Cardinal: -sonido de desesperaciĆ³n de los ventiladores-
[Estaba angustiado, eso estaba seguro. Un dolor desgarrador estaba socavando la fuerza de voluntad que estaba manteniendo los humos decrecientes de fuerza en su cuerpo.
Shade se inclinĆ³, apoyando el brazo del rifle sobre la rodilla izquierda mientras ponĆa su peso en el hombro de Cardinal. Su ventiladores chillaron cuando fueron aplastados por el peso considerable del francotirador.]
[Cardinal tomĆ³ una respiraciĆ³n temblorosa, desesperada mantenerse con vida, a pesar de que su nĆŗcleo de energĆa...]
Cardinal: (No puedo dejar que termine... asĆ...)
[... estaba empezando a convertirse en frĆo.]
Shade: -Datos-
Shade: -Bueno, si insistes, podemos CONCEDERLO para ti.-
Cardinal: (Ā”No puedo...!)
Cardinal: (Ā”NO PUEDO DEJAR QUE TERMINE ASĆ!)
[Cardinal se esforzĆ³ por enfocarse a pesar de su mal funcionamiento de la visiĆ³n, para mirar directamente a ese ojo amenazante rojo-violeta con su propio par moribundo verde.
ApagĆ³ todo, excepto sus ventiladores de masa central para obtener la energĆa para hablar.]
Cardinal: - resuello muy distorsionado- Shade...
Shade: ā....
[...No estĆ” seguro si debiera estar enojoso ni impresionado.]
[Cardinal volviĆ³ a hablar. HabĆa un claro pero tranquilo, sumiso sensaciĆ³n de desesperaciĆ³n en su voz frĆ”gil.]
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[It is the year 20XX. Breakthroughs in robotic technology have ushered in a new era of peace and prosperity. Violence is confined to the Battle Colosseum, where robot combatants face off in spectacular duels. The sport has become a worldwide favorite, and elite competitors regularly rise to the challenge to garner gloryā¦ or else fall from favor.
Of all the worldās combat teams, the Mighty Numbers are recognized as the best of the best. The family was famous worldwide, and often attended exclusive events to defend their status. One such eventāthe Queenās Tournament in Englandāhad just come to a close. Now, the family was finally on the way home.]
Will: -Sighs as he looks at the folder full of papers- ā¦ (I donāt like working with sensitive material outside the office, but I should probably at least review some of theseā¦)
[They had risen through the ranks and claimed their rightful status as champions and victors, but it hadnāt come without cost. The final match of the tournament had been held against team Greater Dusk: a notorious gang headed by an assassin.]
Will: -Pauses at the pile of newspaper clippings- (Oh, rightā¦ they must be interested in the coverage and how pervasive the search isā¦. I guess Avi put together these for their records.)
[The match had quickly turned from a touted title match to a deadly fight for their lives when most of the opposing team had become overtaken by a bizarre āberserkerā mode, becoming insanely aggressive and losing their free will to the madness. The situation came to a climax when Dynatron, the electric diva, had been taken hostage by Bladeblasterā¦
ā¦who was subsequently attacked by an inexplicable mysterious visitor.]
Will: -Frowns, flipping past printed copies of notifications from various federal authorities in London and New York, all of which were marked āVOIDā by Shadeās Certified Assassins' League stamp- (At least everyone made it out safelyā¦. Thank God Dynatron is alright. Thereās no way theyāll ever find Tobias, and Kate is taking care of Jack even as we speakā¦)
[In truth, the young man who had intervened was not a Xelbot at allābut rather, a robot from another world entirely!]
Will: (Mikhail said that he had something to tell me about the finalsā¦ I wonder what it was?)
[For several years up to that point, the Mighty Numbers had been made aware of portals to other worlds. It was on one such fantastic adventure that they met a family of robots (known as āRobot Mastersā in their native world) and become good friends.]
Will: -Snorts as he comes across these news clippings- (Oh, I remember this night... it's a little less than you TRULY deserve, Graham, so you really should be thankfulānot that you're smart enough to figure out who really did this.)
Will: (At least they didnāt get in trouble. Iām glad Graham didnāt even try to pin that on usā¦)
Will: (Lord knows heās been willing to do that every time elseā¦)
[They had seen many adventures together, and it wasnāt only the robots who had made friends: the Doctors had, too. For the first time in ages, Dr. William White had made a friendāa human person he could trustā¦
ā¦Well. About as much as he could trust anyone, other than his good friend and colleague, Doctor Soichiro Sanda, at any rate.]
Will: ā¦
Will: (Ah, Kateās notes! Oh dearāI think these are in codeā¦) -Squints-
[The events of the Queenās Finals (as theyād taken to calling the last four matches, and the championship match in particular) had left a lot of loose ends and many questions. The nature of the infected crosses that had caused the madness remained an uneasy mysteryā¦ one which had driven another friend of theirs to investigate the matter personally.]
[Unfortunately, he had only fallen into a sleep born of deep sickness, himself.]
Will: ā¦ (Still no word of Felix getting better. Oh, Felixā¦ I do hope you are alright. Sounds like Jack is doing better, which is a relief. The poor man took a sawblade right to the spine when he stood up to his boss. Butā¦) -Grips the paper tighter, pressing his mouth into a thin line- (Iām not sure if this bit about a āproviderā is codeā¦. If Bladeblaster was a CherryDyn construct, wouldnāt that company be their āproviderā? Thatās what it looked like when we investigated, at any rate. Andā¦) -Narrows his eyes- (I really donāt like this bit about Bladeblaster apparently faking his deathā¦. But of course it would be like Graham to cover his tracks like that, now wouldnāt itā¦)
[Tobias had made a public, international spectacle of himself. The Mighty Numbers had been bombarded with questions from all sides, not the least of which had been uncomfortable inquiries from federal authorities. Thankfully, the teamās sniperāMighty No. 8: Countershadeāwas himself a member of the Certified Assassinsā League, and was able to pull some strings to get people to back off. Heād grown very tired and irritated in the process, though, as heād been forced to take most of the heatā¦ and was, as a result, openly short-tempered and snappy.]
Will: (I wouldnāt be surprised if he slept for several days once we get homeā¦ if it werenāt for the fact we have a match immediately after.) -Flips through the notes- āā¦
Will: -Stops and smiles at a picture of Beckās birthday-
[The happy days with their friends seemed so far off after several months abroad. But soon they would be back home. They could celebrate missed birthdays, resume the friendly sparsāafter ending off on such a high note, with the exciting matches between Beck vs Echo and Cardinal vs Countershade!āand put all this gloomy mess behind them.]
Will: (I know how much the Mighties have been looking forward to bringing home the trophy, like theyād promised. Iām sure the Rebel Angels are excited, tooā¦.)
DING!
āThis is your captain speaking. If you look out to your left, you can see the lovely New York City skyline as we approachā¦ā
Will: (O-ohā) -Fumbles for phone- (Mother wanted me to call her as soon as we came stateside, even if it was an odd hourā) ā¦
Will: -Mutters- Oopsā¦ forgot to charge, ahehā¦ -Scratches head slightly, ruffling his afro- (With all the stress Dynaās been under, I should have remembered to double check all the devices before landing. Wouldnāt be surprised if my laptop was drained as wellā¦. Iāll have to recharge everything when we get home.)
Will: (Ah well! Weāll be home soon, at last! And thatās something to celebrate.)
[After all, they were more than a team: they were a family. And nothing could keep the Mighty Numbers down for long.]
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{June 20th, 20XX}
[The Mighty Numbers had spent months abroad.]
ā-Whines- Wonāt this dumb car go any faaaaaasterrrrr?ā
āNot in traffic, it wonāt, and you know it.ā
[But now, at last, they were home.]
āHey, is someone gonna wake snipebro up, orāā
āAhā AM awake, ya bunch aā yappersā¦ā
āTemper, Eight! Donāt get snappy at your sister!ā
[Theyād gone out to tournaments time and time again, but the saying held true: āthereās no place like home.ā It was always a relief to come backā¦ and this time, more than usual.
After a near solid month of time in recovery dodging questions from the press, INTERPOL, MI6, VIN, and other agencies, everyone was ready to be back in their own beds and eating a home-cooked meal.]
āEEEYYYYY I CAN SEE OUR HOUSE FROM HERE!ā
āNo duh, planebrain! Itās one of the taller buildings in the city!ā
[Unfortunately, being cooped up in airplane rides for the past few days and then cramped into a travel vehicle had left them a bitā¦
ā¦restless.]
Avi: I mean I can see the front door now! :D -Freedommmmmmmā-
Pyro: Donāt open up the roofā No flying out of the carā
Avi: D^: Butābut awwwww, come onnnn! Itās right over theeeerrrrrreā only a little hover awayyyā¦
Bat: We return home as a unit, Six, not in pieces!
Mic: Give Six break. -W- Happy to be home.
Avi: YEEAAAHHH itās so good to be homeāgosh I canāt WAIT to get back to my radio towerā
Cryo: Iām sure you have some ICE stories to tell the viewers, kyaha~
Shade: -Growls at the pun-
Avi: DONāT YOU KNOW ITā
Pyro: Inside voice, Avi.
Avi: ābuuuuut itās too bad I canāt explain what happenedā¦. Did we, uh, ever decide on a story of what to say if they asked about Toby?
Dyna: -Haughty hairflick- Juszzzt szzay that I fried that naszzty biker to a core. Completely true, after all. They can aszzzume the reszzt. -Sparks briefly-
Shade: -Flinches at this- (Ugh, can ya not while weāre cramped in the car, Sisā¦)
[The smallest of the Mighty Numbers was distracted, pressing his face against the window. It was good to be home: to see the familiar sights, to be where he belongedā¦
ā¦Well, at least when it came to his family. He wasnāt much of a fighter, so he always felt out of place. Especially considering Pyro had him benched for the time beingā¦]
Beck: (I hope sheās okayā¦. There werenāt any more āaccidents,ā so she kept her promise, butā¦)
Brand: ā¦Are you okay there, otouto?
Beck: ! O-oh, yeah, I, uhā¦
Beck: I-I was just thinking about Tobias. Heā¦ he was really out of it for a while, huhā¦
Avi: -Thumbs up- Donāt you worry about Toby, bro! Heās up and running now, and heāll be right as rain! Thatās what Doc C said, at any rateā¦
Pyro: ā¦ When did you talk to Mikhail? -Confused-
Avi: Oh, just the other day! He was asking about the watch, actually, but I didnāt exactly have the instructionsā¦
Bat: Watch?
Mic: Birthday present. Missed birthday, Shade sent present. E|
Shade: Mnnrgh. ā¦Glad it got through.
Cryo: -Poooookes at her little brother with her nozzle arm-
Shade: | [
[The sniper remained in a grumpy mood as they finally pulled into the parking lot of Sanda Enterprises.]
Avi: WOOOOOOOO WEāRE HOME
Cryo: LAST ONE INāS A FROZEN PUDDLE
Shade: Will yāall shut it fer just two minutesā
Cryo: Oh, stop being such a wash-out, Shadey!
Shade: Aināt in the mood fer punsāām gonna go sleep through Sunday, thank yewā
Pyro: -Grabs him by the shoulder before he vanishes, keeping a firm grip- Oh no you arenāt. Youāre carrying in your luggage, same as everyone else.
Shade: -Grumpy data- -Grumbles about something under his breath-
Pyro: What was that? | /
Shade: ā¦Ahā said, all that work anā this is the thanks Ahā getā¦
Cryo: Quit being a drama llama, Shadebro! Weāre home now! -Grabs at luggage, gimme-
Dyna: Ugh, Iām too fabulouszz for thiszz. -Grinning, obviously not 100% serious- Earthbro iszz more than capable of carrying in everybodyāszz luggage, right~?
Mic: OWO
Shade: ā¦What she saidā
Pyro: Enough, you two. <_<
Shade: ā¦ -Nah Imma go nap anā ya canāt stop meā -
Pyro: -Not if my grip has anything to say about it-
Cryo: -Flings herself at Pyro, eager to get in on the conflict- FIGHT MEā
Brand: Cryoā! Nowās not the time!
Shade: Fer Xelās sake, just give it a restā
Avi: EYYYYY good oneā
[The sniper had reached the end of his patience.]
Shade: -DAMMIT Ahā did NOT mean tā punā- Avi, Ahā swear if thereās one more pun outta yewā¦
āYou want a hand with that? BJā
Shade: !
[The commotion stopped momentarily, with the sniper looking down in surprise.]
[Sure enough, there he was: the one and only songbird. He was grinning up at his taller friend, giving off unfiltered gleeful data.
And just like thatā]
Shade: -nEVERMIND, NAP CAN WAITā -
[Cardinal laughed and gave his friend a proper hug. He didnāt even care that he was letting someone that close to him, or that he was showing such a strong sign of friendship.]
[It had been a long two months since they had last seen one another, and it had felt like ages. The old prototype Robot Master had done a lot of waiting in his time, but very rarely had he ever felt the sense of separation so poignantly.
Heād made an effort to drown out his sorrows by keeping busy, and had much to tell themā¦ but that could wait.
For now, he was happy just to see his best friend alive and well again.]
Beck: Cardinal! :DDD Youāre here!
[He ran in for a hug, and Cardinal pulled him in. Each of the three of them seemed to be savoring the moment.]
Bat: What are you doing here, Private? Itās 0400 local!
Cardinal: -Gleeful pings as he messes with Shade, the latter using him as an armrest- I had to come in person, Major! I failed to be up in time to see you offāit took all my self-control not to meet up with you at the airport in New York, instead!
Brand: That would have raised more questions, yes. -.-; Might I suggest that we continue this inside?
Shade: If you say so, ya stick-in-the-mud. B]
Cardinal: B]
[He broke into chuckles at that, though, shoving Shade off before going over to pick up his bags.]
Pyro: -Oh, you were being seriousā- Thereās no need for that, Cardinal. Youāre our guest. Shade can carry his own bags in. Ā¬_Ā¬
Cardinal: Nah, itās fineā watch this!
[Cardinal used SUPER ARM!]
[And just like that, heād grabbed all of Shadeās luggage effortlessly. Bat gave a whistle of appreciation.]
Cryo: NICE, Looks like he LIFTS, brosā
Cardinal: -Laughs- It does come in handy! Cāmon, letās head inside.
[Once all the Mighties were inside, the luggage was put to the side and everyone headed for the kitchen. It may be 4AM local, but they were still suffering from jet lag: it was about lunchtime in London. Even though he was a bit worn out from the travels, Pyro set about to preparing a proper meal for the family.
There was the usual chaos around the kitchen as Cardinal also prepared some coffee for himself and Countershade. When the prototype sat down, howeverā¦ he immediately became subject to questioning.]
Avi: So what have you been up to, Cards? Got any new songs for us?
Cardinal: Ha, I wishā¦ -Something of an empty half-smirk as he slides a mug of coffee over to Shade- Itās all run together a bit for me, actually. Itā¦ hasnāt been easy, to be honest.
Brand: ā¦? What do you mean?
[Shade sipped at his coffee silently as his friend explained himself.
Despite the distance and the time differenceānot to mention the risk on Cardinalās endāthe songbird had kept in touch with him and buzzed in every so often. So he was in the know on most of it.]
Cardinal: Wellā¦
Cardinal: When days donāt have any specific value of importance assigned to them, multiple days of memory that are much the same usually cause identical cross-reference creation redundancy, and it becomes difficult to differentiate one day from another. It all becomes a blurā¦.
Brand: ā¦Thatās not the only reason, is it.
Cardinal: Heh.
[He gave something of a wry grin, leaning against the table. The data he gave off was subtly more tired than beforeā¦ and just as tense.]
Cardinal: You noticed, huh? Not much gets by you.
Beck: Nii-san is really good at that!
Cardinal: -Long sip of coffee- Yeahā¦ Iāll admit that we didnāt take it very well at all, first. And me most of all.
Avi: Aw, we missed you too, buddy!
Bat: You seem to have held up well, soldier. Youāre being too hard on yourself, as usual!
Cardinal: -Shakes his head- I was upset. I stayed Offline for a while, and then, wellā¦
Cardinal: Tried to busy myself in work. Had toā¦ do something, just keep moving forward. -Looks off into the distance- Figured we should make progress with repairsā¦ needed certain resources. We had to go out and raid a lot for them: it really was rather hard.
Pyro: That would explain that one series of alerts we gotā¦
Cardinal: Yeah, theyād brought more firepower than I had bargained for. I made it out alright, but Ā I wouldnāt want any of you to go to such places, thatās for sure. There wasnāt much to find as it was.
Beck: Sorry I wasnāt there to helpā¦
[Cardinal grinned and patted Beckās shoulder.]
Cardinal: Nah, we really just needed more of specific metals, and any source of certain energies we could find. I got my hands on more E-tanksāwhich is good, but there still arenāt very many. Siaminiās been trying, but we havenāt made that breakthrough just yet. He thinks he might be getting close, having run the search on the database for months now.
Cryo: Uuugh, donāt tell me it was all work and no play! -Pbbbtth-
Cardinal: Sorry there, Ice Queen, but without you guys around, we didnāt have many people to play with, to be honest. Snow was often off doing his own thing, but heās the only one who really gets out and about.
Dyna: Well, weāll fix that now that weāre baaack~
Mic: Why need special metals? ?W? Ones Mic and Felix mine not enough?
Cardinal: -Gives a relaxed sigh, running his fingers through his hair- ā¦Well, we needed to get samples from stuff related to the Second Generation. The only place that has that is that one old lab thatās been completely trashed several times over. It was time for us to strip that place to the bone anyway, beforeā well, before what happenedā¦ would happen.
Cardinal: Only it DID happen.
Bat: Youāre referring to the WMD that got pointed at you?
Cardinal: -Grim expression- Mmmā¦ it was more than that. There wasā¦ someone a bit like Mic, and definitely someone like Aviā¦ though we were shot at long-range from someone like you, Major. The compound was destroyed.
Pyro: -Places some bacon aside- But no one was injured, right?
Cardinal: Most everyone got out of there in time, but I had to draw them off. Needless to say, that place wonāt be offering up any more resources, and thatās one mainframe down. Luckily we have the one in the Meadowāand here, since the two are synched.
Cardinal: Thoughāit would still be putting you in danger to use your mainframe for our own devices. -Looks up- We donāt want to subject you to that if it can be helped.
Shade: -Puts his coffee down- Mā sure Dad would be fahn lettinā ya use the mainframe if yāall really needed to, Cards.
Beck: Yeah! Weāll all help! ouo
Cardinal: Hehā¦. Thanks, butā¦ -Trails off- ā¦
Cardinal: ā¦Well, at least we got some important data and schematics.
Brand: ā¦ -Raises an eyebrow- Such as?
Cardinal: I know what youāre thinking, Brand, but we didnāt find anything related to Shadow in there. Sorry.
[The Xel ninja said nothing, but it wasnāt hard to see (by his VISIBLY mildly unamused expression) that he was slightly disappointed to hear this.]
Shade: -Quiet ping of sympathy to his older brother- Ya woulda thought that somethinā like thatād be in there.
Cardinal: You'd think a lot of things would be in there, but Iām pretty sure that Wily must have kept stuff like that written down on notepads, not stored in the RMD.
Beck: Why?
Cardinal: He lost things that were really important to him due to serious problems with the database once, you knowāand he always was really, REALLY old school.
Cardinal: -Leans back in his chair a bit- Maybe it WAS in there once, butāyāknow, itās been a long time since the end of the Gamma incident. (Like, whatā¦ nine months or so?) Heās had time to delete that stuff, and he was really adamant about making sure Shadow wasā¦ quote-unquote taken care of, if you catch my drift.
[Brand clenched the knife he was holding a bit harder at this.]
Avi: -Aaaaaand distraction timeā- Soā¦ what WERE you able to get?
Cardinal: Good question, Avs; we havenāt reviewed it in full as of yet. I think it was retrieval of the blueprints for the Second Generation, at least. I know that I went out and managed to get my hands on 020ās data.
Shade: -Nice-
Pyro: -Hopeful data- Thatās the boxer, correct?
Cardinal: Yup.
Bat: Ha! Good work, soldier! No man left behind!
Beck: That must have been awfully scary, though! ono
Cardinal: -Grins- Well, it wasnāt easy! And yeah, it was a pretty big risk. But hopefully itāll be worth it, in the long run.
[His smile fades.]
Cardinal: Tobias, thoughā¦
[The murmur of conversation died down at that. Avi fidgeted.]
Avi: Mikhail said he was okay, rightā¦?
Cardinal: Heāsā¦ heās alright.
[The Robot Master in question had been Offline for quite some time following the scene in the sands. And what a scene it had beenā¦]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
SKLLLKTTKRRRSHHHLLLRRRKKTā
[Oil and cooling fluids spattered all over Bladeblasterās hands and weapon, as if they were bloodā¦.]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Cardinal: We never did explain what happened, did weā¦
[He presses a hand to his face and yawns.]
Cardinal: Well, maybe Mikhail can explain it tomorrow or something.
Beck: What is there to explain? :c Heāsā¦ heās okay, right?
Cardinal: Yeah. He was asleep for a while, but thatās pretty common for any Robot Master after they get sent Offline in a traumatic fashion. Especially if they blame themselves. That data is really difficult to process, you know.
Dyna: -Awww, Tobyyyyā¦-
Beck: Sorry we couldnāt help out. D:
Cardinal: You guys had your own worries. We pulled through alright.
Cardinal: Besides, youāve done a lot of good work with those molds you made for us! The new coolant systems make all the difference in the heat of battle.
Shade: -Snorts into his coffee despite himself-
Avi: EEEEYYY nice one :^D
[Cardinal gave a brief soft laugh.]
Cardinal: Itās good to be likeā¦ like this again.
Cryo: SOOOOoooooā¦ now that you're homeā¦ what do you want to do next?
Brand: Something that doesn't end up in the headlines. -~-;;
Cardinal: -Laughs at this-
Shade: -Devilish grin, worth it-
Pyro: Are you kidding, Seven? I swear those two could go out for groceries and end up in trouble.
[The two in question snicker at this.]
Brand: -Mildly annoyed glare at Cardinal-
Cardinal: -Amused- You really need to chill out, Sev.
Cardinal: You should try meditation, I hear it works wonders~
Shade: -Almost chokes on his coffee at this-
[Brand narrowed his eyes coldly at his younger brother as the cowboy coughed briefly, grinning as he sat shaking in silent laughter.]
Shade: -Error X04: srs not found, BWAHAHA-
Cardinal: -Just gives a cheeky grin- ~~~
Bat: We could deploy him to Kalos. Maybe some training there will get him to clean up his act!
Shade: -Aw, not you too, broā Ahā trusted yaā¦-
Cardinal: -Laughs a little- Actually, that's not that bad of an idea, Major. I taught Baron some new tricks by utilizing the moves he has in expressive ways.
Pyro: >_>;
Cardinal: Donāt suppose you can come with?
Shade: -Pings and sighs, nostalgic about their previous adventures- Ahād love to, butā
Pyro: -Brings pancakes over to the table- We have a match tomorrow morning. We have to rest, Iām afraid.
Cardinal: Aw, come onnnā¦. Not even for half an hour?
Brand: Cardinal, the last time you and Shade went there, you got chased by a swarm of BEES. -____-;;
Shade: -Pokes at the songbird sharply- Ah' still blame yewā
Cardinal: That was BARON'S idea, not mine!
Pyro: Alright, alright! Settle down!
Shade: -Fine, fineā¦-
[Everyone started chowing down as Pyro divvied out the food.]
Cardinal: Iām just glad you guys are back. We really missed you.
Shade: Sā good to be back. B]
Avi: By the way, did our gifts ever reach you guysā
Cardinal: -Cutting designs into his pancakes- Yeah, and Mikhail was very happy you all got him the watch. Just one thing, thoughā¦
Shade: Hmm?
Cardinal: ā¦You didn't include any instructions, so you're going to have to show him how it works.
Shade: Ah, rightāthere are several functions, hehā¦
Mic: -Going through an entire stack of pancakes all to himself- How is Felix?
Cardinal: -Smile fades- ā¦Sick.
Brand: ā¦ -Concerned- Sick?
Cardinal: Yeah.
Beck: What happened? D:
Cardinal: As he would put it, āItās A Long Storyāā¦. Something to do with visions and high energy things. That's what Piers said, anyway.
Dyna: Who iszzz that, again?
Cardinal: Mmm. That would be the captain from Lemuria; heās Felixās best friend. He came over to help monitor Felix after he fell ill. Echo probably asked him to do so.
Bat: Any idea as to what caused it? That man is as sturdy as they get. Havenāt ever heard of him being under the weather since weāve known him.
[Cardinal lowered his utensils for a moment, frowning.]
Cardinal: He was doing research into what might have happened with those stupid crosses, from what I understand. B/
Pyro: Mmmnnnghā¦
Mic: :c Mic not get it. Felix not a ābot?
Cardinal: He was researching something similar from his world. Pretty dangerous material, from what I understand. He was either careless or else underestimated the potency he could reach by refining the materialā¦
Beck: But heāll be okay, right? D:
Cardinal: ā¦
Cardinal: -Slowly- Heās bounced back from worse before. Heāll be fine.
Beck: -Whewā¦-
Cardinal: Enough about us, though. What about you guys? We barely got to see any of the matchesā
Avi: NOT TO WORRY, we recorded everything in HD! :^D
Cardinal: Fair enough, but. Tell me about England. -Pours syrup onto more pancakes, only to find Beck had taken most of the syrup already- Tell me about what it was like for you guys.
Shade: Hmmā¦
Shade: It wasā¦ rainy.
Cardinal: -Snrk-
Cryo: -Flails- Weāve been there before, you know! Came back champs, natch. Those guys couldnāt hold a candle or a hose to the team SUPREME!
Brandish: The teams were very good. They were simply outmatched, that is all. Iām sure Speedy would have enjoyed seeing some of themā¦ were you really unable to watch any of the matches?
Cardinal: We picked up a few radio broadcasts, but the only one we got to see was the last one. And we all know how THAT wentā¦
Shade: Tskā¦ real shame. āleast Avi got the content tā show after the factā¦
Cardinal: Oh, dude, Iād love to marathon watch the whooooole thing. B]
Bat: For your analysis program?
Cardinal: -Smirks- Maaaybe.
Pyro: Heh.
Dyna: -Points and cackles- Donāt think you can pull a faszzzt one on uszz, Card-i-nalll~! Analyszzisz didnāt help them much, after all~
Cardinal: -Amused- Fair enough point.
[Shade twitched an amused smile, before privately pinging his friend.]
[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Youāve got more to say, donāt you?
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: >Letās just say that you havenāt seen what I can really do when Iām serious.
[His grin faded after a moment, and he gave off tired data again.]
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > ā¦Thoughā¦ I hope you never have toā¦
[Shade used what was left of his right arm to swish his cloak a little, brushing it against the short prototype. This served to distract him out of the grim cross-references of recent battlesānot matches, but true clashes of machines of war.]
[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Sāok. Things will be fine now.
Cardinal: -Blinks a little bit, coming out of his private thoughts to Aviās ongoing description of the lunch with the Queen- ā¦
Cardinal: ā¦ -Decides to zone back out, focusing on his breakfast-
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > What about you, Shade? Didā¦ did we make things rather hard for you?
Shade: ā¦
[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: ā¦The whole thing was a mess. Sā not yāallās fault. Got hammered pretty hard with demands from just about every agency you can think of, all wantinā answers for what Bladeblaster was up toā¦
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > ā¦And how Tobias got past security?
Shade: | / -Sighs and nods-
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > Geez, that sounds rough. What were they expecting, that just because you guys were both assassins that you knew what he was up to?
[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Mnn. Somethinā like that, I guess. More like they expected me specifically tā have been keepinā an eye on himā¦ since he was a competitive threat and not publicly on good termsā¦
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > ā¦
[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Ahā know, right?
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > Manā¦ if they were that hard on you, I can only imagine what they put Jack throughā¦
[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Nah, donāt worry ābout him. Kateās got his case.
[Cardinal smiled softly at that.
āKateāāalso known as Shadeās distaff counterpartāhad developed a fast friendship with the unfortunate CherryDyn fighter. It came as little surprise that she had managed to find a backdoor to the system that allowed her to protect the still-recovering victim.]
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: >Howād she manage to pull that off?
[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Heh hehā¦ God only knows; havenāt had a chance tā compare notes yet. She was real careful about not being seen communicating with us much. She kept a tight patrol āround the hospital when she wasnāt actinā as his case handler. She even wrote a report to submit to the CAL: managed to take off with some of my blank documents while I was nappinā rā somethang, yāknow.
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: >Well, as long as sheās looking out for him. Iāve got a bad feeling about what could happen to him nowā¦. He surely knows too much, and as for his bossā¦
[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Rumor has it that heās dead.
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > ā¦
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > What?
[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Kate thinks itās a cover story. Kinda inclined tā believe her.
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > ā¦
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > -MnnnNNNnng-
Cardinal: -Pokes at his pancakes, deciding to change to subject-
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > Howā¦ how bad was it, with them asking about Tobias?
[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Eh. That was the easy part. Just said that he wasnāt a Xelbot Iād ever seen in the ring before, must be some fan aā Dynaās. B]
[Cardinal grins at that, biting down onto his fork.]
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > Nice. Technical, misleading truths are my absolute favorite.
[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Heh. Figured youād get a kick outta that. Thankfully, they really didnāt press the point, ācause they were havinā trouble finding him in any of the databases to begin withā¦ making it even less likely that a star family like us would know him.
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: >Yeahā¦ thanks for putting him as an Industrial. He really isnāt developed for Combat.
[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Maybe not, butā
Shade: -Whistle of appreciation-
[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: After seeinā him in action, canāt say he wouldnāt fit in.
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > You could say heā
[MNN-008 to DLN-000] //: Aw cāmon, donātā
<DLN-000 to MNN-008>: > āpunched BBās lights outā
Shade: -Snickers and thwacks Cardinal with his cape-
Cardinal: -CHEEKIEST GRIN-
Pyro: Whatās going on down there?
Cardinal: Oh, nothing~
Shade: Just enjoyinā a jest, heh hehā¦
[The two share a laugh, and Pyro lets the matter drop. It was good to see Shade back in a good mood again, and neither were out causing trouble, after allāat least, not yet.]
Pyro: (I donāt doubt that theyāll find plenty of mischief to do as time goes on.) -Shakes his head slightly- (Truly as āthick as thievesā, those twoā¦.)
[Cardinal, for his part, seemed to slip back into a weary melancholy. Heād stopped just short of finishing off his pancakes.]
Shade: ā¦? Oiāyou full, orā¦?
Cardinal: Hmm?
[He looked up, coming out of his thoughts. His eyes glowed slightly brighter for a moment before they dulled again: though it was hard to tell behind his sunglasses.]
Cardinal: Oh, Iā¦
Cardinal: -Looks down at his plate- ā¦I guess itās more that I donāt want to leave.
Cryo: Whatās THAT got to do with breakfast?
Cardinal: Wellā¦ you guys said you have a match tomorrow, and youāll have to sleep most of the day to truly rest while readjusting your internal clocks to fix jet lagā¦
Cardinal: -Clearly reluctant- I really should get out of your way.
Brand: Nonsense.
Beck: We do have to rest up, but! Maybe Dad will let us have a sleepover!
Cardinal: -Looks up hopefully- You think so?
Bat: Affirmative, provided you donāt cause any trouble.
Cardinal: -Gives a slight smile at that- Iāve just returned from active combat, sir. Led my men in battle and brought us all home alive. I have enough thrills from the enemies at my heels; right now I just want some peace and quiet before they carry out the brunt of the storm.
Shade: ā¦ (Havenāt seen him like this in a long time. Gotta be something I can do tā help keep him outta that sea of hopelessnessā¦)
Shade: -Gets a sudden idea- !
Shade: -Slowly grins- Gee. Thatās too bad.
Cardinal: -Looks up- Iām sorry, Shade. Iām just really tired right now. You know how that is.
Shade: Yeah.
Shade: Was just thinkinā maybeā¦
Shade: Maybe after spendinā the night, yā could come to watch the match tomorrow?
Cardinal: !
[The others immediately chimed in.]
Mic: -Deep PING of approval- ^W^ As Digger say, āyes good!ā
Bat: Solid idea!
Beck: Yeah! That would be great!
Avi: Now why didnāt I think of that?
Dyna: Yee, youāll get to szzee a FABULOUS diszzplay!
Brand: You really ARE overdue to see a match in personā¦
Cryo: Hell yeah, [glitches]! Watch us totally DOMINATE those losers!
Pyro: Weād love to have you come. Why donāt you go ask?
Cardinal: -Warm smile- ā¦Thanks, guys. Youāre the best.
[Beck beamed as the prototype wandered off to go find the Doctors. Best friends, reunited! What a wonderful thing!]
Beck: -Hums a little, licking syrup off his plate while Pyro isnāt looking- (I canāt slip away tonight, but maybe tomorrow I can go see her, tooā¦. I should see if I can get extra Xel ready for her. Maybe I could say itās stuff for the moldsā¦)
Beck: (I really hope she's been doing well since I leftāI know! I'll make a nice gift for her too, maybe add some chocolateāa gift basket! That'll cheer her up. And maybeā¦)
Beck: (Maybe after the match, I can finally talk to her about some important thingsā¦)
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{Meanwhile, in Englandā¦}
[It was a peaceful evening as Jack and Kate entered the quiet flat.
The siren sniper gave a smile, her eyes hidden by the sunglasses she typically wore in her Civilian form.]
Kate: Anā here we are! Welcome to yer new digs.
[The recovering newbie fighter awkwardly made his way into the living room, looking around in awe.]
Jack: Man, it sure is nice to be out of the hospitalā¦
[It was much nicer than any place he had lived before he joined up with Greater Dusk, that was for sure.]
Kate: Rentās been paid for a couple months, so itās all yours.
Jack: What? Aw, geez, Miss Eightāyou didnāt have to do thatā
Kate: Aw, maybe not, heh. But yew deserve something nice after all that happened. Give ya some time to let things calm down.
[Since he wasnāt sure how to respond to that, he just followed the tall assassin as she gave him a run-down of the place.]
Kate: This hereās the sitting room, Ahā guessā¦ bedroomās over that way; careful about the shower, they have it kinda like a large version of a sink sprayer, real easy tā get water everywhereā¦
Kate: -Walking into the kitchen- Itās all pretty smallābut thatās standard for somethinā in Britain.
[Inside the kitchen, there was a large box on the table.]
Jack: ? Uhāwhatās in there?
Kate: Oh, just a lilā somethinā tā get ya started. -Grins-
[Jack put down his suitcase.
Despite being a member of a (in)famous (and now banned) battle team, he didnāt really have many belongings. Only the changes of clothes that had been foisted onto him as part of the contract of being a team memberā¦ which he hadnāt been allowed to read before signing, of course.]
Jack: -Puts such thoughts aside for now- Letās see what weāve got hereā¦
[Kate looked on with a relaxed smile, biting down on a dart as the clumsy combatant fumbled with the wrapping paper. She let him figure out a way to open it on his own; she was just enjoying the downtime.
It was something she didnāt get very often, with her job. Nor had she ever really had anyone other than family to spend it with. But JackāJack was different than the others.
As the sponsors were wont to say, he was āa goodāāand he deserved nice things.]
Jack: Geez, whateverās in here has some weight to itā!
[He heaves a large hiking backpack out of the box, looking more than a little surprised.]
Jack: A backpack?
Kate: -Gleeful ping- Yeah, thatās part of it, fer sure.
Jack: Looks likeāis that a sleeping bag tied at the top?
Kate: Yup!
Jack: -Inspecting the outside- Wow, it comes with a water bottle and a compassā¦
[He unzips one of the compartments.]
Jack: Man, you really stuffed this to the gills. Poncho, first aid kitā¦
Jack: ā!
[He pulls out something in clear plastic wrapping, with āNighthawk Industriesā printed on one end.]
Jack: AW SWEET COOL GOGGLES.
Kate: -Amused smile-
[He IMMEDIATELY puts those onāthey fit rather nicely once he adjusted the strapā]
Jack: Dudeā
Jack: These are like, perfect fitā
Kate: David had āem custom made. Theyāve got lotsa functionality. Good for protectinā āgainst rain anā wind, aā courseā¦
Kate: -Puts her hand to her hip, grinning like crazy- But beyond thatā¦~
Kate: Go look out the window, why donācha?
[Jack glanced out the window in the kitchen, and Kate abruptly turned off the lights.]
Jack: !!!
Jack: ...? What's thisā
Jack: ā! OoooooOOHOHO THIS THING HAS NIGHT VISIONā
Kate: Bingo~
Jack: So THIS is what the world looks like to you at night! (I feel so damn BADASSā)
Kate: -Turns the light back on- Neat, aināt it? Lady Ky made those for yaāI put her contact info in yer phone in case youād like another job of hersā¦
Jack: ā¦? Uhā¦ -What phone, we donāt have aā - Wait a minuteā¦
[He eagerly starts digging through the rest of the backpack, pulling out the stuffing inside it as he went.
The top of the backpack was a nicely pressed set of casual clothes, shrunk to be airtight to pack in as much as possible. Underneath, there was a small bed roll, some blankets, and a travel/camping pillow.]
Jack: Iām surprised you didnāt put a whole tent in here, tooā¦
Kate: Pupās still workinā on something that will fit but be spacious when you pop it out. He says you should just get a Spinarak anā teach it Secret Power, anā itāll be even better than a tent.
Jack: Hehā¦
[Going through the pockets, he pulled out some maps, a small radio, a burner phone, and a wallet.]
Jack: ? -Peeks inside the wallet, curious-
Jack: !!! (That isā! A lot of gift cards! Andāand cash, too?) Youā¦ -Kind of speechless-
[The sniper strode over and put her hand to his shoulder, giving a reassuring smile.]
Kate: One of these days, youāll get outta here, Jackie. Be ready for a new life, what with GD not around anymore. Thatās fer you to use tā get aroundā¦ pick out a nice ride of some kind, maybe, have a bit tā eat anā enough fer somewhere to stayā¦ just until ya get yer footing. It should be good for a couple months once ya get stateside.
Jack: All this isā¦? (This is for meā¦?)
Kate: Our gift to you. | } Orā¦ most of it, anyway. Still one more thing from Felixāhe said it was important, but heās still asleepā¦ though his friend Piers is there tā look after him. Ya might think of stopping byāitās an easy shortcut to anā through the Wilderness between worlds.
Jack: Wow, Miss Eight, Iā¦
Jack: Honestly donāt know what to sayā¦
Jack: -Gestures to the gifts all over the table- This isā¦ -Gestures around the living room- All this isā¦ man, itās the nicest thing anyoneās done for me, ever.
Kate: Aw, itās the least we can do! Yer a good man, Jack, anā well-liked. ām only sorry we didnāt get all this to ya sooner.
[She walked over to the freezer and pulled out a gallon of ice cream. Jackās eyes lit up when he saw itābut even moreso when she opened the fridge and brought out some steak.]
Kate: Letās forget talkinā fer a while anā eat. Mā starved.
[Jack was more than happy to oblige, and Kate leaned back against the wall as she ate an ice cream cone with her one hand.
It was so nice to see Jack in such good spirits and properly well off after all that heād been through. Ever since she first got to know him, sheād wanted to helpāsheād grown more and more concerned for him the more he talked about Greater Dusk, about the way the team had treated him. Sheād grown convinced he was in a dangerous situation, but even she couldnāt have anticipated what happened next.]
Kate: (Hmmmnā¦. The finalsā¦. Still donāt have a good enough answer on what those crosses were. Malware of some sort, thatās for sure, butā¦)
[It was a grim prospect that required further investigation. It may not be her world, but sheād grown to care for the people in it.]
Kate: (Coding like that could cause a lot of damage.)
[She squinted behind her sunglasses, narrowing her eyes in distrust.]
Kate: (Whatever mysterious āproviderā Jack said Blade was talking to is -probably- statesideā¦ just like Blade is, that damn bastardā¦)
[Jack had told her that Blade had turned up dead.]
-=-=-=-=-
Jack: They....They sent it back to CherryDyn for them to look over what went wrong with him.
Jack: ....They said they found nothin', so they patched him up and kept him in for observation.
Jack: ....Then...
Jack: .......
Jack: He's dead, man. Dead.
Jack: .......
Jack: I...they told me he was...
Jack: Freakin' torturedā¦
Jack: ......
Jack: -turns away-
-=-=-=-=-
[ā¦Kate, however, didnāt buy it for a minute.]
Kate: (Thatās too convenientā¦ Something isnāt right, hereā¦)
Kate: -Broods- (That worm isnāt going to escape justice THAT easily, no sirā¦)
[ā¦She was almost tempted to see to it herself, when she did come across him. But noāhe had too much to answer for, and she would have to keep her head high and not sink to his level by turning away from doing the right thing.
Didnāt mean she couldnāt have the satisfaction of imagining otherwise.]
Kate: ā¦
Kate: -Frowns and sighs internally- (ā¦Look at me.)
Kate: (Off of work for once, and saddling myself up with another ācaseā that needs someone who caresā¦. Maybe Sis is right. Maybe I am a workaholicā¦)
Kate: -Finishes off the ice cream- Jackā do me a favor anā make another cone, pleaseā¦
Jack: Yeah, sure thingā
[She rubbed what was left of her right arm thoughtfully as he prepared seconds for her.]
Kate: (Not even on a job anā Iām out there thinking like a killerā¦. Gotta try to remember not to let myself grow that bitter at the worldā¦)
Jack: ā¦Miss Eight?
Kate: Hmm?
Jack: Iāve beenā¦ wondering somethingā¦
Kate: -Accepts the second ice cream cone- Yeah?
Jack: I don't know how to word this right, but...
Jack: ...Stuff like this is kinda your thing, I know, but...why go through all this for me? I meanāI'm not anyone THAT important, and on top of that, I'm a Cherryā¦
Kate: ā¦Wellā¦. Yaā¦ ya always treated me like a person. Not very many people do. -Looks away in thought- ām just Fighting Mighty Eight to themā or Artemis, herald of death. Or just a pretty face with lots of money to burn.
Kate: That means something to me.
Jack: Ā ...Really, huh... (I guess, with what she doesā¦)
[There was silence for a while as Kate finished off the second ice cream cone. This time, she seemed satisfied.]
Kate: Thanks for the help, Jack. I could do it myself, but itās awfully messy, hehā¦
Jack: Oh, no problem.
Kate: -Turns on the faucet to wash her hand- Well, this was a nice evening. It was good to see you settled in.
Jack: Ohāare you headed off?
Kate: Yes.
[She wiped her hand on a dishcloth as best she could.]
Kate: Stateside.
Jack: WhāYou're going back to America? This soon?
Kate: I have some investigating tā do, Jackā¦. Ahā donāt think this is over yet.
Kate: Things may have died down, butā¦ somethinā is wrong over there, Ahām sure of it.
Kate: -Turns to face him- Yā need tā lay low for a while, too. I hate tā leave at a tahm like this, but the longer it waits, the colder the trail gets. You should be safe here from any prying eyes of this worldābut just in caseā¦
[She walks over and places something on the table.]
Jack: Aā¦ is that a taser?
Kate: -Momentary twitch of a smile- (ā¦Figured youād just hurt yourself with pepper spray, soā¦) Between that anā yer Combat abilities, you should be able tā hold yer own long enough to call for help. -Points over at the cell phone- Either ping somebody orācouple aā contacts in there, just a call away.
Jack: I...um.
Kate: Yes?
Jack: Look, I appreciate the gesture, Miss Eight, justādo I really need this thing, I mean, it's a little muchā
[The Mighty Number works her dart over to the other side of her mouth and tilts her head just so, giving the CDN a look that said otherwise.]
Kate: ....
Jack: ā¦Right, stupid questionā
Jack: Thanks, I guess...
Kate: Hmm hmm. Yer welcome. Ah' better git goin' nao.
Kate: Stay safe, Jack Parker.
Kate: Iāll be in touch when I figure things out.
Jack: M'kay. Don't go do anything too crazy, alright?
[She gave a characteristic grin, slowly fading away from sight. There was the rattle of the front door, and then she was gone.
Jack takes another fresh look around his new home, rubbing the back of his head quietly as he sinks down into the couch. He couldn't help but wish Miss Eight would've stuck around a little more, but it wasn't like he could stop her.
She's got her mind set on things for his sake, too.]
Jack: (ā¦Guess I better start looking over this stuffā¦)
<<āPreviousāāāāāāTable of ContentsāāāāāāNextā>>
//: ā¦Ahā¦right. I suppose an apology is in order, firstlyā¦itās been quite some time since Iāve spoken to any of you, and Iām sorry. Truly. Some of you are angry with me, I know, and it is my fault. I know Iāve been rather reclusive these last few months, andā¦there is a reason for it. Several, in fact, of which I will now tell you, the people that have made my wretched existenceā¦a little easier. A little moreā¦brighter.
//: ā¦I have been working on several projects--this is what was eating up most of my time. One of which is looking for a more permanent solution for my deteriorating condition, caused by my lack of a central core. I have searched for many, many decades, and with the recently opened rifts that have appeared these last few years--the very same ones that have led me to you all--did bring up some new leadsā¦
//: ā¦But all I have found areā¦dead ends. EVERYWHERE I look only reminds me that I am cursed, and that nothing can fix me. That I...
//: Iā¦Iām running out of time. It grows worse, my horrid curseā¦I am falling apart more rapidly, I must hunt more frequentlyā¦andā¦and the painsā¦
//: It hurts now. I feel as if I am rotting away from the inside out. It hurtsā¦so much. I cannotā¦hold myself together for longā¦there is onlyā¦painā¦hungerā¦painā¦and hungerā¦
//: Nghā!!
//: Hungerā¦consumeā¦feedā¦! I canātāneedā¦moreā!!
[ā¦There is silence, it was as if the message was edited and continued much laterā¦did she mean to send this before the virus had been released?]
//: Hnn...
//: I...I'm fine. I don't know for how long...I...
//: ā¦.Do you see now?
//: Iā¦I am not long for this world.
//:ā¦Thisā¦worldā¦
//: ā¦This world. This cheap, thrill-seeking world, only caring about their advertised construct battles and those who provide it! As long as humans, the sinful ones, have that to entertain themā¦their precious Battle Colosseumā¦their so-called heroesā¦! They care about nothing elseā¦
//: And itās all because of them that I am this way. All of it. All of it. ALL OF IT. I would have never resorted to such disgusting ways of survival if it wasnāt for them! The NBCA, CherryDyn, and ESPECIALLY HIMā¦
//: I was doomed! Doomed from the start! Doomed to fall! Doomed to die! I...!
//: ...
//: ā¦I refuse to leave this mortal earthā¦fading away in someā¦dark, lonely corner, amongst the filth and the departedā¦by my own handsā¦god, no. I won't--I can't subject you all to that. I can't let you watch me slowly wither and die when there's nothing to be done, I can't...I can't bear you to that pain.
//: No.
//: If I am to dieā¦If I am to be sent to the Void, never to returnā¦if I am to burn, burn in hellā¦
//: Then this world will burn with me. Along with all those who have wronged me. CherryDyn. The Colosseum. Humanity.
//: They will burnā¦they will pay for their sinsā¦payā¦in blood, in Xelā¦it doesnāt matter.
//: ...
//: Donāt bother trying to stop me. The rifts are beginning to closeā¦as if the fates already know how this endsā¦as if they knew all along that this was my role to play.
//: ā¦And no matter what happens, Iā¦will be no moreā¦
//: I justā¦
//: ā¦.
//: I canātā¦take this anymore. The endless slaughterā¦the constantā¦fearā¦I canātā¦there is nothingā¦I can doā¦I canāt be saved, no matter what Beck says. No matter what...God...
//: Cale, my love...
//: ā¦Caleb Lightā¦my dauntless rebelā¦I love you so, so much. I gave youā¦everything I had leftā¦everything that I amā¦andā¦you are the bestānoā¦the greatest thing thatās ever happened to me. My light in the darknessā¦my Mateā¦Iām so sorry I have to put you through this. I know...I can hear your words now, saying that I shouldn't do this, but you must understand--If I die--the people that made me what I am will go on to hurt countless others. It's not just vengeance, my Light--I want Justice. They need to pay, while I am still the only one alive to remember their sins. Pleaseā¦forgive meā¦this...this isn't how I wanted it to end.
//: I love you.
//: Rockā¦MZā¦I give you my blessingsā¦focus on the future you have now, togetherā¦whenever you DO get married, eventuallyā¦that is, if you havenāt already. Donāt let meā¦ruin it with my acts of vengeance. Justā¦stay out of it. Please. This is more than just about me--CherryDyn is far, far more crueler than what I have told you. There are things that they do in the shadows that...
//: I swear, I will make them all pay for what theyāve doneā¦ As my last sin, as my last willā¦these humans will all die, like they should, and they will know what happens when they cross a predatorā¦
//: ā¦
//: Iā¦donāt want to cut this short. But the wheels have been set into motion already. Even I couldnāt stop them if I wanted to. And even if I couldā¦
//: ...
//: Daysā¦hoursā¦thatās all I have leftā¦A week, at most. More if I can starve off the hunger right. If...if you do manage to come here, please be careful.
//: ā¦
//: Iām sorry. This is probably the last you will hear from me. I...
//: I'm sorry I'm so sick...
//: I'm sorry I'm so broken, I...
//: I'm sorry. I'm sorry...
//: ā¦Good-bye.
[END OF MESSAGE.]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
{Titus, CA
Colosseum
June 21st, 20XX
11:40 AM}
[The day started out like any other.
Cardinal was excited. This was going to be his first time seeing the Mighties fight together. Finally, after all the long months of suffering and lonelinessā¦]
Cardinal: (This is gonna be greatā¦! Too bad Baron couldnāt be here. He loves a good battle royale!)
[It was all he could do to not go down to the locker room right this minute.
Heād waited all this time to see his friends again. Waiting a few hours longer wasnāt going to hurt him.
ā¦Or so he thought.]
{Meanwhileā¦}
āCome ON, Beck! Hurry up, weāre gonna be late!ā
āC-Coming, Cryo!ā
āWeāve spent enough time walking down memory lane in the trophy room. We have to get to the arena before they call us out for our return debut match.ā
āWE KNOW, Pyro. Jeezzz, calm down.ā
āI believe he is only excited to be back in familiar stomping grounds. Isnāt that right, Bat?ā
āTOO RIGHT, Brand!ā
āHeh. Weāre ALL glad tā be home, yeahā¦. Ahā look forward tā givinā āem all a good show.ā
āMAN, I am so stoked for this! Hey, I hope they get my good side, ya know? Course, I look good in ALL angles.ā
āā¦Avi not focused.ā
āMic is right. Itās time to get out there. Everyone! PLACES!ā
[The team responded enthusiastically in unison.]
āYES SIR NO.1!ā
[The crowd burst into cheers as the Mighties took their place on the field.]
Cardinal: -Whistles LOUDLY, pinging with excitement-
āLaaaaadies and gentlebots! Men, women, and children of all ages! Please put your hands together for your returning Queen's Tournament Champions, TEAM MIGHTY NUMā"
[KSSSSssssstā¦]
Cardinal: ā???
[There was a disquieted murmur amongst the crowd. Cardinal suddenly felt grim.]
<DLN-000>: >Guys, I think something isā¦
<DLN-000>: > Somethingās not right over hereā
[sssKKKKT--]
[MN.1] //: Hnnk...I...I donātā¦
[MN.7] //: -Suddenly horribly dizzy, what, what isā-
[MN.4] //: -MicāMic no like these new voicesā-
[MN.8] //: -Ah'āCardsāCARDSā-
<DLN-000>: > ?! -Distressed data, CONCERNā -
<DLN-000>: > What is it? What's going on, Shade?
[PING!]
[MN.9] //: Guys?! What's going on, are you okayā?!
[MN.9] //: Why am I getting warnings from myā
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANā
[Chaos began rising as alarms started going off everywhere.]
Cardinal: !
Attention! Attention! This is Code Red! Please evacuate the arena calmly and quickly! This is not a drill! Pleaseā
[Fights were starting to escalate within the crowd. Cardinal had instinctively shifted into his armor.]
[MN.6] //: nngh ow ow ow ow-
[MN.3] //: -Erractic buzzing and SCREECHINGā-
[MN.2] //: Can't thinkāabout anythingā!
[MN.5] //: c-compromised, stand clearā
Cardinal: Guys?!
[WARNING. WARNING. VIRUS DETECTED IN SERVER. FIREWALL PROGRAMS HAVE FAILED.]
[Someone suddenly grabs at Cardinalāa civilian model, jaw open in a war cry, bathed in violet flames and unrelenting rage.]
Cardinal: !!! -Gives a backhand hit, jumping up high-
[He recognized those flames.
Those were the flames of berserk rage: a sick madness, one that deprives the victim of all reason and most free will.]
[Cardinal used Item-1!]
Cardinal: -Hovers in place, looking down at the sands-
[To his horror, he could see flickers starting to form around the Mighty Numbers.
It had been bad enough to see them amongst the crowd, with the world devolving into chaos.
To see them now, on his friendsā]
Cardinal: NO!
[It was rapidly turning to the darkness of his absolute /worst nightmares/.]
[MN.1-8 HAVE BEEN INFECTED WITH HARMFUL MALWARE. RUNNING XELFILTER.EXE FOR MN.9]
[The stands were a jumbled mess. The exits were jammed with people trying to escape, with fights and aggressive, infected Xelbots barring the way.]
Bat: Cowards...
Bat: Canāt even STAND THEIR GROUND!
Cardinal: [Glitch]ā
[WARNING: MN.1-8 HAVE ENTERED FULL COMBAT MODE. RESTRICTIONS: NONE.]
<DLN-000 has entered Non-Lethal Combat Mode.>
[Without another thought, Cardinal swings himself over the barrier and into the sands, his whistle piercing through the airā]
Shade: -Wincesā!- Hnnā! (Too loudā!)
Beck: ā! Cardinalā!
[BLAM!]
[Cardinalās shot intercepted Batās round in a high-blast of plasma cannon fire. This prevented the shot from reaching the crowds, but the round exploded in the air instead. Cardinal had to shield from the shrapnel.]
Cardinal: SHUT DOWN! SHUT DOWN IMMEDIATELY!
Bat: How dare you presume to give orders, you foolhardy DESERTERā
Cardinal: ! -Staggers back, taking a firmer stance- We can fix this! You need to trust meā!
Shade: -Pain, fighting off an urge to make him shut up- C-Cardsā¦! Getā¦
Shade: GET LOST! NOW!
Cardinal: Not in a million lifetimes, Shade!
Brand: Can't you see that we're going OUT OF CONTROL, YOU RECKLESS DEATHSEEKERā
[And just like that, there were eight sets of eyes trained onto Cardinal.]
[He was surrounded.]
Beck: NOā!!!
[Things were spiraling out of control too quicklyāthey were all rushing at Cardinal, there was no way he wouldā]
<DLN-000 has entered Lethal Combat Mode.>
[He abruptly shifted into full armor and dropped to the ground. Pyroās tackle missed, and he tripped up the team leader with a well-placed low kick before springing back to his feet, blasting away at bits that were trying to swarm him.]
[Cardinal used SUPER ARM!]
[WHAM!]
[Cardinal grabbed Pyro by the ankle before he could get up, and SLAMMED him right into Cryo before she could freeze him solid.
He sprung up in the air and landed right on Batās shoulder.]
Cardinal: -Aggressive data-
Beck: O~O!!!
[Meanwhile, all Beck could do was back away slowly, eyes darting fearfully from one sibling to another. Why was this happening? Why were they ACTING like thisā?!]
Brand: Stop showing off and get OUT of here, beforeā
[There was an insanely mad cackle as Cardinal was lifted right off of the walking WMD, with Dyna coming down from the sky.]
Dyna: Szzo enthusiastic! You must have such intense energy!
Shade: -AaaAAUUGH DYNAā! DONāTā!!-
[Cardinal didnāt even seem to try and get out of it, just pulled his shield in closer with a grim expression while bits were weaving a web around him.]
Dyna: Whatāszz WRONG, Cardinal? Iszz the birdie unable to fly away from the web?
Beck: NOā!
[Cardinal abruptly smirked as Dyna loomed in closer. It was a dark smirk, and his eyes glowed red with cruel intent.]
Beck: ā!!! (NoāI know that look! That red colorādon't tell me heāsā!)
[Cardinal was NOT infectedā¦ at least, no more than he had once warned long ago.
As a veteran Wilybot and soldier, he didnāt give his enemy any warning: not even a gloat of confidence.]
[Cardinal used LEAF SHIELD!]
[There was a piercing SHRIEK of pain on the part of the electric diva as a swarm of razor-sharp, leaf-shaped metal created a cloud of shrapnel around the Robot Master in question. Dyna backed away, giving off glitched scree noises. By this point, several of the other Mighty Numbers had vanished in the turmoil; it was at this point that Dyna herself took her cue to leave.
His victory was short-lived, however, as a red blur shredded the projectile shield into a fine mist, before placing his swords right against the prototypeās throat.]
((PicāCardinal v Brand))
Brand: -Seethes- How DARE you toy with us at a time like this!
[Cardinal was instantly gone, teleported across the sands to avoid incoming fire from above. Brandish moved quickly as well, but not quite quickly enough to avoid unfriendly fire.]
Avi: Awww, couldnāt you have held him a little longer, ninjabro? You know what they sayā
Shade: -Struggling to retain self-control, even as he starts locking onto Cardinalās signal- Avi, Ahā swear if you PUN at a tahm like THISā
Avi: āA bird in the HAND is worth two in the bush!ā
[The sniper gave a cry of frustration and fired off a shot. This action seemed to somehow be a succession, a submissionācaving in, weakening the resolve.
The shot was dodged easily, due to the interference that offset the sniperās aim.]
Beck: AVI! BRAND! SHADE! GUYS! S T O P!
Avi: -Ignores Beck entirely- Watch where youāre pointing that thing! And donāt you tell ME what to doā I have plenty to say, and this time, nobodyās going to stop me!
<<āPreviousāāāāāāTable of ContentsāāāāāāNextā>>
[ā¦.]
[XELFILTER.EXE PROGRAM CYCLE COMPLETE. ALL MALWARE HAS BEEN FILTERED AND NEUTRALIZED FROM ALL SYSTEMS.]
[REBOOTINGā¦]
[MN.9 IS NOW ONLINE]
Beck: ā¦.Uuughā¦
Beck: Whatā¦what happenedā¦
[ā¦ā¦]
[At firstā¦nothing.]
[Thenā¦.]
āPYRO! BRAND! SHADE! GUYS! S T O P!!ā
Beck: ā¦ā¦!!!!!
[MN.9 to MN.1-8] //: GUYS! GUYS!
[MN.9 HAS BEEN BLOCKED BY MN.1-8.]
[MN.9] //: ā¦??!?!
Beck: Whatā¦?!
Beck: Why wouldā¦ Theyā¦
BOOOM!
[ā¦And that is when he noticed where he was. No longer was he within the Colosseum walls; he was now on some rooftop by a NBCA advertisement. It looked like he was simply DROPPED here, but the means of how and why were far from his mind.
At the sounds of the explosions, Mighty No. 9 ran across the rooftopā¦]
Beck: !!!
Beck: N-No!
[Screams. Fire.]
Beck: Whatā
[The whole of the city in absolute chaos: citizens screaming in terror, fleeing from literal hordes of rampaging robots, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake.]
Beck: What is happening?!
Beck: ā¦!!!
Beck: DAD!
[His creator. His father. Doctor William Apollo White. He was somewhere in this madnessā¦
Without another thought, Beck jumped down from the rooftop. He had to find him. He had to know ifā¦!]
Beck: PROFESSOR! DAD! WHERE ARE YOU?!
Beck: DAAAAD!!
[ā¦ ā¦
ā¦ ā¦ ā¦
ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ ā¦
ā¦!! There! In the distanceā! That puff of hair that could only beā!]
Beck: Dad!
Will: Beck!
[The sheer relief couldnāt have been any clearer on their faces as Beck ran up to his father, who seemed to have had better days; his lab coat was torn here and there, and his face was covered in black soot.]
Will: Ah, Beckāthank Godāand functioning normally, it would appear!
Beck: Yeahā¦yeah, Iām fine, Dad. Iām fineā¦
Beck: I am so glad youāre OKā
[Beck clutched his father's leg as hard as he could, and Will bent down to give his youngest perhaps the tightest hug he could muster.]
Will: Good Lord; what on earth has happened? Itās chaos, everywhere!
Beck: Iā¦ I dunno. I dunno, Dadā¦
[Tears filled his emerald green eyes.]
Beck: Iā¦ I canāt contact the others; Pyro, Cryo, Dynaā¦! Theyā¦ they blocked me!
Will: What?!
Will: Why onāā¦
Will: ā¦
Will: ohhhhh GodānononoNOā
[He fumbled with his bag. He clumsily pulled out his laptop and opened it as quickly as he could, andā]
Will: Gah, itās DEADā!
[He forgot, he didnāt charge it on the way back to Americaā]
Beck: ā!!!
Beck: INCOMING!
[Several airborne delivery bots had spotted themāand their load was less than helpful. They were carrying explosives.
Beck pushes his father out of the way with a strength he never knew his default form possessed.]
Will: ooFā
[The blast knocked both father and son back some ways, but Beckās quick actions had saved them both from sustaining serious damage.
Thankfully, the trio of delivery bots had no more cargo to dispel, and flew back the way they cameāprobably to get more of their ammo.]
Will: Nghā¦
Beck: DadāDad, are you OK?!
Will: Y-Yes, mostlyā¦
Beck: DadāDad, itās not safeā
Will: Iām alright, Beck, really. Just give me a secondā¦
[Beck looked forward.]
Beck: (This street almost seemsā¦ familiar, somehowā¦)
[ā¦! Wait! He knew where he was! Just a few blocks from here was home!]
Beck: -Ping- Look!
Will: ā¦
[After catching his breath, he stood, brushed himself off, and looked to the distance where Beck was pointing. There, on end of this long streetā¦
Sanda Enterprises.]
Will: ā¦ ā¦
[He was silent.]
Beck: Dadā¦?
[Dr. William White's expression hardened.
His sons, his daughtersā¦
What was happening to all the robotsā¦
ā¦He couldnāt do anything from here.]
Will: -Starts closing up the laptop after setting up the short-range frequencies to run via private hardware rather than the public towers- We wonāt figure out anything from here, Beck.
Will: We must make for the laboratoryāand quickly!
Beck: ā¦!
[But between them and home?]
((PicāWill and Beck overlooking streets of chaos))
[Was little less than a war zone.]
Will: Beckā¦
Will: I canāt get through this by myself.
Will: You MUST forge on ahead and clear a secure path.
Beck: ā!? Whaā
Will: Donāt worryāIāll follow, and monitor your process. We only need to make it to the end of this street!
Will: Do you think you can do that?
Beck: ā¦ ā¦
[Heās walked down this street countless timesāheās just never had to do it amidst gunfireānot even in a simulation! In all honesty, it was extremely frightening; he wished he had his siblings here now, more than ever. This wasn't something he had trained for, let alone something that he'd been built with in mind!
But his fatherā¦
His familyā¦ Dr. Sandaā¦ Callā¦! They all needed him!]
[MN.9 HAS ENTERED COMBAT MODE.]
Beck: Yes sir!
[ā¦Seeing that smile on his face, and the will that clearly shone beneath those eyesā¦]
Will: Alrightā¦
[ā¦There was hope.
They could not lose thatānot now!]
Will: Letās move!
[OBJECTIVE: ESCORT DR. WHITE TO SANDA ENTERPRISES UNHARMED.]
[SYSTEMS READY.]
[INITIATING COMBAT PROGRAMSā¦.]
[Getting through the overturned vehicles and debris was easy enough, and provided good cover for the young Doctor. But it wasnāt long before Beck got a rather harsh welcome partyā¦]
Beck: ā!!
[There was a bright flash of purple, and a standard CherryDyn Security Model robot materialized in his path. After spotting him, it began waving its arms around wildly; its weapon made a priming noise, clearly getting ready to fire.]
Beck: Gah!
[He ducked behind a bit of debris, causing the lock-on to disengage.
Dr. Whiteās voice filled his comm linkāas long as they were near each other, they could speak above the chaotic noises that filled the blue sky.]
[DR.WHITE] //: A security botāand itās out of control, like all the othersā¦
[MN.9] //: Y-yeahā! Stay back, I'llā!
[The CherryDyn bot, however, didnāt notice Will at allārather, it moved on ahead. Beck fell back closer to his father, still tense and ready to fight.]
Beck: Are you okay?!
Will: I'm fine.
Beck: (Where did it goā¦?)
[He looked around nervously. He didn't fancy being ambushed at a time like this!]
Beck: ā¦!!
Beck: Professor! Look!
Will: !
[There, on a large public screen that overlooked the streetā¦]
[Gregory Graham.]
[KKKST!]
āOnce again, the President as declared a country-wide state of emergency. This, based on reports of haywire robots rampaging out of control in all 52 States. Iām being told we have a comment from Gregory Graham, CEO of CherryDynamics.ā
Beck and Will: WHAT?!
āCherryDyn, of course, being the worldās largest robot manufacturer. Letās go there now, liveā¦ā
Graham: Ahem! Hello? ā¦eh, helloā¦? Is this thing on?!
[The CEO seemedā¦ panicked.]
Graham: Ah! Ahemāā¦My fellow Americansā¦in this time of crisis, we at CherryDyn would just like to expressā¦.
Graham: That this isnāt our fault!
Beck: What theāis he SERIOUS?! He's interrupting to say thaā
Graham: Itās that Dr. BlackwellāHEāS the one thatās behind all this! BLAME HIM!
Will: ā¦.!!
[Will tensed at this in disbelief.]
[Graham then composes himselfā¦]
Graham: Ahemāwe at CherryDyn are doing ALL we can to help fix the situationā¦ BUT ITāS BLACKWELLāS FAUā
[KKKKKKSSST!]
āHeeeelllloooo! Is this thing on?ā
Beck: ā¦Avi?
[He tries pinging his brother, but Avi doesnāt answer--not even to his comm line. Will himself is just as confused--both father and son stare flabbergasted at the helibotās image on the news screen as he continuedā¦]
āAhem! And now, letās go live to our eye in the sky, Avi, for todayās Avi News traffic report!~ā
[And in a completely not so different voiceā]
āThanks, Avi! As you can see, weāve got a few accidents eastbound on, wellāā
āEVERYWHERE! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!ā
Beck: ā?! AāAviatorā?
[Heās NEVER heard him laugh like that beforeā]
Will: S...Sonā¦! Noā!
āYup, weāve got chaos here, chaos there on this BEEEEEAUTIFUL June 21, 20XX! Here on Avi News today, weāve got exclusive coverage on todayās top story!ā
āTHE END OF THE WORLD, BABY!ā
Will: MIGHTY NO. 6! STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!
Beck: A-Aviā¦
āOur nation is on TOTAL MELTDOWN, and Xelbot crime is on the rise! Can NOTHING stop this madness?!ā
āShort answer? NO! BWAHAHAHA!ā
[There was a brief pause as the crazed laughter died down unexpectedly, and the flying punster got a distant look in his eyes, which calmed down momentarily to something more like idle curiosityā¦ before shifting to something more fitting in a cruel smirk.]
āWell, would you look at that! I got a caller!ā
[The screen cuts out to another camera while Avi switched his attention to some other force, leaving Beck and Will to gaze in horror at the birdās eye view of their cityā¦]
Beck: Dad? W-whatās Avi DOING? Why was he allā¦? -Trails off-
[To that, Will had no answerā¦ at least, no answer yet. But he could hazard a guess based on the evidence all around him, and it did NOT bode well for anyone.]
Will: We... we canāt stop now, Beck. In order to find out what exactly is going on, we need to get homeānow.
[After traversing more of the war-torn street, Beck and Will were just one more block away from the entranceā¦]
Will: Weāre almost thereā¦
Will: ā¦!
Beck: ā¦? What is it, Dad?
Will: Dr. Sandaās calling us over the comms!
[DR.WHITE] //: Sanda? Whatās the matterā
[DR.SANDA] //: WHATāS THE MATTER?!
[DR.SANDA] //: WHAT THE BLEEDING HECK DO YOU THINK IS THE MATTER?! ARE YOU OK, WILL?!
[DR.WHITE] //: ā¦Oh, fine. More or less.
[DR.SANDA] //: ā¦.
[DR.WHITE] //: And yourself?
[ā¦Yep. He was his usual self, alright.
Dr. Sanda, howeverā¦]
[DR.SANDA] //: Good Lord do you EVER stop being tactlessā
[ā¦LOUD clanking noises in the background of his feed.]
[DR.SANDA] //: Oh my Godā
[DR.SANDA] //: Iām less than fineāMUCH LESS! These robots gone wild are TEARING THE PLACE APART!
[DR.WHITE] //: Whatāin the building, too?!
[DR.SANDA] //: Iāve sealed myself in the labābut who knows HOW long before they break through!
[DR.WHITE] //: Ah, I see. Understood. Weāre already on our way!
[DR.SANDA] //: ā¦We?
[MN.9] //: -PING!- Dr. Sandaā¦!
[DR.SANDA] //: ā¦!! Beck? BECK? IS THAT REALLY YOU?!
[MN.9] //: Yeahāitās me! Iām OK, Iām not crazy!
[DR.SANDA] //: THANK THE LORDā
[BANG!]
[DR.SANDA] //: -sCREECHā
[DR.WHITE] //: Just try to hold them off for as long as you can! Weāre coming!
[Soon enough, after what seemed like hours had passed instead of minutesā¦]
{Sanda Enterprises}
[The front door was completely blown open.]
Will: Oh noā¦
Beck: Iā¦ I donāt see Call anywhereā¦
Will: ā¦ ā¦
Will: Beck. We have no time to waste; calculate the fastest possible route to the lab!
Beck: Yes sir!
Beck: ā¦ ā¦
Beck: This way!
[BWAN BWAN BWAN BWANā]
Beck: NEVER MIND, THIS WAYā
[The elevator down to the lab was out. They would have to take the other way down.]
Will: ā!!!
[He halted in his tracks as he heard something distinctly familiar: Sanda models, heading their way. Specifically, trash bots. These models were designed to recycle waste and paper; harmless enough under normal circumstancesā¦ but something had caused them to open and shut their lids with the force of a vise. Now they were on the prowl, looking for anything to chomp on.]
Beck: Uh-ohā
Will: Get back, Beck!
[The Industrial models were heading right for them, but oddly enoughā¦ their target wasnāt Beck, as evidenced by the fact that they ignored him.]
Beck: ā?
Will: -Adjusts the strap of his laptop bag- Let's not question our fortune! If they aren't hostile, then we need to focus onā
[The bots made glitched beeping noises, and Will took a step back.]
Will: ā!!
[He moved his hand over to the side, as if reaching for something out of instinctābut there was nothing there.
And all of a sudden, he felt very cornered.]
Will: BECK!!
Beck: !!
Will: Theyāre locked on to meā!
Beck: NO!
[The two of them tried to make a run for it, but the trash bots were faster than they looked. Before they could make it out of harm's way, Will tripped over some debris.]
Will: Gahā!
[He scrambled to get to his feet, moving back as quickly as he could. This brief falter had cost them dearly, thoughāthey weren't going to make itā!]
[ANALYZINGā¦.]
[THREAT CONFIRMED.]
[EMOTION MATRIX RUNNINGā¦]
-*-*-*-*-
Felix: Let me tell you something, Master Beck. It is your heart and your build, your purpose, to help others. That is where your greatest power, I think, will always lie.
Felix: When you truly believe in your cause, the strength comes to you.
[In an instant, Beckās arm had transformed into his default demolecularizing arm cannonācapable of breaking apart substances right down to the molecular level within a few shots.]
Beck: STAY AWAY FROM HIM!
[BLAM BLAM BLAM!]
[The Trash Bots were nailed right in the face, and soon they wereā¦glowing. Their Xels were being broken apart, floating around themā¦]
[ZOOOOM!]
[ACXELARATE DASH: ONLINE.]
[A white-blue glow had enveloped Beck as he dashed forward, the Xels of the weakened robots being absorbed into his own body, seamlessly clicking into place.]
[Shocked from the sudden Xel lossā¦the Trash Bots shut down.]
[ABSORPTION BOOST: ONLINE.]
Beck: ā!!
[A soft red glow shined around him, energy SURGING through him in a way that heās NEVER felt beforeā¦]
Beck: Ahā
[It all seemed to pool into his arm cannon.]
Beck: ā¦..
Beck: WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED.
Beck: -pANIC-
Beck: WHAT WAS THAT?!
Will: !
Will: Beckādidā¦
Will: Did you justā¦absorb the Xels of a weakened robot andāmy goodnessāassimilate them?!
Beck: ā¦SoāTHIS is myā¦my power? My OTHER power?
Will: Yes, Beck. I designed you with THREE central powers: Xel Manipulation, Xel Transformationā¦
Will: ā¦And Xel Assimilation.
Will: (Butā¦)
Will: (This is the first time Iāve seen itā¦activeā¦I hadnāt thought it functional yetā¦
Will: (ā¦So why nowā¦?)
Will: ā¦!
Will: (Of courseā¦)
Will: (Seeing me like this, in danger. Amidst madness and chaos, his emotional matrix must have activated his latent abilitiesā¦ in an effort to protect me.)
Beck: ā¦ ā¦
Beck: Whoooooaā¦
Will: ā¦!
Beck: ā¦ ā¦
[The glow subsidedā¦ along with the surge of power.]
Beck: ā? Uhā¦ what happened?
Will: āNgh! Iād love to explain but we have more robots incoming!
[As they headed deeper into the building, more and more robots appeared within moments.
The security system had also gone haywire, and the very same measures used to protect them were now being used against them.]
Will: Almost there, almost thereā¦! Hold on, Soi!
Beck: Owowowow LASERSHURT OWā
Will: ā¦Rightāthe Lab is just aheadā¦
[DR.WHITE] //: Sanda?
[ā¦]
[DR.WHITE] //: Sanda, are you still there?
[ā¦ ā¦]
[DR.WHITE] //: ā¦ ā¦.
[DR. WHITE] //: Have the robots torn you to piecesā¦?
[MN.9] //: DADā
[DR.SANDA] //: Criminny! Tactful as ALWAYS, Willā¦ -n-;;;
[DR.SANDA]//: Iām FINE, but for PETEāS SAKE, HURRYā!
[DR.WHITE] //: Donāt worry, we just need to go through theā
[There was a LOUD scream across the feeds. Not just once, but twiceāa distorted cry of sorrow and pain. An angry womanās shriek, lower in tone than his two sisters, yet all too familiar just the sameā¦]
[B A N G.]
Beck: ?!?
Beck: What was THATā¦?!
[They weren't given time to dwell on it.]
[WWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRā]
Will: ā?!
[Literally CRASHING through the side wall was a huge, round robot nearly seven times Beckās size, crushing anything underneath itās round steel flattenerā¦]
Will: A CherryDyn demolition unit?! How on EARTH did it manage to get DOWN here?!
Beck: Oh CRUDā
[The destructive CDN CHARGED right into Beckās path! He dove out of the way in time, but the shock of the impact with the other wall forced the door to closeā¦ leaving Will trapped on the other side.]
Beck: DAD!
[DR.WHITE] //: Iām fine!
[DR.WHITE] //: Beck, quicklyāyou MUST stop it, before it destroys the whole laboratory!
[MN.9] //: Mā¦ME?!
[MN.9] //: DAD, THIS THING CAN CRUSH MEā
[DR.WHITE] //: YOU HAVE TO TRY! SOI IS STILL IN THERE!
[DR.SANDA] //: COME ON, BECKOāDO IT! OR WEāRE ALL TOAST!
[The CherryDyn Number 502 charged once more, rolling across the room at RAPID speeds. Beck once again had to dodge, THIS time using his new AcXelarate Dash.]
[ā¦It certainly wasā¦ fast.]
[SPLAT.]
[ā¦A little too fast.]
Beck: O-Owāstupid wallā
[DR.WHITE] //: Your AcXelarate Dash is EXACTLY that, Beck! An acceleration! Use it wisely!
[DR.WHITE] //: You must weaken it with your weapon to destabilize its Xel before you can absorb it with your Dash!
[MN.9] //: SO I JUST SHOOT AND RUN INTO IT?!
[DR.WHITE] //: YES!
[The Round Digger reared up to charge once moreālike a bull would.]
Beck: Crudcrudcrudcrudā
[WRRRRRā¦]
[BLAM BLAM BLAM!]
[Direct hitsābut it didnāt stop the CDN from charging.]
Beck: -nOT AGAINā
[ZOOOM!]
[ā¦And yet another splat.]
Beck: OWā
[DR.WHITE] //: Beckāare you alrā
Beck: NO ITāS NOT WORKINGā!
[DR.WHITE] //: Perseverance, Beck! Aim for its joints and head! Destabilize its Xel structure!
Beck: Aim and shoot, joints, headā
[WRRRRRRRRRRRā]
[A panel opened up on its back, revealingā
Bombs!]
Beck: āoh NOā
[Of course; it was a demolition unit!]
[BOOM!]
Beck: AAAAAAAAAAHā
[There he goes, dashing this way and that to avoid being blown to pieces!]
Beck: -SCREAMING-
Beck: DAD HELP MEāHELP ME!
[DR.WHITE] //: I canātā! Not from hereā!
[DR.SANDA] //: THE SYSTEMS ARE ALL SCRAMBLED FROM HERE, I CANāT DO ANYTHINGā!
[BOOM! BOOM!]
Beck: -I'M GONNA DIE OH MAN-
[Nine keeps shootingābut they are wild and panicked shots, some hitting their target, some missing completely.
Eventually, howeverā¦]
[ERRORāERRORāXEL STRUCTURE UNSTABLEā]
[ā¦The CDNās head starting glowing purple! ]
[DR.WHITE] //: NOW, BECK!
[As soon as Beck saw itā¦
ā¦He knew exactly what to do. As if it was instinct.
As if the thought was there all along.]
Beck: Here GOES!
[ZOOOMā]
[XEL ABSORBED. CDN XEL COUNT LOWERED 20%ā]
[WARNING! WARNING! VIRUS DETECTED!]
Beck: ā?!?
[RUNNING XELFILTER.EXEā¦]
[XEL FILTERED. ALL MALWARE HAS BEEN NEUTRALIZED.]
[ATTENTION: MORE XEL IS REQUIRED FOR A FULL XEL PURGE.]
Beck: (Xelā¦Purgeā¦?)
[DR.WHITE] //: BECK! ABOVE YOU!
[The CDN had stopped chargingāand, oddly enoughāused its extending legs to grab onto the ceilingā¦?]
Beck: ā¦.???
[A panel UNDERNEATH it unlocks andā]
[PSSSSSSSSSH!]
[A HUGE high pressured blast of water SLAMMED into the Mighty Number, knocking him back into the door with a loud CLANK!]
Beck: AAGH!
[DR.WHITE] //: BECK!
Beck: Uuughā¦.
Beck: ā¦Ooooowwwā¦
[ā¦? Whatās this?
ā¦All that did wasā¦ Just DAZE him, at bestā¦]
Beck: That wasā¦almost as hard as Cryo, owā¦
[PSSSSSSSSSHHH!]
Beck: -gARBLING NOISES-
[DR.WHITE] //: MOVE, BECK!
[A bit shaky, Beck dashes away from the streamā]
Beck: sTOOOOOPā
[Buuuut of course, his foe didn't listen.]
Beck: (There's GOT to be an easier way to do this! C'mon, what would nii-san doā?!)
[ā¦]
[OH! Waitāwhy didnāt he think of this before?! He might not have his siblings by his sideā
ā¦But he had their FORMS, right?
ā¦Right?]
[ā¦]
[ERROR//: MN.7 REXELECTION FORM NOT FOUND. FORM WAS ERASED AFTER HARD RESET.]
[ā¦Wrong.]
Beck: WHAT?!
[He tried again.]
[ERROR//: MN.1 REXELECTION FORM NOT FOUND. FORM WAS ERASED AFTER HARD RESET.]
Beck: NONONO!
[ERROR//: MN.2 REXELECTION FORM NOT FOUNDā¦.]
[ERRORā¦.]
[ERRORā¦]
[ERRORā¦]
[ā¦Gone.
They were all gone.
He had nothing. No forms except that STUPID golden one, and what good would THAT do?!]
Beck: NO!
Beck: DADāI CANāT CHANGE FORMSā!
Beck: I DONāT HAVE ANYTHING TO FIGHT WITHā!
[DR.WHITE] //: YES YOU DO, BECK!
[DR.WHITE] //: You have tools of which this worldāor ANY worldāhave only just begun to see!
[DR.WHITE] //: USE THEM!
Beck: ā¦..
Beck: āShoot, dash, shoot, dashā
[The Round Digger let out a deafening R O A R, charging again.]
Beck: Shoot and dash, shoot and dashā!
[Repeating this mantra, Beck circled the CDNā¦
They both traded blows, neither of which seemed to be giving in or showing sign of fatigueā
ā¦Butā¦slowly, slowly but surelyā]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
-PING-
[XEL QUOTA ACHIEVED.]
[XEL PURGE: ONLINE. XELFILTER.EXE PREPARED FOR OVERDRIVE.]
[DR.WHITE] //: ā¦!!!
[ā¦A circle of white began to glow around Beckās feetā¦]
[A stream of Xel floated outwards, forming a large circle along with three dots and linesāhis symbolā¦]
Beck: Come onā
[His arms started to shine a pure white!]
Beck: SNAP OUT OF IT!
[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]
Beck: NOW!
[A burst of green Xels flow out of the circle, and RIGHT back to the CDN! Rings of purged Xel encircle it, and slowlyāitāsā¦purple, tainted Xel fadesā¦]
[ā¦ā¦..]
Round Digger: ā¦.????
Round Digger: -BEEP-
Round Digger: -BEEP BEEP-
Round Digger: -CONFUSED DATA, THIS IS NOT OUR DESIGNATED AREA-
Beck: ā¦!!
Round Digger: -DISTRESSED BEEPING-
Beck: HeyāHeyā¦
Round Digger: -THIS IS NOT WHERE IāM SUPPOSED TO BEEEEEEEE-
[ā¦Beckā¦cautiously approaches the CDNā¦
Closerā¦Closerā¦]
Beck: Heyā¦. Are you OK?
Round Digger: -BEEEEEEEEEP!-
Beck: HeyāHey, itās OKā¦
[ā¦Pat. Patā¦]
Beck: Youāre OK now, donāt worryā¦
Round Digger: -SAD BEEP-
Round Digger: -BEEEEEP-
Beck: ā¦.! Uhā¦heyādo you think you can help me?
Round Digger: ā¦.? -beep?-
[MN.9] //: Dr. Sanda?
[ā¦ ā¦There was no response at first. Both Doctors were still STUNNED at what just happened.]
[MN.9] //: Dr. Sanda!
[DR.SANDA] //: ā¦! Ermāahāy-yes, Beckā¦?
[MN.9] //: You said the systems were haywire, right? So you canāt unseal yourselfā¦
[DR.SANDA] //: WellāIā¦ oh.
[MN.9] //: SoāI guess thereās only one option, right?
[DR.SANDA] //: -SHRIEKS, RUNS TO THE FARTHER ROOM-
[WRRRRRRRRRRRRRā]
[C R A C K!]
[With one powerful charge, the CDN Demo unit reared back once more and charged into the other wall, making a hole large enough for even MIC to walk into.]
[DR.SANDA]//: Did you REALLY have to do that?! This place is falling apart enough as itā
[DR.WHITE] //: We can worry about it later! Beckāneutralize any other threats in the building while I work with Soi to get at LEAST some of those systems back onlineā¦
[MN.9] //: Yes Sir!
[DR.SANDA] //: B-b-butā! The lab is unsealedā
[DR.WHITE]//: I donāt think we have to worry about that for now.
Round Digger: -BEEEEEEP-
[MN.9] //: Yeah, you can stay down here and make sure nothing gets past you, OK? That way you donāt get hurt too. ^.^
[CDN.502] //: -BEEP BEEP, NEW DESIGNATION AREA CONFIRMED-
[DR.WHITE]//: Good, good. Be careful, alright?
[MN.9] //: Yeah. I will.
[Beck went back the way he cameāthrough the recently re-opened doorāwhile Will stumbled through the opening, patting the CDN on itās side as he passed by.
It took a while to find where the other Doctor had taken cover, but eventuallyā]
Soi: Will!
Will: Soi!
[Without another word, Soichiro Sanda threw his arms around his best friend, quite literally giving him a crushing hugā]
Will: -Hurkā!- Soiā!
Soi: You have no IDEA how glad I am to see your face, friendā
Will: Th-the feeling is mutual, Soi, but c-could you PLEASE let me breatheā
[William White takes in a few deep breaths once Sanda lets go, once again brushing himself offābut to no avail, as his clothing was more or less ruined at this point.]
Soi: Great Ceaserās Ghost, Will; you look like youāve just been put through the wringer!
Will: Thatāsā¦ not inaccurate, Soi: not at allā¦
Soi: I can only imagineāI could hear everything from down here!
Will: Evā¦everything?
[He glanced around them, a concerned expression on his face.]
Will: ā¦Didā¦ did you hear the broadcastā¦?
Soi: Broadcastā?
Will: -Sighs- Right, the systems are still scrambled; you wouldnāt get anythingā¦
Soi: āā¦.
Soi: -Doubtful tone- WellāIā¦ did hearā¦. screamingā
Will: Screaming? Well, Beck was rather scā
Soi: No, no, not himā
āDr. Sanda!ā
[Passing through the crumbling wall, Beck reappeared. His pristine white armor was slightly singed in several places, probably from laser fire.]
Beck: Dr. Sandaā!
Sanda: Beckā! Come here, youā!
[In a well meant hug of his own, Beck latched on to Sandaās leg, burying his face into it. Muffled cries of āIāM SO HAPPY TO SEE YOUāRE OKā and 'SANDAAAā were heard while the Doctor fondly gave Nine a noogie.]
Sanda: Ha Ha! I KNEW you could do it, Mighty No. 9!
Beck: -MUFFLED NOISES-
Will: Yesāwell done, Beck. But Iām afraid we still have work to do; have the other robots been taken care of?
Beck: Iā¦ did my best; some of them went outside, but I managed to absorb most of the ones on the upper floors.
Will: That will do for now. Come on, Soi; letās TRY and get this lab running againā
[The larger Doctor put a hand on the shoulder of his worried friend to keep him from darting off before answering an important question.]
Soi: W-Wait a minute!
Soi: I see here that BECK is functioning normallyā¦
Soi: But what happened to the OTHER Mighty Numbers? Are they still OUT thereā¦?
[ā¦ ā¦]
[ā¦ ā¦ ā¦]
Will: ā¦Sandaā¦
[Will sighs and takes up a straighter posture.]
Will: Based on empirical evidence, I believe that they might be suffering from thisā¦ robot affliction thatās been going around and causing all this chaos.
Soi: W-Whatā?!?
Soi: You meanāPyrogen, Cryosphereā¦
Will: ā¦Yes, Soi. Iā¦
[It almost hurt to say it.]
Will: I think theyāve been hit with a virus. Thatās the only logical explanation.
[As Will brings a terminal back online, his fears are confirmed. Both of the Doctors and the lone Mighty Number present stare at the screen with equal parts dread and horrorā¦]
Soi: Noā¦!
[MN.1 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]
[MN.2 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]
[MN.3 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]
[MN.4 STATUS: UNAVAILABLE.]
[MN.5 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]
[MN.6 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]
[MN.7 STATUS: ONLINE, FULL COMBAT MODE, -VIRUS DETECTED- ]
<RMDC>: >REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGED. SENDING STATUS UPDATE TO MODERATOR DR.WHITEā¦
[ā¦! Data from the RobotMasterĀ® Database (Cossack Server) in the midst of thisā?!]
Will: Itāsā¦!
Soi: The RobotMasterĀ® Databaseāweāre still connectedā!
<RMDC>:> SYSTEM ERROR: DATABASE MAINFRAME NOT RESPONDING. ACCESSING BRANCH SERVERā¦
Will: ā¦It seems something is wrong.
Beck: Theyā¦ they didnāt get infected too, did they?
Will: Iāmā¦ not sure. (I sure hope notā¦) I wouldn't think that they could be affected by Xel-based viruses, but then again, we don't know much about how the virus worksāand they ARE able to receive and process other data just fineā¦
Will: Unfortunately, we have other things we need to worry about!
[There was a stream of āSIGNAL NOT FOUNDā updatesā¦ followed by two small notifications, almost as if they were an afterthought.]
[DLN-000 STATUS: LETHAL COMBAT MODE]
Will: (Heās in lethalā!)
[FMN-008 STATUS: UNAVAILABLE]
Beck: ā?! Kate and Cardinalā?
Beck: Why only them? :c What about the others?
Will: -Frowns- Well, I'm not entirely sure. Kate's in EnglandāOUR Englandāso that might be part of itā¦
Beck: Butā¦ but what about Cardinal? Doā¦ do you think he's in trouble, orā? D:
Will: -Puts a hand on Beck's shoulder- Iā¦ I-I'm sure he'll be fine, Beck. (The system USUALLY gives an SOS cascade if they're in deep trouble.) He could just be in Lethal out of instinct, remember?
Beck: O-oh, rightā¦
Soi: -Working at another terminal- I can try to restore the connection, but for now weāre in the dark on their side of the fence. So far all the comms are either shot or very shaky...
Soi: But we REALLY need some helpā¦
[After a moment of tense silence and rapid typing, Soi finally gets an idea.]
Soi: -SNAPS FINGERS-
Will: ?
[Soi works away on his terminal, Will looking over his shoulder to see what he was doing. Meanwhile, Beck was still trying to contact his siblingsāto no avail, of course, but it didnāt stop him from still trying.]
Soi: Itās a long shot, but while Avi is still distractedā
Will: -Somewhat curious- You have something in mind?
Soi: Iām going to see if I can contact Seijiro at the head office in Tokyoā¦
Will: ā¦! Ah, yesā
Will: Your twin brotherā¦
[Seijiro Sanda, the head and CEO of Sanda Enterprises and Technologies. No doubt he had heard of what had transpired in Titus by nowā¦]
Soi: I just hope heās alright. I know this whole mess only seems to be centralized here in America, but you never knowā¦
[ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ ā¦.]
[-PING!-]
???: {-PANICKED JAPANESE YELLING-}
[A holoscreen feed was brought up, and a man almost identical to Soi appeared on the screen, looking less than calm. The only key differences were the slightly different hairstyle and the sharp business suit.]
???: {SOICHIROāCAN YOU HEAR ME?!}
Soi: {Seijiroā}
Seiji: {OH THANK THE STARS YOUāRE ALRIGHTā! Iāve been trying to contact you for HOURS but most of the signals and feeds are downāWILL!}
Will: -AHEM takes a moment to remember our Japanese-
Will: {Iām alright, Mr. Sanda. Please, take a moment to calm down; though we might not have much time on our handsā¦}
[Seiji takes out a small handkerchief to wipe his forehead a bit, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself.]
Seiji: {Yes, yesā¦ I apologize, I was just so worried after thatā¦ broadcastā¦}
Seiji: ā¦ā¦..
[He switches to English.]
Seiji: Is itā¦ true? Has Avi reallyā¦?
Will: ā¦ -Quietly, though still loud enough to be heard- Yes. Unfortunately so. He seems to be distracted with a ācaller,ā butā¦ he will likely finish up before too long.
Seiji: Yes, yes, of course; I understand. What is the current situation?
Will: There appears to be some kind of virus outbreak that infected CherryDyn servers here in Americaāwhich in turn, infected our servers and the like. Itās causing nearly every robot to malfunction and act aggressivelyāeven Civilian and Industrial models have been affected. The only robot that is immune to the ongoing virus isā¦ Mighty No. 9, Beck.
Beck: ā¦Hi, Mr. Sandaā¦
Will: Sadly, itā¦ i-it affected the rest of the series. They appear to beā¦ dispersed.
Seiji: ā¦.
Seiji: Soā¦ even the Mighty Number lineā¦
Will: ā¦. Yes. Theyāveā¦ all gone somewhere else, it seems. I donāt know where they are at the moment, and some of the other numbers have no status whatsoeverā¦ such as Mic.
Seiji: ā¦
Seiji: Andā¦ Call?
Will: Iā
Will: -Blinks- ā¦.
Will: Soi, where IS Call?
Soi: Sheās in the east wing. Offline, at the momentā
Beck: Offline?!
Beck: Why is she OFFLINE?
Soi: Well, before this all startedāseveral minutes before, in factā
Soi: She was due for a firmware update today, soā¦ I shut down her systems for it so it would install properly.
Will: Wait.
Soi: ā?
Will: Are you saying she was in technological isolation when this happened?
Soi: In a way, yes, butā¦ since the labās systems are mostly down, I canāt know for sure if sheās been affected, or even IF the firmware update completed before it all startedā¦
Will: Hmmā¦.
Soi: ā¦ ā¦
Seiji: ā¦ ā¦
Will: -Lost in thought- Weāll have to bring her back online in a Faraday cage. A sealed room, if possible. If she IS infected, Beck can bring her back to normal using his assimilation and filter program. We will definitely need her support, Soi.
Soi: I know, I knowā¦
Beck: I can go do that with her right now, Dad. If anyone can handle Call in combatā¦
Soi: Hnnnā¦
Soi: Beck?
Soi: ā¦If she isā¦ not wellā¦ please be careful, sheās my little girlā
Beck: I will. Promise.
[As Beck moves away from the terminal, Soi turns back to his brother.]
Soi: Seijiā¦we could use all the help we can get. Can you do anything for us right now? Anything at all?
[ā¦ ā¦ ā¦]
Seiji: ā¦Iā¦.
Seiji: Iām sorry, Soichiro. Please understand; if things are as bad as you say they are, thenā¦.
Seiji: The Japanese government wonāt let us intercede unless we know the exact CAUSE of the malfunctions, and how to combat the virus en masse.
Soi: ā¦.
Soi: ā¦Iā¦ I was afraid of that. -Sighs- But it makes senseā¦
Soi: If you send more robots overseas, THEY could get infected tooāmaking everything even worse. And there are few enough human resources to go aroundā¦
Will: ā¦ ā¦
Will: Just to confirm, Mr. Sanda.
Seiji: Yes?
Will: If we can isolate the cause of the robot rampageāyou WILL send aid?
[Seijiro nods.]
Seiji: Absolutely. Anything we can do.
Will: Alrightā¦
Will: And after the cause has been found, how long will that take?
Seiji: Well, even after proving things, getting into Japan will still be subject to the quarantine, since you've all been exposed to the virusā
Soi: -Groans slightly- {That takes WEEKSā}
Seiji: ābut sending emergency aid FROM Japan should take less time. Likely still a few days at the very least, though I imagine that your government will be all too eager to help expidite aid once they are in a position to receive it.
Will: ā¦ >>;;; Riiightā¦. Might need to get Shade on that, if things are still held up in red tape by thenā¦
Seiji: ā¦It sounds as if you already have a plan in mind, Will.
Will: More or less.
Will: I would like to have No. 9 present as soon as heā
[-PING!-]
Soi: ?
[CALL IS NOW ONLINE. STATUS: NORMAL.]
[MN.9] //: GUYS GOOD NEWS SHEāS OK! :D
Soi: CALLā
[Theeeeere he goes!]
[CALL] //: ā¦
[CALL] //: I detect distressed emotions in various vocal patterns of all present. Is something wrong, Dr. Sanda?
[MN.9] //: Lemmie fill you in on whatās going on, Call; itāsā¦ not good.
[UPDATINGā¦]
[CALL] //: ā¦ ā¦ ā¦
[CALL] //: Analyzingā¦.
[CALL] //: ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ ā¦
[ā¦ā¦]
[-PING!-]
[CALL] //: I have been informed of the current situation. I will assist in any way I can, Doctors.
Soi: Attagirl! ^^
Seiji: -Turns his attention back to Will- You were saying?
Will: -Ahem- We will be sending Beck to save all of his fellow Mighty Numbers, as he is the only combat model available to face them at the momentā
[-PING-]
[CALL] //: I am also registered as a combat model.
[.....]
[MN.9] //: CallāIād really like for you to have my backā¦
[MN.9] //: ā¦But this is WAY too dangerous and the Doctors need you here. No one can sort through data like you can, you give even AVI a run for his money.
[MN.9] //: ā¦.Plusā¦you donāt have my assimilation ability.
[MN.9] //: ā¦and I donāt want you REALLY getting infected eitherā¦
[CALL] //: ā¦ ā¦ Confirmed.
[CALL] //: I shall remain here and assist with data analysis and navigational support for No. 9.
[MN.9] //: ā¦. Thanks, Call.
Will: Right. As I was sayingā¦
Will: Beck will be tracking down his fellow Mighty Numbers. His assimilation ability should filter any and all irregularities in his siblingsā programming.
Will: If we can gather and study multiple samples of the virusās coding from the Mighty Numbers themselvesā¦
Will: Perhaps we can isolate the cause of the problem.
Will: Once weāve identified the root of the malfunctions, we can work on some way to combat it: be it in the form of a anti-virus program, or whatever else we can come up with. Meanwhile, Soi can help repair the rescued Mighty Numbers while I study the code.
Soi: -Nods- Hmm. Iāll do what I can with the non-infected Xel we have on stock.
Seiji: ā¦.Butā¦
Seiji: Are you SURE you will have sufficient Xel for ALL the Mighty Numbers?
Will: Weāll just have to scrape by with what we have, andāif Beck refines his abilities, we could see about purifying any infected Xel we come across as well.
[ā¦He paused for a moment, as if to mull over that for a secondāwhen he remembers something from earlier.]
Will: Incidentally, I did manage to catch a bit of news on the way here. Itās something I donāt think Iāve told you yet, Soi.
Soi: ā¦?
Will: The president of Cherry Dynamics is insisting the cause of the malfunctions isā¦ Dr. Blackwell.
Soi: What??
Seiji: Dr. Blackwellā? The founder of modern Xel roboticsā?
Soi: Thatāsā -sputters- āpoppycock!
Soi: Dr. Blackwell may be a genius, but he canāt POSSIBLY be behind this! Not THIS time, at leastā
Will: -Tersely- Soi. You must admit, there ARE similarities to his LAST plot toā¦ shut down every robot in America!
Soi: Willāhe was caught and arrested! Even Ben isnāt clever enough to pull this off from inside a maximum security prison!
Will: You shouldn't underestimate the likes of what he can do, Soi, and how little regard he has for ANYONE else!
Soi: Will. Will, listen to meā
Soi: Ifā¦ if he wanted to do somethingā¦ something like this, then whyā¦ why wait so long? You KNOW that doesn't make sense. From, erā¦ from all accounts, he wasā¦ not exactly the most patient person when aggravatedā¦
Will: ā¦ ā¦I know, Soi. But we must consider all possibilities. And why was Graham so certain, even afterā
Seiji: Willā¦
[Seijiro stops the two Doctors from going on, with aā¦ sympathetic look on his face.]
Seiji: -Gently- Dr. Benedict Blackwell is the least of our worries. We need to focus on the now.
Will: ā¦ ā¦
Will: -Calmer, now- Right. Right. Iām sorry.
[MN.9] //: (ā? That was weirdā¦)
Will: Soi, for now, you should tend to any minor injuries Beck has sustained in that last battle. Iāll sift through the data he acquired from the Round Digger Model. After that, we need to work on getting the mainframe in working order so that we can start tracking down the other Mighty Numbers.
Will: Seijiroāif you see ANY sign that the virus might jump the ocean gap, PLEASE let us know.
Seiji: Donāt worry; Japan already closed all her ports in accordance with procedure. I'm afraid that it will probably hurt us all if it stays on too long after this is over, butā¦ it is what it is. I'll try and get in touch with someone who can give regular updates and maybe even help push through the approval to send aid, once that's possible. That's all we can do for now, though.
Will: Thank you.
Will: (I wonātā¦)
Will: (I wonāt lose them, not THIS time...I wonāt let my family fall apart again--!)
Will: Then letās get to work.
<<āPreviousāāāāāāTable of ContentsāāāāāāNextā>>
>ALERT: THIS SYSTEM IS RUNNING A CODE RED CONTINGENCY.
Diagnostic complete.
>RESUMING CONTINGENCYā¦
[Cardinal jumped to his feet, feeling very out of it.]
>PROCESSINGā¦
[He couldnāt remember. But he didnāt need to, yet.]
>RESULT: ACQUIRE ALL AVAILABLE COMBAT RESOURCES. PROCEED TO KANSAS CITY: LIBERTY MEMORIAL. CONTACT MNN-008.
[The only thing that mattered was the order. Had to fill the order. Didnāt matter why. Action was needed.]
BWIP!
[The lab was empty. No resistance was met. He wasnāt awakeānot in the normal sense, at least.]
>HARDWARE ACQUIRED. TELEPORTING TO COORDINATESā¦
{Kansas City: Liberty Memorial}
[As soon as he teleported in, he could tell something was wrong.]
>ANALYZING SENSORY DATAā¦
>WARNING: ACTIVE CIVILIAN THREAT DETECTED.
>PRIORITY ORDER: NEUTRALIZE THREAT.
BLAM!
[But shaking awake from it was not so easy.]
[Cardinalās origins were rooted in basic coding that followed military orders. He was made to act, not to thinkācertainly not to second-guess himself or the threat of any given situation. Once the right program was running, the circumstances wouldnāt matterā
Not until his processors could catch up, at any rate.]
>SUPPORT UNIT DETECTED. SYNCING PROCESSING POWER.
BLAM!
[Cardinal and Jazz teleported off of the top of the spire to engage in combat against a small group of constructs trying to break into the memorial. Their sudden appearance took the crazed Xelbots by surprise.]
āWho the [frag] are YOUā?!ā
[He āspokeā flatly over his speakers.]
Cardinal: SURRENDER AND DISENGAGE ALL WEAPONRY, OR THIS SYSTEM WILL VOID THE THREAT UP TO TERMINATION.
āYeah RIGHTāā
FOOM!
BLAM! BLAM BLAM BLAMā
[One of the fighters ran off screeching, heading for the nearest fountain. Jazz had entered her full combat form, and had set the aggressor aflame. There was a great deal of yelling from within the memorialās locked gates, and from the attackers outside.]
>PROCESSINGā¦
[He was starting to become aware of himself, at leastābut doing so in the middle of a fight didnāt really help. Not at all.
The first thing he saw was someone rushing at him, a sicklyāand familiar glow in their eyes.]
Cardinal: !!!
BLAM!
[He fired off another plasma blast as he dropped to the ground. Jazz sprang up from behind him, rewarding the attacker with a crushing bite to the face.]
SKREEE!
[He didnāt really have the time to discover how or why he had landed himself in this situation. He reached out and grabbed his opponent, ignoring a ringing from his private cell phone.]
āLet the [frag] GO of me, you stupidāā
WHACKā
[The Xelbot hit concrete, chin-first. The Robot Master did a backward flip to land on his feet. He took a moment to pull out his cell phone, but found that the call had been dropped due to a poor connection.]
Cardinal: Tchā¦
āREE-OW!ā
>APPROACHING SIGNALS DETECTED.
Cardinal: Stall for me, Jazz!
[He turned to look behind him at the approaching swarm of constructs.
Rising into the afternoon sunā¦
ā¦Dozens of Industrial recreations of WWI-era planes. And they were headed right at him.]
Cardinal: What theā!
[A click and a whineā]
[Cardinal used MAGNET MISSILE!]
[The air became scattered with noise. Cardinal teleported out of the line of fire, causing them to circle around for another sweep.]
Cardinal: SHADE!
BLAM! BLAM KTANG RRRRATTTATTTATTTATTTATTTā
Cardinal: SHADE! I NEED YOUR HELP HERE!
>SENDING SOS SIGNALā¦
Cardinal: I donāt want to shred these guys to pieces!
[He couldnāt afford to wait for a response, and had to fire off another volley of the missiles. It started to rain Xelāthe flimsy construction of a third of the fleet couldnāt hold against the damage. The rest were starting to go berserk.]
Cardinal: BUT I DONāT HAVE A BETTER OPTION!
[Cardinal used RING BOOMERANG!]
KZZZRR! KZZZRRR!
[The shield protected him easily against most of the onslaughtāhe had his back to the ground at this point, and they were circling around him like vultures. This proved to be their undoing, and Cardinal had to brace himself against the damage that followed.]
>ERROR: SERVER NOT FOUND
Cardinal: -Hisses at this- Why?!
[This was not something he wanted to hear, not after tearing apart what was most likely museum property. Not after sending off several Domesticāno, wait, Civilianā models, shrieking in pain and fear as they fled for their lives.
He got to his feet, wiping off the shield with disgust. He put a hand to an earcap as he adjusted some of his data input and output to match a local radio frequency.]
āKKKKKKKārequested, situation criticalāā
<DLN-000>: >Situation acknowledged! Proceeding to signal source for backup!
Cardinal: Come on, Jazz!
[He gave a running sprint right onto his traveling companion, and Jazz shifted into a jet form.]
[He dropped in through the ceiling, right above one of the more chilling exhibits. It was absolute chaos inside.
The display of the trenches had become a lot more lively with infected Industrials running around.]
āNOT ANOTHER ONEā!ā
Cardinal: STAND CLEAR!
[He kept going right down, slamming into some of the Industrials and crushing them instantly. The shock of impact didnāt stop him from whipping out one of his more dangerous Power Capsules.]
WHHHWWHHHWHHHWHHKKKTā
[Cardinal used TOP SPIN!]
[There was a gurgling noise as the Industrials were sliced to ribbons by the motorized garrote. He had to wince as the surge-made top coiled up over a yard of Xel-covered wire.]
āWhere is that backup?! They're starting to kill one another, nowā!ā
<DLN-000>: >I AM the backup!
āExcuse me?!ā
BWIP!
<DLN-000>: The robot in red with the shield? Yeah, thatās me! Are your security cameras working?
[He saw one of the cameras turn slightly to focus in on him.]
āSir! You need to evacuate!ā
<DLN-000>: >Not gonna happen until the area is secured! Iām going to go take an aerial view!
BWIP!
[Back atop the memorial, he looked down at the city. It was an absolute messā fires in the horizon, tornado sirens starting to wailā]
Cardinal: (Why is nobody answering?!)
[āand not a single response to his SOS signals or his Status Inquiries.]
Cardinal: (Iām going to completely blow our cover at this rate! Is my transceiver broken? It must be brokenā¦. I can only imagine how busy Shade and the others must be, that they can't answer meā)
kkkkā¦
Cardinal: ā¦?
[Over the chatter of the museum security radio frequenciesāsome of which was even directed at himāhe was starting to feel it.
Faint, but there.]
Kkkkkkā¦
Cardinal: ā¦ -Doubtful- Will? (Did they finally hear me?)
Kkkkkkkā¦
[He looked down, suddenly realizing that the noise was coming from something in his satchel. He pulled out a radio.]
Cardinal: ā¦ (Oh, rightāthis thing isnāt adjusted for this particular cityā)
āāchildren! Weāre trapped in hereāI think the museum attendant got injured!ā
[That snapped him out of his thoughts quickly. He soon saw the source of the problemā a slew of Industrials, some distance away near Science City.
Contemplation over whatever was going on elsewhere would have to wait a few minutes.]
<DLN-000>: >Situation acknowledged! Hang tight! Iām going to come on over to clear the way for you! This could get messyā¦
[He didnāt wait for an answer, instead opting to jump right off the monument.]
[CARDINAL used ITEM-2!]
[He began windsurfing almost immediately, zooming off toward Union Station and Science City. Jazz was sprinting across the ground underneath him, vaulting over cars and weaving around buildings at a marginally slower pace.
He gave his trademark, his signature whistle as he came bearing down on the Industrials before jumping down into their midst.]
FOOOM!
[He didnāt shy away from fire, burning up the escaped fixtures to museum displays willingly, without a shred of remorse. These were dire circumstances.
He finished it off with a Rain Flush to put out the fire, hoping that the rain shower wouldnāt be too much of a hindrance to the rest of the city. (That particular Power Capsule Ability had quite a large range.)]
Cardinal: -Looks around- ā¦
[The place was a mess. Broken glass, debris everywhereā¦ but not really any people to be found.
He climbed his way into the building, looking around. He was certain that there were other Industrials in there, but he didnāt see any nearby.
He walked over to the planetarium entrance and knocked on the door.]
Cardinal: Is everyone alright in there?
[Silence.]
<DLN-000>: >The situation outside the planetarium has been contained. Is there anyone inside?
[He could pick up on some private chatter going on behind the scenes, over other frequencies, but didnāt switch over so that he wouldnāt miss out on the frequency he was currently on. After a few tense moments, the door slowly opened.
The power had gone out, but the dark room was lit by a few technology screens: some of them giving off the sickly purple glow, but most not.
The person who opened the door appeared to be a teacher or camp instructor of some kind. She looked tense when she saw Cardinal, so he shifted out of his blaster and held both hands up, stepping away.]
Cardinal: Just here to help. Is everyone okay?
[The woman--with a name tag that read Nancy Newhaus--quietly gulped before speaking in the clearest voice she could muster.]
Nancy: Iā
Nancy: Theā¦ the children are alright--scared, but nothing too serious--
Nancy: But Drake got bit by one of the bots gone wild--
āNancy, I'm fineāā
[A young manānot older than 25āwas sitting with the kids, his left bicep wrapped in medical gauze.]
Drake: I'll live; it's not like I got anything that can get infected. At leastā¦ not in the Xel sense, anywayā¦
Cardinal: What happened here?
Nancy: W-Well...
Nancy: We--had malfunctions during the show we usually do--during one of the tours--
Nancy: Th-they just...started acting so strange and hostile--and when Drake stepped out to see what was going on, they leaped at him--
Drake: -I said I'm fine, don't make it so dramatic--
Cardinal: -Looks over at Drake- Oh?
Drake: The security system went off and we all got word from it that a virus outbreak was goin' on--so we all headed to the basement, per emergency procedure.
Cardinal: Do you all have a way to get home or somewhere to go?
Drake: Depends. What are the roads like?
Cardinal: Mostly empty.
Nancy: Wellā¦ the carpool should still be working; I parked it in the indoor staff parking lotā¦
Drake: Right. Nancy, you take the kids--I'll make sure no one else gets left behind.
[As Nancy ushered the children away, they seemed curious about Cardinal himself; they attempted to take pictures of him, although he took cover behind his shield and Nancy scolded them for it. They take the emergency route into the nearest exit, with Drake looking on for any stragglers.]
Drake: That seems to be everyoneā¦
Cardinal: Really? I would have thought this place would be busier in the summer.
Drake: I think everyone else bolted when they got the chance.
Cardinal: I see.
Drake: ā¦
Cardinal: ā¦
Drake: ā¦Who the heck are you? Some kinda arena bot that didn't get infected--?
Cardinal: Iāmā¦ not really anyone important. Just, uhā¦ -Adjusts his scarf- Just a concerned citizen, really. -Distraction time- Iām actually wondering if you could help me, to be honest.
Drake: Help you? In what way?
Cardinal: Iām not done yet. There are still other places in the city in just as much of trouble, from the sounds of it. But you remember how hesitant you were when I first turned up; I want to work WITH security and law enforcement, but I donāt have any way to make them listen to me! Thereās really limited time to explain, but theyād be more liable to listen to someone else in the field. Will you help me?
Drake: ā¦ ā¦ ā¦
Drake: Listen, Iā¦ I don't know much, I'mā¦ really just a attendant, not security. I'm not sure how much of a help I can even be, butā¦ I can try.
Drake: Where exactly do you plan to go?
Cardinal: -Pacing a bit- Well, I imagine thereās an arena somewhere nearby, maybe at Arrowhead Stadiumā¦
Drake: ā¦??? Uh, yeah?
Cardinal: But thereās also the jazz museum, the baseball museumā
Jazz: Ree-ow.
Cardinal: The zooā¦
Drake: ā¦
Cardinal: ā¦
Cardinal: Oh [glitch], the ZOOā
Drake: Wait, what about the Zoo--
Cardinal: Ohhh, this is gonna be badāwe need to evacuate that immediately: adding animals to the mix poses a greater threat! They canāt be reasoned with or communicated with in any fashion! Come on!
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āThe United States has issued a state of national emergency issued by the Presidentāsources tell us that it is yet another cyber terrorist attack in the form of a volatile virus affecting many Xelbotsā¦ā
Jack: Oh my Godā¦
[Jack sits in his flat a shaking messāit only gets worse as he continues to listen to the British news report, every word and syllable only serving to instill a greater feeling of fear and dread with every passing secondā¦]
āVirus symptoms include: loss of reason, hyper aggressiveness and violence, the infected surrounded in violet and red flamesāā
Jack: ā!!!
Jack: (Oh Godāthisāthis isā)
Jack: (This is exactly what I felt back in the Queenās Finalsā! God, I KNEW those crosses were bad news, I knew itā)
Jack: ā! Oh fragā! Miss Eightā!
[She wasāshe was GOING back to the US to follow a certain trail, butāoh God oh Godā]
[Jack springs up from his seat to grab the backpack Kate left for him. He digs into the contents until he finds the phone also included, and starts flipping through the contacts list.]
Jack: Come on, pick up, pick up, please, pleaseā
[KSSSSSTā¦.]
[...Nothing. Not even a busy signal, or any kind of voicemailājust unsettling, glitchy static.
Jack curses loudly, and almost throws the phone on the groundāuntil he remembers that he had more than just one phone number to dial. He punches in the next one on the list: her brother, Goose.]
[Beep, beep, beepā¦]
Jack: Glitchfrag it, Goose, not you tooā!
[But even a busy signal was better than the garbled mess he heard with Kateāsāalthough that only spelled worse for the siren sniper.]
Jack: Come on, Docā¦
[Click.]
Jack: DOCā
āHello, this is Dr. William Apollo White of Sanda Technologies. Iām currently unavailable right nowāā
[Voicemail.]
Jack: Noā!
[He was starting to lose hopeāthere werenāt many numbers leftā¦]
Jack: -Clicks on Cardinalās number- Pleaseā
[He DOES get through, for a short moment, but before he can even say anythingā]
[Click. Beeeeeeep.]
Jack: DAMN ITā
[The call was dropped. Wherever Cardinal is, he has terrible phone reception.]
Jack: (Only Doc Mikhail is left; God, I hope heās alright, please donāt go to voicemail, pleaseā)
[Click.]
Jack: Doc, Oh thank Godā
āMister Jack? That is you?ā
Jack: (Oh, uhā¦ okay. This must be his kid. Umā¦) Y-yeah, itās meā¦. Isā¦ is your Dad there?
[He felt bad as he heard the kid cut a sob short, answering with a wavering voice.]
āFather isā¦ Father is alright, Š“Š°, butā¦! All the alarms went off, and everyone was so hot, like a fever!ā
[She seemed to be trying not to cry.]
āPapa made everything safe again, but he said that it came from Uncle Sandaās house! They wonāt answer the phone!ā
Jack: (...So they got hit with the virus tooāugh, it must have jumped over to their serverā!)
āBeck wonāt answer my pingsā¦! Papa left so many messages on Doctor Williamās phone, heā¦ he was getting angryā¦ā
Jack: (Oh, God, Iāve heard STORIES about the Doc getting ticked...or he could just be stressed, either wayā)
āPlease come over, Mister Jack! Itās safe over here, and we donāt know if they are okay! Cardinalās gone and Iā¦ Iām scaredā¦!ā
Jack: Hey, hey, shhhā¦
Jack: Itās gonna be okay, alright? ListenāI...Iām still stuck over here in England butā
Jack: ā?
ā...M-Mister Jack? Wh-Whatās wrong?ā
[Something was slithering behind his couchāsomething he caught moving out of the corner of his eye, had he not been facing the other wall. Fear seized up his entire frame as he realized the thing that had just taken refuge behind the furniture was ENTIRELY green in color, and as he turned to lookā]
[Red, beady eyes glowed back at him.]
Jack: A-Aaaughā!
āMister Jackā??ā
Jack: IāI, um, Iām going, j-justājust hang tight, okayābyeā!
[After scrambling out of the living room, backpack in handāwho knows HOW many Search Snakes were in his flat now, how many EYES that Viper had in his placeāquickly packing out a suitable change in clothes, he was out the door in less than half an hour, heading for a place he knows is safe haven...mostly.]
[When Jack arrived in the Meadow, he could see a crowd outside one of the buildings.
It was a rather sizable group of Robot Masters, all in their full armor. The data in the area was thick with battle-ready tension: a few of them even held weapons in their hands, ready to lash out and strike.]
Jack: -Abruptly halts- ._.;; Uhhhā¦
Jack: (This doesnāt look very goodā¦)
[He knew all too well how a group of Combat ābots in a bad mood could be unforgiving at unwanted interruptions. With Kalinka nowhere in sight, he was beginning to wonder if he should have taken his chances with the Search Snake, rather than butt in during this time of crisis.
Luckily for him, the matter was soon taken out of his hands as his signal registered to someone who recognized him.]
Snow: !!! Mister Jack!
[He runs over to grab Jack by the wrist, causing a few of the others to look up. His presence seemed to calm them a little, by providing a welcome distraction.]
Snow: Iām really glad youāre okay!
Jack: Y-Yeah, me too...whereās Kalinkaā?
Snow: Kalinka went with my baby brother! Heās really quiet anā is a Time Lord anā such. Sheāll be super safe with him!
Jack: (ā¦If heās a Time Lord, why didnāt they just ask him about whatās going on?)
[He allowed himself to be led over near the mainframe. Although the lab had been constructed, the original mainframe that had been there from the beginning was still outside. Currently, there were two people working at the controls: Dr. Mikhail Cossack, andā¦ Tobias.]
Jack: ā!!
Jack: (Th...That bot with the maskā!)
Digger: Hello, Mister Jack! You are well that is yes good! Much worried for everybody now, Š“Š°.
Keltso: -Scowls, tapping one of his fingers against the Ring Boomerang he is holding- At least you appear to be in one piece. I donāt suppose YOU know whatās going on?
Jack: IāI...Uh...
Skull: -Flatly- Ignore him. Heās just built to be Rage, thatās all.
Jack: (Thatāsā¦ not exactly reassuring, but okay thenā¦)
Jack: I...there...God, I tried calling everyoneā
Jack: I-Itās some kinda cyberattack, some kinda virusāitās spreading across the whole damn countryā!
Mikhail: -Turns around sharply- What?
Speedy: The entire country?
Shadow: Saints preserve usā¦
Snow: -Really concerned expression- Butā¦! The virus made us really angry and sad!
Jack: (Just like with those stupid crossesā¦) Nnngā¦ (Kate was right, this isnāt OVERā¦!)
Jack: Waitā evenā¦ even you guys? Butā¦ you arenāt Xelbotsā¦ and you LOOK fineā¦
Tobias: -Grits his teeth and sparks up in frustration- It was trying to activate the same thing in our coding! When that didnāt work, it messed with our Combat initiatives and cross-referencesā¦
Mikhail: -Turned back to the work station already- I purged it from the system, though I had to take rather extensive steps to do so. Iāll spare you the technical details for now: Iām still trying to get through to them. -Grumbles- For the love of Mary, Willāwhy wonāt you answer your PHONE?
Jack: ? I tried calling Doctor White too, but I just got his voicemailā¦
Pisces: ? Why?
Jack: ā¦ āWhyā what?
Pisces: Why did you call. Didnāt know you had his number.
[Now the eyes of several Robot Masters were trained on him, curious.]
Jack: -Awkwardly shifts his weight- Uhā¦ Miss Eight gave it to meā¦
Jaden: ā¦
Jaden: -Looks around- Why didnāt she come with you?
Jack: She wasnāt with me, she wentā
Snow: -Interrupts- Maybe sheās here anā invisible! :D
Jack: ā¦
Jack: (...Honestly, I didnāt think of that, and Iād really hope she is...but she would have made her presence known SOMEHOW, in a time like thisāthat, and...that static I heardā¦)
Jack: ā¦ (Maybe I should try againā)
Tobias: -PING!-
[Everything abruptly came to a halt as the monitor became alive with video feed. The scene it displayed was one in chaos: damaged equipment, overturned furnishings, broken containersā¦
And a couple of very surprised Doctors and their youngest children.]
[CALL] //: Link established. We now have a stable connection with the Meadow Lab.
Will: Mikhail!
Mikhail: WILL!
Beck: GUYSā
Soi: Y-Youāre OKā!
[Mikhail heaved a sigh of relief. His friend was alive!]
Mikhail: Thank God youāre alright! When I saw the attack came from your servers and you didnāt answer your phone, I thought the worst had happenedā¦!
[Will stammered as he tried to explain.]
Will: I-I-I-Iā¦ Iām sorry, Mikhail, I didnātā
Soi: Attack? What attack? Donāt tell meā!
Mikhail: -Balls up a fist in frustration, lowering his head and gritting his teeth- I have been spending the last few HOURS piecing things back together after a virus infected the Cossack server of the RobotMasterĀ® Database! I had to completely erase everything on the server and use the external backup to put it back online!
Will: B-but! If you got infected, thenā!
Siam: -Interrupts- Weāre FINE, the
Gemini: White Cell programs we have were sufficient
Siam: with help
Gemini: in
Siamini: staving it off.
Keltso: -Angrily shoves Siam out of the way, speaking in Russian- {Get to the point, cousin! Jack said the virus made international news! What is going on over there?!}
[Beck started shouting in a panic.]
Beck: EVERY ROBOT IN THE CITY AND THE COUNTRY IS GOING BANANAS AND I CANāT CONTACT THE OTHERS AND I FOUGHT A GIANT ROUND DIGGER AND EVERYONE IS GONEā
Soi: BeckāBECK, CALM DOWNā
[Too late.
The news and Beckās panic over it was like a spark on bone-dry tinder, setting aflame an inferno of panic. Distressed data began building up and blaring as this panic cascaded and amplified between the Robot Masters, and the air became filled with the chaotic garble of a smattering of languages.]
Keltso: {WHAT?!}
Shadow: -Japanese- {You cannot contact your brothers?! Where ARE they!?}
[CALL] //: The locations of Mighty Numbers 1-8 have yet to be identified. We have just restored the laboratory to normal function.
Beck: -Trying to be calmer like Sanda asked- W-weāre going to search for them right awayā!
[This did not have the desired effect. Not at ALL. The Robot Masters flinched at this as if burned, backing off and eyes flickering bright green or red in fear. Nico was silently screaming in alarm and panic over the channel. Even Diggerāwho rarely let his smile leave his face when he was in publicālooked terrified.]
Nico: -Youāreā youāre HUNTING themā -
Beck: ā?!
Speedy: -Staggers back, raising his voice as he speaks rapidly in Spanish- Dios mĆo, todos van a morirā
Beck: W-what?!
Pisces: Brotherā
[Pisces was trying to comfort him, but it was in vain.]
Everyoneās minds were drawn deep into the fall of Monstropolisāfire and smoke everywhereāand for good reason. Within their own world, the mention of Monstropolis was synonymous with the anti-AI&A dystopian cultureālinked without forgiveness to the transgressions of the Robot Masters, which had incited terror and later decimated the city. Because of such actions, an unforgiving hate had become deeply rooted in the culture, and any AI&A (authorized or not) was subject to death by mobs if ever discoveredā¦ and a fate worse than death, if they were captured.
Speedy had actually been witness to the immediate aftermath of the fall of Monstropolis first-handāand he would never forget such days, nor the utter hatred that followed.]
Speedy: La gente se va a matar a todos ellos van a mORIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRā
[And he was screaming, screaming in agonizing despair. He couldnāt stand the thought of the one thing that he and his family had gone out of their way to help preventā¦ truly coming to pass.
The likes of which, of courseā¦]
[ā¦held very, VERY sinister parallels, should Beck be called to play such a role.]
Speedy: POR FAVORāTEN PIEDADāPOR FAVOR, USTED TIENE QUE GUARDARā
[This sudden comparison didnāt do them any favors, and was CLEARLY stressing Beck out!]
Beck: -Breathing HARD, the XEL around him reacting erratically-
Will: BeckāBREATHE, justā¦!
Soi: -TIIIIME TO LOCK ALL THE NON-INFECTED XEL IN THE GIANT CANISTERS IN CASE BECK BREAKS DOWN-
[The others were really starting to break down as well.]
Jaden: -VERY upset- Iām begging you not to kill them like that, please have mercyā
Nico: Oh God help usā Beck, pLEASE, PLEASE DONāT KILL THEMā
[C R A C K]
[There was an audible crackling noise as Beck visibly began to panic. Both Will and Sanda were clearly alarmed by this. Mikhail, for his part, barely seemed to noticeāhe was busy trying to prevent the RMDC server from crashing.
Despite his efforts, howeverā¦ he could not block out the pain in their voices. He could not mute the despair in their screams. He could not stop Beck from recalling stories he had never been meant to hear.
ā¦Their voices rose and seemed to entrap him, PLEADS of mercy and terror, growing louder, louder, LOUDERā!]
[C R A C K!]
Beck: ENOUGH!
[The Xel within the large storage canisters in the lab BURST open, quickly inciting a wave of alarm!
Skull created a barrier around himself and his family, while some of the others instinctively took on a fighting stance. The look in their eyes was wildāthat of cornered, panicked prey. Both Will and Sanda threw up their arms on instinct, as if expecting a repeat of the LAST time Beck had lost his composureā¦
ā¦But the wave of Xel never came.]
Mikhail: ā¦?
[Insteadā¦the Xel paused. Drew TOWARDS the Mighty Number, the same soft, green glow enveloping himā¦]
Beck: All of you be QUIET!
[Mikhail stood, placing a hand on Keltsoās shoulder as a signal to stand down. He was somewhat mesmerized by the displayā]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[āa show of power the likes of which he had never seen from Beck before, but not one which was entirely foreign to him.]
Mikhail: ā¦ Incredibleā¦ (Why, itās like watching Felixā¦!)
[XEL QUOTA REACHED. XEL PURGE: ONLINE. XELFILTER.EXE HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR OVERDRIVE.]
Beck: ā¦ā¦.
[And as Beck stood there, eyes glowing a willful emerald green, coming to terms with what he just did and what was transpiring around himā¦ the green glow seemed to calm the others.
Their own eyes stopped glowing the panicked solid green they had been moments before, and the Robot Masters stood down. They were watching silently, anxiouslyāwaiting to hear what fateful words Beck had to say.]
Beck: ā¦
[The Xelbot closed his eyes tightly, thinking back on all that had been saidāall the things that fed into that momentā]
- ā - ā -
āIām not leaving without you! I WON'T LEAVE YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF MONSTROPOLIS! The feds wouldāā
āā¦Haywire robotsā¦in all 52 statesā¦ā
āITāS BLACKWELLāS FAULTāā
āHellllooo! Is this thing on?ā
[ā¦Screaming. A brokenhearted, familiar womanās cry, screaming in agonyā]
āPOR FAVORāTEN PIEDADāPOR FAVOR, USTED TIENE QUE GUARDARāā
āYou have tools of which this worldāor ANY worldāhave only just begun to see! USE THEM!ā
āCome onāSNAP OUT OF ITāNOW!ā
- ā - ā -
[He wouldnāt let it end this way. He just wouldnātā¦!]
- ā - ā -
āLet me tell you something, Master Beck.ā
- ā - ā -
[His memories took him back to a day that seemed years agoāa peaceful day, shortly after he had made a promise.
Then, just as now, he had been called upon for what seemed like an impossible task. Called to use his Xel powers to save others. Back then, it had been via the construction of impression molds, which one of their friends would use as casts to make replacement parts for the Rebel Angels. Parts that would save their lives, and free them from living as scavengers.
He had been scared and uncertain, thenāafraid, and worried that he would fail the others. But Felix (who was to be making the parts themselves) had much greater confidence in him. For he had seen a power in Beck much like his own.
And the words he had said were coming back to him now, in this dark hour of such desperate needā¦]
- ā - ā -
āIt is your heart and your build, your purpose, to help others. That is where your greatest power, I think, will always lie.
When you truly believe in your cause, the strength comes to you.
And after all.
You are Mighty.ā
- ā - ā -
[He took in a deep breath.]
Beck: ā¦
Beck: Iāmā¦ not going to destroy my own family.
[The Rebel Angels did a double take in alert surprise.]
Beck: Noā¦
[When he opened his eyes againā
They were a FIERCE bright green, shining with a will and determination that could only be defined as Mighty.]
Mikhail: ā¦ (I feel like Iāve seen that look before somewhereā¦)
Beck: Iām going to SAVE them!
Will: ā¦ ā¦
Soi: ā¦ ā¦
[There was a stunned silence from the others. Their eyes seemed glazed over.
ā¦Clearly, this was going to take a moment to process.]
Mikhail: -Sighs in relief and puts a hand to his face, finally coming out of an adrenaline rush into a hard crash-
Mikhail: ā¦It may take them a few minutes to finish processing that data.
Mikhail: Itās just.
Mikhail: Barely within their comprehensionā¦.
Mikhail: {great heavens I am so tired}
[He sat down heavily on the ground, just listening for the time being as he gathered his thoughts.]
Beck: ā¦ ā¦
Will: ā¦ ā¦ ā¦
Soi: ā¦ ā¦
[A brief pause.]
Will: Beckā¦
Will: Iā¦I canāt let you go OUT thereā
Skull: ŠŠµŃ.
[They had finished processing, and were MUCH calmer now, ifā¦ weary and haunted.]
Skull: -Quietly- {Doctor, you must.}
Skull: {Unless you wish the likes of my cousin to be created to go in his place.}
Will: āā¦ ā¦
Soi: ā¦ ā¦ ā¦
Keltso: {Itās true, Doctor. Your family, they are the strongest. Who can stand against them if they wish to fight, unless they themselves also use incredible force?}
Keltso: {Without you all to help keep order, it will fall to others who areā¦}
Keltso: {LESS compassionate.}
Soi: ā¦ ā¦
Soi: Willā¦Will, theyāre right.
[Sanda turned towards his best friend, who had placed a hand on his sonās shoulderā¦]
Soi: Thereāsā¦no other wayā¦.
[Jaden spoke up meekly. Despite being one of the most intimidating Robot Masters, he held a submissive attitude and outwardly meek disposition. He was still looking at the ground as he raised his voice.]
Jaden: ā¦Pleaseā¦
Jaden: ā¦Doctor, people are already panicked. Beck may be the only way to stop this from becoming a second Monstropolis.
Jaden: Andā¦ a-and itās not unheard of for one boy to take on the world. And win.
Jaden: ā¦And since he stays in his right mind, Beckās far better than he could ever hope to beā¦
Will: ā¦ ā¦ ā¦
[He seemedāconflicted. On one handāhe SO DESPERATELY wanted to save his sons and daughters as wellā
ā¦But Beck was ALSO his son.
What ifā¦?]
Beck: Dadā¦
Will: ā¦.
[Will kneels, looking at his son in the eye while placing his hands on both of his shoulders, now, almost identical green hues staring into each other.]
Beck: Dadā¦Iā¦Iām not gonna lie. Iām scared.
[The Robot Master built for fear shifted his weight uneasily and looked at the ground as Beck continued.]
Beck: Andāto be honestāIā¦I donāt even know if I can DO thisā¦
Beck: ā¦Butā¦
Beck: I gotta try.
Beck: Becauseāā¦.losingā¦
Beck: ā¦everyoneā¦
Beck: ā¦scares me WORSE.
[The others lookā¦ heartbroken, at this. There is a painful silence as their friend kept talkingāespecially given is struggling with his words.]
Beck: Dad, Iā¦I donātā¦I have toā¦I LOVE them, Dad, I have to TRY. I HAVE to.
Beck: They arenātāthemselves, this isnāt their faultā!
Beck: I have to TRY and SAVE them, Dad! WHO ELSE WILL?!
Will: ā¦ .
[Tearsā¦]
Beck: Pleaseā¦!
[There was a tense silence as Will bowed his head.]
Will: ā¦.
Will: Soi?
Soi: ā¦Yes?
[ā¦]
Will: Please tell me the teleporters are still working.
Beck: ā!
[ā¦!!!]
Will: Weāre going to need them.
[Mikhail came to his feet, looking very tired.]
Mikhail: ā¦Iām truly sorry, Will. I know what this is likeā¦. I wouldnāt wish it on any man.
Will: ā¦
[His childrenā¦.
As much as he put on a brave face, he really was in deep pain. Why did this have to happen?]
Will: Iā¦ I knowā¦
Soi: -Places a hand on his shoulders-
Will: ā¦ ā¦.
Beck: ā¦Dadā¦
Will: ā¦.-loooong sigh-
[Will shakes his head and slumps down to sit on several boxes labeled with the Sanda logo, his hands on his faceā¦]
Will: My familyā¦
[ā¦.Itā¦
It wasā¦almost like LAST timeā¦
His family wasā¦.!]
Soi: Willā¦
[Sanda walks over and sits beside him, an arm around his shoulders.]
Soi: Willā¦itās going to be alright.
Will: ā¦ā¦
Soi: Youāve got me in your corner, remember? ^^
[Ah, there it is. That old Sanda positive optimism and charm.]
Soi: Iām ALWAYS here for you, you know that!
Soi: So of COURSE Iām going to help you!
Will: ā¦ā¦
Soi: What are best friends FOR after all. Weāre in this mess togetherā¦ So we might as well stick together too, right?
Will: ā¦.
Will: Hehā¦
Will: What would I do without you, Soiā¦?
Soi: Ooooh, I donāt knowāprobably working yourself ragged, thatās what.
Will: -chuckles softly-
Will: ā¦..
Will: ā¦Thank you, Soi.
Soi: Anytime, Will. Anytime.
Beck: -Smiles-
Mikhail: ā¦Will?
Mikhail: Remember what I told you?
- ā - ā -
āListenā¦.
If anything ever goes that wrong for you,
I promise you I will help you find a way to fix it.ā
- ā - ā -
Will: ā¦Hehā¦rightā¦ I rememberā¦
Soi: Ya see, Will?!
Tobias: Just tell us what you need!
Tobias: Weāll do whatever it takes toā
Mikhail: -Suddenly and forcefully- No, you will do no such thing, Tobias Wily.
[The emphasis in his voice was not lost on the wide-eyed idealist, and he flinched heavily at this.]
Keltso: ā¦ What? But Fatherā! Why not?!
Mikhail: ā¦Because, my sonāhe is his fatherās son.
Mikhail: He is impulsive, impatient, and passionate.
Tobias: -Desperate- Butā! But they NEED our help! Itās absolute MADNESS out there!
Shadow: Surely you cannot expect us to abandon our friends in their time of greatest need!
Mikhail: -Turns and points to Shadow- That goes for you as well, Shadowman! We cannot interfere with this!
Tobias: -Shouting- BUT THEY NEED US!
Jack: HEY!
[Everyone stopped and turned in surprise. Theyād all rather forgotten that the Xelbot was there.
Jack grimaced at the sudden attention, but forced himself to go on. Heād been numb with shock for most of the exchange, and trying to contact Kateābut it had all been in vain. But this was something he really couldnāt stand by and watch from the sidelines.
Not when he had seen what could happen.]
Jack: Iā¦ look, I really appreciate your help from back there, butā¦
Jack: Kid, the last time you helped, youā¦ kinda got gutted in the sands, remember?
Will: ā¦Quite soā¦
Tobias: Iā¦
Shadow: And you would place me in such restraints as well? -Seems identifiably angry, which is a LOT more emotion than he usually gives off-
Shadow: Why should we not do everything we can to aid Beck in his fight? He bears a greater chance of swift success if he does not fight alone!
Mikhail: Try to think for a moment, and not let your heart overrule your mind, DWN-024!
Mikhail: It is utter arrogance to think that any of you could go into battle and not sustain a single injury! Do you think you can go on and bleed oil and coolantāand then regenerateāin the public eye, and people will not eventually catch on? What would happen to you then, Shadow?!
Shadow: āā¦
Mikhail: I know that each of you desire to try and stop those closest to you, but consider the consequences to them!
Mikhail: It would be dangerous for both of you and likely severely emotionally damaging to the Mighty Numbers in the long termā¦
Mikhail: You do not have the years of Combat experience they do! You are strong, but undisciplined! And unlike Beck, you have no idea how they fight! Think! What would they feel to be cured, only to find they had indisposed you while they were out of control?!
Soi: -pALES at the thought-
[Mikhailās oldest sonāat least, the oldest currently Online, David notwithstandingātwirled his drills in a way that sounded like a sad buzzing noise. He spoke with deep regret.]
Digger: Doctors Americanā¦
Digger: ā¦To lose control, from outside force.
Digger: Very hurt much, yes bad.
Digger: ā¦ -Canāt. Just canāt. Itās hitting too close to home, here-
[aaAAAAND HE SUDDENLY STARTS TALKING VERY INTENSELY.]
Digger: It is frightening, and horrid!
Will: ā!!
[He spoke fervently, any pretense of broken English dropped entirely in light of the situation.]
Digger: I only survived because Cardinal spared my life, faked my death for meā
Mikhail: {Digger, pleaseā}
Digger: All the others, the ones he didnāt reachāthey were all dead, but we all have to carryā
Mikhail: -Clearly distressed as well- {Easyā!}
Digger: It will be no easy thing, once they recover, for to be returned to right mind does not take away the sins. It will hurt them, badly.
Digger: ā¦
Digger: -Sadly- You mustā¦ be ready for thatā¦.
Will: ā¦ ā¦ ..
Soi: ā¦ ā¦
Beck: ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ (Guysā¦itāsā¦ I swearā¦itās not your faultā¦)
Will: ā¦ ā¦ ..
[Will felt tired. This nightmare had only just started, and he was already tired.]
Will: ā¦ (At leastā¦.) ā¦ (ā¦At leastā¦ there's still a chanceā¦) ā¦
[He had friends with him, this time. Or, wellā¦ Sanda was with him. Mikhail, thankfully, was safeāat leastā¦ NOW he was safe. He felt a bit guilty that the RMDC had been infected by being connected with their server, butā¦]
Will: ā¦ (At least Mikhail has things under control over there.) -Small sigh- ā¦ (This really is such a nightmareā¦. Oh, mercyā¦! At least the others will stay out of itā¦.)
[Stayā¦ out of thisā¦]
Mikhail: ā¦This is why you must not interfere, nephews. We donāt want such an incident plaguing their hearts for the rest of their lives. It will be hard enough to carry without hurting close friends in the processā¦
Nico: ā¦Good luck getting Shadow to agree. -Looks over at said brother- Maybe we should keep him Offline?
[Shadow gave a ping of data, clearly deeply insulted, but he did not offer a verbal retort.]
Skull: ā¦At least, until Brandish is betterā¦
Will: -Distantly- Yesā¦
[ā¦]
Will: (This must be so hard on them, if they think the only way to deal with it is to go Offline. But I suppose it's for the best, in the end. I justā¦)
Will: (I just wish I could wake up from this NIGHTMARE, that it would be back to this morningā¦! Back when we were all seemingly free of this mess, and looking forward to the next matchā¦!)
[ā¦There seemed to be.
Something missingā¦
Will couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was missing from this pictureāsomething beyond the obvious.]
Beck: Don't worryā! I promise I'll save them!
Will: ā¦?
[There it was againāthat feelingā]
Will: (Shouldn'tā¦?)
[Silence, with everyone lost in their thoughts. But thatāthat wasn't right, itā]
Will: ā!
Mikhail: ā¦? Will?
[Thatāthat was it, the silenceā]
Mikhail: Willā -Sounds concerned- Do you need to take a moment? I know this must be very difficultā
Will: N-no, Iā
Will: Justā¦ thinking on how quiet it is, usuallyā¦ -Trails off-
Soi: Aw, we'll have them back together soon, and it'll be just as noisy as you remember!
Will: No, Soi, that'sāthat's not what I meant, Iā¦
Will: (Shouldn'tā¦ shouldn't he have said something by now? Or sung, even?)
Will: (I wonder if he's still asleeāā¦)
Will: (No, waitā)
Will: (Heā!)
[ā¦UH-OH.]
Will: -sUDDENLY VERY PANICKED- (HE SPENT THE NIGHT HEREā! HIS STATUS SAID HE WAS IN LETHALā!)
Will: MIKHAILā
Mikhail: ā? -Clearly concerned-
Will: WHERE IS CARDINAL?!
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Mikhail: For all that is good in the world, PLEASE let him be in the labā!
Will: Beckā
Beck: Heās not answeringā!
Soi: -pANIIIIC-
[Nico was hovering by now, eyes glowing in distress.]
Nico: I thought heād been awfully reserved from his usual commentaryā!
Will: Heā¦.oh noā¦he mustā¦he must haveā¦!
[ā¦Nearly all of the Mighty Numbers had been taken by the virusā¦]
[ā¦Including Countershade.]
Beck: Heās gone after Shadeā!
Soi: āIS HE SERIOUSā
Skull: ā¦ -With surprising amount of emotion for him- {My God.}
Keltso: -Also with surprising amount of emotion, though itās clearly more on the āangerā side than the āfearā side- {We should have seen this coming, theyāre practically twins.}
Will: ā¦ ā¦ ā¦
Skull: ā¦
Keltso: -rAEG- {CARDINAL!}
Keltso: {YOU SELFISH BASTARDā!}
Keltso: {WE NEEDED YOU HERE, DAMMITā}
Digger: -OI, OI, WE DO NOT CALL THE COUSIN WHO SAVED OUR LIVES SUCH NAMESā -
Keltso: {THEY HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING!}
Keltso: THEYāRE GOING TO THINK HEāS AN INFECTED XELBOT, JUST LIKE THE OTHERSā
Keltso: My God, your military is going to KILL HIM!
Will: ā¦ ā¦ ā¦.
Beck: NO!
Soi: Will, what is Eightās status?!
Will: ā¦ ā¦
Will: Iā¦ I donāt know.
[There is dismayed shouting.]
Will: Itās COUNTERSHADE, Soi! I donāt KNOW!
[After a few moments, the feed abruptly cut to the Meadow Lab.
Drawers and equipment lay scattered everywhere, as if the place had been raided.
ā¦Which was an apt description. Not only was Cardinal goneā¦]
Siam: -Cries out in alarm, rushing over- NO! THE RESEARCH!
[Nicoās system screeched in feedback as they looked in dismay on the empty units.
All the E-Tanks AND the Power Capsules wereā¦ gone.
Even the prototypes of the Tanks that Siam had been trying to make.
Cardinal had cleared the place out.]
Mikhail: He took the ENTIRE emergency stock with himā?!
Nico: Has he lost his MIND?!
Keltso: -Hotly- What the glitch does he think heās DOING?!
Skull: -Eyes burning- Heās going to get himself killed.
Mikhail: My God, weāve got to get him out of thereā
Gemini: I canāt find his signalā!
Will: I have NOTHING on this side eitherā!
Soi: -sCRAMBLING FOR THE TERMINAL-
Beck: -REPEATEDLY PINGING CARDS, PLEASE ANSWER-
Tobias: Iām going to FIND him!
Beck: Butā! But heās not answering, and his signalā!
Tobias: -Sparking up, eyes starting to glow an aggressive green- Youāll need a REAL communications expert to find that man! Just wait and SEE how itāsā
KKKKKKKKKKKTā¦
Tobias: !?
āAaaaaaaand just WHAT do you think youāre doing on MY airwaves, huh?ā
Will: !!!
Beck: Aviā!
Tobias: Avi?
Shadow: -Immediate suspicion- Aviator, where are you?
āWoah woah woah now! One caller at a time! Iām not talking to any of youājuuuuuust the tresspasser.ā
Skull: ({I really do not like where this is goingā¦})
Tobias: Avi, what are you doing?! I need access to some radio towers if weāre going to find my brother!
āHA! You crack me up, Caller number 2. See, those are my towers now! And Iām not about to lease them out to amateurs.ā
Tobias: -Takes a step back, deeply hurt by the insult- D:
Beck: Avi, noā! Heās your friend, donāt youādonāt you recognize him?
āHMMMM maybe I do, maybe I donāt! Nobody is getting any favors, though.ā
[The view on the screens distorted and cut to footage being taken by a sky cam. After a moment, Avi himself swooped into view.]
Avi: Besides! Youād be wasting your time. And more importantly, wasting MINE!
Will: Thatās enough, Aviator White! You will stop that RIGHT NOW and /COME HOME!/
Mikhail: ! (Iāve never seen him show his temper!)
[Apparently this came as a surprise to Avi as well, though his response was far less enthusiastic.]
Avi: ā¦What.
Will: -Firmly, but more calmly now- Avi, listen to me. You need to come home immediately.
Will: Youāre sick right now, but we can fix thatā
[The airplane rolled his eyes and interjected.]
Avi: Not interested!
Beck: A-Avi! We just want toā!
Avi: Yeah, yeah, your handsome host heard the whole heartfelt exchange!
Keltso: -Hisses- You WHAT?
Avi: Yeah, I was there for that OH-so-dramatic promise to āsaveā everybody.
Avi: Stellar performance... but a classic example of a naĆÆve delusion without basis in reality.
Beck: ā!
Soi: N-now hold on a minute here! Six, letās be reasonableā
Avi: Oh?
[His eyes widened, and then he looked up to the clouds in thought.]
Beck: (Thatā¦ that actually workedā?)
Avi: Nah. Iād rather not mingle with the common crowd when Iāve got a show to run.
Beck: Avi, please!
Avi: Hereās the thing, Beckaroniā
Avi: NOBODY is coming home.
āYouāre LYING!ā
[Everyone turned toward the tiny Robot Master as he swept his brothers aside with sudden jutting sheets of ice.]
Snow: -Walking toward the monitor- EVERYBODY is coming home! Beck said so, and that meansā
Avi: Havenāt you ever heard of waiting your turn, kid? Or better yet: āchildren should be seen, not heard!ā Looks like your dad did a poor job of raising you. But hey, what can you expect fromā
Keltso: Insult him and I promise on my motherās grave that I will PERSONALLY hunt you down and make you regret it.
Avi: Ooooo, how scary! Big talk from someone whoās been forbidden to interfere!
Shadow: -Hotly- Six, we do not have time for your tomfoolery! If you refuse to comply, then buzz off!
Avi: Points for effort in your pun, space ninja! But sounds like you werenāt listening. NOBODY. Is coming. Home.
Shadow: -MUCH darker than anyone has ever heard from him, almost a distorted GROWLING- False.
Avi: Want me to PROVE it to you?
Mikhail: -Warily- ā¦What do you mean by that?
Avi: Nothing big! If Caller Number 2 would back off, I can get you in touch with none other than everyoneās faaaavorite sword master, Brandish himself! Heās always been obsessed with obeying the rules, after all.
[There was abrupt static, and thenā]
[PING!]
Will: ! (Brandās signal! Itāsā!)
[Everyone could feel it now.]
Shadow: -Ping- {Mā¦Master Brandish?}
[... ... ....]
[The static faded out, only to be replaced by other background noise.]
Shadow: -Muted concern- {Master Brandish, can you hear us?}
[MN.7] //: {Nghā!! Sh-Shadow...?!}
[For a brief moment, the dark anger that had a permanent place on Shadowās face lifted, giving way to a visage of hopefulness and relief.]
Shadow: Sensei! {I am so relieved to get back in contact with you!}
[MN.7] //: {Whereā¦ where areāwhere are youā? Are youā nngh! Are youā afflictedā?}
Shadow: {No more than usual, but we are in trouble! You have no idea the turmoil that this chaos is throwing us intoā!}
Shadow: {We need your helpā}
[MN.7] //: {nOā}
Shadow: ā???
[MN.7] //: -DISTRESSED PINGING, SCREAMS IN THE BACKGROUND-
[Despair. Horror.]
[MN.7] //: {NOāNONONO!}
Shadow: !
[ā¦Fear.
ā¦It was not something that Shadow was familiar with, but he felt it now, as plain as the moon.
Fear. Overwhelming, growing FEAR.]
Shadow: N-nan desu ka?
Shadow: {Sensei, what are you sayingā?}
[MN.7] //: {NGHā}
[MN.7] //: .....
[MN.7] //: -Distorted- Must slice...must dice...
Beck: N-nii-san!
[MN.7] //: āaAAARGHāNO! IāMY BLADESā!
[MN.7] //: Stayā stay out of harm's way, I can'tā! I can't controlā!
[Okay, now Shadow was beginning to panic.
He tried to lock onto Brandishās signal, his eyes glowing a panicked, brighter red than normal.]
Shadow: {Sensei! For the love of the Lord Father, WHERE ARE YOU?!}
[Shadow wasnāt ready to accept that this was over.]
<DWN-024>: > {Tell me where you are, Sensei! I will come help yā}
[MN.7] //: {NO!}
<DWN-024>: > ā?!?!!!
[MN.7] //: {Itāis too LATE for me now, kohai! Won'tābring you down with me into thisā tormentā!}
<DWN-024>: > {PLEASE! I BESEECH YOU!}
[MN.7] //: {F-FORGIVE MEā!}
[MN.7 HAS BLOCKED DWN-024.]
[ā¦Silence.]
Shadow: -Just. Speechless.-
Shadow: (Noā¦)
[An error message then pops up as he falls to his knees.]
Snow: Sh-Shadow?!
>A problem has been detected and AI_DWN_024 has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer. All unsaved data has been lost.
The problem seems to be caused by the following programs: BetaEmotions.exe, RMDatabase.exe
If this is the first time you have seen the Stop error screen, restart your chassisā
GOING INTO STASISā¦
[Shadowās eyes went dark as he collapsed and he remained motionless.]
Snow: Shadow, no! You hafta wake up!
āSee? What did I tell you?ā
Snow: -Looks up- ā¦
Avi: Waste of time!
[At that, Snow started to cry.]
Will: Avi! You stopā
[Avi suddenly FLARED up with aura, flames flickering.]
Avi: -Darkly- Stop WHAT, you wet noodle? IāM only doing what any self-respecting reporter would do: giving people the TRUTH!
Tobias: ENOUGH!
[There was a high pitched screeching noise and a blast of data that felt like a loud note from subwoofers turning on.]
Beck: @~@!
Tobias: Iām getting REALLY FED UP with your STUPID INTERFERENCE!
[He was surrounded by visible static, his voice raising into outright shouting.]
Tobias: STOP IGNORING ME, AVI, AND /GET OUT OF MY WAY!/
Avi: Ooo, SOMEone seems spicy today! Wow. Talk about blowing a fuse! HA! Get it?
Tobias: (Nggghā¦! Canātā¦ canāt let the cross-references distract me, not now!)
Tobias: Very funny, Avi.
Tobias: Hilarious.
Avi: Thaaaaanks. I practice~
Tobias: Kate would shoot you for something like that, you know! -Clearly annoyed-
Avi: ā¦.
Avi: Who?
Beck: C-come on! Remember? Bon Jovi? Like Shade, but a girl? Youāre her favorite, Aviā!
Avi: Ooooooh, you mean Caller Number 1 from eeeeaaaarlierrrr today!
Jack: What?
[Jack was suddenly at the forefront, grabbing at the screen.]
Jack: She called you?
Avi: Well, would ya look at that. Toy boy himself! Ha...!
Jack: (What?)
Avi: What can I say? Unlike you, Iām in demand.
Jack: Cut the [scrap], Six!
Avi: Hey now, mind your language around the kiddies! Though you should really send that crybaby off before he throws a temper tantrum.
Tobias: HEY! THATāS MY BROTHER YOUāREā
[Avi shifts into helicopter form so he can make gestures.]
Avi: AH AH AH, NOT YOUR TURN ANYMORE.
Avi: Yeah, that lady DID place a call earlier this morning! Came shouting in my ear with a list of demands, of courseā¦ because what else can you EXPECT from the likes of herā¦
Jack: Grrā!
Avi: She was screaming and throwing a bit of a fit herself, wanting her own way! She wouldnāt shut up until I reminded her of what she WAS.
Jack: (N-no!)
Avi: And ya know what the best part was? The last line RHYMED.~ MAN, I am so good...
[Jack grabbed at the corners of the screen, snarling in rage.]
Jack: Why YOUā
Avi: She couldnāt handle the TRUTH, of course. Screamed a couple of times before running off.
Beck: ā¦!!!
Beck: (Thatā! That screaming from earlier!)
Beck: (That was HER?!)
Jack: Where is she?!
Avi: How should I know? Sheās off SULKING! Probably venting her denial by picking off people she hates, one! By! One!
Avi: After all, thatās what sheās BEST at....and ALL that sheās GOOD FOR!
Jack: I'm gonna [GLITCHFRAG] BASH YOUR HEAD INā
[He was abruptly yanked back by Speedy, who had sheathed his drawn boomerangs for now-
Speedy: -AAAAAAAND weāre holding Tigerboy Spiderman back- MIGHT WANT TO RECONSIDER THAT, DUDE, JUST SAYINāā
[Jack wouldnāt have any of it.
Jack: -IāM GONNA TEAR HIM APARTā HE HURT HERā -
Speedy: DUDE WHEN YOU GET MESSED UP FIGHTING RICK, SHEāS GONNA GO NUTS AND TAKE IT OUT ON US!
Avi: Yup! : D
[The plane gave a finger-gun point at Jackā¦ literally.]
Avi: Jeez, what does she even SEE in you? A Cherry AND a loser? Wow. I'm actually impressed. Ya know. For a little leaguer like you.
Jack: [FRAG] YOU.
Avi: -Snort-
Speedy: Geez man donāt make me slice you to prove a pointā
Avi: Ya might wanna take his advice, there, Jack-in-the-box.
Avi: Aaaas much as I would LOVE to see what makes YOU tick, Jackie Boy, even I know when I'm pushing my luck.
Avi: But don't worryā
Avi: You can always catch me on the air!~ ;D
Jack: -STRUGGLES-
[Beck couldnāt take any more of this.]
Beck: Avi! Please, stop!
Beck: It doesnāt have to be like this! You can end this! We donāt have to fightā!
Avi: Yeah, I can end it, alright.
[He gives a wave and then a shooing gesture.]
Avi: That's all for today, folks! Tune in next time! Buh-bye!
Tobias: THATāS IT!
[The boy slammed his hand onto the control panel, causing the entire mainframe to sizzle with electricity.
Mikhail: Tobiasā!
Tobias: Youāre wasting our TIME, AVI! If you donāt move aside right now, then I WILL -MAKE- YOU RESTORE COMMS!
Tobias: LET ME THROUGH, GLITCHFRAG IT, IāM SHORT ON PATIENCE HERE!
Avi: Eeeeeehā¦.
Avi: Ugh, I dunnoāsee, I got a script to stick to? And uh, all the roles are filled in. Sorry, dude! ^.^
[ā¦
Tobias really WAS starting to lose patience. He seethed.]
Avi: BUT.
Tobias: -Train of thought derailed- ā?
Avi: I thiiiiink I can.... prooobably....
Avi: Squeeze you into a short segment....
Tobias: -Gives off abrupt data of discomfort and dread- (Why does that soundā¦ really really badā¦?)
Avi: How about this, caller number 2?~
[Suddenlyā]
[MN.6 HAS ENTERED COMBAT DATA MODE. RESTRICTIONS: NONE.]
Avi: You wanna be my intern for a while?!
>WARNING! WARNING! DATA OVERLOAD!
[The bright-eyed Industrial staggered back from the controls with a shaky gasp. The world had started to go faint for a moment, and now he could barely hear anything. There was so much noiseā he could hear so many broadcasts, so many frequenciesā cascades of code reds and fatal errorsā]
Tobias: Avi! PLEASE! STOPā!
Nico: -Rushes to Tobiasās side- Wh-whatās he doing?!
Will: He's trying to forcibly overload himā! It'sā
Will: Avi, stop this! PLEASE!
Will: (I have to do somethingā!)
[Despite his best efforts, Will found that the RMDC branch server was causing too much interference. Numerous cross-references kept popping up all over the place, preventing him from getting anywhere.]
Tobias: S-STOOOOOOOPPPP!
[The data was fought backāforcefully. It seemed that the electric Industrial was not unfamiliar with fighting aggressive data.
He fought back with his own biting aggression, with the unbroken willpower he'd garnered from his fatherāwith the disdain and scorn, the blinding pride, the bitternessā]
Avi: Nope! Canāt have you snooping around on the feeds, no sirree!
[āBut no! It had no effect!
Tobias reeled, clutching his head in pain at a surge of possessive data. Something was tugging at him, trying to force him to submit. To surrender. To surrender everything.
He was sparking up in self-defense now as he went into overdrive, which earned a VERY pained cry from his younger brother.]
Avi: I got big, big plans, Caller. Avi News is gonna go GLOBAL!
[Tobias's own firewalls flared, but he could not escape so easily. He was burning up in fever as the onslaught pressed on.
It was not so much the blunt attempt to send them into a rage, like it had been earlierāno, this was a battle of control that was far worse than that. The demand to submit was pressing on his mindāthis time, with the force of weight of enough data to threaten to overtake him. It was as if there were thousandsāno, hundreds of thousands of different wills, and a horrific staticā]
Tobias: Ngghā!
Tobias: NO!
Tobias: NO YOU WONāT!
[But he wasn't infamous as a data master for nothing. He kept his own mind despite the noise, and he wasn't about to let his voice go unheard.
He wasā¦ actively blocking data that his system was trying to send out, too. It wasn't reaching any of his brothers, nor the server itselfāhe had in effect locked himself in single combat against it.]
Tobias: I wonāt give up! Iāll MAKE you get out of my way!
[A surge of spurning willpower.
The stubborn willpower of a Doctor Wily Numberāthe unflinching kind they inherited from their father.
The data crackled with irritation, drawing up power as it lashed out.
This seemed to have some sort of effect, even if minimalāfor his refusal to submit and relinquish his resources was of no small amount of annoyance.
His probing tendrils sought to undermine the data stream, to hijack the IMMENSE power to be his own. He was pouring all his concentration into the matter, practically to the level that rivaled being in the Cloud. The struggle to break through finally seemed to pay offāhe suddenly felt as if he had grabbed hold of Avi himself, somewhere in thereā]
Will: ?!
Will: (Whatā¦ what is this CODING?)
[Will stared in disbelief at the flashes of data across his screen. For a brief moment, here and there, he could see lines of active dataāand some of it was brand new, Xel-based coding he had never seen beforeā¦]
Will: (Th-this isā!)
[Data being generated by a Robot Master using a XEL chassis.]
Will: (How is this POSSIBLE?)
Tobias: YOUā¦ WILLā¦ S T O P!!
[ā¦And yet, he wasnāt REALLY giving it his allāthat much was obvious. For even after the connection had been madeā¦ nothing happened, and the data storm continued to wail.
Tobias was holding back, for some reason.
And he was going to pay for it.]
Avi: Jeezāyouāre really a spicy one! Iām actually impressed!
Avi: Man, this is JUST like that one movie I watched last Tuesdayāthe hero, on the brink of defeat, suddenly finds within himself the strength to win!
Tobias: Grrā¦!
[A blast of raw emotional data screamed along the connection. These words had incited a BITTER sense of guilt and regret, of self-hateā]
Avi: ā!!
Avi: NGHā
[Avi recoiled in pain as true aggression roseāthe uncoiling power that was the fallen mastermind's favorite, unfetteredā]
Tobias: -VERY bitterly- Iām no hero.
Tobias: BUT I STILL WONāT LET YOU DO THIS.
[The hate, the sheer HATE that burned, burned the sick airplane subsided, replaced by a meek and hurting fear.]
Tobias: Iā¦ I c-canāt let you make my mistakesā¦!
Avi: Owā¦OKā¦yeah, that hurtā¦
[For a moment, the noise was starting to die down. Relieved, Tobias started to relax. In doing so, he slipped further into sorrow.]
Tobias: ā¦
Tobias: S-sorryā¦
Tobias: Ngghā¦! Nowā¦ please, stop!
Tobias: -Faintly, as if tired and vulnerable- Stopā¦
Avi: ā¦ ā¦
Tobias: ā¦A-Aviā¦?
[ā¦Data.]
[ā¦Itā¦was Aviās data, yes, butā¦ so much darker.]
Tobias: -Whaā -
[Anger.]
Avi: Thatā¦hurt.
Avi: NOW YOUāRE GONNA GET IT!
[Tobias was suddenly slammed with signals. They werenāt just conversationalāthey were trying to get inside his head, mess with his mind! They were burrowing deep into his psyche, tripping off flags left and right, feeding on his fear, his desperationā]
Tobias: -SCREE OF FEAR- NO, AVI, STOP! YOU DONāT KNOWā!
[He never did finish his warning.
āYou donāt know what youāre getting intoā¦!ā]
Tobias: -SCREAMS-
[He was writhing in agony on the ground, overcome with painful disorientation as he fought off the attempt to seize control.
The sheer volume was blinding, every bit of it bad. His web of control was suddenly being used to restrain him, to pin him down in his mindāa prisoner of his own memories, stabbing at his Awareness with thousands of shards of information that matched internal cross-referencesāchipping away at his immense processing power that was being used to fight this all offā!]
[He was almost in tearsātears of despairāas he fruitlessly tried so very hard to overthrow the invasion without harming his best friend.
He couldn'tāhe just couldn't keep this up, he was cavingā]
Avi: HA!
[Almostā¦ almostā!]
Tobias: -ERRORā¦-
[There was an audible SNAP of electricity as his defenses gave way. The link that he had established to try and take control was pulsing with seething, predatory intent.]
Avi: Aaaand thatās a wrap!
[And thenāthen it was everywhere. Noiseā¦ false data, dragging him in, trying to dissolve himā]
Tobias: Pleaseā¦
[He could not be consumed, even as the sick malice seeped into every fiber of his memory. His resistance was gone, and what little will he had left was spent trying to hang on to his Awareness and individuality.]
Tobias: -Distantly- S-stopā¦ Avi, pleaseā¦
Avi: You just donāt know how to LISTEN, do ya? I said NO.
Beck: Avi! STOPā!
[The threads of his awareness flicked and shriveled under the weight of red flags.]
KKKKSSST!
[The roaring weight of the data hearkened back to the worst of memoriesānot just his, but those of his brothers. His attempts to prevent the memories from going live had bravely protected the others by isolating his current experience from the serverā¦ but he could not hold out for much longer. As soon as the cross-references went live, he would be lost.]
Avi: NOW SHUT UP.
Avi: Thereās nothing you can do against ME, anyway! BWHAHAHAHA!
Nico: Mikhail! Do something!
Mikhail: Iām TRYINGā!
[Tobias desperately wanted to keep Aviator from gaining access to his neural network. There was no telling what damage that might cause to his family, due to the nature of their almost hive-like minds. And more than thatāhe just knew that Avi really was not prepared for what he would be getting into.
He fought back against the demands to rememberāhe valiantly resisted against recalling the deep darkness.
But he was tired. So tired. He couldnāt withstand both the assault and the barrage of cross-references that this disaster was sending live. It just truly reminded him of days long past.
ā¦He weakened.]
>ANALYZING DATAā¦
[It only took that one moment of weakness. That one moment of being rendered helpless, unable to fight back.
And in that momentā¦]
>NEURAL LINK VERIFIED
[His own firewall gave way, too broken and lag-ridden to continue to function. The Awareness was being choked out of him, and he could feel it dimming. His lifeless willpower was almost gently arranged into place, as in its steadā¦]
Avi: Finally...
>User access level update acknowledged. MNN-006 has been registered as RMDC native. Access to DLN-008 user data granted. Authorization code: DLN-008.
[Mighty Number Six overtook his mind.]
>COMMAND ACCEPTED
[The invasive, annoyingly persistent obstacle was HIS, nowā]
Avi: Yeah, yeah, whatever. -Selects to ignore- Now letās see what youāre so intent onā
> ACKNOWLEDGED.
>ACCESSING ENCRYPTED DATA
[Nothing in all the worlds could prepare Mighty No. 6 for what came nextā¦]
>WARNING: 06.21.20XX MEMORY DATA CROSS-REFERENCES TO MULTIPLE CRITICALLY HAZARDOUS FILES!
Avi: ā!!?
>GENERATING NEW PRIMAL ANALYSIS NEXUS
>INITIATING DATA FUSION
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEā
[When he had accessed the hidden depths of the mindā
āhe had not been prepared for the fact that this would lay bare the soul for him to see!]
āAAAAAAAAAAAAAā!ā
[DOZENS of memories were activeāall very real in the here and now, all at the same time! Thoughts, memories, fears, feelings, pains, suffering, sorrows, despairānot just from Tobias, but from a dozen othersānot just for what was now, but what HAD beenāthe past was the present, the pain then was pain now, it was all bOMBARDING THEM RELENTLESSLYā]
Avi: NGāNNNHAAAAAAAAAAAHā!
[THIS was the reality that the Rebel Angels lived with, the cross they carriedāand would forever carry, all life long!
Avi had stared into the abyss of a suffering robotās (and his familyās) soulā¦
ā¦and the abyss was staring back.]
[It surged through the link without mercy, unleashing the unfiltered darkness, slamming into Avi's being and dragging it down, DOWN into the voidā]
[Avi was BLASTED with pain! PAIN! PAIN BEYOND MEASURE!
He struggledāhe had put too much of himself to break free yetāand all he could feel was...pain, hurt, PAIN, DEATH...!
And...for the briefest of moments...
...Whatever had a hold on him...whatever was controlling his mindārecoiled.]
Avi: STOP! S T O P I Tā!!!
[It was no use. Tobias and Avi were caught in a joint system overload that was rapidly approaching a stop error.
The pleas for mercy only aggravated the data even furtherāsuch despair echoed back dozens-fold, and it only got WORSE.]
>ERROR: EMOTIONS.EXE OVERLOAD
[DEATH! DEATH AND SUFFERING, in well past a dozen different ways! And the bloodā the blood and the oil EVERYWHEREā]
[Bloodā not blood āso muchādeathādarknessā
ā¦But STILL, it was not yet over.]
Avi: -uNHOLY SCREAMING-
[The sounds that came from No. 6ā¦it was HIS voice, but so distorted and twisted by the darkness and pain that it was almost unrecognizable.
The link was healthy enough, alrightāTobias had managed to latch onto a very crucial aspect of Avi's coding. For No. 6ā¦ had built to process as much data as possible. To gather and analyze heavy volume from multiple sources, without being overwhelmedāable to fully experience and understand every byte of it.
Today, that was his curse.]
>CROSS REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: D E A T H
>DEATH WEARS BLUE
"AAAAAAAUUUUUGGGHā"
> A problem has been detected and AI_DWN_008 has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer. All unsaved data has been lost.
The problem seems to be caused by the following programs: BetaEmotions.exe, RMDatabase.exe
If this is the first time you have seen the Stop error screen, restart your chassisā
REBOOTINGā¦
[Mercyāoh, MERCYāit's finally STOPPEDā]
[Tobias collapsed when Avi finally managed to break free. And there he lay, lifeless on the ground. Unaware, dead to the worldāand to the horrified attempts to wake him.
The fight for his mind had caused major damage by shattering his Awareness.
It became too much for him to take.]
>REBOOT SEQUENCE FAILED.
<DLN-008 has gone Offline.>
[Will took a step back from the terminal as it suddenly blared static before going completely black.]
Beck: TOBYā!
Soi: Will! Whatās going on?
Will: The serverās crashed!
[He frantically set it to restart, each second stretching out like an eternity. Error messages plagued the rebooting sequence, all with the same message:
All connection to the Meadow via the RMDC mainframe had been shut off. And all attempts to locate the othersāRobot Master or Xelbot alikeāwere met with a popup saying that the status inquiries were not authorized, with error tags relating to Tobias.]
[Beck visibly paled, sick to his stomach, the world started to spināhe would have gone Offline right then and there had the shock weren't keeping him awake.
He was on his own. Truly, most certainly on his own, with no teammates, no friends, no brothers by his side.
And he knew it was only going to get worse...]
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{MEANWHILE, BACK IN SANDA LABS....}
[After confirming there was nothing they could do to help Tobias and the rest of those in the Meadowā¦ Beck, Soichiro, William, and Call did a thorough search of the lower levels of the building Soi was sealed in. To their surprise, they had found a couple of uninfected Patch bots that were busy recharging their energy--their systems also had to be shut down to do so.]
Sunny: D: -BEEP BEEP I AM SCARED WHAT IS HAPPENING WHY ARE THERE EXPLODING NOISES -
Beck: Sunny! :D -shhhh it's OK everything is fineāor will beā-
Will: (Interestingā¦. These Patches are also fine, like Callā¦)
[Meanwhile, Call had moved her usual terminal to the lab. She began bringing back the labs systemsāone by oneāwith her father.]
Soi: If we can just get this one back up, we can start looking for the rest of the Mighties...
[Beck perked up from his spot on the floor, a bit busy consoling about six or seven different colored Patches.]
Beck: How are we gonna do that?
[Will frowned and put his hand to his chin, thinking.]
Will: Hmm...
Soi: ...! Ah! That should do itāfor now, at least. At any rate: the lab is all set for any repairs Beck and the others might need.
Will: Good, good...
Will: . . .
Will: We can still read most of their statuses, yes?
Soi: Hmm, yes...
Will: Can we trace back their transponders?
Soi: We can give it a try, but with Tobias messing around with the signals...
Call: Tracing...
[A map of the US comes up.]
[Thereās a brief moment where everything seemed to be functioning normally, a radar-like display sweeping across the map in search of any sort of response.]
Call: ... ....
Call: Transponder found.
Will: ā!!! Whose?
[A marker appeared right smack in the middle of the State of Louisiana.]
[A symbol. Pyrogen's, to be specific.]
Beck: ! Big Brother...!
[Suddenly, there was a glitchy sound effect. The map flickered, and an error message popped up on the screen. Unfortunately, the message looked garbled as well.]
Beck: ! What happened?
Call: There appears to be interference.
Beck: Is it the virus?!
Call: Negative.
Will: Hmmmā¦ that looks like it might be bits of codeā¦.
Beck: Huhā¦? What does it say?
Will: Well, I recognize the error message well enough: itās the same as from earlier. It could be related to what just happened with Tobiasā¦
Beck: Butā¦
Beck: Why would he want to stop us from saving themā¦? D:
Soi: Can we get around it, do you think?
Will: Probably, especially considering the state he was inā¦. It may take a while, though.
Soi: Oh dearā¦
Will: Call, did you catch the location before it vanished?
Call: Affirmative, Doctor.
Call: Comparing location to local database....
Call: ... ....
Soi: Well?!
Call: ....
Call: It appears that Mighty No. 1 has retreated to an oil refinery.
Will: An OIL--?!
Soi: Good God--He's going to blow it all up to kingdom come--!
Will: Quickly--there is no time to waste! Beck, Call, prepare yourselves for the mission--! Sanda, find another signal frequency for Xel Transfer; something we don't use as often so that Avi won't pick it up if he wakes up first--! I'll set up encryptions from my own terminal to hide it from him in the meantime!
Beck: Yes sir!
Call: Affirmative.
Soi: You got it, Will.
Beck: (Don't worry, big brother...)
Beck: (I'm coming to save you...!)
[COORDINATES SET.]
"... Beck..."
"Yeah?"
"...Please...please be careful. Please."
"I know, Dad."
"We're all counting on you, Beck--promise me you'll come back in one piece for your uncle, eh?"
"I promise, Sanda."
"Good luck, No. 9. Now preparing Xel Transfer..."
"Dad?"
"Yes?"
"...I love you."
"...I love you too, Beck...pass that on to Pyrogen for me..!"
[XELS TRANSFERRING...]
[MISSION DETAILS: MIGHTY NO. 1, CODENAME: PYROGEN, HAS BEEN SPOTTED IN A LOUISIANA OIL REFINERY. STATUS: INFECTED WITH HARMFUL MALWARE, FULL COMBAT MODE ENGAGED.]
[OBJECTIVES: RESCUE MN.1 AND PURGE HARMFUL MALWARE FROM SYSTEMS, PREVENT A LARGE-SCALE INFERNO. ]
[SYSTEMS READY?]
[GO!]
[Once Beck had fully reconstituted, Xels clicking into place as his form settled, the first thing that he felt was the heat.]
[The second was the smoke filling the air, and the third was the distant sound of crazed, infected robots just up ahead--Pyrogen was not the only one given free range of the place. Many industrial, non-sentient CherryDyn and Sanda models were running rampant...]
[Beck's comm line crackled to life.]
[CALL] //: No. 9, do you read?
[Beck lifted a hand to the side of his helmet.]
Beck: This is Nine--I read you loud and clear! I've made it to the Oil Platform...
[He pauses.]
Beck: No sign of One yet, and the place is justā¦ it's chaos...
[Soon enough, Soi could be heard over the line as well, along with Will.]
[DR.SANDA] //: A fire wielding robot running wild in an oil refinery...I don't like the looks of this at all.
[DR.WHITE] //: Not exactly ideal conditions, I'll grant you that...
[CALL] //: It appears No. 9 has encountered an oil spill. From my scans, several major pipelines of the refinery have burst.
Beck: That...would have been helpful two seconds ago...
[DR.SANDA] //: Shake it off, Beck! And be careful if the other robots in the area set it on fire--!
Beck: -Slowly picks himself up- Got it....
[VERRRRRRRRR--]
Beck: --!!!
[CALL] //: Incoming hostile robots.
[It was a forklifting robot--carrying a crate full of explosives, no less! And once it saw the young Mighty Number, it wasted no time revving it's engine and charging at full speed--!]
Beck: aHHH--
[Beck didn't roll out of the way--he jumped, and let the robot pass under him.]
[MN.9 HAS GONE INTO COMBAT MODE.]
[He shoots, and once the robot's Xel Structure was disrupted, stunning it in place, he AcXelarates into it in a flash of white--absorbing its Xel and leaving behind only it's cores.]
[XEL ABSORBED. ABSORPTION BOOST: ONLINE.]
[A green sheen of Xel encircles Beck--the same feeling of power flows through him like before--but this time was...different...]
[Yes, now there was more--in addition to several furnace type robots that shot fire balls out of their tops, and other flame based models.]
[DR.SANDA] //: There are so many fire based robots! WHY ARE THEY ALL HERE?!
[DR.WHITE] //: Good question...perhaps Pyrogen led them here...?
[...As Beck transverses forward, he seems much quicker in this powered up state...]
[...But soon enough, the green Xel fades, and he returns to his normal speed.]
Beck: ...?
[THIS happened last time too--whenever he got one of those...absorption boosts, he got a little stronger somehow...so green makes him a little faster...?]
Beck: (Huh...when I saved the Round Digger, he turned purple---these guys either turn red, blue, yellow, or green...)
Beck: (If green makes me faster, then what does the rest do?)
[He decided to take a moment to figure it out--there were plenty of enemies to absorb, and certain models turned into one of those colors.]
Beck: (OK...Green makes my reflexes faster...)
Beck: (Red boosts my shot output--I can even shoot through certain walls for a while...)
Beck: (Yellow makes me jump higher...)
Beck: (...And blue...)
[XEL ABSORBED. CONVERTING...]
Beck: Huh?
[XEL STOCK 1 FULL.]
Beck: (Xel Stock? I can STORE extra Xel?!)
Beck: (Oh man--I can use that to repair myself on the fly! At least minor injuries...)
[Then--Suddenly--!]
[A familiar figure stands out against the clouded night...]
Pyro: Rrrrr.....
Beck: PYRO!!
[The Mighty Leader was standing atop of a ruined oil truck, surprisingly unlit...]
[Green eyes flickered towards his brother--]
Pyro: ... ...
Pyro: ...You...
Beck: --! YES! It's me, big brother--It's Beck! You remember!
Pyro: ...BURN....
Beck: !!!
Pyro: THE WORLD MUSTā
[In a sudden fierce motion, Pyrogen quite literally EXPLODED into flames, becoming twice his own size as he HOWLED into the flame lit horizon overhead!]
Pyro: BUUUUUUUURRRRRRN!
[...However...]
[...Instead of attacking Beck...]
[He...leaps away?]
Beck: PYRO, WAIT!
[Beck, after recovering from the sheer, uncontrolled rage his eldest brother had just unleashed, dashed forward to give chase--]
[SECONDS later, more furnace type robots materialized, as well as a whole SLEW of enemies--both that were from the city AND the fire based models! It was an ambush!]
[DR.WHITE] //: Beck!
Beck: NGH--!!
[He was trapped on all sides, and with nowhere to hide, he was pelted with enemy fire-- both of energy shots and actual real fire. ]
[DR.SANDA] //: MOVE, BECK!
[He's faced Pyro in battle before--in spars. He can handle a little heat, but this--]
Beck: HothothotHOT--
[There was nowhere to go--nowhere but UP, that is...]
[In the midst of quite literally being roasted over an open flame, Beck had to JUMP to avoid the heat from damaging anything important.]
[...REALLY jump.]
Beck: aaaAAAAAAAH--
[Fortunately, gravity and trajectory was kind enough to drop him atop of one of the flying enemies--who was none too pleased to have an extra passenger onboard.]
[CALL] //: .........
[CALL] //: Inquiry: Why do these kinds of events seem to always happen to No. 9?
[DR.SANDA] //: I...don't know...
Beck: Nice CDN GOOD CDN PLEASE DON'T--
[Too late--Beck was now on a VERY wild rodeo ride with the cargo carrying robot, trying to shake him off by flying erratically--and into other robots.]
Beck: -SCREAMING-
[DR.WHITE] //: Hold on, Beck!
Beck: WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING--?!
[CALL] //: Beck, you have a acquired a higher vantage point. I suggest using this to your advantage.
Beck: I WOULD IF THIS GUY WOULD HOLD STILL FOR TWO--
[VERRRRRRR--]
Beck: --AwNO--
[B O O M!]
[The flying CDN had collided with another forklifting robot--which was carrying another crate filled with explosives. The resulting explosion lit up the evening, temporarily obscuring all with the smoke that rose from it.]
[......]
[MN.9 STATUS: ONLINE, COMBAT MODE ENGAGED, DAMAGE REPORT: GYRO BALANCERS CRITICAL, ARMOR PLATING HAS BEEN BREACHED.]
Beck: .....uuuuugh....
[DR.WHITE] //: Beck! Do you read me?! SAY SOMETHING!
Beck: ....hurts...ow....can't....
[CALL] //: No. 9's Gryo systems have been damaged. His mobile systems are shot.
[DR.SANDA] //: --That's it--I'm pulling him out of there! This is way too-
[DR.WHITE] //: Wait!
[DR.WHITE] //: Beck--there is another ability that I designed you with! Can you access your Xel Stocks?
Beck: nnngh...
[USE XEL STOCK 1?]
[COMMAND//: YES.]
[ACCESSING INTERNAL XEL STORAGE...]
[A relieving burst of light blue light seemed to pour out of the ports on Beck's back, wrapping him up in a healing sheen. The cracks on his armor were being sealed, while most of the Xel was released internally...]
Beck: --!!!!
[SELF REPAIR COMPLETE. ALL SYSTEMS NORMAL.]
[Beck shot STRAIGHT up into a sitting position with a small gasp, feeling reinvigorated--renewed, even! He was thrown into alertness, looking around this way and that...]
[...It seemed the resulting explosion from the CDN crashing into the forklift robot had cleared away the rest of the ambush. Place was a MESS, however--some of the oil piping had burst as well, and it's flammable contents were now spilling forth EVERYWHERE.]
[...Beck was not spared from it--he was more or less splattered with oil now, tainting his pristine white armor.]
Beck: Ew...!
[DR.WHITE] //: -SIGHS WITH RELIEF-
[DR.SANDA] //: No time for a bath now, Beck--you gotta keep moving!
Beck: ...Right... (Wouldn't mind one from Cryo right about now...)
[DR.SANDA] //: My...did you SEE all those bots? And such power...
[DR.SANDA] //: ...These designs of yours in our models are something ELSE, Will...
[DR.WHITE] //: ....
[DR.WHITE] //: Yes, well, under the circumstances--that hardly feels like a compliment. -_-;;
[Beck only had one way to go, and that was forward...]
[...Over a flaming floor of burning oil, that is--and above?]
Beck: .....
Beck: Are those electrified spikes.
[CALL] //: Warning: It is not just electricity, but energized signals on the ceiling. They have been modified to disrupt Xel Structures. Proceed with caution.
Beck: Wait wait wait--
Beck: Are you saying that if I touch it I'LL JUST EXPLODE.
[CALL] //: That is correct, No. 9. Your core, however, would be intact, although--
[DR.WHITE] //: I--I think he understands the concept, Call.
Beck: Right--don't touch the purple things, don't touch the purple things--
[Dashing across the suspended platforms was the only way across--along with absorbing other robots along the way. Using the green Absorption Speed Boost he acquired from them, he was able to quickly get by the hair-raising corridor...]
[...And into the Oil Silo field.]
Beck: I still don't see Pyrogen yet...
[DR.SANDA] //: He must be somewhere up ahead, he couldn't have gone that far...
[No. 9 was really starting to get the hang of his AcXelarate Dash--it was almost becoming second nature, actually. He could use it as often as he wanted--there seemed to be no limit, and it didn't expend any of his energy at all.]
[Which was a very good thing for what came up next.]
[C R A C K L E.]
Beck: --?!
[DR.SANDA] //: BECK! LOOK OUT!
[The lower half of the Silo in front of him was damaged--and began to topple over directly overhead.]
Beck: WHOA--
[Beck immediately started to floor it, becoming merely a white blur among the grey of smoke--the Silo crashed behind him with a loud rumble, missing him by only mere inches.]
[CALL] //: Heat has compromised the integrity of near by structures. Please proceed with caution.
Beck: NO OFFENSE, CALL, BUT I'VE BEEN CAUTIOUS THIS WHOLE TIME--
[C R A C K! C R A C K!]
[DR.WHITE] //: BECK--IN FRONT!
[...It was sort of like watching some supped up version of dominoes.
The silos were perfectly aligned in such a way that they toppled over in Beck's path, forcing him to sprint and dash for his life. The malfunctioning robots around him didn't seem to care--they were only concerned on destroying the Mighty Number--so they retaliated by shooting up fireballs into the air to rain down from above.]
[And if that wasn't enough, the floor beneath began to give away under his feet--no, the PLATFORMS were.]
[DR.WHITE] //: DON'T STOP!
Beck: AAAAAAAAAAAAA--
[It seemed like an eternity. It was, in fact, about 20 seconds, but those nail biting seconds seemed to stretch into forever as Beck barreled forth without pause, destruction and fire raging around him, smoke stinging his eyes and throat.--]
Beck: WHAT THE--
[The path suddenly ended.]
[DR.WHITE] //: NO--!
[It just--ended. There was only a sudden drop into a pit of fire, an inferno flaring so high, it was impossible to tell if there was anything on the other side.]
[But he had no choice.]
[He had to jump.]
Beck: HUP--!
[Out of the frying pan...]
[ACXELARATE DASH: MAX OUTPUT REACHED]
[And into the fire.]
[DATA LOSS.]
Will: Call--!!!
Call: Searching...
Call: ..........
[.........]
[..........ā¦.............]
[.......................................]
[SIGNAL FOUND. MN.9 STATUS: ONLINE.]
Will: YES...!
Call: Re-syncing feeds...
"--can't get a good grip on--!!"
[--Beck had made it!]
[...But only barely. He was grabbing onto the ledge with everything he had, trying to hoist himself up--but the oil wasn't making things any easier.]
Beck: Arrgh--
[FINALLY, his feet find some perchance, and he pushed off of the wall--and front flipped over, landing firmly and safely on the other side of the pit.
It looks as if some of that acrobatics training paid off--]
Beck: (--! Hey--I did it! I DID IT, BRANDā!)
[....Too bad said brother in question wasn't here to see it.]
Beck: (--ā¦Ohā¦. Rightā¦)
Will: --......!
Soi: ? Will?
Will: I have an idea--Can we send one of the Patch bots to his location?
Soi: --But--whatever for?
Will: I want him to be in the BEST condition possible before he faces No. 1...
[Will's green hues stare intensely at the screen, at his son.]
Will: Pyrogen, while not being made with the latest Xel technology, has the most experience out of them all. If they ARE to battle...
Will: He's going to need all the help we can offer.
Will: We can send a Patch Bot with some Xel Storage Cubes for him to either store into his Xel Stocks or use right then and there for self repair.
Sunny: -BEEP BEEP- (-_-)7
Call: Commencing Xel Transfer....
[XEL TRANSFER COMPLETE.]
[Beck almost very nearly shot Sunny in her display--but lucky her unique coloring was enough for him to recognize the Patch Bot.]
Beck: Sunny?!
Sunny: -BEEP BEEP-
[Sunny's stomach compartment opens, and out tumbles several Xel Storage Cubes ready to be absorbed.]
Beck: !
[DR.WHITE] //: Beck, these should give you enough to normalize your Xel Count. Call has confirmed that No. 1 is in that destroyed building wreckage ahead...
Beck: ... ...
[No. 9 takes a deep breath...]
Beck: (OK, Pyro...here I come...)
[After dropping down to a partially collapsed room...]
[Once againāstanding atop of a pile of debrisāwas the fire-powered leader himself.]
Beck: Pyro--! Finally...
Pyro: Hnrrrrrr...
Beck: Pyro--come on, big brother-- I KNOW you're in there SOMEWHERE! We don't have to--
Pyro: You...
Pyro: ...Why....?
Beck: ...!!
Beck: Because you're my BROTHER! I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT YOU, NO. 1!
Pyro: .....
Beck: Just--PLEASE hold still for just a few minutes and I SWEAR I can fix this--I can SAVE you!
[With dark, glowing emerald eyes, the leader stood. Unflinching.]
Pyro: ...
Pyro: No...
Beck: Pyro--!
Pyro: Why...
Pyro: Why you not burn...?
Beck: Wha--?
Pyro: WHY YOU NOT BURN?!
Beck: PYRO--
Pyro: WHY... YOU... NOT--
[FOOOOM!]
Pyro: BUUUUUUUURRRRRRNNN?!?!?!?
[As Pyrogen fully ignites his body in flames, HUGE pillars of fire explode on either side of the room--effectively trapping both Mighty Numbers within.
Almost as if this was to be a cage match...]
Beck: Uh-oh...
Pyro: Burn...
Pyro: The world must BURN...! ALL MUST BUUUURN!!!
[MN.1 HAS ENTERED FULL COMBAT MODE. RESTRICTIONS: NONE.]
[Pyrogen was a close range combat model, excelling in melee-style combat.
[He wasted no more time with any more words. A distorted yell of RAGE accompanied his first attack--a headlong, full bodied tackle!]
Beck: Gh--!
[Jumping over was the logical choice--]
Beck: AAAH--!
[...But not the best one, as Pyrogen ALSO left a trail of arching fire in his wake. Beck had jumped RIGHT into them, sustaining burns across his armor plating.]
Pyro: Yes--BURN! BURN LIKE THE REST! B U R N!!
[Flaring, No. 1 changed direction--his arms ignited to TWICE their original output, allowing him to gather his flames up for another attack.]
Pyro: BURN M O R E!
[He thrusted his arms forward--and a burst of fire shot out, threatening to engulf Beck in it's hellish range!]
Beck: PYRO--STOP IT!
[The youngest Mighty had no time wince at pain--he forced himself to roll away, the blaring heat reminding him to be weary of the fire walls that soared to the sky.]
[His default weapon was drawn--but he had not fired yet.]
Beck: I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT YOU, PYRO!
Beck: PLEASE! S N A P OUT OF ITā!
[DR.WHITE] //: It's no USE, Beck!
Beck: --!? Dad?!
[DR.WHITE] //: HE IS TOO FAR GONE!
[DR.WHITE] //: You have to stop him by FORCE--!
[DR.WHITE] //: ONLY THEN CAN HE BE SAVED!
Beck: .....
Pyro: B U R N, MOTH! B U R N!!
Beck: . . .
[MN.9 HAS ENTERED FULL COMBAT MODE. RESTRICTION: PRESERVE MN.1]
Beck: I'm sorry, Pyro...
Beck: But if I have to do this to get you back...!
[BLAM!]
Pyro: ā?!?
[Bright orange dematerializing shots pierce through the flames--nailing Pyro right in the chest, who seems VERY confused as to what just happened--]
[ā...But the confusion didn't last. It quickly bled away to anger.]
Pyro: RAAAAAAAAAAAGH--!
[CALL] //: Warning: I detect a buildup of energy from Mighty No. 1.
Beck: Energy--?
[FWOOOOOM!]
[Pyrogen's flames...changed color. They were no longer just a bright yellow and orange.]
[They were purple. A sick, sick shade of purple and blue.]
Beck: ā????!?
[And that's when it hit him.]
[He's SEEN this before.]
[The Greater Dusk team--at the Queen's Tournament--Bladeblaster--!!]
Pyro: BURNING... BURNIIIING...
[DR.SANDA] //: -ACTUALLY SCREAMS-
Beck: --!!!!! (Nowhere to HIDEā!!! GOTTA THINK FAST--)
Beck: Ahā!
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 2...]
Pyro: SPIRIT!
[B O O O M!]
[DATA LOSS]
Soi: oh GOD WHAT HAPPENED WHAT HAPPENED--?!?!
Call: ... ...Mighty No. 9's signal has vanished--as has Mighty No. 1's. The likelihood of their transponders ceasing to transmit due to excessive heat damage is--
Will: PLEASE, Call--! No more of that--ARE THEY ALIVE?!
Pyro: Hah...hah...
Pyro: ... ... ...
[There was no sign of Beck at all...]
Pyro: ... ... ... ...
Pyro: Yes...YES! LIKE A MOTH TO THE FLAMEā!!
[Victory was his. A familiar feeling--he couldn't place why, but it FELT good--]
[So good that he started to laugh, distorted chortles reverbing around the Oil Platform...]
[There was nothing but the crackle of fire...and screams...]
[.....]
[ā¦ ā¦ ā¦]
[Wait.]
[All the humans had fled.]
[So WHY--]
"........aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAH--!"
Pyro: WHATā?!
[C L A N K!]
Beck: NOT DONE YET--!
[Seemingly dropping down from NOWHERE, Beck landed on his elder's back--forcing him to buckle from the force of the fall and the added weight--]
[BLAM!]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Pyro: RRAAāACKā!!
[Flames attempted to flare on his back--they licked at Beck's form, scorching his armor black.]
[The pain--it was almost unlike anything he's ever felt before.]
[The only thing that came close...was...]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Yes...! That's it, my better incarnation--FIGHT LIKE YOU ARE ABOUT TO DIE!~"
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[Beck gritted his teeth.]
[He couldn't let go--can't, not for anything, ANYTHING!]
"Remember. Beck--Physical pain....is MENTAL. In the arena, you will learn how to push PAST it."
[BLAM.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
"But--Big Brother--"
[BLAM.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
"What if it hurts too much...?"
"One of these days, Beck--how much physical pain you feel won't matter in dire situations."
"Are you going to let a few deep scratches come between you and what you care about the most?"
[BLAM.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[XEL QUOTA REACHED.]
"N-No, sir, No. 1!"
"Good!"
[XEL PURGE: ONLINE. XELFILTER.EXE PREPARED FOR OVERDRIVE.]
"Now--Show your big brother what you can DO!"
Beck: COME ON, PYRO--!
[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]
Beck: WE NEED OUR LEADER BACK!!!
[FILTERING.....]
[A blinding flash of green surrounds the two, expelling all of the infected purple Xel in Pyro's frame, running it THROUGH Beck himself, who expelled it right back at One, returning the Xel back to it's rightful owner.]
Pyro: ā!!!!
[The Mighty Leader stood rigid, frozen in place as the Xel was simultaneously pulled and put back into him--with little to no pain whatsoever. ]
[In fact...]
[It felt...warm...]
"..........I can see you, you know."
"Eep--!!"
"Now, now, don't be frightened--you have nothing to fear, Beck. Not in this place."
"But...you...and everything else...is so...so much bigger than me..."
"Heh..."
"Good things come in small packages."
[......Small....]
"TRY AND CATCH ME, NO. 1!"
Pyro: ........
Pyro: B...Beck...
[THUNK.]
[His knees give away.]
[FILTERING COMPLETE.]
[ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MN.1]
Pyro: Is that....you...?
[There is only harsh breathing in his ear--but...]
Beck: ....
Beck: B...Big...Brother...
Beck: Pyro...I...you're OK...
Pyro: I...what...where...?
[-PING!-]
[CALL] //: Connection reestablished. Mighty Numbers 1 and 9 are online.
[DR.SANDA] //: He...WILL-- WILL HE DID IT HE DID IT--!!
[DR.WHITE] //: Pyrogen...! You're...alright...!
Pyro: Not--...not exactly...Ngh...
Pyro: I....
[SCANNING...]
Pyro: ......????
Pyro: Beck--What...why do I smell...oil?
Beck: Long... long story, bro...ohmanI'msotired...
Pyro: You're...? I...I don't understand--
[DR.WHITE] //: ... ...
[DR.WHITE] //: Call...prepare for Xel Transfer. Pyro...
[DR.WHITE] //: Everything will be fine, son...I promise. I'll explain it when you're well rested enough.
Pyro: ........
[CALL] //: Xel Transfer in progress...
{SANDA ENTERPRISES, LOWER LABS...}
[Will never thought he would be so close to having a heart attack at the age of 25, and today had been eventful enough to garner that reaction on more than one occasion.]
[But the feeling of relief he felt when he saw his eldest carrying his youngest on his back...]
Call: Xel Transfer complete. I suggest not drawing too close to No. 1--he is still radiating fairly high temperatures.
Soi: Hoooof--it DID just jump a couple of degrees in here, didn't it...
Beck: Uuuuuugh I've never been so TIRED can I take a nap...
[Beck was certainly quite talkative in his complaining...
...But Pyrogen remained silent....]
Pyro: . . . .
[Beck slowly climbs down from Pyrogen--he feels QUITE strange at the moment, as if his systems were preoccupied with something else, and leans against his brother for support.]
Will: ....
Pyro: Father...
Pyro: ...Beck has burns. All over.
Beck: . . .
Pyro: There was OIL.
Will: Son--
Pyro: What happened to us...?!
Will: ......
[Will tries to collect his thoughts--how will he tell him--how will he--]
Pyro: Where is Cryo? We NEED to cool him off--
Call: Mighty No. 2's location is unknown. As are the rest of the Mighty Numbers.
Pyro: ā?! WHAT?!
Call: I will now connect you back to our systems. Standby.
Pyro: Nnnghā!
[He did his best to hold still and do as he was told, but it was clear that this wasn't helping matters.]
[RE-CONNECTING...]
Will: ā¦ ā¦ ā¦
[Unfortunatelyā¦]
[CONNECTION ESTABLISHED. UPDATING....]
Pyro: ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ ā¦
[RECEIVING RECENT STATUS REPORTS...]
[ā¦There wasn't anything immediately current, and what last info they had was not exactly good news to share.]
<<āPreviousāāāāāāTable of ContentsāāāāāāNextā>>
{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 Godā
Jack: AāAre they okay, are they even ALIVEā?!
[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: ā! Huhā
Mikhail: -Speaking calmly but firmly- Letās not jump to any conclusions. We need to run diagnostics on both of them. Carlos, Nicoātake Shadow to the lab. Skull, Keltsoādo 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 happenedā¦)
[He dialed the number for Will, but to his aggravationā¦]
āHello, this is Dr. William Apollo White of Sanda Technologies. Iām currently unavailable right nowāā
Mikhail: -Annoyed- Mmmmmnnnā¦ -Hangs up- (Voicemail AGAIN, Will? Really? At a time like this? Gahhhā¦ fine, Iāll call you again later, after Iāve run the diagnostic.)
[He turned to face Jack.]
Mikhail: ā¦Iām so sorry, Jack.
Jack: H-huh?
Mikhail: You came here for something, and this whole time weāve all but ignored you.
Jack: Oh, uhā¦ i-itās alright, I meanā¦ that was a lot going onā¦
Mikhail: True, but you must have come here for some reason. What was it? Can we help you with something?
Jack: What? God, no, Iām more worried about YOU guysā! AāAre they going to be okay??
Mikhail: -Adjusts glasses- Itās probably justā¦ shock. (No pun intended.) Weāll know soon enough for sure.
Jack: ā¦
Jack: ā¦
Jack: Shock, huhā¦.
Jack: ā¦Hnā¦they arenātā¦they arenāt the only onesā¦.
Jack: Starting to feel a little of that myselfā¦
[Mikhail was quiet at that for a while, and then walked over. He put a hand on Jackās shoulder.]
Jack: ā¦?
Mikhail: Follow me, Mr. Parker.
Jack: (O-oh, I guess Miss Eight told him about her brotherās name for meā¦)
Mikhail: Letās 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 helpā¦]
Jack: (Son of a glitchā¦. The whole family is fallinā apart and what did I do? Nothinā¦)
[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: (ā¦mmmā¦meatā¦ugh, that smells too goodā¦)
Jack: ā¦
Jack: (Gosh, this reminds me of the meal Miss Eight and I had just the other night when she stopped byā¦)
Jack: (I wonder where she is right nowā¦)
Mikhail: There. It will be a while before it finishes, Iām afraid. Would you like something to drink?
Jack: Uhā¦ Iām fine with whatever, honestlyā¦
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, PLEASEā¦
[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 wasnāt long before Jack had a large glass of milkshake in front of him.]
Mikhail: There you are.
Jack: Thankā¦
Jack: -Takes a sip- ā¦Thanks for everything, Doc. You guys have been nothing but good to meā¦
Mikhail: Itās the least we can do.
[He adjusted his glasses again, sitting down opposite the beleaguered ex-arena fighter.]
Mikhail: Nowā¦
Mikhail: You expressed you felt rather overwhelmed by all this.
Jack: ā¦Yeahā¦
Mikhail: Honestly, anyone would be.
Mikhail: Itās best to start from the beginning.
Jack: ā¦The beginning? Likeā¦ this morning?
Mikhail: Noā¦ not this morning. It probably started earlier.
Jack: What do you mean?
Mikhail: -Rubs his beard a bit- Wellā¦
Mikhail: Things look confusing to us all right now because we donāt have the proper context to them. That makes it hard to focus on what is going on.
Mikhail: So letās find some context, and unravel it for you. Whatās on your mind? Weāll go back to address it from the beginning.
Jack: Okayā¦
Jack: ā¦Iā¦Iām just really worried aboutā¦God, it was KATE, at first, but afterā¦thatā¦Avi, and now Cards is out there too? Itās justā¦theyāre out there, all alone, especially Cardsā¦.
Mikhail: ā¦
[He closed his eyes and sighed, crossing his arms.]
Mikhail: ā¦Thereās something you should know.
Jack: (ā¦That doesnāt sound too goodā¦)
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: ā?!
Jack: Whatā¦?
Mikhail: He believed that the highway incident earlier in the year was the result of something in this plan goingā¦ wrong.
Jack: Wrongā¦?
Mikhail: The fact that Graham took the time during THIS disaster toāyet again, as beforeāpublicly say ādonāt blame me! Blame someone else!ā does not help matters. āPay no attention to the man behind the curtain.ā
Mikhail: -Dryly- Guilty conscience, perhaps? Or just really bad lying?
Mikhail: Thatās what Cardinal believed, at any rate. And I donāt think he was the only one.
Jack: Heāhe wasnāt?
Mikhail: Due to the meeting we had to discuss the threat that Greater Dusk posedā
Jack: Hang on, meetingā?
Mikhail: Iāll explain later, but yes. During that meeting, it was questioned why CherryDynamics would fund a team, especially one with an assassin. Cardinal wasnāt 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 thatā¦ because of me and Greater Duskā¦)
Mikhail: Lady Countershade seemed to believe that CherryDynamics was not only responsible, but also eager to clean up āloose endsā. Namelyā¦
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 sheād 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: (ā¦Sheās been following a few leads besides mine, the way she talked to me before all thisā¦. Didā¦did that have something to do with my situationā?)
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: ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ ā¦.
Jack: Jeezusā¦.
[Thisā¦this was bigger than he thought.]
[Much, much bigger.]
[What in the world was going on now?]
[Couldā¦]
[Could this beā¦just too much to handle?]
[Suddenly Jack felt like he was up against MORE than just a virus.]
Jack: ā¦ ā¦.
Mikhail: ā¦Tell me more about the crosses, Jack. Felix had been doing research into them, but he fell ill as a resultā¦. Youāre the only person who can tell us about them, andā¦ I think that this virus is related to what happened at the Queenās Finals.
[Jack took in a deep breath after a long sip of his milkshake.]
Jack: Alrightā¦. Where to startā¦
[He ran his hand through his messy, fluffy hair.]
Jack: Putting them on when they werenāt activeādidnāt do a thing. They were made of Xel, so I guess the crosses also had this REALLY tiny core to keep it togetherā¦.
Jack: They just looked like freaky jewelry to other people. I didnāt like it. Feltā¦wrong. Thatās why I always hid mine under my shirt.
Mikhail: ā¦In what sense? Physically, or morally?
Jack: ā¦.Both? The cross feltā¦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: Mmmmā¦. When you threw the cross down in the finals, that did allow us to briefly see what it was. ā¦The use of that symbol did not go unnoticed.
Jack: ā¦
Mikhail: Their āyoungestā brother believed the one behind it was trying to āplay Godā and was using that symbol on purpose, as a highly disrespectful mockery.
Mikhail: -Softly- I do not discount the notion.
Jack: ā¦ ā¦ ā¦.
Jack: (The Providerā¦)
Jack: ā¦..
Jack: Well, whatever nutjob made those things did a REAL good job fragging [glitch] up.
Mikhail: Quiteā¦
Mikhail: There wasā¦ a theory I had about it, at the time.
Jack: ā¦?
āāāāāāāāāā
Tobias: I donāt understandā! Whatās going on?!
[They all fell silent when a quiet voice spoke up unexpectedly.]
Mikhail: ā¦ -Quietly- Berserkers.
Cardinal: ā¦! 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 battleāa madness that they channeled with incredible force.
Mikhail: This is why there is the phrase āgoing berserk.ā This is almost exactly what it means.
Mikhail: But to concentrate only on bloodlust, at the loss of senseā¦
[He adjusted his glasses, the light glinting off them in a glare that obscured his eyes.]
Mikhail: ā¦Especially against tacticians, that can be a very heavy priceā¦
āāāāāāāāāā
Mikhail: ā¦Was I right? Is that what they did, induce such a state?
Jack: ā¦.You bet they didā¦.
Jack: When they went activeā¦
Jack: All I felt was rage.
Mikhail: ā¦
Jack: All I felt wasā¦this feeling to break things.
Jack: It was ALL I could think aboutā¦
Jack: Allā¦I could think about wasā¦
Jack: How much I wanted to hurt Blade.
Jack: ā¦..
Jack: It was likeā¦ something justā¦took over andā¦.andā¦
Jack: āā¦.
Jack: I knew it was bad. I had this gut feeling WAY before the finalsā¦
Jack: I knew.
Jack: So I fought back.
Mikhail: ā¦ -Focused but also thoughtful- ā¦ -After some hesitationā¦- ā¦We know what that feels like. ā¦You have our deepest empathy.
Jack: ā¦ā¦..
Mikhail: We know that to fight it off is no easy thing. ā¦You are a stronger man than you give yourself credit for, Jack. Not everyone has the will or stamina to do this.
Jack: ā¦..
Jack: -Sigh- Doc, Iām just a normal guy that wanted some extra cash in his pocket. Sure, Iām probably not such a piece of scrap, after all, butā¦
Jack: Iām not special.
Jack: Iām justā¦lucky, I guess.
Mikhail: -Gentle slight smile- I suppose. Having Lady Luck on your side is always nice. Hehā¦ I wouldnāt 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: (ā¦Is it luck, or is it just something looking out for meā¦? Ah, who the hell am I kiddingā¦ Luck HATES my gutsā¦)
[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 airā]
Jack: ā!!!!!
[Jack shoots up into a straighter sitting position, eyes WIDE and eagerā]
Jack: Thatāthat is the most awesome smell Iāve everā
[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 sideā
Corn, green bean casserole, a tall glass of cold milk, a small bowl of fruit saladā and some chocolate pudding with Oreo bits and whipped cream!]
Mikhail: -Sets it down at the table- Sorry to keep you waiting.
Jack: ā¦
[Jack might have kicked himself later for forgetting his mannersābut he just dove into the most delicious food heās 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 thatās more than we could have hoped for in such a disaster. I have faith that heāll bring his family back home.
[Jack slowed down a bit at this, his good mood wavering.]
Jack: ā¦Hey, Docā¦?
Mikhail: Yes?
Jack: Doā¦ -Hesitates- ā¦
Jack: Do yā think Six wasā¦ lying?
Mikhail: ā¦? Lying?
Jack: About her. Miss Eightā¦
Mikhail: ā¦
[His eyes looked very tired at that, and he frowned slightly.]
Mikhail: ā¦Iād say it's possible he was being misleading, but I find it unlikely that Kate is herselfā¦ given that even the RMDC was infected. She was connected to the databaseā¦
Jack: (ā¦nā¦noā¦. Kate, noā¦)
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: ā¦Butā¦
Jack: Isnāt that what bird guy is doingā¦? (And he canāt even heal themā¦)
Mikhail: Well. I canāt 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 missionā¦ not even the threat of death.
Mikhail: -Softly- āNo one has greater love than thisā¦ā
Mikhail: āā¦to lay down oneās life for oneās friends.ā
Jack: ā!
Jack: ā¦ ā¦
Jack: (Miss Eightā¦)
Jack: (Real deep stuff youāre laying down here, bird guyā¦)
Jack: ā¦ ā¦
Jack: Sorry Iā¦Iām not much helpā¦Iā¦
Jack: (ā¦.REALLY hope you know what youāre doingā¦)
Mikhail: -Wearyā¦ and sadā¦- Noā¦ it should have been expected and anticipated. We were not surprised. Alarmed, yes, but not surprisedā¦.
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 werenāt so fragileā¦
Jack: ā¦ā¦
Jack: (Fragileā¦like a birdā¦)
Jack: (Flying solo for your friend, huhā¦)
Mikhail: At least he took Jazz with him. That may prove to be his saving grace, if things go south.
Mikhail: ā¦That brings us up to the present, I suppose. Do you have any other questions?
Jack: ā¦ ā¦
Jack: (Should I ask āem if they can help me find Miss Eight? If they couldnāt stop the bird guy, theyāll DEFINITELY try and stop meā¦.)
Jack: Uhā¦no, noāwell, sorta. Do you guys got anything I can use? Likeāsupplies and stuff. Just to have on hand.
Jack: Andā¦ if youāve heard anything from Miss Eightās family.
Mikhail: We have not heard from them yet, but we may hear from them within a weekās 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 eventsā¦
Mikhail: As for suppliesāforgive me, but I thought Ms. White set you up at a flat in Britain?
Jack: W-well, yeah, butā¦
Jack: ā¦Saw a metal snake behind my couchā¦
[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 mindā¦]
Mikhail: ā¦
Mikhail: -Somewhat strained at first- Oh, of course. No, of courseā¦. It was good of you to come hereā¦. Letās seeā¦
Mikhail: I know that David sent a great deal of good suppliesāwhich I see you have brought with you. Howeverā¦ if youāre planning on camping, youāll need something to eatā¦
[He wanders off for a moment. When he comes back, he has what appears to be a small coolerā¦ or else a very large lunchbox.]
Mikhail: Itās not much, but with what youāre going throughā¦ 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, manā¦ this isā¦. This is just greatā¦
Mikhail: Youāre welcome.
[He stands and takes off his glasses to clean them for a moment.]
Mikhail: Iām 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 onceāI think Felix had a gift for you.
Jack: ā¦? (Miss Eight said the same thingā¦. She said he said it was important, tooā¦)
Jack: Uhā¦I think maybe Iāll 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 timeā¦AND in one piece.]
Mikhail: Heās out a bit further in the Wilderness. Thereās a path that leads more or less right by his house. (Granted, his house is underground, but.)
Jack: Hmm. Got itāIāll 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 timesāthe doc said he had to often just to keep himself limber.]
Jack: Nnhā¦.
[ā¦Despite the looming danger in front of him, and what was yet to comeā¦
ā¦Strangely, Jack didnāt feel all that worried about it at the moment. Maybe it was the food.]
Jack: ā¦.
Jack: (Well, need to at least see what all that is aboutā¦)
[It wasnāt 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 placeā¦. Canāt say I expected it would be undergroundā¦)
Jack: ā¦
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 andā¦ gentler, somehow.]
Piers: Iām sorry, I donāt think weāve met before. May I help you?
Jack: (ā¦OK, Iāve seen people dye their hair some CRAZY colors butā)
Jack: Umāyeah, same here. CDN.7037, Designation 'Dencerjackā. Just call me Jackā¦
Jack: UhāIām looking for a guy called Felix? The guys back at that Meadow told me he had something for me.
Piers: Ahā¦ yes, that makes sense.
Piers: Felix mentioned you. He had an important gift for you. Please, do come in.
Jack: ā¦ āKayā¦.
[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 sofaā¦ 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 timeā¦ 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 storyā¦)
[His eyes keep glancing back to the little blue lights, wondering where in the world they had come fromāthis guy registered as an organic, but he was getting some weird energy readings from him tooā¦
Piers: Where are my manners? Forgive meāallow me to introduce myself. I am Captain Piers of Lemuriaāa Mercury warrior Adept.
Jack: (ā¦.Uhhh.) Nice to meet youā¦
[Piers looked over at the man on the couch, who briefly glowed a faint gold with a green tint.]
Jack: ā¦!
Piers: Felix is still locked in the cursed dreamsā¦ I fear that it is the current disaster which overtook him.
[There were so many things Jack wanted to ask about thatāthe glow, where the heck was Lemuria and what in the world was an Adeptābut he didnāt have the timeā¦]
Jack: Yeah, things have REALLY gone down the drain, huh. ā¦Hope he gets better soon.
Piers: I believe he shall, but that may not be until the crisis has passedā¦ -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 thingsā¦ jewelry, armor, weaponsā¦. 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, yesābut they are enveloped in a black and red aura, and at timesā¦ lose the ability to move of their own volition.
Jack: Ghnā¦. Oh glitch, thatā¦ thatās badā¦
[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: Bā¦But why the glitch would he DO thatā?
Piers: Out of concern. Everyone was very worried. Felix honestly thought he could find an answer. Not only thatā¦ he also sympathized with your position.
Jack: ā¦Position?
Piers: -Shakes his head- Within your group. ā¦Felix knew what it was like to haveā¦ hard taskmasters, who favored the use of force to show dominance and displeasure.
Jack: -Winces at the reminderā¦ and the thought someone else went through the same thing- ā¦
Jack: ā¦Hnā¦
Jack: ā¦Isā¦ Is he gonna be okayā?
[The sailor looked over at the Adept in question.]
Piers: ā¦Probably. Heās 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 itā¦.
[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 beā¦ only a single item inside.]
Jack: ā¦.?
[ā¦What theā¦ a ring, of all things?]
Piers: -Looks QUITE surprised- So thatās where it went.
[He is suddenly very thoughtful.]
Piers: He must have felt that you would need itāand deserved itāand had it set aside for you to give to youā¦
Jack: ? You know what this is?
Piers: Yes. Thatās a Clericās Ring: a rare artifact that prevents loss of control of your person.
Jack: ā¦ ā¦
Jack: You meanā 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: ā¦So itās just for me. Got itā¦
[Jack takes a few seconds to inspect the ring a little before putting it on. It fit perfectly.]
Jack: Wowā¦feels weirdā¦
[ā¦But in a good way.]
Jack: ā¦..
Jack: ā¦.
Jack: (ā¦This can protect meā¦ I wonāt get sick. Man, that makes me feel a HELL of a lot betterā¦ I guess I really am lucky, having this kinda stuff availableā¦ but Kateā¦)
Piers: I can see you have a lot on your mindā¦ 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: Uhā A-Are you sure? You said Felix isā¦ sick, I, I donāt wannaā¦ be a bother, especially in a time like this--
Piers: Nonsense. It is no imposition whatsoever.
Jack: ā¦
Jack: ā¦Aā¦Alright. Iā¦ need tā think over all this, maybeā¦. Yā¦yeah. Thanks.
[And think them over he did.
ā¦ ā¦ ā¦Kateā¦. The only person who ever gave two bolts about himā¦the woman who saved his lifeā¦
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 harmās wayā¦
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 bayā¦
Theā¦ friend he had shared laughter with, who had made his days more than just ābearableāā¦
She was out there somewhere in America, alone. In the midst of all this.]
Jack: (If she IS OK, somewhere, then yeah, nothing to worry about thenā)
Jack: (ā¦.Butā¦if she ISNāTā¦)
Jack: ā¦ ā¦
Jack: Sonofva[GLITCH.]
[Without another word, Jack yanks his old biker trenchcoat off from the floor, and heads for the door.]
āWhere are you going?ā
Jack: !
Jack: Uhā
[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: Iā¦
Jack: Iām sorry, Captain, butāI really have to goā
Piers: ā¦
Piers: Very well.
Jack: !
Piers: But before you do, permit me to at least prepare some supplies.
Jack: Iā¦
Jack: I donāt know if I can carry any moreā¦
[Piers smiled at this.]
Piers: Weāll 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: Whatās in the bag?
Piers: Some healing items. I am unsure if they would work on you, but I am inclined to think they would. Thereās also a change of clothes that should fit relatively well; youāll want them if you travel for long. Thereās also some water and a few defensive items. You may take a look for yourself.
[The first thing he notices is theā¦wow there is a WHOLE lot more room in here than what it looks like on the outsideāhow is that even physically possible.]
Jack: ā¦. Are you sure you wonāt need this?
Piers: Very. We wonāt be traveling for some time; your need is far greater.
Jack: Okay thenā¦
[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 sayā¦ itās nice to start off a quest with something at hand.
Jack: No kiddingā¦
[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.
[ā¦WOW OKAY. There was a city there that was NOT there beforeā
āand whatās more, it looked familiar! It was definitely somewhere from Jackās own world!
Jack looked to where he pointedāhis violet eyes widening as he locked his gaze into something familiar in this huge mess of chaosāit almost felt relieving to see his destination at last.
ā¦In factā¦judging from the city skylineāit almost looked likeā¦]
[..Seattle?]
Jack: ā¦ ā¦
Jack: I REALLY hope itās not gonna be raining by the time I get thereā¦
Jack: That city is almost ALWAYS raining, seeā¦
Jack: (ā¦Itās better than nothing, at least.)
[Piers smiled a little.]
Piers: Do you have a poncho you could use? Thatās what Iād recommend.
Jack: Oh yeahā¦ now that you mention itā¦.
[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.
ā¦He REALLY felt like he was about to embark on some important journey, now that he thought about itā¦
ā¦Probably because he really was.]
Jack: ā¦-Exhales-
Piers: Godspeed on your journey, my friend. Return home safely upon its completionāand 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: ā¦Godspeedā¦yeahā¦
Jack: (Iām gonna need all the luck in the world for thisā¦)
[In an instant, he starts to sprint off. Might as well get a head start and run for itā¦!]
Jack: (Just a little further, Kateā¦! Iām almost thereā¦!)
Jack: (Just hold on until thenā¦!)
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{Meanwhileā¦
Kansas City Zoo}
[Evacuating the zoo had been more of a hassle than Cardinal had anticipated.
The first order of business upon arriving had been to take out the infected animal-themed Industrials that had gathered around the gate entrance. While it hadnāt been very difficult to pull off, it had scared a number of the people who saw the fight. Convincing them that he wasnāt there to hurt them hadnāt been very successful, much to his chagrinā¦ but not exactly to his surprise.
Then he spent a good fifteen to twenty minutes ādetainedā by one of the members of security, who insisted on getting verification of Cardinalās story. Contacting other witnesses (besides Drake) who could speak up on his behalf had taken a while, and even then, the security team member did not seem pleased.
Cardinal was growing impatient by this time, frustrated at being unable to help; he was not used to waiting to get permission to carry out his heroics. For the first time, he really felt how a lack of recognizable identity prevented him from gaining othersā trust. (The fact that neither his brother nor his best friends would have this problem was a point of contention that was not lost on the somewhat resentful prototype.)
After his good intentions had been verified, he was put to work under the direction of the zoo personnel. Most of the infected Civilian constructs had already been detained and subdued, and thankfully the security team had been able to handle a lot of the āincidentsā they had caused. The rogue Industrials, however, were another matter. Even after the visitors had been evacuated, heād felt obliged to stay on.
Heād gone from exhibit to exhibit with the assistance of the staff in order to subdue and remove the infected Industrials from the exhibits they normally monitored. In many cases, the rogue Industrials had already been mauled by the animals themselves, whichāwhile it made his job easierādid pose a biohazard. In other casesā¦ he had to enter into the exhibit and wrangle the threat without causing much more agitation from the genuine animals.
Easier said than done. With all the animals in the 202 acres the zoo had to offer, it took the rest of the day to clear it all up.]
Cardinal: -Sighs, tapping his fingers against the water glass- Well. That certainly didnāt go as expected.
[Once all had been said and done, the staff insisted on him and Drake having dinner āon the houseā from one of the zooās restaurants. Cardinal had ordered pizza out of politenessāand had eaten most of it. (The rest heād given to Jazz.) Drake had ordered a more balanced meal, though Cardinal hadnāt been paying much attention to the meal or the conversation.]
Drake: You sound disappointed.
Cardinal: Frustrated, perhaps. Time is of the essence here. There are other places I need to be.
Drake: So you were serious about wanting to go all around the city?
[Cardinal drained his glass.]
Cardinal: Yes. I suppose it was a bit much to expect I could get it all done today, butā¦ I didnāt take into consideration how long it would take to get people to listen. -Grumbles- And I certainly didnāt expect to be told what to doā¦
Drake: Well, you did a good job anyway.
Cardinal: Thanks.
[There was silence for a moment.]
Drake: Iāve been wondering somethingā¦
Cardinal: Yeah?
Drake: How come you werenāt infected?
[Cardinal froze, holding perfectly still.]
Cardinal: (Nnngā¦)
Drake: Seems like everyone else has just gone nuts.
[His mind raced, and he found himself speaking without even thinking.]
Cardinal: Not everyone. Some of the security team here were Xelbots. Something about a failsafe, I think.
Drake: -Snaps his fingers- Oh yeah, they did mention thatā¦. Almost forgot, since mostly they were working with you, not me.
Cardinal: I donāt know why some Xelbots got infected and some didnāt. It doesnāt make a whole lot of sense, even with what I knowā¦.
[He sighed, running his fingers through his hair.]
Cardinal: Thereās only one person I can think of who might be able to tell us, and I couldnāt contact them earlier today when I tried.
Drake: You almost make it sound like you know what this is.
Cardinal: Mmmmnā¦ maybe.
Drake: ā¦Really?
[His companion gave a cross between a skeptical and a confused look.]
Cardinal: Sorry to disappoint, but itās nothing so grand or mysterious. Iāve just seen something like this before.
Drake: Dude, everything about you right now is mysterious.
Cardinal: Fair enough. I suppose if you want some storytime, I can tell you while you eat.
[He fiddled with his scarf as he talked.]
Cardinal: Explaining where Iām from and stuff would take longer than we have, and I donāt want too many people knowing about that, anyway. But I can tell you this: when everything began to melt down, I just had to spring into action. I didnāt have time to analyze it all until I was forced to think things through and slow down. And thatās when I noticed it.
Cardinal: These infected constructsā¦ theyāre acting a lot like what happened to Greater Duskās team members during the Queenās Finals.
Drake: āā¦
Drake: [Glitch] youāre rightā
Drake: Man, I heard about thatā¦! Now that you mention itā¦
Cardinal: Iām positive theyāre connected.
Drake: Butā
Cardinal: I donāt know how, and I canāt prove it yetā¦ and trust me, thatās probably the extent of what you want to know.
Drake: Shouldnāt someone be told about this?
Cardinal: You can pass it on to whomever, I guess. Iām more concerned about preventing the situation from getting worse.
Drake: Things can always get worse.
Cardinal: -Snorts at this- Thatās true, but I donāt think you guys get the extent of where this could go. Of why itās so important for me to carry out my mission.
Drake: Go on?
Cardinal: Iām sure youāve noticed how itās all been Xelbots, right? Obviously, but consider this. I had to destroy the infected ones, and other people were probably forced to do the same. Some of them might have done so in self-defense, or out of retaliation for something terrible the Xelbot did.
Cardinal: Imagine, if you would, someone whoās seen every Xelbot thatās infected cause massive damage and seriously hurt people. And along comes a Xelbot thatās not infected. What do you think is going to happen?
Drake: ā¦
Cardinal: What if it was taken a step further? What if it went beyond mobs to outright orders? Turn in, destroyā¦ with or without warningā¦ a witch hunt. A massacre.
Cardinal: -Mumbles- Another Monstropolisā¦
Drake: You really think that theyāll do that?
Cardinal: I think itās possible, Drake. And I canāt let that happen. We have to do all that we can to prevent that, or the long-term consequences would be devastating.
Drake: You say that like you have to solve this single-handedly.
Cardinal: It sure feels that way, yeah. I know Iām just one person, though. There are people I know who could help, butā¦ again, they werenāt answering.
Drake: You could try again, maybe? If you think thereās someone that can keep things from getting worse, you should definitely get them in contact with you, butā¦ forgive my curiosity, but who might that be?
Cardinal: -Rueful grin- If I told you, I donāt think youād believe me. You probably think Iām crazy enough. If I did get in contact with them, you probably would, though. But for now I just want to focus on the rest of the city.
Drake: Wellā¦ I guess we better get going, then.
Cardinal: Oh? Are you coming along with me? Itās pretty late, now, and I donāt know how long this will take.
Drake: Iāll pull an all-nighter for a worthy cause. Not like I really have anything else to do. Union Stationās going to be closed tomorrow. Besidesāstill need a good word so that the good guys will listen to you, right?
Cardinal: Heh. Yeah.
Cardinal: Thanks, Drake. Whenever youāre ready, pack your bagsāweāre goinā on a tour of the city!
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{Titus
That Evening}
[Thud.]
[A very tired and emotionally exhausted Nine hauls himself up into bedāno longer worse for wear, but one could not say the same for his troubled mind.]
[Ping.]
[MN.2-3, 5-7 HAVE BLOCKED MN.9. ERROR: MN.4 AND MN.8 SIGNALS NOT FOUND.]
Beck: -Groans-
Beck: Guys...
Beck: Where ARE you--?
[Of course, they wouldn't answer. Beck had been trying, constantly, in his spare time to at least reach someone.]
[Ping.]
[ERROR: RMDC NOT RESPONDING. UNABLE TO MAKE COMM LINE CONNECT.]
[Anyone...]
[Ping.]
[ERROR: DLN-000 SIGNAL NOT FOUND.]
[Ping.]
[ERROR: Ć SIGNAL NOT FOUND.]
[But he was met with errors and silence.]
Beck: ....
[He had to try--he had to keep trying--]
[He just couldn't sleep in this dreadful silence--he was so used to falling asleep to the chatter of his louder siblings in the house, he just couldn't...]
Beck: (Why...)
Beck: (Why ME?)
Beck: (This would have been so much...easier, if at least one of you guys stayed here--at least Pyro is back now, but that was...)
Beck: (Oh, please, please, I just want some help--!)
[But try as he might, and for a good while too, he got nothing. The fact that Avi was probably still sitting on the airwaves didn't make this any easier, either...]
Beck: ....
[With a final sigh of defeat, Beck crawls off of his blankets to dig into his backpack.]
[He then pulls out a smart phone--which was of course corrupted with the virus as soon as he clicks the button on the side. Ugh.]
Beck: -Displeased, go away.-
[A flash of green XelFilter later, and the phone was back to normal.]
Beck: ...
[He flips through the contacts list. He knew that Avi would make sure the phones wouldn't work, at least while they were infected like this...]
[But, he had the power to just fix it, so--something so small...Avi wouldn't notice, right?]
Beck: (...It's worth a shot...)
[CALLING...]
āāāāāāā
{Kansas City}
[Cardinal wiped off some Xel that had splattered on him, sighing about the damage to the artifacts.]
Cardinal: (Those were historically significant baseballs, I hope they canā)
[His phone went off rather loudly, startling him.]
Cardinal: !!! Again?
āEverything alright in there?ā
Cardinal: Yeah, Drake! Iām finished in here! Just give me a moment, someoneās calling!
[Drake opened the door, stepping in cautiously with some museum staff behind him.]
Drake: At this hour? Who is it?
Cardinal: -Looks at his phone- ā¦
Cardinal: !!! Beck?!
Drake: Wait, whatā? Like, the Mighty Numbersā
Cardinal: Shhh!
[He put the call on speaker.]
Cardinal: Beck? Is that you?
āāāāāāāāā
{Titus}
Beck: ā!!!
Beck: CARDSā!
Beck: Oh my gosh oh my goshāit workedā!!
[His sudden yelling obviously gets the attention of Pyrogenāwho was resting in his own room at the time. Beck's door opens and the Mighty Number looks ready to tackle someoneā]
Pyro: ā??
Beck: -Puts his finger to his mouth, SHHHHH-
Beck: -Data, it's Cardinalā!-
Pyro: ā!!
[PINGā!]
Beck: -Leans back into the phone while Pyro calls the others-
Beck: Cardsāgosh, it is so good to hear your voice, oh manā
Beck: I didn't thinkāDidn'tā
Beck: -WEEEH-
Beck: -Caaaaards-
[There's some yelling somewhere in the building.]
āUhhā¦?"
[He sounded confused.]
"It'sā¦ good to hear from you too? Uhā¦."
[A pause.]
āWhatās with the shouting? Are you alright?ā
Beck: YeahāI meanāyeahā
Beck: Justāare YOU okay?!
Beck: Y-You just left and everyone's wondering where you went to and it's just beenānutsānot even nuts, just completely insaneāhnn...
Beck: I wasāstillāreally worried since everything is...
Beck: -We are just so relieved to hear you, SNIFF-
Pyro: (Cardinal...)
āIām fine, butāā
[There was noise in the background, as if other people were whispering.]
āBeck, how did you get through to me? I tried calling earlier and didnāt get an answer!ā
Beck: WellāI fixed this phone and I thought, since it wasn't infected...I'd try calling you...
Beck: The database is down, andāwhā
Beck: Call, wait, give it backā
Call: This call is now on speaker, DLN-000.
āOkayā¦?ā
Call: This unit requests that you confirm who exactly you called.
Call: This information may be vital.
āāāāāāāāāāā
{Kansas City}
[Cardinal pulled the phone away for a moment to stare at it in exasperation.]
Cardinal: -Mildly annoyed at the redundancy of the question- I called Shade, of course.
Drake: Shade? You called Countershade?
Cardinal: -Looks up, smirking slightly- Told you you wouldnāt believe me.
Cardinal: -Returns his attention to his phone, grin fading- I know you guys must be terribly busy, but seriously! I really did need some help, at the time. How are things holding up on your end?
[Before Beck could answer, Pyroās voice came through.]
āCardinalā¦? Where are you?ā
Cardinal: -Looks around the room- ā¦
[He was suddenly wary.]
Cardinal: ā¦Where I need to be right now. Whyā¦?
Cardinal: Whatās going on here?
āāāāāāāāāāāāāā
{Titus}
āWhereās Shade?ā
Beck: -Hnk...-
Pyro: . . .
āWhere is he?! This isn't a game, guysāI really could use his help!ā
[...No one answered, for a while.]
Beck: C...Cards...
Beck: Cards...y-you were there...
Beck: Didn't...didn't you see?
āWhat are you TALKING about?ā
Call: Statement: DLN-000 was present during the initial outbreak.
āUh, yeah? I somehow ended up ināā¦the place where I am nowā¦ and have been fighting crazy people since then. What are you getting at?ā
Call: ā¦
Call: Inquiry: what is the last thing you remember prior to the current national crisis?
āNational? Are you telling me that this isn't isolated?ā
Beck: Didn'tā¦ didn't you hear the news broadcastsā¦?
āI was a bit busy, Beckāā
Call: Statement: DLN-000 needs to answer the question.
āMnn. ā¦We had pancakesāā
Pyro: (Whatā¦?!)
Beck: B-but that was yesterdayā!
āWhat?ā
Pyro: -A bit incredulous, but also very concerned- Cardinal, are you alrightā¦? Youā¦ you aren'tā¦ ill, are you?
āWhat?! No, of COURSE not!ā
Pyro: Are you sureā? Memory loss isā
ā-Interrupting- Is the standard side effect of a Stop error. Just spit it out, already, guysāwhere is he?! I don't have all evening!ā
Call: Statment: the location of Mighty No. 8 is currently unknown.
āUgh, of COURSE, he must be workingā¦ I'll have to catch up with him after I'm done hereā¦ā
Call: Clarification: the locations of Mighty Numbers 2-8 have not yet been determined.
āExcuse me?ā
Beck: I...
Beck: They...
Beck: Th...They got infected, Cardsā
[Silence.]
Beck: Youā¦ y-you were shouting aboutā¦ not leaving him behindā¦
Beck: D-donāt you rememberā¦?
[More silence.]
āH-hey, Cardinalāyou alright there?ā
āāāāāāāāāāāāāāā
{Kansas City}
>KEY WORD IDENTIFIED: INFECTED
>CROSS-REFERENCES IDENTIFIED: VIRUS, GREATER DUSK, 04.04.2016T MEMORY DATA
-=-=-=-=-
[MN.8] //: ....If anythin' does happen t' me?
[MN.8] //: ...Don't try an' stop me.
-=-=-=-=-
>PROCESSINGā¦
[Cardinal had sat down rather suddenly, his mind reeling.]
Drake: Talk to me, manā
[Cardinal said nothing, his sense of the present fading into a sea of analytics.]
>PROCESSINGā¦
[His mind was swimming with facts and statistics.]
[A national crisis of crazed robotsāof violence like the Queen's Finals. A virus. The world had a large percentage of robotic persons. Robots took up a large percentage of the work force, especially when it came to industry. And it wasn't just industryāthere were black-ops covert organizations as well.
Because Industrials, Civvies, and even entertainment-focused Combat 'bots asideā¦ there was an ENTIRE organization of assassins to account forā¦]
>FUNCTIONAL PLACEHOLDER DATA: +500,000 THREAT LEVEL BLUE SUB-VARIABLES, DENSELY CONCENTRATED IN MAJOR CITIES
Cardinal: !!!
[His eyes suddenly FLARED bright green in alarm.]
Drake: Are you okay?
Cardinal: -Shakes his head, staring off into the distance with a haunted expression-
[He was drowning, drowning in data. Dark, grim facts.
This timeline had an outwardly crippled military, which didn't have the numbers for small-scale counterstrikes. Civilians were at risk.
>ERROR - ANALYSIS DATA CONFLICTS WITH PRIMAL ANALYSIS NEXUS ON FILE FOR VARIABLE: MNN-008
Cardinal: (ShadeāShade could NEVER do something like thisā!)
Cardinal: (N-notā!)
Cardinal: (NOT THISā!)
[Except Shade wasn't himself anymore, was he?]
-=-=-=-=-
āDonāt fight the person: fight the parasite.ā
-=-=-=-=-
[And what would happen if a hostile parasite had access to Shade's capabilities?]
>COMPREHENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF SECURITY, CYBERSECURITY, AND SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS (COMPLETELY DISABLED SECURITY SYSTEMS FOR HEADQUARTERS OF GLOBAL MANUFACTURER)
>COMPREHENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF ADVANCED AND RESTRICTED WEAPONRY (OPERATED SHOULDER LAUNCHER WITHOUT INSTRUCTIONS)
>ACCESS TO WHOLESALE SUPPLY OF MILITARY GRADE WEAPONS TECHNOLOGY (MULTIPLE CASES OF OBTAINING CUSTOMIZED HIDDEN WEAPONRY TO PROVIDE TO UNAUTHORIZED INDIVIDUALS)
>PROFESSIONAL GRADE FIREPOWER (ESTIMATED MAXIMUM RANGE: 1.8 MILES)
>ABOVE-SUPERIOR MILITARY GRADE STEALTH TECHNOLOGY: ONLY ONE KNOWN NON-LUCK BASED METHOD OF DETERMINING LOCATION ā SCENT
[There was no avoiding it.
With Shade's abilities? There really weren't any LIMITS to what he COULD do.]
>WARNING! PRIORITY THREAT IDENTIFIED!
((Pic: Shade "RADAR" w/stats and abilities listed))
>CONTINGENCY 1: AIR FORCE BASE
>CONTINGENCY 2: NAVY YARD
>CONTINGENCY 3: ARMY RESEARCH FACILITY
>CONTINGENCY 4: BIOCHEMICAL WARFARE
>CONTINGENCY 5: NATIONWIDE BLACKOUT (INCLUDING BACKUP GENERATORS)
>CONTINGENCY 6ā¦
[He could see it now, in the full potentialāhe could see what would happen if someone like Shade managed to strike in just the right place.]
[The final results of the analyses that filled every aspect of his Awareness showed a domino effect created by the United States essentially vanishing as a military and economic power, which led to a truly global nightmare.]
[After falling from power, there would be a cascade of economic collapse that spread throughout Europe, Asia, and South Americaāfollowed by violent civil wars in some places, and power grabs in others from highly brutal, totalitarian forces that were no longer held in check by the functional presence of a benevolent superpower that enabled the continued existence of other benevolent world powersā¦.]
[Time. There was still time to fix this. They had a WAY to fix it; and if they could do this fast ENOUGH, thenā¦]
Cardinal: Th-thenā¦
[If they could act fast enough, and handle the main threats, then people would be able to hold together. To do so long enough that they could isolate and purge the virus.
They would have to act FAST, but if there WAS a cure, thenā¦
Light.
There was light in the midst of this despair.]
āāāāāāāāāā
{Titus}
āThen there IS hopeā¦ā
Beck: -Suddenly- Of courseā!
Beck: I just couldn'tāthere's no one else, there WAS no one elseā
Beck: I know it wasn'tānot their fault, I had to do SOMETHINGā
Beck: I swearāI'm gonna save them, I swearā!
Pyro: Beckā
Beck: He needs to know!
Beck: "He needs to know I'm not going to... I won't, I won't..."
Beck: I p r o m i s e...
[A pause.]
ā-Sounds distracted- Do you know where the others are?ā
Beck: I...
[A very long sigh.]
Beck: ...no...
āāāāāāāāāā
{Kansas City}
"B-Butā! We're looking for them! Call is doing everything she canā"
Cardinal: (Of courseā¦ I should have known as much. Stillā¦)
Cardinal: -Speaking aloud again- Youā¦ you WILL be able to find them, though, rightā¦?
[Ping!]
"This unit will not enter Sleep Mode until all MN units are found."
"āā¦Uh, Callā"
"Opinion: Sleep is overrated."
Cardinal: -Twitches a smile- I thought Beck said you didn't sleep to begin with, butā¦. Thanks, that'sā¦ encouraging?
"Affirmative."
" W-What she means is that she'llāshe'll find them! We found Pyro really quick, so it's only a matter of timeā!"
"That is true..."
"And--and once we do, thenā"
"You can come see them, rightā?"
Cardinal: Of course I will, Beck.
[He heaved a sigh.]
Cardinal: Assuming I make it out of this in one piece, anyway.
"H-huhā¦?"
"-Concerned- Are you injured?"
Cardinal: -Snorts- Wrong question to ask someone with a fatal coding error. You know that.
"Statement: DLN-000 possesses all the chemical components involved in the medical research oriented at providing treatment for said ongoing problems. Upon return to Sanda Enterprisesā"
[Something seemed to click for Cardinal, and he gave a grim expression.]
Cardinal: Guysā¦
āāāāāāāāāā
{Titus}
āā¦Iām not leaving.ā
Pyro: What?
Beck: āPyro, don't break itā!
Pyro: -Flares- This city and still COUNTLESS others are overrun with crazed bots, Cardinal! You can't STAY out there!
Pyro: Not only do we need you, your FAMILY needs youāwe haven't had contact with them since Avi took over the waves again!
Beck: Pyroā! -Don't TELL him thatā!-
Pyro: -He will find out anywayā-
āI tried contacting the RMDC earlier, and that was down as well. The fact that you hadnāt traced my call and teleported me out yet already told me that it is still down, or Mikhail would have done so already. If anyone else were missing, you would have mentioned that. This tells me that everyone else is currently safe. I fully trust the others to be able to keep it that way.ā
Pyro: None of us knows that for certain!
Pyro: You need to come HOME, NOW, you have a duty to uphold as the head ofā
[This was a poor choice of words.]
ā-Angry, VERY angry due to being DEEPLY insulted- Donāt you lecture a soldier on duty, Pyrogen A. White. I have damn good reason to continue my mission, and youād do best to not belittle my motives! My family is safe, and my duty is elsewhere!ā
Pyro: -Flaresā-!- Motives?! What is more important thanā
Beck: Guysā!
Beck: STOP IT!
Beck: Fighting about it isn't going to bring ANYONE back!
Beck: I don't WANT to fight about it, I don't want to fight at allā
Beck: Bring you back was hard enoughā
Pyro: -Flames die down at thisā-
Beck: And I know I can't do it aloneā!
āā¦ā
Beck: I just can'tā!
Beck: Cards please I know you care about Shade b-butāIāI don't know if I can d-do this aloneā
Beck: Pleaseācome homeā
Beck: P-Pleaseā!
[Silence.]
Beck: P-pleaseā¦!
āāāāāāāāāāāā
{Kansas City}
[Cardinal ran a hand over his face, putting it over his mouth. He was unusually calm given his temper mere moments earlier.]
āC-Cardsā¦?ā
Cardinal: ā¦
[His mind went back. Back to the fall of Monstropolis.
To the carnage. The wreckage. The destruction.
The hate.
His mind took him back to those days, to the days when the mobs sprung up all across the country, and protestors tore factories and constructs to pieces. To the months and months of news reports detailing the scandal, and the new regulations and orders that started to choke the life out of the industry.]
Cardinal: ā¦
[He would give anything. Anything. He would give anything to spare them that here.
They did not know the danger. They understood the threat to them personally, but they still did not seeā¦]
āA-are you okay? P-please, say s-something!ā
[He slowly vented a sigh.]
Cardinal: Beckā¦ I canāt.
"Cardsā!"
"Pleaseā! We need youāyou're smart a-and you know what to do andāandā"
[He was slammed with guilt, and for a moment, he wavered. He truly wavered, and his fortitudeāif not his complete resolveācrumbled a bit beneath the weight.]
Cardinal: Youā¦ you really do look to me like that, do youā¦
āāāāāāāāāāāāā
{Titus}
Beck: O...Of course I do...
Beck: Y...You're family too...
Pyro: . . . (Beck...)
āāāāāāāāāāāā
{Kansas City}
Cardinal: -Strained fan buzzing, pain-
Cardinal: Iām not you, Beck. I canāt do what you can do. Even if I were to go there, it would still all come down to you.
āI-Iā!ā
Cardinal: If you can do it with Pyro, you can do it with the others.
"B-Butāthe formsāI lost them, I got hard reset when the virus hit, I don't haveā!"
Cardinal: Itās alright, Beck. Itāll be alright. I know you can save them.
āāāāāāāāāāāāā
{Titus}
āI believe in you.ā
Beck: ā!
[Something flared deep within Beck's own code for a few moments--and tear filled eyes suddenly widened as they glowed with a bright, green light.]
Beck: ...y-you...do...?
Beck: I...
Beck: (He...Cards... believes in me? Me?)
"You've already done the impossible. You have a kind heart and abilities that rivalānay, even surpass my own. You have the resolve and people to support you, and a family that gives you strength. Yesā¦ I believe you can do it, Number Nine."
Beck: Me...?
[For a moment, Beck seemed...almost dazed. Pyro took this time to set down the phone in Beck's hands again.]
Pyro: ...Cardinal...
Pyro: I do too.
Beck: -Another eye glow at this-
Pyro: ...but that doesn't change the fact that you still need to come home...
Pyro: Wouldn't it be easier for both of us if we worked together?
"Iā¦"
[Cardinal sounded painfully lost, almost uncertain. When he gathered his thoughts to something coherent, he sounded very sad, almost remorseful.]
"What exactly is it you think I'm after, guysā¦?"
Beck: . . .
Beck: Shade...
Beck: It...it has to be...
āItās more complicated than that. You donāt understand.ā
Pyro: Enlighten me.
[There was an exasperated sigh on the line.]
āYou all just donāt see it, do you? If things continue like they are now, thenāā
[KSSSTā!]
Beck: ā!!
[The screenāand callāsuddenly filled with static, and Avi's symbol could be seen on the display as it glitched onscreen.]
Avi: D'aw, that's real touching.
Avi: Noooot. Barf. Sentimentality is SO last century!
Pyro: AVIā!
Beck: Avi, noā!
"Gosh, you sound REALLY mad at him. Did I miss something?"
Avi: HA! From what I've heard, sounds like you've been mentally sleeping through the apocalypse! Geez, I knew you were OLD, but senile? That's new. Orrrr it would be, if it weren't for the fact we all know you're CRAZY! Sounds to me like we should stop calling you āCardinalā and start calling you āCuckooā!
"ā¦"
[There was cold laughter.]
"If that's the worst you're doing, Avi, then you just dropped to the bottom of my priority list."
Pyro: It's NOT! He's been hindering communication lines all over the countryā!
Avi: No duh, matchstick! These are MY airwaves now!
"ā¦"
"You have Toby's voice echoing on the line. I can feel the edge of his data."
"What did you do?"
Avi: Tch. Don't bring that LOSER up, so not hiring him full-timeā¦
Avi: I'd say you all have bigger problems to worry about than that small-fry!
Call: Inquiry: how did you intercept a call made to a multidimensional service cell phone?
Avi: Oh, I have my ways. It wasn't hard.
āāāāāāāāāāāā
{Kansas City}
[Cardinal narrowed his eyes.
If Avi could track him down, that was a problem. And if Avi could track him downā¦ then eventually, Sanda Enterprises would be able to do the same. If he wasn't done by thenā¦ that would end poorly.
Priority alpha missions obliged him to fight to the death to complete them if neccessary, and he had no desire to end up cornered and forced to do so against his friends.
He needed to know the details, but Avi obviously wasn't going to help him out, soā¦]
Cardinal: (ā¦Going to have to provoke him into bragging about the truth.)
āāāāāāāāāāāāā
{Titus}
"Of course it wasn't. Not for the likes of YOU."
"With someone as ditzy as you are? Nah, it wasn't hardābut it wasn't EASY, either. It was just dumb luck."
Pyro: Cardinalā!
Avi: You WISH, oldtimer. But obviously, NOBODY is giving me enough credit here! Geez, tough crowd.
"Credit? For what, eavesdropping? That doesn't take any skill at all, and we all know it's your favorite hobby anyway."
Avi: Pffft. YOU'RE one to talk, you deteriorating nest of scrap! All YOU are good at is falling apart and getting all my BORING brothers mad at you.
"I take it you find me so old news that you weren't even bothering to keep tabs on what I was up to."
Avi: Bingo~! Who wants to go out of their way to track down somebody's rough-draft for an armed drone? Sure, I'll sit down and watch if it happens to be on Live; too bad you can't even REMEMBER the most spectacular FAILURE that I've ever seenābut not to worry! I have it on tape! I'll be sure to play it at your funeral.
Pyro: -FLARES- Avi, show some RESPECT!
Avi: Respect? Funny you should say that, because you guys never show ME any of that. Talk about going behind a guy's backā¦
Avi: You didn't think I would catch you trying to go behind my back to call everyone, Beckers, did you?
Beck: ā!
Avi: HA!
Avi: Waste of TIME.
Avi: -Mocking tone- 'Come home, Birdy, because I can't solve my own problems all by myself!' Jeez, no WONDER Lighter Man here took you off the team!
Beck: -Hnnā-
Avi: Pathetic. If you think THIS is badā¦
Avi: Just wait to see what's in store after the commercial break. You don't stand a CHANCE. You don't even have a CLUE!
"-Flatly- I doubt YOU have a clue. Because othewise, this is about the most boring trailer for a disaster reel I've ever heard."
Avi: Hey now, I don't give out spoilers! What kind of 'bot do you take me for?
"Honestly, at this stage? A deranged narcissist."
Pyro: (He's not WRONG, butā!) -Growls a bit- (What are you DOING, Cardinalā?!)
Avi: See, that kind of quip might work better from someone who doesn't go around doing dangerous things by himself on a whim because he's trying to be Batman or whatever. I mean, come on! Doesn't get more self-centered than ignoring a crybaby begging for your help during the apocalypse because you want to be with your bestie! Manā¦ flying solo to take on someone you already LOST against while playing in EASY mode? Talk about a death wishā¦
Avi: Brand and Bat were right about you. You're nothing but a reckless, deathseeking, foolhardy, cowardly DESERTER!
āāāāāāāāāāāā
{Kansas City}
[Beck gasped at this, but Cardinal barely took note of it.]
"How DARE youā!"
"Me? Nah, I don't dare. You can't pin that on me, that's ALLLLLLL Five and Seven. They said as much this morning, when everyone was trying to tear him apart. Not surprised you want to pretend that DIDN'T happen, given that Cuckoo here totally HANDED your chass to you as part of that whole showdown."
Drake: What?!
Cardinal: -Hisses- Shhh!
"And don't act all high and Mighty, matchstickā"
"You feel the same way about his larking about. Don't even TRY to claim you don't, because I've got audio from just a few minutes ago of you yelling at him for it!"
"Nnnghā¦!"
[Cardinal had had enough. He'd heard enough to confirm his suspicionsā¦.]
Cardinal: So.
[Avi might not be focused on tracking him down, but he'd completely lost all sense of respect, compassion, and kindness. He was a complete antithesis of who he had once beenāand he was willing to hurt others, even his own family.]
Cardinal: This is what it has done to all of you.
[This wasn't theory anymore. He was going to have to prioritize who he went after. He couldn't go after all of them at onceā¦]
Cardinal: Pyro, this is exactly why I can't come home, don't you SEE what's going to hapā
"Aaaand cut!"
[KSSSTā]
[Cardinal flinched at the sudden sound of static.]
Cardinal: -Annoyed- Aw, dammitā¦
Drake: What is going ON?
Cardinal: For now? Nothingā¦
Cardinal: Because Avi just dropped the call.
āāāāāāāāāāāāā
{Titus}
Beck: Cards? Cards?
[Kkkkkkkā¦]
Beck: No, no, NOā! AVIā!
Avi: Don't see what YOU are so broken up about. It's not as if you were going to win him over.
[Beck frantically tried to call again, but to no avail; he didn't even get so much as voicemail.]
Avi: Weren't you LISTENING? Cuckoo isn't going to help you, buddy! You're on your OWN. And quite franklyāI was getting BORED!
Pyro: Aviā¦
Avi: Noooowwwww IF you'll excuse meā¦
Avi: I've got a radio show to host.
Pyro: GET BACK HEREā
Avi: Ta-ta~!
[MN.6 HAS BLOCKED MN.1.]
[Pyro gave an exasperated growl, flaring slightly. Beck, however, only looked down at his phone sadly.]
Beck: ...whyā?
Pyro: -Irritated- Hng...
Pyro: He isn't himself, Beck...
Pyro: ...Father...
Pyro: Did you get all that?
[DR.WHITE]//: -Sigh- Most of it. God, I wanted to say something, but I feared that my presence would have made Cardinal hang up...
[DR.WHITE] //: I had thought, you two could...
[DR.WHITE] //: ...Oh, Cardinal...
Beck: . . .
[Ping!]
[DR.SANDA] //: ...Well...
[DR.SANDA]//: We got something out of it, at least.
Beck: --?
[DR.SANDA] //: While you were talking to Cardinal, we used the opening your call made to get some useful data...
[DR.SANDA] //: Call would have to go over it carefully, but as of right now... Toby's blocking the signals, and Avi is still interfering with the TV stations, radio, and other communications...
[DR.SANDA] //: Hopefully, it's something good...
Call: I will begin my analysis right away, Doctors.
Call: Do you require anything else, Beck?
Beck: I...
Beck: ...No, I...I'm fine. I promise.
Call: ... Confirmed.
[Call leaves with a bow, and eventually, Pyro does as well after reassuring his brother that things will be okay, and that they will all be home soon. As the door closes and the lights dim, Beck is once again sitting on his bed, alone.]
Beck: ....
Beck: Cards...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"I believe in you."
āāāāā
"After all.
You are MIGHTY."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Beck: ....
Beck: (Can...can I really do this...?)
Beck: (Saving Pyro could've been just a REALLY good stroke of luck...)
Beck: (...But...)
Beck: (No one else...)
Beck: (No one else is like me...)
Beck: (Or at least...no one willing...)
[Soon, the glow from his eyes dims back down, and Beck himself yawns.]
Beck: (...Tired...)
Beck: (...At least I can sleep now, I think...)
Beck: (I know...I know I'm going to need it...)
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{SANDA LABS...
June 22nd, 20XX}
[It was morning.
Will had fallen asleep next to his terminal, which still showed many analysis programs running in the desktop--it seems they had been running for the rest of that night...
Soi had worked hard and a little longer than Will--a rare thing--but he did his best to get Pyro back up to his normal Xel Count, which should be enough for now; all Pyro needed was rest.
Meanwhile, Beck had fallen asleep next to Call, who was ever restless, ticking away at her console...]
Beck: Zzzz....
[Beck looked much betterāhis armor was fully repaired, as well as his internal systemsāhe was all ready to go, as soon as he woke up.
They just needed to find...]
[PING!]
Will: --!!!
[Will shoots straight awake at the sound--and immediately looks at his terminal. Did the analysis find anything...?!]
Beck: ā?
[Beck also jerks awakeāand nearly almost falls over, but luckily he grabbed onto the back of Call's chair in time.]
Beck: What? What is it?
Call: I have located Mighty No. 2's transponder signal.
[PING!]
[MN.1 IS NOW ONLINE.]
[MN.1] //: Cryo?!
Call: Scanning...
[Thereās a sudden and VERY loud glitched SCREECH and the monitor goes dark.]
Will: ! Noā!
[He hastily started typing away at his terminal, anxious to force it to return to life. When it did, it came back to an error message.]
>ACCESS DENIED
Beck: Not againā¦!
[MN.1] //: āAgaināā¦?
Beck: This happened yesterday when we were trying to find you! We think Tobias is causing it.
[MN.1] //: Tobias? Butā¦ I thought he wasā¦
Will: -Frustrated- Call! Try to scan the location you saw without scanning for Cryosphere herself! Maybe that will bypass these permissions errorsā¦
Call: Acknowledged. Scanningā¦
[As she continued her scan, Will typed away furiously. To his frustration, he only got a new error.]
<RMDC>: > ERRORāCONNECTION TO MAIN SERVER FAILED.
<RMDC>: > CONNECTION FAILEDāUNABLE TO UPDATE MAIN SERVER
<RMDC>: > COMPRESSING DATA FOR NEXT AVAILABLE CONNECTIONā¦
Will: Aghā¦! I should have expected something like thisā¦
Soi: Will, how could ANY of us have expected this?
Will: If Tobias were blocking signals, it make sense he would be trying to block Cryosphereās the hardestā¦
Will: Sheās cross-referencing with David.
[There was some uneasy silence at this.
Out of all the Robot Masters that had been destroyed, it was the loss of the small ice child that had hit their friends the hardest.]
[His death had been truly tragic: he was trapped in a raging inferno until his powers ran out, and then blasted with a plasma cannon right at his core. He never even fought backāthe gentle robot had never had the chance to defend himself.
And Tobiasā¦ had heard the whole thing happen over a live feed.]
Will: Tobias must beā¦ trying to āprotectā her.
[The healthy Mighty Numbers were deeply pained by that. Pyro was hit with a wave of guilt and confusionā¦]
[MN.1] //: -Nnnng, headacheā¦-
[And Beck?
Beck was both hurt and sad.]
Beck: But I promisedā¦. He heard me promise, Iām notā¦!
Beck: (Iām NOT like thatā¦!)
Call: .......
Call: Scan complete. Mighty No. 2 is currently located in Minnesota. The location data suggests that she has confined herself within a Water Works Bureau treatment plant.
[MN.1] //: ā!!
Will: ā! Of course...
Will: Soichiro!
Soi: I heard, I heardā!
[MN.1] //: If she's in a Water Works plant--the place must be her own personal playground by now...
Beck: (She...oh no...all the PEOPLE...!) How soon can I move out?
Will: Call?
Call: Setting up Xel Transfer now...please wait.
[PING!]
[MN.1] //: Fatherā
Will: Absolutely not.
[MN.1] // My Xel Count is normalized, I canā
Will: I said no.
Will: We do not need YOU running off as wellāBeck has your ReXelection now, and therefore Cryo's weakness: he will be fine.
[MN.1] //: .........
Will: Please, son...you've been through enough. Rest.
[MN.1] //: . . .
Beck: Big Brother...
Beck: I SWEAR I'll bring Cryo back. I promise. I can DO this.
[MN.1] //: . . . .
[MN.1] //: Beck...
[MN.1] //: She is creative, crafty, and fearless.
[MN.1] //: Be prepared for ANYTHING.
[MN.1] //: ....And please...
[MN.1] //: Be careful.
[Beck nods, adjusting his visor with a ping of confirmation.]
Beck: Roger that, Big bro.
Call: Xel Transfer ready. The coordinates are set.
Will: Beck?
Beck: ...
Beck: I'm ready.
Will: Good luck, Beck...
Soi: Go get her back for us!
Call: Xel Transfer in progress...
[........]
[PING!]
[MN.1 to CALL] //: Call.
[CALL to MN.1] //: Yes, No. 1?
[MN.1 to CALL] //: Do you want to increase Beck's chances of success?
[CALL to MN.1] //: That would be preferable, yes.
[MN.1 to CALL] //: Then I need you to do me a favor...
[MISSION DETAILS: MIGHTY NO. 2, CRYOSPHERE, HAS TAKEN CONTROL OF A MINNESOTA WATER WORKS BUREAU, WHICH HAS SUBSEQUENTLY CEASED OPERATIONS.]
[MISSION OBJECTIVES: LOCATE AND PURGE ALL HARMFUL MALWARE FROM MN.2, RESCUE ANY TRAPPED CIVILIANS/WORKERS WITHIN THE AREA.]
[SYSTEMS READY?]
[GO!]
[So far, materializing into the Water Works was just like going into the Oil Platformā
Except now, instead of the raging heat, it was now bitter cold that stung every surface of his frame, causing him to shiver uncontrollably for a few moments...]
Beck: Brr...
[It only took a few moments for his internals to adjust to the freezing temperaturesāand when they did...]
Beck: ! Whatā
[His comm went online.]
Soi: What's thisā?! The main entrance is frozen shut!
Will: That should pose no problem. Beck, now would be a good time to use Pyro's ability.
Beck: On itā
[REXELECTā]
Beck: ā!!
Beck: Waitā
[C.VISOR: ONLINE. SCANNING...]
[SCAN COMPLETE.]
Beck: ā! AckāI knew it!
Will: Whatāwhat is it?
Beck: I'm detecting both organic and Xel signatures on the other side.
Beck: If I use Pyro's power, I might hurt them.
Will: ā! Ah...can you find some other way inside to rescue them?
Beck: Not from what I can see.
Call: Scanning...
Call: ....
Call: Beck, proceed east. I've located a faster, alternate route into the waterworks via the reservoir.
Beck: CallāCall I sink like a ROCK.
Beck: I can't SWIM very wellā!!
Call: This alternate route has various platforms and ledges that can be used for safe access to the waterworks.
Call: I have seen you jump quite well underwater myself, No. 9.
Beck: ....
Beck: Are you SURE it's safe down there...?
Call: There may be a likely chance that malfunctioning aquatic based CherryDyn and Sanda models have also taken residence in the reservoir.
Beck: .....
Beck: Of course they did...
[Beck trudged along forward with a foreboding sense of dread, and after running into a couple of standard trash bots--]
[He came across a long access pool that only went straight down. There was nothing but a faint green tinge to it, making visibility null.]
Beck: ....
Beck: This is the unfiltered reservoir.
Call: Also correct.
Beck: GROSS.
Will: ....-makes a face-
Soi: Oof, that's gonna be unpleasant...
Beck: ....
Beck: -INHALES-
Beck: CANNONBALLā
[KERSPLASH!]
[He used his dash to seamlessly dive into the reservoir feet first...]
[His C.Visor went down over his eyes once it sensed the presence of water and increased pressure, and adjusted his sight to give at least an idea of what he was getting into.]
Beck: (OoooooomanI'mgoingREALLYdeepā)
[Down...]
[Down...]
[And down he went...]
[Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity--]
[His feet find solid steel floor.]
Beck: ....
[.......]
[LOW LEVEL LIGHT DETECTED.]
[NEON REFLECTORS: ONLINE.]
[The lights on his arm cannon started to glow brighter!]
Beck: ā! (Ohāneat...!)
Call: Warning--incoming hostiles.
[...Yes, it seems as if several small bubbles of...dirty filth was heading towards him...?]
Beck: ....?
Call: Several of the plant's water filtering robots have utilized the toxins and harmful debris within the reservoir to act as a shield.
[They seemed to be attracted to Beck's light...!]
Beck: (āOK TIME TO MOVEā)
[Out of instinct, Beck chose to dash out of the way of the bubbles of filthāwhich were slowly coming together into a bigger bubble.]
Beck: ā!
[Whaā]
[His AcXelarateā! It carried him JUST as far as it did on land!]
Beck: ......
Beck: (I CAN SWIM WITH THISā)
[Using his dash as a sort of propeller, he turns and starts to BLAST away at the filth surrounding the filter robotsāwhich, to his surprise...]
[Were a lot smaller than he imagined they would be...]
Beck: ā!
Beck: (There seems to be a LOT of these guys down here; they must work together to purify the water...)
Will: Beck, don't let those models group together in large numbersātheir shield would be nearly impossible to break then!
[MN.9] //: Got it!
Call: Proceed east.
[Beck swam-dashed across the reservoir, careful to not let the filter robots gang up on him on the wayāthere were a couple of trash bots on the bottom, but he assumed they just fell into the reservoir and couldn't get outāthus he left them well alone.]
Beck: (Gotta find the access flow to the filtered reservoirā)
[KSSSSSTT!]
"Beck? Beck--"
[MN.1 to MN.9] //: Do you read me?
Beck: --??
[MN.9 to MN.1] //: Big bro??
[MN.1 to MN.9] //: Ah--thank goodness. Listen closely...
[MN.1 to MN.9] //: I've been listening in. Are you inside the works yet?
[MN.9 to MN.1] //: Not quite--I'm still at the unfiltered reservoir.
[MN.1 to MN.9] //: Mmm...
[MN.1 to MN.9] //: Very well. I'll wait until you've made it through.
[MN.9 to MN.1] //: Wait, what do you mean byā
[KSSSST!]
Beck: ...???
Will: --? Is something wrong, Beck?
Beck: .....
[MN.9] //: Nope. All good here.
Call: The access flow to the filtered reservoir is just ahead.
Will: Careful, Beck--any contact with the malfunctioning filtering equipment could prove fatal.
[Beck would soon see why--]
[Not only was the purifying system completely OUT OF CONTROLāXel disrupting spikes also lined the walls....]
Beck: .......
[MN.9] //: WHO THE HECK PUT THESE DOWN HEREā
Will: .....Good question...
Beck: (If I dash the wrong way hereā...)
Beck: (Gotta be precise--!)
[Carefully calculating the exact path he needed to dash-swim in and how many times he needed to do so...]
Beck: (Three...two...one...)
[ACXELERATE DASH: MAX OUTPUT REACHED.]
[It was sort of like watching a white ping pong ball, zipping around and weaving in and out of the various moving parts of the reservoir filter system, making sure to avoid the walls in the process...]
Beck: (Almost there...)
[āAH! A ladder! All he had to do was climb up andā
... ...
Waitā...
Was that ice?]
Beck: ...!!
[A thick coat of iceāpractically a wallāblocked the way out!]
Beck: (No!)
[MN.9] //: Dad, the reservoir exit is blockedā!
Will: Nghā! Call, can you recalculate another route?
Call: .....
Will: Call?
Call: There is no need, Dr. White.
Will: ...??
Call: Xel Transfer in progress...
Call: Mighty No. 1 is now on site at the Waterworks.
Will: āWHAT?!
[PING!]
[MN.1] //: I'm sorry, Father.
[MN.1] //: But I won't stand by any longer. I have a duty as a leader.
[MN.1] //: And a responsibly as an elder brother!
[MN.9] //: Pyrogen! : D
Will: Sandaaaā!
Soi: I HAD NO CLUE WHAT HE WAS DOING I SWEARā
Call: It was me.
Soi: ā?! Call?!
Call: .... Two Mighty Numbers on site would increase chances of success.
[MN.1] //: You might want to swim back down a bit, Beck.
Beck: ....
Beck: -dash swim BACKWARDS YUP GOT IT BRO-
[CCCRAK! C RACK!]
āHAAARGH!"
[BLAM!]
[The ice was obliterated--bits of ice flew out of the pool itself...]
[...And a familiar hand reached past the surface.]
Beck: !
[Beck swam-dashed up and up--]
[...Until he grasped at it with his own hand.]
[He felt himself being pulled up and out of the reservoir...]
Pyro: Need a little more firepower, brother?
[Beck simply beams up at his elder as he is set down onto solid ground.]
Beck: ANYTIME, big bro!
Will: ......
Will: -gREAT NOW HE CANT BRING HIMSELF TO GROUND HIM AFTER THIS-
Soi: Heh...your boys sure are something, huh, Will?
Will: .....
Will: -SIGH-
Will: Whatever am I going to DO with you, Pyrogen...?
Pyro: ....
Pyro: -snort-
Pyro: Haven't heard THAT one in a while.
Beck: ^^
[Having his big brother by his side...]
[It made him feel a LOT more confident now that his team leader was here.]
Beck: What are your orders, sir? (^.^)7
Pyro: ....
Pyro: I'm not the one heading this mission, Beck.
Beck: ...?
Pyro: You are.
Beck: --!
Pyro: Your objective is to locate our sister.
Pyro: Is there anything else that should be done here, Beck?
Beck: .....
Beck: Find and rescue the civilians and workers!
[THIS made Pyro grin with pride.]
Pyro: That's it.
Pyro: There seems to be a branching path up ahead. I'll take the north and see if I can find any workers and civilians...
[The fire-based leader looks to the side, ice covering every square inch of the hallways, ceiling, and floor.]
Pyro: Cryo's certainly done a number on the place, alright...
Soi: Yes, it's not just the entrance--the entire PLACE is like one giant ice rink!
Will: This is all her handiwork, alright...
Will: Careful, now, you two...
Will: You know how she loves her pranks.
Pyro: ......
Pyro: Lord help us.
[Cryosphere was BAD enough with her puns and pranks--
In her crazed state, who KNOWS what she will be capable of?]
Pyro: And of COURSE she's frozen over the entire floor too...
Beck: This is just like the time she did that back home but--BIGGER.
Pyro: Watch your step, then...
[The two Mighty brothers continued moving forward, the temperature within the facility taking a massive drop as they ventured deeper inside. There were more robots that stood in their way, but they were no match for the pair of them working together--Pyro threw himself at them with his explosive abilities, and after they had been thoroughly trashed, Beck cleaned up after by absorbing their Xels.]
[Soon the fork in the path came up.]
Pyro: There it is...
Pyro: I'll move down this way. Beck, keep tracking down No. 2.
Beck: -SALUTE- Yes, sir!
Pyro: ....
Pyro: Good luck, little brother.
Beck: ...You too, Pyro.
[Pyro nods one final time before rushing down the connecting corridor, flaring up to his full armor before turning the corner, and out of sight.]
Pyro: (The most likely places workers would be around the main entrances, break rooms, and finally the pipeworks...)
[Meanwhile, Beck dashes onwards, and it's not long before he moves on into the next room...]
Beck: --!!
[The door that was just on the other side slammed shut.]
[His comm link went active--but it wasn't Pyro, Will, Soi, or even Call.]
[No...]
[MN.2] //: Well, well, ICE to see YOU, Beck! Kyahaha!
Beck: CRYO?!
Will: Wha--how did she find this frequency?!
[MN.2] //: Hiiiii Daaadyyyy!
Will: ...! Cryo...?
[MN.2] //: I'm SNOW glad you guys could make it! I was starting to get SOOOOO bored playing with all these LAME CherryDyn bots...
Beck: Big...Sis...?
[...This...this was odd.
When Pyro was infected--he only showed uncontrolled rage --and what's more, he didn't recognize Beck at ALL.
Yet...
His sister was...well, she didn't look like she changed at all.]
[MN.2] //: Now we can all PLAY together! Cool!
[MN.9] //: ....
[PING!]
[MN.1] //: CRYOSPHERE!
[MN.2] //: .......
[MN.2] //: Oh.
[MN.2] //: It's YOU.
[MN.1] //: --! Cryo--
[MN.2] //: Becky--why is our GOOD FOR NOTHING MATCHSTICK OF A BROTHER doing in MY winter wonderland?
[MN.9] //: --!! Cryo! THAT'S PYRO--
[MN.2] //: I KNOW THAT.
[MN.2] //: HE NEVER LETS ME HAVE ANY F U N! It's always DON'T DO THIS AND DON'T FIGHT THAT AND ALL YOU KNOW WHAT TO SAY IS N O.
[MN.1] //: -fLARE- Cryosphere--!
[MN.2] //: You ALWAYS carry me somewhere else without even ASKING--JUST BECAUSE I'M SMALLER THAN YOU DOESN'T MEAN YOU GET TO DO THAT, MATCHSTICK.
[MN.2] //: YOU WERE ALWAYS THE BOSS OF ME.
[MN.2] //: ........
[MN.2] //: Well.
[MN.2] //: You know what?
[MN.2] //: I'm SICK of being number two to you, big bro.
[MN.2] //: You aren't ALLOWED in my playground--so if I were YOU, I'd take you and your lame powers and SKEDADDLE.
[MN.2] //: Unless you want me to send this whole place to absolute zero?
[MN.1] //: ........
[MN.9] //: Cryo....
[MN.2] //: --! Ooooh--right, YOU! Don't worry, Becky--you can stay! You're ALWAYS a good playmate. Kyahaha!
[MN.2] //: But big bro's gotta go. My place, MY rules.
[MN.1] //: ......
[MN.1] //: Alright.
[MN.9] //: --! Pyro, no--!
[MN.1] //: On one condition.
[MN.2] //: Ppffft. What?
[MN.1] //: We play hide and seek first.
[MN.1] //: Just like old times, right, Cryo?
[MN.2] //: --!
[MN.2] //: I'm listeniiiiing...
[MN.1] //: You and I will hide, and Beck will try to seek us. If he finds me first, then I'll leave.
[MN.2] //: Oooooh!
[MN.1] //: BUT--if Beck finds YOU first, then you two will have to just play without me.
[MN.2] //: -EXCITED SQUEAL-
[MN.2] //: I LIKE that! Oh, but it won't be any FUN if you TOOK too long...then I'd get BORED all over again...
[MN.2] //: SNOW, you guys got 9 minutes! Kyahahahaha!
[MN.2] //: You're on thin ice here, RUNT! So try not to get cold feet, OK? Kyahahahahaha!
[KKKSSSSST]
Beck: ........
[MN.1] //: .....
[MN.1] //: She really hasn't changed much...aside from all that, that is.
[MN.9] //: Big bro...
[MN.1] //: 9 minutes isn't much time, Beck--get a move on.
[MN.9] //: ......yes sir.
Beck: Now how the heck do I get out of this room--
[CLANK]
Beck: UGH--!
[A large mass of debris clonked Beck on the back of his head, knocking him over as it bounced off of him and--]
[--Back to another waterworks bot! A...a PAIR of them, in fact, each parallel to the walls.]
[The ball of debris hurled towards the red one--who flipped itself over to deflect it back at Beck.]
Beck: Wah--!
[He AcXelerated out of the way--and raised his arm cannon to strike at the malfunctioning bot--]
[CLANK--!]
Beck: OW--
[The other one--identical but green in color--had knocked the dodged debris RIGHT back at Beck when he wasn't looking, landing a direct hit.]
Beck: (Ugh--great, now I have to dodge twice as much just to avoid that ball of junk they're knocking around...!)
[He TRIED shooting at the ball of debris itself--and it worked!]
[...Until one of the bots made ANOTHER one just to throw around. These were waste management bots!]
Beck: (These guys must get rid of all the gunk in the unfiltered reservoir...)
[CLANK!]
Beck: NGH--
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[...It was clear that this was starting to become tedious--whenever he tried to shoot at one of them, the other knocked back the junk, forcing him to dodge--and whenever he tried to DESTROY it, one of them made another rather quickly--]
Beck: (These guys are going to wear ME and my TIME down--I've got no choice--!)
[REXELEXTION: PYROGEN. ]
[Beck's body glowed briefly before settling down into Pyro's form, the torch on his head burning brightly.]
Beck: Let's GO!
[CHARGING...]
Beck: Burning...
Beck: SPIRIT!
[KERBLAM!]
[The resulting explosion ROCKED the entire room, and perhaps even the whole Bureau--parts of the walls and flooring took most of it, and the waste robots were DEFINITELY caught in the blast--one of them was stuck, in fact!]
Beck: Got ya!
[Switching back to default, the waste bot was quickly taken care of, absorbed and converted into another Xel Stock to make up for the one he used.
Since its other pair was gone, it was easier to dodge the ball of junk without worrying about the other hurling it back.
Once the pair was FINALLY defeated, the door opened!]
Will: No time to waste, Beck! You have 6 minutes!
Beck: I know, I'm going--!
[Into the waterworks pipelines he went--and it just got even colder. ]
[The pipeworks were, of course, forzen over--along with everything ELSE--even several of the malfunctioning robots were stuck in place.]
Beck: WHOA--!!
[These pipes were long and wide--but the ice made it difficult to get across. One wrong move and he could slip RIGHT back down into the ground--and a fall from this height would REALLY smart.]
Beck: (Balance--balance--!)
"There's only one way to get past all this ice!"
Beck: --!!
Pyro: BURN RIGHT THROUGH IT!
Beck: Pyro!
[On another set of pipes, Pyro CHARGED right through a block of ice in his way, which formed from the burst of water in the cracks caused by the expanding properties of the ice.]
Pyro: Beck! Use my form and blast through all the ice in your way!
[PING!]
[MN.2] //: HEY, THAT'S CHEATING!
[MN.1] //: You never said we couldn't use fire, little sister.
[MN.2] //: GRRRR! YOU...BIG...MEANIE...!
[MN.2] //: I'M GONNA FREEZE THIS WHOLE PLACE AND ALL THE SQUISHES IN IT! THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR CHEATING, CHEATER!
[MN.1] //: Ah, that won't do much now, Cryo.
[MN.2] //: WHY NOT.
[MN.1] //: I FOUND the humans and Civilian models you've frozen. They've been evacuated.
[MN.2] //: Wha--!
[MN.1] //: PLAYTIME IS OVER, CRYOSPHERE.
[MN.1] //: ...Please.
[MN.1] //: Come home.
[......]
[MN.2 HAS GONE INTO FULL COMBAT MODE. RESTRICTIONS: NONE.]
[MN.2] //: N O!
[MN.2] //: NONONONONONO--!
Call: Warning: Temperatures are dropping beyond safe functioning levels.
[MN.2] //: PLAYTIME IS OVER WHEN I SAY IT'S OVER!
[MN.2] //: YOU DON'T GET ANY SAY IN IT, YOU STUPID MEANIE!
[MN.1] //: -...OK now he knows he's made a BIG mistake- Cryo--
[MN.2] //: SHUT UP! JUST SHUT. UP!
[MN.2] //: I...I...
[MN.2] //: -...SNIFF-
[MN.1] //: --!
[MN.2] //: I hate you...!
[KSSSSST.]
[MN.1] //: -oh GOD WHAT HAVE WE DONE-
Pyro: CRYOSPHERE!
Beck: PYRO--WAIT--!
[It was no use--Pyro had run ahead, desperate to fix what he had done. He's already caused SO much damage, but THIS--]
Pyro: CRYO--I'M SORRY--!
[If anything--he had to fix THIS.]
Will: ........
Beck: D-Dad....
Will: ....
Beck: D...Did Cryo really... mean that...?
Will: ....
Will: I can't be sure.
Will: For all we know, this COULD be just the virus, but...
Will: .....
Will: We won't know until we've cured her. You'll have to keep pushing forward.
Beck: .....
Beck: (Cryo...)
[With a heavy and troubled heart, he did as he was told, hopping and dashing over the rest of the pipeworks.]
[....]
[It...had to be the virus, right?]
[...Or was it...]
[More than that?]
Beck: (....Cryo...Cryo would NEVER say that...)
Beck: (There's no WAY she could possibly MEAN that--she's been with Pyro the longest out of any of us... ....Could it be...)
Beck: (Maybe it's...both? Maybe the virus is MAKING her feel that way...because she IS mad at him, but not to that extent...)
Beck: (If...if that's the CASE...)
Beck: (...It--suddenly makes a LOT of sense why Pyro ACTED the way he did back at the Oil Platform... ....You get what I fought back there...)
Beck: (So by that logic--what was taken away from Cryo...?)
[Soon enough, after shooting through countless ice pillars made from the pipelines and such--]
[He came across another room.]
Beck: ....
Call: I detect Cryosphere's signature just up ahead.
Beck: Right...
Beck: (Cryo--don't worry--I'm gonna fix this...!)
[He entered, ready to shift into his brother's form at a moments notice...]
"HEY, RUNT!"
[KSHHHHH!]
[A LARGE chuck of ice SLAMMED right in front if him from above, causing him to jump backwards--]
...Right into the locked door.]
Beck: Oof--!
Cryo: OK...
Cryo: Let's try THIS again!
[Cryosphere herself stood on a platform high above the room--looking rather PLEASED that Beck was here now, despite throwing a temper tantrum not 2 minutes ago.]
Beck: Cryos--
[CLANK!]
Beck: OH COME ON--
[ANOTHER pair of waste management bots materialized--and this time, they had some EXTRA help.]
Cryo: Revenge is a dish best served COLD, after all!
[CLANK!]
Beck: NNGH!!
Cyro: Awww, you aren't hurt, are you, Beck?
Beck: I KINDA AM, YEAH--
Cryo: Well, then, here--
[Her water tank bubbles briefly before another, more precise ice ball flies towards Nine, forcing him to duck and dash away. It made SHARP icicles extending upwards once it made contact with the floor--!]
Cryo: Let me put some ICE on it!
Cryo: KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
[Cackling madly, Cryo proceeded to rain icy death from above--all while the waste management bots played their supped up game of pong. Beck was REALLY in a tight spot now.]
Beck: Cryo--PLEASE, STOP!
Cryo: NOPE!
Cryo: I'm having the TIME OF MY LIFE!
Cryo: SO YOU BETTER STAY ALIVE, BECKY--UNTIL I GET BORED, THAT IS!
Beck: --Ooooh!
[REXELECTION: PYROGEN.]
Beck: I'm sorry, Cryo!
Cryo: --!!!
Cryo: YOU'RE CHEATING AGAIN!
Cryo: ......
Cryo: Why are you cheating, Beck--?
Beck: --!
Cryo: Don't you LIKE playing with me...?
Beck: .....
Beck: Of COURSE I do, Cryo...
[CHARGING....]
Beck: .....
Beck: But I can't play by your rules. Not this time.
Beck: BURNING...
Cryo: --!!
[Seeing what he was about to do--Cryo leaps away to another set of platforms, disappearing from sight.]
Beck: SPIRIT!
[BOOOM!]
[........]
[The smoke clears off, and only the Xel from the two waste bots were all that was left.]
Beck: .....
Call: Cryosphere has escaped to the Water Works Security Room. There is no other escape route for her to take.
Beck: Got it.
[Back into default. The Security room shouldn't be that far ahead...]
[Which means...]
Pyro: ...There--!
[Pyro was standing in the middle of several frozen, very crucial water tanks...]
[But they wouldn't remain frozen for long.]
Pyro: Burning....SPIRIT!
[FWOOOSH!]
Call: Attention: The waterworks systems are back online. Water flow: Normal.
Pyro: ....!
Beck: Pyro!
Pyro: There you are--
Pyro: ....
Pyro: The doors won't open for me. I'd blast them, but...that would only make things even worse.
Pyro: ....
Pyro: You're the only one that can save her, anyway.
Pyro: I've...done all I can.
Beck: ....
Beck: I think she'd wanna see you after I do save her, Pyro.
Beck: So wait out here.
Beck: I won't be long.
Pyro: ......
Pyro: Tell her I love her.
Pyro: .....
Pyro: And I love you too.
Beck: ....
Beck: ^.^
Beck: Yes, sir.
[Beck gives Pyro one last salute before approaching the door...]
[...They open after a moment, and they shut close behind him with a firm air-tight lock.]
Pyro: ...
Pyro: Good luck, Beck.
[WARNING: TEMPERATURES HAVE REACHED TO NEAR NON-FUNCTIONING LEVELS. PLEASE EVACUATE AREA IMMEDIATELY.]
"Kyahahahaha!"
Beck: Cryo!
[Sitting daintily atop of a huge security monitor was Cryosphere, her four eyes glowing eerily in the shadows...]
Cryo: Kya ha ha ha ha ha!
[Her tiny legs swing this way and that before she jumps down to the ground, taking up her usual battle stance. Her hose arm is swirling around in lazy circles while her tank bubbles up a bit. An icy mist seems to escape from the nozzle arm...]
Cryo: You just REFUSE to CHILL out, don't you, runt?
Beck: ...
Beck: Cryo....please. I don't want to play anymore. I don't WANT to fight you.
Cryo: Oh, really?
[....!]
[There it was again--that SAME distorted VOICE coupled with her own...]
Cryo: That's too bad! Oh, well...
[PSSSSSH!]
[A high pressure STREAM of water suddenly bursts forth from her nozzle arm--!]
Beck: -!!!
[He LEAPS out of the way as it is suddenly frozen, not by the air, but by Cryosphere herself.
Flash freezing her foes was her SPECIALTY.]
Cryo: I'm sure it's nothing a little COLD SHOWER WON'T CURE!
[Cryosphere was...something of a all-around fighter when it came to the battlefield--she WAS originally intended to be a close to mid-range fighter and a terrain changer--but her combat experience, which was only surpassed by her elder brother, had opened MANY more doors in regards to her powers.]
[Such as her tendency to look for higher vantage points in order to use her abilities in a much DIFFERENT way --and if there was none?]
[Make one.]
[Cryo points her nozzle arm--to the ground--...?]
Beck: --!
[Beck starts DASHING away as soon as her sister launches herself upwards using the force of her water spray--keeping herself suspended mid air for a moment--]
[Before chasing after him.]
Cryo: Careful, now, Becky! You don't wanna CATCH A COLD!
Beck: Cryo--Come on, Cryo, just try to--!
[KKKRT!]
[Her water spray suddenly freezes-- there was no time to react, only to gawk as he felt icy pinpricks of pain creep up his leg--]
Will: BECK--TRY AND BREAK FREE!
Beck: AARG--
Cryo: Whoops! Silly me--I forgot the best part!
[....A COLD blast of air was seen as she started to make something--what, he couldn't tell, but from THAT height, it certainly wasn't GOOD.]
[REXELECTION: PYROGEN.]
[FOOOSH!]
[Flaring himself up just as Pyro would, Beck weakened the ice just enough to allow him to break freeā¦ moments before an ice ball of SPIKES crashed downwards from above, ice shards scattering everywhere--
--and rising from the mist was the Icy Little Terror herself--she had MADE that ball of spikes to surround herself in--in her own twisted sense of a 'cannonball'.]
Cryo: Awww, you were supposed to stay still!
Beck: NO WAY --
[PSSSSSSH!]
[Beck was NAILED right in the chest with another high pressured water stream, knocking him away to the other wall and into the door, making a noticeable dent--]
[CLANG!]
Pyro: !!! BECK?! CRYO?!
[Outside, Pyro could BEARLY make out the sounds of battle--and that dent in the door was not a good sign, for EITHER of them.]
Beck: Uuugh...
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK--]
[PSSSSSH--]
Beck: AAA--
[ERROR: XEL STOCK ACCESS INTERRUPTED.]
[Cryo was NOT letting up--she kept on continually spraying Beck HARD, pinning him to the door and laughing manically all the while.]
Cryo: KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
[WARNING: WATER DAMAGE IMMINENT TO INTERNAL SYSTEMS--COLD TEMPERATURES WILL FREEZE AND LOCK MOBILE SYSTEMS.]
[She was trying to freeze him from the inside out.]
Beck: C...Cryo...
[WARNING: SYSTEMS CRITICAL.]
Beck: s...t...o...p...
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 2...]
[Cryo didn't answer. She was too busy laughing.]
Beck: (Come on...please...!)
Cryo: It was fun playing with you, Becky!~
Cryo: See you in a hundred years, maybe!
[KSSSSSST--]
"CRYO--ENOUGH--!"
Cryo: --?
Cryo: .....
Cryo: Daddy?
[DR.WHITE] //: Cryosphere White, stop that right this INSTANT!
Cryo: But--
[DR.WHITE] //: You KNOW you shouldn't play so roughly with your brother!
Beck: --!!
[...Will--Will was...]
Cryo: But Daaaaadyyyyy!
Beck: (Dad--oh man DAD THANKS--)
[XEL STOCK 2 ACCESSED.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[DR.WHITE] //: No, no buts. That was QUITE rude of you, No. 2. Quite rude.
Cryo: But I was just having fun!
[DR.WHITE] //: It's all fun and games until someone gets HURT, Cryo.
Cryo: But Daddy--
[You could just HEAR her sadistic smile.]
Cryo: That's the BEST part!
[REXELECTION: PYROGEN]
[DR.WHITE] //: ......
[DR.WHITE] //: Not this time.
[DR.WHITE] //: Quite frankly, No. 2...
Cryo: ..?
[DR.WHITE] //: I think you deserve a little time out.
[DR.WHITE] //: NOW, BECK!
"BURNING...!"
Cryo: Wha--
Beck: SPIRIT!!!
[KERBLAM!]
[All the ice that was created by Cryosphere was turned RIGHT back into water and THEN some--and the temperature had risen quite considerably.]
[There was another large CLANK--]
[CRACK--]
Cryo: Whoawhoawhoa--!
[Cryo was sent BOUNCING across the floor and into the other wall, lodging herself deep within it from the force of the explosion!]
Cryo: What the--!
Cryo: YOU!!
[Her nozzle arm once again points at Beck--who widens his eyes in fear, preparing to jump out of the way--]
Cryo: I'M GONNA KILL YOU FOR--
[.....]
[.........]
[.............]
Cryo: ....???
Beck: ...???
Cryo: WHY IS NOTHING COMING OUT?!
[Cryosphere wiggled her arms in a flail, but no matter how much she tried--nothing came out of them but a few drops.]
Cryo: STUPID--!!
Beck: ---!
[Beck could see why.]
[Her water tank had a crack in it. Water was leaking out in massive amounts, but Cryo was too upset to see it.]
Will: Now is your chance, Beck!
Beck: R-Right--!
Cryo: NO!
[She once again threw a FIT--but without her tank, there was no more danger.]
Cryo: NO F A I R!
Beck: Big sis--
[He approached her with cautious steps, a green glow starting to form around his arms...]
Beck: It's OK, Big sis...
Cryo: --?
Cryo: ....
Cryo: What is that...?
Beck: Just trust me, OK?
[Two more steps, then two more. Cryosphere was more or less beginning to forget about her fit and was more entranced by the calming glow from her brother.]
Cryo: .....
Cryo: Pretty...
Beck: Kinda is, isn't it...?
[Two hands gently grasp her arms.]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Cryo: --!!
Cryo: .....
Cryo: Becky...?
Beck: It's OK, Cryo...
[He continues to speak to her in a calm, soothing voice, as parts of her Xel are absorbed into his own, and she slowly starts to glow a sick, bright purple...]
Cryo: .....
[....She starts to yawn.]
Cryo: M'tiiiired...
Beck: That's OK...
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Beck: You can sleep after I'm done...
Cryo: .....
Cryo: And then we can play some more...?
Beck: Yeah. Sure. I promise...
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[XEL QUOTA REACHED.]
[XEL PURGE: ONLINE. XELFILTER.EXE HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR OVERDRIVE.]
Beck: For now--just try and relax...this won't hurt.
Cryo: ...?
[He finally lets go.]
Beck: Ready?
Cryo: ....? For...what...?
[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]
[.......]
"Big sis?"
"--? Hey, runt! What's up?"
"....Can I come in?"
"You didn't say the thing."
"...Can I come in, Your Majesty?"
"Theeeere we go! You may.~"
"....Um..."
"Well, come on, SPILL it! I gotta go into VR training in an hour..."
"I just...well...I noticed that...you're smaller than me--"
[KERCHUCK]
"BUT YOU FIGHT PEOPLE WAY BIGGER THAN YOU IN THE ARENA AND YOU DON'T SEEM SCARED--"
"....."
"I...I'm just confused...how can you not be afraid...?"
"Oooh. That's easy."
"One, because I'm WAY better than those lame-o's and WAY more KICKBUTT than any of them..."
"...And two..."
"....."
"Don't tell Big Bro this, but. He TAUGHT me how to be brave."
"I don't think I can be as awesome as I am without him."
"Really...?"
"Yup. It's ALLL cuz of Big Bro."
"....Seriously, don't tell him I said that, he'd NEVER stop--"
"I-I promise!"
"Cool."
"Now GET OUT OF MY ROOM or I'll freeze ya!~"
[.......]
[FILTER COMPLETE.]
[ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MN.2]
Cryo: . . .
Cryo: Owie...
Cryo: Why does my head hurt...
Beck: --!!!
Beck: C...Cryo...?
Cryo: --!
Beck: Cryo?
Cryo: Beck?
Cryo: ......
Cryo: Where the [FRAG] am I???
Beck: CRYO--!
Will: YES--!
Soi: HE DID IT--AGAIN--!
[Beck wraps his arms around his confused sister, who was simply looking around the semi-frozen room in thought.]
Cryo: No, seriously--where the [FRAG] are we.
Cryo: I don't remember anything in the last few days WHAT HAPPENED.
[BANG!]
Beck: --!?
[BLAM--!!]
[The door is suddenly BLOWN off it's hinges, creaking as it collapses to the ground.]
Cryo: WHAT THE--
Pyro: CRYO?! BECK?!
Cryo: Big Bro?!
Beck: (Wow--)
Pyro: --!!
Cryo: OK--SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON BECAUSE I DON'T GET IT. WHY DID BIG BRO JUST BLAST THE DOOR AND WHY AM I STUCK TO A WALL.
Beck: Whoops--sorry, Cryo, lemmie help you with that--
[Beck grabs hold of his sister's hose arms and pulls back--]
[POP!]
Pyro: --! I GOT HER--
[She lands RIGHT into Pyro's arms]
Cryo: Wheeee!
Cryo: Hi, Big bro! ^^.^^
Pyro: . . .
Cryo: ...?
Cryo: Big bro...? Yellloooo? Earth to Pyro....?
[....]
[Pyro doesn't answer at first--at least until he sets her down.]
[...Which only confused her even further.]
Cryo: ....???
Pyro: ......
Pyro: I'm...I'm so sorry.
Cryo: --? Uh--
Pyro: I--...I had no idea you...
Pyro: .....
Pyro: I had no idea I made you feel...uncomfortable when I carried you away.
Cryo: .....
Pyro: I just--I just wanted to keep you SAFE because--you DO get carried away and if I don't, you might find yourself--
Cryo: Bro--
Pyro: All I wanted was to protect you--
Cryo: Bro--
Pyro: I just do it because I love you and--
Cryo: PYRO.
Pyro: --....
Cryo: .....
Cryo: Come down here for a sec.
Pyro: .....
[He does so--it's a little comical seeing as Pyro was nearly three times her size, so he had to kneel and bend down a bit.]
Beck: .......
Cyro: Lower.
Pyro: ...?
[PSSSSSSH--]
[Using the last of her reserves already in her nozzle, she managed to gently spray Pyro right in the face with cold water.]
Pyro: Gah--
Cryo: That's for being stupid.
Cryo: Bro, I dunno what the [FRAG] is going on, but--
Cryo: You don't make me THAT uncomfortable.
Pyro: --!
Cryo: Like--SURE OK it DOES get a little annoying and I DO wanna sometimes put ice cubes in your pillow at night--
Pyro: .... (I KNEW THAT WAS HER.)
Cryo: ...But..
Cryo: Bro, you've been carrying me around since I was BUILT, why do you think I LIKE it so much?
Pyro: !!!
Pyro: You....
Cryo: Bro why do you think I tell you to carry me around almost everywhere.
Pyro: ...
Pyro: Because being bossy is in your nature?
Cryo: ...Point.
Cryo: Aaaaand...
[....]
[MN.2] //: -Data, BECAUSE SHE FEELS SO TALL WHEN SHE'S ON YOU, BRO.-
[MN.2] //: -Like, even she doesn't get that when she's on Mic or Bat or even Shade, it's just YOU-
[MN.1] //: ........
[MN.2] //: ....Big bro....
[MN.2] //: You're...you're Big bro.
[MN.2] //: I know you just do it cuz you care...I've known that for, like, EVER.
[MN.2] //: 'Sides--
[MN.2] //: If I had NO one to carry me around--then I'd be REALLY slow going around the house and like, everywhere. That be a PAIN in the CHASS.
[MN.2] //: So hitching a ride is, like, also the smart thing to do. ^^.^^
[MN.1] //: .....
[MN.1] //: C...Cryo...
Cryo: ....?
Pyro: ....
Pyro: So...you....
Pyro: Don't...hate me...?
Cryo: --??!
Cryo: Wha--the [FRAG??]
Cryo: No, NO, Big Bro--
[And there she goes, climbing up Pyro's shoulders so she can sit right on his back and prop her round head on his own.]
Cryo: I love you, Pyro.
Cryo: Jeez, what made you think THAT stupid thought in your head??
Pyro: ......
Beck: .......
Cryo: ......
Cryo: ...Why is everyone so quiet?
[DR.WHITE] //: Cryo.
[MN.2] //: --!! Dad!
[DR.WHITE] //: .....-SIGHS, although if that's in relief or stress is hard to say-
[DR.WHITE] //: Let's get you back home first.
Cryo: .....
Cryo: That reminds me, WHERE ARE WE??
Cryo: Like--This looks like some kinda monitor room but--
Beck: Call?
Call: Xel Transfer initiated.
Cryo: Guys--helloooo, is no one gonna answer me?!
Cryo: I'M STARTING TO GET REALLY PEEVED HERE--
{SANDA LABS, LATER....}
[Cryo was met with welcoming arms and tears of relief, both from her father and her Uncle Sanda. A good while had passed before Will was reminded by his best friend that he couldn't repair his daughter while he was constantly hugging her--]
[And so, just as before, everyone got to work. Soi was left to repair Cryo while Will went to work analyzing the virus sample from her.]
[...This time, however, Pyro took it upon himself to explain what the situation was.]
[It wasn't very long before...]
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Cryo: I'M SORRY--
Pyro: I know.
Cryo: I DON'T HATE YOU--
Pyro: I know.
Cryo: BECKYYYYYYYYY--
[Beck, of course, took a moment from self-repair to come and comfort his sister.]
[--He couldn't get one word in before hose arms started to wrap around his neck and pulled him in an embrace.]
Cryo: I'M SOOORRYYYYYY--
[Beck...well, at first, he was quite taken aback--he's never really SEEN his sister cry like this.]
[...But the surprise is only there for a moment.]
Beck: It's OK, Big Sis...
Cryo: -WAILS-
[Pyro simply rubs the top of her head, twangs of regret and pain in his optics. Eventually he had to call Father to help calm her down.]
Cryo: -SNIFF- daddyyy...
Will: Shhh....it's alright, Cryo, everything will be fine...
Cryo: ...B--...but--sis....and...
[And then another wail escapes her.]
Cryo: AVIIIIII--
Will: I know, I know--I....
[......]
Will: I know....
Beck: Cryo--
Beck: Dad's working on finding a way to beat this virus--and I'm gonna get everyone back.
Cryo: ...-sniff-
Beck: You'll see--
Beck: We're all gonna be back together soon. We just gotta tough this out, OK?
Beck: So no more waterworks. ^.^
[......]
Cryo: ....-snort-
Cryo: G...Good one, bro...
Cryo: -SNIFF-
Will: Rest while Sanda gets to work on repairing you and your tank--I need to get back to analysis.
Cryo: -sniff- OK, Daddy...
Pyro: I'll look after her.
[Will nods, and hurries back to his terminal. A few ticks of the keyboard brings up the still-working analysis programs...]
Will: Call, transfer the assimilated data over to me.
Call: Yes, Dr. White.
Will: Now that I have two samples to compare, this will hopefully give us some more insight--
[PING!]
"DAD?? I THINK IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN--"
[ASSIMILATED XEL DATA SCAN COMPLETE.]
[REARRANGING XEL STRUCTURE...]
[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE]
"WHOOOOOA THAT WAS AWESOME--"
"That was...much more...different than the first time she gave it to you--"
"YEAH IT WAS WITHOUT THE LIGHT SHOW."
Cryo: BRO--BRO WHAT'S WITH THE FANCY LIGHT SHOW--
Beck: I--well...
[As Beck begins to explain his newfound abilities--much to Cryo's delight--Will hums deeply in thought.]
[It was true--the lights that emitted from his Xels were not present when he acquired his siblings' powers before.]
Will: (Interesting...)
Will: ....Hmm.
Call: Dr. White.
Will: Yes, Call?
Call: I detect a significant rise in your heart rate and vitals. Is something wrong?
Will: .....
Will: I'm just...nervous. Given the situation.
Call: ....
Call: Acknowledged. I will adjust the room temperature and atmosphere so that you may calm down.
Will: ....Thank you, that would be nice.
Will: ........
Will: (Could Beck...)
Will: (No--he CAN'T be. Not THIS soon...)
Will: (He's not NEARLY as ready...)
Will: (....Though...)
Will: (The better question would be if WE would be ready...)
Will: (...Gah, I shouldn't be thinking like that NOW, of all times...)
Will: (I've GOT to crack this code--before it's too late...)
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{SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.}
Jack: . . . . .
Jack: oh man I am so cold--
[He made it.]
[Somehow, he made it.]
[In the COLD, pouring rain, he made it.]
Jack: frag frag frag frag--
[It was coming down in SHEETS, and the city was in utter turmoil. There were nearly no humans in sight in the street he was in, and the robots that were left were free to follow their new directive: destroy. ]
[Fortunately, Jack stuck to the back allies to avoid being seen by them, quickly making his way towards a familiar landmark--]
[The Space Needle.]
Jack: (OK, you're back now, you're in the States....)
Jack: ....
Jack: (NOW what?)
Jack: (Can't find Kate if I can't find her brothers....)
Jack: (Can't exactly CALL her cuz of Six...)
Jack: (Bird guy is who KNOWS where....I'm on my own here.)
Jack: ......
Jack: (Well--I can't just keep moving around without SOME idea of where I should go--)
Jack: (Space Needle's a landmark--people know it, so someone's GOTTA be there--maybe someone that can help or something...)
Jack: (Gonna take a while to get there by FOOT...)
[Jack takes a moment to scan the streets, eyeing the many abandoned cars left there when the virus first struck.]
Jack: (...Hate to take someone else's car, but if I'm lucky--)
"HEY--!"
Jack: --!!
[Jack turns around at the voice--it seemed to come from behind--no wait--]
"GGHHAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH--!!!"
Jack: oh SH--
[Jack sprung out of the alley and into the street as a large, LARGE fireball NEARLY burns him alive from above-- it shatters the pavement were he once stood before, leaving only a scorched, black hole in the ground. ]
Jack: WHAT THE HELL IS--
[WHAM!]
[Jack felt a foot connect with his abdomen, and he was kicked back into a totaled car, creating a sizeable dent...]
Jack: NGH--!!
Jack: Awwwwshitthatsmarts--
[...Giggling.]
Jack: ...???
"Why, ALOHA, little man!~"
Jack: --?!
Jack: Wait a--
Jack: You--You're Plume...!
[Jack had HEARD of this one--Plume was Hawaii's very own Arena bot fire dancer, part of the small but efficient combat team, Island Koas. They weren't among the high ranking teams--so Jack had never FACED her--but her solo fighting career was impressive enough.]
Plume: Hehehe...Awww, did I scorch you? I WAS aiming a little TOO low, wasn't I?~
Jack: UM--
Plume: {You seem like a good dance partner.~}
Jack: .....
Jack: Uh--M-Miss Plume--I--I don't have Hawaiian in my languages--
Plume: Really? That's too bad--
[Fireballs start to form on both of her hands--and one on her head--despite the pouring rain, it didn't seem like it was affecting her in any negative way.]
Plume: Maybe I can take you back to my island and TEACH you a few tricks?
Jack: Uh--Well--uh...
Jack: --....
Jack: Wait...
Jack: How in the WORLD did you get here to the mainland?
Plume: Mm? Oh...
Plume: I had a little HELP.~
Plume: He's having some fun with the Navy!
-*-*-*-*-
[MEANWHILE, OFF THE WEST COAST...]
"HE'S MOVING TOO FAST--"
"WASN'T HE ON STARBOARD SIDE?!"
"SIR, I CAN'T GET A LOCK ON--"
"LOOK OUT!"
Merlion: -R O A R I N G-
-*-*-*-*-
[BACK IN SEATTLE...]
Jack: ....The Navy--...
Plume: He was visiting my island when I asked him for a ride. I didn't want to miss the big Luau here on the mainland, you know? ~
Jack: ....Miss Plume--
Plume: But enough talk! ~
Plume: I want to see if you can LAST longer than the OTHERS. Finding the PERFECT dance partner is SO hard these days--
Jack: Miss Plume I REALLY don't wanna hurt you--
Plume: I wonder, little man--
[FWING!]
Jack: oH CRAP--
[Plume swayed to one side gracefully, and a wave of fire flew from the flames that burned from her wrists--forcing Jack to duck under it.]
[Plume's central abilities--Fire and Dance--blended very well together in terms of her native culture. And it showed on the Battlefield: Plume's a graceful fighter, using her dances to both avoid enemy fire and deal some damage herself.]
[Wave after WAVE of fire pierced through the streets, slashing at cars and scorching the asphalt. Jack had no choice but to keep backing off, avoiding her and the resulting explosions from her destructive onslaught.]
Plume: Where are you going? We haven't even STARTED!
Jack: MA'AM, I REALLY, REALLY THINK--
[FWING!]
[A fireball nailed him right in the shoulder--not a large one, but enough to really BURN--]
Jack: Aaah--!
Jack: (OhGodshe'sreallytryingtokillme--)
Jack: (SHE'SGONNA--)
Plume: {Ooooh, little maaaaaan!~}
Jack: . . . .
[Jack doesn't stick around. He BOLTS for it.]
[....]
[Or. Tries to, at least. ]
[The street he's on happens to be a dead end. ]
Jack: WHA--
Plume: Theeeere you aaaaare.~
[Swaying from side to side like a puppet on strings, Plume lightly approaches Jack with blue fire trailing behind her--her eyes a deep, deep red.]
Plume: Why do they ALWAYS run away?
Plume: .......
[The fire around her dims just for a moment.]
Jack: ...?
Plume: They NEVER stay. Not for long...
Plume: No one does...
Plume: You VISIT Hawaii. You don't stay.
Plume: No one EVER stays...
Jack: ......Miss...Plume...?
Plume: ......
[Plume's expression changes.]
[It changes to one of anger. ]
Plume: Why don't they STAY?!
Jack: --Erk--!
[She steps ever closer, fire and rain mixing together, steam rising to the darkening sky as Jack feels his back touch brick.]
(( PicāJack cornered))
Jack: --!! (Nonononono--)
Plume: My home is... paradise on Earth...
Plume: Who wouldn't want that? ~
Jack: (Oh God I don't wanna hurt her--it's not her fault she's like this--!)
Jack: (Wires and Hacking--what GOOD would those do?! UGH, I CAN'T DIE HERE--!!)
Jack: (Come on, Jack, THINK...)
Jack: (All your stupid wires can do is just grab things and there's no WAY I'm getting that close to Plume--)
Jack: (--!!!)
Jack: (WAAAAAIT A SEC--)
[Jack frantically looks around for something--ANYTHING--that looked sturdy enough support his weight.]
Jack: ---!
[There! Above him--a set of broken, steel stairs that lead to the roof of this building--an apartment complex. The bottom was blown off, so there was no way to climb it from the ground--]
[But if he aimed right--]
Plume: YOU MEN NEVER STAY W I T H ME!
[ZIIIIIP!]
[FOOOOM--]
Jack: SORRY MISS PLUME--
[Jack shot his wires up to the broken stairs--and retracted them, lifting himself up and away from Plume's furious fire!]
Plume: ?!?
Jack: BUT I GOT ANOTHER DANCE TO GET TO--
Jack: AND I'M PRETTY SURE SHE'D KILL ME IF I WAS LATE!
Plume: -SCREEEEEECH-
Plume: COME BACK HERE!
Jack: NOPE--
Jack: GOTTA RUN, BYE--
[Fireballs are chucked at his retreating form as he runs up the rest of the stairs, demonic screams of rage filling his ears. When she saw that she couldn't quite get to him from here, she decides to double back--for now.]
Plume: {I'LL MAKE YOU STAY WITH ME, LITTLE MAN--S T A Y!!}
Jack: ........
Jack: Oh God--
[Finally seeing that he was safe for the moment--he collapses in a heap, catching his breath. The first stars start to twinkle in the sky.]
Jack: (OK--....can't stay, you're not safe, she'll come back through the other street on the other side--gotta keep moving...)
Jack: (Tired...so tired, can't rest--....ugh crap my shoulder hurts...)
Jack: (Don't have wheels...can't steal a car...)
Jack: .......
[......]
[Jack's hand rests on his face as he thinks, momentarily staring at the small panel on his wrist that his his wires.
...He never thought they'd be useful for anything but tripping things and yanking or holding people in place...]
[......]
"DENCER! LET ME GO!"
"I--"
"PLEASE!"
Jack: .......
Jack: ....Mmmng.
[He's kinda always thought his Wires were just....an annoyance.]
Jack: .......
[But maybe they weren't? They DID just save him from being Hawaiian barbecue...]
[Maybe he could do something....MORE with them?]
āā¦You are a stronger man than you give yourself credit for, Jack.ā
Jack: ........
Jack: (What ELSE...what else...)
Jack: ....
Jack: (Well--right now I need a fast way to the Needle--but no wheels. All I got are these things...)
Jack: .......
[ONE MINUTE LATER...]
Jack: Godalmighty this is the stupidest thing--
[Jack was standing right on the edge of the same roof--goggles on, sleeves rolled up, looking down to the street below. The building was about 10 stories high...]
Jack: .........
[A fall from this height...it wouldn't KILL him, but it would certainly do some major damage.]
Jack: .....
Jack: I do NOT get paid enough for this...
Jack: OK--just...aim for that other building across the street--and swing--like--like Tarzan or something like that--
Jack: OK on three....
Jack: One....two....
Jack: ......
Jack: Two and a half...
Jack: .......
Jack: .....
Jack: . . .
Jack: [FRAG] IT I CAN'T DO IT--
Jack: (I CAN'T JUMP OFF A DAMN BUILDING IT'S SUICIDE WHAT AM I THINKING--)
"{OH LITTLE MAAAAAAAN!~}"
Jack: . . . .
Jack: [Glitchfragit]--!
[He backs up, takes a few deep breaths, and takes off in a running start--]
[FOOOOM!]
[The street below him lights up in FLAMES as he leaps from the roof--]
Plume: --!!!
[ZIIIIIP!]
Jack: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH--
[His wires latch onto the taller building on the other side...]
[....and he sails...]
[Over the flames, over Plume, in a perfect arch that ended just on the building on the corner--]
[Jack didn't have enough height to reach the roof of that one--but it was enough to catch onto a windowsill, scrambling up to find perchance--]
Jack: --!!!
Jack: ......
Jack: HOLY SHIT I'M ALIVE--
[Even Plume had to take a moment to process what just happened--the little man wasn't a flying model...]
Jack: I FREAKIN' DID IT--
Jack: FRAG, THAT WAS AWESOME--YO, MISS PLUME DID YOU SEE WHAT--
[FOOOOSH!]
"RAAAAAAAAAAGH!!"
Jack: ....Ohright--
[Sheeeee was still angry.]
Plume: {WHO TOLD YOU YOU COULD FLY AWAY, LITTLE MAN?!}
Jack: AAAAAND I'M OUTTA HERE--
[ZIIIIP!]
[The repeated sounds of ziplining wires and screams of bloody rage echo throughout the rainy city, drawing ever closer to the Space Needle...]
Jack: Gotta get high enough to reach the top--!
Plume: -DEMONIC SCREAMING-
Jack: (THAT DOES NOT SOUND GOOD AT A L L--)
[Jack has never been this high UP before--]
Jack: Almost there almost there--
[And all this wind and rain was NOT making things any easier--he REALLY needs to thank the ice kid for the goggles--]
Plume: {LITTLE MAAAAAAAN!}
Jack: FOR PETE'S SAKE I'M NOT LITTLE--
[WOW that Needle was WAY up high--]
[C R A C K!!!]
Jack: GGNH!!
[The intense electricity messes with his systems, alright, due to being close to it to begin with--]
Plume: NAAH--!
[But that went true for his pursuer too.]
Jack: (No good--gotta get inside--gotta break through a window--!)
[To do that, he needed enough speed--so he proceeded to swing another lap around the Needle, fireballs pelting from below, rain pounding in his face and thunder clapping above his head--]
Jack: AAAAAAAAAAAAH--!!!
[With one final scream, Jack swung--one final time, lighting flashed, for a moment he couldn't see a thing--]
[C R A C K!]
[Static. Glass breaking.]
[Screams.]
"OH GOD THEY GOT IN--"
"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE--"
[More static...]
"ELI, WHAT DO WE DO--?!"
"GET ME THE GUN--"
"HE FLEW IN THROUGH THE WINDOW-- "
"WHERE IS THE GUN?!?"
[. . . . . .]
[SYSTEMS REBOOTING...]
[.....]
Jack: ........
Jack: Nnngh....
[SYSTEM REBOOT COMPLETE.]
Jack: Nh...?
Jack: Uuugh, my head....
Jack: Owwwww...
[. . . . .]
[CLICK.]
Jack: ....?
[With some effort, Jack turns his head towards the strange sound--]
[Only to find a revolver being pointed at his face.]
"Alright, ya crazy freeloading flyin' freak--"
[A middle aged human man looks down at the CDN, cold muddy eyes beating down on him in an unforgiving manner.]
"You got 5 seconds to start talking or your Xel's gonna stain this floor tonight."
Jack: ...........
Jack: . . . . . .
Jack: PLEASE DON'T THROW ME OUT THERE, THERE'S A CRAZY HAWAIIAN BOT THAT WANTS TO FRY ME UP--
???: We know.
Jack: --??
???: Why do you think we're STUCK up here?
Jack: . . . .
???: . . . .
???: I'm gonna be straight with you. You're a Xelbot. And all of them's gone outta their minds for some reason or another-- something about a virus.
Jack: .......
???: My family is up here too.
???: You see where I'm coming from?
Jack: .....Y...Yes sir....
???: Good.
???: Now--so far--you don't seem like Miss Plume down there.
Jack: I-I--She...
Jack: She's not OK, it's not her fault--
???: No, but right now that don't matter. Point is, as long as she's down there raising hell...we can't escape.
Jack: .......
Jack: ......
Jack: Sir--please, just--listen to me--I get it, you're afraid, and trying to protect people, but I can't stay here--
???: Why?
Jack: I'm LOOKING for someone and I REALLY don't think she'd like it if I wound up DEAD so PLEASE--please believe me--!
[THUMP.]
???: Whatthehell--
[THUMP.]
Jack: (THE WHOLE BUILDING IS SHAKING--)
[T H U M P.]
"ELI!!!"
[As the human--Eli--snapped his attention to the screaming woman that ran around the curve of the observation deck, Jack quickly took the chance to collect himself from the floor and back off a safe distance--]
Eli: Gwen--stay back, what is going--
[The woman named Gwen was hysteric, and grabbed hold of Eli's arm with her free hand...]
[...For the other was busy carrying some... precious cargo.]
"Waaaah!"
Jack: ....
Jack: oh my God is that a baby.
Eli: YOU STAY BACK--
Jack: DUDE I WAS ONLY ASKING--
[T H U M P.]
[A deep, LOUD, primal ROAR cut through the atmosphere, and the building shook once again, swaying, the sounds of metal groaning all around them--]
"WAAAAAAAH!"
Gwen: Shh, shh, it's OK, Lily--!
Eli: Gwen--Stay back with the rest of--
[T H U M P.]
"OH MY GOD WE'RE ALL D E A D--"
[The screams of terrified humans--plus one infant child--resounded once more as the building swayed again.]
Jack: (What the HELL--Plume can't be doing this--she's not--)
[The changing angle of the ground made the CDN lose balance--sliding over to another window, and making the rest of the trapped tourists follow suit. They grabbed onto whatever was bolted down and held on for dear, dear life...]
Jack: Aaarg--...
Jack: --!!!
[When Jack's gyroscopic systems recalibrated, his eyes caught sight of the cause of the sudden tremors through the window beneath...]
Jack: ....Oh no...
Jack: Landcrusher...
Jack: Of ALL THE BOTS IN THE WORLD--
[Landcrusher--the latest member of Germany's combat team--had also been visiting America from overseas when the Virus struck, turning him from a once kind, caring soul into a rampaging beast, intent on toppling the Space Needle--just for the sole purpose of it's fall.]
Landcrusher: {RAAAAAAAGH!!!}
[T H U M P--!]
[His HUGE arms and hands were tearing away at the Needle's base, causing it's structure to bend this way and that--any further, and the landmark would crumble.]
Jack: (He's gonna bring this whole place DOWN--with all these people in it--!)
Jack: (Damn it, I can't take that guy on--he'll WRECK me, and--)
Eli: Goddamnit where's the gun--
Jack: (THIS guy's on the verge of putting one in me--)
Jack: (FRAG--this CAN'T get any worse--!)
{"YOU BIG LUG--"}
[C L A N K!]
Jack: oh sweet lord--PLUME?!
[The fiery Hawaiian had returned--and it was clear that she was NOT in a very happy mood with what she saw.]
Plume: {STAY--}
[A fireball was launched--]
[C L A N K!]
Landcrusher: --ARGN--!!
[--right at Landcrusher's face--!]
Jack: ?!
Plume: {--AWAY FROM MY DANCE PARTNER!!}
[Landcrusher's response was another berserker roar--he SWUNG his massive frame one final time at the Needle before turning his attention to the IKN--]
[Who, with a war cry, launched herself at the larger Xelbot with no fear whatsoever.]
Jack: What....
Eli: That...that's not right...
[Needless to say, the trapped humans were completely horrified at what they saw.]
Jack: (Jeezus, they look ready to TEAR into each other--...)
Jack: ... .....
Jack: (I can't stay here.)
[A glance at the small family. The trapped tourists.]
Jack: (Neither can they--and who knows how long those two are gonna go at it...)
Jack: .......
Jack: Hey.
Eli: --!
Jack: CDN.7037. Call me Jack.
Eli: --You're a Cherry?
Jack: YES I'm a Cherry but that's not the point--
Jack: None of us are gonna make it if we stick around here.
Jack: So does ANYONE have any ideas to get outta here?
Jack: Plume and Crusher aren't gonna fight forever--now's a better chance than any.
Eli: God, I don't know--
"I'M NOT GOING DOWN THE STAIRS, THEY'RE BROKEN--"
"Elevator's out too."
"CAN'T CALL FOR HELP--"
Jack: (.....There really IS no way down from here...)
Jack: (...Not through normal means, anyway...)
[The entire building was now leaning to one side, like some ripoff of the Tower of Pisa--but it did allow it be closer to some of the smaller buildings--Jack could easily swing across...]
Jack: (...There are, what, like more than 30 people here?)
Jack: (Swinging across back and forth would take WAY too long...)
Jack: (There's GOTTA be another way to get these people off...)
Eli: ....Hey--you...you swung up here, didn't you?
Jack: Yeah, I did--
Eli: Can't you--lower us down somehow?
Jack: . . .
Jack: (Lower...)
Jack: --!!
Jack: Eli--I need a wheel--and something long and flat, like a table or something.
Eli: --! You got a plan?
Jack: Yeah...half of one, at least. (I just hope itās enough!)
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{Meanwhile, in Kansas Cityā¦}
[Cardinal and Drake had worked through the rest of the afternoon and evening, and into the morning hours.
It had been hard on them both, and they were both very tired. The blazing heat of the summer sun beat down with a merciless 102ĀŗF.
Drake had valiantly pulled an overnighter as they went around from landmark to landmark; after their help at the zoo, word had started to spread about their actions. Not all communications were down for the count, though they were pretty limited to specific radio frequencies.
Cardinal was grateful that security officers, policemen, and employees were no longer hostile to him. He really preferred working WITH people, rather than having to deal with (un)friendly fire and explain after the fact.]
Cardinal: You holding up there okay, Drakeā¦?
[He was starting to get concerned for his human travel companion. The only rest heād been able to get was here and there while Cardinal was out in the field, fighting infected Xelbots. For the most part, he had refused to rest, instead helping out with evacuations. Cardinal had more or less forced him to rest at their last stop, as he knew heād be in the museum a while. He was pretty sure that the man hadnāt eaten, either.]
Drake: You're asking me if I'm okay? You're the one doing all the fighting. I can handle this, don't worry.
Cardinal: (Uh-huh. And Iāmā¦ ā¦ Iām too tired to think of an analogy, ughā¦)
[As much as Drakeās presence helped things go smoothly, though, he was relieved that their time evacuating the landmarks was just about at a close. While things were far from safe in the city, all the forces he had helped free up were spread out and assisting in curbing the damage. Things were almost stableā¦ for an apocalypse, that is.
And not an hour too soon.
While Cardinal didnāt need to eat or sleep the way a human would, and could handle the heat a lot betterā¦ he still required energy, and was really prone to wearing himself out the longer he engaged in combat. Especially in the sweltering summer rays.
He was getting uncomfortably hot, and perilously close to overheating.]
Drake: ...You don't look so good either, friend. Don't you think you should take it a little easy? You're gonna burn yourself out at this rate.
Cardinal: Haā¦ Iāll be fine, Iāve been through much worse than thisā¦
Jazz: Ree-owwwrā¦
[Cardinal looked down at his cat. She was staring up at the arena they had teleported to, tail twitching in anticipation of battle.
Cardinal put his hands to his hips and vented a deep sigh and as much heat as he could rid from his system.]
Cardinal: ā¦I keep forgetting how big these buildings are. Iām used to an aerial viewā¦
[Technically true.
But it was more that in his worldā¦
ā¦Arrowhead Stadium wasnāt a battle arena.]
Cardinal: Well, no time like the present. Do the people inside know weāre coming?
Drake: They know YOUāRE coming. Thereās apparently a recruiter trapped in the basement whoās very curious about where you came from.
Cardinal: They wouldnāt be the first. I got that the last time I visited the arena in Titus, too, hehā¦ though I left before the recruiters showed up.
Drake: I still canāt believe youāre friends with the Mighty Numbers. -Shakes his head- Crazy worldā¦
Cardinal: -Looking up at the sky- About to get crazierā¦.
Drake: ā¦Heading on in?
Cardinal: Yeah. This time, though, Jazz stays with you.
Drake: ā¦? Are youā¦ sure about that?
[Cardinal turned and looked over his shoulder with a frown.]
Cardinal: There are a number of Combat ābots around here that have gone crazy. Youāll need the protection.
Drake: ā¦Truuuuuueā¦
Cardinal: ā¦
Cardinal: āButā¦ā?
Drake: ā¦But youāreā¦
Drake: Kinda going into the middle of a lot of high- and mid-ranking battle ābotsā¦
[Cardinal put on a cheeky grin.]
Cardinal: Nothing I canāt handle.
Drake: By yourself?
Cardinal: Just long enough to get backup from the security people once the building is evacuated. So, whatā¦ fifteen minutes?
Drake: If youāre sure.
Cardinal: Iām very sure. Howeverā¦
Drake: Yes?
Cardinal: -Points- After this, you should go home. Iām afraid I canāt teleport you there without exact coordinates, butā¦
Drake: -Handwaves it- Iāll get a ride or crash at somebodyās place or a church or something. What about you? Will you head back to Titus?
Cardinal: -Shakes his head- I wish. If I go home, or to Sanda Enterprises, theyāll make me stop. I canāt go home until my mission is over. (One way or another.)
[Cardinal used ITEM-2!]
Cardinal: See you as soon as things get under control.
[With that, he took off into the sky. It wasnāt long before he was looking down at a familiar scene of chaosā]
KKKKKWWWWWWHHHHHHHH!
Cardinal: !!
[He was suddenly hit by a blast of turbulence. He had to overcompensate for itā]
WWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!
Cardinal: Gyahā!
[Another blast!]
Cardinal: (These arenāt random! Theyāreā)
[There was a deafening noise as he was caught up in a blast that had also sent dust and debris flying. Blinded by the grit that slammed into his vents, he couldnāt see well enough to combat the next blast.]
Cardinal: AAAAAAHHHā!
[He was knocked from his windsurfer and sent crashing to the sands below.]
Cardinal: (Not this time!)
[He immediately teleported to the ground. The momentum he had gained in that brief moment still traveled with him, and he hit the ground hard enough to really feel it.]
Cardinal: (Ugh!)
[Just as the dust was clearing up, there was a loud whipping noise and something snagged his left ankle.]
Cardinal: !
āGot the little blaster!ā
Cardinal: -More than a little aggravated- Oh do you really?
[YANK!]
[He was dragged a good yard upon the sands.]
Cardinal: Hey! -Reverting to heat vision- Cut that out!
[Cardinal used QUICK BOOMERANG!]
āAUGH!ā
[His aim held true, which wasnāt hardāhe just had to follow the trajectory of the rope tied around him, and the sharp projectiles found a score deep in the Xel of the ābot trying to wrangle him. Five shots, all fired in extremely quick succession. The rope went slack.]
āGet your act together, Cassidy!ā
[Cardinal could now make out what appeared to be a rancher-themed Xelbot, seething as he tried to minimize the Xel loss from the wounds. One of his hands had been badly gashed, and a couple of the boomerangs had nicked his abdomen.]
Cassidy: Easy for YOU to say, Laura!
[Cardinal took the chance to cut himself loose and spring to his feet.]
Cassidy: [Glitchā]
[BANG!]
Cardinal: -Glares- Are you seriouslyā
[K-ZAP!]
[Cardinalās words were stolen by a bolt that jolted through him like white fire.
While he wasnāt really particularly vulnerable to electricity, he was running hot. It didnāt help, and he felt seared by the heat.]
Cassidy: HA! Good one, Jones!
[The female voice called out again.]
Laura: Get āim, Dell!
[Cardinal had to roll to the side to avoid an incoming throwing axe. He scrambled to his feet, butā¦]
Dell: Yer gonna be nothinā but Xel stains, city slicker!
[Cardinal leaped into the air, jumping to avoid shots from Cassidy as another axe came bearing down on where he was. It was only then that he noticed it.
The sands were covered in piles and puddles of sickly looking Xel, with some cores scattered here and there.
Whatever had been going on before he turned upā¦ it hadnāt gone well for a loooooot of people.]
Cassidy: Regular jackrabbit, aincha!
Dell: Oi, Laura! This oneās puttinā up a fight! You want in on the fun?
[When the lady turned around, Cardinal got a sinking feeling.
She must look fair enough on a normal day. Dirty blond hair done up in pigtails, with freckles and a big smile. Sturdily builtāstrong and stocky enough to wield her weapon of choice effortlessly.
But with the infected glow in her eyes and the Xel that covered the wicked scythe she was holdingānot to mentioned splattered all across her overallsāshe looked axe-crazy.]
Laura: Heās not going anywhere! Strike him!
[Cardinal teleported across the sands to be closer to her, and not a moment too soon. Another bolt of electricity zapped the spot where he had been.
Getting closer also proved to be a bad idea. He was immediately forced to shield against a threshing blow.]
Laura: Bah! Think youāre all that with that trick of yours? You must beā
[Cardinal dropped to the ground and gave a low kick, knocking her off balance. He teleported rather than scrambling to his feet, opting to stand against a wall with his shield out in front of him.
As the team gathered out together, he could finally make out who they all were.]
((PicāCardinal v Prairie Kings))
[There were five of them, mostly the size of an average human person. They all seemed to carry a farming and ranching theme, though the enormous wind ābot in the back stood out.]
[KRAKā]
[This time, he shielded against the bolt that came hammering into him.]
Cardinal: (Augh! Iāll have to keep moving around as long as they keep throwing lightning at me! Who is even doing that? I donāt see an electric ābot out there!)
[He didnāt bother thinking on it much.]
[Cardinal used MAGNET MISSLE!]
[The three homing shots zoomed off to their different targets. Cassidy tried to dodge, only to find that they were HOMING shots. Dell tried to axe his, causing it to explode on impact. As for the thirdā¦]
The path was disrupted and the ground shook as a fierce wind ripped up the sands. It was a stronger wind than the Magnet Missile was meant to handle, and it exploded harmlessly in the air. The same could not be said for Cardinal, however.
It was all he could do to keep ahold of his shield. He WAS, however, tossed a good few yards before the wind subsided.]
Cardinal: (Gaaahhhhā¦! I canāt fly in this, and I canāt use homing shots either! If those donāt work, thereās no way any of the other projectiles would, either! And I canāt use fire hereā¦ there are peopleās cores in the sand!)
Laura: Got you on the run, do we, ya big wannabe? Whatās the matter, at a loss for words?
Cardinal: Who are you people?
Laura: Boy, you must really have your self-important big-city head up your chass, or live under a rock so primitive itād make the Flinstones ashamed. -Holding her hand out in a āstopā gesture at the one with a pitchfork- You really ARE a special kind of stupid to come challenge us without even knowing what youāre dealing with! But then againā¦
[She flared up with aura, bearing down in his direction with surprising speed.]
Laura: Nobody out there CARES as they should about them āflyoverā states!
[Cardinal turned to shield it, using the small port at the top of the shield to open fire.]
[BLAM!]
[The short range plasma blast only seemed to serve to make her angry. Cardinal moved quickly on his feet, turning to teleport out into the open where could fire out of her range.
Doing so earned him another blast from the wind, kicking up Xel and sand in his face. Momentarily blinded by the Xel interfering with heat signals, he was easy prey for a merciless lightning strike. This time, it left behind persistent static in his audio receptors.]
Cardinal: (NOā!)
[The farm girl fighter laughed to see his predicament.]
Laura: Sturdy for something your size, arenāt you? Well! You sure still canāt keep up with the Prairie Kings, thatās for sure!
Cardinal: Grrrā¦!
[He refused to be taunted like this. It set off something deeper within himāa resentment, a maliceāa wounded sense of pride.]
Cardinal: If I can handle the Mighty Numbersā¦
[He abruptly teleported atop the wind bot.]
Laura: ?!
Cardinal: I can certainly send you lot PACKING!
[Cardinal used CRASH BOMB!]
[The wind bot whipped up a violent gust as drills bore into it, the bombs flashing.]
Laura: JONES! COVER FOR ALLEY!
[Cardinal used LEAF SHIELD!]
[The sudden swirling cloud of ceratanium leaves served as a shield against the lightning strike that followed.]
Cardinal: -Broadcasts his whistle, LOUDLY-
[The piercing tones seemed to cause as much pain and discomfort as they did for Shade. It was the few second distraction Cardinal needed.
He vaulted off of Alleyās back and cast the sharp cloud of leaves behind him.
There was a satisfying grinding and scraping noise, followed by broken squeals. Just then, the bombs went off as well, causing the massive fighter to sway in pain.]
Cardinal: Sorry to ruin your slaughter show, Miss Laura!
[BWIP!]
[Cardinal used SUPER ARM!]
[WHOOMP!]
[The wind generator was knocked over onto his face by a powerful punch from behind. When Cardinal emerged again, he was using another windsurfer. He shot up into the air.]
Cardinal: But your fun and games are OVER!
Laura: GET HIM!
[Cardinal shielded to avoid a lightning bolt from frying his systems. He took comfort in the rush of movement, which served to help cool his systems.
It was now a matter of time that would determine if he could last, more than anything else. If he didnāt wrap this up before his core got too hot, thenā¦]
Cardinal: -Shakes the thoughts off- Time for a lesson in versatility, Prairie Kings!
[Cardinal used MAGNET MISSILE!]
[Without Alley to sweep aside projectiles with gusts of wind, the missiles could not be prevented from reaching their targets. Cardinal didnāt wait in the same spot, instead increasing his speed to head right for Cassidy.
The ranch hand cursed and fired at him, but Cardinal shielded that easily.]
Cardinal: Sorry, kid, but itās time you moseyed on home!
[Cardinal used QUICK BOOMERANG!]
[Abruptly making a sharp bank, the veteran turned and fired at the team member with the pitchfork.
Dell tried to take advantage of the opening to hurl an axe at him, but Cardinal had teleported out of the way in plenty of time.
He chose to land right by his target, lashing out in a new cast.]
[Cardinal used TOP SPIN!]
[The sharp wires ensnared the pitchfork and recoiled, whirring mercilessly as they cut their way right through it with a satisfying SNAP!]
Dell: By George, heās stolen Jonesās thunder!
[Ah. So THATāS where the lightning had been coming from.]
[BLAM! BLAM BLAM BLAM!]
[His quarry was not very defensive based, despite his stocky build. Jones swung to box at Cardinal, but the latter just dropped to the ground and rolled aside. He grinned as he looked up on his back, andā]
Jones: -PAIN!-
Cassidy: Damn bastard! That thereās fightinā DIRTY!
[Cardinal laughed mercilessly as he sprung to his feet and vaulted over Jones, pushing him face-first into the sands.]
Cardinal: Allās fair in love and war, kid!
[He teleported during his flying leap, bearing down on the ranch hand with the full force of the tackle. The two of them hit the sands.]
Cardinal: Game over!
[Cardinal used QUICK BOOMERANG!]
[He riddled his opponent with boomerangs, causing him to cry out in pain. Cardinal gave a ping of sympathy as he teleported off of him, leaving him to bleed out into the sands.]
Cardinal: (Iām sorry, Shade!)
[Cardinal used MAGNET MISSILE!]
Cardinal: (Butā¦! Thereās still a chance for these people to be detained, if theyāre hurt badly enough! If I have to, Iāll put them out of their misery, butā¦)
Cardinal: (If it comes to that, grant me your strength of nerve!)
[He turned his attention to Dell, who did not seem to be pleased to deal with a flying opponent. Cardinal couldnāt help but smirk a littleāit was obvious to him that as a close-combat type of fighter, he relied on Alley to knock opponents out of the sky and keep them grounded.]
Dell: Ugh, condescending punk! Get off your high horse, ya big coward!
[He tossed a throwing axe at the windsurfer, but Cardinal swerved aside to avoid it.]
Cardinal: Timeās up, Dell.
[Cardinal used QUICK BOOMERANG!]
[A stream of the projectiles littered the sands in a straight line before finding score on the infected fighter. He gave a glitched screech of pain, becoming frenzied.]
>WARNING! WEAPON ENERGY LOW: QUICK BOOMERANG
Cardinal: (Ugh, greatā)
[He quickly set the hardware that held additional capsules to switch out that particular Power Capsule for the one containing the Ring Boomerang.]
[WHUNK!]
[This time, the windsurfer was hit. Cardinal gave off an annoyed buzzing sound, impatient for the capsule to load into place.]
Cardinal: Send my regards to dreamland!
[Cardinal used RING BOOMERANG!]
[A direct hit, right to the collarbone! Cardinal grimaced at the damage, infected Xel beginning to seep out of the wounds.
He didnāt get long to dwell on the carnage, though.]
WWWHHHKT!
[He abruptly fell over backwards off of the windsurfer as a rope of sorts suddenly ensnared him by the neck. As he hit the sands, he was dismayed to see Cassidy back on his feet, hellbent on destruction despite his heavy injuries. He was flared up with the infected aura, and gave a hard yank on the noose.]
Cardinal: HNNNā!
[The crushing bind caused fraying in his audio cables, deafening him entirely. It was also crushing parts of his coolant system and mobility rig, causing oil and other fluids to build up at his jaw hinges and leak out the sides of his mouth.
Heat was also starting to build up in his skull, and he felt disoriented by the system-wide warnings that he was approaching dangerous temperatures. If he teleported while running this hot, he would definitely overheat and start taking damage to his mobility rig and processors.]
[YANK!]
[Cardinal dropped his shield, grabbing at the rope as he used some surge to repair the audio cables.
It was lucky he did, or he might not have heard the two other fighters bearing down on him.]
Cardinal: !!!
[Cardinal used SKULL BARRIER! Cardinal used SUPER ARM!]
[He flared up with ghostly flames and pulled on the rope with all his might, pulling it right out of the rancherās hands. The knot of the noose was sliced clean through as Lauraās scythe came down right on his throat. There was a shrieking noise as the blade clashed against the barrier protecting him from getting beheaded.
It also served to bounce off the broken pitchfork that had been slammed into his left foot in an attempt to pin him in place.]
Cardinal: This ends NOW!
[Cardinal used THUNDER BEAM!]
[Shrieks of pain as an extremely powerful bolt of lightning shot out in three directions. Laura was caught directly in the crossfire of the tri-directional beam.]
Cardinal: Shoulda brought candles, Laura!
[Cardinal used SPARK SHOCK!]
[He immediately followed up with another electrical attack, broadcasting his quips over the blast of electricity.]
Cardinal: Itās LIGHTS OUT for you!
[Cardinal used SUPER ARM!]
[He grabbed the fallen leader and slammed her into Jones, who was still trying to skewer him with what was left of his pitchfork. The two were sent flying into a wall.]
[Cardinal used NEEDLE CANNON!]
[He quickly turned and fired at Cassidy, impaling him dead-on with an enormous needle. The rancher staggered back and fell to the ground.]
Cardinal: So STAY DOWN!
[Cardinal used HYPER BOMB!]
[He hurled the massive explosive right at the two of them, as well as one at the fallen wind ābot.]
<DLN-000>: >EVERYONE TAKE COVER!
[He grabbed his shield and braced himself.]
[The explosion was a deafening roar of fire, and there was a great crashing noise as parts of the stadium seating were sent flying. Even with his shield taking the brunt of the blasts, he was still slammed into the wall.]
>WARNING! INTERNAL TEMPERATURE HAS EXCEEDED SAFE LEVELS!
[It was only when the debris finally stopped falling that he finally dared to look out from behind his shield, gasping for air.
There was no sign of his opponents, nor of their weapons. Sand had been kicked up everywhere, covering up the cores that had been scattered throughout the field. Not surprising, considering heād used explosives that were designed for flattening buildings. Rather excessive.
No kill like overkill.]
Cardinal: (Noā¦ where IS everybodyā¦)
>WARNING! INTERNAL TEMPERATURE HAS EXCEEDED SAFE LEVELS!
[Cardinal fumbled for an E-tank. It was a precious resource to use, but he had to do his best to heal all the damage done before anyone tried to give him medical attention.
The high dose of concentrated surge was like a refreshing plunge into warm waterāhe felt revitalized, and no longer as thirsty. All the beating heād taken melted away, leaving him wholeā¦]
>WARNING! INTERNAL TEMPERATURE HAS EXCEEDED SAFE LEVELS!
[ā¦if on the edge of blacking out.]
Cardinal: -Staggers to his feet, venting heavily- (Need to at least make it into the shadeā¦)
[He only made it to the entrance before the heat became too much.]
>INITIATING PROTOCOLSā¦
>POWERING DOWNā¦
[He didnāt even have time to respond to the incoming radio messages before dropping down to the sand.]
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[MEANWHILE....]
"Phone call for you."
"......"
"Hey. PHONE CALL--"
"I heard you the first time."
"Tch. Jeez, old man. Don't think anyone would be using THIS frequency ever again..."
"....So it's him."
"Yup."
"Do you wanna answer...?"
"......."
"Uh....P-2045453?"
"I have a NAME."
"Sorry. Warden's orders."
"...Hmph."
"Hang up."
"That's gonna waste your one phone call for the day."
"I do not care. It's not like anyone calls me besides conspiracy theorists and crazed lunatics."
"....Yeah, you do get some loonies over the phone, huh..."
"But--I REALLY don't think you wanna hang up on the president of CherryDyn."
"........."
"Do I need to tell you twice?"
"......Oookaaaay, but I'm pretty sure he's gonna call back regardless--and I gotta come back here every time to let you know, so."
"........."
"....Uh--P-20--"
[A low, grating growl.]
"UH--I--I-mean--D-- Dr. Blackwell..."
"........"
"....Doctor...?"
"........."
"........I...I'm just gonna leave--uh, last meal of the day is in half an hour."
"............"
".......Soooo....bye. Man, I hate this job..."
[CLICK.]
"............"
"............."
"........Greg."
"You obsessed fool."
"You've DOOMED us all."
"......"
"I knew I should have taken...."
".........."
" . . . ."
"M-...My Ray of Hope..."
"....Forgive me..."
āāāāāāāāāāāāāā
{In the Meadowā¦}
[The days seemed to go on forever. It had gotten very dark and cloudy outside, blending day into night.
Mikhail and DWN-019 worked almost non-stop on Doctor Light Number Eightāwith the Doctorās sons enforcing mandatory mental and physical breaks to prevent burnout.
Getting to Tobiasās actual coding was not easy. Offline or not, he was highly defensiveāand not pleased that anyone was going near his coding.
And when they did find himā¦
It was just a mess. There were errors all over the place, and clearing them up would take quite some while. Sifting through the error report from the last system crash alone took DAYS.
And now, they were finally getting past the system reports and into the base data.]
Mikhail: ā¦
Siam: Doctor?
Gemini: Is everything alright?
Mikhail: Mmm? Oh, yesā¦ Iām fine.
[ā¦But it was a lie.
A lie so as to not distract the twins from their analysis on the data they had got from Avi as part of the ordealāfor that information could prove quite enlightening.
But noā¦]
Mikhail: Justā¦ a little weary, I suppose.
[ā¦He was concerned.
Inspection of the Awareness code had showed that it had changed. Crucial components had changedārewritten themselves.
Somehow, the encounter with Avi had prompted (or, more likely, FORCED) Tobias to rewrite himself.
What worried Mikhail the most was that some of the coding was beyond what he could recognize.]
Mikhail: (-Groooooaaan- {Willā¦ I wish you were hereā¦!})
[He still had the few fragments of notes that his best friend had given him regarding coding with Xel. That was a lifesaverāit told him that some of this seemed to be connected to functioning within a Xel chassis.
It may just be junk data, useless without the proper hardware. (Which, of course, would mean it would need to be pruned somehow, or else it would cause perpetual system errors.)
But he couldnāt say for sure what it would do, yet. He needed to go through the rest of the code to be sureā
He needed to know for sure that Tobiasās self had not been torn apart by being fused with Avi. At leastā¦ not in a way they couldnāt fix.
Sure, they had a back-up, butā¦
He dreaded the thought of being forced to resort to using it.
But it was already apparent that Tobias was fragmented and getting data from elsewhere, even though he was not inhabiting his own chassis. If it turned out that this damage was beyond repairā¦ he would have no other choice.]
Mikhail: (Oh, Aviā¦! What did you DO to him?)
āāāāāāāāāāāāāā
{SANDA LABS...}
Will: Nnngh...
[Much like Mikhail was having troubles of his own, William was feeling rather hopelessly at a loss of what to do himself.]
[...He had hoped that having two separate samples of the Virusāone from Pyro and Cryoāwould clear some things up.]
[Instead, it only raised more questions than answers.]
[These samples, while accomplishing their directive, had done so in a MUCH different way than the other. The coding was...so different. So...
....brilliant.]
[...Whoever had coded this KNEW what they were doing.
And they knew it WELL.]
Will: . . .
Will: (This...sinking feeling...)
Will: (The more I stare at this code, the more I want to look away...)
Will: (Why?)
Will: .......
Will: (God, I wish you were here, Mikhail...)
Will: (But with Avi holding the airwaves hostage--who knows when I'll hear from you again?)
[Will sighed heavily, and let the rest of the analysis programs run by themselves for now.]
Will: (āPerhaps another sample is needed...)
Will: (Fortunately...)
Will: (The pattern here is clear enough to give us some idea of where to go next...)
Will: Call?
Call: Yes, Dr. White?
Will: I know that we keep getting interference, but please continue to try and pinpoint the locations of the other Mighty Numbers--and cross reference them with places that their abilities would have the most effect and damage.
Call: Right away. Scanning...
"Will?"
[White looked up from his terminal, his expression twisting into concern as he saw his best friend hurrying across the lab with his phone in his hands.]
Soi: You might wanna take a look at this...
[His phone's screen showed nothing but purple static--and didn't seem to be responsive in any way whatsoever.]
Soi: Either this is Avi's doing or the virus somehow infected cellulars...
Will: Mm...
[Will checked his ownā]
Will: ....?
Will: I don't remember shutting mine off...
[Try as he might, he couldn't get it to turn onā]
Will: ......
Will: Wait a minuteā
[With an sudden swift movement, Will dug into his shoulder bagā
...And pulled out his charger?]
Will: I must have forgotten...butā
Soi: ...? Willāyou do realize this isn't exactly the time toā
Will: I just want to test something, hold on a momentā
[He plugged it in, connected it, and waited for exactly five, tense minutesā
If he was right about this, thenā]
[DING!]
[The phone flickered to lifeāworking perfectly.]
Will: Yes!
Soi: ā?!
Soi: Wait...how...?
Will: It's just like Call...!
Will: My phone was out of charge when the virus struckāthus it wasn't affected!
Soi: ā!
Soi: Huh...that's something, alright. Seems like anything that was shut off at the time this all started wasn't affected...
Will: Yes, since it wasn't connected to any servers at the time. Technological isolation, as it were...
-PING!-
Will: !
[The āNew Messageā icon pops up.
ā¦And then as it continues to load, a number appears next to it, and climbs higher, and higherā¦ joined by the āMissed Callā symbol and the āNew Voicemailā symbol, which also show multiplesā¦]
Will: ......
Will: They're from Mikhail...
[The time frame shows they were placed after 11:46 AM on June 21st, with the last message sent before said Russian actually managed to get a hold of Will some time later.
There are dozens of pictures of lines of code displaying on a mainframeā apparently taken with a phone camera.]
Will: ...?
Will: This codeā
Will: (Hrmācan't quite tell what it is...)
[Will then moves to check his voicemailsāand puts it on speaker so that Soi could hear as well.]
[NEW MESSAGE FROM: MIKHAIL
RECEIVED ON JUNE 21st, 11:49 AM]
ā -Click- Will? Will?ā
ā{Papa, why wonāt he answer?}ā
ā{Oh noā¦ please be quiet, Princessā¦}ā
ā{Papa, Iām scaredā! Itās like withā¦ with the /bad man!/ What if my brothers are sick again?!}ā
[A pause, and then a click, as heād hung up.]
Will: (Oh, God, little Kalinka...)
[NEW MESSAGE FROM: MIKHAIL
RECEIVED ON JUNE 21st, 12:01 PM]
ā -Click- {Will, somethingās very wrong. I need you to call me back as soon as possible, when you get thisāitās an attack on the server, theyāre all sick.} -Click-ā
[NEW MESSAGE FROM: MIKHAILā¦]
ā -Click- {Will, I REALLY need you to call me back nowāitās coming from YOUR serversā what is going on over there?!} -Click-ā
Will: . . .
[NEW MESSAGE FROM: MIKHAIL
TIME STAMP INVALID]
ā -Click- ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ā
[A pause.]
ā -Soft sigh and a groan, faint sound like heās rubbing his face- {Itās bad, William. It was an aggressive virus. I had to hard reset not only the server, but also all of my sons and the Rebel Angels.}ā
[Another pause, before he continues in English, before going back to Russian because heās too tired right now.]
āThe codeā¦. ā¦ {It didā¦ some very strange things. ā¦I recorded the raw data with a video camera so I could analyze it laterāpreferably with you, my God I hope you are alright and get thisāwithout having the actual thing being a squatter in the RMDC.}ā
ā{Iāve sent over some screenshots I pulled off of thatānamely, the initial interaction it had with the server, and the start of some of the consequences in action. Iām still looking it over, but it looks like it activated some very bad cross-referencesā¦ Iāll have to look closer to tell you which ones.}ā
ā{It did send them all into Lethal modeāor tried to, anywayāit actually just didnāt work with DCN-000, as his current highest setting is Non-Lethal. ā¦Which isnāt to say he canāt cause damageā¦ itās just that he doesnāt haveā¦ -Groans- Iāll tell you when you call back, please call back, alright?}ā
ā{Iām going to have Tobias search you out if you donāt respond in 24 hoursāI hope that isnāt necessary, but Iām very worried.}ā
Will: -winCE-
Soi: Ngh...
ā{You neednāt worry about one thing, thoughā}ā
ā{It did try to activate the DLN_COMBAT.EXE, but that program never went live in any of the constructs that have access to my server. It activated the DWN_COMBAT.EXE program insteadāwhich I can tell you is something that activates when they are afraid or in great painā¦ but they have always been defensive. When it went active, they shut down to avoid damage. They are not gone Maverickā so PLEASE, /DONāT/ panic and send Shade overā/}ā
Will: .......
[Will just put his head down next to the terminal and groaned. Of course, he had no idea what had happened to the Mighties then...]
ā{I really hope I hear back from you soon, Will. Weā¦ I need you over here. Some of the interactionsā¦}ā
ā{The Awareness aspect of the AI_OSāit just can be soā¦ adaptiveā¦. ā¦ ā¦ ā¦ I know you might not think that such a high-tech bit of code from your world could even run in a system as āoutdatedā as what we use, but the boysā¦ theyāve already long been adapting to data and coding from your children, thisā¦}ā
[He trails off.]
ā{I wonāt let Tobias poke around if I can help it. But for the love of Godā
CALL ME.}ā
[A click signifies the end of the message.]
[NEW MESSAGE FROM: MIKHAIL
TIME STAMP INVALID]
[The next message is much laterāit appears to be relatively recent. Right away, itās pretty apparent that Mikhail is not in good humor.]
āWill, Iām starting to wonder if you even brought your phone back with you from England.ā
Will: (S-sorry, Mikhailā¦)
āI know things ended off rather suddenly, andā¦ I just have to say Iām sorry about what happened. I wishā¦ I wish it could have been another wayā¦ā
[There was a drawn out sigh before he continued.]
āWillā¦ Tobias and Avi seem to have fused together.ā
Will: -Alarmed- Wh-WHAT?
āWe got some data from Avi that weāll try to analyze, but I donāt know if weāll get anything useful out of it. This dataā¦ I canāt understand all of it, William. Tobiasās Awareness seems to be running somewhere, and is updating his cross-reference memory banks, butā¦ we keep getting errors when we try to bring him Online, because the Awareness is active elsewhere. I can only hazard a guess as to where, butā¦
You should expect problems from the branch server until the matter is resolved. Tobias was the true master of the database, even though Iām the Admin of my server. I can tell you from experience that if Tobias is trying to protect the main server from getting attacked again, the branch server wonāt be able to connect to it. There may be other ways he interferes, if he gets input data that he feels is a threat.ā
Will: Thatā¦ that would explain why heās blocking their signalsā¦
āI donāt know if Iāll be able to fix this on my own, Will. Not without resorting to his last backup, which had the Awareness software intact.ā
Will: (Oh noā¦)
āBut if I do that, that may make things worse in the long run, due to two versions of the Awareness running at the same time. Not to mention the side effects to both Tobias and Avi that we can expect anyway.ā
Will: (S-Side Effects...?)
Soi: (That doesn't sound good...)
āWeāll have to talk more after you have Avi back, and try to go from there. As long as heās an active threat, there will be interference that prevents us from communicating. Pleaseā¦ be careful.ā
[Click.]
[ā¦Wait.
There was one more message.]
Will: ...! There's...another...
Soi: Huhā?
[NEW TEXT MESSAGE FROM: D L N ā 0 0 0]
Will: CARDINALā!
"WHAā"
"DAD WHAT ABOUT HIM I HEARD YOU SCREAMā"
[MN.1, 2, AND 9 ARE NOW ONLINE.]
[MN.1] //: -DATA, DID YOU FIND HIM?-
Will: Noāhold onā
āJ O H N 15:13ā
[END OF NEW MESSAGES.]
Will: John 15:13...?
Soi: Why would...?
[MN.2] //: Is it some kinda code, or...?
[MN.1] //: ....
[MN.1] //: "No greater love than this..."
[MN.1] //: "...than to lay down his life for his friends."
[MN.9] //: . . .
[MN.9] //: Cards...
Will: ......
Will: (CardinalāI pray that you're safeābut PLEASE don't find him before we do...)
Will: (āYour heart's in the right place, but you lack the tools to save him...)
Will: .....
[Will saves the pictures Mikhail took of the coding from the RMDCāand silently thanked him under his breath. He now had three samples to go over and compareāeven if the Rebel Angels weren't of Xel, this information could essential to working out the cause of the malfunctions.]
Will: (I hope you're having better luck than me, friendā)
[āBlink.]
Will: -Looks up- ??
Soi: Whaā
Soi: Did the lights justā
[BZZZZZZZT!]
[The whole building was thrown into darkness.]
āāāāāāāāāāāāāā
[.....]
[CHERRYDYNAMICS INC. MAIN OFFICE BUILDING...]
[BACK UP GENERATORS RUNNING.]
[A phone rings. It seems to be a private line...]
[Click.]
"Mr. Graham?"
"Graham speaking."
"Sir, the recent power outage is going to take some time to work aroundā"
*"What's the status of our servers?*"
"...Still infected, sir. But our firewalls are holding for our factory linesāat least on the west coastā"
"What about her."
[Silence.]
"What. About. HER."
"....It's....still....here."
"Any changes?"
"No, but--"
"Good. Leave her as she is, don't tamper with anything."
"Sir--"
"If I see once scratch on her, I WILL FIRE your whole department and worse. Do you understand?"
"Sirāshe'sā"
"I asked you a question."
".....U-Understood, sir..."
"Mm. Notify me if anything comes up."
"Yes, Mr. Graham..."
[CLICK.]
"Idiots..."
"Just when this was all going to plan..."
"This VIRUS rears it's ugly HEAD..."
"....."
".....Well. As long as she remains untouched..."
"This can still be fixed..."
[Click. Click. Click.]
"......Senator? Ah! Greg Graham hereāyes, yes, I'm perfectly safe, but what aboutāOh! Well, that's good newsāYes. Yes, we're doing EVERYTHING we canāIn fact!"
"We may be on the verge of a solution as we speak..."
[ ...... ]
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