=CHAPTER 2B: BEYOND THE WATERY VORTEX=

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

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<FMN-008>: > -GWARGH-

<FMN-008>: > RICK YA DANG BIPLANE, AH’ SWEAR AH’LL SWISS CHEESE YER PROPELLORS—

🎼 Avi

[ VI ] - “JINGLE BELL, JINGLE BELL, JINGLE BELL ROOOOCK–~”The screeching sounds that came from the plane bot could barely register as singing, but sing he did regardless. Complete with jester hat. Avi, you glorious goofball.

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=CHAPTER 10B: SNEAK INTO THE PRISON=

~AO v1.0~

((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))

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

{LATER…}

[CHERRYDYNAMIC HQ BUILDING - FACTORY COMPLEX, FRONT PARKING LOT...]

[MISSION DETAILS: INFECTED CDN MODELS ARE BEING CONSTRUCTED BY CHERRYDYNAMICS'S CALIFORNIA ROBOT MANUFACTURING FACTORY AT AN ALARMING RATE. THE FACTORY'S PRIMARY M.O.M UNIT ALSO REPORTED TO BE INFECTED.]

[MISSION OBJECTIVES: ESCORT DR. WILLIAM WHITE TO THE PRIMARY M.O.M UNIT IN ORDER TO SHUT DOWN AND REGAIN CONTROL OF THE ROBOT FACTORY. ELIMINATE ANY INFECTED HOSTILE CDN MODELS WITHIN THE VICINITY. DESTROY THE FACTORY'S ROBOT MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT IF NECESSARY.]

[SUB-OBJECTIVES: ENSURE PERSONAL SAFETY OF DWN-012 AND DWN-013, MINIMIZE RMDC IMPACT.]

((music))

Systems Ready?

GO!

[After Beck had fully materialized, the familiar sounds of chaos in the city had once again touched his ears, now in a more dire state than before--even way back when he and his father had to make it back to Sanda Tech, it wasn't this bad...]

[MN.6] //: Yoooo, check one two, testing! This is your mission control requesting a mandatory sound off!

[Avi chimed in as soon as he felt Beck's signal nearby.]

Will: Ah.

[William White was currently looking over a holoscreen projected by one of Avi's cameras--it seems he already had visual of the inside.]

[...His grip tightened on the glowing Xel Rapier in his left hand.]

Will: (...It's even worse than I imagined...)

[MN.6] //: Teeeeeam One, what's your status?

[MN.1] //: One here. We're at the front entrance. It's been blown open, alright. Lots of hostile CDNs...They're almost crowding where the doors were.

[MN.5] //: Five reading ya loud and clear. Armed and ready for battle!

<DWN-013>: >Just to restate the obvious, but this is very important—

<DWN-013>: >These are just AIs, not AI&As, right?

[MN.6] //: Yuppers, just your average cookie-cutter AIs, like drones. It's mainly an Industrial Factory, not something like where ya-know-who came from.

<DWN-013>: > Good.

[…

…A priming noise could be heard.]

<DWN-013 has entered Active Combat mode.>

[For Avi, there seemed to be an echo of sorts…]

“Crashman paces back and forth Inside walls reinforced Crash bombs mounted to his arms Locked… loaded… ready… armed…”

[MN.6] //: -....miiiiildly creeped out-

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

[MN.6] //: Huh? Oh, right, not done yet--

[MN.1] //: ... (Not what I was going to ask...)

[MN.6] //: Teeeeeam Two! You guys ready?

[MN.2] //: BRO I WAS MADE READY, I SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT POPCORN FOR THESE FIREWORKS--

[MN.1] //: -Snorts-

<DWN-013>: > … -You sure you’re up for doing this, MNN-008, you just woke up a few hours ago— -

[MN.8] //: I'm fahn, Jaden.

[MN.8] //: -Got a score t' with CherryDyn anyway and Ah' ain't gonna spend it layin' down--

[MN.3] //: Ugh, don't be zzzso dramatic, Shadebro. -Bzzzzt- You're just mad you haven't gotten enough beauty zzsleep.

[MN.8] //: -Pyro wai did Ah' get stuck with the girls again-

[MN.1] //: The three of you can cause more wide spread damage together. You'll be picking off anyone too stubborn, Shade.

[MN.8] //: -Mgh, fair enough, Ah' guess.-

[MN.3] //: Anyway, we're waiting on your zzzsignal, fire bro.~ Just zzsay the word!

[MN.1] //: Good.

[MN.6] //: Team Three, you guys up and ready to go?

<DWN-012>: > Glad you finally asked, can we GO yet—

<DWN-013>: >Don’t run into a wall, Carl.

<DWN-012>: > I told you only MY dad can call me that—

[MN.7] //: Speedy.

[MN.7] //: Focus. You and I will be covering for Mic. He'll be doing most of the equipment damage.

[MN.4] //: OWO

<DWN-012>: >Easy for YOU to say. I was made to move, and being in Active Combat makes me antsy!

[A slight priming noise—]

K-TANG! K-TANG!

<DWN-012>: >This is NOT the first setting of this sort that I’ve trashed.

<DWN-012>: > I am more than ready—

[MN.7] //: -Sigh- -_-;;; Yes, we know now, Twelve.

[MN.7] //: On Stand-By until your order, One.

[MN.6] //: Last but certainly not least--

[MN.6] //: Becko? Dad? You guys there?

Beck: Right here and waiting for orders, Avi!

Will: (That's everyone...)

Will: (I hope you're alright, Soichiro...)

Will: ....Right.

Will: Everyone listen carefully.

Will: Once Avi gives the signal, Pyrogen and his Team--Team One, will lead the charge into the Factory. Your objective is to clear a safe route into the main assembly line.

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

Will: After Pyro and the others make some headway, he'll tell both Team Two and Three to enter and eliminate any other threats, as well as damage the manufacturing equipment. Consider it our second wave.

[MN.8] //: Got it.

[MN.7] //: Yes, Father.

Will: After that, Nine and I will start making our own way into the complex. You needn't fight every robot you see, Beck--our objective is the factory core, the Primary M.O.M Unit.

Will: It controls all commands and functions of the factory and it's robot manufacturing machines. It's located deep in the heart of the building, in the main assembly line.

Will: Avi will be monitoring all team's progress and giving support where needed.

Avi: Yeees sir! ^^

<DWN-012>: >If Snow were awake, he’d really be asking questions now—what an acronym, geez.

<DWN-013>: >You know full well [color=goldenrod]why[/color] he’s still asleep. Try not to go running off from your group, I’m getting interference for Robot Master signals…

<DWN-013>: >I think we might have some [color=darkgreen]spectators[/color] watching.

[MN.8] //: -Yer kiddin' me-

<DWN-013>: >Unfortunately no, but that is a matter for later, I’m afraid.

Will: Right now, he is the least of our worries.

Will: ...

Will: Everyone just be very careful in there--I may have upgraded everyone's filters, but...

Will: Don't do anything too rash, alright?

<DWN-013 to DWN-012>: > PLEASE mind yourself, Mic does have clearance to restrain you if you get too out of hand

<DWN-012 to DWN-013>: > I’m the older brother here, Crashman.

<DWN-012 to DWN-013>: > YOU try not to let the others know just how much you can TANK, we all know what happened the last time our strengths and weaknesses were used against us.

<DWN-013 to DWN-012>: > …

<DWN-013 to DWN-012>: > Cardinal’s going to kill you for that.

<DWN-012 to DWN-013>: > Hmph.

<DWN-013>: >I’ll do my best, Doctor. …I’ve already discussed the matter with Pyro.

<DWN-013>: >Just one last thing—

<DWN-013>: >Um. Aviator?

[MN.6] //: Yo?

<DWN-013>: >Just… give a heads-up whenever you’re about to head my way. >.>;;;;;

<DWN-013>: > -Mild discomfort data-

[MN.6] //: No problamo, Darth Jader. : D

Beck: -Snorts, Star Wars pun, heh-

<DWN-013>: > …Heh… thanks.

<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: >The RMDC has been completely disconnected from your servers. So there’s no way for Siam to monitor our progress. What you sense is what you get.

<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: >I haven’t heard from Dr. Cossack, so I can only assume he fell asleep. I’m not sure Felix knows how to run the teleporter.

<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: > I’ll be fine, but Twelve…

<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: > …Let’s just say we’re still all equipped with our self-destruct devices and let the rest speak for itself. >.>

<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: >If we take too much damage, don’t stick around.

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

[MN.1] //: -Sharp inhale-

[MN.1] //: Mighties!

[MN.1] //: You are clear to engage combat mode.

[MNN-ALL HAVE ENTERED COMBAT MODE.]

[MN.6] //: Team One, you're cleared for frontal assault!

[MN.6] //: GO GET'EM, GUYS--

[MN.5] //: -TO BATTLE--

[MN.1] //: -Sound of FLAMES IGNITING, FOOSH-

[Interesting. Jaden doesn’t seem to be doing anything in particular.]

[From Beck's position, there was the sound of explosions and crashing of parts, and it wasn't long before whatever alarms that still worked to be set off.]

[The haywire CDNs immediately take notice and engage--they're sheer numbers seemed to almost overwhelm the three constructs...]

[BLAM.]

[…Now why would Jaden be firing at the ground—]

Pyro: --?

[And then it IMMEDIATELY churned in and started blinking.]

Jaden: …

Jaden: -Smirks-

[BOOM!]

[A pretty LARGE explosion sets off from where the drill was, enough to send debris right back at them.]

Jaden: -Looks up, eyes glowing green, still with that smirk-

[You could hear that priming noise again.]

Jaden: If nothing else, this ought to be informative.

((pic))

Jaden: Time for the welcome party!

Pyro: ...

Pyro: Heh...

Pyro: (Well, it IS a sort of drill, I should have guessed...)

Bat: HA! That all you got, you walking oven rejects?! Almost ain't worth the ammo!

[Bat was riddling the hordes of CDNs with bullet holes--the mindless infected did not stop of waver, however. They really were malfunctioning.]

Pyro: Careful not to point that thing towards something Father might need active.

Bat: -He won't need THESE tin-cans active, brother, so-

Jaden: Tch.

Jaden: These guys make themselves—

[He made a RUN for it, WOW is he fast for his size—]

Jaden: -Leaps into the air- —such an easy TARGET!

Bat: !

Bat: -Hooo, that's SOME height--

[He lands down right on top of a few unfortunate CDNs HARD, and SLAMS some nearby with a backhand swing.

Then he fires right toward the entrance, into the horde.

Sure enough, it can just barely be seen that the Crash Bomb burrows into the constructs too—

—no wonder he asked if they were sentient, that would HAVE to hurt!]

[BOOM!]

[Parts go FLYING as the horde is dispersed--huh. These CherryDyn Models do break easy, don't they...]

Jaden: PATHETIC!

Jaden: I’ve seen /Pipis/ more sturdy than this!

[Once they are inside, the sounds of factory making and... other unpleasant noises greet the three team members.]

Pyro: ....!!

Pyro: -That's--

[...Oh.]

[...Those...look like the fire-type Industrial CDNs from the Oil Platform, aren't they--]

Jaden: Heads up!

[He aims for the CEILING this time.]

Pyro: ...!! Bat!

Bat: -STANDING CLEAR--

[There was a resounding crashing noise as the ceiling came down on top of the fire ‘bots.]

Pyro: Good one.

Bat: --Gh.

Bat: -Points- There's a whole lot more where that came from...

[...It was as if every time they fell one, two more would take their place. This time, it was the standard Security Elite drones that protected the Colosseum in their way...]

Pyro: Allow me.

Jaden: Pyro.

Jaden: Do you trust me?

Pyro: --?

Pyro: ....You have an idea?

Jaden: Yes, but if I’m wrong, it might hurt you a LOT.

Jaden: If I’m RIGHT, though…

Jaden: You’ll get more powerful and will be able to move a lot faster.

Pyro: --!

Bat: Ya can do that?

Pyro: Well, it's not like they haven't surprised us before, Five...

Jaden: I don’t have time to explain the details as to how it works, but yes. Only for fire ‘bots, though.

Pyro: Bat?

Bat: -BLAM- Worth a shot, Commander, but better hurry--enemy flank's comin' in T-Minus 20 seconds!

Pyro: ...

Pyro: -Nods-

Pyro: I trust you.

Jaden: If I’m wrong about this, I’m really sorry—

[He turns and fires right at Pyrogen!]

Bat: --?!?

Pyro: !!!

[Pyro flares and takes up a defensive stance by reflex, knowing that Jaden had fired too close to dodge--]

[FOOOOOOOSH!]

Pyro: --!?

[Suddenly, Pyro's energy levels take a very high spike--!]

[MN.6] //: -WHOA WHO TURNED ON THE LIGHTS, MAN, WHAT'S HAPPENING--

Jaden: -Winces a bit, shielding his face with his arm against the searing heat-

[It turns unbelievably bright, flames almost engulfing Pyro himself--]

Bat: Talk about great balls of fire--

[BURNING LEVEL 3 ENGAGED.]

Bat: -OH-

Jaden: Ngh—! -Staggers back, augh, that hurts to be so close—HURTS—-

Bat: -Ya might wanna stand back a lil' for this one, soldier—-

Jaden: Noted— -Takes cover behind some rubble-

[Without another word, Pyro charges past various other CDN with so much momentum that he BREAKS down the door to the other room--]

[MN.6] //: -Holy--

[...You can even see footprint shaped flames where he ran--]

"BURRRRNIIIIING...."

Bat: -FIRE IN THE HOLE--

"SPIRIT--!!!"

[BOOOM--!!]

[The entire building shakes from the small shockwave of wind and heat that followed, charred CDNs being blown backwards either half incinerated or just plain melted. ]

Bat: ......

Bat: HOO-RAH--!

Bat: THAT WAS SOME FINE EXPLOSIVE ARTILLERY, COMMANDER PYRO--

Bat: -You alright in there--

"........"

"Aside from being covered in soot, yes--"

"Though I didn't think that Crash Bomb would send me all the way to Level 3..."

[MN.6] // THAT WAS AWESOME--

[MN.6] //: -AND WE GOT IT ALL ON FILM, NICE-

<DWN-012>: > …Wait, you’re recording this?

[MN.6] //: -Bro when am I not recording, dude-

[There is an audible groan from the other destroyed room.]

"Really, Aviator?"

[MN.6] //:  : D

Jaden: -Snorts-

Jaden: -Starts laughing-

Jaden: Avi, you crack me up sometimes.

[MN.6] //: -Thank you, thank you~-

[MN.6] //: Where you at, fire bro?

"...It was where shipment supplies were being sorted and organized..."

[MN.6] //: Ooh, good! Nice job, you guys! : D

Jaden: Aheh… I’m just glad it worked—I had a feeling it would but oh man I am so many levels of glad I wasn’t wrong—

[MN.6] //: Uh--...What exactly is IN those things--

[MN.1] //: Questions later, Avi. Can you tell us where we are relative to the factory core?

[MN.6] //: Still a long way to go, bro, but the equipment isn't too far off!

[MN.6] //: How about you go on ahead towards that and tell the other teams to get a move on?

Jaden: -Looks around at the many things still smoldering and/or burning-

Jaden: You might want to have Lady Cryo kill the flames before anyone else comes this way.

[MN.1] //: ...That would be a good idea.

[MN.1 to MNN-ALL, DWN-012] //: Team Two and Three prepare to enter on my mark!

[MN.4] //: E :< -MIC SMASH--

[MN.1] //: Cryo, you'll be on lead, there...Is a bit of a fire hazard now--

[MN.2] //: BRO WE COULD HEAR YOU ALL THE WAY OVER HERE, THAT WAS GLITCHING S I C K--

[MN.2] //: -I'M READY TO PICK SOME CHERRIES, LET'S GO ALREADY--

[MN.6] //: -EEEEEEEEY-

[MN.8] //: -Ugh, WAI-

-*-*-*-

“I’d rather light things on fire, but that wouldn’t be being…

…a good House guest~”

-*-*-*-

[MN.8] //: --....

[MN.8] //: -Ngh....-

[MN.8] //: (...this’d be more fun if he were here.)

[MN.1] //: Ready?

[MN.1] //: Mark!

[MN.2] //: PERSON THAT TAKES OUT THE LEAST CHERRIES HAS TO BUY EVERYONE FOOD--

[MN.8] //: --!

[MN.8] //: OI, AH' AIN'T PAYIN' NOTHIN'--

<DWN-012>: >DUDE I DON’T HAVE ANY CASH, WE’RE LEGIT DIRT POOR YOU KNOW—

[MN.3] //: -Who careszz, YOU GUYSZZ ARE GOING TO EAT MY DUSZZT--

[MN.7] //: =_=;;;;;

<DWN-013>: > …

<DWN-013>: >You guys ran out of groceries again? Already? Seriously?

[MN.2] //: -IT WAS SHADEY--

[MN.8] //: AH' WAS-- -BANG- ASLEEP, YA MANIACAL SNOWGLOBE--

[MN.3] //: I bet it was Mic, he'szz been kinda craving everything since he got home.

[MN.4] //: ^^;;;!

[There is the sound of slicing and sword swinging over at Brand's feed.]

[MN.7] //: ...Unless Jack returned and raided our fridge.

[MN.5] //: -Doubt it, Secretary Donald is still at the lab-

<DWN-012, DWN-013>: > ?!

<DWN-013>: >  “Secretary”?

[MN.6] //: Uh--

[MN.6] //: Guys I'm getting some REALLY weird signals--

<DWN-013>: > This better not be a diversion, Avi—

<DWN-013 to MNN-005>: > Secretary of WHAT?

<DWN-012>: >Define “weird”. >_>

[MN.6] //: -No, DUDE, UH, AS IN “I CAN'T TELL WHAT IT IS” WEIRD AND IT'S HEADING YOUR WAY--

[MN.5] //: --?!?

[...There are clunking noises....]

[Sounds of something slugging and...sparking--?]

<DWN-013>: > Grrr…

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

[It LOOKED like it was one of the encountered enemies from Cryo's stage, but...]

[It looked like it had grown GIANT spider legs— and it was twitching erratically, this way and that.]

[MN.6] //: --??????

[MN.6] //: Dad, you gotta see THIS--

[DR.WHITE] //: --?!

[MN.6] //: That-- That isn't any CDN model I've seen--

[MN.6] //: -man it looks gross, EW-

Jaden: … This…

Jaden: -Ugh, no, not headaches now— -

[MN.1] //: Jaden--

[MN.5] //: There's more coming--!

_________________________

[MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE....]

Beck: What is going on in there--?

Will: Hmm...

Will: (This is concerning.)

Will: (Has CherryDyn become so desperate that they're literally mashing robot designs together...?)

Will: (Graham couldn't possibly be that stupid, and if he really is, it's very demeaning that he's done so much harm to us.)

Will: (No, this...This has to be something else...)

Beck: Dad? Is...Is everything okay?

Will: --Ah. Well...

[Will turns to the floating monitor, which showed the Teams all in a three way split screen.]

Will: They're encountering robots that we haven't anticipated before...

Beck: What?

Will: It seems CherryDyn has some... unreleased products still hot off the assembly line, so to speak.

Will: Be prepared for anything, Beck.

Beck: R-Right...

Beck: ....

Beck: You're gonna be okay, right, Dad?

Will: Well, I have you, don't I? ^^

Beck: Eheh...

Beck: Yeah, but, I mean, you only have that sword...

Will: Nonsense. Mikhail gave me something to defend myself with before we left....

Will: And while I haven't quite fenced in a while...

Will: I'm sure it'll come back to me. Muscle memory and all that.

Will: I'll be fine, Beck. So long as we stick together, yes?

Beck: R-Right! (^^)7

[MN.6] //: -Oof--UH--Yeah, I'm gonna head in there now, there's these weird flying things with drills on them and they do not look happy--

[PING!]

[The ping was clearly from someone on the RMDC server. Which was very odd, considering that it was supposed to have been in radio silence.]

Beck: --??

[Siamini’s worried data flooded the feeds.]

<DWN-019>: > Oh gosh Jaden, Speedy, where ARE you—

<DWN-019>: > Where is everybody?!

Beck: Siam--!

[MN.6] //: KINDA IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING, BRO--

<DWN-019>: > -Incredulous and growing annoyed- “In the middle of something—“

<DWN-019>: > -Increasingly frantic- GUYS ANSWER ME—

<DWN-012>: > Dude we’re BUSY—

<DWN-019>: > “Busy”!? What do you two think you’re DOING?!

<DWN-012>: >Siam, for all that is good, did you just call here to scream at us or what—

<DWN-019>: >  -Double data intensity- IDIOTS!

[MN.6] //: Dude, calm down, deep breaths--

<DWN-019>: >Avi, you don’t understand—

<DWN-019>: > -Talking over self- Are you two trying to live up to Wily’s name by being overly proud, or are you just plain stupid?!

<DWN-019>: >Hey, that’s not—

<DWN-019>: >There’s a primal analysis nexus being constructed, Avs! Doesn’t anyone remember what happened the LAST time a primal nexus was added into the database?!

<DWN-019>: >Do I have to spell it out for you?! If that thing goes live while you’re out there—!

<DWN-019>: > Even if it DOESN’T cause crippling pain, what kind of reaction do you think you’ll GET when you look at Shade?!

-*-*-*-*-

“Don’t… don’t do this… beg… begging you, please…”

-*-*-*-*-

[MN.8] //: --Ngh--hurts--

[Shade reeled in the despair of that painful memory. It stabbed at his heart, piercing him with sorrow right to the core.]

[MN.6] //: Sammy, bro, as much as we'd like to deal with it, we're all kinda out making sure Dad and Becker are okay in this crazy place--OW--

[MN.6] //: -OW GET THIS THING OFF OF ME--

[A red blur by Avi.]

[MN.6] //: --!

[Suddenly, whatever THING was on him was stuck with yellow boomerangs.]

[There is a SCREECH and then a Thud that followed--]

[MN.6] //: Whew--THANKS, SPEEDSTER--

<DWN-012>: >Siam, I know for a FACT that the data has been encrypted for slower release—otherwise, do you think I’d even be able to BE here at all? Please stop freaking out over something that isn’t IMMEDIATELY a problem, we’re kinda BUSY!

[Siam was clearly less than pleased with that answer. His data suggested that the situation was FAR worse than the Mighties were prepared for.]

<DWN-019>: >Do you HONESTLY think I would—

<DWN-012>: > YES

<DWN-019>: >I didn’t—

<DWN-012>: >I don’t care!

<DWN-019>: > GRAH! Why won’t you LISTEN to me!?

<DWN-013>: >No offense, bro, but if that’s all—

<DWN-019>: > IT’S NOT, YOU TWITS!

<DWN-019>: >There are some temporal anomalies and you’re all getting caught up in it! It’s not just you, it’s Mikhail as well—and do I need to remind you, YOU SPECIFICALLY, TWELVE, of how dangerous that could be to YOU, personally?

<DWN-012>: > -Mnnrrgh…!-

<DWN-019>: > Where is Mikhail?!

<DWN-019>: >I need Cardinal over here to properly oversee the updates, and I need his help with—

<DWN-013>: > Ugh—

<DWN-013>: >I’m SORRY, Gem, but— -BLAM!- 000 is still processing everything, we can’t move him yet, and it seems there are other problems—

<DWN-019>: >HOW can this possibly get worse?

<DWN-013>: > -Irritable- I think Mikhail is under arrest, Gemini!

[MN.5] //: (-Inwardly cursing self for using military titles where they are due out of respect, NGH-)

<DWN-019>: > …

[The feeds were slammed with acerbic data.]

<DWN-019>: >  -PANIC DATA-

<DWN-019>: >   -PANIC PANIC PANIC-

<DWN-011>: > …

<DWN-011>: > …Joking, right?

<DWN-011>: > Right?

<DWN-012>: > He was IN handcuffs, brother—

<DWN-019>: > Nnnnnnnn-nnn-nnn-noo—

<DWN-019>: > Stars above I don’t think I can do this—

<DWN-018>: >Look, I doubt that if—

<DWN-019>: >IT DOESN’T MATTER! NOT WHAT YOU THINK!

<DWN-019>: > I DON’T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO KEEP THAT DATA FROM REACHING THE COSSACK NUMBERS!

((COLLECTIVE OH GLITCH-- ))

[There was more than a little reason to worry. Having gone through so much suffering, the Cossack Numbers were very, VERY protective of their sister and their father. Mikhail had asked that they remain undisturbed for that very reason.

It was highly unlikely they could be convinced to sit it out—especially when one of the Numbers was the very epitome of rage.]

<DWN-018>: > Are you serious.

<DWN-019>: >I’m not the Admin, Nico! I don’t have that kind of power!

<DWN-018>: > That’s it. As head of the family, I’m intervening. Dealing with our dysfunctions is plenty; I am not going to put up with fighting the Russians. 

[It would seem that Nico had lost his patience.]

Will: -Winces-

Will: (Oh, no, this...This is not good--)

<DWN-018>: >Siam, there’s got to be SOMETHING you can do—

<DWN-019>: > Well I’ll TRY to stall—I think I can by changing the data Snow gets— but hurry up as much as you can, I need the rest of the family back as soon as possible!

[MN.6] //: Roger Dodger--

<DWN-018>: >Fine, do it. Gem, get that guy on the line. We’ve got to talk this out before it gets out of hand. And as for you two…

<DWN-018>: >Speedy, Jaden, you guys were BUILT for Combat, can’t you work ANY faster?!

<DWN-013>: > Grrr…

<DWN-013 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>

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

[Jaden began to glow white.]

[It almost… almost looked like the light from an evolution!]

[MN.6] //: -WHOA WHAT THE HECK--

Beck: --!!!!

Will: (What is...)

Beck: (I know that light--)

Will: (What IS that...?)

Beck: (I KNOW that LIGHT--!)

((pic))

Jaden: I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!

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

[Jaden had changed. The was larger now, and bulkier—and based on the energy ratings from him, he was packing some SERIOUS heat.]

[MN.5] //: -DATA AT ALL THE WEAPONRY BORDERING ON SURPRISE AND EXCITEMENT--

[Hatches popped open.

YEP. Those were some sort of missiles inside.]

Jaden: WE’RE TAKING A DETOUR!

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

[MN.5] //: -I SECOND THIS NOTION--

[MN.1] //: BAT--

[Jaden used CRASH BOMBER!]

[A barrage of about five Crash Bombs were nailed into the wall, where they burrowed.

MORE hatches popped open.]

Beck: -DAD DAD DAD LOOK--

Will: -Is looking but with awe--

Jaden:  -FIRE!-

[Missiles launched from EVERY port at once. In conjunction with the Crash Bombs, they took out the walls’ supports—flattening the constructs that HAD been behind it—]

[—with more continuing to the wall on the OTHER side of that room and turning it into a gaping hole of RUBBLE.]

[MN.5] //: HOOOOO-RAAAAAAAH!

[MN.1] //: -Is just shocked into silence-

Beck: YEAH, GO JADEN GO--!

Jaden: COME ON, MAJOR, WE HAVE AN EXTERMINATION CONTRACT TO HONOR—

Jaden: AND WE’RE SENDING THE BILL RIGHT TO HQ!

[MN.5] //: RIGHT TO GRAHAM'S ILL-GOTTEN OFFICE, TOO!

[MN.1] //: -The both of you better not level the place while WE'RE STILL IN IT--

[The hatches close.]

Jaden: Who said anything about leveling the building?

Jaden: These constructs, on the other hand…

[Jaden used BODY SLAM!]

[He rammed RIGHT into one of them, crunching it against the wall. It had been covered in spikes, but he took no damage.]

Jaden: ARE GONNA BE FLATTENED!

[He was jumped by several more constructs—or abominations, rather.

He skewers one with a drill and fires the Crash Bomb—with the enemy on it—right into several others, exploding.]

Beck: : D!!!!!!

Beck: -I KNEW HE COULD DO IT--

Beck: -I KNEW IIIIIIT-

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

[MN.6] //: Uh...I'm pretty sure you guys can head on in? : D ;;;;;

Will: Ah, yes...

Will: Shall we?

Beck: Yeah!

Beck: Just stay behind me, Dad, okay?

Will: Oh, by all means, take the lead. ^^

<DWN-013>: > Let’s do this, Mighty Nine!

<DWN-013>: >We’re just the opening act—you’re the main show!

Beck: Heh!

Beck: -Running ahead- Gonna be hard to top what you dished out, Jaden! c: <

<DWN-013>: >Heh…

<DWN-013>: > Not for a hero like you, it won’t!

[A mess of what was once dense with virus fodder was now in utter ruin.]

[Will quietly made his way behind his son with methodical footsteps, careful to not let his guard down.]

Will: Goodness, the lot of you really made short work of all this...

Beck: No kidding...

[MN.5] //: HA! I've met CAN-OPENERS THAT WERE TOUGHER THAN THAT!

[MN.3] //: I appreciate the zzzeal, Bat, but can you tone down the trigger happy crazzzy little? Trying to concentrate.

[MN.2] //: KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!~ WHO WANTS FROZEN CHERRY SMOOTHIES FOR DESERT?~

[MN.6] //: Not of these weird things, bleh--

[MN.6] //: But get it together, you two! Tyrannasaurous-BECKS is here! : D

[MN.6] //: The haywire robot assembly line is just up ahead, Becker, it's all up to you! And Dad too, of course! : D Keep heading straight!

Beck: Roger, Avi! I'm on it!

Beck: --Whoooooa...

Beck: Pyro, what did you do?

[MN.1] //: I don't know how, but Jaden's Crash Bombs seem to have a sort of buff effect on me...

<DWN-019>: >Well of COURSE it does, you’re a fire based construct.

[MN.1] //: << -Siam shouldn't you be stalling right about now--

<DWN-012>: > -sNORT-

<DWN-012>: >You’re forgetting something, Pyro.

[MN.1] // -...Damn it, you're right, he can multitask--

Beck: -Cough, ugh, smoke's kinda bad--

Will: -Coughing and using lab coat sleeve over his mouth and nose-

[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]

Beck: -Blows smoke away with propeller wind-

Beck: Dad?

Will: -Ugh- Yes?

Beck: How exactly are you going to shut down the Primary M.O.M Unit?

Will: --...Ah...

Will: I'm going to try and hack my way into it...

Will: It can only be manually shut down from that one terminal.

Will: (....I might have to combat the virus myself while I'm at it...)

Will: .....

Beck: ...Dad?

Will: --...Er. We need to keep moving.

Will: If we can shut down the Primary Unit, we won't have to bother with the Secondary...

Beck: There's a secondary M.O.M unit?

Will: Yes, but it only serves as a sort of support pillar to the Primary--shutting THAT down won't slow or stop the factory itself.

Will: It's faster and much more effective to go straight to the Primary M.O.M unit than waste time with the Secondary.

Beck: Okay...

Beck: (......)

Beck: (When did Dad have time to read up on how CherryDyn's Factory setup works...?)

<DWN-019>: >I suppose it doesn’t surprise me there isn’t more of a redundancy in the system for failsafe measures.

<DWN-019>: >I’ll try to leave you be for now, I know that most people can’t do two entirely different things at once, but—

<DWN-019>: >I’m a little concerned by what is going on over there, given the kind of files Mikhail printed off from this server. And the fact he’s under arrest.

Beck: .... Files...?

Will: ......

<DWN-019>: >Evidence files, Beck.

Beck: ....For...For what?

Will: Siam.

<DWN-019>: >William, with all due respect—

<DWN-019>: >My family leader is dead and our Doctor could very well follow, and you’re in the middle of somewhere dangerous while I’m trying to keep the Cossack Numbers from hearing something I DON’T have the authority to censor.

<DWN-019>: >I am a bit stressed, sorry.

<DWN-019>: >You and I need to talk when this is over.

<DWN-019 has left the conversation.>

Will: ......

Will: -Sigh-

Will: >>

Beck: ...Dad...?

Beck: What's going on?

Will: . . . .

Will: Beck, it...

Will: . . .

[Will places a reassuring hand on his shoulder.]

Will: I...I'm sorry, but we don't have time.

Will: We have to get to that terminal.

Will: ...Please, I know...I know things seem troubling, and that's a light way to put it...

Beck: .....

Beck: No, I...

Beck: I get it.

Will: --?

Beck: We gotta keep going.

Beck: (....I get it...)

Beck: Avi said the factory line was just down this straight path...

[Beck hovered over to the other end of the room--or, rather, where the room WOULD end, because the wall that was there was in several different pieces now.]

Beck: Don't fall behind, Dad!

Will: . . .

<DWN-012>: >Boy does this bring back memories.

Beck: You said you did wreck a place like this before, right--

[THUD.]

<DWN-012>: >Yeah, the place where I was built—hmm?

<DWN-012>: >Mic, did you—

[SMAT!]

[MN.4] //: -Oops-

[MN.4] //: MIC SORRY, MIC DIDN'T BRING WALL BACK DOWN--

[MN.7] //: Speedy--

<DWN-012>: > -SPRINGS BACK UP, readjusts balance sensors- Ow.

[MN.7] //: . . .

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

[MN.4] //: -Speedy okay? Okay.-

<DWN-012>: >YEAH BRO I RUN INTO STUFF ALL THE TIME, no big deal—

[MN.4] //: -Goes back to crushing things-

<DWN-013>: >Him wrecking where we were built is more impressive than it sounds.

<DWN-013>: >I was built there too, and like all ‘bots, I had a testing phase. Let that sink in for a moment, heh.

<DWN-012>: >And…

<DWN-012>: >And there was also Wily Nine.

<DWN-013>: >Oh yeah—Dad assigned him to a factory, didn’t he?

<DWN-012>: >Yeah.

Beck: .....

Beck: (...Wily Nine...)

Beck: (....Huh...)

Will: --!!

Will: Beck, look out--!

Beck: !

[Beck flanked away JUST in time to avoid a MASSIVE cylinder-shaped pillar crashing down from the ceiling, the CherryDyn logo pulsing above in a hologram.]

Will: --!!!

Will: That's the secondary M.O.M Unit--!

Will: How did it end up--

[The Hologram suddenly glitched Red and PURPLE-- ]

Beck: ?!

[--And then out materialize the generator robots from the Power Plant--! ]

Beck: NOT THESE THINGS--

Will: -BACKING FAR AWAY NOW--

[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE.]

[A blast of chilling ice coated the generator bots before they could charge and lock his systems--Beck did NOT want to be rendered immobile with his Father so close to these dangerous CDNs.]

Beck: Dad, get away! Now!

Will: -Ngh--

[Will turned to take cover the other way--]

Will: --!!

[...Only to find that a few trash robots had been materialized to block him.]

Will: We're surrounded--!

[Will took a step back, holding his Rapier in his left hand while his right went behind his back.]

Will: Ngh...

Will: (Parry, thrust, stance wide...)

Will: (Never take your eyes off your opponent...)

Will: (Look them in the eye and strike without hesitation--!)

[One of the trash bots leaps--]

[CLANG!]

[Will side steps out of the way, the Xel in his weapon glowing as it is thrust into the construct--]

[KKKSST--]

[...The trash bot's Xel begins to melt away--]

[SHING!]

[And then suddenly, it isn't there anymore.

The Xel dissipates as the trash bot vanishes, stabbed right in the exact center of its central core.]

[Back in the Meadow, Siam was utterly speechless.

The manner in which Will had acted was nothing short of slightly terrifying. To see the ease and unflinching willingness in which he could dissolve those that opposed him…

…It was more than a little unnerving, and a harsh new perspective that cast the Doctor in a much darker light than before.]

<RMDC>: > SENDING UPDATES…

[The reaction to this permeating their collective consciousness was immediate.]

<DWN-011 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

<DWN-012 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

<DWN-013 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

<DWN-018 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

<DWN-019 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>

Beck: --??? -Confused for a moment before going back to FIGHTING--

[Will let the trash bots come to him, watching their every move with a steely gaze that didn't quite suit his overall appearance...

He moved with practiced poise and grace, and while he did miss a swing here and there due to being out of practice--]

[SHING!]

[...The trash bots were no match for someone of Will's technique.]

[Siam suddenly felt very cold and ill. This was the man that had access to their blueprints and inner workings.

Suddenly, he wasn’t so willing to share them anymore.]

<RMDC>: > ERROR: ADMIN PASSWORD REQUIRED TO CHANGE ACCESS LEVELS. REQUEST DENIED.

<RMDC>: >CONTACTING ADMIN…

[The sickening chill had gripped the others as well. They were overcome with the need to flee for their lives.]

<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: > H-how much more of this do you think there i-is—

[MN.1 to DWN-013] //: ...Are you alright? -What is with the sudden drop in mood-

[MN.1 to DWN-013] //: This factory is CherryDyn's, I wouldn't be surprised if it is larger than we think.

<DWN-013>: > D-dammit…

<DWN-013>: > -N-no, we aren’t okay-

<DWN-013>: > Let’s g-get this over with and get out of here…

<DWN-013>: >I won’t abandon you now, but something has happened and now I very much want to go home.

[While Jaden had started showing submission again, his older brother had much the opposite effect.

His usual hot-blooded demeanor had turned icy cold, much more like Shadow’s when the latter was in a dangerous and silent mood.

Furthermore, his usually green eyes had turned and were now glowing a deep red—a sign that he felt the presence of a powerful and aggressive, cruel enemy in his midst.

…

But then there was a shudder of some sort in the air, almost a glitch within reality itself.]

<DWN-011 has left Defensive Combat mode.>

<DWN-012 has left Defensive Combat mode.>

<DWN-013 has left Defensive Combat mode.>

<DWN-018 has left Defensive Combat mode.>

<DWN-019 has left Defensive Combat mode.>

Speedy: -Puts a hand to his head- Nnngh…!

Brand: --!

[MN.7] //: Speedy--are you alright? (...What just happened?)

<DWN-012>: > I hurt, really bad— it’s like… like all my programs just ran flat into a wall and were turned off for ages—

[He coughs, trying to re-calibrate various sensors.]

<DWN-012>: >Ugh… I wasn’t made to handle that sort of thing, it really hurts…

[…He was right.

Somehow, he seemed to have taken damage from whatever that was just now. The readings showed it.]

<DWN-012>: > (Maybe Siam was right…. Nnnngh, I have a bad, bad feeling about this…)

[MN.4] //: -PING- -Mic can provide cover if you need a minute-

[...And it REALLY seems Mic was confident in this, because he was just walling the other crazed CDNs.]

<DWN-012>: > …

<DWN-012>: > -Emotional data- Th… thanks, man…

[He grits his teeth against the pain and forces himself back to his feet.]

<DWN-012>: > -You guys really are the best-

Brand: -SHING- No need to thank us. -SHING- Besides, being the defense is Mic's function.

[CRASH!]

[A bunch of CDNs were casually swept aside by Mic's huge arms--he briefly turns back to Speedy to give a reassuring smile.]

Mic: ^w^

Mic: -Turns again to WHAM on a CDN that tried to get the jump on him-- -NOPE, DENIED-

Speedy: Heh… -Weak smile- I guess just… so not used to it.

Speedy: Our family… my series, just so very different, such a different experience.

Speedy: Almost all my brothers shot at me at least once. Including the defensive-based unit.

Speedy: That was the last time I… actually fought, was… the [color=blue]end[/color] of our Generation…. As the Last Survivor of my series…

Brand: .....

Mic: -WHANG- : E -Awwwww-

Mic: -Mic give you hug later-

Mic: -Busy with Cherry crazies right now but IOU a hug-

Speedy: Heh…

[A larger boomerang materializes in his hand. He’s smiling with his eyes closed.]

Speedy: Just try not to crunch hug me, I hear FMN-004 likes to do that.

[When he opens his eyes again, they’re glowing with determination.]

Speedy: But we’ll make our way out of here, alright—

[He gives a short burst of a sprint to vault his way onto Mic’s back.]

Mic: -Oop- : D!

[He hurls the larger Quick Boomerang down the hallway, slicing through about a dozen and a half constructs before it gets wedged into a piece of machinery.]

Speedy: And we’ll get to hang out with someone that gives a better name to what these guys are associated with.

Speedy: Let’s speed things up so we can FFW to the feast, yeah?

Brand: -Nods-

[Brand slices a few CDNs in half before pointing his sword towards the next room.]

Brand: Onwards!

[MEANWHILE...]

Beck: KYAH!

[Beck doesn't waste a second slamming a guided missile at the M.O.M unit, it's systems damaged and scrambled--but it was now churning out fused abominations of whatever it could find in CherryDyn's database...]

Beck: What even ARE these things??

Will: -KICKS A TRASH BOT AWAY- The systems are infected! The manufacturing programs must be going haywire--

[Another trash bot that seemed to be fused with a fire based bot is dissolved--]

Will: --The virus must be finding schematics in CherryDyn's database and mixing them together--!

Beck: But WHY?

Will: --Ngh-- I don't know--

Will: (Does...Does SHE know I'm here--?)

[CRUNCH.]

Will: --??

[After a few seconds, there was a sudden explosion from beneath one of the heavier fused Xel beasties—]

Will: --?!?

[Sending (besides Xel) a splatter of hissing liquid and green shrapnel pieces everywhere.]

Beck: Dad?! Are you okay?!

Will: Fine--

Will: --!!

Will: (...B... Battery Acid...)

Will: (Ngh--not you, not NOW--!)

Will: BECK!

Will: We need to get moving, NOW!

Beck: On it!

[REXELECTION: PYROGEN]

Beck: Out of the WAY--!

[Will ducks for cover just in time before Beck unleashed a Level 2 Burning Spirit--]

[CRACK--CREEEEEEEEEEAK--]

[The display on the M.O.M unit flickers and dies, the top end of the pillar melting away and--]

[CRAAAAAASH!]

[...falls backwards, COMPLETELY taking out the wall to the next room after.]

Beck: --Oops--

Beck: Uh...aaaat least we can pass--? ^.^;

Will: Goodness--

Will: (I didn't think Level 2 would be THAT effective...)

Will: Are you alright?

Beck: Yup--I'm good!

Beck: Let's keep going--

"Eeeeyyy, Beckers!"

Beck: !

[Avi flies in from the giant hole in the wall, surveying the damage done by the now broken M.O.M unit.]

Avi: Wowzers, next time give a little heads-up there, buddy, you nearly pillar-ized me!

Avi: -BADAUM TISSS SOUND EFFECT OVER THE FEEDS- : D

Beck: -Giggles- Sorry, Avi, I didn't know you were there.

[MN.7] //: -My guess is Avi, which means ignore it-

Avi: Love ya too, Ninjabro! ;D

Avi: Things all good with you, Dad?

Will: I'm fine, Six--what's the status of the other teams?

Avi: Team One is making some pretty good headway, and the other Teams are following right behind--they're not too far ahead of where we are.

<DWN-013>: >I must admit concern for the structural integrity of the place if we collectively keep blowing up walls and stuff, though…

<DWN-013>: >It’ll probably be declared structurally unsafe after we get out of here.

<DWN-012>: >Heh, no big loss. |D

Avi: -Snorts-

Beck: Hey, Avi--you haven't seen some weird fused robots, have you?

Avi: Oh, THOSE things--

Avi: Yeah, they're popping up everywhere in this place, they're so weird--

Will: Hmm...

<DWN-013>: > That’s rather not my point, though—

<DWN-013>: >We can say with a great degree of certainty that when things get unstable enough, they collapse and bury you alive, it happens more often in our family than you think. If this keeps up for too long, that puts you in a lot of danger, Uncle Will.

Will: ....

Will: (He's right--there's not only the infected robot threat, but the status of the factory building itself...)

Will: ....

Will: The fused infected CDNs and the weakening integrity of the building is all the more reason why we must hurry to the Primary M.O.M unit.

<DWN-013>: >Gah…

<DWN-013>: >If only we had Cardinal’s use of the Search Snake Power Capsule right now—that thing is great for scouting out unknown territories, it’s why it was made to begin with…

Will: (...Or to spy on others, in this case...)

Will: Avi, can you scout out the next room for us?

Avi: Already did, Daddo! Cleared it out while you guys were busy--this way!

[The next room seems to be a data storage room, with screens that take up the entire wall much like in Sanda Labs...]

[...Except they showed off dozens upon dozens of blueprints and schematics for all sorts of CDN Industrial Models--it looked like a viewing room for whatever few humans that DID work in the factory to oversee the manufacturing process.]

Beck: -Look, ITS A ROUND DIGGER, BUDDYYYYY-

Will: (All these models...)

Avi: --!!

Avi: Well, well, well, what do we have here...

<DWN-012>: >A punplane who’s about to tell us something interesting?

[Avi flies over to a schematic that's waaaaay up high near the ceiling, something that seemed...Out of place...]

Avi: Hey, Dad? The rest of these plans are for Industrials, right?

Will: ...They all seem to be, yes...

Will: Did you find something?

Avi: ..Oh, yeah, I FOUND something, alright--

Avi: A schematic for a COMBAT Model.

Will: --!

<DWN-012>: >I don’t get why that’s so strange—

Avi: (And if I'm reading this right--)

Avi: --!!

Avi: Uh Oh--

Avi: DAD I GOTTA GO--

<DWN-013>: >Woah, woah, woah—

<DWN-013>: > -Avs are you okay— -

Will: What--

Avi: Got a hot scoop to deliver to Doc Sanda-Man, DON'T WORRY I'LL BE RIGHT BACK--

[Without another word, Avi shifts into Jet Mode and zooooooms back out the way Will and Beck came in.]

Will: Wait--Avi! What about Soi?!

Beck: ....

[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]

[Beck flies up to where Avi saw the schematic for the CDN combat model...]

Beck: ....

Beck: K-9...?

<DWN-013 and DWN-012>: > …

<DWN-012>: > Scrap—

<DWN-012>: > Canine models can get VICIOUS…

Beck: Combat model designed to patrol and guard--

Beck: Maximum security establishments--!

<DWN-013>: > UGH this is all Fahrenheit 451 on us—

Beck: -THERE'S ONE AT THE PRISON--

Will: SOI!

Will: (Oh God SOICHIRO--)

Will: (And you--)

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

Soi: A-Are you sure you don't want to, uh... swap missions...?

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

Will: (Oh, Soi, I never should have--!)

Beck: Dad--Uncle Sanda--!

Beck: And--And Call--!

[PING!]

<DWN-018>: > -Shocked data-

<DWN-019>: > NICO YOU STAY PUT—

Will: --!!

[Unfortunately, this was the worst thing that Siam could have said. Nico quickly snapped out of it, and his data became almost horrifically aggressive.]

<DWN-018>: > … You—

[There’s a loud WHANG and a crash, followed by static—]

[As if Siamini had been flung against a wall by a powerful force, and possibly into a transmitter.]

Beck: Wha--?

Will: (Nico...)

Will: (....Soichiro is going to need all the help he can get in there--)

Will: (Oh, please, Avi, PLEASE get there in time to warn them--!)

<DWN-012>: > Augh…

<DWN-012>: > By the time this is over EVERY ROBOT MASTER AWAKE is gonna end up in repairs, GREAT—

<DWN-013>: >With Cardinal, Nico, and Siam all out of it…

<DWN-012>: > I KNOW—

<DWN-012>: > Let’s hurry up and get out of here before I have no one left to look over!

<DWN-012>: > Doctor!

Will: --!

<DWN-012>: >Based on the perimeter and area of the building before we got in here, how close do you think you are to where you need to be? And would it be on this same floor or in a basement?

Will: Th-The same floor--and there's still quite a bit to go--

<DWN-012>: >Nnngh…

<DWN-012>: >Alright then—

<DWN-012>: >We need to make sure the building stays in one piece until then. Mic, as you go along, will you put in reinforcement beams in rooms and so forth to reinforce the structural integrity?

[MN.4] //: -PING- Hmm hmm! ^w^

<DWN-012>: >Good. Team One—

[There’s a loud crashing noise.]

Brand: . . . .??????

Brand: -What--

Brand: -I thought that only happens in the old cartoons Avi watches all the time--

[MN.8] //: Oi, what the HELL was that noise--?!

[MN.2] //: -Shadey stop being grumpy and COVER ME YOU COWPOKING GRUMP-

Beck: Dad--

Will: -Ngh...-

Will: We have to keep moving--

Will: (Soi--Soi has Avi coming, and Call is there, and Nico is on his way...)

Will: (He'll be fine, he'll be fine--oh goodness please let him be alright after this--)

<DWN-012>: > …Uh…

<DWN-012>: >OKAY so apparently not all the walls are meant to take Combat-model force momentum??

<DWN-013>: > …

<DWN-013>: > You RAN THROUGH A /WALL/ are you SERIOUS—

<DWN-013>: >  -CRACKS UP LAUGHING-

[MN.2] //: -Yo for REAL, HE DIDN'T GO SPLAT--

Will: (... Well, this IS mostly an Industrial Robot Factory...)

<DWN-013>: > Are you kidding, Sis?

<DWN-013>: > -Warm data- Dad made him to be FINE after running into walls at well over 100 mph.

<DWN-013>: >I guess since he held up and something has to give when two objects meet…

<DWN-013>: > He just went right through the wall oh I’m dying of laughter here

[MN.2] //: -DUUUUUUUDE THAT'S SICK-

<DWN-013>: >How are you three holding up, by the way?

<DWN-013>: >Haven’t heard from you in a whi—

[MN.2] //: HEY MIC DO YOU THINK IF YOU THREW ME AT A WALL I'D GO THROUGH IT TOO LIKE THE KOOL-AID MAN IN THE FUNNY COMMERCIALS--

<DWN-013>: >  -SNORTS-

[MN.1] //: -cryo please FOCUS ON YOUR TEAM, NO ONE IS THROWING YOU AT A WALL-

[MN.2] //: -BUT IT BE SO COOL, THO, I'D BE ALL OOOOOH YEAH, GLITCHES, GET WRECKED--

[Jaden’s laughter quiets down a bit, but he’s still grinning as he goes at the infected CDNs around him in drill-to-hand combat.

He’s quite good at it, too, in a way that suggests he trained to be so.]

[MN.3] //: -Bzzzzt, we're fine, just pretty concentrated on these CDN creeps-

[MN.8] //: -Very focused data, trying to stay in the zone here but SOMEONE KEEPS YELLIN'--

[MN.2] //: -TOO BAD, I'M TEAM LEADER, PLLLLLLLPGH- -Raspberry noises-

<DWN-013>: > -Gently- Shade?

[MN.8] //: What?

<DWN-013>: > You’re awfully tense, and that makes it harder to focus right.

<DWN-013>: > …Everything will be okay.

[Shade didn’t respond to that.

As much as he was trying to hide it, he was in a great deal of emotional pain and physical exhaustion. He had only just woken up from the fights of his life, and the main thing that kept him going in the face of the terrible things, the things he had done—the only thing that kept him going was because he HAD to.

He had to—they needed him—

And he had to, he had to keep his mind—keep it off of—]

[MN.8] //: (Nnngh…)

[…The fact that the update of Cardinal’s memories to the server was a ticking time bomb, just waiting to make the Rebel Angels even more terrified of him and potentially hostile…

…really, really wasn’t helping.]

<DWN-013>: > We’re all in this together, alright?

<DWN-013>: >And we don’t need perfection here just now—

[Background noise of something being lit on fire.]

[MN.8] //: .....

[MN.8] //: -mmmgh.-

<DWN-013>: > -He’ll be okay, I promise-

<DWN-013>: >He’s already running again.

[MN.8] //: ........

[There was a muffled bit of data that seemed edge with dread—dread, uncertainty, anxiety, concern—

Almost as if he were thinking to himself a worry that what happened could ever be forgiven.]

<DWN-013>: > Ah ah—I know that data—

<DWN-013>: >Just try and loosen up a bit and be there for your sisters, okay?

<DWN-013>: >We can deal with the rest later after we get home.

<DWN-013>: >Think of it as…

<DWN-013>: > -Lightbulb-

<DWN-013>: >Some DLC for your tagging incident. : ]

[MN.8] //: --....

[MN.8] //: (....That would be nice...)

[MN.2] //: -YEAH AFTER WE CLEAN UP CHERRY'S MESS, WE CAN AAAAALL BE NICE AND CHILL TOGETHER-

<DWN-012>: >GG, Icewoman—

<DWN-012>: >Now I want black cherry flavored snowcones—

<DWN-013>: > I prefer strawberry and lemonade flavor, myself.

[MN.2] //: -Glitch when Snow wakes up we gotta make ALLLL THE SNOWCONES AND ICE CREAMS--

[BOOM-!]

[MN.2] //: --What the glitch was that?

<DWN-012>: >I’m not sure— Bat?

[MN.5] //: That wasn't us or Pyro--not Jaden either--

[MN.1] //: Avi isn't here and Shade didn't blow up anything, did you?

[MN.8] //: Nope--

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

[MN.7] //: Beck--

[Static.]

[MN.9] //: B--Buddy--that's not Buddy--

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

[DR.WHITE] //: It's--It must be an unreleased, upgraded Round Digger Model--!

[Explosions can be heard over the feeds--]

[MN.9] //: -BUDDY IS LIKE TEN TIMES BETTER THAN YOU, STOP SHOOTING WATER AT ME--

<DWN-013>: > …

<DWN-013>: > -A Digger that uses WATER????-

<DWN-013>: >Are you sure that’s not a glitched model?

[MN.9] //: -Don't care--

[SHING!]

[MN.9] //: -This thing can wreck the whole building if we leave it unchecked--

<DWN-013>: >If Avi were here, I’m sure he’d be punning about “where’s the fire” or soOOOOOoOooohhhhh okayyy…

<DWN-012>: > -No, bailing and letting it run loose is not an option-

<DWN-013>: > -Didn’t mean it wasn’t tempting for a moment-

[SHING SHING SHING--]

[MN.9] //: -UGH THIS THING IS WAY TOUGHER THAN BUDDY WAS--

<DWN-012>: >But nowhere near as tough as you!

<DWN-012>: >I guess he’s using your form, Brand. : ]

[MN.7] //: >> -....He uses it well-

[MN.9] //: -wat really--

[MN.9] //: -I MEAN--THANKS NII-SAN--

[There's a strange burst of data when Beck is praised by his elder brother--]

[SHINGSHINGSHINGSHINGSHINGSHING--!]

<DWN-013>: > ?

Will: Oh my--

<DWN-013 to MNN-007>: >Brand, what am I hearing?

[MN.7] //: Otouto?

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

[MN.9] //: @~@

[MN.9] //: Sooooo dizzyyyy...

[MN.9] //: -Blrgh, dad why did you program me for nausea--

Will: -I--I think Beck just did Brand's Spin Slash technique--

Speedy: -Raises an eyebrow- …

[MN.7] //: What!?

[MN.9] //: WHOA WHAT REALLY I CAN D O THAT NOW--

[MN.9] //: -NII-SAN--NIIII-SAAAAAN I DID THE THING--

Speedy: -Slight wry grin- So when you hear it from someone you hold in high regard then, huh…?

[MN.7] //: -Low-key actually excited about this, what, that isn't pride, what are you talking about--

[MN.9] //: : D!!

<DWN-013>: >So… he can unlock secondary abilities, too? -Seems… pleased about this, in a sense-

<DWN-013>: >I wonder if that’ll happen when eventually you get to have our forms.

<DWN-012>: >Heh. Imagine Beck, like, duplicating himself!

<DWN-012>: >Or teleport spamming! B]

<DWN-013>: > -Chuckles at this-

<DWN-013>: >You’re just full of awesome surprises, aren’t you, lil’ bro?

<DWN-013>: > -Warm ping of approval-

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

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

[MN.9] //: -Imeannii-sanistheonewhomadeupthatmoveso--

[MN.7] //: >>;

<DWN-013>: > -Laughs in data- Tell you what, Beck!

<DWN-013>: >After this is over, I’ll teach you some of the non-Capsule style moves I use!

[MN.9] //: -OOOO REALLY--

[BLAM--]

Will: Oh dear Beck wait for me--

[Will hurries behind a gleefully excited Nine, who is spurred on by the prospect of learning something new from one of his other brothers.]

Beck: Come on, Dad, how much further?

Will: Ah--Not long now, now that you took care of that Round Digger...

Will: We should be seeing some of the assembly lines right around here...

Will: .....

Will: That's odd...

Beck: --? Huh? What is?

Will: ...The assembly lines are going in reverse--?

<DWN-012>: >Say what?

<DWN-012>: >That sounds… really gruesome…

Will: (That's strange--why would the factory disassemble its own models?)

Will: (Something is wrong here...)

Beck: .......

Beck: (There's a lot of Xel up ahead, I can feel it...)

Beck: (Huh...)

<DWN-013>: >Why would models be being torn apart into Xel? That’s honestly messed up. >.>

<DWN-013>: >Even a malfunction should just cause it to shut off, because a buildup backlog would just cause an explosion somewhere.

<DWN-012>: > …Unless it were being used somewhere else in the factory, somehow…

<DWN-013>: >Doing what?

Will: Only one way to find out...

Beck: Keep going?

Will: Yes.

<DWN-013>: >Let us know.

<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: >Kinda concerned we haven’t heard from 18 or 19 yet…

<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: >Nico must have either knocked 19 out entirely or else taken out the transmitter altogether. I hope it’s just the transmitter, because I don’t want our cousins to get involved…

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

[MN.1] //: (Alnico, you better know what you're doing...)

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

[MN.2] //: Guyyyyys--

<DWN-013>: > -Distracted- Yeah, Icesis?

[There is what could only be described as absolute chaos over Cryo's team's feeds--even Beck himself could hear it on the next rooms beyond.]

Beck: --!

[MN.2] //: WE MIGHT BE IN TROUBLE HERE--

[MN.8] //: -REQUESTIN' BACK-UP, THERE'S BEEN A INFLUX OF CDNs--

[MN.3] //: -BZZZZZZT OW--

<DWN-012>: >UH.

<DWN-012>: >TEAM ONE YOU MIGHT NEED TO BACKTRACK—

<DWN-013>: > Hang in there!

[MN.1] //: Bat! Move up front with Jaden--we're heading to the assembly lines!

[MN.5] //: Roger that, Commander--

[MN.1] //: Speedy, Brand, Mic, how far are you from their location?

[MN.4] //: -Not far, heading that way now--

[MN.1] //: Beck, stay with Father until we can clear things up enough for you to pass though!

Beck: Yessir!

[There’s an increasingly loud clanging noise coming closer.]

[MN.2] //: -EY, CALVERY IS COMING--

[MN.3] //: -BZZZ, HEY, HANDSZZ OFF THE PONCHO--

Jaden: -Runs in- HI BECK—

Jaden: -Runs past- BYE BECK—

Beck: !!

Bat: CHAAAAAAAARGE--

Beck: -WHOOPS, OUT OF THE WAY--

[Pyro does pause for a moment when he catches up to check on Beck and Will--]

Pyro: --...

Pyro: Father, you're a mess--

[Will did look a bit worse for wear, but there wasn't any real major injuries to worry about.]

Will: Eheh... Don't worry about me, son.

Will: Go.

Pyro: -Nods-

Beck: -GO GET THEM, BRO--

[Inside the assembly lines....]

Cryo: TOOK YOU GUYS LONG ENOUGH--

Cryo: -FREEZES A CDN instead of finishing that SENTENCE--

Dyna: -BZZZZ, THEY JUST KEEP COMING--

Jaden: Not for much longer, they don’t.

Shade: Ya seen Brand and the others--?

[Shade, of course, was at a high vantage point along with Cryo to pick off the CDNs as they came out of the lines.]

Shade: We need them t' trash the equipment--

[CRASH—]

Pyro: --!!

Speedy: -Keeps running so he doesn’t get run over- HI GUYS MIC AND BRAND ARE RIGHT BEHIND ME, STAY OUTTA THE WAY I THINK THEY AREN’T GONNA BE STOPPING EITHER—

[SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING--]

[RRRRRRRRRRR--]

Mic: -SLAMS RIGHT INTO A PROCESSING UNIT-

[Speedy opens fire with Quick Boomerangs.

Shade flinches at the sound.]

Shade: --ngh--

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

KTANG!

[Leaping onto the walls and vaulting onto a statue, he peppered the room with high speed Quick Boomerangs.]

"You clearly haven’t learned I don’t go down so easy, Counter.”

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

Cryo: Hey! -Sprays with cold water--

Shade: GAH--

Cryo: I need ya here and now, bro, gotta keep those CherryDyn's down!

Shade: | [ -Ya didn't have to cold spray me--

Brand: Mic! Help me with these processing units!

Mic: -MIC SMASH--

Jaden: HEY MIC!

Mic: !

[He fires into a bit of debris and kicks it over Mic’s way.]

Jaden: Give ‘em a slam dunk! >B]

Mic: E : <

Mic: -WHAM--

[A slew of CDNs are crushed underneath the pile of debris, now just a pile of Xel on the floor.]

Cryo: -THREE POOOOOINTS--

[BOOM!]

Brand: --!

Mic: -OOO TRASH BALL GO BOOM--

Pyro: Dyna, barrier!

Dyna: You got it--!

[A bunch of bits fly in front of Pyro to create an electric shield, which he stands behind for a moment before igniting himself--]

[--And CHARGING FORWARD, Using Dyna's shield as a battering ram against the CDNs--!]

[Interesting. Bits of surge from what’s left of the Crash Bomb provide a boost. Not NEARLY as much as the full thing, but still.]

[PING!]

[MN.6] //: HEY GUYS, AM I LATE TO THE PARTY--

Speedy: EEEEY, LOOK WHO’S OUTTA THE JOINT.

Speedy: Tell me you have good news, bro!

Speedy: Everyone’s in one piece, yeah?

Avi: Yo I got there JUST in time, bro, Call's giving the pooch a lesson--

Speedy: How’s our younger brother?

Avi: They're on their way to Doc Blackwell, and--Uh.

Avi: ....Wait, what?

Speedy: …

[He leaps up onto a higher vantage point to start taking out his frustration on the production lines.]

Speedy: Nico went in there! Are you saying he’s not back yet?

Avi: -YO SAY WHAT--

Jaden: He must have seen Call on the screen after Siamini looked up the status of the Sanda team after hearing you freak out over the dog plans.

Avi: -I--I didn't see him there, I didn't know, I only broadcasted to Sanda-bag--

Avi: -Gaaaaaaah if I knew I would've stayed and backed him up--

Pyro: Avi--

Avi: --?

Jaden: I wouldn’t worry about it…

Jaden: He could tear things up pretty badly if he puts his mind to it.

Jaden: Especially if he took shrapnel bits with him on the way…

Speedy: I’m going to guess yes, given he was going into something with Combat in mind.

Avi: -Oh-

Avi: ....

Avi: : ' D -Okaaaaaaay yup cuz that's not terrifying to think about at all--

Jaden: -Laughs at this-

((pic))

Jaden: We’re Wily constructs, dude.

Avi: : ''''' D

[PING!]

[MN.9] //: How are you guys holding up?

[MN.5] //: Managed to push them back at least--

[MN.6] //: -EY BECKO GUESS WHAT, CALL'S BEATING UP THE DOGGIE AND NICO'S, UH--GOING IN FOR BACK UP-

[MN.9] //: Oh, That's-- waitdidyousaynico--

<DWN-013>: >Yyyyyyeah, uh…

[MN.9] //: -NOBODY TOLD HIM ABOUT CALL--

<DWN-013>: >No, we didn’t, but he apparently saw, because he took out both the transmitter and possibly Siamini as well in the process of storming off.

[MN.9] //: -Thaaaaaaaaaat's not good--

[MN.9] //: Do you guys need a hand?

<DWN-013>: >No thanks, I don’t use hands. B]

<DWN-013>: >No hands no problem, right, Shade?

[MN.8] //: Heh...

[MN.8] //: Little help does sound nice, though.

[MN.1] //: Someone has to stay with Father--

[DR.WHITE] //: No, we're running out of time--

[DR.WHITE] //: We NEED to get past this into the main assembly line--

Jaden: You want me to come over?

[DR.WHITE] //: No, Jaden, you're needed with the rest of your team--all of you just keep concentrating on the infected units while we slip by!

[MN.9] //: -Don't worry, I'll be in Mic's form for defense--

Jaden: Awesome! Go for gold, guys. : )

Jaden: We’ll just be having a ball here, right, Icesis?

[REXELECTION: SEISMIC]

Beck: -Snorts-

[MN.2] //: -TEN POINTS FOR YOU-

Beck: Hey, Dad--get on!

Will: --Wait--what, on you--

Beck: -This'll be much faster than you on foot--Don't worry, 'Linka and I do this all the time--

Will: Oh--

Beck: Just hold on tight because we're going to be going really fast--

Will: Uh--H-How fast--

[RRRRRRRRRRR--]

[MEANWHILE...]

Mic: -SMAAAASH--

Brand: --Mic, is that noise you--

[RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR--]

Will: -SCREAMING, TOO FAST, TOO FAAAAAAAAST--

Avi: -GO BECK GO--

Beck: -SKIDS AROUND STUFF- You sure you guys don't need some--

[WHANG--!]

Beck: !!

[OH WHEN DID A ROUND DIGGER GET IN HERE--]

Jaden: Woah! -Knocked over-

Brand: Haaaaaah--!

[S H I N G !]

Jaden: o.o

Jaden: -Looks as the half of a Round Digger turns into Xel goop- Nice one, bro.

Brand: Hmph.

Brand: Nothing here my blades cannot handle.

Cryo: -Oh stop being dramatic, ya loopy ninja-

Mic: -NOPE, got this area all under control-

Mic: -Maybe help Cryo team instead--

Cryo: PFFFT, I'm ice CREAMING these bots--

Cryo: -There's snow many of them though--

Shade: -Sigh- -BANG-

Shade: Maybe if ya spend more time FIGHTIN' and less on yer lame puns...

Cryo: -Shrills- WHAT?!

Cryo: Just remember who you're talking to, Shadey, I'm SIX WHOLE NUMBERS OLDER THAN YOU--

Jaden: Like the other punster? | ]

Avi:  : D

Cryo: Okay YES but six as in OLDER--

Shade: -Rolls his eye- Yeah, yeah, an' Ah'm--

Pyro: Shade stop arguing with your sister--

Shade: -OI SHE STARTED IT WITH HER PUNNIN'--

Speedy: -Laughs a little at this-

Jaden: -Jumps onto Mic- You provide a great vantage point, bro. : )

Mic: ^ W ^

Beck: -ZOOOMS AROUND XEL MUSH-

Will: -AAAAAAAH STILL TOO FAST, HELP-

Speedy: Buckle up, Will! |D

Will: -WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT I DIDN'T DESIGN BECK W I T H SEAT BELTS--

Beck: -Skids as he just HAS TO LAUGH AT THAT--

Beck: -BYE GUYS, HEADING FOR THE LINES NOW--

Will: -PLEASE, I want to get ooooofff--

Pyro: Bat! You're with me, we're going to secure the room ahead!

Pyro: Jaden, stay here and provide support for the others, alright?

Jaden: You’ve got it.

Jaden: Come on, bro, let’s wreck some things.

Speedy: Heh. It’s what we were made for!

[They both give devilish grins.]

Beck: -GOOD LUCK GUUUUUYS--

[Beck, with his father in tow, races across many a battered hallway, Pyrogen and Battalion following close behind.]

Pyro: Crash and BURN!

[Following Pyro's lead, they thin out the CDNs that littered the reversed assembly lines, giving Beck a clear pathway towards the center of the factory.]

Bat: HAHA! Now that's what I like to see! First into battle, the tip of the spear!

Pyro: | ]

Pyro: Heh, of course--it's a leader's duty, after all.

Beck: --!!

Beck: Dad--look!

Will: -Opens his eyes--

Will: !

[CHERRYDYN MAIN ASSEMBLY LINE FLOOR.]

Will: At last!

Pyro: We'll keep things under control here so nothing tries to come up from behind!

Pyro: Good luck, Beck!

Beck: c : <

[The door automatically opens, and then slams shut behind them--]

Beck: !

Beck: Whooooooooooa...

[Right in the middle of the entire assembly floor was the Primary M.O.M unit, it's displays flashing from red to purple with errors littering the holoscreens around it.]

Will: There it is...

Will: .....

Will: (All the assembly lines so far lead to here, but in the reverse way...)

Will: Alright, first, we need to find it's computer core and destroy it--

Will: That will halt all of the production lines so I can hack into the systems themselves and shut them down for good--

[Will calmly approaches the M.O.M unit slowly, looking for any sort of panel it might have that will reveal it's inner workings...]

Will: Beck, I need you to scan this with your C.Visor and--

Beck: --!!!

Beck: DAD, UP--!

Will: --?!

[Beck grabs Will and yanks him backwards, right before--]

Will: -Fumbles right into his back-

Will: Wh--

[GGGHGHGHGGGGGH...]

[The Doctor scrambles to his feet as the very earth shakes from the force of a giant, MASSIVE construct slams down just where he was not moments ago--]

((pic))

Will: What on--?!

[PING!]

<DWN-013>: >WOAH, guys, what’s with the shaking—

<DWN-013>: >It’s like something Gamma size slammed down!

[MN.9] //: -WHAT THE HECK IS THAT--

[MN.9] //: WHAT IS THAT, IT'S--IT'S LIKE FOUR TIMES BIGGER THAN MIC--

[DR.WHITE] //: G--Good heavens--

[DR.WHITE] //: I--I've never seen it's like before--th--this isn't like ANYTHING that CherryDyn's schematic database has--!

[DR.WHITE] //: --!!!!

[DR.WHITE] //: No, wait--of course, it makes sense now--the reversed assembly lines, the mixed up fused robots--

[DR.WHITE] //: The factory, the virus--it's--

[DR.WHITE] //: It's begun to CREATE it's OWN DESIGNS--!

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

[MN.9] //: H-HOW, HOW WOULD--

<DWN-013>: >Ooookay, um…

<DWN-013>: >Where are you guys right now, exactly—

[DR.WHITE] //: -Too terrified to answer--

<DWN-013>: >I’m… going to try and contact Siam, hang in there—

Beck: D--Dad--?!

Will: (Run, we need to--!)

[Will backs up, but the cold, hard surface of the door reminds him that they just can't run from this.]

Will: (Ngh--!)

???: -HELLISH SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

[MN.7] //: -What on EARTH WAS THAT--

Beck: This thing is huge--

Beck: Why would the virus want to--to MAKE something like this--?

Will: Ngh--

Will: It's still trying to cause mass destruction...

<DWN-013>: >Okay, so I couldn’t contact Siam, BUT—

<DWN-013>: >I was able to contact someone else, and they’ll be right on over—

???: S C R E E E E E E E E E --

Will: Beck--

Will: We--We have to--

Will: -Grips sword-

Will: We can't let this thing leave this factory--!

Will: We have to stop it here--now, and shut down the M.O.M Unit before it can create an ARMY of these--!

Beck: --!!

Beck: But this is--this is WAY bigger than anything else--

Will: We have to TRY!

Will: Otherwise it will tear this place apart with EVERYONE IN IT!

Beck: --!!

Beck: (Everyone--)

[TRIGGER RECONIZED. XELFILTER.EXE ENGAGED.]

Will: You distract it!

Will: I'll handle the M.O.M Unit!

[REXELECTION: SEISMIC.]

Beck: Yes, sir!

[SCANNING...]

((pic))

[SCAN COMPLETE.]

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

[MODEL: CDN-XXX, CODENAME: NAMELESS]

[HEIGHT: 774cm WEIGHT: 4048kg XEL COUNT: 809,200,000]

[The giant Xel goliath lurches forward, and one of it's arms raises to the sky--]

[And-- detatches--?]

<CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: HARD KNUCKLE.>

Beck: -UH OH--

[The arm rotates, and the boosters on its end propel it STRAIGHT at the pair--]

[Will and Beck both dive on opposite directions, Beck rolling to the left while Will tumbles to the right and off the platform.]

Will: -Ow--

Will: (Have to get to the M.O.M unit--!)

[The M.O.M unit is a slick jet black pillar instead of the smaller white secondary unit...

He calls on the terminal at once and begins to type away.]

Will: (If I can just find an old back door I used for this...)

[ACCESS DENIED.]

Will: Argh--!

Will: (Of course HE would lock my old pathway out of the system--!)

Will: (Fine, hacking the old fashioned way, then--where is that computer core--?)

[BLAM BLAM BLAM--]

[CRAAAAAAASH--!]

Will: --?!?

Will: Beck--?! Are you--

[As Will turns around, he is SURPRISED to see the giant, 25 foot tall Xelbot--]

[....Utterly in pieces.]

Will: Wha?

[...]

"Ngh..."

[POP!]

[Beck's head peeks out from the mountain of debris, in his default form.]

Beck: Okay, so...

Beck: These things break WAY too easy to my default weapon.

Beck: No joke!

Will: ...Really?? ?_?

Beck: Yeah!

Beck: Huh. Kinda weird that something is that big and it doesn't even hold well...

[CERCHINK--]

[A panel slides open behind Will, prompting him to turn around to watch it open--]

[ A black sphere with the CherryDyn logo on it juts out, pulsing with a sickly purple glow--there was no saving this data core, not when it was so corrupted like this.]

Will: The computer core--!

Will: (So it is infected...)

Will: Beck--

[SCREEEEEEEEEEEEECH--!]

Beck: -Wha--

[The earth once again shakes, felt by all in the building--]

Beck: A--Another one??

Nameless: -SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

Beck: GAK--

[Wait, why is the floor moving BACKWARDS--]

<CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: DWN-009>

Will: BECK!

[Chink--]

Will: --!

Will: No you DON'T--

[SHINK--!]

[Will manages to slash at the core with his Rapier before the panel shuts it away, the systems on the terminal glitching out as it went back into the M.O.M unit.]

Will: (I see now--)

Will: BECK!

Will: Keep breaking the Nameless!

Will: I'll destroy the core myself!

Beck: -BLAM BLAM- On it!

Beck: -Ugh, I didn't need a work out today, this thing is fast--

[BLAM--]

[CRAAAAAAASH--!]

Beck: Two down!

Will: (And the core should--)

[Right on cue, the core panel once again opens, the core itself revealed.]

[SHINK--!]

[ERROR--INTERNAL COMPUTER CORE DAMAGED.]

[PRODUCTION DOWN 25%]

Beck: It's working!

[S L A M--]

Nameless: SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE--

Beck: -Oh jeez--

<DWN-012>: > Guys are you okay in there

<DWN-012>: >DO YOU NEED STRUCTURAL ASSISTANCE

<DWN-013>: > -KINDA SOUNDS LIKE THE BUILDING’S FALLING ON TOP OF YOU OR SOMETHING?-

Will: Fine--we're fine, It's just Beck on the third of one of those things--

Will: -SHINK-

Will: I've damaged the computer core of the M.O.M unit, the production lines SHOULD be slowing down now!

[WHANG--]

Beck: --GUH--

[Beck struggles to keep an even footing on the moving assembly line, and failed to dodge an incoming arm from slamming into him AND the wall.]

Beck: ACK!

Will: You can DO this, Amadeus!

Will: Just hold on!

Beck: Nngh--

Beck: Y-Yes sir...

[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]

[XEL ABSORBED.]

[BLAM BLAM BLAM--]

[As the third Nameless unit is felled, Will wasted no time moving from hacking the terminal to striking at the core the moment it came out of the panel, with quick thrusts and parries.]

[ERROR--PRODUCTION DOWN 50%, SYSTEM FAILURE IMMINENT.]

Will: (Ngh, I need--I need MORE than just this sword--)

Will: (But Beck is busy with the Nameless, and--!)

[There’s a shrill, FAMILIAR whistle that BLASTS across the feeds.]

Beck: --?!?

Beck: (No way--it--it can't be--)

Beck: (He can't be up already--?!)

“RRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNGGGGGHHH…”

Beck: --?????

[SCREEEEEEEEEEEE--]

[S L A M--]

Nameless: -HELL SCREECH-

Beck: Oh MAN--

Beck: (Help--)

[FOOSH.]

Will: --?!?

Will: Jazz?!

[Indeed. It was none other than Cardinal’s support unit—and BOY, did she seem to be in a BAD mood.]

Jazz: HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHSSSS!

Nameless: -HELL SCREEEEEEEEEEEE OF PAIN--

Beck: Jazz--!

Beck: : D

[While Beck was happy to see her, Jazz didn’t return the affection. She was angry, and vicious, and it showed.]

Jazz: >8K

Beck: --Oh right you're in pantheress mode, Kay then--

Jazz: >|K

Jazz: Ree-ow.

Beck: We need to take THIS big thing down!

Beck: -And keep them away from Dad while he does his thing, okay-

Jazz: -REE-OW.-

[SHING!]

[YUP. THOSE ARE CLAWS IF EVER THERE WERE SOME.]

Beck: O.O

Beck: -....NICE- ^.^

Beck: -Yes, there will be food after, we know you-

Beck: Let's get 'em, kitty! > : D

Nameless: -SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

Jazz: Ree-ow.

[BLAM BLAM BLAM--]

Will: (Oh, thank goodness, at least Beck will have some support...)

Will: (I still have to take out this core, but I have nothing else--)

[There was a squealing noise as Jazz dug her claws into the Nameless.]

Will: -OW, OUR EARS--

Will: --!

Will: (Wait...)

Will: (I DO have something else--)

-*-*-*-

Mikhail: At least take the sensory defense mechanism with you, Will!

Mikhail: I’m begging you—

Mikhail: You and Sanda are the ONLY friends I have ever since we were relocated in the protection program! PLEASE don’t get yourself hurt!

-*-*-*-

[Will scrambles to get the sensory defense mechanism off from around his neck--]

Will: (This--)

Will: (If I can get this right in the core, the signals should overload it and the system--!)

Beck: DAAAAD I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER I CAN DO THIS--!

Nameless: SCREEEEEEEEEE--

Will: Just a little longer--

Will: --And brace yourself--!

Beck: --?? Wha--

[CRAAAAAAASH--]

[Will presses the mechanism and throws it into the open panel, where it lands right on the computer core--]

Will: (I hope this works--!)

[The panel closes, and--]

[The closed panel prevented the blinding light, yes.]

[At least… the VISIBLE light… to the outside observer.]

[ERROR--E R R OR--]

[But the SOUND, and the SOUND and the LIGHT over the FEEDS—

Not so much.]

<DWN-012>: > -ERROR: DATA OVERLOAD-

<DWN-013>: > -ERROR: DATA OVERLOAD-

<CSU-001>: > -ERROR: DATA OVERLOAD-

[It was like every possible avenue related to the perception of vision and sound was overwhelmed in a blinding and deafening way. Both in the traditional sense and through data alone— it BLASTED throughout not only the entire factory, but also the building next door.

Although the concept had been originally designed specifically to fight against Robot Masters running a DWN_OS, it functioned through the use of sensory overload. Anything—even organic things—that had sensory perception was, to some degree, susceptible. This included the Mighty Numbers.]

Beck: -OW OWOWOWOW--

[MN.4] //: @~@

[MN.7] //: -ngh--cant see--!

[MN.6] //: -CRASH, OUCH, WE'RE OKAY BUT OW MAN WHO TURNED ON THE BRIGHTNESS SETTING TO EXTREMELY NOT OKAY--

[For Shade in particular, the experience was borderline torturous—his high sensitivity made it not merely uncomfortable—it made it PAINFUL.]

[MN.8] //: UUUGH WHAT THE DAMN HELL I S THAT--

[He was suddenly overcome yet again.]

-*-*-*-

"You’re going to have to do better than that, KID! But if you insist on playing hide and seek…”

[Cardinal used SCREECH—]

[He briefly stopped the mufflers on his fans, causing their overworked whine to get broadcast over his speakers.

It was worse than metal grating mixed with fingernails on chalkboard.]

___________________

“AAAAARUGH–!!!”

“Goddamn BUCKET OF BOLTS–AH’VE HAD IT UP T’ HERE!”

“Fahn, if ya wanna DIE SO BADLY–”

-*-*-

"HEY SHADE! Too bad your glasses got all dusty. Better wipe the dirt out of your eye!”

__________________

“Grrrr…”

“Just keep talkin’, Birdy, see where THAT gets ya…”

__________________

[…….]

[VEEEEEEEEEEEEE–]

"I don’t think so.”

[CARDINAL used FLASH STOPPER!]

[WOW, everything is hit not only with BLINDING light, but whatever is in those intangible waves of data is enough to STUN everything in the hall.]

[There is a HUGE clattering somewhere deeper in the house–it sounded like something very heavy just fell–]

_________________

“AUGH MOTHERSCRATCHIN’ CHEATER–!”

-*-*-*-

[MN.8] //: -Ngh--!

[THUD--]

[MN.6] //: -Oh crud SHADE BRO ARE YOU OKAY--

[MN.8] //: -WHAT'S IT LOOK LIKE--

Will: --?!?

[Will was taken aback at all of this, but didn’t have long to dwell on it.]

[E ROR LRKRKKDJSNAK--]

[SY TO TME F ISIALUT RE--]

Will: --!

[The lights and the holoscreens around the M.O.M unit blink out one by one, and then--

The assembly lines all over the factory come to a screeching halt.]

Beck: @~@

Beck: Uuugh, my head...

Will: ......

Will: >~>!;;;;

Will: (Er...Oops?)

Will: (I--er.)

Will: (Oh dear I really shouldn't ever make Mikhail angry ever again--)

Will: o~o;;;;;;

[MN.1] //: -Jaden???? Speedy????-

[The two of them were out cold, though they were still Online, at least.]

[MN.2] //: -YO THIS IS NO TIME TO BE TAKING A NAP BRO--

[SPLLIIIIIIISH--]

<DWN-012 is now Online.>

<DWN-012>: > -Gurgle noises-

[MN.2] //: -Rolls over to Jaden now--

[SPLLIIIIIIISH--]

<DWN-013 is now Online.>

<DWN-013>: > -AWAKE, SO AWAKE NOW— -

[MN.1] //: | / --Ngh--head still hurts, what WAS that--

[MN.2] //: -Yeah that was, like, WAY DIZZY-

[MN.3] //: -Bzzzz ugh is there such thing as robot asprin Because that would be nice right now--

<DWN-013>: > Ugh…

<DWN-013>: > That was Doctor Cossack’s robot mace.

<DWN-013>: > …On the lowest setting.

[MN.2] //: -YO ARE YOU FOR REAL-- --Wait what isn't Uncle Mikhail like back at the lab--

[MN.3] //: ...Hang on, didn't Doc Cosszzack give Daddy zzsomething like...?

<DWN-012>: > My head still hurts… man is that strong stuff.

<DWN-013>: > Is Shade okay?

[MN.6] //: Eeeeeeeh... -Gives the so-so kinda guesture-

[MN.8] //: -Incoherent data, mostly grumpy to angry data, but mostly discombobulated-

<DWN-013>: >Ow.

<DWN-013>: > …I don’t hear any more crashing noises, the production seems to have stopped…

<DWN-013>: >Does that mean we’re done here…? @~@

[PING!]

[DR.WHITE] //: ...

[DR.WHITE] //: ....Um. I-Is everyone--um...--MOSTLY alright--?

[DR.WHITE] //: -Dear god I am SO sorry I hadnoideathedevicewasthatpowerfulareanyofyouhurt--?????-

[DR.WHITE] //: -WE'RE SORRY, BECK WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE GIANT ROBOTS, THE CORE WASN'T--

[DR.WHITE] //: O~O

<DWN-013>: >I think Jazz is still stunned.

<DWN-013>: >There should… should be a button that does a hard reboot for systems on that device… it must still be intact, because destroying it sets off the highest setting.

<DWN-012>: > We’re okay, we’ve had worse—

[MN.1] //: Ngh... Besides minor damages from the fighting and a massive migraine...

[MN.8] //: -Sounds of stumbling and broken cursing-

[MN.1] //: ....We'll be alright, Father.

[DR.WHITE] //: -Oh thank God, for--for a moment I thought I had seriously hurt you all, I'm SORRY--

<DWN-013>: >No, noooope… >m> That was the LOWEST setting. That doesn’t… isn’t meant to do lasting harm.

[MN.9] //: @~# I really need to lie down...

<DWN-012>: > We should probably head back…

[MN.9] //: yeah that sounds nice, I'm--just gonna carry Jazz back after a bit--

Will: .......

Will: Beck.

Beck: --?

Will: Hold on to these for me.

[Will handed off both the device and his rapier off to Beck, who was resting besides a disabled Jazz.]

Beck: --???

Will: You go on ahead with Jazz without me.

Will: ....There is someone I must see first.

Beck: Huh?

Beck: I--I don't understand--

Beck: Who?

Will: ......

Will: -Puts a hand on Beck's head-

Will: Don't worry about it, alright?

Will: You make sure everyone gets out safely.

<DWN-012>: >You come back okay too then, or else Mikhail will give us an earful. |D;

Will: Eheh--yes, of course....

<DWN-013>: > …I honestly think he might have been put to sleep.

<DWN-013>: >Otherwise there’s no way he wouldn’t have been saying stuff through all of this.

<DWN-012>: >My point still stands…

Will: (Rest, that will do him some good...)

Will: I know.

Will: Just let me finish a few things here before I go.

Will: (Rather, go take care of some unfinished business.)

Beck: Okay....

Beck: Just don't take too long...

Will: I won't.

[Will fondly smiles at his son before turning around, tattered lab coat flowing behind him as he made his way towards a far off door.]

Will: (It's time you and I had a little chat...)

Will: (. . . Gregory Graham.)

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

[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 costed 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.]

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.)

“William!”

Will: !

[It’s Felix! He seems to be in a fairly good mood, albeit relieved to see Will again.]

Will: Oh, hello, Felix! -Beams-

Felix: Good to see you back again! Most everyone is resting right now.

Will: Good, good, that's fine...

Will: I heard Mikhail was still resting as well?

Felix: I put him to sleep shortly after you started getting ready.

Felix: He needed the rest. Don’t worry, he’s still here—and it would appear Siam has been successful at delaying the Cossack Numbers from waking, so I’ve let him continue sleeping for now.

Will: Hmm...I see.

Will: (Yes, rest easy...Let me handle this now, dear friend...)

Will: ...And Soi? He's not back yet?

Felix: Not as of yet, no. I did see Aviator talk with him, but it seemed that there was some interference in the feeds toward the end of your fight.

Will: Ah...That.... >>;;;

Will: Er...I'll explain that later...

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

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

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

Will: -Frowns-

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.)

Will: -Rubs his hand-

[...Oh, that's a little bruised, isn't it--]

[Felix steps forward.]

Felix: Here, let me take care of that.

[Felix used POTENT CURE!]

Will: ? Oh--

Will: (...Oops.)

Will: (Never exactly punched anyone before that...)

Felix: Goodness, it must have been rough in there. But your swordplay was excellent.

Will: --? Oh--

Will: Eheh, uh... ^^

Will: I'm honestly surprised I still even remember, it's been so long since college...

Will: Er, thank you for that, the hand...erm. ^^

Will: -It's my writing hand, the left one, that is-

Felix: Not at all. I only wish I could be as helpful to the others. I’ve been able to relieve pain to some degree, and helped alleviate some of the strain Mikhail has put on his body, but… -shakes head- I’m no Doctor. Not like you.

Felix: I still can’t get in touch with Master Siamini, so I’m afraid you’ll have to help tend to the Robot Masters as well. But just tell me what to do, and I shall help you.

Will: ...So that makes twelve...

Will: Hm.

Will: --!

Will: Ah!

Felix: Yes?

Will: Mikhail--he left us some of the E-Tank substitute, didn't he--

Felix: ! Ah, yes!

Felix: The cases from Guardia that were sent over! Is that what those are? That will be incredibly useful.

Felix: Ah, but one thing—Shade refuses to enter the lab right now. I think he’s asleep in Seismic’s room, and Pyrogen didn’t push the point as the repair bay has become rather crowded.

Will: ....

Will: I see...

Will: (Shade...I swear I will make this right, I promise...)

Will: Mic's room will have to do for him. I won't force him into anything either. Not until he's ready.

Will: I'd rather wait until Soi comes back, but we don't--

[PING!]

Will: --!

[DR.SANDA] //: -WILL--SOMEONE, ANYONE, PLEASE ANSWER--

Will: --!! It's --It's Soi--

<DWN-013>: >Doctor Sanda?

Will: Soi!

[DR.SANDA] //: Oh, thank God, William, you're ALIVE--

<RMDC>: >STATUS UPDATE: DWN-018. CURRENT STATUS: SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE SUSTAINED, APPROACHING CRITICAL

<DWN-012>: > What? What’s going on over there?

[DR.SANDA] //: Will, please, I--I need the repair bay ready--

[DR.SANDA] //: Nononono, Call, please, you're going to be OKAY--

[STATUS UPDATE: CALL is in CRITICAL CONDITION.]

<DWN-013>: > OH [GLITCH—]

Will: --?!? Call--!

[Nico didn’t take the news very well. His data started to fluctuate wildly.]

<RMDC>: > WARNING! DWN-018 HARDWARE ERROR DETECTED!

<RMDC>: > MAGNETIC FIELD POLARITY UNSTABLE: ERROR X00— MISSING/DAMAGED PRIMARY AND/OR SECONDARY UNITS

Felix: -Takes a step back, looking unnerved-

<DWN-012>: > OH MAN THIS IS  B A D

[DR.SANDA] //: I--I couldn't--it was so--fast, I--

[DR.SANDA] //: She wasn't any match for it, and--

“I am magnetically Drawing my death to me So why can’t my body Reverse polarity?”

<DWN-012>: > UH, GUYS—

[DR.SANDA] //: Dr. Blackwell--

[DR.SANDA] //: It--it TOOK him--

[DR.SANDA] //: HE--HE'S GONE--

<DWN-012>: > GUYS!

“You walk into my town Waving that gun around You want a fight I’ll give you one tonight—”

<DWN-012>: > NICO’S GONNA END UP HURTING HIMSELF BECAUSE OF THE UNSTABLE FIELD!

Felix: What? I thought you had that repaired—I specifically remember labeling a mold for parts for him!

<DWN-012>: > He put off getting his upgrade because he thought the research for Cardinal’s was more important!

Felix: Is there any way to get him out of there?!

<DWN-013>: >Nnngh…! He’s been triggered into Lethal mode due to a crisis, Felix!

<DWN-013>: >You can’t just stop something like that! The only way to put a halt in a Combat initiative is to eliminate the circumstances that created it or force a shut-down!

Will: (Ngh--)

Will: (And the only one that can do that is--!)

<RMDC>: >UPDATE COMPLETE.

<RMDC>: >WARNING: THREAT IDENTIFIED.

<DCN-000 is now Online.>

<DCN-003 is now Online.>

<DCN-007 is now Online.>

<DCN-008 is now Online.>

<RMDC>: >INITIATING DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE.

Will: Felix, we need Mikhail.

Felix: …

Felix: -Puts his hands over his face- You don’t need me to wake him up at this point.

Felix: The nearest person can—

[SPLLIIIIIIISH--]

[MN.2] //: WAKEY WAKEY EGGS AND BAKEY, UNCLE COSSACK--

<MC005>: > -VERY much awake now- {What—}

<MC005>: > {Cryosphere, why are you screaming about breakfast—}

[MN.2] //: -CUZ I'M HUNGRY AND EVERYONE IS KINDA GOING BONKERS LIKE NOW-

<MC005>: > {What?!}

[It only takes him one look at the status screens to make his decision.]

<MC005>: > {Emergency shutdown! Authorization MC005!}

<DWN-011 is now Offline.>

<DWN-012 is now Offline.>

<DWN-013 is now Offline.>

<DWN-018 is now Offline.>

<DWN-019 is now Offline.>

<DCN-000 is now Offline.>

<DCN-003 is now Offline.>

<DCN-007 is now Offline.>

<DCN-008 is now Offline.>

<CSU-001 is now Offline.>

>ERROR: DLN-000 CANNOT BE SHUT DOWN WITHOUT DAMAGE TO SYSTEM.

>Internal Database ALERT: 06.30.20XX MEMORY DATA HAS GENERATED NEW PRIMAL ANALYSIS NEXUS:  DATA CANNOT BE ISOLATED UNTIL UPDATE IS COMPLETED. ALL SHUT DOWN PROCEDURES MUST BE PERFORMED MANUALLY BY AN ADMIN.

<DLN-000 is still in Maintenance Mode.>

Will: (Cardinal...)

[There’s a noise as a door opens and Mikhail walks in. He’s still in his pajamas, though he’s somewhat soaked from Cryo’s wake-up call.

He DOES look significantly better—apparently Felix’s Cure spells had really, really helped do him some good.]

Mikhail: {Where is Alnico?}

Will: At--

Will: At the Prison--

Will: With Soi and Call--

Mikhail: -Pinches the bridge of his nose- {I’ll—}

“No.”

Will: --!

Felix: No you won’t, Doctor.

Felix: For one thing, I don’t recall Master Desmond releasing you.

Mikhail: —…

Felix: And for another… now that you’re awake, if you insist on being awake and not taking more rest…

Felix: It should be to tend to some patients. Jaden sustained significant heat damage, and Carlos was injured by a fracture in time.

Felix: Now either go rest or go heal and THEN rest, because you aren’t leaving the building.

Felix: Neither are you, Master White, so don’t even try.

Felix: Lady Minerva called while you were out, said something about fencing championships and Master Battalion—she seemed to imply you would know what she meant by such a vague message?

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: ({What does Bat have to do with fencing, I don’t get it—}) -Clearly confused-

Will: (Fencing championsh--)

Will: -Pales-

Will: (Oooooooohdearlord--)

Will: I...

Will: -Swallows-

Will: ...I see...

Mikhail: …Will? Are you alright?

Felix: He was just in the midst of a very stressful fight, so no, he needs rest, too.

Felix: Both of you stay here, I will retrieve the others.

Will: -Um, okay, okay...-

Will: -I--I think I need to sit down, f-for a bit-

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

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

Mikhail: … Will?

Felix: … -Slightly concerned himself- She said not to worry about it, that she’d be coming over for tea by herself after the city was no longer a region of emergency.

Mikhail: What? Why?

Felix: She wants to see Cardinal, I believe. She didn’t elaborate much—even Master Desmond looked confused.

Will: (E-Erk--)

Mikhail: Will!

[He has his hands on Will’s shoulders again.]

Will: --!

Mikhail: Will, you should eat something: you look like you’re about to faint. Did you ever finish your breakfast?

Felix: Wasn’t that yesterday?

Mikhail: … -Puts a hand to his face- The last few days are running together…

Will: .......

Felix: -Shakes his head- I’m leaving for the prison.

Will: (......)

Will: (I'm running out of...time...)

Mikhail: How are you going to—

Felix: -Already walking off- The same way Jack did.

Felix: I’m taking a shortcut.

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

=CHAPTER 1B: RAGING FLAMES SMOLDER=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

{Meadow}

[Everything had fallen into a surreal sort of silence when Tobias shut down. Two of the Robot Masters were laying motionless on the ground, their eyes dark and without life. It was as if the souls had been ripped right out of them, leaving them in a state of eternal despair.]

Jack: Oh my God oh my God—

Jack: A—Are they okay, are they even ALIVE—?!

[There were soft and erratic patters of ping noises as the stunned brothers tried to get a response from the fallen. They were growing louder and more frequent, and a sense of panic was starting to rise in the data.]

Mikhail: Enough!

Jack: —! Huh—

Mikhail: -Speaking calmly but firmly- Let’s not jump to any conclusions. We need to run diagnostics on both of them. Carlos, Nico—take Shadow to the lab. Skull, Keltso—do the same for Tobias. Siamini, I need both of you to prepare the diagnostic equipment for them. Go, get things ready. No time to waste!

[His sons obeyed right away, though there was a delay from the Wilybots before they complied with the orders. Mikhail pulled out his phone.]

Mikhail: (I need to know what happened…)

[He dialed the number for Will, but to his aggravation…]

“Hello, this is Dr. William Apollo White of Sanda Technologies. I’m currently unavailable right now—”

Mikhail: -Annoyed- Mmmmmnnn… -Hangs up- (Voicemail AGAIN, Will? Really? At a time like this? Gahhh… fine, I’ll call you again later, after I’ve run the diagnostic.)

[He turned to face Jack.]

Mikhail: …I’m so sorry, Jack.

Jack: H-huh?

Mikhail: You came here for something, and this whole time we’ve all but ignored you.

Jack: Oh, uh… i-it’s alright, I mean… that was a lot going on…

Mikhail: True, but you must have come here for some reason. What was it? Can we help you with something?

Jack: What? God, no, I’m more worried about YOU guys—! A—Are they going to be okay??

Mikhail: -Adjusts glasses- It’s probably just… shock. (No pun intended.) We’ll know soon enough for sure.

Jack: …

Jack: …

Jack: Shock, huh….

Jack: …Hn…they aren’t…they aren’t the only ones….

Jack: Starting to feel a little of that myself…

[Mikhail was quiet at that for a while, and then walked over. He put a hand on Jack’s shoulder.]

Jack: …?

Mikhail: Follow me, Mr. Parker.

Jack: (O-oh, I guess Miss Eight told him about her brother’s name for me…)

Mikhail: Let’s just have a talk.

[Jack followed the Russian Doctor into the main building in the Meadow.]

[They walked through the building and into the kitchen, where Mikhail had Jack sit down at the table. It was a rather large table, and made Jack feel small sitting at it all by himself.

But the whole situation made him feel small. He was caught up in this disaster the same as everyone else, and there was nothing he could do to help…]

Jack: (Son of a glitch…. The whole family is fallin’ apart and what did I do? Nothin…)

[There were the soft background noises of the kitchen as Mikhail started preparing something. They were largely unfamiliar noises; not the clamor of a food-related workplace, like he had worked at once for a couple weeks, not the cheap joints he normally bought from. It was a more personal, friendly and family kind of noise, one that was almost alien to him.

He perked up at the smell of meat, though.]

Jack: (…mmm…meat…ugh, that smells too good…)

Jack: …

Jack: (Gosh, this reminds me of the meal Miss Eight and I had just the other night when she stopped by…)

Jack: (I wonder where she is right now…)

Mikhail: There. It will be a while before it finishes, I’m afraid. Would you like something to drink?

Jack: Uh… I’m fine with whatever, honestly…

Mikhail: How about a milkshake, then?

Jack: Milkshake?

[He perks up a bit more at this.]

Jack: Like with the ice cream you guys sent me back in the hospital?

Mikhail: Exactly.

Jack: Oh, PLEASE…

[Mikhail smiled a little at this, and pulled some ice cream from the rather sizable freezer. The blender was a little on the loud side, but it wasn’t long before Jack had a large glass of milkshake in front of him.]

Mikhail: There you are.

Jack: Thank…

Jack: -Takes a sip- …Thanks for everything, Doc. You guys have been nothing but good to me…

Mikhail: It’s the least we can do.

[He adjusted his glasses again, sitting down opposite the beleaguered ex-arena fighter.]

Mikhail: Now…

Mikhail: You expressed you felt rather overwhelmed by all this.

Jack: …Yeah…

Mikhail: Honestly, anyone would be.

Mikhail: It’s best to start from the beginning.

Jack: …The beginning? Like… this morning?

Mikhail: No… not this morning. It probably started earlier.

Jack: What do you mean?

Mikhail: -Rubs his beard a bit- Well…

Mikhail: Things look confusing to us all right now because we don’t have the proper context to them. That makes it hard to focus on what is going on.

Mikhail: So let’s find some context, and unravel it for you. What’s on your mind? We’ll go back to address it from the beginning.

Jack: Okay…

Jack: …I…I’m just really worried about…God, it was KATE, at first, but after…that…Avi, and now Cards is out there too? It’s just…they’re out there, all alone, especially Cards….

Mikhail: …

[He closed his eyes and sighed, crossing his arms.]

Mikhail: …There’s something you should know.

Jack: (…That doesn’t sound too good…)

Mikhail: It would take a long time to explain all the details, but for a while now, Cardinal has been convinced that Gregory Graham had been planning to make a massive power grab, by means of setting up a crisis and solving it publicly.

Jack: —?!

Jack: What…?

Mikhail: He believed that the highway incident earlier in the year was the result of something in this plan going… wrong.

Jack: Wrong…?

Mikhail: The fact that Graham took the time during THIS disaster to—yet again, as before—publicly say “don’t blame me! Blame someone else!” does not help matters. “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”

Mikhail: -Dryly- Guilty conscience, perhaps? Or just really bad lying?

Mikhail: That’s what Cardinal believed, at any rate. And I don’t think he was the only one.

Jack: He—he wasn’t?

Mikhail: Due to the meeting we had to discuss the threat that Greater Dusk posed—

Jack: Hang on, meeting—?

Mikhail: I’ll explain later, but yes. During that meeting, it was questioned why CherryDynamics would fund a team, especially one with an assassin. Cardinal wasn’t sure, but felt that Greater Dusk played an important role in the plans: the role of usurping power and favor from the Mighty Numbers, allowing for other power grabs later.

Jack: (They went through all that… because of me and Greater Dusk…)

Mikhail: Lady Countershade seemed to believe that CherryDynamics was not only responsible, but also eager to clean up “loose ends”. Namely…

Mikhail: You.

Jack: Wh...m...ME?

Mikhail: It seemed like it was very personal to her. She was adamant about it in a way that tells me she’d dealt with some sort of conspiracy like it before, whether one of her own invention she convinced herself was real, or else one she had truly witnessed.

Jack: (…She’s been following a few leads besides mine, the way she talked to me before all this…. Did…did that have something to do with my situation—?)

Mikhail: She wanted to protect you, Mr. Parker. She wanted to keep you safe from fixers, from those seeking to silence you as a witness. Something went wrong again in the finals, clearly; something that had not been intended to be publicly known yet. If ever. Likely never.

Jack: … … … … ….

Jack: Jeezus….

[This…this was bigger than he thought.]

[Much, much bigger.]

[What in the world was going on now?]

[Could…]

[Could this be…just too much to handle?]

[Suddenly Jack felt like he was up against MORE than just a virus.]

Jack: … ….

Mikhail: …Tell me more about the crosses, Jack. Felix had been doing research into them, but he fell ill as a result…. You’re the only person who can tell us about them, and… I think that this virus is related to what happened at the Queen’s Finals.

[Jack took in a deep breath after a long sip of his milkshake.]

Jack: Alright…. Where to start…

[He ran his hand through his messy, fluffy hair.]

Jack: Putting them on when they weren’t active–didn’t do a thing. They were made of Xel, so I guess the crosses also had this REALLY tiny core to keep it together….

Jack: They just looked like freaky jewelry to other people. I didn’t like it. Felt…wrong. That’s why I always hid mine under my shirt.

Mikhail: …In what sense? Physically, or morally?

Jack: ….Both? The cross felt…cold. Like it was just pulled out of the freezer, no matter how hot it was out.

Jack: That and inverted crosses are USUALLY a bad sign.

Mikhail: Mmmm…. When you threw the cross down in the finals, that did allow us to briefly see what it was. …The use of that symbol did not go unnoticed.

Jack: …

Mikhail: Their “youngest” brother believed the one behind it was trying to “play God” and was using that symbol on purpose, as a highly disrespectful mockery.

Mikhail: -Softly- I do not discount the notion.

Jack: … … ….

Jack: (The Provider…)

Jack: …..

Jack: Well, whatever nutjob made those things did a REAL good job fragging [glitch] up.

Mikhail: Quite…

Mikhail: There was… a theory I had about it, at the time.

Jack: …?

——————————

Tobias: I don’t understand—! What’s going on?!

[They all fell silent when a quiet voice spoke up unexpectedly.]

Mikhail: … -Quietly- Berserkers.

Cardinal: …! What?

Mikhail: In ancient times, there were men of great strength, warriors that were great and terrible. They could work themselves into a rage that made them almost seem to ignore their wounds in battle—a madness that they channeled with incredible force.

Mikhail: This is why there is the phrase “going berserk.” This is almost exactly what it means.

Mikhail: But to concentrate only on bloodlust, at the loss of sense…

[He adjusted his glasses, the light glinting off them in a glare that obscured his eyes.]

Mikhail: …Especially against tacticians, that can be a very heavy price…

——————————

Mikhail: …Was I right? Is that what they did, induce such a state?

Jack: ….You bet they did….

Jack: When they went active…

Jack: All I felt was rage.

Mikhail: …

Jack: All I felt was…this feeling to break things.

Jack: It was ALL I could think about…

Jack: All…I could think about was…

Jack: How much I wanted to hurt Blade.

Jack: …..

Jack: It was like… something just…took over and….and…

Jack: –….

Jack: I knew it was bad. I had this gut feeling WAY before the finals…

Jack: I knew.

Jack: So I fought back.

Mikhail: … -Focused but also thoughtful- … -After some hesitation…- …We know what that feels like. …You have our deepest empathy.

Jack: ……..

Mikhail: We know that to fight it off is no easy thing. …You are a stronger man than you give yourself credit for, Jack. Not everyone has the will or stamina to do this.

Jack: …..

Jack: -Sigh- Doc, I’m just a normal guy that wanted some extra cash in his pocket. Sure, I’m probably not such a piece of scrap, after all, but…

Jack: I’m not special.

Jack: I’m just…lucky, I guess.

Mikhail: -Gentle slight smile- I suppose. Having Lady Luck on your side is always nice. Heh… I wouldn’t have survived otherwise.

[He goes over and starts pulling things out of the oven, and Jack is left in his own thoughts for a while.]

Jack: (…Is it luck, or is it just something looking out for me…? Ah, who the hell am I kidding… Luck HATES my guts…)

[He was almost too focused to notice the smells of lunch, but it was at this point that the smell of delicious, glorious, tender S T E A K came drifting through the air—]

Jack: —!!!!!

[Jack shoots up into a straighter sitting position, eyes WIDE and eager–]

Jack: That—that is the most awesome smell I’ve ever—

[Mikhail walked over with a platter. A platter with SO MUCH FOOD.

There was steak, there was loaded baked potato with extra toppings set to the side—

Corn, green bean casserole, a tall glass of cold milk, a small bowl of fruit salad— and some chocolate pudding with Oreo bits and whipped cream!]

Mikhail: -Sets it down at the table- Sorry to keep you waiting.

Jack: …

[Jack might have kicked himself later for forgetting his manners—but he just dove into the most delicious food he’s ever eaten in his entire life.]

Jack: -dATA, SO MUCH DATA, OH GOD THIS IS SO GOOD HE COULD CRY-

[Mikhail chuckled at that, seeming very pleased.]

Mikhail: Things will get better, Jack. They may seem nearly hopeless now, but they will get better. Beck White has the power to reverse this, and that’s more than we could have hoped for in such a disaster. I have faith that he’ll bring his family back home.

[Jack slowed down a bit at this, his good mood wavering.]

Jack: …Hey, Doc…?

Mikhail: Yes?

Jack: Do… -Hesitates- …

Jack: Do y’ think Six was… lying?

Mikhail: …? Lying?

Jack: About her. Miss Eight…

Mikhail: …

[His eyes looked very tired at that, and he frowned slightly.]

Mikhail: …I’d say it's possible he was being misleading, but I find it unlikely that Kate is herself… given that even the RMDC was infected. She was connected to the database…

Jack: (…n…no…. Kate, no…)

Mikhail: She might have been asleep somewhere, but even then she would be in danger of getting sick after the fact.

[He gave a deep sigh.]

Mikhail: My heart goes out to those trying to find either her or Countershade; it will be very difficult to find them, and dangerous to confront them.

Jack: …But…

Jack: Isn’t that what bird guy is doing…? (And he can’t even heal them…)

Mikhail: Well. I can’t be entirely sure what he is up to, but that is a distinct possibility. Whatever Cardinal is up to, I can tell you this: nothing will deter him from a mission… not even the threat of death.

Mikhail: -Softly- “No one has greater love than this…”

Mikhail: “…to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Jack: —!

Jack: … …

Jack: (Miss Eight…)

Jack: (Real deep stuff you’re laying down here, bird guy…)

Jack: … …

Jack: Sorry I…I’m not much help…I…

Jack: (….REALLY hope you know what you’re doing…)

Mikhail: -Weary… and sad…- No… it should have been expected and anticipated. We were not surprised. Alarmed, yes, but not surprised….

Mikhail: It is the path he chose long ago, and none can deter it from him as long as he yet runs.

Mikhail: He has made his choice. I only wish he weren’t so fragile…

Jack: ……

Jack: (Fragile…like a bird…)

Jack: (Flying solo for your friend, huh…)

Mikhail: At least he took Jazz with him. That may prove to be his saving grace, if things go south.

Mikhail: …That brings us up to the present, I suppose. Do you have any other questions?

Jack: … …

Jack: (Should I ask ‘em if they can help me find Miss Eight? If they couldn’t stop the bird guy, they’ll DEFINITELY try and stop me….)

Jack: Uh…no, no—well, sorta. Do you guys got anything I can use? Like—supplies and stuff. Just to have on hand.

Jack: And… if you’ve heard anything from Miss Eight’s family.

Mikhail: We have not heard from them yet, but we may hear from them within a week’s time. They are running on a different rate of time passage, so details may be different or confused. Time warps can fuzz the memory rather severely, as our own family can personally attest to. One remembers a general feeling, but not specific events…

Mikhail: As for supplies—forgive me, but I thought Ms. White set you up at a flat in Britain?

Jack: W-well, yeah, but…

Jack: …Saw a metal snake behind my couch…

[Mikhail visibly stiffened at this, becoming very tense. Jack noticed that his gloved, clenched left hand was shaking.]

What he couldn't possibly know was the extent dark, dark torment that plagued the Doctor's mind…]

Mikhail: …

Mikhail: -Somewhat strained at first- Oh, of course. No, of course…. It was good of you to come here…. Let’s see…

Mikhail: I know that David sent a great deal of good supplies—which I see you have brought with you. However… if you’re planning on camping, you’ll need something to eat…

[He wanders off for a moment. When he comes back, he has what appears to be a small cooler… or else a very large lunchbox.]

Mikhail: It’s not much, but with what you’re going through… lunch and dinner over the next few days to indulge in is the least we can do.

[There are sandwiches, sauces, ice cream bars, milk bottles, soda, even Xelpops in there!]

Jack: Thanks, man… this is…. This is just great…

Mikhail: You’re welcome.

[He stands and takes off his glasses to clean them for a moment.]

Mikhail: I’m afraid I must be going. I need to start work on the others.

Jack: Yeah, me too.

Mikhail: We wish you the best as you go on elsewhere, though you are welcome to stay here if you change your mind. I do hope you come back soon at least once—I think Felix had a gift for you.

Jack: …? (Miss Eight said the same thing…. She said he said it was important, too…)

Jack: Uh…I think maybe I’ll just pick that up on the way? Where is he?

[Hopefully he had enough luck on his side to get back to the States in time…AND in one piece.]

Mikhail: He’s out a bit further in the Wilderness. There’s a path that leads more or less right by his house. (Granted, his house is underground, but.)

Jack: Hmm. Got it—I’ll head that way for now.

[Mikhail nodded and left, heading for the medical bay portion of the lab.

Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, Jack straightened out his coat and grabbed the cooler with his other hand, stretching himself out a couple of times–the doc said he had to often just to keep himself limber.]

Jack: Nnh….

[…Despite the looming danger in front of him, and what was yet to come…

…Strangely, Jack didn’t feel all that worried about it at the moment. Maybe it was the food.]

Jack: ….

Jack: (Well, need to at least see what all that is about…)

[It wasn’t long before he found himself in a very unusual house.

It appeared to have been dug right into the ground. This underground bunker had undergone a number of renovations over the years, with the latest one making it far more sophisticated.]

Jack: (This must be the place…. Can’t say I expected it would be underground…)

Jack: …

Jack: -Knocks on the door in the ground?-

[After a few moments, the door was rolled away from underneath, and he found himself looking at someone rather unusual.]

Piers: ?

[The man had golden eyes and aqua colored hair. The air around him seemed to be cooler and… gentler, somehow.]

Piers: I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met before. May I help you?

Jack: (…OK, I’ve seen people dye their hair some CRAZY colors but—)

Jack: Um–yeah, same here. CDN.7037, Designation 'Dencerjack’. Just call me Jack…

Jack: Uh—I’m looking for a guy called Felix? The guys back at that Meadow told me he had something for me.

Piers: Ah… yes, that makes sense.

Piers: Felix mentioned you. He had an important gift for you. Please, do come in.

Jack: … ‘Kay….

[He followed the man down a ladder and into a sort of living room area. There was a large stone table, two chairs, a rocking chair, and a large sofa… currently occupied by a man with long brown hair, who appeared to be asleep in a fevered dream.

There were banners and tapestries adorning the walls, and there were blankets and furs stowed away neatly in a nearby chest. The mantelpiece and shelves around the living room displayed pottery and chinaware that the owner had made, and some wooden carvings. Noticeably, the art around the room showed not only his travels in Weyard and Weyard history, but also scenes and depictions of his friends (and their trials) beyond it.

In the middle of the living room, there were two large dog bed-sized baskets, and one smaller basket. Small cups of stone in the walls around the room served as recesses where beeswax candles and oil lamps rested, though they were lit by Venus energy most of the time… but not today. Today, they were lit by Mercury energy, giving the whole room a soft blue hue to it.]

Jack: (Jeez, this is like something out of a story…)

[His eyes keep glancing back to the little blue lights, wondering where in the world they had come from—this guy registered as an organic, but he was getting some weird energy readings from him too…

Piers: Where are my manners? Forgive me—allow me to introduce myself. I am Captain Piers of Lemuria—a Mercury warrior Adept.

Jack: (….Uhhh.) Nice to meet you…

[Piers looked over at the man on the couch, who briefly glowed a faint gold with a green tint.]

Jack: …!

Piers: Felix is still locked in the cursed dreams… I fear that it is the current disaster which overtook him.

[There were so many things Jack wanted to ask about that—the glow, where the heck was Lemuria and what in the world was an Adept—but he didn’t have the time…]

Jack: Yeah, things have REALLY gone down the drain, huh. …Hope he gets better soon.

Piers: I believe he shall, but that may not be until the crisis has passed… -Small sigh- It is hard to say, outside of time, how long it may take.

[He motioned for Jack to sit down on the floor near the table, which he did.]

Piers: There is, in our world, a material. This material can be used to craft things… jewelry, armor, weapons…. They provide a good deal of power, but they are cursed.

Jack: C-cursed?

Piers: The curse makes it impossible to discard the item without an exorcism. The user gets power, yes—but they are enveloped in a black and red aura, and at times… lose the ability to move of their own volition.

Jack: Ghn…. Oh glitch, that… that’s bad…

[Piers sighed and went over to the mantelpiece above the fireplace.]

Piers: Yes. The similarities were striking, which is probably why Felix was looking into it. Once you understand how something is set into motion, it is easier to see how to put a stop to it. He hoped that studying Dark Matter would yield information that the Doctors could use for medical purposes.

[He brought back a small container. Inside it was a chunk of what looked like an evil cross between obsidian and black marble, as smooth as glass.]

Piers: I'll be honest with you, Master Parker. This was a very dangerous experiment for him to be conducting, right from the start. It's also very unusual that he was working with Dark Matter at all; he'd always made a point never to use Cursed weapons or armor, simply because they were not worth the price. The fact that this happened anyway shows just how motivated he was.

Jack: B…But why the glitch would he DO that—?

Piers: Out of concern. Everyone was very worried. Felix honestly thought he could find an answer. Not only that… he also sympathized with your position.

Jack: …Position?

Piers: -Shakes his head- Within your group. …Felix knew what it was like to have… hard taskmasters, who favored the use of force to show dominance and displeasure.

Jack: -Winces at the reminder… and the thought someone else went through the same thing- …

Jack: …Hn…

Jack: …Is… Is he gonna be okay—?

[The sailor looked over at the Adept in question.]

Piers: …Probably. He’s been through worse in his time.

[He heaved a sigh.]

Piers: At any rate. He arranged for a gift to be given to you, but he fell ill before he could send it….

[He went back over to the mantelpiece and brought over a small box.]

Piers: He said this was to be for you.

[There appeared to be… only a single item inside.]

Jack: ….?

[…What the… a ring, of all things?]

Piers: -Looks QUITE surprised- So that’s where it went.

[He is suddenly very thoughtful.]

Piers: He must have felt that you would need it—and deserved it—and had it set aside for you to give to you…

Jack: ? You know what this is?

Piers: Yes. That’s a Cleric’s Ring: a rare artifact that prevents loss of control of your person.

Jack: … …

Jack: You mean– this thing will protect me from the virus?!

[It takes a moment for him to understand that Jack was talking about the sickness that had overtaken the Mighty Numbers, but then he nods.]

Piers: Yes, that is exactly the idea. It only protects the wearer, however; it does not have an area of effect or the ability to be used as a healing talisman.

Jack: …So it’s just for me. Got it…

[Jack takes a few seconds to inspect the ring a little before putting it on. It fit perfectly.]

Jack: Wow…feels weird…

[…But in a good way.]

Jack: …..

Jack: ….

Jack: (…This can protect me… I won’t get sick. Man, that makes me feel a HELL of a lot better… I guess I really am lucky, having this kinda stuff available… but Kate…)

Piers: I can see you have a lot on your mind… and your gear suggests you have nowhere to go. Would you like to spend the night here? At least then you will have a roof over your head.

Jack: Uh— A-Are you sure? You said Felix is… sick, I, I don’t wanna… be a bother, especially in a time like this--

Piers: Nonsense. It is no imposition whatsoever.

Jack: …

Jack: …A…Alright. I… need t’ think over all this, maybe…. Y…yeah. Thanks.

[And think them over he did.

… … …Kate…. The only person who ever gave two bolts about him…the woman who saved his life…

The woman who had believed in him when no one else did, who had been there to comfort and protect him, who had pulled him out of harm’s way…

The fearless agent who had championed his cause after he was out of surgery, who had kept the press and the forces of darkness at bay…

The… friend he had shared laughter with, who had made his days more than just “bearable”…

She was out there somewhere in America, alone. In the midst of all this.]

Jack: … …

Jack: (….No…No freakin’ way. It’s crazy. YOU’RE crazy.)

Jack: (If she IS OK, somewhere, then yeah, nothing to worry about then–)

Jack: (….But…if she ISN’T…)

Jack: … …

Jack: Sonofva[GLITCH.]

[Without another word, Jack yanks his old biker trenchcoat off from the floor, and heads for the door.]

“Where are you going?”

Jack: !

Jack: Uh—

[Piers was up, dressed in a simple cotton shirt and slacks, with a robe drawn about him. He looked at Jack patiently, clearly waiting for an answer.]

Jack: I…

Jack: I’m sorry, Captain, but—I really have to go—

Piers: …

Piers: Very well.

Jack: !

Piers: But before you do, permit me to at least prepare some supplies.

Jack: I…

Jack: I don’t know if I can carry any more…

[Piers smiled at this.]

Piers: We’ll see about that.

[He went over to one of the storage chests in the room and unlocked it, pulling out a well worn traveling bag. He disappeared off into the kitchen for a moment, before returning with just the bag again.]

Jack: What’s in the bag?

Piers: Some healing items. I am unsure if they would work on you, but I am inclined to think they would. There’s also a change of clothes that should fit relatively well; you’ll want them if you travel for long. There’s also some water and a few defensive items. You may take a look for yourself.

[The first thing he notices is the…wow there is a WHOLE lot more room in here than what it looks like on the outside—how is that even physically possible.]

Jack: …. Are you sure you won’t need this?

Piers: Very. We won’t be traveling for some time; your need is far greater.

Jack: Okay then…

[He proceeds to stuff the cooler in it because NO WAY was he going to drag that thing the whole way.

After some thought, he puts much of what was in his backpack in there as well. Then he puts the bag in one of his many pockets, hauling up the backpack onto his shoulders.]

Piers: -Turns to face Jack, looking at him thoughtfully before giving a gentle smile- I see others have supplied you for the journey ahead as well. I must say… it’s nice to start off a quest with something at hand.

Jack: No kidding…

[Piers opened the door and led Jack outside. He looked ahead down the path, pointing to the horizon.]

Piers: Keep your sights on that city, and you shall arrive where you seek soon enough.

[…WOW OKAY. There was a city there that was NOT there before—

—and what’s more, it looked familiar! It was definitely somewhere from Jack’s own world!

Jack looked to where he pointed–his violet eyes widening as he locked his gaze into something familiar in this huge mess of chaos–it almost felt relieving to see his destination at last.

…In fact…judging from the city skyline–it almost looked like…]

[..Seattle?]

Jack: … …

Jack: I REALLY hope it’s not gonna be raining by the time I get there…

Jack: That city is almost ALWAYS raining, see…

Jack: (…It’s better than nothing, at least.)

[Piers smiled a little.]

Piers: Do you have a poncho you could use? That’s what I’d recommend.

Jack: Oh yeah… now that you mention it….

[He pulled it out and put it on, and then put the goggles on as well. The night vision activated immediately, making the whole world a lot easier to see.

…He REALLY felt like he was about to embark on some important journey, now that he thought about it…

…Probably because he really was.]

Jack: …-Exhales-

Piers: Godspeed on your journey, my friend. Return home safely upon its completion—and may that be soon.

Jack: Thanks, Captain. Thanks for everything.

[He turns away, eyes set on the horizon, rain clouds already starting to form over the distant, war-torn city of Seattle.]

Jack: …Godspeed…yeah…

Jack: (I’m gonna need all the luck in the world for this…)

[In an instant, he starts to sprint off. Might as well get a head start and run for it…!]

Jack: (Just a little further, Kate…! I’m almost there…!)

Jack: (Just hold on until then…!)

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

=PROLOGUE D: IT ALL BEGINS NOW=

~AO v1.0~

(Courtesy of @limitbreakers)

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

{MEANWHILE…}

[As soon as Cardinal saw what was going on, he had turned and slipped away.

There wasn’t going to be much time.]

[He needed to get over there before anyone noticed. Before the systems went down.

He had to find him.]

Cardinal: (I wish now, more than ever, that I had spent more time doing research, learning more…)

[He was shoving E-Tanks into compartments in the back of his shield.]

Cardinal: (It’s too late now. There’s no time. No time…!)

[He called Jazz over, adding on a harness to hold the rest of his supplies—including the Power Capsules that he couldn’t carry.

He was taking ALL of them, after all. All 30 of them.

After all, he had no idea what he was going to get into, except that it would probably be the most dangerous mission he’d undertaken since the Russian incident.

After grabbing some water bottles, oil cans, and the experimental Tanks, he went around to the back of the lab, grabbing Shadow’s light cycle. Normally, he’d prefer to use his own motorcycle, but he needed something with SIGNIFICANTLY better mileage… and the ability to easily carry.]

Cardinal: Come on, Jazz.

[He was in the other Kansas City long before anyone noticed.

…But he immediately saw just how bad the situation was.

That part of the city was abandoned, even by street gangs and those who HAD nowhere to go. Infected Xelbots were running loose. All of them.

He searched for a good ten minutes, but it was to no avail. Everything had either been looted, or destroyed.]

Cardinal: (I won’t learn anything more here. I wonder if ALL their cities are like this…?)

[He entered into a trashed bar. It was a bit saddening, to see it in such a state… but he had no time for such musings.

He had turned his transponder off by now—so he wouldn’t be getting any news or communication that way.]

Cardinal: (Gonna have to do this old school. Now let’s see…)

[He couldn’t call the Whites, that was for sure.

…There was only one other person that might know.]

-*-*-*-*-*-

“Robin… Ah’m worried ‘bout Jack. He has more t’ say, which I meant t’ tell ya earlier, but…. Look, Ah’ gotta run, okay? Look after him. Don’t let him leave the UK alone. They’re probably gonna send someone after him.”

“…Carmen. How am I supposed to do that when he’s completely off the radar?”

“He’s got a phone number, ‘least for now. No more questions, gotta run. Bye.”

-*-*-*-*-*-

[He sighed and dialed in the number.]

Cardinal: (This had better work, or I’ll be out of luck.)

{MEANWHILE, IN LONDON, ENGLAND....}

Jack: What...what the [frag]....

[It was all over the news. America was in shambles. The Mighty Numbers--gone rouge, for all he knew--or at least Avi.]

Jack: Shit....SHIT....

[He sat dumbfounded on his couch, in a cheaply rented flat--he was released from the medical staff of the Theater several days ago--]

[...The scary part was--he was planning to return back home anyway...]

[Then this happened.]

Jack: Oh my God....

[Suddenly it all made sense.]

[The crosses--their PROVIDER...]

[The landline in the apartment rang.]

Jack: ---?!?

[Someone calling--from AMERICA?!

…Why did the Caller ID say it was coming from Kansas City, what the hell?]

Jack: .......

[Who...?]

Click.

Jack: --H...Hello...?

[color=Brick] “Before you ask, Carmen gave me this number. And /no/, I don’t know where she is, what happened to her, or how she got it. So don’t ask.” [/color]

Jack: --?!

Jack: Who--who are--

[color=Brick] “Heh. Surprised you don’t recognize my voice—I know she showed you several clips, Jack.” [/color]

Jack: .........

[.......]

Jack: hOLY GLITCH YOU'RE THE BIRD GUY--

Jack: DUDE--DO YOU HAVE A N Y IDEA WHAT THE [FRAG] IS HAPPENING OVER THERE?!

[color=Brick] “YES, I’m ‘the bird guy’. Now listen up, I’ll tell you what I know, and then you WILL do likewise, got it?” [/color]

[He doesn’t wait for an answer.]

[color=Brick] “Everyone’s gone nuts. The cities are utter disaster. The highways are getting closed down, but all these self-driving cars no longer take orders—they aren’t /sentient/, so they aren’t Killer Cars or whatever, but they won’t respond to outside attempts to shut them off. A lot of people are fleeing for the countryside, with limited success. The ‘bot/human ratio here is way too close.” [/color]

Jack: Holy...

[color=Brick] “Things are very bad, Jack. It looks like a virus.” [/color]

Jack: -fEAR-

[color=Brick] “Damn thing infected the Cossack server, gave me a HELL of a fever for a while. …It got to our server because it came from White’s server. …I’m sorry, Jack. They’ve taken ill.” [/color]

Jack: V...V...Virus...

[He nearly dropped the phone.]

Jack: oh my God...

[color=Brick] “JACK. Listen to me, this is important, it’s why I called—” [/color]

[color=Brick] “I need to know about those crosses. AND about your ex-boss.” [/color]

[color=Brick] “We don’t have a whole lot of time, here, either—Toby managed to stall before he was sent Offline by the aggressive takeover attempt, but Avi will probably snap out of it within half a day, at most. Probably sooner. Any particular questions you have will have to wait ’til the end, accordingly.” [/color]

[color=Brick] “Now TALK.” [/color]

[He didn’t seem… angry. More like… authoritative, focused… and concerned.]

[.......]

Jack: The crosses....and Blade...

[A pause.]

Jack: ....Dude...dude, I...there isn't much I know...

Jack: Blade...he...after they fixed him up...he…God...

[color=Brick] “WHAT” [/color]

[color=Brick] “DON’T TELL ME HE’S /OUT THERE—/“ [/color]

Jack: Someone killed him.

[OKAY that shuts him up fast.

But only for a moment.

Then he sounds sad.]

[color=Brick] “…So much for that plan…”[/color]

[A pause.]

[color=Brick] “Carmen…” [/color]

[color=Brick] “…Carmen didn’t want you to leave the UK alone because she thought that might happen to you. If she IS in this world, she’s probably in London, having been protecting you thus far, but there’s no way we’re gonna find out…” [/color]

Jack: .....

Jack: M-Miss Eight....

Jack: ohman Miss eight please be OK....

[color=Brick] “-Mostly to himself- Last I heard, though, she had been on a mission, though I think the Ambassador did a time-warp favor…? Glitch, I dunno…”[/color]

[color=Brick] “ -Sigh- …I’m more interested in Blade’s past, anyway.” [/color]

[color=Brick] “Specifically, his assassin connections.” [/color]

[…Now WHY would he want to know /that/…?]

Jack: ...Uh...

Jack: ...Shit, man, I...dunno, he was pretty freakin' serious about that--he'd leave then come back...someone always called him...

[color=Brick] “Where.”[/color]

Jack: Dude--why would I KNOW? He's an assassin, for Christ's sake--I didn't want to get all up in THAT business!

[.....]

Jack: ....But...

Jack: ...The person that called him...

[color=Brick] “-Interrupts with a sigh- You’ll have to tell this sort of stuff to Cossack and White, dude.” [/color]

Jack: Alright, alright--

[color=Brick] “I’m sorry. I just don’t have time. Now about those crosses.

“I think I saw in the database that it made you really, really angry…. Please elaborate on this.” [/color]

Jack: Y-Yeah. It...it made me want to...just. Break things. [Frag] shit up, ya know? Just...just for the HELL of it...

[color=Brick] “…Hmm…. …Would you say this was… severely and grossly exacerbating some anger that was already there, or planting something new?” [/color]

Jack: ......

Jack: I....

[He takes a second.]

Jack: .....I...ain't gonna lie.

Jack: Blade was a [FRAGGING] asshole.

[Cardinal pauses for a moment.

Time was precious, but…

…Tobias had risked his life for this guy. …Jack might be isolated for months once he hung up, if no one from the Meadow got back into contact with him.

Tobias would want Jack to be able to talk this out.

So would Carmen, wherever the hell she was…]

Jack: I was SCARED of him...

Jack: But...I was also...really FREAKIN' pissed at him too.

Jack: .....

Jack: I think...whatever was in those crosses just...

Jack: Pulled out all the... bad parts of me...

[color=Brick] “…I see…”[/color]

[color=Brick] “The Doctors need to know, somehow. …I wish I could give more advice on how to go about contacting them safely. …Use a landline, I guess, that’s your best bet.” [/color]

Jack: ......

Jack: I--I can...try and see if I can do it on this side, but...

Jack: --...Bird guy? I know you're short on time--but...

[color=Brick] “…Yes?” [/color]

Jack: ...If...If Miss Eight...if she's...

[GULP.]

Jack: If she is...out there...and she's not...well...

Jack: W-What are the chances she'll...come...h-h-here...?

[color=Brick] “…” [/color]

[color=Brick] “ -Slowly- …Low.” [/color]

[color=Brick] “You never offended her the way others did. She would have killed Blade if she were unwell, if someone else hadn’t already done so. Then, probably go after Brandish. From there? Probably guys she feels slighted by, or their counterparts at least?” [/color]

[color=Brick] “You, she likes. You treated her like a person—not a baby sister, not a cold assassin, not eye candy… it meant a lot to her….” [/color]

[color=Brick] “If this stuff exacerbates what’s already there, she’d be dishing out hurt to those she felt earned it or otherwise deserved it.” [/color]

Jack: .......

[A sigh.]

Jack: ......I...guess...that's....uh....o-okay....th-thanks...

[...He still didn't like the sound of it, though. Miss Eight...]

[...Out there, not in her right mind...]

[color=Brick] “Might not be too pleasant to talk to, though, but she probably /would/ still talk. -Sighs- Unlike some people.” [/color]

Jack: ......

[........Carmen....

The only person who ever gave two bolts about him...the woman who saved his life...]

Jack: .......

Jack: Anything else you need to know, dude...?

Jack: cuz I should probably start packing for some other flat just in case.

[color=Brick] “ -Sighs- …” [/color]

[color=Brick] “…There are many things I’d like to know, but I don’t have time. But there are things you should know.” [/color]

[color=Brick] “…Tobias is out for the count again. He did stall Avi in the process, at least. …But he won’t be able to help. I’m sorry. The others are probably going to try to contact you. If you get a call that’s from Russia, that would be our Doc.” [/color]

[color=Brick] “…And if they ask where I am?” [/color]

[A pause.]

[color=Brick] “ …” [/color]

[color=Brick] “John 15:13.” [/color]

Jack: ............Uh.

Jack: O-Okaaaaaay...

Jack: ........

Jack: Bird guy?

Jack: I SERIOUSLY hope you know what you're doing if you're out there by yourself...

[You could almost HEAR his bitter smile.]

[color=Brick] “Oh, I’m not alone. Isn’t that right, Jazz~?” [/color]

[color=forestgreen][tt] “REE-OW.” [/tt][/color]

[color=Brick] “Heh.” [/color]

Jack: .....Is that a cat. (...The hell??)

[color=Brick] “Yes. She’s a modified attack drone that spits fire. Among other things.” [/color]

Jack: ......

Jack: Oh.

[...Well, then.]

[color=Brick] “ -Slight sigh- Sorry, though. I’m gonna get going. He’s not here, you have no leads… time to move on.” [/color]

Jack: ...Yeah. OK. Me too.

Jack: .....

Jack: Good luck, Bird guy.

[color=Brick] “…” [/color]

[Another pause. And then… back to his usual, laid back demeanor.]

[color=Brick] “If I’m lucky, we’ll get to talk this over while I still have this chassis. B]” [/color]

[color=Brick] “Stay outta trouble. And if you get the chance? Head over to the Meadow, dude, it’ll be WAY safer there, and you’ll get to be in on what’s happening. Pretty sure there’s some stuff out there for you, anyway. Saw a box for you among Felix’s gifts…” [/color]

Jack: .......

Jack: K...Kay....

[........]

Jack: If you see Miss Eight and she's OK...tell her I said hi.

[...Carmen....]

[color=Brick] “…If I do see her, then…” [/color]

[…He hesitates.

If he did see her, it would be only in one of two scenarios—both of which involved her pointing her rifle at him.

Either to bring him home alive…

…oooooooor to send him to the next life, deader than dead.]

[color=Brick] “…If I see her, I’ll let her know.” [/color]

Jack: ....Alright...

Jack: ...Well...see ya, I guess....

[color=Brick] “…Yeah.” [/color]

[He sounds weary. Sad. Like this is just another event of an ongoing war.]

[color=Brick] “…Goodbye, Jack.” [/color]

[Click.]

[......]

[Jack hangs up.]

Jack: ........

————————————————————————————————

Carmen: Heh. -Bites down on her dart- Lucky you, Puppetdancer. Looks like coupla people have developed a soft spot for ya.

————————

Den: From my point of view and from what I've seen and heard, Eight's a loner. Cold, badass sniper assassin, ya know? No offense, miss.

Carmen: Aw, you make me blush~

[…She’s taking the “badass sniper assassin” as a compliment.]

Den: -...awkward COUGH-

—————————

Carmen: Heh. Ya prob’ly won’t get t’ remember me anyway, not yet. No one else is allowed to, yet. On account that I’d be pretty damn distractin’. Carmen: Ah’m told that ah’ll get t’ come out n’ play after y’all finish yer business overseas.

Den: Does that mean you're special or something?

[She shifts to her civvies so she can put her hand to her face.]

Den: Just cu-- .....

Carmen: Well, so far ah get the privilege of rememberin’— …?

Carmen: -Puts hand on hip, tilting her head- (Huh, suddenly went quiet.)

Den: .......

[He seems to shift his eyes to the ground and...sort of becomes a little meek.]

Den: ......-wELP OF COURSE SHE WOULD BE PRETTY IN HER CIVVIES just gonna stare at the floor now-

—————————

Carmen: There, there.

Den: I don't.... ugh.

Carmen: Ah can’t imagine what yer bein’ put through.

—————————

Den: .......

Den: Um. Miss Eight?

Den: Listen, I...

Den: ....

Carmen: -Returns her gaze to Dencerjack, listening-

Den: ...I don't mind if you think I'm lying.

Carmen: …I don’t know what to think anymore, Jack. Cold, badass sniper assassin, remember?

Den: .....Sorry.

Carmen: The touchy-feely stuff outside of mah family isn’t… familiar to me.

Carmen: …But ah ain’t heartless, ah never want t’ see anyone /suffer/.

—————————

WHANG!

“-OOF- Woah now, where’s th’ fire—OH hai there, Jack, ya ran right inta me.”

Carmen: -Decloaks-

Torkie: you seriously take night strolls cloaked, really

Carmen: ‘Course I do, nice way t’ see the night sky quiet an’ not lose any more limbs in the process.

Carmen: -Gives a “?” display on her eye- Uh… you ‘kay there?

Den: H E L P ME.

Carmen: Easy there, easy—!

[She gave shushing noises and tried to broadcast overwhelming serenity, like Brandish did for her during the hard times after she got nearly fatally injured.]

—————————

Den: ........

Den: -Grooooaans, sits, then just topples backwards all together-

Den: This STILL sucks CHASS, uuuugh. No offense, but being hunted before or not, they're STILL gonna rip me up if I even LOOK at one of them wrong--and the MNs? That's a whole OTHER can of beans--UGH!

Den: I wasn't even BUILT for this crap!

Carmen: Tsk… nah, no offense. -Snorts- Ah’d be worried if you WEREN’T scared, ‘cause that’d mean yer instincts were broke.

Carmen: … -GRINS- Come t’ think of it, Ah guess yer boss’s instincts ARE broke.

Den: Are you kidding me-- That guy should be in a mental Looney bin.

[She cracks up at that. It’s a melodious laugh, and you can sorta tell that she’s related to Dyna, by listening to it.]

Carmen: -Happy/entertained pings, leaning against a nearby tree and bracing herself with her right arm stump to keep from losing her balance in laughter-

Den: ..... -he kinda starts to laugh as well, its kinda infectious.-

Carmen: -Calms down, but still grinning- Oh, Lordy! Couldn’ta said it better m’self. Sorry, Ah just—

Carmen: There was once this REALLY, really ancient cartoon thang called Looney Toons, they play reruns sometimes— -sNORTS- He sure is crazy ‘nuff t’ be a character, heh. |J

—————————

Carmen: -BIGGEST GRIN, LOOKIT HER, DEF A SHADE GRIN RIGHT THAR- -Whistles and scratches the image of a graham cracker in the dirt with the edge of her boots- ~~~~

Den: -wait, is that a cracker? Why would— -

Carmen: -Aaaaand now we sketch the outlines of buildings around it to clarify~ -

Den: ......

Carmen: B]

Den: -IT DAWNS- OH WHAT THE [GLITCH].

Carmen: YEP THEY WENT THERE~

Den: HOLY ACTUAL [GLITCH]—

[Aaaaand now we are laughing our chassis off. And she’s laughing too, gleefully.]

—————————————

Carmen: Just try an’ hang in there. Just a bit longer. You can do it. ‘Kay?

[She thinks for a moment, and then smiles.]

Carmen: Let th’ good times be what you remember, when you wake from the “dream.” An’ tell ya what…

Carmen: Snowbaby made you a big ol’ several gallon tub a’ ice cream. And his is the GOOD stuff.

Carmen: Ah’ll have the sponsors set it up so ya get it an’ yer boss and co’s ((coworkers)) won’t even see it afore ya get to finish it~ Nao… try an’ get some rest, ya hear?

[She smiles warmly.]

Carmen: Ah’m goin home, m’self. Girl’s gotta have her beauty rest~

[She pretends to blow smoke off of the barrel of her rifle.]

Carmen: Night.

[Aaaaaand she’s gone.]

—————————

[CDN.7037] //: -...data, he really wouldn't wanted have gotten her in a lot of trouble cuz of you know who and himself-

<FMN-008>: > Nah— as long as I stay put, it won’t be more than just the usual annoyance at Countershade getting up to her antics. B}

<T10>: >Like snitching people’s food.

<FMN-008>: > -Snickers- Worth it.

<FMN-008>: >Lawdy, ya shoulda heard your Brand’s ranting, hee hee~

<FMN-008>: >Music t’ my dish~

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

[CDN.7037] //: You steal people's food??

<Mari>: >Brah she can turn invisible, remember?

[CDN.7037] //: -...sTARTS CRACKING UP-

<FMN-008>: > NO REGRETS~

[CDN.7037] //: -LAUGHS HARDER-

—————————

Carmen: Sweet dreams are made of these~

Who am I to disagree~

I travel the world and the seven seas—

Everybody’s lookin’ for somethin~

Some of them want to use you

Some of them want to be used by you

Some of them want to abuse you

Some of them want to be Abused~

Sweet dreams are made of these~

Who am I to disagree~

I travel the world and the seven seas—

Everybody’s lookin’ for somethin~

—————————

[And it all starts coming back to him.]

[CDN.7037] //: you...?

<FMN-008>: > Sorry Ah’ had t’ step on ya, Jack.

<FMN-008>: > Ah’ only got th’ one hand, an’ strength isn’t my forte…

<FMN-008>: > Needed t’ brace to get enough force.

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

[CDN.7037] //: -aaaaND HERE COMES THE GRATITUDE DATA ALL OVER AGAIN.-

[CDN.7037] //: You...yousavedme...

<FMN-008>: > Ah couldn’t just leave ya there…

—————————

<FMN-008 to CDN-7037>: > -PING- Hey. Can’t talk long. Just lettin’ ya know I’m okay—I’ll explain everything later. Just hang in there, a’ight?

[CDN.7037] //: -PINGS IN CONFORMATION, HES OK TOO...AS FAR AS BEING HOSPITALIZED GOES-

————————————————————————

Jack: ......

Jack: (....No...No freakin' way. It's crazy. YOU'RE crazy.)

Jack: (If she IS OK, somewhere, then yeah, nothing to worry about then--)

Jack: (....But...if she ISN'T...)

Jack: ......

Jack: Sonofva[GLITCH.]

[Without another word, Jack yanks his old biker trenchcoat off from the floor, and heads for the door.]

[SLAM.]

[…Cardinal, for his part, was already burning through the streets, sans wisdom.

…

…His eyes were glowing… blue.]

Cardinal: (Hang in there, Shade.)

Cardinal: (I’m coming for you.)

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

=CHAPTER 7B: RUSH INTO THE MINE=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

[LATER THAT NIGHT....]

[William White was staring patiently at the same analysis screen for several hours, a full jug of coffee at his side. It had gone cold long ago. Mikhail had left for his own devices shortly after making it, mentioning he had important work to do with Siam before he could return.

And that was certainly for the better…]

Will: (Eight...Eight samples.)

Will: (This should be enough--this has to be enough...)

[It was in that moment that Soi stepped into the room.]

Soi: --Will?

Will: --Oh. Soi.

Soi: Good Lord, man, I thought you went to bed ages ago!

Soi: Didn't Mikhail warn you about staying up too late?

Will: Under the circumstances, he's overlooked it for now.

Will: I'm so close, Soi, I can just...

Will: I have all the pieces, I just have to fit them together.

Will: -Turns back to the Terminal- I've already arrange the code, it's only a matter of figuring out what goes where...

Will: And hopefully, I can start to finally counteract this nightmare.

Soi: Thank goodness.

Soi: Once we figure out what's going on with the Virus, my brother will send help!

Soi: -Sigh-

Soi: And all we need is Shade back.

Will: Yes...

Will: I think the others are dreading that, somewhat. Mikhail was...He had that look about him.

Soi: Because Shade is a Hunter?

Will: Perhaps.

Will: But I think it's something else.

Will: Or rather...

Will: Someone.

Will: ....

Will: In any case.

Will: -Working as he speaks- You do have a point. This...

Will: It's almost over, now.

Will: .....

Will: Soi?

Soi: Yes?

Will: ......

Will: I...

Will: Do you think that...Maybe...

Will: . . . .

Soi: ???

Will: ...Nevermind.

Soi: What?

Will: No, it's...It was just a passing thought.

Soi: Wiiiiilll.

Soi: Come on, I know you want to tell me something when you suddenly back out of it!

Will: I just---

[PING!]

Will: !

Will: Wait--

Will: Soi, I--I think I did it--!

Soi: -WAIT WHAT, REALLY--??-

Will: Hold on, let me just run this through one more time--

Soi: Oh, man, this is great!

Soi: -YOU'VE DONE IT AGAIN, WILL.-

Soi: I know that it's still processing, but as soon as that's confirmed, I can call Mikhail back--

Soi: And then we can get to--

Soi: --!!!

Soi: --...Will?

[No response.]

[None.]

[The room was suddenly filled with a tense silence.]

[...That is, save for the quiet patter of drops on a keyboard.]

Soi: Will--

[It was as if he wasn't hearing him.]

[William sat there in what appeared to be shock, huge streams of tears falling from his emerald hues.]

[He was crying.]

Will: . . .

Soi: Will, are you alright--

Will: . . .

Will: I...

Soi: Will--oh dear should--should I call Mikhail or--?

[THAT got him out of the shock, but it was quickly replaced by sheer panic--]

[Will bolted straight for the door, fumbling with his keycard to lock it--]

Soi: --???!

[He then proceeded to shut down all the computers, cameras, even his phone--]

Soi: Will--

Soi: Will!

[Soi grabbed his arm before he could do anything else concerning, a firm tone in his voice.]

Soi: What is going on--?! What did you--

Will: It's mine.

Soi: --???

Will: The virus--it's coding--It's MINE, Soi--!

Will: All of this is MY FAULT--!

Soi: Wha...

[Soi was so...so taken back by it that he let go.]

Soi: Wait--

Will: -PANICKY--

Will: It's all my fault, the madness, our sons and daughters, our own family, HIS--!

Will: The whole country is suffering because of MY MISTAKE--!

Soi: WILL!

[Soi claps very hard in front of Will's face, which was enough to bring him out of his panic attack, or at least some of it.]

Soi: Breathe.

Soi: I've known you for more than 10 years and I know that none of this is your fault.

Soi: You--

Soi: You're different, now, Will.

Soi: Remember?

Will: ........

Soi: .....

Soi: Let's just...Sit.

Soi: Start over.

Soi: Okay?

Will: . . .

[Will sits back down with a shivering sigh, his head buried into his hands. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, but it didn't seem to help much.]

Will: S-Soi...

Will: The...The code, Soi--

Will: It's mine. I know it is.

Soi: Really?

[Silence.]

Will: ....

Will: Not...All of it.

Soi: See, so it isn't--

Soi: --Wait-- not ALL of it?

Soi: I...I don't understand.

Will: .....

Will: Soi...

Will: Remember...

Will: Remember when you first hired me?

Soi: I...Of course.

Soi: How could I forget?

Will: .....

Will: I told you that I had previous experience with robotics before.

Will: You know what I mean.

Soi: ......

[Now it was Soi's turn to be shocked.]

Soi: No, wait--

Soi: You can't mean--

Soi: This--You mean this whole robot rampage--?!

Will: --is all my fault, indeed.

Will: Or rather...

Will: The fault of a robot that I designed long ago...

Will: The CDN-1201.

Will: ...Trinity.

Will: I designed her to evolve by assimilating other robot's capabilities...

Will: I found her custom scripts in the virus code we retrieved from each of the haywire Mighty Numbers--as well as...

Will: From...Mikhail's database sample...

Will: The structure is clever, cunning, concise...

Will: It's brilliant. There's no doubt it's my code.

Soi: Now wait just a minute--!

Soi: How--How is that even POSSIBLE, Will?

Soi: CherryDynamics shut down the Trinity project AGES ago!

Soi: In fact it was--

Soi: Dr. Blackwell himself, wasn't it--? Back when he was CTO--?

[Will stiffens at that.]

Soi: ....

Soi: I...

Soi: I always thought that was the reason you left Cherry to come work with us and make the Mighties here...

Soi: Wasn't it?

Will: Of COURSE it was, Soi!

Soi: --Nngh-- (Oh no, he's angry--)

Will: After what HAPPENED there--

Will: After what I had to do to HER--

Will: In the end, Blackwell only saw the dangers, not the potential--!

Will: He NEVER gave ME a CHANCE!

Will: Never gave HER a...a chance...

Soi: ......

[As quickly as Will flared, he slowly SAT back down again, tears now flowing freely.]

Will: I can still hear her in my DREAMS, Soi.

Will: I...

Will: God, I was a fool.

Will: Such a fool...

Will: But I was just so eager and wanted to prove myself to HIM that I...I didn't listen.

Will: And now she's come to haunt me again.

Soi: --Will.....

Will: I...I just--

Will: --I can't TELL them, Soi, I just CAN'T--!

Will: To tell them that all that I am--all of who I AM IS A LIE?!

Will: What that would do to them, to--to all that we have built and come to cherish--

Will: I DON'T WANT TO LOSE EVERYTHING AGAIN, SOI--!

Soi: Shhhh!

Soi: Will--

[Soichiro calmly wraps an arm around Will's shaking shoulders, almost close to tears himself.]

Soi: You won't, Will--

Soi: I swear we will make this work somehow, if I have a say in it!

Soi: I know her loss was so hard on you, Will, and I know how much it hurts.

Soi: But this...

Soi: This is a virus, Will--Trinity was not a virus.

Soi: She was your daughter, if only for a short time.

Soi: I don't know how or why someone would put her scripts into this...this horrid thing--

Soi: But I do know one thing.

Soi: I will always be in your corner, Will. No matter what happens or who tries to stop us.

Soi: I'll always have your back.

Soi: ^^

Will: ....

Will: -Sniff-

Will: S...Soi...

Will: You--You never HAD to help me...

Soi: Oh, poppycock! That's ridiculous.

Soi: Where would you be without me, eh?

Will: -Sniff-

Will: ....

Will: U-Up the creek with no paddle?

Soi: I was thinking more like still a rotten Cherry, but let's go with that.

Will: Eheh....

Will: ....

Will: What are we going to do, Soi...?

Soi: I don't really know.

Soi: But we can't keep this from Mikhail for long, you know that, right?

Will: . . .

Soi: Will.

Will: I...I don't...

Soi: Will, he GAVE you one of the samples, he's SEEN that custom script.

Will: --....

Soi: He's going to put two and two together eventually, and would you rather have him find out on his own or hearing it from someone he knows is a genuine good person with genuine, good intentions?

Will: . . . .

Will: -Whispers- I don't want him or any of them to think less of me...

Soi: .....

Will: And then there's my own children, Soi...

Will: How would THEY handle this?

Soi: Will, that's sort of your fault there.

Soi: You always put it off ever since Pyro.

Soi: There is just no easy way to go about this, Will.

Soi: You have to tell them the truth.

Will: . . . .

Soi: At least--

Soi: At least tell someone, Will--

Soi: You need to talk about this to someone OTHER than me.

Soi: Someone that isn't quite in our family--but still a friend.

Soi: Someone like...

Soi: ....

Soi: --!

Soi: Felix?

Will: ...But he's just stirring.

Soi: When he's BETTER, Will.

Soi: Honestly, I will drag you to him if I have to, don't think I won't!

Will: -Ngh--

Soi: ....

Soi: Please don't take this the wrong way, Will. I'm doing this as your friend.

Soi: All I want is for you to be well and at peace with...with who you were.

Soi: Alright?

Will: .....

Will: -Inhale-

Will: ...O...Okay...

Will: I...Okay.

Soi: Promise, Will. You have one foot out the door.

Will: ....

Will: I...

Will: I promise.

Soi: To?

Will: Go talk to Felix.

Soi: About?

Will: ...Trinity.

Soi: Good. ^^

Will: ......

Soi: Chin up, Will.

Soi: Things will get better, soon.

Soi: I promise you that. ^^

Will: ....

Will: I...

Will: I can only hope, Soi.

Will: (Hope and dream...)

Will: ...I made a mess, didn't I....

Soi: Sort of? You just turned off everything in a rush.

Soi: ...Also I think you locked us in. ^^;;;

Will: ....

Will: (Oops--)

Will: I...

Will: I think I'll just call someone to get us out...

Will: -Oh God why are there so many messages SOI--

Will: -I THINK IT'S TOO LATE—-

Soi: -Wait what--

[Soi peeked over Will's phone to get a closer look--]

[MESSAGE 1

FROM: MC005]

>WILL

>WILL, WE FINALLY FOUND THE ANSWER

Will: --???

[MESSAGE 2

FROM: MC005]

> {We figured it out Will I’m not sure yet but PICK UP YOUR PHONE—}

Will: -Wait, what--

[MESSAGE 3

FROM: DWN-019]

> -Raw data that is echoed and mostly mirrored-

Will: -Okay so THANK GOD IT DOESN’T SEEM TO BE WHAT I THINK IT WAS--

Soi: .....

Soi: You REALLY need to go to sleep.

Will: Shush--

[MESSAGE 4

FROM: DWN-019]

>Doctor!

>I know you are awake working.

>If you were asleep, your phone would have woken you.

> SO GO TO BED WHEN YOU GET THIS.

>There is very important news to share in the morning!

Soi: ...That's kinda scary, actually.

Will: -______-;;;;

[MESSAGE 5

FROM: DWN-019]

>We sent Dr. Cossack to sleep despite his protests, he needs rest.

>Please have everyone gather for breakfast, they’ll want to hear this.

Soi: See?

Soi: Heck, maybe things will work out after all!

Will: . . .

Will: I...Guess so.

Will: ...Before we go, though, I should lock the code--

Soi: That can wait.

Will: -But we really should secure the--

Soi: In the morning, Will.

Will: -But--

Soi: -Alright that's it we're calling in the cavalry-

Soi: Call, dear?

Will: -ERK--

Will: -Waitwaitwait on second thought BED SOUNDS NICE-

Will: -Look see, we're going--

[BONK--!]

Will: Ow--

Will: ....

Will: Oh right I locked us in, didn't I.

Will: Um.

Will: ^^;;;;;

Soi: .....

Soi: -LOSES IT-

Soi: Aw, Will, you...

Soi: Call!

[Footsteps.]

".... Doctors, why is this door locked?"

Soi: Will here accidentally locked us in, heh.

Soi: Be a dear and disengage the lock, will you?

Soi: Oh, and get Will to bed, he's being difficult.

Will: -I SAID I WAS GOING-

"Yes, Doctor. I will only be a few minutes."

Will: -I'm locking the code while she's doing it-

Soi: Will-- -Siiiigh- -_-;;;;;;

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

                              “It’s really rather a long story…”

                                                  Rules || Profile

Independent Felix from the Golden Sun series, set post-Golden Sun: The Lost Age

15+ years overall RP experience; 5+ years as Felix on unluckyadept

Crossover friendly

OC friendly

Flexible writing style

—T.

---

=CHAPTER 7B: RUSH INTO THE MINE=

~AO v1.0~

((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))

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

{SOON, AT SANDA LABS…}

[Nico lets the magnetic field shift and he sets Mic down with a slight THUD.]

Cryo: EARTH BROOOOOOOOOOO

[There is a collective of both Xelbots and RAs that gather around Mic, including the humans present.]

White: Oh thank the Lord you are safe--son--

Mic: -Noodle Daaad- -w-

Snow: <'3

Snow: Mister Mic! You’re okay again~

Snow: I made you Rocky Road!

[RRRRRR.]

[...Was that another earthquake--]

Mic: OwO

[....Oh, no. That was Mic's stomach.]

Mic: -Suddenly aware of hunger, mmmmm-

Beck: --Oh--

Beck: (Right, he's probably been down there all this time...)

Snow: It’s okay! Pyro made lots of food.

Brand: Both of him, I would think so.

Snow: For you and Shadesis when she hears you’re better! We think it will help her get better too! : D

Mic: .....

Mic: —????

Mic: -Wait, what happened to Snipesis—-

Skull: She ran into a wall. Very hard.

Mic: !!!!

Mic: O~O

Mic: -ATTEMPTS TO MOOOOOVE-

[WHUMP]

Mic: -Awwww--

Mikhail: No, Mic. Even if you could move, your mobility rig is disabled for right now. You need rest. Proper rest.

[Odd. HE’S sure strangely grim for the celebration.]

Mikhail: One extra mobile party is more than enough for now. : | Rest. I’m sure Felix will be here soon… Piers just contacted and said he was stirring.

Mic: !!

Beck: Felix is waking up?!

Beck: -YAAAAAY-

Mikhail: Yes… and I think I know why. But more on that later…

White: Yes. We'll talk properly once things have settled down.

White: Nico, please get Mic to the Repair Bay. Call, transfer the assimilation data to me, please.

Call: Right away, Professor.

Nico: Yes sir.

White: Soi, can you please tend to those that need repairs?

Sanda: Already on it, Will.

White: Beck? You need rest too.

Beck: Yeah, I know...

Mikhail: …I’m going to make some coffee. And then I need to get back to Siam. There’s some very important work I need to be doing, apologies…. Shadow, make sure you isolate yourself.

Shadow: … Acknowledged, Doctor.

[Shadow was giving off a dark reading of dread.]

Brand: ......

<DWN-024 to MNN-007>: > …

<DWN-024 to MNN-007>: > . . .

<DWN-024 to MNN-007>: > . . .   . . .   . . .

[No words needed to be said….]

——————————————————

[While Mikhail went to rejoin Siam and Gemini in pursuit of the “final piece of the puzzle,” the rest of the Rebel Angels (sans Snow and Shadow) held a meeting.

There wasn’t so much anything said as there was data exchanged.]

((Pic here of Shaaaaaade))

[They all still quite clearly remembered the nightmares that had plagued them for what felt like months now, even if it had only been days within time.]

———————

“Nowhere left to run, anymore.”

[Panic. Sheer panic. Terror. Trapped.]

“Let’s play a little game, shall we? S’ called…”

[A loud click noise.]

“‘Which one of you Wily scrapheaps takes the longest t’ die?’”

———————

[Nico scowled and looked away, his field fluctuating sullenly.

He didn’t like being left in charge, and certainly not under circumstances in situations like this.

They had all hoped that they could find either Shade or Cardinal before time ran out, but now it was clearly too late. With all the seven other wayward siblings rescued, the fact they still had no sign of the sniper’s tracks meant they were already out of time.

It would take more than a miracle for things to continue in a way that allowed everyone to come back in one piece.

They could only hope that their brother could find the last link they were looking for…]

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

=CHAPTER 4D: AVI’S NEWS REPORT=

~AO v2.0~

((Courtesy of @codedhopes))

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

[MEANWHILE, SOMEWHERE IN IDAHO…]

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

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

[…But Eli had a point.]

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

Jack: ……..

[The road was…]

[Empty.]

[…Desolate, even.]

Jack: (Creepy…)

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

Jack: (…..It’s–It’s too quiet.)

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

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

Jack: –Oookay, let’s see what–

[RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH–]

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

Jack: ….What the hell?

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

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

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

[Click!]

“–Check, check one, check two! Sibilance, sibilance!”

Jack: (…Oh. Right. I forgot…)

“And now, live from Avi News World Headquarters, continuing coverage of…! BA DA DA DA…! NATION. IN. CRISIS!”

Jack: Not exactly breaking news there, Six…

Jack: ……!!!

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

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

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

Jack: Oh God oh God–

[But he succeeded.

HE DID IT!]

[……]

[HOOOOOONK.]

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

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

Jack: WOOOO HA–awwww man…!

Jack: Kid actually did it…

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

[…….]

Jack: ……..

Jack: (……)

Jack: (Maybe–I can try to contact Miss Eight…?)

Jack: (….No–she wouldn’t answer, would she…)

Jack: (……..Maybe I should get around to calling the Russians to let them know where I went…?)

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 six numbers on it—

One for Dr. White, one for Dr. Cossack, one for a “Ms. Nighthawk,” one for her brother Goose, one for Kate herself, and one for Cardinal…]

Jack: ……

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: …..

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 that Piers guy didn’t tell you–then again I didn’t exactly tell him everything 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.]

“If you are back, that means Father can talk to his friend again!”

Jack: …..

Jack: (…Isn’t this the kid from earlier…??)

“Where is мой герой?”

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.]

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 my brother still. Papa is in the Meadow working on Tobias and helping learn about the virus.”

Jack: (Ah, knew it–guess she never left…)

“Where is Mister Cardinal?”

Jack: I….I don’t know, miss.

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.]

“Mr. Verde 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, да?”

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 Kate 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: …….

[He really didn’t want to think on it, but he couldn’t help but picture it. He’d already felt the brush of death once before….]

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 do now, Bird Guy…)

Jack: (Jeez…)

Jack: (You’d BETTER come back alive, too…)

[He floors it.]

Jack: (I don’t think either of them would forgive themselves if we kicked the bucket and it’s by THEIR own hands…)

Jack: (….)

Jack: (…Never had good odds.)

Jack: (Never had real good luck.)

Jack: (But I think, for once, I’d like to beat those odds.)

Jack: (I’ll DRAG Miss Eight back if I have to–!)

Jack: (Dying–that’s not an option.)

Jack: (Not for me OR her…!)

Jack: (I don’t care if you’ll try and shoot me dead–)

Jack: (I can’t…I can’t let you do this…!)

Jack: (I won’t LET you!)

——————————

{MEANWHILE…}

[She grinned as she walked away from the scene.

Sure, it hadn’t been her cause, but still. He deserved it.

She hadn’t even given Gravecrasher the honor of one of her lipstick darts. Let him be another nameless victim, for all she cared.

He had paid his dues, and danced /oh/ so well.

It was time to continue elsewhere.]

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

=CHAPTER 9B: HAZY SUSPICION=

~AO v1.0~

((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))

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

{Meanwhile…}

[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 [color=black]worse[/color] 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 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.]

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.

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?

-*-*-*-*-

“Listen… If anything ever goes that wrong for you, I /promise/ you I will help you find a way to fix it.”

-*-*-*-*-

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 [color=black]pay.[/color]

[…]

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.}

[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]

Soi: !

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: 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.]

[Will didn't seem to be faring so well either. 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 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 [color=goldenrod]genius[/color] suddenly loses it and makes the world burn, there is always something…

[He looked up.]

Mikhail: Or [color=gray]someONE[/color]…

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 [color=goldenrod] more [/color] than Doctor Blackwell to worry about.

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…

((pic))

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: ....

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.]

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