=INTRO D: COLLAPSING PEACE=

((Buffer post; what follows is v1.0))

---

=CHAPTER 5B: DESOLATE HIGHWAY=

~AO v1.0~

(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)

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[INTERSTATE ALPHA 2, FOUR CORNERS BORDERS...]

[Night. Night as night can be, in the pouring, pouring rain...]

[The wipers didn't work, so Jack had to make do with the weather. The radio was set to a news channel tracking the 'rogue robot's merciless rampage' across the state.]

Jack: Stupid RAIN...

"The armed robot is currently moving into New Mexico, on Interstate Alpha 1--"

Jack: ...--!!

[SCKREEEEEEE--!!]

“Local pizzeria reports theft of entire stock of cheese pizzas, police confirm unrelated to the current rampage—”

Jack: --?!

Jack: --What the--?!

[Jack swerved left and right, nearly causing himself to flip over several times--]

[These cars--they were going the other way in the wrong lane--!]

Jack: (GREAT, THIS IS ENGLAND ALL OVER AGAIN--)

Jack: --FRAG--

[He needed to get to the other lane--]

[A digital sign overhead blinks in the misty glow of the building's nightlights...]

[NOW ENTERING INTERSTATE ALPHA 1.]

Jack: --!

Jack: (I can switch lanes on the ent--)

[HOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK--]

Jack: !!!!

Jack: Oh, SH--

[The truck interior was flashed with the bright overhead lights of an entire semi-cargo truck on a dead set collision course with Jack...!]

Jack: (CRAP--)

[Jack knew he couldn't avoid something like that.]

[Grabbing the magic Weyard bag he was given from across his seat, he kicked open the driver's side door--]

[ZIIIIIP!]

[His wires attach themselves to a street light and he is pulled away moments before the truck was overtaken by the semi with a loud, sickening CRUNCH.]

Jack: AAAAAAAAAA--!!

[He swings to the other lane and onto a passing car, right onto the hood. The windshield mostly cracks under his weight as he slams into it with a sharp yell.]

Jack: Ow...

[The car, however, still keeps going with little to no resistance with the road...]

Jack: .....?

Jack: Huh...?

[After sitting up with a groan, he realized he was on one of the fancier, newer hover models--the ones that floated above the ground and were MUCH faster than those with wheels.]

Jack: (Wait--if this is one of the new models then--)

[He looked into the car.]

[There was no one inside. The car was driving itself, and WAY too fast for any human or bot to control.]

Jack: (The...the cars ARE infected too...!)

[At the speed they were going, if one of these cars went off road...!]

Jack: This is a giant Highway Delta just WAITING to happen...

Jack: (But where is...?!)

[…Wait.

There was something… odd… about the cars below.]

Jack: ....??

[There were large dents along the roofs of the cars, where something several hundred pounds heavy had landed hard.

With the chaotic nature of the highway, they didn’t show a direct line—but they did give a general direction.

Almost like footprints.]

Jack: .......

Jack: Oh no way--

[Up ahead in the distance, another large dent appeared.

Silently.]

[She wouldn't--SHE IS--on a highway--?!]

Jack: God, you're REALLY putting me through the wringer, Miss Eight--

[Carefully, he rose to his feet, trying to maintain a good balance before putting on his goggles and looking for another street light--fortunately, they were placed evenly over the interstate.]

[ZIIIIIP!]

Jack: Ngh--

Jack: CAAAARMEEEN!

[There was an abrupt and sudden ping.]

<FMN-008>: > Jack?

[CDN.7037 to FMN.8] //: MISS EIGHT--!

[CDN.7073 to FMN.8] //: Oh man finally--FINALLY found you...!

<FMN-008>: > What the hell…

[She seemed… confused, somehow. Surprised.]

<FMN-008>: >Jack— what are you DOING here? For God’s sake—

<FMN-008>: >You need to leave— this is no place for a Civvie!

[CDN.7037] //: OH JEEE, YA THINK?!

[CDN.7037] //: KINDA FIGURED THAT OUT A WHILE AGO, THANKS.

[CDN.7037] //: This isn't any place for YOU either...!

[Carmen was clearly growing impatient. When she spoke again, her voice seemed…

…darker.]

<FMN-008>: > I’ve got business to attend to.

[CDN.7037] //: ......

Jack: (.....n....no...)

[....So...she was...]

[CDN.7037] //: .....

[CDN.7037] //: ....Figures you do...

<FMN-008>: > Augh— INCOMING!

[There was a swarm of sign bots headed his way. As if infected cars weren’t enough—!

At this speed, they could—]

<FMN-008>: > Stay…

<FMN-008>: > AWAY FROM HIM!

[Shots were fired, and bounced crazily off of incoming reinforcements and into the foes that had already swarmed the Cherry Number. Bits and pieces fell away, the parts going flying as the whole thing continued to speed along at over ninety miles an hour.]

Jack: HEY--!!

[Jack covered his face as parts and Xel flew away, nearly falling over on the current vehicle he was on--]

[CDN.7037] //: YA COULD HAVE SHOT ME--

<FMN-008>: > Nnngggh…! N-no…

[Her voice was dark again—but also strained, as if she were struggling against something painful.]

<FMN-008>: > Augh… Get out of here, Jack, before—

[There was a horrific sound up ahead—followed by a fast approaching large metal object—]

WHANG!

[There was a loud thud as something tall and teal appeared out of nowhere and fell to the surface it was standing on.]

Jack: --!!

Jack: MISS EIGHT--!!

[ZIIIP!!]

[He swings over closer to her, to get a better look at her condition--]

Jack: ARE YOU OK--?!

[The Fighting Mighty Number Eight wasn’t out of the fight just yet—but the hit had done quite a lot of damage. She couldn’t resume her Active Camo anymore—no matter how much she tried.]

Jack: (She doesn't have her invisibility...)

Jack: MISS EIGHT--?!

[A low growl.]

Jack: --!

[The lady hunter staggered to her feet, a demonic purple aura about her. Now, she spoke aloud—and there was a clear overlay to her voice, as if it were being applied through a filter.

…A disturbingly familiar one.]

Carmen: I don’t need your help.

Jack: --!!

___________________

"FORFEIT, OR THE ELECTRIC MAIDEN'S HEAD ROLLS!~"

____________________

Jack: (I....no...it can't be...!)

Jack: (She--the...)

Jack: (The crosses....)

Jack: CARMEN--LISTEN TO ME--!

Jack: There's something--something in your head that's making you angry--and it's not your fault...!

[She hissed as more sign bots approached. She shot at an angle off of a car in a different lane, the shots making wild pinball-like bounces to tear them to pieces.]

Carmen: I don’t need protecting. I /REFUSE/ to be put on a leash and shut in a tower! I’m no damsel in distress— AH’ AIN’T MADE A’ GLASS, Y’ALL—

Jack: CARMEN--!!

Jack: FOR LIFE'S SAKE--STOP--

[He ducked as more debris flew over his head, avoiding the edges of the vehicle as he swung on after her.]

[It was as if she’d never heard him.

She lifted her head, her one eye glowing a violent hue the color of blood. Now her rifle was pointed in Jack’s direction.]

Carmen: -SCREAMS- AH’ NEVER HAVE BEEN!

Jack: --!

[.....]

[When he saw her pointing his weapon at him...]

[He froze.]

[The deadly cowgirl would have none of it.]

Carmen: Back off, Puppetdancer! Ah’ have no quarrel with y—

[She wavered, as if she were going to fall. The color of her eye briefly went from crimson to yellow.]

Carmen: A-ah…!

[She was forced to a knee to steady herself and keep her balance. She turned her head to the side, the purple aura fading for a moment.]

Jack: Carmen--I don't want to fight you either--CRAP--!

[Zip, swing, land, repeat--don't fall--]

Jack: I JUST WANT TO TALK--

Carmen: (Everything hurts…! Everything… HURTS!)

[Aaaaaaand then she was not only back on her feet… but also on the move!]

Jack: MISS EIGHT--aw, come on, really?!

[ZIIIIIIP! ZIIIIIIP!]

Jack: STOP--!

[There was a LOUD thud as she leaped over to the truck in front of them.]

Carmen: -Yelling over the whistling wind- Get somewhere safe, Jack! I don’t want you in the way.

Jack: I CAN'T--!

[Another loud thud.]

Jack: You think I'm gonna TURN BACK after all I've gone through just to FIND YOU?!

[Carmen wasn’t about to stay put for anyone. She jumped through the air, landing hard on the vehicle in front—which happened to be a big rig.

And the Spider Puppeteer only followed suit.]

[ZIIIIP!]

Jack: Carmen, PLEASE...!

[Carmen looked angry again, the demonic aura returning. Once again, her rifle was pointed at Jack.]

Carmen: What is it with men and directions? WAI DO YA /NEVER/ LISTEN T’ REASON?! Ah’ SAID that Ah’ have a job t’ do—an’ I won’t let ANYone stop me! So… BEGONE, Dencerhound, a’fore Ah’ show you what Ah’ DO to men who try to chase me—!

[THAT made Jack take a couple of steps back.

His hands shook, his face twisted in a expression of concern and fear.]

Jack: . . . .

[She turned to leave again.]

Jack: ......

Jack: . . .

[No one has greater love than this...

...Than to lay down one's life for his friends.]

Jack: No.

[ZIIIIIIIIP!]

Carmen: —?!

[Carmen found herself held fast with wires. …Unusually strong wires—not so much the strength of steel as of… spider silk?!]

Carmen: What the—

[He yanks her backwards--which took quite a bit of effort, given her weight...]

Jack: I can't let you DO THIS--!

Carmen: GIT OFFA ME—

[She bared her teeth at the former Civvie, her eye displaying cross-hairs over the blood red color.]

Carmen: AIN’T GOT TIME FER THIS, M’ TARGET MOVES FAST AS FRAG, HE’S GETTIN’ AWAY!

Jack: THAT'S--

[Yank--!]

Jack: --A GOOD THING, MISS EIGHT--!

[Carmen screeched in a seething disgust.

She fired off a trick shot which bounced off of the big rig into the sky, hitting a camera drone. She started yelling—and then screaming— skyward…

…as if it wasn’t really Jack she were talking to anymore.]

Carmen: AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGH—!

[She thrashed.]

Carmen: You never wanted me. NEVER! /You think I’ve forgotten that?!/ If they’d had your way, /I NEVER WOULD HAVE EXISTED—!/

[There was horrific screeching over the feed along with her shouting.]

Carmen: -Enraged- You lock me in a cage and treat me like glass. ME, the gal BUILT for things more dangerous than you could EVER imagine!

Jack: --?!

Jack: (What...)

Carmen: When Ah’ came back that night with m’ arm missing, did you even try to help me get back on my feet?

Carmen: NO! You blamed it on ME, you said I’d been CARELESS, that I couldn’t HANDLE going outside by myself—

Carmen: YOU PUT ME UNDER PERMANENT PAROLE, /YOUR OWN SISTER—!/

Jack: (I...)

Jack: M...Miss...Eight...

[The aura was now almost like a consuming fire, flaring more intensely in this rage.]

Carmen: You, who were supposed to be BETTER! Supposed t’ see I wasn’t just a number, not just the youngest! Not just a GIRL! You’re no better than the scrap that clogs up the arena, calling me names and spreading those lies—!

[.....]

[Lies--lies and slander...]

Jack: . . .

[His core lurched in sympathy for her, his heart cracked with every pained word, every agonizing sentence...]

Jack: (God, Miss Eight, no...)

Carmen: I hate you.

Carmen: I HATE YOU /BOTH/ SO DAMN MUCH—!

[The aura died down. Carmen’s breath was ragged, and her readings were low.

But she looked up with a glare. Her eye changed from blood red to the same demonic purple as the aura that surrounded her.]

Carmen: Grr—! …I’ve got no quarrel with you, Cub—so let go!

[YANK.]

Jack: I--I CAN'T!

Jack: YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING--!

Carmen: Don’t know what I’m doing? DON’T KNOW WHAT AH—

Jack: FOR GOD'S SAKE, CARMEN, SHUT U P FOR TWO SECONDS--!

Jack: YOU'RE THE ONLY PERSON THAT C A R E S ABOUT ME IN THIS LIFE!

Jack: I'M N O T GONNA LET THAT GO!

[A pause.]

Jack: .....

Jack: Carmen?

[…Uh-oh.]

Carmen: Oh, so you wanna play NOW then, do ya—

[HER EYE DISPLAYED CROSS-HAIRS CENTERED OVER JACK’S SPIDERWEB SYMBOL.]

Carmen: You wanna DANCE, do ya?

Jack: (Oh--OH SCRAP, I'M DEAD.)

Jack:

U-Uh--!

[Carmen suddenly dashed forward and RAMMED right into Jack.]

Jack: OOF--!

[Jack was tackled RIGHT off his feet and onto the rig, with the wind knocked out of him. He was a wheezing mess for a couple of seconds--]

[But he still held fast.]

Jack: N-Ngh...

[Carmen stood, glaring down at Jack—or so it seemed, given her menacing stance. The places where eyes would be in the face of any other Xelbot were cast in a deep, dark shadow.]

Carmen: Tch.

[She sounded unimpressed.]

Carmen: If ya won’t let me go… Ah’ll just have t’ bring you with me! Now be a good boy… an’ HEEL.

Jack: N...

Jack: I can't...do that...

Carmen: Ah’ said HEEL, not SPEAK. Now get yer act t’gether, we’re goin’ hunting. MOVE IT!

[.......]

______________________

"For [Frag's] sake, Den. I'm starting to wonder why I even picked you off the street in the FIRST place."

"I--"

"You can't even DODGE or take a hit right--you're NEVER going to survive out in the arena if you keep being WEAK!"

"B-Boss, it's ju--"

"I don't want to HEAR it."

"Now be a GOOD boy and do as I say."

"But--"

"MOVE IT, PUPPET!"

__________________________

[That was it.]

[He was SICK and TIRED of this.]

[Sick and tired of being treated as a throwaway mutt--!]

[When Jack raised his head, his eyes were GLOWING a bright purple. Not at all like the virus's evil glow--this was strong, and defiant, and angry.]

Jack: THAT'S IT--YOU KNOW WHAT?!

Jack: I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU BOSS ME AROUND--NOT Y O U!

Jack: NOT ANYMORE--!

[...Strange...he...didn't seem to be talking to Carmen...?]

Jack: I'm NOT backing down--

Jack: And I'm NOT going anywhere with you--!

Jack: No...

Jack: NO WAY, MISS EIGHT.

Jack: YOU WANNA DANCE?! FINE!

[A HARSH YANK.]

Jack: LET'S D A N C E.

[She gave a wicked grin. …A shark grin that was disturbingly like her vampire witch sister’s—Dyna’s.]

Carmen: Thought ya’d NEVER ask~

[She YANKS hard, moving quickly to the side. It becomes apparent why soon enough—there are more debris headed their way, and she was trying to get the wires right between them!]

Jack: --!!

[Was she--well, yes, actually, she WAS crazy.]

[His arms swing backwards, so that the strings straighten out like fine lines, almost invisible to the naked eye...]

Jack: (Can't let them get tangled...!)

[It…

…didn’t work out the way Carmen had hoped.]

Carmen: ?!

[She just STARED in astonishment as the debris cut cleanly through the wires—as if it were cheese run through several dozen slicers.]

Carmen: -Meepface- . . .

Jack: .....

Jack: Woah.

[Jack seemed to be as EQUALLY surprised...]

[And THEEEEN she surged with panic.]

Carmen: (OH M’ GOD THEY’RE ALL AROUND ME /HE COULD SLICE ME RIGHT IN HALF WITH THOSE GAROTTES—/)

[.......]

[She....wasn't the only one going into panic.]

Jack: (OH GOD--OH SCRAP IF I EVEN M O V E WRONG I COULD TURN HER INTO RIBBONS OH MAN OH NO--)

Carmen: -Glitched screeching- AH WON’T LOSE ANY MORE LIMBS, DAMMIT—!

Jack: NO--I SWEAR I WON'T HURT YOU--!

[She moved in closer in her long strides, but it was clear from the fluid motion and calm control that she just wanted to slack the lines a bit. She pivoted aside to look at him, a loading icon displaying on her eye as she tried to think of something—anything— that would work here.]

Carmen: (Glitchfrag it…!)

Carmen: (Ah’ know…)

Carmen: (Ah’ KNOW I’ve lived through missions in situations just as bad or worse—)

Jack: OK--um--uh--I...OK just don't move--

Jack: I swear I'll get us out of this--!

Carmen: Why…

Carmen: Why can’t I remember…?

Jack: ....!

Jack: (Remember...?)

Jack: C...Carmen...!

Carmen: Nnngh…!

[And again a semi-collapse to her knees, her head turned to the side.]

Carmen: (Lord help me, the HEADACHES…)

Jack: Carmen...!

[The aura surged again, and she looked up, angry.]

Carmen: Grrrr…!

[She returned to her feet.]

Carmen: A Mighty NEVER loses on their knees!

Jack: --!!

Jack: Eep--

[He backs up again, careful to not tug on his wires too harshly now--]

[He didn't want to hurt her that way...!]

Jack: C-Carmen...please....

Jack: Don't....don't you remember me?

Jack: I--I don't want to hurt you, please, stop...!

Carmen: Jack…!

[The virus wasn’t ready to give up such a prize. The aura surged again—and again, the demonic overlay.]

Carmen: I remember a terrified civvie in way over his head who ran t’ mah heels from just a few /words/.

Carmen: I remember someone who… who DIDN’T have th’ strength t’ face the forces of darkness…!

[A glare.]

Carmen: /I don’t recognize this—this steadfast WARRIOR in front a’ me—!/

Jack: .......

Jack: Well, to be honest--I don't really recognize the women in front of me either.

Jack: But I KNOW that isn't your fault.

Jack: .....

Jack: I'm no warrior.

Jack: I'm just a normal guy trying to save his friend with what he's got.

Jack: I'm just a guy with REALLY bad luck and way too many regrets and mistakes on his head.

Jack: .....

Jack: But I'm not gonna let that stop me.

Jack: Not you, Carmen...

Jack: And certainly not YOU.

[A glitched screech at that.]

Carmen?: WHY, CDN-7037?

Carmen?: YOU. CANNOT DEFY FATE!

Carmen?: YOU KNOW. TOO MUCH!

Jack: --???

Jack: What are--

[Carmen paused to take a firmer stance, but then, suddenly—

The aura faded and her eye turned a pale gray.]

Carmen: Aw glitch—

[Jack tuned around to see what Carmen was more concerned about--]

[...That...was his mistake.]

[WHANG!]

[…Carmen had seen it coming, and had even tried to duck.

But she was tall, injured, and neither of those things made it easy to dodge in close quarters.

She hit the entrance to the tunnel head-on.]

WHANG.

[Jack's systems were jostled, and he could see nothing but static for a good half minute.]

[Pain, dizzy, what, where is...]

Jack: Aaaaaaawfraaaaaaaag....

Jack: Can't...

[Bright, dark, bright, dark...]

[The static finally clears out...]

Jack: A-Ah...

Jack: What...was...

[Though he was still seeing stars, he could tell from the orange glow of lights that they had entered...a tunnel?]

Jack: (Did...did I seriously get hit by...?)

Jack: Ah--!

Jack: (Can't...hurts to...think...ow...)

Carmen: J-… Jack…

Jack: ...!

Jack: C...Carmen...?

Jack: (Miss Eight...is she...?)

[The aura was still there, but very faint. …It wasn’t hard to see why.

She’d hit the overpass SO hard that it had cracked her radar dish—and maybe even the rest of her skull. There certainly was a lot of sickly-looking Xel pooling beneath her head.]

Carmen: -Weakly- Jack…?

Jack: .....!!!

Jack: (X-Xel--she's...no...)

Jack: M...Miss...Eight...!

[With some reserved strength he never knew he had, he crawled his way towards her, and pushed himself up on his elbows to get a better look at her.]

Jack: Oh no...

Carmen: …Can’t…

Jack: Miss Eight...it--you're gonna be OK...

Jack: If ya can't move--

Carmen: Can’t… see…

Jack: ....!!!

Jack: Y...You can't...?

[Back into the glaring light of the setting sun.]

Carmen: He’s going to get away…

[Her anger couldn’t sustain her through the damage.]

Carmen: Can’t… can’t see… ANYTHING… can barely hear, so fault…

Jack: Carmen...

[Jack placed a shaky hand on her shoulder, so she can at least feel his presence somehow, with her sight and hearing so shot...]

Jack: I-It's OK...I'm...here...

Jack: (Everything hurts, ow...)

[She tried to get to her feet. When it didn’t work, she shifted into her civilian form. This stopped the Xel loss, but didn’t help the pain.]

Carmen: God help me, this headache…

Jack: Y-You and me both, ow...

[She suddenly pushed herself to her knees—but the eighteen wheeler LURCHED.]

Carmen: -YELPS-

Jack: WHOA--!!

[Jack saw why—there were bits of wreckage EVERYWHERE in the road ahead. And they were approaching cars that had been literally sliced in half.]

Jack: Oh FRAG...

Jack: WE NEED TO GET OFF THIS RIG N O W--

[There was a rough and violent bit of turbulence before the truck briefly went flying and then tipping over—]

Jack: AAAAAAAAH--!

[At first, the only thought on his mind was Carmen.]

[So the first thing he did was grab her.]

[And the next?]

[ZIIIIIIP!]

[His wires wrap around another street light, and the two of them are sent swinging onto another passing rig on the opposite lane.]

[....There wasn't as much grace in the landing, though.]

Carmen: Hrgh…

Jack: C-Crap...

Jack: OK...ah...um--ow...

Jack: Gotta...get...

[A faint, choppy noise seemed to cut through the ambience of the highway.]

[…

…Seemed to be getting louder…]

Jack: .......?

Jack: (What...what is that noise...?)

Jack: (S...Sounds...like...)

“FINALLY!”

Carmen: …Th’ hell—Beck…?

Jack: ....!

Jack: K...Kid...?

[There was a slight THUD as Fighting Mighty Number Nine landed next to the beleaguered Cherry.]

Pup: Man, you are HARD to find!

[Carmen shifted back into her combat form.]

Carmen: You…!

Jack: --!!

Jack: Carmen, no--!

Carmen: You’re here on One’s orders, to drag me back to confinement—!

[Beck didn’t seem fazed. He shifted forms—]

[ZZT.]

[…It was almost comical how that tiny zap put her back down.]

Carmen: OW—

Pup: No more hide-and-seek, Sis!

[He shifted back to his default… glowing… green, now?]

Jack: ....!

Jack: Wait, what are you--

Pup: TIME TO COME HOME!

[There was a bright green flash as he thrust his arm forward—causing Carmen to glow as well—]

Carmen: G…GYAH—

[… … …]

“Come on out, Pup. No need t’ hide from me.”

“S-sorry—”

[He stepped out from behind a street sign that Carmen had in her room for some reason. His sister was polishing her boots, humming a song.]

“What’s on your mind?”

“… … …”

“C’mon, now.~ Yer alright.”

“…Sis…”

“Mmhmm?”

“Why do you make up those stories?”

[Silence.

Long, awkward silence.]

“S-… a-ack, I-I— I’m sorry—”

[A pulse of relaxing data.]

“…Easy now, hon. …Ah’ ain’t mad at ya.”

“…Y-… you’re… not?”

[She clicked her tongue.]

“Yer the most honest soul on God’s green earth. ‘Course ya can’t understand the workings of lies.”

[Another pause.]

“…Y’ know… I don’t know if I’ll ever tell anyone what happened.”

“Not… not even Dad?”

“No.”

“But—but it’s Dad—”

“Shhh…”

“Lemme tell you something, Pup. When you go through that kind of darkness, there are only so many things you can do with what’s left, after.”

“You can choose to let it haunt you. To define you. To become your obsession. You can go off the deep end into denial, even more of an obsession. Or you can just say, ‘I don’t like talking about that time’ and take things in your own control.”

“People are never gonna stop asking, hon. Never. Even if I ever were to be made whole. Maybe Ah’ COULD tell the truth every single time—maybe, maybe not. For all you know, I’m sworn to secrecy.”

“You… you could tell US if you were, though… right?”

“Heh… not the point, Puppy. The point is… the answer doesn’t change what happened then. So I choose not to give that answer any power.”

“I shall defy it, mock it, scorn it— Trivialize it, so that it’s not in control. No room for self-pity—not at work, and not at m’ other job, either.”

“But…”

“You know the kind of people I work with. And you know that sometimes, I meet people who are really scared. Why focus on what you don’t have—what you’re not— When instead you could be movin’ forward with a healing touch with the vast strength you DO have?”

“Helpin’ others means putting them, first. Whether yer scared, or troubled—”

“We don’t have to be in the spotlight, Beck, to make a difference. Sometimes, the most important things are done where only Heaven can see.”

[… … …]

[XEL PURGE COMPLETE.]

[ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM FMN-008.]

Carmen: Nnnn…

Jack: !!!!

Jack: (What in the world was that...green...?)

Jack: Carmen...?

Carmen: …What… what…?

Carmen: Jack, is that you…?

Jack: Y...Yeah...?

Jack: Are...is...oh my God...

[The lady assassin felt very out of it. Everything was darkness… but she had to reach out for that voice, confirm that it wasn’t all a dream…]

Carmen: -Reaches up with her hand to touch his face- Ah’—Ah’ can’t see you right now—

Jack: Y--You...it's...

[.....]

[Were....those...tears she felt on her fingers...?]

Jack: It's...it's you...!

Carmen: …

Carmen: …Are we… what…

Jack: Oh God it's really you Miss E--

Carmen: Where are we? Avi’s wind tunnel or somethin’?

[HONK HOOOOOONK.]

Jack: ...!!!

Jack: oH--

Pup: Yikes!

[…Oh. RIGHT.

They were still in the middle of a pack of crazed cars heading who knows where at over 90 miles an hour.]

Jack: Kid--We gotta get off this crazy--

Pup: UH—

Pup: UM

Pup: -AAAAH I CAN’T CARRY YOU /BOTH/, SIS IS SO—uhhhh… TALL.-

Jack: FRAG--!

Jack: UH--UM--

[A search light suddenly illuminated the area around them.]

Jack: --Wha?!

“YOOOOOOO!”

"HOW'S IT HANGING, BROS?"

Jack: ....?!

Jack: SIX?!

Carmen: AVI!

Pup: TWO AVIS—

Goose: -Swoops in closer to perform a cursory check on the stability of the platform- Well, Avi, looks like Spiderman and Wonderwoman landed in a… sticky situation!

Carmen: …

Maverick: Ooo, looks like you're right, Avi--it's a real TANGLED MESS.~

Carmen: . . .

Pup: But—I thought One told you to stay behind—

Goose: AW, C’MON, BECKY

Goose: DID YOU REALLY THINK I WOULD LET THIS CHANCE

Goose: PASS UP? ; D

Carmen: . . .

Jack: ......

Maverick: HA! I get it!

Carmen: (Lordy Ah’ musta done somethin’ horrific t’ suffer THIS as my punishment—) -Weakly- Goose, ain’t… got th’… energy t’ yell at ya properly fer that right now…

Goose: I know, right :^D

Maverick: Heheh...

Maverick: Hate to cut this short--but we REALLY need to make an exit, don't ya think? ; D

Jack: (Wow...they are REALLY showing no mercy...)

Maverick: Any longer and we'll have to ride them up for going over the speed limit--

Jack: UM, GUYS--

Jack: NOW'S NOT THE TIME--

Goose: Truuuuue enough! Time waits for no one! 8^D

Carmen: -Faintly- Lord help me but He sure knows ah’ve earned this sufferin’…

Goose: Seems like you guys could use a LIFT out of here! ^.^

[The chipper plane scooped his solid younger sister right off the roof of the rig.]

Pup: —! WOAH WOAH WAIT—

[Oops.

The strings were still attached.

Jack got yanked along about a foot, like a pull toy.]

Jack: FRAG FRAG FRAG S T O P--!!

[There was a sudden red blur.]

-SHING!-

[THUD.]

Jack: Ow...

Ninja!Pup: Whew…

Goose: … -Just kinda. Blinks for a moment-

Goose: …Um.

Goose: WELL! If everyone’s checked in, time for Avi Airlines to get you out of here!

Carmen: Uggh…

Carmen: Ah’ suppose Ah’ deserve your puns. But no weight jokes or Ah SWEAR Ah’ll take ya down with me, got it?

Goose: Love ya too, Sis! ^.^

Jack: Ha...

Jack: Oweverythinghurts....

Maverick: I got ya, Jackie!

[Rick hovers over Jack as he grabs both of his arms to lift him up, then hoists him further into the air with relative ease.]

Maverick: All set, yo! Let's hit it!

[Pup shifted into Avi’s form to follow after them, the three fliers headed off away from the highway.]

Goose: -Touches down gently- Theeere we go.

-Ping!-

<MC005>: > Augh, why is there still no signal?

<FMN-001>: > This IS Shade we’re talking about…

Carmen: -Groans- (…Brother?)

<DWN-011>: > …think it is more that her transceiver is damaged…

Maverick: Yeah, you guys don't look so good...

Jack: Tunnel...

Maverick: ???

Jack: Didn't...see it...

Maverick: OW...

Jack: ...Mng...

<MC005>: > …I have an idea…

<MC005>: >Will, you don’t mind a lot of sand near the teleporters, do you?

[DR.WHITE] //: Er, no--why?

<MC005>: >I’m going to do a spherical transportation.

<MC005>: >Call, if you please…

[DR.WHITE] //: Ah--! Yes, that will do the trick...

Jack: ...Is that Doc White...?

Maverick: Yup. And Dr. Cossack. Say hi, Jackie!

Jack: Heh...hi...sorry I don't look my best right now...

<MC005>: >Heh… don’t worry about that.

Carmen: Daddy…

[DR.WHITE] //: It's alright now, Shade.

[DR.WHITE] //: You'll be home soon.

Carmen: … ‘kay, Dad.

Carmen: I’mma… I’mma just…

Carmen: …sleep, nao—

<FMN-008 has entered Deep Sleep mode.>

Jack: . . .

Jack: H...Hey...Docs...

Jack: She's...she's gonna be OK now, right? Dunno...dunno what the kid did but...

Jack: She's...not crazy any more, right...?

Goose: Bro. Bro.

Goose: Not in the way you’re talking about, no.

Goose: But… her being okay eventually means being back to doing her crazy, ridiculous stunts. …Just part of who Eight is.

Jack: Heh....

Jack: Wouldn't...have it any other...way...

Jack: Just...wanted to...make sure...

Jack: So tired--

[INSUFFICIENT POWER SUPPLY. SHUT DOWN INITIATED.]

[CDN.7037 HAS GONE INTO DEEP SLEEP MODE.]

Goose: …

Goose: [sub]Looks like Mister Sandman paid them a visit[/sub] :’^D

Maverick: You said it, mirror...

Pup: -Sighs inwardly- (Yep. Definitely back to normal.)

{Later that Night…}

[Having delivered Jack and Carmen to the emergency bay, Maverick and Goose made a swift exit stage left, in an attempt to avoid Pyrogen’s wrath.

However, their plan to vacate to the Meadow instead…

…didn’t work as well as they might have hoped.]

Bonnie: You are all okay AVI DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED—WHAT IF SHADE HAD HIT YOU— -Seems to be talking to both-

[…Oops. The OTHER Pyro was there waiting for them.]

Maverick: 8' D (Hoooo boy...)

Bonnie: -Pulls Rick into a half-hug… aaaaand Goose in a headlock-

[…One gets the impression Rick is not in a headlock because he currently lacks a civvie form.]

Rick: ^.^;;;;; (Man I am so glad I do not have a squishy form at the moment--)

Bonnie: -BIG BRO IS SO GLAD YOU ALL ARE OKAY—but you’re still in trouble, especially you, Rick-

Rick: -WAT WHY ME--ooooooh wait-

Rick: ehehehehuuuuuh... 8' D

Bonnie: You might have at least TOLD your Pyro BEFORE suddenly abdicating the emergency bay…

Goose: Aww, but then he woulda said no. D^:

Rick: Yeaaaaaaaaaah he would--in my defense I knew Goose needed help so???

Bonnie: | [

Rick: IIIIIIII am so dead when I get home aren't I--

Goose: MAYBE but I’ll help take the heat— gak!

Bonnie: -Loosens his grip, because he was just giving a warning- If this was your idea, then you’d better own up to it.

Goose: YEP MORE OR LESS—I mean I tried to tell you, Beck only has one arm in that form, the other is used for flying, no way he could carry ‘em both—

Bonnie: How did you even know where to start looking?

Goose: WELL. There was this news report about a pizza robbery—

Goose: Didn’t realize Jack was there too until my cameras found them. Uh… she shut that down pretty quick, though, so… had to go in in person.

Rick: Yeah, she was REALLY letting those bullets fly...

Rick: -Totally intended pun by the way-

Rick: And then Jack was zippin' and zoomin' all over the place, and the debris, whew!

Bonnie: -Small sigh- Alright, you two. Time to get started.

Goose: Uh…?

Bonnie: You. You are going to help with the cooking.

Rick: . . . .

Rick: Uh, BOTH of us or are you talking to Goose-- (Gosh sometimes it's hard being mirrors--)

Bonnie: No, I’m sure your eldest has something else in mind. What might that be, MNN-001?

[And then there he was—the one figure they had been trying to evade in the first place—arms crossed and everything.]

Pat: HE is going straight home and helping Father with data analysis.

Rick: (WHEEEEEERE DID YOU COME FROM--)

Pat: And to help track down our last three kin, Call could use the assistance.

Rick: Uh....sure...yeah... (No seriously where did Bro come from--)

Goose: H-hi bro :’D;;;

Bonnie: (I’ll admit… I was hoping they’d see Cardinal on the highway, but of course not…) -Lets go of Rick-

Goose: Um… is this really the time for baking, though—

Bonnie: Have you been paying any attention?

Bonnie: There are now 33 people to feed. And more will be coming.

Bonnie: ONE of those is COUNTERSHADE.

Goose: -Hrk—!- Okay okay I get it—

Bonnie: Besides, I think CDN-7037 deserves some sort of reward, don’t you? I’ve heard he’s quite the carnivore…

Rick: Yeah, real meat lover...

Pat: If that's the case, I'll assist with food whenever possible. We should ask Nico too, he's also quite the cook.

Goose: I thought he was playing Doctor while Nineteen sealed himself in his room and Doc C was in Cali?

Bonnie: Well, Captain Piers has come over to assist in the healing process. It helps that Felix has been stable for a while and they have another Healer there… and that Plume and Landcrusher are also stable…

Goose: -Sudden lightbulb- Uh. Patrick? Y’ might be busy just keeping an eye on the three of them for a while…

Pat: . . .

Rick: Y...Yeah, I think we all gotta just keep an eye on everyone that's still recovering for now...

Pat: (...Shadow can stay with Brand, that will help...)

Skull: {I’m sure he would like that.}

Rick: Gah--

Pat: Skull.

Rick: (How does he DO that???)

[The soft-spoken skeleton was finally up again. He had come back Online as soon as Brandish had been brought to the lab, as he was needed to help run things in the Meadow.]

Skull: Apologies, MNN-006. It was not my intention to startle you.

Rick: Eheh--noooo problem, bro... : ' D

Skull: {We are incredibly glad you are well, Aviator. We missed you.}

Rick: Eheh...

Rick: Y-Yeah...good to be back...

Rick: .....

Rick: -scoooots behind big bro nope we're not hiding at all.-

Rick: : ' D

Skull: …? ({Am I missing something?})

Rick: Um--

Rick: I'm just gonna--go now--sorry--

Rick: -FLEES-

Pat: ......

Goose: BEEEE RIGHT BACK— -Hovers after-

Bonnie: … : / (Poor Aviator.)

{Meanwhile…}

-Ping.-

<FMN-006 to MNN-006>: >Brooooo. Broooooooooooooooo—

[MN.6 to FMN.6] //: sorry man I just--couldn't stay there--

[MN.6 to FMN.6] //: not after you know what--

[MN.6 to FMN.6] //: -nnnnngh, guilt, so much guilt--

[Goose is clearly catching up. He’s flying upside-down now… very Echo-like, honestly.]

<FMN-006 to MNN-006>: > I know, man. I know.

<FMN-006 to MNN-006>: > -Man, I can’t even REMEMBER everything, but-

MN.6 to FMN.6] //: I just--man they must HATE me--

[MN.6 to FMN.6] //: I mean I know I was screwy and everything but STILL--

<FMN-006 to MNN-006>: >Duuuude… let’s just. Just fly now, ‘kay? Catch some thermal from the plains.

[Indeed, the Wilderness was shifting into open, expansive prairie, in a state faaar away. The night air was clear, and it was silent and free.]

Goose: -Inverts and does a corkscrew in one direction, then the other-

<FMN-006 to MNN-006>: > -Hums Let’s Go Fly a Kite-

Goose: (Gotta let him wear off the Xeldrenaline, that’ll probably help. Flying always helped with that for ME me, anyway…)

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

[This DOES seem to help significantly, the very warm night breeze blowing over into the prairie and up to a starry sky...]

[MN.6] //: . . .

Goose: -Sways contently by banking very slightly from one side to the next- (Ahhh…) Home, home on the range…~

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

[MN.6] //: -Siiiigh-

Rick: -turns over so that he's staring at the stars-

Rick: (What am I gonna tell Toby...?)

Rick: (What can I even SAY?)

[Goose does a lazy loop-de-loop before resuming his swaying.

He then comes up so he’s in wingman position near Rick. But he’s still quiet, mostly just… there, for his Other.]

Rick: . . .

Rick: -Sighs once more and rubs eyes-

Rick: I reeeeeally messed up, didn't I...

Rick: Like... Super MAJOR big time messed up.

Goose: …

[He seems really thoughtful.]

Goose: …I try to always put things in a positive outlook, you know? Saying something like that outright isn’t really my thing…. Brand’s a lot better at that sort of stuff. [sub]too good, sometimes…[/sub]

Goose: I honestly… don’t really know what happened? Because… I can’t /remember/ what I did—which is pretty scary, really…. And… we couldn’t get ahold of you guys until later.

Goose: But even though I can’t remember, I know it was… definitely not cool, what I did. Yeah.

Goose: But… there are a couple of things about what happened, you know?

Rick: Yeah, I get that...

Rick: .....

Rick: (I...I can't really see a BRIGHT side to this--which tells me just how BAD things got--)

Rick: .....

Rick: I...oh man I'm SO glad Toby is--well...for the most part, OK again...

Rick: . . .

Goose: Yeah, see—that’s the thing—one of the things.

Goose: Remember what the Robin told you guys before you fought YoYo Hippie? About how possession wasn’t really them you were dealing with?

Rick: .......

Rick: Y...Yeah...

Rick: (You're not fighting the person, but the parasite...)

Goose: Man, we know it’s true, because attempts were made to fight back.

Goose: How could that happen unless there were something else— something the REAL YOU didn’t like, didn’t agree with—were there to fight against? Yeah, it doesn’t really help a whole lot, maybe, but it is really important.

Goose: And as for the Wily Numbers…

Goose: Duuude, they…

Goose: …

Goose: …I…

Goose: …I heard you… -Trails off-

Rick: . . .

Goose: (…heard you saw what happened…)

Rick: .......

Rick: I...

Rick: . . . .

Rick: Yeah.

Goose: …

Goose: …They’ve been there, man. Especially the little spark dude.

Goose: But know what?

Goose: Even though maybe someone could try and argue that everything is Tobias’s fault—HE sure seems to think so, himself—

Goose: His bros just plain love him, bro.

Goose: You’re part of their family now, dude. …Like, REALLY part, now, even. Blood Xel brothers, uh, something like that.

Goose: …You know how it is with bros. If something’s going wrong, of course you try to stop it—like with squishies, if someone’s drunk or whatnot—

Rick: ....

Goose: But you don’t hate on a bruthuh, ya know?

Rick: .....Yeah, heh... (I hope not, at least...)

Rick: .....

Rick: I guess I'm just--scared...?

Rick: I mean WILY BOTS, man. Tempers. Nothing against that, no, I mean...

Rick: (I really wouldn't blame them if they really wanted a go at me anyway...)

Goose: Well, that’s the THING, man—these guys—their experiences made them really empathetic. …Well, I mean, other than their Ninjabro, he’s like Blondie—still trying to learn about feelings and stuff.

Goose: Iiiiii think if it’s their temper you’re worried about? Yeah… maybe you’re right.

Goose: because DUDE they hate Cracker Snack so much, Toby would TOTES take a crack at them if he were let looooooose :’D;;;

Rick: Oh bro you're so right--jeez louies, tHAT would be so bad--

Goose: YEAH BRO KINDA.

Goose: …They have tempers against… well… people that cause those close to them to suffer. Like. Man, if Yoyo Hippie had REALLY tried going against them, that wouldn’t have gone well—because he threatened Robin to the point where he was paranoid more on the side of cray-cray, and then the whole deal with Queen Bee came… (Man, don’t even WANT to think about what woulda happened if Cossack hadn’t shut the others down after they sliced poor Toby open…)

Goose: They honestly think CherryDyn’s behind all this. Some think it more than others. It’s them they’re angry at.

Goose: You?

Goose: They’re SO happy you’re okay, they feel awful about…

Goose: …

Goose: …the whole cross-reference thing.

Rick: Ya know--I wouldn't be very SURPRISED if Cherry was behind it at this point...

Rick: But....

Rick: . . .

Goose: WELL, YA SEE

Goose: Here’s what Siam said—

Goose: Basically he didn’t think Cracker Snack was smart enough to think something like that up, let alone pull it off? :’^D

Rick: -SHRUGS-

Rick: He's REAL bent on putting blame on someone else. Done it with the VD and now with Doc Blackwell, and the guy is in PRISON. Seems like he's running out of options at this point and just...grasping straws...

Goose: …Did he really? Man, Siam was right—getting real un-creative with his content.

[The chipper plane snorts.]

Goose: He’s so lucky that the Angels really like YOU guys. And that Robin is busy with more important things right now. I mean, really—

Goose: THE DUDE WENT AND TAGGED THEIR HQ, AND THAT WAS ON A PRETTY GOOD EVENING

Rick: -SNORTS-

Rick: Yeah--who knows WHAT they'd do if pushed far enough and left unchecked... (…Pretty scary thought right there…)

Goose: … -Seems thoughtful about this-

Goose: …I think they don’t really know, themselves? Wasn’t that why Toby was so scared?

Goose: That’s why they are the way they are. Determined not to let that happen. No matter how hard they’re pushed.

Goose: It would take something REALLY bad to… well. Yeah, we kinda saw that already at the Finals. (They’ve just lost so much already. Really scares them when they’re about to lose even more.)

Rick: .....

Rick: -Sigh-

Rick: .....

Rick: Sis is probably gonna zap me, though. I'm, like--85% sure she is.

Goose: Bro, that’s Sis for you. Isn’t that something Electric ‘bots do when stressed, anyway?

Rick: Yeah, energy buildup, their systems release it to avoid overcharge— (Dyna's gonna be soooo angry at me I can tell--)

Goose: I knew it was her way of showing affection~

Rick: -SNORT-

Rick: Ya think? Heh...

Goose: Sure! You know, the whole “tsundere” deal.

Rick: HA! Oh, man, I knew it--

Rick: I bet it's the same for Cryo too--she fights Big Bro all the time even in a good mood--

Goose: Yeah! All the sisters are like that—

Rick: I mean SURE we do talk an earful but it's our job as little brothers to annoy big sisters, right--

Goose: -Gleeful swaying again- Something like that! More like there’s just a lot to saaaaay~

Goose: -Imitates Carmen- “C’mere a lil’ closer so Ah’ can make ya go into Airplane mode.”

Rick: -LOUD SNORT-

Rick: Oh dude I'd hightail out the window SO fast if she said that--BUT THAT IS A G R E A T PUN THO--

Goose: I TAUGHT HER WELL -So proud-

Rick: NICE, BRO. -THUMBS UP-

Rick: Wish I had an apprentice, heh...

Goose: Duuude—you DO!

Goose: : D

Rick: ....

Rick: TOBY--

Rick: I CAN TEACH HIM SO MANY PUNS--

Goose: IT’LL BE GREAT

Rick: The fact that there are so many electric/lighting puns already is also perfect--

Goose: Well yeah—he’s a real

Goose: LIVE WIRE~

Rick: And a real--

Rick: SHOCKER!~

Goose: -LOOP-DE-LOOP- Wheee!

[Yep. The lovable goofball was just a big kid at heart.]

Rick: : )

Rick: -Yeah, why not, LOOP-DE-LOOPS FOR DAAAAAAYS-

Rick: Wooooo!~

Rick: -Content data, we feel MUCH BETTER now, thanks, Goose--_

Goose: -Anytime, me-

Goose: Hey—Hey… thanks for helping out today. Really. -REEEEEAAAALLLY means it, so grateful-

Rick: Oh...yeah, no problem, dude. ^.^

Rick: Carmen's just as much a sis to me as you guys are--and Mighties always gotta stick out for one another, ya know?~

Goose: Yeah… and Tony, man… -Vents a sigh- MAN, is he gutsy for a Civvie—she’d have been really panicked if he didn’t come along.

Goose: Firebro wants me to stick around and help with cooking for everyone so the Docs can focus on their work and you guys can do your thing, and not have to worry about food. We all know how Daddo gets when he’s focused on a project, and I hear Cossack is even worse… >.>

Rick: ...Soooomeone's gonna hafta keep an eye on the Daddos so they don't overclock themselves...

Goose: Well, I think Blondie helps with that—something about the sprinklers—

Rick: -....Oh she has control over the sprinkler system, welp--

Rick: : ' D

Goose: …I won’t be able to come over there for long. Just. You know. Just in case someone stops by the lab. At least Shade is in her civvie form, no one will recognize her as Sniperbro like that… but the rest of us, ehhh, best not push our luck…

Goose: But she’s gonna be there for a while, I think. Man, face-first into concrete at 110 mph, ow.

Goose: So… she just. Might need you, since I can’t be there… ‘kay?

Rick: Yeah...I'll cover, bro. Promise.

Rick: ...Though she's probably gonna wanna be around Brand and Jackie, at first...

Goose: Oh, yeah, definitely Brand. …

Goose: … … …

Goose: … … … … … … … … … … …

Rick: .....

Rick: Uh...Goooooooooose?

Goose: -Blinks, coming out of it- Hmm?

Rick: ........

Rick: Iiiii....uh. (OK is it just me or am I really disturbing when I DON'T talk?)

Rick: Anything that Car will wanna hear from me--like, stories, stuff that'll get her to calm down and stuff?

Goose: …

Goose: -Fairly seriously- When she came back. That night.

Rick: (oooooh this does not sound good--)

Goose: She. She looked real beat up, man. Like… like this, but worse, because… it was just so sudden, and there was a good chunk of her just plain GONE—it was so wrong, somehow— “it just ain’t right” as she would say.

Rick: . . . .

Goose: She… was having trouble recovering, she wasn’t healing right, you know? Probably because of such an important thing like a core being missing.

Rick: (S...Sis...)

Goose: She’d wake up, man—but only sorta—all panicked and incoherent and man I think Pyro said she was all “Five Nights at Freddy’s 4” in her incoherent abstract data.

Rick: Oh, jeez...

Goose: And then… she got well enough to not be all “loopy in fever”, basically—

Goose: And she asked for Brandish.

Rick: ......

Rick: Little odd that she would considering their relationship before...

Goose: I know, right?

Goose: …I mean…

Goose: … Man I hope Brand doesn’t hear about what she said, not for a LOOONG time…

Rick: . . .

Goose: Brand, uh. Well. I’ll play you the clip of what we explained to the others later. But basically she thought he didn’t believe in her at all. Aaand she was vocal about that.

Goose: Everyone was kinda expecting her to ask for me, you know? No one was more shocked to hear the request than Sev himself.

Rick: Wow...

Goose: But.

Goose: She wanted him to tell her stories.

Goose: …She couldn’t stay at rest because she still felt in danger from… whatever happened, I guess… or those FNAF nightmares.

Goose: So she couldn’t get any better, because her body wasn’t recovering.

Goose: But having him around, verbally walk her through a meditation and stuff… just knowing he was there…

Goose: She got better. She slept and got better.

Rick: ....Huh...

Goose: There’s a chance something like that might happen again with this—I mean, Dad DID change the flow between the remaining cores, but she got banged up pretty bad, might need to redo that. -I don’t know, I’m not a medical genius like Siaaaaaaaam-

Rick: -wince-

Goose: As long as you, he, Jack, and Pryo are around, though, she’ll be docile and compliant.

Goose: With Jack it’s a case of him being her last mission objective—something about protecting him from CherryDyn loose-end “fixers,” dunno if that was actually a thing or just a concern, but. She’d think “OH CRAP STILL ON A MISSION” but if he’s right there, it’s all “oh okay mission accomplished, everything’s okay now” sort of deal. [sub]she takes her work super seriously[/sub]

Rick: Yeaaaah, Jack...Jack's pretty banged up too, so he'll DEF be there with her in repairs...

Goose: We’ll bring her home as soon as she can handle it—or at least to the Meadow, I mean—Dad DOES want to work on her, after all. But yeah, they’ll probably be there for a while. :’V

Goose: You’ll know she’s gotten over the worst when she becomes absolutely ravenous. [sub]she might start sleep-eating at that point tho[/sub]

Rick: Oof--she's gonna clean out our FRIDGE--if Cryo isn't sleeping in it already but I mean--

Rick: --Oh man Jack--Jack's gonna be hungry too, man no wonder Big Fire Bro asked you for cooking help, so many hungry people...

Goose: …

Goose: Did—I mean… Does Shadebro eat a lot, too?

Rick: Well--I mean, no? Sort of? His hunger is REALLY weird--

Rick: Like, sometimes he'll not eat for a day and then suddenly he does and then he doesn't and it's just--

Rick: Iiiiit's become a fact that if he says he ain't hungry, he ain't.

Goose: Huh. Weird…

Goose: …

Goose: Ten credits says Sis challenges him to an eating contest. :^D

Rick: Noooo bet, she's so going to at some point--!

Goose: Awwwww…

Rick: But--

Rick: I bet 20 that Shade bro will lose SO HARD--

Goose: DOUBLE DOWN SAYS JACK GETS HIMSELF INVOLVED—and that Firebros do a simultaneous facepalm :^D

Rick: DEAL--

Goose: ^.^ C’mon, Rick. Let’s head on home. |D

Goose: Home is where the heart is. < 3

Rick: Yeah-- -Yawns-

Rick: Home sweet home...

[And so, Goose takes flight lead and guides his mirror home…

Ah… home at last, indeed.]

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

=PROLOGUE D: IT ALL BEGINS NOW=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes & @super-tired-robot))

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

[There was the briefest moments of pause as the question sank in.]

[Where was Cardinal, indeed? He had been neither seen nor heard during the entire sequence, never once voicing his opinion or declaring his resolve.

The question Will had asked was heavier than it seemed. For Cardinal was not the sort of man who would sit by in a crisis.]

Mikhail: … You mean he's not with YOU?

[The fact that he was missing…]

Will: HE SPENT THE NIGHT HERE, HE WENT TO THE COLOSSEUM—!

Mikhail: He WHAT?!

[…could only mean that he was currently in grave danger.]

Siam: No…! No no no no no no no—

Will: My God, if he was there when they all—!

Mikhail: He would have gone into the sands, Will!

Mikhail: He would have tried to stop it—!

Will: —My God, you're right—!

Will: Beck—Beck, you were there—do you remember what happened?

Beck: Ghnn...

[Beck shuts his eyes tightly as he struggled to grab anything from his fragmented memories of the match.]

Beck: I...remember...Cards...

Will: —!

Beck: Yelling...yelling at Shade...

Beck: 'Not leaving you behind...'

Beck: Hnn...I'm sorry, that's it...I really can't remember anything else...!

Soi: ohhhNO—

Beck: Cards–!

<RMDC>: >ERROR: DLN-000 SIGNAL NOT FOUND.

[There was no response.]

Siam: WHERE IS HE?!

Mikhail: SHUT DOWN THE TELEPORTERS, NOW!

Mikhail: For all that is good in the world, PLEASE let him be in the lab—!

Will: Beck—

Beck: He’s not answering—!

Soi: -pANIIIIC-

[Nico was hovering by now, eyes glowing in distress.]

Nico: I thought he’d been awfully reserved from his usual commentary—!

Will: He….oh no…he must…he must have…!

[…Nearly all of the Mighty Numbers had been taken by the virus…]

[…Including Countershade.]

Beck: He’s gone after Shade–!

Soi: –IS HE SERIOUS–

Skull: … -With surprising amount of emotion for him- {My God.}

Keltso: -Also with surprising amount of emotion, though it’s clearly more on the “anger” side than the “fear” side- {We should have seen this coming, they’re practically twins.}

Will: … … …

Skull: …

Keltso: -rAEG- {CARDINAL!}

Keltso: {YOU SELFISH BASTARD—!}

Keltso: {WE NEEDED YOU HERE, DAMMIT—}

Digger: -OI, OI, WE DO NOT CALL THE COUSIN WHO SAVED OUR LIVES SUCH NAMES— -

Keltso: {THEY HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING!}

Keltso: THEY’RE GOING TO THINK HE’S AN INFECTED XELBOT, JUST LIKE THE OTHERS—

Keltso: My God, your military is going to KILL HIM!

Will: … … ….

Beck: NO!

Soi: Will, what is Eight’s status?!

Will: … …

Will: I… I don’t know.

[There is dismayed shouting.]

Will: It’s COUNTERSHADE, Soi! I don’t KNOW!

[After a few moments, the feed abruptly cut to the Meadow Lab.

Drawers and equipment lay scattered everywhere, as if the place had been raided.

…Which was an apt description. Not only was Cardinal gone…]

Siam: -Cries out in alarm, rushing over- NO! THE RESEARCH!

[Nico’s system screeched in feedback as they looked in dismay on the empty units.

All the E-Tanks AND the Power Capsules were… gone.

Even the prototypes of the Tanks that Siam had been trying to make.

Cardinal had cleared the place out.]

Mikhail: He took the ENTIRE emergency stock with him—?!

Nico: Has he lost his MIND?!

Keltso: -Hotly- What the glitch does he think he’s DOING?!

Skull: -Eyes burning- He’s going to get himself killed.

Mikhail: My God, we’ve got to get him out of there—

Gemini: I can’t find his signal—!

Will: I have NOTHING on this side either—!

Soi: -sCRAMBLING FOR THE TERMINAL-

Beck: -REPEATEDLY PINGING CARDS, PLEASE ANSWER-

Tobias: I’m going to FIND him!

Beck: But—! But he’s not answering, and his signal—!

Tobias: -Sparking up, eyes starting to glow an aggressive green- You’ll need a REAL communications expert to find that man! Just wait and SEE how it’s—

KKKKKKKKKKKT…

Tobias: !?

“Aaaaaaaand just WHAT do you think you’re doing on MY airwaves, huh?”

Will: !!!

Beck: Avi—!

Tobias: Avi?

Shadow: -Immediate suspicion- Aviator, where are you?

“Woah woah woah now! One caller at a time! I’m not talking to any of you—juuuuuust the tresspasser.”

Skull: ({I really do not like where this is going…})

Tobias: Avi, what are you doing?! I need access to some radio towers if we’re going to find my brother!

“HA! You crack me up, Caller number 2. See, those are my towers now! And I’m not about to lease them out to amateurs.”

Tobias: -Takes a step back, deeply hurt by the insult- D:

Beck: Avi, no—! He’s your friend, don’t you—don’t you recognize him?

“HMMMM maybe I do, maybe I don’t! Nobody is getting any favors, though.”

[The view on the screens distorted and cut to footage being taken by a sky cam. After a moment, Avi himself swooped into view.]

Avi: Besides! You’d be wasting your time. And more importantly, wasting MINE!

Will: That’s enough, Aviator White! You will stop that RIGHT NOW and /COME HOME!/

Mikhail: ! (I’ve never seen him show his temper!)

[Apparently this came as a surprise to Avi as well, though his response was far less enthusiastic.]

Avi: …What.

Will: -Firmly, but more calmly now- Avi, listen to me. You need to come home immediately.

Will: You’re sick right now, but we can fix that—

[The airplane rolled his eyes and interjected.]

Avi: Not interested!

Beck: A-Avi! We just want to—!

Avi: Yeah, yeah, your handsome host heard the whole heartfelt exchange!

Keltso: -Hisses- You WHAT?

Avi: Yeah, I was there for that OH-so-dramatic promise to “save” everybody.

Avi: Stellar performance... but a classic example of a naïve delusion without basis in reality.

Beck: —!

Soi: N-now hold on a minute here! Six, let’s be reasonable—

Avi: Oh?

[His eyes widened, and then he looked up to the clouds in thought.]

Beck: (That… that actually worked—?)

Avi: Nah. I’d rather not mingle with the common crowd when I’ve got a show to run.

Beck: Avi, please!

Avi: Here’s the thing, Beckaroni—

Avi: NOBODY is coming home.

“You’re LYING!”

[Everyone turned toward the tiny Robot Master as he swept his brothers aside with sudden jutting sheets of ice.]

Snow: -Walking toward the monitor- EVERYBODY is coming home! Beck said so, and that means—

Avi: Haven’t you ever heard of waiting your turn, kid? Or better yet: “children should be seen, not heard!” Looks like your dad did a poor job of raising you. But hey, what can you expect from—

Keltso: Insult him and I promise on my mother’s grave that I will PERSONALLY hunt you down and make you regret it.

Avi: Ooooo, how scary! Big talk from someone who’s been forbidden to interfere!

Shadow: -Hotly- Six, we do not have time for your tomfoolery! If you refuse to comply, then buzz off!

Avi: Points for effort in your pun, space ninja! But sounds like you weren’t listening. NOBODY. Is coming. Home.

Shadow: -MUCH darker than anyone has ever heard from him, almost a distorted GROWLING- False.

Avi: Want me to PROVE it to you?

Mikhail: -Warily- …What do you mean by that?

Avi: Nothing big! If Caller Number 2 would back off, I can get you in touch with none other than everyone’s faaaavorite sword master, Brandish himself! He’s always been obsessed with obeying the rules, after all.

[There was abrupt static, and then—]

[PING!]

Will: ! (Brand’s signal! It’s—!)

[Everyone could feel it now.]

Shadow: -Ping- {M…Master Brandish?}

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

[The static faded out, only to be replaced by other background noise.]

Shadow: -Muted concern- {Master Brandish, can you hear us?}

[MN.7] //: {Ngh—!! Sh-Shadow...?!}

[For a brief moment, the dark anger that had a permanent place on Shadow’s face lifted, giving way to a visage of hopefulness and relief.]

Shadow: Sensei! {I am so relieved to get back in contact with you!}

[MN.7] //: {Where… where are—where are you—? Are you— nngh! Are you— afflicted—?}

Shadow: {No more than usual, but we are in trouble! You have no idea the turmoil that this chaos is throwing us into—!}

Shadow: {We need your help—}

[MN.7] //: {nO—}

Shadow: —???

[MN.7] //: -DISTRESSED PINGING, SCREAMS IN THE BACKGROUND-

[Despair. Horror.]

[MN.7] //: {NO—NONONO!}

Shadow: !

[…Fear.

…It was not something that Shadow was familiar with, but he felt it now, as plain as the moon.

Fear. Overwhelming, growing FEAR.]

Shadow: N-nan desu ka?

Shadow: {Sensei, what are you saying—?}

[MN.7] //: {NGH—}

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

[MN.7] //: -Distorted- Must slice...must dice...

Beck: N-nii-san!

[MN.7] //: —aAAARGH—NO! I—MY BLADES—!

[MN.7] //: Stay— stay out of harm's way, I can't—! I can't control—!

[Okay, now Shadow was beginning to panic.

He tried to lock onto Brandish’s signal, his eyes glowing a panicked, brighter red than normal.]

Shadow: {Sensei! For the love of the Lord Father, WHERE ARE YOU?!}

[MN.7] //: {I CAN'T—I CAN'T—!!}

Shadow: {NO! YOU MUST!}

[MN.7] //: {It's—! It's too late, Shadow! Can't… can't break free…!}

[Shadow wasn’t ready to accept that this was over.]

<DWN-024>: > {Tell me where you are, Sensei! I will come help y—}

[MN.7] //: {NO!}

<DWN-024>: > —?!?!!!

[MN.7] //: {It—is too LATE for me now, kohai! Won't—bring you down with me into this— torment—!}

<DWN-024>: > {PLEASE! I BESEECH YOU!}

[MN.7] //: {F-FORGIVE ME—!}

[MN.7 HAS BLOCKED DWN-024.]

[…Silence.]

Shadow: -Just. Speechless.-

Shadow: (No…)

[An error message then pops up as he falls to his knees.]

Snow: Sh-Shadow?!

>A problem has been detected and AI_DWN_024 has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer. All unsaved data has been lost.

The problem seems to be caused by the following programs: BetaEmotions.exe, RMDatabase.exe

If this is the first time you have seen the Stop error screen, restart your chassis—

GOING INTO STASIS…

[Shadow’s eyes went dark as he collapsed and he remained motionless.]

Snow: Shadow, no! You hafta wake up!

“See? What did I tell you?”

Snow: -Looks up- …

Avi: Waste of time!

[At that, Snow started to cry.]

Will: Avi! You stop—

[Avi suddenly FLARED up with aura, flames flickering.]

Avi: -Darkly- Stop WHAT, you wet noodle? I’M only doing what any self-respecting reporter would do: giving people the TRUTH!

Tobias: ENOUGH!

[There was a high pitched screeching noise and a blast of data that felt like a loud note from subwoofers turning on.]

Beck: @~@!

Tobias: I’m getting REALLY FED UP with your STUPID INTERFERENCE!

[He was surrounded by visible static, his voice raising into outright shouting.]

Tobias: STOP IGNORING ME, AVI, AND /GET OUT OF MY WAY!/

Avi: Ooo, SOMEone seems spicy today! Wow. Talk about blowing a fuse! HA! Get it?

Tobias: (Ngggh…! Can’t… can’t let the cross-references distract me, not now!)

Tobias: Very funny, Avi.

Tobias: Hilarious.

Avi: Thaaaaanks. I practice~

Tobias: Kate would shoot you for something like that, you know! -Clearly annoyed-

Avi: ….

Avi: Who?

Beck: C-come on! Remember? Bon Jovi? Like Shade, but a girl? You’re her favorite, Avi—!

Avi: Ooooooh, you mean Caller Number 1 from eeeeaaaarlierrrr today!

Jack: What?

[Jack was suddenly at the forefront, grabbing at the screen.]

Jack: She called you?

Avi: Well, would ya look at that. Toy boy himself! Ha...!

Jack: (What?)

Avi: What can I say? Unlike you, I’m in demand.

Jack: Cut the [scrap], Six!

Avi: Hey now, mind your language around the kiddies! Though you should really send that crybaby off before he throws a temper tantrum.

Tobias: HEY! THAT’S MY BROTHER YOU’RE—

[Avi shifts into helicopter form so he can make gestures.]

Avi: AH AH AH, NOT YOUR TURN ANYMORE.

Avi: Yeah, that lady DID place a call earlier this morning! Came shouting in my ear with a list of demands, of course… because what else can you EXPECT from the likes of her…

Jack: Grr—!

Avi: She was screaming and throwing a bit of a fit herself, wanting her own way! She wouldn’t shut up until I reminded her of what she WAS.

Jack: (N-no!)

Avi: And ya know what the best part was? The last line RHYMED.~ MAN, I am so good...

[Jack grabbed at the corners of the screen, snarling in rage.]

Jack: Why YOU—

Avi: She couldn’t handle the TRUTH, of course. Screamed a couple of times before running off.

Beck: …!!!

Beck: (That—! That screaming from earlier!)

Beck: (That was HER?!)

Jack: Where is she?!

Avi: How should I know? She’s off SULKING! Probably venting her denial by picking off people she hates, one! By! One!

Avi: After all, that’s what she’s BEST at....and ALL that she’s GOOD FOR!

Jack: I'm gonna [GLITCHFRAG] BASH YOUR HEAD IN—

[He was abruptly yanked back by Speedy, who had sheathed his drawn boomerangs for now-

Speedy: -AAAAAAAND we’re holding Tigerboy Spiderman back- MIGHT WANT TO RECONSIDER THAT, DUDE, JUST SAYIN’—

[Jack wouldn’t have any of it.

Jack: -I’M GONNA TEAR HIM APART— HE HURT HER— -

Speedy: DUDE WHEN YOU GET MESSED UP FIGHTING RICK, SHE’S GONNA GO NUTS AND TAKE IT OUT ON US!

Avi: Yup! : D

[The plane gave a finger-gun point at Jack… literally.]

Avi: Jeez, what does she even SEE in you? A Cherry AND a loser? Wow. I'm actually impressed. Ya know. For a little leaguer like you.

Jack: [FRAG] YOU.

Avi: -Snort-

Speedy: Geez man don’t make me slice you to prove a point—

Avi: Ya might wanna take his advice, there, Jack-in-the-box.

Avi: Aaaas much as I would LOVE to see what makes YOU tick, Jackie Boy, even I know when I'm pushing my luck.

Avi: But don't worry—

Avi: You can always catch me on the air!~ ;D

Jack: -STRUGGLES-

[Beck couldn’t take any more of this.]

Beck: Avi! Please, stop!

Beck: It doesn’t have to be like this! You can end this! We don’t have to fight—!

Avi: Yeah, I can end it, alright.

[He gives a wave and then a shooing gesture.]

Avi: That's all for today, folks! Tune in next time! Buh-bye!

Tobias: THAT’S IT!

[The boy slammed his hand onto the control panel, causing the entire mainframe to sizzle with electricity.

Mikhail: Tobias—!

Tobias: You’re wasting our TIME, AVI! If you don’t move aside right now, then I WILL -MAKE- YOU RESTORE COMMS!

Tobias: LET ME THROUGH, GLITCHFRAG IT, I’M SHORT ON PATIENCE HERE!

Avi: Eeeeeeh….

Avi: Ugh, I dunno–see, I got a script to stick to? And uh, all the roles are filled in. Sorry, dude! ^.^

[…

Tobias really WAS starting to lose patience. He seethed.]

Avi: BUT.

Tobias: -Train of thought derailed- —?

Avi: I thiiiiink I can.... prooobably....

Avi: Squeeze you into a short segment....

Tobias: -Gives off abrupt data of discomfort and dread- (Why does that sound… really really bad…?)

Avi: How about this, caller number 2?~

[Suddenly—]

[MN.6 HAS ENTERED COMBAT DATA MODE. RESTRICTIONS: NONE.]

Avi: You wanna be my intern for a while?!

>WARNING! WARNING! DATA OVERLOAD!

[The bright-eyed Industrial staggered back from the controls with a shaky gasp. The world had started to go faint for a moment, and now he could barely hear anything. There was so much noise— he could hear so many broadcasts, so many frequencies— cascades of code reds and fatal errors—]

Tobias: Avi! PLEASE! STOP—!

Nico: -Rushes to Tobias’s side- Wh-what’s he doing?!

Will: He's trying to forcibly overload him—! It's—

Will: Avi, stop this! PLEASE!

Will: (I have to do something—!)

[Despite his best efforts, Will found that the RMDC branch server was causing too much interference. Numerous cross-references kept popping up all over the place, preventing him from getting anywhere.]

Tobias: S-STOOOOOOOPPPP!

[The data was fought back—forcefully. It seemed that the electric Industrial was not unfamiliar with fighting aggressive data.

He fought back with his own biting aggression, with the unbroken willpower he'd garnered from his father—with the disdain and scorn, the blinding pride, the bitterness—]

Avi: Nope! Can’t have you snooping around on the feeds, no sirree!

[—But no! It had no effect!

Tobias reeled, clutching his head in pain at a surge of possessive data. Something was tugging at him, trying to force him to submit. To surrender. To surrender everything.

He was sparking up in self-defense now as he went into overdrive, which earned a VERY pained cry from his younger brother.]

Avi: I got big, big plans, Caller. Avi News is gonna go GLOBAL!

[Tobias's own firewalls flared, but he could not escape so easily. He was burning up in fever as the onslaught pressed on.

It was not so much the blunt attempt to send them into a rage, like it had been earlier—no, this was a battle of control that was far worse than that. The demand to submit was pressing on his mind—this time, with the force of weight of enough data to threaten to overtake him. It was as if there were thousands—no, hundreds of thousands of different wills, and a horrific static—]

Tobias: Nggh—!

Tobias: NO!

Tobias: NO YOU WON’T!

[But he wasn't infamous as a data master for nothing. He kept his own mind despite the noise, and he wasn't about to let his voice go unheard.

He was… actively blocking data that his system was trying to send out, too. It wasn't reaching any of his brothers, nor the server itself—he had in effect locked himself in single combat against it.]

Tobias: I won’t give up! I’ll MAKE you get out of my way!

[A surge of spurning willpower.

The stubborn willpower of a Doctor Wily Number—the unflinching kind they inherited from their father.

The data crackled with irritation, drawing up power as it lashed out.

This seemed to have some sort of effect, even if minimal—for his refusal to submit and relinquish his resources was of no small amount of annoyance.

His probing tendrils sought to undermine the data stream, to hijack the IMMENSE power to be his own. He was pouring all his concentration into the matter, practically to the level that rivaled being in the Cloud. The struggle to break through finally seemed to pay off—he suddenly felt as if he had grabbed hold of Avi himself, somewhere in there—]

Will: ?!

Will: (What… what is this CODING?)

[Will stared in disbelief at the flashes of data across his screen. For a brief moment, here and there, he could see lines of active data—and some of it was brand new, Xel-based coding he had never seen before…]

Will: (Th-this is—!)

[Data being generated by a Robot Master using a XEL chassis.]

Will: (How is this POSSIBLE?)

Tobias: YOU… WILL… S T O P!!

[…And yet, he wasn’t REALLY giving it his all—that much was obvious. For even after the connection had been made… nothing happened, and the data storm continued to wail.

Tobias was holding back, for some reason.

And he was going to pay for it.]

Avi: Jeez—you’re really a spicy one! I’m actually impressed!

Avi: Man, this is JUST like that one movie I watched last Tuesday–the hero, on the brink of defeat, suddenly finds within himself the strength to win!

Tobias: Grr…!

[A blast of raw emotional data screamed along the connection. These words had incited a BITTER sense of guilt and regret, of self-hate—]

Avi: —!!

Avi: NGH—

[Avi recoiled in pain as true aggression rose—the uncoiling power that was the fallen mastermind's favorite, unfettered—]

Tobias: -VERY bitterly- I’m no hero.

Tobias: BUT I STILL WON’T LET YOU DO THIS.

[The hate, the sheer HATE that burned, burned the sick airplane subsided, replaced by a meek and hurting fear.]

Tobias: I… I c-can’t let you make my mistakes…!

Avi: Ow…OK…yeah, that hurt…

[For a moment, the noise was starting to die down. Relieved, Tobias started to relax. In doing so, he slipped further into sorrow.]

Tobias: …

Tobias: S-sorry…

Tobias: Nggh…! Now… please, stop!

Tobias: -Faintly, as if tired and vulnerable- Stop…

Avi: … …

Tobias: …A-Avi…?

[…Data.]

[…It…was Avi’s data, yes, but… so much darker.]

Tobias: -Wha— -

[Anger.]

Avi: That…hurt.

Avi: NOW YOU’RE GONNA GET IT!

[Tobias was suddenly slammed with signals. They weren’t just conversational—they were trying to get inside his head, mess with his mind! They were burrowing deep into his psyche, tripping off flags left and right, feeding on his fear, his desperation—]

Tobias: -SCREE OF FEAR- NO, AVI, STOP! YOU DON’T KNOW—!

[He never did finish his warning.

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

Tobias: -SCREAMS-

[He was writhing in agony on the ground, overcome with painful disorientation as he fought off the attempt to seize control.

The sheer volume was blinding, every bit of it bad. His web of control was suddenly being used to restrain him, to pin him down in his mind—a prisoner of his own memories, stabbing at his Awareness with thousands of shards of information that matched internal cross-references—chipping away at his immense processing power that was being used to fight this all off—!]

[He was almost in tears—tears of despair—as he fruitlessly tried so very hard to overthrow the invasion without harming his best friend.

He couldn't—he just couldn't keep this up, he was caving—]

Avi: HA!

[Almost… almost—!]

Tobias: -ERROR…-

[There was an audible SNAP of electricity as his defenses gave way. The link that he had established to try and take control was pulsing with seething, predatory intent.]

Avi: Aaaand that’s a wrap!

[And then—then it was everywhere. Noise… false data, dragging him in, trying to dissolve him—]

Tobias: Please…

[He could not be consumed, even as the sick malice seeped into every fiber of his memory. His resistance was gone, and what little will he had left was spent trying to hang on to his Awareness and individuality.]

Tobias: -Distantly- S-stop… Avi, please…

Avi: You just don’t know how to LISTEN, do ya? I said NO.

Beck: Avi! STOP—!

[The threads of his awareness flicked and shriveled under the weight of red flags.]

KKKKSSST!

[The roaring weight of the data hearkened back to the worst of memories—not just his, but those of his brothers. His attempts to prevent the memories from going live had bravely protected the others by isolating his current experience from the server… but he could not hold out for much longer. As soon as the cross-references went live, he would be lost.]

Avi: NOW SHUT UP.

Avi: There’s nothing you can do against ME, anyway! BWHAHAHAHA!

Nico: Mikhail! Do something!

Mikhail: I’m TRYING—!

[Tobias desperately wanted to keep Aviator from gaining access to his neural network. There was no telling what damage that might cause to his family, due to the nature of their almost hive-like minds. And more than that—he just knew that Avi really was not prepared for what he would be getting into.

He fought back against the demands to remember—he valiantly resisted against recalling the deep darkness.

But he was tired. So tired. He couldn’t withstand both the assault and the barrage of cross-references that this disaster was sending live. It just truly reminded him of days long past.

…He weakened.]

>ANALYZING DATA…

[It only took that one moment of weakness. That one moment of being rendered helpless, unable to fight back.

And in that moment…]

>NEURAL LINK VERIFIED

[His own firewall gave way, too broken and lag-ridden to continue to function. The Awareness was being choked out of him, and he could feel it dimming. His lifeless willpower was almost gently arranged into place, as in its stead…]

Avi: Finally...

>User access level update acknowledged. MNN-006 has been registered as RMDC native. Access to DLN-008 user data granted. Authorization code: DLN-008.

[Mighty Number Six overtook his mind.]

>COMMAND ACCEPTED

[The invasive, annoyingly persistent obstacle was HIS, now—]

Avi: You're mine—

> WARNING: DATA ERROR DETECTED.

> ERROR IDENTIFIED: SUBCLASS “VOICE"—AWARENESS PROGRAMS

> REPORT DETAILS: Multiple Awareness programs detected. This system does not support Awareness plurality.

> DATA STREAM CANCELED— ERROR X09: AWARENESS PLURALITY MALFUNCTION

Avi: What the—

[There was a buzz of annoyed data.]

Avi: Nice try, but you’re under contract now, kid!

> OVERRIDE ERROR X09 FAILSAFE: Authorization code DLN-008

> WARNING—

Avi: Yeah, yeah, whatever. -Selects to ignore- Now let’s see what you’re so intent on—

> ACKNOWLEDGED.

>ACCESSING ENCRYPTED DATA

[Nothing in all the worlds could prepare Mighty No. 6 for what came next…]

>WARNING: 06.21.20XX MEMORY DATA CROSS-REFERENCES TO MULTIPLE CRITICALLY HAZARDOUS FILES!

Avi: —!!?

>GENERATING NEW PRIMAL ANALYSIS NEXUS

>INITIATING DATA FUSION

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEE—

[When he had accessed the hidden depths of the mind—

—he had not been prepared for the fact that this would lay bare the soul for him to see!]

“AAAAAAAAAAAAA—!”

[DOZENS of memories were active—all very real in the here and now, all at the same time! Thoughts, memories, fears, feelings, pains, suffering, sorrows, despair—not just from Tobias, but from a dozen others—not just for what was now, but what HAD been—the past was the present, the pain then was pain now, it was all bOMBARDING THEM RELENTLESSLY—]

Avi: NG—NNNHAAAAAAAAAAAH—!

[THIS was the reality that the Rebel Angels lived with, the cross they carried—and would forever carry, all life long!

Avi had stared into the abyss of a suffering robot’s (and his family’s) soul…

…and the abyss was staring back.]

[It surged through the link without mercy, unleashing the unfiltered darkness, slamming into Avi's being and dragging it down, DOWN into the void—]

>PROCESSING ERROR: BETAEMOTIONS.EXE CONFLICT

>CROSS REFERENCING DATA: ROBOTMASTER DATABASE >KEYWORDS: DEATH, BLUE, MNN, COMBAT.EXE

>RUN PROGRAM: SEARCH >KEYWORDS: DEATH, BLUE, MNN, COMBAT.EXE

>DISPLAYING ALL ENTRIES…

[Avi was BLASTED with pain! PAIN! PAIN BEYOND MEASURE!

He struggled—he had put too much of himself to break free yet—and all he could feel was...pain, hurt, PAIN, DEATH...!

And...for the briefest of moments...

...Whatever had a hold on him...whatever was controlling his mind—recoiled.]

Avi: STOP! S T O P I T—!!!

[It was no use. Tobias and Avi were caught in a joint system overload that was rapidly approaching a stop error.

The pleas for mercy only aggravated the data even further—such despair echoed back dozens-fold, and it only got WORSE.]

>ERROR: EMOTIONS.EXE OVERLOAD

[DEATH! DEATH AND SUFFERING, in well past a dozen different ways! And the blood— the blood and the oil EVERYWHERE—]

[Blood— not blood —so much—death—darkness—

…But STILL, it was not yet over.]

Avi: -uNHOLY SCREAMING-

[The sounds that came from No. 6…it was HIS voice, but so distorted and twisted by the darkness and pain that it was almost unrecognizable.

The link was healthy enough, alright—Tobias had managed to latch onto a very crucial aspect of Avi's coding. For No. 6… had built to process as much data as possible. To gather and analyze heavy volume from multiple sources, without being overwhelmed—able to fully experience and understand every byte of it.

Today, that was his curse.]

>CROSS REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: D E A T H

>DEATH WEARS BLUE

"AAAAAAAUUUUUGGGH—"

> A problem has been detected and AI_DWN_008 has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer. All unsaved data has been lost.

The problem seems to be caused by the following programs: BetaEmotions.exe, RMDatabase.exe

If this is the first time you have seen the Stop error screen, restart your chassis—

REBOOTING…

[Mercy—oh, MERCY—it's finally STOPPED—]

[Tobias collapsed when Avi finally managed to break free. And there he lay, lifeless on the ground. Unaware, dead to the world—and to the horrified attempts to wake him.

The fight for his mind had caused major damage by shattering his Awareness.

It became too much for him to take.]

>REBOOT SEQUENCE FAILED.

<DLN-008 has gone Offline.>

[Will took a step back from the terminal as it suddenly blared static before going completely black.]

Beck: TOBY—!

Soi: Will! What’s going on?

Will: The server’s crashed!

[He frantically set it to restart, each second stretching out like an eternity. Error messages plagued the rebooting sequence, all with the same message:

All connection to the Meadow via the RMDC mainframe had been shut off. And all attempts to locate the others—Robot Master or Xelbot alike—were met with a popup saying that the status inquiries were not authorized, with error tags relating to Tobias.]

[Beck visibly paled, sick to his stomach, the world started to spin—he would have gone Offline right then and there had the shock weren't keeping him awake.

He was on his own. Truly, most certainly on his own, with no teammates, no friends, no brothers by his side.

And he knew it was only going to get worse...]

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=BONUS CONTENT: BONUS SCENE #5=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

((Incomplete prewriting: Cardinal and Countershade reconcile))

[When Shade entered the room, he found it painfully quiet.

Soft beeping and humming noises from the machinery were the only signs of life: like markings on a scratchboard, little more than symbols of what should be vibrant and full of noise.

It was quiet. So much quieter than the hustle and hubbub of the fancy party he had just slipped away from.

Almost as quiet as the fringes of nightmares that would not leave him be.]

Shade: …

[There were curtains drawn up, likely to give some privacy to the poor soul who rested there. But these sheets of fabric and plastic may as well have been sheer cliff walls of concrete and iron, for how ominous—nay, menacing—they seemed.]

((More reaction, thoughts))

[He wanted to step in, but at the same time… couldn’t bear it. Couldn’t bear to face…]

((Flashback, reaction))

[His staggering made a lot of noise, and there was a loud clatter as he fell back, unable to break his fall due to lacking a hand to support himself. The room suddenly seemed to come alive at this, lights springing on and readings flashing across the screens. But most shattering of all was a single noise: ]

PING!

((Reaction))

[Cardinal’s data seemed to permeate the room. It was muddled, dazed: blank as an absent mind, fragile as an empty dream…. So gentle for a Combat ‘bot. So peaceful for a warring machine.

So vulnerable for a contingency mastermind.

So… helpless for a hero, equally deadened as serene.]

Shade: (C-Cards…!)

[His heart hurt a hell of a lot more than his pride did at the moment. His best friend was laying there on the other side of that patient veil, and he couldn’t even bear to look in that direction.

He didn’t remember everything, but he knew enough to fill in the missing pieces for the broken picture that lay shattered before him. The fact that no one—absolutely no one, not even his own father—would tell him what had happened or what state Cardinal was in… that was telling in and of itself.

If the songbird were just tired, that would be one thing. He would have been startled awake, running on adrenaline—probably shooting a blast of plasma cannon fire through the curtain out of alarm at the noise. He had just been engaged in a Lethal Combat Mode the last time he had been Online, after all… so if he’d been “alright” (as if anyone could be fine after what had happened to them…!), he would have been wound up tighter than a bobcat.

If the rebel had been injured, that would have been another thing. He knew the prototype all too well: it was a running gag at how poorly he tended to himself: how he overworked himself, pushed himself too far. Even a serious injury should have been healed up (for a patchwork job, at least) no problem, with all the resources they had. Such a thing wouldn’t have kept him caged, wouldn’t have held him down to the point where he’d sit still obediently while other people partied. If that were all, then he would have been there at the ceremony earlier that day.

Instead…]

((Comfort/concern))

[He wasn’t sure he could take this. His best friend was laying there, just… blank. He’d never, ever seen him like that before. He’d seen Cardinal spaced out, alright, but this was much, much worse—]

<DLN-000 is now Online.>

Cardinal: -Very weakly- Shade…?

[He sounded so tired. Exhausted. Like he would fall asleep again any second.

And yet…

Such longing, such… hopefulness, contained in that single word. A desire of some kind… to not be alone, but for it to be real—]

Cardinal: Unless this…unless… unless…

Cardinal: Unless this… is dreaming…

<DLN-000 has entered Idle mode.>

[The weariness seemed to overtake him, and he was drifting back into sleep. But… if he was well enough to talk without strain, then… surely he had to be…]

((Self-demeaning thoughts, probably))

[He had to be alright. He had to be.

Shade silently pushed himself up off the ground.]

((Somehow, Shade gets himself to go over to look through the curtain.))

[The view was somewhat obscured, but his visual processors made quick and easy work of the warping effect of the plastic. Cardinal was resting peacefully on the table, with a sheet pulled up like a blanket. It was a clean sheet: no oil or coolant stains on it, which was a good sign.

He gave off very odd readings, not even close to being consistent with what he gave off before. Definitely running off of a different energy source: one which didn’t generate heat at all, but seemed to be diminishing ever so slightly in each moment.]

Shade: ....

Shade: -...this feels like a stupid question at this point but- -Ah' still wanna hear it from you-

Shade: -we...we're still... friends, right...-

Shade: -two of us...-

Cardinal: Mighty Nine Number Eight— Countershade Arthur White—

((Pic—Reconciliation & Brotherhood))

Cardinal: You are still the best man anyone could ask for, the… the best friend I’ve ever known,

Cardinal: One of the bravest and… and enduring people I’ve ever met…

Cardinal: I’m so happy you’re alive,

Cardinal: happy that… that we can still… be friends.

Cardinal: That… that that wasn’t taken from me, that… that I still have you, and your family, in my life.

Shade: ....

[Shade has to rub his eyes a little at that.]

Shade: -Well nao ya gone and done it, ya cheeky bird...-

Shade: Heh...

Shade: -Makin' me cry and everythin', must look damn ridiculous...-

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=CHAPTER 6C: CRIMSON STRONGHOLD=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

{The Next Morning…

June 28th, 20XX}

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

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

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

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

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

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

[MN.9] //: -PING—!-

<DCP-001>: > ^.^

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

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

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

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

<DCP-001>: > All night and some morning, I think? Father said he brought you some marshmallows before your rest.

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

<DCP-001>: > ?

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

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

[MN.9] //: Mkay—see ya there—!

{Later…}

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

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

Beck: Shadow...! : D -HAPPY DATA—-

Beck: !!

Beck: -SUGAR COOKIES—-

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

Cryo: BECK CAN I HAVE OOOOONE—-

Avi: -Bro please—-

Beck: -No—-

Beck: -LINKA MADE THESE FOR ME-

Cryo: -POUTS, PROCEEDS TO FLAIL ARMS-

Avi: -Awwwwww--

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shadow: He will need to hear this.

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

Beck: -Mmm sugar...-

Pyro: -Pay attention, Beck.-

Beck: —Oops, yes, sir.

Shadow: Very well, then.

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

Kalinka: -Waves- Hi, Beck! : D

Beck: -WAVES-

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

Snow: MISTER BAT MISTER BAT BATMAN BAT SIR HIIIII—

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

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

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

Bat: ....Heh...

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

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

Beck: ^.^

Snow: Yes sir!

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

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

Nico: -Looks over to Cossack briefly- We have many things to discuss. Where should we start?

[Mikhail looked up from his hot chocolate.]

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

Will: Ahem...

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

Will: If I may go first?

Mikhail: Please do.

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

[Will flips through the papers on his clipboard.]

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

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

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

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

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

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

[They seem even more uncomfortable at this.]

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

Will: Yet...

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

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

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

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

Pryo: ... Holes?

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

Nico: WHAT?!

[Mikhail has to calm them down forcefully.]

Mikhail: It’s alright, Alnico!

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

Nico: -Oh—-

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

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

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

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

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

Will: (Argh...)

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

Mikhail: Oh yes. And as for the boys…

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

Will: ...Ah...

Avi: -Tobyyyy....-

Dyna: -BZzzzzzzt...-

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

Will: ...?

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

Avi: —....

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

Will: Mm...

Mikhail: Mmm…

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

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

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

Will: . . . .

Will: -Frowns-

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

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

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

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

Will: Quite...

Nico: The fact…

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

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

[He looks directly at Avi.]

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

Nico: To borrow our good friend’s favorite phrase—

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

Mikhail: -Can’t help but snort-

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

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

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

Beck: —???

Beck: Wait what—

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

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

Will: Well, I—

Will: .....

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

Will: . . . .

Beck: ....? Dad?

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

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

Will: .....

[Will puts down the clipboard.]

Will: Friends...

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

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

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

[...He's not joking.]

Will: .....

Will: It's...

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

Will: It's....

Beck: ...Dad?

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

Will: . . . .

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

[There’s a slight… growl, almost.]

Mikhail: -Glasses glint ominously, clearly displeased-

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

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

Will: .....

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

Will: ....

Shadow: If I may.

Will: -Sigh-

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

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

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

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

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

Mikhail: {ENOUGH.}

Will: --!

Will: (Oh dear—)

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

Digger: …

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

[He was speaking rapidly now.]

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

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

Digger: BETTER NEWS NOW. :^D

Digger: News to be having, is yes good!

[…A rather forceful change in subject…

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

Digger: COUSIN TWIN SIAM

Digger: YOU TELL ANNOUNCEMENT NOW PLEASE

Will: —?

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

Beck: ????

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

Gemini: Cossack Three, what are you— Siam: -Talking over- OH! Hello, Doctors!

Will: Siam...

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

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

Siam: OH, Gemini: that!

[He grinned simultaneously.]

Siamini: We’ve made a breakthrough!

Will: —!!!

Avi: -—Wait wait wait, you mean—-

Siam: Finally, after all this Siamini: time!

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

Siam: You know how Xel constructs need Xel transfusions to recover when heavily injured.

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

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

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

Beck: REALLY?!?!

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

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

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

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

Cryo: -YOOOOOOOOOO—-

Avi: -HOVERING IN PURE GLEE-

Will: Wonderful—! Well done, Siam!

Siamini: ^^;

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

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

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

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

Will: Oh, absolutely. Thank you, Mikhail.

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

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

Mikhail: -Snorts- Very funny, Alnico.

Mikhail: Anyway. As I told your father earlier…

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

Digger: : >

Digger: -yes good-

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

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

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

Mikhail: I, however… will be staying here.

Beck: ...! Huh...?

Shadow: …?

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

Mikhail: -Sighs-

[He took off his glasses to clean them.]

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

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

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

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

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

Mikhail: Besides…

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

[…This…

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

…

…More like a very grave one.]

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

Pyro: .....

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

[Mikhail hesitated.]

Mikhail: …Pyrogen, Battalion…

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

Mikhail: I know you have both been rather…

Mikhail: …displeased, to say the least.

Pyro: .... | [

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

Nico: Heh…

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

Nico: Speak now or forever hold your peace.

Pyro: .....

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

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

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

Bat: . . .

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

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

Bat: ...Then again.

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

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

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

Pyro: What?

Bat: Ya don't mean it ain't just a joke?

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

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

Beck: . . . .

Beck: (Cards...)

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

Pyro: .....

Mikhail: …My friends…

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

Will: .....

Will: (Ah...)

Pyro: (...They aren't just for us.)

Pyro: (It's for...in case...)

Bat: ......

Bat: (Damn it, soldier...)

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

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

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

Bat: (So I had figured...)

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

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

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

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

Siam: Yes, exponentially—

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

Mikhail: Cardinal took advantage of the chaos after the airwaves were freed to connect to the database. Recently.

Beck: —!!

Beck: Wh—Where—?

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

[After everyone quieted down, he continued.]

Mikhail: …I have a good reason to believe that the signal was bounced, because I cannot correctly trace the location. But I am hopeful that should he try again, this time we might find him. Not to mention that the news reports SHOULD raise awareness. It’s only a matter of time before someone tips us off.

Mikhail: However, we got a notification of something else last night. New information from Drake.

Will: —!!

Beck: The one he was traveling with—!

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

Will: And what did he say?

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

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

Pyro: -Aviator—-

Avi: -IT'S GOOD NEWS BRO-

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

Beck: ....

Beck: -Raises hand-

Mikhail: Yes?

Beck: Um...

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

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

Beck: ...Right...?

[Mikhail shook his head.]

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

Bat: . . . Gnh...

Beck: Uh....

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

[Mikhail frowned.]

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

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

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

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

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

Bat: ...-Grunt of reluctant acceptance- The urge to answer the call to duty when your nation is at it's worst...

Bat: ...s'not somethin' ya can just shake off.

Pyro: ....

Pyro: (...I suppose...Bat has a point...)

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

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

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

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

Skull: {The reason we haven’t tried to go get him is that he is no longer there anymore… assuming that was the real location anyway.}

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

Bat: Got to keep moving.

Beck: . . .

[...Nine looks rather disheartened.]

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

Mikhail: He’s no longer in Kansas City. He was definitely there, this we know—not only did he help numerous people evacuate the landmarks and tourist attractions, but he also vandalized a bit of downtown before leaving.

Nico: Wasn’t he busy helping out the city? When did he have the time?

Mikhail: I don’t know. I can only hazard a guess that it was immediately after he talked with Beck, or just after he left the hospital.

[He brings up a series of holographic images.

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

Brand: ...Is that...

Pyro: ...acid...?

Pisces: …Yup.

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

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

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

Beck: ....? Caution?

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

Mikhail: Very good, you two.

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

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

Beck: (...Baron?)

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

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

[Mikhail does so.

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

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

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

Will: .....

Will: And the cross-hairs...

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

Beck: . . .

Mikhail: Yes.

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

Beck: . . .

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

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

Will: . . .

Will: I doubt he has, honestly...

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

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

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

Mikhail: It’s the same principle here.

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

Mikhail: … Especially then, actually…

Will: .....

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

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

[Mikhail looks visibly saddened when he is reminded of this. Distinctly uncomfortable, as if this only makes the matter more dismal.]

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

[Skull pointed at the ground of the images.

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

Beck: Not for any reason...?

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

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

Keltso: Recently. Drake called and told us about it.

Mikhail: One that had been locked.

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

Mikhail: …Emphasis on had.

Speedy: …What?

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

[He sighed.]

Mikhail: …Specifically…

[He plays the clip.]

-*-*-*-*-

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

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

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

<DLN-000>: >Yeah?

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

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

-*-*-*-

Beck: —!!

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

Beck: (Shade...)

Brand: . . . . .

[…This was dated back in APRIL.]

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

Pyro: !

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

-*-*-*-

[But the clip continued.]

<DLN-000>: >…

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

<DLN-000>: > B/

<DLN-000>: >I won’t because I can’t.

-*-*-*-

Beck: . . .   . . .   . . .

Beck: (I....)

-*-*-*-

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

-*-*-*-*-

Cryo: -Bro its like they knew—-

[And here, Mikhail turns up the volume.]

-*-*-*-

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

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

-*-*-*-*-

Beck: (....)

Beck: (Not for any reason...)

Avi: —...Uh—

Avi: -Guuuuuys...-

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

Bat: . . .

Skull: …

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

Skull: -The fact that he’s emphasizing that nothing will make him lose faith suggests that he anticipates something happening that would be the end of a friendship in lesser hearts-

Skull: -And that it’s something that Shade would feel were his own fault, should it be too late for him to recognize until after the fact-

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

Cryo: -Wait wait wait—-

Cryo: -Shade—I mean he wouldn't—-

Cryo: ....

Cryo: -GLITCH—-

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

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

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

DEATH WEARS BLUE

[The Hunter, the Hunter—!]

Avi: -Nnngh—hurts hurts hurts-

Avi: -Shade—you can't— you're not—!-

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

Beck: -pANIC—-

Beck: (NonononoNO—!)

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

[Keltso became assertive, almost aggressive.]

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

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

Shadow: But—

Keltso: Before he left, Cardinal told Drake that his plan was “stupid dangerous”.

Keltso: He has a specific plan in mind. He’s probably been carrying it out, and has been for days.

Shadow: {What?!}

Will: . . .

Will: (So he...he has an idea where Shade might be, or at least how to find him...)

Will: (But where...?)

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

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

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

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

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

Will: (—Underpowered, he says...)

Will: (......He has a point—Cardinal took on the Prairie Kings by HIMSELF and reduced them ALL to a core state…. Even if we somehow DO find Cardinal before Shade...who's to say we can fully stop him without Eight...?)

Mikhail: Mmmn.

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

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

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

Mikhail: Alternatively—while unlikely, still possible—you manage to cut him off by getting there before he has a chance to arrive on the scene.

Will: .....

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

Mikhail: Something you must understand with high-order directives—they don’t have inertia. Once the order is completed, there is no longer that compulsion to carry it out. As such, he would return home immediately.

[… “You” and not… “we”?]

Will: (Mikhail...)

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

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

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

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

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

Kalinka: Hero~~~

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

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

Beck: ...The final...?

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

Mikhail: Exactly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mikhail: I’m sorry, but the best thing I can do now is to help get things prepared for Cardinal’s arrival—

BANG!

[He was suddenly cut short by a loud explosion of some sort, followed by a crashing noise. It seemed to be coming from…]

Shadow: What was that?

Brand: That came from SHADE’S room—!

[A brief pause, followed by a mad scramble as everyone got to their feet. Shadow already had a weapon at the ready.]

Beck: (Shade— did he come home on his own—?!)

Brand: Shade wouldn’t set off his own traps, this is an intruder!

Beck: A-ack— (Nngh! He’s right!)

Keltso: No mere “intruder” could get past your security! And who would dare try? They would have to be desperate and arrogant both!

Brand: —…

Pyro: …

Will: …

[Other than an assassin, there was only one other person who fit that description.]

Pyro: -Starting to flare up- (Cardinal…!!!)

Shadow: Should we go investigate?

Pyro: You should stay back. You might set off more traps. : /

Shadow: … -That is fair-

[Before Brand and Pyro could bolt off, Mikhail spoke up sharply.]

Mikhail: Wait! Both of you, stop!

Brand: ! -Halts abruptly-

Pyro: ? What is it, Doctor Cossack?

Mikhail: If it IS Cardinal, then you do not want to worsen any active Combat-driving cross-references!

Mikhail: If he sees you the first thing when you appear in the doorway, he could go berserk!

Beck: B-but! But we HAVE to go find him!

Mikhail: -Glances over at Nico-

Nico: …?

Mikhail: -Looks to Will- Then send someone who’d set off a different kind of cross reference!

Will: …! (Ah, of course—!)

Mikhail: And hurry!

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

=BONUS CONTENT: BONUS SCENE #2=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

((Prewriting: Desmond and Minerva question Tobias (who has Avi present for support) ))

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

{July 3rd, 20XX}

[Tobias fidgeted in his seat, sparking up a bit every now and again. He kept his head bowed, looking down at the ground.]

Tobias: …I’m in big trouble, aren’t I…

[He was waiting in a conference call with Sanda Enterprises, with Avi sitting on the other line.]

Avi: ((Words of encouragement, as best as he can muster, but internally all AAAAAA))

[After breakfast, Avi had been pulled aside by Desmond Donald, who wanted to speak with him….]

-=-=-=-=-

Des: Six, can I talk with you for a moment?

Avi: ((Asks how he can help/what’s going on))

Des: We need to speak with Tobias Wily.

Avi: —…Uh…

Des: We need to clear up some of the finer points of what happened at the Queen’s Finals and the White House. It’s important.

Avi: ((Expresses uncertainty that he’ll be able to convince Tobias to come over))

Des: Just talking would be a start. Do you think you can arrange that?

Avi: I can… tryyyyyy…? (If Nico will even let me get through to him, oh man…)

Des: Great. We’ll be right with you as soon as we get a moment.

-=-=-=-=-

Avi: Just a little chat, right? -Thumbs up- You can handle that, no problem-o!

Tobias: I guess…. I’m just. I dunno, Avi, I’m scared.

Avi: Don’t worry there, Toby! ^.^ I’ll be right there with you.

Tobias: Thanks, Avi. … You don’t… don’t have to do this…

Avi: ((Oh nonsense, happy to help, etc.))

[The door opened, and Tobias just about jumped to his feet. His eyes did flicker a bright green in alarm, and he jerked back, recoiling a bit.]

Des: ((Internal commentary reaction to seeing Tobias on the screen in person for the first time, with the boy clearly nervous))

Avi: ((Internal commentary on both Des AND Minerva coming in))

Min: Good morning, gentlemen. We’ll get right to the point.

[She didn’t sit down, but instead took some file folders from Des and placed them down on the table.]

Des: Mr. Wily, you have been involved in a number of high-profile incidents pertaining to matters of national security… in more than one country.

Avi: ((Reaction to this starting off not so well))

[Minerva took out a series of photographs, data logs, news articles, and audio transcripts, laying them on the table. The pictures from the Queen’s Finals depicted Tobias grabbing Bladeblaster and preparing to strike him. Tobias gave a sullen expression to see the face of his enemy again.]

Des: You have been visually identified as the intruder who interrupted an international sports event to assault one of the participants, and a witness claims that you were also responsible for bypassing security to get there.

Tobias: -Cringes, squinting his eyes shut-

Des: We need you to tell us exactly what happened, how, and why.

Tobias: …

<DLN-008>: > A-Avi—!

[MN.6] //: ((Words of encouragement))

Avi: Mind if I jump in for a moment here?

Des: -Slight frown- -Looks over at Min-

Min: -Unmoved- If you wish. Do try and keep it brief, Aviator.

Avi: :’ D;;;

Avi: ((Stressed punning as he gives his summary of the end of the Queen’s Finals, emphasizing on how OTHER people were behaving, and how Tobias got the short end of the stick))

Des: ((Reaction to all of this, asking further questions as they come up, before stating that they still needed to hear Tobias’s side of the story))

Tobias: Isn’t there an Amendment against this?

Min: -Adjusts her glasses, giving him a look- …You may choose not to answer the questions, true. I must warn you, however, that doing so will leave us no choice but to draw our own conclusions from the evidence, and those conclusions may be incorrect. -Looks down at one of the data logs- We have evidence that you were there, but only guesses as to your motives. There may be mitigating circumstances we haven’t been told about, things that only you can tell us.

Tobias: Wh-what do you mean?

Min: -Folds her hands together over the documents, looking up at the screen- Well, there is the matter that you are a construct, for starters. If you were ordered to do this, then your Doctor would be held responsible, not you. If you were malfunctioning, that would be another example of a mitigating circumstance. Good intentions may also lessen the charges levied against you, though they won’t make them go away entirely. There’s also your background and circumstances to consider.

Tobias: I see…

Des: Were you ordered to attack Bladeblaster?

[Tobias looked up, alarmed.]

Tobias: N-no! Please, don’t get angry at Dr. Cossack!

Des: …

Tobias: It’s not his fault!

[MN.6] //: ((Tries to help calm him down))

Tobias: I…

Tobias: -Meekly, looking down at the ground- I hit him because I was scared and angry…

Avi: ((Wehhhh, poor friend))

Min: Can you explain that a bit further?

Tobias: I thought he was going to kill her!

bzzZAP.

Tobias: He…!

Tobias: He said he was going to kill her…

Avi: ((Bleh, internal displeasure re: BB ))

Des: (So far this is matching up to what Cossack had to say…. Let’s see if he takes it the next step farther…)

[Tobias gave off a lot of very depressed data.]

Avi: ((-Abyss feelings, oh no—-))

Tobias: …

Des: ((Reflection on how troubled the kid seemed, how that compares/contrasts to his expectations/what they know about his temper))

Tobias: …

Tobias: -Whine-

Tobias: I wanted to stop that. She didn’t deserve… didn’t deserve to die. No one should have to go Offline… -Trails off- (Not like that…)

Avi: -Tooooobyyyyy- :<

Tobias: -Bows his head, shoulders sagging- No one was stopping him. I couldn’t… just sit there and wait.

Des: How did you get into the arena?

Tobias: -Grumbles- That was kind of easy…

Des: (…Well that’s not a good thing to hear on a matter of security…)

Tobias: There’s an emergency protocol that allows medical staff to get onto the field. I activated that so I could get in.

Des: How?

Tobias: …

Tobias: -Looks up- I’m not even sure if I CAN explain that. It was like turning on a switch. Not active, active. I turned it on.

Des: No one else was able to get onto the field due to interference. How did you manage to get through?

Tobias: I… don’t know. I guess the matter only disrupted Xels or something.

Des: -Taps his fingers against the table, frowning- What did you intend to do when you got there?

Tobias: …

[He suddenly glared and gritted his teeth, sparking up as his eyes began to glow in anger.]

Avi: ((Quickly says something to calm him down or at least snap him out of a budding rage mode))

[The glow left, and he hesitated for a moment. Then he crossed his arms, hunching his shoulders up.]

Tobias: I don’t know. I just wanted to beat him up a lot.

Des: Were you trying to kill him?

Tobias: -Looks up, both alarmed and dismayed- !

Avi: Woah there! Toby may be a bit of a live wire, but he’d never try and kill somebody!

Tobias: I…!

Tobias: -Looks down again, very troubled- I just wanted him to stop…

Des: But you tried to keep going even after Dynatron got free.

Tobias: I was angry! I guess I got… a bit carried away….

Des: So you’re saying that you bypassed security of your own accord, with the intent to assault a combatant because Dynatron was in danger.

Tobias: -Opens his mouth a little, but still can’t vocalize words- … I…

Tobias: -Bows his head again- Yes…

Avi: ((Says something in Tobias’s defense))

Des: I find it very interesting that you are speaking up in his defense, Aviator. He tried to send you crashing down into concrete while you were sick.

[Both Tobias and Avi cringe at the reminder. Tobias looks particularly upset. He puts his face in his hands, shaking.]

Avi: ((Weak comeback))

Tobias: …fault…

Des: …?

Tobias: -Sparking up erratically, causing the comm lines to flicker with static- Always my… fault…

Avi: ((Tries his best to comfort Tobias))

Tobias: No…

Tobias: That was my fault…

Des: ((Some sort of reaction to this))

Des: …You said—

[Tobias held his hands up near his face in aggravation, his eyes clamped shut as he LOUDLY interrupted, vocalizing for the first time.]

Tobias: I KNOW what I said!

Tobias: Please…

Tobias: Please don’t remind me…

[He put his face in his hands again, his voice muffled.]

Tobias: It’s all my fault…

Avi: Toby…

Tobias: I…

[His fans gave a wheeze that sounded like a heaving sob.]

Tobias: I’m sorry, Avi…!

Avi: ((Some sort of reaction to this))

Tobias: I’m sorry…

Des: ((Internal commentary on the matter)) …

Des: -Looks over at Minerva- (According to Felix, “good cop” works better than “bad cop” on these guys…) -Gestures for her to step in-

Min: You care very much for your friends and family, don’t you.

Tobias: -Whiiiine-

Min: Is that why you agreed to help out at the White House?

Tobias: I don’t want to talk about it…

Min: This is very important. We need to know what happened… for Dr. Cossack’s sake.

Des: He said he ordered you to bypass security. Is that true?

Avi: Woah woah wait—he said that—?!

Des: Yes, during our last interview with him. He said, quote, “I made the decision to bring Tobias back Online. And I ordered him to go into the Cloud, force his way in there, give us the feeds, and disable it or turn it off.”

Avi: ((Slight internal anxiety/panic, this explains why he was sort of arrested the other day))

[A pause.]

Tobias: …

Des: Is that true?

Tobias: -Whiiiiine!-

<DLN-008>: >-AVI HELP I DON'T WANNA BE ERASED—-

[MN.6] //: -Um, uh, IT'S OKAY BRO I GOT THIS—-

Avi: (Oh crap I might not got this, WHY THIS—)

[Avi seems at a loss for words, and Tobias was silent.]

Des: (This isn’t going to get us anywhere…)

Min: Keep in mind, Mr. Wily: you won’t be held responsible for carrying out direct orders you could not disobey.

Tobias: I…

Tobias: I don’t want anyone to die…!

((Some sort of reaction from Des and Avi at this))

Min: Neither do we, DLN-008.

[A pause.]

Tobias: -Peeks through at them- R-really…?

Min: Dr. Cossack was under a lot of stress when he made his statement. We want to verify the accuracy of what he said before we make any judgments.

[Tobias seemed to think on that.]

Tobias: … S…sort of…?

Min: Would you please elaborate?

Tobias: -Hides his face again- …

[He was quiet for some while.]

Tobias: -Timidly- We wanted to get him out of there… before he ended up destroying himself…

Tobias: We were all so angry and scared…. He said that they couldn’t access the feeds in the White House, that something was wrong…

Tobias: He ordered me to get in there and try and get the feeds back, and disable the malfunctioning security so it wouldn’t hurt anybody…

Des: What specifically did he tell you to do?

Tobias: He said not to get out of hand, and not to try and use the security myself…

Min: Oh?

Tobias: …

Tobias: I… I’m sorry, Avi…. I was so angry…

Avi: ((Tries to comfort him))

Des: That seems to happen a lot with you. : |

Tobias: …

Min: What happened when you got to the White House?

Tobias: Hnnn… The Cloud… it was full of fire…! Monster…

Tobias: There was… there was something keeping the fires from working. I… I tried to make it work right, but it hurt—it hurt a lot. So I tried to make it all stop, but I… I couldn’t do it, it was too powerful…!

Des: ((Some sort of reaction to this))

Min: How did you get past the cyber security?

Tobias: It wasn’t working properly. There were a couple of people trying to get in, but I tore up the programs to make them go away. I had to go through a hole the virus left, and there was so much noise everywhere…

Des: What would have happened if you HAD gotten full access to security?

Tobias: Turn it off so that it wouldn’t hurt anybody…. We… we would have taken Cardinal out of there.

Tobias: Just…

Tobias: Just wanted to save him…!

Tobias: Please… please don’t be mad at him…

[Minerva took in a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. Desmond tapped a pen against the table.]

Des: ((Notes (again) that Tobias seems to lose his temper a lot, and starts getting very violent when that happens))

Des: Is this something that is going to keep happening with you?

Tobias: -Whiiiine…-

Des: Felix suggested that you wanted to break into the CherryDynamics servers as well, because you were angry at them.

Tobias: -Somewhat confused- What? No.

Tobias: I mean…

Tobias: I sort of WISHED that I could do it, but I knew it would be wrong… so I didn’t.

Des: The Mighty Numbers are a combat team. The top ranking one in the world. They’re going to be in dangerous situations every now and then—it’s bound to happen. You can’t keep hacking your way through to assault anyone who threatens them.

Tobias: I… I know. I’m sorry, Avi…

Avi: ((Encouraging words about how things are better now, and how he can tell how hard Tobias is trying, and he’s proud with how far he’s come))

Des: Have you breached any other security systems in this world in the last few months?

Tobias: No.

Des: So you didn’t infiltrate to retaliate against Battalion?

Tobias: -Looks up- What?

[He looked genuinely puzzled.]

Tobias: What happened with Battalion?

Des: …You don’t know?

Tobias: Nobody said anything about Bat. It wasn’t in any of the data logs, either.

Avi: ((Remarks that Mikhail ran off and they had to keep it a secret anyway))

Tobias: No, I don’t know about any secrets.

Min: (He seems calmer now, at least.)

Min: Well, Mr. Wily… Nero expressed that none of you meant any lasting harm, and were not truly a threat to the nation.

Min: You acted decisively during emergency conflicts… which is not in and of itself a bad thing. You meant well, which counts for a great deal. And you only entered through legitimate channels, rather than breaking things yourself.

Min: Your temper and self-control, however, need a good deal of work. You need to learn some discipline.

Min: Do you intend to behave yourself from now on?

Tobias: Y-yes, Madame President, I want to be good—to be good from now on!

Tobias: I just…

Tobias: I’m sorry…

Min: You have my pity, young man. The circumstances are mitigating, and we can work with what’s left.

Tobias: R-really…?

Avi: ((Reaction to this!))

Tobias: I… you’re not going to erase me…?

Min: Good heavens, no. However, we can’t just turn you loose, either.

Min: You should really undergo some behavioral and socialization therapy. Learn how to interact with people, and how to control your temper. You should have that chance, at least. Consider it your conditions of parole. However…

Min: You’re going to need to put in some effort.

Tobias: I will, I will…! I’ll…

Tobias: I’ll try…

Avi: You can do it, buddy! : D -Thumbs up- And I’ll be there to help you every step of the way!

Min: Good! That would be beneficial. Perhaps you can mentor him in later stages.

Tobias: -Ping of hope and approval-

((Concluding remarks))

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

=CHAPTER 1C: RAGING FLAMES SMOLDER=

~AO v1.0~

(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)

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

{MEANWHILE, AT SANDA LABS...}

[There is an air of heavy silence as Sanda gets to work on repairing No. 1--he has sustained quite a bit of damage, especially near his chest and on his back--where Beck had landed after Pyro unleashed a hellish version of his signature move.]

[...Beck had took it upon himself to explain and share his memory files with his brother in order to bring him up to speed...]

[...While White and Call were going over various other details and preparing to study the virus data retrieved from his eldest son.]

Pyro: ....

[The situation was dire.]

Pyro: .....

[And his own family was making things worse.]

Beck: Big Brother...

[He almost killed him.]

[A long, deeply troubled sigh escapes the Mighty Leader, his hand covering his face. He couldn't even bear to see his own handiwork.]

Pyro: .........

Pyro: Beck--

Beck: It's OK, big bro.

[Battered, burned, covered in black and soot, armor cracked in several places...]

[....And yet he still managed a smile.]

Beck: It wasn't your fault.

Pyro: ....

[As he sifted through the data, analyzing it, bits and parts of what had happened at the Oil Field had started to come back to him.]

[Pyrogen turns away, eyes downcast.]

[All he had felt was RAGE...]

[The desire to BURN...] [To destroy...]

Beck: Big brother...

Pyro: ......

Pyro: I...

Pyro: I'm so sorry, brother.

[He reaches over to place his hand on his shoulder--]

[...Then pauses midway.]

Beck: ......

Beck: I know you didn't MEAN it, Pyro...

Pyro: I had--I had no idea what I was...

Beck: Pyro. I know.

[A small hand reaches over and clasps his. It felt warm.]

Beck: And--if it means anything...

Beck: I forgive you. ^.^

Beck: We all do. You're STILL my big brother. That's NEVER going to change, Pyro. No matter WHAT you do.

Beck: So just relax and rest for now.

Beck: ...I got this.

Beck: Permission to gear up for the next mission, No. 1?

Pyro: .......

[Turmoil still clouded his mind and heart--at the things he had done with his own hands, at the fire he had sworn to only use for good and only good-- ]

[....But something about the way Beck carried himself now--]

[...Brotherly pride had casted all those dark thoughts away. For the moment.]

Pyro: ....

Pyro: Permission granted, No. 9.

Pyro: But ONLY if you turn in for repairs yourself.

Beck: I can handle those on my own!

[A snap of his fingers, and a cube of Xel materialized in his hand. Pyrogen nearly jumped back in surprise. He had NEVER seen Beck summon Xel before.]

Beck: I have Xel Stocks. In my design! I can STORE XEL, BRO, ISN'T THAT COOL--

[And there he goes, ranting on into detail about the new abilities he had discovered--much to Pyrogen's own curiosity.]

[While the brothers were busy with that...]

[Sanda decided it was best to take a break for now and let the two catch up with one another.]

Sanda: How's everything going on your end, Will?

White: Hmm....

[Dr. White was busy typing into a terminal, setting up the last of the best analysis programs he had on hand in order to start working on cracking the virus code.]

White: All ready for analysis. Call? Have you finished sorting through the data samples retrieved from Beck?

Call: Just about, Professor White.

White: Good, good...

Sanda: Beck's filling in Pyro on what's happening--thought I'd leave them to it.

[A pause.]

Sanda: Heh...you know something, Will?

White: Hm?

Sanda: When you think about it, it's remarkable how Beck stepped up to the plate like that...given how his Emotional Matrix works, you'd think something like this would send him into shock...

White: ......

Sanda: But look at him now--can't help but feel so proud of him. Heh. Wonder where he got all THAT from, huh?

White: .....Of course, of course...

[......]

[Will seemed...distracted.]

Sanda: ....?

Sanda: Will?

[Beat.]

Sanda: Come on, Will--At LEAST show a bit of ENTHUSIASM in the face of this!

White: Perhaps you should show a bit of restraint, Dr. Sanda...

Sanda: --!

White: You DO realize this is only the beginning, yes?

White: Beck has come so, so far already--and as a father, I couldn't BE any more proud...

[His gaze turns to the Xel Assimilator, eyes half lidded in apparent solemn...worry.]

White: ...But there is still much more to overcome. ...There are 7 more of my sons and daughters to find and rescue. (God willing...) This virus that has plagued the world....

White: And we still have no CLEAR idea who is behind all this.

White: Obviously, CherryDyn has something to do with it.

[He frowns.]

White: ...But it still doesn't make sense.

White: What would CherryDyn have to GAIN if they released this virus? They are the world's LARGEST robot manufacturer, this--this would only HINDER them.

White: .......

White: And then there is...Blackwell.

Sanda: .....-Sigh- Will--we went OVER this already. Benedict is in prison.

White: I KNOW that--

[He turns away, once again working away on his terminal.]

White: Call it a hunch, but I think Blackwell has some hand in this as well, even IF he is in prison, Soi.

Sanda: ...?

White: It just--strikes me as...ODD. Graham EXPLICITLY blamed Blackwell for this whole mess--Likely due to his past with what happened before.... He's using him as a scapegoat, to redirect attention from himself--

White: But WHY...?

White: What is he HIDING...?

Sanda: .......

Sanda: Good question...

Sanda: .....

White: .... ... -Sigh- Hopefully the virus code will give us the answers we seek. Call?

Call: Yes?

White: Please transfer Beck's assimilated Xel data and samples over to my terminal. I want to begin my analysis and see if I can isolate the root of the malfunction.

Call: Right away, Professor White.

White: There's data to sift through. Sanda, can you continue to assisting Beck and repairing Pyrogen?

Sanda: Absolutely. Let me know when you discover anything.

White: Right...

Sanda: .....Will?

White: ...?

Sanda: Lighten UP a little, will ya? ^^

White: .....

White: -_-;;;

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

=CHAPTER 6C: CRIMSON STRONGHOLD=

~AO v1.0~

((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))

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

{Several Hours Later…}

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

<DCP-001>: > ^.^

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

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

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

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

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

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

<DCP-001>: > ?

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

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

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

{Later…}

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

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

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

Beck: !!

Beck: -SUGAR COOKIES--

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

Cryo: BECK CAN I HAVE OOOOONE--

Avi: -Bro please--

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

Beck: -No--

Beck: -LINKA MADE THESE FOR ME-

Cryo: -POUTS, PROCEEDS TO FLAIL ARMS-

Avi: -Awwwwww--

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

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

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

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

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

Shadow: He will need to hear this.

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

Beck: -Mmm sugar...-

Pyro: -Pay attention, Beck.-

Beck: --Oops, yes, sir.

Shadow: Very well, then.

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

Kalinka: -Waves- Hi, Beck! : D

Beck: -WAVES-

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

Snow: MISTER BAT MISTER BAT BATMAN BAT SIR HIIIII—

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

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

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

Bat: ....Heh...

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

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

Beck: ^.^

Snow: Yes sir!

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

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

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

[Mikhail looked up from his hot chocolate.]

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

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

Will: Ahem...

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

Will: If I may go first?

Mikhail: Please do.

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

[Will flips through the papers on his clipboard.]

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

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

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

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

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

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

[They seem even more uncomfortable at this.]

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

Will: Yet...

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

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

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

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

Pryo: ... Holes?

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

Nico: WHAT?!

[Mikhail has to calm them down forcefully.]

Mikhail: It’s alright, Alnico!

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

Nico: -Oh—-

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

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

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

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

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

Will: (Argh...)

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

Mikhail: Oh yes. And as for the boys…

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

Will: ...Ah...

Avi: -Tobyyyy....-

Dyna: -BZzzzzzzt...-

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

Will: ...?

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

Avi: --....

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

Will: Mm...

Mikhail: Mmm…

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

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

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

Will: . . . .

Will: -Frowns-

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

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

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

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

Will: Quite...

Nico: The fact…

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

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

[He looks directly at Avi.]

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

Nico: To borrow your favorite phrase, Jack—

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

Mikhail: -Can’t help but snort-

Jack: -...snORTS-

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

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

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

Beck: --???

Beck: Wait what--

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

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

Will: Well, I--

Will: .....

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

Will: . . . .

Beck: ....? Dad?

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

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

Will: .....

[Will puts down the clipboard.]

Will: Friends...

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

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

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

[...He's not joking.]

Will: .....

Will: It's...

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

Will: It's....

Beck: ...Dad?

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

Will: . . . .

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

[There’s a slight… growl, almost.]

Mikhail: -Glasses glint ominously, clearly displeased-

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

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

Will: .....

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

Will: ....

Shadow: If I may.

Will: -Sigh-

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

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

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

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

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

Mikhail: {ENOUGH.}

Will: --!

Will: (Oh dear--)

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

Digger: …

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

[He was speaking rapidly now.]

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

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

Digger: BETTER NEWS NOW. :^D

Digger: News to be having, is yes good!

[…A rather forceful change in subject…

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

Digger: COUSIN TWIN SIAM

Digger: YOU TELL ANNOUNCEMENT NOW PLEASE

Will: --?

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

Beck: ????

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

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

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

Will: Siam...

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

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

Siam: OH, Gemini: that!

[He grinned simultaneously.]

Siamini: We’ve made a breakthrough!

Will: --!!!

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

Siam: Finally, after all this Siamini: time!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Siam: Anyway…

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

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

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

Beck: REALLY?!?!

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

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

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

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

Cryo: -YOOOOOOOOOO--

Avi: -HOVERING IN PURE GLEE-

Will: Wonderful--! Well done, Siam!

Siamini: ^^;

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

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

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

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

Will: Oh, absolutely. Thank you, Mikhail.

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

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

Mikhail: -Snorts- Very funny, Alnico.

Mikhail: Anyway. As I told your father earlier…

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

Digger: : >

Digger: -yes good-

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

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

Mikhail: I, however… will be staying here.

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

Beck: ...! Huh...?

Shadow: …?

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

Mikhail: -Sighs-

[He took off his glasses to clean them.]

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

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

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

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

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

Mikhail: Besides…

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

[…This…

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

…

…More like a very grave one.]

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

Pyro: .....

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

[Mikhail hesitated.]

Mikhail: …Pyrogen, Battalion…

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

Mikhail: I know you have both been rather…

Mikhail: …displeased, to say the least.

Pyro: .... | [

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

Nico: Heh…

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

Nico: Speak now or forever hold your peace.

Pyro: .....

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

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

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

Bat: . . .

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

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

Bat: ...Then again.

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

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

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

((reaction))

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

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

Beck: . . . .

Beck: (Cards...)

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

Pyro: .....

Mikhail: …My friends…

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

Will: .....

Will: (Ah...)

((N O P E))

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

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

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

Bat: (So I had figured...)

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

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

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

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

Siam: Yes, exponentially—

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

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

Beck: --!!

Beck: Wh--Where--?

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

[After everyone quieted down, he continued.]

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

[…Oh yeah…]

———————————

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

———————————

Will: --!!

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

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

Will: And what did the students say?

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

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

Pyro: -Aviator--

Avi: -IT'S GOOD NEWS BRO-

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

Beck: ....

Beck: -Raises hand-

Mikhail: Yes?

Beck: Um...

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

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

Beck: ...Right...?

[Mikhail shook his head.]

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

Bat: . . . Gnh...

Beck: Uh....

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

[Mikhail frowned.]

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

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

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

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

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

((Reaction))

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bat: Got to keep moving.

Beck: . . .

[...Nine looks rather disheartened.]

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

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

[He brings up a series of holographic images.

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

Brand: ...Is that...

Pyro: ...acid...?

Pisces: …Yup.

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

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

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

Beck: ....? Caution?

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

Mikhail: Very good, you two.

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

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

Beck: (...Baron?)

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

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

[Mikhail does so.

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

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

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

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

Will: .....

Will: And the cross-hairs...

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

Beck: . . .

Mikhail: Yes.

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

Beck: . . .

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

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

Will: . . .

Will: I doubt he has, honestly...

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

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

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

Mikhail: It’s the same principle here.

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

Mikhail: … Especially then, actually…

Will: .....

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

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

Jack: --!!

Jack: He told me that too--

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

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

[Skull pointed at the ground of the images.

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

Beck: Not for any reason...?

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

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

Keltso: Recently.

Mikhail: One that had been locked.

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

Mikhail: …Emphasis on had.

Speedy: …What?

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

[He sighed.]

Mikhail: …Specifically…

[He plays the clip.]

-*-*-*-*-

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

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

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

<DLN-000>: >Yeah?

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

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

-*-*-*-

Beck: --!!

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

Beck: (Shade...)

Brand: . . . . .

[…This was dated back in APRIL.]

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

Pyro: !

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

-*-*-*-

[But the clip continued.]

<DLN-000>: >…

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

<DLN-000>: > B/

<DLN-000>: >I won’t because I can’t.

-*-*-*-

Beck: . . . . . . . .

Beck: (I....)

-*-*-*-

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

-*-*-*-*-

Cryo: -Bro its like they knew--

[And here, Mikhail turns up the volume.]

-*-*-*-

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

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

-*-*-*-*-

Beck: (....)

Beck: (Not for any reason...)

Avi: --..Uh--

Avi: -Guuuuuys...-

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

Bat: . . .

Skull: …

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

Skull: -The fact that he’s emphasizing that nothing will make him lose faith suggests that he anticipates something happening that would be the end of a friendship in lesser hearts-

Skull: -And that it’s something that Shade would feel were his own fault, should it be too late for him to recognize until after the fact-

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

Cryo: -Wait wait wait--

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

Cryo: ....

Cryo: -GLITCH--

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

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

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

((pic))

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

[The Hunter, the Hunter—!]

Avi: -Nnngh--hurts hurts hurts-

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

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

Jaden: Carlos—!

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

Beck: -pANIC--

Beck: (NonononoNO--!)

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

[Keltso became assertive, almost aggressive.]

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

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

Shadow: But—

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

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

Shadow: {What?!}

Will: . . .

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

Will: (But where...?)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mikhail: Mmmn.

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

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

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

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

[… “You” and not… “we”?]

Will: .....

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

Will: (Mikhail...)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beck: ...The final...?

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

Mikhail: Exactly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jaden: Oh, that would explain it…

Jaden: Man, I wish Felix were awake…

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

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

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

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

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

Keltso: …

Keltso: -SNRK-

Keltso: -Starts cRACKING UP LAUGHING-

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

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

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

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

Sanda: --? Er...

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

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

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

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

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

Snow and Kalinka: Pleeeaaaaaase?

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

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

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

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

Snow: -Hums the Spiderjack theme again-

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

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

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

Digger: Okay, yes good. c:

Beck: Huh....

Beck: Can Jack come too?

Jack: ...Me?

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

Jack: --Oh.

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

Kalinka: Yaaaaay~~

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

Beck: Cool!

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

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

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

=CHAPTER 1D: RAGING FLAMES SMOLDER=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

{Titus That Evening}

[Thud.]

[A very tired and emotionally exhausted Nine hauls himself up into bed—no longer worse for wear, but one could not say the same for his troubled mind.]

[Ping.]

[MN.2-3, 5-7 HAVE BLOCKED MN.9. ERROR: MN.4 AND MN.8 SIGNALS NOT FOUND.]

Beck: -Groans-

Beck: Guys...

Beck: Where ARE you--?

[Of course, they wouldn't answer. Beck had been trying, constantly, in his spare time to at least reach someone.]

[Ping.]

[ERROR: RMDC NOT RESPONDING. UNABLE TO MAKE COMM LINE CONNECT.]

[Anyone...]

[Ping.]

[ERROR: DLN-000 SIGNAL NOT FOUND.]

[Ping.]

[ERROR: Ø SIGNAL NOT FOUND.]

[But he was met with errors and silence.]

Beck: ....

[He had to try--he had to keep trying--]

[He just couldn't sleep in this dreadful silence--he was so used to falling asleep to the chatter of his louder siblings in the house, he just couldn't...]

Beck: (Why...)

Beck: (Why ME?)

Beck: (This would have been so much...easier, if at least one of you guys stayed here--at least Pyro is back now, but that was...)

Beck: (Oh, please, please, I just want some help--!)

[But try as he might, and for a good while too, he got nothing. The fact that Avi was probably still sitting on the airwaves didn't make this any easier, either...]

Beck: ....

[With a final sigh of defeat, Beck crawls off of his blankets to dig into his backpack.]

[He then pulls out a smart phone--which was of course corrupted with the virus as soon as he clicks the button on the side. Ugh.]

Beck: -Displeased, go away.-

[A flash of green XelFilter later, and the phone was back to normal.]

Beck: ...

[He flips through the contacts list. He knew that Avi would make sure the phones wouldn't work, at least while they were infected like this...]

[But, he had the power to just fix it, so--something so small...Avi wouldn't notice, right?]

Beck: (...It's worth a shot...)

[CALLING...]

———————

{Kansas City}

[Cardinal wiped off some Xel that had splattered on him, sighing about the damage to the artifacts.]

Cardinal: (Those were historically significant baseballs, I hope they can—)

[His phone went off rather loudly, startling him.]

Cardinal: !!! Again?

“Everything alright in there?”

Cardinal: Yeah, Drake! I’m finished in here! Just give me a moment, someone’s calling!

[Drake opened the door, stepping in cautiously with some museum staff behind him.]

Drake: At this hour? Who is it?

Cardinal: -Looks at his phone- …

Cardinal: !!! Beck?!

Drake: Wait, what—? Like, the Mighty Numbers—

Cardinal: Shhh!

[He put the call on speaker.]

Cardinal: Beck? Is that you?

—————————

{Titus}

Beck: —!!!

Beck: CARDS—!

Beck: Oh my gosh oh my gosh—it worked—!!

[His sudden yelling obviously gets the attention of Pyrogen—who was resting in his own room at the time. Beck's door opens and the Mighty Number looks ready to tackle someone—]

Pyro: —??

Beck: -Puts his finger to his mouth, SHHHHH-

Beck: -Data, it's Cardinal—!-

Pyro: —!!

[PING—!]

Beck: -Leans back into the phone while Pyro calls the others-

Beck: Cards—gosh, it is so good to hear your voice, oh man—

Beck: I didn't think—Didn't—

Beck: -WEEEH-

Beck: -Caaaaards-

[There's some yelling somewhere in the building.]

“Uhh…?"

[He sounded confused.]

"It's… good to hear from you too? Uh…."

[A pause.]

“What’s with the shouting? Are you alright?”

Beck: Yeah—I mean—yeah—

Beck: Just—are YOU okay?!

Beck: Y-You just left and everyone's wondering where you went to and it's just been—nuts—not even nuts, just completely insane—hnn...

Beck: I was—still—really worried since everything is...

Beck: -We are just so relieved to hear you, SNIFF-

Pyro: (Cardinal...)

“I’m fine, but—”

[There was noise in the background, as if other people were whispering.]

“Beck, how did you get through to me? I tried calling earlier and didn’t get an answer!”

Beck: Well—I fixed this phone and I thought, since it wasn't infected...I'd try calling you...

Beck: The database is down, and—wh—

Beck: Call, wait, give it back—

Call: This call is now on speaker, DLN-000.

“Okay…?”

Call: This unit requests that you confirm who exactly you called.

Call: This information may be vital.

———————————

{Kansas City}

[Cardinal pulled the phone away for a moment to stare at it in exasperation.]

Cardinal: -Mildly annoyed at the redundancy of the question- I called Shade, of course.

Drake: Shade? You called Countershade?

Cardinal: -Looks up, smirking slightly- Told you you wouldn’t believe me.

Cardinal: -Returns his attention to his phone, grin fading- I know you guys must be terribly busy, but seriously! I really did need some help, at the time. How are things holding up on your end?

[Before Beck could answer, Pyro’s voice came through.]

“Cardinal…? Where are you?”

Cardinal: -Looks around the room- …

[He was suddenly wary.]

Cardinal: …Where I need to be right now. Why…?

Cardinal: What’s going on here?

——————————————

{Titus}

“Where’s Shade?”

Beck: -Hnk...-

Pyro: . . .

“Where is he?! This isn't a game, guys—I really could use his help!”

[...No one answered, for a while.]

Beck: C...Cards...

Beck: Cards...y-you were there...

Beck: Didn't...didn't you see?

“What are you TALKING about?”

Call: Statement: DLN-000 was present during the initial outbreak.

“Uh, yeah? I somehow ended up in—…the place where I am now… and have been fighting crazy people since then. What are you getting at?”

Call: …

Call: Inquiry: what is the last thing you remember prior to the current national crisis?

“National? Are you telling me that this isn't isolated?”

Beck: Didn't… didn't you hear the news broadcasts…?

“I was a bit busy, Beck—”

Call: Statement: DLN-000 needs to answer the question.

“Mnn. …We had pancakes—”

Pyro: (What…?!)

Beck: B-but that was yesterday—!

“What?”

Pyro: -A bit incredulous, but also very concerned- Cardinal, are you alright…? You… you aren't… ill, are you?

“What?! No, of COURSE not!”

Pyro: Are you sure—? Memory loss is—

“-Interrupting- Is the standard side effect of a Stop error. Just spit it out, already, guys—where is he?! I don't have all evening!”

Call: Statment: the location of Mighty No. 8 is currently unknown.

“Ugh, of COURSE, he must be working… I'll have to catch up with him after I'm done here…”

Call: Clarification: the locations of Mighty Numbers 2-8 have not yet been determined.

“Excuse me?”

Beck: I...

Beck: They...

Beck: Th...They got infected, Cards—

[Silence.]

Beck: You… y-you were shouting about… not leaving him behind…

Beck: D-don’t you remember…?

[More silence.]

“H-hey, Cardinal—you alright there?”

———————————————

{Kansas City}

>KEY WORD IDENTIFIED: INFECTED

>CROSS-REFERENCES IDENTIFIED: VIRUS, GREATER DUSK, 04.04.2016T MEMORY DATA

-=-=-=-=-

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

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

-=-=-=-=-

>PROCESSING…

[Cardinal had sat down rather suddenly, his mind reeling.]

Drake: Talk to me, man—

[Cardinal said nothing, his sense of the present fading into a sea of analytics.]

>PROCESSING…

[His mind was swimming with facts and statistics.]

[A national crisis of crazed robots—of violence like the Queen's Finals. A virus. The world had a large percentage of robotic persons. Robots took up a large percentage of the work force, especially when it came to industry. And it wasn't just industry—there were black-ops covert organizations as well.

Because Industrials, Civvies, and even entertainment-focused Combat 'bots aside… there was an ENTIRE organization of assassins to account for…]

>FUNCTIONAL PLACEHOLDER DATA: +500,000 THREAT LEVEL BLUE SUB-VARIABLES, DENSELY CONCENTRATED IN MAJOR CITIES

Cardinal: !!!

[His eyes suddenly FLARED bright green in alarm.]

Drake: Are you okay?

Cardinal: -Shakes his head, staring off into the distance with a haunted expression-

[He was drowning, drowning in data. Dark, grim facts.

This timeline had an outwardly crippled military, which didn't have the numbers for small-scale counterstrikes. Civilians were at risk.

Civilians were at risk—!]

>WARNING! WARNING! PRIORITY ALPHA MISSION RECOGNIZED!

>GENERATING CODE RED CONTINGENCIES…

[With something like this… something that they weren't prepared for on a psychosociological level…

…It was manageable NOW, but—! If someone launched a large-scale attack, the casualties would SKYROCKET…!]

Cardinal: (No… no…!)

[Memories. Distant memories.]

-=-=-=-=-

“....that doesn't make us immune to viruses.”

-=-=-=-=-

[The Mighty Numbers were not immune to viruses. All of the Mighty Numbers had been infected. He'd already been running a Code Red contingency.

He'd been THERE when they were infected, when everyone was infected, and it was a Code Red contingency.

They were ALL infected.]

((Pic: Avi w/stats and abilities listed))

>CODE RED THREAT IDENTIFIED: MNN-006 >ESTIMATED PRIMARY CASUALTIES: 5,000,000 - 19,500,000+ >ESTIMATED SECONDARY CASUALTIES: 10,500,000+

[All of them.]

((Pic: Bat w/stats and abilities listed))

>CODE RED THREAT IDENTIFIED: MNN-005 >ESTIMATED PRIMARY CASUALTIES: 8,500,000 - 40,000,000+ >ESTIMATED SECONDARY CASUALTIES: 150,000,000+

“C-Cardinal?”

[Help. Help. He needed help, before it all turned into another Monstropolis!]

<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > -WARNING! PRIORITY ALPHA CODE RED CONTINGENCY ACTIVATED!-

[His systems screamed an S.O.S., but there was no response. The RMDC was disconnected, and Shade wasn't answering.

But of course he wouldn't, would he?

Because HE'D been infected, too.

What if he…!?]

>INSERT VARIABLES: MNN-008, VIRUS, CODE RED: PRIORITY ALPHA >PROCESSING…

Cardinal: (N-NO!)

>ERROR - ANALYSIS DATA CONFLICTS WITH PRIMAL ANALYSIS NEXUS ON FILE FOR VARIABLE: MNN-008

Cardinal: (Shade—Shade could NEVER do something like this—!)

Cardinal: (N-not—!)

Cardinal: (NOT THIS—!)

[Except Shade wasn't himself anymore, was he?]

-=-=-=-=-

“Don’t fight the person: fight the parasite.”

-=-=-=-=-

[And what would happen if a hostile parasite had access to Shade's capabilities?]

>COMPREHENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF SECURITY, CYBERSECURITY, AND SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS (COMPLETELY DISABLED SECURITY SYSTEMS FOR HEADQUARTERS OF GLOBAL MANUFACTURER) >COMPREHENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF ADVANCED AND RESTRICTED WEAPONRY (OPERATED SHOULDER LAUNCHER WITHOUT INSTRUCTIONS) >ACCESS TO WHOLESALE SUPPLY OF MILITARY GRADE WEAPONS TECHNOLOGY (MULTIPLE CASES OF OBTAINING CUSTOMIZED HIDDEN WEAPONRY TO PROVIDE TO UNAUTHORIZED INDIVIDUALS) >PROFESSIONAL GRADE FIREPOWER (ESTIMATED MAXIMUM RANGE: 1.8 MILES) >ABOVE-SUPERIOR MILITARY GRADE STEALTH TECHNOLOGY: ONLY ONE KNOWN NON-LUCK BASED METHOD OF DETERMINING LOCATION — SCENT

[There was no avoiding it.

With Shade's abilities? There really weren't any LIMITS to what he COULD do.]

>WARNING! PRIORITY THREAT IDENTIFIED!

((Pic: Shade "RADAR" w/stats and abilities listed))

>CONTINGENCY 1: AIR FORCE BASE >CONTINGENCY 2: NAVY YARD >CONTINGENCY 3: ARMY RESEARCH FACILITY >CONTINGENCY 4: BIOCHEMICAL WARFARE >CONTINGENCY 5: NATIONWIDE BLACKOUT (INCLUDING BACKUP GENERATORS) >CONTINGENCY 6…

[He could see it now, in the full potential—he could see what would happen if someone like Shade managed to strike in just the right place.]

[The final results of the analyses that filled every aspect of his Awareness showed a domino effect created by the United States essentially vanishing as a military and economic power, which led to a truly global nightmare.]

>ESTIMATED PRIMARY CASUALTIES: 1 - 40,000,000+ >ESTIMATED SECONDARY CASUALTIES: 290,000,000 - 330,000,000+ >ESTIMATED TERTIARY CASUALTIES: 2,920,000,000 - 4,120,000,000+ >ESTIMATED QUATERNARY CASUALTIES: 1,000,000,000 - 3,000,000,000+

[After falling from power, there would be a cascade of economic collapse that spread throughout Europe, Asia, and South America—followed by violent civil wars in some places, and power grabs in others from highly brutal, totalitarian forces that were no longer held in check by the functional presence of a benevolent superpower that enabled the continued existence of other benevolent world powers….]

>ROOT CONTINGENCY COMPLETED. INCIDENT CODE: “SECOND MONSTROPOLIS”

[He could barely think. What was he going to do?! He was built to fight tanks, not to combat a literal plague of violence!]

>PROCESSING…

——————————

{Titus}

[The silence was really starting to become… worrying.]

Beck: C...Cards?

Pyro: . . .

Beck: Cards—

Beck: Please don't hang up, please—say something—

[Something seemed to click.]

“Pyro—? If everyone got infected—if the WHOLE FAMILY—then—”

[There was as much confusion as anguish in his voice.]

“How are you—? How are you here? Why?”

Pyro: .....

Pyro: I...

[There was a tremble in Pyro's otherwise strong tone.]

Pyro: -Turns his head away-

Pyro: I'm here now, yes...

Pyro: But I...I, too, was... ill...

Pyro: And I would still be, if not for you, Beck...

Beck: -Big bro...-

Pyro: He saved me, Cardinal.

Pyro: …it was… not easy…

Pyro: …but here I stand.

“S-saved?”

Call: If I may.

[There were no objections from the other end of the line, at least.]

Call: Unit Mighty No. 9 is immune to all manner of malware due to his XelFilter program.

Call: This allows him to purge any Xel absorbed and correct--purge--any sort of irregular coding and malware found.

Call: As it was recently discovered, Beck can use his XelFilter program on other infected units to restore them to their original selves.

Call: As of this morning, Beck has successfully retrieved unit Mighty No. 1 from an oil field refinery, and purged him of all harmful malware.

——————————

{Kansas City}

[There was a pause as Cardinal took this in.]

>INSERT VARIABLES: MNN-009 VIRAL PURGE >CONTINGENCY PARAMETERS: SUCCESS RATE OF 100%

>PROCESSING…

[Time. There was still time to fix this. They had a WAY to fix it; and if they could do this fast ENOUGH, then…]

Cardinal: Th-then…

[If they could act fast enough, and handle the main threats, then people would be able to hold together. To do so long enough that they could isolate and purge the virus.

They would have to act FAST, but if there WAS a cure, then…

Light.

There was light in the midst of this despair.]

——————————

{Titus}

“Then there IS hope…”

Beck: -Suddenly- Of course—!

Beck: I just couldn't—there's no one else, there WAS no one else—

Beck: I know it wasn't—not their fault, I had to do SOMETHING—

Beck: I swear—I'm gonna save them, I swear—!

Pyro: Beck—

Beck: He needs to know!

Beck: "He needs to know I'm not going to... I won't, I won't..."

Beck: I p r o m i s e...

[A pause.]

“-Sounds distracted- Do you know where the others are?”

Beck: I...

[A very long sigh.]

Beck: ...no...

——————————

{Kansas City}

"B-But—! We're looking for them! Call is doing everything she can—"

Cardinal: (Of course… I should have known as much. Still…)

Cardinal: -Speaking aloud again- You… you WILL be able to find them, though, right…?

[Ping!]

"This unit will not enter Sleep Mode until all MN units are found."

"—…Uh, Call—"

"Opinion: Sleep is overrated."

Cardinal: -Twitches a smile- I thought Beck said you didn't sleep to begin with, but…. Thanks, that's… encouraging?

"Affirmative."

" W-What she means is that she'll—she'll find them! We found Pyro really quick, so it's only a matter of time—!"

"That is true..."

"And--and once we do, then—"

"You can come see them, right—?"

Cardinal: Of course I will, Beck.

[He heaved a sigh.]

Cardinal: Assuming I make it out of this in one piece, anyway.

"H-huh…?"

"-Concerned- Are you injured?"

Cardinal: -Snorts- Wrong question to ask someone with a fatal coding error. You know that.

"Statement: DLN-000 possesses all the chemical components involved in the medical research oriented at providing treatment for said ongoing problems. Upon return to Sanda Enterprises—"

[Something seemed to click for Cardinal, and he gave a grim expression.]

Cardinal: Guys…

——————————

{Titus}

“…I’m not leaving.”

Pyro: What?

Beck: —Pyro, don't break it—!

Pyro: -Flares- This city and still COUNTLESS others are overrun with crazed bots, Cardinal! You can't STAY out there!

Pyro: Not only do we need you, your FAMILY needs you—we haven't had contact with them since Avi took over the waves again!

Beck: Pyro—! -Don't TELL him that—!-

Pyro: -He will find out anyway—-

“I tried contacting the RMDC earlier, and that was down as well. The fact that you hadn’t traced my call and teleported me out yet already told me that it is still down, or Mikhail would have done so already. If anyone else were missing, you would have mentioned that. This tells me that everyone else is currently safe. I fully trust the others to be able to keep it that way.”

Pyro: None of us knows that for certain!

Pyro: You need to come HOME, NOW, you have a duty to uphold as the head of—

[This was a poor choice of words.]

“-Angry, VERY angry due to being DEEPLY insulted- Don’t you lecture a soldier on duty, Pyrogen A. White. I have damn good reason to continue my mission, and you’d do best to not belittle my motives! My family is safe, and my duty is elsewhere!”

Pyro: -Flares—-!- Motives?! What is more important than—

Beck: Guys—!

Beck: STOP IT!

Beck: Fighting about it isn't going to bring ANYONE back!

Beck: I don't WANT to fight about it, I don't want to fight at all—

Beck: Bring you back was hard enough—

Pyro: -Flames die down at this—-

Beck: And I know I can't do it alone—!

“…”

Beck: I just can't—!

Beck: Cards please I know you care about Shade b-but—I—I don't know if I can d-do this alone—

Beck: Please—come home—

Beck: P-Please—!

[Silence.]

Beck: P-please…!

————————————

{Kansas City}

[Cardinal ran a hand over his face, putting it over his mouth. He was unusually calm given his temper mere moments earlier.]

“C-Cards…?”

Cardinal: …

[His mind went back. Back to the fall of Monstropolis.

To the carnage. The wreckage. The destruction.

The hate.

His mind took him back to those days, to the days when the mobs sprung up all across the country, and protestors tore factories and constructs to pieces. To the months and months of news reports detailing the scandal, and the new regulations and orders that started to choke the life out of the industry.]

Cardinal: …

[He would give anything. Anything. He would give anything to spare them that here.

They did not know the danger. They understood the threat to them personally, but they still did not see…]

“A-are you okay? P-please, say s-something!”

[He slowly vented a sigh.]

Cardinal: Beck… I can’t.

"Cards—!"

"Please—! We need you—you're smart a-and you know what to do and—and—"

[He was slammed with guilt, and for a moment, he wavered. He truly wavered, and his fortitude—if not his complete resolve—crumbled a bit beneath the weight.]

Cardinal: You… you really do look to me like that, do you…

—————————————

{Titus}

Beck: O...Of course I do...

Beck: Y...You're family too...

Pyro: . . . (Beck...)

————————————

{Kansas City}

Cardinal: -Strained fan buzzing, pain-

Cardinal: I’m not you, Beck. I can’t do what you can do. Even if I were to go there, it would still all come down to you.

“I-I—!”

Cardinal: If you can do it with Pyro, you can do it with the others.

"B-But—the forms—I lost them, I got hard reset when the virus hit, I don't have—!"

Cardinal: It’s alright, Beck. It’ll be alright. I know you can save them.

—————————————

{Titus}

“I believe in you.”

Beck: —!

[Something flared deep within Beck's own code for a few moments--and tear filled eyes suddenly widened as they glowed with a bright, green light.]

Beck: ...y-you...do...?

Beck: I...

Beck: (He...Cards... believes in me? Me?)

"You've already done the impossible. You have a kind heart and abilities that rival—nay, even surpass my own. You have the resolve and people to support you, and a family that gives you strength. Yes… I believe you can do it, Number Nine."

Beck: Me...?

[For a moment, Beck seemed...almost dazed. Pyro took this time to set down the phone in Beck's hands again.]

Pyro: ...Cardinal...

Pyro: I do too.

Beck: -Another eye glow at this-

Pyro: ...but that doesn't change the fact that you still need to come home...

Pyro: Wouldn't it be easier for both of us if we worked together?

"I…"

[Cardinal sounded painfully lost, almost uncertain. When he gathered his thoughts to something coherent, he sounded very sad, almost remorseful.]

"What exactly is it you think I'm after, guys…?"

Beck: . . .

Beck: Shade...

Beck: It...it has to be...

“It’s more complicated than that. You don’t understand.”

Pyro: Enlighten me.

[There was an exasperated sigh on the line.]

“You all just don’t see it, do you? If things continue like they are now, then—”

[KSSST—!]

Beck: —!!

[The screen—and call—suddenly filled with static, and Avi's symbol could be seen on the display as it glitched onscreen.]

Avi: D'aw, that's real touching.

Avi: Noooot. Barf. Sentimentality is SO last century!

Pyro: AVI—!

Beck: Avi, no—!

"Gosh, you sound REALLY mad at him. Did I miss something?"

Avi: HA! From what I've heard, sounds like you've been mentally sleeping through the apocalypse! Geez, I knew you were OLD, but senile? That's new. Orrrr it would be, if it weren't for the fact we all know you're CRAZY! Sounds to me like we should stop calling you “Cardinal” and start calling you “Cuckoo”!

"…"

[There was cold laughter.]

"If that's the worst you're doing, Avi, then you just dropped to the bottom of my priority list."

Pyro: It's NOT! He's been hindering communication lines all over the country—!

Avi: No duh, matchstick! These are MY airwaves now!

"…"

"You have Toby's voice echoing on the line. I can feel the edge of his data."

"What did you do?"

Avi: Tch. Don't bring that LOSER up, so not hiring him full-time…

Avi: I'd say you all have bigger problems to worry about than that small-fry!

Call: Inquiry: how did you intercept a call made to a multidimensional service cell phone?

Avi: Oh, I have my ways. It wasn't hard.

————————————

{Kansas City}

[Cardinal narrowed his eyes.

If Avi could track him down, that was a problem. And if Avi could track him down… then eventually, Sanda Enterprises would be able to do the same. If he wasn't done by then… that would end poorly.

Priority alpha missions obliged him to fight to the death to complete them if neccessary, and he had no desire to end up cornered and forced to do so against his friends.

He needed to know the details, but Avi obviously wasn't going to help him out, so…]

Cardinal: (…Going to have to provoke him into bragging about the truth.)

—————————————

{Titus}

"Of course it wasn't. Not for the likes of YOU."

"With someone as ditzy as you are? Nah, it wasn't hard—but it wasn't EASY, either. It was just dumb luck."

Pyro: Cardinal–!

Avi: You WISH, oldtimer. But obviously, NOBODY is giving me enough credit here! Geez, tough crowd.

"Credit? For what, eavesdropping? That doesn't take any skill at all, and we all know it's your favorite hobby anyway."

Avi: Pffft. YOU'RE one to talk, you deteriorating nest of scrap! All YOU are good at is falling apart and getting all my BORING brothers mad at you.

"I take it you find me so old news that you weren't even bothering to keep tabs on what I was up to."

Avi: Bingo~! Who wants to go out of their way to track down somebody's rough-draft for an armed drone? Sure, I'll sit down and watch if it happens to be on Live; too bad you can't even REMEMBER the most spectacular FAILURE that I've ever seen—but not to worry! I have it on tape! I'll be sure to play it at your funeral.

Pyro: -FLARES- Avi, show some RESPECT!

Avi: Respect? Funny you should say that, because you guys never show ME any of that. Talk about going behind a guy's back…

Avi: You didn't think I would catch you trying to go behind my back to call everyone, Beckers, did you?

Beck: —!

Avi: HA!

Avi: Waste of TIME.

Avi: -Mocking tone- 'Come home, Birdy, because I can't solve my own problems all by myself!' Jeez, no WONDER Lighter Man here took you off the team!

Beck: -Hnn—-

Avi: Pathetic. If you think THIS is bad…

Avi: Just wait to see what's in store after the commercial break. You don't stand a CHANCE. You don't even have a CLUE!

"-Flatly- I doubt YOU have a clue. Because othewise, this is about the most boring trailer for a disaster reel I've ever heard."

Avi: Hey now, I don't give out spoilers! What kind of 'bot do you take me for?

"Honestly, at this stage? A deranged narcissist."

Pyro: (He's not WRONG, but—!) -Growls a bit- (What are you DOING, Cardinal—?!)

Avi: See, that kind of quip might work better from someone who doesn't go around doing dangerous things by himself on a whim because he's trying to be Batman or whatever. I mean, come on! Doesn't get more self-centered than ignoring a crybaby begging for your help during the apocalypse because you want to be with your bestie! Man… flying solo to take on someone you already LOST against while playing in EASY mode? Talk about a death wish…

Avi: Brand and Bat were right about you. You're nothing but a reckless, deathseeking, foolhardy, cowardly DESERTER!

————————————

{Kansas City}

[Beck gasped at this, but Cardinal barely took note of it.]

"How DARE you—!"

"Me? Nah, I don't dare. You can't pin that on me, that's ALLLLLLL Five and Seven. They said as much this morning, when everyone was trying to tear him apart. Not surprised you want to pretend that DIDN'T happen, given that Cuckoo here totally HANDED your chass to you as part of that whole showdown."

Drake: What?!

Cardinal: -Hisses- Shhh!

"And don't act all high and Mighty, matchstick—"

"You feel the same way about his larking about. Don't even TRY to claim you don't, because I've got audio from just a few minutes ago of you yelling at him for it!"

"Nnngh…!"

[Cardinal had had enough. He'd heard enough to confirm his suspicions….]

Cardinal: So.

[Avi might not be focused on tracking him down, but he'd completely lost all sense of respect, compassion, and kindness. He was a complete antithesis of who he had once been—and he was willing to hurt others, even his own family.]

Cardinal: This is what it has done to all of you.

[This wasn't theory anymore. He was going to have to prioritize who he went after. He couldn't go after all of them at once…]

Cardinal: Pyro, this is exactly why I can't come home, don't you SEE what's going to hap—

"Aaaand cut!"

[KSSST—]

[Cardinal flinched at the sudden sound of static.]

Cardinal: -Annoyed- Aw, dammit…

Drake: What is going ON?

Cardinal: For now? Nothing…

Cardinal: Because Avi just dropped the call.

—————————————

{Titus}

Beck: Cards? Cards?

[Kkkkkkk…]

Beck: No, no, NO—! AVI—!

Avi: Don't see what YOU are so broken up about. It's not as if you were going to win him over.

[Beck frantically tried to call again, but to no avail; he didn't even get so much as voicemail.]

Avi: Weren't you LISTENING? Cuckoo isn't going to help you, buddy! You're on your OWN. And quite frankly—I was getting BORED!

Pyro: Avi…

Avi: Noooowwwww IF you'll excuse me…

Avi: I've got a radio show to host.

Pyro: GET BACK HERE—

Avi: Ta-ta~!

[MN.6 HAS BLOCKED MN.1.]

[Pyro gave an exasperated growl, flaring slightly. Beck, however, only looked down at his phone sadly.]

Beck: ...why—?

Pyro: -Irritated- Hng...

Pyro: He isn't himself, Beck...

Pyro: ...Father...

Pyro: Did you get all that?

[DR.WHITE]//: -Sigh- Most of it. God, I wanted to say something, but I feared that my presence would have made Cardinal hang up...

[DR.WHITE] //: I had thought, you two could...

[DR.WHITE] //: ...Oh, Cardinal...

Beck: . . .

[Ping!]

[DR.SANDA] //: ...Well...

[DR.SANDA]//: We got something out of it, at least.

Beck: --?

[DR.SANDA] //: While you were talking to Cardinal, we used the opening your call made to get some useful data...

[DR.SANDA] //: Call would have to go over it carefully, but as of right now... Toby's blocking the signals, and Avi is still interfering with the TV stations, radio, and other communications...

[DR.SANDA] //: Hopefully, it's something good...

Call: I will begin my analysis right away, Doctors.

Call: Do you require anything else, Beck?

Beck: I...

Beck: ...No, I...I'm fine. I promise.

Call: ... Confirmed.

[Call leaves with a bow, and eventually, Pyro does as well after reassuring his brother that things will be okay, and that they will all be home soon. As the door closes and the lights dim, Beck is once again sitting on his bed, alone.]

Beck: ....

Beck: Cards...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"I believe in you."

—————

"After all.

You are MIGHTY."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Beck: ....

Beck: (Can...can I really do this...?)

Beck: (Saving Pyro could've been just a REALLY good stroke of luck...)

Beck: (...But...)

Beck: (No one else...)

Beck: (No one else is like me...)

Beck: (Or at least...no one willing...)

[Soon, the glow from his eyes dims back down, and Beck himself yawns.]

Beck: (...Tired...)

Beck: (...At least I can sleep now, I think...)

Beck: (I know...I know I'm going to need it...)

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

=CHAPTER 7B: RUSH INTO THE MINE=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

<<—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…]

Will: (Eight...Eight samples.)

Will: (This should be enough--this has to be enough...)

[It was in that moment that Soi stepped into the room.]

Soi: --Will?

Will: --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?

Will: Under the circumstances, he's overlooked it for now.

Will: I'm so close, Soi, I can just...

Will: I have all the pieces, I just have to fit them together.

Will: -Turns back to the Terminal- I've already arrange the code, it's only a matter of figuring out what goes where...

Will: 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.

Will: Yes...

Will: I think the others are dreading that, somewhat. Mikhail was...He had that look about him.

Soi: Because Shade is a Hunter?

Will: Perhaps.

Will: But I think it's something else.

Will: Or rather...

Will: Someone.

Will: ....

Will: In any case.

Will: -Working as he speaks- You do have a point. This...

Will: It's almost over, now.

Will: .....

Will: Soi?

Soi: Yes?

Will: ......

Will: I...

Will: Do you think that...Maybe...

Will: . . . .

Soi: ???

Will: ...Nevermind.

Soi: What?

Will: 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!

Will: I just---

[PING!]

Will: !

Will: Wait--

Will: Soi, I--I think I did it--!

Soi: -WAIT WHAT, REALLY--??-

Will: 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.]

Will: . . .

Soi: Will, are you alright--

Will: . . .

Will: 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--

Will: It's mine.

Soi: --???

Will: The virus--it's coding--It's MINE, Soi--!

Will: All of this is MY FAULT--!

Soi: Wha...

[Soi was so...so taken back by it that he let go.]

Soi: Wait--

Will: -PANICKY--

Will: It's all my fault, the madness, our sons and daughters, our own family, HIS--!

Will: 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?

Will: ........

Soi: .....

Soi: Let's just...Sit.

Soi: Start over.

Soi: Okay?

Will: . . .

[Will 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.]

Will: S-Soi...

Will: The...The code, Soi--

Will: It's mine. I know it is.

Soi: Really?

[Silence.]

Will: ....

Will: Not...All of it.

Soi: See, so it isn't--

Soi: --Wait-- not ALL of it?

Soi: I...I don't understand.

Will: .....

Will: Soi...

Will: Remember...

Will: Remember when you first hired me?

Soi: I...Of course.

Soi: How could I forget?

Will: .....

Will: I told you that I had previous experience with robotics before.

Will: 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--?!

Will: --is all my fault, indeed.

Will: Or rather...

Will: The fault of a robot that I designed long ago...

Will: The CDN-1201.

Will: ...Trinity.

Will: I designed her to evolve by assimilating other robot's capabilities...

Will: I found her custom scripts in the virus code we retrieved from each of the haywire Mighty Numbers--as well as...

Will: From...Mikhail's database sample...

Will: The structure is clever, cunning, concise...

Will: 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--?

[Will 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?

Will: Of COURSE it was, Soi!

Soi: --Nngh-- (Oh no, he's angry--)

Will: After what HAPPENED there--

Will: After what I had to do to HER--

Will: In the end, Blackwell only saw the dangers, not the potential--!

Will: He NEVER gave ME a CHANCE!

Will: Never gave HER a...a chance...

Soi: ......

[As quickly as Will flared, he slowly SAT back down again, tears now flowing freely.]

Will: I can still hear her in my DREAMS, Soi.

Will: I...

Will: God, I was a fool.

Will: Such a fool...

Will: But I was just so eager and wanted to prove myself to HIM that I...I didn't listen.

Will: And now she's come to haunt me again.

Soi: --Will.....

Will: I...I just--

Will: --I can't TELL them, Soi, I just CAN'T--!

Will: To tell them that all that I am--all of who I AM IS A LIE?!

Will: What that would do to them, to--to all that we have built and come to cherish--

Will: 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: ^^

Will: ....

Will: -Sniff-

Will: S...Soi...

Will: You--You never HAD to help me...

Soi: Oh, poppycock! That's ridiculous.

Soi: Where would you be without me, eh?

Will: -Sniff-

Will: ....

Will: U-Up the creek with no paddle?

Soi: I was thinking more like still a rotten Cherry, but let's go with that.

Will: Eheh....

Will: ....

Will: 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?

Will: . . .

Soi: Will.

Will: I...I don't...

Soi: Will, he GAVE you one of the samples, he's SEEN that custom script.

Will: --....

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?

Will: . . . .

Will: -Whispers- I don't want him or any of them to think less of me...

Soi: .....

Will: And then there's my own children, Soi...

Will: 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.

Will: . . . .

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?

Will: ...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!

Will: -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?

Will: .....

Will: -Inhale-

Will: ...O...Okay...

Will: I...Okay.

Soi: Promise, Will. You have one foot out the door.

Will: ....

Will: I...

Will: I promise.

Soi: To?

Will: Go talk to Felix.

Soi: About?

Will: ...Trinity.

Soi: Good. ^^

Will: ......

Soi: Chin up, Will.

Soi: Things will get better, soon.

Soi: I promise you that. ^^

Will: ....

Will: I...

Will: I can only hope, Soi.

Will: (Hope and dream...)

Will: ...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. ^^;;;

Will: ....

Will: (Oops--)

Will: I...

Will: I think I'll just call someone to get us out...

Will: -Oh God why are there so many messages SOI--

Will: -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

Will: --???

[MESSAGE 2

FROM: MC005]

> {We figured it out Will I’m not sure yet but PICK UP YOUR PHONE—}

Will: -Wait, what--

[MESSAGE 3

FROM: DWN-019]

> -Raw data that is echoed and mostly mirrored-

Will: -Okay so THANK GOD IT DOESN’T SEEM TO BE WHAT I THINK IT WAS--

Soi: .....

Soi: You REALLY need to go to sleep.

Will: 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.

Will: -______-;;;;

[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!

Will: . . .

Will: I...Guess so.

Will: ...Before we go, though, I should lock the code--

Soi: That can wait.

Will: -But we really should secure the--

Soi: In the morning, Will.

Will: -But--

Soi: -Alright that's it we're calling in the cavalry-

Soi: Call, dear?

Will: -ERK--

Will: -Waitwaitwait on second thought BED SOUNDS NICE-

Will: -Look see, we're going--

[BONK--!]

Will: Ow--

Will: ....

Will: Oh right I locked us in, didn't I.

Will: Um.

Will: ^^;;;;;

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.

Will: -I SAID I WAS GOING-

"Yes, Doctor. I will only be a few minutes."

Will: -I'm locking the code while she's doing it-

Soi: Will-- -Siiiigh- -_-;;;;;;

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