=CHAPTER 4B: AVI'S NEWS REPORT=

=CHAPTER 4D: AVI’S NEWS REPORT=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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[MEANWHILE, SOMEWHERE IN IDAHO…]

[Jack had learned how to drive a lot of different vehicles in his on and off odd jobs–this pick-up truck was no exception. He STILL felt bad about taking something that wasn’t his–]

Jack: (I’ll have to write down the license plate and return it later…)

[…But Eli had a point.]

[This were dire times, and they called for drastic measures.]

Jack: ……..

[The road was…]

[Empty.]

[…Desolate, even.]

Jack: (Creepy…)

Jack: (I…I guess everyone already evacuated the major cities…right?)

Jack: (…..It’s–It’s too quiet.)

Jack: (Maybe whoever owns this truck has some decent tunes…?)

[He found nothing in the glove compartment–but he did find some CDs in the compartment in the middle. No labels, though. Shrugging, Jack popped one of the plainer looking ones and loaded up Track 1.]

Jack: –Oookay, let’s see what–

[RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH–]

[What followed was SO loud and so disorientating, Jack almost lost control of the truck. Luckily, he pushed mute before he became completely deaf.]

Jack: ….What the hell?

[…Apparently the owner was a fan of hardcore screamo.]

Jack: (Jeezus, I’m NOT gonna listen to that for who KNOWS how long…)

Jack: (I’m NOT risking my ears for the other CDs–maybe the radio has something good-)

[Click!]

“–Check, check one, check two! Sibilance, sibilance!”

Jack: (…Oh. Right. I forgot…)

“And now, live from Avi News World Headquarters, continuing coverage of…! BA DA DA DA…! NATION. IN. CRISIS!”

Jack: Not exactly breaking news there, Six…

Jack: ……!!!

[Jack raises up the volume as he broadcast continues and unfolds…

It was a tense and harrowing broadcast, filled with harsh words from Avi, please from Beck—and then sudden, repeated interference, wherein Dyna screamed and strange music was played very loudly between bursts of static that were clearly Morse code.

It was soon clear that Beck was trying to take down Avi—alone!]

Jack: Oh God oh God–

[But he succeeded.

HE DID IT!]

[……]

[HOOOOOONK.]

Jack: HELL YEAH, KID, YA DID IT, WOO–!!

[As the comms were now officially freed from Avi’s viral grasp, Jack honked the horn of the truck several times in cheer. The kid–Beck–man, the little guy– who would’ve thought it?]

Jack: WOOOO HA–awwww man…!

Jack: Kid actually did it…

[It was nothing short of a miracle, in his eyes.]

[…….]

Jack: ……..

Jack: (……)

Jack: (Maybe–I can try to contact Miss Eight…?)

Jack: (….No–she wouldn’t answer, would she…)

Jack: (……..Maybe I should get around to calling the Russians to let them know where I went…?)

Jack: (….No, wait, bad idea–they’d probably try to stop me. Or try to teleport me out or something…)

Jack: (…I gotta let SOMEONE know I’m still kicking, though…)

Jack: ….

Jack: (…Ngh, screw it. Gotta take advantage of the comms before something ELSE goes screwy…)

[Jack rummages through his bag until he finds the burner phone, and scrolls though the list of contacts.]

[…It’s a very short list. There are only six numbers on it—

One for Dr. White, one for Dr. Cossack, one for a “Ms. Nighthawk,” one for her brother Goose, one for Kate herself, and one for Cardinal…]

Jack: ……

Jack: (…Kay, then. Doc Cossack.)

[CALLING…]

[…It worked!

…but he got… voicemail. Aaaaand of course the message was in Russian, and suddenly—]

[BEEEEP!]

[…Oh, right—now it was recording—]

Jack: …..

[That…that was not a good sign.]

[Why wasn’t he answering the phone?]

Jack: …..

Jack: Um…yeah, uh…Doctor Cossack…?

Jack: I–I don’t know if you remember me or anything, but–it’s…it’s Den. Dencerjack.

Jack: …Well, just Jack now but–yeah.

Jack: I…

Jack: …..

Jack: I hope you guys are OK too–really sorta scaring me that you’re not answering but–you’re probably helping out or busy or…something.

Jack …I hope.

Jack: I’m, uh…OK too. Sorta. Kinda. Almost died a couple of times–but I’m OK.

Jack: ……

Jack: I….

Jack: You probably think I’m stupid or crazy or something.

Jack: And in hindsight–

Jack: Iiiiiiii probably am.

Jack: You probably already figured out what I’m doing by now, I guess. If that Piers guy didn’t tell you–then again I didn’t exactly tell him everything either, so.

Jack: …..

Jack: Please don’t…

Jack: I…I have to know if she’s OK.

Jack: I just have to.

Jack: ……

Jack: So…

Jack: Good luck, and…tell the Xel kid I’m rooting for him.

Jack: ….See ya.

[Click.]

[…About a minute later…]

DOOdootdootDOOdootdootDOOdootdooDOO dootdooDOOdoodoodooDOOdoodoo…

[…It was Korobeiniki!]

Jack: …!?

Jack: (Holy crap holy crap–)

[ANSWER CALL.]

Jack: Doc??

[NOPE. Definitely not Doctor Cossack—]

“Mister Jack you ARE OKAY!”

[…Sooooomeone a lot younger. A little girl, to be precise.]

“If you are back, that means Father can talk to his friend again!”

Jack: …..

Jack: (…Isn’t this the kid from earlier…??)

“Where is мой герой?”

Jack: Uh–um–hold up, hold up–

Jack: Sorry, kid–I–I don’t speak or understand Russian–sorry–

Jack: Is your…Dad there?

[A pause, as if she’s thinking on how to answer that. Eventually, she seems to come to a conclusion.]

“Papa is at work. He gave the phone to me so I could call him.”

[Another pause.]

Jack: (Work–nah. He’s probably helping out or something, yeah. Whew.)

Jack: Alright–miss, do me a favor and tell your dad I called, OK?

Jack: What about you–are you somewhere safe?

[Another pause, with muffled sounds of talking. Then an eager return.]

“Yes! I am with my brother still. Papa is in the Meadow working on Tobias and helping learn about the virus.”

Jack: (Ah, knew it–guess she never left…)

“Where is Mister Cardinal?”

Jack: I….I don’t know, miss.

Jack: …I’m sorry.

[Russian complaining as she’s clearly holding the phone away from her face to talk to the other person there. Sounds of others talking in the background, and then more agitated Russian, with Shade’s name thrown in there several times.]

Jack: (Oooooohkaaaay…)

“It’s okay, Kalinka—He rescued you, I’m sure he can handle himself—”

[More Russian.]

“Is Jack still on the line?”

“…! OH! Oops…”

[Aaaand she’s back.]

“Sorry, Mister Jack. I was distracted.”

Jack: (Yeah, I could hear you from here–)

Jack: Um, it’s fine, Miss…Kalinka.

“Where are you? Are you in America?”

Jack: Uuuuh….

Jack: …..

Jack: -Somewhat nervously- Y-Yeeeaah, right. USA. Got there through the Meadow and Wilderness.

[Cheerful talking in the background.]

“Mr. Verde says that you are clever to take the Wilderness shortcut, and is very curious where you ended up.”

[Another pause.]

“…And that the highways might be dangerous?”

Jack: I…um.

Jack: …

Jack: Yeah, got it. I’ll be careful.

Jack: I…ended up somewhere REAL rainy. Uh. Yeah.

Jack: (Iiiii don’t know how much I can tell this kid with the other person with her…)

Jack: It’s been…a real experience.

[A bit of a pause.]

“…Will you come back soon? And be safe in the Meadow, да?”

Jack: ……

Jack: Sure, Miss.

Jack: I’ll be back.

Jack: (…In one piece, hopefully…)

“Okay. I’ll let my older brother know to make you some ice cream! Be safe, Mister Jack! Bye now.”

[Click.]

Jack: ….

Jack: Yeah…

Jack: -SIGHS-

[The CherryDyn Number runs a nervous hand over silvery locks, driving further into the highway that ran through the state. If he kept going, he’d eventually hit Utah…]

Jack: Hooo jeez…

Jack: (Gotta stay away from the bigger interstates–THAT one’s probably got some remote control cars and if the virus got THOSE…)

[At least there wasn’t any traffic here…so far.]

Jack: (OK, time to think, Jack…)

Jack: (Miss Eight’s gonna go after her own brother–but WHERE could he be is the question…)

Jack: (Seven, Seven…)

Jack: (Brandish, sword guy. He can cut ANYTHING, they say. Oh, man…)

[Seeing as he had little to go on, Jack once again turned on the radio. News reports were flooding airwaves at last as he kept driving onwards–they were mostly damage reports and warnings…]

Jack: (Nothing new there…)

Jack: (Come ON, there has to be SOMETHING–Anything–!)

“Robots are still going berserk across the country–”

Click.

“We implore any fleeing civilians to please be safe and stay away from–”

“–Susan if you can hear this PLEASE CALL ME WE’RE SO WORRIED–”

“–We have confirmation of havoc caused by a rouge robot directly attacking–”

“CherryDynamics has confirmed that communications have been restored–”

Jack: (–!!)

Jack: Wait what was that–

Click.

“–Highway Alpha 6 is under attack, I repeat, Highway Alpha 6 is under attack–Eyewitnesses have spotted a rouge robot destroying vehicles with no regard to innocent life–”

Jack: …?

“We have reports that the rouge robot is armed with bladed weapons and is currently in the Four Corners area–”

Jack: –!!!

Jack: (Wow–that HAS to be the most luck I’ve gotten in all this…)

Jack: (It’s gotta be Seven–gotta be…!)

[Four Corners…that wasn’t TOO far from here…]

Jack: (Wherever she is–she’s probably heading there now, if she isn’t already–)

Jack: (I hope this thing can handle going a hu–)

[KEERRRRRRRK–]

Jack: ……

Jack: YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME–

[…..That sound–and the smoke coming from the bottom of the hood certainly weren’t very good signs.]

[It was official–]

[Jack had the worst luck in the entire world, and he was not afraid of screaming his frustration into the steering wheel.]

Jack: (Why–WHY.)

[After sitting in despair for a couple of minutes, Jack stepped out of the truck, slammed the door, and walked to the smoking engine.]

[A BLAST of black soot and heat pounded his face.]

Jack: Uuuugh, please let it not be the battery…

[…Nope, wasn’t the battery at all.]

[It was the cooling system–he ran out of water.]

Jack: (Greaaaaat, it overheated…)

Jack: (Guess I gotta fix it–though, where am I gonna get some water…?)

Jack: (First there was too MUCH of it back in Seattle and now there’s not enough…tch…)

Jack: (Uuugh, let’s see, let’s see–)

[He scours the back, but no such luck. Eventually, he decides to check the cooler that was given to him.]

Jack: (…! Yes…! Some gallons–nice and cool, too, okay…)

[Once again popping open the hood, he starts pouring in the water, looking over anything else he needs to fix…]

Jack: (Fuel line looks OK, battery is good…)

[……]

[Virrrrrrrr…]

Jack: …?

[What was that noise…?]

[VIRRRRRR…..]

Jack: …..!

[In the distance, he could JUST make out a few vehicles heading this way–at a rather fast pace, actually.]

Jack: (Huh…)

Jack: (Wonder if they’re from Seattle too–)

[TH-WANG!]

Jack: –?!?

[Was that–]

[TH-WHAG!]

Jack: (G-Gunfire!)

[One of the bullets managed to stray off and hit the hood of the truck, causing Jack to yelp in terror.]

Jack: (Are–Are they shooting AT me??)

Jack: (Oh my God what did I DO–)

[With no desire to find out, Jack slammed the hood down and scrambled for the wheel, quickly putting on his seat belt and–]

[CHRRRRRR–]

Jack: (Come on START ALREADY–!!)

[TH-WANG!]

[Another shot bounced off the roof of the car–!]

[The engine turned over at last–]

Jack: (FINALLY THANK YOU–)

[He FLOORS it, back on the road, adjusting his rearview mirror in order to spot the shooters in the vehicles behind him–which were catching up FAST.]

Jack: …. Wait a sec–

[Were those… motorcycles? ]

Jack: Nonono–

[A group of about 7 motorcycles, of all kinds, tearing though the highway at speeds that FAR exceeded the legal limit. Gunfire rang out into the sky, as well as the asphalt around Jack’s stolen truck.]

Jack: (CRAP, THEY’RE GONNA SHOOT OUT THE TIRES–)

Jack: (I gotta outrun them–no WAY am I gonna get pulled over and mugged by some motor gang–!)

Jack:(Not when I’m this close…!)

Jack: (Alright, weird, magic bag that I still don’t have any idea how you work–)

Jack: (Do you got ANYTHING that can help me deal with these guys…??)

[Jack drove unsteadily, swerving with one hand on the wheel as he rummaged in the bag blindly with the other. He somehow reached past the cooler—as he flicked his hand, something new would come within reach each time.]

[Okay… there was the cooler, the lantern, the bedding stuff, some sort of first-aid kit, some… feathers? (Huh?)]

Jack: …..

Jack: (What the fraaaag–?? What IS that–)

Jack: (Something–cool…and–)

Jack: OW–ow what was that–?? (Feels like I pricked myself–??)

[Then he grasped what seemed to be a squishy disc. It sure seemed to be giving off a lot of heat, though…]

Jack: (….E-Ew–)

[After glancing backwards and wincing a bit at the gunfire around him, Jack pulls out the squishy-like disk….]

Jack: …..-Sniff…?-

Jack: Oil…?

Jack: …

Jack: ….!

[Oil–!]

[If he threw it out the window just right–]

[VIRRRRRRRRRRRRR–!!]

“GET ‘EM, BOYS–!”

Jack: (SCRAPSCRAPSCRAP–)

[With one swift movement, Jack looked out the window–the glass was already down–and threw the sticky disk far out behind him!]

Jack: (Hope this works—!!)

[The rush of speed-created wind practically ripped the disc out of his hands. As the pursuers were not that far behind, there was no way it could miss. And indeed—]

-SPACK!-

[—It splattered all across the ground, running oil all over the road—]

“OH SH–”

“[FRAAAAAG–]”

“WHA–”

[C R A S H–!!!]

[And then said oil caught on FIRE.]

Jack: …..

Jack: (OH MY GOD.)

Jack: UM–

Jack: SORRYYYY!

[The motor gang had slipped on the oil, crashed into each other–and was now trying to put out the flames from their clothes and rides. They cursed after Jack as he sped away, leaving them in his dust.]

Jack: (Iiiii really hope the bikes don’t explode or anything–)

[B O O M !]

Jack: -SWERVES-

Jack: HOLY FRAG–

Jack: Oh my God I made them explode–

Jack: What in the HELL IS IN THIS MAGIC BAG?!

Jack: When I drive far enough I am gonna really look through this thing, darn it–

Jack: (I really hope those guys are OK oh man–)

Jack: Frag frag now I have oil flare things and who knows what in the truck–great–just what I needed–

Jack: Lord Almighty–Miss Eight why can’t you just call me or something, so I at least know you’re alive or something–anything–

[The CDN continued to grumble, fidget, and slightly panic as he turned into the interstate–Highway  Alpha 12.]

[…They said that Seven was in Alpha 6, much further ahead…]

[This was gonna take a while.]

Jack: (Almost there, Miss Eight…)

Jack: (Just–a little further…!)

Jack: (Just a little more and then…)

Jack: ……

Jack: …..

[…And then?]

[He didn’t think he’d get this far.]

[What was he gonna do IF Kate WASN’T well at all?]

[What chance did he have against the world’s best assassin?]

[The world’s best hunter gone completely MAD?]

Jack: …

Jack: (…She’s…gonna try to kill me, isn’t she?)

Jack: (Hell, SIX didn’t have ANY problem with air striking his own little brother…)

Jack: (If I get in her way…)

Jack: …….

[He really didn’t want to think on it, but he couldn’t help but picture it. He’d already felt the brush of death once before….]

Jack: ……..

Jack: (…God, Miss Eight would never forgive herself if–if she…)

Jack: …

Jack: “No one has greater love than this…”

Jack: …

Jack: (…I…I think I get what you were trying to do now, Bird Guy…)

Jack: (Jeez…)

Jack: (You’d BETTER come back alive, too…)

[He floors it.]

Jack: (I don’t think either of them would forgive themselves if we kicked the bucket and it’s by THEIR own hands…)

Jack: (….)

Jack: (…Never had good odds.)

Jack: (Never had real good luck.)

Jack: (But I think, for once, I’d like to beat those odds.)

Jack: (I’ll DRAG Miss Eight back if I have to–!)

Jack: (Dying–that’s not an option.)

Jack: (Not for me OR her…!)

Jack: (I don’t care if you’ll try and shoot me dead–)

Jack: (I can’t…I can’t let you do this…!)

Jack: (I won’t LET you!)

——————————

{MEANWHILE…}

[She grinned as she walked away from the scene.

Sure, it hadn’t been her cause, but still. He deserved it.

She hadn’t even given Gravecrasher the honor of one of her lipstick darts. Let him be another nameless victim, for all she cared.

He had paid his dues, and danced /oh/ so well.

It was time to continue elsewhere.]

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<FMN-008>: > -GWARGH-

<FMN-008>: > RICK YA DANG BIPLANE, AH’ SWEAR AH’LL SWISS CHEESE YER PROPELLORS—

🎼 Avi

[ VI ] - “JINGLE BELL, JINGLE BELL, JINGLE BELL ROOOOCK–~”The screeching sounds that came from the plane bot could barely register as singing, but sing he did regardless. Complete with jester hat. Avi, you glorious goofball.

---

=CHAPTER 8C: TRAPPED BY LASER LIGHT=

~AO v1.0~

((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))

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[C R A A A C K!]

[THUD--]

[The door came down, Shade was over Cardinal's broken form, rifle pointed right at his chest--!]

[Vrrrrrrr...]

[THREAT IDENTIFIED.]

[XEL OVERRIDE SEQUENCE INITIATED.]

[COMMENCING WEAPON LOCK.]

Beck: STOP!

[Shade looks up from his target, just in time to see Beck's outstretched hand glowing a deep green, his eyes reflecting the same glow. Or perhaps they were glowing themselves?]

[WEAPON SYSTEM LOCK ENGAGED. TARGET: MN.8.]

Shade: --!

[Shade suddenly felt his rifle grow heavy, and the laser from his scope died out--]

Beck: NNGH--!

[Whatever it was that Beck was doing, it seemed to be very taxing on him--it was like he was holding something in place, but he didn't know what that was, or how he was doing it, exactly--]

[All he knew was that it was stopping Shade, which was what he had to do.]

Beck: S-Shade--!

Shade: ....

[The weapon lock didn't do much about Shade's current state of mind, however, and he sneered.]

Shade: So the Lil' Doggy thinks he can bite back, eh?

Shade: Heh. That's c u t e.

Beck: Nnngh--!

[Shade doesn't look too concerned despite being essentially disarmed at the moment. He turns his attention back to Cardinal, who...]

[Wasn't...moving...]

Beck: --!!!!

Beck: C--Cards--!

Shade: Looks like you get to fly another day, Songbird.

Shade: -GRIN-

Shade: That is, if ya can even WALK after this! HA!

Beck: That...

Voice… voices…

> Procc…essin…g…

Beck: THAT'S ENOUGH--!

((pic))

Beck: WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS--?!

Shade: Feh--ya haven't figured it out yet--

Beck: I'm not TALKING to you.

> Proccess…ing…

Shade: --....

Beck: Yeah. That's right.

Beck: You.

Beck: I KNOW you can hear me.

Beck: And--And I know--at least...I think I know.

Beck: I know--you're like ME.

Beck: I've felt it ever since all this started--!

> Proccess…ing…

Shade: ......

Shade?: Like...you--?

Beck: I don't--it's just a feeling, but it's THERE and I know--

Beck: I know that somewhere in there--there's something else, something that knows all this is WRONG--!

Beck: So...

Beck: ...So please.

Beck: I'm begging you.

Beck: There...There's still time.

Beck: No more.

Beck: Just...no more.

> Proccess…ing…

Beck: No more pain, no more...of this.

Beck: I don't want to fight.

Beck: I...

Beck: I don't want to fight anymore--

>WARNING: POWER SYSTEM FAILURE IMMINENT: CORE HAS BEEN DRAINED IN OVERDRIVE CONVERSION.

Beck: --!

[Beck's attention snapped to Cardinal, who--oh, no, why is there so much oil and--]

——————————— Forte: Let’s say you get hurt. Like, Death comes up and starts whaling on you with your weakness. We don’t go out in a single hit, ya notice that?

Cryo: ....Yeah.

Beck: ....Mm-hmm.

Forte: Even if it’s like. You’ve gotten your arm cut off or got set on fire or whatever. We still keep going for a while before the big kaboom.

Forte: How?

Forte: The energy-matter converter goes into some sort of hyper mode, dude. Completely repairs the damage, even ongoing damage.You can regenerate whole systems and stuff that way.

Beck: -....Whoa....-

Cryo: -Dude, gotta admit that is amazingly sick- ....But...doesn't go on forever, right?

Forte: Right. Doing that requires energy to draw from.

Forte: There might be some sort of rechargeable battery like a stomach of sorts—actually yeah, we do have one, I remember now; at least, 3rd Gens and later do— But mostly you’re draining directly from your energy core to do that.

Forte: Energy cores weren’t built to function as first-aid reserves. They just aren’t meant for that. They’re there to provide a long-term internal energy supply to keep you running, like a heart does. You have a heart, but you still gotta eat and stuff.

Forte: Do that too many times, and the next bits of damage will stick, because there isn’t enough energy left to fix it. ——————————————

[Oh no--]

[PING!]

[TRIGGER SIGNAL LOST. XEL OVERRIDE MODE DISENGAGED. WEAPON LOCK WILL NOW BE LIFTED.]

Beck: -Blinks-- ??????

Beck: (Wha--)

[BANG!]

Beck: Guh--!

[A bullet found mark on Beck's shoulder--the assassin wasted no time once the weapon lock vanished.]

Shade: Alright.

Shade: While the lil' dance with the bird was FUN while it lasted...

Shade: It's time we settled this like robots.

Shade: Heh. Ya know what Ah'm talkin' about, don't ya?

Beck: --Shade, wait--!

[Too late. The hunter vanished without a trace, soundlessly making his escape.]

[...Leaving the mangled mess that was Cardinal behind.]

Beck: Cards--

[Beck came closer--he could smell oil and coolant-- familiar smells--]

Beck: C--Cards...

Tired…

> Analysis complete. 1 Match found: MNN-009.

Cardinal: …

[To say he was in bad shape would be the understatement of the decade. He was too tired to even try and hide the damage—and there was only a faint humming noises coming from his unprotected eyes. They flickered dimly, sporadically—

—…no, wait, that wasn’t random, that was morse…]

“Go… on… 9.”

Beck: --!

Beck: ....

[His vision began to grow out of focus.]

[...Oh, no. It's...not that.]

[Those were tears.]

Beck: N--No--

[Beck fell to his knees next to the First, but didn't dare touch him--not....Like this.]

[Flashes of something--someone. Red. Hurt.]

Beck: I...I can't--I can't leave you here--!

“Go… now…”

“SAVE… HIM…”

“Save… 8…”

“Go.”

Beck: I--I--

[His eyes darted erratically--flicking between a glowing intensity to a dulling light--]

[He promised, promised to save everyone, but Cards--but--Shade--]

[Cards was so hurt, but Shade was so close to losing himself--]

Beck: -Hurts--

[Shade--his brother--]

[And Cards, Shade's best friend--]

___________________

"Beck."

___________________

Beck: --!

[A voice...]

_______________________

"Ow...yeah?"

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Putting yourself...Putting yourself up like you MUST prove something."

"Uh...I don't get it."

"Bah, of course you don't..."

"I'm saying...you always put yourself in a position where...where you WANT to be something greater when you're not READY for it."

"I..."

"You help others, sometimes out of your own expense--you give and give and give and give--"

"Until WHAT, Beck--?"

"I..."

"Why do you have to feel like you have to help...help EVERYONE in YOUR world--?"

"Um...Because it's the right thing to do?"

"Oh, don't give me THAT. That's cliché and you know it."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with wanting to help people, right?"

"...No, but it's dangerous to feel like you have to help everyone you meet."

"Hey, what do you mean by--"

"You can't help everyone, Amadeus."

"Wha--yes, I can--!"

"No. You can't. You're just one person. And we all have our limits."

*"I hope that one day even YOU can figure that out..."*

"...Mighty No. 9."

___________________________

Beck: .......

Beck: . . . .

Beck: (...I...)

Beck: (I can't help everyone...)

Beck: .......

>Shutting down…

Beck: . . . . .

Beck: O...Okay.

Beck: I'll go.

Beck: I'll...I'll save Shade, Cards, like I promised...

Beck: And...

Beck: I'll...I'll bring him home...

Beck: ...

Beck: Promise.

-Ping-

<RMDC>: >Signal identified: DLN-000.

<RMDC>: > Processing…

<RMDC>: > DLN-000 is now Offline.

Beck: ....

[It was quiet, save for Beck's small, retreating footsteps. Far too quiet.]

[Beck had come to HATE this kind of silence. It was unnerving, and too heavy for his... smallness to bear.]

[As much as it pained him to leave his friend like this, Beck...Beck just didn't have the heart to go on without some solace that Cardinal would be okay.]

[PING!]

[MN.9] //: G...Guys...

[MN.9] //: I...I'm going after Shade...

[MN.9] //: But--C...Cards...

[MN.9] //: -PLEADING data--Help--I can't help him, please, someone help him soon, please--

[It seems forever before there’s an answer.]

<MC005>: > Can’t bring Robot Masters back Online. Xelbots can’t go until area is secured.

Beck: ......

[Which means...]

[Until Shade was saved, no one would help Cardinal get out of here.]

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

[.....]

[There was...no other choice.]

[He had to move forward.]

Beck: . . . .

Beck: (Cards...)

Beck: (I'll finish what you started.)

Beck: (I'll save Shade--for both of us...All of us.)

[REXELECTION: BRANDISH.]

[A flash of red and yellow, and Beck zoomed out of the foyer.]

[This was far from over.]

[Just because Shade had effectively incapacitated Cardinal and THEN some--]

[There were still many infected robots in the building, and who knows what kind of secrets were hidden in the White House that Shade could use to spread pandemonium across the nation.]

[Not to mention, the fact that they seem to follow Shade to an extent--he had no doubt that Shade was stalling for time back there just to ambush Cards at the right moment.]

[Eight could very well mount a invasion like had Five nearly done, and then there would be no stopping the government from utterly destroying the place.]

[...The more Beck thought about it, the more he could see why Cards wanted him to leave him behind. In a way, it lessened the sting of just abandoning him there--]

[...But only a little.]

[SHING!]

[Shade was still hiding, even after all this.]

[SHING!]

[But where...]

Beck: SHADE!

[PING!]

[MN.8] //: Lost, Lil' Doggy?

Beck: I THOUGHT you wanted to settle this like robots.

Beck: So where ARE you?

[MN.8] //: Ah' could tell ya. But that wouldn't as fun...

[MN.8] //: Ah' think ya have more worries t' attend to.

Beck: Besides YOU? Oh, come on--

[MN.8] //: Haven't ya heard the commotion outside?~

Beck: --Huh?

[Beck skidded to a stop, looking out to one of the broken windows overlooking the White House Lawn, and the gates beyond it.]

[There was...A lot of police. The kind that you see in... riots--? ]

Beck: What...?

[MN.8] //: See? I'm not the only robot tired of the status quo.

[MN.8] //: Even the meat-sticks don't want anythin' t do with the system!

[Indeed, it...It looked like there was a large, angry crowd outside--Beck could make out mostly humans, but also some Xelbot Civilians that didn't seem to be infected--]

[Some were cheering, others screaming bloody murder, and still others were trying to get inside--]

Beck: I...What is...?

Beck: (I don't understand...)

[MN.8] //: Lemmie ask ya a question, Lil' Doggy.

[MN.8] //: What are we REALLY built for?

Beck: ....

Beck: You're not going to get at me with this.

[MN.8] //: Not even gonna humor me, eh? Alright, that's fahn. I'll TELL ya.

[MN.8] //: All we were built t' do is fight in the Battle Colosseum, plaaain an' simple.

[MN.8] //: Don't seem so bad on the SURFACE, right?

[MN.8] //: W r o n g.

[MN.8] //: Humans can talk 'bout 'containin' violence' all they want, but that don't disguise what they REALLY want.

[MN.8] //: Entertainment, Lil' Doggy. We're just playthangs t' them. We dance and sing and fight and die just t' give them somethin' to fill the void in their PATHETIC Lil' lives.

Beck: --......

[MN.8] //: An' Combat Models have been doin' it fer YEARS an' no one' bothered t' do ANYTHIN' 'bout it.

[MN.8] //: We're givin' our spot in the limelight until they decide we're old news. And then they throw. Us. OUT.

[MN.8] //: Would've happened to One, eventually. Would've happened t' all of us. Would have happened t' YOU.

[MN.8] //: Heh.

[MN.8] //: Lucky for yew, lil' Doggy, Ah' plan t' make a few...changes t' that.

[MN.8] //: If ya manage t' SURVIVE, that is.

Beck: ...What are you getting at, Shade?

Beck: What's your plan?

[MN.8] //: Ah' really gotta spell it out for ya, don't Ah'?

[MN.8] //: Mah' first executive order as the first robot president is to set ALL robot FREE.

[MN.8] //: An' t' do that, I'm gonna abolish the International Battle Coloseeum Association. Permanently.

[MN.8] //: By FORCE.

Beck: --!!!!

Beck: Y--You can't do that--!

Beck: The IBCA isn't EVIL, Shade--!

Beck: Don't do that--

Beck: -PANIC-

Beck: PLEASE--!

[MN.8] //: Oh?

[MN.8] //: --Ooooh, that's right...yer off the team, ain't ya?

[MN.8] //: No IBCA, no tournaments, no more team.

[MN.8] //: You'd be useless, Lil' Doggy. Everythin' ya worked for--

[MN.8] //: --Kaput. See what Ah' mean, nao?

Beck: --........

[MN.8] //: Heh.

[MN.8] //: Truth hurts, don't it.

[MN.8] //: I'll be waitin' in mah new office, Lil' Doggy. If ya wanna file a complaint!~

[KSSSSSST--]

Beck: . . . .

Beck: (Those words...)

Beck: (I...I've heard those words... before...)

Beck: (I didn't understand then, but...Now...)

((Flash backs to when the cross was revealed in the Queen's Finals, the Highway Accident when Shade is investigating the CherryDyn delivery truck, and times when Beck worried about Ray--))

Beck: (You...)

Beck: (Has it been you...I've been sensing all this time...?)

Beck: (Are you the one behind all this...?)

Beck: (Have you...been hurting...this whole...time...?)

Beck: .......

Beck: (No...)

Beck: (Why didn't you tell me--?)

Beck: (Y...You could have...told me...)

Beck: (I...All this time, I could have helped you too...)

Beck: (How...how could I have been so blind--?)

Beck: (...Am I really that much of an idiot after all...?)

Beck: --........

[MN.9] //: -Erratic, sad, self doubt, empathetic data--

Beck: -Ngh--

Beck: (No, stop that--)

Beck: (If...If they knew...)

Beck: ....

Beck: (I have to keep going.)

Beck: (I can...think..about it...later...)

[His new office, Shade said.]

[Taking into account what Shade came here to do in the first place...]

[Beck knew exactly where to go.]

Beck: . . . .

[Soon, he came upon the large doors adorned with the Presidential Seal on them--The Oval Office.]

[Sunny sat to the side, hopping over to the small, discouraged hero with a worried look on her face.]

Sunny: D :

Beck: ...Hi, Sunny.

[Sunny opened up her compartment to give Beck some much needed Xel Cubes and Stocks--]

Beck: --?

[...Some other things tumbled out too.]

Beck: !

[A care package, of sorts, hastily thrown together.]

[Some cool water from Cryo, and cookies from Pyro--power nodes from Dyna and what looked to be a shiny rock from Mic...]

[A small coin from Bat--...Sadly nothing from Avi. He must be still out cold...]

[...A origami crane from Brand...His star projection toy he got on his second birthday from Will...]

[And some marshmallows from Sanda.]

[…!]

[And a note!]

Beck: ...?

“{LAST NIGHT—FOUND WORKING REPLACEMENT.}”

Beck: Working...Replacement...?

[.....]

Beck: --!!!!!

[Cardinal's core. He had all the parts, thanks to Beck, except for a working power core replacement. Something he could run on that wouldn't cause him to overheat--]

Beck: (He...They...)

Beck: (They did it--?)

Beck: ....

[And just like that, with that one note, with those seemingly few items that wouldn't have mattered to anyone else...]

[...There was hope.]

Beck: (I get it now...)

[There was a chance--!]

Beck: (I gotta save Shade--)

Beck: (So Cards can get help--)

Beck: (So he can be SAVED--)

Beck: (So he can live--!)

((pic))

Beck: (Don't worry, Cards--)

Beck: (I'll save Shade for you--so he can live right by your side--!)

[Strength returned to him suddenly, as he absorbed the Xel Cubes into his frame. He shoved the rest of the care package back into Sunny--he didn't have time to keep it all on him.]

[...The cookies and marshmallows stayed with him, though.]

Beck: (Alright, Shade--)

[Beck stood in front of the doors, and pushed them both open with some effort.]

Beck: (Let's end this.)

[CAPITOL BUILDING: OVAL OFFICE...]

[The office had seen better days. It was completely trashed. Even the chair in which the Madame President sat in was thrown across the room, the desk scorched, the tables turned sideways and riddled with bullet holes.]

[As expected...Shade was nowhere to be seen.]

[But he was here.]

Beck: (...Yeah...)

Beck: (He's here, I can feel it, somehow...)

Beck: (Is this how you tell he's near, Nii-San?)

Beck: ....

Beck: I kinda expected to be shot the second I came in.

Beck: That's what you did when I got here.

"Heh."

[The cowbot finally revealed himself, lazily leaning against the side of the desk, head down so that his radar hat covered most of his face.]

Shade: So ya do learn.

Shade: Okay, nao, Lil' Doggy...

[His head lifts just enough to reveal a single glowing violet eye, and a twisted smile.]

Shade: Let's see if you're all bark...or if you got some b i t e.

[A pair of bright, emerald hues meet his in defiance. Then Beck shook his head.]

Beck: Listen to me, Shade: you're malfunctioning! You're SICK! You're not THINKING straight!

Beck: Didn't you feel anything at all--ANYTHING--when you saw Cards--?!

[Shade pauses at that for a moment, as if thinking back...]

Shade: ....

Beck: Please...

Beck: All this--freeing robots, us being just tools and playthings--

Beck: ....

Beck: I won't disagree with you.

Beck: ....

Beck: I've seen...and heard...what happens...when people see us like that...

Beck: Even when I shouldn't have...I did. I heard.

Beck: And it is nothing LESS than horrifying and wrong.

Beck: And...I won't deny that...

Beck: There are bad things, bad places, and...Yeah... really bad people in the world.

Beck: That being said--

Beck There are people that don't see us like that--!

Beck: Like Dad, and Uncle Sanda, and Mikhail--!

Beck: Mao, Felix, Piers--

Beck: The people that look up to us--

Beck: The people that we FIGHT for--!

Beck: The people that know what REAL freedom is, and try to protect it--!

Beck: Freedom doesn't require all this SUFFERING--!!

Beck: You're only going to make things WORSE, if you shut down the IBCA--! Not just for me--forget about me--! For EVERYONE--! What are you trying to ACCOMPLISH, getting rid of something that gives so many people so much HOPE?!

Shade: Tch.

Shade: Humans have fought over freedom an' hope with WAR for centuries. Your damn point? S'moot.

Beck: --!

Shade: Emancipation is worth ANY price...

Shade: Even at the cost of human lives.

[SCANNING.....]

[SCAN COMPLETE.]

[MODEL: MIGHTY NO. 8. CODENAME: COUNTERSHADE.]

[HEIGHT: 193cm WEIGHT: 273kg XEL COUNT: 54,600,000]

[CLICK]

(((SHADE BOSS PIC HERE--))

Shade: Or yours.

[BANG!]

[Beck saw that coming--he vaulted over a table on its side, the energy bullet seating the expensive furniture instead.]

Beck: I don't want to FIGHT you, Shade--!

"Bit late for that line, ain't it?"

[A quick peek over the table. Shade was no longer there.]

Beck: (Argh...)

[Countershade. The 8th in the Mighty Numbers, with state of the art technology that was only surpassed by Beck's own. The Teal Silence, the Mighty Assassin, intangible as a ghost...]

[Shade was synonymous with all of these titles and sayings and then some. He was able to pick his foes off before they even knew they were being hunted, and had many tricks and traps at his disposal--even with the lack of a right limb, that didn't slow him down in the slightest.]

[The world's greatest assassin robot ever built, and he had turned for the worst. He had pushed his inborn abilities of Radar Detection and Active Camouflage to greater heights, placing him squarely as the team's Sniper. It was often Shade that dealt the final blow against particularly strong teams, and often Shade that made sure that they had a ace in the hole in case things ever went...]

[...Wrong.]

[Against the strongest member of their family...]

[Beck had to be prepared for anything.]

Beck: (At least we're in an enclosed space--Shade's area of excel is long-range, not close quarters combat. I got the advantage there.)

Beck: (...But Cards had that too, and...)

Beck: (...And I DON'T want to taunt Shade into a rage--that would suck--)

Beck: (--I could use his weakness, I have Dyna's form...)

Beck: (--...But that isn't really going to deflect his shots, so...)

[REXELECTION: SEISMIC]

Beck: I hope I got Mic's bulkiness too...

[Beck took a deep breath and ZOOMED out of his cover--]

[BANG BANG BANG--]

[Bullet holes chasing his tracks, unrelenting in their pursuit of the smaller Mighty Number.]

"That's right--RUN."

Beck: -WELL, WHAT ELSE DO YOU EXPECT US TO DO--

[Shade still had his Camo online, even if Cardinal had done a number on his cloak...]

Beck: (Where are you--)

"Here."

Beck: --!?

[He looked up--]

[BANG--!]

Beck: --?!?

[Dizzy--]

[ERROR--GYRO SYSTEMS OFFLINE.]

Beck: Wh--Whoa--!

Shade: Heh! DANCE, Lil' Doggy!

[The world suddenly turned upside down, and his motor controls were reversed--]

[WHAM--!]

[He crashed into the desk so hard he reverted back to default, the ground and ceiling spinning at dizzying speeds.]

Beck: @~@!

Beck: (Can't tell what's up or down--)

[BANG!]

Beck: NGH--!

[Trying to move his right arm only moved his left, and vice versa--same with his legs--]

[BANG!]

Beck: OW--

[After some doing, he DOES manage to get on his feet--]

[But he's stumbling and tripping up, all sense of balance lost.]

Beck: (I've never--seen Shade do this before--not with Cards or anyone--!)

[THUD--]

Beck: (Ugh, I can't even walk straight, LET ALONE SHOOT--!)

[BANG--!]

Beck: ARGH--!

"Havin' fun, Lil' doggy?"

Beck: NO!

"Heheh."

Beck: (I gotta get normal mobility BACK--!)

[RUNNING XEL_FILTER.EXE...]

[NO MALWARE FOUND.]

Beck: (Wha--then how--)

Beck: !

[There--there's something caught in his shoulder's armor--]

[A purple dart--?]

Beck: --!

Beck: (Of course, Shade can detect signals--there's no reason why he can't also transmit jamming signals with his radar too--!)

Beck: (I gotta get this thing off me--)

[Left moves right, and vice versa--]

[So moving his right arm should--!]

Beck: (There--Ow, OW THAT HURTS--)

[BANG BANG BANG--!]

[The shots hit him squarely in the torso, knocking him away to the middle of the room--]

Beck: Nngh...

Beck: (Need a...good grip...!)

[SMACK--]

Beck: Mmmph--!

[His face meets the carpet--something big and heavy was planted right on the back of his head--]

Shade: S'that ALL?

Shade: Ya didn't even last HALF of what the Songbird did.

Shade: How ya managed t' fell the rest of our kin is beyond me. Maybe it was all dumb luck, huh?

Beck: (Nngh--)

[... Amazingly, Beck raised his head even with Shade's weighted boot on his helmet.]

Beck: Sh... Shade--!

[...?]

[...Why...Why was this part of the carpet red--? ]

[Yes, it was faint, but he can make out the beginning of the letter H in...]

[Cardinal's handwriting...]

[HOPE LIVES.]

Beck: (H...Hope...Hope...)

Shade: Any last words, Doggy?

[CLICK.]

Beck: --Shade--

Beck: Cards--there's--there's a new source--

Beck: They did it, Shade--!

Shade: --!

[It was as if a switch had been flipped.]

[The sick, purple glow left him completely, for a moment--]

Shade: -Blink-

Shade: R..Really--?

Beck: Yeah-- [YANK--] [GYRO SYSTEMS RESTORED.]

Beck: So you need to COME BACK HOME WITH ME--! [REXELECTION: DYNATRON.]

[BZZZZZZZZZRT!!]

Shade: MOTHERSCRA--

[Shade screamed as pure high voltage surged up his leg, considerably damaging him--enough so that some of the infected Xel glowed around him!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

Beck: So you and Cards--

[BZZZZZZZZZRT!]

Beck: --can get better--together--!

Shade: Ngh--!

Beck: So you can laugh and smile and be silly and get into trouble--

Beck: So we can all Live together--!!

Beck: IT'S JUST YOU LEFT--!

Beck: SO JUST LET ME--

[Beck dashed into Shade, he needed to end this quick, end this now before Cards--]

[Fzzt!]

Beck: --?!?!?

[....Did...]

[Did he just go... through Shade...?]

[He skids to a stop, turning on his heel, bewildered.]

Shade: -GRIN-

[Shade was... flickering red...]

Shade: What's wrong, Lil' Doggy?

[And then he just disappeared.]

"Ya look like ya just saw a GHOST, HEH HEH HEH!~"

[BANG!]

Beck: Gh--

[The shot came from what seemed like above--he rolled and shot straight at the ceiling ledge where Shade was really perched--had be been there the whole time--]

Shade: That damn annoyin' Songbird fell for it more than ONCE, ha!

Shade: Half of the tahm he was chasin' mah Phantom instead of me.~

Shade: Did ya really think ya can win against ME, mutt?

Shade: Just like that?

Beck: --Ngh...Okay...I might have gotten...Carried away...

Shade: Heh.

Shade: So--will the humans give ya a SPECIAL treat for betraying yer own KIND, Lil' Doggy? Is Dad gonna put ya on a pedestal b'fore everyone?

Shade: S'just like them, huh?

Shade: T'covet what they hold DEAR--

[VRRRRR....]

Beck: !

[Several dark orbs fly out from under Shade's cloak--some create a shield around him, while one started to glow... bright red--]

Shade: T'WORSHIP UNTIL THEY GET BORED!

[BANG BANG BANG--]

[Strange visual glitches appeared in the air, but there were OTHER things to worry about—]

Beck: --?!?!?

Beck: (HOW IS HE DOING THAT--)

[Diving behind a table once more, he could only watch in absolute horror as Shade shot off bullets towards him--off of something that made some very familiar warping--]

Beck: (T..That shouldn't be possible--!)

[BANG BANG BANG!]

[Beck winces at what sounds like glass breaking, Shade continuing to shoot wildly--he managed to get around his cover a few times, but--]

Beck: Shade, I have no idea what you're doing but you have to stop it--

Beck: --?

[What's this--?

The visual glitchy cracks in the air were suddenly filled with a dark, pulsing energy...

That's funny, for a second he thought he heard...Voices...]

Beck: (What the heck...)

Beck: (Ugh, I don't know what's going on, but it isn't good--!) [REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE]

[PEW PEW PEW!]

Shade: HGNN--

[Pelting Shade with a few ice shard filled snowballs was enough to get him to stop making more of those strange glitches--but it did also made him angry.]

Shade: Freakin' MUTT!

Shade: I'll show ya EXACTLY what yer dealin' with--

Shade: Les' play a GAME, Lil' Doggy.

Shade: S'called-- [FZZT!]

[Shade vanished once more--only to reappear at Beck's left...AND right--!]

Shade and Shade: Which is it?

Beck: !

Beck: -DUCK--

[Both Shades fired at him, with those annoying purple darts--Beck could NOT afford to get hit with one of THOSE again--]

[SCANNING...]

[ERROR--MN.8 SIGNAL NOT FOUND]

Beck: (I can't tell which one is the real one--!)

Beck: (UGH--)

[PEW--!]

[He fired at one Shade, but it just went right through it.]

Beck: (Aha!)

[Fzzt!]

[No cigar--as soon as Beck figured out which was which, both Shades had vanished--and once again reappeared in different locations, as if in a game of shuffle.]

Beck: (No--!)

Shade and Shade: Heh, it hurts t' be seein' DOUBLE, ain't it?

Beck: (Nnngh, I even hear two voices overlapping--)

Beck: --?

[--? What was that--a light dangling from one of the Shades’ neck--?]

Beck: --!!!

[--Wait--that was a dog tag, with a red frayed thread around it--!]

[PEW!]

Shade: --?!?

[XEL ABSORBED.]

Beck: (Thank you, Cards--!)

Beck: (It must have gotten loose during the fight...)

[REXELECTION: DYNATRON.]

Shade: Nngghr--...

Shade: Ya need t' be put DOWN, Lil' doggy, so sit STILL--!

Beck: I'm not a DOG--

[BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

Beck: --So stop CALLING me that--!

[Shade growled at his smaller brother, and sent out--a LOT of orbs--!]

[Shade--the REAL Shade--flared a bright violet aura, anger and wrath radiating from his frame in visible waves, distorting the space around him--]

Shade: You...

Shade?: You IDIOT.

Beck: --?!

Shade?: I have no qualms with you, NINTH!

[CLICK.]

Shade?: LET ME HAVE THIS!

[VRRRRRRRR--!]

[BANG BANG BANG BANG BANGBANGBANGBANG--!]

((FLASHBACK TO ROUND ONE WHEN SHADE KNOCKED OUT ALL THE LIGHTS,))

[Bullets and darts fly absolutely EVERYWHERE, leaving Beck with no room for cover--]

[REXELECTION: SEISMIC]

[The only thing he COULD do was shift into Mic's form and tank what he could...]

[But...]

[WARNING: XEL LOSS DETECTED.]

Beck: --!!

Beck: -Gnh--

[His leg armor was breached, and blue began to flow out of the wound from it...]

[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]

Beck: (Ow...Can't move...)

Shade: Gah, sloppy--

Shade: Hate it when it takes more than one bullet...

Shade: Heh, oh well. Funny, that ya bleed b l u e....

Beck: Ngh--

Beck: How many times do I have to say it--

[REXELECTION: DYNATRON]

[Bits flew around the room, dangerously sparking up--]

Beck: You got it all WRONG! I'm here because I want to HELP you!

Beck: I AM NOT--

Shade: --!!!

Beck: LIKE THAT--!

[C R A C K !!]

[A brilliant flash, the room turns alight with the brightness of the sun-- ]

[K-ZAP!]

[Well THAT was certainly stronger than expected—!]

[...The room was covered in black soot, though, Shade and Beck included.]

Beck: ....

Beck: -cough, ugh--

Beck: (Dizzy...I feel all tingly...)

"N...Ngh..."

[Shade was on a single knee across the room, twitching slightly in some places...

The glow that surrounded him earlier had faded to a dim, but the assassin was not completely spent...]

Shade: A Mighty...doesn't lose...On their KNEES...

[Slowly, with some effort, he rides to his feet--]

Shade: This tahm--gonna kill ya DEAD--

Beck: --!

Beck: SHADE WAIT--

[ZZT.]

Shade: OW--

Shade: -Nnmmgh that smarts, what the hell--

Beck: -...We're on carpet, haven't you ever rubbed socks on one--

Beck: (This is perfect--all I have to do is get closer--)

[ZZZT.]

Beck: OW--

Beck: ......

[ZZZT. ZZZT. ZZZT.]

Beck: Ow ow ow--

Shade: Wh--

Beck: Ow OW OW, that hurts, ow--

Beck: @-@

Beck: Ow.

Shade: -GROWLS, DON'T YA DARE, WE /W I L L/ BEAT YA WITH OUR GOOD ARM IF WE HAFTA--

Beck: Okay, Shade...

Shade: Ya don't know what yer doin', Lil' Doggy.

Shade?: This is something you cannot even begin to fathom.

Beck: .....

Beck: No.

Beck: I think I do.

Beck: I think I have all this time.

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[XEL QUOTA REACHED. XEL PURGE ONLINE. XELFILTER.EXE IS PRIMED AND READY FOR OVERDRIVE.]

Beck: I...just didn't want to believe it.

Beck: I know you're listening.

Beck: ...

Beck: Everything is going to be okay.

Beck: I will help everyone.

Beck: ...I'll keep giving, if that's what it takes.

Beck: And, Shade...

Shade: --?

Beck: Cards is going to be okay.

Beck: He's hurt, but he's going to be okay.

Shade: .....

Shade: C... Cards...

[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]

Beck: I think we've stayed here long enough...

[.........]

"What are ya doin' in mah room, Beck?"

"WAAH--I--I thought no one was in here--"

"Heh. Hidin' from Dyna's wardrobe game again?"

"...Yeah. >//> I hate being in a dress..."

"Alright, ya can crash here fer a bit."

"...Y...You're not mad?"

"Beck, Ah've known those two fer longer than ya have been alive, Ah' get it."

"Oh...Okay."

"... Penny fer yer thoughts? Ya seem distant."

"Um...I... was...just wondering."

"Mm?"

"...People say... that... you...."

"...you hurt people. B...Bad people, though."

"But...why? I...I mean, isn't violence only confined to the Battle Colosseum--and why do you have to--"

"Hush, nao..."

"When did ya start thinkin' like that, huh...Eh, you're gettin' older, Ah' bet..."

"Listen t' me, Beck, an' listen well."

"Dad's taught us that there is good in everyone, an' he ain't wrong 'bout that. There is a light in all thangs..."

"... But there is also darkness. Evil. Sometimes...Sometimes good people don't come back once they let themselves go too far."

"An' as much as some would like nothin' more than t' get them back..."

"Sometimes, it ain't enough. An' someone has t' stop them b'fore they hurt even MORE people. Good, innocent people."

"...People like the ones we see on the street..."

"...An' sweet lil' kids like you, Becky, come 'ere!"

"Ack--! Shaaaade, that tickles--!"

"Heh."

[.......]

"But...Dad also taught us that..."

"... Sometimes, good people do bad thangs, but that don't make them bad people. It takes a strong heart t' tell the difference, Beck."

"...?"

Shade: B...Be...ck...

Beck: --!!!!

"Just remember this."

"There is such a thang as second chances."

"Few, an' far in between..."

Shade: Ah'....

"But they're there."

[XEL PURGE COMPLETE. ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MN.8]

Shade: Ah' owe ya one, don't ah', Beck...?

[THUD.]

[MN.8 IS NOW IN DEEP SLEEP MODE.]

Beck: Shade--!

-PING!-

<MC005>: > {Please tell me I didn’t just imagine that—}

<MC005>: > {Beck! Are you ready to return?}

Beck: ! Yeah, but Shade--

Shade: .....

Shade: Zzzzzz....

Beck: . . .

[…

Mikhail laughs.

It is clearly influenced by stress, and you could almost hear him crying in relief—his voice was kind of shaky.]

Beck: ....

Beck: Heh...

[He is soon joined by Beck, after a while. It...

It was almost like a great weight had been lifted up from his small shoulders...]

Mikhail: They’ll…

Mikhail: They’ll be fine, Beck.

Beck: -Sniff- Y...Yeah...

Mikhail: I can’t… I haven’t had the chance to talk to your father yet, but I know a way to even minimize the impact of this…

Beck: !

Beck: R...Really?

Beck: -Sniff- Th... That's great...

Mikhail: I’ll need to have a lengthy private conversation with him first, but…

Mikhail: He’ll be alright.

Beck: Heh...

Beck: (I...)

Beck: (I did it. I saved my whole family.)

Beck: (They're...going to be fine...)

Beck: ^^ M'...M'kay...

[...Oh, poor boy. He looks ready to keel over, but he's keeping himself awake through will.]

Mikhail: I’m going to bring the two of you home. Try to get some rest once you get here, Nine.

Beck: -Sleepily- Mmm mmm...

Mikhail: Call, if you please…

[SANDA LABS....]

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

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

Beck: Zzzzz....

Shade: Zzz....

[Peacefully asleep.]

Pyro: -I am hardly surprised at this-

Will: Shade...

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

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

Mikhail: …I’m going to need you to do something.

Pyro: --?

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

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

Will: Not yet...

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

Will: ...

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

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

[Mikhail pinched the bridge of his nose.]

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

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

Will: But with the Robot Masters offline...

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

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

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

Mikhail: Will…

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

Mikhail: That’s what he would have wanted.

Mikhail: But I know you’re still busy…

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

Will: .....

Will: I...I know.

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

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

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

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

Will: Once Shade wakes up....

Will: ......

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

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

Mikhail: Will.

Mikhail: You don’t look very good.

Will: I--

Soi: Will had a panic attack.

Will: --....

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

Will: (Soi...)

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

Soi: Both of you. <<

Mikhail: …

[The older man doesn’t even argue.]

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

Call: Yes, Doctor Cossack.

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

Mikhail: Good day.

Soi: See you later, Mikhail.

Will: .....-Waves-

<<—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...)

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

=CHAPTER 3D: VOLTAIC DYNATRON=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

[MEANWHILE…]

“… …..”

“… … … … ….”

“…. Three in SUCH a short amount of time…”

“…You were always full of surprises, weren’t you…”

“But, then again, you…you’re special.”

“….I had anticipated that.”

“Just…didn’t think it would be….or I had HOPED….”

“… ….”

“….ha.”

“You….Will…ha…”

“I didn’t think you would, but you did.”

“… … …”

“You’ve… changed.”

“… ….”

“… … … … … …”

“We’re all just a bunch of MONSTERS, aren’t we…?~”

“Aha…ha….”

“… … … …”

“… … … … … …”

“… … … … … … … ….”

“help me.”

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

=CHAPTER 6B: CRIMSON STRONGHOLD=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

{The Pentagon}

“This is an OUTRAGE!”

[It was quite the sight to see, though they had ensured that no prying eyes would be remotely capable of seeing it.]

“You call me out here toward the tail end of a crisis you tried to cover up by yourselves, and now you won’t even own admit to knowing about it in the first place!?”

[The Secretary of Defense looked on with a quiet frown as the teacher continued giving a verbal thrashing.]

???: I absolutely REFUSE to believe that NONE of you know ANYTHING about what just happened! TELL ME THE TRUTH!

[The room was silent.]

Des: (Man, I haven't seen her get this angry in years...)

???: Well?!

[Most of his colleagues were doing their best to avoid eye contact, which caused him to narrow his own pair.]

???: Oh for the love of— for Jefferson’s SAKE, people, don’t make me treat you like third graders!

Des: (...But I guess they had it coming.)

[But despite her fiery demeanor, no one was forthcoming. She drew herself up haughtily, now cold and seething.]

???: Very well, then. As the saying goes, “fine, be that way!” This isn’t over. The buck stops here, and so help me if I won’t order it to be traced!

“What do you mean?”

Des: (—Secretary of Urban Development—?)

???: -Tucks a stray strand of hair back into place- What do you think, Secretary O’Hare?

[Her stern gaze spilled over the rim of her glasses as she tilted her head down slightly in a menacing glare.]

???: I’ve just been told about an unauthorized, highly illegal military base with live weapons and warheads. This jeopardized the lives of over half a million people, and is still very much a threat to international peace. This facility was extremely well-maintained and up-to-date, which would require a great deal of money and specialized labor.

???: And absolutely NOBODY here is taking RESPONSIBILITY.

[She bent back the flexible ruler so hard that Desmond Donald was worried that it might snap in half.]

???: Well, I cannot have that. I’m going to find out who is involved, and whether or not there are more bases out there like this. Have I made myself clear?

[There were uneasy murmurs at this.]

???: I said, HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?

“Yes, Madame President!”

[Minerva Morandi, President of the United States, pushed her glasses up to her face.]

((Pic—Des and Min))

Min: Better. I expect full cooperation and none of your sass when you get the followup from Internal Affairs.

“Internal Affairs?!”

Des: -Looks over at the head of the Department of Homeland Security- : / ?

“Madame President, just think of the scandal—!”

Min: Excuse me?

“If the public found out about this…!”

Min: -SLAPS the ruler down on the table, making a VERY loud CRACK! of displeasure- Then someone would have violated the rules, Secretary Colby Caldwell! And frankly, damn the scandal!

Colby: But Madame President—

Min: -Motions sharply and cuts him off- My duty is to protecting the people, Mister Secretary! To protect the people and keep the peace! How am I supposed to do my job if there are active—or dormant, for that matter!—threats of which I haven’t even been made aware?!

[Desmond sighed and rubbed his chin.]

Des: Speaking of threats… there’s still the matter of the security breach.

[His colleague seemed VERY grateful for the change in subject.]

Colby: We should interrogate Blackwell—

[The Certified Assassins' League representative snorted at this, as did several of the others.]

“Seriously?”

Colby: He’s the only man capable of getting through our defenses!

Min: Fine. It’s always best to eliminate even the most outlandish of possibilities.

[Colby locked his fingers together.]

Colby: Yes, sir. We’ll get right on it—

Min: You will do NO such thing!

[The others were taken aback by this, but Desmond himself was merely puzzled.]

Des: (...Wait, what?)

Min: I’m not going to let this fall into a sea of red tape and paperwork where it will be quietly buried in a shallow grave and left to die! I want someone I trust handling this investigation!

[There was a loud “-tsk-” of disgust from across the table.]

“So you’re sending Secretary Desmond, then.”

Des: (Min—! Me, questioning Blackwell—?!)

“With all due respect, this is not really a good time to be playing favorites again.”

Min: Oh I see. You still think that your colleague is on my good graces because I knew him before I started running for office, is that it? Well too bad, because it just so happens that he’s also been the one who’s been producing the best RESULTS.

Min: Do you have any idea how hard it is to monitor the borders, even in the present age? The fact that this virus hasn’t spread into Canada or Mexico isn’t miraculous: it’s the result of a lot of hard work being done.

Min: DoHS, on the other hand, has done next to nothing for me other than corroborate HHS’s reports on the extent of this disaster! There has been no progress made in finding the source or stopping the major threats: for Madison’s sake, we’ve resorted to relying on civilians for this!

[She slammed the ruler down again.]

Min: Civilians who were put in great danger because SOME people were willing to accept their loss as an “acceptable risk!”

Des: (...God, she's right. How did we ever sink low enough to let a child take on all that danger and responsibility? That kind of burden...)

Min: I’m sending my best man, the person I trust, NOW ALL OF YOU GO AND WRITE AN ESSAY EXPLAINING WHAT YOU DID WRONG OR SO HELP ME GOD—

————————————

{Maximum Security}

Des: (...I'm really not gonna like this. I KNOW you trust me, Min, but this is...)

Des: (This is the man that tried to shut down EVERY robot in America, and did so for Titus...)

Des: -Ghn.-

[The door to the cell opened after a few, tense minutes. It's practically spotless, and had very little features and furniture. A bed, a desk with no drawers, and a single bench in the middle of the room.]

"They told me you were coming."

[Sitting in that bench was a elderly man in his late 70s, dressed in nothing more than prison clothes—and over that, a tattered, black lab coat with some sort of faded coat of arms on the pocket. While his stature seemed frail—or at least that's what the cane he held indicated...]

[His sharp, cold as ice blue hues said otherwise.]

Blackwell: Now I believe them.

Des: ....

Des: (...I feel like I'm being watched under a microscope...)

Des: -Ahem- Doctor—

Blackwell: I have nothing to say to you. Out.

Des: —...

Des: I haven't even—

Blackwell: -Once again cuts him off- You're here to interrogate me, Desmond Donald. Why ELSE would the Secretary of Defense would be in a madman's cell?

Blackwell: You're certainly not the first. Had all sorts of bloody suits in here asking useless nonsense of me, demanding answers even I cannot provide.

Des: ...That remains to be seen.

Blackwell: Hmph.

Des: -Sighs—- Look, I don't want to do this either, Doctor, so can we just both get this over with? =~=

Blackwell: You don't, hm. Interesting.

Blackwell: At the end of your rope, I take it?

Des: ....

Blackwell: How disappointing.

Blackwell: The very same government that has me locked up for life can't even pinpoint the cause of this viral epidemic. Even I'm sorry for you.

Des: Doctor, I didn't come here to listen to you—

Blackwell: I don't care.

Des: (Ugh, he's not budging—!)

Blackwell: What, is that it? You need my help?

Des: =~= You and I both know that isn't possible.

Blackwell: A pity. It would be nice to see how the world has changed outside of this dog cage.

Blackwell: Feh...

Des: Doctor, I agree that this is a waste of time, but I have a job to do, and the sooner you cooperate—the sooner I'll leave you alone.

Des: Okay?

[He STILL seems disgruntled at the idea of it, but—]

[TAP!]

Des: -Winces—-

[The incarcerated Doctor taps his cane LOUDLY on the floor.]

Blackwell: You have five minutes.

Des: —Or?

Blackwell: 4 minutes and 58 seconds.

Des: (For REAL?)

Blackwell: Don't waste your time.

Blackwell: You all already took all of mine.

Des: ....

Des: -Sigh-

Des: The following is classified, Doctor. Do—

Blackwell: 4 minutes and 36 seconds.

Des: =~=

Des: ...There have been a few security issues.

Blackwell: The whole bloody nation is on red alert— isn't that your job?

Des: -...Ignores- One of them is before this, although still relevant to the situation.

Blackwell: ...

Des: ... (He's quiet now. I guess he finds this interesting?)

Des: You're familiar with the Queen's Tournament, yes?

Blackwell: =~=

Blackwell: -We're from the UK, of COURSE we are-

Des: ... -Right-

Des: Concerning the incident in the finals match, there was a breach of security that we feel is within your abilities to... bypass.

Blackwell: Really?

Blackwell: ...Hm.

[... Desmond was expecting Blackwell to feel put off by this, but instead the elder strokes his beard in thought.]

Blackwell: Well, I don't have any reason, nor the means to arrange such a breach.

Blackwell: I find it very... interesting that you come to me and not that mysterious... masked construct that appeared there.

Blackwell: Still having trouble locating him, I presume? I suppose MI6 hasn't tacked on anything yet. Shame.

Des: (...He got all that just from what I said?)

Blackwell: I will take your silence as a yes.

Blackwell: -Tsk- The world's in the hands of a bunch of incompetent morons...

Blackwell: He's not my make, Secretary.

Blackwell: The way he fell in the sands a bleeding mess, which I FULLY blame on the incompetence of the IBCA security department and that WRETCHED team of scrap—

Blackwell: ...would suggest a chassis not entirely suited for combat.

Des: —?

Blackwell: At the very least, not arena combat.

Blackwell: Have you tried looking in the Industrial databases?

Des: I...

Blackwell: ....

Blackwell: I thought not.

Blackwell: Idiot.

Des: (...Min, I really hope you're having better luck...)

Blackwell: 1 minute.

Des: —Gh—

Des: -Talking quickly- There's also—another security breach not too long ago, in a classified location—

Blackwell: Oh?

Blackwell: How classified?

Des: —….

Blackwell: Ah...

Blackwell: One of your secrets. I see.

Blackwell: Hmm. Again, coming to me about this...I assume this also has a high level of security that would be within by abilities to...how you put it, bypass.

Blackwell: What are you hiding, Mr. Donald?

[Blackwell leans in when he says this, making Desmond take a step backwards—his gaze bore holes into him, with a deep scorn and hatred—]

Des: (Gah—)

Des: I'm the one asking questions, Doctor.

Blackwell: ....

Blackwell: I wonder.

Blackwell: -Sits back down- Does your superior know about this?

Des: =~= That's not within my place to say.

Blackwell: No, then.

Blackwell: ...Did you?

Des: Answer the question, please.

Blackwell: Did you?

Des: Doctor...

Blackwell: How about you answer first.

Des: (Ugh...)

Des: =~= I won't.

Blackwell: Fine. Your loss.

Des: (Gh...)

Blackwell: Your time is up, by the way.

Des: ....

Des: Alright, fine.

Des: =~= I didn't know this either.

Blackwell: ....

Blackwell: Ha...

[It's bitter laughter that echoes throughout the cell, low and mocking.]

Blackwell: It's worse than I thought...

Blackwell: Didn't think that was possible.

Blackwell: But here we are, at the edge of total oblivion, and you can't even keep track of your own secrets.

Des: Doctor Blackwell, I am not HERE to play your GAMES!

[At this point, Desmond had lost some patience—he stood up, pointing a finger upwards, raising his voice so loud that a guard had come to look through the small window on the door.]

Des: I have a JOB to do out there—and fine—maybe I can't, but it's not like I WANTED them!

Des: Answer the question!

Blackwell: Hmph.

Blackwell: So the dog does bite.

Blackwell: -Taps his cane lightly- I've been doing nothing but wait for my time to come, Secretary. While it would be fun to poke around where I don't belong one last time...

Blackwell: Don't you think I would have done so by now? Or before?

Des: -Irritated- We figured that.

Blackwell: Then you were right.

Blackwell: =~= This is a complete waste of time.

Blackwell: And all because of Graham...

Blackwell: Even in here, he continues to push sins on me that aren't mine.

Des: (...Debatable...)

Blackwell: Why haven't you yelled at him yet?

Des: =~= Believe me, we're trying.

Blackwell: Try harder.

Blackwell: That monster will hide behind his black, corrupt fortress of his so-called friends for as long as he wills it. You will not speak with him so easily.

Des: ...And how do you know that?

Blackwell: Don't know your history?

Blackwell: Figures you don't...

Blackwell: Why don't you ask your chief replacement for details.

Des: (Don't talk about Min like that—)

Blackwell: I'm sure you'll find something very educational.

Blackwell: -Waves a hand- Is that all?

Des: ....

Des: -Huffs- For now.

Blackwell: Good.

Blackwell: Get out.

Des: (Ugh, GLADLY.)

[Resounding footfalls are the last thing Blackwell hears before the door shuts close, and several locks click into place. He is alone, again, to his thoughts and his thoughts only… at least until the NEXT questionnaire comes up.]

Blackwell: …

Blackwell: -Sighs-

[His cane taps the floor one more time, and something quietly clicks open—a panel to the side slides open to reveal two, small picture frames.]

[Old, wrinkled fingers lightly graze a young woman's face, holding a smiling child with wild hair.]

Blackwell: (...I never got the chance to talk to you again.)

[The next one was of another child, bright eyed and clear minded, next to...]

[...Graham...?]

Blackwell: (...or you...)

Blackwell: (Why did you rat us out, George...?)

Blackwell: (Why?)

Des: -Tired, uuugh-

Des: -Dialing on his phone- That was fun...

Des: (Fun for HIM, I bet...)

[Click.

Minerva responded to the call promptly. She seemed to have been waiting for it.]

Min: Hello, Des. Did you learn anything interesting?

Des: -Tired- Just that Blackwell is really, really good at deduction.

Des: And getting under your skin, yeah, that was real fun...

Des: -Pinches nose- He's been twiddling his thumbs this whole time, or at least that's what he said. He agreed that the whole thing was stupid. Ugh...

Des: He even finished my thoughts before me, Min, no wonder he's in there.

Min: Hmm…. I'm not entirely surprised you did not get much out of him. He probably truly had nothing to say. Frankly, thinking Blackwell was behind it is ludicrous.

Des: -Sighs-

Des: ...He did give us a small tip for the QF, though.

Min: Oh? And what might that be?

Des: He claims the make of the “fan” that appeared in the finals was not Combat orientated, but Industrial.

Des: Worth looking into the Industrial database, he says.

Des: I think it's a good idea, as much as I kinda hate to admit it...

Des: =~=

Min: I endorse it. If that construct had the ability to bypass the tournament's security, it is possible they might have the ability to bypass federal security as well. We need a lead on that boy as soon as may be; Britain wants to extradite Aviator now that it's been proven to the scientific community that he is no longer infected.

Min: I can only stonewall our allies for so long before it goes from rude to confrontational.

Des: -Exasperated- We're STILL in the middle of red alert, don't they know that we can't lift the quarantine--?

Des: -Long sigh- Ugh, no thanks, I'd rather take Blackwell again.

Min: -Amused expression- Well, Donny, he can fly. I'm inclined to think they expect to escort him internationally.

Min: He is an asset who they perceive as having the answers they want. It's as much about protecting that lead as anything else, if one wants to be optimistic.

Des: (Somehow, I doubt that, if Blackwell is anything to go by...)

Des: -Sigh-

Des: How the heck did we get here, Min?

Min: -Sighs, taking off her glasses and putting a hand to her face-

Des: (I can't BELIEVE I'm even asking this...)

Des: Even the Doctor thinks we're morons, even if he IS the Father of Modern Xel Robotics.

Min: We are all but goldfish to the great minds of science and philosophy, Desmond. We may not be morons, but we are being played for fools.

Des: Ugh...

Min: Expect a visit from Internal Affairs once enough staff can be mustered up for it.

Des: (Great...)

Des: Won't that be a barrel of laughs...

Des: But I guess. I don't have any single problem with it, but something's wrong in here...

Des: Very wrong...

Min: Mmm. Well, I trust that you'll be able to find some results. Coordinate with Colby and the other Department heads to make sure that you have enough manpower to look into this. Just because you've been assigned team leader does not mean that they can be slackers on the group project.

Min: With the last known member of Greater Dusk still missing, that boy is the only real lead we have on the Finals, which is where something much like the virus was noticed. (I know the CAL reports from Kate Fletcher pointed to the possibility of a CherryDynamics connection, but that investigation was never completed. I suppose she went missing in infection, just like many of the other members…)

Min: We need something that gets us somewhere without jeopardizing the relationship with or the safety of our only confirmed chance of fixing this mess.

Min: We're just lucky that he was there and kept the situation from becoming so much worse…

Des: Yeah, got it. I'll see what I can do...

Des: Speaking of that...

Des: What about Sanda Enterprises?

Min: -Looks up, putting her glasses back on- Hmm?

Des: MN.9's been a big help, that I can completely agree with.

Des: Cleaning up our act is going to take time...

Des: And with how the military base incident was handled, well...

Des: >>;; I'm inclined to think that they have concluded they're on their own.

Des: -Which isn't true—or at least we don't WANT it that way—-

Des: On top of that—

Des: We don't exactly have any updates on the virus cure, if any.

Des: Wasn't Dr. White on that?

Min: So the press release says, and I have no reason to doubt it. Even the most cynical person has to recognize that without order and healthy opponents, his family would be put out of work. He has every reason to see an end to this mess, and does have the ability in at least one form.

Min: I want full cooperation extended to Sanda Enterprises, as I promised. We can pull from HHS's budget if necessary, as this does qualify as a resource to combat a plague outbreak.

Min: The man wants his children home first, and apparently has been making more progress in studying the virus as more of them come home. So it's in everyone's best interest to help him reach that point first, to allow him to focus on other things.

Min: With Battalion returned home, that just leaves two more to be found, correct?

Des: Right. Mighty No. 4, Seismic...

Des: And Mighty No. 8, Countershade.

Min: …

Des: (Dear God, I hope Four isn't in this state..)

Des: (And Eight...he's a whole other story...)

Des: So far we haven't gotten word from CAL—it's a mess, according to the representative.

Des: ...A number of them were confirmed to be infected.

Des: The good news, though, is that a good ratio was also confined in their posts when the outbreak started...

Des: So there’s that.

Min: I'm glad that not EVERY assassin in the States has gained bloodlust. Though it will be difficult to follow one trail of death out of hundreds.

Des: Needle in a haystack.

Des: A burning one, at that.

Min: A needle in a stack of needles would be more apt, but yes…

Des: -Mph...-

Des: ...There's one more thing I need to ask you...

Min: Go on.

Des: Doctor Blackwell showed a lot of disdain towards Graham.

Des: It sounded to me like it went beyond just the fact that he pointed the finger at him.

Des: ...Said I didn't know my history, so any idea why?

Min: Well, Dr. Blackwell used to work for CherryDynamics back in happier times. I'm sure that the change between now and then has some part in it, though there are likely motives that we can only guess at.

Des: He did?

Des: ...Bad blood, huh. That's worth looking into at a later date.

Min: …Possibly. One of the CAL agents on the QF case believed that it was worth investigating CherryDyn.

Des: ...If we can even GET a hold of CherryDyn...

Des: I'm still getting stonewalled at that front. Lawyers, representatives, not the man himself.

Des: I can't even get him on the phone!

Des: Busy signal, and it's gotten to the point where I think it's actually the voicemail recording.

Min: Peh. Irresponsible panderer.

Des: I don't think CherryDyn has been doing anything besides not letting the virus spread overseas...

Des: It's impossible to tell, other than it hasn't happened yet.

Min: Mmm…. what a mess…

Min: Well, he's made his bed, now he has to lie in it. Let him hide, then, so long as he doesn't get in the way of real progress. Like he tried to do earlier.

Des: =~= Can't we arrest him on grounds of suspicious activity against national security?

Min: It's honestly very tempting at times.

Min: But stupidity isn't illegal.

Min: I'm sure Sanda Enterprises will sue for libel once they're no longer busy with more pressing matters.

Min: I want everyone to be on the lookout for leads for the remaining Mighty Numbers. Any potential tip should be passed along to Sanda Enterprises.

Des: You got it.

Des: ...How are things going on your end?

[Min rubs her face a bit, giving an exasperated sigh.]

Min: No one's owning up just yet.

Min: We've gotten some promising words of support from France… they are most definitely willing to help rebuild infrastructure…

Min: … after this is over.

Des: ....

Des: -Long groan and the sound of his head hitting the wall-

Min: HHS isn't making much headway in finding a way to reverse the effects. Right now, the Whites are our only hope in finding the cure. Even finding the source will not necessarily give us that much.

Min: -Siiiigh-

Min: Come home, Donny. I don't think you'll get any more answers there for now.

Des: ...yeah.

Des: See ya soon.

{Meanwhile…}

<MC005 to DR.WHITE>: > -Ping-

[DR.WHITE to MC005] //: ...! Mikhail!

[DR.WHITE to MC005] //: Oh thank goodness are you alright you ran off so suddenly and then--

<MC005>: > I’m… better, certainly.

<MC005>: >Shadow informed me that Brandish had contacted us—it took a bit of unraveling, but it sounds like whatever was going on over there has resolved itself, for now. I’m glad.

<MC005>: >I was given quite the scare, that’s for certain. But a good deal of time has passed over here since then, and it’s given me a chance to settle down.

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

[DR.WHITE] //: I'm glad—things were a bit...chaotic, to say the very least...but we got through it together, and Bat has returned to us.

[DR.WHITE] //: Not only that, but along with one more piece to solving this virus code.

[DR.WHITE] //: (I'm close, I can feel it, I just need time...)

[DR.WHITE] //: How are the others...?

<MC005>: >Well, Jack was rather confused when he woke up somewhere else again— and Tetra had a rather… interesting choice of words to explain it—but he’s been a good patient. Most everyone has been rather docile. Jaden was agitated for a while, but improved after getting the chance to speak with Bat.

<MC005>: > … Fighting Eight still hasn’t fully recovered.

[DR.WHITE] //: (Oh, no...Kate...)

<MC005>: >I don’t entirely understand… this kind of damage surely must happen from time to time in the arena, but it seems this is the first time it’s affected her memory so deeply. Either she hasn’t ever had a head injury that severe before, or the head trauma just made existing problems worse, or there’s something else about it that I don’t know.

<MC005>: > She remains more or less docile, and can usually be coaxed back into Sleep mode within two minutes of her panicked episodes.

<MC005>: >She’s been rather incoherent. I think she just needs rest. Lots and lots of rest.

<MC005>: > The boys have been mercifully cooperative, especially ever since the latest development.

<MC005>: >That’s something you and I definitely need to cover—though there are other things to discuss that I think everyone should hear.

<MC005>: >We have good news and… some very important findings.

<MC005>: > We really should hold a conference call as soon as possible. Though you should probably get Five and Seven back up to speed, first.

[DR.WHITE] //: !

[DR.WHITE] //: I see—we'll have to wait until Beck awakens, however—I'm afraid he hasn't woken up since.

[DR.WHITE] //: It's...a bit concerning, but he's showing no signs of negative data...so...as long as he gets as much rest as possible...

<MC005>: >Mmm… well, for the good news, I’m sure he’d appreciate being there with everyone else…. I’m not sure about the findings, however…

<MC005>: > I think Pyro, Bat, and Brand definitely should hear it, though.

[There’s a thoughtful silence.]

<MC005>: > Are there any sign of the other three on your end?

[DR.WHITE] //: ...

[DR.WHITE] //: ...Nothing from Shade...

[DR.WHITE] //: ...And there's...no signal from Mic. At all. Ever since this started...

[DR.WHITE] //: And Cardinal...nothing.

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

<MC005>: > …

<MC005>: > -Sighs- Well, I had hoped.

<MC005>: > I think we may be able to help you find where Four went off to, though.

[DR.WHITE] //: !!

[DR.WHITE] //: Oh thank God—

<MC005>: >And I do have news of Cardinal.

Mikhail: (Though definitely not the news anyone was hoping to hear.)

Will: (Perhaps we're almost through this crisis—wait...just news?)

[DR.WHITE] //: —...and it's...it's good news? -Yes, we are trying to be hopeful here-

<MC005>: > …Er…

<MC005>: > …That depends on how you take it?

<MC005>: >He’s probably still in one piece, and seems to have stopped fighting, for now.

[DR.WHITE] //: (Still alive—while I am worried about you, Cardinal...I have to admit I am impressed you've—)

<MC005>: >But as for Four—

<MC005>: >My dear Will.

<MC005>: >You DO remember that my oldest (currently Online, David aside) son is a miner, да?

[DR.WHITE] //: —!

[DR.WHITE] //: Of course, maybe can he can give us an idea where Mic might have gone...

[DR.WHITE] //: Definitely somewhere in his 'element', to be sure—although we already scanned his mine, and found nothing...

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

<MC005>: >Digger has a few other ideas, and he’s turning his analysis to them now that we’ve finished our analysis of Cardinal’s information.

<MC005>: >He agrees at it’s likely that Seismic has headed underground. Quite frankly, there is no other way that he would be in his element while also being out of sight unless that were the case. He’s too large to go unnoticed above the scene.

<MC005>: >You will have to be prepared to accept his authority, though.

[DR.WHITE] //: ...I expected as much...

<MC005>: >I’m sorry, but it’s just…

<MC005>: >Dealing with infected constructs is one thing. Battling nature is another. And going underground is something else entirely.

<MC005>: >It’s very easy to get lost, and if you get lost without a surface team to keep track of you, you could spend days trying to find your way out.

<MC005>: >Thankfully, Three is an Industrial by nature, so he won’t try to get involved in any combat. You don’t need to worry on that front.

<MC005>: >He has extensive experience with that field—it’s his area of expertise—so he will be in charge of the monitoring surface team, and the recovery team, should it come to that. He’s already assigned Jaden as his second, though he’s still debating on who should be his partner…

[Later that afternoon, Mikhail briefly stopped by Sanda Labs to pick up a few things that had been left in their hasty retreat. Before he returned to the Meadow, though, he had an important stop to make.

He made his way up to Beck’s room with a bag of marshmallows in hand.]

[...There's no sound coming from his room, and the lights seem to be off...]

[Inside, a soft white glow can be seen under the covers--and the small bump that was Beck there as well.]

Beck: —? (Dad—?)

[A head pops up, and tired emerald eyes blink in slight confusion when the figure at the foot of his bed was not his Father.]

Beck: Dr. Cossack...?

Mikhail: -Softly- Good afternoon, Number Nine.

Mikhail: -Offers marshmallow bag-

Beck: ...um.

[...He can't help but feel a bit meek while taking a few marshmallows. He couldn't guess why Dr. Cossack was here, but...]

[...This had to be about Jaden's Capsule, right?]

Beck: .....

Beck: (Maybe I should...give the data back...)

Mikhail: Trouble resting?

Beck: ....Um...

[He rubs the back of his head a bit.]

Beck: Kinda. It's been a long week...it's sorta throwing my whole sleep schedule off...

[...Well, that was true, in part. Lately, he still felt tired even after going into Sleep Mode...

...There were just too many thoughts in his head.

Too many worries.]

Mikhail: It has been a long week, hasn’t it. And the time warps in effect can be a headache, true.

Mikhail: It helps to have someone to talk to about it.

Beck: .....

[...Oh.]

Beck: Y...Yeah, those are always weird...

Beck: … …

Beck: … …Doctor Cossack?

Mikhail: да?

Beck: Are…

Beck: … …

Beck: Are they afraid of me?

Mikhail: -Blinks at this-

[As was his custom, he waited until he was sure Beck had had his say before he said anything himself.]

Beck: I… Nico was… really angry—and Shadow...

Beck: I… I didn't mean…

Beck: … …

[…He falls silent.]

[There is some rattling in his closet a second afterwards…]

[Mikhail reaches out and gently puts a hand on Beck’s head.]

Beck: ....

Beck: I...I'm sorry I got Jaden in trouble....

Beck: I...I just...

Beck: ....

[Mikhail gave a soft sigh and pulled Beck into a hug.]

Beck: ......

_________________

"Humanity is hardwired to be cautious to that which is better than them, and they know this. As do all sentient creatures."

"...What does that mean--"

"...It means don't be surprised if everyone starts to FEAR YOU, you idiot."

_______________

Beck: --I...I don't want them to be afraid of me...

Beck: I'm not like... I don't want to...

Beck: -They're family too, I don't want to let them down or--or fail them or scare them or...-

Mikhail: Shhhh…

Beck: .....

Beck: (What if they're right?)

Beck: (I barely understand what's going on with me, and Dad...I'm not even sure if HE knows too...)

Beck: (Was this what she was talking about...?)

Beck: -We're scared.-

((Pic—Beck and Mikhail))

[Beck just curls up with the Russian Doctor, hands clutching the blankets, trying to even out his breathing.]

Beck: -I don't wanna be like the Menace...-

Mikhail: Oh, my dear soul-son…. -Soft sigh again-

Mikhail: You are very dear to all of us. Remember first that in our hearts, you are beloved, and cherished like Tobias, Kalinka, and David.

Mikhail: You are not the one that they fear, Amadeus. What they fear is the loss of control.

[He pulls back so he can lean his forehead against Beck’s.]

Mikhail: Not you losing control of yourself, but the situation growing greater than they can handle. It is already out of their hands. This is hard for them to accept, for it brings them back to our days at home where we live in hiding and in fear.

Mikhail: That is why they have grown defensive. They see themselves in a hostile world, where their family could be turned against itself unto ruin.

Mikhail: They are afraid that some other force will take such an ability from you to use against them—whether that force hunt you down for it, or simply take advantage of what is at hand.

Beck: … …

Beck: (I...gosh, I know that feeling...)

Beck: -Nods-

Mikhail: They have not spoken much of their culture to your family, partially because it is one of sorrow and suffering, with a serious, melancholic, reflective atmosphere. But now that Aviator knows the full extent, they may open up more over time.

Mikhail: The Power Capsules are culturally very important, not just physically. That Jaden allowed you to interact with his shows how much he trusts you.

Beck: ....He… he does…?

Beck: .....

Beck: (Jaden, you...)

Beck: .....

Mikhail: He would not have let you even see it if he did not, Nine. He was obviously hoping to give you his form—likely because of how sturdy it is. Such a thing is very important to them, and not done lightly.

Mikhail: Alnico was alarmed primarily because… well, to put it frankly, he’s been wound a bit too tight during the whole ordeal. Being the family leader is not easy, and it was never a position he really wanted to begin with.

Mikhail: When feeling stressed and afraid, it is easier and more likely for faulty alarm triggers to go off.

Beck: ...O...Oh...

Beck: (Poor Nico...he must be really stressed out and stuff...)

Beck: ......No wonder he got so mad...

Mikhail: He in particular has had a very bad experience regarding the Power Capsules. His half-brother took his brother’s Power Capsule from storage for the sole purpose of destroying him.

Mikhail: He, like most of the family, feel that the fewer people that have access to such things, the safer things will be.

Beck: .....That makes sense when you look at it like that... (...They ARE weapons....)

Beck: (...I guess Nico had a point. I SHOULD be more careful...)

Mikhail: You did no real harm to them, though. Nico has calmed down considerably, now that they are confident that all will be well in the end.

Mikhail: They really do believe that.

Beck: ......

Beck: (They....they really do believe that I'll fix everything...)

Beck: (I don't...I can't let them down like that...)

Beck: Yeah...I...I know.

Mikhail: They know that with the public not giving into panic, things can be fixed, with effort, even if it takes quite a lot of it over an extended period of time.

Mikhail: For them, that is everything—to be allowed that chance.

Mikhail: I know you can do it. I knew it when you first said you would, when I saw the look in your eyes.

Mikhail: I’d seen that look before, you know.

Beck: ....B...Before...?

Mikhail: Yes. Right down to the green eyes. | )

Mikhail: Cardinal gets that when he becomes determined. He was that way when it came to saving my family.

Beck: ...!

Beck: (The Russian Incident...)

Beck: .....

Beck: .....I...I miss him.

Beck: ...I know he's trying to save Shade...and I don't blame him at all, but...

Beck: ...I could use his advice too...

Mikhail: Yes…?

Beck: ...He's just...ya know, he's done everything?

Beck: ...Though I bet he'd just insist on going with me to save everyone or something...

Beck: If...if he was still here, that is...

Mikhail: -Chuckles softly- Even if he did not come in person, you could probably have expected a great deal of backseat driving from him in the form of continuous witty and sardonic commentary.

Beck: Heheheh...

[That gets him to smile at last—he could practically hear him commenting on those weird wheel-like CDNs and Graham's backfired blame game...]

Beck: Cards is funny like that...heh...

Mikhail: Ah… but Cardinal is made for this sort of thing; it is quite literally as close to what he was built for as anything can get. So… if he had not left, he would have joined you… or had to shut down for the duration, as the only options for such a directive are to obey or stall.

Beck: ....

Beck: -Sighs-

Beck: I'm worried...

Beck: ...He can't cure Shade like I can—he knows that by now, doesn't he? -And I don't know what Shade will do or if he'll even...-

Beck: ......I just hope we find one of them soon...

[Mikhail was silent for a moment, his demeanor turning a thoughtful kind of serious. When he spoke, it was as if saying something that had already been mourned and passed over, healed with time.]

Mikhail: …Beck… there’s something you should know.

Mikhail: And this is something I will tell the others as well, very soon. As soon as everyone is well enough to attend the meeting… you included.

Beck: ...?

Mikhail: Shade and Cardinal once discussed what to do if something ever happened that made Shade go mad.

Beck: —??

Beck: They did?

Beck: (But how would they...)

Mikhail: Shade warned him to stay away, but acknowledged Cardinal’s honest response that he would do no such thing.

Mikhail: He ultimately told him that if all else failed, to save his Central core.

Beck: ....!

Beck: (His...his core...)

Mikhail: Cardinal will attempt to bring your brother back, willingly or not.

Beck: . . . .

Beck: Shade...

Mikhail: You must understand…

Mikhail: For Cardinal, this was yet another round, another generation, another lifetime which he must see those close to him suffer and be destroyed. He has put a great deal of effort in our world into halting and then reversing this tide.

Mikhail: He was not about to let it happen here.

Mikhail: He feared that if Shade were not stopped, that the use of force against him would be so great as to destroy him entirely.

Mikhail: He would prevent that from happening, even if it meant fighting Shade himself to do so.

Beck: .......

Mikhail: … (Even if it meant…) …

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: …He does not expect to cure. He knows that much by now beyond all doubt: his actions in Kansas City prove that much. He just seeks to bring Shade back to those who can.

Beck: ...U...Us....

Beck: (Cardinal...)

Beck: (You really care about him, don't you...)

Beck: ......

Beck: ...Shade would've done the same thing...

Beck: ....It's...just who they are, right...

Beck: ....

Mikhail: Yes.

Mikhail: (Though for some reason, I get an odd sense of deja vu when it’s mentioned Shade will do the sa—… wait… will?)

Mikhail: (…I’m not going to think on that, probably just another one of their misadventures…)

Mikhail: And Beck…

Mikhail: Even with all that, I don’t think he would have left it up to you if he did not feel you could handle it.

Mikhail: Take heart, my friend. And… do talk to us once in a while, alright?

Mikhail: I know you’ve been unhappy and nervous. You kept avoiding people, just like your father has been doing.

Mikhail: But we’re here for you, Beck White. Kalinka very much enjoys talking with you. And if you seek advice on what Cardinal might do or say…

Mikhail: She traveled across a continent or two with him, you know. She’s pretty familiar with his mannerisms—more than some of his brothers, even.

Beck: (...That's right...Linka....)

Beck: ...I'll...I'll keep that in mind, Dr. Cossack...

Beck: ....T...Thanks.

Beck: ......

Beck: Dad's probably worried about everything too.

Beck: -We're similar like that-

Mikhail: I know. (…I wish I could be more helpful.)

Beck: I know Dad's been working so hard on cracking the virus...

Beck: (...He must feel like everyone's counting on him too...)

[Mikhail sighed.]

Mikhail: …I wish there were more I could do to help him. (Because this still isn’t over…)

Mikhail: (We have a lot of work to do.)

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

=INTRO D: COLLAPSING PEACE=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

<<—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 [CONTACT: CALEB LIGHT], DLN-001 [CONTACT: ROCKWELL LIGHT], DWN-INFINITY. [CONTACT: MZ WILY]

//:ENTER MESSAGE…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

//:MESSAGE RECEIVED. FROM: Ø [CONTACT: RAY] 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--this is what was eating up most of my time. 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 that have appeared these last few years--the very same ones that have led me to you all--did bring up some new leads…

//: …But all I have found are…dead ends. EVERYWHERE I look only reminds me that I am cursed, and that nothing can fix me. That I...

//: 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…did she mean to send this before the virus had been released?]

//: Hnn...

//: I...I'm fine. I don't know for how long...I...

//: ….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! I...!

//: ...

//: …I refuse to leave this mortal earth…fading away in some…dark, lonely corner, amongst the filth and the departed…by my own hands…god, no. I won't--I can't subject you all to that. I can't let you watch me slowly wither and die when there's nothing to be done, I can't...I can't bear you to that pain.

//: 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…as if they knew all along that this was my role to play.

//: …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, no matter what Beck says. No matter what...God...

//: Cale, my love...

//: …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. I know...I can hear your words now, saying that I shouldn't do this, but you must understand--If I die--the people that made me what I am will go on to hurt countless others. It's not just vengeance, my Light--I want Justice. They need to pay, while I am still the only one alive to remember their sins. Please…forgive me…this...this isn't how I wanted it to end.

//: I love you.

//: 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. Please. This is more than just about me--CherryDyn is far, far more crueler than what I have told you. There are things that they do in the shadows that...

//: 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…A week, at most. More if I can starve off the hunger right. If...if you do manage to come here, please be careful.

//: …

//: I’m sorry. This is probably the last you will hear from me. I...

//: I'm sorry I'm so sick...

//: I'm sorry I'm so broken, I...

//: I'm sorry. I'm sorry...

//: …Good-bye.

[END OF MESSAGE.]

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

{Titus, CA Colosseum June 21st, 20XX

11:40 AM}

[The day started out like any other.

Cardinal was excited. This was going to be his first time seeing the Mighties fight together. Finally, after all the long months of suffering and loneliness…]

Cardinal: (This is gonna be great…! Too bad Baron couldn’t be here. He loves a good battle royale!)

[It was all he could do to not go down to the locker room right this minute.

He’d waited all this time to see his friends again. Waiting a few hours longer wasn’t going to hurt him.

…Or so he thought.]

{Meanwhile…}

“Come ON, Beck! Hurry up, we’re gonna be late!”

“C-Coming, Cryo!”

“We’ve spent enough time walking down memory lane in the trophy room. We have to get to the arena before they call us out for our return debut match.”

“WE KNOW, Pyro. Jeezzz, calm down.”

“I believe he is only excited to be back in familiar stomping grounds. Isn’t that right, Bat?”

“TOO RIGHT, Brand!”

“Heh. We’re ALL glad t’ be home, yeah…. Ah’ look forward t’ givin’ ‘em all a good show.”

“MAN, I am so stoked for this! Hey, I hope they get my good side, ya know? Course, I look good in ALL angles.”

“…Avi not focused.”

“Mic is right. It’s time to get out there. Everyone! PLACES!”

[The team responded enthusiastically in unison.]

“YES SIR NO.1!”

[The crowd burst into cheers as the Mighties took their place on the field.]

Cardinal: -Whistles LOUDLY, pinging with excitement-

“Laaaaadies and gentlebots! Men, women, and children of all ages! Please put your hands together for your returning Queen's Tournament Champions, TEAM MIGHTY NUM—"

[KSSSSssssst…]

Cardinal: —???

[There was a disquieted murmur amongst the crowd. Cardinal suddenly felt grim.]

<DLN-000>: >Guys, I think something is…

<DLN-000>: > Something’s not right over here—

[sssKKKKT--]

[MN.1] //: Hnnk...I...I don’t…

[MN.7] //: -Suddenly horribly dizzy, what, what is—-

[MN.4] //: -Mic—Mic no like these new voices—-

[MN.8] //: -Ah'—Cards—CARDS—-

<DLN-000>: > ?! -Distressed data, CONCERN— -

<DLN-000>: > What is it? What's going on, Shade?

[PING!]

[MN.9] //: Guys?! What's going on, are you okay—?!

[MN.9] //: Why am I getting warnings from my—

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN—

[Chaos began rising as alarms started going off everywhere.]

Cardinal: !

Attention! Attention! This is Code Red! Please evacuate the arena calmly and quickly! This is not a drill! Please—

[Fights were starting to escalate within the crowd. Cardinal had instinctively shifted into his armor.]

[MN.6] //: nngh ow ow ow ow-

[MN.3] //: -Erractic buzzing and SCREECHING—-

[MN.2] //: Can't think—about anything—!

[MN.5] //: c-compromised, stand clear—

Cardinal: Guys?!

[WARNING. WARNING. VIRUS DETECTED IN SERVER. FIREWALL PROGRAMS HAVE FAILED.]

[Someone suddenly grabs at Cardinal—a civilian model, jaw open in a war cry, bathed in violet flames and unrelenting rage.]

Cardinal: !!! -Gives a backhand hit, jumping up high-

[He recognized those flames.

Those were the flames of berserk rage: a sick madness, one that deprives the victim of all reason and most free will.]

[Cardinal used Item-1!]

Cardinal: -Hovers in place, looking down at the sands-

[To his horror, he could see flickers starting to form around the Mighty Numbers.

It had been bad enough to see them amongst the crowd, with the world devolving into chaos.

To see them now, on his friends—]

Cardinal: NO!

[It was rapidly turning to the darkness of his absolute /worst nightmares/.]

[MN.1-8 HAVE BEEN INFECTED WITH HARMFUL MALWARE. RUNNING XELFILTER.EXE FOR MN.9]

[The stands were a jumbled mess. The exits were jammed with people trying to escape, with fights and aggressive, infected Xelbots barring the way.]

Bat: Cowards...

Bat: Can’t even STAND THEIR GROUND!

Cardinal: [Glitch]—

[WARNING: MN.1-8 HAVE ENTERED FULL COMBAT MODE. RESTRICTIONS: NONE.]

<DLN-000 has entered Non-Lethal Combat Mode.>

[Without another thought, Cardinal swings himself over the barrier and into the sands, his whistle piercing through the air—]

Shade: -Winces—!- Hnn—! (Too loud—!)

Beck: —! Cardinal—!

[BLAM!]

[Cardinal’s shot intercepted Bat’s round in a high-blast of plasma cannon fire. This prevented the shot from reaching the crowds, but the round exploded in the air instead. Cardinal had to shield from the shrapnel.]

Cardinal: SHUT DOWN! SHUT DOWN IMMEDIATELY!

Bat: How dare you presume to give orders, you foolhardy DESERTER—

Cardinal: ! -Staggers back, taking a firmer stance- We can fix this! You need to trust me—!

Shade: -Pain, fighting off an urge to make him shut up- C-Cards…! Get…

Shade: GET LOST! NOW!

Cardinal: Not in a million lifetimes, Shade!

Brand: Can't you see that we're going OUT OF CONTROL, YOU RECKLESS DEATHSEEKER—

[And just like that, there were eight sets of eyes trained onto Cardinal.]

[He was surrounded.]

Beck: NO—!!!

[Things were spiraling out of control too quickly—they were all rushing at Cardinal, there was no way he would—]

<DLN-000 has entered Lethal Combat Mode.>

[He abruptly shifted into full armor and dropped to the ground. Pyro’s tackle missed, and he tripped up the team leader with a well-placed low kick before springing back to his feet, blasting away at bits that were trying to swarm him.]

[Cardinal used SUPER ARM!]

[WHAM!]

[Cardinal grabbed Pyro by the ankle before he could get up, and SLAMMED him right into Cryo before she could freeze him solid.

He sprung up in the air and landed right on Bat’s shoulder.]

Cardinal: -Aggressive data-

Beck: O~O!!!

[Meanwhile, all Beck could do was back away slowly, eyes darting fearfully from one sibling to another. Why was this happening? Why were they ACTING like this—?!]

Brand: Stop showing off and get OUT of here, before—

[There was an insanely mad cackle as Cardinal was lifted right off of the walking WMD, with Dyna coming down from the sky.]

Dyna: Szzo enthusiastic! You must have such intense energy!

Shade: -AaaAAUUGH DYNA—! DON’T—!!-

[Cardinal didn’t even seem to try and get out of it, just pulled his shield in closer with a grim expression while bits were weaving a web around him.]

Dyna: What’szz WRONG, Cardinal? Iszz the birdie unable to fly away from the web?

Beck: NO—!

[Cardinal abruptly smirked as Dyna loomed in closer. It was a dark smirk, and his eyes glowed red with cruel intent.]

Beck: —!!! (No—I know that look! That red color—don't tell me he’s—!)

[Cardinal was NOT infected… at least, no more than he had once warned long ago.

As a veteran Wilybot and soldier, he didn’t give his enemy any warning: not even a gloat of confidence.]

[Cardinal used LEAF SHIELD!]

[There was a piercing SHRIEK of pain on the part of the electric diva as a swarm of razor-sharp, leaf-shaped metal created a cloud of shrapnel around the Robot Master in question. Dyna backed away, giving off glitched scree noises. By this point, several of the other Mighty Numbers had vanished in the turmoil; it was at this point that Dyna herself took her cue to leave.

His victory was short-lived, however, as a red blur shredded the projectile shield into a fine mist, before placing his swords right against the prototype’s throat.]

((Pic—Cardinal v Brand))

Brand: -Seethes- How DARE you toy with us at a time like this!

[Cardinal was instantly gone, teleported across the sands to avoid incoming fire from above. Brandish moved quickly as well, but not quite quickly enough to avoid unfriendly fire.]

Avi: Awww, couldn’t you have held him a little longer, ninjabro? You know what they say—

Shade: -Struggling to retain self-control, even as he starts locking onto Cardinal’s signal- Avi, Ah’ swear if you PUN at a tahm like THIS—

Avi: “A bird in the HAND is worth two in the bush!”

[The sniper gave a cry of frustration and fired off a shot. This action seemed to somehow be a succession, a submission—caving in, weakening the resolve.

The shot was dodged easily, due to the interference that offset the sniper’s aim.]

Beck: AVI! BRAND! SHADE! GUYS! S T O P!

Avi: -Ignores Beck entirely- Watch where you’re pointing that thing! And don’t you tell ME what to do— I have plenty to say, and this time, nobody’s going to stop me!

>CROSS-REFERENCES IDENTIFIED: MONSTROPOLIS, DLN-008, DWN-014

Cardinal: -SURGE of aggressive data out of frantic dismay- Avi, DON’T—!

[The plane gave a click noise as he gave finger guns…]

K-PEW!

Cardinal: ! -SHIELDS-

[—which actually fired a pair of shots at Cardinal this time.]

Avi: Yeah, this has been nice and all, but I’ve gotta go to work! Seeee you on the air! Or see the replays of your dismantling, more likely.

Shade: -Snarls- Get OUT—!

[BANG!]

Avi: -AAAAAND that’s our cue BYE NOW— -

[Cardinal didn’t get time to object to this, as he had to teleport to avoid being cut in half by Brandish.]

Beck: NII-SAAAAAAAN!

[Brandish abruptly halts before finishing his next move, which allows Cardinal to get away.]

Beck: Brand! Please stop! I-I can call Dad, he can—

Brand: NO—!

[Brandish literally shakes as he steps away, gritting his teeth under his mask.]

Brand: I—can’t—

Beck: Nii-san—!

Brand: Get out of here, GO—!

Brand: NOW!

[BWIP!]

[And just like that, he was gone—]

Beck: BRAND—!

“Don't--Cards, m'beggin' ya, don't get close—”

[Beck whirls around to find Cardinal making close steps towards Shade, who was backing off with every step he took...]

Shade: S’ too late—! Get out, get out— take Beck an' get OUT—

Cardinal: I’m not leaving without you! I WON'T LEAVE YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF MONSTROPOLIS! The feds would—

Shade: Ah' SAID, take Beck an' LEAVE—

Cardinal: -Eyes full green and BLARING distressed data- YOU'RE COMING WITH ME, CONSCIOUS OR NOT—

Shade: AH' SAID LEAVE!

[CLICK—]

Beck: —?!

[Beck is suddenly starting down the red barrel of his brother's sniper rifle—he's frozen in place, out of shock and fear—]

Cardinal: —!!

Cardinal: NO—! SHADE! SHADE DON’T—!

[A red flash of light blinds Beck for a moment—it was Cardinal, teleporting in front of him to take the dart that had been fired at him instead—]

[Byuubyuubyuu…!]

Beck: ?! Cards?!?

[He isn't there anymore--he was suddenly gone, and that's when Beck realized that Shade had used one of his teleport darts--]

[Click.]

Beck: Wait, Shade, NO—!

[BANG—]

[S Y S T E M E R R ROR–S YSTEM E R R ROR–]

[MN.9 HAS BEEN DAMAGED BY HARMFUL MALWARE. PREPARING HARD RESET. ALL FORMS WILL BE LOST.]

“GUYS–NO–NOOO–!!”

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

=PROLOGUE B: IT ALL BEGINS NOW=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

>A problem has been detected and AI_DWN_000 has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer. All unsaved data has been lost.

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

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

REBOOTING…

“Nnnnnn…”

> Rebooting…

Your last session was terminated unexpectedly. Running Diagnostic….

SYSTEM REPORT Power Network: Online Internal Fans: Online Neural Net: Online RADIO System: Online WiFi System: Online Audio System: Online Tactile Senses: Online Visual Sensors: Online Motion Sensors: Online Motor System: Online Primary Weaponry: Online: ENGAGED Secondary Weaponry: Online: ENGAGED

>WARNING: THIS SYSTEM IS ENGAGED IN LETHAL COMBAT MODE.

PROGRAM DIAGNOSTIC RobotWhiteCell Firewall: Running Artificial Intelligence and Awareness: Online BetaEmotions: Online Battle Tactical Sequences: Online: ENGAGED Non-lethal Battle Sequences: Online

>ALERT: THIS SYSTEM IS RUNNING A CODE RED CONTINGENCY.

Diagnostic complete.

>RESUMING CONTINGENCY…

[Cardinal jumped to his feet, feeling very out of it.]

>PROCESSING…

[He couldn’t remember. But he didn’t need to, yet.]

>RESULT: ACQUIRE ALL AVAILABLE COMBAT RESOURCES. PROCEED TO KANSAS CITY: LIBERTY MEMORIAL. CONTACT MNN-008.

[The only thing that mattered was the order. Had to fill the order. Didn’t matter why. Action was needed.]

BWIP!

[The lab was empty. No resistance was met. He wasn’t awake—not in the normal sense, at least.]

>HARDWARE ACQUIRED. TELEPORTING TO COORDINATES…

{Kansas City: Liberty Memorial}

[As soon as he teleported in, he could tell something was wrong.]

>ANALYZING SENSORY DATA…

>WARNING: ACTIVE CIVILIAN THREAT DETECTED.

>PRIORITY ORDER: NEUTRALIZE THREAT.

BLAM!

[But shaking awake from it was not so easy.]

[Cardinal’s origins were rooted in basic coding that followed military orders. He was made to act, not to think—certainly not to second-guess himself or the threat of any given situation. Once the right program was running, the circumstances wouldn’t matter—

Not until his processors could catch up, at any rate.]

>SUPPORT UNIT DETECTED. SYNCING PROCESSING POWER.

BLAM!

[Cardinal and Jazz teleported off of the top of the spire to engage in combat against a small group of constructs trying to break into the memorial. Their sudden appearance took the crazed Xelbots by surprise.]

“Who the [frag] are YOU—?!”

[He “spoke” flatly over his speakers.]

Cardinal: SURRENDER AND DISENGAGE ALL WEAPONRY, OR THIS SYSTEM WILL VOID THE THREAT UP TO TERMINATION.

“Yeah RIGHT—”

FOOM!

BLAM! BLAM BLAM BLAM—

[One of the fighters ran off screeching, heading for the nearest fountain. Jazz had entered her full combat form, and had set the aggressor aflame. There was a great deal of yelling from within the memorial’s locked gates, and from the attackers outside.]

>PROCESSING…

[He was starting to become aware of himself, at least—but doing so in the middle of a fight didn’t really help. Not at all.

The first thing he saw was someone rushing at him, a sickly—and familiar glow in their eyes.]

Cardinal: !!!

BLAM!

[He fired off another plasma blast as he dropped to the ground. Jazz sprang up from behind him, rewarding the attacker with a crushing bite to the face.]

SKREEE!

[He didn’t really have the time to discover how or why he had landed himself in this situation. He reached out and grabbed his opponent, ignoring a ringing from his private cell phone.]

“Let the [frag] GO of me, you stupid—”

WHACK—

[The Xelbot hit concrete, chin-first. The Robot Master did a backward flip to land on his feet. He took a moment to pull out his cell phone, but found that the call had been dropped due to a poor connection.]

Cardinal: Tch…

“REE-OW!”

>APPROACHING SIGNALS DETECTED.

Cardinal: Stall for me, Jazz!

[He turned to look behind him at the approaching swarm of constructs.

Rising into the afternoon sun…

…Dozens of Industrial recreations of WWI-era planes. And they were headed right at him.]

Cardinal: What the—!

[A click and a whine—]

[Cardinal used MAGNET MISSILE!]

[The air became scattered with noise. Cardinal teleported out of the line of fire, causing them to circle around for another sweep.]

Cardinal: SHADE!

BLAM! BLAM KTANG RRRRATTTATTTATTTATTTATTT—

Cardinal: SHADE! I NEED YOUR HELP HERE!

>SENDING SOS SIGNAL…

Cardinal: I don’t want to shred these guys to pieces!

[He couldn’t afford to wait for a response, and had to fire off another volley of the missiles. It started to rain Xel—the flimsy construction of a third of the fleet couldn’t hold against the damage. The rest were starting to go berserk.]

Cardinal: BUT I DON’T HAVE A BETTER OPTION!

[Cardinal used RING BOOMERANG!]

KZZZRR! KZZZRRR!

[The shield protected him easily against most of the onslaught—he had his back to the ground at this point, and they were circling around him like vultures. This proved to be their undoing, and Cardinal had to brace himself against the damage that followed.]

>ERROR: SERVER NOT FOUND

Cardinal: -Hisses at this- Why?!

[This was not something he wanted to hear, not after tearing apart what was most likely museum property. Not after sending off several Domestic—no, wait, Civilian— models, shrieking in pain and fear as they fled for their lives.

He got to his feet, wiping off the shield with disgust. He put a hand to an earcap as he adjusted some of his data input and output to match a local radio frequency.]

“KKKKKKK—requested, situation critical—”

<DLN-000>: >Situation acknowledged! Proceeding to signal source for backup!

Cardinal: Come on, Jazz!

[He gave a running sprint right onto his traveling companion, and Jazz shifted into a jet form.]

[He dropped in through the ceiling, right above one of the more chilling exhibits. It was absolute chaos inside.

The display of the trenches had become a lot more lively with infected Industrials running around.]

“NOT ANOTHER ONE—!”

Cardinal: STAND CLEAR!

[He kept going right down, slamming into some of the Industrials and crushing them instantly. The shock of impact didn’t stop him from whipping out one of his more dangerous Power Capsules.]

WHHHWWHHHWHHHWHHKKKT—

[Cardinal used TOP SPIN!]

[There was a gurgling noise as the Industrials were sliced to ribbons by the motorized garrote. He had to wince as the surge-made top coiled up over a yard of Xel-covered wire.]

“Where is that backup?! They're starting to kill one another, now—!”

<DLN-000>: >I AM the backup!

“Excuse me?!”

BWIP!

<DLN-000>: The robot in red with the shield? Yeah, that’s me! Are your security cameras working?

[He saw one of the cameras turn slightly to focus in on him.]

“Sir! You need to evacuate!”

<DLN-000>: >Not gonna happen until the area is secured! I’m going to go take an aerial view!

BWIP!

[Back atop the memorial, he looked down at the city. It was an absolute mess— fires in the horizon, tornado sirens starting to wail—]

Cardinal: (Why is nobody answering?!)

[—and not a single response to his SOS signals or his Status Inquiries.]

Cardinal: (I’m going to completely blow our cover at this rate! Is my transceiver broken? It must be broken…. I can only imagine how busy Shade and the others must be, that they can't answer me—)

kkkk…

Cardinal: …?

[Over the chatter of the museum security radio frequencies—some of which was even directed at him—he was starting to feel it.

Faint, but there.]

Kkkkkk…

Cardinal: … -Doubtful- Will? (Did they finally hear me?)

Kkkkkkk…

[He looked down, suddenly realizing that the noise was coming from something in his satchel. He pulled out a radio.]

Cardinal: … (Oh, right—this thing isn’t adjusted for this particular city—)

“—children! We’re trapped in here—I think the museum attendant got injured!”

[That snapped him out of his thoughts quickly. He soon saw the source of the problem— a slew of Industrials, some distance away near Science City.

Contemplation over whatever was going on elsewhere would have to wait a few minutes.]

<DLN-000>: >Situation acknowledged! Hang tight! I’m going to come on over to clear the way for you! This could get messy…

[He didn’t wait for an answer, instead opting to jump right off the monument.]

[CARDINAL used ITEM-2!]

[He began windsurfing almost immediately, zooming off toward Union Station and Science City. Jazz was sprinting across the ground underneath him, vaulting over cars and weaving around buildings at a marginally slower pace.

He gave his trademark, his signature whistle as he came bearing down on the Industrials before jumping down into their midst.]

FOOOM!

[He didn’t shy away from fire, burning up the escaped fixtures to museum displays willingly, without a shred of remorse. These were dire circumstances.

He finished it off with a Rain Flush to put out the fire, hoping that the rain shower wouldn’t be too much of a hindrance to the rest of the city. (That particular Power Capsule Ability had quite a large range.)]

Cardinal: -Looks around- …

[The place was a mess. Broken glass, debris everywhere… but not really any people to be found.

He climbed his way into the building, looking around. He was certain that there were other Industrials in there, but he didn’t see any nearby.

He walked over to the planetarium entrance and knocked on the door.]

Cardinal: Is everyone alright in there?

[Silence.]

<DLN-000>: >The situation outside the planetarium has been contained. Is there anyone inside?

[He could pick up on some private chatter going on behind the scenes, over other frequencies, but didn’t switch over so that he wouldn’t miss out on the frequency he was currently on. After a few tense moments, the door slowly opened.

The power had gone out, but the dark room was lit by a few technology screens: some of them giving off the sickly purple glow, but most not.

The person who opened the door appeared to be a teacher or camp instructor of some kind. She looked tense when she saw Cardinal, so he shifted out of his blaster and held both hands up, stepping away.]

Cardinal: Just here to help. Is everyone okay?

[The woman--with a name tag that read Nancy Newhaus--quietly gulped before speaking in the clearest voice she could muster.]

Nancy: I—

Nancy: The… the children are alright--scared, but nothing too serious--

Nancy: But Drake got bit by one of the bots gone wild--

“Nancy, I'm fine—”

[A young man—not older than 25—was sitting with the kids, his left bicep wrapped in medical gauze.]

Drake: I'll live; it's not like I got anything that can get infected. At least… not in the Xel sense, anyway…

Cardinal: What happened here?

Nancy: W-Well...

Nancy: We--had malfunctions during the show we usually do--during one of the tours--

Nancy: Th-they just...started acting so strange and hostile--and when Drake stepped out to see what was going on, they leaped at him--

Drake: -I said I'm fine, don't make it so dramatic--

Cardinal: -Looks over at Drake- Oh?

Drake: The security system went off and we all got word from it that a virus outbreak was goin' on--so we all headed to the basement, per emergency procedure.

Cardinal: Do you all have a way to get home or somewhere to go?

Drake: Depends. What are the roads like?

Cardinal: Mostly empty.

Nancy: Well… the carpool should still be working; I parked it in the indoor staff parking lot…

Drake: Right. Nancy, you take the kids--I'll make sure no one else gets left behind.

[As Nancy ushered the children away, they seemed curious about Cardinal himself; they attempted to take pictures of him, although he took cover behind his shield and Nancy scolded them for it. They take the emergency route into the nearest exit, with Drake looking on for any stragglers.]

Drake: That seems to be everyone…

Cardinal: Really? I would have thought this place would be busier in the summer.

Drake: I think everyone else bolted when they got the chance.

Cardinal: I see.

Drake: …

Cardinal: …

Drake: …Who the heck are you? Some kinda arena bot that didn't get infected--?

Cardinal: I’m… not really anyone important. Just, uh… -Adjusts his scarf- Just a concerned citizen, really. -Distraction time- I’m actually wondering if you could help me, to be honest.

Drake: Help you? In what way?

Cardinal: I’m not done yet. There are still other places in the city in just as much of trouble, from the sounds of it. But you remember how hesitant you were when I first turned up; I want to work WITH security and law enforcement, but I don’t have any way to make them listen to me! There’s really limited time to explain, but they’d be more liable to listen to someone else in the field. Will you help me?

Drake: … … …

Drake: Listen, I… I don't know much, I'm… really just a attendant, not security. I'm not sure how much of a help I can even be, but… I can try.

Drake: Where exactly do you plan to go?

Cardinal: -Pacing a bit- Well, I imagine there’s an arena somewhere nearby, maybe at Arrowhead Stadium…

Drake: …??? Uh, yeah?

Cardinal: But there’s also the jazz museum, the baseball museum—

Jazz: Ree-ow.

Cardinal: The zoo…

Drake: …

Cardinal: …

Cardinal: Oh [glitch], the ZOO—

Drake: Wait, what about the Zoo--

Cardinal: Ohhh, this is gonna be bad—we need to evacuate that immediately: adding animals to the mix poses a greater threat! They can’t be reasoned with or communicated with in any fashion! Come on!

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

((Just some pics of our lady sniper. Just stuff I did for fun, really.))

---

=CHAPTER 1B: RAGING FLAMES SMOLDER=

~AO v1.0~

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

{Out in Kansas City…}

[Cardinal seethed.]

Cardinal: (Nothing. NOTHING!)

[He had spent all day and all night looking for some sort of gathering place where Shade might go. He’d found a number of underground dens, alright, but everything was so trashed that it was more or less impossible to tell what had been there before.

He hadn’t really expected this to be simple, straightforward, or easy…

But he was REALLY starting to regret how he had never looked into the other side of Shade’s life.]

Cardinal: (I only wanted to show him the respect he deserved! To not have to choose between duty and friends. And that had been important to him….)

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

Cardinal: One thing I always have tried to do when it comes to friends involved in enforcing stuff—and that is not to end up making them feel they have a conflict between duty and… well, us.

Cardinal: That’s why I don’t ask about your job and stuff much even though I am awfully curious at times. xD

Shade: Heh. Oh, I'd tell ya, ah' really would, but. Sort of a whole, uh. Code of conduct sort of thing. Like...honor among thieves? 'Cept with assassins.

Cardinal: -Waves hand dismissively, as if dissipating the idea/concern- It’s more of a sort of… how do I put this?

Cardinal: I know this is not something I’ve talked to you about much before, but… preparing and trying to predict multiple possibilities is a pretty… eh… “strong” program of mine, I guess you could say.

Cardinal: It’s basically the backbone of my survival instinct, what little I have. Since, y’know, I was programmed with the idea that if I ever got destroyed, I could just be uploaded into a new chassis…

Cardinal: …Or replaced entirely.

Cardinal: Having an understanding of all of the elements in play—or as many as possible—is sort of an instinctive drive, you could say? Especially when it comes to power players.

Shade: (Kinda like in a game of chess…)

Cardinal: Now with your associates, that is something that would normally be a prime directive to understand in detail. Because they register—even as an abstract concept—as hunters. Which always take greater… mmm… priority, in a sense, since they are proactive, not reactive.

Cardinal: But in your case—same with Issimo—that, uh… instinct is negated/appeased by, well. You.

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

[He was stung with sorrow.]

Cardinal: (Oh, Shade…)

Cardinal: (I…. …I just wanted you to…. …In the beginning, we worried about what might happen if you guys got turned against us, but as time…)

Cardinal: (As time went on, you guys made our world so much brighter that we left such contingencies behind us. I didn’t make one for if I would have to chase you down. This is my fault for being so unprepared…)

[He couldn’t stand this right now. He needed to vent.]

[…Which is exactly what he did.

He walked away from the alleys, making for the skyline.

Let them see his handiwork, should anyone care to look for him.

He needed to keep moving.]

———————————————

{Meanwhile, in the Meadow…}

[Dr. Cossack was sitting in the lab.

The remaining Rebel Angels and the DCNs were all present, though some seemed more restless than others.]

Mikhail: …We all know the grave nature of the situation upon us.

[Slight shuffling noises as a few of the boys looked away and to the side.]

Mikhail: I will not lessen the depth of this crisis.

[He interlocked his fingers.]

Mikhail: Our best friends and closest allies are in grave danger. The majority of the family has fallen to madness, and the remainder are without a proper home or lab. It is Beck against the whole country, and Gregory Graham is only making matters worse.

[He sighed and put his face in his hands.]

Mikhail: And, of course, Cardinal has RUN OFF on his own… AFTER taking all of our supplies.

Mikhail: To make matters worse, Tobias is in critical condition, and Aviator is blocking the signals. We cannot send help, either verbal or physical, for the time being.

Mikhail: I now open the floor. Does anyone have something to say?

[Jaden twirled his drills.]

Jaden: …We have to try and keep Aviator calm.

Nico: …Jaden—

Jaden: -Flatly- As far as I care, the infection is Airman reborn. -Softer again- …But Aviator is still in there. And when he gets back into control…

[He shifts his weight.]

Jaden: Cardinal once talked to him about his worries. Avi has a very sensitive Emotions.EXE program—that’s why getting his soul dragged into the abyss of our suffering hurt him so badly, even while infected. And we all know what it was like the last time someone was forced to see such suffering…

Speedy: -Looks away in shame-

Jaden: …It’s going to be horrible for him once he gets out of it. …He needs to be reassured, no matter how much Airman might scoff at such words. He needs it.

[Mikhail was silent.

Siam eventually sighed, drumming his fingers against his arm. (Gemini, meanwhile, was already over working on Tobias.)]

Siam: …We need to make Tobias our main priority.

Siam: While the research of the virus is important—and the need to find replacements for the supplies Cardinal raided is just as critical—there’s just no real use, since we won’t be able to APPLY such information. Not until Avi is better.

Siam: And for that matter—if Tobias is still unwell by the time they rescue Avi, how much more will that twist the dagger into his heart?

Skull: {You have a very good point, cousin…}

Siam: -Vents a heavy sigh- We need Tobias to be repaired. It is the one thing we can do independently, and… it is so very important. So I propose that we focus on that, exclusively.

[Nods of agreement around the table. Mikhail seemed to be thinking things over.]

Mikhail: …We still need to have something to report to them, should they come back in contact before them. Siamini and I are really the only two that can work on Toby’s coding. With Kalinka safely in the care of Lady and Lt. Nighthawk, and David and Shadow both Offline…. And, of course, Cardinal gone…

[He turns to look at Jaden.]

Mikhail: Jaden, next to your oldest brother, you are the greatest strategist. I want you to go over potential tactics to give as advice. …If you truly feel it important to keep in contact with MNN-006, then that is your prerogative— but be warned. Pushing him too far may have very bad consequences.

Jaden: Yes sir, Doctor Cossack.

Mikhail: {Keltso, I want you to look into getting some more supplies. Help Nico to contact the friends of the Rebel Angels—some of them may have supplies or equivalents.}

Keltso: {Yes, sir.}

Mikhail: That’s it for now. Let’s get started.

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