Goose: DON’T TALK TOO LOUD OR THEY’LL HEAR YOU—

Goose: dON’T TALK TOO LOUD OR THEY’LL HEAR YOU—

AVAIL— Don’t you think your actions are reckless?

[ KING ] - “Hmm…”If Avail was REALLY honest with himself…Well, yes. He COULD be reckless at times, and..Sometimes his sister Hense didn’t like that. At all. But, in a way, he couldn’t help it–There was just so much to see and do, and it was literally in his programming to adventure for the sake of Firixia–the game, that is.Hense had that too, just…not to the very same degree–more sensible about it.“I guess. But, hey, I’m no pushover! I can always find myself out of a jam if I have to, heh.” …Still, Hense had a point–He should be more careful–If not for his own kingdom, then for her.“I’ll just have to practice being more, uh…aware of what I’m doing, if anything!”

Writer Journal Entry

{Wednesday, September 25th 2019T}

//This blog is going to be repurposed to be a story-oriented blog. The characters from sirensniper will be moved over to join the crew on @mowseries.

This is a placeholder style announcement. Proper explanation and frills will come after I have things set up.

Not sure how much good this will do, given it’s about to be buried under nearly 200 more posts.

—T.

=CHAPTER 5D: DESOLATE HIGHWAY=

~AO v1.0~

(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)

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

{THE NEXT MORNING…}

[June 28th opens with a press release from Sanda Enterprises.

Several releases, actually.

While most of the two families had gathered in the large living room to watch the TV coverage, there were a few notable exceptions.

Tobias was still Offline, of course—and as such, Snow was still waiting on the other side of the barrier, watching and praying his brother would wake up.

Shadow was still attending the repair bay, where Brandish (and Jack and Carmen as well, for that matter) were still recovering. Dr. Cossack was in the lab, but working on his own personal project.

Siam, to no one’s surprise, remained shut up in the Rebel Angels’ personal lab, which was elsewhere.

Battalion and Seismic were still being sought; Call was sorting through the data by herself at the moment, since Dr. White was working on the virus and both Avis and the Sanda twins were busy with the news coverage.

As for Beck?

He’d asked Jaden to talk with him outside—and after the conversation started focusing on his immunities to certain weapons, Jaden began to get a bit suspicious…]

Jaden: Uh, Beck? .-. Do you, uh… need my form for something?

[Beck paused for a moment, considering what he knew about what had happened to Bladeblaster. If he was right…]

Beck: yes please

Jaden: Well, um. Okay…

[He sits down somewhat awkwardly, due to his size.]

Jaden: You’ve… never really used one of our Power Capsules before, have you?

Beck: ...Mmm...Nope. The closest thing I've seen is the replica you guys gave us.

Jaden: Okay. Well, to put it in your terms… that’s the hardware that holds our Weapon Data. The data is only compatible with specific hardware. Since you’re set up to be adaptable, I think your system will automatically shift to match that, if it can read the data. What with how you work, you’ll probably end up being more like me than say, Cardinal. That’s my theory, of if we try going about this straightforward.

[He holds his left arm at an angle and concentrates. After a moment, an access panel becomes visible, and it opens.

There’s an active Power Capsule inside. It looks kind of like…]

((Pizzazium Infinianite!))

[It has orange light in the coils but overall gives off a white glow, somehow.]

Beck: ...That?

Jaden: …I don’t have hands, so, y-you’re… gonna have to rem-move it yourself. Gently, please.

Beck: Oh, um--uh...

Beck: Are there any--like, screws or...? -We don't wanna hurt you so how do we take it out?-

Jaden: N-no, uh. It’s like a… an old school battery. It just latches into place. Lift the latches and you’ll be fine. I’m in my repair settings, so they aren’t locked down.

Beck: A battery--OK, got it...

Beck: -If I'm doing something wrong you can stop me OK?-

[There was a slight hesitant pause before Beck gently grabbed hold of the Capsule, and lifted the latches as he was told to.]

Beck: --!

[Click.]

[The glow faded somewhat as it was easily removed. Jaden looked a little relieved, though.]

[Beck started blinking rapidly as he held the now free Capsule in his hands...]

[NON-XEL WEAPON DATA DETECTED.]

[BEGINNING ANALYSIS.]

[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1.]

Beck: --????

Jaden: -Just watching, though gets puzzled at Beck’s sudden, unexplained surprise-

[A flurry of loose Xel appears in Beck's hands--]

Beck: -UH--

[...and starts to cover the Capsule?]

Jaden: -Okay, this is new- ?__?

Beck: -I'M NOT DOING THIS I SWEAR--at least I think so--

Jaden: Easy, easy—just relax, not everything that any living creature does is conscious effort, you know. It’s okay.

[ANALYZING DATA...]

Beck: ....?

[His eyes glow green as his systems receive the data from the Capsule, and his uneasiness suddenly gives way to curiosity.]

Beck: I--oh. Huh.

Beck: -.. OH OK I THINK I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON--SORTA-

Jaden: ?

Beck: I... think my systems are trying to read the data from the capsule first--it recognized them as not Xel-data right away, so I...guess it's using one of my Xel Stocks to analyze it?

Jaden: That makes sense. Those things are usually part of the system when being used, anyway.

Beck: -...We're kinda getting a garbled mess right now, though-

Beck: -Like--it makes some sense but not really-

Beck: ...This needs some serious data sifting, I think...

Beck: -Maybe sending this assimilation data to Dad or Call can help clean it up and read it better?-

Jaden: Well, your Dad might ask why you were poking around with the power capsules, so.

[He sighed.]

Jaden: Man, I wish Toby were Online. I’m sure he could translate if he worked at it hard enough. What with the side effects of the fusion and all. But he won’t get Online, even if we keep him isolated, until we’re sure he won’t… well.

Beck: ....Yeah.

Beck: . . .

[ANALYSIS COMPLETE.]

[The Xel around the capsule slowly, but surely, turned into a bright orange color...]

Beck: --Oooooo...

Jaden: -Brightens up a bit at that-

[It then returned to Beck via his assimilation ability.]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

Beck: --Whoa--

[ERROR: NON-XEL DATA CANNOT BE READ. FORM UNAVAILABLE.]

Beck: --...Aw...

Beck: ...Well, I kinda expected something like that...

Jaden: Mmm.

Jaden: Man, if we could just bring Toby Online…

Jaden: I’m sure Siam could make some progress at it, but he’s busy with something else right now. Dr. Cossack seems to be working on some sort of analysis… he’s been very serious about it. And of course, Dr. White is working on his own analysis… -Sigh-

Beck: Oh...yeah, Dad's working on analysing the virus...and Sanda's busy with his twin.

Jaden: I get the feeling this would be easier if Cardinal were here, but of course he’s gone. >__>

Beck: ......

Beck: (I...I kinda wish he was here too. I really could use some of his advice...)

Jaden: If you think it would help, you can keep the Power Capsule to study it when you’re not on missions. You built a magic mirror out of Xel, I’m sure you’ll come up with something. | )

Beck: ...!

Beck: Oh--no, I...

Beck: -...Don't you need this, though--?-

Jaden: To do what, exactly? We’re in enforced lockdown mode, especially after what happened. I can’t leave the Meadow even if I wanted to. And I know better than that. Until something changes, there’s not much any of us can do…

Beck: ...Oh...right...

Beck: ....

[Jaden seems to be distracted, his gaze distant.]

Beck: ......

Beck: Jaden?

Beck: -...is something wrong?-

Jaden: Hmm? Oh, I’m just reading through the news reports that were put out.

[He smiles a little.]

Jaden: Mr. Sanda was very succinct in talking about the virus and the effects that it has, and describing the analysis process that’s going on. He mentioned how and why not everyone got infected—so that should allow for those that aren’t to be able to move about without being attacked all in a panic. The symptoms were listed and all that.

Jaden: The Related Links talked about several instances, like Jack’s adventure, where non-infected Xelbots were doing good.

Jaden: Both of those link to the one about what you’ve been up to and how you and Dr. White are going to use the data to figure out how to stop this.

[His smile falters a little, becoming sloppy, and leaving his eyes entirely.]

Jaden: …It mentions that [color=brick]anyone[/color] with information should contact the company but not engage. Colors and all… (That… that isn’t going to necessarily work.)

[He pauses.]

Jaden: It looks like there are some bloggers commenting on all this, but… that’s more data than I can sort through. Avi promised to help with crowd control if it does come up…

Jaden: (Though he DID say that he kept Toby and Shadow out of the submitted footage…)

Beck: Mmm...

Beck: ......

[Jaden seems somewhat troubled.]

Jaden: …I do wish he were awake. If he…

Jaden: If he were in the right frame of mind, I’m sure he could help analyze data, whether that be social data, coding data, or just plain finding our brother.

[Then he perks up a bit in a grin.]

Jaden: Until then… c’mon, let’s go to the living room. Everyone’s watching the Beck Show~

Beck: Eheh....

Beck: -We're just gonna--yeah follow/hide behind Jaden--

{Living Room}

[Many of the repaired Mighty Numbers (and some of the Angels) are there watching the footage. Siam, Snow, Tobias, and Cardinal were all gone, of course—and Shadow, Brand, Carmen, Jack, Plume, and Landcrusher were still in recovery. There were cheers when Beck entered.]

Goose: -SCOOPS UP OTHER!BRO- SUPERBECK TO THE RESCUE, BA BA BAAAA!

Cryo: -BRO YOU'RE ON TV--

Beck: Whoaa--!!

Pyro: -The bIGGEST BIG BROTHER SMILE ON HIS FACE-

Dyna: -BZZZZZZZ, LOOK AT OUR BECKY~~~-

Kalinka: Hero, herooo~

Digger: Yes good~ : DDD

Avi: -HEH, DID ANYONE EXPECT ANYTHING LESS THOUGH--

Beck: ^///^;;

[Aw, look, he's turning red--]

Beck: I, uh--heh...um...

[...and at a loss for words, it looks like.]

Pisces: If 000 were here, he’d be playing that one song from Hercules. -Gives Beck a thumbs up-

Speedy: Well, he’s just missing out. His own fault. |V

Goose: Nah, bro, he’ll hear this. ;D We made sure of that, didn’t we, Avi? ^.^

Avi: Eeeexactamundo, Avi! ^.^

Beck: ...?

Jaden: I still don’t think you should expect much results.

Goose: Bro, you gotta learn to be more optimistic!

Jaden: No, I mean—gah, never mind, we’ll probably discuss it at a family meeting or something later.

Nico: …? Beck?

[He’s looking right at him, and not at the TV or any of the others. After a moment, ALL the DWNs and DCNs do the same.]

Nico: .__.; Beck?

Nico: Why exactly are you holding Jaden’s Power Capsule…?

Beck: ....?

Beck: ...! Oh--!

[...Whoops. He forgot to put that away.]

Beck: Jaden let me borrow it.

Nico: -Looks over-

Jaden: -Ping of confirmation, calm-

Nico: -Oh, okay then- -RELIEF-

Pyro: ...So that's what it really looks like...

Cryo: -oooooo, coooool-

Beck: Yeah, I tried to assimilate it's weapon data--

Nico: —?!

Dyna: -Wait you did what--

Beck: -KEY WORD 'TRIED'-

Beck: ...But all I got was unreadable data. So no Jaden form yet...

[Nico scowls at his brother for a moment, and pulls him aside. The two make soft pings and eye glows every so often as they become engaged in a private conversation…]

Goose: -Sets Becky down- Cool. Looks like a neon light or something. :V

Speedy: -Reachy reachy for favorite bro’s hardware- Yyyyeah, nobody try eating it or I’ll sock them to the face. >.>

Pisces: -Lazily grabs Speedy’s wrist before he invades Beck’s personal space-

Pyro: Hmm...

Beck: I didn't try to eat it--!

Beck: ...I did have to--well, my systems used a Xel Stock to analyze it.

Pyro: ...Your systems? You mean it was automatic?

Beck: Yeah--kinda freaked me out a bit at first, eheh... ^^;;

Speedy: -Then obviously I wasn’t talking to YOU, was I-

Beck: Uh...

Dyna: | T -We THOUGHT it was a power storage thing, let it go, jeezzz-

Beck: A-Anyway...I think the data has to be organized and sifted through before I can use it...

[…Man, Nico and Jaden are starting to bare their teeth at each other. Clearly Nico isn’t too happy about this development, for some reason.]

Beck: ....?

Pyro: ...What's going on over there? | [ -Uh oh, big bro mode on-

Avi: -UM--HEY BRO LOOK I’M FLYING IN THE HOUSE-

Pyro: --! Avi--NO FLYING IN THE HOUSE--

[Nico throws his hand outward.]

WHANG.

[…Avi is now stuck to the ceiling.]

Jaden: !

[Aaaaand the other one.]

WHANG.

[Jaden is stuck to the wall.]

Pisces: …bro, that was harsh.

Beck: --!

Avi:

-OW--that kinda smarts...-

Nico: Enough.

[He lets them both drop to the floor, hovering and shifting to his armor, sans helmet.]

Avi: -FACEPLANT-

-Muffled ouch noises-

Beck: . . . . .

Nico: Jaden, you shouldn’t have done that without asking first.

Nico: Nobody else in this family better try that without approval from myself, Siam, AND Doctor Cossack, got it?

Speedy: Whaaaaaaatever you say, bro.

Beck: . . .

Beck: I...

Beck: . . .

[...Uh oh.]

Nico: Beck, do not toy around with Power Capsules, okay?

Nico: They /don’t/ act the same way for secondary users as they do for their primary users. The differences are entirely unpredictable until you’re actually out using them in battle.

Goose: Wait, wat .-.

Beck: .....

Beck: Oh...

[...He didn't know that...]

Pyro: ...How so?

Nico: -Turns to face Pyro- They aren’t fully functional when used with hardware that doesn’t match the specs they were designed for. For example. There’s one defense-related one? When our brother had used it, it defended him from everything. But if Cardinal or the Menace used it? Only from close-range physical attacks.

Nico: Not knowing what you’re dealing with there is a deadly mistake to make in situations like this. Don’t do it. -Plus, we do not approve in general-

Goose: Bro, then why did Robin take all your stash?

Nico: Because he knows how they work.

Pyro: Hmm...you do have a point. I suppose it's lucky that Nine can't read the data.

Beck: .....

Nico: -Warning glare at Beck, eyes flashing with a glow for a moment-

Beck: --!

[--He backs away, and there is a slight fearful look in his eyes--]

Avi: --Hey, bro, don't do that, you're--

[...He did something--something wrong, didn't he?]

[He messed up again--]

<DWN-018 to MNN-009>: > -I WILL protect this family… even if it involves protecting from YOU!-

Beck: -SUDDEN ERRATIC DATA-

[Suddenly, Kalinka yelled.]

Kalinka: {LOOK!}

[She was pointing at the television. For some reason, the broadcast seems to have been pre-empted.]

Pyro: --??

Kalinka: {Aviator, I thought you said it was going to play all day!} D:

Avi: --? What...? But...!

[Nico and everyone else look over, also puzzled. Speedy turns up the volume.]

Beck: --.....?

[The new development seems to have snapped Beck out of his panic, and he quietly moved behind Pyrogen.]

Avi: -The heck is going on, I thought for SURE it would be a continuous broadcast--

Avi: ....Unless...

Skull: ???

Goose: Unless someone paid a lOT of money to say something else--

Avi: --But someone with that kinda cash--

Avi: ....

Avi: -AW NO-

Avi: -PLEASE LET IT BE THE PRESIDENT OR SOMETHING--

Speedy: The President? oh geez, I swear if the Feds show; I'm gonna bolt--

Beck: --!!!

Keltso: {What?!}

Goose: AW COME ON MAN, ARE YOU FOR REAL—

Avi: YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME--!

Pyro: --Father--! -and now we're running to get Dad--

Dyna: -BZZZZZZZZZZ WITH A N G E R-

Cryo: THAT'S IT LEMMIE AT HIM--

Beck: ......

Beck: -Confused as all heck- (I...Graham's blaming Dad now?)

Beck: (But why?)

[The Angels were just shocked into silence. Nico in particular seems to have taken it rather hard.]

Nico: ...

<DWN-018 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

[The others quickly follow suit, with Skull taking Kalinka and warping off without another word. His older brother looks TICKED, though!

Nico hovers off to go get Siam. Meanwhile, Speedy is calling Dr. Cossack to check on Tobias.

There is a ping.]

<DWN-024>: > -HELP, LADY EIGHT IS AWAKE AND GETTING VERY ANGRY-- -

[MN.7] //: -Carmen, please calm d--

<FMN-008>: > -SCREE, SCREE, HE TRIED T’ KILL ME AN’ NOW HE WANTS T’ FINISH THE JOB /AND/ COMPLETE THE SET, AH’ SWEAR I’LL DRAG HIS SORRY CHASS TO THE COURTROOM AN’ THROW HIM IN THE JAIL CELL /MYSELF/ IF I HAVE TO FER THIS—-

[CDN.7037] //: -MISS EIGHT IS ANGRY AS F R A G--

[Soon enough, Will comes in still putting on his lab coat, an expression of confusion on his face.]

Pyro: It's all over the news--

Will: .....

[He takes one look at the screen...]

Will: .....

Will: ....

Will: ...Hmm.

Will: ...That's a bit unorthodox.

Beck: --???

Avi: -Uh, Dad, the prez of CherryDyn is accusing you and Sanda Man of cyberterrorism-

Will: I can see that...

Will: (...This is...a little too desperate--)

Will: (What's your game, Greg...?)

Will: (Why this, and why now? You could have done this from the start, so...)

Will: (What changed--?)

Beck: ...Dad--?

Will: --Mm? Oh, sorry. Got a bit lost in thought, there.

Will: I don't see how this will hold water if they don't have proof...

[Another ping.]

<MCN005>: > I had to sedate Lady Carmen.

<DCP-001>: > {Papa, I'm scared...!} D':

<MC005>: >Now would someone please explain to me why my children are afraid and agitated?

[PING!]

[DR.SANDA] //: WILL--!!

[DR.SANDA] //: YOU NEED TO TURN ON THE TV--

[DR.WHITE] //: I already know, Soi.

Keltso: {Dad, we're looking at a second Monstropolis possibility here!!!}

<DWN-024>: > -Honestly, I am surprised THIS has not provoked a response from our brother, normally he would disrupt this sort of broadcast with a sardonic bit of humor-

<MC005>: > ... Will? What is going on over there?

[DR.WHITE] //: ...It seems Graham has turned his blame game towards us now.

[....Strange, why did Will sound so... dull?]

[DR.WHITE] //: Take a look.

<MCN005>: > ... This is very bad. Augh, I can't risk moving Tobias like this, but he shouldn't be here if it continues like this...

Digger: {Father, we should go home. It's not safe for you there. What if they try to storm the place?}

<DWN-019>: > That's it.

<DWN-019>: >Nico and I are withdrawing everyone home. Doctor, please prepare Tobias for transportation.

Goose: -woah woah wOAH WAIT WE KINDA STILL NEED DOC C AND SHADS AROUND-- -

<DWN-019>: > Don't make me bounce a Gemini Laser all the way from the lab, Six.

<DWN-018>: > -We will keep the family ALIVE and protect it from /all/ threats- </aggressive data that seems primarily directed at Pyro and... Beck?>

[DR.SANDA] //: -WE'RE GOING TO CALL OUR BROTHER--HE CAN SAY SOMETHING, MAYBE--

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

Beck: . . . (Wha....)

Goose: Guys, GUYS let's just nOT PANIC, OKAY--

<DWN-019>: > “Panic”? I beg your pardon, but we've seen where this trail leads before. Dying once was enough, thanks.

Avi: ---.....

Avi: -N...Ngh--

Cryo: --?? Avi--?

[They all falter a moment when they remember.

Avi knew EXACTLY what they were talking about.]

Avi: -Nngnngh it hurts--

Dyna: Avi--Avi breathe--

[And what's worse...

"I can't let you repeat my mistakes...!"

... Tobias had even tried to warn him.]

Avi: I can't--we--we can't let it END LIKE THAT--

Beck: Avi--!

Avi: -WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING--!! -

Pisces: ...

Pisces: ... They're taking callers now.

Pisces: I wonder who it is--

Speedy: Wait a second--

Speedy: --Isn't Washington the state where Seattle is?

[The voice that came on through the chatter was… not unknown to them all.]

"....Excuse me--yeah, I got something to say."

[PING--!]

[CDN.7037] //: --!!!

[CDN.7037] //: E-Eli...?

<DWN-019>: > ...???

Goose: ... The Cherry KNOWS this guy???

<FMN-008>: > -Waking up again, but distinctly less hostile- ...???

Goose: -tHIS I gotta hear- -Aaaand we reach over and turn up the volume more-

"I just wanna say..."

"What the HELL is that corporate moron thinking?!"

[There’s a brief shout from Snow over the feeds about bad words, but no one really pays attention.]

"Does he really expect us to believe his load of malarkey? For God’s sake, isn't that No. 9 trying to SAVE us?"

Digger: -PING, we like this guy-

"My family and I nearly DIED more times than I can count this week--does he even CARE about what he's sayin' will DO to other people? Is he STUPID?"

Speedy: {MORE OR LESS—}

"I don't know about you, but there's no way on God's good earth that that boy and his father are out to get us. Of all the damn BULLSH--"

[...He's cut off before he can continue.]

[CDN.7037] //: -ELI'S ALIVE-- LILY IS OK, THEY MADE IT--

[The next caller is from... Missouri!]

"Dude."

[... They sound like a college student. A very, VERY tired college student.]

Beck: ....?

"Is this guy high?"

Speedy: -Snorts-

"Weren't we talking a few months ago about how his own security system couldn't stop him from getting his HQ vandalized?"

Will: -...snorts softly-

[A PIC OF THAT POPS UP ON THE SCREEN as he continues--]

Beck: -snICKERS--

"And didn't he get hacked and stuff? I bet he just wants attention because he can't do his job right. CherryDyn can’t even look after their own ‘bots, anyway—I mean, just look at what happened over the summer. Why should we believe they know anything about OTHER people’s bots if they don’t even take care of their own models?”

<DWN-024>: > -That is an exceptionally good point…-

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

Will: --!!!

[Digger looks thoughtful and serious for a moment, and then quietly slips away.

The next call is from...Minnesota?]

Cryo: --!

"H...Hello?"

[A young woman, it seems like...]

"I...I just want to thank M...Mr. Pyrogen--he...he saved me and all my coworkers..."

Pyro: !

"I...I don't think I would be alive I-If it wasn't for him and his brother...I don't think it was her fault--she was sick, right? I...I hope she's okay..."

Cryo: .....

"T...That's all..."

[Click.]

Jaden: -Surprised- ... We never got told about that. o.o

[The next caller was from...Indiana.]

"I SAW HIM, well sort of I was kinda hanging upside down but I SAW HIM IN THE POWER PLANT I WORK AT, HE WAS SO COOL--"

Beck: ....!

"I thought that I was gonna get fried but the power came back on and I guess he fixed his sister--I mean, come on, the REAL Dynatron wouldn't do that to her fans, she's amazing!"

Dyna: -Oh my God he's one of our fanszz--?-

"I just don't see how No. 9 was doing anything wrong? What's your deal, CherryDyn?"

Pisces: Insecurity, I bet. Among other things.

[He's cut off as well, and the next is from...Cali--!

...it seems to be...a male, but there were other voices in the background as well.]

"Look, I work at the mine Mickster comes and helps us with, that guy wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone someone else--!"

"YEAH THAT CORPORATE MOOK CAN SUCK IT--"

"MIC'S OUR FRIEND, YA CAN'T JUST DISS HIM AND HIS FAMILY LIKE THAT--"

"Berry, we're on the phone--"

"OI MIC IF YOU CAN HEAR US WE GOT YOUR BACK--"

[Another call, from New York—though it sounds like the girl is from California, herself. Another college student, it would seem.]

"Hi. I, like, take a Logic class and stuff?"

"And my roommate’s boyfriend is this huuuuge Avi fan--"

Avi: --!!

"He also likes Morse code and just-- it doesn't make sense?"

Jaden: —! (Uh-oh—!)

"If White really were working with the bad guys, why would his kids need to be 'saved'? You know, whole 'house divided can't stand' and stuff. Like, Avi was saying during his broadcast to 'save us' in Morse code and stuff, so-- he's just got it all wrong."

Nico: … Looks like they thought Toby was your “inner/true self” fighting against the virus. ?__?

Avi: .....Oh...

Goose: -Well, I guess they aren’t completely WRONG, so-

"And I hope his lawyers are well paid because that was a dumb thing to overlook. So I wouldn't be surprised if Sanda Enterprises sued or something."

"Anyway, we liked that cool new music when Beck was saving you, Avi! Get better soon, your show is really funny."

[Next caller--Japan.... There are translated subtitles on the screen with a second or so of delay.]

{"My disciples see No. 7 as a sort of role model--I just don't see how a noble and decorated swordsman of his caliber would suddenly turn his back on everything he stands for--not willingly. He was clearly struggling against whatever was ailing him, anyone can see that--!"}

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

{"This must be so very hard on him--and his family. My thoughts go out to them."}

Beck: They....

Beck: They...they're taking our side....

[Click.]

"I think it's just--just awful what CherryDyn said just now--and Beck's just way too cute to be bad, ya know? I mean--come on, how can something THAT adorable be evil??"

[Click.]

"Hey, here's a thought--maybe CherryDyn should fire their whole social department because what the heck?"

[Click.]

"The Mighty Numbers are HEROES, man! Heroes! Just wait, they're gonna fix this any second somehow, they gotta--!"

[There is one final call--]

"Hi, I work with an emergency response group, and... I just wanted to thank the Mighty Numbers. I know Seven was sick and all, but he was fighting really hard—and that made a big difference. The thing a lot of people don't know is that most self-driving cars that were on the road when this started were on their way to pick people up-- empty. If... If he hadn't stopped as many as he did, there would be a lot more injuries along the roads right now, because they would have ended up driving uncontrollably through narrow city streets or small towns. Even while sick, he still saved lives."

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

"And we've gotten a lot of help from the healthy Xelbots-- one of my coworkers said that the one helping her right now said that it was 'what Bat would have wanted me to do.'"

"You guys just inspire people to, you know, go out there and be Mighty!"

"We believe in you!"

Beck: (They....)

Beck: (They believe...in me...?)

Will: Ah...

[DR.SANDA] //: -WILL--WILL YOU'RE HEARING THIS, RIGHT--

Beck: (People believe in me?)

Cryo:

-...NO WE'RE NOT CRYING, YOU ARE--

Dyna:

-We MAY be letting our mascara run--

[CDN.7037] //: -HEY--GUYS YOU'RE BLOWING UP ON ALL THE SOCIAL SITES, PEOPLE ARE TALKING, YO--

Avi: -RUNS TO CHECK THAT--GOOSE WE COULD USE A HAND--

Goose: -ON IT, ME-- -

Beck: I...I don't...know what to...

[...He's mostly shocked--he wasn't used to this much positive reception, and about HIM, of all people--!]

[There's... a faint humming noise. Followed by...

...

... Static?]

Speedy: …!

[It's not coming from the TV, but rather, over the feeds!]

-Ping.-

<RMDC to ALL>: > DLN-008 is now in Sleep mode.

Dyna: --! TOBY--!

Avi: -TOBY--DOES THAT MEAN HE'S GONNA BE OK--??-

<DCN-008>: > {Father has a message.}

<DCN-008>: > {Things are… different than how we feared they might be. We now know there IS hope—and that it is real, and not a dream.}

<DCN-008>: > {Wily Eight will still need to be contained in isolation for some while, due to his… developing self control…}

<DCN-008>: > {But it is no longer necessary to keep him Offline.}

<DCN-008>: > {We will explain more soon. Father requests that we have a family meeting later today.}

<DCN-008>: > {And he wants everyone to participate.}

<DCN-008>: > -Yes, that means you MNNs and FMNs, too, you are family-

Pyro: ....That sounds like a good plan.

Beck: -Primarily watching the news as it unfolds...-

Avi: -Bro look at this feedback, man, it is MOSTLY GOOD--

Will: (...Just as I thought...won't hold water.)

Will: Alright--Soi, can you keep an eye on the situation for us?

[DR.SANDA] //: Can do, Will!

<MC005>: >Thank you, Soi, we appreciate that.

<MC005>: >Oh, and Beck? Could you come see me at the lab for a moment? Not necessarily right this second, but later today would be nice.

{Meanwhile…}

[Cardinal—still somewhat out of the loop due to radio silence—was on the highway, traveling as fast as his light cycle would take him—and as safely as he could, amidst the chaos.

He was going about 120 mph, weaving his way through infected self-driving cars, headed out of the city. The radio he kept on, now—he would need that, for the highway reports. Now that people could communicate, the world would slowly start cobbling together.

He jumped the cycle up and used the wreckage in his way as a ramp to soar into the air, returning the cycle to bar form and taking flight on his wind surfer for the next stretch of highway.

He couldn’t ride like this the whole way, not if he wanted to keep some charge in it.]

Cardinal: _(Glitch glitch glitch—!)_

[He opened fire on some rogue sign ‘bots that were starting to swarm, ducking to avoid crashing into an overpass.

He was VERY glad that only the self-driving cars were on the highway at this point—he knew how badly the highway crash had been—how long it had haunted his friends—when there had been people involved.

He was very glad Brand hadn’t been on the highway he was traveling—he had nothing personal against the clearly infected ninja, but he’d have sooner throw a car in Seven’s face than let the swordsmaster slow him down.

Because now he was REALLY on a time limit.]

>DISTANCE REMAINING: CALCULATING…

[He felt panicked the moment he realized it.

He could still hardly believe it, and _REALLY_ hoped he was seeing the situation wrong.

But if Shade were waiting to ambush prey, his target wasn’t an old grudge or a Mighty Number—or else he would have gone off and done that by now.

He was waiting for something _bigger.]_

Cardinal: _For the love of all that ever mattered, Shade—WAIT FOR ME!_

>DISTANCE REMAINING: 1,000 MILES

_* >LOADING…*_

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

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dauntlesstales

5 years ago

=CHAPTER 4A: AVI’S NEWS REPORT=

~AO v1.0~

(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)

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

[SANDA LABS, TWO DAYS LATER...]

[MN.1 STATUS: ONLINE.]

[MN. 2 STATUS: ONLINE.]

[MN.3 STATUS: DEEP SLEEP MODE, RECHARGE IN PROGRESS....]

[MN.9 STATUS: ONLINE, XEL REPAIRS IN PROGRESS...]

[Will couldn't remember the lab--their home--being this quiet. Oh, it never was, with the sheer amount of siblings under one roof--]

[It unsettled him.]

[It unsettled him very much.]

[Perhaps it was because of this and his struggles at the daunting tasks at hand that he, well...]

White: Argh!

[...Lost his patience, for a bit.]

Sanda: !

[Sanda had only seen his friend like this only one other time--and he knew this MUST have been for a good reason--Will was the most patient man he's ever known.]

White: Blast it--!

Sanda: Will?

[Will was quite literally pulling at his own hair, a frustrated expression across his usually gentle features.]

White: I see NO pattern whatsoever! What in Tyson's name is behind this?!

Sanda: Will, let's just--

White: Just LOOK at this, Soi!

[Will brings up the virus coding again--all the samples from Pyro, Cryo, Dyna, and the RMDC server from Mikhail--...]

[It was clear as day to what it DID...]

[...But looking at it closely...]

[...Each sample was VASTLY different from the other.]

White: We know what it DOES--exaggerate underlying negative coding and emotions and exploiting them that way--

White: But looking at the samples--it's almost as if we're looking at FOUR different viruses instead of ONE!

Sanda: --?!

[Will was right--each coding sample was... unique, in it's own way...]

Sanda: What the...?

White: It--It makes no SENSE! I would EXPECT the virus to leave SOME imprint or--something! Within the emotional matrix, but...!

White: There is absolutely nothing there.

[…This rant did not end well for him.]

-PING!-

<RMDC>: > PROCESSING NEW DATA…

<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED. ENTRY: DLN-001. ENTRY: DLN_COMBAT.EXE.

<RMDC>: > ERROR—CONNECTION TO MAIN SERVER FAILED.

<RMDC>: > CONNECTION FAILED—UNABLE TO UPDATE MAIN SERVER

<RMDC>: > COMPRESSING DATA FOR NEXT AVAILABLE CONNECTION…

White: Dear LORD, not again--!

Sanda: --? It's trying to connect again--

White: For the PAST TWO DAYS!

White: I can't SHUT IT OFF, only Mikhail has that level of clearance and we can't even SPEAK to each other!

Sanda: .......

[Well, no wonder Will was at the end of his rope....]

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Dr. White, I am detecting very high levels of stress and elevated heart rate. I recommend you step away from your terminal for the time being.

Sanda: (Bless you, Call...!) Er--Yes, Will...it's been a hard while, and I don't think anyone would be very happy to know you've been running yourself ragged... (Especially Mikhail...ho boy...)

[And before Will could even open his mouth to argue--]

[CALL] //: Dr. White, please step away from the terminal. I am authorized to activate the fire sprinkler system within this lab.

White: ......

[With a tired sigh, Will rises from his seat and follows Sanda out of the room, rubbing the corners of his darkened eyes...]

White: ....I just...

Sanda: Wiiiiillll....

[Sanda takes in a deep breath and sighs, crossing his arms worryingly. He KNEW that his best friend could get like this--feeling as if it was his duty to get important things done, especially when people were counting on him so much...]

[Sometimes Will would try TOO hard and burn himself out--]

[Always trying.]

[....Almost as if he felt he had something to prove.]

Sanda: I know you want to fix this--I do too, believe me--but we can't exactly do that if we're not even taking care of OURSELVES, right?

White: ......

Sanda: We still have a lot of work to do...and I have a feeling we'll need to be ready for whatever gets thrown our way.

White: .....-Sigh-

White: ....

White: I....yes. You're right...

White: ...I just feel as if we aren't making any progress regarding the virus...and with the comms still down...!

Sanda: .....Mmm...

Sanda: You're right. We should DO something about that.

White: --!

Sanda: ...Call hasn't found any other Mighty Numbers yet.

Sanda: But Avi...

-PING!-

<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED. ENTRY: DLN-008. ENTRY: DWN-010. ENTRY: MONSTROPOLIS, AZ.

<RMDC>: > ERROR—DLN-008 IS OFFLINE. CONNECTION FAILED.

Sanda: --!!

White: . . . .

White: (Monstropolis...)

[It was a name that struck gravity into even the most flippant of the Wily and Cossack Numbers.

The full tale had not been told outright, but the pieces had come together over time to show that the reason things were as bad as they were in that world lay in the misery the city suffered—

First, under Tobias unwittingly TERRIFYING the nation, and then, a generation later…

…When the city in the sky came crashing down to earth…]

[The panic caused in both cases proved to be deadly, and was something Tobias came to feel was his fault as he had grown and finally understood what he had unwittingly done.

It was a very touchy topic and an incident that even the worst of Wily’s sons would want to be avoided.

…And it wasn’t hard to see why, when one considered…]

-*-*-*-*-

<<Power up the revolution, boys—it’s time for an evolution of circuitry!>>

-*-*-*-*-

[…How eerily similar some of Avi’s latest broadcasts had been to the ones Tobias had put out…]

Sanda: Oh no--Will--

White: ......

White: (Going after Aviator will most certainly bring up some VERY unpleasant cross references for the Angels--regarding Monstropolis, regarding Tobias...)

White: (But there are no other Mighty Numbers located--and we MUST bring back communications across the country...)

White: (WORSE-- I have no doubt Avi will be MORE than happy to broadcast the whole thing in his state...!)

White: .....

White: We...We have no choice, Soi.

Sanda: But--the cross references--!

White: ...We'll have to ask Beck to be extremely careful...

White: ...And quite possibly not use Dynatron's ReXelection, to minimize the impact on the RMDC server...

Sanda: ...Mm--but Avi is half weak to Dyna's form, isn't he?

White: ...True.

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Shall I attempt to trace the source of the transmissions, Doctors?

White: Please do--and bring them to the main line, if you will.

Sanda: ....? Why?

White: Perhaps Avi will tell us himself, if we listen closely...

Sanda: Oh--in that case, I'll go and call Beck--

[CALL] //: Tracing...

White: .....

White: (....Mmmm...)

White: Soi?

Sanda: Yes?

White: ....Call has been functioning normally all this, yes?

Sanda: Well, she was shut down for a firmware update when everything went screwy...

Sanda: And the Patch bots were down for recharge. Like I said before-- anything that was shut off when this all started are fine.

White: Yes--so was my phone...

White: It was...shut down....

White: . . . . _______________________

"....He shut down every robot in America..."

"You mean how they both originated in the Battle Colosseum...?"

"...We both discussed the reason WHY he could have..."

_________________________

White: No, it...it couldn't be...

Sanda: ...?

________________________

"...even HE couldn't pull this off from inside a maximum security prison--!"

"CherryDyn, of course, being the world's largest robot manufacturer..."

"IT'S BLACKWELL'S FAULT--!"

_________________

White: Or...

__________________

[CONFIDENTIAL: INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN THE BATTLE COLOSSEUM--]

[EXPLORING THE CAPABILITIES OF XEL TECHNOLOGIES IN--]

[WARNING: RISKS--]

__________________________________

White: Could it be...?

Sanda: Uuuh....Wiiiiiillll?

Sanda: Do you...have a theory or...?

White: .....

Sanda: ....?

White: Mmm...

Sanda: (Confound it, he ALWAYS gets me so worried when he trails off like that--!)

Sanda: W--

[PING!]

[MN.9] //: You rang, Dr. Sanda? Where am I off to next?

Sanda: --! O-Oh--Beck, yes...just a moment...

White: .....Soi....

Sanda: Let's discuss this later, Will.

White: ......

White: Y-Yes....

Sanda: And NO trailing off into a 'Hmm' next time, alright?

White: .....Of....Of course....

[MN.9] //: Daaaaaad, are you giving Uncle Sanda a hard time? Or is it the other way around?

Sanda: More like both. -_-;;;

White: --Eheh....

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Transmissions verified. Transferring to main line...

[KSSSSSST--!]

"Yelloyelloyello and WELCOME to another EXCITING broadcast of Avi News!~ Bum Da DAAAAAA!"

[MN.1] //: How is it that he's even more annoying like this--?!

[MN.2] //: Beats me, bro, beats me...

"Live from this LOVELY broadcasting tower I, aheh, borrowed --ah, whatever, no need to sugarcoat it! I hijacked it from all the pathetic squishy humans! Jeez, they didn't even stick around for an interview! Rude, don't ya think? But, s'not like I NEED them, ha!"

[MN.9] //: Avi...

"And I DEEPLY apologize for that last cutout--a certain pesky bee was messing with the power--buuuuut it looks like that got shorted out so here we are again, folks!~"

[Data fuzz. Static.]

<RMDC>: > CROSS REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: DLN-008.

<RMDC>: > ERROR—DLN-008 IS OFFLINE. CONNECTION FAILED.

"Pretty sure it's not gonna happen again anyway--"

[....A pause at the static--]

"...I think."

[Another pause.]

"But HEY! Good thing, too, because all you listeners out there just love to tune into Avi News for yours truly, right?~"

[MN.2] //: ...Gotta respect his puns, though, he REALLY upped his game, I gotta make up some more to compete with that--

[MN.1] CRYOSPHERE, PLEASE--

"And on THAT note, I'm happy to announce that Avi News will soon be launching it's global campaign--"

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

"--From right here in the good old state of Georgia! Great place, real windy, nice views and..."

[MN.2] //: He's in Georgia--?

[A much HARSHER fuzz.]

<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: DLN-008.

<RMDC>: > COMMAND RECOGNIZED: DISPLAY CROSS-REFERENCES. AUTHORIZATION: DLN-008.

<RMDC>: > ERROR—UNABLE TO COMPLETE COMMAND. CRITICAL AI_OS ERROR. DLN-008 IS OFFLINE.

[MN.9] //: Georgia--in a radio tower...

[CALL] //: Confirming...

[MN.1] //: Avi, you--why are you...?

[MN.2] //: Bros--what did Avi mean by going global...? Going global HOW?

White: .....

White: Either...

White: He's going to attempt cutting off comms WORLDWIDE...

White: ....

White: (Or something worse...)

<RMDC>: > ANALYSIS ALERT: ??.??.20XX MEMORY DATA CROSS-REFERENCES TO MULTIPLE HAZARDOUS FILES. POTENTIAL SYSTEM OVERLOAD TRIGGER DETECTED. AFFECTED SYSTEMS: AI_DWN_008, AI_DWN_012, AI_DWN_013, AI_DWN_018, AI_DWN_019, AI_DCN_003. ISOLATING FILES FOR ADMIN APPROVAL…

Sanda: Ngh...this will NOT be easy on them, will it...

White: -Sigh...-

White: ...We'll have to get to Avi before he attempts whatever he is planning--Call?

Call: Confirmed. Mighty No. 6's transponder signal is indeed located in a radio tower in Georgia.

[MN.9] //: I'm on it!

[Pause.]

[MN.9] //: W-Wait--what about Dyna? Is she...awake, yet?

[MN.2] //: Not yet--but if she does, we'll let ya know, bro.

[MN.1] //: Have your systems processed her form data yet?

[MN.9] //: Yeah, when I woke up yesterday--hang on...!

[XEL STRUCTURE SHIFTING...]

[REXELECTION: DYNATRON.]

[MN.9] //: Yup...everything's working right... (For once...)

[MN.1] //: You'll need that--Avi's mainly weak to Shade's arsenal, but partially to Dyna...and who knows what kind of tricks he'll come up with while you're there...

[The RMDC flashed with another notification, though THANKFULLY it was now on silent—clearly focused on isolating the ongoing stressors to protect the main server from an overload once connections were re-established.]

Sanda: Mmm...

Sanda: How close can you get Beck to the tower, Call?

Call: ......

Call: I can safely attempt Xel Transfer on the structure itself, Doctor. Unfortunately, the jamming signal is only weakest at the lower levels.

White: That will have to do.

[MN.9] //: .....

[MN.9] //: Pyro?

[MN.1] //: Yes?

[MN.9] //: When she wakes up...

[MN.9] //: ...Tell her that what Avi did to Toby...it wasn't his fault.

[MN.1] //: Of course. (That is...if she doesn't absolutely loses it when she does find out...)

Call: Location locked. Preparing Xel Transfer...

[MN.2] //: REMEMBER TO NOT LISTEN TO WHAT HE SAYS, BRO--TUNE HIM OUT--

White: Good luck, son...!

[MN.1] //: You can do this, Beck.

Sanda: We'll be there this time--count on it!

[MN.9] //: Right!

Call: Initiating Xel Transfer...

———————————————

[MISSION DETAILS: MIGHTY NO. 6, AVIATOR, HAS CO-OPTED THE TELEVISION AND RADIO BROADCASTING CAPABILITIES OF THIS RADIO TOWER IN GEORGIA, BLOCKING ALL COMMUNICATIONS IN THE COUNTRY.]

[MISSION OBJECTIVES: LOCATE AND RESCUE MN.6, PURGE ALL HARMFUL MALWARE FROM SYSTEMS, PREVENT TOTAL AND PERMANENT COMMUNICATION BLACKOUT. SUB OBJECTIVE: MINIMIZE RMDC IMPACT.]

SYSTEMS READY?

GO!

[Whistling, harsh winds, the sound of a familiar news jingle blaring over the speaker systems, and of course, Avi's persistent newscasts broadcasting over nearly all his feeds--]

[Beck was in the right place, alright...]

[As soon as he fully materialized, Call's voice crackled in his ears.]

Call: Attention: Beck has arrived at the tower. Mighty No. 6 must be transmitting from the apex.

Sanda: Sorry to make you climb it on foot, Beck...but it's, uh, all part of the plan!

White: That, and it was impossible to get him directly to the top with Avi jamming the signals to it...

Sanda: Eheh....yes, that...

[MN.9] //: It's OK, guys. I've climbed Avi's tower dozens of times--it's just that, well--this is a lot bigger than that one, and not as windy, and there weren't any malfunctioning robots that want to kill me.

[Taking a deep breath, Beck looked up to the daunting tower above him, the top of which was hidden in the clouds. He could see various platforms of which he could use to ascend--but he could also hear the loud screeches of infected robots as well.]

Beck: Hang tight, Avi...

[There were ramps, at first, and lots of ladders--as well as more CherryDyn models than he liked to admit were comfortable. There was even a few models that he didn't recognize--such as signal amplifying robots that threw their dishes at him--]

[WHAM--!]

Beck: O W--

[--especially when he was jumping around to avoid them in the first place.]

Beck: Hey--CUT IT OUT--

[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE.]

[Luckily, they couldn't throw their dishes around if they were frozen.]

[At first--it seemed he was making good progress...]

[...But it wasn't long until...]

[KSSSSSSSSSSST!]

"Ahem! Testing, testing. Check one, check, check two. Sibilance, Sibilance!"

Beck: --!

[And suddenly, from his right, as he approached one side of the tower--!]

[MN.2] //: ...Is...Is that a BLIMP? Where the cheese did Avi get a FREAKIN' BLIMP?!

[The blimp was huge--and had a giant screen on either side, displaying a live feed of Avi himself. The background showed nothing but clouds, so it was safe to assume he was flying somewhere over the top of the tower.]

Avi: And now, live from Avi News World Headquarters, continuing coverage of--! Bum da da daaa!~

Avi: NATION. IN. CRISIS!

White: (Avi, please...!)

Avi: Let's take things over to our eye in the sky, Avi, for the latest traffic report!~ Avi?

Avi: Uh, as you can see, Avi, the robot rampage is not letting up! It's chaos out here! CHAOS!

[MN.2] //: Is he seriously talking to himself again, are you kidding--

Avi: Thanks, Avi--as you can see, this is a dark, dark day for squishy humans everywhere--but, ya know, that's because they were soft and helpless to begin with! Am I right or am I right? HA!~

Avi: So I ask you, fellow viewers--

Avi: Will this be the end of our proud republic?

Avi: Or will a HERO emerge to save the day?!

Avi: Heh, well, for one, I already have something of an answer!~

[The screen transitions once more, and--]

Beck: ....!

[...Beck finds himself staring at his own bewildered face.]

Avi: IT'S SURE AS HECK ISN'T GONNA BE THIS GUY!

[PING!]

[MN.6] //: Oh, MAN, this is gonna be good--how's it going, Beckingsdale?~

[MN.6] //: Nice of you to blow in from the western front! Heh, get it?

[MN.9] //: Avi--

[MN.6] //: Were you just SO excited to see big bro that you decided to skip 4 and 5? Or do you just don't CARE?

[MN.9] //: What--Of COURSE I care--!

[MN.1] //: Leave him ALONE, No. 6!

[MN.6] //: Eeeey, lookie here, it's Big Bro! Cooked up some tasty treats for me?

[MN.2] //: CUT THE SMALL TALK, AVI--WE KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING, HOVERMORON--!

[MN.6] //: Nah, not really! One sec--

<RMDC>: > ALERT: MNN-006 HAS BEEN RAISED TO THREAT LEVEL BLUE.

[Thiiiiis was not starting off so good.]

[The screen cuts off from Beck to Avi once more--]

Avi: Yup, as you can see, this guy thinks he can waltz up here and try to put our global campaign on hold--PERMANENT hold. That isn't gonna fly.

Avi: Why? Well--I'll show you all in bit, so stay tuned!~

Avi: But whatever happens, Avi News will be there--your number one and ONLY source for ethical journalism!~

Avi: We report, and YOU...eh...do whatever you want with it. Until next time, good night, and GOOD LUCK!~ BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!~

[KSSSSSSSSSSST!]

[MN.6] //: AAAAAND SCENE! Little short and sweet, but we're on a tight schedule here.

[MN.9] //: Avi--PLEASE, listen to me--! You're malfunctioning, there's a virus in your systems and--

[MN.6] //: Hey, Becky. Interview time.

[MN.6] //: How many matches did you lose when you were on the team?

[MN.9] //: I...what?

[MN.6] //: Because you've got the biggest lose streak on RECORD, like--wow. I had no IDEA someone could be THAT lame. No WONDER Pyro kicked you out!~

[MN.1] //: AVI--

[MN.6] //: And before you say ANYTHING, Big Bro, don't give me that 'for the good of the team' garbage. We all KNEW Beck just really sucked at combat and we couldn't afford to keep someone on him JUST to make sure he didn't get completely scrapped.

[MN.6] //: Real sad part of it is that he never really seemed to get any BETTER. Not for a good WHILE, at least.

[MN.6] //: Heck, he can't even FLY straight when he had MY form!

[MN.9] //: ........

[MN.6] //: Man, Cryo was right--you ARE a real runt.

[MN.2] //: AVI YOU BETTER STOP TALKING OR I'M--

[MN.6] //: You'll WHAT. Freeze me? Punch me in the face?

[MN.2] //: HELL YEAH I WILL!

[MN.6] //: ...Typical.

[MN.6] //: Always with the threats--it's starting to get REAL old. I got enough of those already, so save your breath.

[MN.2] //: ...???

[Beck was already at the other side of the tower--there were some strong winds coming from the west, and part of him wondered if that was also Avi's doing somehow...]

[MN.6] //: But we're getting off point.

[MN.6] //: You don't mind if I...say, replay some of those lame matches over the air, do ya?~

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

[MN.6] //: Ya know, just to give our viewers a little REMINDER that this is the short-stack that's trying to run around and save the whole world like he's some SUPERHERO or something. YAWN.

[Data fuzz.]

[kkkkkkkkk…]

[…That familiar static again.

It died down, but…]

[Suddenly, music was playing.]

[And Avi CERTAINLY wasn’t the one playing it.]

[MN.6] //: --?

[MN.9] //: !

[MN.6] //: UGH, I THOUGHT that was fixed--

[MN.6] //: ....Wait a second--that's not part of my soundtrack--!

[It was an acoustic soundtrack—one that seemed…

…uncomfortably familiar.]

[It played through an entire cycle of two verses and refrains—wordless, though, making it even eerier—before dying down and fading away.]

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

[MN.6] //: Oooookay...

[MN.6] //: Gonna have to look into that after I'm done with you.

[MN.9] //: (Was...was that who I think it was...?)

[…Siam HAD warned about side effects…

But… Toby was still Offline, right?]

[MN.9] //: (If...if it was...but...oh no...)

[Fearing the worst--Beck climbs up the tower faster, using Cryo's form effectively disable and absorb the robots that stood in his way.]

Sanda: ...!

Sanda: Heads up, Beck! I think we found a faster way up the tower!

Beck: Whoa--really?

Sanda: Grab that Hula-Heli hoop near the other side of the tower--you can use it to board the blimp airship and ride it to the top!

White: --! Ah--! That'll work...

[There was a small robot with a large red light in the center, along with some fairly well-sized propellers on either side--they looked like they could support his weight.]

White: This'll save us time--once you're at the top, you can get the jump on Avi!

[There was a bright yellow hoop for him to grab onto--the light on the Hula-Heli changed from red to blue once it felt the required weight achieved, and gently started to float over towards the direction of the blimp.]

Beck: (Don't look down, don'tlookdown--)

Beck: (Gotta minimize impact, just--close your eyes, yeah--)

[The ride ended rather quickly, though, and soon Beck felt his feet touch...wood?]

Sanda: He's on the deck! He'll be safely up the tower in no time--

[WRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR--!]

White: --!!

White: Don't count your atoms before they're smashed, Sanda--look!

[That...]

[That was another airship--but it had been outfitted with multiple CherryDyn models, loaded with missiles and weapons!]

White: He's been spotted!

[KSSSSSST--]

[MN.6] //: More like ANTICIPATED, Dear old Dad!

[MN.6] //: Did you REALLY think I wouldn't hear you, Sanda-Bag, and Miss Siri over there trying to HELP this waste of Xel?

-PING.-

Beck: Oh no--

[The front gun started to fire at Nine, it's large, single eye locking onto him--]

[REXELECTION: PYROGEN.]

[MN.6] //: --?

[MN.6] //: Whoops, sorry, I got a caller--I'll be RIIIIIGHT back!~

White: (What...?)

{Some Time Later…}

[C R A S H--!]

Avi: WHOA--!!

[There was a HUGE tremor--the WHOLE tower suddenly LURCHED to one side, and all comms fuzzed out into static for a few moments--]

Avi: What the--??!

[MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE--]

Beck: ....Oops...

White: Oh goodness--!

[MN.2] //: BRO WHAT THE HECK??

[MN.9] //: IT WASN'T MY FAULT THE ATTACK AIRSHIP CRASHED INTO THE TOWER--

[MN.1] //: IT WHAT?!

[MN.9] //: IT JUST STARTED SPINNING ONE WAY AND THEN--AAAAAH--

Sanda: ...Well, at least the tower is still intact...

[MN.1] //: Beck--you can't just--

[MN.9] //: I know I know I'm sorry I didn't know it would do that I--

White: It's a miracle the blimp is still airborne...

[MN.1] //: Next time, PLEASE don't over charge Burning Spirit like that--it really DOES have a wide blast radius--

[KSSSSSSSSST!]

"And now, Avi News traffic, from the Avi-1 eye-in-the-sky traffic copter!"

[....That...]

[...wasn't just from the feeds--!]

Avi: HEYO, AIRSHIP WRECKER.

[It was the Pungeon Master HIMSELF--dropping in from high above the clouds, twirling over once before hovering at a fair distance away from the blimp, a camera bot flying by his side.]

Beck: Avi!

Avi: We have an accident about to happen on the airship, Avi--

[He suddenly dove down, out of sight--]

Beck: AVI!

[Beck dashed forward, hands gripping the railings of the blimp in order to look down for his brother...]

[WHOOSH--!]

Beck: --!!!

[Avi reappeared, alright--]

[With a whole squadron of aerial CherryDyn models--their missiles all pointed at Beck and the airship!]

Avi: A PIECE OF TRASH CAUSING TROUBLE--

Beck: WAH--!

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

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

[.....Zzt.]

[Zzzzzzt.]

[BZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!]

[C R A C K!]

[Without warning--a HUGE flash! The air is filled energy! Comms fill with static--!]

[MN.3 IS NOW ONLINE. COMBAT MODE: ENGAGED.]

Dyna: AAAAAVIIIIIIII!!!

Beck: ?!?

Beck: DYNA?!?

[There is a BLAST of music over ALL the comms—]

“POWER UP THE REVOLUTION! IT’S TIME FOR AN EVOLUTION! OF CIRRRRCUIIIIITRYYYYY!”

Avi: Huh--?!

Dyna: GET YOUR ZZZZSICK CHASSISZZ OVER HERE--

[The restored Electric Maiden threw a flurry of bits at the CherryDyns--each of them sticking magnetically--and with a snap of her fingers--]

[ZZZZZZZZZZZZRT!]

[They shorted out, one by one, their blackened husks falling back down to Earth.]

Dyna: ZZZSO I CAN SHOCK ZZSOME R E A L ZZZSENSE INTO YOU!

[MN.1] //: DYNA!

[MN.2] //: YEEEEAAAH, GO SIS, SHOW 'EM--!

White: How did she even get out of the lab without any of us--??

Sanda: Call??

Call: Dynatron insisted I block her signals and data once she came Online.

Dyna: Yeah, cuzzz I knew HOVERBUTT WASZZ LISZZENING.

Avi: Ah--Uh...

Dyna: YOU--!!

Dyna: DO YOU HAVE A N Y IDEA HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU'RE HURTING?!

[BZZZZZZZT--!]

Dyna: WHAT YOU DID TO TOBY--?!

Avi: --?!

Avi: What?

Avi: (Who's...)

[Another fuzz. Toby’s voice echoes—as if it’s replaying from a memory file.]

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

Avi: Argh--stop it--

Dyna: YOU'D BETTER ZZZSNAP OUT OF IT, AVI--

[ZZZZZZZZZZ--]

Dyna: OR E L S Z Z E !

Avi: I mean--oh no--

Avi: ....-AUDIBLE GULP-

Avi: Breaking News: the piece of trash brought a friend and is /no fun at all!/ 8'D

[Without another word, Avi jets off into the clouds, leaving only a pair of white streams in his wake.]

Dyna: YEAH, GO BACK UP TO YOUR ZZSTUPID TOWER, YOU QUACK! -HISSSSS-

Dyna: Wait until I get my clawszz on you... -BZZZZZZ-

[Another fuzz.]

[GhhhZZZZzzzddDDT.]

“I… I c-can’t let you make my mistakes…!”

Dyna: --!!

Dyna: Toby...?

<RMDC>: > DATA CONTRADICTION ERROR: DLN-008 IS OFFLINE. CONNECTION FAILED. ISOLATING SOURCE…

<RMDC>: > SOURCE ORIGIN IDENTIFIED

<RMDC>: > POINT OF ORIGIN: MNN-006

Dyna: .....!

Beck: Dynnnaaaaaa!

[Waving from the airship was a default form Beck, waving his left arm back and forth as tears of joy welled up in the corners of his eyes.]

Beck: Dynaaaa!

Dyna: ! Becky!~

[.....And just like that, she was back to a cheerful demeanor, as if she WASN'T thinking about tearing her brother to bits not two seconds ago.]

Beck: Dyna--how--when--

[Dyna just floated over to the blimp with a smile on her face, gently patting her little brother on his head with a poncho covered hand.]

Dyna: I woke up when you were already boarding the airship--Call noticed and filled me in.

Dyna: I dunno what Avi was doing during that time, but I aszzked Call to block my zzzsignalszz and data so he wouldn't notice. Good thing, too, you were almoszzt toast back there!

Call: Mighty No. 3's support will greatly increase the mission's chances of success.

White: Oh, dear....what will I ever do with you all...?

Sanda: Eheh...can't blame them, Will...they just want to help.

Dyna: Zzzsorry, Daddy.~

Dyna: But I don't have time to be moping.

Dyna: Lemmie get you off thiszzz thing and back to the tower, Mkay?~

Beck: Thanks, Dyna...!

[A wave of her hand and Beck gently floated up and to her side, which was better than riding the Hula-Heli--he trusted his sister a lot more than that thing, at least.]

[MN.1] //: What I want to know is how in the WORLD did you sneak by us? We were in the SAME repair room--

[MN.3] //: I have my wayszz, Big Bro.~

[MN.2] //: DYNADYNADYNA--

[MN.3] //: Cryooooo!~

[MN.2] //: AAAAAH I MISSED YOU AAAAAAAH--

[MN.2] //: -SNIFF-

[MN.3] //: I missed you too, Big Sis.~ Don't cry--

[MN.2] //: I'M NOT CRYING--MY TANK IS STILL BROKEN--

[MN.1] //: ...No it isn't, Father just--

[MN.2] //: SSSSSHHHHHUT UUUUUP--

[MN.9] //: Heh...

[...This was more like it...]

[This....this felt...familiar. All this.]

[Slowly--slowly, he was piecing his family back together again....]

[MN.9] //: Over there is fine, Dyna.

[He just had to keep going. No matter what.]

[He had to try.]

[Beck touched down on another platform on the tower--the winds were REALLY kicking up the higher he went, now--even Dyna had to compensate for the harsh gales.]

Dyna: You sure you don't want me to fly you to the top?!

Beck: Avi will be expecting that! I gotta climb this myself--I don't want him hurting you and regretting it later!

Beck: (He's already done enough for that...)

Dyna: ......

[There was a troubled look on her face--she didn't want to leave Beck to her ill brother, and...]

"I can't let you make /my mistakes/...!"

Dyna: .........

Dyna: Becky?

Beck: Yeah?

Dyna: Give him a REAL good shock for me. And Toby.

Beck: Uh...

Beck: I...I'll try....

Beck: But--you gotta get out of here before Avi comes back.

White: Beck's right, Dyna--come home for now. Please.

Dyna: ......

Dyna: Fiiiine...

Call: Preparing Xel Transfer...

Beck: And Dyna?

Dyna: .....

Beck: We need to be there for Avi WHEN he comes home.

Beck: ....It was never his fault when...Toby...

Beck: ......

Beck: Please don't be mad at him.

Beck: Toby would be really sad if you guys were still fighting after this.

Dyna: ......

Dyna: Yeah, he...would, wouldn't he...

Dyna: .....Toby....

Beck: Toby was just trying to stop Avi...

Beck: .......

Beck: Please don't blame them...!

Dyna: ........

Dyna: -Siiiigh-

Dyna: I...mng. But ONLY if Avi apologizeszz.

Beck: Yeah, that won't be hard...

Dyna: .....You bring him back home, OK?

Dyna: ....Avi might be a dork but he'szzz OUR dork.

Dyna: ....I...I miszzs him too...

Beck: Yeah. I will. I swear.

Call: Xel Transfer Initiated.

Dyna: Zzstay zzsafe...!

Beck: Got it, Dyna...!

[A flash of yellow and purple, and then, nothing.]

Call: Xel Transfer complete. Welcome back, No. 3.

Cryo: -GLOMP TACKLE, SIS SIS SIIIIIIIIIIS--

Pyro: -Excuse us ladies, we're just gonna collect the both of you in a big hug now.-

Dyna: ~<3

Beck: .....

[Slowly, one by one.]

[Beck once again looked to the sky.]

Beck: Almost there...

Beck: Avi...!

Beck: Ready or not--!

Beck: Here I come!

——————————————————

[Several more levels of the tower lied above--there were even less platforms, but more Hula-Heli's around--it made climbing up a little easier--although he had to shoot the robots that hung from them first. They gave him Absorption boosts, however, and filled both of his Xel Stocks--he decided to save those for later.]

[Eventually, he reached the right side of the tower--]

[WHOOOOOSH!]

Beck: Ngh--!

[The wind speed had increased dramatically here--what was going on with the weather...?]

Beck: (It--can't be Avi, can it?)

[KSSSSSSST!]

Beck: Oh no come ON--

Avi: This just in: bad guy spotted at the west side of the radio tower! Bots are in pursuit!

Beck: In pur--

[Following Avi was another squadron of CherryDyn Models--, and not only that, there were MORE of them that littered the platforms ahead!]

Beck: --!!

White: Beck--there's another Hula-Heli just above you! Grab it!

[Nine quickly jumped to latch onto the hoop by his hands, and he was rapidly carried of towards the nearest platform.]

Beck: (Argh, these winds...!)

Avi: ......

Avi: And now to Avi for the weather! :D

Avi: THANKS, AVI, WE GOT STRONG WINDS OUT THERE TODAY, BE CAAAAREFUUUL!~~

Beck: Are you the one doing this, Avi?!

[Avi merely cackled as he sped off into the sky again, vanishing from sight.]

Beck: A V I !

[With a small groan of frustration, Beck locked down his visor over his face for some protection against the wind--he wouldn't quite put it past Avi to have gained some control over wind currents, if the virus DID grant him that...]

Beck: Hang on, bro...

[The platforms eventually led him further out--and then back to the tower, where he used Cryo's form to freeze more than a few CherryDyn bots--]

Beck: --!!

[Wait--was that a door? Leading inside! FINALLY, some shelter from these unforgiving winds!]

Beck: I am so taking the stairs--

[......]

[...Or...not. More ladders.]

Beck: UGH--!

Beck: Ladders, why ladders, I would have taken more Hula-Helis...

[All Beck could do was grumble under his breath while climbing up the first set.. And many, MANY more after that.]

Beck: WHY ARE THERE SO MANY LADDERS, AVI DOESN'T EVEN NEED THEM--

Beck: I'm never using another ladder ever, uuuuugh--

Sanda: Oof...poor Beck...

[After climbing who know HOW many more levels--just how high WAS this tower?--Beck stepped over the last rung into a long, open hallway that lead back outside....]

Beck: ---!!!

[With no open platforms OR Hula-Helis in sight. It was just open air.]

Beck: Wha--!

Beck: Dad--there's no way to--!

White: Hold on--!

Sanda: Look around, Beck--are you sure there isn't anything you can use?

Beck: Ack--no...!

Beck: All there is is a lot of--

[WHOOOOSH!]

Beck: --!!!

[The air currents--they weren't blowing left or right--]

[But up.]

Beck: .......

Beck: ............

[.....Up....]

[....Maybe... maybe...]

[MN.3] //: ....Becky? You OK? (Why did he go quiet all of a zzsudden...?)

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

[MN.1] //: BECK WHATEVER YOU'RE THINKING, DON'T--!!

[MN.2] //: oh NOOO, BECK, NO CRAZY STUNTS--!

[MN.3] //: -DATA WHY IS EVERYONE PANICKY ALL OF A SUDDEN--?!?-

White: BECK--!

Sanda: DON'T--!

Beck: Guys I'm really sorry in advance--

[He took a huge step back...]

[MN.3] //: ...wait wait BECK--WHAT ARE YOU DOING--

[--and jumped--?!]

[He started glowing at the peak of his jump--he was going into an AcXelarate Dash--!]

[....Wait--]

[Something was different.]

[He moved rapidly left, like in a normal dash--but his form, his Xels--]

[Like back in the Turbine room, they had changed mid-dash, but instead of compressing--they expanded. ]

[So much so that with the current wind speed--]

[Instead of falling --the winds propelled him upwards!]

White: ...!!

Sanda: What the--....

[Once he reaches the end of his dash--he does so AGAIN, this time in the other direction, to his right--and the same process occurred once more, propelling him up and up with the wind acting as a sort of sail...]

[MN.1] //: I...??

[MN.2] //: He's... gliding...!?

Beck: (--It's working--!)

[MN.3] //: -BZZZ, HOW IS HE DOING THAT, WHAT EVEN--

White: He changed his dash--his own Xel Structures... (Again...this is twice now...)

White: (He can't be....unless...)

White: (It's...already started--?)

[With the unlimited uses his Dash ability had, he could glide up the side of the tower safely, as long as he didn't let up...]

Beck: --! (Hey--a ledge!)

[Not a platform, but it will do.]

Beck: Ngh--

[It looked like there was another just above it--and another--]

Beck: Come on, one platform, that's all I ask--

[....!]

[Hula Heli--!]

Beck: FINALLY--

[Jump--ride to another platform, thank heavens--]

Beck: .....

[Wait why was the world going up--]

Beck: --!!!

[Beck dashed and glided away before the single platform that had graced him lost it's propulsion and fell--]

Beck: (ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!)

White: .....

White: He...He's going to be there a while, isn't he...?

Sanda: I...maybe...??

['Maybe' was an understatement. With temporary platforms and limited hanging points, it took at LEAST another 10 minutes to climb up the tower--mostly due to the fact that the east side of the upper tower walls was completely covered in Xel disrupting spikes.]

[But at last...]

[At last...]

[At long last, another entrance back into the tower...]

[And the Patch bot waiting at the final Hula Heli that would take him to the apex.]

Beck: Thanks, Sunny...

Sunny: (^^)

[After unloading her cargo--which was much needed Xel Storage Cubes--she flew off.]

Beck: .....

Beck: Avi....

Beck: I'm here...

Beck: Here to save you...!

[Click.]

[Wrrrrr....]

White: -Shaky sigh-

White: S-Soi--...

Sanda: I got you, Will. Don't worry--he can do it...

Sanda: He's got to...

_____________________________

[KSSSSSSSSSSSST!]

[Every television—working, that is—and every radio channel in the country....]

[Avi was broadcasting himself on all of them. Every single one.]

Avi: And now, live from atop Avi News Headquarters, continuing coverage of-- Dun Dun Dun Dun--!

Avi: TOWER. OF. TERROR!~

[Kkkkkkk…]

[Those with a radio would hear an odd, barely audible static overlay. And those with a video screen?

…An even stranger visual glitch…]

[…Or at least… that’s what one had to assume of the vague, ghostly pixie-sized ball of light that seemed to be hovering behind Avi’s left shoulder.]

[Both things kept blinking in and out, so… clearly they had to be just bugs in the system.

Clearly.]

[The shot zoomed out, and one could hear the unrelenting winds that tore at the top of the tower--which was only three platforms, really...]

[Standing right in the middle of them was Beck, his expression...not hard, per se, but...]

[One could take it as either anger, determination, or resolve. Or all three. ]

[Avi didn't seem to be bothered at all by the unfavorable conditions--in fact, as he and his camera spun around the smaller Mighty Number...]

Avi: And now to Avi for the weather!~

[And--the VOLUME, WHEN DID IT GET SO HIGH--]

Avi: THANKS, AVI, WE GOT STRONG WINDS OUT THERE TODAY, BEEE CAREFULLLL!~

Beck: Argh--!

[KKKKKKKKKKK…]

[The… static kept going IN and OUT and IN and OUT—]

[At first it seemed RANDOM, but—]

[Wait was that MORSE CODE IN STATIC—]

{S A V E U S}

Avi: --.........

Avi: Ladies and Gentlemen, please be advised that we are experiencing some technical difficulties during our broadcast, so please bear with us...

Avi: (Stupid annoying--!!)

[KKKKKKKKKKKK—!]

{H O W E V E R Y O U M U S T!!!}

Avi: UGH--WILL YOU SHUT UP?!

Beck: --!! I GOT THIS, TOBY--!!

Beck: I'LL SAVE HIM--!!

[And then, the form became more visible.]

[Only MUCH larger than the LAST time Beck had seen a Robosoul—life sized, really—!]

Beck: --!!!

Avi: --?!?

[He also didn’t look nearly as COMPLETE—as if he really WERE just a ghost—

—though other than that brief appearance, possibly out of sheer defiance, he only left one thing behind—a fading, echoing lyric—]

“But to your aid An unlikely friend! Programmed to Fight ’til the very END!”

Beck: (TOBY--!!)

Avi: OH, Y O U--!!

Avi: YOU'RE the GLITCH...

[He would immediately regret that statement.]

<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE FOUND.

[A song BLARED over the comms.]

“We are the city We are the heart We are the life force We are the SPARK!”

Avi: GRRR...!

Avi: I don't have TIME to deal with you now--WAIT YOUR TURN...

[He turns his attention to Beck, who already had his arm cannon primed and ready for battle.]

Avi: News Flash: Exclusive footage caught at Avi News World Headquarters of Mighty No. 9....

Avi: MOMENTS BEFORE HE FELL TO HIS TRAGIC DEATH!~

[A MUCH HARSHER BLAST OF—not MUSIC, but—]

[Cold.]

[It was so cold and wet and dark—]

[It was as if the CENTRAL CORE were EXPOSED.]

Avi: NGH--!

[SCANNING....]

[SCAN COMPLETE.]

[E N C O U N T E R.]

[MODEL: MIGHTY NO. 6, CODENAME: AVIATOR.]

[HEIGHT: 220cm WEIGHT: 150kg XEL COUNT: 30,000,000]

Avi: ....Heh...

Avi: Ooo, sorry Beck-am, your segment is getting cut!~

[There was a HORRIFIC screech at that—

Followed by INCREDIBLE PAIN BEYOND MEASURE.

Luckily for Avi, it was short-lived, but OW—!]

Avi: NNNGH--!!

[Beck took this chance to jump and land a few shots while Avi was distracted--which causes him to stumble back and fly JUST out of reach.]

Avi: Oh, you little...

[Static Morse.]

{N O T T H E O N E T R I P P I N G O V E R A L L T H E T R I G G E R S G L I T C H F R A G I T—

{W H A T D I D Y O U E X P E C T B Y T A P P I N G I N T O O U R H I V E M I N D?}

[LOUDER static.]

{T R Y I N G T O S P A R E Y O U B U T N O T F U L L Y H E R E!}

{C A N’ T C O N T R O L T H E G E N E R A T I O N!}

Avi: SHUT IT, SPARKY. I'M TRYING TO GET THINGS D O N E HERE--!

[He shifted into his Jet Plane mode, banking hard left and around the tower--]

[Wait--]

[That's too close--]

Beck: AHHH--!

[Beck dashed out of the way just in time to avoid being rammed by Avi--if he got hit at those speeds, he wouldn't just fall, he'd get launched off the tower.]

{A A A A A U U U G H A V I Y O U D O N O T U N D E R S T A N D—}

{W H E N Y O U T R I E D T O T A K E O V E R Y O U /F U S E D U S T O G E T H E R!/}

{/Y O U A R E N O W S U B J E C T T O O U R F A M I L Y’ S C R O S S - R E F E R E N C E S!!/}

Avi: GH...!

Avi: NO THANKS TO YOU AND YOUR LAME BORG SET UP--!!

Avi: I'll have to DO something about that L A T E R--

[WOAH. A sudden erratic shift in Avi’s electrical flow, OW—]

<DLN-008 HAS ENTERED DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE.>

{D A R E T O U C H M Y B R O T H E R S A N D I /W I L L/ T A K E U S O U T}

Avi: ARGH--!

Beck: AVI--!!

[Avi was flying a little erratically, now--for a moment it seemed as if--]

<DLN-008 IS OFFLINE.>

Avi: I swear I'm gonna...gonna...

Avi: You....don't GET IT...

[There was no response from the fragment of Toby’s mind—presumably, it had fainted when it seemed Avi was about to fall.]

Beck: .....!

Avi: All I ever wanted was to make people laugh. And smile, and feel GOOD about themselves--

Avi: That's what I am--a SUPPORT unit! SUPPORT!

Avi: AND YOU ALL SAY--SAY I'M ANNOYING--

Avi: A BLABBERMOUTH--A BOTHER--!!

Avi: WELL, EXCUUUUUUUUSE ME FOR TRYING TO MAKE THINGS BETTER WHEN THEY AREN'T!

Avi: EXCUSE ME FOR BEING WHO I A M--

Avi: EXCUSE ME FOR BEING WHAT I WAS B U I L T TO BE--!!

<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE FOUND.

[But the music played did not hamper Avi this time—rather, it only seemed to REFLECT some sort of bitter torment and sorrow.]

“No one in this world can understand Who I am— That is why I’m my own biggest fan!”

Avi: YOU DON'T GET IT--YOU ALL N E V E R HAVE--!!

“Do you know what it’s like to be built this way? With only the power to push others away?”

Avi: SO IF I CAN'T MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH--IF I CAN'T BE WHO I AM--IF I CAN'T BRING GOOD THROUGH WHAT I LIKE TO DO--

“For if I can’t walk among them Then I will walk the world alone There’ll be a fire in the sky And your doom will rain down!”

Avi: N O. O N E. C A N!

[In his sheer rage, demonic flames and voice taking over, Avi raced around the sky trailing violet flames, the bomb panels on his feet unfolding--]

Avi: SPECIAL DELIVERY, TRASH FACE!

Beck: --!!

[An incoming air strike--!]

[Beck had two options--Dash Glide out of danger, or shoot the bombs before they hit the ground...]

Beck: (Avi's bomb range is wide enough--better dodge--!)

[Jumping from the middle, he dashed left and right, the bombs passing harmlessly in between--although they certainly rocked the tower beneath them!]

Beck: (No--! If he keeps doing that--!)

Beck: DAD--?!

[KSSSSSST--]

Beck: No--!!

[No advice from family. No input from Toby now, either.

It was all up to him…!]

Avi: Headline: Boss attacks Beck!

[He heard machine gun fire--and suddenly, Avi again, on the opposite side, doing a offensive fly by--!]

Beck: O W--!!

[The shots nail him, and he is knocked onto his back--]

Avi: Correction--

Avi: T W I C E !~

[When-- when did he get upside down--]

[More machine gun fire! No, it wasn't BECK that was upside down--it was Avi!]

Beck: HRK--

[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[Not even halfway through and he already had to use a Xel Stock--]

[Not. Good.]

Beck: ......

Beck: (Avi....)

Avi: Aw, what's wrong, loser?! Can't handle my air raids?!

Beck: Avi...

Beck: Stop.

[.......? Beck's....tone....]

Beck: Just let me SAVE you...please...

Beck: I don't want to hurt you any more than I HAVE to.

Avi: Oh, so now YOU'RE making threats?

Beck: Last chance, Avi--

Beck: STAND DOWN.

<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE FOUND.

“I stand before a line in the sand The fight lies ahead The fate in my hands Today the end begins

One step and the battle is born The road that I walk Is a gathering storm Today the end begins!”

Avi: WHOA, orders? I'M the one that's--

Beck: [ S T A N D.]

[-PING!-]

[XEL OVERRIDE: TEMPORARILY ACTIVE.]

Beck: [D O W N!]

[COMMAND CONFIRMED.]

[MN.6'S WEAPONS SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN DISABLED.]

Avi: --!?!?

Avi: What...why aren't my weapons--?!

[REXELECTION: DYNATRON ]

Beck: AVI!

Beck: JUST LET ME H E L P YOU--!!!

Avi: Wh--I...-

[BZZZZZZZZZT!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

Avi: ACK--THAT--STINGS--

[BZZZZZZT--!!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

Beck: Almost there--

Avi: YOU--YOU WON'T...!

[BZZZZZT!]

Beck: I can and I WILL--!!

Beck: I SWORE I WOULD SAVE YOU--

[XEL ABSORBED--]

Beck: I SWORE TO EVERYONE--!

[XEL QUOTA REACHED.]

Beck: I SWORE IT!

Beck: I'M NOT GOING BACK ON THAT PROMISE--NOT FOR ANYTHING!

Beck: SO FOR O N C E IN YOUR L I F E, AVIATOR--

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

Beck: SHUT UP AND LET ME RESCUE YOU!

[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]

Avi: Ah--

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

"Here we are, Becko!"

"Nnnnngh I don't wanna look I don't wanna look--"

"Aw, don't be scared, bro, we're OK! I'd never let you go at THIS height."

"WE A R E UP HIGH, I KNEW IT--"

"Broooooo--bro. Bro. There's nothing to be afraid of up here, little guy! Absolutely nothiiiiing.~"

"But--But--"

"Just open up those peepers for, like, two seconds--just two, straight ahead. OK?"

"......." "Coooome oooooon, I know you waaaaant tooooo!~" "............." "I'll treat ya to ice cream afterwards.~" "..........Okaaaaay...."

"......!!!"

"Eh? What do ya think?"

"I....It's....so....pretty...."

"I know, right?"

"Nothing like a good old California sunset, huh..."

"Really makes ya appreciate the little things..."

"Like you!~"

"Aviiiii--"

[.......]

Avi: U....Uh....ha....

"Now onto my surprise!"

"Surprise...?"

"Hold on to your goggles, Beckoroni--"

Avi: Wha---

"Today, you're gonna learn how to FLY!"

Avi: I....

Avi: I...Is that you, Beckles...?

Beck: !!!

[The green glow continued—only… now it was shifting to…

…some sort of… electrified yellow?]

Beck: --?!?

[THAT WAS NEW--]

[… … …]

“ ….. ”

“Listen bro.”

“… -Whine- ”

[…Wait… this wasn’t one of the memories HE had with Avi…]

“I mean, we don't BLAME you for thinking that way, just...what ELSE are you supposed to think, right? From your point of view.”

“ … I was just made to work in a power plant. Dad was the one who taught me about radio.”

[This had to be…!]

“I… I really liked Dr. King, especially.”

“ ..........”

“He… he was a really good speaker, and people listened to him. And then things started to get better. Because people were working together.”

“-Fervently- I still think we can do it…!”

“I think… I think if humans weren’t afraid… things could be okay.”

“They… can be so kind. So good. I know they can do it.”

“…Especially…”

“ ........ Heh…”

“Especially now that we met you guys.”

“It proves it’s possible!”

[… … …]

[And then—]

-PING!-

<RMDC>: > STATUS UPDATE: AI_DWN_008’s CRITICAL AI_OS ERROR HAS BEEN RESOLVED.

<RMDC>: > DLN-008 IS NOW COMPLETE AND FULLY OPERATIONAL.

Avi: H...Huh...?

[XEL PURGE COMPLETE. ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MN.6. DLN-008 HAS BEEN RESTORED.]

Beck: Toby...!!

<DLN-008>: > Uuuuuuggghhhhh…

<DLN-008>: > My head hurts sooOOOO MUUUUUCH, ow…

Avi: Wait what...what's...

Avi: M....My head hurts...what are you doing up here...

Avi: What...what am I doing up...?

<DLN-008>: > A-Avi…?

<DLN-008>: > … wOAH WOAH WOAH AUGH—AVI WHY AM I SEEING THROUGH YOUR EYES—

[…thooough it appears there were still a few… bugs to sort out.]

Avi: T...Toby...?

Avi: Wh...I...don't understand...

Beck: Avi--Avi--why don't you get over here if you're not feeling well--

Avi: Y...Yeah that...sounds...ow...

[Slowly and cautiously, Avi manages to land safely in the same platform as Beck, who immediately shares his last Xel Stock with him--]

Avi: I....dizzy...tired...

Beck: It's OK, Avi--

<DLN-008>: > This is so disorienting u-um…

<DLN-008>: > can I… can I just go to bed—

[THUD.] [MN.6 HAS GONE INTO DEEP SLEEP MODE.]

<DLN-008 has gone into Deep Sleep mode.>

Beck: Avi--!! [....With Avi now not actively blocking communications...!] [-P I N G!-]

[…Things were now in motion!]

White: ....! He--HE--!

Call: Attention: All communications have been freed from MN.6's control.

Sanda: HE DID IT--!

-PING!-

White: --!!!

[DR. SANDA AND DR. WHITE.] //: MIKHAIL!

-PING!-

<RMDC>: > REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGED. SENDING STATUS UPDATE TO MODERATOR DR.WHITE…

>DCN-008 STATUS: DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE

>DCN-007 STATUS: DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE

>DCN-004 STATUS: SLEEP MODE

>DCN-003 STATUS: DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE

>DCN-000 STATUS: ONLINE

>Loading…

>DWN-024 STATUS: OFFLINE

>DWN-020 STATUS: SLEEP MODE

>DWN-019 STATUS: ONLINE

>DWN-018 STATUS: DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE

>DWN-017 STATUS: OFFLINE

>Loading…

>DWN-013 STATUS: OFFLINE

>DWN-012 STATUS: OFFLINE

>DWN-011 STATUS: OFFLINE

>Loading…

[…]

>Loading…

[…There seemed to be a delay…]

>Loading…

> -PING!-

>DLN-008 STATUS: DEEP SLEEP MODE

>Loading…

[-PING PING PING-]

[UPDATING...]

[MN.1 STATUS: ONLINE.]

[MN. 2 STATUS: ONLINE.]

[MN.3 STATUS: ONLINE.]

[MN.4 STATUS: UNAVAILABLE.]

[MN.5 STATUS: MALWARE DETECTED.]

[MN.6 STATUS: DEEP SLEEP MODE.]

[MN.7 STATUS: MALWARE DETECTED]

[MN.8 STATUS: UNAVAILABLE.]

[MN.9 STATUS: ONLINE.]

>Loading…

>Loading… … …

>ERROR: SIGNAL NOT FOUND. SEARCHING…

> ERROR: DLN-000 SIGNAL NOT FOUND.

[PING!]

[MN.2] //: BROOOOOOOOOS!

[MN.1] //: We're connected at last--!

[MN.3] //: OhmygoshYOUGUYSAREOK--ZZZSORTOF--

[MN.9] //: -TIRED DATA BUT ALSO JOYUS DATA-

[The feed didn’t come up immediately.

Instead…

The first thing was a wave of abstract data.

It was very basic, not even having words—the family was overjoyed to hear from them again. To know their friends were alive, that they were well—that they had been rescued, they had been SAVED!

There was concern and worry, reassurance and comfort—all unique and individual to all those who sent it… which was pretty much everyone who was awake.]

[…But then… then there was a prick of guilt, that grew into a needle stab and then a spreading shame.

It settled into a general and shared concern—

“Aviator…? Is he okay?”]

[MN.9] //: A-Avi....

[DR.WHITE] //: ....He's...passed out...

[Mikhail finally switched the feed fully on, minus the sound, for now—letting it display as a caption, instead. He truly seemed closer to his true age, now—he looked tired, and clearly hadn’t taken care of himself as best he should.

He held up his hands and began signing his thoughts to them.]

Mikhail: “Praise God to see you again, Will.” -Pauses- “This would be chaos except after all that was before, we are just very relieved and tired.”

[Gemini was already at the controls, preparing to send over the full analysis file to Call. Mikhail started typing at the keyboard. His sons knew better than to make too much noise right now—sometimes, their father just got into a mood where he needed things to be really quiet.]

<MC005>: >I vote we all get some rest for once, before anything else.

<DLN-005>: > OKAY AS LONG AS WE GET TO GIVE THEM ICE CREAM LATER.

<MC005>: >David, it is WAY past your bedtime…

White: (Oh, Mikhail...)

Sanda: Oh yeah--yeah, that sounds good--

Call: Preparing Xel Transfer...

Cryo: I SECOND THAT MOTION, ICE CUBE oh my gosh it's so good to see your tiny face--

<DLN-005>: > NIGHTYNIGHT MISS CRYO I’LL TALK TO YOU LATER I GUESS—

<MC005>: >I’ll…

<MC005>: > …honestly probably end up being woken up by the Princess once she hears the news and that is when we’ll speak again…

<MC005>: > I’ll tell you all I know then. It is so good to see you again…!

<MC005>: >I can rest a little easier now. …Promise me you’ll do the same?

<MC005>: > I’ll see you then.

White: Yes, I'll...see you later...

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

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dauntlesstales

5 years ago

=CHAPTER 3D: VOLTAIC DYNATRON=

~AO v1.0~

(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)

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

[MEANWHILE, IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON...]

[Chaos still reigned over the rainy city as two super-powered, crazed Battle Colosseum bots waged war against each other--Plume, the exotic Hawaiian fire dancer with graceful agility, and Landcrusher, the giant German powerhouse with a knack for demolition.]

[While the untamed, no holds barred battle raged below, another crisis was unfolding high above the skyline, in the city's very own Space Needle tower...]

Jack: (Great, and just when I THOUGHT things couldn't get WORSE...)

Jack: (...The power had to go and cut out--!)

[This, of course, sent the group trapped in the tower into a panic--it was fairly dark out, now, and with little to no light...]

Eli: Everyone just CALM DOWN--

Jack: (Good thing these goggles have Night Vision--just gotta tie up this last knot...)

[Jack knew he couldn't quite get everyone off the tower one by one--and he knew that Plume wasn't going to last long against a heavy hitter like Landcrusher.]

[He had to improvise, and lucky for him, the Space Needle had just enough material for what he planned to do...]

Jack: Yo, toss me that tablecloth...

[The Space Needle didn't JUST have an observation deck--it was also a restaurant. The tables provided the flat surfaces he needed and the tablecloths made some nice makeshift rope once tied together...]

Eli: ....You sure this is gonna work?

Jack: Nope.

[B O O M!]

Jack: ...But we don't have much choice at the moment...

Jack: Hooookay...

[Now here comes the HARD part.]

Jack: The serving carts are all busted for the wheels...still need two more--

Eli: .....I can pop off the ones from Lily's stroller...

Jack: (Oh, yeah, the lil...)

[Jack looked back over his shoulder to the group of cowering humans--and Gwen, who was holding a sniffling baby Lily near her chest.]

Jack: ........

Eli: ......

Eli: We were...just on vacation when this happened.

Jack: . . .

Eli: .....Do...you know why they're all goin' nuts like that? …I think someone said something about a virus...?

Jack: Yeah--something like that. It infected all the servers--that's how it got into every Xelbot's heads.

Eli: Good God...who would DO something like that?

Jack: … … (Either someone REALLY pissed off, or messed up. Or both.) …Dunno.

Jack: Get those wheels--I'm gonna break open a window.

Eli: --?? Wait--why?

Jack: Ya see that building over there--the one with the bent flagpole?

Jack: I'm gonna swing on over there and finish off the rest of this pulley with the wheels and my wires--then we can start getting people on the carrier we made outta the tables and onto that roof.

Eli: Wait--but--

Jack: Yeah, I know, Landcrusher--that's why once you guys are all on that roof, I'm gonna distract him so you guys can haul chass and get to safety.

Eli: You?

Jack: ...Yeah. That is, if Plume isn't...

Jack: .......

Eli: ....She's, uh...really focused on ya, isn't she?

Jack: Iiiii am pretty sure that's the virus, buddy...

Jack: ....Look--you just try and keep everyone here calm while I go do my thing, OK? (Oh, yeah, it's my THING now--freakin' heck, never imagined THAT...)

Eli: .....I'll.....try.

[Jack turns away from the man to face another window, closest to the building they were aiming for, one end of the makeshift rope in hand.]

Eli: ...Hey.

[Eli threw a pair of small wheels at the CDN, who caught them after they hit his chest and bounced off slightly.]

Eli: ....Thank you.

Jack: Pfft--thank me after you're on that roof, alright?

Eli: Ha...yeah...

Jack: (....Kay--First the window--)

[He planted his boot firmly on the glass, getting a feel of how thick it was, before reeling back and striking it down--]

[Pop!]

[...It swung open with little trouble, as it turns out.]

Jack: (...Oh.)

Jack: (...I'm taking that as a good sign.)

[Snapping on his goggles, now, he calculated a direct path to the safe building--he'd have to freefall a couple of hundred feet to reach a viable swing point--]

Jack: ......

Jack: (Well it's not like I haven't done it before today but FRAG ME--)

Jack: (HOOOOOOKAYcomeonjackdoitforherdoitforthepeopleinhere--)

Jack: (ThereisaBABYinheremanDOIT--)

Jack: AAAAAAAAAAH--

[With a STARTLING yell, he jumped--!!]

"OH MY GOD--"

"WHAT THE--"

"HOLY--IS HE DEAD--?!"

[.......]

[Was he terrified?]

[Yes.]

[...But.]

Jack: AAAAAAAAAAH--

[ZIIIIIIP--!]

[....Fear has a funny way of turning into a thrilling adrenaline rush once you get over it.]

Jack: --HAAAAAAAHAHAWOO!

[Even HE didn't understand why--]

[Though that wasn't exactly on his mind, at the moment--]

[But, somehow, the more he felt himself being swung across, left and right, that rush of air on his face--]

[The less it felt like some life or death situation and more like a roller coaster or something!]

Jack: WOOOOOOO--

Jack: --OOOOOOOOH SH--

[BAM--!]

[While Jack was becoming quite acquainted with the innate powers his ability gave him--]

[Landing was...a learned trait.]

Jack: OWFRA--

[He rolled across the roof, bouncing one or twice before settling to a stop--a groaning mess, yes, and he was SURE something popped--]

Jack: OwcrapOW...

[...But all in all, he was still functional, at least.]

Jack: F-Frag that smarts--ow--

Jack: Nnngh gonna feel that in the morning--

[With some difficulty, he managed to get on his feet. He was dizzy, and somewhat dazed from the rush before--]

Jack: Uuuuugh don't feel so good...

Jack: (No--focus, damn it, need to finish this--)

Jack: (Where is that flagpole--)

[It was bent over in an awkward position--but in such a way that it was possible to attach the makeshift rope and wheels to complete the pulley system they needed.]

Jack: (Tie this--here--and put this there--get this wheel to spin and wrap the thing around that--)

Jack: (--SHIT HOW AM I GONNA LET ELI KNOW IT'S DONE--CAN HE SEE ME FROM HERE--??)

Jack: (--Waitwaitwaitdo I have anything in the bag here that can help me--)

Jack: (--FLASHLIGHT--well OK more like a lantern almost bUT I CAN USE THIS THANK YOU MISS EIGHT--!)

———————————

“Heh, yeah, Morse is a great thing t’ know. Some letters are easier than others. s’ like old school texting, ya know? Most people only know ’S.O.S’, but… in a pinch, using ‘G O’ or ‘O K’ or ’N O’ will work just ‘cause a’ context. Ah’ guess for most people, ‘yes’, ‘no’, an’ ‘help’ are all ya really need if things are so dire as t’ be usin’ it. Now, listen close—here are those letters for you…”

———————————

[After securing that last knot, he fumbles with the light, and after finally finding that darn--]

Jack: Hope you know what this means, Eli--

{G O.}

[........]

"HEY--HE MADE IT--! HE'S GOT A LIGHT--"

"But--it's blinking--?"

Eli: (Is he trying to tell us something--?)

"HEY WAIT, THAT'S MORSE CODE--!"

"HE'S SAYING GO--OH GOD HE DID IT WE'RE GONNA BE OK--!"

Eli: ALRIGHT, EVERYONE LINE UP--WE'RE GONNA GO TWO AT A TIME, WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST--!

[.........]

Jack: pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease--

Jack: --!!!

[The makeshift carrier starts to move--and it was holding--!]

Jack: YES!!

[Jack helps it along faster by moving the rope along, and helping the passengers off once they do touch down safely, then sending the carrier back to repeat the process.]

[It was nail-biting-- watching the carrier move over the chaos below, and it looked as if it was going to fall on a few occasions--]

[Which wasn't much fun for anyone.]

[Jack didn't think he could pray any harder than he was now--heck, he wasn't even all that religious in the first place.]

[...But maybe Siam was right, about him being on Lady Luck's good side. Or there really WAS a God, after all.]

[Eli was the last passenger that survived the heart pounding trip--]

[--After every single trapped human before him went first.]

[Cheers! Cheers exploded over the rooftop, in the heart of destruction and crisis! Loud, joyous, HOPE--!]

Jack: OOF--!

[...Eli had collected Jack in a bear hug, muttering chants of thanks--and it wasn't long before he was crowed by the other rescued humans as well--]

Jack: (Getting--hard to breathe--)

Gwen: Oh, thank you, THANK YOU--!

"YEAAAAAH WE AIN'T GONNA DIE--!" "AAAAH WE'RE ALIVE THANK YOU--!" "YOU'RE MY HERO, MAN--"

Jack: Uh--you're welcome? ^^;

Eli: God, how can we--

[B O O M!]

"GNNNRRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Jack: --!!!

Jack: (...Landcrusher.)

Jack: EVERYONE HAS TO GET OFF OF THIS ROOF, NOW!

[Goggles on, time to roll--]

Jack: --?!

Eli: YOU'RE COMING TOO--!

[Several of the rescued humans drag him away from the edge, and start to lead him towards the door into the building--]

Jack: WAIT--STOP--!

Eli: No offense, Jack, but I ain't gonna let you throw your life away like that, not after this--!

Jack: BUT THEY'RE COMING THIS WAY ELI I GOTTA HEAD THEM OFF--

[There was what appeared to be a spectacular light show that was suuuuSPIIIIIICIOUSLY LIKE DYNA’S TRADEMARK ABILITY—]

[—which, after repeating itself, was followed up by some green flashes.]

Jack: --??!

Jack: What--?

[He was led away by the humans before he could see any more...]

Jack: (What in the world was--?)

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

[The rest of it all seemed like a huge blur.]

[Once they had safely exited the building, the group mostly broke apart, scrambling for the cars left on the streets--the ones that had chosen to stick with Eli and his family, however, followed him down several blocks--]

[...to where they found a mostly functional van belonging to some cable company, with the keys still in the ignition.]

[Eli was planning to get as far away from the city as possible and—God willing—make it to Canada.]

Eli: ....What do ya mean you're not coming--?

Jack: --I can't...

Jack: ...Remember that person I told you about that REALLY wouldn't like it if I got killed or something...?

Eli: ...You were SERIOUS?

Jack: Listen I know that sounds INSANE but--!

Jack: I have had a REALLY weird day and frankly I would like nothing more than to get somewhere safe but I can't leave her out there.

Jack: I have no idea if she's OK or infected or whatever but wherever she is, she's probably ALONE and she needs SOMEONE and--

Eli: JACK.

Jack: --...

Eli: ......

Eli: Where do you think she is?

Jack: I...I don't know.

Eli: .....

Eli: Well.

Eli: You saved our lives--all of our lives.

Eli: ...Only fair that I pay you back in kind, somehow.

Jack: --?

Eli: Lemmie help you find a working car--at least to get you out of the city.

Jack: But--

Jack: It's not mine--

Eli: Jack. We're in the middle of a damn APOCALYPSE and you're worried about grand theft auto?

Jack: Well--but--

Eli: Enough of your whining--I'll be right back, Gwen, watch Lily--Come on, Cherry, before any more crazies show up.

Jack: Uh--I...um.

Jack: (...Iiiii am gonna regret this...)

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

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dauntlesstales

5 years ago

=CHAPTER 9D: HAZY SUSPICION=

~AO v2.0~

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

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

{Outside the Lab…}

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

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

"Ahem."

Des: Dr. Cossack?

[Mikhail looked up in mild surprise.

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

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

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

Des: .....

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

Des: (I wish I could postpone this.)

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

Mikhail: …

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

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

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

Mikhail: Is there something I can help you with?

Des: ....Yes, actually.

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

Des: You've got some explaining to do.

Mikhail: …

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

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

Des: ....

[Desmond Donald was quiet.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Des: …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mikhail: …Very well.

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

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

[LATER...]

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

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

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

Mikhail: …Yes, of course.

[He gave a bit of a wry smile.]

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

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

Des: --!!

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

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

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

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

Des: ....

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

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

Des: ...Alright...

Des: Anything else that you have hidden away?

Mikhail: Yes. No more firearms. However…

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

Mikhail: …there are a few other things.

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

Mikhail: -Tosses that in as well-

Des: .....

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

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

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

Mikhail: Be sure not to touch that one.

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

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

Des: .....

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

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

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

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

Des: ....

Des: So that's it.

Des: Is that really it.

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

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

Des: ....

Des: Doctor...

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

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

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

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

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

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

[He spoke with no small degree of weariness.]

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

Mikhail: I’ll go change.

Des: ....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Des: Alright.

Des: Let's start simple.

Des: Who are you?

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

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

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

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

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

Mikhail: My wife is Светлана Казак.

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

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

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

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

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

Mikhail: …

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

Des: … …

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

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

Des: Fair enough...

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

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

Mikhail: …

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

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

Des: A boy?

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

Des: What??

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

Des: When WAS this??

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

Des: -A little speechless-

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

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

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

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

Des: ....

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

Des: (What exactly is going on here?)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Des: What?!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Des: ....

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

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

[He sighed, closing his eyes.]

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

[He crosses his arms.]

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

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

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

Des: . . .

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

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

Des: ....

Des: -Deep breath-

Des: ...

Des: All of this...

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

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

Des: ....

Des: And that iiiis...?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Des: ....

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

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

Des: Doctor. Sit down.

[Mikhail silently refused.]

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

Des: ....

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

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

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

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

Des: ....

Des: Five months ago?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Des: Hold on. “Shadow”?

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

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

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

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

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

[He seemed wistful, now.]

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

[He sighed and looked away.]

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

[He looked up, his gaze distant.]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Des: (Just how intertwined IS all this?)

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

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

Des: Wait--

Des: CherryDyn was their sponsor?!

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

Des: And you can prove this?

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

Des: ....Right.

Des: I'm listening...

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

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

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

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

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

[He leans back, drumming his fingers.]

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

Des: ....Infected...

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

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

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

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

[Mikhail sighed and shook his head.]

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

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

[Mikhail looked up.]

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

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

[He closes his eyes.]

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: … … …

Des: . . .

Mikhail: …

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

Des: (...!)

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

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

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

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

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

Des: . . . .

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

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

Des: (Still...)

Des: What about Bladeblaster?

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

Mikhail: …

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

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

Mikhail: (Even so…)

Mikhail: (They ARE pacifists.)

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

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

Des: ....

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

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

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

Des: What EXACTLY happened?

Mikhail: …

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

Mikhail: …

Des: Doctor.

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

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

Mikhail: It's just…

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

Des: “Speculate”?

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

Des: “Too late”? I thought you said—

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

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

Des: …

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

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

Des: …

Des: You tell me. What happened first?

Mikhail: …

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

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

Des: …

Mikhail: …Cardinal Light…

Mikhail: …

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

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

Des: ....

Mikhail: …

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

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

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

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

[He looked up.]

Mikhail: He saw the potential for genocide.

Des: --...????

Des: What?

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

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

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

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

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

Des: ......

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

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

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

[He scowled.]

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

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

[He looked up again, tired.]

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

Des: --....

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

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

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

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

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

Des: .....

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

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

Mikhail: ({I knew…})

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

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

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

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

Des: Then?

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

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

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

Des: Doctor--

Mikhail: Leave him alone.

-*-*-*-*-*-

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

Cardinal: NO!

Cardinal: Leave him alone!

[For the first time since he had come in…

He actually SOUNDED scared.

Desperate, even.]

-*-*-*-*-*-

Des: --......

Des: (This again...)

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

[He’s VERY clearly uncomfortable.]

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

Mikhail: …You have to leave him alone.

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

[Little did he realize…

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

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

And this was one of those times.]

Mikhail: …That was my fault.

[PING!]

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

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

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

Soi: What is it--

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

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

[MN.8 IS NOW ONLINE]

Shade: Mngh....

Shade: Mikhail's...

Mic: ?

Mic: -Go back to sleep--

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

Beck: Huh?

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

Mikhail: Mine and mine alone.

Mikhail: Do you hear me?

Des: --?!

Des: (Wait, what?)

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

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

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

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

((Pic—Mikhail & Des (argue) ))

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

Des: What?!

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

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

Will: Like HELL I can't--

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

Pyro: Shade, sit DOWN--

Shade: Mikhail's in trouble--

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

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

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

Des: How do you KNOW about that?!

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

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

Des: --....

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

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

Des: ....

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

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

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

Des: Why didn't you say anything?

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

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

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

Will: --! No--!

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

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

Mikhail: ({There…})

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

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

Mikhail: ({What happened, is this—})

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

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

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

Mikhail: ({I can’t…})

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

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

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

Mikhail: ({I can’t…})

Mikhail: ({…If I say nothing…})

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

[Eventually it faded to just a frown.]

Mikhail: …

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

Des: ....

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

[Mikhail didn’t sit down.]

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

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

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

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

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

Des: --....

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

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

Des: (Gh...)

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

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

Des: Nuclear?!

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

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

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

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

Des: Doctor!

Des: Calm. Down.

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

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

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

[He put his head in his hands.]

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

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

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

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

[His heart was racing.]

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

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

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

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

Will: NO--!!

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

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

Cryo: MIC SIT ON HIM OR SOMETHING--

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

Beck: Shade, calm down--!

Shade: Lemmie GO--!

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

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

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

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

Des: ....

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

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

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

Des: (Under the circumstances...)

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

Des: So you ordered him to do it.

Mikhail: Yes.

Des: ....

Des: And whose orders are YOU acting under?

Mikhail: Nobody’s.

Des: .....

Des: Doctor Cossack.

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

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

Des: Who?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Des: --..... (Min…)

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

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

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

[He gestures at the camera.]

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

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

Will: --.....

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

Soi: o______o;;;;

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

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

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

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

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

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

Des: . . .

Mikhail: That is all I have to say.

Des: (....)

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

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

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

Des: ....

Mikhail: …

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

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

Des: .....

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

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

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

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

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

Des: ...And why?

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

Mikhail: As for why…

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

Des: .......

[Desmond takes out his phone and begins texting.]

[D.D. to M.M.]//: ⚠️: 🔬 🔗 ✅.

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

[M.M. to D.D.]//: USE Ɑ STAT?

[D.D. to M.M.]//: 🔂 👀 ABOVE.

[M.M. to D.D.]//: ⚖?

[D.D. to M.M.]//: ❌— 📰, 📁, ANY?

[M.M. to D.D.]//: ❌ re:🇷🇺, 🇯🇵

[M.M. to D.D.]//: ⏱ ⌛️?

[D.D. to M.M.]//: ❌—💬⛔️🔇

[M.M. to D.D.]//: 🎬🔍— ⏲ @ 0

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

[D.D. to M.M.]//: 💬

[D.D. to M.M.]//: ⛓🔬🔐

[M.M. to D.D.]//: ∴ ⛓🔬🔐

Des: (....Damn it.)

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

Des: ....

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

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

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

Soi: WILL—

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

Will: THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE HIM, SOI—

Will: I can't—I won't—! NOT AGAIN!

Will: I won't lose another—!

Will: I won't lose another FAMILY—!

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

Will: Then I'll stop them MYSELF!

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

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

Bat: STAND DOWN, PRIVATE—!

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

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

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

Shade: Gotta go--gotta go check--

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

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

Beck: Mikhail is in danger?!

Mic: D:

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

Pyro: SHADE!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Very, very soon.]

Mikhail: … -Swallows again- ({Then…})

Mikhail: ({So be it.})

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

Des: ....

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

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

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

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

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

((Pic—Mikhail’s despair))

[Tears.

Tears of despair.

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

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

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

Mikhail: ({My dear Sveta…})

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

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

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

Mikhail: ({I…})

Mikhail: ({I’m so sorry…})

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

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

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

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

Mikhail: ({Please…})

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mikhail: … {Do what you must.}

Des: ....

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

Mikhail: -Flinches SHARPLY at this- …

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

Mikhail: (At least…)

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

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

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

Des: --...!

Des: (What in the...)

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

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

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

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

Des: ..... (Scars…)

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

Des: (…I don’t have a choice.)

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

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

Des: (…This is going to suck.)

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

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dauntlesstales

5 years ago

=CHAPTER 4D: AVI’S NEWS REPORT=

~AO v1.0~

(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)

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

[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 like Bird Guy said...?)

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 four numbers on it—

One for Dr. White, one for Dr. Cossack, one for a “Ms. Nighthawk,” and one that had a KCMO area code on it…]

Jack: ......

Jack: (Dr. White's there too--and Ms. Nighthawk...?)

Jack: (Must be someone important if Miss Eight put her there...)

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: The Bird Guy told me to call you guys but--

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 Double Dude didn't tell you--then again I didn't exactly tell him 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.]

“I watched your match and if you are back that means Father can talk to his friend again!”

Jack: .....

Jack: (...Wait who's this...??)

“Where is мой герой?”

Jack: (--Father--?? Doc Cossack's a dad like--legitly?)

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.]

“You said you had heard from ‘Bird Guy’—that is Mister Cardinal, da?”

Jack: Yeah, him, him. That guy. He told me to call you guys as soon as I could--which is now.

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 the Nighthawks. Papa is in the Meadow working on Tobias and helping learn about the virus. Where is Mister Cardinal?”

Jack: (Ah, knew it--guess that's the Nighthawks I saw on the contacts...)

Jack: I....I don't know, miss. He called me from Kansas City, but I don't think he's there anymore.

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.]

“Ms. Ky 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, da?”

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 Carmen 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: .......

————————

[color=Brick] “…And if they ask where I am?” [/color]

[A pause.]

[color=Brick] “ …” [/color]

[color=Brick] “John 15:13.” [/color]

-*-*-

Siam: He…

Gemini: Heh… he…

Siam: -Regretfully, in a way- Of course he would do that…

Jack: ......

Jack: M'sorry...

Gemini: -Softly- “No one has greater love than this…”

Siam: “…to lay down one's life for one's friends.”

Jack: --!

Jack: .....

Jack: (Miss Eight...)

————————

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 say 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.]

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

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dauntlesstales

5 years ago

=CHAPTER 6B: CRIMSON STRONGHOLD=

~AO v1.0~

((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))

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

{Meanwhile, at the Rebel Angel residence…}

[Siam was starting to feel very tired.]

>RUNNING ANALYSIS…

[He was with himself right now, running the seemingly endless tests. It was just one more thing on top of everything else that had happened.

He spoke aloud.]

Gemini: First Cardinal nearly gets into a fight with an assassin.

[He continued the train of thought out of habit, speaking in unison.]

Siamini: Then he nearly flings himself at a lethal battle when Shade leaves, because he’s depressed.

[He continued on, letting himself handle the mainframe for a while.]

Siam: As if that weren’t bad enough… the Finals were an utter disaster.

Gemini: -Grumbles, not looking up from work- If he hadn’t been torn less, he could have died.

Siam: Not to mention the attention that got from the media…

Siamini: -Sighs-

Siam: -Tossing a ball and catching it- (And then Felix got ill, which in and of itself is telling for the disaster.)

Gemini: (He must have seen what was coming.)

Siamini: (And since then, things have just gone downhill…)

[He spoke up in objection to this.]

Gemini: Well, to be fair— Beck has managed to restore contact, and rescue the others in a way we never would have seen before.

Siam: -Scowls- That may be the case, but that didn’t stop Tobias from getting shattered, nor Shadow from going rogue. We never should have gone Offline…

Gemini: We made the decision based on what we knew. How were we supposed to know he had those kinds of powers?

Siam: We could have guessed! Besides, it was a bad idea to leave him unsupervised while Brand’s battle was going on.

Gemini: Well, I thought the Meadow barrier would have kept him safe…

[He sighed.]

Gemini: We really should focus more on the bright side. This isn’t another Monstropolis. The others are getting rescued. It’s not going to be a bleak end to a free world, like we had thought.

[Siam leaned back to look up at the ceiling.]

Siam: That may be the case, but this is far from over. Tobias still has to be kept Offline, so that he stays out of the way. There are at least five people still in recovery at any given time, and the others still have to be rescued.

[He gave a nasty glare and flung the bouncy ball at the ceiling, catching it deftly (without even looking!) in his hand.]

Siam: Every time one of us has interfered, there’s been trouble. Tobias got shattered, Shadow nearly jumped off a careening truck, and Cardinal’s foolishness has undone months of research.

PING.

[There was silence. Siam rolled his eyes.]

>ANALYSIS COMPLETE

[Months without progress, and he’d gotten tired of hearing the sound. They’d been back at it (without success) for days, and—]

>RESULTS: POSITIVE.

Siamini: …

Siamini: ?!?!

[He scrambled over to the database mainframe, both of him working at once. He was reviewing the details, printing out the results, he’d have to run a re-test—]

Gemini: (We HAVE to get the others over here!)

Siamini: (NOW!!)

[He didn’t yet dare to hope, couldn’t dare to dream—]

((…Apparently I wanted to put a pic here, but I honestly don’t remember why))

[This couldn’t be a false positive, they needed this now.

He needed to be RIGHT.]

[Back in the Meadow’s lab, things were also busy. Carmen’s father had come over to help oversee the repairs of the Xelbots in recovery—and he sure had his hands full.

Thankfully, the main problem just seemed to be weariness and memory loss, which was rather typical both of the recovery process and time warps in general.

Fighting Mighty Eight had started to recover much more rapidly after being looked to by her own Doctor, though remained more or less exclusively in Sleep mode. Based on the readings, she seemed to be having troubled dreams.

Sometimes she would “wake” abruptly, in a confused state, only to return to rest once she was anchored in where and when she was.

…

…Tonight was one such night.]

<FMN-008 is now Online.>

Carmen: -Snaps “awake” with a drowsy start- ?

Carmen: (Where—what happened, where is he—)

Carmen: (Was it a dream? What is real, what happened—)

[She stumbled out of bed, but before she got too far—]

-Zzt.-

Carmen: Ow!

[There was a somewhat fashionable looking bracelet band around her upper arm that crackled with electricity. She stumbled back toward the bed, and it stopped.

This made her more awake, but did not improve her mood.]

Carmen: … (Why the /hell/ am I /shock shackled/— aaaugh, dammit—) -Fusses with the band awkwardly, as it’s on the same arm as her only hand-

"....?"

[Jack looked up from his book--something that he found lying around the lab, looked to be the Xel kid's--at the moderate sounds coming from room next door.]

Jack: ...Uh oh...

[Putting the book down, he slowly rolled off the bed--he was in no condition to be doing anything strenuous, but at least he was allowed to move around so long as he didn't leave the repair bay.]

Jack: (Miss Eight must be sleepwalking again or something...)

[The data seemed to confirm that. It was hazy and distant, but with concrete substance to it.]

[There was suddenly a… pulse, almost, rather than a ping—it would have been a blast of data, if there had been any real energy behind it.]

<FMN-008 to MNN-ALL, FMN-ALL, CDN-7037>: > -STATUS INQUIRY?-

Carmen: (Was it real—was all of it real, did I really—)

<FMN-008>: > -Jack?? Brand??? AVI?-

[A few soft pings.]

<FMN-007>: >Everyone is fine, Shade.

<FMN-001>: >Go back to sleep.

<FMN-006>: > —

<FMN-007>: > -Puts a hand over Avi’s mouth, no puns right now, please-

[Carmen felt so dazed.]

<FMN-008>: >But— but everything was so hot, Brand was so angry— so many— dark, dark alleys, rain—

<FMN-008>: > -What happened to them, was it real, what did I do?-

[MN.7 IS NOW ONLINE]

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

[CDN.7037] //: --Uh--yeah. Miss Eight? It...it's okay now.

[CDN.7037] //: See? Your bro was asleep.

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

[MN.7 to CDN.7037] //: Is she...?

[CDN.7037 to MN.7] //: Pretty much, Seven. She's out of it...

<FMN-008>: > What happened to them, Jack, what happened to them— are they really dead, what happened to you, it wanted you dead—so much pain, gaahhhhgh…

[CDN.7037] //: --!

<FMN-008>: > Brand—

<FMN-008>: > -I’m shock-shackled, what did I do, Brand-

<FMN-008>: > -Are they really dead, I didn’t want to stop them—-

<FMN-008>: > -bRAND AH’ THINK SOMEBODY KILLED THEM, BRAND—-

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

[MN.7] //: -Soothing, calm data, you did nothing wrong, it's going to be alright, we promise.-

Jack: (...What...?)

Jack: (What's she talking about, this...this isn't like the last times she was up...)

<FMN-007>: > -Sleep, you need to sleep, you are not awake, so perhaps one could say this IS a dream-

<FMN-006>: > … -Are we being philosophical here, because I don’t want her trying to test out “dream powers” by trying to fly, dude—-

<FMN-006>: > -THOUGH IF THIS IS A DR—gak!-

<FMN-001>: >No shouting. Go back to sleep, Eight.

<FMN-008>: > But—but Brand— Bonnie—they were dead, I think they were dead—

<FMN-007>: > You’re having a bad dream. Rest. Dream of food and singing and dancing.

[This seemed to be working, based on the more subdued data and rustle noises as she retreated back to her sleeping place on the repair bed.]

<FMN-008>: > -It was dark and cold, rain, rainwater…-

<FMN-007>: > Shhhh…

<FMN-008>: > -Didn’t want… so many… walking away, not threats ‘no more…-

<FMN-008>: > -It wanted to hear them beg and see them scream-

<FMN-008>: > Can’t… remember…

<FMN-007>: > …

<FMN-007>: > …That is because this is a dream. Go back to sleep.

<FMN-008>: > Okay…

<FMN-008 has entered Sleep mode.>

Jack: . . . . .

Jack: (Them?)

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

<FMN-007>: > …

<FMN-007>: > … -Uneasy contemplative data- Gravecrasher…

<FMN-006>: >… Thaaaaaat was just a theory, bros, remember that there is not really any sign of her the whole time except for the pizza robbery…

<FMN-005>: > -…but this is SHADE, that’s rather the point-

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

[CDN.7037] //: --Hold up, who's--

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

[MN.7 to CDN.7037] //: -He took our Shade's arm.-

Jack: (--Holy shit--)

<FMN-003>: > Uuuuugh you loszzzerszz.

<FMN-003>: >Are you really gonna loszze szzleep over an Egyptian wannabe pszzzycho and a biker poszzer gone cray cray? At a time like thiszzz?

Jack: .....

[CDN.7037] //: Um...I'm going with Miss Three on this one.

[CDN.7037] //: There's...not much we can do about them at this point...

<FMN-002>: >Yyyyeeaaaah [glitches], lotsa ‘bots Offline or missing—so two of them HAPPEN to be ones everyone hates. Sooooo? That doesn’t mean much more than… they were given the cold shoulder!

[MN.7] //: -Ugh--Cryo, really...--

<FMN-002>: > ;; 3

[There seemed to be some bustle elsewhere in the lab. And a lot of excited data…]

[And then…]

-Ping-

<DWN-024>: > ???

<DWN-024>: > Sensei?

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

[He seemed rather surprised, almost incredulous.]

<DWN-024>: > Are you all alright?

[MN.7] //: I...was resting...

[CDN.7037] //: Oh. Space Ninja Dude. Sup.

<DWN-024>: > I could ask much the same of you-- we had to leave so abruptly, is everything safe again?

[CDN.7037] //: Uh--don't look at me, yo, you're the ones that basically kidnapped me.

<DWN-024>: > Apologies for that, Jack-- but Doctor Cossack felt it best for Carmen and safest for /you/ to bring you both with us after the Pentagon called.

[MN.7] //: --What--?!

[CDN.7037] //: Holy sh-- for real??

[MN.7 to MN.ALL] //: -STATUS INQUIRY-

[PING!]

[MN.2] //: BRAAAAAAND YOU'RE AWAKE--

[MN.2] //: BRO--BRO GUESS WHAT, BAT'S BACK, BECK GOT HIM BAAAAACK--

[MN.7] //: --!

[MN.6] //: Ey, bro! Feeling better after your nap?

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

[MN.6] //: Boy, do we really gotta bring you up to speed, huh?

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

<DWN-024>: > ...

<DWN-024>: > That would be HEAVILY appreciated.

[MN.7] //: Please.

[MN.6] //: ...wow, tough crowd.

[MN.6] //: Uh--hoookay, well, where to start...

<DWN-024>: > Are you all safe?

<DWN-024>: > The PENTAGON called!

[MN.6] //: Yeah, Shads, we're OK, really. Just--just lemmie talk, alright?

[MN.6] //: So, after you guys skedaddled after the higher ups called--they, uh, basically told us where Bat was.

[MN.7] //: ...and?

[MN.6] //: Aaaand well, he was in Nevada.

[MN.6] //: ...in, um...

[MN.6] //: ...Federally owed land, so to speak...

<DWN-024>: > ... Dios mio.

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

[MN.6] //: Yeah, uh--so Beck and Cryo went in, things got crazy--but it all worked out! : D

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

[MN.6 to MN.7] //: Look, Brand, I don't want him to panic or anything, OK?

[MN.6 to MN.7] //: This is the last thing they need right now--especially Doc Cossack.

<DWN-024>: > ... This is something where we would have to be read in, I am guessing, if the military contacted you directly regarding their property.

<DWN-024>: > Do not trouble yourselves with that at this time.

<DWN-024>: > We do not wish to draw so much attention to ourselves, nor do we wish you to get court marshaled for disclosing sensitive information.

<DWN-024>: > Are they still bothering you?

[MN.6] //: Uh...well, we still gotta get debriefed and all. Does that count?

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

[MN.6] //: They, uh, also wanna talk with Dad--about the virus, I'm guessing, since he's the one heading up the analysis on that...

[MN.6] //: But, um--there is good news!

[MN.7] //: ...Yes?

[MN.6] //: They're gonna try and help us from now on, at least! We basically got a guarantee on that. Well, 90% chance, I think...

[MN.7] //: ....? Are you certain?

[MN.6] //: Hmm-mmm.

[MN.6] //: Pretty sure.

[MN.6] //: So...things are gonna be OK.

[MN.6] //: No one's gonna SWAT the place or anything, don't worry.

<DWN-024>: > I see...

<DWN-024>: > We have good news as well.

[MN.6] //: ...! Really?! What is it, what is it??

[MN.7] //: Avi--

[MN.6] //: -WHAT'S THE SCOOP-

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

[MN.6] //: -Bro come on, man, any good news right now is fantastic news-

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

[MN.7] -Point...-

[There was a delay.]

<DWN-024>: > It is perhaps best to discuss this all at once, together in a meeting. We have much to announce and cover...

<DWN-024>: > I think, for now, it may be best for you all to rest and be brought up to speed on the goings-on within your own line.

[MN.6] //: Good plan, good plan...

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

[The word spread that it was safe to communicate, and several of the parties contacted one another to interact…]

<DLN-005 to MNN-005>: > -Ping-

[MN.5 to DLN-005] //: .....?

[His data seemed...tired, at first glance, but he was awake, at least.]

<DLN-005>: > ~

<DLN-005>: > -You’re back!-

<DLN-005>: > -Yaaay~-

[MN.5] //: ....

[MN.5] //: Right....I'm back.

[MN.5] //: ...Sure is nice to hear from ya again, David.

<DLN-005>: >We missed you! Sorry we missed your birthday. But we have presents for lotsa people when everyone’s better!

[…Well that was odd. Battalion’s birthday was in August. But… wasn’t it still June?

The next question was more than adequate of a distraction, though.]

<DLN-005>: >Didja see Cardinal?

[MN.5] //: ...No. Been resting, along with Private Beck.

[MN.5] //: ......

<DLN-005>: >Aw…

<DLN-005>: >We thought maybe he would find you instead, maybe.

<DLN-005>: >Oh well… maybe next time.

[MN.5] //: ...??

[MN.5] //: -Find us?-

<DLN-005>: >Well, yeah—

[PING!]

<DWN-013>: > -SIR—-

<DWN-013>: > -Whrrr WHRRRR- Oh man Major, are you okay?

[MN.5] //: --Jaden?

[MN.5] //: ....

[MN.5] //: Been better, if I'm honest.

[MN.5] //: But I'll live.

<DWN-013>: >Affirmative, sir. Sorry that we couldn’t help out. We were evacuated and put in radio silence.

[MN.5] //: .....

[MN.5] //: Makes sense...

[MN.5] //: ... -Sighs-

<DWN-013>: >…

<DWN-013>: > -Credit for your thoughts, my friend? You seem troubled.-

[MN.5] //: . . . .

[MN.5] //: Jaden...

[MN.5] //: What in God's good earth have I done...?

[MN.5] //: -Can't...remember it all...-

<DWN-013>: > …

Jaden: (…I don’t know what happened. …But I think that he needs to hear something else anyway, right now.)

<DWN-013>: > You? Nothing. You were possessed, Major.

<DWN-013>: > Don’t you remember what Cardinal said about that?

[MN.5] //: ....

[MN.5] //: I could have fought back.

[MN.5] //: -I can't even remember if I did.-

<DWN-013>: > …

<DWN-013>: > -Quietly- To what [color=blue]end,[/color] Major?

<DWN-013>: >We know you all fought. But where would you have taken it?

<DWN-013>: >Your younger brother nearly took it very [color=blue]hard.[/color]

[MN.5] //: . . .

<DWN-013>: > …Battalion…

<DWN-013>: >I do understand.

<DWN-013>: >Really.

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

I looked at my arms. My bomb launcher was loaded and ready to fight. I had everything I needed to bring him down.

I just had to make sure he didn’t.

The wall was thrown down by cannon fire and MegaMan came stumbling in, an angry look on his face. I stopped pacing.

[font color="Orange"][font size="3"][tt]Beginning Stage III… Now.

Destruction sequence activated.[/tt][/font][/font]

[i]No…! Not yet![/i]

I paced back and forth, trying to override the program. The kid staggered to his feet, staring at me as I turned my back.

[i]Come on, kid… make it quick…[/i]

“You… you’re Crashman, right?”

I turned to face him with a frown.

[font color="Orange"][font size="3"][tt]Target in sight. Destroy.[/tt][/font][/font]

I struggled against the program. [i]I was made to fight a heartless mechanic monstrosity, not a boy. I will not fire until he does,[/i] I pleaded.

“Yeah,” I responded, my voice strained. “Hello… older brother.”

His eyes widened as he put a hand to his arm cannon. “Wh-what?!”

“Please… MegaMan? I don’t… I don’t have time to explain.”

“You… you’re playing some kind of mind game! Well… it… it isn’t funny!”

“Blast it boy, [i]LISTEN[/i] to me!” I snapped. “I…I can’t fight this much longer. You have to… have to win.”

“…You…”

“I’m sorry… bro… it should never have been this way. You… you have to start it. And you have to end it.” I glanced back at him as I turned to walk away in my pacing. “The first shot is yours… go ahead. Run the program. Just… just promise me… that you’ll bring that Wily down.”

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

<DWN-013>: > … I do.

[MN.5] //: .....

[MN.5] //: ...Copy that, soldier.

[MN.5] //: ...I just wish it didn't have to be this way.

[MN.5] //: ...one hell of a mess to clean up...

<DWN-013>: > -Sighs- Yeah, that’s for sure. Honestly, I’m glad you’re doing as well as you are—Fighting Eight is still way out of it.

[MN.5] //: (...So her too, hmm...)

[Jaden seems… broody.]

<DWN-013>: > …We feel kinda bad because it feels like we’ve made things worse along the way.

<DWN-013>: > Not sure how much you’ve been told of what’s happened so far…

[MN.5] //: .....

[MN.5] //: Not much, no.

[MN.5] //: Been put to repair and bed rest since retrieval.

<DWN-013>: >That makes sense. You took quite a beating.

<DWN-013>: >We’re going to have a meeting later.

<DWN-013>: > We’ve got some good news to share, so. Take heart in that.

[MN.5] //: Now that's real good to hear. Should help the morale.

[MN.5] //: ...Private Beck's going to need it, for certain.

<DWN-013>: > …Yeah. Well, call us when you guys are rested up, okay?

<DWN-013>: > …Though you, uh. May want to talk to Pyro, first, to get some context.

Jaden: (Better him than me to explain just how much a mess my family’s made… ooooog…)

{Later…}

Bonnie: How’s Five doing?

Pyro: Still resting, but...I think he spoke with Jaden a while ago, and it seemed to have helped.

Pyro: As for Beck, he's still in Sleep Mode...

Bonnie: I’m not surprised. From what I can make out of the cross-references, it was a very trying experience.

Bonnie: Any sign of the three still missing?

Pyro: .....

Pyro: Still nothing on Shade--and we don't even HAVE a transponder signal coming from Mic...

Pyro: -Rumbly grumpy data-

Pyro: ...And Cardinal...well. I don't really have to say at this point, do I.

Bonnie: -Sighs and covers his face with a hand, folding the other under his arm- Then I hope whatever Dr. Cossack has to say regarding “good news” involves his whereabouts.

Bonnie: He WAS going over some of 000’s recent activity…

Bonnie: Unless I’m mistaken, I believe the Cossacks were able to trace the source.

Pyro: !

Pyro: I certainly hope you're not, then...

Pyro: (...But I doubt he would stay in one location for too long. He's too smart for that.)

Pyro: (Mmn...tracking those two is like trying to follow footprints in a blizzard...)

Pyro: (...But, at least we know he's still out there...)

{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...Carmen...)

<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 definitely in one piece, and seems to be at his full strength—at least, at the time he was last spotted.

[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, da?

[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…

text

((Bat and Pyro convo goes here))

[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: Da?

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.-

[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. | )

((Cardinal pic))

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...

[Cossack 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 just seeks to bring him 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.)

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dauntlesstales

5 years ago

=BONUS CONTENT: BONUS SCENE #5=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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((Incomplete prewriting: Cardinal and Countershade reconcile))

[When Shade entered the room, he found it painfully quiet.

Soft beeping and humming noises from the machinery were the only signs of life: like markings on a scratchboard, little more than symbols of what should be vibrant and full of noise.

It was quiet. So much quieter than the hustle and hubbub of the fancy party he had just slipped away from.

Almost as quiet as the fringes of nightmares that would not leave him be.]

Shade: …

[There were curtains drawn up, likely to give some privacy to the poor soul who rested there. But these sheets of fabric and plastic may as well have been sheer cliff walls of concrete and iron, for how ominous—nay, menacing—they seemed.]

((More reaction, thoughts))

[He wanted to step in, but at the same time… couldn’t bear it. Couldn’t bear to face…]

((Flashback, reaction))

[His staggering made a lot of noise, and there was a loud clatter as he fell back, unable to break his fall due to lacking a hand to support himself. The room suddenly seemed to come alive at this, lights springing on and readings flashing across the screens. But most shattering of all was a single noise: ]

PING!

((Reaction))

[Cardinal’s data seemed to permeate the room. It was muddled, dazed: blank as an absent mind, fragile as an empty dream…. So gentle for a Combat ‘bot. So peaceful for a warring machine.

So vulnerable for a contingency mastermind.

So… helpless for a hero, equally deadened as serene.]

Shade: (C-Cards…!)

[His heart hurt a hell of a lot more than his pride did at the moment. His best friend was laying there on the other side of that patient veil, and he couldn’t even bear to look in that direction.

He didn’t remember everything, but he knew enough to fill in the missing pieces for the broken picture that lay shattered before him. The fact that no one—absolutely no one, not even his own father—would tell him what had happened or what state Cardinal was in… that was telling in and of itself.

If the songbird were just tired, that would be one thing. He would have been startled awake, running on adrenaline—probably shooting a blast of plasma cannon fire through the curtain out of alarm at the noise. He had just been engaged in a Lethal Combat Mode the last time he had been Online, after all… so if he’d been “alright” (as if anyone could be fine after what had happened to them…!), he would have been wound up tighter than a bobcat.

If the rebel had been injured, that would have been another thing. He knew the prototype all too well: it was a running gag at how poorly he tended to himself: how he overworked himself, pushed himself too far. Even a serious injury should have been healed up (for a patchwork job, at least) no problem, with all the resources they had. Such a thing wouldn’t have kept him caged, wouldn’t have held him down to the point where he’d sit still obediently while other people partied. If that were all, then he would have been there at the ceremony earlier that day.

Instead…]

((Comfort/concern))

[He wasn’t sure he could take this. His best friend was laying there, just… blank. He’d never, ever seen him like that before. He’d seen Cardinal spaced out, alright, but this was much, much worse—]

<DLN-000 is now Online.>

Cardinal: -Very weakly- Shade…?

[He sounded so tired. Exhausted. Like he would fall asleep again any second.

And yet…

Such longing, such… hopefulness, contained in that single word. A desire of some kind… to not be alone, but for it to be real—]

Cardinal: Unless this…unless… unless…

Cardinal: Unless this… is dreaming…

<DLN-000 has entered Idle mode.>

[The weariness seemed to overtake him, and he was drifting back into sleep. But… if he was well enough to talk without strain, then… surely he had to be…]

((Self-demeaning thoughts, probably))

[He had to be alright. He had to be.

Shade silently pushed himself up off the ground.]

((Somehow, Shade gets himself to go over to look through the curtain.))

[The view was somewhat obscured, but his visual processors made quick and easy work of the warping effect of the plastic. Cardinal was resting peacefully on the table, with a sheet pulled up like a blanket. It was a clean sheet: no oil or coolant stains on it, which was a good sign.

He gave off very odd readings, not even close to being consistent with what he gave off before. Definitely running off of a different energy source: one which didn’t generate heat at all, but seemed to be diminishing ever so slightly in each moment.]

Shade: ....

Shade: -...this feels like a stupid question at this point but- -Ah' still wanna hear it from you-

Shade: -we...we're still... friends, right...-

Shade: -two of us...-

Cardinal: Mighty Nine Number Eight— Countershade Arthur White—

((Pic—Reconciliation & Brotherhood))

Cardinal: You are still the best man anyone could ask for, the… the best friend I’ve ever known,

Cardinal: One of the bravest and… and enduring people I’ve ever met…

Cardinal: I’m so happy you’re alive,

Cardinal: happy that… that we can still… be friends.

Cardinal: That… that that wasn’t taken from me, that… that I still have you, and your family, in my life.

Shade: ....

[Shade has to rub his eyes a little at that.]

Shade: -Well nao ya gone and done it, ya cheeky bird...-

Shade: Heh...

Shade: -Makin' me cry and everythin', must look damn ridiculous...-

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dauntlesstales

5 years ago

=CHAPTER 5A: DESOLATE HIGHWAY=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

[SANDA LABS...

June 26th, 20XX]

[It had been hours since everyone had gone to bed. But the next bit of news… quickly changed that.]

[KSSSSST!]

[CALL] //: -VERY LOUD PING-

[CALL] //: Attention—

[MN.9] //: -JERKS AWAKE, SORRY, WHAT, WHAT IS IT--

[There’s the sound of someone falling all over a table or something, followed by others coming Online.]

<DWN-018>: > Geez! Are you okay, Gemini?

<DWN-019>: > -MUCH DISGRUNTLED TO BE STARTLED SO-

<DWN-012>: > Has something happened, or?

<DWN-018>: > Hang on, I’m gonna go make sure Siam didn’t hurt himself jumping into the ceiling…

<DWN-018 has left the channel.>

[MN.3] //: -Ouch...-

[MN.1] //: Call?

[Call doesn't answer back, but instead shifts the feed to a radio channel...?]

"—Highway Alpha 6 is under attack, I repeat, Highway Alpha 6 is under attack--Eyewitnesses have spotted a rouge robot destroying vehicles with no regard to innocent life—"

"We have reports that the rouge robot is armed with bladed weapons and is currently in the Four Corners area—"

<FMN-006>: > AHA!

<FMN-001>: > Avi no flying in the house— GET BACK HERE—

[MN.9] //: —!!!

[MN.1] //: Brandish—?!

[DR.WHITE] //: Highway Alpha 6—Call!

[CALL] //: Scanning...

<DWN-011>: > Welp. Gonna get complicated pretty quick, I bet. …Hope he doesn’t run into Cardinal.

<DWN-019>: > THAT would end poorly for both of them.

<DWN-013>: > What makes you think—?

<DWN-019>: > It’s not the statistical likelihood that’s bothersome… more the fact that Cardinal is known to have prepared to travel by highway—he took Shadow’s light cycle with him.

<DWN-019>: > And he won’t have any patience for anyone who tries to interfere…

<DWN-013>: > Well, I’d think we’d have more DEFINITE concerns to worry about.

<FMN-006>: > -Just let us scan the news feeds, please-

[MN.9] //: -Already suiting up and getting ready, listening over the feeds.-

[MN.1] //: -Gah, we have no immediate modes of transportation...- Beck, you're going to either need wheels or use Aviator's form to catch up to Brandish.

[MN.9] //: -...Lost all of my forms when I got reset, Avi's is the only option.-

<DWN-013>: > ... I'd offer my light cycle, but I think flying will be faster.

<DWN-019>: > -Scowls- If only Cardinal hadn't taken ITEM-2 as well...

<DWN-019>: > I don't understand WHY he did that, he has his OWN windsurfer...

[MN.9] //: ....

[MN.9] //: (Mic's form would have helped too, Brand's weak to it, but...)

[MN.9] //: What's Brand's status?

[DR.WHITE] //: Still the same as ever...Full Combat Mode, no restrictions...

[DR.WHITE] //: (But a highway...)

[DR.WHITE] //: (Brandish...what are you doing...?)

-PING!-

<FMN-006>: > Knew it.

[MN.9] //: Yeah? Got something?

[CALL] //: -Ping of inquiry-

<FMN-006>: > Yeah. Pretty sure it’s confirmation she’s on the move.

<DWN-013>: > …Out of curiosity… what makes you so certain?

<FMN-006>: > Food’s involved, Jayjay.

<DWN-013>: > -Please don’t call me that-

[MN.1] //: (...Even in her state—??)

<FMN-001 to MNN-001>: > -Well what else did you expect, really… this is SHADE we’re talking about here-

<DCN-007>: > …So you’re saying that now we have an assassin AND a sword master to worry about? At the same time?

<FMN-006>: > -Well you don’t need to put it like THAT…-

<DWN-012>: > No offense, but could she REALLY catch up to him? She’s not built for speed.

<FMN-007>: > … Do not underestimate the willpower of an angry woman.

[MN.3] //: -He'szzz got a point-

[MN.9] //: -...WELP, NOW THINGS ARE JUST BAD AND WORSE-

[CALL] //: ...MN.7's transponder signal is moving at extremely high speeds. I am also receiving reports that the remote controlled vehicles on site are behaving erratically on the next sections of Highway Alpha.

<FMN-009>: > I can help! I’ll handle my sister, you focus on your Seven!

[DR.WHITE] //: That's—

[MN.9] //: —the best thing I've heard all day, PLEASE.

<FMN-009>: > ^^;;7

[DR.WHITE] //: -But—-

[MN.9] //: -TWO OF ME IS BETTER THAN ONE, DAD.-

<DWN-019>: > Um. Won’t that cause problems if you’re seen…?

<FMN-006>: > I can handle that. Leave that to me.

<DCN-003>: > Perhaps oldest cousin will show up near Lady Shade, yes?

<MC005>: > …I must admit that IS a possibility, though not very likely…

<MC005>: > Regardless of who else may or may not be there, it would seem that you both have to start preparing, Number Nine.

<FMN-009>: > Yes sir.

[DR.WHITE] //: -...Kinda just gives up trying to argue because what is the poooooint--

[CALL] //: Xel Transfer will be delayed, as it is difficult to teleport upon a moving object....

[CALL] //: ...but not impossible.

[MN.9] //: -—Wait what-

<DWN-012>: > GOOD LUCK, DUDE 8’D

[MN.9] //: -I thought the cars were—I mean—oh man—-

[MN.3] //: -BZZZT, PLEASE BE CAREFUL, BECKY—-

[CALL] //: Dr. Sanda, I have calculated that it would be wise to cut off Brandish by teleporting Nine to a further section of the highway.

[DR.SANDA] //: Oof...just make sure that you get him on something big...

<FMN-006 to CALL>: > -Ping- Hey—I’ve heard you lend a hand sometimes by getting people out and about unseen?

[CALL to FMN.6] //: That would be correct, No. 6. It is illogical that certain measures of action are deemed too dangerous when the probability of success would be increased otherwise.

<FMN-006 to CALL>: > Well, I may get back to you on that…

[CALL to FMN.6] //: ...Acknowledged.

[DR.WHITE] //: We're going to have to time the cut off very close...

[CALL] //: Yes, Doctor. Preparing Xel Transfer.

[MN.9] //: (...Hang in there, Nii-San...)

[While Call calculated the coordinates, Beck does a final check of his various forms, going in numerical order until...]

[REXELECTION: AVIATOR]

<DWN-013>: > …

<DWN-013>: > wELL looks like you’re ready GOOD LUCK my friend

<DWN-013 has left the channel.>

[MN.9] //: .....-sigh-

[MN.9] //: ....

[MN.9] //: (...I...I never really got the hang of flying...)

[MN.9] //: (I sure hope some of Avi's experience got assimilated too...)

<MC005>: > … -Sighs- Don’t mind him. Are you ready?

[MN.9] //: Ready for the runwa—

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

[MN.9] //: —I—I mean the HIGHway—

[MN.1] //: —???

<FMN-006>: > -THUMBS UP-

<FMN-009>: > Let’s just cruise on over—

<FMN-006>: > -APPROVAL PINGS FOR DAAAAAYS-

[MN.2] //: -YEAAAAAAAAH—-

[MN.1] //: -Just—confused, since when was—-

[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: -you can't stop either can you-

[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: -what is happening with uuuuussss-

<FMN-009 to MNN-009>: > -IT’S A THING WITH AVI’S FORM, OOPS- -This happened last time, too- -Normally I just don’t say as much so it took forever to notice-

<FMN-009 to MNN-009>: > -Makes him really high spirited, though—GAH, even thoughts, this is worse than I remembered-

<FMN-009>: > Need to hit the road and make tracks… -Has given up trying to make it stop-

[MN.9] //: -YEAH let's just jet before Brand—DANG IT- -CALL PLEASE HURRY UP-

<FMN-001>: > …?

<FMN-009>: > Looks like there’s a bit of a delay on this end—you go on ahead. Need a more precise location for Sis—lemme know if you see sign of her.

[CALL] //: ....

[CALL] //: Coordinates set.

[MN.9] //: Roger that— -Oh man this IS worse than last time-

[DR.WHITE] //: Please be very careful, Beck—!

[MN.9] //: Yeah, we will.

[CALL] //: Xel Transfer initiated.

[MN.9] //: {I'm coming to save you, big brother...!}

______________________

[MISSION DETAILS: MIGHTY NO. 7, BRANDISH, HAS BEEN SPOTTED ON THIS NEW MEXICO HIGHWAY, CAUSING RECKLESS DESTRUCTION AMONG THE MALFUNCTIONING AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES. FIGHTING MIGHTY NO. 8, COUNTERSHADE 'KATE' WHITE, IS ALSO MOVING TOWARDS THE OBJECTIVE.]

[MISSION OBJECTIVE: PURSUE AND RESCUE MN.7, PURGE ALL HARMFUL MALWARE FROM SYSTEMS.]

[SUB-OBJECTIVES: IF POSSIBLE, LOCATE FMN.8 AND RELAY TO FMN.9 FOR SYSTEM XEL PURGE, MINIMIZE RMDC IMPACT.]

SYSTEMS READY?

GO!

[As Beck fully materialized into the moving rig, the heavy wind and rainfall splattered across his armor and face, causing him to shiver slightly. Buildings with holographic adverts were nothing but blurs, the speed of the vehicles almost making him dizzy.]

Beck: (Fast—WAY too fast—!)

[By his internal instruments, the rig was going at LEAST 90 miles per hour—!]

Soi: Great Scott, Mother Nature is NOT kind today...!

Will: -Oh no no please don't slip, please--

-PING!-

<DWN-012>: > Easy guys, easy!

<DWN-012>: > Beck—try adjusting your visual processing speed. It’ll help a lot.

[MN.9] //: O-Okay...

[After fiddling around with some settings, he blinked, and visibly relaxed as his optics adjusted, the blurs now becoming readable and not as disorientating...]

Beck: (Oh, man, that's MUCH better...)

[MN.9] //: Thanks, Speedy!

<DWN-012>: > No problem. Glad to help. Now, remember—your vision speed is going to be faster, so adjust to how your vision and motor systems coordinate before jumping off into the air. Try it out—once you get used to moving while seeing at that speed, it’ll be easier to move around.

<DWN-012>: > Remember, you’re just SEEING faster, not necessarily moving faster.

[MN.9] //: -Got it, gonna try that out now--

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Warning--! Contact in--

[SHING!]

<DWN-012>: > -DATA—-

<DWN-012>: > -I KNOW THAT SOUND, THAT IS THE SOUND OF LETHAL BLADED WEAPONRY-

[Even with Beck's vision processing at higher speeds...--]

[He still couldn't identify what had split the falling raindrops just mere inches from his face.]

[Beck stumbled backwards, and the red Mighty Number seemingly falls from the sky, as if he had either teleported--]

[Or...]

Beck: Brand!

<DWN-012 to MNN-007>: > -PING PING PING PING PING PING PING PING PING—-

<DWN-012 to MNN-007>: > Brandish! You’re alive—!

<DWN-012 to MNN-009>: > Something’s off here, Beck—

<DWN-012 to MNN-009>: > When people with our power and speed move just short of hitting you in the face, we’re missing on PURPOSE!

<DWN-012 to MNN-009>: > trust me on this, I’ve DONE it before with my own brother…

Beck: --!!

[On...on purpose...?]

Beck: Brand...?

Brand: . . . .

Brand: N-Ngh...

[Brandish's arms shake ever so slightly as he stands firm across from Beck, a death grip on either of his blades. His eyes are shut tightly--]

Brand: ...O...Otouto...--

<DWN-012>: > …

Beck: --!!!

Beck: Nii-San--!!

<DWN-013>: > -SUDDENLY, ABRUPTLY- BRANDISH!

<DWN-013>: > Keep fighting it!

<DWN-012 to MNN-009>: > We… recognize this…!

<DWN-012 to MNN-009>: > Jaden… Jaden was this same way!

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

[DR.SANDA] //: Seven--!

Brand: --!

Brand: {F...Father...Uncle...}

<DWN-012>: > Hang in there, Sev—

[PING PING PING!]

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

[MN.2] //: -LITTLE BRO, YOU CAN DO IT--!

[MN.3] //: -BRAAAAND--!

<DCN-008>: > {Brandish, Shadow is here—he will want to see you. You have to keep resisting!}

Brand: Ngh--!!

[His head turns to one side, and for a moment he looks as if he is about to collapse at any given moment...]

Beck: Hang on, Nii-san, just sit still for a--

[SHING!]

Brand: NO!

<DWN-013>: > -Harsh warning data- Beck—to your aid, an unlikely friend, indeed…

<DWN-013>: > But it’s a constant struggle, fraught with pain, and there are limits…

<DWN-013>: > We might purposefully miss, but that doesn’t mean we won’t make a strike!

[He turns back, slashing in a wild angle so that Beck would stop in his tracks. His eyes snap open, and they are a deep, deep violet color.]

Brand: KEEP--KEEP AWAY--!

<DWN-013>: > -Oh, Brandish, we are INCREDIBLY empathetic and I, personally, am really feeling rather wretched in the cross-references this brings to me-

Beck: --!!

[It fades off, however, to his normal blue, and he recoils back, away from his brother.]

Brand: I'm warning you, Beck--

Brand: Stay AWAY--Ngh!

<DWN-013 to MNN-007>: > Brandish…!

<DWN-013 to MNN-007>: > -We understand-

<DWN-013 to MNN-007>: > Fight it. Fight it! You are stronger than I could ever have been. Do not let it take you without a fight to be told for years to come!

[Despite the pleas, he retreats, impressively jumping two cars ahead to another rig, and before long, he disappears into the rainy haze of the night.]

Beck: BRAND--WAIT--!

Beck: I'm going after him, Professor--!

[DR.WHITE] //: Affirmative, Beck--just be sure to mind your step traversing those vehicles. Keep in mind what Twelve has told you!

[MN.9] //: Got it!

<MC005>: > -Sighs- His control truly is incredible.

<MC005>: > Forgive the metaphor, but—

<MC005>: > Just because a horse rebels against the reigns does not mean the bridle isn’t there.

[MN.9] //: -Yeah...no kidding...-

<MC005>: > There is a directive—

<DWN-013>: > -Ping-

<DWN-013>: > When…

<DWN-013>: > …

<DWN-012>: > …

<DWN-012>: > -We are here, brother-

<DWN-013>: > …

<DWN-013>: > When…

[He seems to be struggling to keep it verbal, rather than abstract.]

<DWN-013>: > It… was easier to fight if. I could… take an option that would… trick it by seeming, possibly, to obey…

<DWN-013>: > We… he will… aim to miss, if he can, but it is easier to do that than to hold back entirely.

<DWN-013>: > But you must be quick if you corner him, Beck. Or…

<DWN-013>: > …

[He gave off data of pure dread and hopelessness, almost an intense kind of cold in quiet despair.]

<DWN-013>: > (In the end… his will overcame the program…)

[MN.9] //: .......

[MN.9] //: Where's he heading?

[CALL] //: Due southeast, towards Alpha 1. Proceed with caution.

[Beck nodded, and quickly dashed forward. It was a little dizzying given that he was seeing faster, and therefore made his Dash feel a bit strange--]

[But, after jumping over a few cars and trailers, he picked up the motions fairly quickly.]

Beck: (Think I got it...)

[....Strangely, all is...almost quiet, other than the sounds of rain and engines and his own feet against metal.]

[It was...kinda desolate--were there no people on this highway?]

Beck: (But these cars are automatic, either they should be stuck or...--)

Beck: (O...Or...)

[CALL] //: ...I am receiving distressed signals from Nine. Are you well?

[MN.9] //: -Just--had a really nasty thought, ngh--

<DCN-000>: > What’s that?

<DWN-011>: > “Distressed” means—

<DCN-000>: > No! I mean, why is the car squished.

<DWN-019>: > …What ARE you looking at?

<DCN-000>: > I saw it! It was squished.

<DWN-019>: > Well it’s not there now—

[MN.9] //: -Nope, nope, he gonna forget he ever thought that and just keep going--

<DWN-013>: > Uh… Beck?

[MN.9] // --?

<DWN-013>: > Are those signs supposed to be moving like that?

[BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEEEP!]

Beck: --WAAH!

[The Mighty Number was swarmed by a group of thin, floating display screens, which were switching different images of road signs and signals on their front and back. They rammed themselves into Beck, who raised up his arms in defense!]

Beck: SIGN BOTS--?!

Beck: -UGH, OW, STOP--!-

[REXELECTION: DYNATRON]

[BZZZZZZT!]

[Taking advantage of the wet weather, Beck shifted into his sister's form and let loose a strong electrical discharge, which fried the sign bots and their Xel Structures. They turned a deep blue, much to Beck's relief.]

<DWN-013>: > … Iiiiiii will take that as a “no."

[XEL STOCK 1 QUOTA REACHED.]

[MN.9] //: Ow, that hurt...

[MN.9] //: Please tell me those were the only sign bots on this highway---

[CALL] //: This is a major interstate. There are many Sanda sign bot models across th--

Beck: Dad DESIGNED those??

Soi: Eheh...n-no. I did...

<MC005>: > …I am utterly fascinated but I won’t go off on that tangent at the moment…

<MC005>: > Though I find it curious that they seem not to have tried to swarm Brandish. Either they can tell he is infected, or he was too fast for them, I suppose…?

<DCN-000>: > Look! See, there’s another one!

<DWN-019>: > What ARE you looking at, how can you see anything through this RAIN…

<MC005>: > I designed him to perform almost exclusively outdoors, Siam.

<DWN-019>: > … -Oh, right-

[Beck absentmindedly wondered what in the world Snow was talking about as he transverses the highway, switching back to default to shoot the sign bots before they swarmed him and dashed to collect their Xel.]

[He came upon another rig, which was--]

Beck: --!!

[--filled with strange, round, green robots?]

Beck: Whoa--!

[They rolled around the rig to and fro, dangerous spikes around their rims, and...]

[...They had the trademark eyesets and logo of none other than CherryDyn.]

<DCN-000>: > Uncle Will?

Will: ....??

<DCN-000>: > Why do they have a big power button on them?

<MC005 to DR.WHITE>: > Congratulations, you’ve been promoted. -Amused-

[DR.WHITE to MC005] //: --Mikhail please--

[MN.9] //: Dad--Dad, what ARE these?

Will: I...I have no idea--!

Soi: I've never seen this model before... What in the world--there are dozens of them...!

[MN.2] //: -WHO CARES, SHOOT IT, BRO.-

[MN.9] //: -Does it even take damage, I mean it has SPIKES so I don't wanna touch it--

[MN.2] //: -SHOOT IT OR I'LL HIT YOU.-

[MN.9] //: -OKAY OKAY JEEZ--

Mikhail: Sanda, I’m rather confused about something.

Soi: --? Yes?

Mikhail: Why would CherryDyn make something like that? I can’t think of an Industrial use for it, and it is rather impractical as a Combat construct, save perhaps as target practice…

Mikhail: Unless they’re capable of more than they appear…

Soi: Good...question...?

Soi: Strange...

Beck: (Weird--they don't even SEEM all that practical...?)

[Beck raised his arm cannon and took careful aim, and then fired a few shots at the strange CDNs...]

[WRRRRRRR!!]

Beck: --!?

[...They did NOT like that.]

[They didn't even FLINCH, though they did indeed take damage--]

Beck: --oh NO--

[They sped up--faster, and faster, causing Beck to jump erratically to avoid them--what's more, they didn't roll off the edge, but rather changed direction back towards Beck.]

Beck: --They're CHASING me??

<DWN-011>: > … -Welp. Run.-

<DWN-012>: > -SEE NOW, IF YOU HAD /MY/ FORM YOU COULD PROBABLY JUST RUN THIS WHOLE OBSTACLE COURSE INSTEAD OF ALL THE JUMPING, BUT- 8’D

<DCN-003>: > HMM MAYBE LEAVE NOW THEN YES GOOD

<DCN-007>: > Da, they don’t look like they’d be able to jump…

[MN.9] //: -YUP, WE'RE JUST GONNA DASH ON OUTTA HERE--

[There were several crates that could be climbed on near the end of this rig--Beck wasted no time shifting to Avi's form and hovering over to the top most one.]

[WRRRRR--!!]

[...The wheel-like CDNs did not like this either.]

Beck: --?!?

[They backed up, and gained enough momentum to hop the first crate--then the second--]

[MN.9] //: -UUUUUGH--

<DWN-012>: > ARE YOU KIDDING ME, THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE ARMS—

<DWN-013>: > -sNORTS-

Will: (What strange models--they're clearly CherryDyn, but something is... off... )

[Frustrated, Beck decides to just abandon the rig altogether, and favors for another moving vehicle--a car-- and gently sets down on it's roof.]

[The wheel models, of course, try to follow--]

[SCREEEEEECH!!]

Beck: GNH--!

[The car he was standing on lurched forward, picking up more speed—]

Beck: -WHOA BALANCE, WHERE ARE YOU—-

Will: BECK!

[With the car far too out of reach, the wheel models end up jumping right into the speeding asphalt, a horrid crunching sound following suit. ]

[Beck ends up falling backwards into the car--]

[Hard.]

[CRRRSHH--]

Soi: --??!

<DWN-019>: > …That. <DWN-019>: > Didn’t sound good.

[...The roof caved in, and Beck's backside met luxury leather.]

Beck: --Oof--!

[MN.3] //: --He'szz in the CAR??

Beck: Ow...

Beck: ....???

Beck: Huh...?

<MC005>: > …

[Mikhail had to quietly turn aside to maintain his composure. Despite—or perhaps because of—the serious situation, it was just too much, and the image of Beck in a luxury vehicle was rather ridiculous.]

Will: E...err...

Soi: -SILENTLY PANICKING BECAUSE BECK DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE-

Beck: Uuuuuh...

[...The inside seemed...nice.]

[...If it wasn't for the fact the displays and lights were all a sick purple, and no one was at the wheel.]

[There was a slight groan.]

<DWN-019>: > …?

<DWN-019>: > Beck? Are you alright?

Beck: Y-Yeah? For the most part--everything in here is all--a weird purple-- and the radio is--

“Ugh… what the glitchfrag hell—”

<DWN-019>: > ?!

Beck: --it's all static but I...--

Beck: --?!?

[And then, as if a vision of a (very disgruntled) goddess of old…]

[The cowgirl decloaked.]

Beck: --!!!

Beck: Kate--?!

Kate: Beck?

Kate: What in th’ nine hells are ya DOIN’ HERE of all places?!

Beck: .....

Beck: Enjoying a nice driiiiive--?

[She pushed him aside to take the driver’s seat, shifting into her civvies.]

Kate: We’re fraggin’ lucky this ain’t a stick-shift, ya runt of a twit… -grumble-

[--OW--]

[The car did not like this, and only sped up.]

[And then she growled and GLARED at it.]

[…it immediately changed its mind and obeyed.]

Beck: --!!

[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: ME--UH. I FOUND KATE--AND WE'RE KINDA IN A CAR--

<FMN-009 to MNN-009>: > YOU’RE WHAT

[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: THE ROOF FELL--

<FMN-009 to MNN-009>: > AAAAH SHE DRIVES WORSE THAN DYNA but better than Cryo, don’t tell her I said that

[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: SHE W H A T--

[Oddly enough, Kate seemed to be handling the car just fine—especially considering she was simply using a left hand to steer and use the signals. She’d turned on the wipers and the brights, and was signaling to veer off the highway to another exit.]

Kate: You need to get out of here. It’s much too dangerous for you.

Beck: Uuuuh...

[Oh, now they had a problem--if he told Kate he was going after Brand too, she's definitely not gonna like that...]

Beck: But--what about you, I can't just LEAVE you here--!

Kate: Oh yes you can.

Kate: Cryin’ out loud, Becky—Ah’ thought you a’ ALL people ‘ld have a bit of FAITH in me…

[She growled again, though this time it was almost a wolflike snarl.]

Kate: Unlike SOME people.

Beck: --Wha--?

Beck: -Baaacks away as far as he could-

[...OK, that was freaky scary....]

<FMN-009>: > The best you’re going to get out of her is to stall her—just get her off at the nearest exit and sneak off when she’s distracted!

[MN.9] //: -Stall, stall...-

Beck: (Ngh...)

Beck: Kate--Sis, I DO, I swear, but--I don't want to see anyone get hurt over all this--!

Kate: Get hurt over what? -Clearly grouchy- Ain’t got a clue what yer talkin’ about.

[She had somehow woven her way seamlessly through the cars to pull off at the next exit—which thankfully was a rest stop and not more highway.]

Beck: THIS! -WAVES ARMS AROUND TO SIGNIFY THE SITUATION THEY ARE IN-

Beck: (Come on, think, think--!)

Beck: (I'm just making her angry, maybe...)

Kate: Then what are you doin’ out here? -Snorts- Of course yer gonna get hurt if you go out in a thunderstorm with a lightnin’ rod, Lil’ Nine! -Applying the brakes- I can secure the area for ya, but you’ll have t’ call Daddy on yer own. Ah’ ain’t comin’ back with ya. Not yet.

Beck: Ngh--!

Beck: (I'm not getting through to her--)

Beck: --!

Beck: (But maybe...maybe--!)

[She pulled the car to a stop and got out.]

Kate: Stay put, Nine.

[SLAM!]

Kate: Ah’ve got a job t’ do still, and ya don’t wanna be in mah way.

Beck: ......

Beck: -Pretends to pout and sit in the seat.-

Beck: .......

[MN.9 to MN.3] //: Psssst!

[MN.3 to MN.9] //: --!

[MN.9 to MN.3] //: Dyna--I need you to distract Kate--!

[MN.3 to MN.9] //: Wait, what--how?

[MN.9 to MN.3] //: Just--talk to her, maybe she doesn't know you're cured--or--I don't know, just stall!

[MN.3 to MN.9] //: OK OK, um--

[MN.3 to MN.9] //: Here goeszz nothing--

[PING!]

[Kate was already making her way back to the highway, but she raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement before pinging back in response.]

[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: ...Zzsiiisszz?

[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: --?? Woooow I hear a lot of background noiszze, what ISZZ that--? Zzsoundszz annoying--

Dyna: -Jeezz Beck I zsswear I'm gonna get you back for thiszz--

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > Oh, hai sis!

[She seemed perky, in a good mood.

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > Gonna have t’ pick Becky up from daycare. The noise is traffic.

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > Ah’ got a bit… heh… DERAILED.

[She sighs, pausing and looking to the sky thoughtfully. The purple glow of her eye faded for a moment.]

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > -Softly- … He woulda liked that, Ah’ think. …

[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: Iszz that right...?

[While Dyna conversed with Kate, Beck scooted out of the his seat and looked for a way out of the car--maybe he can climb out the hole in the roof? He'll have to be quick...]

[MN.9 to MN.3] //: Whatever you're doing, keep it up--

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > …He said some real mean thangs, Sis.

[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: --!!

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > N-nrrghh… It hurt so bad…!

[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: ....

[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: Izz that so... -BZZZZT, static-y angry sounding buzzes--

[Beck silently grabbed the edge of the hole and hoisted himself up, over and on the other side of the car so that he could hide behind it.]

Beck: (Gotta make a break for it...come on, sis...)

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > He said all ah’ was good for was bein’ a nightmare… that Ah’ was built that way…

[She was… clearly genuinely hurt over this.]

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > Ah’ don’t understan’, Sis.

<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > He… he’d always stood up f… for me…!

[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: ....I--

[ACXELERATE DASH: MAX OUTPUT REACHED.]

[A blur of blue and white suddenly sped out from behind the car--!]

[Kate didn’t notice. Instead, she burst into an aura of violet flames.]

<FMN-008 to MNN-ALL>: > AAAAUUUGH—!

<FMN-008 to MNN-ALL>: > WAI DOES EVERYONE THINK AH’ CAN’T DO NOTHIN’ AN’ AH’M JUST GOOD FER LOOKS?!

<FMN-008 to MNN-ALL>: > AIN’T FAIR!

<FMN-008 to MNN-ALL>: > -Searing bitterness directed specifically at Pyro for all to feel-

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

[There is the sound of someone collapsing over the feeds--]

[MN.2] //: BIG BRO--!

[MN.3] //: -sHRIEKS--

<FMN-008 has blocked MNN-ALL.>

[She vanished from sight and was gone.]

[Meanwhile…]

[MN.1] //: -w...we're fine--it's...argh--

Mikhail: Pyro! Are you sure you’re alright? -DAD MODE ENGAGED, it’s not normal for him to just collapse like that, never seen it before-

Will: -RUSHES OVER TO SON'S SIDE--

[MN.1] //: I...

[MN.1] //: -Shifts to abstract, we're just-- overwhelmed, it was all mostly directed to us...-

[MN.1] //: ....

[MN.1] //: I...she...

[MN.1] //: I didn't...but...

[MN.2] //: -FLAILS, LAY DOWN BRO, PLEAAAASE--

Mikhail: Easy… easy…

[There’s the patter of small feet. And suddenly, a Snowbab.]

[He was playing some music over broadcast.]

Snow: -Climbs on top of Pyro to clinghug, you can’t stop him-

Snow: -Softly- Mister Pyyyyroooo…

Snow: Let’s go make rice balls an’ such for when Mister Brandish an’ Miss Eight are rescued.

[The music certainly helps, and the Leader's breathing slowly evens out...he manages to sit up a bit, Cryo already on Pyro's shoulder while Snow clung to the other.]

Pyro: ....Mng...In a moment, Snow, let me catch my breath...

Pyro: .....

Pyro: (Kate...)

Will: --Soi--

Soi: -Already doing scans to make double sure Pyro's OK, we got you-

[MN.9] //: Pyro--you OK?

[MN.1] //: -Been worse, we'll be OK-

[MN.1] //: -Focus on your mission, we can handle things here.-

<DCN-000>: > An’ there will be food when you finish! : D

[MN.9] //: Roger that. Heading back into the Highway--

[Back at the Highway…]

[There was no sign of Kate.]

Mikhail: ... You're going to just have to go on regardless.

Beck: Figures...

[A quick Dash and a well timed jump, and Beck was back on another rig. The rain was finally letting up now, thankfully...]

[...But no sign of Brand...]

Beck: (He's probably WAY up ahead...)

Beck: (I gotta get moving before Brand gets too far--)

[CRUNCH!]

Beck: --?!?

[Beck whirled around to look behind him, and heard a loud crashing sound way off in the distance...]

Beck: (What was...?)

"AAAAAAAAAAA--"

Beck: --???

Beck: (That...sounds really familiar...)

[CALL] //: Attention--I have picked up another model's signal.

Soi: Huh?

[CALL] //: Verifying...

[Beck continued onward, once again shifting to Avi's form to fly over the larger gaps between the moving cars, and just narrowly avoiding another swarm of sign bots.]

Beck: Starting to really hate those things...

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Signal verified. The unit is Cherry Dynamics Number 7037.

Beck: 70--WAIT--

All: JACK?!

Mikhail: Dear heavens.

Speedy: Duuuuuuude he actually MADE it this far??

Siam: Well THAT Gemini: will certainly Siam: keep her attention Gemini: for a Siamini: while!

Beck: --But--! Jack could--!

[MN.1] //: --Ngh--Beck, if Jack made it all the way here on his own, then he can handle this. You need to keep moving!

<DCN-008>: > You must continue. For their safety.

<DCN-008>: > If she were to catch up to Brandish…

<DCN-008>: > If they get too close, it is not certain he would hold back: for she has been rude to him, and Jack was his opponent who delayed him in a time of crisis—and since the virus exacerbates all grievances…

[MN.9] //: Ngh...!

[He was right. He had to go save Brand...]

Beck: (Ooooh...please be careful, Jack...!)

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

[Forced to leave the CDN behind, Mighty Number Nine climbed another set of crates, blasting away at the flying models that cluttered the brightening overhead...]

[CALL] //: Warning--I am receiving reports of Seven destroying several vehicles in the road ahead. Incoming debris is a certainty.

Beck: --He's...?!

Soi: There's a tunnel coming up ahead too--it may affect visibility, so be careful!

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

Will: ...? What is?

[CALL] //: By my calculations, he is aiming for another exit to Highway Beta. This route leads to no major cities, while Highway Alpha does.

[CALL] //: It is illogical that the virus would not lead him to where he would cause the most destruction...

Will: ....

Will: Unless...

<DWN-013>: > -Sadly- To your aid, an unlikely friend…

Beck: ....

[CALL] //: There is a chance that Seven will overshoot the exit and proceed onward. I suggest you stop him before that moment, Nine.

[MN.9] //: Got it...

<DWN-012>: > Wait a minute. What were you saying a second ago about a tunnel—

[CRRRSHHH!!]

Beck: WHA--

[Was that the front half of a car FLYING TOWARDS HIM--]

[MN.1] //: MOVE, BECK!

[He didn't need to be told twice. His feet seemed to move on their own as soon as he spotted the debris, and using the rig itself as a springboard, LEAPED over to the opposite lane!]

Beck: -WHHOOOAAA--!

[THUD!]

[...Unfortunately, he crashed right into the side of a van--but his hands found perchance on the rails above it!]

Beck: -AAAAH FACE, my FACE really hurts, and I think--I think I broke my nose--

[...He felt something sticky and wet trailing down his lips-- oh he was bleeding Xel-- ]

Will: -Oh--oh dear is that--??!?

Soi: -and we feel faint now, gotta take a seat--

[MN.2] //: -BEEEECK, ARE YOU OK--?!

[MN.9] //: -No but that's OK--we can use a Xel stock, we'll be fine--

[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 2...]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[The pain subsided, and he was fully invigorated once more, hanging onto the side of the van for dear life. With a grunt of effort, Beck planted both feet on the door--]

[--and pushed, launching him up and backwards in a flip that ended up landing him perfectly on the roof!]

Will: --!

Beck: --Oh--

Beck: -oH HEY LOOK THAT WORKED!-

<DWN-019>: > … WAIT A MINUTE

<DWN-019>: > Are you saying you weren’t sure it would?!

Beck: Have YOU ever been on a highway with crazy cars and had to jump across lanes and do backflips and stuff?! -WE'RE TRYING OUR BEST HERE-

<DWN-019>: > …

<DWN-012>: > …

<DWN-012>: > :’D;;; uh

<DWN-012>: > we plead the fifth on this one thanks

<MC005>: > I think he was just confused as to why you would try something you didn’t know would work.

Beck: .....

Beck: Oh. Well...uuuuh.

[MN.2] //: -BECK'S BEEN DOIN' CRAZY STUFF SINCE FOREVER AGO, AND IT'S STARTING TO CONCERN US-

Beck: .... ^.^;;;

<MC005>: > You what? ?__?

[CALL] //: Warning--multiple incoming robots heading for your location.

[MN.9] //: -nOT AGAIN--

[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE]

Beck: Stop SWARMING me--!

[A blast of icy wind dealt with the sign bots quickly--but they fell as their systems shut down, shattering into a million pieces before Beck could absorb their Xel.]

Beck: ...Oops.

Beck: (O...Kay, not doing THAT again...)

<MC005>: > …What was that about the stunts, again—

Beck: --Uh--

Will: --!! DUCK!

[MN.1] //: --?

Beck: --Wait I don't see a duuUUUUOH--

[NOW ENTERING HIGHWAY ALPHA 1.]

[...That was what the large overhead sign said as Beck ducked at the last possible second, narrowly avoiding giving himself another broken nose--and possibly worse.]

Beck: (Oh man that was close--!)

[There is a strong fuzzing noise of static.

It’s not coming from nearby, but rather over the feeds.]

Beck: !

[MN.3] //: --Wha--that'szz not me--

<FMN-006>: > OOOO—

<FMN-006>: > -OW, CAR RIGHT TO THE FACE-

<FMN-006>: > -Well not LITERALLY her face but man that had to have hurt-

<FMN-009>: > Aaaaaa I’M GOING AS FAST AS I CAN BUT THERE ARE CRAZY SIGNS EVERYWHEEEEEEEEERE—

[MN.9] //: What's--!?

[MN.1] //: -PING PING, IS SHE ALRIGHT--

Will: --Just--extremely so very worried with so many of his--and not his but his children AAACK--

<FMN-006>: > Her camo’s gone—

<FMN-009>: > -WHICH MAKES IT A LOT EASIER TO CATCH UP TO HER, DAD—-

<FMN-006>: > …She’s standing on her own, now—

<FMN-006>: > SHEEEE’ll be fine, Beckaronidoni, GO ON AHEAD :’^D

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > -UH. SHE’S KINDA GETTING AGITATED, IT SEEMS, STANDBY FOR DEVELOPMENT-

[MN.1] //: . . . .

Beck: -Whew, OK...-

[CALL] //: Contact with tunnel entrance in three...two...one...

Speedy: -OH GEEZ, DUCK, MAN!-

[THUD--!]

[Beck just dropped down to lay on the roof and held his head down--]

[--and saw the world turn much, much darker, illuminated only by pale, yellow lights that lined the walls--the emergency lights.]

[Beck lowered his visor for Night Vision before he deemed it safe to raise his head again.]

Beck: --In the tunnel--! It's...pretty dark but I got my Night Vision--

<DWN-011>: > Welp. Just keep an eye for the exit, too.

[Nine pinged back in confirmation, readying himself briefly before jumping to another car, and another. The traffic was more condensed here, so it was easier to jump from one vehicle to another.]

Beck: Lots of rigs here...

[With LOTS of malfunctioning robots...]

Beck: (No other way—I'm gonna have to fight through them!)

[....It wasn't long before the malfunctioning robots spotted him, and moved to converge on his position.]

[Beck narrowed his eyes at them, and—]

[REXELECTION: PYROGEN]

[—FILLED his fists with fire, and CHARGED at the CDNs in his path!]

Beck: Haaaaaah—!

[MN.1] //: .... -We taught him that, you know—- -HEH, THAT'S HIS BROTHER-

[MN.2] //: -Yeah well DUH-

[BAM—!]

[A few of the robots are knocked off the rig, while others either blow up or are absorbed on contact with his Dash, giving him some Absorption Boosts--and refilling his previously used Xel Stock.]

[XEL STOCK 1 QUOTA REACHED.]

[MN.3] //: —He'zzz really mowing those thingszz down, huh...?

[MN.2] //: -IT'S GLORIOUS, GO BECK GO-

Beck: —NNGH—!

[One by one, the robots are broken and beaten down before him, their components being drawn into his being as both Xel and Fire danced to his will, a strong green glow casting from his optics.]

Will: (....!)

Beck: Get out of the WAY—!

Beck: (Gotta—get to Nii-San—!)

[SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—!]

Beck: -cOVERS EARS, O W—!-

Will: What in the world was—?!

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > -NOOOOOOBODY PANIC, UH— -

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: -SIX, I DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT IS—-

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > SHE'S KINDA, UM

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > TIED UP AT THE MOMENT—

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: -NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR PUNS, AVIATOR—-

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > NO BRO

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > I MEAN IT FOR REAL

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: —!

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > -also, we pun when stressed, you know this, aaaaand thIS IS KINDA STRESSFUL TO WATCH-

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > Get Nine moving, this isn't something he should see!

[MN.9] //: Guys—?!

[MN.1] //: Keep GOING, Beck! NOW!

[MN.9] //: But what was—?!

[MN.1] //: N O W!

<FMN-006 to FMN-009>: > Hurry uuuup

[While Beck made a worried break for it, Goose suddenly gave off a blip of surprise and concern.]

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > Uh-oh—

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > oh geez, she took out one of my cameras— I've lost visual—

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > -But not audio, at least-

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: —Augh, of all the times—!

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: What about Jack? Is he injured? Did you see before you lost the visual?

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > ... Have you ever needed to wrestle your Shade? Or just lug him around in general? Tony's not exactly a heavyweight-- aaaand don't tell her I said that or she'll shoot my propellers off 8'D;;

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > Noooot so much injured as out of his league in trying to reign in a bucking bronco-- though he's doing REAL well, all things considered— …

[... But then he falls uncharacteristically silent.]

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: .....? Avi—?

[MN.9] //: --Eeep--Cars, more car debris, DODGE DODGE DODGE--

[More silence.]

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > …

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > . . .

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: -OK we have never EVER heard you be this quiet for this long, please say SOMETHING—-

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > -Swallows- She's not gonna be happy when she wakes up from this...

<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > ... And hears what she's saying.

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: —.....

[MN.1] //: . . . . .

[MN.2] //: ...Bro?

[MN.1] //: .......

[MN.1] //: ...Beck?

[MN.9] //: —KINDA BUSY—! -SOUNDS OF METAL CRUNCHING-

[MN.1] //: ...Ngh...

[MN.1] //: (Curse this wretched virus—!)

[MN.9] //: How long until the tunnel exit?!

[CALL] //: Contact in 4 minutes, Nine.

<DWN-019>: > Wait. Where are Jack and FMN-008?

<FMN-006>: > Working on getting the visual back up, guys— lost sight of them, that may be a moment—

<DWN-019>: > … You are an aerial ‘bot, how could you lose sight of them—

<FMN-006>: > She spotted one of my cams and wasn’t too happy about it, okay? D: Charlieeee… why do you always have to go after Charlie, Siiiiiis…

[MN.3] //: (...Charlie??)

[CALL] //: Contact in 3 minutes.

Beck: Whoa—!

[REXELECTION: AVIATOR]

[More strange wheel bots had materialized--and learning from the previous encounter, Beck chose to avoid them altogether and and hovered just out of their reach.]

<DWN-011>: > Wouldn’t stay in that form too long.

<DCN-000>: > Why?

<DWN-011>: > Exit. Too tall.

[MN.9] //: OK, just let me find a place t—

[...A pause.]

[MN.9] //: .....Uh.

<MC005>: > …What is it, Beck?

[MN.9] //: UH, GUYS...

[BEEEP BEEEP BEEEEEEEP!]

[MN.1] //: -...oh no-

[MN.3] //: -HOW MANY OF THOSE THINGS A R E THERE??-

[MN.9] //: A LOT—!

<DCN-000>: > Can you slow ‘em down by freezing them? o:

[A swarm of sign bots—much MUCH bigger than anything he's seen so far.]

[MN.9] //: There's WAY too many, I don't think I can get them all—!

[MN.1] //: If you can't slow them down, can you disperse them?

[MN.9] //: Uuuuh...

[MN.9] //: I can tryyyy??

<DCN-000>: > Yaaay, Beckyyy~

-PING!-

<DCP-001>: > You can do it, Beck! ^.^

Beck: —!

Beck: ...Linka--!!

<DCP-001>: > You can do it! Beck is hero~

[...Nine's optics seemed to flare a touch brighter the moment he heard Kalinka's voice.]

[After landing on a car, Beck took careful aim at the mass of sign bots ahead, the propeller that replaced his hand spinning faster, and faster—!]

[—ZING!]

[The propeller unlatched and whizzed through the air vertically, splitting the large group of sign bots in half—!]

Beck: —Hah—!

[And he didn't stop there—a moment later and another propeller was launched, and another, and another—]

[CALL] //: Contact in 2 minutes.

[It took almost exhausting all of this form's energy—but he managed to completely disperse the swarm, quickly shifting back to default to shoot at the ones that lingered.]

[REXELECTION: AVIATOR//RECHARGING...]

[DR.WHITE] //: You're almost there, Beck—!

[MN.9] //: —! I see the exit! (It's really bright—...is it dawn already--?)

[CALL] //: Contact in 1 minute.

[Disengaging his Night Vision, Beck lowered his body as the car he stood on sped towards the light ahead...]

[CALL] //: Contact in 30 seconds.

[There was a sudden PING of alarm.]

<DWN-019>: > WAIT WAIT WAIT—

<DWN-019>: > PISCES WHAT WERE YOU SAYING ABOUT “TOO TALL”—

[MN.9] //: -What, but we're fine—-

[CALL] //: Contact in 3—2—1—

[The world was thrown back into light, and the first reddish sunbeams of daylight filled the sky over a brown desert, rock formations scattering their shadows against the hot sands of New Mexico.]

[There was a loud sound that echoed down the tunnel, bouncing off the walls.]

WHANG!

[Beck only had a second to stare in awe of the beautiful scenery when he heard the sound of something crashing against metal. He turned around back towards the tunnel in confusion.]

Beck: —?? What was that?!

<DWN-012>: > -Whine noise- x.≤;;; The sound of something running into a wall really, really fast…

[MN.1] //: (Something tall...)

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

[MN.1] //: No—!

<FMN-006>: > … … … -We can’t do anything now until they come out on the other side, bro-

[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: —I know that and it's—Ngh!

[MN.2] //: SIS--!

[MN.3] //: -BZZZZZZZZZZT!!- -Stressful and worried static across the feeds-

[MN.9] //: What--did something happen to Kate and Jack--?!

[CALL] //: -LOUD PING-

[CALL] //: Warning: Erratic movement detected in several nearby remote-controlled vehicles.

<FMN-006>: > Listen, Beckaroo!

<FMN-006>: > The best thing you can do is to save the day by rescuing Sevvie, ‘kay? </punning while stressed again> Trust me on that. You can do it!

<FMN-006>: > This is a teamwork sort of rig— I mean, gig—

<FMN-006>: > So just do your part and Pup will do his and it’ll all work out, a’ight? ;D ;;;;

[MN.9] //: —...

[MN.9] //: —I read you, Avi...

[...He just couldn't help it—there were so many people he cared about on this dangerous highway, and he worried about everyone.]

[But at least they were there to remind him what he needed to do.]

<FMN-006>: > Oooof course you do! : D Because the alphabet starts with “A” for “Avi!” ^^

<FMN-006>: > Now go get ‘em, Champ!

[MN.9] //: —R...Right!

[Another large rig backed up, allowing Beck to jump across and head out further into the highway.]

[CALL] //: Warning—I am detecting a buildup of erratic signals near your location.

<MC005>: > …? What does that indicate?

[CALL] //: Analyzing...

[MN.9] //: —...? Huh?

[DR.WHITE] //: Beck—?

[MN.9] //: The cars are...?

[The smaller vehicles were weaving around in seemingly random patterns, honking and trying to get in front of one another...]

Beck: It...kinda looks like they're freaking out...?

Beck: But why would--

[SHING!]

[There was a blur of--of a dark, violet blue flame—

And one of the cars was CLEAVED in half.]

<DWN-012>: > !!!

<DWN-012>: > oh gosh is this where the car halves were coming from?

[MN.2] //: HOLY--!

Beck: --!!!

[Moments later...]

[A red armored figure landed on the other lane, slamming a blade down on the car on which he landed.]

Beck: Brand--!

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

[Brand's breathing sounded labored, wrenching his blade out of the car and staring across the lane at his little brother.]

Brand: Gnh...!

<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: > … We may have a problem…!

<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: > If that really was CND-7037 and FMN-008 hitting the tunnel that made that noise—

<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: > They might not be conscious enough to evade if Brand goes after the car or rig they’re on top of!

[MN.1 to FMN.6 and 9] //: You two had better hurry when they get out of that tunnel--!

<FMN-009>: > YES SIR—!

Brand: I...I told you...

Beck: Brandish--!

[Before Beck could say anything more, however--]

[A surge of dark, violet flames burst from Seven's body, across his arms and blades, and he raised his head to scream-- ]

Brand: I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY!

<DWN-013>: > Yes, you did. But he won’t.

Beck: HANG ON, NII-SAN--!

[Brandish let out a cry of anguish, leaping towards another car as Beck chased after him from his own lane--]

[SHING--!]

[Another car was sliced, and it's parts were swept across the road--Beck was forced to jump from car to car to avoid both his brother's wild attacks and the results of his reluctant rampage.]

[SHING--!]

Beck: {Big brother, please--}

[SHING--!]

Beck: {--you have to--}

[SHING--!]

Beck: {--FIGHT THIS--!}

<DWN-013 to MNN-009>: > …He is, Beck. … -Augh, it is so hard, and so painful- He’s trying as hard as he can. But you’ll need to make the final moves to overcome what’s in place.

[Brand paused, breathing heavily.]

Brand: Why did it have to be you—

Beck: —?

Beck: N-nii-san, I’m here to—

Brand: WHY. DID IT HAVE. TO BE YOU?!

Beck: Wh-what do you mean?

[The sword master gripped his blades, shaking… in anger.]

Brand: Is Cardinal still out there with his damn martyr complex, then? Abandoning his family, abandoning US in a time like this?

[To say Beck was surprised would be an understatement. He sputtered, trying to draw closer.]

Beck: Wha—how did you know—!?

[Brand suddenly flamed up, screaming in rage.]

Brand: I SAW HIM, BECK! I REMEMBER EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED THAT DAY, AND EVER SINCE!

Beck: !!!

Brand: -Distorted- Self-centered coward… always… always running away…!

[SHING—!]

[He took out his rage on another vehicle, forcing Beck to jump again.]

Brand: Never taking responsibility for ANYTHING he does! He wouldn’t help you then, he won’t help you now— instead he’s off GOD KNOWS WHERE larking about his on own, petty whims…

Brand: Irresponsible… SELFISH little… dishonorable COWARD…

Brand: Turning his back on responsibility, leaving it all to you…

Brand: I’ll tear him to pieces for this…!

Beck: !!! Nii-san, DON’T—! He just wants to help—!

[Brandish's answer to that was another slash in his direction, but easily avoidable. As Nine leaps over to a larger rig, the Xel-ninja speeds on by a set of trucks--]

[...But doesn't reappear once they pass.]

Beck: No--!

Beck: (Where is he, where is he--)

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

[DR.WHITE] //: (I can't help but wonder...Brand's fine control over his art allows him to achieve a greater focus than any of the others...)

[DR.WHITE] //: (But he's not like Beck in the sense that...)

[DR.WHITE] //: (....)

[DR.WHITE] //: (Brandish...son...)

[Beep!]

Beck: ....?

[The rig was larger than the others--and it was carrying many other cars on it's trailers. Once Beck climbed over the roof, and to the floor below, he was greeted by none other than Sunny the Patch Bot.]

[DR.SANDA] //: --? Will--Did YOU send Sunny down there?

[DR.WHITE] //: No--?

Sunny: ^.^

[CALL] //: -Ping of admittance, we had concluded Beck needed medical assistance once Brandish was spotted again-

<DWN-019>: > -Ping of approval-

[Sunny chirped pleasantly as Beck patted their head, unloading it's cargo and preparing to fly off...]

Beck: Wait, Sunny--!

Sunny: ?

[MN.9] //: Call--Xel Transfer him back to the lab right now, please.

[...He didn't want to add Sunny to the things Brand already cut up so far...]

[CALL] //: Acknowledged.

<DWN-013>: > Good luck, Beck. And remember…

<DWN-013>: > …

<DWN-013>: > (“In the end… his will overcame the program…”)

<DWN-013>: > Remember what I told you.

Beck: ......

Beck: Yeah...

[Sunny was teleported off, leaving Beck to venture forward on his own. There were less and less cars on the lanes, he noted...]

Beck: ....!

[At one end of the trailer, there were more cars, stacked one on top of the other.]

Beck: (They're not moving...so they must have been turned off when the virus hit...?)

[DR.WHITE] //: Any sign of Brand?

[MN.9] //: Not--

"HAAAAAAAAAAH--!!"

[SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING--]

[B O O M!]

[Without any warning, the cars were sliced--and they all exploded, knocking back the smaller Mighty Number off his feet and rolling across the trailer floor--!]

Beck: Gah--!

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

<MC005 to DR.WHITE>: > Careful, Will! With Brandish as his opponent… Beck will need all the concentration he can muster!

[Black smoke choked his throat, and he coughed, his vision straining to see the familiar figure that had appeared through it.]

[The smoke cleared, the rising sun over the now desolate highway....]

Beck: -COUGH-

Beck: B--...Brand...

[Screams of surprise and alarm in the far distance.]

<FMN-009 to MNN-009>: > Got them! I’m closing in!

[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: --... -PING-

[Brandish fell into a offensive stance, yet he was trying to draw AWAY from his brother at the same time, so it looked as if he was just a tense coil...]

Brand: Beck--!

[Beck gathered to his feet. Brand wasn't running anymore, but it sure LOOKED like he wanted to.]

Beck: Brand...

Brand: GNH--!

Brand: GNAAAAAAAAAAAAH--!!

[The dark flames enshrouded, engulfed, and for a moment, Brandish was not there—lost in the virus's grip—and then—!]

Brand?: WHY--?!

Beck: --!

[That voice--it was completely different, twisted, and demonic--it was not his own--]

Beck: (Is that...the virus...?)

Brand?: WHY, BECK--?!

Beck: ?!?!?

[--It said his NAME.]

Brand?: WHY WON'T YOU. GIVE. UP?!?!

[.........]

Beck: A...Ah--

[Those--those words--]

Beck: (W...What...)

[It was clear that Beck was completely unnerved, and found that he could not move at all. He stared, fixated, horrified and in disbelief all at once--]

<RMDC>: > -PING!-

<RMDC>: > UPDATE COMPLETED.

<RMDC>: > REBOOTING AI_DWN_024…

Beck: --!!

<MC005>: > What?

Brand?: RAAAAAAAAAAH--!!

[An unnatural groan of pain, and the flames die down to their original height, causing Brand to fall to a knee.]

Brand: Ngn...

Brand: S...Shadow....?

<DWN-019>: > What’s going on?!

<MC005>: > How could he—?

<DWN-024>: > -LOADING…-

<DWN-024>: > -Loading…-

[There was a broadcast… memory, almost—like looking across the Milky Way at endless streams of stars, clearer and more magnificent than any telescope could ever capture.]

[And then a feeling like some ancient thing that had long been asleep was about to stir…]

<DCN-007>: > -Much more presence than usual- {The student hears the voice of his master, no longer lost, but found again… and he will waken.}

<DCN-008>: > {You have been long missed and longed for, Brandish Atomo White.}

<DCN-008>: > {You don’t need to keep running from your family any longer. They think no less of you for what has happened. Do not fear their judgement—for they do not carry it!}

<DCN-007>: > Remember what you told us.

——————————

<DLN-000>: > But living life as a Wilybot… it’s always in the back of your mind—

<DLN-000>: > What if… what if something, what if /next/ time—there’s ALWAYS a next time—what if it really makes us… what if we become monsters?

[MN. 7] //: Then I will do everything in my power to save you WITHOUT taking your life.

<DLN-000>: > Sometimes people don’t get a choice.

<DLN-000>: > Rock didn’t get a choice.

[MN.7] //: There is always a choice.

——————————

<DCN-007>: > {THERE IS /ALWAYS/ A CHOICE!}

<DCN-008>: > {Even if the only choice is to resist.}

<DCN-007>: > {What do you think we did, Brandish? When we were enslaved like this?}

<DCN-007>: > {MAKE YOUR CHOICE! CHOOSE TO FIGHT IT!}

Brand: {I--!}

[The Mighty ninja recoiled once more, groaning again, the virus within him refusing to let go, to ensure that it completes its purpose using him as its host.]

Brand: --N...ngh...

Brand: T...here is...a...ch-choice...

Brand: B...Beck...

Beck: It's gonna be OK--!

Beck: I'm here to help--I've come to SAVE you, Brand--!

[Beck carefully tries to approach, but--]

Brand: N--No closer--!

Brand: O-One more step--and my blades will have their way with you--!

[His head jerked to one side, as if he didn't mean to say what he just said.]

Brand: It...it...

Brand: It...doesn't--KNOW--!

Beck: --what?

Brand: It....it CAN'T know--

Beck: Brand--what--tell me what's happening--! What are you--

Brand: I can't--control myself--! It--

Brand: It doesn't--know--what--

Brand: It--will not--STOP--until everything--is GONE--!

<MC005>: > …!!!

Brand: It—will—stop at NOTHING—

Brand: It—will use—WHATEVER MEANS—!

[DR.SANDA] // : Saints preserve us...

Brand: It will use ME—until I BREAK—!

Beck: —!?

Brand: If—if you want...to SAVE me...!

[SCANNING...]

[SCAN COMPLETE.]

[E N C O U N T E R.]

[MODEL: MIGHTY NO. 7. CODENAME: BRANDISH.]

[HEIGHT: 167cm WEIGHT: 187kg XEL COUNT: 37,400,000]

Brand: YOU MUST DESTROY ME!

[This phrase was dramatically emphasized by a sudden flash of lightning in the distance out of nowhere.]

Beck: —!!

Beck: NO—!

Beck: I don't want to do this—I don't want to hurt you anymore than I have to—!

Brand: RARGH!

[Beck's rebuttal fell on deaf ears—Brandish could no longer hold back. He lunged—!]

[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE.]

[Beck leaped backwards, switching his form into something he thought would slow Brandish down at least a little—]

Brand: Predictable!

[SHING!]

[...The wall of ice that was between them was cut to pieces.]

Beck: Gnh—!

[REXELECTION: PYROGEN.]

Brand: Always so VERY predicable...

Beck: Burning—gACK—!

[Beck was hit with a flying kick, sending him tumbling over to the ground—]

Brand: You—you expect to kill ME with such PREDICTABLE skills—?!

[A blast of disapproval across the feeds, directed RIGHT at Brandish.]

<DCN-000>: > N O.

<MC005>: > …!

<MC005 to MNN-001>: > I thought you were keeping him busy in the kitchen—!

[MN.1] //: -Snow—argh, tiny bots are always hard to keep track of—-

<DCN-000>: > N O, NO, /NO!/

<DCN-000>: > Beck isn’t like the monster—

[You could actually hear his budding arctic tantrum—the winds were howling with ice in their voice!]

<DCN-000>: > BECK /SAVES/ THE DAY!

Brand: —ngh—!

[He falters at the sound of Snow's voice...]

Brand: I—I can't—control—

Brand: AAARGH!

[There was an incredibly intense blast of disapproval, but this time, it… didn’t seem to be specifically directed at… Brandish…?!?]

<DCN-000>: > YOU!

<DCN-000 to ???>: > You meanie.

<DCN-000 to ???>: > You’re trying to make more like the blue monster.

<DCN-000 to ???>: > YOU TRIED TO MAKE /US/ LIKE THAT MONSTER!!!

<DCN-000 to ???>: > -SCREEEE, SHRIEKS OF RUSSIAN WINTER-

<DCN-000 to ???>: > MONSTERS NEVER WIN!

[At the sounds of the howling winds of icy fury—]

Brand?: -UNHOLY DEMONIC SCREEEEEEEEEEECH OF RAGE-

[This tantrum was abruptly cut short.]

[Apparently Mikhail had taken the matter into his own hands to prevent Snow from hurting Pyro with his abilities, as the little ice ‘bot used them recklessly when throwing a tantrum.]

[MN.1] //: Snow—!

[…Uh-oh.]

<DWN-011 has entered Alert Combat mode.>

<DWN-012 has entered Alert Combat mode.>

<DWN-013 has entered Alert Combat mode.>

<DWN-018 has entered Alert Combat mode.>

<DWN-019 has entered Alert Combat mode.>

<DCN-003 has entered Alert Combat mode.>

<DCN-007 has entered Alert Combat mode.>

<DCN-008 has entered Alert Combat mode.>

[MN.3] //: -Ooooh, that's not good-

Beck: BRAAAAAAND—!

Brand: RAAAGH—!

[Brandish flourished his blades in parallel position, arms stretched out wide to either side—!]

Beck: —!!

[Seven spun around on the spot, becoming a spinning blur of DEATH that soon sped towards Nine—!]

Beck: —aaAAAH—!

[Recognizing this move and what it can do, Beck had one option—]

[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]

[Take to the sky.]

Brand: Ngh—!!

[Beck sighed in relief as he watched Brand simply glare at him after he came to a stop. Brandish could jump fairly high, but as long as he—]

[SHING!]

Beck: WHA—?!

[Brandish...threw his own sword at him?]

[Beck had to bank harshly to the right, the blade narrowly missing his side. He stared in confusion for a split second—

A pale cloth of what appeared to be the 'bandages' that decorated the hilt was now stretched out, and seemed to retract back to Brandish, returning the weapon to his hand.]

Brand: You cannot stay up there forever—!

[There seemed to be a buzz for a moment.

And then, suddenly…]

<DWN-024>: > -Loading…-

[SHING!]

[SHING—!]

[There was a far-off flash of green that lit up the dawn sky.]

[MN.1] //: —!!

[MN.3] //: —Waszz that—?

[Beck landed quickly, and shifted his form again—]

[...to default?]

Beck: (Brand has a counter to everything I got—)

Beck: (He keeps saying I'm predictable—)

Beck: (So--I gotta come up with something he WON'T expect—!)

Beck: (...I am so glad the others won't see this...)

[MN.9] //: DR. COSSACK—!

[MN.9] //: I'm sorry—but I have to ask you to—!

<MC005>: > …

[There was a pause.]

<MC005 to MNN-009>: > {Do what you have to… but understand that you may not be able to keep this secret all the way through.}

[MN.9 to MC005] //: ...I understand.

Beck: (Sorry about that, guys...)

[REXELECTION: DYNATRON]

[MN.3] //: —?!? BECK—WHAT ARE YOU DOING—?!

Beck: TRUST ME, SIS—!

[Brandish seemed unfazed, but leaped into a front flip, using his blades to hack at anything that dared to come close--

Beck sparked in panic and threw large, glowing purple bits up in a make shift shield--they didn't hold up to Brand's swords, but it did give Beck enough time to roll out of the way, summoning more bits to his side.]

[There was a clattering sound as Mikhail hastily left the room he was in to make his way to the emergency bay.]

Brand: Fool...!

[He lands, and once again charges for another slashing attack, unrelenting in his efforts to cut Beck down to nothing but Xel.]

[Beck's bits are wildly thrown this way and that while he avoids and dodges and--]

[MN.3] //: --!!

Brand: Must slice--must DICE--!

-PING!-

<RMDC>: > PROCESSING NEW DATA…

<RMDC>: > UPDATING SERVER…

<RMDC>: > UPDATE COMPLETE. STATUS UPDATE: FMN-008.

<RMDC>: > XEL PURGE COMPLETE. ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM FMN-008.

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

[MN.2] //: -ALRIGHT, MIRROR BRO!-

Brand: --n-ngh--?

<RMDC>: >ALERT!

<RMDC>: > SIGNAL ERROR: FMN-008 NOT FOUND

<RMDC>: > SCANS INDICATE FMN-008 HAS SUSTAINED SYSTEM-WIDE CRITICAL HARDWARE DAMAGE. DATA SOURCE: FMN-009

Brand: K...Kate--?!

[Brandish...stops.]

Brand: Ack--N...No...!

Beck: --Sorry, Brand--!!

[BZZZZZZT--!]

[The whole floor was suddenly electrified, the bits that had been thrown earlier sending strong currents across the metal flooring--!]

Brand: --gNAAAAAH--!

[He was covered in a purple glow--!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[The bits dissipated into loose Xel as Brand twitched and jerked, the currents wreaking havoc on his systems...]

Brand: Nnnggh...

Beck: {I'm sorry--!}

-Ping.-

<AI_DWN_024 SYSTEM UPDATE COMPLETE. REBOOTING…>

Brand: Gnh--

Brand: Y--Yes....

Beck: --!

Brand: You...you are...

Brand: Going to...break me down...right into Xels...

Beck: No--! That's not what I'm--!

<RMDC>: > ERROR: EMOTIONS.EXE ERROR DETECTED. DWN-024 REBOOT FAILED. RETRYING…

<FMN-009>: > -PING!-

<FMN-009>: > UM

<FMN-009>: > UHHH

<FMN-009>: > GUYS THERE’S A PROBLEM

[DR.SANDA] //: -Oh dear Asimov why now--

[MN.1] //: What is it?

<FMN-009>: > -HOW AM I GOING TO GET THEM OFF, HELP—-

<FMN-009>: > -EVEN IF I COULD LIFT SIS IN AVI’S FORM (WHICH I /CAN’T/, SHE’S TOO HEAVY—) I ONLY HAVE ONE ARM IN THAT FORM, WE CAN’T LEAVE JACK BEHIND—!-

<FMN-009>: > THEY BOTH HIT THEIR HEADS REALLY HARD AND AREN’T GIVING OFF SIGNALS I THINK THEY BROKE THEIR TRANSCEIVERS AAAAAAAAAA—

[MN.1] //: Calm DOWN, Nine--! We'll think of something--!

<FMN-009>: > BUT SHE HIT HER HEAD REALLY HARD, LIKE YOU SAID AFTER THE INCIDENT THERE’S XEL EVERYWHERE SOMEBODY HELP—

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

[BZZZZZZT--]

[DR.WHITE] //: -GAH THERE'S NO WAY TO GET THEM OUT OF THE HIGHWAY AND--

<MC005>: > -PING!-

<MC005>: > Has anyone seen Aviator??

[ALL] //: --????

[MN.3] //: He should zzstill be--

[MN.2] //: Uuuuh...

[MN.2] //: Are my four eyes seeing things right or am I seeing double--?

<MC005>: > {What??}

[P I N G!]

[MN.6] //: Diiiiiiid someone call for...

[MN.6] //: ...air support?~ ; D

[MN. ALL] //: AVI!

<FMN-006>: > You know what they say, Avi!

<FMN-006>: > Two heads are better than one!~ ; D

<FMN-006>: > It helps to have friends in… HIGH places~

[MN.6] //: You said it, Avi!

[MN.6] //: And they're only just a--CALL AWAY. ; D

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

<FMN-006>: > Breaking news!

<FMN-006>: > Two handsome airplane rescuers stop highway chase from ending in tragedy, while everyone’s faaaaavorite underdog SAVES THE DAY— -Background flying noises-

[MN.9] //: AVI!~

[MN.6] //: Heeeeey, T-Becks, love to chat and catch up but I got a car-jack to get to and you got a bro to save!

[MN.6] //: You're doing great--so don't give up now!

[MN.9] //: Roger that, Avi!

<FMN-006 to MNN-007>: > EYYYY, LUCKY SEVEN THERE— I know you can hear me.

[MN.7 to FMN.6] // -low growls in response-

<FMN-006 to MNN-007>: > Enough of that doom and gloom nonsense, lil’ bro—

<FMN-006 to MNN-007>: > She’s pretty banged up and is gonna want you to help out again.

Brand: --!

<FMN-006 to MNN-007>: > -She needs you, so—if I hear more of this despair stuff I’m going to hang you up a flagpole by your fancy Japanese silk robes, snap out of it-

Brand: K...Kate--

<FMN-006>: > -Cheerfully- See you guys soooon!~ Avi, over and out!

[MN.9] //: Good luck, guys--!

[MN.6] //: You too, little Champ!

Brand: Nngh--!

[He convulsed, and the virus tightened it's reigns—but still, he was suppressing his urge to attack--!]

Brand: I...ngh--!

[BLAM!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[Beck did not let the opening go to waste.]

[BLAM!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

Brand: NNNAGH!!

[The ninja suddenly screamed into sunrise, his blades raised in front of him--]

[--clicking into place as he brought them together--]

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

[PING!]

<DWN-024 is now Online.>

<DWN-024>: > -Very, VERY disoriented data- … Sensei…?

Brand: M--MOVE, BECK--!!

Brand: M-my body--my BLADES--They have a will all of their own--!

Brand: RAAGH--!

Beck: Brand--wait--!

[SHING--!]

Beck: aCK--!

[He backed off, but--pain, across his shoulder--]

<DWN-024>: > —!

<DWN-024 has entered Non-Lethal Combat mode.>

[Uh-oh.]

[SHING SHING SHING SHINGSHINGSHING--]

[Other shoulder--leg--]

[There was a whistling noise.]

THUNK.

Ssssss…

[A shuriken was sinking into the rig by Brandish’s left foot, hissing as acid ate away at the metal.]

Brand: --?!

[Beck stumbled, and fell in shock--Xel beginning to bleed from the gashes his brother had inflicted--thankfully not deep enough to sever anything immediately important, but OW--]

[Shadow seemed to melt out of his namesake, rising like some sort of ghost. His eyes were glowing a solid green.]

<MC005>: > I thought the Meadow teleporters were Offline!

<FMN-001>: > THEY ARE! He just—! MELTED into the darkness!

[He flicked his wrists, and two more shuriken appeared.

This time, he aimed for Brand’s hands.]

[Brandish did not linger--he avoided the projectiles altogether by flipping backwards, his eyes switching from his own blue to a monstrous purple...]

Beck: Sh--Shadow--!

Brand: You...

[Shadow did not respond at all. He was silent.

And relentless—melting suddenly into the shadows again, vanishing from sight.

Only to reappear—]

[SKLRRT!]

[APPARENTLY UNDERNEATH THE RIG AT BRAND’S FEET AND STABBING UPWARDS—]

Beck: --!!!

[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]

Brand: Gnh--!

[He jumped, but the acid beneath splattered and hit bits and parts of his leg armor, eating away at the paint and the trade-mark '7' that adorned it.]

[It wasn't long before the acid was slowly eating away at the armor itself, though at a slow pace. Brandish HOWLED in pain--!]

Brand: INSOLENCE--!

[SHING--!]

[The slice cut through the rig like butter, and there were some very troubling noises from whatever piping he had cut into.]

[There was a clattering sound, as if something had fallen down.]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

Beck: SHADOW--?!

[Silence.]

Beck: SHADOW--?!?

Brand: Nggggh....

[Brand’s shadow… rippled.]

Beck: --?!?

[Brandish didn't seem to notice, now turning his blade back to Beck--]

Brand: You--...

Brand: .....

[Until he sensed another presence--]

[Shadow sprang up out of Brand’s cast shade, grabbing him by the scarf and yanking HARD.

At the same time, he slammed his foot against Brand’s ankle, where the leg armor had been eaten away.]

Brand: --Hrk--

Brand: -UNHOLY SCREECH OF PAIN-

[Shadow let go of the scarf, but he wasn’t quite done—that much was clear, as he had another shuriken in his hand a second later.

His expression was void, and he didn’t seem moved by mercy whatsoever.]

[SKLR!]

[Brand stabbed behind him, impaling Shadow on his sword. Shadow’s eyes flashed red in pain.]

Beck: SHADOW—!!!

[Before he could move, Brand had already turned and cleaved the shuriken in half, the acid hissing and eating away at the sword. Enraged at his precious sword being so distorted, the speeding ninja had sliced away at his pupil, who fell onto his back under the assault.

Brand staggered, recoiling in inner agony as he stopped short of diving both swords down into the exposed core.]

[Beck was glad he couldn’t see what was going on very well, but he couldn’t let it continue.]

[BZZZZZT!]

[Brand turned to focus his attention on Beck, his blades tainted with oil stains. Shadow himself seemed to fade away, but Beck wasn’t given time to think it over.]

[SHING—!]

[Beck narrowly avoided a cleaving blow—]

[SHING—!]

[And then another—]

[SHING—]

[But Shadow sprang up from the darkness, shuriken-first, slamming right into Brand’s shoulder.]

Brand: AAAUUUUUURRRRGH!

[Just as his master had been moments earlier, Shadow continued a swift and merciless series of slicing attacks, tearing Brand’s armor into shreds as acid started eating away at the wounds. It was clear, now, that all the damage from earlier had healed, fully regenerated.

He whirled around behind Brand and kicked him down, stepping onto his back and bringing out more shuriken. He planted his feet firmly on Brand’s wrists, and raised his hands to attack—]

((Pic—Shadow v Brand))

Beck: SHADOW, STOP--!

[However…]

<DWN-024 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

[The green glow subsided, and his irises and pupils slowly came back into view—though his irises were still glowing the same shade of green.

He jumped off and slid further back, bracing himself against the driving cabin.]

Beck: --!!

[Brandish winced in sheer pain, but his head turned to GLARE at Shadow with violet orbs of rage, unlocking his blades to separate and--]

[BLAM!]

Beck: NO YOU DON'T--!

[Shadow crouched down, bringing out some sort of… strange but familiar item…]

Beck: --Ah--!

[His visor goes down--]

[And darkness covers… everything.]

Brand: --!?!?

Beck: (I--STILL CAN'T SEE, WHAT--?!)

[It is no ordinary darkness—not as if night had fallen—but as if light had ceased to exist at all.

It was as if it had smothered out everything else in the world, creating a void of NOTHING.]

[There was a firm grip around Beck, suddenly—]

Beck: --!

[In reaction to the darkness, Brand wildly slashes to where he last saw Shadow, and prepares to spin in place with his blades--]

Beck: Wha--!

[And then a tap on the side of his visor.]

<DWN-024 to MNN-009>: > -Data, brace yourselves-

Beck: --!

[Beck instantly tucks his head in, and tenses up in brace for whatever Shadow was talking about, his Xel Filter going online automatically--]

[The darkness lifted as suddenly and completely as it had come.

Beck was now standing in a different position than before, one with more favorable ground. Shadow was right beside him.]

Brand: --Aah--!

[Blinded by the sudden light from the sun, Brandish hissed and whirled around--where are they--?!]

Beck: (How did...?)

Brand: RRRNGH--!

Beck: (--Never mind--Brand's open--!)

[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]

[Shadow side stepped and jumped up to be on the hood of the rig’s driving cabin, and thus out of the way.]

[ZING--!]

[The propeller whacked Brand SQUARE on the back--]

Brand: NGH--!

[Beck backed into a running start and LEAPED--!]

Beck: Haaaaah!

[ACXELARATE DASH: MAX OUTPUT REACHED.]

[CLANK--!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[There was the sound of something cracking--]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

Brand: B--BECK--!!

[XEL ABSORBED.]

Beck: FIGHT IT, BRAND--!

Beck: I'LL SAVE YOU--

[XEL QUOTA REACHED.]

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

Beck: --I PROMISE--!

[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]

[........]

"Again."

[THWACK!]

"Again!"

[THWACK!]

"--You're still holding back, Otouto."

"...Ngh..."

"I can tell when something is troubling you, you know."

"...."

"It is better to clear you mind than let it rage like a rushing current. There is no proper flow then. Only chaos."

"....."

"What is wrong, brother?"

"I...Brand?"

"Yes?"

"...Am I ever gonna get back on the team? I'm...not, aren't I?"

"....."

"I...I try--and I try--but I'm...I'm still SCARED, and I...I'm not getting any better--I do these practices over and OVER, but--!"

"...Seed."

"--? Wha?"

"You are a SEED, Beck."

"--....uh...?"

"You have yet to realize what you can accomplish with your abilities, and have yet to explore it. Like a seed planted on this earth, you need time."

"...Time...?"

"Time to GROW."

"You will need time, and guidance, and yes, much practice. You will need plant yourself firm once you discover your own way. You will need patience, focus...and above all--"

"--love?"

"...Yes. Love. Very good."

"I...heh..."

"...I can see it, Beck. Your potential. It is vast, and it is endless. You will become greater than the sum of all of us..."

"R...Really...?"

Brand: ......

Brand: --mn--?

"Yes. Of course you will."

Brand: B...Beck...

"You're a Mighty Number."

[....]

[XEL PURGE COMPLETE.]

[As the last of the green glow died off, cleansing away all of the sickly violet curse, Brand found himself staring into a blue, cloudless sky...]

[...As well as his brother...]

[ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MN.7]

Beck: Brand--? Brand--?!

Brand: . . .

Brand: I....

[A hand weakly reached out to rest on his shoulder.]

Brand: I...thank...you...

[MN.7 IS NOW IN SLEEP MODE.]

Beck: Nii-San--!

[There is the sound of something collapsing across the feeds.]

[DR.SANDA] //: --Will?!

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

[MN.2] //: -GONNA GO GET OUR LIMP NOODLE DAD SOME PILLOWS AND MAKE AN ICE PACK-

Beck: Ooooh--!

[Beck winced as some of the cars ahead all BLARED their horns at once, as if they were angered at his victory...]

Beck: Shadow--I could use a hand with Brand--!

[At first, Shadow was nowhere to be seen.

Then, it became clear he was standing at the very back of the rig. …He seemed to be in some sort of defensive stance.]

Shadow: . . .

[He was not so tense as to be frozen in place, but he seemed just one slight move away from a sudden and dangerous strike from the ENORMOUS shuriken in his hands.]

Beck: .....

Beck: How are you carrying that huge thing--?

[No response.]

Beck: Um--? Shadow? We're-- kinda still on a crazy speeding highway...

Beck: I can't carry Brand all by myself...please...?

[Shadow looked up.

His eyes were still bright green— he hadn’t left Defensive mode.]

Beck: --!

Beck: Sh...Shadow...?

[Beck collected himself up against his brother, eyes widening in slight surprise and fear--]

Beck: Ah--

Beck: G--Guys--!

[MN.1] //: Shadow! STAND DOWN--!

[DR.SANDA] //: Oh, dear--Mikhail--! -HELP-

[Shadow took another step back, holding the shuriken out like a shield by gripping at an edge of the opening in the center. He was at the very back of the rig now, and it was a wonder he hadn’t fallen off.]

[A soft ping.]

<MC005>: > -Quietly- {He’s afraid.}

<MC005>: > {He’s in Defensive mode because he is afraid of what is going to happen to him.}

<MC005>: > {He is… attempting to protect himself.}

<MC005 to MNN-ALL>: > {Keep in mind he’s been asleep since the beginning.}

<MC005 to MNN-ALL>: > {All he knows is that he has acted aggressively and against the wishes of his superiors, having injured his teacher—who then was overpowered by one with a Universal Adapter and then sent, for all he knows, Offline.}

<MC005 to MNN-ALL>: > {Additionally…}

<MC005 to MNN-ALL>: > {All the other AI&A signals from the server are Offline as well.}

<MC005 to MNN-ALL>: > {What do you THINK he has concluded?}

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

[MN.3] //: -oh no--

[MN.2] //: --BECKY--SNAP OUT OF IT--!

Beck: .......

Beck: Sh...Shadow--

Beck: --P-Please--we--we gotta out of here--and get Brand help--

Beck: Please--I just SAVED him, I--!

[HOOOOOOOOONK--!]

[Shadow seemed to be struggling, very hard, but he remained silent.

Finally, he reached into his scarf with his other hand…]

[And in a flash, tossed something that clattered at Beck’s feet.]

Beck: --!! It's--!

[HOOOOOOOOOOONK--!!]

[The loud horn came from a huge eighteen wheeler--on a dead-set collision course with the rig they had battled on--!]

[HOOOOOOOOOOONK--!]

Beck: !!!

[Shadow made a sudden dashing leap, bounding up to the top to the rig, and then—]

<DWN-024 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>

[His energy readings spiked, and there was a whine that stuttered.]

[He hurled the massive shuriken at the road ahead, causing part of the road to get sliced away and the metal star to spin and clatter across the road. At the same time, he crouched down, and—

The whole rig began to sink into the shadows, falling—]

[Beck snatched the Amulet, held on to it and his brother tightly...]

[And screamed.]

Beck: AAAAAAAAAAAAAA--!

[The world around them was darkness, like before—except softer, somehow, like the haziness of dreams.

And then back into the sunlight in the desert, emerging from some cast shadows off-road—into the dust and sand.

Shadow swung down and grabbed at the side of the access panel to the fuel tank.]

[SKLORT!]

[He cut it open so that said fuel began rapidly draining away into the sand.]

[When the rig finally settled, that was when Beck stopped screaming.]

[He was hyperventilating, blinking weld up tears away as he held onto Brand's limp arm with a death grip, still processing what the heck just happened.]

Beck: (Highway--dark--sand--bright--what--)

<DWN-024 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

[Shadow lept down from the rig and into the sand.]

[And then he made a run for it, summoning, of all things—a giant frog to ride.]

Beck: . . . . .

[MN.9] //: -Did--did I hit my head too--guys--what happened---

[MN.1] //: . . . .

<MC005>: > …

[A long pause.]

<MC005>: > …That… is a very good question.

[DR.SANDA] //: . . . . . Er...

Mikhail: (I’ve NEVER seen him use most of those techniques before.)

<MC005>: > I think it would be best to bring the two of you back to the lab, now…

[CALL] //: Preparing Xel Transfer...

[MN.9] //: -- W-Wait--Kate, Jack--

<MC005>: > They’re waiting here already, Beck.

[MN.9] //: -sigh-

[MN.9] //: Good...

[MN.9] //: Thanks, guys...

<MC005>: > Just try to rest. Things will be alright.

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

[SANDA LABS...]

[Mikhail sat back into his chair with a large sigh at last, groaning and putting his face in his hands.]

Mikhail: {What a mess…}

[He had tried to talk with Shadow to get him to calm down, but Shadow had turned his transceiver off, much like Cardinal had. He didn’t wish to risk trying to teleport him off despite that, since the ninja was at the edge of the vehicle and clearly poised to jump off or lash out at the first sign of something that startled him.

And now he had run off. Again.

The Russian Doctor had a fairly good idea where the wayward DWN would ultimately end up, so he didn’t find it urgent to initiate a chase.

…Besides, that would only make things worse.

No, he was more concerned about the psychological impact this would have on Beck (and Brand) in the long term.]

Mikhail: ({At least… as long as he keeps his transceiver off, he won’t upload his fear to the RMDC. Small blessings, I suppose…})

[The rescued Mighty Numbers all clamored and gathered around the injured pair, Pyrogen helping his unconscious brother to the emergency bay, with the rest smothering Nine with worried chatter and tight, loving hugs.]

[White was still passed out on his chair, a pillow propped up against his head and a white blanket over his form, a soothing ice pack lovingly crafted and placed on his forehead.]

Beck: . . . .

[Beck did not say a word, although he did return the hugs.]

Soi: Hoooo...

Soi: (These things just get worse, huh...)

Soi: (...But at least everyone's...sort of alright.)

Soi: (Goodness, Will, you REALLY can't just fall over like that..)

Soi: I--b-better get to repairs on Brand...Call, could you watch Will?

Call: Yes, Doctor.

Mikhail: …

Call: I will also watch over Dr. Cossack, as I am also detecting unhealthy stress levels.

Soi: Er...right...you...do that...

Mikhail: Mnnn…

[He waited until after Sanda left before he turned to type at the console.]

<MC005 to CALL>: > I am admittedly concerned for Number Nine’s well being.

[CALL] //: .....

<MC005 to CALL>: > He has been very withdrawn as of late, and has taken to secluding himself for long blocks of time.

<MC005 to CALL>: > He seems to be concerned what the others will think of him, and enforces the secrecy out of a kind of desperation—and I don’t think that what happened today will help matters.

[ANALYZING...]

[CALL to MC005] //: What do you propose, Doctor?

Mikhail: -Leans against a hand, seeming tired-

<MC005 to CALL>: > I’ll need a little time to think on that. He needs someone to talk to, that much is certain.

<MC005 to CALL>: > I’d like to talk to him myself, just to try and understand the situation better, so I can figure out how to calm down anyone connected to the RMDC server.

[CALL to MC005] //: ......

[CALL to MC005] //: Acknowledged.

[CALL to MC005] //: I suggest you also rest, Doctor.

[He was thoughtful for a moment.]

Mikhail: …Is there a piano anywhere around here, I wonder…?

[CALL to MC005] //: ...Beck plays.

[CALL to MC005] //: There is a keyboard in his room.

Mikhail: Ah, thank you. …But I suppose you’re right. Rest, for now. ({I’ll play the song later.})

Mikhail: Shadowman will be heading toward Texas. There are three possibilities: either he will continue travel within this world, end up in the Wilderness, or make it to our own world’s Texas. He should make contact once he figures out his brothers are alright and are still alive.

Mikhail: Make sure to keep an eye on Wily Eight’s isolation.

[CALL] //: Understood, Dr. Cossack.

[With that, the Russian reluctantly relocated somewhere that was conducive to sleep.]

[MEANWHILE, AT CHERRYDYNAMICS...]

[...The sound of a phone ringing.]

[Click.]

"Mmm. Oh yes, yes, Senator. Our FULL resources our dedicated to resolving--"

[A pause. Some calm chatter from the other side.]

"...Mm. Yes, yes--Oh--yes, very wise of you. I'll speak with--yes, that too--Oh, no, thank YOU, sir. Hmm. Alright. Stay safe."

[SLAM.]

[A tall, lanky, blond haired man in a sharp, purple business suit slammed the landline phone down—HARD—on the receiver, nearly breaking the thing in his fit of rage. Violet eyes furrowed in both frustration and fury.]

Graham: IDIOT!

Graham: Argh, that aggravating MORON--!

Graham: Fine--FINE! If you want to be that way, friend, then you can go throw yourself to the bots-- see if I care.

Graham: I don't NEED you...

[He began pacing around his office, grumbling angrily under his breath...]

Graham: Why are they hounding ME about the problem, and not torturing BLACKWELL to get the answer?!

Graham: This is TWICE--

Graham: TWICE that old goat and his WRETCHED FAMILY have made me--MADE US--LOOK LIKE A FOOL--!

Graham: RrrrrAAAGH--!

Graham: Rrrgh...

Graham: You--You and that TOY of yours...

Graham: And HIM.

Graham: I should have just taken HER later when I had the chance--!

Graham: But you just had to INTERFERE, didn't you...

[...There are several files on his desk...]

[All stamped as confidential.]

[DEMONSTRATING INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY IN THE BATTLE COLOSSEUM.]

[PROJECT TRINITY--CDN.1201]

[CANCELLED.]

[--REASON: STAFF COMPLICATIONS AND RESULTS OF CDN.1101.]

Graham: ......

Graham: At least I still HAVE her...

Graham: That's the one saving grace you didn't TAKE from me...

Graham: Rnnngh...

Graham: I hope you BURN in hell for what you've done, wherever you are...!

[Riiiiing...]

Graham: Uuugh...

[With a harsh sigh, Gregory picked up the receiver, and cleared his throat. His tone turned pleasant and cheerful.]

Graham: CherryDynamics, CEO Gregory Graham speaking--oh, OH! A pleasure to hear from YOU, sir, yes! My goodness, I was starting to fear the worst--! Are you and your wife and children--?

Graham: That's wonderful--yes, of course, but I have--oh, no, there's no need--I have to stay here, you know...

[Pause.]

Graham: ....No. There's no one--no, I'm not MARRIED, you silly--

[Another pause.]

Graham: I said there is NO one, sir.

Graham: ...Just me.

Graham: --Oh no, of course. Thank you for your concern, though.

Graham: I really do appreciate it...

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=CHAPTER 4B: AVI'S NEWS REPORT=

[SANDA LABS...]

[LATER, UPSTAIRS...]

Writer Journal Entry

=CHAPTER 5D: DESOLATE HIGHWAY=

{THE NEXT MORNING…}

{Living Room}

{Meanwhile…}

=CHAPTER 4A: AVI’S NEWS REPORT=

[SANDA LABS, TWO DAYS LATER...]

<<Power up the revolution, boys—it’s time for an evolution of circuitry!>>

SYSTEMS READY?

GO!

[WHAM--!]

"Ahem! Testing, testing. Check one, check, check two. Sibilance, Sibilance!"

Avi: NATION. IN. CRISIS!

Avi: Or will a HERO emerge to save the day?!

Avi: IT'S SURE AS HECK ISN'T GONNA BE THIS GUY!

[kkkkkkkkk…]

[WRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR--!]

-PING.-

[C R A S H--!]

[MN.1] //: IT WHAT?!

[MN.9] //: IT JUST STARTED SPINNING ONE WAY AND THEN--AAAAAH--

[KSSSSSSSSST!]

"And now, Avi News traffic, from the Avi-1 eye-in-the-sky traffic copter!"

Beck: AVI!

Avi: A PIECE OF TRASH CAUSING TROUBLE--

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

[C R A C K!]

[MN.3 IS NOW ONLINE. COMBAT MODE: ENGAGED.]

Dyna: AAAAAVIIIIIIII!!!

Beck: DYNA?!?

“POWER UP THE REVOLUTION! IT’S TIME FOR AN EVOLUTION! OF CIRRRRCUIIIIITRYYYYY!”

Dyna: GET YOUR ZZZZSICK CHASSISZZ OVER HERE--

[ZZZZZZZZZZZZRT!]

Dyna: ZZZSO I CAN SHOCK ZZSOME R E A L ZZZSENSE INTO YOU!

Dyna: Yeah, cuzzz I knew HOVERBUTT WASZZ LISZZENING.

[BZZZZZZZT--!]

Dyna: WHAT YOU DID TO TOBY--?!

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

[ZZZZZZZZZZ--]

Dyna: OR E L S Z Z E !

Avi: ....-AUDIBLE GULP-

Avi: Breaking News: the piece of trash brought a friend and is /no fun at all!/ 8'D

Dyna: YEAH, GO BACK UP TO YOUR ZZSTUPID TOWER, YOU QUACK! -HISSSSS-

“I… I c-can’t let you make my mistakes…!”

<RMDC>: > POINT OF ORIGIN: MNN-006

Beck: Dynaaaa!

"I can't let you make /my mistakes/...!"

[WHOOOOOSH!]

[KSSSSSSST!]

[WHOOOOSH!]

Beck: Here to save you...!

[KSSSSSSSSSSSST!]

Avi: TOWER. OF. TERROR!~

Avi: And now to Avi for the weather!~

Avi: THANKS, AVI, WE GOT STRONG WINDS OUT THERE TODAY, BEEE CAREFULLLL!~

[KKKKKKKKKKK…]

{S A V E U S}

{H O W E V E R Y O U M U S T!!!}

Avi: UGH--WILL YOU SHUT UP?!

Avi: MOMENTS BEFORE HE FELL TO HIS TRAGIC DEATH!~

Avi: NGH--!

[SCANNING....]

[SCAN COMPLETE.]

[E N C O U N T E R.]

[MODEL: MIGHTY NO. 6, CODENAME: AVIATOR.]

[HEIGHT: 220cm WEIGHT: 150kg XEL COUNT: 30,000,000]

Avi: Ooo, sorry Beck-am, your segment is getting cut!~

Avi: NNNGH--!!

<DLN-008 HAS ENTERED DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE.>

{D A R E T O U C H M Y B R O T H E R S A N D I /W I L L/ T A K E U S O U T}

Avi: ARGH--!

<DLN-008 IS OFFLINE.>

Avi: N O. O N E. C A N!

Avi: SPECIAL DELIVERY, TRASH FACE!

[KSSSSSST--]