cardinal: Heh…

Cardinal: Hello again, Avs.

Cardinal: -Puts Madame President down- I see you’ve upgraded this to include a speaker now. Your faith in me is reassuring. B]

[Avi’s voice crackled through the speakers.]

Avi: Bro, you do realize you can't hide from this, right--

Cardinal: Sadly. That’s a cost I’ll have to carry.

POTUS: (…Hide? Cost?)

Avi: OKAY GOOD JUST CHECKING.

Avi: Because sometimes you kinda just let these things fly WAY OVER YOUR HEAD--

[The vague, stressed pun didn’t seem to have any effect… other than making Cardinal’s shoulders sag with weariness.]

Cardinal: …

Cardinal: -Quietly- I’m sorry, Avi. I’m not done yet.

Avi: --....

Avi: Dude, Beck's in there now, just-- come on, man, can't ya believe in him too--?

Cardinal: Six, this is about a lot more than believing and proving and anything else, and quite frankly—

[He douses himself in those strange cans again.]

Cardinal: —I’m tired of seeing my brothers die. I won’t risk any chance of that happening again.

POTUS: Where do you THINK you’re going—

Cardinal: Here, take this, it may help you on your journey— -SHOVES SLIGHTLY SINGED SCOUT-

Scout: -LICKS FOR NICE LADY-

POTUS: -Ackpth—-

Scout: ~ < 3

Avi: --.... (I guess I tried...)

Avi: [sub] please don't hurt him too bad. [/sub]

Cardinal: I don’t have time for this. You saw the file extension, you know my intentions.

[He gritted his teeth. It hurt, again. Hurt because there was all this pressure, and nowhere for it to go.

Hurt because he couldn’t cry.]

Cardinal: …See you in clearer skies, Avs.

Cardinal: Goodbye…

BWIP.

POTUS: —…

POTUS: …Get me Sanda Labs on a secure line. -Stop wriggling, strange raccoon thing—- NOW.

{Back Inside…}

[Cardinal chose not to reappear in the Oval Office, but instead in an open room he had passed through on the journey. From the looks of things, Beck and Dyna had been through not long ago, themselves.]

Cardinal: -Takes in a shaky breath, hoo- (…Okay. Orders… orders over. Good… good, now—just need to find either Eight or Nine…)

Cardinal: (Can’t turn on my transceiver. They know I’m here and they want me out. But I can’t just stand by and let those two slice each other up and stain the rug with their Xel.)

Cardinal: -Grumbles- Where are you, Shade…

[He walks through several halls. Everything was dead silent. The expected countermeasures of security never came.]

Cardinal: …

[He was beginning to get very puzzled.]

Cardinal: (Did Beck already get to you? …And wow, I seriously made this big a mess?)

Cardinal: -Crosses his arms absentmindedly as he enters the secretary’s office- Come on, Shade, I said I would get back to you—

________________

(Thaaaaat's it, just a lil further...)

______________

[He held his shield loosely by his side as he meandered the halls for another good five minutes.]

Cardinal: …

Cardinal: …I guess Avi was right?

Cardinal: Maybe I should turn my transceiver back on, find out if they’re outside…

[He goes over to look out a window that faces the lawn, scanning the crowds for signs of his energetic young counterpart.]

Cardinal: Just my luck to miss out on the party…

_________________

(Heh. Stupid bird.)

(Should've paid attention t' where you were goin'...)

________________

[He turns away from the window, glancing at it over his shoulder.]

Cardinal: I should probably apologize to the President—

[CRUNCH.]

Cardinal: (What—? That doesn’t sound like glass—) -Looks down-

[What Cards saw on the ground--

A dart.

Several.

In the shape of a figure eight, all black as night.]

Cardinal: …

Cardinal: (Wait a dAMN SECOND HE SAID ALL HIS DARTS DO SOMETHING—)

[BANG!]

[The darts all exploded into shrapnel, sharp, dangerous pieces flying everywhere, breaking pottering and lights and anything else that was in it's radius.]

[Cardinal wasn’t shielding, so he took a direct hit.

Now, he was made to withstand exactly this sort of thing. To take it and tank it.

Didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.]

Cardinal: -GAH—-

[He staggered back, disoriented by the damage.]

[BANG--!]

[Red lasers fill the room, reflecting off of various objects to keep Cardinal guessing--]

[BANG BANG--]

[--With two more ACTUALLY aimed for him--]

[He took the hits, but answered back with a vengeance.]

KTANG!

[Leaping onto the walls and vaulting onto a statue, he peppered the room with high speed Quick Boomerangs.]

Cardinal: |[

Cardinal: You clearly haven’t learned I don’t go down so easy, Counter.

"Haven't ya heard of try, try again?"

[BANG--]

[A dart this time, yellow--]

[Cardinal used METAL BLADE!]

[The net was torn up even as it came onto him. He leaped onto a chandelier.]

[Cardinal used RING BOOMERANG!]

Cardinal: Haven’t you ever heard “Doing the same thing twice and expecting different results is the definition of insanity?”

[Laughter.]

"Look who's TALKIN'!"

"Ya sure are persistent."

[Cardinal was beginning to lose patience.

He was tired. He felt tired and old.]

Cardinal: Countershade, I have been chasing after you for over a WEEK now. I’ll hardly give up because you’re throwing a temper tantrum.

Cardinal: Get a grip, Shade— Snap out of it! This isn’t like you!

Cardinal: -Crossly- WAKE UP ALREADY!

"Temper tantrum? Boy, ya must be a real antique by now. Seein' as ya ain't made of Xel."

"Who even ARE ya, anyway?"

"Gotta hand it t' ya, Birdy, as ya are annoyin', yer good. Heh."

"And Ah' do so love a good challenge."

Cardinal: You can’t be serious. You recognized my brother and you don’t know me? That’s not a funny insult. -Actually sounds rather put out-

"Nope. Ya don't ring a bell."

Cardinal: Are you REALLY that out of it? That’s honestly just pathetic. The “sad, pitiful” kind.

Cardinal: Fine then.

Cardinal: I’ll make you remember—I’ll bring you out of this, I am going to snap you out of this if it’s the last thing I ever do!

[Cardinal used DUST CRUSHER!]

[All the shrapnel and debris that had been created by Shade and others before him was kicked up in a whirling cloud of sharp death that enveloped half the room, shredding everything in its path before getting embedded into the wall.]

"--Ngh--!"

[There is some painful data, but it is quickly snuffed out by something other than Shade.]

"Oh, it WILL be--ya can't keep flyin' FOREVER, Lil' Birdy..."

Cardinal: Try me.

[…Not his best choice of words.]

"Heh."

"Since ya ASKED so nicely!"

KSSSH!!!

[The chandelier came crashing down, with him inside it.

Even though he teleported away, he still had the force of momentum, and crashed down into the ground pretty hard.]

Cardinal: Hggghhhh…

Cardinal: (Gah… hate HATE falling from heights, come BACK, vision—)

[BANG!]

[Countershade took this perfect opportunity to fire off another shot--it was so easy, once he was blind--]

Cardinal: AUGH!

[Cardinal counteracted with a spam of Metal Blades that went in ALL directions, embedding DEEP into wherever they found score—

And there is a LOT OF rolling around and taking cover--seeing the saw blades stirred up something...Something that made him even angrier. ]

"MOTHERSCRATCHIN'--Ah' HATE when it takes more than one bullet!"

Cardinal: See now, if you REMEMBERED anything, you’d KNOW I don’t go down to one hit!

"Goddamn waste of mah TIME--"

Cardinal: Tch.

Cardinal: Anything you don’t have time to do right the first time, you’ll need to have time to do over.

Cardinal: And I’ve put a hell of a few lifetimes more into this than you.

[BANG BANG--]

[The explosive darts were out now, but single striped instead of the deadly double. Perhaps Shade didn't want to ruin his new 'Home' anymore than it already was. Cardinal tanked the hit with his shield.]

[The Proto Shield held firm as ever, though he moved aside to avoid being backed into the wall.]

Cardinal: -Gets back to his feet, shifting his weaponry again with another click.-

Cardinal: This is not the first time we’ve done this song and dance, Shade!

[Cardinal used BUBBLE LEAD!]

[The acid pellets burst upon contact, hissing and eating away at the floor and various high ground on the other side of the room.]

[SSSSSSSS...]

"Aw FRAG IT--"

Cardinal: You forgetting?! Just means I have ALL THE MORE ADVANTAGE OVER YOU!

[Cardinal used TOP SPIN!]

kzzzZZZZZZZZGGGVVVVGGGHHHTTTT—

[Marble columns were sliced clean through and brought crashing down.]

[CRASH--!!]

"--!!!!"

[There was a few moments of scrambling and--]

[--Silence?]

Cardinal: Nice try, but I know you’re fine. Your camo goes out if you’re not.

Cardinal: And if you want to play this the hard way, I’ll do just that. >B |

[....]

"Alright."

[Click.]

[That came from RIGHT beside him!]

Cardinal: (Glitch—)

[Cardinal used ICE SLASHER!]

[It wasn’t fast enough to prevent the shot that seared through his right shoulder, but. It was enough to send the whole room about ten degrees below zero, and send icicle spears flying.

There was a HISS of pain and a grunt, Shade's camo flickering for a moment--

--Before returning to normal, and the lasers that herald his presence once again came from a completely different direction--

Cardinal ends up backed against the wall, having no other option besides his shield at this point. The Skull Barrier and the Leaf Shield had both been spent during the rescues.]

Cardinal: B[

[Cardinal used ITEM-1!]

[He jumps onto a hovering platform to gain height before firing off some plasma blasts at strategic surfaces—places where he would go if he had that side of the battlefield.]

[BLAM!]

[BANG BANG BANG--]

[As if in response, Shade shoots at the ITEM-1 before unleashing a trio of--oh, no, double stripped darts--!]

Cardinal: !

[Cardinal used WIRE!]

ZZZZZZZIP!

[A grappling hook shot out of his arm, bringing him up toward the ceiling and away from the explosion.

Unfortunately, this position offered him no cover whatsoever, except for his shield—which, as always, remained squarely over his central mass.]

Cardinal: This is getting a bit old.

Cardinal: I’d rather light things on fire, but that wouldn’t be being…

[He smirked.]

Cardinal: …a good House guest~

[BANG--]

[CRASH!]

[He had the wind knocked out of him again, but…

Judging from his wheezing and shaking laughter…]

Cardinal: -Worth it-

[CLICK.]

[....Uh oh.]

Shade: Was it?

Cardinal: Yup.

Cardinal: Too bad it didn’t…

[Cardinal used AIR SHOOTER!]

[STRONG gusts swept across the room, moving EVEN the fallen marble slamming into the wall!]

Shade: --!!!

Cardinal: BLOW YOU AWAY!

Shade: Ngh--

[Shade loses his footing and is forced to back up a ways in order to keep Cardinal in front of him--and on his sights.]

Shade: Enough of this--

[CLICK.]

[...Not even Shade could make a shot in these kinds of winds--]

[...Right?]

[BANG!]

Cardinal: -OOF!-

[Okay. He was really taking a beating now.]

Cardinal: (This has got to stop. Man… haven’t even knocked out his active camo yet, lame. I wish I could use more explosions and fire, that might have helped…)

Cardinal: … (Then again, not being in such a cramped space would have helped anyway.)

Cardinal: Hoo… man, you do hit hard…

[BANG--

BANG BANG BANG--]

[...Shade doesn't answer back.

He just keeps shooting.]

Cardinal: It really is too bad Round Two had to be like this—nngh!

Cardinal: I think you would have preferred remembering!

Shade: Hey.

Shade: Birdy.

Cardinal: What.

Shade: Do me a favor.

[--Wait--why was his voice coming from behind, Shade was right in front of him--]

Shade: Stop yer PRATTLE.

[BANG--!]

[Cardinal was put to the floor, dizzy from being shot in the back. His fans were buzzing a bit, and he had to prop himself up with an arm.]

Cardinal: -WHEEZE- Now that was beneath you, my friend.

Cardinal: You’re an assassin, not a traitor.

Shade: Not my fault yer bein' difficult, Birdy.

Shade: All yer...

[BANG.]

Shade: Sass, all yer brave front--

[BANG!]

Shade: Ya don't fool ME.

[He had to deflect the shots with his shield, but his arm was starting to tire from taking the shock of the blows. He gritted his teeth.]

Cardinal: Is that supposed to mean something, Shade? I’m honestly—nnn!—confused.

Shade: It does. You'll get it REAL soon.

[BANG--]

[...???]

[That's...that's a red dart.]

[Completely red, stuck to Cardinal's shield.]

[--And then it started to glow RED, RED HOT, OW--]

Cardinal: AUGH!

[He could NOT handle that much heat, not so close to his core!

He was forced to drop it to the ground and roll to the side.]

[Cardinal used NEEDLE CANNON!]

[Needle shaped spears skewered anything and everything in sight…

…and some things out of sight.

A slight rip noise betrayed that Cardinal had scored a hit and pinned the sniper’s cloak to the wall.]

Shade: TCH!

Shade: Oh, that is IT.

Shade: -LOCK ON TO CARDINAL'S SYMBOL--

Shade: Yer SCRAP.

[BANG BANG BANG--]

[Cardinal hit the floor, hard.

Silence.]

Shade: -That was mah CLOAK, FRAG YA-

[…But after a moment, he did manage to sit up again, coughing a bit.]

Shade: Fer the love of--

Shade: Ya just don't DIE.

Cardinal: -Raspy- So I’ve been told…

Cardinal: (Great… all I have left is fire…)

Cardinal: You…

[He spoke seriously now.]

Cardinal: You’ve… got to stop, Shade.

Cardinal: You’ve… got to stop…!

[He staggered to his feet.]

Cardinal: This isn’t you. It’s not your fault, but you need to stop—

Cardinal: Don’t you remember who you are?!

Shade: --.....

[Who...]

[Cardinal grabbed his scarf and shook it. The dart there from Shade, a gift from so long ago, stood out in sharp contrast.]

Shade: ......

[Why did he have his...]

Cardinal: PLEASE! Don’t you REMEMBER me at ALL?!

_____________________

"Yer stuck with me. B]"

___________________

"Catch me if ya can, hunting doggie!"

_________________

[Memories, as if from some far off forgotten dream...]

Shade: --...

Shade: -Confused--

Shade: The hell...

[Cardinal took a quiet step forward.]

Cardinal: Shade!

Cardinal: You’re my best friend.

Cardinal: We TRUST each other, remember?!

—————————————————

“Being able to trust someone and want to be around them, miss them if they’re gone… That’s its own vulnerability, in a way.”

—————————————————

[Another step.]

Cardinal: (Just…)

Cardinal: (Need to get close enough…!)

[Trust...]

Shade: -Blinks--

[The purple and magenta fade from his eye for a second--]

Shade: (What...)

[....And then.]

[....A name.]

Shade: . . .

Shade: Cardinal...?

Cardinal: !

Cardinal: -Another step- YES! I’m here, Shade—

Cardinal: I promised nothing would make me give up on you, and I mean it.

Cardinal: -Another step- You’re sick, but we can fix that— come home, Shade, before you do something you can’t fix.

[…

…Fix…?]

—————————————

[An admission of weakness.

His core was messed up so badly, that…]

[From a powerful enough opponent, a direct hit at full charge, if exposed, would cause him to explode.

And no armor in the world would ever fix it.]

—————————————

Shade: ...ngh...

[The assassin staggers, as if something dull was pressing on his mind, something that was NOT a part of him, something that didn't want him to--]

Shade: !

[Something within screamed--]

[--But then, it all became clear.]

[Clear to the virus, that is.]

Shade: ......

[Cardinal was reaching out his hand to touch him. If he could just get a hold of him, he had just enough energy to get them out of here. Away from this place—if not to safety, at least where he couldn’t do any more damage.]

Cardinal: Shade…?

Shade: . . .

Shade: Songbird...Eh...

Shade: Well, that explains the bird part.

[CLICK.]

[There was an unsettling PREDATORY grin on Eight's face, as his rifle was pointed DIRECTLY AT CARDINAL'S CORE--]

Cardinal: !?

[He was too shocked, totally blindsided, taken completely off guard—he didn't even have time to get scared before—]

Shade: Adios, Songbird. BANG--

[The direct hit from such a close range— point blank range—had done massive amounts of damage.

He didn’t really feel hitting the floor, no…

It was all lost in a vast sea of white-hot pain that engulfed his senses, enveloped his whole body—

He couldn’t even say for sure if he screamed.]

Shade: That hurt, Birdy?

Shade: Ah' BET it DID.

[Cardinal had to turn to his side to avoid choking on oil. Now he felt sick, shivering from the pain and errors that were wracking his body.]

Shade: Oh, Ah' remembered ya, yes--ah' sure did... -GRIN-

Shade: Ah' remembered how t' finally KILL YA.

[Cardinal could hear the words, but they just wouldn’t register— but if they had, he would have been crushed not just in body, but also in soul.]

Shade: That was STUPID, bah the way.

Shade: What were ya even thinkin', huh?

[Even if he wanted to run now, there was no way out. He didn’t have the energy to teleport—he barely had enough to move.

Move he did, though, at least enough to get to his knees.

…]

[…relatively speaking.]

Shade: Eheh...

Shade: Looks like yer wings have been CLIPPED...Lil' Birdy.

Shade: Nowhere t' RUN, nao, is there. Even if ya COULD move....

Cardinal: Hnnnghnnnnnggh…

Cardinal: … (Can’t… can’t move…)

Cardinal: (Need… need repairs…)

Cardinal: (N-need to partition energy into repairs—)

Shade: Still breathin'?

Shade: Ya really ARE persistent!

[The world became a white void of pain as he was kicked in the side, hard. He fell over, and Shade forced him onto his back with a bit of pressure. His vision started to come back in, but—]

[CRUNCH--]

[A boot crunches on top of Cardinal's chest--]

Cardinal: (AUGH!)

[He couldn’t breathe.

He couldn’t. Breathe.

The weight was crushing him, breaking him, threatening to put pressure on his core—his constant massive conversion of energy into matter to save him was only intensifying the pain.]

Cardinal: Ghhghkk—!

[He was too badly injured to move. He was using all of his power just to stay alive, now—he could barely hear, barely see—]

>ERROR: HARDWARE DAMAGE CRITICAL

Cardinal: !

>COMPLETE SYSTEM FAILURE IMMINENT

Cardinal: (nnnONONO—)

>INITIATE SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE

Cardinal: AAAAUUUGH!

[Cardinal gave a choked cry of despair as the countdown began— audibly, no less—]

>TEN…

Shade: -Ooh, now... What is this?-

>NINE…

Shade: Oh, right...

>EIGHT…

Shade: Ya Wily constructs go up with a bang when yer too helpless t' RUN.

>SEVEN…

Shade: -Chuckles.-

>SIX…

Shade: Nao ain't that somethin'...

>FIVE…

Cardinal: (No…!)

>FOUR…

>SYSTEM OVERRIDE

>THREE…

>RUN PROGRAM: FINAL_DAYS.EXE

[The countdown stopped, briefly.]

>WARNING: FINAL_DAYS.EXE IS AN UNAUTHORIZED PROGRAM. USING THIS PROGRAM WILL PREVENT COMBAT.EXE INITIATIVES OR SYSTEM MAINTENANCE FROM RUNNING NORMALLY. CONTINUE?

>YES

>DON’T ASK ME AGAIN

> -PING!- COMMAND CONFIRMED.

>SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

Shade: ....

Shade: Tch.

Shade: Was hopin' t' see fireworks. Oh, well.

>EXECUTING PROGRAM: FINAL_DAYS.EXE

[He became limp and weak as the program went live.

He was no longer burdened by instincts meant to preserve him to be fighting fit later, or to continue fighting on.

All the energy that had been spent toward those goals was now going into extensive repair, to keep his vitals up and his senses working. This process would not be interrupted, no matter how much energy it drained from him.

…But as a result…]

Cardinal: -Rattled wheezing from shaky, submissive gasps for air-

Shade: Heh... -Smug smirk-

[He was now completely helpless.]

Shade: Look at ya...

[Everything felt faint. It hurt, and yet…]

Cardinal: -Hazily- (Can’t even move…)

[He felt so tired. So tired.

He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and get his rest….]

Cardinal: (C-can’t…)

Cardinal: (So… so tired…)

Shade: Just look at ya, ya waste of scrap.

Shade: All yer talk and sass and comebacks and fancy display...

[CRUNCH--]

Cardinal: ( -PAIN!-)

[Cardinal became briefly blinded by pain, his eyes glazing over. His fans wailed in protest at the crushing weight put on his chest.]

Shade: --And all it took--

[His armor—!]

[SNAP--!]

[His inner plate armor split open—]

<DLN-000>: > -PAIN!-

[With his transceiver off, no one could hear him— no one could hear his anguished data streams—]

Shade: --Was a few shots, from one bot--

C R A C K—!!

[He jerked sharply, almost convulsing as the armor clattered, giving way to expose the energy core within. It was glowing like a small sun—white hot, too.]

Shade: - T'prepare ya t' meet yer Maker. That is... Assumin' there's an afterlife for ya pathetic box bolts...

[Cardinal gave off bleak rattling noises as his coolant system attempted to draw air over broken fans.]

Cardinal: -Repairs, need… need repairs…-

[His vision came back to him as the conversion went into overdrive, desperate on keeping the fans running, to keep him alive.

This allowed his eyes, dulled before, to resume their green spark—his sunglasses had been knocked off long ago, and so there was nothing between the green fire and the sickly purple gaze.]

Shade: --?

Shade: What in tarnation--

Cardinal: Hnnnnggghh…

Shade: --....

[Wait a second...

There was something just right of the power core, mostly tucked behind it. As it glowed, the mobility rig seemed to just… rebuild itself.

Enough for Cardinal to grasp at something hidden below his scarf, clutching it with a stubborn resignation.]

[.....]

[Two and two were put together within a second, and the Teal Silence let out a dark chuckle.]

Shade: Stubborn jackass! So THIS is how ya kept yerslef goin' so long, hmm?

Shade: Real clever...

[He suddenly JABBED right at it with his rifle-- which was a VERY bad mistake…]

Shade: ARUGH--!

[…as far as the sniper was concerned.

The tip of the rifle had been vaporized, and Cardinal was filled with a jolt of energy that the conversion provided. From the strength Shade had unwittingly donated, he knocked the rifle out of the way to prevent his friend from losing balance, and possibly ending up losing the rest of his arm to the power converter.]

Shade: NGH--

Shade: Little goddamn bastard--should've known ya had 'nother cheap shot like that up yer sleeve...

Cardinal: -Irratable snort- (Oh please, that’s just how I’m BUILT—you wouldn’t go sticking your hand in stomach acid, would you?!)

[There was still enough strength left from that for him to regain some focus. It took effort, and he struggled to reallocate repairs to non-vital systems.

Like… talking, for example.

Cardinal vented a bit and scrunched his eyes in a grimace, trying his hardest to work up the energy to talk.]

Cardinal: Nnnngh…

[…But he could only groan. The pain was so heavy…]

Shade: Bah, for the love of— spare me yer theatrics, Songbird, S'not like ya can sing anymore.

Cardinal: (But…)

Cardinal: (I’ve GOT to, I need to tell you…!)

[CLICK.]

Cardinal: —hghkkt!

[He knew that noise.]

[He KNEW that noise, and it filled him with dread.]

Cardinal: (No…)

Shade: Heheheh...

[A sadistic smile partnered the laugh that escaped from Shade--the dart that was usually in his mouth was gone...]

Cardinal: (Shade, oh God no— please… no, don’t… you can’t do this…)

Cardinal: -Weak ping of protest-

Shade: Ah' TOLD ya...Ya can't fool me.

Shade: Ya scared now, li' Birdy?

Cardinal: -Strained fan whine of despair-

[He was in distress, that was for sure. A heartbroken dismay was sapping away at the willpower maintaining the diminishing fumes of strength in his body.

Shade leaned over, resting his rifle arm on his left knee… as he put his weight on Cardinal’s shoulder. The fans there screeched as they were crushed beneath the sniper’s considerable weight.]

Shade: Good.

[The blinding pain lifted as the weight was drawn away. When Cardinal could see again, he saw his friend’s back facing him.]

Shade: I'll give ya this...

Cardinal: …

[A low hum...]

Cardinal: … -even weaker ping-

[He couldn’t mask it. When Shade turned around, Cardinal couldn’t help but give off a faint signal of hopelessness—

Shade was using a sniper scope to light up his core as a target, purely to mock him out of spite.]

Shade: Ya were better ’n most. Damn freakin' annoyin’, too. Shoulda known better ’n ‘’ta come HERE, t' mah huntin' grounds. You got a death wish, songbird? Huh?

[He took a step forward, letting his spurs rattle loudly in his stride across the floor...]

[Slowly.]

[It was tempting. So tempting.

He was tired. He hurt. He was scared. If… if he just let go, the pain would stop, it wouldn’t hurt anymore… he could rest, he could leave before…]

Cardinal: … (No… can’t…)

[Cardinal took in a shaky breath, willing himself to stay alive, even though his energy core…]

Cardinal: (Can’t let it end… like this…)

[…was starting to turn cold.]

Shade: -Data-

Shade: -Well, if ya insist, we can GRANT it for ya.-

Cardinal: (Can’t…!)

Cardinal: (I CAN’T LET IT END LIKE THIS!)

[Cardinal struggled to focus through his failing vision, to look that menacing red-violet eye directly on with his own, dimming green pair.

He shut down all but his central core mass fans to get the energy to speak.]

Cardinal: -Very raspy, distorted gasp- Shade…

Shade: --....

[...He's not sure if he should be annoyed or impressed.]

[Cardinal spoke again. There was a clear but quiet, submissive air of despair in his frail voice.]

Cardinal: Countershade, please…

[Oh.]

[He took a step forward...]

Shade: What was that?

Cardinal: Don’t… don’t do this… beg… begging you, please…

[.....]

Shade: -GRIN-

[He smirked cruelly at this, at the sight and sounds of Cardinal begging, pleading for his life, for mercy. Ha! Finally, after all of his talk and bravo!

What a delightful feeling.]

Shade: Heheheheh!

Cardinal: please…

Shade: (Eso es, Pájarito. Ruega por por la misericordia hasta que mueras.)

Cardinal: …it’s only… only… g…going to…

Shade: --?

Cardinal: …going to hurt y o u…

Shade: --.........

[For a moment, that makes Shade pause.

The sick, purple aura left him, the malice, the evil that had dug it's way deep into his core was lifted for just a brief moment-- ]

Shade: -N--No--

Shade: (No, no, no…!)

Shade: -Straining- M-must… fight… the power…

[He, too, seemed like he was in just as much pain as Cardinal was.]

[…]

[CLICK.]

[...But the moment... Passed.]

Shade: Enough!

[He spoke with a firm, authoritative command of finality.]

Shade: I don’t have time t’ waste on you. Obviously ya ain’t gonna stay out of my way while ya still runnin’.

Shade: An’ as we’ve already established, ya have this fraggin’ annoyin’ tendency to keep hangin’ on. Fahn, then—I’ll give ya the honor a’ takin’ ya out myself!

Cardinal: (No…)

[Cardinal gripped his hand tighter, as if bracing himself.]

Shade: An’ just tah make SURE you don’t get out of sight at the last second…

[He lowered his gaze, and his aim, right down to Cardinal's exposed core.]

Shade: This'll be the last bullet Ah' waste on ya.

[Cardinal forced himself to maintain eye contact, even as Shade lowered his rifle to point directly at the exposed core.

He didn’t… feel scared anymore. Just… defeated.

Hopeless.

…Accepting of his time, resigned to his fate… even as he dwelt with lingering, final regret, on his failure and shame.]

Shade…

[Darkness overtook his eyes.

His power was nearly entirely depleted. He would only last a few minutes longer, at most—one way or another, he had reached, at last… his final day.]

[Vrrrrrrr...]

Oh, Shade…!

[He could faintly hear the sound of Shade’s deadly aim setting up. It seemed… so far away…]

I…

[He heard a faint fizzling and hissing noise as the energy converter fell silent.

There could only be one reason for that—

No more energy left to convert from.

He could feel his heart becoming as cold as i c e …]

I’m… so sorry…!

<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>

=CHAPTER 1B: RAGING FLAMES SMOLDER=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>

{Meadow}

[Everything had fallen into a surreal sort of silence when Tobias shut down. Two of the Robot Masters were laying motionless on the ground, their eyes dark and without life. It was as if the souls had been ripped right out of them, leaving them in a state of eternal despair.]

Jack: Oh my God oh my God—

Jack: A—Are they okay, are they even ALIVE—?!

[There were soft and erratic patters of ping noises as the stunned brothers tried to get a response from the fallen. They were growing louder and more frequent, and a sense of panic was starting to rise in the data.]

Mikhail: Enough!

Jack: —! Huh—

Mikhail: -Speaking calmly but firmly- Let’s not jump to any conclusions. We need to run diagnostics on both of them. Carlos, Nico—take Shadow to the lab. Skull, Keltso—do the same for Tobias. Siamini, I need both of you to prepare the diagnostic equipment for them. Go, get things ready. No time to waste!

[His sons obeyed right away, though there was a delay from the Wilybots before they complied with the orders. Mikhail pulled out his phone.]

Mikhail: (I need to know what happened…)

[He dialed the number for Will, but to his aggravation…]

“Hello, this is Dr. William Apollo White of Sanda Technologies. I’m currently unavailable right now—”

Mikhail: -Annoyed- Mmmmmnnn… -Hangs up- (Voicemail AGAIN, Will? Really? At a time like this? Gahhh… fine, I’ll call you again later, after I’ve run the diagnostic.)

[He turned to face Jack.]

Mikhail: …I’m so sorry, Jack.

Jack: H-huh?

Mikhail: You came here for something, and this whole time we’ve all but ignored you.

Jack: Oh, uh… i-it’s alright, I mean… that was a lot going on…

Mikhail: True, but you must have come here for some reason. What was it? Can we help you with something?

Jack: What? God, no, I’m more worried about YOU guys—! A—Are they going to be okay??

Mikhail: -Adjusts glasses- It’s probably just… shock. (No pun intended.) We’ll know soon enough for sure.

Jack: …

Jack: …

Jack: Shock, huh….

Jack: …Hn…they aren’t…they aren’t the only ones….

Jack: Starting to feel a little of that myself…

[Mikhail was quiet at that for a while, and then walked over. He put a hand on Jack’s shoulder.]

Jack: …?

Mikhail: Follow me, Mr. Parker.

Jack: (O-oh, I guess Miss Eight told him about her brother’s name for me…)

Mikhail: Let’s just have a talk.

[Jack followed the Russian Doctor into the main building in the Meadow.]

[They walked through the building and into the kitchen, where Mikhail had Jack sit down at the table. It was a rather large table, and made Jack feel small sitting at it all by himself.

But the whole situation made him feel small. He was caught up in this disaster the same as everyone else, and there was nothing he could do to help…]

Jack: (Son of a glitch…. The whole family is fallin’ apart and what did I do? Nothin…)

[There were the soft background noises of the kitchen as Mikhail started preparing something. They were largely unfamiliar noises; not the clamor of a food-related workplace, like he had worked at once for a couple weeks, not the cheap joints he normally bought from. It was a more personal, friendly and family kind of noise, one that was almost alien to him.

He perked up at the smell of meat, though.]

Jack: (…mmm…meat…ugh, that smells too good…)

Jack: …

Jack: (Gosh, this reminds me of the meal Miss Eight and I had just the other night when she stopped by…)

Jack: (I wonder where she is right now…)

Mikhail: There. It will be a while before it finishes, I’m afraid. Would you like something to drink?

Jack: Uh… I’m fine with whatever, honestly…

Mikhail: How about a milkshake, then?

Jack: Milkshake?

[He perks up a bit more at this.]

Jack: Like with the ice cream you guys sent me back in the hospital?

Mikhail: Exactly.

Jack: Oh, PLEASE…

[Mikhail smiled a little at this, and pulled some ice cream from the rather sizable freezer. The blender was a little on the loud side, but it wasn’t long before Jack had a large glass of milkshake in front of him.]

Mikhail: There you are.

Jack: Thank…

Jack: -Takes a sip- …Thanks for everything, Doc. You guys have been nothing but good to me…

Mikhail: It’s the least we can do.

[He adjusted his glasses again, sitting down opposite the beleaguered ex-arena fighter.]

Mikhail: Now…

Mikhail: You expressed you felt rather overwhelmed by all this.

Jack: …Yeah…

Mikhail: Honestly, anyone would be.

Mikhail: It’s best to start from the beginning.

Jack: …The beginning? Like… this morning?

Mikhail: No… not this morning. It probably started earlier.

Jack: What do you mean?

Mikhail: -Rubs his beard a bit- Well…

Mikhail: Things look confusing to us all right now because we don’t have the proper context to them. That makes it hard to focus on what is going on.

Mikhail: So let’s find some context, and unravel it for you. What’s on your mind? We’ll go back to address it from the beginning.

Jack: Okay…

Jack: …I…I’m just really worried about…God, it was KATE, at first, but after…that…Avi, and now Cards is out there too? It’s just…they’re out there, all alone, especially Cards….

Mikhail: …

[He closed his eyes and sighed, crossing his arms.]

Mikhail: …There’s something you should know.

Jack: (…That doesn’t sound too good…)

Mikhail: It would take a long time to explain all the details, but for a while now, Cardinal has been convinced that Gregory Graham had been planning to make a massive power grab, by means of setting up a crisis and solving it publicly.

Jack: —?!

Jack: What…?

Mikhail: He believed that the highway incident earlier in the year was the result of something in this plan going… wrong.

Jack: Wrong…?

Mikhail: The fact that Graham took the time during THIS disaster to—yet again, as before—publicly say “don’t blame me! Blame someone else!” does not help matters. “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”

Mikhail: -Dryly- Guilty conscience, perhaps? Or just really bad lying?

Mikhail: That’s what Cardinal believed, at any rate. And I don’t think he was the only one.

Jack: He—he wasn’t?

Mikhail: Due to the meeting we had to discuss the threat that Greater Dusk posed—

Jack: Hang on, meeting—?

Mikhail: I’ll explain later, but yes. During that meeting, it was questioned why CherryDynamics would fund a team, especially one with an assassin. Cardinal wasn’t sure, but felt that Greater Dusk played an important role in the plans: the role of usurping power and favor from the Mighty Numbers, allowing for other power grabs later.

Jack: (They went through all that… because of me and Greater Dusk…)

Mikhail: Lady Countershade seemed to believe that CherryDynamics was not only responsible, but also eager to clean up “loose ends”. Namely…

Mikhail: You.

Jack: Wh...m...ME?

Mikhail: It seemed like it was very personal to her. She was adamant about it in a way that tells me she’d dealt with some sort of conspiracy like it before, whether one of her own invention she convinced herself was real, or else one she had truly witnessed.

Jack: (…She’s been following a few leads besides mine, the way she talked to me before all this…. Did…did that have something to do with my situation—?)

Mikhail: She wanted to protect you, Mr. Parker. She wanted to keep you safe from fixers, from those seeking to silence you as a witness. Something went wrong again in the finals, clearly; something that had not been intended to be publicly known yet. If ever. Likely never.

Jack: … … … … ….

Jack: Jeezus….

[This…this was bigger than he thought.]

[Much, much bigger.]

[What in the world was going on now?]

[Could…]

[Could this be…just too much to handle?]

[Suddenly Jack felt like he was up against MORE than just a virus.]

Jack: … ….

Mikhail: …Tell me more about the crosses, Jack. Felix had been doing research into them, but he fell ill as a result…. You’re the only person who can tell us about them, and… I think that this virus is related to what happened at the Queen’s Finals.

[Jack took in a deep breath after a long sip of his milkshake.]

Jack: Alright…. Where to start…

[He ran his hand through his messy, fluffy hair.]

Jack: Putting them on when they weren’t active–didn’t do a thing. They were made of Xel, so I guess the crosses also had this REALLY tiny core to keep it together….

Jack: They just looked like freaky jewelry to other people. I didn’t like it. Felt…wrong. That’s why I always hid mine under my shirt.

Mikhail: …In what sense? Physically, or morally?

Jack: ….Both? The cross felt…cold. Like it was just pulled out of the freezer, no matter how hot it was out.

Jack: That and inverted crosses are USUALLY a bad sign.

Mikhail: Mmmm…. When you threw the cross down in the finals, that did allow us to briefly see what it was. …The use of that symbol did not go unnoticed.

Jack: …

Mikhail: Their “youngest” brother believed the one behind it was trying to “play God” and was using that symbol on purpose, as a highly disrespectful mockery.

Mikhail: -Softly- I do not discount the notion.

Jack: … … ….

Jack: (The Provider…)

Jack: …..

Jack: Well, whatever nutjob made those things did a REAL good job fragging [glitch] up.

Mikhail: Quite…

Mikhail: There was… a theory I had about it, at the time.

Jack: …?

——————————

Tobias: I don’t understand—! What’s going on?!

[They all fell silent when a quiet voice spoke up unexpectedly.]

Mikhail: … -Quietly- Berserkers.

Cardinal: …! What?

Mikhail: In ancient times, there were men of great strength, warriors that were great and terrible. They could work themselves into a rage that made them almost seem to ignore their wounds in battle—a madness that they channeled with incredible force.

Mikhail: This is why there is the phrase “going berserk.” This is almost exactly what it means.

Mikhail: But to concentrate only on bloodlust, at the loss of sense…

[He adjusted his glasses, the light glinting off them in a glare that obscured his eyes.]

Mikhail: …Especially against tacticians, that can be a very heavy price…

——————————

Mikhail: …Was I right? Is that what they did, induce such a state?

Jack: ….You bet they did….

Jack: When they went active…

Jack: All I felt was rage.

Mikhail: …

Jack: All I felt was…this feeling to break things.

Jack: It was ALL I could think about…

Jack: All…I could think about was…

Jack: How much I wanted to hurt Blade.

Jack: …..

Jack: It was like… something just…took over and….and…

Jack: –….

Jack: I knew it was bad. I had this gut feeling WAY before the finals…

Jack: I knew.

Jack: So I fought back.

Mikhail: … -Focused but also thoughtful- … -After some hesitation…- …We know what that feels like. …You have our deepest empathy.

Jack: ……..

Mikhail: We know that to fight it off is no easy thing. …You are a stronger man than you give yourself credit for, Jack. Not everyone has the will or stamina to do this.

Jack: …..

Jack: -Sigh- Doc, I’m just a normal guy that wanted some extra cash in his pocket. Sure, I’m probably not such a piece of scrap, after all, but…

Jack: I’m not special.

Jack: I’m just…lucky, I guess.

Mikhail: -Gentle slight smile- I suppose. Having Lady Luck on your side is always nice. Heh… I wouldn’t have survived otherwise.

[He goes over and starts pulling things out of the oven, and Jack is left in his own thoughts for a while.]

Jack: (…Is it luck, or is it just something looking out for me…? Ah, who the hell am I kidding… Luck HATES my guts…)

[He was almost too focused to notice the smells of lunch, but it was at this point that the smell of delicious, glorious, tender S T E A K came drifting through the air—]

Jack: —!!!!!

[Jack shoots up into a straighter sitting position, eyes WIDE and eager–]

Jack: That—that is the most awesome smell I’ve ever—

[Mikhail walked over with a platter. A platter with SO MUCH FOOD.

There was steak, there was loaded baked potato with extra toppings set to the side—

Corn, green bean casserole, a tall glass of cold milk, a small bowl of fruit salad— and some chocolate pudding with Oreo bits and whipped cream!]

Mikhail: -Sets it down at the table- Sorry to keep you waiting.

Jack: …

[Jack might have kicked himself later for forgetting his manners—but he just dove into the most delicious food he’s ever eaten in his entire life.]

Jack: -dATA, SO MUCH DATA, OH GOD THIS IS SO GOOD HE COULD CRY-

[Mikhail chuckled at that, seeming very pleased.]

Mikhail: Things will get better, Jack. They may seem nearly hopeless now, but they will get better. Beck White has the power to reverse this, and that’s more than we could have hoped for in such a disaster. I have faith that he’ll bring his family back home.

[Jack slowed down a bit at this, his good mood wavering.]

Jack: …Hey, Doc…?

Mikhail: Yes?

Jack: Do… -Hesitates- …

Jack: Do y’ think Six was… lying?

Mikhail: …? Lying?

Jack: About her. Miss Eight…

Mikhail: …

[His eyes looked very tired at that, and he frowned slightly.]

Mikhail: …I’d say it's possible he was being misleading, but I find it unlikely that Kate is herself… given that even the RMDC was infected. She was connected to the database…

Jack: (…n…no…. Kate, no…)

Mikhail: She might have been asleep somewhere, but even then she would be in danger of getting sick after the fact.

[He gave a deep sigh.]

Mikhail: My heart goes out to those trying to find either her or Countershade; it will be very difficult to find them, and dangerous to confront them.

Jack: …But…

Jack: Isn’t that what bird guy is doing…? (And he can’t even heal them…)

Mikhail: Well. I can’t be entirely sure what he is up to, but that is a distinct possibility. Whatever Cardinal is up to, I can tell you this: nothing will deter him from a mission… not even the threat of death.

Mikhail: -Softly- “No one has greater love than this…”

Mikhail: “…to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Jack: —!

Jack: … …

Jack: (Miss Eight…)

Jack: (Real deep stuff you’re laying down here, bird guy…)

Jack: … …

Jack: Sorry I…I’m not much help…I…

Jack: (….REALLY hope you know what you’re doing…)

Mikhail: -Weary… and sad…- No… it should have been expected and anticipated. We were not surprised. Alarmed, yes, but not surprised….

Mikhail: It is the path he chose long ago, and none can deter it from him as long as he yet runs.

Mikhail: He has made his choice. I only wish he weren’t so fragile…

Jack: ……

Jack: (Fragile…like a bird…)

Jack: (Flying solo for your friend, huh…)

Mikhail: At least he took Jazz with him. That may prove to be his saving grace, if things go south.

Mikhail: …That brings us up to the present, I suppose. Do you have any other questions?

Jack: … …

Jack: (Should I ask ‘em if they can help me find Miss Eight? If they couldn’t stop the bird guy, they’ll DEFINITELY try and stop me….)

Jack: Uh…no, no—well, sorta. Do you guys got anything I can use? Like—supplies and stuff. Just to have on hand.

Jack: And… if you’ve heard anything from Miss Eight’s family.

Mikhail: We have not heard from them yet, but we may hear from them within a week’s time. They are running on a different rate of time passage, so details may be different or confused. Time warps can fuzz the memory rather severely, as our own family can personally attest to. One remembers a general feeling, but not specific events…

Mikhail: As for supplies—forgive me, but I thought Ms. White set you up at a flat in Britain?

Jack: W-well, yeah, but…

Jack: …Saw a metal snake behind my couch…

[Mikhail visibly stiffened at this, becoming very tense. Jack noticed that his gloved, clenched left hand was shaking.]

What he couldn't possibly know was the extent dark, dark torment that plagued the Doctor's mind…]

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: -Somewhat strained at first- Oh, of course. No, of course…. It was good of you to come here…. Let’s see…

Mikhail: I know that David sent a great deal of good supplies—which I see you have brought with you. However… if you’re planning on camping, you’ll need something to eat…

[He wanders off for a moment. When he comes back, he has what appears to be a small cooler… or else a very large lunchbox.]

Mikhail: It’s not much, but with what you’re going through… lunch and dinner over the next few days to indulge in is the least we can do.

[There are sandwiches, sauces, ice cream bars, milk bottles, soda, even Xelpops in there!]

Jack: Thanks, man… this is…. This is just great…

Mikhail: You’re welcome.

[He stands and takes off his glasses to clean them for a moment.]

Mikhail: I’m afraid I must be going. I need to start work on the others.

Jack: Yeah, me too.

Mikhail: We wish you the best as you go on elsewhere, though you are welcome to stay here if you change your mind. I do hope you come back soon at least once—I think Felix had a gift for you.

Jack: …? (Miss Eight said the same thing…. She said he said it was important, too…)

Jack: Uh…I think maybe I’ll just pick that up on the way? Where is he?

[Hopefully he had enough luck on his side to get back to the States in time…AND in one piece.]

Mikhail: He’s out a bit further in the Wilderness. There’s a path that leads more or less right by his house. (Granted, his house is underground, but.)

Jack: Hmm. Got it—I’ll head that way for now.

[Mikhail nodded and left, heading for the medical bay portion of the lab.

Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, Jack straightened out his coat and grabbed the cooler with his other hand, stretching himself out a couple of times–the doc said he had to often just to keep himself limber.]

Jack: Nnh….

[…Despite the looming danger in front of him, and what was yet to come…

…Strangely, Jack didn’t feel all that worried about it at the moment. Maybe it was the food.]

Jack: ….

Jack: (Well, need to at least see what all that is about…)

[It wasn’t long before he found himself in a very unusual house.

It appeared to have been dug right into the ground. This underground bunker had undergone a number of renovations over the years, with the latest one making it far more sophisticated.]

Jack: (This must be the place…. Can’t say I expected it would be underground…)

Jack: …

Jack: -Knocks on the door in the ground?-

[After a few moments, the door was rolled away from underneath, and he found himself looking at someone rather unusual.]

Piers: ?

[The man had golden eyes and aqua colored hair. The air around him seemed to be cooler and… gentler, somehow.]

Piers: I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met before. May I help you?

Jack: (…OK, I’ve seen people dye their hair some CRAZY colors but—)

Jack: Um–yeah, same here. CDN.7037, Designation 'Dencerjack’. Just call me Jack…

Jack: Uh—I’m looking for a guy called Felix? The guys back at that Meadow told me he had something for me.

Piers: Ah… yes, that makes sense.

Piers: Felix mentioned you. He had an important gift for you. Please, do come in.

Jack: … ‘Kay….

[He followed the man down a ladder and into a sort of living room area. There was a large stone table, two chairs, a rocking chair, and a large sofa… currently occupied by a man with long brown hair, who appeared to be asleep in a fevered dream.

There were banners and tapestries adorning the walls, and there were blankets and furs stowed away neatly in a nearby chest. The mantelpiece and shelves around the living room displayed pottery and chinaware that the owner had made, and some wooden carvings. Noticeably, the art around the room showed not only his travels in Weyard and Weyard history, but also scenes and depictions of his friends (and their trials) beyond it.

In the middle of the living room, there were two large dog bed-sized baskets, and one smaller basket. Small cups of stone in the walls around the room served as recesses where beeswax candles and oil lamps rested, though they were lit by Venus energy most of the time… but not today. Today, they were lit by Mercury energy, giving the whole room a soft blue hue to it.]

Jack: (Jeez, this is like something out of a story…)

[His eyes keep glancing back to the little blue lights, wondering where in the world they had come from—this guy registered as an organic, but he was getting some weird energy readings from him too…

Piers: Where are my manners? Forgive me—allow me to introduce myself. I am Captain Piers of Lemuria—a Mercury warrior Adept.

Jack: (….Uhhh.) Nice to meet you…

[Piers looked over at the man on the couch, who briefly glowed a faint gold with a green tint.]

Jack: …!

Piers: Felix is still locked in the cursed dreams… I fear that it is the current disaster which overtook him.

[There were so many things Jack wanted to ask about that—the glow, where the heck was Lemuria and what in the world was an Adept—but he didn’t have the time…]

Jack: Yeah, things have REALLY gone down the drain, huh. …Hope he gets better soon.

Piers: I believe he shall, but that may not be until the crisis has passed… -Small sigh- It is hard to say, outside of time, how long it may take.

[He motioned for Jack to sit down on the floor near the table, which he did.]

Piers: There is, in our world, a material. This material can be used to craft things… jewelry, armor, weapons…. They provide a good deal of power, but they are cursed.

Jack: C-cursed?

Piers: The curse makes it impossible to discard the item without an exorcism. The user gets power, yes—but they are enveloped in a black and red aura, and at times… lose the ability to move of their own volition.

Jack: Ghn…. Oh glitch, that… that’s bad…

[Piers sighed and went over to the mantelpiece above the fireplace.]

Piers: Yes. The similarities were striking, which is probably why Felix was looking into it. Once you understand how something is set into motion, it is easier to see how to put a stop to it. He hoped that studying Dark Matter would yield information that the Doctors could use for medical purposes.

[He brought back a small container. Inside it was a chunk of what looked like an evil cross between obsidian and black marble, as smooth as glass.]

Piers: I'll be honest with you, Master Parker. This was a very dangerous experiment for him to be conducting, right from the start. It's also very unusual that he was working with Dark Matter at all; he'd always made a point never to use Cursed weapons or armor, simply because they were not worth the price. The fact that this happened anyway shows just how motivated he was.

Jack: B…But why the glitch would he DO that—?

Piers: Out of concern. Everyone was very worried. Felix honestly thought he could find an answer. Not only that… he also sympathized with your position.

Jack: …Position?

Piers: -Shakes his head- Within your group. …Felix knew what it was like to have… hard taskmasters, who favored the use of force to show dominance and displeasure.

Jack: -Winces at the reminder… and the thought someone else went through the same thing- …

Jack: …Hn…

Jack: …Is… Is he gonna be okay—?

[The sailor looked over at the Adept in question.]

Piers: …Probably. He’s been through worse in his time.

[He heaved a sigh.]

Piers: At any rate. He arranged for a gift to be given to you, but he fell ill before he could send it….

[He went back over to the mantelpiece and brought over a small box.]

Piers: He said this was to be for you.

[There appeared to be… only a single item inside.]

Jack: ….?

[…What the… a ring, of all things?]

Piers: -Looks QUITE surprised- So that’s where it went.

[He is suddenly very thoughtful.]

Piers: He must have felt that you would need it—and deserved it—and had it set aside for you to give to you…

Jack: ? You know what this is?

Piers: Yes. That’s a Cleric’s Ring: a rare artifact that prevents loss of control of your person.

Jack: … …

Jack: You mean– this thing will protect me from the virus?!

[It takes a moment for him to understand that Jack was talking about the sickness that had overtaken the Mighty Numbers, but then he nods.]

Piers: Yes, that is exactly the idea. It only protects the wearer, however; it does not have an area of effect or the ability to be used as a healing talisman.

Jack: …So it’s just for me. Got it…

[Jack takes a few seconds to inspect the ring a little before putting it on. It fit perfectly.]

Jack: Wow…feels weird…

[…But in a good way.]

Jack: …..

Jack: ….

Jack: (…This can protect me… I won’t get sick. Man, that makes me feel a HELL of a lot better… I guess I really am lucky, having this kinda stuff available… but Kate…)

Piers: I can see you have a lot on your mind… and your gear suggests you have nowhere to go. Would you like to spend the night here? At least then you will have a roof over your head.

Jack: Uh— A-Are you sure? You said Felix is… sick, I, I don’t wanna… be a bother, especially in a time like this--

Piers: Nonsense. It is no imposition whatsoever.

Jack: …

Jack: …A…Alright. I… need t’ think over all this, maybe…. Y…yeah. Thanks.

[And think them over he did.

… … …Kate…. The only person who ever gave two bolts about him…the woman who saved his life…

The woman who had believed in him when no one else did, who had been there to comfort and protect him, who had pulled him out of harm’s way…

The fearless agent who had championed his cause after he was out of surgery, who had kept the press and the forces of darkness at bay…

The… friend he had shared laughter with, who had made his days more than just “bearable”…

She was out there somewhere in America, alone. In the midst of all this.]

Jack: … …

Jack: (….No…No freakin’ way. It’s crazy. YOU’RE crazy.)

Jack: (If she IS OK, somewhere, then yeah, nothing to worry about then–)

Jack: (….But…if she ISN’T…)

Jack: … …

Jack: Sonofva[GLITCH.]

[Without another word, Jack yanks his old biker trenchcoat off from the floor, and heads for the door.]

“Where are you going?”

Jack: !

Jack: Uh—

[Piers was up, dressed in a simple cotton shirt and slacks, with a robe drawn about him. He looked at Jack patiently, clearly waiting for an answer.]

Jack: I…

Jack: I’m sorry, Captain, but—I really have to go—

Piers: …

Piers: Very well.

Jack: !

Piers: But before you do, permit me to at least prepare some supplies.

Jack: I…

Jack: I don’t know if I can carry any more…

[Piers smiled at this.]

Piers: We’ll see about that.

[He went over to one of the storage chests in the room and unlocked it, pulling out a well worn traveling bag. He disappeared off into the kitchen for a moment, before returning with just the bag again.]

Jack: What’s in the bag?

Piers: Some healing items. I am unsure if they would work on you, but I am inclined to think they would. There’s also a change of clothes that should fit relatively well; you’ll want them if you travel for long. There’s also some water and a few defensive items. You may take a look for yourself.

[The first thing he notices is the…wow there is a WHOLE lot more room in here than what it looks like on the outside—how is that even physically possible.]

Jack: …. Are you sure you won’t need this?

Piers: Very. We won’t be traveling for some time; your need is far greater.

Jack: Okay then…

[He proceeds to stuff the cooler in it because NO WAY was he going to drag that thing the whole way.

After some thought, he puts much of what was in his backpack in there as well. Then he puts the bag in one of his many pockets, hauling up the backpack onto his shoulders.]

Piers: -Turns to face Jack, looking at him thoughtfully before giving a gentle smile- I see others have supplied you for the journey ahead as well. I must say… it’s nice to start off a quest with something at hand.

Jack: No kidding…

[Piers opened the door and led Jack outside. He looked ahead down the path, pointing to the horizon.]

Piers: Keep your sights on that city, and you shall arrive where you seek soon enough.

[…WOW OKAY. There was a city there that was NOT there before—

—and what’s more, it looked familiar! It was definitely somewhere from Jack’s own world!

Jack looked to where he pointed–his violet eyes widening as he locked his gaze into something familiar in this huge mess of chaos–it almost felt relieving to see his destination at last.

…In fact…judging from the city skyline–it almost looked like…]

[..Seattle?]

Jack: … …

Jack: I REALLY hope it’s not gonna be raining by the time I get there…

Jack: That city is almost ALWAYS raining, see…

Jack: (…It’s better than nothing, at least.)

[Piers smiled a little.]

Piers: Do you have a poncho you could use? That’s what I’d recommend.

Jack: Oh yeah… now that you mention it….

[He pulled it out and put it on, and then put the goggles on as well. The night vision activated immediately, making the whole world a lot easier to see.

…He REALLY felt like he was about to embark on some important journey, now that he thought about it…

…Probably because he really was.]

Jack: …-Exhales-

Piers: Godspeed on your journey, my friend. Return home safely upon its completion—and may that be soon.

Jack: Thanks, Captain. Thanks for everything.

[He turns away, eyes set on the horizon, rain clouds already starting to form over the distant, war-torn city of Seattle.]

Jack: …Godspeed…yeah…

Jack: (I’m gonna need all the luck in the world for this…)

[In an instant, he starts to sprint off. Might as well get a head start and run for it…!]

Jack: (Just a little further, Kate…! I’m almost there…!)

Jack: (Just hold on until then…!)

<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>

=CHAPTER 4B: AVI'S NEWS REPORT=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>

[SANDA LABS...]

[The lower parts of the building—the labs and underground, as well as most of the floors above were secure, though perhaps there was a few rouge trash bots wandering around here and there, which were quickly dealt with when Beck found them.]

[...But he wasn't here in the storage area for just that. It was the only room big enough for the Round Digger that Beck had first purified way...]

[...Way back? It FELT like it.]

Beck: Hey, buddy...

[The CDN beeped happily as it saw him approach.]

Beck: You seem to be doing OK...that's good...

[Beck patted the larger robot on it's spherical side, rather glad that it was still functioning perfectly well. It also reassured him a little.]

[...He was worried that his...his ability to filter out irregularities in other systems wasn't permanent, or that the virus was stronger than he thought...]

[...But the big guy seemed OK, and that means his family would be OK too.]

Beck: ......

[…Even if it may be a bit complicated for a while.

The whole fusion thing with Avi and Tobias had prompted Dr. Cossack to come over to assist in the repairs. All that he would say were vague remarks about side effects and the nature of the RMDC.

He was in the lab now, looking over more of Avi’s coding, with help from Will.

He seemed confident the problem would be fixed soon—and Beck sure hoped so.

The “side effects” that Mikhail had mentioned were a lot worse than just Tobias getting sensory data from Avi’s feeds.]

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

“Nowhere left to run, anymore. Heh… talk about pathetic. You’re a disgrace t’ robots everywhere, you sniveling ragtag group a’ cowards.”

[Panic. Sheer panic. Terror. Trapped.]

“A hunt this borin’ ain’t worth m’ time, so…. Let’s play a little game, shall we? S’ called…”

[A loud click noise.]

“ ‘Which one a’ you Wily scrapheaps will take the longest t’ die?’”

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

[Whatever it was that had caused all the Rebel Angels to wake up screaming in the middle of the night while they were gone, it definitely wasn’t something anyone wanted to show up in Avi’s feeds a second time.]

Beck: -Sighs-

[At least they were making progress. That had to count for something.]

[...A LOT of things had happened back there, on the Radio Tower, against Avi...]

[For one, it appeared his 'filter' had somehow fixed Avi's and Tobias's fusion, though he was still rather confused as to why...]

[For another...]

-------------------------

[XEL OVERRIDE INITIATED.]

[MN.6'S WEAPONS SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN DISABLED.]

--------------------------

[What in the WORLD was that...?

He was kinda glad that the Angels were all distracted with Tobias (and whatever else Siam was up to), because he had a feeling it would SERIOUSLY freak them out if they knew about it. It was freaky enough as it was—and if anyone were to ask about it, he just didn’t know the answer!]

[He just...he just didn't know and it scared him.]

[...And on top of that, he had no one that he could ask at the moment.]

[Was this--was this just another 'ability' that had been awakened, like the rest? Or was this...]

[Was this something more?]

Beck: Ugh...

[He slumped against the Round Digger, and rubbed his face in clear worry and weariness. He felt tired even though all his systems were green now, and he knew that...this wasn't going to be over anytime soon.]

[Still.]

[He had a promise to uphold, they still NEEDED him, they all did. He was the only, only one that can do this.]

Beck: (Jeez...I don't think I've EVER been this tired...)

Beck: (I could... I could really use a nap or...yeah.)

Beck: ...-Sigh-

Beck: Take it like a Mighty, Beck...

[The CDN beeped in concern, and seemed to rev it's engine as a way of comforting the small construct with a bit of background noise.]

Beck: Thanks...

Beck: .....

Beck: (I should probably get back to the others.)

Beck: Don't cause too much trouble down here, OK, Buddy?

[CDN.502] //: -PING!-

Beck: Heh...

Beck: You like it when I call you Buddy, don't ya?

[CDN.502] //: -PING!-

[The demolition bot revs in response, which makes the small Mighty laugh a bit. It's strange...most Round Diggers didn't have very advanced AI to begin with, compared to them...and yet this one was already showing more personality than any he's ever seen. Maybe he was...different?]

Beck: Buddy it is, then!

[Yeah, that's gotta be it...]

Beck: I gotta go, but...I'll come check on you later, OK? For now, uh...you can take a nap or s—

[CDN.502] //: -PING-

[...COMMAND CONFIRMED.]

Beck: ...!

[CDN.502 IS NOW IN SLEEP MODE.]

Beck: ....

Beck: Okaaaaay...

Beck: .....Night, then...

[He turns to close the door behind him, and heads towards the stairs—the elevators were still out, even if they WERE working, he wasn't going to risk getting trapped in one.]

Beck: (Last thing we need is for me to get stuck in the most crucial moments...)

[LATER, UPSTAIRS...]

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Xel Assimilation Data ready for analysis, Professor.

[DR.WHITE] //: Hm—Oh, thank heavens. Send that over to my terminal while I work with Mikhail—and continue scanning for the other Mighties, please.

[CALL] //: Right away, Doctor.

<MC005>: >I should love to look at that data at some point. I’ve never really gotten any readings for when someone with Universal Adaptability uses a new Power Capsule for the first time…. Are you getting any cross references popping up right now?

[CALL] //: None, Dr. Cossack.

Will: (Thank goodness...)

[CALL] //: The samples from Mighty Numbers 1, 2, 3, and 6 do not seem to show any similarities aside from causing extreme changes in behavior and the urge to cause destruction.

[CALL] //: I have yet to have found any logical pattern in the virus code. I apologize.

[DR.WHITE] //: No, no, Call—you've done so much for us. If it wasn't for you, finding my sons and daughters would be much more difficult.

[DR.WHITE] //: ...Thank you.

<MC005>: >I’m sorry that I couldn’t give much more to your assessment of the virus, my friends—I got rather sidetracked sorting out Tobias’s new coding instead. -Sighs-

Mikhail: (…) -Clearly uncomfortable about something-

Will: ....

Will: Mikhail?

Mikhail: -Looks up- Mmm? Sorry—did I miss something?

Will: ....

Will: Er, nothing...

[CALL] //: ....

[DR.WHITE] //: Call, has Beck finished with self-repair?

[CALL] //: Yes. He informed me he was going to check on the condition of the Round Digger model downstairs.

[DR.WHITE] //: That was a while ago, though...

[Mikhail had to smile a little.]

Mikhail: My older son was very disappointed to be left behind, once he heard about your oversized industrial drill-puppy.

Will: Ah...I can imagine...

Will: -mutters- I still don't know how he got down here in the first place, but he IS a demolition model...

Will: I have absolutely no idea what we're going to do with him... (He's a CDN model, there is a VERY good chance we'll have to...return him.)

Mikhail: What do you mean?

Will: Round Diggers are mass produced industrial models made for demolition work, mainly in construction.

Will: ...Made by CherryDyn.

Will: From the data we received from Beck, it's Model Number 502 of it's make, one of the older kinds. They're built to last for heavy duty work, quite sturdy.

[Mikhail blinked and raised an eyebrow at this. After a moment, he frowned, placed his hands behind his back, and turned to face one of the computer screens.]

Mikhail: …Mmm. -Seems to be thinking how to word what’s on his mind-

Mikhail: I can’t help but be drawn into my own field of “cross-references,” as it were. CherryDyn in general has been on my mind lately, for many reasons.

[He puts a hand to his face and sighs, covering his eyes.]

Mikhail: Tobias Wily and his history are rooted deeply in the works of LightLaboratories, Incorporated. The connections with CherryDyn have always troubled us, and we had hoped… -Trails off-

Will: .....

Mikhail: …I suppose I’m just distracted by thoughts of my youth. I used to work for LightLabs, you know? When I was just a boy.

Mikhail: I had high hopes for the project, but I didn’t really understand the work I was doing until the very end.

Will: . . .

Mikhail: I saw, ever so briefly—that the code was alive…! It reacted to me trying to reach out to it, to find it, to contain it—

Mikhail: (Much like… much like that virus did when it infected the RMDC and I fought back. I swear the thing got angry at me…)

Mikhail: (With how advanced Xel coding is, it certainly was high enough out of my full understanding to come off as alive.)

Mikhail: Dr. Light had been very much against advancing full realization. What I did when I made the AI_DCN_OS… well. I liked Iceman very much, and he was dear to us, but still…

[He sighed and shook his head before taking off his glasses to clean them.]

Mikhail: Forgive me. So much has happened lately that makes me think of the past, of Tobias in his first life. Pieces here and there, echoes of a time ages past.

Mikhail: I suppose that it is on my mind largely because understanding the virus is out of my ability at the moment. I’d need to know more about Xel coding, and you don’t have time to teach me.

Mikhail: This leaves me with Tobias, mainly, and also just… looking forward, long term.

Mikhail: This digging Industrial of yours…

Mikhail: If things continue in a tragic parallel, perhaps it would be scheduled for demolition simply because it were too old, or advancing in Awareness.

Will: -wINCE- (Ngh...)

Mikhail: For that is the fate of Industrials in my world. Even my own sons would be subject to the ten-year warranty, were it not for the fact that I have full legal rights, and can choose not to follow that regulation.

Mikhail: At first it was merely out of a business mindset—depreciation of property, expenses, etc. But after Tobias, animosity grew, and it became born just as much of fear as anything else.

[He put his glasses back on and frowned.]

Mikhail: I’m afraid it won’t be long before we’re called to give an account of ourselves for judgment, William.

Mikhail: Now that Aviator no longer has an Iron Curtain to stifle the media, it won’t be long before it takes a sharp turn from practicality into “here be dragons” water.

[He looked away, narrowing his eyes a little.]

Mikhail: I refused to tell you before, because I felt it was… crazy, to be honest, but. For some time now, Cardinal had been of the opinion that CherryDyn was responsible for a number of… unpleasantries.

[....Oh, dear.]

[Will kinda looks like he's going to be sick just from thinking of the implications of all that...]

Will: . . .

Mikhail: He believed that the things that happened were the result of plans being put into action too early or the like—things going wrong without the careful orchestration to make it only /just/ wrong enough to be visibly stopped, and in turn causing REAL damage.

Mikhail: I feel the same way, but I do not think it to be so—I tell myself that is being overly cynical.

Mikhail: But I think one thing is certain. We must be prepared to say something. Aviator’s interference was public, and…Tobias was involved, and if anyone were to somehow realize he were the same as the mysterious intruder at the Finals…

Mikhail: -Bows his head- The lift of the blockade will allow us to work much faster and more efficiently, yes—but the same applies for our foes as well.

Mikhail: I fully expect CherryDyn to make some noise and raise a fuss very soon. …I just suppose I feel I must arrange the chess pieces to counter it, since that’s the only thing I can really do, and you’re so busy with deciphering the code…

Mikhail: To be fair. It has a direct impact on us, too. If things follow the lane of Monstropolis, Tobias may have to remain Offline indefinitely.

Will: ......

[Will takes in a long breath and pinches the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes close very tightly. Mikhail was right, of course, he wouldn't put it past CherryDyn to make some sort of comment or whatever ELSE they have planned--if any, that is, if Cardinal turned out to be right after all.]

[And Graham...]

Will: God, what a mess...

Mikhail: We have too many moving parts in this matter…

Mikhail: At least it should be easier to find the others, now. Now that Tobias is no longer interfering and Avi will be able to help Call sort through the data.

Will: Mmm…

[That may work fine for the rest of his children out there, but they weren’t the only ones missing…]

Will: What about Kate and Cardinal?

Mikhail: Mmm.

[The Russian leaned back, crossing his arms and looking up at the ceiling.]

Mikhail: Well, Kate’s brothers have been trying to find her for several days, from what I’ve been told. I didn’t hear the full story, but they’ve probably been trying to follow Jack’s trail.

Will: Jack? You mean he’s not still with you?

Mikhail: No. He went missing a while ago, I’m afraid. Shortly after we first lost contact, actually.

Will: (Adding even MORE to this mess…)

Mikhail: Fighting Mighty Number Nine DID somehow get into contact with Doctor Wily Number Nine, and the other day they brought back some Combat Xelbots from your world, but… Jack was not among them.

Will: Metalman? What does he want with this? Is he working for Wily? -Ugh, one disaster at a TIME, please— -

Mikhail: It was apparently a personal matter. We may hear back from him later after the others have recovered, but… for now, it appears we’re being left alone.

Will: Small blessings, at least….

[He sighed, scratching at his head a bit.]

Will: What about Cardinal, then?

Mikhail: I… I don’t know. I was hoping you might have something to tell me, to be honest. He wouldn’t have been able to contact us, but…

Will: ! Oh, right! I almost forgot!

Will: Beck managed to call him the night Pyro was rescued, and he answered his cell phone!

[Mikhail suddenly became alert at this.]

Mikhail: What did he say?

[Will’s mood fell.]

Will: …He said he wasn’t coming back….

Mikhail: -Sighs, pulling his hand down his face- Why am I not surprised…

Will: He said it was… complicated, somehow, but… Avi cut him off before he could finish….

Mikhail: …

Will: Then I got a text message from him later… it said “John 15:13″…

Mikhail: -Winces- Agh, Cardinal… you shouldn’t be risking yourself like this…

Will: S-sorry I didn’t mention it earlier, I… I guess it must have slipped my mind.

Mikhail: Oh, don’t be so hard on yourself. You had more immediate concerns to deal with at the time we got back in touch. So did I. You’re under a great deal of stress right now—don’t berate yourself over missing small details that slip under the radar. Alright?

Will: I’ll try, aheh…

Mikhail: I suppose it is worth a try….

Will: Hmm?

Mikhail: Let’s try calling Cardinal’s cell phone. I think he’d be more likely to answer a call from you than from me, though.

[Will pulled out his phone, grateful that it wasn’t infected and still worked.]

Will: -Dialing the number- Do you think he’ll change his mind?

Mikhail: That might be expecting a little much…

[To their surprise, the phone call was answered. Much to their further surprise, it wasn’t Cardinal who answered the phone.]

“Hello? Is this really Sanda Enterprises?”

Will: ! (I recognize that voice! He was with Cardinal earlier!)

Mikhail: -Nudges Will to answer-

Will: -Eep— - Er— y-yes, it is! This is Doctor White speaking. May I ask who this is?

[It seemed the other man also recognized his voice from somewhere, because he took the answer at face value.]

“My name is Drake Dawson, sir. I’m a staff member at the Union Station in Kansas City.”

Mikhail: (Of COURSE! I should have known he would go there!)

Will: We’re looking for Cardinal. Is he… is he nearby?

[There was a long sigh.]

“Cardinal split a while back. He gave me his phone and said to call you guys, but uh…I figured you’d be busy right now, sorry…”

Mikhail: Mr. Dawson, did he saw where he was going?

“Not really…. We traveled around KCMO and KCK for several days before he crashed and burned. Not sure where he is now, but he said he wouldn’t go back to Sanda Enterprises until his mission was over. He was really adamant about that…”

Mikhail: -Sighs-

“He did have a couple of messages, though…”

Will: Oh?

“Said he wanted you to know he was ‘in one piece’… which he was, last I saw him. And, uh… hang on, lemme think on this, put it down somewhere so I wouldn’t forget…”

[There was a rustling noise.]

“He said he wanted Beck to come down and help out with the cores they recovered from Arrowhead Stadium, if he had the chance. To consider it a ‘personal favor.’”

Will: (Mnn…. I suppose we’ll be getting requests like that more often now. But Beck is already so worn out from working in Titus and then fighting Avi…)

Mikhail: -Catches onto the hesitation- We’ll pass the message along, but we can’t make any promises.

“Yeah… I can get that.”

Mikhail: Was there anything else? Anything at all?

“Something about focusing on the threats in the middle? It seemed pretty important to him. He wouldn’t really explain much… said that it would have to wait.”

Will: ( “Threats in the middle”? Middle of the country? Middle of the family? I suppose he means the family, but…. Would that be 4,5, and 6? Or 5, 6, and 7?)

Mikhail: Well… I’m afraid he’s right, there. I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but…

“Nah, it’s okay, I get it. I just hope he manages to come back to pick up his phone later. He did mention his idea was ‘stupid dangerous’, which doesn’t surprise me that much, given how he tackled all those enemies by himself…”

Mikhail: It would be for the best right now that you keep the phone with you. He’ll know where to find you, and… if he’s unable for some reason, we can trace his cell phone and send someone to pick it up, after this is over.

“Gotcha. Anything else I can do for you?”

Mikhail: Give us a call if he comes back. Other than that… stay safe.

“Roger that. Good luck with everything. We’re all rooting for you over here.”

[Click.]

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: -Turns to Will- Kansas City. I should have expected that.

Will: Isn’t he from there?

Mikhail: No, I think he was built somewhere in the West, but that is where he grew up. It’s too bad we missed him.

Will: I wonder what he could be doing…. I would love to get any ideas for leads on Shade, too…

Mikhail: I suspect he didn’t tell Mr. Dawson for the man’s own safety.

Will: Oh, you’re probably right….

[Mikhail’s gaze became thoughtful, and after a while, he reached over and put a gloved hand on his friend’s shoulder, squeezing it slightly.]

Mikhail: But there is hope. We must hold onto that.

Mikhail: Of course we would never ask you to turn your back on the world, but remember—your children are your true priority, and if the worst WERE to happen, you could seek shelter elsewhere. Focus on getting your family back together. I can work with the Sandas in figuring out how to fight the dragons.

Mikhail: We’ll make it through this.

[After a moment, he broke into a warm smile.]

Mikhail: Remember, my friend—I have tread these waters before, and worse.

[This, alas, was true. He had, at one point, had the entire world against him.

And yet he had arranged things so that his sons were allowed to live and work and he got to live in protection and privacy, despite things being so grim at one point.]

Mikhail: I won’t let you get dashed upon the rocks.

Will: ....

Will: Heh...

[Will returned the smile, although it was a bit weary.]

Will: Thank you, Mikhail. Really...

Will: (What would we do without you...)

Mikhail: Ah, my dear William! You have been very good to us, and personally have given great hope for my family’s recovery. Of course I would help you in the recovery of yours.

Mikhail: …Heh.

Mikhail: This is where the others would remind us not to overwork ourselves. Or me, at least. -Laughs- I’m not as young as I used to be. Professor, now, not student. I can’t pull those all-nighters anymore!

[THAT gets Will to laugh. Oh, yes, the all-nighters...]

[...He should probably not mention he's been doing that as of late. He's very sure Mikhail would have a fit—]

[CALL] //: ...Contradiction: Yet you both seem to overexert yourselves as if it were the default.

[...Oh. Call was still listening.]

Mikhail: -Wryly- Ah, we are caught! Oh dear.

Will: Eheh...

[He turned to look in the direction of one of the speakers by habit.]

Mikhail: You’re right, of course. And if it would put you at ease, I can take a short rest. But I would like to take care of a few matters first, if you can help me. I’m afraid I’ve been rather single-focused on Tobias and Avi to learn how everything else is going. Has your father contacted his brother? Or vice-versa, perhaps?

[CALL] //: Yes, Mr. Sanda contacted us as soon as we had a firm connection. They have been speaking privately for the past few hours.

Will: (Possibly bringing Seijiro up to speed on everything...)

Mikhail: I see. I would like you to alert your father that we have fixed the matter of the RMDC for now—no more sudden nightmares for your database. (And again, I apologize.) I should like to speak with them both after they have concluded their private discussion—which I expect will be some while yet. In the meantime, I shall rest.

<MC005 to CALL>: >Oh, and Ms. Sanda? May I make a suggestion in your search for the rest of the Mighty Numbers?

[CALL to MC005] //: -Ping!- Yes, Dr. Cossack?

<MC005 to CALL>: >One of the contributing factors to the… difficulty of the current situation, shall we say… is the large number of variables involved.

<MC005 to CALL>: >We have removed one variable—Aviator’s interference—but it’s not enough. We will need to remove several others as soon as possible if we are to have the best chance of success in concluding this manner with as little predation from CherryDyn as possible.

<MC005 to CALL>: >It is confirmed that Fighting Mighty Number Eight is at large, and the current theory is that she is in this world, on a hunt. Likewise, Dencerjack is searching for her—and he has his own set of complications, since he knows too much, so to speak. We need to find him posthaste.

Mikhail: (There’s also Cardinal, but trying to stop him would not be a good use of resources given the current state of affairs…)

<MC005 to CALL>: >From what I have been told, MNN-007 may be the subject of FMN-008’s attention, for… reasons.

<MC005 to CALL>: >Finding Brandish’s location may allow us to remove several dangerous spanners in the works all at once.

<MC005 to CALL]>: >So, unless there are clearer leads… my suggestion would be to focus on him, first.

Mikhail: (Removing Cardinal’s recklessness would be nice, but I’m not so optimistic as to think we’ll find Shade before we find Brand. Not when Brand’s been giving off data from the beginning, and Shade hasn’t.)

[CALL to MC005] //: -PING-

[CALL to MC005] //: I understand, Dr. Cossack. I will commence my search posthaste. Thank you for your input.

<MC005 to CALL>: > You’re welcome.

Mikhail: -Turns to face Will- I’m going to rest for a while, but I’ll be just a notification away. Sorry to be leaving you on your own like this—I just feel I’d be more useful to you combating one of the other problems. -Encouraging nod- You can do this, alright? Try to keep calm.

[With that, he walked out of the room, lost in his own thoughts.]

Will: ....

[After Mikhail leaves the room, Will slumps back into a chair and lets out a long, quiet sigh, staring into the ceiling as if it held all the solutions.]

Will: .....

Will: (...Should I...)

Will: .....

[He sharply inhaled and didn't let that thought finish itself--couldn't.]

[...Perhaps, he was being cynical and paranoid himself.]

Will: (Greg...Greg doesn't know, does he?)

Will: (If he does...)

[He felt that sick, dreading feeling all over again, and got up to fix that with a glass of water.]

Will: (...No, stop it, Will—)

Will: (Get it together...)

Will: (It's not going to come to that if he knows what he's doing...)

Will: .......

Will: (This had...had BETTER not be you that's behind all this, Greg...)

Will: (You'd better not...)

Will: .....

[Shoving all those negative thoughts aside for now, Dr. White washed up and rolled his lab coat's sleeves down.]

[There was still much work to be done, and Avi was going to be needed for the troubles that lay ahead.]

Will: (I wish it wasn't this way, Aviator...you, out of all of us, need your rest...)

Will: (At least, after this...I hope we can all just...take things easy...)

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=CHAPTER 4C: AVI’S NEWS REPORT=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes & @super-tired-robot))

<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>

{Kansas City

June 25th, 20XX}

[Cardinal halted in front of the doorway, just out of sight.]

Cardinal: (This is it…)

[He grimaced and tensed, bracing himself.

He’d spent all of the previous afternoon and evening, and all day up to that point searching for this one, singular place. All of Kansas City, and he’d narrowed it down to this building.

It hadn’t been easy. He’d searched and followed lead after lead, sometimes forced into intimidation. It wasn’t until a very reluctant tip from an officer in-the-know that he’d been able to pin down a likely location.]

Cardinal: (Cursory scans by the Search Snakes didn’t show any signs of life in there, but I’m not holding my breath.)

Cardinal: (After all. I AM walking right into a den of assassins.)

Cardinal: …

Cardinal: (This had better work—)

<DLN-000 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>

[There was a priming noise as he prepared a charged shot in his blaster. He barreled through the doorway, weapon and shield at the ready.]

Cardinal: -Broadcasts his tune shrilly-

[The immediate entrance was empty, if trashed. There were some dried out piles of dead Xels on the floor, but no cores to be found. Furnishings had been ransacked, leaving a scene of utter chaos.]

Cardinal: -Aggressive data— -

[He didn’t bother hiding his presence. He was storming the place, not trying to infiltrate it.

He was almost tempted to blast away at the debris strewn across the floor, he was so high strung.]

Cardinal: (Where are you?!)

[Jazz snarled as they stomped their way through the confusing layout, exploring every location that betrayed an entrance, visible or hidden. His anxiety and anger built up into a frustrated frenzy. The glow of his eyes changed from a concerned bright green to a violent deep red.]

Cardinal: (WHERE IS EVERYBODY?!)

[Room after room, and there was nothing but destruction. Many rooms were scorched, covered in soot and ashes. It was as if someone had deigned to burn the place to the ground, and everything useful therein along with it.]

Cardinal: -Enraged, broadcasting a shrill scree of strained machinery- WHERE ARE THEY!?

[He couldn’t take it anymore. The stress of holding and maintaining a supercharged plasma blast was starting to wear on his body, not just his mind.]

[BLAM!]

[It wasn’t called a plasma BLASTER—or, in other terms, a plasma cannon— for no reason.]

Cardinal: -Angrily fires through the hole in the walls he’d just created-

[He lashed out at the edges of the openings as he walked through them to take a shortcut back to the main room. If there was any hope to be had of salvaging the situation, it would have to be here, where the assassins filed their paperwork and received their orders.]

Cardinal: (A file, a note, a single scrap of [glitchfraggin’] PAPER! I’LL TAKE ANYTHING RIGHT NOW!!)

[He was so blinded by the pent up rage and frustration that he could barely focus as he thoroughly tossed the room. He rustled through the ashes, ripped open cabinets, cracked open safes.

But he found absolutely nothing of value to him. Nothing to tell him where Shade had gone… nothing to tell him what Shade might be up to.]

Cardinal: (Dammit…)

[He stood in the middle of the room, shaking with emotion.]

Cardinal: (Damn it all…)

Cardinal: (DAMN IT ALL TO HELL—!)

[BLAM!]

[He seethed as he dropped to his knees, putting his hands to his face.]

Cardinal: I’m such a useless rager…

Cardinal: I let something inevitable for the amount of DAYS that have passed get to me so easily…

Cardinal: Cardinal, you selfish fool…

[He had to get up.

He knew he had to get up. He had to keep going.]

Cardinal: (Shade needs me. I can’t allow myself to give in to DESPAIR.)

[He had to move. He had to keep going.]

Jazz: -Headbutts Cardinal- Rrrrrooooooowwrrr…

[He had to…]

Jazz: -Purrs heavily, placing her head right up next to the side of his neck- Prrrrrr… hrrrrrrr… hrrrrrr…

[He was slowly coming out of it.]

<DLN-000 has entered Non-Lethal Combat mode.>

Jazz: Prrrr… rrrrrrr… hrrRRrrrr…

[Rage was slowly giving way to sorrow. It was a deep sorrow that put a strain on his heart, creating pain by locking up his mobility rig and slowing down the processes right around his core.]

Cardinal: (Why…)

Jazz: -Nuzzles him- Rrrrr… hrrrrrr…

Cardinal: -Forces himself to get to his feet out of sheer need, despite lacking the willpower- (Why…)

[He slowly dragged his feet and shuffled along right to the door, Jazz at his side. He was obliged to take his hands away from his face, taking hold of his shield in resignation.]

Cardinal: (Why did it have to be this way?)

[He slowly traveled along, winding back through the alleys without purpose. He had nowhere to go: he just needed to think.]

Cardinal: (It wasn’t supposed to be like this…)

[He walked through the empty streets, barely even paying attention. Jazz was serving her true extent of a support unit by picking up the slack in processing incoming sensory information, allowing him to remain lost in thought, lost in the past.]

Cardinal: (Never like this…)

[A flicker of a bit of data caused him to pause, stopping in his tracks. Something he had seen was tugging at a memory. Something relevant.]

Cardinal: …

[He gradually came to process that he was standing in front of a graffiti wall. It was covered in symbols that he could identify as code, as well as territorial claim.]

Cardinal: (Shade…)

[He pressed his hand up against the wall, thinking back on that day.]

Cardinal: (Shade…. It’d been so long since that night….)

[Echoes of memory begged to be remembered, but the cross-reference was hollow from the inability to process it’s happy enjoyment.]

Cardinal: (We were all finally together again…)

Cardinal: (And then this had to happen…)

[He slumped against the wall, feeling exhausted.]

Cardinal: (It was never supposed to be like this, Shade…)

Cardinal: (I was the one with the dangerous world, where every twist and turn was a threat to me…)

Cardinal: (I was the one with such accessible coding, so easily reprogrammed…)

Cardinal: (This should have been me…)

Cardinal: (It should have been ME…)

Cardinal: (…not you…)

[He was shaking again, beginning to feel dizzy from building up heat. Without being built to cry, he simply had no physical procedure designed to relieve emotional intensity.]

Cardinal: (I… I should have tried…)

Cardinal: (I should have tried to plan something, prepare a contingency… truly prepare [for] it coming after you…)

[He ached in every extent possible, with every fiber of his being.]

Cardinal: (I’m supposed to know these things, to make these plans and contingencies for any possible slew…)

Cardinal: (Failed…)

[The heat was getting to be too much. He sat down to allow his secondary fans a bit of a break, generating less heat and allowing him to cool.]

Cardinal: (That was my responsibility, the single responsibility I still owed to the family, and I didn’t follow through….)

[He vented a long and heavy sigh, the tension and heat draining from him into the humid air.]

Cardinal: …

Cardinal: (I made a plan for if something happened to me. And I know we talked it over, but…)

Cardinal: (We never made specifics for if something happened to you, let alone the entire country…)

Cardinal: (Where are you, Shade?)

Cardinal: (Where are you?)

[He was tired. Very tired.]

Cardinal: (Your family keeps causing major damage nationwide…) -Puts a hand to his head, weary- (Your sister disrupted energy at a critical power plant, your brother hijacked a la Toby’s reign of Monstropolis…)

Cardinal: (What are you and Bat even up to? What madness and decimation are you two causing right now?)

Cardinal: (We have to find you…)

Cardinal: (We have to find you both BEFORE the feds do…)

[His vision was starting to clear up, and he found himself stuck in the long shadows of fading sunlight. Clouds were moving in.]

Cardinal: …

[He sat in silence for a good, long while.

His plan had failed. He should have known it wouldn’t be so easy, but he only had that one chance to go off of. He had hoped to get a solid lead on Shade, so that he could continue.]

Cardinal: (Battalion is a major threat, but he’s also a walking tank. With the amount of destruction he’d leave in his wake, it shouldn’t be that hard to find him. He’s so distinctive and massive… you could hardly miss him.)

Cardinal: (…But you…)

Cardinal: (You could be ANYWHERE…)

[He shook his head, feeling defeated.]

Cardinal: (And I don’t have even the faintest idea of what you’re capable of…. I had kept out of that part of your life that was sworn to secrecy…)

Cardinal: (What sort of secrets do you know, Shade?)

[He gave a small whine of displeasure before pushing himself back to his feet. He stared at the wall of graffiti sullenly.]

Cardinal: (Where are you hiding?)

Cardinal: Nnnnn…

[He rummaged through his supplies, taking out some paint cans. He’d brought them along to double as weapons—to blind opponents’ eyes—but he had a feeling that that strategy just wasn’t going to be fit for the situation.]

Cardinal: …

[Psssssht. Psssshhhhht.]

Cardinal: (Wherever you are…)

[Pssshhhhht… pssshhhhhht…]

Cardinal: (Whatever you’ve begun…)

[Psshhhhhhhhhhhhhht…]

Cardinal: (I’m GOING to find you.)

[He stepped back to look at his artwork, tossing the half-empty cans on the ground.

There, amidst the chaos, he’d painted the family symbol for the Rebel Angels.]

Cardinal: …

[He turned sharply on his heels, shifting to his Civilian form.]

Cardinal: Come on, Jazz.

[His cat trotted along, following suit.]

Cardinal: We need to start over. Get new leads.

Cardinal: I have an idea…

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=CHAPTER 10A: SNEAK INTO THE PRISON=

~AO v1.0~

((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))

<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>

((Briefing will go here))

[When Mikhail, Des, and Felix got there, The Mighty Numbers were gathered around the main screen, which had two live feeds.]

[One was of the main entrance of the CherryDynamics Factory, blown wide open. CherryDyn Models were pouring out by the dozens.]

[And the other feed...]

Speedy: Holy glitch is that a PRISON?!

Will: ....

Will: ...Yes.

Will: There's been a break-in.

Jaden: Seriously? At a time like THIS? Who would want to break INTO a prison?

Mikhail: ({—! No—! They DIDN’T—!}) Where are my sons?!

Jaden: Hmm? They’re still aslee— -Turns around-

Jaden: —!!!

<DWN-013 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

[His battle armor rapidly shifted into place. He looked scared.]

Jaden: HOLY glitch, Doctor WHY ARE YOU TIED UP—

Speedy: -Whirls around, shifting also and taking a defensive battle stance out of instinct as he speaks in alarm- Wait, what?!

Des: I'll uncuff him later!

Des: What is going ON?!

Call: CherryDynamic's Robot Factory has been mass producing infected models at an alarming rate.

Call: There has also been a reported break-in at the maximum security Prison, and all communication with them has been lost.

Call: CherryDyn Models have also been reported trying to swarm the Prison.

Will: . . .

Mikhail: What? Why? Who’s being kept there?

Will: ....

Will: Dr. Benedict Blackwell.

Mikhail: … What?

Mikhail: -Now just CONFUSED-  I though we discussed this a long, long time ago—

Mikhail: Who would want to go after him? This can’t be his doing. You said he’s been there for ages, and even Dr. Wily isn’t THAT patient! After Rock finally corners him a second time, he’ll only wait a few months before—

Mikhail: … (Wait— he… w-will…?!)

[He doubled over in a sudden, overwhelming headache, with the Robot Masters present doing likewise. Felix managed to catch Mikhail before he hit the ground, despite being alarmed and startled—but Jaden and Speedy were not so lucky.]

Will: --!!

Will: Mikhail--?!

Beck: Guys?!

Jaden: Ow… (Feel like I had the wind knocked right out of me…)

Mikhail: Ghh… gah… not this again…

Will: (--?? Again--?)

Mikhail: This… this happened… or will happen… before…

Felix: Side note—Master Desmond knows the truth now.

Will: ......I...see.

Des: ....

Will: (...Ngh...)

Speedy: Ugh, worry about Dad and what he WILL do in the future later—let’s deal with the now, what do we do?

Will: Mngh.... (....)

Will: (They're not going to like this.)

Will: We now have not one, but two major situations we must deal with.

Beck: So we split up?

Will: No.

Will: At least, not you, Mighties.

Jaden: …What? Surely you don’t plan to send us off away from them. -Looks over at Desmond nervously- What if we’re… stopped, and…?

Speedy: -Suddenly notices, and seems to freeze up, then look pained- We’re not gonna get experimented on, are we? The first time people took me apart for science was bad enough.

((Des reaction))

Will: That’s, um… not quite what I meant, you two.

Pyro: --?

Will: You're more effective as an entire team, rather than in two parts. Not only that, but you have the endurance and skill needed for combat on a massive scale.

Will: It's only logical that you all will be sent to the Factory. There's no telling how many infected models are on site.

Will: ...Not only that—

Jaden: But—!

Jaden: Doctor, that’s a contagion hazard! D:

Speedy: Oh, shut up, Beck’s on our side and you can tank anything anyway.

Jaden: Why take that risk, brother?! After everything that’s happened?! What do you think would happen if—! What would that do to them?!

Jaden: You and I are immune and make to take this sort of fight—we can handle ourselves! If we must split ways—

((Will’s response as to why not))

Will: As long as you do not let any infected Xel into your systems, you all should be fine.

Will: I'll also be implementing a prototype XelFilter.EXE program into our server before I go.

Beck: ....

Beck: Go?

Mikhail: {What?} Will, what— go where?

Will: ....

Will: CherryDynamics's Robot Factory is all automated.

Will: The way the system is set up, it can produce models with little to no human help.

Will: Because of this, any and all changes to their Manufacturing Operator Mainframe-- The M.O.M units...

Will: ...Must be done on site.

Will: Though a certain, mainframe terminal with the ONLY authorized access.

Mikhail: —…

Mikhail: And… you’ve already determined there’s no one else— that’s why it took time, even after I left…

Mikhail: …

Felix: (I hope he doesn’t demand to take Will’s place. I don’t know much about the machines of this world, but I DO know that he’s going to make himself sick if he doesn’t get some rest very soon.)

Mikhail: At least take the sensory defense mechanism with you, Will!

Mikhail: I’m begging you—

Mikhail: You and Sanda are the ONLY friends I have ever since we were relocated in the protection program! PLEASE don’t get yourself hurt!

Pyro: Father--

Beck: Dad, wait--

Mikhail: Boys!

Mikhail: There’s an American saying you people have. “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”

Mikhail: He wouldn’t be doing this unless he knew it were the best option—we don’t have time for further delay! Mighties, Angels—get ready to go, you must act quickly!

Beck: ....

Beck: --But what about the Prison?

Will: Sanda's going there with Call.

Soi: Yes, of--

Soi: Wait, WHAT?!

Felix: -sNORTS-

Will: Sanda.

Will: I know I ask too much of you...

Will: But if someone is going after Blackwell, someone must go and ensure his safety.

Will: ...As well as get some answers, if any.

[Speedy gave a loud, annoyed ping of disagreement.]

Speedy: You want answers from him?

[He points at Mikhail (who is standing to the right of him) using both hands, without even looking over. He maintains eye contact with Will the whole time.]

Speedy: Try having him talk to the guy! We’ve more or less known for ages that Blackwell went nuts for the same reasons my Dad did! : /

Will: I will NOT put any more in danger than I HAVE to, Speedy.

Will: .....

Will: ...Soi...

Will: If...

Will: If you really don't feel like you can, I--

Soi: ....Ngh.

Soi: ...W-Well...Under the circumstances, I...Suppose this is the only way to talk to Blackwell...Hoorf...

Soi: A...Are you sure you don't want to swap missions? ^^;;;

Will: You want to go to a factory full of infected robots instead?

Soi: --....

Will: (...Besides.)

Will: (I would prefer it if I NEVER have to see or hear of Blackwell ever again for the rest of my life.)

Des: Are you kidding me--

Des: This is INSANE, you're civilians, you can't just--!

Will: On the contrary, Mr. Desmond.

Will: I am not as helpless as I appear to be.

Will: I have means to defend myself.

Des: --...

Will: Brandish?

Brand: --Yes, Father?

Will: Remember that box I gave you? Before you left to train?

Will: The wooden one.

Brand: Yes...?

Will: Please bring it to me.

Mikhail: I still insist you take the sensory device mechanism with you. >>

Will: I didn't say no, Mikhail. -Chuckles-

[Mikhail walks over and slings his arms over Will’s head to pull him into a hug—as much of a hug he can, given his current condition.]

Will: --!

Mikhail: Be careful out there, alright?

Will: ....

Will: Eheh....

Will: I will.

Will: I have the world's top fighting team on my side, don't I? ^^

Cryo: -YEAH I'LL PUNCH ANYONE THAT TRIES TO HURT NOODLE DAD-

Mikhail: -Grins, pulling his arms up and over again to release his friend- And then some. I think you will all be surprised at what Jaden can take and what Speedy can do.

Jaden: As long as Avi doesn’t get me caught in a crosswind unfriendly fire, I can take just about anything.

Jaden: …

Jaden: …I wish Cardinal could come with us.

Will: ....So do I.

[A moment later, Brandish returns with the box in question.]

[...It's a stained black wooded box. It almost looked solid with no visible way to open it.]

Will: Ah...

Soi: --!

Soi: Wait a sec...

Brand: ....

Brand: You told me to never open it unless I was in real danger.

Speedy: Bro, I’m pretty sure now qualifies. >>;

Will: Yes...

Beck: ?

Beck: But what's in it?

Will: Hmm...

[Will runs his hands over it, an almost...Far away look in his eyes.]

Will: (...I never thought I'd have to use this again.)

Will: (Or if I even... Remember how...)

Will: Soi...

Soi: --!

[The box suddenly opened--either by voice or by some hidden mechanic only Will knew, was hard to say.]

[Inside was some kind of...]

[... Rapier handle?]

Soi: (...You still kept that--?)

Speedy: …

Speedy: Is that a classy light saber, or—

Will: -Laughs-

Will: Not quite, but that's a good guess!

[With one hand behind his back, Will grasped the handle.]

[As if by magic, Xel began to appear out of the hole where the blade should Be--slowly settling into that very sharp steel-like point.]

Will: I must admit, I...

Will: ...Haven't quite fenced in a while...

Brand: ....

Brand: You knew how to FENCE and you didn't tell me--

Will: Eheh...

Will: Oops? ^^;;

Felix: …

Felix: -I want to spar—-

Brand: -So do I--

Soi: -SNORTS-

Soi: Ah, ah! I'd think twice if I were you!

Soi: -Pats Will on the shoulder- Will here won the National Collegiate Fencing Tournament for FIVE years running!

Beck: WHAT--

Will: I, uh...Eheh. That was college, Soi...

Soi: -STILL COUNTS-

Felix: And I trained under Proxan Warriors for five years, give—

[Mikhail gives a hearty laugh.]

Mikhail: You boys can have all the spars you could want once this nightmare is over. Felix, you and Brand are next, if I remember correctly?

Brand: -Winner gets to face Father-

Felix: -DEAL-

Mikhail: Go on. Go out there and end this, to make those happy days once again a reality.

Des: -You guys are NUTS-

Will: Mikhail...

Will: I trust you'll hold down the lab while we're gone.

Felix: -Brought back to the now at this- -Frowns- …

Mikhail: I’ll do my best. Mr. Desmond, will you help me with that?

Des: I...don't really have a choice...

[RING!]

Des: --? (That's my cell--)

Des: -Takes out phone--

Des: --....

Des: (Oh.)

[CALL FROM: MINNIE MOUSE]

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: ???

Des: Uh.

Des: -Quickly moves to unlock the Doctor's handcuffs- I have to take this--

Des: Good luck!

[While Dr. White prepared the Mighty Numbers for a battle in an infected factory, Donald Desmond took a call from his boss on a private room on a secure line.

She was less than pleased.]

Minerva: THERE you are! Good heavens—we were starting to wonder if we’d have to promote your secretary!

Des: Madame President, I’m fine. >>;  Thing is, now we got a bigger problem...

Minerva: Besides the fact that the last I contacted you, you were going to arrest him, and the next thing I know, both the city where you WERE and the prison you were going TO were both under attack? -.-;

Des: ...No, that's pretty much it. -Sighs-

Minerva: -Also sighs and puts a hand to her face- Your colleague in the Department of Homeland Security is having a field day with all the work that’s been slammed onto him since this started. And now that the strongest prison we have has been compromised…

Minerva: The CIA are pretty certain foreign entities—primarily Russia and Japan, since that was the most intense focus—aren’t part of this, though that rather suggests this is homegrown, which isn’t much more reassuring.

Des: Besides the fact that we got civilians heading in both places, that is. -_-;;;; Dr. White and the MN Line is heading into the Factory while Dr. Sanda and his daughter are heading for the Prison...

Minerva: …

Minerva: I don’t like the sounds of that. (Can Dr. Sanda even handle something so dangerous?)

Minerva: Even with all nine of the Mighty Numbers, that still places Dr. White in extreme danger.

Des: He seemed pretty confident in himself, Min. …And he has some sort of Xel rapier, too.

[Minerva looked up.]

Minerva: Beg pardon?

Des: According to Dr. Sanda, Dr. White won the National Collegiate Fencing Tournament for five years in a row.

Minerva: …

[She gave a bit of an odd look, and didn’t speak for several moments.]

Minerva: …Well, if he’s certain, then. The factory is privately owned, however…

Des: They got a call from CherryDyn itself asking for help.

Minerva: … Really?

[She sounded exasperated on Will’s behalf.]

Minerva: Does Mr. Graham really think that they’d be so eager to help after all the scandal he’s tried to cause them?

Des: Well, apparently they agreed to help out, because of the emergency.

[Minerva sighed.]

Minerva: Alright, enough on that matter. As for the prison…

Minerva: Everyone on the scene is already doing what they can, and it’s DoHS’s problem if they need to prevent Dr. Sanda from entering, then. But why is he going there in the first place?

Des: I heard that it was to ensure that Dr. Blackwell isn't harmed...

Des: ....

Des: But I also heard something about getting some answers...

Minerva: …Now that’s suspicious. That was actually said directly?

Des: Yup.

Des: At first, I thought it was because Graham blamed him when the virus broke out, and wanted to ask him why, but...

Des: If Blackwell isn't involved, then why go though the trouble, besides ensuring safety?

Minerva: What did the others have to say to that?

Des: Doctor Cossack wasn't exactly pleased.... It was suggested that HE be sent to talk to Blackwell instead of Sanda.

Minerva: … What? Why on earth would they suggest that? .-.

Des: He's....older? I don't know.... (They said something about Blackwell and their father… sounded like they were referring to Dr. Wily, but why…? How does that connect to Cossack being able to get answers?)

Des: Still, it doesn't make much sense...

Minerva: …

Minerva: What even happened earlier today, Des?

Des: ...........

Des: >>

Des: ....

Minerva: I asked you to keep me posted, and you did—you said that Dr. Cossack was involved, that that had been confirmed, and he was stonewalling you. What happened in that interview?

Des: .....

Des: It's not really what happened in it, it's...

Des: It's what happened right after that.

Minerva: Elaborate.

Des: I can't.

[There was a moment of silence as Minerva Morandi gave her best educator’s stare of disapproval. Desmond scowled under the fierce power of a miffed teacher’s gaze.]

Des: It's....

Des: It's really hard to put into words, okay--

Des: I literally can't can't explain it without sounding...Uh.

Des: ....

Des: >>

Des: Really really crazy.

Minerva: -Raises an eyebrow- You’re stonewalling me? Really?

Minerva: Honestly, Donald—it’s not as if you’re going to say you discovered that Beck White is actually an alien from the moon running the Illuminati with a sock puppet as a mind control device.

Des: Okay, point--

Des: It's still hard to put it in a way that you'll actually believe it, Min.

Des: It's...

Des: ...Probably better if you saw it yourself.

Minerva: :T I can’t enter the city, Des. It’s been declared an area of emergency. That’s one of the reasons why it was so important to figure out WHERE you were—both of the options possible were bad. Even if I were feeling like humoring you, there’s no way the Secret Service would let me sneak over.

Des: Then you're just going to have to trust me on this one, Min.

Des: Look, you've known me for years, okay? I've been nothing but truthful to you, not because I'm the SECRETARY of DEFENSE, but because you're my friend.

Minerva: Exactly, so I don’t understand why you’re stonewalling me.

Minerva: You said Cossack was involved—how so?

Minerva: Is he relevant to this or not, Des?

Des: >> ....

Des: Just brace yourself for this--

[He pulled out the recording device that was used to record the interview.]

[Click.]

((descriptive text, flashbacks here; too sick right now to write it out))

Minerva: He surrendered— just like that?

Des: Yeah.

Des: Covering for DLN-008, I know he is.

Minerva: But that would cost him his life if he kept that up, and he clearly knew it!

Des: .....

Des: >>

Des: There's....A reason for that, why he covered for them.

Des: ....And this is the crazy part, Min.

Minerva: Sacrificing the well being of his daughter for another patient he isn’t related to? For charges amounting to what we send CAL missions out for? This better be good.

Des: ....

Des: After that...

Des: >>;;;

Des: I had a bit of trouble escorting the Doctor out of the room...

Des: The other Doctors, and the MN series--they weren't going to let me walk out of that building with him, that's for sure...

Minerva: —wait, what? Are you saying they threatened you?

Des: No, although White was really angry...

Des: Apparently, Doctor Mikhail had a watch that sent a distress signal based on his heart rate--to their server.

Minerva: … (Des… how could you have missed that? -Internal sigh- I guess we’re all only human.)

Minerva: Well. That would suggest that all his reactions were genuine, and not an act…

Des: True.

Des: ....

Des: . . . . .

Des: And then this...

Des: This man...

Des: -Again struggling to put it into words-

Des: Like something out of a book or something...

Des: He just raised his hand and NO one moved after that--

Des: I couldn't move--

Minerva: So you WERE attacked—

Des: No, more like restrained--

Des: And I wasn't exactly the primary target, I think...

Des: He had no weapon in his hand, nothing, it was like he...I don't know, stopped TIME or something!

Des: I could still think, but move? Nothing.

Minerva: What kind of Xelbot was he?

Des: I...

Des: I don't think he was one.

Minerva: …

Minerva: (There’s another human angle besides the four Doctors and Gregory Graham? That’s new.)

Des: ...He said his name was Felix of Vale.

Des: He said he brought DLN-000's new core replacement.

Minerva: …

Minerva: I taught the Xel equivalent of biology as a science unit for years.

Minerva: It… …doesn’t work that way.

Des: -Runs hand though his hair-

Des: Yeah. On Xelbots, yeah.

Des: .....

Minerva: …

Des: .....

Des: Min?

Des: The DLN line, the DWN line, and Cossack's line...

Des: ...

Des: The Doctor let me watch.

Des: I saw DLN-000 in repairs.

Des: He's not a Xel-Type Robot.

[A pause.]

Minerva: …

Minerva: -Puts her hands to her face- That… explains a number of things.

Minerva: (Such as why it was stated he ran on nuclear energy. Ugh, now the whole White House will have to be swept for radiation…)

Minerva: No wonder Cossack wouldn’t let us take him in for repairs. If the tech branch of HHS saw…

Des: Would have seen wires and fans and other things like that.

Minerva: Goodness gracious. That such old technology could produce something sturdy enough to stand up to assault from the world’s best security and arguably the world’s most dangerous long-range combatant, at the same time…

Minerva: Oh yes, that would have been very much of interest to a number of departments in the Pentagon. As we now know. >~> -Grrr-

Des: It...

Des: ....

Des: There was...

Des: The core that Felix brought--

Des: It was like...Like a rock of some kind...

Minerva: …?

Des: And when it was placed in--

Des: The damage started to repair itself.

Des: Without any of the Doctor's doing, it just...

Des: By itself.

Minerva: …

Minerva: I… -Trails off, brain buzzing with the inferred information of that statement-

Des: See what I mean now? (And that's not even the biggest part.)

Minerva: …I can see why the Doctor would want to protect such research development from being discovered, and why he might risk his life to do so. I can understand why he might cover for 000. And… if his sons are the same way, then I suppose for DLN-008 as well—all part of keeping his family safe.

Minerva: But… why tell you, then…? He was clearly willing to die for those secrets. And that’s still a possibility.

Minerva: It seems as if this Felix person’s arrival changed things, somehow.

Des: ......

Des: Kind of did.

Des: Ever heard of a place called Weyard, Min?

Minerva: … (Well, it’s certainly not a country or a major city anywhere in the world…)

Des: ...No, right?

Minerva: Not that I can think of…

Des: Well, me either.

Des: Apparently it's where the rock core--and I assume this Felix character came from.

Minerva: Could it be code, I wonder…?

Des: There's also the timestamps on the files sent to us, dated three months ago. About Cossack and his family.

Minerva: …

Minerva: —!

Minerva: Wait—three months?

Minerva: I thought something was strange—

[She looked down at a pile of papers, sorting through it to bring out a file folder. She opened it up.]

Minerva: It seems Mr. Cardinal Light went to visit the Colosseum several days before the files first manifested in the systems. That should have made it impossible for him to—…

Des: …

Des: Min…?

Minerva:  =.=“;;

Minerva: Stupid…

Minerva: Can’t believe we didn’t see this earlier…

Des: See what?

Minerva: -Exasperated- Desmond?

Minerva: I don’t think the KGB or FBI forged those papers.

Des: ! -Listens closely-

Minerva: Unless I am very much mistaken…

((Pic))

Minerva: /Countershade Arthur White/ did.

Des: . . .

Des: (Dammit—)

Minerva: I should have seen it—

Minerva: The Certified Assassins League has some rather broad powers of deception at their disposal due to the nature of their missions, and he’s one of the highest ranking members they have—

Minerva: 000 accompanied HIM to the Colosseum, went after HIM, SAID they were friends, CLEARLY knew him well—

Minerva: Gaaaah of course it was him, should have payed more attention to Occam’s Razor…

Des: -Uuuuugh-

Des: He must have pulled some strings...

Minerva: I’m not sure if anyone can even punish him for that, not unless they can prove it was treason. =~=; Since it was clearly in personal and public interest to keep the technology of the non-Xelbots secret, that would be practically impossible.

Minerva: -Sigh-

Des: .....

Des: >> (It makes sense why he had to get them, though...)

Des: The weird thing is...

Des: Before then, and all files pertaining, there's nothing else.

Minerva: That is disturbing, if nothing else.

Minerva: Those burn scars were real. He did get injured in a fire. He mentioned that he had been so injured as part of an abduction case. Something that serious should have been in multiple FBI files. The man was tortured by someone.

Minerva: The CIA can’t find anything from Russian data banks, either. Nothing. The Russians possessing such technology has never come up on your radar, either, or else we’d know about it—because that IS your Department, literally.

Minerva: It just doesn’t make sense, Des.

Minerva: There should be dozens and dozens of files on him, if he’s telling the truth: abduction case files, foreign Doctors, people under Witness Protection, completely different robotics technology, something—

Minerva: Countershade wouldn’t have provided papers for someone he didn’t completely trust, and he was hardly the trusting sort, 000 aside. (That’s a different topic.)

Minerva: That means that the lack of information is not because of the powers of the KGB to hide things being put into use—if they had been involved in any way, ESPECIALLY if Cossack had been a spy…. If Cossack is lying, I’m sure Eight would have found out. Found out and eliminated the threat, actually.

Minerva: It’s as if he’s both lying and telling the truth at the same time…. Which in turn means either all the departments here are lying or completely incompetent…

Minerva: …Or else… there just never was anything to find.

Des: …

Minerva: …Tell me, Secretary…

Minerva: Did the files get eaten in one of the cyberattacks this year? Or am I being lied to… again? …We, rather—

Minerva: …Or…

Minerva: Is there a different reason?

Des: .......

Des: Min....

Des: -Exhales-

Des: ....

Des: I'm going to repeat what the Doctor told me.

Des: I'm still trying to wrap my head around it myself...

Minerva: … (It’s not like him to be this uncertain… it must really have been something very much conflicting in nature…) Go on, Donny.

Des: He said...

Des: ....

Des: >>

Des: (Ugh, what can I compare this to...)

Des: (...I got nothing...)

Des: ....

Des: "'The truth is you will never find records of us newer than five months ago. They don’t exist because we didn’t exist here until that point."'

Minerva: …

Minerva: -Very thoughtful- …

Minerva: …Are you saying…

Minerva: (To exist and not exist at the same time… records don’t exist because nothing existed to record, and yet they clearly happened…)

Des: ....

Des: As in.

Des: At all.

Des: -Pinches nose-

Des: And then that man named Felix said...

Des: "'Like the Doctor, I am another traveler through reality.' "

Minerva: …

Des: Look before you say any—

Minerva: Incredible.

Des: --...Wait huh?

Minerva: The existence of alternate realities as true realities rather than “might-have-beens” is one of science’s greatest daydreams. There’s a reason so much science fiction exists on the matter.

Des: -Yeah but it's fiction-

Des: -Or at least it was—-

Minerva: It’s a… fantastic— that is, relating to fantasy option, yes— but my alternatives are just as strange to accept.

Minerva: The entirety of the federal government, blind to something so large and heinous as an international abduction affair that nearly wiped out a family? The same government, lying about it and lying well? One of the best of the CAL falsifying papers for a spy?

Minerva: Those are equally as implausible, in my opinion.

Minerva: There’s also the matter of the dog to consider. That thing has abilities that no other animal has. DNA has no match.

Des: The dog--?

[She looks up with a smile.]

Minerva: Yes, the dog.

Minerva: -Whistles- Scout! Come say hi to Donny!

"RARF RARF RARF RARF--"

Des: --?????

Scout: -AFFECTIONATE HEADBUTT--

[Scout used HEADBUTT! Unfortunately, because it is a screen and Des is not actually there in person, it’s not very effective.]

Des: -WH--

Scout: : D!!!!!!

Des: -Oh iT'S YOU, YOU KEEP STEALING MY SUIT PINS-

[Minerva picked up the happy Zig and gave him a kiss.]

Minerva: Yes, who’s a good booooooy~

Scout: -ME, I AM THE GOOD BOY, THE GOOD BOY IS ME-

Scout: <3~~~

Minerva: < 3~

Minerva: -Gives scritches and looks back up with a smile- Whatever reservations I might have about the investigative branches of departments, I’m fairly confident in HHS’ ability to identify if something is a dog or a raccoon or not.

Minerva: They said something very interesting about his DNA—

Minerva: Now as you know, DNA is constantly changing in little ways, that’s how biology works. It’s part of microevolution.

Minerva: They said his DNA showed the capacity for what would be regarded as macroevolution—a radical change that completely alters the physical structure of the organism to the point where it’s classified as a new species. Which is not something that tends to happen on an individual scale.

Des: ...This little guy?

Minerva: Yes.

Scout: : D

Scout: -LICKS screen, hallo person, you seem nice-

Scout: <3

Des: ....So--what, he's some kinda alien dogcoon or something?

Minerva: -Laughs- Yes, that’s the best way to put it. He’s still very close to a raccoon, though. Not quite that alien.

Minerva: Biology not normally found on earth… technology never seen before… incidents with no records which have physical evidence of having happened… an eyewitness statement of someone I trust the most besides my husband and my parents—

Minerva: No, all that together suggests that it is more plausible and likely to be correct than any of the more conspiracy-leaning theories. It’s not an easy thing to accept, but it does have a lot of solid evidence and some strong theoretical evidence behind it.

Minerva: I think we only really have two options—that there is a large conspiracy pulled off on a scale that would be astonishing to work at all…

Minerva: …Or else there really has been an incident with an intersection between realities, small enough that one family who cares could try and keep it secret.

Minerva: To put it frank: I believe you.

Des: ....

Des: -Jesus Christ Almighty this is a RELIEF--

Des: -One because now I know I'm not crazy and two--

Des: -Two because you believe me--

Des: ---...

Des: Uh.

Des: You, uh, do realize this is gonna basically tear down years of security measures if there's other worlds out there, right--

Minerva: Yes. That’s a problem I’ll have to consider carefully.

Minerva: There is a unit of the FBI that goes out to investigate supernatural claims—usually there’s a malicious hoax behind it, sometimes innocuous as an accident, though, but yes…

Minerva: If this is not an isolated incident, there’s got to be someone in that department who’s noticed. They probably didn’t come forward because of the same reasons you were reluctant to speak, yourself.

Minerva: I’ll have the vet from HHS who worked on Scout make some discreet inquiries, and see if we can determine if this is a problem or not at this stage. If it is, then perhaps our “travelers” have more to say on the matter, or could help.

Minerva: You might have to question Felix later, from the sounds of it. We’ll have to see.

Minerva: I don’t like the sounds of this Dr. Wily character—he was reckless and capable enough to overpower a Doctor of great intellect and multiple strong sons, and in doing so, set out to create an international incident. The “charges” that Cossack alluded to… it sounds very much like it had to do with a close brush with war.

Minerva: I do not like that.

Minerva: And another thing, Des.

Minerva: He said a construct named Viper was part of it.

Minerva: Constructs are often named based on appearance, power, or both, especially Combat ones.

Minerva: We have seen the unexplained involvement of SNAKES before, recently, in matters of interest. Remember?

Des: . . .

Des: (Oh no...)

Minerva: Unfortunately, I suspect you WILL have to question Doctor Cossack again before everything is said and done—off the record, for at least one occasion.

Minerva: I noticed he is a master of exact phrasing. He also may know more about what happened with Jack than he’s said—and if not, he may be at least be able to identify whether or not the snakes found in the UK match Viper’s weaponry.

Minerva: The way he talked about Jack… I do think he knows more.

Des: Hmmm...

Des: Well, if anyone can explain what happened to Jack, gotta be one of the Doctors.

Des: Dr. Sanda still needs to be questioned, but...

Des: (That has to come A LOT later.)

Minerva: -Sighs, rubbing her temples- Yes…

Minerva: He is an American citizen, but he’s related to matters in your department, so you get lead point with that. DoHS was happy to oblige, given they have enough to worry about without adding on working with an agreeable Japanese Doctor.

Minerva: The DoD needs to focus on the international angle. HHS is working with the tech departments to keep Japan updated, as they said they would send help when it was safe—and now that we know Tobias Wily falls under your jurisdiction and not Homeland Security… DLN-008 is still a person of interest as a potential security hazard, and if we can’t question him directly, the Doctors are going to need to be more forthcoming about him.

Minerva: What do you plan to talk to Soichiro Sanda about?

Des: Jeez, that is IF Doctor Cossack will let me within five feet of him...

Minerva: …?

Minerva: What do you mean?

Des: Min, he covered for him.

Des: And honestly, someone like the Doctor with that many concealed weapons on him--

Des: -We had to question him in his PJs, and even then we STILL missed something he had up his sleeve—-

Minerva: …

Minerva: What’s all this about weapons?

Minerva: You didn't mention THAT—

Des: -Well, we were more worried about whether or not you'd believe us about the whole space and time thing, but--

Des: Two blades, a pistol, a taser, and some kind of panic button made to disable human and robots by sensory overlord... -That's how he put it at least-

Des: ...And the watch...

Minerva: … -Raises an eyebrow- Well someone’s sure prepared. Sounds like you on a camping trip, actually.

Des: I know—I said something to that effect, myself. -.-;

Minerva: I wonder, though.

Minerva: From what I understand, several things factored into Dr. Cossack’s behavior. First, a strong protective fatherly instinct for his children… and the DLNs as well, it seems.

Minerva: Second, a great and terrible fear based on his last experience with a federal government—his, specifically. It sounds like they were debating on giving him the death penalty, and it got close and bad enough that he came to terms with it and helped his daughter do likewise.

Minerva: And third…

Minerva: It sounds and looks like he hasn’t really eaten or slept for three days.

Minerva: All of that together makes for a much more aggressive man than you’d find under normal conditions.

Minerva: If he’s no longer tired, and can be assured he needn’t fear for his loved ones… he’ll probably stonewall you less. He seems pretty submissive when it’s for the good of others.

Minerva: …Alternatively… you could hold the interview when Dr. Cossack is sleeping. He didn’t look very well, he’ll probably be sleeping a lot once adrenaline wears off. (And if that doesn’t work, well. : / Protocol, I’m afraid.)

Des: ...Yeah, maybe when he's asleep...

Des: Poor guy needs at least a few days of sleep...

Minerva: I wonder what Sanda’s side to all of this is.

Minerva: Remember when we spoke to him? He seemed a bit desperate to spare Mikhail Cossack the worst of what could have been as an alternative.

Minerva: He might be willing to talk for Mikhail’s sake, if Mikhail is trying to take the fall for him for something.

[She crossed her arms with a frown.]

Minerva: We can’t avoid this, Des. And out of respect, we shouldn’t try to ignore the fact, at least not for any longer.

Minerva: It’s easy for the heart to be moved to compassion. It’s in our better natures. …That’s why criminals will try to make themselves appear the victim, in hopes to avoid justice. And in turn, why that cannot be allowed to interfere with the truth. Justice is blind for a reason.

Minerva: While the situation may be sympathetic, it unfortunately does not change the fundamental reasons why he is under arrest in the first place. In fact, it may only make it worse. 

Minerva: He is the authoritative force behind multiple unregistered, highly powerful, and apparently unsupervised Combat constructs who pose significant security threats. Conventional means of dealing with them may not even work, since they can heal themselves of all but the most grave of injuries—so there’s also no easy way to keep them in check.

Minerva: As for him—he is capable of working to defend himself with the means of force without using Xel, using and working with coding that can bypass traditional and cutting-edge firewalls alike. He’s also very clever, able to obtain well-hidden information even without going to illegal measures. He’s aware of government secrets that even we barely found out ourselves, and he has no problem stonewalling investigations. If he chooses to, he can avoid detection completely, even from multiple governmental agencies of several countries.

Minerva: He’s chosen to assume responsibility for the actions of his patients. That includes: two or three accounts of hacking through military-level security firewalls to disable them, two attempted murders and one additional threat thereof, one breaking-and-entering, and the destruction of federally owned property of national historic and cultural importance.

Minerva: Those would be bad enough for anyone: such a rap sheet would easily earn him a black spot-level mission to CAL operatives… one assigned top-rank member, multiple authorized mid-rank members, and League-wide requirement to any situationally capable member.

Minerva: But he isn’t even a citizen. That makes him a foreign threat to national security.

Minerva: If he continues to stonewall us at the rate and manner he’s been doing, it’s going to quickly cost him his life.

((transition))

((Desmond returns. If the lab is empty, then… at first it seems Felix is alone, but then one can spot Dr. Cossack sleeping on part of the console nearby. Felix has muted the sound, and is currently turning over a large, decorated card in the fingers of his left hand. He seems distracted.))

Felix: …

Felix: (Darkness covered the skies, and across the land, there were screams of agony, the despair of the dying.)

Felix: (I’ve seen this before…)

((Grave Eclipse))

Felix: …

Felix: (But…)

Felix: (Why did I see that again? Everything else I saw was related to the Robot Masters in some form.)

Felix: (If I was only seeing a collection of future disasters, the visions of the past should not have been included. And…)

[He looks over at Desmond with a judging frown and piercing gaze.]

Felix: (If it were related to future troubles in which they would get involved… why was this man absent? He said he was going to take in Master Cossack for questioning, but the way everyone was acting, and the fact he was bound…)

[His frown shifted again into an aggressive glare.]

Felix: (I do not like what that suggests.)

((Des reaction, such HOSTILITY, lawls))

Felix: I’d very much like to understand what is going on, but I doubt I will get a full answer. -Giving Des a sullen stare- It bothers me to see him so submissive about something he considers to be a threat to his life, and I don’t entirely understand what put him there.

Des: >>

Des: Believe me, I'm not very crazy about all this either.

Felix: I know. Master Cossack said that as part of speaking up for you. He certainly made an effort to do that, you know.

Felix: He specifically mentioned for his sons to be left asleep when he called for me to come over with Master Cardinal’s new heart. Combined with the fact you have all of his weaponry and he told me to leave mine behind, he’s trying to make sure that it’s understood he doesn’t intend to fight back.

Felix: Who /are/ you, Master Desmond? Why is he— and everyone else for that matter— so terrified of you?

Des: ....

Des: -Sighs, pinches the bridge of his nose-

Des: That may have something to do with the fact that I'm a important government official, Mr. Felix.

Felix: …

Felix: The military leader of an empire… | [ -Obviously less than pleased-

Des: >>;; Secretary of Defense. I'm hardly ecstatic over this, you know.

Des: Because I know he's covering for DLN-008.

Des: Dr. Cossack claims to have ordered DLN-008 to infiltrate the security of our nation's Capital Building--The White House. Among other things...

Felix: …

Felix: Do you know why he -may- —theoretically—be doing that?

Des: Know?

Des: I saw. -You were there when you did... that, on DLN-000-

Des: But I assume you primarily mean the other reason...

Des: Preventing that kind of tech from falling into the wrong hands, I assume?

Felix: That’s not what I’m talking about.

Felix: Let’s play “suppose this”, shall we?

Felix: Suppose you’re right, and he is covering for Tobias.

Felix: In doing so, he’s choosing to sacrifice himself, take on the punishment—or an equivalent—that would have fallen upon the child.

Felix: Any construct in their world, should they be captured alive, would have their code analyzed and rendered inactive in the long run, potentially partially active during experimentation. Barring or including that, if a body is left behind, it will be treated in a similar fashion. Such a thing has already happened once before, and was described as one of the more horrific sights the family has seen.

Des: . . .

Des: (That's BEYOND barbaric...)

Felix: Furthermore—

Felix: The secrets of that mind would be used to tap into the collective being that the family shares, and used to track down the rest, for similar treatment. And if they did manage to escape, they would still be subject to enduring either the memories or the lasting effects of the pain suffered in the dying.

Felix: None of us have any idea what would happen to Tobias if he were—hypothetically—responsible, found responsible, and captured as such.

Felix: Once a Robot Master’s code has been altered in a way that cannot be undone, then they—as they were—die.

Felix: That happens on occasion when they suffer greatly. Their mind comes to terms with such suffering, and they change. Just like we would. It is the death of innocence, and can be described as “dying on the inside”. It is why it takes them even longer than usual to recover from such things.

Felix: But if such a thing happens to their Awareness, then they are destroyed. Permanently.

Felix: Whether or not he is “covering” for Tobias, that is what he expects would happen if the boy—or any of the others, for that matter—were to be held responsible for high crimes against the state.

Felix: So. If it is the threat of death that is so very real for offenses that must be punished, what he’d be doing— regardless of whether it’s taking the blame for them, or else just preventing miscarriage of justice through misunderstanding and fear—

Felix: —is sacrificing his life to prevent a situation which would destroy at least one, potentially drive the others mad, and send several Mighty Numbers into such madness as well.

Felix: I cannot say what exactly happened, as I was barely conscious myself at the time. I remember him saying that they must have not been given word in advance because the military commander was trapped inside. He did ask to get in touch with somebody at your military headquarters, to try and figure out what the exact situation was.

Felix: That is all I really know. He started speaking in his own language at that point, and I was too weak to continue.

[He stood up, looking over at the Doctor.]

Felix: He is tired. So tired that he is very close to making himself very, very sick.

Des: . . .

Felix: He has overworked himself for several days with little rest and even less food.

Felix: In such a state, everything becomes darker, even one’s own actions and words. I’m not entirely sure if he could give an objective account of what he was doing, even though he clearly tried. If you want to get a more accurate and complete account, you won’t be getting it by taking him elsewhere.

Felix: You’ll only get it by stating your own intentions more plainly. And that includes what would happen to him or the others, should parties be found responsible for various events—including, but not limited to, what will happen to him as things are now.

Felix: If it is not your intention to kill the electric child if he is found guilty, you must say so. But do not lie to get him to talk, or it will end poorly for you. And everyone else, for that matter.

[A pause.]

Felix: He has chosen to submit to you. Therefore, I shall respect that.

Felix: He has chosen to surrender and clearly doesn’t want anyone else to risk or dishonor themselves by breaking him out of the peril, so I will honor that wish of his.

[He grabs the handcuffs that had been taken off of Mikhail earlier, and looks Desmond in the eyes.]

Felix: Understand we’d be having a very different exchange otherwise.

[The metal condenses and twists into a pendant showing the Venus tree.]

Des: --!

Des: . . .

Des: (Just what can't he do?)

[He changes it back just as easily, and tosses it to Des for him to catch.]

Des: ! -Whoa--kind of fumbles with it before grasping it fully-

Felix: I can tell that you have some interest in me, as you asked about me specifically.

Des: ....You could say that...

Felix: I can tell you this much; I have dealt with soldiers before, and I am well aware what consequences an empire brings down upon individuals it considers to be enemies.

Felix: However, all these people are my friends, and I try to help them wherever I can. If you are no threat to them, I will be fine with helping you and your superior if it is not something that is conquest or oppressive in nature.

Des: .... Noted...

Des: (He's right--we really haven't gone over what could happen since we were too busy trying to figure out what's going on--)

Des: (But now that we have some idea of it, well.)

Des: ....

Des: We do still have to question Dr. Sanda, if possible.

[Felix couldn’t help but snort at the mental image of that.]

Des: …?

Felix: I… apologize. It’s just that he is so… -ahem- …he’s very congenial in nature, and can display rather childish behavior when nervous or happy.

Felix: A lot like Avi and his mirror, actually…

[Felix sat back down, looking over at Mikhail again.]

Felix: Master Cossack wanted you to know the truth about the worlds primarily because he wanted you to realize that Doctor Sanda and Doctor White were not part of some conspiracy involving his cover. I think he was concerned that you would hold them guilty by association unless you knew where he really came from.

Felix: Doctor Sanda has little influence over what Mikhail says and does, and even less influence over what the Rebel Angels do.

[He suddenly cracks a grin.]

Felix: …As has been seen before.

[He shakes for a moment in silent laughter, coughing once before regaining composure. …Mostly. He’s still grinning, though.]

Des: . . .

Des: -Can't help but snort a little- I heard about that...

Des: I can hardly believe Eight got involved with DLN-000 in that massive... artwork mural, we'll call it...

[Felix laughs aloud at this.]

Felix: I’m not sure how you figured it out, but I can only imagine it became obvious once you considered their abilities and the animosity the family has with that company.

Des: (The use of spray paint at the Office was a pretty big hint, too…. And those pictures he left all over Kansas City, for that matter.)

Felix: -Covers his grin with a hand, trying to regain composure again- I think you’d understand better if you knew…

[At this point, he EASILY transitions to a serious demeanor again.]

Felix: …if you knew just how deeply affected they are by that company and what they’re involved in.

Des: ?

Felix: There was a very bad accident a while back involving supplies bound for both this lab and for the company.

Des: ...Right, the Highway Delta incident...

Felix: When that happened, it was actually Dr. Cossack who suggested making the donation.

Des: --! It was...?

Felix: Yes. He’s more familiar with sociopolitical psychology and the like, and he saw that that was one of the best ways to prevent the situation from being turned against them out of paranoia. And a good way to genuinely help.

Felix: From what I understand… things ended out bad enough anyway that it was obvious it would have been far worse if that measure had not been taken.

Felix: Countershade in particular was placed under a lot of stress, and it took some reminders from Cossack’s youngest son about who had the authority to investigate—something about a Federal branch specifically for that?—such a matter, and that the responsibility was to the state, and not to him.

Des: >>; (Right, the FBI…. I do remember hearing that the director was talking with DoHS about the ordeal.)

Felix: The Rebel Angels were concerned for a while if the incident might lead to anti-construct sentiment, the likes of which led to the dismal situation in their own world. Thankfully, that did not happen, but the threat from the company was far from over.

Felix: It became a point of interest again when they learned that the team of a rival assassin had ties to that company.

Des: (Greater Dusk again. Why is it that everything seems to link back to the Queen’s Finals?)

Felix: Now, with all of this in mind…

Felix: Consider that Master Cardinal and Master Countershade are very close to one another. Being forced to separate so completely and what felt a bit suddenly was… almost physically painful for them both, from what I understand.

Felix: I still don’t know why Cardinal gained that mischievous streak of his again—but it offered him a way to give them a way out of it that would remain something positive to look back on, no matter how long they were separated.

Felix: With the pain at hand and the suffering in the past to support it, I can see why Eight took him up on the offer.

Des: Hmm. (I suppose it’s relatively mild compared to what those two are capable of.)

Felix: -Shakes his head- I think you should know something.

Des: Yes?

Felix: You already know what Tobias is capable of, so there’s no use pretending he wouldn’t be able to do this…

Des: … (I don’t like the sound of that.)

Felix: After particularly nasty episodes, both Tobias and Mikhail—primarily Tobias—expressed a desire to see what information that the company was keeping secret. Despite that, they actively chose not to take the easy—and illegal—way of getting information, because it would be wrong to do so.

[He looks up at Des with a frown.]

Felix: They aren’t out to get people, Master Desmond. Even people they don’t like.

Felix: If you want my opinion, what you are dealing with is a very scared child and a worried relative who wants to protect everyone else. Handling the situation accordingly would be the best way to diffuse the situation from the tenseness that has built to a tangible fear. They mean you no harm, and are less likely to accidentally lash out if they do not feel so frightened.

[His frown shifts to a scowl as he looks away.]

Felix: I hope you give those notes special attention. I would very much like the company to explain why it is behaving the way it is. This is now the second time they’ve publicly placed the Mighty Numbers in a very bad spot. That suggests intent.

Felix: It’s been suggested that the disasters were—directly or indirectly— caused for THAT very reason— to destroy the reputation of the White family as a team and a force of justice.

Des: ....

Des: (CherryDynamics...)

Des: (You DEFINITELY are hiding something, that's for sure...)

Felix: While I’m not sure if that’s the case, I think the possibility needs to be treated seriously.

Des: We've been looking into it. These notes can give us the extra push we need to get though to their CEO.

Des: >> ....Never did say thanks to the Doctor, though.

Des: Could you tell him that for me?

Felix: Yes, though I hope you can tell him that yourself at some point. He does want to help. He blames himself for not learning more Xel coding before this started. : / -Looks over at the sleeping doctor- It has limited what he can do in helping fix the situation. All he was able to contribute was the effects the virus had on his own servers.

Des: Wait a minute—he kind of insinuated that his servers were… well, in a different world.

Felix: Yes, they are not located in this world.

Des: And they still got infected?

Felix: Yes. I’m sorry, I don’t really know all the details. If you really wanted to know about the virus, there are only two people you can ask at this point.

Felix: Tobias is one of them. He’s fought it three times now.

Des: Three?

Felix: Yes. The recent event that we spoke of earlier was the latest. But there was also the time he fought against it for control while trapped inside Avi’s body.

Des: ...

Des: (....Ack, right, Six's broadcast...)

Des: ...

Des: And the other?

Felix: As I explained… the RobotMaster Database: Cossack server was infected. The boys fought it off on an individual basis, and Dr. Cossack ensured that they were not overwhelmed in the process.

Felix: The Doctor was able to completely remove it from the servers, though I don’t know the details. When the boys woke up, they were fine—if feeling rather hot from the strain.

Felix: I don’t know much more than that; I had to hear the short version when I was caught up to speed before bringing the core over. If you want to know more details, you will have to speak to DWN-018. He is the head of the family in lieu of DLN-000, and would make the decision on whether or not to give you details… or even let you talk to Tobias directly, if he feels completely comfortable with it.

[He looked over at Mikhail.]

Felix: …In theory, Master Cossack may be able to say more. But as a healer, I insist he gets some treatment first—starting with rest. I used a sleeping cast Psynergy on him to make sure he actually got some sleep, and once that wears off, I will chide him into eating if I have to.

Des: I agree. The man looks like he might keel over any minute, I have no problem with letting him rest.

Felix: I was worried for a moment there that he would insist on going with Master White, or even taking his place entirely. Thankfully, I didn’t have to restrain him from doing so.

Des: >>;;;

Des: I still think it's absolutely off the wall--Doctor or no, he's still a civilian...

Des: ...I can only hope Doctor White knows what he's doing...

Felix: I had no idea he owned a sword. I wish he would have told me, I could have made him one for his birthday.

[He goes over to look at a screen listing status updates from the Mighty Numbers.]

Felix: I can tell you one thing for certain. There is not going to be much of the factory’s production line left after this.

Des: What makes you say that?

Felix: DWN-013’s main weapon consists of high-grade explosives, and he’ll be in Lethal mode.

Des: … (Why only mention that serial number? Mighty Number Five is a walking arsenal, and One is no slouch with explosives, either.)

Felix: You are going to see some of what the Wily Numbers are capable of, just as much as you will get to see teamwork in the Mighty Numbers outside of the arena.

Felix: Try not to see it as a threat. Jaden is even more submissive than Dr. Cossack. >>;

Des: (It may be a bit late for that, but at least that’s better than the alternative.)

Felix: …

Felix: I would have gone myself, but it’s going to be important that there are people here when Cardinal wakes up. He’s going to be rather frightened if this happens while the lab is empty, for reasons I explained earlier.

Felix: He’ll listen to you, though, since you are a military man of authority.

Des: .... I see. (Since he explained that they would literally be torn apart back in their own home, I can see why DLN-000 would think that, waking up in a lab environment alone...)

[Felix seems tired all of a sudden.]

Felix: I wish I could have awakened sooner. I saw that was going to happen… but I woke from the vision too late to make a difference.

Felix: (There are still things I saw that I do not understand…)

Felix: …

Felix: What happened, exactly? Not the fight, I know about that. But what happened that day? From your perspective, at least.

Des: -Completely stressed look-

Des: Well, I was... with Min, and one other female--our regular secretary--figuring out how to go about damage control and rescue... as well as figuring out what the hell happened at the military base...

Des: Suddenly, everything just--

Des: My walkie went nuts on all channels, the alarms went off, and we got locked in. I got notified through the channels that someone had infiltrated the House, and then...Nothing.

Des: Everything on the comms front went dead, and all I could hear was Eight's voice instead.

Des: ....Told everyone that he was in charge now, and that the first thing he would do as acting President was to up the security of the whole place. >>

Felix: (Interesting…) So…

Felix: Some of the security in place was not yours?

Felix: I wonder which parts and whose security Tobias actually ended up fighting. -Somewhat exasperated- This is relevant and should have been discussed earlier.

Felix: Continue.

Des: Since we were locked in and without comms, there wasn't much we could do except arm ourselves with what we had. Min was very angry, trying to call her children, find a safe way out of the House...

Des: ...A bit later, though, I could hear Eight talking with someone, and distant gunfire...

Felix: That would have to have been Cardinal, as he arrived earlier. Could you hear what he was saying, or just the tone and fact he was talking?

Des: ...I heard some of what DLN-000 was saying--not all of it, though, but enough to tell that they knew each other. As for Shade, I could hear him clear enough...

Felix: … -Wry smile- Was [color=brick]he[/color] taunting the [color=cadetblue]Hunter[/color]?

Felix: Somehow, that does not surprise me. He taunted Countershade when they fought before, after all.

Des: ...They fought before?

Felix: Oh, yes--it was a very good match, truth be told. And a highly anticipated one as well. From the beginning, ever since they understood one another, he wanted to have two spars.

[He sighed, and his smile faded.]

Felix: One mostly for show, and one to push each other to the limit. I believe there is a saying in your world that fits here...

Felix:  "Be careful what you wish for."

Des: . . . (I guess he got that other spar...)

Des: Jeez...

Felix: (I doubt Cardinal will have the strength of heart to fight again for some time.)

<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>

=CHAPTER 9C: HAZY SUSPICION=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>

{Several Hours Later…}

[Mikhail sat back with a sigh.]

Mikhail: {Finally, I’m done…}

[Coding the summary condenser had taken longer than he would have liked. However, it seemed to be working—he couldn’t say for sure until Felix came in with the temporary power core.]

Mikhail: -Stands, taking off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose- Ugh… {I hope he comes soon, or at least calls—}

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Doctor, there is a call on our emergency line–

Mikhail: ({Perfect timing!}) -Interrupts- Patch him through, Call.

[He stood, gathering up his supplies with his back to the monitor.

Jack, meanwhile, was helping around with minor chores, like sweeping up after the good Doctor—he briefly flicked his gaze to the monitor when he heard Mikhail accepting the call, and…]

Jack: …..

Jack: Doc?

Jack: Why is the CherryDyn logo on the big screen…?

Mikhail: What?

[He turns around just in time for the call to come through.

He was immediately disappointed. Rather than a message from Felix in the Meadow, it appeared to be from none other than CherryDyn’s chief executive officer.

His expression quickly changed to being cross.]

Mikhail: {Computer, end call!}

[The call shut off before the man on the other line could even say a word.]

Jack: –Dude–I mean, Doc–

Jack: That was Gregory Graham–

Mikhail: -Crossly- I don’t have time to deal with CherryDyn and their dragons. Things are bad enough as it is without him making them worse.

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Attention–we are once again receiving an urgent call from CherryDynamics.

Mikhail: =___=“ -Frustrated- -Motions for Jack to move out of sight- Put him through.

Jack: (…This cannot be good.)

[As Jack quietly makes himself scarce, the CherryDyn logo once again fills the main monitor for a few seconds, before cutting to a man in a sharply dresses purple business suit, bright violet eyes, and neatly combed blond hair–save for one strand that seemed to stick out rather largely.

Needless to say, Gregory Graham looked less than pleased.]

Graham: You don’t just hang up on an emergency line, you know.

Graham: And who are YOU supposed to be–I would think that Sanda would be more aware of who was handling his feeds!

Graham: Where is he?

Mikhail: Doctor Sanda is currently otherwise engaged.

Graham: Tch.

Graham: (The nerve of this…)

Graham: I demand to speak with him. This is an urgent matter that I MUST discuss with someone that, at the very least, can provide some actual assistance.

[Mikhail listened quietly as Gregory Graham began to rant. The lights of the lab gave his glasses a sinister glare.]

Mikhail: …

Graham: Did you not hear me?

Graham: Stop muddling around and go GET him!

Mikhail: …Hmm.

Mikhail: No.

[The screen blipped back to a screensaver as he hung up a second time.]

Jack: (Oh my God–)

Jack: -Whispers, even though the call is not active- Doc, I don’t think this is a good idea—

Mikhail: -Still honestly doesn’t care- I have worse things than him to worry about. -Sits down, pulling over a notepad- He honestly doesn’t scare me, not in the slightest.

Jack: But—

[The door to the lab suddenly lurches open, revealing Soichiro walking inside with a breakfast bagel in his hand. Either he was still in the process of waking up or he didn’t exactly care for the lab rules at this point either.]

Soi: -Yawn- But what…?

Soi: I heard talking… was someone calling us? Who was it?

[Mikhail was at a counter, writing out a note by now.]

Mikhail: -Without looking up- No one important.

Soi: Oh–

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Doctor, we are receiving another urgent call from CherryDynamics.

Soi: ….

Soi: …

Soi: -Whirls around- No one important?!

Mikhail: -Grumbles- {The man is a liar and worse, so no, not worth our time.}

[He seemed more engaged in his note writing than anything else.]

Soi: For Tyson’s sake, Mikhail, I KNOW, but he’s still–d'oh, never mind–!

Soi: Patch it through, Call– -Tosses bagel at Jack- And make sure the others don’t hear this–

[CALL] //: Yes, Doctor.

[The line fizzes once again.]

Graham: Sanda–Sanda?!

Graham: Ah, Sanda–thank goodness. Greg Graham here.

Soi: -Ahem-

Soi: Mr. Graham. What a…  pleasant… surprise… to hear from you…

Graham: Drop the act, Sanda.

Soi: –….

Graham: You don’t like me and I do not like you–we can at least agree on that much.

Soi: (No kidding.)

Graham: You need to get a better handle on your interns. The nerve of that one…

Soi: (Cripes, Mikhail…)

[Mikhail tuned them out. While Sanda attempted to calm Gregory down, the Russian Doctor stepped aside out of sight and walked over to Jack. He had the note in his hand—and an amulet.]

Mikhail: Jack Parker?

Jack: –?

Jack: Y–Yeah, Doc? What is it?

Mikhail: You mean, why are we being called? I’m not entirely sure myself. But I am fairly certain about one thing.

[He glanced back at the door to the lab with a faint grimace.]

Mikhail: …

[He returned his attention to Jack.]

Mikhail: You won’t want to remain around here for much longer. The Secretary of Defense is in the building.

Jack: … ….

Jack: Fraggin’ hell…

[Mikhail holds up a hand as if to stop him from letting panic build any further.]

Mikhail: He doesn’t know you’re here. There are no records of you entering, since you came by the teleporters.

[He handed over the amulet.]

Mikhail: This is a teleportation amulet. It will take you directly to the Meadow.

Jack: !

Jack: (…He wants me to leave before…)

Mikhail: Once you get there, there are a few things I need for you to do.

[He handed over the note.]

Mikhail: I’ve written them all down in here. Just follow the instructions, and tell Felix to leave the swords behind, if you see him.

Jack: ….

[Jack glances down at the note, giving it a quick read–and confusion fills his face.

There were instructions to see to Kalinka, and to start up the database—to send over one singular set of files for printing, and then to cut the communication off again.]

Jack: But, Doc—

Mikhail: It will make more sense once you get there. Just… please do this for me, alright? It’s very important. For Tobias, for Cardinal, for you—

[By now, the conversation was once again getting louder.]

Mikhail: …You should go.

Jack: ….. (I shouldn’t leave the Doc like this, but…)

Jack: (I can’t help from behind a cell, or worse.)

Jack: Okay.

Jack: …Good luck, Doc.

[Jack looks reluctant as he dons the amulet.]

Jack: Tell the Xel kid I said bye for now or something.

Mikhail: I will. I’m sure you’ll get the chance to speak soon enough. -Frowns, looking in the direction of the yelling- Stay safe.

[Pressing the center of the amulet transported Jack away to safety in the characteristic swirl of 0s and 1s associated with the Ambassador’s magic. Mikhail stepped back into view of the screen, his expression becoming sullen again.]

[To his annoyance, Gregory Graham clearly still hadn’t reached a point, and was still complaining, not even letting Sanda get much of a word in.

Seeing his friend and colleague treated such a way after all they had been through was starting to make the Russian feel exceedingly nasty—it wore right past his submissive baggage of the past and to his protective, fatherly nature.

There’s a saying that applies to people when they’re frustrated, and it was oh so apt for him—

Don’t poke the bear.]

[Mikhail sighed and walked over to the console again. He looked very annoyed.]

Mikhail: If all you’re going to do is insult people, then you can do it on your own time. We have more important things to attend to.

Graham: Grr–

Graham: This doesn’t concern you! What is this upstart even doing in this room, Sanda, I don’t even see any staff identification on him!

Graham: I doubt you even know the gravity of the situation–

[Mikhail slammed a newspaper right into the screen.]

[His glasses slid slightly, causing the glare to leave to reveal an even fiercer glare beneath them.]

Mikhail: On the contrary, Graham—I know a great deal more than you think. You want gravity? You want to play serious? Fine—try THIS on for size. I know you are ultimately behind all of this, and someday I will prove it. Do you understand me?

Graham: Excuse me?!

Soi: (Baaaah, I can’t handle this anymore–)

Soi: (I’ve got to get Will–!)

[Mikhail slapped the newspaper down, paying no attention as Sanda hurried out of view to find Will.]

Mikhail: Do everyone a favor and go away. We have more important things to deal with than your mind-boggling incompetence.

[He ends the call abruptly.]

[MEANWHILE, WILL’S OFFICE.]

Soi: WILL–!

[Soi knocked on Will’s office door as hard as he could, until the Doctor abruptly opened it with a panicked whisper–]

Will: Shhht–!

Will: Do you WANT to let Mr. Donald know I’m here–Hey–!

[Sanda didn’t waste time pushing Will inside, locking the door behind him.]

Will: Soi–?

Soi: Will–

Soi: Graham is on our emergency line.

Will: –!?!?

Will: Wh–What…?

Soi: Will–

Soi: Mikhail is dealing with him right now, but I don’t think they’re–

Will: YOU LEFT MIKHAIL ALONE WITH GRAHAM?!

Soi: He just–sort of–uh.

Soi: (…Oh dear–)

Will: Nononono–

[Will paces around the room in a clear panic, biting his nails and holding onto his hair with a grip that threatened to tear a good chuck of it off.]

Will: (Why why why, why is HE calling, why did Mikhail have to answer, why is this HAPPENING AGAIN–)

Will: Soi–

Will: Wh–What if he–?!

Soi: No, Will–

Soi: G-Graham hasn’t mentioned you yet–and all Mikhail is doing is scolding and hanging up on him, at best…

Soi: I…It’s kind of getting worse, though, and–I…I don’t think I can handle it, Will, I’m sorry–

Soi: He–he listens to you, Will, so–m-maybe–

Will: NO!

[Soi is taken aback at Will’s sudden outburst, full of fear and guilt–]

Will: I can’t–

Will: I can’t ever face Graham again, Soi, you know that–!

Will: I don’t…

Will: I…

[……]

Will: I don’t trust myself.

Will: I don’t…I don’t have the strength t-to…

[Will shakes–his entire body is shivering as he sits on the ground, one hand covering his face.]

Will: A-All this time…

Will: I…I thought…

Will: I thought that part of my life was over and DONE with, Soi…

Will: Why–Why is it happening again–?

Soi: Will…

Will: What if he…

Will: What if he recognizes me?

Will: Right there, in the open, where Mikhail is?

Will: What if my façade is not GOOD enough?

Will: …What if I’m not good enough?

Soi: Will–

Soi: Come on, Will.

Soi: You even fooled me, at first.

Soi: And I’m sure I’m at least twice as smart as Graham ever will be.

Will: —….

Soi: ….

Soi: Listen, Will…

Soi: I…I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now. I mean, I can, but…

Soi: …I haven’t been through what you have. Not then…

Soi: But…

Soi: I’m your friend, remember?

Soi: No matter what happens.

Soi: And no matter what the world thinks.

Soi: I’ll always be in your corner.

Soi: And that’s a fact.

Will: ….

Soi: Whatever we have to face…

Soi: We’re doing it together.

Soi: I know you…

Soi: The REAL you.

Soi: Better than anyone else.

Soi: So believe me when I say that you are good enough, Will!

Soi: If you can fool me, and the entire world…

Soi: Then you can fool someone like Graham.

Soi: And…

Will: ….

Will: But what about Mikhail?

Will: And my own children?

Soi: …..

Soi: Mikhail’s been working non-stop trying to fix Cardinal, and the Mighties are all asleep.

Soi: We… we can worry about them later. (Assuming Mikhail survives this, even…. Oof…)

Soi: Right now…

Soi: Right now, I…

Soi: We need you, Will.

Will: …

Soi: I promise–

Soi: The second things go south, I’ll cover for you.

Soi: And we have the Meadow, if we need to run.

Soi: I promised I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, remember?

Will: …..

Will: Yes…

Will: I…remember…

Will: All those years ago…

Soi: Hmm-Hmm.

Soi: I know things seem bad, but…

Soi: Nothing is ever going to hurt you like that again, Will, I’m going to make sure of that–!

Soi: So don’t you worry about a thing, okay? ^^ Mikhail and I got your back.

———————

Mikhail: Just… stay strong, alright? We’ll make it through this. I promised you that, remember?

Mikhail: I intend to keep to that.

———————

Will: ……

Will: …

-*-*-*-*-

Mikhail: I’m sorry, Will…

Mikhail: It was for good reason, and I’m prepared to pay the price for it.

[…]

Mikhail: Between everyone’s efforts, we all made it out alive—and that is all I could have hoped for, so…

Mikhail: I am willing to pay.

[…]

Mikhail: Such… such an action is…

Mikhail: …not something easily forgiven.

Mikhail: …I must… I have to answer for this, sooner or later. It’s the right thing to do.

Mikhail: I’m sorry, William…

Mikhail: After all this time, after all you’ve done for me… I’ve gone and done something terrible, something that places you in danger.

Mikhail: I certainly won’t let anyone put that onto you.

Mikhail: -Places a hand to Will’s face- You’re like a cousin, or… or even brother to me. And I know this is hard enough on you as it is.

[…]

Mikhail: But you…

Mikhail: You’ve been doing such good work, you… you’re already under enough stress as it is… you should definitely not be hounded by the things I’ve done using your equipment. The things my nephews have done throughout this whole mess…

-*-*-*-*-

Soi: Where would you be without me, eh?

Soi: Up the creek with no paddle, that’s what! ^^

-*-*-*-*-

Will: ……

Soi: –…Um. W-Will?

Soi: (He’s not moving…Oh, God, did he pass out from fright–?!)

Will: No.

Soi: –?

Will: No…

Will: N-No more running…

Will: I…

Will: I can’t stand this anymore.

Soi: Will–?

Will: Watching you and Mikhail take so much for my sake when…

Will: Standing up FOR me…

Will: I…

Will: I can’t watch you do that for me, Soi.

Will: I can’t–it…hurts.

Will: Because YOU don’t deserve that, and neither does Mikhail–!

[There’s a strange, sharp edge to Will’s voice, one that doesn’t quite belong in his tone, yet it oddly fits…rather unnervingly.

And it’s all too familiar to Soi.]

Soi: –!

Will: You…you and Mikhail…

Will: You’ve given up so much for my sake…

Will: It’s…

Will: Unfair.

Will: I can’t do this anymore.

Will: I can’t watch both of you take blows just because I cannot.

Will: I…

[He stands.]

[There is a familiar fire in Will’s eyes, one that Soi hadn’t seen in…]

Will: I can’t let that…that wretched excuse of a human being hurt anyone like HE hurt ME–!

Soi: !

Soi: (You…?)

Will: I can’t run from this anymore…

Will: I might as well start now rather than never.

[Will’s voice drops to a growl.]

Will: Starting with Greg.

Soi: ……

[Soi seems kind of…bewildered, for a moment.]

Soi: ….

Soi: Eheh…

[But then he begins to laugh a little.]

Soi: Ooof…

Soi: I forgot how scary you can be when you get like that…

Soi: Jeez…

Will: –…..

Will: I…

[Once Soi said that, all traces of darkness left Will’s gaze, replaced with a sheepish uncertainty.]

Will: I–I’m sorry–

Will: I…didn’t mean to lose it like–

Soi: -Laughs-

Soi: Aw, it’s okay. At this rate, I almost feel sorry for Graham!

Soi: ….

Soi: Almost. ^^

Soi: Heh.

Soi: I’m proud of ya, Will.

Will: –…

Soi: Now, uh…

Soi: We should probably get back before Mikhail sends one of his kids after him or…something…

Soi: Unless you need a–

Will: No.

[Will straightens out his hair and his lab coat, taking a few deep breathes.]

[This would be the first he’s faced Graham in…not enough time.]

Will: ….

Will: I’m ready.

Soi: Good!

Soi: I’m right behind you. ^^

Will: Heh…

{Soon…}

[As Soi and Will bustled into the lab, they could hear what was clearly the tail end of a conversation.]

“Learn to take responsibility for your actions.”

[Mikhail wasn’t even looking at the screen, instead checking stuff off a clipboard.]

Mikhail: Listen to a word of advice from a SCIENTIST, Graham—do NOT experiment with things you cannot personally control. This is your fault.

Graham: My fault?!

Graham: You think I would put this great country of ours at risk like this?! You listen here, you idiotic–

Mikhail: Not interested.

BLIP!

Soi: (….Whoa. How many times has he done that now?)

Will: …..

Will: (You haven’t changed at all, have you.)

Will: What is going on?

Mikhail: -Dryly- I’m still waiting for Felix to call back, but the line appears to be busy.

Will: …But…Soi told me that CherryDyn is calling–?

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Correct, Doctor. CherryDyn’s CEO Gregory Graham is calling our emergency once again as we speak.

Mikhail: Tcheh.

[He walks over to wait by a printer.]

Will: Mr. Graham?

Will: What could he possibly want from us?

Mikhail: Good question. He keeps being very vague. I fear his screeching may break the delicate instruments here if he keeps jumping pitch.

Will: …..

[That gets Will to lighten up a little, hiding his smile behind his fingers.]

Will: Was he really screeching?

Soi: You have no idea.

Will: Heh.

Will: I see.

Mikhail: Do you mind if I use the printer?

Will: Oh, not at all, Mikhail.

Will: -Ahem-

[Will smile fades off after a moment, though, and he squares his shoulders back, his body facing away from the screen.]

Will: Unfortunately, I doubt Mr. Graham will give up so easily.

Soi: Oof…Yeah…

Soi: Um, I–

Will: Don’t bother, Soichiro.

Will: Allow me to handle him.

[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]

[Call once again patches the line though, but Will doesn’t even turn around.]

Graham: Bah, finally–

Graham: Sanda, If this call cuts off one more time, I’ll–

Will: No need.

Graham: –?

[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]

[Will’s voice is….]

[…Unusually pleasant, yet with a hard undertone to it. As if he was restraining something.]

Will: Good day, Mr. Graham.

Will: I’m ever so terribly sorry for all that. Right, Dr. Sanda?

Soi: –! Oh, yes! Sorry, it’s just been… so stressful as of late, some of our staff’s been, uh… moody.

[Mikhail has to smile a little at that from his position near the printer. He uses sign language to speak in Russian.]

Mikhail: “{‘Moody’ is certainly one way to put it. A TRUE bear could hardly be more ready to bite the man’s head off.}”

[It nearly takes all of the Doctors’ willpower to keep from snorting at that.]

[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]

Graham: Tch.

Graham: At least SOMEONE has some decent manners.

Will: (Ha. That is funny coming from you, you monster.)

Will: Again, I do ever so apologize.

Will: What seems to be the problem, Mr. Graham?

[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]

Graham: More like crisis.

Graham: It’s our factory.

Graham: It’s out of control!

Graham: It’s cranking out hostile, infected robots and we can’t STOP IT!

Will: …..

Soi: W-What?

Will: (And you didn’t mention that the very first thing.)

Will: (How strange.)

Will: Hmm.

Will: That doesn’t sound good.

Graham: You THINK?!

Mikhail: -Narrows his eyes- …

Will: If I recall, CherryDyn’s factory’s are all mostly automated, yes?

[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]

Will: If that’s the case, I’m afraid your own servers might be affected with the virus as well.

Graham: I KNOW that!

Graham: Our security measures have all failed! Every Xel-Robot in the building has gone insane, and to top it all off, they’ve blocked all the exits in the building!

Mikhail: -Snorts at this- “{Those measures were never very good to begin with, if what happened in April is anything to go by.}”

Will: ….

Soi: So… you’re trapped?

Graham: All of my staff and YES, myself as well!

Graham: Our HQ’s been locked down, but if you and the Mighty Numbers do not hurry–

Graham: Those infected robots will FLOOD the city, and the rest of the United States!

Will: …..

Mikhail: ({A bit late to cry wolf.})

Mikhail: -Russian- {Is there ANY other option? The children are asleep, they NEED rest.}

Soi: {Well…I…I don’t think so. CherryDyn’s robots are mostly flimsy compared to ours–No offense to you know who, of course–but a whole army—}

Will: Call.

Will: Confirm this.

Graham: Wha–!

Mikhail: -Pinches the bridge of his nose- {Gah… if only I weren’t in—…} …

Mikhail: (I can wake up the Rebel Angels, but not my own sons…)

Mikhail: (Once they hear about what I’m going through, they’ll go RIGHT into Defense mode…)

Graham: Are you even LISTENING–

[CALL] //: Confirming…

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Confirmed. Defective CherryDyn robots are rampaging throughout the city, coming from one local source based on local reports.

Will: (So you aren’t lying.)

Mikhail: —! {Wait—flimsy, right?}

[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]

Soi: {Yes–don’t get me wrong, some of them are a pain to deal with, but Beck got through them no problem!}

Soi: {In sheer numbers, however, they’ll cause enormous amounts of destruction…}

Mikhail: -Turns to face him- {More or less destruction than those using explosives to stop them?}

Soi: {I honestly do not know.}

Soi: {CherryDyn is the world’s–the WORLD’S, Mikhail, top robot manufacturer. If this is already in their servers, who knows how long before it spreads off the country?}

Mikhail: {Dammit.}

Mikhail: {Ugh… very well then…}

Mikhail: {You might consider calling the Second Generation.}

Soi: !

Graham: -Annoyed- What are you two nattering on about—

Mikhail: -Dryly- Business.

[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]

Will: …Mm.

Will: Well, this is a predicament…

Mikhail: Will—

Mikhail: {Jaden and Carlos together can truly handle themselves.}

Mikhail: {They’ll be awake by now. The only reason it hasn’t shown up is because I disconnected the servers.}

Mikhail: {This… this is the sort of thing they were made for, you know. To cause destruction. To channel that in a positive way…}

Mikhail: {It would really help the stress they’re going through right now.}

Mikhail: {Please at least consider? Your sons and daughters are so… tired…}

[The poor man looked exhausted himself.]

Will: …..

[Will doesn’t quite answer back, but he nods, as if to acknowledge it.]

Will: Mr. Graham.

Will: Do you not have any countermeasures yourself?

Graham: Did I NOT just say–

Will: It’s just a little odd to me.

Will: Surely, you know how tiring this has been on everyone.

Will: Did you not say yourself that you and your company would be doing EVERYTHING they can to help with the situation at large?

Graham: I–

Will: Yet…

Will: We seem to be doing all of the legwork, so to speak.

Will: Is there a reason for that?

Mikhail: {Excuse, you mean?}

[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]

Graham: How dare you—

Graham: We’ve been doing all we can to help CONTAIN the virus from spreading to our other servers!

Graham: We’re not just twiddling our thumbs here!

Will: I see.

Will: I suppose I should thank you, then.

Will: In any case…

Will: I suppose there is no choice. Lives are in danger.

Graham: Finally, you get it—

Will: However…

Will: I ask that you do not disturb us after this.

Will: My children are quite tired.

[Will’s hands ball up into fists.]

Will: And I will not have anyone asking for any more favors like this. For a long time.

Mikhail: {Good for you, Will!} -Clearly quite pleased-

Soi: Eheh…Er. Yes. We all need a…a break, eheh!

Graham: …..

[The CEO narrows his eyes at Will’s form for a moment.]

Graham: So you’re William Apollo White.

Will: Correct.

Will: And you’d do well to remember that name.

[Graham looks over at Mikhail again with derision.]

Graham: And him?

Will: He’s going to chew off your DAMN head off if you don’t MIND yourself!

Soi: –! Will…

Graham: (What the…)

Mikhail: -Grabs a file folder to put his notes in- A question, Graham, if you would.

Mikhail: The virus broke out over a week ago.

Mikhail: Why is this only now becoming a problem? Did something happen that changed things?

[He sounded genuinely curious.]

Will: That’s a rather good question.

Graham: (I can’t believe this–)

Graham: We’ve been TRYING to contain the virus all this time, like I have said.

Graham: At first, we stopped it from spreading to our factory branch–until now, that is.

Graham: We only had so many left in our Tech department after the virus struck.

Mikhail: (So it CAN be manually combated on Xel-based coded servers… that’s important information.)

Will: (Nggg….You don’t care, you don’t care–)

Soi: Ah– (Oh, man–)

Soi: E-Er, we’ll send help right away, Mr. Graham! Yes, we’ll do that, don’t you worry–

Soi: Right, Will–?

Will: …Yes, of course.

Will: …

Will: One more question, if you would.

Graham: -Exasperated- I do not have time to play 20 questions, White–

Will: What makes you so sure Dr. Blackwell is behind all this?

Mikhail: -Freezes- …

[He clutched the printed notes in his hand. His hands were shaking as he simmered in anger. He seemed… hurt.]

((Pic—Doctors & Greg))

Mikhail: (Will…)

[His expression became cold as he forced this anger inward, leaving his face as untelling as stone.]

Mikhail: (William…)

Mikhail: (Why!?)

Mikhail: (I told you, I…)

Mikhail: (I thought I TOLD you, twice—we talked about this, PLEASE, you—)

[His mind was drawn back into a deep memory…]

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“You can end this, Doctor! Just surrender!”

[Mikhail looked down at the blue robot from his position in the Mecha. He spoke hotly, his voice thick with despair.]

Mikhail: That has never been an option, MegaMan! You are wasting your time!

[The combat robot fired.

The blast was powerful—the force from the blow was enough to unsteady him, and he lurched—]

((Pic—Mikhail captive (flashback) ))

[There was a harsh rattle noise from a chain that was shackled to his ankle and bolted to the floor of the construct.]

Mikhail: -Hisses- {Dammit!}

“I’m being serious! It doesn’t have to end in violence!”

Mikhail: {You… Rock, how dare you, you miserably sheltered boy…}

[He spoke in a private monologue, growling as he clawed his way back to the controls.]

Mikhail: {If there is even a slight chance for her to survive, I must END all that is you…!}

[He lashed out verbally and physically, crying out in emotional suffering.]

Mikhail: You, of ALL people, would say such a thing?! You killed your own brothers, Rock, when they only wanted your help! You could have avoided all of this if you just hadn’t killed his sons!

“What… what are you talking about?! What does that have to do—”

Mikhail: {ENOUGH!}

[The fight continued, more intensely.]

“You made your point, sir! The whole world now knows of your genius! Now just stop before you get yourself hurt!”

Mikhail: You cannot end this, boy! You don’t even have the slightest idea of what I fight for—you are not going to be able to turn me aside, for you have chosen to see it through this way to an end!

[Suddenly, PAIN.]

[His head hurt SO bad, he could feel glass shards embedded in his arms, the sick smell of burning electronics made him want to get ill—]

Mikhail: ({Get up… move, you forsaken bastard, Mikhail— get UP and FIGHT until your bioreadings are gone, you have to save her…})

[He staggered back to the console, ignoring the stinging pain all over his upper body.

The American combat construct seemed happy, confident that the fight was over.]

Mikhail: ({Idiot. You let your guard down.})

WHANG!

[His opponent was knocked back against the wall by the force of the attack, stunned ever so briefly.]

“Wha…”

[Mikhail brought the mecha down hard in an attempt to crush him, but it failed. And even worse—moving the damaged parts of the mecha was causing the electrical fire to spread. It was growing UNBEARABLY hot in the cockpit.]

“Doctor! What are you doing?!”

[No response but another attack—but his prey rolled aside and fired again, trying to immobilize him.]

“Are you insane?! A few more hits and your cockpit will be on fire! Surrender, already!”

Mikhail: YOU CANNOT TURN ME ASIDE! (I will get her back or DIE trying!)

“Doctor, /please/! What you’re doing is causing more trouble than you realize—”

[He interrupted via another attack. Mega was getting fed up and losing patience, however, and began to go at the motors.]

“There are too many lives at stake, Mikhail! Don’t make yours one of them!”

[The floor suddenly gave way, while at the same time, a massive force slammed him into the back of the cabin. The NOISE as the mecha crashed to the ground was deafening, and everything hurt so bad…!]

[Anything that wasn’t screaming in alarms at the damage readings was on fire, or broken.]

Mikhail: (N… nngh…!) -Coughing through haggard breaths- (I can’t…)

[…]

Mikhail: (…The weapons… they’re still… Online…)

Mikhail: …

[He screamed in pain as he thrust his hands through the fire, grabbing at the weapon controls and fired—!]

“Are you kidding me?!”

Mikhail: -Coughing more than breathing now- ({Damn it… the smoke is…!})

[A yelp of alarm.]

“Your cockpit is on fire! Get out of there!”

Mikhail: ({Not… not much time!})

[The cannon turned again, blasting and taking out a chunk of Mega’s shoulder.]

“P…please…”

[Fire… everything was fire…

He uses the last of the strength he has to hit the weapon controls again, but—

Overcome by the smoke, the heat, the dozens of open wounds, jagged from glass shards—

Everything went dark.]

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

[Will didn’t seem to be faring so well either, and if he did notice, he certainly didn’t let it stop him. His emerald eyes flared with what could only be described as burning hatred.]

Will: You first claimed that he was the cause of all of this.

Will: And then you wasted no time claiming that Dr. Sanda and myself were his cohorts.

Will: Why.

Will: I want to know why you did that.

Will: Why you’re so keen on shifting the blame to everyone but y o u r s e l f.

Graham: You–! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!

Graham: It’s OBVIOUS! That–that smelly old FART is out for REVENGE! Not only is the Blackwell name PROOF ENOUGH–

Graham: He’s outright INSANE, and nothing SHORT of a complete MONSTER! Now stop asking STUPID questions and SEND HELP!

[That was the last straw.]

Mikhail: (You…)

Mikhail: -Visibly grits his teeth-

Mikhail: (How DARE you.)

Mikhail: (You would MOCK that kind of SUFFERING!?)

Mikhail: (Will I can overlook, but YOU…)

Mikhail: (You MISERABLE bastard…)

Mikhail: (I wish I had let Tobias FRY your damn servers after slashing my way into them myself!)

[Mikhail abruptly put the call on mute from his location.]

Will: –!

Soi: (Oh no–)

Mikhail: Let me tell you something, Mr. Graham.

[He turned to face the terminal. The way he held his glasses against his face made him look incredibly sinister—a presence which was only amplified by his frightfully calm tone.]

Mikhail: When a genius suddenly loses it and makes the world burn, there is always something…

[He looked up.]

Mikhail: Or someONE…

Mikhail: … that pushed them there.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Shadow: If Doctor Blackwell has been stripped of all rights and is out of public sight, with restricted access to his person, then that means that there are—forgive the cynicism—fewer people necessary to bribe, blackmail, or distract in order to get at Blackwell himself.

Shadow: When one is kept on a tight leash, be wary to be sure the leash stays in the hand of the right master.

Shadow: …If he IS involved, he may have been for—

Mikhail: {ENOUGH.}

Will: –!

Will: (Oh dear–)

[He was hugging his daughter tightly. She was silent and cowering, with her face turned away from the camera. She was shaking slightly.]

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Will: …….

Mikhail: You are very fortunate that William is a man of incredible integrity with a hero for a son, or else you might have more than Doctor Blackwell to worry about.

Mikhail: (I only kept back from the temptation of RIPPING the dark veil he’s kept that hides the TOXIC corruption that the Angels and I know to be there…)

Mikhail: (…out of respect and protection of YOU, WILL!)

Mikhail: Assuming you aren’t lying— again.

Soi: O~O;;;;;

Soi: (Jeez, I…It’s like looking into a mirror…)

[Mikhail leaned forward, looking over his glasses in waaaaaaay too calm a manner.]

Mikhail: You will address the Doctor— ALL the Doctors, but ESPECIALLY William—

Mikhail: —in a POLITE manner from here on out…

Mikhail:  …or you will discover how unpleasant a Russian can be to a rude American.

Mikhail: Good day.

[BLIP!]

Will: … .

Soi: ……

[Mikhail turned to face Will.]

Mikhail: It’s up to you whether you want to get middled in with his mess, and whatever trouble he wants us to drag him out of.

Will: …..

Will: Right.

Will: (Ngh...that was my fault, I...I needed to ask, but I didn't mean to push him over the edge like that...)

Will: (Mikhail, I...)

Will: (I just needed...to know...)

Will: ….

Will: Mikhail?

Mikhail: -Walking over to the door- I’m listening.

Will: …..

Will: I’m sorry.

Will: >>

Will: Please remind me to never get on your bad side again.

Soi: -… Quiet snort-

Mikhail: -Snorts-

Mikhail: I just can’t stand the topic Will, I’m not going to lie about that.

Mikhail: Blackwell is only a darker variation of me, the man I could have been.

Mikhail: -Places the file folder into a plastic tub near the door- I have never forgotten that. And I never will.

Mikhail: So. I’m leaving before I risk the temptation of doing something that will only make my situation even worse.  =_______=

[He shuts the door loudly on his way out.]

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