=CHAPTER 6C: CRIMSON STRONGHOLD=

=CHAPTER 4D: AVI’S NEWS REPORT=

~AO v1.0~

(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)

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[MEANWHILE, SOMEWHERE IN IDAHO...]

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

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

[...But Eli had a point.]

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

Jack: ........

[The road was...]

[Empty.]

[...Desolate, even.]

Jack: (Creepy...)

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

Jack: (.....It's--It's too quiet.)

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

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

Jack: --Oookay, let's see what--

[RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH--]

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

Jack: ....What the hell?

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

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

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

[Click!]

"--Check, check one, check two! Sibilance, sibilance!"

Jack: (...Oh. Right. I forgot...)

"And now, live from Avi News World Headquarters, continuing coverage of...! BA DA DA DA...! NATION. IN. CRISIS!~"

Jack: Not exactly breaking news there, Six...

Jack: ......!!!

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

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

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

Jack: Oh God oh God--

[But he succeeded.

HE DID IT!]

[......]

[HOOOOOONK.]

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

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

Jack: WOOOO HA--awwww man...!

Jack: Kid actually did it...

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

[.......]

Jack: ........

Jack: (......)

Jack: (Maybe--I can try to contact Miss Eight...?)

Jack: (....No--she wouldn't answer, would she...)

Jack: (........Maybe I should get around to calling the Russians 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.]

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=CHAPTER 1C: RAGING FLAMES SMOLDER=

~AO v1.0~

(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)

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{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: -_-;;;

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=CHAPTER 4B: AVI'S NEWS REPORT=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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[SANDA LABS...]

[The lower parts of the building—the labs and underground, as well as most of the floors above were secure, though perhaps there was a few rouge trash bots wandering around here and there, which were quickly dealt with when Beck found them.]

[...But he wasn't here in the storage area for just that. It was the only room big enough for the Round Digger that Beck had first purified way...]

[...Way back? It FELT like it.]

Beck: Hey, buddy...

[The CDN beeped happily as it saw him approach.]

Beck: You seem to be doing OK...that's good...

[Beck patted the larger robot on it's spherical side, rather glad that it was still functioning perfectly well. It also reassured him a little.]

[...He was worried that his...his ability to filter out irregularities in other systems wasn't permanent, or that the virus was stronger than he thought...]

[...But the big guy seemed OK, and that means his family would be OK too.]

Beck: ......

[…Even if it may be a bit complicated for a while.

The whole fusion thing with Avi and Tobias had prompted Dr. Cossack to come over to assist in the repairs. All that he would say were vague remarks about side effects and the nature of the RMDC.

He was in the lab now, looking over more of Avi’s coding, with help from Will.

He seemed confident the problem would be fixed soon—and Beck sure hoped so.

The “side effects” that Mikhail had mentioned were a lot worse than just Tobias getting sensory data from Avi’s feeds.]

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

“Nowhere left to run, anymore. Heh… talk about pathetic. You’re a disgrace t’ robots everywhere, you sniveling ragtag group a’ cowards.”

[Panic. Sheer panic. Terror. Trapped.]

“A hunt this borin’ ain’t worth m’ time, so…. Let’s play a little game, shall we? S’ called…”

[A loud click noise.]

“ ‘Which one a’ you Wily scrapheaps will take the longest t’ die?’”

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

[Whatever it was that had caused all the Rebel Angels to wake up screaming in the middle of the night while they were gone, it definitely wasn’t something anyone wanted to show up in Avi’s feeds a second time.]

Beck: -Sighs-

[At least they were making progress. That had to count for something.]

[...A LOT of things had happened back there, on the Radio Tower, against Avi...]

[For one, it appeared his 'filter' had somehow fixed Avi's and Tobias's fusion, though he was still rather confused as to why...]

[For another...]

-------------------------

[XEL OVERRIDE INITIATED.]

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

--------------------------

[What in the WORLD was that...?

He was kinda glad that the Angels were all distracted with Tobias (and whatever else Siam was up to), because he had a feeling it would SERIOUSLY freak them out if they knew about it. It was freaky enough as it was—and if anyone were to ask about it, he just didn’t know the answer!]

[He just...he just didn't know and it scared him.]

[...And on top of that, he had no one that he could ask at the moment.]

[Was this--was this just another 'ability' that had been awakened, like the rest? Or was this...]

[Was this something more?]

Beck: Ugh...

[He slumped against the Round Digger, and rubbed his face in clear worry and weariness. He felt tired even though all his systems were green now, and he knew that...this wasn't going to be over anytime soon.]

[Still.]

[He had a promise to uphold, they still NEEDED him, they all did. He was the only, only one that can do this.]

Beck: (Jeez...I don't think I've EVER been this tired...)

Beck: (I could... I could really use a nap or...yeah.)

Beck: ...-Sigh-

Beck: Take it like a Mighty, Beck...

[The CDN beeped in concern, and seemed to rev it's engine as a way of comforting the small construct with a bit of background noise.]

Beck: Thanks...

Beck: .....

Beck: (I should probably get back to the others.)

Beck: Don't cause too much trouble down here, OK, Buddy?

[CDN.502] //: -PING!-

Beck: Heh...

Beck: You like it when I call you Buddy, don't ya?

[CDN.502] //: -PING!-

[The demolition bot revs in response, which makes the small Mighty laugh a bit. It's strange...most Round Diggers didn't have very advanced AI to begin with, compared to them...and yet this one was already showing more personality than any he's ever seen. Maybe he was...different?]

Beck: Buddy it is, then!

[Yeah, that's gotta be it...]

Beck: I gotta go, but...I'll come check on you later, OK? For now, uh...you can take a nap or s—

[CDN.502] //: -PING-

[...COMMAND CONFIRMED.]

Beck: ...!

[CDN.502 IS NOW IN SLEEP MODE.]

Beck: ....

Beck: Okaaaaay...

Beck: .....Night, then...

[He turns to close the door behind him, and heads towards the stairs—the elevators were still out, even if they WERE working, he wasn't going to risk getting trapped in one.]

Beck: (Last thing we need is for me to get stuck in the most crucial moments...)

[LATER, UPSTAIRS...]

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Xel Assimilation Data ready for analysis, Professor.

[DR.WHITE] //: Hm—Oh, thank heavens. Send that over to my terminal while I work with Mikhail—and continue scanning for the other Mighties, please.

[CALL] //: Right away, Doctor.

<MC005>: >I should love to look at that data at some point. I’ve never really gotten any readings for when someone with Universal Adaptability uses a new Power Capsule for the first time…. Are you getting any cross references popping up right now?

[CALL] //: None, Dr. Cossack.

Will: (Thank goodness...)

[CALL] //: The samples from Mighty Numbers 1, 2, 3, and 6 do not seem to show any similarities aside from causing extreme changes in behavior and the urge to cause destruction.

[CALL] //: I have yet to have found any logical pattern in the virus code. I apologize.

[DR.WHITE] //: No, no, Call—you've done so much for us. If it wasn't for you, finding my sons and daughters would be much more difficult.

[DR.WHITE] //: ...Thank you.

<MC005>: >I’m sorry that I couldn’t give much more to your assessment of the virus, my friends—I got rather sidetracked sorting out Tobias’s new coding instead. -Sighs-

Mikhail: (…) -Clearly uncomfortable about something-

Will: ....

Will: Mikhail?

Mikhail: -Looks up- Mmm? Sorry—did I miss something?

Will: ....

Will: Er, nothing...

[CALL] //: ....

[DR.WHITE] //: Call, has Beck finished with self-repair?

[CALL] //: Yes. He informed me he was going to check on the condition of the Round Digger model downstairs.

[DR.WHITE] //: That was a while ago, though...

[Mikhail had to smile a little.]

Mikhail: My older son was very disappointed to be left behind, once he heard about your oversized industrial drill-puppy.

Will: Ah...I can imagine...

Will: -mutters- I still don't know how he got down here in the first place, but he IS a demolition model...

Will: I have absolutely no idea what we're going to do with him... (He's a CDN model, there is a VERY good chance we'll have to...return him.)

Mikhail: What do you mean?

Will: Round Diggers are mass produced industrial models made for demolition work, mainly in construction.

Will: ...Made by CherryDyn.

Will: From the data we received from Beck, it's Model Number 502 of it's make, one of the older kinds. They're built to last for heavy duty work, quite sturdy.

[Mikhail blinked and raised an eyebrow at this. After a moment, he frowned, placed his hands behind his back, and turned to face one of the computer screens.]

Mikhail: …Mmm. -Seems to be thinking how to word what’s on his mind-

Mikhail: I can’t help but be drawn into my own field of “cross-references,” as it were. CherryDyn in general has been on my mind lately, for many reasons.

[He puts a hand to his face and sighs, covering his eyes.]

Mikhail: Tobias Wily and his history are rooted deeply in the works of LightLaboratories, Incorporated. The connections with CherryDyn have always troubled us, and we had hoped… -Trails off-

Will: .....

Mikhail: …I suppose I’m just distracted by thoughts of my youth. I used to work for LightLabs, you know? When I was just a boy.

Mikhail: I had high hopes for the project, but I didn’t really understand the work I was doing until the very end.

Will: . . .

Mikhail: I saw, ever so briefly—that the code was alive…! It reacted to me trying to reach out to it, to find it, to contain it—

Mikhail: (Much like… much like that virus did when it infected the RMDC and I fought back. I swear the thing got angry at me…)

Mikhail: (With how advanced Xel coding is, it certainly was high enough out of my full understanding to come off as alive.)

Mikhail: Dr. Light had been very much against advancing full realization. What I did when I made the AI_DCN_OS… well. I liked Iceman very much, and he was dear to us, but still…

[He sighed and shook his head before taking off his glasses to clean them.]

Mikhail: Forgive me. So much has happened lately that makes me think of the past, of Tobias in his first life. Pieces here and there, echoes of a time ages past.

Mikhail: I suppose that it is on my mind largely because understanding the virus is out of my ability at the moment. I’d need to know more about Xel coding, and you don’t have time to teach me.

Mikhail: This leaves me with Tobias, mainly, and also just… looking forward, long term.

Mikhail: This digging Industrial of yours…

Mikhail: If things continue in a tragic parallel, perhaps it would be scheduled for demolition simply because it were too old, or advancing in Awareness.

Will: -wINCE- (Ngh...)

Mikhail: For that is the fate of Industrials in my world. Even my own sons would be subject to the ten-year warranty, were it not for the fact that I have full legal rights, and can choose not to follow that regulation.

Mikhail: At first it was merely out of a business mindset—depreciation of property, expenses, etc. But after Tobias, animosity grew, and it became born just as much of fear as anything else.

[He put his glasses back on and frowned.]

Mikhail: I’m afraid it won’t be long before we’re called to give an account of ourselves for judgment, William.

Mikhail: Now that Aviator no longer has an Iron Curtain to stifle the media, it won’t be long before it takes a sharp turn from practicality into “here be dragons” water.

[He looked away, narrowing his eyes a little.]

Mikhail: I refused to tell you before, because I felt it was… crazy, to be honest, but. For some time now, Cardinal had been of the opinion that CherryDyn was responsible for a number of… unpleasantries.

[....Oh, dear.]

[Will kinda looks like he's going to be sick just from thinking of the implications of all that...]

Will: . . .

Mikhail: He believed that the things that happened were the result of plans being put into action too early or the like—things going wrong without the careful orchestration to make it only /just/ wrong enough to be visibly stopped, and in turn causing REAL damage.

Mikhail: I feel the same way, but I do not think it to be so—I tell myself that is being overly cynical.

Mikhail: But I think one thing is certain. We must be prepared to say something. Aviator’s interference was public, and…Tobias was involved, and if anyone were to somehow realize he were the same as the mysterious intruder at the Finals…

Mikhail: -Bows his head- The lift of the blockade will allow us to work much faster and more efficiently, yes—but the same applies for our foes as well.

Mikhail: I fully expect CherryDyn to make some noise and raise a fuss very soon. …I just suppose I feel I must arrange the chess pieces to counter it, since that’s the only thing I can really do, and you’re so busy with deciphering the code…

Mikhail: To be fair. It has a direct impact on us, too. If things follow the lane of Monstropolis, Tobias may have to remain Offline indefinitely.

Will: ......

[Will takes in a long breath and pinches the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes close very tightly. Mikhail was right, of course, he wouldn't put it past CherryDyn to make some sort of comment or whatever ELSE they have planned--if any, that is, if Cardinal turned out to be right after all.]

[And Graham...]

Will: God, what a mess...

Mikhail: We have too many moving parts in this matter…

Mikhail: At least it should be easier to find the others, now. Now that Tobias is no longer interfering and Avi will be able to help Call sort through the data.

Will: Mmm…

[That may work fine for the rest of his children out there, but they weren’t the only ones missing…]

Will: What about Kate and Cardinal?

Mikhail: Mmm.

[The Russian leaned back, crossing his arms and looking up at the ceiling.]

Mikhail: Well, Kate’s brothers have been trying to find her for several days, from what I’ve been told. I didn’t hear the full story, but they’ve probably been trying to follow Jack’s trail.

Will: Jack? You mean he’s not still with you?

Mikhail: No. He went missing a while ago, I’m afraid. Shortly after we first lost contact, actually.

Will: (Adding even MORE to this mess…)

Mikhail: Fighting Mighty Number Nine DID somehow get into contact with Doctor Wily Number Nine, and the other day they brought back some Combat Xelbots from your world, but… Jack was not among them.

Will: Metalman? What does he want with this? Is he working for Wily? -Ugh, one disaster at a TIME, please— -

Mikhail: It was apparently a personal matter. We may hear back from him later after the others have recovered, but… for now, it appears we’re being left alone.

Will: Small blessings, at least….

[He sighed, scratching at his head a bit.]

Will: What about Cardinal, then?

Mikhail: I… I don’t know. I was hoping you might have something to tell me, to be honest. He wouldn’t have been able to contact us, but…

Will: ! Oh, right! I almost forgot!

Will: Beck managed to call him the night Pyro was rescued, and he answered his cell phone!

[Mikhail suddenly became alert at this.]

Mikhail: What did he say?

[Will’s mood fell.]

Will: …He said he wasn’t coming back….

Mikhail: -Sighs, pulling his hand down his face- Why am I not surprised…

Will: He said it was… complicated, somehow, but… Avi cut him off before he could finish….

Mikhail: …

Will: Then I got a text message from him later… it said “John 15:13″…

Mikhail: -Winces- Agh, Cardinal… you shouldn’t be risking yourself like this…

Will: S-sorry I didn’t mention it earlier, I… I guess it must have slipped my mind.

Mikhail: Oh, don’t be so hard on yourself. You had more immediate concerns to deal with at the time we got back in touch. So did I. You’re under a great deal of stress right now—don’t berate yourself over missing small details that slip under the radar. Alright?

Will: I’ll try, aheh…

Mikhail: I suppose it is worth a try….

Will: Hmm?

Mikhail: Let’s try calling Cardinal’s cell phone. I think he’d be more likely to answer a call from you than from me, though.

[Will pulled out his phone, grateful that it wasn’t infected and still worked.]

Will: -Dialing the number- Do you think he’ll change his mind?

Mikhail: That might be expecting a little much…

[To their surprise, the phone call was answered. Much to their further surprise, it wasn’t Cardinal who answered the phone.]

“Hello? Is this really Sanda Enterprises?”

Will: ! (I recognize that voice! He was with Cardinal earlier!)

Mikhail: -Nudges Will to answer-

Will: -Eep— - Er— y-yes, it is! This is Doctor White speaking. May I ask who this is?

[It seemed the other man also recognized his voice from somewhere, because he took the answer at face value.]

“My name is Drake Dawson, sir. I’m a staff member at the Union Station in Kansas City.”

Mikhail: (Of COURSE! I should have known he would go there!)

Will: We’re looking for Cardinal. Is he… is he nearby?

[There was a long sigh.]

“Cardinal split a while back. He gave me his phone and said to call you guys, but uh…I figured you’d be busy right now, sorry…”

Mikhail: Mr. Dawson, did he saw where he was going?

“Not really…. We traveled around KCMO and KCK for several days before he crashed and burned. Not sure where he is now, but he said he wouldn’t go back to Sanda Enterprises until his mission was over. He was really adamant about that…”

Mikhail: -Sighs-

“He did have a couple of messages, though…”

Will: Oh?

“Said he wanted you to know he was ‘in one piece’… which he was, last I saw him. And, uh… hang on, lemme think on this, put it down somewhere so I wouldn’t forget…”

[There was a rustling noise.]

“He said he wanted Beck to come down and help out with the cores they recovered from Arrowhead Stadium, if he had the chance. To consider it a ‘personal favor.’”

Will: (Mnn…. I suppose we’ll be getting requests like that more often now. But Beck is already so worn out from working in Titus and then fighting Avi…)

Mikhail: -Catches onto the hesitation- We’ll pass the message along, but we can’t make any promises.

“Yeah… I can get that.”

Mikhail: Was there anything else? Anything at all?

“Something about focusing on the threats in the middle? It seemed pretty important to him. He wouldn’t really explain much… said that it would have to wait.”

Will: ( “Threats in the middle”? Middle of the country? Middle of the family? I suppose he means the family, but…. Would that be 4,5, and 6? Or 5, 6, and 7?)

Mikhail: Well… I’m afraid he’s right, there. I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but…

“Nah, it’s okay, I get it. I just hope he manages to come back to pick up his phone later. He did mention his idea was ‘stupid dangerous’, which doesn’t surprise me that much, given how he tackled all those enemies by himself…”

Mikhail: It would be for the best right now that you keep the phone with you. He’ll know where to find you, and… if he’s unable for some reason, we can trace his cell phone and send someone to pick it up, after this is over.

“Gotcha. Anything else I can do for you?”

Mikhail: Give us a call if he comes back. Other than that… stay safe.

“Roger that. Good luck with everything. We’re all rooting for you over here.”

[Click.]

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: -Turns to Will- Kansas City. I should have expected that.

Will: Isn’t he from there?

Mikhail: No, I think he was built somewhere in the West, but that is where he grew up. It’s too bad we missed him.

Will: I wonder what he could be doing…. I would love to get any ideas for leads on Shade, too…

Mikhail: I suspect he didn’t tell Mr. Dawson for the man’s own safety.

Will: Oh, you’re probably right….

[Mikhail’s gaze became thoughtful, and after a while, he reached over and put a gloved hand on his friend’s shoulder, squeezing it slightly.]

Mikhail: But there is hope. We must hold onto that.

Mikhail: Of course we would never ask you to turn your back on the world, but remember—your children are your true priority, and if the worst WERE to happen, you could seek shelter elsewhere. Focus on getting your family back together. I can work with the Sandas in figuring out how to fight the dragons.

Mikhail: We’ll make it through this.

[After a moment, he broke into a warm smile.]

Mikhail: Remember, my friend—I have tread these waters before, and worse.

[This, alas, was true. He had, at one point, had the entire world against him.

And yet he had arranged things so that his sons were allowed to live and work and he got to live in protection and privacy, despite things being so grim at one point.]

Mikhail: I won’t let you get dashed upon the rocks.

Will: ....

Will: Heh...

[Will returned the smile, although it was a bit weary.]

Will: Thank you, Mikhail. Really...

Will: (What would we do without you...)

Mikhail: Ah, my dear William! You have been very good to us, and personally have given great hope for my family’s recovery. Of course I would help you in the recovery of yours.

Mikhail: …Heh.

Mikhail: This is where the others would remind us not to overwork ourselves. Or me, at least. -Laughs- I’m not as young as I used to be. Professor, now, not student. I can’t pull those all-nighters anymore!

[THAT gets Will to laugh. Oh, yes, the all-nighters...]

[...He should probably not mention he's been doing that as of late. He's very sure Mikhail would have a fit—]

[CALL] //: ...Contradiction: Yet you both seem to overexert yourselves as if it were the default.

[...Oh. Call was still listening.]

Mikhail: -Wryly- Ah, we are caught! Oh dear.

Will: Eheh...

[He turned to look in the direction of one of the speakers by habit.]

Mikhail: You’re right, of course. And if it would put you at ease, I can take a short rest. But I would like to take care of a few matters first, if you can help me. I’m afraid I’ve been rather single-focused on Tobias and Avi to learn how everything else is going. Has your father contacted his brother? Or vice-versa, perhaps?

[CALL] //: Yes, Mr. Sanda contacted us as soon as we had a firm connection. They have been speaking privately for the past few hours.

Will: (Possibly bringing Seijiro up to speed on everything...)

Mikhail: I see. I would like you to alert your father that we have fixed the matter of the RMDC for now—no more sudden nightmares for your database. (And again, I apologize.) I should like to speak with them both after they have concluded their private discussion—which I expect will be some while yet. In the meantime, I shall rest.

<MC005 to CALL>: >Oh, and Ms. Sanda? May I make a suggestion in your search for the rest of the Mighty Numbers?

[CALL to MC005] //: -Ping!- Yes, Dr. Cossack?

<MC005 to CALL>: >One of the contributing factors to the… difficulty of the current situation, shall we say… is the large number of variables involved.

<MC005 to CALL>: >We have removed one variable—Aviator’s interference—but it’s not enough. We will need to remove several others as soon as possible if we are to have the best chance of success in concluding this manner with as little predation from CherryDyn as possible.

<MC005 to CALL>: >It is confirmed that Fighting Mighty Number Eight is at large, and the current theory is that she is in this world, on a hunt. Likewise, Dencerjack is searching for her—and he has his own set of complications, since he knows too much, so to speak. We need to find him posthaste.

Mikhail: (There’s also Cardinal, but trying to stop him would not be a good use of resources given the current state of affairs…)

<MC005 to CALL>: >From what I have been told, MNN-007 may be the subject of FMN-008’s attention, for… reasons.

<MC005 to CALL>: >Finding Brandish’s location may allow us to remove several dangerous spanners in the works all at once.

<MC005 to CALL]>: >So, unless there are clearer leads… my suggestion would be to focus on him, first.

Mikhail: (Removing Cardinal’s recklessness would be nice, but I’m not so optimistic as to think we’ll find Shade before we find Brand. Not when Brand’s been giving off data from the beginning, and Shade hasn’t.)

[CALL to MC005] //: -PING-

[CALL to MC005] //: I understand, Dr. Cossack. I will commence my search posthaste. Thank you for your input.

<MC005 to CALL>: > You’re welcome.

Mikhail: -Turns to face Will- I’m going to rest for a while, but I’ll be just a notification away. Sorry to be leaving you on your own like this—I just feel I’d be more useful to you combating one of the other problems. -Encouraging nod- You can do this, alright? Try to keep calm.

[With that, he walked out of the room, lost in his own thoughts.]

Will: ....

[After Mikhail leaves the room, Will slumps back into a chair and lets out a long, quiet sigh, staring into the ceiling as if it held all the solutions.]

Will: .....

Will: (...Should I...)

Will: .....

[He sharply inhaled and didn't let that thought finish itself--couldn't.]

[...Perhaps, he was being cynical and paranoid himself.]

Will: (Greg...Greg doesn't know, does he?)

Will: (If he does...)

[He felt that sick, dreading feeling all over again, and got up to fix that with a glass of water.]

Will: (...No, stop it, Will—)

Will: (Get it together...)

Will: (It's not going to come to that if he knows what he's doing...)

Will: .......

Will: (This had...had BETTER not be you that's behind all this, Greg...)

Will: (You'd better not...)

Will: .....

[Shoving all those negative thoughts aside for now, Dr. White washed up and rolled his lab coat's sleeves down.]

[There was still much work to be done, and Avi was going to be needed for the troubles that lay ahead.]

Will: (I wish it wasn't this way, Aviator...you, out of all of us, need your rest...)

Will: (At least, after this...I hope we can all just...take things easy...)

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

=CHAPTER 10C: THE MACHINE DRAWS NEAR=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

[CHERRYDYNAMICS HQ BUILDING, CEO OFFICE SUITE.]

[Gregory Graham had little silver lining to go on at this point.

Not only were those Sanda Tech brats literally demolishing his factory (and costing him millions to boot!), the virus that had seemed to come from out of nowhere was threatening to spread to the other Continental servers--

And now the GOVERNMENT was sniffing around where they SHOULDN'T be, and Blackwell could very well be either DEAD or running amok!

And now there was that foreign intern, the fat Japanese doctor and the PRESIDENT herself knowing far too much--]

Graham: -...Ngh-

Graham: Keep it together, Greg...

[No, no need to panic--

She was still safely tucked away, albet running everything at this point, but still contained--and he had influences in Homeland and Defense, and his Sentator friend, of course--and if nothing else, he ALWAYS had that ace in the hole if things ever got that desperate.

He had options. It was all like stocks. It wasn't the end just yet.

And if he were to go down, he'll be damned if he wasn't going down alone.]

Graham: (I just have to make a few private calls, pull some favors...)

Graham: (Make sure she is under wraps and try to sail though this--)

[Knock Knock.]

Graham: --??

Graham: -Pushes the intercom on his desk- Darcy, I told you to not let anyone in here--

"Uh, yeah, he isn't--he didn't listen to me--"

"... And it's Daisy, not--"

[CLICK.]

Graham: Tch.

Graham: (Fine, I'll call whatever's left of security once he gets in here--)

Graham: Open.

[The door recognizes the verbal command and slides open without a sound.]

Graham: --?

Graham: What the--

Will: Hello, Mr. Graham.

[William White walks into the room as soon as Graham opened it, not once waiting for permission to enter.]

Will: Am I interrupting something?

Graham: White?

Graham: How the HELL did you get up here--

Will: Oh, I wanted to. Your staff seems to be rather, ah-- lacking since the virus struck.

Will: Nonetheless.

Will: I didn't come here for idle chatter, so I'm going to get right to the point.

Will: It was you who activated Trinity, didn't you?

Graham: -Sputters--

Graham: Wha--

Graham: What are you TALKING about--

Graham: (How does he know about HER?!)

Will: Greg. It's a little...

[His eyes turn dull and utterly emotionless.]

Will: ...Too late to cry dummy, at this point.

Graham: --?!

Graham: (That look--what is THAT look, why is it--?)

Will: Dr. Blackwell wasn't around to stop you this time, wasn't he?

Will: And yet you're trying to scapegoat his father again, just the same.

Graham: --?!!!

[Will walks across the room with a poised grace, almost too perfect, as he turns his back away from Graham.]

Will: -Sigh-

Will: It was NEVER about progress with you...

Will: Or the will, the drive to make the world a better place than what we found it...

Will: It was always money.

Will: -Angry-

Will: Just. Money.

Will: That's--

[He turns, a FIERCE expression breaking through the emotionless mask he wore to EXPLODE in RAGE!]

Will: --ALL YOU E V E R CARED ABOUT--!

Graham: -Falls back into his chair--

Will: Never about HIM OR ME OR EVEN HER!

Will: -Advances- All you EVER cared about was YOURSELF and this EVIL EMPIRE you've built on NOTHING but the PAIN AND SUFFERING OF OTHERS--!

Will: MY PAIN AND SUFFERING! T H E I R PAIN AND SUFFERING!

Will: H E R PAIN AND SUFFERING--!

Will: And YOU--

Will: When you pieced her back together, did you feel anything at all? No, because you would even BRING BACK THE DEAD to justify your own ENDS!

Will: YOU THINK I WOULDN'T NOTICE, GREGORY GRAHAM?!

Graham: N--this isn't my FAULT--!

Graham: Her warning label didn't SPECIFY all this, not specifically--

Will: Warning label--

[He laughs. Bitterly.]

Will: Warning label, WARNING LABEL, HE PUT A WARNING LABEL--

Will: Oh, that's just RICH.

Will: And even then--You didn't listen.

Graham: I--

Will: THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT--!

Will: Trinity, my friends, my FAMILY, MY OWN CHILDREN--!

Will: And even this VIRUS, isn't it?!

Graham: Nono, THIS THING ISN'T OUR FAULT, DON'T YOU PUT THIS ON ME, WHITE--

Graham: I don't know HOW you got this information, but I can very well RUIN you if you so much as--

[Will once again laughs at the face of Graham's supposed threat.]

Will: Is that supposed to scare me, Greg?

Will: What are you going to do? Send your PEOPLE after me?

Will: I've survived them once. I can do it AGAIN.

Graham: --?!?

Will: I am. Not. Afraid of YOU.

Will: Not anymore.

Will: Trinity was my project. You and Blackwell ultimately deemed her a failure.

Graham: !

Will: But she was an educational one, if anything. I learned. Oh, I learned.

Will: And I put EVERYTHING that I had learned from her, from everything that I experienced...

Will: ...All of it, and the good that came from it...

Will: ...Into Mighty No. 9.

Graham: (WHAT--)

Will: Beck is now our only hope of stopping what YOU have sowed.

Will: AT THE VERY LEAST, IF I CAN'T STOP YOU MYSELF--

[He swipes away the various objects on Greg's desk aside, including some very heavy paperweights--]

Will: --HE CAN!

[There’s a muffled CRUNCH and a hissing noise, followed by some leaking liquid.]

Will: --?!?

Graham: What the--

Will: Nnngh!

[He turns his attention back to Graham.]

Will: You--

Will: You honestly think you can get away with everything you've DONE?

Will: After HER?

Graham: --.....

Graham: Wait...

Graham: Waitwaitwait WAIT A SECOND--

Will: --??

Graham: You...

Will: --!

Will: (....Uh...Uh Oh--)

Graham: YOU!

Graham: I didn't RECOGNIZE you with that--that RIDICULOUS HAIR DO--

Graham: But you're--

Graham: YOU'RE BILL BLACKWELL--!

Will: ......

Bill: . . . .

Bill: You were always a bit slow on the uptake, weren't you.

Bill: All these years, Graham, and you STILL haven't changed.

Bill: It nearly makes me feel SORRY for you.

Bill: N e a r l y.

Bill: ...But you know what?

Bill: You're wrong.

Will: I'm NOT Bill Blackwell.

Will: And I HAVEN'T been.

Will: For a VERY. Long. Time.

Graham: HA!

Graham: -Sneers- Oh, you think you're so SMART, thinking that changing your name and identity will change who you really are.

Graham: I'm honestly impressed, though. I really did think you were dead after you just vanished.

Will: -Snorts-

Will: Reports of my demise have been GREATLY exaggerated, Mr. Graham.

Graham: You accosted me, Bill.

Graham: YOU'RE the idiot here, coming back and building those Mighty Numbers even after what YOU did to her.

Graham: They don't even know they're really just BLACKWELLS, do they?!

Will: ..........

Graham: I THOUGHT not.

Will: Leave them out of this, Graham.

Graham: Oh, really, alright, let me just turn back time and stop them from becoming infected in the FIRST PLACE?

Graham: They were DOOMED the moment you created them, Bill, and that ISN'T just their namesake talking!

Will: —Nnnnngh...

Graham: Your old man was RIGHT about you.

Graham: Really, Bill. I thought that a BLACKWELL genius such as yourself wouldn't RETURN to the scene of a crime—what occurred here all those years ago was tantamount to MURDER.

Will: Both of you MADE ME DO IT—!

Graham: But I wasn't the one holding the metaphorical knife, wasn't I?

Will: Graham—!

Graham: I said I would RUIN you.

Graham: It'll be a VERY nice bonus to see everything that you've worked SO hard to accomplish just CRUMBLE away, hm?

Graham: You, those Mighty Numbers, your fat friend and his brother, and that little Russian intern that you CLEARLY have connections with.

Graham: Once the WORLD knows that Dr. William White is a LIE AND THE SON OF A MAD GENIUS—

[WHACK—]

[Gregory Graham's vision went bright as William curled a fist and socked him across the face, causing the CEO to tumble backwards into the floor.

There was a burning sensation as something ate away at the super expensive suit he was wearing, too!]

Graham: -NGH!-

[SMACK—]

[A sneaker plants itself squarely on Graham's chest to KEEP him there.]

((Pic—Will v Graham))

Will: I am only going to say this once.

Will: If you ever.

Will: E v e r.

Will: Threaten or lay one hand on EVERYTHING I love and care about--

Will: I will TEAR you and this company ASUNDER.

Will: You PATHETIC excuse for a HUMAN being.

Will: You MONSTER.

[Will looks down on him with a BURNING hot gaze, like some kind of disgusting bug or rodent, not even worth the DIRT under his shoe that which is soiling the already ruined suit Greg was wearing.

And Graham?

Well, as one would expect, he was certainly no less than terrified, scared witless.]

Will: How fitting.

Will: I think I've gotten my POINT across, hm?

[There is a TOUCH of a evil grin that tugs at the corner of Will's lips.]

Will: Good talk.

[And just like that, Will steps off, carefully walks around the mess made, and makes his way back to the door.]

Will: I'm not paying for any of this, by the way, so you can forget about sending me a bill.

Will: I WAS the one that HELPED you, if you need a reminder.

[He waves back without turning around.]

Will: Enjoy the rest of your day, Mr. Graham.

Will: ... Because it is ABOUT to get a whole LOT worse.

[Click.]

[The room is dead silent.]

Graham: . . . .

Graham: (Bill Blackwell—)

Graham: (You—I'll—)

Graham: -OW MY NOSE— BLEEDING—-

Graham: DARCY—SOMEONE GET ME A DAMN FIRST AID KIT—!

Beep.

Graham: —?!?

Beep.

Graham: What the hell is that noise—

[A rather smushed Search Snake—having finally flickered to life, only to find itself incredibly damaged—scrapes itself out of the hiding place where it had been crushed by some paperweights. It was already leaking battery acid, but apparently it had more than one battery, because that wasn’t stopping it…]

Beep beep beep beep beep beep BEEP—

Graham: —?!?

Graham: -DIVES BEHIND THE DESK—-

Boom!

Graham: WHAT THE—

Graham: BIIIIIIILLL—!!

[BACK IN SANDA LABS SEVERAL HOURS LATER...]

Will: (Oof...)

Will: -Stepping out of the elevator- (I actually felt REALLY good about that. Huh.)

“Good afternoon, Doctor.”

Will: —?

Will: (Wait, that...voice--I've heard that voice before--)

Min: So good of you to join us again.

Will: —! (You—)

Des: Doctor. -Nod-

Will: ...I...er...

Will: (W-What is going on, why are THEY here?!)

Will: (Specifically, the President, no less—!)

Will: I...M-Madam President, I...was not expecting...

Min: I realize this, and I apologize. We were unable to contact you to discuss the matter.

[She motioned to a Secret Service member, who stepped forward and handed over a piece of paper. It was a faxed letter from Seijiro, explaining (in Japanese) that he had authorized… the use of the building for the President and some of her staff…?]

Will: (Wha—Seiji?! But—why, you—you know that—)

Will: (—Gh, but you didn't really have a choice, didn't you...)

Will: I...hn...

Will: I see...

Will: I suppose this is because the White House is...well....

Will: —But—why here? This is practically Ground Zero for the virus, and shouldn't there be—OTHER places for situations like this—?

Des: -Sighs—- Exactly what I proposed. <<

Min: It shouldn't be for too long, and I won't necessarily be staying, myself. I'm a busy woman.

Will: -Nervously looks between all the Secret Service members and staff- I...I see. Er....w-well then...

Min: I need to speak with you about the particulars of the arrangements immediately.

Will: R-Right now—? (Oh, God—)

Will: A—Are you sure? I mean we do have—Call, she can certainly show you around—

Will: Besides, I—I have repairs to do on my children posthaste—

Will: Since Soi isn't here, I'll have to do repairs myself...

Will: (And on all nine of them...)

Min: I can appreciate that, and I assure you that I too have my incentives for keeping the discussion as brief as possible. However, it is more than mere living arrangements that need to be discussed. While we may not be able to cover everything that I have in mind, there is one matter that cannot wait—[color=goldenrod]lives[/color] are at stake, and your input is crucial. It's in your best interest in a very personal way, Doctor, to no longer collude it.

Will: (L--Lives--?)

Will: (Wait...she can't mean--)

Des: -Ahem- There's also something else that that Madam President wishes to speak to you about...

Des: I don't exactly know the context behind it, but it's about your... championship fencing days...and Mighty No. 5.

Will: ....

[At that moment, Will would have taken the infected factory all over again instead of this. He pales, all the color rushing off of his face as he breaks into a cold sweat right there.]

Will: (Oh no—oh no, not this—)

Will: (G-Greg--Greg I can handle, but--h-h-her--)

Will: (She can do s-so much worse--)

Will: (She can't have figured it out so quickly, I left almost nothing--! Did they search my house?!)

Will: (Hnn...I can't, I—but—)

Will: (...Mikhail, Soi, my children...)

Min: -Shooing motion to the Secret Service members- Go secure an office where we can speak privately.

[They obey with only minimal hesitation, given that Desmond is also there and they are both armed.]

Des: -...Slightly concerned- Doctor White? You alright there?

Will: -Gulps- I...mn...I-I'm fine.

Will: ...though I could use a glass of water...

Min: Why don't you get us some drinks, Mister Secretary?

Des: -Takes that as his cue- Yes sir.

[Des briskly leaves with all due haste, leaving Will and The President of the United States alone. Will was highly on edge, nervously thumbing the strap of his laptop bang, looking away.]

Will: (...No...No more running...)

Will: (Oh, Soi, I...)

Will: (I really wish you were here...)

Min: Come along, Doctor. Let's get this over with, and then you can rejoin your family.

Will: ....

[He silently complies, hands on his arms and eyes to the floor. Almost as if he was walking to detention rather than just another office.

He was obliged to hand over his belongings before entering the office—clearly, the group had learned from the experience with Mikhail. It wasn't long before the doors shut behind them, and the two of them were alone.

Min let out a short huff of a sigh—of relief or weariness, it was hard to say.]

Min: Let's get right to the point.

[She turned to face Will, holding her hands in front of her with her left hand clasping her right wrist.]

Min: Your work so far has been remarkable, and is the best lead we have on combating the virus. We're all very grateful for what you and your family—particularly your youngest son—have been doing to save others in this time of crisis.

Min: We want to help you as much as we can.

Will: ... >> I haven't exactly made a cure yet, though. That part is proving to be very...difficult. (Trinity...)

Will: It's....not as simple as just doing away with it...

Will: -Sighs- The best thing we can do right now is continue to contain the virus and let me study it's workings so I can learn to counteract it. (Need more time...I need to know how to get those scripts from the code--)

[She was quiet for a moment at this, as if considering how to answer.]

Min: We will aid how we can if given direction. I know that initial encounters were… less than supportive, and I offer a sincere apology. If we had been properly informed and involved, it would not have reached such levels of hostility.

Will: ....

Will: >>;;; (Ugh...I never want to go through with that again. If I can get them NOT to just outright take a aggressive approach towards Trinity, then that's all I need...)

Will: It was...a very unpleasant experience. >~>;; One I don't think anyone here wants repeated.

Min: An accurate statement. And to that end, it's necessary to confront a problem that would otherwise come between full support or cooperation.

Min: There is a matter that would cause no small degree of distress for yourself and those involved if things continue as they are. Not only do I personally not wish to have to do so, but there is a professional incentive not to have such a major distraction at hand when it is imperative that you focus on your work.

Will: ….

Will: ...I...

Will: ... (Mikhail...)

Will: ....

Will: ....Dr. Cossack, you mean.

Will: -Sighs, of course...-

Min: That would be correct. I'm afraid the outlook is very bleak for him at the moment.

Will: (Gh...Mikhail...)

Will: I...could see that.

Will: (...I won't...won't let them hurt you, if it comes to that, I swear...)

((NOTE: Bill color as a shadow here))

Will: (I won't lose you too...)

Min: Do you? I'm afraid it's quite serious, and it's unclear whether he sees that or is simply undeterred by it.

Min: The charges he has taken upon himself would easily earn him a place as a CAL black spot mission.

Will: -Flinches- Gnn...

Will: (Hnn...No, I...I won't let that happen--)

Will: ....Mikhail...

Will: He doesn't...he's not...

Will: (Damn it, talk, Bill! He needs you right now, you can't be afraid--)

Min: Doctor…

Minerva: The situation is pitiable, but that—unfortunately—does not change the fundamental reasons why he is in trouble in the first place. In fact, the circumstances make it worse.

[She spoke as if from memory.]

Minerva: The fact remains that he is the authoritative force behind multiple highly powerful—and apparently unsupervised—Combat constructs who pose significant security threats. Threats made worse by their physiology, as most security measures rely on Xellular structure to be effective against a non-human attacker. Their immunity to such measures and ability to regenerate—some more than others, it would seem—make them very dangerous.

Will: Gh…! (I guess she was told they aren’t Xel…! Felix did mention that the Secretary knew the “truth”…)

Minerva: As for the Doctor himself… he is—by our standards—highly unconventional. He can defend himself and build without using Xel, and he appears to be a master at coding in his own right. Certainly, he has access to measures that can bypass traditional and cutting-edge firewalls alike. Furthermore, he’s also very clever: he was able to obtain well-hidden information the likes of which we have been seeking for months. He’s aware of dangerous secrets, and he has no qualms about stonewalling an investigation. If he chooses to, he can avoid detection completely, even from multiple governmental agencies of several countries. If let go free, there is no telling if he would ever be found again.

[She shakes her head.]

Minerva: He’s chosen to assume responsibility for the actions of his patients. That includes: two or three accounts of hacking through military-level security firewalls, two attempted murders and one additional threat thereof, one breaking-and-entering, and the destruction of federally owned property of national historic and cultural importance.

Will: (Hnn...I...Mikhail...)

Will: (He's not--!)

[Will doesn't know how to respond to this. The Queen's Finals, the White House, and the Military Base--the last of which was HIS fault entirely--it was all roaring back with a frightful vengeance, one that threatened to consume all that he held dear. But how to voice against this, when the leader of the nation could discredit all that he would say--

--simply because he was not the man he SAYS he is?]

Will: I...

Will: -Clearly very upset- He's not...please, he isn't--he's a good man, please--

[Her expression softened, and she interlocked her fingers, holding her hands up near her chin in thought.]

Min: …

Min: …There is still hope. There is a chance.

Will: --? (I...what?)

Min: There is yet a chance that he may be spared.

Will: --!

Will: R--Really-- (--Wait--why?)

Will: (--I should at least hear her out, but...)

Will: (If she knows, then...?)

Will: How?

[She was quiet for a moment again before she spoke up.]

Min: Taken all together, the pieces paint a grim picture for your friend, and one that is not so easily forgiven.

Min: Taken piece by piece… that is not so. Perhaps still not easily… but still potentially forgivable.

Min: His insistence to bear the burden alone will be his downfall if he pursues it.

Min: But if he accepts that things were out of his control and influence—then, perhaps, we can address his sole stain… the ordered interference of the White House security.

Min: For I know in almost certainty that he was not behind the incident at the unapproved military base… and unless I am mistaken, he has little influence over the decisions made by those who are not his sons.

Min: Am I correct in this assessment?

Will: -With some hesitance- I...Y-Yes, that's correct...

Min: Then it is in everyone's best interests to no longer deny that truth, but to own up to it. However, it seems you may be the only person capable of convincing him of this.

Will: ....

Will: (I...)

Will: (Me?)

Will: You want me to convince him... (But...what about...)

Will: ...But what about Tobias?

Will: (The whole reason he's taking it all on himself is because so that Tobias won't suffer...)

Min: -Pinches the left hinge of her glasses, looking over them slightly- Well, Tobias Wily will have to answer for his behavior. We cannot have someone like him running amok on their impulses.

Min: His position is somewhat more forgivable, given that he was never taught how to behave in social situations. That can be fixed.

Will: -Quiet sigh of relief- (Oh, thank God--)

Min: Especially given that the only charge he is fully responsible for would be what happened at the Queen's Finals. He was not, if my conclusions to my research are correct, responsible for the security breach at the base.

Will: No--No, no, of course not--

Will: He was quite...quite still out of it at the time...

[Minerva was quiet at this for a little while.]

Min: That will cause some to question what DID happen, if neither of them were responsible.

Min: I think I know who did it, but there's only circumstantial evidence.

Will: (...Gh....)

Will: C-Circumstantial--?

Min: Just the knowledge of one with both means and motive to pull it off.

Min: Although…

Min: I hardly blame you for that… Doctor William Blackwell.

[There is a very harsh wince at the words-- as if he had been struck physically. There was a subtle shake of his hands, which were very quickly stilled as he balled them up into fists.]

Will: ...that's not my name...

Will: My name is White.

Min: "A rose by any other name," my good sir.

Will: My name is William White.

[There was a steely gaze directed at her now--although he didn't meant anything by it, he couldn't help but become irritated. That wasn't his name, not anymore.

Minerva gave a soft smile at this, tilting her head slightly.]

Min: No one else knows… for now.

Min: Why do you think I left Desmond outside?

Will: ...

Will: What do you want?

Min: -Puts a hand to her face- An end to this, with no more casualties than is within our power to prevent.

Will: .... (Not what I meant, but that too...)

Will: . . .

Will: If you claim to know, then you know why I can't just delete the virus.

Will: ...I...there is something...delicate in the code that I won't destroy.

Will: Not even if you try to make me.

Will: (...Mngh...I still don't know how I'm going to take care of the virus without hurting Trinity...)

[For a moment, her eyes look sad.]

Min: I said "a rose by any other name," Doctor.

Min: Doctor William White is not a five-times fencing champion, as his best friend Doctor Soichiro Sanda claims him to be, and as Secretary Desmond Donald observed. There is no record of this.

Min: It was rather easy with my resources to discern the time frame and location based on your age and the number of colleges in the country who have that level of fencing programs with suitable teachers. Your teacher remembers you well even after the years have gone by. No teacher ever forgets true talent.

Min: I had not bothered to look further than that, for that was not in my business. I had other things on my mind.

Will: …

Min: What you said just now was unknown to me, though I can infer the truth behind it. And if that is the case…

Min: You must work quickly before someone else finds a way. Literally everyone capable is assigned to the project.

Will: -~- What do you think I've been doing all this time?

Will: -We’re trying-

Will: Aside from repairing my sons and daughters and trying to keep this place intact—

Will: I've devoted nearly every waking moment to trying to solve this—

Will: (But it's so hard, it's like trying to wake someone from a very—very deep sleep...)

Will: -Crosses arms- And quite frankly, all of this federal business has not made it easier. -~-

Min: I imagine not.

[She was quiet for a moment again, as if deep in thought.]

Min: I will leave it up to you to give directions on what the best way for HHS to help you would be. That is your prerogative.

Min: For the time being, we will focus on that. The matter with Dr. Cossack can wait until you've had the chance to speak with him… whenever that might be.

Min: He won't be allowed to move about freely, but no other [color=black]action[/color] will be taken against him.

Will: ...I...I'll try to, as soon as I can...

Min: For now, he is resting in isolation. …Let him rest. He obviously is in need of it. -Soft sigh, tapping her fingers against her face- (I look forward to making this all go away.)

Min: Is there anything else you wish to discuss or want to say? Any insight to depart?

Will: …

Will: -Grips- CherryDyn...

Will: Please tell me you're at least looking into CherryDyn.

Will: I...I think they're behind this. All of it.

Will: >> Why else would they make not one, but TWO public statements blaming both Dr. Blackwell and myself, as well as Dr. Sanda?

Will: (....And now Graham knows.... Knows who I really am.)

Will: . . .

Will: (...Maybe he was right about me being stupid...)

Will: (.....)

Will: (Oh, what the hell, it was worth it, for that ONE good right hook.)

Min: To play the devil's advocate:

Min: "There's no accounting for stupidity."

[She spoke that last word with clear derision and scorn, not bothering to hide it.]

Will: …Hn.

Will: Indeed.

Will: …

Will: >> After all this is over...

Will: What will you do with me?

Min: Hopefully, give you honors for your contributions to solving a national crisis.

Will: ...That's not what I meant.

Will: I'm having a very hard time coming up with any good reason why you'd let the real matter slip by.

Will: You're the President. You know.

[Blackwell...a name that was no doubt infamous beyond any other name in America, and perhaps the world at large. He HAD to know--was it because there was just more pressing matters at hand, or something more?

After all, SHE had that power over him now, not him...]

Will: You KNOW what that name means.

Will: Why?

Min: …

Min: -Seems to be carefully considering her answer again-

Min: …A man is to be judged by his choices, not his name or connections.

Min: It has been your choice to work with Sanda Enterprises—a company that is currently researching to find medical breakthroughs with Xellular science. It has been your choice to raise a family, and raise them well. To befriend those in desperate need—indeed, with such friendship that it incites undying loyalty to you.

Min: Your desperation in one moment of ill-founded judgment is hardly unique, even to the current series of events. Your friend made a similar decision in a fit of despair.

Min: But ill judgement can be forgiven, especially when there are no casualties, and no intent for it to be repeated.

Will: ....

Will: I... -Speechless--

Will: (...she's not going to--lock me up, like Father—?)

Will: ...but I... (I lied...)

Will: (I lied to everyone--)

Will: -...clearly very conflicted about this-

Min: -Gently- I can see that this is difficult for you to understand, even though you begin to believe it. That's alright… you will have the time you need for it.

Min: When this is all over, William White…

Min: We will thank you all for what you have done for us, and the sacrifices that were made.

Min: And after all has been said and done, we will leave you all to live in peace.

Will: ....

Will: (In peace...)

Will: ...-Still quite nervous- (But for how long?)

Will: I...I will make sure to let Mikhail know that too.

Min: I'm sure he would appreciate that. It doesn't sound like he's had a pleasant experience dealing with government officials before… though his cooperation will ultimately prove to be to his benefit.

Min: -Small sigh- Well, that is all I have to say on the matter. We both have work to do now, so unless there is anything more you want to add…

Will: No, I...I think that's all.

Will: I...

Will: ...-Very quietly- ...thank you...

[Minerva gives a soft smile at that. She seems more relaxed than before—the kind of relaxation that comes with confidence.]

Min: You're welcome, Doctor White.

Min: You may go.

[Will nods and stands up--he's still a bit shaky, but otherwise a lot more worn out than before--in a good sense, really. He just had to talk to Mikhail...]

[As he steps out of the door, Des passes him by.]

Des: Oh, here. Your water.

Will: ! Oh--I--I forgot about that. ^^;; Thank you, Secretary.

[He accepts it graciously, and goes on his way. Des gives the man a bit of a quizzical look before turning his attention to Min.]

Des: He seems better. Sorta.

Des: What did you say to him, if I can ask?

Min: -Soft sigh- I let him know that we're not out to get anyone per se, and that we want to help out.

Min: I also advised him to speak to Dr. Cossack about the situation to see if he can't convince him to stop being so stubborn.

Des: Well, if anyone can convince him, it's probably Dr. White...he seems to really care about him.

Des: Hell, the guy was ready to tear my face off when I arrested him. >>;; Him and his kids.

Des: It was really startling, you'd think someone that soft-spoken wouldn't have any sort of temper but...I guess 'never judge a book by it's cover' comes into play here.

Min: Well, every man has his breaking point. You'd be surprised how much of a temper the quieter students can have when pressed. I think for now, though, he won't be as hostile to you. If only because he has more pressing needs to focus on.

Des: Hmm. You're right, as usual.

Des: Alright then...now that that's out of the way...

Des: I think Dr. Sanda's daughter was going to give us details of the accommodations and such. Gotta say, as much as the conditions are right now--they're really good hosts.

Des: << Though Seven won't stop giving me the stink eye.

Min: -Amused grin at this- Well, he has been gracious enough to me, for now. I'll see if I can't speak on your behalf the next time we have a chance for conversation.

[Her smile fades, and she looks thoughtful.]

Min: I should like to see DLN-000, but I know the lab is quite crowded right now. That will have to wait until later.

[She shakes her head.]

Min: Well, we'd best go speak to Ms. Sanda, and then I need to talk with Aviator. The news of us coming here even temporarily will be slightly sensational if we don't handle it properly, and he'd know best which of the local stations can be trusted to handle the story.

Des: ...Right...

Des: >>;; Although I'm not too fond of the idea of Six hogging you and I for an 'exclusive' interview. We probably need to break it gently to him that we have work to do--

[She laughs at this.]

Min: We have plenty of leverage when it comes to that. Plenty of things to do and say later. He'll have a month's worth of stories within a few days—so be on your best behavior.~

Des: -Snorts- Yes, Mrs. Morandi.

Min: Lead the way, then. -Amused- Let's get things moving.

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

FIGHT! Enigma Vs Masa!

MASAMUNE VS ENIGMA

Intro Quote(Versus): …So it begins. Stay in the present, or pay the price, Time Lord.

Intro Quote(Team Up): Hmph. It is one thing for the likes of them to defy the whims of fate and tides of time, but this approaches borderline stupidity.

Taunt: Stop daydreaming about the realities where you’re winning this fight and start making an effort in THIS one.

Special Attack: {At high enough speeds, time is relative!}

Assist: Lay out the dotted line.

Ultimate Attack: {Your thread is about to get shorter!} ((Referring to the classic Greek literature regarding the thread of life, subjected to the shears Atropos used to seal the ultimate fate of mortals.))

Ultimate Team Attack: {Seal off their escape!}

Win Quote(Versus): {An honorable fight. I am certain your father will be proud.}

Win Quote(Team Up): {You fought well. We’d best leave this place before the others start pestering…}

Lose Quote(Versus): Ha…. {It would seem… I cannot fight fate…}

Lose Quote(Team Up): -Suspicious squint- … ((…Heh, he’d be cynically wondering whether it was “supposed” to happen this way, and what the implications of that would be))

Knock Out Quote(Team Up Self): Gh…! Go—! {You must carry this to the conclusion!}

Knock Out Quote(Team Up Partner): {How is this possible?!}

---

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

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

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

---

=CHAPTER 9C: HAZY SUSPICION=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

{Several Hours Later…}

[Mikhail sat back with a sigh.]

Mikhail: {Finally, I’m done…}

[Coding the summary condenser had taken longer than he would have liked. However, it seemed to be working—he couldn’t say for sure until Felix came in with the temporary power core.]

Mikhail: -Stands, taking off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose- Ugh… {I hope he comes soon, or at least calls—}

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Doctor, there is a call on our emergency line–

Mikhail: ({Perfect timing!}) -Interrupts- Patch him through, Call.

[He stood, gathering up his supplies with his back to the monitor.

Jack, meanwhile, was helping around with minor chores, like sweeping up after the good Doctor—he briefly flicked his gaze to the monitor when he heard Mikhail accepting the call, and…]

Jack: …..

Jack: Doc?

Jack: Why is the CherryDyn logo on the big screen…?

Mikhail: What?

[He turns around just in time for the call to come through.

He was immediately disappointed. Rather than a message from Felix in the Meadow, it appeared to be from none other than CherryDyn’s chief executive officer.

His expression quickly changed to being cross.]

Mikhail: {Computer, end call!}

[The call shut off before the man on the other line could even say a word.]

Jack: –Dude–I mean, Doc–

Jack: That was Gregory Graham–

Mikhail: -Crossly- I don’t have time to deal with CherryDyn and their dragons. Things are bad enough as it is without him making them worse.

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Attention–we are once again receiving an urgent call from CherryDynamics.

Mikhail: =___=“ -Frustrated- -Motions for Jack to move out of sight- Put him through.

Jack: (…This cannot be good.)

[As Jack quietly makes himself scarce, the CherryDyn logo once again fills the main monitor for a few seconds, before cutting to a man in a sharply dresses purple business suit, bright violet eyes, and neatly combed blond hair–save for one strand that seemed to stick out rather largely.

Needless to say, Gregory Graham looked less than pleased.]

Graham: You don’t just hang up on an emergency line, you know.

Graham: And who are YOU supposed to be–I would think that Sanda would be more aware of who was handling his feeds!

Graham: Where is he?

Mikhail: Doctor Sanda is currently otherwise engaged.

Graham: Tch.

Graham: (The nerve of this…)

Graham: I demand to speak with him. This is an urgent matter that I MUST discuss with someone that, at the very least, can provide some actual assistance.

[Mikhail listened quietly as Gregory Graham began to rant. The lights of the lab gave his glasses a sinister glare.]

Mikhail: …

Graham: Did you not hear me?

Graham: Stop muddling around and go GET him!

Mikhail: …Hmm.

Mikhail: No.

[The screen blipped back to a screensaver as he hung up a second time.]

Jack: (Oh my God–)

Jack: -Whispers, even though the call is not active- Doc, I don’t think this is a good idea—

Mikhail: -Still honestly doesn’t care- I have worse things than him to worry about. -Sits down, pulling over a notepad- He honestly doesn’t scare me, not in the slightest.

Jack: But—

[The door to the lab suddenly lurches open, revealing Soichiro walking inside with a breakfast bagel in his hand. Either he was still in the process of waking up or he didn’t exactly care for the lab rules at this point either.]

Soi: -Yawn- But what…?

Soi: I heard talking… was someone calling us? Who was it?

[Mikhail was at a counter, writing out a note by now.]

Mikhail: -Without looking up- No one important.

Soi: Oh–

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Doctor, we are receiving another urgent call from CherryDynamics.

Soi: ….

Soi: …

Soi: -Whirls around- No one important?!

Mikhail: -Grumbles- {The man is a liar and worse, so no, not worth our time.}

[He seemed more engaged in his note writing than anything else.]

Soi: For Tyson’s sake, Mikhail, I KNOW, but he’s still–d'oh, never mind–!

Soi: Patch it through, Call– -Tosses bagel at Jack- And make sure the others don’t hear this–

[CALL] //: Yes, Doctor.

[The line fizzes once again.]

Graham: Sanda–Sanda?!

Graham: Ah, Sanda–thank goodness. Greg Graham here.

Soi: -Ahem-

Soi: Mr. Graham. What a…  pleasant… surprise… to hear from you…

Graham: Drop the act, Sanda.

Soi: –….

Graham: You don’t like me and I do not like you–we can at least agree on that much.

Soi: (No kidding.)

Graham: You need to get a better handle on your interns. The nerve of that one…

Soi: (Cripes, Mikhail…)

[Mikhail tuned them out. While Sanda attempted to calm Gregory down, the Russian Doctor stepped aside out of sight and walked over to Jack. He had the note in his hand—and an amulet.]

Mikhail: Jack Parker?

Jack: –?

Jack: Y–Yeah, Doc? What is it?

Mikhail: You mean, why are we being called? I’m not entirely sure myself. But I am fairly certain about one thing.

[He glanced back at the door to the lab with a faint grimace.]

Mikhail: …

[He returned his attention to Jack.]

Mikhail: You won’t want to remain around here for much longer. The Secretary of Defense is in the building.

Jack: … ….

Jack: Fraggin’ hell…

[Mikhail holds up a hand as if to stop him from letting panic build any further.]

Mikhail: He doesn’t know you’re here. There are no records of you entering, since you came by the teleporters.

[He handed over the amulet.]

Mikhail: This is a teleportation amulet. It will take you directly to the Meadow.

Jack: !

Jack: (…He wants me to leave before…)

Mikhail: Once you get there, there are a few things I need for you to do.

[He handed over the note.]

Mikhail: I’ve written them all down in here. Just follow the instructions, and tell Felix to leave the swords behind, if you see him.

Jack: ….

[Jack glances down at the note, giving it a quick read–and confusion fills his face.

There were instructions to see to Kalinka, and to start up the database—to send over one singular set of files for printing, and then to cut the communication off again.]

Jack: But, Doc—

Mikhail: It will make more sense once you get there. Just… please do this for me, alright? It’s very important. For Tobias, for Cardinal, for you—

[By now, the conversation was once again getting louder.]

Mikhail: …You should go.

Jack: ….. (I shouldn’t leave the Doc like this, but…)

Jack: (I can’t help from behind a cell, or worse.)

Jack: Okay.

Jack: …Good luck, Doc.

[Jack looks reluctant as he dons the amulet.]

Jack: Tell the Xel kid I said bye for now or something.

Mikhail: I will. I’m sure you’ll get the chance to speak soon enough. -Frowns, looking in the direction of the yelling- Stay safe.

[Pressing the center of the amulet transported Jack away to safety in the characteristic swirl of 0s and 1s associated with the Ambassador’s magic. Mikhail stepped back into view of the screen, his expression becoming sullen again.]

[To his annoyance, Gregory Graham clearly still hadn’t reached a point, and was still complaining, not even letting Sanda get much of a word in.

Seeing his friend and colleague treated such a way after all they had been through was starting to make the Russian feel exceedingly nasty—it wore right past his submissive baggage of the past and to his protective, fatherly nature.

There’s a saying that applies to people when they’re frustrated, and it was oh so apt for him—

Don’t poke the bear.]

[Mikhail sighed and walked over to the console again. He looked very annoyed.]

Mikhail: If all you’re going to do is insult people, then you can do it on your own time. We have more important things to attend to.

Graham: Grr–

Graham: This doesn’t concern you! What is this upstart even doing in this room, Sanda, I don’t even see any staff identification on him!

Graham: I doubt you even know the gravity of the situation–

[Mikhail slammed a newspaper right into the screen.]

[His glasses slid slightly, causing the glare to leave to reveal an even fiercer glare beneath them.]

Mikhail: On the contrary, Graham—I know a great deal more than you think. You want gravity? You want to play serious? Fine—try THIS on for size. I know you are ultimately behind all of this, and someday I will prove it. Do you understand me?

Graham: Excuse me?!

Soi: (Baaaah, I can’t handle this anymore–)

Soi: (I’ve got to get Will–!)

[Mikhail slapped the newspaper down, paying no attention as Sanda hurried out of view to find Will.]

Mikhail: Do everyone a favor and go away. We have more important things to deal with than your mind-boggling incompetence.

[He ends the call abruptly.]

[MEANWHILE, WILL’S OFFICE.]

Soi: WILL–!

[Soi knocked on Will’s office door as hard as he could, until the Doctor abruptly opened it with a panicked whisper–]

Will: Shhht–!

Will: Do you WANT to let Mr. Donald know I’m here–Hey–!

[Sanda didn’t waste time pushing Will inside, locking the door behind him.]

Will: Soi–?

Soi: Will–

Soi: Graham is on our emergency line.

Will: –!?!?

Will: Wh–What…?

Soi: Will–

Soi: Mikhail is dealing with him right now, but I don’t think they’re–

Will: YOU LEFT MIKHAIL ALONE WITH GRAHAM?!

Soi: He just–sort of–uh.

Soi: (…Oh dear–)

Will: Nononono–

[Will paces around the room in a clear panic, biting his nails and holding onto his hair with a grip that threatened to tear a good chuck of it off.]

Will: (Why why why, why is HE calling, why did Mikhail have to answer, why is this HAPPENING AGAIN–)

Will: Soi–

Will: Wh–What if he–?!

Soi: No, Will–

Soi: G-Graham hasn’t mentioned you yet–and all Mikhail is doing is scolding and hanging up on him, at best…

Soi: I…It’s kind of getting worse, though, and–I…I don’t think I can handle it, Will, I’m sorry–

Soi: He–he listens to you, Will, so–m-maybe–

Will: NO!

[Soi is taken aback at Will’s sudden outburst, full of fear and guilt–]

Will: I can’t–

Will: I can’t ever face Graham again, Soi, you know that–!

Will: I don’t…

Will: I…

[……]

Will: I don’t trust myself.

Will: I don’t…I don’t have the strength t-to…

[Will shakes–his entire body is shivering as he sits on the ground, one hand covering his face.]

Will: A-All this time…

Will: I…I thought…

Will: I thought that part of my life was over and DONE with, Soi…

Will: Why–Why is it happening again–?

Soi: Will…

Will: What if he…

Will: What if he recognizes me?

Will: Right there, in the open, where Mikhail is?

Will: What if my façade is not GOOD enough?

Will: …What if I’m not good enough?

Soi: Will–

Soi: Come on, Will.

Soi: You even fooled me, at first.

Soi: And I’m sure I’m at least twice as smart as Graham ever will be.

Will: —….

Soi: ….

Soi: Listen, Will…

Soi: I…I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now. I mean, I can, but…

Soi: …I haven’t been through what you have. Not then…

Soi: But…

Soi: I’m your friend, remember?

Soi: No matter what happens.

Soi: And no matter what the world thinks.

Soi: I’ll always be in your corner.

Soi: And that’s a fact.

Will: ….

Soi: Whatever we have to face…

Soi: We’re doing it together.

Soi: I know you…

Soi: The REAL you.

Soi: Better than anyone else.

Soi: So believe me when I say that you are good enough, Will!

Soi: If you can fool me, and the entire world…

Soi: Then you can fool someone like Graham.

Soi: And…

Will: ….

Will: But what about Mikhail?

Will: And my own children?

Soi: …..

Soi: Mikhail’s been working non-stop trying to fix Cardinal, and the Mighties are all asleep.

Soi: We… we can worry about them later. (Assuming Mikhail survives this, even…. Oof…)

Soi: Right now…

Soi: Right now, I…

Soi: We need you, Will.

Will: …

Soi: I promise–

Soi: The second things go south, I’ll cover for you.

Soi: And we have the Meadow, if we need to run.

Soi: I promised I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, remember?

Will: …..

Will: Yes…

Will: I…remember…

Will: All those years ago…

Soi: Hmm-Hmm.

Soi: I know things seem bad, but…

Soi: Nothing is ever going to hurt you like that again, Will, I’m going to make sure of that–!

Soi: So don’t you worry about a thing, okay? ^^ Mikhail and I got your back.

———————

Mikhail: Just… stay strong, alright? We’ll make it through this. I promised you that, remember?

Mikhail: I intend to keep to that.

———————

Will: ……

Will: …

-*-*-*-*-

Mikhail: I’m sorry, Will…

Mikhail: It was for good reason, and I’m prepared to pay the price for it.

[…]

Mikhail: Between everyone’s efforts, we all made it out alive—and that is all I could have hoped for, so…

Mikhail: I am willing to pay.

[…]

Mikhail: Such… such an action is…

Mikhail: …not something easily forgiven.

Mikhail: …I must… I have to answer for this, sooner or later. It’s the right thing to do.

Mikhail: I’m sorry, William…

Mikhail: After all this time, after all you’ve done for me… I’ve gone and done something terrible, something that places you in danger.

Mikhail: I certainly won’t let anyone put that onto you.

Mikhail: -Places a hand to Will’s face- You’re like a cousin, or… or even brother to me. And I know this is hard enough on you as it is.

[…]

Mikhail: But you…

Mikhail: You’ve been doing such good work, you… you’re already under enough stress as it is… you should definitely not be hounded by the things I’ve done using your equipment. The things my nephews have done throughout this whole mess…

-*-*-*-*-

Soi: Where would you be without me, eh?

Soi: Up the creek with no paddle, that’s what! ^^

-*-*-*-*-

Will: ……

Soi: –…Um. W-Will?

Soi: (He’s not moving…Oh, God, did he pass out from fright–?!)

Will: No.

Soi: –?

Will: No…

Will: N-No more running…

Will: I…

Will: I can’t stand this anymore.

Soi: Will–?

Will: Watching you and Mikhail take so much for my sake when…

Will: Standing up FOR me…

Will: I…

Will: I can’t watch you do that for me, Soi.

Will: I can’t–it…hurts.

Will: Because YOU don’t deserve that, and neither does Mikhail–!

[There’s a strange, sharp edge to Will’s voice, one that doesn’t quite belong in his tone, yet it oddly fits…rather unnervingly.

And it’s all too familiar to Soi.]

Soi: –!

Will: You…you and Mikhail…

Will: You’ve given up so much for my sake…

Will: It’s…

Will: Unfair.

Will: I can’t do this anymore.

Will: I can’t watch both of you take blows just because I cannot.

Will: I…

[He stands.]

[There is a familiar fire in Will’s eyes, one that Soi hadn’t seen in…]

Will: I can’t let that…that wretched excuse of a human being hurt anyone like HE hurt ME–!

Soi: !

Soi: (You…?)

Will: I can’t run from this anymore…

Will: I might as well start now rather than never.

[Will’s voice drops to a growl.]

Will: Starting with Greg.

Soi: ……

[Soi seems kind of…bewildered, for a moment.]

Soi: ….

Soi: Eheh…

[But then he begins to laugh a little.]

Soi: Ooof…

Soi: I forgot how scary you can be when you get like that…

Soi: Jeez…

Will: –…..

Will: I…

[Once Soi said that, all traces of darkness left Will’s gaze, replaced with a sheepish uncertainty.]

Will: I–I’m sorry–

Will: I…didn’t mean to lose it like–

Soi: -Laughs-

Soi: Aw, it’s okay. At this rate, I almost feel sorry for Graham!

Soi: ….

Soi: Almost. ^^

Soi: Heh.

Soi: I’m proud of ya, Will.

Will: –…

Soi: Now, uh…

Soi: We should probably get back before Mikhail sends one of his kids after him or…something…

Soi: Unless you need a–

Will: No.

[Will straightens out his hair and his lab coat, taking a few deep breathes.]

[This would be the first he’s faced Graham in…not enough time.]

Will: ….

Will: I’m ready.

Soi: Good!

Soi: I’m right behind you. ^^

Will: Heh…

{Soon…}

[As Soi and Will bustled into the lab, they could hear what was clearly the tail end of a conversation.]

“Learn to take responsibility for your actions.”

[Mikhail wasn’t even looking at the screen, instead checking stuff off a clipboard.]

Mikhail: Listen to a word of advice from a SCIENTIST, Graham—do NOT experiment with things you cannot personally control. This is your fault.

Graham: My fault?!

Graham: You think I would put this great country of ours at risk like this?! You listen here, you idiotic–

Mikhail: Not interested.

BLIP!

Soi: (….Whoa. How many times has he done that now?)

Will: …..

Will: (You haven’t changed at all, have you.)

Will: What is going on?

Mikhail: -Dryly- I’m still waiting for Felix to call back, but the line appears to be busy.

Will: …But…Soi told me that CherryDyn is calling–?

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Correct, Doctor. CherryDyn’s CEO Gregory Graham is calling our emergency once again as we speak.

Mikhail: Tcheh.

[He walks over to wait by a printer.]

Will: Mr. Graham?

Will: What could he possibly want from us?

Mikhail: Good question. He keeps being very vague. I fear his screeching may break the delicate instruments here if he keeps jumping pitch.

Will: …..

[That gets Will to lighten up a little, hiding his smile behind his fingers.]

Will: Was he really screeching?

Soi: You have no idea.

Will: Heh.

Will: I see.

Mikhail: Do you mind if I use the printer?

Will: Oh, not at all, Mikhail.

Will: -Ahem-

[Will smile fades off after a moment, though, and he squares his shoulders back, his body facing away from the screen.]

Will: Unfortunately, I doubt Mr. Graham will give up so easily.

Soi: Oof…Yeah…

Soi: Um, I–

Will: Don’t bother, Soichiro.

Will: Allow me to handle him.

[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]

[Call once again patches the line though, but Will doesn’t even turn around.]

Graham: Bah, finally–

Graham: Sanda, If this call cuts off one more time, I’ll–

Will: No need.

Graham: –?

[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]

[Will’s voice is….]

[…Unusually pleasant, yet with a hard undertone to it. As if he was restraining something.]

Will: Good day, Mr. Graham.

Will: I’m ever so terribly sorry for all that. Right, Dr. Sanda?

Soi: –! Oh, yes! Sorry, it’s just been… so stressful as of late, some of our staff’s been, uh… moody.

[Mikhail has to smile a little at that from his position near the printer. He uses sign language to speak in Russian.]

Mikhail: “{‘Moody’ is certainly one way to put it. A TRUE bear could hardly be more ready to bite the man’s head off.}”

[It nearly takes all of the Doctors’ willpower to keep from snorting at that.]

[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]

Graham: Tch.

Graham: At least SOMEONE has some decent manners.

Will: (Ha. That is funny coming from you, you monster.)

Will: Again, I do ever so apologize.

Will: What seems to be the problem, Mr. Graham?

[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]

Graham: More like crisis.

Graham: It’s our factory.

Graham: It’s out of control!

Graham: It’s cranking out hostile, infected robots and we can’t STOP IT!

Will: …..

Soi: W-What?

Will: (And you didn’t mention that the very first thing.)

Will: (How strange.)

Will: Hmm.

Will: That doesn’t sound good.

Graham: You THINK?!

Mikhail: -Narrows his eyes- …

Will: If I recall, CherryDyn’s factory’s are all mostly automated, yes?

[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]

Will: If that’s the case, I’m afraid your own servers might be affected with the virus as well.

Graham: I KNOW that!

Graham: Our security measures have all failed! Every Xel-Robot in the building has gone insane, and to top it all off, they’ve blocked all the exits in the building!

Mikhail: -Snorts at this- “{Those measures were never very good to begin with, if what happened in April is anything to go by.}”

Will: ….

Soi: So… you’re trapped?

Graham: All of my staff and YES, myself as well!

Graham: Our HQ’s been locked down, but if you and the Mighty Numbers do not hurry–

Graham: Those infected robots will FLOOD the city, and the rest of the United States!

Will: …..

Mikhail: ({A bit late to cry wolf.})

Mikhail: -Russian- {Is there ANY other option? The children are asleep, they NEED rest.}

Soi: {Well…I…I don’t think so. CherryDyn’s robots are mostly flimsy compared to ours–No offense to you know who, of course–but a whole army—}

Will: Call.

Will: Confirm this.

Graham: Wha–!

Mikhail: -Pinches the bridge of his nose- {Gah… if only I weren’t in—…} …

Mikhail: (I can wake up the Rebel Angels, but not my own sons…)

Mikhail: (Once they hear about what I’m going through, they’ll go RIGHT into Defense mode…)

Graham: Are you even LISTENING–

[CALL] //: Confirming…

[PING!]

[CALL] //: Confirmed. Defective CherryDyn robots are rampaging throughout the city, coming from one local source based on local reports.

Will: (So you aren’t lying.)

Mikhail: —! {Wait—flimsy, right?}

[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]

Soi: {Yes–don’t get me wrong, some of them are a pain to deal with, but Beck got through them no problem!}

Soi: {In sheer numbers, however, they’ll cause enormous amounts of destruction…}

Mikhail: -Turns to face him- {More or less destruction than those using explosives to stop them?}

Soi: {I honestly do not know.}

Soi: {CherryDyn is the world’s–the WORLD’S, Mikhail, top robot manufacturer. If this is already in their servers, who knows how long before it spreads off the country?}

Mikhail: {Dammit.}

Mikhail: {Ugh… very well then…}

Mikhail: {You might consider calling the Second Generation.}

Soi: !

Graham: -Annoyed- What are you two nattering on about—

Mikhail: -Dryly- Business.

[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]

Will: …Mm.

Will: Well, this is a predicament…

Mikhail: Will—

Mikhail: {Jaden and Carlos together can truly handle themselves.}

Mikhail: {They’ll be awake by now. The only reason it hasn’t shown up is because I disconnected the servers.}

Mikhail: {This… this is the sort of thing they were made for, you know. To cause destruction. To channel that in a positive way…}

Mikhail: {It would really help the stress they’re going through right now.}

Mikhail: {Please at least consider? Your sons and daughters are so… tired…}

[The poor man looked exhausted himself.]

Will: …..

[Will doesn’t quite answer back, but he nods, as if to acknowledge it.]

Will: Mr. Graham.

Will: Do you not have any countermeasures yourself?

Graham: Did I NOT just say–

Will: It’s just a little odd to me.

Will: Surely, you know how tiring this has been on everyone.

Will: Did you not say yourself that you and your company would be doing EVERYTHING they can to help with the situation at large?

Graham: I–

Will: Yet…

Will: We seem to be doing all of the legwork, so to speak.

Will: Is there a reason for that?

Mikhail: {Excuse, you mean?}

[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]

Graham: How dare you—

Graham: We’ve been doing all we can to help CONTAIN the virus from spreading to our other servers!

Graham: We’re not just twiddling our thumbs here!

Will: I see.

Will: I suppose I should thank you, then.

Will: In any case…

Will: I suppose there is no choice. Lives are in danger.

Graham: Finally, you get it—

Will: However…

Will: I ask that you do not disturb us after this.

Will: My children are quite tired.

[Will’s hands ball up into fists.]

Will: And I will not have anyone asking for any more favors like this. For a long time.

Mikhail: {Good for you, Will!} -Clearly quite pleased-

Soi: Eheh…Er. Yes. We all need a…a break, eheh!

Graham: …..

[The CEO narrows his eyes at Will’s form for a moment.]

Graham: So you’re William Apollo White.

Will: Correct.

Will: And you’d do well to remember that name.

[Graham looks over at Mikhail again with derision.]

Graham: And him?

Will: He’s going to chew off your DAMN head off if you don’t MIND yourself!

Soi: –! Will…

Graham: (What the…)

Mikhail: -Grabs a file folder to put his notes in- A question, Graham, if you would.

Mikhail: The virus broke out over a week ago.

Mikhail: Why is this only now becoming a problem? Did something happen that changed things?

[He sounded genuinely curious.]

Will: That’s a rather good question.

Graham: (I can’t believe this–)

Graham: We’ve been TRYING to contain the virus all this time, like I have said.

Graham: At first, we stopped it from spreading to our factory branch–until now, that is.

Graham: We only had so many left in our Tech department after the virus struck.

Mikhail: (So it CAN be manually combated on Xel-based coded servers… that’s important information.)

Will: (Nggg….You don’t care, you don’t care–)

Soi: Ah– (Oh, man–)

Soi: E-Er, we’ll send help right away, Mr. Graham! Yes, we’ll do that, don’t you worry–

Soi: Right, Will–?

Will: …Yes, of course.

Will: …

Will: One more question, if you would.

Graham: -Exasperated- I do not have time to play 20 questions, White–

Will: What makes you so sure Dr. Blackwell is behind all this?

Mikhail: -Freezes- …

[He clutched the printed notes in his hand. His hands were shaking as he simmered in anger. He seemed… hurt.]

((Pic—Doctors & Greg))

Mikhail: (Will…)

[His expression became cold as he forced this anger inward, leaving his face as untelling as stone.]

Mikhail: (William…)

Mikhail: (Why!?)

Mikhail: (I told you, I…)

Mikhail: (I thought I TOLD you, twice—we talked about this, PLEASE, you—)

[His mind was drawn back into a deep memory…]

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“You can end this, Doctor! Just surrender!”

[Mikhail looked down at the blue robot from his position in the Mecha. He spoke hotly, his voice thick with despair.]

Mikhail: That has never been an option, MegaMan! You are wasting your time!

[The combat robot fired.

The blast was powerful—the force from the blow was enough to unsteady him, and he lurched—]

((Pic—Mikhail captive (flashback) ))

[There was a harsh rattle noise from a chain that was shackled to his ankle and bolted to the floor of the construct.]

Mikhail: -Hisses- {Dammit!}

“I’m being serious! It doesn’t have to end in violence!”

Mikhail: {You… Rock, how dare you, you miserably sheltered boy…}

[He spoke in a private monologue, growling as he clawed his way back to the controls.]

Mikhail: {If there is even a slight chance for her to survive, I must END all that is you…!}

[He lashed out verbally and physically, crying out in emotional suffering.]

Mikhail: You, of ALL people, would say such a thing?! You killed your own brothers, Rock, when they only wanted your help! You could have avoided all of this if you just hadn’t killed his sons!

“What… what are you talking about?! What does that have to do—”

Mikhail: {ENOUGH!}

[The fight continued, more intensely.]

“You made your point, sir! The whole world now knows of your genius! Now just stop before you get yourself hurt!”

Mikhail: You cannot end this, boy! You don’t even have the slightest idea of what I fight for—you are not going to be able to turn me aside, for you have chosen to see it through this way to an end!

[Suddenly, PAIN.]

[His head hurt SO bad, he could feel glass shards embedded in his arms, the sick smell of burning electronics made him want to get ill—]

Mikhail: ({Get up… move, you forsaken bastard, Mikhail— get UP and FIGHT until your bioreadings are gone, you have to save her…})

[He staggered back to the console, ignoring the stinging pain all over his upper body.

The American combat construct seemed happy, confident that the fight was over.]

Mikhail: ({Idiot. You let your guard down.})

WHANG!

[His opponent was knocked back against the wall by the force of the attack, stunned ever so briefly.]

“Wha…”

[Mikhail brought the mecha down hard in an attempt to crush him, but it failed. And even worse—moving the damaged parts of the mecha was causing the electrical fire to spread. It was growing UNBEARABLY hot in the cockpit.]

“Doctor! What are you doing?!”

[No response but another attack—but his prey rolled aside and fired again, trying to immobilize him.]

“Are you insane?! A few more hits and your cockpit will be on fire! Surrender, already!”

Mikhail: YOU CANNOT TURN ME ASIDE! (I will get her back or DIE trying!)

“Doctor, /please/! What you’re doing is causing more trouble than you realize—”

[He interrupted via another attack. Mega was getting fed up and losing patience, however, and began to go at the motors.]

“There are too many lives at stake, Mikhail! Don’t make yours one of them!”

[The floor suddenly gave way, while at the same time, a massive force slammed him into the back of the cabin. The NOISE as the mecha crashed to the ground was deafening, and everything hurt so bad…!]

[Anything that wasn’t screaming in alarms at the damage readings was on fire, or broken.]

Mikhail: (N… nngh…!) -Coughing through haggard breaths- (I can’t…)

[…]

Mikhail: (…The weapons… they’re still… Online…)

Mikhail: …

[He screamed in pain as he thrust his hands through the fire, grabbing at the weapon controls and fired—!]

“Are you kidding me?!”

Mikhail: -Coughing more than breathing now- ({Damn it… the smoke is…!})

[A yelp of alarm.]

“Your cockpit is on fire! Get out of there!”

Mikhail: ({Not… not much time!})

[The cannon turned again, blasting and taking out a chunk of Mega’s shoulder.]

“P…please…”

[Fire… everything was fire…

He uses the last of the strength he has to hit the weapon controls again, but—

Overcome by the smoke, the heat, the dozens of open wounds, jagged from glass shards—

Everything went dark.]

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

[Will didn’t seem to be faring so well either, and if he did notice, he certainly didn’t let it stop him. His emerald eyes flared with what could only be described as burning hatred.]

Will: You first claimed that he was the cause of all of this.

Will: And then you wasted no time claiming that Dr. Sanda and myself were his cohorts.

Will: Why.

Will: I want to know why you did that.

Will: Why you’re so keen on shifting the blame to everyone but y o u r s e l f.

Graham: You–! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!

Graham: It’s OBVIOUS! That–that smelly old FART is out for REVENGE! Not only is the Blackwell name PROOF ENOUGH–

Graham: He’s outright INSANE, and nothing SHORT of a complete MONSTER! Now stop asking STUPID questions and SEND HELP!

[That was the last straw.]

Mikhail: (You…)

Mikhail: -Visibly grits his teeth-

Mikhail: (How DARE you.)

Mikhail: (You would MOCK that kind of SUFFERING!?)

Mikhail: (Will I can overlook, but YOU…)

Mikhail: (You MISERABLE bastard…)

Mikhail: (I wish I had let Tobias FRY your damn servers after slashing my way into them myself!)

[Mikhail abruptly put the call on mute from his location.]

Will: –!

Soi: (Oh no–)

Mikhail: Let me tell you something, Mr. Graham.

[He turned to face the terminal. The way he held his glasses against his face made him look incredibly sinister—a presence which was only amplified by his frightfully calm tone.]

Mikhail: When a genius suddenly loses it and makes the world burn, there is always something…

[He looked up.]

Mikhail: Or someONE…

Mikhail: … that pushed them there.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

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.]

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Will: …….

Mikhail: You are very fortunate that William is a man of incredible integrity with a hero for a son, or else you might have more than Doctor Blackwell to worry about.

Mikhail: (I only kept back from the temptation of RIPPING the dark veil he’s kept that hides the TOXIC corruption that the Angels and I know to be there…)

Mikhail: (…out of respect and protection of YOU, WILL!)

Mikhail: Assuming you aren’t lying— again.

Soi: O~O;;;;;

Soi: (Jeez, I…It’s like looking into a mirror…)

[Mikhail leaned forward, looking over his glasses in waaaaaaay too calm a manner.]

Mikhail: You will address the Doctor— ALL the Doctors, but ESPECIALLY William—

Mikhail: —in a POLITE manner from here on out…

Mikhail:  …or you will discover how unpleasant a Russian can be to a rude American.

Mikhail: Good day.

[BLIP!]

Will: … .

Soi: ……

[Mikhail turned to face Will.]

Mikhail: It’s up to you whether you want to get middled in with his mess, and whatever trouble he wants us to drag him out of.

Will: …..

Will: Right.

Will: (Ngh...that was my fault, I...I needed to ask, but I didn't mean to push him over the edge like that...)

Will: (Mikhail, I...)

Will: (I just needed...to know...)

Will: ….

Will: Mikhail?

Mikhail: -Walking over to the door- I’m listening.

Will: …..

Will: I’m sorry.

Will: >>

Will: Please remind me to never get on your bad side again.

Soi: -… Quiet snort-

Mikhail: -Snorts-

Mikhail: I just can’t stand the topic Will, I’m not going to lie about that.

Mikhail: Blackwell is only a darker variation of me, the man I could have been.

Mikhail: -Places the file folder into a plastic tub near the door- I have never forgotten that. And I never will.

Mikhail: So. I’m leaving before I risk the temptation of doing something that will only make my situation even worse.  =_______=

[He shuts the door loudly on his way out.]

<<—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 3C: VOLTAIC DYNATRON=

~AO v1.0~

(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)

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[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."

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=CHAPTER 3D: VOLTAIC DYNATRON=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

[MEANWHILE…]

“… …..”

“… … … … ….”

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

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

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

“….I had anticipated that.”

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

“… ….”

“….ha.”

“You….Will…ha…”

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

“… … …”

“You’ve… changed.”

“… ….”

“… … … … … …”

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

“Aha…ha….”

“… … … …”

“… … … … … …”

“… … … … … … … ….”

“help me.”

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