=CHAPTER 9B: HAZY SUSPICION=

=CHAPTER 3A: VOLTAIC DYNATRON=

~AO v1.0~

(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)

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{SANDA LABS...}

Will: Nnngh...

[Much like Mikhail was having troubles of his own, William was feeling rather hopelessly at a loss of what to do himself.]

[...He had hoped that having two separate samples of the Virus—one from Pyro and Cryo—would clear some things up.]

[Instead, it only raised more questions than answers.]

[These samples, while accomplishing their directive, had done so in a MUCH different way than the other. The coding was...so different. So...

....brilliant.]

[...Whoever had coded this KNEW what they were doing.

And they knew it WELL.]

Will: . . .

Will: (This...sinking feeling...)

Will: (The more I stare at this code, the more I want to look away...)

Will: (Why?)

Will: .......

Will: (God, I wish you were here, Mikhail...)

Will: (But with Avi holding the airwaves hostage--who knows when I'll hear from you again?)

[Will sighed heavily, and let the rest of the analysis programs run by themselves for now.]

Will: (—Perhaps another sample is needed...)

Will: (Fortunately...)

Will: (The pattern here is clear enough to give us some idea of where to go next...)

Will: Call?

Call: Yes, Dr. White?

Will: Please continue to try and pinpoint the locations of the other Mighty Numbers--and cross reference them with places that their abilities would have the most effect and damage.

Call: Right away. Scanning...

"Will?"

[White looked up from his terminal, his expression twisting into concern as he saw his best friend hurrying across the lab with his phone in his hands.]

Sanda: You might wanna take a look at this...

[His phone's screen showed nothing but purple static--and didn't seem to be responsive in any way whatsoever.]

Sanda: Either this is Avi's doing or the virus somehow infected cellulars...

Will: Mm...

[Will checked his own—]

Will: ....?

Will: I don't remember shutting mine off...

[Try as he might, he couldn't get it to turn on—]

Will: ......

Will: Wait a minute—

[With an sudden swift movement, Will dug into his shoulder bag—

...And pulled out his charger?]

Will: I must have forgotten...but—

Sanda: ...? Will—you do realize this isn't exactly the time to—

Will: I just want to test something, hold on a moment—

[He plugged it in, connected it, and waited for exactly five, tense minutes—

If he was right about this, then—]

[DING!]

[The phone flickered to life—working perfectly.]

Will: Yes!

Sanda: —?!

Sanda: Wait...how...?

Will: It's just like Call...!

Will: My phone was out of charge when the virus struck—thus it wasn't affected!

Sanda: —!

Sanda: Huh...that's something, alright. Seems like anything that was shut off at the time this all started wasn't affected...

Will: Yes, since it wasn't connected to any servers at the time. Technological isolation, as Mikhail put it...

-PING!-

Will: !

[The “New Message” icon pops up.

…And then as it continues to load, a number appears next to it, and climbs higher, and higher… joined by the “Missed Call” symbol and the “New Voicemail” symbol, which also show multiples…]

Will: ......

Will: They're from Mikhail...

[The time frame shows they were placed after 11:46 AM on June 21st, with the last message sent before said Russian actually managed to get a hold of Will some time later.

There are dozens of pictures of lines of code displaying on a mainframe— apparently taken with a phone camera.]

Will: ...?

Will: This code—

Will: (Hrm—can't quite tell what it is...)

[Will then moves to check his voicemails—and puts it on speaker so that Soi could hear as well.]

[NEW MESSAGE FROM: MIKHAIL RECEIVED ON JUNE 21st, 11:49 AM]

“ -Click- Will? Will?”

“{Papa, why won’t he answer?}”

“{Oh no… please be quiet, Princess…}”

“{Papa, I’m scared—! It’s like with… with the /bad man!/ What if my brothers are sick again?!}”

[A pause, and then a click, as he’d hung up.]

Will: (Oh, God, little Kalinka...)

[NEW MESSAGE FROM: MIKHAIL RECEIVED ON JUNE 21st, 12:01 PM]

“ -Click- {Will, something’s very wrong. I need you to call me back as soon as possible, when you get this—it’s an attack on the server, they’re all sick.} -Click-”

[NEW MESSAGE FROM: MIKHAIL…]

“ -Click- {Will, I REALLY need you to call me back now—it’s coming from YOUR servers— what is going on over there?!} -Click-”

Will: . . .

[NEW MESSAGE FROM: MIKHAIL TIME STAMP INVALID]

“ -Click- … … …”

[A pause.]

“ -Soft sigh and a groan, faint sound like he’s rubbing his face- {It’s bad, William. It was an aggressive virus. I had to hard reset not only the server, but also all of my sons and the Rebel Angels.}”

[Another pause, before he continues in English, before going back to Russian because he’s too tired right now.]

“The code…. … {It did… some very strange things. …I recorded the raw data with a video camera so I could analyze it later—preferably with you, my God I hope you are alright and get this—without having the actual thing being a squatter in the RMDC.}”

“{I’ve sent over some screenshots I pulled off of that—namely, the initial interaction it had with the server, and the start of some of the consequences in action. I’m still looking it over, but it looks like it activated some very bad cross-references… I’ll have to look closer to tell you which ones.}”

“{It did send them all into Lethal mode—or tried to, anyway—it actually just didn’t work with DCN-000, as his current highest setting is Non-Lethal. …Which isn’t to say he can’t cause damage… it’s just that he doesn’t have… -Groans- I’ll tell you when you call back, please call back, alright?}”

“{I’m going to have Tobias search you out if you don’t respond in 24 hours—I hope that isn’t necessary, but I’m very worried.}”

Will: -winCE-

Sanda: Ngh...

“{You needn’t worry about one thing, though—}”

“{It did try to activate the DLN_COMBAT.EXE, but that program never went live in any of the constructs that have access to my server. It activated the DWN_COMBAT.EXE program instead—which I can tell you is something that activates when they are afraid or in great pain… but they have always been defensive. When it went active, they shut down to avoid damage. They are not gone Maverick— so PLEASE, /DON’T/ panic and send Shade over—/}”

Will: .......

[Will just put his head down next to the terminal and groaned. Of course, he had no idea what had happened to the Mighties then...]

“{I really hope I hear back from you soon, Will. We… I need you over here. Some of the interactions…}”

“{The Awareness aspect of the AI_OS—it just can be so… adaptive…. … … … I know you might not think that such a high-tech bit of code from your world could even run in a system as ‘outdated’ as what we use, but the boys… they’ve already long been adapting to data and coding from your children, this…}”

[He trails off.]

“{I won’t let Tobias poke around if I can help it. But for the love of God—

CALL ME.}”

[A click signifies the end of the message.]

[The last message is much later—just before they got into contact. It’s actually from Siam.

It seems to be raw data that was run through a program that Cossack installed to help facilitate communication so that the boys could talk abstractly and still be understood.

The message states that they got some mutual data from Aviator as the result of the fusion, and that they would analyze everything as soon as they ensured Tobias was still…

…that he hadn’t been permanently broken.]

[It also said to expect some side effects once both Tobias and Aviator were Online at the same time without a communication block.]

Will: (S-Side Effects...?)

Sanda: (That doesn't sound good...)

[…Wait.

There was one more message.]

Will: ...! There's...another...

Sanda: Huh—?

[NEW MESSAGE FROM: D L N — 0 0 0]

Will: CARDINAL—!

"WHA—"

"DAD WHAT ABOUT HIM I HEARD YOU SCREAM—"

[MN.1, 2, AND 9 ARE NOW ONLINE.]

[MN.1] //: -DATA, DID YOU FIND HIM?-

Will: No—hold on—

“J O H N 15:13”

[END OF NEW MESSAGES.]

Will: John 15:13...?

Sanda: Why would...?

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

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

[MN.1] //: "No greater love than this..."

[MN.1] //: "...than to lay down his life for his friends."

[MN.9] //: . . .

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

Will: ......

Will: (Cardinal—I pray that you're safe—but PLEASE don't find him before we do...)

Will: (—Your heart's in the right place, but you lack the tools to save him...)

Will: .....

[Will saves the pictures Mikhail took of the coding from the RMDC—and silently thanked him under his breath. He now had three samples to go over and compare—even if the Rebel Angels weren't of Xel, this information could essential to working out the cause of the malfunctions.]

Will: (I hope you're having better luck than me, friend—)

[—Blink.]

Will: -Looks up- ??

Sanda: Wha—

Sanda: Did the lights just—

[BZZZZZZZT!]

[The whole building was thrown into darkness.]

Sanda: aaAAAAAAH—!

Will: —!!

"WHOA WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS—?!"

"Beck—Calm—One moment—"

[....A few seconds later, A bright glow shines from the repair bay, and Pyro slowly walks out with his hand aflame, his younger siblings in tow.]

Pyro: Father?

Will: Yes, we're alright.

Sanda: Oh thank goodness Pyro thank you—

Call: Initiating Back-up Generator startup sequence...

Call: My scans indicate that the city's power grid was shut down—the main power will be rerouted in about 30 minutes.

Sanda: The entire city?!

Will: .......

Pyro: .....

Beck: ...You don't think...?

Will: ...It has to.

Will: Dynatron...

[The lights flicker back on, although they are now a light green.]

Sanda: ...If she's managed to access the power grid, then—

Will: Then she must be at one of the country's major power plants.

Pyro: ......Yes—of course—she would have to drain power from a large source at some point—!

Cryo: ........

Call: Initiating search—

Cryo: Big.

Beck: ...?

Cryo: Bros, this is Dyna. We all KNOW her appetite.

Cryo: Where's the biggest power plant in the US?

Call: The largest power plant in the United States is located in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Call: However, we will not be able to initiate Xel Transfer until the power comes back on.

Will: We'll just have to make the best of what time we have. Beck, prepare yourself—Sanda, you and I will continue repairs on 1 and 2.

Cryo: —!

Cryo: Daddy— fix my tank first—

Will: I'll do that—

Will: ...But I'm afraid I can't let you go with Beck.

Cryo: But—!

Will: Either of you.

Pyro: . . .

Will: One—you'd risk becoming infected once more simply by going OUT there—

Will: Two, we need someone to stay HERE in case the malfunctioning robots out in the city decide to come back here—

Will: Three, the both of you still need extensive repairs and FOUR—

Will: Think of the others.

Cryo: ....

Will: You are half-weak to Dyna—and Pyro still needs to recover from his LAST trip to rescue you.

Will: .....

Will: And if by some miracle we do get back in touch with Mikhail and the Angels...

Will: They will want to know if you are alright.

Cryo: . . . .

Pyro: . . .

Beck: ......

Will: ...I'm sorry.

Will: I know you want to help your sister, but...

Will: Beck will have to go on his lonesome this time.

Cryo: ......

Cryo: -SNIFF-

Pyro: . . . .

Beck: .....

Beck: I'll be careful.

Beck: I'll bring her back.

Beck: I'll save her like I did with you guys.

Beck: I promise.

Cryo: ......

Cryo: [sub] just don't punch her too hard or something.... [/sub]

Pyro: ......

[MN.1 to MN.9] //: Do what you have to, Beck. Just bring her back to us.

[MN.9 to MN.1] //: I will, Pyro. I will.

——————————————

[.....]

[MEANWHILE, IN CHERRYDYNAMICS INC. MAIN OFFICE BUILDING...]

[BACK UP GENERATORS RUNNING.]

[A phone rings. It seems to be a private line...]

[Click.]

"Mr. Graham?"

"Graham speaking."

"Sir, the recent power outage is going to take some time to work around—"

*"What's the status of our servers?*"

"...Still infected, sir. But our firewalls are holding for our factory lines—at least on the west coast—"

"What about [dark pink] her.[dark pink] "

[Silence.]

"What. About. HER."

"....It's....still....here."

"Any changes?"

"No, but--"

"Good. Leave her as she is, don't tamper with anything."

"Sir--"

"If I see once scratch on her, I WILL FIRE your whole department and worse. Do you understand?"

"Sir—she's—"

"I asked you a question."

".....U-Understood, sir..."

"Mm. Notify me if anything comes up."

"Yes, Mr. Graham..."

[CLICK.]

"Idiots..."

"Just when this was all going to plan..."

"This VIRUS rears it's ugly HEAD..."

"....."

".....Well. As long as [darkpink] she [darkpink] remains untouched..."

"This can still be fixed..."

[Click. Click. Click.]

"......Senator? Ah! Greg Graham here—yes, yes, I'm perfectly safe, but what about—Oh! Well, that's good news—Yes. Yes, we're doing EVERYTHING we can—In fact!"

"We may be on the verge of a [darkpink] solution [darkpink] as we speak..."

[ ...... ]

——————————————

[SANDA LABS, A HALF HOUR LATER...]

[The power had been restored—and everyone immediately scrambled to get the lab systems up and running when—]

Call: Scan complete.

Call: I have located Mighty No. 3's transponder signal in the predicted location. It is confirmed.

Call: I will now initiate Xel Transfer. Please stand by.

Cryo: Bro—Bro.

Beck: Yeah?

Cryo: Just remember that Sis likes to TOY with whomever's up against her, so...

Cryo: ....You...might see some creepy stuff in there and I'm not talking about last Halloween, bro.

Cryo: .....

Cryo: Just...pay attention and keep moving forward, 'Kay?

[Beck nods as he re-checks his comm link, eyes trained at the map in front of him....]

Beck: .......

Beck: . . .

Beck: (I...)

Beck: (....I hope [color=vermilion] you're [/color] safe, wherever you are...)

Beck: (....PLEASE be OK...)

Beck: (Please...)

Beck: (I don't want to be the only—)

Call: Xel Transfer initiated...

Pyro: Good luck, Beck...

Cryo: WE'LL BE IN TOUCH, BRO, GO GET OUR SIS—

[........]

___________

[MISSION DETAILS: MIGHTY NO. 3, DYNATRON, HAS BEEN SPOTTED AT THIS INDIANA POWER PLANT FACILITY. PROBABILITY OF POWER SIPHONAGE: EXTREME.]

[MISSION OBJECTIVES: LOCATE AND RESCUE MN.3, AND PURGE ALL HARMFUL MALWARE FROM SYSTEMS, PREVENT TOTAL POWER GRID OVERLOAD.]

[SYSTEMS READY?]

[GO!]

[Beck could already FEEL the erratic power surges in the air as he materialized into the Power Plant, his systems taking a moment to readjust to charged atmosphere—it made him a little dizzy, honestly.]

Beck: Whoa...

[It passed after a few seconds, and soon he was making headway down the halls—]

[Zzzt!]

Beck: —WHA—!

[Darkness.]

Beck: I can't see—!

[He scrambles for his C.Visor, for the night vision function it had, of course, but as soon as he turned that on— ]

[The lights came back on again.]

Beck: (Gah—! Too bright—!)

[And once again, they shut OFF and ON, flickering randomly as the low fog in the facility crept around the Mighty Number—]

Beck: (Fog—indoors—?)

[His comm comes online.]

Sanda: W...What's happening t-to the l-lights—??

[...There was a quivering fear in Soi's tone—for a moment, Beck was confused—

Then it hit him.

Dr. Sanda had a fear of the dark.]

Will: Soi—Soi, it's OK—

Sanda: Beck—Beck, PLEASE be careful, youdon'tknowwhat'sinthere—!

Call: Relax, Dr. Sanda.

Call: It is a temporary blackout caused by the erratic power supply....

Call: It may also trigger irregularities in other robots on site. Proceed with due caution, Beck.

Beck: G-Got it... (Night vision's not gonna be really useful if the lights are going crazy like that...)

[Lifting his visor goggles back up to his helmet, he moves onwards, eventually encountering more malfunctioning robots—]

[...Except...]

Beck: ....Uh...

[...They weren't...moving...]

Beck: D...Dad...?

Will: —? They're offline...

[There was no damage to be seen whatsoever—but they were sparking up rather harshly, and some of them even twitched here and there...]

Call: My scans indicate that they have been drained of all power.

Beck: (Dyna...) … (No point wasting energy on them—gotta keep moving...)

[He carefully makes his way over the offlined husks of robots—their cold, unlit optics making them seem lifeless and dead.]

[...And yet, Beck didn't think twice of it. Funny, given how easily he scares...]

Beck: (This is just like going through her part of the sewers—except less water, and less fog...)

Beck: (...and a LOT more creepy, at least—)

[BZZZZZZZT!]

Call: Warning—there is a power surge in your area--!

[The lights become MUCH brighter, and arcs of electricity jump from one row of lights to another, making very LOUD noises—]

[...Wait...the noises sounded like...]

[...Laughter?]

Beck: Ngh—!

[While his systems recover from the sudden outburst of energy, the electricity jumps from the lights—

...To the downed robots around him.

With a startling whirr of machinery, they rise, like puppets on strings, their eyes all glowing an ominous purple.

And in an instant, they all snap their heads toward Beck.]

Beck: AAAAAH—!

Sanda: RUN!

[He didn't need to be told twice—he dashes out of there, the sounds of the horde of robots behind him. He manages to shoot some of them down, but there were just so many of them—]

Beck: —?!

[Suddenly, he had to put on the brakes.

A generator model was blocking his path—it was too high to jump over, and what was worse—

This bot was most DEFINITELY not offline.]

[ZZZZZZZT!]

[Beck was BLASTED by a high powered charge, one that raced across the ceiling and over his head—the other had traveled the floor and struck his legs, causing him to be blown back RIGHT into the robots that were chasing him.]

Beck: GGHT—!

[—Fortunately, this current did not stop at Beck, and proceeded to do the same to the rest of the malfunctioning constructs in the hall.]

Will: BECK—zzt—DO YOU R—zzt—ECK?!

Sanda: DI—zzt—HE OVER—zzt-

Call: Be—zzt—respo—zzt—please res—zzt—

Beck: Gh—D—Da-

[ERROR: SYSTEM OVERLOAD, REROUTING POWER SUPPLY...]

Will: Hold on—zzt—your sys—zzt—try to—zzt—!

[REROUTING...]

Beck: Gnh...!

[The robots that were around him also had their systems overloaded, and the generator bot had closed up to recharge for another attack.]

[It was all a matter of who would recover first...]

[REROUTING...] [REROUTING...]

Beck: (Come on—!)

[PING!]

[SYSTEMS RESTORED.]

[And just in time—]

[BZZZZZZZT!]

[Beck had only a split second to react—he jumped, and quickly switched his form to Pyro's—he couldn't deal with the threats on either side of him with his default, so he had to rely on his brother's blast radius to quickly take out the constructs surrounding him.]

Beck: BACK OFF—!

[BOOM!]

[ZZZZRT!]

[And it worked! The robot's Xel Structures were now destabilized, giving Beck some much needed Absorption Boosts and a Xel Stock to save for later.]

[—PING!]

Sanda: —Got it! Beck—Beck, do you read?

Beck: Yeah—I read!

[A sigh of relief came from the other side.]

Will: Goodness, that was tense—your communicator was malfunctioning, and we had a data loss—we concluded that you had a system overload...

Beck: Yeah—wasn't nice at all...

Will: Fortunately, your systems can reroute power surges--but it also leaves you open, so take care not to let it happen again.

Beck: Right...

[The lights begin to flicker once more as Beck continues, this time making sure to shoot the drained bots first, before they woke up...

It certainly made things a little easier, though the large generator bots were a pain to deal with. Huge, produced by CherryDyn, packed a punch and REALLY tough to take down—they usually blocked the way, so he had no choice but to absorb them and move on.

Eventually, however, after crossing over huge, glowing power lines, he comes across a door. After passing through it, it shuts behind him...

...And the lights shut off again.]

Sanda: Nnngh—...

Will: Hold on, Soi— -sounds of rummaging-

Beck: ......

Beck: (...The lights aren't coming back on.... Better switch on Night Vision this time—)

[BWAAAAAN BWAAAAAN BWAAAAN BWAAAAAN—!!!]

Sanda: AAAAAAAH—!!!

[A LOUD alarm suddenly goes off, red lights flashing everywhere, sending Beck into a slight panic—]

Beck: Wah—!

Beck: (WHAT'S HAPPENING—??)

[The lights are brought back on again—

And covering the entirety of the walls and ceiling were dozens and dozens of small, four legged robots, resembling—yes—spiders.]

Beck: EEP—!!

[The spider-like bots all chitter at once, a horrifying, low sound, and they all start to crawl...slowly...towards the Mighty Number.]

Beck: Ah—... nice s-spider bots...g-good spider bots...!

Sanda: ohGodthey'regoingtoSWARMHIM—

Will: Sanda—get a hold of yourself!

Sanda: —!

Will: —He's also locked inside—those robots have drained the power from the other door.

Will: Beck—destroy all robots in the area, you will need their Xel and energy to unlock the doors!

Beck: A...All of...?!

[The spiders closed in, the bulbs on their backs shining a dull cobalt—the ones that had gotten a few feet of Number Nine screeched and jumped on him—!]

Beck: ACK, NO, STOP—GET OFF—!

Beck: GETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFF—!!!

Will: Beck—focus—!

Beck: OW THEY'RE ON MY FACE DAD HELP—

Beck: THEY BITE HARD OWOWOW—

[PING!]

[MN.2] //: BRO!

Beck: —Cryo—!

[MN.2] //: They're smaller than you, Beck—FREEZE 'EM AND SMASH 'EM!

Beck: !!!

[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE]

[A flash of white fading to blue and a COLD blast of ice covers his own frame, trapping the spiders on him in ice. He wastes no time smashing them with his nozzle, absorbing the Xel from them one by one.]

[MN.2] //: YEAH BRO, THAT'S IT—!

[This process was repeated until the last spider bot was smashed, leaving Beck a little exhausted--did the spiders also drain his energy too...?]

[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[The door opened once the spiders that were siphoning it's power were gone, allowing him access to the deeper parts of the plant.]

[MN.1] //: ...There certainly is an eerie touch in here...

[MN.2] //: What do ya expect, it's DYNA, of course she'd make everything creepy, it's her thing.

[MN.2] //: Dude, remember the haunted house she was in charge of last Halloween, SOMEONE CALLED THE POLICE EVEN.

[MN.1] //: Someone got lost in there, Cryo—

[MN.2] //: E X A C T L Y.

[MN.2] //: Bro—PLEASE be careful, I dunno what kind of fragged up things she's thought of in her state...

[........]

Beck: . . .

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

Beck: ......

Will: Beck—?

Beck: . . . .

Beck: . . . -AUDIBLE GULP-

Beck: I—I t-th-think I-I have a pretty g-good idea a-already...

Will: What are you--

Will: —?!

[The next room wasn't much better than the last.

Live, high powered cables were strung everywhere, like some kind of web, and hung up from the ceiling, in various, macabre positions were even MORE robots—

....not just the surrounding models in the area, but—were those civilian models too—?! ]

[MN.2] //: Holy SH—

[MN.1] //: What in the...?!

Beck: D...Dyna...

Will: No...!

Sanda: -YUP, HE'S SHAKING NOW, WILL, HELP-

Call: ....

Call: Scanning...

Call: Beck, several of the robots overhead are showing signs of life.

Call: Please move though this area as quickly as possible.

Beck: . . . .

Beck: Wait—what about the civilians?!

Call: Beck—please move. Now.

Beck: But you said—!

Will: We can double back for them later, Beck! GO!

Beck: —Nngh—!

[Reluctantly, he dashes across the cable web, glancing every so often at the civilians he passed by—was it too late for them, or...?]

Call: Warning: Incoming Power Surge.

Beck: —!!

[The cables that surrounded him went live—and a familiar purple current surrounded them! The same kind that the spikes in the Oil Platform and Water Works had—!]

Call: Warning: These cables have been modified to disrupt Xel Structures.

[Dashing around all these death cables didn't seem to be the best idea at the moment—!]

Beck: Oh man—

[He stops dead in his tracks, the loud, buzzing electrical currents resounding in his audio receptors, WAY too close for comfort...]

Beck: O~O;;;;

[The way they were set up forced him to remain completely still-- one wrong move and he was as good as loose Xel.]

[Then...]

Beck: . . .

[SKRET—!]

Beck: what was that—

[He could HEAR something skittering in the darkness—what, he did NOT want to find out.]

[Suddenly, the currents to the cables stopped. Freedom! ]

Beck: (Gotta get outta here—!!)

[He dashed as fast as he possibly could, into down the corridor, and he was only halfway there—!]

Call: Warning: Incoming Power Surge—

Beck: (AGAIN?!)

[Once more, he stopped--the wires sparking to life, and whatever was hiding in the darkness once again made that awful grating noise—!]

Beck: Daaaaad—!

Will: —! Beck—it's a pattern! They shut on and off in intervals!

Beck: —! A pattern—

[Will was right—the wires turned on and off in exactly three second intervals—it didn't give him much time, but...! ]

Beck: (Wait three seconds, dash, wait three more, rinse and repeat...)

Beck: (And try not to be whatever is in the dark's lunch, WHAT IS THAT—)

[SKRET—!]

Beck: Nngaah—

[A tedious, twisted game of Red Light, Green Light—or Purple Light, in this case. Stop, dash, stop, dash—all while occasionally shooting behind him—it seemed to keep whatever creature that wanted his head well away from him—]

[But at last—! There was light! The door!]

Beck: (OH MAN, FINALLY—!) Just a few more—

[SCREEEEEEEEECH—!!]

[MN.2] //: WHAT THE FRAG IS THAT?!?

[MN.1] //: DOESN'T MATTER—RUN FOR IT—!

[The fast paced clacking of multiple feet is more than enough to spur Beck onto dashing the last few feet—and rolling through the door—]

[SCREEEEEEEECH—!!]

[The door slammed shut—and whatever was chasing Beck crashed into it, leaving a large dent—as Beck sat on the other side gasping for air, the creature kept screeching in rage and ramming itself against the door in an attempt to bust it open.]

Beck: Hah....hah....jeez...

[His core was cycling a mile a minutes, and it did take a few more moments for him to calm down once the creature stopped bashing itself on the door.]

Will: (What on EARTH was that...thing...?)

Will: Beck—are you alright?

Beck: Hah...yeah...for the...most part...[sub]still pretty scared... [/sub]

[Collecting himself back to his feet, Number Nine leaned against a wall and sighed.

....Still no sign of Dyna. Oh, she was here, no doubt, but he sort of expected her to show up by now, maybe to taunt and frighten him...

...But nothing. Nothing at all.

...Which was weird, considering Dyna LIVED for that sort of thing—all in good fun, usually, but this...]

Beck: .....

Beck: Where are you, Sis...?

Beck: .....

Beck: (She's gotta be in the generators—if she's messing with the power supply, it has to be from there...)

Beck: Call—how far is the generator room from here?

Call: Calculating....

Call: The fastest route to the main generators is through the Turbine room.

Beck: T...Turbines...?

Call: Correct. You are in it now.

Beck: ....!

[He noticed a low humming noise in the background as he continued, and a soft rumbling under his feet—which only grew louder and louder until—]

Beck: Whoa—!

[The room opened up further to reveal the turbines in question—and they were BIG.]

Sanda: Great Scott—look at the size of those turbines—! C-Careful you don't get sucked in, Beck—!

Beck: They ARE big—!

[So big that he wasn't even sure he could get PAST them. And what's worse, they had that SAME purple current of disrupting Xel frequencies--one touch and he was DONE for.]

Beck: How do I get past these things...?

[Flying over them would be one option—but he didn't have Avi's form. Blowing them up wouldn't be a good idea either—that would REALLY mess up the power grid...]

Beck: ....Mmmng...what to do...

[....! Wait a minute—]

[There was a very small space underneath them— but maybe big enough for him to crawl under? Wait, no, if he was too slow, they'd suck him up...]

Beck: .....

[But if he was fast enough...]

Will: ...Call, maybe you should recalculate another path, this seems to be—wait—Beck? What are you doing?

Beck: I'm gonna try something—

Will: Wait—what? What are you—?!

Beck: HERE GOES NOTHING—

[He dashed towards the turbine—!]

[MN.1] //: BECK?!

[MN.2] //: BRO NO WHAT ARE YOU DOING—

[His form...]

[...compresses...?]

Sanda: —!!

[It looked like he was a little more squished when he did his dash—so much so that he was able to rapidly duck underneath the space between the turbine and the floor and slide out safely on the other side!]

Will: —?! (He was able to modify his own Absorption Dash?! But—that’s—!!)

Beck: —!!

Beck: ....

Beck: I'm not dead—!

[MN.2] //: BRO—THAT WAS SICK—!

[MN.1] //: NINE, DID YOU EVEN KNOW THAT WAS GOING TO WORK—?! -RANT- DON'T SCARE US LIKE THAT—

Beck: S-Sorry—

Beck: But we are kinda in a hurry—

Beck: Let's see...

[There were more turbines to duck under...]

Will: ......

Sanda: Ngh—never thought Beck himself would be giving US such a scare, huh, Will....

Sanda: ....—? Will?

Will: .......

Sanda: Will?

Will: . . .

Sanda: Will!

Will: —! Oh—hm?

Sanda: Will—? You alright there...?

Will: Oh—yes. Yes. Fine. I'm fine.

Sanda: .....

Will: .....

Sanda: Will.

Will: ......

Will: I.... Later, Soi.

Sanda: ......

Sanda: OK, then...

Sanda: ..... (But I can TELL when something is bothering you, Will...)

Will: Beck? Do you read?

Beck: Yup—! I'm at the last turbine—there's another room up ahead—and the air is getting pretty densely charged. Think I'm getting closer...

Beck: ...Whew! OK, that's it...

Beck: Heading into the room now...

[The door opens and shuts behind him again, and—yup, right on cue, the lights switch off.]

Beck: ......

Sanda: ohnonotagain—

Beck: ......

[...Nothing.]

[Seconds pass.]

[Still nothing.]

Beck: .......

Beck: . . .

Beck: .....

[Alright, this was getting ridiculous—

He hasn't seen or heard her all this TIME and it was really starting to get to him—come on, he just wanted to HEAR HER—!]

Beck: DYNA—!

Beck: S I S!!

Beck: I KNOW YOU'RE IN HERE—!

[......]

[BWAAAAN BWAAAAAN BWAAAAN—]

Sanda: -JUMPS AND SCREECHES—-

Beck: Ugh--!

[There was a loud THUMP at the other end of the comm—]

Will: Soi—!?

Sanda: @~@

Call: ...Dr. Sanda?

Sanda: Ngh—I—I mean—I'm fine—

Sanda: I—It's not l-like I'm n-not afraid of the dark— at—at all...I—

Will: —...Call, please take Soi to the other room and give him some water—

Sanda: N-No—!

Beck: —! Dr. Sanda—

Sanda: I...

Sanda: I can't just LEAVE Beck...

Sanda: Horf...

Sanda: ...I can do this I can do this—

Beck: —!

[Yup—spiders—and it looked like there are some generator bots to boot—!]

Sanda: oH DEAR LORD THERE'S MORE—

[BZZzzzzzzZZZZZT!]

[KKSSSSSST—]

"ZZZZSILENCE!"

Beck: —!!!!

[MN.3] //: How am I zzsupposed to enjoy my meal—

[MN.3]//: WITH YOU ZZZSCREAMING IN MY EAR?!

Beck: (DYNA—!)

Sanda: —Oh—oh I'm sorry I didn't—

[Beat—]

Sanda: Wait—No. 3!

Sanda: You were RIGHT, Will—she IS behind the power outages—!

[MN.3] //: Hehehehe...

[MN.3] //: That'zzz right, geniuszz—!~

[MN.3] //: ALL thiszz delicious energy....~

[MN.3] //: Who can REZZIST?!~

[MN.1] //: Dynatron—! PLEASE, stop this—!

[MN.3] //: Why should I?~ I don't have to liszzten to EVERYTHING you zzzsay anymore, big brother—! Not anymore! Heee!

[MN.2] //: Then MAYBE you'll listen to ME.

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

[MN.3] //: Big zzsis...?

[MN.2]//: ...Hi, sis.

[MN.3] //: -Confused...data...wait...-

[MN.3] //: What are you doing there? Shouldn't you be...?

[MN.2] //: Dyna, listen to me, baby sis—

[MN.2] //: You're not OK, and everything you're doing isn't your fault—

[MN.2] //: Just PLEASE stay put and let Beck do his thing, and everything will be OK, OK?

[MN.3] //: —?

[MN.3] //: But...we were just talking this morning—what happened...?

Beck: NGH—!

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

[Meanwhile, Beck was dealing with the hordes of robots that were locked in the room with him, using Cryo's form to smash the spiders, like before...]

[MN.3] //: .....!

[MN.3] //: You...

[MN.3] //: You took her POWER—!

[MN.2] //: SIS, NO, THAT'S—

[MN.3] //: AND NOW YOU WANT TO TAKE MINE?!

[MN.3] //: YOU—YOU TOOK IT—LIKE THE [color=Blue]OTHER ONE—[/color]

[PING!]

[MN.9] //: THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M DOING—!

[MN.9] //: I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU, DYNA!!

[MN.3] //: ......

[MN.3] // ZZSave?

[MN.3] //: .......

[Wild, distorted, INSANE cackling.]

[MN.3] //: I'm not zzsome DAMZZAL IN DIZZTRESSZZ.

[MN.3] //: I don't NEED ZZSAVING—!

[MN.3] //: I have more power in my little PINKY than you do in all the ZZXels in your body—

[MN.3] //: I have everything I could EVER want right here...~

[MN.3]//: All the energy I could ever want! It's so MUCH... Mmmm, I could be here FOREVER...~~

[MN.9] //: DYNA!!

[MN.3] //: Ahahahahahaha!~~

[MN.3] //: All this POWER...I love it...!~

[MN.3] //: Hurry up, Becky--I REALLY want someone to SHARE it with--!~

[KSSSSST!]

Beck: SIS--!

[There was a HUGE static fuzz for a moment.]

Will: --??

Sanda: Dyna?? But she just--

Beck: No, wait...

-PING!-

<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED. ENTRY: DLN-008. ENTRY: DLN-001. ERROR—CONNECTION TO MAIN SERVER FAILED.

Beck: Toby...!

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

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

Will: He must have sensed Dyna on the line... (...It's a good thing he's not awake right now, but...)

[MN.1] //: ....Dyna...no...

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

[MN.2] //: Bro.

[MN.2] //: You know what you gotta do.

[MN.2] //: So this is NO time to be getting cold feet.

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

[MN.1] //: Are you REALLY going to be PUNNING AT A TIME LIKE THIS--

[MN.2] //: THAT WAS UNINTENDED, I SWEAR.

[MN.2] //: POINT IS--

[MN.2] //: Don't let her GET to you, Beck. She might SEEM crazy, but she's IN there, somewhere.

[MN.2] //: YOU JUST GOTTA PUNCH THE CRAZY OUTTA HER, SO DON'T DIE, OK?!

Beck: ......

[MN.9] //: Punch the crazy out of her. Don't die. Yeah.

[MN.9] //: I can do that.

[MN.2] //: Cool beans, bro. Cool beans.

Call: ...Mighty No. 3 has been detected in the generator room up ahead. Warning: There are dangerous high levels of static and electrical discharge as well. We may lose our comm link with No. 9.

Will: I was afraid of that--the Patch bot should be just up ahead to heal you, Beck--you'll need it.

[Once the door had been unlocked, there was a long, suspended walkway with glass windows on the side--and beyond, a large window that showed the night sky, various stars twinkling at him...]

Beck: ....

Beck: (Hang on, Dyna...)

Beck: (I'll save you--!)

———————————

[The generator room lay ahead, and so did the Patch bot just waiting by the door. As soon as it delivered it's load, it flew off, leaving the Mighty Number to stand alone against his own sister.]

[He could already hear the cracks and sounds of pure electricity--]

[...Wait--]

[Was she...?]

"Mmm mmmm mmm I'm a thunderstorm in a bottle!~"

[His vision instantly fuzzed to static several times once he stepped inside, and inwardly groaned--the static buildup in the air was almost unbearable.]

[But once it did adjust, a familiar, harmonious voice rose in volume, now humming to some high tempo tune...]

[Bolts of lighting flashed and arched over the generator....]

[....And the Electric Maiden was dancing and twirling along with them.]

Dyna: Yeszzzz....Yeszzzz!~

[She spun gracefully in place, the power from the country's largest generator bouncing all over the room and right back into her, increasing her already pooled up power supply...]

Dyna: The power--zzzssso much deliciouszzz POWER!~~

[A high pitched, witch like laugh filled the supercharged atmosphere, and she swayed to some invisible tune that only she could hear in her forced madness.]

Dyna: Mmmm!~ It'szzz intoxicating--! I'm getting DIZZZZY! Ahahaha--

Dyna: WHEEEEEEE!~~~

[Beck could only watch in growing fear as his elder sibling continued to siphon energy at an alarming rate--if this kept up, not only would she blow out the whole grid, but she could SERIOUSLY hurt herself too--!]

Beck: D...Dyna...?

Dyna: Hmmm?~~

[In an instant, all the electrical interference ceased as she snapped her head in his direction--glowing red eyes zeroing in on his frame.]

Dyna: Ooooh...

Dyna: Zzzo it'zzz you...!~

Beck: .....Yeah. It's me.

Dyna: You came here a lot quicker than I thought! Bravo, baby brother.~

Beck: ........

Beck: I don't want to fight you, Dyna.

Beck: I don't want to HURT you.

Dyna: Awwwwww.~~

Dyna: But why ELSE are you here, hmm?~~

Beck: I'm here to--

[C R A C K !]

Beck: WHOA--!

[A lighting bolt narrowly misses his side, her bits already floating around the room, sparking and crackling with energy.]

Dyna: I'll tell you why, INSECT!~

Dyna: You've come for MY POWER. YOU WANT TO TAKE IT FROM ME!

Beck: NO!

Beck: I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU, DYNA! PLEASE--YOU CAN F I G H T THIS!

Beck: You just gotta hold on until--

[C R A C K!]

[Another bolt, flying over his head--it bounces around the room through the bits that floated about, and returned to Dyna herself.]

Dyna: 'ZZZSave' me....HA!~

[SCANNING.....]

[SCAN COMPLETE.]

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

[MODEL: MIGHTY NO. 3 - CODENAME: DYNATRON]

[HEIGHT: 191cm WEIGHT: 91kg XEL COUNT: 18,200,000]

Dyna: WELL, WE'LL JUST ZZZEE ABOUT THAT!~

[Dynatron--out of all of her siblings, she was rather unique, in combat terms. She, too, was also built for a support role--but her powers were good for most types of combat, especially in the 'zoning game.' ]

[Her bits flew out from her cloak in groups of six, controlled by her mastery of electromagnetism, in a perfect circle around her...]

Dyna: You'll NEVER take my power...! I WON'T LET YOU!~

[With a wave of her claws, they formed into a semi circle--and launched outwards!]

Beck: --!!

[Beck had enough spars against her to know what they did--if they managed to stick to him, they would either start to drain his energy, or overload his systems...!]

[A quick jump backwards and he avoided them, and they ended up sticking to the floor instead.]

Beck: I'm sorry, Dyna...!

[He raised his arm cannon--]

[BLAM--]

Beck: --?!

[--But all his shots met were even more bits, thrown into his line of fire.]

Dyna: Did you REALLY think your PEASHOOTER would do anything againszzt ME?

Beck: Ngh--!

[He thought about what forms he had at the moment--going into Cryo's was out of the question, and using Pyro's could damage the generators...

He had no choice--his default was his best bet against her. He just had make sure every shot made its mark--]

Dyna: Ooooh, Beeeeckyyyy!~~

Beck: Gah--

[Lighting danced around them--Beck was sure he was going to throw up, or at least FELT like it, and for a moment he couldn't see--]

Beck: Ack--!

[T H U N K]

[He felt something WHAM into his back, something slightly heavy, and very warm--]

Beck: --!!!!

Dyna: AHAHAHA!~

[The purple bit glowed an ominous light blue, securing itself upon Beck's back like glue. It hummed as it awaited a command--]

Beck: (Oh nonononono NONONONO--)

Dyna: Now then--!~

Dyna: LET'ZZZ SZZEE HOW WELL YOU CONDUCT!~~

[The horns on her head start to spark-- ]

Beck: (GOTTA GET THIS OFF--!!)

[He struggled and ran back and forth, his hands finding purchase on the glowing bit--pulling--YANKING--]

[BZZ BZZ--]

Beck: (CAN'T--!)

[BZZZZ BZZZZZ--]

Beck: DYNA--!!

[There was only one other way to get it off--]

[B L A M!]

Dyna: --?!?

[Electricity CRACKS, splits, and jumps from bit to bit, like a giant version of a closed circuit--anything close to or touching them would have IMMEDIATELY been fried to a crisp...]

Dyna: What-?

[....But...]

[Sssss...]

[The bit that had attached itself to Beck was now just a smoking mess of Xel, already reverting back to a gooy form--]

Beck: Ghnnn--!

[And yet--]

[Beck was on his knees, BLASTING signals of pain that ran over his back--couldn't--ah--hurts-- hurts--!]

Beck: (AAAAOW, that hurts so much, I had no idea my cannon shots DID that--OW--)

Beck: (it hurts it hurts where--need--Xel Stock--!)

Dyna: .......

[This was the perfect time to attack.]

[BZZZZZ....]

[....bzzzz...]

Dyna: --?

[....But why couldn't she...?]

Dyna: -confused data-

Beck: Hurts--where--

Dyna: ????

[This was supposed to be fun, wasn't it?]

Dyna: Becky...?

[Worry. Power. Guilt. Power. Destroy--]

Dyna: Nnn--

[Brother--]

Dyna: -ZZZZZZT!!-

Dyna: Head--can't--

Dyna: -ZZZZZZZZT--

[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 2...]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[A faint glow, and a sigh of relief--though it didn't last long, as Beck was soon BOMBARDED with electrical interference.]

Beck: --?!?

[But this time, he wasn't the only one feeling disorientated.]

Dyna: -ZZZZZZZZZZT!!-

Dyna: Can't...think--

Dyna: Hurts--

Beck: --!

Dyna: Ngh--power--so much--need--need--

Dyna: T--

Dyna: T--To...

Beck: --!!

Beck: (Is she--?!)

Dyna: He--T--Hel--!

Beck: Don't worry, Dyna--!

Beck: Just HOLD ON--!

[BLAM BLAM--!]

Dyna: --!!!

[A flurry of golden steaks strike the Maiden, and she wobbles--gasping--her mind snapping to a blank state of bewilderment.]

Dyna: M-My--power--!

[ACXELERATE DASH: ONLINE.]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[She blinks--her sparks fading, the glow from her bits becoming dimmer and dimmer...]

Dyna: N--No--...!

[Several more bits are thrown, wildly, and they stick to every available wall, forcing Beck to shoot the oncoming threats to give him space to move around.]

Dyna: You--

[BzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZT--]

Dyna: YOU--!!

[ C R A C K!]

Dyna: THERE'S NO ESCAPE--!

[BZZZZZZZZZZT!!!]

[WRRRRRRRRRRRR--!]

[WARNING: GENERATOR REACHING CRITICAL POWER LEVELS.]

Beck: Ohno--!

[Zzzt!]

Beck: Dad--DAD--Call?!

[KSSSST.]

Beck: (Ugh, too much interference--!)

[He rolled away to avoid another high powered 'electric web'--it was a good thing the bits burnt up and faded away once they were used--they were usually single use. However, to make up for it, Dyna had the ability to summon as many as she pleased.]

Dyna: HOLD ZZZZSTILL--!

Beck: NOT GONNA HAPPEN--!

[BLAM BLAM BLAM!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[B L A M--]

Dyna: ?!?!

[Then--]

Dyna: . . . .

Dyna: -SYSTEM SHRIEK OF R A G E.-

Dyna: YOU--!!

Beck: --!!

Beck: --Oh--

[Beck made a VERY big mistake. Or rather, he didn't quite AIM right.]

Beck:

Dyna--uh--Dyna--I--

Dyna: THISZZZ--

Dyna: THISZZZ WAS MY FAVORITE CLOAK AND YOU--!!

Dyna: YOU R U I N E D IT!

[C R A C K!!! ]

Dyna: Annoying little mozzzquito--!

Beck: --?!?

[Suddenly, he felt--lighter--and lighter where did the GROUND GO--?!]

Dyna: TIME TO MEET THE BIG BUG ZZZZAPPER IN THE ZZZSKY!~~

[Her bits are called back to her, and now they encircle her form with a grandiose sweep of her arm. Her grin widens, so wide that it looked like it would split her face--]

[A snap of her talons--]

[BZZZZZZZZZT!]

Beck: ---!!

[The bits flash three times, spark, and a line of yellow lighting connects them all...!]

Beck: A--A shield--?!

Dyna: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!~~

[She LUNGES, the action just as fast as the lightning around her, her shield acting as a RAM--the shock sends Beck's systems into overload, and also spiraling out of control--!]

Beck: AaaAaaAaaaAaaAAA---

[The wall comes up fast, his head is spinning with interference and dizziness...]

Beck: (Can't tell--up--down--Dyna--where--?)

[There are no more words from the Maiden--only maniacal giggles and banshee-like shrieks, dancing across the air erratically. There were more bits around her--]

[All aimed right at Nine.]

Beck: (Generator--on the right--so--)

Beck: --!!

[BBZZZZZZZT--!]

[.......]

[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE.]

[The sound of ICE forming--]

[The walls frost--]

[THUNK--!]

[An ice wall now stands between Beck and Dyna, her bits sending it's deathly currents across it--while Beck himself shook behind it, his eyes closed, nozzle arm shaking and misting in front of him.]

Beck: . . . .

Beck: .....????

Beck: I...

Beck: I did it??

[Cryo's form--it was the most DIFFICULT form to control, due to his own sister's...untamed nature. It always somehow malfunctioned on him, and therefore he never quite used it often.]

[But now...!]

Beck: (--I can USE this--I just have to--)

Dyna: SCREEEEEEE--

Beck: --NGH--!

[He winced from the feedback of that screech of anger--but it helped him get an idea where she was, at least. Since gravity no longer applied...]

[Maybe he can use that to his advantage--like an astronaut--!]

Beck: (Here goes--!)

[He kicked off the wall, and sped upwards--up and over the wall, to the ceiling--]

Dyna: BZZZZZZZT--

Beck: DYNA! OVER HERE!

[As soon as Dyna turned her attention to her little brother, he PELTED her shield with large chunk balls of ice, one after another, in rapid succession--!]

[At first, they seemed to bounce right off--]

[zzZZT!]

Dyna: --!

[But then one of the ice balls knocks out one of her bits--her shield flickers for a few split seconds--!]

Beck: Yes--!

[...Before the current then jumps to the next available bit, the shield containing 5 instead of 6--]

Beck: OH COME ON--

[--Of course, her bits acted like a circuit--if one fails, the current redirects to the next available source.]

Beck: (I'll have to take them out one by one--!)

[Easier said than done--Dyna kept moving around the room, hissing and screaming, determined to put an END to the little mosquito that DARED to challenge her--!]

[4 bits now--]

Dyna: -BZZZZZZZ--

[3...!]

Beck: Come on--

[ZZZT!]

[....Or not.]

[Once the third bit fell, the current couldn't be sustained by just two.]

Dyna: -BZZZT??!?-

Beck: ( THERE! NOW!)

[BLAM!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[BLAM--!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[BLAM--!]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[XEL QUOTA REACHED.]

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

Dyna: HISSSSS--!

Beck: I GOT YOU, DYNA--!

[His arms glow green as he jumps from the corner of the room, vaulting himself into a final dash--]

[...Arms...outstretched--]

[Catching her in an embrace.]

[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]

Dyna: !!!!

[Her Xels, tainted with the sick, purple hue of infected virus, slowly draw out to become a faint, light green--......]

[......]

"I zzzeeeee youuuu!~"

"A-Ack--! D-Dyna!"

"Awwww, did I zzzscare you?~"

"N-No! You just--came out of nowhere--"

"That waszzz the point!~ Heehee!"

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

"Awwwww, you're sszzzo CUTE when you're confuszzed--!~ That'szz it, I can't help it, COME HERE--"

"Wha--??"

"You're zzso ZZSOOO CUTE, you have no idea--!~"

"Uh--..."

"What are you--doing?"

"Mmm?~ Oh, right--you're NEW at thiszz, heehee! It'szz called a hug, Becky!"

"Hug...?"

"HmmMm! Hug. They make EVERYTHING better.~"

"....Huh...really?"

"Oh, truszzt me, they do!~ Zzsee?"

[.......]

".....Oh..."

"Yeah...I guess you're right, Big Sis...!"

[Zzzzzzzt....]

[ZZT!]

[THUNK--]

[GENERATOR POWER HAS HAVE LEFT CRITICAL LEVELS. RETURNING NORMAL POWER FLOW TO GRID... ]

"I do feel better!"

[The sudden drop back to the ground was accompanied by the gentle hums of the generator. The lights flicker here and there, but it was only from the damage from the fight.]

Beck: ........

[XEL PURGE COMPLETE.]

Dyna: -Bzzzz...-

[ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MN.3.]

Dyna: . . .

Dyna: Gh...

Dyna: H...Huh...?

Beck: Dyna...!

Dyna: ....B...Becky...?

Dyna: Wha....what...ow...--

Beck: Nono--don't try to get up, you're really damaged...

Dyna: ....Where...

Dyna: Where's my poncho...?

Beck: ....Uh.

Beck: It's around here somewhere I'll--find it, in a bit--

Dyna: I--...

[.....She paused, and blinked. Several times.]

Dyna: . . . . .

Dyna: I....

Beck: --?

Beck: Dyna?

Dyna: There was...I...Toby....I called for...

Beck: --?!

Beck: (Wait....)

Beck: (She...remembers that--?!)

Dyna: P...Power...I was...hungry....

Dyna: . . . .

Dyna: Beck...you.... zzsaved me.

[The interference was slowly starting to die down, now that the power levels had returned to normal. Even that was noticeable interference—as a generator makes quite a bit of power.]

[However, it wasn’t too long before…]

-PING!-

Beck: --!

Dyna: ....?

<RMDC>: > PROCESSING NEW DATA…

<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED. ENTRY: DLN-008. ENTRY: DLN-001.

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

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

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

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

Dyna: T...Toby...

Beck: .........

Dyna: I'm sorry, Toby...

Dyna: I...so tired...

Beck: .....

Beck: It's OK, Dyna... You're OK now...

[KSSSSSST!]

Call: --Reestablished. Mighty No. 9, do you copy?

Beck: .....Yeah. I copy.

Beck: ...I got her. I got Dyna--she's OK now.

[PING! PING!]

[MN.2] //: SIS!

[MN.1] Dyna...?

[MN.3] //: Nnn....tired...

White: (Oh thank the heavens, she's safe--) Beck, she's low on power--Call, we need to get her here right now.

Sanda: Please--

Call: Preparing Xel Transfer...

[MN.3] //: D...Daddy...?

White: There, there, now--it's alright, you'll be home soon...

[MN.3] //: But...I...

White: Just rest, Dynatron. I promise everything will be alright...

Beck: Whew....

Beck: (Jeez, now that she's mentioned it, I feel...BEAT...)

Call: Initiating Xel Transfer….

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

FIGHT! Bonfire Vs Ray!

BONFIRE VS RAY (Current)

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

Taunt: BURN, YOU INSUFFERABLE WITCH!

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

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

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

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

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

BONFIRE & RAY (Post-AO: Full Memory)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

=CHAPTER 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

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.)

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

=CHAPTER 4A: AVI’S NEWS REPORT=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

[SANDA LABS, THE NEXT DAY...

June 24th, 20XX]

[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...]

Will: Argh!

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

Soi: !

[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.]

Will: Blast it--!

Soi: Will?

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

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

Soi: Will, let's just--

Will: 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.]

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

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

Soi: --?!

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

Soi: What the...?

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

Will: 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…

Will: Dear LORD, not again--!

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

Will: For the PAST TWO DAYS!

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

Soi: .......

[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.

Soi: (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.

Will: ......

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

Will: ....I just...

Soi: 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.]

Soi: 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?

Will: ......

Soi: 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.

Will: .....-Sigh-

Will: ....

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

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

Soi: .....Mmm...

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

Will: --!

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

Soi: But Avi...

-PING!-

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

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

Soi: --!!

Will: . . . .

Will: (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…]

Soi: Oh no--Will--

Will: ......

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

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

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

Will: .....

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

Soi: But--the cross references--!

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

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

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

Will: ...True.

[PING!]

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

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

Soi: ....? Why?

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

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

[CALL] //: Tracing...

Will: .....

Will: (....Mmmm...)

Will: Soi?

Soi: Yes?

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

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

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

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

Will: It was...shut down....

Will: . . . . _______________________

"....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..."

_________________________

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

Soi: ...?

________________________

"...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--!"

_________________

Will: Or...

__________________

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

[EXPLORING THE CAPABILITIES OF XEL TECHNOLOGIES IN--]

[WARNING: RISKS--]

__________________________________

Will: Could it be...?

Soi: Uuuh....Wiiiiiillll?

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

Will: .....

Soi: ....?

Will: Mmm...

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

Soi: W--

[PING!]

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

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

Will: .....Soi....

Soi: Let's discuss this later, Will.

Will: ......

Will: Y-Yes....

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

Will: .....Of....Of course....

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

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

Will: --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?

Will: .....

Will: Either...

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

Will: ....

Will: (Or something worse...)

<RMDC>: > ANALYSIS ALERT: 06.24.20XX 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…

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

Will: -Sigh...-

Will: ...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.]

Soi: Mmm...

Soi: 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.

Will: 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 lose 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--

Will: Good luck, son...!

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

Soi: 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 COMMUNICATIONS ACROSS 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.

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

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

Soi: 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!

Will: (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—bebeats fore 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...?)

[…They 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.]

Soi: ...!

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

Beck: Whoa--really?

Soi: 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!

Will: --! 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.]

Will: 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?]

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

[WRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR--!]

Will: --!!

Will: 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!]

Will: 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!~

Will: (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...

Will: 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--

Soi: ...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--

Will: 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--!

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

Soi: 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.

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

Soi: 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.

Will: 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 lay 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: --!!

Will: 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--

Soi: 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--!

Will: Hold on--!

Soi: 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--?!?-

Will: BECK--!

Soi: 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!]

Will: ...!!

Soi: 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--

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

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

Will: (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?!)

Will: .....

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

Soi: 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....]

Will: -Shaky sigh-

Will: S-Soi--...

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

Soi: 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—]

{SAVE US}

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—!]

{HOWEVER YOU MUST!!!}

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?: Y O U--!!

Beck: (Wh-what? That doesn't sound like Avi—!)

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.]

{YOU'RE THE ONE TRIPPING OVER ALL THE TRIGGERS, GLITCHFRAG IT!}

{WHAT DID YOU EXPECT BY TAPPING INTO OUR NEURAL NETWORK?!}

[LOUDER static.]

{TRYING TO SPARE YOU BUT NOT FULLY HERE}

{CAN'T CONTROL THE GENERATION!}

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.]

{AAAAAUUUGH AVI YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND—}

{WHEN YOU TRIED TO TAKE OVER, YOU FUSED US TOGETHER!}

{YOU ARE NOW SUBJECT TO OUR FAMILY'S CROSS-REFERENCES!}

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 LETHAL COMBAT MODE.>

{DARE HUNT MY BROTHERS AND I WILL TAKE US ALL OUT, DON'T THINK I WON'T, AVI!}

Avi: ARGH--!

Beck: AVI--!!

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

{I AM NOT AFRAID TO USE WHAT CONTROL I SEIZE FROM YOU GUYS TO ADD ONE MORE DEATH ENTRY TO OUR LIST! I WILL SMITE YOU RIGHT OUT OF THE SKY!}

Beck: —!!! PLEASE, DON'T—

[Avi's flying was erratic enough to show that he was hardly in full control of his movement—Tobias was already making good on his threat. If this kept up…!]

Beck: STOP! I CAN DO THIS—! LET ME SAVE HIM!

[There was a twisted, garbled, static-filled cry of despair.]

{MY FAULT—}

{ALWAYS…}

{MY FAULT!!!}

[Avi's helicopter blades suddenly locked up.]

Beck: NO—!!!

[There was a scream—]

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGHHH—!!!"

[—and Beck had to dive out of the way as Avi shot back up into the sky.]

<DLN-008 IS OFFLINE.>

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

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

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

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!]

Will: ....! He--HE--!

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

Soi: HE DID IT--!

-PING!-

Will: --!!!

[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-003 STATUS: DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE

>DCN-000 STATUS: ONLINE

>Loading…

>DWN-024 STATUS: OFFLINE

>DWN-019 STATUS: ONLINE

>DWN-018 STATUS: DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE

>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…

>Loading…

>Loading…

>Loading…

>Loading…

>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.

<DCN-000>: > OKAY AS LONG AS WE GET TO GIVE THEM ICE CREAM LATER.

<MC005>: >David, it is WAY past your bedtime…

Will: (Oh, Mikhail...)

Soi: 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--

<DCN-000>: > 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.

Will: Yes, I'll...see you later...

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

=CHAPTER 9A: HAZY SUSPICION=

~AO v1.0~

((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))

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

{Earlier, the night before…}

[Will, Soi, and Mikhail continued working through the night. Mikhail had Jack come over to help him in secret, having sent Pyro off to get some sleep while he could.

After settling in for the night, Desmond used the private lines to make another call…]

Des: …And that’s where we stand right now.

[President Minerva sighed.]

Minerva: …You’re right. The Smithsonian is going to have a fit. Covering the cost of repairs is going to be a nightmare—several hallways need to have the entire security system reset and/or replaced, and some are so bad as to need electrical rewiring. No doubt some of Congress is going to want to use this as an excuse to update styles or otherwise be extravagant about it.

[She gave another exasperated sigh before shaking her head.]

Minerva: The VP is currently handling affairs at the White House itself. I’ve submitted some paperwork to my speechwriters regarding a public statement on the incident. There’s not much to say, even if I felt like saying it; I can truthfully say that the matter is under investigation, but everyone working there was safely evacuated thanks to the combined efforts of the Mighty Numbers.

[She paused.]

Minerva: DLN-000 has really brought a lot of attention to himself, but it seems the media didn’t catch on to his serial number. I’d like to keep it that way for now—the investigation is proving difficult enough as it is without adding in false reports to the mix.

[She frowned.]

Minerva: What do you make of Dr. Cossack so far, Desmond?

Des: -Crosses arms- Well.

Des: He’s cooperative, at least. Which worries me a little, because this isn’t the first time we’ve seen someone seemingly open to questioning and not be a spy of sorts.

Des: He personally doesn’t strike me as one, if I’m being very honest.

Des: I’m going with my gut on this one and saying he’s not, but the fact that he’s Russian and possibly working with Dr. Sanda…

Minerva: Mmmn. There’s something very strange about this. (How does a Russian doctor come to care for a military grade American Combat construct, anyway?!) -.-

Des: Dr. Sanda has Japanese ties with his brother overseas, there’s that to think about too…

Minerva: You bring up an interesting point–Russia and Japan aren’t exactly friends. (I can’t seem to recall they EVER made a peace treaty…)

Des: Exactly.

Des: Which just further backs up the point that Dr. Cossack isn’t a spy, but…

Des: I’m wondering how they met in the first place, because they clearly know each other, and I’m willing to bet that goes the same for Dr. White.

Des: Not much going on for him, though. Full blooded American, mother is Rebecca White, father ditched when he was 10.

Des: He’s very clean, heck–not even a parking ticket.

Minerva: That’s not really unusual for… withdrawn geniuses, shall we say?

Des: True.

Minerva: Genius is often accompanied by social issues. From what you’ve told me, he almost never makes public appearances. He probably doesn’t feel comfortable in a public setting. I’ve worked with plenty of students like that.

Des: Yeah, there’s not even a lot of pictures of the guy, aside from social media from the Mighties themselves.

Des: (And even then, he’s sorta in the background…)

Des: Should we cover all the bases and ask to question him too?

Des: Though, uh… a guy that withdrawn, might be hard to get anything from him…

Minerva: That would be something for Homeland Security to cover if it came to it. I’ll speak with the Secretary and see what they say.

Minerva: However, I don’t think that will be necessary–not unless something comes up in the questioning.

Minerva: For people who have a hard time being around others, they come to rely very deeply on a select few they trust and feel comfortable with. This can lead to being taken advantage of, though–if he is involved in anything, I would suspect it would be because someone took advantage of him in some way.

Minerva: Dr. White is very withdrawn—Dr. Sanda is his main point of contact with most of the world, from what we have seen. He doesn’t attend conventions with his contemporaries. So if Mikhail Cossack is a family friend, it had to have been through Sanda first.  (How would an unknown and very secretive Russian scientist become such good friends with a Japanese scientist of a very high profile? He must be very busy, and they don’t seem to be business partners so much as friends…)

Minerva: At the moment, the cyber units are working with him to combat the virus. Let them continue to monitor the situation– they will let us know if something is wrong.

Minerva: And beyond that–

Minerva: A man’s house is his castle.

Minerva: You are in that castle by yourself right now, and there are more than a few knights at his command.

Des: –… (Yeah… that…)

Minerva: Trying to place pressure on the king could end poorly, and I’d rather not risk you.

Des: Aw, you care. | )

Minerva: | } I could make a remark to pass it off, but yes, I do care. I try.

Des: -Stretches- Well…

Des: If anything, the cyber units and White’ll think of something. Doc is a genius, after all, made the Mighty Numbers and everything.

Des: Hopefully this virus mess gets cleaned up soon, then we can fully focus on damage control and repair…

Minerva: That would be nice, especially if Dr. Cossack proves to be a potential asset. Though I get the feeling he won’t be easy to work with. (He’s stubborn and doesn’t give way to pressure or fear–even great fear.)

Minerva: I don’t think intimidation will work on him. It may prove counterproductive to try for that right away.

Minerva: It might help to see if you can learn more from the Mighty Numbers–if he knows Sanda and White, he has to be a part of their inner circle. Try talking to Six.

Minerva: You need to talk to him anyway. It’s clear he’s linked to DLN-008—the footage he broadcast while sick shows that much. And the Brits are asking about him again. >.> (Someone must have leaked that the child was involved with the incident at the White House.)

Des: Yeah, we might get answers there.

Des: And then there’s Nine himself, but poor kid’s been though a whole week and a half practically saving the nation.

Minerva: Oh, heavens, try to let the poor child be if you can at all help it.

Des: Yeah, I’m with you there.

Minerva: Your coworkers were hellbent on destroying that compound, barely even were going to give him enough time to get out… >_> -Pursed lips, WE ARE STILL VERY DISPLEASED ABOUT ALL OF THAT- -Simmering-

Des: -Grimace- I’m still going to get to the bottom of how an entire base full of military grade constructs was still functioning without me knowing about it. I swear I’m gonna discharge whomever’s involved…

Minerva: This begs the question. Does Dr. Cossack know about that? I wonder if he knows who was behind the security breach there. It didn’t have the style of DLN-008′s breakthroughs…

Des: If he did, he’s not going to tell us outright. Not sure how long he’s been involved in this…

Minerva: The earliest dates the files connected to him have is April 5th, so it has to have been before that.

[She leans back and sighs.]

Minerva: 000 probably knows most of the answers. And he certainly seemed talkative.

[She looks up.]

Minerva: How did the retrieval go?

Minerva: I take it you were successful?

Des: ….

Des: >>

Des: …Yeah.

Des: ….

Des: He was in…

Des: Very bad shape.

Des: Got a name, though.

Des: Cardinal.

Minerva: …

——————

“Keep gettin’ in mah way, Birdy, and Ah’ WILL make ya regret it!”

——————

Minerva: -Thoughtful frown-

Des: That does explain all the bird metaphors Eight was using in his illness…

Des: -SIGH- One mentioned that name out loud when he saw how much damage 000 did trying to get into the Oval Office.

Des: …Used an exasperated tone, like he’s said that more than once.

Minerva: -Raises an eyebrow- That’s interesting. Authoritative tones are normally used with equals or subordinates.

Minerva: 000 didn’t seem like one to dance to someone else’s tune, though. His methods were rather… unconventional.

Des: -Shrugs- If 000 knows Eight, he probably knows the rest of the Mighty Number line, too. Isn’t that far of a stretch. He did speak like he knew Six too.

Minerva: …

Minerva: Yes, he did. -Thoughtful- …He was trying to be gentle with him about going back.

Des: Yeah…

Minerva: All the more reason to talk to Six…. I wonder how much he knows?

[There was a thoughtful silence between them for a while.]

Minerva: …When you say very bad shape…

Minerva: (Cossack said he would need to have a core replaced. Was he understating, or being technically correct?)

Minerva: Do they have the resources to fix it?

Des: Good Lord, I hope so.

Des: He was practically almost in pieces.

((pic))

Des: Core exposed, even…

Minerva: …

Minerva: What?

Minerva: How is he still alive?

Minerva: That was hours after—!

Minerva: The xel loss, wouldn’t that have been too much?

Des: ….Min?

Minerva: —…?

Des: I…

Des: I couldn’t see very well, but…

Des: I saw oil, and I saw him.

Des: -Very puzzled expression- But not an ounce of Xel around him.

Minerva: —…

Minerva: -Now VERY confused- That’s… how is that possible?

Minerva: Wasn’t he fighting with Eight?

Minerva: He seemed to know quite well how to handle him. I’m sure he got off some hits on Eight, too.

Minerva: There should be something, there were TWO of them there.

Minerva: Do you suppose Nine could have picked it up?

Des: I’m not sure if Nine would take Xel from someone that’s already bleeding out–

Des: –Actually…

Des: Nine went in a little while before we got pulled out–

Des: Why didn’t he try to help him with Xel loss, if any?

Minerva: …

Minerva: You heard him, Des, as much as I did.

Minerva: Nothing would deter him from his mission.

Minerva: If it was coming down to rescuing Countershade or rescuing him— he probably told Nine to leave him behind.

Des: ….

Des: (Poor kid…)

Des: You’re probably right…

Des: -Grumbles- Doesn’t make sense, though.

Des: No Xel, yet 000 seems…I don’t know.

Des: Call it a hunch, Min, but he just seems… different.

Minerva: Well. No one in the Pentagon has stepped forward to claim responsibility for him just yet.

Minerva: …

Minerva: Though I probably scared off anyone from doing that with how obviously displeased I am with what has been going there. >________>

Des: -Snorts- Yeah, you do tend to have that effect on people. | )

Minerva: I can’t believe tax money was being used to maintain such facilities and no one noticed.

Des: -I know, geez—-

Minerva: The IRS has a lot of explaining to do. |K

Des: -Groans- And then we got to deal with investigation into who caused the whole mess…

Des: I’m tellin’ ya, Min, we’re getting nothing but dead ends on that front. We’re not getting though to CherryDyn’s lawyer dogs and Blackwell’s an uncrackable nut.

Minerva: …  -.-;  -Rubs temples- -Grumbles- Fighting fire with fire is dangerous…

Minerva: I wish we knew what happened to Dencerjack.

Minerva: There are no records of him leaving the country, but he hasn’t been found yet. There are only so many places you can hide on an island that small. >__>

Minerva: I dearly hope he didn’t get eliminated.

Des: Beats me… England might be small, but plenty of quiet countryside. He might have gone off the grid, even.

Minerva: I suppose, but given the circumstances—

Minerva: The other possibility is that he was eliminated. Someone has had it out for that team.

Minerva: Oh well. The UK has been very cooperative about that, at least. Even though the only thing they had to report were explosive metal snakes. (Not exactly helpful, but points for effort.)

Des: -Weird…-

Minerva: Here’s what the FBI’s found so far…

Minerva: There are only two reported members of the Doctor Light Numbers lines: 000 and 008. Both have Doctor Cossack as their listed Doctor.

Minerva: There were other files that are around the same timeframe that also list Cossack as the Doctor: seven members of the Doctor Wily Numbers series. One of those is DWN-024, who was seen on the highways fighting Mighty Number Seven. …The footage on that has to be seen to be believed…

Minerva: There are also nine registered Doctor Cossack Numbers, and one biological daughter.

Minerva: Dr. Cossack himself is a widower. Apparently, he’s cared for these series due to abuse and neglect issues from Doctors Light and Wily… though nothing has been found on them so far.

Minerva: However, I’m sure they probably exist, or did exist, as these bots all have their serial numbers branded onto them. ¬__¬ Things are made complicated by all the records that have gone missing.

Minerva: There was only one public record of 000. According to the reports, he went to visit the Colosseum back in late May. With Eight and Nine.

Minerva: And you’ll never guess what happened while he was there.

Des: -This we gotta hear–

Minerva: They were attacked.

Des: -Sputters–  Right there–in the sands–?!

Minerva: By Bladeblaster.

Des: What.

Des: (I don’t get it, did–was he DRUNK?)

Minerva: According to the witnesses, 000 did not react in a way that would have suggested he were as much of a Combat master as he has proven to be. He made an effort not to reveal what he was capable of, even when taken by surprise. It would seem his instinct was to protect his friend, though.

Minerva: I may be wrong, but I think someone with the secondary jobs that he and Eight had would have had access to more information about people than the general public. Which means either there was no information suggesting 000 was what he was, or else he didn’t care.

Minerva: The three of them were seen talking after that. He must have said something offensive just before leaving, because both Eight and 000 were described to have reacted adversely.

Minerva: (Even if he didn’t know or care, he was surely sorely pressing his luck.)

Des: -_-;;;;

Des: It kind of sounds like outright stupidity to me, but…. Late May, huh, not too long after the date the files came in…

Minerva: They’re trying to find the receptionist who checked him in, but it’s very chaotic down there.

[She gives a slight smile.]

Minerva: At least there’s a humorous side to the story.

Minerva: According to witnesses, 000 was playing around on the gymnastics equipment before that confrontation. I’m sure it wouldn’t surprise you to hear he displayed aptitude for parkour and gymnastics in general.

Des: Heh…

Minerva: It was apparently enough to catch the attention of at least one recruiter. But by the time they went in there, he and Shade had already left. The recruiters were rather disappointed.

Minerva: We’ll have to try and talk with him as soon as he’s awake. -Smile fades, slight sigh- If nothing else, just to work out how to handle the press coverage.

Minerva: As far as I know, it hasn’t gotten out yet that he was injured so badly, or where he went… but the former has been almost universally accepted to be true, given the alternative was vanishing as suddenly as he came, as if some comic book superhero.

Minerva: I don’t want anyone knowing he’s at Sanda Labs just yet.

Des: No kidding, they don’t need that kind of publicity right now…

Minerva: … True….

Minerva: Be careful, Mister Secretary. Keep us posted, and stay safe.

[SANDA TECHNOLOGIES, REPAIR BAY: DAWN...]

"I don't know, Will, it seems..."

Sanda: It seems like we need to somehow broadcast the XelFilter on a mass scale in order to cure the nation but...that's WAY too dangerous...

[Will--on his third or fourth cup of coffee, no doubt--sighed in apparent defeat.]

Will: I...I know that, Soi. Perhaps...Perhaps I can work from the ground up without using his XelFilter at all?

Sanda: Well--that would take even more time...Mm...

Will: .....

Will: (...I...It's...really catching up to me...)

Will: (The past...) [PING!]

[MN.8 IS NOW ONLINE.]

Will: --!!

Sanda: Uh oh...I mean--uh. -Mixed feelings here-

[Mikhail looks up from his work.

There was a curtain separating them, but still…]

Mikhail: Jack, hold this for a moment, please—

[He passes off some towels to the short-notice lab assistant and looks out from behind the barrier.]

Jack: --! -Oh--oh okay--

Shade: --Mngh...Ngg....

[DR.WHITE] //: -Both of you are still outside, right-

[MN.4 and 5] //: -PING-

Will: Okay then...

Will: Shade?

Shade: Wh...What...

Will: Countershade--?

Mikhail: (I’m glad Mr. Desmond is asleep right now… I get the feeling this is going to be hard enough as it is.)

Shade: ...D...Dad...?

Will: (Oh thank God--)

Will: Shhh, it's alright, don't exert yours--

Shade: C--Cards--

Shade: Ah'--Dad, where--

[Shade suddenly clutched at his own chest, a sudden pang of what felt like a needle going through his own core--]

Shade: Ngh--!

Will: --!!

Soi: Uh oh--

[Sanda immediately ran a diagnostic scan, then quietly motioned for Mikhail and Jack to stay out of sight.]

Soi: Shade--listen, it's me, Uncle Sanda...

Shade: --...Sanda...--

Soi: Your SH program is running faster than you can keep up with, so please don't move so much. We don't want you to have a complete system shutdown so--

Shade: --Can't--

Shade: Can't stay--

[WHUMP--]

[Unfortunately for Shade, his condition didn't allow him to get further from the foot of his bed as he simply rolled out of it.]

Will: Shade--!

[MN.5] //: -For Pete's sake I TOLD you we had to restrain him--

[MN.1] //: Mighty No. 8, you get BACK in bed this instant--

Shade: N--No, can't--I'll--

Shade: I'm just gonna hurt y'all again--!

Will: --!

Mikhail: -Pinches the bridge of his nose- ({This is going a bit worse than I thought it would, that’s a new record.})

Will: Shade--

Shade: Don't--

Will: Countershade White!

Will: You are SAFE!

Will: The fact that you can think that is proof enough--!

Shade: --....

Will: Shade...

Will: It's okay.

Will: The virus has been purged from your systems. Beck made sure of that.

Shade: --!

Shade: --...Beck...

Will: And...

Will: And I know you would never hurt me, Shade.

Will: ... Alright?

[PING!]

[MN.7] //: -Breathe, brother.-

Shade: --! Brand--

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

[MN.7] //: Do nothing but breathe. Let everything go.

[MN.7] //: {Breathe.}

Shade: .......

[Shade tenses for a few seconds... as if lost in his own thoughts, still clutching at his own chest--]

[PING!]

[SH RATE: 150% OF NORMAL BASELINE.]

Soi: --!

Soi: (That's not good--)

[PING!]

[MN.2] //: -Do you need water, bro, we can get you some--

Shade: -Hurts--

_______________________________________

"Songbird, eh?"

"Well, that explains the bird part."

[CLICK.]

"Adios, Songbird."

______________________________________

[A flinch--]

[SH RATE: 180% OF NORMAL BASELINE.]

Shade: M'sorry--!

Shade: I tried to fight it, Ah' swear--!

Shade: Cards--!!

[PING!]

[RMDC SERVER] //: >STATUS INQUIRY (SUBJECT: DLN-000) HAS BEEN DENIED.

>RobotMaster Database® COSSACK SERVER IS CURRENTLY LOCKED.

>AUTHORIZIED BY: ADMIN MC005

Shade: NO--!

Soi: Will--

Will: (Gah, if I don't do something--)

[PING!]

[MN.9 IS NOW ONLINE.]

Will: --! Beck--

[--There's no words from the small Mighty Number, not at first.

Instead--

Instead there was a file.]

[For some reason, it opened up for Shade anyway, without any prompt on his part.

...It was only audio, but...

...It was from a very memorable night.]

"But I'll never give up on you, Shade."

"Not for any reason."

Shade: --!!

"Not for any reason."

"I'll never give up on you."

Shade: . . . .

Shade: (Cards....)

[MN.9] //: -Soft ping-

[Another file. Something from Beck's OWN memories...]

"I have to save you."

"So the two of you can /live/— together."

Shade: .....?

[MN.9] //: M...Mikhail found...

[MN.9] //: A new power source...

Shade: --!!!

[MN.9] //: He...he’s gonna...

[MN.9] //: Be okay...Shade...

[MN.9] //: I saved... everyone... like I promised...

[MN.9] //: S...so...

[MN.9] //: Don't run away...

Shade: --...

[MN.9] //: ...And make me a liar...

[MN.9] //: Okay? ^^

[MN.9 IS NOW IN SLEEP MODE.]

Shade: . . .

[PING!]

[SH RATE STABILIZING.]

Shade: Beck...Cards...

Shade: What in the world did Ah' do to ya, brother...?

Soi: -Siiiigh...-

Soi: (At least his SH Program's calmed down...)

Mikhail: -Also a sigh of relief-

Will: (Oh, Shade...)

Shade: Dad...

Shade: ...

Shade: Why's no one else answerin'...?

Will: The others...They are also Offline, for their own safety.

Will: .....

Will: Everything will be alright, Shade...

Will: (I pray it will be...)

Will: But please--I know your heart aches and you want to isolate yourself--

[PING!]

[MN.2] //: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, SNIPE BRO.

Shade: --!

[MN.2] //: -Like heck I'm gonna let ya go on your own after all that, FITE ME--

Mikhail: -From behind the curtain- Ahem. Shade?

Shade: --.... Mikhail...?

Mikhail: It’s also about… 5:46 in the morning.

Mikhail: Everyone else is asleep. That’s why they aren’t answering.

Shade: --.......

[MN.3] //: You picked a heck of a time to wake up and diszzturb our BEAUTY ZZSLEEP. -Annoyed buzzing-

Shade: Dyna...

Soi: -____-;; (Jeez, you're just as tactless as Will, aren't you, Mikhail...)

[MN.1] //: Alright, that is enough.

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

[MN.1] //: -Very gently- Shade.

[MN.1] //: You've been gone for nearly a week and a half.

[MN.1] //: Have you eaten anything?

Shade: . . . .

Shade: .....

Shade: -Very, VERY hungry data-

Shade: Food...

[MN.1] //: As I thought.

[Ping—]

<FMN-008>: > -Mrrmnngghhmmmfffpph… did we hear someone mention  f o o d—-

Shade: !

Shade: Kate...

<FMN-008 is now Online.>

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: (She was sleeptalking? That’s a new one.)

<FMN-008>: > -Hazy data- ???

<FMN-008>: > …Jack?

<MC005>: > He’s assisting me with something. Go back to sleep, Countershade.

<FMN-008>: > …? -Hazy data, but our Other—-

<MC005>: > He’ll be fine. Go back to sleep.

<FMN-008>: >Mmmm…

<FMN-008 is now in Sleep mode.>

Mikhail: -Another relief sigh- (I wouldn’t want to have to explain THAT to the Secretary.)

Shade: Kate...?

[MN.1] //: She's resting, Shade.

[MN.1] //: Seven, do you think you can get Eight to the kitchen without--

[Knock Knock.]

[MN.1] //: -....You're already outside the bay, at least let me finish my sentence--

Mikhail: -Starts shaking in silent laughter-

Will: Eheh... (Oh, Brand...)

[Sanda lets Seven in quietly, who chose to not wear his helmet, or his mask. His scarf is wound tightly around to compensate, though.]

Brand: --....

Shade: .....

Shade: Ah'...Guess we're on even ground nao, aren't we...

Brand: .....

Brand: I...suppose we are.

Mikhail: …?

Mikhail: -Puts his head in his hand- Mmmnn… (Tired. And hungry. But can’t eat in the lab. Jack should get something to eat, but I do not want to run the risk of him running into Desmond…)

Mikhail: (As a general rule, military men can be early risers if they stay in habit, and it’s nearly 6:00.)

Brand: .....

Brand: You're still quite insufferable, though.

[Shade quietly chuckles at that.]

Shade: An' yer still an' honored bastard, heh...

Mikhail: … -Smiles to hear the exchange- (At least he’s doing better. That’s what counts, right now.)

Mikhail: Number Seven?

Brand: --Yes, Doctor?

Mikhail: If Felix shows up, please have him let inside the building.

Brand: ...Felix is... ah. Of course.

Shade: --Felix is comin'...?

Shade: ....

Shade: -Too tired and hungry to think too hard-

Mikhail: You’ll see later, Shade. Go eat something.

Shade: ...Yeah...

Brand: Here. Just lean on me and stay invisible.

Shade: Alright...

[It looked strange, like Brand was supporting nothing but air, but one could almost hear a pair of footfalls walking out the door and down the hallway to the elevator.]

Will: .....

Will: -Sigh-

Will: (...It's going to take a long time to heal... from this...)

[Mikhail sighed, pulled a sheet over his patient, and pulled back the curtain.

He had been working through the whole night after Pyro brought Cardinal back. As with the injuries Tobias had received, the first step was to completely clean the exposed mechanics of the core mass of oil, grime, and debris. It was always a messy affair, and not one that could be made faster or more efficient through automation.

They were thankfully just about done. Call had been able to confirm that the old core was completely spent—it did not pose an explosion hazard. She had it locked away tight for later disposal, along with some other broken machinery that had been removed. Such things were a bit of an uncomfortable matter, and were best kept locked away out of sight to be dealt with in private.

Since there wasn’t really the time to do a proper replacement, he would have to rely on the energy source doing so. The systems would rebuild themselves once the new core was in place.

However…]

Mikhail: -Wiping his face- ({That was far too close a call. He has got to update.})

[…He wasn’t exactly planning on using the Sun Stone core just yet.]

Mikhail: ({I need to talk to him about updating and getting new hardware to go with it. He can’t keep it up like this with the form he’s been using, not at the rate he’s been getting into ghastly disasters.})

Mikhail: Please do make sure he doesn’t run off.

[Once the cleaning phase was over, he would have to wait until Felix arrived before he could continue the repairs on Cardinal. But his work was far from over.]

Mikhail: ({I isolated Tobias and his memories last night, but I still need to make certain Cardinal uploads to a quarantined part of the server so that the others don’t get cross-references from his memory files. Then I have to lock the files and set up proxy files to substitute for the memories so they at least know what happened. Otherwise, they’ll try to unlock the files to fill in those blanks.})

Mikhail: -Low grumble- {And then the questions… Mary help me, it’s going to be one in the afternoon before I get any rest…}

[He almost wasn’t sure whether he had the energy to feel grateful or not that he was too tired to be scared at the moment.]

Mikhail: Sanda? What’s his status?

Soi: Well...He's stable, for now. SH rate's normal, though a bit jumpy, but that's okay, given the situation...

Mikhail: …?

Mikhail: “S.H.”? Does that have something to do with the E.R. -like monitor sounds from just a moment ago?

Will: Ah. In a way...I suppose you can call it a more complex version of a Robot Master's Emotion.EXE program.

Will: The Synthetic Heart Program--it's the very coding that allows a Xelbot to feel. To evolve, and grow as they experience new sensations and emotion as they come.

Will: Like us.

Will: ...I designed this particular version myself, to all the Mighty Number Line.

Will: ...Usually...

Will: ...Usually, The SH Program is capable enough to keep up with the rest of the Xelbot's thoughts and functions, but...

Will: Shade.....

Will: ....

Will: He...He lost a core once.

Will: I had to rehaul his entire power output to compensate for 6 cores instead of the usual 7...

Mikhail: …

Will: --....

Will: -Hand in his face- But in doing so, the SH Program responded accordingly.

Will: With the increased power, it... sometimes, not often, but sometimes...

Will: It processes at a speed too high for Shade himself to keep up...

Mikhail: … (Just like an Emotions.EXE overload…)

Mikhail: …Heh. -Chuckles softly for a moment, shaking his head- Soul-brothers indeed…

Will: -Sigh- Ah... I suppose...

Will: In a way, yes, it is the equivalent of having an increased chance of cardiac arrest...

Will: It isn't life threatening, given that he's usually a loner...and rather hard-headed...Stubborn... -Cracks a smile-

Will: ...This isn't the first time he's come close to one, but it's certainly been the longest in between...

Will: The last time he had his SR Rate above 180% is when Beck almost drowned that one time during training...

Mikhail: …

[Mikhail sighs and sits down rather hard.]

Mikhail: I’d be more curious if I weren’t so exhausted. I’m so sorry, Will, I don’t mean to be rude.

Will: ....You... you should...

Will: ....Oh, bother, you're not going to stop even if I tell you...

Will: -Leans back in his own chair-

Will: Call, please go get us some food, I don't care if it's in the lab, I'll eat in the closet if I have to.

Soi: -Snorts-

Mikhail: Jack, you should eat something as well.

Jack: ...Yeah. Okay.

[Mikhail turns his attention back to Will. He has an almost defeated expression on his face, but that’s mostly from how tired he is.]

Mikhail: No, I’m not going to stop.

Mikhail: What I’m going to do next is crucial if we are to keep the Robot Masters from going berserk.

Will: .....

Mikhail: I sent everyone Offline just as the news came in on where Cardinal had been spotted. Everyone went into Lethal—except for David, who doesn’t have that setting—remember?

Mikhail: That was out of panic. Going someplace like that is a sure death sentence, and worse, where we come from.

Mikhail: Tobias I woke up on purpose, which again, is something I’ll have to answer for.

Mikhail: He has his own memories. He was angry, but that was tempered when he got feedback from Cardinal by way of his own Thunder Beam. He went Offline to rest before the worst of it, but it’s still enough to cause great anxiety and raise the threat level tag in the database entry for Shade by at least half a star.

Mikhail: I was able to isolate those easily while waiting for Cardinal’s return; everyone else was Offline, and the database was locked. As soon as his Awareness was re-seated back in his hardware, it became a non-issue… though it’s important he remains Offline.

Mikhail: -Rubs his face- He really does start to show his father’s worst traits when he is angry.

Mikhail: It’s Cardinal’s memories that are the danger now.

Mikhail: He encrypts all his memories, but it’s still something that would contribute to generating cross-references and modifying threat levels in informational files.

Mikhail: Those are things that would affect his brothers, and furthermore…

Mikhail: Whenever a Robot Master is forcefully sent Offline in a fight, the experience… that’s something very deep and complex, more than you realize, William. It starts to go beyond just the Emotions.EXE program and into the Awareness aspect itself.

Mikhail: The Awareness affected becomes… detached from the hardware, usually, and there is that sense of Self, that Self is not “alive”, and that…

Mikhail: …with Cardinal, it’s a bit more than that, for reasons I already went through.

Mikhail: I have to wake them up soon. He’ll probably still be either Offline or in Maintenance mode. That’s… going to cause incredible panic, unless I quarantine the files in a very specific manner.

Mikhail: The Hunter as a cultural concept, for someone to fall to the Hunter, and at such a high cost, too…

Mikhail: That sets off a frenzied panic mode, and for some, that could cause rage. And rage tends to cascade for robots running Wily’s OS.

Will: ....

Will: I... see...

Will: -Sigh- I suppose that's of higher importance.... But at least eat something for a bit...

Will: (And Mikhail still has to be questioned--Not to mention Soi...)

Mikhail: I’ll try.

[There’s a quiet pause. When he speaks up again, he does so softly.]

Mikhail: …I’ll admit I don’t feel very good about eating right now.

Soi: ...Cardinal would want you to take care of yourself.

Mikhail: -Closes his eyes and sighs softly- True.

Mikhail: It’s just… hard. (I hope you never have to understand how, though I think you may make a logic-based guess as to why.)

Mikhail: …Put some protein powder in chicken broth or something, that’ll be good enough for me. =___=

Will: Call, relay that to Pyrogen, please.

Call: Yes, Doctor.

Mikhail: -Rubs his hands with his face- (Ugh.) This would be so much easier if I could have Siam, but he’s… mmmngh, cross-references, experiences everything in a dual nature, complications.

Mikhail: Did you know—when he’s feeling particularly complex emotions, they tend to break down and manifest divided between his Awarenesses?

Mikhail: Yet another reason to do this properly—with one half panicked and the other enraged, I wouldn’t be getting any help— -buries face in arms at nearby workstation- {Saints preserve us—} Will, being the ONLY reliable Doctor for your world truly does get exhausting.

Will: ......

Mikhail: I wish we’d had the time to finish our tech lessons before this happened.

Mikhail: I could have helped with decoding…

Will: (Ngh...)

Will: ....No, it's fine...

Will: I never... quite...

Will: ....

Will: -Looks away in shame-

Will: I never quite managed to crack it... all the way...

Will: I...I did manage to understand enough how to combat it, but it would have required Beck's XelFilter program to be broadcasted much like the Virus was...

Will: And that's something I cannot just... release into the open airwaves.

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: -Muffled- I would have Tobias help, except undoubtedly that would be just as bad of an idea. He might have some ideas, but I believe it would be safest for everyone—Shade in particular—if he and Shadow remained not just asleep, but Offline for at least a few months.

Will: ....

Will: If that is what's best for them... (This is all... my fault...)

Soi: ....

Soi: (Will...)

Will: ....

Will: I'm going to try to work on something from the ground up. I'll use the XelFilter's properties as a sort of blueprint, and go from there.

Will: (It will take a while longer, but...I can't use his XelFilter Program, not with the government...)

Mikhail: Siam may be able to give a few ideas. After all, he is as close as it gets to a Doctor, and as a Robot Master, he did interact directly with her.

Will: --!

Will: (--H...Her...)

Will: (Dear God, he's already even figured out gender...)

Will: ...The Virus has a gender now? ?_?

Mikhail: According to Siam and Tobias, yes.

Mikhail: Something about how it targets aggression and the English phrase “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” from what I understand.

Will: (Oh, God, no, is... is...)

Will: (Is... is she coming for me--?)

Will: (Am... am I what she wants?)

[There is a quiet knock on the door, snapping Will away from his darker thoughts.]

Will: --!

[Brand pushed in a cart of food for all present--even Call, who normally doesn't eat around other people besides Beck.]

Jack: -Hungryyyyy--

[Jack IMMEDIATELY grabs as much meat as his plate can handle, even biting and holding down on a large wing of chicken in his mouth just to have more.]

Jack: -Awwww yessss- < 3

Soi: Heh! Save some for us, Jack--

Mikhail: Good luck, Soi, you’ll have to fight him for that. While he was undergoing repairs, he could eat up to several pounds of meat a day.

Mikhail: -Smiles, adjusting glasses- It’s good to see you have a healthy appetite, though. Shows resilience and reflects overall well-being.

Jack: -It's mine-

Jack: -Miiiiiine-

Jack: -NOM-

Jack: ^^

Mikhail: Thank you for coming over on such short notice. I know that it was fearful work, but you helped speed up the process tremendously.

Jack: Eheh...n-no problem, Doc Cossack. Anythin' t' get Bird Guy up and taggin' corporate sleezeball's HQ's again. | D ;;

[Mikhail laughs at this.]

Mikhail: Once he’s well enough to do so, I’d almost be tempted to buy the paint for him.

[He shakes his head, looking over at his covered patient as he accepts a thermos of chicken broth from Brand.]

Mikhail: Oh, he’ll be ready and willing, alright.

Mikhail: Like with Shade, Robot Masters are prone to overclocking under extreme duress. With Cardinal, that’s always been a weak point. But now with the new power source… that’ll change, if he agrees to hardware modifications as well.

Mikhail: To minimize the impact of the memories… as they are slowly released from quarantine, there will be other cross-references actively running. I happen to know as a fact that there are at least 40 entries with Shade laughing as of the day you left to go overseas.

Mikhail: Once he knows his mission was completed… he’ll be alright.

Will: Thank goodness...

Will: (At least there is some light at the end of all this, for them...)

Mikhail: Mmm. He knew something like this might happen when he set out. He said so himself. He came to terms with that and accepted it—that’s why he left such strong messages pointing it out.

Mikhail: He knew how hard that would end up being on everyone else if it came to pass…

Mikhail: It’s his way of saying not to be too sad, that he holds no ill will and will be back soon.

Mikhail: Hopefully Felix will come by with the core soon; I want his armor closed up before Desmond makes a very firm and unavoidable demand to see him.

Mikhail: -Rolls his chair over to his yellow legal notepad- I think I might be able to input a program that will automate the quarantine process… that’ll help, as I won’t have to oversee it personally. Give me a few hours.

Mikhail: After that… -Sip- I’ll see what I can do within what there is to say.

{Later, in the Kitchen…}

[For once, it's not Pyrogen making breakfast. It's Dyna along with her elder sister, although Cryo's only washing dishes. It was strangely quiet, save for Brand and Shade shuffling past...]

[Mostly everyone else was either resting or requested their breakfast be brought to them.]

[For a family this large, seeing and hearing everything so quiet was...]

Des: (...Not right.)

Des: (I can practically cut the tension and stress in the air with a knife if I could...)

Shade: -Mngh, too tired, can ya just take me t' Mic's room instead, brother-

Brand: -Fine, but I'm telling him to make sure you eat something.-

Shade: Yeah, yeah, Ah' know...

Des: (...Poor man looks like he's fresh out of a warzone...)

Des: (...This is going to be one tough crowd to deal with...)

“Ree-ow."

Des: --!

[Jazz padded her way into the kitchen, looking fresh and eager as any housecat should be—albeit more green and blue than most.]

Jazz: Ree-ow. :D

[She trotted right past Brand and looked up at Shade.]

Jazz: Ree-ow.

Jazz: -Tall servant-

Jazz: -You still owe me food-

Jazz:  -FEED ME- >:V

Shade: ....

Shade: Heh...

[His laughter is tired, but still lighthearted, in a way.]

Shade: I'll...ask Dyna t' make ya somethin'...

Brand: -You better not fall asleep on your feet, you're heavy enough as it is-

Shade: -Quiet snort-

Des: .....

Des: She's not going to start breathing fire again, is she? >>;;

Dyna: She'szzz a cat. Doeszzz what she wantszz. -Meaning we can't say for sure, bzz bzz-

Des: (Jee, THAT'S comforting to know...)

Jazz: -Purrs and goes over to Shade, rolling over at his feet and purring in the flop- </cat>

Shade: Jazz...Heh...

Brand: -_-;;;;; -You can come rest with him if you want, but the food is his, he needs to eat too-

Brand: -Sleep on top of his hat like you always do-

Shade: -More snickering-

Shade: Yer' more nonsensical than usual, Ninjabro.

Brand: -You are not the only one that craves a bed, alright- =~=

Jazz: -Purrs and hops up onto Shade’s shoulder- -Prrrrrrhhhrrrrhrrrrhrrrrr- -Starts kneading on his neck-

Shade: -Mmmm, lil more t' the left--

Brand: -Starts dragging his brother away before he really falls asleep on his feet-

Des: (...Well, at least there's some sign of healing in those two...)

Dyna: -I'm never taking Pyro for granted EVER again, making so much food is HARD--

Cryo: -WE GOT YA, SIS, we watch Pyro make breakfast so we can show ya-

Cryo: YO MISTER DEFENSE MAN, YA WANT COFFEE--

Des: --Uh...Yeah. Strong, two teaspoons of sugar, please.

Cryo: Got iiiit.

Cryo: Man, where's Avi when you need him, he's like our second backup breakfast person when Pyro's not making food... -NOT ALL OF US HAVE HANDS, YA KNOW-

Dyna: -Ping-

Dyna: Pretty sure everyone iszz crashing in Earth bro'szzz room.

Des: --???

Cryo: -This makes perfect sense to us- Ooooh, right.

Cryo: -No wonder it's so quiet, his room is sound proof-

Cryo: In THAT CASE--

[Cryo shoves Des a tray filled with pancakes and bacon, eggs and a whole lot of cooked ham, and also buttered biscuits.]

Cryo: That ain't for you.

Des: Uh--

Cryo: -Waves hose arms around, we don't have hands so YOU have to take breakfast to everyone else-

Des: (...Oh.)

Des: Uh...and where is...

Cryo: Dude, it's the biggest bedroom in the whole place, not THAT hard to miss. >>.>>

Cryo: -NOW GO, because we're hungry too and I want food-

[Deciding it was better to leave some of the two most temperamental members of the family be, Des obliged and made his way out of the kitchen and to the bedroom of Mighty Number Four. When he got there…]

"Aviiiiiii you're hogging all of the spaaaaaace...."

[The room wasn't exactly well lit when the door opened, but it was a comfortable darkness. The bedroom was indeed very large, and--]

Des: --?

[...The floor felt very soft, almost like... a bed, of sorts--?]

[It seems as though the whole team had taken refuge in Mic's room--Mic himself was napping right in the middle, with Shade--not invisible--was quietly snoozing, head down so that his hat would block most of the light from his face.]

[Pyro was in a corner along with Bat, in a game of chess--probably under orders by either his Father or Sanda to take it easy for now. Both seemed to be taking their time with their moves.]

[Brand had a corner all to himself, although he didn't mind--not far away were Beck and Avi, who had used both Mic's giant pillows and their own to build a fort.]

Avi: -Oops, sorry Becko-

Beck: .....

Beck: -Wait, I smell pancakes-

Beck: -Pancakes equal syrup, sugar--

[Beck pops his head up from the pillow fort, his hair all askew from sleeping so much--he's in a simple space-time sleep shirt that was WAY too big for him, and...]

[...Holding some kind of...pink plush toy...?]

Puffball: -u-

“Chirp-cheep!”

Avi: Baron, bro, I'll get ya some bird feed from my room if ya want some--

Beck: -Stumbles out of fort, rubs sleep out of his eyes-

Beck: Sugarrrr...

Beck: ....

Beck: -Looks up-

Beck: .....

Beck: ??????

Baron: -Wriggles to get to see where he can view what’s going on- 8>

Des: . . .

Des: (....THIS is...Nine?)

Beck: Who the heck are you...

Beck: -And why aren't you giving us that food-

Beck: -Grabbie hands-

Beck: -Give us the sugar, stranger-

[Foosh. Foosh. Foosh.]

Baron: {D.C.!} :V

Des: -Blinks-

Des: -That is a bird--

Beck: -Foooooood-

Des: Oh--um. -Here?-

Des: (So do ALL the animal-based bots breathe fire here?)

Baron: Chirp cheep! -Wriggles back in to hop around on Avi’s shoulder-

Baron: -Via hops- {D.C., D.C.!} : D

[It isn’t long before he pokes his head out again and twitters loudly.]

Jazz: -Looks up grumpily from Shade’s shoulder- Ree-ow. |K

Baron: >:V

Baron: -Flits over to Des and lands on his shoulder- ovo

Avi: --! (Wait, isn't that the Secretary person Cards saved--?)

Des: -Whoa--

Baron: ^v^

Des: -Never had a bird land on US before, jeez--

Avi: -Um- -Hides under blankets-

Des: Uh...hi?

Beck: -Guyyyys, there's breakfast-

Shade: -PING-

Shade: -Where-

Beck: -No, this is OUR tray--

Pyro: -Not looking up from chessboard- No fighting over food.

[This is when Dyna comes in with more breakfast trays, conveniently floating some of them around with her bits.]

Dyna: -We are GOING as fast as we can, we're not a master chef person like Big bro, ya know-

Pyro: -Snorts-

Pyro: Everyone thank your sister.

All: Thanks, Dyna.

Dyna: ~~

Cryo: -HEY DON'T FORGET ME TOO, I HELPED--

Pyro: Yes, you too, Cryo. | ]

Cryo: -HECK YEAH-

Baron: Chirp-cheep!

[Foosh. Foosh. Foosh.]

Baron: {000? D.C.?}

Des: ...

Des: (That--that cannot be Morse code, I must be seeing things--)

Des: You...You know 000?

Beck: --!

Beck: Pyro says that he brought back Cards with someone else...

Pyro: That would be him, yes.

Pyro: ....

Pyro: Thank you, by the way. I appreciate your help, Mr Secretary.

Bat: -Salutes-

Beck: . . .

Beck: Secretary?

Des: -Smiles-

Des: Desmond Donald, US Secretary of Defense, serving breakfast, heh.

Des: It's an honor to meet you, Mighty No. 9.

Beck: . . .

Beck: (I'm in my sleep wear--)

Beck: o//////o

Beck: I--Uh. I.

Beck: -SALUTES, TRIES TO SAVE SOME FACE- Th-Thank you, Um, Mr. D--I mean, Mr. Secretary, uh, sir--

Des: -Cannot help but be amused-

Des: Des is fine, Number 9.

Des: We're not in any kind of public or otherwise, so no need for formality. I'm in your house, after all.

Des: ....If I may...

Des: I want to thank you.

Des: For everything.

Des: This nation and its people owes you and your actions a lot more than we can ever say.

Des: (And I'm sure Min feels the same way.)

Des: If it weren't for you...I don't know where we would be at this point.

Des: Not to mention your family.

Pyro: -Pride, ALL of the pride data--

Des: I'm probably not going to get another chance to do this after all this is over...Not to mention, I don't have the actual thing with me, so...

Des: -Salutes-

Des: Beck Amadeus White, I hereby award you the Secretary of Defense Medal of Valor, awarded to those that perform acts of heroism and sacrifice in the face of overwhelming danger at the cost of personal safety for the good of all.

Beck: --!?!

Bat: -PING-

[At the sound of that, all of the Mighties give off much pride and joyful data for their brother, who was still trying to process the whole thing.]

Beck: I...

Beck: -Speechless-

Bat: -That is the highest honor the Department of Defense can bestow, WELL DONE, PRIVATE.-

Beck: I...

Beck: Really?

Des: Really.

Des: You deserve it, Mr. White. More than you know.

Bat: -Don't just STAND there, Private, SALUTE the man--

Beck: !

Beck: (–u–)7  Th-Thank you, sir! I--I mean, Des, sir--

Des: -Nods-

Des: Well...

Des: I should leave you to yourselves, now.

Des: (...They all seem like they really need to rest and relax. Questioning Six is going to have to wait.)

Des: Enjoy your breakfast.

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

=CHAPTER 6D: CRIMSON STRONGHOLD=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

{Sanda Enterprises, Ten Minutes Earlier…}

[There was a flicker of light as Cardinal teleported into Shade’s room.]

Cardinal: …

[He’d spent the night hiding in the streets, waiting for the news reports to blow over. He was glad when the headlines turned their attention to Beck, and had indeed listened that morning to the press release.

He’d been infuriated when Graham had put in his two cents, and had returned to the rooftops that looked out onto the HQ. But just when things looked their darkest…

…That’s when the calls of support came in.

He’d been calmed by the reassurance that the world was not about to turn into a second Monstropolis. Graham’s plan had backfired… so he had walked away, leaving him well enough alone.

He didn’t have time for petty revenge yet, after all.

He’d searched through some gathering areas where active combatants were meeting while the Colosseum was down, hoping against hope that he might find someone who knew Shade personally, someone he could recognize from the time he had visited the arena. Unfortunately, that bridge was out, and the day pressed on without success.

Finally, he had given in to desperation, taking drastic measures.]

Cardinal: (Well, no alarms yet… that I can hear. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve set something off, though… I’ll have to be quick.)

[He was on edge as he scanned the room for clues, analyzing it in every way possible.]

Cardinal: … -Cautiously steps over to the bed- … … …

[He was struck with a sudden, wild idea. It was crazy, but he had to try—]

Cardinal: -Pats the bed-

[…Empty.

But of course, no, that would have been too easy.]

Cardinal: -Disappointment- (Nnnn… shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up there for a second…)

[He let out a sigh very slowly to keep it as quiet as possible, turning his attention to the rest of the room. It seemed to be just as he’d last seen it: a little bit messy, with dog toys on the floor and papers everywhere.]

Cardinal: -Starts quietly leafing through the papers- (He wouldn’t be so careless as to leave out his paperwork where anyone could see it, surely…?)

[While he DID come across one or two pages that raised his suspicion, most of it was harmless, and none of it was helpful. He pressed his mouth into a thin line.]

Cardinal: (There’s got to be SOMETHING in here…)

[He went over to the dresser, looking in the mirror. No secrets revealed themselves, and he crossed his arms in impatience.]

Cardinal: (Why do you even have a dresser when you don’t have a Civilian form, Shade? Do they even make clothes that are meant to go over armor?)

Cardinal: (…Well, I guess Felix could pull it off, so maybe, but still…)

Cardinal: … … …

Cardinal: -Eyes widen in surprise- !!!

[There, sitting on the dresser, were a couple of Pokéballs.

Specifically…]

Cardinal: -Reaches over to pick them up, one in each hand- (Scout and Baron! Man, I’d forgotten all about you guys! We left you HERE!)

[It had been such a long journey since he saw them last that he had to wonder if they were starting to get worried, themselves.]

Cardinal: (I’ll—I’ll have to take you somewhere to eat or something, it must be so frustrating not to be out like is normal….)

[He pocketed the Pokéballs, which shrank down for easier carrying. He couldn’t help but feel a little more optimistic, now—he had Shade’s pet, and that had to count for something…]

Cardinal: (There’s got to be something more to this room. Even ammunition, maybe.)

[His eyes were drawn to the dartboard on the closet door.]

Cardinal: … (Maybe in the closet…?)

[He crept over to the door, looking it over.]

Cardinal: (Doesn’t look like the handle is rigged up to anything…. Don’t see any sensors on the door…)

Cardinal: …

Cardinal: -Opens the— -

BAM!

[Everything went a bright white in pain as something slammed into him from below, sending him flying into the ceiling. He came to the floor with a crash, blaring with pain from the unexpected impact.

His audio receptors were ringing in a faint screech of feedback, and he could smell a bit of smoke, even.]

Cardinal: (I suppose I deserved that.)

[He tried to shake it off, propping himself up a bit.]

Cardinal: (Louis, you idiot… you should have expected something like that…!)

[He could see now what the disturbance was: there had been an airbag just beneath the floor, situated so that anyone standing in front of the closet would get hit.]

Cardinal: (Must be hooked up to a sensor so that anyone who isn’t Shade gets sent packing. Hell if I know more…)

[He could hear footsteps coming down the hall.]

Cardinal: (Move, gotta move…) Nnnnuhhh…

[He pushed himself to his feet, staggering a little as his gyroscope recalibrated. The footsteps were getting louder now, and he could feel Beck’s signal coming down the hall.]

Cardinal: Grrrr…

[His eyes suddenly flared a full green.]

<DLN-000 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>

[There was a whining noise as he primed his blaster, backing away from the door.]

Cardinal: (They won’t take me! Not now, not when I’m SO CLOSE!!!)

[The door flung open, and Cardinal aimed to fire.]

Cardinal: —?!

[But his mode suddenly came to a halt, his blaster practically locking up in his sudden hesitation.

For it wasn’t Beck who had answered the door, it was…]

Cardinal: Roll—!

[Flashes of cross-references blinked rapidly through his mind.

His sister, brokenhearted with perpetual suffering. The one person from LightLabs he would ever want to see again. The one construct he had truly pitied. The driving reason he’d chosen mercy, the single soul who would be any reason to come home—]

Cardinal: -Distress— despair— -

[Help—he needed help to come home—]

Cardinal: -Eyes flicker back to the usual irises, bright with conflicting emotions-

[He dropped out of Lethal mode.]

<DLN-000 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

Cardinal: (R-Roll…)

Call: Halt.

Call: This is DSN-000, Designation: Call. This unit is requesting unit DLN-000--Cardinal Light--to stand down and return to HQ, as requested by Dr. Cossack, Dr. White, and Dr. Sanda.

Cardinal: I…

[He felt extremely disoriented, only hazily aware of his mistake. The cross-reference was too strong for him to overcome.]

Cardinal: I can’t go home…

[There were combat instincts screaming in the back of his mind, warning him that he was still in great danger. That he had only seconds before Brandish and Pyro came to the door.]

Cardinal: -Backs up further, eyes glowing brighter- Leave me alone!

[He had to think and act fast. This was his last chance to take, give, or say anything. Last chance—]

Cardinal: —!

[He saw Beck’s form appear in the doorway.]

Beck: CARDINAL, WAIT--

[Cardinal took a step back, his boots crunching on some spent darts.]

Cardinal: Think fast— -Tosses a USB key at Beck’s face-

Beck: --?!? -Wha--

Call: Statement: This is a distraction--

[That was all the time that Cardinal needed.]

Byuubyuubyuuu…

————————

[While Cardinal was taking off for the streets to where he’d left Jazz in the alleyways, Beck and Call were left standing in front of the now-empty bedroom.]

Beck: No--!

Beck: (No, no! If I had just been faster--!)

Beck: -Dismayed and disheartened, greatly- Cards...

[PING!]

[DR.WHITE]//: Beck! What is happening? Did you find him?

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

[MN.9] //: ...he was here, I saw...but he's...he's gone...

[MN.1] //: For Xel's SAKE, Cardinal! Why?!

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

[CALL]//: I detect both anger and frustration from all present.

[MN.2] //: No duh, Callie...

<MC005>: > Was Jazz with him?!

Beck: --? I...what? ?.?

Call: Negative, Doctor Cossack. DLN-000 was alone.

<MC005>: > Then he can’t have gotten far!

Call: Suggestion: Unit Mighty No. 6 should preform air recon in search of unit DLN-000.

[MN.6]//:  ROGER DODGER--

[MN.7] //: -Ping-

[MN.7]//: He doesn't know Titus like we do...

[MN.7] //: He would stick to places he would have been to before, with the city as chaotic as it is--

<DWN-024>: >While that may be true, we have no idea how long he has been here! It could have been days!

<MC005>: >Unless he has somewhere in mind, I don’t think he’ll leave the city! Not until he gets what he’s looking for!

[MN.7] //: -Silent Japanese cursing under his breath-

[MN.9] //: -We can't waste any time, we can't--!-

[MN.6] //: No worries, Beckroni and cheese!

[MN.6] //: ; D Air Force Avi 1 is on the case! I'll jet Cards home in a flash, don't you worry! We know where he might be, at least, yeah?

[MN.9] //: ...yeah...there's that...

<MC005>: >When that happens, Avi… just make sure you get a visual lock on him in lieu of a signal. Confronting him should be a last resort.

<MC005>: >I pity anyone else who gets in his way…

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

=PROLOGUE A: IT ALL BEGINS NOW=

~AO v1.0~

(Starring @limitbreakers)

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

“Come ON, Beck! Hurry up, we’re gonna be late!”

It is the present year.

“C-Coming, Cryo!”

Breakthroughs in robotic technology have ushered in a new era of peace and prosperity. Violence is confined to the Battle Colosseum, where robot combatants face off in spectacular duels.

“We’ve spent enough time walking down memory lane in the trophy room. We have to get to the arena before they call us out for our return debut match.”

“WE KNOW, Pyro. Jeezzz, calm down.”

“I believe he is only excited to be back in familiar stomping grounds. Isn’t that right, Bat?”

“TOO RIGHT, Brand!”

“MAN, I am so stoked for this! Hey, I hope they get my good side, ya know? Course, I look good in ALL angles.”

“…Avi not focused.”

“Mic is right. It’s time to get out there. Everyone! PLACES!”

“YES SIR NO.1!”

Today, the colosseum walls once again echo with the shouts and cheers of excited fans…

…when suddenly…

….

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN–

Attention! Attention! This is Code Red! Please evacuate the arena calmly and quickly! This is not a drill! Please–

[WARNING. WARNING. VIRUS DETECTED IN SERVER. FIREWALL PROGRAMS HAVE FAILED.]

[MN.1-8 HAVE BEEN INFECTED WITH HARMFUL MALWARE. RUNNING XELFILTER.EXE FOR MN.9]

[WARNING: MN.1-8 HAVE ENTERED FULL COMBAT MODE. RESTRICTIONS: NONE.]

[S Y S T E M E R R ROR–S YSTEM E R R ROR–]

“PYRO! BRAND! SHADE! GUYS! S T O P!”

[MN.9 HAS BEEN DAMAGED BY HARMFUL MALWARE. PREPARING HARD RESET. ALL FORMS WILL BE LOST.]

“GUYS–NO–NOOO–!!”

[....]

[XELFILTER.EXE PROGAM CYCLE COMPLETE. ALL MALWARE HAS BEEN FILTERED AND NEUTRALIZED FROM ALL SYSTEMS.]

[REBOOTING...]

[MN.9 IS NOW ONLINE]

Beck: ....Uuugh...

Beck: What...what happened...

[......]

[At first...nothing.]

[Then....]

"PYRO! BRAND! SHADE! GUYS! S T O P!!"

Beck: ......!!!!!

[MN.9 to MN.1-8] //: GUYS! GUYS!

[MN.9 HAS BEEN BLOCKED BY MN.1-8.]

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

Beck: What...?!

Beck: Why would... They...

BOOOM!

[...And that is when he noticed where he was. No longer was he within the Colosseum walls, he was now on some rooftop by a NBCA advertisement. It looked like he was simply DROPPED here, but the means of how and why were far from his mind.]

[At the sounds of the explosions, Mighty No. 9 ran across the rooftop ...]

Beck: !!!

Beck: N...No...!

[Screams. Fire.]

Beck: What....

[The whole of the city in absolute chaos, citizens screaming in terror, fleeing from literal hordes of rampaging robots, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake.]

Beck: What is...happening...?!

Beck: .....!!!

Beck: DAD!

[His creator. His father. Doctor William Apollo White.]

[He was somewhere in this madness...]

[Without another thought, Beck jumped down from the rooftop. He had to find him. He had to know if...!]

Beck: PROFESSOR! DAD! WHERE ARE YOU?!

Beck: DAAAAD!!

[......]

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

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

[...!! There! In the distance--! That puff of hair that could only be--!]

Beck: Dad!

White: Beck!

[The sheer relief couldn't be plainer on their faces, as Beck ran up to his father, who seemed to have seen better days--his lab coat was torn here and there, and his face was covered in black soot.]

White: Ah, Beck--thank God--and functioning normally, it would appear!

Beck: Yeah...yeah, I'm fine, Dad. I'm fine...

Beck: I am so glad you're OK—

[Beck clutched his leg as hard as he could, and White bent down to give his youngest perhaps the hardest hug he could muster.]

White: ...God...what on earth has happened...? It's...chaos, everywhere...!

Beck: I...I dunno...I dunno...Dad...

[Tears filled his emerald green eyes.]

Beck: I...I can't contact the others...Pyro, Cryo, Dyna...they...blocked me...!

White: What?!

White: Why on...

White: . . .

White: oh God—nononoNO—

[He fumbled with his bag, which held his laptop. He opened it as quickly as he could and--]

[...His suspicions were confirmed.]

[The status of all Mighty Numbers...]

[To say he was both horrified and shocked was an understatement.]

[His sons...his daughters...]

White: NO!

Beck: .....!!!

Beck: INCOMING!

[Several airborne delivery bots had spotted them--and their load was less than helpful. They were bombs.]

[Beck pushes his father out of the way, with a strength he never knew he had in this default form...]

White: ooF--

[The blast knocked both father and son back some ways, but Beck's quick actions had saved them both from sustaining serious damage.]

[Thankfully, the trio of delivery bots no more cargo to dispel, and flew back the way they came--probably to get more of their ammo.]

Beck: Dad--Dad, are you OK?!

White: Ngh...

White: Y-Yes...mostly...

[Beck looked forward--this street...this was familiar...]

[...! Wait! He knew where he was! Just a few blocks from here was home!]

Beck: Dad--Dad, it's not safe--

White: ...

[After catching his breath, he stood--brushed himself off, and looked to the distance along with Nine. There, on end of this long street...]

[Sands Enterprises.]

White: ........

White: .......

Beck: Dad...?

[His expression hardened.]

[....His sons, his daughters...]

[What was happening to all the robots...]

[...He couldn't do anything from here.]

White: We won't figure out anything from here, Beck.

White: We must make for the laboratory--and quickly!

Beck: ...!

[But between them and home...a war zone.]

White: ........

Beck: ....

White: Beck...

White: I can't get through this by myself.

White: You MUST forge on ahead and clear a secure path.

Beck: --!? Wha--

White: Don't worry--I'll follow, and monitor your process. We only need to make it to the end of this street!

White: Do you think you can do that?

Beck: ......

[...He's walked down this street countless times--he's just never had to do it amidst gunfire.]

[But Dad...]

[His family...Dr. Sanda...Call...!]

[MN.9 HAS ENTERED COMBAT MODE.]

Beck: Yes sir!

[...Seeing that smile on his face, and the will that clearly shined beneath those eyes...]

White: Alright...

[...There was hope.]

[They could not lose that--not now!]

White: Let's move!

[OBJECTIVE: ESCORT DR. WHITE TO SANDA ENTERPRISES UNHARMED.]

[SYSTEMS READY.]

[....INITIATING COMBAT PROGRAMS.]

[Getting through the overturned vehicles and debris was easy enough, and provided good cover for Will.]

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

Beck: ....!!

[A flash of purple, and a standard CherryDyn Security Model robot materialized in his path, waving it's arms around wildly, it's weapon primed and ready to fire.]

[White's voice filled his comm link--as long as they were near each other, they could speak above the chaotic noises that filled the blue sky.]

White: A security bot...and it's out of control like all the others...

[The CherryDyn bot, however, didn't notice Beck at all--rather, it moved on ahead...]

Beck: ....!!

Beck: Professor! Look!

White: !

[There, on a large public screen that overlooked the street...]

[Gregory Graham.]

<DLN-008 to MNN-ALL>: > -PING!-

[…!

Faint!

But there!

That was Toby’s signal, no doubt about it!]

Beck: !!!!

Beck: Toby!

White: Tobias?!

Beck: I felt his signal!

Beck: It's...so faint but...!

[The signal is fluctuating and faltering, as if something’s interfering with it.]

[KKKST!]

"Once again, the President as declared a country-wide state of emergency. This, based on reports of haywire robots rampaging out of control in all 52 States. I'm being told we have a comment from Gregory Graham, CEO of CherryDynamics."

Beck and White: WHAT?!

[There are some faint data streams that suggest anger—from DWNs—but it is still too faint…

Barely noticeable, given the matter at hand.]

"CherryDyn, of course, being the world's largest robot manufacturer. Let's go there now, live...

Graham: Ahem! Hello?...eh, hello...? Is this thing on?!

[...The CEO seemed...panicked...]

Graham: Ah! Ahem--...My fellow Americans...in this time of crisis, we at CherryDyn would just like to express....

Graham: That this isn't our fault!

White: ....!!

Graham: It's that Dr. Blackwell--HE'S the one that's behind all this! BLAME HIM!

Beck: What the--is he SERIOUS?!

[…Oddly…

…nothing, from their otherworldly friends.

Very odd, considering the LAST time that there had been a panic, and how loudly they had cried out in dismay.

But it seemed Graham wasn’t done yet…]

[Graham then composes himself...]

Graham: Ahem--we at CherryDyn are doing ALL we can to help fix the situation...BUT IT'S BLACKWELL'S FAU--

[KKKKKKSSST!]

"Heeeelllloooo! Is this thing on?"

Beck: ...Avi?

[PING!]

<DLN-008>: >Avi! Avi, no! What are you doing?

[He doesn't answer. Instead, he continues to give his twisted 'news report'.]

Avi: “Ahem! And now, let's go live to our eye in the sky, Avi, for today's Avi News traffic report!~”

[And in a completely not so different voice--]

Avi: "Thanks, Avi! As you can see, we've got a few accidents eastbound on, well--"

Avi: "EVERYWHERE! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!~"

<DLN-008>: > DON’T PRETEND YOU CAN’T HEAR ME— now is not the time for games, Aviator!

Avi: "Yup, we've got chaos here, chaos there on this BEEEEEAUTIFUL June 21, 20XX! Here on Avi News today, we've got exclusive coverage on today's top story!~

Avi: THE END OF THE WORLD, BABY!~

White: MIGHTY NO. 6! STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!

Beck: A…Avi…

Avi: "Our nation is on TOTAL MELTDOWN, and Xelbot crime is on the rise!~ Can NOTHING stop this madness?!

Avi: "Short answer? NO!~ BWAHAHAHA!~"

[.......]

[MN.6] //: Well, would you look at that! I got a caller!~

[The screen cuts out to another camera while Avi switched his attention to Toby, leaving Beck and White to gaze in horror at the bird's eye view of their city...]

White: We're almost there...!

[Traversing the war-torn street, Beck and White are just one more block away from the entrance...]

White: ....!

Beck: ...? What is it, Dad?

White: Dr. Sanda's calling...

[DR.WHITE] //: Sanda? What's the matter--

[DR.SANDA] //: WHAT'S THE MATTER?!

[DR.SANDA] //: WHAT THE BLEEDING HECK DO YOU THINK IS THE MATTER?! ARE YOU OK, WILL?!

[DR.WHITE] //: ...Oh, fine. More or less.

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

[DR.WHITE] //: And yourself?

[…Yep.

He was his usual self, alright.]

[Dr. Sanda, however…]

[DR.SANDA] //: Good Lord do you EVER stop being tactless--

[...LOUD clanking noises in the background of his feed.]

[DR.SANDA] //: ohmyGod

[DR.SANDA] //: I'm less than fine--MUCH LESS! These robots gone wild are TEARING THE PLACE APART!

[DR.WHITE] //: What...in the building too?!

[DR.SANDA] //: I've sealed myself in the lab--but who knows HOW long before they break through?!

[DR.WHITE] //: Ah, I see. Understood. We're already on our way!

[DR.SANDA] //: ...We?

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

[DR.SANDA] //: ...!! Beck? BECK? IS THAT REALLY YOU?!

[MN.9] //: Yeah--it's me! I'm OK, I'm not crazy!

[DR.SANDA] //: THANK THE LORD--

[BANG!]

[DR.SANDA] //: -sCREECH--

[DR.WHITE] //: Just try to hold them off for as long as you can! We're coming!

[Soon enough, after what seemed like hours had passed instead of minutes...]

[...Sanda Enterprises.]

[The front door was completely blown open.]

White: Oh, no...

Beck: I...I don't see Call anywhere...

White: ......

White: Beck. We have no time to waste...calculate the fastest possible route to the lab!

Beck: Yes sir!

Beck: ......

Beck: This way!

[BWAN BWAN BWAN BWAN--]

Beck: nEVER MIND THIS WAY--

[The elevator down to the lab was out--they had to take the other way down.]

White: --!!!

[...Sanda Models.]

[Heading this way...]

White: BECK!!

Beck: !!

[Trash bots--designed to recycle waste and paper--harmless enough, but something had caused them to open and shut their lids with the force of a vice, looking for anything to chomp on.]

Beck: Uhoh--

[They were heading this way--but oddly enough--their target...wasn't Beck...]

White: --!!

White: They're locked onto me--!

Beck: NO!

Trash Bots: -GLITCHED BEEPING-

[.......]

[ANALYZING.]

[EMOTION MATRIX RUNNING...]

[THREAT CONFIRMED.]

[ACTIVATING WEAPON SYSTEMS.]

Beck: STAY AWAY FROM HIM!

[WEAPON SYSTEMS: ONLINE.]

-*-*-*-*-

Felix: Let me tell you something, Master Beck. It is your heart and your build, your purpose, to help others. That is where your greatest power, I think, will always lie.

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

Beck: (Well, that's not...I mean, I was just built to fight....)

Felix: When you truly believe in your cause, the strength comes to you.

Felix: I can tell you THAT from experience.

Beck: .....R-Really....?

Felix: Of course.

Felix: And after all.

Felix: You /are/ MIGHTY.

-*-*-*-*-

[XEL ABSORPTION SYSTEMS....

ONLINE. ]

[BLAM BLAM BLAM!]

[In an instant, Beck's arm had transformed into his default demolecularizing arm cannon--capable of breaking apart substances right down to the molecular level within a few shots.]

[The Trash Bots were nailed right in the face, and soon they were...glowing. Their Xels were being broken apart, floating around them...]

[ZOOOOM!]

[ACXELARATE DASH: ONLINE. ]

[A white-blue glow had enveloped Beck as he dashed forward, the Xels of the weakened robots being absorbed into his own body, seamlessly clicking into place.]

[Shocked from the sudden Xel loss...the Trash Bots shut down.]

[ABSORPTION BOOST: ONLINE. ]

Beck: --!!

[A soft red glow shined around him, energy SURGING through him in a way that he's NEVER felt before...]

Beck: Ah--

[It all seemed to pool into his arm cannon.]

Beck: .....

Beck: WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED.

Beck: -pANIC-

Beck: W HAT WAS THAT?!

White: .......

White: Beck...did...

White: Did you just...absorb the Xels of a weakened robot and--my goodness --assimilate them?!

Beck: I DON'T KNOW--YOU TELL ME!

White: Alright--alright--just CALM down, Beck--breathe, breathe...

Beck: .......

White: Beck--I DESIGNED you with this capability.

Beck: ....!! W-Wait--

Beck: ...So--THIS is my...my power? My OTHER power?

White: Yes, Beck. I designed you with THREE central powers: Xel Manipulation, Xel Transformation...

White: ...And Xel Assimilation.

White: ....But...

White: This is the first time I've seen it...active...I hadn't thought it functional yet...

White: (...So why now...?)

White: .....!

White: (Of course...)

White: (Seeing me like this--in danger. Amidst madness and chaos...)

White: (His emotional matrix must have activated his latent abilities...)

White: (In an effort to protect me.)

Beck: .......

Beck: Whoooooa...

White: ....!

Beck: .....

[The glow subsided. Along with the surge of power.]

Beck: --? Uh...what happened?

White: ---Ngh! I'd love to explain but we have more robots incoming--!

Beck: --!!

[Within moments, as they headed deeper into the building, more and more robots appeared.]

[The security system had also gone haywire, and the very same measures used to protect them was now being used against them.]

White: Almost there, almost there...hold on, Soi...!

Beck: OwowowowlASERSHURTOW--

White: ...Right--the Lab is just ahead...

[DR.WHITE] //: Sanda?

[.....]

[DR.WHITE] //: Sanda, are you still there?

[.......]

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

[DR WHITE] //: Have the robots torn you to pieces...?

[MN.9] //: DAD--

[DR.SANDA] //: Criminny! Tactful as ALWAYS, Will... -_____-;;;

[DR.SANDA]//: I'm FINE, but for PETE'S SAKE, HURRY--!

[DR.WHITE] //: Don't worry, we just need to go through the--

[There was a LOUD scream across the feeds.]

[No—two voices, both screaming in utter agony!]

[B A N G.]

Beck: ?!?

Beck: What was THAT...?!

[The door opened...]

[WWRRRRRRRRRRRRRR--]

White: --?!

[Literally CRASHING through the side wall was a huge, round robot nearly seven times Beck's size, crushing anything underneath it's round steel flattener...]

White: A CherryDyn demolition unit?! How on EARTH did it manage to get DOWN here?!

Beck: Oh C RUD--

[The destructive CDN CHARGED right into Beck's path--he dove out of the way in time, however, but the shock of the impact with the other wall forced the door to close, leaving Will on the other side.]

Beck: DAD!

[DR.WHITE] //: I'm fine!

[DR.WHITE] //: Beck, quickly--you MUST stop it, before it destroys the whole laboratory!

[MN.9] //: M...ME?!

[MN.9] //: DAD THIS THING CAN CRUSH ME--

[DR.WHITE] //: YOU HAVE TO TRY! SOI IS STILL IN THERE!

[DR.SANDA] //: COME ON, BECKO--DO IT! OR WE'RE ALL TOAST...!

[MN.9 HAS ENTERED FULL COMBAT MODE.]

Beck: I'msodead--

[SCANNING...]

[SCAN COMPLETE.]

[ E N C O U N T E R ]

[CDN. 502 -- MODEL CODENAME: ROUND DIGGER]

[HEIGHT: 300cm] [WEIGHT: 450kg] [XEL COUNT: 90,000,000]

[The CherryDyn Number 502 charged once more, rolling across the room at RAPID speeds. Beck once again had to dodge, THIS time using his new AcXelarate Dash.]

[...It certainly was...Fast.]

[SPLAT.]

[A little...too fast.]

Beck: O-Ow--stupid wall-

[DR.WHITE] //: Your AcXelarate Dash is EXACTLY that, Beck! An acceleration! Use it wisely!

[DR.WHITE] //: You must weaken it with your weapon to destabilize it's Xel before you can absorb it with your Dash!

[MN.9] //: SO I JUST SHOOT AND RUN INTO IT?!

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

[The Round Digger reared up to charge once more--like a bull would.]

Beck: Crudcrudcrudcrud--

[WRRRRR...]

[BLAM BLAM BLAM!]

[Direct hits--but it didn't stop the CDN from charging.]

Beck: -nOT AGAIN--

[ZOOOM!]

[...And yet another splat.]

Beck: OW--

[DR.WHITE] //: Beck--are you alr--

Beck: NO IT'S NOT WORKING--!

[DR.WHITE] //: Perseverance, Beck! Aim for it's joints and head! Destabilize it's Xel structure!

Beck: Aim and shoot, joints, head--

[WRRRRRRRRRRR--]

[A panel opened up on it's back, revealing--]

[Bombs!]

Beck: --oh NO--

[Of course, it was a demolition unit!]

[BOOM!]

Beck: AAAAAAAAAAH--

[There he goes, dashing this way and that to avoid being blown to pieces!]

Beck: -SCREAMING-

Beck: DAD HELP ME--H ELP ME!

[DR.WHITE] //: I can't--! Not from here--!

[DR.SANDA] //: THE SYSTEMS ARE ALL SCRAMBLED FROM HERE, I CAN'T DO ANYTHING--!

[BOOM! BOOM!]

Beck: -I'MGONNADIEOHMAN-

[Nine keeps shooting--but they are wild and panicked shots, some hitting their target, some missing completely.]

[.....Eventually, however...]

[ERROR--ERROR--XEL STRUCTURE UNSTABLE--]

[...The CDN's head starting glowing purple! ]

[DR.WHITE] //: NOW, BECK!

[As soon as Beck saw it...]

[...He knew exactly what to do. As if it was instinct.]

[As if the thought was there all along.]

Beck: Here GOES!

[ZOOOM--]

[XEL ABSORBED. 100% --CDN XEL COUNT LOWERED 20%--]

[WARNING! WARNING! VIRUS DETECTED!]

Beck: --?!?

[RUNNING XELFILTER.EXE...]

[XEL FILTERED. ALL MALWARE HAS BEEN NEUTRALIZED.]

[ATTENTION: MORE XEL IS REQUIRED FOR A FULL XEL PURGE.]

Beck: (Xel...Purge...?)

[DR.WHITE] //: BECK! ABOVE YOU!

[The CDN had stopped charging--and--oddly enough, used it's extending legs to grab onto the ceiling...?]

Beck: ....???

[A panel UNDERNEATH it unlocks and--]

[PSSSSSSSSSH!]

[A HUGE high pressured blast of water SLAMMED into the Mighty Number, knocking him back into the door with a loud CLANK!]

Beck: AAGH!

[DR.WHITE] //: BECK!

Beck: Uuugh....

Beck: ...Ooooowww...

[...? What's this?]

[...All that did was... Just DAZE him, at best...]

Beck: That was...almost as hard as Cryo, ow...

[PISSSSSSSSSHHH!]

Beck: -gARBLING NOISES-

[DR.WHITE] //: MOVE, BECK!

[A bit shaky, Beck dashes away from the stream--]

Beck: sTOOOOOP--

[.....]

[OH! Wait--why didn't he think of this before?! He might not have his siblings by his side--]

[...But he had their FORMS, right?]

[...Right?]

[…]

[ERROR//: MN.7 REXELECTION FORM NOT FOUND. FORM WAS ERASED AFTER HARD RESET.]

[…Wrong.]

Beck: WHAT?!

[ERROR//: MN.1 REXELECTION FORM NOT FOUND. FORM WAS ERASED AFTER HARD RESET.]

Beck: NONONO!

[ERROR//: MN.2 REXELECTION FORM NOT FOUND....]

[ERROR....]

[ERROR...]

[ERROR...]

[...Gone.]

[They were all gone.]

[He had nothing. No forms except that STUPID golden one, and what good would THAT do?!]

Beck: NO!

Beck: DAD--I CAN'T CHANGE FORMS--!

Beck: I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO FIGHT WITH--!

[DR.WHITE] //: YES YOU DO, BECK!

[DR.WHITE] //: You have tools of which this world--or ANY world--have only just begun to see!

[DR.WHITE] //: USE THEM!

Beck: .....

Beck: --Shoot, dash, shoot, dash--

Round Digger: -R O A R S-

Beck: Shoot and dash, shoot and dash--!

[Repeating this mantra, Beck circled the CDN...]

[They both traded blows, neither of which seemed to be giving in or showing sign of fatigue--]

[...But...slowly...slowly but surely...]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

-PING-

[XEL QUOTA ACHIEVED.]

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

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

[...A circle of white began to glow around Beck's feet...]

[A stream of Xel floated outwards, forming a large circle along with three dots and lines--his symbol...]

Beck: Come on--

[His arms started to shine a pure white!]

Beck: SNAP OUT OF IT!

[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]

Beck: NOW!

[A burst of green Xels flow out of the circle, and RIGHT back to the CDN! Rings of purged Xel incircle it, and slowly--it's...purple, tainted Xel fades...]

[........]

Round Digger: ....????

Round Digger: -BEEP-

Round Digger: -BEEP BEEP-

Round Digger: -CONFUSED DATA, THIS IS NOT OUR DESIGNATED AREA-

Beck: ...!!

Round Digger: -DISTRESSED BEEPING-

Beck: Hey--Hey...

Round Digger: -THIS IS NOT WHERE I'M SUPPOSED TO BEEEEEEEE-

[...Beck...cautiously approaches the CDN...]

[Closer...Closer...]

Beck: Hey....Are you OK?

Round Digger: -BEEEEEEEEEP!-

Beck: Hey--Hey, it's OK...

[...Pat. Pat...]

Beck: You're OK now, don't worry...

Round Digger: -SAD BEEP-

Round Digger: -BEEEEEP-

Beck: ....! Uh...hey--do you think you can help me?

Round Digger: ....? -beep?-

[MN.9] //: Dr. Sanda?

[.......There was no response at first. Both Doctors were still STUNNED at what just happened.]

[MN.9] //: Dr. Sanda!

[DR.SANDA] //: ...! Erm--ah--y-yes, Beck...?

[MN.9] //: You said the systems were haywire, right? So you can't unseal yourself...

[DR.SANDA] //: Well--I....oh.

[MN.9] //: So--I guess there's only one option, right?

[DR.WHITE] //: --! Of course! The Round Digger!

[DR.SANDA] //: W-Wait--Wait a min--

Round Digger: -PING-

Round Digger: -DIRECTIVE RECEIVED. COMMENCING DEMOLITION.-

Round Digger: -WARNING BEEPS, STAND CLEAR-

[DR.SANDA] //: -SHRIEKS, RUNS TO THE FARTHER ROOM-

[WRRRRRRRRRRRRR--]

[C R A C K!]

[With one powerful charge, the CDN Demo unit reared back once more and charged into the other wall, making a hole large enough for even MIC to walk into.]

[DR.SANDA]//: Did you REALLY have to do that?! This place is falling apart enough as it--

[DR.WHITE] //: We can worry about it later! Beck--neutralize any other threats in the building while I work with Soi to get at LEAST some of those systems back online...

[MN.9] //: Yes Sir!

[DR.SANDA] //: B-B-But--the lab is unsealed--

[DR.WHITE]//: I don't think we have to worry about that for now.

Round Digger: -BEEEEEEP-

[MN.9] //: Yeah, you can stay down here and make sure nothing gets past you, OK? That way you don't get hurt too. ^.^

[CDN.502] //: -BEEP BEEP, NEW DESIGNATION AREA CONFIRMED-

[DR.WHITE]//: Good, good. Be careful, alright?

[MN.9] //: Yeah. I will.

[Beck went back the way he came--through the recently re-opened door--while White stumbled through the opening, patting the CDN on it's side as he passed by.]

[...It took a while to find where Sanda had taken cover, but eventually--]

Sanda: Will!

White: Soi!

[Without another word, Sanda threw his arms around his beast friend, quite literally giving him a bear hug--]

White: Hurk--! Soi--!

Sanda: You have no IDEA how glad I am to see your face, friend--

White: Th-The feeling is mutual, Soi, but c-could you PLEASE let me breathe--

Sanda: --? Oh--OH. S-Sorry, William--Eheh, excuse me--

[White breathes in a few deep breaths once Sanda let's go, once again brushing himself off--but to no avail, as his clothing was more or less ruined.]

Sanda: Great Ceaser's Ghost, Will--you look like you've just been put through the wringer...!

White: That's...not wrong, Soi...at all...

Sanda: ...I can only imagine--I could hear everything from down here...

White: ....Did...you hear the broadcast...?

Sanda: Broadcast--?

White: ...Right, the systems are still scrambled—you wouldn't get anything...

Sanda: —…. Well—I… /did/ hear.... screaming—

"Dr. Sanda!"

[Passing through the crumbling wall, Beck reappeared, his pristine white armor slightly singed in several places--probably from laser fire.]

Beck: Dr. Sanda—!

Sanda: Beck--! Come here, you--!

[In a well meant hug of his own, Beck latched on to Sanda's leg, burying his face into it. Muffled cries of 'I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU'RE OK' and 'SANDAAA' were heard while the Doctor fondly gave Nine a noogie.]

Sanda: Ha Ha! I KNEW you could do it, Mighty No. 9!

Beck: -MUFFLED NOISES-

White: Yes--well done, Beck...but, I'm afraid we still have work to do--have the other robots been taken care of?

Beck: I...did my best--some of them went outside, but I managed to absorb most of the ones on the upper floors...

White: That will do. Come on, Soi, let's TRY and get this lab running again--

Sanda: W-Wait a minute--

Sanda: I see here that BECK is functioning normally...

Sanda: But what happened to the OTHER Mighty Numbers...? Are they still OUT there...?

[........]

[… … …]

White: ....Sanda...

[...Will sighs...and takes up a straighter posture.]

White: Based on empirical evidence...I believe that they might be suffering from this... robot affliction that's been going around--and causing all this chaos...

Sanda: W-What--?!?

Sanda: You mean--Pyrogen, Cryosphere...

White: ...Yes, Soi...they've been infected with a virus. I saw the status of all of them on my laptop...

Sanda: No...!

White: ...Have a look...

[MN.1 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]

[MN.2 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]

[MN.3 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]

[MN.4 STATUS: UNAVAILABLE.]

[MN.5 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]

[MN.6 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]

[MN.7 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]

[MN.8 STATUS: UNAVAILABLE.]

[MN.9 STATUS: ONLINE, COMBAT MODE, CONDITION: NORMAL.]

[After a moment…]

-PING!-

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

[…! Data from the RobotMaster Database (Cossack Server) in the midst of this—?!]

White: It's...!

Sanda: The Robot Master Database--we're still connected--!

>DCN-008 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

>DCN-007 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

>DCN-004 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

>DCN-003 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

>DCN-000 STATUS: OFFLINE

[oH WAIT THEY’RE IN /LETHAL/—]

[...!!]

Beck: But--They're in--!

>Loading…

>DWN-024 STATUS: OFFLINE

>DWN-020 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

>DWN-019 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

>DWN-018 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

>DWN-017 STATUS: OFFLINE

White: Oh God... Don't...tell me they...they've...

>Loading…

>DWN-013 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

>DWN-012 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

>DWN-011 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE

Beck: Speedy....Siam...everyone...

White: -PALES, THINKING THE WORST-

>Loading…

[…]

>Loading…

[…There seemed to be a delay…]

>Loading…

> -PING!-

>DLN-008 STATUS: OFFLINE— CRITICAL AI_OS DATA ERROR

[…well that might explain the screaming from earlier…!]

Beck: TOBY...!

White: No!

Sanda: T-...Tobias...

>Loading…

>Loading…

>Loading…

>Loading…

>Loading…

>Loading…

>ERROR: SIGNAL NOT FOUND. SEARCHING…

[…This did not look good. Everyone who wasn’t in LETHAL Combat mode was OFFLINE. The whole series—! Even the Awarenesses who didn’t have rebuilt chassises yet!]

Beck: Nononono--!

White: Not them too!

Sanda: Oh no MIKHAIL AND KALINKA-

[MN.9 HAS GONE INTO COMBAT MODE]

Beck: -sCREECH- LINKA!

-PING!-

White: --!!!

Sanda: -jUMPS-

Beck: !!!!

<MC005 to DR.WHITE>: > -PING!-

White: MIKHAIL! IT'S HIM! HE'S ALIVE--!

Sanda: WELL DON'T JUST STAND THERE, WILL, ANSWER HIM--

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

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

=CHAPTER 7C: RUSH INTO THE MINE=

~AO v1.0~

((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))

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

[LATER THAT NIGHT....]

[William White was staring patiently at the same analysis screen for several hours, a full jug of coffee at his side. It had gone cold long ago. Mikhail had left for his own devices shortly after making it, mentioning he had important work to do with Siam before he could return.

And that was certainly for the better…]

White: (Eight...Eight samples.)

White: (This should be enough--this has to be enough...)

[It was in that moment that Soi stepped into the room.]

Soi: --Will?

White: --Oh. Soi.

Soi: Good Lord, man, I thought you went to bed ages ago!

Soi: Didn't Mikhail warn you about staying up too late?

White: Under the circumstances, he's overlooked it for now.

White: I'm so close, Soi, I can just...

White: I have all the pieces, I just have to fit them together.

White: -Turns back to the Terminal- I've already arrange the code, it's only a matter of figuring out what goes where...

White: And hopefully, I can start to finally counteract this nightmare.

Soi: Thank goodness.

Soi: Once we figure out what's going on with the Virus, my brother will send help!

Soi: -Sigh-

Soi: And all we need is Shade back.

White: Yes...

White: I think the others are dreading that, somewhat. Mikhail was...He had that look about him.

Soi: Because Shade is a Hunter?

White: Perhaps.

White: But I think it's something else.

White: Or rather...

((CARDINAL PIC))

White: Someone.

White: ....

White: In any case.

White: -Working as he speaks- You do have a point. This...

White: It's almost over, now.

White: .....

White: Soi?

Soi: Yes?

White: ......

White: I...

White: Do you think that...Maybe...

White: . . . .

Soi: ???

White: ...Nevermind.

Soi: What?

White: No, it's...It was just a passing thought.

Soi: Wiiiiilll.

Soi: Come on, I know you want to tell me something when you suddenly back out of it!

White: I just---

[PING!]

White: !

White: Wait--

White: Soi, I--I think I did it--!

Soi: -WAIT WHAT, REALLY--??-

White: Hold on, let me just run this through one more time--

Soi: Oh, man, this is great!

Soi: -YOU'VE DONE IT AGAIN, WILL.-

Soi: I know that it's still processing, but as soon as that's confirmed, I can call Mikhail back--

Soi: And then we can get to--

Soi: --!!!

Soi: --...Will?

[No response.]

[None.]

[The room was suddenly filled with a tense silence.]

[...That is, save for the quiet patter of drops on a keyboard.]

Soi: Will--

[It was as if he wasn't hearing him.]

[William sat there in what appeared to be shock, huge streams of tears falling from his emerald hues.]

[He was crying.]

White: . . .

Soi: Will, are you alright--

White: . . .

White: I...

Soi: Will--oh dear should--should I call Mikhail or--?

[THAT got him out of the shock, but it was quickly replaced by sheer panic--]

[Will bolted straight for the door, fumbling with his keycard to lock it--]

Soi: --???!

[He then proceeded to shut down all the computers, cameras, even his phone--]

Soi: Will--

Soi: Will!

[Soi grabbed his arm before he could do anything else concerning, a firm tone in his voice.]

Soi: What is going on--?! What did you--

White: It's mine.

Soi: --???

White: The virus--it's coding--It's MINE, Soi--!

White: All of this is MY FAULT--!

Soi: Wha...

[Soi was so...so taken back by it that he let go.]

Soi: Wait--

White: -PANICKY--

White: It's all my fault, the madness, our sons and daughters, our own family, HIS--!

White: The whole country is suffering because of MY MISTAKE--!

Soi: WILL!

[Soi claps very hard in front of Will's face, which was enough to bring him out of his panic attack, or at least some of it.]

Soi: Breathe.

Soi: I've known you for more than 10 years and I know that none of this is your fault.

Soi: You--

Soi: You're different, now, Will.

Soi: Remember?

White: ........

Soi: .....

Soi: Let's just...Sit.

Soi: Start over.

Soi: Okay?

White: . . .

[White sits back down with a shivering sigh, his head buried into his hands. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, but it didn't seem to help much.]

White: S-Soi...

White: The...The code, Soi--

White: It's mine. I know it is.

Soi: Really?

[Silence.]

White: ....

White: Not...All of it.

Soi: See, so it isn't--

Soi: --Wait-- not ALL of it?

Soi: I...I don't understand.

White: .....

White: Soi...

White: Remember...

White: Remember when you first hired me?

Soi: I...Of course.

Soi: How could I forget?

White: .....

White: I told you that I had previous experience with robotics before.

White: You know what I mean.

Soi: ......

[Now it was Soi's turn to be shocked.]

Soi: No, Wait--

Soi: You can't mean--

Soi: This--You mean this whole robot rampage--?!

White: --is all my fault, indeed.

White: Or rather...

White: The fault of a robot that I designed long ago...

White: The CDN-1201.

White: ...Trinity.

White: I designed her to evolve by assimilating other robot's capabilities...

White: I found her custom scripts in the virus code we retrieved from each of the haywire Mighty Numbers--as well as...

White: From...Mikhail's database sample...

((Hang on, cutscene time— -Cutscene here about Mikhail and Will talking about the Virus being alive-))

White: The structure is clever, cunning, concise...

White: It's brilliant. There's no doubt it's my code.

Soi: Now wait just a minute--!

Soi: How--How is that even POSSIBLE, Will?

Soi: CherryDynamics shut down the Trinity project AGES ago!

Soi: In fact it was--

Soi: Dr. Blackwell himself, wasn't it--? Back when he was CTO--?

[White stiffens at that.]

Soi: ....

Soi: I...

Soi: I always thought that was the reason you left Cherry to come work with us and make the Mighties here...

Soi: Wasn't it?

White: Of COURSE it was, Soi!

Soi: --Nngh-- (Oh no, he's angry--)

White: After what HAPPENED there--

White: After what I had to do to HER--

White: In the end, Blackwell only saw the dangers, not the potential--!

White: He NEVER gave ME a CHANCE!

White: Never gave HER a...a chance...

Soi: ......

[As quickly as Will flared, he slowly SAT back down again, tears now flowing freely.]

White: I can still hear her in my DREAMS, Soi.

White: I...

White: God, I was a fool.

White: Such a fool...

White: But I was just so eager and wanted to prove myself to HIM that I...I didn't listen.

White: And now she's come to haunt me again.

Soi: --Will.....

White: I...I just--

White: --I can't TELL them, Soi, I just CAN'T--!

White: To tell them that all that I am--all of who I AM IS A LIE?!

White: What that would do to them, to--to all that we have built and come to cherish--

White: I DON'T WANT TO LOSE EVERYTHING AGAIN, SOI--!

Soi: Shhhh!

Soi: Will--

[Soichiro calmly wraps an arm around Will's shaking shoulders, almost close to tears himself.]

Soi: You won't, Will--

Soi: I swear we will make this work somehow, if I have a say in it!

Soi: I know her loss was so hard on you, Will, and I know how much it hurts.

Soi: But this...

Soi: This is a virus, Will--Trinity was not a virus.

Soi: She was your daughter, if only for a short time.

Soi: I don't know how or why someone would put her scripts into this...This horrid thing--

Soi: But I do know one thing.

Soi: I will always be in your corner, Will. No matter what happens or who tries to stop us.

Soi: I'll always have your back.

Soi: ^^

White: ....

White: -Sniff-

White: S...Soi...

White: You--You never HAD to help me...

Soi: Oh, poppycock! That's ridiculous.

Soi: Where would you be without me, eh?

White: -Sniff-

White: ....

White: U-Up the creek with no paddle?

Soi: I was thinking more like still a rotten Cherry, but let's go with that.

White: Eheh....

White: ....

White: What are we going to do, Soi...?

Soi: I don't really know.

Soi: But we can't keep this from Mikhail for long, you know that, right?

White: . . .

Soi: Will.

White: I...I don't...

Soi: Will, he GAVE you one of the samples, he's SEEN that custom script.

White: --....

Soi: He's going to put two and two together eventually, and would you rather have him find out on his own or hearing it from someone he knows is a genuine good person with genuine, good intentions?

White: . . . .

White: -Whispers- I don't want him or any of them to think less of me...

Soi: .....

White: And then there's my own children, Soi...

White: How would THEY handle this?

Soi: Will, that's sort of your fault there.

Soi: You always put it off ever since Pyro.

Soi: There is just no easy way to go about this, Will.

Soi: You have to tell them the truth.

White: . . . .

Soi: At least--

Soi: At least tell someone, Will--

Soi: You need to talk about this to someone OTHER than me.

Soi: Someone that isn't quite in our family--but still a friend.

Soi: Someone like...

Soi: ....

Soi: --!

Soi: Felix?

White: ...But he's just stirring.

Soi: When he's BETTER, Will.

Soi: Honestly, I will drag you to him if I have to, don't think I won't!

White: -Ngh--

Soi: ....

Soi: Please don't take this the wrong way, Will. I'm doing this as your friend.

Soi: All I want is for you to be well and at peace with...with who you were.

Soi: Alright?

White: .....

White: -Inhale-

White: ...O...Okay...

White: I...Okay.

Soi: Promise, Will. You have one foot out the door.

White: ....

White: I...

White: I promise.

Soi: To?

White: Go talk to Felix.

Soi: About?

White: ...Trinity.

Soi: Good. ^^

White: ......

Soi: Chin up, Will.

Soi: Things will get better, soon.

Soi: I promise you that. ^^

White: ....

White: I...

White: I can only hope, Soi.

White: (Hope and dream...)

White: ...I made a mess, didn't I....

Soi: Sort of? You just turned off everything in a rush.

Soi: ...Also I think you locked us in. ^^;;;

White: ....

White: (Oops--)

White: I...

White: I think I'll just call someone to get us out...

White: -Oh God why are there so many messages SOI--

White: -I THINK IT'S TOO LATE--

Soi: -Wait what--

[Soi peeked over Will's phone to get a closer look--]

[MESSAGE 1

FROM: MC005]

>WILL

>WILL, WE FINALLY FOUND THE ANSWER

White: --???

[MESSAGE 2

FROM: MC005]

> {We figured it out Will I’m not sure yet but PICK UP YOUR PHONE—}

White: -Wait, what--

[MESSAGE 3

FROM: DWN-019]

> -Raw data that is echoed and mostly mirrored-

White: -Okay so THANK GOD IT DOESN’T SEEM TO BE WHAT I THINK IT WAS--

Soi: .....

Soi: You REALLY need to go to sleep.

White: Shush--

[MESSAGE 4

FROM: DWN-019]

>Doctor!

>I know you are awake working.

>If you were asleep, your phone would have woken you.

> SO GO TO BED WHEN YOU GET THIS.

>There is very important news to share in the morning!

Soi: ...That's kinda scary, actually.

White: -______-;;;;

[MESSAGE 5

FROM: DWN-019]

>We sent Dr. Cossack to sleep despite his protests, he needs rest.

>Please have everyone gather for breakfast, they’ll want to hear this.

Soi: See?

Soi: Heck, maybe things will work out after all!

White: . . .

White: I...Guess so.

White: ...Before we go, though, I should lock the code--

Soi: That can wait.

White: -But we really should secure the--

Soi: In the morning, Will.

White: -But--

Soi: -Alright that's it we're calling in the cavalry-

Soi: Call, dear?

White: -ERK--

White: -Waitwaitwait on second thought BED SOUNDS NICE-

White: -Look see, we're going--

[BONK--!]

White: Ow--

White: ....

White: Oh right I locked us in, didn't I.

White: Um.

White: ^^;;;;;

Soi: .....

Soi: -LOSES IT-

Soi: Aw, Will, you...

Soi: Call!

[Footsteps.]

".... Doctors, why is this door locked?"

Soi: Will here accidentally locked us in, heh.

Soi: Be a dear and disengage the lock, will you?

Soi: Oh, and get Will to bed, he's being difficult.

White: -I SAID I WAS GOING-

"Yes, Doctor. I will only be a few minutes."

White: -I'm locking the code while she's doing it-

Soi: Will-- -Siiiigh- -_-;;;;;;

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

=CHAPTER 4B: AVI'S NEWS REPORT=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

[SANDA LABS...]

[The lower parts of the building—the labs and underground, as well as most of the floors above were secure, though perhaps there was a few rouge trash bots wandering around here and there, which were quickly dealt with when Beck found them.]

[...But he wasn't here in the storage area for just that. It was the only room big enough for the Round Digger that Beck had first purified way...]

[...Way back? It FELT like it.]

Beck: Hey, buddy...

[The CDN beeped happily as it saw him approach.]

Beck: You seem to be doing OK...that's good...

[Beck patted the larger robot on it's spherical side, rather glad that it was still functioning perfectly well. It also reassured him a little.]

[...He was worried that his...his ability to filter out irregularities in other systems wasn't permanent, or that the virus was stronger than he thought...]

[...But the big guy seemed OK, and that means his family would be OK too.]

Beck: ......

[…Even if it may be a bit complicated for a while.

The whole fusion thing with Avi and Tobias had prompted Dr. Cossack to come over to assist in the repairs. All that he would say were vague remarks about side effects and the nature of the RMDC.

He was in the lab now, looking over more of Avi’s coding, with help from Will.

He seemed confident the problem would be fixed soon—and Beck sure hoped so.

The “side effects” that Mikhail had mentioned were a lot worse than just Tobias getting sensory data from Avi’s feeds.]

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

“Nowhere left to run, anymore. Heh… talk about pathetic. You’re a disgrace t’ robots everywhere, you sniveling ragtag group a’ cowards.”

[Panic. Sheer panic. Terror. Trapped.]

“A hunt this borin’ ain’t worth m’ time, so…. Let’s play a little game, shall we? S’ called…”

[A loud click noise.]

“ ‘Which one a’ you Wily scrapheaps will take the longest t’ die?’”

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

[Whatever it was that had caused all the Rebel Angels to wake up screaming in the middle of the night while they were gone, it definitely wasn’t something anyone wanted to show up in Avi’s feeds a second time.]

Beck: -Sighs-

[At least they were making progress. That had to count for something.]

[...A LOT of things had happened back there, on the Radio Tower, against Avi...]

[For one, it appeared his 'filter' had somehow fixed Avi's and Tobias's fusion, though he was still rather confused as to why...]

[For another...]

-------------------------

[XEL OVERRIDE INITIATED.]

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

--------------------------

[What in the WORLD was that...?

He was kinda glad that the Angels were all distracted with Tobias (and whatever else Siam was up to), because he had a feeling it would SERIOUSLY freak them out if they knew about it. It was freaky enough as it was—and if anyone were to ask about it, he just didn’t know the answer!]

[He just...he just didn't know and it scared him.]

[...And on top of that, he had no one that he could ask at the moment.]

[Was this--was this just another 'ability' that had been awakened, like the rest? Or was this...]

[Was this something more?]

Beck: Ugh...

[He slumped against the Round Digger, and rubbed his face in clear worry and weariness. He felt tired even though all his systems were green now, and he knew that...this wasn't going to be over anytime soon.]

[Still.]

[He had a promise to uphold, they still NEEDED him, they all did. He was the only, only one that can do this.]

Beck: (Jeez...I don't think I've EVER been this tired...)

Beck: (I could... I could really use a nap or...yeah.)

Beck: ...-Sigh-

Beck: Take it like a Mighty, Beck...

[The CDN beeped in concern, and seemed to rev it's engine as a way of comforting the small construct with a bit of background noise.]

Beck: Thanks...

Beck: .....

Beck: (I should probably get back to the others.)

Beck: Don't cause too much trouble down here, OK, Buddy?

[CDN.502] //: -PING!-

Beck: Heh...

Beck: You like it when I call you Buddy, don't ya?

[CDN.502] //: -PING!-

[The demolition bot revs in response, which makes the small Mighty laugh a bit. It's strange...most Round Diggers didn't have very advanced AI to begin with, compared to them...and yet this one was already showing more personality than any he's ever seen. Maybe he was...different?]

Beck: Buddy it is, then!

[Yeah, that's gotta be it...]

Beck: I gotta go, but...I'll come check on you later, OK? For now, uh...you can take a nap or s—

[CDN.502] //: -PING-

[...COMMAND CONFIRMED.]

Beck: ...!

[CDN.502 IS NOW IN SLEEP MODE.]

Beck: ....

Beck: Okaaaaay...

Beck: .....Night, then...

[He turns to close the door behind him, and heads towards the stairs—the elevators were still out, even if they WERE working, he wasn't going to risk getting trapped in one.]

Beck: (Last thing we need is for me to get stuck in the most crucial moments...)

[LATER, UPSTAIRS...]

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Xel Assimilation Data ready for analysis, Professor.

[DR.WHITE] //: Hm—Oh, thank heavens. Send that over to my terminal while I work with Mikhail—and continue scanning for the other Mighties, please.

[CALL] //: Right away, Doctor.

<MC005>: >I should love to look at that data at some point. I’ve never really gotten any readings for when someone with Universal Adaptability uses a new Power Capsule for the first time…. Are you getting any cross references popping up right now?

[CALL] //: None, Dr. Cossack.

Will: (Thank goodness...)

[CALL] //: The samples from Mighty Numbers 1, 2, 3, and 6 do not seem to show any similarities aside from causing extreme changes in behavior and the urge to cause destruction.

[CALL] //: I have yet to have found any logical pattern in the virus code. I apologize.

[DR.WHITE] //: No, no, Call—you've done so much for us. If it wasn't for you, finding my sons and daughters would be much more difficult.

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

<MC005>: >I’m sorry that I couldn’t give much more to your assessment of the virus, my friends—I got rather sidetracked sorting out Tobias’s new coding instead. -Sighs-

Mikhail: (…) -Clearly uncomfortable about something-

Will: ....

Will: Mikhail?

Mikhail: -Looks up- Mmm? Sorry—did I miss something?

Will: ....

Will: Er, nothing...

[CALL] //: ....

[DR.WHITE] //: Call, has Beck finished with self-repair?

[CALL] //: Yes. He informed me he was going to check on the condition of the Round Digger model downstairs.

[DR.WHITE] //: That was a while ago, though...

[Mikhail had to smile a little.]

Mikhail: My older son was very disappointed to be left behind, once he heard about your oversized industrial drill-puppy.

Will: Ah...I can imagine...

Will: -mutters- I still don't know how he got down here in the first place, but he IS a demolition model...

Will: I have absolutely no idea what we're going to do with him... (He's a CDN model, there is a VERY good chance we'll have to...return him.)

Mikhail: What do you mean?

Will: Round Diggers are mass produced industrial models made for demolition work, mainly in construction.

Will: ...Made by CherryDyn.

Will: From the data we received from Beck, it's Model Number 502 of it's make, one of the older kinds. They're built to last for heavy duty work, quite sturdy.

[Mikhail blinked and raised an eyebrow at this. After a moment, he frowned, placed his hands behind his back, and turned to face one of the computer screens.]

Mikhail: …Mmm. -Seems to be thinking how to word what’s on his mind-

Mikhail: I can’t help but be drawn into my own field of “cross-references,” as it were. CherryDyn in general has been on my mind lately, for many reasons.

[He puts a hand to his face and sighs, covering his eyes.]

Mikhail: Tobias Wily and his history are rooted deeply in the works of LightLaboratories, Incorporated. The connections with CherryDyn have always troubled us, and we had hoped… -Trails off-

Will: .....

Mikhail: …I suppose I’m just distracted by thoughts of my youth. I used to work for LightLabs, you know? When I was just a boy.

Mikhail: I had high hopes for the project, but I didn’t really understand the work I was doing until the very end.

Will: . . .

Mikhail: I saw, ever so briefly—that the code was alive…! It reacted to me trying to reach out to it, to find it, to contain it—

Mikhail: (Much like… much like that virus did when it infected the RMDC and I fought back. I swear the thing got angry at me…)

Mikhail: (With how advanced Xel coding is, it certainly was high enough out of my full understanding to come off as alive.)

Mikhail: Dr. Light had been very much against advancing full realization. What I did when I made the AI_DCN_OS… well. I liked Iceman very much, and he was dear to us, but still…

[He sighed and shook his head before taking off his glasses to clean them.]

Mikhail: Forgive me. So much has happened lately that makes me think of the past, of Tobias in his first life. Pieces here and there, echoes of a time ages past.

Mikhail: I suppose that it is on my mind largely because understanding the virus is out of my ability at the moment. I’d need to know more about Xel coding, and you don’t have time to teach me.

Mikhail: This leaves me with Tobias, mainly, and also just… looking forward, long term.

Mikhail: This digging Industrial of yours…

Mikhail: If things continue in a tragic parallel, perhaps it would be scheduled for demolition simply because it were too old, or advancing in Awareness.

Will: -wINCE- (Ngh...)

Mikhail: For that is the fate of Industrials in my world. Even my own sons would be subject to the ten-year warranty, were it not for the fact that I have full legal rights, and can choose not to follow that regulation.

Mikhail: At first it was merely out of a business mindset—depreciation of property, expenses, etc. But after Tobias, animosity grew, and it became born just as much of fear as anything else.

[He put his glasses back on and frowned.]

Mikhail: I’m afraid it won’t be long before we’re called to give an account of ourselves for judgment, William.

Mikhail: Now that Aviator no longer has an Iron Curtain to stifle the media, it won’t be long before it takes a sharp turn from practicality into “here be dragons” water.

[He looked away, narrowing his eyes a little.]

Mikhail: I refused to tell you before, because I felt it was… crazy, to be honest, but. For some time now, Cardinal had been of the opinion that CherryDyn was responsible for a number of… unpleasantries.

[....Oh, dear.]

[Will kinda looks like he's going to be sick just from thinking of the implications of all that...]

Will: . . .

Mikhail: He believed that the things that happened were the result of plans being put into action too early or the like—things going wrong without the careful orchestration to make it only /just/ wrong enough to be visibly stopped, and in turn causing REAL damage.

Mikhail: I feel the same way, but I do not think it to be so—I tell myself that is being overly cynical.

Mikhail: But I think one thing is certain. We must be prepared to say something. Aviator’s interference was public, and…Tobias was involved, and if anyone were to somehow realize he were the same as the mysterious intruder at the Finals…

Mikhail: -Bows his head- The lift of the blockade will allow us to work much faster and more efficiently, yes—but the same applies for our foes as well.

Mikhail: I fully expect CherryDyn to make some noise and raise a fuss very soon. …I just suppose I feel I must arrange the chess pieces to counter it, since that’s the only thing I can really do, and you’re so busy with deciphering the code…

Mikhail: To be fair. It has a direct impact on us, too. If things follow the lane of Monstropolis, Tobias may have to remain Offline indefinitely.

Will: ......

[Will takes in a long breath and pinches the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes close very tightly. Mikhail was right, of course, he wouldn't put it past CherryDyn to make some sort of comment or whatever ELSE they have planned--if any, that is, if Cardinal turned out to be right after all.]

[And Graham...]

Will: God, what a mess...

Mikhail: We have too many moving parts in this matter…

Mikhail: At least it should be easier to find the others, now. Now that Tobias is no longer interfering and Avi will be able to help Call sort through the data.

Will: Mmm…

[That may work fine for the rest of his children out there, but they weren’t the only ones missing…]

Will: What about Kate and Cardinal?

Mikhail: Mmm.

[The Russian leaned back, crossing his arms and looking up at the ceiling.]

Mikhail: Well, Kate’s brothers have been trying to find her for several days, from what I’ve been told. I didn’t hear the full story, but they’ve probably been trying to follow Jack’s trail.

Will: Jack? You mean he’s not still with you?

Mikhail: No. He went missing a while ago, I’m afraid. Shortly after we first lost contact, actually.

Will: (Adding even MORE to this mess…)

Mikhail: Fighting Mighty Number Nine DID somehow get into contact with Doctor Wily Number Nine, and the other day they brought back some Combat Xelbots from your world, but… Jack was not among them.

Will: Metalman? What does he want with this? Is he working for Wily? -Ugh, one disaster at a TIME, please— -

Mikhail: It was apparently a personal matter. We may hear back from him later after the others have recovered, but… for now, it appears we’re being left alone.

Will: Small blessings, at least….

[He sighed, scratching at his head a bit.]

Will: What about Cardinal, then?

Mikhail: I… I don’t know. I was hoping you might have something to tell me, to be honest. He wouldn’t have been able to contact us, but…

Will: ! Oh, right! I almost forgot!

Will: Beck managed to call him the night Pyro was rescued, and he answered his cell phone!

[Mikhail suddenly became alert at this.]

Mikhail: What did he say?

[Will’s mood fell.]

Will: …He said he wasn’t coming back….

Mikhail: -Sighs, pulling his hand down his face- Why am I not surprised…

Will: He said it was… complicated, somehow, but… Avi cut him off before he could finish….

Mikhail: …

Will: Then I got a text message from him later… it said “John 15:13″…

Mikhail: -Winces- Agh, Cardinal… you shouldn’t be risking yourself like this…

Will: S-sorry I didn’t mention it earlier, I… I guess it must have slipped my mind.

Mikhail: Oh, don’t be so hard on yourself. You had more immediate concerns to deal with at the time we got back in touch. So did I. You’re under a great deal of stress right now—don’t berate yourself over missing small details that slip under the radar. Alright?

Will: I’ll try, aheh…

Mikhail: I suppose it is worth a try….

Will: Hmm?

Mikhail: Let’s try calling Cardinal’s cell phone. I think he’d be more likely to answer a call from you than from me, though.

[Will pulled out his phone, grateful that it wasn’t infected and still worked.]

Will: -Dialing the number- Do you think he’ll change his mind?

Mikhail: That might be expecting a little much…

[To their surprise, the phone call was answered. Much to their further surprise, it wasn’t Cardinal who answered the phone.]

“Hello? Is this really Sanda Enterprises?”

Will: ! (I recognize that voice! He was with Cardinal earlier!)

Mikhail: -Nudges Will to answer-

Will: -Eep— - Er— y-yes, it is! This is Doctor White speaking. May I ask who this is?

[It seemed the other man also recognized his voice from somewhere, because he took the answer at face value.]

“My name is Drake Dawson, sir. I’m a staff member at the Union Station in Kansas City.”

Mikhail: (Of COURSE! I should have known he would go there!)

Will: We’re looking for Cardinal. Is he… is he nearby?

[There was a long sigh.]

“Cardinal split a while back. He gave me his phone and said to call you guys, but uh…I figured you’d be busy right now, sorry…”

Mikhail: Mr. Dawson, did he saw where he was going?

“Not really…. We traveled around KCMO and KCK for several days before he crashed and burned. Not sure where he is now, but he said he wouldn’t go back to Sanda Enterprises until his mission was over. He was really adamant about that…”

Mikhail: -Sighs-

“He did have a couple of messages, though…”

Will: Oh?

“Said he wanted you to know he was ‘in one piece’… which he was, last I saw him. And, uh… hang on, lemme think on this, put it down somewhere so I wouldn’t forget…”

[There was a rustling noise.]

“He said he wanted Beck to come down and help out with the cores they recovered from Arrowhead Stadium, if he had the chance. To consider it a ‘personal favor.’”

Will: (Mnn…. I suppose we’ll be getting requests like that more often now. But Beck is already so worn out from working in Titus and then fighting Avi…)

Mikhail: -Catches onto the hesitation- We’ll pass the message along, but we can’t make any promises.

“Yeah… I can get that.”

Mikhail: Was there anything else? Anything at all?

“Something about focusing on the threats in the middle? It seemed pretty important to him. He wouldn’t really explain much… said that it would have to wait.”

Will: ( “Threats in the middle”? Middle of the country? Middle of the family? I suppose he means the family, but…. Would that be 4,5, and 6? Or 5, 6, and 7?)

Mikhail: Well… I’m afraid he’s right, there. I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but…

“Nah, it’s okay, I get it. I just hope he manages to come back to pick up his phone later. He did mention his idea was ‘stupid dangerous’, which doesn’t surprise me that much, given how he tackled all those enemies by himself…”

Mikhail: It would be for the best right now that you keep the phone with you. He’ll know where to find you, and… if he’s unable for some reason, we can trace his cell phone and send someone to pick it up, after this is over.

“Gotcha. Anything else I can do for you?”

Mikhail: Give us a call if he comes back. Other than that… stay safe.

“Roger that. Good luck with everything. We’re all rooting for you over here.”

[Click.]

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: -Turns to Will- Kansas City. I should have expected that.

Will: Isn’t he from there?

Mikhail: No, I think he was built somewhere in the West, but that is where he grew up. It’s too bad we missed him.

Will: I wonder what he could be doing…. I would love to get any ideas for leads on Shade, too…

Mikhail: I suspect he didn’t tell Mr. Dawson for the man’s own safety.

Will: Oh, you’re probably right….

[Mikhail’s gaze became thoughtful, and after a while, he reached over and put a gloved hand on his friend’s shoulder, squeezing it slightly.]

Mikhail: But there is hope. We must hold onto that.

Mikhail: Of course we would never ask you to turn your back on the world, but remember—your children are your true priority, and if the worst WERE to happen, you could seek shelter elsewhere. Focus on getting your family back together. I can work with the Sandas in figuring out how to fight the dragons.

Mikhail: We’ll make it through this.

[After a moment, he broke into a warm smile.]

Mikhail: Remember, my friend—I have tread these waters before, and worse.

[This, alas, was true. He had, at one point, had the entire world against him.

And yet he had arranged things so that his sons were allowed to live and work and he got to live in protection and privacy, despite things being so grim at one point.]

Mikhail: I won’t let you get dashed upon the rocks.

Will: ....

Will: Heh...

[Will returned the smile, although it was a bit weary.]

Will: Thank you, Mikhail. Really...

Will: (What would we do without you...)

Mikhail: Ah, my dear William! You have been very good to us, and personally have given great hope for my family’s recovery. Of course I would help you in the recovery of yours.

Mikhail: …Heh.

Mikhail: This is where the others would remind us not to overwork ourselves. Or me, at least. -Laughs- I’m not as young as I used to be. Professor, now, not student. I can’t pull those all-nighters anymore!

[THAT gets Will to laugh. Oh, yes, the all-nighters...]

[...He should probably not mention he's been doing that as of late. He's very sure Mikhail would have a fit—]

[CALL] //: ...Contradiction: Yet you both seem to overexert yourselves as if it were the default.

[...Oh. Call was still listening.]

Mikhail: -Wryly- Ah, we are caught! Oh dear.

Will: Eheh...

[He turned to look in the direction of one of the speakers by habit.]

Mikhail: You’re right, of course. And if it would put you at ease, I can take a short rest. But I would like to take care of a few matters first, if you can help me. I’m afraid I’ve been rather single-focused on Tobias and Avi to learn how everything else is going. Has your father contacted his brother? Or vice-versa, perhaps?

[CALL] //: Yes, Mr. Sanda contacted us as soon as we had a firm connection. They have been speaking privately for the past few hours.

Will: (Possibly bringing Seijiro up to speed on everything...)

Mikhail: I see. I would like you to alert your father that we have fixed the matter of the RMDC for now—no more sudden nightmares for your database. (And again, I apologize.) I should like to speak with them both after they have concluded their private discussion—which I expect will be some while yet. In the meantime, I shall rest.

<MC005 to CALL>: >Oh, and Ms. Sanda? May I make a suggestion in your search for the rest of the Mighty Numbers?

[CALL to MC005] //: -Ping!- Yes, Dr. Cossack?

<MC005 to CALL>: >One of the contributing factors to the… difficulty of the current situation, shall we say… is the large number of variables involved.

<MC005 to CALL>: >We have removed one variable—Aviator’s interference—but it’s not enough. We will need to remove several others as soon as possible if we are to have the best chance of success in concluding this manner with as little predation from CherryDyn as possible.

<MC005 to CALL>: >It is confirmed that Fighting Mighty Number Eight is at large, and the current theory is that she is in this world, on a hunt. Likewise, Dencerjack is searching for her—and he has his own set of complications, since he knows too much, so to speak. We need to find him posthaste.

Mikhail: (There’s also Cardinal, but trying to stop him would not be a good use of resources given the current state of affairs…)

<MC005 to CALL>: >From what I have been told, MNN-007 may be the subject of FMN-008’s attention, for… reasons.

<MC005 to CALL>: >Finding Brandish’s location may allow us to remove several dangerous spanners in the works all at once.

<MC005 to CALL]>: >So, unless there are clearer leads… my suggestion would be to focus on him, first.

Mikhail: (Removing Cardinal’s recklessness would be nice, but I’m not so optimistic as to think we’ll find Shade before we find Brand. Not when Brand’s been giving off data from the beginning, and Shade hasn’t.)

[CALL to MC005] //: -PING-

[CALL to MC005] //: I understand, Dr. Cossack. I will commence my search posthaste. Thank you for your input.

<MC005 to CALL>: > You’re welcome.

Mikhail: -Turns to face Will- I’m going to rest for a while, but I’ll be just a notification away. Sorry to be leaving you on your own like this—I just feel I’d be more useful to you combating one of the other problems. -Encouraging nod- You can do this, alright? Try to keep calm.

[With that, he walked out of the room, lost in his own thoughts.]

Will: ....

[After Mikhail leaves the room, Will slumps back into a chair and lets out a long, quiet sigh, staring into the ceiling as if it held all the solutions.]

Will: .....

Will: (...Should I...)

Will: .....

[He sharply inhaled and didn't let that thought finish itself--couldn't.]

[...Perhaps, he was being cynical and paranoid himself.]

Will: (Greg...Greg doesn't know, does he?)

Will: (If he does...)

[He felt that sick, dreading feeling all over again, and got up to fix that with a glass of water.]

Will: (...No, stop it, Will—)

Will: (Get it together...)

Will: (It's not going to come to that if he knows what he's doing...)

Will: .......

Will: (This had...had BETTER not be you that's behind all this, Greg...)

Will: (You'd better not...)

Will: .....

[Shoving all those negative thoughts aside for now, Dr. White washed up and rolled his lab coat's sleeves down.]

[There was still much work to be done, and Avi was going to be needed for the troubles that lay ahead.]

Will: (I wish it wasn't this way, Aviator...you, out of all of us, need your rest...)

Will: (At least, after this...I hope we can all just...take things easy...)

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

=CHAPTER 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…*_

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