=CHAPTER 7B: RUSH INTO THE MINE=

=CHAPTER 9D: HAZY SUSPICION=

~AO v2.0~

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

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{Outside the Lab…}

[Mikhail scowled as he closed the door behind him.]

Mikhail: {I don’t have time for that miserable excuse of a—}

"Ahem."

Des: Dr. Cossack?

[Mikhail looked up in mild surprise.

He was too tired to be properly surprised—he had been working on Cardinal almost all night and for over six hours since the date rolled by.  Then he had worked on writing a code that would allow the boys to come back Online—something that would be needed, especially if he didn’t make it through.]

Mikhail: ({No… I can’t think like that. I can’t… mustn’t give in to despair.}) …Mr. Desmond. Good morning.

[The man was in sad shape, that was for sure. He looked like he hadn’t eaten or slept much for a long time—a kind of exhaustion that would make most other people collapse onto the floor.]

Des: .....

Des: (...He looks ready to fall asleep any second.)

Des: (I wish I could postpone this.)

Des: I heard a lot of yelling. Is something the matter?

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: Just some trouble with public relations, that’s all. People are very stressed right now.

[He paused, standing up straight and letting go of the door. He adjusted his lab coat—stained with oil and coolant—and looked at Desmond with an air of authority and command.]

Mikhail: I’ve finished the first stage of repairs on DLN-000. I need to wait on the delivery of a specialized core in order to continue. I’m afraid you won’t be able to talk to him until much later. …

Mikhail: Is there something I can help you with?

Des: ....Yes, actually.

Des: It's been a little longer than others can wait, Dr. Cossack, and I'm afraid we can't procrastinate on this any further.

Des: You've got some explaining to do.

Mikhail: …

[His eyes seemed to dull at that, but his expression otherwise didn’t change.]

Mikhail: …Yes, of course. …That was the agreement, after all.

Des: ....

[Desmond Donald was quiet.

It had indeed been the agreement. They had been looking for leads on the Queen’s Finals scandal for months, and that had only intensified when the same madness took a grip on their home soil. They needed a proper explanation for what had happened—back in the tournament, throughout the last few weeks, and the day before.

Here was a man of mysteries. A Russian Doctor with American patients and no passport to speak of—the only active link between many otherwise unexplained incidents…

…Besides the fact that Mighty Numbers were ALSO involved in each incident.

And yet… it didn’t quite make sense to pin him as the source. And he knew Minerva agreed on that point, or she would have been much less merciful. MUCH less merciful.

And seeing the man now—now, after so much time spent on a tragic task—he was not all that convinced the man was a sleeper agent. The way that he had behaved around the Mighty Numbers, how he had behaved in regards to DLN-000… it didn’t lend itself to the feeling that he was putting on an act. He wasn’t going to discount it, of course… but it seemed…

…it almost seemed like they were just dealing with something that got out of hand only because it was connected to people who lived larger than life. All these things had only started happening after they were seen interacting with the Mighty Numbers. And if THAT were the case, then…?]

Des: …

[…Then it would mean that they were chasing a dead end that would only give them even more work, from the sounds of it. After all, DLN-008 WAS still very much wanted by British forces for his stint at the Battle Theatre.

The main thing he couldn’t understand was—regardless of whether or not he were ally or agent—why he seemed to be the only provider for nearly twenty robots. If he really were single-handedly providing maintenance and direction to that many on an individual basis…]

Des: (…then it really would be enough to make him legitimately exhausted.)

[He could only hope that it was worth it to bother someone who seemed in such a bad state. It was one of the more distinctly unpleasant aspects of the roles he’d been forced into as of late, but it couldn’t really be helped.

The Doctor, for his part, seemed to have spent those few moments gathering the nerve to stay cordial. It was almost as if he were trying not to panic, which was admittedly suspicious… though not unexpected, given he had dealt with governments before, apparently.]

Mikhail: -Swallows once- …Very well then. Do you have a room ready?

Des: We've just finished setting up a room under Dr. Sanda's permission. It'll be a floor above us--a meeting room that's used by the other business men of Sanda Tech, I believe.

Mikhail: …Very well.

[He placed his hands behind his back and walked past Desmond.]

Mikhail: I know where that is; I’ve used that room before, myself. Let’s not put this off any longer.

[LATER...]

[There are several portable cameras placed around the hall, to monitor the two actually entering the room for questioning.]

[Des takes a large white tub container from a folding table placed by the door, holding it out to Mikhail.]

Des: First things first, Doctor. Any electronics and other personal belongings in here.

Mikhail: …Yes, of course.

[He gave a bit of a wry smile.]

Mikhail: Though you don’t need to use excuses with me. I know this is all about disarming. So with that in mind…

[He pulls his lab coat out to the side.]

Des: --!!

Des: (I had no idea he was armed this ENTIRE time--)

Des: (And with a pistol, no less...)

[Mikhail didn’t really seem fazed at this reaction. It was almost as if he had anticipated this.]

Mikhail: You know, Mr. Desmond, you’re free to take it from the holster. I would have done so myself but I didn’t want to get shot due to a misinterpretation. I know you’re under a lot of stress right now.

Des: ....

Des: (This really isn't his first time dealing with armed agents, is it.)

[Des carefully takes the gun out of the holster, and unloads it, dropping the bullets into the tub first before the firearm itself.]

Des: ...Alright...

Des: Anything else that you have hidden away?

Mikhail: Yes. No more firearms. However…

[He digs into his pocket and pulls out a Swiss army knife. He tosses that into the bin.]

Mikhail: …there are a few other things.

[He reached into his other pocket and pulled out a switchblade.]

Mikhail: -Tosses that in as well-

Des: .....

Des: (This guy is armed to the teeth.)

[He then undid a taser from the belt, which had been on the other side from the pistol, and placed that in.

Finally, he pulled off what seemed to be an alert button on a lace string, lowering it carefully.]

Mikhail: Be sure not to touch that one.

Des: ...Is that some sort of panic button?

Mikhail: Yes. It’s designed to stun attackers through sensory perception. It’ll affect the user, too, if used improperly.

Des: .....

Des: (Useful for both human and robotic attackers, I'm guessing.)

Des: Do you even have your phone with you, Doctor? (Because you clearly don't need it for help if you have all this.)

Mikhail: Of course I do. I have family, you know.

[Then, and only then, did he place in his cell phone and a pager.]

Des: ....

Des: So that's it.

Des: Is that really it.

Mikhail: Other than a good number of ballpoint pens. I’m afraid I tend to lose them all over the place.

[Aaaand he drops a few handfuls of those in as well for good measure—whether out of sarcasm or just being tired is hard to say.]

Des: ....

Des: Doctor...

Des: You're almost as armed as when I was just starting my military career.

Des: No offense, but I can't help but be skeptical about questioning you with so many pockets at your disposal. =.=

[Mikhail couldn’t help but laugh at that.]

Mikhail: If you want to interrogate me in my pajamas, I suppose that’s your prerogative. But if you insist—

[He takes off his glasses to clean them, shaking his head and smiling.]

Mikhail: I don’t actually mind too much. I’ll be honest…

[He spoke with no small degree of weariness.]

Mikhail: I’m very tired. And if I’m given the blessing of being given peace and quiet once I’ve said what there is to say, I would desperately like to go to sleep.

Mikhail: I’ll go change.

Des: ....

Des: (I didn't really mean in his pajamas, but... whatever will make this go faster and not be quite so dangerous, fine.)

Des: …Suit yourself, but don't take too long to do so.

[When Mikhail returned once more, he looked significantly different. He had taken the time to wash up a bit and groom his hair and his beard. He’d grabbed a new pair of glasses and a new pair of gloves.

It also appeared that he was being literal about being questioned in his pajamas, but he hardly looked ridiculous—

He was wearing novelty pajamas designed after the Starfleet uniforms from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Specifically, the Captain’s uniform.

It seemed to fit him well, and he had a certain kind of commanding dignity.]

Mikhail: Alright, Mr. Secretary. Let’s begin.

[A recording device was placed in the center of the room. Desmond took the seat across from Mikhail and pushed a button on it to start the recording.]

Des: (...Something tells me this is going to be a lot different than other times.... He didn’t even consider bringing lawyers into this.)

Des: (Granted, he's clearly not American, so that might have something to do with it? I wonder.)

Des: Alright.

Des: Let's start simple.

Des: Who are you?

Mikhail: I am Михаил Сергеевич Казак. I am the Doctor for my sons, the Doctor Cossack Numbers Industrial series. I also serve as the Doctor for the Rebel Angels, a group comprised of seven of the Doctor Wily Numbers Combat class constructs from two different series, and two of the Doctor Light Numbers from two additional different series.

[He paused for a moment, before adding thoughtfully—]

Mikhail: And I suppose I would be willing to serve as the Doctor for the one member of the Special Wily Numbers series—although he’s a bit of a stubborn brat, and too proud to ask for help.

Mikhail: (…And there is Nero, but that would be quite the stretch to explain…)

[He paused for a moment before looking Desmond in the eyes.]

Mikhail: My wife is Светлана Казак.

[…But then his gaze shifted down a bit, weary and sad. Seemed to be fiddling with his wedding ring, even though it was covered by his gloves.]

Mikhail: God granted us a wonderful… such a beautiful child…. Калинка Казак, my daughter.

[He closed his eyes, as if to shut out pain, and was silent for a while.]

Mikhail: …I lost her… she was taken from us several years ago. …Since then, I’ve raised my daughter on my own.

Mikhail: ({Oh, Beloved…. I fear I have never done as good a job of being a father as when I had you at my side to be my better half…})

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: -Looks up again, eyelids half closed in faint disapproval- …But you already know all of this, don’t you.

Des: … …

[That was true enough. He had read up on the files given to him pertaining to the Doctor. And so far, everything matched up just as it was in the file.]

Des: (At least this is starting off better than the talk with Blackwell...)

Des: Fair enough...

Des: But I find it strange that a Russian Doctor is caring for American constructs--and a mixed bag of industrial and combat class, at that.

Des: How'd you come to be their Doctor?

Mikhail: …

[He seems thoughtful, but not at all bothered by the question. It's a while before he speaks up again—using a tone and pace that suggested he was telling a condensed version of a very long story he had told many, many times before.

Mikhail: My oldest son, Дэвид Казак, was originally designated as DLN-005 —designation “Iceman”. I wrote DCN-000 while I was just a boy, really—it was a very long time ago.

Des: A boy?

Mikhail: Heh. Well, legally speaking, yes—I wasn't even old enough to drive.

Des: What??

[THAT took him off-guard. It was not what he'd expected to hear, not what was on file, and an awfully bold claim to make, true or not!]

Des: When WAS this??

Mikhail: Oh, I was fourteen at the time. This was over two dozen years ago.

Des: -A little speechless-

[He had a hard time believing it; there were not many child robotics geniuses, and beyond that—]

Des: -Looking through the papers- How in the world did you get access to that kind of technology as a teenager?

[Mikhail runs his fingers through his hair with a sigh.]

Mikhail: I was working under Dr. Wily at the time. He and Dr. Light were working together to make the Doctor Light Number Industrials—their first AI&A Industrial series. Dr. Wily was originally personally in charge of two projects—the DLN-005 project… and the DLN-008 project.

Des: ....

Des: (That's the serial of that other mysterious DLN...)

Des: (What exactly is going on here?)

Mikhail: He had to drop one of them for health reasons, so I was placed in charge of the DLN-005 project, despite only being an intern at the time.

Des: -Flips through the notes- …DCN-000 was DLN-005?

Mikhail: Yes. That's a different story. I'm glad to tell it, but I get the feeling that's not what you're after, is it?

Des: … (…Not that hard to figure out, I guess.)

Des: …You said “at the time.” Did something… happen?

Mikhail: Yes. -Gravelly sigh- Ugh… Sadly, there were… complications, in the end. Dr. Light and Dr. Wily got into a terrible row when Dr. Light discovered that his colleague had given DLN-008 an emotions program.

Des: DLN-008 wasn't built with emotions? ,': /

Mikhail: Quite the opposite. He WAS built with emotions and full Awareness, and that was what they argued about. Dr. Light was outraged, and wouldn't listen to Dr. Wily's answers and defense of the poor being.

Mikhail: Instead, he ordered DLN-008 to be erased.

Des: What?!

Des: (That is already at least 7 kinds of illegal—!)

Mikhail: DLN-008 overheard this. Practically the whole lab did—I certainly remember it, even to this day.

Mikhail: He was terrified. So… he ran away.

Mikhail: In the end… all the members of that series were given full Awareness, and chose to flee for their lives. But it didn’t last long.

Mikhail: They were hunted down and destroyed, one by one.

[Mikhail closed his eyes and rubbed his face with his left hand.]

Mikhail: I didn’t become involved with the family after the entire DLN Industrial series was completely destroyed, David and Tobias and all—not until a short while ago, when my daughter and I were kidnapped by my old mentor, Dr. Albert Wily… and one of his most dangerous constructs—DWN-022, Viper.

[He clenched a hand into a fist, brooding at the memory.]

Mikhail: As part of that series of events, DLN-005 and DLN-008 came back Online after having been sealed away for about two decades. David managed to get into contact with me, and he and Tobias helped Cardinal Light to find my daughter and deliver her to me. Cardinal arrived just in time to prevent his younger brother, DLN-001—Rock Light—from ending my life entirely.

Des: ....

Des: (I can't even...-- I haven't even heard of something like this taking place, why isn't it on some kind of record--?)

Mikhail: After I recovered and was eventually cleared of charges, I was contacted again by Cardinal Light. I did some extensive repairs on him, and tried to get him to replace his core.

[He sighed, closing his eyes.]

Mikhail: It was his decision not to do so. I respected this decision; I firmly believe in allowing constructs to make such a choice, even if I don’t agree with it.

[He crosses his arms.]

Mikhail: Since then… because Dr. Light is so dangerous to them, and Dr. Wily is insane, that family has come to me. Cardinal Light is in charge of that family—he put them together, rescuing them from death at the hands of their brother.

[He lifts his gaze back up to look Desmond in the eye, even though his head was still bowed.]

Mikhail: So that is how I came to care for them. It has not been easy, but I am the only one they can turn to.

Des: . . .

Des: (What do I even say to that?)

Des: (Like hell there's any protocol for that.)

Des: ....

Des: -Deep breath-

Des: ...

Des: All of this...

Des: If this is true, then why isn't it on record?

Mikhail: …There’s a good reason for that.

Des: ....

Des: And that iiiis...?

Mikhail: …For one thing… after THAT whole incident, I was placed in a variation of witness protection. My daughter and I were actually given new identities not that long ago. There’s a general desire on a number of levels to prevent the incident from happening again, either with Wily or any other person or persons of ill intent.

[His tone was shifting, starting to suggest that he was taking charge, and would not be denied.]

Mikhail: You might as well ask a different question, sir. Details beyond that aren’t something I am willing to discuss on the record, so they’ll have to wait if you want to press further. I’m sure you have other things on your mind to discuss.

Mikhail: What’s relevant to this conversation is that because of all that had happened, what Dr. Albert Wily made me do while I was being blackmailed… it was enough that very, very serious charges were brought against me.

[At this point, he stood up, looking at Desmond with a rather cold and unsympathetic stare.]

Mikhail: It appeared very much, for a time, that Cardinal had rescued me from the flames only for the world to throw me to an even greater fire. I was forced to talk about the matter with my little girl, as I feared and believed she would be left an orphan. Do you understand?

Des: ....

Des: (This is outrageous. If this is a sob story, then he's chosen a poor one by making it too out-of-the-box. I wish that DLN-000 were Online—I get the feeling he would be honest AND more forthcoming. If this is true, though…) -Presses his mouth together in a thin line- (We have to get the FBI on this--something this big just can't have been ignored or missed--)

Des: (Then again, we had a entire military base not in our banks...)

Des: Doctor. Sit down.

[Mikhail silently refused.]

Mikhail: I am done talking about the distant past. What else did you want to know?

Des: ....

Des: (I'm getting nowhere with this. Are all Doctors like this, or am I just unlucky that way?) -_-;; (Time to change angles.)

Des: How did you come to know Dr. Sanda?

[At this, Mikhail did relax just a bit, happy to talk on a more pleasant topic.]

Mikhail: Ah, yes… that was in February, I believe.

Des: ....

Des: Five months ago?

Mikhail: Heh. I know—it feels like it’s been a year, really.

Des: (Something about that seems a bit off…)

Mikhail: It came as quite a surprise, and we were very nervous at first. You see— -Takes off glasses to clean them, smiling and shaking his head- —Carlos—or DWN-012, if you’d rather—Carlos Gonzales was the first one to meet them.

Mikhail: He accidentally wandered in on one of Countershade’s training grounds.

[He had to laugh a little at the memory.]

Mikhail: Poor Shade accidentally scared him witless! But once we came into contact once again, Shadow decided to take a chance, and Brand made the choice on their end.

Des: Hold on. “Shadow”?

Mikhail: DWN-024. He had a hard time understanding why Countershade spared his brother's life, so he went to see for himself what had happened. But instead of meeting Shade, he encountered Brandish.

Mikhail: I've heard it wasn't the most ideal of first impressions they made on one another, but that changed rather quickly. Quickly enough to gain Shadow's respect and Brand's courtesy.

Mikhail: They helped arrange for some meetings, to discuss a truce of sorts with one another. It was tense work for a while, but once we understood one another…

[He gave a happy sigh and sat down to relax again.]

Mikhail: You’d never seen the boys so happy. So hopeful. And it wasn’t long after that… around March 8th, I believe, that is when Countershade and Cardinal became such good friends, too.

[He seemed wistful, now.]

Mikhail: They grew very close. You could hardly separate them at times. Cardinal… he lost so much of his bitterness…. You didn’t know him before, Mr. Desmond, not like how he was when I first met him.

[He sighed and looked away.]

Mikhail: He’s had a faulty core due to shoddy coding for a very long time now. He didn’t have very long left in which he was expected to stay alive. Between that and dealing with Dr. Light and Dr. Wily… he had become a very weary man. He lived without hope.

[He looked up, his gaze distant.]

Mikhail: That’s why it meant so much to him, to all of them, when he really felt that Hope LIVES.

Des: (...Hope Lives...)

Des: (Isn't that what he tagged in the Office...?)

Mikhail: And that’s what you want to know about, isn’t it? Part of your main reasons for asking, since you can’t ask him yourself?

Mikhail: Yes, he and Countershade are very close. Countershade is his only long-term friend, the only one who’s stayed for so long. That is why it was so hard on them when the Mighty Numbers left in the spring and into the summer, to fight in the Queen’s Tournament.

[He paused for a moment, frowning and turning to look at Des.]

Mikhail: …But there’s a lot more to the story than even what happened in the Finals.

Mikhail: They became worried, especially after Bladeblaster threatened Cardinal’s life. Cardinal was sure that Bladeblaster was going to try and assassinate him in order to get at Shade.

Des: (Greater Dusk's leader? What?)

Mikhail: Cardinal was sure—and he's not a man to mentally commit to very many certainties, mind you— that Bladeblaster was going to try and assassinate him in order to get at Shade.

Des: --?! (Well THAT escalated quickly—!)

Mikhail: I assisted in a strategy session—in this very room, actually—regarding trying to figure out how to handle the overall situation… and to try and learn more about CDN-7037: Dencerjack. Or, as we know him, Jack Parker.

Des: (That CDN unit was sorta like their mascot...)

Des: (Just how intertwined IS all this?)

[Mikhail interlocked his fingers and leaned forward, speaking more factually now.]

Mikhail: At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, I believe that Cherry Dynamics is directly involved in Greater Dusk, which in turn served as an experimental “Patient Zero” for the virus in its current state. We have a paper trail that links CherryDyn to the funds that paid for Greater Dusk’s business expenses.

Des: Wait--

Des: CherryDyn was their sponsor?!

Des: (Oh--Oh, man, a paper trail, if we can get our hands on that, that'll send their lawyers scrambling--)

Des: And you can prove this?

Mikhail: I can’t prove the company as a whole, but I can prove a link. But yes, I can prove it. I told you, we have a paper trail—we found it months ago! I always keep my own copies of important files on an isolated server. I’ll get them for you after this is over. For now, though, I need you to listen.

Des: ....Right.

Des: I'm listening...

Mikhail: Jack Parker was originally a Civilian model, showcased to display new advancements in CherryDyn technology. He was neglected and abandoned, and fell onto very, very hard times. He was repeatedly mistreated and abused by employers and landlords, including some downright illegal situations. One day, he was attacked by Bladeblaster and his gang, and subsequently was pressed into service.

Mikhail: He was made to sign a contract without being allowed to read it, and was forcefully converted from a Civilian model to a Combat model.

Des: (...That's...)

Des: (I can't even count how many laws were described as being broken in that spiel.)

Mikhail: After that, he was physically and psychologically abused by his team leader. Repeatedly. It is for that reason that he resisted orders in battle, and even fought back when the infected crosses tried to take control. A cross he had been forced to wear.

[He leans back, drumming his fingers.]

Mikhail: Bladeblaster didn’t tell him what they did, but he felt it once it began to happen.

Des: ....Infected...

Des: (So the whole Queen's Finals fiasco was a trial run, of sorts?)

Des: (With live test subjects, funded by CherryDyn. The same company whose servers were the first ones infected, who have the most robots worldwide…)

Des: (I do believe we got a prime suspect in our hands. Certainly more believable that a large company like CherryDyn could be infiltrated or just go plain wrong, and have the resources to procure something like this…)

Des: (Now, if only we can actually TALK to that CEO...)

[Mikhail sighed and shook his head.]

Mikhail: And here we begin to reach one of the other main things you wanted to know about, if I’m not wrong.

Des: —… (Oh, right—almost forgot. Mmmn…)

[Mikhail looked up.]

Mikhail: …Tobias personally heard his favorite brother die. My son…

Mikhail: … Light Number Eight himself was killed in a manner tragically similar to what happened again. When he saw Jack being attacked, saw him go down in the sands…

[He closes his eyes.]

Mikhail: …

Mikhail:  … … …

Des: . . .

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: -Slowly and hesitantly- …Dr. Wily was not exactly a man with great self-control. Even… even back then. He was… he was very zealous. And his sons… they all reflect that streak of impulsiveness and unbridled fire.

Des: (...!)

Des: (So that's why...)

Mikhail: -Opens his eyes- When he saw that happen, especially after Dynatron was taken hostage…

Mikhail: He just couldn’t stand by any longer. He had an overwhelming directive to save her, to stop Bladeblaster from killing her, or killing Jack.

Mikhail: He made his way through on his own accord—and as you undoubtedly saw, paid the price for his insolence.

Mikhail: …Tobias had no intention of doing anything but stopping the measure, preventing loss of lives. He used force because at that level of Combat, he was willing and permitted to use whatever means necessary to stop her—to stop her from dying. He had no personal intent of compromising the security for the sake of malice.

Des: . . . .

Des: (So all he wanted was to save the Electric Maiden.)

Des: (That makes a lot of sense, given the Doctor's answers so far, and that both of them seem to be lighting-based bots. Looking out for one another...)

Des: (Still...)

Des: What about Bladeblaster?

Des: What was “Tobias” he going to do to him, exactly? He used enough power to send several blocks of London on the fritz, and EVERY witness account indicates he was pulling back for another strike. Was he going to kill him?

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: (As much as I want to vehemently deny it, I…)

Mikhail: (I can’t, not knowing how CLOSE he and his derivative have come to such a thing in the past when in such a state of wild, enraged despair…)

Mikhail: (Even so…)

Mikhail: (They ARE pacifists.)

Mikhail: …He needed Dynatron safe, and he had never fought before except in self-defense. -Hesitant kind of thoughtful- I don’t think he knew or realized what could happen—not on a conscious level—to him or to Bladeblaster. …If you need those notes and logs to clear him, I can provide those as well.

Des: ...Fair enough. (…Not as if we have anything else to go on at this rate, without talking to the Mighty Numbers directly.)

Des: ....

Des: -Shuffles through his notes with a frown- (Okay. We've covered this and that, and we got some important info out of this. Here comes the hard part.)

Des: This brings me to the other issues about DLN-008.

Des: As well as DLN-000 and the White House. We'll start there.

Des: What EXACTLY happened?

Mikhail: …

[He looks to the side again with a tired frown. His gaze seems to be glazing over, weary at the memory.]

Mikhail: …

Des: Doctor.

Des: You need to answer this. Now. It's a matter of national security, and the President herself has made it clear she's tired of being stonewalled. Trust me, you wouldn't want me to escalate this to my superior. So answer the question, WITHOUT any more stalling.

Mikhail: -Pinches the bridge of his nose- Yes, yes, I understand. I rather DID get that impression with the not-at-all-veiled death threat that she leveled on me.

Mikhail: It's just…

Mikhail: -Sad sigh- You're asking me questions to which I can only speculate a large portion of it.

Des: “Speculate”?

Mikhail: -Sad expression- We had almost no contact with Cardinal throughout this entire nightmare. And now… now it's too late to try and get his side of the story.

Des: “Too late”? I thought you said—

Mikhail: His body is fixed, but his mind… that's not something that will take the burden so easily.

Mikhail: I digress. Who do you want to hear about?

Des: …

Des: I asked you to be precise, not to summarize.

Mikhail: Who do you want me to discuss first, then.

Des: …

Des: You tell me. What happened first?

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: -Crosses his arms and shakes his head- | / …Cardinal was the first of anyone to get news of what was going on in your capital city. So I suppose I'll start with him. He would…

Mikhail: He would appreciate that, anyway, for reasons which… if we all live, perhaps someday you'll want to hear of them.

Des: …

Mikhail: …Cardinal Light…

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: …When all of this happened… Cardinal had been so desperately looking forward to being reunited with his best friend. They hadn’t seen—and had barely heard from—one another since the tournament began. He wanted to hang out and have fun, like old times again. …

Mikhail: -Closes his eyes, his face twisting to show heavy sorrow- …Instead, he was faced with the potential loss entirely.

Des: ....

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: … -Swallows- …He probably didn’t have much time to react. But once he could see and process what had happened and what was going on…

Mikhail: He saw the danger. And he had to stop it.

Mikhail: That much I'm sure of. Afer all… he was made as a military robot: made to defend and to give his life for the lives of others on the front lines in war.

Mikhail: With this… he saw the potential for something much worse than just chaos and war.

[He looked up.]

Mikhail: He saw the potential for genocide.

Des: --...????

Des: What?

[Mikhail was NOT pleased at the tone of this response, and he grew bitter, almost angry in a “mild disdain and disgust” sort of way.]

Mikhail: You know exactly what I’m talking about, Mister Desmond. And it almost happened more than one time in the past week.

Mikhail: When faced with the prospect of uncontrollable robot masses, to some it may seem that the only way to cease the madness would be to kill everything with fire. To obliterate the threat so badly that it was stopped completely.

Mikhail: But that would come at what price, if you destroyed all of the Artificial Intelligences and Awareness in your nation in your world, infected AND healthy?

Mikhail: Would the remaining humans be enough to support themselves, to grow food, to give medical care, to risk lives at dangerous jobs?

Des: ......

Des: (.....Gh...)

Des: (It's almost too horrifying to think about...)

Mikhail: This threat, for him, was on the level of a nation. It was about more than his friends. And he knew that his friends, now lost to the virus, could very easily make it a reality.

[He scowled.]

Mikhail: He was already in the thick of it before we could stop him. He made his way to the one place he ever felt at home, and from there acted upon his need to protect the people. Once things stabilized, he set out to follow Shade’s trail. He must have become truly desperate, for he even came to the lab and nearly got cornered.

Mikhail: After that, he must have determined that the one place Shade could do the most damage was the White House. And that is why he went there.

[He looked up again, tired.]

Mikhail: I’m sure you must be worried about security. That’s why you’re asking me this, isn’t that what you were saying?

Des: --....

Des: (...Well, it doesn't help that a total of only four to five or maybe MORE robots were enough to interfere and bypass our entire security system, even if it WAS malfunctioning...)

Mikhail: Well, I assure you that very little short of a well-armed squadron could have prevented Cardinal from entering. He was made to take out armored tanks, and he was willing to take the hits if it meant getting in.

Des: (...So that explains the well-made helmet.)

Mikhail: And as much as he wanted to rescue his friend, his overhanded, commanding priority in a military-grade order was to evacuate the White House and save the President.

Mikhail: And that is why he risked and GAVE everything to save you. ((pl.))

Des: .....

Des: And where does DLN-008 fit into all of this, Doctor Cossack? He isn't military, I assume.

Mikhail: … -Painful expression- ({This is going to hurt…}) -Looks away-

Mikhail: ({I knew…})

Mikhail: ({I knew in my heart, in that moment, that there would be a price to pay…})

Mikhail: ({And… and I accepted it, when it came to find me, but…})

Mikhail: ({That does not make this any easier…})

Mikhail: …No, he’s an Industrial. Built to handle power plants.

Des: Then?

Des: In the past year, he's broken into two top-level security establishments--the Queen's Finals, okay, that I can understand. But that's just me.

Des: I'm sorry, Doctor, but there are consequences for--

Mikhail: (Ghhkt—) -Interrupts- No, Desmond!

Des: Doctor--

Mikhail: Leave him alone.

-*-*-*-*-*-

Min: 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.]

-*-*-*-*-*-

Des: --......

Des: (This again...)

Mikhail: …Tobias is hot-blooded, but he did not—I… repeat, he did not…

[He’s VERY clearly uncomfortable.]

Mikhail: ({There’s… there is no other choice…!})

Mikhail: …You have to leave him alone.

Mikhail: He didn’t go after your security systems on his own initiative.

[Little did he realize…

…the watch he was wearing was the one Countershade had given him for his 39th birthday earlier that year. He’d completely forgotten about that, especially since he’d never had the chance to get the rundown on what it does.

But one of those functions was to report his condition if his heart rate were to rise high enough to show he was in danger.

And this was one of those times.]

Mikhail: …That was my fault.

[PING!]

[HEART RATE ABOVE NORMAL STRESS LEVELS. SENDING DISTRESS SIGNAL...]

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

Will: --...? What...?

Soi: What is it--

Will: --....It...It's Mikhail--?

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

[MN.8 IS NOW ONLINE]

Shade: Mngh....

Shade: Mikhail's...

Mic: ?

Mic: -Go back to sleep--

Shade: Mikhail's not...Mgh...okay...

Beck: Huh?

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

Mikhail: Mine and mine alone.

Mikhail: Do you hear me?

Des: --?!

Des: (Wait, what?)

Des: (HE told DLN-008 to...)

Mikhail: When we saw on the news that he was there, we quickly deduced what had happened. And I knew he was going to die, going to get himself killed if I didn’t intervene. I’m his Doctor, I know what his limits are— you and your people were going to destroy him out of panic, or weaken him enough that Shade, controlled by the virus, would do so himself.

Des: Then WHY didn't you call ahead, or at least--

[Mikhail stood, looking a kind of bitterly frustrated just short of angry.]

((Pic—Mikhail & Des (argue) ))

Mikhail: Called? Do you honestly think that after what happened with Battalion, I could have called!?

Des: What?!

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

Soi: Will, you shouldn't--you CAN'T hack into their camera's--

Will: Like HELL I can't--

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

Pyro: Shade, sit DOWN--

Shade: Mikhail's in trouble--

Brand: He's in the same building, Shade, he's not--

Shade: Ya don't get it, I'm gettin' a distress signal from the watch--

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

Des: How do you KNOW about that?!

Mikhail: Your people called Sanda’s labs directly. I vacated the premises, but once I got back… Battalion was home and everyone involved had been sworn to secrecy on a governmental, military level.

Mikhail: What else would any SANE Russian conclude given those facts?!

Des: --....

Des: -Grits teeth- (Damnit, he has a point!)

Mikhail: The constructs went where they could cause the most damage, Desmond! Battalion is a walking tank built as a homage to the military!

Des: ....

Mikhail: Besides, we DID call! We spoke to someone, but they could not help us—and I could not and would> not wait!

Des: (Grr… I’ll have to follow up on that and see who he spoke to about this! In the meantime—)

Des: If you were there, at the time we called regarding Battalion, at least for a while--

Des: Why didn't you say anything?

Mikhail: Why do you think?  I left PRECISELY to avoid THIS conversation, Mr. Desmond. =____=;;

Des: Then were YOU responsible for the security breach at the base THEN?

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

Will: --! No--!

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

Mikhail: -Leans back a bit and blinks, clearly taken off-guard regarding something he did NOT expect- ({What—?!})

Mikhail: ({There…})

Mikhail: ({There was a security breach?!})

[Mikhail looked over, confused. He seemed to be trying to process the information, unsure whether to ask for clarification or not.]

Mikhail: ({What happened, is this—})

Mikhail: ({Is this some sort of trick, is this a trick question, or—})

Mikhail: ({Was there really a breach, is he just trying to catch me in a lie and use that to say I’m covering for people, or—})

Mikhail: ({If I say the wrong thing, are they going to blame Will and Sanda for this?})

Mikhail: ({I can’t…})

Mikhail: ({I can’t risk asking for clarification…. If something really DID happen, and it’s obvious I don’t know, then Will and Sanda would be their next guess…. If it was someone else, I’m confident they’ll find out in due time. I can’t risk putting Will through…})

Mikhail: ({…He’s been so terrified this whole time, he fled any time someone from the government contacted us. I don’t think he could take the kind of questioning the feds give you…. And I certainly don’t want him to have to be put through that.})

Mikhail: ({Oh, Will…! If only you hadn’t been sworn to secrecy, maybe you could have told me what really happened back there!})

Mikhail: ({I can’t…})

Mikhail: ({…If I say nothing…})

Mikhail: ({…Nothing can be held against you.})

[Eventually it faded to just a frown.]

Mikhail: …

Des: (.... Wasn't expecting that response...)

Des: ....

Des: Alright, then. You don't know. Sit down, Doctor.

[Mikhail didn’t sit down.]

Mikhail: Mnnn. Anyway. -Crosses his arms, tapping his fingers and looking to the side-

Mikhail: After all of that, do you honestly think I could rely on anyone to LISTEN to reason, to stop shooting just because some Doctor nobody told them to, especially me—a Russian?

Mikhail: Tsk. Don’t patronize me. I knew at once that it wouldn’t work, and I was proven right when I called ahead anyway. Perhaps it would under normal circumstances, but everyone was in panic. You didn’t know his intentions, and you were under attack—the logical thing would be to fight back against those not under your control. And so, he would be damaged. And he was! By the systems, by your security outside—

[He puts his hands behind his back and looks at Desmond coldly over his glasses.]

Mikhail: You yourself even SHOT him in the cranium, you TOLD me that YOURSELF in our last brief interview.

Des: --....

Des: (Ngh, he's right, we would've...)

Mikhail: Do you remember the state he was brought in to me? If it had been any worse, even the SLIGHTEST bit worse, Nine would have been too late and 000 would have died— permanently.

Des: (Gh...)

Des: (Having the core exposed like that...Yet another point for the Doctor. Bah...)

Mikhail: I refused to let that happen, I refused to make that risk! And not just the risk to him, to his friends— Cardinal Light was running on nuclear power—

Des: Nuclear?!

Des: (That doesn't make SENSE, there's no Xelbot online that runs on nuclear--they don't NEED to--)

Des: (Great, NOW we have to go through a radiation check!)

Mikhail: —if the virus had forced Shade, if Shade in his unwilling madness had, in that last moment, shot him—

Mikhail: -Clearly a bit worked up- Cardinal would have exploded, we would have lost him—!

Des: Doctor!

Des: Calm. Down.

[Mikhail exhaled sharply, but didn’t budge—even continuing to glare for a few tense moments.

…But then that cold fire slowly died down, and he began to look exhausted again. He sat down heavily, bowing his head.]

Mikhail: …I got desperate. …I refused to allow that to happen.

[He put his head in his hands.]

Mikhail: …I had sent all of my patients into an emergency lockdown that placed them Offline. But once I saw what was going to happen unless Cardinal was helped— I wanted to take him out of there, but his transceiver had been off for a long time. Only a positive visual lock can compensate for the lack of a signal. I needed visual. The only way to get visuals was through the security system… where they were currently under the virus’s control.

Mikhail: I saw no other option but to bypass or at least mitigate the malfunctioning security, since feeds could not be negotiated from the Pentagon…

Mikhail: ({I TRIED, Will, I swear—Call contacted them, but they were BLIND, they had no control…!})

Mikhail: …can’t negotiate what you don’t have in your possession to offer…

[His heart was racing.]

Mikhail: I made the decision to bring Tobias back Online.

[He curls his hands into fists and places them down on the table, his miserable gaze still cast downward.]

Mikhail: And I ordered him to go into the Cloud, force his way in there, give us the feeds, and disable it or turn it off.

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

Will: NO--!!

Will: (No, Mikhail, NO--!)

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

Cryo: MIC SIT ON HIM OR SOMETHING--

Mic: -But we don't want to crush him--

Beck: Shade, calm down--!

Shade: Lemmie GO--!

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

Mikhail: I knew it was wrong, yes, and I did so anyway. That is what matters here, justified or not.

Mikhail:   ({I’m so sorry Will…! But… if I don’t accept this, then it’s only going to bring the axe down on Tobias or you, and I just can’t allow that! This is not your fault and Tobias—he’s just a scared child, he doesn’t deserve such a fate—})

Mikhail: ({If… if someone REALLY has…  has to pay…})

Des: ....

[The Secretary of Defense slowly exhales, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn't expect things to turn out this way.]

Des: (This is a huge complicated mess...)

Des: (If HE ordered DLN-008 to infiltrate the White House security...)

Des: (Under the circumstances...)

Des: (I have to assume he's also acting under orders.)

Des: So you ordered him to do it.

Mikhail: Yes.

Des: ....

Des: And whose orders are YOU acting under?

Mikhail: Nobody’s.

Des: .....

Des: Doctor Cossack.

Des: Your files and that of your patients didn't even exist in the last year.

Des: I can only assume someone else FORGED your papers.

Des: Who?

Mikhail: -Somewhat shaky but VERY firm- I won’t answer that.

Mikhail: ({Shade’s ALREADY in a bad enough position as it is.})

Des: Then what ELSE do you want me to think?

Mikhail: -VERY uncomfortable expression- ({I can tell that’s going to cost me…!})

Des: And how much do Sanda and his employees know about this?

Mikhail: -ANGRY- again- ({For the— NO! Please! Leave them all alone, WHY haven’t I been able to make that clear by now?!})

Mikhail: ENOUGH! I told you, no, I’m NOT a spy—

Des: Then WHO are you WORKING for, Doctor?!

Mikhail: I don’t work for anybody, Desmond! Before Wily nearly completely massacred my family, I built my sons within an LLC that was privately, personally funded! I’ve never let anyone be able to claim ownership over my sons—no one tells me what to do, I’m my own boss!

Mikhail: Do you have children, or at least know the lives of parents?

Des: --..... (Min…)

Mikhail: Can you expect to know everything that your children’s friend’s parents are and know?!

Mikhail: No! Doctor Sanda and his children are the friends of my children, of my nephews— we too, in turn, are friends—that’s IT!

Mikhail: So— with all due respect, Mister Secretary—

[He gestures at the camera.]

Mikhail: I’ve told you all I have to say within the hearing range of other listening ears! Anything else will have to be for you alone, and only then can you decide whether it will or can be added back into an official file.

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

Will: --.....

Will: -Admittedly kind of freaked out how he worded that, how does he know--

Soi: o______o;;;;

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

Mikhail: …If that’s not good enough to work off of…

[He forces himself to look up, to look Desmond in the eyes with great effort.]

Mikhail: …you’ll just have to… -Takes a breath- …make your decisions… based on… based on what I’ve told you thus far.

Mikhail: ({God—if it really comes to that, please have mercy on me; let it be quick—! I don’t know if I could stand the waiting, I’m not strong enough for that!})

Mikhail: And you can question me again and again, but forevermore, the answers will not change.

Des: . . .

Des: . . .

Mikhail: That is all I have to say.

Des: (....)

Des: (He's not going to talk any more, is he...)

Des: (And this STILL isn't enough to go on. There's still too many questions left unanswered, and he's dead set on keeping that under lock and key--not to mention taking any blame thereof.)

Des: (If nothing else, he's covering for that boy, I know he is.)

Des: ....

Mikhail: …

Des: (...At least we have some very useful leverage against CherryDyn now.)

Des: (Maybe we can even have some kind of breakthrough--and a lead on Dencerjack, if he's still alive...)

Des: .....

Des: You said you printed off those files you said you'd provide.

Mikhail: Yes. I printed them off in advance, as I anticipated that they would be needed.

Des: Fine, but I'll have to take a look at the original files myself.

Mikhail: Very well, I may be willing to grant you access. That would have to be done at a later time, though. The server that hosts the files is no longer accessible via the Cloud. It has to be visited in person.

Des: ...In Russia? Somewhere off country? (Am I going to have to travel half way across the world?)

Des: ...And why?

Mikhail: No, not in Russia. -Sighs, shaking his head and closing his eyes- I don’t live there anymore. Not after what happened. We had to move as part of the protection program.

Mikhail: As for why…

Mikhail: Among other things… data in the Cloud still isn’t safe, even on isolated servers. In order to keep the files intact, I’ve removed all possible access to the server for this time. Sorry.

Des: .......

[Desmond takes out his phone and begins texting.]

[D.D. to M.M.]//: ⚠️: 🔬 🔗 ✅.

[D.D. to M.M.]//: 🔬 🔇 ⛔️ 🔍 re: L008, et. al, etc.

[M.M. to D.D.]//: USE Ɑ STAT?

[D.D. to M.M.]//: 🔂 👀 ABOVE.

[M.M. to D.D.]//: ⚖?

[D.D. to M.M.]//: ❌— 📰, 📁, ANY?

[M.M. to D.D.]//: ❌ re:🇷🇺, 🇯🇵

[M.M. to D.D.]//: ⏱ ⌛️?

[D.D. to M.M.]//: ❌—💬⛔️🔇

[M.M. to D.D.]//: 🎬🔍— ⏲ @ 0

[M.M. to D.D.]//: PROTOCOL?

[D.D. to M.M.]//: 💬

[D.D. to M.M.]//: ⛓🔬🔐

[M.M. to D.D.]//: ∴ ⛓🔬🔐

Des: (....Damn it.)

Des: (...I'm sorry, Doctor, but if you're going to be like this...)

Des: ....

Des: We're going to need you to discuss the matter further until you give full explanations.

Mikhail:  ! -Winces- ({I’ll—!There’s no way I’ll—!}) -Breathing a bit heavier now, a dismayed kind of terrified- ({I’ll never make it out of that alive!})

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

Soi: WILL—

[Soichiro had always felt bad whenever he had to use his larger stature against his leaner friend--but Will was determined to get his hands on the lab controls, desperately trying to lock down the lab in a panic.]

Will: THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE HIM, SOI—

Will: I can't—I won't—! NOT AGAIN!

Will: I won't lose another—!

Will: I won't lose another FAMILY—!

Soi: Will—Will, please, you can't—I know this looks bad but don't do anything rash—WILL!

Will: Then I'll stop them MYSELF!

Soi: WILL, ARE YOU INSANE, GET BACK HERE—!

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

Bat: STAND DOWN, PRIVATE—!

Shade: Somethin' WRONG! He's—he's in danger, Mikhail's in DANGER, the watch says so—

Avi: -Does anybody have any idea what the HECK IS HAPPENING—-

Brand: {Don't you DARE TURN INVISIB—SHADE!!!}

Shade: Gotta go--gotta go check--

Pyro: Don't worry, I got his cloak--EIGHT! DAMN IT, STOP DRAGGING ME--

Cryo: YO, WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT UNCLE COSSACK THO--

Beck: Mikhail is in danger?!

Mic: D:

Dyna: -BZZT, SHADY WOULD YOU STOP DRAGGING EVERYONE OUTSIDE--

Pyro: SHADE!

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

[Mikhail was well aware of what that would mean for him. Well aware.

Linked directly now to two rounds of cases involving the virus, to multiple constructs with security-breaking capacities, all under constructed credentials, with a staunch refusal to divulge his true origins, or to grant access to said constructs… as a non-citizen…

With stakes that high, denial could only earn him treatment as a very well planted spy.

And spies were not granted the dignity of decency that had been established under treaties which protected prisoners of war.

Interrogation, and then enhanced interrogation—but when both of those revealed nothing…]

Mikhail: -Clearly scared and hopeless- … ({This is really it, then…. This is where it will end for me…. Alone, in captivity, not even within my own time. That… that’s really how… how I’m going to die?}) -Swallows- …

[He was becoming enveloped by a sense of despair. It was dragging him down, slowly, into the familiar terrors of waiting nervously for the final judgment made on his case.

It would appear that there just wasn't any way for him to escape this fate. He had been spared once, but for it to happen again—

It would appear that his time in the mortal world was just about over. Just as he had feared… it would all be over, very soon.

Very, very soon.]

Mikhail: … -Swallows again- ({Then…})

Mikhail: ({So be it.})

Mikhail: -Russian- {…I…. I understand.}

Des: ....

[Mikhail struggled to get his breathing under control, and to stop the swallowing, but it wasn’t easy to put a forceful end to the instinctive physical response to panic.

[Despite an incredible amount of effort to regain his composure, Mikhail fell short of achieving a stoic demeanor. Far from it.

He bowed his head, as if it were being dragged down by the weight of his fear.

And though he tried, so very hard, to once again regain a front of calm patience…

This time he broke entirely, once and for all.]

((Pic—Mikhail’s despair))

[Tears.

Tears of despair.

They were silent, at first, but the sharp hiss of erratic breaths through clenched teeth betrayed what cowering brokenness he was trying to obscure from view.]

Mikhail: ({I can’t be sure… what will happen, with me belonging outside of this time…})

Mikhail: ({But… if it must… be this way, then…})

Mikhail: ({My dear Sveta…})

Mikhail: ({I didn’t… think I would be seeing you again so soon…})

Mikhail: -Grits his teeth hard- ({And with so little dignity left in the matter…})

Mikhail: ({I can’t even keep myself together when I knew this would happen!})

Mikhail: ({I…})

Mikhail: ({I’m so sorry…})

Des: -Quietly, with a sense of respect- I don't like this either, Doctor.

Des: (...You seem like a good, if highly troubled man, in my opinion. And my gut's usually right on things like this.)

[Mikhail didn’t respond. Not right away. He seemed to be slipping into a deep sense of regret, based on how his body language began to change from the tense cowering of cornered prey to the exhausted submission of a lifeless prisoner.]

Mikhail: ({I’m sorry, Will… I’m sorry…})

Mikhail: ({Please…})

Mikhail: ({Please don’t hold this against him…. This is his job, and…})

Mikhail: ({I am but a man, and equal before the law means that there shall be no special treatment.})

[He heaved a shaky breath, trying to blink away the tears.]

Mikhail: ({Oh, Nero…! I cannot ask for mercy, and there is no hope for salvation…. If this is to be the end of me, please…})

Mikhail: ({Please, Enigma… take care of my daughter…})

[There was another shaky breath, though his breathing was becoming slower and more regular as the initial shock wore off and acceptance began to creep in.]

Mikhail: … {Do what you must.}

Des: ....

[With a sigh, Des reached around to pull out a pair of steel handcuffs. Unfortunately, this was protocol.]

Mikhail: -Flinches SHARPLY at this- …

Mikhail: -Strained groan- ({Oh, not THESE again…})

Mikhail: (At least…)

Mikhail: (At least THESE ones… don’t have spikes in them…)

[He didn’t say anything. He just looked incredibly defeated.

He started to pull off his left glove silently, hesitating for a moment before letting the silk slide.]

Des: --...!

Des: (What in the...)

[His hands were covered in burn scars. It was clear he’d had some skin grafting done. One could see the edges continued all the way to his arms.

…Looking closer, one could also see such scars beneath the beard on his face.

There were also other scars around his wrists—as if he had been bound there and struggled against it for months.

He really had seen hell before…and he’d actually been speaking literally when he said Cardinal had rescued him from fire.]

Des: ..... (Scars…)

[He hesitated briefly—he wasn’t sure if those scars were prone to sudden pain via pressure. They looked incredibly nasty—and also fairly recent.]

Des: (…I don’t have a choice.)

[Desmond took great care as he closed the restraints around Mikhail’s wrists. There was a cold, somewhat jarring clicking noise as he locked them into place and reluctantly tightened them.

Mikhail bites back a whimper of anxiety, gritting his teeth in silence instead. His heart was still pounding—he almost felt dizzy in the fear… but he was determined not to give in to it.]

Des: (…This is going to suck.)

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

Goose: 8′D;

[To pun or not to pun, that was the question. Especially when concerning grouchy younger snipesibs.]

Goose: …

Goose: -INHALES—- 8′^D

[What he warbles next isn’t exactly SINGING—]

Goose: SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIIIIIIIS, WHO AM I TO DISAGREEEEEE—

😪 Goose —> Shade, re: Jingle Bells

[ VIII ] - “Nnngh, ya dang pun plane AH’M TRYIN’ T’ SLEEP–”Cue Shade aiming his rifle–and a second later a dart whizzes past Goose to lodge itself in the wall. Looks like Shade didn’t take so well to be awoken via bad Christmas caroling–“Next one’s goin’ right where the sun don’t shine if ya don’t shut up and GIT–”

=CHAPTER 11B: SWALLOWED UP INNOCENCE=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

[BATTLE COLOSSEUM: ARENA SANDS.]

[The first thing Beck felt when he neared the arena was the thrum of power, the latent energy and almost... living presence of Xel all around him. As he fell--down, down into the sands, he braced himself for the rough landing Avi so warned him around.]

[...Except he hit the ground a lot sooner than expected, and on his feet, no less.]

Beck: Wha--?

[That was odd. The arena sands weren't nearly this high, and that's when his optics adjusted enough to see why.]

((Pic))

[What rang true for the state of the Colosseum’s outside was also applied on the interior. Some kind of Xel structure was rising out from beneath the ground, taking up most of the space of the Colosseum sands that once housed match after match of...]

Beck: -...Mnn...-

[To think he'd come back here, where it all started.]

[A fuzz.]

-=-=-=-=-=-

"I’m not leaving without you! I WON’T LEAVE YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF MONSTROPOLIS!"

-=-=-=-=-=-

[Where it had all began, indeed… even if he still couldn't remember all of it.

This time, though, he was on his own.]

[Ksst--]

Beck: !

[His comm suddenly went online--]

[MN.6] //: --copy, come on, Tex-Becks, say something--

Beck: --Avi--!

[MN.6] //: YES--GUYS, I GOT HIM, HE MADE IT--

Beck: Yeah! I'm okay, I landed good too, I...oh, jeez. Man, Avi, I wish you could see this.

[Another crackle.]

<DLN-008>: > Uuuugh… I'm seeing some of it, and it reminds me a bit of the Cloud…

Beck: It's almost...

Beck: Almost like it's all alive...?

[MN.6] //: ...yeaaaaah hard pass on that. :''D

[MN.6] //: Sorry I couldn't get you in closer--that hole was the only gap I could find in their air defenses--

[And just as Avi was saying that, a shadow fell over the smallest Mighty.]

Beck: --!

[He looked up--and saw with growing worry that the hole in the gear roof he just entered was very rapidly being closed up by infected, blocky Xel.]

Beck: [Drop emoticon] Yeah...

Beck: I think they fixed that already.

<DLN-008>: > […]

<DLN-008>: > -MUCH harsher than he intends- "They"?

[MN.9] //: --um--I-I meant Trinity, sorry--

[MN.9] //: Nervous--

<DLN-008>: > -Ranting angry Wily data re: CherryDynamics-

Beck: [Drop emoticon]

Beck: (Close...close one...)

<DLN-008>: > By the way, anyone got any ideas on how to reboot a space ninja? He's out cold.

Beck: Mnn, I...I dunno. My first guess would be Felix, but I think he can't really cast anything at this point--

Beck: Not unless he prepared for that before hand. Avi--how's he doing?

[MN.6] //: ...

[MN.6] //: ...Uh...

<DLN-008>: > [Frown emoticon]

Beck: ...Guys?

[Oh no.]

<DLN-008>: > He'll be fine. …I think. Fine-ish. Mostly okay?

[MN.6] //: Yeah, he's kinda fallen off from higher stuff before--

Beck: What?!

[Even with that bit of reassurance, Beck was still distressed, and it clearly showed in his data--]

Beck: He fell? Oh, no--don't tell me fell into all that Xel outside--!

[MN.6] //: Shhh, shhh--it's gonna be okay, Beckers--

[MN.6] //: Felix is like this huge mountain squishy, he'll be fine--

<DLN-008>: > I'd demonstrate some of the stuff he's lived through for comparison, but I'm getting the vibe that'd be a bad idea, and I keep getting calls from Europe, why this…

[There's the sense he's looking down.]

<DLN-008>: > I guess I could zap him…

[PING--!]

[MN.3] //: -Distressed bzzzing-- Toby, zzsweetie, I wouldn't do that if I were you--

[MN.6] //: Oh, sweet, the other comms are coming on--

[MN.3] //: [Drop emoticon] Not with the ninja, who'szz probably had a lesszz than good time like the rest of uszz and wouldn't appreciate the zappy, hurt-y wake up call too much...

<DLN-008>: > Oh, right, didn't think about that…

[MN.3] //: Yeah--we'll think of zzsomething else, okay? Hang in there, zzspark bro--

[Ksst--]

[DR.WHITE] //: Beck--? Do you read me?

Beck: -Places two fingers at his earcap- Hmmhmm. Loud and clear, Dad.

[DR.WHITE] //: Thank goodness...

[DR.WHITE] //: I'm afraid we're having difficulty with getting visual on our end, so you'll have to describe what's going on for us in the meantime. What's the situation in the Colosseum interior?

Beck: -Looks around- There's...some kind of Xel structure in the middle of the sands. Like it...came up from underground.

[DR.WHITE] //: ...that would explain the earthquake...

[Ksst--]

[DR.SANDA] //: Is...what IS that I hear in the background?

Beck: [Drop emoticon] I... I don't really know. It sounds like the Xel is constantly...moving behind the walls or something?

Beck: Like it's going somewhere...

<DLN-008>: > [Drop emoticon] Where would it go? The locker rooms? Do you guys have a basement or something?

<DLN-008>: > I'd try and cross-reference, but the branch server is gone, and Cardinal's the only one who's been there before…

[MN.6] //: [?] You, uh… haven’t seen the memories?

[MN.6] //: -Preeeeeeetty sure that’s how it works, right—-

<DLN-008>: > […]

<DLN-008>: > [Frown emoticon] Cardinal was paranoid even by our standards, Avi. He encrypted almost everything. All we ever got out of it was the cross-reference data on an analytical level.

<DLN-008>: >The only thing the rest of us know about the place? Is that it was one of his happiest memories, and he would dream about… well…

<DLN-008>: > […]

<DLN-008>: > … [Frown emoticon] Whenever he had good dreams after that, it was always something to do with showing off to the crowds in a fixed chassis, or hanging out with Shade.

<DLN-008>: > Usually both at the same time.

[MN.8] //: […] -…Low key agony pain data-

Beck: ...Hang on... (…Just a little longer…)

[Beck slowly walks towards one side of the room, and places a hand on one of the walls. It ripples at his touch.]

Beck: (Whoa...)

Beck: ...

Beck: Down. It's definitely going down.

Beck: There is a sub-area underneath the arena--for the different field layouts and stuff that gets switched out? There's also something of a mini-elevator with a platform for those kinds of entrances--

Beck: [Drop emoticon] Except if this came from underneath that, then that was probably all trashed when this thing came topside.

Beck: (If I had to guess, considering who's involved...it probably started from the sewers...)

[DR.WHITE] //: [Drop emoticon] I see.

[DR.WHITE] //: I suspect Trinity must be the one gathering all that Xel towards her. If you follow it--it should lead you straight to her.

Beck: Right...

[DR.WHITE] //: Be VERY careful.

[DR.WHITE] //: You might be immune to the effects of the virus while in there, but we have no idea what to expect besides that.

[DR.WHITE] //: Proceed with extreme caution.

[MN.9] //: Yes, sir.

[MN.6] //: Good luck, Tex-Becks!

[MN.6] //: Fight the good fight!

[MISSION DETAILS: CDN-1201, TRINITY, HAS SUBSUMED THE BATTLE COLOSSEUM IN A FORTRESS OF INFECTED XEL, GATHERED FROM TITUS AND WITH MORE INCOMING XEL FROM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. SITUATION CRITICAL. CONDITIONS UNKNOWN. NO OTHER DATA AVAILABLE.]

[MISSION OBJECTIVE: LOCATE AND PURGE ALL HARMFUL MALWARE FROM CDN-1201. FAILURE WILL RESULT IN TITUS'S EVENTUAL DESTRUCTION AND INTERNATIONAL INTERVENTION FROM OTHER WORLD POWERS.]

[SUB OBJECTIVES: MINIMIZE RMDC IMPACT, L̷̶OC̕ÀT̵͜E ͘͡AN̴̕͟D ̵̧͢C̸̴͡O͢N͠͡F̧̨R̵O͘͠Ņ͢T ͘Ø͜͞, ̸̸͜Á͠K̵̢͏A͏ ̀R̶A̕̕Y̴͜.̵̶͘]

[SYSTEMS READY?]

[GO!]

[Beck didn't see an immediate exit at first--it looked like one closed off room.]

Beck: Looks like I'm going to have to make an opening somewhere...

<DLN-008>: > When in doubt, take out the ceiling.

Beck: ...

Beck: [Drop emoticon] I, uh. I don't think it works like that, Toby. I-It's fine, I'll just use Bat's--

[Suddenly, a noise. A clicking sound, like claws being clattered together--]

Beck: --???

Beck: !!

Beck: -AUGH, WHAT IS THAT--

[It looked Xel-shaped, and it floated almost like a jellyfish--but at the center of this strange enemy was this giant eye, fixated on Beck as it rapidly flew towards him--]

[BLAM!]

[The screech it let out was something right out of a sci-fi horror movie.]

Beck: Ew, ew--stay away--

[Oh, and it brought friends.]

<DLN-008>: > Ugh, why does everything have to scream...

[BLAM! BLAM!]

Beck: [Drop emoticon] These things are huge and...tanky, Mnn...

[Though after some doing, Beck did manage to cause then to dissipate. The strange eye Xel screeched painfully as it just fell apart, it's Xel falling to the floor. Only for it to be absorbed right back into it.]

Beck: That's not a good sign...

<DLN-008>: > Can non-Xel absorb Xel?

[DR.WHITE] //: [Drop emoticon] Let's stick a pin on that one. Beck? What happened?

Beck: The leftover Xel from those things got absorbed right back into the structure...

Beck: Oh boy.

[DR.WHITE] //: [Drop emoticon x3] I highly suggest you get going.

Beck: Yeah, I--

[Beck never finished that sentence, as suddenly the ground below him glowed.]

[And started moving.]

Beck: [!]

Beck: Whoa...

[The floor parted into two sections, retracting into the walls and revealing a way down from the room he was in.]

Beck: The...the floor just opened up.

[DR.WHITE] //: The floor?

Beck: Yeah--like, on it's own. Um. Saves some valuable energy, I guess...?

<DLN-008>: > […]

<DLN-008>: > That doesn’t sound right...

Beck: -Hup--

[Beck jumped down to the next area below--which seemed like some kind of long hallway. Unfortunately, it ended rather abruptly.]

Beck: Dead end...

Beck: --! Wait...

<DLN-008>: > [?]

[Just like before, the wall in front of him glowed, and then retraced downwards into the floor, revealing more hallway...]

Beck: ...Never mind, the wall kinda...moved aside...

Beck: ...

Beck: ...Is...

Beck: Is Trinity...creating a path for me?

<DLN-008>: > There’s a reference somewhere in there, I just know it...

[DR.SANDA] //: Hrmm...

[DR.SANDA] //: She may roll out the red carpet, but I wouldn't expect a warm welcome...

<DLN-008>: > -A bit hazily confused- Red?

<DLN-008>: > Mmmn, red...

<DLN-008>: > She liked... red, red was important...

Beck: ...

Beck: [Drop emoticon x3] (I can take a good guess why...)

<DLN-008>: > Something about a friend, I think...

<DLN-008>: > Blah... need more processing power, my head hurts from all these weird calls...

Beck: -Whew...-

Beck: Dad? Should I make my own way through? Could be a trap...

[DR.WHITE] //: Mmn... You'll need everything you have for Trinity herself. Blasting your way through wouldn't be wise, especially since we have no idea if the structure can handle it...

[DR.WHITE] //: Follow the path for now. It will probably lead you closer to her, at the very least.

Beck: Copy that...

<DLN-008>: > PROCESSING...

<DLN-008>: > PROCESSING...

[The data coming off of his signal was becoming more basic and slower, as if his Awareness was diminished and he was struggling with running some of the programs.]

<DLN-008>: > PROCESSING...

[Beck continues onward, buster at the ready for any sort of surprises. Strangely, it's all but quiet in this hallway, save for the moving walls and the occasional screech from whatever lurked deeper inside.]

Beck: Don't like this...

<DLN-008>: > PROCESSING...

Beck: (Definitely feels like I'm walking right into a trap...)

Beck: ...How big is this place--?

[SLAM--!]

Beck: [!]

[Beck turned on his heel, alarmed by the sudden crash of something heavy behind him. The walls that he had passed under before suddenly slammed back shut, and--]

[--were continuing to do so--]

Beck: Ack--!

Beck: -DASHES AWAY--

[He floored it, dashing forward to avoid getting turned into paste. The path opened up more as he went on, though it was immediately shut behind him the second he was through.]

[SLAM! SLAM!]

Beck: aaaAAAH--

[DR.WHITE] //: Beck?!

Beck: Walls are trying to CRUSH ME--

[Thankfully, he didn't have to run for long, as another room was up ahead. He tumbled as the wall behind him shut tight, a familiar lock symbol appearing on it's surface.]

Beck: [Drop emoticon] (I'm not sure if that means either 'stay out' or 'hurry up.'...)

[DING!]

[DSN-000 IS NOW ONLINE.]

Beck: !!!

Beck: Call?!

[DR.WHITE] //: !!

[DR.SANDA] //: :''D! Call! I-I mean--

[DR.SANDA] //: {I'm glad you're awake, so glad, but you should rest right now--}

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

[DR.SANDA] //: ? Call--?

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

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

[CALL] //: [PING!]

[CALL] //: Sync complete.

[CALL] //: Multiple enemy signatures ahead. Be weary of reforming Xel blocks.

Beck: :D!!! Call! [♥︎]

[DR.WHITE] //: Call, dear, you should really--we have it handled, you should focus on--

[CALL] //: -PING!-

[CALL] //: This unit can preform support even when not currently on an active terminal.

[CALL] //: Statement: MN.9 requires all support available.

[CALL] //: I must support Beck.

[DR.SANDA] //: --Ah--Will--Will, I think she's serious--

[DR.WHITE] //: E--Er...

Beck: It is so good to hear you right now--

Beck: You said something about reforming Xel blocks?

[CALL] //: Correct. Xel energy signatures suggest the multiple platforms up ahead can be broken down and constituted.

[DR.WHITE] //: ...

[DR.WHITE] //: ...I guess convincing her to go back into sleep is out of the question--

[DR.SANDA] //: Heh...

Beck: Anything else? Actually--I don't want to ask too much of you while you're probably in bed--

Beck: Do you think you can help Avi get visual?

[CALL] //: -PING!-

[CALL] //: Negative. I detect a strong jamming signal that is causing interference.

[DR.WHITE] //: Jamming signal--the same one that cut off comms before this?

[CALL] //: And at the Prison.

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

[DR.WHITE] //: What?

Beck: (Ack--! Too much information--!)

Beck: -PING- Um, okay! I'll see if I can't... find the cause...

[CALL] //: Confirmed.

Beck: <<;; (I'm going to have to talk to her after this...)

<DLN-008>: > PROCESSING...

<DLN-008>: > ERROR X05: UNRESPONSIVE/DAMAGED SOFTWARE DETECTED. QUEUEING ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS REQUESTS PENDING ADDITIONAL PROCESSING POWER...

<DLN-008>: > SEARCHING FOR AVAILABLE EXTERNAL PROCESSORS...

<DLN-008>: > -PING- 1 MATCH FOUND.

<DLN-008>: > MATCH IDENTIFIED: MNN-006

[MN.6] //: Hnn ho boy--

[There's the sound of a seat being scooted across the floor from his end.]

[MN.6] //: Uuuh okay, d--dizzy, lil' bit--

Beck: Avi--?

[MN.6] //: I'm fine! I...hokay, uh, just gotta sit down...

[MN.6] //: @~<

[MN.6] //: -This is both new and slightly concerning, uh, Toby, buddy, you okay--

<DLN-008>: > -Very slow and unresponsive at first- Nnnn...

<DLN-008>: > -Somewhat glitched audio- THIS SYSTEM IS A FIRST GENERATION INDUSTRIAL, DESIGNED WITH THE RobotMaster®️ DATABASE IN MIND. NEURAL NET FUNCTION CURRENTLY OPERATIONAL AT 30% CAPACITY DUE TO LACK OF ACCESS TO OTHER ROBOT MASTERS AND AN ADDITIONAL DEMAND ON BOTH HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE. ADDITIONAL PROCESSING POWER REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN FULL AWARENESS...

[DR.WHITE] //: ...I see--he's trying to use your processing power, Aviator.

[MN.6] //: Y-Yeah, I got that that much, it just caught me by surprise...

[MN.6] //: -Gimmie a sec to adjust...-

[It was an odd thing.

Although the connection was primarily with Aviator, Tobias seemed to be using the connection to work with data from the Sanda Enterprises servers.

This led to a feeling of distant memories being referenced in passing, a sort of background stream-of-consciousness in idle thoughts.

Except it wasn’t idle at all, and it was not daydreaming in nature.]

[It seemed Tobias was concerned about Beck’s observations, and attempting to cross-reference data regarding Trinity and Xel in general.]

<DLN-008>: > ANALYZING...

<DLN-008>: > ANALYSIS COMPLETE. CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: MULTICELLULAR ORGANISM IMMUNE SYSTEM AND ORGAN TISSUE

[MN.6] //: ...Wat--

Beck: -BLAM- You...might be on to something there, actually.

Beck: (If Trinity really does have the same powers as me, and she's consuming all this Xel into herself...)

Beck: (Then--in a way, this whole place is her.)

<DLN-008>: > -Kind of dizzy- Avi, these... the walls and floor act like they’re alive, and... and we don’t know that non-Xel can make Xel do that, and...

<DLN-008>: > It’s cross-referencing with organ tissue in looks and behavior.

<DLN-008>: > Which would suggest that...

<DLN-008>: > We probably are going to see more “white blood cells” soon—

Beck: ...You mean like now?

[More of the eyeball Xels were appearing, though this time not nearly as big as the ones before. This meant they were eaiser to blast away, but the growing numbers concerned him nonetheless.]

Beck: Good chance that I'll meet up with more resistance the further I go.

[BLAM! BLAM!]

[REXELECTION: PYROGEN]

[FWOOM.]

Beck: These guys aren't as big, though...

[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE]

[PSSH--]

Beck: Still gross to look at, mnng--

"SCREE!"

Beck: AAAH--

[One of them suddenly leaped from a wall, phasing through it to lunge at Beck.]

[Luckily.]

[REXELECTION: COUNTERSHADE]

[Bang!]

[Some quick thinking allowed him to snipe the thing right out of the sky.]

Beck: These things can go through the walls???

[DR.WHITE] //: ...Well, they are Xel, and so is the structure...

<DLN-008>: > [Frown emoticon] -Anxious data-

<DLN-008>: >I’d think of it less like a building and more like an organism, ‘cause that’s what it is acting like.

Beck: Kind of hard to draw that connection when I can still see the stands through some openings--

Beck: --!

Beck: ...Huh--

[Soon enough, he came up on some kind of giant platform made of Xel.]

[When he looked over the sides of it, he could see a looooong drop into darkness.]

Beck: -Murmurs- ...Going down, then...

Beck: I guess I could use Avi's form to--

[Clunk...]

Beck: --?

[The entire platform lurched and then started descending down on it's own.]

Beck: Oh--it's...an elevator...

Beck: ...Why's it going so slowly—

"SCREEEEE--!"

Beck: --!

[Ah. That was why. More enemies.]

Beck: Oh gross--

[And this time, it wasn't the only just the eyeball ones. Some mish-mashed versions of some of both CherryDyn and Sanda models appeared, and they looked less haphazardly thrown together this time around.]

Beck: Oh no--

[REXELECTION: BATTALION.]

Beck: I'm gonna be here a while--

<DLN-008>: > Mmmng...

<DLN-008>: > It’s getting really dark outside...

[DR.WHITE] //: [Drop emoticon] Things do not sound very safe out there.

[DR.WHITE] //: Hurry--

Beck: -Primes a missile- I'll try and clear this out as fast as I can!

[BOOM!]

[DR.WHITE] //: ...

[DR.SANDA to DR. WHITE] //: So many Xels...the entire place is made out of them, right?

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: Just how many robots DID Trinity absorb??

[DR.WHITE] //: ...

[DR.WHITE] //: -Long sigh-

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: Soi...Trinity was programmed with a single, prime directive: to grow. To evolve.

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: She will pursue ANY course that allows her to assimilate more Xels...in perpetuity.

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: I...

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: Later...much later, when I had time to...reflect on what happened to her...

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: I realized the inherit dangers in such a system. Father...he had a point, though he went about it in all the wrong ways...

[DR.WHITE to DR. SANDA] //: ...which is why I refined the design.

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: Refined the...

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: [!]

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: You...You mean with your next model...?

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: ...With Beck?

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: ...That's correct.

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: With Beck.

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: Maybe it was...in some ways, a rather...poor choice, giving him so much...caution. But by giving him a specialized Synthetic Heart Program--it was the only way to ensure that Beck would grow INTO his powers, rather than his powers overtake him.

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: And...

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: I...I wanted some small part of HER to live on, at least through him...

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: -Long, tired sigh- If I could at least give Beck the chance to grow and learn, responsibly, the way Trinity never had--? That...that would be enough...

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: ...Gosh, Will, I...I don't think you ever told me you felt that way...

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: >>;; I probably should have. I'm sorry.

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: I didn't want to burden you anymore than--

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: Burden? For Xel's sake, Will, never.

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: You never have and will NEVER be a burden, okay?

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: I know how MUCH she meant to you--and I know Beck had something to do with her anyway, but not this...

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: So...this doesn't come as a complete surprise.

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: And hey--at least think of it this way?

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: No one can ever say bringing Beck into the world was a bad thing now.

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: I mean--look at him go!

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: ...We still don't have visual, Soi.

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: You know what I mean--

[Indeed--they might not be able to SEE what was going on, but they could very well hear the sounds of combat through the audio feeds. And from the sound of it?]

[REXELECTION: DYNATRON]

[BZZZZT!]

[It seems like Beck was doing fairly alright so far.]

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: ... You're right. He's come so far...

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: Well, of course, where do you think he gets that from? c:

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: Eheh...

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: Just you watch. ^^ He'll make it.

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: Hmm...yes...

Beck: -PING!-

Beck: I--whew--I think...I think this ride's almost over...

Beck: --You guys still there?

[DR.WHITE] //: --Mm. Yes, Beck--sorry for the silence, we didn't want to break your focus. Any damage?

Beck: Nothing I can't handle! ^^

[A pause.]

<DLN-008>: > Still here, yeah. Getting a lot of... really weird signals from somewhere, though...

<DLN-008>: > It’s all getting really loud...

<DLN-008>: > -Brooding plotting data again re: younger brother-

[There was a bit of static.

Or was that sparking?]

[No, that was definitely sparking and aggressive data—]

Beck: I think I'm getting closer, though--Uh--Hey, everything okay--?

<DLN-008>: > I’d like to file a complaint about my bodyguard sleeping on the job...

<DLN-008>: > -We can fix that, though-

<DLN-008>: > Don’t worry about us, we’ll figure something out.

[One got the impression the "something" would involve handling matters "the Wily way".]

[PING--]

[MN.3] //: -Very FIRM data- Tobyyy...| E

[MN.3] //: -That ZZZSOMETHING better not be what you were thinking about earlier--

<DLN-008>: > -~-

[MN.7] //: [Drop emoticon]

[MN.7] //: Perhaps I can try?

<DLN-008>: >Might as well, but if it doesn’t work, I’m doin’ it my way— -Grouchy data-

[MN.7] //: -Sigh--

[MN.7] //: -Gentle pings directed at Shadow- Kohai?

[MN.7] //: {Shadow...?}

[PING!]

{{((Distorted Zalgo text)) REBOOTING...}}

[MN.7] //: [!]

[MN.3] //: -That was faszzt--

<DWN-024 is now Online.>

[MN.7] //: -Shadow--

<DWN-024>: > -Extremely hazy data-

[A brief pause, and then—]

<DWN-024>: > ?!?

<DWN-024 has entered Defensive Combat Mode.>

<DWN-024>: > -Wildly bewildered and EXTREMELY alarmed data-

<DWN-024>: > -Where are we, what happened, why is the sky filled with blood, where is it—-

<DLN-008>: > [Drop emoticon]

[MN.3] //: -Huh???-

[MN.7] //: {Shadow--remain calm, breathe--}

<DWN-024>: > S-Sensei?

<DWN-024>: > {What is happening—}

<DWN-024>: > -Somewhat erratic data between disoriented confusion and intense terror-  {Breakfast—but then—then the Sun, the Sun killed—it killed everything—}

<DWN-024>: > {Is this Death, what—what is happening—}

[MN.7] //: {Shhh--calm, calm, listen to my voice--we don't have time to explain--}

<DWN-024>: > -Ping of obedient confirmation-

[MN.7] //: {Right now Beck is trying to deal with the cause of all this, and we NEED these comm lines open--you are at Avi's Radio Tower with Tobias, you MUST stay with him so he can keep the tower running--}

<DWN-024>: > […]

<DWN-024>: > -Processing...-

[He seemed conflicted for a moment...]

<DWN-024>: > -Ping- {{Command accepted.}}

<DWN-024>: > -Somewhat dazed acknowledgement and confirmation he will stay put and help his brother-

[MN.7] //: {Good--if you see ANYTHING trying to swarm in, take him and run, DO NOT GO OUTSIDE--}

[MN.7] //: -Slight background noises sounding like ice cracking--

<DLN-008>: > Beck, what’s your status? I don’t know if Shadow’s Awareness can handle a severe conflict of interest like this for too much longer without things getting scary again—!

[MN.9] //: I'm getting closer--but no sign of her yet--

[BLAM--]

Beck: [Drop emoticon x3]

<DLN-008>: > Huh?

<DLN-008>: >I thought you guys said she was the storm... am I missing something?

Beck: Toby, right now she's kinda EVERYTHING that's Xel right now--

Beck: -Which means there's something controlling it all--

<DLN-008>: > [?]

<DLN-008>: > -Processing...-

<DLN-008>: > A... central core?

Beck: -PING- There has to be--if this is all functioning like some kinda organism, then there's a core--a heart--

Beck: -And maybe if we can purge it right at the source--

Beck: -Theoretically, it should work like we did with our family--

Beck: [Drop emoticon] If I can GET to it.

Beck: This whole place is like a maze...

Beck: But all the Xel is still flowing down, so at LEAST I have a general direction to work with.

<DLN-008>: > -Processing...-

<DLN-008>: > -Processing...-

<DLN-008>: > -ERROR: INSUFFICIENT DATA TO SUPPORT HYPOTHESIS. CONTINGENCY NEGATED.-

<DLN-008>: > Nnng... Don’t want to risk disconnecting, but I don’t know if I have any other ideas on how to defend the Tower short of electrifying the entire exterior.

[MN.6] //: Bad idea, you could fry some of the equipment...uuuh....

<DLN-008>: >I can’t just do nothing, though—

<DLN-008>: > Is there anything else that could... I dunno, serve as a distraction?

[MN.6] //: I--have a bunch of those flying drone things you control remotely somewhere in the Tower, but they'd only do so much--

<DLN-008>: > But... those are connected to you, right?

<DLN-008>: >I don’t know if that would be safe...

[MN.7] //: -Thinking data--

[MN.7] //: -PING--

[MN.7] //: Shadow-- kaeru--

<DLN-008>: > [?]

<DWN-024>: > -Seems to be struggling drawing the cross-reference for a moment- […]

[It takes him a moment to gather his focus. Then, he seems to relax significantly.]

<DWN-024>: > -Ping-

<?̹͖͍?͚̗̞?̺̜̔?͉̭̱ used New Moon Plague: Amphibious Swarm.>

[At first, there wasn’t any noticeable change besides a very, very ominous feeling.

But then...]

Ribbit.

Beck: ...???? -R-Ribbit???-

Ribbit.

Ribbit RIBBIT Ribbit Ribbit RIBBIT—

[There were the sounds of frogs everywhere, albeit much muffled for the most part.

But when he looked down, he could see what appeared to be a few frogs with red eyes and strange markings hopping around at his feet.

One of them hopped straight into a shadow, with a distinct and familiar hiss before vanishing from sight.]

Beck: What the...?

[MN.6] //: -FROGS, FROGS EVERYWHERE--

[MN.7] //: -I--what in the world--

[MN.2] //: Awww, they look so cute--

[MN.1] //: -You WOULD think that, Two--

<DLN-008>: > Iiiiiii choose to not think on this too much, though I think that should be more than enough of a distraction...

<DLN-008>: > Hopefully it’ll buy enough time for you to...

<DLN-008>: > ...get to the heart of the matter. ^^;;;

[MN.6] //: -Hey, Toby, I love you, bro--

[MN.1] //: -You two can trade puns later--

Beck: -Geeently steps over froggies--

Beck: Thanks, Shadow--

[Beck runs off ahead, down more winding hallways and corridors. At least the Xel monstrosities were lessening in number for now...]

[He was making good progress until...]

Beck: !

Beck: Oh...

[...Until he was suddenly facing the edge of a VERY open and wide space, with NO path forward to be found--and the bottom? Nothing but darkness...]

Beck: [Drop emoticon] Time to fly, I guess...

[DR.SANDA] //: What? Why?

Beck: There's...no ground here.

[DR.SANDA] //: The path is gone?

Beck: Uh huh. Not sure if this a bad sign or if I...made a wrong turn...?

Beck: ... Wait...

[He flicks down his goggles for a moment.]

[REXELECTION: COUNTERSHADE]

[C.VISOR: ZOOM X3]

Beck: --! No, wait, I can see it! It's on the other side of this giant gap.

<DLN-008>: > That sounds promising?

Beck: Only one way to find out--

[REXELECTION: AVIATOR]

Beck: --and up, up, and away--ack--

[He scowls at himself a little before jumping off, propellor arm raised upwards. He starts to easily glide across.]

Beck: (Why this huge space? Seems...off.)

Beck: -Looks down--

Beck: (...I do not want to know what is down there.)

Beck: [Drop emoticon x3] (Probably something extremely lethal, I'm guessing.)

Beck: -Lands on the other side safely-

Beck: (Huh. Nothing tried to stop me.)

Beck: (...Nothing HAS for a good while, actually...)

Beck: -Takes a step forward--

[SLAM--]

Beck: -GNH--!-

[The ceiling just behind him folded OUTWARDS like a giant panel, launching the Mighty Number further down the hall with a rough tumble. The impact was enough to make him switch back to his default form, even.]

Beck: Ow...

[And before he could even so much as figure out WHERE that came from, the walls around him started glowing--]

Beck: [!] Not this again--

[SLAM--]

[He dashed forward as a section of the walls slammed into each other like a press--had he not reacted quickly enough, he would have been crushed.]

Beck: [Drop emoticon x3] -Okay, GOING, WE'RE GOING--

[This...didn't seem to help. The walls only started glowing again, and this time the floor and ceiling too--]

Beck: -SCREE--

[He's scrambling as fast as his systems can take him, taking turn after turn after turn until he's not quite sure WHERE he's ending up--]

[DR.WHITE] //: B--ck--

Beck: This place is--gah--REALLY out to get me--

[DR.WHITE] //: C--hear--what is going--res--

Beck: Dad? Hello--?

Beck: Avi? Toby? I can't hear you all, the jamming signal is getting...stronger--

Beck: --!! (That means--)

[SLAM--!]

[Pain, and then air, and then the sensation of falling--!]

Beck: AHH--!

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

=CHAPTER 9A: HAZY SUSPICION=

~AO v2.0~

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

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

{Soon, outside the White House…}

[…It was a shambled mess. Not like how it was usually seen in pictures or in movies or TV. Windows broken, smashed, smoke coming from various places…]

Desmond: ….. -Sighs- (Never though I’d live to see myself going through a living White House Down movie…)

"Secretary."

[Desmond turned around at a very familiar voice–one that many people knew at this point.

Pyrogen, leader of the Mighty Numbers, the highest ranked IBCA team on the planet.

While Desmond knew the gravity of the situation…He couldn’t help but feel honored, really, when the fire bot strode over with focus and purpose.]

Pyro: Mighty No. 1, reporting for duty. I’m here to retrieve DLN-000 and his support unit.

Desmond: -Nods- Desmond Donald. It’s an honor. And right on time….

Pyro: I like to be when there are lives at stake.

Desmond: –….

Desmond: I’m aware of the situation, One… >>;

Desmond: (He really does possess an air of authority…)

Pyro: Am I cleared to enter?

Desmond: Yes. There are some areas that have caught fire, due to the… fire breathing cat…

Desmond: –But–that should pose no problem for you. I assume you are going to disable her…?

Pyro: I will, if my first plan doesn’t work.

Desmond: ….?

Pyro: Need I remind you that she is a cat.

Pyro: There are less aggressive ways to calm an angry feline, Secretary.

Pyro: If you are coming with me, I suggest you change into casual clothing. A man in a suit with a fire arm will make her even more aggressive.

Desmond: …..

Desmond: You seem to know much about this support unit anyway, One.

Pyro: You are already going to question my Father and Doctor Cossack. I am here to retrieve DLN-000 and the support unit, nothing more. If you want to question me, you will have to go though him first.

Desmond: ….

Desmond: -~- I see.

Desmond: Give me a few minutes to change.

Pyro: Affirmative.

[INSIDE…]

Desmond: -Now in a green cotton shirt and jeans- She’s this way.

Pyro: …….

Pyro: (Good Lord, I can’t tell if it’s Beck that made this, Shade in his illness, or Cardinal…)

Pyro: (All of them at once, I suspect, even…)

Desmond: Yeah, I know. It’s like Hurricane Jeremiah had a kid with a tornado and then this happened….

Pyro: … ….

Desmond: It’s going to take weeks to clean this up… (And I don’t even want to THINK about the damage done to the historical artifacts–guh, I can hear the protesters and crazed historians matches already…)

Pyro: ….

Pyro: You said they were in the room overlooking the Lawn, yes?

Des: …Yeah. This way. We’re still getting rid of the rest of MN.8’s traps so we have to take the other way around.

Des: Careful, some of the flooring is unstable–some of the hallways should be safe, though. -Pause-

Pyro: …?

Des: Your mysterious soldier friend kind of made sure of that. >>;;

Pyro: –!

[….Case in point, they had reached one such hallway….]

Pyro: …..

Pyro: -S I G H-.

Pyro: Cardinaaaal… | (

Des: –?

Des: What?

Pyro: –….

Des: Cardinal?

Pyro: ….

Pyro: (Glitch–)

Des: –…Is that his name?

[He hadn’t actually had the time to look up all of the related files on the DLN-008 case; as a privacy feature, related files were only listed by serial number, nothing more.]

Pyro: ….

Pyro: Yes. -~-;;;;   (Damn it, Cardinal, if you weren’t such a trouble maker, I wouldn’t have had such a reaction–)

Des: ….That… explains why Countershade was calling him ‘Birdy’…

Pyro: -Sigh- Yes…

Des: So they do know each other.

Pyro: Are we going to save him or not?

Pyro: I told you, you’re going to question the Doctors, you can ask them.

Pyro: If you’re only going to play 20 Questions, I can find my own way there myself. | [

Des: ….

Des: | \ I’m the one escorting you, One–

Pyro: And I have a mission.

Pyro: You are just along for the ride.

Des: ….

Pyro: | [

Des: ….

[While that was not quite true, he knew that it wasn’t really in their best interests to argue the point.]

Des: -Begrudging tone- Fine.

[After carefully going through the wreckage and debris left behind by the resulting battle, Pyro and the Secretary of Defense didn’t say a word to each other as they came up upon one of the last hallways to the room in question.]

Des: !

Des: Oh, come on, he smashed nearly HALF of the Presidential Busts too–?!

Des: -n-

Pyro: …. (No, Cardinal wouldn’t do that. Shade, perhaps….)

Des: At least it’s all on THIS end instead of all over the place…

Pyro: …..The door’s been knocked down…

Pyro: (Cardinal DID use his shield to break some open, didn’t he?)

[Something could be seen moving inside…]

Pyro: –?

Pyro: I can see something…

Des: -~- That must be her. She was standing guard by the door until we left her alone…

Des: …After we found out she could breathe fire.

Pyro: …Breathe fire…

Des: It was sudden too. She hissed at us a lot like cats do–and then… whoosh.

Pyro: ….

Pyro: (Hissed?)

“HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHSSSSSSSS…”

[Glowing red eyes. FULL RED EYES.]

Pyro: —!!!

Pyro: (That is NOT just a cat hiss—! That’s—! That’s the sound of flammable gas being released!)

Pyro: Back! Now!

Des: —!!!

Click click FOOSH!

[Pyro tanked it, alright!]

Jazz: RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH…

Jazz: -Digs claws into floor-

Jazz: -HHHHSSS! HHHHHSSSS!-

Jazz: -COME NO CLOSER-

Pyro: -Is now aflame but slowly dying it down-

Pyro: Stay behind me, Secretary.

Des: Holy…

[The mechanical panther seemed absolutely ENRAGED.]

Jazz: RRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNGGGGGHHH! >K

Jazz: -Bats a bit at the air in front of us, SEE, RAZOR CLAWS, come no closerrrr-

Pyro: -And we back up, like she wants-

Pyro: Jazz…

Pyro: Look at me. It’s me, Pyro. I know you’re just trying to protect him…

[The full red glow fades to just red irises.]

Jazz: Rrrrrrrnnngh…

Pyro: I know he is hurt, badly, and I know people have been trying to get in that you do not like, I understand.

Jazz: Rrr…

Jazz: -Sits, flicking tail-

Des: (—!)

Pyro: Jazz…

Pyro: He needs help, and repairs. He needs to get out of here.

Pyro: That’s why I’m here. To take him back home.

Pyro: And you trust me, yes?

Jazz: …

Jazz: |K

Jazz: -Lays down, looking over her shoulder at them in a sulk-

Pyro: Yes, I know you don’t like it. I know you must be worried.

Pyro: How about this. You let me and this man pass and let us retrieve him…

Pyro: And you can have these.

[…Is…Is that a bag of cooked fishes and some jerky he’s pulling out of his outfit–]

Pyro: You must be hungry, no?

Jazz: …

Jazz: Ree-ow.

[Whew. Green eyes again.]

[PING!]

[It’s… a memory file, showing Cardinal in the Titus alleyways with Baron, Jazz, and Scout.]

Jazz: -The spiky thing ate our share of the sandwich-

Pyro: …..

Pyro: -Laughs-

Des: –????

Pyro: (So he DID travel with you two…)

Jazz: -Prrrrr, yes, we like that sound- -That is the happy sound-

[Ping!]

[Another memory file, with Cardinal and Shade laughing really hard at something… hard to say what.]

Pyro: ……

Pyro: Hmmn…

Pyro: (…I worry that they’ll never share that again…)

Pyro: (…I know that they’re practically chained at the waist together but…)

Pyro: (….)

Pyro: (No…They’ll be fine…)

Jazz: -Tailflick, closing eyes and putting head down-

[Pyro comes over and places the bag in front of Jazz, then motions for Des to follow.]

Pyro: Hurry.

Des: -Yup we’re going, alright–

Des: What the heck were you laughing about back there?

Pyro: …The cat.

Des: : /

Jazz: -Sniff sniff- -Starts poking her nose and then face into it the way cats do- -Munch munch-

Pyro: …Rather hard to see…

Des: Hang on, I got a—

[Foosh!]

[Pyro’s hand is now alight with flame. It brights the area around them–not as much as a conventional light, but better than before.]

((Pic—Pyro & Des))

Pyro: …..

Des: …. (Oh. Right. Fire bot.)

[Other than Jazz and the crackle of flames, the room was… eerily quiet, and still. There was no signal. No sound. Only… cold, lifeless… silence.

The whole room was almost as silent as a tomb.]

Pyro: … . .

Des: …. (This…silence…why does it feel so grim…)

Pyro: (Where are you, Cardinal…)

Pyro: I’ll search the left side. You search the right.

Des: -Turning on his flashlight- Got it…

[The room was an absolute disaster. There were marble columns on the floor (not to mention the chandelier), Metal Blades and Quick Boomerangs in the ceiling, acid damage on the far side, bits of shrapnel embedded in the walls, giant spikes scattering the landscape, and even plasma burns on the floor. Most of the debris had been swept aside by some strong force, though…]

[…]

[…there were… oil paw prints on the floor…]

Pyro: (God Almighty… you used all this against Shade and…?)

Pyro: …..

Pyro: –? (Prints…This is oil…)

[Now one could smell it. The smell of… oil and coolant…]

-*-*-*-*-*-

SKLLLKTTKRRRSHHHLLLRRRKKT—

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

-*-*-*-*-*-

Pyro: (Gh–)

Pyro: (Coolant…Oil…)

Pyro: (Shade…No, that accursed VIRUS–)

Pyro: (That virus–what have you done to him–?)

Pyro: …..

Pyro: (I feel no signal…)

Pyro: (Nothing.)

Pyro: (Not even the error message, it…It’s as if he just vanished–)

[—?]

[A…a shadow—Pyro can make out a form—a frame on the ground—]

[Not moving.]

Pyro: !

Pyro: Cardinal—

[What Pyro found was… not pretty.

Cardinal was looking up with a gaze that seemed to go beyond the roof, beyond the sky—right into the stars—but there was no light at all in those eyes. They weren’t just dulled… they were off entirely.

As the gaze moved downward, one could see he was holding onto something with his left hand—the grip was tight, having locked in when the power shut off.

And even further—

…

… … …]

Pyro: !!!!

Pyro: -Choked g a s p–

[Cardinal’s outer armor was in tatters. Most of the inner armor around his torso was gone— leaving his vital inner mechanics exposed. It was clear that some of the mobility and coolant systems (including the fans) had been repeatedly crushed and repaired. There was a largish sphere in the center of the cavity, with another device hooked to the side. The coloration on the surfaces around it suggested it had recently burned white hot….

…But now it was cold and dulled, like a dead bulb that had been utterly spent.

The core was exposed… and the power was gone.]

[The core– exposed–]

[Pyro immediately felt sick– sick to his very Xel, he couldn’t–he just couldn’t lay eyes on Cardinal’s broken form like this, not with his very chest open–]

[The core…

For Robot Masters, the core was nothing more than a power source–something that kept them alive, kept them running.

But for those made of Xel, it was so much more.

The central core of a Xel robot contained everything–their self, their personality, their function and weapon data, their very heart and soul.

To see Cardinal’s own core so dead and lifeless—!]

Pyro: CARDINAL—!!

Des: –?! Wha—

Des: Hey, what’s—

[He turned and shone his flashlight in their direction. For a brief moment, the light glinted off of punctured metal and crushed gears, and the smoky dullness of the power core became soft in reflection, like a very faint moon.

Desmond was alarmed at the sight of the core, and trailed off immediately.

His view was quickly obstructed by Jazz stepping in the way, giving him an eerily judgmental look.]

Pyro: (…Oh– Oh dear GOD—)

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

<DLN-000>: >But I’ll never give up on you Shade, not for any reason.

-*-*-*-*-

Skull: -The fact that he’s emphasizing that nothing will make him lose faith suggests that he anticipates something happening that would be the end of a friendship in lesser hearts-

Skull:  -And that it’s something that Shade would feel were his own fault, should it be too late for him to recognize until after the fact-

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Pyro: (Oh Shade–!)

Pyro: (Brother–to have been forced to do something like this–!)

Pyro: (To…To have harmed your own…)

____________________________

"PYRO CRASH, AND YOU...BUUUUUUUUURRRN!"

___________________________

[A sharp SPLITTING pain shot through his head–]

Pyro: Ngggh–!

Des: –!

Des: One–?

Jazz: Ree-ow…

[She pads over to Pyro, giving him a gentle headbutt the way cats do.]

Jazz: Ree-ow.

Pyro: —!

Pyro: …..

Pyro: Oh, Jazz…

Pyro: I…

Pyro: I’m sorry.

Pyro: (…Shade…)

Pyro: ……

Pyro: (…Cardinal…)

Pyro: (Neither of you are at fault…)

Pyro: (I can only hope both of you remember that…)

Pyro: (The real culprit…)

Pyro: (…Is the one who is behind all of this.)

Pyro: …..

Pyro: (I don’t even want to move him, but…Father trusted me to be delicate enough to do so.)

Pyro: (…He’ll want his shield…)

[Said shield was laying beside him. It had a dart stuck in it and what appeared to be tooth marks…

…Oh.

Well that would explain the oil paw print trail.]

Pyro: …

Pyro: Secretary.

[Pyro’s tone was grave, sad, and incredibly heavy with guilt and worry.]

Pyro: …Take his shield.

Des: …..Right….

Des: —!

Des: ….

Des: (There’s still a dart in it…)

[Carefully taking great caution to not injure Cardinal any further than he is now, Pyro placed his arms over his torso, and moved to tuck his own unlit arms under his legs and back…]

Pyro: (He’s…clutching something in his hand…)

[…Seemed to be a chain leading out of his hand and around his neck…]

Pyro: … ….

[…Pyro took a moment to close Cardinal’s eyelids before lifting him up gently–he was certainly strong enough to lift him, given his weight.]

Pyro: …

((Pic—One Last Journey (Pyro carrying Cardinal) ))

Pyro: Time to come home…

Jazz: Ree-ow. -Paws at the dropped scarf until she gets her claws into it-

Des: …Is that his?

Pyro: –…..Yes.

Pyro: I think Jazz will hold onto it…

Jazz: Ree-ow.

Jazz: -Picks the scarf up in her teeth and then goes over to rub her face against Pyro’s legs-

[…She’s… becoming smaller…?]

Des: –????

Des: What the–

[Jazz shifts into her own Civilian form, that of a house cat. After making a figure eight around Pyro’s legs the way cat’s do, she hunched up and then leaped onto his shoulder.]

Jazz: -Prrrrrr, things will be safe now-

Des: What…

Pyro: …..

Pyro: Right…

Pyro: Right.

[The Leader of the Mighty Numbers stood up, shoulders back and standing tall–the First’s broken form in his arms, the last lights of day finally fading off in the distance.]

Pyro: ….

Pyro: Mr. Donald.

Pyro: There is a teleportation ban in effect, yes?

Des: I…Yes. for security reasons.

Pyro: Is there another way out of the building? A back door?

Des: …One, this is the White House.

Des: Follow me.

[Des had to be Pyro’s lead now—he couldn’t light himself up with Cardinal on his person, so Des’s flashlight would have to do.]

Des: We’ll take Passage Reyes. That leads to the Presidential Garden.

Pyro: —…I assume this is one of those secret passages the House is famous for having?

Des: ….

Des: Yes.

Des: ….

Des: One…

Des: When…. When the White House was attacked…

Des: MN.8 came out of one of these passages.

Des: That particular passage was a planned escape route for POTUS for situations like… like what happened.

Des: And he was already there.

Des: I have no idea for how long—

Pyro: Wait.

Pyro: Are you telling me.

Pyro: Countershade was ALREADY in the White House–possibly asleep, I bet my own core on that–

Pyro: He was ALREADY in the WHITE HOUSE, SLEEPING, THIS ENTIRE WEEK, AND NO ONE NOTICED?!

Pyro:  -DO YOU NOT PERFORM DRILLS, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, DOES NO ONE CHECK THESE THINGS–

Jazz: -Bats at Pyro- >: 3

[She sends a ping. It’s another one of those memory files—Cardinal commenting on how Shade “weighs like a truck”.

Any attempt to go through a passage with him blocking the door would undoubtedly be difficult, leading to people writing it off as immobile from age.]

Pyro: Just—

Pyro: -Growl that kinda fades off into a groan-

Des: Look, these passages are very old and yes, some of them don’t have much use anymore or are unstable–

Pyro: Just–Just stop–

Pyro: -________-;;;;

Jazz: -Prrrrr, rubs face against face of firebro-

Pyro: -Siiiighs, we’re going to have a long rest after this-

[As soon as they got outside, Jazz got a ping. She flicked her ears and put it onto her audio speakers.]

<MC005>: > {I’m picking up your signals… are you outside and in an accessible environment now?}

[MN.1] //: ….

[MN.1] //: -Quietly- Yes, Doctor Cossack.

[MN.1] //: …We…We have him now.

[MN.1] //: I managed to calm down Jazz without hurting her as well.

<MC005>: > {Good… her mobility rig is rather complicated…}

<MC005>: > …

<MC005>: > {I hear feedback. Is Jazz broadcasting my voice?}

Jazz: Ree-ow.

<MC005>: > … {I seeee…}

<MC005>: >Mr. Donald, will you be coming over to the lab also?

Des: …I might as well. (Since we ARE going to be questioning you.)

Des: I’m sort of holding something of his anyway, so I feel obligated to return it, at least.

<MC005>: > Understood. Call will bring you all over shortly.

[MN.1] //: … Yes, sir.

[MN.1] //: …Has…Has Shade awakened yet?

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Negative, One. He is still in Deep Sleep Mode.

[MN.1] //: …I see…

<MC005>: >He’s worn out. One?

[MN.1] //: …Yes?

<MC005>: >When you get home, please come straight to the lab. It… is not a state he would want many others to see him in.

<MC005>: >And I may have other tasks for you afterward.

[MN.1] //: …..

Pyro: (Honestly, I would like to get some rest myself…But I do not come first.)

[MN.1] //: Of course, Doctor Cossack.

[CALL] //: Coordinates locked.

[CALL] //: Initiating Xel Transfer…

[…

… … …

After they left the premises, a singular green metal snake crawled out of a bush, its beady eyes blinking red…]

[Pyro walked briskly from the platform over to the lab, where Mikhail was waiting for them. The transition between the blackness of the night and the bright lights of the lab was a little hard on Desmond’s eyes, causing him to squint a little.

As they approached the lab, Battalion gave a stiff salute—as best as he could give it. But his eyes and those of his giant older brother’s seemed… rather wary.]

Desmond: (…Why do I get the feeling I’m less than welcome here…?)

[Countershade was laying nearby, deep asleep and receiving an infusion as part of his repairs. Beck, too, was asleep—the worse for wear, but better off than the other two by a long shot. Although Dr. White was nowhere to be seen—asleep, Desmond assumed—Dr. Sanda could be seen working away at their repairs.

Mikhail rose to meet them.]

Pyro: … (He slept all day, but still looks tired…)

Mikhail: Pyrogen. Please place him down on the table…

[Pyrogen seemed hesitant. Mikhail noticed that Desmond was now showing particular interest.

He moved between them to block the view, placing his hand on a curtain that was hanging from a rod up above them.

Mikhail: Mister Secretary. Thank you for… for letting us bring him back in peace….

Des: ...Of course. No man left behind.

Mikhail: I am sorry we had to meet under such circumstances. I hope you will forgive me, but…

[He draws the curtain between them, obscuring most everything from view. There was still a clear window of plastic, but it was a bit warped and difficult to see in clear detail.]

Mikhail: Master Cardinal deserves the dignity of privacy as a patient with heavy injuries.

Des: (...Is it...is it really that bad?) ...Right. I'll be over here, then...

Des: ....

[Mikhail took in a deep breath and let it out sharply, turning his back to the ill omen and focusing on his patient. As Pyrogen drew away, Mikhail could see the extent of the damage.]

Mikhail: -Sucks in air between his teeth- …! (I knew it was going to be bad, but I did NOT expect this…!)

[His face became lined with sorrow.]

Mikhail: (Oh, Cardinal…! I can only imagine from my darkest of days what terrible pain you must have endured that hour, when he crushed your armor to expose your heart…)

Pyro: ....

Pyro: Doctor...

Pyro: You...You can fix him?

Pyro: He can be fixed?

Mikhail: …

Pyro: . . .

Pyro: (...I can't stand this, please just answer--he will be fine, please let him be fine--)

Des: (...This suspense is...almost suffocating...)

Mikhail: -With equal hesitation- …I can fix the damage, yes. The physical damage, at any rate.

Pyro: -Sigh of relief-

Mikhail: (The damage to his heart and soul… alas, that is a cross I cannot lift from his shoulders, and may yet take years to heal…)

Des: …How long will that be, Doctor? (Can’t really question him until he’s done—)

Mikhail: As long as it has to.

Des: —… (Right…)

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: There is a lot of work to be done. If this is to happen in a timely manner, I can’t work alone. But it is a fearful thing….

Mikhail: Doctor Sanda?

Soi: What—oh, yes?

Mikhail: Can Call be spared to work as my assistant? -Russian- {It’s a rather… grievous sight, and her even demeanor would allow her to remain calm in the face of such… ghastly and painfully sorrowful things..}

Soi: Ah...right...right. (Ho, man...right, Call...Call doesn't--well, she DOES understand, just... she can't make the emotional connection yet. At least she'd be able to handle it...)

Soi: She'll help. I'll call her in.

Mikhail: Thank you…

Des: (…Sanda knows Russian? Or was the Doctor just thinking aloud?)

Mikhail: (…This still isn’t going to be enough. Not with the amount of damage here. I need one person at the computer, and another helping me with the actual cleaning and repair process. I need Call for the latter, but…)

Mikhail: … (Perhaps Jack for the former…? He’s doing a lot better now, as is Felix… but I’ll need Felix to go get a different core, and… I don’t think it would be a good idea for Mr. Donald to see Felix’s power unless we had no other choice.)

Mikhail: … (But… Jack is still in hiding, so to speak…. He was supposed to lay low for a while. There’s no records of him leaving England, so at the very least, people might get suspicious if he was seen here, assuming they aren’t trying to find him anyway….)

Mikhail: … … …

Mikhail: (I need to get Desmond Donald out of the lab.)

Mikhail: -Looks over at Pyro-

Pyro: -Clearly troubled, lost in thought at what he had seen-

[Mikhail was moved with pity.]

Mikhail: (He needs a distraction, too…)

Mikhail: Pyro?

Pyro: Yes, Doctor?

Mikhail: Why don’t you prepare dinner for our visitor, and show him to the guest quarters? I’m going to be working for some while.

Mikhail: Besides…. Countershade will likely be starved once he wakes up—whenever that may be—even before he is coherent enough to think about anything…

Pyro: (...He's right. Shade was asleep during all this, he probably hasn't eaten at all...)

Pyro: Right. I'll go make something for all of us.

Des: … (I get the feeling I’m being pushed out, but…)

Des: (I do have to admit I’m rather hungry and REALLY tired…)

Mikhail: Put the shield in Shade’s room. It’d really only be in the way here, and that’s where Cardinal would want it to be…. Get Brandish to do that, if he’s still awake.

Pyro: Very well...I'll ping Brandish once I get started on dinner.

Pyro: Right this way, Mister Secretary.

Des: …See you tomorrow, Doctor.

Mikhail: -Wearily- Yes, I haven’t forgotten. Good evening.

[The kitchen was, unsurprisingly, crowed with hungry arena bots. Cryo was declaring herself queen of the freezer and all of it's sugary sweets, much to Avi's and Mic's dismay. Brand, however, was content with his own meal of instant noodles, leaning against his elder Bat--and Dyna was just about to raid the pantry when Pyro and Des showed up.]

Bat: -SALUTES- Sir!

Dyna: Big broooo--

Pyro: -Yes, we are going to make dinner, you don't have to ask--

[There is collective cheers from all present!]

Cryo: FINALLY, I'M SO HUNGRY I'M GONNA EAT AN ENTIRE SHARK--

Avi: -I want pastaaaaaa--

Mic: -Mic HUNGRY, want something meaty-

Brand: ...-Stares at his cup of noodles and promptly downs it in one go to make room for better food-

Pyro: --...Really?

Brand: ...-Ignores- Secretary.

Pyro: =~=;;;

Des: Er...hello...

Cryo: OH, HEY, IT'S SUIT GUY, hi--

Cryo: You gonna chow down with us?

Des: Well...I really haven't eaten anything, so...yeah. That would be nice.

Pyro: Pasta it is, then. If that's the general vote.

[All agree to it, and the Mighty Leader wastes no time in preparation of making a large pot of pasta. The Mighties--the ones awake and there, anyway--all make idle chatter as they await their dinner.]

[...Idle chatter being an understatement.]

Avi: Man...can you believe it's been, like...a whole week and a half??

Dyna: I know, bzz--it zzseems like forever ago...

Bat: Combat does that t' ya. Makes time seem to stretch on and on.

Dyna: Pfft, easy for you to zzsay, I don't really remember the firszzt part of it...

Bat: ...fair point.

Cryo: Yo, I'm just glad we're all not iced, or worse. -Chomps on a ice cream bar- We're all home now and junk, in once piece--right, Brandy?

Brand: ...Yes...

Mic: ^^

Cryo: Hey, speaking of that--

Cryo: How's Cards?

Cryo: Is he, like...gonna be okay?

Des: --.....

Pyro: . . .

[Pyrogen hovers his spoon over the pasta, clearly internally conflicted. Des, of course, feels the same--but he keeps his lips sealed.]

Des: (...Man...One, I...)

Pyro: . . .

Pyro: Cardinal is...very...badly injured.

Avi: --...no joke?

Pyro: Yes. Dr. Cossack says he can repair the damage, though.

Brand: -...Hmnn...-

Dyna: Zzzso...he'szz...like, gonna be okay? -Like... physically, because we know better-

Pyro: ....

Pyro: Yes...he will.

[But as Pyro continues to stir the pot of pasta, Des can tell that the Leader of the Mighty Numbers wasn't even too sure of that himself, given his upset expression.]

[His younger sister seems to pick up on this--]

[Aaaand promptly lobs a snowball to the back of his head.]

Pyro: -GAH--

Cryo: Bro, we don't need to taste worrywart in our food--

Pyro: -How many times have I told you not to throw snow in the kitchen, you might get it in the pot--

Des: -...has to snort at this- (Those two seem very close--no surprise, they ARE the oldest...)

Des: -Laughs a little-

Cryo: See?! Suit man gets it!

Bat: You are embarrassing us in front of the Secretary of Defense, show some respect--

Des: No, no--it's fine. At ease and all, Heh...

Des: Just, reminds me of...other things. Family, you know how it is...

Brand: --You are a father? | /?

Des: Oh, no--but I know someone that is a parent, and we do have outings...that I am invited to, at least...?

Cryo: OH YEAH, Prez lady has kids! I saw them on TV--

Des: Right, heh...

Des: You know, if...if it wasn't for your little brother, Two...

Des: I...I really think I wouldn't get to see them again. They're good kids--Min raised them right...

Des: I just...

Des: ...Really do want to thank you all.

Brand: -Blinks-

Des: If it wasn't for your brother--and your friend Cardinal, of course--

Des: If it wasn't for them rising up in this absolute nightmare...

Des: I don't think any of us would be standing here. And it really IS because of your cooperation and support--not only as a team, but Sanda Tech as a whole.

Avi: ...

Avi: ....but...

Avi: <<;;; Weren't... weren't we kinda part of the problem...?

[The Mighties all shift glances at one another--and a heavy air of shame fills the air.]

Des: ...

Des: Well, by no means was that your fault...

Avi: But--

Des: -Rasies a finger- And, all of you have played some part in trying to fix this, afterwards--that DOES mean something, Mighties. Don't think that it doesn't.

Des: I am... truly grateful for your help--and I say this on behalf of a nation still in crisis.

Des: Your friend--a soldier, no less--saved Minerva's life, and mine--and your brother...

Des: ...I've met many heroes, folks. And I can say with full confidence that Beck and Cardinal--and all of you-- are, without a doubt, real ones.

Des: (Full honors, I'll make sure of that...)

Des: .....

Des: Sorry, I just...I just wanted to let you guys know before we get caught up in work again. ^^;;

Mic: ;w; -D'awwww....-

Brand: <//< -Clearly thinking of disappearing--

[This does clear the atmosphere of the previous mood--and even incites chatter of their own brother. Des quietly listens in while he enjoys a nice hot meal of pasta, listening carefully as the elder Mighties all conversed about Beck's past--and how far he has come.]

Cryo: Hey, Pyro...

Pyro: --Yes?

Cryo: Ya know...don't ya think, maybe, after this...

Cryo: We can let you know who back on the team?

Brand: -Looks up with interest-

[As did the rest of the Mighties.]

Pyro: ...ah...

Pyro: Well, it would depend on where the season picks up again, it's still too early to say--

[...But he does smile a bit after he puts away his oven mitts to grab a plate for himself.]

Pyro: But why don't we shelve that for now?

Pyro: I think that would be only fair to be another reward for all his hard work...

[After settling in for the night, Desmond used the private lines to make another call…]

Des: …And that’s where we stand right now.

[President Minerva sighed.]

Minerva: …You’re right. The Smithsonian is going to have a fit. Covering the cost of repairs is going to be a nightmare—several hallways need to have the entire security system reset and/or replaced, and some are so bad as to need electrical rewiring. No doubt some of Congress is going to want to use this as an excuse to update styles or otherwise be extravagant about it.

[She gave another exasperated sigh before shaking her head.]

Minerva: The VP is currently handling affairs at the White House itself. I’ve submitted some paperwork to my speechwriters regarding a public statement on the incident. There’s not much to say, even if I felt like saying it; I can truthfully say that the matter is under investigation, but everyone working there was safely evacuated thanks to the combined efforts of the Mighty Numbers.

[She paused.]

Minerva: DLN-000 has really brought a lot of attention to himself, but it seems the media didn’t catch on to his serial number. I’d like to keep it that way for now—the investigation is proving difficult enough as it is without adding in false reports to the mix.

[She frowned.]

Minerva: What do you make of Dr. Cossack so far, Desmond?

Des: -Crosses arms- Well.

Des: He’s cooperative, at least. Which worries me a little, because this isn’t the first time we’ve seen someone seemingly open to questioning and not be a spy of sorts.

Des: He personally doesn’t strike me as one, if I’m being very honest.

Des: I’m going with my gut on this one and saying he’s not, but the fact that he’s Russian and probably working with Dr. Sanda…

Minerva: Mmmn. There’s something very strange about this. (How does a Russian doctor come to care for a military grade American Combat construct, anyway?!) -.-

Des: Dr. Sanda has Japanese ties with his brother overseas, there’s that to think about too…

Minerva: You bring up an interesting point–Russia and Japan aren’t exactly friends. (I can’t seem to recall they EVER made a peace treaty…)

Des: Exactly.

Des: Which just further backs up the point that Dr. Cossack isn’t a spy, but…

Minerva: Well, let’s just consider him a Person of Interest at this point.

Des: I’m wondering how they met in the first place, because they clearly know each other, and I’m willing to bet that goes the same for Dr. White.

Des: Not much going on for him, though. Full blooded American, mother is Rebecca White, father ditched when he was 10.

Des: He’s very clean—heck, not even a parking ticket.

Minerva: That’s not really unusual for… withdrawn geniuses, shall we say?

Des: True.

Minerva: Genius is often accompanied by social issues. From what you’ve told me, he almost never makes public appearances. He probably doesn’t feel comfortable in a public setting. I’ve worked with plenty of students like that.

Des: Yeah, there’s not even a lot of pictures of the guy, aside from social media from the Mighties themselves.

Des: (And even then, he’s sorta in the background…)

Des: Should we cover all the bases and ask to question him too?

Des: Though, uh… a guy that withdrawn, might be hard to get anything from him…

Minerva: That would be something for Homeland Security to cover if it came to it. I’ll speak with the Secretary and see what they say.

Minerva: However, I don’t think that will be necessary–not unless something comes up in the questioning.

Minerva: For people who have a hard time being around others, they come to rely very deeply on a select few they trust and feel comfortable with. This can lead to being taken advantage of, though–if he is involved in anything, I would suspect it would be because someone took advantage of him in some way.

Minerva: Dr. White is very withdrawn—Dr. Sanda is his main point of contact with most of the world, from what we have seen. He doesn’t attend conventions with his contemporaries. So if Mikhail Cossack is a family friend, it had to have been through Sanda first.   (How would an unknown and very secretive Russian scientist become such good friends with a Japanese scientist of a very high profile? He must be very busy, and they don’t seem to be business partners so much as friends…)

Minerva: At the moment, the cyber units are working with him to combat the virus. Let them continue to monitor the situation– they will let us know if something is wrong.

Minerva: And beyond that–

Minerva: A man’s house is his castle.

Minerva: You are in that castle by yourself right now, and there are more than a few knights at his command.

Des: –… (Yeah… that…)

Minerva: Trying to place pressure on the king could end poorly, and I’d rather not risk you.

Des: Aw, you care. | )

Minerva: | } I could make a remark to pass it off, but yes, I do care. I try.

Des: -Stretches- Well…

Des: If anything, the cyber units and White’ll think of something. Doc is a genius, after all, made the Mighty Numbers and everything.

Des: Hopefully this virus mess gets cleaned up soon, then we can fully focus on damage control and repair…

Minerva: That would be nice, especially if Dr. Cossack proves to be a potential asset. Though I get the feeling he won’t be easy to work with. (He’s stubborn and doesn’t give way to pressure or fear–even great fear.)

Minerva: I don’t think intimidation will work on him. It may prove counterproductive to try for that right away.

Minerva: It might help to see if you can learn more from the Mighty Numbers–if he knows Sanda and White, he has to be a part of their inner circle. Try talking to Six.

Minerva: You need to talk to him anyway. It’s clear he’s linked to DLN-008—the footage he broadcast while sick shows that much. And the Brits are asking about him again. >.> (Someone must have leaked that the child was involved with the incident at the White House.)

Des: Yeah, we might get answers there.

Des: And then there’s Nine himself, but poor kid’s been though a whole week and a half practically saving the nation.

Minerva: Oh, heavens, try to let the poor child be if you can at all help it.

Des: Yeah, I’m with you there.

Minerva: Your coworkers were hellbent on destroying that compound, barely even were going to give him enough time to get out… >_> -Pursed lips, WE ARE STILL VERY DISPLEASED ABOUT ALL OF THAT- -Simmering-

Des: -Grimace- I’m still going to get to the bottom of how an entire base full of military grade constructs was still functioning without me knowing about it. I swear I’m gonna discharge whomever’s involved…

Minerva: This begs the question. Does Dr. Cossack know about that? I wonder if he knows who was behind the security breach there. It didn’t have the style of DLN-008′s breakthroughs…

Des: If he did, he’s not going to tell us outright. Not sure how long he’s been involved in this…

Minerva: The earliest dates the files connected to him have is April 5th, so it has to have been before that.

[She leans back and sighs.]

Minerva: 000 probably knows most of the answers. And he certainly seemed talkative.

[She looks up.]

Minerva: How did the retrieval go?

Minerva: I take it you were successful?

Des: ….

Des: >>

Des: …Yeah.

Des: ….

Des: He was in…

Des: Very bad shape.

Des: Got a name, though.

Des: Cardinal.

Minerva: …

——————

[MN.8] //: Keep gettin' in mah way, Birdy, and Ah' WILL make ya regret it!

——————

Minerva: -Thoughtful frown-

Des: That does explain all the bird metaphors Eight was using in his illness…

Des: -SIGH- One mentioned that name out loud when he saw how much damage 000 did trying to get into the Oval Office.

Des: …Used an exasperated tone, like he’s said that more than once.

Minerva: -Raises an eyebrow- That’s interesting. Authoritative tones are normally used with equals or subordinates.

Minerva: 000 didn’t seem like one to dance to someone else’s tune, though. His methods were rather… unconventional.

Des: -Shrugs- If 000 knows Eight, he probably knows the rest of the Mighty Number line, too. Isn’t that far of a stretch. He did speak like he knew Six too.

Minerva: …

Minerva: Yes, he did. -Thoughtful- …He was trying to be gentle with him about going back.

Des: Yeah…

Minerva: All the more reason to talk to Six…. I wonder how much he knows?

[There was a thoughtful silence between them for a while.]

Minerva: …When you say very bad shape…

Minerva: (Cossack said he would need to have a core replaced. Was he understating, or being technically correct?)

Minerva: Do they have the resources to fix it?

Des: Good Lord, I hope so.

Des: He was practically almost in pieces.

Des: Core exposed, even…

Minerva: …

Minerva: What?

Minerva: How is he still alive?

Minerva: That was hours after—!

Minerva: The xel loss, wouldn’t that have been too much?

Des: ….Min?

Minerva: —…?

Des: I…

Des: I couldn’t see very well, but…

Des: I saw oil, and I saw him.

Des: -Very puzzled expression- But not an ounce of Xel around him.

Minerva: —…

Minerva: -Now VERY confused- That’s… how is that possible?

Minerva: Wasn’t he fighting with Eight?

Minerva: He seemed to know quite well how to handle him. I’m sure he got off some hits on Eight, too.

Minerva: There should be something, there were TWO of them there.

Minerva: Do you suppose Nine could have picked it up?

Des: I’m not sure if Nine would take Xel from someone that’s already bleeding out–

Des: –Actually…

Des: Nine went in a little while before we got pulled out–

Des: Why didn’t he try to help him with Xel loss, if any?

Minerva: …

Minerva: You heard him, Des, as much as I did.

Minerva: Nothing would deter him from his mission.

Minerva: If it was coming down to rescuing Countershade or rescuing him— he probably told Nine to leave him behind.

Des: ….

Des: (Poor kid…)

Des: You’re probably right…

Des: -Grumbles- Doesn’t make sense, though.

Des: No Xel, yet 000 seems…I don’t know.

Des: Call it a hunch, Min, but he just seems… different.

Minerva: Well. No one in the Pentagon has stepped forward to claim responsibility for him just yet.

Minerva: …

Minerva: Though I probably scared off anyone from doing that with how obviously displeased I am with what has been going there. >________>

Des: -Snorts- Yeah, you do tend to have that effect on people. | )

Minerva: I can’t believe tax money was being used to maintain such facilities and no one noticed.

Des: -I know, geez—-

Minerva: The IRS has a lot of explaining to do. |K

Des: -Groans- And then we got to deal with investigation into who caused the whole mess…

Des: I’m tellin’ ya, Min, we’re getting nothing but dead ends on that front. We’re not getting though to CherryDyn’s lawyer dogs and Blackwell’s an uncrackable nut.

Minerva: …  -.-;  -Rubs temples- -Grumbles- Fighting fire with fire is dangerous…

Minerva: I wish we knew what happened to Dencerjack.

Minerva: There are no records of him leaving the country, but he hasn’t been found yet. There are only so many places you can hide on an island that small. >__>

Minerva: I dearly hope he didn’t get eliminated.

Des: Beats me… England might be small, but plenty of quiet countryside. He might have gone off the grid, even.

Minerva: I suppose, but given the circumstances—

Minerva: The other possibility is that he was eliminated. Someone has had it out for that team.

Minerva: Oh well. The UK has been very cooperative about that, at least. Even though the only thing they had to report were explosive metal snakes. (Not exactly helpful, but points for effort.)

Des: -Weird…-

Minerva: I had the FBI run a full report, since the files you gave me were left behind in my office, and were just preliminary anyway. Here’s what they’ve found so far…

Minerva: There are only two reported members of the Doctor Light Numbers lines: 000 and 008. Both have Doctor Cossack as their listed Doctor.

Minerva: There were other files that are around the same timeframe that also list Cossack as the Doctor: seven members of the Doctor Wily Numbers series. One of those is DWN-024, who was seen on the highways fighting Mighty Number Seven. …The footage on that has to be seen to be believed…

Minerva: There are also nine registered Doctor Cossack Numbers, and one biological daughter.

Minerva: Dr. Cossack himself is a widower. Apparently, he’s cared for these series due to abuse and neglect issues from Doctors Light and Wily… though nothing has been found on them so far.

Minerva: However, I’m sure they probably exist, or did exist, as these bots all have their serial numbers branded onto them. ¬__¬ Things are made complicated by all the records that have gone missing.

Minerva: Prior to his time in Kansas City before he came to the White House—reports confirm that he is the mysterious Xelbot who helped liberate Kansas City recently—there was only one public record of 000. According to the reports, he went to visit the Colosseum back in late May. With Eight and Nine.

Minerva: And you’ll never guess what happened while he was there.

Des: -This we gotta hear–

Minerva: They were attacked.

Des: -Sputters–  Right there–in the sands–?!

Minerva: By Bladeblaster.

Des: What.

Des: (I don’t get it, did–was he DRUNK?)

Minerva: According to the witnesses, 000 did not react in a way that would have suggested he were as much of a Combat master as he has proven to be. He made an effort not to reveal what he was capable of, even when taken by surprise. It would seem his instinct was to protect his friend, though.

Minerva: I may be wrong, but I think someone with the secondary jobs that he and Eight had would have had access to more information about people than the general public. Which means either there was no information suggesting 000 was what he was, or else he didn’t care.

Minerva: The three of them were seen talking after that. He must have said something offensive just before leaving, because both Eight and 000 were described to have reacted adversely.

Minerva: (Even if he didn’t know or care, he was surely sorely pressing his luck.)

Des: -_-;;;;

Des: It kind of sounds like outright stupidity to me, but…. Late May, huh, not too long after the date the files came in…

Minerva: They’re trying to find the receptionist who checked him in, but it’s very chaotic down there.

[She gives a slight smile.]

Minerva: At least there’s a humorous side to the story.

Minerva: According to witnesses, 000 was playing around on the gymnastics equipment before that confrontation. I’m sure it wouldn’t surprise you to hear he displayed aptitude for parkour and gymnastics in general.

Des: Heh…

Minerva: It was apparently enough to catch the attention of at least one recruiter. But by the time they went in there, he and Shade had already left. The recruiters were rather disappointed.

Minerva: We’ll have to try and talk with him as soon as he’s awake. -Smile fades, slight sigh- If nothing else, just to work out how to handle the press coverage.

Minerva: As far as I know, it hasn’t gotten out yet that he was injured so badly, or where he went… but the former has been almost universally accepted to be true, given the alternative was vanishing as suddenly as he came, as if some comic book superhero.

Minerva: I don’t want anyone knowing he’s at Sanda Labs just yet.

Des: No kidding, they don’t need that kind of publicity right now…

Minerva: … True….

Minerva: Be careful, Mister Secretary. Not in just what you say, but also in how you say it. Questioning the Doctors the way you will be doing is highly unconventional, and there could be consequences to deviating from procedure, even with the extenuating circumstances.

Minerva: Keep us posted, and stay safe.

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

=CHAPTER 5C: DESOLATE HIGHWAY=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

{Titus}

[The streets of Titus, while still in significant disrepair, were quite busy. There were plenty of people bustling about, carrying on their daily lives in the big city.]

[Cardinal sauntered through the crowds, grateful for the cover. He was awfully close to Sanda Enterprises now, and he could not afford to catch their attention.]

<DLN-000 to CSU-001>: >Look at all these people, Jazz.

<DLN-000 to CSU-001>: >They’ve already started working on some basic repairs.

[No one really seemed to pay any attention to him as he made his way downtown. He’d only been there once before, but it was easy to rely on the memory. It’s not as if he could really miss where he was going, anyway.]

<DLN-000 to CSU-001>: >No one seems to be trying to kill each other, or destroying robots out of hysterics and fear….

[He had halfway expected that it would be like the streets of Upper Monstropolis. He’d been shocked when he arrived in the city, only to find it operational, if not fully functioning.]

<DLN-000 to CSU-001>: > I guess Beck must have cleaned up the city, and calmed people down. These people are pretty safe now, and able to use their technology….

<DLN-000 to CSU-001>: >I’m glad.

Jazz: Ree-ow.

[He paid no heed to the merchants along the row. He utterly ignored the gossip flying through the air around him, even if his analysis filter kept picking up keywords relating to the Mighty Numbers. It was highly unlikely that they knew anything useful, or else it would have made the news. Which it hadn’t, of course; he’d spent that morning at the library, leafing through various newspapers.]

<DLN-000 to CSU-001>: >Of course, I don’t think we’ll find him there. If he were in Titus, Beck would have figured it out by now. He’s definitely not home. We’re just looking for leads, here.

[His cat purred, rubbing her face against him. He grinned a little, looking up into the sky.]

<DLN-000 to CSU-001>: >Wish we could fly there. But now that Avi’s better… I’m sure he has sky cams all throughout the city. Really… it’s only a matter of time before someone catches on after analyzing video feeds.

<DLN-000 to CSU-001>: >Oh well. I’ll burn that bridge when I get there.

[If it weren’t for the fact that he was on a grave mission in the middle of an ongoing apocalypse, he would have really enjoyed the nice day. It was sunny out, with the sea breeze coming off the harbor. Not nearly as sweltering as it had been in Kansas City the day before.

As the buildings gave way to a massive open area near the arena’s parking lot, he was overcome by a sudden weight of wistfulness.]

Cardinal: (I remember the first time I saw the arena, when Shade showed me around.)

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

{April 2nd, Earlier that Year…}

[MIGHTY NUMBERS LOCKER ROOM]

[The locker room...wasn't exactly a locker room. More like a quick maintenance area with spaces accommodated for each of the Mighty Numbers, like a pit stop for cars. There WAS a storage area, though, each marked with a symbol for each Mighty Number.]

Shade: Here we are.

Cardinal: …

Cardinal: Dude.

Cardinal: This is RAD.

[Aw, lookit him geeking out a bit over it, going from station to station.]

Shade: B]

Beck: We mostly come here for halftime or after a match, to refuel, reload and relax, and the stations make small repairs if we need them.

Cardinal: -Broadcasting abstract DAYDREAMS-

Cardinal: -GLORYYYYYYY-

Shade: Aw, there he goes. He's got arena fever, heh.

Cardinal: -Looks over with a grin-

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

Cardinal: (Oh, Shade…. What I wouldn’t give right now to be back to those halcyon days. I hope your locker has some answers, though you’ll have to forgive me for breaking it open…)

[As he drew closer, however, he was surprised to see massive blockades.]

Cardinal: Oh? Now what’s all this?

[He hastened over to inquire into the matter, foregoing politeness for the sake of getting right to the point in a way that demanded an answer.]

Cardinal: You there. What’s the meaning of all this?

???: I’m sorry, sir, but the Colosseum is not currently open to visitors.

Cardinal: Why?

???: It’s not safe.

Cardinal: Again, why? Didn’t Beck heal everybody?

???: -Clearly getting tired of explaining this for the tenth time this hour- : | The building is structurally unsound. There was a lot of damage caused when the virus went live and sent every single of the powerhouse fighters into a rampage.

Cardinal: —…? (That… that day?)

???: -Now leave, please-

[Cardinal was compliant and willingly turned aside, but he didn’t go very far before he put a hand to his head, horribly confused.]

Cardinal: (I remember now…)

Cardinal: (I was supposed to go with them that day…)

Cardinal: (I went WITH them to the match…)

[He struggled in vain to find the cross-references. Every search he could think of turned up empty.]

>NO RESULTS FOUND.

Cardinal: (All I remember was going to bed that night, and then…?)

>NO RESULTS FOUND.

Cardinal: -Frowns- (Why can’t I remember the match? How did I even end up in Kansas City?)

>NO RESULTS FOUND.

[Puzzled and rather dismayed, he ran through all the data from that day to begin with. Much to his regret, the only entry prior to his memories in Kansas City was an error log report, stating he had suffered a Stop error and rebooted under a Code Red contingency.]

Cardinal: (What on earth could have made me black out like that? I wasn’t injured…)

Cardinal: (I don’t understand. I don’t understand it at all…)

[For a brief moment, he considered teleporting into the locker room anyway. He honestly didn’t care what the building security would think of it.

…But then he remembered that it was more than just a mere room. It was the personal space of the entire family—including Avi.]

Cardinal: (Augh…! He’s bound to have a camera or two in there! If not for security reasons, then for his own PR or personal amusement purposes…)

Cardinal: (This plan was flawed from the start. Stupid…)

[He vented a sigh and made his way back to the downtown district.]

Cardinal: (Shade said there was a sushi place around here, and we meant to go to it…)

[He knew that at this point, he was driven as much by nostalgia as by desperation. Walking the streets they had walked, going to the places they’d been to.

But it was all he had to go on. He had nothing, and… he was alone.]

Cardinal: (There’s got to be someone that has some sort of idea, some sort of clue…)

[…But, to his great disappointment, when he finally arrived at the sushi shop based on context and a lot of wandering…

…He found that it was closed, and locked up tight.]

Cardinal: -In a low growl- Well glitch. Isn’t that just swell.

[He sighed and leaned up against the boarded windows, crossing his arms.]

Cardinal: -Talking aloud now, since he didn’t sense anyone nearby to hear him- Where are you now, Shade? What are you after?

Cardinal: (I don’t know any other places. I can’t just wander around.)

[He knew he should get a move on and head out of the alley, but he just didn’t know where to go or what to do. He had no idea what sort of other places Shade might have frequented, people he would have talked to.

He’d never had the chance to find that out.]

Cardinal: (This isn’t fair, Shade.) You were supposed to show me around…

[He stuck his hands in his pockets and started to move down the streets. There was still someplace familiar he felt driven to go, even if he was only paying half-attention.]

[He found it more relaxing to move about at night, when people were paying even less attention to him. It was mercifully easy to use a fire escape to climb up to the rooftops and overlook the cityscape.]

Cardinal: …

[He found himself staring at a familiar building: the CherryDynamics headquarters.]

Cardinal: … -Somewhat broken smile- (Oh, right…. This is where we were that glorious night…)

Cardinal: (It was…)

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

{April 16th, Earlier That Year…}

[The whole of CherryDyn looks to be blaring red in alarms in the distance, and some searchlights can be seen from the top of the building. The trio responsible is howling with hysterical laughter, chattering to themselves….]

Shade: They are flippin' out, God.-- -LAUGHS-

Cardinal: -Laughing like he’s a kid again-

Rockwell: Holy [frag]— -aaaand he's gone, laughing like mad-

Cardinal: DAMMIT I knew we shoulda brought popcorn!

Shade: THEY FOUND THE CRACKER.

[Sure enough, the spotlights settle on their own logo.]

Shade: -nOPE HE IS GONE HE IS FALLING ON HIS BACKSIDE IN LAUGHTER-

Cardinal: -HELP MY FANS, CAN’T BREEEEEEATHE FROM LAUGHING-

Rockwell: OH MY GODDDD -He can't breathe IT'S TOO MUCH-

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

Cardinal: (That was…)

[He was overcome by a great sense of loss and longing, his sorrow drowning out the joy of that day to where he could no longer even feel it.]

Cardinal: (That was the happiest night of my entire, long, looooooong, long life…)

[He shook his head sadly.]

Cardinal: (What HAPPENED that day, Shade? Why did I leave you? How could I just… run AWAY…?)

[He gave a small whine.]

Cardinal: (I left you—all of you, the whole crowd—simply to turn up somewhere I associate to be safe…)

Cardinal: (Did I…)

Cardinal: (Did I end up being a giant coward…?)

[He couldn’t bear to dwell on the thought. There HAD to be some other reason, there just had to….

He had no idea what it was, but there just had to be…

…Right…?]

Cardinal: -Ruefully, narrowing his eyes at the logo of the building- (I saw the headlines. I read the newspapers today…)

[His eyes flickered a brighter and deeper green in intense emotion, his heart turning from disappointed and bewildered guilt into a slowly growing into anger.]

Cardinal: (How dare he try to glorify himself at everyone’s expense….)

Cardinal: -Growls-

Cardinal: (He’s OBVIOUSLY hiding something…)

[His mind was taken back to that day, that day when he had warned them about this.]

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

{March 15th, Earlier That Year…}

Cardinal: He’s more slippery than I thought.

Cardinal: …I don’t trust him one bit.

Cardinal: He’s too… eager to make a big deal out of it. That’s not very good damage control, not good crowd control.

Cardinal: It’s a publicity stunt.  And I don’t like it.

Beck: Publicity stunt...

White: It is concerning, to be sure...

Cardinal: Why exactly is he so eager to deflect the attention[…]? What is it that he doesn’t want us to see about his company? Because you can bet your gears that investigations like this always get a little too deep for comfort for those who like to deal under the table.

Cardinal: I highly doubt he was /involved/… in -this-. But he may be trying to deflect attention as fast and as far as possible so that something ELSE isn’t found. The bigger the company, the higher the chances of the darker side of business being involved.

White: Graham, dealing in shady business...if word got out about that, he'd be ruined.

Cardinal: Right. Even the question is pretty damaging.

Cardinal: But to deflect the whole thing right back to you, the way he said it—that was on purpose. He should have caught that serve, not sent the ping-pong back.

Cardinal: We’re being played. -Grumpy data flow-

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

Cardinal: -Growls louder, his eyes turning a violent red- (First you go to the trouble of setting up a Combat team just to unseat the Mighty Numbers, humiliate them and cast doubt and disquiet…)

Cardinal: (And then your team goes WILD, nearly killing people…)

Cardinal: (I swear, if I find that YOU were behind all of this, I will find a way to DESTROY you…!)

[He gave a huff, making his way down to the streets below. He needed time to think.

He ended up making his way over to a bar, where he ordered coffee.]

Cardinal: -Leans back against the wall, scratching Jazz behind the ears with his free hand- (Well… if THIS isn’t fine and dandy….) -Siiiiiip-

Cardinal: (I have no more leads. What should I do?)

Jazz: -Purrs, flicking her tail-

Cardinal: (I told him that if anything ever happened to me, that he should go to the Mad Hatters. They’ve known me for decades, and that’s where I used to live. I still sort of have a job there, for that matter…)

Cardinal: (They would know where to find me. Some might even be able to help him, too…)

[He idly started broadcasting his signature tune very, very quietly as he stared off into the distance, “watching” the TV with a very bored expression.]

Cardinal: (And I knew that I wanted to get something similar from him, in case he ever got in trouble. Not like I expected this, though…) -Eyes flicker brighter for a moment- (When he talked about his coworkers, I knew that they would be the ones to go to if I needed information…. But I respected and trusted him too much to press the matter….) -Narrows his eyes in a scowl- (Paying the price for that weakness…)

[He sighed, putting the empty mug down rather heavily and putting a hand to his face.]

Cardinal: (Shade, what am I supposed to do? There are only two possible sources of information at this point: your family, and your coworkers.)

Cardinal: (I don’t KNOW where that “office” is, nor who the other assassins are! You mentioned a “Diamond” at one point when you were talking to Bladeblaster—and man, my first idea would have been to beat the information out of the guy, but he’s already dead.)

Cardinal: (Will I really be reduced to—)

Jazz: Reeerr!

Cardinal: —?

[He looked up to see something very… interesting on the screen.]

[As the headline report went on, he couldn’t help but smile.]

Cardinal: Wow. (I’m impressed.)

[He felt a sense of pride for the CDN. He hadn’t had the chance to get to know the guy very well yet, but he always felt that he was a good man. He was glad to see that Jack was still very much alive and well—though he was rather puzzled for want of context.]

Cardinal: (I thought you were still holed up in England? How and why did you turn up in America? Must have been an awfully good reason, given that you know more than others are willing to let pass…. Not to mention, you know. The whole “apocalypse” thing.) You’re a brave man…

Cardinal: (Well, wherever you are, I hope you’re sa—)

Cardinal: —!!!

[He just stared in utter surprise when the news story ended and moved on to the next headline.]

Cardinal: (What the—)

“…similar such heroics can be found in various places throughout the country. One of the most surprising stories comes right from the heart of Kansas City, where a mysterious Xelbot is reported to have almost single-handedly help coordinate and carry out a massive evacuation effort.”

[The screen jumped to a sketch of Cardinal in his Combat form, with Jazz at his side. An audio clip from an interview played.]

“ ‘He came out of nowhere, so unexpectedly—at first we thought that he was infected, and retaliated. But he never seemed to hold that against us… he was always just so focused on helping everyone get out…’ ”

Cardinal: -So many mixed feelings right now- (AAAAAAAAVS—! Is this— is this YOUR doing?)

“Witnesses across the metro gave countless reports of his heroic efforts at all of the city’s major tourist attractions, including Arrowhead Stadium. City officials are now on the lookout for this caretaker, who is reported to have vanished from the hospital where he was recovering after a major fight.”

Cardinal: -Oh, great— -

[He tried very hard to play it off casually, quickly tightening the amount of data he gave off so that it no longer reflected his emotion.

He had hoped that staying in his Civilian form would allow him to blend in with the crowd, prevent him from being spotted by the Mighty Numbers. Nobody else knew who he was, and they didn’t have reason to care.

He had not considered the idea that he would make the local news, let alone the national news.]

Cardinal: ([Gliiiiiiiiiitch]… this…)

[Under any normal circumstance, he would feel very touched by someone giving him such recognition. Even now, he felt extremely moved with gratitude, feeling both validated and honored.]

Cardinal: -Casually gets up from the table, rifling through his coat for cash to leave as a tip-

[…But in this instance, he also felt dismayed and concerned. It wouldn’t be long before some eagle-eyed observer noticed how similar Jazz’s Civ form was to her Combat form, and how he wore the same glasses and scarf regardless of form… not to mention his somewhat distinctive earcaps, which held the standard Robot Master (and NOT the standard Xelbot) design.]

Cardinal: (Was this a ploy to get some tips to a hotline? Really, Avi? Oh geez….)

[He made something less than a hasty exit, even though he wanted to bolt. He had to resist the urge to run, to take to the rooftops for safety. In the end, he took hasty refuge inside of a chapel, hiding in a dimly lit nook well out of sight.]

Cardinal: (Maybe if I’m lucky, this will be over by morning…)

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

=CHAPTER 4C: AVI’S NEWS REPORT=

~AO v1.0~

(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)

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

{The Meadow}

[The sun beats down relentlessly as the eldest three Mighty Numbers listened to a story and ate ice cream.

It was a new day; a quiet one, after such a tense battle the day before. And while all the malware had been purged… there were other problems to worry about regarding Avi and Tobias.]

“The thing that causes us to age the most intensely is being witness to suffering and understanding that we’re responsible for it…"

[The magnetic field shifts somewhat as Nico gently came down from the roof and hovered over.]

Nico: …the second is seeing others suffer and being unable to either prevent or assuage it.

Nico: -Touches down- Honestly… it was all a bit inevitable once he started the process of getting through his denial. : /

Pyro: !

Dyna: Nico...!

Cryo: -SHOVES MORE ICE CREAM INTO MOUTH, WAVES-

Nico: (It’s just that he’s blaming himself instead, which… isn’t really a whole lot of progress…)

Dyna: .........

Nico: -Tired smile- Hey guys.

Nico: I am so glad to see you guys again.

Pyro: Trust me, the feeling is mutual. | ]

<DWN-018 to MNN-001>: >And while I like the ladies just fine, I am ESPECIALLY glad to see you Pyro, my stars—

[MN.1 to DWN-018] //: Eheh....

[MN.1 to DWN-018] //: I...I was the first to be rescued. It certainly helped the others...

Nico: I dunno about for you guys, but it’s been about a MONTH on this end.

Pyro: --?!?

Dyna: wait what--

Cryo: -W H A T-

Mari: ...Yeeeeaaaaaaaah that...

Nico: Time does tend to pass a lot quicker here for some reason, though, so… yeah.

Pyro: I...

Cryo: Bros it's only been about--heck not even A week--

Mari: It's been a total of--maaaybe 5-6 days?

Nico: Boy, is there a lot that Nineteen has to share with you guys. I wish we had better news, but our research projects hit a grinding halt when the plague hit. We might have made the breakthrough by now, but all of our supplies got raided.

Pyro: -IRRITATED HUFF- Cardinal...

Nico: Yeah. He kinda… ran off with, well. Everything?

Pyro: | [

Pyro: ........

Pyro: -Siiiiiiigh-

Nico: And left me in charge, it is so hard to keep a bunch of anxious Wilybots together, man—

Nico: I really hope to get sign of him soon. I have an idea of where to start looking, but it’s not very likely he’d still be there. And even if he were… =___=; I’m no tracker, like [color=blue]he[/color] is.

Nico: Shadow might be able to find him, but… he went Offline shortly after you blocked Cossack, Py. I can only assume he had been talking to Brand and it was something Brand said? Because it was an Emotions.exe -induced Stop error, which wasn’t something he’d ever had before.

Nico: Please tell me you’ve gotten word on the two wayward crimson clad, yellow scarved night walkers.

Pyro: ....No.

Cryo: We...don't know where either of them are. I mean--now that Avi's not sitting on the signals--tracking will be easier...

Dyna: -Data, maybe when Hoverbro wakes up...-

Nico: …

Mari: Buuuuut Cardinal turned off his transponder--

Nico: -Kind of just… turns to the side at that, a neutral kind of cold thoughtful… much like Cardinal used to be about something he didn’t like-

Nico: …Right… Aviator…

Nico: You guys might wanna let Cossack and White do some debugging.

Nico: …actually wait, now that I think on it, I haven’t seen Cossack all day…

Ambassador: Yeeeeaaah that’s probably where he is right now.

Nico: Mmrrph.

Nico: …

Nico: I don’t think it would be a good idea for Aviator to see us for a while.

Pyro: .........

Dyna: But--

Pyro: No--he...he's right.

Pyro: Avi...

Nico: He saw too much and Turbine /said/ much more.

[His eyes flare solid green for a moment and he hovers in agitation, looking cross.]

Nico: His threat rating got jacked all the way to BLUE, for life’s sake—!

Nico: Ugh, it’s going to take FOREVER for Siam to fix that in the database at this rate!

Cryo: (B...Blue...?)

Pyro: . . . .

Dyna: (Avi--thiszz iszz going to be zzso HARD on him...oooooh you zzstupid bi-plane, why do you have to be ZZSUCH a blabbermouth...?)

Nico: And he’s not the only one.

Dyna: ....?

[As if in a horror movie, the line suddenly is overcome by echoing pings as the others all give their input, Online or not—]

>DEATH WEARS [color=cadetblue] BLUE [/color]

Dyna: --!

Pyro: (Shade...)

[There’s a sudden fear spike, followed by an abrupt silence, and then irritation.]

<DWN-019>: > -PING!- Alright, what is it NOW, Nico—

<DWN-018>: >Have you even bothered to look out the window, dude?

<DWN-019>: >That doesn’t answer my question! I’m really busy right now, I don’t want you going and causing additional nightmares in the Second Gens, it’s bad enough already!

<DWN-018>: > …Yeah, I’ll just get straight to the point. The Whites are here.

<DWN-019>: > … OH! Oh, gracious me, I’m so terribly sorry—

[MN.1] //: It's fine, Siam. Good to hear from you again.

[MN.3] //: -BZZZ, HI SIAM--

[MN.2] //: Yo.

<DWN-019>: >I already sent over my analysis to your father. For now, I’m focused on a new project. I don’t think I can be of much more help except as a lab rat, with all of you—and I apologize for that. I just don’t know enough about Xel and coding with it.

<DWN-019>: >I’m returning my focus to the energy projects. Lord knows we’ll need the results soon enough, whenever we DO manage to find him…

<DWN-019>: >How is Turbine doing?

Nico: …

<DWN-019>: > … -REALIZES HIS MISTAKE- -DATA AAAAAAAA I AM SO SORRY IT’S JUST THAT—-

<DWN-019>: > -Gah, 19-G, go fix that in the database, will you—-

[MN.1] //: -deeeeep breath-

[MN.1] //: Still in Deep Sleep Mode. Father is already working on repairs.

Nico: -Facepalm- When was the last time you ran a Deep Sleep cycle?

<DWN-019>: > Oh, don’t you lecture me on that.

Nico: …Not since last night, when we got the data dump, clearly. Please have at least ONE of you do that. Like, now, please.

[There’s some strange abstract data for a while. Nico takes the time in the silence to set up a grill and start making hot dogs as the others finish off their share of ice cream. After a while…

…Gemini himself comes outside.]

Gemini: Sorry for the delay. I am not easy to set into Sleep mode when working on an active Analysis command.

Gemini: -Sits down- I need to talk to you about Aviator, though.

Pyro: .....Yes.

Dyna: .....

Cryo: -Hoverbro why did you have to be such a huge jerk...-

Pyro: -Hush--

Gemini: Hmm? No, no, not Turbine reborn—Aviator. …The two are both relevant in this particular discussion point to start off with, I suppose, but.

Gemini: What do you know of what happened in the beginning? Not just regarding Aviator—regarding what happened over here and between us, in general.

Pyro: .....

Pyro: I had--well, we were informed of after we were rescued by Beck--

Pyro: The virus had infected all the servers--including the RMDC. It...sent you and the entire line into Lethal--to us, it looked as if you were ALSO infected--

Cryo: But--it, like...didn't...

Dyna: ..........

Dyna: And then--Avi...and Toby...

Gemini: …

[He’s quiet for a while before he speaks.]

Gemini: We were in Lethal when things happened because we were terrified, and saw an active threat. To you, to us…

Gemini: Snow had thrown a temper tantrum that could have killed the flora around here if he hadn’t been shut down on emergency. Tobias had been… well, more on that in a moment. Dr. Cossack felt threatened, and Shadow had fainted because he first came to know despair—he’s still getting used to emotions overall, you see, so he’d never felt that before.

Gemini: In short, we were in Lethal because Tobias had been attacked to the point where he went Offline.

Gemini: …The virus itself just gave us… nightmares and fevers, really.

[He looks up for a moment with a steady gaze.]

Gemini: I’ll spare you technical details. Suffice to say, the conflict of Awareness and Emotions alongside the Lethal mode has already been a point explored very thoroughly in our own world.

Gemini: But.

Gemini: There is already so much suffering and anger and fear and hardship that we put up with and deal with… that it really doesn’t drive us mad. The Awareness function cannot be overridden that way, and so there is no loss of control.

Gemini: -Dryly- You could say we’re permanently infected, in a sense. There’s always that resentment lingering in the darkness, and I admit—at times, it can be a challenge to accept what happened and let it be.

Pyro: (Resentment...)

Dyna: -bzzzzzz...-

Cryo: ......

Gemini: It is possible to lose oneself in the moment—it’s happened plenty of times. But it’s really… just a way we’re more human than anyone will ever readily admit, to be honest, when you consider the context…

Gemini: With us—all in all, in the long run—the pain had driven us to mourn, not to lash out. So… it didn’t work. Other than to, quite frankly, [tick] us off.

Pyro: ...-Arches eyebrow-

Cryo: -She can't help but snort at that, heh--

Gemini: -Interlocks his fingers and peers over them- Now, as for Turbine and Tobias…

Gemini: That’s where things start getting “interesting”.

Gemini: Tobias is particularly sensitive to wireless signals. He has to be, to compensate for the electrical fields that he himself puts out—and the fields he would have been in, working in a power plant.

Gemini: Perhaps the virus recognized that Tobias had once spread terror, himself—albeit unwittingly. Who knows?

Gemini: In any case, it tried to take control over his body, too. Truthfully, if that HAD succeeded, it would have been beyond disastrous—given that we have a hive-mind of sorts, and Tobias is the master of the database, inside and out.

Pyro: --....

Dyna: -Bzzz bzzzzzz tobyyyyyy--

Gemini: I’m not sure exactly how that would have played out, but you can bet it would have been unpleasant and that things would be much worse for you all right now—but thankfully? …It didn’t go very well for Turbine.

Gemini: Unfortunately, it didn’t go well for Tobias or Aviator, either.

Gemini: Do you remember what Cardinal said about ways to fight off possession?

————————

“In that case, causing an information overload is the best option. For us, that would involve opening the floodgates of the database with cross-references at full volume: sensory data, memory, emotions, the works.”

————————

Pyro: ......

Pyro: --.....!

Pyro: He--Avi-- no--

Dyna: .....!!!!

Gemini: …In this case, it wasn’t actually on purpose.

Gemini: You see, for us? Such things are always active in the background. Anyone hooked into the system the way we are constantly gets distracted by little “oh, this reminds me of that” sort of things.

Gemini: We’re different enough that it usually doesn’t actively require much effort to spare you guys from that—except when we’re upset enough to be actively broadcasting it, in which case it requires a LOT of effort.

Gemini: Turbine was trying to reach not only control of Tobias, but also of the server itself—and that was the worst mistake he could have made. Because… he succeeded in getting access to the feeds. He never got any further, because…

Cross References...memories...

Cryo: --!

Pyro: Avi--...

Pyro: Avi.... saw them, didn't he...?

Gemini: …yes. Yes— he saw. I’d estimate, oh—

Gemini: Around 35-40 active cross-references of violence, death, fear, and pain?

Gemini: Not even just from us—there were some from Felix, too, due to the nature of certain Writer-scroll uploads—

Gemini: And keep in mind, this IS a full sensory experience and ALSO all playing at once.

Pyro: . . . .

[There are tears starting to well up in Cryo's eyes--and Dyna was clutching ever so tightly on her cloak.]

[Pyro...was silent...]

[MN.3 to MN.6] // A-Avi...?

[MN.6 IS CURRENTLY IN DEEP SLEEP MODE.]

Gemini: It was bad enough to break past Turbine and get to Avi, from what I understand.

Gemini: Furthermore—just because the communications were broken off… that doesn’t mean he’s no longer connected to our feeds. He’s particularly subject to whatever cross-references Tobias might make, since, well…

Gemini: Yes, Six did get access to our feeds through Light Eight, but…

Gemini: …Tobias’s system responded by rewriting itself to receive information from a Xel chassis and the correlating database system.

Pyro: What--?

Dyna: --He rewrote himself...?

Cryo: B...Bro....

Gemini: If it had kept going? He would have been ultimately possessing Aviator, probably having to battle the virus itself in the process for control.

Gemini: It stopped short of that because they all fainted from trauma, of course, but—

Gemini: There was a part of him left behind, meant to get data from Avi, so that coding was still active within Six even though you were all cut off from the RMDC main server.

Pyro: .....

Dyna: D-Doeszz that mean there'szz a part of Avi in Toby too...?

Gemini: Well…

Gemini: …Er.

Gemini: When…

Gemini: …

Gemini: Let me…

Gemini: … … …

Gemini: So. When Nine purged the virus, he also ended up purging the bit of DLN-008’s coding that was in Avi, which returned Tobias’s Awareness coding to a proper state, allowing it to function again. …That should have meant he came back Online, which he DID…

Gemini: …But he was getting data from Avi’s chassis, still, so… it kind of disoriented him and freaked him out to “look down” and see nothing but sky.

Pyro: He was seeing through Avi's eyes...?

Dyna: -Oh gosh oh gosh that must have been terrifying--

Gemini: Dr. Cossack went over to help Dr. White this morning in, er. Untangling their Awareness and sensory coding and the like.

Gemini: You really, really don’t want to be connected into our hive mind long-term, -Suddenly grave- especially not now.

[His eyes glowed a more intense shade of icy blue for a moment, and—

Fear.

Stifled, but strong, VERY strong— FEAR.]

[It was wordless but there was this semi-hysterical mantra of “the hunter, the hunter, tHE HUNTER!” that seemed to echo— at least in that brief moment before Siam regained composure and cut off the broadcast.]

Pyro: …....

Dyna: ....And...and Toby--he'szz gonna be OK, right--ZZSince Becky fixed the coding thing zzso...

Dyna: T.. they'll both be OK, right? N-Not right away, I know that, but--

Gemini: Well. Tobias will have aged quite a bit. -Closes his eyes, seeming a bit older, himself- He didn’t quite understand until that day just how much he had actually terrified people when he took control of the broadcasts. Honestly, he didn’t understand! He was very confused as to why they were scared and ultimately hostile in a lethal manner.

Gemini: Their coding will be fine, but Tobias… probably will be like he was when we first met all of you. The guilt he carries… it’s the heaviest of all of us, I’m afraid, even above Cardinal’s. Tobias’s actions directly influenced why the Blue Menace came to be—AND why Wily went insane, subsequently becoming evil (which in turn resulted in greater hostility and determination to exterminate the likes of us)—and he knows it.

Dyna: . . . .

Dyna: (Toby...!)

Pyro: -Time to wrap an arm around spark sister, there there, we know.-

Gemini: He may not wake for… some time. -Drums fingers on table, looking down as Nico passes out hot dogs- It…

Gemini: … It honestly all depends on what will happen now.

Gemini: Will your world panic, as ours did? If that happens… -Trails off-

Gemini: -…well, suffice to say, he wouldn’t be the only one who’d stay Offline-

Gemini: …However… should…

Gemini: …should things… not fall to that darkness, there is…

Gemini: -Looks up, now quite… excited, almost?-

Gemini: There is a breakthrough on the horizon.

Gemini: However dark that cloud that Turbine cast, the silver lining may just be as bright as the moon—

Gemini: A working bit of AI_DWN_OS functioned long-term in a Xel chassis.

Pyro: ....!

Cryo: ....Wait, what?

Pyro: A piece of their coding WORKED in a Xel frame, Cryo--

Gemini: Our being isn’t in hardware, it’s in SOFTWARE.

Cryo: ...oh OH OH--

Cryo: -Right cuz we got cores and stuff that's our everything--

Gemini: The bridge does exist! And it works! All we’d have to do is find a way to make it work in a fully stable fashion, and… well. It certainly would solve a LOT of problems and stave off intrusive questions if we were able to use Xel chassises when on your grounds!

Gemini: -Absentmindedly, out loud- He just has to actually survive long enough to come back, and it could save his life…

Gemini: -Aaauuugh we are just SO CLOSE TO FIXING EVERYBODY one way or another, we can FEEL it—-

Pyro: ....

Pyro: Well...

Pyro: If anyone can bridge the gap at this point--it'll certainly be you and the Doctors.

Cryo: Yeah, and then you guys can be all fancy and cool like us--

Dyna: -Oh we are so going to take Toby on a tour when he'szz better--he just haszz to get better--

Gemini: There there, Lady Dyna—he will recover, given time. He is just weary in soul, that’s all.

Gemini: But you all have taught us what “hope” is in the past, and as Cardinal once… o-once said…

[ “HOPE lives”]

<DWN-019>: > …It’s what made us truly live, once before.

<DWN-019>: > I really do believe it can do so again.

Pyro: ....heh...

Cryo: Yeah, bro--Beck's gonna fix everything, I know he will--!

Dyna: -HE'SZZ ALREADY BROUGHT HALF OF USZZ HOME, HE CAN DO IT--

Pyro: ...Yes--he will.

Pyro: He's come so far already...

Gemini: For the time being, though—it’s probably safest to let Tobias sleep. :’D;

Gemini: He, ah… well. He’ll not be in a very good mood at this stage if he is woken up, and… as extremely tempting as it is, I really don’t want him forcing his way into CherryDyn to see what the Cracker man is hiding…

Gemini: It’s hard enough with all the moving pieces, we don’t need to add more—

-PING!-

>P I N G.

Pyro: ...?

Dyna: ??

<FMN-006>: >HELLOOOOOOOOO DREAMLAND can you guys hear me—

<FMN-001>: > Please be SERIOUS, Avi—

<FMN-006>: > -HEY, trying not to panic here, bro—-

<INQUIRY FROM: DWN-009>

Nico: -Astonished- Nine got rebuilt?! Since WHEN?

Cryo: Hey, it's the mirror fam--!

Pyro: Metal...?

[A surge of notifications as the Second Gens and the Cossacks came Online.]

<DWN-013>: > -AUGH sudden headaches—- Nnngh…!

<DCN-007>: > {Don’t answer it, it’s a trap!}

<DWN-012>: > -Data, ANGRY—this is HIS BROTHER—- Not your decision to MAKE, you /derivative/—!

<FMN-003>: > OH GOSH ARE YOU GUYSZZZ OKAY—

[MN.1] //: Well--

[MN.2] //: UM, YEAH, SORTA, ONE SEC SIS--

[MN.3] //: -CONFUSED DATA, WHY ARE YOU GUYS FREAKING OUT--??-

> -PING!-

[Collectively, the DCNs send over a picture of Metalman in full armor and a scrolling list of how many of the Robot Masters were killed by the Metal Blade (and oh, also that he cross-references with Bladeblaster as a result—)]

<DWN-012>: > Yeah well SCREW YOU ALL SO HARD— he is my brother and he taught me why humans are fragile, HE’S THE WHOLE REASON WE ARE P A C I F I S T S—

[MN.3] //: -BZZZBZZZZZZZZ-

[MN.2] //: -ooooh boy this is not gonna end well--

<DCN-007>: > Which he did by giving you all the gory details—!

<DWN-012>: > -Aggressive data!-

<DWN-012 has left the channel.>

<DCN-007>: > -Russian shouting- {Get back here before I arrest you for treason, dammit—}

<DCN-007 has left the channel.>

<DCN-008>: > … -Siiiighs- I’ll be right back.

<DCN-008 has left the channel.>

<FMN-006>: > Uhhhhhh…

<FMN-006>: > [sub]is this a bad time[/sub]

[MN.2] //: -That depends, Goosey--

[MN.1] //: -Looooong Sigh-

[MN.1] //: (What does Metal want in a time like this...?)

<FMN-006>: >WELL mostly we just wanted to check in with you guys—I mean man, serious memory fuzz over here but we know it was bad—

<FMN-002>: >HEY. HEY OTHER US FAM DUDES. HAVE YOU SEEN HER.

<FMN-005>: >You know that’s the WRONG question to ask—

<FMN-002>: >FINE THEN HAS ANY FOOD GONE MISSING, [GLITCHES], PLEASE SAY YES.

Gemini: …

Gemini: -nope. NOPE. NOPE NOPE NOPE OFFICIALLY TOO MUCH TO DEAL WITH RIGHT NOW—

<DWN-019 has gone into dual Deep Sleep mode.>

Gemini: Zzz.

[MN.1] //: .....

[MN.1] //: ............

[MN.2] //: Wait Shadesis isn't with you guys--?!?

[MN.3] //: --OH GLITCH--

Nico: -Facepalm- Glitchfrag it—

<FMN-002>: >WHAT YOU MEAN SHE ISN’T WITH—WHOEVER THAT WAS, THAT ONE CHERRY DUDE THAT SHE WAS ON PROTECTION DETAIL FOR?

<FMN-007>: > -Why are you STILL yelling—-

<FMN-001>: > Not again… -I may not remember the details but I know the first time was hard enough—-

[MN.1] //: Jack?

[MN.3] //: We haven't zzseen him either--

[MN.2] //: DIDN'T WE LEAVE HIM BACK IN ENGLAND--??

Nico: Give me one moment… -Gritting teeth-

<RMDC>: > LATEST ENTRY FOR FILE ON: CDN-7037 <RMDC>: >TIMESTAMP: ERROR <RMDC>: >LOCATION: WILDERNESS, FELIX’S HOLLOW

Nico: -AUGH, FANTASTIC—-

[MN.2] //: What WHAT IS IT BRO--

Nico: Okay, so—

Nico: We had a BUNCH of presents to give out, we had to leave before we finished with Brand’s, and there’s still Avi and by now plenty others, I’m sure—

Nico: Felix was keeping track of it all because let’s face it, he gives out like half of it? By the way, Beck left his Xel swords here.

Nico: Well, Countershade: Ladies Edition had also left some stuff for Jack there too, and I know Snow also had something to give him—

Nico: But more importantly—

Nico: From the Wilderness, you can travel ANYWHERE!

[MN.2] //: W H A T.

[MN.3] //: Wait then that meanszz--

<DWN-018>: > -DOCTOR COSSAAAAAAAAAAAAACK—-

[MN.1] //: -NO NOT H I M TOO--

<MC005>: > -Ping-

<MC005>: > What is going on over there?

[MN.2] //: Lots of things, Noodle #2--

[MN.1] //: -FACEPALMS-

[MN.3] //: -BZZZBZZZZ--

[MN.2] //: -I think things just got slightly worse--

<MC005>: > -Clearly putting this on speaker- …Judging by the fact that both of Nineteen are in Sleep mode, that is certainly possible— I’d appreciate being told why.

[MN.1] //: Doctor--have you or anyone in the Meadow seen either Carmen or Jack?

<MC005>: > …

<MC005>: > -Sounds as if he’s turned aside to talk to someone else- …There did seem to be a lot more food missing than usual at one point, and we are missing a small cooler…

<FMN-004>: > Not Sis. :T Sis eat, no take.

<MC005>: > …Wait. You’re…? And she’s not with you?

<FMN-007>: > No, she is not.

<MC005>: > What do you remember?

<FMN-002>: >NOT MUCH, RUSSIAN NOODLEO.

<MC005>: > -Russian curse phrase, conveniently not one loaded into the data banks!-

<MC005>: >Lady Shade has the willpower and focus to take advantage of the unstable nature of spacetime between worldly dimensions. And unlike the rest of you, she also had motive that would drive her to DO so, even while infected!

<FMN-001>: > Are you saying she’s STILL SICK?!

<FMN-009>: > But I C U R E D HER!

<MC005>: >You don’t understand—!

<MC005>: >She was in two places and times at once, because she was just that driven to do so—

<MC005>: >Within your timeline proper, she is healed, yes, but she also left that before that happened, so any place outside of there…! You have to handle that separately!

<FMN-006>: > -Hoo boy not again…-

[MN.1] //: Ngh...!

[MN.2] //: - AAAAAAAAAAAH-- -

[MN.3] //: AND IF SHE'SZZ ZZSICK THEN--JACK--

Nico: -Double facepalm- As if Cardinal being gone weren’t bad enough. At least Cardinal can handle himself in a fight!

<FMN-003>: >Um, broszzz…?

<FMN-003>: >And szzisses?

<FMN-003>: >Can I juszzt szzay szzomething real quick?

[MN.1] //: ...Yes?

<FMN-003>: >Unlesszz thiszz Cherry REALLY doeszz szzomething incredibly dumb, well. She’s not going to have been hunting him down. -Bzzapzap- I mean. She waszz on hiszz protection detail, even. She’szz really big into that. Bzzzz… moszzztly she gives jerkszz a really hard time, you know? Like. Even nutszzzo, why hunt the Cherry? I don’t think szzo.

Nico: But we haven’t seen her, so she must be up to /some/thing…

[MN.1] //: .....

[MN.1] //: But if she's not hunting Jack, then...

Nico: But she doesn’t know anybody else!

<FMN-001>: > …

<FMN-005>: >Well, that’s not quite true. ?_? There was that one cheating swine that ruined the finals for you guys, for one—I believe she actually shot him in the—

Nico: … Uh.

Nico: okay what—

Nico: His file lists him as… DEAD?

<FMN-002>: > …

<FMN-002>: > -[REDACTED!]-

<FMN-006>: >LEEEEET’S not get too crazy, uh—lemme see that file—

<FMN-006>: > …Man, this was ages ago. If she’s still out there, she’s up to something else, assuming she was even involved in this to begin with? [sub]Doesn’t quite fit her style, anyway…[/sub]

<FMN-001>: > Does she know anyone else?

Nico: … Well, she got ahold of our databases at one point and read up on stuff, so I guess she has heard of other people…

Nico: But who would be important enough for her to hunt down?

[MN.1] //: . . . . .

<MC005>: > …

<MC005>: > Dear God.

<FMN-001>: > What?

<MC005>: > Gravecrasher.

[MN.2] //: .......

[MN.3] //: The...the guy that...?

<FMN-003>: > …???

[MN.1] //: .....

[MN.2] //: Mirror Fam?

[MN.2] //: .....

[MN.2] //: Shade...Shadebro...lost his arm in a different way than your Eight.

<FMN-003>: > …

<FMN-001>: > -THIS does not bode well-

[MN.2] //: Long story short--

[MN.2] //: THIS guy was responsible.

<FMN-002>: >Okay. Yep. YEP. HE’S XELSTAINS, OTHER ME. 88’D If she’s really gone after him then we’re too late by now.

Nico: Way to be at least willing to try and stop it…!

<FMN-002>: >Magnet dude, I’m just being realistic here—Sis was angrier about that incident and the aftermath than just about anything else—

<FMN-002>: >Well, other than the whole VOTING thing, I mean—

[MN.1] //: ......

[MN.1] //: Wait...

<FMN-002>: >Hmm?

Nico: …I don’t get it. I thought you guys got to vote at a certain age?

<FMN-002>: > Huh? No, not voting rights—

<FMN-002>: > I mean, you know, we voted on whether she was gonna be a babbu sniperbro or Snipersis. c::

<FMN-002>: > AND GIRL POWER WON THE DAY, YEEEAAAAAH

Nico: …So what does that have to do with her being angry, then?

<FMN-002>: > ‘cause it wasn’t UNANIMOUS like it SHOULD have beeeeen—

[MN.3] //: ......It wasn't?

[MN.2] //: Wait--If YOU guys voted for girl--and knowing us, I bet Mic and Bat didn't care...

<FMN-004>: > Mic no care. ^w^

<FMN-005>: > … -Sarge was wise enough to know it’s not a good idea to start off on the wrong foot with an assassin if you want a prayer of being backed up by them at the front lines-

[MN.2] //: Aaaaand knowing how we drive Pyro and Brand up a wall--

[MN.1] //: -_-;;

[MN.2] //: That makes the deciding vote--

[MN.2] //: ....oH--

<FMN-006>: > :^D

<FMN-006>: >I THOUGHT IT WOULD MAKE LIFE INTERESTING?

<FMN-003>: >You were tired of being bosszzzzed around by uszzz and HOPED you could bosszzz around a YOUNGER SZZISTER. Nope~

<FMN-003>: >But that’szz okay, we love you anyway, Helicopterchoppers~

[MN.2] //: c::

[MN.3] //: ~~<3

<FMN-006>: > ^.^

<FMN-006>: >But yeah oh man, it was GREAT! We got along pretty well more or less as soon as she could adjust her settings so things weren’t constantly turned up to 11.

[MN.1] //: (I can see why--knowing that he was the one that ultimately decided on her gender...)

[MN.1] //: ........

[MN.1] //: But....

[MN.1] //: I imagine not so well with Brand.

<FMN-007>: > …

<FMN-007>: > Not…

<FMN-007>: > Not even close…

[MN.1] //: -Sigh, yup, just like our own Seven and Eight at first...-

Nico: …Uh. Just how BAD are we talking, here?

<FMN-007>: > …

<FMN-001>: > …

<FMN-001>: > …Bad enough that she shut herself in her room for several days without a word.

Nico: …I’ve SEEN her eat.

Nico: Or rather, I’ve seen what happens WHEN she eats, because she’s always stealing our stuff when invisible—

Nico: Dude, what the glitch did you say that would put her off food for that long?! ._.;;;

<FMN-007>: > I…

<FMN-007>: > I told her she couldn’t handle being a professional assassin because she was too sheltered, and too young.

[MN.1] //: ........

[MN.2] //: Bro you what--

[MN.3] //: -WINCES-

<FMN-007>: > She just—! ANNOUNCED it out of nowhere at dinner one night, she was already on her second mission, even!

<FMN-007>: > She was just—I didn’t think she really understood, she was so young, and so… …overconfident in her abilities…

[MN.1] //: (Ah--Cocky--Shade was like that too, before...)

[MN.3] //: -Jeezzz, though--really, bro? I juszzt--wow.-

<FMN-001>: >Nngh… well, back then, she didn’t like being a “team” player necessarily… she wasn’t very good at waiting for backup…

<FMN-001>: >We weren’t too keen on her being like that in a situation where people were going to actually try and kill her.

[MN.2] //: .......

[MN.1] //: (—...Shade--either you really WERE that confident in your abilities, or...)

[MN.3] //: ..........

[MN.2] //: What about Big Bro--? Did SHE get along with you?

<FMN-001>: > …Not necessarily. Er…

<FMN-003>: > -sNORT- Hee hee…!

<FMN-003>: > -Starts cackling- She waszzz nervouszz of him for quite a while, hee hee—!

<FMN-003>: >Alwayszzz szzoo SZZTERN and commanding and— -WITCH CACKLE- SHE KINDA NAILED HIM TO THE FLOOR THAT ONE TIME—

<FMN-001>: > =_____=;;;

<FMN-001>: > [sub]… thought… -grumble mumble- piggyback rides…[/sub]

<FMN-003>: > -PYRO-SHAPED DENT IN THE FLOOR FOR DAAAAAAYYYYYSZZZZZ- -LIKE, IT WAS LITERALLY THERE FOR A FEW DAYS-

<FMN-005>: > -AHEM. EXCUSE ME, C.O., BUT I NEED TO GO LOSE MY SRS FOR A MOMENT OVER THERE. PERMISSION TO BE EXCUSED?-

[MN.2] //: -SSSNNORT-

[MN.3] //: -CRACKS UP--

[MN.1] //: -Ow--

<FMN-001>: > -Facepalm and a sigh-

<FMN-001>: >It… that wasn’t her fault, she didn’t mean to cause damage.

<FMN-001>: >She… rather had a hard time relating to most of us for quite a long time.

<FMN-001>: >Why, we didn’t even see her at all for nearly a year, once she came Online.

<FMN-001>: >We got along better once she… recovered from the incident and… well, also mellowed out.

[MN.1] //: ..........

[MN.3] //: -Oh no--

[MN.2] //: You mean when she...

<FMN-001-007>: > …

<FMN-001>: > …She just… came back one night.

<FMN-003>: > Szzzcreaming.

<FMN-007>: > …To this day, all we know for sure is that she was alone and outside.

[MN.1] //: ......

[MN.2] //: ...Sis...

[MN.3] //: -So that's why she makeszz up zzstories...-

<FMN-001>: > …Yes.

<FMN-001>: >She got tired of inquiries, so she gave what was obviously a lie, just to be left alone.

<FMN-001>: >Over time, I guess that became her way of… taking control of it, somehow.

<FMN-001>: >Either she’s sworn to secrecy because it was an official mission, or…

<FMN-001>: > …she got in over her head with something so horrific she refuses to speak on it…

[MN.2] //: . . .

[MN.3] //: ......

[MN.1] //: God....

[MN.2] //: .....Do ya think....

[MN.2] //: Someone was responsible--like Gravecrasher...?

<FMN-001>: > …I don’t know. I… I-I d-don’t think so, she…

<FMN-001>: > She can be reckoned quite beautiful, but she wasn’t hurt… other ways…

[MN.1] //: ......................

[MN.3] //: ZZZSo what--is she just chilling out in some place??? Who ELSE would she...

<FMN-006>: > …Well, she just has this thing against dudes in general, I mean—some of the guys in the arena were real jerks until I showed them the glory of the sky! :^D

<FMN-003>: > Yeah, by szzztringing them up a flagpole in the middle of the practiczze field by their underpantszz. c:

[MN.1] //: . . . . .

[MN.2] //: NIIIIIIIICE.~

[MN.3] //: -PINGS OF APPROVAL-

<FMN-003>: > -AND THEN HE SANG THE NATIONAL ANTHEM BUT AS A PARODY and Sarge was sZZO MAD until he learned the context, at which point he provided szzome BACKGROUND PERCUSSION WITH BOMBSZZ~-

[MN.1] //: -........nope, he lost his straight face--

[MN.2] //: KYAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA--

[MN.3] //: -OH Y E S Z Z THAT IS GOOD--

<FMN-001>: > …Heh…

<FMN-001>: > -Slight sigh- I almost wish…

<FMN-001>: > …

<FMN-001>: > I’m not really sure where she might be, but…

<FMN-001>: >…Maybe your Aviator knows.

[MN.1] //: ....Maybe.

[MN.1] //: It'll be a while before he awakens, though...

[MN.3] //: Yeah...

<FMN-001>: >Mmm…

<FMN-001>: >Well, he’s probably the most likely person she would have talked to, other than this… Jack fellow…

<FMN-001>: >Unless she also talked with her sisters.

<FMN-006>: > I dunno, Bonfire—she plays her cards real close to her chest, since that’s usually the only way it works before you or Brand scold her.

Nico: …Avi WAS blocking the signals, though… maybe she complained about that.

<FMN-006>: > yyyyyyeah I could see her doing that

<FMN-006>: >Well… hey! Maybe with the feeds back up, she’ll turn up soon? :^D

<FMN-006>: >Or at least you could find that Jack guy—before he gets in over his head. Man, I wonder where he ended up…

<FMN-006>: >I mean—she only knows so many people—just a few rivals, some coworkers, the family, and 7037, man.

[MN.1] //: Jack--gah, he's certainly brave, yes, but...

[MN.2] //: Guy was a Civvie--and it's SO messed up out there, yo...

<FMN-001>: > Can he really handle himself? …I’d worry for whoever were against him, if not…

<FMN-001>: >She can be very unkind in Defensive mode, and that’s on a healthy day…

<FMN-006>: >By the way. Where is everyone else?

[MN.1] //: Beck's in repairs--Sanda's doing those--and Father and Dr. Cossack are both working on Avi and Tobias.

[MN.2] //: Call's, uh...ya know, doing her thing and data analysing...pretty sure she's still awake--then again, she doesn't sleep...

Nico: Who’s “Call”? ?__?

Nico: This is the second time you’ve mentioned her—

[MN.2] //: --CRAP--

<DCN-003>: >COUSIN I THINK SOMEONE IS CALLING YOU.

Nico: … -Narrows eyes- That’s not going to work a second—

<DCN-003>: > NO REALLY, ALNICO, SOMEONE IS TRYING TO REACH YOU IN THE LAB.

Nico: This had better be good… -Hovers off-

[.........]

[MN.2] //: -Why do we ALWAYS forget about the whole Call thing UUUUGH WE'RE SORRY--

<MC005>: > It’s alright, one of these days we’ll just have to sort that out…

<MC005>: > The Second Generation constructs appear to have dispersed… Nineteen is in Sleep mode, and Shadow is still Offline… -Sighs-

<MC005>: > He’ll likely stay that way until Brand has recovered again.

<FMN-001>: > Wait.

<FMN-001>: > You mean he’s still out there?! ALONE?!?

[MN.1] //: He hasn't been located yet, Avi was--

[MN.2] //: Mic and Bat are still sick too...

<FMN-004>: > Uh-oh. :E

<FMN-007>: > … -Dare… dare we ask if…-

<FMN-007>: > … -Nnnngh of course—of COURSE, because he can turn INVISIBLE, just like she can, augh-

<FMN-001>: > … -Well THAT explains why the “fun sized version of male!Shade” is also nowhere to be heard in this conversation-

<MC005>: > -Small sigh-

<FMN-001>: > …Well. I suppose for now, all we can ask is that you keep us updated.

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

=CHAPTER 5A: DESOLATE HIGHWAY=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

[SANDA LABS...

June 26th, 20XX]

[It had been hours since everyone had gone to bed. But the next bit of news… quickly changed that.]

[KSSSSST!]

[CALL] //: -VERY LOUD PING-

[CALL] //: Attention—

[MN.9] //: -JERKS AWAKE, SORRY, WHAT, WHAT IS IT--

[There’s the sound of someone falling all over a table or something, followed by others coming Online.]

<DWN-018>: > Geez! Are you okay, Gemini?

<DWN-019>: > -MUCH DISGRUNTLED TO BE STARTLED SO-

<DWN-012>: > Has something happened, or?

<DWN-018>: > Hang on, I’m gonna go make sure Siam didn’t hurt himself jumping into the ceiling…

<DWN-018 has left the channel.>

[MN.3] //: -Ouch...-

[MN.1] //: Call?

[Call doesn't answer back, but instead shifts the feed to a radio channel...?]

"—Highway Alpha 6 is under attack, I repeat, Highway Alpha 6 is under attack--Eyewitnesses have spotted a rouge robot destroying vehicles with no regard to innocent life—"

"We have reports that the rouge robot is armed with bladed weapons and is currently in the Four Corners area—"

<FMN-006>: > AHA!

<FMN-001>: > Avi no flying in the house— GET BACK HERE—

[MN.9] //: —!!!

[MN.1] //: Brandish—?!

[DR.WHITE] //: Highway Alpha 6—Call!

[CALL] //: Scanning...

<DWN-011>: > Welp. Gonna get complicated pretty quick, I bet. …Hope he doesn’t run into Cardinal.

<DWN-019>: > THAT would end poorly for both of them.

<DWN-013>: > What makes you think—?

<DWN-019>: > It’s not the statistical likelihood that’s bothersome… more the fact that Cardinal is known to have prepared to travel by highway—he took Shadow’s light cycle with him.

<DWN-019>: > And he won’t have any patience for anyone who tries to interfere…

<DWN-013>: > Well, I’d think we’d have more DEFINITE concerns to worry about.

<FMN-006>: > -Just let us scan the news feeds, please-

[MN.9] //: -Already suiting up and getting ready, listening over the feeds.-

[MN.1] //: -Gah, we have no immediate modes of transportation...- Beck, you're going to either need wheels or use Aviator's form to catch up to Brandish.

[MN.9] //: -...Lost all of my forms when I got reset, Avi's is the only option.-

<DWN-013>: > ... I'd offer my light cycle, but I think flying will be faster.

<DWN-019>: > -Scowls- If only Cardinal hadn't taken ITEM-2 as well...

<DWN-019>: > I don't understand WHY he did that, he has his OWN windsurfer...

[MN.9] //: ....

[MN.9] //: (Mic's form would have helped too, Brand's weak to it, but...)

[MN.9] //: What's Brand's status?

[DR.WHITE] //: Still the same as ever...Full Combat Mode, no restrictions...

[DR.WHITE] //: (But a highway...)

[DR.WHITE] //: (Brandish...what are you doing...?)

-PING!-

<FMN-006>: > Knew it.

[MN.9] //: Yeah? Got something?

[CALL] //: -Ping of inquiry-

<FMN-006>: > Yeah. Pretty sure it’s confirmation she’s on the move.

<DWN-013>: > …Out of curiosity… what makes you so certain?

<FMN-006>: > Food’s involved, Jayjay.

<DWN-013>: > -Please don’t call me that-

[MN.1] //: (...Even in her state—??)

<FMN-001 to MNN-001>: > -Well what else did you expect, really… this is SHADE we’re talking about here-

<DCN-007>: > …So you’re saying that now we have an assassin AND a sword master to worry about? At the same time?

<FMN-006>: > -Well you don’t need to put it like THAT…-

<DWN-012>: > No offense, but could she REALLY catch up to him? She’s not built for speed.

<FMN-007>: > … Do not underestimate the willpower of an angry woman.

[MN.3] //: -He'szzz got a point-

[MN.9] //: -...WELP, NOW THINGS ARE JUST BAD AND WORSE-

[CALL] //: ...MN.7's transponder signal is moving at extremely high speeds. I am also receiving reports that the remote controlled vehicles on site are behaving erratically on the next sections of Highway Alpha.

<FMN-009>: > I can help! I’ll handle my sister, you focus on your Seven!

[DR.WHITE] //: That's—

[MN.9] //: —the best thing I've heard all day, PLEASE.

<FMN-009>: > ^^;;7

[DR.WHITE] //: -But—-

[MN.9] //: -TWO OF ME IS BETTER THAN ONE, DAD.-

<DWN-019>: > Um. Won’t that cause problems if you’re seen…?

<FMN-006>: > I can handle that. Leave that to me.

<DCN-003>: > Perhaps oldest cousin will show up near Lady Shade, yes?

<MC005>: > …I must admit that IS a possibility, though not very likely…

<MC005>: > Regardless of who else may or may not be there, it would seem that you both have to start preparing, Number Nine.

<FMN-009>: > Yes sir.

[DR.WHITE] //: -...Kinda just gives up trying to argue because what is the poooooint--

[CALL] //: Xel Transfer will be delayed, as it is difficult to teleport upon a moving object....

[CALL] //: ...but not impossible.

[MN.9] //: -—Wait what-

<DWN-012>: > GOOD LUCK, DUDE 8’D

[MN.9] //: -I thought the cars were—I mean—oh man—-

[MN.3] //: -BZZZT, PLEASE BE CAREFUL, BECKY—-

[CALL] //: Dr. Sanda, I have calculated that it would be wise to cut off Brandish by teleporting Nine to a further section of the highway.

[DR.SANDA] //: Oof...just make sure that you get him on something big...

<FMN-006 to CALL>: > -Ping- Hey—I’ve heard you lend a hand sometimes by getting people out and about unseen?

[CALL to FMN.6] //: That would be correct, No. 6. It is illogical that certain measures of action are deemed too dangerous when the probability of success would be increased otherwise.

<FMN-006 to CALL>: > Well, I may get back to you on that…

[CALL to FMN.6] //: ...Acknowledged.

[DR.WHITE] //: We're going to have to time the cut off very close...

[CALL] //: Yes, Doctor. Preparing Xel Transfer.

[MN.9] //: (...Hang in there, Nii-San...)

[While Call calculated the coordinates, Beck does a final check of his various forms, going in numerical order until...]

[REXELECTION: AVIATOR]

<DWN-013>: > …

<DWN-013>: > wELL looks like you’re ready GOOD LUCK my friend

<DWN-013 has left the channel.>

[MN.9] //: .....-sigh-

[MN.9] //: ....

[MN.9] //: (...I...I never really got the hang of flying...)

[MN.9] //: (I sure hope some of Avi's experience got assimilated too...)

<MC005>: > … -Sighs- Don’t mind him. Are you ready?

[MN.9] //: Ready for the runwa—

[MN.9] //: ...!?

[MN.9] //: —I—I mean the HIGHway—

[MN.1] //: —???

<FMN-006>: > -THUMBS UP-

<FMN-009>: > Let’s just cruise on over—

<FMN-006>: > -APPROVAL PINGS FOR DAAAAAYS-

[MN.2] //: -YEAAAAAAAAH—-

[MN.1] //: -Just—confused, since when was—-

[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: -you can't stop either can you-

[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: -what is happening with uuuuussss-

<FMN-009 to MNN-009>: > -IT’S A THING WITH AVI’S FORM, OOPS- -This happened last time, too- -Normally I just don’t say as much so it took forever to notice-

<FMN-009 to MNN-009>: > -Makes him really high spirited, though—GAH, even thoughts, this is worse than I remembered-

<FMN-009>: > Need to hit the road and make tracks… -Has given up trying to make it stop-

[MN.9] //: -YEAH let's just jet before Brand—DANG IT- -CALL PLEASE HURRY UP-

<FMN-001>: > …?

<FMN-009>: > Looks like there’s a bit of a delay on this end—you go on ahead. Need a more precise location for Sis—lemme know if you see sign of her.

[CALL] //: ....

[CALL] //: Coordinates set.

[MN.9] //: Roger that— -Oh man this IS worse than last time-

[DR.WHITE] //: Please be very careful, Beck—!

[MN.9] //: Yeah, we will.

[CALL] //: Xel Transfer initiated.

[MN.9] //: {I'm coming to save you, big brother...!}

______________________

[MISSION DETAILS: MIGHTY NO. 7, BRANDISH, HAS BEEN SPOTTED ON THIS NEW MEXICO HIGHWAY, CAUSING RECKLESS DESTRUCTION AMONG THE MALFUNCTIONING AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES. FIGHTING MIGHTY NO. 8, COUNTERSHADE 'KATE' WHITE, IS ALSO MOVING TOWARDS THE OBJECTIVE.]

[MISSION OBJECTIVE: PURSUE AND RESCUE MN.7, PURGE ALL HARMFUL MALWARE FROM SYSTEMS.]

[SUB-OBJECTIVES: IF POSSIBLE, LOCATE FMN.8 AND RELAY TO FMN.9 FOR SYSTEM XEL PURGE, MINIMIZE RMDC IMPACT.]

SYSTEMS READY?

GO!

[As Beck fully materialized into the moving rig, the heavy wind and rainfall splattered across his armor and face, causing him to shiver slightly. Buildings with holographic adverts were nothing but blurs, the speed of the vehicles almost making him dizzy.]

Beck: (Fast—WAY too fast—!)

[By his internal instruments, the rig was going at LEAST 90 miles per hour—!]

Soi: Great Scott, Mother Nature is NOT kind today...!

Will: -Oh no no please don't slip, please--

-PING!-

<DWN-012>: > Easy guys, easy!

<DWN-012>: > Beck—try adjusting your visual processing speed. It’ll help a lot.

[MN.9] //: O-Okay...

[After fiddling around with some settings, he blinked, and visibly relaxed as his optics adjusted, the blurs now becoming readable and not as disorientating...]

Beck: (Oh, man, that's MUCH better...)

[MN.9] //: Thanks, Speedy!

<DWN-012>: > No problem. Glad to help. Now, remember—your vision speed is going to be faster, so adjust to how your vision and motor systems coordinate before jumping off into the air. Try it out—once you get used to moving while seeing at that speed, it’ll be easier to move around.

<DWN-012>: > Remember, you’re just SEEING faster, not necessarily moving faster.

[MN.9] //: -Got it, gonna try that out now--

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Warning--! Contact in--

[SHING!]

<DWN-012>: > -DATA—-

<DWN-012>: > -I KNOW THAT SOUND, THAT IS THE SOUND OF LETHAL BLADED WEAPONRY-

[Even with Beck's vision processing at higher speeds...--]

[He still couldn't identify what had split the falling raindrops just mere inches from his face.]

[Beck stumbled backwards, and the red Mighty Number seemingly falls from the sky, as if he had either teleported--]

[Or...]

Beck: Brand!

<DWN-012 to MNN-007>: > -PING PING PING PING PING PING PING PING PING—-

<DWN-012 to MNN-007>: > Brandish! You’re alive—!

<DWN-012 to MNN-009>: > Something’s off here, Beck—

<DWN-012 to MNN-009>: > When people with our power and speed move just short of hitting you in the face, we’re missing on PURPOSE!

<DWN-012 to MNN-009>: > trust me on this, I’ve DONE it before with my own brother…

Beck: --!!

[On...on purpose...?]

Beck: Brand...?

Brand: . . . .

Brand: N-Ngh...

[Brandish's arms shake ever so slightly as he stands firm across from Beck, a death grip on either of his blades. His eyes are shut tightly--]

Brand: ...O...Otouto...--

<DWN-012>: > …

Beck: --!!!

Beck: Nii-San--!!

<DWN-013>: > -SUDDENLY, ABRUPTLY- BRANDISH!

<DWN-013>: > Keep fighting it!

<DWN-012 to MNN-009>: > We… recognize this…!

<DWN-012 to MNN-009>: > Jaden… Jaden was this same way!

[DR.WHITE] //: BRANDISH--!!

[DR.SANDA] //: Seven--!

Brand: --!

Brand: {F...Father...Uncle...}

<DWN-012>: > Hang in there, Sev—

[PING PING PING!]

[MN.1] //: Brand--!!

[MN.2] //: -LITTLE BRO, YOU CAN DO IT--!

[MN.3] //: -BRAAAAND--!

<DCN-008>: > {Brandish, Shadow is here—he will want to see you. You have to keep resisting!}

Brand: Ngh--!!

[His head turns to one side, and for a moment he looks as if he is about to collapse at any given moment...]

Beck: Hang on, Nii-san, just sit still for a--

[SHING!]

Brand: NO!

<DWN-013>: > -Harsh warning data- Beck—to your aid, an unlikely friend, indeed…

<DWN-013>: > But it’s a constant struggle, fraught with pain, and there are limits…

<DWN-013>: > We might purposefully miss, but that doesn’t mean we won’t make a strike!

[He turns back, slashing in a wild angle so that Beck would stop in his tracks. His eyes snap open, and they are a deep, deep violet color.]

Brand: KEEP--KEEP AWAY--!

<DWN-013>: > -Oh, Brandish, we are INCREDIBLY empathetic and I, personally, am really feeling rather wretched in the cross-references this brings to me-

Beck: --!!

[It fades off, however, to his normal blue, and he recoils back, away from his brother.]

Brand: I'm warning you, Beck--

Brand: Stay AWAY--Ngh!

<DWN-013 to MNN-007>: > Brandish…!

<DWN-013 to MNN-007>: > -We understand-

<DWN-013 to MNN-007>: > Fight it. Fight it! You are stronger than I could ever have been. Do not let it take you without a fight to be told for years to come!

[Despite the pleas, he retreats, impressively jumping two cars ahead to another rig, and before long, he disappears into the rainy haze of the night.]

Beck: BRAND--WAIT--!

Beck: I'm going after him, Professor--!

[DR.WHITE] //: Affirmative, Beck--just be sure to mind your step traversing those vehicles. Keep in mind what Twelve has told you!

[MN.9] //: Got it!

<MC005>: > -Sighs- His control truly is incredible.

<MC005>: > Forgive the metaphor, but—

<MC005>: > Just because a horse rebels against the reigns does not mean the bridle isn’t there.

[MN.9] //: -Yeah...no kidding...-

<MC005>: > There is a directive—

<DWN-013>: > -Ping-

<DWN-013>: > When…

<DWN-013>: > …

<DWN-012>: > …

<DWN-012>: > -We are here, brother-

<DWN-013>: > …

<DWN-013>: > When…

[He seems to be struggling to keep it verbal, rather than abstract.]

<DWN-013>: > It… was easier to fight if. I could… take an option that would… trick it by seeming, possibly, to obey…

<DWN-013>: > We… he will… aim to miss, if he can, but it is easier to do that than to hold back entirely.

<DWN-013>: > But you must be quick if you corner him, Beck. Or…

<DWN-013>: > …

[He gave off data of pure dread and hopelessness, almost an intense kind of cold in quiet despair.]

<DWN-013>: > (In the end… his will overcame the program…)

[MN.9] //: .......

[MN.9] //: Where's he heading?

[CALL] //: Due southeast, towards Alpha 1. Proceed with caution.

[Beck nodded, and quickly dashed forward. It was a little dizzying given that he was seeing faster, and therefore made his Dash feel a bit strange--]

[But, after jumping over a few cars and trailers, he picked up the motions fairly quickly.]

Beck: (Think I got it...)

[....Strangely, all is...almost quiet, other than the sounds of rain and engines and his own feet against metal.]

[It was...kinda desolate--were there no people on this highway?]

Beck: (But these cars are automatic, either they should be stuck or...--)

Beck: (O...Or...)

[CALL] //: ...I am receiving distressed signals from Nine. Are you well?

[MN.9] //: -Just--had a really nasty thought, ngh--

<DCN-000>: > What’s that?

<DWN-011>: > “Distressed” means—

<DCN-000>: > No! I mean, why is the car squished.

<DWN-019>: > …What ARE you looking at?

<DCN-000>: > I saw it! It was squished.

<DWN-019>: > Well it’s not there now—

[MN.9] //: -Nope, nope, he gonna forget he ever thought that and just keep going--

<DWN-013>: > Uh… Beck?

[MN.9] // --?

<DWN-013>: > Are those signs supposed to be moving like that?

[BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEEEP!]

Beck: --WAAH!

[The Mighty Number was swarmed by a group of thin, floating display screens, which were switching different images of road signs and signals on their front and back. They rammed themselves into Beck, who raised up his arms in defense!]

Beck: SIGN BOTS--?!

Beck: -UGH, OW, STOP--!-

[REXELECTION: DYNATRON]

[BZZZZZZT!]

[Taking advantage of the wet weather, Beck shifted into his sister's form and let loose a strong electrical discharge, which fried the sign bots and their Xel Structures. They turned a deep blue, much to Beck's relief.]

<DWN-013>: > … Iiiiiii will take that as a “no."

[XEL STOCK 1 QUOTA REACHED.]

[MN.9] //: Ow, that hurt...

[MN.9] //: Please tell me those were the only sign bots on this highway---

[CALL] //: This is a major interstate. There are many Sanda sign bot models across th--

Beck: Dad DESIGNED those??

Soi: Eheh...n-no. I did...

<MC005>: > …I am utterly fascinated but I won’t go off on that tangent at the moment…

<MC005>: > Though I find it curious that they seem not to have tried to swarm Brandish. Either they can tell he is infected, or he was too fast for them, I suppose…?

<DCN-000>: > Look! See, there’s another one!

<DWN-019>: > What ARE you looking at, how can you see anything through this RAIN…

<MC005>: > I designed him to perform almost exclusively outdoors, Siam.

<DWN-019>: > … -Oh, right-

[Beck absentmindedly wondered what in the world Snow was talking about as he transverses the highway, switching back to default to shoot the sign bots before they swarmed him and dashed to collect their Xel.]

[He came upon another rig, which was--]

Beck: --!!

[--filled with strange, round, green robots?]

Beck: Whoa--!

[They rolled around the rig to and fro, dangerous spikes around their rims, and...]

[...They had the trademark eyesets and logo of none other than CherryDyn.]

<DCN-000>: > Uncle Will?

Will: ....??

<DCN-000>: > Why do they have a big power button on them?

<MC005 to DR.WHITE>: > Congratulations, you’ve been promoted. -Amused-

[DR.WHITE to MC005] //: --Mikhail please--

[MN.9] //: Dad--Dad, what ARE these?

Will: I...I have no idea--!

Soi: I've never seen this model before... What in the world--there are dozens of them...!

[MN.2] //: -WHO CARES, SHOOT IT, BRO.-

[MN.9] //: -Does it even take damage, I mean it has SPIKES so I don't wanna touch it--

[MN.2] //: -SHOOT IT OR I'LL HIT YOU.-

[MN.9] //: -OKAY OKAY JEEZ--

Mikhail: Sanda, I’m rather confused about something.

Soi: --? Yes?

Mikhail: Why would CherryDyn make something like that? I can’t think of an Industrial use for it, and it is rather impractical as a Combat construct, save perhaps as target practice…

Mikhail: Unless they’re capable of more than they appear…

Soi: Good...question...?

Soi: Strange...

Beck: (Weird--they don't even SEEM all that practical...?)

[Beck raised his arm cannon and took careful aim, and then fired a few shots at the strange CDNs...]

[WRRRRRRR!!]

Beck: --!?

[...They did NOT like that.]

[They didn't even FLINCH, though they did indeed take damage--]

Beck: --oh NO--

[They sped up--faster, and faster, causing Beck to jump erratically to avoid them--what's more, they didn't roll off the edge, but rather changed direction back towards Beck.]

Beck: --They're CHASING me??

<DWN-011>: > … -Welp. Run.-

<DWN-012>: > -SEE NOW, IF YOU HAD /MY/ FORM YOU COULD PROBABLY JUST RUN THIS WHOLE OBSTACLE COURSE INSTEAD OF ALL THE JUMPING, BUT- 8’D

<DCN-003>: > HMM MAYBE LEAVE NOW THEN YES GOOD

<DCN-007>: > Da, they don’t look like they’d be able to jump…

[MN.9] //: -YUP, WE'RE JUST GONNA DASH ON OUTTA HERE--

[There were several crates that could be climbed on near the end of this rig--Beck wasted no time shifting to Avi's form and hovering over to the top most one.]

[WRRRRR--!!]

[...The wheel-like CDNs did not like this either.]

Beck: --?!?

[They backed up, and gained enough momentum to hop the first crate--then the second--]

[MN.9] //: -UUUUUGH--

<DWN-012>: > ARE YOU KIDDING ME, THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE ARMS—

<DWN-013>: > -sNORTS-

Will: (What strange models--they're clearly CherryDyn, but something is... off... )

[Frustrated, Beck decides to just abandon the rig altogether, and favors for another moving vehicle--a car-- and gently sets down on it's roof.]

[The wheel models, of course, try to follow--]

[SCREEEEEECH!!]

Beck: GNH--!

[The car he was standing on lurched forward, picking up more speed—]

Beck: -WHOA BALANCE, WHERE ARE YOU—-

Will: BECK!

[With the car far too out of reach, the wheel models end up jumping right into the speeding asphalt, a horrid crunching sound following suit. ]

[Beck ends up falling backwards into the car--]

[Hard.]

[CRRRSHH--]

Soi: --??!

<DWN-019>: > …That. <DWN-019>: > Didn’t sound good.

[...The roof caved in, and Beck's backside met luxury leather.]

Beck: --Oof--!

[MN.3] //: --He'szz in the CAR??

Beck: Ow...

Beck: ....???

Beck: Huh...?

<MC005>: > …

[Mikhail had to quietly turn aside to maintain his composure. Despite—or perhaps because of—the serious situation, it was just too much, and the image of Beck in a luxury vehicle was rather ridiculous.]

Will: E...err...

Soi: -SILENTLY PANICKING BECAUSE BECK DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE-

Beck: Uuuuuh...

[...The inside seemed...nice.]

[...If it wasn't for the fact the displays and lights were all a sick purple, and no one was at the wheel.]

[There was a slight groan.]

<DWN-019>: > …?

<DWN-019>: > Beck? Are you alright?

Beck: Y-Yeah? For the most part--everything in here is all--a weird purple-- and the radio is--

“Ugh… what the glitchfrag hell—”

<DWN-019>: > ?!

Beck: --it's all static but I...--

Beck: --?!?

[And then, as if a vision of a (very disgruntled) goddess of old…]

[The cowgirl decloaked.]

Beck: --!!!

Beck: Kate--?!

Kate: Beck?

Kate: What in th’ nine hells are ya DOIN’ HERE of all places?!

Beck: .....

Beck: Enjoying a nice driiiiive--?

[She pushed him aside to take the driver’s seat, shifting into her civvies.]

Kate: We’re fraggin’ lucky this ain’t a stick-shift, ya runt of a twit… -grumble-

[--OW--]

[The car did not like this, and only sped up.]

[And then she growled and GLARED at it.]

[…it immediately changed its mind and obeyed.]

Beck: --!!

[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: ME--UH. I FOUND KATE--AND WE'RE KINDA IN A CAR--

<FMN-009 to MNN-009>: > YOU’RE WHAT

[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: THE ROOF FELL--

<FMN-009 to MNN-009>: > AAAAH SHE DRIVES WORSE THAN DYNA but better than Cryo, don’t tell her I said that

[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: SHE   W H A T--

[Oddly enough, Kate seemed to be handling the car just fine—especially considering she was simply using a left hand to steer and use the signals. She’d turned on the wipers and the brights, and was signaling to veer off the highway to another exit.]

Kate: You need to get out of here. It’s much too dangerous for you.

Beck: Uuuuh...

[Oh, now they had a problem--if he told Kate he was going after Brand too, she's definitely not gonna like that...]

Beck: But--what about you, I can't just LEAVE you here--!

Kate: Oh yes you can.

Kate: Cryin’ out loud, Becky—Ah’ thought you a’ ALL people ‘ld have a bit of FAITH in me…

[She growled again, though this time it was almost a wolflike snarl.]

Kate: Unlike SOME people.

Beck: --Wha--?

Beck: -Baaacks away as far as he could-

[...OK, that was freaky scary....]

<FMN-009>: > The best you’re going to get out of her is to stall her—just get her off at the nearest exit and sneak off when she’s distracted!

[MN.9] //: -Stall, stall...-

Beck: (Ngh...)

Beck: Kate--Sis, I DO, I swear, but--I don't want to see anyone get hurt over all this--!

Kate: Get hurt over what? -Clearly grouchy- Ain’t got a clue what yer talkin’ about.

[She had somehow woven her way seamlessly through the cars to pull off at the next exit—which thankfully was a rest stop and not more highway.]

Beck: THIS! -WAVES ARMS AROUND TO SIGNIFY THE SITUATION THEY ARE IN-

Beck: (Come on, think, think--!)

Beck: (I'm just making her angry, maybe...)

Kate: Then what are you doin’ out here? -Snorts- Of course yer gonna get hurt if you go out in a thunderstorm with a lightnin’ rod, Lil’ Nine! -Applying the brakes- I can secure the area for ya, but you’ll have t’ call Daddy on yer own. Ah’ ain’t comin’ back with ya. Not yet.

Beck: Ngh--!

Beck: (I'm not getting through to her--)

Beck: --!

Beck: (But maybe...maybe--!)

[She pulled the car to a stop and got out.]

Kate: Stay put, Nine.

[SLAM!]

Kate: Ah’ve got a job t’ do still, and ya don’t wanna be in mah way.

Beck: ......

Beck: -Pretends to pout and sit in the seat.-

Beck: .......

[MN.9 to MN.3] //: Psssst!

[MN.3 to MN.9] //: --!

[MN.9 to MN.3] //: Dyna--I need you to distract Kate--!

[MN.3 to MN.9] //: Wait, what--how?

[MN.9 to MN.3] //: Just--talk to her, maybe she doesn't know you're cured--or--I don't know, just stall!

[MN.3 to MN.9] //: OK OK, um--

[MN.3 to MN.9] //: Here goeszz nothing--

[PING!]

[Kate was already making her way back to the highway, but she raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement before pinging back in response.]

[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: ...Zzsiiisszz?

[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: --?? Woooow I hear a lot of background noiszze, what ISZZ that--? Zzsoundszz annoying--

Dyna: -Jeezz Beck I zsswear I'm gonna get you back for thiszz--

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > Oh, hai sis!

[She seemed perky, in a good mood.

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > Gonna have t’ pick Becky up from daycare. The noise is traffic.

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > Ah’ got a bit… heh… DERAILED.

[She sighs, pausing and looking to the sky thoughtfully. The purple glow of her eye faded for a moment.]

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > -Softly- … He woulda liked that, Ah’ think. …

[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: Iszz that right...?

[While Dyna conversed with Kate, Beck scooted out of the his seat and looked for a way out of the car--maybe he can climb out the hole in the roof? He'll have to be quick...]

[MN.9 to MN.3] //: Whatever you're doing, keep it up--

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > …He said some real mean thangs, Sis.

[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: --!!

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > N-nrrghh… It hurt so bad…!

[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: ....

[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: Izz that so... -BZZZZT, static-y angry sounding buzzes--

[Beck silently grabbed the edge of the hole and hoisted himself up, over and on the other side of the car so that he could hide behind it.]

Beck: (Gotta make a break for it...come on, sis...)

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > He said all ah’ was good for was bein’ a nightmare… that Ah’ was built that way…

[She was… clearly genuinely hurt over this.]

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > Ah’ don’t understan’, Sis.

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: >  He… he’d always stood up f… for me…!

[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: ....I--

[ACXELERATE DASH: MAX OUTPUT REACHED.]

[A blur of blue and white suddenly sped out from behind the car--!]

[Kate didn’t notice. Instead, she burst into an aura of violet flames.]

<FMN-008 to MNN-ALL>: > AAAAUUUGH—!

<FMN-008 to MNN-ALL>: > WAI DOES EVERYONE THINK AH’ CAN’T DO NOTHIN’ AN’ AH’M JUST GOOD FER LOOKS?!

<FMN-008 to MNN-ALL>: > AIN’T FAIR!

<FMN-008 to MNN-ALL>: > -Searing bitterness directed specifically at Pyro for all to feel-

[MN.1] //: --Nnngh--!

[There is the sound of someone collapsing over the feeds--]

[MN.2] //: BIG BRO--!

[MN.3] //: -sHRIEKS--

<FMN-008 has blocked MNN-ALL.>

[She vanished from sight and was gone.]

[Meanwhile…]

[MN.1] //: -w...we're fine--it's...argh--

Mikhail: Pyro! Are you sure you’re alright? -DAD MODE ENGAGED, it’s not normal for him to just collapse like that, never seen it before-

Will: -RUSHES OVER TO SON'S SIDE--

[MN.1] //: I...

[MN.1] //: -Shifts to abstract, we're just-- overwhelmed, it was all mostly directed to us...-

[MN.1] //: ....

[MN.1] //: I...she...

[MN.1] //: I didn't...but...

[MN.2] //: -FLAILS, LAY DOWN BRO, PLEAAAASE--

Mikhail: Easy… easy…

[There’s the patter of small feet. And suddenly, a Snowbab.]

[He was playing some music over broadcast.]

Snow: -Climbs on top of Pyro to clinghug, you can’t stop him-

Snow: -Softly- Mister Pyyyyroooo…

Snow: Let’s go make rice balls an’ such for when Mister Brandish an’ Miss Eight are rescued.

[The music certainly helps, and the Leader's breathing slowly evens out...he manages to sit up a bit, Cryo already on Pyro's shoulder while Snow clung to the other.]

Pyro: ....Mng...In a moment, Snow, let me catch my breath...

Pyro: .....

Pyro: (Kate...)

Will: --Soi--

Soi: -Already doing scans to make double sure Pyro's OK, we got you-

[MN.9] //: Pyro--you OK?

[MN.1] //: -Been worse, we'll be OK-

[MN.1] //: -Focus on your mission, we can handle things here.-

<DCN-000>: > An’ there will be food when you finish! : D

[MN.9] //: Roger that. Heading back into the Highway--

[Back at the Highway…]

[There was no sign of Kate.]

Mikhail: ... You're going to just have to go on regardless.

Beck: Figures...

[A quick Dash and a well timed jump, and Beck was back on another rig. The rain was finally letting up now, thankfully...]

[...But no sign of Brand...]

Beck: (He's probably WAY up ahead...)

Beck: (I gotta get moving before Brand gets too far--)

[CRUNCH!]

Beck: --?!?

[Beck whirled around to look behind him, and heard a loud crashing sound way off in the distance...]

Beck: (What was...?)

"AAAAAAAAAAA--"

Beck: --???

Beck: (That...sounds really familiar...)

[CALL] //: Attention--I have picked up another model's signal.

Soi: Huh?

[CALL] //: Verifying...

[Beck continued onward, once again shifting to Avi's form to fly over the larger gaps between the moving cars, and just narrowly avoiding another swarm of sign bots.]

Beck: Starting to really hate those things...

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Signal verified. The unit is Cherry Dynamics Number 7037.

Beck: 70--WAIT--

All: JACK?!

Mikhail: Dear heavens.

Speedy: Duuuuuuude he actually MADE it this far??

Siam: Well THAT Gemini: will certainly Siam: keep her attention Gemini: for a Siamini: while!

Beck: --But--! Jack could--!

[MN.1] //: --Ngh--Beck, if Jack made it all the way here on his own, then he can handle this. You need to keep moving!

<DCN-008>: > You must continue. For their safety.

<DCN-008>: > If she were to catch up to Brandish…

<DCN-008>: > If they get too close, it is not certain he would hold back: for she has been rude to him, and Jack was his opponent who delayed him in a time of crisis—and since the virus exacerbates all grievances…

[MN.9] //: Ngh...!

[He was right. He had to go save Brand...]

Beck: (Ooooh...please be careful, Jack...!)

[MN.9] //: --...Yes, sir...

[Forced to leave the CDN behind, Mighty Number Nine climbed another set of crates, blasting away at the flying models that cluttered the brightening overhead...]

[CALL] //: Warning--I am receiving reports of Seven destroying several vehicles in the road ahead. Incoming debris is a certainty.

Beck: --He's...?!

Soi: There's a tunnel coming up ahead too--it may affect visibility, so be careful!

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

Will: ...? What is?

[CALL] //: By my calculations, he is aiming for another exit to Highway Beta. This route leads to no major cities, while Highway Alpha does.

[CALL] //: It is illogical that the virus would not lead him to where he would cause the most destruction...

Will: ....

Will: Unless...

<DWN-013>: > -Sadly- To your aid, an unlikely friend…

Beck: ....

[CALL] //: There is a chance that Seven will overshoot the exit and proceed onward. I suggest you stop him before that moment, Nine.

[MN.9] //: Got it...

<DWN-012>: > Wait a minute. What were you saying a second ago about a tunnel—

[CRRRSHHH!!]

Beck: WHA--

[Was that the front half of a car FLYING TOWARDS HIM--]

[MN.1] //: MOVE, BECK!

[He didn't need to be told twice. His feet seemed to move on their own as soon as he spotted the debris, and using the rig itself as a springboard, LEAPED over to the opposite lane!]

Beck: -WHHOOOAAA--!

[THUD!]

[...Unfortunately, he crashed right into the side of a van--but his hands found perchance on the rails above it!]

Beck: -AAAAH FACE, my FACE really hurts, and I think--I think I broke my nose--

[...He felt something sticky and wet trailing down his lips-- oh he was bleeding Xel-- ]

Will: -Oh--oh dear is that--??!?

Soi: -and we feel faint now, gotta take a seat--

[MN.2] //: -BEEEECK, ARE YOU OK--?!

[MN.9] //: -No but that's OK--we can use a Xel stock, we'll be fine--

[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 2...]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[The pain subsided, and he was fully invigorated once more, hanging onto the side of the van for dear life. With a grunt of effort, Beck planted both feet on the door--]

[--and pushed, launching him up and backwards in a flip that ended up landing him perfectly on the roof!]

Will: --!

Beck: --Oh--

Beck: -oH HEY LOOK THAT WORKED!-

<DWN-019>: > … WAIT A MINUTE

<DWN-019>: > Are you saying you weren’t sure it would?!

Beck: Have YOU ever been on a highway with crazy cars and had to jump across lanes and do backflips and stuff?! -WE'RE TRYING OUR BEST HERE-

<DWN-019>: > …

<DWN-012>: > …

<DWN-012>: > :’D;;; uh

<DWN-012>: > we plead the fifth on this one thanks

<MC005>: > I think he was just confused as to why you would try something you didn’t know would work.

Beck: .....

Beck: Oh. Well...uuuuh.

[MN.2] //: -BECK'S BEEN DOIN' CRAZY STUFF SINCE FOREVER AGO, AND IT'S STARTING TO CONCERN US-

Beck: .... ^.^;;;

<MC005>: > You what? ?__?

[CALL] //: Warning--multiple incoming robots heading for your location.

[MN.9] //: -nOT AGAIN--

[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE]

Beck: Stop SWARMING me--!

[A blast of icy wind dealt with the sign bots quickly--but they fell as their systems shut down, shattering into a million pieces before Beck could absorb their Xel.]

Beck: ...Oops.

Beck: (O...Kay, not doing THAT again...)

<MC005>: > …What was that about the stunts, again—

Beck: --Uh--

Will: --!! DUCK!

[MN.1] //: --?

Beck: --Wait I don't see a duuUUUUOH--

[NOW ENTERING HIGHWAY ALPHA 1.]

[...That was what the large overhead sign said as Beck ducked at the last possible second, narrowly avoiding giving himself another broken nose--and possibly worse.]

Beck: (Oh man that was close--!)

[There is a strong fuzzing noise of static.

It’s not coming from nearby, but rather over the feeds.]

Beck: !

[MN.3] //: --Wha--that'szz not me--

<FMN-006>: > OOOO—

<FMN-006>: > -OW, CAR RIGHT TO THE FACE-

<FMN-006>: > -Well not LITERALLY her face but man that had to have hurt-

<FMN-009>: > Aaaaaa I’M GOING AS FAST AS I CAN BUT THERE ARE CRAZY SIGNS EVERYWHEEEEEEEEERE—

[MN.9] //: What's--!?

[MN.1] //: -PING PING, IS SHE ALRIGHT--

Will: --Just--extremely so very worried with so many of his--and not his but his children AAACK--

<FMN-006>: > Her camo’s gone—

<FMN-009>: > -WHICH MAKES IT A LOT EASIER TO CATCH UP TO HER, DAD—-

<FMN-006>: > …She’s standing on her own, now—

<FMN-006>: > SHEEEE’ll be fine, Beckaronidoni, GO ON AHEAD :’^D

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > -UH. SHE’S KINDA GETTING AGITATED, IT SEEMS, STANDBY FOR DEVELOPMENT-

[MN.1] //: . . . .

Beck: -Whew, OK...-

[CALL] //: Contact with tunnel entrance in three...two...one...

Speedy: -OH GEEZ, DUCK, MAN!-

[THUD--!]

[Beck just dropped down to lay on the roof and held his head down--]

[--and saw the world turn much, much darker, illuminated only by pale, yellow lights that lined the walls--the emergency lights.]

[Beck lowered his visor for Night Vision before he deemed it safe to raise his head again.]

Beck: --In the tunnel--! It's...pretty dark but I got my Night Vision--

<DWN-011>: > Welp. Just keep an eye for the exit, too.

[Nine pinged back in confirmation, readying himself briefly before jumping to another car, and another. The traffic was more condensed here, so it was easier to jump from one vehicle to another.]

Beck: Lots of rigs here...

[With LOTS of malfunctioning robots...]

Beck: (No other way—I'm gonna have to fight through them!)

[....It wasn't long before the malfunctioning robots spotted him, and moved to converge on his position.]

[Beck narrowed his eyes at them, and—]

[REXELECTION: PYROGEN]

[—FILLED his fists with fire, and CHARGED at the CDNs in his path!]

Beck: Haaaaaah—!

[MN.1] //: .... -We taught him that, you know—- -HEH, THAT'S HIS BROTHER-

[MN.2] //: -Yeah well DUH-

[BAM—!]

[A few of the robots are knocked off the rig, while others either blow up or are absorbed on contact with his Dash, giving him some Absorption Boosts--and refilling his previously used Xel Stock.]

[XEL STOCK 1 QUOTA REACHED.]

[MN.3] //: —He'zzz really mowing those thingszz down, huh...?

[MN.2] //: -IT'S GLORIOUS, GO BECK GO-

Beck: —NNGH—!

[One by one, the robots are broken and beaten down before him, their components being drawn into his being as both Xel and Fire danced to his will, a strong green glow casting from his optics.]

Will: (....!)

Beck: Get out of the WAY—!

Beck: (Gotta—get to Nii-San—!)

[SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—!]

Beck: -cOVERS EARS, O W—!-

Will: What in the world was—?!

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > -NOOOOOOBODY PANIC, UH— -

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: -SIX, I DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT IS—-

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > SHE'S KINDA, UM

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > TIED UP AT THE MOMENT—

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: -NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR PUNS, AVIATOR—-

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > NO BRO

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > I MEAN IT FOR REAL

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: —!

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > -also, we pun when stressed, you know this, aaaaand thIS IS KINDA STRESSFUL TO WATCH-

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > Get Nine moving, this isn't something he should see!

[MN.9] //: Guys—?!

[MN.1] //: Keep GOING, Beck! NOW!

[MN.9] //: But what was—?!

[MN.1] //: N O W!

<FMN-006 to FMN-009>: > Hurry uuuup

[While Beck made a worried break for it, Goose suddenly gave off a blip of surprise and concern.]

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > Uh-oh—

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > oh geez, she took out one of my cameras— I've lost visual—

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > -But not audio, at least-

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: —Augh, of all the times—!

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: What about Jack? Is he injured? Did you see before you lost the visual?

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > ... Have you ever needed to wrestle your Shade? Or just lug him around in general? Tony's not exactly a heavyweight-- aaaand don't tell her I said that or she'll shoot my propellers off 8'D;;

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > Noooot so much injured as out of his league in trying to reign in a bucking bronco-- though he's doing REAL well, all things considered— …

[... But then he falls uncharacteristically silent.]

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: .....? Avi—?

[MN.9] //: --Eeep--Cars, more car debris, DODGE DODGE DODGE--

[More silence.]

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > …

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > . . .

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: -OK we have never EVER heard you be this quiet for this long, please say SOMETHING—-

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > -Swallows- She's not gonna be happy when she wakes up from this...

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > ... And hears what she's saying.

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: —.....

[MN.1] //: . . . . .

[MN.2] //: ...Bro?

[MN.1] //: .......

[MN.1] //: ...Beck?

[MN.9] //: —KINDA BUSY—! -SOUNDS OF METAL CRUNCHING-

[MN.1] //: ...Ngh...

[MN.1] //: (Curse this wretched virus—!)

[MN.9] //: How long until the tunnel exit?!

[CALL] //: Contact in 4 minutes, Nine.

<DWN-019>: > Wait. Where are Jack and FMN-008?

<FMN-006>: > Working on getting the visual back up, guys— lost sight of them, that may be a moment—

<DWN-019>: > … You are an aerial ‘bot, how could you lose sight of them—

<FMN-006>: > She spotted one of my cams and wasn’t too happy about it, okay? D: Charlieeee… why do you always have to go after Charlie, Siiiiiis…

[MN.3] //: (...Charlie??)

[CALL] //: Contact in 3 minutes.

Beck: Whoa—!

[REXELECTION: AVIATOR]

[More strange wheel bots had materialized--and learning from the previous encounter, Beck chose to avoid them altogether and and hovered just out of their reach.]

<DWN-011>: > Wouldn’t stay in that form too long.

<DCN-000>: > Why?

<DWN-011>: > Exit. Too tall.

[MN.9] //: OK, just let me find a place t—

[...A pause.]

[MN.9] //: .....Uh.

<MC005>: > …What is it, Beck?

[MN.9] //: UH, GUYS...

[BEEEP BEEEP BEEEEEEEP!]

[MN.1] //: -...oh no-

[MN.3] //: -HOW MANY OF THOSE THINGS A R E THERE??-

[MN.9] //: A LOT—!

<DCN-000>: > Can you slow ‘em down by freezing them? o:

[A swarm of sign bots—much MUCH bigger than anything he's seen so far.]

[MN.9] //: There's WAY too many, I don't think I can get them all—!

[MN.1] //: If you can't slow them down, can you disperse them?

[MN.9] //: Uuuuh...

[MN.9] //: I can tryyyy??

<DCN-000>: > Yaaay, Beckyyy~

-PING!-

<DCP-001>: > You can do it, Beck! ^.^

Beck: —!

Beck: ...Linka--!!

<DCP-001>: > You can do it! Beck is hero~

[...Nine's optics seemed to flare a touch brighter the moment he heard Kalinka's voice.]

[After landing on a car, Beck took careful aim at the mass of sign bots ahead, the propeller that replaced his hand spinning faster, and faster—!]

[—ZING!]

[The propeller unlatched and whizzed through the air vertically, splitting the large group of sign bots in half—!]

Beck: —Hah—!

[And he didn't stop there—a moment later and another propeller was launched, and another, and another—]

[CALL] //: Contact in 2 minutes.

[It took almost exhausting all of this form's energy—but he managed to completely disperse the swarm, quickly shifting back to default to shoot at the ones that lingered.]

[REXELECTION: AVIATOR//RECHARGING...]

[DR.WHITE] //: You're almost there, Beck—!

[MN.9] //: —! I see the exit! (It's really bright—...is it dawn already--?)

[CALL] //: Contact in 1 minute.

[Disengaging his Night Vision, Beck lowered his body as the car he stood on sped towards the light ahead...]

[CALL] //: Contact in 30 seconds.

[There was a sudden PING of alarm.]

<DWN-019>: > WAIT WAIT WAIT—

<DWN-019>: > PISCES WHAT WERE YOU SAYING ABOUT “TOO TALL”—

[MN.9] //: -What, but we're fine—-

[CALL] //: Contact in 3—2—1—

[The world was thrown back into light, and the first reddish sunbeams of daylight filled the sky over a brown desert, rock formations scattering their shadows against the hot sands of New Mexico.]

[There was a loud sound that echoed down the tunnel, bouncing off the walls.]

WHANG!

WHANG!

[Beck only had a second to stare in awe of the beautiful scenery when he heard the sound of something crashing against metal. He turned around back towards the tunnel in confusion.]

Beck: —?? What was that?!

<DWN-012>: > -Whine noise- x.≤;;; The sound of something running into a wall really, really fast…

[MN.1] //: (Something tall...)

[MN.1] //: .....!!!!

[MN.1] //: No—!

<FMN-006>: >  … … … -We can’t do anything now until they come out on the other side, bro-

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: —I know that and it's—Ngh!

[MN.2] //: SIS--!

[MN.3] //: -BZZZZZZZZZZT!!- -Stressful and worried static across the feeds-

[MN.9] //: What--did something happen to Kate and Jack--?!

[CALL] //: -LOUD PING-

[CALL] //: Warning: Erratic movement detected in several nearby remote-controlled vehicles.

<FMN-006>: > Listen, Beckaroo!

<FMN-006>: > The best thing you can do is to save the day by rescuing Sevvie, ‘kay? </punning while stressed again> Trust me on that. You can do it!

<FMN-006>: > This is a teamwork sort of rig— I mean, gig—

<FMN-006>: > So just do your part and Pup will do his and it’ll all work out, a’ight? ;D ;;;;

[MN.9] //: —...

[MN.9] //: —I read you, Avi...

[...He just couldn't help it—there were so many people he cared about on this dangerous highway, and he worried about everyone.]

[But at least they were there to remind him what he needed to do.]

<FMN-006>: > Oooof course you do! : D Because the alphabet starts with “A” for “Avi!” ^^

<FMN-006>: > Now go get ‘em, Champ!

[MN.9] //: —R...Right!

[Another large rig backed up, allowing Beck to jump across and head out further into the highway.]

[CALL] //: Warning—I am detecting a buildup of erratic signals near your location.

<MC005>: > …? What does that indicate?

[CALL] //: Analyzing...

[MN.9] //: —...? Huh?

[DR.WHITE] //: Beck—?

[MN.9] //: The cars are...?

[The smaller vehicles were weaving around in seemingly random patterns, honking and trying to get in front of one another...]

Beck: It...kinda looks like they're freaking out...?

Beck: But why would--

[SHING!]

[There was a blur of--of a dark, violet blue flame—

And one of the cars was CLEAVED in half.]

<DWN-012>: > !!!

<DWN-012>: > oh gosh is this where the car halves were coming from?

[MN.2] //: HOLY--!

Beck: --!!!

[Moments later...]

[A red armored figure landed on the other lane, slamming a blade down on the car on which he landed.]

Beck: Brand--!

[MN.1] //: Brandish--!

[Brand's breathing sounded labored, wrenching his blade out of the car and staring across the lane at his little brother.]

Brand: Gnh...!

<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: > … We may have a problem…!

<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: > If that really was CND-7037 and FMN-008 hitting the tunnel that made that noise—

<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: > They might not be conscious enough to evade if Brand goes after the car or rig they’re on top of!

[MN.1 to FMN.6 and 9] //: You two had better hurry when they get out of that tunnel--!

<FMN-009>: > YES SIR—!

Brand: I...I told you...

Beck: Brandish--!

[Before Beck could say anything more, however--]

[A surge of dark, violet flames burst from Seven's body, across his arms and blades, and he raised his head to scream-- ]

Brand: I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY!

<DWN-013>: > Yes, you did. But he won’t.

Beck: HANG ON, NII-SAN--!

[Brandish let out a cry of anguish, leaping towards another car as Beck chased after him from his own lane--]

[SHING--!]

[Another car was sliced, and it's parts were swept across the road--Beck was forced to jump from car to car to avoid both his brother's wild attacks and the results of his reluctant rampage.]

[SHING--!]

Beck: {Big brother, please--}

[SHING--!]

Beck: {--you have to--}

[SHING--!]

Beck: {--FIGHT THIS--!}

<DWN-013 to MNN-009>: > …He is, Beck. … -Augh, it is so hard, and so painful- He’s trying as hard as he can. But you’ll need to make the final moves to overcome what’s in place.

[Brand paused, breathing heavily.]

Brand: Why did it have to be you—

Beck: —?

Beck: N-nii-san, I’m here to—

Brand: WHY. DID IT HAVE. TO BE YOU?!

Beck: Wh-what do you mean?

[The sword master gripped his blades, shaking… in anger.]

Brand: Is Cardinal still out there with his damn martyr complex, then? Abandoning his family, abandoning US in a time like this?

[To say Beck was surprised would be an understatement. He sputtered, trying to draw closer.]

Beck: Wha—how did you know—!?

[Brand suddenly flamed up, screaming in rage.]

Brand: I SAW HIM, BECK! I REMEMBER EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED THAT DAY, AND EVER SINCE!

Beck: !!!

Brand: -Distorted- Self-centered coward… always… always running away…!

[SHING—!]

[He took out his rage on another vehicle, forcing Beck to jump again.]

Brand: Never taking responsibility for ANYTHING he does! He wouldn’t help you then, he won’t help you now— instead he’s off GOD KNOWS WHERE larking about his on own, petty whims…

Brand: Irresponsible… SELFISH little… dishonorable COWARD…

Brand: Turning his back on responsibility, leaving it all to you…

Brand: I’ll tear him to pieces for this…!

Beck: !!! Nii-san, DON’T—! He just wants to help—!

[Brandish's answer to that was another slash in his direction, but easily avoidable. As Nine leaps over to a larger rig, the Xel-ninja speeds on by a set of trucks--]

[...But doesn't reappear once they pass.]

Beck: No--!

Beck: (Where is he, where is he--)

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

[DR.WHITE] //: (I can't help but wonder...Brand's fine control over his art allows him to achieve a greater focus than any of the others...)

[DR.WHITE] //: (But he's not like Beck in the sense that...)

[DR.WHITE] //: (....)

[DR.WHITE] //: (Brandish...son...)

[Beep!]

Beck: ....?

[The rig was larger than the others--and it was carrying many other cars on it's trailers. Once Beck climbed over the roof, and to the floor below, he was greeted by none other than Sunny the Patch Bot.]

[DR.SANDA] //: --? Will--Did YOU send Sunny down there?

[DR.WHITE] //: No--?

Sunny: ^.^

[CALL] //: -Ping of admittance, we had concluded Beck needed medical assistance once Brandish was spotted again-

<DWN-019>: > -Ping of approval-

[Sunny chirped pleasantly as Beck patted their head, unloading it's cargo and preparing to fly off...]

Beck: Wait, Sunny--!

Sunny: ?

[MN.9] //: Call--Xel Transfer him back to the lab right now, please.

[...He didn't want to add Sunny to the things Brand already cut up so far...]

[CALL] //: Acknowledged.

<DWN-013>: > Good luck, Beck. And remember…

<DWN-013>: > …

<DWN-013>: > (“In the end… his will overcame the program…”)

<DWN-013>: > Remember what I told you.

Beck: ......

Beck: Yeah...

[Sunny was teleported off, leaving Beck to venture forward on his own. There were less and less cars on the lanes, he noted...]

Beck: ....!

[At one end of the trailer, there were more cars, stacked one on top of the other.]

Beck: (They're not moving...so they must have been turned off when the virus hit...?)

[DR.WHITE] //: Any sign of Brand?

[MN.9] //: Not--

"HAAAAAAAAAAH--!!"

[SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING--]

[B O O M!]

[Without any warning, the cars were sliced--and they all exploded, knocking back the smaller Mighty Number off his feet and rolling across the trailer floor--!]

Beck: Gah--!

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

<MC005 to DR.WHITE>: > Careful, Will! With Brandish as his opponent… Beck will need all the concentration he can muster!

[Black smoke choked his throat, and he coughed, his vision straining to see the familiar figure that had appeared through it.]

[The smoke cleared, the rising sun over the now desolate highway....]

Beck: -COUGH-

Beck: B--...Brand...

[Screams of surprise and alarm in the far distance.]

<FMN-009 to MNN-009>: > Got them! I’m closing in!

[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: --... -PING-

[Brandish fell into a offensive stance, yet he was trying to draw AWAY from his brother at the same time, so it looked as if he was just a tense coil...]

Brand: Beck--!

[Beck gathered to his feet. Brand wasn't running anymore, but it sure LOOKED like he wanted to.]

Beck: Brand...

Brand: GNH--!

Brand: GNAAAAAAAAAAAAH--!!

[The dark flames enshrouded, engulfed, and for a moment, Brandish was not there—lost in the virus's grip—and then—!]

Brand?: WHY--?!

Beck: --!

[That voice--it was completely different, twisted, and demonic--it was not his own--]

Beck: (Is that...the virus...?)

Brand?: WHY, BECK--?!

Beck: ?!?!?

[--It said his NAME.]

Brand?: WHY WON'T YOU. GIVE. UP?!?!

[.........]

Beck: A...Ah--

[Those--those words--]

Beck: (W...What...)

[It was clear that Beck was completely unnerved, and found that he could not move at all. He stared, fixated, horrified and in disbelief all at once--]

<RMDC>: > -PING!-

<RMDC>: > UPDATE COMPLETED.

<RMDC>: > REBOOTING AI_DWN_024…

Beck: --!!

<MC005>: > What?

Brand?: RAAAAAAAAAAH--!!

[An unnatural groan of pain, and the flames die down to their original height, causing Brand to fall to a knee.]

Brand: Ngn...

Brand: S...Shadow....?

<DWN-019>: > What’s going on?!

<MC005>: > How could he—?

<DWN-024>: > -LOADING…-

<DWN-024>: > -Loading…-

<DWN-024>: > -Loading…-

[There was a broadcast… memory, almost—like looking across the Milky Way at endless streams of stars, clearer and more magnificent than any telescope could ever capture.]

[And then a feeling like some ancient thing that had long been asleep was about to stir…]

<DCN-007>: > -Much more presence than usual- {The student hears the voice of his master, no longer lost, but found again… and he will waken.}

<DCN-008>: > {You have been long missed and longed for, Brandish Atomo White.}

<DCN-008>: > {You don’t need to keep running from your family any longer. They think no less of you for what has happened. Do not fear their judgement—for they do not carry it!}

<DCN-007>: > Remember what you told us.

——————————

<DLN-000>: > But living life as a Wilybot… it’s always in the back of your mind—

<DLN-000>: > What if… what if something, what if /next/ time—there’s ALWAYS a next time—what if it really makes us… what if we become monsters?

[MN. 7] //: Then I will do everything in my power to save you WITHOUT taking your life.

<DLN-000>: > Sometimes people don’t get a choice.

<DLN-000>: > Rock didn’t get a choice.

[MN.7] //: There is always a choice.

——————————

<DCN-007>: > {THERE IS /ALWAYS/ A CHOICE!}

<DCN-008>: > {Even if the only choice is to resist.}

<DCN-007>: > {What do you think we did, Brandish? When we were enslaved like this?}

<DCN-007>: > {MAKE YOUR CHOICE! CHOOSE TO FIGHT IT!}

Brand: {I--!}

[The Mighty ninja recoiled once more, groaning again, the virus within him refusing to let go, to ensure that it completes its purpose using him as its host.]

Brand: --N...ngh...

Brand: T...here is...a...ch-choice...

Brand: B...Beck...

Beck: It's gonna be OK--!

Beck: I'm here to help--I've come to SAVE you, Brand--!

[Beck carefully tries to approach, but--]

Brand: N--No closer--!

Brand: O-One more step--and my blades will have their way with you--!

[His head jerked to one side, as if he didn't mean to say what he just said.]

Brand: It...it...

Brand: It...doesn't--KNOW--!

Beck: --what?

Brand: It....it CAN'T know--

Beck: Brand--what--tell me what's happening--! What are you--

Brand: I can't--control myself--! It--

Brand: It doesn't--know--what--

Brand: It--will not--STOP--until everything--is GONE--!

<MC005>: > …!!!

Brand: It—will—stop at NOTHING—

Brand: It—will use—WHATEVER MEANS—!

[DR.SANDA] // : Saints preserve us...

Brand: It will use ME—until I BREAK—!

Beck: —!?

Brand: If—if you want...to SAVE me...!

[SCANNING...]

[SCAN COMPLETE.]

[E N C O U N T E R.]

[MODEL: MIGHTY NO. 7. CODENAME: BRANDISH.]

[HEIGHT: 167cm WEIGHT: 187kg XEL COUNT: 37,400,000]

Brand: YOU MUST DESTROY ME!

[This phrase was dramatically emphasized by a sudden flash of lightning in the distance out of nowhere.]

Beck: —!!

Beck: NO—!

Beck: I don't want to do this—I don't want to hurt you anymore than I have to—!

Brand: RARGH!

[Beck's rebuttal fell on deaf ears—Brandish could no longer hold back. He lunged—!]

[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE.]

[Beck leaped backwards, switching his form into something he thought would slow Brandish down at least a little—]

Brand: Predictable!

[SHING!]

[...The wall of ice that was between them was cut to pieces.]

Beck: Gnh—!

[REXELECTION: PYROGEN.]

Brand: Always so VERY predicable...

Beck: Burning—gACK—!

[Beck was hit with a flying kick, sending him tumbling over to the ground—]

Brand: You—you expect to kill ME with such PREDICTABLE skills—?!

[A blast of disapproval across the feeds, directed RIGHT at Brandish.]

<DCN-000>: > N O.

<MC005>: > …!

<MC005 to MNN-001>: > I thought you were keeping him busy in the kitchen—!

[MN.1] //: -Snow—argh, tiny bots are always hard to keep track of—-

<DCN-000>: > N O, NO, /NO!/

<DCN-000>: > Beck isn’t like the monster—

[You could actually hear his budding arctic tantrum—the winds were howling with ice in their voice!]

<DCN-000>: > BECK /SAVES/ THE DAY!

Brand: —ngh—!

[He falters at the sound of Snow's voice...]

Brand: I—I can't—control—

Brand: AAARGH!

[There was an incredibly intense blast of disapproval, but this time, it… didn’t seem to be specifically directed at… Brandish…?!?]

<DCN-000>: > YOU!

<DCN-000 to ???>: > You meanie.

<DCN-000 to ???>: > You’re trying to make more like the blue monster.

<DCN-000 to ???>: > YOU TRIED TO MAKE /US/ LIKE THAT MONSTER!!!

<DCN-000 to ???>: > -SCREEEE, SHRIEKS OF RUSSIAN WINTER-

<DCN-000 to ???>: > MONSTERS NEVER WIN!

[At the sounds of the howling winds of icy fury—]

Brand?: -UNHOLY DEMONIC SCREEEEEEEEEEECH OF RAGE-

[This tantrum was abruptly cut short.]

<MC005 has sent DCN-000 Offline.>

[Apparently Mikhail had taken the matter into his own hands to prevent Snow from hurting Pyro with his abilities, as the little ice ‘bot used them recklessly when throwing a tantrum.]

[MN.1] //: Snow—!

[…Uh-oh.]

<DWN-011 has entered Alert Combat mode.>

<DWN-012 has entered Alert Combat mode.>

<DWN-013 has entered Alert Combat mode.>

<DWN-018 has entered Alert Combat mode.>

<DWN-019 has entered Alert Combat mode.>

<DCN-003 has entered Alert Combat mode.>

<DCN-007 has entered Alert Combat mode.>

<DCN-008 has entered Alert Combat mode.>

[MN.3] //: -Ooooh, that's not good-

Beck: BRAAAAAAND—!

Brand: RAAAGH—!

[Brandish flourished his blades in parallel position, arms stretched out wide to either side—!]

Beck: —!!

[Seven spun around on the spot, becoming a spinning blur of DEATH that soon sped towards Nine—!]

Beck: —aaAAAH—!

[Recognizing this move and what it can do, Beck had one option—]

[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]

[Take to the sky.]

Brand: Ngh—!!

[Beck sighed in relief as he watched Brand simply glare at him after he came to a stop. Brandish could jump fairly high, but as long as he—]

[SHING!]

Beck: WHA—?!

[Brandish...threw his own sword at him?]

[Beck had to bank harshly to the right, the blade narrowly missing his side. He stared in confusion for a split second—

A pale cloth of what appeared to be the 'bandages' that decorated the hilt was now stretched out, and seemed to retract back to Brandish, returning the weapon to his hand.]

Brand: You cannot stay up there forever—!

[There seemed to be a buzz for a moment.

And then, suddenly…]

<DWN-024>: > -Loading…-

[SHING!]

[SHING—!]

[There was a far-off flash of green that lit up the dawn sky.]

[MN.1] //: —!!

[MN.3] //: —Waszz that—?

[Beck landed quickly, and shifted his form again—]

[...to default?]

Beck: (Brand has a counter to everything I got—)

Beck: (He keeps saying I'm predictable—)

Beck: (So--I gotta come up with something he WON'T expect—!)

Beck: (...I am so glad the others won't see this...)

[MN.9] //: DR. COSSACK—!

[MN.9] //: I'm sorry—but I have to ask you to—!

<MC005>: > …

[There was a pause.]

<MC005 has sent DWN-011 Offline.> <MC005 has sent DWN-012 Offline.> <MC005 has sent DWN-013 Offline.> <MC005 has sent DWN-018 Offline.> <MC005 has sent DWN-019 Offline.> <MC005 has sent DCN-003 Offline.> <MC005 has sent DCN-007 Offline.> <MC005 has sent DCN-008 Offline.>

<MC005 to MNN-009>: > {Do what you have to… but understand that you may not be able to keep this secret all the way through.}

[MN.9 to MC005] //: ...I understand.

Beck: (Sorry about that, guys...)

[REXELECTION: DYNATRON]

[MN.3] //: —?!? BECK—WHAT ARE YOU DOING—?!

Beck: TRUST ME, SIS—!

[Brandish seemed unfazed, but leaped into a front flip, using his blades to hack at anything that dared to come close--

Beck sparked in panic and threw large, glowing purple bits up in a make shift shield--they didn't hold up to Brand's swords, but it did give Beck enough time to roll out of the way, summoning more bits to his side.]

[There was a clattering sound as Mikhail hastily left the room he was in to make his way to the emergency bay.]

Brand: Fool...!

[He lands, and once again charges for another slashing attack, unrelenting in his efforts to cut Beck down to nothing but Xel.]

[Beck's bits are wildly thrown this way and that while he avoids and dodges and--]

[MN.3] //: --!!

Brand: Must slice--must DICE--!

-PING!-

<RMDC>: > PROCESSING NEW DATA…

<RMDC>: > UPDATING SERVER…

<RMDC>: > UPDATE COMPLETE. STATUS UPDATE: FMN-008.

<RMDC>: > XEL PURGE COMPLETE. ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM FMN-008.

[MN.1] //: --!!

[MN.2] //: -ALRIGHT, MIRROR BRO!-

Brand: --n-ngh--?

<RMDC>: >ALERT!

<RMDC>: > SIGNAL ERROR: FMN-008 NOT FOUND

<RMDC>: > SCANS INDICATE FMN-008 HAS SUSTAINED SYSTEM-WIDE CRITICAL HARDWARE DAMAGE. DATA SOURCE: FMN-009

Brand: K...Kate--?!

[Brandish...stops.]

Brand: Ack--N...No...!

Beck: --Sorry, Brand--!!

[BZZZZZZT--!]

[The whole floor was suddenly electrified, the bits that had been thrown earlier sending strong currents across the metal flooring--!]

Brand: --gNAAAAAH--!

[He was covered in a purple glow--!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[The bits dissipated into loose Xel as Brand twitched and jerked, the currents wreaking havoc on his systems...]

Brand: Nnnggh...

Beck: {I'm sorry--!}

-Ping.-

<AI_DWN_024 SYSTEM UPDATE COMPLETE. REBOOTING…>

Brand: Gnh--

Brand: Y--Yes....

Beck: --!

Brand: You...you are...

Brand: Going to...break me down...right into Xels...

Beck: No--! That's not what I'm--!

<RMDC>: > ERROR: EMOTIONS.EXE ERROR DETECTED. DWN-024 REBOOT FAILED. RETRYING…

<FMN-009>: > -PING!-

<FMN-009>: > UM

<FMN-009>: > UHHH

<FMN-009>: > GUYS THERE’S A PROBLEM

[DR.SANDA] //: -Oh dear Asimov why now--

[MN.1] //: What is it?

<FMN-009>: > -HOW AM I GOING TO GET THEM OFF, HELP—-

<FMN-009>: > -EVEN IF I COULD LIFT SIS IN AVI’S FORM (WHICH I /CAN’T/, SHE’S TOO HEAVY—) I ONLY HAVE ONE ARM IN THAT FORM, WE CAN’T LEAVE JACK BEHIND—!-

<FMN-009>: > THEY BOTH HIT THEIR HEADS REALLY HARD AND AREN’T GIVING OFF SIGNALS I THINK THEY BROKE THEIR TRANSCEIVERS AAAAAAAAAA—

[MN.1] //: Calm DOWN, Nine--! We'll think of something--!

<FMN-009>: > BUT SHE HIT HER HEAD REALLY HARD, LIKE YOU SAID AFTER THE INCIDENT THERE’S XEL EVERYWHERE SOMEBODY HELP—

[MN.1] //: Beck--!

[BZZZZZZT--]

[DR.WHITE] //: -GAH THERE'S NO WAY TO GET THEM OUT OF THE HIGHWAY AND--

<MC005>: > -PING!-

<MC005>: > Has anyone seen Aviator??

[ALL] //: --????

[MN.3] //: He should zzstill be--

[MN.2] //: Uuuuh...

[MN.2] //: Are my four eyes seeing things right or am I seeing double--?

<MC005>: > {What??}

[P I N G!]

[MN.6] //: Diiiiiiid someone call for...

[MN.6] //: ...air support?~ ; D

[MN. ALL] //: AVI!

<FMN-006>: > You know what they say, Avi!

<FMN-006>: > Two heads are better than one!~ ; D

<FMN-006>: > It helps to have friends in… HIGH places~

[MN.6] //: You said it, Avi!

[MN.6] //: And they're only just a--CALL AWAY. ; D

[MN.1] //: --oH--

<FMN-006>: > Breaking news!

<FMN-006>: > Two handsome airplane rescuers stop highway chase from ending in tragedy, while everyone’s faaaaavorite underdog SAVES THE DAY— -Background flying noises-

[MN.9] //: AVI!~

[MN.6] //: Heeeeey, T-Becks, love to chat and catch up but I got a car-jack to get to and you got a bro to save!

[MN.6] //: You're doing great--so don't give up now!

[MN.9] //: Roger that, Avi!

<FMN-006 to MNN-007>: > EYYYY, LUCKY SEVEN THERE— I know you can hear me.

[MN.7 to FMN.6] // -low growls in response-

<FMN-006 to MNN-007>: > Enough of that doom and gloom nonsense, lil’ bro—

<FMN-006 to MNN-007>: > She’s pretty banged up and is gonna want you to help out again.

Brand: --!

<FMN-006 to MNN-007>: > -She needs you, so—if I hear more of this despair stuff I’m going to hang you up a flagpole by your fancy Japanese silk robes, snap out of it-

Brand: K...Kate--

<FMN-006>: > -Cheerfully- See you guys soooon!~ Avi, over and out!

[MN.9] //: Good luck, guys--!

[MN.6] //: You too, little Champ!

Brand: Nngh--!

[He convulsed, and the virus tightened it's reigns—but still, he was suppressing his urge to attack--!]

Brand: I...ngh--!

[BLAM!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[Beck did not let the opening go to waste.]

[BLAM!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

Brand: NNNAGH!!

[The ninja suddenly screamed into sunrise, his blades raised in front of him--]

[--clicking into place as he brought them together--]

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

[PING!]

<DWN-024 is now Online.>

<DWN-024>: > -Very, VERY disoriented data- … Sensei…?

Brand: M--MOVE, BECK--!!

Brand: M-my body--my BLADES--They have a will all of their own--!

Brand: RAAGH--!

Beck: Brand--wait--!

[SHING--!]

Beck: aCK--!

[He backed off, but--pain, across his shoulder--]

<DWN-024>: > —!

<DWN-024 has entered Non-Lethal Combat mode.>

[Uh-oh.]

[SHING SHING SHING SHINGSHINGSHING--]

[Other shoulder--leg--]

[There was a whistling noise.]

THUNK.

Ssssss…

[A shuriken was sinking into the rig by Brandish’s left foot, hissing as acid ate away at the metal.]

Brand: --?!

[Beck stumbled, and fell in shock--Xel beginning to bleed from the gashes his brother had inflicted--thankfully not deep enough to sever anything immediately important, but OW--]

[Shadow seemed to melt out of his namesake, rising like some sort of ghost. His eyes were glowing a solid green.]

<MC005>: > I thought the Meadow teleporters were Offline!

<FMN-001>: > THEY ARE! He just—! MELTED into the darkness!

[He flicked his wrists, and two more shuriken appeared.

This time, he aimed for Brand’s hands.]

[Brandish did not linger--he avoided the projectiles altogether by flipping backwards, his eyes switching from his own blue to a monstrous purple...]

Beck: Sh--Shadow--!

Brand: You...

[Shadow did not respond at all. He was silent.

And relentless—melting suddenly into the shadows again, vanishing from sight.

Only to reappear—]

[SKLRRT!]

[APPARENTLY UNDERNEATH THE RIG AT BRAND’S FEET AND STABBING UPWARDS—]

Beck: --!!!

[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]

Brand: Gnh--!

[He jumped, but the acid beneath splattered and hit bits and parts of his leg armor, eating away at the paint and the trade-mark '7' that adorned it.]

[It wasn't long before the acid was slowly eating away at the armor itself, though at a slow pace. Brandish HOWLED in pain--!]

Brand: INSOLENCE--!

[SHING--!]

[The slice cut through the rig like butter, and there were some very troubling noises from whatever piping he had cut into.]

[There was a clattering sound, as if something had fallen down.]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

Beck: SHADOW--?!

[Silence.]

Beck: SHADOW--?!?

Brand: Nggggh....

[Brand’s shadow… rippled.]

Beck: --?!?

[Brandish didn't seem to notice, now turning his blade back to Beck--]

Brand: You--...

Brand: .....

[Until he sensed another presence--]

[Shadow sprang up out of Brand’s cast shade, grabbing him by the scarf and yanking HARD.

At the same time, he slammed his foot against Brand’s ankle, where the leg armor had been eaten away.]

Brand: --Hrk--

Brand: -UNHOLY SCREECH OF PAIN-

[Shadow let go of the scarf, but he wasn’t quite done—that much was clear, as he had another shuriken in his hand a second later.

His expression was void, and he didn’t seem moved by mercy whatsoever.]

[SKLR!]

[Brand stabbed behind him, impaling Shadow on his sword. Shadow’s eyes flashed red in pain.]

Beck: SHADOW—!!!

[Before he could move, Brand had already turned and cleaved the shuriken in half, the acid hissing and eating away at the sword. Enraged at his precious sword being so distorted, the speeding ninja had sliced away at his pupil, who fell onto his back under the assault.

Brand staggered, recoiling in inner agony as he stopped short of diving both swords down into the exposed core.]

[Beck was glad he couldn’t see what was going on very well, but he couldn’t let it continue.]

[BZZZZZT!]

[Brand turned to focus his attention on Beck, his blades tainted with oil stains. Shadow himself seemed to fade away, but Beck wasn’t given time to think it over.]

[SHING—!]

[Beck narrowly avoided a cleaving blow—]

[SHING—!]

[And then another—]

[SHING—]

[But Shadow sprang up from the darkness, shuriken-first, slamming right into Brand’s shoulder.]

Brand: AAAUUUUUURRRRGH!

[Just as his master had been moments earlier, Shadow continued a swift and merciless series of slicing attacks, tearing Brand’s armor into shreds as acid started eating away at the wounds. It was clear, now, that all the damage from earlier had healed, fully regenerated.

He whirled around behind Brand and kicked him down, stepping onto his back and bringing out more shuriken. He planted his feet firmly on Brand’s wrists, and raised his hands to attack—]

((Pic—Shadow v Brand))

Beck: SHADOW, STOP--!

[However…]

<DWN-024 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

[The green glow subsided, and his irises and pupils slowly came back into view—though his irises were still glowing the same shade of green.

He jumped off and slid further back, bracing himself against the driving cabin.]

Beck: --!!

[Brandish winced in sheer pain, but his head turned to GLARE at Shadow with violet orbs of rage, unlocking his blades to separate and--]

[BLAM!]

Beck: NO YOU DON'T--!

[Shadow crouched down, bringing out some sort of… strange but familiar item…]

Beck: --Ah--!

[His visor goes down--]

[And darkness covers… everything.]

Brand: --!?!?

Beck: (I--STILL CAN'T SEE, WHAT--?!)

[It is no ordinary darkness—not as if night had fallen—but as if light had ceased to exist at all.

It was as if it had smothered out everything else in the world, creating a void of NOTHING.]

[There was a firm grip around Beck, suddenly—]

Beck: --!

[In reaction to the darkness, Brand wildly slashes to where he last saw Shadow, and prepares to spin in place with his blades--]

Beck: Wha--!

[And then a tap on the side of his visor.]

<DWN-024 to MNN-009>: > -Data, brace yourselves-

Beck: --!

[Beck instantly tucks his head in, and tenses up in brace for whatever Shadow was talking about, his Xel Filter going online automatically--]

[The darkness lifted as suddenly and completely as it had come.

Beck was now standing in a different position than before, one with more favorable ground. Shadow was right beside him.]

Brand: --Aah--!

[Blinded by the sudden light from the sun, Brandish hissed and whirled around--where are they--?!]

Beck: (How did...?)

Brand: RRRNGH--!

Beck: (--Never mind--Brand's open--!)

[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]

[Shadow side stepped and jumped up to be on the hood of the rig’s driving cabin, and thus out of the way.]

[ZING--!]

[The propeller whacked Brand SQUARE on the back--]

Brand: NGH--!

[Beck backed into a running start and LEAPED--!]

Beck: Haaaaah!

[ACXELARATE DASH: MAX OUTPUT REACHED.]

[CLANK--!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[There was the sound of something cracking--]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

Brand: B--BECK--!!

[XEL ABSORBED.]

Beck: FIGHT IT, BRAND--!

Beck: I'LL SAVE YOU--

[XEL QUOTA REACHED.]

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

Beck: --I PROMISE--!

[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]

[........]

"Again."

[THWACK!]

"Again!"

[THWACK!]

"--You're still holding back, Otouto."

"...Ngh..."

"I can tell when something is troubling you, you know."

"...."

"It is better to clear you mind than let it rage like a rushing current. There is no proper flow then. Only chaos."

"....."

"What is wrong, brother?"

"I...Brand?"

"Yes?"

"...Am I ever gonna get back on the team? I'm...not, aren't I?"

"....."

"I...I try--and I try--but I'm...I'm still SCARED, and I...I'm not getting any better--I do these practices over and OVER, but--!"

"...Seed."

"--? Wha?"

"You are a SEED, Beck."

"--....uh...?"

"You have yet to realize what you can accomplish with your abilities, and have yet to explore it. Like a seed planted on this earth, you need time."

"...Time...?"

"Time to GROW."

"You will need time, and guidance, and yes, much practice. You will need plant yourself firm once you discover your own way. You will need patience, focus...and above all--"

"--love?"

"...Yes. Love. Very good."

"I...heh..."

"...I can see it, Beck. Your potential. It is vast, and it is endless. You will become greater than the sum of all of us..."

"R...Really...?"

Brand: ......

Brand: --mn--?

"Yes. Of course you will."

Brand: B...Beck...

"You're a Mighty Number."

[....]

[XEL PURGE COMPLETE.]

[As the last of the green glow died off, cleansing away all of the sickly violet curse, Brand found himself staring into a blue, cloudless sky...]

[...As well as his brother...]

[ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MN.7]

Beck: Brand--? Brand--?!

Brand: . . .

Brand: I....

[A hand weakly reached out to rest on his shoulder.]

Brand: I...thank...you...

[MN.7 IS NOW IN SLEEP MODE.]

Beck: Nii-San--!

[There is the sound of something collapsing across the feeds.]

[DR.SANDA] //: --Will?!

[MN.3] //: --Daddy??

[MN.2] //: -GONNA GO GET OUR LIMP NOODLE DAD SOME PILLOWS AND MAKE AN ICE PACK-

Beck: Ooooh--!

[Beck winced as some of the cars ahead all BLARED their horns at once, as if they were angered at his victory...]

Beck: Shadow--I could use a hand with Brand--!

[At first, Shadow was nowhere to be seen.

Then, it became clear he was standing at the very back of the rig. …He seemed to be in some sort of defensive stance.]

Shadow:  . . .

[He was not so tense as to be frozen in place, but he seemed just one slight move away from a sudden and dangerous strike from the ENORMOUS shuriken in his hands.]

Beck: .....

Beck: How are you carrying that huge thing--?

[No response.]

Beck: Um--? Shadow? We're-- kinda still on a crazy speeding highway...

Beck: I can't carry Brand all by myself...please...?

[Shadow looked up.

His eyes were still bright green— he hadn’t left Defensive mode.]

Beck: --!

Beck: Sh...Shadow...?

[Beck collected himself up against his brother, eyes widening in slight surprise and fear--]

Beck: Ah--

Beck: G--Guys--!

[MN.1] //: Shadow! STAND DOWN--!

[DR.SANDA] //: Oh, dear--Mikhail--! -HELP-

[Shadow took another step back, holding the shuriken out like a shield by gripping at an edge of the opening in the center. He was at the very back of the rig now, and it was a wonder he hadn’t fallen off.]

[A soft ping.]

<MC005>: > -Quietly- {He’s afraid.}

<MC005>: > {He’s in Defensive mode because he is afraid of what is going to happen to him.}

<MC005>: > {He is… attempting to protect himself.}

<MC005 to MNN-ALL>: > {Keep in mind he’s been asleep since the beginning.}

<MC005 to MNN-ALL>: > {All he knows is that he has acted aggressively and against the wishes of his superiors, having injured his teacher—who then was overpowered by one with a Universal Adapter and then sent, for all he knows, Offline.}

<MC005 to MNN-ALL>: > {Additionally…}

<MC005 to MNN-ALL>: > {All the other AI&A signals from the server are Offline as well.}

<MC005 to MNN-ALL>: > {What do you THINK he has concluded?}

[MN.1] //: --!!

[MN.3] //: -oh no--

[MN.2] //: --BECKY--SNAP OUT OF IT--!

Beck: .......

Beck: Sh...Shadow--

Beck: --P-Please--we--we gotta out of here--and get Brand help--

Beck: Please--I just SAVED him, I--!

[HOOOOOOOOONK--!]

[Shadow seemed to be struggling, very hard, but he remained silent.

Finally, he reached into his scarf with his other hand…]

[And in a flash, tossed something that clattered at Beck’s feet.]

Beck: --!! It's--!

[HOOOOOOOOOOONK--!!]

[The loud horn came from a huge eighteen wheeler--on a dead-set collision course with the rig they had battled on--!]

[HOOOOOOOOOOONK--!]

Beck: !!!

[Shadow made a sudden dashing leap, bounding up to the top to the rig, and then—]

<DWN-024 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>

[His energy readings spiked, and there was a whine that stuttered.]

[He hurled the massive shuriken at the road ahead, causing part of the road to get sliced away and the metal star to spin and clatter across the road. At the same time, he crouched down, and—

The whole rig began to sink into the shadows, falling—]

[Beck snatched the Amulet, held on to it and his brother tightly...]

[And screamed.]

Beck: AAAAAAAAAAAAAA--!

[The world around them was darkness, like before—except softer, somehow, like the haziness of dreams.

And then back into the sunlight in the desert, emerging from some cast shadows off-road—into the dust and sand.

Shadow swung down and grabbed at the side of the access panel to the fuel tank.]

[SKLORT!]

[He cut it open so that said fuel began rapidly draining away into the sand.]

[When the rig finally settled, that was when Beck stopped screaming.]

[He was hyperventilating, blinking weld up tears away as he held onto Brand's limp arm with a death grip, still processing what the heck just happened.]

Beck: (Highway--dark--sand--bright--what--)

<DWN-024 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

[Shadow lept down from the rig and into the sand.]

[And then he made a run for it, summoning, of all things—a giant frog to ride.]

Beck: . . . . .

[MN.9] //: -Did--did I hit my head too--guys--what happened---

[MN.1] //: . . . .

<MC005>: > …

[A long pause.]

<MC005>: > …That… is a very good question.

[DR.SANDA] //: . . . . . Er...

Mikhail: (I’ve NEVER seen him use most of those techniques before.)

<MC005>: > I think it would be best to bring the two of you back to the lab, now…

[CALL] //: Preparing Xel Transfer...

[MN.9] //: -- W-Wait--Kate, Jack--

<MC005>: > They’re waiting here already, Beck.

[MN.9] //: -sigh-

[MN.9] //: Good...

[MN.9] //: Thanks, guys...

<MC005>: > Just try to rest. Things will be alright.

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

[SANDA LABS...]

[Mikhail sat back into his chair with a large sigh at last, groaning and putting his face in his hands.]

Mikhail: {What a mess…}

[He had tried to talk with Shadow to get him to calm down, but Shadow had turned his transceiver off, much like Cardinal had. He didn’t wish to risk trying to teleport him off despite that, since the ninja was at the edge of the vehicle and clearly poised to jump off or lash out at the first sign of something that startled him.

And now he had run off. Again.

The Russian Doctor had a fairly good idea where the wayward DWN would ultimately end up, so he didn’t find it urgent to initiate a chase.

…Besides, that would only make things worse.

No, he was more concerned about the psychological impact this would have on Beck (and Brand) in the long term.]

Mikhail: ({At least… as long as he keeps his transceiver off, he won’t upload his fear to the RMDC. Small blessings, I suppose…})

[The rescued Mighty Numbers all clamored and gathered around the injured pair, Pyrogen helping his unconscious brother to the emergency bay, with the rest smothering Nine with worried chatter and tight, loving hugs.]

[White was still passed out on his chair, a pillow propped up against his head and a white blanket over his form, a soothing ice pack lovingly crafted and placed on his forehead.]

Beck: . . . .

[Beck did not say a word, although he did return the hugs.]

Soi: Hoooo...

Soi: (These things just get worse, huh...)

Soi: (...But at least everyone's...sort of alright.)

Soi: (Goodness, Will, you REALLY can't just fall over like that..)

Soi: I--b-better get to repairs on Brand...Call, could you watch Will?

Call: Yes, Doctor.

Mikhail: …

Call: I will also watch over Dr. Cossack, as I am also detecting unhealthy stress levels.

Soi: Er...right...you...do that...

Mikhail: Mnnn…

[He waited until after Sanda left before he turned to type at the console.]

<MC005 to CALL>: > I am admittedly concerned for Number Nine’s well being.

[CALL] //: .....

<MC005 to CALL>: > He has been very withdrawn as of late, and has taken to secluding himself for long blocks of time.

<MC005 to CALL>: > He seems to be concerned what the others will think of him, and enforces the secrecy out of a kind of desperation—and I don’t think that what happened today will help matters.

[ANALYZING...]

[CALL to MC005] //: What do you propose, Doctor?

Mikhail: -Leans against a hand, seeming tired-

<MC005 to CALL>: > I’ll need a little time to think on that. He needs someone to talk to, that much is certain.

<MC005 to CALL>: > I’d like to talk to him myself, just to try and understand the situation better, so I can figure out how to calm down anyone connected to the RMDC server.

[CALL to MC005] //:  ......

[CALL to MC005] //: Acknowledged.

[CALL to MC005] //: I suggest you also rest, Doctor.

[He was thoughtful for a moment.]

Mikhail: …Is there a piano anywhere around here, I wonder…?

[CALL to MC005] //: ...Beck plays.

[CALL to MC005] //: There is a keyboard in his room.

Mikhail: Ah, thank you. …But I suppose you’re right. Rest, for now. ({I’ll play the song later.})

Mikhail: Shadowman will be heading toward Texas. There are three possibilities: either he will continue travel within this world, end up in the Wilderness, or make it to our own world’s Texas. He should make contact once he figures out his brothers are alright and are still alive.

Mikhail: Make sure to keep an eye on Wily Eight’s isolation.

[CALL] //: Understood, Dr. Cossack.

[With that, the Russian reluctantly relocated somewhere that was conducive to sleep.]

[MEANWHILE, AT CHERRYDYNAMICS...]

[...The sound of a phone ringing.]

[Click.]

"Mmm. Oh yes, yes, Senator. Our FULL resources our dedicated to resolving--"

[A pause. Some calm chatter from the other side.]

"...Mm. Yes, yes--Oh--yes, very wise of you. I'll speak with--yes, that too--Oh, no, thank YOU, sir. Hmm. Alright. Stay safe."

[SLAM.]

[A tall, lanky, blond haired man in a sharp, purple business suit slammed the landline phone down—HARD—on the receiver, nearly breaking the thing in his fit of rage. Violet eyes furrowed in both frustration and fury.]

Graham: IDIOT!

Graham: Argh, that aggravating MORON--!

Graham: Fine--FINE! If you want to be that way, friend, then you can go throw yourself to the bots-- see if I care.

Graham: I don't NEED you...

[He began pacing around his office, grumbling angrily under his breath...]

Graham: Why are they hounding ME about the problem, and not torturing BLACKWELL to get the answer?!

Graham: This is TWICE--

Graham: TWICE that old goat and his WRETCHED FAMILY have made me--MADE US--LOOK LIKE A FOOL--!

Graham: RrrrrAAAGH--!

Graham: Rrrgh...

Graham: You--You and that TOY of yours...

Graham: And HIM.

Graham: I should have just taken HER later when I had the chance--!

Graham: But you just had to INTERFERE, didn't you...

[...There are several files on his desk...]

[All stamped as confidential.]

[DEMONSTRATING INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY IN THE BATTLE COLOSSEUM.]

[PROJECT TRINITY--CDN.1201]

[CANCELLED.]

[--REASON: STAFF COMPLICATIONS AND RESULTS OF CDN.1101.]

Graham: ......

Graham: At least I still HAVE her...

Graham: That's the one saving grace you didn't TAKE from me...

Graham: Rnnngh...

Graham: I hope you BURN in hell for what you've done, wherever you are...!

[Riiiiing...]

Graham: Uuugh...

[With a harsh sigh, Gregory picked up the receiver, and cleared his throat. His tone turned pleasant and cheerful.]

Graham: CherryDynamics, CEO Gregory Graham speaking--oh, OH! A pleasure to hear from YOU, sir, yes! My goodness, I was starting to fear the worst--! Are you and your wife and children--?

Graham: That's wonderful--yes, of course, but I have--oh, no, there's no need--I have to stay here, you know...

[Pause.]

Graham: ....No. There's no one--no, I'm not MARRIED, you silly--

[Another pause.]

Graham: I said there is NO one, sir.

Graham: ...Just me.

Graham: --Oh no, of course. Thank you for your concern, though.

Graham: I really do appreciate it...

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

=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…

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

=CHAPTER 8A: TRAPPED BY LASER LIGHT=

~AO v1.0~

((Courtesy of @unluckyadept, @limitbreakers))

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

{ ((Setting here, will look up exact date and time later)) }

[Breakfast that morning started out as such an exciting and encouraging affair.

The house was full again—full of noise, that is, and commotion.

Pyrogen had been forced to go out early to buy groceries, as Seismic had cleared out everything from both fridges and all the pantries once he was well enough to slightly move. Considering he hadn’t eaten in days, that wasn’t really a surprise.]

[In addition to the sticky glory and sugar that was syrup, there was plenty else to give one reason to bounce off the walls…

…not that the syrup wasn’t enough a reason on it’s own, of course…]

Beck: -IT'S MINE.-

Avi: -BECK COME ON YOU CAN'T JUST HOG THE SYRUP BOTTLE LIKE THAT, BRO-

Beck: -RUNS-

Beck: -SUGAAAAAR-

Avi: WE GOT A RUNNER--

[Cryo suddenly springs forth from her own personal freezer in an effort to stop him--]

Cryo: HAND OVER THE SYRUP BOTTLE BRO--

[...Only to find that Beck had vaulted over her to skid around towards the kitchen exit.]

Cryo: HEY NO FAIR--

Beck: -THE SYRUP IS MINE, NO ONE CAN HAVE IT-

[Avi hovers after him, camera drone floating beside him.]

[MN.6] //: -PING- -WE GOT A RUNNER, FOUR FOOT NINE, BLUE NEBULA SHIRT, WE ARE IN HOT PURSUIT, SUBJECT IS HYPER AND VERY STICKY--

Pyro: AVI, NO FLYING IN THE HOUSE--

Brand: ........

Brand: -It's too early for this--

<DWN-024>: > -Snorts- Is your breakfast always this chaotic, Sensei?

Shadow: -I can hear you all ON AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FLOOR, how even-

[MN.7] //: I'd say 'you have no idea' but then again....

[MN.5] //: -PRIVATE WHAT IN TARNATION ARE YOU DOING--

[MN.4] //: -Whoops, Beck's on a sugar rush, better stay out of the way-

Dyna: I'M NOT CATCHING HIM, HE'LL RUIN MY CLOTHES--

Pyro: -SIGH-

Pyro: -Just USE YOUR BITS, DYNATRON-

Dyna: -But he'll get those sticky toooooo--

Pyro: They're ALREADY STICKY--

[It was at this point that Will came in with a cup of stronger coffee than usual...]

Will: -Yaaawns-

Will: Mmmn....Good morning.

Pyro: Ah--Good morning, Father.

Avi: -FLIES BY THE DOOR- Morning, Daddo! Sorry, gotta fly-- -ZOOMS OFF, UH, WE LOST HIM, BROS--

Will: ?

Pyro: Beck won't share the syrup bottle.

Will: Ah...

Will: Well, that's expected. He's making up for the energy spent this whole week, though...Sugar isn't quite the answer...

Will: ...Oh well. -Sips-

<DWN-024>: >Good morning, Doctor.

<DWN-024>: >How are you this morning?

Will: ! Ah--Good morning, Shadow.

Will: I'm a little worn down, but--that is what coffee is for, eh? ^^

Will: Soi's getting the lab ready for the day, I believe. I heard that Mikhail and Siam have good news to share.

Pyro: !

<DWN-024>: > …

<DWN-024>: > If that is what I hope it to be… -Vaguely eager, because how do emotions work- We must let them know you are awake, as they will want to share at once.

Will: Oh, of course! Ah, just--let me locate Nine first, there's a bit of a situation, it seems. I'm sure he'll want to hear this too...

<DWN-024>: > -Muffled anticipation-

[After Beck was found hiding in the closet of his room with the syrup bottle--now empty--he agreed to come down to hear what Mikhail and Siam had to say.]

Avi: -Toting him around on his shoulders- Lil' bro acquired! ^^

Beck: -w-

Beck: -Syruuuup-

[By this point, the Cossacks were on the line. They appeared to be having breakfast, themselves.

Digger laughed at the spectacle, giving a slight “fist” pump.]

Digger: Haha!~ How is you say, “brother GET!”? You are lucky is not gingerbread man!

[Skull looked over at Keltso. They seemed to share a private joke, because Keltso snorted into his drink.]

Mikhail: It’s good to see you all like this again. Heaven knows it’s been missed.

[The doctor looked tired, but content. He gave a pleasant smile.]

Mikhail: I do indeed have some excellent news to share. Something that’s been long overdue.

Cryo: OOOOOO~

Avi: -THIS SHOULD BE GOOD-

Beck: -Wipes syrup off of his mouth- So what is it, Dr. Cossack?

Mikhail: Well, you know what my overreaching project has been since before we met one another, da?

Digger: Repairing little brothers? :^DDD

Mikhail: Among others, yes.

Mikhail: I must thank you all for your help along the way. Beck, your molds have proven invaluable.

Beck: (^.^)7

Beck: It's no problem, Doctor!

Mikhail: It’s taken quite a lot of searching, but I do believe we have found a suitable answer. It honestly was hard to believe at first, the specs are quite—

WHACK!

Beck: --???

Avi: --The heck was that?

[Out of nowhere, there was an incredible racket coming from the direction of the windows.

It almost sounded like something was trying to break in.]

Cryo: --Yo, It's coming from the window--

Pyro: ???

[Pyro goes over to look at what is causing all the racket--]

Pyro: What is going on out--

Pyro: !!!!!

[...And IMMEDIATELY unlatches the window lock.]

Avi: Uh...Bro? What are you--

[Something feathered and shrieking dashed into the kitchen. It flew right into the toppings and condiments on the table, knocking over drinks and getting grimy feathers into breakfasts.

This bird had certainly seen better days. It looked like it had flown through a pretty hard-affected area—sooty, muddy, and overall filthy.]

Mikhail: -Stands, utterly confused- Pyro, why—

[The poor thing didn’t even stop a moment to rest, but continued screaming.]

???: SCREE, SCREE!

Pyro: Doctor--

Pyro: That's BARON!

Beck: !!!!

Cryo: -Squints-

Cryo: -...DUDE HE'S RIGHT IT'S CARDINAL'S BIRD FORM--

Mikhail: What?!

[Baron was in hysterics, kicking up his wings as he took alight again, hovering in people’s faces.]

Beck: Baron! Calm down! -ACKPFFT FEATHERS IN MOUTH-

Avi: -DUDE YOU'RE GONNA RUN INTO SOMETHING--

Baron: -SCREE, SCREEEE—- -Flies over in Pyro’s face, SCREEEEE—- DDD8

Pyro: -Nearly has to take a step back, this bird is going crazy--

Pyro: Baron--We can't understand you if you just keep screaming--

[Frustrated, Baron flew over near the stove.

He started letting out bursts of fIRE—]

Baron: “●●● ——— ●●●” !!! SCREEE! “●●● ——— ●●●!” SCREE SCREE—!

Beck: ....

Avi: --Dude--Dude that's definitely Morse--

Pyro: ....

Pyro: SOS...

Beck: !!!

Beck: Is Cards in trouble--?!

Baron: SCREE—! “●●● ——— ●●●! ——● —●—●!!!!!!!!”

Avi: --? DC?

Avi: Uh, bro, you're gonna have to be a little more specific with the letters, man--

Will: --No, wait--

[There was a crash noise on the other side of the line. Digger whirled around to see who it was.]

Digger: … Felix?!

[He runs out of view. Baron flies over and starts pecking desperately at Avi’s camera drone.]

Avi: --HEY NO--

Beck: !!!

Avi: Dude no you're gonna scratch the camera--

[Luckily, Will is already opening another feed to the local news, with Soi coming in to see what was all the ruckus about.]

Soi: Why is everyone screaming louder than--

Soi: --Holy hamburger, is that BARON?!

“Felix, no—you’re unwell, you—!”

[Protests could be heard from the other line. Felix was speaking back in agitated Proxan. Dark, deadly looking plants were starting to curl around the doorframe.]

Beck: -Oh man--

Will: Yes, Soi, do me a favor and PLEASE check the news on TV for me--

Soi: Er--Okay?

Soi: --!!!??

Soi: WILL, WE HAVE A SITUATION--

“Let GO of me—they must stop him—”

Mikhail: What KIND of situation— FELIX! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF—!

Soi: -PANIC-

Soi: THE WHITE HOUSE IS UNDER ATTACK--

Will: What--?!?

Beck: The White House?!?

Avi: -WAIT--AS IN THE WHITE HOUSE, WHITE HOUSE--

Baron: -SCREEE D.C., D.C.-

Avi: -FINALLY GETS INTO THE FEEDS HIMSELF-

Avi: -Pales-

Avi: Oh man THISISBAD--

Avi: THIS IS VERY BAD--

Avi: GUYS--THEY'RE SAYING THAT AN UNIDENTIFIED BOT IS ON THE PRIMISES AND THE DESCRIPTION MATCHES CARDS--

Beck: Cards is THERE?!?

Mikhail: {WHAT?! NO—!}

<DLN-008 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>

<DWN-011 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>


<DWN-012 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>


<DWN-013 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>


<DWN-018 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>


<DWN-019 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>


<DWN-024 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>

<DCN-000 has entered Non-Lethal Combat mode.>


<DCN-003 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>


<DCN-007 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>


<DCN-008 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>

Beck: (But--!)

Beck: (If Cards is THERE, then that means--!)

Beck: (--OH MAN, THEY'RE IN--)

Mikhail: {My God, if he gets caught, they are going to destroy him—}

Mikhail: {EMERGENCY SHUT DOWN! AUTHORIZATION MC005!}

((AAAAAaaaand everyone goes back Offline))

<RMDC>: > -PING!- ERROR: COMMAND FAILED. DLN-000 SIGNAL NOT FOUND.

Cryo: -FLAILING ARMS- WHY THE GLITCH IS THE PREZ'S HOUSE UNDER ATTACK--

Pyro: --....

Pyro: If Cardinal is in the White House--then--

Will: . . .

Will: N...No...

Will: NonoNO--!

Beck: SHADE--!

Felix: You… you must stop him, before—!

[Mikhail, taken by surprise (as he had forgotten all about the poor Adept in the chaos), turned just in time to prevent Felix from falling over something. Felix clutched at him, clearly in a very weakened state. He hadn’t eaten in a long time—and it showed.]

Beck: !

Beck: FELIX--!

Felix: There…

Felix: There is DEATH on the horizon!

Beck: --!!!

Will: NO--!

Will: (I will not lose another CHILD--!)

Will: CALL!

Felix: NO!

Felix: You don’t understand—!

Beck: --????!

Beck: -Already in combat form, loading up Xel Stocks-

Beck: You gotta explain FAST, Felix, I don't think we have much time--

Felix: He can’t…

Mikhail: -Helps Felix gently to the floor, turning pale- {Dear God…}

Felix: Couldn’t… he couldn’t outrun him…

Will: -Freezes at that-

————————

“You’re going to have to catch me first, hunting doggie!”

————————

“Catch me if you can!”

————————

Beck: . . .

Beck: -Starts preparing FASTER--

Avi: But--wait--

Beck: No TIME!

Beck: Call, how soon can you get us authorization?!

Mikhail: WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!

[He’s run over to the mainframe, working faster than one could think possible. He seemed desperate.]

Mikhail: Aviator White you find out who the security on the lawn is RIGHT NOW AND TELL THEM TO CEASE FIRE, /THIS INSTANT!/

Avi: ON IT--

Mikhail: {And somebody call back the Pentagon, dammit—that’s why we haven’t heard from the secretary, THEY MUST BE TRAPPED INSIDE!}

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Yes, Doctor. Contacting the Pentagon.

Mikhail: {FIND whoever you spoke to, we have got to get eyes in there, his signal is gone but we have to get him out of there, I’m waking up Tobias because WE DON’T HAVE TIME!}

Will: S-Soi-- -It's all moving too fast for him, Shade--

Soi: Will--Go get Beck as close to the House as possible! Can you do that?

Will: --!! Yes, yes--Right away--

Beck: (Shade--Shade, why this, WHY THE WHITE HOUSE, WHY--)

Beck: (Don't you know Cards is--?!)

Beck: Ready--!

Mikhail: {THEN GO, /NOW!/}

——————

[....Some time later…]

Beck: What is TAKING so long?!

White: I'm going as fast as I CAN, Beck, but there are SECURITY measures preventing direct Xel Transfer that I HAVE to get through FIRST--!

Beck: We gotta get to Cards before SHADE does or--!

Beck: (Or...He'll do something WORSE--)

White: Almost....

White: --! GOT IT--

White: Call!

Call: Affirmative, Doctor. Preparing Xel Transfer...

<DLN-008 is now Online.>

Beck: --!

Beck: Toby--!

<DLN-008 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>

Beck: --Uh oh--

[Mikhail is working at a terminal, apparently communicating with Tobias.]

[DR.WHITE to MN.9] //: Mikhail has things covered, Beck--your main focus should be to retrieve Countershade and Cardinal!

<MC005>: >Tobias has his own mission. Focus on your work!

[MN.9] //: --...Yes, Sir.

Beck: (Hang on, guys, I swear--I swear I won't let anything happen to you--!)

[CAPITOL BUILDING, AKA THE WHITE HOUSE, A FEW SECONDS LATER...]

[MISSION DETAILS: MIGHTY NUMBER 8, COUNTERSHADE, APPEARS TO BE LEADING A ROBOT OCCUPATION OF THE CAPITAL BUILDING. SIGHTINGS OF DLN-000, CARDINAL LIGHT, HAVE ALSO BEEN REPORTED.

MISSION OBJECTIVE: LOCATE AND PURGE ALL HARMFUL MALWARE FROM MN.8, LOCATE DLN-000. PREVENT BOTH UNITS FROM ENGAGING.

SUB-OBJECTIVE: MINIMIZE RMDC IMPACT.]

[SYSTEMS READY?]

[GO!]

((Stage music here))

[Beck appears in a flurry of blue Xel building upon itself, his feet meeting luxury red carpet. He seems to have landed in the foyer.]

[CALL] //: Attention. Beck has arrived at the Capitol Building.

[DR.SANDA] //: Y...You don't think Shade would actually...Try to...

[DR.WHITE] //: (A fine question indeed, but we all know the answer to that.) Focus, Soi.

[DR.WHITE] //: Beck, what do you see?

Beck: I see--

[Vrrrrrrr...]

[A red dot appears right in between Beck's eyes--]

Beck: --!

[Beck rolls out of the way JUST in time to avoid sniper fire from out of nowhere, the statue behind him becoming littered with bullet holes.]

[PING!]

[MN.8] //: Well, well, well.

[MN.8] //: If it ain't the infernal Wily child and the Lil' doggie.

[So far, Beck had to go and FIND his ill siblings, and while each case differed from the other--

Not two seconds into this and Shade held NO qualms about shooting him in the head.

...In all honesty, that made Beck just a touch annoyed.]

-PING!-

[MN.9] //: COUNTERSHADE!

[Static fill ted the coms.

Angry static.]

<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. |[

Beck: ...

Beck: (Whew...)

Beck: (At least I kinda don't have to worry about Toby frying big bro to a crisp--yet...)

[There was a slight noise, and it died down.]

<DLN-008>: > Yes—

Beck: --? (Yes? Yes what--?) Toby, who are you--

[Suddenly, gunfire, off in the distance--]

[CALL] //: Sniper fire detected, but I am unable to detect any robot capable of long range gunfire.

[DR.WHITE] //: No, you won't, Call. Mighty No. 8 won't show up on any of your instruments.

[DR.WHITE.] //: ...All part of my design.

[One of the monitors nearby became filled with static and then a familiar symbol—the Wily symbol.

Tobias’s voice came over a small-range frequency.]

“Cardinal is fighting his way through—I can hear him, but I can’t see him yet! I’ll do what I can to disrupt!”

Beck: !

Beck: Thanks, Toby!

“Don’t congratulate me yet, Beck—”

((Whatever noise you want here))

“I CAN’T CONTROL THE SECURITY SYSTEMS!”

[As if to prove this point, the monitor cut out, and resumed a “RED ALERT” security message.]

Beck: ._____.

[REXELECTION: SEISMIC.]

((pic))

Beck: -TANK MODE GO-

[Various turrets unlock from the ceiling and walls, but they couldn't keep up with Beck as he barreled down the next hallway, gunfire chasing after him.]

[He practically ran over various infected robots, not stopping for a second in his search for Countershade and Cardinal.]

Beck: (Where are you, Shade--?)

[DR.WHITE] //: Beck, Shade has to be somewhere in the building--trace the sniper fire back to its source!

[Indeed, Beck saw many red lasers bouncing off the walls and familiar dark orbs in the hall--Beck only saw them in use once in his entire life, and that was way back when he was still on the team...]

Beck: (Shade can see through them, I know that much--and he can use them to bounce his shots off of...)

Beck: (Meaning he has eyes everywhere--he knows exactly what's going on inside at all times--)

Beck: (I gotta get past them somehow--!)

[REXELECTION: BRANDISH.]

Beck: HAH!

[Beck leaps forward and slices one out of the air, both halves of the orb falling into carpet with a small thunk.]

Beck: Okay, so some of them can be smashed... (Or sliced, in this case...)

[CRUNCH--!]

Beck: --? -Looks down, what the heck did he step on--

Snake: -Beep.-

[...Gosh, that looked familiar--]

Snake: -Beep beep.-

Beck: --!!!

[His mind goes RACING back to that day when a Search Snake had snuck into the Meadow--!]

Beck: NO--!

[Beck KICKS IT AWAY--]

[BLAM BLAM BLAM--]

[The snake EXPLODED in the air, sending shrapnel and acid flying--some of it into the gathered orbs, themselves!!]

[There was suddenly distorted CURSING over the feeds as Beck breathed hard, his eyes wide and shaking, and...almost...]

[Glowing...]

Beck: WHAT IS A S E A R C H SNAKE DOING HERE IN THE WHITE HOUSE--?!?

[...Uh oh.]

<DLN-008>: > Because Cardinal is trying to find them, genius!

Beck: --!

Beck: .........

Beck: ....O...Oh...

[That seems to snap him out of it.]

Beck: S-...Sorry, I...

<DLN-008>: > HE TOOK ALL THE CAPSULES, REMEMBER?!

Beck: -Wince--

Beck: (Gnh, that's right--)

<DLN-008>: > Including MINE!

[BZZZRRRRRKKKZZZZZGGGHHHHHHHVVVV—]

Beck: --?!?

<MC005>: > No! They're... they must be already engaging!

Beck: No--!

Beck: (Cards--Shade is WEAK to DYNA'S abilities, you're going to--!)

[Beck swerved around a corner, heading to the place where he heard the electricity--]

Beck: (Ugh, this is like the Power Plant all over again--)

<DLN-008>: > DYNAAAAAA--

<DLN-008>: > I CAN'T FIGHT THE SYSTEM AND FOCUS ON OTHER THINGS AT THE SAME TIME, HELP--

[He did seem to be disrupting the security systems-- it was far from perfect, though, and it was clear he was struggling.]

[PING!]

[MN.3] //: I got thiszz, Toby!

[MN.3] //: Let'szzz zzsee, what can I do here....

[Dyna is silent for a few moments before--]

[PING!]

[MN.3] //: Ah! That'szz the biszznesszz--thiszz place MUST have it'szz own power grid! No wonder you're having zzso much trouble, Toby, the zzspecszz are totally different.

[MN.3] //: Hmmm...Let'szzz try thiszz--

Beck: Whoa--!

[Suddenly, gravity just vanished as EVERYTHING began to float up, suspended, the air crackling with energy--]

Beck: Dynaaaaa, put me down--!

[MN.3] //: Oopszz--

[MN.3] //: Okay, hmm. That waszzn't it--

[THUNK.]

[Aaaand gravity went back to normal.]

Beck: -Ow-

[MN.3] //: Wow, thiszzz iszzn't your typical power grid--I'm gonna need a few zzsecondszz. Can you hold off for a while longer?

Beck: -Back in default form- Yeah, I think...

Beck: --!

Beck: What the...

[He had arrived at the hallway where he heard the electric based weaponry going off.

It was utterly destroyed.]

Beck: Uh.

Beck: I think this is the right way. (Jeez...)

Beck: (Gotta watch my step...)

Beck: CARDS?! SHADE?!

Beck: WHERE ARE YOU?!

Beck: SOMEONE--

[BANG!]

Beck: --Gnh!

[Something hot grazed his shoulder, and he turned--]

Shade: Hello, runt.

Beck: --?!

[Before Beck could say a word, Shade fired off more shots, forcing Beck to find cover behind a presidential statue of sorts.]

Shade: Heh. Coward.

Beck: Shade, please, I--!

[Beck peeked out of his cover to return fire--]

Beck: --???

[...But he was gone.]

Beck: Sh...Shade--?

[Nothing.]

[CALL] //: Mighty No. 8's signal has vanished. We have lost the target. My apologies.

[DR.WHITE] //: .... -sigh-

[DR.WHITE] //: ... It's not your fault.

[DR.WHITE] //: ...It's what I built him to do.

<MC005>: > And Cardinal was built to defend at all costs-- Tobias, where is he?!

<DLN-008>: > Kinds busy with the security--!

Beck: Gah...

[Finding nothing here, Beck doubled back to the foyer, and to the other adjoining hallway to the right. Perhaps, if they were going left, he can cut them off--]

Beck: --!

[A slew of infected combat models awaited him.]

Beck: Aw, you gotta be--!

[They opened fire, and this time there wasn't much cover to hide behind--Beck was forced to tank some hits before retaliating with his default weapon, restoring his Xel Stocks for later.]

Beck: Guuuh, lasers hurt...

[He shakes it off after a while, and continues to run down the hall...]

[BANG BANG BANG!!]

[--only to be CHASED by sniper fire soon after!]

Beck: AH--!

[MN.8] //: Heh. Run along nao, lil' doggy.

[MN.8] //: -VERY DISORTED VOICE-- Run and FETCH for your HUMAN masters.

<DLN-008>: > OW!

<DLN-008>: > -Incredibly aggressive data-

[Tobias seemed to be engaged in a fight against something very powerful…

…something that was making him angry.]

[KKKSST--]

[The connection cuts out.]

[DR.WHITE] //: He STILL has his sights on you, Beck--be careful--!

Beck: Ggh, trying--!

[He manages to dive into the next hallway--]

Beck: --?????

[...Oh that was a lot of Metal Blades.]

Beck: (Oooh, jeez, Shade's not gonna be happy seeing those out--)

Beck: (Not after what happened in the Queen's Finals...)

Beck: (Oh, please, PLEASE don't do anything rash, Shade--you--you gotta still be in there SOMEWHERE--!)

"RARF!"

Beck: --?????

Beck: ...Did...Did you hear that?

[It...It sounded like a very distinct bark--]

<MC005>: > …I must be imagining things, that sounded like Shade’s dog—

"RARF RARF!"

Beck: --!!!!

Beck: No WAY--

[Amazingly, despite all of the gunfire and chaos, madness, and overall hell on earth--

Scout the Zigzagoon was expertly and happily bouncing around the dangers of the White House, tail wagging with GLEE as he POUNCED into the young hero's chest with almost carefree cheerfulness.]

Scout: RARF! : D!!!! -IT'S YOU, TALL MASTER'S BROTHERRRR-

Beck: SCOUT--?!?

Scout: -ALL THE KISSES FOR YOU--

Beck: -GIGGLES, BWAAAA--

[DR.WHITE] //: .....I....? -Speechless-

<MC005>: > …

<MC005>: > …How did he—

<MC005>: > !

<MC005>: > What is he wearing?

Beck: --?

[Scout had something hanging around his neck, besides his teal scarf...]

Beck: Lemmie see that...

Beck: --?

Beck: It's...One of those old USB drives--?

<MC005>: > !!!

<MC005>: > That’s Cardinal’s!

Beck: --......

Beck: Wait--if this is Cardinal's--

Beck: Scout--did...Did you--did you come here WITH CARDS--?!?

Scout: Rarf! : D

Beck: -ARE YOU TELLING ME SHADE'S RACCOON FOUND CARDS, CARDS, BEFORE WE DID--

[You could hear Mikhail facepalming over the feeds.

....And again, over Will's feed.]

[DR.WHITE] //: -We got outsmarted by a raccoon, are you KIDDING me--

Beck: --! Scout--where is he--where is Cards--?!

Scout: ---......

[...He's...Not answering.]

<DLN-008>: > Gnhhhgghhh!

<DLN-008>: > I directed him to the Oval Office!

Beck: --?!? WHAT--?!

[DR.SANDA] //: -I KNEW IT, HE'S GOING TO ASSASSINATE THE MADAME PRESIDENT--

[DR.SANDA] //: BECK! HURRY!

Beck: (Gnh--!)

Beck: Scout--

Beck: I can't bring you back home, but, please--

Beck: If you find Cards--please tell him I'm going to save Shade!

[Beck didn't want to leave Scout in such a dangerous place, but--if he made it this far, then he should be fine...]

Scout: Rarf--

[Beck didn't wait for an complete answer--he ran ahead, leaving the Zig behind.]

Scout: -Whiiiines-

[After a moment of worry, the Zig soon bounces off, determined to find his master--either of them.]

[Meanwhile, Beck continued to forge his way through the capital building turned battleground, avoiding both Shade's sniper fire AND that of the infected robots.]

Beck: --....

[Despite all the noise, and chaos...]

[...He hasn't seen a single human in the building yet, and he didn't know if that was a good or bad sign.]

[PING!]

[Fortunately, that question was about to be answered.]

[MN.8] //: Wondering what happened to all the humans here, Lil' doggy?

[MN.8] //: They ran away, thanks t' that annoyin' songbird of theirs...Feh. Cowards.

[MN.8] //: Every single one of those meat-sticks fled at the first sign of trouble. Pathetic.

[MN.8] //: ...'Cept for the stupid ones, that is. Heh.

[MN.8] //: Like y o u.

[MN.9] //: -Ghn--

[MN.9] //: Shade, PLEASE--!

[MN.9] //: That 'songbird'--you KNOW that person, Shade--!

[MN.9] //: Please don't hurt him!

[MN.8] //: Ya think I'm gonna listen t' YEW, lil' Doggy?

[MN.8] //: Ah' ain't no TOOL fer MAN no more. Not like the REST of ya.

[MN.8] //: Ah' think it's about time someone ELSE had a turn at orderin' fools around, eh?

[KKKSST--!]

Beck: SHADE--UGH--!

Beck: (Either he's ignoring me or he doesn't even RECOGNIZE Cards--like Pyro...)

Beck: DYNA!

[MN.3] //: Almoszzt got it--

[The lights flickered...]

[And dimmed.]

Beck: --!

[...Aaaand everything started floating again, oh no--]

Beck: Waaah--!

[MN.8] //: NGH, SONOFVA--

[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–

[MN.3] //: -CACKLES- BECAUSE I'LL FIIIIIND YOUUUU!~

[MN.8] //: GO T' HELL.

[KSSSSSST--]

<DLN-008>: > NICE TRY.

<DLN-008>: > You’ve made this place unbearable…

<DLN-008>: > So we’re already /here/, and we WON’T GO /AWAY!/

[MN.3] //: Niczze play on wordszz, bro.~

[MN.8] //: Grrr...

[MN.8] //: Glitchfraggin' motherscratchin' infested with lightin' bugs--

[PING!]

[MN.1] //: DON'T TALK TO YOUR SISTER THAT WAY, EIGHT--

[MN.1] //: When you get back here I swear I am going to WASH THAT FOUL MOUTH WITH SOAP--

[MN.2] //: -OOO, CAN WE HELP--

[MN.1] //: -You know what yes Cryo you CAN help-

[MN.2] //: HECK YEAH, BATH TIME~~~

[MN.8] //: Ah' ain't got no TAHM for ya FRICKIN' PRATTLE--!

[KSSSSSSSST--]

[CONNECTION LOST.]

[MN.1] //: | [

[MN.1] //: Dyna, have you managed to seize control of the--

[MN.3] //: ~~ < 3

[MN.1] //: --????

[MN.3] //: -Mmmm high grade military level power voltage tastes SO GOOD--

[MN.1] //: You've got to be kidding me--

<MC005>: > …Why are you surprised by this, exactly?

[MN.1] //: I'm not. | [

[MN.3] //: Mmmmm!~

[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:

<DLN-008>: >Just follow the panels along the side—

[Some of them start lighting up, flickering down the hallway.]

[Unfortunately, Beck didn’t really quite make it too far before—]

POW.

[Someone had managed to blow a fuse, which turned off the security in that part of the White House…

…and the lights…

…and the air conditioning.]

<DLN-008>: > OW!

<DLN-008>: > -OUCH that hurt, WARN a guy before you shove him into a current like that—-

[MN.1] //: DYNA!

[MN.3] //: OW, THAT WASZZN'T ME, BRO--

<MC005>: > …That was Cardinal.

<MC005>: >He must have used Thunder Beam…

((Pic of Tobias in ANGRY RAEG MODE here))

<MC005>: > It’s the only thing he had powerful enough to do that.

<MC005>: >I think that’s the last of the electric power he had at his disposal—he won’t have any left for fighting with…

Beck: (He's...Either getting more serious or desperate...)

Beck: (I gotta hurry, gotta--!)

<MC005>: >Tobias, are you alright?

<DLN-008>: > Nnnngghhhh…

[MN.3] //:

-Kinda dizzy and a LITTLE peeved, she was enjoying a GOOD MEAL--

[BANG!]

Beck: --!!!!

Beck: That came from--!

[MN.8] //: Tch!

[MN.8] //: Keep gettin’ in mah way, Birdy, and Ah’ WILL make ya regret it!

Beck: --!!

[REXELECTION: BRANDISH.]

[A red blur speeds down the hallway at a frantic pace, but he's still slowed down by all the infected enemies around--it was like they were trying to stall him--]

Beck: Out of my WAY--

[SHING SHING--!]

[Then...]

[MN.8] //: Heh.

[MN.8] //: Was that ya soundin’ desperate there?

[MN.9] //: SHADE--!

[MN.8] //: -LAUGHTER-

[MN.8] //: Ah’ hate t’ disobey a lady, but m'afraid yer term is up.

[MN.8] //: Now.

[MN.8] //: R u n.

[The comms seemed to go live—as if Shade were broadcasting his twisted takeover—!]

[For a brief moment, silence.

…But then…]

“…Heh…”

Beck: --!

[Laughter.

FAMILIAR laughter—but it wasn’t Shade’s—!]

Beck: --!

Beck: Cardinal--!

“Shade, Shade, Shade…”

<DLN-008>: > ??? (What’s with the scolding tone?)

“You know what?”

“You’re right.”

Beck: --?!?!? (What....?)

[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’?

“Hardly.”

<DLN-008>: > … Uh-oh—

“More like… I don’t have time for this, Shade…”

[One could hear a faint priming whine…!]

“Guess I’ll have to make my own!”

[K-FLSH!]

Beck: --?????

<RMDC>: >WEAPON IDENTIFIED: TIME STOPPER

Beck: (Time Stopper--)

[Ah! Beck can see the hallway now--]

CRASH!

Beck: --?!?

Beck: (What are you guys DOING--)

PSSSHHHHT!

<MC005>: > …

<MC005>: > -Soi please tell me that wasn’t me hearing him SPRAY PAINTING something just now—-

[DR.SANDA] //: -Oh goodness I--I think it is-- CARDINAL THIS IS THE WHITE HOUSE, NOT A GIANT CANVAS--

[There was a sharp whistling noise.]

“-RARF RARF RARF–”

Beck: --! Scout--!

[Almost there--]

“Close enough. Group hug, everybody!”

“! Oh goodness— Now wait just a—”

[Beck turned the corner—]

Byuubyuubyuu…

Beck: --!

Beck: NO!

Beck: I was so CLOSE--!

Beck: (--But--at least the President is okay, right--?)

[KSSSSSST--!]

[MN.6] //: HEEEYOOOO, this is Avi bringing you guys a quick update--

[MN.6] //: I've managed to tell the boys in blue and black that Cards isn't a threat--and I got visual of him outside--!

<MC005>: > {AT LAST!}

[MN.6] //: Please hold, I think--I think if I can just get this cam over here, I can talk to him--

<MC005>: > {Yes— oh please let this WORK—}

<MC005>: >Beck, is Shade still in that hallway? I think Cardinal may have tagged him, actually—

[KSSSSSST--!]

[MN.6] //: I got visual! And input audio--so we can hear him--

Beck: -Looks around--

Beck: I...I don't see him...

“Heh.”

“Hello again, Avs.”

[MN.6] //: Cards--Cards, man, I missed you-- come ON I NEED AUDIO OUTPUT--!

<DLN-008>: > H-hang on… lemme try and fix that…

[The feed crackled.]

<DLN-008>: >Okay, try now—!

[KSSSSSST--!]

[MN.6] //: TOBY YOU'RE A LIFESAVER--

Avi: Bro you do realize can't hide from this, right--

“Sadly."

[He sounded weary and grim.]

“That’s a cost I’ll have to carry.”

<DLN-008>: > …

<DLN-008>: > -Ugh, I… suddenly don’t feel so good…-

Avi: OKAY GOOD JUST CHECKING.

Avi: Because sometimes you just kinda let these things fly wAY OVER YOUR HEAD--

[MN.1] //: Really, Avi?!

[MN.6] //: -WE PUN WHEN WE'RE STRESSED, OKAY--

<MC005>: > -sNORTS-

[Silence, other than the background chatter.]

<MC005>: > Just a little more…

[…Cardinal spoke up again. He sounded rather defeated.]

“-Quietly- I’m sorry, Avi. I’m not done yet.”

Avi: --....

[MN.6] //: -Ugh we--Cards, we NEED you too--

Avi: Dude, Beck's in there now, just--come on, man, can't ya believe in him too...?

Beck: (Please, Cards--you KNOW I'm the only one that can CURE him, PLEASE, I can DO THIS--!)

“Six, this is about a lot more than believing and proving and anything else, and quite frankly—”

[A splashing noise.]

[MN.6] //: --? Was that water--

“—I’m tired of seeing my brothers die.”

<DLN-008>: > -Uuuuugh…!-

<RMDC>: >WARNING: ??.??.20XX MEMORY DATA CROSS-REFERENCES TO MULTIPLE HAZARDOUS FILES. POTENTIAL SYSTEM OVERLOAD TRIGGER DETECTED.

<DLN-008>: > -Ghhh…!-

Beck --.....

Beck: . . . .

[DR.WHITE] //: --Beck--?

“I won’t risk any chance of that happening again.”

Beck: Ghn--

[But--but--]

Beck: (I--I promised, I won't do that, Cards, I--)

Beck: (I'm not like--like--)

[The Xel of the broken robots around him starts to float--]

Beck: Why don't...you...listen--?

[MN.9] //: -Hurt, hurtful data, that hurt--

<MC005>: > !

Beck: Why don't you b-believe me--

<MC005>: > NO!

<MC005>: > BECK, HE'S NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU—

<MC005>: > With the White House evacuated…

<MC005>: > The Pentagon would be able to target it!

Beck: --!

[DR.WHITE] //: Listen to Mikhail, Beck!

[DR.WHITE] //: Cardinal--he has his own personal reasons for going after Shade, you know this--!

[DR.WHITE] //: It's not that he doesn't believe in you, Beck, please...

Beck: . . .

[A lady’s voice breaks through.]

“Where do you THINK you’re going—”

[MN.6] //: -UH OH--

“Here, take this, it may help you on your journey—”

[MN.6] //: .......

Avi: (....I guess I tried.)

“Ackpth—”

Mikhail: … -Facepalm- (He handed off the Pokémon to the President??)

[MN.6] //: Sorry, Doc, I'm...not a good staller. That's...More Shade's department...

Avi: please don't hurt him too bad.

“I don’t have time for this. You saw the file extension, you know my intentions.”

Beck: --......

[At the sound of Cardinal reminding him of this, The Xel fluxes, and then gently collects towards Beck, healing him.]

-*-*-*-

<DLN-000>: >I know. I know.

<DLN-000>: >But I’ll never give up on you Shade, not for any reason.

-*-*-*-*-

Beck: Never...give...up...on you...

Beck: Not for any...Reason..

[When Cardinal spoke again, he seemed to be in… pain.]

“…See you in clearer skies, Avs.”

[MN.6] // Ggnh--

[MN.6] //: Cards WAIT--

Mikhail: NYET—!

“Goodbye…”

BWIP.

[MN.6] //: CARDS--!

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

[MN.6] //: Nghgh--

[MN.6] //: -Hurts, HEAD HURTS--

>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…

Mikhail: (Great. GREAT. Now Cardinal is gone, and Tobias is Offline. I have nothing!)

Mikhail: -Puts his head in his hands-

[…]

“…Get me Sanda Labs on a secure line.”

Mikhail: … -Not NOW—-

“NOW.”

[DR.WHITE] //: --!!!!!!

[DR.WHITE] //: No--

[DR.WHITE HAS LEFT THE CONVERSATION.]

Mikhail: Will?

[DR.SANDA] //: Will--!

[DR.SANDA] //: G-Give us a minute--Will COME BACK--

[DR.SANDA HAS LEFT THE CONVERSATION.]

Mikhail: …

<MC005>: > Beck we need him out of there.

[Back at the White House, Beck had somewhat calmed down, but he seemed...somewhat tired. Emotionally, rather than physically.]

Beck: --I...yeah.

Beck: I'm going.

Beck: (Shade...Cards...)

[He had no idea where to start looking, and no idea what Shade would do now that the President was outside, and safe.]

[But...If he had to guess...]

Beck: --....

Beck: Oh no--

<MC005>: >Beck…? What is it?

Beck: (No, Shade, no--)

[If anything, Shade's obvious objective was to kill the President--but now that she was gone, and by Cardinal's doing--]

Beck: Shade's target is gone.

Beck: Remember what happened at the highway--Jack made Carmen's target get away, and who did SHE TAKE THAT OUT ON--

<MC005>: > {Dear God—}

[REXELECTION: BRANDISH]

Beck: SHAAAAAAAAAAADE!

[CRASH, BANG--]

[He had to get to Cards--before--before--!]

Beck: CAAAAAAAAAARDS!

[BANG–!]

[BANG BANG–]

Beck: NO--!!

Beck: (NO, don't do this, please, don't--!)

Beck: (That came from all the way back at the foyer--)

KTANG!

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT—

[Getting back ALL the way to where he started--]

[Beck even ignored the oncoming fire from what was left of the infected robots, even crushing one with a firm hand swipe--as if he pushed the Xel of it away--]

[BANG–]

Beck: Ngh--!

Beck: (Hurts, but--gotta keep going--)

KZZZRRR! KZZRRR!

Beck: --?!?

Beck: What the--

[Wires. Wires covered in purple, all over the hall, he couldn't pass though here--!]

Beck: RRRRUGH!

[Beck was so angry that the leftover Xel around him shivered, collected, and grew HOT, following him as he swerved on his heel in the other direction--]

Beck: (I swear if I see them beating the heck outta each other to an INCH of life, I'm gonna--!)

Beck: GUUUUYS!

Beck: Sto--

[WHAM!]

Beck: --?!?

[...Did he just run smack into George Washington's head?]

Beck: (This was NOT here before--)

CRASH!

[BANG!]

[VRRRRRRR--]

Beck: --????

[The entire bust and pedestal that the granite image of the First President suddenly started moving--]

[The mechanisms inside were robotic, and thus, ALSO affected by the virus--meaning--]

Beck: -EXASPERATED- EVEN THE FOUNDING FATHERS DON'T WANT ME NEAR MY OWN BROTHER--

Beck: WHAT IS UP WITH THIS PLACE--

[BLAM--]

[Shattering the granite head bust seems to work.]

[BLAM--]

[MN.2] //: Dude did you just blast President Lincoln--

Beck: I--

[BLAM--]

Beck: DON'T--

[BLAM!]

Beck: --CARE!

Beck: SHADE!

Beck: I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME--STOP IT! NOW!

kzzzZZZZZZZZGGGVVVVGGGHHHTTTT—

[size=6]CRASH!![/size]

Beck: --!

[...Silence.]

[Oh God, silence--]

Beck: (No--n-no, he--)

[BANGKSSSHHHHKKKGGHHHHT!]

Beck: --!

[BLAM--]

Beck: -MIXTURE OF RELIEF AND HORROR-

[BANG BANG BANG–]

[A LOUD EXPLOSION—]

Beck: Gh--

Beck: -Why are there so many of these STUPID STATUES--

Beck: (If only Shade didn't block that stupid hall on the right--)

Beck: (All of this is just-- stupid, nngh--)

Beck: (I just want my family BACK--!)

[He was halfway there, he could hear the noises of battle getting louder--]

[BANG–]

[CRASH!]

Beck: (Almost--just a couple of more hallways--)

[KKKKKKKRRWOOOOOOOOOOOOH!]

[A strong wind came through the hallway.]

Beck: ---?!?!

[The sudden strong gusts sent our lightweight hero tumbling backwards--]

[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]

[--Before he switched into Avi's form, flying desperately against the unforgiving winds--]

Beck: Nnnngh--!

Beck: Dad, how much further--

[...No response.]

Beck: --?? Dad--Uncle Sanda--?

[Nothing--]

Beck: (Why aren't they answering--???)

[BANG!]

Beck: Nnnngh--

Beck: (Why is there so much wind, why is everything trying to stop me--??)

[BANG–

BANG BANG BANG–]

Beck: --!!

Beck: (No--Cards--I don't hear him firing BACK--!)

Beck: NO!

Beck: STOP IT! PLEASE--!

[size=louder][BANG–!][/size]

Beck: SHAAADE--

[The winds finally die down, and Beck instantly reverts back to his default before--]

[REXELECTION: BRANDISH.]

Beck: HAAAAAAH!

[Beck slices and dices anything that crosses his path in a red and yellow tornado of slashes that seem too quick for the normal eye to see...]

[SHING SHING SHING--]

[BANG.]

[A pause.]

[BANG!]

[A much longer pause. Beck was beginning to make headway.]

[BANG—]

[Shorter pause—]

“AUGH!”

Beck: CARDS--!

Beck: (He's already hurt, come on, COME ON--)

[BLAM! BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM—]

Beck: --!

[Wait, wasn't that...]

Beck: (Needle Cannon--)

Beck: Cards, please--just hold out a LITTLE longer--

[A set of large oak doors block the path--locked shut.]

[REXELECTION: SEISMIC]

[CRASH--]

[...Or, was.]

[BANG BANG BANG–]

[Silence.]

Beck: (No, please, STOP DOING THAT--)

[This time, the silence WASN’T broken.]

Beck: ......

Beck: (N...No, no, NO--)

Beck: (Oh, Cards, please, say something, a comeback, a pun, ANYTHING--!)

Beck: (YOU--YOU CAN'T BE--)

Beck: AVIIIIIIII!

[PING!]

[MN.6 IS NOW ONLINE.]

[MN.6] //: -LITTLE BRO IS SCREAMING--

[MN.9] //: Avi, I need eyes in the main foyer, NOW!

[MN.6] //: What, why--

[MN.9] //: I NEED TO KNOW IF THEY'RE STILL ALIVE--!

[MN.6] //: --!!!!

[MN.6] //: -Foyer, Shade, Cards, CRUD--

[MN.6] //: --! I GOT VISUAL--

[MN.6] //: -Oh man things are NOT looking good for Cards right now--

[MN.9] //: But he's still--!?

[MN.6] //: Yeah, they...They're talking, I think...I think Cards is getting through to him--!

Beck: -Stops in his tracks-

Beck: (Then maybe--)

Beck: (Maybe...Maybe Shade is...)

Beck: (If Cards can just keep him still--maybe we can do a repeat of the highway like Carmen, or--)

Beck: -RUNS-

Beck: (If I can just get there, I won't have to fight Shade at all, or at least not alone--!)

Beck: (I just have to---)

BANG—

[MN.6] //: -DATA SCREEEEECH--

[MN.6 HAS GONE INTO SLEEP MODE]

[A thud can be heard over the comms--]

[MN.3] //: AVI--!

[Beck staggered and stopped dead at the sudden screech of horror from his own brother, his eyes widening as he came to the realization that--]

Beck: (Avi...Avi faints when he sees blood or something LIKE it--!)

—————————

[Blade suddenly had a saw in his hand, and raised it so he could slash wildly at the DLN–!]

Avi: NO–!

SKLLLKTTKRRRSHHHLLLRRRKKT—

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

Tobias lost his grip immediately and fell to the ground, too dazed in pain and injury to even cry out.

His energy levels had dropped DRAMATICALLY, and were still dropping, as was his core temperature—two more hits like that, and he would be gone.]

—————————

Beck: CARDINAAAAAAL!

[Shaking off his temporary stupor, Beck redoubled his efforts, smashing, crashing, and going through all the debris and such that have collected during Cardinal's run of the place...]

Beck: (Don't be dead don't be dead don't be--)

[He trips--]

Beck: (UGH--!)

[And lands on a pile of granite rubble, skidding around the floor and falling again over the small pebbles, picking himself up, and just running for it.]

[...He didn't think he'd ever been so desperate just to get to one place in all his days Online.]

[And the silence… The SILENCE just keeps GOING—]

“ARUGH–!”

[Or not.]

Beck: (--?!? That--...That was Shade--)

Beck: SHADE!

Beck: (Gotta get there, gotta get there before--!)

[--!!]

[At last! The hallway leading towards the foyer, with one locked double door standing in the way!]

[At this point, Beck could barely make out SOME voices...]

Beck: ---!!!

[WHAM!]

[Beck slams himself against the door, but it wouldn't budge--]

Beck: SHAAAAADE! OPEN THE DOOR!

Beck: OPEN THE DOOR N O W--!

"ENOUGH!"

[Shade--]

[REXELECTION: SEISMIC--]

"Ah' don’t have time t’ waste on you. Obviously ya ain’t gonna stay out of my way while ya still runnin’."

[WHAM--]

"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!"

Beck: Shade, NO!

"An’ just tah make SURE you don’t get out of sight at the last second…"

Beck: HE'S YOUR BEST FRIEND--!

[WHAM--CRACK--]

"This’ll be the last bullet Ah’ waste on ya."

Beck: DON'T KILL HIM--!!

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

=CHAPTER 10B: SNEAK INTO THE PRISON=

~AO v1.0~

((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))

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

{LATER…}

[CHERRYDYNAMIC HQ BUILDING - FACTORY COMPLEX, FRONT PARKING LOT...]

[MISSION DETAILS: INFECTED CDN MODELS ARE BEING CONSTRUCTED BY CHERRYDYNAMICS'S CALIFORNIA ROBOT MANUFACTURING FACTORY AT AN ALARMING RATE. THE FACTORY'S PRIMARY M.O.M UNIT ALSO REPORTED TO BE INFECTED.]

[MISSION OBJECTIVES: ESCORT DR. WILLIAM WHITE TO THE PRIMARY M.O.M UNIT IN ORDER TO SHUT DOWN AND REGAIN CONTROL OF THE ROBOT FACTORY. ELIMINATE ANY INFECTED HOSTILE CDN MODELS WITHIN THE VICINITY. DESTROY THE FACTORY'S ROBOT MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT IF NECESSARY.]

[SUB-OBJECTIVES: ENSURE PERSONAL SAFETY OF DWN-012 AND DWN-013, MINIMIZE RMDC IMPACT.]

((music))

Systems Ready?

GO!

[After Beck had fully materialized, the familiar sounds of chaos in the city had once again touched his ears, now in a more dire state than before--even way back when he and his father had to make it back to Sanda Tech, it wasn't this bad...]

[MN.6] //: Yoooo, check one two, testing! This is your mission control requesting a mandatory sound off!

[Avi chimed in as soon as he felt Beck's signal nearby.]

Will: Ah.

[William White was currently looking over a holoscreen projected by one of Avi's cameras--it seems he already had visual of the inside.]

[...His grip tightened on the glowing Xel Rapier in his left hand.]

Will: (...It's even worse than I imagined...)

[MN.6] //: Teeeeeam One, what's your status?

[MN.1] //: One here. We're at the front entrance. It's been blown open, alright. Lots of hostile CDNs...They're almost crowding where the doors were.

[MN.5] //: Five reading ya loud and clear. Armed and ready for battle!

<DWN-013>: >Just to restate the obvious, but this is very important—

<DWN-013>: >These are just AIs, not AI&As, right?

[MN.6] //: Yuppers, just your average cookie-cutter AIs, like drones. It's mainly an Industrial Factory, not something like where ya-know-who came from.

<DWN-013>: > Good.

[…

…A priming noise could be heard.]

<DWN-013 has entered Active Combat mode.>

[For Avi, there seemed to be an echo of sorts…]

“Crashman paces back and forth Inside walls reinforced Crash bombs mounted to his arms Locked… loaded… ready… armed…”

[MN.6] //: -....miiiiildly creeped out-

[MN.1] //: ...Avi?

[MN.6] //: Huh? Oh, right, not done yet--

[MN.1] //: ... (Not what I was going to ask...)

[MN.6] //: Teeeeeam Two! You guys ready?

[MN.2] //: BRO I WAS MADE READY, I SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT POPCORN FOR THESE FIREWORKS--

[MN.1] //: -Snorts-

<DWN-013>: > … -You sure you’re up for doing this, MNN-008, you just woke up a few hours ago— -

[MN.8] //: I'm fahn, Jaden.

[MN.8] //: -Got a score t' with CherryDyn anyway and Ah' ain't gonna spend it layin' down--

[MN.3] //: Ugh, don't be zzzso dramatic, Shadebro. -Bzzzzt- You're just mad you haven't gotten enough beauty zzsleep.

[MN.8] //: -Pyro wai did Ah' get stuck with the girls again-

[MN.1] //: The three of you can cause more wide spread damage together. You'll be picking off anyone too stubborn, Shade.

[MN.8] //: -Mgh, fair enough, Ah' guess.-

[MN.3] //: Anyway, we're waiting on your zzzsignal, fire bro.~ Just zzsay the word!

[MN.1] //: Good.

[MN.6] //: Team Three, you guys up and ready to go?

<DWN-012>: > Glad you finally asked, can we GO yet—

<DWN-013>: >Don’t run into a wall, Carl.

<DWN-012>: > I told you only MY dad can call me that—

[MN.7] //: Speedy.

[MN.7] //: Focus. You and I will be covering for Mic. He'll be doing most of the equipment damage.

[MN.4] //: OWO

<DWN-012>: >Easy for YOU to say. I was made to move, and being in Active Combat makes me antsy!

[A slight priming noise—]

K-TANG! K-TANG!

<DWN-012>: >This is NOT the first setting of this sort that I’ve trashed.

<DWN-012>: > I am more than ready—

[MN.7] //: -Sigh- -_-;;; Yes, we know now, Twelve.

[MN.7] //: On Stand-By until your order, One.

[MN.6] //: Last but certainly not least--

[MN.6] //: Becko? Dad? You guys there?

Beck: Right here and waiting for orders, Avi!

Will: (That's everyone...)

Will: (I hope you're alright, Soichiro...)

Will: ....Right.

Will: Everyone listen carefully.

Will: Once Avi gives the signal, Pyrogen and his Team--Team One, will lead the charge into the Factory. Your objective is to clear a safe route into the main assembly line.

[MN.1] //: Understood...

Will: After Pyro and the others make some headway, he'll tell both Team Two and Three to enter and eliminate any other threats, as well as damage the manufacturing equipment. Consider it our second wave.

[MN.8] //: Got it.

[MN.7] //: Yes, Father.

Will: After that, Nine and I will start making our own way into the complex. You needn't fight every robot you see, Beck--our objective is the factory core, the Primary M.O.M Unit.

Will: It controls all commands and functions of the factory and it's robot manufacturing machines. It's located deep in the heart of the building, in the main assembly line.

Will: Avi will be monitoring all team's progress and giving support where needed.

Avi: Yeees sir! ^^

<DWN-012>: >If Snow were awake, he’d really be asking questions now—what an acronym, geez.

<DWN-013>: >You know full well [color=goldenrod]why[/color] he’s still asleep. Try not to go running off from your group, I’m getting interference for Robot Master signals…

<DWN-013>: >I think we might have some [color=darkgreen]spectators[/color] watching.

[MN.8] //: -Yer kiddin' me-

<DWN-013>: >Unfortunately no, but that is a matter for later, I’m afraid.

Will: Right now, he is the least of our worries.

Will: ...

Will: Everyone just be very careful in there--I may have upgraded everyone's filters, but...

Will: Don't do anything too rash, alright?

<DWN-013 to DWN-012>: > PLEASE mind yourself, Mic does have clearance to restrain you if you get too out of hand

<DWN-012 to DWN-013>: > I’m the older brother here, Crashman.

<DWN-012 to DWN-013>: > YOU try not to let the others know just how much you can TANK, we all know what happened the last time our strengths and weaknesses were used against us.

<DWN-013 to DWN-012>: > …

<DWN-013 to DWN-012>: > Cardinal’s going to kill you for that.

<DWN-012 to DWN-013>: > Hmph.

<DWN-013>: >I’ll do my best, Doctor. …I’ve already discussed the matter with Pyro.

<DWN-013>: >Just one last thing—

<DWN-013>: >Um. Aviator?

[MN.6] //: Yo?

<DWN-013>: >Just… give a heads-up whenever you’re about to head my way. >.>;;;;;

<DWN-013>: > -Mild discomfort data-

[MN.6] //: No problamo, Darth Jader. : D

Beck: -Snorts, Star Wars pun, heh-

<DWN-013>: > …Heh… thanks.

<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: >The RMDC has been completely disconnected from your servers. So there’s no way for Siam to monitor our progress. What you sense is what you get.

<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: >I haven’t heard from Dr. Cossack, so I can only assume he fell asleep. I’m not sure Felix knows how to run the teleporter.

<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: > I’ll be fine, but Twelve…

<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: > …Let’s just say we’re still all equipped with our self-destruct devices and let the rest speak for itself. >.>

<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: >If we take too much damage, don’t stick around.

[MN.1] //: ....Right.

[MN.1] //: -Sharp inhale-

[MN.1] //: Mighties!

[MN.1] //: You are clear to engage combat mode.

[MNN-ALL HAVE ENTERED COMBAT MODE.]

[MN.6] //: Team One, you're cleared for frontal assault!

[MN.6] //: GO GET'EM, GUYS--

[MN.5] //: -TO BATTLE--

[MN.1] //: -Sound of FLAMES IGNITING, FOOSH-

[Interesting. Jaden doesn’t seem to be doing anything in particular.]

[From Beck's position, there was the sound of explosions and crashing of parts, and it wasn't long before whatever alarms that still worked to be set off.]

[The haywire CDNs immediately take notice and engage--they're sheer numbers seemed to almost overwhelm the three constructs...]

[BLAM.]

[…Now why would Jaden be firing at the ground—]

Pyro: --?

[And then it IMMEDIATELY churned in and started blinking.]

Jaden: …

Jaden: -Smirks-

[BOOM!]

[A pretty LARGE explosion sets off from where the drill was, enough to send debris right back at them.]

Jaden: -Looks up, eyes glowing green, still with that smirk-

[You could hear that priming noise again.]

Jaden: If nothing else, this ought to be informative.

((pic))

Jaden: Time for the welcome party!

Pyro: ...

Pyro: Heh...

Pyro: (Well, it IS a sort of drill, I should have guessed...)

Bat: HA! That all you got, you walking oven rejects?! Almost ain't worth the ammo!

[Bat was riddling the hordes of CDNs with bullet holes--the mindless infected did not stop of waver, however. They really were malfunctioning.]

Pyro: Careful not to point that thing towards something Father might need active.

Bat: -He won't need THESE tin-cans active, brother, so-

Jaden: Tch.

Jaden: These guys make themselves—

[He made a RUN for it, WOW is he fast for his size—]

Jaden: -Leaps into the air- —such an easy TARGET!

Bat: !

Bat: -Hooo, that's SOME height--

[He lands down right on top of a few unfortunate CDNs HARD, and SLAMS some nearby with a backhand swing.

Then he fires right toward the entrance, into the horde.

Sure enough, it can just barely be seen that the Crash Bomb burrows into the constructs too—

—no wonder he asked if they were sentient, that would HAVE to hurt!]

[BOOM!]

[Parts go FLYING as the horde is dispersed--huh. These CherryDyn Models do break easy, don't they...]

Jaden: PATHETIC!

Jaden: I’ve seen /Pipis/ more sturdy than this!

[Once they are inside, the sounds of factory making and... other unpleasant noises greet the three team members.]

Pyro: ....!!

Pyro: -That's--

[...Oh.]

[...Those...look like the fire-type Industrial CDNs from the Oil Platform, aren't they--]

Jaden: Heads up!

[He aims for the CEILING this time.]

Pyro: ...!! Bat!

Bat: -STANDING CLEAR--

[There was a resounding crashing noise as the ceiling came down on top of the fire ‘bots.]

Pyro: Good one.

Bat: --Gh.

Bat: -Points- There's a whole lot more where that came from...

[...It was as if every time they fell one, two more would take their place. This time, it was the standard Security Elite drones that protected the Colosseum in their way...]

Pyro: Allow me.

Jaden: Pyro.

Jaden: Do you trust me?

Pyro: --?

Pyro: ....You have an idea?

Jaden: Yes, but if I’m wrong, it might hurt you a LOT.

Jaden: If I’m RIGHT, though…

Jaden: You’ll get more powerful and will be able to move a lot faster.

Pyro: --!

Bat: Ya can do that?

Pyro: Well, it's not like they haven't surprised us before, Five...

Jaden: I don’t have time to explain the details as to how it works, but yes. Only for fire ‘bots, though.

Pyro: Bat?

Bat: -BLAM- Worth a shot, Commander, but better hurry--enemy flank's comin' in T-Minus 20 seconds!

Pyro: ...

Pyro: -Nods-

Pyro: I trust you.

Jaden: If I’m wrong about this, I’m really sorry—

[He turns and fires right at Pyrogen!]

Bat: --?!?

Pyro: !!!

[Pyro flares and takes up a defensive stance by reflex, knowing that Jaden had fired too close to dodge--]

[FOOOOOOOSH!]

Pyro: --!?

[Suddenly, Pyro's energy levels take a very high spike--!]

[MN.6] //: -WHOA WHO TURNED ON THE LIGHTS, MAN, WHAT'S HAPPENING--

Jaden: -Winces a bit, shielding his face with his arm against the searing heat-

[It turns unbelievably bright, flames almost engulfing Pyro himself--]

Bat: Talk about great balls of fire--

[BURNING LEVEL 3 ENGAGED.]

Bat: -OH-

Jaden: Ngh—! -Staggers back, augh, that hurts to be so close—HURTS—-

Bat: -Ya might wanna stand back a lil' for this one, soldier—-

Jaden: Noted— -Takes cover behind some rubble-

[Without another word, Pyro charges past various other CDN with so much momentum that he BREAKS down the door to the other room--]

[MN.6] //: -Holy--

[...You can even see footprint shaped flames where he ran--]

"BURRRRNIIIIING...."

Bat: -FIRE IN THE HOLE--

"SPIRIT--!!!"

[BOOOM--!!]

[The entire building shakes from the small shockwave of wind and heat that followed, charred CDNs being blown backwards either half incinerated or just plain melted. ]

Bat: ......

Bat: HOO-RAH--!

Bat: THAT WAS SOME FINE EXPLOSIVE ARTILLERY, COMMANDER PYRO--

Bat: -You alright in there--

"........"

"Aside from being covered in soot, yes--"

"Though I didn't think that Crash Bomb would send me all the way to Level 3..."

[MN.6] // THAT WAS AWESOME--

[MN.6] //: -AND WE GOT IT ALL ON FILM, NICE-

<DWN-012>: > …Wait, you’re recording this?

[MN.6] //: -Bro when am I not recording, dude-

[There is an audible groan from the other destroyed room.]

"Really, Aviator?"

[MN.6] //:  : D

Jaden: -Snorts-

Jaden: -Starts laughing-

Jaden: Avi, you crack me up sometimes.

[MN.6] //: -Thank you, thank you~-

[MN.6] //: Where you at, fire bro?

"...It was where shipment supplies were being sorted and organized..."

[MN.6] //: Ooh, good! Nice job, you guys! : D

Jaden: Aheh… I’m just glad it worked—I had a feeling it would but oh man I am so many levels of glad I wasn’t wrong—

[MN.6] //: Uh--...What exactly is IN those things--

[MN.1] //: Questions later, Avi. Can you tell us where we are relative to the factory core?

[MN.6] //: Still a long way to go, bro, but the equipment isn't too far off!

[MN.6] //: How about you go on ahead towards that and tell the other teams to get a move on?

Jaden: -Looks around at the many things still smoldering and/or burning-

Jaden: You might want to have Lady Cryo kill the flames before anyone else comes this way.

[MN.1] //: ...That would be a good idea.

[MN.1 to MNN-ALL, DWN-012] //: Team Two and Three prepare to enter on my mark!

[MN.4] //: E :< -MIC SMASH--

[MN.1] //: Cryo, you'll be on lead, there...Is a bit of a fire hazard now--

[MN.2] //: BRO WE COULD HEAR YOU ALL THE WAY OVER HERE, THAT WAS GLITCHING S I C K--

[MN.2] //: -I'M READY TO PICK SOME CHERRIES, LET'S GO ALREADY--

[MN.6] //: -EEEEEEEEY-

[MN.8] //: -Ugh, WAI-

-*-*-*-

“I’d rather light things on fire, but that wouldn’t be being…

…a good House guest~”

-*-*-*-

[MN.8] //: --....

[MN.8] //: -Ngh....-

[MN.8] //: (...this’d be more fun if he were here.)

[MN.1] //: Ready?

[MN.1] //: Mark!

[MN.2] //: PERSON THAT TAKES OUT THE LEAST CHERRIES HAS TO BUY EVERYONE FOOD--

[MN.8] //: --!

[MN.8] //: OI, AH' AIN'T PAYIN' NOTHIN'--

<DWN-012>: >DUDE I DON’T HAVE ANY CASH, WE’RE LEGIT DIRT POOR YOU KNOW—

[MN.3] //: -Who careszz, YOU GUYSZZ ARE GOING TO EAT MY DUSZZT--

[MN.7] //: =_=;;;;;

<DWN-013>: > …

<DWN-013>: >You guys ran out of groceries again? Already? Seriously?

[MN.2] //: -IT WAS SHADEY--

[MN.8] //: AH' WAS-- -BANG- ASLEEP, YA MANIACAL SNOWGLOBE--

[MN.3] //: I bet it was Mic, he'szz been kinda craving everything since he got home.

[MN.4] //: ^^;;;!

[There is the sound of slicing and sword swinging over at Brand's feed.]

[MN.7] //: ...Unless Jack returned and raided our fridge.

[MN.5] //: -Doubt it, Secretary Donald is still at the lab-

<DWN-012, DWN-013>: > ?!

<DWN-013>: >  “Secretary”?

[MN.6] //: Uh--

[MN.6] //: Guys I'm getting some REALLY weird signals--

<DWN-013>: > This better not be a diversion, Avi—

<DWN-013 to MNN-005>: > Secretary of WHAT?

<DWN-012>: >Define “weird”. >_>

[MN.6] //: -No, DUDE, UH, AS IN “I CAN'T TELL WHAT IT IS” WEIRD AND IT'S HEADING YOUR WAY--

[MN.5] //: --?!?

[...There are clunking noises....]

[Sounds of something slugging and...sparking--?]

<DWN-013>: > Grrr…

[MN.1] //: What the--?!

[It LOOKED like it was one of the encountered enemies from Cryo's stage, but...]

[It looked like it had grown GIANT spider legs— and it was twitching erratically, this way and that.]

[MN.6] //: --??????

[MN.6] //: Dad, you gotta see THIS--

[DR.WHITE] //: --?!

[MN.6] //: That-- That isn't any CDN model I've seen--

[MN.6] //: -man it looks gross, EW-

Jaden: … This…

Jaden: -Ugh, no, not headaches now— -

[MN.1] //: Jaden--

[MN.5] //: There's more coming--!

_________________________

[MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE....]

Beck: What is going on in there--?

Will: Hmm...

Will: (This is concerning.)

Will: (Has CherryDyn become so desperate that they're literally mashing robot designs together...?)

Will: (Graham couldn't possibly be that stupid, and if he really is, it's very demeaning that he's done so much harm to us.)

Will: (No, this...This has to be something else...)

Beck: Dad? Is...Is everything okay?

Will: --Ah. Well...

[Will turns to the floating monitor, which showed the Teams all in a three way split screen.]

Will: They're encountering robots that we haven't anticipated before...

Beck: What?

Will: It seems CherryDyn has some... unreleased products still hot off the assembly line, so to speak.

Will: Be prepared for anything, Beck.

Beck: R-Right...

Beck: ....

Beck: You're gonna be okay, right, Dad?

Will: Well, I have you, don't I? ^^

Beck: Eheh...

Beck: Yeah, but, I mean, you only have that sword...

Will: Nonsense. Mikhail gave me something to defend myself with before we left....

Will: And while I haven't quite fenced in a while...

Will: I'm sure it'll come back to me. Muscle memory and all that.

Will: I'll be fine, Beck. So long as we stick together, yes?

Beck: R-Right! (^^)7

[MN.6] //: -Oof--UH--Yeah, I'm gonna head in there now, there's these weird flying things with drills on them and they do not look happy--

[PING!]

[The ping was clearly from someone on the RMDC server. Which was very odd, considering that it was supposed to have been in radio silence.]

Beck: --??

[Siamini’s worried data flooded the feeds.]

<DWN-019>: > Oh gosh Jaden, Speedy, where ARE you—

<DWN-019>: > Where is everybody?!

Beck: Siam--!

[MN.6] //: KINDA IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING, BRO--

<DWN-019>: > -Incredulous and growing annoyed- “In the middle of something—“

<DWN-019>: > -Increasingly frantic- GUYS ANSWER ME—

<DWN-012>: > Dude we’re BUSY—

<DWN-019>: > “Busy”!? What do you two think you’re DOING?!

<DWN-012>: >Siam, for all that is good, did you just call here to scream at us or what—

<DWN-019>: >  -Double data intensity- IDIOTS!

[MN.6] //: Dude, calm down, deep breaths--

<DWN-019>: >Avi, you don’t understand—

<DWN-019>: > -Talking over self- Are you two trying to live up to Wily’s name by being overly proud, or are you just plain stupid?!

<DWN-019>: >Hey, that’s not—

<DWN-019>: >There’s a primal analysis nexus being constructed, Avs! Doesn’t anyone remember what happened the LAST time a primal nexus was added into the database?!

<DWN-019>: >Do I have to spell it out for you?! If that thing goes live while you’re out there—!

<DWN-019>: > Even if it DOESN’T cause crippling pain, what kind of reaction do you think you’ll GET when you look at Shade?!

-*-*-*-*-

“Don’t… don’t do this… beg… begging you, please…”

-*-*-*-*-

[MN.8] //: --Ngh--hurts--

[Shade reeled in the despair of that painful memory. It stabbed at his heart, piercing him with sorrow right to the core.]

[MN.6] //: Sammy, bro, as much as we'd like to deal with it, we're all kinda out making sure Dad and Becker are okay in this crazy place--OW--

[MN.6] //: -OW GET THIS THING OFF OF ME--

[A red blur by Avi.]

[MN.6] //: --!

[Suddenly, whatever THING was on him was stuck with yellow boomerangs.]

[There is a SCREECH and then a Thud that followed--]

[MN.6] //: Whew--THANKS, SPEEDSTER--

<DWN-012>: >Siam, I know for a FACT that the data has been encrypted for slower release—otherwise, do you think I’d even be able to BE here at all? Please stop freaking out over something that isn’t IMMEDIATELY a problem, we’re kinda BUSY!

[Siam was clearly less than pleased with that answer. His data suggested that the situation was FAR worse than the Mighties were prepared for.]

<DWN-019>: >Do you HONESTLY think I would—

<DWN-012>: > YES

<DWN-019>: >I didn’t—

<DWN-012>: >I don’t care!

<DWN-019>: > GRAH! Why won’t you LISTEN to me!?

<DWN-013>: >No offense, bro, but if that’s all—

<DWN-019>: > IT’S NOT, YOU TWITS!

<DWN-019>: >There are some temporal anomalies and you’re all getting caught up in it! It’s not just you, it’s Mikhail as well—and do I need to remind you, YOU SPECIFICALLY, TWELVE, of how dangerous that could be to YOU, personally?

<DWN-012>: > -Mnnrrgh…!-

<DWN-019>: > Where is Mikhail?!

<DWN-019>: >I need Cardinal over here to properly oversee the updates, and I need his help with—

<DWN-013>: > Ugh—

<DWN-013>: >I’m SORRY, Gem, but— -BLAM!- 000 is still processing everything, we can’t move him yet, and it seems there are other problems—

<DWN-019>: >HOW can this possibly get worse?

<DWN-013>: > -Irritable- I think Mikhail is under arrest, Gemini!

[MN.5] //: (-Inwardly cursing self for using military titles where they are due out of respect, NGH-)

<DWN-019>: > …

[The feeds were slammed with acerbic data.]

<DWN-019>: >  -PANIC DATA-

<DWN-019>: >   -PANIC PANIC PANIC-

<DWN-011>: > …

<DWN-011>: > …Joking, right?

<DWN-011>: > Right?

<DWN-012>: > He was IN handcuffs, brother—

<DWN-019>: > Nnnnnnnn-nnn-nnn-noo—

<DWN-019>: > Stars above I don’t think I can do this—

<DWN-018>: >Look, I doubt that if—

<DWN-019>: >IT DOESN’T MATTER! NOT WHAT YOU THINK!

<DWN-019>: > I DON’T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO KEEP THAT DATA FROM REACHING THE COSSACK NUMBERS!

((COLLECTIVE OH GLITCH-- ))

[There was more than a little reason to worry. Having gone through so much suffering, the Cossack Numbers were very, VERY protective of their sister and their father. Mikhail had asked that they remain undisturbed for that very reason.

It was highly unlikely they could be convinced to sit it out—especially when one of the Numbers was the very epitome of rage.]

<DWN-018>: > Are you serious.

<DWN-019>: >I’m not the Admin, Nico! I don’t have that kind of power!

<DWN-018>: > That’s it. As head of the family, I’m intervening. Dealing with our dysfunctions is plenty; I am not going to put up with fighting the Russians. 

[It would seem that Nico had lost his patience.]

Will: -Winces-

Will: (Oh, no, this...This is not good--)

<DWN-018>: >Siam, there’s got to be SOMETHING you can do—

<DWN-019>: > Well I’ll TRY to stall—I think I can by changing the data Snow gets— but hurry up as much as you can, I need the rest of the family back as soon as possible!

[MN.6] //: Roger Dodger--

<DWN-018>: >Fine, do it. Gem, get that guy on the line. We’ve got to talk this out before it gets out of hand. And as for you two…

<DWN-018>: >Speedy, Jaden, you guys were BUILT for Combat, can’t you work ANY faster?!

<DWN-013>: > Grrr…

<DWN-013 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>

[MN.1] //: --!!

[Jaden began to glow white.]

[It almost… almost looked like the light from an evolution!]

[MN.6] //: -WHOA WHAT THE HECK--

Beck: --!!!!

Will: (What is...)

Beck: (I know that light--)

Will: (What IS that...?)

Beck: (I KNOW that LIGHT--!)

((pic))

Jaden: I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!

[MN.1] //: ??!?

[Jaden had changed. The was larger now, and bulkier—and based on the energy ratings from him, he was packing some SERIOUS heat.]

[MN.5] //: -DATA AT ALL THE WEAPONRY BORDERING ON SURPRISE AND EXCITEMENT--

[Hatches popped open.

YEP. Those were some sort of missiles inside.]

Jaden: WE’RE TAKING A DETOUR!

[MN.1] //: Jaden--!

[MN.5] //: -I SECOND THIS NOTION--

[MN.1] //: BAT--

[Jaden used CRASH BOMBER!]

[A barrage of about five Crash Bombs were nailed into the wall, where they burrowed.

MORE hatches popped open.]

Beck: -DAD DAD DAD LOOK--

Will: -Is looking but with awe--

Jaden:  -FIRE!-

[Missiles launched from EVERY port at once. In conjunction with the Crash Bombs, they took out the walls’ supports—flattening the constructs that HAD been behind it—]

[—with more continuing to the wall on the OTHER side of that room and turning it into a gaping hole of RUBBLE.]

[MN.5] //: HOOOOO-RAAAAAAAH!

[MN.1] //: -Is just shocked into silence-

Beck: YEAH, GO JADEN GO--!

Jaden: COME ON, MAJOR, WE HAVE AN EXTERMINATION CONTRACT TO HONOR—

Jaden: AND WE’RE SENDING THE BILL RIGHT TO HQ!

[MN.5] //: RIGHT TO GRAHAM'S ILL-GOTTEN OFFICE, TOO!

[MN.1] //: -The both of you better not level the place while WE'RE STILL IN IT--

[The hatches close.]

Jaden: Who said anything about leveling the building?

Jaden: These constructs, on the other hand…

[Jaden used BODY SLAM!]

[He rammed RIGHT into one of them, crunching it against the wall. It had been covered in spikes, but he took no damage.]

Jaden: ARE GONNA BE FLATTENED!

[He was jumped by several more constructs—or abominations, rather.

He skewers one with a drill and fires the Crash Bomb—with the enemy on it—right into several others, exploding.]

Beck: : D!!!!!!

Beck: -I KNEW HE COULD DO IT--

Beck: -I KNEW IIIIIIT-

[MN.6] //: Wowsers....

[MN.6] //: Uh...I'm pretty sure you guys can head on in? : D ;;;;;

Will: Ah, yes...

Will: Shall we?

Beck: Yeah!

Beck: Just stay behind me, Dad, okay?

Will: Oh, by all means, take the lead. ^^

<DWN-013>: > Let’s do this, Mighty Nine!

<DWN-013>: >We’re just the opening act—you’re the main show!

Beck: Heh!

Beck: -Running ahead- Gonna be hard to top what you dished out, Jaden! c: <

<DWN-013>: >Heh…

<DWN-013>: > Not for a hero like you, it won’t!

[A mess of what was once dense with virus fodder was now in utter ruin.]

[Will quietly made his way behind his son with methodical footsteps, careful to not let his guard down.]

Will: Goodness, the lot of you really made short work of all this...

Beck: No kidding...

[MN.5] //: HA! I've met CAN-OPENERS THAT WERE TOUGHER THAN THAT!

[MN.3] //: I appreciate the zzzeal, Bat, but can you tone down the trigger happy crazzzy little? Trying to concentrate.

[MN.2] //: KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!~ WHO WANTS FROZEN CHERRY SMOOTHIES FOR DESERT?~

[MN.6] //: Not of these weird things, bleh--

[MN.6] //: But get it together, you two! Tyrannasaurous-BECKS is here! : D

[MN.6] //: The haywire robot assembly line is just up ahead, Becker, it's all up to you! And Dad too, of course! : D Keep heading straight!

Beck: Roger, Avi! I'm on it!

Beck: --Whoooooa...

Beck: Pyro, what did you do?

[MN.1] //: I don't know how, but Jaden's Crash Bombs seem to have a sort of buff effect on me...

<DWN-019>: >Well of COURSE it does, you’re a fire based construct.

[MN.1] //: << -Siam shouldn't you be stalling right about now--

<DWN-012>: > -sNORT-

<DWN-012>: >You’re forgetting something, Pyro.

[MN.1] // -...Damn it, you're right, he can multitask--

Beck: -Cough, ugh, smoke's kinda bad--

Will: -Coughing and using lab coat sleeve over his mouth and nose-

[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]

Beck: -Blows smoke away with propeller wind-

Beck: Dad?

Will: -Ugh- Yes?

Beck: How exactly are you going to shut down the Primary M.O.M Unit?

Will: --...Ah...

Will: I'm going to try and hack my way into it...

Will: It can only be manually shut down from that one terminal.

Will: (....I might have to combat the virus myself while I'm at it...)

Will: .....

Beck: ...Dad?

Will: --...Er. We need to keep moving.

Will: If we can shut down the Primary Unit, we won't have to bother with the Secondary...

Beck: There's a secondary M.O.M unit?

Will: Yes, but it only serves as a sort of support pillar to the Primary--shutting THAT down won't slow or stop the factory itself.

Will: It's faster and much more effective to go straight to the Primary M.O.M unit than waste time with the Secondary.

Beck: Okay...

Beck: (......)

Beck: (When did Dad have time to read up on how CherryDyn's Factory setup works...?)

<DWN-019>: >I suppose it doesn’t surprise me there isn’t more of a redundancy in the system for failsafe measures.

<DWN-019>: >I’ll try to leave you be for now, I know that most people can’t do two entirely different things at once, but—

<DWN-019>: >I’m a little concerned by what is going on over there, given the kind of files Mikhail printed off from this server. And the fact he’s under arrest.

Beck: .... Files...?

Will: ......

<DWN-019>: >Evidence files, Beck.

Beck: ....For...For what?

Will: Siam.

<DWN-019>: >William, with all due respect—

<DWN-019>: >My family leader is dead and our Doctor could very well follow, and you’re in the middle of somewhere dangerous while I’m trying to keep the Cossack Numbers from hearing something I DON’T have the authority to censor.

<DWN-019>: >I am a bit stressed, sorry.

<DWN-019>: >You and I need to talk when this is over.

<DWN-019 has left the conversation.>

Will: ......

Will: -Sigh-

Will: >>

Beck: ...Dad...?

Beck: What's going on?

Will: . . . .

Will: Beck, it...

Will: . . .

[Will places a reassuring hand on his shoulder.]

Will: I...I'm sorry, but we don't have time.

Will: We have to get to that terminal.

Will: ...Please, I know...I know things seem troubling, and that's a light way to put it...

Beck: .....

Beck: No, I...

Beck: I get it.

Will: --?

Beck: We gotta keep going.

Beck: (....I get it...)

Beck: Avi said the factory line was just down this straight path...

[Beck hovered over to the other end of the room--or, rather, where the room WOULD end, because the wall that was there was in several different pieces now.]

Beck: Don't fall behind, Dad!

Will: . . .

<DWN-012>: >Boy does this bring back memories.

Beck: You said you did wreck a place like this before, right--

[THUD.]

<DWN-012>: >Yeah, the place where I was built—hmm?

<DWN-012>: >Mic, did you—

[SMAT!]

[MN.4] //: -Oops-

[MN.4] //: MIC SORRY, MIC DIDN'T BRING WALL BACK DOWN--

[MN.7] //: Speedy--

<DWN-012>: > -SPRINGS BACK UP, readjusts balance sensors- Ow.

[MN.7] //: . . .

[MN.7] //: -...Oh.-

[MN.4] //: -Speedy okay? Okay.-

<DWN-012>: >YEAH BRO I RUN INTO STUFF ALL THE TIME, no big deal—

[MN.4] //: -Goes back to crushing things-

<DWN-013>: >Him wrecking where we were built is more impressive than it sounds.

<DWN-013>: >I was built there too, and like all ‘bots, I had a testing phase. Let that sink in for a moment, heh.

<DWN-012>: >And…

<DWN-012>: >And there was also Wily Nine.

<DWN-013>: >Oh yeah—Dad assigned him to a factory, didn’t he?

<DWN-012>: >Yeah.

Beck: .....

Beck: (...Wily Nine...)

Beck: (....Huh...)

Will: --!!

Will: Beck, look out--!

Beck: !

[Beck flanked away JUST in time to avoid a MASSIVE cylinder-shaped pillar crashing down from the ceiling, the CherryDyn logo pulsing above in a hologram.]

Will: --!!!

Will: That's the secondary M.O.M Unit--!

Will: How did it end up--

[The Hologram suddenly glitched Red and PURPLE-- ]

Beck: ?!

[--And then out materialize the generator robots from the Power Plant--! ]

Beck: NOT THESE THINGS--

Will: -BACKING FAR AWAY NOW--

[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE.]

[A blast of chilling ice coated the generator bots before they could charge and lock his systems--Beck did NOT want to be rendered immobile with his Father so close to these dangerous CDNs.]

Beck: Dad, get away! Now!

Will: -Ngh--

[Will turned to take cover the other way--]

Will: --!!

[...Only to find that a few trash robots had been materialized to block him.]

Will: We're surrounded--!

[Will took a step back, holding his Rapier in his left hand while his right went behind his back.]

Will: Ngh...

Will: (Parry, thrust, stance wide...)

Will: (Never take your eyes off your opponent...)

Will: (Look them in the eye and strike without hesitation--!)

[One of the trash bots leaps--]

[CLANG!]

[Will side steps out of the way, the Xel in his weapon glowing as it is thrust into the construct--]

[KKKSST--]

[...The trash bot's Xel begins to melt away--]

[SHING!]

[And then suddenly, it isn't there anymore.

The Xel dissipates as the trash bot vanishes, stabbed right in the exact center of its central core.]

[Back in the Meadow, Siam was utterly speechless.

The manner in which Will had acted was nothing short of slightly terrifying. To see the ease and unflinching willingness in which he could dissolve those that opposed him…

…It was more than a little unnerving, and a harsh new perspective that cast the Doctor in a much darker light than before.]

<RMDC>: > SENDING UPDATES…

[The reaction to this permeating their collective consciousness was immediate.]

<DWN-011 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

<DWN-012 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

<DWN-013 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

<DWN-018 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

<DWN-019 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

Beck: --??? -Confused for a moment before going back to FIGHTING--

[Will let the trash bots come to him, watching their every move with a steely gaze that didn't quite suit his overall appearance...

He moved with practiced poise and grace, and while he did miss a swing here and there due to being out of practice--]

[SHING!]

[...The trash bots were no match for someone of Will's technique.]

[Siam suddenly felt very cold and ill. This was the man that had access to their blueprints and inner workings.

Suddenly, he wasn’t so willing to share them anymore.]

<RMDC>: > ERROR: ADMIN PASSWORD REQUIRED TO CHANGE ACCESS LEVELS. REQUEST DENIED.

<RMDC>: >CONTACTING ADMIN…

[The sickening chill had gripped the others as well. They were overcome with the need to flee for their lives.]

<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: > H-how much more of this do you think there i-is—

[MN.1 to DWN-013] //: ...Are you alright? -What is with the sudden drop in mood-

[MN.1 to DWN-013] //: This factory is CherryDyn's, I wouldn't be surprised if it is larger than we think.

<DWN-013>: > D-dammit…

<DWN-013>: > -N-no, we aren’t okay-

<DWN-013>: > Let’s g-get this over with and get out of here…

<DWN-013>: >I won’t abandon you now, but something has happened and now I very much want to go home.

[While Jaden had started showing submission again, his older brother had much the opposite effect.

His usual hot-blooded demeanor had turned icy cold, much more like Shadow’s when the latter was in a dangerous and silent mood.

Furthermore, his usually green eyes had turned and were now glowing a deep red—a sign that he felt the presence of a powerful and aggressive, cruel enemy in his midst.

…

But then there was a shudder of some sort in the air, almost a glitch within reality itself.]

<DWN-011 has left Defensive Combat mode.>

<DWN-012 has left Defensive Combat mode.>

<DWN-013 has left Defensive Combat mode.>

<DWN-018 has left Defensive Combat mode.>

<DWN-019 has left Defensive Combat mode.>

Speedy: -Puts a hand to his head- Nnngh…!

Brand: --!

[MN.7] //: Speedy--are you alright? (...What just happened?)

<DWN-012>: > I hurt, really bad— it’s like… like all my programs just ran flat into a wall and were turned off for ages—

[He coughs, trying to re-calibrate various sensors.]

<DWN-012>: >Ugh… I wasn’t made to handle that sort of thing, it really hurts…

[…He was right.

Somehow, he seemed to have taken damage from whatever that was just now. The readings showed it.]

<DWN-012>: > (Maybe Siam was right…. Nnnngh, I have a bad, bad feeling about this…)

[MN.4] //: -PING- -Mic can provide cover if you need a minute-

[...And it REALLY seems Mic was confident in this, because he was just walling the other crazed CDNs.]

<DWN-012>: > …

<DWN-012>: > -Emotional data- Th… thanks, man…

[He grits his teeth against the pain and forces himself back to his feet.]

<DWN-012>: > -You guys really are the best-

Brand: -SHING- No need to thank us. -SHING- Besides, being the defense is Mic's function.

[CRASH!]

[A bunch of CDNs were casually swept aside by Mic's huge arms--he briefly turns back to Speedy to give a reassuring smile.]

Mic: ^w^

Mic: -Turns again to WHAM on a CDN that tried to get the jump on him-- -NOPE, DENIED-

Speedy: Heh… -Weak smile- I guess just… so not used to it.

Speedy: Our family… my series, just so very different, such a different experience.

Speedy: Almost all my brothers shot at me at least once. Including the defensive-based unit.

Speedy: That was the last time I… actually fought, was… the [color=blue]end[/color] of our Generation…. As the Last Survivor of my series…

Brand: .....

Mic: -WHANG- : E -Awwwww-

Mic: -Mic give you hug later-

Mic: -Busy with Cherry crazies right now but IOU a hug-

Speedy: Heh…

[A larger boomerang materializes in his hand. He’s smiling with his eyes closed.]

Speedy: Just try not to crunch hug me, I hear FMN-004 likes to do that.

[When he opens his eyes again, they’re glowing with determination.]

Speedy: But we’ll make our way out of here, alright—

[He gives a short burst of a sprint to vault his way onto Mic’s back.]

Mic: -Oop- : D!

[He hurls the larger Quick Boomerang down the hallway, slicing through about a dozen and a half constructs before it gets wedged into a piece of machinery.]

Speedy: And we’ll get to hang out with someone that gives a better name to what these guys are associated with.

Speedy: Let’s speed things up so we can FFW to the feast, yeah?

Brand: -Nods-

[Brand slices a few CDNs in half before pointing his sword towards the next room.]

Brand: Onwards!

[MEANWHILE...]

Beck: KYAH!

[Beck doesn't waste a second slamming a guided missile at the M.O.M unit, it's systems damaged and scrambled--but it was now churning out fused abominations of whatever it could find in CherryDyn's database...]

Beck: What even ARE these things??

Will: -KICKS A TRASH BOT AWAY- The systems are infected! The manufacturing programs must be going haywire--

[Another trash bot that seemed to be fused with a fire based bot is dissolved--]

Will: --The virus must be finding schematics in CherryDyn's database and mixing them together--!

Beck: But WHY?

Will: --Ngh-- I don't know--

Will: (Does...Does SHE know I'm here--?)

[CRUNCH.]

Will: --??

[After a few seconds, there was a sudden explosion from beneath one of the heavier fused Xel beasties—]

Will: --?!?

[Sending (besides Xel) a splatter of hissing liquid and green shrapnel pieces everywhere.]

Beck: Dad?! Are you okay?!

Will: Fine--

Will: --!!

Will: (...B... Battery Acid...)

Will: (Ngh--not you, not NOW--!)

Will: BECK!

Will: We need to get moving, NOW!

Beck: On it!

[REXELECTION: PYROGEN]

Beck: Out of the WAY--!

[Will ducks for cover just in time before Beck unleashed a Level 2 Burning Spirit--]

[CRACK--CREEEEEEEEEEAK--]

[The display on the M.O.M unit flickers and dies, the top end of the pillar melting away and--]

[CRAAAAAASH!]

[...falls backwards, COMPLETELY taking out the wall to the next room after.]

Beck: --Oops--

Beck: Uh...aaaat least we can pass--? ^.^;

Will: Goodness--

Will: (I didn't think Level 2 would be THAT effective...)

Will: Are you alright?

Beck: Yup--I'm good!

Beck: Let's keep going--

"Eeeeyyy, Beckers!"

Beck: !

[Avi flies in from the giant hole in the wall, surveying the damage done by the now broken M.O.M unit.]

Avi: Wowzers, next time give a little heads-up there, buddy, you nearly pillar-ized me!

Avi: -BADAUM TISSS SOUND EFFECT OVER THE FEEDS- : D

Beck: -Giggles- Sorry, Avi, I didn't know you were there.

[MN.7] //: -My guess is Avi, which means ignore it-

Avi: Love ya too, Ninjabro! ;D

Avi: Things all good with you, Dad?

Will: I'm fine, Six--what's the status of the other teams?

Avi: Team One is making some pretty good headway, and the other Teams are following right behind--they're not too far ahead of where we are.

<DWN-013>: >I must admit concern for the structural integrity of the place if we collectively keep blowing up walls and stuff, though…

<DWN-013>: >It’ll probably be declared structurally unsafe after we get out of here.

<DWN-012>: >Heh, no big loss. |D

Avi: -Snorts-

Beck: Hey, Avi--you haven't seen some weird fused robots, have you?

Avi: Oh, THOSE things--

Avi: Yeah, they're popping up everywhere in this place, they're so weird--

Will: Hmm...

<DWN-013>: > That’s rather not my point, though—

<DWN-013>: >We can say with a great degree of certainty that when things get unstable enough, they collapse and bury you alive, it happens more often in our family than you think. If this keeps up for too long, that puts you in a lot of danger, Uncle Will.

Will: ....

Will: (He's right--there's not only the infected robot threat, but the status of the factory building itself...)

Will: ....

Will: The fused infected CDNs and the weakening integrity of the building is all the more reason why we must hurry to the Primary M.O.M unit.

<DWN-013>: >Gah…

<DWN-013>: >If only we had Cardinal’s use of the Search Snake Power Capsule right now—that thing is great for scouting out unknown territories, it’s why it was made to begin with…

Will: (...Or to spy on others, in this case...)

Will: Avi, can you scout out the next room for us?

Avi: Already did, Daddo! Cleared it out while you guys were busy--this way!

[The next room seems to be a data storage room, with screens that take up the entire wall much like in Sanda Labs...]

[...Except they showed off dozens upon dozens of blueprints and schematics for all sorts of CDN Industrial Models--it looked like a viewing room for whatever few humans that DID work in the factory to oversee the manufacturing process.]

Beck: -Look, ITS A ROUND DIGGER, BUDDYYYYY-

Will: (All these models...)

Avi: --!!

Avi: Well, well, well, what do we have here...

<DWN-012>: >A punplane who’s about to tell us something interesting?

[Avi flies over to a schematic that's waaaaay up high near the ceiling, something that seemed...Out of place...]

Avi: Hey, Dad? The rest of these plans are for Industrials, right?

Will: ...They all seem to be, yes...

Will: Did you find something?

Avi: ..Oh, yeah, I FOUND something, alright--

Avi: A schematic for a COMBAT Model.

Will: --!

<DWN-012>: >I don’t get why that’s so strange—

Avi: (And if I'm reading this right--)

Avi: --!!

Avi: Uh Oh--

Avi: DAD I GOTTA GO--

<DWN-013>: >Woah, woah, woah—

<DWN-013>: > -Avs are you okay— -

Will: What--

Avi: Got a hot scoop to deliver to Doc Sanda-Man, DON'T WORRY I'LL BE RIGHT BACK--

[Without another word, Avi shifts into Jet Mode and zooooooms back out the way Will and Beck came in.]

Will: Wait--Avi! What about Soi?!

Beck: ....

[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]

[Beck flies up to where Avi saw the schematic for the CDN combat model...]

Beck: ....

Beck: K-9...?

<DWN-013 and DWN-012>: > …

<DWN-012>: > Scrap—

<DWN-012>: > Canine models can get VICIOUS…

Beck: Combat model designed to patrol and guard--

Beck: Maximum security establishments--!

<DWN-013>: > UGH this is all Fahrenheit 451 on us—

Beck: -THERE'S ONE AT THE PRISON--

Will: SOI!

Will: (Oh God SOICHIRO--)

Will: (And you--)

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Soi: A-Are you sure you don't want to, uh... swap missions...?

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Will: (Oh, Soi, I never should have--!)

Beck: Dad--Uncle Sanda--!

Beck: And--And Call--!

[PING!]

<DWN-018>: > -Shocked data-

<DWN-019>: > NICO YOU STAY PUT—

Will: --!!

[Unfortunately, this was the worst thing that Siam could have said. Nico quickly snapped out of it, and his data became almost horrifically aggressive.]

<DWN-018>: > … You—

[There’s a loud WHANG and a crash, followed by static—]

[As if Siamini had been flung against a wall by a powerful force, and possibly into a transmitter.]

Beck: Wha--?

Will: (Nico...)

Will: (....Soichiro is going to need all the help he can get in there--)

Will: (Oh, please, Avi, PLEASE get there in time to warn them--!)

<DWN-012>: > Augh…

<DWN-012>: > By the time this is over EVERY ROBOT MASTER AWAKE is gonna end up in repairs, GREAT—

<DWN-013>: >With Cardinal, Nico, and Siam all out of it…

<DWN-012>: > I KNOW—

<DWN-012>: > Let’s hurry up and get out of here before I have no one left to look over!

<DWN-012>: > Doctor!

Will: --!

<DWN-012>: >Based on the perimeter and area of the building before we got in here, how close do you think you are to where you need to be? And would it be on this same floor or in a basement?

Will: Th-The same floor--and there's still quite a bit to go--

<DWN-012>: >Nnngh…

<DWN-012>: >Alright then—

<DWN-012>: >We need to make sure the building stays in one piece until then. Mic, as you go along, will you put in reinforcement beams in rooms and so forth to reinforce the structural integrity?

[MN.4] //: -PING- Hmm hmm! ^w^

<DWN-012>: >Good. Team One—

[There’s a loud crashing noise.]

Brand: . . . .??????

Brand: -What--

Brand: -I thought that only happens in the old cartoons Avi watches all the time--

[MN.8] //: Oi, what the HELL was that noise--?!

[MN.2] //: -Shadey stop being grumpy and COVER ME YOU COWPOKING GRUMP-

Beck: Dad--

Will: -Ngh...-

Will: We have to keep moving--

Will: (Soi--Soi has Avi coming, and Call is there, and Nico is on his way...)

Will: (He'll be fine, he'll be fine--oh goodness please let him be alright after this--)

<DWN-012>: > …Uh…

<DWN-012>: >OKAY so apparently not all the walls are meant to take Combat-model force momentum??

<DWN-013>: > …

<DWN-013>: > You RAN THROUGH A /WALL/ are you SERIOUS—

<DWN-013>: >  -CRACKS UP LAUGHING-

[MN.2] //: -Yo for REAL, HE DIDN'T GO SPLAT--

Will: (... Well, this IS mostly an Industrial Robot Factory...)

<DWN-013>: > Are you kidding, Sis?

<DWN-013>: > -Warm data- Dad made him to be FINE after running into walls at well over 100 mph.

<DWN-013>: >I guess since he held up and something has to give when two objects meet…

<DWN-013>: > He just went right through the wall oh I’m dying of laughter here

[MN.2] //: -DUUUUUUUDE THAT'S SICK-

<DWN-013>: >How are you three holding up, by the way?

<DWN-013>: >Haven’t heard from you in a whi—

[MN.2] //: HEY MIC DO YOU THINK IF YOU THREW ME AT A WALL I'D GO THROUGH IT TOO LIKE THE KOOL-AID MAN IN THE FUNNY COMMERCIALS--

<DWN-013>: >  -SNORTS-

[MN.1] //: -cryo please FOCUS ON YOUR TEAM, NO ONE IS THROWING YOU AT A WALL-

[MN.2] //: -BUT IT BE SO COOL, THO, I'D BE ALL OOOOOH YEAH, GLITCHES, GET WRECKED--

[Jaden’s laughter quiets down a bit, but he’s still grinning as he goes at the infected CDNs around him in drill-to-hand combat.

He’s quite good at it, too, in a way that suggests he trained to be so.]

[MN.3] //: -Bzzzzt, we're fine, just pretty concentrated on these CDN creeps-

[MN.8] //: -Very focused data, trying to stay in the zone here but SOMEONE KEEPS YELLIN'--

[MN.2] //: -TOO BAD, I'M TEAM LEADER, PLLLLLLLPGH- -Raspberry noises-

<DWN-013>: > -Gently- Shade?

[MN.8] //: What?

<DWN-013>: > You’re awfully tense, and that makes it harder to focus right.

<DWN-013>: > …Everything will be okay.

[Shade didn’t respond to that.

As much as he was trying to hide it, he was in a great deal of emotional pain and physical exhaustion. He had only just woken up from the fights of his life, and the main thing that kept him going in the face of the terrible things, the things he had done—the only thing that kept him going was because he HAD to.

He had to—they needed him—

And he had to, he had to keep his mind—keep it off of—]

[MN.8] //: (Nnngh…)

[…The fact that the update of Cardinal’s memories to the server was a ticking time bomb, just waiting to make the Rebel Angels even more terrified of him and potentially hostile…

…really, really wasn’t helping.]

<DWN-013>: > We’re all in this together, alright?

<DWN-013>: >And we don’t need perfection here just now—

[Background noise of something being lit on fire.]

[MN.8] //: .....

[MN.8] //: -mmmgh.-

<DWN-013>: > -He’ll be okay, I promise-

<DWN-013>: >He’s already running again.

[MN.8] //: ........

[There was a muffled bit of data that seemed edge with dread—dread, uncertainty, anxiety, concern—

Almost as if he were thinking to himself a worry that what happened could ever be forgiven.]

<DWN-013>: > Ah ah—I know that data—

<DWN-013>: >Just try and loosen up a bit and be there for your sisters, okay?

<DWN-013>: >We can deal with the rest later after we get home.

<DWN-013>: >Think of it as…

<DWN-013>: > -Lightbulb-

<DWN-013>: >Some DLC for your tagging incident. : ]

[MN.8] //: --....

[MN.8] //: (....That would be nice...)

[MN.2] //: -YEAH AFTER WE CLEAN UP CHERRY'S MESS, WE CAN AAAAALL BE NICE AND CHILL TOGETHER-

<DWN-012>: >GG, Icewoman—

<DWN-012>: >Now I want black cherry flavored snowcones—

<DWN-013>: > I prefer strawberry and lemonade flavor, myself.

[MN.2] //: -Glitch when Snow wakes up we gotta make ALLLL THE SNOWCONES AND ICE CREAMS--

[BOOM-!]

[MN.2] //: --What the glitch was that?

<DWN-012>: >I’m not sure— Bat?

[MN.5] //: That wasn't us or Pyro--not Jaden either--

[MN.1] //: Avi isn't here and Shade didn't blow up anything, did you?

[MN.8] //: Nope--

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

[MN.7] //: Beck--

[Static.]

[MN.9] //: B--Buddy--that's not Buddy--

[MN.7] //: -????-

[DR.WHITE] //: It's--It must be an unreleased, upgraded Round Digger Model--!

[Explosions can be heard over the feeds--]

[MN.9] //: -BUDDY IS LIKE TEN TIMES BETTER THAN YOU, STOP SHOOTING WATER AT ME--

<DWN-013>: > …

<DWN-013>: > -A Digger that uses WATER????-

<DWN-013>: >Are you sure that’s not a glitched model?

[MN.9] //: -Don't care--

[SHING!]

[MN.9] //: -This thing can wreck the whole building if we leave it unchecked--

<DWN-013>: >If Avi were here, I’m sure he’d be punning about “where’s the fire” or soOOOOOoOooohhhhh okayyy…

<DWN-012>: > -No, bailing and letting it run loose is not an option-

<DWN-013>: > -Didn’t mean it wasn’t tempting for a moment-

[SHING SHING SHING--]

[MN.9] //: -UGH THIS THING IS WAY TOUGHER THAN BUDDY WAS--

<DWN-012>: >But nowhere near as tough as you!

<DWN-012>: >I guess he’s using your form, Brand. : ]

[MN.7] //: >> -....He uses it well-

[MN.9] //: -wat really--

[MN.9] //: -I MEAN--THANKS NII-SAN--

[There's a strange burst of data when Beck is praised by his elder brother--]

[SHINGSHINGSHINGSHINGSHINGSHING--!]

<DWN-013>: > ?

Will: Oh my--

<DWN-013 to MNN-007>: >Brand, what am I hearing?

[MN.7] //: Otouto?

[MN.9] //: -......-

[MN.9] //: @~@

[MN.9] //: Sooooo dizzyyyy...

[MN.9] //: -Blrgh, dad why did you program me for nausea--

Will: -I--I think Beck just did Brand's Spin Slash technique--

Speedy: -Raises an eyebrow- …

[MN.7] //: What!?

[MN.9] //: WHOA WHAT REALLY I CAN D O THAT NOW--

[MN.9] //: -NII-SAN--NIIII-SAAAAAN I DID THE THING--

Speedy: -Slight wry grin- So when you hear it from someone you hold in high regard then, huh…?

[MN.7] //: -Low-key actually excited about this, what, that isn't pride, what are you talking about--

[MN.9] //: : D!!

<DWN-013>: >So… he can unlock secondary abilities, too? -Seems… pleased about this, in a sense-

<DWN-013>: >I wonder if that’ll happen when eventually you get to have our forms.

<DWN-012>: >Heh. Imagine Beck, like, duplicating himself!

<DWN-012>: >Or teleport spamming! B]

<DWN-013>: > -Chuckles at this-

<DWN-013>: >You’re just full of awesome surprises, aren’t you, lil’ bro?

<DWN-013>: > -Warm ping of approval-

[MN.9] //: ^//^

[MN.9] //: Eheh...

[MN.9] //: -Imeannii-sanistheonewhomadeupthatmoveso--

[MN.7] //: >>;

<DWN-013>: > -Laughs in data- Tell you what, Beck!

<DWN-013>: >After this is over, I’ll teach you some of the non-Capsule style moves I use!

[MN.9] //: -OOOO REALLY--

[BLAM--]

Will: Oh dear Beck wait for me--

[Will hurries behind a gleefully excited Nine, who is spurred on by the prospect of learning something new from one of his other brothers.]

Beck: Come on, Dad, how much further?

Will: Ah--Not long now, now that you took care of that Round Digger...

Will: We should be seeing some of the assembly lines right around here...

Will: .....

Will: That's odd...

Beck: --? Huh? What is?

Will: ...The assembly lines are going in reverse--?

<DWN-012>: >Say what?

<DWN-012>: >That sounds… really gruesome…

Will: (That's strange--why would the factory disassemble its own models?)

Will: (Something is wrong here...)

Beck: .......

Beck: (There's a lot of Xel up ahead, I can feel it...)

Beck: (Huh...)

<DWN-013>: >Why would models be being torn apart into Xel? That’s honestly messed up. >.>

<DWN-013>: >Even a malfunction should just cause it to shut off, because a buildup backlog would just cause an explosion somewhere.

<DWN-012>: > …Unless it were being used somewhere else in the factory, somehow…

<DWN-013>: >Doing what?

Will: Only one way to find out...

Beck: Keep going?

Will: Yes.

<DWN-013>: >Let us know.

<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: >Kinda concerned we haven’t heard from 18 or 19 yet…

<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: >Nico must have either knocked 19 out entirely or else taken out the transmitter altogether. I hope it’s just the transmitter, because I don’t want our cousins to get involved…

[MN.1] //: Tch...

[MN.1] //: (Alnico, you better know what you're doing...)

[MN.2] //: --uh--

[MN.2] //: Guyyyyys--

<DWN-013>: > -Distracted- Yeah, Icesis?

[There is what could only be described as absolute chaos over Cryo's team's feeds--even Beck himself could hear it on the next rooms beyond.]

Beck: --!

[MN.2] //: WE MIGHT BE IN TROUBLE HERE--

[MN.8] //: -REQUESTIN' BACK-UP, THERE'S BEEN A INFLUX OF CDNs--

[MN.3] //: -BZZZZZZT OW--

<DWN-012>: >UH.

<DWN-012>: >TEAM ONE YOU MIGHT NEED TO BACKTRACK—

<DWN-013>: > Hang in there!

[MN.1] //: Bat! Move up front with Jaden--we're heading to the assembly lines!

[MN.5] //: Roger that, Commander--

[MN.1] //: Speedy, Brand, Mic, how far are you from their location?

[MN.4] //: -Not far, heading that way now--

[MN.1] //: Beck, stay with Father until we can clear things up enough for you to pass though!

Beck: Yessir!

[There’s an increasingly loud clanging noise coming closer.]

[MN.2] //: -EY, CALVERY IS COMING--

[MN.3] //: -BZZZ, HEY, HANDSZZ OFF THE PONCHO--

Jaden: -Runs in- HI BECK—

Jaden: -Runs past- BYE BECK—

Beck: !!

Bat: CHAAAAAAAARGE--

Beck: -WHOOPS, OUT OF THE WAY--

[Pyro does pause for a moment when he catches up to check on Beck and Will--]

Pyro: --...

Pyro: Father, you're a mess--

[Will did look a bit worse for wear, but there wasn't any real major injuries to worry about.]

Will: Eheh... Don't worry about me, son.

Will: Go.

Pyro: -Nods-

Beck: -GO GET THEM, BRO--

[Inside the assembly lines....]

Cryo: TOOK YOU GUYS LONG ENOUGH--

Cryo: -FREEZES A CDN instead of finishing that SENTENCE--

Dyna: -BZZZZ, THEY JUST KEEP COMING--

Jaden: Not for much longer, they don’t.

Shade: Ya seen Brand and the others--?

[Shade, of course, was at a high vantage point along with Cryo to pick off the CDNs as they came out of the lines.]

Shade: We need them t' trash the equipment--

[CRASH—]

Pyro: --!!

Speedy: -Keeps running so he doesn’t get run over- HI GUYS MIC AND BRAND ARE RIGHT BEHIND ME, STAY OUTTA THE WAY I THINK THEY AREN’T GONNA BE STOPPING EITHER—

[SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING--]

[RRRRRRRRRRR--]

Mic: -SLAMS RIGHT INTO A PROCESSING UNIT-

[Speedy opens fire with Quick Boomerangs.

Shade flinches at the sound.]

Shade: --ngh--

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

KTANG!

[Leaping onto the walls and vaulting onto a statue, he peppered the room with high speed Quick Boomerangs.]

"You clearly haven’t learned I don’t go down so easy, Counter.”

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Cryo: Hey! -Sprays with cold water--

Shade: GAH--

Cryo: I need ya here and now, bro, gotta keep those CherryDyn's down!

Shade: | [ -Ya didn't have to cold spray me--

Brand: Mic! Help me with these processing units!

Mic: -MIC SMASH--

Jaden: HEY MIC!

Mic: !

[He fires into a bit of debris and kicks it over Mic’s way.]

Jaden: Give ‘em a slam dunk! >B]

Mic: E : <

Mic: -WHAM--

[A slew of CDNs are crushed underneath the pile of debris, now just a pile of Xel on the floor.]

Cryo: -THREE POOOOOINTS--

[BOOM!]

Brand: --!

Mic: -OOO TRASH BALL GO BOOM--

Pyro: Dyna, barrier!

Dyna: You got it--!

[A bunch of bits fly in front of Pyro to create an electric shield, which he stands behind for a moment before igniting himself--]

[--And CHARGING FORWARD, Using Dyna's shield as a battering ram against the CDNs--!]

[Interesting. Bits of surge from what’s left of the Crash Bomb provide a boost. Not NEARLY as much as the full thing, but still.]

[PING!]

[MN.6] //: HEY GUYS, AM I LATE TO THE PARTY--

Speedy: EEEEY, LOOK WHO’S OUTTA THE JOINT.

Speedy: Tell me you have good news, bro!

Speedy: Everyone’s in one piece, yeah?

Avi: Yo I got there JUST in time, bro, Call's giving the pooch a lesson--

Speedy: How’s our younger brother?

Avi: They're on their way to Doc Blackwell, and--Uh.

Avi: ....Wait, what?

Speedy: …

[He leaps up onto a higher vantage point to start taking out his frustration on the production lines.]

Speedy: Nico went in there! Are you saying he’s not back yet?

Avi: -YO SAY WHAT--

Jaden: He must have seen Call on the screen after Siamini looked up the status of the Sanda team after hearing you freak out over the dog plans.

Avi: -I--I didn't see him there, I didn't know, I only broadcasted to Sanda-bag--

Avi: -Gaaaaaaah if I knew I would've stayed and backed him up--

Pyro: Avi--

Avi: --?

Jaden: I wouldn’t worry about it…

Jaden: He could tear things up pretty badly if he puts his mind to it.

Jaden: Especially if he took shrapnel bits with him on the way…

Speedy: I’m going to guess yes, given he was going into something with Combat in mind.

Avi: -Oh-

Avi: ....

Avi: : ' D -Okaaaaaaay yup cuz that's not terrifying to think about at all--

Jaden: -Laughs at this-

((pic))

Jaden: We’re Wily constructs, dude.

Avi: : ''''' D

[PING!]

[MN.9] //: How are you guys holding up?

[MN.5] //: Managed to push them back at least--

[MN.6] //: -EY BECKO GUESS WHAT, CALL'S BEATING UP THE DOGGIE AND NICO'S, UH--GOING IN FOR BACK UP-

[MN.9] //: Oh, That's-- waitdidyousaynico--

<DWN-013>: >Yyyyyyeah, uh…

[MN.9] //: -NOBODY TOLD HIM ABOUT CALL--

<DWN-013>: >No, we didn’t, but he apparently saw, because he took out both the transmitter and possibly Siamini as well in the process of storming off.

[MN.9] //: -Thaaaaaaaaaat's not good--

[MN.9] //: Do you guys need a hand?

<DWN-013>: >No thanks, I don’t use hands. B]

<DWN-013>: >No hands no problem, right, Shade?

[MN.8] //: Heh...

[MN.8] //: Little help does sound nice, though.

[MN.1] //: Someone has to stay with Father--

[DR.WHITE] //: No, we're running out of time--

[DR.WHITE] //: We NEED to get past this into the main assembly line--

Jaden: You want me to come over?

[DR.WHITE] //: No, Jaden, you're needed with the rest of your team--all of you just keep concentrating on the infected units while we slip by!

[MN.9] //: -Don't worry, I'll be in Mic's form for defense--

Jaden: Awesome! Go for gold, guys. : )

Jaden: We’ll just be having a ball here, right, Icesis?

[REXELECTION: SEISMIC]

Beck: -Snorts-

[MN.2] //: -TEN POINTS FOR YOU-

Beck: Hey, Dad--get on!

Will: --Wait--what, on you--

Beck: -This'll be much faster than you on foot--Don't worry, 'Linka and I do this all the time--

Will: Oh--

Beck: Just hold on tight because we're going to be going really fast--

Will: Uh--H-How fast--

[RRRRRRRRRRR--]

[MEANWHILE...]

Mic: -SMAAAASH--

Brand: --Mic, is that noise you--

[RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR--]

Will: -SCREAMING, TOO FAST, TOO FAAAAAAAAST--

Avi: -GO BECK GO--

Beck: -SKIDS AROUND STUFF- You sure you guys don't need some--

[WHANG--!]

Beck: !!

[OH WHEN DID A ROUND DIGGER GET IN HERE--]

Jaden: Woah! -Knocked over-

Brand: Haaaaaah--!

[S H I N G !]

Jaden: o.o

Jaden: -Looks as the half of a Round Digger turns into Xel goop- Nice one, bro.

Brand: Hmph.

Brand: Nothing here my blades cannot handle.

Cryo: -Oh stop being dramatic, ya loopy ninja-

Mic: -NOPE, got this area all under control-

Mic: -Maybe help Cryo team instead--

Cryo: PFFFT, I'm ice CREAMING these bots--

Cryo: -There's snow many of them though--

Shade: -Sigh- -BANG-

Shade: Maybe if ya spend more time FIGHTIN' and less on yer lame puns...

Cryo: -Shrills- WHAT?!

Cryo: Just remember who you're talking to, Shadey, I'm SIX WHOLE NUMBERS OLDER THAN YOU--

Jaden: Like the other punster? | ]

Avi:  : D

Cryo: Okay YES but six as in OLDER--

Shade: -Rolls his eye- Yeah, yeah, an' Ah'm--

Pyro: Shade stop arguing with your sister--

Shade: -OI SHE STARTED IT WITH HER PUNNIN'--

Speedy: -Laughs a little at this-

Jaden: -Jumps onto Mic- You provide a great vantage point, bro. : )

Mic: ^ W ^

Beck: -ZOOOMS AROUND XEL MUSH-

Will: -AAAAAAAH STILL TOO FAST, HELP-

Speedy: Buckle up, Will! |D

Will: -WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT I DIDN'T DESIGN BECK W I T H SEAT BELTS--

Beck: -Skids as he just HAS TO LAUGH AT THAT--

Beck: -BYE GUYS, HEADING FOR THE LINES NOW--

Will: -PLEASE, I want to get ooooofff--

Pyro: Bat! You're with me, we're going to secure the room ahead!

Pyro: Jaden, stay here and provide support for the others, alright?

Jaden: You’ve got it.

Jaden: Come on, bro, let’s wreck some things.

Speedy: Heh. It’s what we were made for!

[They both give devilish grins.]

Beck: -GOOD LUCK GUUUUUYS--

[Beck, with his father in tow, races across many a battered hallway, Pyrogen and Battalion following close behind.]

Pyro: Crash and BURN!

[Following Pyro's lead, they thin out the CDNs that littered the reversed assembly lines, giving Beck a clear pathway towards the center of the factory.]

Bat: HAHA! Now that's what I like to see! First into battle, the tip of the spear!

Pyro: | ]

Pyro: Heh, of course--it's a leader's duty, after all.

Beck: --!!

Beck: Dad--look!

Will: -Opens his eyes--

Will: !

[CHERRYDYN MAIN ASSEMBLY LINE FLOOR.]

Will: At last!

Pyro: We'll keep things under control here so nothing tries to come up from behind!

Pyro: Good luck, Beck!

Beck: c : <

[The door automatically opens, and then slams shut behind them--]

Beck: !

Beck: Whooooooooooa...

[Right in the middle of the entire assembly floor was the Primary M.O.M unit, it's displays flashing from red to purple with errors littering the holoscreens around it.]

Will: There it is...

Will: .....

Will: (All the assembly lines so far lead to here, but in the reverse way...)

Will: Alright, first, we need to find it's computer core and destroy it--

Will: That will halt all of the production lines so I can hack into the systems themselves and shut them down for good--

[Will calmly approaches the M.O.M unit slowly, looking for any sort of panel it might have that will reveal it's inner workings...]

Will: Beck, I need you to scan this with your C.Visor and--

Beck: --!!!

Beck: DAD, UP--!

Will: --?!

[Beck grabs Will and yanks him backwards, right before--]

Will: -Fumbles right into his back-

Will: Wh--

[GGGHGHGHGGGGGH...]

[The Doctor scrambles to his feet as the very earth shakes from the force of a giant, MASSIVE construct slams down just where he was not moments ago--]

((pic))

Will: What on--?!

[PING!]

<DWN-013>: >WOAH, guys, what’s with the shaking—

<DWN-013>: >It’s like something Gamma size slammed down!

[MN.9] //: -WHAT THE HECK IS THAT--

[MN.9] //: WHAT IS THAT, IT'S--IT'S LIKE FOUR TIMES BIGGER THAN MIC--

[DR.WHITE] //: G--Good heavens--

[DR.WHITE] //: I--I've never seen it's like before--th--this isn't like ANYTHING that CherryDyn's schematic database has--!

[DR.WHITE] //: --!!!!

[DR.WHITE] //: No, wait--of course, it makes sense now--the reversed assembly lines, the mixed up fused robots--

[DR.WHITE] //: The factory, the virus--it's--

[DR.WHITE] //: It's begun to CREATE it's OWN DESIGNS--!

[MN.9] //: WHAT--?!

[MN.9] //: H-HOW, HOW WOULD--

<DWN-013>: >Ooookay, um…

<DWN-013>: >Where are you guys right now, exactly—

[DR.WHITE] //: -Too terrified to answer--

<DWN-013>: >I’m… going to try and contact Siam, hang in there—

Beck: D--Dad--?!

Will: (Run, we need to--!)

[Will backs up, but the cold, hard surface of the door reminds him that they just can't run from this.]

Will: (Ngh--!)

???: -HELLISH SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

[MN.7] //: -What on EARTH WAS THAT--

Beck: This thing is huge--

Beck: Why would the virus want to--to MAKE something like this--?

Will: Ngh--

Will: It's still trying to cause mass destruction...

<DWN-013>: >Okay, so I couldn’t contact Siam, BUT—

<DWN-013>: >I was able to contact someone else, and they’ll be right on over—

???: S C R E E E E E E E E E --

Will: Beck--

Will: We--We have to--

Will: -Grips sword-

Will: We can't let this thing leave this factory--!

Will: We have to stop it here--now, and shut down the M.O.M Unit before it can create an ARMY of these--!

Beck: --!!

Beck: But this is--this is WAY bigger than anything else--

Will: We have to TRY!

Will: Otherwise it will tear this place apart with EVERYONE IN IT!

Beck: --!!

Beck: (Everyone--)

[TRIGGER RECONIZED. XELFILTER.EXE ENGAGED.]

Will: You distract it!

Will: I'll handle the M.O.M Unit!

[REXELECTION: SEISMIC.]

Beck: Yes, sir!

[SCANNING...]

((pic))

[SCAN COMPLETE.]

[E N C O U N T E R.]

[MODEL: CDN-XXX, CODENAME: NAMELESS]

[HEIGHT: 774cm WEIGHT: 4048kg XEL COUNT: 809,200,000]

[The giant Xel goliath lurches forward, and one of it's arms raises to the sky--]

[And-- detatches--?]

<CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: HARD KNUCKLE.>

Beck: -UH OH--

[The arm rotates, and the boosters on its end propel it STRAIGHT at the pair--]

[Will and Beck both dive on opposite directions, Beck rolling to the left while Will tumbles to the right and off the platform.]

Will: -Ow--

Will: (Have to get to the M.O.M unit--!)

[The M.O.M unit is a slick jet black pillar instead of the smaller white secondary unit...

He calls on the terminal at once and begins to type away.]

Will: (If I can just find an old back door I used for this...)

[ACCESS DENIED.]

Will: Argh--!

Will: (Of course HE would lock my old pathway out of the system--!)

Will: (Fine, hacking the old fashioned way, then--where is that computer core--?)

[BLAM BLAM BLAM--]

[CRAAAAAAASH--!]

Will: --?!?

Will: Beck--?! Are you--

[As Will turns around, he is SURPRISED to see the giant, 25 foot tall Xelbot--]

[....Utterly in pieces.]

Will: Wha?

[...]

"Ngh..."

[POP!]

[Beck's head peeks out from the mountain of debris, in his default form.]

Beck: Okay, so...

Beck: These things break WAY too easy to my default weapon.

Beck: No joke!

Will: ...Really?? ?_?

Beck: Yeah!

Beck: Huh. Kinda weird that something is that big and it doesn't even hold well...

[CERCHINK--]

[A panel slides open behind Will, prompting him to turn around to watch it open--]

[ A black sphere with the CherryDyn logo on it juts out, pulsing with a sickly purple glow--there was no saving this data core, not when it was so corrupted like this.]

Will: The computer core--!

Will: (So it is infected...)

Will: Beck--

[SCREEEEEEEEEEEEECH--!]

Beck: -Wha--

[The earth once again shakes, felt by all in the building--]

Beck: A--Another one??

Nameless: -SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

Beck: GAK--

[Wait, why is the floor moving BACKWARDS--]

<CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: DWN-009>

Will: BECK!

[Chink--]

Will: --!

Will: No you DON'T--

[SHINK--!]

[Will manages to slash at the core with his Rapier before the panel shuts it away, the systems on the terminal glitching out as it went back into the M.O.M unit.]

Will: (I see now--)

Will: BECK!

Will: Keep breaking the Nameless!

Will: I'll destroy the core myself!

Beck: -BLAM BLAM- On it!

Beck: -Ugh, I didn't need a work out today, this thing is fast--

[BLAM--]

[CRAAAAAAASH--!]

Beck: Two down!

Will: (And the core should--)

[Right on cue, the core panel once again opens, the core itself revealed.]

[SHINK--!]

[ERROR--INTERNAL COMPUTER CORE DAMAGED.]

[PRODUCTION DOWN 25%]

Beck: It's working!

[S L A M--]

Nameless: SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE--

Beck: -Oh jeez--

<DWN-012>: > Guys are you okay in there

<DWN-012>: >DO YOU NEED STRUCTURAL ASSISTANCE

<DWN-013>: > -KINDA SOUNDS LIKE THE BUILDING’S FALLING ON TOP OF YOU OR SOMETHING?-

Will: Fine--we're fine, It's just Beck on the third of one of those things--

Will: -SHINK-

Will: I've damaged the computer core of the M.O.M unit, the production lines SHOULD be slowing down now!

[WHANG--]

Beck: --GUH--

[Beck struggles to keep an even footing on the moving assembly line, and failed to dodge an incoming arm from slamming into him AND the wall.]

Beck: ACK!

Will: You can DO this, Amadeus!

Will: Just hold on!

Beck: Nngh--

Beck: Y-Yes sir...

[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[BLAM BLAM BLAM--]

[As the third Nameless unit is felled, Will wasted no time moving from hacking the terminal to striking at the core the moment it came out of the panel, with quick thrusts and parries.]

[ERROR--PRODUCTION DOWN 50%, SYSTEM FAILURE IMMINENT.]

Will: (Ngh, I need--I need MORE than just this sword--)

Will: (But Beck is busy with the Nameless, and--!)

[There’s a shrill, FAMILIAR whistle that BLASTS across the feeds.]

Beck: --?!?

Beck: (No way--it--it can't be--)

Beck: (He can't be up already--?!)

“RRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNGGGGGHHH…”

Beck: --?????

[SCREEEEEEEEEEEE--]

[S L A M--]

Nameless: -HELL SCREECH-

Beck: Oh MAN--

Beck: (Help--)

[FOOSH.]

Will: --?!?

Will: Jazz?!

[Indeed. It was none other than Cardinal’s support unit—and BOY, did she seem to be in a BAD mood.]

Jazz: HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHSSSS!

Nameless: -HELL SCREEEEEEEEEEEE OF PAIN--

Beck: Jazz--!

Beck: : D

[While Beck was happy to see her, Jazz didn’t return the affection. She was angry, and vicious, and it showed.]

Jazz: >8K

Beck: --Oh right you're in pantheress mode, Kay then--

Jazz: >|K

Jazz: Ree-ow.

Beck: We need to take THIS big thing down!

Beck: -And keep them away from Dad while he does his thing, okay-

Jazz: -REE-OW.-

[SHING!]

[YUP. THOSE ARE CLAWS IF EVER THERE WERE SOME.]

Beck: O.O

Beck: -....NICE- ^.^

Beck: -Yes, there will be food after, we know you-

Beck: Let's get 'em, kitty! > : D

Nameless: -SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

Jazz: Ree-ow.

[BLAM BLAM BLAM--]

Will: (Oh, thank goodness, at least Beck will have some support...)

Will: (I still have to take out this core, but I have nothing else--)

[There was a squealing noise as Jazz dug her claws into the Nameless.]

Will: -OW, OUR EARS--

Will: --!

Will: (Wait...)

Will: (I DO have something else--)

-*-*-*-

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!

-*-*-*-

[Will scrambles to get the sensory defense mechanism off from around his neck--]

Will: (This--)

Will: (If I can get this right in the core, the signals should overload it and the system--!)

Beck: DAAAAD I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER I CAN DO THIS--!

Nameless: SCREEEEEEEEEE--

Will: Just a little longer--

Will: --And brace yourself--!

Beck: --?? Wha--

[CRAAAAAAASH--]

[Will presses the mechanism and throws it into the open panel, where it lands right on the computer core--]

Will: (I hope this works--!)

[The panel closes, and--]

[The closed panel prevented the blinding light, yes.]

[At least… the VISIBLE light… to the outside observer.]

[ERROR--E R R OR--]

[But the SOUND, and the SOUND and the LIGHT over the FEEDS—

Not so much.]

<DWN-012>: > -ERROR: DATA OVERLOAD-

<DWN-013>: > -ERROR: DATA OVERLOAD-

<CSU-001>: > -ERROR: DATA OVERLOAD-

[It was like every possible avenue related to the perception of vision and sound was overwhelmed in a blinding and deafening way. Both in the traditional sense and through data alone— it BLASTED throughout not only the entire factory, but also the building next door.

Although the concept had been originally designed specifically to fight against Robot Masters running a DWN_OS, it functioned through the use of sensory overload. Anything—even organic things—that had sensory perception was, to some degree, susceptible. This included the Mighty Numbers.]

Beck: -OW OWOWOWOW--

[MN.4] //: @~@

[MN.7] //: -ngh--cant see--!

[MN.6] //: -CRASH, OUCH, WE'RE OKAY BUT OW MAN WHO TURNED ON THE BRIGHTNESS SETTING TO EXTREMELY NOT OKAY--

[For Shade in particular, the experience was borderline torturous—his high sensitivity made it not merely uncomfortable—it made it PAINFUL.]

[MN.8] //: UUUGH WHAT THE DAMN HELL I S THAT--

[He was suddenly overcome yet again.]

-*-*-*-

"You’re going to have to do better than that, KID! 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.]

___________________

“AAAAARUGH–!!!”

“Goddamn BUCKET OF BOLTS–AH’VE HAD IT UP T’ HERE!”

“Fahn, if ya wanna DIE SO BADLY–”

-*-*-

"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–]

"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.]

[There is a HUGE clattering somewhere deeper in the house–it sounded like something very heavy just fell–]

_________________

“AUGH MOTHERSCRATCHIN’ CHEATER–!”

-*-*-*-

[MN.8] //: -Ngh--!

[THUD--]

[MN.6] //: -Oh crud SHADE BRO ARE YOU OKAY--

[MN.8] //: -WHAT'S IT LOOK LIKE--

Will: --?!?

[Will was taken aback at all of this, but didn’t have long to dwell on it.]

[E ROR LRKRKKDJSNAK--]

[SY TO TME F ISIALUT RE--]

Will: --!

[The lights and the holoscreens around the M.O.M unit blink out one by one, and then--

The assembly lines all over the factory come to a screeching halt.]

Beck: @~@

Beck: Uuugh, my head...

Will: ......

Will: >~>!;;;;

Will: (Er...Oops?)

Will: (I--er.)

Will: (Oh dear I really shouldn't ever make Mikhail angry ever again--)

Will: o~o;;;;;;

[MN.1] //: -Jaden???? Speedy????-

[The two of them were out cold, though they were still Online, at least.]

[MN.2] //: -YO THIS IS NO TIME TO BE TAKING A NAP BRO--

[SPLLIIIIIIISH--]

<DWN-012 is now Online.>

<DWN-012>: > -Gurgle noises-

[MN.2] //: -Rolls over to Jaden now--

[SPLLIIIIIIISH--]

<DWN-013 is now Online.>

<DWN-013>: > -AWAKE, SO AWAKE NOW— -

[MN.1] //: | / --Ngh--head still hurts, what WAS that--

[MN.2] //: -Yeah that was, like, WAY DIZZY-

[MN.3] //: -Bzzzz ugh is there such thing as robot asprin Because that would be nice right now--

<DWN-013>: > Ugh…

<DWN-013>: > That was Doctor Cossack’s robot mace.

<DWN-013>: > …On the lowest setting.

[MN.2] //: -YO ARE YOU FOR REAL-- --Wait what isn't Uncle Mikhail like back at the lab--

[MN.3] //: ...Hang on, didn't Doc Cosszzack give Daddy zzsomething like...?

<DWN-012>: > My head still hurts… man is that strong stuff.

<DWN-013>: > Is Shade okay?

[MN.6] //: Eeeeeeeh... -Gives the so-so kinda guesture-

[MN.8] //: -Incoherent data, mostly grumpy to angry data, but mostly discombobulated-

<DWN-013>: >Ow.

<DWN-013>: > …I don’t hear any more crashing noises, the production seems to have stopped…

<DWN-013>: >Does that mean we’re done here…? @~@

[PING!]

[DR.WHITE] //: ...

[DR.WHITE] //: ....Um. I-Is everyone--um...--MOSTLY alright--?

[DR.WHITE] //: -Dear god I am SO sorry I hadnoideathedevicewasthatpowerfulareanyofyouhurt--?????-

[DR.WHITE] //: -WE'RE SORRY, BECK WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE GIANT ROBOTS, THE CORE WASN'T--

[DR.WHITE] //: O~O

<DWN-013>: >I think Jazz is still stunned.

<DWN-013>: >There should… should be a button that does a hard reboot for systems on that device… it must still be intact, because destroying it sets off the highest setting.

<DWN-012>: > We’re okay, we’ve had worse—

[MN.1] //: Ngh... Besides minor damages from the fighting and a massive migraine...

[MN.8] //: -Sounds of stumbling and broken cursing-

[MN.1] //: ....We'll be alright, Father.

[DR.WHITE] //: -Oh thank God, for--for a moment I thought I had seriously hurt you all, I'm SORRY--

<DWN-013>: >No, noooope… >m> That was the LOWEST setting. That doesn’t… isn’t meant to do lasting harm.

[MN.9] //: @~# I really need to lie down...

<DWN-012>: > We should probably head back…

[MN.9] //: yeah that sounds nice, I'm--just gonna carry Jazz back after a bit--

Will: .......

Will: Beck.

Beck: --?

Will: Hold on to these for me.

[Will handed off both the device and his rapier off to Beck, who was resting besides a disabled Jazz.]

Beck: --???

Will: You go on ahead with Jazz without me.

Will: ....There is someone I must see first.

Beck: Huh?

Beck: I--I don't understand--

Beck: Who?

Will: ......

Will: -Puts a hand on Beck's head-

Will: Don't worry about it, alright?

Will: You make sure everyone gets out safely.

<DWN-012>: >You come back okay too then, or else Mikhail will give us an earful. |D;

Will: Eheh--yes, of course....

<DWN-013>: > …I honestly think he might have been put to sleep.

<DWN-013>: >Otherwise there’s no way he wouldn’t have been saying stuff through all of this.

<DWN-012>: >My point still stands…

Will: (Rest, that will do him some good...)

Will: I know.

Will: Just let me finish a few things here before I go.

Will: (Rather, go take care of some unfinished business.)

Beck: Okay....

Beck: Just don't take too long...

Will: I won't.

[Will fondly smiles at his son before turning around, tattered lab coat flowing behind him as he made his way towards a far off door.]

Will: (It's time you and I had a little chat...)

Will: (. . . Gregory Graham.)

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

[CHERRYDYNAMICS HQ BUILDING, CEO OFFICE SUITE.]

[Gregory Graham had little silver lining to go on at this point.

Not only were those Sanda Tech brats literally demolishing his factory (and costing him millions to boot!), the virus that had seemed to come from out of nowhere was threatening to spread to the other Continental servers--

And now the GOVERNMENT was sniffing around where they SHOULDN'T be, and Blackwell could very well be either DEAD or running amok!

And now there was that foreign intern, the fat Japanese doctor and the PRESIDENT herself knowing far too much--]

Graham: -...Ngh-

Graham: Keep it together, Greg...

[No, no need to panic--

She was still safely tucked away, albet running everything at this point, but still contained--and he had influences in Homeland and Defense, and his Sentator friend, of course--and if nothing else, he ALWAYS had that ace in the hole if things ever got that desperate.

He had options. It was all like stocks. It wasn't the end just yet.

And if he were to go down, he'll be damned if he wasn't going down alone.]

Graham: (I just have to make a few private calls, pull some favors...)

Graham: (Make sure she is under wraps and try to sail though this--)

[Knock Knock.]

Graham: --??

Graham: -Pushes the intercom on his desk- Darcy, I told you to not let anyone in here--

"Uh, yeah, he isn't--he didn't listen to me--"

"... And it's Daisy, not--"

[CLICK.]

Graham: Tch.

Graham: (Fine, I'll call whatever's left of security once he gets in here--)

Graham: Open.

[The door recognizes the verbal command and slides open without a sound.]

Graham: --?

Graham: What the--

Will: Hello, Mr. Graham.

[William White walks into the room as soon as Graham opened it, not once waiting for permission to enter.]

Will: Am I interrupting something?

Graham: White?

Graham: How the HELL did you get up here--

Will: Oh, I wanted to. Your staff seems to be rather, ah-- lacking since the virus struck.

Will: Nonetheless.

Will: I didn't come here for idle chatter, so I'm going to get right to the point.

Will: It was you who activated Trinity, didn't you?

Graham: -Sputters--

Graham: Wha--

Graham: What are you TALKING about--

Graham: (How does he know about HER?!)

Will: Greg. It's a little...

[His eyes turn dull and utterly emotionless.]

Will: ...Too late to cry dummy, at this point.

Graham: --?!

Graham: (That look--what is THAT look, why is it--?)

Will: Dr. Blackwell wasn't around to stop you this time, wasn't he?

Will: And yet you're trying to scapegoat his father again, just the same.

Graham: --?!!!

[Will walks across the room with a poised grace, almost too perfect, as he turns his back away from Graham.]

Will: -Sigh-

Will: It was NEVER about progress with you...

Will: Or the will, the drive to make the world a better place than what we found it...

Will: It was always money.

Will: -Angry-

Will: Just. Money.

Will: That's--

[He turns, a FIERCE expression breaking through the emotionless mask he wore to EXPLODE in RAGE!]

Will: --ALL YOU E V E R CARED ABOUT--!

Graham: -Falls back into his chair--

Will: Never about HIM OR ME OR EVEN HER!

Will: -Advances- All you EVER cared about was YOURSELF and this EVIL EMPIRE you've built on NOTHING but the PAIN AND SUFFERING OF OTHERS--!

Will: MY PAIN AND SUFFERING! T H E I R PAIN AND SUFFERING!

Will: H E R PAIN AND SUFFERING--!

Will: And YOU--

Will: When you pieced her back together, did you feel anything at all? No, because you would even BRING BACK THE DEAD to justify your own ENDS!

Will: YOU THINK I WOULDN'T NOTICE, GREGORY GRAHAM?!

Graham: N--this isn't my FAULT--!

Graham: Her warning label didn't SPECIFY all this, not specifically--

Will: Warning label--

[He laughs. Bitterly.]

Will: Warning label, WARNING LABEL, HE PUT A WARNING LABEL--

Will: Oh, that's just RICH.

Will: And even then--You didn't listen.

Graham: I--

Will: THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT--!

Will: Trinity, my friends, my FAMILY, MY OWN CHILDREN--!

Will: And even this VIRUS, isn't it?!

Graham: Nono, THIS THING ISN'T OUR FAULT, DON'T YOU PUT THIS ON ME, WHITE--

Graham: I don't know HOW you got this information, but I can very well RUIN you if you so much as--

[Will once again laughs at the face of Graham's supposed threat.]

Will: Is that supposed to scare me, Greg?

Will: What are you going to do? Send your PEOPLE after me?

Will: I've survived them once. I can do it AGAIN.

Graham: --?!?

Will: I am. Not. Afraid of YOU.

Will: Not anymore.

Will: Trinity was my project. You and Blackwell ultimately deemed her a failure.

Graham: !

Will: But she was an educational one, if anything. I learned. Oh, I learned.

Will: And I put EVERYTHING that I had learned from her, from everything that I  experienced...

Will: ...All of it, and the good that came from it...

Will: ...Into Mighty No. 9.

Graham: (WHAT--)

Will: Beck is now our only hope of stopping what YOU have sowed.

Will: AT THE VERY LEAST, IF I CAN'T STOP YOU MYSELF--

[He swipes away the various objects on Greg's desk aside, including some very heavy paperweights--]

Will: --HE CAN!

[There’s a muffled CRUNCH and a hissing noise, followed by some leaking liquid.]

Will: --?!?

Graham: What the--

Will: Nnngh!

[He turns his attention back to Graham.]

Will: You--

Will: You honestly think you can get away with everything you've DONE?

Will: After HER?

Graham: --.....

Graham: Wait...

Graham: Waitwaitwait WAIT A SECOND--

Will: --??

Graham: You...

Will: --!

Will: (....Uh...Uh Oh--)

Graham: YOU!

Graham: I didn't RECOGNIZE you with that--that RIDICULOUS HAIR DO--

Graham: But you're--

Graham: YOU'RE BILL BLACKWELL--!

Will: ......

Bill: . . . .

Bill: You were always a bit slow on the uptake, weren't you.

Bill: All these years, Graham, and you STILL haven't changed.

Bill: It nearly makes me feel SORRY for you.

Bill: N e a r l y.

Bill: ...But you know what?

Bill: You're wrong.

Will: I'm NOT Bill Blackwell.

Will: And I HAVEN'T been.

Will: For a VERY. Long. Time.

Graham: HA!

Graham: -Sneers- Oh, you think you're so SMART, thinking that changing your name and identity will change who you really are.

Graham: I'm honestly impressed, though. I really did think you were dead after you just vanished.

Will: -Snorts-

Will: Reports of my demise have been GREATLY exaggerated, Mr. Graham.

Graham: You costed me, Bill.

Graham: YOU'RE the idiot here, coming back and building those Mighty Numbers even after what YOU did to her.

Graham: They don't even know they're really just BLACKWELLS, do they?!

Will: ..........

Graham: I THOUGHT not.

Will: Leave them out of this, Graham.

Graham: Oh, really, alright, let me just turn back time and stop them from becoming infected in the FIRST PLACE?

Graham: They were DOOMED the moment you created them, Bill, and that ISN'T just their namesake talking!

Will: --Nnnnngh...

Graham: Your old man was RIGHT about you.

Graham: Really, Bill. I thought that a BLACKWELL genius such as yourself wouldn't RETURN to the scene of a crime--what occurred here all those years ago was tantamount to MURDER.

Will: Both of you MADE ME DO IT--!

Graham: But I wasn't the one holding the metaphorical knife, wasn't I?

Will: Graham--!

Graham: I said I would RUIN you.

Graham: It'll be a VERY nice bonus to see everything that you've worked SO hard to accomplish just CRUMBLE away, hm?

Graham: You, those Mighty Numbers, your fat friend and his brother, and that little Russian intern that you CLEARLY have connections with.

Graham: Once the WORLD knows that Dr. William White is a LIE AND THE SON OF A MAD GENIUS--

[WHACK--]

[Gregory Graham's vision went bright as William curled a fist and socked him across the face, causing the CEO to tumble backwards into the floor.

There was a burning sensation as something ate away at the super expensive suit he was wearing, too!]

Graham: -NGH!-

[SMACK--]

[A sneaker plants itself squarely on Graham's chest to KEEP him there.]

Will: I am only going to say this once.

Will: If you ever.

Will: E v e r.

Will: Threaten or lay one hand on EVERYTHING I love and care about--

Will: I will TEAR you and this company ASUNDER.

Will: You PATHETIC excuse for a HUMAN being.

Will: You MONSTER.

[Will looks down on him with a BURNING hot gaze, like some kind of disgusting bug or rodent, not even worth the DIRT under his shoe that which is soiling the already ruined suit Greg was wearing.

And Graham?

Well, as one would expect, he was certainly no less than terrified, scared witless.]

Will: How fitting.

Will: I think I've gotten my POINT across, hm?

[There is a TOUCH of a evil grin that tugs at the corner of Will's lips.]

Will: Good talk.

[And just like that, Will steps off, carefully walks around the mess made, and makes his way back to the door.]

Will: I'm not paying for any of this, by the way, so you can forget about sending me a bill.

Will: I WAS the one that HELPED you, if you need a reminder.

[He waves back without turning around.]

Will: Enjoy the rest of your day, Mr. Graham.

Will: ... Because it is ABOUT to get a whole LOT worse.

[Click.]

[The room is dead silent.]

Graham: . . . .

Graham: (Bill Blackwell--)

Graham: (You--I'll--)

Graham: -OW MY NOSE-- BLEEDING--

Graham: DARCY--SOMEONE GET ME A DAMN FIRST AID KIT--!

Beep.

Graham: --?!?

Beep.

Graham: What the hell is that noise--

[A rather smushed Search Snake—having finally flickered to life, only to find itself incredibly damaged—scrapes itself out of the hiding place where it had been crushed by some paperweights. It was already leaking battery acid, but apparently it had more than one battery, because that wasn’t stopping it…]

Beep beep beep beep beep beep BEEP—

Graham: --?!?

Graham: -DIVES BEHIND THE DESK--

Boom!

Graham: WHAT THE--

Graham: BIIIIIIILLL--!!

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

[BACK IN SANDA LABS SEVERAL HOURS LATER...]

Will: (Oof...)

Will: -Stepping out of the elevator- (I actually felt REALLY good about that. Huh.)

“William!”

Will: !

[It’s Felix! He seems to be in a fairly good mood, albeit relieved to see Will again.]

Will: Oh, hello, Felix! -Beams-

Felix: Good to see you back again! Most everyone is resting right now.

Will: Good, good, that's fine...

Will: I heard Mikhail was still resting as well?

Felix: I put him to sleep shortly after you started getting ready.

Felix: He needed the rest. Don’t worry, he’s still here—and it would appear Siam has been successful at delaying the Cossack Numbers from waking, so I’ve let him continue sleeping for now.

Will: Hmm...I see.

Will: (Yes, rest easy...Let me handle this now, dear friend...)

Will: ...And Soi? He's not back yet?

Felix: Not as of yet, no. I did see Aviator talk with him, but it seemed that there was some interference in the feeds toward the end of your fight.

Will: Ah...That.... >>;;;

Will: Er...I'll explain that later...

Will: Since Soi isn't here, I'll have to do repairs myself...

Will: (And on all nine of them...)

Will: (...Mngh...I still don't know how I'm going to take care of the virus without hurting Trinity...)

Will: -Frowns-

Will: (....And now Graham knows.... Knows who I really am.)

Will: . . .

Will: (...Maybe he was right about me being stupid...)

Will: (.....)

Will: (Oh, what the hell, it was worth it, for that ONE good right hook.)

Will: -Rubs his hand-

[...Oh, that's a little bruised, isn't it--]

[Felix steps forward.]

Felix: Here, let me take care of that.

[Felix used POTENT CURE!]

Will: ? Oh--

Will: (...Oops.)

Will: (Never exactly punched anyone before that...)

Felix: Goodness, it must have been rough in there. But your swordplay was excellent.

Will: --? Oh--

Will: Eheh, uh... ^^

Will: I'm honestly surprised I still even remember, it's been so long since college...

Will: Er, thank you for that, the hand...erm. ^^

Will: -It's my writing hand, the left one, that is-

Felix: Not at all. I only wish I could be as helpful to the others. I’ve been able to relieve pain to some degree, and helped alleviate some of the strain Mikhail has put on his body, but… -shakes head- I’m no Doctor. Not like you.

Felix: I still can’t get in touch with Master Siamini, so I’m afraid you’ll have to help tend to the Robot Masters as well. But just tell me what to do, and I shall help you.

Will: ...So that makes twelve...

Will: Hm.

Will: --!

Will: Ah!

Felix: Yes?

Will: Mikhail--he left us some of the E-Tank substitute, didn't he--

Felix: ! Ah, yes!

Felix: The cases from Guardia that were sent over! Is that what those are? That will be incredibly useful.

Felix: Ah, but one thing—Shade refuses to enter the lab right now. I think he’s asleep in Seismic’s room, and Pyrogen didn’t push the point as the repair bay has become rather crowded.

Will: ....

Will: I see...

Will: (Shade...I swear I will make this right, I promise...)

Will: Mic's room will have to do for him. I won't force him into anything either. Not until he's ready.

Will: I'd rather wait until Soi comes back, but we don't--

[PING!]

Will: --!

[DR.SANDA] //: -WILL--SOMEONE, ANYONE, PLEASE ANSWER--

Will: --!! It's --It's Soi--

<DWN-013>: >Doctor Sanda?

Will: Soi!

[DR.SANDA] //: Oh, thank God, William, you're ALIVE--

<RMDC>: >STATUS UPDATE: DWN-018. CURRENT STATUS: SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE SUSTAINED, APPROACHING CRITICAL

<DWN-012>: > What? What’s going on over there?

[DR.SANDA] //: Will, please, I--I need the repair bay ready--

[DR.SANDA] //: Nononono, Call, please, you're going to be OKAY--

[STATUS UPDATE: CALL is in CRITICAL CONDITION.]

<DWN-013>: > OH [GLITCH—]

Will: --?!? Call--!

[Nico didn’t take the news very well. His data started to fluctuate wildly.]

<RMDC>: > WARNING! DWN-018 HARDWARE ERROR DETECTED!

<RMDC>: > MAGNETIC FIELD POLARITY UNSTABLE: ERROR X00— MISSING/DAMAGED PRIMARY AND/OR SECONDARY UNITS

Felix: -Takes a step back, looking unnerved-

<DWN-012>: > OH MAN THIS IS  B A D

[DR.SANDA] //: I--I couldn't--it was so--fast, I--

[DR.SANDA] //: She wasn't any match for it, and--

“I am magnetically Drawing my death to me So why can’t my body Reverse polarity?”

<DWN-012>: > UH, GUYS—

[DR.SANDA] //: Dr. Blackwell--

[DR.SANDA] //: It--it TOOK him--

[DR.SANDA] //: HE--HE'S GONE--

<DWN-012>: > GUYS!

“You walk into my town Waving that gun around You want a fight I’ll give you one tonight—”

<DWN-012>: > NICO’S GONNA END UP HURTING HIMSELF BECAUSE OF THE UNSTABLE FIELD!

Felix: What? I thought you had that repaired—I specifically remember labeling a mold for parts for him!

<DWN-012>: > He put off getting his upgrade because he thought the research for Cardinal’s was more important!

Felix: Is there any way to get him out of there?!

<DWN-013>: >Nnngh…! He’s been triggered into Lethal mode due to a crisis, Felix!

<DWN-013>: >You can’t just stop something like that! The only way to put a halt in a Combat initiative is to eliminate the circumstances that created it or force a shut-down!

Will: (Ngh--)

Will: (And the only one that can do that is--!)

<RMDC>: >UPDATE COMPLETE.

<RMDC>: >WARNING: THREAT IDENTIFIED.

<DCN-000 is now Online.>

<DCN-003 is now Online.>

<DCN-007 is now Online.>

<DCN-008 is now Online.>

<RMDC>: >INITIATING DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE.

Will: Felix, we need Mikhail.

Felix: …

Felix: -Puts his hands over his face- You don’t need me to wake him up at this point.

Felix: The nearest person can—

[SPLLIIIIIIISH--]

[MN.2] //: WAKEY WAKEY EGGS AND BAKEY, UNCLE COSSACK--

<MC005>: > -VERY much awake now- {What—}

<MC005>: > {Cryosphere, why are you screaming about breakfast—}

[MN.2] //: -CUZ I'M HUNGRY AND EVERYONE IS KINDA GOING BONKERS LIKE NOW-

<MC005>: > {What?!}

[It only takes him one look at the status screens to make his decision.]

<MC005>: > {Emergency shutdown! Authorization MC005!}

<DWN-011 is now Offline.>

<DWN-012 is now Offline.>

<DWN-013 is now Offline.>

<DWN-018 is now Offline.>

<DWN-019 is now Offline.>

<DCN-000 is now Offline.>

<DCN-003 is now Offline.>

<DCN-007 is now Offline.>

<DCN-008 is now Offline.>

<CSU-001 is now Offline.>

>ERROR: DLN-000 CANNOT BE SHUT DOWN WITHOUT DAMAGE TO SYSTEM.

>Internal Database ALERT: 06.30.20XX MEMORY DATA HAS GENERATED NEW PRIMAL ANALYSIS NEXUS:  DATA CANNOT BE ISOLATED UNTIL UPDATE IS COMPLETED. ALL SHUT DOWN PROCEDURES MUST BE PERFORMED MANUALLY BY AN ADMIN.

<DLN-000 is still in Maintenance Mode.>

Will: (Cardinal...)

[There’s a noise as a door opens and Mikhail walks in. He’s still in his pajamas, though he’s somewhat soaked from Cryo’s wake-up call.

He DOES look significantly better—apparently Felix’s Cure spells had really, really helped do him some good.]

Mikhail: {Where is Alnico?}

Will: At--

Will: At the Prison--

Will: With Soi and Call--

Mikhail: -Pinches the bridge of his nose- {I’ll—}

“No.”

Will: --!

Felix: No you won’t, Doctor.

Felix: For one thing, I don’t recall Master Desmond releasing you.

Mikhail: —…

Felix: And for another… now that you’re awake, if you insist on being awake and not taking more rest…

Felix: It should be to tend to some patients. Jaden sustained significant heat damage, and Carlos was injured by a fracture in time.

Felix: Now either go rest or go heal and THEN rest, because you aren’t leaving the building.

Felix: Neither are you, Master White, so don’t even try.

Felix: Lady Minerva called while you were out, said something about fencing championships and Master Battalion—she seemed to imply you would know what she meant by such a vague message?

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: ({What does Bat have to do with fencing, I don’t get it—}) -Clearly confused-

Will: (Fencing championsh--)

Will: -Pales-

Will: (Oooooooohdearlord--)

Will: I...

Will: -Swallows-

Will: ...I see...

Mikhail: …Will? Are you alright?

Felix: He was just in the midst of a very stressful fight, so no, he needs rest, too.

Felix: Both of you stay here, I will retrieve the others.

Will: -Um, okay, okay...-

Will: -I--I think I need to sit down, f-for a bit-

Will: (G-Greg--Greg I can handle, but--h-h-her--)

Will: (She can do s-so much worse--)

Mikhail: … Will?

Felix: … -Slightly concerned himself- She said not to worry about it, that she’d be coming over for tea by herself after the city was no longer a region of emergency.

Mikhail: What? Why?

Felix: She wants to see Cardinal, I believe. She didn’t elaborate much—even Master Desmond looked confused.

Will: (E-Erk--)

Mikhail: Will!

[He has his hands on Will’s shoulders again.]

Will: --!

Mikhail: Will, you should eat something: you look like you’re about to faint. Did you ever finish your breakfast?

Felix: Wasn’t that yesterday?

Mikhail: … -Puts a hand to his face- The last few days are running together…

Will: .......

Felix: -Shakes his head- I’m leaving for the prison.

Will: (......)

Will: (I'm running out of...time...)

Mikhail: How are you going to—

Felix: -Already walking off- The same way Jack did.

Felix: I’m taking a shortcut.

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