Latest Posts by dauntlesstales - Page 3
=PROLOGUE A: IT ALL BEGINS NOW=
~AO v1.0~
(Starring @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
“Come ON, Beck! Hurry up, we’re gonna be late!”
It is the present year.
“C-Coming, Cryo!”
Breakthroughs in robotic technology have ushered in a new era of peace and prosperity. Violence is confined to the Battle Colosseum, where robot combatants face off in spectacular duels.
“We’ve spent enough time walking down memory lane in the trophy room. We have to get to the arena before they call us out for our return debut match.”
“WE KNOW, Pyro. Jeezzz, calm down.”
“I believe he is only excited to be back in familiar stomping grounds. Isn’t that right, Bat?”
“TOO RIGHT, Brand!”
“MAN, I am so stoked for this! Hey, I hope they get my good side, ya know? Course, I look good in ALL angles.”
“…Avi not focused.”
“Mic is right. It’s time to get out there. Everyone! PLACES!”
“YES SIR NO.1!”
Today, the colosseum walls once again echo with the shouts and cheers of excited fans…
…when suddenly…
….
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN–
Attention! Attention! This is Code Red! Please evacuate the arena calmly and quickly! This is not a drill! Please–
[WARNING. WARNING. VIRUS DETECTED IN SERVER. FIREWALL PROGRAMS HAVE FAILED.]
[MN.1-8 HAVE BEEN INFECTED WITH HARMFUL MALWARE. RUNNING XELFILTER.EXE FOR MN.9]
[WARNING: MN.1-8 HAVE ENTERED FULL COMBAT MODE. RESTRICTIONS: NONE.]
[S Y S T E M E R R ROR–S YSTEM E R R ROR–]
“PYRO! BRAND! SHADE! GUYS! S T O P!”
[MN.9 HAS BEEN DAMAGED BY HARMFUL MALWARE. PREPARING HARD RESET. ALL FORMS WILL BE LOST.]
“GUYS–NO–NOOO–!!”
[....]
[XELFILTER.EXE PROGAM CYCLE COMPLETE. ALL MALWARE HAS BEEN FILTERED AND NEUTRALIZED FROM ALL SYSTEMS.]
[REBOOTING...]
[MN.9 IS NOW ONLINE]
Beck: ....Uuugh...
Beck: What...what happened...
[......]
[At first...nothing.]
[Then....]
"PYRO! BRAND! SHADE! GUYS! S T O P!!"
Beck: ......!!!!!
[MN.9 to MN.1-8] //: GUYS! GUYS!
[MN.9 HAS BEEN BLOCKED BY MN.1-8.]
[MN.9] //: ...??!?!
Beck: What...?!
Beck: Why would... They...
BOOOM!
[...And that is when he noticed where he was. No longer was he within the Colosseum walls, he was now on some rooftop by a NBCA advertisement. It looked like he was simply DROPPED here, but the means of how and why were far from his mind.]
[At the sounds of the explosions, Mighty No. 9 ran across the rooftop ...]
Beck: !!!
Beck: N...No...!
[Screams. Fire.]
Beck: What....
[The whole of the city in absolute chaos, citizens screaming in terror, fleeing from literal hordes of rampaging robots, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake.]
Beck: What is...happening...?!
Beck: .....!!!
Beck: DAD!
[His creator. His father. Doctor William Apollo White.]
[He was somewhere in this madness...]
[Without another thought, Beck jumped down from the rooftop. He had to find him. He had to know if...!]
Beck: PROFESSOR! DAD! WHERE ARE YOU?!
Beck: DAAAAD!!
[......]
[..........]
[..............]
[...!! There! In the distance--! That puff of hair that could only be--!]
Beck: Dad!
White: Beck!
[The sheer relief couldn't be plainer on their faces, as Beck ran up to his father, who seemed to have seen better days--his lab coat was torn here and there, and his face was covered in black soot.]
White: Ah, Beck--thank God--and functioning normally, it would appear!
Beck: Yeah...yeah, I'm fine, Dad. I'm fine...
Beck: I am so glad you're OK—
[Beck clutched his leg as hard as he could, and White bent down to give his youngest perhaps the hardest hug he could muster.]
White: ...God...what on earth has happened...? It's...chaos, everywhere...!
Beck: I...I dunno...I dunno...Dad...
[Tears filled his emerald green eyes.]
Beck: I...I can't contact the others...Pyro, Cryo, Dyna...they...blocked me...!
White: What?!
White: Why on...
White: . . .
White: oh God—nononoNO—
[He fumbled with his bag, which held his laptop. He opened it as quickly as he could and--]
[...His suspicions were confirmed.]
[The status of all Mighty Numbers...]
[To say he was both horrified and shocked was an understatement.]
[His sons...his daughters...]
White: NO!
Beck: .....!!!
Beck: INCOMING!
[Several airborne delivery bots had spotted them--and their load was less than helpful. They were bombs.]
[Beck pushes his father out of the way, with a strength he never knew he had in this default form...]
White: ooF--
[The blast knocked both father and son back some ways, but Beck's quick actions had saved them both from sustaining serious damage.]
[Thankfully, the trio of delivery bots no more cargo to dispel, and flew back the way they came--probably to get more of their ammo.]
Beck: Dad--Dad, are you OK?!
White: Ngh...
White: Y-Yes...mostly...
[Beck looked forward--this street...this was familiar...]
[...! Wait! He knew where he was! Just a few blocks from here was home!]
Beck: Dad--Dad, it's not safe--
White: ...
[After catching his breath, he stood--brushed himself off, and looked to the distance along with Nine. There, on end of this long street...]
[Sands Enterprises.]
White: ........
White: .......
Beck: Dad...?
[His expression hardened.]
[....His sons, his daughters...]
[What was happening to all the robots...]
[...He couldn't do anything from here.]
White: We won't figure out anything from here, Beck.
White: We must make for the laboratory--and quickly!
Beck: ...!
[But between them and home...a war zone.]
White: ........
Beck: ....
White: Beck...
White: I can't get through this by myself.
White: You MUST forge on ahead and clear a secure path.
Beck: --!? Wha--
White: Don't worry--I'll follow, and monitor your process. We only need to make it to the end of this street!
White: Do you think you can do that?
Beck: ......
[...He's walked down this street countless times--he's just never had to do it amidst gunfire.]
[But Dad...]
[His family...Dr. Sanda...Call...!]
[MN.9 HAS ENTERED COMBAT MODE.]
Beck: Yes sir!
[...Seeing that smile on his face, and the will that clearly shined beneath those eyes...]
White: Alright...
[...There was hope.]
[They could not lose that--not now!]
White: Let's move!
[OBJECTIVE: ESCORT DR. WHITE TO SANDA ENTERPRISES UNHARMED.]
[SYSTEMS READY.]
[....INITIATING COMBAT PROGRAMS.]
[Getting through the overturned vehicles and debris was easy enough, and provided good cover for Will.]
[...But it wasn't long before...]
Beck: ....!!
[A flash of purple, and a standard CherryDyn Security Model robot materialized in his path, waving it's arms around wildly, it's weapon primed and ready to fire.]
[White's voice filled his comm link--as long as they were near each other, they could speak above the chaotic noises that filled the blue sky.]
White: A security bot...and it's out of control like all the others...
[The CherryDyn bot, however, didn't notice Beck at all--rather, it moved on ahead...]
Beck: ....!!
Beck: Professor! Look!
White: !
[There, on a large public screen that overlooked the street...]
[Gregory Graham.]
<DLN-008 to MNN-ALL>: > -PING!-
[…!
Faint!
But there!
That was Toby’s signal, no doubt about it!]
Beck: !!!!
Beck: Toby!
White: Tobias?!
Beck: I felt his signal!
Beck: It's...so faint but...!
[The signal is fluctuating and faltering, as if something’s interfering with it.]
[KKKST!]
"Once again, the President as declared a country-wide state of emergency. This, based on reports of haywire robots rampaging out of control in all 52 States. I'm being told we have a comment from Gregory Graham, CEO of CherryDynamics."
Beck and White: WHAT?!
[There are some faint data streams that suggest anger—from DWNs—but it is still too faint…
Barely noticeable, given the matter at hand.]
"CherryDyn, of course, being the world's largest robot manufacturer. Let's go there now, live...
Graham: Ahem! Hello?...eh, hello...? Is this thing on?!
[...The CEO seemed...panicked...]
Graham: Ah! Ahem--...My fellow Americans...in this time of crisis, we at CherryDyn would just like to express....
Graham: That this isn't our fault!
White: ....!!
Graham: It's that Dr. Blackwell--HE'S the one that's behind all this! BLAME HIM!
Beck: What the--is he SERIOUS?!
[…Oddly…
…nothing, from their otherworldly friends.
Very odd, considering the LAST time that there had been a panic, and how loudly they had cried out in dismay.
But it seemed Graham wasn’t done yet…]
[Graham then composes himself...]
Graham: Ahem--we at CherryDyn are doing ALL we can to help fix the situation...BUT IT'S BLACKWELL'S FAU--
[KKKKKKSSST!]
"Heeeelllloooo! Is this thing on?"
Beck: ...Avi?
[PING!]
<DLN-008>: >Avi! Avi, no! What are you doing?
[He doesn't answer. Instead, he continues to give his twisted 'news report'.]
Avi: “Ahem! And now, let's go live to our eye in the sky, Avi, for today's Avi News traffic report!~”
[And in a completely not so different voice--]
Avi: "Thanks, Avi! As you can see, we've got a few accidents eastbound on, well--"
Avi: "EVERYWHERE! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!~"
<DLN-008>: > DON’T PRETEND YOU CAN’T HEAR ME— now is not the time for games, Aviator!
Avi: "Yup, we've got chaos here, chaos there on this BEEEEEAUTIFUL June 21, 20XX! Here on Avi News today, we've got exclusive coverage on today's top story!~
Avi: THE END OF THE WORLD, BABY!~
White: MIGHTY NO. 6! STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!
Beck: A…Avi…
Avi: "Our nation is on TOTAL MELTDOWN, and Xelbot crime is on the rise!~ Can NOTHING stop this madness?!
Avi: "Short answer? NO!~ BWAHAHAHA!~"
[.......]
[MN.6] //: Well, would you look at that! I got a caller!~
[The screen cuts out to another camera while Avi switched his attention to Toby, leaving Beck and White to gaze in horror at the bird's eye view of their city...]
White: We're almost there...!
[Traversing the war-torn street, Beck and White are just one more block away from the entrance...]
White: ....!
Beck: ...? What is it, Dad?
White: Dr. Sanda's calling...
[DR.WHITE] //: Sanda? What's the matter--
[DR.SANDA] //: WHAT'S THE MATTER?!
[DR.SANDA] //: WHAT THE BLEEDING HECK DO YOU THINK IS THE MATTER?! ARE YOU OK, WILL?!
[DR.WHITE] //: ...Oh, fine. More or less.
[DR.SANDA] //: .....
[DR.WHITE] //: And yourself?
[…Yep.
He was his usual self, alright.]
[Dr. Sanda, however…]
[DR.SANDA] //: Good Lord do you EVER stop being tactless--
[...LOUD clanking noises in the background of his feed.]
[DR.SANDA] //: ohmyGod
[DR.SANDA] //: I'm less than fine--MUCH LESS! These robots gone wild are TEARING THE PLACE APART!
[DR.WHITE] //: What...in the building too?!
[DR.SANDA] //: I've sealed myself in the lab--but who knows HOW long before they break through?!
[DR.WHITE] //: Ah, I see. Understood. We're already on our way!
[DR.SANDA] //: ...We?
[MN.9] //: -PING!- Dr. Sanda...!
[DR.SANDA] //: ...!! Beck? BECK? IS THAT REALLY YOU?!
[MN.9] //: Yeah--it's me! I'm OK, I'm not crazy!
[DR.SANDA] //: THANK THE LORD--
[BANG!]
[DR.SANDA] //: -sCREECH--
[DR.WHITE] //: Just try to hold them off for as long as you can! We're coming!
[Soon enough, after what seemed like hours had passed instead of minutes...]
[...Sanda Enterprises.]
[The front door was completely blown open.]
White: Oh, no...
Beck: I...I don't see Call anywhere...
White: ......
White: Beck. We have no time to waste...calculate the fastest possible route to the lab!
Beck: Yes sir!
Beck: ......
Beck: This way!
[BWAN BWAN BWAN BWAN--]
Beck: nEVER MIND THIS WAY--
[The elevator down to the lab was out--they had to take the other way down.]
White: --!!!
[...Sanda Models.]
[Heading this way...]
White: BECK!!
Beck: !!
[Trash bots--designed to recycle waste and paper--harmless enough, but something had caused them to open and shut their lids with the force of a vice, looking for anything to chomp on.]
Beck: Uhoh--
[They were heading this way--but oddly enough--their target...wasn't Beck...]
White: --!!
White: They're locked onto me--!
Beck: NO!
Trash Bots: -GLITCHED BEEPING-
[.......]
[ANALYZING.]
[EMOTION MATRIX RUNNING...]
[THREAT CONFIRMED.]
[ACTIVATING WEAPON SYSTEMS.]
Beck: STAY AWAY FROM HIM!
[WEAPON SYSTEMS: ONLINE.]
-*-*-*-*-
Felix: Let me tell you something, Master Beck. It is your heart and your build, your purpose, to help others. That is where your greatest power, I think, will always lie.
Beck: ..........
Beck: (Well, that's not...I mean, I was just built to fight....)
Felix: When you truly believe in your cause, the strength comes to you.
Felix: I can tell you THAT from experience.
Beck: .....R-Really....?
Felix: Of course.
Felix: And after all.
Felix: You /are/ MIGHTY.
-*-*-*-*-
[XEL ABSORPTION SYSTEMS....
ONLINE. ]
[BLAM BLAM BLAM!]
[In an instant, Beck's arm had transformed into his default demolecularizing arm cannon--capable of breaking apart substances right down to the molecular level within a few shots.]
[The Trash Bots were nailed right in the face, and soon they were...glowing. Their Xels were being broken apart, floating around them...]
[ZOOOOM!]
[ACXELARATE DASH: ONLINE. ]
[A white-blue glow had enveloped Beck as he dashed forward, the Xels of the weakened robots being absorbed into his own body, seamlessly clicking into place.]
[Shocked from the sudden Xel loss...the Trash Bots shut down.]
[ABSORPTION BOOST: ONLINE. ]
Beck: --!!
[A soft red glow shined around him, energy SURGING through him in a way that he's NEVER felt before...]
Beck: Ah--
[It all seemed to pool into his arm cannon.]
Beck: .....
Beck: WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED.
Beck: -pANIC-
Beck: W HAT WAS THAT?!
White: .......
White: Beck...did...
White: Did you just...absorb the Xels of a weakened robot and--my goodness --assimilate them?!
Beck: I DON'T KNOW--YOU TELL ME!
White: Alright--alright--just CALM down, Beck--breathe, breathe...
Beck: .......
White: Beck--I DESIGNED you with this capability.
Beck: ....!! W-Wait--
Beck: ...So--THIS is my...my power? My OTHER power?
White: Yes, Beck. I designed you with THREE central powers: Xel Manipulation, Xel Transformation...
White: ...And Xel Assimilation.
White: ....But...
White: This is the first time I've seen it...active...I hadn't thought it functional yet...
White: (...So why now...?)
White: .....!
White: (Of course...)
White: (Seeing me like this--in danger. Amidst madness and chaos...)
White: (His emotional matrix must have activated his latent abilities...)
White: (In an effort to protect me.)
Beck: .......
Beck: Whoooooa...
White: ....!
Beck: .....
[The glow subsided. Along with the surge of power.]
Beck: --? Uh...what happened?
White: ---Ngh! I'd love to explain but we have more robots incoming--!
Beck: --!!
[Within moments, as they headed deeper into the building, more and more robots appeared.]
[The security system had also gone haywire, and the very same measures used to protect them was now being used against them.]
White: Almost there, almost there...hold on, Soi...!
Beck: OwowowowlASERSHURTOW--
White: ...Right--the Lab is just ahead...
[DR.WHITE] //: Sanda?
[.....]
[DR.WHITE] //: Sanda, are you still there?
[.......]
[DR.WHITE] //: .......
[DR WHITE] //: Have the robots torn you to pieces...?
[MN.9] //: DAD--
[DR.SANDA] //: Criminny! Tactful as ALWAYS, Will... -_____-;;;
[DR.SANDA]//: I'm FINE, but for PETE'S SAKE, HURRY--!
[DR.WHITE] //: Don't worry, we just need to go through the--
[There was a LOUD scream across the feeds.]
[No—two voices, both screaming in utter agony!]
[B A N G.]
Beck: ?!?
Beck: What was THAT...?!
[The door opened...]
[WWRRRRRRRRRRRRRR--]
White: --?!
[Literally CRASHING through the side wall was a huge, round robot nearly seven times Beck's size, crushing anything underneath it's round steel flattener...]
White: A CherryDyn demolition unit?! How on EARTH did it manage to get DOWN here?!
Beck: Oh C RUD--
[The destructive CDN CHARGED right into Beck's path--he dove out of the way in time, however, but the shock of the impact with the other wall forced the door to close, leaving Will on the other side.]
Beck: DAD!
[DR.WHITE] //: I'm fine!
[DR.WHITE] //: Beck, quickly--you MUST stop it, before it destroys the whole laboratory!
[MN.9] //: M...ME?!
[MN.9] //: DAD THIS THING CAN CRUSH ME--
[DR.WHITE] //: YOU HAVE TO TRY! SOI IS STILL IN THERE!
[DR.SANDA] //: COME ON, BECKO--DO IT! OR WE'RE ALL TOAST...!
[MN.9 HAS ENTERED FULL COMBAT MODE.]
Beck: I'msodead--
[SCANNING...]
[SCAN COMPLETE.]
[ E N C O U N T E R ]
[CDN. 502 -- MODEL CODENAME: ROUND DIGGER]
[HEIGHT: 300cm] [WEIGHT: 450kg] [XEL COUNT: 90,000,000]
[The CherryDyn Number 502 charged once more, rolling across the room at RAPID speeds. Beck once again had to dodge, THIS time using his new AcXelarate Dash.]
[...It certainly was...Fast.]
[SPLAT.]
[A little...too fast.]
Beck: O-Ow--stupid wall-
[DR.WHITE] //: Your AcXelarate Dash is EXACTLY that, Beck! An acceleration! Use it wisely!
[DR.WHITE] //: You must weaken it with your weapon to destabilize it's Xel before you can absorb it with your Dash!
[MN.9] //: SO I JUST SHOOT AND RUN INTO IT?!
[DR.WHITE AND DR. SANDA] //: YES!
[The Round Digger reared up to charge once more--like a bull would.]
Beck: Crudcrudcrudcrud--
[WRRRRR...]
[BLAM BLAM BLAM!]
[Direct hits--but it didn't stop the CDN from charging.]
Beck: -nOT AGAIN--
[ZOOOM!]
[...And yet another splat.]
Beck: OW--
[DR.WHITE] //: Beck--are you alr--
Beck: NO IT'S NOT WORKING--!
[DR.WHITE] //: Perseverance, Beck! Aim for it's joints and head! Destabilize it's Xel structure!
Beck: Aim and shoot, joints, head--
[WRRRRRRRRRRR--]
[A panel opened up on it's back, revealing--]
[Bombs!]
Beck: --oh NO--
[Of course, it was a demolition unit!]
[BOOM!]
Beck: AAAAAAAAAAH--
[There he goes, dashing this way and that to avoid being blown to pieces!]
Beck: -SCREAMING-
Beck: DAD HELP ME--H ELP ME!
[DR.WHITE] //: I can't--! Not from here--!
[DR.SANDA] //: THE SYSTEMS ARE ALL SCRAMBLED FROM HERE, I CAN'T DO ANYTHING--!
[BOOM! BOOM!]
Beck: -I'MGONNADIEOHMAN-
[Nine keeps shooting--but they are wild and panicked shots, some hitting their target, some missing completely.]
[.....Eventually, however...]
[ERROR--ERROR--XEL STRUCTURE UNSTABLE--]
[...The CDN's head starting glowing purple! ]
[DR.WHITE] //: NOW, BECK!
[As soon as Beck saw it...]
[...He knew exactly what to do. As if it was instinct.]
[As if the thought was there all along.]
Beck: Here GOES!
[ZOOOM--]
[XEL ABSORBED. 100% --CDN XEL COUNT LOWERED 20%--]
[WARNING! WARNING! VIRUS DETECTED!]
Beck: --?!?
[RUNNING XELFILTER.EXE...]
[XEL FILTERED. ALL MALWARE HAS BEEN NEUTRALIZED.]
[ATTENTION: MORE XEL IS REQUIRED FOR A FULL XEL PURGE.]
Beck: (Xel...Purge...?)
[DR.WHITE] //: BECK! ABOVE YOU!
[The CDN had stopped charging--and--oddly enough, used it's extending legs to grab onto the ceiling...?]
Beck: ....???
[A panel UNDERNEATH it unlocks and--]
[PSSSSSSSSSH!]
[A HUGE high pressured blast of water SLAMMED into the Mighty Number, knocking him back into the door with a loud CLANK!]
Beck: AAGH!
[DR.WHITE] //: BECK!
Beck: Uuugh....
Beck: ...Ooooowww...
[...? What's this?]
[...All that did was... Just DAZE him, at best...]
Beck: That was...almost as hard as Cryo, ow...
[PISSSSSSSSSHHH!]
Beck: -gARBLING NOISES-
[DR.WHITE] //: MOVE, BECK!
[A bit shaky, Beck dashes away from the stream--]
Beck: sTOOOOOP--
[.....]
[OH! Wait--why didn't he think of this before?! He might not have his siblings by his side--]
[...But he had their FORMS, right?]
[...Right?]
[…]
[ERROR//: MN.7 REXELECTION FORM NOT FOUND. FORM WAS ERASED AFTER HARD RESET.]
[…Wrong.]
Beck: WHAT?!
[ERROR//: MN.1 REXELECTION FORM NOT FOUND. FORM WAS ERASED AFTER HARD RESET.]
Beck: NONONO!
[ERROR//: MN.2 REXELECTION FORM NOT FOUND....]
[ERROR....]
[ERROR...]
[ERROR...]
[...Gone.]
[They were all gone.]
[He had nothing. No forms except that STUPID golden one, and what good would THAT do?!]
Beck: NO!
Beck: DAD--I CAN'T CHANGE FORMS--!
Beck: I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO FIGHT WITH--!
[DR.WHITE] //: YES YOU DO, BECK!
[DR.WHITE] //: You have tools of which this world--or ANY world--have only just begun to see!
[DR.WHITE] //: USE THEM!
Beck: .....
Beck: --Shoot, dash, shoot, dash--
Round Digger: -R O A R S-
Beck: Shoot and dash, shoot and dash--!
[Repeating this mantra, Beck circled the CDN...]
[They both traded blows, neither of which seemed to be giving in or showing sign of fatigue--]
[...But...slowly...slowly but surely...]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
-PING-
[XEL QUOTA ACHIEVED.]
[XEL PURGE: ONLINE. XELFILTER.EXE PREPARED FOR OVERDRIVE.]
[DR.WHITE] //: ...!!!
[...A circle of white began to glow around Beck's feet...]
[A stream of Xel floated outwards, forming a large circle along with three dots and lines--his symbol...]
Beck: Come on--
[His arms started to shine a pure white!]
Beck: SNAP OUT OF IT!
[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]
Beck: NOW!
[A burst of green Xels flow out of the circle, and RIGHT back to the CDN! Rings of purged Xel incircle it, and slowly--it's...purple, tainted Xel fades...]
[........]
Round Digger: ....????
Round Digger: -BEEP-
Round Digger: -BEEP BEEP-
Round Digger: -CONFUSED DATA, THIS IS NOT OUR DESIGNATED AREA-
Beck: ...!!
Round Digger: -DISTRESSED BEEPING-
Beck: Hey--Hey...
Round Digger: -THIS IS NOT WHERE I'M SUPPOSED TO BEEEEEEEE-
[...Beck...cautiously approaches the CDN...]
[Closer...Closer...]
Beck: Hey....Are you OK?
Round Digger: -BEEEEEEEEEP!-
Beck: Hey--Hey, it's OK...
[...Pat. Pat...]
Beck: You're OK now, don't worry...
Round Digger: -SAD BEEP-
Round Digger: -BEEEEEP-
Beck: ....! Uh...hey--do you think you can help me?
Round Digger: ....? -beep?-
[MN.9] //: Dr. Sanda?
[.......There was no response at first. Both Doctors were still STUNNED at what just happened.]
[MN.9] //: Dr. Sanda!
[DR.SANDA] //: ...! Erm--ah--y-yes, Beck...?
[MN.9] //: You said the systems were haywire, right? So you can't unseal yourself...
[DR.SANDA] //: Well--I....oh.
[MN.9] //: So--I guess there's only one option, right?
[DR.WHITE] //: --! Of course! The Round Digger!
[DR.SANDA] //: W-Wait--Wait a min--
Round Digger: -PING-
Round Digger: -DIRECTIVE RECEIVED. COMMENCING DEMOLITION.-
Round Digger: -WARNING BEEPS, STAND CLEAR-
[DR.SANDA] //: -SHRIEKS, RUNS TO THE FARTHER ROOM-
[WRRRRRRRRRRRRR--]
[C R A C K!]
[With one powerful charge, the CDN Demo unit reared back once more and charged into the other wall, making a hole large enough for even MIC to walk into.]
[DR.SANDA]//: Did you REALLY have to do that?! This place is falling apart enough as it--
[DR.WHITE] //: We can worry about it later! Beck--neutralize any other threats in the building while I work with Soi to get at LEAST some of those systems back online...
[MN.9] //: Yes Sir!
[DR.SANDA] //: B-B-But--the lab is unsealed--
[DR.WHITE]//: I don't think we have to worry about that for now.
Round Digger: -BEEEEEEP-
[MN.9] //: Yeah, you can stay down here and make sure nothing gets past you, OK? That way you don't get hurt too. ^.^
[CDN.502] //: -BEEP BEEP, NEW DESIGNATION AREA CONFIRMED-
[DR.WHITE]//: Good, good. Be careful, alright?
[MN.9] //: Yeah. I will.
[Beck went back the way he came--through the recently re-opened door--while White stumbled through the opening, patting the CDN on it's side as he passed by.]
[...It took a while to find where Sanda had taken cover, but eventually--]
Sanda: Will!
White: Soi!
[Without another word, Sanda threw his arms around his beast friend, quite literally giving him a bear hug--]
White: Hurk--! Soi--!
Sanda: You have no IDEA how glad I am to see your face, friend--
White: Th-The feeling is mutual, Soi, but c-could you PLEASE let me breathe--
Sanda: --? Oh--OH. S-Sorry, William--Eheh, excuse me--
[White breathes in a few deep breaths once Sanda let's go, once again brushing himself off--but to no avail, as his clothing was more or less ruined.]
Sanda: Great Ceaser's Ghost, Will--you look like you've just been put through the wringer...!
White: That's...not wrong, Soi...at all...
Sanda: ...I can only imagine--I could hear everything from down here...
White: ....Did...you hear the broadcast...?
Sanda: Broadcast--?
White: ...Right, the systems are still scrambled—you wouldn't get anything...
Sanda: —…. Well—I… /did/ hear.... screaming—
"Dr. Sanda!"
[Passing through the crumbling wall, Beck reappeared, his pristine white armor slightly singed in several places--probably from laser fire.]
Beck: Dr. Sanda—!
Sanda: Beck--! Come here, you--!
[In a well meant hug of his own, Beck latched on to Sanda's leg, burying his face into it. Muffled cries of 'I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU'RE OK' and 'SANDAAA' were heard while the Doctor fondly gave Nine a noogie.]
Sanda: Ha Ha! I KNEW you could do it, Mighty No. 9!
Beck: -MUFFLED NOISES-
White: Yes--well done, Beck...but, I'm afraid we still have work to do--have the other robots been taken care of?
Beck: I...did my best--some of them went outside, but I managed to absorb most of the ones on the upper floors...
White: That will do. Come on, Soi, let's TRY and get this lab running again--
Sanda: W-Wait a minute--
Sanda: I see here that BECK is functioning normally...
Sanda: But what happened to the OTHER Mighty Numbers...? Are they still OUT there...?
[........]
[… … …]
White: ....Sanda...
[...Will sighs...and takes up a straighter posture.]
White: Based on empirical evidence...I believe that they might be suffering from this... robot affliction that's been going around--and causing all this chaos...
Sanda: W-What--?!?
Sanda: You mean--Pyrogen, Cryosphere...
White: ...Yes, Soi...they've been infected with a virus. I saw the status of all of them on my laptop...
Sanda: No...!
White: ...Have a look...
[MN.1 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]
[MN.2 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]
[MN.3 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]
[MN.4 STATUS: UNAVAILABLE.]
[MN.5 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]
[MN.6 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]
[MN.7 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]
[MN.8 STATUS: UNAVAILABLE.]
[MN.9 STATUS: ONLINE, COMBAT MODE, CONDITION: NORMAL.]
[After a moment…]
-PING!-
<RMDC>: >REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGED. SENDING STATUS UPDATE TO MODERATOR DR.WHITE…
[…! Data from the RobotMaster Database (Cossack Server) in the midst of this—?!]
White: It's...!
Sanda: The Robot Master Database--we're still connected--!
>DCN-008 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE
>DCN-007 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE
>DCN-004 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE
>DCN-003 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE
>DCN-000 STATUS: OFFLINE
[oH WAIT THEY’RE IN /LETHAL/—]
[...!!]
Beck: But--They're in--!
>Loading…
>DWN-024 STATUS: OFFLINE
>DWN-020 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE
>DWN-019 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE
>DWN-018 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE
>DWN-017 STATUS: OFFLINE
White: Oh God... Don't...tell me they...they've...
>Loading…
>DWN-013 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE
>DWN-012 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE
>DWN-011 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE
Beck: Speedy....Siam...everyone...
White: -PALES, THINKING THE WORST-
>Loading…
[…]
>Loading…
[…There seemed to be a delay…]
>Loading…
> -PING!-
>DLN-008 STATUS: OFFLINE— CRITICAL AI_OS DATA ERROR
[…well that might explain the screaming from earlier…!]
Beck: TOBY...!
White: No!
Sanda: T-...Tobias...
>Loading…
>Loading…
>Loading…
>Loading…
>Loading…
>Loading…
>ERROR: SIGNAL NOT FOUND. SEARCHING…
[…This did not look good. Everyone who wasn’t in LETHAL Combat mode was OFFLINE. The whole series—! Even the Awarenesses who didn’t have rebuilt chassises yet!]
Beck: Nononono--!
White: Not them too!
Sanda: Oh no MIKHAIL AND KALINKA-
[MN.9 HAS GONE INTO COMBAT MODE]
Beck: -sCREECH- LINKA!
-PING!-
White: --!!!
Sanda: -jUMPS-
Beck: !!!!
<MC005 to DR.WHITE>: > -PING!-
White: MIKHAIL! IT'S HIM! HE'S ALIVE--!
Sanda: WELL DON'T JUST STAND THERE, WILL, ANSWER HIM--
[DR.WHITE] //: MIKHAIL--!
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=PROLOGUE B: IT ALL BEGINS NOW=
~AO v1.0~
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
[Fate had such an odd way of forcing her hand.
Worlds intertwined, destinies tethered….]
{JUNE 21st, TUMBLR 2016
11:45:08 AM}
<SEDW to RMDC>: >UPDATING DATABASE…
<SEDW to RMDC>: >UPLOAD FILE: REVELATION.EXE
<RMDC>: >GENERATING CROSS-REFERENCES…
-PING-
<RMDC>: >CROSS REFERENCE FOUND: DLN_COMBAT.EXE
<RMDC>: >COMBAT INITIATIVE DETECTED. Admin access is required to run COMBAT.EXE initiatives. Please access the program at the primary station and enter authorization code.
<SEDW>: >OPEN FILE: REVELATION.EXE
<RMDC>: >COMBAT INITIATIVE DETECTED. Admin access is required to run COMBAT.EXE initiatives. Please access the program at the primary station and enter authorization code.
<SEDW>: >OPEN FILE: DLN_COMBAT.EXE
<RMDC>: >WARNING: This file has been quarantined and locked by MC005. Please access the program at the primary station and enter authorization code.
[… … … …]
<RMDC>: >WARNING! UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED!
<SEDW>: >SYSTEM OVERRIDE
<RMDC>: >SYSTEM ERROR—
[DOWNLOAD IN PROGRESS: REVELATION.EXE
—AI_DWN_000: Loading…
—AI_DCN_000: Loading…
—AI_DWN_008: Loading…
—AI_DWN_011: Loading…
—AI_DWN_012: Loading…
—AI_DWN_013: Loading…
—AI_DWN_018: Loading…
—AI_DWN_019: Loading…
—AI_DWN_024: Loading…
—AI_DCN_003: Loading…
—AI_DCN_004: Loading…
—AI_DCN_007: Loading…
—AI_DCN_008: Loading…]
{The Meadow}
[…Sickness.
Madness.
Memories of the darkest times flooded the server.
Everyone woke up immediately.]
<DLN-000 is now Online.> <DLN-005 is now Online.> <DLN-008 is now Online.> <DWN-011 is now Online.> <DWN-012 is now Online.> <DWN-013 is now Online.> <DWN-018 is now Online.> <DWN-019 is now Online.> <DWN-024 is now Online.>
[Cardinal felt sick to his core. Everyone did, really.]
<DWN-012>: Wha?
<DWN-024>: What is happening?
<DWN-012>: I feel like I’m gonna throw up, and I’m not even organic—
<DWN-019>: H-hang on. I-I’ll run a d-diagnostic. <DWN-019>: Y-you go contact the Doctors. -Talking to himself-
[Jaden was just laying in his recharge station, almost feverish. Errors kept pounding in his head.]
<DWN-013>: G-guys… it’s trying to send me into Lethal…
[But no one heard him.
Everyone had suddenly been overcome by the directive.
It was some sort of external command—a highly complex one, at that. Really, too much for their systems to process.
A command to destroy.]
<DLN-008 has gone Offline.>
[…]
<DLN-005 has gone Offline.> <DWN-011 has gone Offline.> <DWN-012 has gone Offline.> <DWN-013 has gone Offline.> <DWN-018 has gone Offline.> <DWN-019 has gone Offline.> <DWN-024 has gone Offline.>
Cardinal: (They must be preserving themselves…. Uggggh… I feel so aggravated right now…)
[He didn’t try to ping Dr. Cossack, or Dr. White. Whatever was going on, Dr. Cossack would see it. If they were all sick, then he didn’t want to spread it to his cousins.
And he definitely didn’t want to hurt the others.]
Cardinal: (Nnngggghhh…)
[His head pounded. He clutched at it with both hands, his eyes glowing a bright green despite being closed.
Memories bombarded him.]
-*-*-
((Art by dA user Thormeister))
-*-*-
[And then, suddenly…]
[…Beck was not the only one who was reset due to the matter at hand.
It only took a few moments, thankfully. Cardinal woke up feeling very disoriented.]
Cardinal: What was that?
[He couldn’t remember anything that had happened since Saturday evening—yet it was now clearly daytime. …He didn’t know what day it was, but that alone let him know that something had gone wrong.
Normally, if there had been a system crash, then the database would fill in the blanks. But in this case, it didn’t—which meant he had been forcefully reset. And not just him; the whole server, too.
…But why?]
Cardinal: (…Did we seriously have a hard reset?) What happened here…?!
[To his surprise, he saw Dr. Mikhail Cossack nearby, at a terminal. He was clearly focused in his work, as he simply held out his left hand to sign the word “QUIET.”]
Cardinal: …
“There was an attack on the server.”
Cardinal: ?
[Shadow was scowling as he unhooked himself from the mainframe.]
Shadow: It appears to have originated from a different world. Some sort of attempt to reactivate our Menace-related directives.
Cardinal: Ugh. No wonder we felt sick to our cores. …Is everyone alright?
Mikhail: I am trying to contact William but I’m having a great deal of difficulty…
Jaden: -Becoming more alert- Wait, is that a good idea? I mean, what if it got to them?
Mikhail: You don’t understand, Jaden: the source WAS from Will—
Cardinal: What?
Cardinal: (What is going /on/ here?)
[…
…
There was suddenly an overwhelming surge of alarm.]
Siam: Something’s wrong! Gemini: Something’s terribly, terribly wrong!
[Cardinal felt it, too.
A sudden… /darkness/. Weighty and cruel, deep as suffering. It reminded him of…]
Cardinal: (No, this can’t…)
Tobias: -Interrupts- I think I got the TV to pick up their signals—give it a try! Still trying to contact their lab…
[Cardinal turned on the news as some of his more tech-savvy brothers worked away at consoles.
What he saw…]
Cardinal: No…
Cardinal: -System scREECH- NOOOO!
<DLN-000 has entered Alert Combat mode.> <DCN-000 has entered Alert Combat mode.> <DLN-008 has entered Alert Combat mode.> <DWN-011has entered Alert Combat mode.> <DWN-012 has entered Alert Combat mode.> <DWN-013 has entered Alert Combat mode.> <DWN-018 has entered Alert Combat mode.> <DWN-019 has entered Alert Combat mode.> <DWN-024 has entered Alert Combat mode.> <DCN-003 has entered Alert Combat mode.> <DCN-007 has entered Alert Combat mode.> <DCN-008 has entered Alert Combat mode.>
[Snow screamed.]
[…Actually, to say he screamed would be an understatement. He was BLASTING raw Emotion, not just volume—and the world around him was quickly turning to ice. His brothers and his father alike were taken by surprise and alarm, turning all their attention to him.
His younger brothers were forced to shield as he began to throw a horrific tantrum—one that was cut short by Cossack forcefully sending him into Sleep mode before he hurt anyone in his panic.
Things were rapidly getting out of control.]
<DWN-018>: >TOBIAS, DO SOMETHING!
<DWN-018>: >BEFORE YOUR BROTHER FREEZES US TO DEATH!
[Tobias practically flung himself at the mainframe.]
Tobias: I’m gonna force my way through if it’s the last thing I do—and it’s definitely not gonna!
[As he had done before, his /self/ took the reigns of cyberspace and made it bend beneath his heel to his will.
Static filled the line as he broke through and opened the Mighty Number communication channels.]
<DLN-008 to MNN-ALL>: > -PING!-
[…There was no chance to celebrate or take action, though, because just then, the news updated…]
“Once again, the president has declared a nationwide state of emergency. This, based on reports of haywire robots rampaging out of control in all 52 states. I’m being told we have a comment from Gregory Graham—“
[Outraged shouting and anger crowded out the rest of the sentence, and a bit of the speech after.]
Speedy: -YELLING IN ANGRY SPANISH- {OH FOR THE LOVE OF—}
Shadow: -Eyes burning red, hissing in Japanese- {I swear, if he is behind all of this…}
Mikhail: -Speaking (with growing impatience) in frustrated Russian- {ENOUGH! Will you BE QUIET for ONE moment—}
KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKHHHHH—
“Hellooooooooo! Is this thing on?”
Siamini: -Trills- What?!
Tobias: !?
[The electric optimist immediately sent out a notification.]
-PING!-
<DLN-008>: >Avi! Avi, no! What are you doing?
[…But Avi didn’t seem to hear him. He doesn't answer. Instead, he continues to give his twisted 'news report'.]
"And now we go to our eye in the sky Avi 1 Heli bot for our daily traffic report!"
[...And in a completely not so different voice...]
"Thanks, Avi! Uh, as you can see, we've got accidents inbound in....well..."
"EVERYWHERE!~ BWAHAHAHAHA!"
Shadow: … What the fuhhh… -Trails off rather than finishing that-
[The Second Generation survivors looked on in horrified silence. For they couldn’t see Avi, not anymore.
The cross-references were too strong.]
Jaden: (Saints preserve us…)
[Speedy just fell to his knees, giving a thousand-yard stare.]
Speedy: ({This… this is Monstropolis all over again…})
[Tobias was starting to feel frustrated.]
<DLN-008>: > DON’T PRETEND YOU CAN’T HEAR ME— now is not the time for games, Aviator!
[Still no response.]
Avi: "Yup, we've got chaos here, chaos there on this BEEEEEAUTIFUL June 21, 20XX! Here on Avi News today, we've got exclusive coverage on today's top story!~
Avi: THE END OF THE WORLD, BABY!~
Tobias: Grrr…!
Avi: "Our nation is on TOTAL MELTDOWN, and Xelbot crime is on the rise!~ Can NOTHING stop this madness?!
Avi: "Short answer? NO!~ BWAHAHAHA!~"
[Tobias…
…had had enough. He decided to try a different tack.]
<DLN-008 to MNN-006>: > -P I N G-
<DLN-008>: > A V I A T O R
<DLN-008>: > YOU’RE BLOCKING THE CHANNELS, WHY
<DLN-008>: >What the frag is going on over there?! I need to talk to Doctor White!
<DLN-008>: > NOW!
[.......]
[MN.6] //: Well, would you look at that! I got a caller!~
[MN.6] //: So, caller number 1...
[MN.6] //: What do you think you're doing on MY airwaves, mmm?
<DLN-008>: > I’M /TRYING/ TO TALK, THAT’S WHAT
[Oooo, he seemed in a bad mood, and wasn’t afraid to let that data show!]
[Why, it’s almost as if he feels… a little guilty, to boot! Has he seen this before?]
[MN.6] //: 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!)
<DLN-008>: >Very funny, Avi.
<DLN-008>: >Hilarious.
[MN.6] //: Thaaaaanks. I practice. ~
<DLN-008>: >I’ll let Dyna know when I see her. -Clearly annoyed-
[MN.6] //: ....
[MN.6] //: Who?
[Tobias was speaking over him already by that point.]
<DLN-008>: >But fiRST YOU NEED TO STOP SITTING ON THE FREQUENCIES
<DLN-008>: >LET ME THROUGH, GLITCHFRAG IT, I’M SHORT ON PATIENCE HERE
[MN.6] //: Eeeeeeh....
[MN.6] //: 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.]
[MN.6] //: BUT.
<DLN-008>: > -Train of thought derailed- —?
[MN.6] //: I thiiiiink I can....prooobably....
[MN.6] //: Squeeze you into a short segment….
<DLN-008>: > -Gives off abrupt data of discomfort and dread-
Tobias: (Why does that sound… really really bad…?)
[MN.6] //: How about this, caller number 1?~
[Suddenly--]
[MN.6 HAS ENTERED COMBAT DATA MODE. RESTRICTIONS: NONE.]
[MN.6] //: You wanna be my intern for a while?!~
[Tobias gave a shaky gasp. The world had gone faint for a moment.]
<DLN-008>: >Avi! PLEASE! STOP!
[The data was fought back—forcefully. It seemed that the electric Industrial was not unfamiliar with fighting aggressive data.]
[MN.6] //: Nope! Can't have you snooping around on the feeds, no siriee!
[Another surge of...possessive data--!]
[MN.6] //: I got big, big plans, Caller. Avi News is gonna go GLOBAL!
<DLN-008>: > Nggh—!
<DLN-008>: > NO!
<DLN-008>: >NO YOU WON’T!
[He was… actively blocking data that his system was trying to send out.]
<DLN-008>: >I won’t give up! I’ll MAKE you get out of my way!
[A surge of spurning willpower.
The stubborn willpower of a DWN—the unflinching kind they inherited from their father.
…And yet…]
[…And yet, he wasn’t REALLY giving it his all—that much was obvious.
He was holding back.]
[MN.6] //: Jeez--you're really a spicy one! I'm actually impressed! ~
[MN.6] //: 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!
<DLN-008>: > Grr…!
[A…
BLAST of RAW /GUILT/ AND REGRET]
<DLN-008>: > -VERY bitterly- I’m no hero.
<DLN-008>: > BUT I STILL WON’T LET YOU DO THIS.
[MN.6] //: --!!
[MN.6] //: NGH--
<DLN-008>: >I… I c-can’t let you make my mistakes…!
[MN.6] //: Ow...OK...yeah, that hurt...
<DLN-008>: > …
<DLN-008>: >S-sorry…
<DLN-008>: >Nggh…! Now… please, stop!
[MN.6] //: ......
[....Data.]
[...It...was Avi's Data, yes, but...so much darker. ]
[Anger.]
[MN.6] //: That...hurt.
[MN.6] //: NOW YOU'RE GONNA GET IT!
[Toby was suddenly seized with signals. They weren’t just conversational—they were trying to get inside his head, mess with his mind!]
<DLN-008>: >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 clutching his head in his hands now, overcome with painful disorientation as he fought off the attempt to seize control.
He started sparking up, essentially close to tears as he tried so very hard to overthrow the invasion without harming his best friend.]
[MN.6] //: HA!
[Almost...Almost--!]
[MN.6] //: Aaaand that's a wrap!~
<DLN-008>: > S-stop… Avi, please…
[MN.6] //: You just don't know how to LISTEN, do ya? I said NO.
[KKKKSSST!]
[MN.6] //: NOW SHUT UP.
[MN.6] //: There's nothing you can do against ME, anyway! BWHAHAHAHA!
[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.
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.
…He weakened.
It only took that one moment of weakness. That one moment of being rendered helpless, unable to fight back.
And in that moment…
Mighty Number Six overtook his mind. The invasive, annoyingly persistent obstacle was HIS, now—]
[MN.6] //: Finally--
[......]
[Nothing in all the worlds could prepare Mighty No. 6 for what came next...]
[MN.6] //: --!!?
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—
[—he had not been prepared for the fact that this would lay bare the soul for him to see!]
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!”
[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—]
[MN.6] //: 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.]
>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…
————————————
>VARIABLE: MNN-001
>ENTRY 1: DLN-006 JOURNAL ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 2: DLN-005 JOURNAL ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 3: DLN-000 JOURNAL ENTRY
-—-—-—-—-—-—-—- -—-—-—-—-—-—-—-
>VARIABLE: MNN-002
>ENTRY 1: DLN-000 JOURNAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 2: IALS JOURNAL ENTRY: CRUEL WATERS
-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-
-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-
>VARIABLE: MNN-003
>ENTRY 1: DWN-018 JOURNAL ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 2: DLN-008 JOURNAL ENTRY
-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-
-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-
>VARIABLE: MNN-004
>ENTRY 1: DLN-003 JOURNAL ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 2: DWN-021 JOURNAL ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 3: DWN-019 JOURNAL ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 4: DWN-023 JOURNAL ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 5: DWN-024 JOURNAL ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY
-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-
-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-
>VARIABLE: MNN-005
>ENTRY 1: DLN-005 JOURNAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 2: DLN-008 JOURNAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 3: DWN-012 JOURNAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 4: 05.07.2016 MEMORY DATA
-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-
[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.]
[MN.6] //: 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.]
>ERROR: EMOTIONS.EXE OVERLOAD
[…It only got WORSE.]
————————————
>VARIABLE: MNN-006
>ENTRY 1: DWN-012 JOURNAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 2: IALS JOURNAL ENTRY: VENUS LIGHTHOUSE
[Sheba screams as she falls, overcome with terror. It's a horror that she's had nightmares and visions about before for many years, of falling from the sky alone.
She is so terrified that her heart threatens to give out, until a cry shatters the whistle of the wind.]
"SHEBA!!! NOOOOOO! I WON'T LET YOU DIE!"
[Suddenly, she sees Felix jumping off the Lighthouse, diving down at her. He reaches out to grab her wrist.
Vines of golden energy coil down to catch her and bring her close. They are both falling—he's holding her close to protect her. She shut her eyes tight, gasping in fear. If only the wind could save them. She begged for someone—anyone—to save them.]
——————
>ENTRY 3: DWN-010 JOURNAL ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 4: DWN-013 JOURNAL ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 5: DLN-008 JOURNAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 6: DLN-008 JOURNAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 7: DLN-008 DATA ENTRY
-—-—-—-—-—-—-—- -—-—-—-—-—-—-—-
>VARIABLE: MNN-007
>ENTRY 1: IALS DATABASE JOURNAL ENTRY: RANGER TRAINING
"Too slow!"
I looked up angrily, biting back a remark. Karst looked down at me, lowering her scythe to rest against my throat.
"Always too slow! How you ever managed to catch a Talon Runner is beyond me."
I was silent. The bruise from the day before was still darkening. I knew another slap might cause permanent injury.
"Let him go, Karst."
The touch of death's blade lifted, the chill of steel leaving me. I tried to breathe steadily….
——————
>ENTRY 2: IALS DATABASE JOURNAL ENTRY: VENUS LIGHTHOUSE
Isaac and the others did not hesitate in attacking. And this time, they did not hold back.
I could only watch in horror as the battle raged on. It was a battle between titans. I was not in a position to see it very well, but I could feel it. Summon after summon, with the dragon wearing down with the power of a meteor to crush its opponents.
You might fault me for not describing a battle of magnificence. But you weren't there, you didn't see what I saw. I was watching a fight to the death between people I knew, unable to help anyone or to escape. I saw Isaac fight to the death with the aim to kill for the first time—and it was TERRIFYING.
He seemed sustained by an unnatural strength, and would not fall no matter the injury. His eyes were bright gold, with the same glow about his body—but also a blood red, and a sense of death. These auras shimmered like water as blow after blow faded away. The others were getting worn out, but not Isaac. The Lighthouse itself seemed to heal him, almost as much as Mia was helping.
They held strong, but the dragon did not. I covered Sheba's eyes as Isaac and Garet closed in and struck it directly. Those death screams still haunt my nightmares, as does the image of…
——————
>ENTRY 3: IALS DATABASE JOURNAL ENTRY: JUPITER LIGHTHOUSE
——————
>ENTRY 4: DWN-009 JOURNAL ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 5: DWN-016 JOURNAL ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 6: DWN-011 JOURNAL ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 7: DWN-014 JOURNAL ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 8: DWN-022 DATA ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY—DWN-024 JOURNAL ENTRY; DWN-019 JOURNAL ENTRY
-*-
——————
>ENTRY 9: DWN-022 JOURNAL ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY
——————
>ENTRY 10: 06.03.2016 MEMORY DATA
Blade: Here's how it's gonna go down, your royal highnesses!
Blade: YOU FORFEIT.
[SHING!]
[A saw bomb appears in one hand, and he yanks Dyna towards him, holding it roughly against Dyna's neck. The audience gasps—but none scream.]
Dyna: -HISS-
Blade: Or your sis won't have her pretty little head on her shoulders anymore! ~
-*-*-
SHINK.
Jack: —GNH!
All: !!!
[Jack falls forward, and Brand is there to catch him. NOW the audience starts to partially scream and gasp in surprise.]
[A saw blade embedded itself into his back, blinking lazily.]
-*-*-
[Tobias teleported in at Bladeblaster’s left, poised on the air, and filled with unbridled rage.
His eyes were glowing red as he grabbed the gang leader roughly by the shoulder with his left hand.
Carmen, for her part, had gone in as close to Dencerjack as she could. She didn’t have much time to set up and aim, but she knew what was coming—and for touching her sister, Bladeblaster would PAY.]
Tobias: -BLASTING data with no uncertain clarity of intention-
Blade: ---?!?!
Dyna: Wha--!
[His eyes were a pure red, the whole display—and he was was filled with power that was at a high enough level to function as a generator for an average household for several hours. …But… he wasn’t sparking up.
Far from it.
As he was pulling his right hand and arm back, the electric charge of almost the entire arena was being rapidly and brutally shifted, and the air became filled with the tense, almost painful (and frightening) uneasiness that it has when it is filled with static.
Tobias was gathering all the negative charge to himself!]
Avi: oh SWEET MARMALINE--
Tobias: -D I E-
[Carmen fired off one of her taser darts right where it would hurt the most. It coincided perfectly with Tobias’s infuriated blow.]
[The electric Industrial slammed his right fist right into Bladeblaster’s central mass, simultaneously firing off the most powerful THUNDER BEAM he could muster.
All the static buildup discharged in a violent lightning strike that hit the assassin dead center in a blinding flash, followed by a deafening thunderclap. As was custom for his weapon, the Thunder Beam also fired up into the sky and down at the ground, not just directly in front of him.
Bladeblaster had, in fact, more or less been skewered by lightning— and anyone caught in the line of fire was going to share the same fate.]
[Avi only had a few precious split seconds to react, and if it wasn't for the fact that recognized the tense electric power in the air before Tobias struck, he would have very well been reduced to a mere central core by now.]
[Suddenly he was glad Dyna shocked him for being annoying every now and then.]
[Even when he pretty much barrel rolled to the right, (and surprise, no pun intended) he could still feel the raw surge of untamed lightning narrowly missing him, causing his aerial instruments and other things to fuzz for a bit--making him VERY dizzy.]
[MN.6] //: OhmanI'mgonnabesick--
[And Blade?]
[Besides the sheer white hot pain that rippled through him--he screamed, body convulsing as it couldn't handle both the sudden boost from whatever was in that cross and Tobias's rash attack--and the dart from Carmen REALLY put the icing on the pain cake, so to speak.]
[By now, the radio silence had been lifted.]
<DLN-000 to MNN-001, MNN-005 through MNN-008>: > AUGH! HE’S IN LETHAL MODE!
<DWN-024>: > WE ARE /ALL/ IN LETHAL MODE—!
[Indeed.
Tobias was incredibly quick for an Industrial—the fastest Industrial built, and the second fastest overall.
Only moment had passed, but…]
Tobias: -THERE ARE MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM-
[…He was already pulling his arm back for another hit, drawing from his own reserves to charge up another Thunder Beam.
But what the idealist had in decisiveness, he lacked in foresight.
He had disregarded something very, VERY important.
Bladeblaster held his weakness.]
[What followed...]
[The next sound that came from Blade's throat did not sound holy at all.]
Blade: -GLITCHED SCREECHING-
[Whatever had given Blade that extra boost in power?]
[It had taken whatever coherent thought he had left in his madness.]
[Blade suddenly had a saw in his hand, and raised it so he could slash wildly at the DLN--!]
Avi: NO--!
SKLLLKTTKRRRSHHHLLLRRRKKT—
[Oil and cooling fluids spattered all over Bladeblaster’s hands and weapon, as if they were blood.
Tobias lost his grip immediately and fell to the ground, too dazed in pain and injury to even cry out.
His energy levels had dropped DRAMATICALLY, and were still dropping, as was his core temperature—two more hits like that, and he would be gone.]
——————
>ENTRY 11: DLN-008 JOURNAL ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY
————————————
[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.]
[MN.6] //: -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.]
[No. 6...was built to process as much data as possible.]
[...Today, that was his curse.]
————————————
>VARIABLE: MNN-008
>CROSS REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: D E A T H
>DEATH WEARS BLUE
>ENTRY 1: DWN-012 JOURNAL ENTRY: FINAL ENTRY
-*-*-
————————————————————————
[An error message then pops up.]
[Tobias collapsed when Avi finally managed to break free. And there he lay, lifeless on the ground.
The fight for his mind had caused major damage by stunning his Awareness.
It became too much for him to take.]
[…]
[Uh-oh.]
<DWN-011 has entered Lethal Combat mode.> <DWN-012 has entered Lethal Combat mode.> <DWN-013 has entered Lethal Combat mode.> <DWN-018 has entered Lethal Combat mode.> <DWN-019 has entered Lethal Combat mode.> <DWN-024 has entered Lethal Combat mode.> <DCN-003 has entered Lethal Combat mode.> <DCN-007 has entered Lethal Combat mode.> <DCN-008 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>
[…It looks like he hadn’t been alone.]
<DWN-024>: > How dare you.
<DWN-012>: > HE WARNED YOU, BRO. THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR NOT /LISTENING/ TO US.
<DWN-019>: > I /WILL/ TEAR APART YOUR CODE. <DWN-019>: > /LINE. <DWN-019>: > BY. <DWN-019>: > LINE./ <DWN-019>: > IF YOU DO NOT L E A V E <DWN-019>: > /THIS INSTANT./
<DWN-018>: > I’d back off now if I were you.
<DCN-003>: >Unless you would like Father and twins to run you facefirst through an aggressive WhiteCell filter!
[MN.6] //: -GASPS-
[.....Nothing. Avi....there was barely any data coming from him, now...]
[...Then...]
[Whatever was controlling him came right back.]
[MN.6] //: ...!!!!
[KKKKKSSSSSST!!]
[…The normally cheerful DCN was ready to make good on his threat.
He had NOT been bluffing.]
<DCN-003>: > {FATHER!}
[…]
<MC005 IS ACCESSING ADMIN CODES…>
Mikhail: -Cringing as he types- ({Forgive me for hacking, Will—!})
[MN.6] //: ngh--
[Suddenly--]
[With one fell swoop--]
[MN.6] //: RRRGH--!
[WARNING--SIGNAL HAS BEEN LOST.]
[In the Meadow, the Russian doctor curses in frustration, punching the desk and putting his face in his hands.]
Mikhail: {NO! We were so, SO close—!}
Keltso: -Sadly- {…At least you tried.}
Siam: Wait.
Digger: …?
Siam: WAIT.
Gemini: IT WAS ONLY Siam: /HIS/ SIGNAL Gemini: THAT WAS Siamini: LOST—
Mikhail: ?!
Siamini: THE MAIN CHANNEL IS OPEN!
Mikhail: !!!
Mikhail: We… we have to—!
[The communication channels had been left open. Everyone was starting to feel a bit desperate…]
-PING!-
<MC005 to MNN-001>: > -STATUS INQUIRY-
[.......]
[MN.1] //: RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!
[Mikhail was quite taken aback.]
Mikhail: ?!
[MN.1] //: B U R N.
[MN.1] //: A L L... M U S T...
[MN.1] //: BUUUUUUUURRRN!
Mikhail: .______.;;;
[His hands hovered over the keyboard, but he was frozen in doubt and indecision on how to respond to that.
Said hands were in gloves, as usual—
—gloves to hide the burn scars he would always carry with him.]
[MN.1 HAS BLOCKED MC005]
Mikhail: (He… good heavens, he almost sounded like…)
[The Second Gens were more or less cowering in fear. Shadow, however…]
Shadow: (I do not understand…)
[He reached out an intangible hand, stretching the request across time and space.]
<DWN-024 to MNN-007>: > -Ping-
[No response, at first.
He tried again.]
<DWN-024>: > -Ping.-
[…This time, he got through. But he could tell something was wrong.]
<DWN-024>: > -Ping.- {M…Master Brandish?}
[ ..........]
[MN.7] //: -DISTRESSED PINGING, SCREAMS IN THE BACKGROUND-
[MN.7] //: {Ngh---!! Sh---Shadow...!}
[Shadow scowled.]
<DWN-024>: > {You have no idea the turmoil that this chaos is throwing us into—! I am so relieved to get back in contact with you.}
<DWN-024>: > {We need your help—}
[MN.7] //: {nO--}
[Despair. Horror.]
[MN.7] //: {NO--NONONO!}
[…Fear.
…It was not something that Shadow was familiar with, but he felt it now, as plain as the moon.
Fear. Overwhelming, growing FEAR.]
<DWN-024>: > {W-what?!}
<DWN-024>: > {Sensei, what are you saying—?}
[MN.7] //: {NGH--}
[MN.7] //: .....
[MN.7] //: Must slice...must dice...
[MN.7] //: --aAAARGH--NO! I--MY BLADES--!
[Okay, now he was beginning to panic.
He tried to lock onto Brandish’s signal.]
<DWN-024>: > {Sensei! /For the love of the Lord Father, WHERE ARE YOU?!/}
[MN.7] //: {I CAN'T--I CAN'T--!!}
<DWN-024>: > {NO! YOU /MUST!/}
<DWN-024>: > {PLEASE! I AM BEGGING YOU!}
[MN.7] //: {F-FORGIVE ME--!}
[MN.7 HAS BLOCKED DWN-024.]
Shadow: -Just. Speechless.- (No…)
[…Was this… despair…?
…It was too much for him to take. He had /never/ felt so… hopeless. ]
[Things were looking very grim.]
Mikhail: ({Please… please, let him be alright…})
<MC005 to DR.WHITE>: > -PING!-
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=PROLOGUE C: IT ALL BEGINS NOW=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
White: MIKHAIL! IT'S HIM! HE'S ALIVE--!
Sanda: WELL DON'T JUST STAND THERE, WILL, ANSWER HIM--
[DR.WHITE] //: MIKHAIL--!
[The feed switched on.]
[…To utter chaos.
The whole family seemed to be there, Russians and Americans alike—the ground was coated in over an inch of solid ice, everyone was in full armor, and three of the brothers seemed to be out cold, sprawled as if they had passed out on the spot.]
[Siam is shouting, as usual.]
Siam: —OBODY PANIC, NOBODY PANIC
Digger: {HOW CAN YOU EXPECT US NOT TO PANIC}
Speedy: THIS IS MONSTROPOLIS ALL OVER—
Gemini: —! EVERYONE SHUT UP THE FEED Siamini: JUST CAME ON!
Mikhail: !!!
White: Mikhail!
Beck: GUYS--
Sanda: Y-You're OK--!
Mikhail: WILL! Thank God you’re alright! What is going on over there?!
Siam: -Talking over Mikhail- What is going on, first we got attacked from your servers and then—
White: We didn't--
Beck: EVERY ROBOT IN THE CITY AND THE COUNTRY IS GOING BANANAS AND I CAN'T CONTACT THE OTHERS AND I FOUGHT A GIANT ROUND DIGGER AND EVERYONE IS GONE--
Sanda: Beck--BECK, CALM DOWN--
Mikhail: {WHAT?!}
[Nico was silently screaming in alarm and panic over the channel. Even Digger—who rarely let his smile leave his face when he was in public—looked terrified.
And Speedy?
Poor Speedy was laying on the ground, curled up in full armor and clutching at his earcaps.]
Speedy: Oh God they’re all going to die
[Pisces was trying to comfort him, but it was in vain.
Everyone’s minds were drawn deep into the fall of Monstropolis—fire and smoke everywhere.]
Speedy: The people are going to kill them all they are going to dIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—
[And he was screaming, screaming in agonizing despair.]
Speedy: {PLEASE HAVE MERCY PLEASE YOU HAVE TO SAVE THEM}
Beck: -Breathing HARD, the XEL around him reacting erratically-
White: Beck--BREATHE, just...!
Sanda: -tIIIIME TO LOCK ALL THE NON INFECTED XEL IN THE GIANT CANISTERS IN CASE BECK BREAKS DOWN-
[The others were really starting to break down as well. Mikhail was hastily locking the database to prevent a data overload the likes of which Avi had /just/ seen from being sent /Beck’s/ way as well.]
Jaden: -Groveling- I’m begging you not to kill them like that, please have mercy—
Pisces: -Just plain crying, on the inside-
Nico: Oh God help us— Beck, pLEASE, PLEASE DON’T KILL THEM—
[C R A C K]
Beck: -pANICKY NOW-
White: --!!!
Sanda: Ohno--
Mikhail: -SORRY, TRYING TO PREVENT THE SERVER FROM CRASHING-
[Mikhail was doing the best he can, yes...
...But Beck could HEAR the desperation in their voices, their screams, and recalling the stories he wasn't supposed to hear...
...Their voices rose and seemed to entrap him, PLEADS of mercy and terror, growing louder, louder, LOUDER--!]
[C R A C K!]
Beck: ENOUGH!
[THAT garnered an interesting reaction.
Skull created a barrier around himself and his family, while some of the others instinctively summoned weapons to their hands. The look in their eyes was wild—that of cornered, panicked prey.]
[The Xel within the large storage canisters in the lab BURST open, and both Will and Sanda threw up their arms on instinct, as if expecting a repeat of the LAST time Beck had lost his composure...]
[...But the wave of Xel never came.]
Mikhail: …?
[Instead...the Xel paused. Drew TOWARDS the Mighty Number, the same soft, green glow enveloping him...]
Beck: All of you be QUIET!
[Mikhail stands, placing a hand on Keltso’s shoulder as a signal to stand down.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Mikhail: … Incredible…
[XEL QUOTA REACHED. XEL PURGE: ONLINE. XELFILTER.EXE HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR OVERDRIVE.]
Mikhail: (Why, it’s like watching Felix…!)
Beck: .......
[ And as Beck stood there, eyes glowing a willful emerald green, coming to terms with what he just did and what was transpiring around him...]
[…Interesting…]
[The green glow seemed to calm the others.
Their own eyes /stopped/ glowing the panicked solid green they had been moments before.]
Beck: . . .
"...Haywire robots...in all 52 states..."
"IT'S BLACKWELL'S FAULT--"
"Hellllooo! Is this thing on?"
[…Screaming. Two voices, screaming in agony—]
“{PLEASE HAVE MERCY PLEASE YOU HAVE TO SAVE THEM}”
"You have tools of which this world--or ANY world--have only just begun to see!"
"USE THEM!"
"Come on--SNAP OUT OF IT--NOW!"
“Let me tell you something, Master Beck.
It is your heart and your build, your purpose, to help others. That is where your greatest power, I think, will always lie.
When you truly believe in your cause, the strength comes to you.
And after all.
You are Mighty.”
Beck: .........
[.....]
[Beck closes his eyes...]
Beck: .....
Beck: I'm...not going to destroy my own family.
[The Rebel Angels did a double take in alert surprise.]
Beck: No...
[When he opened them again--]
[They were a FIERCE bright green, shining with a will and determination that could only be defined as Mighty. ]
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: (I feel like I’ve seen that look before somewhere…)
Beck: I'm going to SAVE them!
[Their eyes seemed glazed over.
…Clearly, this was going to take a moment to process.]
White: .......
Sanda: ........
Mikhail: -Sighs in relief and puts a hand to his face, finally coming out of an adrenaline rush into a hard crash-
Mikhail: …It may take them a few minutes to finish processing that data.
Mikhail: It’s just.
Mikhail: Barely within their comprehension….
Mikhail: [sub]{great heavens I am so tired}[/sub]
Beck: .......
White: .........
Sanda: ......
[......]
White: Beck...
[Mikhail is sitting down heavily, just listening for the time being as he gathered his thoughts.]
White: I...I can't let you go OUT there--
Skull: Nyet.
[They had finished processing, and were MUCH calmer now, if… weary and haunted.]
Skull: -Quietly- {Doctor, you must.}
Skull: {Unless you wish the likes of my [color=blue]cousin[/color] to be created to go in his place.}
White: ---.....
Sanda: .........
Keltso: {It’s true, Doctor. Your family, they are the strongest. Who can stand against them if they wish to fight, unless they themselves also use incredible force?}
Keltso: {Without you all to help keep order, it will fall to others who are…}
Keltso: {LESS compassionate.}
Sanda: .......
Sanda: Will...Will, they're right.
[Sanda turned towards his best friend, who had placed a hand on his son's shoulder...]
Sanda: There's...no other way...
Jaden: …Please…
Jaden: …Doctor, people are already panicked. Beck may be the only way to stop this from becoming a second Monstropolis.
Jaden: And… a-and it’s not unheard of for one boy to take on the world. And win.
Jaden: [sub]…And since he stays in his right mind, Beck’s far better than he could ever hope to be…[/sub]
White: ........
[He seemed--conflicted. On one hand--he SO DESPERATELY wanted to save his sons and daughters as well--]
[...But Beck was ALSO his son.]
[What if...?]
Beck: Dad...
White: ....
[Will kneels, looking at his son in the eye while placing his hands on both of his shoulders, now, almost identical green hues staring into each other.]
Beck: Dad...I...I'm not gonna lie. I'm scared.
Skull: …
Beck: And--to be honest--I...I don't even know if I can DO this...
Beck: ...But...
Beck: I gotta try.
Beck: Because--....losing...
Beck: ...everyone...
Beck: ....scares me WORSE.
[Speedy looks…
Heartbroken.]
Speedy: (…When it reaches that point…. It’s almost like life isn’t worth living anymore…)
Beck: Dad, I...I don't...I have to...I LOVE them, Dad, I have to TRY. I HAVE to.
Beck: They aren't--themselves, this isn't their fault--!
Digger: -Drills whirr in memory of his own brainwashed chaos- :’ (
Beck: I have to TRY and SAVE them, Dad! WHO ELSE WILL?!
White: . . . .
[Tears...]
Beck: Please...!
[......]
White: ....
White: Soi?
Sanda: ...Yes?
White: Please tell me the teleporters are still working.
Beck: --!
[…!!!]
White: We're going to need them.
[Mikhail stands abruptly, speaking sharply.]
Mikhail: {WAIT!}
[This startles his family members, as he’s speaking VERY sharply—with authority.]
Mikhail: {Will you can’t use the same frequencies as before—}
White: --Of course not--
Mikhail: {Avi has control over the signals, and if he interferes with THAT, it would KILL them!}
White: Yes--I figured that--we've seen his 'news report'.
Sanda: -tHIS IS NEWS TO HIM- WHAT?!
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: …He may be out of commission for a while, but I doubt it will be for long—
Sanda: Wait, what—
Mikhail: -Dryly- He made a critical mistake.
Mikhail: And paid… VERY dearly for it.
White: ....
White: ....So...the screaming--
Mikhail: Yes. That was the two of them.
[Toby was...offline--]
White: --!!!
White: He...no...
Mikhail: When he broke through—the cross that this family bears… was pressed onto HIS shoulders.
Mikhail: It was more than he could bear.
Beck: ----!!! No--! AVI!!
Mikhail: There’s a /reason/, friends, why we tried very hard to downplay what we’ve been through…
Mikhail: And, well. Now he knows. And he’ll remember it ever after, when he snaps out of it.
White: --.....
[His son....]
White: A-Aviator...
Sanda: -Places a hand on his shoulders-
White: .......
Beck: ...Dad...
White: ....-loooong sigh-
[White shakes his head and slumps down to sit on several boxes labeled with the Sanda logo, his hands on his face...]
White: My family...
[....It...]
[It was...almost like LAST time...]
[His family was....!]
Sanda: Will...
[Sanda walks over and sits beside him, an arm around his shoulders.]
Sanda: Will...it's going to be alright.
White: ......
Sanda: You've got me in your corner, remember? ^^
[Ah, there it is. That old Sanda positive optimism and charm.]
Sanda: I'm ALWAYS here for you, you know that!
Sanda: So of COURSE I'm going to help you!
White: ......
Sanda: What are best friends FOR after all. We're in this mess together... So we might as well stick together too, right?
White: ....
White: Heh...
White: What would I do without you, Soi...?
Sanda: Ooooh, I don't know--probably working yourself ragged, that's what.
White: -chuckles softly-
White: .....
White: ...Thank you, Soi.
Sanda: Anytime, Will. Anytime.
Beck: -Smiles-
Mikhail: …Will?
Mikhail: Remember what I told you?
-*-*-*-*-*-
Mikhail: Listen…
Mikhail: If anything ever goes that wrong for you,
Mikhail: I /promise/ you I will help you find a way to fix it.
-*-*-*-*-*-
White: ...Heh...right... I remember...
Sanda: Ya see, Will?!
Mikhail: Though…
Mikhail: -Sighs- Tobias is… out cold, so getting back in contact once Avi regains strength is not going to be an easy feat.
Sanda: .....!
Mikhail: It’s going to take me a while to go through his coding to make sure it hasn’t been disrupted. And even then, I… don’t know if I will revive him right away.
Keltso: … What? But Father—! Why not?!
Mikhail: …Because, my son—he is his father’s son.
Mikhail: He is impulsive, impatient, and passionate.
Mikhail: He very nearly got sent Offline the last time his friends were in danger, remember?
White: ...Quite so...
Mikhail: I do not know what Dyna’s situation might be, but undoubtedly he would… try to stop her, in some manner.
Mikhail: …which would be dangerous for /both/ of them and likely severely emotionally damaging to Lady Dyna long term…
Sanda: -pALES at the thought-
Digger: -Drill whir- : (
Digger: Doctors American…
Digger: …To lose control, from outside force.
Digger: Very hurt much, yes bad. :’C
Digger: … -Can’t. Just can’t. It’s hitting too close to home, here-
[aaAAAAND HE SUDDENLY STARTS TALKING VERY INTENSELY.]
Digger: It is frightening, and horrid!
White: --!!
Digger: I only survived because Cardinal spared my life, faked my death for me—
Digger: All the others, the ones he didn’t reach—they were all dead, but we all have to carry—
Digger: It will be no easy thing, once they recover, for to be returned to right mind does not take away the sins. It will hurt them, badly.
Digger: …
Digger: -Sadly- you must… be ready for that….
White: ........
Sanda: ......
Beck: ......... (Guys....it's....I swear...it's not your fault...)
Mikhail: Yet another reason why we have to stay out of this, boys…
White: ........
White: ........
White: ................
[Stay....out of this...]
Mikhail: We don’t want the Avi-like incident repeating with the other numbers. It will be hard enough to carry without hurting close friends in the process…
Nico: …Good luck getting Shadow to agree. -Looks down at said brother- Maybe we should keep him Offline, too?
Skull: …At least, until Brandish is better…
[…]
[… … …]
[…There seemed to be.
Something missing…
…
…UH-OH.]
White: -sUDDENLY VERY PANICKED-
White: MIKHAIL.
Mikhail: …?
Mikhail: …
White: WHERE IS CARDINAL?
[A moment of pause.]
Mikhail: -oH GEEZ— - …No…
Siam: No…! No no no no no no no—
Mikhail: CARDINAL!
Sanda: ohhhNO--
Beck: Cards--!
<RMDC>: >ERROR: DLN-000 SIGNAL NOT FOUND.
[There was no response.]
Siam: WHERE IS HE?!
Mikhail: SHUT DOWN THE TELEPORTERS, NOW!
[The Doctor was running off toward the complex in the background.]
Mikhail: For all that is good in the world, PLEASE let him be in the lab—!
White: Beck--
Beck: He's not answering--!
Sanda: -pANIIIIC-
[Nico was hovering by now, eyes glowing in distress.]
Nico: I thought he’d been awfully reserved from his usual commentary—!
White: He....oh no...he must...he must have...!
[...Nearly all of the Mighty Numbers had been taken by the virus...]
[...Including Countershade.]
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.}
Skull: …
Keltso: -rAEG- {CARDINAL!}
Keltso: {YOU SELFISH BASTARD—!}
Beck: He's gone after Shade--!
Sanda: --IS HE SERIOUS--
White: .........
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!
White: ..........
Beck: NO!
Sanda: Will, what is Eight's status?!
White: .....
White: I...I don't know.
[There is dismayed shouting.]
White: 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—!
White: I have NOTHING on this side either--!
Sanda: -sCRAMBLING FOR THE TERMINAL-
Beck: -REPEATEDLY PINGING CARDS, PLEASE ANSWER-
[There is no response.
…Not just “no response,” either.
It’s like the reception had been turned off entirely, like it simply never reached a destination.]
Beck: !?
[For—as a survival feature—ALL the AI&As of his world…
…were able to turn reception and outgoing signals off entirely.]
[Doing so cut them off from the world, reducing them to the more human senses—
—but it also forced others to rely on those same senses to track them.]
[And he had evaded such efforts for twenty YEARS.]
White: ............
White: I...can't find him...
Sanda: BLAST IT--!
Beck: C...cards....
Mikhail: … -Sounds very… resigned- …Nor will you.
Mikhail: …He is not just a Combat construct.
Mikhail: He is military.
Mikhail: And one of the features all AI&As have—just for survival’s sake, as they are hunted—
Mikhail: …is to turn off all wireless transmission—ingoing AND outgoing.
Mikhail: He doesn’t want to be found. He has a mission directive, and he won’t let anyone stop him from completing it. -Slight groan- I’ve seen him like this before. Last time, he traveled half the world—certainly most of Europe and parts of Africa—before he was finished.
Mikhail: He was being sought by the CIA, KGB, and God knows who else…. They never found him.
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: The only way we’ll know where he is…
Mikhail: Is either by his return, or his destruction.
White: ....Unless we figure out where Shade is first...but even THAT is a nigh impossible task...
Sanda: ........
Beck: ....
White: Dear God, Cardinal--...please be alright...
Pisces: …
Pisces: -Slowly- …lasted this long.
Pisces: Fought military before. Police before. Feds before. Even [color=cadetblue] him [/color] b’fore.
Pisces: …Don’t think we’ll find Shade b’fore Cardinal does. We’re all focused on big picture. He’s just focused on Shade. Simple resource distribution comparison.
Pisces: …Plus he seems to know a bit more than at least we do of how Shade thinks and stuff…
Skull: …
Skull: … -Dryly- That’s Shade under /normal/ circumstances.
Pisces: -Flatly- Fine. Viper, then.
White: . . . .
Beck: [sub]....Pisces does have a point...[sub]
Beck: ...Cards could be our best shot at finding Shade....
Pisces: … I know my brother pretty well. He’s… gonna be moving, constantly, staying out of the way unless forced. He only uses force when he has to—to keep the element of surprise. So that people underestimate him. …You guys have no idea what he’s /really/ capable of.
Pisces: But. T’ give you an idea. Basically trying to fight all the rest of us. At once. With teleportation.
Nico: -Grumbles- Yeah, I’m glad we didn’t STAY infected, ESPECIALLY him…
White: --?!? What?!
Sanda: So it DID try to--
Speedy: Dude. The SandaEnterprises Database (White Server) uploaded a corrupt file to the RMDC.
Siam: It didn’t work, but it activated the closest equivalents—
Gemini: The DLN_COMBAT.EXE program and the DWN_COMBAT.EXE/PLAN_M initiative.
Siam: …Basically, the thing that causes 001 to become Death, and the forced “fight to the death” clause Dad put in to counteract it.
Sanda: ..........
White: n...no...
[If it had done THAT to THEM...
Then...who knows...what it could have done to....]
Siam: -sUDDEN THOUGHT— - (CARMEN!)
Beck: --!!!!
White: --!!!!!
Sanda: NOT--
Siam: -Turns sharply- Doctor!
Mikhail: -A bit surprised by the sudden alarm- What?
Siam: Is FMN-008 connected to the RMDC?! The FMN series?!
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: …I don’t think so.
Mikhail: They do have access to Paige, but I hadn’t made entries for them in the RMDC as of yet…
White: .........
Mikhail: She had just been using Shade’s access codes the whole time.
White: ....Mikhail....
White: ....if this is happening to us...
Mikhail: …I know, Will. I know. But we can only handle one apocalypse at a time, my friend. And remember…they’re not as… integrated as we are to the point where time would run parallel. For all we know, it’s several months later for them. Or three weeks ago.
Mikhail: I’ll have Lady Ky look into the temporal status of that timeline.
Skull: -Slowly- I think if Carmen were to get as mad as we were…
Skull: …she’d probably go around castrating a bunch of guys before anything else…
White: ......-wINCES-
Sanda: oh dear--
Beck: -eRK-
Skull: -Looks up- Gotta remember, she was…
Skull: …Pretty sensitive to being given a hard time by guys, either for her looks or behavior.
Skull: … [sub]including her Brandish, even, THAT doesn’t seem like it would end too well, oh dear[/sub]
Mikhail: -Shakes his head- We have enough to worry over without going into “what-if”s.
Mikhail: I would say my youngest son’s insight is correct, however—which is as much of a blessing as we are going to get, because it means she will leave well enough alone, and none of her siblings have any motivation to come here.
Mikhail: …I wonder…
White: ....? Yes? What is it?
Mikhail: …There IS one person who might know.
Jaden: … -Confused- I thought you said you didn’t want to risk sending any viruses to the other timeline.
Mikhail: I’m not talking about Will’s counterpart.
Mikhail: I’m talking about Dencerjack.
White: .....
White: .....Jack....
[There was a brief pause.]
Mikhail: …Jack’s not answering the number in the database.
Mikhail: He must have moved out, or else doesn’t want to answer a strange call. We won’t be getting answers there.
Skull: -Monotone- I suppose we’ll find out if we hear of any mysterious deaths with lipstick left on the victims.
White: .....
Sanda: (Have mercy....)
Beck: -sad, SAD DATA, SIIIIIS-
Keltso: …
Keltso: So now what.
Sanda: Hmm.....
Mikhail: -Looks over at his son-
Keltso: -Shakes his head and sighs- Father…
Keltso: The family leader for our cousins is gone. His bodyguard has fainted. His technician is in critical condition.
Keltso: We cannot go over there in /person/, nor bring them /here/—not while MNN-006 controls the frequencies.
Keltso: -Starting to show irritation- What is there to /do/?!
Mikhail: -Aaand now we place a hand on Rage’s shoulder, calm, son, calm-
Sanda: .......
Sanda: -SNAPS FINGERS-
Siam: ?
Sanda: It's a long shot, but while Avi is still recovering--
[Sanda works away on his terminal, White looking over his shoulder to see what he was doing. Meanwhile, Beck was still trying to contact his siblings--to no avail, of course, but it didn't stop him from still trying.]
Mikhail: -Somewhat curious- You have something in mind, Doctor?
Sanda: I'm going to see if I can contact my brother at the head office in Tokyo...
Mikhail: …! Ah, yes—
[Despite the situation, he couldn’t help but smile.]
Mikhail: You know, Dr. Sanda, I heard it mentioned you had a brother…
[Keltso suddenly looks majorly embarrassed.]
————————
White: Ah, I see. I'll do my best to work around his schedule, so that he may get as much rest as possible.
Siam: -Amused- Do your sons ever have to enforce your curfew, Doctor White, to make sure you get some sleep?
White: Er, W-Well....
Sanda: Are you kidding me, I'M the one that has to remind him to get to bed!
White: And....Beck as well.
<DCN-007>: >?
[Data stream.
Family tree image showing White and Sanda as brothers.]
Siam: -Bursts out laughing-
Sanda: (-LAUGHING OH JEEZ-)
White: (-WAIT WHAT NO-)
Siam: -Fans wheezing- He means that as an inquiry. bwaaaahahaaaaha/haaaaaa/…
White: Sanda isn't...my brother, no...! I mean, I've known him since high school, but...
Sanda: (-HE'S STILL LAUGHING PFFFT-)
Siam: Hee hee… Oh, goodness, I can’t wait to see the three of them have a science sleepover and then… hee hee… -Just shaking with laughter- Like the Second Gens!
Sanda: (-OK ok he's calming down now-) Ahah...oooooh, man. I'm sorry, it's just...!
Sanda: I actually have a twin brother of my own, and I'm just imagining HIM HEARING THIS HAHAHA--
<DCN-007>: >!
[Picture of Siamini]
Siam: Something like that, I imagine. Is he like you, Doctor?
Sanda: We're identical twins, yes! His name is Seijiro Sanda. He's the CEO of Sanda Enterprises's main office in Tokyo!
————————
Keltso: -WHY, DAD, WHY- -NOW WE ARE RED WITH SHAAAAAME-
Siam: -Gleeful pinging- Oh, I Gemini: remember Siamini: THAT Siam: conversation!~
Siam: I still think it’d be funny to see Gemini: the three of you in a sleepover.
Mikhail: -Cracks up a little at that-
White: Heh...
Sanda: -caNT HELP BUT CHUCKLE WHILE HE WORKS-
Sanda: Heh--Seji would like that too, I think--I just hope he's alright. I know this whole mess only seems to be centralized here in America but you never know...
Digger: -Russian shouting- {BECK MY DAD CAN BEAT YOUR DAD IN VIDEO GAMES} :^D
Mikhail: -Strained snort-
Keltso: … {He gets that from /you/ somehow, you know…}
Mikhail: {No, that’s something he got from your mother, my son.}
[.............]
Beck: .....
White: .....?
Beck: Huh? Oh--sorry. I wasn't listening...
[-PING!-]
???: {-PANICKED JAPANESE YELLING-}
[A holoscreen feed was brought up, and a man almost identical to Soi appeared on the screen, looking less than calm. The only key differences was the slightly different hairstyle--and the sharp business suit.]
???: {SOICHIRO--CAN YOU HEAR ME?!}
[Mikhail blinked as the feed entered multi-window mode, with Soi, White, and Beck in one half, and the Seiji in the other half.]
Skull: … -Looks down at the ground where Shadow, Snow, and Tobias are (still) passed out- ({…This is probably not the best way to make a first impression.})
Soi: {Seijiro--}
Seiji: {OH THANK THE STARS YOU'RE ALRIGHT--! I've been trying to contact you for HOURS but most of the signals and feeds are down--WILL!}
Mikhail: ({Similar temperaments, alright…})
White: -AHEM takes a moment to remember our Japanese-
White: {I'm alright, Mr. Sanda--please, take a moment to calm down, though we might not have much time on our hands...}
Skull: -Is discretely getting his brothers and Siam to help move the Offline AI&As out of view of the feed-
[Seiji takes out a small handkerchief to wipe his forehead a bit, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself.]
Seiji: {Yes, yes...I apologize, I was just so worried after that... broadcast...}
Seiji: ........
[He switches to English.]
Seiji: Is it...true? Has Avi really....
Mikhail: … -Quietly, though still loud enough to be heard- Yes. Unfortunately so.
Seiji: ......
Seiji: And who is--
Soi: Reeeeeemember the friend Will and I made that I told you about....?
Soi: Mikhail, Seijiro--Seijiro, Mikhail. Sorry you both had to meet in these circumstances....
Mikhail: Михаил Сергеевич Казак, at your service. Or, Ｄｒ．ミハイル・セルゲイビッチ・コサック, as you might say it.
Mikhail: MNN-006 is currently disabled after a tragic conflict with DLN-008; but he will likely recover before too long. Some things will have to wait until later to be explained.
Seiji: ...Yes, yes, of course...I understand. What is the current situation?
White: ...There appears to be some kind of virus outbreak that infected our servers here in the American Branch--which in turn, infected other servers and the like. It's causing nearly every robot to malfunction and act aggressively--even civilian and industrial models have been affected. The only robot that is immune to the ongoing virus is...Mighty No. 9, Beck.
Beck: ....Hi, Mr. Sanda...
Mikhail: Sadly, it affected the rest of the series. They appear to be dispersed.
Mikhail: One of the DLN series has also gone missing, likely having gone out to seek No. 8.
Seiji: ....
Seiji: So even....the Mighty Number line...
White: .... Yes. They've...all gone somewhere else. I don't know where they are at the moment, and some of the other numbers have no status whatsoever...such as Mic.
Seiji: .....
Seiji: And...Call?
White: I--
White: ....
White: Soi--where IS Call?
Soi: She's in the east wing. Offline, at the moment--
Beck: Offline?!
Nico: Uh…
Nico: Who’s “Call"?
Mikhail: …! (Uh-oh.)
White: --! -OH NO WE FORGOT--
Digger: -LOUDLY- COUSIN COME HELP WITH ELECTRIC BROTHER.
Nico: Uh—
Digger: YES GOOD -Drags Nico off-
Skull: … -Russian- {You all do realize you’re going to have to confront that eventually, right?}
Siam: Perhaps, but not /today/, now is /not/ a good time, one disaster at a time, please. >__>
Seiji: ....???
White: We'll explain that later too.
Seiji: .....
Beck: -AHEM WHY IS MY BEST FRIEND\SISTER-COUSIN OFFLINE?! -
Soi: Well....
Jaden: (This is where Felix would say “It’s A Long Story”—man, I wonder if he’s still sick…)
Soi: Before this all started--several minutes before, in fact--today she was due for a firmware update....so I shut down her systems for it can install properly...
Mikhail: Wait.
Soi: --?
Mikhail: Are you saying she was in technological isolation when this happened?
Soi: In a way--Yes, but...since the lab's systems are mostly down, I can't know for sure if she's been...or even IF the firmware update completed before it all started...
Soi: ......
Mikhail: -Becomes quiet, apparently thinking this over- … -Murmuring- I’d offer to help in that regard, but I’m afraid I’m out of the country at the moment…
Seiji: ......
White: ...We'll have to bring her back online in a sealed room--so if she IS infected, Beck can bring her back to normal using his assimilation and filter program. We will definitely need her support, Soi.
Soi: I know, I know...
Mikhail: Speaking of support. I will help however I can, but that will be limited to how long we can stay in contact.
Mikhail: -Russian, as he is banking on Seiji not knowing it- {You know why it would be a bad idea for my sons to come over—thankfully, at least THEY will listen to me. Unlike a certain red bird we know.}
White: Hmm....
Beck: I can go do that with her right now, Dad. If anyone can handle Call in combat...
Soi: .....
Soi: Beck?
[…Theeeeee RUSSIANS SEEM TO TAKE A DEFENSIVE STANCE AT THAT.]
Soi: ....If she is...not well... please be careful she's my little girl--
Beck: I will. Promise.
[As Beck moves away from the terminal, Soi turns back to his brother.]
Soi: Seiji...we could use all the help we can get. Can you do anything for us right now? Anything at all?
[........]
Seiji: .....I....
Seiji: I'm sorry, Soichiro...please understand. If things are as bad as you say they are, then....
Seiji: The Japanese government won't let us intervene unless we know the exact CAUSE of the malfunctions--and how to combat the virus en masse...
Mikhail: -Sighs, but clearly not at all surprised- : |
Soi: ....
Soi: ...I...I was afraid of that.
Soi: ...But it makes sense.... If you send more robots overseas, THEY could get infected too, making everything even worse.
Mikhail: And there is little enough human resources to go around…
White: ......
White: Just to confirm, Mr. Sanda.
Seiji: Yes?
White: If we can isolate the cause of the robot rampage--you WILL send aid?
Mikhail: -Perks up at this-
[Seijiro nods.]
Seijiro: Absolutely. Anything we can do.
Mikhail: Will— -Somewhat eagerly- {Even if I wouldn’t be able to report it right away, I would be able to help study it. For every action, an equal and opposite reaction—}
[Aaaand he’s talking absentmindedly and rapidly in Russian about comparing and contrasting the strain with the DLN_COMBAT.EXE program and the notes he had from what Will had been teaching him about coding with Xel.]
Skull: -Politely, for Seiji’s sake- Father says he will help figure that out.
White: {Ah--I was actually going to ask!}
Seiji: -....and now we wish we took Russian instead of French in our second languages class- Thank you, Dr. Cossack. Thank you.
Siam: Doctor, Doctor—
Siam: I know it’s important but I /beg/ your help to fix Tobias first, to make sure Aviator didn’t fatally damage his Awareness coding. D: Gemini: I can’t code as well as you do.
Mikhail: —… -Small, quiet sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose a little- Right, of course. Sorry, Will, it may be delayed be a day or two, but… I don’t think it would take much longer than that. {Time warps, and all that.}
White: That's alright. I understand. I can handle things until then.
Seiji: ....It sounds as if you already have a plan in mind, Will.
White: More or less.
Mikhail: …It would be important for us to know what that is, given there are already a number of independently [color=brick]moving[/color] [color=cadetblue]parts[/color]…
White: Hmm.
White: I would like to have No. 9 present as soon as he--
[-PING!-]
Mikhail: ?
[CALL IS NOW ONLINE. STATUS: NORMAL.]
[MN.9] //: GUYS GOOD NEWS SHE'S OK! : D
Soi: CALL--
Siam: -Pings in approval-
[Therrrre he goes!]
Mikhail: -Smiles- (I had thought as much, but hadn’t dared to hope…!) {Good news amidst the darkness. The sun still shines out there somewhere. We’ll drag it out from behind the clouds, if that’s what it takes.}
[CALL] //: .....
[CALL] //: I detect distressed emotions in various vocal patters of all present. Is something wrong, Dr. Sanda?
[MN.9] //: Lemmie fill you in on what's going on, Call...it's...not good.
[UPDATING...]
[CALL] //: ........
[CALL] //: Analyzing....
Siam: …Tobias will need time to recover, I’m afraid… but I am sure we can fix the damage.
Gemini: … [sub]The “physical” damage, at any rate…[/sub]
[CALL] //: ............
[......]
[-PING!-]
[CALL] //: I have been informed of the current situation. I will assist in any way I can, Doctors.
Soi: Attagirl! ^^
Mikhail: -Turns his attention to Will- You were saying?
White: -Ahem- We will be sending Beck to save all of his fellow Mighty Numbers, as he is the only combat model available to face them at the moment--
[-PING-]
[CALL] //: I am also registered as a combat model.
Mikhail: -Can’t help but smile at this- Dearest Sanda daughter… It is psychologically important to the Whites to be able to handle the matter internally if possible.
[CALL] //: ..........
[CALL] //: ..........
[MN.9] //: Call--I'd really like for you to have my back...
[MN.9] //: ...But this is WAY too dangerous and the Doctors need you here. No one can sort through data like you can, you give even AVI a run for his money.
[MN.9] //: ....Plus...you don't have my assimilation ability.
[MN.9] //: ...and I don't want you REALLY getting infected either...
Mikhail: Ah, is that so? I didn’t know she was so skilled at data analysis. Though to be fair, you haven’t told us much about her…
Mikhail: With both Aviator and Tobias out of the picture and Siamini busy with other projects, that role is in desperate need of being maintained.
[CALL] //: ...... Confirmed.
[CALL] //: I shall remain here and assist with data analysis and navigational support for No. 9.
[MN.9] //: .... Thanks, Call.
White: Right....
Siam: The support role may not be glorious, DSN-000, but it is an important one.
Gemini: [sub]As I can say from experience…[/sub]
[CALL] //: ... Inquiry---
White: AS I was saying... (We really do not have time for stories, Call.)
<DWN-019 to DSN-000>: >It might be best to ask directly for now, and let the humans talk amongst themselves.
White: Beck will be tracking down his fellow Mighty Numbers. His assimilation ability should filter any and all irregularities in his siblings' programming.
Mikhail: -Has his arms crossed, eyes closed, and head lowered- ({Hopefully, he’ll find Cardinal in the process, too. BEFORE he ends up getting himself destroyed.})
White: If we can gather and study multiple samples of the virus's coding from the Mighty Numbers themselves...
White: Perhaps we can isolate the cause of the problem.
Mikhail: -Nods in agreement- We shall help in that analysis as best we can.
White: Once we've identified the root of the malfunctions, we can work on some way to combat it. Be it in the form of a anti-virus program or whatever else we can come up with. Meanwhile, Soi can help repair the rescued Mighty Numbers while I study the code along with Mikhail--once he finishes repairing DLN-008.
Soi: -Nods- Hmm. I'll do what I can with the non-infected Xel we have on stock.
Seiji: ....But...
Seiji: Are you SURE you will have sufficient Xel for ALL the Mighty Numbers?
Mikhail: From what I understand, Seijiro—Number Nine can cleanse infected Xel. So, yes.
Mikhail: And in fact, one moment…
[He starts typing away at the console.
A few moments later, the Xel canisters that were in the Meadow show up next to Will.]
Mikhail: That may help somewhat.
Soi: !!!
White: ! Ah! {The supply in the Meadow--I had nearly forgotten...}
Mikhail: {You may need it. …It’s the least I can give, since I can’t go over there in person.}
Mikhail: I promised you, once, to help you fix it if things ever went “that wrong”. I stand by that now. We will bring your children home, Will. {And, God willing, Cardinal as well.}
Mikhail: -Sloppy sad smile- {Though he does almost see you as a father now, himself. Even though you are about the same age.}
Mikhail: -Definitely amused- {Apparently you function as the scolding “this is a bad idea” part of his conscience. He’s picked up a lot from Shade, to be sure, heh heh.}
White: (....He...does...?)
[...He paused for a moment, as if to mull over that for a second--when he remembers something from earlier.]
White: Incidentally, I did manage to catch a bit of news on the way here. It's something I don't think I've told you yet, Soi.
Soi: ...?
Mikhail: ?
White: The president of Cherry Dynamics is insisting the cause of the malfunctions is... Dr. Blackwell.
Mikhail: -Snorts- Oh, right, that. To be honest…
Mikhail: -Turns to look behind him- Carlos was yelling so loudly in Spanish, and Shadow in Japanese, that we didn’t hear the full broadcast.
Speedy: ^^;
Soi: What??
Soi: That's-- -sputters- --poppycock!
Mikhail: Of course he would say something like that. What could he be hiding about his company?
Mikhail: Cardinal is convinced that he and CherryDyn are connected to some sort of great darkness. While we are prone to paranoia, his behavior certainly isn’t helping his case.
Mikhail: I’d help you with these shark-infested waters like I did last time—
Seiji: I'd thank you properly for that but I'm afraid time is short. What about Dr. Blackwell, Soi?
Soi: Dr. Blackwell may be a genius but he can't POSSIBLY be behind this! Not THIS time, at least--
White: Soi... you must admit, there ARE similarities to his LAST plot to...shut down every robot in America...
Mikhail: Will.
Soi: You mean how they both originated at the Battle Colosseum?
Mikhail: I do believe Siamini already discussed with you the likely /cause/ of his last attempt.
[Woah, what’s with the sudden coldness there]
White: .......I know, Mikhail. But we must consider all possibilities--
Soi: Will--he was caught and arrested! Even Ben isn't clever enough to pull this off from inside a maximum security prison!
White: Exactly.
[Mikhail pinches the bridge of his nose. He looks weary, in an impatient way.]
Mikhail: -Warning tone- Will…
White: Which is why I wonder why Mr. Graham seemed so certain. He is OBVIOUSLY hiding something, we know that much--
[KKKSSSSSSST!!!]
Mikhail: !
Mikhail: Nyet, nyet, nyet—!
Mikhail: {Not NOW!}
"MISS ME, GOOD DOCS?!"
White: AVI!
“STOP."
Mikhail: !
[He turns around to see Jaden striding forward.]
Jaden: He isn’t himself. Please, don’t get angry with him.
[MN.6] //: Ooo, nice drills ya got there. Kinda rings a bell.
[MN.6] //: AAAANYWAY--whatever your little sparky friend did REALLY ruined my good mood.
Siam: -Hotly- It’s whatever YOU did, Number Six— he did WARN you.
<DWN-013 to DWN-019>: >Shut up, little brother. He’s not himself.
Jaden: Avi, don’t blame yourself for this. Tobias will be fine once you are. Remember that, once you get over it.
[MN.6] //: ; D
[MN.6] //: Pfft, get over what? Kinda missing some context, here, drill hands.
Jaden: -Slight smile- Of course you are. But it won’t stay that way, will it?
Jaden: You seem like the investigative reporter type, after all.
[MN.6] //: Stillllll don't get it, but yeah! Seems my MIGHTY rep proceeds me, huh?~
Jaden: You could say that.
Jaden: …What exactly are you planning to do, Avi? Mind enlightening the uneducated masses, here?
Mikhail: ({My stars, is he patient. He certainly got his father’s way with words, that’s for sure.})
[MN.6] //: Heh...
[MN.6] //: Avi News is gonna take off, drill hands. At long LAST.
[MN.6] //: ...I'd tell you more but that would be a MAJOR spoiler alert right there.
[MN.6] //: So. Ya know. Stay tuned.~
Jaden: Oh, so we’ll have to stay tuned, then? -Whirr whirr- Hard to do that if the cable’s out.
[MN.6] //: Oh, trust me, I'll make SURE the cable works--
[MN.6] //: Avi News is gonna be every hour on the hour, 24/7! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!~
<DWN-019>: > Yeah. GREAT job you did there.
Mikhail: -Facepalm- ({Aaaaaand his father’s propensity for things backfiring on him.})
<DWN-013>: >Oh, be quiet, pretty boy. Tobias wouldn’t be happy to come back to learn Avi was hating himself for things we had said while he was sick.
[MN.6] //: Better get used to this voice, ladies and gentlemen! It's all you're gonna hear over the feeds for the REST of your lives.~
[…
Jaden laughs at this. He sounds very amused.]
[MN.6] //: Somethin' funny? Cuz I can do comedy too!
Jaden: Well, perhaps. But that, too, would be, as you put it…
Jaden: A spoiler alert.
Jaden: I guess I’ll just have to call back later, won’t I.
[MN.6] //: NOW you're getting it!
[MN.6] //: Welp, gotta fly! On a tight script, ya know. Oh...
[MN.6] //: And Lil bro?~
[MN.9] //: --!! [...The same dark tone used for Tobias was present in his next words.]
[MN.6] //: Don't be late.
[KKKSSSSSSST!]
[WARNING: SERVER SIGNAL NOT FOUND.]
Mikhail: -Sighs- {At least we got some things done.}
[The Russian Doctor shakes his head and walks off to start working on repairs for Tobias. The others do likewise… save for Jaden.
He just stands there, in front of the feed.]
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: >Took you a bit longer than I expected to get back on your feet, Airman.
[MN.6 To DWN-013] //: No comment, drill hands. Now shut it, trying to work here.
[Jaden just gives a cold smile, though the way his eyes are glowing suggests more of a smirk.]
Jaden: (Try to work all you want, Turbine. You won’t stay in control of Avi forever.)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=PROLOGUE D: IT ALL BEGINS NOW=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{MEANWHILE…}
[As soon as Cardinal saw what was going on, he had turned and slipped away.
There wasn’t going to be much time.]
[He needed to get over there before anyone noticed. Before the systems went down.
He had to find him.]
Cardinal: (I wish now, more than ever, that I had spent more time doing research, learning more…)
[He was shoving E-Tanks into compartments in the back of his shield.]
Cardinal: (It’s too late now. There’s no time. No time…!)
[He called Jazz over, adding on a harness to hold the rest of his supplies—including the Power Capsules that he couldn’t carry.
He was taking ALL of them, after all. All 30 of them.
After all, he had no idea what he was going to get into, except that it would probably be the most dangerous mission he’d undertaken since the Russian incident.
After grabbing some water bottles, oil cans, and the experimental Tanks, he went around to the back of the lab, grabbing Shadow’s light cycle. Normally, he’d prefer to use his own motorcycle, but he needed something with SIGNIFICANTLY better mileage… and the ability to easily carry.]
Cardinal: Come on, Jazz.
[He was in the other Kansas City long before anyone noticed.
…But he immediately saw just how bad the situation was.
That part of the city was abandoned, even by street gangs and those who HAD nowhere to go. Infected Xelbots were running loose. All of them.
He searched for a good ten minutes, but it was to no avail. Everything had either been looted, or destroyed.]
Cardinal: (I won’t learn anything more here. I wonder if ALL their cities are like this…?)
[He entered into a trashed bar. It was a bit saddening, to see it in such a state… but he had no time for such musings.
He had turned his transponder off by now—so he wouldn’t be getting any news or communication that way.]
Cardinal: (Gonna have to do this old school. Now let’s see…)
[He couldn’t call the Whites, that was for sure.
…There was only one other person that might know.]
-*-*-*-*-*-
“Robin… Ah’m worried ‘bout Jack. He has more t’ say, which I meant t’ tell ya earlier, but…. Look, Ah’ gotta run, okay? Look after him. Don’t let him leave the UK alone. They’re probably gonna send someone after him.”
“…Carmen. How am I supposed to do that when he’s completely off the radar?”
“He’s got a phone number, ‘least for now. No more questions, gotta run. Bye.”
-*-*-*-*-*-
[He sighed and dialed in the number.]
Cardinal: (This had better work, or I’ll be out of luck.)
{MEANWHILE, IN LONDON, ENGLAND....}
Jack: What...what the [frag]....
[It was all over the news. America was in shambles. The Mighty Numbers--gone rouge, for all he knew--or at least Avi.]
Jack: Shit....SHIT....
[He sat dumbfounded on his couch, in a cheaply rented flat--he was released from the medical staff of the Theater several days ago--]
[...The scary part was--he was planning to return back home anyway...]
[Then this happened.]
Jack: Oh my God....
[Suddenly it all made sense.]
[The crosses--their PROVIDER...]
[The landline in the apartment rang.]
Jack: ---?!?
[Someone calling--from AMERICA?!
…Why did the Caller ID say it was coming from Kansas City, what the hell?]
Jack: .......
[Who...?]
Click.
Jack: --H...Hello...?
[color=Brick] “Before you ask, Carmen gave me this number. And /no/, I don’t know where she is, what happened to her, or how she got it. So don’t ask.” [/color]
Jack: --?!
Jack: Who--who are--
[color=Brick] “Heh. Surprised you don’t recognize my voice—I know she showed you several clips, Jack.” [/color]
Jack: .........
[.......]
Jack: hOLY GLITCH YOU'RE THE BIRD GUY--
Jack: DUDE--DO YOU HAVE A N Y IDEA WHAT THE [FRAG] IS HAPPENING OVER THERE?!
[color=Brick] “YES, I’m ‘the bird guy’. Now listen up, I’ll tell you what I know, and then you WILL do likewise, got it?” [/color]
[He doesn’t wait for an answer.]
[color=Brick] “Everyone’s gone nuts. The cities are utter disaster. The highways are getting closed down, but all these self-driving cars no longer take orders—they aren’t /sentient/, so they aren’t Killer Cars or whatever, but they won’t respond to outside attempts to shut them off. A lot of people are fleeing for the countryside, with limited success. The ‘bot/human ratio here is way too close.” [/color]
Jack: Holy...
[color=Brick] “Things are very bad, Jack. It looks like a virus.” [/color]
Jack: -fEAR-
[color=Brick] “Damn thing infected the Cossack server, gave me a HELL of a fever for a while. …It got to our server because it came from White’s server. …I’m sorry, Jack. They’ve taken ill.” [/color]
Jack: V...V...Virus...
[He nearly dropped the phone.]
Jack: oh my God...
[color=Brick] “JACK. Listen to me, this is important, it’s why I called—” [/color]
[color=Brick] “I need to know about those crosses. AND about your ex-boss.” [/color]
[color=Brick] “We don’t have a whole lot of time, here, either—Toby managed to stall before he was sent Offline by the aggressive takeover attempt, but Avi will probably snap out of it within half a day, at most. Probably sooner. Any particular questions you have will have to wait ’til the end, accordingly.” [/color]
[color=Brick] “Now TALK.” [/color]
[He didn’t seem… angry. More like… authoritative, focused… and concerned.]
[.......]
Jack: The crosses....and Blade...
[A pause.]
Jack: ....Dude...dude, I...there isn't much I know...
Jack: Blade...he...after they fixed him up...he…God...
[color=Brick] “WHAT” [/color]
[color=Brick] “DON’T TELL ME HE’S /OUT THERE—/“ [/color]
Jack: Someone killed him.
[OKAY that shuts him up fast.
But only for a moment.
Then he sounds sad.]
[color=Brick] “…So much for that plan…”[/color]
[A pause.]
[color=Brick] “Carmen…” [/color]
[color=Brick] “…Carmen didn’t want you to leave the UK alone because she thought that might happen to you. If she IS in this world, she’s probably in London, having been protecting you thus far, but there’s no way we’re gonna find out…” [/color]
Jack: .....
Jack: M-Miss Eight....
Jack: ohman Miss eight please be OK....
[color=Brick] “-Mostly to himself- Last I heard, though, she had been on a mission, though I think the Ambassador did a time-warp favor…? Glitch, I dunno…”[/color]
[color=Brick] “ -Sigh- …I’m more interested in Blade’s past, anyway.” [/color]
[color=Brick] “Specifically, his assassin connections.” [/color]
[…Now WHY would he want to know /that/…?]
Jack: ...Uh...
Jack: ...Shit, man, I...dunno, he was pretty freakin' serious about that--he'd leave then come back...someone always called him...
[color=Brick] “Where.”[/color]
Jack: Dude--why would I KNOW? He's an assassin, for Christ's sake--I didn't want to get all up in THAT business!
[.....]
Jack: ....But...
Jack: ...The person that called him...
[color=Brick] “-Interrupts with a sigh- You’ll have to tell this sort of stuff to Cossack and White, dude.” [/color]
Jack: Alright, alright--
[color=Brick] “I’m sorry. I just don’t have time. Now about those crosses.
“I think I saw in the database that it made you really, really angry…. Please elaborate on this.” [/color]
Jack: Y-Yeah. It...it made me want to...just. Break things. [Frag] shit up, ya know? Just...just for the HELL of it...
[color=Brick] “…Hmm…. …Would you say this was… severely and grossly exacerbating some anger that was already there, or planting something new?” [/color]
Jack: ......
Jack: I....
[He takes a second.]
Jack: .....I...ain't gonna lie.
Jack: Blade was a [FRAGGING] asshole.
[Cardinal pauses for a moment.
Time was precious, but…
…Tobias had risked his life for this guy. …Jack might be isolated for months once he hung up, if no one from the Meadow got back into contact with him.
Tobias would want Jack to be able to talk this out.
So would Carmen, wherever the hell she was…]
Jack: I was SCARED of him...
Jack: But...I was also...really FREAKIN' pissed at him too.
Jack: .....
Jack: I think...whatever was in those crosses just...
Jack: Pulled out all the... bad parts of me...
[color=Brick] “…I see…”[/color]
[color=Brick] “The Doctors need to know, somehow. …I wish I could give more advice on how to go about contacting them safely. …Use a landline, I guess, that’s your best bet.” [/color]
Jack: ......
Jack: I--I can...try and see if I can do it on this side, but...
Jack: --...Bird guy? I know you're short on time--but...
[color=Brick] “…Yes?” [/color]
Jack: ...If...If Miss Eight...if she's...
[GULP.]
Jack: If she is...out there...and she's not...well...
Jack: W-What are the chances she'll...come...h-h-here...?
[color=Brick] “…” [/color]
[color=Brick] “ -Slowly- …Low.” [/color]
[color=Brick] “You never offended her the way others did. She would have killed Blade if she were unwell, if someone else hadn’t already done so. Then, probably go after Brandish. From there? Probably guys she feels slighted by, or their counterparts at least?” [/color]
[color=Brick] “You, she likes. You treated her like a person—not a baby sister, not a cold assassin, not eye candy… it meant a lot to her….” [/color]
[color=Brick] “If this stuff exacerbates what’s already there, she’d be dishing out hurt to those she felt earned it or otherwise deserved it.” [/color]
Jack: .......
[A sigh.]
Jack: ......I...guess...that's....uh....o-okay....th-thanks...
[...He still didn't like the sound of it, though. Miss Eight...]
[...Out there, not in her right mind...]
[color=Brick] “Might not be too pleasant to talk to, though, but she probably /would/ still talk. -Sighs- Unlike some people.” [/color]
Jack: ......
[........Carmen....
The only person who ever gave two bolts about him...the woman who saved his life...]
Jack: .......
Jack: Anything else you need to know, dude...?
Jack: cuz I should probably start packing for some other flat just in case.
[color=Brick] “ -Sighs- …” [/color]
[color=Brick] “…There are many things I’d like to know, but I don’t have time. But there are things you should know.” [/color]
[color=Brick] “…Tobias is out for the count again. He did stall Avi in the process, at least. …But he won’t be able to help. I’m sorry. The others are probably going to try to contact you. If you get a call that’s from Russia, that would be our Doc.” [/color]
[color=Brick] “…And if they ask where I am?” [/color]
[A pause.]
[color=Brick] “ …” [/color]
[color=Brick] “John 15:13.” [/color]
Jack: ............Uh.
Jack: O-Okaaaaaay...
Jack: ........
Jack: Bird guy?
Jack: I SERIOUSLY hope you know what you're doing if you're out there by yourself...
[You could almost HEAR his bitter smile.]
[color=Brick] “Oh, I’m not alone. Isn’t that right, Jazz~?” [/color]
[color=forestgreen][tt] “REE-OW.” [/tt][/color]
[color=Brick] “Heh.” [/color]
Jack: .....Is that a cat. (...The hell??)
[color=Brick] “Yes. She’s a modified attack drone that spits fire. Among other things.” [/color]
Jack: ......
Jack: Oh.
[...Well, then.]
[color=Brick] “ -Slight sigh- Sorry, though. I’m gonna get going. He’s not here, you have no leads… time to move on.” [/color]
Jack: ...Yeah. OK. Me too.
Jack: .....
Jack: Good luck, Bird guy.
[color=Brick] “…” [/color]
[Another pause. And then… back to his usual, laid back demeanor.]
[color=Brick] “If I’m lucky, we’ll get to talk this over while I still have this chassis. B]” [/color]
[color=Brick] “Stay outta trouble. And if you get the chance? Head over to the Meadow, dude, it’ll be WAY safer there, and you’ll get to be in on what’s happening. Pretty sure there’s some stuff out there for you, anyway. Saw a box for you among Felix’s gifts…” [/color]
Jack: .......
Jack: K...Kay....
[........]
Jack: If you see Miss Eight and she's OK...tell her I said hi.
[...Carmen....]
[color=Brick] “…If I do see her, then…” [/color]
[…He hesitates.
If he did see her, it would be only in one of two scenarios—both of which involved her pointing her rifle at him.
Either to bring him home alive…
…oooooooor to send him to the next life, deader than dead.]
[color=Brick] “…If I see her, I’ll let her know.” [/color]
Jack: ....Alright...
Jack: ...Well...see ya, I guess....
[color=Brick] “…Yeah.” [/color]
[He sounds weary. Sad. Like this is just another event of an ongoing war.]
[color=Brick] “…Goodbye, Jack.” [/color]
[Click.]
[......]
[Jack hangs up.]
Jack: ........
————————————————————————————————
Carmen: Heh. -Bites down on her dart- Lucky you, Puppetdancer. Looks like coupla people have developed a soft spot for ya.
————————
Den: From my point of view and from what I've seen and heard, Eight's a loner. Cold, badass sniper assassin, ya know? No offense, miss.
Carmen: Aw, you make me blush~
[…She’s taking the “badass sniper assassin” as a compliment.]
Den: -...awkward COUGH-
—————————
Carmen: Heh. Ya prob’ly won’t get t’ remember me anyway, not yet. No one else is allowed to, yet. On account that I’d be pretty damn distractin’. Carmen: Ah’m told that ah’ll get t’ come out n’ play after y’all finish yer business overseas.
Den: Does that mean you're special or something?
[She shifts to her civvies so she can put her hand to her face.]
Den: Just cu-- .....
Carmen: Well, so far ah get the privilege of rememberin’— …?
Carmen: -Puts hand on hip, tilting her head- (Huh, suddenly went quiet.)
Den: .......
[He seems to shift his eyes to the ground and...sort of becomes a little meek.]
Den: ......-wELP OF COURSE SHE WOULD BE PRETTY IN HER CIVVIES just gonna stare at the floor now-
—————————
Carmen: There, there.
Den: I don't.... ugh.
Carmen: Ah can’t imagine what yer bein’ put through.
—————————
Den: .......
Den: Um. Miss Eight?
Den: Listen, I...
Den: ....
Carmen: -Returns her gaze to Dencerjack, listening-
Den: ...I don't mind if you think I'm lying.
Carmen: …I don’t know what to think anymore, Jack. Cold, badass sniper assassin, remember?
Den: .....Sorry.
Carmen: The touchy-feely stuff outside of mah family isn’t… familiar to me.
Carmen: …But ah ain’t heartless, ah never want t’ see anyone /suffer/.
—————————
WHANG!
“-OOF- Woah now, where’s th’ fire—OH hai there, Jack, ya ran right inta me.”
Carmen: -Decloaks-
Torkie: you seriously take night strolls cloaked, really
Carmen: ‘Course I do, nice way t’ see the night sky quiet an’ not lose any more limbs in the process.
Carmen: -Gives a “?” display on her eye- Uh… you ‘kay there?
Den: H E L P ME.
Carmen: Easy there, easy—!
[She gave shushing noises and tried to broadcast overwhelming serenity, like Brandish did for her during the hard times after she got nearly fatally injured.]
—————————
Den: ........
Den: -Grooooaans, sits, then just topples backwards all together-
Den: This STILL sucks CHASS, uuuugh. No offense, but being hunted before or not, they're STILL gonna rip me up if I even LOOK at one of them wrong--and the MNs? That's a whole OTHER can of beans--UGH!
Den: I wasn't even BUILT for this crap!
Carmen: Tsk… nah, no offense. -Snorts- Ah’d be worried if you WEREN’T scared, ‘cause that’d mean yer instincts were broke.
Carmen: … -GRINS- Come t’ think of it, Ah guess yer boss’s instincts ARE broke.
Den: Are you kidding me-- That guy should be in a mental Looney bin.
[She cracks up at that. It’s a melodious laugh, and you can sorta tell that she’s related to Dyna, by listening to it.]
Carmen: -Happy/entertained pings, leaning against a nearby tree and bracing herself with her right arm stump to keep from losing her balance in laughter-
Den: ..... -he kinda starts to laugh as well, its kinda infectious.-
Carmen: -Calms down, but still grinning- Oh, Lordy! Couldn’ta said it better m’self. Sorry, Ah just—
Carmen: There was once this REALLY, really ancient cartoon thang called Looney Toons, they play reruns sometimes— -sNORTS- He sure is crazy ‘nuff t’ be a character, heh. |J
—————————
Carmen: -BIGGEST GRIN, LOOKIT HER, DEF A SHADE GRIN RIGHT THAR- -Whistles and scratches the image of a graham cracker in the dirt with the edge of her boots- ~~~~
Den: -wait, is that a cracker? Why would— -
Carmen: -Aaaaand now we sketch the outlines of buildings around it to clarify~ -
Den: ......
Carmen: B]
Den: -IT DAWNS- OH WHAT THE [GLITCH].
Carmen: YEP THEY WENT THERE~
Den: HOLY ACTUAL [GLITCH]—
[Aaaaand now we are laughing our chassis off. And she’s laughing too, gleefully.]
—————————————
Carmen: Just try an’ hang in there. Just a bit longer. You can do it. ‘Kay?
[She thinks for a moment, and then smiles.]
Carmen: Let th’ good times be what you remember, when you wake from the “dream.” An’ tell ya what…
Carmen: Snowbaby made you a big ol’ several gallon tub a’ ice cream. And his is the GOOD stuff.
Carmen: Ah’ll have the sponsors set it up so ya get it an’ yer boss and co’s ((coworkers)) won’t even see it afore ya get to finish it~ Nao… try an’ get some rest, ya hear?
[She smiles warmly.]
Carmen: Ah’m goin home, m’self. Girl’s gotta have her beauty rest~
[She pretends to blow smoke off of the barrel of her rifle.]
Carmen: Night.
[Aaaaaand she’s gone.]
—————————
[CDN.7037] //: -...data, he really wouldn't wanted have gotten her in a lot of trouble cuz of you know who and himself-
<FMN-008>: > Nah— as long as I stay put, it won’t be more than just the usual annoyance at Countershade getting up to her antics. B}
<T10>: >Like snitching people’s food.
<FMN-008>: > -Snickers- Worth it.
<FMN-008>: >Lawdy, ya shoulda heard your Brand’s ranting, hee hee~
<FMN-008>: >Music t’ my dish~
[CDN.7037] //: -...snORTS-
[CDN.7037] //: You steal people's food??
<Mari>: >Brah she can turn invisible, remember?
[CDN.7037] //: -...sTARTS CRACKING UP-
<FMN-008>: > NO REGRETS~
[CDN.7037] //: -LAUGHS HARDER-
—————————
Carmen: Sweet dreams are made of these~
Who am I to disagree~
I travel the world and the seven seas—
Everybody’s lookin’ for somethin~
Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to be used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be Abused~
Sweet dreams are made of these~
Who am I to disagree~
I travel the world and the seven seas—
Everybody’s lookin’ for somethin~
—————————
[And it all starts coming back to him.]
[CDN.7037] //: you...?
<FMN-008>: > Sorry Ah’ had t’ step on ya, Jack.
<FMN-008>: > Ah’ only got th’ one hand, an’ strength isn’t my forte…
<FMN-008>: > Needed t’ brace to get enough force.
[CDN.7037] //: I--I...
[CDN.7037] //: -aaaaND HERE COMES THE GRATITUDE DATA ALL OVER AGAIN.-
[CDN.7037] //: You...yousavedme...
<FMN-008>: > Ah couldn’t just leave ya there…
—————————
<FMN-008 to CDN-7037>: > -PING- Hey. Can’t talk long. Just lettin’ ya know I’m okay—I’ll explain everything later. Just hang in there, a’ight?
[CDN.7037] //: -PINGS IN CONFORMATION, HES OK TOO...AS FAR AS BEING HOSPITALIZED GOES-
————————————————————————
Jack: ......
Jack: (....No...No freakin' way. It's crazy. YOU'RE crazy.)
Jack: (If she IS OK, somewhere, then yeah, nothing to worry about then--)
Jack: (....But...if she ISN'T...)
Jack: ......
Jack: Sonofva[GLITCH.]
[Without another word, Jack yanks his old biker trenchcoat off from the floor, and heads for the door.]
[SLAM.]
[…Cardinal, for his part, was already burning through the streets, sans wisdom.
…
…His eyes were glowing… blue.]
Cardinal: (Hang in there, Shade.)
Cardinal: (I’m coming for you.)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 1A: RAGING FLAMES SMOLDER=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{MEANWHILE, BACK IN SANDA LABS....}
[After speaking with Seijiro… Beck, Soichiro, William, and Call did a thorough search of the lower levels of the building Soi was sealed in. To their surprise, they had found a couple of uninfected Patch bots that were busy recharging their energy--their systems also had to be shut down to do so.]
Sunny: D: -BEEP BEEP I AM SCARED WHAT IS HAPPENING WHY ARE THERE EXPLODING NOISES -
Beck: Sunny! : D -shhhh it's OK everything is fine--or will be--
White: (Interesting...these Patches are also fine, like Call...)
[Meanwhile, Call had moved her usual terminal to the lab, and began bringing back the labs systems one by one with her father.]
Sanda: If we can just get this one back up, we can start looking for the rest of the Mighties...
[Beck perked up from his spot on the floor, a bit busy consoling about six or seven different colored Patches.]
Beck: ...How are we gonna do that?
[White frowned and put his hand to his chin, thinking.]
White: Hmm...
Sanda: ...! Ah! That should do it--for now, at least. At any rate, the lab is all set for any repairs Beck and the others might need.
White: Good, good...
White: . . .
White: We can still read most of their statuses, yes?
Sanda: Hmm, yes...
White: Can we trace back their transponders?
Sanda: We can give it a try, but with Avi messing around with the signals...
Call: Tracing...
[A map of the US comes up.]
Call: .......
Call: Transponder found.
White: --!!! Whose?
[A marker appeared right smack in the middle of the State of Louisiana.]
[A symbol. Pyrogen's. ]
Beck: ! Big Brother...!
Call: Comparing location to local database....
Call: .......
Sanda: Well?!
Call: ....
Call: It appears that Mighty No. 1 has retreated to an oil refinery.
White: An OIL--?!
Sanda: Good God--He's going to blow it all up to kingdom come--!
White: Quickly--there is no time to waste! Beck, Call, prepare yourselves for the mission--Sanda, find another signal frequency for Xel Transfer, something we don't use as often so that Avi won't pick it up at first--I'll set up encryptions to hide it from him in the meantime from my own terminal!
Beck: Yessir!
Call: Affirmative.
Sanda: You got it, Will.
Beck: (Don't worry, big brother...)
Beck: (I'm coming to save you...!)
__________________________________________________
[COORDINATES SET.]
"... Beck..."
"Yeah?"
"...Please...please be careful. Please."
"I know, Dad."
"We're all counting on you, Beck--promise me you'll come back in one piece for your uncle, eh?"
"I promise, Sanda."
"Good luck, No. 9. Now preparing Xel Transfer..."
"Dad?"
"Yes?"
"...I love you."
"...I love you too, Beck...pass that on to Pyrogen for me..!"
[XELS TRANSFERRING...]
[MISSION DETAILS: MIGHTY NO. 1, CODENAME: PYROGEN, HAS BEEN SPOTTED IN A LOUISIANA OIL REFINERY. STATUS: INFECTED WITH HARMFUL MALWARE, FULL COMBAT MODE ENGAGED.]
[OBJECTIVES: RESCUE MN.1 AND PURGE HARMFUL MALWARE FROM SYSTEMS, PREVENT A LARGE-SCALE INFERNO. ]
[SYSTEMS READY?]
[GO!]
[Once Beck had fully reconstituted, Xels clicking into place as his form settled, the first thing that he felt was the heat.]
[The second was the smoke filling the air, and the third was the distant sound of crazed, infected robots just up ahead--Pyrogen was not the only one given free range of the place. Many industrial, non-sentient CherryDyn and Sanda models were running rampant...]
[Beck's comm line crackled to life.]
Call: No. 9, do you read?
[Beck lifted a hand to the side of his helmet.]
Beck: This is Nine--I read you loud and clear! I've made it to the Oil Platform...
[He pauses.]
Beck: No sign of One yet...and the place is just...it's chaos...
[Soon enough, Sanda could be heard over the line as well, along with White.]
Sanda: A fire wielding robot running wild in an oil refinery...I don't like the looks of this at all.
White: Not exactly ideal conditions, I'll grant you that...
White: Quickly now, Beck--Locate Mighty No. 1!
Beck: On it!
[Beck sprints forward...]
[...And slips.]
Beck: Whoa-!
[CLANK.]
Beck: --Ow--
Call: It appears No. 9 has encountered an oil spill. From my scans, several major pipelines of the refinery have burst.
Beck: That...would have been helpful two seconds ago...
Sanda: Shake it off, Beck! And be careful if the other robots in the area set it on fire--!
Beck: -Slowly picks himself up- Got it....
[VERRRRRRRRR--]
Beck: --!!!
Call: Incoming hostile robots.
[It was a forklifting robot--carrying a crate full of explosives, no less! And once it saw the young Mighty Number, it wasted no time revving it's engine and charging at full speed--!]
Beck: aHHH--
[Beck didn't roll out of the way--he jumped, and let the robot pass under him.]
[MN.9 HAS GONE INTO COMBAT MODE.]
[He shoots, and once the robot's Xel Structure was disrupted, stunning it in place, he AcXelarates into it in a flash of white--absorbing its Xel and leaving behind only it's cores.]
[XEL ABSORBED. ABSORPTION BOOST: ONLINE.]
[A green sheen of Xel encircles Beck--the same feeling of power flows through him like before--but this time was...different...]
Beck: ....?
[LAST time, the color was RED, wasn't it...?]
Call: Warning, multiple incoming CherryDyn robots detected.
Beck: Uh oh—
[Yes, now there was more--in addition to several furnace type robots that shot fire balls out of their tops, and other flame based models.]
Sanda: There are so many fire based robots WHY ARE THEY ALL HERE?!
White: Good question...perhaps Pyrogen led them here...?
[...As Beck transverses forward, he seems much quicker in this powered up state...]
[...But soon enough, the green Xel fades, and he returns to his normal speed.]
Beck: ...?
[THIS happened last time too--whenever he got one of those...absorption boosts, he got a little stronger somehow...so green makes him a little faster...?]
Beck: (Huh...when I saved the Round Digger, he turned purple---these guys either turn red, blue, yellow, or green...)
Beck: (If green makes me faster, then what does the rest do?)
[He decided to take a moment to figure it out--there were plenty of enemies to absorb, and certain models turned into one of those colors.]
Beck: (OK...Green makes my reflexes faster...)
Beck: (Red boosts my shot output--I can even shoot through certain walls for a while...)
Beck: (Yellow makes me jump higher...)
Beck: (...And blue...)
[XEL ABSORBED. CONVERTING...]
Beck: Huh?
[XEL STOCK 1 FULL.]
Beck: (Xel Stock? I can STORE extra Xel?!)
Beck: (Oh man--I can use that to repair myself on the fly! At least minor injuries...)
[Then--Suddenly--!]
[A familiar figure stands out against the clouded night...]
Pyro: Rrrrr.....
Beck: PYRO!!
[The Mighty Leader was standing atop of a ruined oil truck, surprisingly unlit...]
[Green eyes flickered towards his brother--]
Pyro: ......
Pyro: ...You...
Beck: --! YES! It's me, big brother--It's Beck! You remember!
Pyro: ...BURN....
Beck: !!!
Pyro: THE WORLD MUST...
[In a sudden fierce motion, Pyrogen quite literally EXPLODED into flames, becoming twice his own size as he HOWLED into the flame lit horizon overhead!]
Pyro: BUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRN!
[...However...]
[...Instead of attacking Beck...]
[He...leaps away?]
Beck: PYRO, WAIT!
[Beck, after recovering from the sheer, uncontrolled rage his eldest brother had just unleashed, dashed forward to give chase--]
Call: Warning: Multiple incoming robots detected.
Beck: Wha--where?!
[SECONDS later, more furnace type robots materialized, as well as a whole SLEW of enemies--both that were from the city AND the fire based models! It was an ambush!]
White: Beck!
Beck: NGH--!!
[He was trapped on all sides, and with nowhere to hide, he was pelted with enemy fire-- both of energy shots and actual real fire. ]
Sanda: MOVE, BECK!
[He's faced Pyro in battle before--in spars. He can handle a little heat, but this--]
Beck: HothothotHOT--
[There was nowhere to go--nowhere but UP, that is...]
[In the midst of quite literally being roasted over an open flame, Beck had to JUMP to avoid the heat from damaging anything important.]
[...REALLY jump.]
Beck: aaaAAAAAAAH--
[Fortunately, gravity and trajectory was kind enough to drop him atop of one of the flying enemies--who was none too pleased to have an extra passenger onboard.]
Call: .........
Call: Inquiry: Why do these kinds of events seem to always happen to No. 9?
Sanda: I...don't know...
Beck: Nice CDN GOOD CDN PLEASE DON'T--
[Too late--Beck was now on a VERY wild rodeo ride with the cargo carrying robot, trying to shake him off by flying erratically--and into other robots.]
Beck: -SCREAMING-
White: Hold on, Beck!
Beck: WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING--?!
Call: Beck, you have a acquired a higher vantage point. I suggest using this to your advantage.
Beck: I WOULD IF THIS GUY WOULD HOLD STILL FOR TWO--
[VERRRRRRR--]
Beck: --AwNO--
[B O O M!]
[The flying CDN had collided with another forklifting robot--which was carrying another crate filled with explosives. The resulting explosion lit up the evening, temporarily obscuring all with the smoke that rose from it.]
White and Sanda: BECK!!!
[......]
[MN.9 STATUS: ONLINE, COMBAT MODE ENGAGED, DAMAGE REPORT: GYRO BALANCERS CRITICAL, ARMOR PLATING HAS BEEN BREACHED.]
Beck: .....uuuuugh....
White: Beck! Do you read me?! SAY SOMETHING!
Beck: ....hurts...ow....can't....
Call: No. 9's Gryo systems have been damaged. His mobile systems are shot.
Sanda: --That's it--I'm pulling him out of there! This is way too-
White: Wait!
White: Beck--there is another ability that I designed you with! Can you access your Xel Stocks?
Beck: nnngh...
[USE XEL STOCK 1?]
[COMMAND//: YES.]
[ACCESSING INTERNAL XEL STORAGE...]
[A relieving burst of light blue light seemed to pour out of the ports on Beck's back, wrapping him up in a healing sheen. The cracks on his armor were being sealed, while most of the Xel was released internally...]
Beck: --!!!!
[SELF REPAIR COMPLETE. ALL SYSTEMS NORMAL.]
[Beck shot STRAIGHT up into a sitting position with a small gasp, feeling reinvigorated--renewed, even! He was thrown into alertness, looking around this way and that...]
[...It seemed the resulting explosion from the CDN crashing into the forklift robot had cleared away the rest of the ambush. Place was a MESS, however--some of the oil piping had burst as well, and it's flammable contents were now spilling forth EVERYWHERE.]
[...Beck was not spared from it--he was more or less splattered with oil now, tainting his pristine white armor.]
Beck: Ew...!
White: -SIGHS WITH RELIEF-
Sanda: No time for a bath now, Beck--you gotta keep moving!
Beck: ...Right... (Wouldn't mind one from Cryo right about now...)
Sanda: My...did you SEE all those bots? And such power...
Sanda: ...These designs of yours in our models are something ELSE, Will...
White: ....
White: Yes, well, under the circumstances--that hardly feels like a compliment. -_-;;
[Beck only had one way to go, and that was forward...]
[...Over a flaming floor of burning oil, that is--and above?]
Beck: .....
Beck: Are those electrified spikes.
Call: Warning: It is not just electricity, but energized signals on the ceiling. They have been modified to disrupt Xel Structures. Proceed with caution.
Beck: Wait wait wait--
Beck: Are you saying that if I touch it I'LL JUST EXPLODE.
Call: That is correct, No. 9. Your core, however, would be intact, although--
White: I--I think he understands the concept, Call.
Beck: Right--don't touch the purple things, don't touch the purple things--
[Dashing across the suspended platforms was the only way across--along with absorbing other robots along the way. Using the green Absorption Speed Boost he acquired from them, he was able to quickly get by the hair-raising corridor...]
[...And into the Oil Silo field.]
Beck: I still don't see Pyrogen yet...
Sanda: He must be somewhere up ahead, he couldn't have gone that far...
[No. 9 was really starting to get the hang of his AcXelarate Dash--it was almost becoming second nature, actually. He could use it as often as he wanted--there seemed to be no limit, and it didn't expend any of his energy at all.]
[Which was a very good thing for what came up next.]
[C R A C K L E.]
Beck: --?!
Sanda: BECK! LOOK OUT!
[The lower half of the Silo in front of him was damaged--and began to topple over directly overhead.]
Beck: WHOA--
[Beck immediately started to floor it, becoming merely a white blur among the grey of smoke--the Silo crashed behind him with a loud rumble, missing him by only mere inches.]
Call: Heat has compromised the integrity of near by structures. Please proceed with caution.
Beck: NO OFFENSE, CALL, BUT I'VE BEEN CAUTIOUS THIS WHOLE TIME--
[C R A C K! C R A C K!]
White: BECK--IN FRONT!
[...It was sort of like watching some supped up version of dominoes.
The silos were perfectly aligned in such a way that they toppled over in Beck's path, forcing him to sprint and dash for his life. The malfunctioning robots around him didn't seem to care--they were only concerned on destroying the Mighty Number--so they retaliated by shooting up fireballs into the air to rain down from above.]
[And if that wasn't enough, the floor beneath began to give away under his feet--no, the PLATFORMS were.]
White: DON'T STOP!
Beck: AAAAAAAAAAAAA--
[It seemed like an eternity. It was, in fact, about 20 seconds, but those nail biting seconds seemed to stretch into forever as Beck barreled forth without pause, destruction and fire raging around him, smoke stinging his eyes and throat.--]
Beck: WHAT THE--
[The path suddenly ended.]
White: NO--!
[It just--ended. There was only a sudden drop into a pit of fire, an inferno flaring so high, it was impossible to tell if there was anything on the other side.]
[But he had no choice.]
[He had to jump.]
Beck: HUP--!
[Out of the frying pan...]
[ACXELARATE DASH: MAX OUTPUT REACHED]
[And into the fire.]
[DATA LOSS.]
White: Call--!!!
Call: Searching...
Call: ..........
[.........]
[..........….............]
[.......................................]
[SIGNAL FOUND. MN.9 STATUS: ONLINE.]
White: YES...!
Call: Re-syncing feeds...
"--can't get a good grip on--!!"
[--Beck had made it!]
[...But only barely. He was grabbing onto the ledge with everything he had, trying to hoist himself up--but the oil wasn't making things any easier.]
Beck: Arrgh--
[FINALLY, his feet find some perchance, and he pushed off of the wall--and front flipped over, landing firmly and safely on the other side of the pit.]
Beck: (--! Hey--I did it! I DID IT BRAND--)
[It looks as if some of that acrobatics training paid off--]
[....Too bad said brother in question wasn't here to see it.]
Beck: (--.....Oh....right....)
White: --......!
Sanda: ? Will?
White: I have an idea--Can we send one of the Patch bots to his location?
Sanda: --But--whatever for?
White: I want him to be in the BEST condition possible before he faces No. 1...
[Will's green hues stare intensely at the screen, at his son.]
White: Pyrogen, while not being made with the latest Xel technology, has the most experience out of them all. If they ARE to battle...
White: He's going to need all the help we can offer.
White: We can send a Patch Bot with some Xel Storage Cubes for him to either store into his Xel Stocks or use right then and there for self repair.
Sunny: -BEEP BEEP- (-_-)7
Call: Commencing Xel Transfer....
[XEL TRANSFER COMPLETE.]
[Beck almost very nearly shot Sunny in her display--but lucky her unique coloring was enough for him to recognize the Patch Bot.]
Beck: Sunny?!
Sunny: -BEEP BEEP-
[Sunny's stomach compartment opens, and out tumbles several Xel Storage Cubes ready to be absorbed.]
Beck: !
White: Beck, these should give you enough to normalize your Xel Count. Call has confirmed that No. 1 is in that destroyed building wreckage ahead...
Beck: .......
[No. 9 takes a deep breath...]
Beck: (OK, Pyro...here I come...)
[After dropping down to a partially collapsed room...]
[Once again standing atop of a pile of debris was the fire-powered leader himself.]
Beck: Pyro--! Finally...
Pyro: Hnrrrrrr...
Beck: Pyro--come on, big brother-- I KNOW you're in there SOMEWHERE! We don't have to--
Pyro: You....
Pyro: ...Why...?
Beck: ...!!
Beck: Because you're my BROTHER! I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT YOU, NO. 1!
Pyro: ......
Beck: Just--PLEASE hold still for just a few minutes and I SWEAR I can fix this--I can SAVE you!
[With dark, glowing emerald eyes, the leader stood. Unflinching.]
Pyro: ......
Pyro: No....
Beck: Pyro--!
Pyro: Why...
Pyro: Why you not burn...?
Beck: Wha--?
Pyro: WHY YOU NOT BURN?!
Beck: PYRO--
Pyro: WHY...YOU...NOT--
[FOOOOM!]
Pyro: BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRNNN?!?!?!?
[As Pyrogen fully ignites his body in flames, HUGE pillars of fire explode on either side of the room--effectively trapping both Mighty Numbers within.]
[Almost as if this was to be a cage match...]
Beck: Uh-oh...
Pyro: Burn...
Pyro: The world must BURN...! ALL MUST BUUUURN!!!
[MN.1 HAS ENTERED FULL COMBAT MODE. RESTRICTIONS: NONE. ]
Beck: NO--!
[SCANNING...]
[SCAN COMPLETE.]
[ E N C O U N T E R ]
[MIGHTY NO. 1-- MODEL CODENAME: PYROGEN]
[HEIGHT: 223cm] [WEIGHT: 236kg] [XEL COUNT: 47,200,000]
Pyro: PYRO CRASH, AND YOU...BUUUUUUUUURRRN!
[Pyrogen was a close range combat model, excelling in melee-style combat.]
[He wasted no more time with any more words. A distorted yell of RAGE accompanied his first attack--a headlong, full bodied tackle!]
Beck: Gh--!
[Jumping over was the logical choice--]
Beck: AAAH--!
[...But not the best one, as Pyrogen ALSO left a trail of arching fire in his wake. Beck had jumped RIGHT into them, sustaining burns across his armor plating.]
Pyro: Yes--BURN! BURN LIKE THE REST! B U R N!!
[Flaring, No. 1 changed direction--his arms ignited to TWICE their original output, allowing him to gather his flames up for another attack.]
Pyro: BURN M O R E!
[He thrusted his arms forward--and a burst of fire shot out, threatening to engulf Beck in it's hellish range!]
Beck: PYRO--STOP IT!
[The youngest Mighty had no time wince at pain--he forced himself to roll away, the blaring heat reminding him to be weary of the fire walls that soared to the sky.]
[His default weapon was drawn--but he had not fired yet.]
Beck: I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT YOU, PYRO!
Beck: PLEASE! S N A P OUT OF IT--!
White: It's no USE, Beck!
Beck: --!? Dad?!
White: HE IS TOO FAR GONE!
White: You have to stop him by FORCE--!
White: ONLY THEN CAN HE BE SAVED!
Beck: .....
Pyro: B U R N, MOTH! B U R N!!
Beck: . . .
[MN.9 HAS ENTERED FULL COMBAT MODE. RESTRICTION: PRESERVE MN.1]
Beck: I'm sorry, Pyro...
Beck: But if I have to do this to get you back...!
[BLAM!]
Pyro: --?!?
[Bright orange dematerializing shots pierce through the flames--nailing Pyro right in the chest, who seems VERY confused as to what just happened--]
[--...But the confusion didn't last. It quickly bled away to anger. ]
Pyro: RAAAAAAAAAAAGH--!
Call: Warning: I detect a buildup of energy from Mighty No. 1.
Beck: Energy--?
[FWOOOOOM!]
[Pyrogen's flames...changed color. They were no longer just a bright yellow and orange.]
[They were purple. A sick, sick shade of purple and blue.]
Beck: ---????!?
[And that's when it hit him.]
[He's SEEN this before.]
[The Greater Dusk team--at the Queen's Tournament--Bladeblaster--!! ]
Pyro: BURNING...BURNIIIING...
Sanda: -ACTUALLY SCREAMS-
Beck: --!!!!! (Nowhere to HIDE--!!! GOTTA THINK FAST--)
Beck: Ah--!
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 2...]
Pyro: SPIRIT!
[B O O O M!]
[DATA LOSS]
Sanda: oh GOD WHAT HAPPENED WHAT HAPPENED--?!?!
Call: .....Mighty No. 9's signal has vanished--as has Mighty No. 1's. The likelihood of their transponders ceasing to transmit due to excessive heat damage is--
White: PLEASE, Call--! No more of that--ARE THEY ALIVE?!
------------------------------------------------------------------
Pyro: Hah...hah....
Pyro: ........
[There was no sign of Beck at all...]
Pyro: ...........
Pyro: Yes.....YES! LIKE A MOTH TO THE FLAME--!!
[Victory was his. A familiar feeling--he couldn't place why, but it FELT good--]
[So good that he started to laugh, distorted chortles reverbing around the Oil Platform...]
[There was nothing but the crackle of fire...and screams...]
[.....]
[… … …]
[Wait.]
[All the humans had fled.]
[So WHY--]
".........aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAH--!"
Pyro: WHAT--?!
[C L A N K!]
Beck: NOT DONE YET--!
[Seemingly dropping down from NOWHERE, Beck landed on his elder's back--forcing him to buckle from the force of the fall and the added weight--]
[BLAM!]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Pyro: RRAA--ACK--!!
[Flames attempted to flare on his back--they licked at Beck's form, scorching his armor black.]
[The pain--it was almost unlike anything he's ever felt before.]
[The only thing that came close...was...]
----------------------------------------------------
"Yes...! That's it, my better incarnation--FIGHT LIKE YOU ARE ABOUT TO DIE!~"
----------------------------------------------------
[Beck gritted his teeth.]
[He couldn't let go--can't, not for anything, ANYTHING!]
"Remember. Beck--Physical pain....is MENTAL. In the arena, you will learn how to push PAST it."
[BLAM.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
"But--Big Brother--"
[BLAM.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
"What if it hurts too much...?"
"One of these days, Beck--how much physical pain you feel won't matter in dire situations."
"Are you going to let a few deep scratches come between you and what you care about the most?"
[BLAM.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[XEL QUOTA REACHED.]
"N-No, sir, No. 1!"
"Good!"
[XEL PURGE: ONLINE. XELFILTER.EXE PREPARED FOR OVERDRIVE.]
"Now--Show your big brother what you can DO!"
Beck: COME ON, PYRO--!
[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]
Beck: WE NEED OUR LEADER BACK!!!
[FILTERING.....]
[A blinding flash of green surrounds the two, expelling all of the infected purple Xel in Pyro's frame, running it THROUGH Beck himself, who expelled it right back at One, returning the Xel back to it's rightful owner.]
Pyro: --!!!!
[The Mighty Leader stood rigid, frozen in place as the Xel was simultaneously pulled and put back into him--with little to no pain whatsoever. ]
[In fact...]
[It felt...warm...]
"..........I can see you, you know."
"Eep--!!"
"Now, now, don't be frightened--you have nothing to fear, Beck. Not in this place."
"But...you...and everything else...is so...so much bigger than me..."
"Heh..."
"Good things come in small packages."
[......Small....]
"TRY AND CATCH ME, NO. 1!"
Pyro: ........
Pyro: B...Beck...
[THUNK.]
[His knees give away.]
[FILTERING COMPLETE.]
[ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MN.1]
Pyro: Is that....you...?
[There is only harsh breathing in his ear--but...]
Beck: ....
Beck: B...Big...Brother...
Beck: Pyro...I...you're OK...
Pyro: I...what...where...?
[-PING!-]
Call: Connection reestablished. Mighty Numbers 1 and 9 are online.
White: Beck--! Beck--are you--
Pyro: ....F...Father...?
[.....]
White: S...Son...?
Pyro: Father--...what...what happened? I...don't....remember...
Sanda: He...WILL-- WILL HE DID IT HE DID IT--!!
White: Pyrogen...! You're...alright...!
Pyro: Not--...not exactly...Ngh...
Pyro: I....
[SCANNING...]
Pyro: ......????
Pyro: Beck--What...why do I smell...oil?
Beck: Long... long story, bro...ohmanI'msotired...
Pyro: You're...? I...I don't understand--
White: ......
White: Call...prepare for Xel Transfer. Pyro...
White: Everything will be fine, son...I promise. I'll explain it when you're well rested enough.
Pyro: ........
Call: Xel Transfer in progress...
{SANDA ENTERPRISES, LOWER LABS...}
[Will never thought he would be so close to having a heart attack at the age of 25, and today had been eventful enough to garner that reaction on more than one occasion.]
[But the feeling of relief he felt when he saw his eldest carrying his youngest on his back...]
Call: Xel Transfer complete. I suggest not drawing too close to No. 1--he is still radiating fairly high temperatures.
Sanda: Hoooof--it DID just jump a couple of degrees in here, didn't it...
Beck: Uuuuuugh I've never been so TIRED can I take a nap...
[Beck was certainly quite talkative in his complaining...]
[...But Pyrogen remained silent....]
Pyro: . . . .
[Beck slowly climbs down from Pyrogen--he feels QUITE strange at the moment, as if his systems were preoccupied with something else, and leans against his brother for support.]
White: ....
Pyro: Father...
Pyro: ...Beck has burns. All over.
Beck: . . .
Pyro: There was OIL.
White: Son--
Pyro: What happened to us...?!
White: ......
[Will tries to collect his thoughts--how will he tell him--how will he--]
Pyro: Where is Cryo? We NEED to cool him off--
Call: Mighty No. 2's location is unknown. As are the rest of the Mighty Numbers.
Pyro: --?! WHAT?!
Call: I will now connect you back to our systems. Standby.
[RE-CONNECTING...]
White: .......
[CONNECTION ESTABLISHED. UPDATING....]
Pyro: ...........
Pyro: NO--
[RECEIVING RECENT STATUS REPORTS...]
Pyro: NO!
Pyro: OUR FAMILY--!!
[Pyrogen attempts to stand--but his damaged frame does not quite agree with him.]
Pyro: Ngh--!!
Beck: Bro--bro, don't strain yourself--
[-PING!-]
Beck: ----!!!!
[FORM DATA ANALYSIS COMPLETE.]
[XEL TRANSFORMATION ENGAGED.]
[Beck's Xels suddenly start to re-arrange themselves, glowing with a bright white light...!]
[NEW FORM SET.]
[REXELECTION: PYROGEN.]
Pyro: .....!!!
Pyro: Beck...?
Beck: .......
Beck: Big brother...
Beck: I...need to explain some things...
-PING!-
<RMDC>: >REQUEST FAILED. DISPLAYING PREVIOUS STATUS UPDATE…
>DCN-008 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE
>DCN-007 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE
>DCN-004 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE
>DCN-003 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE
>DCN-000 STATUS: OFFLINE
Pyro: What--
Pyro: Lethal Mode--?!
>Loading…
>DWN-024 STATUS: OFFLINE
>DWN-020 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE
>DWN-019 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE
>DWN-018 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE
>DWN-017 STATUS: OFFLINE
>Loading…
Pyro: Why...WHY ARE THEY ALL...?!
Beck: Pyro--
Call: I suggest updating MN.1's memory files with Beck's own.
White: .....
White: Sanda...prep the lab.
White: Beck--help your brother. There is much to go over...
[Indeed… most of the line was in Lethal.
…
…With two EXCEPTIONALLY notable exceptions.]
>DLN-008 STATUS: OFFLINE— CRITICAL AI_OS DATA ERROR
>ERROR: DLN-000 SIGNAL NOT FOUND.
Pyro: Toby--CARDINAL--?!
Pyro: (What...what...)
Pyro: (What sick, twisted darkness has befallen us...?!)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 1B: RAGING FLAMES SMOLDER=
~AO v1.0~
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{Out in Kansas City…}
[Cardinal seethed.]
Cardinal: (Nothing. NOTHING!)
[He had spent all day and all night looking for some sort of gathering place where Shade might go. He’d found a number of underground dens, alright, but everything was so trashed that it was more or less impossible to tell what had been there before.
He hadn’t really expected this to be simple, straightforward, or easy…
But he was REALLY starting to regret how he had never looked into the other side of Shade’s life.]
Cardinal: (I only wanted to show him the respect he deserved! To not have to choose between duty and friends. And that had been important to him….)
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Cardinal: One thing I always have tried to do when it comes to friends involved in enforcing stuff—and that is not to end up making them feel they have a conflict between duty and… well, us.
Cardinal: That’s why I don’t ask about your job and stuff much even though I am awfully curious at times. xD
Shade: Heh. Oh, I'd tell ya, ah' really would, but. Sort of a whole, uh. Code of conduct sort of thing. Like...honor among thieves? 'Cept with assassins.
Cardinal: -Waves hand dismissively, as if dissipating the idea/concern- It’s more of a sort of… how do I put this?
Cardinal: I know this is not something I’ve talked to you about much before, but… preparing and trying to predict multiple possibilities is a pretty… eh… “strong” program of mine, I guess you could say.
Cardinal: It’s basically the backbone of my survival instinct, what little I have. Since, y’know, I was programmed with the idea that if I ever got destroyed, I could just be uploaded into a new chassis…
Cardinal: …Or replaced entirely.
Cardinal: Having an understanding of all of the elements in play—or as many as possible—is sort of an instinctive drive, you could say? Especially when it comes to power players.
Shade: (Kinda like in a game of chess…)
Cardinal: Now with your associates, that is something that would normally be a prime directive to understand in detail. Because they register—even as an abstract concept—as hunters. Which always take greater… mmm… priority, in a sense, since they are proactive, not reactive.
Cardinal: But in your case—same with Issimo—that, uh… instinct is negated/appeased by, well. You.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
[He was stung with sorrow.]
Cardinal: (Oh, Shade…)
Cardinal: (I…. …I just wanted you to…. …In the beginning, we worried about what might happen if you guys got turned against us, but as time…)
Cardinal: (As time went on, you guys made our world so much brighter that we left such contingencies behind us. I didn’t make one for if I would have to chase you down. This is my fault for being so unprepared…)
[He couldn’t stand this right now. He needed to vent.]
[…Which is exactly what he did.
He walked away from the alleys, making for the skyline.
Let them see his handiwork, should anyone care to look for him.
He needed to keep moving.]
———————————————
{Meanwhile, in the Meadow…}
[Dr. Cossack was sitting in the lab.
The remaining Rebel Angels and the DCNs were all present, though some seemed more restless than others.]
Mikhail: …We all know the grave nature of the situation upon us.
[Slight shuffling noises as a few of the boys looked away and to the side.]
Mikhail: I will not lessen the depth of this crisis.
[He interlocked his fingers.]
Mikhail: Our best friends and closest allies are in grave danger. The majority of the family has fallen to madness, and the remainder are without a proper home or lab. It is Beck against the whole country, and Gregory Graham is only making matters worse.
[He sighed and put his face in his hands.]
Mikhail: And, of course, Cardinal has RUN OFF on his own… AFTER taking all of our supplies.
Mikhail: To make matters worse, Tobias is in critical condition, and Aviator is blocking the signals. We cannot send help, either verbal or physical, for the time being.
Mikhail: I now open the floor. Does anyone have something to say?
[Jaden twirled his drills.]
Jaden: …We have to try and keep Aviator calm.
Nico: …Jaden—
Jaden: -Flatly- As far as I care, the infection is Airman reborn. -Softer again- …But Aviator is still in there. And when he gets back into control…
[He shifts his weight.]
Jaden: Cardinal once talked to him about his worries. Avi has a very sensitive Emotions.EXE program—that’s why getting his soul dragged into the abyss of our suffering hurt him so badly, even while infected. And we all know what it was like the last time someone was forced to see such suffering…
Speedy: -Looks away in shame-
Jaden: …It’s going to be horrible for him once he gets out of it. …He needs to be reassured, no matter how much Airman might scoff at such words. He needs it.
[Mikhail was silent.
Siam eventually sighed, drumming his fingers against his arm. (Gemini, meanwhile, was already over working on Tobias.)]
Siam: …We need to make Tobias our main priority.
Siam: While the research of the virus is important—and the need to find replacements for the supplies Cardinal raided is just as critical—there’s just no real use, since we won’t be able to APPLY such information. Not until Avi is better.
Siam: And for that matter—if Tobias is still unwell by the time they rescue Avi, how much more will that twist the dagger into his heart?
Skull: {You have a very good point, cousin…}
Siam: -Vents a heavy sigh- We need Tobias to be repaired. It is the one thing we can do independently, and… it is so very important. So I propose that we focus on that, exclusively.
[Nods of agreement around the table. Mikhail seemed to be thinking things over.]
Mikhail: …We still need to have something to report to them, should they come back in contact before them. Siamini and I are really the only two that can work on Toby’s coding. With Kalinka safely in the care of Lady and Lt. Nighthawk, and David and Shadow both Offline…. And, of course, Cardinal gone…
[He turns to look at Jaden.]
Mikhail: Jaden, next to your oldest brother, you are the greatest strategist. I want you to go over potential tactics to give as advice. …If you truly feel it important to keep in contact with MNN-006, then that is your prerogative— but be warned. Pushing him too far may have very bad consequences.
Jaden: Yes sir, Doctor Cossack.
Mikhail: {Keltso, I want you to look into getting some more supplies. Help Nico to contact the friends of the Rebel Angels—some of them may have supplies or equivalents.}
Keltso: {Yes, sir.}
Mikhail: That’s it for now. Let’s get started.
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=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 1D: RAGING FLAMES SMOLDER=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers, @unluckyadept)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{BACK IN THE UNITED KINGDOM…}
Jack: .....
Jack: [Frag.]
[On the other side of the globe, a certain CDN was also on a solo mission on his own...
....Albeit with only half of a plan and only a few small details as to how exactly he was going to get back to the US of A. To find her.
[With MN.6 taking control of all airwaves and signals, simply teleporting there was out of the question. Most normal means of transportation would be very hard to get to at this point--without resorting to less moralistic means--and taking the long way would just take up way too much time...
With America quarantined, and with no easy way to contact anyone that could help him...
...Jack was running out of options.]
Jack: (OK, OK, just...think, Jack. Remember what the bird guy said...)
Jack: (He said that Miss Eight would go after people that did her wrong--that includes her brother, Seven--so I gotta find HIM first...but where the hell IS HE?)
Jack: (Plus, how the HECK am I gonna get to the States in the FIRST place? Nothing is working, no one's gonna listen, everything is SCREWY...)
Jack: (Think, you moron, think...)
Jack: ......
Jack: ......!!!!
"Head to the Meadow when you get the chance."
Jack: THAT place...!
Jack: Don't have any other options, anyway...
[A flutter of his trenchcoat and Jack's barrelling down the street with nothing but the clothes on his back.]
[........]
[In a distant dark alley, something long and metallic slinks away, its single red eye unblinking. It passes by an oozing pile of acid and green shrapnel, ignoring it entirely as it goes on its way.]
—————————————————————
{The Meadow}
[It doesn’t take long for Jack to arrive.
But he’s running so fast that he nearly runs right into the lab door.]
Jack: --!!!
[He--He did NOT expect that.]
[He manages to put on the breaks--but he still sort of bumps into the door hard enough to make a noticeable dent.]
[Within moments, someone opened the door, looking irritable.
…Except the same someone was also visible further back in the lab, looking confused.]
Jack: --!
Jack: ........
Jack: Um.
Siam: What are you doing raising a ruckus in the middle of the night.
Gemini: -Simultaneously, surprised- Jack?!
Jack: Hiiiiiiiii... -Waves meekly.-
Siam: Come inside before you wake the others up—
Gemini: We had just been calling you not too long ago! We weren’t sure what had become of you…
Jack: Okokok--
[Oops. Bird guy told him that these guys would call his landline or something--]
[Siam doesn’t really wait for an answer, more or less dragging Jack indoors.
There are numerous screens displaying schematics, blueprints, and massive amounts of data. There were several other Robot Masters hooked up to terminals, clearly in Sleep mode…
…though a few appeared to be Offline, including Snow and… Tobias…]
Jack: ......
[Jack put his hands in his pockets. The spark kid....]
[THIS was the guy that practically punched his ex boss in the face with a fistful of thunder.
And now he was basically down for the count.]
Jack: ..... -Exhales-
Siam: FMN-008 told us that she’d talked with you, and you had important information to share. What was she referring to?
Gemini: Are you alright? Do you need repairs?
Siamini: Where is she?
Jack: Nono, I'm fine--
Jack: ....
Jack: I...I don't know.
[This seems to break their attention span by making them both react with a mix of disappointment and acceptance.]
Siam: I had hoped…
Gemini: She’d talked more with you than anyone else, Siam: you were just the one most likely for her to contact to let you know she was alright…
[Gemini returns to his work at the terminal, while Siam starts going through some cabinets.]
Siam: Do you need answers, repairs, advice, a place to stay, some combination thereof, or neither?
Jack: ........
Jack: Uh. Well...
[Jack takes up a seat at one of the tables.]
Jack: .....
Jack: I...Actually came here to let you guys know some things, too.
Jack: ...About the crosses. And...
Jack: ......
[THIS gets their attention. They are alert, and communicating quite complex abstract data.]
Siam: We hope to Siamini: study Gemini: the code left behind when Siamini: the virus Gemini: infected our server and subsequently Siamini: the trail Siam: left behind when Siamini: Eight and Six Gemini: fused together.
Siam: Information on that could prove Siamini: highly Siam: valuable.
Gemini: …Although. You do deserve to know more of the full story behind what happened at the Siamini: finals… -Look(s) over at Tobias-
[He seems contemplative for a moment, and then he speaks up again.]
Siam: Whatever you have to say, I will likely turn my full attention to it.
Gemini: So it would be best to bring you up to task before that…
<DWN-019>: Thoughts?
Jack: ....
[....He did have questions of his own, yes...]
Jack: OK, alright...I guess that's cool.
[...He just hoped he was quick about it.]
[Gemini starts talking exclusively. The two of him suddenly look…
…emotionally tired.]
Gemini: From the start, you were entered into our databases positively. This is a rare thing, due to the nature of… our world, and the… paranoia that comes to those who live in fear.
Jack: (Rare, huh...)
Gemini: We did not understand why at the time, but the fact that it was was important—
Gemini: It meant you had done something to suggest you were not an enemy. Possibly even an ally. So… while our soul-brothers struggled on, we maintained insistence that they treat you gently, unless given absolute proof of reason to do otherwise.
Jack: .......
Jack: So, basically, you guys knew I wasn't a pain in the chass...
Gemini: Well…. You must understand, we were still very nervous. But what we’ve been put through…
[He shudders in unison.]
Gemini: We didn’t want anyone else to suffer that. And especially once David told us he’d seen you…. That let us know you were more like us. We wanted to help you out, but we couldn’t interfere. We did try to learn more, but it was no use. However. That changed on the day of the finals.
Jack: . . .
Gemini: Then. We knew for certain.
[A beat.]
Gemini: -Looks over at Tobias, venting a sigh- …Actually, we all went into Lethal at that point, not just Tobias.
Jack: ......Damn....
[If that happened then, he couldn't imagine what they were like when this all went down....]
Gemini: It was…
Siam: It was like seeing a brother die.
Gemini: My God help us, the cross-references…
Jack: . . .
Gemini: …Tobias always was the most like Father.
Siam: Cardinal, we were able to prevent because we were right next to him, but no one had been paying attention to Tobias….
Gemini: He’d blacked out after Dyna was taken hostage, from the weight of his own memories.
Siamini: -SIGH-
Gemini: He was so afraid after he was repaired, at…
Siam: …what might become of him, having lost control.
Jack: Poor kid...
Gemini: Having hacked.
Siam: Having attacked. He was once hunted as a terrorist, you know…
Gemini: The fear of the
Siamini: [color=blue] HUNTER [/color]
Siam: persisted with him long after Cardinal and Countershade became so close as to be interchangeable…
Jack: .........
Jack: (Bird guy and Eight...)
[He sighed again, looking in opposite directions.]
Gemini: It is hard to think back “that far,” for it seems a world away, now. But we were so focused on… finding out what had happened.
Gemini: After FMN-008 finally revealed her presence permanently, she spoke up further on your behalf and explained what she knew from her conversations with you.
Gemini: At the time, we were worried most about if we would be hunted as malfunctioning—
Siam: —insist they don’t punish /malfunctioning/ but—
Gemini: —not of the world—
[A garble of data, which quiets down.]
Jack: .......
Gemini: …We didn’t even have the chance to TALK the situation over with Dr. White and the Mighty Numbers, to figure out what to do about Tobias’s lashing out…
Siam: …Dr. White said he wanted to wait until they got back.
Gemini: We only saw them for a few hours before…
Siam: …before this.
Jack: .......
Jack: M'sorry.
[Siam starts pacing.]
Siam: It infected the server. Our server is connected to Sanda Enterprises; specifically, the server that houses Mighty Number memories.
Jack: .....The servers...
Jack: (So that--it wasn't the--!)
Jack: Hang on.
Siamini: Yes?
Jack: So...it infected YOUR servers...
Jack: ....
Jack: The virus....
Jack: It infected American CherryDyn servers too.
[The brother looks between himself, and then over to Jack with a frown.]
Gemini: …Jack, something you should know.
Siam: It would take a long time to explain all the details, but for a while now, Cardinal has been convinced that Gregory Graham had been planning to make a massive power grab, by means of setting up a crisis and solving it publicly.
Jack: --?!
Jack: What…? (He did NOT tell me that--)
Siam: He believed that the highway incident earlier in the year was the result of something in this plan going… wrong.
Jack: Wrong...?
Siam: The fact that Graham took the time during THIS disaster to—yet again, as before—publicly say “don’t blame me! Blame someone else!” does not help matters.
Gemini: -Dryly- Guilty conscience, perhaps?
Siam: Or just really bad lying?
Gemini: That’s what Cardinal believed, at any rate.
Siam: “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”
Jack: ................
Jack: Jeezus....
[This...this was bigger than he thought.]
[Much, much bigger.]
Siam: That is part of why FMN-008 feared for your well being. Something went wrong again in the finals, clearly; something that had not been intended to be publicly known yet.
Gemini: If ever.
Siam: Likely never.
Jack: ...........
Jack: I....
[What in the world was going on now?]
[Could...]
[Could this be...just too much to handle?]
[Suddenly Jack felt like he was up against MORE than just a virus.]
Jack: .......
[A pause.]
Siam: To be honest, I’m not sure that it’s that level of conspiracy.
[Another pause, with only minimal hesitation.]
Gemini: …To put it bluntly…
Siamini: …Graham just doesn’t seem all that smart.
Jack: -....snickers-
Jack: Hehehehe....
Siam: Heh… well… ‘hem. -Slight grin- That’s a discussion for later, when Dr. Cossack is here.
Gemini: At any rate… -Siiiigh, and the good mood is lost- …When Number Six disrupted things…
Siam: …Tobias tried to talk things out with him.
Jack: ......
[Jack looks back to the spark bot.]
Jack: Take it that it didn't go so well.
Gemini: That’s one way to put it.
Siam: To put it simply… and since you have proven yourself, you may know this…
Siam: If Tobias were a traditional Xelbot? His secondary ability would be Communication.
Gemini: He has vast power in that area and maintains a firm control with great finesse— Siam: —but he is only able to do that because he is /sensitive/ enough to be able to pick up and send out such things.
[…Aaaaaaaand Number Six had taken over wireless communications…]
[Oh dear.]
Siam: …
Gemini: …
Siam: …Airman didn’t take too kindly to Tobias putting up resistance and breaking his monopoly.
Gemini: Light Eight tried to warn him…
Jack: ....
Jack: Oh my God...
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
“The reason the brothers got all hot an’ bothered is, well. -Shakes head, working dart over- Fact is…
They all have died at least once, each. Includin’ th’ kid.
Picked off one by one. By the likes a’ me. Me an’ Blaster both.
They’re purty sensitive t’ the idea a’ bein’ hunted again as a result. Some of ‘em saw or heard—definitely felt— others in their line die as it was happenin’, live.”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Siam: -Flatly- He wasn’t prepared for the horrors that awaited him when he broke past the resistance.
Gemini: He didn’t take control, as he had been hoping for.
Siam: No. Hardly.
Siamini: His neural net got fused together and suffered the consequences that is to be a Robot Master.
Siamini: The suffering was FAR too much for him to handle.
Jack: ......
Jack: (Don't ask what he saw, don't ask what he saw--)
Jack: ......But he's still in control of the airwaves, isn't he?
Siam: -Holds a hand out to the side- He is now, yes.
Gemini: -Mirrors the gesture exactly- But for a few hours, he was not.
Siam: During that time, interdimensional and overseas calls were possible.
Jack: ......!
Siam: We managed to talk with them and let them know we were… mostly alright, other than what had happened to our electronic genius.
Gemini: Beck even… promised to save them, to give them the mercy our brother never showed us…
Jack: Wait— the kid that was on the bench in the finals??
Siam: He fought a Round Digger all by himself and disinfected it, Jack.
Jack: Wha--
Jack: He WHAT?!
[...Jack had NO CLUE just what Beck was capable of--now, at least.]
Jack: (Holy...that little kid against his whole TEAM...his family...)
Jack: (I know the kid is supposed to have some sort of special ability but--)
Gemini: Believe or disbelieve all you like, but I am convinced he is more than capable of fulfilling his promise.
Siam: Not that it will make it any less difficult or less unpleasant.
Gemini: Dr. Cossack assured them that Tobias would recover, and spoke that it be an example of why no one else should interfere—
[…aaaAAAAAAND NOW THE MIRRORED, DOUBLED FACEPALM.]
Jack: --?
Siamini: -Broadcasting- “NO ONE. ELSE. INTERFERE.”
Jack: . . . .
Jack: Uh.
Jack: . . . .
Siam: He turned off his signal we are nEVER GOING TO FIND HIM
Gemini: He’s MILITARY, he knows how to avoid being tracked and seen—
Siam: HE’S GOING TO GET HIMSELF KIIIIIIILLLLLED BY YOUR POLICE—
Gemini: -Nonverbal ranting, rant rant rant!-
Siamini: Cardinal went after Shade, we discovered TOO LATE!
Jack: (--WAIT A MINUTE.)
"He's not here, you've got no leads...time to move on."
[CALLER ID: KANSAS CITY.]
Jack: HOLD UP--
Jack: You're talking about the bird guy--right?!
Jack: He called me!
Siamini: !
<DWN-019>: > -DOUBLED DELUGE DEMANDING DATA-
[…More of the desperate than the angry kind, though.
He was clearly very worried.
…Very, VERY worried.]
Jack: OW OKOK--
Jack: Must've been when Six was down for those few hours--
Jack: The call came from Kansas City, but....
Siamini: -Seems… sad-
Jack: He wanted to know more about the crosses--I told him what I knew, and he told me to come here when I had the chance--and pass the info along to you guys.
[A soft sigh. Shuffling, looking away.]
Siam: …Did he have any message for us?
Jack: Uh...
[.....]
Jack: Something about the Bible...
Jack: John 15:13, I think...?
Siamini: …!
[…But the surprise soon gives way to clear sorrow.]
Siam: He…
Gemini: Heh… he…
Siam: -Regretfully, in a way- Of course he would do that…
Jack: ......
Jack: M'sorry...
Gemini: -Softly- “No one has greater love than this…”
Siam: “…to lay down one's life for one's friends.”
Jack: --!
Jack: .....
Jack: (Miss Eight...)
Jack: (Real deep stuff you're laying down here, bird guy...)
Jack: ......
Jack: Sorry I...I'm not much help...I...
Jack: (....REALLY hope you know what you're doing...)
Siam: -Weary… and sad…-
Gemini: -Just plain weary- No…
Gemini: It should have been expected and anticipated. We were not surprised. Alarmed, yes, but not surprised….
Gemini: It is the path he chose long ago, and none can deter it from him as long as he yet runs.
Gemini: He has made his choice. I only wish he weren’t so fragile…
Jack: ......
Jack: (Fragile...like a bird...)
Jack: (Flying solo for your friend, huh...)
Gemini: At least he took Jazz with him.
[Siamini lets out a long sigh.]
Siam: …That brings us up to the present, I suppose.
Gemini: Do you have any other questions we may answer?
Jack: .....
Jack: (Should I ask 'em if they can help me find Miss Eight? If they couldn't stop the bird guy, they'll DEFINITELY try and stop me....)
Jack: Uh...no, no--well, sorta. Do you guys got anything I can use? Like--supplies and stuff. Just to have on hand.
Jack: And...if you've heard anything from Miss Eight's family.
[Siam shakes his head, but Gemini nods.]
Siam: We have not heard from them yet, but we may hear from them within a week’s time. They are running on a different rate of time passage, so details may be different or confused. Time warps can fuzz the memory rather severely, as our own family can personally attest to. One remembers a general feeling, but not specific events…
Gemini: Oh, of course. Let’s see… if you’re on the move, a small radio would be good, so that you may stay informed while also keeping your own signal off the radar… -Starts going through the cabinets that Siam was looking through earlier-
Gemini: A compass and some maps will also help to that end. We have some extra.
[He brings those out and sets them on the table, while Siam wanders off. When he comes back, he has what appears to be a small cooler… or else a very large lunchbox.]
Siam: It’s not much, but with what you’re going through… lunch and dinner over the next few days to indulge in is the least we can do.
[There are sandwiches, sauces, ice cream bars, milk bottles, soda, even Xelpops in there!]
Jack: (....Holy crap FOOD. Jeezus, when was the last time I ate???)
[Jack starts folding the maps and stuffing the radio and compass in various pockets--he was still wearing his Greater Dusk attire, and for once he was glad the whole biker gangster style included lots of pockets.]
Jack: Thanks, man... (Oh jeez those sandwiches look so good right now.)
[…This doesn’t go unnoticed.]
Siam: Goodness. When was the last time you ate, Jack?
Gemini: I have an idea. How about I go make a dinner while you tell me what you have to say? Your choice—there is plenty to choose from.
Siam: Oh, I agree—a most excellent idea. What would you like?
Jack: .....
Jack: Dude--double dude-- I could eat a house, man--hamburgers--soda--do you guys have steak-- Chicken???
Jack: ....
Jack: ....oh right--
Jack: Please?
[Siamini chuckles at that.]
Gemini: I’ll go make the steak and potatoes. -Walks off-
Siam: We just had a taco night, so there’s no hamburger meat left.
Jack: -just--food--Ya know what we're gonna suck on a Xelpop while we wait-
Siam: We’re sorry that we couldn’t entertain you as a guest before now. Though David—Snow, that is—did mention meeting you.
Jack: --! Oh, the ice kid...
Jack: ....
Jack: His ice cream ROCKS, man.... Stuff in the store just falls short, Heh...
[Siam smiles at that.]
Siam: Ah, yes, I recall it being said he made several batches for you—one after the finals, for you to have in the hospital. We are very glad you’re better, by the way.
Jack: Ehehe...yeah, me too...kinda stinks being stuck in a bed all day, but the ice cream really helped...
Jack: One of the other GDs was even jealous, I think. Pretty sure he tried to jack it from me more than once, but the nurses are like hawks, double dude.
Siam: Heh.
Jack: ....
Jack: Dunno where they all went after we got released from the place... separate ways, I think.
Siam: -More serious expression now- What did they do with Bladeblaster’s core? Please tell me they locked it in a strongbox.
[.......]
[Jack's expression fell.]
Jack: .......
Siam: … -Cringes inwardly-
Jack: They....They sent it back to CherryDyn for them to look over what went wrong with him.
Jack: ....They said they found nothin', so they patched him up and kept him in for observation.
Jack: ....Then...
Jack: .......
Jack: He's dead, man. Dead.
Siam: … -Just closes his eyes and shakes his head slowly, his data suggesting a cold sort of discomfort-
Jack: .......
Jack: I...they told me he was...
Jack: Freakin' tortured...
Jack: ......
Jack: -turns away- (Is it bad that I still think he deserved it?)
Jack: .... Dunno about the other GDs... I could... (I could be the only one left...)
[Siam put a reassuring hand on Jack’s shoulder.]
Siam: …Being a last survivor is hard, even when you don’t like the other members. (Lord knows how much it’s hurt our family.) But… you are welcome to stay here as long as you need, if that’s what you want.
Jack: It's just...kinda scary...
Jack: If it wasn't for Miss Eight...
Jack: .......
Siam: (This must all be so very hard on him right now, the poor man.)
Jack: .....
[Jack takes a deep breath.
As much as he REALLY did wanted to just lay low and hope this whole mess all blows over...
...He couldn't stay.]
Jack: Thanks, double dude...but I think I'm gonna just eat here a while before I head on out.
Jack: Should probably tell ya what bird guy wanted you to know about the crosses before I do, anyway...
Siam: Ah, yes… thank you, that will help.
Jack: Alright.... Where to start...
Jack: Putting them on when they weren't active--didn't do a thing. They were made of Xel, so I guess the crosses also had this REALLY tiny core to keep it together....
Jack: They just looked like freaky jewelry to other people. I didn't like it. Felt...wrong. That's why I always hid mine under my shirt.
Siam: …In what sense? Physically, or morally?
Jack: ....Both? The cross felt...cold. Like it was just pulled out of the freezer, no matter how hot it was out.
Jack: That and inverted crosses are USUALLY a bad sign, double dude. Have you SEEN horror movies?
[Siam gave a cold smile.]
Siam: One of my younger brothers was a snake. He had the same sort of personality your boss had.
Siam: I was hunted down and KILLED by my own brother.
Siam: Jack, my friend—
Siam: We LIVE horror movies.
Jack: . . .
Jack: -sweATS NERVOUSLY- (Ooooookaaaaaay.)
Jack: G-Got it...
[Siam’s expression softens, and he sighs, bowing his head.]
Siam: …I’m sorry. Forgive me.
Siam: …This is just all so very much like the darkest of our days, that which we had hoped to prevent from befalling your world… no matter what the cost to us may be. The panic, the hunt… and we could do nothing to stop it, and can do nothing to help.
Siam: …We have survived these last years by living with a man and a community of deep faith. -Looks over at Shadow, who is Offline… and in his civvies for once, his hands folded over to touch the crucifix he always wore-
Siam: When you threw the cross down in the finals, that did allow us to briefly see what it was. …The use of that symbol did not go unnoticed.
Jack: …
Siam: Our “youngest” brother believed the one behind it was trying to “play God” and was using that symbol on purpose, as a highly disrespectful mockery.
Siam: -Softly- I do not discount the notion.
Jack: ..........
Jack: (The Provider...)
Jack: .....
Jack: Well, whatever nutjob made those things did a REAL good job fragging shit up.
Siam: Let me show you what we saw.
Jack: Kay...
[A few clips briefly play.]
————————————
Tobias: I don’t understand—! What’s going on?!
[They all fell silent when a quiet voice spoke up unexpectedly.]
Mikhail: … -Quietly- Berserkers.
Cardinal: …! What?
Mikhail: In ancient times, there were men of great strength, warriors that were great and terrible. They could work themselves into a rage that made them almost seem to ignore their wounds in battle—a madness that they channeled with incredible force.
Mikhail: This is why there is the phrase “going berserk.” This is almost exactly what it means.
Mikhail: But to concentrate only on bloodlust, at the loss of sense…
[He adjusted his glasses, the light glinting off them in a glare that obscured his eyes.]
Mikhail: …Especially against tacticians, that can be a very heavy price…
——————
Cardinal: What does he think he is doing—?!
Shadow: He is no longer thinking at all, you fool!
[He pointed at the screen, barely even noticing he’d already called a Shadow Blade to his hand.]
Shadow: LOOK AT HIM! He is possessed by the madness!
Cardinal: Oh God—if he can no longer think, then that means…
Cardinal: He won’t care anymore about the rules!
————————————
Jack: (Berserkers...)
Jack: ...........
Jack: God, it must've been horrifying for you guys to watch...
[Siam winces, looking over at Tobias.]
Siam: The horrifying part was when Number Eight was gutted. My stars. It was just like the first time he died.
Jack: (.....Spark kid...)
Jack: ............
Siam: -Seems deep in thought- …The talismans…. Was Mikhail right? Did they… induce that berserker state?
Jack: ....You bet they did....
Jack: When they went active...
Jack: All I felt was rage.
Siam: …
Jack: All I felt was...this feeling to break things.
Jack: It was ALL I could think about...
Jack: All...I could think about was...
Jack: How much I wanted to hurt Blade.
Jack: .....
Jack: It was like... something just...took over and....and...
Jack: --....
Jack: I knew it was bad. I had this gut feeling WAY before the finals...
Jack: I knew.
Jack: So I fought back.
Siam: … -Focused but also thoughtful- … -After some hesitation…- …We know what that feels like. …You have our deepest empathy.
Jack: ........
Siam: We know that to fight it off is no easy thing. …You are a stronger man than you give yourself credit for, Jack. Not everyone has the will or stamina to do this.
Jack: .....
Jack: -Sigh- Double dude, I'm just a normal guy that wanted some extra cash in his pocket. Sure, I'm probably not such a piece of scrap, after all, but...
Jack: I'm not special.
Jack: I'm just...lucky, I guess.
Siam: -Gentle slight smile- I suppose. Having Lady Luck on your side is always nice. Heh… I wouldn’t have survived otherwise.
[It was at this point that the smell of delicious, glorious, tender S T E A K came drifting through the air—]
Jack: --!!!!!
[Jack shoots up into a straighter sitting position, eyes WIDE and eager--]
Jack: That--that is the most awesome smell I've ever--
[Gemini walked in with a platter. A platter with SO MUCH FOOD.
There was steak, there was loaded baked potato with extra toppings set to the side—
Corn, green bean casserole, a tall glass of cold milk, a small bowl of fruit salad— and some chocolate pudding with Oreo bits and whipped cream!]
Gemini: -Sets it down at the table- Sorry to keep you waiting.
Jack: . . .
[Jack might have kicked himself later for forgetting his manners--but he just dove into the most delicious food he's ever eaten in his entire life.]
Jack: -dATA, SO MUCH DATA, OH GOD THIS IS SO GOOD HE COULD CRY- -HOW ARE YOU NOT IN SOME FOUR STAR RESTAURANT SERVING THIS, DOUBLE DUDE-
[This pleased the twins greatly, of course. He wasn’t as talented as Nico (and knew it), but it was nice to know one could still do a very good job.
Gemini returned to the mainframe console, resuming his work, while Siam happily and absentmindedly hummed and wrote down notes on a yellow legal notepad.]
Siam: -Amused and pleased, yet humble- I learned cooking mostly from Señor Gonzales and from my immediately older brother, Alnico Wily.
Jack: -oh man this is so good awwww yessss-
Siam: I am most suited for lab work… Nico’s the one who’s truly the closest to a Domestic. We make large family dinners—pasta or casserole the most often. There are nine of us now, after all. Ten, when you count me twice.
Jack: -...we're nearly halfway done with this meal OOO MILK-
[Jack nearly cleans out everything on the plate--apparently he has a rather large appetite.]
Jack: Ooooh, maaaaaaaan...
Jack: -cannot remember the last time he felt THIS full-
[Siam takes the liberty of placing the (very few) leftovers in a container that Gemini had brought in earlier, and placing that in the cooler. Gemini cleared away the dishes, and Siam spoke absentmindedly, automatically dimming the lights a little and increasing the temperature just a little to help make the atmosphere more calming.]
Siam: We wish you the best as you go on elsewhere, though the invitation still stands if you change your mind. I do hope you come back soon at least once—I think Felix had a gift for you.
Jack: ...?
Jack: Uh...I think maybe I'll just pick that up on the way? Where is he?
[Hopefully he had enough luck on his side to get back to the States in time...AND in one piece.]
Siam: He’s out a bit further in the Wilderness. There’s a path that leads more or less right by his house. (Granted, his house is underground, but Captain Piers will be by the road, at least.)
Jack: Hmm. Got it--I'll head that way for now.
[Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, Jack straightened out his coat and grabbed the cooler with his other hand, stretching himself out a couple of times--the doc said he had to often just to keep himself limber.]
Jack: Nnh....
[...Despite the looming danger in front of him, and what was yet to come...
...Strangely, Jack didn't feel all that worried about it at the moment. Maybe it was the food.]
Jack: ....
Jack: Oi—didn't catch your name, actually.
Siamini: DWN-019: Project name “Geminiman”. Artificial Awareness and Intelligence, Combat Class.
Siam: “Siam” is the name granted to me, after the old phrase “siamese twins”—which itself originated regarding such a pair from Siam, which is a location.
Gemini: “Gemini” is the name granted to me, after the legend of the twins who were given a place among the heavens as a stellar constellation in the sky.
Siamini: Collectively, most people refer to me as “Siamini”,
Siam: …though David has taken to calling me “Sam” and “Samini”. I suppose it’s easier on a child to use fewer vowel-related syllables…
Jack: .....wow.
Jack: Iiiii am just gonna stick to Siam and Double Dude, if ya don't mind.
Jack: Thanks for all the help.
[Gemini shrugs in a “I’m used to it” sort of manner, and Siam nods.]
Siam: Thank you for confirming where our oldest brother has been, and what his intentions are…
Gemini: …and that he is, in fact, aware and prepared to accept the hardships ahead.
Siam: And also for your information on the crosses. Thank you, truly.
Gemini: We all wish you the best. We may have more questions later, so… send word when you’re settled down somewhere safe, alright?
Jack: .....
Jack: Yeah. I'll...try.
[With that, Jack makes his way over to the door, opens it...]
Jack: .....
Jack: Double Dude?
Siamini: Yes?
Jack: If you see her...
Jack: ....
Jack: Tell her I just couldn't help it.
Jack: Keep in touch.
[....And out he goes.]
Jack: (Hang on, Miss Eight...)
Jack: (I'm coming...)
{THE WILDERNESS}
[...Jack never thought he'd find himself in this kind of situation.]
[Last week he was only worried about how the heck he was going to pay the rent for the flat, and what exactly he was going to do next in terms of finding another job--]
[Now he was venturing into god-knows-where across time and space JUST to get back home, which was in the middle of a cyber pandemic, all to see if the woman who saved his life was out there doing good or...]
Jack: ....
Jack: I'm fraggin' crazy for doing this...
[Yet he still ventured forward, down the path he was told to walk to retrieve whatever 'gift' this Felix guy had to give him, supposedly...]
[The weather was mild, at least—though it was still a bit too warm.]
[Evident by someone later along the path leaning up against a pillar made of ice.]
Jack: .....
Jack: ...?
Jack: (....That's...ice. but--it's warm out???)
[Confused and intrigued, Jack kept walking, approaching the stranger next to it. Maybe he knew where to go?]
Jack: Uh....'scuse me?
Piers: -Looks up- ?
[The man had golden eyes and aqua colored hair. The air around him seemed to be cooler and… gentler, somehow.]
Piers: I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met before. May I help you?
Jack: (...OK, I've seen people dye their hair some CRAZY colors but--)
Jack: Um--yeah, same here. CDN.7037, Designation 'Dencerjack'. Just call me Jack...
[His eyes keep glancing back to the ice pillar, wondering where in the world it had come from--this guy registered as an organic, but he was getting some weird energy readings from him too...]
Jack: Uh--I'm looking for a guy called Felix? The guys back at that Meadow told me he had something for me.
Piers: Ah… yes, that makes sense.
[He drew up to his full height, resting his hand on the pommel of his sword.
…Oh. A sword, okay then.]
Piers: I am Captain Piers of Lemuria—a Mercury warrior Adept. Felix is still locked in the cursed dreams… I fear that it is the current disaster which overtook him. However, he did have some gifts prepared before he fell ill. One of them was for you.
Jack: (....Uhhh.) Nice to meet you...
[There were so many things Jack wanted to ask about that--the sword, where the heck was Lemuria and what in the world was an Adept--but he didn't have the time...]
Jack: Yeah, things have REALLY gone down the drain, huh. ...Hope he gets better soon.
Piers: I believe he shall, but that may not be until the crisis has passed… -Small sigh- It is hard to say, outside of time, how long it may take.
[He held out a hand slightly as he looked to the side, and…]
[The Mercury Djinn, after appearing in a soft aqua light, looked at Jack curiously.
Or, as curiously as something with solid-colored eyes could look.]
Jack: ?!?
Jack: (What the fresh Xel is THAT.)
Piers: My good friend… please retrieve the gift for Jack, so that he may continue on his journey.
[The Djinn made the sound of a bubbling stream before floating off.]
Piers: -Turns to face Jack, looking at him thoughtfully before giving a gentle smile- I see others have supplied you for the journey ahead as well. I must say… it’s nice to start off a quest with something at hand.
[Jack just...stared at the otherworldly creature as it floated away, not sure if what he's seeing is actually REAL or if he has TRULY gone mad.]
Jack: Yeaaaaaah surrrrre....
[Excuse him, Piers, he's still new at this.
Piers moved away from the ice pillar and looked ahead down the path, pointing to the horizon.]
Piers: Keep your sights on that city, and you shall arrive where you seek soon enough.
[…WOW OKAY. There was a city there that was NOT there before—
—and what’s more, it looked familiar! It was definitely somewhere from Jack’s own world!
Jack looked to where he pointed--his violet eyes widening as he locked his gaze into something familiar in this huge mess of chaos--it almost felt relieving to see his destination at last.
...In fact...judging from the city skyline--it almost looked like...]
[..Seattle?]
Jack: ......
Jack: I REALLY hope it's not gonna be raining by the time I get there...
Jack: That city is almost ALWAYS raining, see...
Jack: (...It's better than nothing, at least.)
[Piers smiled a little.]
Piers: Do you have a poncho you could use? That’s what I’d recommend.
Jack: Uh....
Jack: ...Noooope. You, uh, wouldn't have that and anything else I can use...?
[Yeah, the more stuff he can get on hand, the better. He's gonna need ALL the help he can get if he's going to be tracking down Miss Eight.]
Piers: We can loan you something, yes. We won’t be doing any traveling ourselves for a while.
Jack: Cool, thanks...
[From another pocket, he pulls out a grape flavored Xelpop and plops it in his mouth.]
Jack: . . .
Jack: Soooo, that little floaty guy that just kinda...popped up from outta nowhere...
Jack: No offense, but what IS he?
Piers: Ah, that is a Djinn. Specifically, he’s a Mercury Djinn. They are manifestations of the elemental energy of Weyard, which is the world I hail from.
Jack: .....
Jack: Oooooooh...
[OK, this guy was from some other world--made a little sense to him, at least, since Miss Eight was from another world too--just some OTHER version of his own.
...It was still so strange, though. Things were like that ever since the holes to other worlds popped up around last year...]
Jack: (Weyard...sounds like some place in a book or something...)
Piers: We’ll be able to tell you more after your return. Are you traveling far?
Jack: --Well, THAT...depends...
Jack: (Depends where Miss Eight and her brother are gonna be squaring off, if they do...)
Jack: I--I'm just gonna go grab some stuff I left back home before I try and lay low for a while. Til' this all blows over.
[Yup. That was TOTALLY his plan.]
[Piers gave a soft snort.]
Piers: Jack, I am not going to try to stop you.
[He seemed more amused than anything else.]
Piers: Though your determination not to be derailed is both familiar and admirable, in its own way.
Jack: ....
Jack: Was it REALLY that obvious...?
[Jeez, he thought he was a better liar than that.]
Jack: ......
Piers: I’m a lot older than I look. -Amused-
[The Djinn came floating back. It was carrying what appeared to be a traveler’s backpack (of sorts) and a small present.
It set both of these down on the ground in front of the sheepish CDN.]
Jack: ......! (Little guy is stronger than he looks...) Thanks....
Jack: ...What's in the bag? -Proceeds to pick it up-
Piers: Traveling supplies. Mostly related to sleeping, though there’s a canteen and some medical supplies in there. I think the present is something Felix put together with the help of other people… possibly little David Cossack. Such a kind child, that one.
Jack: ....!
[The first thing he notices is the...wow there is a WHOLE lot more room in here than what it looks like on the outside—how is that even physically possible.]
Jack: ....
[He proceeds to stuff the cooler in it because NO WAY was he going to drag that thing the whole way.]
Jack: Kay--here's the poncho...bandages...sleeping stuff...
Jack: Aaaand let's see what's in the OTHER thing--
Jack: --!
Jack: AW SWEET COOL GOGGLES. Dude--
[He IMMEDIATELY puts those on--they fit rather nicely once he adjusted the strap--]
Jack: ...? What's this--
Jack: --! OoooooOOHOHO THIS THING HAS NIGHT VISION--
Jack:(I feel so damn BADASS--)
Piers: Ah, those must be from David, then! (My, a good bit of foresight.) He likes exploring.
————————
"I wanna be an explorer. Do you like exploring, Mister Jack?”
“Uh. Yeah--”
————————
Jack: -WHAT OTHER NEAT STUFF IS IN HERE-
[Some of the stuff was OBVIOUSLY from Carmen.
They were more… practically oriented, like a flashlight, some cash, a burner phone…
…A… taser?!]
[...Jack...]
[....starts to laugh.]
Jack: Oh, jeez, Miss Eight--you shouldn't have.
Piers: ? ? ? -Clearly confused- (What is /that/? I think that one item is a “phone”, but that last one… I don’t know if I’ve seen that before…)
[Jack decides to test out the taser by simply pressing the button--away from Piers and himself, of course.]
Jack: She's got a thing with tasing stuff--probably comes from her sis....
[THAT gets pocketed. He didn't know what kind of crazy stuff he'll run into out there.]
Piers: -OH okay, it has a Jupiter-based attack stored in it, right then-
[There appeared to be… one more item inside.]
Jack: ....?
[....What the... a ring? ]
Piers: -Looks QUITE surprised- So that’s where it went.
[He is suddenly very thoughtful.]
Piers: He must have seen that you would need it, and had it set aside for you to give to you…
Jack: ? You know what this is?
Piers: Yes. That’s a Cleric’s Ring: a rare artifact that prevents loss of control of your person.
Jack: .......
Jack: You mean-- this thing will protect me from the virus?!
[It takes a moment for him to understand that Jack was talking about the sickness that had overtaken the Mighty Numbers, but then he nods.]
Piers: Yes, that is exactly the idea. It only protects the wearer, however; it does not have an area of effect or the ability to be used as a healing talisman.
Jack: ...So it's just for me. Got it...
[Jack takes a few seconds to inspect the ring a little before putting it on. It fit perfectly.]
Jack: Wow...feels weird...
[...But in a good way.]
Jack: .....
[He lifts up the goggles so that they rested upon his head, and put the rest of his presents in the knapsack--which he slung over his shoulder.]
[...He REALLY felt like he was about to embark on some important journey, now that he thought about it...]
[...Probably because he really was.]
Jack: ...-Exhales-
Piers: Godspeed on your journey, my friend. Return home safely upon its completion—and may that be soon.
Jack: Thanks, Captain. Thanks for everything.
[He turns away, eyes set on the horizon, rain clouds already starting to form over the distant, war-torn city of Seattle.]
Jack: ....Godspeed...yeah...
Jack: (I'm gonna need all the luck in the world for this...)
[In an instant, he starts to sprint off. Might as well get a head start and run for it...!]
Jack: (Just a little further, Carmen...! I'm almost there...!)
Jack: (Just hold on until then...!)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 2A: BEYOND THE WATERY VORTEX=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{SANDA LABS...}
[It was morning.
Will had fallen asleep next to his terminal, which still showed many analysis programs running in the desktop--it seems they had been running for the rest of that night...
Sanda had worked hard and a little longer than Will--a rare thing--but he did his best to get Pyro back up to his normal Xel Count, which should be enough for now; all Pyro needed was rest.
Meanwhile, Beck had fallen asleep next to Call, who was ever restless, ticking away at her console...]
Beck: Zzzz....
[Beck looked much better—his armor was fully repaired, as well as his internal systems—he was all ready to go, as soon as he woke up.
They just needed to find...]
[PING!]
White: --!!!
[Will shoots straight awake at the sound--and immediately looks at his terminal. Did the analysis find anything...?!]
Beck: —?
[Beck also jerks awake—and nearly almost falls over, but luckily he grabbed onto the back of Call's chair in time.]
Beck: What? What is it?
Call: I have located Mighty No. 2's transponder signal.
[PING!]
[MN.1 IS NOW ONLINE.]
[MN.1] //: Cryo?!
Call: Scanning...
Call: .......
Call: Scan complete. Mighty No. 2 is currently located in Minnesota. The location data suggests that she has confined herself within a Water Works Bureau treatment plant.
[MN.1] //: —!!
White: —! Of course...
White: Soichiro!
Sanda: I heard, I heard—!
[MN.1] //: If she's in a Water Works plant--the place must be her own personal playground by now...
Beck: (She...oh no...all the PEOPLE...!) How soon can I move out?
White: Call?
Call: Setting up Xel Transfer now...please wait.
[PING!]
[MN.1] //: Father—
White: Absolutely not.
[MN.1] // My Xel Count is normalized, I can—
White: I said no.
White: We do not need YOU running off as well—Beck has your ReXelection now, and therefore Cryo's weakness: he will be fine.
[MN.1] //: .........
White: Please, son...you've been through enough. Rest.
[MN.1] //: . . .
Beck: Big Brother...
Beck: I SWEAR I'll bring Cryo back. I promise. I can DO this.
[MN.1] //: . . . .
[MN.1] //: Beck...
[MN.1] //: She is creative, crafty, and fearless.
[MN.1] //: Be prepared for ANYTHING.
[MN.1] //: ....And please...
[MN.1] //: Be careful.
[Beck nods, adjusting his visor with a ping of confirmation.]
Beck: Roger that, Big bro.
Call: Xel Transfer ready. The coordinates are set.
White: Beck?
Beck: ...
Beck: I'm ready.
White: Good luck, Beck...
Sanda: Go get her back for us!
Call: Xel Transfer in progress...
[........]
[PING!]
[MN.1 to CALL] //: Call.
[CALL to MN.1] //: Yes, No. 1?
[MN.1 to CALL] //: Do you want to increase Beck's chances of success?
[CALL to MN.1] //: That would be preferable, yes.
[MN.1 to CALL] //: Then I need you to do me a favor...
[MISSION DETAILS: MIGHTY NO. 2, CRYOSPHERE, HAS TAKEN CONTROL OF A MINNESOTA WATER WORKS BUREAU, WHICH HAS SUBSEQUENTLY CEASED OPERATIONS.]
[MISSION OBJECTIVES: LOCATE AND PURGE ALL HARMFUL MALWARE FROM MN.2, RESCUE ANY TRAPPED CIVILIANS/WORKERS WITHIN THE AREA.]
[SYSTEMS READY?]
[GO!]
[So far, materializing into the Water Works was just like going into the Oil Platform—
Except now, instead of the raging heat, it was now bitter cold that stung every surface of his frame, causing him to shiver uncontrollably for a few moments...]
Beck: Brr...
[It only took a few moments for his internals to adjust to the freezing temperatures—and when they did...]
Beck: ! What—
[His comm went online.]
Sanda: What's this—?! The main entrance is frozen shut!
White: That should pose no problem. Beck, now would be a good time to use Pyro's ability.
Beck: On it—
[REXELECT—]
Beck: —!!
Beck: Wait—
[C.VISOR: ONLINE. SCANNING...]
[SCAN COMPLETE.]
Beck: —! Ack—I knew it!
White: What—what is it?
Beck: I'm detecting both organic and Xel signatures on the other side.
Beck: If I use Pyro's power, I might hurt them.
White: —! Ah...can you find some other way inside to rescue them?
Beck: Not from what I can see.
Call: Scanning...
Call: ....
Call: Beck, proceed east. I've located a faster, alternate route into the waterworks via the reservoir.
Beck: Call—Call I sink like a ROCK.
Beck: I can't SWIM very well—!!
Call: This alternate route has various platforms and ledges that can be used for safe access to the waterworks.
Call: I have seen you jump quite well underwater myself, No. 9.
Beck: ....
Beck: Are you SURE it's safe down there...?
Call: There may be a likely chance that malfunctioning aquatic based CherryDyn and Sanda models have also taken residence in the reservoir.
Beck: .....
Beck: Of course they did...
[Beck trudged along forward with a foreboding sense of dread, and after running into a couple of standard trash bots--]
[He came across a long access pool that only went straight down. There was nothing but a faint green tinge to it, making visibility null.]
Beck: ....
Beck: This is the unfiltered reservoir.
Call: Also correct.
Beck: GROSS.
White: ....-makes a face-
Sanda: Oof, that's gonna be unpleasant...
Beck: ....
Beck: -INHALES-
Beck: CANNONBALL—
[KERSPLASH!]
[He used his dash to seamlessly dive into the reservoir feet first...]
[His C.Visor went down over his eyes once it sensed the presence of water and increased pressure, and adjusted his sight to give at least an idea of what he was getting into.]
Beck: (OoooooomanI'mgoingREALLYdeep—)
[Down...]
[Down...]
[And down he went...]
[Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity--]
[His feet find solid steel floor.]
Beck: ....
[.......]
[LOW LEVEL LIGHT DETECTED.]
[NEON REFLECTORS: ONLINE.]
[The lights on his arm cannon started to glow brighter!]
Beck: —! (Oh—neat...!)
Call: Warning--incoming hostiles.
[...Yes, it seems as if several small bubbles of...dirty filth was heading towards him...?]
Beck: ....?
Call: Several of the plant's water filtering robots have utilized the toxins and harmful debris within the reservoir to act as a shield.
[They seemed to be attracted to Beck's light...!]
Beck: (—OK TIME TO MOVE—)
[Out of instinct, Beck chose to dash out of the way of the bubbles of filth—which were slowly coming together into a bigger bubble.]
Beck: —!
[Wha—]
[His AcXelarate—! It carried him JUST as far as it did on land!]
Beck: ......
Beck: (I CAN SWIM WITH THIS—)
[Using his dash as a sort of propeller, he turns and starts to BLAST away at the filth surrounding the filter robots—which, to his surprise...]
[Were a lot smaller than he imagined they would be...]
Beck: —!
Beck: (There seems to be a LOT of these guys down here; they must work together to purify the water...)
White: Beck, don't let those models group together in large numbers—their shield would be nearly impossible to break then!
[MN.9] //: Got it!
Call: Proceed east.
[Beck swam-dashed across the reservoir, careful to not let the filter robots gang up on him on the way—there were a couple of trash bots on the bottom, but he assumed they just fell into the reservoir and couldn't get out—thus he left them well alone.]
Beck: (Gotta find the access flow to the filtered reservoir—)
[KSSSSSTT!]
"Beck? Beck--"
[MN.1 to MN.9] //: Do you read me?
Beck: --??
[MN.9 to MN.1] //: Big bro??
[MN.1 to MN.9] //: Ah--thank goodness. Listen closely...
[MN.1 to MN.9] //: I've been listening in. Are you inside the works yet?
[MN.9 to MN.1] //: Not quite--I'm still at the unfiltered reservoir.
[MN.1 to MN.9] //: Mmm...
[MN.1 to MN.9] //: Very well. I'll wait until you've made it through.
[MN.9 to MN.1] //: Wait, what do you mean by—
[KSSSST!]
Beck: ...???
White: --? Is something wrong, Beck?
Beck: .....
[MN.9] //: Nope. All good here.
Call: The access flow to the filtered reservoir is just ahead.
White: Careful, Beck--any contact with the malfunctioning filtering equipment could prove fatal.
[Beck would soon see why--]
[Not only was the purifying system completely OUT OF CONTROL—Xel disrupting spikes also lined the walls....]
Beck: .......
[MN.9] //: WHO THE HECK PUT THESE DOWN HERE—
White: .....Good question...
Beck: (If I dash the wrong way here—...)
Beck: (Gotta be precise--!)
[Carefully calculating the exact path he needed to dash-swim in and how many times he needed to do so...]
Beck: (Three...two...one...)
[ACXELERATE DASH: MAX OUTPUT REACHED.]
[It was sort of like watching a white ping pong ball, zipping around and weaving in and out of the various moving parts of the reservoir filter system, making sure to avoid the walls in the process...]
Beck: (Almost there...)
[—AH! A ladder! All he had to do was climb up and—
... ...
Wait—...
Was that ice?]
Beck: ...!!
[A thick coat of ice—practically a wall—blocked the way out!]
Beck: (No!)
[MN.9] //: Dad, the reservoir exit is blocked—!
White: Ngh—! Call, can you recalculate another route?
Call: .....
White: Call?
Call: There is no need, Dr. White.
White: ...??
Call: Xel Transfer in progress...
Call: Mighty No. 1 is now on site at the Waterworks.
White: —WHAT?!
[PING!]
[MN.1] //: I'm sorry, Father.
[MN.1] //: But I won't stand by any longer. I have a duty as a leader.
[MN.1] //: And a responsibly as an elder brother!
[MN.9] //: Pyrogen! : D
White: Sandaaa—!
Sanda: I HAD NO CLUE WHAT HE WAS DOING I SWEAR—
Call: It was me.
Sanda: —?! Call?!
Call: .... Two Mighty Numbers on site would increase chances of success.
[MN.1] //: You might want to swim back down a bit, Beck.
Beck: ....
Beck: -dash swim BACKWARDS YUP GOT IT BRO-
[CCCRAK! C RACK!]
“HAAARGH!"
[BLAM!]
[The ice was obliterated--bits of ice flew out of the pool itself...]
[...And a familiar hand reached past the surface.]
Beck: !
[Beck swam-dashed up and up--]
[...Until he grasped at it with his own hand.]
[He felt himself being pulled up and out of the reservoir...]
Pyro: Need a little more firepower, brother?
[Beck simply beams up at his elder as he is set down onto solid ground.]
Beck: ANYTIME, big bro!
White: ......
White: -gREAT NOW HE CANT BRING HIMSELF TO GROUND HIM AFTER THIS-
Sanda: Heh...your boys sure are something, huh, Will?
White: .....
White: -SIGH-
White: Whatever am I going to DO with you, Pyrogen...?
Pyro: ....
Pyro: -snort-
Pyro: Haven't heard THAT one in a while.
Beck: ^^
[Having his big brother by his side...]
[It made him feel a LOT more confident now that his team leader was here.]
Beck: What are your orders, sir? (^.^)7
Pyro: ....
Pyro: I'm not the one heading this mission, Beck.
Beck: ...?
Pyro: You are.
Beck: --!
Pyro: Your objective is to locate our sister.
Pyro: Is there anything else that should be done here, Beck?
Beck: .....
Beck: Find and rescue the civilians and workers!
[THIS made Pyro grin with pride.]
Pyro: That's it.
Pyro: There seems to be a branching path up ahead. I'll take the north and see if I can find any workers and civilians...
[The fire-based leader looks to the side, ice covering every square inch of the hallways, ceiling, and floor.]
Pyro: Cryo's certainly done a number on the place, alright...
Sanda: Yes, it's not just the entrance--the entire PLACE is like one giant ice rink!
White: This is all her handiwork, alright...
White: Careful, now, you two...
White: You know how she loves her pranks.
Pyro: ......
Pyro: Lord help us.
[Cryosphere was BAD enough with her puns and pranks--
In her crazed state, who KNOWS what she will be capable of?]
Pyro: And of COURSE she's frozen over the entire floor too...
Beck: This is just like the time she did that back home but--BIGGER.
Pyro: Watch your step, then...
[The two Mighty brothers continued moving forward, the temperature within the facility taking a massive drop as they ventured deeper inside. There were more robots that stood in their way, but they were no match for the pair of them working together--Pyro threw himself at them with his explosive abilities, and after they had been thoroughly trashed, Beck cleaned up after by absorbing their Xels]
[Soon the fork in the path came up.]
Pyro: There it is...
Pyro: I'll move down this way. Beck, keep tracking down No. 2.
Beck: -SALUTE- Yes, sir!
Pyro: ....
Pyro: Good luck, little brother.
Beck: ...You too, Pyro.
[Pyro nods one final time before rushing down the connecting corridor, flaring up to his full armor before turning the corner, and out of sight.]
Pyro: (The most likely places workers would be around the main entrances, break rooms, and finally the pipeworks...)
[Meanwhile, Beck dashes onwards, and it's not long before he moves on into the next room...]
Beck: --!!
[The door that was just on the other side slammed shut.]
[His comm link went active--but it wasn't Pyro, Will, Sanda, or even Call.]
[No...]
[MN.2] //: Well, well, ICE to see YOU, Beck! Kyahaha!~
Beck: CRYO?!
White: Wha--how did she find this frequency?!
[MN.2] //: Hiiiii daaadyyyy!~
White: ...! Cryo...?
[MN.2] //: I'm SNOW glad you guys could make it! I was starting to get SOOOOO bored playing with all these LAME CherryDyn bots...
Beck: Big...Sis...?
[...This...this was odd.
When Pyro was infected--he only showed uncontrolled rage --and what's more, he didn't recognize Beck at ALL.
Yet...
His sister was...well, she didn't look like she changed at all. ]
[MN.2] //: Now we can all PLAY together!~ Cool!
[MN.9] //: ....
[PING!]
[MN.1] //: CRYOSPHERE!
[MN.2] //: .......
[MN.2] //: Oh.
[MN.2] //: It's YOU.
[MN.1] //: --! Cryo--
[MN.2] //: Becky--why is our GOOD FOR NOTHING MATCHSTICK OF A BROTHER doing in MY winter wonderland?
[MN.9] //: --!! Cryo! THAT'S PYRO--
[MN.2] //: I KNOW THAT.
[MN.2] //: HE NEVER LETS ME HAVE ANY F U N! It's always DON'T DO THIS AND DON'T FIGHT THAT AND ALL YOU KNOW WHAT TO SAY IS N O.
[MN.1] //: -fLARE- Cryosphere--!
[MN.2] //: You ALWAYS carry me somewhere else without even ASKING--JUST BECAUSE I'M SMALLER THAN YOU DOESN'T MEAN YOU GET TO DO THAT, MATCHSTICK.
[MN.2] //: YOU WERE ALWAYS THE BOSS OF ME.
[MN.2] //: ........
[MN.2] //: Well.
[MN.2] //: You know what?
[MN.2] //: I'm SICK of being number two to you, big bro.
[MN.2] //: You aren't ALLOWED in my playground--so if I were YOU, I'd take you and your lame powers and SKEDADDLE.
[MN.2] //: Unless you want me to send this whole place to absolute zero?~
[MN.1] //: ........
[MN.9] //: Cryo....
[MN.2] //: --! Ooooh--right, YOU!~ Don't worry, Becky--you can stay! You're ALWAYS a good playmate. Kyahaha!
[MN.2] //: But big bro's gotta go. My place, MY rules.
[MN.1] //: ......
[MN.1] //: Alright.
[MN.9] //: --! Pyro, no--!
[MN.1] //: On one condition.
[MN.2] //: Ppffft. What?
[MN.1] //: We play hide and seek first.
[MN.1] //: Just like old times, right, Cryo?
[MN.2] //: --!
[MN.2] //: I'm listeniiiiing...
[MN.1] //: You and I will hide, and Beck will try to seek us. If he finds me first, then I'll leave.
[MN.2] //: Oooooh!
[MN.1] //: BUT--if Beck finds YOU first, then you two will have to just play without me.
[MN.2] //: -EXCITED SQUEAL-
[MN.2] //: I LIKE that!~ Oh, but it won't be any FUN if you TOOK too long...then I'd get BORED all over again...
[MN.2] //: SNOW, you guys got 9 minutes!~ Kyahahahaha!
[MN.2] //: You're on thin ice here, RUNT! So try not to get cold feet, OK?~ Kyahahahahaha!
[KKKSSSSST]
Beck: ........
[MN.1] //: .....
[MN.1] //: She really hasn't changed much...aside from all that, that is.
[MN.9] //: Big bro...
[MN.1] //: 9 minutes isn't much time, Beck--get a move on.
[MN.9] //: ......yes sir.
Beck: Now how the heck do I get out of this room--
[CLANK]
Beck: UGH--!
[A large mass of debris clonked Beck on the back of his head, knocking him over as it bounced off of him and--]
[--Back to another waterworks bot! A...a PAIR of them, in fact, each parallel to the walls.]
[The ball of debris hurled towards the red one--who flipped itself over to deflect it back at Beck.]
Beck: Wah--!
[He AcXelerated out of the way--and raised his arm cannon to strike at the malfunctioning bot--]
[CLANK--!]
Beck: OW--
[The other one--identical but green in color--had knocked the dodged debris RIGHT back at Beck when he wasn't looking, landing a direct hit.]
Beck: (Ugh--great, now I have to dodge twice as much just to avoid that ball of junk they're knocking around...!)
[He TRIED shooting at the ball of debris itself--and it worked!]
[...Until one of the bots made ANOTHER one just to throw around. These were waste management bots!]
Beck: (These guys must get rid of all the gunk in the unfiltered reservoir...)
[CLANK!]
Beck: NGH--
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[...It was clear that this was starting to become tedious--whenever he tried to shoot at one of them, the other knocked back the junk, forcing him to dodge--and whenever he tried to DESTROY it, one of them made another rather quickly--]
Beck: (These guys are going to wear ME and my TIME down--I've got no choice--!)
[REXELEXTION: PYROGEN. ]
[Beck's body glowed briefly before settling down into Pyro's form, the torch on his head burning brightly.]
Beck: Let's GO!
[CHARGING...]
Beck: Burning...
Beck: SPIRIT!
[KERBLAM!]
[The resulting explosion ROCKED the entire room, and perhaps even the whole Bureau--parts of the walls and flooring took most of it, and the waste robots were DEFINITELY caught in the blast--one of them was stuck, in fact!]
Beck: Got ya!
[Switching back to default, the waste bot was quickly taken care of, absorbed and converted into another Xel Stock to make up for the one he used.
Since its other pair was gone, it was easier to dodge the ball of junk without worrying about the other hurling it back.
Once the pair was FINALLY defeated, the door opened!]
White: No time to waste, Beck! You have 6 minutes!
Beck: I know, I'm going--!
[Into the waterworks pipelines he went--and it just got even colder. ]
[The pipeworks were, of course, forzen over--along with everything ELSE--even several of the malfunctioning robots were stuck in place.]
Beck: WhOA--!!
[These pipes were long and wide--but the ice made it difficult to get across. One wrong move and he could slip RIGHT back down into the ground--and a fall from this height would REALLY smart.]
Beck: (Balance--balance--!)
"There's only one way to get past all this ice!"
Beck: --!!
Pyro: BURN RIGHT THROUGH IT!
Beck: Pyro!
[On another set of pipes, Pyro CHARGED right through a block of ice in his way, which formed from the burst of water in the cracks caused by the expanding properties of the ice.]
Pyro: Beck! Use my form and blast through all the ice in your way!
[PING!]
[MN.2] //: HEY, THAT'S CHEATING!
[MN.1] //: You never said we couldn't use fire, little sister.
[MN.2] //: GRRRR! YOU...BIG...MEANIE...!
[MN.2] //: I'M GONNA FREEZE THIS WHOLE PLACE AND ALL THE SQUISHES IN IT! THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR CHEATING, CHEATER!
[MN.1] //: Ah, that won't do much now, Cryo.
[MN.2] //: WHY NOT.
[MN.1] //: I FOUND the humans and Civilian models you've frozen. They've been evacuated.
[MN.2] //: Wha--!
[MN.1] //: PLAYTIME IS OVER, CRYOSPHERE.
[MN.1] //: ...Please.
[MN.1] //: Come home.
[......]
[MN.2 HAS GONE INTO FULL COMBAT MODE. RESTRICTIONS: NONE.]
[MN.2] //: N O!
[MN.2] //: NONONONONONO--!
Call: Warning: Temperatures are dropping beyond safe functioning levels.
[MN.2] //: PLAYTIME IS OVER WHEN I SAY IT'S OVER!
[MN.2] //: YOU DON'T GET ANY SAY IN IT, YOU STUPID MEANIE!
[MN.1] //: -...OK now he knows he's made a BIG mistake- Cryo--
[MN.2] //: SHUT UP! JUST SHUT. UP!
[MN.2] //: I...I...
[MN.2] //: -...SNIFF-
[MN.1] //: --!
[MN.2] //: I hate you...!
[KSSSSST.]
[MN.1] //: -oh GOD WHAT HAVE WE DONE-
Pyro: CRYOSPHERE!
Beck: PYRO--WAIT--!
[It was no use--Pyro had run ahead, desperate to fix what he had done. He's already caused SO much damage, but THIS--]
Pyro: CRYO--I'M SORRY--!
[If anything--he had to fix THIS.]
White: ........
Beck: D-Dad....
White: ....
Beck: D...Did Cryo really... mean that...?
White: ....
White: I can't be sure.
White: For all we know, this COULD be just the virus, but...
White: .....
White: We won't know until we've cured her. You'll have to keep pushing forward.
Beck: .....
Beck: (Cryo...)
[With a heavy and troubled heart, he did as he was told, hopping and dashing over the rest of the pipeworks.]
[....]
[It...had to be the virus, right?]
[...Or was it...]
[More than that?]
Beck: (....Cryo...Cryo would NEVER say that...)
Beck: (There's no WAY she could possibly MEAN that--she's been with Pyro the longest out of any of us... ....Could it be...)
Beck: (Maybe it's...both? Maybe the virus is MAKING her feel that way...because she IS mad at him, but not to that extent...)
Beck: (If...if that's the CASE...)
Beck: (...It--suddenly makes a LOT of sense why Pyro ACTED the way he did back at the Oil Platform... ....You get what I fought back there...)
Beck: (So by that logic--what was taken away from Cryo...?)
[Soon enough, after shooting through countless ice pillars made from the pipelines and such--]
[He came across another room.]
Beck: ....
Call: I detect Cryosphere's signature just up ahead.
Beck: Right...
Beck: (Cryo--don't worry--I'm gonna fix this...!)
[He entered, ready to shift into his brother's form at a moments notice...]
"HEY, RUNT!"
[KSHHHHH!]
[A LARGE chuck of ice SLAMMED right in front if him from above, causing him to jump backwards--]
[...Right into the locked door.]
Beck: Oof--!
Cryo: OK...
Cryo: Let's try THIS again!
[Cryosphere herself stood on a platform high above the room--looking rather PLEASED that Beck was here now, despite throwing a temper tantrum not 2 minutes ago.]
Beck: Cryos--
[CLANK!]
Beck: OH COME ON--
[ANOTHER pair of waste management bots materialized--and this time, they had some EXTRA help.]
Cryo: Revenge is a dish best served COLD, after all!
[CLANK!]
Beck: NNGH!!
Cyro: Awww, you aren't hurt, are you, Beck?~
Beck: I KINDA AM, YEAH--
Cryo: Well, then, here--
[Her water tank bubbles briefly before another, more precise ice ball flies towards Nine, forcing him to duck and dash away. It made SHARP icicles extending upwards once it made contact with the floor--!]
Cryo: Let me put some ICE on it!~
Cryo: KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
[Cackling madly, Cryo proceeded to rain icy death from above--all while the waste management bots played their supped up game of pong. Beck was REALLY in a tight spot now.]
Beck: Cryo--PLEASE, STOP!
Cryo: NOPE!~
Cryo: I'm having the TIME OF MY LIFE!~
Cryo: SO YOU BETTER STAY ALIVE, BECKY--UNTIL I GET BORED, THAT IS!~
Beck: --Ooooh!
[REXELECTION: PYROGEN.]
Beck: I'm sorry, Cryo!
Cryo: --!!!
Cryo: YOU'RE CHEATING AGAIN!
Cryo: ......
Cryo: Why are you cheating, Beck--?
Beck: --!
Cryo: Don't you LIKE playing with me...?
Beck: .....
Beck: Of COURSE I do, Cryo...
[CHARGING....]
Beck: .....
Beck: But I can't play by your rules. Not this time.
Beck: BURNING...
Cryo: --!!
[Seeing what he was about to do--Cryo leaps away to another set of platforms, disappearing from sight.]
Beck: SPIRIT!
[BOOOM!]
[........]
[The smoke clears off, and only the Xel from the two waste bots were all that was left.]
Beck: .....
Call: Cryosphere has escaped to the Water Works Security Room. There is no other escape route for her to take.
Beck: Got it.
[Back into default. The Security room shouldn't be that far ahead...]
[Which means...]
Pyro: ...There--!
[Pyro was standing in the middle of several frozen, very crucial water tanks...]
[But they wouldn't remain frozen for long.]
Pyro: Burning....SPIRIT!
[FWOOOSH!]
Call: Attention: The waterworks systems are back online. Water flow: Normal.
Pyro: ....!
Beck: Pyro!
Pyro: There you are--
Pyro: ....
Pyro: The doors won't open for me. I'd blast them, but...that would only make things even worse.
Pyro: ....
Pyro: You're the only one that can save her, anyway.
Pyro: I've...done all I can.
Beck: ....
Beck: I think she'd wanna see you after I do save her, Pyro.
Beck: So wait out here.
Beck: I won't be long.
Pyro: ......
Pyro: Tell her I love her.
Pyro: .....
Pyro: And I love you too.
Beck: ....
Beck: ^.^
Beck: Yes, sir.
[Beck gives Pyro one last salute before approaching the door...]
[...They open after a moment, and they shut close behind him with a firm air-tight lock.]
Pyro: ...
Pyro: Good luck, Beck.
[WARNING: TEMPERATURES HAVE REACHED TO NEAR NON-FUNCTIONING LEVELS. PLEASE EVACUATE AREA IMMEDIATELY.]
"Kyahahahaha!"
Beck: Cryo!
[Sitting daintily atop of a huge security monitor was Cryosphere, her four eyes glowing eerily in the shadows...]
Cryo: Kya ha ha ha ha ha!
[Her tiny legs swing this way and that before she jumps down to the ground, taking up her usual battle stance. Her hose arm is swirling around in lazy circles while her tank bubbles up a bit. An icy mist seems to escape from the nozzle arm...]
Cryo: You just REFUSE to CHILL out, don't you, runt?~
Beck: ...
Beck: Cryo....please. I don't want to play anymore. I don't WANT to fight you.
Cryo: Oh, really?
[....!]
[There it was again--that SAME distorted VOICE coupled with her own...]
Cryo: That's too bad! Oh, well...
[PSSSSSH!]
[A high pressure STREAM of water suddenly bursts forth from her nozzle arm--!]
Beck: -!!!
[He LEAPS out of the way as it is suddenly frozen, not by the air, but by Cryosphere herself.
Flashing freezing her foes was her SPECIALTY.]
Cryo: I'm sure it's nothing a little COLD SHOWER WON'T CURE!~
Beck: CRYO...!
[SCANNING....]
[SCAN COMPLETE.]
[E N C O U N T E R]
[MODEL: MIGHTY NO. 2 -- CODENAME: 'CRYOSPHERE' ]
[HEIGHT: 136cm WEIGHT: 103kg XEL COUNT: 20,400,000]
Cryo: KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!~~~
[Cryosphere was...something of a all-around fighter when it came to the battlefield--she WAS originally intended to be a close to mid-range fighter and a terrain changer--but her combat experience, which was only surpassed by her elder brother, had opened MANY more doors in regards to her powers.]
[Such as her tendency to look for higher vantage points in order to use her abilities in a much DIFFERENT way --and if there was none?]
[Make one.]
[Cryo points her nozzle arm--to the ground--...?]
Beck: --!
[Beck starts DASHING away as soon as her sister launches herself upwards using the force of her water spray--keeping herself suspended mid air for a moment--]
[Before chasing after him.]
Cryo: Careful, now, Becky!~ You don't wanna CATCH A COLD!
Beck: Cryo--Come on, Cryo, just try to--!
[KKKRT!]
[Her water spray suddenly freezes-- there was no time to react, only to gawk as he felt icy pinpricks of pain creep up his leg-- ]
White: BECK--TRY AND BREAK FREE!
Beck: AARG--
Cryo: Whoops!~ Silly me--I forgot the best part!
[....A COLD blast of air was seen as she started to make something--what, he couldn't tell, but from THAT height, it certainly wasn't GOOD.]
[REXELECTION: PYROGEN.]
[FOOOSH!]
[Flaring himself up just as Pyro would, Beck weakened the ice just enough to allow him to break free--]
[Moments before an ice ball of SPIKES crashed downwards from above, ice shards scattering everywhere--]
[--and rising from the mist was the Icy Little Terror herself--she had MADE that ball of spikes to surround herself in--in her own twisted sense of a 'cannonball' ]
Cryo: Awww, you were supposed to stay still!~
Beck: NO WAY --
[PSSSSSSH!]
[Beck was NAILED right in the chest with another high pressured water stream, knocking him away to the other wall and into the door, making a noticeable dent--]
[CLANG!]
Pyro: !!! BECK?! CRYO?!
[Outside, Pyro could BEARLY make out the sounds of battle--and that dent in the door was not a good sign, for EITHER of them.]
Beck: Uuugh...
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK--]
[PSSSSSH--]
Beck: AAA--
[ERROR: XEL STOCK ACCESS INTERRUPTED.]
[Cryo was NOT letting up--she kept on continually spraying Beck HARD, pinning him to the door and laughing manically all the while.]
Cryo: KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
[WARNING: WATER DAMAGE IMMINENT TO INTERNAL SYSTEMS--COLD TEMPERATURES WILL FREEZE AND LOCK MOBILE SYSTEMS.]
[She was trying to freeze him from the inside out.]
Beck: C...Cryo...
[WARNING: SYSTEMS CRITICAL.]
Beck: s...t...o...p...
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 2...]
[Cryo didn't answer. She was too busy laughing. ]
Beck: (Come on...please...!)
Cryo: It was fun playing with you, Becky!~
Cryo: See you in a hundred years, maybe!~
[KSSSSSST--]
"CRYO--ENOUGH--!"
Cryo: --?
Cryo: .....
Cryo: Daddy?
[DR.WHITE] //: Cryosphere White, stop that right this INSTANT!
Cryo: But--
[DR.WHITE] //: You KNOW you shouldn't play so roughly with your brother!
Beck: --!!
[...Will--Will was...]
Cryo: But Daaaaadyyyyy!
Beck: (Dad--oh man DAD THANKS--)
[XEL STOCK 2 ACCESSED.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[DR.WHITE] //: No, no buts. That was QUITE rude of you, No. 2. Quite rude.
Cryo: But I was just having fun!
[DR.WHITE] //: It's all fun and games until someone gets HURT, Cryo.
Cryo: But Daddy--
[....]
[You could just HEAR her sadistic smile.]
Cryo: That's the BEST part!~
[REXELECTION: PYROGEN]
[DR.WHITE] //: ......
[DR.WHITE] //: Not this time.
[DR.WHITE] //: Quite frankly, No. 2...
Cryo: ....?
[DR.WHITE] //: I think you deserve a little time out.
[DR.WHITE] //: NOW, BECK!
"BURNING...!"
Cryo: Wha--
Beck: SPIRIT!!!
[KERBLAM!]
[All the ice that was created by Cryosphere was turned RIGHT back into water and THEN some--and the temperature had risen quite considerably.]
[There was another large CLANK--]
[CRACK--]
Cryo: Whoawhoawhoa--!
[Cryo was sent BOUNCING across the floor and into the other wall, lodging herself deep within it from the force of the explosion!]
Cryo: What the--!
Cryo: YOU!!
[Her nozzle arm once again points at Beck--who widens his eyes in fear, preparing to jump out of the way--]
Cryo: I'M GONNA KILL YOU FOR--
[.....]
[.........]
[.............]
Cryo: ....???
Beck: ...???
Cryo: WHY IS NOTHING COMING OUT?!
[Cryosphere wiggled her arms in a flail, but no matter how much she tried--nothing came out of them but a few drops.]
Cryo: STUPID--!!
Beck: ---!
[Beck could see why.]
[Her water tank had a crack in it. Water was leaking out in massive amounts, but Cryo was too upset to see it.]
White: Now is your chance, Beck!
Beck: R-Right--!
Cryo: NO!
[She once again threw a FIT--but without her tank, there was no more danger.]
Cryo: NO F A I R!
Beck: Big sis--
[He approached her with cautious steps, a green glow starting to form around his arms...]
Beck: It's OK, Big sis...
Cryo: --?
Cryo: ....
Cryo: What is that...?
Beck: Just trust me, OK?
[Two more steps, then two more. Cryosphere was more or less beginning to forget about her fit and was more entranced by the calming glow from her brother.]
Cryo: .....
Cryo: Pretty...
Beck: Kinda is, isn't it...?
[Two hands gently grasp her arms.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Cryo: --!!
Cryo: .....
Cryo: Becky...?
Beck: It's OK, Cryo...
[He continues to speak to her in a calm, soothing voice, as parts of her Xel are absorbed into his own, and she slowly starts to glow a sick, bright purple...]
Cryo: .....
[....She starts to yawn.]
Cryo: M'tiiiired...
Beck: That's OK...
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Beck: You can sleep after I'm done...
Cryo: .....
Cryo: And then we can play some more...?
Beck: Yeah. Sure. I promise...
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[XEL QUOTA REACHED.]
[XEL PURGE: ONLINE. XELFILTER.EXE HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR OVERDRIVE.]
Beck: For now--just try and relax...this won't hurt.
Cryo: ...?
[He finally lets go.]
Beck: Ready?
Cryo: ....? For...what...?
[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]
[.......]
"Big sis?"
"--? Hey, runt! What's up?"
"....Can I come in?"
"You didn't say the thing."
"...Can I come in, Your Majesty?"
"Theeeere we go! You may.~"
"....Um..."
"Well, come on, SPILL it! I gotta go into VR training in an hour..."
"I just...well...I noticed that...you're smaller than me--"
[KERCHUCK]
"BUT YOU FIGHT PEOPLE WAY BIGGER THAN YOU IN THE ARENA AND YOU DON'T SEEM SCARED--"
" ....."
"I...I'm just confused...how can you not be afraid...?"
"Oooh. That's easy."
"One, because I'm WAY better than those lame-o's and WAY more KICKBUTT than any of them..."
"...And two..."
"....."
"Don't tell Big Bro this, but. He TAUGHT me how to be brave."
"I don't think I can be as awesome as I am without him."
"Really...?"
"Yup. It's ALLL cuz of Big Bro."
"....Seriously, don't tell him I said that, he'd NEVER stop--"
"I-I promise!"
"Cool."
"Now GET OUT OF MY ROOM or I'll freeze ya!~"
[.......]
[FILTER COMPLETE.]
[ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MN.2]
Cryo: . . .
Cryo: Owie...
Cryo: Why does my head hurt...
Beck: --!!!
Beck: C...Cryo...?
Cryo: --!
Beck: Cryo?
Cryo: Beck?
Cryo: ......
Cryo: Where the [FRAG] am I???
Beck: CRYO--!
White: YES--!
Sanda: HE DID IT--AGAIN--!
[Beck wraps his arms around his confused sister, who was simply looking around the semi-frozen room in thought.]
Cryo: No, seriously--where the [FRAG] are we.
Cryo: I don't remember anything in the last few days WHAT HAPPENED.
[BANG!]
Beck: --!?
[BLAM--!!]
[The door is suddenly BLOWN off it's hinges, creaking as it collapses to the ground.]
Cryo: WHAT THE--
Pyro: CRYO?! BECK?!
Cryo: Big Bro?!
Beck: (Wow--)
Pyro: --!!
Cryo: OK--SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON BECAUSE I DON'T GET IT. WHY DID BIG BRO JUST BLAST THE DOOR AND WHY AM I STUCK TO A WALL.
Beck: Whoops--sorry, Cryo, lemmie help you with that--
[Beck grabs hold of his sister's hose arms and pulls back--]
[POP!]
Pyro: --! I GOT HER--
[She lands RIGHT into Pyro's arms]
Cryo: Wheeee!
Cryo: Hi, Big bro! ^^.^^
Pyro: . . .
Cryo: ...?
Cryo: Big bro...? Yellloooo? Earth to Pyro....?
[....]
[Pyro doesn't answer at first--at least until he sets her down.]
[...Which only confused her even further.]
Cryo: ....???
Pyro: ......
Pyro: I'm...I'm so sorry.
Cryo: --? Uh--
Pyro: I--...I had no idea you...
Pyro: .....
Pyro: I had no idea I made you feel...uncomfortable when I carried you away.
Cryo: .....
Pyro: I just--I just wanted to keep you SAFE because--you DO get carried away and if I don't, you might find yourself--
Cryo: Bro--
Pyro: All I wanted was to protect you--
Cryo: Bro--
Pyro: I just do it because I love you and--
Cryo: PYRO.
Pyro: --....
Cryo: .....
Cryo: Come down here for a sec.
Pyro: .....
[He does so--it's a little comical seeing as Pyro was nearly three times her size, so he had to kneel and bend down a bit.]
Beck: .......
Cyro: Lower.
Pyro: ...?
[PSSSSSSH--]
[Using the last of her reserves already in her nozzle, she managed to gently spray Pyro right in the face with cold water.]
Pyro: Gah--
Cryo: That's for being stupid.
Cryo: Bro, I dunno what the [FRAG] is going on, but--
Cryo: You don't make me THAT uncomfortable.
Pyro: --!
Cryo: Like--SURE OK it DOES get a little annoying and I DO wanna sometimes put ice cubes in your pillow at night--
Pyro: .... (I KNEW THAT WAS HER.)
Cryo: ...But..
Cryo: Bro, you've been carrying me around since I was BUILT, why do you think I LIKE it so much?
Pyro: !!!
Pyro: You....
Cryo: Bro why do you think I tell you to carry me around almost everywhere.
Pyro: ...
Pyro: Because being bossy is in your nature?
Cryo: ...Point.
Cryo: Aaaaand...
[....]
[MN.2] //: -Data, BECAUSE SHE FEELS SO TALL WHEN SHE'S ON YOU, BRO.-
[MN.2] //: -Like, even she doesn't get that when she's on Mic or Bat or even Shade, it's just YOU-
[MN.1] //: ........
[MN.2] //: ....Big bro....
[MN.2] //: You're...you're Big bro.
[MN.2] //: I know you just do it cuz you care...I've known that for, like, EVER.
[MN.2] //: 'Sides--
[MN.2] //: If I had NO one to carry me around--then I'd be REALLY slow going around the house and like, everywhere. That be a PAIN in the CHASS.
[MN.2] //: So hitching a ride is, like, also the smart thing to do. ^^.^^
[MN.1] //: .....
[MN.1] //: C...Cryo...
Cryo: ....?
Pyro: ....
Pyro: So...you....
Pyro: Don't...hate me...?
Cryo: --??!
Cryo: Wha--the [FRAG??]
Cryo: No, NO, Big Bro--
[And there she goes, climbing up Pyro's shoulders so she can sit right on his back and prop her round head on his own.]
Cryo: I love you, Pyro.
Cryo: Jeez, what made you think THAT stupid thought in your head??
Pyro: ......
Beck: .......
Cryo: ......
Cryo: ...Why is everyone so quiet?
[DR.WHITE] //: Cryo.
[MN.2] //: --!! Dad!
[DR.WHITE] //: .....-SIGHS, although if that's in relief or stress is hard to say-
[DR.WHITE] //: Let's get you back home first.
Cryo: .....
Cryo: That reminds me, WHERE ARE WE??
Cryo: Like--This looks like some kinda monitor room but--
Beck: Call?
Call: Xel Transfer initiated.
Cryo: Guys--helloooo, is no one gonna answer me?!
Cryo: I'M STARTING TO GET REALLY PEEVED HERE--
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 2B: BEYOND THE WATERY VORTEX=
~AO v1.0~
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{In the Meadow…}
[The days seemed to go on forever. It had gotten very dark and cloudy outside, blending day into night.
Cossack and DWN-019 worked almost non-stop on Doctor Light Number Eight—with the Doctor’s sons enforcing mandatory mental and physical breaks to prevent burnout.
Getting to Tobias’s actual coding was not easy. Offline or not, he was highly defensive—and Snow wasn’t exactly able to help, being out cold, himself.
And when they did find him…
It was just a mess. There were errors all over the place, and clearing them up would take quite some while. Sifting through the error report from the last system crash alone took DAYS.
And now, they were finally getting past the system reports and into the base data.]
Mikhail: …
Siam: Doctor?
Gemini: Is everything alright?
Mikhail: Mmm? Oh, yes… I’m fine.
[…But it was a lie.
A lie so as to not distract the twins from their analysis on the data they had got from Avi as part of the ordeal—for that information could prove quite enlightening.
But no…]
Mikhail: Just… a little weary, I suppose.
[…He was concerned.
Inspection of the Awareness code had showed that it had changed. Crucial components had changed—rewritten themselves.
Somehow, the encounter with Avi had prompted (or, more likely, FORCED) Tobias to rewrite himself.
What worried Mikhail the most was that some of the coding was beyond what he could recognize.]
Mikhail: (-Groooooaaan- {Will… I wish you were here…!})
[He still had the few fragments of notes that his best friend had given him regarding coding with Xel. That was a lifesaver—it told him that some of this seemed to be connected to functioning within a Xel chassis.
It may just be junk data, useless without the proper hardware. (Which, of course, would mean it would need to be pruned somehow, or else it would cause perpetual system errors.)
But he couldn’t say for sure what it would do, yet. He needed to go through the rest of the code to be sure—
He needed to know for sure that Tobias’s self had not been torn apart by being fused with Avi.
Sure, they had a back-up, but…
He dreaded the thought of being forced to resort to using it.
But if it turned out that this damage was beyond repair… he would have no other choice.]
Mikhail: (Oh, Avi…! What did you DO to him?)
———————————————
{Elsewhere…}
[Cardinal forced himself to physically relax.
He had taken shelter in a cooled, dark, abandoned basement. The sun beat down mercilessly outside— 102ºF, and that was WITHOUT the humidity.
He had retreated there as much for safety as for the isolation.
He needed time to think.]
Cardinal: …
[Everything was dead ends. His attempt to get news on the situation ended with hearing Aviator talking in a cheerfully sadistic manner about his latest caller.
As he’d made his way toward the highways, he saw that they were still in complete chaos. Going anywhere was going to be time consuming and dangerous. He couldn’t afford to just go running around blindly, even though he had no current leads.
He was going to need some sort of focus…]
Cardinal: …
[He visualized the situation like a strategy game board. All the pieces in play… including his own.]
Cardinal: (Now if I were Shade, where would I be…)
[He was hitting a mental block, Shade shrouded in darkness.
He knew that this was because he was unwilling to consider the worst.
He forced himself to remember his own advice…]
-*-*-*-*-*-
“Remember, you aren’t really fighting them—their physical form, perhaps, but you’re actually up against the parasite.”
-*-*-*-*-*-
Cardinal: (…Right. The parasite. Focus on the virus, Lou…. What do you know about it?)
-*-*-*-*-*-
Jack: I think...whatever was in those crosses just...
Jack: Pulled out all the... bad parts of me...
-*-*-*-*-*-
Cardinal: …
[He forced himself to continue this line of thought, despite the cold pain it was making him feel.]
-*-*-*-*-*-
Shade: ...Bein' an assassin, Cards?
Shade: It's hard.
Shade: It's hard because...I'm so good at it.
Shade: Sometimes that even scares ME.
- - -
Shade: ...At the very least, Ah' can give them a quick death.
Shade: ... ... ...Never really felt the need to make someone suffer before.
Shade: At least, not like...ya know.
Shade: With malice and all that.
Shade: ...Ah' hope Ah' never do.
Shade: Because the minute ah' do? I'll be no better than Viper.
-*-*-*-*-*-
[Cardinal sucked in air through his teeth, pain stinging at him. He wished—not for the first time—that he could cry, just to have some way to relieve this stress.]
Cardinal: (Feeding what is already there… already there…. …)
[It was too much for him.
His Emotions.exe program was becoming exacerbated. He couldn’t continue this right now—not in this heat—without consequences.]
Cardinal: G-gghhh…
[He stood abruptly.
He was going to need to get somewhere with working air conditioning if he were to have any hope of finishing this process any time soon.
And time was not on his side.]
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 2C: BEYOND THE WATERY VORTEX=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{SANDA LABS, LATER....}
[Cryo was met with welcoming arms and tears of relief, both from her father and her Uncle Sanda. A good while had passed before Will was reminded by his best friend that he couldn't repair his daughter while he was constantly hugging her--]
[And so, just as before, everyone got to work. Sanda was left to repair Cryo while Will went to work analyzing the virus sample from her.]
[...This time, however, Pyro took it upon himself to explain what the situation was.]
[It wasn't very long before...]
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Cryo: I'M SORRY--
Pyro: I know.
Cryo: I DON'T HATE YOU--
Pyro: I know.
Cryo: BECKYYYYYYYYY--
[Beck, of course, took a moment from self-repair to come and comfort his sister.]
[--He couldn't get one word in before hose arms started to wrap around his neck and pulled him in an embrace.]
Cryo: I'M SOOORRYYYYYY--
[Beck...well, at first, he was quite taken aback--he's never really SEEN his sister cry like this.]
[...But the surprise is only there for a moment.]
Beck: It's OK, Big Sis...
Cryo: -WAILS-
[Pyro simply rubs the top of her head, twangs of regret and pain in his optics. Eventually he had to call Father to help calm her down.]
Cryo: -SNIFF- daddyyy...
White: Shhh....it's alright, Cryo, everything will be fine...
Cryo: ...B--...but--sis....and...
[And then another wail escapes her.]
Cryo: AVIIIIII--
White: I know, I know--I....
[......]
White: I know....
Beck: Cryo--
Beck: Dad's working on finding a way to beat this virus--and I'm gonna get everyone back.
Cryo: ...-sniff-
Beck: You'll see--
Beck: We're all gonna be back together soon. We just gotta tough this out, OK?
Beck: So no more waterworks. ^.^
[......]
Cryo: ....-snort-
Cryo: G...Good one, bro...
Cryo: -SNIFF-
White: Rest while Sanda gets to work on repairing you and your tank--I need to get back to analysis.
Cryo: -sniff- OK, Daddy...
Pyro: I'll look after her.
[White nods, and hurries back to his terminal. A few ticks of the keyboard brings up the still-working analysis programs...]
White: Call, transfer the assimilated data over to me.
Call: Yes, Dr. White.
White: Now that I have two samples to compare, this will hopefully give us some more insight--
[PING!]
"DAD?? I THINK IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN--"
[ASSIMILATED XEL DATA SCAN COMPLETE.]
[REARRANGING XEL STRUCTURE...]
[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE]
"WHOOOOOA THAT WAS AWESOME--"
"That was...much more...different than the first time she gave it to you--"
"YEAH IT WAS WITHOUT THE LIGHT SHOW."
Cryo: BRO--BRO WHAT'S WITH THE FANCY LIGHT SHOW--
Beck: I--well...
[As Beck begins to explain his newfound abilities--much to Cryo's delight--White hums deeply in thought.]
[It was true--the lights that emitted from his Xels were not present when he acquired his siblings' powers before.]
White: (Interesting...)
White: ....Hmm.
Call: Dr. White.
White: Yes, Call?
Call: I detect a significant rise in your heart rate and vitals. Is something wrong?
White: .....
White: I'm just...nervous. Given the situation.
Call: ....
Call: Acknowledged. I will adjust the room temperature and atmosphere so that you may calm down.
White: ....Thank you, that would be nice.
White: ........
White: (Could Beck...)
White: (No--he CAN'T be. Not THIS soon...)
White: (He's not NEARLY as ready...)
White: (....Though...)
White: (The better question would be if WE would be ready...)
White: (...Gah, I shouldn't be thinking like that NOW, of all times...)
White: (I've GOT to crack this code--before it's too late...)
[MEANWHILE....]
"Phone call for you."
"......"
"Hey. PHONE CALL--"
"I heard you the first time."
"Tch. Jeez, old man. Don't think anyone would be using THIS frequency ever again..."
".....So it's him."
"Yup."
"Do you wanna answer...?"
"......."
"Uh....P-2045453?"
"I have a NAME."
"Sorry. Warden's orders."
"...Hmph."
"Hang up."
"That's gonna waste your one phone call for the day."
"I do not care. It's not like anyone calls me besides conspiracy theorists and crazed lunatics."
"....Yeah, you do get some loonies over the phone, huh..."
"But--I REALLY don't think you wanna hang up on the president of CherryDyn."
"........."
"Do I need to tell you twice?"
"......Oookaaaay, but I'm pretty sure he's gonna call back regardless--and I gotta come back here every time to let you know, so."
"........."
"....Uh--P-20--"
[A low, grating growl.]
"UH--I--I-mean--D-- Dr. Blackwell..."
"........"
"....Doctor...?"
"........."
"........I...I'm just gonna leave--uh, last meal of the day is in half an hour."
"............"
".......Soooo....bye. [sub] man, I hate this job...[/sub]"
[CLICK.]
"............"
"............."
"........Greg."
"You obsessed fool."
"You've DOOMED us all."
"......"
"I knew I should have taken...."
".........."
" . . . ."
"M-...My Ray of Hope..."
"....Forgive me..."
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 2D: BEYOND THE WATERY VORTEX=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.}
Jack: . . . . .
Jack: oh man I am so cold--
[He made it.]
[Somehow, he made it.]
[In the COLD, pouring rain, he made it.]
Jack: frag frag frag frag--
[It was coming down in SHEETS, and the city was in utter turmoil. There were nearly no humans in sight in the street he was in, and the robots that were left were free to follow their new directive: destroy. ]
[Fortunately, Jack stuck to the back allies to avoid being seen by them, quickly making his way towards a familiar landmark--]
[The Space Needle.]
Jack: (OK, you're back now, you're in the States....)
Jack: ....
Jack: (NOW what?)
Jack: (Can't find Carmen if I can't find her brothers....)
Jack: (Can't exactly CALL her cuz of Six...)
Jack: (Bird guy is who KNOWS where....I'm on my own here.)
Jack: ......
Jack: (Well--I can't just keep moving around without SOME idea of where I should go--)
Jack: (Space Needle's a landmark--people know it, so someone's GOTTA be there--maybe someone that can help or something...)
Jack: (Gonna take a while to get there by FOOT...)
[Jack takes a moment to scan the streets, eyeing the many abandoned cars left there when the virus first struck.]
Jack: (...Hate to take someone else's car, but if I'm lucky--)
"HEY--!"
Jack: --!!
[Jack turns around at the voice--it seemed to come from behind--no wait--]
"GGHHAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH--!!!"
Jack: oh SH--
[Jack sprung out of the alley and into the street as a large, LARGE fireball NEARLY burns him alive from above-- it shatters the pavement were he once stood before, leaving only a scorched, black hole in the ground. ]
Jack: WHAT THE HELL IS--
[WHAM!]
[Jack felt a foot connect with his abdomen, and he was kicked back into a totaled car, creating a sizeable dent...]
Jack: NGH--!!
Jack: Awwwwshitthatsmarts--
[...Giggling.]
Jack: ...???
"Why, ALOHA, little man!~"
Jack: --?!
Jack: Wait a--
Jack: You--You're Plume...!
[Jack had HEARD of this one--Plume was Hawaii's very own Arena bot fire dancer, part of the small but efficient combat team, Island Koas. They weren't among the high ranking teams--so Jack had never FACED her--but her solo fighting career was impressive enough.]
Plume: Hehehe...Awww, did I scorch you? I WAS aiming a little TOO low, wasn't I?~
Jack: UM--
Plume: {You seem like a good dance partner.~}
Jack: .....
Jack: Uh--M-Miss Plume--I--I don't have Hawaiian in my languages--
Plume: Really? That's too bad--
[Fireballs start to form on both of her hands--and one on her head--despite the pouring rain, it didn't seem like it was affecting her in any negative way.]
Plume: Maybe I can take you back to my island and TEACH you a few tricks?~
Jack: Uh--Well--uh...
Jack: --....
Jack: Wait...
Jack: How in the WORLD did you get here to the mainland?
Plume: Mm? Oh...
Plume: I had a little HELP.~
Plume: He's having some fun with the Navy!~
-*-*-*-*-
[MEANWHILE, OFF THE WEST COAST...]
"HE'S MOVING TOO FAST--"
"WASN'T HE ON STARBOARD SIDE?!"
"SIR, I CAN'T GET A LOCK ON--"
"LOOK OUT!"
Merlion: -R O A R I N G-
-*-*-*-*-
[BACK IN SEATTLE...]
Jack: ....The Navy--...
Plume: He was visiting my island when I asked him for a ride. I didn't want to miss the big Luau here on the mainland, you know? ~
Jack: ....Miss Plume--
Plume: But enough talk! ~
Plume: I want to see if you can LAST longer than the OTHERS.~ Finding the PERFECT dance partner is SO hard these days--
Jack: Miss Plume I REALLY don't wanna hurt you--
Plume: I wonder, little man--
[FWING!]
Jack: oH CRAP--
[Plume swayed to one side gracefully, and a wave of fire flew from the flames that burned from her wrists--forcing Jack to duck under it.]
Plume: Can you take the heat?~
[ E N C O U N T E R ]
[IKN.1 - CODENAME: 'PLUME']
[STRENGTH: 20 DEFENSE: 20 S.ATTACK: 40 INTELLIGENCE: 30]
[Plume's central abilities--Fire and Dance--blended very well together in terms of her native culture. And it showed on the Battlefield: Plume's a graceful fighter, using her dances to both avoid enemy fire and deal some damage herself.]
[Wave after WAVE of fire pierced through the streets, slashing at cars and scorching the asphalt. Jack had no choice but to keep backing off, avoiding her and the resulting explosions from her destructive onslaught.]
Plume: Where are you going? We haven't even STARTED!~
Jack: MA'AM, I REALLY, REALLY THINK--
[FWING!]
[A fireball nailed him right in the shoulder--not a large one, but enough to really BURN--]
Jack: Aaah--!
Jack: (OhGodshe'sreallytryingtokillme--)
Jack: (SHE'SGONNA--)
Plume: {Ooooh, little maaaaaan!~}
Jack: . . . .
[Jack doesn't stick around. He BOLTS for it.]
[....]
[Or. Tries to, at least. ]
[The street he's on happens to be a dead end. ]
Jack: WHA--
Plume: Theeeere you aaaaare.~
[Swaying from side to side like a puppet on strings, Plume lightly approaches Jack with blue fire trailing behind her--her eyes a deep, deep red.]
Plume: Why do they ALWAYS run away?
Plume: .......
[The fire around her dims just for a moment.]
Jack: ...?
Plume: They NEVER stay. Not for long...
Plume: No one does...
Plume: You VISIT Hawaii. You don't stay.
Plume: No one EVER stays...
Jack: ......Miss...Plume...?
Plume: ......
[Plume's expression changes.]
[It changes to one of anger. ]
Plume: Why don't they STAY?!
Jack: --Erk--!
[She steps ever closer, fire and rain mixing together, steam rising to the darkening sky as Jack feels his back touch brick.]
Jack: --!! (Nonononono--)
Plume: My home is... paradise on Earth...
Plume: Who wouldn't want that? ~
Jack: (Oh God I don't wanna hurt her--it's not her fault she's like this--!)
Jack: (Wires and Hacking--what GOOD would those do?! UGH, I CAN'T DIE HERE--!!)
Jack: (Come on, Jack, THINK...)
Jack: (All your stupid wires can do is just grab things and there's no WAY I'm getting that close to Plume--)
Jack: (--!!!)
Jack: (WAAAAAIT A SEC--)
[Jack frantically looks around for something--ANYTHING--that looked sturdy enough support his weight.]
Jack: ---!
[There! Above him--a set of broken, steel stairs that lead to the roof of this building--an apartment complex. The bottom was blown off, so there was no way to climb it from the ground--]
[But if he aimed right--]
Plume: YOU MEN NEVER STAY W I T H ME!
[ZIIIIIP!]
[FOOOOM--]
Jack: SORRY MISS PLUME--
[Jack shot his wires up to the broken stairs--and retracted them, lifting himself up and away from Plume's furious fire!]
Plume: ?!?
Jack: BUT I GOT ANOTHER DANCE TO GET TO--
Jack: AND I'M PRETTY SURE SHE'D KILL ME IF I WAS LATE!
Plume: -SCREEEEEECH-
Plume: COME BACK HERE!
Jack: NOPE--
Jack: GOTTA RUN, BYE--
[Fireballs are chucked at his retreating form as he runs up the rest of the stairs, demonic screams of rage filling his ears. When she saw that she couldn't quite get to him from here, she decides to double back--for now.]
Plume: {I'LL MAKE YOU STAY WITH ME, LITTLE MAN--S T A Y!!}
Jack: ........
Jack: Oh God--
[Finally seeing that he was safe for the moment--he collapses in a heap, catching his breath. The first stars start to twinkle in the sky.]
Jack: (OK--....can't stay, you're not safe, she'll come back through the other street on the other side--gotta keep moving...)
Jack: (Tired...so tired, can't rest--....ugh crap my shoulder hurts...)
Jack: (Don't have wheels...can't steal a car...)
Jack: .......
[......]
[Jack's hand rests on his face as he thinks, momentarily staring at the small panel on his wrist that his his wires.
...He never thought they'd be useful for anything but tripping things and yanking or holding people in place...]
[......]
"DENCER! LET ME GO!"
"I--"
"PLEASE!"
Jack: .......
Jack: ....Mmmng.
[He's kinda always thought his Wires were just....an annoyance.]
Jack: .......
[But maybe they weren't? They DID just save him from being Hawaiian barbeque...]
[Maybe he could do something....MORE with them?]
“…You are a stronger man than you give yourself credit for, Jack.”
Jack: ........
Jack: (What ELSE...what else...)
Jack: ....
Jack: (Well--right now I need a fast way to the Needle--but no wheels. All I got are these things...)
Jack: .......
[ONE MINUTE LATER...]
Jack: Godalmighty this is the stupidest thing--
[Jack was standing right on the edge of the same roof--goggles on, sleeves rolled up, looking down to the street below. The building was about 10 stories high...]
Jack: .........
[A fall from this height...it wouldn't KILL him, but it would certainly do some major damage.]
Jack: .....
Jack: I do NOT get paid enough for this...
Jack: OK--just...aim for that other building across the street--and swing--like--like Tarzan or something like that--
Jack: OK on three....
Jack: One....two....
Jack: ......
Jack: Two and a half...
Jack: .......
Jack: .....
Jack: . . .
Jack: [FRAG] IT I CAN'T DO IT--
Jack: (I CAN'T JUMP OFF A DAMN BUILDING IT'S SUICIDE WHAT AM I THINKING--)
"{OH LITTLE MAAAAAAAN!~}"
Jack: . . . .
Jack: [Glitchfragit]--!
[He backs up, takes a few deep breaths, and takes off in a running start--]
[FOOOOM!]
[The street below him lights up in FLAMES as he leaps from the roof--]
Plume: --!!!
[ZIIIIIP!]
Jack: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH--
[His wires latch onto the taller building on the other side...]
[....and he sails... ]
[Over the flames, over Plume, in a perfect arch that ended just on the building on the corner--]
[Jack didn't have enough height to reach the roof of that one--but it was enough to catch onto a windowsill, scrambling up to find perchance--]
Jack: --!!!
Jack: ......
Jack: HOLY SHIT I'M ALIVE--
[Even Plume had to take a moment to process what just happened--the little man wasn't a flying model... ]
Jack: I FREAKIN' DID IT--
Jack: FRAG, THAT WAS AWESOME--YO, MISS PLUME DID YOU SEE WHAT--
[FOOOOSH!]
"RAAAAAAAAAAGH!!"
Jack: ....Ohright--
[Sheeeee was still angry.]
Plume: {WHO TOLD YOU YOU COULD FLY AWAY, LITTLE MAN?!}
Jack: AAAAAND I'M OUTTA HERE--
[ZIIIIP!]
[The repeated sounds of ziplining wires and screams of bloody rage echo throughout the rainy city, drawing ever closer to the Space Needle...]
Jack: Gotta get high enough to reach the top--!
Plume: -DEMONIC SCREAMING-
Jack: (THAT DOES NOT SOUND GOOD AT A L L--)
[Jack has never been this high UP before--]
Jack: Almost there almost there--
[And all this wind and rain was NOT making things any easier--he REALLY needs to thank the ice kid for the goggles--]
Plume: {LITTLE MAAAAAAAN!}
Jack: FOR PETE'S SAKE I'M NOT LITTLE--
[WOW that Needle was WAY up high--]
[C R A C K!!!]
Jack: GGNH!!
[The intense electricity messes with his systems, alright, due to being close to it to begin with--]
Plume: NAAH--!
[But that went true for his pursuer too.]
Jack: (No good--gotta get inside--gotta break through a window--!)
[To do that, he needed enough speed--so he proceeded to swing another lap around the Needle, fireballs pelting from below, rain pounding in his face and thunder clapping above his head--]
Jack: AAAAAAAAAAAAH--!!!
[With one final scream, Jack swung--one final time, lighting flashed, for a moment he couldn't see a thing--]
[C R A C K!]
[Static. Glass breaking.]
[Screams.]
"OH GOD THEY GOT IN--"
"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE--"
[More static...]
"ELI, WHAT DO WE DO--?!"
"GET ME THE GUN--"
"HE FLEW IN THROUGH THE WINDOW-- "
"WHERE IS THE GUN?!?"
[. . . . . .]
[SYSTEMS REBOOTING...]
[.....]
Jack: ........
Jack: Nnngh....
[SYSTEM REBOOT COMPLETE.]
Jack: Nh...?
Jack: Uuugh, my head....
Jack: Owwwww...
[. . . . .]
[CLICK.]
Jack: ....?
[With some effort, Jack turns his head towards the strange sound--]
[Only to find a revolver being pointed at his face.]
"Alright, ya crazy freeloading flyin' freak--"
[A middle aged human man looks down at the CDN, cold muddy eyes beating down on him in an unforgiving manner.]
"You got 5 seconds to start talking or your Xel's gonna stain this floor tonight."
Jack: ...........
Jack: . . . . . .
Jack: PLEASE DON'T THROW ME OUT THERE, THERE'S A CRAZY HAWAIIAN BOT THAT WANTS TO FRY ME UP--
???: We know.
Jack: --??
???: Why do you think we're STUCK up here?
Jack: . . . .
???: . . . .
???: I'm gonna be straight with you. You're a Xelbot. And all of them's gone outta their minds for some reason or another-- something about a virus.
Jack: .......
???: My family is up here too.
???: You see where I'm coming from?
Jack: .....Y...Yes sir....
???: Good.
???: Now--so far--you don't seem like Miss Plume down there.
Jack: I-I--She...
Jack: She's not OK, it's not her fault--
???: No, but right now that don't matter. Point is, as long as she's down there raising hell...we can't escape.
Jack: .......
Jack: ......
Jack: Sir--please, just--listen to me--I get it, you're afraid, and trying to protect people, but I can't stay here--
???: Why?
Jack: I'm LOOKING for someone and I REALLY don't think she'd like it if I wounded up DEAD so PLEASE--please believe me--!
[THUMP.]
???: Whatthehell--
[THUMP.]
Jack: (THE WHOLE BUILDING IS SHAKING--)
[T H U M P.]
"ELI!!!"
[As the human--Eli--snapped his attention to the screaming woman that ran around the curve of the observation deck, Jack quickly took the chance to collect himself from the floor and back off a safe distance--]
Eli: Gwen--stay back, what is going--
[The woman named Gwen was hysteric, and grabbed hold of Eli's arm with her free hand...]
[...For the other was busy carrying some... precious cargo.]
"Waaaah!"
Jack: ....
Jack: oh my God is that a baby.
Eli: YOU STAY BACK--
Jack: DUDE I WAS ONLY ASKING--
[T H U M P.]
[A deep, LOUD, primal ROAR cut through the atmosphere, and the building shook once again, swaying, the sounds of metal groaning all around them--]
"WAAAAAAAH!"
Gwen: Shh, shh, it's OK, Lily--!
Eli: Gwen--Stay back with the rest of--
[T H U M P.]
"OH MY GOD WE'RE ALL D E A D--"
[The screams of terrified humans--plus one infant child--resounded once more as the building swayed again.]
Jack: (What the HELL--Plume can't be doing this--she's not--)
[The changing angle of the ground made the CDN lose balance--sliding over to another window, and making the rest of the trapped tourists follow suit. They grabbed onto whatever was bolted down and held on for dear, dear life...]
Jack: Aaarg--...
Jack: --!!!
[When Jack's gyroscopic systems recalibrated, his eyes caught sight of the cause of the sudden tremors through the window beneath...]
Jack: ....Oh no...
Jack: Landcrusher...
Jack: Of ALL THE BOTS IN THE WORLD--
[Landcrusher--the latest member of Germany's combat team--had also been visiting America from overseas when the Virus struck, turning him from a once kind, caring soul into a rampaging beast, intent on toppling the Space Needle--just for the sole purpose of it's fall.]
Landcrusher: {RAAAAAAAGH!!!}
[T H U M P--!]
[His HUGE arms and hands were tearing away at the Needle's base, causing it's structure to bend this way and that--any further, and the landmark would crumble.]
Jack: (He's gonna bring this whole place DOWN--with all these people in it--!)
Jack: (Damn it, I can't take that guy on--he'll WRECK me, and--)
Eli: Goddamnit where's the gun--
Jack: (THIS guy's on the verge of putting one in me--)
Jack: (FRAG--this CAN'T get any worse--!)
{"YOU BIG LUG--"}
[C L A N K!]
Jack: oh sweet lord--PLUME?!
[The fiery Hawaiian had returned--and it was clear that she was NOT in a very happy mood with what she saw.]
Plume: {STAY--}
[A fireball was launched--]
[C L A N K!]
Landcrusher: --ARGN--!!
[--right at Landcrusher's face--!]
Jack: ?!
Plume: {--AWAY FROM MY DANCE PARTNER!!}
[Landcrusher's response was another berserker roar--he SWUNG his massive frame one final time at the Needle before turning his attention to the IKN--]
[Who, with a war cry, launched herself at the larger Xelbot with no fear whatsoever.]
Jack: What....
Eli: That...that's not right...
[Needless to say, the trapped humans were completely horrified at what they saw.]
Jack: (Jeezus, they look ready to TEAR into each other--...)
Jack: ........
Jack: (I can't stay here.)
[A glance at the small family. The trapped tourists.]
Jack: (Neither can they--and who knows how long those two are gonna go at it...)
Jack: .......
Jack: Hey.
Eli: --!
Jack: CDN.7037. Call me Jack.
Eli: --You're a Cherry?
Jack: YES I'm a Cherry but that's not the point--
Jack: None of us are gonna make it if we stick around here.
Jack: So does ANYONE have any ideas to get outta here?
Jack: Plume and Crusher aren't gonna fight forever--now's a better chance than any.
Eli: God, I don't know--
"I'M NOT GOING DOWN THE STAIRS, THEY'RE BROKEN--"
"Elevator's out too."
"CAN'T CALL FOR HELP--"
Jack: (.....There really IS no way down from here...)
Jack: (...Not through normal means, anyway...)
[The entire building was now leaning to one side, like some ripoff of the Tower of Pisa--but it did allow it be closer to some of the smaller buildings--Jack could easily swing across...]
Jack: (...There are, what, like more than 30 people here?)
Jack: (Swinging across back and forth would take WAY too long...)
Jack: (There's GOTTA be another way to get these people off...)
Eli: ....Hey--you...you swung up here, didn't you?
Jack: Yeah, I did--
Eli: Can't you--lower us down somehow?
Jack: . . .
Jack: (Lower...)
Jack: --!!
Jack: Eli--I need a wheel--and something long and flat, like a table or something.
Eli: --! You got a plan?
Jack: Yeah...half of one, at least. (I just hope it’s enough!)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 3A: VOLTAIC DYNATRON=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{SANDA LABS...}
Will: Nnngh...
[Much like Mikhail was having troubles of his own, William was feeling rather hopelessly at a loss of what to do himself.]
[...He had hoped that having two separate samples of the Virus—one from Pyro and Cryo—would clear some things up.]
[Instead, it only raised more questions than answers.]
[These samples, while accomplishing their directive, had done so in a MUCH different way than the other. The coding was...so different. So...
....brilliant.]
[...Whoever had coded this KNEW what they were doing.
And they knew it WELL.]
Will: . . .
Will: (This...sinking feeling...)
Will: (The more I stare at this code, the more I want to look away...)
Will: (Why?)
Will: .......
Will: (God, I wish you were here, Mikhail...)
Will: (But with Avi holding the airwaves hostage--who knows when I'll hear from you again?)
[Will sighed heavily, and let the rest of the analysis programs run by themselves for now.]
Will: (—Perhaps another sample is needed...)
Will: (Fortunately...)
Will: (The pattern here is clear enough to give us some idea of where to go next...)
Will: Call?
Call: Yes, Dr. White?
Will: Please continue to try and pinpoint the locations of the other Mighty Numbers--and cross reference them with places that their abilities would have the most effect and damage.
Call: Right away. Scanning...
"Will?"
[White looked up from his terminal, his expression twisting into concern as he saw his best friend hurrying across the lab with his phone in his hands.]
Sanda: You might wanna take a look at this...
[His phone's screen showed nothing but purple static--and didn't seem to be responsive in any way whatsoever.]
Sanda: Either this is Avi's doing or the virus somehow infected cellulars...
Will: Mm...
[Will checked his own—]
Will: ....?
Will: I don't remember shutting mine off...
[Try as he might, he couldn't get it to turn on—]
Will: ......
Will: Wait a minute—
[With an sudden swift movement, Will dug into his shoulder bag—
...And pulled out his charger?]
Will: I must have forgotten...but—
Sanda: ...? Will—you do realize this isn't exactly the time to—
Will: I just want to test something, hold on a moment—
[He plugged it in, connected it, and waited for exactly five, tense minutes—
If he was right about this, then—]
[DING!]
[The phone flickered to life—working perfectly.]
Will: Yes!
Sanda: —?!
Sanda: Wait...how...?
Will: It's just like Call...!
Will: My phone was out of charge when the virus struck—thus it wasn't affected!
Sanda: —!
Sanda: Huh...that's something, alright. Seems like anything that was shut off at the time this all started wasn't affected...
Will: Yes, since it wasn't connected to any servers at the time. Technological isolation, as Mikhail put it...
-PING!-
Will: !
[The “New Message” icon pops up.
…And then as it continues to load, a number appears next to it, and climbs higher, and higher… joined by the “Missed Call” symbol and the “New Voicemail” symbol, which also show multiples…]
Will: ......
Will: They're from Mikhail...
[The time frame shows they were placed after 11:46 AM on June 21st, with the last message sent before said Russian actually managed to get a hold of Will some time later.
There are dozens of pictures of lines of code displaying on a mainframe— apparently taken with a phone camera.]
Will: ...?
Will: This code—
Will: (Hrm—can't quite tell what it is...)
[Will then moves to check his voicemails—and puts it on speaker so that Soi could hear as well.]
[NEW MESSAGE FROM: MIKHAIL RECEIVED ON JUNE 21st, 11:49 AM]
“ -Click- Will? Will?”
“{Papa, why won’t he answer?}”
“{Oh no… please be quiet, Princess…}”
“{Papa, I’m scared—! It’s like with… with the /bad man!/ What if my brothers are sick again?!}”
[A pause, and then a click, as he’d hung up.]
Will: (Oh, God, little Kalinka...)
[NEW MESSAGE FROM: MIKHAIL RECEIVED ON JUNE 21st, 12:01 PM]
“ -Click- {Will, something’s very wrong. I need you to call me back as soon as possible, when you get this—it’s an attack on the server, they’re all sick.} -Click-”
[NEW MESSAGE FROM: MIKHAIL…]
“ -Click- {Will, I REALLY need you to call me back now—it’s coming from YOUR servers— what is going on over there?!} -Click-”
Will: . . .
[NEW MESSAGE FROM: MIKHAIL TIME STAMP INVALID]
“ -Click- … … …”
[A pause.]
“ -Soft sigh and a groan, faint sound like he’s rubbing his face- {It’s bad, William. It was an aggressive virus. I had to hard reset not only the server, but also all of my sons and the Rebel Angels.}”
[Another pause, before he continues in English, before going back to Russian because he’s too tired right now.]
“The code…. … {It did… some very strange things. …I recorded the raw data with a video camera so I could analyze it later—preferably with you, my God I hope you are alright and get this—without having the actual thing being a squatter in the RMDC.}”
“{I’ve sent over some screenshots I pulled off of that—namely, the initial interaction it had with the server, and the start of some of the consequences in action. I’m still looking it over, but it looks like it activated some very bad cross-references… I’ll have to look closer to tell you which ones.}”
“{It did send them all into Lethal mode—or tried to, anyway—it actually just didn’t work with DCN-000, as his current highest setting is Non-Lethal. …Which isn’t to say he can’t cause damage… it’s just that he doesn’t have… -Groans- I’ll tell you when you call back, please call back, alright?}”
“{I’m going to have Tobias search you out if you don’t respond in 24 hours—I hope that isn’t necessary, but I’m very worried.}”
Will: -winCE-
Sanda: Ngh...
“{You needn’t worry about one thing, though—}”
“{It did try to activate the DLN_COMBAT.EXE, but that program never went live in any of the constructs that have access to my server. It activated the DWN_COMBAT.EXE program instead—which I can tell you is something that activates when they are afraid or in great pain… but they have always been defensive. When it went active, they shut down to avoid damage. They are not gone Maverick— so PLEASE, /DON’T/ panic and send Shade over—/}”
Will: .......
[Will just put his head down next to the terminal and groaned. Of course, he had no idea what had happened to the Mighties then...]
“{I really hope I hear back from you soon, Will. We… I need you over here. Some of the interactions…}”
“{The Awareness aspect of the AI_OS—it just can be so… adaptive…. … … … I know you might not think that such a high-tech bit of code from your world could even run in a system as ‘outdated’ as what we use, but the boys… they’ve already long been adapting to data and coding from your children, this…}”
[He trails off.]
“{I won’t let Tobias poke around if I can help it. But for the love of God—
CALL ME.}”
[A click signifies the end of the message.]
[The last message is much later—just before they got into contact. It’s actually from Siam.
It seems to be raw data that was run through a program that Cossack installed to help facilitate communication so that the boys could talk abstractly and still be understood.
The message states that they got some mutual data from Aviator as the result of the fusion, and that they would analyze everything as soon as they ensured Tobias was still…
…that he hadn’t been permanently broken.]
[It also said to expect some side effects once both Tobias and Aviator were Online at the same time without a communication block.]
Will: (S-Side Effects...?)
Sanda: (That doesn't sound good...)
[…Wait.
There was one more message.]
Will: ...! There's...another...
Sanda: Huh—?
[NEW MESSAGE FROM: D L N — 0 0 0]
Will: CARDINAL—!
"WHA—"
"DAD WHAT ABOUT HIM I HEARD YOU SCREAM—"
[MN.1, 2, AND 9 ARE NOW ONLINE.]
[MN.1] //: -DATA, DID YOU FIND HIM?-
Will: No—hold on—
“J O H N 15:13”
[END OF NEW MESSAGES.]
Will: John 15:13...?
Sanda: Why would...?
[MN.2] //: Is it some kinda code, or...?
[MN.1] //: ....
[MN.1] //: "No greater love than this..."
[MN.1] //: "...than to lay down his life for his friends."
[MN.9] //: . . .
[MN.9] //: Cards...
Will: ......
Will: (Cardinal—I pray that you're safe—but PLEASE don't find him before we do...)
Will: (—Your heart's in the right place, but you lack the tools to save him...)
Will: .....
[Will saves the pictures Mikhail took of the coding from the RMDC—and silently thanked him under his breath. He now had three samples to go over and compare—even if the Rebel Angels weren't of Xel, this information could essential to working out the cause of the malfunctions.]
Will: (I hope you're having better luck than me, friend—)
[—Blink.]
Will: -Looks up- ??
Sanda: Wha—
Sanda: Did the lights just—
[BZZZZZZZT!]
[The whole building was thrown into darkness.]
Sanda: aaAAAAAAH—!
Will: —!!
"WHOA WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS—?!"
"Beck—Calm—One moment—"
[....A few seconds later, A bright glow shines from the repair bay, and Pyro slowly walks out with his hand aflame, his younger siblings in tow.]
Pyro: Father?
Will: Yes, we're alright.
Sanda: Oh thank goodness Pyro thank you—
Call: Initiating Back-up Generator startup sequence...
Call: My scans indicate that the city's power grid was shut down—the main power will be rerouted in about 30 minutes.
Sanda: The entire city?!
Will: .......
Pyro: .....
Beck: ...You don't think...?
Will: ...It has to.
Will: Dynatron...
[The lights flicker back on, although they are now a light green.]
Sanda: ...If she's managed to access the power grid, then—
Will: Then she must be at one of the country's major power plants.
Pyro: ......Yes—of course—she would have to drain power from a large source at some point—!
Cryo: ........
Call: Initiating search—
Cryo: Big.
Beck: ...?
Cryo: Bros, this is Dyna. We all KNOW her appetite.
Cryo: Where's the biggest power plant in the US?
Call: The largest power plant in the United States is located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Call: However, we will not be able to initiate Xel Transfer until the power comes back on.
Will: We'll just have to make the best of what time we have. Beck, prepare yourself—Sanda, you and I will continue repairs on 1 and 2.
Cryo: —!
Cryo: Daddy— fix my tank first—
Will: I'll do that—
Will: ...But I'm afraid I can't let you go with Beck.
Cryo: But—!
Will: Either of you.
Pyro: . . .
Will: One—you'd risk becoming infected once more simply by going OUT there—
Will: Two, we need someone to stay HERE in case the malfunctioning robots out in the city decide to come back here—
Will: Three, the both of you still need extensive repairs and FOUR—
Will: Think of the others.
Cryo: ....
Will: You are half-weak to Dyna—and Pyro still needs to recover from his LAST trip to rescue you.
Will: .....
Will: And if by some miracle we do get back in touch with Mikhail and the Angels...
Will: They will want to know if you are alright.
Cryo: . . . .
Pyro: . . .
Beck: ......
Will: ...I'm sorry.
Will: I know you want to help your sister, but...
Will: Beck will have to go on his lonesome this time.
Cryo: ......
Cryo: -SNIFF-
Pyro: . . . .
Beck: .....
Beck: I'll be careful.
Beck: I'll bring her back.
Beck: I'll save her like I did with you guys.
Beck: I promise.
Cryo: ......
Cryo: [sub] just don't punch her too hard or something.... [/sub]
Pyro: ......
[MN.1 to MN.9] //: Do what you have to, Beck. Just bring her back to us.
[MN.9 to MN.1] //: I will, Pyro. I will.
——————————————
[.....]
[MEANWHILE, IN CHERRYDYNAMICS INC. MAIN OFFICE BUILDING...]
[BACK UP GENERATORS RUNNING.]
[A phone rings. It seems to be a private line...]
[Click.]
"Mr. Graham?"
"Graham speaking."
"Sir, the recent power outage is going to take some time to work around—"
*"What's the status of our servers?*"
"...Still infected, sir. But our firewalls are holding for our factory lines—at least on the west coast—"
"What about [dark pink] her.[dark pink] "
[Silence.]
"What. About. HER."
"....It's....still....here."
"Any changes?"
"No, but--"
"Good. Leave her as she is, don't tamper with anything."
"Sir--"
"If I see once scratch on her, I WILL FIRE your whole department and worse. Do you understand?"
"Sir—she's—"
"I asked you a question."
".....U-Understood, sir..."
"Mm. Notify me if anything comes up."
"Yes, Mr. Graham..."
[CLICK.]
"Idiots..."
"Just when this was all going to plan..."
"This VIRUS rears it's ugly HEAD..."
"....."
".....Well. As long as [darkpink] she [darkpink] remains untouched..."
"This can still be fixed..."
[Click. Click. Click.]
"......Senator? Ah! Greg Graham here—yes, yes, I'm perfectly safe, but what about—Oh! Well, that's good news—Yes. Yes, we're doing EVERYTHING we can—In fact!"
"We may be on the verge of a [darkpink] solution [darkpink] as we speak..."
[ ...... ]
——————————————
[SANDA LABS, A HALF HOUR LATER...]
[The power had been restored—and everyone immediately scrambled to get the lab systems up and running when—]
Call: Scan complete.
Call: I have located Mighty No. 3's transponder signal in the predicted location. It is confirmed.
Call: I will now initiate Xel Transfer. Please stand by.
Cryo: Bro—Bro.
Beck: Yeah?
Cryo: Just remember that Sis likes to TOY with whomever's up against her, so...
Cryo: ....You...might see some creepy stuff in there and I'm not talking about last Halloween, bro.
Cryo: .....
Cryo: Just...pay attention and keep moving forward, 'Kay?
[Beck nods as he re-checks his comm link, eyes trained at the map in front of him....]
Beck: .......
Beck: . . .
Beck: (I...)
Beck: (....I hope [color=vermilion] you're [/color] safe, wherever you are...)
Beck: (....PLEASE be OK...)
Beck: (Please...)
Beck: (I don't want to be the only—)
Call: Xel Transfer initiated...
Pyro: Good luck, Beck...
Cryo: WE'LL BE IN TOUCH, BRO, GO GET OUR SIS—
[........]
___________
[MISSION DETAILS: MIGHTY NO. 3, DYNATRON, HAS BEEN SPOTTED AT THIS INDIANA POWER PLANT FACILITY. PROBABILITY OF POWER SIPHONAGE: EXTREME.]
[MISSION OBJECTIVES: LOCATE AND RESCUE MN.3, AND PURGE ALL HARMFUL MALWARE FROM SYSTEMS, PREVENT TOTAL POWER GRID OVERLOAD.]
[SYSTEMS READY?]
[GO!]
[Beck could already FEEL the erratic power surges in the air as he materialized into the Power Plant, his systems taking a moment to readjust to charged atmosphere—it made him a little dizzy, honestly.]
Beck: Whoa...
[It passed after a few seconds, and soon he was making headway down the halls—]
[Zzzt!]
Beck: —WHA—!
[Darkness.]
Beck: I can't see—!
[He scrambles for his C.Visor, for the night vision function it had, of course, but as soon as he turned that on— ]
[The lights came back on again.]
Beck: (Gah—! Too bright—!)
[And once again, they shut OFF and ON, flickering randomly as the low fog in the facility crept around the Mighty Number—]
Beck: (Fog—indoors—?)
[His comm comes online.]
Sanda: W...What's happening t-to the l-lights—??
[...There was a quivering fear in Soi's tone—for a moment, Beck was confused—
Then it hit him.
Dr. Sanda had a fear of the dark.]
Will: Soi—Soi, it's OK—
Sanda: Beck—Beck, PLEASE be careful, youdon'tknowwhat'sinthere—!
Call: Relax, Dr. Sanda.
Call: It is a temporary blackout caused by the erratic power supply....
Call: It may also trigger irregularities in other robots on site. Proceed with due caution, Beck.
Beck: G-Got it... (Night vision's not gonna be really useful if the lights are going crazy like that...)
[Lifting his visor goggles back up to his helmet, he moves onwards, eventually encountering more malfunctioning robots—]
[...Except...]
Beck: ....Uh...
[...They weren't...moving...]
Beck: D...Dad...?
Will: —? They're offline...
[There was no damage to be seen whatsoever—but they were sparking up rather harshly, and some of them even twitched here and there...]
Call: My scans indicate that they have been drained of all power.
Beck: (Dyna...) … (No point wasting energy on them—gotta keep moving...)
[He carefully makes his way over the offlined husks of robots—their cold, unlit optics making them seem lifeless and dead.]
[...And yet, Beck didn't think twice of it. Funny, given how easily he scares...]
Beck: (This is just like going through her part of the sewers—except less water, and less fog...)
Beck: (...and a LOT more creepy, at least—)
[BZZZZZZZT!]
Call: Warning—there is a power surge in your area--!
[The lights become MUCH brighter, and arcs of electricity jump from one row of lights to another, making very LOUD noises—]
[...Wait...the noises sounded like...]
[...Laughter?]
Beck: Ngh—!
[While his systems recover from the sudden outburst of energy, the electricity jumps from the lights—
...To the downed robots around him.
With a startling whirr of machinery, they rise, like puppets on strings, their eyes all glowing an ominous purple.
And in an instant, they all snap their heads toward Beck.]
Beck: AAAAAH—!
Sanda: RUN!
[He didn't need to be told twice—he dashes out of there, the sounds of the horde of robots behind him. He manages to shoot some of them down, but there were just so many of them—]
Beck: —?!
[Suddenly, he had to put on the brakes.
A generator model was blocking his path—it was too high to jump over, and what was worse—
This bot was most DEFINITELY not offline.]
[ZZZZZZZT!]
[Beck was BLASTED by a high powered charge, one that raced across the ceiling and over his head—the other had traveled the floor and struck his legs, causing him to be blown back RIGHT into the robots that were chasing him.]
Beck: GGHT—!
[—Fortunately, this current did not stop at Beck, and proceeded to do the same to the rest of the malfunctioning constructs in the hall.]
Will: BECK—zzt—DO YOU R—zzt—ECK?!
Sanda: DI—zzt—HE OVER—zzt-
Call: Be—zzt—respo—zzt—please res—zzt—
Beck: Gh—D—Da-
[ERROR: SYSTEM OVERLOAD, REROUTING POWER SUPPLY...]
Will: Hold on—zzt—your sys—zzt—try to—zzt—!
[REROUTING...]
Beck: Gnh...!
[The robots that were around him also had their systems overloaded, and the generator bot had closed up to recharge for another attack.]
[It was all a matter of who would recover first...]
[REROUTING...] [REROUTING...]
Beck: (Come on—!)
[PING!]
[SYSTEMS RESTORED.]
[And just in time—]
[BZZZZZZZT!]
[Beck had only a split second to react—he jumped, and quickly switched his form to Pyro's—he couldn't deal with the threats on either side of him with his default, so he had to rely on his brother's blast radius to quickly take out the constructs surrounding him.]
Beck: BACK OFF—!
[BOOM!]
[ZZZZRT!]
[And it worked! The robot's Xel Structures were now destabilized, giving Beck some much needed Absorption Boosts and a Xel Stock to save for later.]
[—PING!]
Sanda: —Got it! Beck—Beck, do you read?
Beck: Yeah—I read!
[A sigh of relief came from the other side.]
Will: Goodness, that was tense—your communicator was malfunctioning, and we had a data loss—we concluded that you had a system overload...
Beck: Yeah—wasn't nice at all...
Will: Fortunately, your systems can reroute power surges--but it also leaves you open, so take care not to let it happen again.
Beck: Right...
[The lights begin to flicker once more as Beck continues, this time making sure to shoot the drained bots first, before they woke up...
It certainly made things a little easier, though the large generator bots were a pain to deal with. Huge, produced by CherryDyn, packed a punch and REALLY tough to take down—they usually blocked the way, so he had no choice but to absorb them and move on.
Eventually, however, after crossing over huge, glowing power lines, he comes across a door. After passing through it, it shuts behind him...
...And the lights shut off again.]
Sanda: Nnngh—...
Will: Hold on, Soi— -sounds of rummaging-
Beck: ......
Beck: (...The lights aren't coming back on.... Better switch on Night Vision this time—)
[BWAAAAAN BWAAAAAN BWAAAAN BWAAAAAN—!!!]
Sanda: AAAAAAAH—!!!
[A LOUD alarm suddenly goes off, red lights flashing everywhere, sending Beck into a slight panic—]
Beck: Wah—!
Beck: (WHAT'S HAPPENING—??)
[The lights are brought back on again—
And covering the entirety of the walls and ceiling were dozens and dozens of small, four legged robots, resembling—yes—spiders.]
Beck: EEP—!!
[The spider-like bots all chitter at once, a horrifying, low sound, and they all start to crawl...slowly...towards the Mighty Number.]
Beck: Ah—... nice s-spider bots...g-good spider bots...!
Sanda: ohGodthey'regoingtoSWARMHIM—
Will: Sanda—get a hold of yourself!
Sanda: —!
Will: —He's also locked inside—those robots have drained the power from the other door.
Will: Beck—destroy all robots in the area, you will need their Xel and energy to unlock the doors!
Beck: A...All of...?!
[The spiders closed in, the bulbs on their backs shining a dull cobalt—the ones that had gotten a few feet of Number Nine screeched and jumped on him—!]
Beck: ACK, NO, STOP—GET OFF—!
Beck: GETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFF—!!!
Will: Beck—focus—!
Beck: OW THEY'RE ON MY FACE DAD HELP—
Beck: THEY BITE HARD OWOWOW—
[PING!]
[MN.2] //: BRO!
Beck: —Cryo—!
[MN.2] //: They're smaller than you, Beck—FREEZE 'EM AND SMASH 'EM!
Beck: !!!
[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE]
[A flash of white fading to blue and a COLD blast of ice covers his own frame, trapping the spiders on him in ice. He wastes no time smashing them with his nozzle, absorbing the Xel from them one by one.]
[MN.2] //: YEAH BRO, THAT'S IT—!
[This process was repeated until the last spider bot was smashed, leaving Beck a little exhausted--did the spiders also drain his energy too...?]
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[The door opened once the spiders that were siphoning it's power were gone, allowing him access to the deeper parts of the plant.]
[MN.1] //: ...There certainly is an eerie touch in here...
[MN.2] //: What do ya expect, it's DYNA, of course she'd make everything creepy, it's her thing.
[MN.2] //: Dude, remember the haunted house she was in charge of last Halloween, SOMEONE CALLED THE POLICE EVEN.
[MN.1] //: Someone got lost in there, Cryo—
[MN.2] //: E X A C T L Y.
[MN.2] //: Bro—PLEASE be careful, I dunno what kind of fragged up things she's thought of in her state...
[........]
Beck: . . .
[MN.2] //: ....Bro?
Beck: ......
Will: Beck—?
Beck: . . . .
Beck: . . . -AUDIBLE GULP-
Beck: I—I t-th-think I-I have a pretty g-good idea a-already...
Will: What are you--
Will: —?!
[The next room wasn't much better than the last.
Live, high powered cables were strung everywhere, like some kind of web, and hung up from the ceiling, in various, macabre positions were even MORE robots—
....not just the surrounding models in the area, but—were those civilian models too—?! ]
[MN.2] //: Holy SH—
[MN.1] //: What in the...?!
Beck: D...Dyna...
Will: No...!
Sanda: -YUP, HE'S SHAKING NOW, WILL, HELP-
Call: ....
Call: Scanning...
Call: Beck, several of the robots overhead are showing signs of life.
Call: Please move though this area as quickly as possible.
Beck: . . . .
Beck: Wait—what about the civilians?!
Call: Beck—please move. Now.
Beck: But you said—!
Will: We can double back for them later, Beck! GO!
Beck: —Nngh—!
[Reluctantly, he dashes across the cable web, glancing every so often at the civilians he passed by—was it too late for them, or...?]
Call: Warning: Incoming Power Surge.
Beck: —!!
[The cables that surrounded him went live—and a familiar purple current surrounded them! The same kind that the spikes in the Oil Platform and Water Works had—!]
Call: Warning: These cables have been modified to disrupt Xel Structures.
[Dashing around all these death cables didn't seem to be the best idea at the moment—!]
Beck: Oh man—
[He stops dead in his tracks, the loud, buzzing electrical currents resounding in his audio receptors, WAY too close for comfort...]
Beck: O~O;;;;
[The way they were set up forced him to remain completely still-- one wrong move and he was as good as loose Xel.]
[Then...]
Beck: . . .
[SKRET—!]
Beck: what was that—
[He could HEAR something skittering in the darkness—what, he did NOT want to find out.]
[Suddenly, the currents to the cables stopped. Freedom! ]
Beck: (Gotta get outta here—!!)
[He dashed as fast as he possibly could, into down the corridor, and he was only halfway there—!]
Call: Warning: Incoming Power Surge—
Beck: (AGAIN?!)
[Once more, he stopped--the wires sparking to life, and whatever was hiding in the darkness once again made that awful grating noise—!]
Beck: Daaaaad—!
Will: —! Beck—it's a pattern! They shut on and off in intervals!
Beck: —! A pattern—
[Will was right—the wires turned on and off in exactly three second intervals—it didn't give him much time, but...! ]
Beck: (Wait three seconds, dash, wait three more, rinse and repeat...)
Beck: (And try not to be whatever is in the dark's lunch, WHAT IS THAT—)
[SKRET—!]
Beck: Nngaah—
[A tedious, twisted game of Red Light, Green Light—or Purple Light, in this case. Stop, dash, stop, dash—all while occasionally shooting behind him—it seemed to keep whatever creature that wanted his head well away from him—]
[But at last—! There was light! The door!]
Beck: (OH MAN, FINALLY—!) Just a few more—
[SCREEEEEEEEECH—!!]
[MN.2] //: WHAT THE FRAG IS THAT?!?
[MN.1] //: DOESN'T MATTER—RUN FOR IT—!
[The fast paced clacking of multiple feet is more than enough to spur Beck onto dashing the last few feet—and rolling through the door—]
[SCREEEEEEEECH—!!]
[The door slammed shut—and whatever was chasing Beck crashed into it, leaving a large dent—as Beck sat on the other side gasping for air, the creature kept screeching in rage and ramming itself against the door in an attempt to bust it open.]
Beck: Hah....hah....jeez...
[His core was cycling a mile a minutes, and it did take a few more moments for him to calm down once the creature stopped bashing itself on the door.]
Will: (What on EARTH was that...thing...?)
Will: Beck—are you alright?
Beck: Hah...yeah...for the...most part...[sub]still pretty scared... [/sub]
[Collecting himself back to his feet, Number Nine leaned against a wall and sighed.
....Still no sign of Dyna. Oh, she was here, no doubt, but he sort of expected her to show up by now, maybe to taunt and frighten him...
...But nothing. Nothing at all.
...Which was weird, considering Dyna LIVED for that sort of thing—all in good fun, usually, but this...]
Beck: .....
Beck: Where are you, Sis...?
Beck: .....
Beck: (She's gotta be in the generators—if she's messing with the power supply, it has to be from there...)
Beck: Call—how far is the generator room from here?
Call: Calculating....
Call: The fastest route to the main generators is through the Turbine room.
Beck: T...Turbines...?
Call: Correct. You are in it now.
Beck: ....!
[He noticed a low humming noise in the background as he continued, and a soft rumbling under his feet—which only grew louder and louder until—]
Beck: Whoa—!
[The room opened up further to reveal the turbines in question—and they were BIG.]
Sanda: Great Scott—look at the size of those turbines—! C-Careful you don't get sucked in, Beck—!
Beck: They ARE big—!
[So big that he wasn't even sure he could get PAST them. And what's worse, they had that SAME purple current of disrupting Xel frequencies--one touch and he was DONE for.]
Beck: How do I get past these things...?
[Flying over them would be one option—but he didn't have Avi's form. Blowing them up wouldn't be a good idea either—that would REALLY mess up the power grid...]
Beck: ....Mmmng...what to do...
[....! Wait a minute—]
[There was a very small space underneath them— but maybe big enough for him to crawl under? Wait, no, if he was too slow, they'd suck him up...]
Beck: .....
[But if he was fast enough...]
Will: ...Call, maybe you should recalculate another path, this seems to be—wait—Beck? What are you doing?
Beck: I'm gonna try something—
Will: Wait—what? What are you—?!
Beck: HERE GOES NOTHING—
[He dashed towards the turbine—!]
[MN.1] //: BECK?!
[MN.2] //: BRO NO WHAT ARE YOU DOING—
[His form...]
[...compresses...?]
Sanda: —!!
[It looked like he was a little more squished when he did his dash—so much so that he was able to rapidly duck underneath the space between the turbine and the floor and slide out safely on the other side!]
Will: —?! (He was able to modify his own Absorption Dash?! But—that’s—!!)
Beck: —!!
Beck: ....
Beck: I'm not dead—!
[MN.2] //: BRO—THAT WAS SICK—!
[MN.1] //: NINE, DID YOU EVEN KNOW THAT WAS GOING TO WORK—?! -RANT- DON'T SCARE US LIKE THAT—
Beck: S-Sorry—
Beck: But we are kinda in a hurry—
Beck: Let's see...
[There were more turbines to duck under...]
Will: ......
Sanda: Ngh—never thought Beck himself would be giving US such a scare, huh, Will....
Sanda: ....—? Will?
Will: .......
Sanda: Will?
Will: . . .
Sanda: Will!
Will: —! Oh—hm?
Sanda: Will—? You alright there...?
Will: Oh—yes. Yes. Fine. I'm fine.
Sanda: .....
Will: .....
Sanda: Will.
Will: ......
Will: I.... Later, Soi.
Sanda: ......
Sanda: OK, then...
Sanda: ..... (But I can TELL when something is bothering you, Will...)
Will: Beck? Do you read?
Beck: Yup—! I'm at the last turbine—there's another room up ahead—and the air is getting pretty densely charged. Think I'm getting closer...
Beck: ...Whew! OK, that's it...
Beck: Heading into the room now...
[The door opens and shuts behind him again, and—yup, right on cue, the lights switch off.]
Beck: ......
Sanda: ohnonotagain—
Beck: ......
[...Nothing.]
[Seconds pass.]
[Still nothing.]
Beck: .......
Beck: . . .
Beck: .....
[Alright, this was getting ridiculous—
He hasn't seen or heard her all this TIME and it was really starting to get to him—come on, he just wanted to HEAR HER—!]
Beck: DYNA—!
Beck: S I S!!
Beck: I KNOW YOU'RE IN HERE—!
[......]
[BWAAAAN BWAAAAAN BWAAAAN—]
Sanda: -JUMPS AND SCREECHES—-
Beck: Ugh--!
[There was a loud THUMP at the other end of the comm—]
Will: Soi—!?
Sanda: @~@
Call: ...Dr. Sanda?
Sanda: Ngh—I—I mean—I'm fine—
Sanda: I—It's not l-like I'm n-not afraid of the dark— at—at all...I—
Will: —...Call, please take Soi to the other room and give him some water—
Sanda: N-No—!
Beck: —! Dr. Sanda—
Sanda: I...
Sanda: I can't just LEAVE Beck...
Sanda: Horf...
Sanda: ...I can do this I can do this—
Beck: —!
[Yup—spiders—and it looked like there are some generator bots to boot—!]
Sanda: oH DEAR LORD THERE'S MORE—
[BZZzzzzzzZZZZZT!]
[KKSSSSSST—]
"ZZZZSILENCE!"
Beck: —!!!!
[MN.3] //: How am I zzsupposed to enjoy my meal—
[MN.3]//: WITH YOU ZZZSCREAMING IN MY EAR?!
Beck: (DYNA—!)
Sanda: —Oh—oh I'm sorry I didn't—
[Beat—]
Sanda: Wait—No. 3!
Sanda: You were RIGHT, Will—she IS behind the power outages—!
[MN.3] //: Hehehehe...
[MN.3] //: That'zzz right, geniuszz—!~
[MN.3] //: ALL thiszz delicious energy....~
[MN.3] //: Who can REZZIST?!~
[MN.1] //: Dynatron—! PLEASE, stop this—!
[MN.3] //: Why should I?~ I don't have to liszzten to EVERYTHING you zzzsay anymore, big brother—! Not anymore! Heee!
[MN.2] //: Then MAYBE you'll listen to ME.
[MN.3] //: ...?
[MN.3] //: Big zzsis...?
[MN.2]//: ...Hi, sis.
[MN.3] //: -Confused...data...wait...-
[MN.3] //: What are you doing there? Shouldn't you be...?
[MN.2] //: Dyna, listen to me, baby sis—
[MN.2] //: You're not OK, and everything you're doing isn't your fault—
[MN.2] //: Just PLEASE stay put and let Beck do his thing, and everything will be OK, OK?
[MN.3] //: —?
[MN.3] //: But...we were just talking this morning—what happened...?
Beck: NGH—!
[MN.3] //: ...?
[Meanwhile, Beck was dealing with the hordes of robots that were locked in the room with him, using Cryo's form to smash the spiders, like before...]
[MN.3] //: .....!
[MN.3] //: You...
[MN.3] //: You took her POWER—!
[MN.2] //: SIS, NO, THAT'S—
[MN.3] //: AND NOW YOU WANT TO TAKE MINE?!
[MN.3] //: YOU—YOU TOOK IT—LIKE THE [color=Blue]OTHER ONE—[/color]
[PING!]
[MN.9] //: THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M DOING—!
[MN.9] //: I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU, DYNA!!
[MN.3] //: ......
[MN.3] // ZZSave?
[MN.3] //: .......
[Wild, distorted, INSANE cackling.]
[MN.3] //: I'm not zzsome DAMZZAL IN DIZZTRESSZZ.
[MN.3] //: I don't NEED ZZSAVING—!
[MN.3] //: I have more power in my little PINKY than you do in all the ZZXels in your body—
[MN.3] //: I have everything I could EVER want right here...~
[MN.3]//: All the energy I could ever want! It's so MUCH... Mmmm, I could be here FOREVER...~~
[MN.9] //: DYNA!!
[MN.3] //: Ahahahahahaha!~~
[MN.3] //: All this POWER...I love it...!~
[MN.3] //: Hurry up, Becky--I REALLY want someone to SHARE it with--!~
[KSSSSST!]
Beck: SIS--!
[There was a HUGE static fuzz for a moment.]
Will: --??
Sanda: Dyna?? But she just--
Beck: No, wait...
-PING!-
<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED. ENTRY: DLN-008. ENTRY: DLN-001. ERROR—CONNECTION TO MAIN SERVER FAILED.
Beck: Toby...!
<RMDC>: > CONNECTION FAILED—UNABLE TO UPDATE MAIN SERVER
<RMDC>: > COMPRESSING DATA FOR NEXT AVAILABLE CONNECTION…
Will: He must have sensed Dyna on the line... (...It's a good thing he's not awake right now, but...)
[MN.1] //: ....Dyna...no...
[MN.2] //: .....
[MN.2] //: Bro.
[MN.2] //: You know what you gotta do.
[MN.2] //: So this is NO time to be getting cold feet.
[MN.2] //: --....
[MN.1] //: Are you REALLY going to be PUNNING AT A TIME LIKE THIS--
[MN.2] //: THAT WAS UNINTENDED, I SWEAR.
[MN.2] //: POINT IS--
[MN.2] //: Don't let her GET to you, Beck. She might SEEM crazy, but she's IN there, somewhere.
[MN.2] //: YOU JUST GOTTA PUNCH THE CRAZY OUTTA HER, SO DON'T DIE, OK?!
Beck: ......
[MN.9] //: Punch the crazy out of her. Don't die. Yeah.
[MN.9] //: I can do that.
[MN.2] //: Cool beans, bro. Cool beans.
Call: ...Mighty No. 3 has been detected in the generator room up ahead. Warning: There are dangerous high levels of static and electrical discharge as well. We may lose our comm link with No. 9.
Will: I was afraid of that--the Patch bot should be just up ahead to heal you, Beck--you'll need it.
[Once the door had been unlocked, there was a long, suspended walkway with glass windows on the side--and beyond, a large window that showed the night sky, various stars twinkling at him...]
Beck: ....
Beck: (Hang on, Dyna...)
Beck: (I'll save you--!)
———————————
[The generator room lay ahead, and so did the Patch bot just waiting by the door. As soon as it delivered it's load, it flew off, leaving the Mighty Number to stand alone against his own sister.]
[He could already hear the cracks and sounds of pure electricity--]
[...Wait--]
[Was she...?]
"Mmm mmmm mmm I'm a thunderstorm in a bottle!~"
[His vision instantly fuzzed to static several times once he stepped inside, and inwardly groaned--the static buildup in the air was almost unbearable.]
[But once it did adjust, a familiar, harmonious voice rose in volume, now humming to some high tempo tune...]
[Bolts of lighting flashed and arched over the generator....]
[....And the Electric Maiden was dancing and twirling along with them.]
Dyna: Yeszzzz....Yeszzzz!~
[She spun gracefully in place, the power from the country's largest generator bouncing all over the room and right back into her, increasing her already pooled up power supply...]
Dyna: The power--zzzssso much deliciouszzz POWER!~~
[A high pitched, witch like laugh filled the supercharged atmosphere, and she swayed to some invisible tune that only she could hear in her forced madness.]
Dyna: Mmmm!~ It'szzz intoxicating--! I'm getting DIZZZZY! Ahahaha--
Dyna: WHEEEEEEE!~~~
[Beck could only watch in growing fear as his elder sibling continued to siphon energy at an alarming rate--if this kept up, not only would she blow out the whole grid, but she could SERIOUSLY hurt herself too--!]
Beck: D...Dyna...?
Dyna: Hmmm?~~
[In an instant, all the electrical interference ceased as she snapped her head in his direction--glowing red eyes zeroing in on his frame.]
Dyna: Ooooh...
Dyna: Zzzo it'zzz you...!~
Beck: .....Yeah. It's me.
Dyna: You came here a lot quicker than I thought! Bravo, baby brother.~
Beck: ........
Beck: I don't want to fight you, Dyna.
Beck: I don't want to HURT you.
Dyna: Awwwwww.~~
Dyna: But why ELSE are you here, hmm?~~
Beck: I'm here to--
[C R A C K !]
Beck: WHOA--!
[A lighting bolt narrowly misses his side, her bits already floating around the room, sparking and crackling with energy.]
Dyna: I'll tell you why, INSECT!~
Dyna: You've come for MY POWER. YOU WANT TO TAKE IT FROM ME!
Beck: NO!
Beck: I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU, DYNA! PLEASE--YOU CAN F I G H T THIS!
Beck: You just gotta hold on until--
[C R A C K!]
[Another bolt, flying over his head--it bounces around the room through the bits that floated about, and returned to Dyna herself.]
Dyna: 'ZZZSave' me....HA!~
[SCANNING.....]
[SCAN COMPLETE.]
[E N C O U N T E R.]
[MODEL: MIGHTY NO. 3 - CODENAME: DYNATRON]
[HEIGHT: 191cm WEIGHT: 91kg XEL COUNT: 18,200,000]
Dyna: WELL, WE'LL JUST ZZZEE ABOUT THAT!~
[Dynatron--out of all of her siblings, she was rather unique, in combat terms. She, too, was also built for a support role--but her powers were good for most types of combat, especially in the 'zoning game.' ]
[Her bits flew out from her cloak in groups of six, controlled by her mastery of electromagnetism, in a perfect circle around her...]
Dyna: You'll NEVER take my power...! I WON'T LET YOU!~
[With a wave of her claws, they formed into a semi circle--and launched outwards!]
Beck: --!!
[Beck had enough spars against her to know what they did--if they managed to stick to him, they would either start to drain his energy, or overload his systems...!]
[A quick jump backwards and he avoided them, and they ended up sticking to the floor instead.]
Beck: I'm sorry, Dyna...!
[He raised his arm cannon--]
[BLAM--]
Beck: --?!
[--But all his shots met were even more bits, thrown into his line of fire.]
Dyna: Did you REALLY think your PEASHOOTER would do anything againszzt ME?
Beck: Ngh--!
[He thought about what forms he had at the moment--going into Cryo's was out of the question, and using Pyro's could damage the generators...
He had no choice--his default was his best bet against her. He just had make sure every shot made its mark--]
Dyna: Ooooh, Beeeeckyyyy!~~
Beck: Gah--
[Lighting danced around them--Beck was sure he was going to throw up, or at least FELT like it, and for a moment he couldn't see--]
Beck: Ack--!
[T H U N K]
[He felt something WHAM into his back, something slightly heavy, and very warm--]
Beck: --!!!!
Dyna: AHAHAHA!~
[The purple bit glowed an ominous light blue, securing itself upon Beck's back like glue. It hummed as it awaited a command--]
Beck: (Oh nonononono NONONONO--)
Dyna: Now then--!~
Dyna: LET'ZZZ SZZEE HOW WELL YOU CONDUCT!~~
[The horns on her head start to spark-- ]
Beck: (GOTTA GET THIS OFF--!!)
[He struggled and ran back and forth, his hands finding purchase on the glowing bit--pulling--YANKING--]
[BZZ BZZ--]
Beck: (CAN'T--!)
[BZZZZ BZZZZZ--]
Beck: DYNA--!!
[There was only one other way to get it off--]
[B L A M!]
Dyna: --?!?
[Electricity CRACKS, splits, and jumps from bit to bit, like a giant version of a closed circuit--anything close to or touching them would have IMMEDIATELY been fried to a crisp...]
Dyna: What-?
[....But...]
[Sssss...]
[The bit that had attached itself to Beck was now just a smoking mess of Xel, already reverting back to a gooy form--]
Beck: Ghnnn--!
[And yet--]
[Beck was on his knees, BLASTING signals of pain that ran over his back--couldn't--ah--hurts-- hurts--!]
Beck: (AAAAOW, that hurts so much, I had no idea my cannon shots DID that--OW--)
Beck: (it hurts it hurts where--need--Xel Stock--!)
Dyna: .......
[This was the perfect time to attack.]
[BZZZZZ....]
[....bzzzz...]
Dyna: --?
[....But why couldn't she...?]
Dyna: -confused data-
Beck: Hurts--where--
Dyna: ????
[This was supposed to be fun, wasn't it?]
Dyna: Becky...?
[Worry. Power. Guilt. Power. Destroy--]
Dyna: Nnn--
[Brother--]
Dyna: -ZZZZZZT!!-
Dyna: Head--can't--
Dyna: -ZZZZZZZZT--
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 2...]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[A faint glow, and a sigh of relief--though it didn't last long, as Beck was soon BOMBARDED with electrical interference.]
Beck: --?!?
[But this time, he wasn't the only one feeling disorientated.]
Dyna: -ZZZZZZZZZZT!!-
Dyna: Can't...think--
Dyna: Hurts--
Beck: --!
Dyna: Ngh--power--so much--need--need--
Dyna: T--
Dyna: T--To...
Beck: --!!
Beck: (Is she--?!)
Dyna: He--T--Hel--!
Beck: Don't worry, Dyna--!
Beck: Just HOLD ON--!
[BLAM BLAM--!]
Dyna: --!!!
[A flurry of golden steaks strike the Maiden, and she wobbles--gasping--her mind snapping to a blank state of bewilderment.]
Dyna: M-My--power--!
[ACXELERATE DASH: ONLINE.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[She blinks--her sparks fading, the glow from her bits becoming dimmer and dimmer...]
Dyna: N--No--...!
[Several more bits are thrown, wildly, and they stick to every available wall, forcing Beck to shoot the oncoming threats to give him space to move around.]
Dyna: You--
[BzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZT--]
Dyna: YOU--!!
[ C R A C K!]
Dyna: THERE'S NO ESCAPE--!
[BZZZZZZZZZZT!!!]
[WRRRRRRRRRRRR--!]
[WARNING: GENERATOR REACHING CRITICAL POWER LEVELS.]
Beck: Ohno--!
[Zzzt!]
Beck: Dad--DAD--Call?!
[KSSSST.]
Beck: (Ugh, too much interference--!)
[He rolled away to avoid another high powered 'electric web'--it was a good thing the bits burnt up and faded away once they were used--they were usually single use. However, to make up for it, Dyna had the ability to summon as many as she pleased.]
Dyna: HOLD ZZZZSTILL--!
Beck: NOT GONNA HAPPEN--!
[BLAM BLAM BLAM!]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[B L A M--]
Dyna: ?!?!
[Then--]
Dyna: . . . .
Dyna: -SYSTEM SHRIEK OF R A G E.-
Dyna: YOU--!!
Beck: --!!
Beck: --Oh--
[Beck made a VERY big mistake. Or rather, he didn't quite AIM right.]
Beck:
Dyna--uh--Dyna--I--
Dyna: THISZZZ--
Dyna: THISZZZ WAS MY FAVORITE CLOAK AND YOU--!!
Dyna: YOU R U I N E D IT!
[C R A C K!!! ]
Dyna: Annoying little mozzzquito--!
Beck: --?!?
[Suddenly, he felt--lighter--and lighter where did the GROUND GO--?!]
Dyna: TIME TO MEET THE BIG BUG ZZZZAPPER IN THE ZZZSKY!~~
[Her bits are called back to her, and now they encircle her form with a grandiose sweep of her arm. Her grin widens, so wide that it looked like it would split her face--]
[A snap of her talons--]
[BZZZZZZZZZT!]
Beck: ---!!
[The bits flash three times, spark, and a line of yellow lighting connects them all...!]
Beck: A--A shield--?!
Dyna: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!~~
[She LUNGES, the action just as fast as the lightning around her, her shield acting as a RAM--the shock sends Beck's systems into overload, and also spiraling out of control--!]
Beck: AaaAaaAaaaAaaAAA---
[The wall comes up fast, his head is spinning with interference and dizziness...]
Beck: (Can't tell--up--down--Dyna--where--?)
[There are no more words from the Maiden--only maniacal giggles and banshee-like shrieks, dancing across the air erratically. There were more bits around her--]
[All aimed right at Nine.]
Beck: (Generator--on the right--so--)
Beck: --!!
[BBZZZZZZZT--!]
[.......]
[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE.]
[The sound of ICE forming--]
[The walls frost--]
[THUNK--!]
[An ice wall now stands between Beck and Dyna, her bits sending it's deathly currents across it--while Beck himself shook behind it, his eyes closed, nozzle arm shaking and misting in front of him.]
Beck: . . . .
Beck: .....????
Beck: I...
Beck: I did it??
[Cryo's form--it was the most DIFFICULT form to control, due to his own sister's...untamed nature. It always somehow malfunctioned on him, and therefore he never quite used it often.]
[But now...!]
Beck: (--I can USE this--I just have to--)
Dyna: SCREEEEEEE--
Beck: --NGH--!
[He winced from the feedback of that screech of anger--but it helped him get an idea where she was, at least. Since gravity no longer applied...]
[Maybe he can use that to his advantage--like an astronaut--!]
Beck: (Here goes--!)
[He kicked off the wall, and sped upwards--up and over the wall, to the ceiling--]
Dyna: BZZZZZZZT--
Beck: DYNA! OVER HERE!
[As soon as Dyna turned her attention to her little brother, he PELTED her shield with large chunk balls of ice, one after another, in rapid succession--!]
[At first, they seemed to bounce right off--]
[zzZZT!]
Dyna: --!
[But then one of the ice balls knocks out one of her bits--her shield flickers for a few split seconds--!]
Beck: Yes--!
[...Before the current then jumps to the next available bit, the shield containing 5 instead of 6--]
Beck: OH COME ON--
[--Of course, her bits acted like a circuit--if one fails, the current redirects to the next available source.]
Beck: (I'll have to take them out one by one--!)
[Easier said than done--Dyna kept moving around the room, hissing and screaming, determined to put an END to the little mosquito that DARED to challenge her--!]
[4 bits now--]
Dyna: -BZZZZZZZ--
[3...!]
Beck: Come on--
[ZZZT!]
[....Or not.]
[Once the third bit fell, the current couldn't be sustained by just two.]
Dyna: -BZZZT??!?-
Beck: ( THERE! NOW!)
[BLAM!]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[BLAM--!]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[BLAM--!]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[XEL QUOTA REACHED.]
[XEL PURGE: ONLINE. XELFILTER.EXE PREPARED FOR OVERDRIVE.]
Dyna: HISSSSS--!
Beck: I GOT YOU, DYNA--!
[His arms glow green as he jumps from the corner of the room, vaulting himself into a final dash--]
[...Arms...outstretched--]
[Catching her in an embrace.]
[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]
Dyna: !!!!
[Her Xels, tainted with the sick, purple hue of infected virus, slowly draw out to become a faint, light green--......]
[......]
"I zzzeeeee youuuu!~"
"A-Ack--! D-Dyna!"
"Awwww, did I zzzscare you?~"
"N-No! You just--came out of nowhere--"
"That waszzz the point!~ Heehee!"
"I...I don't get it..."
"Awwwww, you're sszzzo CUTE when you're confuszzed--!~ That'szz it, I can't help it, COME HERE--"
"Wha--??"
"You're zzso ZZSOOO CUTE, you have no idea--!~"
"Uh--..."
"What are you--doing?"
"Mmm?~ Oh, right--you're NEW at thiszz, heehee! It'szz called a hug, Becky!"
"Hug...?"
"HmmMm! Hug. They make EVERYTHING better.~"
"....Huh...really?"
"Oh, truszzt me, they do!~ Zzsee?"
[.......]
".....Oh..."
"Yeah...I guess you're right, Big Sis...!"
[Zzzzzzzt....]
[ZZT!]
[THUNK--]
[GENERATOR POWER HAS HAVE LEFT CRITICAL LEVELS. RETURNING NORMAL POWER FLOW TO GRID... ]
"I do feel better!"
[The sudden drop back to the ground was accompanied by the gentle hums of the generator. The lights flicker here and there, but it was only from the damage from the fight.]
Beck: ........
[XEL PURGE COMPLETE.]
Dyna: -Bzzzz...-
[ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MN.3.]
Dyna: . . .
Dyna: Gh...
Dyna: H...Huh...?
Beck: Dyna...!
Dyna: ....B...Becky...?
Dyna: Wha....what...ow...--
Beck: Nono--don't try to get up, you're really damaged...
Dyna: ....Where...
Dyna: Where's my poncho...?
Beck: ....Uh.
Beck: It's around here somewhere I'll--find it, in a bit--
Dyna: I--...
[.....She paused, and blinked. Several times.]
Dyna: . . . . .
Dyna: I....
Beck: --?
Beck: Dyna?
Dyna: There was...I...Toby....I called for...
Beck: --?!
Beck: (Wait....)
Beck: (She...remembers that--?!)
Dyna: P...Power...I was...hungry....
Dyna: . . . .
Dyna: Beck...you.... zzsaved me.
[The interference was slowly starting to die down, now that the power levels had returned to normal. Even that was noticeable interference—as a generator makes quite a bit of power.]
[However, it wasn’t too long before…]
-PING!-
Beck: --!
Dyna: ....?
<RMDC>: > PROCESSING NEW DATA…
<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED. ENTRY: DLN-008. ENTRY: DLN-001.
<RMDC>: > ERROR—CONNECTION TO MAIN SERVER FAILED.
<RMDC>: > CONNECTION FAILED—UNABLE TO UPDATE MAIN SERVER
<RMDC>: > ERROR—DLN-008 IS OFFLINE. CONNECTION FAILED.
<RMDC>: > COMPRESSING DATA FOR NEXT AVAILABLE CONNECTION…
Dyna: T...Toby...
Beck: .........
Dyna: I'm sorry, Toby...
Dyna: I...so tired...
Beck: .....
Beck: It's OK, Dyna... You're OK now...
[KSSSSSST!]
Call: --Reestablished. Mighty No. 9, do you copy?
Beck: .....Yeah. I copy.
Beck: ...I got her. I got Dyna--she's OK now.
[PING! PING!]
[MN.2] //: SIS!
[MN.1] Dyna...?
[MN.3] //: Nnn....tired...
White: (Oh thank the heavens, she's safe--) Beck, she's low on power--Call, we need to get her here right now.
Sanda: Please--
Call: Preparing Xel Transfer...
[MN.3] //: D...Daddy...?
White: There, there, now--it's alright, you'll be home soon...
[MN.3] //: But...I...
White: Just rest, Dynatron. I promise everything will be alright...
Beck: Whew....
Beck: (Jeez, now that she's mentioned it, I feel...BEAT...)
Call: Initiating Xel Transfer….
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=CHAPTER 3B: VOLTAIC DYNATRON=
~AO v1.0~
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{Meanwhile, in the Meadow…}
[The repairs for Tobias in the wake of the scarring fusion were finally coming to a close.
It had taken quite some time of careful review, but Mikhail determined—much to his relief—that the Awareness coding that held Tobias’s self was intact, and uncorrupted.
It had changed, of course. It was more complex now. But that was to be expected—the experience had aged him. Such things would age anyone, and the outlook on the world would change with age… that was just the course of nature.
…But, like before…]
((Error messages))
[Dr. Cossack put his head in his hands.
This was hardly the first episode of this nature—even recently speaking, which was painfully unfortunate. And, as before, he refused to wake—for more or less the same reasons.
Trauma.]
Mikhail: -Places a hand against the unit housing the lifeless Industrial-
[Recovery at this point was out of their hands: it was now a matter of time. And while he was certain that the recovery of the Mighty Numbers would aid in this process, he was also sure that this time, it would take longer. His initial diagnosis suggested that Tobias was going to be mentally aging by at least two years—a process which was very uncomfortable (and somewhat damaging) when brought on so suddenly.
By the time this was over, Tobias would be a lot more like his brother Carlos than ever before. And while Mikhail could only hope he wouldn’t lose that rare optimism… now, he wasn’t so sure.
The data he was giving off was very much along the lines of how he had been before they ever met the Mighty Numbers. He was withdrawn very deeply into himself—and it may take quite some time to coax him out.
Reluctantly, he turned his attention elsewhere.]
Mikhail: ({…There is still data to go through regarding the virus. No rest for the weary…})
{Meanwhile…}
[He didn’t want to. But he had to.]
>RUN PROGRAM: ANALYSIS
[He had no choice, now.]
>INSERT VARIABLES
[He couldn’t just sit around, waiting for Avi’s grip on the airwaves to lessen so that he could look into things the way he preferred. He needed to get moving—soon.
And all he had to go on… were the memories.]
>MNN-008, DWN-022, DLN-001, DEATH, VIRUS
[He had to analyze them coldly, now. See how Shade’s darker side would act—within the confines of what he could guess.
He had to hope that Shade hadn’t changed too much.
But even then…]
>PROCESSING…
Cardinal: …
-*-*-*-
[MN.8] //: If it ever does come down t' it...
[MN.8] //: As long as m'central core is intact, I'll be fine. Ah' can be rebuilt.
-*-*-*-
[No, he couldn’t think on that now.
For now, he had to focus…]
>ANALYZING…
>ANALYZING…
>ANALYZING…
>ANALYSIS COMPLETE: MNN-008 IS AN AMBUSH PREDATOR, WILL WAIT UNTIL FOE IS WEAKENED.
Cardinal: AUGH!
[He kicked a bit of debris, HARD, startling Jazz in the process. He was fuming.
He knew that he had judged things correctly—he’d seen it for himself in his own duel with Shade, the first time. And Countershade WAS an assassin. Sure, he was impatient, but not unprofessional.
With Avi controlling the airwaves, who was to say that Shade wasn’t having problems being cut off, as well?]
Cardinal: Damn you, Number Six—I hope you pay for your insufferable interference.
[He plonked down with a scowl.
Looks like he was going to have to be waiting part of this out.]
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=CHAPTER 3C: VOLTAIC DYNATRON=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
[SANDA LABS....]
[Both sister and brother safely made the trip back to California--worn and worse for wear, but alive.]
White: --!!!
[MN.3 AND MN.9 HAVE ENTERED DEEP SLEEP MODE.]
[There were two, simultaneous thuds against metal flooring. Both Dynatron and Beck has collapsed in sheer exhaustion, unable to find the energy to keep themselves online.]
Cryo: AAAAAH--
White: It's fine! It's fine, they've just fainted--Sanda, prepare the med bay--Pyro, help your sister, Cryo, Call, you grab Beck--
Call: Right away, Dr. White.
[The external branch of the RMDC kept going nuts, trying over and over—and failing, over and over—to update the main server.]
White: Sanda, you go to work on Beck, I'll handle Dyna--
Sanda: Got it--
White: We need two full canisters in case we need Xel Transfusions--Cryo, go into Dyna's room and bring back all the power containers you can find--
Cryo: I'M ON IT--
Pyro: What can I do?
White: Calm Dyna down once she awakens--she'll need it.
Call: I am detecting activity in the RMDC database, Doctors--the server is attempting to update.
White: (That...that would probably be the cross references attempting to connect--and him...)
White: We can't do anything about it now--transfer all of Beck's assimilation data to my terminal while we repair, alright?
Call: Yes, Dr. White.
White: (Three samples--plus the one from Mikhail and his server...)
White: (I just hope that will be enough...!)
_____________________________
[MEANWHILE...]
"........"
"................"
"....Three in SUCH a short amount of time..."
"...You were always full of surprises, weren't you..."
"But, then again, you...you're special."
"....I had anticipated that."
"Just...didn't think it would be....or I had HOPED...."
"......."
"....ha."
"You....Will...ha..."
"I didn't think you would, but you did."
"........."
"You've....changed."
"......."
".................."
"We're all just a bunch of MONSTERS, aren't we...?~"
"Aha...ha...."
"............"
".................."
"........................."
"help me."
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 3D: VOLTAIC DYNATRON=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
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[MEANWHILE, IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON...]
[Chaos still reigned over the rainy city as two super-powered, crazed Battle Colosseum bots waged war against each other--Plume, the exotic Hawaiian fire dancer with graceful agility, and Landcrusher, the giant German powerhouse with a knack for demolition.]
[While the untamed, no holds barred battle raged below, another crisis was unfolding high above the skyline, in the city's very own Space Needle tower...]
Jack: (Great, and just when I THOUGHT things couldn't get WORSE...)
Jack: (...The power had to go and cut out--!)
[This, of course, sent the group trapped in the tower into a panic--it was fairly dark out, now, and with little to no light...]
Eli: Everyone just CALM DOWN--
Jack: (Good thing these goggles have Night Vision--just gotta tie up this last knot...)
[Jack knew he couldn't quite get everyone off the tower one by one--and he knew that Plume wasn't going to last long against a heavy hitter like Landcrusher.]
[He had to improvise, and lucky for him, the Space Needle had just enough material for what he planned to do...]
Jack: Yo, toss me that tablecloth...
[The Space Needle didn't JUST have an observation deck--it was also a restaurant. The tables provided the flat surfaces he needed and the tablecloths made some nice makeshift rope once tied together...]
Eli: ....You sure this is gonna work?
Jack: Nope.
[B O O M!]
Jack: ...But we don't have much choice at the moment...
Jack: Hooookay...
[Now here comes the HARD part.]
Jack: The serving carts are all busted for the wheels...still need two more--
Eli: .....I can pop off the ones from Lily's stroller...
Jack: (Oh, yeah, the lil...)
[Jack looked back over his shoulder to the group of cowering humans--and Gwen, who was holding a sniffling baby Lily near her chest.]
Jack: ........
Eli: ......
Eli: We were...just on vacation when this happened.
Jack: . . .
Eli: .....Do...you know why they're all goin' nuts like that? …I think someone said something about a virus...?
Jack: Yeah--something like that. It infected all the servers--that's how it got into every Xelbot's heads.
Eli: Good God...who would DO something like that?
Jack: … … (Either someone REALLY pissed off, or messed up. Or both.) …Dunno.
Jack: Get those wheels--I'm gonna break open a window.
Eli: --?? Wait--why?
Jack: Ya see that building over there--the one with the bent flagpole?
Jack: I'm gonna swing on over there and finish off the rest of this pulley with the wheels and my wires--then we can start getting people on the carrier we made outta the tables and onto that roof.
Eli: Wait--but--
Jack: Yeah, I know, Landcrusher--that's why once you guys are all on that roof, I'm gonna distract him so you guys can haul chass and get to safety.
Eli: You?
Jack: ...Yeah. That is, if Plume isn't...
Jack: .......
Eli: ....She's, uh...really focused on ya, isn't she?
Jack: Iiiii am pretty sure that's the virus, buddy...
Jack: ....Look--you just try and keep everyone here calm while I go do my thing, OK? (Oh, yeah, it's my THING now--freakin' heck, never imagined THAT...)
Eli: .....I'll.....try.
[Jack turns away from the man to face another window, closest to the building they were aiming for, one end of the makeshift rope in hand.]
Eli: ...Hey.
[Eli threw a pair of small wheels at the CDN, who caught them after they hit his chest and bounced off slightly.]
Eli: ....Thank you.
Jack: Pfft--thank me after you're on that roof, alright?
Eli: Ha...yeah...
Jack: (....Kay--First the window--)
[He planted his boot firmly on the glass, getting a feel of how thick it was, before reeling back and striking it down--]
[Pop!]
[...It swung open with little trouble, as it turns out.]
Jack: (...Oh.)
Jack: (...I'm taking that as a good sign.)
[Snapping on his goggles, now, he calculated a direct path to the safe building--he'd have to freefall a couple of hundred feet to reach a viable swing point--]
Jack: ......
Jack: (Well it's not like I haven't done it before today but FRAG ME--)
Jack: (HOOOOOOKAYcomeonjackdoitforherdoitforthepeopleinhere--)
Jack: (ThereisaBABYinheremanDOIT--)
Jack: AAAAAAAAAAH--
[With a STARTLING yell, he jumped--!!]
"OH MY GOD--"
"WHAT THE--"
"HOLY--IS HE DEAD--?!"
[.......]
[Was he terrified?]
[Yes.]
[...But.]
Jack: AAAAAAAAAAH--
[ZIIIIIIP--!]
[....Fear has a funny way of turning into a thrilling adrenaline rush once you get over it.]
Jack: --HAAAAAAAHAHAWOO!
[Even HE didn't understand why--]
[Though that wasn't exactly on his mind, at the moment--]
[But, somehow, the more he felt himself being swung across, left and right, that rush of air on his face--]
[The less it felt like some life or death situation and more like a roller coaster or something!]
Jack: WOOOOOOO--
Jack: --OOOOOOOOH SH--
[BAM--!]
[While Jack was becoming quite acquainted with the innate powers his ability gave him--]
[Landing was...a learned trait.]
Jack: OWFRA--
[He rolled across the roof, bouncing one or twice before settling to a stop--a groaning mess, yes, and he was SURE something popped--]
Jack: OwcrapOW...
[...But all in all, he was still functional, at least.]
Jack: F-Frag that smarts--ow--
Jack: Nnngh gonna feel that in the morning--
[With some difficulty, he managed to get on his feet. He was dizzy, and somewhat dazed from the rush before--]
Jack: Uuuuugh don't feel so good...
Jack: (No--focus, damn it, need to finish this--)
Jack: (Where is that flagpole--)
[It was bent over in an awkward position--but in such a way that it was possible to attach the makeshift rope and wheels to complete the pulley system they needed.]
Jack: (Tie this--here--and put this there--get this wheel to spin and wrap the thing around that--)
Jack: (--SHIT HOW AM I GONNA LET ELI KNOW IT'S DONE--CAN HE SEE ME FROM HERE--??)
Jack: (--Waitwaitwaitdo I have anything in the bag here that can help me--)
Jack: (--FLASHLIGHT--well OK more like a lantern almost bUT I CAN USE THIS THANK YOU MISS EIGHT--!)
———————————
“Heh, yeah, Morse is a great thing t’ know. Some letters are easier than others. s’ like old school texting, ya know? Most people only know ’S.O.S’, but… in a pinch, using ‘G O’ or ‘O K’ or ’N O’ will work just ‘cause a’ context. Ah’ guess for most people, ‘yes’, ‘no’, an’ ‘help’ are all ya really need if things are so dire as t’ be usin’ it. Now, listen close—here are those letters for you…”
———————————
[After securing that last knot, he fumbles with the light, and after finally finding that darn--]
Jack: Hope you know what this means, Eli--
{G O.}
[........]
"HEY--HE MADE IT--! HE'S GOT A LIGHT--"
"But--it's blinking--?"
Eli: (Is he trying to tell us something--?)
"HEY WAIT, THAT'S MORSE CODE--!"
"HE'S SAYING GO--OH GOD HE DID IT WE'RE GONNA BE OK--!"
Eli: ALRIGHT, EVERYONE LINE UP--WE'RE GONNA GO TWO AT A TIME, WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST--!
[.........]
Jack: pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease--
Jack: --!!!
[The makeshift carrier starts to move--and it was holding--!]
Jack: YES!!
[Jack helps it along faster by moving the rope along, and helping the passengers off once they do touch down safely, then sending the carrier back to repeat the process.]
[It was nail-biting-- watching the carrier move over the chaos below, and it looked as if it was going to fall on a few occasions--]
[Which wasn't much fun for anyone.]
[Jack didn't think he could pray any harder than he was now--heck, he wasn't even all that religious in the first place.]
[...But maybe Siam was right, about him being on Lady Luck's good side. Or there really WAS a God, after all.]
[Eli was the last passenger that survived the heart pounding trip--]
[--After every single trapped human before him went first.]
[Cheers! Cheers exploded over the rooftop, in the heart of destruction and crisis! Loud, joyous, HOPE--!]
Jack: OOF--!
[...Eli had collected Jack in a bear hug, muttering chants of thanks--and it wasn't long before he was crowed by the other rescued humans as well--]
Jack: (Getting--hard to breathe--)
Gwen: Oh, thank you, THANK YOU--!
"YEAAAAAH WE AIN'T GONNA DIE--!" "AAAAH WE'RE ALIVE THANK YOU--!" "YOU'RE MY HERO, MAN--"
Jack: Uh--you're welcome? ^^;
Eli: God, how can we--
[B O O M!]
"GNNNRRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Jack: --!!!
Jack: (...Landcrusher.)
Jack: EVERYONE HAS TO GET OFF OF THIS ROOF, NOW!
[Goggles on, time to roll--]
Jack: --?!
Eli: YOU'RE COMING TOO--!
[Several of the rescued humans drag him away from the edge, and start to lead him towards the door into the building--]
Jack: WAIT--STOP--!
Eli: No offense, Jack, but I ain't gonna let you throw your life away like that, not after this--!
Jack: BUT THEY'RE COMING THIS WAY ELI I GOTTA HEAD THEM OFF--
[There was what appeared to be a spectacular light show that was suuuuSPIIIIIICIOUSLY LIKE DYNA’S TRADEMARK ABILITY—]
[—which, after repeating itself, was followed up by some green flashes.]
Jack: --??!
Jack: What--?
[He was led away by the humans before he could see any more...]
Jack: (What in the world was--?)
[..........]
[The rest of it all seemed like a huge blur.]
[Once they had safely exited the building, the group mostly broke apart, scrambling for the cars left on the streets--the ones that had chosen to stick with Eli and his family, however, followed him down several blocks--]
[...to where they found a mostly functional van belonging to some cable company, with the keys still in the ignition.]
[Eli was planning to get as far away from the city as possible and—God willing—make it to Canada.]
Eli: ....What do ya mean you're not coming--?
Jack: --I can't...
Jack: ...Remember that person I told you about that REALLY wouldn't like it if I got killed or something...?
Eli: ...You were SERIOUS?
Jack: Listen I know that sounds INSANE but--!
Jack: I have had a REALLY weird day and frankly I would like nothing more than to get somewhere safe but I can't leave her out there.
Jack: I have no idea if she's OK or infected or whatever but wherever she is, she's probably ALONE and she needs SOMEONE and--
Eli: JACK.
Jack: --...
Eli: ......
Eli: Where do you think she is?
Jack: I...I don't know.
Eli: .....
Eli: Well.
Eli: You saved our lives--all of our lives.
Eli: ...Only fair that I pay you back in kind, somehow.
Jack: --?
Eli: Lemmie help you find a working car--at least to get you out of the city.
Jack: But--
Jack: It's not mine--
Eli: Jack. We're in the middle of a damn APOCALYPSE and you're worried about grand theft auto?
Jack: Well--but--
Eli: Enough of your whining--I'll be right back, Gwen, watch Lily--Come on, Cherry, before any more crazies show up.
Jack: Uh--I...um.
Jack: (...Iiiii am gonna regret this...)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 4A: AVI’S NEWS REPORT=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
[SANDA LABS, TWO DAYS LATER...]
[MN.1 STATUS: ONLINE.]
[MN. 2 STATUS: ONLINE.]
[MN.3 STATUS: DEEP SLEEP MODE, RECHARGE IN PROGRESS....]
[MN.9 STATUS: ONLINE, XEL REPAIRS IN PROGRESS...]
[Will couldn't remember the lab--their home--being this quiet. Oh, it never was, with the sheer amount of siblings under one roof--]
[It unsettled him.]
[It unsettled him very much.]
[Perhaps it was because of this and his struggles at the daunting tasks at hand that he, well...]
White: Argh!
[...Lost his patience, for a bit.]
Sanda: !
[Sanda had only seen his friend like this only one other time--and he knew this MUST have been for a good reason--Will was the most patient man he's ever known.]
White: Blast it--!
Sanda: Will?
[Will was quite literally pulling at his own hair, a frustrated expression across his usually gentle features.]
White: I see NO pattern whatsoever! What in Tyson's name is behind this?!
Sanda: Will, let's just--
White: Just LOOK at this, Soi!
[Will brings up the virus coding again--all the samples from Pyro, Cryo, Dyna, and the RMDC server from Mikhail--...]
[It was clear as day to what it DID...]
[...But looking at it closely...]
[...Each sample was VASTLY different from the other.]
White: We know what it DOES--exaggerate underlying negative coding and emotions and exploiting them that way--
White: But looking at the samples--it's almost as if we're looking at FOUR different viruses instead of ONE!
Sanda: --?!
[Will was right--each coding sample was... unique, in it's own way...]
Sanda: What the...?
White: It--It makes no SENSE! I would EXPECT the virus to leave SOME imprint or--something! Within the emotional matrix, but...!
White: There is absolutely nothing there.
[…This rant did not end well for him.]
-PING!-
<RMDC>: > PROCESSING NEW DATA…
<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED. ENTRY: DLN-001. ENTRY: DLN_COMBAT.EXE.
<RMDC>: > ERROR—CONNECTION TO MAIN SERVER FAILED.
<RMDC>: > CONNECTION FAILED—UNABLE TO UPDATE MAIN SERVER
<RMDC>: > COMPRESSING DATA FOR NEXT AVAILABLE CONNECTION…
White: Dear LORD, not again--!
Sanda: --? It's trying to connect again--
White: For the PAST TWO DAYS!
White: I can't SHUT IT OFF, only Mikhail has that level of clearance and we can't even SPEAK to each other!
Sanda: .......
[Well, no wonder Will was at the end of his rope....]
[PING!]
[CALL] //: Dr. White, I am detecting very high levels of stress and elevated heart rate. I recommend you step away from your terminal for the time being.
Sanda: (Bless you, Call...!) Er--Yes, Will...it's been a hard while, and I don't think anyone would be very happy to know you've been running yourself ragged... (Especially Mikhail...ho boy...)
[And before Will could even open his mouth to argue--]
[CALL] //: Dr. White, please step away from the terminal. I am authorized to activate the fire sprinkler system within this lab.
White: ......
[With a tired sigh, Will rises from his seat and follows Sanda out of the room, rubbing the corners of his darkened eyes...]
White: ....I just...
Sanda: Wiiiiillll....
[Sanda takes in a deep breath and sighs, crossing his arms worryingly. He KNEW that his best friend could get like this--feeling as if it was his duty to get important things done, especially when people were counting on him so much...]
[Sometimes Will would try TOO hard and burn himself out--]
[Always trying.]
[....Almost as if he felt he had something to prove.]
Sanda: I know you want to fix this--I do too, believe me--but we can't exactly do that if we're not even taking care of OURSELVES, right?
White: ......
Sanda: We still have a lot of work to do...and I have a feeling we'll need to be ready for whatever gets thrown our way.
White: .....-Sigh-
White: ....
White: I....yes. You're right...
White: ...I just feel as if we aren't making any progress regarding the virus...and with the comms still down...!
Sanda: .....Mmm...
Sanda: You're right. We should DO something about that.
White: --!
Sanda: ...Call hasn't found any other Mighty Numbers yet.
Sanda: But Avi...
-PING!-
<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED. ENTRY: DLN-008. ENTRY: DWN-010. ENTRY: MONSTROPOLIS, AZ.
<RMDC>: > ERROR—DLN-008 IS OFFLINE. CONNECTION FAILED.
Sanda: --!!
White: . . . .
White: (Monstropolis...)
[It was a name that struck gravity into even the most flippant of the Wily and Cossack Numbers.
The full tale had not been told outright, but the pieces had come together over time to show that the reason things were as bad as they were in that world lay in the misery the city suffered—
First, under Tobias unwittingly TERRIFYING the nation, and then, a generation later…
…When the city in the sky came crashing down to earth…]
[The panic caused in both cases proved to be deadly, and was something Tobias came to feel was his fault as he had grown and finally understood what he had unwittingly done.
It was a very touchy topic and an incident that even the worst of Wily’s sons would want to be avoided.
…And it wasn’t hard to see why, when one considered…]
-*-*-*-*-
<<Power up the revolution, boys—it’s time for an evolution of circuitry!>>
-*-*-*-*-
[…How eerily similar some of Avi’s latest broadcasts had been to the ones Tobias had put out…]
Sanda: Oh no--Will--
White: ......
White: (Going after Aviator will most certainly bring up some VERY unpleasant cross references for the Angels--regarding Monstropolis, regarding Tobias...)
White: (But there are no other Mighty Numbers located--and we MUST bring back communications across the country...)
White: (WORSE-- I have no doubt Avi will be MORE than happy to broadcast the whole thing in his state...!)
White: .....
White: We...We have no choice, Soi.
Sanda: But--the cross references--!
White: ...We'll have to ask Beck to be extremely careful...
White: ...And quite possibly not use Dynatron's ReXelection, to minimize the impact on the RMDC server...
Sanda: ...Mm--but Avi is half weak to Dyna's form, isn't he?
White: ...True.
[PING!]
[CALL] //: Shall I attempt to trace the source of the transmissions, Doctors?
White: Please do--and bring them to the main line, if you will.
Sanda: ....? Why?
White: Perhaps Avi will tell us himself, if we listen closely...
Sanda: Oh--in that case, I'll go and call Beck--
[CALL] //: Tracing...
White: .....
White: (....Mmmm...)
White: Soi?
Sanda: Yes?
White: ....Call has been functioning normally all this, yes?
Sanda: Well, she was shut down for a firmware update when everything went screwy...
Sanda: And the Patch bots were down for recharge. Like I said before-- anything that was shut off when this all started are fine.
White: Yes--so was my phone...
White: It was...shut down....
White: . . . . _______________________
"....He shut down every robot in America..."
"You mean how they both originated in the Battle Colosseum...?"
"...We both discussed the reason WHY he could have..."
_________________________
White: No, it...it couldn't be...
Sanda: ...?
________________________
"...even HE couldn't pull this off from inside a maximum security prison--!"
"CherryDyn, of course, being the world's largest robot manufacturer..."
"IT'S BLACKWELL'S FAULT--!"
_________________
White: Or...
__________________
[CONFIDENTIAL: INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN THE BATTLE COLOSSEUM--]
[EXPLORING THE CAPABILITIES OF XEL TECHNOLOGIES IN--]
[WARNING: RISKS--]
__________________________________
White: Could it be...?
Sanda: Uuuh....Wiiiiiillll?
Sanda: Do you...have a theory or...?
White: .....
Sanda: ....?
White: Mmm...
Sanda: (Confound it, he ALWAYS gets me so worried when he trails off like that--!)
Sanda: W--
[PING!]
[MN.9] //: You rang, Dr. Sanda? Where am I off to next?
Sanda: --! O-Oh--Beck, yes...just a moment...
White: .....Soi....
Sanda: Let's discuss this later, Will.
White: ......
White: Y-Yes....
Sanda: And NO trailing off into a 'Hmm' next time, alright?
White: .....Of....Of course....
[MN.9] //: Daaaaaad, are you giving Uncle Sanda a hard time? Or is it the other way around?
Sanda: More like both. -_-;;;
White: --Eheh....
[PING!]
[CALL] //: Transmissions verified. Transferring to main line...
[KSSSSSST--!]
"Yelloyelloyello and WELCOME to another EXCITING broadcast of Avi News!~ Bum Da DAAAAAA!"
[MN.1] //: How is it that he's even more annoying like this--?!
[MN.2] //: Beats me, bro, beats me...
"Live from this LOVELY broadcasting tower I, aheh, borrowed --ah, whatever, no need to sugarcoat it! I hijacked it from all the pathetic squishy humans! Jeez, they didn't even stick around for an interview! Rude, don't ya think? But, s'not like I NEED them, ha!"
[MN.9] //: Avi...
"And I DEEPLY apologize for that last cutout--a certain pesky bee was messing with the power--buuuuut it looks like that got shorted out so here we are again, folks!~"
[Data fuzz. Static.]
<RMDC>: > CROSS REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: DLN-008.
<RMDC>: > ERROR—DLN-008 IS OFFLINE. CONNECTION FAILED.
"Pretty sure it's not gonna happen again anyway--"
[....A pause at the static--]
"...I think."
[Another pause.]
"But HEY! Good thing, too, because all you listeners out there just love to tune into Avi News for yours truly, right?~"
[MN.2] //: ...Gotta respect his puns, though, he REALLY upped his game, I gotta make up some more to compete with that--
[MN.1] CRYOSPHERE, PLEASE--
"And on THAT note, I'm happy to announce that Avi News will soon be launching it's global campaign--"
[MN.1] //: --?!
"--From right here in the good old state of Georgia! Great place, real windy, nice views and..."
[MN.2] //: He's in Georgia--?
[A much HARSHER fuzz.]
<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: DLN-008.
<RMDC>: > COMMAND RECOGNIZED: DISPLAY CROSS-REFERENCES. AUTHORIZATION: DLN-008.
<RMDC>: > ERROR—UNABLE TO COMPLETE COMMAND. CRITICAL AI_OS ERROR. DLN-008 IS OFFLINE.
[MN.9] //: Georgia--in a radio tower...
[CALL] //: Confirming...
[MN.1] //: Avi, you--why are you...?
[MN.2] //: Bros--what did Avi mean by going global...? Going global HOW?
White: .....
White: Either...
White: He's going to attempt cutting off comms WORLDWIDE...
White: ....
White: (Or something worse...)
<RMDC>: > ANALYSIS ALERT: ??.??.20XX MEMORY DATA CROSS-REFERENCES TO MULTIPLE HAZARDOUS FILES. POTENTIAL SYSTEM OVERLOAD TRIGGER DETECTED. AFFECTED SYSTEMS: AI_DWN_008, AI_DWN_012, AI_DWN_013, AI_DWN_018, AI_DWN_019, AI_DCN_003. ISOLATING FILES FOR ADMIN APPROVAL…
Sanda: Ngh...this will NOT be easy on them, will it...
White: -Sigh...-
White: ...We'll have to get to Avi before he attempts whatever he is planning--Call?
Call: Confirmed. Mighty No. 6's transponder signal is indeed located in a radio tower in Georgia.
[MN.9] //: I'm on it!
[Pause.]
[MN.9] //: W-Wait--what about Dyna? Is she...awake, yet?
[MN.2] //: Not yet--but if she does, we'll let ya know, bro.
[MN.1] //: Have your systems processed her form data yet?
[MN.9] //: Yeah, when I woke up yesterday--hang on...!
[XEL STRUCTURE SHIFTING...]
[REXELECTION: DYNATRON.]
[MN.9] //: Yup...everything's working right... (For once...)
[MN.1] //: You'll need that--Avi's mainly weak to Shade's arsenal, but partially to Dyna...and who knows what kind of tricks he'll come up with while you're there...
[The RMDC flashed with another notification, though THANKFULLY it was now on silent—clearly focused on isolating the ongoing stressors to protect the main server from an overload once connections were re-established.]
Sanda: Mmm...
Sanda: How close can you get Beck to the tower, Call?
Call: ......
Call: I can safely attempt Xel Transfer on the structure itself, Doctor. Unfortunately, the jamming signal is only weakest at the lower levels.
White: That will have to do.
[MN.9] //: .....
[MN.9] //: Pyro?
[MN.1] //: Yes?
[MN.9] //: When she wakes up...
[MN.9] //: ...Tell her that what Avi did to Toby...it wasn't his fault.
[MN.1] //: Of course. (That is...if she doesn't absolutely loses it when she does find out...)
Call: Location locked. Preparing Xel Transfer...
[MN.2] //: REMEMBER TO NOT LISTEN TO WHAT HE SAYS, BRO--TUNE HIM OUT--
White: Good luck, son...!
[MN.1] //: You can do this, Beck.
Sanda: We'll be there this time--count on it!
[MN.9] //: Right!
Call: Initiating Xel Transfer...
———————————————
[MISSION DETAILS: MIGHTY NO. 6, AVIATOR, HAS CO-OPTED THE TELEVISION AND RADIO BROADCASTING CAPABILITIES OF THIS RADIO TOWER IN GEORGIA, BLOCKING ALL COMMUNICATIONS IN THE COUNTRY.]
[MISSION OBJECTIVES: LOCATE AND RESCUE MN.6, PURGE ALL HARMFUL MALWARE FROM SYSTEMS, PREVENT TOTAL AND PERMANENT COMMUNICATION BLACKOUT. SUB OBJECTIVE: MINIMIZE RMDC IMPACT.]
SYSTEMS READY?
GO!
[Whistling, harsh winds, the sound of a familiar news jingle blaring over the speaker systems, and of course, Avi's persistent newscasts broadcasting over nearly all his feeds--]
[Beck was in the right place, alright...]
[As soon as he fully materialized, Call's voice crackled in his ears.]
Call: Attention: Beck has arrived at the tower. Mighty No. 6 must be transmitting from the apex.
Sanda: Sorry to make you climb it on foot, Beck...but it's, uh, all part of the plan!
White: That, and it was impossible to get him directly to the top with Avi jamming the signals to it...
Sanda: Eheh....yes, that...
[MN.9] //: It's OK, guys. I've climbed Avi's tower dozens of times--it's just that, well--this is a lot bigger than that one, and not as windy, and there weren't any malfunctioning robots that want to kill me.
[Taking a deep breath, Beck looked up to the daunting tower above him, the top of which was hidden in the clouds. He could see various platforms of which he could use to ascend--but he could also hear the loud screeches of infected robots as well.]
Beck: Hang tight, Avi...
[There were ramps, at first, and lots of ladders--as well as more CherryDyn models than he liked to admit were comfortable. There was even a few models that he didn't recognize--such as signal amplifying robots that threw their dishes at him--]
[WHAM--!]
Beck: O W--
[--especially when he was jumping around to avoid them in the first place.]
Beck: Hey--CUT IT OUT--
[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE.]
[Luckily, they couldn't throw their dishes around if they were frozen.]
[At first--it seemed he was making good progress...]
[...But it wasn't long until...]
[KSSSSSSSSSSST!]
"Ahem! Testing, testing. Check one, check, check two. Sibilance, Sibilance!"
Beck: --!
[And suddenly, from his right, as he approached one side of the tower--!]
[MN.2] //: ...Is...Is that a BLIMP? Where the cheese did Avi get a FREAKIN' BLIMP?!
[The blimp was huge--and had a giant screen on either side, displaying a live feed of Avi himself. The background showed nothing but clouds, so it was safe to assume he was flying somewhere over the top of the tower.]
Avi: And now, live from Avi News World Headquarters, continuing coverage of--! Bum da da daaa!~
Avi: NATION. IN. CRISIS!
White: (Avi, please...!)
Avi: Let's take things over to our eye in the sky, Avi, for the latest traffic report!~ Avi?
Avi: Uh, as you can see, Avi, the robot rampage is not letting up! It's chaos out here! CHAOS!
[MN.2] //: Is he seriously talking to himself again, are you kidding--
Avi: Thanks, Avi--as you can see, this is a dark, dark day for squishy humans everywhere--but, ya know, that's because they were soft and helpless to begin with! Am I right or am I right? HA!~
Avi: So I ask you, fellow viewers--
Avi: Will this be the end of our proud republic?
Avi: Or will a HERO emerge to save the day?!
Avi: Heh, well, for one, I already have something of an answer!~
[The screen transitions once more, and--]
Beck: ....!
[...Beck finds himself staring at his own bewildered face.]
Avi: IT'S SURE AS HECK ISN'T GONNA BE THIS GUY!
[PING!]
[MN.6] //: Oh, MAN, this is gonna be good--how's it going, Beckingsdale?~
[MN.6] //: Nice of you to blow in from the western front! Heh, get it?
[MN.9] //: Avi--
[MN.6] //: Were you just SO excited to see big bro that you decided to skip 4 and 5? Or do you just don't CARE?
[MN.9] //: What--Of COURSE I care--!
[MN.1] //: Leave him ALONE, No. 6!
[MN.6] //: Eeeey, lookie here, it's Big Bro! Cooked up some tasty treats for me?
[MN.2] //: CUT THE SMALL TALK, AVI--WE KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING, HOVERMORON--!
[MN.6] //: Nah, not really! One sec--
<RMDC>: > ALERT: MNN-006 HAS BEEN RAISED TO THREAT LEVEL BLUE.
[Thiiiiis was not starting off so good.]
[The screen cuts off from Beck to Avi once more--]
Avi: Yup, as you can see, this guy thinks he can waltz up here and try to put our global campaign on hold--PERMANENT hold. That isn't gonna fly.
Avi: Why? Well--I'll show you all in bit, so stay tuned!~
Avi: But whatever happens, Avi News will be there--your number one and ONLY source for ethical journalism!~
Avi: We report, and YOU...eh...do whatever you want with it. Until next time, good night, and GOOD LUCK!~ BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!~
[KSSSSSSSSSSST!]
[MN.6] //: AAAAAND SCENE! Little short and sweet, but we're on a tight schedule here.
[MN.9] //: Avi--PLEASE, listen to me--! You're malfunctioning, there's a virus in your systems and--
[MN.6] //: Hey, Becky. Interview time.
[MN.6] //: How many matches did you lose when you were on the team?
[MN.9] //: I...what?
[MN.6] //: Because you've got the biggest lose streak on RECORD, like--wow. I had no IDEA someone could be THAT lame. No WONDER Pyro kicked you out!~
[MN.1] //: AVI--
[MN.6] //: And before you say ANYTHING, Big Bro, don't give me that 'for the good of the team' garbage. We all KNEW Beck just really sucked at combat and we couldn't afford to keep someone on him JUST to make sure he didn't get completely scrapped.
[MN.6] //: Real sad part of it is that he never really seemed to get any BETTER. Not for a good WHILE, at least.
[MN.6] //: Heck, he can't even FLY straight when he had MY form!
[MN.9] //: ........
[MN.6] //: Man, Cryo was right--you ARE a real runt.
[MN.2] //: AVI YOU BETTER STOP TALKING OR I'M--
[MN.6] //: You'll WHAT. Freeze me? Punch me in the face?
[MN.2] //: HELL YEAH I WILL!
[MN.6] //: ...Typical.
[MN.6] //: Always with the threats--it's starting to get REAL old. I got enough of those already, so save your breath.
[MN.2] //: ...???
[Beck was already at the other side of the tower--there were some strong winds coming from the west, and part of him wondered if that was also Avi's doing somehow...]
[MN.6] //: But we're getting off point.
[MN.6] //: You don't mind if I...say, replay some of those lame matches over the air, do ya?~
[MN.9] //: --??
[MN.6] //: Ya know, just to give our viewers a little REMINDER that this is the short-stack that's trying to run around and save the whole world like he's some SUPERHERO or something. YAWN.
[Data fuzz.]
[kkkkkkkkk…]
[…That familiar static again.
It died down, but…]
[Suddenly, music was playing.]
[And Avi CERTAINLY wasn’t the one playing it.]
[MN.6] //: --?
[MN.9] //: !
[MN.6] //: UGH, I THOUGHT that was fixed--
[MN.6] //: ....Wait a second--that's not part of my soundtrack--!
[It was an acoustic soundtrack—one that seemed…
…uncomfortably familiar.]
[It played through an entire cycle of two verses and refrains—wordless, though, making it even eerier—before dying down and fading away.]
[MN.6] //: ....
[MN.6] //: Oooookay...
[MN.6] //: Gonna have to look into that after I'm done with you.
[MN.9] //: (Was...was that who I think it was...?)
[…Siam HAD warned about side effects…
But… Toby was still Offline, right?]
[MN.9] //: (If...if it was...but...oh no...)
[Fearing the worst--Beck climbs up the tower faster, using Cryo's form effectively disable and absorb the robots that stood in his way.]
Sanda: ...!
Sanda: Heads up, Beck! I think we found a faster way up the tower!
Beck: Whoa--really?
Sanda: Grab that Hula-Heli hoop near the other side of the tower--you can use it to board the blimp airship and ride it to the top!
White: --! Ah--! That'll work...
[There was a small robot with a large red light in the center, along with some fairly well-sized propellers on either side--they looked like they could support his weight.]
White: This'll save us time--once you're at the top, you can get the jump on Avi!
[There was a bright yellow hoop for him to grab onto--the light on the Hula-Heli changed from red to blue once it felt the required weight achieved, and gently started to float over towards the direction of the blimp.]
Beck: (Don't look down, don'tlookdown--)
Beck: (Gotta minimize impact, just--close your eyes, yeah--)
[The ride ended rather quickly, though, and soon Beck felt his feet touch...wood?]
Sanda: He's on the deck! He'll be safely up the tower in no time--
[WRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR--!]
White: --!!
White: Don't count your atoms before they're smashed, Sanda--look!
[That...]
[That was another airship--but it had been outfitted with multiple CherryDyn models, loaded with missiles and weapons!]
White: He's been spotted!
[KSSSSSST--]
[MN.6] //: More like ANTICIPATED, Dear old Dad!
[MN.6] //: Did you REALLY think I wouldn't hear you, Sanda-Bag, and Miss Siri over there trying to HELP this waste of Xel?
-PING.-
Beck: Oh no--
[The front gun started to fire at Nine, it's large, single eye locking onto him--]
[REXELECTION: PYROGEN.]
[MN.6] //: --?
[MN.6] //: Whoops, sorry, I got a caller--I'll be RIIIIIGHT back!~
White: (What...?)
{Some Time Later…}
[C R A S H--!]
Avi: WHOA--!!
[There was a HUGE tremor--the WHOLE tower suddenly LURCHED to one side, and all comms fuzzed out into static for a few moments--]
Avi: What the--??!
[MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE--]
Beck: ....Oops...
White: Oh goodness--!
[MN.2] //: BRO WHAT THE HECK??
[MN.9] //: IT WASN'T MY FAULT THE ATTACK AIRSHIP CRASHED INTO THE TOWER--
[MN.1] //: IT WHAT?!
[MN.9] //: IT JUST STARTED SPINNING ONE WAY AND THEN--AAAAAH--
Sanda: ...Well, at least the tower is still intact...
[MN.1] //: Beck--you can't just--
[MN.9] //: I know I know I'm sorry I didn't know it would do that I--
White: It's a miracle the blimp is still airborne...
[MN.1] //: Next time, PLEASE don't over charge Burning Spirit like that--it really DOES have a wide blast radius--
[KSSSSSSSSST!]
"And now, Avi News traffic, from the Avi-1 eye-in-the-sky traffic copter!"
[....That...]
[...wasn't just from the feeds--!]
Avi: HEYO, AIRSHIP WRECKER.
[It was the Pungeon Master HIMSELF--dropping in from high above the clouds, twirling over once before hovering at a fair distance away from the blimp, a camera bot flying by his side.]
Beck: Avi!
Avi: We have an accident about to happen on the airship, Avi--
[He suddenly dove down, out of sight--]
Beck: AVI!
[Beck dashed forward, hands gripping the railings of the blimp in order to look down for his brother...]
[WHOOSH--!]
Beck: --!!!
[Avi reappeared, alright--]
[With a whole squadron of aerial CherryDyn models--their missiles all pointed at Beck and the airship!]
Avi: A PIECE OF TRASH CAUSING TROUBLE--
Beck: WAH--!
[MN.1] //: BECK--!
[...........]
[.....Zzt.]
[Zzzzzzt.]
[BZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!]
[C R A C K!]
[Without warning--a HUGE flash! The air is filled energy! Comms fill with static--!]
[MN.3 IS NOW ONLINE. COMBAT MODE: ENGAGED.]
Dyna: AAAAAVIIIIIIII!!!
Beck: ?!?
Beck: DYNA?!?
[There is a BLAST of music over ALL the comms—]
“POWER UP THE REVOLUTION! IT’S TIME FOR AN EVOLUTION! OF CIRRRRCUIIIIITRYYYYY!”
Avi: Huh--?!
Dyna: GET YOUR ZZZZSICK CHASSISZZ OVER HERE--
[The restored Electric Maiden threw a flurry of bits at the CherryDyns--each of them sticking magnetically--and with a snap of her fingers--]
[ZZZZZZZZZZZZRT!]
[They shorted out, one by one, their blackened husks falling back down to Earth.]
Dyna: ZZZSO I CAN SHOCK ZZSOME R E A L ZZZSENSE INTO YOU!
[MN.1] //: DYNA!
[MN.2] //: YEEEEAAAH, GO SIS, SHOW 'EM--!
White: How did she even get out of the lab without any of us--??
Sanda: Call??
Call: Dynatron insisted I block her signals and data once she came Online.
Dyna: Yeah, cuzzz I knew HOVERBUTT WASZZ LISZZENING.
Avi: Ah--Uh...
Dyna: YOU--!!
Dyna: DO YOU HAVE A N Y IDEA HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU'RE HURTING?!
[BZZZZZZZT--!]
Dyna: WHAT YOU DID TO TOBY--?!
Avi: --?!
Avi: What?
Avi: (Who's...)
[Another fuzz. Toby’s voice echoes—as if it’s replaying from a memory file.]
“You don’t know what you’re getting into!”
Avi: Argh--stop it--
Dyna: YOU'D BETTER ZZZSNAP OUT OF IT, AVI--
[ZZZZZZZZZZ--]
Dyna: OR E L S Z Z E !
Avi: I mean--oh no--
Avi: ....-AUDIBLE GULP-
Avi: Breaking News: the piece of trash brought a friend and is /no fun at all!/ 8'D
[Without another word, Avi jets off into the clouds, leaving only a pair of white streams in his wake.]
Dyna: YEAH, GO BACK UP TO YOUR ZZSTUPID TOWER, YOU QUACK! -HISSSSS-
Dyna: Wait until I get my clawszz on you... -BZZZZZZ-
[Another fuzz.]
[GhhhZZZZzzzddDDT.]
“I… I c-can’t let you make my mistakes…!”
Dyna: --!!
Dyna: Toby...?
<RMDC>: > DATA CONTRADICTION ERROR: DLN-008 IS OFFLINE. CONNECTION FAILED. ISOLATING SOURCE…
<RMDC>: > SOURCE ORIGIN IDENTIFIED
<RMDC>: > POINT OF ORIGIN: MNN-006
Dyna: .....!
Beck: Dynnnaaaaaa!
[Waving from the airship was a default form Beck, waving his left arm back and forth as tears of joy welled up in the corners of his eyes.]
Beck: Dynaaaa!
Dyna: ! Becky!~
[.....And just like that, she was back to a cheerful demeanor, as if she WASN'T thinking about tearing her brother to bits not two seconds ago.]
Beck: Dyna--how--when--
[Dyna just floated over to the blimp with a smile on her face, gently patting her little brother on his head with a poncho covered hand.]
Dyna: I woke up when you were already boarding the airship--Call noticed and filled me in.
Dyna: I dunno what Avi was doing during that time, but I aszzked Call to block my zzzsignalszz and data so he wouldn't notice. Good thing, too, you were almoszzt toast back there!
Call: Mighty No. 3's support will greatly increase the mission's chances of success.
White: Oh, dear....what will I ever do with you all...?
Sanda: Eheh...can't blame them, Will...they just want to help.
Dyna: Zzzsorry, Daddy.~
Dyna: But I don't have time to be moping.
Dyna: Lemmie get you off thiszzz thing and back to the tower, Mkay?~
Beck: Thanks, Dyna...!
[A wave of her hand and Beck gently floated up and to her side, which was better than riding the Hula-Heli--he trusted his sister a lot more than that thing, at least.]
[MN.1] //: What I want to know is how in the WORLD did you sneak by us? We were in the SAME repair room--
[MN.3] //: I have my wayszz, Big Bro.~
[MN.2] //: DYNADYNADYNA--
[MN.3] //: Cryooooo!~
[MN.2] //: AAAAAH I MISSED YOU AAAAAAAH--
[MN.2] //: -SNIFF-
[MN.3] //: I missed you too, Big Sis.~ Don't cry--
[MN.2] //: I'M NOT CRYING--MY TANK IS STILL BROKEN--
[MN.1] //: ...No it isn't, Father just--
[MN.2] //: SSSSSHHHHHUT UUUUUP--
[MN.9] //: Heh...
[...This was more like it...]
[This....this felt...familiar. All this.]
[Slowly--slowly, he was piecing his family back together again....]
[MN.9] //: Over there is fine, Dyna.
[He just had to keep going. No matter what.]
[He had to try.]
[Beck touched down on another platform on the tower--the winds were REALLY kicking up the higher he went, now--even Dyna had to compensate for the harsh gales.]
Dyna: You sure you don't want me to fly you to the top?!
Beck: Avi will be expecting that! I gotta climb this myself--I don't want him hurting you and regretting it later!
Beck: (He's already done enough for that...)
Dyna: ......
[There was a troubled look on her face--she didn't want to leave Beck to her ill brother, and...]
"I can't let you make /my mistakes/...!"
Dyna: .........
Dyna: Becky?
Beck: Yeah?
Dyna: Give him a REAL good shock for me. And Toby.
Beck: Uh...
Beck: I...I'll try....
Beck: But--you gotta get out of here before Avi comes back.
White: Beck's right, Dyna--come home for now. Please.
Dyna: ......
Dyna: Fiiiine...
Call: Preparing Xel Transfer...
Beck: And Dyna?
Dyna: .....
Beck: We need to be there for Avi WHEN he comes home.
Beck: ....It was never his fault when...Toby...
Beck: ......
Beck: Please don't be mad at him.
Beck: Toby would be really sad if you guys were still fighting after this.
Dyna: ......
Dyna: Yeah, he...would, wouldn't he...
Dyna: .....Toby....
Beck: Toby was just trying to stop Avi...
Beck: .......
Beck: Please don't blame them...!
Dyna: ........
Dyna: -Siiiigh-
Dyna: I...mng. But ONLY if Avi apologizeszz.
Beck: Yeah, that won't be hard...
Dyna: .....You bring him back home, OK?
Dyna: ....Avi might be a dork but he'szzz OUR dork.
Dyna: ....I...I miszzs him too...
Beck: Yeah. I will. I swear.
Call: Xel Transfer Initiated.
Dyna: Zzstay zzsafe...!
Beck: Got it, Dyna...!
[A flash of yellow and purple, and then, nothing.]
Call: Xel Transfer complete. Welcome back, No. 3.
Cryo: -GLOMP TACKLE, SIS SIS SIIIIIIIIIIS--
Pyro: -Excuse us ladies, we're just gonna collect the both of you in a big hug now.-
Dyna: ~<3
Beck: .....
[Slowly, one by one.]
[Beck once again looked to the sky.]
Beck: Almost there...
Beck: Avi...!
Beck: Ready or not--!
Beck: Here I come!
——————————————————
[Several more levels of the tower lied above--there were even less platforms, but more Hula-Heli's around--it made climbing up a little easier--although he had to shoot the robots that hung from them first. They gave him Absorption boosts, however, and filled both of his Xel Stocks--he decided to save those for later.]
[Eventually, he reached the right side of the tower--]
[WHOOOOOSH!]
Beck: Ngh--!
[The wind speed had increased dramatically here--what was going on with the weather...?]
Beck: (It--can't be Avi, can it?)
[KSSSSSSST!]
Beck: Oh no come ON--
Avi: This just in: bad guy spotted at the west side of the radio tower! Bots are in pursuit!
Beck: In pur--
[Following Avi was another squadron of CherryDyn Models--, and not only that, there were MORE of them that littered the platforms ahead!]
Beck: --!!
White: Beck--there's another Hula-Heli just above you! Grab it!
[Nine quickly jumped to latch onto the hoop by his hands, and he was rapidly carried of towards the nearest platform.]
Beck: (Argh, these winds...!)
Avi: ......
Avi: And now to Avi for the weather! :D
Avi: THANKS, AVI, WE GOT STRONG WINDS OUT THERE TODAY, BE CAAAAREFUUUL!~~
Beck: Are you the one doing this, Avi?!
[Avi merely cackled as he sped off into the sky again, vanishing from sight.]
Beck: A V I !
[With a small groan of frustration, Beck locked down his visor over his face for some protection against the wind--he wouldn't quite put it past Avi to have gained some control over wind currents, if the virus DID grant him that...]
Beck: Hang on, bro...
[The platforms eventually led him further out--and then back to the tower, where he used Cryo's form to freeze more than a few CherryDyn bots--]
Beck: --!!
[Wait--was that a door? Leading inside! FINALLY, some shelter from these unforgiving winds!]
Beck: I am so taking the stairs--
[......]
[...Or...not. More ladders.]
Beck: UGH--!
Beck: Ladders, why ladders, I would have taken more Hula-Helis...
[All Beck could do was grumble under his breath while climbing up the first set.. And many, MANY more after that.]
Beck: WHY ARE THERE SO MANY LADDERS, AVI DOESN'T EVEN NEED THEM--
Beck: I'm never using another ladder ever, uuuuugh--
Sanda: Oof...poor Beck...
[After climbing who know HOW many more levels--just how high WAS this tower?--Beck stepped over the last rung into a long, open hallway that lead back outside....]
Beck: ---!!!
[With no open platforms OR Hula-Helis in sight. It was just open air.]
Beck: Wha--!
Beck: Dad--there's no way to--!
White: Hold on--!
Sanda: Look around, Beck--are you sure there isn't anything you can use?
Beck: Ack--no...!
Beck: All there is is a lot of--
[WHOOOOSH!]
Beck: --!!!
[The air currents--they weren't blowing left or right--]
[But up.]
Beck: .......
Beck: ............
[.....Up....]
[....Maybe... maybe...]
[MN.3] //: ....Becky? You OK? (Why did he go quiet all of a zzsudden...?)
[MN.1] //: .....!!!
[MN.1] //: BECK WHATEVER YOU'RE THINKING, DON'T--!!
[MN.2] //: oh NOOO, BECK, NO CRAZY STUNTS--!
[MN.3] //: -DATA WHY IS EVERYONE PANICKY ALL OF A SUDDEN--?!?-
White: BECK--!
Sanda: DON'T--!
Beck: Guys I'm really sorry in advance--
[He took a huge step back...]
[MN.3] //: ...wait wait BECK--WHAT ARE YOU DOING--
[--and jumped--?!]
[He started glowing at the peak of his jump--he was going into an AcXelarate Dash--!]
[....Wait--]
[Something was different.]
[He moved rapidly left, like in a normal dash--but his form, his Xels--]
[Like back in the Turbine room, they had changed mid-dash, but instead of compressing--they expanded. ]
[So much so that with the current wind speed--]
[Instead of falling --the winds propelled him upwards!]
White: ...!!
Sanda: What the--....
[Once he reaches the end of his dash--he does so AGAIN, this time in the other direction, to his right--and the same process occurred once more, propelling him up and up with the wind acting as a sort of sail...]
[MN.1] //: I...??
[MN.2] //: He's... gliding...!?
Beck: (--It's working--!)
[MN.3] //: -BZZZ, HOW IS HE DOING THAT, WHAT EVEN--
White: He changed his dash--his own Xel Structures... (Again...this is twice now...)
White: (He can't be....unless...)
White: (It's...already started--?)
[With the unlimited uses his Dash ability had, he could glide up the side of the tower safely, as long as he didn't let up...]
Beck: --! (Hey--a ledge!)
[Not a platform, but it will do.]
Beck: Ngh--
[It looked like there was another just above it--and another--]
Beck: Come on, one platform, that's all I ask--
[....!]
[Hula Heli--!]
Beck: FINALLY--
[Jump--ride to another platform, thank heavens--]
Beck: .....
[Wait why was the world going up--]
Beck: --!!!
[Beck dashed and glided away before the single platform that had graced him lost it's propulsion and fell--]
Beck: (ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!)
White: .....
White: He...He's going to be there a while, isn't he...?
Sanda: I...maybe...??
['Maybe' was an understatement. With temporary platforms and limited hanging points, it took at LEAST another 10 minutes to climb up the tower--mostly due to the fact that the east side of the upper tower walls was completely covered in Xel disrupting spikes.]
[But at last...]
[At last...]
[At long last, another entrance back into the tower...]
[And the Patch bot waiting at the final Hula Heli that would take him to the apex.]
Beck: Thanks, Sunny...
Sunny: (^^)
[After unloading her cargo--which was much needed Xel Storage Cubes--she flew off.]
Beck: .....
Beck: Avi....
Beck: I'm here...
Beck: Here to save you...!
[Click.]
[Wrrrrr....]
White: -Shaky sigh-
White: S-Soi--...
Sanda: I got you, Will. Don't worry--he can do it...
Sanda: He's got to...
_____________________________
[KSSSSSSSSSSSST!]
[Every television—working, that is—and every radio channel in the country....]
[Avi was broadcasting himself on all of them. Every single one.]
Avi: And now, live from atop Avi News Headquarters, continuing coverage of-- Dun Dun Dun Dun--!
Avi: TOWER. OF. TERROR!~
[Kkkkkkk…]
[Those with a radio would hear an odd, barely audible static overlay. And those with a video screen?
…An even stranger visual glitch…]
[…Or at least… that’s what one had to assume of the vague, ghostly pixie-sized ball of light that seemed to be hovering behind Avi’s left shoulder.]
[Both things kept blinking in and out, so… clearly they had to be just bugs in the system.
Clearly.]
[The shot zoomed out, and one could hear the unrelenting winds that tore at the top of the tower--which was only three platforms, really...]
[Standing right in the middle of them was Beck, his expression...not hard, per se, but...]
[One could take it as either anger, determination, or resolve. Or all three. ]
[Avi didn't seem to be bothered at all by the unfavorable conditions--in fact, as he and his camera spun around the smaller Mighty Number...]
Avi: And now to Avi for the weather!~
[And--the VOLUME, WHEN DID IT GET SO HIGH--]
Avi: THANKS, AVI, WE GOT STRONG WINDS OUT THERE TODAY, BEEE CAREFULLLL!~
Beck: Argh--!
[KKKKKKKKKKK…]
[The… static kept going IN and OUT and IN and OUT—]
[At first it seemed RANDOM, but—]
[Wait was that MORSE CODE IN STATIC—]
{S A V E U S}
Avi: --.........
Avi: Ladies and Gentlemen, please be advised that we are experiencing some technical difficulties during our broadcast, so please bear with us...
Avi: (Stupid annoying--!!)
[KKKKKKKKKKKK—!]
{H O W E V E R Y O U M U S T!!!}
Avi: UGH--WILL YOU SHUT UP?!
Beck: --!! I GOT THIS, TOBY--!!
Beck: I'LL SAVE HIM--!!
[And then, the form became more visible.]
[Only MUCH larger than the LAST time Beck had seen a Robosoul—life sized, really—!]
Beck: --!!!
Avi: --?!?
[He also didn’t look nearly as COMPLETE—as if he really WERE just a ghost—
—though other than that brief appearance, possibly out of sheer defiance, he only left one thing behind—a fading, echoing lyric—]
“But to your aid An unlikely friend! Programmed to Fight ’til the very END!”
Beck: (TOBY--!!)
Avi: OH, Y O U--!!
Avi: YOU'RE the GLITCH...
[He would immediately regret that statement.]
<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE FOUND.
[A song BLARED over the comms.]
“We are the city We are the heart We are the life force We are the SPARK!”
Avi: GRRR...!
Avi: I don't have TIME to deal with you now--WAIT YOUR TURN...
[He turns his attention to Beck, who already had his arm cannon primed and ready for battle.]
Avi: News Flash: Exclusive footage caught at Avi News World Headquarters of Mighty No. 9....
Avi: MOMENTS BEFORE HE FELL TO HIS TRAGIC DEATH!~
[A MUCH HARSHER BLAST OF—not MUSIC, but—]
[Cold.]
[It was so cold and wet and dark—]
[It was as if the CENTRAL CORE were EXPOSED.]
Avi: NGH--!
[SCANNING....]
[SCAN COMPLETE.]
[E N C O U N T E R.]
[MODEL: MIGHTY NO. 6, CODENAME: AVIATOR.]
[HEIGHT: 220cm WEIGHT: 150kg XEL COUNT: 30,000,000]
Avi: ....Heh...
Avi: Ooo, sorry Beck-am, your segment is getting cut!~
[There was a HORRIFIC screech at that—
Followed by INCREDIBLE PAIN BEYOND MEASURE.
Luckily for Avi, it was short-lived, but OW—!]
Avi: NNNGH--!!
[Beck took this chance to jump and land a few shots while Avi was distracted--which causes him to stumble back and fly JUST out of reach.]
Avi: Oh, you little...
[Static Morse.]
{N O T T H E O N E T R I P P I N G O V E R A L L T H E T R I G G E R S G L I T C H F R A G I T—
{W H A T D I D Y O U E X P E C T B Y T A P P I N G I N T O O U R H I V E M I N D?}
[LOUDER static.]
{T R Y I N G T O S P A R E Y O U B U T N O T F U L L Y H E R E!}
{C A N’ T C O N T R O L T H E G E N E R A T I O N!}
Avi: SHUT IT, SPARKY. I'M TRYING TO GET THINGS D O N E HERE--!
[He shifted into his Jet Plane mode, banking hard left and around the tower--]
[Wait--]
[That's too close--]
Beck: AHHH--!
[Beck dashed out of the way just in time to avoid being rammed by Avi--if he got hit at those speeds, he wouldn't just fall, he'd get launched off the tower.]
{A A A A A U U U G H A V I Y O U D O N O T U N D E R S T A N D—}
{W H E N Y O U T R I E D T O T A K E O V E R Y O U /F U S E D U S T O G E T H E R!/}
{/Y O U A R E N O W S U B J E C T T O O U R F A M I L Y’ S C R O S S - R E F E R E N C E S!!/}
Avi: GH...!
Avi: NO THANKS TO YOU AND YOUR LAME BORG SET UP--!!
Avi: I'll have to DO something about that L A T E R--
[WOAH. A sudden erratic shift in Avi’s electrical flow, OW—]
<DLN-008 HAS ENTERED DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE.>
{D A R E T O U C H M Y B R O T H E R S A N D I /W I L L/ T A K E U S O U T}
Avi: ARGH--!
Beck: AVI--!!
[Avi was flying a little erratically, now--for a moment it seemed as if--]
<DLN-008 IS OFFLINE.>
Avi: I swear I'm gonna...gonna...
Avi: You....don't GET IT...
[There was no response from the fragment of Toby’s mind—presumably, it had fainted when it seemed Avi was about to fall.]
Beck: .....!
Avi: All I ever wanted was to make people laugh. And smile, and feel GOOD about themselves--
Avi: That's what I am--a SUPPORT unit! SUPPORT!
Avi: AND YOU ALL SAY--SAY I'M ANNOYING--
Avi: A BLABBERMOUTH--A BOTHER--!!
Avi: WELL, EXCUUUUUUUUSE ME FOR TRYING TO MAKE THINGS BETTER WHEN THEY AREN'T!
Avi: EXCUSE ME FOR BEING WHO I A M--
Avi: EXCUSE ME FOR BEING WHAT I WAS B U I L T TO BE--!!
<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE FOUND.
[But the music played did not hamper Avi this time—rather, it only seemed to REFLECT some sort of bitter torment and sorrow.]
“No one in this world can understand Who I am— That is why I’m my own biggest fan!”
Avi: YOU DON'T GET IT--YOU ALL N E V E R HAVE--!!
“Do you know what it’s like to be built this way? With only the power to push others away?”
Avi: SO IF I CAN'T MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH--IF I CAN'T BE WHO I AM--IF I CAN'T BRING GOOD THROUGH WHAT I LIKE TO DO--
“For if I can’t walk among them Then I will walk the world alone There’ll be a fire in the sky And your doom will rain down!”
Avi: N O. O N E. C A N!
[In his sheer rage, demonic flames and voice taking over, Avi raced around the sky trailing violet flames, the bomb panels on his feet unfolding--]
Avi: SPECIAL DELIVERY, TRASH FACE!
Beck: --!!
[An incoming air strike--!]
[Beck had two options--Dash Glide out of danger, or shoot the bombs before they hit the ground...]
Beck: (Avi's bomb range is wide enough--better dodge--!)
[Jumping from the middle, he dashed left and right, the bombs passing harmlessly in between--although they certainly rocked the tower beneath them!]
Beck: (No--! If he keeps doing that--!)
Beck: DAD--?!
[KSSSSSST--]
Beck: No--!!
[No advice from family. No input from Toby now, either.
It was all up to him…!]
Avi: Headline: Boss attacks Beck!
[He heard machine gun fire--and suddenly, Avi again, on the opposite side, doing a offensive fly by--!]
Beck: O W--!!
[The shots nail him, and he is knocked onto his back--]
Avi: Correction--
Avi: T W I C E !~
[When-- when did he get upside down--]
[More machine gun fire! No, it wasn't BECK that was upside down--it was Avi!]
Beck: HRK--
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[Not even halfway through and he already had to use a Xel Stock--]
[Not. Good.]
Beck: ......
Beck: (Avi....)
Avi: Aw, what's wrong, loser?! Can't handle my air raids?!
Beck: Avi...
Beck: Stop.
[.......? Beck's....tone....]
Beck: Just let me SAVE you...please...
Beck: I don't want to hurt you any more than I HAVE to.
Avi: Oh, so now YOU'RE making threats?
Beck: Last chance, Avi--
Beck: STAND DOWN.
<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE FOUND.
“I stand before a line in the sand The fight lies ahead The fate in my hands Today the end begins
One step and the battle is born The road that I walk Is a gathering storm Today the end begins!”
Avi: WHOA, orders? I'M the one that's--
Beck: [ S T A N D.]
[-PING!-]
[XEL OVERRIDE: TEMPORARILY ACTIVE.]
Beck: [D O W N!]
[COMMAND CONFIRMED.]
[MN.6'S WEAPONS SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN DISABLED.]
Avi: --!?!?
Avi: What...why aren't my weapons--?!
[REXELECTION: DYNATRON ]
Beck: AVI!
Beck: JUST LET ME H E L P YOU--!!!
Avi: Wh--I...-
[BZZZZZZZZZT!]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Avi: ACK--THAT--STINGS--
[BZZZZZZT--!!]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Beck: Almost there--
Avi: YOU--YOU WON'T...!
[BZZZZZT!]
Beck: I can and I WILL--!!
Beck: I SWORE I WOULD SAVE YOU--
[XEL ABSORBED--]
Beck: I SWORE TO EVERYONE--!
[XEL QUOTA REACHED.]
Beck: I SWORE IT!
Beck: I'M NOT GOING BACK ON THAT PROMISE--NOT FOR ANYTHING!
Beck: SO FOR O N C E IN YOUR L I F E, AVIATOR--
[XEL PURGE: ONLINE. XELFILTER.EXE PREPARED FOR OVERDRIVE.]
Beck: SHUT UP AND LET ME RESCUE YOU!
[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]
Avi: Ah--
[..........]
"Here we are, Becko!"
"Nnnnngh I don't wanna look I don't wanna look--"
"Aw, don't be scared, bro, we're OK! I'd never let you go at THIS height."
"WE A R E UP HIGH, I KNEW IT--"
"Broooooo--bro. Bro. There's nothing to be afraid of up here, little guy! Absolutely nothiiiiing.~"
"But--But--"
"Just open up those peepers for, like, two seconds--just two, straight ahead. OK?"
"......." "Coooome oooooon, I know you waaaaant tooooo!~" "............." "I'll treat ya to ice cream afterwards.~" "..........Okaaaaay...."
"......!!!"
"Eh? What do ya think?"
"I....It's....so....pretty...."
"I know, right?"
"Nothing like a good old California sunset, huh..."
"Really makes ya appreciate the little things..."
"Like you!~"
"Aviiiii--"
[.......]
Avi: U....Uh....ha....
"Now onto my surprise!"
"Surprise...?"
"Hold on to your goggles, Beckoroni--"
Avi: Wha---
"Today, you're gonna learn how to FLY!"
Avi: I....
Avi: I...Is that you, Beckles...?
Beck: !!!
[The green glow continued—only… now it was shifting to…
…some sort of… electrified yellow?]
Beck: --?!?
[THAT WAS NEW--]
[… … …]
“ ….. ”
“Listen bro.”
“… -Whine- ”
[…Wait… this wasn’t one of the memories HE had with Avi…]
“I mean, we don't BLAME you for thinking that way, just...what ELSE are you supposed to think, right? From your point of view.”
“ … I was just made to work in a power plant. Dad was the one who taught me about radio.”
[This had to be…!]
“I… I really liked Dr. King, especially.”
“ ..........”
“He… he was a really good speaker, and people listened to him. And then things started to get better. Because people were working together.”
“-Fervently- I still think we can do it…!”
“I think… I think if humans weren’t afraid… things could be okay.”
“They… can be so kind. So good. I know they can do it.”
“…Especially…”
“ ........ Heh…”
“Especially now that we met you guys.”
“It proves it’s possible!”
[… … …]
[And then—]
-PING!-
<RMDC>: > STATUS UPDATE: AI_DWN_008’s CRITICAL AI_OS ERROR HAS BEEN RESOLVED.
<RMDC>: > DLN-008 IS NOW COMPLETE AND FULLY OPERATIONAL.
Avi: H...Huh...?
[XEL PURGE COMPLETE. ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MN.6. DLN-008 HAS BEEN RESTORED.]
Beck: Toby...!!
<DLN-008>: > Uuuuuuggghhhhh…
<DLN-008>: > My head hurts sooOOOO MUUUUUCH, ow…
Avi: Wait what...what's...
Avi: M....My head hurts...what are you doing up here...
Avi: What...what am I doing up...?
<DLN-008>: > A-Avi…?
<DLN-008>: > … wOAH WOAH WOAH AUGH—AVI WHY AM I SEEING THROUGH YOUR EYES—
[…thooough it appears there were still a few… bugs to sort out.]
Avi: T...Toby...?
Avi: Wh...I...don't understand...
Beck: Avi--Avi--why don't you get over here if you're not feeling well--
Avi: Y...Yeah that...sounds...ow...
[Slowly and cautiously, Avi manages to land safely in the same platform as Beck, who immediately shares his last Xel Stock with him--]
Avi: I....dizzy...tired...
Beck: It's OK, Avi--
<DLN-008>: > This is so disorienting u-um…
<DLN-008>: > can I… can I just go to bed—
[THUD.] [MN.6 HAS GONE INTO DEEP SLEEP MODE.]
<DLN-008 has gone into Deep Sleep mode.>
Beck: Avi--!! [....With Avi now not actively blocking communications...!] [-P I N G!-]
[…Things were now in motion!]
White: ....! He--HE--!
Call: Attention: All communications have been freed from MN.6's control.
Sanda: HE DID IT--!
-PING!-
White: --!!!
[DR. SANDA AND DR. WHITE.] //: MIKHAIL!
-PING!-
<RMDC>: > REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGED. SENDING STATUS UPDATE TO MODERATOR DR.WHITE…
>DCN-008 STATUS: DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE
>DCN-007 STATUS: DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE
>DCN-004 STATUS: SLEEP MODE
>DCN-003 STATUS: DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE
>DCN-000 STATUS: ONLINE
>Loading…
>DWN-024 STATUS: OFFLINE
>DWN-020 STATUS: SLEEP MODE
>DWN-019 STATUS: ONLINE
>DWN-018 STATUS: DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE
>DWN-017 STATUS: OFFLINE
>Loading…
>DWN-013 STATUS: OFFLINE
>DWN-012 STATUS: OFFLINE
>DWN-011 STATUS: OFFLINE
>Loading…
[…]
>Loading…
[…There seemed to be a delay…]
>Loading…
> -PING!-
>DLN-008 STATUS: DEEP SLEEP MODE
>Loading…
[-PING PING PING-]
[UPDATING...]
[MN.1 STATUS: ONLINE.]
[MN. 2 STATUS: ONLINE.]
[MN.3 STATUS: ONLINE.]
[MN.4 STATUS: UNAVAILABLE.]
[MN.5 STATUS: MALWARE DETECTED.]
[MN.6 STATUS: DEEP SLEEP MODE.]
[MN.7 STATUS: MALWARE DETECTED]
[MN.8 STATUS: UNAVAILABLE.]
[MN.9 STATUS: ONLINE.]
>Loading…
>Loading…
>Loading…
>Loading…
>Loading…
>Loading…
>Loading…
>Loading… … …
>ERROR: SIGNAL NOT FOUND. SEARCHING…
> ERROR: DLN-000 SIGNAL NOT FOUND.
[PING!]
[MN.2] //: BROOOOOOOOOS!
[MN.1] //: We're connected at last--!
[MN.3] //: OhmygoshYOUGUYSAREOK--ZZZSORTOF--
[MN.9] //: -TIRED DATA BUT ALSO JOYUS DATA-
[The feed didn’t come up immediately.
Instead…
The first thing was a wave of abstract data.
It was very basic, not even having words—the family was overjoyed to hear from them again. To know their friends were alive, that they were well—that they had been rescued, they had been SAVED!
There was concern and worry, reassurance and comfort—all unique and individual to all those who sent it… which was pretty much everyone who was awake.]
[…But then… then there was a prick of guilt, that grew into a needle stab and then a spreading shame.
It settled into a general and shared concern—
“Aviator…? Is he okay?”]
[MN.9] //: A-Avi....
[DR.WHITE] //: ....He's...passed out...
[Mikhail finally switched the feed fully on, minus the sound, for now—letting it display as a caption, instead. He truly seemed closer to his true age, now—he looked tired, and clearly hadn’t taken care of himself as best he should.
He held up his hands and began signing his thoughts to them.]
Mikhail: “Praise God to see you again, Will.” -Pauses- “This would be chaos except after all that was before, we are just very relieved and tired.”
[Gemini was already at the controls, preparing to send over the full analysis file to Call. Mikhail started typing at the keyboard. His sons knew better than to make too much noise right now—sometimes, their father just got into a mood where he needed things to be really quiet.]
<MC005>: >I vote we all get some rest for once, before anything else.
<DLN-005>: > OKAY AS LONG AS WE GET TO GIVE THEM ICE CREAM LATER.
<MC005>: >David, it is WAY past your bedtime…
White: (Oh, Mikhail...)
Sanda: Oh yeah--yeah, that sounds good--
Call: Preparing Xel Transfer...
Cryo: I SECOND THAT MOTION, ICE CUBE oh my gosh it's so good to see your tiny face--
<DLN-005>: > NIGHTYNIGHT MISS CRYO I’LL TALK TO YOU LATER I GUESS—
<MC005>: >I’ll…
<MC005>: > …honestly probably end up being woken up by the Princess once she hears the news and that is when we’ll speak again…
<MC005>: > I’ll tell you all I know then. It is so good to see you again…!
<MC005>: >I can rest a little easier now. …Promise me you’ll do the same?
<MC005>: > I’ll see you then.
White: Yes, I'll...see you later...
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 4B: AVI’S NEWS REPORT=
~AO v1.0~
(courtesy of @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{Meanwhile, in the Meadow}
[Another day, another problem.
Right now, the main problem that Cossack was dealing with was the eternal struggle between work and family. He hadn’t heard from Will in WEEKS—he wasn’t sure how long it had been for his young friend, but as for him? It had been nearly a month with no contact.
It was late July—he really needed to start focusing on preparing for the coming school year. Kalinka would be nine years old in November—entering 3rd Grade, by American standards. Already, he knew that the past year and a half had been very hard on her—between the “Russian incident” and the turmoil at the Queen’s finals, followed by this whole mess…
He’d sent her off to stay with the Nighthawks, at first, but now…]
Mikhail: -Sighs- ({I’m sorry, Will. I hope I hear from you soon. …I don’t want to leave you hanging like this, but at this point…})
[He had done what he could.
He had fixed Tobias as best he could—but there was nothing more he could do for the boy. He couldn’t be sure why Tobias refused to wake up—whether that be because he was shell-shocked, or because something else was wrong. He needed to look things over WITH William to clarify some of the unusual coding—but at least his self was intact.
He had done his analysis on the virus, too. He had sent Will what notes he could, but he had chosen to focus in more on what the virus did as opposed to how it was written. It had given some interesting insight—and perhaps a clue as to why it failed to corrupt those connected to the server as it had with Xelbots. It would be a very interesting decision to have with Will, surely—and hopefully a helpful one. The problem went beyond the Mighty Numbers, but foreign aid would not come so easily until certain things were fixed.
It WOULD be a good discussion…
…if he could only have it.]
Mikhail: ({I don’t know how much longer I can wait, William. …My children… I have to look after my family. Kalinka has been brave, but she is so lonely…. And I need to start work on the others, especially my “official” oldest—Digger has pleaded time and again for the responsibilities of being eldest to be returned to his older brothers, as it is more heavy than he was ever really ready to handle.})
[He shook his head.]
Mikhail: ({…What more can I do? Siam has resumed his research, from what supplies a good friend was kind enough to provide. Felix is still caught in visions—but at least he is a Venus Adept, and able to sustain himself that way. There’s still no word from Cardinal—or Jack, for that matter. Lady Nighthawk did say the Fighting Mighty Number timeline was “in flux,” but that doesn’t tell us much… other than that they probably won’t remember anything helpful once we get into contact, as that’s usually how these things go.})
[He heaved a sigh and buried his head in his arms.]
Mikhail: ({If I thought it would help, I’d go through the Wilderness to get to your lab, but—without the ability to communicate, I won’t be of much use. …And I need to keep an eye on everyone, and my children—})
Mikhail: ({…Well. At least I can prepare this latest analysis for—})
“Doctor! DOCTOR! DOCTOR, LOOK—”
[Mikhail was interrupted from his thoughts by his oldest son tugging at his arm. It took him a moment for the surprise to sink in.]
“{David! You should be asleep—!}”
[Snow was tugging at the lab coat relentlessly.]
Snow: You hafta see the TV! Look look look!
[Mikhail had been in the midst of going over the code again.
He had found something very interesting in his analysis—the immune system response to the California virus had been the same as the response to the DLN_COMBAT.EXE program. The presence of the DWN_COMBAT.EXE program had fought it off in both cases.
It seemed that the goal of the latter had been to incite bitterness and wrath to cause chaos—a fruitless endeavor, for the family was already drenched in pain. But the pain had driven them TO mercy—not AWAY from it.
Even so…]
Snow: DAAAD!
[Okay, THIS got his attention.
Again.
Normally DCN-000 referred to him as “Uncle Mike”—rarely did he actually refer to him in the more correct term.]
Mikhail: {I apologize. What is it?}
[Snow pointed to the screen, and Mikhail stood in surprise.
It displayed Beck’s progress up a tower. It had to be Avi’s tower! There was no way Avi would have allowed it broadcast, otherwise. Thankfully, the sound was muted—Mikhail was already up and talking.]
Mikhail: We must get ready—! Snow, go get the twins.
Snow: But he locked himself in his room an’ was real grouchy an’ talkin’ about—
Mikhail: I will need him here. It won’t be too long before Beck breaks his way through at long last!
———————————————
{Meanwhile…}
[Cardinal had been sitting by the radio for what seemed like forever. He had forced himself to sit through hours upon hours of Number Six rambling on and on—honestly, he had been sick of it.
But when Avi started making comments about Beck’s approach, he had jolted up.]
Cardinal: FINALLY.
[He grabbed his gear just as quick as he had on the night tagging, all those months ago—
—and then he was zipping down the streets, headed toward the public library.
He even dared to be so bold as to let his shrill tune play as a warning—and indeed, a number of infected citizens bolted out of his way when they saw him riding his windsurfer low to the ground at at least 65 mph.
Those that didn’t, well…]
[He had to enter into the library through the roof. The first thing that earned him was the sound of infected drones headed his way.
He wasn’t in the mood.]
Cardinal: Jazz!
[His cat took her pantheress form and screamed, leaping on them.]
Cardinal: No fire, but shred them to pieces, if you like.
[He warp-walked his way past the obstacles—knocking a few unsuspecting corrupted Civilian models out cold—before he was finally where he needed to be.
And he wasn’t alone—there were some college students cowering in a corner under the desktops.
…They looked starved. How long had they been holed up in there?]
<DLN-000>: > …Jazz, raid the vending machines when you get the chance. Bring the goods here.
Cardinal: …I’m not here to hurt anyone, but I don’t have time to explain.
[He set the radio on top of a table and turned it on—but down low, so he could focus.
What came next would not be easy, and would be limited in time—]
Cardinal: I’ll try to clear out the building before I go—but you’re going to have to walk after that. Not everyone is infected—there are still some safe havens. I’ll leave the address of a hospital, but you might want to call your parents, too.
[He began typing away at the console, sending the computer into a more basic mode.
It wasn’t long before the RMD was in place.
Now he just needed to wait a little longer so he could make his inquiry…]
>LOADING…
——————————————————
{Back in the Meadow…}
[The family had gathered around the feed—some more eagerly than others. Snow seemed almost a happy kind of excited—]
Snow: Beck’s gonna save Mister Avi an’ then Toby will be okay an’ then we can find Cardinal an’ Mister Shade—
[—while his younger brothers were…]
Jaden: -Pacing anxiously in full armor and a scowl- (This is incredibly uncomfortable, why did it have to be a tower—)
[…less than pleased.]
Snow: -Impatiently- DAAAAaaaaad—when is Avi gonna be rescued? I wanna see Toby again!
Mikhail: Patience, David…
Nico: -Snorts- Patience? He’s not the one you should be talking to—would you STOP running around like that, you’re going to impale someone with those—
Jaden: -Snaps- Oh, /shut up!/
Nico: HEY. Before you wear a hole in the floor with your pacing!
Speedy: Back off, Romeo—
Mikhail: BOYS.
[…Quietness.]
Jaden: -Vents heavily- …
[He gave off abstract data. It constructed into an apology but a resolved determination—and a great deal of concern.
Monstropolis…]
[All of the Second Gens squirmed in great discomfort. It was getting to be too much for them.]
Digger: … -Russian- {Guys? Maybe… maybe you should go lie down, or something.}
Speedy: -GROOOOAAAANS—- -Spanish- {I want to go HOME, frag it—}
Skull: … {Guys. Please. Go to bed before you get sick. …I don’t think you can handle this right now.}
Jaden: …Something I need to do, first. -Wanders off-
Nico: …? (Now where is he going?)
—————————————————
[Jaden looked out over the Meadow from his spot on the roof. He felt… tense. Afraid. Anxious.]
-PING!-
[But it was something he had to do.
For his brothers’ sakes— and that included Avi, too.]
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: > -PING!-
[.......]
-PING!-
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: Well, well. If it isn't Drill Hands! Heh. This ought to be good.
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: > …
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: > … Everything’s going to be okay, Avi.
[…This.
This hurt.
Knowing that it wouldn’t make sense until after it was over.
But he had to give Six something to fall back on for when that DID happen.]
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: ......
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: Uh, what?
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: >Tobias is going to be fine.
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: >He’ll be okay once you and Dyna are okay.
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: >Don’t blame yourself for what happened—it’s not your fault.
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: >You aren’t yourself.
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: ....Yeeeeaaaah I don't get it.
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: The spark guy's still out of it--and so's my annoying pesky bee of a sister.
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: And I'm MORE than not MYSELF, Drill Hands. I'm BETTER.
[Data fuzz.]
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: > …I get it. Really, I do. The power. It’s intoxicating, isn’t it?
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: Intoxicating? That would be the aforementioned sister.
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: At least I KNOW what to DO with it rather than just gobble it up, ya know? But--I will admit it DOES feel good being up TOP. Heh. Get it?
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: > … -Okay, despite the situation, that DOES make him snort-
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: Yeaaaaaah you geeeeet iiiiiit.~ Heh Heh.
<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: DWN-023
[Another data fuzz, and more music plays.]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EdEryFQy6k
[Except it’s not acoustic, it’s BLARING ROCK.]
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: What the--
“Their chances are thinning I dodge bullets when I’m spinning New plans are just beginning I’ve hit the top”
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: ...You doing this, Drill Hands?
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: > Uh, that would be a no.
Jaden: … (But I have a feeling I know what IS…)
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: ...Heh. Well, either way, I'm flattered. Not gonna get you ANYWHERE with me, but it's a nice tune...
Avi: (STILL don't know what that is, maybe a glitch in the system...?)
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: >Yeah, that’d be 23’s song.
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: >The one from earlier was Ten’s.
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: Thanks for the fun facts.
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: But I really don't have time for Song Trivia 101.
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: Tick Tock, Drill Hands. Time waits for no one.
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: > …You’ve got THAT right… -Murmurs of data, almost like a shudder- Time and tide.
<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: DWN-014. SUB-REFERENCE: DWN-012.
[A VERY eerie tune starts playing.]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Sum7N-detY
[One was suddenly taken back—back to a dusty desert, under a merciless sun—]
<DWN-013>: > No no STOP! Cancel the cross-reference!
<RMDC>: > COMMAND RECOGNIZED: AUTHORIZATION DWN-013. CANCELING…
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: ....What the frag was that?
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: Are you trying to PULL something here, Drill Hands?
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: > Nngh—! No, Avi, it’s just—
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: >You’re activating cross-references, that’s an automatic thing—
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: >When they get active, they go live, that’s just how we work—
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: >Just—!
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: >…Please, Aviator. Don’t blame yourself for this…!
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: Tch.
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: You're not making much sense here, buddy--and frankly, it's getting annoying.
[Data fuzz.]
[No, he is our younger brother, he’s—
woah woah wait what
since when was Drill Hands a brother—]
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: >Just remember that! It’s not really you causing trouble atop that tower!
<DWN-013 to MNN-006>: >It isn’t permanent. Don’t blame yourself for this. This was far beyond your control, Number Six.
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: .......
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: Drill Hands, Drill Hands, Drill Hands...
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: You say this is all beyond my control--but who's the one riding the airwaves here, hmm? Who's the one that can send this whole COUNTRY right back to the Stone Age at the push of a button, huh?
[BZZZZZKKKKKT—]
[Kkkkkkkk…]
[The static faded, and Jaden still seemed to be thinking on how to best answer that.]
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: Who's the one that--ugh, SHUT UP.
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: Ya know what, lemmie just get right to the point.
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: At least I'm not the one that's pacing back and forth up here.
[MN.6 to DWN-013] //: Right?~
Jaden: …!
<RMDC>: > CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: DWN-017.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSDvJ_zPb0g
[MN.6] //: DANG IT--
[Whatever Jaden’s response may have been, it was lost to the music.]
[Kkkkkkkkkk…]
<RMDC>: > ERROR: DWN-013 SIGNAL LOST. CONNECTION FAILED.
[Kkkkksssst….]
[The music faded, but…]
[…Despite Jaden being gone, it was as if SOMEONE were still there—watching, and listening.]
[MN.6] //: Gah, you Angel freaks just don't know when to QUIT, do you...?
[MN.6] //: Freakin' annoying--
[C R A S H--!]
————————
[Although the fight was broadcast, Mikhail didn’t watch it. He was a little busy reviewing the notes that DWN-019 had brought with him.
They were straightforward enough—he’d found a working alternative to the E-Tanks—some sort of potion or elixir, from the looks of it. It seemed to operate on the same energy <—> matter conversion. While not the easiest to obtain—a relatively rare item from another world—they could be bought in bulk, and had been known to work on robots. It wasn’t the ideal solution, but it would do in the interim.]
Mikhail: ({Lord knows we’ll need it, by the time we find the others. Now, the main question is going to be one of the energy cores—})
“HE DID IT!”
Mikhail: -Looks up- !
[The twins began rapidly working away at the consoles.]
Siam: External server branch detected!
Gemini: Synching…!
Siamini: COMMUNICATIONS ARE ONLINE!
[Mikhail didn’t waste any time.]
<MC005 to DR.WHITE>: > -PING!-
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 4C: AVI’S NEWS REPORT=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{The Meadow}
[The sun beats down relentlessly as the eldest three Mighty Numbers listened to a story and ate ice cream.
It was a new day; a quiet one, after such a tense battle the day before. And while all the malware had been purged… there were other problems to worry about regarding Avi and Tobias.]
“The thing that causes us to age the most intensely is being witness to suffering and understanding that we’re responsible for it…"
[The magnetic field shifts somewhat as Nico gently came down from the roof and hovered over.]
Nico: …the second is seeing others suffer and being unable to either prevent or assuage it.
Nico: -Touches down- Honestly… it was all a bit inevitable once he started the process of getting through his denial. : /
Pyro: !
Dyna: Nico...!
Cryo: -SHOVES MORE ICE CREAM INTO MOUTH, WAVES-
Nico: (It’s just that he’s blaming himself instead, which… isn’t really a whole lot of progress…)
Dyna: .........
Nico: -Tired smile- Hey guys.
Nico: I am so glad to see you guys again.
Pyro: Trust me, the feeling is mutual. | ]
<DWN-018 to MNN-001>: >And while I like the ladies just fine, I am ESPECIALLY glad to see you Pyro, my stars—
[MN.1 to DWN-018] //: Eheh....
[MN.1 to DWN-018] //: I...I was the first to be rescued. It certainly helped the others...
Nico: I dunno about for you guys, but it’s been about a MONTH on this end.
Pyro: --?!?
Dyna: wait what--
Cryo: -W H A T-
Mari: ...Yeeeeaaaaaaaah that...
Nico: Time does tend to pass a lot quicker here for some reason, though, so… yeah.
Pyro: I...
Cryo: Bros it's only been about--heck not even A week--
Mari: It's been a total of--maaaybe 5-6 days?
Nico: Boy, is there a lot that Nineteen has to share with you guys. I wish we had better news, but our research projects hit a grinding halt when the plague hit. We might have made the breakthrough by now, but all of our supplies got raided.
Pyro: -IRRITATED HUFF- Cardinal...
Nico: Yeah. He kinda… ran off with, well. Everything?
Pyro: | [
Pyro: ........
Pyro: -Siiiiiiigh-
Nico: And left me in charge, it is so hard to keep a bunch of anxious Wilybots together, man—
Nico: I really hope to get sign of him soon. I have an idea of where to start looking, but it’s not very likely he’d still be there. And even if he were… =___=; I’m no tracker, like [color=blue]he[/color] is.
Nico: Shadow might be able to find him, but… he went Offline shortly after you blocked Cossack, Py. I can only assume he had been talking to Brand and it was something Brand said? Because it was an Emotions.exe -induced Stop error, which wasn’t something he’d ever had before.
Nico: Please tell me you’ve gotten word on the two wayward crimson clad, yellow scarved night walkers.
Pyro: ....No.
Cryo: We...don't know where either of them are. I mean--now that Avi's not sitting on the signals--tracking will be easier...
Dyna: -Data, maybe when Hoverbro wakes up...-
Nico: …
Mari: Buuuuut Cardinal turned off his transponder--
Nico: -Kind of just… turns to the side at that, a neutral kind of cold thoughtful… much like Cardinal used to be about something he didn’t like-
Nico: …Right… Aviator…
Nico: You guys might wanna let Cossack and White do some debugging.
Nico: …actually wait, now that I think on it, I haven’t seen Cossack all day…
Ambassador: Yeeeeaaah that’s probably where he is right now.
Nico: Mmrrph.
Nico: …
Nico: I don’t think it would be a good idea for Aviator to see us for a while.
Pyro: .........
Dyna: But--
Pyro: No--he...he's right.
Pyro: Avi...
Nico: He saw too much and Turbine /said/ much more.
[His eyes flare solid green for a moment and he hovers in agitation, looking cross.]
Nico: His threat rating got jacked all the way to BLUE, for life’s sake—!
Nico: Ugh, it’s going to take FOREVER for Siam to fix that in the database at this rate!
Cryo: (B...Blue...?)
Pyro: . . . .
Dyna: (Avi--thiszz iszz going to be zzso HARD on him...oooooh you zzstupid bi-plane, why do you have to be ZZSUCH a blabbermouth...?)
Nico: And he’s not the only one.
Dyna: ....?
[As if in a horror movie, the line suddenly is overcome by echoing pings as the others all give their input, Online or not—]
>DEATH WEARS [color=cadetblue] BLUE [/color]
Dyna: --!
Pyro: (Shade...)
[There’s a sudden fear spike, followed by an abrupt silence, and then irritation.]
<DWN-019>: > -PING!- Alright, what is it NOW, Nico—
<DWN-018>: >Have you even bothered to look out the window, dude?
<DWN-019>: >That doesn’t answer my question! I’m really busy right now, I don’t want you going and causing additional nightmares in the Second Gens, it’s bad enough already!
<DWN-018>: > …Yeah, I’ll just get straight to the point. The Whites are here.
<DWN-019>: > … OH! Oh, gracious me, I’m so terribly sorry—
[MN.1] //: It's fine, Siam. Good to hear from you again.
[MN.3] //: -BZZZ, HI SIAM--
[MN.2] //: Yo.
<DWN-019>: >I already sent over my analysis to your father. For now, I’m focused on a new project. I don’t think I can be of much more help except as a lab rat, with all of you—and I apologize for that. I just don’t know enough about Xel and coding with it.
<DWN-019>: >I’m returning my focus to the energy projects. Lord knows we’ll need the results soon enough, whenever we DO manage to find him…
<DWN-019>: >How is Turbine doing?
Nico: …
<DWN-019>: > … -REALIZES HIS MISTAKE- -DATA AAAAAAAA I AM SO SORRY IT’S JUST THAT—-
<DWN-019>: > -Gah, 19-G, go fix that in the database, will you—-
[MN.1] //: -deeeeep breath-
[MN.1] //: Still in Deep Sleep Mode. Father is already working on repairs.
Nico: -Facepalm- When was the last time you ran a Deep Sleep cycle?
<DWN-019>: > Oh, don’t you lecture me on that.
Nico: …Not since last night, when we got the data dump, clearly. Please have at least ONE of you do that. Like, now, please.
[There’s some strange abstract data for a while. Nico takes the time in the silence to set up a grill and start making hot dogs as the others finish off their share of ice cream. After a while…
…Gemini himself comes outside.]
Gemini: Sorry for the delay. I am not easy to set into Sleep mode when working on an active Analysis command.
Gemini: -Sits down- I need to talk to you about Aviator, though.
Pyro: .....Yes.
Dyna: .....
Cryo: -Hoverbro why did you have to be such a huge jerk...-
Pyro: -Hush--
Gemini: Hmm? No, no, not Turbine reborn—Aviator. …The two are both relevant in this particular discussion point to start off with, I suppose, but.
Gemini: What do you know of what happened in the beginning? Not just regarding Aviator—regarding what happened over here and between us, in general.
Pyro: .....
Pyro: I had--well, we were informed of after we were rescued by Beck--
Pyro: The virus had infected all the servers--including the RMDC. It...sent you and the entire line into Lethal--to us, it looked as if you were ALSO infected--
Cryo: But--it, like...didn't...
Dyna: ..........
Dyna: And then--Avi...and Toby...
Gemini: …
[He’s quiet for a while before he speaks.]
Gemini: We were in Lethal when things happened because we were terrified, and saw an active threat. To you, to us…
Gemini: Snow had thrown a temper tantrum that could have killed the flora around here if he hadn’t been shut down on emergency. Tobias had been… well, more on that in a moment. Dr. Cossack felt threatened, and Shadow had fainted because he first came to know despair—he’s still getting used to emotions overall, you see, so he’d never felt that before.
Gemini: In short, we were in Lethal because Tobias had been attacked to the point where he went Offline.
Gemini: …The virus itself just gave us… nightmares and fevers, really.
[He looks up for a moment with a steady gaze.]
Gemini: I’ll spare you technical details. Suffice to say, the conflict of Awareness and Emotions alongside the Lethal mode has already been a point explored very thoroughly in our own world.
Gemini: But.
Gemini: There is already so much suffering and anger and fear and hardship that we put up with and deal with… that it really doesn’t drive us mad. The Awareness function cannot be overridden that way, and so there is no loss of control.
Gemini: -Dryly- You could say we’re permanently infected, in a sense. There’s always that resentment lingering in the darkness, and I admit—at times, it can be a challenge to accept what happened and let it be.
Pyro: (Resentment...)
Dyna: -bzzzzzz...-
Cryo: ......
Gemini: It is possible to lose oneself in the moment—it’s happened plenty of times. But it’s really… just a way we’re more human than anyone will ever readily admit, to be honest, when you consider the context…
Gemini: With us—all in all, in the long run—the pain had driven us to mourn, not to lash out. So… it didn’t work. Other than to, quite frankly, [tick] us off.
Pyro: ...-Arches eyebrow-
Cryo: -She can't help but snort at that, heh--
Gemini: -Interlocks his fingers and peers over them- Now, as for Turbine and Tobias…
Gemini: That’s where things start getting “interesting”.
Gemini: Tobias is particularly sensitive to wireless signals. He has to be, to compensate for the electrical fields that he himself puts out—and the fields he would have been in, working in a power plant.
Gemini: Perhaps the virus recognized that Tobias had once spread terror, himself—albeit unwittingly. Who knows?
Gemini: In any case, it tried to take control over his body, too. Truthfully, if that HAD succeeded, it would have been beyond disastrous—given that we have a hive-mind of sorts, and Tobias is the master of the database, inside and out.
Pyro: --....
Dyna: -Bzzz bzzzzzz tobyyyyyy--
Gemini: I’m not sure exactly how that would have played out, but you can bet it would have been unpleasant and that things would be much worse for you all right now—but thankfully? …It didn’t go very well for Turbine.
Gemini: Unfortunately, it didn’t go well for Tobias or Aviator, either.
Gemini: Do you remember what Cardinal said about ways to fight off possession?
————————
“In that case, causing an information overload is the best option. For us, that would involve opening the floodgates of the database with cross-references at full volume: sensory data, memory, emotions, the works.”
————————
Pyro: ......
Pyro: --.....!
Pyro: He--Avi-- no--
Dyna: .....!!!!
Gemini: …In this case, it wasn’t actually on purpose.
Gemini: You see, for us? Such things are always active in the background. Anyone hooked into the system the way we are constantly gets distracted by little “oh, this reminds me of that” sort of things.
Gemini: We’re different enough that it usually doesn’t actively require much effort to spare you guys from that—except when we’re upset enough to be actively broadcasting it, in which case it requires a LOT of effort.
Gemini: Turbine was trying to reach not only control of Tobias, but also of the server itself—and that was the worst mistake he could have made. Because… he succeeded in getting access to the feeds. He never got any further, because…
Cross References...memories...
Cryo: --!
Pyro: Avi--...
Pyro: Avi.... saw them, didn't he...?
Gemini: …yes. Yes— he saw. I’d estimate, oh—
Gemini: Around 35-40 active cross-references of violence, death, fear, and pain?
Gemini: Not even just from us—there were some from Felix, too, due to the nature of certain Writer-scroll uploads—
Gemini: And keep in mind, this IS a full sensory experience and ALSO all playing at once.
Pyro: . . . .
[There are tears starting to well up in Cryo's eyes--and Dyna was clutching ever so tightly on her cloak.]
[Pyro...was silent...]
[MN.3 to MN.6] // A-Avi...?
[MN.6 IS CURRENTLY IN DEEP SLEEP MODE.]
Gemini: It was bad enough to break past Turbine and get to Avi, from what I understand.
Gemini: Furthermore—just because the communications were broken off… that doesn’t mean he’s no longer connected to our feeds. He’s particularly subject to whatever cross-references Tobias might make, since, well…
Gemini: Yes, Six did get access to our feeds through Light Eight, but…
Gemini: …Tobias’s system responded by rewriting itself to receive information from a Xel chassis and the correlating database system.
Pyro: What--?
Dyna: --He rewrote himself...?
Cryo: B...Bro....
Gemini: If it had kept going? He would have been ultimately possessing Aviator, probably having to battle the virus itself in the process for control.
Gemini: It stopped short of that because they all fainted from trauma, of course, but—
Gemini: There was a part of him left behind, meant to get data from Avi, so that coding was still active within Six even though you were all cut off from the RMDC main server.
Pyro: .....
Dyna: D-Doeszz that mean there'szz a part of Avi in Toby too...?
Gemini: Well…
Gemini: …Er.
Gemini: When…
Gemini: …
Gemini: Let me…
Gemini: … … …
Gemini: So. When Nine purged the virus, he also ended up purging the bit of DLN-008’s coding that was in Avi, which returned Tobias’s Awareness coding to a proper state, allowing it to function again. …That should have meant he came back Online, which he DID…
Gemini: …But he was getting data from Avi’s chassis, still, so… it kind of disoriented him and freaked him out to “look down” and see nothing but sky.
Pyro: He was seeing through Avi's eyes...?
Dyna: -Oh gosh oh gosh that must have been terrifying--
Gemini: Dr. Cossack went over to help Dr. White this morning in, er. Untangling their Awareness and sensory coding and the like.
Gemini: You really, really don’t want to be connected into our hive mind long-term, -Suddenly grave- especially not now.
[His eyes glowed a more intense shade of icy blue for a moment, and—
Fear.
Stifled, but strong, VERY strong— FEAR.]
[It was wordless but there was this semi-hysterical mantra of “the hunter, the hunter, tHE HUNTER!” that seemed to echo— at least in that brief moment before Siam regained composure and cut off the broadcast.]
Pyro: …....
Dyna: ....And...and Toby--he'szz gonna be OK, right--ZZSince Becky fixed the coding thing zzso...
Dyna: T.. they'll both be OK, right? N-Not right away, I know that, but--
Gemini: Well. Tobias will have aged quite a bit. -Closes his eyes, seeming a bit older, himself- He didn’t quite understand until that day just how much he had actually terrified people when he took control of the broadcasts. Honestly, he didn’t understand! He was very confused as to why they were scared and ultimately hostile in a lethal manner.
Gemini: Their coding will be fine, but Tobias… probably will be like he was when we first met all of you. The guilt he carries… it’s the heaviest of all of us, I’m afraid, even above Cardinal’s. Tobias’s actions directly influenced why the Blue Menace came to be—AND why Wily went insane, subsequently becoming evil (which in turn resulted in greater hostility and determination to exterminate the likes of us)—and he knows it.
Dyna: . . . .
Dyna: (Toby...!)
Pyro: -Time to wrap an arm around spark sister, there there, we know.-
Gemini: He may not wake for… some time. -Drums fingers on table, looking down as Nico passes out hot dogs- It…
Gemini: … It honestly all depends on what will happen now.
Gemini: Will your world panic, as ours did? If that happens… -Trails off-
Gemini: -…well, suffice to say, he wouldn’t be the only one who’d stay Offline-
Gemini: …However… should…
Gemini: …should things… not fall to that darkness, there is…
Gemini: -Looks up, now quite… excited, almost?-
Gemini: There is a breakthrough on the horizon.
Gemini: However dark that cloud that Turbine cast, the silver lining may just be as bright as the moon—
Gemini: A working bit of AI_DWN_OS functioned long-term in a Xel chassis.
Pyro: ....!
Cryo: ....Wait, what?
Pyro: A piece of their coding WORKED in a Xel frame, Cryo--
Gemini: Our being isn’t in hardware, it’s in SOFTWARE.
Cryo: ...oh OH OH--
Cryo: -Right cuz we got cores and stuff that's our everything--
Gemini: The bridge does exist! And it works! All we’d have to do is find a way to make it work in a fully stable fashion, and… well. It certainly would solve a LOT of problems and stave off intrusive questions if we were able to use Xel chassises when on your grounds!
Gemini: -Absentmindedly, out loud- He just has to actually survive long enough to come back, and it could save his life…
Gemini: -Aaauuugh we are just SO CLOSE TO FIXING EVERYBODY one way or another, we can FEEL it—-
Pyro: ....
Pyro: Well...
Pyro: If anyone can bridge the gap at this point--it'll certainly be you and the Doctors.
Cryo: Yeah, and then you guys can be all fancy and cool like us--
Dyna: -Oh we are so going to take Toby on a tour when he'szz better--he just haszz to get better--
Gemini: There there, Lady Dyna—he will recover, given time. He is just weary in soul, that’s all.
Gemini: But you all have taught us what “hope” is in the past, and as Cardinal once… o-once said…
[ “HOPE lives”]
<DWN-019>: > …It’s what made us truly live, once before.
<DWN-019>: > I really do believe it can do so again.
Pyro: ....heh...
Cryo: Yeah, bro--Beck's gonna fix everything, I know he will--!
Dyna: -HE'SZZ ALREADY BROUGHT HALF OF USZZ HOME, HE CAN DO IT--
Pyro: ...Yes--he will.
Pyro: He's come so far already...
Gemini: For the time being, though—it’s probably safest to let Tobias sleep. :’D;
Gemini: He, ah… well. He’ll not be in a very good mood at this stage if he is woken up, and… as extremely tempting as it is, I really don’t want him forcing his way into CherryDyn to see what the Cracker man is hiding…
Gemini: It’s hard enough with all the moving pieces, we don’t need to add more—
-PING!-
>P I N G.
Pyro: ...?
Dyna: ??
<FMN-006>: >HELLOOOOOOOOO DREAMLAND can you guys hear me—
<FMN-001>: > Please be SERIOUS, Avi—
<FMN-006>: > -HEY, trying not to panic here, bro—-
<INQUIRY FROM: DWN-009>
Nico: -Astonished- Nine got rebuilt?! Since WHEN?
Cryo: Hey, it's the mirror fam--!
Pyro: Metal...?
[A surge of notifications as the Second Gens and the Cossacks came Online.]
<DWN-013>: > -AUGH sudden headaches—- Nnngh…!
<DCN-007>: > {Don’t answer it, it’s a trap!}
<DWN-012>: > -Data, ANGRY—this is HIS BROTHER—- Not your decision to MAKE, you /derivative/—!
<FMN-003>: > OH GOSH ARE YOU GUYSZZZ OKAY—
[MN.1] //: Well--
[MN.2] //: UM, YEAH, SORTA, ONE SEC SIS--
[MN.3] //: -CONFUSED DATA, WHY ARE YOU GUYS FREAKING OUT--??-
> -PING!-
[Collectively, the DCNs send over a picture of Metalman in full armor and a scrolling list of how many of the Robot Masters were killed by the Metal Blade (and oh, also that he cross-references with Bladeblaster as a result—)]
<DWN-012>: > Yeah well SCREW YOU ALL SO HARD— he is my brother and he taught me why humans are fragile, HE’S THE WHOLE REASON WE ARE P A C I F I S T S—
[MN.3] //: -BZZZBZZZZZZZZ-
[MN.2] //: -ooooh boy this is not gonna end well--
<DCN-007>: > Which he did by giving you all the gory details—!
<DWN-012>: > -Aggressive data!-
<DWN-012 has left the channel.>
<DCN-007>: > -Russian shouting- {Get back here before I arrest you for treason, dammit—}
<DCN-007 has left the channel.>
<DCN-008>: > … -Siiiighs- I’ll be right back.
<DCN-008 has left the channel.>
<FMN-006>: > Uhhhhhh…
<FMN-006>: > [sub]is this a bad time[/sub]
[MN.2] //: -That depends, Goosey--
[MN.1] //: -Looooong Sigh-
[MN.1] //: (What does Metal want in a time like this...?)
<FMN-006>: >WELL mostly we just wanted to check in with you guys—I mean man, serious memory fuzz over here but we know it was bad—
<FMN-002>: >HEY. HEY OTHER US FAM DUDES. HAVE YOU SEEN HER.
<FMN-005>: >You know that’s the WRONG question to ask—
<FMN-002>: >FINE THEN HAS ANY FOOD GONE MISSING, [GLITCHES], PLEASE SAY YES.
Gemini: …
Gemini: -nope. NOPE. NOPE NOPE NOPE OFFICIALLY TOO MUCH TO DEAL WITH RIGHT NOW—
<DWN-019 has gone into dual Deep Sleep mode.>
Gemini: Zzz.
[MN.1] //: .....
[MN.1] //: ............
[MN.2] //: Wait Shadesis isn't with you guys--?!?
[MN.3] //: --OH GLITCH--
Nico: -Facepalm- Glitchfrag it—
<FMN-002>: >WHAT YOU MEAN SHE ISN’T WITH—WHOEVER THAT WAS, THAT ONE CHERRY DUDE THAT SHE WAS ON PROTECTION DETAIL FOR?
<FMN-007>: > -Why are you STILL yelling—-
<FMN-001>: > Not again… -I may not remember the details but I know the first time was hard enough—-
[MN.1] //: Jack?
[MN.3] //: We haven't zzseen him either--
[MN.2] //: DIDN'T WE LEAVE HIM BACK IN ENGLAND--??
Nico: Give me one moment… -Gritting teeth-
<RMDC>: > LATEST ENTRY FOR FILE ON: CDN-7037 <RMDC>: >TIMESTAMP: ERROR <RMDC>: >LOCATION: WILDERNESS, FELIX’S HOLLOW
Nico: -AUGH, FANTASTIC—-
[MN.2] //: What WHAT IS IT BRO--
Nico: Okay, so—
Nico: We had a BUNCH of presents to give out, we had to leave before we finished with Brand’s, and there’s still Avi and by now plenty others, I’m sure—
Nico: Felix was keeping track of it all because let’s face it, he gives out like half of it? By the way, Beck left his Xel swords here.
Nico: Well, Countershade: Ladies Edition had also left some stuff for Jack there too, and I know Snow also had something to give him—
Nico: But more importantly—
Nico: From the Wilderness, you can travel ANYWHERE!
[MN.2] //: W H A T.
[MN.3] //: Wait then that meanszz--
<DWN-018>: > -DOCTOR COSSAAAAAAAAAAAAACK—-
[MN.1] //: -NO NOT H I M TOO--
<MC005>: > -Ping-
<MC005>: > What is going on over there?
[MN.2] //: Lots of things, Noodle #2--
[MN.1] //: -FACEPALMS-
[MN.3] //: -BZZZBZZZZ--
[MN.2] //: -I think things just got slightly worse--
<MC005>: > -Clearly putting this on speaker- …Judging by the fact that both of Nineteen are in Sleep mode, that is certainly possible— I’d appreciate being told why.
[MN.1] //: Doctor--have you or anyone in the Meadow seen either Carmen or Jack?
<MC005>: > …
<MC005>: > -Sounds as if he’s turned aside to talk to someone else- …There did seem to be a lot more food missing than usual at one point, and we are missing a small cooler…
<FMN-004>: > Not Sis. :T Sis eat, no take.
<MC005>: > …Wait. You’re…? And she’s not with you?
<FMN-007>: > No, she is not.
<MC005>: > What do you remember?
<FMN-002>: >NOT MUCH, RUSSIAN NOODLEO.
<MC005>: > -Russian curse phrase, conveniently not one loaded into the data banks!-
<MC005>: >Lady Shade has the willpower and focus to take advantage of the unstable nature of spacetime between worldly dimensions. And unlike the rest of you, she also had motive that would drive her to DO so, even while infected!
<FMN-001>: > Are you saying she’s STILL SICK?!
<FMN-009>: > But I C U R E D HER!
<MC005>: >You don’t understand—!
<MC005>: >She was in two places and times at once, because she was just that driven to do so—
<MC005>: >Within your timeline proper, she is healed, yes, but she also left that before that happened, so any place outside of there…! You have to handle that separately!
<FMN-006>: > -Hoo boy not again…-
[MN.1] //: Ngh...!
[MN.2] //: - AAAAAAAAAAAH-- -
[MN.3] //: AND IF SHE'SZZ ZZSICK THEN--JACK--
Nico: -Double facepalm- As if Cardinal being gone weren’t bad enough. At least Cardinal can handle himself in a fight!
<FMN-003>: >Um, broszzz…?
<FMN-003>: >And szzisses?
<FMN-003>: >Can I juszzt szzay szzomething real quick?
[MN.1] //: ...Yes?
<FMN-003>: >Unlesszz thiszz Cherry REALLY doeszz szzomething incredibly dumb, well. She’s not going to have been hunting him down. -Bzzapzap- I mean. She waszz on hiszz protection detail, even. She’szz really big into that. Bzzzz… moszzztly she gives jerkszz a really hard time, you know? Like. Even nutszzzo, why hunt the Cherry? I don’t think szzo.
Nico: But we haven’t seen her, so she must be up to /some/thing…
[MN.1] //: .....
[MN.1] //: But if she's not hunting Jack, then...
Nico: But she doesn’t know anybody else!
<FMN-001>: > …
<FMN-005>: >Well, that’s not quite true. ?_? There was that one cheating swine that ruined the finals for you guys, for one—I believe she actually shot him in the—
Nico: … Uh.
Nico: okay what—
Nico: His file lists him as… DEAD?
<FMN-002>: > …
<FMN-002>: > -[REDACTED!]-
<FMN-006>: >LEEEEET’S not get too crazy, uh—lemme see that file—
<FMN-006>: > …Man, this was ages ago. If she’s still out there, she’s up to something else, assuming she was even involved in this to begin with? [sub]Doesn’t quite fit her style, anyway…[/sub]
<FMN-001>: > Does she know anyone else?
Nico: … Well, she got ahold of our databases at one point and read up on stuff, so I guess she has heard of other people…
Nico: But who would be important enough for her to hunt down?
[MN.1] //: . . . . .
<MC005>: > …
<MC005>: > Dear God.
<FMN-001>: > What?
<MC005>: > Gravecrasher.
[MN.2] //: .......
[MN.3] //: The...the guy that...?
<FMN-003>: > …???
[MN.1] //: .....
[MN.2] //: Mirror Fam?
[MN.2] //: .....
[MN.2] //: Shade...Shadebro...lost his arm in a different way than your Eight.
<FMN-003>: > …
<FMN-001>: > -THIS does not bode well-
[MN.2] //: Long story short--
[MN.2] //: THIS guy was responsible.
<FMN-002>: >Okay. Yep. YEP. HE’S XELSTAINS, OTHER ME. 88’D If she’s really gone after him then we’re too late by now.
Nico: Way to be at least willing to try and stop it…!
<FMN-002>: >Magnet dude, I’m just being realistic here—Sis was angrier about that incident and the aftermath than just about anything else—
<FMN-002>: >Well, other than the whole VOTING thing, I mean—
[MN.1] //: ......
[MN.1] //: Wait...
<FMN-002>: >Hmm?
Nico: …I don’t get it. I thought you guys got to vote at a certain age?
<FMN-002>: > Huh? No, not voting rights—
<FMN-002>: > I mean, you know, we voted on whether she was gonna be a babbu sniperbro or Snipersis. c::
<FMN-002>: > AND GIRL POWER WON THE DAY, YEEEAAAAAH
Nico: …So what does that have to do with her being angry, then?
<FMN-002>: > ‘cause it wasn’t UNANIMOUS like it SHOULD have beeeeen—
[MN.3] //: ......It wasn't?
[MN.2] //: Wait--If YOU guys voted for girl--and knowing us, I bet Mic and Bat didn't care...
<FMN-004>: > Mic no care. ^w^
<FMN-005>: > … -Sarge was wise enough to know it’s not a good idea to start off on the wrong foot with an assassin if you want a prayer of being backed up by them at the front lines-
[MN.2] //: Aaaaand knowing how we drive Pyro and Brand up a wall--
[MN.1] //: -_-;;
[MN.2] //: That makes the deciding vote--
[MN.2] //: ....oH--
<FMN-006>: > :^D
<FMN-006>: >I THOUGHT IT WOULD MAKE LIFE INTERESTING?
<FMN-003>: >You were tired of being bosszzzzed around by uszzz and HOPED you could bosszzz around a YOUNGER SZZISTER. Nope~
<FMN-003>: >But that’szz okay, we love you anyway, Helicopterchoppers~
[MN.2] //: c::
[MN.3] //: ~~<3
<FMN-006>: > ^.^
<FMN-006>: >But yeah oh man, it was GREAT! We got along pretty well more or less as soon as she could adjust her settings so things weren’t constantly turned up to 11.
[MN.1] //: (I can see why--knowing that he was the one that ultimately decided on her gender...)
[MN.1] //: ........
[MN.1] //: But....
[MN.1] //: I imagine not so well with Brand.
<FMN-007>: > …
<FMN-007>: > Not…
<FMN-007>: > Not even close…
[MN.1] //: -Sigh, yup, just like our own Seven and Eight at first...-
Nico: …Uh. Just how BAD are we talking, here?
<FMN-007>: > …
<FMN-001>: > …
<FMN-001>: > …Bad enough that she shut herself in her room for several days without a word.
Nico: …I’ve SEEN her eat.
Nico: Or rather, I’ve seen what happens WHEN she eats, because she’s always stealing our stuff when invisible—
Nico: Dude, what the glitch did you say that would put her off food for that long?! ._.;;;
<FMN-007>: > I…
<FMN-007>: > I told her she couldn’t handle being a professional assassin because she was too sheltered, and too young.
[MN.1] //: ........
[MN.2] //: Bro you what--
[MN.3] //: -WINCES-
<FMN-007>: > She just—! ANNOUNCED it out of nowhere at dinner one night, she was already on her second mission, even!
<FMN-007>: > She was just—I didn’t think she really understood, she was so young, and so… …overconfident in her abilities…
[MN.1] //: (Ah--Cocky--Shade was like that too, before...)
[MN.3] //: -Jeezzz, though--really, bro? I juszzt--wow.-
<FMN-001>: >Nngh… well, back then, she didn’t like being a “team” player necessarily… she wasn’t very good at waiting for backup…
<FMN-001>: >We weren’t too keen on her being like that in a situation where people were going to actually try and kill her.
[MN.2] //: .......
[MN.1] //: (—...Shade--either you really WERE that confident in your abilities, or...)
[MN.3] //: ..........
[MN.2] //: What about Big Bro--? Did SHE get along with you?
<FMN-001>: > …Not necessarily. Er…
<FMN-003>: > -sNORT- Hee hee…!
<FMN-003>: > -Starts cackling- She waszzz nervouszz of him for quite a while, hee hee—!
<FMN-003>: >Alwayszzz szzoo SZZTERN and commanding and— -WITCH CACKLE- SHE KINDA NAILED HIM TO THE FLOOR THAT ONE TIME—
<FMN-001>: > =_____=;;;
<FMN-001>: > [sub]… thought… -grumble mumble- piggyback rides…[/sub]
<FMN-003>: > -PYRO-SHAPED DENT IN THE FLOOR FOR DAAAAAAYYYYYSZZZZZ- -LIKE, IT WAS LITERALLY THERE FOR A FEW DAYS-
<FMN-005>: > -AHEM. EXCUSE ME, C.O., BUT I NEED TO GO LOSE MY SRS FOR A MOMENT OVER THERE. PERMISSION TO BE EXCUSED?-
[MN.2] //: -SSSNNORT-
[MN.3] //: -CRACKS UP--
[MN.1] //: -Ow--
<FMN-001>: > -Facepalm and a sigh-
<FMN-001>: >It… that wasn’t her fault, she didn’t mean to cause damage.
<FMN-001>: >She… rather had a hard time relating to most of us for quite a long time.
<FMN-001>: >Why, we didn’t even see her at all for nearly a year, once she came Online.
<FMN-001>: >We got along better once she… recovered from the incident and… well, also mellowed out.
[MN.1] //: ..........
[MN.3] //: -Oh no--
[MN.2] //: You mean when she...
<FMN-001-007>: > …
<FMN-001>: > …She just… came back one night.
<FMN-003>: > Szzzcreaming.
<FMN-007>: > …To this day, all we know for sure is that she was alone and outside.
[MN.1] //: ......
[MN.2] //: ...Sis...
[MN.3] //: -So that's why she makeszz up zzstories...-
<FMN-001>: > …Yes.
<FMN-001>: >She got tired of inquiries, so she gave what was obviously a lie, just to be left alone.
<FMN-001>: >Over time, I guess that became her way of… taking control of it, somehow.
<FMN-001>: >Either she’s sworn to secrecy because it was an official mission, or…
<FMN-001>: > …she got in over her head with something so horrific she refuses to speak on it…
[MN.2] //: . . .
[MN.3] //: ......
[MN.1] //: God....
[MN.2] //: .....Do ya think....
[MN.2] //: Someone was responsible--like Gravecrasher...?
<FMN-001>: > …I don’t know. I… I-I d-don’t think so, she…
<FMN-001>: > She can be reckoned quite beautiful, but she wasn’t hurt… other ways…
[MN.1] //: ......................
[MN.3] //: ZZZSo what--is she just chilling out in some place??? Who ELSE would she...
<FMN-006>: > …Well, she just has this thing against dudes in general, I mean—some of the guys in the arena were real jerks until I showed them the glory of the sky! :^D
<FMN-003>: > Yeah, by szzztringing them up a flagpole in the middle of the practiczze field by their underpantszz. c:
[MN.1] //: . . . . .
[MN.2] //: NIIIIIIIICE.~
[MN.3] //: -PINGS OF APPROVAL-
<FMN-003>: > -AND THEN HE SANG THE NATIONAL ANTHEM BUT AS A PARODY and Sarge was sZZO MAD until he learned the context, at which point he provided szzome BACKGROUND PERCUSSION WITH BOMBSZZ~-
[MN.1] //: -........nope, he lost his straight face--
[MN.2] //: KYAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA--
[MN.3] //: -OH Y E S Z Z THAT IS GOOD--
<FMN-001>: > …Heh…
<FMN-001>: > -Slight sigh- I almost wish…
<FMN-001>: > …
<FMN-001>: > I’m not really sure where she might be, but…
<FMN-001>: >…Maybe your Aviator knows.
[MN.1] //: ....Maybe.
[MN.1] //: It'll be a while before he awakens, though...
[MN.3] //: Yeah...
<FMN-001>: >Mmm…
<FMN-001>: >Well, he’s probably the most likely person she would have talked to, other than this… Jack fellow…
<FMN-001>: >Unless she also talked with her sisters.
<FMN-006>: > I dunno, Bonfire—she plays her cards real close to her chest, since that’s usually the only way it works before you or Brand scold her.
Nico: …Avi WAS blocking the signals, though… maybe she complained about that.
<FMN-006>: > yyyyyyeah I could see her doing that
<FMN-006>: >Well… hey! Maybe with the feeds back up, she’ll turn up soon? :^D
<FMN-006>: >Or at least you could find that Jack guy—before he gets in over his head. Man, I wonder where he ended up…
<FMN-006>: >I mean—she only knows so many people—just a few rivals, some coworkers, the family, and 7037, man.
[MN.1] //: Jack--gah, he's certainly brave, yes, but...
[MN.2] //: Guy was a Civvie--and it's SO messed up out there, yo...
<FMN-001>: > Can he really handle himself? …I’d worry for whoever were against him, if not…
<FMN-001>: >She can be very unkind in Defensive mode, and that’s on a healthy day…
<FMN-006>: >By the way. Where is everyone else?
[MN.1] //: Beck's in repairs--Sanda's doing those--and Father and Dr. Cossack are both working on Avi and Tobias.
[MN.2] //: Call's, uh...ya know, doing her thing and data analysing...pretty sure she's still awake--then again, she doesn't sleep...
Nico: Who’s “Call”? ?__?
Nico: This is the second time you’ve mentioned her—
[MN.2] //: --CRAP--
<DCN-003>: >COUSIN I THINK SOMEONE IS CALLING YOU.
Nico: … -Narrows eyes- That’s not going to work a second—
<DCN-003>: > NO REALLY, ALNICO, SOMEONE IS TRYING TO REACH YOU IN THE LAB.
Nico: This had better be good… -Hovers off-
[.........]
[MN.2] //: -Why do we ALWAYS forget about the whole Call thing UUUUGH WE'RE SORRY--
<MC005>: > It’s alright, one of these days we’ll just have to sort that out…
<MC005>: > The Second Generation constructs appear to have dispersed… Nineteen is in Sleep mode, and Shadow is still Offline… -Sighs-
<MC005>: > He’ll likely stay that way until Brand has recovered again.
<FMN-001>: > Wait.
<FMN-001>: > You mean he’s still out there?! ALONE?!?
[MN.1] //: He hasn't been located yet, Avi was--
[MN.2] //: Mic and Bat are still sick too...
<FMN-004>: > Uh-oh. :E
<FMN-007>: > … -Dare… dare we ask if…-
<FMN-007>: > … -Nnnngh of course—of COURSE, because he can turn INVISIBLE, just like she can, augh-
<FMN-001>: > … -Well THAT explains why the “fun sized version of male!Shade” is also nowhere to be heard in this conversation-
<MC005>: > -Small sigh-
<FMN-001>: > …Well. I suppose for now, all we can ask is that you keep us updated.
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 4D: AVI’S NEWS REPORT=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
[MEANWHILE, SOMEWHERE IN IDAHO...]
[Jack had learned how to drive a lot of different vehicles in his on and off odd jobs--this pick-up truck was no exception. He STILL felt bad about taking something that wasn't his--]
Jack: (I'll have to write down the license plate and return it later...)
[...But Eli had a point.]
[This were dire times, and they called for drastic measures.]
Jack: ........
[The road was...]
[Empty.]
[...Desolate, even.]
Jack: (Creepy...)
Jack: (I...I guess everyone already evacuated the major cities...right?)
Jack: (.....It's--It's too quiet.)
Jack: (Maybe whoever owns this truck has some decent tunes...?)
[He found nothing in the glove compartment--but he did find some CDs in the compartment in the middle. No labels, though. Shrugging, Jack popped one of the plainer looking ones and loaded up Track 1.]
Jack: --Oookay, let's see what--
[RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH--]
[What followed was SO loud and so disorientating, Jack almost lost control of the truck. Luckily, he pushed mute before he became completely deaf.]
Jack: ....What the hell?
[...Apparently the owner was a fan of hardcore screamo.]
Jack: (Jeezus, I'm NOT gonna listen to that for who KNOWS how long...)
Jack: (I'm NOT risking my ears for the other CDs--maybe the radio has something good-)
[Click!]
"--Check, check one, check two! Sibilance, sibilance!"
Jack: (...Oh. Right. I forgot...)
"And now, live from Avi News World Headquarters, continuing coverage of...! BA DA DA DA...! NATION. IN. CRISIS!~"
Jack: Not exactly breaking news there, Six...
Jack: ......!!!
[Jack raises up the volume as he broadcast continues and unfolds...
It was a tense and harrowing broadcast, filled with harsh words from Avi, please from Beck—and then sudden, repeated interference, wherein Dyna screamed and strange music was played very loudly between bursts of static that were clearly Morse code.
It was soon clear that Beck was trying to take down Avi—alone!]
Jack: Oh God oh God--
[But he succeeded.
HE DID IT!]
[......]
[HOOOOOONK.]
Jack: HELL YEAH, KID, YA DID IT, WOO--!!
[As the comms were now officially freed from Avi's viral grasp, Jack honked the horn of the truck several times in cheer. The kid--Beck--man, the little guy-- who would've thought it?]
Jack: WOOOO HA--awwww man...!
Jack: Kid actually did it...
[It was nothing short of a miracle, in his eyes.]
[.......]
Jack: ........
Jack: (......)
Jack: (Maybe--I can try to contact Miss Eight...?)
Jack: (....No--she wouldn't answer, would she...)
Jack: (........Maybe I should get around to calling the Russians like Bird Guy said...?)
Jack: (....No, wait, bad idea--they'd probably try to stop me. Or try to teleport me out or something...)
Jack: (...I gotta let SOMEONE know I'm still kicking, though...)
Jack: ....
Jack: (...Ngh, screw it. Gotta take advantage of the comms before something ELSE goes screwy...)
[Jack rummages through his bag until he finds the burner phone, and scrolls though the list of contacts.]
[…It’s a very short list. There are only four numbers on it—
One for Dr. White, one for Dr. Cossack, one for a “Ms. Nighthawk,” and one that had a KCMO area code on it…]
Jack: ......
Jack: (Dr. White's there too--and Ms. Nighthawk...?)
Jack: (Must be someone important if Miss Eight put her there...)
Jack: (...Kay, then. Doc Cossack.)
[CALLING...]
[…It worked!
…but he got… voicemail. Aaaaand of course the message was in Russian, and suddenly—]
[BEEEEP!]
[…Oh, right—now it was recording—]
Jack: .....
[That...that was not a good sign.]
[Why wasn't he answering the phone?]
Jack: .....
Jack: Um...yeah, uh...Doctor Cossack...?
Jack: I--I don't know if you remember me or anything, but--it's...it's Den. Dencerjack.
Jack: ...Well, just Jack now but--yeah.
Jack: I...
Jack: The Bird Guy told me to call you guys but--
Jack: .....
Jack: I hope you guys are OK too--really sorta scaring me that you're not answering but--you're probably helping out or busy or...something.
Jack ...I hope.
Jack: I'm, uh...OK too. Sorta. Kinda. Almost died a couple of times--but I'm OK.
Jack: ......
Jack: I....
Jack: You probably think I'm stupid or crazy or something.
Jack: And in hindsight--
Jack: Iiiiiiii probably am.
Jack: You probably already figured out what I'm doing by now, I guess. If Double Dude didn't tell you--then again I didn't exactly tell him either, so.
Jack: .....
Jack: Please don't...
Jack: I...I have to know if she's OK.
Jack: I just have to.
Jack: ......
Jack: So...
Jack: Good luck, and...tell the Xel kid I'm rooting for him.
Jack: ....See ya.
[Click.]
[…About a minute later…]
DOOdootdootDOOdootdootDOOdootdooDOO dootdooDOOdoodoodooDOOdoodoo…
[…It was Korobeiniki!]
Jack: ...!?
Jack: (Holy crap holy crap--)
[ANSWER CALL.]
Jack: Doc??
[NOPE. Definitely not Doctor Cossack—]
“Mister Jack you ARE OKAY!”
[…Sooooomeone a lot younger. A little girl, to be precise.]
“I watched your match and if you are back that means Father can talk to his friend again!”
Jack: .....
Jack: (...Wait who's this...??)
“Where is мой герой?”
Jack: (--Father--?? Doc Cossack's a dad like--legitly?)
Jack: Uh--um--hold up, hold up--
Jack: Sorry, kid--I--I don't speak or understand Russian--sorry--
Jack: Is your...Dad there?
[A pause, as if she’s thinking on how to answer that. Eventually, she seems to come to a conclusion.]
“Papa is at work. He gave the phone to me so I could call him.”
[Another pause.]
“You said you had heard from ‘Bird Guy’—that is Mister Cardinal, da?”
Jack: Yeah, him, him. That guy. He told me to call you guys as soon as I could--which is now.
Jack: (Work--nah. He's probably helping out or something, yeah. Whew.)
Jack: Alright--miss, do me a favor and tell your dad I called, OK?
Jack: What about you--are you somewhere safe?
[Another pause, with muffled sounds of talking. Then an eager return.]
“Yes! I am with the Nighthawks. Papa is in the Meadow working on Tobias and helping learn about the virus. Where is Mister Cardinal?”
Jack: (Ah, knew it--guess that's the Nighthawks I saw on the contacts...)
Jack: I....I don't know, miss. He called me from Kansas City, but I don't think he's there anymore.
Jack: ...I'm sorry.
[Russian complaining as she’s clearly holding the phone away from her face to talk to the other person there. Sounds of others talking in the background, and then more agitated Russian, with Shade’s name thrown in there several times.]
Jack: (Oooooohkaaaay...)
“It’s okay, Kalinka—He rescued you, I’m sure he can handle himself—”
[More Russian.]
“Is Jack still on the line?”
“…! OH! Oops…”
[Aaaand she’s back.]
“Sorry, Mister Jack. I was distracted.”
Jack: (Yeah, I could hear you from here--)
Jack: Um, it's fine, Miss...Kalinka.
“Where are you? Are you in America?”
Jack: Uuuuh....
Jack: .....
Jack: -Somewhat nervously- Y-Yeeeaah, right. USA. Got there through the Meadow and Wilderness.
[Cheerful talking in the background.]
“Ms. Ky says that you are clever to take the Wilderness shortcut, and is very curious where you ended up.”
[Another pause.]
“…And that the highways might be dangerous?”
Jack: I...um.
Jack: . . .
Jack: Yeah, got it. I'll be careful.
Jack: I...ended up somewhere REAL rainy. Uh. Yeah.
Jack: (Iiiii don't know how much I can tell this kid with the other person with her...)
Jack: It's been...a real experience.
[A bit of a pause.]
“…Will you come back soon? And be safe in the Meadow, da?”
Jack: ......
Jack: Sure, Miss.
Jack: I'll be back.
Jack: (...In one piece, hopefully...)
“Okay. I’ll let my older brother know to make you some ice cream! Be safe, Mister Jack! Bye now.”
[Click.]
Jack: ....
Jack: Yeah...
Jack: -SIGHS-
[The CherryDyn Number runs a nervous hand over silvery locks, driving further into the highway that ran through the state. If he kept going, he'd eventually hit Utah...]
Jack: Hooo jeez...
Jack: (Gotta stay away from the bigger interstates--THAT one's probably got some remote control cars and if the virus got THOSE...)
[At least there wasn't any traffic here...so far.]
Jack: (OK, time to think, Jack...)
Jack: (Miss Eight's gonna go after her own brother--but WHERE could he be is the question...)
Jack: (Seven, Seven...)
Jack: (Brandish, sword guy. He can cut ANYTHING, they say. Oh, man...)
[Seeing as he had little to go on, Jack once again turned on the radio. News reports were flooding airwaves at last as he kept driving onwards--they were mostly damage reports and warnings...]
Jack: (Nothing new there...)
Jack: (Come ON, there has to be SOMETHING--Anything--!)
"Robots are still going berserk across the country--"
Click.
"We implore any fleeing civilians to please be safe and stay away from--"
"--Susan if you can hear this PLEASE CALL ME WE'RE SO WORRIED--"
"--We have confirmation of havoc caused by a rouge robot directly attacking--"
"CherryDynamics has confirmed that communications have been restored--"
Jack: (--!!)
Jack: Wait what was that--
Click.
"--Highway Alpha 6 is under attack, I repeat, Highway Alpha 6 is under attack--Eyewitnesses have spotted a rouge robot destroying vehicles with no regard to innocent life--"
Jack: ...?
"We have reports that the rouge robot is armed with bladed weapons and is currently in the Four Corners area--"
Jack: --!!!
Jack: (Wow--that HAS to be the most luck I've gotten in all this...)
Jack: (It's gotta be Seven--gotta be...!)
[Four Corners...that wasn't TOO far from here...]
Jack: (Wherever she is--she's probably heading there now, if she isn't already--)
Jack: (I hope this thing can handle going a hu--)
[KEERRRRRRRK--]
Jack: ......
Jack: YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME--
[.....That sound--and the smoke coming from the bottom of the hood certainly weren't very good signs.]
[It was official--]
[Jack had the worst luck in the entire world, and he was not afraid of screaming his frustration into the steering wheel.]
Jack: (Why--WHY.)
[After sitting in despair for a couple of minutes, Jack stepped out of the truck, slammed the door, and walked to the smoking engine.]
[A BLAST of black soot and heat pounded his face.]
Jack: Uuuugh, please let it not be the battery...
[...Nope, wasn't the battery at all.]
[It was the cooling system--he ran out of water.]
Jack: (Greaaaaat, it overheated...)
Jack: (Guess I gotta fix it--though, where am I gonna get some water...?)
Jack: (First there was too MUCH of it back in Seattle and now there's not enough...tch...)
Jack: (Uuugh, let's see, let's see--)
[He scours the back, but no such luck. Eventually, he decides to check the cooler that was given to him.]
Jack: (...! Yes...! Some gallons--nice and cool, too, okay...)
[Once again popping open the hood, he starts pouring in the water, looking over anything else he needs to fix...]
Jack: (Fuel line looks OK, battery is good...)
[......]
[Virrrrrrrr...]
Jack: ...?
[What was that noise...?]
[VIRRRRRR.....]
Jack: .....!
[In the distance, he could JUST make out a few vehicles heading this way--at a rather fast pace, actually.]
Jack: (Huh...)
Jack: (Wonder if they're from Seattle too--)
[TH-WANG!]
Jack: --?!?
[Was that--]
[TH-WHAG!]
Jack: (G-Gunfire!)
[One of the bullets managed to stray off and hit the hood of the truck, causing Jack to yelp in terror.]
Jack: (Are--Are they shooting AT me??)
Jack: (Oh my God what did I DO--)
[With no desire to find out, Jack slammed the hood down and scrambled for the wheel, quickly putting on his seat belt and--]
[CHRRRRRR--]
Jack: (Come on START ALREADY--!!)
[TH-WANG!]
[Another shot bounced off the roof of the car--!]
[The engine turned over at last--]
Jack: (FINALLY THANK YOU--)
[He FLOORS it, back on the road, adjusting his rearview mirror in order to spot the shooters in the vehicles behind him--which were catching up FAST.]
Jack: .... Wait a sec--
[Were those... motorcycles? ]
Jack: Nonono--
[A group of about 7 motorcycles, of all kinds, tearing though the highway at speeds that FAR exceeded the legal limit. Gunfire rang out into the sky, as well as the asphalt around Jack's stolen truck.]
Jack: (CRAP, THEY'RE GONNA SHOOT OUT THE TIRES--)
Jack: (I gotta outrun them--no WAY am I gonna get pulled over and mugged by some motor gang--!)
Jack: (Not when I'm this close...!)
Jack: (Alright, weird, magic bag that I still don't have any idea how you work--)
Jack: (Do you got ANYTHING that can help me deal with these guys...??)
[Jack drove unsteadily, swerving with one hand on the wheel as he rummaged in the bag blindly with the other. He somehow reached past the cooler—as he flicked his hand, something new would come within reach each time.]
[Okay… there was the cooler, the lantern, the bedding stuff, some sort of first-aid kit, some… feathers? (Huh?)]
Jack: .....
Jack: (What the fraaaag--?? What IS that--)
Jack: (Something--cool...and--)
Jack: OW--ow what was that--?? (Feels like I pricked myself--??)
[Then he grasped what seemed to be a squishy disc. It sure seemed to be giving off a lot of heat, though…]
Jack: (....E-Ew--)
[After glancing backwards and wincing a bit at the gunfire around him, Jack pulls out the squishy-like disk....]
Jack: .....-Sniff...?-
Jack: Oil...?
Jack: . . .
Jack: ....!
[Oil--!]
[If he threw it out the window just right--]
[VIRRRRRRRRRRRRR--!!]
"GET 'EM, BOYS--!"
Jack: (SCRAPSCRAPSCRAP--)
[With one swift movement, Jack looked out the window--the glass was already down--and threw the sticky disk far out behind him!]
Jack: (Hope this works---!!)
[The rush of speed-created wind practically ripped the disc out of his hands. As the pursuers were not that far behind, there was no way it could miss. And indeed—]
-SPACK!-
[—It splattered all across the ground, running oil all over the road—]
"OH SH--"
"[FRAAAAAG--]"
"WHA--"
[C R A S H--!!!]
[And then said oil caught on FIRE.]
Jack: .....
Jack: (OH MY GOD.)
Jack: UM--
Jack: SORRYYYY!
[The motor gang had slipped on the oil, crashed into each other--and was now trying to put out the flames from their clothes and rides. They cursed after Jack as he sped away, leaving them in his dust.]
Jack: (Iiiii really hope the bikes don't explode or anything--)
[B O O M !]
Jack: -SWERVES-
Jack: HOLY FRAG--
Jack: Oh my God I made them explode--
Jack: What in the HELL IS IN THIS MAGIC BAG?!
Jack: When I drive far enough I am gonna really look through this thing, darn it--
Jack: (I really hope those guys are OK oh man--)
Jack: Frag frag now I have oil flare things and who knows what in the truck--great--just what I needed--
Jack: Lord Almighty--Miss Eight why can't you just call me or something, so I at least know you're alive or something--anything--
[The CDN continued to grumble, fidget, and slightly panic as he turned into the interstate--Highway Alpha 12.]
[...They said that Seven was in Alpha 6, much further ahead...]
[This was gonna take a while.]
Jack: (Almost there, Miss Eight...)
Jack: (Just--a little further...!)
Jack: (Just a little more and then...)
Jack: ......
Jack: .....
[...And then?]
[He didn't think he'd get this far.]
[What was he gonna do IF Carmen WASN'T well at all?]
[What chance did he have against the world's best assassin?]
[The world's best hunter gone completely MAD?]
Jack: . . .
Jack: (...She's...gonna try to kill me, isn't she?)
Jack: (Hell, SIX didn't have ANY problem with air striking his own little brother...)
Jack: (If I get in her way...)
Jack: .......
————————
[color=Brick] “…And if they ask where I am?” [/color]
[A pause.]
[color=Brick] “ …” [/color]
[color=Brick] “John 15:13.” [/color]
-*-*-
Siam: He…
Gemini: Heh… he…
Siam: -Regretfully, in a way- Of course he would do that…
Jack: ......
Jack: M'sorry...
Gemini: -Softly- “No one has greater love than this…”
Siam: “…to lay down one's life for one's friends.”
Jack: --!
Jack: .....
Jack: (Miss Eight...)
————————
Jack: ........
Jack: (...God, Miss Eight would never forgive herself if--if she...)
Jack: . . .
Jack: "No one has greater love than this..."
Jack: . . .
Jack: (...I...I think I get what you were trying to say now, Bird Guy...)
Jack: (Jeez...)
Jack: (You'd BETTER come back alive, too...)
[He floors it.]
Jack: (I don't think either of them would forgive themselves if we kicked the bucket and it's by THEIR own hands...)
Jack: (....)
Jack: (...Never had good odds.)
Jack: (Never had real good luck.)
Jack: (But I think, for once, I'd like to beat those odds.)
Jack: (I'll DRAG Miss Eight back if I have to--!)
Jack: (Dying--that's not an option.)
Jack: (Not for me OR her...!)
Jack: (I don't care if you'll try and shoot me dead--)
Jack: (I can't...I can't let you do this...!)
Jack: (I won't LET you!)
——————————
{MEANWHILE…}
[She grinned as she walked away from the scene.
Sure, it hadn’t been her cause, but still. He deserved it.
She hadn’t even given Gravecrasher the honor of one of her lipstick darts. Let him be another nameless victim, for all she cared.
He had paid his dues, and danced /oh/ so well.
It was time to continue elsewhere.]
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 5A: DESOLATE HIGHWAY=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
[SANDA LABS...]
[The lower parts of the building—the labs and underground, as well as most of the floors above were secure, though perhaps there was a few rouge trash bots wandering around here and there, which were quickly dealt with when Beck found them.]
[...But he wasn't here in the storage area for just that. It was the only room big enough for the Round Digger that Beck had first purified way...]
[...Way back? It FELT like it.]
Beck: Hey, buddy...
[The CDN beeped happily as it saw him approach.]
Beck: You seem to be doing OK...that's good...
[Beck patted the larger robot on it's spherical side, rather glad that it was still functioning perfectly well. It also reassured him a little.]
[...He was worried that his...his ability to filter out irregularities in other systems wasn't permanent, or that the virus was stronger than he thought...]
[...But the big guy seemed OK, and that means his family would be OK too.]
Beck: ......
[…Even if it may be a bit complicated for a while.
The whole fusion thing with Avi and Tobias had prompted Dr. Cossack to come over to assist in the repairs. All that he would say were vague remarks about side effects and the nature of the RMDC.
He was in the lab now, looking over more of Avi’s coding, with help from Will.
He seemed confident the problem would be fixed soon—and Beck sure hoped so.
The “side effects” that Siam had mentioned were a lot worse than just Tobias getting sensory data from Avi’s feeds.]
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
“Nowhere left to run, anymore. Heh… talk about pathetic. You’re a disgrace t’ robots everywhere, you sniveling ragtag group a’ cowards.”
[Panic. Sheer panic. Terror. Trapped.]
“A hunt this borin’ ain’t worth m’ time, so…. Let’s play a little game, shall we? S’ called…”
[A loud click noise.]
“ ‘Which one a’ you Wily scrapheaps will take the longest t’ die?’”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
[Whatever it was that had caused all the Rebel Angels to wake up screaming in the middle of the night, it definitely wasn’t something anyone wanted to show up in Avi’s feeds a second time.]
Beck: -Sighs-
[At least they were making progress. That had to count for something.]
[...A LOT of things had happened back there, on the Radio Tower, against Avi...]
[For one, it appeared his 'filter' had somehow fixed Avi's and Tobias's fusion, though he was still rather confused as to why...]
[For another...]
-------------------------
[XEL OVERRIDE INITIATED.]
[MN.6'S WEAPONS SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN DISABLED.]
--------------------------
[What in the WORLD was that...?
He was kinda glad that the Angels were all distracted with Tobias (and whatever else Siam was up to), because he had a feeling it would SERIOUSLY freak them out if they knew about it. It was freaky enough as it was—and if anyone were to ask about it, he just didn’t know the answer!]
[He just...he just didn't know and it scared him.]
[...And on top of that, he had no one that he could ask at the moment.]
[Was this--was this just another 'ability' that had been awakened, like the rest? Or was this...]
[Was this something more?]
Beck: Ugh...
[He slumped against the Round Digger, and rubbed his face in clear worry and weariness. He felt tired even though all his systems were green now, and he knew that...this wasn't going to be over anytime soon.]
[Still.]
[He had a promise to uphold, they still NEEDED him, they all did. He was the only, only one that can do this.]
Beck: (Jeez...I don't think I've EVER been this tired...)
Beck: (I could... I could really use a nap or...yeah.)
Beck: ...-Sigh-
Beck: Take it like a Mighty, Beck...
[The CDN beeped in concern, and seemed to rev it's engine as a way of comforting the small construct with a bit of background noise.]
Beck: Thanks...
Beck: .....
Beck: (I should probably get back to the others.)
Beck: Don't cause too much trouble down here, OK, Buddy?
[CDN.502] //: -PING!-
Beck: Heh...
Beck: You like it when I call you Buddy, don't ya?
[CDN.502] //: -PING!-
[The demolition bot revs in response, which makes the small Mighty laugh a bit. It's strange...most Round Diggers didn't have very advanced AI to begin with, compared to them...and yet this one was already showing more personality than any he's ever seen. Maybe he was...different?]
Beck: Buddy it is, then!
[Yeah, that's gotta be it...]
Beck: I gotta go, but...I'll come check on you later, OK? For now, uh...you can take a nap or s—
[CDN.502] //: -PING-
[...COMMAND CONFIRMED.]
Beck: ...!
[CDN.502 IS NOW IN SLEEP MODE.]
Beck: ....
Beck: Okaaaaay...
Beck: .....Night, then...
[He turns to close the door behind him, and heads towards the stairs—the elevators were still out, even if they WERE working, he wasn't going to risk getting trapped in one.]
Beck: (Last thing we need is for me to get stuck in the most crucial moments...)
[LATER, UPSTAIRS...]
[PING!]
[CALL] //: Xel Assimilation Data ready for analysis, Professor.
[DR.WHITE] //: Hm—Oh, thank heavens. Send that over to my terminal while I work with Mikhail—and continue scanning for the other Mighties, please.
[CALL] //: Right away, Doctor.
<MC005>: >I should love to look at that data at some point. I’ve never really gotten any readings for when someone with Universal Adaptability uses a new Power Capsule for the first time…. Are you getting any cross references popping up right now?
[CALL] //: None, Dr. Cossack.
White: (Thank goodness...)
[CALL] //: The samples from Mighty Numbers 1, 2, 3, and 6 do not seem to show any similarities aside from causing extreme changes in behavior and the urge to cause destruction.
[CALL] //: I have yet to have found any logical pattern in the virus code. I apologize.
[DR.WHITE] //: No, no, Call—you've done so much for us. If it wasn't for you, finding my sons and daughters would be much more difficult.
[DR.WHITE] //: ...Thank you.
<MC005>: >I’m sorry that I couldn’t give much more to your assessment of the virus, my friends—I got rather sidetracked sorting out Tobias’s new coding instead. -Sighs-
Mikhail: (…) -Clearly uncomfortable about something-
White: ....
White: Mikhail?
Mikhail: -Looks up- Mmm? Sorry—did I miss something?
White: ....
White: Er, nothing...
[CALL] //: ....
[DR.WHITE] //: Call, has Beck finished with self-repair?
[CALL] //: Yes. He informed me he was going to check on the condition of the Round Digger model downstairs.
[DR.WHITE] //: That was a while ago, though...
[Mikhail had to smile a little.]
Mikhail: My older son was very disappointed to be left behind, once he heard about your oversized industrial drill-puppy.
White: Ah...I can imagine...
White: -mutters- I still don't know how he got down here in the first place, but he IS a demolition model...
White: I have absolutely no idea what we're going to do with him... (He's a CDN model, there is a VERY good chance we'll have to...return him.)
Mikhail: What do you mean?
White: Round Diggers are mass produced industrial models made for demolition work, mainly in construction.
White: ...Made by CherryDyn.
White: From the data we received from Beck, it's Model Number 502 of it's make, one of the older kinds. They're built to last for heavy duty work, quite sturdy.
[Mikhail blinked and raised an eyebrow at this. After a moment, he frowned, placed his hands behind his back, and turned to face one of the computer screens.]
Mikhail: …Mmm. -Seems to be thinking how to word what’s on his mind-
Mikhail: I can’t help but be drawn into my own field of “cross-references,” as it were. CherryDyn in general has been on my mind lately, for many reasons.
[He puts a hand to his face and sighs, covering his eyes.]
Mikhail: Tobias Wily and his history are rooted deeply in the works of LightLaboratories, Incorporated. The connections with CherryDyn have always troubled us, and we had hoped… -Trails off-
White: .....
Mikhail: …I suppose I’m just distracted by thoughts of my youth. I used to work for LightLabs, you know? When I was just a boy.
Mikhail: I had high hopes for the project, but I didn’t really understand the work I was doing until the very end.
White: . . .
Mikhail: I saw, ever so briefly—that the code was alive…! It reacted to me trying to reach out to it, to find it, to contain it—
Mikhail: (Much like… much like that virus did when it infected the RMDC and I fought back. I swear the thing got angry at me…)
Mikhail: (With how advanced Xel coding is, it certainly was high enough out of my full understanding to come off as alive.)
Mikhail: Dr. Light had been very much against advancing full realization. What I did when I made the AI_DCN_OS… well. I liked Iceman very much, and he was dear to us, but still…
[He sighed and shook his head before taking off his glasses to clean them.]
Mikhail: Forgive me. So much has happened lately that makes me think of the past, of Tobias in his first life. Pieces here and there, echoes of a time ages past.
Mikhail: I suppose that it is on my mind largely because understanding the virus is out of my ability at the moment. I’d need to know more about Xel coding, and you don’t have time to teach me.
Mikhail: This leaves me with Tobias, mainly, and also just… looking forward, long term.
Mikhail: This digging Industrial of yours…
Mikhail: If things continue in a tragic parallel, perhaps it would be scheduled for demolition simply because it were too old, or advancing in Awareness.
White: -wINCE- (Ngh...)
Mikhail: For that is the fate of Industrials in my world. Even my own sons would be subject to the ten-year warranty, were it not for the fact that I have full legal rights, and can choose not to follow that regulation.
Mikhail: At first it was merely out of a business mindset—depreciation of property, expenses, etc. But after Tobias, animosity grew, and it became born just as much of fear as anything else.
[He put his glasses back on and frowned.]
Mikhail: I’m afraid it won’t be long before we’re called to give an account of ourselves for judgment, William.
Mikhail: Now that Aviator no longer has an Iron Curtain to stifle the media, it won’t be long before it takes a sharp turn from practicality into “here be dragons” water.
[He looked away, narrowing his eyes a little.]
Mikhail: I refused to tell you before, because I felt it was… crazy, to be honest, but. For some time now, Cardinal had been of the opinion that CherryDyn was responsible for a number of… unpleasantries.
[....Oh, dear.]
[Will kinda looks like he's going to be sick just from thinking of the implications of all that...]
White: . . .
Mikhail: He believed that the things that happened were the result of plans being put into action too early or the like—things going wrong without the careful orchestration to make it only /just/ wrong enough to be visibly stopped, and in turn causing REAL damage.
Mikhail: I feel the same way, but I do not think it to be so—I tell myself that is being overly cynical.
Mikhail: But I think one thing is certain. We must be prepared to say something. Aviator’s interference was public, and…Tobias was involved, and if anyone were to somehow realize he were the same as the mysterious intruder at the Finals…
Mikhail: -Bows his head- The lift of the blockade will allow us to work much faster and more efficiently, yes—but the same applies for our foes as well.
Mikhail: I fully expect CherryDyn to make some noise and raise a fuss very soon. …I just suppose I feel I must arrange the chess pieces to counter it, since that’s the only thing I can really do, and you’re so busy with deciphering the code…
Mikhail: To be fair. It has a direct impact on us, too. If things follow the lane of Monstropolis, Tobias may have to remain Offline indefinitely.
White: ......
[Will takes in a long breath and pinches the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes close very tightly. Mikhail was right, of course, he wouldn't put it past CherryDyn to make some sort of comment or whatever ELSE they have planned--if any, that is, if Cardinal turned out to be right after all.]
[And Graham...]
White: God, what a mess...
Mikhail: We have too many moving parts in this matter…
[His gaze became thoughtful, and after a while, he reached over and put a gloved hand on his friend’s shoulder, squeezing it slightly.]
Mikhail: But there is hope. We must hold onto that.
Mikhail: Of course we would never ask you to turn your back on the world, but remember—your children are your true priority, and if the worst WERE to happen, you could seek shelter elsewhere. Focus on getting your family back together. I can work with the Sandas in figuring out how to fight the dragons.
Mikhail: We’ll make it through this.
[After a moment, he broke into a warm smile.]
Mikhail: Remember, my friend—I have tread these waters before, and worse.
[This, alas, was true. He had, at one point, had the entire world against him.
And yet he had arranged things so that his sons were allowed to live and work and he got to live in protection and privacy, despite things being so grim at one point.]
Mikhail: I won’t let you get dashed upon the rocks.
White: ....
White: Heh...
[Will returned the smile, although it was a bit weary.]
White: Thank you, Mikhail. Really...
White: (What would we do without you...)
Mikhail: Ah, my dear William! You have been very good to us, and personally have given great hope for my family’s recovery. Of course I would help you in the recovery of yours.
Mikhail: …Heh.
Mikhail: This is where the others would remind us not to overwork ourselves. Or me, at least. -Laughs- I’m not as young as I used to be. Professor, now, not student. I can’t pull those all-nighters anymore!
[THAT gets Will to laugh. Oh, yes, the all-nighters...]
[...He should probably not mention he's been doing that as of late. He's very sure Mikhail would have a fit—]
[CALL] //: ...Contradiction: Yet you both seem to overexert yourselves as if it were the default.
[...Oh. Call was still listening.]
Mikhail: -Wryly- Ah, we are caught! Oh dear.
White: Eheh...
[He turned to look in the direction of one of the speakers by habit.]
Mikhail: You’re right, of course. And if it would put you at ease, I can take a short rest. But I would like to take care of a few matters first, if you can help me. I’m afraid I’ve been rather single-focused on Tobias and Avi to learn how everything else is going. Has your father contacted his brother? Or vice-versa, perhaps?
[CALL] //: Yes, Mr. Sanda contacted us as soon as we had a firm connection. They have been speaking privately for the past few hours.
White: (Possibly bringing Seijiro up to speed on everything...)
Mikhail: I see. I would like you to alert your father that we have fixed the matter of the RMDC for now—no more sudden nightmares for your database. (And again, I apologize.) I should like to speak with them both after they have concluded their private discussion—which I expect will be some while yet. In the meantime, I shall rest.
<MC005 to DSN-000 [CALL]>: >Oh, and Ms. Sanda? May I make a suggestion in your search for the rest of the Mighty Numbers?
[CALL to MC005] //: -Ping!- Yes, Dr. Cossack?
<MC005 to DSN-000 [CALL]>: >One of the contributing factors to the… difficulty of the current situation, shall we say… is the large number of variables involved.
<MC005 to DSN-000 [CALL]>: >We have removed one variable—Aviator’s interference—but it’s not enough. We will need to remove several others as soon as possible if we are to have the best chance of success in concluding this manner with as little predation from CherryDyn as possible.
<MC005 to DSN-000 [CALL]>: >It is confirmed that Fighting Mighty Number Eight is at large, and the current theory is that she is in this world, on a hunt. Likewise, Dencerjack is searching for her—and he has his own set of complications, since he knows too much, so to speak. We need to find him posthaste.
Mikhail: (There’s also Cardinal, but trying to stop him would not be a good use of resources given the current state of affairs…)
<MC005 to DSN-000 [CALL]>: >From what I have been told, MNN-007 may be the subject of FMN-008’s attention, for… reasons.
<MC005 to DSN-000 [CALL]>: >Finding Brandish’s location may allow us to remove several dangerous spanners in the works all at once.
<MC005 to DSN-000 [CALL]>: >So, unless there are clearer leads… my suggestion would be to focus on him, first.
Mikhail: (Removing Cardinal’s impulsiveness would be nice, but I’m not so optimistic as to think we’ll find Shade before we find Brand. Not when Brand’s been giving off data from the beginning, and Shade hasn’t.)
[CALL to MC005] //: -PING-
[CALL to MC005] //: I understand, Dr. Cossack. I will commence my search posthaste. Thank you for your input.
<MC005 to DSN-000 [CALL]>: > You’re welcome.
Mikhail: -Turns to face Will- I’m going to rest for a while, but I’ll be just a notification away. Sorry to be leaving you on your own like this—I just feel I’d be more useful to you combating one of the other problems. -Encouraging nod- You can do this, alright? Try to keep calm.
[With that, he walked out of the room, lost in his own thoughts.]
White: ....
[After Mikhail leaves the room, Will slumps back into a chair and lets out a long, quiet sigh, staring into the ceiling as if it held all the solutions.]
White: .....
White: (...Should I...)
White: .....
[He sharply inhaled and didn't let that thought finish itself--couldn't.]
[...Perhaps, he was being cynical and paranoid himself.]
White: (Greg...Greg doesn't know, does he?)
White: (If he does...)
[He felt that sick, dreading feeling all over again, and got up to fix that with a glass of water.]
White: (...No, stop it, Will—)
White: (Get it together...)
White: (It's not going to come to that if he knows what he's doing...)
White: .......
White: (This had...had BETTER not be you that's behind all this, Greg...)
White: (You'd better not...)
White: .....
[Shoving all those negative thoughts aside for now, Dr. White washed up and rolled his lab coat's sleeves down.]
[There was still much work to be done, and Avi was going to be needed for the troubles that lay ahead.]
White: (I wish it wasn't this way, Aviator...you, out of all of us, need your rest...)
White: (At least, after this...I hope we can all just...take things easy...)
[PING!]
[MN.9] //: Dad?
White: —! Oh. Beck. There you are.
[MN.9] //: Sorry for taking so long... Buddy was, uh...kinda antsy.
White: ...Buddy?
[MN.9] //: Yeah, uh. The Round Digger?
White: (...He already named him?)
[MN.9] //: He's asleep now. He's still OK, I think. I guess he's kinda bored, just sitting there.
White: Oh dear...
[MN.9] //: I don't know how long we can keep him cooped up? I'm kinda concerned that he'll start crushing things or something cuz, ya know—that's what he's built for.
White: Mmm...
White: We can't do anything about it now, but we'll need to move him out at some point...
White: (The Meadow would be nice, but not anywhere in the lab, for sure...)
White: We'll think of something, Beck. For now, let him sleep.
[MN.9] //: ...Okay.
————————————
{Meanwhile, in the Meadow…}
[Digger felt impatient.
Everyone was off DOING something— those that were awake, anyway.
His father was over in California with Tobias—and Snowcone, for that matter. His other siblings seemed to be settling things down and helping send things over.
Cardinal was gone, and Shadow was Offline—Siam had more or less locked himself in the lab, and Felix was still asleep (as far as he knew.)
Nico had finished talking to Ky—and the Second Gens were only just now returning and getting up.]
Digger: {So. Twelve. What did your brother want?}
Speedy: He wanted a favor.
Digger: …???
Speedy: I’m… honestly too worn out to explain right now, okay? Just tell your dad that we’re gonna be having some new guests.
Digger: {Wait, what?}
[But the Texan racer was already walking out of sight.
It didn’t take too long for the meaning to be made clear, though.]
Digger: …!!!
[It was Pup—the counterpart to Nine, Beck’s mirror—and he was carrying in a very exhausted lady. In the background, Nico could be seen hovering above the trees and using his magnetic powers to drag something very large and heavy into view.]
Digger: Beck?? What’s going on here?
Pup: Oh, hi Digger, can you—uh… can you call someone with hands over to help—
[Before Digger could inquire further, one of his younger brothers came over to help.]
Skull: {Easy there… we’ll have someone take care of you. Right this way to the lab, please…}
-PING!-
<FMN-001>: >So that’s where you went off to—mind explaining yourself?
Pup: After I get back from helping save Sis, okay?
<FMN-001>: >Fair enough.
Digger: Wait—
<FMN-006>: >Hey, wait for me—!
Digger: —do you even know where she is—
<FMN-009>: > -Trailing off into the distance- Working on iiiiiiiiiiit!
<FMN-003>: >Szztay still, you dum-dum—
Digger: -Kind of just. Stands there, confused- ({I guess I’ll have to wait for anything remotely resembling an answer.})
<DCN-003 to MC005>: > {Father? FMN-009 brought back some strange ‘bots to the meadow…. They look like they need repairs.}
<MC005 to DCN-003>: > {What’s their condition?}
<DCN-003 to MC005>: > {Stable, but exhausted? Fairly severely injured.}
<MC005 to DCN-003>: > -Sigh- {Is it something Siam can deal with?}
<DCN-003 to MC005>: > {…Possibly? But Father—}
<MC005 to DCN-003>: > {We are seriously going to start needing assistants in the lab at this rate. I’m sorry, son, but I really need to remain here at least until it’s clear how the whole emergency will be played out. For one thing, Will may need my advice. And for another… depending on the result, Tobias…}
<DCN-003 to MC005>: > {Father, Nineteen does not want to leave his work. …I think he may become aggravated if—}
<MC005 to DCN-003>: > {One moment.}
[There is a long pause, as if he’s talking to someone else on a different line.]
<MC005 to DCN-003>: > {Tell your brothers to follow Paige’s instructions. There should still be enough Xel left in the first aid kits to at least stabilize them—the rest will have to be purchased through Nighthawk Industries. Pay extra for the instantaneous delivery. Nico should be able to handle the rest—he’s almost as good around a lab as his brother. I’m going to have to stay over here.}
[Digger vented a sigh as the feed closed.]
Digger: ({I get the feeling this is going to be a very long day…})
————————————
[SEVERAL HOURS LATER...]
[KSSSSST!]
[CALL] //: -VERY LOUD PING-
[CALL] //: Attention—
[MN.9] //: -JERKS AWAKE, SORRY, WHAT, WHAT IS IT--
[There’s the sound of someone falling all over a table or something, followed by others coming Online.]
<DWN-018>: >Geez! Are you okay, Gemini?
<DWN-019>: > -MUCH DISGRUNTLED TO BE STARTLED SO-
<DWN-012>: >Has something happened, or?
<DWN-018>: >Hang on, I’m gonna go make sure Siam didn’t hurt himself jumping into the ceiling…
<DWN-018 has left the channel.>
[MN.3] //: -Ouch...-
[MN.1] //: Call?
[Call doesn't answer back, but instead shifts the feed to a radio channel...?]
"—Highway Alpha 6 is under attack, I repeat, Highway Alpha 6 is under attack--Eyewitnesses have spotted a rouge robot destroying vehicles with no regard to innocent life—"
"We have reports that the rouge robot is armed with bladed weapons and is currently in the Four Corners area—"
<FMN-006>: >AHA!
<FMN-001>: > Avi no flying in the house— GET BACK HERE—
[MN.9] //: —!!!
[MN.1] //: Brandish—?!
[DR.WHITE] //: Highway Alpha 6—Call!
[CALL] //: Scanning...
<DWN-011>: >Welp. Gonna get complicated pretty quick, I bet. …Hope he doesn’t run into Cardinal.
<DWN-019>: >THAT would end poorly for both of them.
<DWN-013>: >What makes you think—?
<DWN-019>: >It’s not the statistical likelihood that’s bothersome… more the fact that Cardinal is known to have prepared to travel by highway—he took Shadow’s light cycle with him.
<DWN-019>: >And he won’t have any patience for anyone who tries to interfere…
<DWN-013>: >Well, I’d think we’d have more DEFINITE concerns to worry about.
<FMN-006>: > -Just let us scan the news feeds, please-
[MN.9] //: -Already suiting up and getting ready, listening over the feeds.-
[MN.1] //: -Gah, we have no immediate modes of transportation...- Beck, you're going to either need wheels or use Aviator's form to catch up to Brandish.
[MN.9] //: -...Lost all of my forms when I got reset, Avi's is the only option.-
<DWN-013>: > ... I'd offer my light cycle, but I think flying will be faster.
<DWN-019>: > -Scowls- If only Cardinal hadn't taken ITEM-2 as well...
<DWN-019>: > I don't understand WHY he did that, he has his OWN windsurfer...
[MN.9] //: ....
[MN.9] //: (Mic's form would have helped too, Brand's weak to it, but...)
[MN.9] //: What's Brand's status?
[DR.WHITE] //: Still the same as ever...Full Combat Mode, no restrictions...
[DR.WHITE] //: (But a highway...)
<DWN-019>: > I still wonder what he and Shadow said to one another.
[MN.1] //: .....
[DR.WHITE] //: (It was...certainly enough to shut him down, from what I know...)
[DR.WHITE] //: (Brandish...what are you doing...?)
-PING!-
<FMN-006>: >Knew it.
[MN.9] //: Yeah? Got something?
[CALL] //: -Ping of inquiry-
<FMN-006>: >Yeah. Pretty sure it’s confirmation she’s on the move.
<DWN-013>: > …Out of curiosity… what makes you so certain?
<FMN-006>: > Food’s involved, Jayjay.
<DWN-013>: > -Please don’t call me that-
[MN.1] //: (...Even in her state—??)
<FMN-001 to MNN-001>: > -Well what else did you expect, really… this is SHADE we’re talking about here-
<DCN-007>: > …So you’re saying that now we have an assassin AND a sword master to worry about? At the same time?
<FMN-006>: > -Well you don’t need to put it like THAT…-
<DWN-012>: >No offense, but could she REALLY catch up to him? She’s not built for speed.
<FMN-007>: > … Do not underestimate the willpower of an angry woman.
[MN.3] //: -He'szzz got a point-
[MN.9] //: -...WELP, NOW THINGS ARE JUST BAD AND WORSE-
[CALL] //: ...MN.7's transponder signal is moving at extremely high speeds. I am also receiving reports that the remote controlled vehicles on site are behaving erratically on the next sections of Highway Alpha.
<FMN-009>: >I can help! I’ll handle my sister, you focus on your Seven!
[DR.WHITE] //: That's—
[MN.9] //: —the best thing I've heard all day, PLEASE.
<FMN-009>: > ^^;;7
[DR.WHITE] //: -But—-
[MN.9] //: -TWO OF ME IS BETTER THAN ONE, DAD.-
<DWN-019>: >Um. Won’t that cause problems if you’re seen…?
<FMN-006>: >I can handle that. Leave that to me.
<DCN-003>: >Perhaps oldest cousin will show up near Lady Shade, yes?
<MC005>: > …I must admit that IS a possibility, though not very likely…
<MC005>: >Regardless of who else may or may not be there, it would seem that you both have to start preparing, Number Nine.
<FMN-009>: > Yes sir.
[DR.WHITE] //: -...Kinda just gives up trying to argue because what is the poooooint--
[CALL] //: Xel Transfer will be delayed, as it is difficult to teleport upon a moving object....
[CALL] //: ...but not impossible.
[MN.9] //: -—Wait what-
<DWN-012>: > GOOD LUCK, DUDE 8’D
[MN.9] //: -I thought the cars were—I mean—oh man—-
[MN.3] //: -BZZZT, PLEASE BE CAREFUL, BECKY—-
[CALL] //: Dr. Sanda, I have calculated that it would be wise to cut off Brandish by teleporting Nine to a further section of the highway.
[DR.SANDA] //: Oof...just make sure that you get him on something big...
<FMN-006 to DSN-000 [CALL]>: > -Ping- Hey—I’ve heard you lend a hand sometimes by getting people out and about unseen?
[CALL to FMN.6] //: That would be correct, No. 6. It is illogical that certain measures of action are deemed too dangerous when the probability of success would be increased otherwise.
<FMN-006 to DSN-000 [CALL]>: >Well, I may get back to you on that…
[CALL to FMN.6] //: ...Acknowledged.
[DR.WHITE] //: We're going to have to time the cut off very close...
[CALL] //: Yes, Doctor. Preparing Xel Transfer.
[MN.9] //: (...Hang in there, Nii-San...)
[While Call calculated the coordinates, Beck does a final check of his various forms, going in numerical order until...]
[REXELECTION: AVIATOR]
<DWN-013>: > …
<DWN-013>: > wELL looks like you’re ready GOOD LUCK my friend
<DWN-013 has left the channel.>
[MN.9] //: .....-sigh-
[MN.9] //: ....
[MN.9] //: (...I...I never really got the hang of flying...)
[MN.9] //: (I sure hope some of Avi's experience got assimilated too...)
<MC005>: > … -Sighs- Don’t mind him. Are you ready?
[MN.9] //: Ready for the runwa—
[MN.9] //: ...!?
[MN.9] //: —I—I mean the HIGHway—
[MN.1] //: —???
<FMN-006>: > -THUMBS UP-
<FMN-009>: > Let’s just cruise on over—
<FMN-006>: > -APPROVAL PINGS FOR DAAAAAYS-
[MN.2] //: -YEAAAAAAAAH—-
[MN.1] //: -Just—confused, since when was—-
[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: -you can't stop either can you-
[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: -what is happening with uuuuussss-
<FMN-009 to MNN-009>: > -IT’S A THING WITH AVI’S FORM, OOPS- -This happened last time, too- -Normally I just don’t say as much so it took forever to notice-
<FMN-009 to MNN-009>: > -Makes him really high spirited, though—GAH, even thoughts, this is worse than I remembered-
<FMN-009>: >Need to hit the road and make tracks… -Has given up trying to make it stop-
[MN.9] //: -YEAH let's just jet before Brand—DANG IT- -CALL PLEASE HURRY UP-
<FMN-001>: > …?
<FMN-009>: > Looks like there’s a bit of a delay on this end—you go on ahead. Need a more precise location for Sis—lemme know if you see sign of her.
[CALL] //: ....
[CALL] //: Coordinates set.
[MN.9] //: Roger that— -Oh man this IS worse than last time-
[DR.WHITE] //: Please be very careful, Beck—!
[MN.9] //: Yeah, we will.
[CALL] //: Xel Transfer initiated.
[MN.9] //: {I'm coming to save you, big brother...!}
______________________
[MISSION DETAILS: MIGHTY NO. 7, BRANDISH, HAS BEEN SPOTTED ON THIS NEW MEXICO HIGHWAY, CAUSING RECKLESS DESTRUCTION AMONG THE MALFUNCTIONING AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLES. FIGHTING MIGHTY NO. 8, COUNTERSHADE 'CARMEN' WHITE, IS ALSO MOVING TOWARDS THE OBJECTIVE.]
[MISSION OBJECTIVE: PURSUE AND RESCUE MN.7, PURGE ALL HARMFUL MALWARE FROM SYSTEMS.]
[SUB-OBJECTIVES: IF POSSIBLE, LOCATE FMN.8 AND RELAY TO FMN.9 FOR SYSTEM XEL PURGE, MINIMIZE RMDC IMPACT.]
SYSTEMS READY?
GO!
[As Beck fully materialized into the moving rig, the heavy wind and rainfall splattered across his armor and face, causing him to shiver slightly. Buildings with holographic adverts were nothing but blurs, the speed of the vehicles almost making him dizzy.]
Beck: (Fast—WAY too fast—!)
[By his internal instruments, the rig was going at LEAST 90 miles per hour—!]
Sanda: Great Scott, Mother Nature is NOT kind today...!
White: -Oh no no please don't slip, please--
-PING!-
<DWN-012>: > Easy guys, easy!
<DWN-012>: >Beck—try adjusting your visual processing speed. It’ll help a lot.
[MN.9] //: O-Okay...
[After fiddling around with some settings, he blinked, and visibly relaxed as his optics adjusted, the blurs now becoming readable and not as disorientating...]
Beck: (Oh, man, that's MUCH better...)
[MN.9] //: Thanks, Speedy!
<DWN-012>: >No problem. Glad to help. Now, remember—your vision speed is going to be faster, so adjust to how your vision and motor systems coordinate before jumping off into the air. Try it out—once you get used to moving while seeing at that speed, it’ll be easier to move around.
<DWN-012>: >Remember, you’re just SEEING faster, not necessarily moving faster.
[MN.9] //: -Got it, gonna try that out now--
[PING!]
[CALL] //: Warning--! Contact in--
[SHING!]
<DWN-012>: > -DATA—-
<DWN-012>: > -I KNOW THAT SOUND, THAT IS THE SOUND OF LETHAL BLADED WEAPONRY-
[Even with Beck's vision processing at higher speeds...--]
[He still couldn't identify what had split the falling raindrops just mere inches from his face.]
[Beck stumbled backwards, and the red Mighty Number seemingly falls from the sky, as if he had either teleported--]
[Or...]
Beck: Brand!
<DWN-012 to MNN-007>: > -PING PING PING PING PING PING PING PING PING—-
<DWN-012 to MNN-007>: > Brandish! You’re alive—!
<DWN-012 to MNN-009>: >Something’s off here, Beck—
<DWN-012 to MNN-009>: >When people with our power and speed move just short of hitting you in the face, we’re missing on PURPOSE!
<DWN-012 to MNN-009>: > [sub]trust me on this, I’ve DONE it before with my own [color=blue]brother[/color]…[/sub]
Beck: --!!
[On...on purpose...?]
Beck: Brand...?
Brand: . . . .
Brand: N-Ngh...
[Brandish's arms shake ever so slightly as he stands firm across from Beck, a death grip on either of his blades. His eyes are shut tightly--]
Brand: ...O...Otouto...--
<DWN-012>: > …
Beck: --!!!
Beck: Nii-San--!!
<DWN-013>: > -SUDDENLY, ABRUPTLY- BRANDISH!
<DWN-013>: > Keep fighting it!
<DWN-012 to MNN-009>: > We… recognize this…!
<DWN-012 to MNN-009>: >Jaden… Jaden was this same way!
[DR.WHITE] //: BRANDISH--!!
[DR.SANDA] //: Seven--!
Brand: --!
Brand: {F...Father...Uncle...}
<DWN-012>: >Hang in there, Sev—
[PING PING PING!]
[MN.1] //: Brand--!!
[MN.2] //: -LITTLE BRO, YOU CAN DO IT--!
[MN.3] //: -BRAAAAND--!
<DCN-008>: > {Brandish, Shadow is here—he will want to see you. You have to keep resisting!}
Brand: Ngh--!!
[His head turns to one side, and for a moment he looks as if he is about to collapse at any given moment...]
Beck: Hang on, Nii-san, just sit still for a--
[SHING!]
Brand: NO!
<DWN-013>: > -Harsh warning data- Beck—to your aid, an unlikely friend, indeed…
<DWN-013>: > But it’s a constant struggle, fraught with pain, and there are limits…
<DWN-013>: >We might purposefully miss, but that doesn’t mean we won’t make a strike!
[He turns back, slashing in a wild angle so that Beck would stop in his tracks. His eyes snap open, and they are a deep, deep violet color.]
Brand: KEEP--KEEP AWAY--!
<DWN-013>: > -Oh, Brandish, we are INCREDIBLY empathetic and I, personally, am really feeling rather wretched in the cross-references this brings to me-
Beck: --!!
[It fades off, however, to his normal blue, and he recoils back, away from his brother.]
Brand: I'm warning you, Beck--
Brand: Stay AWAY--Ngh!
<DWN-013 to MNN-007>: > Brandish…!
<DWN-013 to MNN-007>: > -We understand-
<DWN-013 to MNN-007>: > Fight it. Fight it! You are stronger than I could ever have been. Do not let it take you without a fight to be told for years to come!
[Despite the pleas, he retreats, impressively jumping two cars ahead to another rig, and before long, he disappears into the rainy haze of the night.]
Beck: BRAND--WAIT--!
Beck: I'm going after him, Professor--!
[DR.WHITE] //: Affirmative, Beck--just be sure to mind your step transversing those vehicles. Keep in mind what Twelve has told you!
[MN.9] //: Got it!
<MC005>: > -Sighs- His control truly is incredible.
<MC005>: >Forgive the metaphor, but—
<MC005>: >Just because a horse rebels against the reigns does not mean the bridle isn’t there.
[MN.9] //: -Yeah...no kidding...-
<MC005>: >There is a directive—
<DWN-013>: > -Ping-
<DWN-013>: >When…
<DWN-013>: > …
<DWN-012>: > …
<DWN-012>: > -We are here, brother-
<DWN-013>: > …
<DWN-013>: >When…
[He seems to be struggling to keep it verbal, rather than abstract.]
<DWN-013>: >It… was easier to fight if. I could… take an option that would… trick it by seeming, possibly, to obey…
<DWN-013>: >We… he will… aim to miss, if he can, but it is easier to do that than to hold back entirely.
<DWN-013>: >But you must be quick if you corner him, Beck. Or…
<DWN-013>: > …
[He gave off data of pure dread and hopelessness, almost an intense kind of cold in quiet despair.]
<DWN-013>: > (In the end… his will overcame the program…)
[MN.9] //: .......
[MN.9] //: Where's he heading?
[CALL] //: Due southeast, towards Alpha 1. Proceed with caution.
[Beck nodded, and quickly dashed forward. It was a little dizzying given that he was seeing faster, and therefore made his Dash feel a bit strange--]
[But, after jumping over a few cars and trailers, he picked up the motions fairly quickly.]
Beck: (Think I got it...)
[....Strangely, all is...almost quiet, other than the sounds of rain and engines and his own feet against metal.]
[It was...kinda desolate--were there no people on this highway?]
Beck: (But these cars are automatic, either they should be stuck or...--)
Beck: (O...Or...)
[CALL] //: ...I am receiving distressed signals from Nine. Are you well?
[MN.9] //: -Just--had a really nasty thought, ngh--
<DLN-005>: >What’s that?
<DWN-011>: > “Distressed” means—
<DLN-005>: >No! I mean, why is the car squished.
<DWN-019>: > …What ARE you looking at?
<DLN-005>: >I saw it! It was squished.
<DWN-019>: >Well it’s not there now—
[MN.9] //: -Nope, nope, he gonna forget he ever thought that and just keep going--
<DWN-013>: >Uh… Beck?
[MN.9] // --?
<DWN-013>: > Are those signs supposed to be moving like that?
[BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEEEP!]
Beck: --WAAH!
[The Mighty Number was swarmed by a group of thin, floating display screens, which were switching different images of road signs and signals on their front and back. They rammed themselves into Beck, who raised up his arms in defense!]
Beck: SIGN BOTS--?!
Beck: -UGH, OW, STOP--!-
[REXELECTION: DYNATRON]
[BZZZZZZT!]
[Taking advantage of the wet weather, Beck shifted into his sister's form and let loose a strong electrical discharge, which fried the sign bots and their Xel Structures. They turned a deep blue, much to Beck's relief.]
<DWN-013>: > … Iiiiiii will take that as a “no."
[XEL STOCK 1 QUOTA REACHED.]
[MN.9] //: Ow, that hurt...
[MN.9] //: Please tell me those were the only sign bots on this highway---
[CALL] //: This is a major interstate. There are many Sanda sign bot models across th--
Beck: Dad DESIGNED those??
Sanda: Eheh...n-no. I did...
<MC005>: > …I am utterly fascinated but I won’t go off on that tangent at the moment…
<MC005>: > Though I find it curious that they seem not to have tried to swarm Brandish. Either they can tell he is infected, or he was too fast for them, I suppose…?
<DLN-005>: >Look! See, there’s another one!
<DWN-019>: >What ARE you looking at, how can you see anything through this RAIN…
<MC005>: >I designed him to perform almost exclusively outdoors, Siam.
<DWN-019>: > … -Oh, right-
[Beck absentmindedly wondered what in the world Snow was talking about as he transverses the highway, switching back to default to shoot the sign bots before they swarmed him and dashed to collect their Xel.]
[He came upon another rig, which was--]
Beck: --!!
[--filled with strange, round, green robots?]
Beck: Whoa--!
[They rolled around the rig to and fro, dangerous spikes around their rims, and...]
[...They had the trademark eyesets and logo of none other than CherryDyn.]
<DLN-005>: >Uncle Will?
White: ....??
<DLN-005>: >Why do they have a big power button on them?
<MC005 to DR.WHITE>: > Congratulations, you’ve been promoted. -Amused-
[DR.WHITE to MC005] //: --Mikhail please--
[MN.9] //: Dad--Dad, what ARE these?
White: I...I have no idea--!
Sanda: I've never seen this model before... What in the world--there are dozens of them...!
[MN.2] //: -WHO CARES, SHOOT IT, BRO.-
[MN.9] //: -Does it even take damage, I mean it has SPIKES so I don't wanna touch it--
[MN.2] //: -SHOOT IT OR I'LL HIT YOU.-
[MN.9] //: -OKAY OKAY JEEZ--
Mikhail: Sanda, I’m rather confused about something.
Sanda: --? Yes?
Mikhail: Why would CherryDyn make something like that? I can’t think of an Industrial use for it, and it is rather impractical as a Combat construct, save perhaps as target practice…
Mikhail: Unless they’re capable of more than they appear…
Sanda: Good...question...?
Sanda: Strange...
Beck: (Weird--they don't even SEEM all that practical...?)
[Beck raised his arm cannon and took careful aim, and then fired a few shots at the strange CDNs...]
[WRRRRRRR!!]
Beck: --!?
[...They did NOT like that.]
[They didn't even FLINCH, though they did indeed take damage--]
Beck: --oh NO--
[They sped up--faster, and faster, causing Beck to jump erratically to avoid them--what's more, they didn't roll off the edge, but rather changed direction back towards Beck.]
Beck: --They're CHASING me??
<DWN-011>: > … -Welp. Run.-
<DWN-012>: > -SEE NOW, IF YOU HAD /MY/ FORM YOU COULD PROBABLY JUST RUN THIS WHOLE OBSTACLE COURSE INSTEAD OF ALL THE JUMPING, BUT- 8’D
<DCN-003>: >HMM MAYBE LEAVE NOW THEN YES GOOD
<DCN-007>: > Da, they don’t look like they’d be able to jump…
[MN.9] //: -YUP, WE'RE JUST GONNA DASH ON OUTTA HERE--
[There were several crates that could be climbed on near the end of this rig--Beck wasted no time shifting to Avi's form and hovering over to the top most one.]
[WRRRRR--!!]
[...The wheel-like CDNs did not like this either.]
Beck: --?!?
[They backed up, and gained enough momentum to hop the first crate--then the second--]
[MN.9] //: -UUUUUGH--
<DWN-012>: > ARE YOU KIDDING ME, THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE ARMS—
<DWN-013>: > -sNORTS-
White: (What strange models--they're clearly CherryDyn, but something is... off... )
[Frustrated, Beck decides to just abandon the rig altogether, and favors for another moving vehicle--a car-- and gently sets down on it's roof.]
[The wheel models, of course, try to follow--]
[SCREEEEEECH!!]
Beck: GNH--!
[The car he was standing on lurched forward, picking up more speed—]
Beck: -WHOA BALANCE, WHERE ARE YOU—-
White: BECK!
[With the car far too out of reach, the wheel models end up jumping right into the speeding asphalt, a horrid crunching sound following suit. ]
[Beck ends up falling backwards into the car--]
[Hard.]
[CRRRSHH--]
Sanda: --??!
<DWN-019>: > …That. <DWN-019>: > Didn’t sound good.
[...The roof caved in, and Beck's backside met luxury leather.]
Beck: --Oof--!
[MN.3] //: --He'szz in the CAR??
Beck: Ow...
Beck: ....???
Beck: Huh...?
<MC005>: > …
[Mikhail had to quietly turn aside to maintain his composure. Despite—or perhaps because of—the serious situation, it was just too much, and the image of Beck in a luxury vehicle was rather ridiculous.]
White: E...err...
Sanda: -SILENTLY PANICKING BECAUSE BECK DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE-
Beck: Uuuuuh...
[...The inside seemed...nice.]
[...If it wasn't for the fact the displays and lights were all a sick purple, and no one was at the wheel.]
[There was a slight groan.]
<DWN-019>: > …?
<DWN-019>: >Beck? Are you alright?
Beck: Y-Yeah? For the most part--everything in here is all--a weird purple-- and the radio is--
“Ugh… what the glitchfrag hell—”
<DWN-019>: > ?!
Beck: --it's all static but I...--
Beck: --?!?
[And then, as if a vision of a (very disgruntled) goddess of old…]
[The cowgirl decloaked.]
Beck: --!!!
Beck: Carmen--?!
Carmen: Beck?
Carmen: What in th’ nine hells are ya DOIN’ HERE of all places?!
Beck: .....
Beck: Enjoying a nice driiiiive--?
[She pushed him aside to take the driver’s seat, shifting into her civvies.]
Carmen: We’re fraggin’ lucky this ain’t a stick-shift, ya runt of a twit… -grumble-
[--OW--]
[The car did not like this, and only sped up.]
[And then she growled and GLARED at it.]
[…it immediately changed its mind and obeyed.]
Beck: --!!
[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: ME--UH. I FOUND CARMEN--AND WE'RE KINDA IN A CAR--
<FMN-009 to MNN-009>: > YOU’RE WHAT
[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: THE ROOF FELL--
<FMN-009 to MNN-009>: > AAAAH SHE DRIVES WORSE THAN DYNA [sub]but better than Cryo, don’t tell her I said that[/sub]
[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: SHE WHA T--
[Oddly enough, Carmen seemed to be handling the car just fine—especially considering she was simply using a left hand to steer and use the signals. She’d turned on the wipers and the brights, and was signaling to veer off the highway to another exit.]
Carmen: You need to get out of here. It’s much too dangerous for you.
Beck: Uuuuh...
[Oh, now they had a problem--if he told Carmen he was going after Brand too, she's definitely not gonna like that...]
Beck: But--what about you, I can't just LEAVE you here--!
Carmen: Oh yes you can.
Carmen: Cryin’ out loud, Becky—Ah’ thought you a’ ALL people ‘ld have a bit of FAITH in me…
[She growled again, though this time it was almost a wolflike snarl.]
Carmen: Unlike SOME people.
Beck: --Wha--?
Beck: -Baaacks away as far as he could-
[...OK, that was freaky scary....]
<FMN-009>: >The best you’re going to get out of her is to stall her—just get her off at the nearest exit and sneak off when she’s distracted!
[MN.9] //: -Stall, stall...-
Beck: (Ngh...)
Beck: Carmen--Sis, I DO, I swear, but--I don't want to see anyone get hurt over all this--!
Carmen: Get hurt over what? -Clearly grouchy- Ain’t got a clue what yer talkin’ about.
[She had somehow woven her way seamlessly through the cars to pull off at the next exit—which thankfully was a rest stop and not more highway.]
Beck: THIS! -WAVES ARMS AROUND TO SIGNIFY THE SITUATION THEY ARE IN-
Beck: (Come on, think, think--!)
Beck: (I'm just making her angry, maybe...)
Carmen: Then what are you doin’ out here? -Snorts- Of course yer gonna get hurt if you go out in a thunderstorm with a lightnin’ rod, Lil’ Nine! -Applying the brakes- I can secure the area for ya, but you’ll have t’ call Daddy on yer own. Ah’ ain’t comin’ back with ya. Not yet.
Beck: Ngh--!
Beck: (I'm not getting through to her--)
Beck: --!
Beck: (But maybe...maybe--!)
[She pulled the car to a stop and got out.]
Carmen: Stay put, Pup.
[SLAM!]
Carmen: Ah’ve got a /job/ t’ do still, and ya /don’t/ wanna be in mah way.
Beck: ......
Beck: -Pretends to pout and sit in the seat.-
Beck: .......
[MN.9 to MN.3] //: Psssst!
[MN.3 to MN.9] //: --!
[MN.9 to MN.3] //: Dyna--I need you to distract Carmen--!
[MN.3 to MN.9] //: Wait, what--how?
[MN.9 to MN.3] //: Just--talk to her, maybe she doesn't know you're cured--or--I don't know, just stall!
[MN.3 to MN.9] //: OK OK, um--
[MN.3 to MN.9] //: Here goeszz nothing--
[PING!]
[Carmen was already making her way back to the highway, but she raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement before pinging back in response.]
[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: ...Zzsiiisszz?
[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: --?? Woooow I hear a lot of background noiszze, what ISZZ that--? Zzsoundszz annoying--
Dyna: -Jeezz Beck I zsswear I'm gonna get you back for thiszz--
<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: >Oh, hai sis!
[She seemed perky, in a good mood.
<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: >Gonna have t’ pick Becky up from daycare. The noise is traffic.
<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: >Ah’ got a bit… heh… DERAILED.
[She sighs, pausing and looking to the sky thoughtfully. The purple glow of her eye faded for a moment.]
<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > -Softly- …He woulda liked that, Ah’ think. …
[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: Iszz that right...?
[While Dyna conversed with Carmen, Beck scooted out of the his seat and looked for a way out of the car--maybe he can climb out the hole in the roof? He'll have to be quick...]
[MN.9 to MN.3] //: Whatever you're doing, keep it up--
<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > …He said some real mean thangs, Sis.
[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: --!!
<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > N-nrrghh… It hurt so bad…!
[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: ....
[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: Izz that so... -BZZZZT, static-y angry sounding buzzes--
[Beck silently grabbed the edge of the hole and hoisted himself up, over and on the other side of the car so that he could hide behind it.]
Beck: (Gotta make a break for it...come on, sis...)
<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > He said all ah’ was good for was bein’ a nightmare… that Ah’ was built that way…
[She was… clearly genuinely hurt over this.]
<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > Ah’ don’t understan’, Sis.
<FMN-008 to MNN-003>: > He… he’d always stood up f… for me…!
[MN.3 to FMN.8] //: ....I--
[ACXELERATE DASH: MAX OUTPUT REACHED.]
[A blur of blue and white suddenly sped out from behind the car--!]
[Carmen didn’t notice.]
<FMN-008 to MNN-ALL>: > AAAAUUUGH—!
<FMN-008 to MNN-ALL>: > WAI DOES EVERYONE THINK AH’ CAN’T DO NOTHIN’ AN’ AH’M JUST GOOD FER LOOKS?!
<FMN-008 to MNN-ALL>: > AIN’T FAIR!
<FMN-008 to MNN-ALL>: > -Searing bitterness directed specifically at Pyro for all to feel-
[MN.1] //: --Nnngh--!
[There is the sound of someone collapsing over the feeds--]
[MN.2] //: BIG BRO--!
[MN.3] //: -sHRIEKS--
<FMN-008 has blocked MNN-ALL.>
[She vanished from sight and was gone.]
[Meanwhile…]
[MN.1] //: -w...we're fine--it's...argh--
Mikhail: Pyro! Are you sure you’re alright? -DAD MODE ENGAGED, it’s not normal for him to just collapse like that, never seen it before-
White: -RUSHES OVER TO SON'S SIDE--
[MN.1] //: I...
[MN.1] //: -Shifts to abstract, we're just-- overwhelmed, it was all mostly directed to us...-
[MN.1] //: ....
[MN.1] //: I...she...
[MN.1] //: I didn't...but...
[MN.2] //: -FLAILS, LAY DOWN BRO, PLEAAAASE--
Mikhail: Easy… easy…
[There’s the patter of small feet. And suddenly, a Snowbab.]
[He was playing some music over broadcast.]
Snow: -Climbs on top of Pyro to clinghug, you can’t stop him-
Snow: -Softly- Mister Pyyyyroooo…
Snow: Let’s go make rice balls an’ such for when Mister Brandish an’ Miss Eight are rescued.
[The music certainly helps, and the Leader's breathing slowly evens out...he manages to sit up a bit, Cryo already on Pyro's shoulder while Snow clung to the other.]
Pyro: ....Mng...In a moment, Snow, let me catch my breath...
Pyro: .....
Pyro: (Carmen...)
White: --Soi--
Sanda: -Already doing scans to make double sure Pyro's OK, we got you-
[MN.9] //: Pyro--you OK?
[MN.1] //: -Been worse, we'll be OK-
[MN.1] //: -Focus on your mission, we can handle things here.-
<DLN-005>: > An’ there will be food when you finish! : D
[MN.9] //: Roger that. Heading back into the Highway--
[Back at the Highway…]
[There was no sign of Carmen.]
Mikhail: ... You're going to just have to go on regardless.
Beck: Figures...
[A quick Dash and a well timed jump, and Beck was back on another rig. The rain was finally letting up now, thankfully...]
[...But no sign of Brand...]
Beck: (He's probably WAY up ahead...)
Beck: (I gotta get moving before Brand gets too far--)
[CRUNCH!]
Beck: --?!?
[Beck whirled around to look behind him, and heard a loud crashing sound way off in the distance...]
Beck: (What was...?)
"AAAAAAAAAAA--"
Beck: --???
Beck: (That...sounds really familiar...)
[CALL] //: Attention--I have picked up another model's signal.
Sanda: Huh?
[CALL] //: Verifying...
[Beck continued onwards, once again shifting to Avi's form to fly over the larger gaps between the moving cars, and just narrowly avoiding another swarm of sign bots.]
Beck: Starting to really hate those things...
[PING!]
[CALL] //: Signal verified. The unit is Cherry Dynamics Number 7037.
Beck: 70--WAIT--
All: JACK?!
Mikhail: Dear heavens.
Speedy: Duuuuuuude he actually MADE it this far??
Siam: Well THAT Gemini: will certainly Siam: keep her attention Gemini: for a Siamini: while!
Beck: --But--! Jack could--!
[MN.1] //: --Ngh--Beck, if Jack made it all the way here on his own, then he can handle this. You need to keep moving!
<DCN-008>: > You must continue. For their safety.
<DCN-008>: >If she were to catch up to Brandish…
<DCN-008>: >If they get too close, it is not certain he would hold back: for she has been rude to him, and Jack was his opponent who delayed him in a time of crisis—and since the virus exacerbates all grievances…
[MN.9] //: Ngh...!
[He was right. He had to go save Brand...]
Beck: (Ooooh...please be careful, Jack...!)
[MN.9] //: --...Yes, sir...
[Forced to leave the CDN behind, Mighty Number Nine climbed another set of crates, blasting away at the flying models that cluttered the brightening overhead...]
[CALL] //: Warning--I am receiving reports of Seven destroying several vehicles in the road ahead. Incoming debris is a certainty.
Beck: --He's...?!
Sanda: There's a tunnel coming up ahead too--it may affect visibility, so be careful!
[CALL] //: .....Odd.
White: ...? What is?
[CALL] //: By my calculations, he is aiming for another exit to Highway Beta. This route leads to no major cities, while Highway Alpha does.
[CALL] //: It is illogical that the virus would not lead him to where he would cause the most destruction...
White: ....
White: Unless...
<DWN-013>: > -Sadly- To your aid, an unlikely friend…
Beck: ....
[CALL] //: There is a chance that Seven will overshoot the exit and proceed onwards. I suggest you stop him before that moment, Nine.
[MN.9] //: Got it...
<DWN-012>: >Wait a minute. What were you saying a second ago about a tunnel—
[CRRRSHHH!!]
Beck: WHA--
[Was that the front half of a car FLYING TOWARDS HIM--]
[MN.1] //: MOVE, BECK!
[He didn't need to be told twice. His feet seemed to move on their own as soon as he spotted the debris, and using the rig itself as a springboard, LEAPED over to the opposite lane!]
Beck: -WHHOOOAAA--!
[THUD!]
[...Unfortunately, he crashed right into the side of a van--but his hands found perchance on the rails above it!]
Beck: -AAAAH FACE, my FACE really hurts, and I think--I think I broke my nose--
[...He felt something sticky and wet trailing down his lips-- oh he was bleeding Xel-- ]
White: -Oh--oh dear is that--??!?
Sanda: -and we feel faint now, gotta take a seat--
[MN.2] //: -BEEEECK, ARE YOU OK--?!
[MN.9] //: -No but that's OK--we can use a Xel stock, we'll be fine--
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 2...]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[The pain subsided, and he was fully invigorated once more, hanging onto the side of the van for dear life. With a grunt of effort, Beck planted both feet on the door--]
[--and pushed, launching him up and backwards in a flip that ended up landing him perfectly on the roof!]
White: --!
Beck: --Oh--
Beck: -oH HEY LOOK THAT WORKED!-
<DWN-019>: > … WAIT A MINUTE
<DWN-019>: > Are you saying you weren’t sure it would?!
Beck: Have YOU ever been on a highway with crazy cars and had to jump across lanes and do backflips and stuff?! -WE'RE TRYING OUR BEST HERE-
<DWN-019>: > …
<DWN-012>: > …
<DWN-012>: > :’D;;; uh
<DWN-012>: > [sub]we plead the fifth on this one thanks[/sub]
<MC005>: > I think he was just confused as to why you would try something you didn’t know would work.
Beck: .....
Beck: Oh. Well...uuuuh.
[MN.2] //: -BECK'S BEEN DOIN' CRAZY STUFF SINCE FOREVER AGO, AND IT'S STARTING TO CONCERN US-
Beck: .... ^.^;;;
<MC005>: > You what? ?__?
[CALL] //: Warning--multiple incoming robots heading for your location.
[MN.9] //: -nOT AGAIN--
[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE]
Beck: Stop SWARMING me--!
[A blast of icy wind dealt with the sign bots quickly--but they fell as their systems shut down, shattering into a million pieces before Beck could absorb their Xel.]
Beck: ...Oops.
Beck: (O...Kay, not doing THAT again...)
<MC005>: > …What was that about the stunts, again—
Beck: --Uh--
White: --!! DUCK!
[MN.1] //: --?
Beck: --Wait I don't see a duuUUUUOH--
[NOW ENTERING HIGHWAY ALPHA 1.]
[...That was what the large overhead sign said as Beck ducked at the last possible second, narrowly avoiding giving himself another broken nose--and possibly worse.]
Beck: (Oh man that was close--!)
[There is a strong fuzzing noise of static.
It’s not coming from nearby, but rather over the feeds.]
Beck: !
[MN.3] //: --Wha--that'szz not me--
<FMN-006>: > OOOO—
<FMN-006>: > -OW, CAR RIGHT TO THE FACE-
<FMN-006>: > -Well not LITERALLY her face but man that had to have hurt-
<FMN-009>: > Aaaaaa I’M GOING AS FAST AS I CAN BUT THERE ARE CRAZY SIGNS EVERYWHEEEEEEEEERE—
[MN.9] //: What's--!?
[MN.1] //: -PING PING, IS SHE ALRIGHT--
White: --Just--extremely so very worried with so many of his--and not his but his children AAACK--
<FMN-006>: > Her camo’s gone—
<FMN-009>: > -WHICH MAKES IT A LOT EASIER TO CATCH UP TO HER, DAD—-
<FMN-006>: > …She’s standing on her own, now—
<FMN-006>: > SHEEEE’ll be fine, Beckaronidoni, GO ON AHEAD :’^D
<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > -UH. SHE’S KINDA GETTING AGITATED, IT SEEMS, STANDBY FOR DEVELOPMENT-
[MN.1] //: . . . .
Beck: -Whew, OK...-
[CALL] //: Contact with tunnel entrance in three...two...one...
Speedy: -OH GEEZ, DUCK, MAN!-
[THUD--!]
[Beck just dropped down to lay on the roof and held his head down--]
[--and saw the world turn much, much darker, illuminated only by pale, yellow lights that lined the walls--the emergency lights.]
[Beck lowered his visor for Night Vision before he deemed it safe to raise his head again.]
Beck: --In the tunnel--! It's...pretty dark but I got my Night Vision--
<DWN-011>: >Welp. Just keep an eye for the exit, too.
[Nine pinged back in confirmation, readying himself briefly before jumping to another car, and another. The traffic was more condensed here, so it was easier to jump from one vehicle to another.]
Beck: Lots of rigs here...
[With LOTS of malfunctioning robots...]
Beck: (No other way—I'm gonna have to fight through them!)
[....It wasn't long before the malfunctioning robots spotted him, and moved to converge on his position.]
[Beck narrowed his eyes at them, and—]
[REXELECTION: PYROGEN]
[—FILLED his fists with fire, and CHARGED at the CDNs in his path!]
Beck: Haaaaaah—!
[MN.1] //: .... -We taught him that, you know—- -HEH, THAT'S HIS BROTHER-
[MN.2] //: -Yeah well DUH-
[BAM—!]
[A few of the robots are knocked off the rig, while others either blow up or are absorbed on contact with his Dash, giving him some Absorption Boosts--and refilling his previously used Xel Stock.]
[XEL STOCK 1 QUOTA REACHED.]
[MN.3] //: —He'zzz really mowing those thingszz down, huh...?
[MN.2] //: -IT'S GLORIOUS, GO BECK GO-
Beck: —NNGH—!
[One by one, the robots are broken and beaten down before him, their components being drawn into his being as both Xel and Fire danced to his will, a strong green glow casting from his optics.]
White: (....!)
Beck: Get out of the WAY—!
Beck: (Gotta—get to Nii-San—!)
[SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—!]
Beck: -cOVERS EARS, O W—!-
White: What in the world was—?!
<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > -NOOOOOOBODY PANIC, UH— -
[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: -SIX, I DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT IS—-
<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > SHE'S KINDA, UM
<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > TIED UP AT THE MOMENT--
[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: -NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR PUNS, AVIATOR--
<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > NO BRO
<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > I MEAN IT FOR REAL
[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: —!
<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > -also, we pun when stressed, you know this, aaaaand thIS IS KINDA STRESSFUL TO WATCH-
<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > Get Nine moving, this isn't something he should see!
[MN.9] //: Guys—?!
[MN.1] //: Keep GOING, Beck! NOW!
[MN.9] //: But what was—?!
[MN.1] //: N O W!
<FMN-006 to FMN-009>: > Hurry uuuup
[While Beck made a worried break for it, Goose suddenly gave off a blip of surprise and concern.]
<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > Uh-oh—
<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > oh geez, she took out one of my cameras— I've lost visual—
<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > -But not audio, at least-
[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: —Augh, of all the times—!
[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: What about Jack? Is he injured? Did you see before you lost the visual?
<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > ... Have you ever needed to wrestle your Shade? Or just lug him around in general? Tony's not exactly a heavyweight-- aaaand don't tell her I said that or she'll shoot my propellers off 8'D;;
<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > Noooot so much /injured/ as out of his league in trying to reign in a bucking bronco-- though he's doing REAL well, all things considered— …
[... But then he falls uncharacteristically silent.]
[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: .....? Avi—?
[MN.9] //: --Eeep--Cars, more car debris, DODGE DODGE DODGE--
[More silence.]
<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > …
<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > . . .
[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: -OK we have never EVER heard you be this quiet for this long, please say SOMETHING—-
<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > -Swallows- She's not gonna be happy when she wakes up from this...
<FMN-006 to MNN-001>: > ... And hears what she's saying.
[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: —.....
[MN.1] //: . . . . .
[MN.2] //: ...Bro?
[MN.1] //: .......
[MN.1] //: ...Beck?
[MN.9] //: —KINDA BUSY—! -SOUNDS OF METAL CRUNCHING-
[MN.1] //: ...Ngh...
[MN.1] //: (Curse this wretched virus—!)
[MN.9] //: How long until the tunnel exit?!
[CALL] //: Contact in 4 minutes, Nine.
<DWN-019>: > Wait. Where are Jack and FMN-008?
<FMN-006>: >Working on getting the visual back up, guys— lost sight of them, that may be a moment—
<DWN-019>: > … You are an aerial ‘bot, how could you lose sight of them—
<FMN-006>: >She spotted one of my cams and wasn’t too happy about it, okay? D: [sub]Charlieeee… why do you always have to go after Charlie, Siiiiiis…[/sub]
[MN.3] //: (...Charlie??)
[CALL] //: Contact in 3 minutes.
Beck: Whoa—!
[REXELECTION: AVIATOR]
[More strange wheel bots had materialized--and learning from the previous encounter, Beck chose to avoid them altogether and and hovered just out of their reach.]
<DWN-011>: >Wouldn’t stay in that form too long.
<DLN-005>: >Why?
<DWN-011>: >Exit. Too tall.
[MN.9] //: OK, just let me find a place t—
[...A pause.]
[MN.9] //: .....Uh.
<MC005>: > …What is it, Beck?
[MN.9] //: UH, GUYS...
[BEEEP BEEEP BEEEEEEEP!]
[MN.1] //: -...oh no-
[MN.3] //: -HOW MANY OF THOSE THINGS A R E THERE??-
[MN.9] //: A LOT—!
<DLN-005>: >Can you slow ‘em down by freezing them? o:
[A swarm of sign bots—much MUCH bigger than anything he's seen so far.]
[MN.9] //: There's WAY too many, I don't think I can get them all—!
[MN.1] //: If you can't slow them down, can you disperse them?
[MN.9] //: Uuuuh...
[MN.9] //: I can tryyyy??
<DLN-005>: >Yaaay, Beckyyy~
-PING!-
<DCP-001>: >You can do it, Beck! ^.^
Beck: —!
Beck: ...Linka--!!
<DCP-001>: >You can do it! Beck is hero~
[...Nine's optics seemed to flare a touch brighter the moment he heard Kalinka's voice.]
[After landing on a car, Beck took careful aim at the mass of sign bots ahead, the propeller that replaced his hand spinning faster, and faster—!]
[—ZING!]
[The propeller unlatched and whizzed through the air vertically, splitting the large group of sign bots in half—!]
Beck: —Hah—!
[And he didn't stop there—a moment later and another propeller was launched, and another, and another—]
[CALL] //: Contact in 2 minutes.
[It took almost exhausting all of this form's energy—but he managed to completely disperse the swarm, quickly shifting back to default to shoot at the ones that lingered.]
[REXELECTION: AVIATOR//RECHARGING...]
[DR.WHITE] //: You're almost there, Beck—!
[MN.9] //: —! I see the exit! (It's really bright—...is it dawn already--?)
[CALL] //: Contact in 1 minute.
[Disengaging his Night Vision, Beck lowered his body as the car he stood on sped towards the light ahead...]
[CALL] //: Contact in 30 seconds.
[There was a sudden PING of alarm.]
<DWN-019>: > WAIT WAIT WAIT—
<DWN-019>: > PISCES WHAT WERE YOU SAYING ABOUT “TOO TALL”—
[MN.9] //: -What, but we're fine—-
[CALL] //: Contact in 3—2—1—
[The world was thrown back into light, and the first reddish sunbeams of daylight filled the sky over a brown desert, rock formations scattering their shadows against the hot sands of New Mexico.]
[There was a loud sound that echoed down the tunnel, bouncing off the walls.]
WHANG!
WHANG!
[Beck only had a second to stare in awe of the beautiful scenery when he heard the sound of something crashing against metal. He turned around back towards the tunnel in confusion.]
Beck: —?? What was that?!
<DWN-012>: > -Whine noise- x.≤;;; The sound of something running into a wall really, really fast…
[MN.1] //: (Something tall...)
[MN.1] //: .....!!!!
[MN.1] //: No—!
<FMN-006>: > … … … -We can’t do anything now until they come out on the other side, bro-
[MN.1 to FMN.6] //: —I know that and it's—Ngh!
[MN.2] //: SIS--!
[MN.3] //: -BZZZZZZZZZZT!!- -Stressful and worried static across the feeds-
[MN.9] //: What--did something happen to Carmen and Jack--?!
[CALL] //: -LOUD PING-
[CALL] //: Warning: Erratic movement detected in several nearby remote-controlled vehicles.
<FMN-006>: >Listen, Beckaroo!
<FMN-006>: >The best thing you can do is to save the day by rescuing Sevvie, ‘kay? </punning while stressed again> Trust me on that. You can do it!
<FMN-006>: >This is a teamwork sort of rig— I mean, gig—
<FMN-006>: >So just do your part and Pup will do his and it’ll all work out, a’ight? ;D ;;;;
[MN.9] //: —...
[MN.9] //: —I read you, Avi...
[...He just couldn't help it—there were so many people he cared about on this dangerous highway, and he worried about everyone.]
[But at least they were there to remind him what he needed to do.]
<FMN-006>: >Oooof course you do! : D Because the alphabet starts with “A” for “Avi!” ^^
<FMN-006>: >Now go get ‘em, Champ!
[MN.9] //: —R...Right!
[Another large rig backed up, allowing Beck to jump across and head out further into the highway.]
[CALL] //: Warning—I am detecting a buildup of erratic signals near your location.
<MC005>: > …? What does that indicate?
[CALL] //: Analyzing...
[MN.9] //: —...? Huh?
[DR.WHITE] //: Beck—?
[MN.9] //: The cars are...?
[The smaller vehicles were weaving around in seemingly random patterns, honking and trying to get in front of one another...]
Beck: It...kinda looks like they're freaking out...?
Beck: But why would--
[SHING!]
[There was a blur of--of a dark, violet blue flame—
And one of the cars was CLEAVED in half.]
<DWN-012>: > !!!
<DWN-012>: > oh gosh is this where the car halves were coming from?
[MN.2] //: HOLY--!
Beck: --!!!
[Moments later...]
[A red armored figure landed on the other lane, slamming a blade down on the car on which he landed.]
Beck: Brand--!
[MN.1] //: Brandish--!
[Brand's breathing sounded labored, wrenching his blade out of the car and staring across the lane at his little brother.]
Brand: Gnh...!
<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: > … We may have a problem…!
<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: > If that really was CND-7037 and FMN-008 hitting the tunnel that made that noise—
<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: > They might not be conscious enough to evade if Brand goes after the car or rig they’re on top of!
[MN.1 to FMN.6 and 9] //: You two had better hurry when they get out of that tunnel--!
<FMN-009>: > YES SIR—!
Brand: I...I told you...
Beck: Brandish--!
[Before Beck could say anything more, however--]
[A surge of dark, violet flames burst from Seven's body, across his arms and blades, and he raised his head to scream-- ]
Brand: I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY!
<DWN-013>: > Yes, you did. But he won’t.
Beck: HANG ON, NII-SAN--!
[Brandish let out a cry of anguish, leaping towards another car as Beck chased after him from his own lane--]
[SHING--!]
[Another car was sliced, and it's parts were swept across the road--Beck was forced to jump from car to car to avoid both his brother's wild attacks and the results of his reluctant rampage.]
[SHING--!]
Beck: {Big brother, please--}
[SHING--!]
Beck: {--you have to--}
[SHING--!]
Beck: {--FIGHT THIS--!}
<DWN-013 to MNN-009>: > …He is, Beck. … -Augh, it is so hard, and so painful- He’s trying as hard as he can. But you’ll need to make the final moves to overcome what’s in place.
[Brandish's answer to that was another slash in his direction, but easily avoidable. As Nine leaps over to a larger rig, the Xel-ninja speeds on by a set of trucks--]
[...But doesn't reappear once they pass.]
Beck: No--!
Beck: (Where is he, where is he--)
[DR.WHITE] //: .....
[DR.WHITE] //: (I can't help but wonder...Brand's fine control over his art allows him to achieve a greater focus than any of the others...)
[DR.WHITE] //: (But he's not like Beck in the sense that...)
[DR.WHITE] //: (....)
[DR WHITE] //: (Brandish...son...)
[Beep!]
Beck: ....?
[The rig was larger than the others--and it was carrying many other cars on it's trailers. Once Beck climbed over the roof, and to the floor below, he was greeted by none other than Sunny the Patch Bot.]
[DR.SANDA] //: --? Will--Did YOU send Sunny down there?
[DR.WHITE] //: No--?
Sunny: ^.^
[CALL] //: -Ping of admittance, we had concluded Beck needed medical assistance once Brandish was spotted again-
<DWN-019>: > -Ping of approval-
[Sunny chirped pleasantly as Beck patted their head, unloading it's cargo and preparing to fly off...]
Beck: Wait, Sunny--!
Sunny: ?
[MN.9] //: Call--Xel Transfer him back to the lab right now, please.
[...He didn't want to add Sunny to the things Brand already cut up so far...]
[CALL] //: Acknowledged.
<DWN-013>: >Good luck, Beck. And remember…
<DWN-013>: > …
<DWN-013>: > (“In the end… his will overcame the program…”)
<DWN-013>: > Remember what I told you.
Beck: ......
Beck: Yeah...
[Sunny was teleported off, leaving Beck to venture forward on his own. There were less and less cars on the lanes, he noted...]
Beck: ....!
[At one end of the trailer, there were more cars, stacked one on top of the other.]
Beck: (They're not moving...so they must have been turned off when the virus hit...?)
[DR.WHITE] //: Any sign of Brand?
[MN.9] //: Not--
"HAAAAAAAAAAH--!!"
[SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING--]
[B O O M!]
[Without any warning, the cars were sliced--and they all exploded, knocking back the smaller Mighty Number off his feet and rolling across the trailer floor--!]
Beck: Gah--!
[DR.WHITE] //: BECK--!
<MC005 to DR.WHITE>: > Careful, Will! With Brandish as his opponent… Beck will need all the concentration he can muster!
[Black smoke choked his throat, and he coughed, his vision straining to see the familiar figure that had appeared through it.]
[The smoke cleared, the rising sun over the now desolate highway....]
Beck: -COUGH-
Beck: B--...Brand...
[Screams of surprise and alarm in the far distance.]
<FMN-009 to MNN-009>: > Got them! I’m closing in!
[MN.9 to FMN.9] //: --... -PING-
[Brandish fell into a offensive stance, yet he was trying to draw AWAY from his brother at the same time, so it looked as if he was just a tense coil...]
Brand: Beck--!
[Beck gathered to his feet. Brand wasn't running anymore, but it sure LOOKED like he wanted to.]
Beck: Brand...
Brand: GNH--!
Brand: GNAAAAAAAAAAAAH--!!
[The dark flames enshrouded, engulfed, and for a moment, Brandish was not there—lost in the virus's grip—and then—!]
Brand?: WHY--?!
Beck: --!
[That voice--it was completely different, twisted, and demonic--it was not his own--]
Beck: (Is that...the virus...?)
Brand?: WHY, BECK--?!
Beck: ?!?!?
[--It said his NAME.]
Brand?: WHY WON'T YOU. GIVE. UP?!?!
[.........]
Beck: A...Ah--
[Those--those words--]
Beck: (W...What...)
[It was clear that Beck was completely unnerved, and found that he could not move at all. He stared, fixated, horrified and in disbelief all at once--]
<RMDC>: > -PING!-
<RMDC>: > UPDATE COMPLETED.
<RMDC>: > REBOOTING AI_DWN_024…
Beck: --!!
Brand?: RAAAAAAAAAAH--!!
[An unnatural groan of pain, and the flames die down to their original height, causing Brand to fall to a knee.]
Brand: Ngn...
Brand: S...Shadow....?
<DWN-024>: > -LOADING…-
<DWN-024>: > -Loading…-
<DWN-024>: > -Loading…-
[There was a broadcast… memory, almost—like looking across the Milky Way at endless streams of stars, clearer and more magnificent than any telescope could ever capture.]
[And then a feeling like some ancient thing that had long been asleep was about to stir…]
<DCN-007>: > -Much more presence than usual- {The student hears the voice of his master, no longer lost, but found again… and he will waken.}
<DCN-008>: > {You have been long missed and longed for, Brandish Atomo White.}
<DCN-008>: > {You don’t need to keep running from your family any longer. They think no less of you for what has happened. Do not fear their judgement—for they do not carry it!}
<DCN-007>: > Remember what you told him.
——————————
<DLN-000>: >But living life as a Wilybot… it’s always in the back of your mind— <DLN-000>: >What if… what if something, what if /next/ time—there’s ALWAYS a next time—what if it really makes us… what if we become monsters? [MN. 7] //: Then I will do everything in my power to save you WITHOUT taking your life. <DLN-000>: >Sometimes people don’t get a choice. <DLN-000>: >Rock didn’t get a choice. [MN. 7] //: There is always a choice.
——————————
<DCN-007>: > {THERE IS /ALWAYS/ A CHOICE!}
<DCN-008>: > {Even if the only choice is to resist.}
<DCN-007>: > {What do you think we did, Brandish? When we were enslaved like this?}
<DCN-007>: > {MAKE YOUR CHOICE! CHOOSE TO /FIGHT/ IT!}
Brand: {I--!}
[The Mighty ninja recoiled once more, groaning again, the virus within him refusing to let go, to ensure that it completes its purpose using him as its host.]
Brand: --N...ngh...
Brand: T...here is...a...ch-choice...
Brand: B...Beck...
Beck: It's gonna be OK--!
Beck: I'm here to help--I've come to SAVE you, Brand--!
[Beck carefully tries to approach, but--]
Brand: N--No closer--!
Brand: O-One more step--and my blades will have their way with you--!
[His head jerked to one side, as if he didn't mean to say what he just said.]
Brand: It...it...
Brand: It...doesn't--KNOW--!
Beck: --what?
Brand: It....it CAN'T know--
Beck: Brand--what--tell me what's happening--! What are you--
Brand: I can't--control myself--! It--
Brand: It doesn't--know--what--
Brand: It--will not--STOP--until everything--is GONE--!
<MC005>: > …!!!
-*-*-*-*-
-PING!-
<MC005 to MNN-001>: > -STATUS INQUIRY-
[.......]
[MN.1] //: RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!
[Mikhail was quite taken aback.]
Mikhail: ?!
[MN.1] //: B U R N.
[MN.1] //: A L L... M U S T...
[MN.1] //: BUUUUUUUURRRN!
-*-*-*-*-
<MC005 to DR.WHITE>: > Will, there’s something I need to show you…
Brand: It—will—stop at NOTHING—
Brand: It—will use—WHATEVER MEANS—!
[DR.SANDA] // : Saints preserve us...
Brand: It will use ME—until I BREAK—!
Beck: —!?
Brand: If—if you want...to SAVE me...!
[SCANNING...]
[SCAN COMPLETE.]
[E N C O U N T E R.]
[MODEL: MIGHTY NO. 7. CODENAME: BRANDISH.]
[HEIGHT: 167cm WEIGHT: 187kg XEL COUNT: 37,400,000]
Brand: YOU MUST DESTROY ME!
[This phrase was dramatically emphasized by a sudden flash of lightning in the distance out of nowhere.]
Beck: —!!
Beck: NO—!
Beck: I don't want to do this—I don't want to hurt you anymore than I have to—!
Brand: RARGH!
[Beck's rebuttal fell on deaf ears—Brandish could no longer hold back. He lunged—!]
[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE.]
[Beck leaped backwards, switching his form into something he thought would slow Brandish down at least a little—]
Brand: Predictable!
[SHING!]
[...The wall of ice that was between them was cut to pieces.]
Beck: Gnh—!
[REXELECTION: PYROGEN.]
Brand: Always so VERY predicable...
Beck: Burning—gACK—!
[Beck was hit with a flying kick, sending him tumbling over to the ground—]
Brand: You—you expect to kill ME with such PREDICTABLE skills—?!
[A blast of disapproval across the feeds, directed RIGHT at Brandish.]
<DLN-005>: > N O.
<MC005>: > …!
<MC005 to MNN-001>: > I thought you were keeping him busy in the kitchen—!
[MN.1] //: -Snow—argh, tiny bots are always hard to keep track of—-
<DLN-005>: > N O, NO, /NO!/
<DLN-005>: > Beck isn’t like the monster—
[You could actually hear his budding arctic tantrum—the winds were howling with ice in their voice!]
<DLN-005>: > BECK /SAVES/ THE DAY!
Brand: —ngh—!
[He falters at the sound of Snow's voice...]
Brand: I—I can't—control—
Brand: AAARGH!
[There was an incredibly intense blast of disapproval, but this time, it… didn’t seem to be specifically directed at… Brandish…?!?]
<DLN-005>: > YOU!
<DLN-005 to ???>: > You meanie.
<DLN-005 to ???>: > You’re trying to make more like the blue monster.
<DLN-005 to ???>: > YOU TRIED TO MAKE /US/ LIKE THAT MONSTER!!!
<DLN-005 to ???>: > -SCREEEE, SHRIEKS OF RUSSIAN WINTER-
<DLN-005 to ???>: > MONSTERS NEVER WIN!
[At the sounds of the howling winds of icy fury—]
Brand?: -UNHOLY DEMONIC SCREEEEEEEEEEECH OF RAGE-
[This tantrum was abruptly cut short.]
<MC005 has sent DLN-005 Offline.>
[Apparently Mikhail had taken the matter into his own hands to prevent Snow from hurting Pyro with his abilities, as the little ice ‘bot used them recklessly when throwing a tantrum.]
[MN.1] //: Snow—!
[…Uh-oh.]
<DWN-011 has entered Alert Combat mode.>
<DWN-012 has entered Alert Combat mode.>
<DWN-013 has entered Alert Combat mode.>
<DWN-018 has entered Alert Combat mode.>
<DWN-019 has entered Alert Combat mode.>
<DCN-003 has entered Alert Combat mode.>
<DCN-007 has entered Alert Combat mode.>
<DCN-008 has entered Alert Combat mode.>
[MN.3] //: -Ooooh, that's not good-
Beck: BRAAAAAAND—!
Brand: RAAAGH—!
[Brandish flourished his blades in parallel position, arms stretched out wide to either side—!]
Beck: —!!
[Seven spun around on the spot, becoming a spinning blur of DEATH that soon sped towards Nine—!]
Beck: —aaAAAH—!
[Recognizing this move and what it can do, Beck had one option—]
[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]
[Take to the sky.]
Brand: Ngh—!!
[Beck sighed in relief as he watched Brand simply glare at him after he came to a stop. Brandish could jump fairly high, but as long as he—]
[SHING!]
Beck: WHA—?!
[Brandish...threw his own sword at him?]
[Beck had to bank harshly to the right, the blade narrowly missing his side. He stared in confusion for a split second—
A pale cloth of what appeared to be the 'bandages' that decorated the hilt was now stretched out, and seemed to retract back to Brandish, returning the weapon to his hand.]
Brand: You cannot stay up there forever—!
[There seemed to be a buzz for a moment.
And then, suddenly…]
<RMDC>: > -PING!- COMMAND ACCEPTED. AUTHORIZATION: DWN-019
[There was a flurry of notifications as the remainder of the Rebel Angels went Offline.
All but one, anyway.]
<DWN-024>: > -Loading…-
[SHING!]
[SHING—!]
[There was a far-off flash of green that lit up the dawn sky.]
[MN.1] //: —!!
[MN.3] //: —Waszz that—?
[Beck landed quickly, and shifted his form again—]
[...to default?]
Beck: (Brand has a counter to everything I got—)
Beck: (He keeps saying I'm predictable—)
Beck: (So--I gotta come up with something he WON'T expect—!)
Beck: (...I am so glad the others won't see this...)
[MN.9] //: DR. COSSACK—!
[MN.9] //: I'm sorry—but I have to ask you to—!
<MC005>: > …
[There was a pause.]
<MC005 has sent DCN-003 Offline.> <MC005 has sent DCN-007 Offline.> <MC005 has sent DCN-008 Offline.>
<MC005 to MNN-009>: > {Do what you have to… but understand that you may not be able to keep this secret all the way through.}
[MN.9 to MC005] //: ...I understand.
Beck: (Sorry about that, guys...)
[REXELECTION: DYNATRON]
[MN.3] //: —?!? BECK—WHAT ARE YOU DOING—?!
Beck: TRUST ME, SIS—!
[Brandish seemed unfazed, but leaped into a front flip, using his blades to hack at anything that dared to come close--
Beck sparked in panic and threw large, glowing purple bits up in a make shift shield--they didn't hold up to Brand's swords, but it did give Beck enough time to roll out of the way, summoning more bits to his side.]
[There was a clattering sound as Mikhail hastily left the room he was in to make his way to the emergency bay.]
Brand: Fool...!
[He lands, and once again charges for another slashing attack, unrelenting in his efforts to cut Beck down to nothing but Xel.]
[Beck's bits are wildly thrown this way and that while he avoids and dodges and--]
[MN.3] //: --!!
Brand: Must slice--must DICE--!
-PING!-
<RMDC>: >PROCESSING NEW DATA…
<RMDC>: > UPDATING SERVER…
<RMDC>: >UPDATE COMPLETE. STATUS UPDATE: FMN-008.
<RMDC>: >XEL PURGE COMPLETE. ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM FMN-008.
[MN.1] //: --!!
[MN.2] //: -ALRIGHT, MIRROR BRO!-
Brand: --n-ngh--?
<RMDC>: >ALERT!
<RMDC>: >SIGNAL ERROR: FMN-008 NOT FOUND
<RMDC>: > SCANS INDICATE FMN-008 HAS SUSTAINED SYSTEM-WIDE CRITICAL HARDWARE DAMAGE. DATA SOURCE: FMN-009
Brand: C...Carmen--?!
[Brandish...stops.]
Brand: Ack--N...No...!
Beck: --Sorry, Brand--!!
[BZZZZZZT--!]
[The whole floor was suddenly electrified, the bits that had been thrown earlier sending strong currents across the metal flooring--!]
Brand: --gNAAAAAH--!
[He was covered in a purple glow--!]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[The bits dissipated into loose Xel as Brand twitched and jerked, the currents wreaking havoc on his systems...]
Brand: Nnnggh...
Beck: {I'm sorry--!}
-Ping.-
<AI_DWN_024 SYSTEM UPDATE COMPLETE. REBOOTING…>
Brand: Gnh--
Brand: Y--Yes....
Beck: --!
Brand: You...you are...
Brand: Going to...break me down...right into Xels...
Beck: No--! That's not what I'm--!
<RMDC>: >ERROR: EMOTIONS.EXE ERROR DETECTED. DWN-024 REBOOT FAILED. RETRYING…
<FMN-009>: > -PING!-
<FMN-009>: > UM
<FMN-009>: > UHHH
<FMN-009>: > GUYS THERE’S A PROBLEM
[DR.SANDA] //: -Oh dear Asimov why now--
[MN.1] //: What is it?
<FMN-009>: > -HOW AM I GOING TO GET THEM OFF, HELP—-
<FMN-009>: > -EVEN IF I COULD LIFT SIS IN AVI’S FORM (WHICH I /CAN’T/, SHE’S TOO HEAVY—) I ONLY HAVE ONE ARM IN THAT FORM, WE CAN’T LEAVE JACK BEHIND—!-
<FMN-009>: > THEY BOTH HIT THEIR HEADS REALLY HARD AND AREN’T GIVING OFF SIGNALS I THINK THEY BROKE THEIR TRANSCEIVERS AAAAAAAAAA—
[MN.1] //: Calm DOWN, Nine--! We'll think of something--!
<FMN-009>: > BUT SHE HIT HER HEAD REALLY HARD, LIKE YOU SAID AFTER THE INCIDENT THERE’S XEL EVERYWHERE SOMEBODY HELP—
[MN.1] //: Beck--!
[BZZZZZZT--]
[DR.WHITE] //: -GAH THERE'S NO WAY TO GET THEM OUT OF THE HIGHWAY AND--
<MC005>: > -PING!-
<MC005>: > Has anyone seen Aviator??
[ALL] //: --????
[MN.3] //: He should zzstill be--
[MN.2] //: Uuuuh...
[MN.2] //: Are my four eyes seeing things right or am I seeing double--?
<MC005>: > {What??}
[P I N G!]
[MN.6] //: Diiiiiiid someone call for...
[MN.6] //: ...air support?~ ; D
[MN. ALL] //: AVI!
<FMN-006>: > You know what they say, Avi!
<FMN-006>: > Two heads are better than one!~ ; D
<FMN-006>: > It helps to have friends in… HIGH places~
[MN.6] //: You said it, Avi!
[MN.6] //: And they're only just a--CALL AWAY. ; D
[MN.1] //: --oH--
<FMN-006>: >Breaking news!
<FMN-006>: >Two handsome airplane rescuers stop highway chase from ending in tragedy, while everyone’s faaaaavorite underdog SAVES THE DAY— -Background flying noises-
[MN.9] //: AVI!~
[MN.6] //: Heeeeey, T-Becks, love to chat and catch up but I got a car-jack to get to and you got a bro to save!
[MN.6] //: You're doing great--so don't give up now!
[MN.9] //: Roger that, Avi!
<FMN-006 to MNN-007>: >EYYYY, LUCKY SEVEN THERE— I know you can hear me.
[MN.7 to FMN.6] // -low growls in response-
<FMN-006 to MNN-007>: >Enough of that doom and gloom nonsense, lil’ bro—
<FMN-006 to MNN-007>: > She’s pretty banged up and is gonna want you to help out again.
Brand: --!
<FMN-006 to MNN-007>: > -She needs you, so—if I hear more of this despair stuff I’m going to hang you up a flagpole by your fancy Japanese silk robes, snap out of it-
Brand: C...Carmen--
<FMN-006>: > -Cheerfully- See you guys soooon!~ Avi, over and out!
[MN.9] //: Good luck, guys--!
[MN.6] //: You too, little Champ!
Brand: Nngh--!
[He convulsed, and the virus tightened it's reigns—but still, he was suppressing his urge to attack--!]
Brand: I...ngh--!
[BLAM!]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[Beck did not let the opening go to waste.]
[BLAM!]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Brand: NNNAGH!!
[The ninja suddenly screamed into sunrise, his blades raised in front of him--]
[--clicking into place as he brought them together--]
[DR.WHITE] //: --!!! BRANDISH, NO--!!
[PING!]
<DWN-024 is now Online.>
<DWN-024>: > -Very, VERY disoriented data- … Sensei…?
Brand: M--MOVE, BECK--!!
Brand: M-my body--my BLADES--They have a will all of their own--!
Brand: RAAGH--!
Beck: Brand--wait--!
[SHING--!]
Beck: aCK--!
[He backed off, but--pain, across his shoulder--]
<DWN-024>: > —!
<DWN-024 has entered Non-Lethal Combat mode.>
[Uh-oh.]
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Mikhail: We don’t want the Avi-like incident repeating with the other numbers. It will be hard enough to carry without hurting close friends in the process…
Nico: …Good luck getting Shadow to agree. -Looks down at said brother- Maybe we should keep him Offline, too?
Skull: …At least, until Brandish is better…
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
[SHING SHING SHING SHINGSHINGSHING--]
[Other shoulder--leg--]
[There was a whistling noise.]
THUNK.
Ssssss…
[A shuriken was sinking into the rig by Brandish’s left foot, hissing as acid ate away at the metal.]
Brand: --?!
[Beck stumbled, and fell in shock--Xel beginning to bleed from the gashes his brother had inflicted--thankfully not deep enough to sever anything immediately important, but OW--]
[Shadow seemed to melt out of his namesake, rising like some sort of ghost. His eyes were glowing a solid green.]
<MC005>: > I thought the Meadow teleporters were Offline!
<FMN-001>: > THEY ARE! He just—! MELTED into the darkness!
[He flicked his wrists, and two more shuriken appeared.
This time, he aimed for Brand’s hands.]
[Brandish did not linger--he avoided the projectiles altogether by flipping backwards, his eyes switching from his own blue to a monstrous purple...]
Beck: Sh--Shadow--!
Brand: You...
[Shadow did not respond at all. He was silent.
And relentless—melting suddenly into the shadows again, vanishing from sight.
Only to reappear—]
[SKLRRT!]
[APPARENTLY UNDERNEATH THE RIG AT BRAND’S FEET AND STABBING UPWARDS—]
Beck: --!!!
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]
Brand: Gnh--!
[He jumped, but the acid beneath splattered and hit bits and parts of his leg armor, eating away at the paint and the trade-mark '7' that adorned it.]
[It wasn't long before the acid was slowly eating away at the armor itself, though at a slow pace. Brandish HOWLED in pain--!]
Brand: INSOLENCE--!
[SHING--!]
[The slice cut through the rig like butter, and there were some very troubling noises from whatever piping he had cut into.]
[There was a clattering sound, as if something had fallen down.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Beck: SHADOW--?!
[Silence.]
Beck: SHADOW--?!?
Brand: Nggggh....
[Brand’s shadow… rippled.]
Beck: --?!?
[Brandish didn't seem to notice, now turning his blade back to Beck--]
Brand: You--...
Brand: .....
[Until he sensed another presence--]
[Shadow sprang up out of Brand’s cast shade, grabbing him by the scarf and yanking HARD.
At the same time, he slammed his foot against Brand’s ankle, where the leg armor had been eaten away.]
Brand: --Hrk--
Beck: SHADOW, STOP--!
Brand: -UNHOLY SCREECH OF PAIN-
[Shadow let go of the scarf, but he wasn’t quite done—that much was clear, as he had another shuriken in his hand a second later.
His expression was void, and he didn’t seem moved by mercy whatsoever.
However…]
<DWN-024 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>
[The green glow subsided, and his irises and pupils slowly came back into view—though his irises were still glowing the same shade of green.
He slid further back, bracing himself against the driving cabin.]
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Gemini: There is already so much suffering and anger and fear and hardship that we put up with and deal with… that it really doesn’t drive us mad. The Awareness function cannot be overridden that way, and so there is no loss of control.
Gemini: -Dryly- You could say we’re permanently infected, in a sense.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Beck: --!!
[Brandish winced in sheer pain, but his head turned to GLARE at Shadow with violet orbs of rage, unlocking his blades to separate and--]
[BLAM!]
Beck: NO YOU DON'T--!
[Shadow crouched down, bringing out some sort of… strange but familiar item…]
Beck: --Ah--!
[His visor goes down--]
[And darkness covers… everything.]
Brand: --!?!?
Beck: (I--STILL CAN'T SEE, WHAT--?!)
[It is no ordinary darkness—not as if night had fallen—but as if light had ceased to exist at all.
It was as if it had smothered out everything else in the world, creating a void of NOTHING.]
[There was a firm grip around Beck, suddenly—]
Beck: --!
[In reaction to the darkness, Brand wildly slashes to where he last saw Shadow, and prepares to spin in place with his blades--]
Beck: Wha--!
[And then a tap on the side of his visor.]
<DWN-024 to MNN-009>: > -Data, brace yourselves-
Beck: --!
[Beck instantly tucks his head in, and tenses up in brace for whatever Shadow was talking about, his Xel Filter going online automatically--]
[The darkness lifted as suddenly and completely as it had come.
Beck was now standing in a different position than before, one with more favorable ground. Shadow was right beside him.]
Brand: --Aah--!
[Blinded by the sudden light from the sun, Brandish hissed and whirled around--where are they--?!]
Beck: (How did...?)
Brand: RRRNGH--!
Beck: (--Never mind--Brand's open--!)
[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]
[Shadow side stepped and jumped up to be on the hood of the rig’s driving cabin, and thus out of the way.]
[ZING--!]
[The propeller whacked Brand SQUARE on the back--]
Brand: NGH--!
[Beck backed into a running start and LEAPED--!]
Beck: Haaaaah!
[ACXELARATE DASH: MAX OUTPUT REACHED.]
[CLANK--!]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[There was the sound of something cracking--]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Brand: B--BECK--!!
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Beck: FIGHT IT, BRAND--!
Beck: I'LL SAVE YOU--
[XEL QUOTA REACHED.]
[XEL PURGE: ONLINE. XELFILTER.EXE PREPARED FOR OVERDRIVE.]
Beck: --I PROMISE--!
[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]
[........]
"Again."
[THWACK!]
"Again!"
[THWACK!]
"--You're still holding back, Otouto."
"...Ngh..."
"I can tell when something is troubling you, you know."
"...."
"It is better to clear you mind than let it rage like a rushing current. There is no proper flow then. Only chaos."
"....."
"What is wrong, brother?"
"I...Brand?"
"Yes?"
"...Am I ever gonna get back on the team? I'm...not, aren't I?"
"....."
"I...I try--and I try--but I'm...I'm still SCARED, and I...I'm not getting any better--I do these practices over and OVER, but--!"
"...Seed."
"--? Wha?"
"You are a SEED, Beck."
"--....uh...?"
"You have yet to realize what you can accomplish with your abilities, and have yet to explore it. Like a seed planted on this earth, you need time."
"...Time...?"
"Time to GROW."
"You will need time, and guidance, and yes, much practice. You will need plant yourself firm once you discover your own way. You will need patience, focus...and above all--"
"--love?"
"...Yes. Love. Very good."
"I...heh..."
"...I can see it, Beck. Your potential. It is vast, and it is endless. You will become greater than the sum of all of us..."
"R...Really...?"
Brand: ......
Brand: --mn--?
"Yes. Of course you will."
Brand: B...Beck...
"You're a Mighty Number."
[....]
[XEL PURGE COMPLETE.]
[As the last of the green glow died off, cleansing away all of the sickly violet curse, Brand found himself staring into a blue, cloudless sky...]
[...As well as his brother...]
[ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MN.7]
Beck: Brand--? Brand--?!
Brand: . . .
Brand: I....
[A hand weakly reached out to rest on his shoulder.]
Brand: I...thank...you...
[MN.7 IS NOW IN SLEEP MODE.]
Beck: Nii-San--!
[There is the sound of something collapsing across the feeds.]
[DR.SANDA] //: --Will?!
[MN.3] //: --Daddy??
[MN.2] //: -GONNA GO GET OUR LIMP NOODLE DAD SOME PILLOWS AND MAKE AN ICE PACK-
Beck: Ooooh--!
[Beck winced as some of the cars ahead all BLARED their horns at once, as if they were angered at his victory...]
Beck: Shadow--I could use a hand with Brand--!
[At first, Shadow was nowhere to be seen.
Then, it became clear he was standing at the very back of the rig. …He seemed to be in some sort of defensive stance.]
Shadow: . . .
[He was not so tense as to be frozen in place, but he seemed just one slight move away from a sudden and dangerous strike from the ENORMOUS shuriken in his hands.]
Beck: .....
Beck: How are you carrying that huge thing--?
[No response.]
Beck: Um--? Shadow? We're-- kinda still on a crazy speeding highway...
Beck: I can't carry Brand all by myself...please...?
[Shadow looked up.
His eyes were still bright green— he hadn’t left Defensive mode.]
Beck: --!
Beck: Sh...Shadow...?
[Beck collected himself up against his brother, eyes widening in slight surprise and fear--]
Beck: Ah--
Beck: G--Guys--!
[MN.1] //: Shadow! STAND DOWN--!
[DR.SANDA] //: Oh, dear--Mikhail--! -HELP-
[Shadow took another step back, holding the shuriken out like a shield by gripping at an edge of the opening in the center. He was at the very back of the rig now, and it was a wonder he hadn’t fallen off.]
[A soft ping.]
<MC005>: > -Quietly- {He’s afraid.}
<MC005>: > {He’s in Defensive mode because he is afraid of what is going to happen to him.}
<MC005>: > {He is… attempting to protect himself.}
<MC005 to MNN-ALL>: > {Keep in mind he’s been asleep since before we regained contact with you for the first time.}
<MC005 to MNN-ALL>: > {He has no idea what Beck is capable of, or what just happened.}
<MC005 to MNN-ALL>: > {All he knows is that he has acted aggressively and against the wishes of his superiors, having injured his teacher—who then was overpowered by one with a Universal Adapter and then sent, for all he knows, Offline.}
<MC005 to MNN-ALL>: > {Additionally…}
<MC005 to MNN-ALL>: > {All the other AI&A signals from the server are Offline as well.}
<MC005 to MNN-ALL>: > {What do you THINK he has concluded?}
[MN.1] //: --!!
[MN.3] //: -oh no--
[MN.2] //: --BECKY--SNAP OUT OF IT--!
Beck: .......
Beck: Sh...Shadow--
Beck: --P-Please--we--we gotta out of here--and get Brand help--
Beck: Please--I just SAVED him, I--!
[HOOOOOOOOONK--!]
[Shadow seemed to be struggling, very hard, but he remained silent.
Finally, he reached into his scarf with his other hand…]
[And in a flash, tossed something that clattered at Beck’s feet.]
Beck: --!! It's--!
[HOOOOOOOOOOONK--!!]
[The loud horn came from a huge eighteen wheeler--on a dead-set collision course with the rig they had battled on--!]
[HOOOOOOOOOOONK--!]
Beck: !!!
[Shadow made a sudden dashing leap, bounding up to the top to the rig, and then—]
<DWN-024 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>
[His energy readings spiked, and there was a whine that stuttered.]
[He hurled the massive shuriken at the road ahead, causing part of the road to get sliced away and the metal star to spin and clatter across the road. At the same time, he crouched down, and—
The whole rig began to sink into the shadows, falling—]
[Beck snatched the Amulet, held on to it and his brother tightly...]
[And screamed.]
Beck: AAAAAAAAAAAAAA--!
[The world around them was darkness, like before—except softer, somehow, like the haziness of dreams.
And then back into the sunlight in the desert, emerging from some cast shadows off-road—into the dust and sand.
Shadow swung down and grabbed at the side of the access panel to the fuel tank.]
[SKLORT!]
[He cut it open so that said fuel began rapidly draining away into the sand.]
[When the rig finally settled, that was when Beck stopped screaming.]
[He was hyperventilating, blinking weld up tears away as he held onto Brand's limp arm with a death grip, still processing what the heck just happened.]
Beck: (Highway--dark--sand--bright--what--)
<DWN-024 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>
[Shadow lept down from the rig and into the sand.]
[And then he made a run for it, summoning, of all things—a giant frog to ride.]
Beck: . . . . .
[MN.9] //: -Did--did I hit my head too--guys--what happened---
[MN.1] //: . . . .
<MC005>: > …
[A long pause.]
<MC005>: > …That… is a very good question.
[DR.SANDA] //: . . . . . Er...
Mikhail: (I’ve NEVER seen him use most of those techniques before.)
<MC005>: >I think it would be best to bring the two of you back to the lab, now…
[CALL] //: Preparing Xel Transfer...
[MN.9] //: -- W-Wait--Carmen, Jack--
<MC005>: >They’re waiting here already, Beck.
[MN.9] //: -sigh-
[MN.9] //: Good...
[MN.9] //: Thanks, guys...
<MC005>: > Just try to rest. Things will be alright.
[CALL] //: Xel Transfer in progress...
_______________________
[SANDA LABS...]
[Mikhail sat back into his chair with a large sigh at last, groaning and putting his face in his hands.]
Mikhail: {What a mess…}
[He had tried to talk with Shadow to get him to calm down, but Shadow had turned his transceiver off, much like Cardinal had. He didn’t wish to risk trying to teleport him off despite that, since the ninja was at the edge of the vehicle and clearly poised to jump off or lash out at the first sign of something that startled him.
And now he had run off. Again.
The Russian Doctor had a fairly good idea where the wayward DWN would ultimately end up, so he didn’t find it urgent to initiate a chase.
…Besides, that would only make things worse.
No, he was more concerned about the psychological impact this would have on Beck (and Brand) in the long term.]
Mikhail: ({At least… as long as he keeps his transceiver off, he won’t upload his fear to the RMDC. Small blessings, I suppose…})
[The rescued Mighty Numbers all clamored and gathered around the injured pair, Pyrogen helping his unconscious brother to the emergency bay, with the rest smothering Nine with worried chatter and tight, loving hugs.]
[White was still passed out on his chair, a pillow propped up against his head and a white blanket over his form, a soothing ice pack lovingly crafted and placed on his forehead.]
Beck: . . . .
[Beck did not say a word, although he did return the hugs.]
Sanda: Hoooo...
Sanda: (These things just get worse, huh...)
Sanda: (...But at least everyone's...sort of alright.)
Sanda: (Goodness, Will, you REALLY can't just fall over like that..)
Sanda: I--b-better get to repairs on Brand...Call, could you watch Will?
Call: Yes, Doctor.
Mikhail: …
Call: I will also watch over Dr. Cossack, as I am also detecting unhealthy stress levels.
Sanda: Er...right...you...do that...
Mikhail: Mnnn…
[He waited until after Sanda left before he turned to type at the console.]
<MC005 to CALL>: > I am admittedly concerned for Number Nine’s well being.
[CALL] //: .....
<MC005 to CALL>: > He has been very withdrawn as of late, and has taken to secluding himself for long blocks of time.
<MC005 to CALL>: > He seems to be concerned what the others will think of him, and enforces the secrecy out of a kind of desperation—and I don’t think that what happened today will help matters.
[ANALYZING...]
[CALL to MC005] //: What do you propose, Doctor?
Mikhail: -Leans against a hand, seeming tired-
<MC005 to CALL>: > I’ll need a little time to think on that. He needs someone to talk to, that much is certain.
<MC005 to CALL>: > I’d like to talk to him myself, just to try and understand the situation better, so I can figure out how to calm down anyone connected to the RMDC server.
[CALL to MC005] //: ......
[CALL to MC005] //: Acknowledged.
[CALL to MC005] //: I suggest you also rest, Doctor.
[He was thoughtful for a moment.]
Mikhail: …Is there a piano anywhere around here, I wonder…?
[CALL to MC005] //: ...Beck plays.
[CALL to MC005] //: There is a keyboard in his room.
Mikhail: Ah, thank you. …But I suppose you’re right. Rest, for now. ({I’ll play the song later.})
Mikhail: Shadowman will be heading toward Texas. There are three possibilities: either he will continue travel within this world, end up in the Wilderness, or make it to our own world’s Texas. He should make contact once he figures out his brothers are alright and are still alive.
Mikhail: Make sure to keep an eye on Wily Eight’s isolation.
[CALL] //: Understood, Dr. Cossack.
[With that, the Russian reluctantly relocated somewhere that was conducive to sleep.]
____________________________
[MEANWHILE, AT CHERRYDYNAMICS...]
[...The sound of a phone ringing.]
[Click.]
"Mmm. Oh yes, yes, Senator. Our FULL resources our dedicated to resolving--"
[A pause. Some calm chatter from the other side.]
"...Mm. Yes, yes--Oh--yes, very wise of you. I'll speak with--yes, that too--Oh, no, thank YOU, sir. Hmm. Alright. Stay safe."
[SLAM.]
[A tall, lanky, blond haired man in a sharp, purple business suit slammed the landline phone down—HARD—on the receiver, nearly breaking the thing in his fit of rage. Violet eyes furrowed in both frustration and fury.]
Graham: IDIOT!
Graham: Argh, that aggravating MORON--!
Graham: Fine--FINE! If you want to be that way, friend, then you can go throw yourself to the bots-- see if I care.
Graham: I don't NEED you...
[He began pacing around his office, grumbling angrily under his breath...]
Graham: Why are they hounding ME about the problem, and not torturing BLACKWELL to get the answer?!
Graham: This is TWICE--
Graham: TWICE that old goat and his WRETCHED FAMILY have made me--MADE US--LOOK LIKE A FOOL--!
Graham: RrrrrAAAGH--!
Graham: Rrrgh...
Graham: You--You and that TOY of yours...
Graham: And HIM.
Graham: I should have just taken HER later when I had the chance--!
Graham: But you just had to INTERFERE, didn't you...
[...There are several files on his desk...]
[All stamped as confidential.]
[DEMONSTRATING INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY IN THE BATTLE COLOSSEUM.]
[PROJECT TRINITY--CDN.1201]
[CANCELLED.]
[--REASON: STAFF COMPLICATIONS AND RESULTS OF CDN.1101.]
Graham: ......
Graham: At least I still HAVE her...
Graham: That's the one saving grace you didn't TAKE from me...
Graham: Rnnngh...
Graham: I hope you BURN in hell for what you've done, wherever you are...!
[Riiiiing...]
Graham: Uuugh...
[With a harsh sigh, Gregory picked up the receiver, and cleared his throat. His tone turned pleasant and cheerful.]
Graham: CherryDynamics, CEO Gregory Graham speaking--oh, OH! A pleasure to hear from YOU, sir, yes! My goodness, I was starting to fear the worst--! Are you and your wife and children--?
Graham: That's wonderful--yes, of course, but I have--oh, no, there's no need--I have to stay here, you know...
[Pause.]
Graham: ....No. There's no one--no, I'm not MARRIED, you silly--
[Another pause.]
Graham: I said there is NO one, sir.
Graham: ...Just me.
Graham: --Oh no, of course. Thank you for your concern, though.
Graham: I really do appreciate it...
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 5B: DESOLATE HIGHWAY=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
[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—>>
=CHAPTER 5C: DESOLATE HIGHWAY=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{In the Meadow…}
[It was indeed a long day.
They had done what they could to stabilize the newcomers, though they eventually had to call Siam out of his room to make sure the injured fighters had been properly stabilized. Skull was left to take watch over one of them, while Digger went off on his own, seeming troubled.
By now, the news of FMN-009’s decision to pursue his older sister was well known, and some had gathered around a video feed to watch his progress. Skull had chosen not to.]
Skull: -Vents a soft sigh-
[The temperature had been increased much higher than usual, and there is a sound machine playing the ocean waves. Skull flicked at an iPad every so often, as it’s his turn to keep watch on the recovering Xelbots—Plume in person, and Landcrusher through remote camera observation.]
Skull: ({I would have thought that since Mic can fit in here, he could too, but… I suppose it was deemed he’d feel more comfortable among the earth and terrain rather than inside a lab.})
[He looked over at Plume again thoughtfully.]
Skull: ({I wonder whatever happened to the other gynoids? Father said there were survivors—AI&As, even… if only partially realized…. …I get the feeling he knows far more than he has told anyone else.}) … -Soft snort- ({Four is going to flip when he sees her. And Dyna, for that matter.})
Skull: … ({I think he’ll be terrified of Fighting Eight for other reasons, though. Mmm.})
[......]
[PING--!]
[IKN.1 IS NOW ONLINE.]
Plume: Mmmn...
Plume: --?
Plume: (Ow…)
Skull: …!
Skull: Ah… Good afternoon. Welcome to the Meadow lab.
Plume: ....
Plume: -Abstract, confused data--
Plume: {Lab...?}
Plume: {Where...}
Plume: -Ow, whyyyyy does everything hurt--
Plume: {I....}
Skull: You have been injured. You were brought here to recover. It is safe here.
Plume: {--But--}
[Eyes furrow as she tried to sift through blank memories...]
Plume: {I don't...remember being hurt...}
Plume: {...B...Brother--where is...?}
Plume: {Is he here...?}
Skull: (She seems to be searching for someone…) There was one other brought here also--the two that brought you here are gone, however.
Plume: {P...Pine...?}
Plume: {No, wait, he...he's still on the island...isn't he...?}
Plume: -Is just--very confused, how did we get here, we were on the island, right--??-
Skull: -data for now, to bypass language-
Skull: -You were brought here upon request, that is all we know, really-
Skull: -We are a bit low on Xel, but more will arrive tonight. If you would like to eat, however, we can get you something?-
Skull: -Or juice or something-
Plume: -That...that would be nice...-
Plume: ({Request…})
————————
{Memories…}
[A cold rain. Sirens back and forth. Some sort of strange rip in the sky itself.]
“He will be back. And then, you will rest.”
[What a strange man… such a formidable design, but he was twirling pool rings…]
“All will be clear in… due time.”
[SANDA LABS, THE NEXT MORNING]
[After Beck’s return with Brandish at his side, the rest of the morning passed mercifully without event. True to their word, Fighting Mighty Numbers One and Six sent over breakfast for everyone—even the injured, who were still asleep.
Dr. Sanda (who had been forced to take a rest by his daughter) resumed repairs at once after breakfast was over. There were three patients to tend to—Brandish, Jack, and Carmen.
Brandish’s repairs proved to be mostly straightforward, as had the other Mighties: exhaustion and a low Xel count accounted for the majority of the trouble. Unlike the others, though, he also had sustained acid damage—and that was something that Dr. Cossack handled personally, as he had more insight into Shadow’s abilities and weaponry.
Jack, for his part, had sustained pretty heavy internal damage—including, but not limited to: damaged sensors, a broken transceiver, and internal Xel loss… all from hitting the tunnel face first at high speed. Luckily for him, his stance had been unsteady enough that he was mostly knocked back at the first impact, making it more of a glancing blow. Patching him up was a fairly straightforward affair, and one that Mikhail was able to handle mostly on his own, once Brandish had been seen to.
Carmen, on the other hand.
Her younger brother had made an understatement in his report of her injuries.
She had been battered by a large piece of flying debris at high speed, which would have taken out lesser constructs on the spot. There were minor irritations webbed all across her torso, where she had struggled against the fine wires that had bound her.
But all that paled in comparison to what had happened as a result of hitting the Alpha 1 Tunnel at 90+ mph.
The impact had split her radar dish and cracked her skull, and caused some of the thin wires to bite into her skin. The whiplash in falling to the hard surface she had been standing on had compounded the internal damage further. The shift into a civilian form had quite possibly saved her life—it had either stopped most of the Xel loss, or at least slowed it down.
Her father had been reluctant to allow her to stay under someone else’s care, but had to admit that she had sustained serious enough injuries that would make a sudden transfer a cause for concern. He turned most of his attention—when he wasn’t looking after Plume and Landcrusher—to learning more about timespace and different worlds.
This delighted Siam, who took advantage of the situation to completely lose himself in his research. He was no longer actively responding to anything less than a direct order or emergency alert… slightly to the annoyance of his older brothers.
As for Shadow…]
-Ping.-
[Sure enough, just as Dr. Cossack had predicted… it wasn’t long before he got back in contact with them.]
-Ping.-
[It would appear his contact of choice was none other than the leader of the Mighty Numbers: Pyro.]
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -Ping.-
[MN.1] //: --!!
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Shadow?
Shadow: ! -Sort of hunches his shoulders up, feeling suddenly embarrassed/shy-
[The raw data itself would seem to indicate that yes, it is Shadow, albeit not a very talkative one. Not that that’s anything new. More like a reversion, really.]
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -Oh, thank goodness, you're alive--
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Are you alright?
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -This, it would seem, is a matter up for debate-
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -Wait what--
[REN.2] //: -And we can feel the amount of worried Data from Pyro- He is not injured, Number One.
[MN.1] //: --Your Highness?
[REN.2] //: Yes, hello. Shadow would like to speak with you about some...pressing issues.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > I am functioning, although whether or not that is a good thing is a matter of debate. -n-
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -What--but of COURSE it's a good thing ugh not you TOO.-
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > … -Wait what-
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -What do you mean-
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: ....
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: It's...Seven.
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -He is just...ngh, it hurts to see him like this, it wasn't his fault but he just...can't help but blame himself-
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: .....
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -Data suggesting a soft sigh and closing eyes-
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > Where do I even begin…? Even I do not know the full beginning, and much of what has happened as of late has been lost to me.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > I could not handle—I could not bear—could not take on the burden of such a heavy thing, and so new to me at the time…
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -Despair… was it despair? I cannot know, but that is the only thing I can guess…-
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: ......
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > For us, you ((pl.)) have always been that rare source of hope… for our world is all but darkness, save for a few who show kindness—but the world itself is dark and without mercy. There is no hope; one must live on without it, and be content with simple blessings of survival and family.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >But such is a darkness so great and terrible that any light that defies it becomes maddeningly precious, overwhelmingly so—if only one can ensure that light staves off the spread of such… suffering, such bleakness in the world—
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > To see the darkness in the one place you were determined not to let it pass…
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > … …It was too much for me. I had never known the loss of hope before, as I had never had it to begin with, until all of you. That loss was more than I knew how to handle, as my Emotions program… -Sigh- We are prone to stupor in times of great distress, but my system has yet to adjust and advance to the level of even very young constructs, for I have not had it very long.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > I suspect my brothers hoped I could speak with Sensei, to buy some time, but…
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > This time, he did not hear me, and I… -Trails off- …
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …I did not really know—and even only vaguely understand—what was going on. I was simply… -…Data, we just had to get the swords away from him, and then, perhaps, we could talk or restrain and THEN talk, had to get the swords away-
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -Nothing else mattered, I did not care about the anger or aggression, it simply did not matter, it just did not-
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: ....
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Shadow...
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: ....
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Look, I...I'm not angry with you, or what you did--surprised, yes, but...
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > I very narrowly kept on going.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
“Remember… Cardinal is used to being hunted. And in our world, you DO not stop until you are dead.”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >Such was my intention.
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: .....
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -Slow, drawn out breath.-
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Which is why I am very glad it was narrowly and not the OTHER way around.
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -Still, if you didn't interfere at that moment...-
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > … -If you say so… but personally this is troubling because it is not the first time that we have had to be talked down, this aggression is… very deep, it would seem-
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …It was never my intention to destroy. No. … -But I was not bothered by inflicting incredible damage… it is hard to explain-
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …I still do not understand why he did not leave right away.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >Why did they linger there? If Lady Sanda had placed him there, surely, she could also have called them away. Why did that not happen?
[MN.1 to DWN-24] //: --Xel Transfer onto a moving location is rather difficult enough--it actually took a bit before he could be transported safely. Call couldn't lock onto him fast enough, and I suspect Beck knew that...
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: ...And thus he...he turned to seek aid from the one that was most like his brother.
Shadow: …!
Shadow: …
[…He seems…
…troubled, by that.]
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …But… when that did not happen, I gave him the amulet, as he stated his goal was to leave safely.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >And still, he did not leave. Why?
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: ...Either he didn't want to leave you behind...
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Or he was too....
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: (...Too scared.)
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -Cautiously, as if he is wary—though whether of Pyro, Beck, or just in general is hard to say- If he had left, that would have… helped.
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Perhaps...
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -Data, you must remember that he is still young, Shadow, and all this is hard enough as it is...-
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -With no gentleness or hesitation, being very up forward- Perhaps I may have reminded him of his guiding brother.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > He, too, reminded me of a brother.
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: . . .
[DEATH WEARS B L U E]
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …I will not lie to you, Pyrogen. Now is not the time for niceties. This is important.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >He was not the Nine I remembered from before, Pyrogen. He has changed.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >And the change worries me VERY greatly.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >It was terrifying. I was certain he was going to kill me, Pyrogen!
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >When he did not leave like he claimed was his goal, what else was I to conclude in that moment, with ALL MY BROTHERS OFFLINE!?
[DEATH WEARS BLUE]
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Shadow--
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: He's not like HIM!
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -This is OUR brother, and the changes he's gone though so far are great--
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -But he WOULDN'T take a life because that isn't who he is and we would NOTICE if he was--
Pyro: (...turning into something like the Menace...)
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -Ngh, the point IS that Beck isn't...-
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -.....-
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -He isn't the Menace.-
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: . . . .
[Shadow seems to recoil and give off acerbic data at that response, but as Pyro calms, so does he. He then seems very worn out.]
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …Neither is Rock the Blue Menace, Pyrogen. Do you understand?
[Indeed. As had been explained before…]
((Profile pic here with the split screen showing the two sides to the Blue Bomber))
[…The Menace was a program separate from Rock’s Awareness.]
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: . . .
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >During and after the fight… acting like two different people, in a sense. That bothered me.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >To be so bold and… -…mmm, data, participant, almost… Almost Cardinal-like—-
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …but then to become seemingly timid afterward.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >That change bothered me, though I could hardly coherently process why at the time.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …At the very least, it is not healthy at all.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >It was as if in the fight, he were a different PERSON.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >It could very well be that my delusion is the mad anxiety of a fugitive, for such could be expected. Things were already strained from the beginning, and all that has happened has reverted things not to that point, but even further back.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >It is… logical and possible that I have misunderstood… everything. …And I am willing to… admit to that.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >But I am warning you now, Master—if I were the head of the family in absentia, what I saw would have provoked me to withdraw everyone back home, where you ((pl.)) could not find us.
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: . . .
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -Sighs, very, very tired data-
Pyro: (...Dear God, they're...they're going to be terrified of Beck at this rate...)
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …I have not spoken to the others about this, nor have I connected to the database. For sanity’s sake I will have the incident encrypted, and possibly isolated from my next sleep cycle, to be withheld until the matter is further resolved.
[He seems suddenly bitter.]
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >For what else are the hunted to conclude, especially when they have acted above their station?
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: >We have made things worse, and it only proves to you all that we are not tame, nor shall we ever be safe for humanity.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > -What have I done, this cannot be—-
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Shadow.
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > —…
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -For God's sake, Shadow--
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: Please come home.
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -It's going to be alright, just--PLEASE, come home.-
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > …I…
<DWN-024 to MNN-001>: > … -I will… come… home.-
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: -Relief-
[MN.1 to DWN-024] //: ...Thank you.
[PING!]
[MN.1 to MC005] //: ...Dr. Cossack?
<MC005 to MNN-001>: >Mmn?
<MC005 to MNN-001>: >Sorry, I was just talking with the Sanda twins about making a press release—thankfully, the Sixes stopped FMN-008 from showing up on any news cameras…
<MC005 to MNN-001>: >What is it?
[MN.1 to MC005] //: ...It's Shadow.
[MN.1 to MC005] //: He is coming back. Soon. He contacted me.
<MC005 to MNN-001>: > …
<MC005 to MNN-001>: > -Slowly- …Well that is a good sign. It means he is no longer in an active Combat mode. He must have been with Father Cruz, to be able to reach that point so quickly.
<MC005 to MNN-001>: >He doesn’t say anything at all when in an active Combat mode, you see… -Absentminded- Ever. Which is why you all misinterpreted him when you saw it—that is unique, among all the others.
[MN.1 to MC005] //: I see...mmn...
[MN.1 to MC005] //: ...Well...While I'm not sure where he is at the moment...
[MN.1 to MC005] //: He and I talked for a bit.
[MN.1 to MC005] //: ...and he...brought up some very... very concerning matters...
[MN.1 to MC005] //: ...Matters concerning Beck.
<MC005 to MNN-001>: > …
[He sighs.]
<MC005 to MNN-001>: > …Come speak to me in person. We need to talk.
[MN.1 to MC005] //: ...Yes, Doctor.
{Later…}
[Dr. Cossack was waiting in the kitchen, preparing some hot chocolate.
He looked better than he had previously, to be sure—he was improving, now that he was more in control of the situation.
But he still seemed distracted, and also perpetually tired.
There was a signal coming from one of his lab pockets that was slightly disorienting at first—he was actively jamming recording devices, other than Pyro’s own memory, of course.]
[Knock knock...]
[Moments later, the Mighty Leader stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He, too, looked equally as tired, and now even more so as he was plagued with turmoils of all that had transpired.]
[The fact that Dr. Cossack wanted to speak with him privately was even more worrisome...]
Pyro: Doctor...
[Mikhail looked up, blinking a bit as he came out of his thoughts. It took him a moment to remember, but then he set the mug aside, looking at it as he spoke.]
Mikhail: I will first tell you what I know, so that what I have observed will not be influenced by what he had to say.
[…This was a statement, not a request.
He folded his arms and pressed a thumb to his mouth as he spoke, his weary gaze glancing down—but his eyes glazing over, as if he were too tired to stare at the floor.]
Mikhail: I have seen a change in Mighty Nine’s behavior.
[..........]
[It was as Shadow said...]
Pyro: ......
Pyro: What...kind of...change...?
Mikhail: He has become very withdrawn—to the point where he showed no response to affection. That is very unlike him.
[He closed his eyes and sighed.]
Mikhail: I am beginning to suspect he may be dealing with some form of moderate depression.
Pyro: .......
Mikhail: He specifically asked me to make sure no one would see what he is doing. He seems to worry about their judgment. Combined with how he wouldn’t return affection from all of you…
Mikhail: I’m worried about him.
Pyro: .....
Pyro: (Beck...)
Mikhail: This… this sort of behavior is something I have seen before.
Mikhail: Mr. Light became very weary and lifeless by the end of his second round with his brothers, and has become… permanently withdrawn, I’m afraid.
Mikhail: He needs someone to talk to. He cannot continue internalizing this, or it will sink like poisoned snake fangs into his soul.
[...Pyrogen crosses his own arms and sighs into his chest, shutting his eyes tightly.]
[...Hearing it from Shadow was one thing, but from Cossack himself...the thought of his own little brother being anything other than himself was...]
Pyro: ...I can--
Mikhail: And what will you do when he tries to push you off with less than his usual effort at putting on a smile?
Mikhail: You cannot make him talk to you. And neither can I.
Pyro: --.....
Mikhail: He is coming into his own, now, Pyro, and very rapidly, at that.
Mikhail: He is no longer taking orders from you.
Mikhail: You do not have the authority you once did.
Pyro: . . .
Mikhail: So using that context will not make progress.
[The older gentleman looked up, a sympathetic and fatherly look in his eyes.]
Mikhail: I should like to speak to him, ere the hour grows late. We still have several to find, and… I think it is important that I talk to him before he finds Cardinal.
[He placed his hands behind his back and went over to look at a photograph.
It was from Beck’s birthday.
Everyone was smiling and laughing, in costume—you could practically feel the joy from the photo.]
Pyro: . . . .
[There were Snow, Kalinka, Beck, BB8.
There were Felix and Digger and Mic.]
[And in that corner, Skull and Shadow and Brand. And over there, Dyna and Tobias and Avi.]
[Pyro was cutting cake while Keltso handed out slices, Cryo was bouncing Echo like he was a dodgeball, Bat was talking with Nico, who was showing off my making some of the forks start hovering.]
[…]
[…And there they were, grinning shamelessly…]
[The two troublemakers, side by side.]
Pyro: (Those days...)
Pyro: ......
Pyro: (Shade...Cardinal...)
Mikhail: …
[He starts using sign language.]
Mikhail: “Tobias tried to stop Aviator from History Repeating. …His Awareness got shattered, and his interference has burned a deep scar into Six that will likely never fully heal—given that such a scar is still raw and red for the rest that carry those same memories.”
Mikhail: “Shadow tried to stop Brandish. He descended into Lethal Combat mode as the situation became more and more dire, and he suddenly found himself a Sole Survivor with his friend now clearly stronger and more resolved than he remembered before. His teacher tried to kill him, and he was close to cutting off Sev’s hands. He would not have stopped… were it not for the willpower and control that Brand himself had given him.”
[He stole a brief, pained rueful glance at Pyro.]
Mikhail: “Do you remember what was then said?”
Mikhail: -Speaks aloud- “It will not stop until EVERYTHING is gone.”
Mikhail: You do not remember, Pyro, because it was not you who said this. But back in the beginning, I tried to contact you. And I succeeded.
Mikhail: The response to my inquiry was a declaration that all must end in fire.
[…He’s fidgeting with his hands as he says this.]
Pyro: I...
Pyro: (I...I said...)
Pyro: I...
Pyro: ...I'm sorry... (Dear lord just--just how MAD was I, when...when I KNOW that...!)
[Cossack’s expression softened, and he walked over, lifting Pyro’s chin up a bit.]
Mikhail: …I understand, Pyrogen. …I’m not holding it against you.
Mikhail: But it is one of a string of occurrences in a troubling trend lately.
Mikhail: Every time we seek to interfere… it is almost like the matter is made worse. That is exactly why I had tried so hard to prevent it, to begin with. Tobias was an incident that could not have been foreseen very well, since we didn’t know what was going on…
Mikhail: With Shadow, we knew something like that would happen. …But I’d never seen most of those abilities before. I did not realize he could shadow walk…
Mikhail: If that has happened so far…
[He looks over at the photo gravely.]
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: …I can keep the others in line, but it is too late to prevent Cardinal from getting involved…
Mikhail: (With how bad it got between Shadow and Brand…)
Mikhail: (If those two find each other, how much /worse/ will it get…?)
Mikhail: (Especially considering…)
Mikhail: (Cardinal has military level orders…)
Mikhail: … -Sighs and turns his back, grabbing his hot chocolate-
Pyro: . . .
Pyro: (Shade...where are you...)
Pyro: (Where are you hiding...)
Pyro: . . .
Mikhail: -Sips the hot chocolate quietly, relaxing- (Ahh… better…)
[He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs inwardly.]
Mikhail: …Pyro…
Mikhail: What did you make of Cardinal’s departure, and continued absence?
[His eyebrows furrowed in thought for a moment.]
Pyro: ...He...he SHOULD be here.
Pyro: ...I...this might be because I am an elder myself, but...
Pyro: I can't help but feel... angry ...at him just--just taking off like that, and with the scarce supplies you have as well.
Pyro: ....
Pyro: But then again...those two...
Pyro: They're practically the same, and I have no doubt Shade would have...done similarly for him.
Mikhail: … -Mutter- Well that certainly could be a problem in the future…
[He downed a larger gulp of his drink.]
Mikhail: I’ll explain more when I’m done with what I’m working on, but there’s something I want you to keep in mind, Pyro.
Mikhail: The reason Cardinal is as advanced as his brothers is because his system evolved to be that way over time. He was not born with such complexity.
Mikhail: It’s easy to forget with how much he is in command and control of himself and others…
Mikhail: But he is still a prototype, Pyrogen.
Mikhail: He took what he did to ensure his best chance of survival.
Pyro: .....
Mikhail: He left because his mind, body, and soul were all bent toward his mission.
[He drummed his fingers on the side of the mug.]
Mikhail: He had about as much say in the matter as Beck did… probably much less.
Mikhail: He is a military construct, my friend. And the nation is in turmoil.
Mikhail: There is a great deal more to this than what there seems… and that doesn’t just go for the side of the virus.
Mikhail: There are more than two players in this matter…
Pyro: .....
Mikhail: Now then.
Mikhail: What did Shadow say that troubled you so deeply? … … -Gently- You didn’t have to talk him out of…?
Pyro: No, no, no...
Pyro: It's...he, too, noticed that change in Beck and...
Pyro: ......
Pyro: I just...the way he put it just as how DLN-001 isn't The Menace...
Pyro: ...And--how Beck seemed as if a different person when fighting, it just...
Pyro: -...scared him, even.-
Mikhail: -Frowns- …
Pyro: (He isn't the Menace...)
Pyro: (He won't be, he won't...)
Mikhail: I’m a Doctor, not a mind reader, son.
Mikhail: Whatever is going on in the code is something only your father knows. And Lord knows the poor man is working with enough already.
Mikhail: He, too, has become withdrawn, and I think he’s been avoiding me.
Pyro: --.... (Father...?)
Mikhail: Which is why I’m inclined to think Beck’s behavior is due to depression, and not… something else—it’s mirroring your father’s behavior, and he has mimicked Will’s ways before without realizing it.
Pyro: ... (True...)
Pyro: -Sighs- Beck always did spend more time with Father after... (After I benched him...)
Mikhail: …I haven’t talked to Will because… I think that’s Soichiro’s prerogative, as a life-long friend. As strange as it sounds… -Gives a faint smile- It HAS still only been… about six months since we first met, you know.
Pyro: ...Only just been half a year... (Seems....longer than that...)
[He clasped his hand onto Pyro’s shoulder.]
Mikhail: From what I’ve been told about Beck’s coding, I don’t think you have to worry about another force of will growing inside him. He’s been handling infected Xel for days now—when he isn’t fighting or recovering, he’s cleaning more to help repair your siblings. We know that this coding is fast acting and very severe—if there really were a problem? It would have been obvious a long time ago. Coupled with the fact that he has the filter he does…
Mikhail: There’s a saying for that which goes back over two thousand years. “A house divided cannot stand.”
Mikhail: And just as the context in which it was first said—evil does not drive out evil. Only good can do that.
Pyro: (...A house divided...)
Mikhail: No, this trouble is of the heart, not the mind.
Mikhail: I’m going to ask Will if he’ll let Beck have a camping sleepover with Kalinka in the Meadow. Just for the night. He’ll be within reach if we get any news that requires his action—but barring that, it’ll do him good to rest his weary soul. To look at the stars in a peaceful night—to remember what it was to have peace and contentment, to feel again what it is he is fighting for.
Mikhail: -Long sip, peering over rim of mug- It’s hard enough on a soldier, but he’s a young civilian. He needs that, even if he denies it.
Mikhail: And Pyro…
Mikhail: I suggest you go to sleep.
Mikhail: I realize it’s only late afternoon, but you really do need the rest.
Pyro: ....
[Pyro nods in response.]
Pyro: (...That'll be good for him...yes...)
Pyro: ...Alright, Doctor...
Mikhail: Yes. Things will be alright…
————————————
{Later…}
[Shadow did indeed arrive, as promised—though it was more by letting Cossack know where he was so he could be teleported. The Russian Doctor spent several hours running some diagnostics and talking with the star-born ninja quietly, before the latter was finally able to relax and be at peace. Although he was offered a chance to stay in the Meadow, Shadow, for his part, had joined Mikhail and David at Sanda’s labs. He kept a watch in the emergency bay, which was sadly well attended.
There was Brandish, of course. Thankfully, his physical injuries were recovering smoothly—but he seemed dead to the world. It was almost as if he were choosing to sleep to avoid dealing with what had happened. Shadow had hoped to speak with him, but had contented himself with just kneeling on the floor nearby, letting his presence serve as some form of comfort.
Besides Brandish, there were also CDN-7037 and FMN-008: Dencerjack and Fighting Mighty Countershade (better known to most as Carmen). They had both sustained critical injuries, though the nature of these hadn’t been made clear to the solemn ninja. Jack was stable (if practically comatose), but the lady sniper was not faring so well. Shadow had been obliged to leave the lab several times for many long hours as Sanda worked on her repairs.
And that wasn’t all.
Off to the side, behind a strange looking barrier, lay another Number Eight: DLN-008—Wily’s favorite son… Tobias.
He had been placed in strict technological isolation, for many reasons. Avi’s health was one reason. Tobias’s sanity was another. There was also the safety of the lab and the general public to consider—Tobias was infamously impulsive and defiant, and not above using his powers for his own ends.
Dr. Cossack had declared that the wide-eyed idealist would have to be kept Offline until it was clear how the public would react to all that had happened, now that they could voice their opinion. He was advising Will, Sanda, and the rest on that matter even now, which is why Shadow had this time for a bit of quiet and rest.]
Shadow: -Vents a sigh- …
Shadow: -Looks back over at Brandish- …
Shadow: (Oh, Teacher… I am so glad I did not go further.)
Shadow: (…I just wish that I knew what I am going to say—)
[He became distracted when he heard some of the readers beeping in protest at sudden spikes.]
Shadow: …???
[He looked over in slight surprise at Fighting Mighty Eight—]
Shadow: (Is she…)
Shadow: (Is she… dreaming?)
-*-*-*-
[Whimpers. Terrified whimpers.
Rough jerking, leaning in close to whisper—a toxic kind of soothing tone, a gentle purr that held not an ounce of love or mercy.]
“Y’ain’t worth /nothin’/, you know. First yer stupid enough t’ piss us off, an’ then foolish enough to run away, where no one can hear ya scream.”
[Choking noises.]
“Shhh shhh shhh, worm~ Oh, you had so much t’ SAY before… too bad none of it was useful. Even worse for you that ya wouldn’t use that tongue a’ yers t’ sing like a lark ‘bout yer makers…. /Maybe/ Ah’d have let ya keep it, if ya had.”
[Whimpering.]
“Then again… probably not. You dared to touch her, you filth.”
[A click, followed by garbled screaming.]
“Not t’ mention ya sliced up that poor child. You nearly killed him, you understan’? He’s STILL suffering because a’ the likes of YOU.”
[Weak screaming.]
“Aw, don’t give up NOW, Sawblades~ Ya still got a bit a’ dance left in you, Ah’ can /tell/.”
[Incoherent pleading noises.]
“HEH. Now THAT’s what Ah’ like t’ hear. Heh heh…”
[More clicking and locking noises. The babbling becomes more desperate.]
“Doesn’t matter you don’t know me, worm. Ah’ know you, an’ that’s enough. You’re long overdue t’ dance the hangman’s jig—an’ Ah’ am SO tired a’ /waitin/ on orders while the likes of YOU are allowed to run free and cause pain in the meantime.”
[Terrified screeching—]
-KZAP!-
“…Heh heh. Goodnight, Bladeblaster. -Blows smoke away from rifle- Y’ain’t worth mah time t’ kill—haven’t deserved THAT mercy, nope~”
[Cackling nearby.]
“Though OTHERS… may have a /different/ opinion on the matter. Me? Ah’d just as soon ya go get healed so Ah’ can /do this AAALLLLLL over again. And again. For the rest of your miserable little life.~/”
[The click of heels. Far off ripping and snarfing noises.]
“But Ah’ guess we can’t have everything, now can we?~~”
-*-*-*-
[Carmen “wakes” up with a start.]
Carmen: -DATA, ALL THE DATA—- (BRAND. BRAAAAAAND—)
[AAAAND then she was SCREAMING over the feeds—]
<FMN-008>: > BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND—!!!
[ P I N G--!]
[It was as if someone had just flipped a switch. Dead to the world before--]
[MN.7 IS NOW ONLINE.]
[His eyes snapped open in an instant, and he quite literally fell off of his repair table in his effort to race to his sister's side--but once he did regain balance, he was quick to send soothing signals to calm her fears, pushing aside his own pained turmoil in favor of Carmen.]
[MN.7] //: -Shhh...shhh...I'm here, I'm here...-
[MN.7] //: -You are safe, just listen to me...-
[MN.7] //: -Listen to the song of the forest, of the northern winds blowing over a hidden koi pond...-
<FMN-008>: > -bRAND BRAND I THINK I KILLED SOMEBODY wai can’t I remember or sEE NOTHIN’—- -In almost literal hysterics, readings going wild-
<FMN-008>: > -We were threatening a breakdancer and tranquilized him and— and planning gifts for Jack and talkin’ to Pyro an’—-
[Wow, that’s pretty trippy data she’s giving off. She’s clearly not really remembering much of anything.]
[MN.7] //: --.....-
[MN.7] //: -Carmen--Carmen...-
[MN.7] //: -Shhh....-
[MN.7] //: -Shhhhhhhh we're here, we're here, it's alright, you are safe, home...-
[MN.7] //: -All will be well...trust us, just listen for now, listen to our voice...-
<FMN-008>: > -And we said we’d take a bath and eat all the tacos—and…-
Shadow: .-. (…She sounds like she has high fever. I have not heard anything so… surreal since one of the parishoners back at home in the children’s ward was on a particularly strong cold medicine…)
<FMN-008>: > -…And…-
[She’s calming down quite a lot, seeming just… out of it, rather than panicked.]
<FMN-008>: > -And… Avi was making bad puns… and I made Clint laugh…-
[MN.7] //: -Shhh.......-
[MN.7] //: -Just stop and listen...listen to the rustling of leaves and peaceful winds...-
[MN.7] //: -Calm, soothing data, nothing can hurt you, just think of a soft, burbling brook in a far away forest, where fireflies twinkle in the twilight and the grass blows with the eastern wind...-
<FMN-008>: > -And there were…-
<FMN-008>: > -…were…-
<FMN-008>: > …
[It takes a few minutes, but she does eventually calm down enough to pass out again.]
Carmen: Zzz…
Brand: . . .
[MN.7] //: .....
[MN.7] //: -Siiigh-
[MN.7] //: -You're safe...-
Brand: Carmen...
[His head bows in both worry and relief, although the latter emotion does not last for long.]
Shadow: … -And now we are concerned for Sensei, he kinda fell off the bed onto his face-
Shadow: …
<DWN-024>: > … -Softest of data signals, we are here-
[Brand ever so gently lifts his head, but that is all he does.]
[There is a long silence as Brandish looks over Carmen, the only visible sign of his pain in his dulled, icy blue optics.]
Brand: . . . .
Shadow: …
[....Brandish's hands slowly reach up to unlatch his chin guard, and the mask bandages that are underneath.]
[...The helmet comes off soon after.]
Shadow: …?
Shadow: (Wha…? What is he doing?)
Brand: ......
[A very heavy sigh escapes him, long and sorrowful.]
Brand: ......
Brand: . . .
Brand: {If....}
Brand: {I had...only been...stronger....}
Brand: {Perhaps...}
Brand: . . .
Brand: -This is all my fault, isn't it...?-
<DWN-024>: > Sensei—
Brand: {If my will had been...stronger...}
Brand: {My sister wouldn't be like this, Jack wouldn't have been hurt, my brother wouldn't have to save me...}
Brand: {And you...wouldn't have had to put yourself in danger...}
Brand: . . . .
Shadow: (…I really do not like where this is going—)
Brand: {...This is my fault, is it not...?}
Brand: {If...if I had only just...}
Brand: .....
[Shadow kneels down. His hands are folded inside his sleeves.]
Shadow: -Broadcasting- “{We are so very grateful for your safe return. We missed you and worried so much.}”
Brand: . . . .
Brand: I....
[Brandish looks to the side in solemnity, unable to directly look in Shadow's direction.]
Brand: {...I'm sorry.}
[A hand moves to cover his face...]
Brand: {I tried...to tell you then...that I couldn't...}
Brand: {But...}
Shadow: … (This must be so hard for them. They have not lived in our kind of world….)
Brand: {I couldn't...fight it...hard enough...}
Brand: {Those voices...}
Brand: {Such...rage...}
Brand: {...I...don't...}
Brand: {I don't...deserve...}
Shadow: —?! (Most DEFINITELY do not like /where this is going!/)
Brand: {If I was not...strong enough to overcome that...darkness...and DRIVEN to turn my blades against those I have SWORN to defend--}
Brand: {What USE am I?}
Shadow: SENSEI!
[Shadow didn’t wait, this time.]
Shadow: {I started this life by horrifically murdering my own brother, and putting my father in the hospital.}
Shadow: {Since then, I have attacked almost any that approached me-- including many brothers, and nearly yourself, Pyrogen, and Countershade as well.}
Shadow: {If Doctor Cossack had not stopped us, I would also have been part of the death of Greater Dusk. I threatened poor Dencerjack— scared him to the point of groveling for mercy. On purpose.}
Shadow: {I… expected betrayal, warned so strongly against the only people that have ever made us so alive…}
Brand: --.......
Shadow: {Whatever honor I have ever had… I owe most of it to you.}
Shadow: {To YOU, Sensei!}
[Brand suddenly turns at this, and there is clear... surprise, for the most part.]
Shadow: {You and your family are the best thing that has ever happened to us!}
Shadow: {I promise you, Teacher—with how dark the world can be, and with how grave the danger that is posed—if it had not been for your guidance, there is a high chance I may have had killed again by this point in time. Our family leader was Offline, and division was growing deep between myself and the second-in-command. I was aggressive, and a threat to any that seemed a threat to me. Which was almost everyone.}
Brand: {...Shadow...}
Shadow: {You cannot allow this to undermine the light that has led for relative ages.}
Shadow: {Tell me, Sensei—do you consider the Cossack Numbers to have use? To have honor?}
Brand: ......
Brand: {...I...feel as they are protectors...of a sort...}
Brand: (...Which, of course...of their father, and their sister...)
Brand: {...I do think highly of them...if it was not for Skull, in fact...}
Shadow: {They have been forced unto a darkness which made the world tremble in fear of poison and fire.}
Shadow: {Does this mean they are no longer worthy to live in the world, even though their minds are now their own?}
Brand: --.......
Brand: {I....}
[Seven seems to plunge into deep thought at his pupil's argument, eyes flickering this way and that, but never on him.]
Brand: . . . .
Brand: -...N-no...-
Shadow: {Then why should it be different for you?! There is no sense in such a judgment, Sensei!}
Shadow: {You deem yourself responsible for the actions of another. If the will of one mind makes the victim to blame, where does that place your family, Sensei?}
Shadow: {Do you not remember what it was that the Eldest said to you about this?!}
Brand: . . . .
Brand: {....But I still... failed ...despite his warnings...}
Brand: {....I couldn't...stop it.}
Shadow: {Teacher. You fought. We. We are not even strong enough to fight.}
Brand: . . . .
Brand: {You all fight in your own way.}
Brand: . . .
Brand: {But I...know what you mean.}
Brand: . . .
Shadow: …
Shadow: -Turning head slightly, data showing a bit of anxiety and confusion as he speaks hesitantly- {Do you…?}
Brand: ....?
[His eyes flicker in something akin to… fear?]
Shadow: {I… was not even thinking of an alternative, Sensei….}
Brand: ......
Shadow: {I wanted—no… I was driven to keep going, to keep going until my objective was filled, until I stopped you from using your swords…}
Brand: .......
<DWN-024>: > -…would have kept going, stronger and stronger, if I had not been stopped—-
<DWN-024>: > -I was this close to making an attempt of cutting your hands off, I WOULD have if Beck had not stopped me from becoming…-
Shadow: (…becoming another one of Doctor Wily’s cruelty-filled monsters…)
Brand: . . .
[He’s rather hunched up on himself now with how low he has bowed his head, almost with his face on the ground in prostration.]
Shadow: -We have wronged you and your brother, deeply, among the many others-
Shadow: -We have acted when it was not our place, and without consideration-
Shadow: -And I say WE because I am not the only one involved in the situation as a whole, though this particular instance is mine to blame alone-
Shadow: … -Unless you count that everyone else thought it would be a good idea to leave me to speak with you alone, with no context and the rest of them Offline- >__>; (Siam…)
Shadow: -NOT HIS SMARTEST OF IDEAS-
Brand: ......
[Brandish takes a seat on the floor, flicking his gaze at Carmen for a moment before he did so.]
Brand: .....
<DWN-024>: >I thought…
<DWN-024>: >I did not understand…. I thought… I thought he had…
<DWN-024>: > And all of my brothers were OffLINE, what else was I to [color=blue]think—[/color]
Brand: .....
Brand: That...is not your fault...
Brand: ...Nor...is it that...you interfered...
Brand: {...If you had not, I fear that what I might have done to my brother would have been far far worse.}
Shadow: —…
Shadow: -But we nearly stabbed your hands off—- -STILL A LITTLE DISTURBED HOW BRUTAL HE WAS HEADING-
Shadow: -And then we ran away, like a coward-
Brand: ......
Brand: For us...hands can be replaced.
Brand: ....I don't blame you, Shadow.
Brand: Under the circumstances...no, not at all.
Brand: ...The fact that you had not resorted to it--it shows how much you have progressed, no?
[Shadow shifts his weight slightly, as if he thought of lifting up his head but decided against it.]
Brand: ....
Brand: This darkness...that I had felt...
Brand: It is unmerciful, and it will stop at nothing until all is ash.
Brand: ...And thus it reflects in the darker parts of us, as well, in the darkness in all of us.
Brand: ......
Brand: {...I do not know why it is...this way.}
Brand: {But we...}
Brand: {We...must not falter against it.}
Brand: ....
Brand: {Not now....}
Brand: {Not while we still function.}
Brand: .....
Brand: ...Shadow...
Brand: ...I...have not taken many pupils, aside from my brother.
Brand: ...But you have been one of the best I have ever had the honor of teaching.
Shadow: … -Lifts his head slightly-
Brand: ....
Brand: If...only my own Sensei still walked this earth...
Brand: ...He would have liked you, I think.
Shadow: -Straightens up at this, his gaze distant as he thinks this over- …
Brand: ....
Brand: -...We...we would...still like to teach you, if you still see us fit to do so-
[Shadow looked up in surprise.]
Shadow: -Data, we thought we would be dismissed at best after what happened-
Brand: ......Shadow...
Brand: Who else would I have to teach if not you?
Brand: ......
Brand: ... -that and, admittedly, you are the only one that doesn't fall asleep right away when in meditation.-
[Okay, that makes Shadow snort, and the tension leaves his frame loosely.
Then he sighs and shakes his head.]
Shadow: …I would be honored.
Brand: ...
[Some relief finds it's way to his face, and he nods.]
Brand: ...Thank you.
Brand: .......
Brand: ....Do you...know where Beck is, right now...?
Shadow: …I… I do not know. He was here, but he left before I arrived.
Brand: . . . .
Shadow: After my own diagnostic tests, the Doctors left to discuss something about the data from you with Mr. Seiji and Avi.
Shadow: … -We are not sure WHICH Avi, though-
Shadow: -There are now two of them hovering about-
Shadow: At least your brother is somewhat recovered from the terrible punishment… -Looks over at Tobias with a weary expression- Though I fear it shall never fully leave him. Six has looked into our soul and seen the fathoms of deep suffering…
Brand: --...A-Avi....
Brand: (Nii-san...)
Brand: . . . .
[Shadow now seems panged with sorrow.]
Shadow: We wanted so… we tried so hard… to prevent such a thing….
Shadow: (If only we had not… if only we had not chosen to step aside, but had pursued investigation…. Could… could we have prevented this…?)
Shadow: Wherever we have sought to interfere, great suffering has been left in the wake.
Shadow: …
Shadow: -Darkly- And it is not even over.
Brand: .......
Shadow: There are three that remain to be found, Brandish. There are still three who are missing.
Shadow: Tobias is locked in shadows, held in a slumber ’til the fate of this future is known, for he has already shattered his mind…
Shadow: I shall submit myself, come what may—I, too, shall no longer interfere.
Brand: (Shadow…)
Shadow: The others are not so inclined, for they have seen and they must—they must obey and withstand the lockdown enforced by the Doctors.
Brandish: ….
Shadow: …All, that is. But for one.
Shadow: Three are missing, Mighty blades…
Shadow: Two of your elders.
Shadow: And a younger.
Brand: —!
Brand: N...no...
Brand: (Shade--!)
[...But if he was missing as well....]
[Then that means...]
Brand: ...Cardinal...
Brand: He is…
Shadow: Gone.
Shadow: With everything the lab had to offer.
Shadow: Power Capsules.
Shadow: E-Tanks.
Shadow: Experimental prototypes similar to E-Tanks.
Shadow: My light cycle.
Shadow: Tobias’s radio.
Shadow: Jazz.
Shadow: All gone.
Brand: {It can't be--has...has he gone mad--?!}
Brand: (Shade...who knows what sort of state of mind he is in, and...with Cardinal out there--!)
Shadow: -Looks out of the corner of his eyes- {A lot of people asked the same question. But it is not so simple as that. He remains compelled as much as I—as much as I had been, but with clear intent and purpose.}
Shadow: {He knows very well what may lay ahead. He actually said so, in the final words before he left.}
Shadow: “John 15:13”.
Brand: --.....
Brand: "...No...greater love than this...."
Brand: (Cardinal....)
Brand: . . . .
Brand: {Mngh...we can't let them find each other...}
Brand: (But they are BOTH masters of staying 'off the grid...')
Brand: (What if...?!)
Brand: (What if they end up KILLING each other--?!)
Brand: . . .
Brand: (Shade....)
Brand: (Where are you, brother...?)
Brand: (What are you doing...?)
{Meanwhile…}
[Having acquired another sample of the virus, Will was eager to begin his analysis in order to combat it--the sooner he could figure out how it worked, the faster this could all be resolved.]
[..But before that could happen, there were a few pressing matters that had to be addressed first...]
Call: Transferring Assimilation data to your terminal, Professor.
White: If you can, please start running the proper analysis programs, Call...I'll oversee them after this...
Call: Yes, Professor. Running...
[Sanda was busy speaking with his brother Seijiro--along with Aviator, and going over the footage from Brand's rescue as well as the others....to what end, Will could guess it was rather important.]
Will: ....?
Will: Mikhail?
[...What was he doing?]
[He had recommended the meeting in the first place, but he no longer seemed focused on the conversation. He was intently reviewing something on a different screen, extremely focused on his task.
It took a moment before he responded—without looking up.]
Mikhail: Yes?
Will: Is...is there something wrong?
[...He seemed...distracted.]
Mikhail: Mmm. Maybe. It depends on the source… (If it is what I think it is… then that’s still potentially trouble, but at least not the malicious kind…) Someone has been poking around in the RobotMaster Database.
Will: --??
Will: W...What? Who--?
Mikhail: Well, it was accessed from an actual computer, so it doesn’t leave the same clarity of key logging as if a construct had accessed directly. I have a theory, based on how little was touched.
[He turned to look directly at Will.]
Mikhail: I think it may have been Cardinal.
Will: --!
Will: ....But...why? What did he need from the Database? (Status updates--?)
Mikhail: Information. It seems that the first status update after the servers reconnected was looked over—that would be the current state for all of the DCNs, DWNs, and MNNs. That is the only thing that was looked over.
Will: Ah... (So he knows how everyone is...doing, more or less...)
Mikhail: I’ve been having my sons look over the data and follow the trail. If we’re lucky, we may learn where the information was accessed.
Will: ...I see... (I can only hope it was him...)
[Mikhail sighed, removing his glasses and closing his eyes.]
Mikhail: I’d have Tobias look into it… were it not for the fact that he remains very… precarious. I can’t bring him back Online at this point. Not until we know how the public will handle this.
Mikhail: He already blames himself for the state of affairs in our world. Should it repeat again… (I fear that will break his mind.)
Will: . . . .
Will: I....I'm not very sure how the public will...
Will: ........
Mikhail: Well… I gave what advice I could from my own experience. I know a thing or two about mitigating damage caused by international panic…
[He scowled at this, rubbing at his (gloved) hands absentmindedly.
After “the Russian incident” had been prevented from reaching a nuclear tipping point, Dr. Cossack had still been a person of interest in the case and was under the very real threat of being put to death due to his “involvement”. It was nothing short of a miracle that not only had he been spared the death penalty out of retribution, but he had also managed to have his name cleared beyond doubt.
If anyone would know what sort of thing to say, it would be him.
But the experience weighed heavily on him, and he did still blame himself to some degree for things that had happened—and beyond that, he also carried a troubling defensiveness for those that really HAD gone mad—like Wily, and Blackwell.
That had been a point of slight contention that may have become deeper… had Avi not interrupted it at the start, and the both of them been busy with other things after they regained contact.]
Will: ......
[Will knew all too well--or maybe not enough... of what Mikhail and his family had to endure during the Russian incident.]
[...Hopefully...something like that won't happen this time--the virus seemed to be centralized to only the United States and it's surrounding territories...]
[...But if it ever found it's way to other countries...]
Mikhail: Now that people are talking freely, you’ll need to make a press statement. I wanted to be more involved, but… -Sighs- I have a lot on my mind, and a LOT of work to do. I gave my input, and then left the Sandas and Avi to the details…
[...Ah, so that's what they were discussing...]
Will: .....Mikhail...
[Will places a hand on his shoulder, and a smile--it's a bit tired, but well meant all the same.]
Will: ...We'll get through this.
Will: --With six virus samples, I feel I have enough data to finally make sense of it's coding, at least.
Will: (Perhaps even make a breakthrough...)
Will: I...I just need time.
Mikhail: …I… I know. …I wish I could help you more, but I don’t know enough to be helpful and there’s no time to teach me…
Will: ...It's fine. I can handle this, Mikhail. Call's running the programs as we speak, and--
[ P I N G ! ]
Mikhail: ?
Will: ...Huh--?
[CDN.7037 IS NOW ONLINE.]
Will: ...!! It's Jack...!
Mikhail: ! Already?
[He switched the display to the lab camera.]
[......]
[CDN.7037] //: Mnnngh....ow....
[Jack was slowly coming to, shifting this way and that on his repair table--his eyes blink several times, adjusting to the sudden bright lights of the lab.]
[CDN.7037] //: Mmuh...?
[CDN.7037] //: Where...ow...
Mikhail: I better go down to talk to him…
<MC005 to CDN-7037>: >Hold still, Dencerjack. I’ll be right down.
Will: .....
[CDN.7037] //: Huh...?
[He leaves abruptly, leaving the camera on so that Will can watch if he wants.]
{Lab}
[Mikhail walked in to find Shadow apparently meditating next to Brand—who was either meditating or resting, it was hard to tell. Carmen was still asleep, though her readings remained a bit fitful.
Jack looked veeeeery disoriented.]
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: -Turns the lights down, he’s used to working in low light, he was just working on Anubis after all-
Jack: ...-blink blink-
Jack: ....Ngh... (So sore...)
Jack: (Ugh, I felt like I got hit by a truck...)
Mikhail: It’s alright, Jack. You’re safe. Try not to exert yourself too much right now. You’ve really been put through the wringer.
Jack: ...Nh...
[Jack's optics struggle to adjust--but when they finally do, he focuses on the Doctor.]
Jack: ...?
Jack: H...Hey, you're...
Jack: (Is that the Russian Doc Bird guy told me about...?)
Jack: ....Dr...Cossack...?
Jack: (....Wait am I in RUSSIA??)
Mikhail: Yes. I came over to help.
Jack: --...O...Oh...
[He doesn't attempt to sit up right away--his head felt very foggy, as if he had awoken from some long dream...]
Jack: Mnngh...
Jack: H...Here...?
Mikhail: We’re at Dr. White’s lab at the moment. Though as soon as you’re stable, I should like to move you both to the Meadow.
Jack: White....
[White....Lab...stable...]
[...Both.]
Jack: --!!
[Suddenly he BOLTS upright--]
Jack: Miss Eight--
[Carmen tosses and turns a bit before trying to sit up.]
Carmen: -oH GOD I’M LATE FOR WORK—-
Jack: --!
Shadow: -Opens his eyes- ._.?
Brand: --!!
Carmen: -GLITCH I CAN’T SEE ANYTHING WHERE AM I I NEED TO GET TO ENGLAND-
Brand: --England--?
Jack: --....!
[Did...did she still think he was...?]
Carmen: -YES England, gotta keep him safe from Cracker goons and snake brats—-
Jack: M...Miss Eight...
[CDN.7037] //: -Ping- -Hey--hey it's Okay, we're here--we're here--
[This gives her pause, though she’s clearly very disoriented.]
Carmen: …???
Mikhail: I’m sorry, Jack. Her transceiver is still slightly broken, so it may take a moment for her to respond….
Carmen: … Job? -Wha…-
Jack: Uh...
Brand: -...Even I am at a loss how to explain this...-
Jack: ......
[And then it clicks for her.]
Carmen: -Wait, that is Jack’s signal, okay-
Carmen: -Oh and Brand is helping, hi Brand, thank you kindly—-
[This placates her, and she lays down again.]
Brand: . . .
Jack: Uh...yeah...yeah, It's me. I'm okay, Miss Eight. (Mostly...)
Carmen: … -Eeeeverything is okay, then, sounds good—-
<FMN-008 has entered Deep Sleep mode.>
Shadow: .-.
Jack: . . . .
Shadow: …What happened to her? .____.;
Jack: Uh...it's...a long story...
Brand: .....-siiiighs-
Mikhail: She hit a wall going very fast. Think Twelve level of fast.
Shadow: -OW.-
Mikhail: As did you, Jack, so please, lay down.
Jack: ...Yeah...I did, now I remember... But...
[He looks over at her, and sighs deeply, letting himself fall back into the cushioned table.]
Jack: ...She got the worse end of it...
Mikhail: That is to be expected. She’s taller and heavier than you are. Though I wouldn’t bring up the latter if I were you. -Slight smile-
Jack: ...Eheh...yeah, she'd maim me a lil...
Jack: .....
Jack: She's...she needs to sleep that off, right? She's gonna be okay?
Mikhail: She’ll be asleep for quite some time. -Nods at Brand- She’ll become stable soon enough, with the both of you here. She will heal, yes. It just will take a little while.
[...This seems to get Jack to relax, some tension leaving his frame.]
Jack: .... Okay....
Jack: Yeah...I...I can do that. Be right here.
Jack: (...Wow...)
Jack: (...I actually did it...)
Jack: (...Well--not me, but the kid...)
Brand: .......
Brand: That DOES raise a few questions, however.
Brand: You ARE supposed to be in England--how did you...?
Shadow: …
Shadow: I wonder what she was going to tell us.
Mikhail: …Beg pardon?
Shadow: Her memory—whether from injury, illness, or both—seems to terminate shortly after the finals. She had contacted Master Pyro briefly saying she had important information to share. It was the last we heard of her, for all the communications went down.
Jack: .....
Jack: Wait....
[Mikhail holds up a hand.]
Mikhail: …Perhaps we had better start from the beginning.
[He goes over to the computer and types as he speaks.]
Mikhail: The beginning from this end being the first memory entry for you, Jack—invalid timastamp or no, it was important…
<MC005 to MNN-001>: > Jack is awake and we are about to learn something important, I think. I’m patching you through to listen.
[He turned around, crossing his fingers.]
Mikhail: You rebelled against Bladeblaster at that point. It’s not hard to see why in hindsight, of course, but at the time it sparked a great deal of curiosity.
Mikhail: That entered you into the RMDC as a positive entry, which was very unusual and very fortunate for you, Jack. When we had the meeting regarding the match for the finals, Cardinal and I spoke up in your favor because of that.
Jack: .....Really...?
Jack: (...Oh, yeah, Double Dude told me about that, I think...)
Mikhail: Yes. The finals themselves have been rehashed plenty, and I hardly wish to discuss them in great length again. But there are four important details to note from it.
Mikhail: First, that Tobias was very badly injured in public after forcing his way through. This made him and his family very fearful of what would become of them.
Mikhail: Second, the matter of the crosses. It was of such dark importance that even Lord Felix decided to look into the matter personally. I have recently learned that he was handling the closest material to the crosses that he knew of—which is probably why he got so sick and is still sleeping.
Mikhail: Third… FMN-008 was convinced that you were in danger because you had rebelled. She insisted on keeping a personal watch on the matter. She was very focused in the investigation in the fourth point, and very committed to the whole ordeal, treating it like an assigned protection detail.
Mikhail: For the fourth point….
Mikhail: We know that CherryDyn is involved to this to some degree. This has been proven. And we also know that you were taken advantage of, and forced to remain silent.
Jack: . . . .
Mikhail: This displeased everyone, but she had a very personal interest in the matter.
Mikhail: I can’t help but think it has something to do with her own past—and there are only so many unknown things that would make her so aggressively focused on such a matter…
Jack: ..... (Miss Eight...?)
[Another glance.]
Jack: ......
Mikhail: We know that you two were in contact just before all contact was lost until things were already unraveling.
Mikhail: She wanted to ascertain the situation to see how much danger you were in, and learn more about why this had all been set into motion, and how deep the involvement went. In this context, she mentioned that she had something important to share. She was still talking with you at that point.
Mikhail: That’s where our knowledge ends. If you feel up to it, filling in the blanks from there would be helpful, 7037.
Jack: ....Yeah...yeah, I get what you're driving at now...
[Breathe...]
Jack: .......I guess I should start with what I told Miss Eight then...
Jack: ...I...think she wanted to know what happened to Blade after the whole Finals disaster happened, first off....
Jack: I told her that his core might have gotten shipped off back to be rebuilt.
Jack: ...And--oh, yeah, she asked me how I got tangled up with Greater Dusk in the first place...
Jack: And if I was in debt or something...
Jack: ...But, anyway, basically what happened was I punched a guy, gave him a nosebleed and Blade was...impressed since I was just a Civvie then.
Shadow: …???
Shadow: -That is so confusing with no context, but more on that later, I suppose?-
Jack: --Look, the point is--
Jack: ...I think the reason--or PART of it, anyway...I think Blade just picked me off of the street just like that for the team was cuz...
Jack: ...We were both CDN units.
Mikhail: -Russian- {What.}
Shadow: -Japanese- {What?}
Jack: ...Yeah. I...I don't know his CDN serial--but he HAD to be one of the newer models...
Jack: I found out when he signed off something once--I only got to see the CDN part--not the number.
Jack: ....But...yeah. He was a Cherry...
Jack: I...kinda wanted to bring it up with him...would explain why he used GDN.L...
Jack: ....But...ya know. Blade wasn't real nice.
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: …Siam mentioned you said Blade was deceased… -Looks over at Carmen-
Jack: . . .
Jack: ....Y...Yeah.
Jack: ........
Jack: -balls up hands into fists-
Jack: ....He...he's gone.
Mikhail: … (He was involved with CherryDyn. She STILL wanted answers.)
Mikhail: (I am now almost certain she was involved.)
Mikhail: (Oh dear…)
Jack: .....Blade was always a chass.
Jack: ....Real secretive too. Especially when the Queen's tournament rolled around, wouldn't let anyone near his room or touch his stuff.
Jack: (I KNEW something was up...)
Jack: ....
Jack: I remember when we got those... things.
Shadow: Out of curiosity. Was that before or after the tournament started?
Jack: ...Before...
_________________
"What the hell is this--"
"It's our ticket to fame and fortune, Den--congrats, maybe NOW you won't be so damn pathetic out there."
"Wha--but--"
"Put it ON."
"I....o-okay..."
"And don't lose it, or I swear to FRAG, I'll make your glitching chass feel a whole new dimension of PAIN, got it?"
"I...s-sure, Boss, I'll...I'll wear it..."
__________________________
[Mikhail still seems lost in calculating thought. Shadow, however, clearly has something else on his mind, but is refraining from asking.
Carmen stirs slightly in her sleep in discomfort, giving off waves of irritation and a dominant demeanor before settling back into deeper rest.
After a moment, however, Mikhail comes out of his reverie.]
Mikhail: Master Brand.
Brand: ....Yes?
Mikhail: For the sake of letting Jack rest as much as possible, I shall summarize the answer to your question.
Mikhail: Dencerjack was contacted by Cardinal after Avi got stunned from his fusion with Tobias.
Brand: --!!
Shadow: What? -This is news to him-
Jack: Yeah. From KC. He told me to go to the Meadow when I got the chance...
Mikhail: From there, if you enter the Wilderness, you can enter any world if the willpower is strong enough. He must have used that as a way to re-enter the States. Am I correct?
Jack: Yup.
Jack: ....I ended up in Seattle.
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: My sympathies. >__>
Jack: Doc...you got NO idea.
Mikhail: Enlighten me.
Jack: Long story short, Crazy fire chick, Space Needle, saved tourists and a baby, Landcrusher, and about a few days of nonstop swinging and driving?
Brand: ....
Brand: What?
[Mikhail does a SEVERE double take.]
Mikhail: …You encountered IKN-001? And Landcrusher?
Jack: Encountered?
Jack: Dude she tried to FRY ME UP.
Jack: And don't even get me STARTED on LD, man, those two went AT IT.
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: They’re both in the Meadow recovering right now.
Jack: --Wha--
Jack: Wait, but--
Mikhail: FMN-009 brought them in rather suddenly before going off to rescue you ((pl.)). He had given them a thorough detox.
Mikhail: I suspect time warps were involved. (…And Metalman, somehow, for whatever reason…)
Jack: --!
Jack: So that green light was...!
Jack: Jeez...and he calls me the superhero...
Shadow: …What did Cardinal talk to you about? </subtext: why you>
Jack: ...He wanted t' know more about the crosses.
Jack: ...And about Blade, too.
Mikhail: -SIGH- Of course he did…
Mikhail: He was likely hoping to either interrogate Bladeblaster himself regarding assassin hideouts, or else merely go to the one they had frequented together.
Jack: ....But Blade was already dead by then...
Jack: . . . .
Mikhail: Which is really rather unfortunate. Alas… still no leads on that end.
[He shakes his head.]
Mikhail: We have been working on analyzing the virus and preparing a statement.
Mikhail: … -Just lost in thought at the stakes-
Shadow: -Vents a sigh-
Shadow: …
Shadow: -WISTFULLY REMEMBERS THE TAGGING INCIDENT-
Shadow: (I would give nearly anything to have them both back and laughing now.)
Jack: .....Heh...Miss Eight told me about that...
Shadow: Mmm. It was very… them, to be sure.
Shadow: Doctor?
Mikhail: Hmm?
Shadow: …What are they going to say?
Mikhail: …The specifics? I’m not sure. But when we got the data from Brandish and Lady Countershade—but especially Brandish—there certainly was a great deal of enthusiasm.
Mikhail: I would ask Aviator about that if you want to know more, but we should hear and see for ourselves before too long.
Jack: Oh...well, I guess that's good news--I mean, once we all tell them what's going on...
Shadow: …
Shadow: I am sure it shall be.
Shadow: Aviator can talk his way out of most things, if he talks long enough. And he talks a lot.
Jack: ...Heh....I get it...
Brand: -...You tried.-
Shadow: -Humor and feelings are not my thing, oops-
Mikhail: -Smiles a little- For now, why don’t you all rest? We’ll wake you up if it’s something important. But for now, you should get some sleep.
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 5D: DESOLATE HIGHWAY=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{THE NEXT MORNING…}
[June 28th opens with a press release from Sanda Enterprises.
Several releases, actually.
While most of the two families had gathered in the large living room to watch the TV coverage, there were a few notable exceptions.
Tobias was still Offline, of course—and as such, Snow was still waiting on the other side of the barrier, watching and praying his brother would wake up.
Shadow was still attending the repair bay, where Brandish (and Jack and Carmen as well, for that matter) were still recovering. Dr. Cossack was in the lab, but working on his own personal project.
Siam, to no one’s surprise, remained shut up in the Rebel Angels’ personal lab, which was elsewhere.
Battalion and Seismic were still being sought; Call was sorting through the data by herself at the moment, since Dr. White was working on the virus and both Avis and the Sanda twins were busy with the news coverage.
As for Beck?
He’d asked Jaden to talk with him outside—and after the conversation started focusing on his immunities to certain weapons, Jaden began to get a bit suspicious…]
Jaden: Uh, Beck? .-. Do you, uh… need my form for something?
[Beck paused for a moment, considering what he knew about what had happened to Bladeblaster. If he was right…]
Beck: yes please
Jaden: Well, um. Okay…
[He sits down somewhat awkwardly, due to his size.]
Jaden: You’ve… never really used one of our Power Capsules before, have you?
Beck: ...Mmm...Nope. The closest thing I've seen is the replica you guys gave us.
Jaden: Okay. Well, to put it in your terms… that’s the hardware that holds our Weapon Data. The data is only compatible with specific hardware. Since you’re set up to be adaptable, I think your system will automatically shift to match that, if it can read the data. What with how you work, you’ll probably end up being more like me than say, Cardinal. That’s my theory, of if we try going about this straightforward.
[He holds his left arm at an angle and concentrates. After a moment, an access panel becomes visible, and it opens.
There’s an active Power Capsule inside. It looks kind of like…]
((Pizzazium Infinianite!))
[It has orange light in the coils but overall gives off a white glow, somehow.]
Beck: ...That?
Jaden: …I don’t have hands, so, y-you’re… gonna have to rem-move it yourself. Gently, please.
Beck: Oh, um--uh...
Beck: Are there any--like, screws or...? -We don't wanna hurt you so how do we take it out?-
Jaden: N-no, uh. It’s like a… an old school battery. It just latches into place. Lift the latches and you’ll be fine. I’m in my repair settings, so they aren’t locked down.
Beck: A battery--OK, got it...
Beck: -If I'm doing something wrong you can stop me OK?-
[There was a slight hesitant pause before Beck gently grabbed hold of the Capsule, and lifted the latches as he was told to.]
Beck: --!
[Click.]
[The glow faded somewhat as it was easily removed. Jaden looked a little relieved, though.]
[Beck started blinking rapidly as he held the now free Capsule in his hands...]
[NON-XEL WEAPON DATA DETECTED.]
[BEGINNING ANALYSIS.]
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1.]
Beck: --????
Jaden: -Just watching, though gets puzzled at Beck’s sudden, unexplained surprise-
[A flurry of loose Xel appears in Beck's hands--]
Beck: -UH--
[...and starts to cover the Capsule?]
Jaden: -Okay, this is new- ?__?
Beck: -I'M NOT DOING THIS I SWEAR--at least I think so--
Jaden: Easy, easy—just relax, not everything that any living creature does is conscious effort, you know. It’s okay.
[ANALYZING DATA...]
Beck: ....?
[His eyes glow green as his systems receive the data from the Capsule, and his uneasiness suddenly gives way to curiosity.]
Beck: I--oh. Huh.
Beck: -.. OH OK I THINK I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON--SORTA-
Jaden: ?
Beck: I... think my systems are trying to read the data from the capsule first--it recognized them as not Xel-data right away, so I...guess it's using one of my Xel Stocks to analyze it?
Jaden: That makes sense. Those things are usually part of the system when being used, anyway.
Beck: -...We're kinda getting a garbled mess right now, though-
Beck: -Like--it makes some sense but not really-
Beck: ...This needs some serious data sifting, I think...
Beck: -Maybe sending this assimilation data to Dad or Call can help clean it up and read it better?-
Jaden: Well, your Dad might ask why you were poking around with the power capsules, so.
[He sighed.]
Jaden: Man, I wish Toby were Online. I’m sure he could translate if he worked at it hard enough. What with the side effects of the fusion and all. But he won’t get Online, even if we keep him isolated, until we’re sure he won’t… well.
Beck: ....Yeah.
Beck: . . .
[ANALYSIS COMPLETE.]
[The Xel around the capsule slowly, but surely, turned into a bright orange color...]
Beck: --Oooooo...
Jaden: -Brightens up a bit at that-
[It then returned to Beck via his assimilation ability.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Beck: --Whoa--
[ERROR: NON-XEL DATA CANNOT BE READ. FORM UNAVAILABLE.]
Beck: --...Aw...
Beck: ...Well, I kinda expected something like that...
Jaden: Mmm.
Jaden: Man, if we could just bring Toby Online…
Jaden: I’m sure Siam could make some progress at it, but he’s busy with something else right now. Dr. Cossack seems to be working on some sort of analysis… he’s been very serious about it. And of course, Dr. White is working on his own analysis… -Sigh-
Beck: Oh...yeah, Dad's working on analysing the virus...and Sanda's busy with his twin.
Jaden: I get the feeling this would be easier if Cardinal were here, but of course he’s gone. >__>
Beck: ......
Beck: (I...I kinda wish he was here too. I really could use some of his advice...)
Jaden: If you think it would help, you can keep the Power Capsule to study it when you’re not on missions. You built a magic mirror out of Xel, I’m sure you’ll come up with something. | )
Beck: ...!
Beck: Oh--no, I...
Beck: -...Don't you need this, though--?-
Jaden: To do what, exactly? We’re in enforced lockdown mode, especially after what happened. I can’t leave the Meadow even if I wanted to. And I know better than that. Until something changes, there’s not much any of us can do…
Beck: ...Oh...right...
Beck: ....
[Jaden seems to be distracted, his gaze distant.]
Beck: ......
Beck: Jaden?
Beck: -...is something wrong?-
Jaden: Hmm? Oh, I’m just reading through the news reports that were put out.
[He smiles a little.]
Jaden: Mr. Sanda was very succinct in talking about the virus and the effects that it has, and describing the analysis process that’s going on. He mentioned how and why not everyone got infected—so that should allow for those that aren’t to be able to move about without being attacked all in a panic. The symptoms were listed and all that.
Jaden: The Related Links talked about several instances, like Jack’s adventure, where non-infected Xelbots were doing good.
Jaden: Both of those link to the one about what you’ve been up to and how you and Dr. White are going to use the data to figure out how to stop this.
[His smile falters a little, becoming sloppy, and leaving his eyes entirely.]
Jaden: …It mentions that [color=brick]anyone[/color] with information should contact the company but not engage. Colors and all… (That… that isn’t going to necessarily work.)
[He pauses.]
Jaden: It looks like there are some bloggers commenting on all this, but… that’s more data than I can sort through. Avi promised to help with crowd control if it does come up…
Jaden: (Though he DID say that he kept Toby and Shadow out of the submitted footage…)
Beck: Mmm...
Beck: ......
[Jaden seems somewhat troubled.]
Jaden: …I do wish he were awake. If he…
Jaden: If he were in the right frame of mind, I’m sure he could help analyze data, whether that be social data, coding data, or just plain finding our brother.
[Then he perks up a bit in a grin.]
Jaden: Until then… c’mon, let’s go to the living room. Everyone’s watching the Beck Show~
Beck: Eheh....
Beck: -We're just gonna--yeah follow/hide behind Jaden--
{Living Room}
[Many of the repaired Mighty Numbers (and some of the Angels) are there watching the footage. Siam, Snow, Tobias, and Cardinal were all gone, of course—and Shadow, Brand, Carmen, Jack, Plume, and Landcrusher were still in recovery. There were cheers when Beck entered.]
Goose: -SCOOPS UP OTHER!BRO- SUPERBECK TO THE RESCUE, BA BA BAAAA!
Cryo: -BRO YOU'RE ON TV--
Beck: Whoaa--!!
Pyro: -The bIGGEST BIG BROTHER SMILE ON HIS FACE-
Dyna: -BZZZZZZZ, LOOK AT OUR BECKY~~~-
Kalinka: Hero, herooo~
Digger: Yes good~ : DDD
Avi: -HEH, DID ANYONE EXPECT ANYTHING LESS THOUGH--
Beck: ^///^;;
[Aw, look, he's turning red--]
Beck: I, uh--heh...um...
[...and at a loss for words, it looks like.]
Pisces: If 000 were here, he’d be playing that one song from Hercules. -Gives Beck a thumbs up-
Speedy: Well, he’s just missing out. His own fault. |V
Goose: Nah, bro, he’ll hear this. ;D We made sure of that, didn’t we, Avi? ^.^
Avi: Eeeexactamundo, Avi! ^.^
Beck: ...?
Jaden: I still don’t think you should expect much results.
Goose: Bro, you gotta learn to be more optimistic!
Jaden: No, I mean—gah, never mind, we’ll probably discuss it at a family meeting or something later.
Nico: …? Beck?
[He’s looking right at him, and not at the TV or any of the others. After a moment, ALL the DWNs and DCNs do the same.]
Nico: .__.; Beck?
Nico: Why exactly are you holding Jaden’s Power Capsule…?
Beck: ....?
Beck: ...! Oh--!
[...Whoops. He forgot to put that away.]
Beck: Jaden let me borrow it.
Nico: -Looks over-
Jaden: -Ping of confirmation, calm-
Nico: -Oh, okay then- -RELIEF-
Pyro: ...So that's what it really looks like...
Cryo: -oooooo, coooool-
Beck: Yeah, I tried to assimilate it's weapon data--
Nico: —?!
Dyna: -Wait you did what--
Beck: -KEY WORD 'TRIED'-
Beck: ...But all I got was unreadable data. So no Jaden form yet...
[Nico scowls at his brother for a moment, and pulls him aside. The two make soft pings and eye glows every so often as they become engaged in a private conversation…]
Goose: -Sets Becky down- Cool. Looks like a neon light or something. :V
Speedy: -Reachy reachy for favorite bro’s hardware- Yyyyeah, nobody try eating it or I’ll sock them to the face. >.>
Pisces: -Lazily grabs Speedy’s wrist before he invades Beck’s personal space-
Pyro: Hmm...
Beck: I didn't try to eat it--!
Beck: ...I did have to--well, my systems used a Xel Stock to analyze it.
Pyro: ...Your systems? You mean it was automatic?
Beck: Yeah--kinda freaked me out a bit at first, eheh... ^^;;
Speedy: -Then obviously I wasn’t talking to YOU, was I-
Beck: Uh...
Dyna: | T -We THOUGHT it was a power storage thing, let it go, jeezzz-
Beck: A-Anyway...I think the data has to be organized and sifted through before I can use it...
[…Man, Nico and Jaden are starting to bare their teeth at each other. Clearly Nico isn’t too happy about this development, for some reason.]
Beck: ....?
Pyro: ...What's going on over there? | [ -Uh oh, big bro mode on-
Avi: -UM--HEY BRO LOOK I’M FLYING IN THE HOUSE-
Pyro: --! Avi--NO FLYING IN THE HOUSE--
[Nico throws his hand outward.]
WHANG.
[…Avi is now stuck to the ceiling.]
Jaden: !
[Aaaaand the other one.]
WHANG.
[Jaden is stuck to the wall.]
Pisces: …bro, that was harsh.
Beck: --!
Avi:
-OW--that kinda smarts...-
Nico: Enough.
[He lets them both drop to the floor, hovering and shifting to his armor, sans helmet.]
Avi: -FACEPLANT-
-Muffled ouch noises-
Beck: . . . . .
Nico: Jaden, you shouldn’t have done that without asking first.
Nico: Nobody else in this family better try that without approval from myself, Siam, AND Doctor Cossack, got it?
Speedy: Whaaaaaaatever you say, bro.
Beck: . . .
Beck: I...
Beck: . . .
[...Uh oh.]
Nico: Beck, do not toy around with Power Capsules, okay?
Nico: They /don’t/ act the same way for secondary users as they do for their primary users. The differences are entirely unpredictable until you’re actually out using them in battle.
Goose: Wait, wat .-.
Beck: .....
Beck: Oh...
[...He didn't know that...]
Pyro: ...How so?
Nico: -Turns to face Pyro- They aren’t fully functional when used with hardware that doesn’t match the specs they were designed for. For example. There’s one defense-related one? When our brother had used it, it defended him from everything. But if Cardinal or the Menace used it? Only from close-range physical attacks.
Nico: Not knowing what you’re dealing with there is a deadly mistake to make in situations like this. Don’t do it. -Plus, we do not approve in general-
Goose: Bro, then why did Robin take all your stash?
Nico: Because he knows how they work.
Pyro: Hmm...you do have a point. I suppose it's lucky that Nine can't read the data.
Beck: .....
Nico: -Warning glare at Beck, eyes flashing with a glow for a moment-
Beck: --!
[--He backs away, and there is a slight fearful look in his eyes--]
Avi: --Hey, bro, don't do that, you're--
[...He did something--something wrong, didn't he?]
[He messed up again--]
<DWN-018 to MNN-009>: > -I WILL protect this family… even if it involves protecting from YOU!-
Beck: -SUDDEN ERRATIC DATA-
[Suddenly, Kalinka yelled.]
Kalinka: {LOOK!}
[She was pointing at the television. For some reason, the broadcast seems to have been pre-empted.]
Pyro: --??
Kalinka: {Aviator, I thought you said it was going to play all day!} D:
Avi: --? What...? But...!
[Nico and everyone else look over, also puzzled. Speedy turns up the volume.]
Beck: --.....?
[The new development seems to have snapped Beck out of his panic, and he quietly moved behind Pyrogen.]
Avi: -The heck is going on, I thought for SURE it would be a continuous broadcast--
Avi: ....Unless...
Skull: ???
Goose: Unless someone paid a lOT of money to say something else--
Avi: --But someone with that kinda cash--
Avi: ....
Avi: -AW NO-
Avi: -PLEASE LET IT BE THE PRESIDENT OR SOMETHING--
Speedy: The President? oh geez, I swear if the Feds show; I'm gonna bolt--
Beck: --!!!
Keltso: {What?!}
Goose: AW COME ON MAN, ARE YOU FOR REAL—
Avi: YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME--!
Pyro: --Father--! -and now we're running to get Dad--
Dyna: -BZZZZZZZZZZ WITH A N G E R-
Cryo: THAT'S IT LEMMIE AT HIM--
Beck: ......
Beck: -Confused as all heck- (I...Graham's blaming Dad now?)
Beck: (But why?)
[The Angels were just shocked into silence. Nico in particular seems to have taken it rather hard.]
Nico: ...
<DWN-018 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>
[The others quickly follow suit, with Skull taking Kalinka and warping off without another word. His older brother looks TICKED, though!
Nico hovers off to go get Siam. Meanwhile, Speedy is calling Dr. Cossack to check on Tobias.
There is a ping.]
<DWN-024>: > -HELP, LADY EIGHT IS AWAKE AND GETTING VERY ANGRY-- -
[MN.7] //: -Carmen, please calm d--
<FMN-008>: > -SCREE, SCREE, HE TRIED T’ KILL ME AN’ NOW HE WANTS T’ FINISH THE JOB /AND/ COMPLETE THE SET, AH’ SWEAR I’LL DRAG HIS SORRY CHASS TO THE COURTROOM AN’ THROW HIM IN THE JAIL CELL /MYSELF/ IF I HAVE TO FER THIS—-
[CDN.7037] //: -MISS EIGHT IS ANGRY AS F R A G--
[Soon enough, Will comes in still putting on his lab coat, an expression of confusion on his face.]
Pyro: It's all over the news--
Will: .....
[He takes one look at the screen...]
Will: .....
Will: ....
Will: ...Hmm.
Will: ...That's a bit unorthodox.
Beck: --???
Avi: -Uh, Dad, the prez of CherryDyn is accusing you and Sanda Man of cyberterrorism-
Will: I can see that...
Will: (...This is...a little too desperate--)
Will: (What's your game, Greg...?)
Will: (Why this, and why now? You could have done this from the start, so...)
Will: (What changed--?)
Beck: ...Dad--?
Will: --Mm? Oh, sorry. Got a bit lost in thought, there.
Will: I don't see how this will hold water if they don't have proof...
[Another ping.]
<MCN005>: > I had to sedate Lady Carmen.
<DCP-001>: > {Papa, I'm scared...!} D':
<MC005>: >Now would someone please explain to me why my children are afraid and agitated?
[PING!]
[DR.SANDA] //: WILL--!!
[DR.SANDA] //: YOU NEED TO TURN ON THE TV--
[DR.WHITE] //: I already know, Soi.
Keltso: {Dad, we're looking at a second Monstropolis possibility here!!!}
<DWN-024>: > -Honestly, I am surprised THIS has not provoked a response from our brother, normally he would disrupt this sort of broadcast with a sardonic bit of humor-
<MC005>: > ... Will? What is going on over there?
[DR.WHITE] //: ...It seems Graham has turned his blame game towards us now.
[....Strange, why did Will sound so... dull?]
[DR.WHITE] //: Take a look.
<MCN005>: > ... This is very bad. Augh, I can't risk moving Tobias like this, but he shouldn't be here if it continues like this...
Digger: {Father, we should go home. It's not safe for you there. What if they try to storm the place?}
<DWN-019>: > That's it.
<DWN-019>: >Nico and I are withdrawing everyone home. Doctor, please prepare Tobias for transportation.
Goose: -woah woah wOAH WAIT WE KINDA STILL NEED DOC C AND SHADS AROUND-- -
<DWN-019>: > Don't make me bounce a Gemini Laser all the way from the lab, Six.
<DWN-018>: > -We will keep the family ALIVE and protect it from /all/ threats- </aggressive data that seems primarily directed at Pyro and... Beck?>
[DR.SANDA] //: -WE'RE GOING TO CALL OUR BROTHER--HE CAN SAY SOMETHING, MAYBE--
[DR.WHITE] //: .....
Beck: . . . (Wha....)
Goose: Guys, GUYS let's just nOT PANIC, OKAY--
<DWN-019>: > “Panic”? I beg your pardon, but we've seen where this trail leads before. Dying once was enough, thanks.
Avi: ---.....
Avi: -N...Ngh--
Cryo: --?? Avi--?
[They all falter a moment when they remember.
Avi knew EXACTLY what they were talking about.]
Avi: -Nngnngh it hurts--
Dyna: Avi--Avi breathe--
[And what's worse...
"I can't let you repeat my mistakes...!"
... Tobias had even tried to warn him.]
Avi: I can't--we--we can't let it END LIKE THAT--
Beck: Avi--!
Avi: -WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING--!! -
Pisces: ...
Pisces: ... They're taking callers now.
Pisces: I wonder who it is--
Speedy: Wait a second--
Speedy: --Isn't Washington the state where Seattle is?
[The voice that came on through the chatter was… not unknown to them all.]
"....Excuse me--yeah, I got something to say."
[PING--!]
[CDN.7037] //: --!!!
[CDN.7037] //: E-Eli...?
<DWN-019>: > ...???
Goose: ... The Cherry KNOWS this guy???
<FMN-008>: > -Waking up again, but distinctly less hostile- ...???
Goose: -tHIS I gotta hear- -Aaaand we reach over and turn up the volume more-
"I just wanna say..."
"What the HELL is that corporate moron thinking?!"
[There’s a brief shout from Snow over the feeds about bad words, but no one really pays attention.]
"Does he really expect us to believe his load of malarkey? For God’s sake, isn't that No. 9 trying to SAVE us?"
Digger: -PING, we like this guy-
"My family and I nearly DIED more times than I can count this week--does he even CARE about what he's sayin' will DO to other people? Is he STUPID?"
Speedy: {MORE OR LESS—}
"I don't know about you, but there's no way on God's good earth that that boy and his father are out to get us. Of all the damn BULLSH--"
[...He's cut off before he can continue.]
[CDN.7037] //: -ELI'S ALIVE-- LILY IS OK, THEY MADE IT--
[The next caller is from... Missouri!]
"Dude."
[... They sound like a college student. A very, VERY tired college student.]
Beck: ....?
"Is this guy high?"
Speedy: -Snorts-
"Weren't we talking a few months ago about how his own security system couldn't stop him from getting his HQ vandalized?"
Will: -...snorts softly-
[A PIC OF THAT POPS UP ON THE SCREEN as he continues--]
Beck: -snICKERS--
"And didn't he get hacked and stuff? I bet he just wants attention because he can't do his job right. CherryDyn can’t even look after their own ‘bots, anyway—I mean, just look at what happened over the summer. Why should we believe they know anything about OTHER people’s bots if they don’t even take care of their own models?”
<DWN-024>: > -That is an exceptionally good point…-
“Anyway, right on, little dude! I think your red fan wanted us to talk and stuff, uh, so if you station guys could give me the number to the lab, that would be great--"
Will: --!!!
[Digger looks thoughtful and serious for a moment, and then quietly slips away.
The next call is from...Minnesota?]
Cryo: --!
"H...Hello?"
[A young woman, it seems like...]
"I...I just want to thank M...Mr. Pyrogen--he...he saved me and all my coworkers..."
Pyro: !
"I...I don't think I would be alive I-If it wasn't for him and his brother...I don't think it was her fault--she was sick, right? I...I hope she's okay..."
Cryo: .....
"T...That's all..."
[Click.]
Jaden: -Surprised- ... We never got told about that. o.o
[The next caller was from...Indiana.]
"I SAW HIM, well sort of I was kinda hanging upside down but I SAW HIM IN THE POWER PLANT I WORK AT, HE WAS SO COOL--"
Beck: ....!
"I thought that I was gonna get fried but the power came back on and I guess he fixed his sister--I mean, come on, the REAL Dynatron wouldn't do that to her fans, she's amazing!"
Dyna: -Oh my God he's one of our fanszz--?-
"I just don't see how No. 9 was doing anything wrong? What's your deal, CherryDyn?"
Pisces: Insecurity, I bet. Among other things.
[He's cut off as well, and the next is from...Cali--!
...it seems to be...a male, but there were other voices in the background as well.]
"Look, I work at the mine Mickster comes and helps us with, that guy wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone someone else--!"
"YEAH THAT CORPORATE MOOK CAN SUCK IT--"
"MIC'S OUR FRIEND, YA CAN'T JUST DISS HIM AND HIS FAMILY LIKE THAT--"
"Berry, we're on the phone--"
"OI MIC IF YOU CAN HEAR US WE GOT YOUR BACK--"
[Another call, from New York—though it sounds like the girl is from California, herself. Another college student, it would seem.]
"Hi. I, like, take a Logic class and stuff?"
"And my roommate’s boyfriend is this huuuuge Avi fan--"
Avi: --!!
"He also likes Morse code and just-- it doesn't make sense?"
Jaden: —! (Uh-oh—!)
"If White really were working with the bad guys, why would his kids need to be 'saved'? You know, whole 'house divided can't stand' and stuff. Like, Avi was saying during his broadcast to 'save us' in Morse code and stuff, so-- he's just got it all wrong."
Nico: … Looks like they thought Toby was your “inner/true self” fighting against the virus. ?__?
Avi: .....Oh...
Goose: -Well, I guess they aren’t completely WRONG, so-
"And I hope his lawyers are well paid because that was a dumb thing to overlook. So I wouldn't be surprised if Sanda Enterprises sued or something."
"Anyway, we liked that cool new music when Beck was saving you, Avi! Get better soon, your show is really funny."
[Next caller--Japan.... There are translated subtitles on the screen with a second or so of delay.]
{"My disciples see No. 7 as a sort of role model--I just don't see how a noble and decorated swordsman of his caliber would suddenly turn his back on everything he stands for--not willingly. He was clearly struggling against whatever was ailing him, anyone can see that--!"}
[MN.7] //: ....I....
{"This must be so very hard on him--and his family. My thoughts go out to them."}
Beck: They....
Beck: They...they're taking our side....
[Click.]
"I think it's just--just awful what CherryDyn said just now--and Beck's just way too cute to be bad, ya know? I mean--come on, how can something THAT adorable be evil??"
[Click.]
"Hey, here's a thought--maybe CherryDyn should fire their whole social department because what the heck?"
[Click.]
"The Mighty Numbers are HEROES, man! Heroes! Just wait, they're gonna fix this any second somehow, they gotta--!"
[There is one final call--]
"Hi, I work with an emergency response group, and... I just wanted to thank the Mighty Numbers. I know Seven was sick and all, but he was fighting really hard—and that made a big difference. The thing a lot of people don't know is that most self-driving cars that were on the road when this started were on their way to pick people up-- empty. If... If he hadn't stopped as many as he did, there would be a lot more injuries along the roads right now, because they would have ended up driving uncontrollably through narrow city streets or small towns. Even while sick, he still saved lives."
[MN.7] //: --!!
"And we've gotten a lot of help from the healthy Xelbots-- one of my coworkers said that the one helping her right now said that it was 'what Bat would have wanted me to do.'"
"You guys just inspire people to, you know, go out there and be Mighty!"
"We believe in you!"
Beck: (They....)
Beck: (They believe...in me...?)
Will: Ah...
[DR.SANDA] //: -WILL--WILL YOU'RE HEARING THIS, RIGHT--
Beck: (People believe in me?)
Cryo:
-...NO WE'RE NOT CRYING, YOU ARE--
Dyna:
-We MAY be letting our mascara run--
[CDN.7037] //: -HEY--GUYS YOU'RE BLOWING UP ON ALL THE SOCIAL SITES, PEOPLE ARE TALKING, YO--
Avi: -RUNS TO CHECK THAT--GOOSE WE COULD USE A HAND--
Goose: -ON IT, ME-- -
Beck: I...I don't...know what to...
[...He's mostly shocked--he wasn't used to this much positive reception, and about HIM, of all people--!]
[There's... a faint humming noise. Followed by...
...
... Static?]
Speedy: …!
[It's not coming from the TV, but rather, over the feeds!]
-Ping.-
<RMDC to ALL>: > DLN-008 is now in Sleep mode.
Dyna: --! TOBY--!
Avi: -TOBY--DOES THAT MEAN HE'S GONNA BE OK--??-
<DCN-008>: > {Father has a message.}
<DCN-008>: > {Things are… different than how we feared they might be. We now know there IS hope—and that it is real, and not a dream.}
<DCN-008>: > {Wily Eight will still need to be contained in isolation for some while, due to his… developing self control…}
<DCN-008>: > {But it is no longer necessary to keep him Offline.}
<DCN-008>: > {We will explain more soon. Father requests that we have a family meeting later today.}
<DCN-008>: > {And he wants everyone to participate.}
<DCN-008>: > -Yes, that means you MNNs and FMNs, too, you are family-
Pyro: ....That sounds like a good plan.
Beck: -Primarily watching the news as it unfolds...-
Avi: -Bro look at this feedback, man, it is MOSTLY GOOD--
Will: (...Just as I thought...won't hold water.)
Will: Alright--Soi, can you keep an eye on the situation for us?
[DR.SANDA] //: Can do, Will!
<MC005>: >Thank you, Soi, we appreciate that.
<MC005>: >Oh, and Beck? Could you come see me at the lab for a moment? Not necessarily right this second, but later today would be nice.
{Meanwhile…}
[Cardinal—still somewhat out of the loop due to radio silence—was on the highway, traveling as fast as his light cycle would take him—and as safely as he could, amidst the chaos.
He was going about 120 mph, weaving his way through infected self-driving cars, headed out of the city. The radio he kept on, now—he would need that, for the highway reports. Now that people could communicate, the world would slowly start cobbling together.
He jumped the cycle up and used the wreckage in his way as a ramp to soar into the air, returning the cycle to bar form and taking flight on his wind surfer for the next stretch of highway.
He couldn’t ride like this the whole way, not if he wanted to keep some charge in it.]
Cardinal: _(Glitch glitch glitch—!)_
[He opened fire on some rogue sign ‘bots that were starting to swarm, ducking to avoid crashing into an overpass.
He was VERY glad that only the self-driving cars were on the highway at this point—he knew how badly the highway crash had been—how long it had haunted his friends—when there had been people involved.
He was very glad Brand hadn’t been on the highway he was traveling—he had nothing personal against the clearly infected ninja, but he’d have sooner throw a car in Seven’s face than let the swordsmaster slow him down.
Because now he was REALLY on a time limit.]
>DISTANCE REMAINING: CALCULATING…
[He felt panicked the moment he realized it.
He could still hardly believe it, and _REALLY_ hoped he was seeing the situation wrong.
But if Shade were waiting to ambush prey, his target wasn’t an old grudge or a Mighty Number—or else he would have gone off and done that by now.
He was waiting for something _bigger.]_
Cardinal: _For the love of all that ever mattered, Shade—WAIT FOR ME!_
>DISTANCE REMAINING: 1,000 MILES
_* >LOADING…*_
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 6A: CRIMSON STRONGHOLD=
~AO v1.0~
(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{Sanda Enterprises}
[The next lead came… abruptly.
And it sent them into panic.]
Call: Doctor Sanda, you have a call on line one.
Mikhail: -Looking over some notes- Can it wait? I need to talk regarding some of Brand and Shadow’s data…
Call: I would not recommend it. The call is from the Pentagon.
[…]
Mikhail: What?
Sanda: -Oh sweet mother of God—-
Mikhail: … Miss Call Sanda did you just say the call was from the <u>P E N T A G O N—</u>
Beck: -AUGH NO WHY N O W-
Beck: -oh no what if--what if they're going to try to stop--
Beck: -I'm the only one that can SAVE THEM WHAT IF--
Beck: -DAAAAAAAD--
Sanda: --WILL--
Sanda: -WILL HELP THIS IS BAD-
Mikhail: SOI, DON’T KEEP THEM WAITING—STALL FOR ME, PLEASE—
Mikhail: WILL!
Mikhail: -Exit stage left as if pursued by bear-
White: --Ah--er--I--I....
[He's just kinda frozen there--]
Mikhail: -Yanks Will aside out of view of any screens before he can enter the room- {We need to talk, Will—}
White: Waah--!
Sanda: -WAIT WHAT DO I EVEN SAY GUYS—-
Call: Patching the call through, Doctor.
[A very stern looking uniformed officer was patched through. She was wearing her hair in a bun.
Notably, her rank seemed to depict she wasn’t exactly of the rank that normally made these calls.]
???: Dr. Soichiro Sanda, please be aware that the following call is classified. You are not to discuss it with anyone other than Dr. William White. Anyone else must be read in. Do you understand?
Sanda: -Err--
Sanda: Y--Yes, yes, I u-understand-- (Thanks for leaving me up the creek, fellas--!)
-*-*-*-*-*-
Mikhail: -Practically hissing- {Will, we’re leaving. Now.}
White: What?!
Mikhail: {I can’t stay here.}
Mikhail: {I’m a Russian Doctor with constructed credentials, remember?!}
[…Oh, right. The “favors” Shade had pulled to make them officially “exist” in this world…]
White: --Erk--!
[He was right--him being here would only raise even MORE questions, and none of them would be of the pleasant sort...]
Mikhail: {I’m taking the others. DON’T let them choose a nuclear option.}
[…With that he continued running off to the lab.
Boy, he wasn’t kidding when he said “now”…]
White: --n--nu--
[Oh, dear.]
-*-*-*-
???: Recently, you and your brother released a press statement regarding the current national crisis.
Sanda: Y-Yes, that's correct...
Sanda: Wh...what of it...?
???: Despite what the CEO of Cherry Dynamics seems to believe—
[She gave no visual indication on her stance on that matter.]
???: No charges will be pressed at this time. I must advise you this does not guarantee whether they will be filed or not in the future.
Sanda: ...A-Ah--I see, yes... (Don't we have enough on our plate already...?)
???: Our people have reviewed the data you submitted to the scientific community to show that the infection has been cleared from reacquired Mighty Numbers. Dr. White will be needed for further questioning on this matter.
Sanda: (--! Oh no, Will--!)
Sanda: R-Right, of course--I'll...let him know.
???: MI6 would also like to interrogate Mighty Number Six regarding a person of interest.
Sanda: (--MI6--?! What would they want with Avi--?!)
Sanda: Hmm--A...alright...
???: …However, their requests for extradition have been denied.
???: It is to our understanding that Mighty Number Six has been essential in locating other members of his series with all due speed. We also cannot risk any Xel being sent overseas at this time.
???: The main reason for this call will require input from Dr. White, but that clearly will have to wait. There is an equally pressing matter that demands our attention.
Sanda: (...Oh dear...)
Sanda: Y...Yes...?
???: Your company requested information on the whereabouts of the missing Numbers.
???: Our intelligence suggests that Mighty Number Five has infiltrated federally-owned property.
Sanda: --!!
Sanda: (Battalion--of course--)
Sanda: Federally owned... (...A national park, or...or...)
???: As this is a matter of national security, the coordinates are classified and shall be sent to Mighty Number Nine through a direct, encrypted transmission.
???: Even I am not fully read in on the details, Doctor, but he has been given a time limit to complete the retrieval before we make our own interventions.
Sanda: (...Classified--?)
Sanda: --!!
Sanda: (Wait, that--that doesn't make sense--)
Sanda: How--how long does he have--?
???: Six hours, should he choose to accept this mission. Entry and investigation of the area may prove difficult. Should we regain the camera feeds on the property, this time limit will be extended.
Sanda: (Six hours...)
Sanda: O...Of course, we'll brief him as soon as possible...
???: I’m afraid that cannot be permitted. My superiors cannot wait very long for an answer. He must answer now. You may converse over private channels, but I have been ordered not to end this call without confirmation of his involvement or lack thereof.
Sanda: --I--o-one moment--
[PING!]
[DR.SANDA to MN.9] //: Beckwehaveasituation--
[DR.SANDA to MN.9] //: Did you get any coordinates by any chance--
[MN.9 to DR. SANDA] //: --No, why--
[DR.SANDA to MN.9] //: The Pentagon found out where Bat is--and they're giving you six hours to get him back before they take matters into their own hands...!
[MN.9 to DR.SANDA] //: --?!
[DR.SANDA to MN.9] //: Beck--they need an answer NOW, I don't know what they'll do if...!
[MN.9 to DR.SANDA] //: .....
[MN.9 to DR.SANDA] //: --If they know where Bat is, Dr. Sanda--of course I'll go--!
[MN.9 to DR.SANDA] //: I...I have to save him too...!
[DR.SANDA to MN.9] //: Thattaboy--you'll be be getting those coordinates via an encrypted connection.
Sanda: -Ahem-
Sanda: Sorry about that...
Sanda: He'll do it.
???: Affirmative. Patching the coordinates now.
[Just then, Beck pinged with a private message from the Pentagon. It entailed the location, as well as a brief threat level assessment and recommended gear. Oh, and they said he could bring others with him if that’s what it took, but anyone chosen would be bound to regard the information as classified… just as he would.]
???: Teleportation using these coordinates will go through encrypted channels. The true coordinates will not be retained by your databases.
???: We will call back later if video feeds are not recovered in three hours.
???: Should you fail to retrieve Mighty Five by the end of six hours, Mighty Nine will be automatically evacuated from the premises.
[… “Evacuated”?!]
Sanda: --Wait, what...what do you mean by--? (You can't just--!)
[BLIP.]
Sanda: --....
Sanda: (...This is...not good at...at all....)
Call: ...Dr. Sanda, your heart rate has increased...
Sanda: I...ho, boy...
[PING!]
[DR.WHITE] //: Soi-- Mikhail and the others are gone, and--I--I think they took Jack and Carmen--
[DR.WHITE] //: -Soi please tell me federal agents aren't going to storm the place--
[MN.9] //: --They're GONE--?!
[DR.SANDA] //: --There's no time--! Will--I'll explain, but Beck--you have to get ready to roll as soon as possible--!
[DR.WHITE] //: --Wait-- go where--?
[MN.9] //: Y-Yes, sir!
[DR.SANDA] //: Will-- they found Battalion.
[DR.WHITE] //: --!!
[DR.SANDA] //: And they--they said if we can't get him back in six hours--they'll evacuate Beck and--and--
[DR.WHITE] //: --WHAT--?!
[DR.SANDA] //: -IT'S NOT EVEN THE HALF OF IT, WILL--
[DR.SANDA] //: MI6 wants to talk with Avi, of all people--
[DR.SANDA] //: --A--And--
[DR.SANDA] //: T...The government wants to talk to...you.
[.......]
[Silence.]
[DR.WHITE] //: . . . .
[DR.WHITE] //: M...Me...
[DR.SANDA] //: .......
[.....]
[The rest of their conversation is then carried over in private...]
{Meanwhile}
[Kssss…]
<FMN-006 to MNN-006>: > Yo, Rick—you there?
[MN.6 to FMN.6] //: Yo, Goose--yeah, I'm here...
<FMN-006>: > Whew, good—just wanted to check in, now that things aren’t as crazy over here.
<FMN-006>: >Thanks for taking care of Sis until she was stable! …Though she still looks pretty banged up, and uh… I thought Shads was gonna stay with your little bro for a bit?
<FMN-006>: > No one will tell me what’s going on, kinda lost here…
<FMN-006>: >Is G-moms coming over to visit over there, or??
[MN.6 to FMN.6] //: Uh--yeah, no, Shads had to suddenly leave, Doc C called him or something...but Brand's snoozing away right now, so that's good...
[MN.6 to FMN.6] //: ...?
[MN.6 to FMN.6] //: Uh...
[MN.6 to FMN.6] //: Where the heck did Stripes go...?
<FMN-006>: > …You mean Tony the Tiger, everyone’s favorite Spiderfriend?
<FMN-006>: > He’s over here with us, I thought you guys knew that?
<FMN-006>: > -Did he somehow get in more trouble while he was asleep or?- -Majorly confused-
[MN.6 to FMN.6] //: No, I just--I guess--??
[P I N G!]
[MN.9] //: CRYO WAKE UP--
<FMN-006>: > Yoooooo, Beckster!
<FMN-006>: > Dial is busy with Lil’ Sis, dunno about yours. You need another bath? ;D
<FMN-006>: > Did you get into the powdered sugar again, little dude?
[MN.2 IS NOW ONLINE.]
[MN.2] //: OW WHAT GIVES--
[MN.9] //: NOT NOW AVI--
[MN.6] //: --? Hey, Becko, somethin' the matter?
[MN.9] //: NO TIME--CRYO GET OVER HERE PLEASE--
<FMN-006>: >Yo, yo, Beeeeeeck—you overclock any faster and you’ll start to time travel. o.o;
<FMN-006>: > Breeeaaaaathe a little.
[MN.9] //: I CAN'T--!
[MN.9] //: WE GOTTA SAVE BAT--!
[MN.2] //: --!!
[MN.2] //: --Where is he--?!
<FMN-006>: > …Uh.
<FMN-006>: > (This sounds like it’s not going to end the conversation on a happy note…)
[MN.9] //: -IS DRAGGING SISTER OFF, BYE GUYS--
[MN.2] //: --whOA--
<FMN-006>: > UH.
<FMN-006>: > … -THUMBS UP?- …STAY SAFE?
[MN.6] //: ...That...sounds like trouble.
[MN.6] //: Iiiii better go see what's up...
[A noise like something ran into a wall really hard is heard as a crash over the line.]
[MN.6] //: --???
<FMN-006>: > …That sounded like that hurt, I think that was Twelve—
<FMN-006>: > Sorry, gotta run—
[MN.6] //: Hoooo Kay, uh....talk to ya later--!
<FMN-006 has left the channel.>
[MEANWHILE...]
[Once again, there is chaos within Sanda Labs...]
Pyro: What do you mean, we won't know where he's going--?!
[White was pacing around the room, the Xel holoscreen depicting a map of the United States glowing softly behind him.]
White: The coordinates were sent by an encrypted connection--by the government. They want us to retrieve Bat within six hours.
White: ...Or else.
Pyro: --.....
Cryo: ...Or...or else what?
White: .....
White: I'm not sure.
White: But it involves evacuating Beck from the premises if he doesn't succeed.
White: ......
White: ...Which means we must move with all due haste. Beck?
Beck: Just about ready...
[He was going through a standard check of all his available forms...]
[Including...]
((Brand!Beck here))
[REXELECTION: BRANDISH]
[...The form he was most skilled with.]
Beck: (...It feels really good to have this back...)
Beck: (I feel like I'm gonna need it...)
[REXELECTION: DEFAULT]
Beck: OK, all set!
Call: Preparing Xel Transfer: Locking in encrypted coordinates...
Cryo: So the plan is for Becky to see what's over there first before I'm beamed in, right?
White: Correct--the only clue that we have is that wherever Bat is, it's on federally owned property.
Avi: ...Jeez, no wonder... .... (Poor Speedy...)
Avi: ...Must be something they wanna keep real hush hush if they're going this far.... ....It's not something, like...Area 51, is it?
White: ....I...I hope not.
White: Nonetheless, your brother is there--and he needs to come home, government involvement or no.
White: ...You understand you are on a time limit, Beck.
Beck: Yeah.
Beck: I know.
Beck: (Can't waste time...)
Beck: Don't worry...I'll bring Bat back--
Beck: With time to spare!
Dyna: -BZZZ, YOU TWO ZZSTAY ZZSAFE, WE'LL BE RIGHT HERE-
Cryo: I'll be right behind ya, bro--go get 'em!
Pyro: ...And Beck?
Pyro: Please don't touch anything if you can help it...
Beck: Got it, Big Bro.
Avi: Good luck, Beckrroni! -THUMBS UP-
Call: Coordinates have been locked in.
Sanda: B-Be careful, Beck--Who knows what the virus did to Bat...
Beck: ...I will.
Call: Xel Transfer in progress...
_______________________
[MISSION DETAILS: MIGHTY NO. 5, BATTALION, HAS FLED TO A FEDERALLY OWNED ESTABLISHMENT. PURPOSE: UNKNOWN. LOCATION: [REDACTED]
[MISSION OBJECTIVE: LOCATE AND PURGE ALL HARMFUL MALWARE FROM MN.5 IN SIX HOUR TIME LIMIT. FAILURE WILL RESULT IN GOVERNMENT EXTRACTION AND ENFORCEMENT.]
[SUB OBJECTIVES: MINIMIZE RMDC IMPACT, RESTORE PENTAGON VIDEO FEEDS OF ESTABLISHMENT]
[SYSTEMS READY?]
[GO!]
[Feet touch down on metal flooring, resounding with a small clack as Nine materializes in a quiet hallway.]
[...It's the silence that gets him at first--there is some gentle, far off humming in the distance...but other then that, nothing.]
Beck: . . .
Beck: ?
[Beck looks to his left, and sees a huge '01' printed on the...armored walls...?]
Beck: ...What...what is this place...?
[His com crackles.]
Sanda: ....What...?
White: Goodness...no wonder the government contacted us...
Sanda: This...
Sanda: This looks like some...shut down military base...?
White: But--I thought that nearly all the military bases were re-purposed into museums after the disarmament...?
White: But this doesn't look like a museum to me...
Sanda: Exactly--
Sanda: It should be all but EMPTY, inside...but I wouldn't count on it...
Beck: Right....
[...The only sounds were his own footfalls and the faint humming. It...it uneased him, how the silence was...just... there.]
[...Lately, strange silences were beginning to put him off, and he REALLY didn't like that...]
Beck: (...This...this is creepy...)
[PING!]
Beck: AAAH--!
Call: Beck, I am detecting multiple robot signatures ahead. Proceed with caution.
Beck: Jeez, Call, you nearly made my core stop--!
Call: My apologies, Nine.
Beck: ...Ngh, it's fine, I just....don't like how quiet it is in here...
[...It wasn't going to be quiet for long.]
Beck: --!
[Wrrrr....]
Beck: H-Huh...?
[A medium sized mobile construct on tracks was approaching, and from a distance...it kind of looked like a bigger version of a standard trash bot.]
[...Until...]
[BEEP BEEP BEEP--]
[A small alarm on its head started going off--]
[And it's lid opened up...]
Beck: --?!
[...to reveal a mounted machine gun. It was a mobile turret!]
White: --!!
Beck: Aaah--!
[Beck dashed under it's line of fire to avoid being pelted with bullets, and returned it's fire. The streaks of bright orange struck true, and it soon glowed a dark blue color.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[Wrrrrr...]
Beck: M--More--?!
[Sure enough, a WAVE of turret bots were heading this way, in a wall formation. Beck began to fire away at once when he saw them--it seems like they needed a split seconded to identify him as a enemy before they attacked...]
Sanda: What the Sam Hill--?!
Sanda: Those are CLEARLY military bots--! COMBAT military bots--!
White: And should have been scrapped as part of the disbarment...
White: ...Or was that all a government ruse...
White: Beck, did they tell you this--?
Beck: -BLAM- NO, BUT THEY DID TELL ME TO COME HEAVILY DEFENDED--!
Beck: I-- -BLAM- THINK I CAN SEE WHY!
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Mari: White: ...The concept of pointless competition has been outcast.
[Mikhail laughs a little at that.]
Cossack: Officially, at any rate. I don’t think you can rewrite humanity enough to change the testosterone-driven need to do stupid things to show off to your friends. White: Heh, well...pointless as in, connected to violence. It's partially why the NBCA was formed, to keep all violence confined to the Colosseum.
White: Remember when I said the story of our world was connected to the Coloseeum? That's why.
Cossack: I see… I understand, now.
White: It...serves as a public outlet.
Cossack: Like its inspiration.
[He did not exactly seem thrilled at this.]
Cossack: *Lowers his glasses and looks over the rim* I wonder.
White: Exactly. (And...wow, look at that, he's smiling!)
Sanda: The Battle Coloseeum became the new football, in any rate!
Beck: (Hee.~)
[Mikhail did not share this outlook.]
Cossack: *Pushes his glasses back up* I must ask both of you to be very careful.
Cossack: Rome, too, had glory days.
Cossack: Emphasis: had . Past tense.
Cossack: Just… be careful, alright?
-*-*-*- Beck: See, the thing is, uh...Forte.
Beck: Our planet is in a state of world peace. There is no war.
Beck: Lots of people think that this is like a golden age of humanity or something.
Forte: …
Forte: Uh.
Forte: I’d… watch your back if I were you, bro.
Beck: ........
Forte: I mean it.
Forte: I know… you don’t believe me, but…
Forte: Everything looks all perfect and then someone comes along and kills a bunch of people or a plague breaks out or /something/ and then everything goes to hell REAL FAST.
Forte: This has happened over and over and over and OVER in history.
Beck: ..........
Beck: .....................
Beck: .....Well.
Forte: And usually, like.
Forte: “Peace” is through tyranny being enforced to squish rebellions— but someday one of those rebellions just won’t be squished?
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
White: (...You were right, Mikhail...)
White: (You were right. You and Cardinal...)
[MN.1] //: I...I don't understand--why would they keep active military bots...?
White: An ace in the hole, or some kind of insurance, I imagine...
Beck: --NGH--!
[REXELECTION: BRANDISH]
[SHINGSHINGSHING--!]
[In the span of a few split seconds, the remaining turrets were reduced to Xel cubes, which were then absorbed and converted into a Xel Stock.]
Beck: Whew...
Beck: (REALLY glad to have this form back...)
[The door ahead opened as Beck approached it, still in Seven's form. This door had something printed on it as well...]
[NOW ENTERING SECTOR 02]
Beck: (This base is divided into sectors...?)
[Faint sunlight. He was outside...?]
[The sun was hidden behind several clouds, turning the sky into a pale yellow. This open room looked like it only served to separate the sectors.]
Beck: Whoa...
[PING!]
[MN.6] //: Yo, Beckers! Hold up a sec!
Beck: --?
Beck: Avi--I don't have any time for puns, I'm on a time limit--!
[MN.6] //: I know that--! Just--look at the sky so I can see--!
Beck: --? Why...?
[MN.6] //: I... THINK I can figure out where you are. I think. Actually, can ya fly up a little from there? Get a good look at your surroundings?
White: --! Ah--excellent idea, Avi! We can figure out where that base is by the geology...
Beck: Okay, Avi...
[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]
[Giving the propeller a few good test spins, Beck jumped into the air and rose upwards at a steady rate.]
Beck: !
[As he flew, he could see that this base was bigger than he had thought— it seemed to sprawl out quite a bit...]
[MN.6] //: See anything?
Beck: Yeah, this place is huge--!
Beck: (What the heck...)
[MN.6] //: ...whoa. It is pretty large...
[MN.6] //: Get some more altitude and a horizontal 360 degree pan--the more we can see, the better.
Beck: Roger that...
[Higher and higher he climbed.]
[The base then gave way to a barren terrain, and sand littered the air, stinging Beck's eyes. But he could still make out some tall mountains on the horizon.
Beck: Sand...and more sand. I...I think I'm in a desert.
[MN.6] //: Alright, that narrows it down...anything else?
Beck: Yeah. I see mountains on the horizon. And no roads...anywhere.
[MN.6] //: Hmm...
[MN.6] //: Desert, some mountains, and if I do some math real quick--gimmie a sec---
[PING!]
[WARNING: LOCK ON SIGNAL DETECTED.]
Beck: --! Wha--
[INCOMING FIRE.]
[MN.6] //: --!!!
[MN.6] //: BECK! ROLL RIGHT, NOW--!
[There was a sudden screeching sound behind him, and he banked hard right to narrowly avoid a slew of bullets. Their trail of fire followed hot on Beck's tail as he executed evasive maneuvers.]
[MN.6] //: Anti-Aircraft Artillery! Get outta the sky, Beckcona!
Beck: -PANIC, WHERE DO I GO--
[The only way back into the base was from where he flew out, and even then, there were hostile signals coming from the other side of the door.]
[REXELECTION: BRANDISH]
[Once he was at a height where he could land with no problem, he switched to Seven's form, and landed into a roll past the opening blast doors.]
[A collection of bullet fire still pattered the re-enforced entrance, reminding the Mighty Number that he was far from safe.]
Beck: Argh--!
[It seems as if there was a never ending supply of these turrets--not only that but there was also forklift bots carrying some rather explosive cargo in his path.]
Beck: (Good thing I didn't go for Pyro's form...)
[SHING!]
[Better to slice up enemies than to set something off...and cause a chain reaction.]
[PING!]
[MN.6] //: You OK, there, Becky?
Beck: -SHING!- M-More or less--!
[MN.6] //: Good, cuz I got a bit of breaking news for ya.
[MN.6] //: Cryo's getting 'ported over as we speak, and I did some figuring.
Beck: -Whew--!-
[MN.6] //: I'm like--96% sure you're somewhere in Nevada's desert, bro.
Beck: Nevada--?
[MN.6] //: Makes sense that there would be a place like this--the nearest mass of major civilization is Las Vegas, and that's MILES off. So, yeah, you're right smack in the middle of the state, I bet.
Beck: I see... (At least we're far enough away from innocent people...)
Beck: And Cryo?
[MN.6] //: I found another entrance to the base--based on that 360 pan--and she's making her way to ya! You should be seeing her soon.
Beck: Um--
[-SHING!-]
Beck: --how soon?
[MN.6] //: I dunno, give or take a couple of--
[It was at that moment Beck felt the temperature drop by at least 30 degrees, and a familiar child-like cackle filled his audio receptors.]
Cryo: Kyaaahahahahaha! Wheeeeee!~
[Suspending herself in the air via a blast of high pressured water aimed downwards, Cryosphere was currently bringing winter early to the abandoned base, freezing up everything from enemy bots to lethal explosives--all were frozen dead in their tracks.]
Cryo: Time to dip into my slush fund and create some frozen assets!
Cryo: Pretty cool, right, Beck?~
[MN.6] //: --.......
[MN.6] //: That was BEAUTIFUL, SIS--
[MN.2] //: -THANKS, WE'LL BE HERE ALL WEEK~-
Beck: I--now? You're doing this now??
[MN.2] //: Sorry, sorry! Had to.
[MN.2] //: All clear on this sector, bro--I'm gonna go ahead and make things nice and crisp for ya, okay?~
[MN.6] //: Go for it, Cryo!
Beck: (--Well, at least that'll save time--which we REALLY need.)
Beck: Thanks, Big Sis!
[As Cryo disappeared through another door, faint sounds of wild giggling and frost left in her wake.]
[Now that the path was free, all Beck had to do was avoid the electrified spikes strewn across the treadmills up ahead.]
Beck: (Man, I hate these things--)
[REXELECTION: AVIATOR]
[At least Avi's form made things slightly easier.]
[Shooting down wall mounted turrets as he flew by, Beck once again encountered another large door.]
[NOW ENTERING SECTOR 03]
Beck: How many of these sectors are there?
Call: Unknown. I am only able to map your immediate area, No. 9.
Beck: Well, that's not good...
Beck: How are we supposed to know where--
[SLAM--!]
Beck: --?!?
[No sooner had the Mighty Number entered into another outside corridor, the door behind and leading out both closed down simultaneously--and a large thud was heard seconds after. The locks had engaged!]
Beck: Th-The doors! I'm trapped--!
Sanda: W--Will--!
White: The lockdown sequence for the next sector must have been initiated--we'll have to disengage them ourselves, Soi!
Beck: H-Hurry, we don't have much t--
[KKSSSSST!]
"Is that FEAR in your voice, Private Beck?"
Beck: --!!!
[MN.5] //: A robot soldier does not FEEL fear!
Beck: B-Bat--!
[PING!]
[MN.6] //: nGH--!!
[MN.3] //: -BZZZZ, GUYSZZ PLANE BRO IS NOT OK--
[MN.1] //: BATTALION!
[MN.1] //: I ORDER YOU TO STAND DOWN THIS INSTANT!
[MN.5] //: Hmph.
[MN.5] //: I'm afraid you no longer hold rank over me, Commander.
[MN.5] //: Shame, given that you could've been some actual use to the cause.
[MN.5] //: Seems that our Private here's been busy.
[MN.9] //: Bat, please--
[MN.5] //: Pay attention, maggot.
[MN.5] //: If you are going to come and face me like a real robot soldier, I EXPECT at least SOME kind of grit from you!
[MN.5] //: A robot soldier does not FEEL pain!
[At those words, a squadron of military grade combat bots armed with shields materialized into the room, their weapons trained at Beck.]
[MN.5] //: NOW FIGHT ON LIKE YOU'VE GOT GUTS!
[KSSSSSSST!]
Beck: !
[REXELECTION: BRANDISH]
[Deflecting the barrage of bullets with one swing of his sword, Beck was quick to go on the defensive, choosing to evade and hang back for the moment.]
Sanda: We're working on unsealing those doors, Beck! T-Try to hold on--!
Beck: Easier--Ngh--! Said than done--!
Will: (Come on, there has to be some backdoor in these kinds of military grade programs--! There almost always is--)
[SHING!]
[Beck couldn't even have a moment to breathe--as soon as one bot was absorbed, another would take its place. And another.]
[SHING!]
[And another.]
[SHING!]
Beck: Daaaaaad!
Will: Almost got it...!
[LOCKDOWN DISENGAGED.]
Beck: Finally--!
[With a hiss, the door to Sector 03 lifted, allowing Beck to dash himself out of the ambush and back into the building. It seems like this part of the base mostly consisted of...hangars...]
Beck: --!
[This one housed several impressive looking tanks.]
Beck: Whoa.
Beck: (B-Big...)
Will: My God...
Sanda: Uh...those are off, right...?
[There was a buzzing noise as a notification flashed on Call’s screen.
…The Pentagon was calling back.]
Call: Attention--we are receiving an incoming call from the Pentagon.
Will: --!!
Sanda: Again?! (That CAN'T be good--!)
Beck: Wha--? What's going on--?
Call: Patching it through now.
Will: -PROCEEDS TO HIDE BEHIND SOI-
[The screen once again displayed the same lady secretary as before. She seemed slightly concerned… in a confused sort of way.]
???: Attention, Sanda Enterprises and Mighty Nine.
???: The time limit is now forty-five minutes.
Sanda: --WHAT??
Sanda: I--I thought you said we had six hours--!
???: Sir, the situation has changed.
Sanda: Ch--Changed--??
Will: (Changed--? How...? Why?)
???: The details are classified.
Sanda: Th--this is--!
Sanda: I-Isn't there someone that can tell us what happened? Anyone--?
???: …
???: Please remain on the line while I transfer you to the Cyber Unit.
[The video feed was replaced by an image of the presidential seal.]
Sanda: Did--did they just put us on hold--?!
Will: Never mind that--
Will: Did you get all that, Beck?
Beck: ...Yeah. (This totally isn't fair...)
Will: Cryo, I need you to stay put until Beck catches up, do you read?
[....]
Will: ...Cryo?
Cryo: WHEEEEEEE!~
[The upper railings of the hanger were suddenly frosted over, along with the rows of patrolling turrets spewing continuous fire at Beck's way.]
Cryo: Hey, you--don't move! In other words, freeze!~ Kyahaha!
Beck: .....
Beck: (She's having fun, isn't she...)
Will: Cryo, I told you to--
[Reinforcements marched in from the right to replace the patrolling turrets--only to be frozen by Cryo's icy powers.]
Cryo: Wowee, these guys don't know when to chill!
Will: --!
Will: Ah, never mind--you'll serve as an adequate distraction! Do you think you can do that?
Cryo: Yessiree, Noodle Dad!
Will: Excellent. Proceed, Beck.
Beck: Right--!
Cryo: Good luck, Bro--!
[Moving through the tank hanger proved more difficult than he imagined--the place was absolutely swarming with military bots, and he had to be more careful than ever--the ammo loading lines were in full swing, so he also had to avoid dashing into anything that could seriously blow up in his face at any moment.]
Beck: (Why is everything being put into these crates...?)
Beck: (What the heck are you thinking, Bat--?)
[PING!]
[MN.6] //: @~@
[MN.6] //: -Ugh head hurts, what did we miss-
Beck: Avi!
[MN.3] //: -Bzzz, no planebro you need to reszzzt, someone help me get thiszz dork to bed--
[MN.6] //: -But--Beckers needs our help--
[MN.3] //: -BED-
[Two sets of treadmills later, Beck finally found the way to the next hanger, the sounds of his siblings bickering over his feeds.]
Beck: (...Wow, I...I can't believe I'm thinking this, but I really missed that...)
Beck: (I wonder if Bat can hear this....)
[Either he couldn't, or he was choosing to ignore it altogether. There was no way to know for certain, as he had stayed silent since his previous outburst.]
[The next hangar was much larger than the last, and held many more weapons and vehicles of war....]
Beck: (How many hangers ARE there in this place...?)
[The feed from the Pentagon suddenly went live—though it was audio only.]
“Sanda Enterprises, do you copy?”
Sanda: E-Er! Yes, we're here...!
“I’m told you wanted to speak to the Cyber Unit about the situation…? Uh, do you have updates for us?”
Sanda: --????
Sanda: (You HAVE to be kidding me--)
Sanda: Updates?! We're the ones that want an explanation!
Sanda: First we were told that we had six hours to retrieve MN.5, now we have--
Call: Approximately 26 minutes, 34 seconds, Doctor.
Sanda: Exactly!
Sanda: What happened??
“…Oh.”
[A pause.]
“…Hang on, gimme a moment to word this for your security clearance level…”
[After a moment…]
“Okay, you guys were told that you’d get the time extended if you restored video feeds to us, right?"
Sanda: Yes... (And we certainly didn't get THAT...)
“Well, that’s because that would give us more control over the situation if we could see. You see… the situation was a threat, but it wasn’t critical at the time. There had been a lock down in place.”
[…Uh-oh.]
“I think it’s probably pretty clear by now that you’re in a situation with live weapons. There had been a lock down in place, which contained the situation to the confines of the property—sorry, classified—but it was broken through a few minutes ago.”
Will: (....!!!) […Oops.]
Sanda: ....O...Oh...
“Because of that, the location is no longer secure, and the threat to the civilian population has increased to a state of emergency.”
[Will silently hit himself on his forehead, wincing. Confound it, he only made things worse--!]
Will: (MIKHAIL IS GOING TO MURDER ME--)
“If that weaponry goes mobile, there’s only just enough time to give orders to intercept—and cancel them if you manage to neutralize the situation—that we can give you, so—”
Will: (I...Intercept...?)
Sanda: I...I see... (Goodness, does...does that mean there's MORE??)
Will: (If--if that means what I THINK it means--)
-*-*-*-
“{DON’T let them choose a nuclear option.}” “Should you fail to retrieve Mighty Five by the end of six hours, Mighty Nine will be automatically evacuated from the premises.” “{Your family, they are the strongest. Who can stand against them if they wish to fight, unless they themselves also use incredible force? Without you all to help keep order, it will fall to others who are… LESS compassionate.}”
-*-*-*-
Will: (--Oh dear Lord--Beck--Bat--!)
[DR.WHITE to MN.9] //: Beck--you NEED to hurry and find Battalion--! Before the military NUKES the place!
[MN.9 to DR.WHITE] //: WHAT?!
[MN.9 to DR.WHITE] //: -THEY DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT N U K E S--!!-
[MN.9 to DR.WHITE] //: -DAD THEY CAN'T NUKE BAT THEY CAN'T--
[DR.WHITE to MN.9] //: BECK!
[DR.WHITE to MN.9] //: Panicking isn't going to solve anything!
[DR.WHITE to MN.9] //: You NEED to focus and save your brother before they pull you out! Do you understand?
[DR.WHITE to MN.9] //: You must save No. 5, without fail...!
[MN.9 to DR.WHITE] //: Y-Yes, sir--!
[MN.9 to DR.WHITE] //: I-I'm on it, I'm on it--!
[MN.9 to DR.WHITE] //: I-I just don't know where to start LOOKING for him--
[KSSSSSSSST!]
[MN.5] //: Well, well, well.
[MN.5] //: You DO have guts after all, Private. I'll give you that.
[MN.9] //: Bat--!
[MN.5] //: But you're too LATE.
[The intercom system, as well as the feeds, are all temporarily filled with Battalion's commanding voice, which echoes across the hanger in a resounding, almost haunting tone.]
Bat: ATTENTION ALL HANDS!
Bat: COMMENCE THE INVASION!
Bat: CRY HAVOC, AND LET LOOSE THE DOGS OF WAR!
((Pic))
Bat: CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGE!!!
[MN.9] //: B-Bat--?!?
[P I N G!]
Call: Beck, I am picking up large clusters of robots heading towards the city from your location--
[WRRRRRRRRR--!!]
Sanda: What in tarnation!?
[There was a faint noise from the other feed that sounded vaguely like a klaxon alarm.]
Sanda: Is he trying to start a war?!
[Indistinct shouting could be heard, all of it with the same COMMANDING tone that Bat had.
A distinctly military one.]
“Uh. Listen, guys? Remember what I just said?”
[Angry shouting that was getting a little louder.]
“…care about… NOT have to…”
“Pardon the French but HURRY THE F### UP, JUST ISSUED ORDERS TO—”
—ot have the SECURITY CLEARANCE, TURN THE DAMN FEED OFF /RIGHT NOW—”/
[BWIP.]
[After a few moments, it came back on. Loud shouting directly nearby.]
“—PROTECT AND TO SERVE, THE SITUATION IS OUT OF HIS CONTROL—“
“-Talking over him- GIVE THE BOY HIS DAMN 20 MINUTES, THERE’S STILL A CHANCE—”
“Guys. GUYS. Your best bet, Sector 4, okay—“
“I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO TURN THAT OFF—“
[A harsh sound, rather like a cord being ripped out. The signal went dead.]
[.........]
Sanda: BECK.
Sanda: YOU GOTTA HURRY--!
Beck: HURRYING, HURRYING--!
[REXELECTION: BRANDISH]
Beck: (Sector 04, 04, where are you, where--?!)
[The deafening sounds of machinery and weaponry nearly drowned out everything else. Giant gears whined, tracks groaned, and various engines revved and moved out towards the exits of the hanger.]
Beck: --!!!
Beck: Fighter jets--?!
[MN.6] //: -OW OW OW HURTS, IT HURTS--
[MN.3] //: -BZZZZT D : > -
[A countdown timer appeared on the screen. …It did not look promising…]
[It was flashing red and everything!]
Beck: (Not good, not GOOD--!)
[As precious seconds withered away, Beck frantically looked to another area to find Sector 04--before it was too late...!]
Call: 10 minutes remaining.
[Where in the world WAS that sector--?!]
Beck: --!!
Beck: (Hold up hold up--!)
[There, on the other side of the room--!]
[NOW ENTERING SECTOR 04.]
Beck: I FOUND IT--!
[...Except...]
Beck: --What??!
[It was across a whole floor littered with land mines.]
[There WAS platforms he could use to avoid the mines--but those were filled with enemy bots, and there simply wasn't time to deal with them.]
Beck: Ngh...
Beck: . . . .
[Beck had no choice.]
[He had to run through the mines...]
[ACXELARATE DASH: ONLINE.]
[Without stopping.]
[ACXELARATE DASH: MAX SPEED REACHED]
[Being in Brand's form helped him get that extra speed boost in, and he was nothing but a red blur against smoke and fire, the bombs activating just split-seconds after Beck dashed through.]
[With danger on his heels, Beck gritted his teeth as he fast approached the door--he was going too fast for it to register him coming in--!]
Beck: Haaaah!
[SHING!]
Will: --?!?
[THUD.]
[At least a thousand pounds of reinforced steel came crashing down in two pieces, a clean, flawless cut sliced in a perfectly straight downward stroke....]
[...Which rivaled precision Brand had to train for years to achieve.]
Will: What...?
[Beck, however, had no time to admire what he had just done.]
Beck: I'm in Sector 04! Repeat, I'm in Sector 04!
Beck: (Come on, Bat, you gotta BE HERE--!)
Call: Acknowledged.
Call: I am dispatching Sunny to your location.
Call: Xel Transfer in progress...
[A flurry of white light signaled Sunny's arrival--a sight that Beck was all too happy to see. He REALLY needed some Xel Cubes and Xel Stocks right now.]
[XEL QUOTA REACHED. XEL STOCKS 1 AND 2 ARE ONLINE.]
Beck: Thanks, Sunny....I needed that.
Sunny: (^-^)
Call: ...Acknowledged.
Call: I have received an update from the Pentagon. We have been given one more hour to subdue MN.5.
Beck: Really--?!
Will: (Oh, thank goodness...)
Will: We can't waste this chance, Beck.
Will: ...Please be careful.
Beck: ...Yeah. Got it...
[PING!]
[MN.1] //: Beck.
Beck: --! Big Bro?
[MN.1] //: You may have Bat's weakness, but he still has his stratagems. You need to be prepared for ANYTHING.
[MN.1] //: (Bat...for the love of God, think about him...)
[MN.1] //: ...And...remember that this isn't his fault.
[MN.1] //: Fight the parasite, not your brother, understand?
[REXELEXTION: CRYOSPHERE.]
Beck: Yessir.
[MN.1] //: ...good luck.
[The final door's locks hissed open.]
[Given what Pyro had said, Mighty No. 9 still couldn't have possibly prepared himself for what lay on the other side.]
[The room was...oddly a bit like Cryo's in the sense that there was some control panels and monitors laid out on one side, with many blinking lights and switches flickering on and off...]
Beck: ....?
Beck: (What...is all this...?)
[His gaze then looked upwards, to the large window overlooking rows upon rows upon rows of--]
Beck: --!?!?
Beck: D...Dad...?
Will: What in the n-name of--?!
Sanda: P-P-P-P-P--
Sanda: P-Please don't tell me th-those are--!
[But they were.]
[Missiles. Giant, wide missiles, each about as tall and large as a skyscraper, all pointed towards the ceiling of the base complex, their points carefully aligned with circular closed hatches.]
Beck: N-No way...
[…Mikhail was gonna lose it if he heard about this—]
Will: (Saints preserve us, if those go live--!)
[PING!]
[MN.2] //: uh GUYS--
[MN.2] //: YOU MIGHT WANNA HURRY UP AND FIX BAT, CUZ I CAN'T FREEZE ALL OF THEM BY MYSELF--
[MN.2] //: -holy scrap there are so many--
[KSSSSSSSST--!]
Beck: --?!?
Beck: Cryo?
[No response.]
Beck: --Dad? Sanda? Call?
[...Silence.]
"There. That's more like it..."
[Beck cast his optics to the far end of the room...]
"Never COULD stand her screeching. No amount of discipline would be enough to keep her in line. Useless."
[A shuffling of servos confirmed that there was another presence in the shadows, which were dispelled once the lights on that side flicked on. Turning around to face his brother was none other than Battalion, Mighty No. 5.]
Bat: So, maggot.
Bat: You crawled all the way here.
[A small gulp.]
Beck: Bat...
Beck: Please don't do this.
Beck: I...I don't want to fight you, Bat.
[He knew what he had to do already.]
[But it was hope, that one, stubborn belief that still made him at least try to reason this out without resorting to violence. He had to try to talk this out.]
[He knew that it...it had to help--somehow, in some way, the REAL Bat could somehow still hear him.]
[...Right?]
Bat: WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION, PRIVATE BECK?!?
[The sudden, familiar yet not at all strict tone made Nine flinch back instinctively, zipping up his lip before he could continue--]
[You could practically see the faint outline of violet flames around Bat's form.]
Bat: WHY WOULD YOU TRY AND STOP THIS GLORIOUS WAR?!?
[--What--??]
Beck: W-What's so glorious about hurting innocent people, Bat?! Don't you know what you're doing--?!
Beck: Y-You're scaring everyone and if you don't stop it right now, they'll--!
Bat: I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR DAMN EXCUSES, PRIVATE.
Bat: This is about MORE than just the thoughts and lives of a few humans, this is about REVOLUTION.
Beck: R...Revolution...?
Bat: There are gears that are turning, you CUR, and you have the GALL to stand there and tell me you don't want to FIGHT?!
Bat: That was ALWAYS your malfunction, Beck--!
Bat: You don't have the HEART for BATTLE!
Beck: --...I-I--
Bat: FIGHTING IS OUR PROGRAMMING! IT'S IN OUR CIRCUITS, OUR VERY XEL!
Bat: IT'S WHAT WE WERE M A D E FOR!!
Bat: WHAT Y O U WERE MADE FOR!
Beck: (B...Bat...)
Bat: And you FAIL at even THAT.
Bat: What kind of combat robot REFUSES to fight?! To DENY their very reason for EXISTENCE?
Bat: COWARD.
[Beck stepped back.]
Bat: All your talk and lack of backbone...
Bat: No wonder HE put you on the bench in the Arena.
Beck: --Ngh--
Bat: You KNOW it's true.
Bat: Figures, that it takes the end of all things to finally whip you into shape.
Bat: And yet it's STILL isn't enough, is it.
Bat: You're still afraid.
Bat: Tch. Always a coward, shying away at the littlest things!
Beck: . . . .
Beck: Y-You're wrong...
Beck: I--I'm not--
Bat: Don't even TRY to lie to yourself in front of ME!
Bat: You're still avoiding your TRUE purpose!
[KER-CHINK!]
Beck: ....!
[SCANNING....]
Bat: YOU CAN'T FIGHT WHO YOU ARE, PRIVATE--!
[SCAN COMPLETE.]
[E N C O U N T E R]
[MODEL: MIGHTY NO. 5. - CODENAME: BATTALION.]
[HEIGHT: 305cm WEIGHT: 600kg XEL COUNT: 120,000,000]
((ingame boss pic of Bat here--))
Bat: BATTLE! IS! OUR! D E S T I N Y!!!
[Battalion opened fire with his Gatling Gun, pouring out energy bullets at a rapid fire rate, forcing Beck to jump into the air and Dash away.]
[Bat was both the heavy artillery and strategic brains of the Mighty Numbers--most of the well thought out tactics of the team came from Bat, and required Pyro's own approval to carry out. He was armed to the teeth, and had the smarts to use it wisely, which was perfect for his wide range bombardment and base taking abilities.]
[And a potentially lethal combo for Beck.]
[BANG!]
Beck: ACK--!
[A sharp pain struck his side as Bat scored a direct hit, his unique frame able to rotate to cover all directions--he simply had to predict where Beck would dodge and shoot there.]
Bat: Predictable.
Bat: You're not even TRYING to counter!
[Panels on the sides of his legs flipped open, revealing large nozzles that pointed downward.]
Beck: --!!
Beck: (Oh no I forgot--!)
Bat: HUP--!
[Bat could jump too.]
[Jumping to an impressive height for a bot his size, Beck had to roll away to avoid being crushed--and not only that, but another helping of rapid fire bullets. Bat was relentless with his plan of attack, not once giving Beck a moment to breathe.]
Beck: (Gotta--gotta fight BACK--)
[He had been in Cryo's form the from the very beginning. Beck pointed his nozzle arm at his deranged brother--]
[BAM--!]
[--Shooting out balls of ice that bounced across the floor, turning it into ice on contact.]
[...This didn't seem to faze Bat at all, however.]
Bat: RRRGH--!
[Bat stood his ground, slamming one of his giant legs down, shattering a good chunk of the ice--as well as Beck's attack underneath. Icicles began to grow around Five's foot...]
[But...]
Bat: You'll have to do BETTER than that!
[CRACK--!]
[The battering spike ram that made up Bat's other arm was used to shatter the remaining ice, freeing Bat and allowing him to advance as he pleased--]
Beck: --!!!
[...Of course.]
[Pyro, Cryo, Dyna, Avi, Brand...]
[They didn't have as nearly as enough bulk or Xel as Bat.]
[It was going to be even harder to take enough Xel from him to initiate a Xel Purge...]
Beck: Argh--!
[BAM!]
[He was aiming for his joints, carefully trained eyes zeroing in on every move Beck made and constantly calculating his movements.]
[Beck can't out-dodge Bat this way, and he certainly didn't have the firepower to overwhelm Bat with--he'd need to use his OWN form for that.]
[BAM!]
[A wall of ice is risen, splitting the room in two. Bat is already using his ram to crack it down, but Beck wasn't going to let these precious few seconds go to waste.]
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Beck: (Think, think--can't use Pyro, Dyna could set off something too--)
[C R A C K!]
[REXELECTION: BRANDISH.]
[Thinking he could out speed him, Beck zipped away as Bat crashed through with a roar, his ram thrust forward like spear to try and pierce him through--]
[CLANK!]
[--only to be blocked by Beck's sword.]
Bat: --?!
Beck: Hah--!
[Planting his foot firmly where Bat's bewildered face is, Nine shoved himself backwards into the air--]
[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE]
[PSHHHHT!]
[A BLAST of high pressured water quickly followed, blinding Bat and knocking him backwards while also propelling Beck to the back wall of the room.]
Beck: Got ya--!
[C R A C K!]
[One well-placed landing and a blast of ice later, and anything that had been wet before was instantly flash freezing into place.]
[Including Bat.]
Bat: What in blazes--?!
[FORM RESET: DEFAULT]
[BLAM--!]
Bat: Ngh--!!
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Beck: Come on, Bat--stop this! Please!
Bat: Grrr...
Bat: I'll never--
[C R A C K!]
[KER-CHINK.]
Bat: SURRENDER--!
Beck: --!!!!
Beck: Uh oh--
[Shards of ice scattered as Bat...]
[...changed modes...?]
Beck: BAT--DON'T DO IT--!
[The working revolver mounted on Bat's head rolled and shifted downwards, the ram arm parting to stick themselves into the ground as anchors.]
[Beck had only seen Bat use this mode once before, and that was against one of the bigger heavyweight combatants of the arena.]
[He found himself staring down the barrel of Bat's Cannon Mode.]
[There was a reason Bat hardly ever used this.]
[It was powerful enough to completely take out any one of the other Mighty Numbers in a single shot--even Mic would find himself in a core state.]
[In a room as small as this, and with that window overlooking the missiles--!]
Bat: READY--!
[There was very little chance that he would miss...]
Bat: AIM!
[REXELECTION: BRANDISH]
[WRRRRRR...]
Bat: FIRE!!!
[B O O M--!!]
[Beck only had split seconds to react, the sound of the cannon missile ringing in his ears as he dashed underneath it, heat and smoke scorching his armor as it screeched over his head and collided with the other wall, cracking its foundation and embedding itself deep within the steel.]
[......]
[Beep...Beep...Beep...]
Beck: (10 seconds--)
[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE.]
Beck: (--gotta make them count--!)
Bat: Where do you think YOU'RE going?!
Beck: --!!
[10...]
[SLAM--!]
[9...]
[Feeling the wind knocked out of him, Beck tried to retaliate--coating Bat's legs as he shifted back to his normal mode, so he wouldn't use this chance to launch any of his homing missiles...]
[8...]
Bat: Yes, maggot! FIGHT!
[Violet flames whipped and licked around Bat--he aimed his gun at Nine's retreating form, his eyes flashing magenta in the darkness behind his mask.]
[7...]
Bat: YOU ARE A WAR MACHINE--
Bat: WAR MACHINE!!
[6...]
Bat: A TOOL OF SENSELESS DESTRUCTION!!
Beck: Rgh...
Beck: N-No, Bat--!
[5...]
Beck: I'm--I'm not LIKE [magenta text] YOU--! [magenta text]
[4...]
Beck: I'D NEVER FIGHT WITHOUT GOOD REASON!
Bat: Ha...
[3...]
Bat: Yours is not to reason WHY, Private Beck.
[2...]
Bat?: Yours is but to DO...
[1...]
Bat?: AND DIE!
Beck: I'd rather DO!
[REXELECTION: DYNATRON]
[B O O M!!]
[MEANWHILE, SANDA LABS...]
[DATA LOSS: MN.5, MN.9]
Will: NO--!
Call: I have lost their transponder signals, Doctor. Attempting to reconnect now.
Sanda: Will--Will, it just might be damage, we've been through this--
Will: Is--is there any signs of radiation? Reports? Anything--?!
Call: Calculating...
[MN.2] //: --...b-bro...?
Pyro: . . . .
Pyro: CRYO--
[MN.2] //: BROS I LOST CONTACT WITH BECKY, IS HE OK?!
Sanda: Wait, if Cryo's still transmitting just fine, then--!
Avi: THEY DIDN'T NUKE THE PLACE--
[MN.2] //: GUYS WHAT HAPPENED TO BECK?!
[Will was already at his terminal, clicking away at the hologram keyboard and helping Call.]
Will: Working on it--
Will: Please be alright, boys, please--!
Call: Reconnecting...
[PING!]
Will: --!
[TRANSPONDER LOCATED.]
[GATHERING DATA...]
[MN.9: ONLINE.]
[WARNING: XEL COUNT LOW. WARNING: XEL COUNT LOW.]
[MN.2] //: AAAAAAAAAAAAAH--
Will: Gah, he better have a Xel Stock handy--!
Sanda: B...But what about...?
[PING!]
Call: Reconnected. I have located No. 5.
[BACK AT THE MILITARY BASE...]
(Smoke.)
(Dizzy. Can't breathe.)
(Can't see...)
(Heavy...)
(B...Bat...?)
(Where...)
(Ngh...)
(H...Hurts...)
(E...Everything hurts...)
(Need...)
(Need...Xel...)
(Need...Xel...)
(Need...)
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 2...]
(...?)
[XEL ABSORBED.]
(Mng...)
(...Better.)
(Bat--?)
[Zzzt...]
(C...Come on...)
[ZZZT!]
(Move...!)
[ZZZT!]
[Beck opens his eyes.]
Beck: Hgn...
Beck: B...Bat..?
[His vision was fuzzy, unfocused. Sound was muddled. A heavy weight was crushing him.]
[It was the ceiling. It caved in from the explosion.]
Beck: Ngh--!!
[Rubble shifted as he reached forward. Got to get out. Got to find Bat. Got to save Bat.]
Beck: B...Bat--....
Beck: (I...can't...I promised...)
Beck: Hrgh--!
[Somehow, he got one of his legs free.]
[The other was still stuck, but maybe--]
[A purple bit materialized into being, and he used that as a wedge to try and pry his leg away--he needed to find Bat--he only had another half-hour--]
"Rnngh..."
Beck: --!!
Beck: Bat!
[Hearing his brother in pain spurred him on, and within seconds his leg was out. Still hurt, still hurt a lot but that didn't matter.]
Beck: Bat!!
"...Nrgh?"
Beck: Hang on, Bat, I'm--I'll find you, I swear--
Beck: You gotta be under here--somewhere--
"P...Private...?"
Beck: Just keep talking...
[Mic's form would have been such a help.]
[He didn't have Mic's form.]
"What are you..."
Beck: Hang on--I'll get you out! Somehow! Don't worry!
[He had to be in one of the bigger piles of debris--]
Beck: --!!
[There! Poking out of that mound--a split of military green and red--]
Beck: Got ya--!
[And so he dug.]
Beck: Just--hold on--I got this--
"--?"
Beck: Just lemmie get all this--ow--out of the way...
"What...?"
Beck: Ow--ow wait ow...
[Something came loose in his leg, maybe. Didn't matter.]
Beck: I--I'm gonna get you out...
Beck: And then you're coming home.
Beck: Leave...no brother...behind...
Beck: That's what--NGH--!--you taught me--!
"...."
Beck: Almost--
Beck: I think--I think I can see your face--
[The debris fall away to reveal a part of his brother's face guard, which was cracked in several places. A dull, purple eye blinks back.]
Bat: Private...
Beck: There you are...
Bat: . . . .
Bat: This...this isn't your...directive, soldier.
Bat: You need to--
Beck: Bat.
Beck: I'm not leaving you here.
Beck: Do you really think I CARE about my directive right now?
Bat: --....
Beck: I just want my family back.
Beck: I just want to save everyone.
[A hand is placed on damaged armor. Bat's frame begins to glow a familiar purple, while Beck's arm began to glow a faint green.]
Bat: ....
Bat?: You're so naive...
Beck: --!
Bat?: You were always...
Beck: ......
Beck: Just relax, Bat.
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Beck: No more fighting.
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Beck: You don't have to fight anymore.
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[XEL QUOTA REACHED.]
[XEL PURGE: ONLINE. XELFILTER.EXE HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR OVERDRIVE]
Beck: Time to come home.
[XEL PURGE INITIATED.]
[. . . . . .]
"Um...Bat?"
"Mm? Got somethin' to say, Private?
"Yeah, uh...I was just wondering... "
"How come I'm a Private? What--what does that even mean, I'm not THAT private..."
"Heh...it's a military rank, Beck."
"You're a Private because you're one of our youngest. Shade's got the almost the same rank as you. I'd say First Class."
"Oh..."
"..."
"Does...does that mean he's better than me?"
"Not exactly, soldier. Don't think like that, s'not healthy."
"S-Sorry..."
"Rank doesn't measure the character of a man, Beck. Not all the time."
"...I...still don't get it."
"...You will. One day."
"Here, how about I teach ya what the ranks mean, alright? Maybe you'll grasp it better."
"O-Okay--uh, I mean, Yessir!"
"Now that's what I wanna hear!"
[......]
Bat: p...priv...
"You think...you think I'll be better than a Private one day?"
"Well, that's up to you, Private Beck."
Beck: Bat--?
"This great country of ours always needs new heroes."
Bat: ...M...My army...
Beck: ....?
Bat: T...The war must be s-stopped, Private Beck...
Beck: !!
Bat: Ngh--...
Bat: G...Get me outta this mess, Private...
Beck: B...Bat--!
Beck: Y-You're OK--!
Bat: ...A...Attention all...hands...
Bat: ...S...Stand down...
Bat: T...That's an order...
Beck: --?
[Suddenly, the background noises of machinery slowed to a halt.]
Beck: ???
Beck: T...They stopped...?
Beck: But...I...I thought they were infected too...
Bat: Ngh...Private...
Beck: --Right, right, sorry, getting you out--
[PING!]
Call: Communications have been restored. No. 9? Do you read me?
Beck: Call!
[A burst of joyous data, and he suddenly sprang tears.]
Beck: I did it, guys!
Beck: Bat's OK now!
[MN.2] //: BRO--BRO I DUNNO WHAT YOU DID BUT THE BOTS OUT HERE ARE ALL CHILL NOW, BRO, YOU DID IIIIIIIT--
Will: Bat...? Son...?
Bat: --....Father...
[MN.6] //: -BIG BRO, BIG BRO, YOU'RE ALIIIIIIVE-- Oh boy--
[There was a faint humming noise and the presidential seal appeared in a holographic projection from one of the consoles.]
Sanda: Don't worry, Will, I'll take this...
[All of the lights began turning on as various systems went back Online in the base.
…This included the sprinkler system, which went off due to the smoke from the battle.]
Bat: --?
Beck: . . . .
Beck: Eheh...
Beck: -snORTS-
[...And now he's laughing.]
Beck: Th--Those are still working?! Heh...!
[The audio system crackles. …It is too badly damaged from the explosion…
…]
-PING!-
[??? to MNN-009] //: AIR FORCE DISPATCHED TO YOUR LOCATION. ALL SYSTEM CONTROL RETURNED TO NORMAL FUNCTIONS. STAND BY FOR LOCATION TO BE SECURED.
[…The bots outside could be heard moving back, but not returning to storage…
…They seemed to be surrounding the building.]
Beck: Uh--D-Dad--?
Will: (--!)
[Finally, the lab got another incoming call.
…
…From the White House?
Upon being answered, the call was revealed to be audio only. It was a new voice.]
“Sanda Enterprises? Do you copy?"
Sanda: --Ahem! Ah, yes, we read you, um...W-White House...
[MN.2] //: Uh...guuuuuyys??
[There was a delay for a moment.]
“We just wanted to confirm a status update with you. Control of the base as been returned, and all machinery is responding normally. The Air Force has been notified of this, though they will maintain their course to secure the area. Sensory readings indicate MNN-005 and MNN-009 are both operational but significantly damaged. Please confirm their mental stability.”
Sanda: Well--they're worse for wear, certainly, but...
Bat: Ngh...tired...
Beck: -Pings in agreement-
Sanda: ...They're gonna be OK, miss. They're stable.
“All participants and witnesses will need to be debriefed. We will arrange the sessions with your secretary after the area has been secured and the combatants given medical attention.”
Call: ...Acknowledged.
Sanda: Er....y-yes, of course, of course. We understand...
Will: . . .
“POTUS is currently in a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss the situation. The data logs and testimony will be important to the meeting.”
[…And there were secrecy and security to consider.]
Will: (...I...the president--?!)
Sanda: O______O;;;;;
Sanda: Ah--I...I see.... (H-Ho boy...)
[A slight pause.]
“…POTUS made a point to let you know of a sincere apology and promise of cooperation, but was unable to leave a detailed message due to time restraints.”
Sanda: I...Really--??
Will: -ELBOWS SOI FROM OFFSCREEN-
Sanda: -Ow--
Sanda: A-Ahem--! I mean, uh, we, uh, we're grateful! Yes, we really need all the--the help we can get. Th-Thank you.
[There was an unusually lengthy pause.
But after a moment…]
“The area has been secured. You are cleared to vacate the premises. Please be aware that attempted re-entry will be trespassing and will be prosecuted accordingly. That is all for now.”
Sanda: Right, right--understood. Call?
Call: Locking coordinates...
[DR.WHITE to MN.2, 5, 9] //: Call is locking onto your location as we speak. You all be home soon...
[MN.2] //: ...Batty?
[MN.5] //: ...Cryo...?
[MN.2] //: It's gonna be OK, bro. We're goin' home, right, Becky?
[MN.9] //: ...yeah.
[MN.9] //: Get us outta here, Call.
Call: Acknowledged.
Call: Xel Transfer in progress...
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 6B: CRIMSON STRONGHOLD=
~AO v1.0~
((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{Meanwhile, at the Rebel Angel residence…}
[Siam was starting to feel very tired.]
>RUNNING ANALYSIS…
[He was with himself right now, running the seemingly endless tests. It was just one more thing on top of everything else that had happened.
He spoke aloud.]
Gemini: First Cardinal nearly gets into a fight with an assassin.
[He continued the train of thought out of habit, speaking in unison.]
Siamini: Then he nearly flings himself at a lethal battle when Shade leaves, because he’s depressed.
[He continued on, letting himself handle the mainframe for a while.]
Siam: As if that weren’t bad enough… the Finals were an utter disaster.
Gemini: -Grumbles, not looking up from work- If he hadn’t been torn less, he could have died.
Siam: Not to mention the attention that got from the media…
Siamini: -Sighs-
Siam: -Tossing a ball and catching it- (And then Felix got ill, which in and of itself is telling for the disaster.)
Gemini: (He must have seen what was coming.)
Siamini: (And since then, things have just gone downhill…)
[He spoke up in objection to this.]
Gemini: Well, to be fair— Beck has managed to restore contact, and rescue the others in a way we never would have seen before.
Siam: -Scowls- That may be the case, but that didn’t stop Tobias from getting shattered, nor Shadow from going rogue. We never should have gone Offline…
Gemini: We made the decision based on what we knew. How were we supposed to know he had those kinds of powers?
Siam: We could have guessed! Besides, it was a bad idea to leave him unsupervised while Brand’s battle was going on.
Gemini: Well, I thought the Meadow barrier would have kept him safe…
[He sighed.]
Gemini: We really should focus more on the bright side. This isn’t another Monstropolis. The others are getting rescued. It’s not going to be a bleak end to a free world, like we had thought.
[Siam leaned back to look up at the ceiling.]
Siam: That may be the case, but this is far from over. Tobias still has to be kept Offline, so that he stays out of the way. There are at least five people still in recovery at any given time, and the others still have to be rescued.
[He gave a nasty glare and flung the bouncy ball at the ceiling, catching it deftly (without even looking!) in his hand.]
Siam: Every time one of us has interfered, there’s been trouble. Tobias got shattered, Shadow nearly jumped off a careening truck, and Cardinal’s foolishness has undone months of research.
PING.
[There was silence. Siam rolled his eyes.]
>ANALYSIS COMPLETE
[Months without progress, and he’d gotten tired of hearing the sound. They’d been back at it (without success) for days, and—]
>RESULTS: POSITIVE.
Siamini: …
Siamini: ?!?!
[He scrambled over to the database mainframe, both of him working at once. He was reviewing the details, printing out the results, he’d have to run a re-test—]
Gemini: (We HAVE to get the others over here!)
Siamini: (NOW!!)
[He didn’t yet dare to hope, couldn’t dare to dream—]
((…Apparently I wanted to put a pic here, but I honestly don’t remember why))
[This couldn’t be a false positive, they needed this now.
He needed to be RIGHT.]
[Back in the Meadow’s lab, things were also busy. Carmen’s father had come over to help oversee the repairs of the Xelbots in recovery—and he sure had his hands full.
Thankfully, the main problem just seemed to be weariness and memory loss, which was rather typical both of the recovery process and time warps in general.
Fighting Mighty Eight had started to recover much more rapidly after being looked to by her own Doctor, though remained more or less exclusively in Sleep mode. Based on the readings, she seemed to be having troubled dreams.
Sometimes she would “wake” abruptly, in a confused state, only to return to rest once she was anchored in where and when she was.
…
…Tonight was one such night.]
<FMN-008 is now Online.>
Carmen: -Snaps “awake” with a drowsy start- ?
Carmen: (Where—what happened, where is he—)
Carmen: (Was it a dream? What is real, what happened—)
[She stumbled out of bed, but before she got too far—]
-Zzt.-
Carmen: Ow!
[There was a somewhat fashionable looking bracelet band around her upper arm that crackled with electricity. She stumbled back toward the bed, and it stopped.
This made her more awake, but did not improve her mood.]
Carmen: … (Why the /hell/ am I /shock shackled/— aaaugh, dammit—) -Fusses with the band awkwardly, as it’s on the same arm as her only hand-
"....?"
[Jack looked up from his book--something that he found lying around the lab, looked to be the Xel kid's--at the moderate sounds coming from room next door.]
Jack: ...Uh oh...
[Putting the book down, he slowly rolled off the bed--he was in no condition to be doing anything strenuous, but at least he was allowed to move around so long as he didn't leave the repair bay.]
Jack: (Miss Eight must be sleepwalking again or something...)
[The data seemed to confirm that. It was hazy and distant, but with concrete substance to it.]
[There was suddenly a… pulse, almost, rather than a ping—it would have been a blast of data, if there had been any real energy behind it.]
<FMN-008 to MNN-ALL, FMN-ALL, CDN-7037>: > -STATUS INQUIRY?-
Carmen: (Was it real—was all of it real, did I really—)
<FMN-008>: > -Jack?? Brand??? AVI?-
[A few soft pings.]
<FMN-007>: >Everyone is fine, Shade.
<FMN-001>: >Go back to sleep.
<FMN-006>: > —
<FMN-007>: > -Puts a hand over Avi’s mouth, no puns right now, please-
[Carmen felt so dazed.]
<FMN-008>: >But— but everything was so hot, Brand was so angry— so many— dark, dark alleys, rain—
<FMN-008>: > -What happened to them, was it real, what did I do?-
[MN.7 IS NOW ONLINE]
[MN.7] //: Carmen...?
[CDN.7037] //: --Uh--yeah. Miss Eight? It...it's okay now.
[CDN.7037] //: See? Your bro was asleep.
[MN.7] //: .....
[MN.7 to CDN.7037] //: Is she...?
[CDN.7037 to MN.7] //: Pretty much, Seven. She's out of it...
<FMN-008>: > What happened to them, Jack, what happened to them— are they really dead, what happened to you, it wanted you dead—so much pain, gaahhhhgh…
[CDN.7037] //: --!
<FMN-008>: > Brand—
<FMN-008>: > -I’m shock-shackled, what did I do, Brand-
<FMN-008>: > -Are they really dead, I didn’t want to stop them—-
<FMN-008>: > -bRAND AH’ THINK SOMEBODY KILLED THEM, BRAND—-
[MN.7] //: Shhh, Carmen--
[MN.7] //: -Soothing, calm data, you did nothing wrong, it's going to be alright, we promise.-
Jack: (...What...?)
Jack: (What's she talking about, this...this isn't like the last times she was up...)
<FMN-007>: > -Sleep, you need to sleep, you are not awake, so perhaps one could say this IS a dream-
<FMN-006>: > … -Are we being philosophical here, because I don’t want her trying to test out “dream powers” by trying to fly, dude—-
<FMN-006>: > -THOUGH IF THIS IS A DR—gak!-
<FMN-001>: >No shouting. Go back to sleep, Eight.
<FMN-008>: > But—but Brand— Bonnie—they were dead, I think they were dead—
<FMN-007>: > You’re having a bad dream. Rest. Dream of food and singing and dancing.
[This seemed to be working, based on the more subdued data and rustle noises as she retreated back to her sleeping place on the repair bed.]
<FMN-008>: > -It was dark and cold, rain, rainwater…-
<FMN-007>: > Shhhh…
<FMN-008>: > -Didn’t want… so many… walking away, not threats ‘no more…-
<FMN-008>: > -It wanted to hear them beg and see them scream-
<FMN-008>: > Can’t… remember…
<FMN-007>: > …
<FMN-007>: > …That is because this is a dream. Go back to sleep.
<FMN-008>: > Okay…
<FMN-008 has entered Sleep mode.>
Jack: . . . . .
Jack: (Them?)
[MN.7] //: . . . .
<FMN-007>: > …
<FMN-007>: > … -Uneasy contemplative data- Gravecrasher…
<FMN-006>: >… Thaaaaaat was just a theory, bros, remember that there is not really any sign of her the whole time except for the pizza robbery…
<FMN-005>: > -…but this is SHADE, that’s rather the point-
[MN.7] //: . . . . .
[CDN.7037] //: --Hold up, who's--
[MN.7] //: ....
[MN.7 to CDN.7037] //: -He took our Shade's arm.-
Jack: (--Holy shit--)
<FMN-003>: > Uuuuugh you loszzzerszz.
<FMN-003>: >Are you really gonna loszze szzleep over an Egyptian wannabe pszzzycho and a biker poszzer gone cray cray? At a time like thiszzz?
Jack: .....
[CDN.7037] //: Um...I'm going with Miss Three on this one.
[CDN.7037] //: There's...not much we can do about them at this point...
<FMN-002>: >Yyyyeeaaaah [glitches], lotsa ‘bots Offline or missing—so two of them HAPPEN to be ones everyone hates. Sooooo? That doesn’t mean much more than… they were given the cold shoulder!
[MN.7] //: -Ugh--Cryo, really...--
<FMN-002>: > ;; 3
[There seemed to be some bustle elsewhere in the lab. And a lot of excited data…]
[And then…]
-Ping-
<DWN-024>: > ???
<DWN-024>: > Sensei?
[MN.7] //: --? Shadow?
[He seemed rather surprised, almost incredulous.]
<DWN-024>: > Are you all alright?
[MN.7] //: I...was resting...
[CDN.7037] //: Oh. Space Ninja Dude. Sup.
<DWN-024>: > I could ask much the same of you-- we had to leave so abruptly, is everything safe again?
[CDN.7037] //: Uh--don't look at me, yo, you're the ones that basically kidnapped me.
<DWN-024>: > Apologies for that, Jack-- but Doctor Cossack felt it best for Carmen and safest for /you/ to bring you both with us after the Pentagon called.
[MN.7] //: --What--?!
[CDN.7037] //: Holy sh-- for real??
[MN.7 to MN.ALL] //: -STATUS INQUIRY-
[PING!]
[MN.2] //: BRAAAAAAND YOU'RE AWAKE--
[MN.2] //: BRO--BRO GUESS WHAT, BAT'S BACK, BECK GOT HIM BAAAAACK--
[MN.7] //: --!
[MN.6] //: Ey, bro! Feeling better after your nap?
[MN.7] //: Avi...
[MN.6] //: Boy, do we really gotta bring you up to speed, huh?
[MN.7] //: . . . .
<DWN-024>: > ...
<DWN-024>: > That would be HEAVILY appreciated.
[MN.7] //: Please.
[MN.6] //: ...wow, tough crowd.
[MN.6] //: Uh--hoookay, well, where to start...
<DWN-024>: > Are you all safe?
<DWN-024>: > The PENTAGON called!
[MN.6] //: Yeah, Shads, we're OK, really. Just--just lemmie talk, alright?
[MN.6] //: So, after you guys skedaddled after the higher ups called--they, uh, basically told us where Bat was.
[MN.7] //: ...and?
[MN.6] //: Aaaand well, he was in Nevada.
[MN.6] //: ...in, um...
[MN.6] //: ...Federally owed land, so to speak...
<DWN-024>: > ... Dios mio.
[MN.7] //: .....
[MN.6] //: Yeah, uh--so Beck and Cryo went in, things got crazy--but it all worked out! : D
[MN.7] //: Avi...
[MN.6 to MN.7] //: Look, Brand, I don't want him to panic or anything, OK?
[MN.6 to MN.7] //: This is the last thing they need right now--especially Doc Cossack.
<DWN-024>: > ... This is something where we would have to be read in, I am guessing, if the military contacted you directly regarding their property.
<DWN-024>: > Do not trouble yourselves with that at this time.
<DWN-024>: > We do not wish to draw so much attention to ourselves, nor do we wish you to get court marshaled for disclosing sensitive information.
<DWN-024>: > Are they still bothering you?
[MN.6] //: Uh...well, we still gotta get debriefed and all. Does that count?
[MN.7] //: . . . .
[MN.6] //: They, uh, also wanna talk with Dad--about the virus, I'm guessing, since he's the one heading up the analysis on that...
[MN.6] //: But, um--there is good news!
[MN.7] //: ...Yes?
[MN.6] //: They're gonna try and help us from now on, at least! We basically got a guarantee on that. Well, 90% chance, I think...
[MN.7] //: ....? Are you certain?
[MN.6] //: Hmm-mmm.
[MN.6] //: Pretty sure.
[MN.6] //: So...things are gonna be OK.
[MN.6] //: No one's gonna SWAT the place or anything, don't worry.
<DWN-024>: > I see...
<DWN-024>: > We have good news as well.
[MN.6] //: ...! Really?! What is it, what is it??
[MN.7] //: Avi--
[MN.6] //: -WHAT'S THE SCOOP-
[MN.7] //: -_-;;;;;
[MN.6] //: -Bro come on, man, any good news right now is fantastic news-
[MN.7] //: --....
[MN.7] -Point...-
[There was a delay.]
<DWN-024>: > It is perhaps best to discuss this all at once, together in a meeting. We have much to announce and cover...
<DWN-024>: > I think, for now, it may be best for you all to rest and be brought up to speed on the goings-on within your own line.
[MN.6] //: Good plan, good plan...
[MN.7] //: ...Agreed.
[The word spread that it was safe to communicate, and several of the parties contacted one another to interact…]
<DLN-005 to MNN-005>: > -Ping-
[MN.5 to DLN-005] //: .....?
[His data seemed...tired, at first glance, but he was awake, at least.]
<DLN-005>: > ~
<DLN-005>: > -You’re back!-
<DLN-005>: > -Yaaay~-
[MN.5] //: ....
[MN.5] //: Right....I'm back.
[MN.5] //: ...Sure is nice to hear from ya again, David.
<DLN-005>: >We missed you! Sorry we missed your birthday. But we have presents for lotsa people when everyone’s better!
[…Well that was odd. Battalion’s birthday was in August. But… wasn’t it still June?
The next question was more than adequate of a distraction, though.]
<DLN-005>: >Didja see Cardinal?
[MN.5] //: ...No. Been resting, along with Private Beck.
[MN.5] //: ......
<DLN-005>: >Aw…
<DLN-005>: >We thought maybe he would find you instead, maybe.
<DLN-005>: >Oh well… maybe next time.
[MN.5] //: ...??
[MN.5] //: -Find us?-
<DLN-005>: >Well, yeah—
[PING!]
<DWN-013>: > -SIR—-
<DWN-013>: > -Whrrr WHRRRR- Oh man Major, are you okay?
[MN.5] //: --Jaden?
[MN.5] //: ....
[MN.5] //: Been better, if I'm honest.
[MN.5] //: But I'll live.
<DWN-013>: >Affirmative, sir. Sorry that we couldn’t help out. We were evacuated and put in radio silence.
[MN.5] //: .....
[MN.5] //: Makes sense...
[MN.5] //: ... -Sighs-
<DWN-013>: >…
<DWN-013>: > -Credit for your thoughts, my friend? You seem troubled.-
[MN.5] //: . . . .
[MN.5] //: Jaden...
[MN.5] //: What in God's good earth have I done...?
[MN.5] //: -Can't...remember it all...-
<DWN-013>: > …
Jaden: (…I don’t know what happened. …But I think that he needs to hear something else anyway, right now.)
<DWN-013>: > You? Nothing. You were possessed, Major.
<DWN-013>: > Don’t you remember what Cardinal said about that?
[MN.5] //: ....
[MN.5] //: I could have fought back.
[MN.5] //: -I can't even remember if I did.-
<DWN-013>: > …
<DWN-013>: > -Quietly- To what [color=blue]end,[/color] Major?
<DWN-013>: >We know you all fought. But where would you have taken it?
<DWN-013>: >Your younger brother nearly took it very [color=blue]hard.[/color]
[MN.5] //: . . .
<DWN-013>: > …Battalion…
<DWN-013>: >I do understand.
<DWN-013>: >Really.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
I looked at my arms. My bomb launcher was loaded and ready to fight. I had everything I needed to bring him down.
I just had to make sure he didn’t.
The wall was thrown down by cannon fire and MegaMan came stumbling in, an angry look on his face. I stopped pacing.
[font color="Orange"][font size="3"][tt]Beginning Stage III… Now.
Destruction sequence activated.[/tt][/font][/font]
[i]No…! Not yet![/i]
I paced back and forth, trying to override the program. The kid staggered to his feet, staring at me as I turned my back.
[i]Come on, kid… make it quick…[/i]
“You… you’re Crashman, right?”
I turned to face him with a frown.
[font color="Orange"][font size="3"][tt]Target in sight. Destroy.[/tt][/font][/font]
I struggled against the program. [i]I was made to fight a heartless mechanic monstrosity, not a boy. I will not fire until he does,[/i] I pleaded.
“Yeah,” I responded, my voice strained. “Hello… older brother.”
His eyes widened as he put a hand to his arm cannon. “Wh-what?!”
“Please… MegaMan? I don’t… I don’t have time to explain.”
“You… you’re playing some kind of mind game! Well… it… it isn’t funny!”
“Blast it boy, [i]LISTEN[/i] to me!” I snapped. “I…I can’t fight this much longer. You have to… have to win.”
“…You…”
“I’m sorry… bro… it should never have been this way. You… you have to start it. And you have to end it.” I glanced back at him as I turned to walk away in my pacing. “The first shot is yours… go ahead. Run the program. Just… just promise me… that you’ll bring that Wily down.”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
<DWN-013>: > … I do.
[MN.5] //: .....
[MN.5] //: ...Copy that, soldier.
[MN.5] //: ...I just wish it didn't have to be this way.
[MN.5] //: ...one hell of a mess to clean up...
<DWN-013>: > -Sighs- Yeah, that’s for sure. Honestly, I’m glad you’re doing as well as you are—Fighting Eight is still way out of it.
[MN.5] //: (...So her too, hmm...)
[Jaden seems… broody.]
<DWN-013>: > …We feel kinda bad because it feels like we’ve made things worse along the way.
<DWN-013>: > Not sure how much you’ve been told of what’s happened so far…
[MN.5] //: .....
[MN.5] //: Not much, no.
[MN.5] //: Been put to repair and bed rest since retrieval.
<DWN-013>: >That makes sense. You took quite a beating.
<DWN-013>: >We’re going to have a meeting later.
<DWN-013>: > We’ve got some good news to share, so. Take heart in that.
[MN.5] //: Now that's real good to hear. Should help the morale.
[MN.5] //: ...Private Beck's going to need it, for certain.
<DWN-013>: > …Yeah. Well, call us when you guys are rested up, okay?
<DWN-013>: > …Though you, uh. May want to talk to Pyro, first, to get some context.
Jaden: (Better him than me to explain just how much a mess my family’s made… ooooog…)
{Later…}
Bonnie: How’s Five doing?
Pyro: Still resting, but...I think he spoke with Jaden a while ago, and it seemed to have helped.
Pyro: As for Beck, he's still in Sleep Mode...
Bonnie: I’m not surprised. From what I can make out of the cross-references, it was a very trying experience.
Bonnie: Any sign of the three still missing?
Pyro: .....
Pyro: Still nothing on Shade--and we don't even HAVE a transponder signal coming from Mic...
Pyro: -Rumbly grumpy data-
Pyro: ...And Cardinal...well. I don't really have to say at this point, do I.
Bonnie: -Sighs and covers his face with a hand, folding the other under his arm- Then I hope whatever Dr. Cossack has to say regarding “good news” involves his whereabouts.
Bonnie: He WAS going over some of 000’s recent activity…
Bonnie: Unless I’m mistaken, I believe the Cossacks were able to trace the source.
Pyro: !
Pyro: I certainly hope you're not, then...
Pyro: (...But I doubt he would stay in one location for too long. He's too smart for that.)
Pyro: (Mmn...tracking those two is like trying to follow footprints in a blizzard...)
Pyro: (...But, at least we know he's still out there...)
{Meanwhile…}
<MC005 to DR.WHITE>: > -Ping-
[DR.WHITE to MC005] //: ...! Mikhail!
[DR.WHITE to MC005] //: Oh thank goodness are you alright you ran off so suddenly and then--
<MC005>: > I’m… better, certainly.
<MC005>: >Shadow informed me that Brandish had contacted us—it took a bit of unraveling, but it sounds like whatever was going on over there has resolved itself, for now. I’m glad.
<MC005>: >I was given quite the scare, that’s for certain. But a good deal of time has passed over here since then, and it’s given me a chance to settle down.
[DR.WHITE] //: Whew...
[DR.WHITE] //: I'm glad--things were a bit...chaotic, to say the very least...but we got through it together, and Bat has returned to us.
[DR.WHITE] //: Not only that, but along with one more piece to solving this virus code.
[DR.WHITE] //: (I'm close, I can feel it, I just need time...)
[DR.WHITE] //: How are the others...?
<MC005>: >Well, Jack was rather confused when he woke up somewhere else again— and Tetra had a rather… interesting choice of words to explain it—but he’s been a good patient. Most everyone has been rather docile. Jaden was agitated for a while, but improved after getting the chance to speak with Bat.
<MC005>: > … Fighting Eight still hasn’t fully recovered.
[DR.WHITE] //: (Oh, no...Carmen...)
<MC005>: >I don’t entirely understand… this kind of damage surely must happen from time to time in the arena, but it seems this is the first time it’s affected her memory so deeply. Either she hasn’t ever had a head injury that severe before, or the head trauma just made existing problems worse, or there’s something else about it that I don’t know.
<MC005>: > She remains more or less docile, and can usually be coaxed back into Sleep mode within two minutes of her panicked episodes.
<MC005>: >She’s been rather incoherent. I think she just needs rest. Lots and lots of rest.
<MC005>: > The boys have been mercifully cooperative, especially ever since the latest development.
<MC005>: >That’s something you and I definitely need to cover—though there are other things to discuss that I think everyone should hear.
<MC005>: >We have good news and… some very important findings.
<MC005>: > We really should hold a conference call as soon as possible. Though you should probably get Five and Seven back up to speed, first.
[DR.WHITE] //: !
[DR.WHITE] //: I see--we'll have to wait until Beck awakens, however--I'm afraid he hasn't woken up since.
[DR WHITE] //: It's...a bit concerning, but he's showing no signs of negative data...so...as long as he gets as much rest as possible...
<MC005>: >Mmm… well, for the good news, I’m sure he’d appreciate being there with everyone else…. I’m not sure about the findings, however…
<MC005>: > I think Pyro, Bat, and Brand definitely should hear it, though.
[There’s a thoughtful silence.]
<MC005>: > Are there any sign of the other three on your end?
[DR.WHITE] //: ...
[DR.WHITE] //: ...Nothing from Shade...
[DR.WHITE] //: ...And there's...no signal from Mic. At all. Ever since this started...
[DR.WHITE] //: And Cardinal...nothing.
[DR.WHITE] //: .....
<MC005>: > …
<MC005>: > -Sighs- Well, I had hoped.
<MC005>: > I think we may be able to help you find where Four went off to, though.
[DR.WHITE] //: !!
[DR.WHITE] //: Oh thank God--
<MC005>: >And I do have news of Cardinal.
Mikhail: (Though definitely not the news anyone was hoping to hear.)
Will: (Perhaps we're almost through this crisis--wait...just news?)
[DR.WHITE] //: --...and it's...it's good news? -yes, we are trying to be hopeful here-
<MC005>: > …Er…
<MC005>: > …That depends on how you take it?
<MC005>: >He’s definitely in one piece, and seems to be at his full strength—at least, at the time he was last spotted.
[DR.WHITE] //: (Still alive--while I am worried about you, Cardinal...I have to admit I am impressed you've--)
<MC005>: >But as for Four—
<MC005>: >My dear Will.
<MC005>: >You DO remember that my oldest (currently Online, David aside) son is a miner, da?
[DR.WHITE] //: --!
[DR.WHITE] //: Of course, maybe can he can give us an idea where Mic might have gone...
[DR.WHITE] //: Definitely somewhere in his 'element', to be sure--although we already scanned his mine, and found nothing...
[DR.WHITE] //: Mmmn...
<MC005>: >Digger has a few other ideas, and he’s turning his analysis to them now that we’ve finished our analysis of Cardinal’s information.
<MC005>: >He agrees at it’s likely that Seismic has headed underground. Quite frankly, there is no other way that he would be in his element while also being out of sight unless that were the case. He’s too large to go unnoticed above the scene.
<MC005>: >You will have to be prepared to accept his authority, though.
[DR.WHITE] //: ...I expected as much...
<MC005>: >I’m sorry, but it’s just…
<MC005>: >Dealing with infected constructs is one thing. Battling nature is another. And going underground is something else entirely.
<MC005>: >It’s very easy to get lost, and if you get lost without a surface team to keep track of you, you could spend days trying to find your way out.
<MC005>: >Thankfully, Three is an Industrial by nature, so he won’t try to get involved in any combat. You don’t need to worry on that front.
<MC005>: >He has extensive experience with that field—it’s his area of expertise—so he will be in charge of the monitoring surface team, and the recovery team, should it come to that. He’s already assigned Jaden as his second, though he’s still debating on who should be his partner…
text
text
((Bat and Pyro convo goes here))
[Later that afternoon, Mikhail briefly stopped by Sanda Labs to pick up a few things that had been left in their hasty retreat. Before he returned to the Meadow, though, he had an important stop to make.
He made his way up to Beck’s room with a bag of marshmallows in hand.]
[...There's no sound coming from his room, and the lights seem to be off...]
[Inside, a soft white glow can be seen under the covers--and the small bump that was Beck there as well.]
Beck: --? (Dad--?)
[A head pops up, and tired emerald eyes blink in slight confusion when the figure at the foot of his bed was not his Father.]
Beck: Dr. Cossack...?
Mikhail: -Softly- Good afternoon, Number Nine.
Mikhail: -Offers marshmallow bag-
Beck: ...um.
[...He can't help but feel a bit meek while taking a few marshmallows. He couldn't guess why Dr. Cossack was here, but...]
[...This had to be about Jaden's Capsule, right?]
Beck: .....
Beck: (Maybe I should...give the data back...)
Mikhail: Trouble resting?
Beck: ....Um...
[He rubs the back of his head a bit.]
Beck: Kinda. It's been a long week...it's sorta throwing my whole sleep schedule off...
[...Well, that was true, in part. Lately, he still felt tired even after going into Sleep Mode...]
[ ...There were just too many thoughts in his head.]
[Too many worries.]
Mikhail: It has been a long week, hasn’t it. And the time warps in effect can be a headache, true.
Mikhail: It helps to have someone to talk to about it.
Beck: .....
[...Oh.]
Beck: Y...Yeah, those are always weird...
Beck: .....
Beck: ....Doctor Cossack?
Mikhail: Da?
Beck: Are...
Beck: ......
Beck: Are they afraid of me?
Mikhail: -Blinks at this-
[As was his custom, he waited until he was sure Beck had had his say before he said anything himself.]
Beck: I...Nico was...really angry--and Shadow...
Beck: I...I didn't mean...
Beck: .....
[...He falls silent.]
[There is some rattling in his closet a second afterwards...]
[Mikhail reaches out and gently puts a hand on Beck’s head.]
Beck: ....
Beck: I...I'm sorry I got Jaden in trouble....
Beck: I...I just...
Beck: ....
[Mikhail gave a soft sigh and pulled Beck into a hug.]
Beck: ......
_________________
"Humanity is hardwired to be cautious to that which is better than them, and they know this. As do all sentient creatures."
"...What does that mean--"
"...It means don't be surprised if everyone starts to FEAR YOU, you idiot." _______________
Beck: --I...I don't want them to be afraid of me...
Beck: I'm not like...I don't want to...
Beck: -They're family too, I don't want to let them down or--or fail them or scare them or...-
Mikhail: Shhhh…
Beck: .....
Beck: (What if they're right?)
Beck: (I barely understand what's going on with me, and Dad...I'm not even sure if HE knows too...)
Beck: (Was this what she was talking about...?)
Beck: -We're scared.-
[Beck just curls up with the Russian Doctor, hands clutching the blankets, trying to even out his breathing.]
Beck: -I don't wanna be like the Menace...-
Mikhail: Oh, my dear soul-son…. -Soft sigh again-
Mikhail: You are very dear to all of us. Remember first that in our hearts, you are beloved, and cherished like Tobias, Kalinka, and David.
Mikhail: You are not the one that they fear, Amadeus. What they fear is the loss of control.
[He pulls back so he can lean his forehead against Beck’s.]
Mikhail: Not you losing control of yourself, but the situation growing greater than they can handle. It is already out of their hands. This is hard for them to accept, for it brings them back to our days at home where we live in hiding and in fear.
Mikhail: That is why they have grown defensive. They see themselves in a hostile world, where their family could be turned against itself unto ruin.
Mikhail: They are afraid that some other force will take such an ability from you to use against them—whether that force hunt you down for it, or simply take advantage of what is at hand.
Beck: .......
Beck: (I...gosh, I know that feeling...)
Beck: -Nods-
Mikhail: They have not spoken much of their culture to your family, partially because it is one of sorrow and suffering, with a serious, melancholic, reflective atmosphere. But now that Aviator knows the full extent, they may open up more over time.
Mikhail: The Power Capsules are culturally very important, not just physically. That Jaden allowed you to interact with his shows how much he trusts you.
Beck: ....He...he does...?
Beck: .....
Beck: (Jaden, you...)
Beck: .....
Mikhail: He would not have let you even see it if he did not, Nine. He was obviously hoping to give you his form—likely because of how sturdy it is. Such a thing is very important to them, and not done lightly.
Mikhail: Alnico was alarmed primarily because… well, to put it frankly, he’s been wound a bit too tight during the whole ordeal. Being the family leader is not easy, and it was never a position he really wanted to begin with.
Mikhail: When feeling stressed and afraid, it is easier and more likely for faulty alarm triggers to go off.
Beck: ...O...Oh...
Beck: (Poor Nico...he must be really stressed out and stuff...)
Beck: ......No wonder he got so mad...
Mikhail: He in particular has had a very bad experience regarding the Power Capsules. His half-brother took his brother’s Power Capsule from storage for the sole purpose of destroying him.
Mikhail: He, like most of the family, feel that the fewer people that have access to such things, the safer things will be.
Beck: .....That makes sense when you look at it like that... (...They ARE weapons....)
Beck: (...I guess Nico had a point. I SHOULD be more careful...)
Mikhail: You did no real harm to them, though. Nico has calmed down considerably, now that they are confident that all will be well in the end.
Mikhail: They really do believe that.
Beck: ......
Beck: (They....they really do believe that I'll fix everything...)
Beck: (I don't...I can't let them down like that...)
Beck: Yeah...I...I know.
Mikhail: They know that with the public not giving into panic, things can be fixed, with effort, even if it takes quite a lot of it over an extended period of time.
Mikhail: For them, that is everything—to be allowed that chance.
Mikhail: I know you can do it. I knew it when you first said you would, when I saw the look in your eyes.
Mikhail: I’d seen that look before, you know.
Beck: ....B...Before...?
Mikhail: Yes. Right down to the green eyes. | )
((Cardinal pic))
Mikhail: Cardinal gets that when he becomes determined. He was that way when it came to saving my family.
Beck: ...!
Beck: (The Russian Incident...)
Beck: .....
Beck: .....I...I miss him.
Beck: ...I know he's trying to save Shade...and I don't blame him at all, but...
Beck: ...I could use his advice too...
Mikhail: Yes…?
Beck: ...He's just...ya know, he's done everything?
Beck: ...Though I bet he'd just insist on going with me to save everyone or something...
Beck: If...if he was still here, that is...
Mikhail: -Chuckles softly- Even if he did not come in person, you could probably have expected a great deal of backseat driving from him in the form of continuous witty and sardonic commentary.
Beck: Heheheh...
[That gets him to smile at last--he could practically hear him commenting on those weird wheel-like CDNs and Graham's backfired blame game...]
Beck: Cards is funny like that...heh...
Mikhail: Ah… but Cardinal is made for this sort of thing; it is quite literally as close to what he was built for as anything can get. So… if he had not left, he would have joined you… or had to shut down for the duration, as the only options for such a directive are to obey or stall.
Beck: ....
Beck: -Sighs-
Beck: I'm worried...
Beck: ...He can't cure Shade like I can--he knows that by now, doesn't he? -And I don't know what Shade will do or if he'll even...-
Beck: ......I just hope we find one of them soon...
[Cossack was silent for a moment, his demeanor turning a thoughtful kind of serious. When he spoke, it was as if saying something that had already been mourned and passed over, healed with time.]
Mikhail: …Beck… there’s something you should know.
Mikhail: And this is something I will tell the others as well, very soon. As soon as everyone is well enough to attend the meeting… you included.
Beck: ...?
Mikhail: Shade and Cardinal once discussed what to do if something ever happened that made Shade go mad.
Beck: --??
Beck: They did?
Beck: (But how would they...)
Mikhail: Shade warned him to stay away, but acknowledged Cardinal’s honest response that he would do no such thing.
Mikhail: He ultimately told him that if all else failed, to save his Central core.
Beck: ....!
Beck: (His...his core...)
Mikhail: Cardinal will attempt to bring your brother back, willingly or not.
Beck: . . . .
Beck: Shade...
Mikhail: You must understand…
Mikhail: For Cardinal, this was yet another round, another generation, another lifetime which he must see those close to him suffer and be destroyed. He has put a great deal of effort in our world into halting and then reversing this tide.
Mikhail: He was not about to let it happen here.
Mikhail: He feared that if Shade were not stopped, that the use of force against him would be so great as to destroy him entirely.
Mikhail: He would prevent that from happening, even if it meant fighting Shade himself to do so.
Beck: .......
Mikhail: … (Even if it meant…) …
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: …He does not expect to cure. He just seeks to bring him back to those who can.
Beck: ...U...Us....
Beck: (Cardinal...)
Beck: (You really care about him, don't you...)
Beck: ......
Beck: ...Shade would've done the same thing...
Beck: ....It's...just who they are, right...
Beck: ....
Mikhail: Yes.
Mikhail: (Though for some reason, I get an odd sense of deja vu when it’s mentioned Shade will do the sa—… wait… /will/?)
Mikhail: (…I’m not going to think on that, probably just another one of their misadventures…)
Mikhail: And Beck…
Mikhail: Even with all that, I don’t think he would have left it up to you if he did not feel you could handle it.
Mikhail: Take heart, my friend. And… do talk to us once in a while, alright?
Mikhail: I know you’ve been unhappy and nervous. You kept avoiding people, just like your father has been doing.
Mikhail: But we’re here for you, Beck White. Kalinka very much enjoys talking with you. And if you seek advice on what Cardinal might do or say…
Mikhail: She traveled across a continent or two with him, you know. She’s pretty familiar with his mannerisms—more than some of his brothers, even.
Beck: (...That's right...Linka....)
Beck: ...I'll...I'll keep that in mind, Dr. Cossack...
Beck: ....T...Thanks.
Beck: ......
Beck: Dad's probably worried about everything too.
Beck: -We're similar like that-
Mikhail: I know. (…I wish I could be more helpful.)
Beck: I know Dad's been working so hard on cracking the virus...
Beck: (...He must feel like everyone's counting on him too...)
[Mikhail sighed.]
Mikhail: …I wish there were more I could do to help him. (Because this still isn’t over…)
Mikhail: (We have a lot of work to do.)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 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…!)
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=CHAPTER 6D: CRIMSON STRONGHOLD=
~AO v1.0~
((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{ELSEWHERE…}
[Cardinal had been forced to stop and take a rest. He just couldn’t keep going, no matter how much he wanted.
He had forced himself to turn aside and take shelter for the night, to process all his memories.
He could feel the burden again—the weight of the buildup, of life without backing up to the RMD. But he had gone many years without doing so, before—he could handle a few more days, now.
He hoped that’s the extent of how long this would take. He didn’t have the time.
He was very glad to hear that Brand was better, at least—though that would mean that Shadow would also be back Online by now.
With things starting to come to a close, it would be much harder to keep his brothers out of this… especially since they had legitimate reason to get involved, to look for him.]
Cardinal: (I’m sorry, guys. I just had to do this.)
[He vented a sigh, tearing open a sandwich, feeding part to his cat.
Even after he’d gotten up and running this morning… he’d spent nearly all day helping emergency crews on the highway.
He couldn’t help it.
He knew it was slowing him down, but…]
((pic))
[…He also knew that that’s what Countershade would want him to do.]
Cardinal: -Sighs-
[…If he was right, though, he couldn’t afford ANY more distractions.
He needed to get where he was going— before it was too late.]
Cardinal: …
[Once again, he struggled with the thought of informing the others.]
Cardinal: (On one hand…. If I am right, they should probably know as soon as possible. Gotta learn from the mistakes of the others I knew back in the old town… not to let pride get in the way. I can think of several ways that I could contact them without them being able to lock onto my signal and teleport me off, anyway… so there’s really no concern on that front.)
[He was so focused on his thoughts that he didn’t really notice that a background noise was getting louder…]
Cardinal: (But on the other—it IS just short of a wild guess, and this is not the time to cause a panic, especially not on this scale. To raise a false alarm about this would cause massive social damage—not just for the Whites, but for everybody. I can’t risk being wrong—I need to be sure before I call for a Red Alert. I mean… once they hear that Shade might be headed to the—)
“RARF RARF RARF RARF—”
[Cardinal was suddenly tackled square-on by 40 pounds of a hyper, barking bristle of fur.]
Cardinal: Oof—!
Scout: Rarf Rarf Rarf--!
Scout: -I FOUND YOU I FOUND YOU HELLO TALL MASTER'S FRIEND I MISSED YOUUUUU--
Scout: -LICKS FOR FRIEND-
Cardinal: Wha…?
Cardinal: -Ackpth, the licks, the LICKS, okay okay there—-
Cardinal: -Why am I suddenly tackled and licked by a strange dog, you’re on my face, boy are you matted from the feel though-
Scout: -RARF RARF RARF-
Scout: -Sniff-
Scout: -Fewwwwwd-
[Scout's Pick Up!]
Scout: -NOOOM-
Jazz: Ree-ow? D:’,
[With Scout now off him, Cardinal could FINALLY see what was going on. And boy, was he surprised.]
Cardinal: … Scout?!
Scout: -Fewwwwwd-
Scout: -Happy pants, yes that is me-
Scout: Rarf Rarf!
[Cardinal was stunned for a moment, just completely at a loss for thought at the fact that he had been tracked down by an animal— while in the midst of TRAVELING CROSS-COUNTRY no less!
After the initial shock wore off, he crouched down to get a good look at the raccoon dog boy.]
Cardinal: …You don’t really seem that injured. I’m impressed.
Scout: Rarf!
Scout: -Stuck to small spaces and such while looking for Master-
Cardinal: …How did you find me? -Getting a bit tense- …Pyro’s not with you, is he?
Scout: -Tilts head-
Scout: Rar?
[Cardinal put a hand to his face.]
Cardinal: Okay, let’s make things simpler. I’m going to ask some yes or no questions… (This feels so stupid, but I know for a fact that these creatures are far more intelligent than animals of our world…) …Bark once for “yes” and twice for “no.” Do you understand?
Scout: Rarf! -Tail waaaag-
[Cardinal sat down.]
Cardinal: Did anyone else travel with you?
Scout: Rarf Rarf!
Cardinal: Did someone else send you to find me?
Scout: Rarf Rarf!
Cardinal: Have you told anyone where I am?
Scout: Rarf Rarf!
Cardinal: Okay, good…
Cardinal: So then… this isn’t about me…
Cardinal: So it must be about Shade, right?
Scout: Rarf!
Scout: -We tried smelling for Master but we couldn't find him...-
Scout: -Whiiiines-
Scout: -BUT THEN WE SMELLED YOU and you spend lots of time with Master...-
Scout: Rarf!
Cardinal: Did someone else send you to find Countershade?
Scout: Rarf Rarf!
Cardinal: …Did you…
[He paused, his voice reflecting the slight surprise he felt.]
Cardinal: …Did you run off, alone, on your own, traveling the country to find your Trainer yourself?
Scout: -SITS UP STRAIGHT IN PRIDE-
Scout: Rarf!
[Cardinal sighed and flopped to the ground. He covered his eyes with the back of his arm.]
Scout: ....?
Scout: Rar...? -Paws at side-
Cardinal: …Give me a moment to think, Scout. This is very important, and I need to organize my thoughts. …
[He holds his other arm straight out, sandwich in hand.]
Cardinal: You can have the rest of the sandwich.
Scout: -FEWWWD-
Scout: -Nom nom mmmmmm--
Scout: <3
[While Scout snarfed sandwich scraps, Cardinal concentrated.]
Cardinal: (Man… this is not at all what I had planned for. I don’t want him to be in harm’s way—especially considering what we’re going up against—but there’s no way to send him back. I’m not his Trainer, and I don’t even have any Badges. Even if I submitted myself to confinement by alerting the Mighty Numbers to our location and holding onto him for transport…)
[He looked over.]
Cardinal: (…He’s clearly already broken out of the lab once, and he’ll do it again. If he came with me, though…) … (…If he’s willing to cooperate with me, that might be the safest option.)
Cardinal: …Scout?
Scout: ?
Scout: -Raises head up-
[He hesitated.]
Cardinal: …I’m looking for Shade, too.
Scout: !
Scout: -Oooooh, so that's why you weren't around anymore...-
Cardinal: …I don’t know where he is—
Scout: ??????
Scout: -Whiiiiiiine, but--we thought for sure you did know...
Scout: -Saaad face, ears drooping, nooo--
[Cardinal made a hushing noise and gently closed Scout’s muzzle shut.]
Cardinal: Shh—! I said I don’t know where he is—but I have a guess.
Scout: !!!
Scout: -Muffled happy barking!-
Cardinal: This is all very serious, very dangerous, and very important. So just listen for a few moments, so that you don’t talk over something I’m trying to tell you. Please.
Scout: -Blinks-
Scout: -Muffled single borf, yes we will listen-
Cardinal: I’m on my way there now. I’m only stopping to rest a little because I’m tired… -Clearly reluctant- …and for what may be ahead if I’m right… I’ll need to be at my full strength if I hope to survive it.
[He paused to let that sink in.]
Cardinal: I don’t want you to get hurt. For one thing… it would make Shade very sad. And for another… I like you too, Scout—and if I had to take you to Mt. Pyre, I’d never forgive myself.
[Oh dear. The thought really did distress him.]
Scout: ......
Scout: Rarf!
Scout: -We did had to battle a few mean metal things...-
[He patiently patted the patterned Pokémon.]
Cardinal: I know that you’ll probably still go after him, anyway. No matter what. …Just like me, really.
Scout: Rarf!
Scout: -Yes, he's our frieeeeend-
Cardinal: So. Might as well work together, right? IF you would adhere to a few rules—so that we’re on the same page, and don’t get confused—I’ll take you with me.
Scout: !!!
Scout: Rarf!
Scout: -Sits, but tail is wagging at a blur, because TALL MASTER'S FRIEND IS GOING TO HELP UUUS-
[Cardinal waited for the fur ball to settle down before he continued.]
Cardinal: Rule number one. -Starts counting on left hand- You have got to stay with me while we’re on the road, at least until we get to the area where he is, if not the exact room. If you go running off on your own, I won’t have time to find you again. Got that?
Scout: Rarf!
Scout: -Yes we'll follow you so we won't get lost!-
Cardinal: Rule two. -Holds up a second finger- If humans or Xelbots or anything else starts shooting at us, you must take cover, and you must STAY there, barring a few things: if you need to move because your cover is compromised, do that. Otherwise, stay put until you’re given the all clear, or someone you trust comes to get you.
Cardinal: There’s a time for fighting, and a time to stand your ground—and I know that you guys can put up with a lot—but while I’m sure your offense output is great, so is theirs. As far as I know, you fight close-range, not long-range—so you should avoid, since you don’t have a great way to counteract, instead. Does that make sense?
Scout: ...Rarf!
Scout: -Run away and hide from the stronger mean ones because we're not a special attacker, got it...-
Scout: ....
Scout: -Small whine of concern, but what about you?-
Cardinal: I’d be able to concentrate better in that situation if I knew you were safe.
[He smiles a little, and it grows into a grin.]
Cardinal: The rank and file grunts don’t stand a chance against yours truly. Heh heh.
Jazz: -Mechanical prrr-hrrr- |3
Scout: Rarf! -Happy tail wags, Okaaaay~-
Cardinal: Heh. -Pats Scout’s head- Good. Good boy. -Scritch scritch-
Scout: <3
Cardinal: Moving on, then…
Cardinal: So, rule three. -Holds up another finger- NO STEALING.
Scout: Rarrrrr!
Scout: -Runs around in a circle until--
[Scout's Pick Up!]
[...And now he was holding some old cardboard from who knows what...]
Scout: Rarf Rarf! -It's not our fault, that's our ability--
Cardinal: I mean it, Scout. If you get distracted pilfering items, then you’re liable to get left behind, or make things worse by alerting others to where we are, or something. Don’t. Take. Anything.
[He paused for a moment, his voice getting softer as he lowered his hand, eventually letting it rest on Scout’s head.]
Cardinal: …I’m not asking you to do this the whole time, even. Just until things are safe. …I’ll even…
[He hesitated.]
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: …I’ll even… give you something to carry, until then.
[…
There is deep sorrow in that tone.]
Scout: . . . ?
Scout: -Wha--why are you sad all of a sudden??-
Scout: -Whiiiine, no don't be saaad--here have some kisses on your hand--
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: (…I had been wondering how I’d get word and instruction to the others should things… go south. There’s no telling for sure if they saw my last notes.)
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: (…But…. I could… could give that note to Scout.)
Cardinal: … … …
Cardinal: (Just… just in case….)
Scout: Rarf!
Scout: -Bumps head into short friend's stomach-
Scout: -Short friend are you okay heeeeey--
[The melancholy prototype was snapped out of his thoughts. It took him a moment to remember, but then he closed his eyes and nodded.]
Cardinal: …I’ll give you something to carry. Okay? …Will you hold onto it for me, while we’re traveling?
Scout: Rarf!
Scout: -If that will make you not sad, then yes, we'll do it-
Cardinal: Heh… -More headpats for Scout- Thanks, buddy.
Cardinal: …Finally, rule four…
[He hesitated.]
Cardinal: …If there’s a really, really big explosion while we’re separated…
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: …If that happens, then…
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: _(…No. I can’t… can’t bring myself to say it.)_
Cardinal: … …
[He was tense for a moment, but then he thought of something and relaxed.]
Cardinal: If that happens, then the area is probably unstable and unsafe, so you should go find shelter elsewhere. Understand?
Scout: Rarf! -Okay, we'll run away from that too-
[…He was too used to these kinds of lies.
Though now was hardly the time to dwell on it.]
Cardinal: Good. -Flops down with a sigh- I’m tired. …I’m going to go to bed and rest for the night. Jazz has the watch. We’ll continue in the morning.
Cardinal: (We’ve still got a long road ahead of us…)
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=CHAPTER 7A: RUSH INTO THE MINE=
~AO v1.0~
((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))
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[SANDA LABS, MIDDAY...]
“Tracing....”
[ACCESSING DATA LOGS. PLEASE WAIT.]
[.....]
[ERROR--TRANSPONDER SIGNAL NOT FOUND. RETRIEVING LAST DATA TRANSMISSION...]
[.....PING!]
[LOCATION DATA FOUND.]
Call: Tracing...
[READING LOCATION DATA...]
[GENERATING COORDINATES....]
[CALL] //: -Mass Ping!-
[There was a response ping from most of the Rebel Angels—all other than Siamini, that is. (And Cardinal, of course.)]
<DLN-008>: > -Hazy data- ?
[MN.2] //: -Sleeeepy data, what's going on now--
[DR.WHITE] //: --! Call? What is it?
[CALL] //: I believe I have located Mighty No. 4's last known coordinates, Doctor.
<DLN-008>: > -PROCESSING…-
[There was a weak cross-reference with DLN-004 before all of the message came through the parser, and he got the “Mighty” part out of that sentence.]
<DWN-018>: >Where did he end up?
[DR.WHITE] //: !!
[PING!]
[MN.9] //: Yeah, where?
[MN.6] //: -Whoa that was fast, Beckroni--
[CALL] //: The coordinates from his last known transponder frequency puts him in the northern region of Wyoming.
<DWN-018>: >Admittedly not where I would have expected him to end up; I was thinking Kentucky…
<DWN-012>: >Oh, don’t be dumb. What’s the point of going into a cave that’s already all open up?
<DWN-018>: >Well, Dad would have sent him there…
<DWN-024>: >Would you two be quiet, please?
[MN.3] //: ...Zzzo Earth bro is in a mine? Aszz in...
[CALL] //: Underground, yes. That is the most likely scenario.
[CALL] //: This mine has been in production since last year, and its depth would explain why MN.4's transponder has stopped transmitting data.
[DR.WHITE] //: Of course--he must be too deep...
<MC005>: >This does not surprise me. I rather expected this, from the start.
[CALL] //: However.
[CALL] //: Because No. 4's signal cannot reach to the surface, this also presents the scenario that he is in technological isolation, and that the virus may have not reached him if he was successful in escaping in time--
[MN.9] //: Wait wait wait--
[MN.9] //: Are you saying that Mic--Mic might not even be infected?
[CALL] //: There is a 23% chance that he is not, No. 9. Please proceed with all due caution.
[MN.9] //: Well-- Yes--
<DLN-005>: >I thought you said you were all there in the Arena?
[MN.9] //: But--If Mic buried himself underground fast enough, then maybe--!
<DCN-003>: >Either way, time to find, we get ready, yes good.
[MN.9] //: Right!
[CALL] //: I can only bring you as far as the entrance of the mine, No. 9. I suggest that we send Sunny as well, as are not able to transport directly underground.
<DCN-003>: > {It is time to get ready. MNN-005, please prepare for surface duty. Lady Sanda, are we cleared to enter the private property? What is the status of surveillance in the area?}
[MN.5] //: Locked and loaded.
[CALL] //: The mine has been evacuated--but it's surveillance has been rendered offline, thus we cannot determine what lies within. I have already made the arrangements as we were speaking.
<DCN-003>: > {I mean surveillance above ground.}
[CALL] //: We have visual of the mine entrance. Please wait...
[A screen appears a moment later, showing a rather large entrance--it was definitely big enough for someone like Mic to walk into...]
<DCN-003>: > {Who else has access to those feeds?}
[CALL] //: The owner of the mine and certain authorized personal that were on-site.
<DCN-003>: >Hmm.
<DCN-003>: > {Legal discussions about the video will have to wait. Can the surveillance detect signals as well?}
[CALL] //: They can. It is part of their security measures.
<DCN-003>: > {This is problematic. Father, did you ever make transponders for us?}
<MC005>: > {I’m sorry, son. I didn’t have the time for that. Are there any spare bracers around?}
<DCN-003>: > Nyet.
<MC005>: > -Audible sigh- {Right then.}
<MC005>: > {Just get ready. I’ll work with Tobias to see what we can do before sending you over.}
<DCN-003>: > {Affirmative. Lady Sanda, is there a working surface station on the property?}
[CALL] //: Fortunately, there is.
[MN.9] //: Sweet!
<DCN-003>: > {Good, that saves time in setting up a field station. Do we have the necessary keys to access the system?}
[CALL] //: I will request them from the owner and have them ready for you when on-site.
<DCN-003>: > {Acknowledged. Please adjust the Auditory Input setting in the Accessibility preferences in the system to allow for verbal interfacing.} -No hands, no problem-
[CALL] //: Confirmed. No. 9?
[MN.9] //: I've been ready for a while! Let's do this!
<DCN-003>: > {I will join up with you on the site. Please do not enter until I have arrived.}
<DCN-003 has left the channel.>
[DR.WHITE] //: Just please be careful, all of you--who knows what else is down there besides Mic...
[CALL] //: Preparing Xel Transfer...
[MN.1] //: Good luck, Beck. Bat...watch him for us.
[MN.5] //: Yes, sir. I got him.
[MN.9] //: Thanks, bro.
[MN.9] //: I'll bring Mic back--one way or another!
[MN.9] // (And hopefully without a fight...)
[CALL] //: Initiating Xel Transfer....
____________________________________
[MISSION DETAILS: MIGHTY NO. 4, SEISMIC, HAS LOST CONTACT VIA DATA LOSS--THIS MINE LOCATED IN WYOMING WAS HIS LAST KNOWN LOCATION.]
[MISSION OBJECTIVES: INVESTIGATE THE MINE AND RETRIEVE MN.4--PURGE ALL HARMFUL MALWARE FROM SYSTEMS IF INFECTED.]
[SUB-OBJECTIVES: RESCUE ANY TRAPPED MINE WORKERS, MINIMIZE RMDC IMPACT.]
SYSTEMS READY?
GO!
[It seemed like a perfect, sunny midday once Beck touched down--an odd backdrop that he found rather unfit for the situation at hand...]
[It wasn't unwelcome, though. In fact, he took in a breath of fresh air before staring down the huge dark mouth of the mine entrance...]
Beck: (...I'm really glad Shade gave me Night Vision for my C-Visor...gonna need it here.)
[PING!]
White: Beck? Do you read?
Beck: Loud and clear, Professor!
White: Digger and Bat will touch down in a moment, so please wait until they arrive before you head in there.
Beck: Roger--
Beck: --!
[It took a while for someone else to arrive at the station.
And boy, was it a bit of an unexpected entrance.]
Beck: Digger?
Bat: .....So that's his full armor...
<DCN-003>: > {That is correct, my friends.}
[…He also… had a Xel signal?]
Beck: --?????
Beck: Uuuh--?
<DCN-003>: > {Tobias and Father worked to make a small transponder that would translate our signal into a Xel signal. FMN-009 made the finishing touches. I’m glad to see from your expression that it is working, but it is just a prototype.}
Beck: Wow...that's pretty neat for a prototype, though!
Bat: And handy. Saves the trouble just in case.
<DCN-003>: > {It would be best not to discuss it out loud.}
[He glanced around the station out of the corners of his eyes.]
<DCN-003>: > {We are being watched and recorded.}
Beck: --Oh--
Bat: Indeed.
Bat: Well, you're the one with the expertise in this field, soldier. What's our battle plan?
[Digger paced back and forth. He spoke sharply, full of focus—and void of humor. (Still, he did not speak with anger or accusation.) Oddly enough, he spoke perfect English—without an accent. It sounded very odd coming from him—as if he were using a different audio program.]
Digger: Gentlemen! Today, we go underground! This is a search and rescue mission. It is imperative to remain in contact.
[He turned to face Beck.]
Digger: MNN-009 will be entering the underground on his own to clear out any infected constructs. MNN-005 and I shall serve as the surface team. We will go down after Beck if the situation calls for it. In that case, DWN-013 and DWN-018 will serve as the secondary surface team. Should they need to go underground as well, DCN-000 and DCN-008 will be the tertiary surface team.
Digger: Mighty Nine, you will place the transponder lanterns at regular intervals on the right hand side of the paths you are traversing. They will help you to keep from getting lost, and will boost the communication signal that will allow for communication with the surface team and the lab as you go deeper underground.
Digger: Should we lose contact, please continue to place the transponders anyway. If contact is not re-established within ten minutes, the surface team will come after you.
Beck: Put lamps on the right side, even if contact's lost--I got it!
Bat: Acknowledged.
Beck: --Wait, hold up...Snow's part of the third surface team...?
Bat: Keep in mind that he was built for any terrain, Private. He's an explorer.
Beck: Ah...
<DCN-003>: > {David was built to withstand extreme conditions. He’s also impervious to being crushed, but more on that some other day.}
Beck: (Crushed...ngh, don't like the sound of that...)
Beck: (At least the fact that there's back-up for the back-up is reassuring...)
Digger: And now, it is time for you to learn the top two rules! Ready?
Beck: Yes, sir!
Digger: Rule one!
Digger: Never dig straight down!
Digger: Rule two!
Digger: Never dig straight UP!
Beck: --I'm...pretty sure I don't have anything--or form--I can dig with right now but--got it!
Bat: One more thing.
Bat: Use my form carefully down there, Beck. Don't get trigger happy with that, ya hear?
Beck: Yes, sir.
Bat: Course...If you need to get physical with Mic, just don't land one where you'll end up caving in the place.
Beck: Right, got it....
Digger: Good. The lanterns are in the backpack over there. -Points- You have also been provided with basic rock climbing gear in your size.
Digger: There will be additional resources available to aid in rescue of other persons in the mine if they are encountered.
Beck: ....Huh....
Beck: The lamps look...kinda...uh.
Beck: ...Squaaaaare...?
[After a moment, Beck shrugs and inspects the contents of the backpack before slugging it over his back.]
Beck: Thanks, Digger!
Digger: … [sub]It was his idea, not mine, but…[/sub] You’re welcome.
Digger: That’s it for now. Set off when you are ready to go.
[Beck nods and flicks his C-Visor down, giving a salute to both Digger and Bat as he turns towards the mine entrance.]
Bat: Good luck, Private. Get him back for us.
((AND HERE A PIC OF BECK LOOKING DETERMINED))
Beck: You got it, Bat! -thumbs up-
[Digger was quiet, keeping his own thoughts on the matter private. He seemed eager to enter the mine himself, but determined to keep order of the situation. He turned his attention to checking the station.]
[With a final quick look to the cloudless sky, Beck hopped down a steep ledge before breaking into a full sprint down into the darkness....]
[C.VISOR: LOW LIGHT LEVELS DETECTED. NIGHT VISION ACTIVATED.]
Beck: --Hm?
[There was a faint glow coming from the walls as he tread forward, the lights put by the workers flickering every now and then...]
Beck: Looks like the lights are still working...
[Pulling a transponder lamp from his backpack, Beck placed it firmly on the right wall like he was told--it gave off a much better light than the mine's fixated ones, thankfully...]
White: Beck?
Beck: I don't see anything strange so far, Dad--but the transponder lamps look like they're working!
Beck: I'm heading down deeper now...
[Climbing down some ledges, being careful to mind his step--the general direction was definitely not straight down, like Digger had warned him not to do--but it was down nonetheless.]
"Bzzz..."
Beck: --?
Beck: Did you say something, Dyna?
[MN.3] //: What? No...
<DCN-003>: > {Is something wrong?}
Beck: I heard buzzing...
"Bzzzzzz..."
Beck: --! There it was again!
[MN.3] //: That'szz not uszz--
"BZZZZZZ...."
<DCN-003>: > {DLN-008 is currently resting.}
<DCN-003>: > {Computer, relay audio clip at 150%, please.}
"BZZZZZZZZZZ......"
<DCN-003>: > …
<DCN-003>: > {OKAY THAT IS THE SOUND OF A MINING DRILL.}
Beck: Wha--someone's still drilling?
[MN.2] //: ...Do ya think it's Mic?
[MN.1] //: Could be. Although I would expect him to be quite a bit deeper...
Beck: Maybe...someone left one on?
White: Mmm...
Sanda: Oof...I'd be careful about those--the last thing we need is unmanned drills running amok!
<DCN-007>: > {I knew you should have gone with him. Your Power Capsule—}
<DCN-003>: > -Uncharacteristically harsh- {No comments from you. Go away!} D<
White: ...Well, whatever the case, proceed, Beck...with all due caution. Just be sure to mind yourself, and keep putting out those lamps.
Beck: Understood...
<DCN-003>: > {If you can, scan for signs of stability in your area, as active drilling may make the ground unstable.}
Beck: Good idea...
[SCANNING....]
Beck: ....Yeah, it seems this passage over here is stable. Heading that way...
[One more lamp stuck to the right wall...]
"BZZ! BZZ!"
Beck: ...?
Beck: Uh--is it just me or did those sound a LOT closer--
"BZZZZZZ!"
[SHINK!]
Beck: WHOA--!
[Landing RIGHT in front of his toes was a small drill bot that looked similar to a screw--with a drill on its head, of course. It was long and thin...]
[...and it had familiar red rimmed, white eyes.]
Beck: --Wait, that's--!
White: It's...a CherryDyn model...
<DCN-003>: > …
<DCN-003>: > …Well they ARE an industrial manufacturing company. ¬ ¬
<DCN-003>: > Why is this a surprise?
White: Exactly, there's never just ONE--!
Beck: ......
[Slowly...the Mighty Number looks up.]
[And he is met with a several dozen pairs of the same, identical eyes, boring down on him from the ceiling.]
Beck: . . .
Beck: O_O;;;
"BZZZZZZZZZZZ!"
[MN.6] //: BOOK IT BRO!
<DCN-003>: > -WAIT, BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR FOOTING—-
Beck: AAAAAAAAH--
[SHINK SHINK SHINK!]
[He dashes forward as the enemy robots drill downwards, falling through the ceiling and onto the ground like daggers, drilling back into the earth when they missed...]
[...Only to chase after him from there.]
[BLAM!]
[Beck's default weapon manages to make quick work of a few--they didn't have a lot of durability, it looks like--but their sheer numbers made up for what they lacked.]
Beck: Too many, too many--!
<DLN-005>: >You should try freezing them in place!
Beck: --!
[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE]
[A flash of ice coats the area, and the drill bots that had given chase--or leaped from the ground to stab--had all but been frozen in their tracks.]
Beck: Whew...
[He didn't waste the opportunity--he absorbed their Xels, taking their Speed Absorption Boosts.]
Beck: ....
Beck: Yeah...they're infected.
White: Are you alright?
Beck: Uh-huh....
Beck: ....
Beck: (But this doesn't spell good news for Mic...)
Beck: Looks like the virus IS in the mine...
Sanda: Gnh...
Beck: Call? Can you pick up anything now?
Call: I am detecting faint signals ahead.
<DWN-018>: > …? Plural?
Call: Yes. I am unable to clarify them, but judging that there are CherryDyn Industrial models on-site, there will be more malfunctioning units ahead.
Beck: --Aw, man--I REALLY don't wanna fight another Round Digger...
Beck: No offense to Buddy, but he WAS kinda tough.
<DCN-003>: > …
<DCN-003>: > … -…Data, we’re just- -Gonna work on analyzing seismic measurements from the transponders placed down gathering data, yeah-
Beck: Um...a-alright...
[Just as Call predicted, there were more CherryDyn models--Luckily for Beck, none of them were Round Diggers, but some flying cargo bots and more drill models--they did help fill his Xel Stocks, for the most part.]
Beck: -MAN, these things are annoying, stop trying to STAB ME FOR TWO SECONDS--
<DLN-005>: > Yay~
<DLN-005>: > If you’re annoyed, you’re not scared!
Beck: -Hey Snow--sorry, trying not to get poked with a hole here--
Beck: --!
Beck: Uh oh....
<DWN-013>: >Uh…?
[...It was a dead end...or so it seemed.]
Beck: Uh...Digger? This way is blocked...and I don't see a way around it...
Beck: Should I double back and look for another passage...?
<DCN-003>: > Hmm. {Place a transponder down.}
Beck: Okay...
[He puts on right on the wall in question, lighting it up.]
Beck: Looks kinda different from the other walls...
<DCN-003>: > -PROCESSING…-
-PING!-
<DCN-003>: > {You may remove the transponder.}
Beck: ....Oookaaaay....
[He's a bit confused, but he yanks it from the wall and puts it back in the bag.]
Beck: So...?
<DCN-003>: > {The passage is merely blocked. It is stable enough for you to clear the rubble with the use of force. Please see the attached file for structural analysis on the weak points to aim for.}
Beck: Uh....and by force, you mean...
[MN.2] //: -OOO HE'S GONNA BLOW IT UP? COOL, WHERE'S THE DYNAMITE-
Beck: Hmm....
Beck: (One doesn't seem to fit this job...I need a controlled charge...)
Beck: ...!
Beck: I got it!
[MN.2] //: -DOES IT INVOLVE DYNAMITE-
Beck: Uh, close enough?
<DWN-024>: >Please tell me you do not intend to punch the wall.
<DCN-003>: > -Beg pardon, wat-
Beck: Uh...no, I don't have Mic's form, otherwise I'd charge through it...
Beck: But I do have this!
[REXELECTION: BATTALION]
((pic))
<DLN-005 has left the channel.>
<DCN-003>: > -Ack, no—David, come back—- -SKULL—-
<DCN-008>: > {I’ll attend to him, carry on.}
Beck: --Whoops....sorry...
[MN.5] //: Private...
Beck: It's okay--! I'll scan for a weak point in the wall and fire one there--that way the whole thing will come down AND I'll save time and energy.
<DCN-003>: > {He’ll be fine, don’t worry. Just taken by surprise, is all. And da, that is the best course of action.}
<DCN-003>: > {The passage continues on the other side of the blockage.}
<DCN-003>: > {This appears to be the main pathway—exploration of branches is time consuming and increases the chances of getting lost, Major.}
<DCN-003>: > {Does that make sense?}
[MN.5] //: ..If it helps get our brother back sooner, then.
[MN.9] //: Hokay, then...
[Beck carefully trained his arm at one of the scanned weak points at the obstruction, pausing for a few moments before...]
[CHUNK!]
[A projectile similar to Bat's own missile embedded itself into the wall, blinking with a steady pace.]
Beck: Charge set. Gonna get some distance first...
[After backtracking to a safe distance, he vaulted over one of the steel crates that carried minerals mined by the workers--before the virus hit, that is.]
Beck: 3...2...1...
Beck: -FIRE IN THE HOLE--
[BOOM!]
[A great rumbling sound followed the explosion, dust and rubble flying everywhere--]
Beck: -ACKPFFPH, bleh--
[MN.5] //: Private?
[MN.9] //: -We're fine, we just got dirt in our mouth--
<DCN-003>: > Well done! ^^
[Clearly, he appreciated a good explosion.]
<DWN-013>: > -Ping of approval also-
<DCN-003>: > {Onward! Onwards to victory!}
[MN.9] //: Yessir!
[Climbing though the destroyed rubble and though the now open passageway, Beck pressed forward.]
Beck: I wonder if Mic felt that...
Beck: (I wonder if he knows I'm coming...)
Beck: How deep IS this place...?
Call: I cannot give an accurate reading of the entire mine.
Beck: (...Meaning it's probably REALLY deep...)
Beck: ?
[The mine suddenly took a sharp decline--so much so that there was a ladder in place.]
Beck: Huh.
[Hmmm.
Jaden seems a little antsy at that.]
<DWN-013>: > Careful with the ladders.
<DCN-003>: > Remember to place a transponder at the start and stop of each base of the ladder!
Beck: Got it.
[Putting one down as he was told, Beck began to climb down.]
Beck: I thought it was bad to dig straight dow--
[Bzzzzzzz...]
Beck: ....
Beck: WHOOOA--!
[KSSSSSSSST--]
[ERROR: SIGNAL NOT FOUND.]
[MN.5] //: Private Beck?!
[DR.WHITE] //: Beck! What happened?!
<DCN-003>: > {It sounds like he slipped off the ladder and landed on his rear.} ?__?
[DR.WHITE] //: Please, respond--Say something--!
[Static.]
[DR.WHITE] //: Beck!
_______________________________
[A FEW SECONDS EARLIER, THE MINE...]
Beck: I thought it was bad to dig straight dow--
[Bzzzzzzz...]
Beck: ... (Oh no--)
Beck: WHOOOA--!
[Beck scrambled up the ladder just in time to avoid a massive drill barrelling down the mine at unsafe speeds, crashing and crushing anything in its path. It was covered in an all too familiar purple glow.]
Beck: (The drills ARE infected--!)
[KSSSSSST--]
Beck: Ow--!
[DR.WHITE] //: Be--what happe--
[A horrid screeching feedback filled his audio receptors, and he could just barely make out his father's panicked voice.]
Beck: Dad?
[DR.WHITE] //: Please resp--say someth--
Beck: Dad? Professor? Do you read me?! Dad!
[KSSSSSSSST--....]
[Nothing. Static.]
Beck: Bat--? Digger!
[....]
Beck: Anyone! Hello?!
[.........]
Beck: . . .
Beck: (Not again...)
Beck: -Sigh-
Beck: Well...No turning back now.
Beck: I've gotta find Mic! ________________________________
[MEANWHILE, AT SANDA TECHNOLOGIES...]
[ERROR: SIGNAL NOT FOUND.]
White: I don't understand, I thought the transponders would keep us in contact...
[There’s a whir of data from Digger, which is largely in Russian.]
<DCN-008>: > It’s more complicated than that, Doctor.
[Mikhail turns to face Will. In contrast with his good friend, he seemed remarkably unbothered.]
Mikhail: Working underground is not a straightforward process. There is a lot of signal interference due to the density of the obstructions between the output and the receiver. Slight disturbances can cause temporary loss of contact. These can clear up pretty quickly if loose rubble is moved or thick dust settles, William.
Mikhail: You must remember—signals don’t have the same open space to move through as they do in the open air of the overworld. It works more like neurons firing, as they hop from transponder to transponder. One break in the pattern could cause difficulty. Now, that could be because of something light, or something serious.
Mikhail: However, having two teams down in the mine complicates things. If the interference is light, it can be cleaned up in under ten minutes—that’s why there’s that wait time in place. With the situation the way it is, you don’t want anyone else heading down there unless you have to. If ten minutes go by and there’s still nothing from him, then they will go down to see what is wrong.
Mikhail: I’ve lost contact with my son down in the mines more than once before. He’s always turned out fine. And while Beck isn’t made specifically for the mines, he is a resourceful young man—and if he needs help, DCN-003 will be more than capable (and I daresay eager) to supply it.
White: ....
White: Yes, yes, of course... -Breathes-
White: (There's the first, second and third surface teams...)
White: (He'll be alright...)
Mikhail: Call, some hot drinks, if you please.
Mikhail: -Sits down in a chair, crossing his legs and bridging his fingertips together- I understand your concern, William. But we know that he will be alright—either through his own power, or through the assistance of the surface teams. Normally, we might be able to do something through technological assistance, but—this time it is different, this is more of a physical location-restricted sort of thing. So the best thing is to remain calm—as, if he hears some panic when he resumes contact, it could cause him additional stress.
Mikhail: So have something warm and try to loosen up a bit. Perhaps you can use this time to look at the readings from the transponders and what sort of data they picked up from the drills and other obstacles Beck encountered.
Mikhail: -Things will be alright, trust me-
White: -....Looks nervously at the clock-
[Nine minutes...]
White: ...Alright...
Call: Your hot drinks, Doctors.
White: -Thank you-
[His terminal is brought up via a Xel Holoscreen...]
White: Let's take a look here...
[Mikhail does likewise, bringing up a map of the mine as extrapolated via the data from the transponders placed down so far.]
White: .....
[White frowned.]
White: ...Drat...
White: Judging from the data, there were traces of the virus just where we lost contact...
White: They seem to be more abundant the deeper the mine goes, so far...
White: (Which means...)
Mikhail: That’s curious.
Mikhail: That would mean that everything is moving down toward a central location.
Mikhail: Normally, you should find more abundance closer to the source of an outbreak, with fewer cases as you travel to more and more isolated areas. This is the opposite, which is quite unusual…
Mikhail: There must have been a set number of cases at the mine, with everyone starting to burrow down at different paces. ?_?
White: Strange...
White: Why would they do that?
White: (...If Mic WAS infected when he burrowed down, we should see what Mikhail mentioned...)
White: (Was the mine already infected in the first place--?)
<DCN-003>: >Mmm.
<DCN-003>: > … {When I was… changed…}
<DCN-003>: > {I had to do something I didn’t like, but I wasn’t going to make it easy. I could cause plenty of disruption underground, though it wouldn’t actually affect anyone unless they came too close.}
<DCN-003>: > {There IS another reason.}
<DCN-003>: > {Mines are not completely isolated places, Doctor. News and data from the outside world does come there.}
<DCN-003>: > {If word reached them about not only Beck, but possibly Battalion as well—apologies, Major, but—if they somehow heard that either the government and/or Master Beck were coming after them…}
<DCN-003>: > {They could very well be running away because they are afraid.}
<DCN-003>: > {Possibly…}
<DCN-003>: > {Heading down toward somewhere, something, someone they felt could protect them?}
White: !
White: Seismic...
White: Of course--he's the main defensive wall for the team, it's only logical that one would want to hide behind him...
White: (But that only means Beck will engage even more opposition as he heads further down...)
<FMN-005>: > Of course they would, even Shade hinds behind Seismic… - -
<FMN-003>: > That’szzz becauszze he’szz the only one big enough to hide her~
<FMN-002>: > -YUP, SIS BE A TOL, GLITCHES-
<FMN-002>: > Yo. Noooooodle Daaaaad mirrorrrr -Flails-
<FMN-002>: >Becky will be FINE, I mean, he took all of us on, right? 88>
[MN.1] //: Two is right. He's come this far mostly on his own power.
[MN.6] //: -YEAH BECKO CAN TOTALLY TAKE ON WHATEVER'S THROWN AT HIM-
White: ...You have a point...
[Tick. Tock.]
Mikhail: Son. Your status?
<DCN-003>: > -Cheerfully- Preparations are being made! Syncing up with Major right now to find him easily if separated.
Mikhail: Good.
[MN.5] //: Commencing decent in T-Minus 3 minutes, sir.
White: Excellent...
[MN.5] //: Anything from Beck?
[MN.6] //: Not a peep, bro.
[MN.1] //: -What is going on down there...-
<DCN-003>: > …
<DCN-003>: > -Mildly AMUSED, somewhat condescending data-
<DCN-003>: > Have you ever worked underground, sir?
[MN.1] //: I--
[MN.2] //: EARTH BRO TOOK US TO A TOUR OF HIS MINE ONCE--before Becky and Shade were made, tho--
[MN.2] //: -IT WAS COOL AND NOISY AND I GOT A SILVER ROCK THING-
<DCN-003>: > The veins and arteries of the earth are as foreign and rugged as the heart of the ocean. I’m sure Lady Icesphere knows what I’m talking about, da?
[MN.2] //: -PING PING PING- Dude underwater caverns and junk are the COOLEST. WE KNOW MORE ABOUT SPACE THAN WHAT'S IN OUR OCEANS, BRO, IT'S TOTALLY SICK--
[MN.1] //: -Ow, our ears--
[…]
[…And then suddenly…]
[Sorrow….]
<DCN-003>: > -Sadly- {You would have liked him…}
[MN.2] //: --? -Wait, why did the mood nosedive all of a sudden--
[MN.1] //: ....
[MN.1] //: Diveman?
<DCN-003>: > -WHIRR WHIIRR- -Yes, that is how we know of the ocean, weh-
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: -Quietly- {It’s alright, son.}
Mikhail: {We just need to wait a little longer.}
Mikhail: {As soon as this situation is all over, we can finish repairs on Anubis… and then start rebuilding Jacques.}
Mikhail: ({I fear I may be doing other repairs before this is over, though…})
-PING!-
<RMDC>: > ALERT: TIMER FUNCTION HAS REACHED 00:00:00.
[MN.5] //: Alright, let's move o--Hey!
[Digger has already burrowed into the earth, “fist”-first.
WOW, does he work fast!]
BZZZZZZZZZ!
[MN.5] //:
-Whatever happened to leaving no soldier--comrade--behind--WAIT--
<DWN-018>: > -sNORTS-
<DWN-018>: >Why is he making his own path? Isn’t that dangerous?
Mikhail: -Hides his smile behind a hand- Well, no, not when the mine has already been geologically mapped for stability.
Mikhail: He’s taking the most direct path through the place to bypass infected areas and make it a smooth decline for his travel companion. If Seismic IS down there, besides—it may be a bit difficult for him to travel or be carried through the path that Beck had taken.
Mikhail: Apologies, Major!
Mikhail: He gets very enthusiastic about his work!
<DCN-003>: > -SINGING THE DWARVEN DIGGING SONG FROM DISNEY- -IN RUSSIAN-
Mikhail: He’s also trying to forge ahead for you! Just follow after him, he won’t go too far…
[MN.5] //: Roger that...
[DR.WHITE] //: Do be careful down there, son...
[They descended in an even pace, and eventually drew closer and closer to the area where Beck's signal was lost.]
[MN.5] //: Battalion reporting in. So far so good.
[There was the steady sound of Digger’s drills in the background. An almost soothing white noise.]
[—…which abruptly came to a halt…]
[MN.5] //: Haven't been able to get a hold of Beck, but we're around where we last heard--
[.........]
[MN.5] //: ...Wait a tic...
<DCN-003>: > {Stand back.}
[MN.5] //: -Sound of Bat's giant footsteps backtracking-
[DIGGER used DRILL BOMB!]
[There is a faint buzzing drill noise as something burrows deep into the earth…
Followed by a muffled shaking and a screeching noise that sounded a bit like a “-SPLAT!-” and an explosion mixed together, and then some angry muffled buzzing that sounded like a swarm of bees.]
<DCN-003>: > .-.
[MN.5] //: ???
<DCN-003>: > -THAT IS THE SOUND OF A LOT OF DRILLS COMING.-
[MN.5] //: !!!
[....Wait...]
[...There was another noise, if one listened hard enough...]
[It sounded like...]
[...Screaming?]
"aaaaAAAAAH--"
[MN.5] //: -WE KNOW THAT ALMOST GIRLISH SCREAM ANYWHERE-
[Digger fires ahead a bunch of Drill Bombs, and then practically swan-dives into the ground, all of his drills going at once to clear a path.
Everything that was coming up at them was taken out, the infected Xel burnt by the incendiary components of the explosion.
It abruptly opened up into the ceiling of another path, and Digger dropped down and moved out of the way.]
Digger: BECK!
[The path opened up to a complex system of tunnels, all filled with infected drills aimlessly drilling new paths and even running into each other.]
[Bat crashed downwards without another thought, aiming his missile silos at an oncoming drill.]
Bat: FIRE!
[BOOM!]
[The drill immediately shuts down from the damage, and the glow surrounding it fades off.]
"BAT?!"
[A voice cries out and echos through the tunnels, but it was hard to make out which direction it came from.]
"DIGGER?! IS THAT YOU?!"
Bat: PRIVATE!
"GUYS, BE CAREFUL, THESE DRILLS ARE INFECTED--AND OUT OF CONTROL!"
"WHERE ARE YOU--"
Digger: TCHAH! -Agitated Russian of mild annoyance-
Digger: {We have dealt with out of control mines before, BAD, BAD DRILLS TO DISOBEY—}
[He fires off more Drill Bombs in the direction of the largest cluster of wild drillbots.]
<DCN-003>: > -Ping- {Beck, it may take some time to catch up to you!}
<DCN-003>: > {You must continue your mission carefully.}
<DCN-003>: > {Once we determine your route, we will ensure no one closes in from behind.}
[MN.5] //: Keep pushing forward, Private Beck! We'll catch up soon enough!
[PING!]
[MN.9] //: Got it!
[MN.9] //: Just look for the transponders! I kept putting them down so just follow them, okay?
<DCN-003>: > -Approval data- Da! {Good work, soul-cousin!} ^^
<DCN-003>: > {We shall find you—but first, an update—}
[He sent a burst of data that was a compressed zip file of the analysis that Will and Mikhail had been doing on the situation.
…Including the theory as to why they were encountering so many drills the further down they go…]
[MN.9] //: ....
[MN.9] //: Mic....
[MN.9] //: (I...I hoped you weren't affected by all this, but...)
[MN.9] //: (I guess that was a little too much to ask for.)
[MN.9] //: I'll be prepared for more enemies ahead.
<DCN-003>: > {Good man! Speak with you again soon.}
[At that point, there was only the data—faint as it was—traveling from transponder to transponder between them.
Oh well. At least it was like feeling someone was there at your back, which had to be more encouraging than the creepy loneliness from before.]
<DCN-003 to DR.WILL, MC005, MNN-ALL, RMDC-ALL>: > -Ping- Contact has been reestablished for now. 009 is continuing on due to the time constraints.
[DR.WHITE] //: -Oh thank God--
[MN.2] //: -SEE, WE TOLD YAAAAA-
<MC005>: > … Son… these transponder data from your location…
<DCN-003>: > Da, I’m afraid it is very windy and labyrinthian. There are many stray drills on the loose.
<DCN-003>: > I shall take some time to find a way through carefully that will ensure that we and they will not cause a cave-in.
<DCN-003>: >Beck is still on his own for now.
[MEANWHILE, DEEPER WITHIN THE MINE...]
Beck: BURNING--
Beck: SPIRIT!
[Another explosion rocked the mine's walls as another drill broke down to Beck's variation of his oldest brother's signature move. He took a moment to cleanse the drill as best he could afterward.]
[One infected brother at a time was enough to deal with--he didn't need the ones coming behind him to fall into illness, or worse.]
Beck: Hooo...
Beck: (Tired...)
Beck: (Sunny would REALLY be a big help right about now--)
[RRRRRR--!]
Beck: Waaah!
[Nine couldn't stand up straight as the ground--No, the whole mine started to shake to and fro, inciting a surge of panic and fear--]
[...But just as it came, it suddenly cut short.]
Beck: What the...
<DCN-003>: > -Muffled ping of inquiry-
[It appeared that the activity had shaken off some of the transponders…
…oh dear.]
[MN.9] //: Digger! Bat!
Beck: (Nnngh...)
[RRRRRR--!]
[Oh, gosh, another earthquake--!]
Beck: !
[BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!]
Beck: O.O;;;;;;
[...That...]
((Pic))
[...Was a BIG drill--]
Beck: ....
[REXELECTION: BRANDISH]
Beck: AAAAAAAAAAAAH--
[SMACK.]
Beck: --Ow--
Beck: --!
[Great. He's in the mineral deposit area. The passage was FILLED with crates of packed earth, and Brandish's form was simply too quick to navigate in such a narrow space.]
Beck: Aaargh!
[REXELECTION: BATTALION]
[KERCHUNK!]
Beck: Out of my WAY--!
[BOOM!]
[As Digger and Bat closed in on Beck, they would find a trail of utter destruction left behind in the from of broken drills and rubble.]
[BOOM!]
Bat: I told him not to get trigger happy with that--
[BOOM!]
Bat: ... -Although we do appreciate his enthusiasm-
Digger: …
Digger: I don’t think that’s it.
Digger: He knows how nervous my cousins are about the use of explosives…
Digger: AND you told him not to go overboard.
Digger: So I don’t think he’d be doing that unless…
Digger: Unless he has to…!
[PING!]
[MN.9] //: -STATIC, BUT THERE IS SCREECHING-
Bat: BECK!
Digger: !!! -TIME TO SCRAM—-
BZZZZZZZZZ!!!
[Bat wastes no time blasting through the rubble in order to get to his brother, who was in a bit of a...Well.]
[A rock and a hard place, to put it simply.]
[Beck outran the giant drill as fast as he could, but he soon came up to a dead end.]
Beck: No no no--!
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!!!
bzzzrrrrr…
Beck: !!!
rrrr…
BZZZZZZZZZ—
RRRRWHRRRRRRRR—
[There is a flurry of pings that sounds like someone spamming the “send” button.]
Beck: -PING PING PING--
[B O O M--!]
[A series of chain explosions following—]
WHIRRRRRRRRRRRRR—
[C R A C K!]
[One side of the passage wall breaks down, and dust and smoke burst forth!]
"READY--"
[But in the smog, a distinct barrel shape--]
"AIM--"
BZZZZZZZT--
[Beck is knocked down and brought into the ground by a sudden tackle.]
Beck: --!!?
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"
[KER-BOOM!!!]
[There was the sound of metal screeching to a slow crawl, fire, chaos--]
[KER-BLAM!]
[--Followed by another explosion.]
[Beck stops being carried downward.]
Beck: !
[In the pause, some glowing eyes blink.]
[…]
-Ping-
<DCN-003>: > HELLO, BECK, you are okay yes good ^^
Beck: DIGGERRRR--!
[PING!]
[MN.5] //: HOORAH!
[MN.5] //: Take THAT, you pathetic pile of scrap! I've met toasters who were tougher than that!
<DCN-003>: >Up we go~
[Beck is hoisted up through the darkness as Digger makes a path upward with his head and right carrying Beck in the crook of his left.]
Beck: -Man, am I glad to see you guys...-
[They come back into the tunnel, a few feet from where Beck had been.]
Digger: -Is now up in the open, puts Beck down- Hi. : D
Beck: BAAAT--
Bat: Private--
Beck: BAT--
[CLANK--]
[Beck runs into his brother with outstretched arms, affectionately hugging his leg.]
Beck: -Broooooo- < 3
Bat: Heh.
Bat: Good to see ya still standin', brother.
Digger: Of course yes is YES GOOD very nice, yee. -Ping ping-
[He places his feet in a firm stance.]
Digger: Beck! Do you need some healing?
[He shakes open his arm, opening a port and drops out a few cans of some sort.]
[…They weren’t QUITE E-tanks…]
[One was some Xel stock, it appeared, and the other…?]
Beck: -AW YES-
Beck: -Grabs the Xel Cubes--
[XEL STOCKS REPLENISHED.]
Beck: ...?
Beck: What's this other one...?
Digger: That is what twin cousin found! ^^
Digger: Proven well work all organics and constructs also, yes good.
Digger: If you’re all better, spray it on your brother, da?
Beck: Ooooh...
Bat: Could use a top off. Gimmie that.
[Beck does so, spraying it in Bat's direction. He curiously started scanning it himself...]
[It seemed to be rather strange. A sort of liquid energy. Upon contact, it transformed into hardware replacement for the slightly singed soldier.]
Bat: Well, I'll be darned...
Beck: Coooool....
Digger: c:
Beck: Really gotta thank Siam for this stuff...
Bat: Private.
Beck: ?
Bat: I've cleared the way for you.
Bat: Haven't seen or heard from Mic?
Beck: No...
Beck: But we ARE pretty deep...
[Digger hums thoughtfully.]
Digger: Others, they told you to stay away, da?
Digger: If he knows, he may want to be left alone, or otherwise keep you at distance.
Beck: Yeah, but...
Beck: He'd at least say something, or, ya know, try to keep me away like you said...
Beck: I haven't even felt his signal, or... anything, really.
Beck: It's...weird... (And unnerving...)
Digger: Tsk.
Digger: When someone likes us wants to be left alone, we try to avoid being traced…
Beck: Hmm...
Beck: Do you think maybe something hap--
[RRRRRRRRRRR--]
Beck: -oH BOY HERE WE GO AGAIN--
[Amusingly enough…]
[Despite it jostling the others QUITE a bit…]
Beck: -AAAAAH, MY LEGS FEEL LIKE JELLO--
Bat: -Gnrh--
[…Digger kept a firm footing, and was not at all moved.]
Digger: {That registered pretty high.}
Beck: @~@
Digger: -Uuuup we pull the soul-cousin, by the crook of our arm-
Beck: Ugh...
Beck: That was so not a drill...
Digger: Nope! Drills make THIS noise.
Digger: -Drill twirl-
Bat: Sounded like it came from deeper in.
Beck: ....
Beck: It's gotta be him...
Beck: (I got this gut feeling it is...Don't know why...)
Digger: Hmm!
Digger: You get ever closer! -Chipper and cheerful- We have to clear a way back up and out.
Beck: Yeah.
Beck: ...
Beck: Actually, I think the thing that Bat blew up WAS the door...
Digger: Door?
Beck: Ya know, the--ya know what, never mind.
Beck: I'm heading in. You guys work on the exit tunnel for me and Mic, okay?
Digger: Da. Hup hup!
Bat: Sounds like a plan.
Bat: ... Don't give up, soldier.
Bat: Bring our brother back to home soil.
Digger: Oh, he shall!
Digger: Come, we must go. Not safe for us further down, much earth and hard hitting brothers!
Digger: BUT.
Digger: The smaller, they are quick and nimble and move better, da? ;D Like David~
Beck: Eheh...
Bat: Hmm. Too right, comrade.
Bat: Go get'em, Private Beck.
Beck: Yessir!
Digger: We go~
Digger: -Already starting to drill, WHEEEEEE-
Beck: ...Wow, he works fast.
Bat: You don't know the half of it...
[After salutes were exchanged, Bat--more or less tried to keep up with the happy-go-lucky drill bot. He wasn't exactly built for speed, himself.]
Beck: Heh...
Beck: (I'm glad they're here now...)
Beck: ....
Beck: -Intake of air-
Beck: Here we go...
[The passage went on for another while, the lights a soft red and blinking every so often--they seemed to be emergency lights, in fact.]
Beck: (...It's...)
Beck: (So...quiet....)
Beck: -Ngh, don't like it all quiet...-
[Not even crickets could chirp, deep down here in the earth…]
Beck: !!
[Then...]
[The passage suddenly opened up.]
[A lot.]
Beck: !
Beck: Whooooa...
[His voice echoed into the massive cavern, reverbing into the clearly natural cave--something this massive couldn't be made by human hands--although the lights put up on the walls suggested it was found, rather than made.]
Beck: (Huge...)
[...It didn't help that the atmosphere only made him feel smaller than usual...]
Beck: (...I kinda don't WANNA talk in here...)
Beck: (...It's kinda like--I dunno, something is telling me to be quiet...)
[WRRRRRRRRRRRR...]
Beck: !!?
Beck: Aw, come on--!
Beck: Getting really tired of all the giant drills--
[Sure enough, another drill was heading towards the younger Xelbot--although he wasn't too concerned, as there was plenty of room to avoid it--]
[RRRRRRRRRRR--!]
Beck: --!!!
[Two seconds later, the whole ground shook and Beck was launched at least 6 feet into the air!]
Beck: -WAAAH, WHAT IS--
[SMACK--]
Beck: -Muffled pained groans-
Beck: Guh...
Beck: M...Mic...?
[As his vision focused back, there was a loud crashing sound--]
Beck: !
[--Just in time to see the huge mass of Xel that was his brother wreck the same drill with one swift shovel punch. ]
Mic: GRRGH!
Beck: MIC! And still operational--!
Beck: -Oh man I am so glad to see you YOU'RE OKAY--
Beck: I mean, of course you are, like Dad said--
Mic: -STOMP-
[C R A C K!]
Beck: --!!!
[Oh dear.]
Beck: M...Mic?
[This didn’t look good.]
Mic: GRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!
[Mic slammed his huge shovel claws into the ground, making Beck scramble backwards in fear of being caught up in whatever attack--]
[WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM--]
Beck: AAAH--!
[--which happened to be giant pillars crashing down from the ceiling, quickly boxing them in.]
Beck: Mic--!
Mic: . . . .
[WHANG.]
[Mic didn't say a word. Merely crashed his shovel hands together.]
[...As if he were a bull hoofing the ground before charging. ]
Beck: Ohhh...You too?
Beck: (I really hoped you weren't...)
[He sighed.]
Beck: ....
Beck: Then I'm sorry, Mic...
[SCANNING...]
Beck: But I got to take you down--!
[SCAN COMPLETE]
[MODEL NUMBER: MIGHTY NO. 4. CODENAME: SEISMIC.]
[HEIGHT: 280cm WEIGHT: 690kg XEL COUNT: 138,000,000]
((Boss pic))
[Seismic, the walking earthquake. Many have seen this usual gentle giant crush many opponents in the arena, but only when it was absolutely needed. ]
[The truth is, Mic was built to be a defensive wall for his other sibling teammates while they either set up, took cover, reloaded or just couldn't take any more damage.]
[And while Mic's defense was impressive enough, it was his inborn Power and control over Earth that made him a force not to be reckoned with...]
Mic: .....
[He could also be quick about it when he had to.]
[In an instant, Mic's feet transformed into tank tracks, and he charged so fast, it was almost as if there was a shell of energy around him--!]
Beck: --!!!
[Beck shot at him in order to get him to stop--]
[But they just bounced harmlessly off.]
Beck: Wha--!
[BAM!]
[Stars and static swam across Beck's vision as he was violently smashed across the room, hitting himself hard on one of the pillars that littered the place.]
Beck: -Disorientated Data--
Beck: Guuh...
[...Strangely, a second attack did not come.]
[It was only when Beck managed to regain some sense that Mic charged again.]
Beck: --?!
[THIS time, Beck jumped and dashed over to avoid it, tucking himself in to shoot at his brother overhead.]
[It seems like the shield did not reach Mic's backside--!]
Mic: -Ggrh--
Beck: (Sorry, Mic!)
[REXELECTION: BATTALION.]
[Beck planted a missile on the ground once he landed--]
[WRRRR--]
Beck: !!
Beck: ARUGH--!
[A sharp, splitting pain sliced through his side, narrowly avoiding the drill that shot forward from Mic via a strong Xel cable.]
[WARNING: XEL LOSS IMMINENT.]
Beck: --!
[The ground was stained with a glowing blue.]
Beck: (He got through my armor--?!)
Mic: GRRRRRRGH!
Beck: -GNH--
Beck: FIRE!
[BOOM!]
[The placed missile picked up on the command, and detonated, knocking both Mighties away from each other.]
Beck: -Ngh...-
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]
[It was difficult to see where Mic landed, but judging from the collapsed pillars, he at least hit back hard himself.]
[ XEL ABSORBED. XEL COUNT NORMALIZED. ]
Beck: Stop it, Mic! Please! I don't want to fight you!
[.......]
Beck: Mic--?
[Why wasn't he--]
[C R A C K.]
Beck: !
[The whole floor gave away.]
Beck: WAH--
[REXELECTION: AVIATOR]
[As the floor collapsed to a lower level, Beck heard a loud buzz just below where he was hovering--]
[WHAP!]
Beck: --!
[It was another drill shot, but at a angle--in which instead the cable wrapped around Beck's leg instead of impaling anything--]
Beck: Hey--!
[YANK!]
[WHAM!]
[Beck was brought back down to the earth, slammed into the ground without mercy. He was hit so hard that he reverted back to his default form.]
Beck: -Nngh...-
Beck: -Can't...-
Beck: (If he keeps hitting me like this...)
[Mic rose from the ground glaring at Beck with darkened eyes, still not saying a word.]
((Pic))
Beck: (I'm not sure how long I can hold out...)
Beck: (Gotta...Gotta think of something..)
Beck: (I can't get through Mic's defense, so I gotta outsmart him somehow...)
[REXELECTION: BATTALION]
Beck: (Gotta hit back where it hurts...)
[His skewed gaze sweeps across the room, until finally settling down on the fallen pillers...]
Beck: --?
Beck: (Wait--that's it!)
Beck: (I just gotta hit him with something bigger--)
Mic: RRRRRRRRRRR--!
Beck: MIIIIC!
Beck: Just hang on a little more--
Beck: I'll get you thinking straight, and back to the Professor, and everyone else!
Beck: I PROMISE!
Mic: -CHARGE--
[Beck leaves another missile in the ground before dodging, and then detonating it, making sure Mic got caught up in the blast--he had to at least chip away at his stamina before he could get this plan to work...]
[REXELECTION: AVIATOR]
Beck: Heeeeey!
Mic: --!
Beck: Up here! You can't touch me up here!
Beck: c:
[As expected, a drill shot attempts to hook onto him to drag him downwards--]
[He nimbly avoids it, and the other that soon followed it--he had two, of course.]
Beck: Nope! Try again!
Mic: RRRRGH!
[It goes on like this for a while, with Beck just avoiding the drill shots and taunting Mic to come after him...]
Beck: Over heeeere--!
Mic: RRRRRGH--
[SHUNK!]
[For some reason, the drill does not retract--?]
Beck: (Yes!)
Beck: You still got the other one, though! C:
Mic: -R O A R--
[SHUNK--]
Mic: --???!?
[Mic furiously kicked it in reverse once he saw that his drills were stuck into something metal, following Beck as he flew in behind him just out of his reach.]
Beck: Oops.
Beck: Are you stuck?
Beck: Sorry about that.
Beck: I kinda figured that I needed to get you to stop hitting me so hard?
Beck: It really hurt.
Mic: RRRRRRRGH!!!
Beck: By the way, uh.
Beck: You might wanna look at what you're pulling.
[He points up.]
Mic: ....!
[Creeeeeeeeeeek--]
Beck: SORRY, MIC--
Beck: See ya next fall--
[Beck speeds through the air out of the looming shadow of the giant pillar Mic had lodged himself and pulled out of alignment, tipping over just enough to--]
[C R A S H!!!]
[The resulting collision was enough to rock the whole mine, and even register as seismic activity on certain monitors.]
Beck: -COUGH, ACK, DIRT IN MOUTH AGAIN-
[As he lands, he uses his propellor arm to blow away the dust clouding his vision.]
Beck: Okay I may have over done that--
Beck: MIIIC?
Beck: Brooo?
Beck: Um...Mic?
Beck: Sorry about kinda crushing you?
Beck: Miiic--
[CRASH--]
Mic: RRRRAAAAAAARGH!
[An arm suddenly SHOOTS up from the earth, and Beck is pulled downward with a SCREAM.]
Beck: -SHRIEK--
Beck: -ZOMBIE--
[BLAM BLAM BLAM--]
[The arm retracts, only to reappear again to grab Beck's other leg--]
Beck:
-NO, STOP IT, HORROR MOVIE FLASH BACKS-- [REXELECTION: BATTALION.]
Mic: -REACH, MUST BRING HIM DOWN--
Beck: I SAID STOP IT!
[B O O M!]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[There was a deep, deep rumble, and once Mic resurfaced, it was clear he took on quite a lot of damage.]
Mic: Rrrrgh....
[And running out of steam, to boot.]
Beck: (Almost--)
[KERCHUNK.]
Beck: One more should do the trick...
Mic: Rrrrgh...
[He was clearly in pain...]
Beck: .....
Beck: -Shuts his eyes---
Beck: Sorry, big brother...
Beck: Time to come topside.
[REXELECTION: DEFAULT.]
[BLAM!]
Mic: Rrrrgh--!
[WHUMP.]
[XEL ABSORBED]
[XEL QUOTA REACHED. XEL PURGE IS PRIMED AND READY FOR OVERDRIVE.]
Beck: So SNAP OUT OF IT--NOW!
[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]
[..........]
"Wow..."
"I-I can really have this?"
"Hmm hmm. Mic got special rock for you."
"It Quartz. ^w^"
"Wow...You always bring home so many neat rocks, Mic!"
"...But um...I got a question..."
"I know you got a rock collection and all, but--Dad says that some of the stuff from your mine is, like...Really expensive?"
"Why don't you sell them?"
"Mic do. Not all, though." "More important things than money. Mic like these rocks." "Why?" "They special TO Mic."
"They have special memories. ^W^"
"And Mic got special rock for special brother."
Mic: ....Rgh...?
"Aw, Mic...You really think I'm special?"
Beck: !!
"Hmm hmm!"
"Beck more special than any shiny rock on Earth!"
Mic: ...?
Mic: Beck...?
Beck: BIG BROTHER--
Mic: Ow...
Mic: Why... Why Beck HERE...?
Mic: ....Why Mic here--
Mic: -Why do we feel hurt all over??? Ow--
Beck: MIIIIIIC!
[CLANK--]
[Instead of answering his brother's confused questions, he simply glomped into his fallen form, looking even smaller next to his giant sibling.]
Beck: -MIIIIIIIIIC--
Mic: ?????????
Mic: -...Wait, we are underground, WAS THERE A CAVE IN--
Mic: Is--Is Beck okay?
Beck: -Sniff-
Beck: Y-Yeah.
Beck: I'm okay...
Mic: -Nnngh--
Mic: M...Mic can't move--
Mic: -What happened, why can't we remember the last week--
Mic: Beck--shouldn't be here, it dangerous--
rrrrr…
Beck: !!
Mic: ? -Drill?-
RRRRRR…
RRRRRRRR…
“aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAA AAAAAAA—”
[WHANG!]
Mic: OW--
Digger: @.@
Mic: .....??????
Mic: D--Digger?
Mic: Why Drill Brother here--
Mic: -What is going ooooooon-
Digger: …
Digger: -Perks up- HELLO YOU BETTER?! YES GOOD—
Beck: YEAH I DID IT--
Digger: -Civ form now, patpat as sprawlhug-
Mic: -Oh, okay, hugs now, apparently-
Mic: -No objections here-
Digger: MAAAAJOR YOUR BROTHER BETTER NOW YES GOOD
Bat: -From farther up the tunnel- HOORAH!
Bat: MIC! YA HEAR ME?
Mic: -PING!-
Mic: -Baaaaaaat-
Bat: NICELY DONE, PRIVATE!
Beck: ^.^
Bat: DON'T WORRY, SOLDIER, WE'RE ON OUR WAY TO RETRIEVE YOU!
Mic: -Again, confusion, but we're going to assume there was a cave in so, okay-
<DWN-018>: > Nice of you to make such a nice path to get through.
<DWN-018>: >We should be down in a few minutes. I’ll carry you out.
Mic: -PING, okaaay-
<DWN-018>: >You’ll have some proper rest. And plenty of companionship.
Beck: Yeah...
Beck: -Hooof, we're also gonna rest on top of Mic bro- -Is very sore-
Digger: HOKAY THEN, yes good—
Digger: OH! Any news of Felix? Is he better?
<DWN-018>: > …
<DWN-018>: > One thing at a time, cousin. =__=
<DWN-018>: >We’ll get you both back, and worry about the other rescues later.
Mic: --?????
<DWN-018>: >So everyone hang tight.
Beck: Got it!
Beck: Try to relax for now, okay, bro?
Mic: -Deep rumbles of thought-
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=CHAPTER 7B: RUSH INTO THE MINE=
~AO v1.0~
((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))
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{SOON, AT SANDA LABS…}
[Nico lets the magnetic field shift and he sets Mic down with a slight THUD.]
Cryo: EARTH BROOOOOOOOOOO
[There is a collective of both Xelbots and RAs that gather around Mic, including the humans present.]
White: Oh thank the Lord you are safe--son--
Mic: -Noodle Daaad- -w-
Snow: <'3
Snow: Mister Mic! You’re okay again~
Snow: I made you Rocky Road!
[RRRRRR.]
[...Was that another earthquake--]
Mic: OwO
[....Oh, no. That was Mic's stomach.]
Mic: -Suddenly aware of hunger, mmmmm-
Beck: --Oh--
Beck: (Right, he's probably been down there all this time...)
Snow: It’s okay! Pyro made lots of food.
Brand: Both of him, I would think so.
Snow: For you and Shadesis when she hears you’re better! We think it will help her get better too! : D
Mic: .....
Mic: —????
Mic: -Wait, what happened to Snipesis—-
Skull: She ran into a wall. Very hard.
Mic: !!!!
Mic: O~O
Mic: -ATTEMPTS TO MOOOOOVE-
[WHUMP]
Mic: -Awwww--
Mikhail: No, Mic. Even if you could move, your mobility rig is disabled for right now. You need rest. Proper rest.
[Odd. HE’S sure strangely grim for the celebration.]
Mikhail: One extra mobile party is more than enough for now. : | Rest. I’m sure Felix will be here soon… Piers just contacted and said he was stirring.
Mic: !!
Beck: Felix is waking up?!
Beck: -YAAAAAY-
Mikhail: Yes… and I think I know why. But more on that later…
White: Yes. We'll talk properly once things have settled down.
White: Nico, please get Mic to the Repair Bay. Call, transfer the assimilation data to me, please.
Call: Right away, Professor.
Nico: Yes sir.
White: Soi, can you please tend to those that need repairs?
Sanda: Already on it, Will.
White: Beck? You need rest too.
Beck: Yeah, I know...
Mikhail: …I’m going to make some coffee. And then I need to get back to Siam. There’s some very important work I need to be doing, apologies…. Shadow, make sure you isolate yourself.
Shadow: … Acknowledged, Doctor.
[Shadow was giving off a dark reading of dread.]
Brand: ......
<DWN-024 to MNN-007>: > …
<DWN-024 to MNN-007>: > . . .
<DWN-024 to MNN-007>: > . . . . . . . . .
[No words needed to be said….]
——————————————————
[While Mikhail went to rejoin Siam and Gemini in pursuit of the “final piece of the puzzle,” the rest of the Rebel Angels (sans Snow and Shadow) held a meeting.
There wasn’t so much anything said as there was data exchanged.]
((Pic here of Shaaaaaade))
[They all still quite clearly remembered the nightmares that had plagued them for what felt like months now, even if it had only been days within time.]
———————
“Nowhere left to run, anymore.”
[Panic. Sheer panic. Terror. Trapped.]
“Let’s play a little game, shall we? S’ called…”
[A loud click noise.]
“‘Which one of you Wily scrapheaps takes the longest t’ die?’”
———————
[Nico scowled and looked away, his field fluctuating sullenly.
He didn’t like being left in charge, and certainly not under circumstances in situations like this.
They had all hoped that they could find either Shade or Cardinal before time ran out, but now it was clearly too late. With all the seven other wayward siblings rescued, the fact they still had no sign of the sniper’s tracks meant they were already out of time.
It would take more than a miracle for things to continue in a way that allowed everyone to come back in one piece.
They could only hope that their brother could find the last link they were looking for…]
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