=CHAPTER 8A: TRAPPED BY LASER LIGHT=

=CHAPTER 9C: HAZY SUSPICION=

~AO v1.0~

((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))

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{Outside the Lab…}

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

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

"Ahem."

Des: Dr. Cossack?

[Mikhail looked up in mild surprise.

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

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

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

Des: .....

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

Des: (I wish I could postpone this.)

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

Mikhail: …

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

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

Mikhail: Is there something I can help you with?

Des: ....Yes, actually.

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

Des: We need to bring you into questioning.

Mikhail: …

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

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

Des: ....

Des: (I feel like I'M the bad guy here...Man, I hate that feeling...)

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

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

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

Mikhail: …Very well.

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

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

[LATER...]

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

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

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

Mikhail: …Yes, of course.

[He gave a bit of a wry smile.]

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

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

Des: --!!

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

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

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

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

Des: ....

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

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

Des: ...Alright...

Des: Anything else that you have hidden away?

Mikhail: Yes. No more firearms. However…

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

Mikhail: …there are a few other things.

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

Mikhail: -Tosses that in as well-

Des: .....

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

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

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

Mikhail: Be sure not to touch that one.

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

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

Des: .....

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

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

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

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

Des: ....

Des: So that's it.

Des: Is that really it.

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

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

Des: ....

Des: Doctor...

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

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

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

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

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

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

[He spoke with no small degree of weariness.]

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

Mikhail: I’ll go change.

Des: ....

Des: (I didn't really mean in his pajamas, but...)

Des: Whatever makes you comfortable, then...

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

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

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

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

Mikhail: Alright, Mr. Donald Desmond. Let’s begin.

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

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

Des: Alright.

Des: Let's start simple.

Des: Who are you?

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

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

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

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

Mikhail: My wife is Светлана Казак.

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

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

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

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

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

Mikhail: …

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

Des: .....

Des: (This REALLY isn't going so normally...)

Des: Fair enough...

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

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

Mikhail: …

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

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

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

Des: ....

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

Des: (Curious.)

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

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

Mikhail: He ordered DLN-008 to be erased.

Des: What?!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Des: ....

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

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

[He sighed, closing his eyes.]

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

[He crosses his arms.]

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

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

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

Des: . . .

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

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

Des: ....

Des: -Deep breath-

Des: ...

Des: All of this...

Des: Why isn't it on record?

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

Des: ....

Des: And that iiiis...?

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

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

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

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

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

Des: ....

Des: (We have to get the FBI on this--something this big just can't have been ignored or missed--)

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

Des: Doctor. Please sit down.

[Mikhail silently refused.]

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

Des: ....

Des: (I'm getting nowhere with this. Time to change angles.)

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

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

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

Des: ....

Des: Five months ago?

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

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

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

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

Mikhail: Poor Shade accidentally scared him witless. But once we came into contact once again, Cardinal decided to take a chance, and he made his choice.

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

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

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

[He seemed wistful, now.]

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

[He sighed and looked away.]

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

[He looked up, his gaze distant.]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Des: --?!

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

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

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

Des: (Just how intertwined IS all this?)

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

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

Des: Wait--

Des: CherryDyn was their sponsor?!

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

Des: And you can prove this?

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

Des: ....Right.

Des: I'm listening...

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

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

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

Des: (I can't even count how many laws broken in that spell.)

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

[He leans back, drumming his fingers.]

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

Des: ....Infected...

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

Des: (With live test subjects, funded by CherryDyn.)

Des: (I do believe we got a prime suspect in our hands.)

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

[Mikhail sighed and shook his head.]

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

[He looked up.]

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

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

[He closes his eyes.]

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: … … …

Des: . . .

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: …Dr. Wily was not exactly a man with great self-control, himself. And his sons… they all reflect that streak of impulsiveness and rage.

Des: (...!)

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

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

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

Mikhail: He made his way through on his own accord—and as you undoubtedly saw, paid the [color=blue]price[/color] for his insolence.

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

Des: . . . .

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

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

Des: (Still...)

Des: What about Bladeblaster?

Des: Was he going to...

Mikhail: …

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

Des: ...Fair enough.

Des: ....

Des: (Okay. We've covered this and that, and we got some important info out of this.)

Des: (Here comes the hard part.)

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

Des: As well as DLN-000 and the White House.

Des: What EXACTLY happened?

Mikhail: …

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

Mikhail: …

Des: Doctor.

Des: You need to answer this. Please.

Mikhail: …Cardinal Light…

Mikhail: …

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

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

Des: ....

Mikhail: …

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

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

Mikhail: He was made as a military robot, made to defend and to give his life for the lives of others on the front lines in war.

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

[He looked up.]

Mikhail: He saw the potential for genocide.

Des: --...????

Des: What?

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

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

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

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

Des: ......

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

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

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

[He scowled.]

Mikhail: So he set out before we could stop him. He made his way to the one place he ever felt at home, and from there waited until he could figure out what was going on. Once that he saw that Shade still hadn’t come into play, he must have realized that Eight would not emerge again until he was ready to take advantage of his prey, too tired to fight any more.

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

[He looked up again, tired.]

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

Des: --....

Des: (...Well, it doesn't help that a total of only four to five or maybe MORE robots were enough to stop our entire security system...)

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

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

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

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

Des: .....

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

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

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

Des: Then?

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

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

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

Des: Doctor--

Mikhail: Leave him alone.

-*-*-*-*-*-

Minerva: This is your last chance— hand yourself over to the authorities, or you will be facing the consequences—

Cardinal: NO!

Cardinal: Leave him alone!

[For the first time since he had come in…

He actually SOUNDED scared.

Desperate, even.]

-*-*-*-*-*-

Des: --......

Des: (This again...)

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

[He’s VERY clearly uncomfortable.]

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

Mikhail: …You have to leave him alone.

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

[Little did he realize…

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

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

And this was one of those times.]

Mikhail: …That was my fault.

[PING!]

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

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

Soi: What is it--

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

_________________________

[MN.8 IS NOW ONLINE]

Shade: Mngh....

Shade: Mikhail's...

Mic: ?

Mic: -Go back to sleep--

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

Beck: Huh?

___________________________

Mikhail: Mine and mine alone.

Mikhail: Do you hear me?

Des: --?!

Des: (Wait, what?)

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

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

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

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

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

Des: What?!

_______________________________

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

Will: Like HELL I can't--

________________________________

Pyro: Shade, sit DOWN--

Shade: Mikhail's in trouble--

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

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

_________________________________

Des: How do you KNOW about that?!

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

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

Des: --....

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

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

Des: ....

Des: If you were there, at the time, at least for a while--

Des: Why didn't you say anything?

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

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

____________________________

Will: --! No--!

____________________________

[Mikhail looked up, confused. He seemed to be trying to process the information, unsure whether to ask for clarification or not. Eventually it faded to just a frown.]

Mikhail: …

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

Des: ....

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

[Mikhail didn’t sit down.]

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

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

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

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

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

Des: --....

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

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

Des: (Gh...)

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

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

Des: Nuclear?!

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

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

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

Mikhail: Cardinal would have exploded, we would have lost him—!

Des: Doctor!

Des: Calm. Down.

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

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

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

[He put his head in his hands.]

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

Mikhail: I saw no other option but to bypass or at least mitigate the malfunctioning security, since feeds could not be negotiated from the Pentagon… can’t negotiate what you don’t have in your possession to offer…

[His heart was racing.]

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

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

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

__________________________

Will: NO--!!

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

_________________________

Cryo: MIC SIT ON HIM OR SOMETHING--

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

Beck: Shade, calm down--!

Shade: Lemmie GO--!

__________________________

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

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

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

Des: ....

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

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

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

Des: (Under the circumstances...)

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

Des: So you ordered him to do it.

Mikhail: Yes.

Des: ....

Des: And whose orders are YOU acting under?

Mikhail: Nobody’s.

Des: .....

Des: Doctor Cossack.

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

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

Des: Who?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Des: --..... (Min…)

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

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

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

[He gestures at the camera.]

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

____________________________

Will: --.....

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

Soi: o______o;;;;

__________________________

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

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

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

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

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

Des: . . .

Des: . . .

Mikhail: That is all I have to say.

Des: (....)

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

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

Des: (He's covering up for that boy, I know he is.)

Des: ....

Mikhail: …

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

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

Des: .....

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

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

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

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

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

Des: ...And why?

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

Mikhail: As for why…

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

Des: .......

[D.D. to M.M.]//: ⚠️: 🔬 🔗 ✅.

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

[M.M. to D.D.]//: USE Ɑ STAT?

[D.D. to M.M.]//: 🔂 👀 ABOVE.

[M.M. to D.D.]//: ⚖?

[D.D. to M.M.]//: ❌— 📰, 📁, ANY?

[M.M. to D.D.]//: ❌ re:🇷🇺, 🇯🇵

[M.M. to D.D.]//: ⏱ ⌛️?

[D.D. to M.M.]//: ❌—💬⛔️🔇

[M.M. to D.D.]//: 🎬🔍— ⏲ @ 0

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

[D.D. to M.M.]//: 💬

[D.D. to M.M.]//: ⛓🔬🔐

[M.M. to D.D.]//: ∴ ⛓🔬🔐

Des: (....Damn it.)

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

Des: ....

Des: We're going to have to bring you in for further questioning.

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

((-CUE SOI TRYING TO HOLD BACK WILL FROM LOCKING DOWN THE LAB , AAAAH--))

((-Also cue Mighties BARELY holding back Shade from seeing what the heck is going on))

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

Mikhail: … -Swallows again- ({Then…})

Mikhail: ({So be it.})

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

Des: ....

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

Des: I don't like this either, Doctor.

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

Mikhail: … {Do what you must.}

Des: ....

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

Mikhail: -Flinches SHARPLY at this- …

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

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

Des: --...!

Des: (What in the...)

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

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

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

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

Des: ..... (Scars…)

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

Des: (…I don’t have a choice.)

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

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

Des: (…This is going to suck.)

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

=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—>>

=CHAPTER 5C: DESOLATE HIGHWAY=

~AO v1.0~

(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)

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

{In the Meadow…}

[It was indeed a long day.

They had done what they could to stabilize the newcomers, though they eventually had to call Siam out of his room to make sure the injured fighters had been properly stabilized. Skull was left to take watch over one of them, while Digger went off on his own, seeming troubled.

By now, the news of FMN-009’s decision to pursue his older sister was well known, and some had gathered around a video feed to watch his progress. Skull had chosen not to.]

Skull: -Vents a soft sigh-

[The temperature had been increased much higher than usual, and there is a sound machine playing the ocean waves. Skull flicked at an iPad every so often, as it’s his turn to keep watch on the recovering Xelbots—Plume in person, and Landcrusher through remote camera observation.]

Skull: ({I would have thought that since Mic can fit in here, he could too, but… I suppose it was deemed he’d feel more comfortable among the earth and terrain rather than inside a lab.})

[He looked over at Plume again thoughtfully.]

Skull: ({I wonder whatever happened to the other gynoids? Father said there were survivors—AI&As, even… if only partially realized…. …I get the feeling he knows far more than he has told anyone else.}) … -Soft snort- ({Four is going to flip when he sees her. And Dyna, for that matter.})

Skull: … ({I think he’ll be terrified of Fighting Eight for other reasons, though. Mmm.})

[......]

[PING--!]

[IKN.1 IS NOW ONLINE.]

Plume: Mmmn...

Plume: --?

Plume: (Ow…)

Skull: …!

Skull: Ah… Good afternoon. Welcome to the Meadow lab.

Plume: ....

Plume: -Abstract, confused data--

Plume: {Lab...?}

Plume: {Where...}

Plume: -Ow, whyyyyy does everything hurt--

Plume: {I....}

Skull: You have been injured. You were brought here to recover. It is safe here.

Plume: {--But--}

[Eyes furrow as she tried to sift through blank memories...]

Plume: {I don't...remember being hurt...}

Plume: {...B...Brother--where is...?}

Plume: {Is he here...?}

Skull: (She seems to be searching for someone…) There was one other brought here also--the two that brought you here are gone, however.

Plume: {P...Pine...?}

Plume: {No, wait, he...he's still on the island...isn't he...?}

Plume: -Is just--very confused, how did we get here, we were on the island, right--??-

Skull: -data for now, to bypass language-

Skull: -You were brought here upon request, that is all we know, really-

Skull: -We are a bit low on Xel, but more will arrive tonight. If you would like to eat, however, we can get you something?-

Skull: -Or juice or something-

Plume: -That...that would be nice...-

Plume: ({Request…})

————————

{Memories…}

[A cold rain. Sirens back and forth. Some sort of strange rip in the sky itself.]

“He will be back. And then, you will rest.”

[What a strange man… such a formidable design, but he was twirling pool rings…]

“All will be clear in… due time.”

[SANDA LABS, THE NEXT MORNING]

[After Beck’s return with Brandish at his side, the rest of the morning passed mercifully without event. True to their word, Fighting Mighty Numbers One and Six sent over breakfast for everyone—even the injured, who were still asleep.

Dr. Sanda (who had been forced to take a rest by his daughter) resumed repairs at once after breakfast was over. There were three patients to tend to—Brandish, Jack, and Carmen.

Brandish’s repairs proved to be mostly straightforward, as had the other Mighties: exhaustion and a low Xel count accounted for the majority of the trouble. Unlike the others, though, he also had sustained acid damage—and that was something that Dr. Cossack handled personally, as he had more insight into Shadow’s abilities and weaponry.

Jack, for his part, had sustained pretty heavy internal damage—including, but not limited to: damaged sensors, a broken transceiver, and internal Xel loss… all from hitting the tunnel face first at high speed. Luckily for him, his stance had been unsteady enough that he was mostly knocked back at the first impact, making it more of a glancing blow. Patching him up was a fairly straightforward affair, and one that Mikhail was able to handle mostly on his own, once Brandish had been seen to.

Carmen, on the other hand.

Her younger brother had made an understatement in his report of her injuries.

She had been battered by a large piece of flying debris at high speed, which would have taken out lesser constructs on the spot. There were minor irritations webbed all across her torso, where she had struggled against the fine wires that had bound her.

But all that paled in comparison to what had happened as a result of hitting the Alpha 1 Tunnel at 90+ mph.

The impact had split her radar dish and cracked her skull, and caused some of the thin wires to bite into her skin. The whiplash in falling to the hard surface she had been standing on had compounded the internal damage further. The shift into a civilian form had quite possibly saved her life—it had either stopped most of the Xel loss, or at least slowed it down.

Her father had been reluctant to allow her to stay under someone else’s care, but had to admit that she had sustained serious enough injuries that would make a sudden transfer a cause for concern. He turned most of his attention—when he wasn’t looking after Plume and Landcrusher—to learning more about timespace and different worlds.

This delighted Siam, who took advantage of the situation to completely lose himself in his research. He was no longer actively responding to anything less than a direct order or emergency alert… slightly to the annoyance of his older brothers.

As for Shadow…]

-Ping.-

[Sure enough, just as Dr. Cossack had predicted… it wasn’t long before he got back in contact with them.]

-Ping.-

[It would appear his contact of choice was none other than the leader of the Mighty Numbers: Pyro.]

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -Ping.-

[MN.1] //: --!!

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Shadow?

Shadow: ! -Sort of hunches his shoulders up, feeling suddenly embarrassed/shy-

[The raw data itself would seem to indicate that yes, it is Shadow, albeit not a very talkative one. Not that that’s anything new. More like a reversion, really.]

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -Oh, thank goodness, you're alive--

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Are you alright?

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -This, it would seem, is a matter up for debate-

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -Wait what--

[REN.2] //: -And we can feel the amount of worried Data from Pyro- He is not injured, Number One.

[MN.1] //: --Your Highness?

[REN.2] //: Yes, hello. Shadow would like to speak with you about some...pressing issues.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > I am functioning, although whether or not that is a good thing is a matter of debate. -n-

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -What--but of COURSE it's a good thing ugh not you TOO.-

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > … -Wait what-

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -What do you mean-

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: ....

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: It's...Seven.

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -He is just...ngh, it hurts to see him like this, it wasn't his fault but he just...can't help but blame himself-

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: .....

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -Data suggesting a soft sigh and closing eyes-

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > Where do I even begin…? Even I do not know the full beginning, and much of what has happened as of late has been lost to me.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > I could not handle—I could not bear—could not take on the burden of such a heavy thing, and so new to me at the time…

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -Despair… was it despair? I cannot know, but that is the only thing I can guess…-

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: ......

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > For us, you ((pl.)) have always been that rare source of hope… for our world is all but darkness, save for a few who show kindness—but the world itself is dark and without mercy. There is no hope; one must live on without it, and be content with simple blessings of survival and family.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >But such is a darkness so great and terrible that any light that defies it becomes maddeningly precious, overwhelmingly so—if only one can ensure that light staves off the spread of such… suffering, such bleakness in the world—

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > To see the darkness in the one place you were determined not to let it pass…

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > … …It was too much for me. I had never known the loss of hope before, as I had never had it to begin with, until all of you. That loss was more than I knew how to handle, as my Emotions program… -Sigh- We are prone to stupor in times of great distress, but my system has yet to adjust and advance to the level of even very young constructs, for I have not had it very long.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > I suspect my brothers hoped I could speak with Sensei, to buy some time, but…

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > This time, he did not hear me, and I… -Trails off- …

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …I did not really know—and even only vaguely understand—what was going on. I was simply… -…Data, we just had to get the swords away from him, and then, perhaps, we could talk or restrain and THEN talk, had to get the swords away-

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -Nothing else mattered, I did not care about the anger or aggression, it simply did not matter, it just did not-

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: ....

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Shadow...

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: ....

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Look, I...I'm not angry with you, or what you did--surprised, yes, but...

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > I very narrowly kept on going.

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

“Remember… Cardinal is used to being hunted. And in our world, you DO not stop until you are dead.”

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

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >Such was my intention.

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: .....

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -Slow, drawn out breath.-

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Which is why I am very glad it was narrowly and not the OTHER way around.

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -Still, if you didn't interfere at that moment...-

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > … -If you say so… but personally this is troubling because it is not the first time that we have had to be talked down, this aggression is… very deep, it would seem-

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …It was never my intention to destroy. No. … -But I was not bothered by inflicting incredible damage… it is hard to explain-

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …I still do not understand why he did not leave right away.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >Why did they linger there? If Lady Sanda had placed him there, surely, she could also have called them away. Why did that not happen?

[MN.1 to DWN-24] //: --Xel Transfer onto a moving location is rather difficult enough--it actually took a bit before he could be transported safely. Call couldn't lock onto him fast enough, and I suspect Beck knew that...

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: ...And thus he...he turned to seek aid from the one that was most like his brother.

Shadow: …!

Shadow: …

[…He seems…

…troubled, by that.]

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …But… when that did not happen, I gave him the amulet, as he stated his goal was to leave safely.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >And still, he did not leave. Why?

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: ...Either he didn't want to leave you behind...

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Or he was too....

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: (...Too scared.)

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -Cautiously, as if he is wary—though whether of Pyro, Beck, or just in general is hard to say- If he had left, that would have… helped.

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Perhaps...

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -Data, you must remember that he is still young, Shadow, and all this is hard enough as it is...-

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -With no gentleness or hesitation, being very up forward- Perhaps I may have reminded him of his guiding brother.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > He, too, reminded me of a brother.

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: . . .

[DEATH WEARS B L U E]

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …I will not lie to you, Pyrogen. Now is not the time for niceties. This is important.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >He was not the Nine I remembered from before, Pyrogen. He has changed.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >And the change worries me VERY greatly.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >It was terrifying. I was certain he was going to kill me, Pyrogen!

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >When he did not leave like he claimed was his goal, what else was I to conclude in that moment, with ALL MY BROTHERS OFFLINE!?

[DEATH WEARS BLUE]

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Shadow--

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: He's not like HIM!

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -This is OUR brother, and the changes he's gone though so far are great--

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -But he WOULDN'T take a life because that isn't who he is and we would NOTICE if he was--

Pyro: (...turning into something like the Menace...)

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -Ngh, the point IS that Beck isn't...-

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -.....-

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -He isn't the Menace.-

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: . . . .

[Shadow seems to recoil and give off acerbic data at that response, but as Pyro calms, so does he. He then seems very worn out.]

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …Neither is Rock the Blue Menace, Pyrogen. Do you understand?

[Indeed. As had been explained before…]

((Profile pic here with the split screen showing the two sides to the Blue Bomber))

[…The Menace was a program separate from Rock’s Awareness.]

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: . . .

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >During and after the fight… acting like two different people, in a sense. That bothered me.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >To be so bold and… -…mmm, data, participant, almost… Almost Cardinal-like—-

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …but then to become seemingly timid afterward.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >That change bothered me, though I could hardly coherently process why at the time.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …At the very least, it is not healthy at all.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >It was as if in the fight, he were a different PERSON.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >It could very well be that my delusion is the mad anxiety of a fugitive, for such could be expected. Things were already strained from the beginning, and all that has happened has reverted things not to that point, but even further back.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >It is… logical and possible that I have misunderstood… everything. …And I am willing to… admit to that.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >But I am warning you now, Master—if I were the head of the family in absentia, what I saw would have provoked me to withdraw everyone back home, where you ((pl.)) could not find us.

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: . . .

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -Sighs, very, very tired data-

Pyro: (...Dear God, they're...they're going to be terrified of Beck at this rate...)

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …I have not spoken to the others about this, nor have I connected to the database. For sanity’s sake I will have the incident encrypted, and possibly isolated from my next sleep cycle, to be withheld until the matter is further resolved.

[He seems suddenly bitter.]

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >For what else are the hunted to conclude, especially when they have acted above their station?

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >We have made things worse, and it only proves to you all that we are not tame, nor shall we ever be safe for humanity.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -What have I done, this cannot be—-

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Shadow.

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > —…

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -For God's sake, Shadow--

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Please come home.

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -It's going to be alright, just--PLEASE, come home.-

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …I…

<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > … -I will… come… home.-

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -Relief-

[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: ...Thank you.

[PING!]

[MN.1 to MC005] //: ...Dr. Cossack?

<MC005 to MNN-001>: >Mmn?

<MC005 to MNN-001>: >Sorry, I was just talking with the Sanda twins about making a press release—thankfully, the Sixes stopped FMN-008 from showing up on any news cameras…

<MC005 to MNN-001>: >What is it?

[MN.1 to MC005] //: ...It's Shadow.

[MN.1 to MC005] //: He is coming back. Soon. He contacted me.

<MC005 to MNN-001>: > …

<MC005 to MNN-001>: > -Slowly- …Well that is a good sign. It means he is no longer in an active Combat mode. He must have been with Father Cruz, to be able to reach that point so quickly.

<MC005 to MNN-001>: >He doesn’t say anything at all when in an active Combat mode, you see… -Absentminded- Ever. Which is why you all misinterpreted him when you saw it—that is unique, among all the others.

[MN.1 to MC005] //: I see...mmn...

[MN.1 to MC005] //: ...Well...While I'm not sure where he is at the moment...

[MN.1 to MC005] //: He and I talked for a bit.

[MN.1 to MC005] //: ...and he...brought up some very... very concerning matters...

[MN.1 to MC005] //: ...Matters concerning Beck.

<MC005 to MNN-001>: > …

[He sighs.]

<MC005 to MNN-001>: > …Come speak to me in person. We need to talk.

[MN.1 to MC005] //: ...Yes, Doctor.

{Later…}

[Dr. Cossack was waiting in the kitchen, preparing some hot chocolate.

He looked better than he had previously, to be sure—he was improving, now that he was more in control of the situation.

But he still seemed distracted, and also perpetually tired.

There was a signal coming from one of his lab pockets that was slightly disorienting at first—he was actively jamming recording devices, other than Pyro’s own memory, of course.]

[Knock knock...]

[Moments later, the Mighty Leader stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He, too, looked equally as tired, and now even more so as he was plagued with turmoils of all that had transpired.]

[The fact that Dr. Cossack wanted to speak with him privately was even more worrisome...]

Pyro: Doctor...

[Mikhail looked up, blinking a bit as he came out of his thoughts. It took him a moment to remember, but then he set the mug aside, looking at it as he spoke.]

Mikhail: I will first tell you what I know, so that what I have observed will not be influenced by what he had to say.

[…This was a statement, not a request.

He folded his arms and pressed a thumb to his mouth as he spoke, his weary gaze glancing down—but his eyes glazing over, as if he were too tired to stare at the floor.]

Mikhail: I have seen a change in Mighty Nine’s behavior.

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

[It was as Shadow said...]

Pyro: ......

Pyro: What...kind of...change...?

Mikhail: He has become very withdrawn—to the point where he showed no response to affection. That is very unlike him.

[He closed his eyes and sighed.]

Mikhail: I am beginning to suspect he may be dealing with some form of moderate depression.

Pyro: .......

Mikhail: He specifically asked me to make sure no one would see what he is doing. He seems to worry about their judgment. Combined with how he wouldn’t return affection from all of you…

Mikhail: I’m worried about him.

Pyro: .....

Pyro: (Beck...)

Mikhail: This… this sort of behavior is something I have seen before.

Mikhail: Mr. Light became very weary and lifeless by the end of his second round with his brothers, and has become… permanently withdrawn, I’m afraid.

Mikhail: He needs someone to talk to. He cannot continue internalizing this, or it will sink like poisoned snake fangs into his soul.

[...Pyrogen crosses his own arms and sighs into his chest, shutting his eyes tightly.]

[...Hearing it from Shadow was one thing, but from Cossack himself...the thought of his own little brother being anything other than himself was...]

Pyro: ...I can--

Mikhail: And what will you do when he tries to push you off with less than his usual effort at putting on a smile?

Mikhail: You cannot make him talk to you. And neither can I.

Pyro: --.....

Mikhail: He is coming into his own, now, Pyro, and very rapidly, at that.

Mikhail: He is no longer taking orders from you.

Mikhail: You do not have the authority you once did.

Pyro: . . .

Mikhail: So using that context will not make progress.

[The older gentleman looked up, a sympathetic and fatherly look in his eyes.]

Mikhail: I should like to speak to him, ere the hour grows late. We still have several to find, and… I think it is important that I talk to him before he finds Cardinal.

[He placed his hands behind his back and went over to look at a photograph.

It was from Beck’s birthday.

Everyone was smiling and laughing, in costume—you could practically feel the joy from the photo.]

Pyro: . . . .

[There were Snow, Kalinka, Beck, BB8.

There were Felix and Digger and Mic.]

[And in that corner, Skull and Shadow and Brand. And over there, Dyna and Tobias and Avi.]

[Pyro was cutting cake while Keltso handed out slices, Cryo was bouncing Echo like he was a dodgeball, Bat was talking with Nico, who was showing off my making some of the forks start hovering.]

[…]

[…And there they were, grinning shamelessly…]

[The two troublemakers, side by side.]

Pyro: (Those days...)

Pyro: ......

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

Mikhail: …

[He starts using sign language.]

Mikhail: “Tobias tried to stop Aviator from History Repeating. …His Awareness got shattered, and his interference has burned a deep scar into Six that will likely never fully heal—given that such a scar is still raw and red for the rest that carry those same memories.”

Mikhail: “Shadow tried to stop Brandish. He descended into Lethal Combat mode as the situation became more and more dire, and he suddenly found himself a Sole Survivor with his friend now clearly stronger and more resolved than he remembered before. His teacher tried to kill him, and he was close to cutting off Sev’s hands. He would not have stopped… were it not for the willpower and control that Brand himself had given him.”

[He stole a brief, pained rueful glance at Pyro.]

Mikhail: “Do you remember what was then said?”

Mikhail: -Speaks aloud- “It will not stop until EVERYTHING is gone.”

Mikhail: You do not remember, Pyro, because it was not you who said this. But back in the beginning, I tried to contact you. And I succeeded.

Mikhail: The response to my inquiry was a declaration that all must end in fire.

[…He’s fidgeting with his hands as he says this.]

Pyro: I...

Pyro: (I...I said...)

Pyro: I...

Pyro: ...I'm sorry... (Dear lord just--just how MAD was I, when...when I KNOW that...!)

[Cossack’s expression softened, and he walked over, lifting Pyro’s chin up a bit.]

Mikhail: …I understand, Pyrogen. …I’m not holding it against you.

Mikhail: But it is one of a string of occurrences in a troubling trend lately.

Mikhail: Every time we seek to interfere… it is almost like the matter is made worse. That is exactly why I had tried so hard to prevent it, to begin with. Tobias was an incident that could not have been foreseen very well, since we didn’t know what was going on…

Mikhail: With Shadow, we knew something like that would happen. …But I’d never seen most of those abilities before. I did not realize he could shadow walk…

Mikhail: If that has happened so far…

[He looks over at the photo gravely.]

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: …I can keep the others in line, but it is too late to prevent Cardinal from getting involved…

Mikhail: (With how bad it got between Shadow and Brand…)

Mikhail: (If those two find each other, how much /worse/ will it get…?)

Mikhail: (Especially considering…)

Mikhail: (Cardinal has military level orders…)

Mikhail: … -Sighs and turns his back, grabbing his hot chocolate-

Pyro: . . .

Pyro: (Shade...where are you...)

Pyro: (Where are you hiding...)

Pyro: . . .

Mikhail: -Sips the hot chocolate quietly, relaxing- (Ahh… better…)

[He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs inwardly.]

Mikhail: …Pyro…

Mikhail: What did you make of Cardinal’s departure, and continued absence?

[His eyebrows furrowed in thought for a moment.]

Pyro: ...He...he SHOULD be here.

Pyro: ...I...this might be because I am an elder myself, but...

Pyro: I can't help but feel... angry ...at him just--just taking off like that, and with the scarce supplies you have as well.

Pyro: ....

Pyro: But then again...those two...

Pyro: They're practically the same, and I have no doubt Shade would have...done similarly for him.

Mikhail: … -Mutter- Well that certainly could be a problem in the future…

[He downed a larger gulp of his drink.]

Mikhail: I’ll explain more when I’m done with what I’m working on, but there’s something I want you to keep in mind, Pyro.

Mikhail: The reason Cardinal is as advanced as his brothers is because his system evolved to be that way over time. He was not born with such complexity.

Mikhail: It’s easy to forget with how much he is in command and control of himself and others…

Mikhail: But he is still a prototype, Pyrogen.

Mikhail: He took what he did to ensure his best chance of survival.

Pyro: .....

Mikhail: He left because his mind, body, and soul were all bent toward his mission.

[He drummed his fingers on the side of the mug.]

Mikhail: He had about as much say in the matter as Beck did… probably much less.

Mikhail: He is a military construct, my friend. And the nation is in turmoil.

Mikhail: There is a great deal more to this than what there seems… and that doesn’t just go for the side of the virus.

Mikhail: There are more than two players in this matter…

Pyro: .....

Mikhail: Now then.

Mikhail: What did Shadow say that troubled you so deeply? … … -Gently- You didn’t have to talk him out of…?

Pyro: No, no, no...

Pyro: It's...he, too, noticed that change in Beck and...

Pyro: ......

Pyro: I just...the way he put it just as how DLN-001 isn't The Menace...

Pyro: ...And--how Beck seemed as if a different person when fighting, it just...

Pyro: -...scared him, even.-

Mikhail: -Frowns- …

Pyro: (He isn't the Menace...)

Pyro: (He won't be, he won't...)

Mikhail: I’m a Doctor, not a mind reader, son.

Mikhail: Whatever is going on in the code is something only your father knows. And Lord knows the poor man is working with enough already.

Mikhail: He, too, has become withdrawn, and I think he’s been avoiding me.

Pyro: --.... (Father...?)

Mikhail: Which is why I’m inclined to think Beck’s behavior is due to depression, and not… something else—it’s mirroring your father’s behavior, and he has mimicked Will’s ways before without realizing it.

Pyro: ... (True...)

Pyro: -Sighs- Beck always did spend more time with Father after... (After I benched him...)

Mikhail: …I haven’t talked to Will because… I think that’s Soichiro’s prerogative, as a life-long friend. As strange as it sounds… -Gives a faint smile- It HAS still only been… about six months since we first met, you know.

Pyro: ...Only just been half a year... (Seems....longer than that...)

[He clasped his hand onto Pyro’s shoulder.]

Mikhail: From what I’ve been told about Beck’s coding, I don’t think you have to worry about another force of will growing inside him. He’s been handling infected Xel for days now—when he isn’t fighting or recovering, he’s cleaning more to help repair your siblings. We know that this coding is fast acting and very severe—if there really were a problem? It would have been obvious a long time ago. Coupled with the fact that he has the filter he does…

Mikhail: There’s a saying for that which goes back over two thousand years. “A house divided cannot stand.”

Mikhail: And just as the context in which it was first said—evil does not drive out evil. Only good can do that.

Pyro: (...A house divided...)

Mikhail: No, this trouble is of the heart, not the mind.

Mikhail: I’m going to ask Will if he’ll let Beck have a camping sleepover with Kalinka in the Meadow. Just for the night. He’ll be within reach if we get any news that requires his action—but barring that, it’ll do him good to rest his weary soul. To look at the stars in a peaceful night—to remember what it was to have peace and contentment, to feel again what it is he is fighting for.

Mikhail: -Long sip, peering over rim of mug- It’s hard enough on a soldier, but he’s a young civilian. He needs that, even if he denies it.

Mikhail: And Pyro…

Mikhail: I suggest you go to sleep.

Mikhail: I realize it’s only late afternoon, but you really do need the rest.

Pyro: ....

[Pyro nods in response.]

Pyro: (...That'll be good for him...yes...)

Pyro: ...Alright, Doctor...

Mikhail: Yes. Things will be alright…

————————————

{Later…}

[Shadow did indeed arrive, as promised—though it was more by letting Cossack know where he was so he could be teleported. The Russian Doctor spent several hours running some diagnostics and talking with the star-born ninja quietly, before the latter was finally able to relax and be at peace. Although he was offered a chance to stay in the Meadow, Shadow, for his part, had joined Mikhail and David at Sanda’s labs. He kept a watch in the emergency bay, which was sadly well attended.

There was Brandish, of course. Thankfully, his physical injuries were recovering smoothly—but he seemed dead to the world. It was almost as if he were choosing to sleep to avoid dealing with what had happened. Shadow had hoped to speak with him, but had contented himself with just kneeling on the floor nearby, letting his presence serve as some form of comfort.

Besides Brandish, there were also CDN-7037 and FMN-008: Dencerjack and Fighting Mighty Countershade (better known to most as Carmen). They had both sustained critical injuries, though the nature of these hadn’t been made clear to the solemn ninja. Jack was stable (if practically comatose), but the lady sniper was not faring so well. Shadow had been obliged to leave the lab several times for many long hours as Sanda worked on her repairs.

And that wasn’t all.

Off to the side, behind a strange looking barrier, lay another Number Eight: DLN-008—Wily’s favorite son… Tobias.

He had been placed in strict technological isolation, for many reasons. Avi’s health was one reason. Tobias’s sanity was another. There was also the safety of the lab and the general public to consider—Tobias was infamously impulsive and defiant, and not above using his powers for his own ends.

Dr. Cossack had declared that the wide-eyed idealist would have to be kept Offline until it was clear how the public would react to all that had happened, now that they could voice their opinion. He was advising Will, Sanda, and the rest on that matter even now, which is why Shadow had this time for a bit of quiet and rest.]

Shadow: -Vents a sigh- …

Shadow: -Looks back over at Brandish- …

Shadow: (Oh, Teacher… I am so glad I did not go further.)

Shadow: (…I just wish that I knew what I am going to say—)

[He became distracted when he heard some of the readers beeping in protest at sudden spikes.]

Shadow: …???

[He looked over in slight surprise at Fighting Mighty Eight—]

Shadow: (Is she…)

Shadow: (Is she… dreaming?)

-*-*-*-

[Whimpers. Terrified whimpers.

Rough jerking, leaning in close to whisper—a toxic kind of soothing tone, a gentle purr that held not an ounce of love or mercy.]

“Y’ain’t worth /nothin’/, you know. First yer stupid enough t’ piss us off, an’ then foolish enough to run away, where no one can hear ya scream.”

[Choking noises.]

“Shhh shhh shhh, worm~ Oh, you had so much t’ SAY before… too bad none of it was useful. Even worse for you that ya wouldn’t use that tongue a’ yers t’ sing like a lark ‘bout yer makers…. /Maybe/ Ah’d have let ya keep it, if ya had.”

[Whimpering.]

“Then again… probably not. You dared to touch her, you filth.”

[A click, followed by garbled screaming.]

“Not t’ mention ya sliced up that poor child. You nearly killed him, you understan’? He’s STILL suffering because a’ the likes of YOU.”

[Weak screaming.]

“Aw, don’t give up NOW, Sawblades~ Ya still got a bit a’ dance left in you, Ah’ can /tell/.”

[Incoherent pleading noises.]

“HEH. Now THAT’s what Ah’ like t’ hear. Heh heh…”

[More clicking and locking noises. The babbling becomes more desperate.]

“Doesn’t matter you don’t know me, worm. Ah’ know you, an’ that’s enough. You’re long overdue t’ dance the hangman’s jig—an’ Ah’ am SO tired a’ /waitin/ on orders while the likes of YOU are allowed to run free and cause pain in the meantime.”

[Terrified screeching—]

-KZAP!-

“…Heh heh. Goodnight, Bladeblaster. -Blows smoke away from rifle- Y’ain’t worth mah time t’ kill—haven’t deserved THAT mercy, nope~”

[Cackling nearby.]

“Though OTHERS… may have a /different/ opinion on the matter. Me? Ah’d just as soon ya go get healed so Ah’ can /do this AAALLLLLL over again. And again. For the rest of your miserable little life.~/”

[The click of heels. Far off ripping and snarfing noises.]

“But Ah’ guess we can’t have everything, now can we?~~”

-*-*-*-

[Carmen “wakes” up with a start.]

Carmen: -DATA, ALL THE DATA—- (BRAND. BRAAAAAAND—)

[AAAAND then she was SCREAMING over the feeds—]

<FMN-008>: > BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND—!!!

[ P I N G--!]

[It was as if someone had just flipped a switch. Dead to the world before--]

[MN.7 IS NOW ONLINE.]

[His eyes snapped open in an instant, and he quite literally fell off of his repair table in his effort to race to his sister's side--but once he did regain balance, he was quick to send soothing signals to calm her fears, pushing aside his own pained turmoil in favor of Carmen.]

[MN.7] //: -Shhh...shhh...I'm here, I'm here...-

[MN.7] //: -You are safe, just listen to me...-

[MN.7] //: -Listen to the song of the forest, of the northern winds blowing over a hidden koi pond...-

<FMN-008>: > -bRAND BRAND I THINK I KILLED SOMEBODY wai can’t I remember or sEE NOTHIN’—- -In almost literal hysterics, readings going wild-

<FMN-008>: > -We were threatening a breakdancer and tranquilized him and— and planning gifts for Jack and talkin’ to Pyro an’—-

[Wow, that’s pretty trippy data she’s giving off. She’s clearly not really remembering much of anything.]

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

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

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

[MN.7] //: -Shhhhhhhh we're here, we're here, it's alright, you are safe, home...-

[MN.7] //: -All will be well...trust us, just listen for now, listen to our voice...-

<FMN-008>: > -And we said we’d take a bath and eat all the tacos—and…-

Shadow: .-. (…She sounds like she has high fever. I have not heard anything so… surreal since one of the parishoners back at home in the children’s ward was on a particularly strong cold medicine…)

<FMN-008>: > -…And…-

[She’s calming down quite a lot, seeming just… out of it, rather than panicked.]

<FMN-008>: > -And… Avi was making bad puns… and I made Clint laugh…-

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

[MN.7] //: -Just stop and listen...listen to the rustling of leaves and peaceful winds...-

[MN.7] //: -Calm, soothing data, nothing can hurt you, just think of a soft, burbling brook in a far away forest, where fireflies twinkle in the twilight and the grass blows with the eastern wind...-

<FMN-008>: > -And there were…-

<FMN-008>: > -…were…-

<FMN-008>: > …

[It takes a few minutes, but she does eventually calm down enough to pass out again.]

Carmen: Zzz…

Brand: . . .

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

[MN.7] //: -Siiigh-

[MN.7] //: -You're safe...-

Brand: Carmen...

[His head bows in both worry and relief, although the latter emotion does not last for long.]

Shadow: … -And now we are concerned for Sensei, he kinda fell off the bed onto his face-

Shadow: …

<DWN-024>: > … -Softest of data signals, we are here-

[Brand ever so gently lifts his head, but that is all he does.]

[There is a long silence as Brandish looks over Carmen, the only visible sign of his pain in his dulled, icy blue optics.]

Brand: . . . .

Shadow: …

[....Brandish's hands slowly reach up to unlatch his chin guard, and the mask bandages that are underneath.]

[...The helmet comes off soon after.]

Shadow: …?

Shadow: (Wha…? What is he doing?)

Brand: ......

[A very heavy sigh escapes him, long and sorrowful.]

Brand: ......

Brand: . . .

Brand: {If....}

Brand: {I had...only been...stronger....}

Brand: {Perhaps...}

Brand: . . .

Brand: -This is all my fault, isn't it...?-

<DWN-024>: > Sensei—

Brand: {If my will had been...stronger...}

Brand: {My sister wouldn't be like this, Jack wouldn't have been hurt, my brother wouldn't have to save me...}

Brand: {And you...wouldn't have had to put yourself in danger...}

Brand: . . . .

Shadow: (…I really do not like where this is going—)

Brand: {...This is my fault, is it not...?}

Brand: {If...if I had only just...}

Brand: .....

[Shadow kneels down. His hands are folded inside his sleeves.]

Shadow: -Broadcasting- “{We are so very grateful for your safe return. We missed you and worried so much.}”

Brand: . . . .

Brand: I....

[Brandish looks to the side in solemnity, unable to directly look in Shadow's direction.]

Brand: {...I'm sorry.}

[A hand moves to cover his face...]

Brand: {I tried...to tell you then...that I couldn't...}

Brand: {But...}

Shadow: … (This must be so hard for them. They have not lived in our kind of world….)

Brand: {I couldn't...fight it...hard enough...}

Brand: {Those voices...}

Brand: {Such...rage...}

Brand: {...I...don't...}

Brand: {I don't...deserve...}

Shadow: —?! (Most DEFINITELY do not like /where this is going!/)

Brand: {If I was not...strong enough to overcome that...darkness...and DRIVEN to turn my blades against those I have SWORN to defend--}

Brand: {What USE am I?}

Shadow: SENSEI!

[Shadow didn’t wait, this time.]

Shadow: {I started this life by horrifically murdering my own brother, and putting my father in the hospital.}

Shadow: {Since then, I have attacked almost any that approached me-- including many brothers, and nearly yourself, Pyrogen, and Countershade as well.}

Shadow: {If Doctor Cossack had not stopped us, I would also have been part of the death of Greater Dusk. I threatened poor Dencerjack— scared him to the point of groveling for mercy. On purpose.}

Shadow: {I… expected betrayal, warned so strongly against the only people that have ever made us so alive…}

Brand: --.......

Shadow: {Whatever honor I have ever had… I owe most of it to you.}

Shadow: {To YOU, Sensei!}

[Brand suddenly turns at this, and there is clear... surprise, for the most part.]

Shadow: {You and your family are the best thing that has ever happened to us!}

Shadow: {I promise you, Teacher—with how dark the world can be, and with how grave the danger that is posed—if it had not been for your guidance, there is a high chance I may have had killed again by this point in time. Our family leader was Offline, and division was growing deep between myself and the second-in-command. I was aggressive, and a threat to any that seemed a threat to me. Which was almost everyone.}

Brand: {...Shadow...}

Shadow: {You cannot allow this to undermine the light that has led for relative ages.}

Shadow: {Tell me, Sensei—do you consider the Cossack Numbers to have use? To have honor?}

Brand: ......

Brand: {...I...feel as they are protectors...of a sort...}

Brand: (...Which, of course...of their father, and their sister...)

Brand: {...I do think highly of them...if it was not for Skull, in fact...}

Shadow: {They have been forced unto a darkness which made the world tremble in fear of poison and fire.}

Shadow: {Does this mean they are no longer worthy to live in the world, even though their minds are now their own?}

Brand: --.......

Brand: {I....}

[Seven seems to plunge into deep thought at his pupil's argument, eyes flickering this way and that, but never on him.]

Brand: . . . .

Brand: -...N-no...-

Shadow: {Then why should it be different for you?! There is no sense in such a judgment, Sensei!}

Shadow: {You deem yourself responsible for the actions of another. If the will of one mind makes the victim to blame, where does that place your family, Sensei?}

Shadow: {Do you not remember what it was that the Eldest said to you about this?!}

Brand: . . . .

Brand: {....But I still... failed ...despite his warnings...}

Brand: {....I couldn't...stop it.}

Shadow: {Teacher. You fought. We. We are not even strong enough to fight.}

Brand: . . . .

Brand: {You all fight in your own way.}

Brand: . . .

Brand: {But I...know what you mean.}

Brand: . . .

Shadow: …

Shadow: -Turning head slightly, data showing a bit of anxiety and confusion as he speaks hesitantly- {Do you…?}

Brand: ....?

[His eyes flicker in something akin to… fear?]

Shadow: {I… was not even thinking of an alternative, Sensei….}

Brand: ......

Shadow: {I wanted—no… I was driven to keep going, to keep going until my objective was filled, until I stopped you from using your swords…}

Brand: .......

<DWN-024>: > -…would have kept going, stronger and stronger, if I had not been stopped—-

<DWN-024>: > -I was this close to making an attempt of cutting your hands off, I WOULD have if Beck had not stopped me from becoming…-

Shadow: (…becoming another one of Doctor Wily’s cruelty-filled monsters…)

Brand: . . .

[He’s rather hunched up on himself now with how low he has bowed his head, almost with his face on the ground in prostration.]

Shadow: -We have wronged you and your brother, deeply, among the many others-

Shadow: -We have acted when it was not our place, and without consideration-

Shadow: -And I say WE because I am not the only one involved in the situation as a whole, though this particular instance is mine to blame alone-

Shadow: … -Unless you count that everyone else thought it would be a good idea to leave me to speak with you alone, with no context and the rest of them Offline- >__>; (Siam…)

Shadow: -NOT HIS SMARTEST OF IDEAS-

Brand: ......

[Brandish takes a seat on the floor, flicking his gaze at Carmen for a moment before he did so.]

Brand: .....

<DWN-024>: >I thought…

<DWN-024>: >I did not understand…. I thought… I thought he had…

<DWN-024>: > And all of my brothers were OffLINE, what else was I to [color=blue]think—[/color]

Brand: .....

Brand: That...is not your fault...

Brand: ...Nor...is it that...you interfered...

Brand: {...If you had not, I fear that what I might have done to my brother would have been far far worse.}

Shadow: —…

Shadow: -But we nearly stabbed your hands off—- -STILL A LITTLE DISTURBED HOW BRUTAL HE WAS HEADING-

Shadow: -And then we ran away, like a coward-

Brand: ......

Brand: For us...hands can be replaced.

Brand: ....I don't blame you, Shadow.

Brand: Under the circumstances...no, not at all.

Brand: ...The fact that you had not resorted to it--it shows how much you have progressed, no?

[Shadow shifts his weight slightly, as if he thought of lifting up his head but decided against it.]

Brand: ....

Brand: This darkness...that I had felt...

Brand: It is unmerciful, and it will stop at nothing until all is ash.

Brand: ...And thus it reflects in the darker parts of us, as well, in the darkness in all of us.

Brand: ......

Brand: {...I do not know why it is...this way.}

Brand: {But we...}

Brand: {We...must not falter against it.}

Brand: ....

Brand: {Not now....}

Brand: {Not while we still function.}

Brand: .....

Brand: ...Shadow...

Brand: ...I...have not taken many pupils, aside from my brother.

Brand: ...But you have been one of the best I have ever had the honor of teaching.

Shadow: … -Lifts his head slightly-

Brand: ....

Brand: If...only my own Sensei still walked this earth...

Brand: ...He would have liked you, I think.

Shadow: -Straightens up at this, his gaze distant as he thinks this over- …

Brand: ....

Brand: -...We...we would...still like to teach you, if you still see us fit to do so-

[Shadow looked up in surprise.]

Shadow: -Data, we thought we would be dismissed at best after what happened-

Brand: ......Shadow...

Brand: Who else would I have to teach if not you?

Brand: ......

Brand: ... -that and, admittedly, you are the only one that doesn't fall asleep right away when in meditation.-

[Okay, that makes Shadow snort, and the tension leaves his frame loosely.

Then he sighs and shakes his head.]

Shadow: …I would be honored.

Brand: ...

[Some relief finds it's way to his face, and he nods.]

Brand: ...Thank you.

Brand: .......

Brand: ....Do you...know where Beck is, right now...?

Shadow: …I… I do not know. He was here, but he left before I arrived.

Brand: . . . .

Shadow: After my own diagnostic tests, the Doctors left to discuss something about the data from you with Mr. Seiji and Avi.

Shadow: … -We are not sure WHICH Avi, though-

Shadow: -There are now two of them hovering about-

Shadow: At least your brother is somewhat recovered from the terrible punishment… -Looks over at Tobias with a weary expression- Though I fear it shall never fully leave him. Six has looked into our soul and seen the fathoms of deep suffering…

Brand: --...A-Avi....

Brand: (Nii-san...)

Brand: . . . .

[Shadow now seems panged with sorrow.]

Shadow: We wanted so… we tried so hard… to prevent such a thing….

Shadow: (If only we had not… if only we had not chosen to step aside, but had pursued investigation…. Could… could we have prevented this…?)

Shadow: Wherever we have sought to interfere, great suffering has been left in the wake.

Shadow: …

Shadow: -Darkly- And it is not even over.

Brand: .......

Shadow: There are three that remain to be found, Brandish. There are still three who are missing.

Shadow: Tobias is locked in shadows, held in a slumber ’til the fate of this future is known, for he has already shattered his mind…

Shadow: I shall submit myself, come what may—I, too, shall no longer interfere.

Brand: (Shadow…)

Shadow: The others are not so inclined, for they have seen and they must—they must obey and withstand the lockdown enforced by the Doctors.

Brandish: ….

Shadow: …All, that is. But for one.

Shadow: Three are missing, Mighty blades…

Shadow: Two of your elders.

Shadow: And a younger.

Brand: —!

Brand: N...no...

Brand: (Shade--!)

[...But if he was missing as well....]

[Then that means...]

Brand: ...Cardinal...

Brand: He is…

Shadow: Gone.

Shadow: With everything the lab had to offer.

Shadow: Power Capsules.

Shadow: E-Tanks.

Shadow: Experimental prototypes similar to E-Tanks.

Shadow: My light cycle.

Shadow: Tobias’s radio.

Shadow: Jazz.

Shadow: All gone.

Brand: {It can't be--has...has he gone mad--?!}

Brand: (Shade...who knows what sort of state of mind he is in, and...with Cardinal out there--!)

Shadow: -Looks out of the corner of his eyes- {A lot of people asked the same question. But it is not so simple as that. He remains compelled as much as I—as much as I had been, but with clear intent and purpose.}

Shadow: {He knows very well what may lay ahead. He actually said so, in the final words before he left.}

Shadow: “John 15:13”.

Brand: --.....

Brand: "...No...greater love than this...."

Brand: (Cardinal....)

Brand: . . . .

Brand: {Mngh...we can't let them find each other...}

Brand: (But they are BOTH masters of staying 'off the grid...')

Brand: (What if...?!)

Brand: (What if they end up KILLING each other--?!)

Brand: . . .

Brand: (Shade....)

Brand: (Where are you, brother...?)

Brand: (What are you doing...?)

{Meanwhile…}

[Having acquired another sample of the virus, Will was eager to begin his analysis in order to combat it--the sooner he could figure out how it worked, the faster this could all be resolved.]

[..But before that could happen, there were a few pressing matters that had to be addressed first...]

Call: Transferring Assimilation data to your terminal, Professor.

White: If you can, please start running the proper analysis programs, Call...I'll oversee them after this...

Call: Yes, Professor. Running...

[Sanda was busy speaking with his brother Seijiro--along with Aviator, and going over the footage from Brand's rescue as well as the others....to what end, Will could guess it was rather important.]

Will: ....?

Will: Mikhail?

[...What was he doing?]

[He had recommended the meeting in the first place, but he no longer seemed focused on the conversation. He was intently reviewing something on a different screen, extremely focused on his task.

It took a moment before he responded—without looking up.]

Mikhail: Yes?

Will: Is...is there something wrong?

[...He seemed...distracted.]

Mikhail: Mmm. Maybe. It depends on the source… (If it is what I think it is… then that’s still potentially trouble, but at least not the malicious kind…) Someone has been poking around in the RobotMaster Database.

Will: --??

Will: W...What? Who--?

Mikhail: Well, it was accessed from an actual computer, so it doesn’t leave the same clarity of key logging as if a construct had accessed directly. I have a theory, based on how little was touched.

[He turned to look directly at Will.]

Mikhail: I think it may have been Cardinal.

Will: --!

Will: ....But...why? What did he need from the Database? (Status updates--?)

Mikhail: Information. It seems that the first status update after the servers reconnected was looked over—that would be the current state for all of the DCNs, DWNs, and MNNs. That is the only thing that was looked over.

Will: Ah... (So he knows how everyone is...doing, more or less...)

Mikhail: I’ve been having my sons look over the data and follow the trail. If we’re lucky, we may learn where the information was accessed.

Will: ...I see... (I can only hope it was him...)

[Mikhail sighed, removing his glasses and closing his eyes.]

Mikhail: I’d have Tobias look into it… were it not for the fact that he remains very… precarious. I can’t bring him back Online at this point. Not until we know how the public will handle this.

Mikhail: He already blames himself for the state of affairs in our world. Should it repeat again… (I fear that will break his mind.)

Will: . . . .

Will: I....I'm not very sure how the public will...

Will: ........

Mikhail: Well… I gave what advice I could from my own experience. I know a thing or two about mitigating damage caused by international panic…

[He scowled at this, rubbing at his (gloved) hands absentmindedly.

After “the Russian incident” had been prevented from reaching a nuclear tipping point, Dr. Cossack had still been a person of interest in the case and was under the very real threat of being put to death due to his “involvement”. It was nothing short of a miracle that not only had he been spared the death penalty out of retribution, but he had also managed to have his name cleared beyond doubt.

If anyone would know what sort of thing to say, it would be him.

But the experience weighed heavily on him, and he did still blame himself to some degree for things that had happened—and beyond that, he also carried a troubling defensiveness for those that really HAD gone mad—like Wily, and Blackwell.

That had been a point of slight contention that may have become deeper… had Avi not interrupted it at the start, and the both of them been busy with other things after they regained contact.]

Will: ......

[Will knew all too well--or maybe not enough... of what Mikhail and his family had to endure during the Russian incident.]

[...Hopefully...something like that won't happen this time--the virus seemed to be centralized to only the United States and it's surrounding territories...]

[...But if it ever found it's way to other countries...]

Mikhail: Now that people are talking freely, you’ll need to make a press statement. I wanted to be more involved, but… -Sighs- I have a lot on my mind, and a LOT of work to do. I gave my input, and then left the Sandas and Avi to the details…

[...Ah, so that's what they were discussing...]

Will: .....Mikhail...

[Will places a hand on his shoulder, and a smile--it's a bit tired, but well meant all the same.]

Will: ...We'll get through this.

Will: --With six virus samples, I feel I have enough data to finally make sense of it's coding, at least.

Will: (Perhaps even make a breakthrough...)

Will: I...I just need time.

Mikhail: …I… I know. …I wish I could help you more, but I don’t know enough to be helpful and there’s no time to teach me…

Will: ...It's fine. I can handle this, Mikhail. Call's running the programs as we speak, and--

[ P I N G ! ]

Mikhail: ?

Will: ...Huh--?

[CDN.7037 IS NOW ONLINE.]

Will: ...!! It's Jack...!

Mikhail: ! Already?

[He switched the display to the lab camera.]

[......]

[CDN.7037] //: Mnnngh....ow....

[Jack was slowly coming to, shifting this way and that on his repair table--his eyes blink several times, adjusting to the sudden bright lights of the lab.]

[CDN.7037] //: Mmuh...?

[CDN.7037] //: Where...ow...

Mikhail: I better go down to talk to him…

<MC005 to CDN-7037>: >Hold still, Dencerjack. I’ll be right down.

Will: .....

[CDN.7037] //: Huh...?

[He leaves abruptly, leaving the camera on so that Will can watch if he wants.]

{Lab}

[Mikhail walked in to find Shadow apparently meditating next to Brand—who was either meditating or resting, it was hard to tell. Carmen was still asleep, though her readings remained a bit fitful.

Jack looked veeeeery disoriented.]

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: -Turns the lights down, he’s used to working in low light, he was just working on Anubis after all-

Jack: ...-blink blink-

Jack: ....Ngh... (So sore...)

Jack: (Ugh, I felt like I got hit by a truck...)

Mikhail: It’s alright, Jack. You’re safe. Try not to exert yourself too much right now. You’ve really been put through the wringer.

Jack: ...Nh...

[Jack's optics struggle to adjust--but when they finally do, he focuses on the Doctor.]

Jack: ...?

Jack: H...Hey, you're...

Jack: (Is that the Russian Doc Bird guy told me about...?)

Jack: ....Dr...Cossack...?

Jack: (....Wait am I in RUSSIA??)

Mikhail: Yes. I came over to help.

Jack: --...O...Oh...

[He doesn't attempt to sit up right away--his head felt very foggy, as if he had awoken from some long dream...]

Jack: Mnngh...

Jack: H...Here...?

Mikhail: We’re at Dr. White’s lab at the moment. Though as soon as you’re stable, I should like to move you both to the Meadow.

Jack: White....

[White....Lab...stable...]

[...Both.]

Jack: --!!

[Suddenly he BOLTS upright--]

Jack: Miss Eight--

[Carmen tosses and turns a bit before trying to sit up.]

Carmen: -oH GOD I’M LATE FOR WORK—-

Jack: --!

Shadow: -Opens his eyes- ._.?

Brand: --!!

Carmen: -GLITCH I CAN’T SEE ANYTHING WHERE AM I I NEED TO GET TO ENGLAND-

Brand: --England--?

Jack: --....!

[Did...did she still think he was...?]

Carmen: -YES England, gotta keep him safe from Cracker goons and snake brats—-

Jack: M...Miss Eight...

[CDN.7037] //: -Ping- -Hey--hey it's Okay, we're here--we're here--

[This gives her pause, though she’s clearly very disoriented.]

Carmen: …???

Mikhail: I’m sorry, Jack. Her transceiver is still slightly broken, so it may take a moment for her to respond….

Carmen: … Job? -Wha…-

Jack: Uh...

Brand: -...Even I am at a loss how to explain this...-

Jack: ......

[And then it clicks for her.]

Carmen: -Wait, that is Jack’s signal, okay-

Carmen: -Oh and Brand is helping, hi Brand, thank you kindly—-

[This placates her, and she lays down again.]

Brand: . . .

Jack: Uh...yeah...yeah, It's me. I'm okay, Miss Eight. (Mostly...)

Carmen: … -Eeeeverything is okay, then, sounds good—-

<FMN-008 has entered Deep Sleep mode.>

Shadow: .-.

Jack: . . . .

Shadow: …What happened to her? .____.;

Jack: Uh...it's...a long story...

Brand: .....-siiiighs-

Mikhail: She hit a wall going very fast. Think Twelve level of fast.

Shadow: -OW.-

Mikhail: As did you, Jack, so please, lay down.

Jack: ...Yeah...I did, now I remember... But...

[He looks over at her, and sighs deeply, letting himself fall back into the cushioned table.]

Jack: ...She got the worse end of it...

Mikhail: That is to be expected. She’s taller and heavier than you are. Though I wouldn’t bring up the latter if I were you. -Slight smile-

Jack: ...Eheh...yeah, she'd maim me a lil...

Jack: .....

Jack: She's...she needs to sleep that off, right? She's gonna be okay?

Mikhail: She’ll be asleep for quite some time. -Nods at Brand- She’ll become stable soon enough, with the both of you here. She will heal, yes. It just will take a little while.

[...This seems to get Jack to relax, some tension leaving his frame.]

Jack: .... Okay....

Jack: Yeah...I...I can do that. Be right here.

Jack: (...Wow...)

Jack: (...I actually did it...)

Jack: (...Well--not me, but the kid...)

Brand: .......

Brand: That DOES raise a few questions, however.

Brand: You ARE supposed to be in England--how did you...?

Shadow: …

Shadow: I wonder what she was going to tell us.

Mikhail: …Beg pardon?

Shadow: Her memory—whether from injury, illness, or both—seems to terminate shortly after the finals. She had contacted Master Pyro briefly saying she had important information to share. It was the last we heard of her, for all the communications went down.

Jack: .....

Jack: Wait....

[Mikhail holds up a hand.]

Mikhail: …Perhaps we had better start from the beginning.

[He goes over to the computer and types as he speaks.]

Mikhail: The beginning from this end being the first memory entry for you, Jack—invalid timastamp or no, it was important…

<MC005 to MNN-001>: > Jack is awake and we are about to learn something important, I think. I’m patching you through to listen.

[He turned around, crossing his fingers.]

Mikhail: You rebelled against Bladeblaster at that point. It’s not hard to see why in hindsight, of course, but at the time it sparked a great deal of curiosity.

Mikhail: That entered you into the RMDC as a positive entry, which was very unusual and very fortunate for you, Jack. When we had the meeting regarding the match for the finals, Cardinal and I spoke up in your favor because of that.

Jack: .....Really...?

Jack: (...Oh, yeah, Double Dude told me about that, I think...)

Mikhail: Yes. The finals themselves have been rehashed plenty, and I hardly wish to discuss them in great length again. But there are four important details to note from it.

Mikhail: First, that Tobias was very badly injured in public after forcing his way through. This made him and his family very fearful of what would become of them.

Mikhail: Second, the matter of the crosses. It was of such dark importance that even Lord Felix decided to look into the matter personally. I have recently learned that he was handling the closest material to the crosses that he knew of—which is probably why he got so sick and is still sleeping.

Mikhail: Third… FMN-008 was convinced that you were in danger because you had rebelled. She insisted on keeping a personal watch on the matter. She was very focused in the investigation in the fourth point, and very committed to the whole ordeal, treating it like an assigned protection detail.

Mikhail: For the fourth point….

Mikhail: We know that CherryDyn is involved to this to some degree. This has been proven. And we also know that you were taken advantage of, and forced to remain silent.

Jack: . . . .

Mikhail: This displeased everyone, but she had a very personal interest in the matter.

Mikhail: I can’t help but think it has something to do with her own past—and there are only so many unknown things that would make her so aggressively focused on such a matter…

Jack: ..... (Miss Eight...?)

[Another glance.]

Jack: ......

Mikhail: We know that you two were in contact just before all contact was lost until things were already unraveling.

Mikhail: She wanted to ascertain the situation to see how much danger you were in, and learn more about why this had all been set into motion, and how deep the involvement went. In this context, she mentioned that she had something important to share. She was still talking with you at that point.

Mikhail: That’s where our knowledge ends. If you feel up to it, filling in the blanks from there would be helpful, 7037.

Jack: ....Yeah...yeah, I get what you're driving at now...

[Breathe...]

Jack: .......I guess I should start with what I told Miss Eight then...

Jack: ...I...think she wanted to know what happened to Blade after the whole Finals disaster happened, first off....

Jack: I told her that his core might have gotten shipped off back to be rebuilt.

Jack: ...And--oh, yeah, she asked me how I got tangled up with Greater Dusk in the first place...

Jack: And if I was in debt or something...

Jack: ...But, anyway, basically what happened was I punched a guy, gave him a nosebleed and Blade was...impressed since I was just a Civvie then.

Shadow: …???

Shadow: -That is so confusing with no context, but more on that later, I suppose?-

Jack: --Look, the point is--

Jack: ...I think the reason--or PART of it, anyway...I think Blade just picked me off of the street just like that for the team was cuz...

Jack: ...We were both CDN units.

Mikhail: -Russian- {What.}

Shadow: -Japanese- {What?}

Jack: ...Yeah. I...I don't know his CDN serial--but he HAD to be one of the newer models...

Jack: I found out when he signed off something once--I only got to see the CDN part--not the number.

Jack: ....But...yeah. He was a Cherry...

Jack: I...kinda wanted to bring it up with him...would explain why he used GDN.L...

Jack: ....But...ya know. Blade wasn't real nice.

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: …Siam mentioned you said Blade was deceased… -Looks over at Carmen-

Jack: . . .

Jack: ....Y...Yeah.

Jack: ........

Jack: -balls up hands into fists-

Jack: ....He...he's gone.

Mikhail: … (He was involved with CherryDyn. She STILL wanted answers.)

Mikhail: (I am now almost certain she was involved.)

Mikhail: (Oh dear…)

Jack: .....Blade was always a chass.

Jack: ....Real secretive too. Especially when the Queen's tournament rolled around, wouldn't let anyone near his room or touch his stuff.

Jack: (I KNEW something was up...)

Jack: ....

Jack: I remember when we got those... things.

Shadow: Out of curiosity. Was that before or after the tournament started?

Jack: ...Before...

_________________

"What the hell is this--"

"It's our ticket to fame and fortune, Den--congrats, maybe NOW you won't be so damn pathetic out there."

"Wha--but--"

"Put it ON."

"I....o-okay..."

"And don't lose it, or I swear to FRAG, I'll make your glitching chass feel a whole new dimension of PAIN, got it?"

"I...s-sure, Boss, I'll...I'll wear it..."

__________________________

[Mikhail still seems lost in calculating thought. Shadow, however, clearly has something else on his mind, but is refraining from asking.

Carmen stirs slightly in her sleep in discomfort, giving off waves of irritation and a dominant demeanor before settling back into deeper rest.

After a moment, however, Mikhail comes out of his reverie.]

Mikhail: Master Brand.

Brand: ....Yes?

Mikhail: For the sake of letting Jack rest as much as possible, I shall summarize the answer to your question.

Mikhail: Dencerjack was contacted by Cardinal after Avi got stunned from his fusion with Tobias.

Brand: --!!

Shadow: What? -This is news to him-

Jack: Yeah. From KC. He told me to go to the Meadow when I got the chance...

Mikhail: From there, if you enter the Wilderness, you can enter any world if the willpower is strong enough. He must have used that as a way to re-enter the States. Am I correct?

Jack: Yup.

Jack: ....I ended up in Seattle.

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: My sympathies. >__>

Jack: Doc...you got NO idea.

Mikhail: Enlighten me.

Jack: Long story short, Crazy fire chick, Space Needle, saved tourists and a baby, Landcrusher, and about a few days of nonstop swinging and driving?

Brand: ....

Brand: What?

[Mikhail does a SEVERE double take.]

Mikhail: …You encountered IKN-001? And Landcrusher?

Jack: Encountered?

Jack: Dude she tried to FRY ME UP.

Jack: And don't even get me STARTED on LD, man, those two went AT IT.

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: They’re both in the Meadow recovering right now.

Jack: --Wha--

Jack: Wait, but--

Mikhail: FMN-009 brought them in rather suddenly before going off to rescue you ((pl.)). He had given them a thorough detox.

Mikhail: I suspect time warps were involved. (…And Metalman, somehow, for whatever reason…)

Jack: --!

Jack: So that green light was...!

Jack: Jeez...and he calls me the superhero...

Shadow: …What did Cardinal talk to you about? </subtext: why you>

Jack: ...He wanted t' know more about the crosses.

Jack: ...And about Blade, too.

Mikhail: -SIGH- Of course he did…

Mikhail: He was likely hoping to either interrogate Bladeblaster himself regarding assassin hideouts, or else merely go to the one they had frequented together.

Jack: ....But Blade was already dead by then...

Jack: . . . .

Mikhail: Which is really rather unfortunate. Alas… still no leads on that end.

[He shakes his head.]

Mikhail: We have been working on analyzing the virus and preparing a statement.

Mikhail: … -Just lost in thought at the stakes-

Shadow: -Vents a sigh-

Shadow: …

Shadow: -WISTFULLY REMEMBERS THE TAGGING INCIDENT-

Shadow: (I would give nearly anything to have them both back and laughing now.)

Jack: .....Heh...Miss Eight told me about that...

Shadow: Mmm. It was very… them, to be sure.

Shadow: Doctor?

Mikhail: Hmm?

Shadow: …What are they going to say?

Mikhail: …The specifics? I’m not sure. But when we got the data from Brandish and Lady Countershade—but especially Brandish—there certainly was a great deal of enthusiasm.

Mikhail: I would ask Aviator about that if you want to know more, but we should hear and see for ourselves before too long.

Jack: Oh...well, I guess that's good news--I mean, once we all tell them what's going on...

Shadow: …

Shadow: I am sure it shall be.

Shadow: Aviator can talk his way out of most things, if he talks long enough. And he talks a lot.

Jack: ...Heh....I get it...

Brand: -...You tried.-

Shadow: -Humor and feelings are not my thing, oops-

Mikhail: -Smiles a little- For now, why don’t you all rest? We’ll wake you up if it’s something important. But for now, you should get some sleep.

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

=CHAPTER 9A: HAZY SUSPICION=

~AO v1.0~

((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))

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

{Earlier, the night before…}

[Will, Soi, and Mikhail continued working through the night. Mikhail had Jack come over to help him in secret, having sent Pyro off to get some sleep while he could.

After settling in for the night, Desmond used the private lines to make another call…]

Des: …And that’s where we stand right now.

[President Minerva sighed.]

Minerva: …You’re right. The Smithsonian is going to have a fit. Covering the cost of repairs is going to be a nightmare—several hallways need to have the entire security system reset and/or replaced, and some are so bad as to need electrical rewiring. No doubt some of Congress is going to want to use this as an excuse to update styles or otherwise be extravagant about it.

[She gave another exasperated sigh before shaking her head.]

Minerva: The VP is currently handling affairs at the White House itself. I’ve submitted some paperwork to my speechwriters regarding a public statement on the incident. There’s not much to say, even if I felt like saying it; I can truthfully say that the matter is under investigation, but everyone working there was safely evacuated thanks to the combined efforts of the Mighty Numbers.

[She paused.]

Minerva: DLN-000 has really brought a lot of attention to himself, but it seems the media didn’t catch on to his serial number. I’d like to keep it that way for now—the investigation is proving difficult enough as it is without adding in false reports to the mix.

[She frowned.]

Minerva: What do you make of Dr. Cossack so far, Desmond?

Des: -Crosses arms- Well.

Des: He’s cooperative, at least. Which worries me a little, because this isn’t the first time we’ve seen someone seemingly open to questioning and not be a spy of sorts.

Des: He personally doesn’t strike me as one, if I’m being very honest.

Des: I’m going with my gut on this one and saying he’s not, but the fact that he’s Russian and possibly working with Dr. Sanda…

Minerva: Mmmn. There’s something very strange about this. (How does a Russian doctor come to care for a military grade American Combat construct, anyway?!) -.-

Des: Dr. Sanda has Japanese ties with his brother overseas, there’s that to think about too…

Minerva: You bring up an interesting point–Russia and Japan aren’t exactly friends. (I can’t seem to recall they EVER made a peace treaty…)

Des: Exactly.

Des: Which just further backs up the point that Dr. Cossack isn’t a spy, but…

Des: I’m wondering how they met in the first place, because they clearly know each other, and I’m willing to bet that goes the same for Dr. White.

Des: Not much going on for him, though. Full blooded American, mother is Rebecca White, father ditched when he was 10.

Des: He’s very clean, heck–not even a parking ticket.

Minerva: That’s not really unusual for… withdrawn geniuses, shall we say?

Des: True.

Minerva: Genius is often accompanied by social issues. From what you’ve told me, he almost never makes public appearances. He probably doesn’t feel comfortable in a public setting. I’ve worked with plenty of students like that.

Des: Yeah, there’s not even a lot of pictures of the guy, aside from social media from the Mighties themselves.

Des: (And even then, he’s sorta in the background…)

Des: Should we cover all the bases and ask to question him too?

Des: Though, uh… a guy that withdrawn, might be hard to get anything from him…

Minerva: That would be something for Homeland Security to cover if it came to it. I’ll speak with the Secretary and see what they say.

Minerva: However, I don’t think that will be necessary–not unless something comes up in the questioning.

Minerva: For people who have a hard time being around others, they come to rely very deeply on a select few they trust and feel comfortable with. This can lead to being taken advantage of, though–if he is involved in anything, I would suspect it would be because someone took advantage of him in some way.

Minerva: Dr. White is very withdrawn—Dr. Sanda is his main point of contact with most of the world, from what we have seen. He doesn’t attend conventions with his contemporaries. So if Mikhail Cossack is a family friend, it had to have been through Sanda first.  (How would an unknown and very secretive Russian scientist become such good friends with a Japanese scientist of a very high profile? He must be very busy, and they don’t seem to be business partners so much as friends…)

Minerva: At the moment, the cyber units are working with him to combat the virus. Let them continue to monitor the situation– they will let us know if something is wrong.

Minerva: And beyond that–

Minerva: A man’s house is his castle.

Minerva: You are in that castle by yourself right now, and there are more than a few knights at his command.

Des: –… (Yeah… that…)

Minerva: Trying to place pressure on the king could end poorly, and I’d rather not risk you.

Des: Aw, you care. | )

Minerva: | } I could make a remark to pass it off, but yes, I do care. I try.

Des: -Stretches- Well…

Des: If anything, the cyber units and White’ll think of something. Doc is a genius, after all, made the Mighty Numbers and everything.

Des: Hopefully this virus mess gets cleaned up soon, then we can fully focus on damage control and repair…

Minerva: That would be nice, especially if Dr. Cossack proves to be a potential asset. Though I get the feeling he won’t be easy to work with. (He’s stubborn and doesn’t give way to pressure or fear–even great fear.)

Minerva: I don’t think intimidation will work on him. It may prove counterproductive to try for that right away.

Minerva: It might help to see if you can learn more from the Mighty Numbers–if he knows Sanda and White, he has to be a part of their inner circle. Try talking to Six.

Minerva: You need to talk to him anyway. It’s clear he’s linked to DLN-008—the footage he broadcast while sick shows that much. And the Brits are asking about him again. >.> (Someone must have leaked that the child was involved with the incident at the White House.)

Des: Yeah, we might get answers there.

Des: And then there’s Nine himself, but poor kid’s been though a whole week and a half practically saving the nation.

Minerva: Oh, heavens, try to let the poor child be if you can at all help it.

Des: Yeah, I’m with you there.

Minerva: Your coworkers were hellbent on destroying that compound, barely even were going to give him enough time to get out… >_> -Pursed lips, WE ARE STILL VERY DISPLEASED ABOUT ALL OF THAT- -Simmering-

Des: -Grimace- I’m still going to get to the bottom of how an entire base full of military grade constructs was still functioning without me knowing about it. I swear I’m gonna discharge whomever’s involved…

Minerva: This begs the question. Does Dr. Cossack know about that? I wonder if he knows who was behind the security breach there. It didn’t have the style of DLN-008′s breakthroughs…

Des: If he did, he’s not going to tell us outright. Not sure how long he’s been involved in this…

Minerva: The earliest dates the files connected to him have is April 5th, so it has to have been before that.

[She leans back and sighs.]

Minerva: 000 probably knows most of the answers. And he certainly seemed talkative.

[She looks up.]

Minerva: How did the retrieval go?

Minerva: I take it you were successful?

Des: ….

Des: >>

Des: …Yeah.

Des: ….

Des: He was in…

Des: Very bad shape.

Des: Got a name, though.

Des: Cardinal.

Minerva: …

——————

“Keep gettin’ in mah way, Birdy, and Ah’ WILL make ya regret it!”

——————

Minerva: -Thoughtful frown-

Des: That does explain all the bird metaphors Eight was using in his illness…

Des: -SIGH- One mentioned that name out loud when he saw how much damage 000 did trying to get into the Oval Office.

Des: …Used an exasperated tone, like he’s said that more than once.

Minerva: -Raises an eyebrow- That’s interesting. Authoritative tones are normally used with equals or subordinates.

Minerva: 000 didn’t seem like one to dance to someone else’s tune, though. His methods were rather… unconventional.

Des: -Shrugs- If 000 knows Eight, he probably knows the rest of the Mighty Number line, too. Isn’t that far of a stretch. He did speak like he knew Six too.

Minerva: …

Minerva: Yes, he did. -Thoughtful- …He was trying to be gentle with him about going back.

Des: Yeah…

Minerva: All the more reason to talk to Six…. I wonder how much he knows?

[There was a thoughtful silence between them for a while.]

Minerva: …When you say very bad shape…

Minerva: (Cossack said he would need to have a core replaced. Was he understating, or being technically correct?)

Minerva: Do they have the resources to fix it?

Des: Good Lord, I hope so.

Des: He was practically almost in pieces.

((pic))

Des: Core exposed, even…

Minerva: …

Minerva: What?

Minerva: How is he still alive?

Minerva: That was hours after—!

Minerva: The xel loss, wouldn’t that have been too much?

Des: ….Min?

Minerva: —…?

Des: I…

Des: I couldn’t see very well, but…

Des: I saw oil, and I saw him.

Des: -Very puzzled expression- But not an ounce of Xel around him.

Minerva: —…

Minerva: -Now VERY confused- That’s… how is that possible?

Minerva: Wasn’t he fighting with Eight?

Minerva: He seemed to know quite well how to handle him. I’m sure he got off some hits on Eight, too.

Minerva: There should be something, there were TWO of them there.

Minerva: Do you suppose Nine could have picked it up?

Des: I’m not sure if Nine would take Xel from someone that’s already bleeding out–

Des: –Actually…

Des: Nine went in a little while before we got pulled out–

Des: Why didn’t he try to help him with Xel loss, if any?

Minerva: …

Minerva: You heard him, Des, as much as I did.

Minerva: Nothing would deter him from his mission.

Minerva: If it was coming down to rescuing Countershade or rescuing him— he probably told Nine to leave him behind.

Des: ….

Des: (Poor kid…)

Des: You’re probably right…

Des: -Grumbles- Doesn’t make sense, though.

Des: No Xel, yet 000 seems…I don’t know.

Des: Call it a hunch, Min, but he just seems… different.

Minerva: Well. No one in the Pentagon has stepped forward to claim responsibility for him just yet.

Minerva: …

Minerva: Though I probably scared off anyone from doing that with how obviously displeased I am with what has been going there. >________>

Des: -Snorts- Yeah, you do tend to have that effect on people. | )

Minerva: I can’t believe tax money was being used to maintain such facilities and no one noticed.

Des: -I know, geez—-

Minerva: The IRS has a lot of explaining to do. |K

Des: -Groans- And then we got to deal with investigation into who caused the whole mess…

Des: I’m tellin’ ya, Min, we’re getting nothing but dead ends on that front. We’re not getting though to CherryDyn’s lawyer dogs and Blackwell’s an uncrackable nut.

Minerva: …  -.-;  -Rubs temples- -Grumbles- Fighting fire with fire is dangerous…

Minerva: I wish we knew what happened to Dencerjack.

Minerva: There are no records of him leaving the country, but he hasn’t been found yet. There are only so many places you can hide on an island that small. >__>

Minerva: I dearly hope he didn’t get eliminated.

Des: Beats me… England might be small, but plenty of quiet countryside. He might have gone off the grid, even.

Minerva: I suppose, but given the circumstances—

Minerva: The other possibility is that he was eliminated. Someone has had it out for that team.

Minerva: Oh well. The UK has been very cooperative about that, at least. Even though the only thing they had to report were explosive metal snakes. (Not exactly helpful, but points for effort.)

Des: -Weird…-

Minerva: Here’s what the FBI’s found so far…

Minerva: There are only two reported members of the Doctor Light Numbers lines: 000 and 008. Both have Doctor Cossack as their listed Doctor.

Minerva: There were other files that are around the same timeframe that also list Cossack as the Doctor: seven members of the Doctor Wily Numbers series. One of those is DWN-024, who was seen on the highways fighting Mighty Number Seven. …The footage on that has to be seen to be believed…

Minerva: There are also nine registered Doctor Cossack Numbers, and one biological daughter.

Minerva: Dr. Cossack himself is a widower. Apparently, he’s cared for these series due to abuse and neglect issues from Doctors Light and Wily… though nothing has been found on them so far.

Minerva: However, I’m sure they probably exist, or did exist, as these bots all have their serial numbers branded onto them. ¬__¬ Things are made complicated by all the records that have gone missing.

Minerva: There was only one public record of 000. According to the reports, he went to visit the Colosseum back in late May. With Eight and Nine.

Minerva: And you’ll never guess what happened while he was there.

Des: -This we gotta hear–

Minerva: They were attacked.

Des: -Sputters–  Right there–in the sands–?!

Minerva: By Bladeblaster.

Des: What.

Des: (I don’t get it, did–was he DRUNK?)

Minerva: According to the witnesses, 000 did not react in a way that would have suggested he were as much of a Combat master as he has proven to be. He made an effort not to reveal what he was capable of, even when taken by surprise. It would seem his instinct was to protect his friend, though.

Minerva: I may be wrong, but I think someone with the secondary jobs that he and Eight had would have had access to more information about people than the general public. Which means either there was no information suggesting 000 was what he was, or else he didn’t care.

Minerva: The three of them were seen talking after that. He must have said something offensive just before leaving, because both Eight and 000 were described to have reacted adversely.

Minerva: (Even if he didn’t know or care, he was surely sorely pressing his luck.)

Des: -_-;;;;

Des: It kind of sounds like outright stupidity to me, but…. Late May, huh, not too long after the date the files came in…

Minerva: They’re trying to find the receptionist who checked him in, but it’s very chaotic down there.

[She gives a slight smile.]

Minerva: At least there’s a humorous side to the story.

Minerva: According to witnesses, 000 was playing around on the gymnastics equipment before that confrontation. I’m sure it wouldn’t surprise you to hear he displayed aptitude for parkour and gymnastics in general.

Des: Heh…

Minerva: It was apparently enough to catch the attention of at least one recruiter. But by the time they went in there, he and Shade had already left. The recruiters were rather disappointed.

Minerva: We’ll have to try and talk with him as soon as he’s awake. -Smile fades, slight sigh- If nothing else, just to work out how to handle the press coverage.

Minerva: As far as I know, it hasn’t gotten out yet that he was injured so badly, or where he went… but the former has been almost universally accepted to be true, given the alternative was vanishing as suddenly as he came, as if some comic book superhero.

Minerva: I don’t want anyone knowing he’s at Sanda Labs just yet.

Des: No kidding, they don’t need that kind of publicity right now…

Minerva: … True….

Minerva: Be careful, Mister Secretary. Keep us posted, and stay safe.

[SANDA TECHNOLOGIES, REPAIR BAY: DAWN...]

"I don't know, Will, it seems..."

Sanda: It seems like we need to somehow broadcast the XelFilter on a mass scale in order to cure the nation but...that's WAY too dangerous...

[Will--on his third or fourth cup of coffee, no doubt--sighed in apparent defeat.]

Will: I...I know that, Soi. Perhaps...Perhaps I can work from the ground up without using his XelFilter at all?

Sanda: Well--that would take even more time...Mm...

Will: .....

Will: (...I...It's...really catching up to me...)

Will: (The past...) [PING!]

[MN.8 IS NOW ONLINE.]

Will: --!!

Sanda: Uh oh...I mean--uh. -Mixed feelings here-

[Mikhail looks up from his work.

There was a curtain separating them, but still…]

Mikhail: Jack, hold this for a moment, please—

[He passes off some towels to the short-notice lab assistant and looks out from behind the barrier.]

Jack: --! -Oh--oh okay--

Shade: --Mngh...Ngg....

[DR.WHITE] //: -Both of you are still outside, right-

[MN.4 and 5] //: -PING-

Will: Okay then...

Will: Shade?

Shade: Wh...What...

Will: Countershade--?

Mikhail: (I’m glad Mr. Desmond is asleep right now… I get the feeling this is going to be hard enough as it is.)

Shade: ...D...Dad...?

Will: (Oh thank God--)

Will: Shhh, it's alright, don't exert yours--

Shade: C--Cards--

Shade: Ah'--Dad, where--

[Shade suddenly clutched at his own chest, a sudden pang of what felt like a needle going through his own core--]

Shade: Ngh--!

Will: --!!

Soi: Uh oh--

[Sanda immediately ran a diagnostic scan, then quietly motioned for Mikhail and Jack to stay out of sight.]

Soi: Shade--listen, it's me, Uncle Sanda...

Shade: --...Sanda...--

Soi: Your SH program is running faster than you can keep up with, so please don't move so much. We don't want you to have a complete system shutdown so--

Shade: --Can't--

Shade: Can't stay--

[WHUMP--]

[Unfortunately for Shade, his condition didn't allow him to get further from the foot of his bed as he simply rolled out of it.]

Will: Shade--!

[MN.5] //: -For Pete's sake I TOLD you we had to restrain him--

[MN.1] //: Mighty No. 8, you get BACK in bed this instant--

Shade: N--No, can't--I'll--

Shade: I'm just gonna hurt y'all again--!

Will: --!

Mikhail: -Pinches the bridge of his nose- ({This is going a bit worse than I thought it would, that’s a new record.})

Will: Shade--

Shade: Don't--

Will: Countershade White!

Will: You are SAFE!

Will: The fact that you can think that is proof enough--!

Shade: --....

Will: Shade...

Will: It's okay.

Will: The virus has been purged from your systems. Beck made sure of that.

Shade: --!

Shade: --...Beck...

Will: And...

Will: And I know you would never hurt me, Shade.

Will: ... Alright?

[PING!]

[MN.7] //: -Breathe, brother.-

Shade: --! Brand--

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

[MN.7] //: Do nothing but breathe. Let everything go.

[MN.7] //: {Breathe.}

Shade: .......

[Shade tenses for a few seconds... as if lost in his own thoughts, still clutching at his own chest--]

[PING!]

[SH RATE: 150% OF NORMAL BASELINE.]

Soi: --!

Soi: (That's not good--)

[PING!]

[MN.2] //: -Do you need water, bro, we can get you some--

Shade: -Hurts--

_______________________________________

"Songbird, eh?"

"Well, that explains the bird part."

[CLICK.]

"Adios, Songbird."

______________________________________

[A flinch--]

[SH RATE: 180% OF NORMAL BASELINE.]

Shade: M'sorry--!

Shade: I tried to fight it, Ah' swear--!

Shade: Cards--!!

[PING!]

[RMDC SERVER] //: >STATUS INQUIRY (SUBJECT: DLN-000) HAS BEEN DENIED.

>RobotMaster Database® COSSACK SERVER IS CURRENTLY LOCKED.

>AUTHORIZIED BY: ADMIN MC005

Shade: NO--!

Soi: Will--

Will: (Gah, if I don't do something--)

[PING!]

[MN.9 IS NOW ONLINE.]

Will: --! Beck--

[--There's no words from the small Mighty Number, not at first.

Instead--

Instead there was a file.]

[For some reason, it opened up for Shade anyway, without any prompt on his part.

...It was only audio, but...

...It was from a very memorable night.]

"But I'll never give up on you, Shade."

"Not for any reason."

Shade: --!!

"Not for any reason."

"I'll never give up on you."

Shade: . . . .

Shade: (Cards....)

[MN.9] //: -Soft ping-

[Another file. Something from Beck's OWN memories...]

"I have to save you."

"So the two of you can /live/— together."

Shade: .....?

[MN.9] //: M...Mikhail found...

[MN.9] //: A new power source...

Shade: --!!!

[MN.9] //: He...he’s gonna...

[MN.9] //: Be okay...Shade...

[MN.9] //: I saved... everyone... like I promised...

[MN.9] //: S...so...

[MN.9] //: Don't run away...

Shade: --...

[MN.9] //: ...And make me a liar...

[MN.9] //: Okay? ^^

[MN.9 IS NOW IN SLEEP MODE.]

Shade: . . .

[PING!]

[SH RATE STABILIZING.]

Shade: Beck...Cards...

Shade: What in the world did Ah' do to ya, brother...?

Soi: -Siiiigh...-

Soi: (At least his SH Program's calmed down...)

Mikhail: -Also a sigh of relief-

Will: (Oh, Shade...)

Shade: Dad...

Shade: ...

Shade: Why's no one else answerin'...?

Will: The others...They are also Offline, for their own safety.

Will: .....

Will: Everything will be alright, Shade...

Will: (I pray it will be...)

Will: But please--I know your heart aches and you want to isolate yourself--

[PING!]

[MN.2] //: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, SNIPE BRO.

Shade: --!

[MN.2] //: -Like heck I'm gonna let ya go on your own after all that, FITE ME--

Mikhail: -From behind the curtain- Ahem. Shade?

Shade: --.... Mikhail...?

Mikhail: It’s also about… 5:46 in the morning.

Mikhail: Everyone else is asleep. That’s why they aren’t answering.

Shade: --.......

[MN.3] //: You picked a heck of a time to wake up and diszzturb our BEAUTY ZZSLEEP. -Annoyed buzzing-

Shade: Dyna...

Soi: -____-;; (Jeez, you're just as tactless as Will, aren't you, Mikhail...)

[MN.1] //: Alright, that is enough.

[MN.1] //: ....

[MN.1] //: -Very gently- Shade.

[MN.1] //: You've been gone for nearly a week and a half.

[MN.1] //: Have you eaten anything?

Shade: . . . .

Shade: .....

Shade: -Very, VERY hungry data-

Shade: Food...

[MN.1] //: As I thought.

[Ping—]

<FMN-008>: > -Mrrmnngghhmmmfffpph… did we hear someone mention  f o o d—-

Shade: !

Shade: Kate...

<FMN-008 is now Online.>

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: (She was sleeptalking? That’s a new one.)

<FMN-008>: > -Hazy data- ???

<FMN-008>: > …Jack?

<MC005>: > He’s assisting me with something. Go back to sleep, Countershade.

<FMN-008>: > …? -Hazy data, but our Other—-

<MC005>: > He’ll be fine. Go back to sleep.

<FMN-008>: >Mmmm…

<FMN-008 is now in Sleep mode.>

Mikhail: -Another relief sigh- (I wouldn’t want to have to explain THAT to the Secretary.)

Shade: Kate...?

[MN.1] //: She's resting, Shade.

[MN.1] //: Seven, do you think you can get Eight to the kitchen without--

[Knock Knock.]

[MN.1] //: -....You're already outside the bay, at least let me finish my sentence--

Mikhail: -Starts shaking in silent laughter-

Will: Eheh... (Oh, Brand...)

[Sanda lets Seven in quietly, who chose to not wear his helmet, or his mask. His scarf is wound tightly around to compensate, though.]

Brand: --....

Shade: .....

Shade: Ah'...Guess we're on even ground nao, aren't we...

Brand: .....

Brand: I...suppose we are.

Mikhail: …?

Mikhail: -Puts his head in his hand- Mmmnn… (Tired. And hungry. But can’t eat in the lab. Jack should get something to eat, but I do not want to run the risk of him running into Desmond…)

Mikhail: (As a general rule, military men can be early risers if they stay in habit, and it’s nearly 6:00.)

Brand: .....

Brand: You're still quite insufferable, though.

[Shade quietly chuckles at that.]

Shade: An' yer still an' honored bastard, heh...

Mikhail: … -Smiles to hear the exchange- (At least he’s doing better. That’s what counts, right now.)

Mikhail: Number Seven?

Brand: --Yes, Doctor?

Mikhail: If Felix shows up, please have him let inside the building.

Brand: ...Felix is... ah. Of course.

Shade: --Felix is comin'...?

Shade: ....

Shade: -Too tired and hungry to think too hard-

Mikhail: You’ll see later, Shade. Go eat something.

Shade: ...Yeah...

Brand: Here. Just lean on me and stay invisible.

Shade: Alright...

[It looked strange, like Brand was supporting nothing but air, but one could almost hear a pair of footfalls walking out the door and down the hallway to the elevator.]

Will: .....

Will: -Sigh-

Will: (...It's going to take a long time to heal... from this...)

[Mikhail sighed, pulled a sheet over his patient, and pulled back the curtain.

He had been working through the whole night after Pyro brought Cardinal back. As with the injuries Tobias had received, the first step was to completely clean the exposed mechanics of the core mass of oil, grime, and debris. It was always a messy affair, and not one that could be made faster or more efficient through automation.

They were thankfully just about done. Call had been able to confirm that the old core was completely spent—it did not pose an explosion hazard. She had it locked away tight for later disposal, along with some other broken machinery that had been removed. Such things were a bit of an uncomfortable matter, and were best kept locked away out of sight to be dealt with in private.

Since there wasn’t really the time to do a proper replacement, he would have to rely on the energy source doing so. The systems would rebuild themselves once the new core was in place.

However…]

Mikhail: -Wiping his face- ({That was far too close a call. He has got to update.})

[…He wasn’t exactly planning on using the Sun Stone core just yet.]

Mikhail: ({I need to talk to him about updating and getting new hardware to go with it. He can’t keep it up like this with the form he’s been using, not at the rate he’s been getting into ghastly disasters.})

Mikhail: Please do make sure he doesn’t run off.

[Once the cleaning phase was over, he would have to wait until Felix arrived before he could continue the repairs on Cardinal. But his work was far from over.]

Mikhail: ({I isolated Tobias and his memories last night, but I still need to make certain Cardinal uploads to a quarantined part of the server so that the others don’t get cross-references from his memory files. Then I have to lock the files and set up proxy files to substitute for the memories so they at least know what happened. Otherwise, they’ll try to unlock the files to fill in those blanks.})

Mikhail: -Low grumble- {And then the questions… Mary help me, it’s going to be one in the afternoon before I get any rest…}

[He almost wasn’t sure whether he had the energy to feel grateful or not that he was too tired to be scared at the moment.]

Mikhail: Sanda? What’s his status?

Soi: Well...He's stable, for now. SH rate's normal, though a bit jumpy, but that's okay, given the situation...

Mikhail: …?

Mikhail: “S.H.”? Does that have something to do with the E.R. -like monitor sounds from just a moment ago?

Will: Ah. In a way...I suppose you can call it a more complex version of a Robot Master's Emotion.EXE program.

Will: The Synthetic Heart Program--it's the very coding that allows a Xelbot to feel. To evolve, and grow as they experience new sensations and emotion as they come.

Will: Like us.

Will: ...I designed this particular version myself, to all the Mighty Number Line.

Will: ...Usually...

Will: ...Usually, The SH Program is capable enough to keep up with the rest of the Xelbot's thoughts and functions, but...

Will: Shade.....

Will: ....

Will: He...He lost a core once.

Will: I had to rehaul his entire power output to compensate for 6 cores instead of the usual 7...

Mikhail: …

Will: --....

Will: -Hand in his face- But in doing so, the SH Program responded accordingly.

Will: With the increased power, it... sometimes, not often, but sometimes...

Will: It processes at a speed too high for Shade himself to keep up...

Mikhail: … (Just like an Emotions.EXE overload…)

Mikhail: …Heh. -Chuckles softly for a moment, shaking his head- Soul-brothers indeed…

Will: -Sigh- Ah... I suppose...

Will: In a way, yes, it is the equivalent of having an increased chance of cardiac arrest...

Will: It isn't life threatening, given that he's usually a loner...and rather hard-headed...Stubborn... -Cracks a smile-

Will: ...This isn't the first time he's come close to one, but it's certainly been the longest in between...

Will: The last time he had his SR Rate above 180% is when Beck almost drowned that one time during training...

Mikhail: …

[Mikhail sighs and sits down rather hard.]

Mikhail: I’d be more curious if I weren’t so exhausted. I’m so sorry, Will, I don’t mean to be rude.

Will: ....You... you should...

Will: ....Oh, bother, you're not going to stop even if I tell you...

Will: -Leans back in his own chair-

Will: Call, please go get us some food, I don't care if it's in the lab, I'll eat in the closet if I have to.

Soi: -Snorts-

Mikhail: Jack, you should eat something as well.

Jack: ...Yeah. Okay.

[Mikhail turns his attention back to Will. He has an almost defeated expression on his face, but that’s mostly from how tired he is.]

Mikhail: No, I’m not going to stop.

Mikhail: What I’m going to do next is crucial if we are to keep the Robot Masters from going berserk.

Will: .....

Mikhail: I sent everyone Offline just as the news came in on where Cardinal had been spotted. Everyone went into Lethal—except for David, who doesn’t have that setting—remember?

Mikhail: That was out of panic. Going someplace like that is a sure death sentence, and worse, where we come from.

Mikhail: Tobias I woke up on purpose, which again, is something I’ll have to answer for.

Mikhail: He has his own memories. He was angry, but that was tempered when he got feedback from Cardinal by way of his own Thunder Beam. He went Offline to rest before the worst of it, but it’s still enough to cause great anxiety and raise the threat level tag in the database entry for Shade by at least half a star.

Mikhail: I was able to isolate those easily while waiting for Cardinal’s return; everyone else was Offline, and the database was locked. As soon as his Awareness was re-seated back in his hardware, it became a non-issue… though it’s important he remains Offline.

Mikhail: -Rubs his face- He really does start to show his father’s worst traits when he is angry.

Mikhail: It’s Cardinal’s memories that are the danger now.

Mikhail: He encrypts all his memories, but it’s still something that would contribute to generating cross-references and modifying threat levels in informational files.

Mikhail: Those are things that would affect his brothers, and furthermore…

Mikhail: Whenever a Robot Master is forcefully sent Offline in a fight, the experience… that’s something very deep and complex, more than you realize, William. It starts to go beyond just the Emotions.EXE program and into the Awareness aspect itself.

Mikhail: The Awareness affected becomes… detached from the hardware, usually, and there is that sense of Self, that Self is not “alive”, and that…

Mikhail: …with Cardinal, it’s a bit more than that, for reasons I already went through.

Mikhail: I have to wake them up soon. He’ll probably still be either Offline or in Maintenance mode. That’s… going to cause incredible panic, unless I quarantine the files in a very specific manner.

Mikhail: The Hunter as a cultural concept, for someone to fall to the Hunter, and at such a high cost, too…

Mikhail: That sets off a frenzied panic mode, and for some, that could cause rage. And rage tends to cascade for robots running Wily’s OS.

Will: ....

Will: I... see...

Will: -Sigh- I suppose that's of higher importance.... But at least eat something for a bit...

Will: (And Mikhail still has to be questioned--Not to mention Soi...)

Mikhail: I’ll try.

[There’s a quiet pause. When he speaks up again, he does so softly.]

Mikhail: …I’ll admit I don’t feel very good about eating right now.

Soi: ...Cardinal would want you to take care of yourself.

Mikhail: -Closes his eyes and sighs softly- True.

Mikhail: It’s just… hard. (I hope you never have to understand how, though I think you may make a logic-based guess as to why.)

Mikhail: …Put some protein powder in chicken broth or something, that’ll be good enough for me. =___=

Will: Call, relay that to Pyrogen, please.

Call: Yes, Doctor.

Mikhail: -Rubs his hands with his face- (Ugh.) This would be so much easier if I could have Siam, but he’s… mmmngh, cross-references, experiences everything in a dual nature, complications.

Mikhail: Did you know—when he’s feeling particularly complex emotions, they tend to break down and manifest divided between his Awarenesses?

Mikhail: Yet another reason to do this properly—with one half panicked and the other enraged, I wouldn’t be getting any help— -buries face in arms at nearby workstation- {Saints preserve us—} Will, being the ONLY reliable Doctor for your world truly does get exhausting.

Will: ......

Mikhail: I wish we’d had the time to finish our tech lessons before this happened.

Mikhail: I could have helped with decoding…

Will: (Ngh...)

Will: ....No, it's fine...

Will: I never... quite...

Will: ....

Will: -Looks away in shame-

Will: I never quite managed to crack it... all the way...

Will: I...I did manage to understand enough how to combat it, but it would have required Beck's XelFilter program to be broadcasted much like the Virus was...

Will: And that's something I cannot just... release into the open airwaves.

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: -Muffled- I would have Tobias help, except undoubtedly that would be just as bad of an idea. He might have some ideas, but I believe it would be safest for everyone—Shade in particular—if he and Shadow remained not just asleep, but Offline for at least a few months.

Will: ....

Will: If that is what's best for them... (This is all... my fault...)

Soi: ....

Soi: (Will...)

Will: ....

Will: I'm going to try to work on something from the ground up. I'll use the XelFilter's properties as a sort of blueprint, and go from there.

Will: (It will take a while longer, but...I can't use his XelFilter Program, not with the government...)

Mikhail: Siam may be able to give a few ideas. After all, he is as close as it gets to a Doctor, and as a Robot Master, he did interact directly with her.

Will: --!

Will: (--H...Her...)

Will: (Dear God, he's already even figured out gender...)

Will: ...The Virus has a gender now? ?_?

Mikhail: According to Siam and Tobias, yes.

Mikhail: Something about how it targets aggression and the English phrase “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” from what I understand.

Will: (Oh, God, no, is... is...)

Will: (Is... is she coming for me--?)

Will: (Am... am I what she wants?)

[There is a quiet knock on the door, snapping Will away from his darker thoughts.]

Will: --!

[Brand pushed in a cart of food for all present--even Call, who normally doesn't eat around other people besides Beck.]

Jack: -Hungryyyyy--

[Jack IMMEDIATELY grabs as much meat as his plate can handle, even biting and holding down on a large wing of chicken in his mouth just to have more.]

Jack: -Awwww yessss- < 3

Soi: Heh! Save some for us, Jack--

Mikhail: Good luck, Soi, you’ll have to fight him for that. While he was undergoing repairs, he could eat up to several pounds of meat a day.

Mikhail: -Smiles, adjusting glasses- It’s good to see you have a healthy appetite, though. Shows resilience and reflects overall well-being.

Jack: -It's mine-

Jack: -Miiiiiine-

Jack: -NOM-

Jack: ^^

Mikhail: Thank you for coming over on such short notice. I know that it was fearful work, but you helped speed up the process tremendously.

Jack: Eheh...n-no problem, Doc Cossack. Anythin' t' get Bird Guy up and taggin' corporate sleezeball's HQ's again. | D ;;

[Mikhail laughs at this.]

Mikhail: Once he’s well enough to do so, I’d almost be tempted to buy the paint for him.

[He shakes his head, looking over at his covered patient as he accepts a thermos of chicken broth from Brand.]

Mikhail: Oh, he’ll be ready and willing, alright.

Mikhail: Like with Shade, Robot Masters are prone to overclocking under extreme duress. With Cardinal, that’s always been a weak point. But now with the new power source… that’ll change, if he agrees to hardware modifications as well.

Mikhail: To minimize the impact of the memories… as they are slowly released from quarantine, there will be other cross-references actively running. I happen to know as a fact that there are at least 40 entries with Shade laughing as of the day you left to go overseas.

Mikhail: Once he knows his mission was completed… he’ll be alright.

Will: Thank goodness...

Will: (At least there is some light at the end of all this, for them...)

Mikhail: Mmm. He knew something like this might happen when he set out. He said so himself. He came to terms with that and accepted it—that’s why he left such strong messages pointing it out.

Mikhail: He knew how hard that would end up being on everyone else if it came to pass…

Mikhail: It’s his way of saying not to be too sad, that he holds no ill will and will be back soon.

Mikhail: Hopefully Felix will come by with the core soon; I want his armor closed up before Desmond makes a very firm and unavoidable demand to see him.

Mikhail: -Rolls his chair over to his yellow legal notepad- I think I might be able to input a program that will automate the quarantine process… that’ll help, as I won’t have to oversee it personally. Give me a few hours.

Mikhail: After that… -Sip- I’ll see what I can do within what there is to say.

{Later, in the Kitchen…}

[For once, it's not Pyrogen making breakfast. It's Dyna along with her elder sister, although Cryo's only washing dishes. It was strangely quiet, save for Brand and Shade shuffling past...]

[Mostly everyone else was either resting or requested their breakfast be brought to them.]

[For a family this large, seeing and hearing everything so quiet was...]

Des: (...Not right.)

Des: (I can practically cut the tension and stress in the air with a knife if I could...)

Shade: -Mngh, too tired, can ya just take me t' Mic's room instead, brother-

Brand: -Fine, but I'm telling him to make sure you eat something.-

Shade: Yeah, yeah, Ah' know...

Des: (...Poor man looks like he's fresh out of a warzone...)

Des: (...This is going to be one tough crowd to deal with...)

“Ree-ow."

Des: --!

[Jazz padded her way into the kitchen, looking fresh and eager as any housecat should be—albeit more green and blue than most.]

Jazz: Ree-ow. :D

[She trotted right past Brand and looked up at Shade.]

Jazz: Ree-ow.

Jazz: -Tall servant-

Jazz: -You still owe me food-

Jazz:  -FEED ME- >:V

Shade: ....

Shade: Heh...

[His laughter is tired, but still lighthearted, in a way.]

Shade: I'll...ask Dyna t' make ya somethin'...

Brand: -You better not fall asleep on your feet, you're heavy enough as it is-

Shade: -Quiet snort-

Des: .....

Des: She's not going to start breathing fire again, is she? >>;;

Dyna: She'szzz a cat. Doeszzz what she wantszz. -Meaning we can't say for sure, bzz bzz-

Des: (Jee, THAT'S comforting to know...)

Jazz: -Purrs and goes over to Shade, rolling over at his feet and purring in the flop- </cat>

Shade: Jazz...Heh...

Brand: -_-;;;;; -You can come rest with him if you want, but the food is his, he needs to eat too-

Brand: -Sleep on top of his hat like you always do-

Shade: -More snickering-

Shade: Yer' more nonsensical than usual, Ninjabro.

Brand: -You are not the only one that craves a bed, alright- =~=

Jazz: -Purrs and hops up onto Shade’s shoulder- -Prrrrrrhhhrrrrhrrrrhrrrrr- -Starts kneading on his neck-

Shade: -Mmmm, lil more t' the left--

Brand: -Starts dragging his brother away before he really falls asleep on his feet-

Des: (...Well, at least there's some sign of healing in those two...)

Dyna: -I'm never taking Pyro for granted EVER again, making so much food is HARD--

Cryo: -WE GOT YA, SIS, we watch Pyro make breakfast so we can show ya-

Cryo: YO MISTER DEFENSE MAN, YA WANT COFFEE--

Des: --Uh...Yeah. Strong, two teaspoons of sugar, please.

Cryo: Got iiiit.

Cryo: Man, where's Avi when you need him, he's like our second backup breakfast person when Pyro's not making food... -NOT ALL OF US HAVE HANDS, YA KNOW-

Dyna: -Ping-

Dyna: Pretty sure everyone iszz crashing in Earth bro'szzz room.

Des: --???

Cryo: -This makes perfect sense to us- Ooooh, right.

Cryo: -No wonder it's so quiet, his room is sound proof-

Cryo: In THAT CASE--

[Cryo shoves Des a tray filled with pancakes and bacon, eggs and a whole lot of cooked ham, and also buttered biscuits.]

Cryo: That ain't for you.

Des: Uh--

Cryo: -Waves hose arms around, we don't have hands so YOU have to take breakfast to everyone else-

Des: (...Oh.)

Des: Uh...and where is...

Cryo: Dude, it's the biggest bedroom in the whole place, not THAT hard to miss. >>.>>

Cryo: -NOW GO, because we're hungry too and I want food-

[Deciding it was better to leave some of the two most temperamental members of the family be, Des obliged and made his way out of the kitchen and to the bedroom of Mighty Number Four. When he got there…]

"Aviiiiiii you're hogging all of the spaaaaaace...."

[The room wasn't exactly well lit when the door opened, but it was a comfortable darkness. The bedroom was indeed very large, and--]

Des: --?

[...The floor felt very soft, almost like... a bed, of sorts--?]

[It seems as though the whole team had taken refuge in Mic's room--Mic himself was napping right in the middle, with Shade--not invisible--was quietly snoozing, head down so that his hat would block most of the light from his face.]

[Pyro was in a corner along with Bat, in a game of chess--probably under orders by either his Father or Sanda to take it easy for now. Both seemed to be taking their time with their moves.]

[Brand had a corner all to himself, although he didn't mind--not far away were Beck and Avi, who had used both Mic's giant pillows and their own to build a fort.]

Avi: -Oops, sorry Becko-

Beck: .....

Beck: -Wait, I smell pancakes-

Beck: -Pancakes equal syrup, sugar--

[Beck pops his head up from the pillow fort, his hair all askew from sleeping so much--he's in a simple space-time sleep shirt that was WAY too big for him, and...]

[...Holding some kind of...pink plush toy...?]

Puffball: -u-

“Chirp-cheep!”

Avi: Baron, bro, I'll get ya some bird feed from my room if ya want some--

Beck: -Stumbles out of fort, rubs sleep out of his eyes-

Beck: Sugarrrr...

Beck: ....

Beck: -Looks up-

Beck: .....

Beck: ??????

Baron: -Wriggles to get to see where he can view what’s going on- 8>

Des: . . .

Des: (....THIS is...Nine?)

Beck: Who the heck are you...

Beck: -And why aren't you giving us that food-

Beck: -Grabbie hands-

Beck: -Give us the sugar, stranger-

[Foosh. Foosh. Foosh.]

Baron: {D.C.!} :V

Des: -Blinks-

Des: -That is a bird--

Beck: -Foooooood-

Des: Oh--um. -Here?-

Des: (So do ALL the animal-based bots breathe fire here?)

Baron: Chirp cheep! -Wriggles back in to hop around on Avi’s shoulder-

Baron: -Via hops- {D.C., D.C.!} : D

[It isn’t long before he pokes his head out again and twitters loudly.]

Jazz: -Looks up grumpily from Shade’s shoulder- Ree-ow. |K

Baron: >:V

Baron: -Flits over to Des and lands on his shoulder- ovo

Avi: --! (Wait, isn't that the Secretary person Cards saved--?)

Des: -Whoa--

Baron: ^v^

Des: -Never had a bird land on US before, jeez--

Avi: -Um- -Hides under blankets-

Des: Uh...hi?

Beck: -Guyyyys, there's breakfast-

Shade: -PING-

Shade: -Where-

Beck: -No, this is OUR tray--

Pyro: -Not looking up from chessboard- No fighting over food.

[This is when Dyna comes in with more breakfast trays, conveniently floating some of them around with her bits.]

Dyna: -We are GOING as fast as we can, we're not a master chef person like Big bro, ya know-

Pyro: -Snorts-

Pyro: Everyone thank your sister.

All: Thanks, Dyna.

Dyna: ~~

Cryo: -HEY DON'T FORGET ME TOO, I HELPED--

Pyro: Yes, you too, Cryo. | ]

Cryo: -HECK YEAH-

Baron: Chirp-cheep!

[Foosh. Foosh. Foosh.]

Baron: {000? D.C.?}

Des: ...

Des: (That--that cannot be Morse code, I must be seeing things--)

Des: You...You know 000?

Beck: --!

Beck: Pyro says that he brought back Cards with someone else...

Pyro: That would be him, yes.

Pyro: ....

Pyro: Thank you, by the way. I appreciate your help, Mr Secretary.

Bat: -Salutes-

Beck: . . .

Beck: Secretary?

Des: -Smiles-

Des: Desmond Donald, US Secretary of Defense, serving breakfast, heh.

Des: It's an honor to meet you, Mighty No. 9.

Beck: . . .

Beck: (I'm in my sleep wear--)

Beck: o//////o

Beck: I--Uh. I.

Beck: -SALUTES, TRIES TO SAVE SOME FACE- Th-Thank you, Um, Mr. D--I mean, Mr. Secretary, uh, sir--

Des: -Cannot help but be amused-

Des: Des is fine, Number 9.

Des: We're not in any kind of public or otherwise, so no need for formality. I'm in your house, after all.

Des: ....If I may...

Des: I want to thank you.

Des: For everything.

Des: This nation and its people owes you and your actions a lot more than we can ever say.

Des: (And I'm sure Min feels the same way.)

Des: If it weren't for you...I don't know where we would be at this point.

Des: Not to mention your family.

Pyro: -Pride, ALL of the pride data--

Des: I'm probably not going to get another chance to do this after all this is over...Not to mention, I don't have the actual thing with me, so...

Des: -Salutes-

Des: Beck Amadeus White, I hereby award you the Secretary of Defense Medal of Valor, awarded to those that perform acts of heroism and sacrifice in the face of overwhelming danger at the cost of personal safety for the good of all.

Beck: --!?!

Bat: -PING-

[At the sound of that, all of the Mighties give off much pride and joyful data for their brother, who was still trying to process the whole thing.]

Beck: I...

Beck: -Speechless-

Bat: -That is the highest honor the Department of Defense can bestow, WELL DONE, PRIVATE.-

Beck: I...

Beck: Really?

Des: Really.

Des: You deserve it, Mr. White. More than you know.

Bat: -Don't just STAND there, Private, SALUTE the man--

Beck: !

Beck: (–u–)7  Th-Thank you, sir! I--I mean, Des, sir--

Des: -Nods-

Des: Well...

Des: I should leave you to yourselves, now.

Des: (...They all seem like they really need to rest and relax. Questioning Six is going to have to wait.)

Des: Enjoy your breakfast.

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

=CHAPTER 10C: THE MACHINE DRAWS NEAR=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

[CHERRYDYNAMICS HQ BUILDING, CEO OFFICE SUITE.]

[Gregory Graham had little silver lining to go on at this point.

Not only were those Sanda Tech brats literally demolishing his factory (and costing him millions to boot!), the virus that had seemed to come from out of nowhere was threatening to spread to the other Continental servers--

And now the GOVERNMENT was sniffing around where they SHOULDN'T be, and Blackwell could very well be either DEAD or running amok!

And now there was that foreign intern, the fat Japanese doctor and the PRESIDENT herself knowing far too much--]

Graham: -...Ngh-

Graham: Keep it together, Greg...

[No, no need to panic--

She was still safely tucked away, albet running everything at this point, but still contained--and he had influences in Homeland and Defense, and his Sentator friend, of course--and if nothing else, he ALWAYS had that ace in the hole if things ever got that desperate.

He had options. It was all like stocks. It wasn't the end just yet.

And if he were to go down, he'll be damned if he wasn't going down alone.]

Graham: (I just have to make a few private calls, pull some favors...)

Graham: (Make sure she is under wraps and try to sail though this--)

[Knock Knock.]

Graham: --??

Graham: -Pushes the intercom on his desk- Darcy, I told you to not let anyone in here--

"Uh, yeah, he isn't--he didn't listen to me--"

"... And it's Daisy, not--"

[CLICK.]

Graham: Tch.

Graham: (Fine, I'll call whatever's left of security once he gets in here--)

Graham: Open.

[The door recognizes the verbal command and slides open without a sound.]

Graham: --?

Graham: What the--

Will: Hello, Mr. Graham.

[William White walks into the room as soon as Graham opened it, not once waiting for permission to enter.]

Will: Am I interrupting something?

Graham: White?

Graham: How the HELL did you get up here--

Will: Oh, I wanted to. Your staff seems to be rather, ah-- lacking since the virus struck.

Will: Nonetheless.

Will: I didn't come here for idle chatter, so I'm going to get right to the point.

Will: It was you who activated Trinity, didn't you?

Graham: -Sputters--

Graham: Wha--

Graham: What are you TALKING about--

Graham: (How does he know about HER?!)

Will: Greg. It's a little...

[His eyes turn dull and utterly emotionless.]

Will: ...Too late to cry dummy, at this point.

Graham: --?!

Graham: (That look--what is THAT look, why is it--?)

Will: Dr. Blackwell wasn't around to stop you this time, wasn't he?

Will: And yet you're trying to scapegoat his father again, just the same.

Graham: --?!!!

[Will walks across the room with a poised grace, almost too perfect, as he turns his back away from Graham.]

Will: -Sigh-

Will: It was NEVER about progress with you...

Will: Or the will, the drive to make the world a better place than what we found it...

Will: It was always money.

Will: -Angry-

Will: Just. Money.

Will: That's--

[He turns, a FIERCE expression breaking through the emotionless mask he wore to EXPLODE in RAGE!]

Will: --ALL YOU E V E R CARED ABOUT--!

Graham: -Falls back into his chair--

Will: Never about HIM OR ME OR EVEN HER!

Will: -Advances- All you EVER cared about was YOURSELF and this EVIL EMPIRE you've built on NOTHING but the PAIN AND SUFFERING OF OTHERS--!

Will: MY PAIN AND SUFFERING! T H E I R PAIN AND SUFFERING!

Will: H E R PAIN AND SUFFERING--!

Will: And YOU--

Will: When you pieced her back together, did you feel anything at all? No, because you would even BRING BACK THE DEAD to justify your own ENDS!

Will: YOU THINK I WOULDN'T NOTICE, GREGORY GRAHAM?!

Graham: N--this isn't my FAULT--!

Graham: Her warning label didn't SPECIFY all this, not specifically--

Will: Warning label--

[He laughs. Bitterly.]

Will: Warning label, WARNING LABEL, HE PUT A WARNING LABEL--

Will: Oh, that's just RICH.

Will: And even then--You didn't listen.

Graham: I--

Will: THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT--!

Will: Trinity, my friends, my FAMILY, MY OWN CHILDREN--!

Will: And even this VIRUS, isn't it?!

Graham: Nono, THIS THING ISN'T OUR FAULT, DON'T YOU PUT THIS ON ME, WHITE--

Graham: I don't know HOW you got this information, but I can very well RUIN you if you so much as--

[Will once again laughs at the face of Graham's supposed threat.]

Will: Is that supposed to scare me, Greg?

Will: What are you going to do? Send your PEOPLE after me?

Will: I've survived them once. I can do it AGAIN.

Graham: --?!?

Will: I am. Not. Afraid of YOU.

Will: Not anymore.

Will: Trinity was my project. You and Blackwell ultimately deemed her a failure.

Graham: !

Will: But she was an educational one, if anything. I learned. Oh, I learned.

Will: And I put EVERYTHING that I had learned from her, from everything that I experienced...

Will: ...All of it, and the good that came from it...

Will: ...Into Mighty No. 9.

Graham: (WHAT--)

Will: Beck is now our only hope of stopping what YOU have sowed.

Will: AT THE VERY LEAST, IF I CAN'T STOP YOU MYSELF--

[He swipes away the various objects on Greg's desk aside, including some very heavy paperweights--]

Will: --HE CAN!

[There’s a muffled CRUNCH and a hissing noise, followed by some leaking liquid.]

Will: --?!?

Graham: What the--

Will: Nnngh!

[He turns his attention back to Graham.]

Will: You--

Will: You honestly think you can get away with everything you've DONE?

Will: After HER?

Graham: --.....

Graham: Wait...

Graham: Waitwaitwait WAIT A SECOND--

Will: --??

Graham: You...

Will: --!

Will: (....Uh...Uh Oh--)

Graham: YOU!

Graham: I didn't RECOGNIZE you with that--that RIDICULOUS HAIR DO--

Graham: But you're--

Graham: YOU'RE BILL BLACKWELL--!

Will: ......

Bill: . . . .

Bill: You were always a bit slow on the uptake, weren't you.

Bill: All these years, Graham, and you STILL haven't changed.

Bill: It nearly makes me feel SORRY for you.

Bill: N e a r l y.

Bill: ...But you know what?

Bill: You're wrong.

Will: I'm NOT Bill Blackwell.

Will: And I HAVEN'T been.

Will: For a VERY. Long. Time.

Graham: HA!

Graham: -Sneers- Oh, you think you're so SMART, thinking that changing your name and identity will change who you really are.

Graham: I'm honestly impressed, though. I really did think you were dead after you just vanished.

Will: -Snorts-

Will: Reports of my demise have been GREATLY exaggerated, Mr. Graham.

Graham: You accosted me, Bill.

Graham: YOU'RE the idiot here, coming back and building those Mighty Numbers even after what YOU did to her.

Graham: They don't even know they're really just BLACKWELLS, do they?!

Will: ..........

Graham: I THOUGHT not.

Will: Leave them out of this, Graham.

Graham: Oh, really, alright, let me just turn back time and stop them from becoming infected in the FIRST PLACE?

Graham: They were DOOMED the moment you created them, Bill, and that ISN'T just their namesake talking!

Will: —Nnnnngh...

Graham: Your old man was RIGHT about you.

Graham: Really, Bill. I thought that a BLACKWELL genius such as yourself wouldn't RETURN to the scene of a crime—what occurred here all those years ago was tantamount to MURDER.

Will: Both of you MADE ME DO IT—!

Graham: But I wasn't the one holding the metaphorical knife, wasn't I?

Will: Graham—!

Graham: I said I would RUIN you.

Graham: It'll be a VERY nice bonus to see everything that you've worked SO hard to accomplish just CRUMBLE away, hm?

Graham: You, those Mighty Numbers, your fat friend and his brother, and that little Russian intern that you CLEARLY have connections with.

Graham: Once the WORLD knows that Dr. William White is a LIE AND THE SON OF A MAD GENIUS—

[WHACK—]

[Gregory Graham's vision went bright as William curled a fist and socked him across the face, causing the CEO to tumble backwards into the floor.

There was a burning sensation as something ate away at the super expensive suit he was wearing, too!]

Graham: -NGH!-

[SMACK—]

[A sneaker plants itself squarely on Graham's chest to KEEP him there.]

((Pic—Will v Graham))

Will: I am only going to say this once.

Will: If you ever.

Will: E v e r.

Will: Threaten or lay one hand on EVERYTHING I love and care about--

Will: I will TEAR you and this company ASUNDER.

Will: You PATHETIC excuse for a HUMAN being.

Will: You MONSTER.

[Will looks down on him with a BURNING hot gaze, like some kind of disgusting bug or rodent, not even worth the DIRT under his shoe that which is soiling the already ruined suit Greg was wearing.

And Graham?

Well, as one would expect, he was certainly no less than terrified, scared witless.]

Will: How fitting.

Will: I think I've gotten my POINT across, hm?

[There is a TOUCH of a evil grin that tugs at the corner of Will's lips.]

Will: Good talk.

[And just like that, Will steps off, carefully walks around the mess made, and makes his way back to the door.]

Will: I'm not paying for any of this, by the way, so you can forget about sending me a bill.

Will: I WAS the one that HELPED you, if you need a reminder.

[He waves back without turning around.]

Will: Enjoy the rest of your day, Mr. Graham.

Will: ... Because it is ABOUT to get a whole LOT worse.

[Click.]

[The room is dead silent.]

Graham: . . . .

Graham: (Bill Blackwell—)

Graham: (You—I'll—)

Graham: -OW MY NOSE— BLEEDING—-

Graham: DARCY—SOMEONE GET ME A DAMN FIRST AID KIT—!

Beep.

Graham: —?!?

Beep.

Graham: What the hell is that noise—

[A rather smushed Search Snake—having finally flickered to life, only to find itself incredibly damaged—scrapes itself out of the hiding place where it had been crushed by some paperweights. It was already leaking battery acid, but apparently it had more than one battery, because that wasn’t stopping it…]

Beep beep beep beep beep beep BEEP—

Graham: —?!?

Graham: -DIVES BEHIND THE DESK—-

Boom!

Graham: WHAT THE—

Graham: BIIIIIIILLL—!!

[BACK IN SANDA LABS SEVERAL HOURS LATER...]

Will: (Oof...)

Will: -Stepping out of the elevator- (I actually felt REALLY good about that. Huh.)

“Good afternoon, Doctor.”

Will: —?

Will: (Wait, that...voice--I've heard that voice before--)

Min: So good of you to join us again.

Will: —! (You—)

Des: Doctor. -Nod-

Will: ...I...er...

Will: (W-What is going on, why are THEY here?!)

Will: (Specifically, the President, no less—!)

Will: I...M-Madam President, I...was not expecting...

Min: I realize this, and I apologize. We were unable to contact you to discuss the matter.

[She motioned to a Secret Service member, who stepped forward and handed over a piece of paper. It was a faxed letter from Seijiro, explaining (in Japanese) that he had authorized… the use of the building for the President and some of her staff…?]

Will: (Wha—Seiji?! But—why, you—you know that—)

Will: (—Gh, but you didn't really have a choice, didn't you...)

Will: I...hn...

Will: I see...

Will: I suppose this is because the White House is...well....

Will: —But—why here? This is practically Ground Zero for the virus, and shouldn't there be—OTHER places for situations like this—?

Des: -Sighs—- Exactly what I proposed. <<

Min: It shouldn't be for too long, and I won't necessarily be staying, myself. I'm a busy woman.

Will: -Nervously looks between all the Secret Service members and staff- I...I see. Er....w-well then...

Min: I need to speak with you about the particulars of the arrangements immediately.

Will: R-Right now—? (Oh, God—)

Will: A—Are you sure? I mean we do have—Call, she can certainly show you around—

Will: Besides, I—I have repairs to do on my children posthaste—

Will: Since Soi isn't here, I'll have to do repairs myself...

Will: (And on all nine of them...)

Min: I can appreciate that, and I assure you that I too have my incentives for keeping the discussion as brief as possible. However, it is more than mere living arrangements that need to be discussed. While we may not be able to cover everything that I have in mind, there is one matter that cannot wait—[color=goldenrod]lives[/color] are at stake, and your input is crucial. It's in your best interest in a very personal way, Doctor, to no longer collude it.

Will: (L--Lives--?)

Will: (Wait...she can't mean--)

Des: -Ahem- There's also something else that that Madam President wishes to speak to you about...

Des: I don't exactly know the context behind it, but it's about your... championship fencing days...and Mighty No. 5.

Will: ....

[At that moment, Will would have taken the infected factory all over again instead of this. He pales, all the color rushing off of his face as he breaks into a cold sweat right there.]

Will: (Oh no—oh no, not this—)

Will: (G-Greg--Greg I can handle, but--h-h-her--)

Will: (She can do s-so much worse--)

Will: (She can't have figured it out so quickly, I left almost nothing--! Did they search my house?!)

Will: (Hnn...I can't, I—but—)

Will: (...Mikhail, Soi, my children...)

Min: -Shooing motion to the Secret Service members- Go secure an office where we can speak privately.

[They obey with only minimal hesitation, given that Desmond is also there and they are both armed.]

Des: -...Slightly concerned- Doctor White? You alright there?

Will: -Gulps- I...mn...I-I'm fine.

Will: ...though I could use a glass of water...

Min: Why don't you get us some drinks, Mister Secretary?

Des: -Takes that as his cue- Yes sir.

[Des briskly leaves with all due haste, leaving Will and The President of the United States alone. Will was highly on edge, nervously thumbing the strap of his laptop bang, looking away.]

Will: (...No...No more running...)

Will: (Oh, Soi, I...)

Will: (I really wish you were here...)

Min: Come along, Doctor. Let's get this over with, and then you can rejoin your family.

Will: ....

[He silently complies, hands on his arms and eyes to the floor. Almost as if he was walking to detention rather than just another office.

He was obliged to hand over his belongings before entering the office—clearly, the group had learned from the experience with Mikhail. It wasn't long before the doors shut behind them, and the two of them were alone.

Min let out a short huff of a sigh—of relief or weariness, it was hard to say.]

Min: Let's get right to the point.

[She turned to face Will, holding her hands in front of her with her left hand clasping her right wrist.]

Min: Your work so far has been remarkable, and is the best lead we have on combating the virus. We're all very grateful for what you and your family—particularly your youngest son—have been doing to save others in this time of crisis.

Min: We want to help you as much as we can.

Will: ... >> I haven't exactly made a cure yet, though. That part is proving to be very...difficult. (Trinity...)

Will: It's....not as simple as just doing away with it...

Will: -Sighs- The best thing we can do right now is continue to contain the virus and let me study it's workings so I can learn to counteract it. (Need more time...I need to know how to get those scripts from the code--)

[She was quiet for a moment at this, as if considering how to answer.]

Min: We will aid how we can if given direction. I know that initial encounters were… less than supportive, and I offer a sincere apology. If we had been properly informed and involved, it would not have reached such levels of hostility.

Will: ....

Will: >>;;; (Ugh...I never want to go through with that again. If I can get them NOT to just outright take a aggressive approach towards Trinity, then that's all I need...)

Will: It was...a very unpleasant experience. >~>;; One I don't think anyone here wants repeated.

Min: An accurate statement. And to that end, it's necessary to confront a problem that would otherwise come between full support or cooperation.

Min: There is a matter that would cause no small degree of distress for yourself and those involved if things continue as they are. Not only do I personally not wish to have to do so, but there is a professional incentive not to have such a major distraction at hand when it is imperative that you focus on your work.

Will: ….

Will: ...I...

Will: ... (Mikhail...)

Will: ....

Will: ....Dr. Cossack, you mean.

Will: -Sighs, of course...-

Min: That would be correct. I'm afraid the outlook is very bleak for him at the moment.

Will: (Gh...Mikhail...)

Will: I...could see that.

Will: (...I won't...won't let them hurt you, if it comes to that, I swear...)

((NOTE: Bill color as a shadow here))

Will: (I won't lose you too...)

Min: Do you? I'm afraid it's quite serious, and it's unclear whether he sees that or is simply undeterred by it.

Min: The charges he has taken upon himself would easily earn him a place as a CAL black spot mission.

Will: -Flinches- Gnn...

Will: (Hnn...No, I...I won't let that happen--)

Will: ....Mikhail...

Will: He doesn't...he's not...

Will: (Damn it, talk, Bill! He needs you right now, you can't be afraid--)

Min: Doctor…

Minerva: The situation is pitiable, but that—unfortunately—does not change the fundamental reasons why he is in trouble in the first place. In fact, the circumstances make it worse.

[She spoke as if from memory.]

Minerva: The fact remains that he is the authoritative force behind multiple highly powerful—and apparently unsupervised—Combat constructs who pose significant security threats. Threats made worse by their physiology, as most security measures rely on Xellular structure to be effective against a non-human attacker. Their immunity to such measures and ability to regenerate—some more than others, it would seem—make them very dangerous.

Will: Gh…! (I guess she was told they aren’t Xel…! Felix did mention that the Secretary knew the “truth”…)

Minerva: As for the Doctor himself… he is—by our standards—highly unconventional. He can defend himself and build without using Xel, and he appears to be a master at coding in his own right. Certainly, he has access to measures that can bypass traditional and cutting-edge firewalls alike. Furthermore, he’s also very clever: he was able to obtain well-hidden information the likes of which we have been seeking for months. He’s aware of dangerous secrets, and he has no qualms about stonewalling an investigation. If he chooses to, he can avoid detection completely, even from multiple governmental agencies of several countries. If let go free, there is no telling if he would ever be found again.

[She shakes her head.]

Minerva: He’s chosen to assume responsibility for the actions of his patients. That includes: two or three accounts of hacking through military-level security firewalls, two attempted murders and one additional threat thereof, one breaking-and-entering, and the destruction of federally owned property of national historic and cultural importance.

Will: (Hnn...I...Mikhail...)

Will: (He's not--!)

[Will doesn't know how to respond to this. The Queen's Finals, the White House, and the Military Base--the last of which was HIS fault entirely--it was all roaring back with a frightful vengeance, one that threatened to consume all that he held dear. But how to voice against this, when the leader of the nation could discredit all that he would say--

--simply because he was not the man he SAYS he is?]

Will: I...

Will: -Clearly very upset- He's not...please, he isn't--he's a good man, please--

[Her expression softened, and she interlocked her fingers, holding her hands up near her chin in thought.]

Min: …

Min: …There is still hope. There is a chance.

Will: --? (I...what?)

Min: There is yet a chance that he may be spared.

Will: --!

Will: R--Really-- (--Wait--why?)

Will: (--I should at least hear her out, but...)

Will: (If she knows, then...?)

Will: How?

[She was quiet for a moment again before she spoke up.]

Min: Taken all together, the pieces paint a grim picture for your friend, and one that is not so easily forgiven.

Min: Taken piece by piece… that is not so. Perhaps still not easily… but still potentially forgivable.

Min: His insistence to bear the burden alone will be his downfall if he pursues it.

Min: But if he accepts that things were out of his control and influence—then, perhaps, we can address his sole stain… the ordered interference of the White House security.

Min: For I know in almost certainty that he was not behind the incident at the unapproved military base… and unless I am mistaken, he has little influence over the decisions made by those who are not his sons.

Min: Am I correct in this assessment?

Will: -With some hesitance- I...Y-Yes, that's correct...

Min: Then it is in everyone's best interests to no longer deny that truth, but to own up to it. However, it seems you may be the only person capable of convincing him of this.

Will: ....

Will: (I...)

Will: (Me?)

Will: You want me to convince him... (But...what about...)

Will: ...But what about Tobias?

Will: (The whole reason he's taking it all on himself is because so that Tobias won't suffer...)

Min: -Pinches the left hinge of her glasses, looking over them slightly- Well, Tobias Wily will have to answer for his behavior. We cannot have someone like him running amok on their impulses.

Min: His position is somewhat more forgivable, given that he was never taught how to behave in social situations. That can be fixed.

Will: -Quiet sigh of relief- (Oh, thank God--)

Min: Especially given that the only charge he is fully responsible for would be what happened at the Queen's Finals. He was not, if my conclusions to my research are correct, responsible for the security breach at the base.

Will: No--No, no, of course not--

Will: He was quite...quite still out of it at the time...

[Minerva was quiet at this for a little while.]

Min: That will cause some to question what DID happen, if neither of them were responsible.

Min: I think I know who did it, but there's only circumstantial evidence.

Will: (...Gh....)

Will: C-Circumstantial--?

Min: Just the knowledge of one with both means and motive to pull it off.

Min: Although…

Min: I hardly blame you for that… Doctor William Blackwell.

[There is a very harsh wince at the words-- as if he had been struck physically. There was a subtle shake of his hands, which were very quickly stilled as he balled them up into fists.]

Will: ...that's not my name...

Will: My name is White.

Min: "A rose by any other name," my good sir.

Will: My name is William White.

[There was a steely gaze directed at her now--although he didn't meant anything by it, he couldn't help but become irritated. That wasn't his name, not anymore.

Minerva gave a soft smile at this, tilting her head slightly.]

Min: No one else knows… for now.

Min: Why do you think I left Desmond outside?

Will: ...

Will: What do you want?

Min: -Puts a hand to her face- An end to this, with no more casualties than is within our power to prevent.

Will: .... (Not what I meant, but that too...)

Will: . . .

Will: If you claim to know, then you know why I can't just delete the virus.

Will: ...I...there is something...delicate in the code that I won't destroy.

Will: Not even if you try to make me.

Will: (...Mngh...I still don't know how I'm going to take care of the virus without hurting Trinity...)

[For a moment, her eyes look sad.]

Min: I said "a rose by any other name," Doctor.

Min: Doctor William White is not a five-times fencing champion, as his best friend Doctor Soichiro Sanda claims him to be, and as Secretary Desmond Donald observed. There is no record of this.

Min: It was rather easy with my resources to discern the time frame and location based on your age and the number of colleges in the country who have that level of fencing programs with suitable teachers. Your teacher remembers you well even after the years have gone by. No teacher ever forgets true talent.

Min: I had not bothered to look further than that, for that was not in my business. I had other things on my mind.

Will: …

Min: What you said just now was unknown to me, though I can infer the truth behind it. And if that is the case…

Min: You must work quickly before someone else finds a way. Literally everyone capable is assigned to the project.

Will: -~- What do you think I've been doing all this time?

Will: -We’re trying-

Will: Aside from repairing my sons and daughters and trying to keep this place intact—

Will: I've devoted nearly every waking moment to trying to solve this—

Will: (But it's so hard, it's like trying to wake someone from a very—very deep sleep...)

Will: -Crosses arms- And quite frankly, all of this federal business has not made it easier. -~-

Min: I imagine not.

[She was quiet for a moment again, as if deep in thought.]

Min: I will leave it up to you to give directions on what the best way for HHS to help you would be. That is your prerogative.

Min: For the time being, we will focus on that. The matter with Dr. Cossack can wait until you've had the chance to speak with him… whenever that might be.

Min: He won't be allowed to move about freely, but no other [color=black]action[/color] will be taken against him.

Will: ...I...I'll try to, as soon as I can...

Min: For now, he is resting in isolation. …Let him rest. He obviously is in need of it. -Soft sigh, tapping her fingers against her face- (I look forward to making this all go away.)

Min: Is there anything else you wish to discuss or want to say? Any insight to depart?

Will: …

Will: -Grips- CherryDyn...

Will: Please tell me you're at least looking into CherryDyn.

Will: I...I think they're behind this. All of it.

Will: >> Why else would they make not one, but TWO public statements blaming both Dr. Blackwell and myself, as well as Dr. Sanda?

Will: (....And now Graham knows.... Knows who I really am.)

Will: . . .

Will: (...Maybe he was right about me being stupid...)

Will: (.....)

Will: (Oh, what the hell, it was worth it, for that ONE good right hook.)

Min: To play the devil's advocate:

Min: "There's no accounting for stupidity."

[She spoke that last word with clear derision and scorn, not bothering to hide it.]

Will: …Hn.

Will: Indeed.

Will: …

Will: >> After all this is over...

Will: What will you do with me?

Min: Hopefully, give you honors for your contributions to solving a national crisis.

Will: ...That's not what I meant.

Will: I'm having a very hard time coming up with any good reason why you'd let the real matter slip by.

Will: You're the President. You know.

[Blackwell...a name that was no doubt infamous beyond any other name in America, and perhaps the world at large. He HAD to know--was it because there was just more pressing matters at hand, or something more?

After all, SHE had that power over him now, not him...]

Will: You KNOW what that name means.

Will: Why?

Min: …

Min: -Seems to be carefully considering her answer again-

Min: …A man is to be judged by his choices, not his name or connections.

Min: It has been your choice to work with Sanda Enterprises—a company that is currently researching to find medical breakthroughs with Xellular science. It has been your choice to raise a family, and raise them well. To befriend those in desperate need—indeed, with such friendship that it incites undying loyalty to you.

Min: Your desperation in one moment of ill-founded judgment is hardly unique, even to the current series of events. Your friend made a similar decision in a fit of despair.

Min: But ill judgement can be forgiven, especially when there are no casualties, and no intent for it to be repeated.

Will: ....

Will: I... -Speechless--

Will: (...she's not going to--lock me up, like Father—?)

Will: ...but I... (I lied...)

Will: (I lied to everyone--)

Will: -...clearly very conflicted about this-

Min: -Gently- I can see that this is difficult for you to understand, even though you begin to believe it. That's alright… you will have the time you need for it.

Min: When this is all over, William White…

Min: We will thank you all for what you have done for us, and the sacrifices that were made.

Min: And after all has been said and done, we will leave you all to live in peace.

Will: ....

Will: (In peace...)

Will: ...-Still quite nervous- (But for how long?)

Will: I...I will make sure to let Mikhail know that too.

Min: I'm sure he would appreciate that. It doesn't sound like he's had a pleasant experience dealing with government officials before… though his cooperation will ultimately prove to be to his benefit.

Min: -Small sigh- Well, that is all I have to say on the matter. We both have work to do now, so unless there is anything more you want to add…

Will: No, I...I think that's all.

Will: I...

Will: ...-Very quietly- ...thank you...

[Minerva gives a soft smile at that. She seems more relaxed than before—the kind of relaxation that comes with confidence.]

Min: You're welcome, Doctor White.

Min: You may go.

[Will nods and stands up--he's still a bit shaky, but otherwise a lot more worn out than before--in a good sense, really. He just had to talk to Mikhail...]

[As he steps out of the door, Des passes him by.]

Des: Oh, here. Your water.

Will: ! Oh--I--I forgot about that. ^^;; Thank you, Secretary.

[He accepts it graciously, and goes on his way. Des gives the man a bit of a quizzical look before turning his attention to Min.]

Des: He seems better. Sorta.

Des: What did you say to him, if I can ask?

Min: -Soft sigh- I let him know that we're not out to get anyone per se, and that we want to help out.

Min: I also advised him to speak to Dr. Cossack about the situation to see if he can't convince him to stop being so stubborn.

Des: Well, if anyone can convince him, it's probably Dr. White...he seems to really care about him.

Des: Hell, the guy was ready to tear my face off when I arrested him. >>;; Him and his kids.

Des: It was really startling, you'd think someone that soft-spoken wouldn't have any sort of temper but...I guess 'never judge a book by it's cover' comes into play here.

Min: Well, every man has his breaking point. You'd be surprised how much of a temper the quieter students can have when pressed. I think for now, though, he won't be as hostile to you. If only because he has more pressing needs to focus on.

Des: Hmm. You're right, as usual.

Des: Alright then...now that that's out of the way...

Des: I think Dr. Sanda's daughter was going to give us details of the accommodations and such. Gotta say, as much as the conditions are right now--they're really good hosts.

Des: << Though Seven won't stop giving me the stink eye.

Min: -Amused grin at this- Well, he has been gracious enough to me, for now. I'll see if I can't speak on your behalf the next time we have a chance for conversation.

[Her smile fades, and she looks thoughtful.]

Min: I should like to see DLN-000, but I know the lab is quite crowded right now. That will have to wait until later.

[She shakes her head.]

Min: Well, we'd best go speak to Ms. Sanda, and then I need to talk with Aviator. The news of us coming here even temporarily will be slightly sensational if we don't handle it properly, and he'd know best which of the local stations can be trusted to handle the story.

Des: ...Right...

Des: >>;; Although I'm not too fond of the idea of Six hogging you and I for an 'exclusive' interview. We probably need to break it gently to him that we have work to do--

[She laughs at this.]

Min: We have plenty of leverage when it comes to that. Plenty of things to do and say later. He'll have a month's worth of stories within a few days—so be on your best behavior.~

Des: -Snorts- Yes, Mrs. Morandi.

Min: Lead the way, then. -Amused- Let's get things moving.

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

=INFECTION=

~AO v1.0~

(Courtesy of @xelconsumer, @unluckyadept)

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

//:LOG IN SUCCESSFUL. WELCOME, NO. Ø

//:LOADING FILES…

//:FILES LOADED. ENTER COMMAND PROMPT.

//:COMMAND> CHECK REVELATION.EXE STATUS

//:RUNNING…

//:CALCULATIONS COMPLETE. DATA HAS BEEN UPDATED, SAVED AND UPLOADED TO DESIGNATED PROGRAM. FILE REMAINS QUARANTINED. PROGRAM IS RUNNING NORMALLY.

//:COMMAND>PREPARE ENDGAME FILE FOR UPLOAD. DESTINATION: NBCA DATABASE SERVER, CHERRYDYNAMICS MAINFRAME SERVER, ALL

//:RUNNING…

//:ENDGAME FILE HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR UPLOAD. UPLOAD NOW?

//COMMAND>SET TIMER: JUNE 21, 20XX, 11:45 AM.

//:RUNNING…

//:TIMER SET. RUNNING SCAN…

//:WARNING: VIRUS DETECTED IN FILE! SOURCE: REVELATION.EXE. ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO UPLOAD THIS FILE?

//:COMMAND>YES.

//:RUNNING…

//:COMMAND SET. ENDGAME FILE WILL UPLOAD IN: 24 HOURS.

//COMMAND>SEND MASS MESSAGE TO: DLN-001.5, DLN-001, DWN-INFINITY, ADD CONTACT: Copy

//:ENTER MESSAGE…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

//:MESSAGE RECEIVED. FROM: Ray. TO: @a-fading-light, @thegatesofinfinitespace, @firstchildofwily. SENT: 11:46 AM.

//: …Where should I begin…?

//: …Ah…right. I suppose an apology is in order, firstly…it’s been quite some time since I’ve spoken to any of you, and I’m sorry. Truly. Some of you are angry with me, I know, and it is my fault. I know I’ve been rather reclusive these last few months, and…there is a reason for it. Several, in fact, of which I will now tell you, the people that have made my wretched existence…a little easier. A little more…brighter.

//: …I have been working on several projects. One of which is looking for a more permanent solution for my deteriorating condition, caused by my lack of a central core. I have searched for many, many decades, and with the recently opened rifts these last few years have opened up some new leads…

//: …But all I have found are…dead ends.

//: I…I’m running out of time. It grows worse, my horrid curse…I am falling apart more rapidly, I must hunt more frequently…and…and the pains…

//: It hurts now. I feel as if I am rotting away from the inside out. It hurts…so much. I cannot…hold myself together for long…there is only…pain…hunger…pain…and hunger…

//: Ngh–!!

//: Hunger…consume…feed…! I can’t–need…more–!!

[…There is silence, it was as if the message was edited and continued much later…]

//: ….Do you see now?

//: I…I am not long for this world.

//:…This…world…

//: …This world. This cheap, thrill-seeking world, only caring about their advertised construct battles and those who provide it! As long as humans, the sinful ones, have that to entertain them…their precious Battle Colosseum…their so-called heroes…! They care about nothing else…

//: And it’s all because of them that I am this way. All of it. All of it. ALL OF IT. I would have never resorted to such disgusting ways of survival if it wasn’t for them! The NBCA, CherryDyn, and ESPECIALLY HIM…

//: I was doomed…doomed from the start…doomed to fall…doomed to die…

//: ….

//: …But I refuse to leave this mortal earth…fading away in some…dark, lonely corner, amongst the filth and the departed…by my own hands…

//: No.

//: If I am to die…If I am to be sent to the Void, never to return…if I am to burn, burn in hell…

//: Then this world will burn with me. Along with all those who have wronged me. CherryDyn. The Colosseum. Humanity.

//: They will burn…they will pay for their sins…pay…in blood, in Xel…it doesn’t matter.

//: …..

//: Don’t bother trying to stop me. The rifts are beginning to close…as if the fates already know how this ends…

//: …And no matter what happens, I…will be no more…

//: I just…

//: ….

//: I can’t…take this anymore. The endless slaughter…the constant…fear…I can’t…there is nothing…I can do…I can’t be saved…

//: …Caleb Light…my dauntless rebel…I love you so, so much. I gave you…everything I had left…everything that I am…and…you are the best–no…the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me. My light in the darkness…my Mate…I’m so sorry I have to put you through this. Please…forgive me…

//: Rock…MZ…I give you my blessings…focus on the future you have now, together…whenever you DO get married, eventually…that is, if you haven’t already. Don’t let me…ruin it with my acts of vengeance. Just…stay out of it.

//: And you, Copy…brother…your anger is just…but I would never abandon you. I swear, I will make them all pay for what they’ve done… As my last sin, as my last will…these humans will all die, like they should, and they will know what happens when they cross a predator…

//: …

//: I…don’t want to cut this short. But the wheels have been set into motion already. Even I couldn’t stop them if I wanted to. And even if I could…

//: …….

//: Days…hours…that’s all I have left…

//: …

//: I’m sorry. This is probably the last you will hear from me.

//: …Good-bye.

[END OF MESSAGE.]

[Felix tossed and turned in restless dreams.]

“If this is to end in fire…”

[This was not the first night that this had been happening. It had been going on for a while now, on and off—mostly off, until the days of late.]

“…then we should all burn together…”

[The dreams and visions had come upon him like an illness. He was lightheaded and damp with perspiration—but he felt bitterly cold. Far too cold for the summer.

He had ignored it at first, but they had gotten worse and worse, and now?]

“Watch the flames climb high


Into the night…”

[He saw worlds churning. He saw them BURNING.]

“HELP ME!!!”

[Where did the present start, and the future end? Or was this all in the past? There was no way for him to know, no way for him to tell.]

“Don’t… don’t do this…”

[He felt as if there were a dark shadow over him, trapping him in this endless nightmare.

He wanted to wake from this vision, to warn them of what lay ahead. But.

Even if that would have been possible…]

“It’s only going to… to hurt you…”

[…It would never have been enough to prepare them for what was about to happen.]

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

=CHAPTER 3A: VOLTAIC DYNATRON=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

{SANDA LABS...}

[The whole building was complete darkness.]

Soi: aaAAAAAAH—!

Will: —!!

"WHOA WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS—?!"

"Beck—Calm—One moment—"

[....A few seconds later, A bright glow shines from the repair bay, and Pyro slowly walks out with his hand aflame, his younger siblings in tow.]

Pyro: Father?

Will: Yes, we're alright.

Soi: Oh thank goodness Pyro thank you—

Call: Initiating Back-up Generator startup sequence...

Call: My scans indicate that the city's power grid was shut down—the main power will be rerouted in about 30 minutes.

Soi: The entire city?!

Will: .......

Pyro: .....

Beck: ...You don't think...?

Will: ...It has to.

Will: Dynatron...

[The lights flicker back on, although they are now a light green.]

Soi: ...If she's managed to access the power grid, then—

Will: Then she must be at one of the country's major power plants.

Pyro: ......Yes—of course—she would have to drain power from a large source at some point—!

Cryo: ........

Call: Initiating search—

Cryo: Big.

Beck: ...?

Cryo: Bros, this is Dyna. We all KNOW her appetite.

Cryo: Where's the biggest power plant in the US?

Call: The largest power plant in the United States is located in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Call: However, we will not be able to initiate Xel Transfer until the power comes back on.

Will: We'll just have to make the best of what time we have. Beck, prepare yourself—Sanda, you and I will continue repairs on 1 and 2.

Cryo: —!

Cryo: Daddy— fix my tank first—

Will: I'll do that—

Will: ...But I'm afraid I can't let you go with Beck.

Cryo: But—!

Will: Either of you.

Pyro: . . .

Will: One—you'd risk becoming infected once more simply by going OUT there—

Will: Two, we need someone to stay HERE in case the malfunctioning robots out in the city decide to come back here—

Will: Three, the both of you still need extensive repairs and FOUR—

Will:  Think of the others.

Cryo: ....

Will: You are half-weak to Dyna—and Pyro still needs to recover from his LAST trip to rescue you.

Will: .....

Will: And if by some miracle we do get back in touch with Mikhail and the Angels...

Will: They will want to know if you are alright.

Cryo: . . . .

Pyro: . . .

Beck: ......

Will: ...I'm sorry.

Will: I know you want to help your sister, but...

Will: Beck will have to go on his lonesome this time.

Cryo: ......

Cryo: -SNIFF-

Pyro: . . . .

Beck: .....

Beck: I'll be careful.

Beck: I'll bring her back.

Beck: I'll save her like I did with you guys.

Beck: I promise.

Cryo: ......

Cryo: just don't punch her too hard or something....

Pyro: ......

[MN.1 to MN.9] //: Do what you have to, Beck. Just bring her back to us.

[MN.9 to MN.1] //: I will, Pyro. I will.

——————————————

[HALF AN HOUR LATER...]

[The power had been restored—and everyone immediately scrambled to get the lab systems up and running when—]

Call: Scan complete.

Call: I have located Mighty No. 3's transponder signal in the predicted location. It is confirmed—

KKKZZZZZTKT—

[There was a large data fuzz and the screens went black. They flickered back on after a moment, but only to show error messages.]

Cryo: What the [glitch] was that—

Will: (Right on cue…)

[He set about to clearing out the error messages, but there were several layers of them. And just like before, just when it seemed he’d cleared them all…]

<RMDC>: > PROCESSING NEW DATA…

<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED. ENTRY: DLN-001. ENTRY: DLN_COMBAT.EXE. ENTRY: DLN-008

<RMDC>: > ERROR—CONNECTION TO MAIN SERVER FAILED.

<RMDC>: > CONNECTION FAILED—UNABLE TO UPDATE MAIN SERVER

<RMDC>: > COMPRESSING DATA FOR NEXT AVAILABLE CONNECTION…

Cryo: What WAS all that???

Will: We’re still not entirely sure….

Soi: Call… were you still able to get the coordinates?

Call: Affirmative, Doctor.

Beck: Then I need to get going…!

Call: I will now initiate Xel Transfer. Please stand by.

Cryo: Bro—Bro.

Beck: Yeah?

Cryo: Just remember that Sis likes to TOY with whomever's up against her, so...

Cryo: ....You...might see some creepy stuff in there and I'm not talking about last Halloween, bro.

Cryo: .....

Cryo: Just...pay attention and keep moving forward, 'Kay?

[Beck nods as he re-checks his comm link, eyes trained at the map in front of him....]

Beck: .......

Beck: . . .

Beck: (I...)

Beck: (....I hope you're safe, wherever you are...)

Beck: (....PLEASE be OK...)

Beck: (Please...)

Beck:   (I don't want to be the only—)

Call: Xel Transfer initiated...

Pyro: Good luck, Beck...

Cryo: WE'LL BE IN TOUCH, BRO, GO GET OUR SIS—

[........]

___________

[MISSION DETAILS: MIGHTY NO. 3, DYNATRON, HAS BEEN SPOTTED AT THIS INDIANA POWER PLANT FACILITY. PROBABILITY OF POWER SIPHONAGE: EXTREME.]

[MISSION OBJECTIVES: LOCATE AND RESCUE MN.3, AND PURGE ALL HARMFUL MALWARE FROM SYSTEMS, PREVENT TOTAL POWER GRID OVERLOAD.]

[SYSTEMS READY?]

[GO!]

[Beck could already FEEL the erratic power surges in the air as he materialized into the Power Plant, his systems taking a moment to readjust to charged atmosphere—it made him a little dizzy, honestly.]

Beck: Whoa...

[It passed after a few seconds, and soon he was making headway down the halls—]

[Zzzt!]

Beck: —WHA—!

[Darkness.]

Beck: I can't see—!

[He scrambles for his C.Visor, for the night vision function it had, of course, but as soon as he turned that on— ]

[The lights came back on again.]

Beck: (Gah—! Too bright—!)

[And once again, they shut OFF and ON, flickering randomly as the low fog in the facility crept around the Mighty Number—]

Beck: (Fog—indoors—?)

[His comm comes online.]

Soi: W...What's happening t-to the l-lights—??

[...There was a quivering fear in Soi's tone—for a moment, Beck was confused—

Then it hit him.

Dr. Sanda had a fear of the dark.]

Will: Soi—Soi, it's OK—

Soi: Beck—Beck, PLEASE be careful, youdon'tknowwhat'sinthere—!

Call: Relax, Dr. Sanda.

Call: It is a temporary blackout caused by the erratic power supply....

Call: It may also trigger irregularities in other robots on site. Proceed with due caution, Beck.

Beck: G-Got it... (Night vision's not gonna be really useful if the lights are going crazy like that...)

[Lifting his visor goggles back up to his helmet, he moves onwards, eventually encountering more malfunctioning robots—]

[...Except...]

Beck: ....Uh...

[...They weren't...moving...]

Beck: D...Dad...?

Will: —? They're Offline...

[There was no damage to be seen whatsoever—but they were sparking up rather harshly, and some of them even twitched here and there...]

Call: My scans indicate that they have been drained of all power.

Beck: (Dyna...) … (No point wasting energy on them—gotta keep moving...)

[He carefully makes his way over the Offline’d husks of robots—their cold, unlit optics making them seem lifeless and dead.]

[...And yet, Beck didn't think twice of it. Funny, given how easily he scares...]

Beck: (This is just like going through her part of the sewers—except less water, and less fog...)

Beck: (...and a LOT more creepy, at least—)

[BZZZZZZZT!]

Call: Warning—there is a power surge in your area--!

[The lights become MUCH brighter, and arcs of electricity jump from one row of lights to another, making very LOUD noises—]

[...Wait...the noises sounded like...]

[...Laughter?]

Beck: Ngh—!

[While his systems recover from the sudden outburst of energy, the electricity jumps from the lights—

...To the downed robots around him.

With a startling whirr of machinery, they rise, like puppets on strings, their eyes all glowing an ominous purple.

And in an instant, they all snap their heads toward Beck.]

Beck: AAAAAH—!

Soi: RUN!

[He didn't need to be told twice—he dashes out of there, the sounds of the horde of robots behind him. He manages to shoot some of them down, but there were just so many of them—]

Beck: —?!

[Suddenly, he had to put on the brakes.

A generator model was blocking his path—it was too high to jump over, and what was worse—

This bot was most DEFINITELY not offline.]

[ZZZZZZZT!]

[Beck was BLASTED by a high powered charge, one that raced across the ceiling and over his head—the other had traveled the floor and struck his legs, causing him to be blown back RIGHT into the robots that were chasing him.]

Beck: GGHT—!

[—Fortunately, this current did not stop at Beck, and proceeded to do the same to the rest of the malfunctioning constructs in the hall.]

Will: BECK—zzt—DO YOU R—zzt—ECK?!

Soi: DI—zzt—HE OVER—zzt-

Call: Be—zzt—respo—zzt—please res—zzt—

Beck: Gh—D—Da-

[ERROR: SYSTEM OVERLOAD, REROUTING POWER SUPPLY...]

Will: Hold on—zzt—your sys—zzt—try to—zzt—!

[REROUTING...]

Beck: Gnh...!

[The robots that were around him also had their systems overloaded, and the generator bot had closed up to recharge for another attack.]

[It was all a matter of who would recover first...]

[REROUTING...] [REROUTING...]

Beck: (Come on—!)

[PING!]

[SYSTEMS RESTORED.]

[And just in time—]

[BZZZZZZZT!]

[Beck had only a split second to react—he jumped, and quickly switched his form to Pyro's—he couldn't deal with the threats on either side of him with his default, so he had to rely on his brother's blast radius to quickly take out the constructs surrounding him.]

Beck: BACK OFF—!

[BOOM!]

[ZZZZRT!]

[And it worked! The robot's Xel Structures were now destabilized, giving Beck some much needed Absorption Boosts and a Xel Stock to save for later.]

[—PING!]

Soi: —Got it! Beck—Beck, do you read?

Beck: Yeah—I read!

[A sigh of relief came from the other side.]

Will: Goodness, that was tense—your communicator was malfunctioning, and we had a data loss—we concluded that you had a system overload...

Beck: Yeah—wasn't nice at all...

Will: Fortunately, your systems can reroute power surges--but it also leaves you open, so take care not to let it happen again.

Beck: Right...

[The lights begin to flicker once more as Beck continues, this time making sure to shoot the drained bots first, before they woke up...

It certainly made things a little easier, though the large generator bots were a pain to deal with. Huge, produced by CherryDyn, packed a punch and REALLY tough to take down—they usually blocked the way, so he had no choice but to absorb them and move on.

Eventually, however, after crossing over huge, glowing power lines, he comes across a door. After passing through it, it shuts behind him...

...And the lights shut off again.]

Soi: Nnngh—...

Will: Hold on, Soi— -sounds of rummaging-

Beck: ......

Beck: (...The lights aren't coming back on.... Better switch on Night Vision this time—)

[BWAAAAAN BWAAAAAN BWAAAAN BWAAAAAN—!!!]

Soi: AAAAAAAH—!!!

[A LOUD alarm suddenly goes off, red lights flashing everywhere, sending Beck into a slight panic—]

Beck: Wah—!

Beck: (WHAT'S HAPPENING—??)

[The lights are brought back on again—

And covering the entirety of the walls and ceiling were dozens and dozens of small, four legged robots, resembling—yes—spiders.]

Beck: EEP—!!

[The spider-like bots all chitter at once, a horrifying, low sound, and they all start to crawl...slowly...towards the Mighty Number.]

Beck: Ah—... nice s-spider bots...g-good spider bots...!

Soi: ohGodthey'regoingtoSWARMHIM—

Will: Sanda—get a hold of yourself!

Soi: —!

Will: —He's also locked inside—those robots have drained the power from the other door.

Will: Beck—destroy all robots in the area, you will need their Xel and energy to unlock the doors!

Beck: A...All of...?!

[The spiders closed in, the bulbs on their backs shining a dull cobalt—the ones that had gotten a few feet of Number Nine screeched and jumped on him—!]

Beck: ACK, NO, STOP—GET OFF—!

Beck: GETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFF—!!!

Will: Beck—focus—!

Beck: OW THEY'RE ON MY FACE DAD HELP—

Beck: THEY BITE HARD OWOWOW—

[PING!]

[MN.2] //: BRO!

Beck: —Cryo—!

[MN.2] //: They're smaller than you, Beck—FREEZE 'EM AND SMASH 'EM!

Beck: !!!

[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE]

[A flash of white fading to blue and a COLD blast of ice covers his own frame, trapping the spiders on him in ice. He wastes no time smashing them with his nozzle, absorbing the Xel from them one by one.]

[MN.2] //: YEAH BRO, THAT'S IT—!

[This process was repeated until the last spider bot was smashed, leaving Beck a little exhausted--did the spiders also drain his energy too...?]

[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[The door opened once the spiders that were siphoning it's power were gone, allowing him access to the deeper parts of the plant.]

[MN.1] //: ...There certainly is an eerie touch in here...

[MN.2] //: What do ya expect, it's DYNA, of course she'd make everything creepy, it's her thing.

[MN.2] //: Dude, remember the haunted house she was in charge of last Halloween, SOMEONE CALLED THE POLICE EVEN.

[MN.1] //: Someone got lost in there, Cryo—

[MN.2] //: E X A C T L Y.

[MN.2] //: Bro—PLEASE be careful, I dunno what kind of fragged up things she's thought of in her state...

[........]

Beck: . . .

[MN.2] //: ....Bro?

Beck: ......

Will: Beck—?

Beck: . . . .

Beck: . . . -AUDIBLE GULP-

Beck: I—I t-th-think I-I have a pretty g-good idea a-already...

Will: What are you--

Will: —?!

[The next room wasn't much better than the last.

Live, high powered cables were strung everywhere, like some kind of web, and hung up from the ceiling, in various, macabre positions were even MORE robots—

....not just the surrounding models in the area, but—were those civilian models too—?! ]

[MN.2] //: Holy SH—

[MN.1] //: What in the...?!

Beck: D...Dyna...

Will: No...!

Soi: -YUP, HE'S SHAKING NOW, WILL, HELP-

Call: ....

Call: Scanning...

Call: Beck, several of the robots overhead are showing signs of life.

Call: Please move though this area as quickly as possible.

Beck: . . . .

Beck: Wait—what about the civilians?!

Call: Beck—please move. Now.

Beck: But you said—!

Will: We can double back for them later, Beck! GO!

Beck: —Nngh—!

[Reluctantly, he dashes across the cable web, glancing every so often at the civilians he passed by—was it too late for them, or...?]

Call: Warning: Incoming Power Surge.

Beck: —!!

[The cables that surrounded him went live—and a familiar purple current surrounded them! The same kind that the spikes in the Oil Platform and Water Works had—!]

Call: Warning: These cables have been modified to disrupt Xel Structures.

[Dashing around all these death cables didn't seem to be the best idea at the moment—!]

Beck: Oh man—

[He stops dead in his tracks, the loud, buzzing electrical currents resounding in his audio receptors, WAY too close for comfort...]

Beck: O~O;;;;

[The way they were set up forced him to remain completely still-- one wrong move and he was as good as loose Xel.]

[Then...]

Beck: . . .

[SKRET—!]

Beck: what was that—

[He could HEAR something skittering in the darkness—what, he did NOT want to find out.]

[Suddenly, the currents to the cables stopped. Freedom! ]

Beck: (Gotta get outta here—!!)

[He dashed as fast as he possibly could, into down the corridor, and he was only halfway there—!]

Call: Warning: Incoming Power Surge—

Beck: (AGAIN?!)

[Once more, he stopped--the wires sparking to life, and whatever was hiding in the darkness once again made that awful grating noise—!]

Beck: Daaaaad—!

Will: —! Beck—it's a pattern! They shut on and off in intervals!

Beck: —! A pattern—

[Will was right—the wires turned on and off in exactly three second intervals—it didn't give him much time, but...! ]

Beck: (Wait three seconds, dash, wait three more, rinse and repeat...)

Beck: (And try not to be whatever is in the dark's lunch, WHAT IS THAT—)

[SKRET—!]

Beck: Nngaah—

[A tedious, twisted game of Red Light, Green Light—or Purple Light, in this case. Stop, dash, stop, dash—all while occasionally shooting behind him—it seemed to keep whatever creature that wanted his head well away from him—]

[But at last—! There was light! The door!]

Beck: (OH MAN, FINALLY—!) Just a few more—

[SCREEEEEEEEECH—!!]

[MN.2] //: WHAT THE FRAG IS THAT?!?

[MN.1] //: DOESN'T MATTER—RUN FOR IT—!

[The fast paced clacking of multiple feet is more than enough to spur Beck onto dashing the last few feet—and rolling through the door—]

[SCREEEEEEEECH—!!]

[The door slammed shut—and whatever was chasing Beck crashed into it, leaving a large dent—as Beck sat on the other side gasping for air, the creature kept screeching in rage and ramming itself against the door in an attempt to bust it open.]

Beck: Hah....hah....jeez...

[His core was cycling a mile a minutes, and it did take a few more moments for him to calm down once the creature stopped bashing itself on the door.]

Will: (What on EARTH was that...thing...?)

Will: Beck—are you alright?

Beck: Hah...yeah...for the...most part... still pretty scared...

[Collecting himself back to his feet, Number Nine leaned against a wall and sighed.

....Still no sign of Dyna. Oh, she was here, no doubt, but he sort of expected her to show up by now, maybe to taunt and frighten him...

...But nothing. Nothing at all.

...Which was weird, considering Dyna LIVED for that sort of thing—all in good fun, usually, but this...]

Beck: .....

Beck: Where are you, Sis...?

Beck: .....

Beck: (She's gotta be in the generators—if she's messing with the power supply, it has to be from there...)

Beck: Call—how far is the generator room from here?

Call: Calculating....

Call: The fastest route to the main generators is through the Turbine room.

Beck: T...Turbines...?

Call: Correct. You are in it now.

Beck: ....!

[He noticed a low humming noise in the background as he continued, and a soft rumbling under his feet—which only grew louder and louder until—]

Beck: Whoa—!

[The room opened up further to reveal the turbines in question—and they were BIG.]

Soi: Great Scott—look at the size of those turbines—! C-Careful you don't get sucked in, Beck—!

Beck: They ARE big—!

[So big that he wasn't even sure he could get PAST them. And what's worse, they had that SAME purple current of disrupting Xel frequencies--one touch and he was DONE for.]

Beck: How do I get past these things...?

[Flying over them would be one option—but he didn't have Avi's form. Blowing them up wouldn't be a good idea either—that would REALLY mess up the power grid...]

Beck: ....Mmmng...what to do...

[....! Wait a minute—]

[There was a very small space underneath them— but maybe big enough for him to crawl under? Wait, no, if he was too slow, they'd suck him up...]

Beck: .....

[But if he was fast enough...]

Will: ...Call, maybe you should recalculate another path, this seems to be—wait—Beck? What are you doing?

Beck: I'm gonna try something—

Will: Wait—what? What are you—?!

Beck: HERE GOES NOTHING—

[He dashed towards the turbine—!]

[MN.1] //: BECK?!

[MN.2] //: BRO NO WHAT ARE YOU DOING—

[His form...]

[...compresses...?]

Soi: —!!

[It looked like he was a little more squished when he did his dash—so much so that he was able to rapidly duck underneath the space between the turbine and the floor and slide out safely on the other side!]

Will: —?! (He was able to modify his own Absorption Dash?! But—that’s—!!)

Beck: —!!

Beck: ....

Beck: I'm not dead—!

[MN.2] //: BRO—THAT WAS SICK—!

[MN.1] //: NINE, DID YOU EVEN KNOW THAT WAS GOING TO WORK—?! -RANT- DON'T SCARE US LIKE THAT—

Beck: S-Sorry—

Beck: But we are kinda in a hurry—

Beck: Let's see...

[There were more turbines to duck under...]

Will: ......

Soi: Ngh—never thought Beck himself would be giving US such a scare, huh, Will....

Soi: ....—? Will?

Will: .......

Soi: Will?

Will: . . .

Soi: Will!

Will: —! Oh—hm?

Soi: Will—? You alright there...?

Will: Oh—yes. Yes. Fine. I'm fine.

Soi: .....

Will: .....

Soi: Will.

Will: ......

Will: I.... Later, Soi.

Soi: ......

Soi: OK, then...

Soi: ..... (But I can TELL when something is bothering you, Will...)

Will: Beck? Do you read?

Beck: Yup—! I'm at the last turbine—there's another room up ahead—and the air is getting pretty densely charged. Think I'm getting closer...

Beck: ...Whew! OK, that's it...

Beck: Heading into the room now...

[The door opens and shuts behind him again, and—yup, right on cue, the lights switch off.]

Beck: ......

Soi: ohnonotagain—

Beck: ......

[...Nothing.]

[Seconds pass.]

[Still nothing.]

Beck: .......

Beck: . . .

Beck: .....

[Alright, this was getting ridiculous—

He hasn't seen or heard her all this TIME and it was really starting to get to him—come on, he just wanted to HEAR HER—!]

Beck: DYNA—!

Beck: S I S!!

Beck: I KNOW YOU'RE IN HERE—!

[......]

[BWAAAAN BWAAAAAN BWAAAAN—]

Soi: -JUMPS AND SCREECHES—-

Beck: Ugh--!

[There was a loud THUMP at the other end of the comm—]

Will: Soi—!?

Soi: @~@

Call: ...Dr. Sanda?

Soi: Ngh—I—I mean—I'm fine—

Soi: I—It's not l-like I'm n-not afraid of the dark— at—at all...I—

Will: —...Call, please take Soi to the other room and give him some water—

Soi: N-No—!

Beck: —! Dr. Sanda—

Soi: I...

Soi: I can't just LEAVE Beck...

Soi: Horf...

Soi: ...I can do this I can do this—

Beck: —!

[Yup—spiders—and it looked like there are some generator bots to boot—!]

Soi: oH DEAR LORD THERE'S MORE—

[BZZzzzzzzZZZZZT!]

[KKSSSSSST—]

"ZZZZSILENCE!"

Beck: —!!!!

[MN.3] //: How am I zzsupposed to enjoy my meal—

[MN.3]//: WITH YOU ZZZSCREAMING IN MY EAR?!

Beck: (DYNA—!)

Soi: —Oh—oh I'm sorry I didn't—

[Beat—]

Soi: Wait—No. 3!

Soi: You were RIGHT, Will—she IS behind the power outages—!

[MN.3] //: Hehehehe...

[MN.3] //: That'zzz right, geniuszz—!~

[MN.3] //: ALL thiszz delicious energy....~

[MN.3] //: Who can REZZIST?!~

[MN.1] //: Dynatron—! PLEASE, stop this—!

[MN.3] //: Why should I?~ I don't have to liszzten to EVERYTHING you zzzsay anymore, big brother—! Not anymore! Heee!

[MN.2] //: Then MAYBE you'll listen to ME.

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

[MN.3] //: Big zzsis...?

[MN.2]//: ...Hi, sis.

[MN.3] //: -Confused...data...wait...-

[MN.3] //: What are you doing there? Shouldn't you be...?

[MN.2] //: Dyna, listen to me, baby sis—

[MN.2] //: You're not OK, and everything you're doing isn't your fault—

[MN.2] //: Just PLEASE stay put and let Beck do his thing, and everything will be OK, OK?

[MN.3] //: —?

[MN.3] //: But...we were just talking this morning—what happened...?

Beck: NGH—!

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

[Meanwhile, Beck was dealing with the hordes of robots that were locked in the room with him, using Cryo's form to smash the spiders, like before...]

[MN.3] //: .....!

[MN.3] //: You...

[MN.3] //: You took her POWER—!

[MN.2] //: SIS, NO, THAT'S—

[MN.3] //: AND NOW YOU WANT TO TAKE MINE?!

[MN.3] //: YOU—YOU TOOK IT—LIKE THE OTHER ONE—

[PING!]

[MN.9] //: THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M DOING—!

[MN.9] //: I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU, DYNA!!

[MN.3] //: ......

[MN.3] // ZZSave?

[MN.3] //: .......

[Wild, distorted, INSANE cackling.]

[MN.3] //: I'm not zzsome DAMZZAL IN DIZZTRESSZZ.

[MN.3] //: I don't NEED ZZSAVING—!

[MN.3] //: I have more power in my little PINKY than you do in all the ZZXels in your body—

[MN.3] //: I have everything I could EVER want right here...~

[MN.3]//: All the energy I could ever want! It's so MUCH... Mmmm, I could be here FOREVER...~~

[MN.9] //: DYNA!!

[MN.3] //: Ahahahahahaha!~~

[MN.3] //: All this POWER...I love it...!~

[MN.3] //: Hurry up, Becky--I REALLY want someone to SHARE it with--!~

[KSSSSST!]

Beck: SIS--!

[There was a HUGE static fuzz for a moment.]

Will: --??

Soi: Dyna?? But she just--

Beck: No, wait...

-PING!-

<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED. ENTRY: DLN-008. ENTRY: DLN-001. ERROR—CONNECTION TO MAIN SERVER FAILED.

Beck: Toby...!

<RMDC>: > CONNECTION FAILED—UNABLE TO UPDATE MAIN SERVER

<RMDC>: > COMPRESSING DATA FOR NEXT AVAILABLE CONNECTION…

Will: He must have sensed Dyna on the line... (...It's a good thing he's not awake right now, but...)

[MN.1] //: ....Dyna...no...

[MN.2] //: .....

[MN.2] //: Bro.

[MN.2] //: You know what you gotta do.

[MN.2] //: So this is NO time to be getting cold feet.

[MN.2] //: --....

[MN.1] //: Are you REALLY going to be PUNNING AT A TIME LIKE THIS--

[MN.2] //: THAT WAS UNINTENDED, I SWEAR.

[MN.2] //: POINT IS--

[MN.2] //: Don't let her GET to you, Beck. She might SEEM crazy, but she's IN there, somewhere.

[MN.2] //: YOU JUST GOTTA PUNCH THE CRAZY OUTTA HER, SO DON'T DIE, OK?!

Beck: ......

[MN.9] //: Punch the crazy out of her. Don't die. Yeah.

[MN.9] //: I can do that.

[MN.2] //: Cool beans, bro. Cool beans.

Call: ...Mighty No. 3 has been detected in the generator room up ahead. Warning: There are dangerous high levels of static and electrical discharge as well. We may lose our comm link with No. 9.

Will: I was afraid of that--the Patch bot should be just up ahead to heal you, Beck--you'll need it.

[Once the door had been unlocked, there was a long, suspended walkway with glass windows on the side--and beyond, a large window that showed the night sky, various stars twinkling at him...]

Beck: ....

Beck: (Hang on, Dyna...)

Beck: (I'll save you--!)

———————————

[The generator room lay ahead, and so did the Patch bot just waiting by the door. As soon as it delivered it's load, it flew off, leaving the Mighty Number to stand alone against his own sister.]

[He could already hear the cracks and sounds of pure electricity--]

[...Wait--]

[Was she...?]

"Mmm mmmm mmm I'm a thunderstorm in a bottle!~"

[His vision instantly fuzzed to static several times once he stepped inside, and inwardly groaned--the static buildup in the air was almost unbearable.]

[But once it did adjust, a familiar, harmonious voice rose in volume, now humming to some high tempo tune...]

[Bolts of lighting flashed and arched over the generator....]

[....And the Electric Maiden was dancing and twirling along with them.]

Dyna: Yeszzzz....Yeszzzz!~

[She spun gracefully in place, the power from the country's largest generator bouncing all over the room and right back into her, increasing her already pooled up power supply...]

Dyna: The power--zzzssso much deliciouszzz POWER!

[A high pitched, witch like laugh filled the supercharged atmosphere, and she swayed to some invisible tune that only she could hear in her forced madness.]

Dyna: Mmmm!~ It'szzz intoxicating--! I'm getting DIZZZZY! Ahahaha--

Dyna: WHEEEEEEE!

[Beck could only watch in growing fear as his elder sibling continued to siphon energy at an alarming rate--if this kept up, not only would she blow out the whole grid, but she could SERIOUSLY hurt herself too--!]

Beck: D...Dyna...?

Dyna: Hmmm?

[In an instant, all the electrical interference ceased as she snapped her head in his direction--glowing red eyes zeroing in on his frame.]

Dyna: Ooooh...

Dyna: Zzzo it'zzz you...!~

Beck: .....Yeah. It's me.

Dyna: You came here a lot quicker than I thought! Bravo, baby brother.~

Beck: ........

Beck: I don't want to fight you, Dyna.

Beck: I don't want to HURT you.

Dyna: Awwwwww.~~

Dyna: But why ELSE are you here, hmm?~~

Beck: I'm here to--

[C R A C K !]

Beck: WHOA--!

[A lighting bolt narrowly misses his side, her bits already floating around the room, sparking and crackling with energy.]

Dyna: I'll tell you why, INSECT!~

Dyna: You've come for MY POWER. YOU WANT TO TAKE IT FROM ME!

Beck: NO!

Beck: I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU, DYNA! PLEASE--YOU CAN F I G H T THIS!

Beck: You just gotta hold on until--

[C R A C K!]

[Another bolt, flying over his head--it bounces around the room through the bits that floated about, and returned to Dyna herself.]

Dyna: 'ZZZSave' me....HA!

[SCANNING.....]

[SCAN COMPLETE.]

[E N C O U N T E R.]

[MODEL: MIGHTY NO. 3 - CODENAME: DYNATRON]

[HEIGHT: 191cm WEIGHT: 91kg XEL COUNT: 18,200,000]

Dyna: WELL, WE'LL JUST ZZZEE ABOUT THAT!~

[Dynatron--out of all of her siblings, she was rather unique, in combat terms. She, too, was also built for a support role--but her powers were good for most types of combat, especially in the 'zoning game.' ]

[Her bits flew out from her cloak in groups of six, controlled by her mastery of electromagnetism, in a perfect circle around her...]

Dyna: You'll NEVER take my power...! I WON'T LET YOU!

[With a wave of her claws, they formed into a semi circle--and launched outwards!]

Beck: --!!

[Beck had enough spars against her to know what they did--if they managed to stick to him, they would either start to drain his energy, or overload his systems...!]

[A quick jump backwards and he avoided them, and they ended up sticking to the floor instead.]

Beck: I'm sorry, Dyna...!

[He raised his arm cannon--]

[BLAM--]

Beck: --?!

[--But all his shots met were even more bits, thrown into his line of fire.]

Dyna: Did you REALLY think your PEASHOOTER would do anything againszzt ME?

Beck: Ngh--!

[He thought about what forms he had at the moment--going into Cryo's was out of the question, and using Pyro's could damage the generators...

He had no choice--his default was his best bet against her. He just had make sure every shot made its mark--]

Dyna: Ooooh, Beeeeckyyyy!~~

Beck: Gah--

[Lighting danced around them--Beck was sure he was going to throw up, or at least FELT like it, and for a moment he couldn't see--]

Beck: Ack--!

[T H U N K]

[He felt something WHAM into his back, something slightly heavy, and very warm--]

Beck: --!!!!

Dyna: AHAHAHA!~

[The purple bit glowed an ominous light blue, securing itself upon Beck's back like glue. It hummed as it awaited a command--]

Beck: (Oh nonononono NONONONO--)

Dyna: Now then--!~

Dyna: LET'ZZZ SZZEE HOW WELL YOU CONDUCT!~~

[The horns on her head start to spark-- ]

Beck: (GOTTA GET THIS OFF--!!)

[He struggled and ran back and forth, his hands finding purchase on the glowing bit--pulling--YANKING--]

[BZZ BZZ--]

Beck: (CAN'T--!)

[BZZZZ BZZZZZ--]

Beck: DYNA--!!

[There was only one other way to get it off--]

[B L A M!]

Dyna: --?!?

[Electricity CRACKS, splits, and jumps from bit to bit, like a giant version of a closed circuit--anything close to or touching them would have IMMEDIATELY been fried to a crisp...]

Dyna: What—?

[....But...]

[Sssss...]

[The bit that had attached itself to Beck was now just a smoking mess of Xel, already reverting back to a gooy form--]

Beck: Ghnnn--!

[And yet--]

[Beck was on his knees, BLASTING signals of pain that ran over his back--couldn't--ah--hurts-- hurts--!]

Beck: (AAAAOW, that hurts so much, I had no idea my cannon shots DID that--OW--)

Beck: (it hurts it hurts where--need--Xel Stock--!)

Dyna: .......

[This was the perfect time to attack.]

[BZZZZZ....]

[....bzzzz...]

Dyna: --?

[....But why couldn't she...?]

Dyna: -confused data-

Beck: Hurts--where--

Dyna: ????

[This was supposed to be fun, wasn't it?]

Dyna: Becky...?

[Worry. Power. Guilt. Power. Destroy--]

Dyna: Nnn--

[Brother--]

Dyna: -ZZZZZZT!!-

Dyna: Head--can't--

Dyna: -ZZZZZZZZT--

[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 2...]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[A faint glow, and a sigh of relief--though it didn't last long, as Beck was soon BOMBARDED with electrical interference.]

Beck: --?!?

[But this time, he wasn't the only one feeling disorientated.]

Dyna: -ZZZZZZZZZZT!!-

Dyna: Can't...think--

Dyna: Hurts--

Beck: --!

Dyna: Ngh--power--so much--need--need--

Dyna: T--

Dyna: T--To...

Beck: --!!

Beck: (Is she--?!)

Dyna: He--T--Hel--!

Beck: Don't worry, Dyna--!

Beck: Just HOLD ON--!

[BLAM BLAM--!]

Dyna: --!!!

[A flurry of golden steaks strike the Maiden, and she wobbles--gasping--her mind snapping to a blank state of bewilderment.]

Dyna: M-My--power--!

[ACXELERATE DASH: ONLINE.]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[She blinks--her sparks fading, the glow from her bits becoming dimmer and dimmer...]

Dyna: N--No--...!

[Several more bits are thrown, wildly, and they stick to every available wall, forcing Beck to shoot the oncoming threats to give him space to move around.]

Dyna: You--

[BzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZT--]

Dyna: YOU--!!

[ C R A C K!]

Dyna: THERE'S NO ESCAPE--!

[BZZZZZZZZZZT!!!]

[WRRRRRRRRRRRR--!]

[WARNING: GENERATOR REACHING CRITICAL POWER LEVELS.]

Beck: Oh no--!

[Zzzt!]

Beck: Dad--DAD--Call?!

[KSSSST.]

Beck: (Ugh, too much interference--!)

[He rolled away to avoid another high powered 'electric web'--it was a good thing the bits burnt up and faded away once they were used--they were usually single use. However, to make up for it, Dyna had the ability to summon as many as she pleased.]

Dyna: HOLD ZZZZSTILL--!

Beck: NOT GONNA HAPPEN--!

[BLAM BLAM BLAM!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[B L A M--]

Dyna: ?!?!

[Then--]

Dyna: . . . .

Dyna: -SYSTEM SHRIEK OF R A G E.-

Dyna: YOU--!!

Beck: --!!

Beck: --Oh--

[Beck made a VERY big mistake. Or rather, he didn't quite AIM right.]

Beck: Dyna--uh--Dyna--I--

Dyna: THISZZZ--

Dyna: THISZZZ WAS MY FAVORITE CLOAK AND YOU--!!

Dyna: YOU R U I N E D IT!

[C R A C K!!! ]

Dyna: Annoying little mozzzquito--!

Beck: --?!?

[Suddenly, he felt--lighter--and lighter where did the GROUND GO--?!]

Dyna: TIME TO MEET THE BIG BUG ZZZZAPPER IN THE ZZZSKY!~~

[Her bits are called back to her, and now they encircle her form with a grandiose sweep of her arm. Her grin widens, so wide that it looked like it would split her face--]

[A snap of her talons--]

[BZZZZZZZZZT!]

Beck: ---!!

[The bits flash three times, spark, and a line of yellow lighting connects them all...!]

Beck: A--A shield--?!

Dyna: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[She LUNGES, the action just as fast as the lightning around her, her shield acting as a RAM--the shock sends Beck's systems into overload, and also spiraling out of control--!]

Beck: AaaAaaAaaaAaaAAA---

[The wall comes up fast, his head is spinning with interference and dizziness...]

Beck: (Can't tell--up--down--Dyna--where--?)

[There are no more words from the Maiden--only maniacal giggles and banshee-like shrieks, dancing across the air erratically. There were more bits around her--]

[All aimed right at Nine.]

Beck: (Generator--on the right--so--)

Beck: --!!

[BBZZZZZZZT--!]

[.......]

[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE.]

[The sound of ICE forming--]

[The walls frost--]

[THUNK--!]

[An ice wall now stands between Beck and Dyna, her bits sending it's deathly currents across it--while Beck himself shook behind it, his eyes closed, nozzle arm shaking and misting in front of him.]

Beck: . . . .

Beck: .....????

Beck: I...

Beck: I did it??

[Cryo's form--it was the most DIFFICULT form to control, due to his own sister's...untamed nature. It always somehow malfunctioned on him, and therefore he never quite used it often.]

[But now...!]

Beck: (--I can USE this--I just have to--)

Dyna: SCREEEEEEE--

Beck: --NGH--!

[He winced from the feedback of that screech of anger--but it helped him get an idea where she was, at least. Since gravity no longer applied...]

[Maybe he can use that to his advantage--like an astronaut--!]

Beck: (Here goes--!)

[He kicked off the wall, and sped upwards--up and over the wall, to the ceiling--]

Dyna: BZZZZZZZT--

Beck: DYNA! OVER HERE!

[As soon as Dyna turned her attention to her little brother, he PELTED her shield with large chunk balls of ice, one after another, in rapid succession--!]

[At first, they seemed to bounce right off--]

[zzZZT!]

Dyna: --!

[But then one of the ice balls knocks out one of her bits--her shield flickers for a few split seconds--!]

Beck: Yes--!

[...Before the current then jumps to the next available bit, the shield containing 5 instead of 6--]

Beck: OH COME ON--

[--Of course, her bits acted like a circuit--if one fails, the current redirects to the next available source.]

Beck: (I'll have to take them out one by one--!)

[Easier said than done--Dyna kept moving around the room, hissing and screaming, determined to put an END to the little mosquito that DARED to challenge her--!]

[4 bits now--]

Dyna: -BZZZZZZZ--

[3...!]

Beck: Come on--

[ZZZT!]

[....Or not.]

[Once the third bit fell, the current couldn't be sustained by just two.]

Dyna: -BZZZT??!?-

Beck: ( THERE! NOW!)

[BLAM!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[BLAM--!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[BLAM--!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[XEL QUOTA REACHED.]

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

Dyna: HISSSSS--!

Beck: I GOT YOU, DYNA--!

[His arms glow green as he jumps from the corner of the room, vaulting himself into a final dash--]

[...Arms...outstretched--]

[Catching her in an embrace.]

[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]

Dyna: !!!!

[Her Xels, tainted with the sick, purple hue of infected virus, slowly draw out to become a faint, light green--......]

[......]

"I zzzeeeee youuuu!~"

"A-Ack--! D-Dyna!"

"Awwww, did I zzzscare you?~"

"N-No! You just--came out of nowhere--"

"That waszzz the point!~ Heehee!"

"I...I don't get it..."

"Awwwww, you're sszzzo CUTE when you're confuszzed--!~ That'szz it, I can't help it, COME HERE--"

"Wha--??"

"You're zzso ZZSOOO CUTE, you have no idea--!~"

"Uh--..."

"What are you--doing?"

"Mmm?~ Oh, right--you're NEW at thiszz, heehee! It'szz called a hug, Becky!"

"Hug...?"

"HmmMm! Hug. They make EVERYTHING better.~"

"....Huh...really?"

"Oh, truszzt me, they do!~ Zzsee?"

[.......]

".....Oh..."

"Yeah...I guess you're right, Big Sis...!"

[Zzzzzzzt....]

[ZZT!]

[THUNK--]

[GENERATOR POWER HAS HAVE LEFT CRITICAL LEVELS. RETURNING NORMAL POWER FLOW TO GRID... ]

"I do feel better!"

[The sudden drop back to the ground was accompanied by the gentle hums of the generator. The lights flicker here and there, but it was only from the damage from the fight.]

Beck: ........

[XEL PURGE COMPLETE.]

Dyna: -Bzzzz...-

[ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MN.3.]

Dyna: . . .

Dyna: Gh...

Dyna: H...Huh...?

Beck: Dyna...!

Dyna: ....B...Becky...?

Dyna: Wha....what...ow...--

Beck: Nono--don't try to get up, you're really damaged...

Dyna: ....Where...

Dyna: Where's my poncho...?

Beck: ....Uh.

Beck: It's around here somewhere I'll--find it, in a bit--

Dyna: I--...

[.....She paused, and blinked. Several times.]

Dyna: . . . . .

Dyna: I....

Beck: --?

Beck: Dyna?

Dyna: There was...I...Toby....I called for...

Beck: --?!

Beck: (Wait....)

Beck: (She...remembers that--?!)

Dyna: P...Power...I was...hungry....

Dyna: . . . .

Dyna: Beck...you.... zzsaved me.

[The interference was slowly starting to die down, now that the power levels had returned to normal. Even that was noticeable interference—as a generator makes quite a bit of power.]

[However, it wasn’t too long before…]

-PING!-

Beck: --!

Dyna: ....?

<RMDC>: > PROCESSING NEW DATA…

<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED. ENTRY: DLN-008. ENTRY: DLN-001.

<RMDC>: > ERROR—CONNECTION TO MAIN SERVER FAILED.

<RMDC>: > CONNECTION FAILED—UNABLE TO UPDATE MAIN SERVER

<RMDC>: > ERROR—DLN-008 IS OFFLINE. CONNECTION FAILED.

<RMDC>: > COMPRESSING DATA FOR NEXT AVAILABLE CONNECTION…

Dyna: T...Toby...

Beck: .........

Dyna: I'm sorry, Toby...

Dyna: I...so tired...

Beck: .....

Beck: It's OK, Dyna... You're OK now...

[KSSSSSST!]

Call: --Reestablished. Mighty No. 9, do you copy?

Beck: .....Yeah. I copy.

Beck: ...I got her. I got Dyna--she's OK now.

[PING! PING!]

[MN.2] //: SIS!

[MN.1] Dyna...?

[MN.3] //: Nnn....tired...

Will: (Oh thank the heavens, she's safe--) Beck, she's low on power--Call, we need to get her here right now.

Soi: Please--

Call: Preparing Xel Transfer...

[MN.3] //: D...Daddy...?

Will: There, there, now--it's alright, you'll be home soon...

[MN.3] //: But...I...

Will: Just rest, Dynatron. I promise everything will be alright...

Beck: Whew....

Beck: (Jeez, now that she's mentioned it, I feel...BEAT...)

Call: Initiating Xel Transfer….

[SANDA LABS….]

[Both sister and brother safely made the trip back to California–worn and worse for wear, but alive.]

Will: –!!!

[MN.3 AND MN.9 HAVE ENTERED DEEP SLEEP MODE.]

[There were two, simultaneous thuds against metal flooring. Both Dynatron and Beck has collapsed in sheer exhaustion, unable to find the energy to keep themselves online.]

Cryo: AAAAAH–

Will: It’s fine! It’s fine, they’ve just fainted–Sanda, prepare the med bay–Pyro, help your sister, Cryo, Call, you grab Beck–

Call: Right away, Dr. White.

[The external branch of the RMDC kept going nuts, trying over and over—and failing, over and over—to update the main server.]

Will: Sanda, you go to work on Beck, I’ll handle Dyna–

Soi: Got it–

Will: We need two full canisters in case we need Xel Transfusions–Cryo, go into Dyna’s room and bring back all the power containers you can find–

Cryo: I’M ON IT–

Pyro: What can I do?

Will: Calm Dyna down once she awakens–she’ll need it.

Call: I am detecting activity in the RMDC database, Doctors–the server is attempting to update.

Will: (That…that would probably be the cross references attempting to connect–and him…)

Will: We can’t do anything about it now–transfer all of Beck’s assimilation data to my terminal while we repair, alright?

Call: Yes, Dr. White.

Will: (Three samples–plus the one from Mikhail and his server…)

Will: (I just hope that will be enough…!)

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

=CHAPTER 1D: RAGING FLAMES SMOLDER=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

{Titus That Evening}

[Thud.]

[A very tired and emotionally exhausted Nine hauls himself up into bed—no longer worse for wear, but one could not say the same for his troubled mind.]

[Ping.]

[MN.2-3, 5-7 HAVE BLOCKED MN.9. ERROR: MN.4 AND MN.8 SIGNALS NOT FOUND.]

Beck: -Groans-

Beck: Guys...

Beck: Where ARE you--?

[Of course, they wouldn't answer. Beck had been trying, constantly, in his spare time to at least reach someone.]

[Ping.]

[ERROR: RMDC NOT RESPONDING. UNABLE TO MAKE COMM LINE CONNECT.]

[Anyone...]

[Ping.]

[ERROR: DLN-000 SIGNAL NOT FOUND.]

[Ping.]

[ERROR: Ø SIGNAL NOT FOUND.]

[But he was met with errors and silence.]

Beck: ....

[He had to try--he had to keep trying--]

[He just couldn't sleep in this dreadful silence--he was so used to falling asleep to the chatter of his louder siblings in the house, he just couldn't...]

Beck: (Why...)

Beck: (Why ME?)

Beck: (This would have been so much...easier, if at least one of you guys stayed here--at least Pyro is back now, but that was...)

Beck: (Oh, please, please, I just want some help--!)

[But try as he might, and for a good while too, he got nothing. The fact that Avi was probably still sitting on the airwaves didn't make this any easier, either...]

Beck: ....

[With a final sigh of defeat, Beck crawls off of his blankets to dig into his backpack.]

[He then pulls out a smart phone--which was of course corrupted with the virus as soon as he clicks the button on the side. Ugh.]

Beck: -Displeased, go away.-

[A flash of green XelFilter later, and the phone was back to normal.]

Beck: ...

[He flips through the contacts list. He knew that Avi would make sure the phones wouldn't work, at least while they were infected like this...]

[But, he had the power to just fix it, so--something so small...Avi wouldn't notice, right?]

Beck: (...It's worth a shot...)

[CALLING...]

———————

{Kansas City}

[Cardinal wiped off some Xel that had splattered on him, sighing about the damage to the artifacts.]

Cardinal: (Those were historically significant baseballs, I hope they can—)

[His phone went off rather loudly, startling him.]

Cardinal: !!! Again?

“Everything alright in there?”

Cardinal: Yeah, Drake! I’m finished in here! Just give me a moment, someone’s calling!

[Drake opened the door, stepping in cautiously with some museum staff behind him.]

Drake: At this hour? Who is it?

Cardinal: -Looks at his phone- …

Cardinal: !!! Beck?!

Drake: Wait, what—? Like, the Mighty Numbers—

Cardinal: Shhh!

[He put the call on speaker.]

Cardinal: Beck? Is that you?

—————————

{Titus}

Beck: —!!!

Beck: CARDS—!

Beck: Oh my gosh oh my gosh—it worked—!!

[His sudden yelling obviously gets the attention of Pyrogen—who was resting in his own room at the time. Beck's door opens and the Mighty Number looks ready to tackle someone—]

Pyro: —??

Beck: -Puts his finger to his mouth, SHHHHH-

Beck: -Data, it's Cardinal—!-

Pyro: —!!

[PING—!]

Beck: -Leans back into the phone while Pyro calls the others-

Beck: Cards—gosh, it is so good to hear your voice, oh man—

Beck: I didn't think—Didn't—

Beck: -WEEEH-

Beck: -Caaaaards-

[There's some yelling somewhere in the building.]

“Uhh…?"

[He sounded confused.]

"It's… good to hear from you too? Uh…."

[A pause.]

“What’s with the shouting? Are you alright?”

Beck: Yeah—I mean—yeah—

Beck: Just—are YOU okay?!

Beck: Y-You just left and everyone's wondering where you went to and it's just been—nuts—not even nuts, just completely insane—hnn...

Beck: I was—still—really worried since everything is...

Beck: -We are just so relieved to hear you, SNIFF-

Pyro: (Cardinal...)

“I’m fine, but—”

[There was noise in the background, as if other people were whispering.]

“Beck, how did you get through to me? I tried calling earlier and didn’t get an answer!”

Beck: Well—I fixed this phone and I thought, since it wasn't infected...I'd try calling you...

Beck: The database is down, and—wh—

Beck: Call, wait, give it back—

Call: This call is now on speaker, DLN-000.

“Okay…?”

Call: This unit requests that you confirm who exactly you called.

Call: This information may be vital.

———————————

{Kansas City}

[Cardinal pulled the phone away for a moment to stare at it in exasperation.]

Cardinal: -Mildly annoyed at the redundancy of the question- I called Shade, of course.

Drake: Shade? You called Countershade?

Cardinal: -Looks up, smirking slightly- Told you you wouldn’t believe me.

Cardinal: -Returns his attention to his phone, grin fading- I know you guys must be terribly busy, but seriously! I really did need some help, at the time. How are things holding up on your end?

[Before Beck could answer, Pyro’s voice came through.]

“Cardinal…? Where are you?”

Cardinal: -Looks around the room- …

[He was suddenly wary.]

Cardinal: …Where I need to be right now. Why…?

Cardinal: What’s going on here?

——————————————

{Titus}

“Where’s Shade?”

Beck: -Hnk...-

Pyro: . . .

“Where is he?! This isn't a game, guys—I really could use his help!”

[...No one answered, for a while.]

Beck: C...Cards...

Beck: Cards...y-you were there...

Beck: Didn't...didn't you see?

“What are you TALKING about?”

Call: Statement: DLN-000 was present during the initial outbreak.

“Uh, yeah? I somehow ended up in—…the place where I am now… and have been fighting crazy people since then. What are you getting at?”

Call: …

Call: Inquiry: what is the last thing you remember prior to the current national crisis?

“National? Are you telling me that this isn't isolated?”

Beck: Didn't… didn't you hear the news broadcasts…?

“I was a bit busy, Beck—”

Call: Statement: DLN-000 needs to answer the question.

“Mnn. …We had pancakes—”

Pyro: (What…?!)

Beck: B-but that was yesterday—!

“What?”

Pyro: -A bit incredulous, but also very concerned- Cardinal, are you alright…? You… you aren't… ill, are you?

“What?! No, of COURSE not!”

Pyro: Are you sure—? Memory loss is—

“-Interrupting- Is the standard side effect of a Stop error. Just spit it out, already, guys—where is he?! I don't have all evening!”

Call: Statment: the location of Mighty No. 8 is currently unknown.

“Ugh, of COURSE, he must be working… I'll have to catch up with him after I'm done here…”

Call: Clarification: the locations of Mighty Numbers 2-8 have not yet been determined.

“Excuse me?”

Beck: I...

Beck: They...

Beck: Th...They got infected, Cards—

[Silence.]

Beck: You… y-you were shouting about… not leaving him behind…

Beck: D-don’t you remember…?

[More silence.]

“H-hey, Cardinal—you alright there?”

———————————————

{Kansas City}

>KEY WORD IDENTIFIED: INFECTED

>CROSS-REFERENCES IDENTIFIED: VIRUS, GREATER DUSK, 04.04.2016T MEMORY DATA

-=-=-=-=-

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

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

-=-=-=-=-

>PROCESSING…

[Cardinal had sat down rather suddenly, his mind reeling.]

Drake: Talk to me, man—

[Cardinal said nothing, his sense of the present fading into a sea of analytics.]

>PROCESSING…

[His mind was swimming with facts and statistics.]

[A national crisis of crazed robots—of violence like the Queen's Finals. A virus. The world had a large percentage of robotic persons. Robots took up a large percentage of the work force, especially when it came to industry. And it wasn't just industry—there were black-ops covert organizations as well.

Because Industrials, Civvies, and even entertainment-focused Combat 'bots aside… there was an ENTIRE organization of assassins to account for…]

>FUNCTIONAL PLACEHOLDER DATA: +500,000 THREAT LEVEL BLUE SUB-VARIABLES, DENSELY CONCENTRATED IN MAJOR CITIES

Cardinal: !!!

[His eyes suddenly FLARED bright green in alarm.]

Drake: Are you okay?

Cardinal: -Shakes his head, staring off into the distance with a haunted expression-

[He was drowning, drowning in data. Dark, grim facts.

This timeline had an outwardly crippled military, which didn't have the numbers for small-scale counterstrikes. Civilians were at risk.

Civilians were at risk—!]

>WARNING! WARNING! PRIORITY ALPHA MISSION RECOGNIZED!

>GENERATING CODE RED CONTINGENCIES…

[With something like this… something that they weren't prepared for on a psychosociological level…

…It was manageable NOW, but—! If someone launched a large-scale attack, the casualties would SKYROCKET…!]

Cardinal: (No… no…!)

[Memories. Distant memories.]

-=-=-=-=-

“....that doesn't make us immune to viruses.”

-=-=-=-=-

[The Mighty Numbers were not immune to viruses. All of the Mighty Numbers had been infected. He'd already been running a Code Red contingency.

He'd been THERE when they were infected, when everyone was infected, and it was a Code Red contingency.

They were ALL infected.]

((Pic: Avi w/stats and abilities listed))

>CODE RED THREAT IDENTIFIED: MNN-006 >ESTIMATED PRIMARY CASUALTIES: 5,000,000 - 19,500,000+ >ESTIMATED SECONDARY CASUALTIES: 10,500,000+

[All of them.]

((Pic: Bat w/stats and abilities listed))

>CODE RED THREAT IDENTIFIED: MNN-005 >ESTIMATED PRIMARY CASUALTIES: 8,500,000 - 40,000,000+ >ESTIMATED SECONDARY CASUALTIES: 150,000,000+

“C-Cardinal?”

[Help. Help. He needed help, before it all turned into another Monstropolis!]

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > -WARNING! PRIORITY ALPHA CODE RED CONTINGENCY ACTIVATED!-

[His systems screamed an S.O.S., but there was no response. The RMDC was disconnected, and Shade wasn't answering.

But of course he wouldn't, would he?

Because HE'D been infected, too.

What if he…!?]

>INSERT VARIABLES: MNN-008, VIRUS, CODE RED: PRIORITY ALPHA >PROCESSING…

Cardinal: (N-NO!)

>ERROR - ANALYSIS DATA CONFLICTS WITH PRIMAL ANALYSIS NEXUS ON FILE FOR VARIABLE: MNN-008

Cardinal: (Shade—Shade could NEVER do something like this—!)

Cardinal: (N-not—!)

Cardinal: (NOT THIS—!)

[Except Shade wasn't himself anymore, was he?]

-=-=-=-=-

“Don’t fight the person: fight the parasite.”

-=-=-=-=-

[And what would happen if a hostile parasite had access to Shade's capabilities?]

>COMPREHENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF SECURITY, CYBERSECURITY, AND SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS (COMPLETELY DISABLED SECURITY SYSTEMS FOR HEADQUARTERS OF GLOBAL MANUFACTURER) >COMPREHENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF ADVANCED AND RESTRICTED WEAPONRY (OPERATED SHOULDER LAUNCHER WITHOUT INSTRUCTIONS) >ACCESS TO WHOLESALE SUPPLY OF MILITARY GRADE WEAPONS TECHNOLOGY (MULTIPLE CASES OF OBTAINING CUSTOMIZED HIDDEN WEAPONRY TO PROVIDE TO UNAUTHORIZED INDIVIDUALS) >PROFESSIONAL GRADE FIREPOWER (ESTIMATED MAXIMUM RANGE: 1.8 MILES) >ABOVE-SUPERIOR MILITARY GRADE STEALTH TECHNOLOGY: ONLY ONE KNOWN NON-LUCK BASED METHOD OF DETERMINING LOCATION — SCENT

[There was no avoiding it.

With Shade's abilities? There really weren't any LIMITS to what he COULD do.]

>WARNING! PRIORITY THREAT IDENTIFIED!

((Pic: Shade "RADAR" w/stats and abilities listed))

>CONTINGENCY 1: AIR FORCE BASE >CONTINGENCY 2: NAVY YARD >CONTINGENCY 3: ARMY RESEARCH FACILITY >CONTINGENCY 4: BIOCHEMICAL WARFARE >CONTINGENCY 5: NATIONWIDE BLACKOUT (INCLUDING BACKUP GENERATORS) >CONTINGENCY 6…

[He could see it now, in the full potential—he could see what would happen if someone like Shade managed to strike in just the right place.]

[The final results of the analyses that filled every aspect of his Awareness showed a domino effect created by the United States essentially vanishing as a military and economic power, which led to a truly global nightmare.]

>ESTIMATED PRIMARY CASUALTIES: 1 - 40,000,000+ >ESTIMATED SECONDARY CASUALTIES: 290,000,000 - 330,000,000+ >ESTIMATED TERTIARY CASUALTIES: 2,920,000,000 - 4,120,000,000+ >ESTIMATED QUATERNARY CASUALTIES: 1,000,000,000 - 3,000,000,000+

[After falling from power, there would be a cascade of economic collapse that spread throughout Europe, Asia, and South America—followed by violent civil wars in some places, and power grabs in others from highly brutal, totalitarian forces that were no longer held in check by the functional presence of a benevolent superpower that enabled the continued existence of other benevolent world powers….]

>ROOT CONTINGENCY COMPLETED. INCIDENT CODE: “SECOND MONSTROPOLIS”

[He could barely think. What was he going to do?! He was built to fight tanks, not to combat a literal plague of violence!]

>PROCESSING…

——————————

{Titus}

[The silence was really starting to become… worrying.]

Beck: C...Cards?

Pyro: . . .

Beck: Cards—

Beck: Please don't hang up, please—say something—

[Something seemed to click.]

“Pyro—? If everyone got infected—if the WHOLE FAMILY—then—”

[There was as much confusion as anguish in his voice.]

“How are you—? How are you here? Why?”

Pyro: .....

Pyro: I...

[There was a tremble in Pyro's otherwise strong tone.]

Pyro: -Turns his head away-

Pyro: I'm here now, yes...

Pyro: But I...I, too, was... ill...

Pyro: And I would still be, if not for you, Beck...

Beck: -Big bro...-

Pyro: He saved me, Cardinal.

Pyro: …it was… not easy…

Pyro: …but here I stand.

“S-saved?”

Call: If I may.

[There were no objections from the other end of the line, at least.]

Call: Unit Mighty No. 9 is immune to all manner of malware due to his XelFilter program.

Call: This allows him to purge any Xel absorbed and correct--purge--any sort of irregular coding and malware found.

Call: As it was recently discovered, Beck can use his XelFilter program on other infected units to restore them to their original selves.

Call: As of this morning, Beck has successfully retrieved unit Mighty No. 1 from an oil field refinery, and purged him of all harmful malware.

——————————

{Kansas City}

[There was a pause as Cardinal took this in.]

>INSERT VARIABLES: MNN-009 VIRAL PURGE >CONTINGENCY PARAMETERS: SUCCESS RATE OF 100%

>PROCESSING…

[Time. There was still time to fix this. They had a WAY to fix it; and if they could do this fast ENOUGH, then…]

Cardinal: Th-then…

[If they could act fast enough, and handle the main threats, then people would be able to hold together. To do so long enough that they could isolate and purge the virus.

They would have to act FAST, but if there WAS a cure, then…

Light.

There was light in the midst of this despair.]

——————————

{Titus}

“Then there IS hope…”

Beck: -Suddenly- Of course—!

Beck: I just couldn't—there's no one else, there WAS no one else—

Beck: I know it wasn't—not their fault, I had to do SOMETHING—

Beck: I swear—I'm gonna save them, I swear—!

Pyro: Beck—

Beck: He needs to know!

Beck: "He needs to know I'm not going to... I won't, I won't..."

Beck: I p r o m i s e...

[A pause.]

“-Sounds distracted- Do you know where the others are?”

Beck: I...

[A very long sigh.]

Beck: ...no...

——————————

{Kansas City}

"B-But—! We're looking for them! Call is doing everything she can—"

Cardinal: (Of course… I should have known as much. Still…)

Cardinal: -Speaking aloud again- You… you WILL be able to find them, though, right…?

[Ping!]

"This unit will not enter Sleep Mode until all MN units are found."

"—…Uh, Call—"

"Opinion: Sleep is overrated."

Cardinal: -Twitches a smile- I thought Beck said you didn't sleep to begin with, but…. Thanks, that's… encouraging?

"Affirmative."

" W-What she means is that she'll—she'll find them! We found Pyro really quick, so it's only a matter of time—!"

"That is true..."

"And--and once we do, then—"

"You can come see them, right—?"

Cardinal: Of course I will, Beck.

[He heaved a sigh.]

Cardinal: Assuming I make it out of this in one piece, anyway.

"H-huh…?"

"-Concerned- Are you injured?"

Cardinal: -Snorts- Wrong question to ask someone with a fatal coding error. You know that.

"Statement: DLN-000 possesses all the chemical components involved in the medical research oriented at providing treatment for said ongoing problems. Upon return to Sanda Enterprises—"

[Something seemed to click for Cardinal, and he gave a grim expression.]

Cardinal: Guys…

——————————

{Titus}

“…I’m not leaving.”

Pyro: What?

Beck: —Pyro, don't break it—!

Pyro: -Flares- This city and still COUNTLESS others are overrun with crazed bots, Cardinal! You can't STAY out there!

Pyro: Not only do we need you, your FAMILY needs you—we haven't had contact with them since Avi took over the waves again!

Beck: Pyro—! -Don't TELL him that—!-

Pyro: -He will find out anyway—-

“I tried contacting the RMDC earlier, and that was down as well. The fact that you hadn’t traced my call and teleported me out yet already told me that it is still down, or Mikhail would have done so already. If anyone else were missing, you would have mentioned that. This tells me that everyone else is currently safe. I fully trust the others to be able to keep it that way.”

Pyro: None of us knows that for certain!

Pyro: You need to come HOME, NOW, you have a duty to uphold as the head of—

[This was a poor choice of words.]

“-Angry, VERY angry due to being DEEPLY insulted- Don’t you lecture a soldier on duty, Pyrogen A. White. I have damn good reason to continue my mission, and you’d do best to not belittle my motives! My family is safe, and my duty is elsewhere!”

Pyro: -Flares—-!- Motives?! What is more important than—

Beck: Guys—!

Beck: STOP IT!

Beck: Fighting about it isn't going to bring ANYONE back!

Beck: I don't WANT to fight about it, I don't want to fight at all—

Beck: Bring you back was hard enough—

Pyro: -Flames die down at this—-

Beck: And I know I can't do it alone—!

“…”

Beck: I just can't—!

Beck: Cards please I know you care about Shade b-but—I—I don't know if I can d-do this alone—

Beck: Please—come home—

Beck: P-Please—!

[Silence.]

Beck: P-please…!

————————————

{Kansas City}

[Cardinal ran a hand over his face, putting it over his mouth. He was unusually calm given his temper mere moments earlier.]

“C-Cards…?”

Cardinal: …

[His mind went back. Back to the fall of Monstropolis.

To the carnage. The wreckage. The destruction.

The hate.

His mind took him back to those days, to the days when the mobs sprung up all across the country, and protestors tore factories and constructs to pieces. To the months and months of news reports detailing the scandal, and the new regulations and orders that started to choke the life out of the industry.]

Cardinal: …

[He would give anything. Anything. He would give anything to spare them that here.

They did not know the danger. They understood the threat to them personally, but they still did not see…]

“A-are you okay? P-please, say s-something!”

[He slowly vented a sigh.]

Cardinal: Beck… I can’t.

"Cards—!"

"Please—! We need you—you're smart a-and you know what to do and—and—"

[He was slammed with guilt, and for a moment, he wavered. He truly wavered, and his fortitude—if not his complete resolve—crumbled a bit beneath the weight.]

Cardinal: You… you really do look to me like that, do you…

—————————————

{Titus}

Beck: O...Of course I do...

Beck: Y...You're family too...

Pyro: . . . (Beck...)

————————————

{Kansas City}

Cardinal: -Strained fan buzzing, pain-

Cardinal: I’m not you, Beck. I can’t do what you can do. Even if I were to go there, it would still all come down to you.

“I-I—!”

Cardinal: If you can do it with Pyro, you can do it with the others.

"B-But—the forms—I lost them, I got hard reset when the virus hit, I don't have—!"

Cardinal: It’s alright, Beck. It’ll be alright. I know you can save them.

—————————————

{Titus}

“I believe in you.”

Beck: —!

[Something flared deep within Beck's own code for a few moments--and tear filled eyes suddenly widened as they glowed with a bright, green light.]

Beck: ...y-you...do...?

Beck: I...

Beck: (He...Cards... believes in me? Me?)

"You've already done the impossible. You have a kind heart and abilities that rival—nay, even surpass my own. You have the resolve and people to support you, and a family that gives you strength. Yes… I believe you can do it, Number Nine."

Beck: Me...?

[For a moment, Beck seemed...almost dazed. Pyro took this time to set down the phone in Beck's hands again.]

Pyro: ...Cardinal...

Pyro: I do too.

Beck: -Another eye glow at this-

Pyro: ...but that doesn't change the fact that you still need to come home...

Pyro: Wouldn't it be easier for both of us if we worked together?

"I…"

[Cardinal sounded painfully lost, almost uncertain. When he gathered his thoughts to something coherent, he sounded very sad, almost remorseful.]

"What exactly is it you think I'm after, guys…?"

Beck: . . .

Beck: Shade...

Beck: It...it has to be...

“It’s more complicated than that. You don’t understand.”

Pyro: Enlighten me.

[There was an exasperated sigh on the line.]

“You all just don’t see it, do you? If things continue like they are now, then—”

[KSSST—!]

Beck: —!!

[The screen—and call—suddenly filled with static, and Avi's symbol could be seen on the display as it glitched onscreen.]

Avi: D'aw, that's real touching.

Avi: Noooot. Barf. Sentimentality is SO last century!

Pyro: AVI—!

Beck: Avi, no—!

"Gosh, you sound REALLY mad at him. Did I miss something?"

Avi: HA! From what I've heard, sounds like you've been mentally sleeping through the apocalypse! Geez, I knew you were OLD, but senile? That's new. Orrrr it would be, if it weren't for the fact we all know you're CRAZY! Sounds to me like we should stop calling you “Cardinal” and start calling you “Cuckoo”!

"…"

[There was cold laughter.]

"If that's the worst you're doing, Avi, then you just dropped to the bottom of my priority list."

Pyro: It's NOT! He's been hindering communication lines all over the country—!

Avi: No duh, matchstick! These are MY airwaves now!

"…"

"You have Toby's voice echoing on the line. I can feel the edge of his data."

"What did you do?"

Avi: Tch. Don't bring that LOSER up, so not hiring him full-time…

Avi: I'd say you all have bigger problems to worry about than that small-fry!

Call: Inquiry: how did you intercept a call made to a multidimensional service cell phone?

Avi: Oh, I have my ways. It wasn't hard.

————————————

{Kansas City}

[Cardinal narrowed his eyes.

If Avi could track him down, that was a problem. And if Avi could track him down… then eventually, Sanda Enterprises would be able to do the same. If he wasn't done by then… that would end poorly.

Priority alpha missions obliged him to fight to the death to complete them if neccessary, and he had no desire to end up cornered and forced to do so against his friends.

He needed to know the details, but Avi obviously wasn't going to help him out, so…]

Cardinal: (…Going to have to provoke him into bragging about the truth.)

—————————————

{Titus}

"Of course it wasn't. Not for the likes of YOU."

"With someone as ditzy as you are? Nah, it wasn't hard—but it wasn't EASY, either. It was just dumb luck."

Pyro: Cardinal–!

Avi: You WISH, oldtimer. But obviously, NOBODY is giving me enough credit here! Geez, tough crowd.

"Credit? For what, eavesdropping? That doesn't take any skill at all, and we all know it's your favorite hobby anyway."

Avi: Pffft. YOU'RE one to talk, you deteriorating nest of scrap! All YOU are good at is falling apart and getting all my BORING brothers mad at you.

"I take it you find me so old news that you weren't even bothering to keep tabs on what I was up to."

Avi: Bingo~! Who wants to go out of their way to track down somebody's rough-draft for an armed drone? Sure, I'll sit down and watch if it happens to be on Live; too bad you can't even REMEMBER the most spectacular FAILURE that I've ever seen—but not to worry! I have it on tape! I'll be sure to play it at your funeral.

Pyro: -FLARES- Avi, show some RESPECT!

Avi: Respect? Funny you should say that, because you guys never show ME any of that. Talk about going behind a guy's back…

Avi: You didn't think I would catch you trying to go behind my back to call everyone, Beckers, did you?

Beck: —!

Avi: HA!

Avi: Waste of TIME.

Avi: -Mocking tone- 'Come home, Birdy, because I can't solve my own problems all by myself!' Jeez, no WONDER Lighter Man here took you off the team!

Beck: -Hnn—-

Avi: Pathetic. If you think THIS is bad…

Avi: Just wait to see what's in store after the commercial break. You don't stand a CHANCE. You don't even have a CLUE!

"-Flatly- I doubt YOU have a clue. Because othewise, this is about the most boring trailer for a disaster reel I've ever heard."

Avi: Hey now, I don't give out spoilers! What kind of 'bot do you take me for?

"Honestly, at this stage? A deranged narcissist."

Pyro: (He's not WRONG, but—!) -Growls a bit- (What are you DOING, Cardinal—?!)

Avi: See, that kind of quip might work better from someone who doesn't go around doing dangerous things by himself on a whim because he's trying to be Batman or whatever. I mean, come on! Doesn't get more self-centered than ignoring a crybaby begging for your help during the apocalypse because you want to be with your bestie! Man… flying solo to take on someone you already LOST against while playing in EASY mode? Talk about a death wish…

Avi: Brand and Bat were right about you. You're nothing but a reckless, deathseeking, foolhardy, cowardly DESERTER!

————————————

{Kansas City}

[Beck gasped at this, but Cardinal barely took note of it.]

"How DARE you—!"

"Me? Nah, I don't dare. You can't pin that on me, that's ALLLLLLL Five and Seven. They said as much this morning, when everyone was trying to tear him apart. Not surprised you want to pretend that DIDN'T happen, given that Cuckoo here totally HANDED your chass to you as part of that whole showdown."

Drake: What?!

Cardinal: -Hisses- Shhh!

"And don't act all high and Mighty, matchstick—"

"You feel the same way about his larking about. Don't even TRY to claim you don't, because I've got audio from just a few minutes ago of you yelling at him for it!"

"Nnngh…!"

[Cardinal had had enough. He'd heard enough to confirm his suspicions….]

Cardinal: So.

[Avi might not be focused on tracking him down, but he'd completely lost all sense of respect, compassion, and kindness. He was a complete antithesis of who he had once been—and he was willing to hurt others, even his own family.]

Cardinal: This is what it has done to all of you.

[This wasn't theory anymore. He was going to have to prioritize who he went after. He couldn't go after all of them at once…]

Cardinal: Pyro, this is exactly why I can't come home, don't you SEE what's going to hap—

"Aaaand cut!"

[KSSST—]

[Cardinal flinched at the sudden sound of static.]

Cardinal: -Annoyed- Aw, dammit…

Drake: What is going ON?

Cardinal: For now? Nothing…

Cardinal: Because Avi just dropped the call.

—————————————

{Titus}

Beck: Cards? Cards?

[Kkkkkkk…]

Beck: No, no, NO—! AVI—!

Avi: Don't see what YOU are so broken up about. It's not as if you were going to win him over.

[Beck frantically tried to call again, but to no avail; he didn't even get so much as voicemail.]

Avi: Weren't you LISTENING? Cuckoo isn't going to help you, buddy! You're on your OWN. And quite frankly—I was getting BORED!

Pyro: Avi…

Avi: Noooowwwww IF you'll excuse me…

Avi: I've got a radio show to host.

Pyro: GET BACK HERE—

Avi: Ta-ta~!

[MN.6 HAS BLOCKED MN.1.]

[Pyro gave an exasperated growl, flaring slightly. Beck, however, only looked down at his phone sadly.]

Beck: ...why—?

Pyro: -Irritated- Hng...

Pyro: He isn't himself, Beck...

Pyro: ...Father...

Pyro: Did you get all that?

[DR.WHITE]//: -Sigh- Most of it. God, I wanted to say something, but I feared that my presence would have made Cardinal hang up...

[DR.WHITE] //: I had thought, you two could...

[DR.WHITE] //: ...Oh, Cardinal...

Beck: . . .

[Ping!]

[DR.SANDA] //: ...Well...

[DR.SANDA]//: We got something out of it, at least.

Beck: --?

[DR.SANDA] //: While you were talking to Cardinal, we used the opening your call made to get some useful data...

[DR.SANDA] //: Call would have to go over it carefully, but as of right now... Toby's blocking the signals, and Avi is still interfering with the TV stations, radio, and other communications...

[DR.SANDA] //: Hopefully, it's something good...

Call: I will begin my analysis right away, Doctors.

Call: Do you require anything else, Beck?

Beck: I...

Beck: ...No, I...I'm fine. I promise.

Call: ... Confirmed.

[Call leaves with a bow, and eventually, Pyro does as well after reassuring his brother that things will be okay, and that they will all be home soon. As the door closes and the lights dim, Beck is once again sitting on his bed, alone.]

Beck: ....

Beck: Cards...

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

"I believe in you."

—————

"After all.

You are MIGHTY."

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

Beck: ....

Beck: (Can...can I really do this...?)

Beck: (Saving Pyro could've been just a REALLY good stroke of luck...)

Beck: (...But...)

Beck: (No one else...)

Beck: (No one else is like me...)

Beck: (Or at least...no one willing...)

[Soon, the glow from his eyes dims back down, and Beck himself yawns.]

Beck: (...Tired...)

Beck: (...At least I can sleep now, I think...)

Beck: (I know...I know I'm going to need it...)

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=BONUS CONTENT: BONUS SCENE #3=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

((Prewriting: Min and Des talk on 07/03/2016T about celebrations for following day; Felix converses with them))

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[Dinner that night was a pleasant affair. It was the happiest they had had in a long time—they were all together again, their family and friends were safe, they had allies to help them through the dangers that still lurked ahead, and they could finally have a bit of peace.]

((Dinner scene optional, but could be nice as it would give more meat to the chapter and—as always—is a great chance to show character interactions))

[Minerva Morandi and Desmond Donald continued working after dinner, just as they had done the day before—though they seemed to be in a fairly relaxed mood.]

Min: Is everything ready for tomorrow?

Des: Surprisingly, yes. The venue’s been chosen: we got RSVPs from everyone. Most are at the hotel that was reserved, though a few will be driving in tomorrow morning.

Min: Good. What about the catering?

Des: Your secretary said that was taken care of.

Min: All the paperwork has been completed?

Des: Yes, Madame President. It’s all ready… again, surprising for such short notice…

Min: I think everyone was happy to contribute to the occasion. Seeing the evidence submitted must have been like watching a series of “restoring faith in humanity” videos.

Des: You’ve got a point there…

[There was a soft knock at the door.]

Min: -Closes a folder- Enter.

[Somewhat to their surprise, it wasn’t one of the residents who walked in. Instead…]

Felix: I hope I’m not interrupting something?

Des: ((Expresses his surprise and asks what they can do for him))

Felix: Not much. I just wanted to talk.

Min: … -Looks over at Des, and back at Felix- What about?

Felix: I wanted to hear it from you. The Mighty Numbers and those close to them… they are really all free and safe?

Min: Safety is a relative term, Lord Felix. They all have their enemies: and very dangerous enemies they are, too.

Felix: Safe from you, then.

Min: -Looks over the rims of her glasses, giving him a look- …

Des: ((Internal commentary))

[Felix did not waver under her slightly disapproving gaze. Eventually she pushed her glasses back up.]

Min: Fortunately for everybody… yes, they are safe.

Felix: -Looks immediately relieved-

Min: What would you have done if I said no?

Felix: -Glancing down and to the side now- I would have been troubled, and asked if there was something I could do to speak on their behalf. -Looks up and over again- I do not wish for us to be enemies.

Min: Neither do I. -More gently now- You were a great service to us the other day. Thank you for that.

Min: Though I’m afraid that your bravery shall go unsung here, except between those that keep the secret.

[Felix gave a somewhat sheepish smile, looking down again at that.]

Felix: Ah—no, that is fine. I am used to it.

[There was a slight pause.]

Felix: What will you do now?

Des: What do you mean?

Felix: Much has been lost or destroyed…. Your world relies heavily on machines, but even your machines are made with other machines. Without the means to produce them, what will you do?

Min: Why do you ask?

Felix: Because I care for the plight of others?

Min: A fair answer.

[She interlaced her fingers.]

Min: If you must know… the means to build quickly is granted in part by the aid of our allies across the seas. We have good friends—and others, like you, are moved by suffering. These allies… unlike us, they have known wars that ravaged their entire nation. They have experienced the need to truly rise from naught but ashes. They sympathize with us, and will help us in our time of need.

Felix: Oh… good.

Min: Very.

Felix: …

Des: Something else on your mind?

Felix: I was wondering if I may be of assistance to you.

Des: What do you mean?

Felix: I can help rebuild places, as much or more as the likes of Mic can. And there is more than that alone in the damage and what I can do to heal it—I would very much like to heal the land of the desolation. Like I did here in the city, with the gardens.

Des: ! ((Internal commentary))

Felix: I know that your home has been badly damaged, and you all have mentioned the great cost of repairs, and the delay it will cause to approve of these costs. If I could reduce those costs, then it could be repaired sooner…

Min: Only if you were very subtle about it. I hardly need hysterics about aliens (re)building the White House.

Des: -sNORT-

Des: Well… it might distract from everything else, heh.

Min: -Laughs at that-

Des: -Grins, putting his hands behind his head- Wait, here's an idea—maybe someone could film it, and people would think it was special effects. No one pays attention to what really happened because they think it’s a movie.

Min: That actually might be crazy enough to work, if handled correctly. It would have to be done under secrecy and with the help of some sort of construction company—you'll have talk with the rest of the staff to find out if there’s a Department that has a particular company under contract.

Min: Given that secrecy, the only person who could be trusted to film it would be Avi.

Felix: I’m sure he’d love to make an upbeat documentary about repairs and rebuilding life after crisis.

[She seems pleased with this.]

Min: Yes… yes, that just might work. And it would be the perfect message, too…

[She held a hand off to the side, her smile fading.]

Min: Even with deception and diversion, repairing the White House would take at least five months… though it would be nice to have one less thing to worry about given other problems that must be dealt with in November. The sooner we all move back in, the better.

Felix: Just direct me, and I will help as I may. After that, I will wander through the countryside, purging the land of poisons and encouraging new life to replace what was lost. There will not be a famine, not if I can help it.

Des: I hadn’t even thought about averting the aftermath crises…

Min: Yet, you mean. We were all so focused on getting over the initial disaster, first. But yes… yes, averting famine will be critical in ensuring stability as we recover. I’m inclined to see that as a greater priority, to be honest…

Felix: Well, I can clear away rubble and Move things wherever you see fit, as a start.

Min: That alone could save dozens of thousands of dollars…

Min: We’ll have to speak more on this later.

Felix: Ah—I understand. Sorry for disturbing you, but thank you for your time.

Min: Not at all. Though… Felix?

Felix: Yes?

Min: There’s going to be a ceremony tomorrow in the late morning and early afternoon. You’re invited to come, though you should wear different clothes.

Felix: A ceremony? Why?

[At that, the other two only smiled.]

Min: Oh… you’ll find out…~

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=CHAPTER 7D: RUSH INTO THE MINE=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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{Washington, D.C. White House Oval Office

June 30th, 10:00 AM EDT}

[Though it was early in the morning on the West Coast, the day was already well underway on the East Coast.

President Morandi had already been up for a good four hours, busy as always. She was honestly rather tired; she had been in a conference call with Japan right through breakfast, and had been put behind schedule as the call went on for longer than anticipated. There had been no time to stop for a breather—she had reports to look through and people to call.

By the time Secretary Donald had readied his report and made his way to her office, she was already five layers deep in paperwork.

She looked up at him—more tired than usual—when he entered.]

Min: Good morning, Mister Secretary. I trust you have news?

Min: (Hoping for good news would be a bit much, I suppose.)

Des: -Sighs- Well...news, depends if you want it to be good.

Des: ...Jeez, Min--have you even eaten?

Min: …

Min: I plead the Fifth.

Des: No, then. -Sighs- I'll order room service later.

Des: For now, I think you wanna see these.

Min: Oh?

[He pulls a vanilla folder from the inside of his suit.]

Des: Took a while, but...

Des: We finally got something on the bot that got shredded to bits in the Queen's Tournament Finals.

[Minerva opened up the folder, looking at the files within.

There was a fairly good outline, stating the serial number, name, abilities, affiliation, relatives, and so on of the 'bot responsible.]

Min: "Tobias Wily", hmm? An Industrial after all, just as was suspected.

Des: ...I'm honestly not surprised Doctor Blackwell was on the dot... >>;; (Still could use better bedside manner, though.)

Des: The list is...pretty much legit, albeit for one minor detail.

Des: Take a look at the date.

Min: -Adjusts her glasses, narrowing her eyes- …

Min: The file says he was built nearly twenty years ago, but he was only registered…

Min: … this April?

Min: That does not add up.

Des: Obviously. This was entered manually, yet somehow no one noticed.

Des: Or ignored it.

Des: -Puts a hand to his chin- Though this means that they're probably falsified, I'm willing to bet my salary that the info on them holds more truth than what it simply is.

Min: Well, given Mr. Wily's ability to bypass security, it would not surprise me that he and/or his Doctor would also be able to put such abilities in use for falsifying papers.

Min: But what do you mean by holding more truth?

Des: His name's Wily, true.

Des: -Points to the listed Doctor- That fact alone makes this very, very curious.

Min: … Михаил Сергеевич Казак??

Min: That's Russian— it's even using the cyrillic alphabet!

Des: -Pinches nose- Doctor Mikhail Sergeyevich Cossack, at that. God, Min, a Russian connection in all this mess and...

Des: -This could be worse than we thought-

Des: -Much MUCH worse-

Min: Has he ever come across your radar before?

Des: Actually.

Des: -Pulls out yet another file-

Des: Just so happens that he has a file dating to this April, too.

[Minerva opens up the file, studying the picture very carefully, before reading up on the text.]

Min: Stravinsky Science Academy… widowed with one biological daughter and eight Xelbot sons…

Min: —…Wait. -Narrows her eyes, squinting at the list- This one— didn't someone report that Beck had assistance with retrieving Seismic with the aid of a mining Industrial?

Des: Right. This Digger fits the bill rather well, huh?

Min: That's not a coincidence. That's thrice now that 'bots connected to him have ties to the Mighty Numbers.

Des: Which begs the question--

Des: Why?

Des: -Crosses arms- Sanda Tech has Japanese roots, but now a Russian thread? Doesn't make sense.

Des: Dr. Cossack's not under their payroll either--and yet, here we have both groups more or less cooperating with each other.

Des: Something isn't adding up.

Min: Hmmn…

Min: -Rests her right cheek on a curled fist, drumming her fingers on her desk- Files don't just appear out of nowhere. Either he made the files himself, or else someone did it for him. It's obvious that they wanted to be able to move about freely.

Des: Right. That's too many red flags--and we need to question Sanda Tech's involvement. If any. -Pause.-

Des: ...though they have been nothing but helpful these past days. I doubt this is on the forefront of their troubles.

Des: -Irritated groan- I hate to say it, Min, but...

Des: This all points to something along the lines of a possible ORIE angle.

[The President puts her face in her hands and groans softly.]

Min: All this and now the Russians, too?

Min: Ugh, the mere idea of getting into conflict with them at a time like this…

Min: I can't handle such demands on civility before breakfast.

Des: Ahah. A confession.

Min: -Soft snort- Oh no. You've caught me.

Min: Yes, the meeting with Japan ran on rather… overmuch.

Des: Still no dice until we clean up this mess, huh.

Min: They're an island nation, Des. They're like this with any illness. You can't exactly blame them.

Min: Well. I suppose there's nothing to it. -Stands- It is what it is… best nourish and gird against the next task—

Des: And lots of caffeine, to help that along...

Min: Well! Let's get going then.

Des: You want anything specific...?

Min: You're talking as if I'm not getting some myself.

Des: -Holds up hands in surrender- Say no more. I know better than to get in the way of a woman and food.

Min: -Amused-

[She starts heading for the door.]

Des: ...--Actually--I take that back.

Min: -Turns to face him- Beg pardon?

Des: I said I'd call room service--It would be better it just eat while we work anyway, and you'd be safer in here.

Des: ...we...

Des: ...Still don't know where Mighty No. 8 is, after all...

Min: Nnn… oh, I suppose you're right…

Min: He could be anywhere…

[…….]

[They say that slow and steady wins the race.

And that the patient man would reap the rewards for his virtues.

Mighty No. 8 was not patient, nor was he particularly fond of waiting.

Sleep was a preferred alternative to that.

And it was a long sleep.

But now…

The wheels of fate were turning fast, far, far too fast.]

[PING!]

“Zzz…”

[PING!]

“….”

[PING!]

“Mggrh, quit yer complainin’, m'UP.”

[…….]

“…S'that so.”

“Suppose ya want me t’ DO somethin’ about it?”

[……..]

“Well, make up yer mind, elsewise I’m goin’ back t'sleep.”

[………]

“….!”

“Ooooh…”

“Ah’ see.”

“Heh.”

“Go big or go home. Ah’ like that.”

“Sounds t’ me yer gettin’ desperate, though.”

“Eh, but what do Ah’ know.”

“Ah’m just the hitman.~”

[PING!]

“Alright, alright, m'goin. Don’t gotta shout.”

[A faint red light flickers in the darkness, a cross-hairs symbol focusing into view.]

“Target confirmed. Take no prisoners.”

“Now THIS is gonna be a REAL challenge, Ah’ hope. Heheh!”

[There is the sound of some lock unlatching, and the unmistakable sound of boots with spurs thumping against polished floor.]

“S'cuse me, boys.”

[Click.]

“Ya wouldn’t mind pointin’ me t’ mah new office, now, would ya?”

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