=CHAPTER 4A: AVI’S NEWS REPORT=

=CHAPTER 8D: TRAPPED BY LASER LIGHT=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

[SANDA LABS....]

[Ah...It looked like Beck fell asleep mid-transfer, a tired but satisfied look on his face as he used his rescued brother as a makeshift pillow.

Will looked like he had been through his own personal hell himself—he looked so frightened when he walked in with Soi—but he instantly perked up when he saw both of his sons...]

Beck: Zzzzz....

Shade: Zzz....

[Peacefully asleep.]

Pyro: -I am hardly surprised at this-

Will: Shade...

Mikhail: -An exhausted kind of relief- Praise be to God and His mercies. He’s safe.

Dyna: -BZZZT BABY BROSZZ—-

Cryo: -MOVE GLITCHES WE GOTTA GET THEM TO BED—-

Brand: ...-Leaning against his elder plane brother, just, tired but relieved-

Avi: -WEEEEEH, SHAAAAADEY, BECKERSSS—-

Pyro: (Thank God...thank God, we're...)

Pyro: (We're all here now...safe, together, at last...)

Pyro: (We're all home...)

Mic: ;W; -Family is all together again!-

Bat: -Hnmm- Too right, brother.

Bat: ...good to be home.

Will: (At long last…)

Mikhail: Will, I need to talk to you about handling the memories of the event and preventing overload.

Mikhail: But I know you’re still busy…

Mikhail: So please… don’t overdo yourself, my friend.

Will: .....

Will: I...I know.

Will: I'll keep working on the code...In bits...

Will: (....I'm sorry....)

Will: Soi can begin with Shade's and Beck's repairs...

Will: ...Bat...Mic. I...I need you to stand guard outside the repair bay.

Will: Once Shade wakes up....

Will: ......

Mikhail: I have recommendations regarding that, too, but again…

[He trails off when he notices his friend’s state of being.]

Mikhail: Will.

Mikhail: You don’t look very good.

Will: I—

Soi: Will had a panic attack.

Will: —....

Soi: He got worried over the government calling again—you know how THAT went the last time. >>

Will: (Soi...)

[Mikhail, however, just seemed… tired, now. More sorrowful than anything else. This did not go unnoticed.]

Brandish: …Doctor, are you alright?

Mikhail: …

[He was not alright. He was beginning to feel shaken and sorrowful, now that the relief was wearing off, giving way to dread and guilt.]

Mikhail: -Softly- I have done much I need to answer for yet, Brandish. -Strained- And in the end, you could say my task proved in vain….

Will: —…

[Of course. How easy it was to forget, with his own sons safely home. But… “in vain”? Surely he couldn’t mean…]

Will: Where…

Will: Where is Cardinal?

Mikhail: -Looks away- …

[He swallows after a moment.]

Mikhail: …We never retained visual long enough to compensate for a lack of signal, and then Tobias had a Stop error. I had to pull him out.

[He takes in a deep breath and lets it out in a huff, looking up.]

Mikhail: He… is still at the White House.

Will: —! What?

Pyro: . . .

Brand: ...Doctor?

Will: Why...hasn't he returned—?

Mikhail: …

[He looks away again.]

Brand: (...no, wait, he...he can't mean...?)

Mikhail: -Softly again- Dare I even say it…?

Mikhail: Nay… not even now. To hear them spoken aloud would bring you much grief, for otherwise there is the opportunity to yet deny in the heart what the mind understands…

Brand: (No—it can't be, this is Cardinal...)

Mikhail: -Somewhat strained- Cardinal did not return because he could not.

Cryo: But—but—! -Flails- But you said hell and high water wouldn’t stop him from his quest, so—!

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: Yes… and that is true. While he yet lived, nothing would have stopped him.

Will: (L-lived?! PAST TENSE!?)

Mikhail: -Deep breath again- Cardinal…

Mikhail: Cardinal is Offline.

Will: C...Cardinal—!?

Pyro: It—no—

Cryo: BUT—BUT— -On the verge of tears—-

Brand: -Pales at this, placing a hand on his elder for support- Cardinal...?

Bat: Ghn... (I knew it, damn it, I knew it, but I didn't want to BELIEVE it—)

Mikhail: I do not know more than that…! We cannot bring him back at this point without a visual…!

Call: Attention.

Call: We no longer have any security clearance to Xel Transfer onto the White House, nor any where near the property.

Will: What?

Will: --Then how are we supposed to--

Call: Attention: I am receiving calls from the Pentagon stating that they request to question Doctor Cossack about units DLN-008 and DLN-000.

Will: --!!

Mikhail: …

[He was literally shaking as he put a hand to his face, shivering from the chill lab air and his own concerns and fears.

He looked very tired, somewhat shaken, and more than a little depressed.

A man at the end of his rope.]

Soi: … (He looks like he’s about to have a nervous breakdown…)

Soi: We’ll take care of that for now. Let them know that Mikhail is indisposed.

Mikhail: Soichiro…

Soi: -Turns to Will- I think you should take the rest of this day off, Will. Please, get some rest.

Soi: Both of you. <<

Mikhail: …

[The older man doesn’t even argue.]

Mikhail: Aright. I’ll try to get what sleep I can. Call, please wake me as soon as possible after their return as long as it is after the current REM cycle is complete. You have my permission to closely monitor bioreadings to keep track of that.

Call: Yes, Doctor Cossack.

Mikhail: I am making hot chocolate and going to bed, hopefully be up by dinner.

Mikhail: Good day.

Soi: See you later, Mikhail.

Will: .....-Waves-

Will: (Oh, Mikhail...with the government asking so many questions, I can tell this is wearing you down to your wit's end...)

Will: (When will this nightmare END?)

[SANDA LABS, EVENING…]

[At last, after the longest, hardest week the White family and friends have had to endure in all of their time…

They were together again.

Scarred, injured, and some even still resting from the chaos…

But together.]

[It was nothing less than a miracle, born from the will of an unlikely timid boy forced to turn to his own strengths in the face of madness. In the span of a few days, he had gone from the meek, fearful screw-up to the world’s savior and last hope.

Even the key to what might be the cure to the nation’s robotic pandemic lies within him.

…And yet…

Beck Amadeus White, tried as he might, could not stay asleep for long.]

[There were too many thoughts. Answered questions that begot even more questions.

He had done what he had promised, and had done it as best as he could.]

Beck: … .

[…Or has he?]

[Love, compassion, respect and trust…

The basis and very essence of the bonds of friendship and companionship.

He was told, by his own father, by his own siblings, that these were the things that could make the world a better place…

That could help people, no matter how lost they are.]

[Beck believed that there was good in everyone– even people like Graham, Gravecrasher, or Blade…

And that no one–of flesh or Xel or otherwise–was truly born evil, or at the very least, it wasn’t their fault.

…

So that had to ring true for her, didn’t it?]

[Hurt and pain, tragedy, loss, all the sorrows of the world…

That is what made good people turn for the worse–those with not enough love or compassion or trust or respect in their lives…]

[So…

Was it not enough?

Did he not try…hard enough…?]

[He knew there was good in there–over the very first year of his life, even when he was so young, and still learning of the world–

He saw it.

Buried deep within rage and fear, bitterness and vengeance–bloodlust and insanity…

He saw it.]

[A light–still burning strong in the face of all the horrors that mankind was capable of. In the face of time, in the face of the very darkness it was now a part of…

A ray of hope beneath the mask.]

Beck: ……..

[He saw it, in the way spoken without malice, in the way spoken about others of their likeness–in the way that he looked at her and she looked at him without all the pain he never knew how deep it really went.]

Beck: (Where are you…?)

[He was more saddened and worried at the thought of it–he wasn’t angry, although he wondered if he should be.]

[In all honesty, he’d be more heartbroken if what he was dreading turned out to be a reality…]

Beck: …..

[And he was frightened at what he would see in his dreams should he surrender to sleep.]

Beck: (Ugh…)

Beck: (This sucks…)

Beck: ……

Beck: (Maybe…maybe she’s okay…)

Beck: (If…If she’s infected, I think we would have noticed by now…)

Beck: (But only…things and Xelbots that were offline or turned off didn’t get infected…)

Beck: (So does…that mean…)

Beck: ………

Beck: -Siiiiigh-

Beck: (I should at least try and get some rest. If Dad’s really going to use my Xel Filter Program to fix everyone, then at least that’ll help her too.)

Beck: (…And then I can go find her myself.)

Beck: (She’s a survivor. She’ll be okay.)

Beck: …..

Beck: -_-; (I wouldn’t be surprised if she was having the time of her life…The whole nation’s probably an all-you-can-eat buffet to her…)

Beck: -Shivers- (Ugh, I don’t even wanna imagine it…)

Beck: (Got enough nightmares to potentially have, thank you very much…)

Beck: -Stares at the ceiling-

Beck: ….

Beck: I guess I can re-read all of my Star Wars comics again….

[SANDA LABS, REPAIR BAY…]

Soi: Whew…

Soi: I got at least half of his repairs done–mostly just replacing the things that got, uh, fried. At least he’s still out of it for now…What about you, Will?

Will: Hrmmm…

[Will worked at his console as usual, typing furiously with purpose.]

Will: (…Gah, I can’t remove the source codes directly, that just makes the whole thing fall apart…)

Will: (…Perhaps I should work on modifying Beck’s Xel Filter Program–but if they analyze that too…)

Will: Not much headway, I’m afraid. Even WITH this latest sample…

Soi: …I see…

Will: (….)

Will: (I thought I was… through.)

Will: (I really, really thought so…)

Will: -Sighs, locks the code again-

Will: I think…I think trying to get the Xel Filter to work on a mass scale is more pressing, now that everyone is home at last…

Will: Doing that might be a bit tricky, though. It’s not as simple as just taking it out and copying it–

Will: It’s a program I designed with very…specific specs and coding.

[Undoubtedly, Mikhail would have been fascinated by this conversation.

But despite being in the same room…

…he was asleep on his notes.]

Mikhail: Zzz…

[The overworked Russian had a lot on his mind, and he had stayed up all night the night before working on the final key to his own puzzle.

And now, determined to be on hand when Cardinal came back, he had followed Sanda’s orders on a technicality.

Oh, he was resting, alright.

But judging by the empty mug of hot chocolate, he hadn’t even made it to a couch before falling asleep in the lab.]

Soi: … >> I told him to–

Will: … -Sighs- Leave the poor man alone, Soi….

Will: He has his…his own troubles now.

Will: ……

Will: (I’m sorry…)

[PING!]

Will: –?

Mikhail: Zzz…

[CALL] //: Doctor Sanda, we have a call on the emergency line.

Sanda: -Sighs- That’s been ringing off the hook, Call, we know there are people that need–

[CALL] //: Our private emergency line.

Sanda: –?!!

Mikhail: Zzz…

Will: But…That line is for Sanda Staff only–

[CALL] //: Mr. Seijiro Sanda has granted special permission given the gravity of the one who is calling.

Mikhail: Zzz…

Will: ……

Will: And…That would be….?

[CALL] //: Madame President Minerva.

Will: …….

Will: Call…

Will: Please tell me it’s not THE PRESIDENT of the United States–?!

[CALL] //: Affirmative, Doctor White.

Will: No no NO–!

[Mikhail abruptly wakes up, looking startled.

Will is OUT of there before Soi can even react, wow, can he move fast–]

Soi: Will–!

Mikhail: -More awake now, and very grouchy to be so- {What…}

Mikhail: -Feels around for his glasses and puts them on- {What’s going on, what was the shouting just now?}

Soi: E–Er–

Soi: Oh man…

Mikhail: Call, please explain? Your father is at a loss for words. </grumpy>

[CALL] //: Yes, Doctor. POTUS is currently on our emergency private Sanda Tech line as we speak.

Mikhail: …

[He seems to turn a bit pale. Kind of hard for a man in his condition.]

[CALL] //: Madame President Minerva was given clearance to use this line by the CEO of Sanda Technologies.

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: Stall for me.

[AAAAAAND HE’S OUT.]

Soi: Wha–Mikhail–! Don’t you two do this to me AGAIN–!

Soi: ….

Soi: (Crikey…)

{Meanwhile…}

“Will! WILL!”

Mikhail: -Runs after him- Will, wait!

Mikhail: {Will! We… we need to talk!}

[Will stopped dead in his tracks–whether for when Mikhail called him or out of absolute terror was hard to tell.

But he was quite not well, evident by the sharp intakes of air and the balled fists.]

Will: I–…Mikhail…

Mikhail: -Puts his hands on Will’s shoulders- Will, I…

Mikhail: I’m sorry.

Mikhail: …But it’s better you hear this from me now, rather than later…

Will: (–!)

Mikhail: I…

Mikhail: I’m going to have to talk to her, Will.

Will: –!!

Will: Wh–What–?! No–! You can’t–!

[He grabbed his colleague a bit roughly by the shirt, forcing him to look him in the eyes—there seemed to be some sort of cold fire to them.]

Mikhail: I HAVE THINGS TO ANSWER FOR, WILL!

((Pic—Mikhail & Will (shouting)))

Mikhail: I sent Tobias into the Cloud to get to the White House and interfere in their security!

Will: -Wince- (But…–!)

Mikhail: I’m sorry, Will…

Mikhail: It was for good reason, and I’m prepared to pay the price for it.

Will: (P-price…!)

Mikhail: I wouldn’t have done that unless I was truly desperate. And trust me, I was.

Mikhail: I need his hardware intact for me to fix him.

Will: –But–isn’t…isn’t all of their self in software rather than…?

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: -Swallows- …Yes… and that’s… that’s why.

Will: I don’t understand…

Mikhail: The software runs on the hardware… that is the primary copy.

Mikhail: Backups to the database are inactive copies.

Mikhail: If both are destroyed, the data completely lost… then… then the Awareness is effectively dead.

Will: –!!

Mikhail: That’s part of why the Robot Master Database was founded. Industrials were meant to wear out their bodies and get new ones. They… they are property, Will, that’s just how it works—

Mikhail: But what happens when there isn’t a backup to begin with?

Mikhail: What… what happens when… when the software is too old to properly connect with a constantly updating database?

Will: –?!

Will: T…Too…Old?

Will: (C… Cardinal…?)

Mikhail: …It’s hard to say for sure as I keep the respect of staying out of their files…

Mikhail:  But I don’t think he’s actually had his AI_OS backed up to the RMD in over a decade, if the records exist at all.

Will: ……

Mikhail: He… he’s always been afraid of changing his software. He wasn’t… properly coded, in the beginning.

Mikhail: But unless a construct updates their software on a regular basis, they lose the ability to communicate with the Cloud. Without the Cloud, then everything they are is tied to their chassis hardware.

Mikhail:  If he has… … if he had been too damaged to recover data from his body… he could very well have died.

Mikhail: If… if his self-destruct sequence had gone off… we probably would have lost him.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Will: John 15:13…?

Sanda: Why would…?

[MN.2] //: Is it some kinda code, or…?

[MN.1] //: ….

[MN.1] //: “No greater love than this…”

[MN.1] //: “…than to lay down his life for his friends.”

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Mikhail: I… I got desperate. I couldn’t let that happen.

Mikhail: What… beyond the loss that would have been—

[His voice becomes bitter in pain.]

Mikhail: The man saved my daughter’s life, he saved my life— he leads their family, he keeps the two sides of the wretched eternal war in our home world in check—

Mikhail: What that would have done to your son…

Will: … .

Will: (Oh, Mikhail…!)

Will: (If only I could tell you–I understand–!)

Mikhail: … I don’t even want to think of it. Brandish took the brief fight with Shadow hard enough, but this…

Mikhail: -Hangs his head-  I couldn’t let it happen….

Mikhail: In retrospect… having Tobias fight off the security also helped make things a little easier on him, on your youngest son, by preventing everything working against him to the degree they had been working before. The distraction helped with saving the President too, I imagine.

Mikhail: But I will be honest—at the time I was really only thinking of Cardinal, and I’m sorry.

Mikhail: Between everyone’s efforts, we all made it out alive—and that is all I could have hoped for, so…

Mikhail: I am willing to pay.

Will: … (Mikhail…)

Will: (God, if I lost you, too, to…to them, I…!)

Will: (If only I was as half as brave as you are…)

Mikhail: I’ve been somewhat negligent in my duties as a Doctor out of the desire to let the boys handle their own lives. I was unwilling to enforce my authority when it was most needed. At least six people have suffered greatly as a direct result of that weakness. My irresponsibility has placed travelers from my world at risk by allowing an unforgiving spotlight on unusual phenomena.

Will: (No, please–please, this is all my fault–! I should be one where YOU ARE, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND–!)

Mikhail: What happened with the Queen’s Finals and on the highways could have been passed off as lingering issues born from their early lives. It would even have been plausible to say that the lack of files and records was related to the data breach not that long ago.

Mikhail: That is no longer the case.

Mikhail: The boys and I have gotten too much trouble to run from any longer. There are things that have happened which will no longer be overlooked.

Mikhail: Cardinal has entangled himself directly in government affairs, as has Tobias. There’s the very real question of security being put at risk, with what they did while they were there. Tobias in particular, since he now is under heat from investigations in two entirely different countries.

Mikhail: They are going to want answers, Will. They will not rest until they feel they are through. There isn’t much for them to find, but it is enough that it can’t be avoided. Trying to shift blame onto Doctors Light and Wily won’t be enough to avoid what is in store. Someone is going to have to give an answer.

Will: (What can I do, what–there must be something, I–I won’t–)

Mikhail: The simple fact is that all the incidents in question only have one clear link between them—

Mikhail: Me.

Will: (I won’t let them take you away from us–!)

Will: (If it comes to that, then I swear–!)

Mikhail: This time, Tobias was acting under my orders. I woke him up specifically to break into the system, disable it, and give us feeds from the cams.

Mikhail: Such… such an action is…

Mikhail: …not something easily forgiven.

Will: (N…No…!)

Mikhail: …I must… I have to answer for this, sooner or later. It’s the right thing to do.

Will: (I can’t lose another–not again–!)

Mikhail: I’m sorry, William…

Mikhail: After all this time, after all you’ve done for me… I’ve gone and done something terrible, something that places you in danger.

Mikhail: I certainly won’t let anyone put that onto you.

Mikhail: -Places a hand to Will’s face- You’re like a cousin, or… or even brother to me. And I know this is hard enough on you as it is.

Mikhail: Believe me, Will, I know what this is like—

Mikhail: I’ve seen it happen with MY sons before.

Mikhail: Even worse, I was the one who sent them there, the reason they ended up like they did.

Will: (Gnk–!)

Mikhail: The aftermath was… is very hard. I don’t… -In clear emotional pain- I don’t even have them all back yet. I’m still… still in the process of piecing us back together.

Mikhail: But you…

Mikhail: You’ve been doing such good work, you… you’re already under enough stress as it is… you should definitely not be hounded by the things I’ve done using your equipment. The things my nephews have done throughout this whole mess…

Will: … … ….

[Too much. It was all too much.]

[Of all the things Will had to hide…]

[Tears…]

[Now that was the one thing he could never quite master how to conceal.]

Will: Gh…!

[Suddenly, Mikhail would find a surprising strength in Will–of the physical kind, that is, once he had latched onto him–as if…]

((Pic—Mikhail & Will (hug)))

[As if the whole world was trying to tear them apart.]

Will: You–You have to promise me–!

Will: Promise me you’ll come back–please…!

Mikhail: -Blinks- …

[He returns the hug, though a gentle one.]

Mikhail: Oh, William…

Mikhail: I still have important work to do, my friend.

Mikhail: No government or government agency—no leader, no use of force will keep me from bringing my family back together.

Mikhail: No matter what happens, I will be coming back. That is not something I even have to promise… it is mere fact.

Mikhail: ({I’m not native to your world—I exist outside of it. So… even if…. Even if it were to fall to the worst possible outcome…})

Mikhail: Just… stay strong, alright? We’ll make it through this. I promised you that, remember?

-*-*-*-*-

“Listen… If anything ever goes that wrong for you, I /promise/ you I will help you find a way to fix it.”

-*-*-*-*-

Mikhail: I intend to keep to that.

[…..]

Will: -Sniff-

Will: (…Mikhail…)

Will: (…That’s right…The two of us…)

Will: (…You…don’t know how much we’re both alike…)

Will: …I…

Will: I really…wanted to show you around…

Will: I… -Sniff, choked laughter- I guess that’s out the window now…

Mikhail: -Weary smile-

[He ruffles Will’s hair a bit.]

Mikhail: We’ll see about that, Doctor. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to answer for myself before high office.

Will: -Sniff- Right…Here be dragons…

Mikhail: да.

Mikhail: Go…

Mikhail: Go see your sons, Will.

Mikhail: Be with them. Be with your sons and daughters. You have them back now.

Mikhail: And you and I both know exactly how priceless of a treasure that is.

Will: ….

Will: Y…Yes…

Will: Alright…

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: -Gently- Will?

Will: Mm?

Mikhail: That means you have to let go, Will.

Will: ….

Will: …!

Will: -Aaaand does so- Oh–I–Sorry, I, Ah–

Will: -Awkward noodle, how do we people–

[That gets Mikhail to laugh.]

Mikhail: -More hair ruffles for friend- Haha…! Alright, why don’t you go get something warm to eat? If anyone else wakes up, they’ll probably want to join in with you. Maybe make me some hot chocolate for when I get back. | )

[This seemed to be a statement more than a question, as with that said… he walked off, his lab coat swishing slightly behind him.]

Will: …Okay…

Will: ….

Will: (…..)

Will: I’ll…do that.

Will: …

Will: (Friend…)

{Meanwhile}

[Shortly after Mikhail had left, Call patched the line through.

Sanda was greeted with a somewhat disgruntled looking Madame President.]

Soi: (Ugh…Dealing with the government not once but twice in the same week…)

Soi: (The two of you REALLY owe me double for this…)

Soi: -Ahem-

Soi: M-Madame President! Sorry for the hold up–I-uh, apologize.

Soi: T-To what may be the reason for your urgent call? (Please don’t say Will or Mikhail, please don’t say Will or Mikhail–)

Min: Doctor Sanda.

[She lifts something onto the screen.]

Min: Is this yours?

Soi: –!!!

Scout: : D -LOOK, IT IS YOU, THE SNACK GIVER-

Scout: -LICKS THE SCREEN-

Soi: …..

Soi: Uuuuh…

Soi: I…Oh, dear…

Soi: -Inhales- It…yes, he is. Goodness, I wonder how he got there… (Scout, how in the WORLD did you end up in the White House–?!)

Soi: (–Oh, right…)

Soi: (Cardinal. -__-;;;; )

Min: And the cat?

Soi: –?

Soi: I…I’m sorry, cat–?

Min: Yes, Doctor. The giant cat that is currently preventing the White House from being thoroughly secured—is that also yours?

Soi: –!?!?

Soi: (Giant cat–oh no—JAZZ–)

Soi: …Er. (That–that isn’t even close to what I was expecting, what do I SAY–?!)

Soi: (Ngh, if I don’t tell them it’s ours, Cardinal will kill me–)

Min: If it’s not yours, we’ll have to disable it. It’s blocked off an entire room looking out onto the Lawn.

Soi: –….

Soi: (Cardinal….)

Soi: (Mngh, I can’t let the government get ahold of Jazz, though–she’s not Xel, if they shoot her and they find she’s not, then–!)

Min: Doctor. My men said they saw someone on the ground in there. We need to secure the area, and we need to get into the room and retrieve any fallen members of staff.

Soi: (Ack!)

Soi: (Will–Mikhail–I can’t hold them off anymore–!)

Soi: (What…What do I do…)

“The cat does not belong to Sanda Labs, no."

Soi: –!!

[Mikhail strides into the room, looking weary but determined.]

Soi: Wh–what are–?

Soi: (What are you doing, Mikhail–!)

[DR.WHITE to DR. SANDA] //: S–Soi….

Soi: –!

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: …L…Let him do this.

Min: …

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: …. (Good luck, Mikhail…)

Min: Doctor Михаил Сергеевич Казак.

Min: How fortuitous of you to show up. There are a lot of questions surrounding you, Doctor.

[She did not seem pleased, and there was a tension in the air that could not be surmounted. She was a woman who demanded answers, from whom answers had been withheld. She was clearly not one to be trifled with, especially now.]

Soi: …

Mikhail: CSU-001 is DLN-000’s support unit.

Min: …

Soi: —! (R…Right off the bat—?!)

Soi: (Nngh…Mikhail, I know you have experience with this, I HOPE you know what you’re doing…)

[It took a moment for the President to realize the implications of what Mikhail had just said. When she did…]

Min: —?!

Min: That…

Min: That’s DLN-000 on the ground in there?!

Mikhail: -Closes his eyes, bows his head, and sighs- … да.

Soi: … … ...

Soi: (Shade…Oh, Shade… Don’t worry, we WILL get Cardinal back here somehow…)

Mikhail: -Adjusts his glasses before he looks up- Madame President, I can understand your anxiety, suspicion, and concern—but CSU-001 has…

[A pause.]

Mikhail: …

Mikahail: -Decides to start over- Well…

Mikhail: …She’s a cat. -___-;;

Min: -Lowers eyelids slightly- By which you mean, she will not obey orders the same way a dog will. Why design a support unit that way?

Mikhail: >_>

Min: No matter. If she’s dangerous and will not obey, she must be removed.

Mikhail: -Holds up hands in a “I’m not armed” gesture- I agree. If you would let Pyrogen enter—

Min: So you are all working together, then.

Soi: -Wince- (Mikhaaaaaaaail…)

Min: -Somewhat coldly- I hope you answer the next few questions very carefully, Doctor.

[The look in Cossack’s eyes was the only indicator that he was starting to wear down on patience. His tone remained passive, and he seemed tired more than anything else.]

Mikhail: …Do you intend to put me in custody? Under what charges?

Min: I’m sure the Attorney General would have plenty if it came to that.

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: Not if I have anything to say about it–

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: Shh, Will–it won’t, we promise….

Min: Why are you being so defensive and confrontational?

Mikhail: Because I’m being listened to and recorded to right now, madam, with no idea how many are listening. -_- I will not speak so freely under such conditions.

Mikhail: Right now, I believe it is more important to focus on the physical aspects of the situation. CSU-001 will not answer even to Pyrogen, but she will be less likely to attack him. And even if she did, he would be able to, as you Americans say… “tank” it.

Mikhail: DLN-000 is in desperate need of extreme hardware repairs that are life-threatening. If he destabilizes, it will end very poorly. Readings that my database received suggest he needs to have a core replaced.

Min: While that is the case, we don’t think it is a good idea to allow anyone to teleport to or from the grounds right now; cybersecurity is another matter.

Mikhail: -Raises an eyebrow- And is that something you want to be saying right now, even over a private line?

Min: —…

[She pursed her lips together. After a pause…]

Min: This isn’t your first time dealing with the government, is it? ¬_¬

Soi: (You have no idea.)

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: -Well, she figured THAT out quick…-

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: Come on, Mikhail…I know you can do it…

Mikhail: -Turns his hands over to show his wrists- I understand that you have a lot of questions, and that these questions regard matters of dangerous and troubling natures. But your staff promised Sanda Labs that there would be full cooperation when necessary.

Mikhail: I am merely asking you to hold to that promise. I’m the one with answers you want, yes, and…

[He curls his hands into fists, and they shake slightly.]

Mikhail: I’m willing to go into questioning about them.

Min: -Blink blink- -Did NOT expect this kind of answer-

Mikhail: All I ask is that you think very carefully about who gets to hear the answers.

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: -Ngh…-

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: -As long as they don’t take him away–ngh–

Soi: ….

Soi: (Okay…So Mikhail…Is going to answer their questions, but if they ask to speak to Will…)

Soi: (He gets terrified at the thought of it and I know why…)

Mikhail: -Looks up again, turning a hand to the side in gesture- Please understand, Madame President— Jazz and her master both need to get out of there as soon as possible. Mighty Number Nine is currently undergoing his own repairs and recovery. Given the current situation, Pyrogen is the only one who can safely diffuse it.

Mikhail: If you’re so worried about any further “funny business”, I’m sure it shouldn’t be a problem if he’s watched while he picks them up.

Soi: ( ! Good idea…Really, all we’re doing is picking them up and nothing else…)

Min: Very well, you do have a point.

[She looks over her shoulder.]

Min: I have a personal interest in DLN-000’s well being. I’m sure the Secretary of Defense will be fine with leading the escort into the White House.

”…To be honest, a guy that can survive a headshot is someone that would be a shame to lose, but that’s just me.“

Min: -Smiles a bit at that-

Mikhail: … -Blinks-

Mikhail: He took a hit from Shade to his helmet?

Des: -Peeks over Min’s shoulder-

Des: Actually, we shot him in the head when he got into the Oval Office–that is one darn good helmet he has there.

Des: Desmond Donald, by the way. Secretary of Defense. I also have a few questions for you, Doctor Cossack.

Mikhail: -Flatly- No, I’m not a spy.

Des: –… (Great. Another genius who's short on patience.)

Des: It really isn’t your first rodeo, isn’t it… (Let's just hope he actually IS as cooperative as he claims he's going to be…)

Mikhail: нет.

Mikhail: The answers I have aren’t exactly something that everyone should be hearing.

Des: And why would that be? (He obviously has SOMETHING to hide….)

Mikhail: Well, for starters— I’m sure you have a lot of questions about DLN-000.

Mikhail: I am his Doctor, yes, but he is more than just a patient to me. He is also a good family friend. Answers regarding him lead into information about my daughter—

Soi: ( ! He mentioned Kalinka…)

Mikhail: And quite frankly, I will not have her endangered.

Mikhail: One who has landed themself in this position must answer for what has been going on. Investigations require answers. But only those who have a right to know should be handling such answers.

Des: … a right to know, huh…

Des: Well, I think I do.

Des: DLN-000 was wearing what I am sure to be dog tags.

Des: And– -Turns to Min- Believe me, someone with a good helmet like that, able to by-pass our security and go toe to toe with one of the world’s top Battle Colosseum fighters…

Des: Believe me, I would know if we had someone like that.

Mikhail: -Wry smile- Got you in trouble, did he, Mr. Donald?

Des: -~- (Why is it they always pick up these things without me SAYING it? Ugh…)

Des: Look…

Des: I don’t know if he’s in some… secret division or whatever, if he’s military–

Des: …Well.

Des: The man saved Min’s life, no matter which way you look at it.

Mikhail: And I can assure you he wouldn’t like you harassing his Doctor overmuch. He went to the trouble of saving mine once, after all.

Des: ….

Des: -Turns to Min again-

Des: He’s a soldier, Min.

Des: No one left behind.

Min: …

Min: -Siiiighs-

Min: You’re a person of interest, Doctor Cossack. I’d much rather have some of our staff look him over, if you want the honest truth.

Mikhail: That’s not going to work. If you wish to question me, however, that can be arranged. But he needs to get out of there.

Min: You would delay his repairs, potentially deny them altogether? : |

[The implications of that emphasis were not lost on the beleaguered Russian.]

Mikhail: …

[At that, he seemed broken in surrender, but with too great a dignity to openly give in to despair.]

Mikhail: -Quietly- Well, I seriously hope it doesn’t come to that, that’s an awfully chilling fate to walk off to.

Soi: ….

Soi: I…If I may…Suggest something…?

Mikhail: -Turns to look at Soi- ?

Soi: -Ahem-

Soi: -Exhales-

Soi: …..

Soi: DLN-000–his very life is at stake.

Soi: Please, if…If it helps–Sanda Enterprises is a very secure location, and our lines have the best security we can offer. You had to get permission from my brother before getting on this line, even.

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: SOI WHAT ARE YOU DOING–

[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: Trust me–

Soi: If you like…After DLN-000’s condition is more stable and not in great danger, we can set up a room–monitored and with our most secure line–so that you can question Doctor Cossack as much as you want. I…

Soi: I’ll even answer some myself if I have to.

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: Soichiro–!

Soi: Just…

Soi: He’s….he’s our friend. Please…

Soi: The more we wait…

Min: …

Mikhail: …I find this to be an acceptable answer.

Mikhail: I can assure you I’ll be staying here in the lab until repairs are over. DLN-000 needs my help with repairs, after all—I’ll hardly skip town, let alone country.

Soi: Call–my daughter, she can even give you reports.

Mikhail: Actually, I’ll need her help, Sanda—as an assistant—if she’s not on a different assignment.

Soi: Yes…Yes, certainly…

Min: -Looks at Des for a moment- …

Des: …..

Min: -Looks back- Very well.

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

Min: It’s not what I’d consider ideal, but negotiation is all about give and take.

Min: As a representative of the republic, I don’t quite trust you, Doctor Cossack, and there are questions that will need to be answered.

Min: However, you have been more or less cooperative and you have agreed to remaining within a confined area and undergoing questioning. And character testimony certainly counts for something.

Min: Mighty Number One has clearance to meet the Secretary of Defense outside the White House and proceed to retrieve CSU-001 and DLN-000.

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: –!!!

Min: And after that…

[She holds up Scout again.]

Min: I believe this one needs to go back home as well.

Scout: : D!!!!

Scout: -SNACK GIVER, HELLO AGAIN- Rarf! ^^

[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: Oh dear God we completely forgot about Scout–

Min: But before I let you go—

Min: I have a homework assignment for the two of you.

Soi: !

Soi: (…S…She means Mikhail and me, right–)

Min: This critter was looked over by the veterinarian on staff. It is not a dog, and it is not a raccoon.

Min: I hope your biology research will have an A+ answer as to what it is and to why and how it keeps doing this—

[She takes one of Desmond’s pins out of Scout’s mouth.]

Des: ??? -Again–

Min: Even from up to several yards away.

Scout:  D: -Nuuuuu-

Min: -Scritches for the Scout- -It’s okay, you’re a good boy-

Scout: : D!!! -Yaaay, nice lady is nice~-

Soi: Eheh…Er. Well, his name is Scout, and ah…

Soi: …H-How about we leave that to when you question me? ^^;;;

Min: That’s the definition of a homework assignment, Doctor Sanda. -Amused smile-

Soi: -Yup we knew that, just making sure- -Thumbs up-

Min: -Chuckles- Alright.

Min: -Turns to Des- You’d better get over to the White House then, Des.

Min: -Signals for the feed to cut out-

-BLIP!-

Soi: …..

[Suddenly, someone running into the room–]

Mikhail: ?

[GLOMP–]

Will: You did it–

Will: Both of you did it–!

Will: -Oh God for a second there I thought both of you were going to get taken into custody, SOOOOI–

Soi: –Oof–

Soi: Aw, Will… ^^

Mikhail: -Aw, group hug for Will- It’s alright, William. Things will be fine now.

Mikhail: The President seemed mostly to be acting in the interests of your republic, and not out of personal aggression. Trust me, that makes it much easier.

Will: …..

Will: Y…You didn’t have to do that, though, Soi…Putting yourself…

Soi: Eh…Will, I’m in charge of the American Branch. I’m pretty sure they would have gotten to me eventually. ^^;;;

Soi: Besides, as long as you’re not going to get questioned or anything like that…

Soi: It’s worth it.

Will: …Soi…

Soi: I always got your back, Will, remember? ^^

Mikhail: -Lets go to clean off his glasses- Call, please tell Pyrogen to report here. I need to… warn him about some things before he goes over there.

[CALL] //: Yes, Doctor.

Soi: I’ll get back to repairing Shade and Beck, then.

Soi: ….Right after a hot meal and a nap. ^^;;; -Oof, we feel rather shaken and exhausted…-

Mikhail: You do that. -Slight grin- I had my nap. Now it’s your turn.

Will: I–

Soi: You are going to do the same and spend time with the rest of the Mighties.

Soi: Jeez, Will, where would you be without me? | )

Will: Eheh…Up the creek with no paddle…

Mikhail: Alright, gentlemen. Let’s get going.

[When Pyro reported to the lab again, he was concerned and confused.]

Pyro: ...Doctor...

Pyro: Father...

Will: ...Son.

Pyro: Is...Is everything alright? -VERY concerned, you both seem very tired...-

Mikhail: -Takes off his glasses to rub his left eye with the heel of his palm- That’s… debatable. Both Doctor Sanda and I will be undergoing questioning later.

Pyro: I--beg pardon--?

Pyro: Why? You've both done nothing wrong, what is going on--?

Mikhail: There are things that we can’t run away from any longer, Mighty Number One.

Pyro: —…

Mikhail: The time has come to pay the piper. -Shakes his head- It is what it is.

Pyro: ...I...

Pyro: ...does this have something to do with why you called me?

Mikhail: Yes and no…

Pyro: ?

Mikhail:  Pyro…

Mikhail: …I’m afraid I rather volunteered you for a journey. I’m going to need you to do something.

Pyro: —?

Will: -Deep breaths- ...Yes...

Will: Not...Not all of us are home, Pyrogen...

Will: Not yet...

Will: The Robot Masters are offline for good reason, and Beck is in no condition to go anywhere.

Will: ...

Will: You must go and retrieve Cardinal posthaste...

Will: You are strong—and delicate enough to move him here without causing more damage, and I think, by now, some parts of the building have caught fire.

[Mikhail pinched the bridge of his nose.]

Mikhail: ({Electrical fire. Oh, Cardinal, why did you have to use something so powerful on an important point like that? You must have been truly desperate.})

Will: Once he is here, Mikhail can begin repairs...

Will: But with the Robot Masters offline...

Mikhail: …I’m going to need someone else to bring him here, for starters. And others to assist in repairs.

[He sighed, putting his head in his hands again.

He seemed… old. Truly old, and weary of the world. And he was exhausted.]

Mikhail: Will…

Mikhail: I really, really wish it could be you.

Mikhail: That’s what he would have wanted.

Will: (Mikhail...God, I'm sorry, this is my fault...)

Mikhail: -Turns to Pyrogen- Avi saw him getting injured to the point where oil spatter was visible from a far distance.

Pyro: -wINCE-

Mikhail: And he is Offline, in a way that brought Beck much despair. Offline, to where Jazz will suffer no man to pass.

Mikhail: Pyrogen…

Mikhail: I greatly fear that you may find that it is not a self-preservation way of going Offline. For he would have cared little for that, as long as his quest lay open…

Mikhail: I fear, Pyrogen…

Mikhail: I fear you will find that he has gone Offline because he is dead.

Will: --?! Wh--... (No--no, not again, not this, anything but this--)

Pyro: D...Dead?! (Cardinal--is...no...)

Pyro: (He's...)

Pyro: (He can't... that's why...)

Will: (Pyrogen...I can't--God, no, please, not another--!)

Will: -Very much pales...but holds fast.-

Mikhail: It may be a fearful thing you see, and… I am truly sorry. I would not place this burden on you if I had any other choice. If… -Trails off-

Pyro: …

Pyro: .... (Cardinal...)

Pyro: (You...)

Pyro: (...you AND Beck...)

Pyro: (You both just wanted us all home...)

Pyro: -Clenches a fist in resolve- …I will go.

Pyro: Beck...

Pyro: Beck swore to us--all of us...that he would bring us ALL home.

Pyro: But now that he can't go on in his condition...

Pyro: ...it is...only just that Cardinal returns as well.

Pyro: I will bring him home--because he deserves that much, for all that he's done.

Pyro: ...Beck...AND Shade...would've wanted it that way...as do I.

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: {Thank you, my soul-nephew. Alas…}

Mikhail: Good luck, Pyrogen.

Mikhail: (I’m afraid you’re going to need it…)

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

=CHAPTER 2B: BEYOND THE WATERY VORTEX=

~AO v1.0~

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

{In the Meadow…}

[The days seemed to go on forever. It had gotten very dark and cloudy outside, blending day into night.

Cossack and DWN-019 worked almost non-stop on Doctor Light Number Eight—with the Doctor’s sons enforcing mandatory mental and physical breaks to prevent burnout.

Getting to Tobias’s actual coding was not easy. Offline or not, he was highly defensive—and Snow wasn’t exactly able to help, being out cold, himself.

And when they did find him…

It was just a mess. There were errors all over the place, and clearing them up would take quite some while. Sifting through the error report from the last system crash alone took DAYS.

And now, they were finally getting past the system reports and into the base data.]

Mikhail: …

Siam: Doctor?

Gemini: Is everything alright?

Mikhail: Mmm? Oh, yes… I’m fine.

[…But it was a lie.

A lie so as to not distract the twins from their analysis on the data they had got from Avi as part of the ordeal—for that information could prove quite enlightening.

But no…]

Mikhail: Just… a little weary, I suppose.

[…He was concerned.

Inspection of the Awareness code had showed that it had changed. Crucial components had changed—rewritten themselves.

Somehow, the encounter with Avi had prompted (or, more likely, FORCED) Tobias to rewrite himself.

What worried Mikhail the most was that some of the coding was beyond what he could recognize.]

Mikhail: (-Groooooaaan- {Will… I wish you were here…!})

[He still had the few fragments of notes that his best friend had given him regarding coding with Xel. That was a lifesaver—it told him that some of this seemed to be connected to functioning within a Xel chassis.

It may just be junk data, useless without the proper hardware. (Which, of course, would mean it would need to be pruned somehow, or else it would cause perpetual system errors.)

But he couldn’t say for sure what it would do, yet. He needed to go through the rest of the code to be sure—

He needed to know for sure that Tobias’s self had not been torn apart by being fused with Avi.

Sure, they had a back-up, but…

He dreaded the thought of being forced to resort to using it.

But if it turned out that this damage was beyond repair… he would have no other choice.]

Mikhail: (Oh, Avi…! What did you DO to him?)

———————————————

{Elsewhere…}

[Cardinal forced himself to physically relax.

He had taken shelter in a cooled, dark, abandoned basement. The sun beat down mercilessly outside— 102ºF, and that was WITHOUT the humidity.

He had retreated there as much for safety as for the isolation.

He needed time to think.]

Cardinal: …

[Everything was dead ends. His attempt to get news on the situation ended with hearing Aviator talking in a cheerfully sadistic manner about his latest caller.

As he’d made his way toward the highways, he saw that they were still in complete chaos. Going anywhere was going to be time consuming and dangerous. He couldn’t afford to just go running around blindly, even though he had no current leads.

He was going to need some sort of focus…]

Cardinal: …

[He visualized the situation like a strategy game board. All the pieces in play… including his own.]

Cardinal: (Now if I were Shade, where would I be…)

[He was hitting a mental block, Shade shrouded in darkness.

He knew that this was because he was unwilling to consider the worst.

He forced himself to remember his own advice…]

-*-*-*-*-*-

“Remember, you aren’t really fighting them—their physical form, perhaps, but you’re actually up against the parasite.”

-*-*-*-*-*-

Cardinal: (…Right. The parasite. Focus on the virus, Lou…. What do you know about it?)

-*-*-*-*-*-

Jack: I think...whatever was in those crosses just...

Jack: Pulled out all the... bad parts of me...

-*-*-*-*-*-

Cardinal: …

[He forced himself to continue this line of thought, despite the cold pain it was making him feel.]

-*-*-*-*-*-

Shade: ...Bein' an assassin, Cards?

Shade: It's hard.

Shade: It's hard because...I'm so good at it.

Shade: Sometimes that even scares ME.

- - -

Shade: ...At the very least, Ah' can give them a quick death.

Shade: ... ... ...Never really felt the need to make someone suffer before.

Shade: At least, not like...ya know.

Shade: With malice and all that.

Shade: ...Ah' hope Ah' never do.

Shade: Because the minute ah' do? I'll be no better than Viper.

-*-*-*-*-*-

[Cardinal sucked in air through his teeth, pain stinging at him. He wished—not for the first time—that he could cry, just to have some way to relieve this stress.]

Cardinal: (Feeding what is already there… already there…. …)

[It was too much for him.

His Emotions.exe program was becoming exacerbated. He couldn’t continue this right now—not in this heat—without consequences.]

Cardinal: G-gghhh…

[He stood abruptly.

He was going to need to get somewhere with working air conditioning if he were to have any hope of finishing this process any time soon.

And time was not on his side.]

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

[Masamune appears to be huddled in a corner in a comical fashion.]

Masamune: ({I’ve made my mistakes—})

((gg, ninjabro))

FIGHT! Bonfire Vs Ray!

BONFIRE VS RAY (Current)

Intro Quote(Versus): [Bonfire reeled from the horrendous scream. As he gritted his teeth in pain and looked up into the looming shadow that glinted with many serrated fangs, he was slammed with a cross-reference—something his sister had said to them the night they learned the truth of what happened….] || “-Teeth. So many teeth. In the dreams, always the teeth. The teeth and the screes. So many teeth. Did we mention teeth?-” || [The shock was stunning, but the severity of the situation kickstarted a different instinct. He burst into WHITE-HOT FLAMES OF PURE RAGE.]

Taunt: BURN, YOU INSUFFERABLE WITCH!

Special Attack: ((No dialogue, just an angry shout with a wicked right hook!))

Ultimate Attack: [The power that he put behind the explosion was more than just pushing himself to the limit. This high-tier Burning Spirit was fueled with a roaring rampage of revenge—revenge for all that they had suffered, for all the pain and madness and sorrow. But most of all, for that night—for THAT NIGHT, the night that his sister had been brought back, SCREAMING in agony as she fell to pieces…]

Win Quote(Versus): What the hell—?! || [Out of ALL the things to happen, he had NOT expected her to suddenly start DISSOLVING like that…!]

Lose Quote(Versus): [He huffed, shaking in pain and injury from the numerous, heavy wounds. || Try as he might, he couldn’t contact anyone. There would be no escape…] || D…Damn you…!

===================

BONFIRE & RAY (Post-AO: Full Memory)

Intro Quote(Team Up): [The leader of the Fighting Mighties flared up in anger. He was not pleased to have landed himself in this situation, but this was hardly the time or place to confront the past when they had a BIGGER problem on their hands…]

Assist: No further! ((Directed at opponent(s), not Ray))

Ultimate Team Attack: Taste the fires of Hell! ((Referring far more to Ray’s fire than his own, but still.))

Win Quote(Team Up): Hmph. I’m calling in the chaos spheres and the ice child before this inferno rages out of control.

Lose Quote(Team Up): This is out of our control—!

Knock Out Quote(Team Up Self): [He staggered down to one knee, trying desperately to stay conscious. He didn’t trust his combat so-called “partner”, even though…] || Ghh… gnnnn… || [He couldn’t take it. He was worn down beyond his limits.] || : >F-Father…! ||

Knock Out Quote(Team Up Partner): [Bonfire was seized with a sudden cold fear. This was not a choice he wanted to make. He didn’t want to have to even think of choosing. Especially not when his own sister and her Other had orders to carry out, and they would all pay the price for obstruction. || For the first time ever, he found himself desperately HOPING that he would lose, so that he wouldn’t have to MAKE that decision…]

=CHAPTER 6C: CRIMSON STRONGHOLD=

~AO v1.0~

((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))

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

{Several Hours Later…}

<DCP-001 to MNN-009>: > -Ping-

[MN.9 to DCP-001] //: ...!

[MN.9 to DCP-001] //: -Sounds of things being tripped over- O-Oh, hi, Linka...! -Ow--

<DCP-001>: > Oh! Beck! Are you okay?

[MN.9] //: Y-Yeah, I just kinda tripped over some stuff. -Gosh, my room is a mess...-

<DCP-001>: > I made you cookies.

[MN.9] //: -PING--!-

<DCP-001>: > ^.^

<DCP-001>: > Father says I can send them over to have during the meeting!

<DCP-001>: > We have good news!

[MN.9] //: ...Meeting??

[MN.9] //: -...wait how long have I been asleep--

<DCP-001>: > Several hours, I think? Father said he brought you some marshmallows before your nap.

[MN.9] //: --I SHOULD PROBABLY GET CHANGED THEN, ONE SEC--

<DCP-001>: > ?

<DCP-001>: > Okay, Beck! I will go to meet my brothers and we can all talk. ^_^

[MN.9] //: -Rushful data, we really need to clean our room--

[MN.9] //: Mkay--see ya there--!

{Later…}

[There were warm cookies waiting for Beck when he joined the others. Shadow had brought them over, and had guarded them from a very “interested” ice globe and propeller plane.]

Shadow: -Bows when Beck enters- Mighty Nine. Lady Cossack made these for you.

Beck: Shadow...! : D -HAPPY DATA--

Beck: !!

Beck: -SUGAR COOKIES--

[And he then proceeds to shove them in his mouth. Wow. Kid can eat.]

Cryo: BECK CAN I HAVE OOOOONE--

Avi: -Bro please--

[Wow, Shadow actually smiles and almost laughs, giving a small huff from an interrupted “heh”.]

Beck: -No--

Beck: -LINKA MADE THESE FOR ME-

Cryo: -POUTS, PROCEEDS TO FLAIL ARMS-

Avi: -Awwwwww--

Shadow: I am sure she will be happy to make something for you as well.

[He kneels down, sitting on his heels and folding his arms inside his sleeves.]

Shadow: There will be time for it, in the Meadow.

Beck: --Oh, yeah, Linka said something about a meeting...?

Shadow: Yes. We have news of great import to impart. -Looks over to Pyro- Bat is listening, correct?

Shadow: He will need to hear this.

Pyro: Correct. He'll be listening in through the feeds...

Beck: -Mmm sugar...-

Pyro: -Pay attention, Beck.-

Beck: --Oops, yes, sir.

Shadow: Very well, then.

[He turns to a nearby monitor. After a moment, a video feed comes up. It shows several windows: one for the repair bay where Bat was resting; one for the Meadow repair bay room where Jack was resting; and finally, one for the Meadow’s living room.]

Kalinka: -Waves- Hi, Beck! : D

Beck: -WAVES-

[After a moment, Snow’s face filled that window.]

Snow: MISTER BAT MISTER BAT BATMAN BAT SIR HIIIII—

[He showed a bit of artwork that looked like a camo pattern made using sponges and paint in earth tones.]

Snow: I made you a present ‘cause you’re not sick now!

Shadow: —… (Not quite the news I was thinking of, but… heh. I hope he likes it.)

Bat: ....Heh...

[...This seems to cheer him up a bit.]

Bat: Fine work, Snowcone...put that up on the fridge for me, hm?

Beck: ^.^

Snow: Yes sir!

[He skips off to do just that. Keltso shakes his head, grinning in amusement.]

Skull: {Welcome back to us, sir. You have been missed.}

Nico: Guys, please remember that Jack doesn’t know Russian. -Looks over to Cossack briefly- And we have many things to discuss. Where should we start?

[Mikhail looked up from his hot chocolate.]

Mikhail: Well… if there’s anything any of you would like to share…

Jack: -...Should learn Russian after this-

Will: Ahem...

[Will appears in the video feed to the Repair Bay--holding a clipboard with many papers on it.]

Will: If I may go first?

Mikhail: Please do.

Will: As you all know, I have been analyzing the virus's code along with Call, and the samples that have been retrieved from Beck's assimilation data from his siblings...along with the one Mikhail provided from the RMDC.

[Will flips through the papers on his clipboard.]

Will: While I haven't exactly made MUCH headway regarding finding a cure to it...

Will: ...I did find something...rather odd.

[The RAs and Cossacks glance between each other. They fidget slightly in unison—a side effect of the shared connection, perhaps.]

Nico: -Clearly has his thoughts on the matter, but doesn’t voice them as that would be a tangent-

Will: ...As...we have seen from...previous encounters...

Will: ...The virus seems to have some... ability to communicate through whatever it is controlling...

[They seem even more uncomfortable at this.]

Will: --Which led me to believe it must have some kind of level of Awareness.

Will: Yet...

Will: ...I didn't find anything that would point to it.

Mikhail: … -Clearly wants to say something himself, but forces himself to wait until he’s sure Will is done-

Will: It's directives are quite clear, but...

Will: ...whoever created this virus seems to have left a few... holes in the code, so to speak...

Pryo: ... Holes?

[Okay, at THIS, the boys look almost TERRIFIED.]

Nico: WHAT?!

[Mikhail has to calm them down forcefully.]

Mikhail: It’s alright, Alnico!

Mikhail: He said that there were holes in the virus code, not that it left holes after infection!

Nico: -Oh—-

Nico: -DEAR GOD, WILL, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW BAD YOU SCARED US WITH THAT WORDING—-

Will: I...I should have worded that better--Sorry--

[Considering their Being was in their software and they had all been temporarily infected, it was no surprise that had caused a moment of abject terror.]

Mikhail: -Sighs, mopping up some spilled hot chocolate- I had noticed it had an ability that approached awareness from the start.

Mikhail: I didn’t say anything at the time because… well, I assumed it was merely a level of coding that was above my comprehension, and that is why it appeared “alive” the way David did when I was eighteen.

Will: (Argh...)

Will: Right, you did say it...got angry with you...

Mikhail: Oh yes. And as for the boys…

Jaden: Tobias would know more, but, uh… he’s pretty tired, still. He was doing some research and analysis for us recently…

Will: ...Ah...

Avi: -Tobyyyy....-

Dyna: -BZzzzzzzt...-

Mikhail: He did have quite the interesting thing to say, though.

Will: ...?

Mikhail: He had to use a parable of sorts to explain it in concrete terms, but he remembers that his time during the fusion felt a great deal like a three-way fight with remotes over a TV station.

Avi: --....

Will: ...So he also felt the virus pull, then...

Will: Mm...

Mikhail: Mmm…

Nico: Felt it? Boy, we all felt it.

Nico: -Gestures with his left hand, scowling- It tried to send us into Lethal mode. It was like being in high fever. When one thing didn’t work, it would try another, and keep on trying with a decent force of will that was like being pushed headfirst down into suffering.

Will: (...Right...it seems to be very hellbent on completing it's directives...almost as if...)

Will: . . . .

Will: -Frowns-

Will: (...They are definitely not going to like this news, then....)

Nico: There’s a reason why Snow addressed it directly on the highway.

Nico: He’d dealt with it and our systems recognize it as an… entity, much like we do the Menace. They are counterparts of the same coin, forged from the same cloth.

Nico: Whether they have Awareness does not make them less Intelligent or less dangerous.

Will: Quite...

Nico: The fact…

Nico: The fact it actually got upset at being called out is rather unusual for something that isn’t Aware, though. Just sayin'.

Nico: There have been times when we’ve sensed it hesitate or falter, as if it were in for more than expected.

[He looks directly at Avi.]

Nico: Being hit in the face with the RMDC backlog of cross-references comes to mind…

Nico: To borrow your favorite phrase, Jack—

Nico: It was almost “nope, NOPE, NOT GETTING PAID ENOUGH FOR THIS GLITCH"

Mikhail: -Can’t help but snort-

Jack: -...snORTS-

Will: ...Nico brings up a good point.

Will: It's...even stranger that, when you add in the supposed holes in it's code...

Will: ...It can only mean that the virus is, to some extent, incomplete.

Beck: --???

Beck: Wait what--

[They… don’t actually seem surprised at this.]

Nico: …Tch… only further proof to Cardinal’s theory…

Will: Well, I--

Will: .....

Will: (...I'm...not so sure about that...)

Will: . . . .

Beck: ....? Dad?

Nico: At least, that’s how he would have taken it.

Nico: -Grumble- I still think either it’s too complex of a plan for Cracker Snack to possibly handle, or else a kind of stupidity that even for him I have a hard time finding believable…

Will: .....

[Will puts down the clipboard.]

Will: Friends...

Will: I have been in the field of Xel Robotics and AI&A Development for at least half of my life.

Will: ....In my honest opinion...

Will: ...The coding in this virus, while incomplete, is absolutely brilliant.

[...He's not joking.]

Will: .....

Will: It's...

Will: ...It's why I still consider the possibility of Blackwell being involved somehow.

Will: It's....

Beck: ...Dad?

[...Will isn't looking at the screen anymore.]

Will: . . . .

Will: (Please let it be him and not...)

[There’s a slight… growl, almost.]

Mikhail: -Glasses glint ominously, clearly displeased-

Mikhail: Will, please, we’ve gone over this…

[He’s… gripping one hand tightly with the other, clearly tense.]

Will: .....

Will: (Mikhail, if you only knew the alternative possibility....)

Will: ....

Shadow: If I may.

Will: -Sigh-

Will: ...I'm sorry. Go on, Shadow.

Shadow: I do not consider the possibility entirely unreasonable… nor do I find it mutually exclusive with previous theories, such as CherryDynamics accidentally unleashing an unfinished constructed disaster upon the world.

Shadow: If Doctor Blackwell has been stripped of all rights and is out of public sight, with restricted access to his person, then that means that there are—forgive the cynicism—fewer people necessary to bribe, blackmail, or distract in order to get at Blackwell himself.

Shadow: When one is kept on a tight leash, be wary to be sure the leash stays in the hand of the right master.

Shadow: …If he IS involved, he may have been for—

Mikhail: {ENOUGH.}

Will: --!

Will: (Oh dear--)

[He was hugging his daughter tightly. She was silent and cowering, with her face turned away from the camera. She was shaking slightly.]

Digger: …

Digger: WELL OKAY YES GOOD theory means to work of something off of, yes?

[He was speaking rapidly now.]

Digger: EASIER TO FIND IF START KNOW WHERE TO LOOK, DA—

Digger: William find in hide and seek numbers, uh-huh, he can do it! Yay.

Digger: BETTER NEWS NOW. :^D

Digger: News to be having, is yes good!

[…A rather forceful change in subject…

…though given the situation moments earlier, not exactly an unwelcome one, as far as the others were concerned.]

Digger: COUSIN TWIN SIAM

Digger: YOU TELL ANNOUNCEMENT NOW PLEASE

Will: --?

[There was a slight THUD noise as a new window opened.]

Beck: ????

[It showed Siamini in the lab at his family’s house. He appears to have been startled and interrupted rather suddenly.]

Gemini: Cossack Three, what are you— Siam: -Talking over- OH! Hello, Doctors! …And Jack too, I see?

Jack: ...Yo, Double Dude...

Will: Siam...

Will: Digger was...telling us that you have some good news for us...?

Avi: Uh, yeah, bro, what's the scoop?

Siam: OH, Gemini: that!

[He grinned simultaneously.]

Siamini: We’ve made a breakthrough!

Will: --!!!

Avi: --Wait wait wait, you mean--

Siam: Finally, after all this Siamini: time!

Gemini: It isn’t perfect, Siam: but it is definitely an excellent substitute.

Siam: Jack… you know how Xel constructs need Xel transfusions to recover when heavily injured. …Speaking of that, are you doing alright?

Gemini: … -Squints and peers at the screen- …Is that a Spinarak plush toy on your bedside table?

Jack: Oh, heh...Mirror Nine gave that to me. Dunno when, probably when I was asleep or whatever...

Jack: And, uh, yup. I'm good, guys. M'actually getting tired of laying around all day, though.

Jack: -Don't mind us though, what you're saying sounds pretty rad already-

Siam: Anyway…

Gemini: We’re not made of nanites, so repairs for us usually are very hands-on and quite expensive and require specialized professionals. However, we’ve found a way that works for us much like a Xel transfusion would work for you.

Siamini: We already had such technology, Gemini: but supplies were limited and Cardinal took Siamini: everything Siam: when he raided the lab.

Siam: It took some time to find a working alternative, but at last! Siamini: We have found it!

Beck: REALLY?!?!

[There is a massive, collective, happy “PING!” of confirmation.]

Mikhail: -Significantly better mood now- We’ve yet to figure a way to reverse-engineer it, but at least we’ve found another option. It’s not exactly the most common, and can be considered rare… unless you know where to find it. Then it is accessible enough, all things considered. In fact, Lady Nighthawk is familiar with the potential supplier. We’ve put in a large quantity order, and it should be here within the next 24 hours.

[There were excited cheers all around from the Mighties, and Beck was practically bouncing in place, his optics lighting up with joy. ]

Beck: Oh my gosh this is BETTER THAN GREAT GUYS DID YOU HEAR THAT--

Cryo: -YOOOOOOOOOO--

Avi: -HOVERING IN PURE GLEE-

Will: Wonderful--! Well done, Siam!

Siamini: ^^;

[They all seem pretty happy to see Beck better. Kalinka was smiling and speaking a bit shakily, with some tears in her eyes.]

Kalinka: {I-it means that you can… can fix them if they need to get better, and we do not have to be so afraid, and… and my little brothers will be okay and come back sooner…}

Mikhail: If it is alright with you, Will, I’d like to leave a case in your care, with Digger to help look after it.

Mikhail: </subtext: You may need it if there is an emergency.>

Will: Oh, absolutely. Thank you, Mikhail.

Mikhail: It should be simple enough to use. And in a pinch, it also works on organics, so…

Nico: …Dare I ask how you figured THAT out?

Mikhail: -Snorts- Very funny, Alnico.

Mikhail: Anyway. As I told your father earlier…

Mikhail: DCN-003 will be staying over to assist with locating and recovering MNN-004.

Digger: : >

Digger: -yes good-

Will: Mm, agreed. (If anyone can find Mic...)

Digger: We talk, make plans after meeting! Da. -No, this is not negotiable, by the way, Pyro- -Just so you know-

Mikhail: I, however… will be staying here.

Pyro: -...Well, for the time being, I suppose...-

Beck: ...! Huh...?

Shadow: …?

Shadow: I do not understand. I thought you were still assisting…?

Mikhail: -Sighs-

[He took off his glasses to clean them.]

Mikhail: …Other than ongoing moral support… I’m afraid my work there is done. I’ve contributed what I could regarding the virus, which was rather little to begin with. I’ve fixed the problem caused by a bad connection to the RMDC that gave you all their nightmares. But now that we know the tide has turned, and there is no longer the constant threat of a witch hunt near at hand…

Mikhail: -Puts his glasses back on- …It’s time for us all to go home, to be honest. Since we’re already here, we may as well stay. It will be safer—and an aid to recovery—for Tobias, Jack, and Fighter Eight to be here. Given the federal scrutiny here, and the fact that Siam is making great progress there… not to mention overall concerns of safety…

[He looked over at one of his youngest sons as he said this.]

Mikhail: …It would be safer and more practical for others that I should not leave.

<DCN-007 to MNN-001>: > {Meaning, we won’t cause interference with others as a certainty, as Father will be safe and there shall be no need.}

Mikhail: Besides…

Mikhail: I have some incredibly important work to do, now.

[…This…

…isn’t exactly said in a cheerful manner….

…

…More like a very grave one.]

Will: (. . . Mikhail...?)

Pyro: .....

Beck: (...Oh...they're...staying. Well... at least they'll be safe...)

[Mikhail hesitated.]

Mikhail: …Pyrogen, Battalion…

Mikhail: I imagine you have your fair share of thoughts on the matter of the absent 000.

Mikhail: I know you have both been rather…

Mikhail: …displeased, to say the least.

Pyro: .... | [

[Bat gives off a disgruntled noise, his eyes cast to the wall beside him.]

Nico: Heh…

[He gives a wry smile that… strangely resembles his father’s smirk.]

Nico: Speak now or forever hold your peace.

Pyro: .....

Pyro: While I do not exactly hold it against him--given his reason for leaving...

Pyro: It just... doesn't sit right with me, as an elder unit. I know my place, and it's here with my family.

Pyro: (...I just don't know if I could just...leave, like he did...)

Bat: . . .

Bat: ...My loyalty is to my family--I agree with Pyro there.

Bat: ...Given the circumstances, leaving his post--he should have thought about the consequences of his actions first and foremost.

Bat: ...Then again.

Bat: He doesn't have an ounce of survival instinct. -_-;;;;;

[Mikhail didn’t skip a beat in responding to that. He spoke very matter-of-fact.]

Mikhail: That would be an accurate statement, Battalion. It is not merely that he seems to lack an instinct… he actually _literally_ lacks such an instinct.

((reaction))

Mikhail: As a military support unit prototype, he was intended to be replaceable. He was also intended to be in incredibly dangerous settings—active war zones. His basic coding centers around completing missions and protecting other combatants and innocents—partially by providing cover fire, but primarily by taking the brunt of attacks onto his person. He was made for the missions that had a high chance where he could die—that is what he was made for.

Mikhail: He was not built with a sense of self-preservation, not a true one—just a directive to be as useful as possible for as long as possible. So. As a result? His own survival is rather low on the priority list in the command cascade hierarchy, relatively speaking. Remember, he was a prototype, and much of his coding was not done by an expert.

Beck: . . . .

Beck: (Cards...)

Bat: (...It isn't going to end well if he finds Private Shade--and the chances of finding them ourselves are slim to none...)

Pyro: .....

Mikhail: …My friends…

Mikhail: …There is a reason I’m sending the case over to begin with.

Will: .....

Will: (Ah...)

((N O P E))

Skull: -Speaking rather gravely, with the computer translating for Jack- {It may be that we shall find him, or that he shall return of his own accord… and there will be no need to preserve him, and we can just go home.}

Keltso: -Bluntly- {But the odds of that happening are not very high.}

Gemini: -Absentmindedly, already returning to his work- The chances of finding him without direct information are 1/3,800,000, to be precise.

Bat: (So I had figured...)

Pyro: ...And I imagine finding Shade without info is even less so...

Avi: -He's invisible, bro, and just as good at hiding-

Beck: (...Where ARE you two...?)

Beck: (This can't go on for much longer, can it?)

Siam: Yes, exponentially—

Keltso: -Cuts him off- {Cardinal’s not only successfully evaded us thus far—he’s done so even after remotely accessing our server of the database.}

Mikhail: Cardinal took advantage of the chaos after the airwaves were freed to connect to the database. Recently, I’ve been trying to trace where he did so exactly—and I found an IP address.

Beck: --!!

Beck: Wh--Where--?

Mikhail: -Holds up a hand in a “stop” gesture, turning his head slightly and closing his eyes-

[After everyone quieted down, he continued.]

Mikhail: …As I had expected would be the case, based on previous information provided by Dencerjack… the source was a public library in Kansas City. Further research and inquiries revealed that he had forced his way in before the battle had concluded broadcast. He liberated the building, allowing a number of students (mostly college-aged) to escape, providing them with a hospital location and a notice that they might hear from us later. The pair I talked with in particular were very surprised, but had a lot of important information to say.

[…Oh yeah…]

———————————

“Anyway, right on, little dude! I think your red fan wanted us to talk and stuff, uh, so if you station guys could give me the number to the lab, that would be great—”

———————————

Will: --!!

Beck: So that guy on the phone in the news was one of--!

Beck: (...Wow, I...he had time to do all that...?)

Will: And what did the students say?

Mikhail: Well… we now know that he has a portable radio. This means that he’s heard every major broadcast so far, though his attention to detail may have been varied; at the very least, he surely knows that CherryDyn’s potential to create a second Monstropolis has been curtailed.

Avi: -We're still trending from that, by the way-

Pyro: -Aviator--

Avi: -IT'S GOOD NEWS BRO-

Avi: -Seriously, the support's been pretty awesome-

Beck: ....

Beck: -Raises hand-

Mikhail: Yes?

Beck: Um...

Beck: If...if Cardinal knows I'm saving my family and helping out...

Beck: ...How come he hasn't come home? I mean--if he was here then finding Shade would be a little easier if we all worked together...

Beck: ...Right...?

[Mikhail shook his head.]

Mikhail: …It’s just not that simple. He has an active, military level valid Combat initiative now.

Bat: . . . Gnh...

Beck: Uh....

Shadow: -Turns his head slightly so that he’s looking out of the corner of his eyes- …What makes you so sure it is a military directive that he is following?

[Mikhail frowned.]

Mikhail: …That would take a while to explain. The shortest version I can offer is this: then the Light Industrials went rogue, the military was called in to stop them. When that didn’t quite work, greater measures were taken.

Mikhail: But since there is not the same level of force available on hand in this world, it would be far more tempting and possible to skip straight to very, very desperate measures.

Mikhail: His contingencies that uploaded to the database while he was connected are… very grim; in a worst case scenario where all AI&As were shut down—but only after the use of great force—much of the landscape would be uninhabitable. And worse, there would not be enough people anymore. If half the population just suddenly _died,_ the survivors might not survive for very long. Your nation as you know it would be dead.

Mikhail: That is an event that the military strives to prevent. It is one of the main reasons it _exists._ So to be faced with such a prospect? Of course it would activate a military directive.

Mikhail: -Primarily to Bat and Pyro- _Now_ do you understand why he ran off, gentlemen?

((Reaction))

Mikhail: ({The fact that it was Shade involved… it still would not have been enough on its own for him to focus all his attention on Shade. He should have gone after Battalion first. The fact that he didn’t is very, very worrisome… it means that he saw Shade a greater threat to the nation than a walking tank with a military connection.})

Mikhail: He has his mission, and not even I have the direct authority to tell him to stand down.

Mikhail: Only active duty military officers of a higher rank have such authority—and even that may not work, I’m not sure.

Mikhail: In any case, he will not be deterred from his mission, and he will be driven on the most basic of levels to complete it.

Skull: {The reason we haven’t tried to go get him is that he is no longer there anymore.}

Bat: Course...can't stay in one place for too long...

Bat: Got to keep moving.

Beck: . . .

[...Nine looks rather disheartened.]

Avi: -Pat, its OK, bro...-

Mikhail: He’s no longer in Kansas City. He was there—not only did he help the college students, but he also vandalized quite a bit of downtown before leaving.

[He brings up a series of holographic images.

There were somewhat crude carvings in bricks and stone, concrete and asphalt, even other buildings— except they looked like they hadn’t been made by a blade, but rather by…]

Brand: ...Is that...

Pyro: ...acid...?

Pisces: …Yup.

Pisces: That’s sure an interesting way to use my Power Capsule… never tried it with artwork…

[Each carving was also painted over. It depicted a Talonflame in flight in a yellow triangle, with a large rendition of Shade’s signature cross-hairs placed beneath it.]

Avi: --Hey, that kinda looks like a...

Beck: ....? Caution?

Beck: (Like one of those...hazard signs...)

Mikhail: Very good, you two.

Mikhail: …Cardinal has always been very fond of symbolism, and this was no different. He’s telling several things, here.

Beck: ...That bird there--it's a Talonflame, for sure.

Beck: (...Baron?)

Beck: Is...is he trying to warn us, or...?

Skull: -Points- Well, if you zoom out a bit…

[Mikhail does so.

From a distance, it really did look like a caution sign…]

Mikhail: He is indeed giving a warning. He has seen some sort of danger, one that is a serious threat and requires him to continue the mission.

Mikhail: -Glancing at the window with Bat’s feed- But he doesn’t know if he’s right—it’s only a warning, not an alert. -Returns his attention to the main window- He’s going to travel far, possibly enough to fly—though the avian motif also symbolizes him, himself, given his name.

Skull: {And, he likely has Baron with him, or else he would have used an eagle or a true cardinal bird.}

Will: .....

Will: And the cross-hairs...

Avi: ...That's Shade, isn't it?

Beck: . . .

Mikhail: Yes.

Beck: (So...a warning--and it involves Shade? Is that what you're trying to tell us, Cards...?)

Beck: . . .

Mikhail: He anticipates that someone will see the message—he’s hoping that not only we will see it, but also that Shade will see it.

Shadow: …That seems rather counterproductive, if he hopes to have a chance of taking Mighty Eight by surprise.

Will: . . .

Will: I doubt he has, honestly...

Mikhail: I know, and I’m sure he does, too.

Mikhail: Will… remember when I called you when this whole thing started?

Mikhail: You weren’t answering. I didn’t know for sure, but I “knew” that I wouldn’t be able to reach you—nevertheless, I still called, because to “know” in heart is still not an absolute, and there is that hope—or desire, rather, to be wrong.

Mikhail: It’s the same principle here.

Mikhail: He hoped for Shade to see this, even if it were only after the fact.

Mikhail: … Especially then, actually…

Will: .....

Will: He did send me a text during that, I'm not sure if I told you...

Will: ...It was John 15:13.

Jack: --!!

Jack: He told me that too--

[Mikhail looks visibly concerned when he hears this. Distinctly uncomfortable, as if this only makes the matter more dismal.]

Mikhail: (Oh, Cardinal…) Yes, that is part of the narrative. And there is even more to it…

[Skull pointed at the ground of the images.

There were a series of numbers spray painted there, followed by a phrase: “NOT FOR ANY REASON” .]

Beck: Not for any reason...?

Mikhail: It took a while to decipher, but we eventually figured out that it was referring to a memory file extension. His, to be more specific.

Jaden: Hang on. You didn’t tell us about this. When was this?

Keltso: Recently.

Mikhail: One that had been locked.

Speedy: Well of COURSE it was locked, ALL of his memories are default to be encrypted—

Mikhail: …Emphasis on had.

Speedy: …What?

Mikhail: It’s from quite a while ago, which is a curiosity in and of itself. Unfortunately, we’re not privy to much context. Only a small portion of it plays; the rest of it is still encrypted.

[He sighed.]

Mikhail: …Specifically…

[He plays the clip.]

-*-*-*-*-

<DLN-000>: >Things will be okay, Shade.

[MN.8] //: .......

[MN.8] //: ...Cards?

<DLN-000>: >Yeah?

[MN.8] //: ....If anythin' does happen t' me?

[MN.8] //: ...Don't try an' stop me.

-*-*-*-

Beck: --!!

[...It had been--or felt like, rather--ages since he heard Shade's voice.]

Beck: (Shade...)

Brand: . . . . .

[…This was dated back in APRIL.]

Brand: (How...did they...?)

Pyro: !

Will: (Shade...son, you...)

-*-*-*-

[But the clip continued.]

<DLN-000>: >…

<DLN-000>: >Shade, don’t make me promise that.

<DLN-000>: > B/

<DLN-000>: >I won’t because I can’t.

-*-*-*-

Beck: . . . . . . . .

Beck: (I....)

-*-*-*-

[MN.8] //: No, ah' won't. I know. Just...fair warnin'.

-*-*-*-*-

Cryo: -Bro its like they knew--

[And here, Mikhail turns up the volume.]

-*-*-*-

<DLN-000>: >I know. I know.

<DLN-000>: >But I’ll never give up on you Shade, not for any reason.

-*-*-*-*-

Beck: (....)

Beck: (Not for any reason...)

Avi: --..Uh--

Avi: -Guuuuuys...-

Avi: -If Cards is warning us about Shade or something to that effect...-

Bat: . . .

Skull: …

Skull: -Very quietly, doesn’t really want to point this out, data-

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-

[All the brothers suddenly gain green eyes in alarm.]

Cryo: -Wait wait wait--

Cryo: -Shade--I mean he wouldn't--

Cryo: ....

Cryo: -GLITCH--

Cryo: -AAAAAAAAAH SHADE NO YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO CARDS BRO--

[Shadow seemed taken aback, and looked over at Brand, somewhat troubled. All of the brothers looked somewhat surprised, actually— even Nico looked troubled. This was clearly news to him.]

[…There seemed to be a sudden cascade of collective data that came across like an echo in a tunnel before a flash flood—]

((pic))

DEATH WEARS [color=Cadetblue, blue and magenta glow]BLUE[/color]

[The Hunter, the Hunter—!]

Avi: -Nnngh--hurts hurts hurts-

Avi: -Shade--you can't-- you're not--!-

[Speedy just suddenly powered down, which caused Jaden to be rather startled.]

Jaden: Carlos—!

[Most of the others were entering Defensive Combat mode. Several had already shifted to partial or full armor.]

Beck: -pANIC--

Beck: (NonononoNO--!)

Beck: (We gotta--we gotta do something--!)

[Keltso became assertive, almost aggressive.]

Keltso: We can wish all we want, but it is more realistic to conclude that Four will be found before Eight. We have ideas and an expert to pursue possibilities for MNN-004. There are a limited number of places he can be, simply due to his large mass.

Keltso: The same cannot be said for Eight, who can turn invisible, is versatile, and more or less kept to himself.

Shadow: But—

Keltso: Before he left, Cardinal took a map of the United States Interstate highway network.

Keltso: He has a specific destination in mind. He’s probably already on his way there, and has been for days.

Shadow: {What?!}

Will: . . .

Will: (So he...he has an idea where Shade might be...)

Will: (But where...?)

Siam: -Grouchy- 000, you ass— Siamini: why do you sign your name a mile high Gemini: with a warning of great danger that activates your military directives Siamini: and neglect to say where?

Jaden: Yeah, what’s more dangerously important than tracking down Major Five? If his military directives activated and he didn’t go for Five… what could trump that?

Keltso: You think we would be having this conversation if we knew? -Snorts- Not likely.

Keltso: If we knew, we would have sent Nine ahead, while One, Three, Six, and myself went to intercept and detain him by force.

Skull: I don’t know… that sounds a bit underpowered to detain him…

Will: (--Underpowered, he says...)

Will: (......He has a point--even if we somehow DO find Cardinal before Shade...who's to say we can fully stop him without Eight...?)

Mikhail: Mmmn.

Mikhail: …Going after him would be a last resort. He has military level directives. This means he will fight back, and he won’t be remotely gentle.

Mikhail: It’s not quite like fighting his younger brother under similar circumstances—as 001 actually loses Awareness—but it would still be… very unpleasant.

Mikhail: Best possible scenario? He gets delayed and chooses to share information directly; I believe he will try to contact, as soon as he’s more confident in his suspicions.

Mikhail: Alternatively—while unlikely, still possible—you manage to cut him off by getting there before he has a chance to arrive on the scene. Something you must understand with high-order directives—they don’t have inertia. Once the order is completed, there is no longer that compulsion to carry it out. As such, he would return home immediately.

[… “You” and not… “we”?]

Will: .....

Will: [sub]Cut him off...that is, if we knew where he was going in the first place...[/sub]

Will: (Mikhail...)

Mikhail: -Turns to face him- I know, it’s quite a conundrum. …And I’m sorry that I still won’t be able to help much. I know what he would do, but where he might be going… that is peering into Shade’s mind, not into Cardinal’s. And wry comments about the two of them aside, I’m afraid I have something more within my capacity related to this that I need to focus on.

Will: -Sigh...- (Where ARE you two...?)

Will: Right...of course. Go on, Mikhail...

Mikhail: …With an alternative to E-tanks found, and the matter of replacement parts having already been resolved…

Shadow: Again, thank you for that, Beck. It has been immensely helpful for all of us.

Kalinka: [sub]Hero~~~[/sub]

Beck: Eheh...you're welcome, guys...! (^\\\^)7

Mikhail: We’re now turning all our attention to the final piece of the puzzle.

Beck: ...The final...?

Will: ...That would be finding a power source, correct?

Mikhail: Exactly.

Siam: We are Siamini: sooooooo cloooooooooooose Siam: I can feel it—

Will: I'm sure you are, Siam, and I would be happy to help...

Will: ...But we have bigger, more pressing things to worry about at the moment...

Mikhail: I feel that working on this will be my best way of helping in the matter. -Adjusts glasses- Cardinal will only be returned here if Shade is returned first, or if he wears himself beyond mere exhaustion. There is a very high probability that he will be needing extensive repairs.

Mikhail: The inclusion of a new power source with the boys has been long overdue, BOTH Tobias and Carlos need it in addition to Cardinal; it’s been made very clear that even when underpowered, they will all still fling themselves into danger if they feel it necessary. It is important to allow them to be properly prepared and able to defend themselves to full capacity.

Mikhail: And this, my friends, is why I must stay, and why I cannot help.

Mikhail: I’m sorry, but the best thing I can do now is to help get things prepared for Cardinal’s arrival—and to prepare very well. I’ll likely be spending most of my time organizing supplies while helping oversee the recovery of the four other Xelbot fighters—particularly Carmen. -Looks over to Jack’s screen, as if for some input/confirmation/elaboration- She is still quite unwell….

Jack: ....Uh...yeah, she's...kinda still outta it--

Jack: But it's not as bad as before! She's doin' a lot better with me and Seven here...

Jack: And I think, if Four was here too...ya know...

Nico: I think it would. From what I’ve heard, she’s fond of hers. Not sure where he is…

Shadow: He is out getting materials for all parties involved that need repairs, Xelbots and otherwise.

Jaden: Oh, that would explain it…

Jaden: Man, I wish Felix were awake…

Digger: -Whirr whirrr- I think friend Adept wake sooner yes good!

Digger: Affinity with Earth “type”, is beyond organic/not, improving perhaps better with friend! : >

Beck: --...Yeah, Digger's right! The sooner we find Mic, the better...

Skull: -Somewhat monotone- I hear that he gave her rides.

Skull: After she accidentally flattened her oldest brother into the foyer floor in an attempt to get them from him instead.

Keltso: …

Keltso: -SNRK-

Keltso: -Starts cRACKING UP LAUGHING-

Mikhail: -Excuse us please- -We seemed to have lost our ability to breathe, we are going to quietly lose our srs right now-

Beck: -OH THAT STORY--YEAH THAT WAS FUNNY--

Will: -Did--Did she really--pfft--!-

Will: -Cannot save face, Soi can you please take over for a minute while we laugh regain our composure-

Sanda: --? Er...

Sanda: -I feel like I missed something here...-

Digger: -Happy pings, many happy pings- Is good, we bring back American soul-cousin mining friend, find energy heart replacement, happy times! :^D

Digger: Go over safety things and plan after meal! Nine work very hard, yes good, much hero. ^^ Need good meal to stay strong and keep grow.

Kalinka: -Shiny eyes- Big dinner and then sleepover, da? Outside of time, is okay? : D

Snow: We can roast marshmellies! : D Then you’ll be super-duper rested up when you find Four! ^_______^

Snow and Kalinka: Pleeeaaaaaase?

Beck: ...Something tells me you guys aren't gonna take no for an answer, huh?

Snow: Oh, well… we can wait! o: We still got to see and talk with you today, after all. c:

Snow: Time’s been real different over here, so sometimes it’s a long time before we hear from you guys again.

Snow: But that’s okay, because it allows Sammy to do all his research, an’ Mister Jack an’ Miss Eight to get all better! c:

Snow: -Hums the Spiderjack theme again-

Beck: Right...and for us to do what we gotta do.

Sanda: Oh, about that--Call is doing a through search for Four as we speak! It will take a while to pinpoint exactly where he is, though, since we're not picking up his transponder...

Sanda: So while I finish repairing Five and Will gets back to analyzing the virus, I do recommend resting up for now, Beck.

Digger: Okay, yes good. c:

Beck: Huh....

Beck: Can Jack come too?

Jack: ...Me?

Beck: You still gotta tell us how in the world you found Carmen!

Jack: --Oh.

Digger: Is good! Doctor Will look into hungry hungry bad writing, Lady Sanda search and I help with idea, Fire bro cook hearty meal (yes good), plan after dinner, sleepover later night! Hooray~

Kalinka: Yaaaaay~~

Jack: Well...that does sound neat...so...yeah, Okay...

Beck: Cool!

Jaden: Allrighty, then. Sounds like we’ve got a plan. (We can make it through this…)

Jaden: (We just gotta take it one day at a time…!)

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

=BONUS CONTENT: BONUS SCENE #4=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

((Incomplete prewriting: 07/04/2016T medal ceremony and speeches))

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

{July 4th, 20XX}

[The sky was clear and bright on the morning of Independence Day as the Mighty Numbers took their seats in the crowd.]

((Pings between them as someone—maybe Beck—asks if they know what’s going on. Jack adds that it’s a good question.))

[They were not alone; Jack, the Rebel Angels, the Sandas, and the Cossacks were all there with them. The Robot Masters were in their armor, looking very much uneasy and feeling out of place.]

<DWN-024>: > {All we know is that President Morandi is making a speech. Why we have to be here, I do not know—but Mikhail seemed to think it was important.}

((Some back and forth about this))

<DWN-019>: >Well, I for one find it rather impressive <DWN-019>: >that they put together the setup so quickly!

[They were all gathered together in one of the city gardens. There was a large, grassy field where tables and chairs had been set up, as well as a small platform and a podium. The garden was decorated in red, white, and blue, with the Old Glory proudly on display in the form of small flags in the centerpieces on the tables, and as a large flag near the podium. The garden seemed untouched by the chaos of the last two weeks: indeed, it was as if it had never happened here.]

((Someone remarks that Felix must have come by in the night to restore the gardens to their former glory.))

[The man in question was seated at a nearby table, quietly playing with string. He was hard to recognize at first; he wasn’t wearing his usual gear, and was dressed instead to fit in with the rest of the crowd as much as possible.

Beside him sat several others that they had met on their journey or otherwise knew well—some having traveled for the occasion, and others having returned home to Titus itself.]

Beck: (There’s Mao, Felix… that must be Eli with Gwen and the baby…. And I’ll bet that’s Drake there with them, too.)

[He could see other Xelbots in the crowd as well—most he recognized from advertisements, though a few he had met in person.]

Beck: (Plume, Cassidy, Laura… not sure who the one with the wolf outfit is, but I know I’ve seen her before…)

[There were many dozens of other people he didn’t recognize, and the reporters—]

Beck: -Double take- (Goose?)

[MN.9] //: Goose, is that you?

[The mirror punplane give a winning smile and a thumbs up in the distance. He was in his Civilian form, and only recognizable to those who knew him. He seemed to be standing in for Avi, as far as Beck could tell.]

Beck: (I guess Kate must be here, too…. I don’t see her, though…)

[He turned around to sit back down in his seat, swinging his legs a bit beneath the table.]

Beck: (I wonder what everyone’s here for…)

[He didn’t have long to wait to find out. Soon, the music from the live band faded, and the chatter started to die down. When everything was quiet, the person at the podium began speaking.]

“Would everyone please rise for our national anthem…”

[There was a slight rumble from chairs being pushed back and people standing up. Attention was given to the flag as the song began to play, and the woman at the podium sang in a clear voice. Emotion flickered through the crowd, and the public channels became an almost stifling sea of pride, devotion, sorrow, joy, anxiety, and hope. Even with tuning all but his family out, the channel was still filled primarily with Bat’s rather strong emotion stirred up by the anthem, which overpowered the others’.]

[MN.2] //: Careful there, Batty! Don’t go all waterworks on us when we’re on TV!

[MN.5] //: ((Some sort of retort to this))

[MN.1] //: Settle down, you two. Secretary Donald is about to speak.

[The Secretary of Defense was sharply dressed, and gave off an air of authority.]

[MN.3] //: I wonder when he got hiszz other clotheszz. He didn’t have that uniform with him when you brought him back from the White House, did he?

[MN.7] //: Quiet—

[MN.3] //: Oh, pleaszze—he’szz juszzt introduczzing Madame Prez. No biggie.

[MN.5] //: Look sharp! He just said for the audience to be seated!

[There was a moment of quiet whispering as President Minerva Morandi came and took the podium. A hush fell over the crowd, and then she began speaking.]

Min: Thank you all for coming here. Some of you have traveled long and far to be here, and I assure you—each and every one of you is appreciated and welcomed here today.

[She spoke in a relaxed tone, one that was informative in nature. The same kind of tone you might find in a classroom.]

Min: Today we celebrate and honor Independence Day. This living memorial to the American spirit dawned this year on the tail of one of the most devastating disasters in our nation’s history: arguably the worst crisis in living memory for many of us here today.

Min: A fortnight ago, a crippling virus went live and swept across the nation. This plague of violence and destruction lasted eleven consecutive days. During this time, many homes were destroyed, families scattered, and priceless lives lost forever. We stand here today in a nation recovering from grievous injury: a desolation that has not been seen outside of times of war or terror. The scale is a likes of which has never before been seen in our nation’s history, and will be remembered in the tides of time along with 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. We are all—at most—only one or two degrees of separation from loss. Truly, it has been an ordeal that we will never forget.

[There was a moment of somber silence out of respect for the honored dead, leaving them alone in their thoughts.]

((Reflection on this))

[Min spoke up again.]

Min: And yet, the sun rises. It rose today on a free nation, full of brave men and women who stood tall against the darkness. It rose today on a people of unbroken spirit: a people unconquered by fear or despair. It rose today on a nation that still retains her greatest assets: the dream of a bright, prosperous, and peaceful future… and the people who live to carry out this dream through their force of will.

[She spoke more intensely now.]

Min: You all have heard tales of our countless heroes: from those who serve in an official capacity, to the everyday man brought up to the challenge. For every report of chaos, there is a report—or several—of great deeds. But the greatest story has yet to be told: and that is one we must write ourselves. A story we will write together, standing truly united.

Min: And that is the story of how we rose again, like a phoenix from the ashes, to stand once again as the shining city on a hill.

Min: This is our story. It does not end with desolation and despair—instead, it carries on past the dark and into the dawn. Yes, the sun rises: and it shines down on potential. From the clouds we will spin our own silver linings. We are not a people who break under terror—not in the dismal moments of our distant past, and not after the dark days of the present.

Min: We are a people of spirit: the drive to produce, to create something new. The burning desire to secure a safe and eager future for our friends and loved ones has not diminished, and this fire will carry us through as we pull together and rebuild.

Min: We will work together, side by side. Not just with each other, but also with our friends and allies. Together, we will bring life back to our cities, and peace back to our people!

[There were loud cheers at this, and much applause. Minerva smiled and looked down over her glasses.]

Min: It will not be easy, but nothing worth doing is painless. There will be obstacles—for that is the way that life is.

Min: But we shall overcome them, just as our ancestors overcame the great trials of their pasts. Working together, we will reach for the stars—and together, we shall thrive.

Min: I leave you now with the words of one such hero—words we all can live by.

Min: “Hope LIVES.”

((Undoubtedly some reaction to this))

Min: As long as we hold on to that hope, and do not let it die… working together, we can travel the roads wherever our dreams take us.

Min: Let the fire of hope burn brightly within each and every one of you not only this day, but in the days to come. Do not be afraid to pitch in—no good deed, however small, is without meaning.

Min: And remember: greatness starts with you. It cannot be done without you.

Min: Thank you.

[There was another round of applause, and Minerva stepped down and off to the side, speaking with some individuals who were standing near a table in the back. Meanwhile, Desmond came back up to the podium. He began to speak when the noise died down.]

Des: As the President alluded to, the past few days have been filled with tales of heroic deeds, great and small. The greatest of these have caught the media by storm, and their stories have been heard across the community. Today, we shall recognize these heroes, and give them the full honors that they have earned.

((Some reaction and excitement as they suddenly realize THAT'S why they're there today))

[As they were talking among themselves, Desmond began calling off names. As each person was listed off, they came forward to the platform. There, after Desmond gave a brief description of their bravery and heroic deeds, Minerva presented them with medals and shook their hands.]

((More excitement, Avi recognizes half these stories, Bat’s explaining what the medals are for, etc. etc.))

[There were now only three boxes left on the table.]

Des: ((Calls off Jack’s name))

Jack: —?!!?!

((YAAAAY JACKIE))

[An invisible hand yoinked the stunned CDN out of his seat and gave a prompting nudge forward, almost causing him to stumble.]

<FMN-008>: > Congratulations, Jackie. <3

Jack: ((STILL VERY MUCH ALL ???!?))

((Pic—Jack receiving his medals))

Des: ((Gives an account of Jack’s daring and heroic venture to evacuate the Space Needle in the midst of a rainstorm while under fire, and awards the Secretary of Defense Medal for Valor and Presidential Citizens Medal))

[There was a loud round of applause and the Mighty Numbers cheered.]

((Various more YAAAAAAY JACKIE, and then he goes off to his seat again rather stunned))

[There was a moment of silence after the applause died down, with Des taking a pause. It seemed to draw and heighten attention.]

Des: With heroism comes sacrifice—the sacrifice of self for the sake of others. Not every tale of heroic deeds is without price—and it is such a sacrifice that we recognize now.

((Reaction to this))

Des: At this time, we ask that Cardinal Light’s representative please come forward to receive the medals in his place.

[There was a sudden burst of anxiety across the feeds.]

<DWN-012>: >Wait—one of us has to go up there? On international TV?

<DWN-011>: >Who?

<DWN-013>: >Well, with Cardinal gone, Nico's the acting head of the family…

<DWN-018>: >I don't—!

<DWN-018>: >Can't— can't someone—

<DWN-018>: > -HELP, CAN'T SOMEONE ELSE DO THIS— -

[Aww, that was very much pleading data being sent to the Mighty Numbers—]

[MN.2] //: ...UH, OKAY, SHADE BRO—

[MN.8] //: -Grumbles- -Me goin' up there is gonna stir up trouble-

[MN.5] //: -THEN WE WILL—-

[MN.1] //: Stand down, Bat.

[MN.1] //: As head of this family...I think I should go. From one leader to another.

[Pyro strode up to the platform, standing at the ready. He looked very snappy in the fireproof suit that Felix had made for him, which had finally been put to good use.]

((Pic—Cardinal (as a ghostly entity) being presented with his medals))

Des: When the virus broke out, Cardinal Light set about personally evacuating all of Kansas City’s major landmarks, fighting his way non-stop through several days of combat before he succumbed to internal injuries. This did not deter him from setting out to find his best friend—a journey which took him to the White House. Working under fire, he successfully evacuated the White House of all visitors and personnel with only one casualty—himself.

((Reactions to this))

Des: Although he is sadly not able to be here today, we recognize Mr. Light’s great efforts in helping the heartland and the nation’s capital. He is hereby awarded: the Presidential Medal of Freedom…

[Minerva began pinning the medals to his suit.]

Des: …the Medal of Honor…

Bat: ((Remarks on how he is getting REALLY high honors))

Shade: ((Reflects on this))

Des: …the Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal…

Shade: ((More internal commentary))

Des: …and the Purple Heart.

Shade: ((Final—likely wistful or rueful—commentary))

[There was another round of applause, and Minerva shook Pyro's hand firmly.]

Min: When he wakes up again properly, let him know that we'd like to see him, hmm?

Pyro: I will make sure he knows.

[After the applause died down, Pyro took his seat again.]

Pyro: -Touches the medals lightly- ((Internal commentary/reflection))

[Murmurs ran through the crowd with excitement. The air seemed charged—and not just with Tobias and Dyna being on the edge of their seats in anticipation.]

Des: Finally, we recognize the hero who made today possible. The young man who saved not only his family, but the lives of everyone across this nation—and the welfare of those in nations beyond it.

((EXCITED CHATTER))

Des: ((Calls Beck forward))

[Loud cheers erupted from EVERYBODY there as Beck took the stage, creating a din that Des didn’t even try to talk over.]

Beck: ((Reaction to this))

[The noise _eventually_ died down.]

((Pic—Beck getting his medals))

Des: ((Goes on to summarize and praise BECK, THE HERO, going over how he rescued his family and those that had been trapped, cleaning up Titus, purging the virus once and for all, and restoring everyone back to their healthy selves. He is awarded with: the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Secretary of Defense Medal for Valor, and Health and Human Services Secretary's Recognition Award.))

Beck: ((ALL THESE FEELS, HOW TO HANDLE THEM))

[The crowd roared and cheered again, and he got a standing ovation. Fireworks went off overhead.]

((YAAAAAAY BEEEEEEECK, OUR HEROOOOOO

HEROOOOOOOO))

Beck: ((PEOPLE BELIEVE IN ME NOW, AAAAA))

((HEROOOOOOO))

Min: Congratulations, Mighty Number Nine!

((HEROOOOOOOOOOOOOO))

Beck: ((Concluding thoughts on the matter, hope lives))

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

=CHAPTER 4B: AVI'S NEWS REPORT=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

[SANDA LABS...]

[The lower parts of the building—the labs and underground, as well as most of the floors above were secure, though perhaps there was a few rouge trash bots wandering around here and there, which were quickly dealt with when Beck found them.]

[...But he wasn't here in the storage area for just that. It was the only room big enough for the Round Digger that Beck had first purified way...]

[...Way back? It FELT like it.]

Beck: Hey, buddy...

[The CDN beeped happily as it saw him approach.]

Beck: You seem to be doing OK...that's good...

[Beck patted the larger robot on it's spherical side, rather glad that it was still functioning perfectly well. It also reassured him a little.]

[...He was worried that his...his ability to filter out irregularities in other systems wasn't permanent, or that the virus was stronger than he thought...]

[...But the big guy seemed OK, and that means his family would be OK too.]

Beck: ......

[…Even if it may be a bit complicated for a while.

The whole fusion thing with Avi and Tobias had prompted Dr. Cossack to come over to assist in the repairs. All that he would say were vague remarks about side effects and the nature of the RMDC.

He was in the lab now, looking over more of Avi’s coding, with help from Will.

He seemed confident the problem would be fixed soon—and Beck sure hoped so.

The “side effects” that Mikhail had mentioned were a lot worse than just Tobias getting sensory data from Avi’s feeds.]

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

“Nowhere left to run, anymore. Heh… talk about pathetic. You’re a disgrace t’ robots everywhere, you sniveling ragtag group a’ cowards.”

[Panic. Sheer panic. Terror. Trapped.]

“A hunt this borin’ ain’t worth m’ time, so…. Let’s play a little game, shall we? S’ called…”

[A loud click noise.]

“ ‘Which one a’ you Wily scrapheaps will take the longest t’ die?’”

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

[Whatever it was that had caused all the Rebel Angels to wake up screaming in the middle of the night while they were gone, it definitely wasn’t something anyone wanted to show up in Avi’s feeds a second time.]

Beck: -Sighs-

[At least they were making progress. That had to count for something.]

[...A LOT of things had happened back there, on the Radio Tower, against Avi...]

[For one, it appeared his 'filter' had somehow fixed Avi's and Tobias's fusion, though he was still rather confused as to why...]

[For another...]

-------------------------

[XEL OVERRIDE INITIATED.]

[MN.6'S WEAPONS SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN DISABLED.]

--------------------------

[What in the WORLD was that...?

He was kinda glad that the Angels were all distracted with Tobias (and whatever else Siam was up to), because he had a feeling it would SERIOUSLY freak them out if they knew about it. It was freaky enough as it was—and if anyone were to ask about it, he just didn’t know the answer!]

[He just...he just didn't know and it scared him.]

[...And on top of that, he had no one that he could ask at the moment.]

[Was this--was this just another 'ability' that had been awakened, like the rest? Or was this...]

[Was this something more?]

Beck: Ugh...

[He slumped against the Round Digger, and rubbed his face in clear worry and weariness. He felt tired even though all his systems were green now, and he knew that...this wasn't going to be over anytime soon.]

[Still.]

[He had a promise to uphold, they still NEEDED him, they all did. He was the only, only one that can do this.]

Beck: (Jeez...I don't think I've EVER been this tired...)

Beck: (I could... I could really use a nap or...yeah.)

Beck: ...-Sigh-

Beck: Take it like a Mighty, Beck...

[The CDN beeped in concern, and seemed to rev it's engine as a way of comforting the small construct with a bit of background noise.]

Beck: Thanks...

Beck: .....

Beck: (I should probably get back to the others.)

Beck: Don't cause too much trouble down here, OK, Buddy?

[CDN.502] //: -PING!-

Beck: Heh...

Beck: You like it when I call you Buddy, don't ya?

[CDN.502] //: -PING!-

[The demolition bot revs in response, which makes the small Mighty laugh a bit. It's strange...most Round Diggers didn't have very advanced AI to begin with, compared to them...and yet this one was already showing more personality than any he's ever seen. Maybe he was...different?]

Beck: Buddy it is, then!

[Yeah, that's gotta be it...]

Beck: I gotta go, but...I'll come check on you later, OK? For now, uh...you can take a nap or s—

[CDN.502] //: -PING-

[...COMMAND CONFIRMED.]

Beck: ...!

[CDN.502 IS NOW IN SLEEP MODE.]

Beck: ....

Beck: Okaaaaay...

Beck: .....Night, then...

[He turns to close the door behind him, and heads towards the stairs—the elevators were still out, even if they WERE working, he wasn't going to risk getting trapped in one.]

Beck: (Last thing we need is for me to get stuck in the most crucial moments...)

[LATER, UPSTAIRS...]

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Xel Assimilation Data ready for analysis, Professor.

[DR.WHITE] //: Hm—Oh, thank heavens. Send that over to my terminal while I work with Mikhail—and continue scanning for the other Mighties, please.

[CALL] //: Right away, Doctor.

<MC005>: >I should love to look at that data at some point. I’ve never really gotten any readings for when someone with Universal Adaptability uses a new Power Capsule for the first time…. Are you getting any cross references popping up right now?

[CALL] //: None, Dr. Cossack.

Will: (Thank goodness...)

[CALL] //: The samples from Mighty Numbers 1, 2, 3, and 6 do not seem to show any similarities aside from causing extreme changes in behavior and the urge to cause destruction.

[CALL] //: I have yet to have found any logical pattern in the virus code. I apologize.

[DR.WHITE] //: No, no, Call—you've done so much for us. If it wasn't for you, finding my sons and daughters would be much more difficult.

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

<MC005>: >I’m sorry that I couldn’t give much more to your assessment of the virus, my friends—I got rather sidetracked sorting out Tobias’s new coding instead. -Sighs-

Mikhail: (…) -Clearly uncomfortable about something-

Will: ....

Will: Mikhail?

Mikhail: -Looks up- Mmm? Sorry—did I miss something?

Will: ....

Will: Er, nothing...

[CALL] //: ....

[DR.WHITE] //: Call, has Beck finished with self-repair?

[CALL] //: Yes. He informed me he was going to check on the condition of the Round Digger model downstairs.

[DR.WHITE] //: That was a while ago, though...

[Mikhail had to smile a little.]

Mikhail: My older son was very disappointed to be left behind, once he heard about your oversized industrial drill-puppy.

Will: Ah...I can imagine...

Will: -mutters- I still don't know how he got down here in the first place, but he IS a demolition model...

Will: I have absolutely no idea what we're going to do with him... (He's a CDN model, there is a VERY good chance we'll have to...return him.)

Mikhail: What do you mean?

Will: Round Diggers are mass produced industrial models made for demolition work, mainly in construction.

Will: ...Made by CherryDyn.

Will: From the data we received from Beck, it's Model Number 502 of it's make, one of the older kinds. They're built to last for heavy duty work, quite sturdy.

[Mikhail blinked and raised an eyebrow at this. After a moment, he frowned, placed his hands behind his back, and turned to face one of the computer screens.]

Mikhail: …Mmm. -Seems to be thinking how to word what’s on his mind-

Mikhail: I can’t help but be drawn into my own field of “cross-references,” as it were. CherryDyn in general has been on my mind lately, for many reasons.

[He puts a hand to his face and sighs, covering his eyes.]

Mikhail: Tobias Wily and his history are rooted deeply in the works of LightLaboratories, Incorporated. The connections with CherryDyn have always troubled us, and we had hoped… -Trails off-

Will: .....

Mikhail: …I suppose I’m just distracted by thoughts of my youth. I used to work for LightLabs, you know? When I was just a boy.

Mikhail: I had high hopes for the project, but I didn’t really understand the work I was doing until the very end.

Will: . . .

Mikhail: I saw, ever so briefly—that the code was alive…! It reacted to me trying to reach out to it, to find it, to contain it—

Mikhail: (Much like… much like that virus did when it infected the RMDC and I fought back. I swear the thing got angry at me…)

Mikhail: (With how advanced Xel coding is, it certainly was high enough out of my full understanding to come off as alive.)

Mikhail: Dr. Light had been very much against advancing full realization. What I did when I made the AI_DCN_OS… well. I liked Iceman very much, and he was dear to us, but still…

[He sighed and shook his head before taking off his glasses to clean them.]

Mikhail: Forgive me. So much has happened lately that makes me think of the past, of Tobias in his first life. Pieces here and there, echoes of a time ages past.

Mikhail: I suppose that it is on my mind largely because understanding the virus is out of my ability at the moment. I’d need to know more about Xel coding, and you don’t have time to teach me.

Mikhail: This leaves me with Tobias, mainly, and also just… looking forward, long term.

Mikhail: This digging Industrial of yours…

Mikhail: If things continue in a tragic parallel, perhaps it would be scheduled for demolition simply because it were too old, or advancing in Awareness.

Will: -wINCE- (Ngh...)

Mikhail: For that is the fate of Industrials in my world. Even my own sons would be subject to the ten-year warranty, were it not for the fact that I have full legal rights, and can choose not to follow that regulation.

Mikhail: At first it was merely out of a business mindset—depreciation of property, expenses, etc. But after Tobias, animosity grew, and it became born just as much of fear as anything else.

[He put his glasses back on and frowned.]

Mikhail: I’m afraid it won’t be long before we’re called to give an account of ourselves for judgment, William.

Mikhail: Now that Aviator no longer has an Iron Curtain to stifle the media, it won’t be long before it takes a sharp turn from practicality into “here be dragons” water.

[He looked away, narrowing his eyes a little.]

Mikhail: I refused to tell you before, because I felt it was… crazy, to be honest, but. For some time now, Cardinal had been of the opinion that CherryDyn was responsible for a number of… unpleasantries.

[....Oh, dear.]

[Will kinda looks like he's going to be sick just from thinking of the implications of all that...]

Will: . . .

Mikhail: He believed that the things that happened were the result of plans being put into action too early or the like—things going wrong without the careful orchestration to make it only /just/ wrong enough to be visibly stopped, and in turn causing REAL damage.

Mikhail: I feel the same way, but I do not think it to be so—I tell myself that is being overly cynical.

Mikhail: But I think one thing is certain. We must be prepared to say something. Aviator’s interference was public, and…Tobias was involved, and if anyone were to somehow realize he were the same as the mysterious intruder at the Finals…

Mikhail: -Bows his head- The lift of the blockade will allow us to work much faster and more efficiently, yes—but the same applies for our foes as well.

Mikhail: I fully expect CherryDyn to make some noise and raise a fuss very soon. …I just suppose I feel I must arrange the chess pieces to counter it, since that’s the only thing I can really do, and you’re so busy with deciphering the code…

Mikhail: To be fair. It has a direct impact on us, too. If things follow the lane of Monstropolis, Tobias may have to remain Offline indefinitely.

Will: ......

[Will takes in a long breath and pinches the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes close very tightly. Mikhail was right, of course, he wouldn't put it past CherryDyn to make some sort of comment or whatever ELSE they have planned--if any, that is, if Cardinal turned out to be right after all.]

[And Graham...]

Will: God, what a mess...

Mikhail: We have too many moving parts in this matter…

Mikhail: At least it should be easier to find the others, now. Now that Tobias is no longer interfering and Avi will be able to help Call sort through the data.

Will: Mmm…

[That may work fine for the rest of his children out there, but they weren’t the only ones missing…]

Will: What about Kate and Cardinal?

Mikhail: Mmm.

[The Russian leaned back, crossing his arms and looking up at the ceiling.]

Mikhail: Well, Kate’s brothers have been trying to find her for several days, from what I’ve been told. I didn’t hear the full story, but they’ve probably been trying to follow Jack’s trail.

Will: Jack? You mean he’s not still with you?

Mikhail: No. He went missing a while ago, I’m afraid. Shortly after we first lost contact, actually.

Will: (Adding even MORE to this mess…)

Mikhail: Fighting Mighty Number Nine DID somehow get into contact with Doctor Wily Number Nine, and the other day they brought back some Combat Xelbots from your world, but… Jack was not among them.

Will: Metalman? What does he want with this? Is he working for Wily? -Ugh, one disaster at a TIME, please— -

Mikhail: It was apparently a personal matter. We may hear back from him later after the others have recovered, but… for now, it appears we’re being left alone.

Will: Small blessings, at least….

[He sighed, scratching at his head a bit.]

Will: What about Cardinal, then?

Mikhail: I… I don’t know. I was hoping you might have something to tell me, to be honest. He wouldn’t have been able to contact us, but…

Will: ! Oh, right! I almost forgot!

Will: Beck managed to call him the night Pyro was rescued, and he answered his cell phone!

[Mikhail suddenly became alert at this.]

Mikhail: What did he say?

[Will’s mood fell.]

Will: …He said he wasn’t coming back….

Mikhail: -Sighs, pulling his hand down his face- Why am I not surprised…

Will: He said it was… complicated, somehow, but… Avi cut him off before he could finish….

Mikhail: …

Will: Then I got a text message from him later… it said “John 15:13″…

Mikhail: -Winces- Agh, Cardinal… you shouldn’t be risking yourself like this…

Will: S-sorry I didn’t mention it earlier, I… I guess it must have slipped my mind.

Mikhail: Oh, don’t be so hard on yourself. You had more immediate concerns to deal with at the time we got back in touch. So did I. You’re under a great deal of stress right now—don’t berate yourself over missing small details that slip under the radar. Alright?

Will: I’ll try, aheh…

Mikhail: I suppose it is worth a try….

Will: Hmm?

Mikhail: Let’s try calling Cardinal’s cell phone. I think he’d be more likely to answer a call from you than from me, though.

[Will pulled out his phone, grateful that it wasn’t infected and still worked.]

Will: -Dialing the number- Do you think he’ll change his mind?

Mikhail: That might be expecting a little much…

[To their surprise, the phone call was answered. Much to their further surprise, it wasn’t Cardinal who answered the phone.]

“Hello? Is this really Sanda Enterprises?”

Will: ! (I recognize that voice! He was with Cardinal earlier!)

Mikhail: -Nudges Will to answer-

Will: -Eep— - Er— y-yes, it is! This is Doctor White speaking. May I ask who this is?

[It seemed the other man also recognized his voice from somewhere, because he took the answer at face value.]

“My name is Drake Dawson, sir. I’m a staff member at the Union Station in Kansas City.”

Mikhail: (Of COURSE! I should have known he would go there!)

Will: We’re looking for Cardinal. Is he… is he nearby?

[There was a long sigh.]

“Cardinal split a while back. He gave me his phone and said to call you guys, but uh…I figured you’d be busy right now, sorry…”

Mikhail: Mr. Dawson, did he saw where he was going?

“Not really…. We traveled around KCMO and KCK for several days before he crashed and burned. Not sure where he is now, but he said he wouldn’t go back to Sanda Enterprises until his mission was over. He was really adamant about that…”

Mikhail: -Sighs-

“He did have a couple of messages, though…”

Will: Oh?

“Said he wanted you to know he was ‘in one piece’… which he was, last I saw him. And, uh… hang on, lemme think on this, put it down somewhere so I wouldn’t forget…”

[There was a rustling noise.]

“He said he wanted Beck to come down and help out with the cores they recovered from Arrowhead Stadium, if he had the chance. To consider it a ‘personal favor.’”

Will: (Mnn…. I suppose we’ll be getting requests like that more often now. But Beck is already so worn out from working in Titus and then fighting Avi…)

Mikhail: -Catches onto the hesitation- We’ll pass the message along, but we can’t make any promises.

“Yeah… I can get that.”

Mikhail: Was there anything else? Anything at all?

“Something about focusing on the threats in the middle? It seemed pretty important to him. He wouldn’t really explain much… said that it would have to wait.”

Will: ( “Threats in the middle”? Middle of the country? Middle of the family? I suppose he means the family, but…. Would that be 4,5, and 6? Or 5, 6, and 7?)

Mikhail: Well… I’m afraid he’s right, there. I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but…

“Nah, it’s okay, I get it. I just hope he manages to come back to pick up his phone later. He did mention his idea was ‘stupid dangerous’, which doesn’t surprise me that much, given how he tackled all those enemies by himself…”

Mikhail: It would be for the best right now that you keep the phone with you. He’ll know where to find you, and… if he’s unable for some reason, we can trace his cell phone and send someone to pick it up, after this is over.

“Gotcha. Anything else I can do for you?”

Mikhail: Give us a call if he comes back. Other than that… stay safe.

“Roger that. Good luck with everything. We’re all rooting for you over here.”

[Click.]

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: -Turns to Will- Kansas City. I should have expected that.

Will: Isn’t he from there?

Mikhail: No, I think he was built somewhere in the West, but that is where he grew up. It’s too bad we missed him.

Will: I wonder what he could be doing…. I would love to get any ideas for leads on Shade, too…

Mikhail: I suspect he didn’t tell Mr. Dawson for the man’s own safety.

Will: Oh, you’re probably right….

[Mikhail’s gaze became thoughtful, and after a while, he reached over and put a gloved hand on his friend’s shoulder, squeezing it slightly.]

Mikhail: But there is hope. We must hold onto that.

Mikhail: Of course we would never ask you to turn your back on the world, but remember—your children are your true priority, and if the worst WERE to happen, you could seek shelter elsewhere. Focus on getting your family back together. I can work with the Sandas in figuring out how to fight the dragons.

Mikhail: We’ll make it through this.

[After a moment, he broke into a warm smile.]

Mikhail: Remember, my friend—I have tread these waters before, and worse.

[This, alas, was true. He had, at one point, had the entire world against him.

And yet he had arranged things so that his sons were allowed to live and work and he got to live in protection and privacy, despite things being so grim at one point.]

Mikhail: I won’t let you get dashed upon the rocks.

Will: ....

Will: Heh...

[Will returned the smile, although it was a bit weary.]

Will: Thank you, Mikhail. Really...

Will: (What would we do without you...)

Mikhail: Ah, my dear William! You have been very good to us, and personally have given great hope for my family’s recovery. Of course I would help you in the recovery of yours.

Mikhail: …Heh.

Mikhail: This is where the others would remind us not to overwork ourselves. Or me, at least. -Laughs- I’m not as young as I used to be. Professor, now, not student. I can’t pull those all-nighters anymore!

[THAT gets Will to laugh. Oh, yes, the all-nighters...]

[...He should probably not mention he's been doing that as of late. He's very sure Mikhail would have a fit—]

[CALL] //: ...Contradiction: Yet you both seem to overexert yourselves as if it were the default.

[...Oh. Call was still listening.]

Mikhail: -Wryly- Ah, we are caught! Oh dear.

Will: Eheh...

[He turned to look in the direction of one of the speakers by habit.]

Mikhail: You’re right, of course. And if it would put you at ease, I can take a short rest. But I would like to take care of a few matters first, if you can help me. I’m afraid I’ve been rather single-focused on Tobias and Avi to learn how everything else is going. Has your father contacted his brother? Or vice-versa, perhaps?

[CALL] //: Yes, Mr. Sanda contacted us as soon as we had a firm connection. They have been speaking privately for the past few hours.

Will: (Possibly bringing Seijiro up to speed on everything...)

Mikhail: I see. I would like you to alert your father that we have fixed the matter of the RMDC for now—no more sudden nightmares for your database. (And again, I apologize.) I should like to speak with them both after they have concluded their private discussion—which I expect will be some while yet. In the meantime, I shall rest.

<MC005 to CALL>: >Oh, and Ms. Sanda? May I make a suggestion in your search for the rest of the Mighty Numbers?

[CALL to MC005] //: -Ping!- Yes, Dr. Cossack?

<MC005 to CALL>: >One of the contributing factors to the… difficulty of the current situation, shall we say… is the large number of variables involved.

<MC005 to CALL>: >We have removed one variable—Aviator’s interference—but it’s not enough. We will need to remove several others as soon as possible if we are to have the best chance of success in concluding this manner with as little predation from CherryDyn as possible.

<MC005 to CALL>: >It is confirmed that Fighting Mighty Number Eight is at large, and the current theory is that she is in this world, on a hunt. Likewise, Dencerjack is searching for her—and he has his own set of complications, since he knows too much, so to speak. We need to find him posthaste.

Mikhail: (There’s also Cardinal, but trying to stop him would not be a good use of resources given the current state of affairs…)

<MC005 to CALL>: >From what I have been told, MNN-007 may be the subject of FMN-008’s attention, for… reasons.

<MC005 to CALL>: >Finding Brandish’s location may allow us to remove several dangerous spanners in the works all at once.

<MC005 to CALL]>: >So, unless there are clearer leads… my suggestion would be to focus on him, first.

Mikhail: (Removing Cardinal’s recklessness would be nice, but I’m not so optimistic as to think we’ll find Shade before we find Brand. Not when Brand’s been giving off data from the beginning, and Shade hasn’t.)

[CALL to MC005] //: -PING-

[CALL to MC005] //: I understand, Dr. Cossack. I will commence my search posthaste. Thank you for your input.

<MC005 to CALL>: > You’re welcome.

Mikhail: -Turns to face Will- I’m going to rest for a while, but I’ll be just a notification away. Sorry to be leaving you on your own like this—I just feel I’d be more useful to you combating one of the other problems. -Encouraging nod- You can do this, alright? Try to keep calm.

[With that, he walked out of the room, lost in his own thoughts.]

Will: ....

[After Mikhail leaves the room, Will slumps back into a chair and lets out a long, quiet sigh, staring into the ceiling as if it held all the solutions.]

Will: .....

Will: (...Should I...)

Will: .....

[He sharply inhaled and didn't let that thought finish itself--couldn't.]

[...Perhaps, he was being cynical and paranoid himself.]

Will: (Greg...Greg doesn't know, does he?)

Will: (If he does...)

[He felt that sick, dreading feeling all over again, and got up to fix that with a glass of water.]

Will: (...No, stop it, Will—)

Will: (Get it together...)

Will: (It's not going to come to that if he knows what he's doing...)

Will: .......

Will: (This had...had BETTER not be you that's behind all this, Greg...)

Will: (You'd better not...)

Will: .....

[Shoving all those negative thoughts aside for now, Dr. White washed up and rolled his lab coat's sleeves down.]

[There was still much work to be done, and Avi was going to be needed for the troubles that lay ahead.]

Will: (I wish it wasn't this way, Aviator...you, out of all of us, need your rest...)

Will: (At least, after this...I hope we can all just...take things easy...)

<<—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 10A: THE MACHINE DRAWS NEAR=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

[The air of despair was suffocating. Even Desmond could feel it as he shut the recorder off.

It just didn’t sit right with him—none of it did.]

Des: (Those scars are real, if nothing else. …If it IS a front as part of a cover, he’s sure hellishly dedicated to the job. And if not…?)

Des: (What is he so intent on hiding that he’ll be willing to suffer so much?)

Des: …—! (Oh, right…)

Des: …You have a daughter.

Des: If everyone is Offline, like you said, who’s going to take care of her?

Mikhail: …

Des: ….

Des: If there’s no one else, Doctor, I’ll have to call Social Services.

[Mikhail opened his eyes again with a stern frown.]

Mikhail: (As IF.)

Mikhail: …

Des: …

Des: Do you at least have anyone that can tell her where you’re going?

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: (I left… Jack instructions regarding this.)

Mikhail: (…Bitterly, this is not the first time she and I have gone through this…)

Mikhail: (She shouldn’t have to understand, she is a child, but…)

Mikhail: (She does.)

Mikhail: (After what we’ve been through, she does…)

Des: …..

Des: -Sigh-

[He seemed to be thinking on this as Desmond opened the door to take him out into the hall.]

((Pic—Mikhail & Des (arrested) ))

Mikhail: …I didn’t bring her with me. She’s with some family friends where she’ll be safe.

Des: ….Who?

Mikhail: I won’t talk about that right now. I don’t want anyone else knowing where she is. I don’t know who else is listening or who will be told, and we just had a call from CherryDyn—

Des: -Freezes- What?

Mikhail: -Dryly- Remember what I said about trouble with public relations? I’m afraid I lost my patience when the CEO called, after all the grief he’s caused this family. He knows that I’m aware of the link and trying to prove it. Given that Greater Dusk itself has been all but eliminated, I would not put it past him or his subordinates to go after my daughter before/as part of going after me. The danger may persist for some time yet.

Des: You... (What in the world were you THINKING, Doctor? At a time like THIS?)

Mikhail: -Snaps at the tone- Yes, I know, but what more do I have to lose at this point? He scares me a lot less than YOU do, Mister Secretary!

Des: …

[He gave a sharp huff and then calmed down.]

Mikhail: …I'm sorry. But I can only see darkness closing in, with no escape.

Mikhail: As long as she's safe, the rest doesn't matter… not anymore…. {There is no hope left for me here.}

Des: …

Mikhail: It’s very important to me that she stays safe, but it is easily a secondary importance that you are able to have access to the truth. There is evil within that company, and there are multiple people I know personally that have suffered because of it. There must be countless “nameless” if that is the case. So… we should go pick that up, at least. My notes are in the lab. Do try not to bother the others at their work. If we’re quiet, we should be able to leave without raising up a panic.

[His expression softened.]

Mikhail: …There’s someone you need to see there anyway.

Des: (…DLN-000…)

Des: (…Why would Graham call Sanda Tech, at a time like this–)

[CRASH–]

Mikhail: ?!

“AH’ SAID LEMMIE GO–”

[Just down the hallway’s intersection was Shade, struggling to push himself forward despite Avi and Beck clinging to his legs, and Pyro trying to restrain him–the other Mighties were worryingly trailing behind.]

Avi: BRO COME ON STOP IT–

Shade: -In near hysterics- AH’ SAID NO, UNCLE MIKHAIL’S IN TROUBLE–

Des: ( “Uncle”? And how—)

Beck: But he’s right there–

Beck: –!

Beck: H…Huh?

Mikhail: Countershade Arthur White! You should BE IN BED! =__=

[It was clear Mikhail was not happy to be seen in his current condition.]

Des: How did he–

[SLAM–]

[At the opposite end of the hallway, a door is heard slamming shut, and a rapid pair of footsteps following suit.

Soi had just enough time to yank Will back by his lab coat into a restraining hug, who looked absolutely livid.]

Will: YOU’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE HIM AWAY–!

Soi: WILL CALM DOWN–

Mikhail: -Would be BURNING IN SHAME if we weren’t so damn TIRED—-

Des: ???????? (How is it they all KNOW?!) -Looks back and forth- (…Crap wait the Mighties are behind us and the Doctors are in front of us–)

“ENOUGH.”

Beck: –!

Beck: Felix–?

[FELIX used HALT!]

Shade: –?!

Des: (What the–I can’t move–?!)

Will: –!!

Beck: (Ngh…Can’t move…)

Des: (How in the world–I can’t even look to see who did that, what is–??)

Dyna: -BZZ BZZ, HEY, CAN’T MOVE–

Cryo: -YO WHAT THE GLITCH IS GOING ON, WHY IS UNCLE MIKHAIL IN HANDCUFFS, WHY DOES DAD LOOK REALLY TICKED OFF, WHY CAN’T WE MOVE-

[Felix strode into view. Like Mikhail, he walked with an alpha gait—a bold leadership that DEMANDED obedience from lessers, respect from equals, and recognition from superiors.

He looked annoyed.]

Felix: I want answers as to why I was told to deliver medical aid, and ended up arriving on a developing fight scene. And no violence.

[He released Desmond, Mikhail, Sanda, and Brandish from the Halt.]

Felix: Talk.

Soi: –Oof–

Brand: -We are honestly just as confused as you are-

Des: Ngh…

Felix: -Glares!-

Des: –!

Des: (What the…Who IS he?)

Des: -Ow-

Des: Doctor Cossack is being brought in for more questioning–

Beck: (What–?!)

Soi: But–weren’t you just–

Mikhail: … -Looks away and sighs-

Mikhail: (Dammit, I didn’t want any of you to SEE me like this…)

Mikhail: (Cripes is this humiliating.)

Will: -ATTEMPTS TO STRUGGLE, nope, can’t move–Mikhaaaaaail–

Brand: …

Brand: (…No wonder Father is so worked up.)

Brand: Can you not question him here further?

Des: -…Looks at Mikhail-

Des: ….

Mikhail: …It doesn’t appear that is going to be given as an option.

Des: There’s still things he needs to answer for.

Des: (And THEN some.)

Brand: …. -Also glares-

Brand: And you expect to leave this building without some kind of explanation to us?

Des: –….

Mikhail: -Warning tone- Brandish—

Brand: Besides.

Brand: Cardinal still needs repairs. You are quite literally taking away the help he needs.

[Mikhail scowled as he scolded Brand.]

Mikhail: Shame on you, Brandish. You know full well that Nineteen can handle the rest of the repairs. Do not try to guilt trip the man, it’s already hard enough on the both of us as it is.

Brand: ….

Brand: >>

Mikhail: There are consequences to keeping secrets. This is one of them.

Will: (Ngh–)

Mikhail: Given what probably would have happened if I had told the full truth before he met Felix, I prefer this option. -_-;

Des: (The full truth?)

Mikhail: (Prison I can deal with. Torture, even. I’ve been through both before. And even as hellish as those are, at least what you say will be seen as truth or lies…)

Mikhail: (As opposed to an asylum, where EVERYTHING is taken to be madness.)

Brand: ….

Brand: …I apologize for my deceit, it’s just…

Brand: >> (Seeing you like this is rather…hurtful…)

Des: This–

Soi: Er–

Soi: I–I hate to interrupt, but we REALLY don’t have time to talk.

Soi: There’s a situation that requires all hands on deck–

Beck: (–?)

Mikhail: -Looks over at Sanda- So you really are sending them out? : /

Brand: –?

Soi: ….Do we really have a choice? We do not want the city or the lab overrun with infected robots again–

Brand: What?

Beck: (–!!)

Mikhail: Then… Felix, I need you to go back to the Meadow. Have Jaden and Carlos sent over.

Felix: … And your sons?

Mikhail: Let them rest. -Looks over at Des, then down at his handcuffs briefly before returning his attention to Felix- I don’t want them getting angry.

Des: Wait–

Soi: Er, Felix, before you go, uh…

[He gestured to the Halted others with a tilt of his head.]

Shade: B /

Felix walked over to Shade and looked at him with a frown.]

[His thoughts went back to the visions he had suffered—the agony he had seen.]

Felix: …

[But he knew better than to bring that up, especially now.]

Felix: … Don’t do anything too rash, Countershade.

Shade: -We thought he was in danger, alright, can ya please let us go, we’re gettin’ uncomfortably stiff here-

Brand: How did you even know?

Shade: -Watch signal-

Brand: –….

Des: ….Watch? -Aaaand looks at Mikhail-

Des: (I thought I completely disarmed him–)

Des: (He’s in his PJ’s, for crying out loud–)

[Mikhail was equally surprised.]

Mikhail: …It does that?

Shade: -Data- -Sends distress signal t’ the server and me if heart rate is above normal stress levels for too long-

Shade: -…..-

Shade: -In hindsight Ah’ should’ve given ya a rundown of the functions, sorry ‘bout that-

Brand: -______-;;;;;;

Des: …..

Des: (What is going ON around here??)

Des: (I thought the Doctor said they were just his children’s friends, yet…)

Beck: -Nnnngh, Feeeeliiiix can you please let us go, it sounds like there’s trouble–

[Felix releases them.]

Mikhail: Thank you. Now Desmond, please, my notes are still in the lab, and we have a power core to deliver.

Will: …..

Will: (Mikhail…)

Will: ….

Des: ….

[As much as Desmond wanted answers, he knew he wasn’t going to be getting any right at this moment. Especially with Dr. White silently glaring at him like that.]

Des: …Fine…

Soi: R-Right–Mighties? We need a quick briefing. We don’t have a lot of time.

Soi: Come on, Will…

Will: …..

Will: -Sigh-

[As the Whites and Sanda all file into the meeting room, there is a thick air of both tension and confusion--as well as still simmering anger from some members of the family.]

Soi: -Ahem—-

Soi: I know some of us are...Er...not in the best of moods...

Will: -Nnn...-

Brand: -Cold, glaring data-

Shade: -...-

Cyro: Yeeeeaaaah, no chill, definitely--

Shade: -Please don't.-

Pyro: Don't snap at your sister, Eight.

Shade: -Mmnf...-

[The second youngest of the Mighties grumbled and leaned his full weight against his largest elder brother--Mic, who was more than happy to provide support.]

Mic: -It's okay, Mic confused too.-

Shade: Tell me about it...

Shade: What the yappin' hell does CherryDyn want with us?

Shade: An' why is Uncle Mikhail under arrest?

Soi: >>....

Will: -Siiigh- Shade...

Will: I swear we will explain later. But right now we need to focus on the situation at hand.

Shade: ...

Soi: ...

Soi: << Will...

Soi: Are you sure this is a good idea?

Soi: Last time he fought Cardinal, he was out for three days, and he just fought Cardinal AND Beck…

Shade: -Hn...-

Shade: ...m'fahn.

Will: ...Son...

Shade: M'fahn, Dad.

Brand: ....

Beck: -Ping!-

Beck: Whatever's going on that CherryDyn had to call us has to be really important.

Beck: I can heal up Shade and myself if he needs it. And we do have the supplies from the Meadow.

Will: ...

Will: (...true...we do still have that supply of E-Tanks...)

Beck: What's the situation?

[Beck seemed very focused--and didn't waste time getting straight to the point.]

Soi: There's a massive malfunction at CherryDyn's Robot Factory. Their defenses were overwhelmed--and now their automated systems are infected with the virus.

Bat: ...Automated, ya say?

Will: Correct.

Will: The factory operates completely on it's own--and it's now generating infected units and unleashing them into the city. We have to stop it.

Dyna: -Bzzzt- Are you sure thiszzz isn't another one of their intentional zzzscrew upszz—

Dyna: -Points a clawed finger at her father- They wanted uszzz to clean up the messzz in Highway Delta too and go catch the Deszztroyer while we're at it!

Beck: (Urk—!)

Beck: -Quickly changes the subject—- Th-That could be true—but—!

Beck: It doesn't really matter, the city's in danger either way!

Beck: <<;; Even if they are really mean...

Will: ...

Soi: R-Right! This is the largest Robot Factory in California--if it isn't stopped, we'll be drowning in infected bots by the end of the day.

Soi: Now--this factory is big, and I mean big. This is going to take all of you to take it on--and while most of CherryDyn's Industrial units are made there, they're no match for all 9 of you!

Will: ...12.

Soi: --Ah, right...

Brand: --?

Will: Jaden and Speedy will be joining you.

Beck: !

Beck: : D! Really?!

[As if on cue, there was a swirl of colored spheres as Felix teleported in with both of the aforementioned Second Gens. They were in their partial battle armor, eyes glowing faint green in alert preparation.]

Beck: Jaden! Speedy! : D!! -HI GUYS--

Cryo: -AW YEAH, MORE FIREPOWER—-

Shade: -Mnnn....-

Cryo: -Oh come on, that wasn't even a pun—-

[Felix quietly slipped off, heading for the lab.]

Jaden: Yeah, we're… happy to help, but…

Speedy: What is going on, exactly?

Avi: -PING!-

Avi: Breaking News: CherryDyn Catastrophe at Compromised Factory!

Avi: ... Basically we gotta go clean up their mess. -Eye roll-

Jaden: Wha— again?

Bat: -Grunt- As much as I hate to admit it, yes. Their factory's gone haywire.

Shade: -Annoyed data, can't we just deal with the bots themselves.-

Speedy: -Looks around- …

Speedy: ?

Speedy: I don't get it.

Will: It's better to take it out at the source--otherwise we'd only be fighting wave after wave of infected Industrials.

Speedy: No, not that.

Will: --?

Speedy: If we're going on a field trip to trash a CherryDyn landmark…

Speedy: Where's Cardinal?

Shade: -Hnnn...-

[No, don't, don't—]

Shade: (Cards...!)

Mic: -Data, shhhh...-

Will: ...

[...well, THERE was a drop in mood if any...]

Will: ...

Will: ...Cardinal is still undergoing repairs.

Will: He's in no condition to go. And--

Will: Since this is nothing short of a full scale assault, with several Combat bots capable of causing widespread damage...

Will: You two are more suited to this given the current circumstances.

Jaden: …

Jaden: -Slightly coldly for him, head bowed a little- So. That was why we were given filler data.

Shade: (...nnn...M'sorry, Ah'...Ah'...)

Brand: ....

Jaden: -Softly now- I understand, now. I'm sorry it had to be like this.

[When he looks up again, his eyes are bright green. He looks over at Shade with a piercing gaze.

Shade very much looked like he wanted to sleep, or at the very least, turn invisible--but he didn't.]

Shade: (Ah' tried, Ah' did, Ah' swear—!)

Beck: Jaden--

[But no. Jaden was not enraged.]

Jaden: You look terrible. You should be in bed. ,': |

Shade: -Nnn...-

Shade: Ah' know. | [

Speedy: -Shifts his weight- Are you seriously coming with us?

Speedy: We can see about getting Nico to come over if you guys need more firepower so that you can rest—

Shade: -We are fahn—-

Beck: -Interrupts- --And the factory's systems are infected. Either I need to purge it or help destroy it.

Beck: I am not letting everyone go there without me.

Beck: I've made up my mind, Speedy.

Speedy: -Holds up his hands- Fair enough, Mighty Nine. Never doubted you for a minute there.

Beck: (...huh. That...didn't take much...)

Beck: (Thought I needed to argue for a sec there...)

Speedy: But if you insist on bringing along your sniper after he's gotten his life wrung out of him…

Speedy: -Toss!-

[Brandish smoothly catches the E-Tank thrown at him, not once taking his eyes off of Shade.]

Brand: ...

Speedy: Might want to give some of that vitality back.

Brand: ...Yes.

Brand: -Tosses to Mic-

Mic: -w-

[Mic doesn't even wait for an answer--he just pops it open and pours the contents over Shade's head, which does make him jolt up a bit.]

Shade: -OI, give a guy a warnin' next tahm—-

Mic: -w-b

Beck: -Snorts-

[He's dry afterwards, though, his systems already absorbing the contents of the E-Tank. Shade stands on his own now--inner turmoil still brewing within, but at least he wasn't ready to keel over.]

Shade: -Let's just get this over already-

Beck: ...yeah...

Soi: Alright then--I'll be uploading a map of the factory for you all to go over, as well as the points to hit hardest. Will's got the plan of attack all figured out, so--

[PING!]

[WARNING. WARNING.]

[Alarms suddenly go off all over the building--!]

Beck: --?!

Will: What—what now—?!

Speedy: Are we under attack or something??

[TITUS CITY AREA IS NOW IN CONDITION RED. TITUS CITY AREA IS NOW IN CONDITION RED. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.]

Bat: —!!

Pyro: Again—?!

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Attention: All individuals in the building please report to the main lab. Attention: All individuals please report to the main lab.

[CALL] //: We have another situation in development.

Will: Good Lord it NEVER ends—!

Will: Quickly! Everyone to the lab this instant!

[When Mikhail, Des, and Felix got there, The Mighty Numbers were gathered around the main screen, which had two live feeds.]

[One was of the main entrance of the CherryDynamics Factory, blown wide open. CherryDyn Models were pouring out by the dozens.]

[And the other feed…]

Speedy: Holy glitch is that a PRISON?!

Will: ….

Will: …Yes.

Will: There’s been a break-in.

Jaden: Seriously? At a time like THIS? Who would want to break INTO a prison?

Mikhail: ({—! No—! They DIDN’T—!}) Where are my sons?!

Jaden: Hmm? They’re still aslee— -Turns around-

Jaden: —!!!

<DWN-013 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

[His full battle armor rapidly shifted into place. He looked scared.]

Jaden: HOLY glitch, Doctor WHY ARE YOU TIED UP—

Speedy: -Whirls around, shifting also and taking a defensive battle stance out of instinct as he speaks in alarm- Wait, what?!

Des: I’ll uncuff him later!

Des: What is going ON?!

Call: CherryDynamic’s Robot Factory has been mass producing infected models at an alarming rate.

Call: There has also been a reported break-in at the maximum security Prison, and all communication with them has been lost.

Call: CherryDyn Models have also been reported trying to swarm the Prison.

Will: …

Mikhail: What? Why? Who’s being kept there?

Will: ….

Will: Dr. Benedict Blackwell.

Mikhail: … What?

Mikhail: -Now just CONFUSED- I though we discussed this a long, long time ago—

Mikhail: Who would want to go after him? This can’t be his doing. You said he’s been there for ages, and even Dr. Wily isn’t THAT patient! After Rock finally corners him a second time, he’ll only wait a few months before—

Mikhail: … (Wait— he… w-will…?!)

[He doubled over in a sudden, overwhelming headache, with the Robot Masters present doing likewise. Felix managed to catch Mikhail before he hit the ground, despite being alarmed and startled—but Jaden and Speedy were not so lucky.]

Will: –!!

Will: Mikhail–?!

Beck: Guys?!

Jaden: Ow… (Feel like I had the wind knocked right out of me…)

Mikhail: Ghh… gah… not this again…

Will: (–?? Again–?)

Mikhail: This… this happened… or will happen… before…

Felix: Side note—Master Desmond knows the truth now.

Will: ……I…see.

Des: ….

Will: (…Ngh…)

Speedy: Ugh, worry about Dad and what he WILL do in the future later—let’s deal with the now, what do we do?

Will: Mngh…. (…. They’re not going to like this.)

Will: We now have not one, but two major situations we must deal with.

Beck: So we split up?

Will: No.

Will: At least, not you, Mighties.

Jaden: …What? Surely you don’t plan to send us off away from them. -Looks over at Desmond nervously- What if we’re… stopped, and…?

Speedy: -Suddenly notices, and seems to freeze up, then look pained- We’re not gonna get experimented on, are we? The first time people took me apart for science was bad enough.

Des: | /;;;; -No, and frankly we are rather appalled at that notion-

Will: That’s, um… not quite what I meant, you two.

Pyro: –?

Will: You’re more effective as an entire team, rather than in two parts. Not only that, but you have the endurance and skill needed for combat on a massive scale.

Will: It’s only logical that you all will be sent to the Factory. There’s no telling how many infected models are on site.

Will: …Not only that—

Jaden: But—!

Jaden: Doctor, that’s a contagion hazard! D:

Speedy: Oh, shut up, Beck’s on our side and you can tank anything anyway.

Jaden: Why take that risk, brother?! After everything that’s happened?! What do you think would happen if—! What would that do to them?!

Jaden: You and I are immune and make to take this sort of fight—we can handle ourselves! If we must split ways—

Will: Jaden.

Will: I...I know the risks, but the very fate of Titus lies in this. I won't split this family apart anymore than it has this past week. We see this through, together. We will overcome this, together.

Will: ...As..

Will: As long as you do not let any infected Xel into your systems, you all should be fine.

Will: I’ll also be implementing a prototype XelFilter.EXE program into our server before I go.

Beck: ….

Beck: Go?

Mikhail: {What?} Will, what— go where?

Will: ….

Will: CherryDynamics’s Robot Factory is all automated.

Will: The way the system is set up, it can produce models with little to no human help.

Will: Because of this, any and all changes to their Manufacturing Operator Mainframe– The M.O.M units…

Will: …Must be done on site.

Will: Though a certain, mainframe terminal with the ONLY authorized access.

Mikhail: —…

Mikhail: And… you’ve already determined there’s no one else— that’s why it took time, even after I left…

Mikhail: …

Felix: (I hope he doesn’t demand to take Will’s place. I don’t know much about the machines of this world, but I DO know that he’s going to make himself sick if he doesn’t get some rest very soon.)

Mikhail: At least take the sensory defense mechanism with you, Will!

Mikhail: I’m begging you—

Mikhail: You and Sanda are the ONLY friends I have ever since we were relocated in the protection program! PLEASE don’t get yourself hurt!

Pyro: Father–

Beck: Dad, wait–

Mikhail: Boys!

Mikhail: There’s an American saying you people have. “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”

Mikhail: He wouldn’t be doing this unless he knew it were the best option—we don’t have time for further delay! Mighties, Angels—get ready to go, you must act quickly!

Beck: ….

Beck: –But what about the Prison?

Will: Sanda’s going there with Call.

Soi: Yes, of–

Soi: Wait, WHAT?!

Felix: -sNORTS-

Will: Sanda.

Will: I know I ask too much of you…

Will: But if someone is going after Blackwell, someone must go and ensure his safety.

Will: …As well as get some answers, if any.

[Speedy gave a loud, annoyed ping of disagreement.]

Speedy: You want answers from him?

[He points at Mikhail (who is standing to the right of him) using both hands, without even looking over. He maintains eye contact with Will the whole time.]

Speedy: Try having him talk to the guy! We’ve more or less known for ages that Blackwell went nuts for the same reasons my Dad did! : /

Will: I will NOT put any more in danger than I HAVE to, Speedy.

Will: …..

Will: …Soi…

Will: If…

Will: If you really don’t feel like you can, I–

Soi: ….Ngh.

Soi: …W-Well…Under the circumstances, I…Suppose this is the only way to talk to Blackwell…Hoorf…

Soi: A…Are you sure you don’t want to swap missions? ^^;;;

Will: You want to go to a factory full of infected robots instead?

Soi: –….

Will: (…Besides.)

Will: (I would prefer it if I NEVER have to see or hear of Blackwell ever again for the rest of my life.)

Des: Are you kidding me–

Des: This is INSANE, you’re civilians, you can’t just–!

Will: On the contrary, Mr. Desmond.

Will: I am not as helpless as I appear to be.

Will: I have means to defend myself.

Des: –…

Will: Brandish?

Brand: –Yes, Father?

Will: Remember that box I gave you? Before you left to train?

Will: The wooden one.

Brand: Yes…?

Will: Please bring it to me.

Mikhail: I still insist you take the sensory device mechanism with you. >>

Will: I didn’t say no, Mikhail. -Chuckles-

[Mikhail walks over and slings his arms over Will’s head to pull him into a hug—as much of a hug he can, given his current condition.]

Will: –!

Mikhail: Be careful out there, alright?

Will: ….

Will: Eheh….

Will: I will.

Will: I have the world’s top fighting team on my side, don’t I? ^^

Cryo: -YEAH I’LL PUNCH ANYONE THAT TRIES TO HURT NOODLE DAD-

Mikhail: -Grins, pulling his arms up and over again to release his friend- And then some. I think you will all be surprised at what Jaden can take and what Speedy can do.

Jaden: As long as Avi doesn’t get me caught in a crosswind unfriendly fire, I can take just about anything.

Jaden: …

Jaden: …I wish Cardinal could come with us.

Will: ….So do I.

[A moment later, Brandish returns with the box in question.]

[…It’s a stained black wooded box. It almost looked solid with no visible way to open it.]

Will: Ah…

Soi: –!

Soi: Wait a sec…

Brand: ….

Brand: You told me to never open it unless I was in real danger.

Speedy: Bro, I’m pretty sure now qualifies. >>;

Will: Yes…

Beck: ?

Beck: But what’s in it?

Will: Hmm…

[Will runs his hands over it, an almost…Far away look in his eyes.]

Will: (…I never thought I’d have to use this again.)

Will: (Or if I even… Remember how…)

Will: Soi…

Soi: –!

[The box suddenly opened–either by voice or by some hidden mechanic only Will knew, was hard to say.]

[Inside was some kind of…]

[… Rapier handle?]

Soi: (…You still kept that–?)

Speedy: …

Speedy: Is that a classy light saber, or—

Will: -Laughs-

Will: Not quite, but that’s a good guess!

[With one hand behind his back, Will grasped the handle.]

[As if by magic, Xel began to appear out of the hole where the blade should Be–slowly settling into that very sharp steel-like point.]

Will: I must admit, I…

Will: …Haven’t quite fenced in a while…

Brand: ….

Brand: You knew how to FENCE and you didn’t tell me–

Will: Eheh…

Will: Oops? ^^;;

Felix: …

Felix: -I want to spar—-

Brand: -So do I–

Soi: -SNORTS-

Soi: Ah, ah! I’d think twice if I were you!

Soi: -Pats Will on the shoulder- Will here won the National Collegiate Fencing Tournament for FIVE years running!

Beck: WHAT–

Will: I, uh…Eheh. That was college, Soi…

Soi: -STILL COUNTS-

Felix: And I trained under Proxan Warriors for five years, give—

[Mikhail gives a hearty laugh.]

Mikhail: You boys can have all the spars you could want once this nightmare is over. Felix, you and Brand are next, if I remember correctly?

Brand: -Winner gets to face Father-

Felix: -DEAL-

Mikhail: Go on. Go out there and end this, to make those happy days once again a reality.

Des: -You guys are NUTS-

Will: Mikhail…

Will: I trust you’ll hold down the lab while we’re gone.

Felix: -Brought back to the now at this- -Frowns- …

Mikhail: I’ll do my best. Mr. Desmond, will you help me with that?

Des: I…don’t really have a choice…

[RING!]

Des: –? (That’s my cell–)

Des: -Takes out phone–

Des: –….

Des: (Oh.)

[CALL FROM: MINNIE MOUSE]

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: ???

Des: Uh.

Des: I have to take this—

Des: Good luck!

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